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@riediaries
hello! rie here! i write fluff fics about the strongest, satoru gojo.
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Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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đđ NSFW AUDIO !
Your boyfriend eating you out as his valentines day present for you âĄ
Warnings: P0rn audio.
Note: Happy valentines day baes đđ
â1(800)WRN6-NMB3Râ
Summary: Somebody had been texting you about some group project and kept calling you âCheolâ for three days straight. You told the stranger he probably had the wrong number, but the stranger insisted he had the correct one. With that, the two of you started exchanging things about each other, unaware that neither one of you was as far away from each other as you originally thought.
Pairing: Yoon Jeonghan x Fem!reader
Warnings/tags: 18+ MDNI, eventual smut, fluff, smidge of angst, romcom, college au, non idol au, best friend!Joshua & Wonwoo, Joshua calls the reader pipsqueak, strangers to friends to lovers, sexting, phone sex, masturbation, mentions of alcohol consumption, mentions of smoking weed, shotgunning, having sex while high (but it's consensual), protected & unprotected sex, dom!Jeonghan, pussydrunk!Jeonghan, multiple sex scenes, oral sex (f receiving), multiple positions, couch sex, face sitting, they text a LOT, Jeonghan is a horny bastard.
A/N: LOL YOU GUYS THOUGHT I'D POST IT MID MAY. I lied. anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this fic, and I'm sorry it took me a month to write... wish me luck for my exams tomorrow, and as always, this is not how I depict the idols in real life! This is fiction!
Word count: 19.1k (I yap too much)
Dividers from @saradika-graphics & @chrisssiren
Your phone had been buzzing every two minutes, a message notification coming from an unsaved number appearing on the top of your screen. Your best friend glanced at the device before looking back at you. âArenât you gonna check whoâs been blaring your messages for the past twenty minutes?â
âWeâre in the lab right now, Shua. Iâm not going to check my phone while Iâm in the middle of perfecting a blood smear. Speaking of which, give me your finger, Iâve jabbed myself enough times already.â
You grabbed his hand only for him to swat yours away with a soft hiss. âTake Wonwooâs hand, Iâm not sacrificing myself for your experiments.â
âItâs a blood smear. Weâre supposed to do this in pairs. And youâre my pair, by the way,â you deadpanned, grabbing your friendâs arm as he whined when you pricked his finger for some blood. You carefully placed the small drop of Joshuaâs blood into the glass slide, grabbed the second slide and placed it at a 45-degree angle before your phone buzzed again, causing you to lose your focus and fail to do your task once more.
Taking a deep breath, you tried not to crash out and scream as you grabbed your phone, unlocked it, and checked your messages from the unknown number.
???: Cheol.
???: Cheol, check this out.
???: [sent 1 attachment]
???: I got sushi from that one place just outside campus. I was thinking we could go.
???: Cheooooooooooooooool
???: dude, stop ignoring me đ
You: Iâm not Cheol, and you have the wrong number.
???: Thereâs no way youâre not Cheol. This is literally the number he gave me.
You: You mustâve saved the wrong number then. Please stop texting me.
???: Why?
You: Uhhh, because Iâm not your friend?
???: I mean, we could be :))Â
You snorted at the logic the stranger you were texting was showing. Glancing around, you continued to text the unknown number while your PI was busy with other undergrads.
You: How?
You: For all you know, I could be a 64-year-old creep.
???: You see, you wouldnât be saying that if you were actually that old.
???: Plus, no old man would be able to text as quickly as you do.
You: Fair enough.
You: Still, you donât know me, and you shouldnât really be spamming a random personâs number.
???: I thought you were my friend, so đ¤ˇ
???: Anyway, new friend!
???: What are you up to?
You: Iâm in a lab right now, actually.
???: As in youâre a scientist?
You: Undergrad in the Biology department.
You: How about you?
???: Now, now⌠It wonât be fun if I reveal everything about myself now, will it?
You: Youâre so strange.
You: Iâm gonna block you now. Nice meeting you, stranger.
???: WAIT WAIT
???: Iâm a journalism major. Iâm assuming weâre from the same uni?
You: Why would you assume that?
???: Idk, hunch.
You: Okay⌠I need to go. I donât want to get in trouble with my PI.
???: Does that mean you wonât block me?
You: Iâll think about it.
You turned off your phone, shaking your head as you grabbed Joshuaâs arm again. âOne more time.â
âYou pricked my finger in the same spot like four times! How consistent can you be?!â Joshua complained as he held his âtorturedâ finger, as he called it, after you had pricked him four more times during lab. The two of you were walking from the lab towards the exit of the Biology department building to grab lunch at your usual hangout spot, which was the campus cafeteria.
As you shrugged, you shook your head at your best friend and his antics. Your thoughts were too preoccupied with the stranger whom you had texted earlier, wondering what they were up to at the current moment. Deciding to pull out your phone, you checked if they had texted you, but there was nothing.
âWaiting for prince charming to message you?â Joshua peered over your shoulder, which he immediately regretted when you elbowed him.
âI donât even know if heâs a guy or not.â You rolled your eyes as you pocketed your phone, walking ahead as your friend followed.Â
Joshua grabbed your phone from your pocket with ease, unlocked it, and checked your messages. âTotally a guy. No girl would message like this.â
âHow do you know?â You muttered as you snatched your phone back from your best friend, smacking him gently as you looked through the messages again. He was right. A girl would typically not text like this, and it was just pretty obvious that a guy was texting you, but you didnât want to assume.
The two of you continued to banter until you got to the cafeteria to meet up with Wonwoo, who had to leave earlier because of a student council meeting. Once all of you had your food, you sat down by the windows and placed your trays on the table. Thatâs when your phone buzzed, prompting you to check, only to get disappointed when it was an email from your professor about your data analysis report for Statistics.
Wonwoo raised his eyebrow at Joshua, who just shrugged with a fond smile before digging into his food. You noticed the glance your four-eyed friend was giving you and gave up on staying quiet.
âA random number kept texting me these past three days,â you grumbled, taking a bite out of your food. Chewing and swallowing, you continued, âAnd I just replied to them today during lab.â
Wonwoo raised his brows, intrigued by your situation before speaking. âSo⌠You just ignored them for three days straight?â
â...yes?â You sounded uncertain as Wonwoo hummed, thinking before shaking his head. âWhat? You thought of something, tell me!â
âNo, nothing. I just thought it was strange that youâd ignore them rather than just block them.â He shrugged, and you blinked at his words, realising what he meant.
Right. You usually did block random numbers, but that was when they called! And this guy did not call, so you didnât feel obligated to block him. Plus, you were pretty curious about the mysterious texter who wanted to âbefriendâ you.
âDo we know any journalism majors?â You suddenly blurted out, causing Joshua to look at you with a cocked eyebrow.
âUh, Seungcheol is a journalism major with his friendâwhat was his nameâŚâ he muttered, trying to recall the name of Seungcheolâs friend. âI donât remember his name, but why?â
You shook your head, trying to dismiss Joshuaâs growing suspicions. âNothing, nothing⌠Itâs just that he said we might be from the same uni.â
Joshua groaned at that, and you knew what that sound meant. You chuckled awkwardly, knowing it was probably a bad idea to meet up with this person without getting to know them first, but hey, at least you were trying to socialise, right?
âYou are not going to meet him! What if heâs some serial killer?â You rolled your eyes at your friendâs tendency to exaggerate everything, but Wonwoo seemed to agree with him. A sigh left your lips before raising your hands, as if to say you were forfeiting the idea. For now.
âYou should get to know this guy first before meeting him. Stranger danger and all,â Wonwoo murmured while cutting his pork katsu into bite-sized pieces. âWe donât want you to get into unnecessary danger.â
Your eyes softened at your friend, understanding that they were only looking out for you. Taking another bite of your food, your phone buzzed once more. Expecting another email, you unlocked your phone only to see that the unknown number sent you a picture.
???: [sent 1 attachment]
???: Lunch đ
You: Huh.
???: What?
You: We are from the same uni, after all.
???: So, my hunch proves to be correct!
???: What are you up to?
You: I'm also in the campus cafeteria, with some friends.
???: OoOoh
You: ??
???: Nothing, nothing.
???: I'd say let's meet, but that's a little too early for that đ
You: My friends and I were actually just talking about that.
You: Stranger danger, so⌠what's your name?
???: Wouldn't you like to know? What's yours?
You bit your lower lip as you looked up from your phone to check any students in the surrounding vicinity who were on their phonesâalmost everyone. A sigh left your lips before you typed out your name and hit send.
???: Cute name
???: I'm Jeonghan. At your humble service.
You: Jeonghan, huh? You know I could just search you up in the student files on the uni website, right?
Jeonghan: But what would be the fun in that, sweets?
You: âsweetsâ?
Jeonghan: You sound sweet, so sweets đ¤ˇđť
Jeonghan: Anyway, let's set up some rules!
You: For what???
Jeonghan: Since we're from the same uni and all, we're bound to bump into each other.
You: The journalism department and biology department are on opposite ends of campus.
Jeonghan: We could share classes, you never know, sweets.
Jeonghan: Anyways, rules! One, you're forbidden from searching me up on the school website and vice versa. It's more fun if we don't know what we look like for now.
Jeonghan: Two, no asking around people on campus if they know who we are. That'd be cheating.Â
Jeonghan: Three, we update each other on our day-to-day to get to know each other better until we're ready to meet. And wanting to meet needs to be mutual, so if one doesn't want to, we can't meet.
You: So, you want this to be like a game?
Jeonghan: Kind of? It'll be fun :)
Jeonghan: So, what do you say, sweets?
You: What if I say no?
Jeonghan: Then I will never text you again, and we will go on with our lives as strangers.
Jeonghan: But I know you're interested, so please say yes.
You: Whatever, sure.
Jeonghan: Perfect. I knew I could count on you đ
You: Don't ever send that emoji again, or I'm blocking you.
Jeonghan: Got it đŤĄ
âHaving fun texting the stranger?â You almost jumped out of your seat when Joshua spoke up, prompting you to smack him.
âHis nameâs Jeonghan.â You glanced back at your screen to check if he had sent anything else, but there was just a gif with confetti. A soft snort left your mouth at that before you shook your head. âHe's strange, but I'm only a human, and humans get curious.â
Joshua rolled his eyes, finishing his lunch as he stole a fry from your tray. âJust eat your food, you've been texting the guy for the past ten minutes. We have Statistics after this.â
A groan left your lips at that, disliking Statistics out of all of your lectures for the day. You'd rather have lab all day with your strict PI rather than Statistics with your notoriously annoying professor. You finished your lunch quickly and said goodbye to Wonwoo, who had a different lecture from you and Joshua.
âWho's got you smiling like that, dude?â Seungcheol sat across from Jeonghan as the latter cleared his throat before pocketing his phone.
âNo one, what are you talking about?â Jeonghan shoved a couple of fries into his mouth, pretending like he wasn't just giggling to himself like some moron after texting you. His best friend raised his eyebrows, unimpressed as he sighed.
âYou were texting her, weren't you?â Seungcheol noted the way Jeonghan glanced away, neck and ears burning as he sighed. âDude, I gave you her number so you could introduce yourself! Not that you could convince her you had the wrong number.â
âI did introduce myself, kind ofâŚâ Jeonghan muttered, looking back at Seungcheol with a pleading glance. âI made this whole thingâI'll get to know her through texting, and we'll meet each other once we're readyââ
âOr you could just stop complicating this for yourself and introduce yourself to her like a normal human being?â Seungcheol deadpanned, crossing his arms as Jeonghan groaned. Only if it were that simple.
Jeonghan didn't have the guts to approach you and talk to you as he usually would with other people. He wasn't sure why, but something was stopping him from acting like himselfâmaybe it was because he didn't want to give you the wrong first impression? He couldn't figure it out, but what he did want was to get to know you better, and this was one way to do it.
He was so surprised when Seungcheol mentioned that he knew you, having taken some classes together during freshman year. He was even more surprised when Seungcheol told him he had your number. That's what got him into the situation he was inâtexting you without you knowing that he was just one person away.
âSeriously, Hannie⌠She'll like you. You're funny, and she's a simple soul, she's practical, and if you play your cards right, she might agree on a date.â Seungcheol looked at his best friend with a sympathetic smile, but Jeonghan was convinced his way was better.
And he'd go through with this plan until he was ready to actually reveal himself.
Statistics was as boring as ever, but you promised yourself you'd actually focus this semester. While writing down your notes in your notebook, you couldn't help but feel someone's gaze on you. You turned your head in the direction you could feel the gaze from, and met someoneâs eyes before they hurriedly looked away. Strange.
Thatâs when you noticed the person he was sitting next to. Seungcheol.
You turned back to your notes, curious about the guy sitting next to the friend you had made during freshman year. They were both probably journalism majors, so maybe they knew Jeonghan. Not like you could askâit was a part of the rules of the game your next textmate decided to make up.
When the lecture ended, you decided to walk up to Seungcheol and his friend, telling Joshua to go ahead, and that youâd catch up with him later.Â
âHey, SeungcheolâŚâ You greeted awkwardly, not having seen him in quite some time due to your busy schedule.Â
The man in front of you immediately perked up when you came up to him, greeting you back with a hug. âHey, itâs been a while! This is my friend JeonghanâaughâŚâ
âHe meant Jung Han. My nameâs Han. Hi,â Jeonghan murmured after elbowing his friend in the rib before shaking your hand with a smile. You gave him a small one back, letting go of his hand after a beat.
âNice to meet you, Han. I guess, uhm⌠Iâll see you guys around? I still have to head to the lab to check on my samplesââ
âHannie can walk you there! He has, uh, he has a class not too far from there, yeah.â Seungcheol nudged Jeonghan forward, making you blink at both of them. You werenât really against the idea, and Jeonghan was quite the looker.
You decided and hummed, nodding. âYeah, sure. Why not?â
The two of them looked at each other, as if they were communicating with each other telepathically, before Jeonghan smiled at you and offered his arm. âShall we?â
The bold action caused you to snort and take his arm, telling yourself that you could get out of your comfort zone just this once.
âSo, Han,â you started, and he hummed, looking down at you as the two of you walked arms linked with each other. âHowâd you and Seungcheol meet each other?â
âHmm, I think it was kindergarten. Why?â He asked back, and you just shrugged, seeming to be curious about the guy you were currently walking with. Jeonghan had this charm to him that you couldnât place, but he seemed to be a little awkward, even when he was just walking with you.
You wanted to talk to him. You wanted to ask questions you normally wouldnât have. Jeonghan was just that type of guy youâd want to actually get to know for some reason. Usually, you wouldnât even be this touchy with a person you just met, putting them at armâs length, but he just made it a bit easier to open up to.Â
So, you talked. Asked questions about him like the curious researcher you were, noting everything down mentally as you listened.
When you got in front of the Biology department building, you unlinked your arm from his before smiling. âThis is me⌠Thanks for walking me here. You really didnât have to.â
âNah, it was my pleasure. It was fun talking to you, sweeâI mean, uhh⌠yeah, fun talking to you.â He scratched the back of his ear, giving you an awkward chuckle. âSee you around!âÂ
Jeonghan gave you a salute before he turned and hurriedly walked away. You faltered, wanting to call out for him to ask for his number, but he was already out of earshot. A soft sigh left your lips before you decided to head into the building to check on your precious samples in the lab with a giggle.
âStop fucking giggling like an evil scientist,â Joshua muttered from behind you as he smacked you with his clipboard. You frowned, rubbing the back of your head as you glared at your best friend. âSo, who was the guy you had your arms linked with~?âÂ
You rolled your eyes, knowing Joshua would want to know about what he saw. âNothing, Seungcheol offered him to walk me, and I agreed.â
âJust like that? You? Agree for some guy to walk you all across campus?â He raised an eyebrow, and you sighed. âWhatâs the guyâs name?â
âJung Han,â you murmured, and Joshuaâs eyes widened.
âJeonghan? Like the guy youâre texting?â
âNo, noâJung Han. Two separate people. His nameâs Han.â You explained, and your best friend made an âOâ shape with his mouth before furrowing his brows and grumbling to himself. âWhat?â
âI was sure Seungcheolâs friendâs name was Jeonghan, though, but eh, I mustâve misheard.â Joshua tilted his head to the side, clicking his tongue softly before dragging you into the lab room, where a few people were already conducting their research in their own workbenches. You didnât linger on your friendâs words, focusing on the bacterial samples you had in the small lab refrigerator instead.
Twenty minutes into conducting research and writing your thesis, your phone buzzed, distracting you from your task as you glanced at the device before looking back at your laptop. You contemplated whether it was worth getting distracted, glancing around as Joshua seemed to be preoccupied with sending you random memes on Instagram. So, you decided to abandon writing your thesis to check whatever Joshua mightâve sent you before seeing a message from Jeonghan.
Jeonghan: [sent 1 attachment]
Jeonghan: The sunsetâs pretty.
Jeonghan: Like you probably.
You: Are you flirting with me?
Jeonghan: uhhhhhhhhh
Jeonghan: If I am, would you let me?
You: I donât know.
Jeonghan: wdym you donât know? :(Â
You: If you send me one more sunset pic, Iâll consider saying yes.
Jeonghan: [sent 7 attachments]
Jeonghan: Are these enough?
You stifled a giggle, covering your mouth before replying to his message. You found Jeonghan entertaining, so you indulged in whatever he was trying to do.
You: Youâre weird, you know that?
Jeonghan: Yes, youâve called me strange before, I know
You: [sent 1 attachment]
You: Iâm in the lab conducting research right now.
You: Lowkey bored :// My best friend keeps sending me reels instead of helping me.
Jeonghan: Thatâs cute
Jeonghan: The Sanrio sticker on your laptop, I mean
Jeonghan: Whoâs your fav character?
You: Cinnamoroll.
Jeonghan: Noted đ
You: For what?
Jeonghan: Thatâs a surprise for the future, sweets.
You: What if I donât like surprises? What then?
Jeonghan: Ehhh, I think that you do like surprises, youâre just trying to throw me off my game
Jeonghan: But that wonât work! Because I can foresee the future.
You: And that future is?
Jeonghan: You and me on a date :)
You: Right. Iâm blocking you.
Jeonghan: NOâ WAIT PLEASE
Jeonghan: I was too forward. I apologise.
Jeonghan: One more chance, I beg of you, sweets.
Jeonghan: No date. Unless you change your mind.
Jeonghan: Sweets?
You decided to leave him on read with that, wanting to cackle to yourself. Instead, you settled with a slightly off-putting giggle, prompting the people around you to send you side glances, which also happened to be your best friend. Joshua threw a pipette at you, hitting you square in the forehead, pulling you out of your weird state.
âStop giggling to yourself like that, weirdo. Youâre creeping me out.â
You flipped him off, grumbling to yourself as you dove back into your research with a soft smile on your lips when you glanced at the Cinnamoroll sticker on your laptop.
It was late when you got back home to your apartment, tiptoeing inside so as not to wake your roommateâMinghaoâup. It had been a long day, and you were exhausted, so instead of scurrying to your bedroom, you crashed on the leather couch you and Hao had bought last year, deciding to invest in a good couch instead of keeping the old, ratty one that was provided by your landlord.
Your phone buzzed, surprising you. It was 1:04 AM. Why was he still up? You unlocked your device and pressed the notification.
Jeonghan: u still up?
You: Why are you up?
Jeonghan: Couldn't sleep đ¤ˇđť
Jeonghan: You?
You: Just got back from the lab.
You: I worked on my thesis and didn't realise it was late.
Jeonghan: Ahhhh, I see..
Jeonghan: Do you wanna play 20 questions?
You raised your eyebrow at that, sitting up and leaning against the backrest as you thought about it. Jeonghan was a complete stranger to youâbut you just continued indulging him because he was interesting. You thought about the other Jeonghanâor Jung Han, as he insisted, but you couldn't really take it seriously. Probably coincidental that they had the same name.
You: What the hell, why not?
You: Who starts?
Jeonghan: You can :)
You: Were you serious about that date?
Jeonghan: Oho, straight to the hard questions, huh? I can't say I don't like it.
Jeonghan: Maybe⌠Why?
Jeonghan: U interested? đ
You: Those two count as two separate questions, so I'll answer them and get two questions myself.
You: Nothing in particular, I was just wondering if you were serious or not, and no, I'm not interested. Not yet anyway.
You: Whatâs your favourite colour?
Jeonghan: đ
Jeonghan: Woah, woahâ backtrack, little lady
Jeonghan: wdym ânot yetâ??
You: I don't know you, so.
Jeonghan: Fair enough..
Jeonghan: Oh, and my favourite colour is black.
You: Hm.. why would you want to go out with me? You don't even know what I look like.
Jeonghan: Does it matter if I do?
Jeonghan: Don't count that as an actual question; it was rhetorical
Jeonghan: And to answer your questionâwhy not? You're interesting, and I find texting you quite fun, even when you threaten to block me or text like a robot sometimes.
You: I do not text like a robot! đĄ
Jeonghan: Sorry to break it to you, sweets, but you do, painfully so. But it's part of the charm that tugs me towards you đ
You: Your turn.
Jeonghan: Right. Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Jeonghan: Oh! What's your favourite movie?
You: I, uh⌠27 dresses. And How to Lose a Man in 10 days. Both romcoms, yes.
Jeonghan: That's cute
Jeonghan: Will be sure to watch them and tell u what I think about them
You: What are your hobbies?
Jeonghan: Hmmm.. Thatâs a difficult question. But I like playing football (not the American one, I'm a little too unqualified for that), sleeping and taking care of my pet rock ^^
You: You have a pet rock?
Jeonghan: That's two questions, sweetheart, but yeah, I do.
Jeonghan: [sent 1 attachment]
Jeonghan: Its name is Doljjong :)
You: That'sâŚ
You: Thatâs cute.
Jeonghan: Thanks
Jeonghan: How about you? What are your hobbies?
You bit your lower lip at that, contemplating whether or not to share something so close to your heart with a stranger. Deciding not to linger on it, you typed out your answer.
You: I like to read.
Jeonghan: Just that?
You: And, uh, I guess I like to draw sometimes.
Jeonghan: Okay, okay, cool
Jeonghan: Can I ask a more personal question?
You: Uh, sure.
Jeonghan: Do you have a boyfriend?
You: No.
Jeonghan: Why not?
You: Too busy.
Jeonghan: Would you like to have one then?
You: Good night, Jeonghan.
Jeonghan: Worth a shot
Jeonghan: Night, sweets.
You sighed, chickening out before the questions got too intense, not wanting to reveal too much, too soon. Your cheeks couldn't help but warm at the incessant flirting from Jeonghan, unsure why he was so interested in your love life when he barely knew you.
âHe's so weirdâŚâ You muttered to yourself as you lay back down on the couch.
âWhoâs weird?â You shot back up when you heard Minghaoâs voice, seeing him getting a bottle of water from the fridge.
You shook your head, dismissing his question with a wave of your hand. âNothing, just muttering to myself.âÂ
That seemed to satisfy Minghao's fleeting curiosity as he padded back to his room, leaving you alone once more, your head hitting one of the throw pillows while you thought about your new contact and Jung Han.
âSeriously, youâve been texting the guy for five days now, and you're thinking about meeting him already?â
Joshua shook his head, still disapproving of the idea of you meeting your phone pen pal. You had been texting Jeonghan for almost a week, and you enjoyed talking to him more often than you didn't. You found yourself liking his free personality, the way he seemed to just be himself through the phone, open with you as he shared little moments of his life without revealing too much. And you did the same; you gave him a piece of your peaceful life, sharing small stories about your experiences at the lab or just talking about your day-to-day, just like you agreed upon.
You found yourself truly befriending the guy who accidentally texted your number.
A groan left Joshuaâs lips as he sighed. âGive it more time, get to know him better before you actually agree to something serious. I don't want you coming home crashing out because he wasn't the guy you expected him to be.âÂ
âWhat guy?â You suddenly hear a voice behind you, turning to see none other than Jeonghan Han. Your expression seemed to change when you saw him, your face a little brighter as he sat down beside you.
âOh, uh, nothing. Just the guy Iâve been texting.â You shrugged as he rested his arm around the backrest of your chair before stealing a fry from your tray.Â
You and Jeonghan had also been spending some time with each other, getting to know each other as you talked through Instagram DMs. He sent you funny memes and made sure to remind you to drink water. He was friendly and charming, but not in the same way as the Jeonghan youâve been texting over the phone.
Jeonghan felt bad for lying to you like this, wanting to come clean, but he was in way too deep within his two personas he was showingâthe strange charmer over the phone, aka the real him, and whatever this âJung Hanâ persona was. It was baffling how you couldnât connect the dots. He shook it off as he glanced at you with the usual look he always sent your wayâyearning and admiring. Even Joshua could notice it, your best friend clearing his throat and coughing.
âIâll leave you two alone. I donât feel like third-wheeling. See you during lab.â Joshua got up from his seat, giving the two of you a wave before leaving with his tray. Jeonghan chuckled awkwardly at that, while you just hummed and continued eating your food in soft silence.
âTell me about that guy youâre texting.â Jeonghan suddenly blurted out, prompting you to pause and look at him. He seemed curious, his eyes darting around before looking back at you.Â
âI⌠I mean, heâs nice. I like talking to him. Heâs a little strange, but I guess thatâs the part of his charm,â you murmured, smiling as you took a bite of your food, chewing and swallowing before continuing, âHeâs asked me out about three times, but I turned him down since itâs only been five days. But we do have a few things in common.â
âYeah? Like what?â Jeonghanâs heart seemed to clench at how enthusiastically you talked about him to him, feeling jealous of his own self for knowing more about you and not being able to voice it out. It was ridiculous.
âI know I shouldnât want to meet up with him, but I really want to. I want to see him and talk with him about all the things I talked about. Do you⌠Do you get what I mean?â You fidgeted with the napkin on your tray, glancing at Jeonghan as he nodded. You didnât seem to notice how he tensed up, his jaw clenching before he relaxed.
Jeonghan then decided to tuck a few strands of hair away from your face, making you blink and flush when he leaned in. âYou like him that much?â He sounded a bit hurt, eyes softening as he continued, âWhat about me?â
âWhâwhat about you?â You mustered out, not moving away as his fingers found your shoulder, gently touching.
âNothing, nevermindâŚâ He chuckled, but it sounded strained as he moved back, ruffling your hair. âI have a lecture soon, pretty, Iâll see you later, okay?â
You faltered, confused as he got up and grabbed his bag, leaving you all alone at your table, your thoughts filled with nothing but his words. What about me?
Jeonghan wanted to scream into his pillowâwell, Seungcheolâs pillow. He was currently in his best friendâs dorm at Beta Sigma Tauâs fraternity house. They were supposed to be writing an article about some topic Jeonghan had already forgotten, focused on his phone instead.
âYou should just tell her, man. Stop being a wimp.â His best friend turned to Jeonghan as he sighed at his whining.
âI tried, Cheol⌠But something in me just flaked out, and I couldnât bring myself to break it to her. What if she hates me for it?â He sat up, hugging the pillow as he checked your messagesâboth on Instagram and on his number. Nothing. He wondered if you had figured it out and decided to actually block himâ
Ding!
Jeonghan immediately unlocked his phone to see that you had sent him a picture.
He almost fainted on the spot.
It was you in a pretty, baby blue sundress that ended at your mid-thigh, the sleeves puffy, making you look like a modern-day princess. Your face was covered by your phone, obviously not wanting to reveal it yet, even if he knew what you looked like, but this was the first time youâd sent anything remotely involving your looks.
You: Does this dress look okay?
Jeonghan: Yes.
You: Woah, thatâs a serious response.
Jeonghan: Sorry, I was just so uh
Jeonghan: Surprised, ig?
Jeonghan: But you look very pretty, sweets
Jeonghan: Are... are you going on a date, mayhaps?
You: Maybe.
You: Jk, Iâm not, I just wanted to know what you thought of the dress.
Jeonghanâs heart almost dropped when he saw that first message, before you followed it up with the second one. He didnât realise he was holding in his breath as he let it out, making Seungcheol side-eye him, but he was too focused on texting you.
Jeonghan: I think the dress is lovely
Jeonghan: Will you wear it on our first date?
You: Maybe.
Jeonghan: You and your âmaybeâs, just say yes or no, baby
You: Pffft
You: Ask me out again.
Jeonghan: Are you fr right now?
You: If you donât do it in the next 10 seconds
Jeonghan: Sweets, sweetheart, will you go out on a date with me?
You: Yes.
Jeonghan got up from Seungcheolâs bed, startling his best friend as he re-read your answer before screaming, âSHE SAID YESââ
âWhat?â Seungcheol grimaced when Jeonghanâs voice cracked as the latter started jumping around like some madman.
âShe said yes, dude, Iâm going out on a date with herâfuck.â
He ran his fingers through his hair, already thinking of the plethora of things he wanted to do before coming up with a whole idea of where to bring you and whatnot.
This was going to be the perfect date.
Your heart was beating out of your chest. You said yes. You said yes. To a date with Jeonghan, a stranger you just met five days ago. Usually, your instincts told you to run in the opposite direction, but this time, it was telling you not to run away. Like this was meant to happen.
The two of you had agreed that youâd see each other on Saturday, which was four days away, giving the two of you some time to prepare. Prepare for what exactly? You werenât sure, but you definitely needed the time.
You were currently on your way home, listening to music as you managed to bump into Jeonghan. He seemed as surprised as you were; his face was slightly flushed as if he was in a rush. He murmured your name as you took your headset off.
âHeyââ
âHiââ
The two of you said in unison as you paused and smiled with a soft giggle. Jeonghan scratched the back of his earâsomething he did when he was nervous, as you noted a couple of days prior.Â
You spoke up first, your expression full of wonder. âWhere were you headed from?â
âOhâuh, from Cheolâs place. We were supposed to do this one article, but I forgot the topic.â He chuckled, standing there as he put his hands in his pockets awkwardly. âIâm guessing you were going home from the lab?â
âBingo.â You did finger guns, also pocketing your hands into your jacket. Your thoughts lingered on that moment you had in the cafeteria earlier that day, but you didnât bother mentioning it.
Jeonghan seemed to hesitate, but spoke up after a beat, âDo you want to come over to my place?â
He blurted out, prompting you to pause. You checked your watch before looking at him apologetically. âIâm sorry, but Iâm running late. My roommate wants me to eat dinner with him and his friends. Weâre having Chinese. Maybe next time, though?â
âOhâuh, yeah, sureâŚâ Jeonghan smiled, hiding his disappointment and understanding that you had prior plans. Thatâs when he remembered about the party that was going to be hosted at Seungcheolâs fraternity.
âHey, wait,â he managed to grab your wrist before you could leave. âThereâs a party at CheolâI mean Seungcheolâs fraternity this Friday.â
You blinked at him, pursing your lips slightly before cracking a soft smile. âIâm not really the partying type, Han.â
âIâI know! But we donât have to stay downstairs. Iâm sure Seungcheol wonât mind if we stay in his room. We could play Uno, or something.â He rubbed his neck, looking at you hopefully.Â
You thought about it for a second before sighing softly and nodding, âYeah, Iâll go. Just donât leave me alone there, alright? Iâm sacrificing my precious Friday lab plans for this.â You joked as Jeonghan let go of your wrist, letting you leave as he found himself groaning when you were out of earshot.
You, on the other hand, were groaning for another reason. Not only were you sacrificing your precious time at the lab, but you were also juggling between two guys at this point! You felt guilty, but at the same time, it wouldnât hurt to go, right? You were going there as his friend.
Shaking your head, you decided to stop thinking about it as you headed back to your apartment so you could eat with Minghao, Jun, and Soonyoung.
âIâm home!â You shouted from the front door as you slipped your shoes off, padding over to the kitchen to see Minghao cooking, while Jun and Soonyoung were trying to beat your record in Mario Kart in the living room. You could smell the aroma of the food Hao was cooking, going over to the stove before grabbing a spoon from one of the drawers and trying the soup.Â
Your roommate smacked your hand before you could grab another bite of the meat. âItâs not done yet, you impatientââ
Soonyoung, who called your name from the couch, cut Minghao off from cursing you out, and you smiled innocently at him before heading over to where your roommateâs friend was. âI beat your record! Give me the crown!â
âOh yeah? Watch me beat your recordââ You were about to grab the console from him when your phone buzzed. It was Jeonghan. An involuntary smile formed on your lips as you sat down on the armchair, not too far from the couch, before unlocking your phone. Soonyoung looked at Minghao, who just rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Jeonghan: [sent 1 attachment]
Jeonghan: I miss you, sweets
You: Are you in the bath, Jeonghan?
Jeonghan: Uhhhhhh
Jeonghan: Yes?
You: IâOkayâŚ
You: Also, you canât miss me.
Jeonghan: Why not?
You: We havenât met yet?
Jeonghan: I can miss my future girl, yk
You: Bold of you to assume Iâll be your future girl.
Jeonghan: You already agreed to go out with me.
Jeonghan: No take-backsies
You: Yeah, yeah. I know.
You: Have you planned out the date or�
Jeonghan: Ofc I have, sweetheart
Jeonghan: Donât worry your pretty little head abt it
You: If you say so.
You: I trust you.
You then contemplated whether or not to tell him about the party he Han invited you to. Shrugging, you decided to tell him, not thinking much of it.Â
You: Also⌠Thereâs this party Iâm going to.
Jeonghan: Oh?
Jeonghan: My sweet geek is going to a party?
You: I am, yes. Surprising.
You: A friend invited me, so.
You: Would you like to come?
Three dots appeared and disappeared as Jeonghan typed, making you feel anxious. Was it a good idea to invite him when you were supposed to hang out with the person who invited you? You shook your head, focusing when Jeonghan finally replied to your message.
Jeonghan: Sorry, sweets, but Iâll be busy this Friday ://
Jeonghan: As much as I wanna meet you faster, Iâd rather see you during our date, having fun instead of getting wasted
You: Valid point.
Jeonghan: I do hope you have fun with your friend though :))
You: I mean⌠weâre probably going to his friendâs room and play Uno or something since Iâm not a party person.
Jeonghan: So your friend is a him.Â
Jeonghan: Cool.
You: Jeonghan, itâs not like that.
Jeonghan: đ
You: Jeonghan, you canât be serious.
Jeonghan: MY FUTURE GIRL IS ALREADY CHEATING ON ME đ
You: I AM NOT.
Jeonghan: Gotcha
Jeonghan: You agreed that youâre my future girl đ
You: Iâm literally gonna block you.
Jeonghan: No you wonât <3
You sighed and shook your head, unable to stop yourself from smiling as Soonyoung gently nudged you with his foot. âYah, why are you smiling like that? Itâs creeping me outâHao, why is she smiling like that?â
âSheâs got a boyfriend.â Minghao rolled his eyes as you glared at your roommate. âTell me I'm wrong.â
âHe's not my boyfriend!â You argued, huffing softly as your roommate scoffed out a laugh.
âRight, and you donât text him almost every day when you have free time.â He deadpanned, causing you to groan and threaten to throw a pillow at him before he sent you a glare back. âPlus, you bought that new dress when we went out, which means that youâre probably going to meet him soonâIâm presuming Saturday?â
âIââ You sputtered before clenching your jaw, kind of expecting this from Minghao. He just knew things, forces of the universe or whatever. Before you could even linger on the fact that he knew about your date, Soonyoung and Jun were tackling each other over the last pocky stick.
When dinner was ready and served on the table, the four of you dug in, but not before you took a picture of it and sent it to Jeonghan Hanâs DMs.
You: [yourusername sent a photo]
You: Dinner with the goofs :))Â
Hannie đЎ: Have a good dinner, pretty :)Â
You: thank you, Hannie :3
You: Have you had dinner yet?
Hannie đЎ: Yeah, I just got out of the shower and made some ramyeon
You: Iâd say you should have more than just convenience store ramyeon, but we are broke college students.
Hannie đЎ: Exactly, pretty
You: What time should I come to the frat house?
Hannie đЎ: Oh! Iâll just pick you up from your place, if thatâs okay with u
You: Yeah, I donât mind :))Â
Hannie đЎ: Perfect :)) Iâll pick you up at 8, since the party starts at 9
You: Alright, I've got to go, my roommate is glaring at me.
You turned off your phone before you could see Jeonghanâs reply, and avoided eye contact with Minghao before he spoke up again. âWho did you send the picture to?â
âHan from JournalismâŚâ You grumbled, and your roommateâs eyebrow cocked in confusion.
âYou mean Yoon Jeonghan?â He asked, and you shot him a puzzled look. âThatâs the only Han I know from Journalism. You know, Seungcheolâs friend?â
That made you pause. Jeonghan. Han. Seungcheol. Cheol. Cogs turned in your brain until everything clicked. Han was Jeonghan. You agreed to go on a date with the same person who asked you if you wanted to go to a party with him. Thatâs why he declined your invitation.
You groaned at not being able to realise it sooner, but you didnât want to do anything about it for now. Jeonghan mustâve had his reasons to keep this from you, so you let it be for the time being.Â
You got up from your seat, Jun perking up and furrowing his brows slightly. âDid Hao say something wrong?â
âOhâno, I just figured something out,â you murmured, tilting your head slightly as you muttered to yourself. Before Soonyoung could add anything, your roommate shushed him.
âLeave her be, she probably figured something out about Jeonghan.â
You decided to call Joshua about this about three hours later. It was lateâ11:09 pmâand you couldnât sleep. You were wearing a face mask, typing along on your laptop, when your best friend answered your call, also in the middle of his skin care routine.
âJesus Christ, I thought you were a ghost,â he muttered, and you rolled your eyes at his eccentric comparison. âWhat is this about? You said it was important, but you just seemed bothered by something.â
âJeonghan is Han,â you mumbled, and your best friend made a face, not being able to understand you.
âWhat? Can you repeat that? You literally mumbled it, and Iâm not Superman, by the way.â He sassed, putting on his moisturiser. âJeonghan is who?â
âHeâs Han! LikeâLike Han, Seungcheolâs friend!âÂ
You explained everything to Joshua, filling him in on everything, and by the time you were done with your rambling, your best friend was done with his skincare routine, and you were removing your sheet mask.
âThatâs a lot to unpack, pipsqueak.â He sighed, shaking his head as he sat down on his office chair, propping his phone up against something while probably opening his laptop to write his thesis, just like you. âWhat do you wanna do about it?â
âI donât know! I mean, I like him, but which one is the real him, you know?â You groaned softly as you buried your face into your hands without realising what you had just said.
âWait, go back. What did you say?â
âWhich oneâs the real himâ?â You looked at your phone screen, confused.
âNo, dumbass, the other thing.â
âThat I likedâoh. Oh.â You finally got what he meant, realising that you liked Jeonghan.Â
You werenât sure which version of him you liked more, but you liked him all the same. It made you realise that in the past few days, youâve known Jeonghan as Seungcheolâs friend and as your phone pen pal, youâve liked talking to both versions of him. The awkward dork side and the more flirty side of him.
âSo, what are you gonna do about it?â Joshua repeated himself, looking at you with a knowing smile.
âIâm gonna go to that party and tell him how I feel?â You sounded unsure, feeling your insecurities grow. Jeonghan knew what you looked like all this time, but you still felt like you werenât going to be enough for him. You also felt a bit betrayed at the fact that he knew who you were, but you didnât know who he wasânot fully anyway. But that didnât really matter right now, your priorities set on the fact that youâd confront him during your date and not during the party, not wanting to ruin your chances with Jeonghan by cornering him.
Joshua noticed your conflicted expression and sighed. âYouâre going to spiral if you overthink this, pips. And damn right youâre gonna tell him how you feel. If you get cold feet, you have to buy me those Prada sunglasses I told you about for my birthday.â
âDude, your birthday just happened!â You whined, knowing there was no getting out of this. Not unless you wanted a dent in your bank account anyway.
Sometimes you felt like you called the wrong person when asking for advice, but Joshua was always real with you, and so was Wonwoo. But you didnât want to impede the latter with your love life problems when all he did was game when he had the time with his busy schedule as both a biology and engineering major. It was surprising that he had time to get lunch with you and Joshua every time.
You continued to talk to Joshua until you finally decided to head to bed, bidding your best friend goodnight and ending the call. A soft sigh left your lips as you took a quick picture of your desk and sent it to Jeonghanâs phone number.
You: [sent 2 attachments]
You: Shit.
You: That second picture wasnât supposed to get sent.
Jeonghan: Fuck, sweets
You: DONâT LOOK AT IT??
Jeonghan: YOU LITERALLY SENT IT??
Jeonghan: You look hot, though
You: Iâthank you.
Jeonghan: Is it weird to admit that I got hard?
You didnât reply to that, as you wanted to scream your lungs out into your pillow, but it was late, and Minghao would smother you with said pillow if you didnât shut up. You were experimentingâit was supposed to be something you kept in your gallery and then deleted when you looked too hard at it.Â
It was you, after your shower, posing a little too riskily for the camera, on your knees in front of your full-length mirror, wearing nothing but a tank top with thin straps, and shorts that were a little too short for your liking. Your face was covered by your phone, but it was obvious that it was meant to be for Jeonghan. You were just too much of a wuss to send it to him now that you knew who he was.
You looked back at your messages, groaning at the fact that you couldnât turn back time and be more careful with sending pictures from your gallery.
You: Thatâs rather a bold statement.
Jeonghan: Okay, good youâre back
Jeonghan: Thought you died from embarrassment
Jeonghan: Though thereâs really no point in being embarrassed, pretty girl
Jeonghan: [sent 1 attachment]
Oh, fuck. It was a picture of Jeonghanâwearing his sweats and a loose t-shirt that rode up from the position he was lying in. Bulge prominent in his pants.
You: Is that a current pic?
Jeonghan: Yeah
Jeonghan: I donât send shit like this to anyone else, pretty
You: Do you really think Iâm that hotâŚ?
Jeonghan: Donât do that
You: Do what?
Jeonghan: Belittle yourself. Youâre pretty, hot and everything I could ever want, sweetheart.
You: Stopâ
Jeonghan: You got me hard for fucks sake
Jeonghan: Do you want me to send myself jerking off just to prove it to you?
You: âŚ
Jeonghan: Too far?
You: Send it.
Jeonghanâs breath hitched when he saw the message. Send it. Fuck. Were you really serious? He bit his lower lip as he palmed himself while looking at the picture you had sent, feeling like some creep for planning to jerk off to such a pretty photo of you. But heâd rather be sure as he typed on his phone with one hand.
Jeonghan: U srs?
You: Yes? Why wouldnât I be?
Jeonghan: Idk, ppl usually donât ask for dick pics, let alone someone jerking offâŚ
You: You offered, I accepted it. Now send it, coward.
Jeonghan: Youâre so mean to your boyfriend đ
You: Future boyfriend***
Jeonghan: Iâll take it
Jeonghan: Brb
Jeonghan shimmied his sweatpants and boxers down, freeing his throbbing cock as he hissed softly at the cold air hitting his sensitive tip. He bit his lower lip as he opened the camera app, his cheeks flushed behind it as he hit record.Â
He touched his cock, stroking it gently as he rubbed the leaking precum all over his thick girth, grunting and whining softly as he imagined it was you and your pretty mouth sucking him off. Jeonghan groaned out your name as he closed his eyes before they fluttered open once more, so he could focus on recording himself fucking his fist, imagining your breasts that almost spilt out of your tank top and the short shorts that probably barely covered your ass.
âFuckââ He grunted, feeling himself get closer as he teased his tip, but ended the recording before he could cum, just so he could edge himself. He quickly wiped his hand with a tissue from his nightstand before nervously sending the video to you.
Jeonghan: [sent 1 attachment]
Jeonghan: Thereâ
You: Holy fuck.
Jeonghan: ?
You: NothingâŚ
Jeonghan: Sweets, I just sent myself jerking off to you, speak up
You: It's embarrassing!
Jeonghan: More than me sending a video of myself?
You: âŚ
You: I'm soaked
You: Like, I didn't know I could secrete so much slick
Jeonghan: Abandoning the punctuation marks, that's a sign
You: Aren't you gonna ask me for anything?
Jeonghan: Not unless you're comfortable with it, sweets
You: [sent 1 attachment]
Jeonghan physically groaned, seeing the picture that you'd sentâbent over, your ass facing the mirror as you took the picture from your bed. He could see the cute posters and knick-knacks you had in your room, but he was zeroed in on your panty-covered mound, slick coating your inner thighs and your panties were soaked.
Jeonghan could feel his cock twitching, and more precum leaked out of his tip. A strangled grunt left his lips as he went back to stroking himself, and making sure he reached his release with the sight of you.
Jeonghan: so fucking pretyyÂ
Jeonghan: gnna bust a nut
You: Jeonghan, I wish you were hereâŚ
That was what unravelled him, a choked-out moan leaving his lips as spurts of hot cum shot out of his shaft, coating his lower abdomen and his hands. He embarrassingly snapped a quick photo of it before sending it to you in a post-nut haze.
Jeonghan: [sent 1 attachment]
You: Is that because of me?
Jeonghan: yws
You: ??
Jeonghan: Sorry, yes, I was typing with one hand
Jeonghan: Did you really mean it?
You: Yeah⌠I'm soaking wet, and I don't know what to do.
Jeonghan: fuck.
Jeonghan: Call me.
You bit your lower lip as you read his message over and over. Call him. Your stomach fluttered at hearing his voice through the phone, even if you knew what he sounded like, but this would confirm everything.
You hastily slipped off your panties, getting comfortable in your bed as you dialled Jeonghanâs phone number. He answered almost immediately, sounding strained and breathless.
âHâhelloâŚ?â You murmured, your phone pinched between your cheek and shoulder as you worked on teasing yourself, rubbing your inner thighs with one hand and tweaking your nipples with your other.
âFuck⌠you sound so pretty.â Jeonghan's voice sent a jolt to your clit. It was him. Your theories were confirmed, but all you could do was whimper softly when you brushed your fingers against your slippery clit.
âJeonghanââ You mewled, earning a soft groan from him as you teased yourself. âNeed helpâŚâ
âI know, baby, I know⌠What are you doing?â He rasped out, hearing him shift on his bed.Â
âTeasing myself,â you mumbled, and Jeonghan hummed, listening along with your soft gasps when you rubbed your clit. âRubbing my clitââ
Another soft grunt left Jeonghanâs lips as you started hearing soft fap fap sounds coming from the other side of the call. âOkay, baby, keep teasing your cute little clit, spread your slickâŚâÂ
âOkayâhnghâŚâ You mewled, eyes rolling back as you teased and rubbed yourself, your hole fluttering around nothing. â I feel so empty, Jeonghanââ
âFuckâput⌠put your fingers in, fuck yourself with two, scissor yourself, baby. Imagine they're my fingers trying to stretch you out for my cock.â
You whimpered at the command, doing as he said as you inserted two fingers into your sopping cunt, your toes curling as you started pumping your digits in and out and scissoring yourself as he told you to. You imagined him being in your room, talking you through it like he was now, touching you and whispering into your ear.Â
âCurl your fingers up for me, sweetheart. Come on, itâll feel good, I promise,â he cooed, and you listened, curling your fingers up to that spongy spot inside you. Your legs trembled, and you gasped, wanting to squeeze your thighs together as you continued to fuck yourself with your fingers. The heel of your palm grazed against your clit, making you whine as you felt the knot in your lower belly forming.
âI'm close, Jeonghannieââ You whimpered out, while Jeonghan grunted over the other side of the line, the slick sounds of him stroking his cock getting faster and a bit louder. It made you imagine the video he had sentâhow big and pretty his dick looked, how he moaned out your name. It was dizzying.
âKeep doing what you're doing, baby, you're doing so well for me,â he murmured, praising you as you got closer to your orgasm. âThis really wasn't the way I was expecting us to do this, but fuck, this is hot. You're hot.â
You flushed, mewling his name once more before the band in your stomach snapped, and you let out a whiny moan as your walls convulsed around your fingers, coating them with your release. Your legs trembled as you panted, your vision blurry.
âBaby, you still there?â Jeonghan crooned, and you let out a soft âuh-huhâ, still recovering from the intense release you had just gone through.
âI⌠holy shitââ you gasped as you pulled your fingers out of your slick hole, feeling how soaked you were everywhere; you probably ruined your sheets from coming so hard just now. âIâI think I soaked through my sheets.â
âFuck, don't say that when I'm not thereââ Jeonghan sounded whiny, hearing his pout through the phone as you giggled tiredly.
âIt's⌠It's nice to finally hear your voice,â you murmured, your eyes softening as you closed your trembling legs. Jeonghan hummed, shifting in his bed as he put his sweats back on. You moved to the less ruined side of your bed before grabbing some clean panties from your wardrobe and putting them on.
Feeling slightly awkward, you were unsure of what to say to him now that you were done getting off. âUhmâŚâ
âSweetheart, you sound tense. Is it awkward to put a voice to the text message?â Jeonghan chuckled, and you let out a soft huff in reply. âAs I said earlier, I⌠I didn't expect to do it like this.â
âDo what?â
âHave phone sex? I'm more of a hands-on person.â He admitted blatantly, causing you to inhale sharply as you imagined Jeonghanâs hands all over you. He caught on to the silence on your end, a soft chuckle leaving him as you trembled at the sound.
âNow, now⌠Pump your brakes, little lady. We'll get to that point. Let me buy you dinner first.â He teased, and you whined, rolling your eyes but smiling either way.Â
You fiddled with the hem of your shirt, listening to his soft breathing before speaking up, âI'll see you Saturday?â
âYeah, pretty. I'll pick you up, hm?â
âMhm⌠goodnight, Jeonghan.â
âGoodnight, sweets.â
After that, you hung up, still trembling, but not because of your orgasm, but because of the excitement of seeing Jeonghan on Saturday and the dread of seeing him on Friday, pretending that you hadn't had phone sex with him. You groaned, the post-orgasm haze wearing off as your logical thinking came back.Â
Friday came faster than youâd expected. You were pacing around your living room like a worrywart while Minghao and Joshua played old maid. You were wearing a baby blue blouse and a white denim mini skirt with white sneakers, wanting to somehow look pretty to the party you were going to without overdressing or looking like a hooker.
Joshua groaned when you kept walking back and forth, having had enough of your worrying. âDude, stop worrying. You'll confront him about it when you're ready.â
âWhat if he figures out I know?! What if I blurt it out or somethingââ
âYou're worrying about the stupidest of things, you know that?â Minghao deadpanned, drawing a card from Joshua as the latter groaned when he lost. âThe two of you are fucking idiots.â
âHeyââ you were about to argue, but the doorbell rang, prompting you to pad over to the front door and check the peephole to see Jeonghan. Unlocking and opening the door, you greeted him with a smile and a quick hug.
âHi,â you squeaked, earning a raised eyebrow from him as you grabbed your purse and keys. âI'm leaving!âÂ
You called out to your friends, and they bid you goodbye. âDon't get her near alcohol, she's a lightweight!â
Joshua warned Jeonghan, and you groaned, flipping your best friend off as you closed the door and started walking. Jeonghan offered his arm, and you gladly took it with a soft laugh.
âYou look pretty,â Jeonghan murmured, his eyes softening as you flushed under his gaze. Was he always this handsome up close? Your heart couldn't help but flutter, and your body heated up a bit.Â
You could handle this. Maybe.
The two of you got to the frat house about fifteen minutes later, entering the loud establishmentâmusic boomed from the speakers, and the place was packed with drunk college students, dancing and shouting at each other to hear what the other was saying. Jeonghan led you up the stairs, opening the door to what seemed like Seungcheolâs room.
âHe lives in the dorm by himself?â You looked around, surprised to see only one bed, the rest of the vast space filled with a beanbag and a small couch, along with a desk in the corner by the windows.
âI mean, we used to live together before I decided to move out. And since he's the chapter president, he gets to have a dorm to himself.âÂ
Jeonghan shrugged, humming uncommittally as he sat down on the bed, patting the free space beside him, causing you to gulp. Act natural.Â
You sat down beside him, pretending like the brush of his knee against yours didn't just ignite your skin on fire. He was acting fine, so you should too, right? You technically didn't know Jeonghan was Jeonghan, after all. Your hands were on your lap, and you sat there as Jeonghan looked around the room to see what the two of you could do while the party got crazier downstairs, the music getting louder, and students got rowdier.
âDo you have anything we can doââ
âWe can play Uno if you wantââ
The two of you said in unison, looking at each other before bursting into soft laughter, and that seemed to break the ice almost immediately. You nodded at the idea of a game of Uno.
âWhat does the winner get?â You asked, and Jeonghan looked up as if he thought hard about it.
âHmm, how about a kiss on the cheek?â He offered, and you squinted your eyes at him playfully before he added, âAnd snacks.â
âYou drive a good bargain, HanâŚâ You murmured, touching your chin as you thought about it, humming and making a face that made him laugh.
âI'll take it. The winner gets a kiss on the cheek and snacks!â
At the start of the game, you seemed to have been taking the lead, managing to get to one card first before Jeonghan just smirked and shook his head.
âYou underestimate my skills, sweetheart,â he cooed, the nickname sending a jolt down your spine as the memories of last night came flooding back before it got cut short when Jeonghan placed a wild draw four card on the deck.Â
You groaned, pouting slightly as you picked four cards from the deck, not having any colour Jeonghan had announced as he placed a blue eight. You picked another card, managing to place a red eight as he clicked his tongue. Your body froze when he shook his head again, placing a red skip card before a red draw two card, which caused you to retaliate with a yellow draw two card, and he clicked his tongue again.
âYou sure you wanna play this game, pretty girl?â He tutted, and you looked at him with growing dread as he placed a blue draw two card, forcing you to pick up six cards, leaving him with five cards and you with ten.
Both of you went back and forth until you managed to get three cards left while Jeonghan had two. You bit your lower lip as you looked at your cardsâa blue four and a red draw two card. The deck currently had a red eight card, and you were thinking whether or not to place the draw two card or to just pick another card from the deck.
Deciding to take a risk, you place the draw two card, glancing at his reaction. He kept a straight face before sighing. âSometimes, I wonder if the forces are working against me.â
âUno, Jeonghan. Your move.â
He picked out the first card from the deck before pausing and glancing at you. You held your breath as he picked out the two cards, having nothing to place in retaliation. He had five cards while you had one. Not like you could place the one you had, so you had to pick another card. A yellow stop card. You wanted to groan, but kept it in as you watched Jeonghanâs moves.
âSorry, sweetheart.â He looked at you with a pensive expression before he apologised, making you look at him confusedly.
âHuhâ?â Thatâs when he placed two wild draw four cards, two wild cards and a blue reverse card, ending the game with your loss.
You just lost.
You lost Unoâthe only card game you were probably good atâto Jeonghan.
âA kiss on the cheek is owed to me, my lady,â he teased, grinning as you groaned, rolling your eyes before leaning in and kissing his cheek. Jeonghan hummed at the action, and you couldnât help but linger in his vicinity as you looked at him up close.
Jeonghan seemed to notice how you were looking at him, and his grin softened to a soft smile. âCareful, sweetheart, I might think you have a thing for me.â
That made you reel back with a flush to your cheeks, hitting his shoulder as he snorted out a laugh. Thatâs when he stood up, confusing you before he motioned towards one of Seungcheolâs drawers.
âHe keeps his snacks here. We can eat them since heâs probably just hoarding them for when he feels like it.â He took out a bag of chips and a box of strawberry pocky. You grabbed the pocky and opened it, while Jeonghan continued to snoop in Seungcheolâs drawer before whistling lowly.
You looked at him with a quizzical brow, and he took out what looked like a blunt of weed. âIs thatââ
âSure looks like itâŚâ Jeonghan murmured, glancing around the room before finding a lighter. âWanna smoke it with me?â
The question hung in the air as you looked at Jeonghan. He seemed chill about the whole thing, probably had smoked weed before, but you never tried to in your four years of uni. He sat back down on the bed, leaning against the headboard, tilting his head to the side before offering you the blunt.
âDonât tell me you havenât smoked weed before.âÂ
âI havenât.â You admitted, and Jeonghanâs eyes softened. âBut Iâd like to try.â
Jeonghan lit the blunt soon after your approval, taking a drag out of it and handing it to you to try. You awkwardly held the blunt between your fingers, taking a drag before you started to cough, handing the weed back to him as he patted your back while you tried to recover from the burn down your throat.Â
âIâfuck, I underestimated the strength of it. Sorry,â Jeonghan apologised softly, still rubbing your back. âHow about I shotgun you? Itâll be easier on you, but the effect will be weaker, soâŚâ
âY-yeah, I think thatâll be better.â You nodded, looking at him with teary eyes after practically coughing your lungs out. âHow do we do it?âÂ
You asked, and he glanced away awkwardly before patting his lap. âYouâll have to get close, sweetheart. I will be exhaling smoke into your mouth after all.â
Ah. That made sense. Something in your stomach flipped as you looked at his lap before back at his face, and you made your way to straddle him, slightly hovering.Â
âInhale when I exhale into your mouth.â Jeonghan took another puff out of the blunt, taking your chin between his index finger and thumb, prying your mouth agape before blowing the smoke into your mouth. You did as he said and inhaled, taking in the smoke as you felt the weed affecting you already due to its potency.
With a couple of more exchanges, and you could feel yourself getting high, sitting snugly on Jeonghanâs lap while he talked about something random from his childhood, while you fed him pocky. The two of you had probably gone through half of the blunt before Jeonghan decided to place it down on the ashtray he had found earlier. His hands found your hips, and you didnât mind the touch one bit as you fed him another pocky stick.
âPlay the pocky game with me,â he murmured, his eyes half-lidded as you hummed and agreed without a second thought. You placed one end of the long pocky stick between his teeth while you started biting the other end, getting closer and closer to his lips.Â
When your noses bumped against each other, and you were about to take the last bite, Jeonghan took the rest of the pocky stick into his mouth before stealing a kiss from you, prompting you to gasp. He didnât seem to be sorry as he bumped his nose against yours.
âWas that okay?â Jeonghan whispered, and you nodded gently, already leaning in for more as his grip on your hips tightened. âTell me, baby.â
âYeah, Hannie, I liked itâŚâ You murmured back before pressing another kiss to his lips, forgetting all about the pocky as your hands travelled to the back of his head and you tangled your fingers in his hair.
A groan left Jeonghanâs lips as he kissed you back, his hands roaming around your waist down to your thighs, pushing your skirt higher. âFuck, is this okay?â
He muttered against your lips, fiddling with the hem of your mini skirt, his eyes searching your face for any hint of disapproval. There was none, and you only tugged gently on his hair.
âTouch me, JeonghanâŚâ you murmured, and a soft noise left him as you said his name. He was too high to realise, and too focused on pushing your skirt up to your hips to care.
When you ground yourself against him, he panted, his dick stirring in his sweatpants as he watched your panty-clad cunt grind against his growing erection. A curse left Jeonghanâs lips when you ducked your head down, kissing his neck as he guided your hips.
âJust like that, sweetheart, mnhâŚâ He grunted as he saw the wet patch forming against his pants, and your panties were probably soaked from the stimulation. He leaned his head back against the headboard, dizzy with pleasure and the weed working through his system. âI want to fuck you so bad, but I can'tââ
He choked out, and you whined. âWhy not?â
Jeonghan's hazed brain cleared for a moment, knowing that he didn't want this to happen this wayânot when you didn't know who he was yet. Not when he was pretending to be someone else.
âJeonghan, pleaseâŚâ You nosed his jaw, and that's when he realised that you were calling him by his name.
âIâ how did youââ He faltered, groaning when you ground down against him once more, his grip on your hips tightening once more to halt your movements. âBaby, tell me.â
âMinghao told me⌠I kind of confirmed it when we called that night.â
Jeonghan grunted, moving your head from his neck as he made you look at him. âYou're⌠you're not mad?â
âWhy would I be?â You murmured, a puzzled expression forming on your face. âYou probably had your reasons, and I'm not going to get mad over you hiding your identity. I'm more mad at myself that I didn't figure it out sooner.â
You pouted, moving your hands from Jeonghanâs hair to his face, caressing gently. âCan you fuck me now?â
A choked-out noise came out of him as he faltered and got flustered by your blunt request. He shook his head in disbelief before shifting slightly to sit better against the headboard.Â
âYou're something else, sweetsâŚâ He muttered, stealing a quick kiss from your lips as his hands travelled to the gusset of your panties and tugged them to the side to see your glistening slit. His cock throbbed at the sight, wanting nothing more than to be inside your sweet cunt.
Jeonghan opened the nightstand drawer to grab the box of condoms Seungcheol usually kept, seeing that there were two condoms left. He gently lifted you so he could shimmy his sweats and boxers down to his mid thigh, his cock leaking and hard.
You watched as he clumsily opened the condom and put it on himself. Once he was done, he tossed the empty foil and tugged you closer, positioning you above his aching dick. He paused as his tip teased your entrance, looking up at you with half-lidded eyes.
âYou sure you wantââ Jeonghan cut himself off when you sank down on his shaft without warning, a moan leaving his lips as your wet heat clamped around him snugly.Â
He watched as your thighs trembled when he bottomed out, your hips pressed against his as he raised you up and gently slammed you down, causing you to make such sweet noises that had him immediately addicted.
âJeonghannieââ you whined, riding him slowly as he guided you, rolling your hips just right as his tip nudged against spots you wouldn't be able to reach with your fingers. âS'goodââ
You looked down at him as he seemed to be focused on watching his cock disappear into your warm cunt, a groan leaving him before looking up at your face. You looked so fucked out, and Jeonghan loved it, his hips starting to meet your downward motions, thrusting up into you.
âYou're perfect, sweets⌠everything I ever wantedâfuck, you're squeezing me so tight. You like that? Being everything I want?â He panted as he pressed soft kisses to your jaw and neck, slamming you down harder on his cock as he fucked you faster, not being able to help himself.
You felt wrecked, getting fucked so good by the same person youâd texted for over a week in his best friendâs dorm room. It was something out of a fantasy, and you couldnât help but whimper when Jeonghanâs thumb found your clit, rubbing tight circles around the nub as he tried to lead you to your first orgasm.
âJeonghan, fuck, Iâm gonna cumââ You squeaked, feeling how your cunt got slipperier and the knot in your abdomen got tighter.Â
Jeonghan only grunted at that, his assault on your bundle of nerves not stopping as he kept thrusting up into your tightness. âCum for me then, milk my cock for what itâs worth, hm? Come onââ
You cried out when his hips snapped just right, his tip kissing your cervix as your orgasm came crashing down on you like a wave. Your thighs trembled, but you continued to bounce on Jeonghanâs cock until he blew his spend into the condom he was wearing.
âToo hotâŚâ You grumbled, tossing your blouse onto the foot of the bed, leaving yourself in your black lace bra. Jeonghan also shed himself of his hoodie and t-shirt, revealing his lean body. He pulled out of you as he tossed the condom into the box before grabbing another one. You were surprised how quickly he got hard again, not expecting it at all.
Jeonghan flipped the two of you over, so that he was on top of you this time, kicking off his pants while undoing your skirt to toss it into the small pile of clothes that you had made on the floor. Your bra and panties joined the pile soon after, leaving both of you naked. You panted softly as he ground his cock against your slippery folds, his cockhead nudging your pudgy clit before he pushed into your wet hole once more. His grinds were slow and lazy, but Jeonghan filled you up just right as he took one of your legs and hooked it over his shoulder, managing to hit deeper spots from this position.
A soft grunt left him as he watched you mewl and whimper under him, your arm covering your eyes as your breasts bounced back and forth with each thrust. âYou look so pretty,â he murmured, moving your arm and pinning it above your head, seeing your eyes glazed with tears as he cooed.
âWhy are you crying, baby? Is it too muchââ He almost sounded panicked, and you shook your head, not wanting him to stop.
âNoâno, it feels so good, Hannie, I justâfuck, it feels so goodââ You whined as your back arched off the bed, and Jeonghan couldnât help but lean down and press soft kisses to the valley of your breasts, worshipping your body as he continued to fuck you slowly.
Jeonghan relished the way your pussy clamped around his thick shaft, sucking him in and milking him with your gummy walls. Soon, his hips started to move a bit faster, feeling his release building up with each second of being inside your needy cunt.
âIâm gonna cum,â he rasped out, his pelvis rubbing against your clit with every rock of his hips as your velvet walls continued to spasm around him with increasing vigour, signalling that you were close as well.Â
It didn't take long for the two of you to reach your orgasms, with yours hitting you first and triggering Jeonghanâs as the two of you moaned softly.
âOne more time, Hannieââ You keened out a whine when he pulled out, noticing how sweat sheened from his skin. He was softly panting, still holding your leg over his shoulder as he pressed a gentle kiss to your calf.
âCan't⌠We don't have any condoms leftââ He crooked out, but you only tugged him closer when he threw the used-up condom into the box once more. His cock was still half-hard, and you were aching for more. Jeonghan murmured your name softly, chiding you when you angled your hips, so that your entrance would nudge against his bare tip. âWe can'tââ
âHannie, please⌠I'm on birth control, I just need you inside me one more time, please.â
You begged, and Jeonghan was weak for you. He probably always had been, even when you didn't know him back then. He sighed, praying that his stamina would last one more time. âOne more time, and we're done. I'm not gonna last much longerâŚâ
He admitted, and you just nodded. He didn't have to last long, you just wanted to feel himâfeel what it was like to have him raw and creaming your pussy instead of a condom. Jeonghan clenched his jaw as he pushed his tip into your bare hole and hissed softly at how wet and snug you felt without any barriers.
âOh, fuck⌠I'm definitely not gonna lastââ He grunted, filling you up with ease from how slick your walls and inner thighs were. âFuckfuckfuckââ
Jeonghan groaned, his pace hasty as he drove his cock into your spasming cunt, gripping and sucking him in like a vice. His cock molded your insides, his cockhead abusing your cervix with each thrust as you squealed.Â
You could feel your release building up once more, the heat in your abdomen unbearable as you clamped down on Jeonghanâs shaft, the band snapping and releasing hot slick around his length. The pleasure felt like hot lava against your skin, burning you as your back arched off the bed, making a mess out of Seungcheolâs sheets. Your pussy milked him, a milky ring forming around the base of his cock, and Jeonghan couldnât hold it in anymore.
A guttural groan left his lips as his hips stuttered, movements stilling as he came inside you in hot spurts. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head, not being able to hold in your keen whine as he filled you up to the brim until both of your mixed releases were leaking out of your used cunt to your ass down to the already messy sheets.
Once Jeonghan recovered, he pressed a soft kiss to your throat, pulling out as he watched his cum and your juices leak out of you before pushing it back in with his fingers. The action made you whimper, but you let him do what he wanted, watching him with lidded eyes.
âWe made such a messâŚâ He grumbled with a soft chuckle, âCheolâs gonna kill me for fucking you on his bed.â
âFuture usâs problem,â you murmured, groaning deliciously at the ache of your body as Jeonghan grabbed some tissues to clean you up before crashing on top of you. âYouâre heavyââ
You complained, but Jeonghan was out like a light, his breathing heavy and rhythmic as you sighed with a soft smile, drifting to take a nap as well.
At about 3 in the morning, you could hear banging outside the door. Jeonghan stirred first as he groaned, grabbing his pants from the floor before tossing his t-shirt for you to wear. You put it on, along with your panties, and when Jeonghan saw that you were fully covered, he opened the door to see a disgruntled Seungcheol.
The disgruntlement immediately switched from shock to disbelief at the sight of his bedsheets. âDude.â
âCut me some slack, you invited me to this party. Plus, I didnât expect weâd fuckâŚâ Jeonghan murmured, sheepish as he glanced at you with a soft smile and a wink that made you flush in embarrassment.
âYou smoked my weed!â Seungcheol hissed, groaning as he looked around his room, noticing the half-eaten snacks, the almost-smoked blunt and the messy sheets you were currently sitting on. âMan, I was saving that pockyâŚâ
He sulked as you looked at him apologetically. âSorry, Seungcheol.â
âItâs not your fault. Itâs hisââ He pointed at his best friend with a glare before rubbing his face. âIâm crashing at Mingyuâs. Iâm not going to sleep in my room for the next week. It reeks of sex and weed in here.â
Seungcheol grumbled as he grabbed a few clothes from his drawer and opened the window before muttering something along the lines of âunbelievableâ and âfucking in my roomâ. He closed the door after himself, leaving you and Jeonghan alone once more.Â
You pressed your lips into a thin line, stifling your giggles as Jeonghan covered his hand with his fist. âWe should clean his room and head back.â
Jeonghan nodded at that, and you put your skirt on, still wearing his t-shirt, while he put on his hoodie before the two of you started tidying up his best friendâs room. Once you were finished, you held your blouse in your hand, leaving the room with a âsorryâ note with it.
Walking back to your apartment, you and Jeonghan had your arms linked together, giggling and talking about random shit. When you got to the bottom of your apartment building, he unlinked your arms, but didnât let go of your hand just yet.Â
âIâll see you later for our date?â He asked, looking at you hopefully, and when you nodded, he sighed in relief. You cocked an eyebrow at that before he spoke up again. âI thought you wouldnât wantâŚâ
âJeonghan, I just had the best sex of my life. I think Iâd want to still go on a date with you.â
âJust because Iâm sexy? Or because you actually want to date me?â He pouted, teasing you as you rolled your eyes.
âCanât it be both?â You compromised as Jeonghan hummed and pursed his lips, pretending to think about it before nodding.
He pulled you closer, leaning in to press a soft kiss to your lips before pulling away. âBoth is good, sweets. Iâll see you later.â
You smiled softly, letting go of his hand before waving him goodbye and heading up to your apartment, still wearing his t-shirt.
âThatâs one hell of a fashion statement.â Minghao deadpanned as you jumped once you closed the front door. You turned around to see your roommate, your two best friends, and Jun in the living room, visibly waiting for you.
âWhat does it say?â You entertained Haoâs sarcastic remark as you tossed your blouse into your room before coming back to where they were.
âIt says, âI was clearly laid, ask me about it because Iâll definitely bragâ. Itâs quite obvious.â Joshua chimed in, watching as you grabbed a pillow and tossed it at his face. Your best friend let out an âoomphâ sound before throwing the pillow back at you.
You huffed at them, irked at the fact that they were all gathered in your apartment. âWhat are you guys doing here anyway? I get Hao, heâs my roommate, but you three? Wonwoo, howâd you get dragged into this?â
Wonwoo shrugged, pointing at Joshua, âHe told me what happened, and as your friend, I came for support. So, are you going to tell us what happened during the party or what?â
âThis is my sex life weâre talking about.â
âAnd? Youâve shared worse stuff, pipsqueak. Spill the tea.â Joshua seemed the most interested in the gossip, while Minghao just sat there, looking unbothered when he was lowkey listening. Jun and Wonwoo were too busy fussing over a game on the latterâs phone, but they were tuning in as well.
You sighed, sitting down on the free armchair by the sofa, before you started telling them about what had happened during the party. Deciding to leave out the three rounds of sex, Joshua was awestruck, Minghao was subtly judging, but at the same time, he was happy for you, while Jun and Wonwoo were still busy with the game on their phones.
âNow, get the fuck out of my apartment. I need to get some sleep before my date.â You pointed at the door, and Joshua whined but dragged your Wonwoo and Jun out of your apartment, but not before Wonwoo could say something.
âI hope he doesnât break your heart, or he has four guys to deal with.â Your best friend offered you a smile before closing the door. You smiled at the thought of your friends beating up Jeonghan if he ever fucked up, and it warmed your heart, thankful to have such good friends.
After 6 hours of sleep, you woke up around 9 am, your phone buzzing being the reason why you woke up. You checked the notifications bar, seeing Jeonghanâs name on top.
Jeonghan: Good morning :))Â
Jeonghan: Can you come downstairs? I have something for you, sweets.
You: How are you downstairs???
You: We literally saw each other six hours ago.
You: Iâm still in my pyjamas.
Jeonghan: Perfect. Could I come up then?
You: Yeah, Iâll open the door for you.
You got up from your bed with a soft grunt, looking at yourself in the mirror as you felt the soreness between your legs. A soft sigh left your lips when your intercom rang, prompting you to rush towards it and open the door for Jeonghan downstairs.
When he finally got upstairs, you opened the front door, seeing him holding two cups of what seemed like coffee and tea in one hand and breakfast from your favourite bakery. âSurprise?â
âYou didnât have toââ Your eyes softened as you let him in, closing the door as he took his shoes off after handing you the bag with your favourite pastries from the bakery. âHowâd you know I liked these?â
âWell, uhâŚâ He trailed off, his cheeks dusting pink as he strided towards your couch, looking around your space a little better. âI mightâve had a crush on you before the whole wrong number ordeal.â
You blinked at him, surprise filling you as you connected the dots furtherâthe way he seemed to be awkward and nervous around you during the first few meetings when he was pretending to be Han and his flirty behaviour over text.
âNo wayââ You shook your head, sitting down beside him, surprise evident in your tone. âWe didnât even know each other back then!â
âWell, you didnât know me, I knew you. We took Statistics together last year, too.â Jeonghan scratched his cheek awkwardly when you continued to look at him with an astonished expression. âI didnât know Cheol knew you until a few weeks ago, and that was when I gained the guts to ask him for your number and message you, pretending that I had the wrong number.â
The explanation baffled you, but it made sense at the same time before you scoffed out a laugh.
âJeonghan.â
âMmm?â
âYou couldnât have made it any harder for yourself.â You snorted, and he groaned before laughing softly along with you. âLike, seriously. You couldâve walked up to me and talked to me.â
âIt wasnât that simple!â He covered his face, embarrassed, but he kept smiling, a little glad that you found the situation humorous. Jeonghan sighed softly when you finally stopped giggling, shaking his head at how cute you were before noting that it was quite quiet in your apartment.
âIs your roommate not home?â He asked as you hummed, taking a bite out of the pastry in the bag.
âMinghao usually goes to the gym before going for a three-hour nature walk around the campus park. He also takes his time to meditate by the lake, so heâll be gone for a while. Why?â
Jeonghan just shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee as he watched you enjoy your food. He could get used to seeing you like thisâdishevelled after sleep, face bare and hair sticking out from multiple ends. It was cute, and heâd been dreaming of this day.
You noticed his soft gaze on you, making you feel a little self-conscious. âIs there something on my face?â
âHuh-? No, no! I just⌠Iâve been kind of dreaming of this day, he murmured, smiling softly.
You tilted your head to the side, puzzled, before Jeonghan continued. âYou know, uh, seeing you like thisâdishevelled and whatnot. Just you.â
You swallowed the food in your mouth, blinking at him. âSo, my usual grouchy morning self?â
âYes.â He nodded, leaning back against the sofa.
âYouâre even weirder in person, you know that?â You grumbled but cracked a soft smile. âI canât say I hate it. Being my boyfriend and all.â
Jeonghan blinked at the words you just said, causing you to look at him with a confused expression once more. âWhat?â
âSay that thing again.â
âI canât say I hate it..?â You furrowed your eyebrows, unsure, before Jeonghan shook his head and made a circular motion with his hand as if telling you to rewind.
âNo, the other thing.â
âBeing my boyfrienâoh.â Your cheeks flushed, looking down at your lap as you tried not to explode on the spot for saying that. âIs⌠Is that okay?â
âIsâ Is being your boyfriend okay? Are you hearing yourself?â Jeonghan huffed softly before grabbing your shoulders and shaking you, âOf course, itâs okay. More than okay, actuallyâperfect, more so.â
You grabbed his arms and stopped him from shaking you, âOkay, okayâI get it!â
Jeonghan let you go and sat back down on the couch, grabbing his coffee from the coffee table before taking a long swig from it, and placing it back down as you finished your food. Once you were done, you crumpled the paper bag, and he wiped off the leftover crumbs from the corner of your lips.
âSoâŚâ You started, curious about what he had planned for todayâs date, âWhat are we going to do today?â
Jeonghan only smiled, winking at you as he leaned back, âThatâs a secret youâll have to unfold later, sweets. Iâm not fond of ruining surprises.â
A groan left your lips, too impatient, but knowing Jeonghan, heâd stay true to his word and not reveal anything until the date. You pouted slightly before taking a sip of your tea, humming at the hot beverage filling your system.
âNot even one hint?â
âNo. Not a chance, sweetheart. Stop trying to ruin your surprise.â He squinted at you before flicking your forehead, prompting you to retaliate, but he didnât let you as he grabbed your wrists.
âWhat if I donât like surprises?â You argued and tried to tug yourself away from his grasp, and he rolled his eyes, keeping you close.
âNot my problem, sweets, youâre not getting any spoilers.â
Even with your insistence on having Jeonghan give you at least one hint, he only gave you one, very vague hint, which went somewhere along the lines of âyouâll love itâ and âitâs something you really likeâ.
That hint didnât really help, since he asked you to wear something casual yet pretty, so you were stuck between a white sundress adorned with tiny pink flowers or a loose V-neck sweater and jeans.Â
Deciding on the former, you put on the dress, matching it with your white shoes, before heading back out to the living room, where Jeonghan was waiting. He was scrolling through his phone when he glanced up and saw you standing there, your hands behind your back as you awkwardly rocked back and forth.
âStop staring like thatââ You huffed, feeling awkward as he gaped at you before snapping out of it.
âSorryâfuck⌠I, uh⌠You look pretty.â He got up from the sofa, walking over to you and grabbing your waist. âLike, really pretty.â
Jeonghan leaned down, nosing your cheek. âWondering if we should go on that date right now orâow, okay, okay, sorry.â
He snickered when you smacked him, grinning as he pressed a soft kiss to your lips. That's when you heard a groan behind you, prompting you to turn around and see Minghao with squinting eyes.
âThe two of you better not fuck on the couch,â He muttered accusingly before heading to his room, leaving you and Jeonghan alone once more. A giggle left your lips before you patted his chest.
âLet's go on that date, shall we, my lady?â He offered his arm for you to grab, and you smiled as you took it before heading out the door.
The two of you walked to one of your favourite bookstores near campus, which you hadnât expected for your first date with him. âBookstore date?â
âThatâs not all, sweets.â Jeonghan grinned, opening the door for you as he let you enter the establishment. âI decided to ask the staff⌠And they let me rent the place out for two hours.â
Your eyes widened at his words, surprised at the fact that Jeonghan managed to rent the bookstore for a whole two hours. When you entered, you saw Kimmyâone of the workers in the storeâby the register, winking and giving you a thumbs-up before waving a small green flag she held by the counter to promote books with green-flag men.
A soft giggle left your lips as Jeonghan led you to the small reading nook the owners of the store had agreed to make for you since you came by so often, and it was far from the main hall of the bookstore itself, so you had some privacy. The table you had there was set with a candle, and some foodâtakeout from your favourite Chinese joint that you frequented with Joshua.
âYou thought of everything for this date, havenât you?â You looked at him with a fond smile, and he hummed before grabbing a baby blue bag from behind one of the chairs.
âThatâs not all. Sit down and open it.â He pulled the chair back for you, prompting you to giggle once more as you sat down comfortably and pulled out what seemed like a cinammoroll plush keyring. You glanced up at him with a slightly ajar mouth before he added, âOh, thereâs also an envelope, open it.â
Without another word, you grabbed the envelope and opened it to read, âHereâs my card. You have ten minutes to look around the store and five minutes to grab the books you want. Winky face, your boyfriend.â You looked at him, dumbfounded as he only chuckled.
âWeâll do it after we eat, itâs better to eat Chinese when itâs still hot.â
The two of you ate and conversed, giggling about the stupidest things as you reminisced about the things that happened a couple of hours prior. Jeonghan seemed to notice your flushed expression, grinning slightly. âYouâre thinking about what happened last night, did you?â
âShut upââ You squeaked, stealing a dumpling from his container, and he let you as he leaned his chin on his palm, looking enamoured by the sight of you. Feeling flustered, you took a sip of your drink before clearing your throat. âIâm full, so letâs do that thing, hm? I have a few books Iâve been eyeing, and I know the layout of this building like the back of my hand.â
âIâm going to be broke, arenât I?â Jeonghan sighed with a soft laugh when you nodded, taking one last bite of his food before getting up and taking your outstretched hand, excited for whatever activity you had planned.
After the timer ended, you managed to snag about 8 books, two of which were textbooks, which made Jeonghan raise an eyebrow at you, but books were expensive as fuck, so if you had the chance to monopolise someone elseâs money, youâd use it. The other six paperbacks were romance novels, with genres ranging from romantasy to standard romcom tropes.
âYou sure like romance novels, huh?â He teased, looking through one of the booksâ synopses, curious about the contents of the paperback, and opening a page where the main characters were having rough sex. Jeonghan whistled softly as Kimmy snatched the book from him, rang it up and put it in the paper bag. You thanked her as you waved goodbye while your boyfriend held the bag with your haul. âAre you sure youâll manage to read all of these? Six novels are a lot, you know?â
You snorted out a laugh, shaking your head. âItâs the weekend, Jeonghan. I have a whole Sunday free, and my Mondays usually consist of theoretical science that I can miss because the professor sends video versions of the lecture anyway. Iâll manage to binge these in a day.â
Thatâs when you noticed Jeonghanâs slight pout, prompting you to raise your eyebrow at him before he sighed dramatically.
âWhy are you pouting?â
âOh, I donât know,â he drawled, still pouting. âMy girlfriend would rather spend time with books for the whole weekend instead of her boyfriendââ You smacked him, cutting him off as he stifled his chuckles. âOkay, okay, Iâm sorry, I didnât mean it that way.â
âI mean, I could kick Minghao out for the day, and we can hang out in the living room without him side-eyeing us.â You shrugged, not thinking much of it, as the two of you walked towards the cafe, where you bought your tea from and bought some drinks before heading to the park to sit down by the small pond.
âHow are you enjoying our little date so far, sweets?â Jeonghan asked, looking at you with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. You shrugged, causing him to gently nudge you. âCome on, tell me.â
âHonestly?â You looked at him with a soft yet happy smile, âItâs the best date Iâve been on in a while. Youâve outdone yourself, boyfriend.â
Jeonghan grinned, clearly happy with the praise, before he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to your cheek, surprising you. âPerfect. How many boyfriend points do I get?â
âBoyfriend points?â You raised an eyebrow at him.
âYeah, like⌠If I get enough of them, I get a prize or something.â He shrugged, making you blink at him.
âJeonghan, we are not doing that. What are you, a toddler?â You snorted, and he made a face which you almost smacked him for again, but refrained. âWe are not doing that.â
âWorth a shot.â
After your date, Jeonghan walked you back home and gave you a goodbye kiss that made you feel like you were on clouds. You felt all giddy, and you were giggling to yourself on the way up to your apartment.
Once you entered the apartment, you saw Minghao lounging around in the living room, watching something on the TV. He glanced at you before sighing, âHow was the date?â
âPerfect,â you chirped, still smiling, which made your cheeks hurt. âI think heâs actually not real from how perfect the date went.â
âIâm sure youâre itching to tell someone the details, so spill.â
âYouâre the best roommate ever, do I ever tell you that?â You sat down beside him after placing your paper bag with your new books on the dining table.Â
âIâve been told once or twice, yes.â He rolled his eyes, but Minghao was genuinely interested, wanting to know how your day with Jeonghan went.
âOkay, soâŚâ
After talking about your date with Minghao and Facetiming Joshua and Wonwoo in the process, you managed to get some good nightâs sleep. You couldnât kick Minghao out for the day, so you had to cancel your plans with Jeonghan, but the two of you called for about three hours before you had to end the call because you needed food in your system.
While you prepared dinner, you found yourself texting your boyfriend, sharing memes or just talking about random messages.
Jeonghan: Whatcha cooking, good looking?
You: Just some cream pasta.
You: Reading was quite slow today. I only read 50% of the first book.
Jeonghan: Thatâs still a lot, sweets
Jeonghan: Itâd take me about 3 days to get halfway through a book :/
Jeonghan: So, be proud of yourself for reading so much in one day
You: If you say so đ¤ˇ
You: Anyway, what are YOU up to?
Jeonghan: Iâm playing video games with Cheol
Jeonghan: Kinda boring ngl
Jeonghan: Would rather talk with you ;)
You: Pfft, okay.
You: Play your silly video games with him.
You: And apologise about the weed.
Jeonghan: Just the weed?
You: And the pocky.
You: I donât regret the sex, you know.
Jeonghan: Oh, I know ;)
Jeonghan: Iâd so do it again even if we werenât high
You: Youâre evil.
Jeonghan: You like me so đ¤ˇ
You: Fair enough.
Jeonghan: I gtg
Jeonghan: Text you later?
You: If I donât get immersed in reading, then yes.
Jeonghan: Okay, love u
You reread the message, trying to make sure you werenât seeing things before turning as red as a tomato. He didnât mean it like that, right? He meant it as a goodbye and not an actual âI love youâ? You screamed into your hands, confused and flustered as hell.
On Jeonghanâs end, he was also screaming into his hands after sending you that last message, Seungcheol, looking at him with an âAre you fucking serious right now?â expression. âDude, youâre overreacting. It was just a text.â
âYou donât get it, CheolieâŚâ Jeonghan groaned as his best friend was more focused on the game he was playing rather than Jeonghanâs insistent whining. âI said âlove youâ and not âI love youâ because Iâm a fucking coward. And I wanna say it to her face, not over text.â
âThen do that?â Seungcheol paused his game, sighing softly.
Jeonghan only groaned, throwing his phone on his bed before rubbing his face from slight frustration. He wanted to do it so badly, but he felt like heâd be pushing it. âItâs too early for me to do it! I donât wanna scare her off.â
He grumbled, and his best friend could hear his pout without even looking at him. âWhen did you become such a loser, Hannie?âÂ
Seungcheol teased, and Jeonghan glared at him, throwing a pillow at his friend.
âShut up.â
A few days passed, and everything between you and Jeonghan was going smoothly, going on quick cafe dates in between classes, sharing lunch with your friends, or just spending time together in general.Â
You were getting used to the whole boyfriend/girlfriend ordeal, not being used to having someone in your space besides your roommate. But you found yourself enjoying it more than you expected, liking the comfort of having someone to lean on for once. It felt lighter to have someone who could carry your burdens with you and vice versa.
It was a Friday afternoon, you had finished most of your lab work early and decided that Minghao had to go for the day because you wanted Jeonghan to stay over, and he just gave you an obvious look that meant âI know what youâre planning to do and Iâm letting it slideâ.
You were huddled up in a blanket, cuddling with Jeonghan on top of you while you played with his hair with one hand and read a book with the other, occasionally moving your hand from your boyfriendâs hair to flip a page.Â
A soft grunt left your lips an hour into reading, prompting Jeonghan to move his head from your chest. âWhat is it?â
âNothing⌠I mean, not nothing, I just donât wanna move at the moment,â you grumbled softly as your cheeks burned. You didnât want to ask him for it. No way.
âDo you need to pee or somethingââ
âNo, no! Itâs justâŚâ You trailed off, your cheeks and ears dusting red as you tried to spit it out. âThereâs a sex scene I donât really get.â
âAh,â Jeonghan murmured, causing you to flush further from embarrassment, before he tutted softly, âWell, that canât do, can it? Whatâs the scene? Read it for me, baby.â
âOâoh, uh, okayâŚâ You cleared your throat. âHarlan angled my hips, spreading my legs wide, teasing his cock against my slit before pushing inââ
âOkay, I got the gist of it, geez. I forgot most of those romance books of yours are in first person,â he grumbled before taking the book from you and placing it down on the coffee table before shifting slightly between your legs. âThatâs just simple missionary, sweetheart. Why are you so confused?â
âBecause thereâs more, Hannie. Let me finish, will you?â You huffed, grabbing the book once more, and he chuckled before nodding.Â
You cleared your throat again and continued, âPushing in with one easy thrust, my pussy squelched from how wet heâd gotten me. I whined, trembling like a leaf as I pawed my enemyâs chestââ
âTheyâre enemies?â Jeonghan cut you off, gasping dramatically as you rolled your eyes and continued reading.
ââlooking up at him so fucked out and dazed. He pumped his shaft into me a couple of times before flipping me around to my stomach without pulling out, burying my face into the pillows of my bed. He grabbed my hips up and started fucking me harder while muttering the lewdest things into my ear.â
You finished reading the part of the page, Jeonghanâs eyes half-lidded as he licked his lips. âI got the gist of it. You wannaâŚ?â
Your thighs clenched around his hips, signalling him that you indeed wanted it. A soft groan left his lips as he slipped off the blanket from your bodies, his hands starting to roam along your hips and waist, pushing up the t-shirt you were wearing to reveal your bare breasts. He expected it, since the two of you were home, but he still enjoyed the sight.Â
A whine left your lips when he leaned down, latching his mouth onto one of your nipples, suckling and gently biting while he rubbed your other nipple with his thumb, switching between them so neither would feel neglected. Jeonghan continued his ministrations until you were panting and your nipples were wet, coated with his spit and aching with pleasure.
âGonna fuck you better than what that dumb book described, mmkay?â Jeonghan crooned against your neck, yanking your shorts and panties down your legs, and throwing them on the floor. His hand ghosted over your wet slit, teasing you as he spread your pussy lips open, watching as your tight hole clenched around nothing and gushed with slick that drooled down to the leather of the couch.
âHannie, pleaseâŚâ
âHmm? What is it, pretty baby?â He cooed. âYou need to be patient. I wanna take my sweet time with your sweet little cunt this time.â
âButâbut, you were gonna show meââ
Jeonghan shushed you softly. âI said Iâm going to fuck you better than what was described in your book. So, be a good girl and take what I give you, hm?â
You moaned at that, nodding as he touched you with reverent caresses, whispering sweet nothings into your ear before pushing two fingers into your wet heat, scissoring your sopping cunt as it squelched lewdly at his movements. Jeonghan stretched your inner walls, feeling them snugly flutter and wrap around his digits. His palm grazed your clit just right, pulling soft whines out of you as your thighs tightened around his hips.
Once he was satisfied playing with your sweet pussy, he pulled his fingers out before shoving them into his mouth and let out a groan. When he finished sucking off your juices from them, he smiled at you. âSo sweetâŚâ
Jeonghan didnât waste any more time, shoving his sweatpants down, freeing his heavy, leaking cock. He looked at you, begging and reaching out for him, so he decided against looking for condoms, and it wasnât like he had any with him to begin with.
Lubricating himself with your slick, his cockhead nudged against your bundle of nerves a couple of times, causing your legs to tremble and twitch before Jeonghan finally lined himself up against your entrance. Due to how slippery your hole was, he easily slipped in, a guttural groan leaving his lips as he felt your raw cunt around his cock once more.
âFuck, fuckâyou feel so good⌠Your pussy is sucking my dick in so good, sweets.â
âHannieâJeonghan, fuckâI, I, hnghââ
You whined out, grasping the material of the oversized hoodie he was wearing before he quickly shed it, so that he could feel your nails against his skin. You nailed his upper back, causing Jeonghan to hiss in both pleasure and pain from the sharp sting. He then started gently rocking his hips into you, each deep thrust knocking the air out of your lungs.Â
Your boyfriendâs eyes darted down to where the two of you were connected, and the sound of his cock bullying into your cunt was enough to make him grit his teeth and think of basketball statistics to prevent himself from coming way too quickly inside your spasming hole.
Jeonghan groaned your name softly, peppering soft kisses all over your neck and jaw before he flipped you onto your stomach without pulling out, just like what you had read in your book. Something about him easily manhandling you made your stomach flutter and your walls to squeeze around his dick as he pulled your hips up towards him, your ass up, while your face got buried in the throw pillows.
âThis is what you wanted, right, baby? Getting fucked from behind like a pretty little thing in heatââ Jeonghan grunted softly as he grabbed the globes of your ass, the fat dimpling under his grip as he spread your cheeks apart to watch how his thick length filled you up.Â
You could feel how his dick twitched inside you when he saw the messy white ring forming around the base of his cock, his thrusts getting slightly sloppier and harder as he licked his lips. Your moans were muffled but still loud enough to spur Jeonghan on and made him drive his cock deeper into youâhitting spots you couldnât reach yourself. The way his tip grazed against your cervix made you squeal and push yourself back against him, your back arching slightly from pleasure.
One of Jeonghanâs hands let go of your ass cheek, moving down between your legs to rub on your neglected clit, making you keen out a whine and your hole to clench around him tightly. Your toes curled as the heat in your gut expanded and licked at your tingling nerves.
âJeonghanâIâm⌠I think Iâm gonnaââ
âLet go, baby, let go for me.âÂ
You whined at that, letting go as you let your orgasm crash through you, making your back arch further as you pushed yourself closer to him, as Jeonghanâs hips stuttered when your velvet walls milked him for his cum.
A choked grunt left his lips as he stilled his motions, burying himself deep inside you as he spilt hot, thick spurts of cum into your messy cunt. Air was knocked out of your lungs as you recovered slowly, hearing your heartbeat in your ears as your vision was slightly blurred from the overwhelming pleasure.
You whined in protest at the loss of Jeonghanâs cock when he pulled out. Turning your head, you saw him panting softly, watching your leaking hole as he pushed his cum back into your used cunt. That was when he tugged you, turning you around as both of you were leaning against your heels. He caressed your cheek and kissed you softly, leading you to sit on his lap as he leaned back against the couch until he was lying down, before pulling away.
âSit on my face.â
The request caught you off guard, unsure about sitting on his face after he had just come inside you. But he seemed set on you sitting on his face, gently yanking your hips, causing you to grind on his abs accidentally. Your sensitive clit grazed his skin, and Jeonghan moaned at the mess you were making on his abdomen.
âAâare you sure-? I donâtââ
âIâm sure, sweets, ride my face. Let me clean that cute little pussy up.â His grip on your hips gently tightened before letting go, so that you could crawl over and hover your dripping cunt over his face. Before you could even stabilise yourself, Jeonghan pulled you down, his mouth latching onto your sensitive cunt immediately. He didnât care about your mixed juices, only wanting you and your sweet wetness.
A moan left Jeonghanâs lips as he lapped you up, tongue flat against your slit as he messily made out with your cunt. You grasped onto his hair, tugging and gripping for support as you started to grind yourself against him, his nose nudging against your clit just right, your release building up faster than the last as soft mewls left your lips as your boyfriend cleaned you up. His grip on your ass tightened, eating your pussy out with increasing vigour as he felt you clench around his tongue.
Your orgasm hit you like a wave, toes curling as you wailed in pleasure, your eyes fluttering closed as your hips stuttered against his face. Once Jeonghan was done with drinking up your juices, he easily lifted you from his face, shifting you onto his lap before pressing a chaste kiss to your lips.
âI guess we broke the rule about fucking on the couch.â
The two of you went over to your room after the situation on the couch. Jeonghan was peacefully napping on your bed while you were silently admiring your boyfriend, playing with some strands of his hair. Noticing your sketchbook on your desk, you decided to grab it along with your pencil and eraser before you started to sketch.
Before you knew it, you had a sketch of Jeonghan with some details, smiling to yourself, and not noticing him stirring awake.
âWhatcha smiling about?â He rasped, his voice groggy after his nap. âAre you drawing?â
He seemed curious, so you showed him the sketch. Jeonghanâs eyes softened at the sight, in awe of the piece of art you had done in such a short time. âYouâre talented, sweets.â
âThank you⌠Itâs something I took from my mother.â You smiled as you flipped through the pages, showing him more sketches, mostly of him, which surprised Jeonghan, but he was secretly very pleased.
After giving him a glimpse of your sketchbook, you closed it before placing it on your nightstand and huddling close to him.Â
Jeonghan pressed a soft kiss to your shoulder, happy in your arms. âI love you.â
The confession was soft, but full of meaning, and you couldnât help but hug him tighter, pressing a soft kiss to his temple.
âI love you too, Hannie.â
âNo take-backs. You love me.â
You could feel his grin against your skin, which made you roll your eyes before giggling.
âI do.â
FIN~
Taglist: @joshujin @wonushy @imissmyseventeen @bramos91
Likes and reblogs are appreciated!
3, 2, 1⌠and weâre live
jeonghan x reader
synopsis: Jeonghan, your co-news anchor, and the biggest flirt in the office has it out for you, and luckily you couldn't help but give in to your desires last night.
word count: 1.7k
genre/contains: filth, enemies -to lovers?? -and lovers?, office romance, afab!reader, protected sex (not mentioned but theyâre not risking it), teasing/banter, hints of degradation and praise, pussy slapping, mentions of hands being restrained, sex in office space (empty but still fairly public)
rating: 18+
a/n: I would give in so fast. y/n is stronger than me fr. thank u @lovelyhan for proofing and your kind words <33
.ăťăâăť..ăťă.ăťăâăť. .ăťă.ăťăâăť..ăťă.ăťăâăť..ăťă.ăťăâăť..ăťă.ăťăâăť.
âEveryone get into your positions, we have three minutes!âÂ
The directorâs voice resonated through the studio, making both you had Jeonghan rise from your seats in the makeup chairs even though the frantic makeup artists were still chasing after you as you walked toward the bright set.Â
âSo what are we doing tonight?â Jeonghan teasingly asked in a whisper when you sat down.Â
You looked at your co-anchor in disgust.Â
âI am going on a date. What you are doing is none of my business.âÂ
âOh, thatâs not very kind of you to say, now is it y/n?âÂ
You scowled at the man sitting next to you, the stylists still trying to perfect his hair and stop it from falling down into his eyes too much as it would end up a disturbance during the show.Â
âI donât need to be nice to you just because we fucked, okay?â you wheezed out, hoping to any god that would listen that the stylist couldnât hear or just didnât care enough to listen. You could barely deal with the fact that the man you spent every single early morning with had made you scream out his name as you came on his dick last night. Other people in the office knowing about this happening however, that would somehow be even worse.Â
âNever sleep with your coworkers,â they had said when you had first started your brand new job at the morning news.Â
âEspecially ones like him,â they had said and pointed toward a tall man, laughing with one of the makeup artists. Flirting, with one of the makeup artists, you soon realized. That was what he was best at you discovered within days at your new job.Â
Within a week of his cute and innocently flirty comments, you had sworn to yourself never to fall for it. Honestly, it wasnât as if he even meant anything personal with the way he just naturally made everyone crush on him a little bit by simply chatting away with that damned beautiful face of his.Â
You had kept that vow of yours for almost an entire year⌠all the way up until last night.Â
âOne minute left!â the director called out, and you tried to snap back into reality as you read over your cue cards once more. Your efforts were soon lost on you though, because Jeonghan, that absolute menace, had now bent closer to you than before, the stylist having left you two to your lonesome when the director had called out the time left until you were going live.Â
âYou donât wanna reconsider that date? I think I could be a lot more fun than some random guy you found on the street,â he whispered into your ear, his hot breath sending shivers down your spine as his words sent your brain right back to him whispering into your ear as he had you moaning and bent over this very desk just hours ago.Â
âI told you coming in for this late-night meeting could be fun,â he had whispered with a smug tone before sucking yet another mark into your neck, his dick twitching inside you as you clenched and moaned at his words. The set was empty and dark, all except for the low light coming from a lamp left for you two to turn off when you left. The rest of the staff had gone home and left you two to rehearse the last-minute change in the scripts for tomorrowâs show.Â
âFuck you,â you had panted out, breathless and experiencing too much pleasure to say much else.Â
Jeonghan had scoffed breathlessly at your attempt at contempt even in this situation. Your tight was skirt pushed up to reveal your dripping core and bare ass while your blouse was unbuttoned and your tits were falling out from your bra as he bounced you back and forth on his erection. âYou say that, but I think you like me fucking you more.â
You wanted to hit him, but instead, you just pushed yourself back against his cock harder.Â
âF-fuck, harder Jeonghan,â you whimpered out, needing that last push over the edge from him, feeling so close to your orgasm you couldnât dare argue against his mocking words.Â
âWhat was that sweetheart?â
He grabbed your face with the hand not currently holding both of your hands behind your back as he slammed his hips into yours, making a rough slapping sound each time your skin met his. Gently but with a stern motion, he turned your face around to look at him.Â
âUse that pretty little mouth to tell me what you want again, properly this time.â
You moaned when his hips snapped up with even more force, making your pussy drip juices down your thighs.Â
âPlease, I need you to fuck me harder, please Jeonghan,â you begged, your voice a whine as he sped up at your words.
âThatâs my girl,â he cooed at you, letting your face go and pressing your body down onto the cold and shiny desk in front of you. You would have to wipe it clean before you left unless you wanted the staff to find an imprint of your damp tits pressed against the blank surface in the morning. You made a mental note of that before your mind was snapped right back into your current activity where your coworkerâs hand had just found its way around your body and landed on your clit.Â
He began circling your clit in perfect circle movements, precise and with the perfect amount of pressure. Suddenly it was interrupted and you whined at the loss of his fingers before a light smack sent a jolt of arousal through your entire body, the pleasure from the slight sting on your clit had you seeing stars.Â
When you moaned loudly, his fingers came back to continue the gentle and precise rubbing he had been doing just a moment ago. The circles on your sensitive clit soothed the delicious pain and the way his strokes continued to fill you up just right made the pleasure build until it was almost unbearable.Â
You were all but screaming in pleasure as he continued snapping his hips against your ass at a brutal pace. You were dripping and clenching around his throbbing cock, your hands still held firm behind your back, and the grunts of pleasure coming from behind you were the very last drop of stimulation you needed. Your orgasm came crashing over you, making you see a white blinding light, a pleasure so intense you couldnât remember a single other person making you come that hard ever before in your entire life.Â
All that was in the past now though, you thought. Determined not to ever again repeat the worst mistake of your life. You had to stay strong and you would be moving on from it, even though it mightâve actually been the best sex youâve had in your entire lifeâŚ
It didnât matter though, because it would never happen again.Â
âTen seconds!âÂ
âJust shut up, last night was a mistake, you should give up because itâs never happening again,â you wheezed back at him, a bit flustered when you looked back at him, meeting his gaze and noticing that his face was only inches away from yours now. If you wanted to, you could close the gap and kiss him before the red light telling you that you were live would have time to turn onâŚÂ
No, you reprimanded yourself, you didnât want to. Did you want to?
â3âŚâÂ
âWhy donât you just come home with me after work? Cancel the date,â Jeonghan whispered yet again, a small smirk on his face as he watched you attempt to scowl at him but was interrupted when he placed his warm hand on your thigh. His movements feather light and soft against the thin stockings you had on.Â
You shushed him, not wanting to bring any attention to how his hand was gently sliding up your thigh, sending goosebumps shooting from where his addictive touch was on your skin.Â
â2âŚâ
âIâll make it worth your time.â
Your breath caught in your throat as his words sent your mind spiraling, and his touch slid up to the hem of your panties, teasing you and sending a rush of desire toward your core.Â
What if you agreed? Would it really be too bad to have him one more time?Â
You begged your brain to shut up, you needed it to be quiet. You werenât supposed to find him attractive, you werenât supposed to feel flustered any time he stared at you a bit too long when you were getting ready for the show, and you certainly were not supposed to want the man to fuck your brains out over and over again until you couldnât speak or stand anymore.Â
â1âŚâÂ
This time Jeonghan said nothing more to convince you. He knew the effect he had on everyone, including you, and chuckled slightly as he pulled back his entire body from you.
You had to stop a wince from escaping your lips at the loss of his closeness and his touch. The whole thing was too much for you to handle.Â
âAnd weâre live!âÂ
The directorâs voice and the bright red light turning on had you looking like a deer in headlights. You were canceling that date and coming home with your menace of a co-anchor today, you thought, feeling resigned and flustered as you tried to collect yourself when you heard the cheery voice of Jeonghan charming his way into the general publicsâ hearts, even after having turned you on in front of the entire office at 7 am.Â
âIâm Jeonghan and beside me, we have your lovely y/n, and youâre watching todayâs news. We hope youâre having an equally enjoyable morning at home as we are in the studio.â
You could kill the man, you thought as you tried your best to not scowl at the man live on national television.Â
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Reblogging and commenting is highly appreciated!! Hearing what you thought is what makes writing and being here overall so much fun! Ty and ily đ
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hiii, I love your works so much and I couldn't help but to read them over and over! so may I please req actor reader x actor jeonghan but if you don't want to do it it's fine it's up to you but if you're going to do it I'm going to thank you very much!, ilyđ¤
Second Lead, First Choice
Yoon Jeonghan x F!Reader
Genre: smut, actor x actor, second lead x male lead, rivals to lovers(?), fake friends, unrequited love, jealousy, angst, dark romance, modern au, slowburn, toxic relationships, obsession, manipulation, betrayal, power imbalance, nsfw (18+), forbidden romance, possessive behavior, softdom!jeonghan, sub!reader, fluff (?), revenge, and emotional turmoil. (minors are NOT welcome. stay out.) warnings: explicit smut (18+), obsessive behavior, manipulation, mild dub-con, filming without consent (non-public), unhealthy relationships, slowburn tension, power dynamics, jealousy, angst-heavy themes, dark plot twists, possessive behavior, and mentions of betrayal. smut warnings: explicit sexual content, public/semi-public sex, fingering, vaginal penetration, oral fixation (kissing, biting), dom/sub dynamics (soft dom jeonghan, sub reader), overstimulation, multiple orgasms, slight breeding kink implications (mentions of cumming inside), slight cockwarming, mild praise kink ("good girl"), use of dirty talk, mentions of squirting and unproctected sex (wrap that boner !!) preview: You never expected to find yourself locking horns with Yoon Jeonghan, the nationâs beloved leading man. Being cast as the second lead was bad enough, but sharing the screenâand off-camera momentsâwith him tests every ounce of your patience. Jeonghan is intoxicating, infuriating, and far too good at blurring the lines between acting and reality. His touch lingers longer than it should, his whispers send shivers down your spine, and his smirk hides secrets youâre desperate to uncover. But behind the glamour lies a dark game of power, manipulation, and obsession that threatens to unravel everything youâve worked for. It was never just about the spotlightâor even revenge. Now, every glance, every word, and every forbidden kiss carries consequences neither of you are ready to face. wc: 7773 a/n: im sorry it took me months to finish ! i hope i make it up to you by this, and please do enjoy. (i write too many stuffs before getting to the real stuffs. sorry not sorry lmao) THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING !
"CUT!" the director's voice boomed across the set, signaling the end of the take. Jeonghan pulled back from the female lead, Hye-soo, his face carefully neutral despite the exhaustion tugging at his features. He tried not to grimace as he stepped away, running a hand through his styled hair. The bright lights, the endless retakes, and the physical closenessâit was all too much for him today.
On the sidelines, you sat perched on a folding chair, clapping your hands softly in a show of support. "Good work!" you called out cheerfully, your voice cutting through the hum of the bustling set. You'd wrapped your own scene hours ago, but instead of heading home to rest, you stayed to watch him.
Jeonghan noticed you immediately. It didn't matter that there were dozens of people milling aboutâhis gaze found yours like a magnet. And for the first time all day, he felt a flicker of relief. If only you were the female lead. If only it were you standing in front of the camera with him, sharing the screen and the story. The thought had crossed his mind far too often, lingering in ways he wasn't sure he could hide anymore.
He walked toward you, his usual easygoing smile faltering at the edges. It was subtle, but you caught it. Even through his perfectly sculpted persona, you could tell he wasn't feeling his best.
"You did well," you said when he reached you, your voice softer now. Your hand lightly brushed against his as you stood, the gesture so casual and natural that no one else might have noticed. But he did.
Jeonghan looked at you, his heart thudding a little harder at the warmth in your expression. You were smiling sweeter than usualâjust a tiny shift, but enough to send his thoughts spinning. He knew that look, the way your eyes sparkled when you wanted something.
Without saying a word, he took your hand, holding it for just a second longer than necessary before his lips curved into a faint smirk. "You're too nice to me," he teased lightly, though his voice was quieter than usual.
"You deserve it," you replied simply, squeezing his hand.
Jeonghan tilted his head slightly, leaning just enough so that your faces were closer. His voice dropped lower, almost conspiratorial. "You're the main character of my life," he murmured, the words slipping out before he could stop them.
The confession hung in the air, delicate and fragile, but he didn't give you the chance to respond. Instead, he gently tugged you by the wrist, leading you toward a nearby hallway where the noise of the set faded into the background.
He pushed open the door to an empty dressing room and pulled you inside, your lips quirked into a small grin as you cast a glance over your shoulder. There, just outside the hallway, you caught sight of Hye-soo, her expression a mixture of irritation and disbelief as she watched Jeonghan whisk you away, before he shut the door softly behind you.Â
The satisfaction was instant, your grin widening as you turned your attention back to Jeonghan. His eyes searched yours, an unspoken question lingering in their depths.
"Someone's jealous," you whispered, a playful lilt in your tone.
"Let her be," Jeonghan replied, his gaze dropping briefly to where your hand still rested against his arm. "I only care about you."
Jeonghan caught your lips into a deep, deep kiss. His hands finding your waist, kissing you hungrily like he's never before. You gladly let him, kissing back with precision, catching up with his desperate kisses.
Four months ago, the welcoming party was an elaborate spectacle where actors who are casted and crews, glittering lights and clinking glasses, an unspoken contest of charisma and charm playing out in every corner of the opulent ballroom. Jeonghan stood near the director, his expression schooled into polite interest as Hye-soo's melodic laughter rang out beside him. She had been holding court all evening, effortlessly drawing attention to herself, her hand resting possessively on Jeonghan's arm like it was her rightful place.
But Jeonghan barely noticed her.
From the moment you stepped into the room, late enough to make an entrance but not so late as to be rude, his attention was a prisoner to your presence. You hadn't done anything dramaticâthere was no sweeping motion or grand gesture. It was simply the way you carried yourself. The flow of your dress, the way it seemed to move with you like an extension of your being. The quiet confidence in your steps, your head held high but your smile understated, as if you knew you didn't need to demand attention; it came to you on its own.
It wasn't just beautyâthough you had that in spades. It was something deeper, more magnetic. A natural ease, the kind of charisma that didn't shout for recognition but instead whispered for it, softly and irresistibly.
Jeonghan felt it before he could stop himselfâthe tightening of his chest, the way his eyes betrayed him by seeking you out even as Hye-soo leaned closer, brushing her arm against his as she spoke. He forced a polite laugh, nodding at whatever she was saying, but his focus was across the room.
And you, as if sensing his gaze, looked up.
Your eyes met his, and for a brief moment, the noise of the ballroom faded into nothingness. You didn't smile right away; you just held his gaze, the faintest quirk of your lips following as though you knew exactly what you were doing to him. It was infuriating, how effortlessly you dismantled his composure with nothing but a look.
Hye-soo's hand on his arm tightened, her laugh becoming just a touch louder as if trying to pull him back. But Jeonghan's thoughts were already elsewhere, his mind circling a question that had been nagging him since the cast list was announced.
Why were you the second lead?
You had everythingâbeauty that could silence a room, talent that elevated every scene you touched, and a presence so commanding it didn't just complement a story; it shaped it. He'd even asked the director about it once, in a moment of unguarded curiosity.
"She's too perfect," the director had said, a bemused smile on his face. "We needed someone who could challenge stereotypes. Beauty isn't everything, and we're trying to show that. It's about balance, Jeonghan. She's our second lead because she'll redefine what it means to be one."
At the time, Jeonghan had accepted the explanation. It even made senseâlogically. But now, watching you glide through the room like you owned it, he couldn't shake the thought that the story needed you at its heart.
As the evening wore on, his fascination deepened. He wasn't the only one who noticed you, of course. By the time he'd taken a sip of his champagne, you were already surrounded. First, a well-known photographer approached, gesturing animatedly as you listened with that soft, knowing smile of yours. Then a manager from a major modeling agency joined the conversation, their posture deferential despite their stature in the industry.
You handled it all with ease, laughing lightly here, tilting your head thoughtfully there, your charisma weaving a web that no one seemed able to resist. Jeonghan felt something strange stir within himâa mixture of pride, admiration, and something heavier, something unfamiliar.
"You should go talk to her," the director said suddenly, his voice breaking through Jeonghan's thoughts.
Jeonghan blinked, glancing at the older man. "What?"
"You've been staring all night," the director said with a chuckle, clapping him on the shoulder. "Might as well make an introduction."
Before Jeonghan could protest, the director was already leading him across the room. Hye-soo followed, her expression tight as she trailed behind, her earlier ease replaced with something sharper.
When they reached you, the director spoke your name warmly, introducing Jeonghan with a familiarity that suggested he'd been waiting for this moment. You turned to face Jeonghan fully, and for the second time that night, his world narrowed to just you.
"It's nice to finally meet you," you said, your voice smooth and melodic, the kind that lingered in the air even after the words had faded.
Jeonghan opened his mouth to respond, but for a brief, embarrassing moment, nothing came out. You smiled at that, a real smile this time, not the polite ones you'd been giving all evening. It was a little crooked, a little playful, and it hit him harder than he wanted to admit.
"Likewise," he managed, his voice quieter than intended.
Hye-soo stepped forward then, her smile a touch too bright, her hand reaching out to touch your arm as she offered some polite compliment. You accepted it graciously, your demeanor unchanging, but Jeonghan saw the way your eyes flickeredâsharp, assessing, taking in every detail of her performance.
He didn't know what passed between you in that silent exchange, but when your gaze shifted back to him, something about your expression had changed. It was softer, more amused, like you'd already decided he wasn't worth sharing.
And for the first time that night, Jeonghan smiledâa real one, small and almost shy, but real. Because for reasons he couldn't yet explain, he wanted nothing more than to be worthy of the attention you'd just given him.
The door to the dressing room clicked shut behind you, the muffled chaos of the set fading into a distant hum. Jeonghan's gaze was dark and focused, his usual easygoing demeanor replaced by something more raw, more consuming. You barely had time to catch your breath before his hands found your waist, pulling you flush against him as his lips claimed yours with a fervor that sent your head spinning.
It was a whirlwindâa blur of heat and longing. His fingers slid under the fabric of your top, skimming the bare skin beneath, his touch both electrifying and soothing. You gasped against his lips, your arms instinctively wrapping around his neck, anchoring yourself to him as your knees threatened to give out. Jeonghan was gorgeous, unbearably so, and in moments like these, he felt almost unreal.
Your heart pounded wildly, each beat echoing in your ears. It was impossible to reconcile this moment with the doubts you'd carried when you first met him. Back then, you thought he'd barely notice you, that someone like Jeonghanâdazzling, untouchableâwould never look at you twice. Yet here you were, his hands roaming your body like he couldn't get enough, his lips moving against yours like you were the air he needed to breathe.
You broke away for a moment, your chest heaving as you tried to steady yourself. But Jeonghan didn't let you get far. His hands tightened around your waist, pulling you back as his lips hovered over yours, the soft warmth of his breath brushing against your skin.
"I can't let her lips stay on mine too long," he murmured, his voice low and rough, a stark contrast to the teasing words. His nose brushed against yours as he leaned in closer, his lips grazing yours lightly before retreating just enough to make you ache for more.
A soft laugh escaped your lips, your fingers threading through his hair as you tilted his face toward yours. "I'll wash them off for you, my love," you whispered, your voice thick with both playfulness and desire. The words barely had time to settle between you before you captured his lips again, pulling him into a kiss that was deeper, hungrier, more desperate than before.
Your tongues tangled in a rhythm that felt instinctual, a dance of passion and unspoken words. His hands roamed freely, tracing the curve of your spine, brushing against the sensitive skin of your waist, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. You shivered under his touch, your body pressing closer to his as if proximity alone could satisfy the yearning that consumed you.
"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" Jeonghan whispered against your lips, his voice trembling just enough to reveal the depth of his emotions. His hands found your hips, gripping them firmly as his forehead pressed against yours. "You drive me insane."
A blush crept up your neck, heat pooling in your chest as you tried to catch your breath. "I could say the same about you," you replied, your voice breathless but steady, your eyes searching his. "You're impossible."
He smirked, that familiar glint of mischief returning to his gaze. "Impossible, huh?" His lips brushed the corner of your mouth, his hands slipping to the small of your back, pulling you impossibly closer. "You're the one who walked into my life and flipped everything upside down."
You wanted to respond, to tease him back, but the intensity in his eyes silenced you. It was a look that made your chest tighten, a look that spoke of feelings too complex to put into words. So instead, you kissed him again, pouring everything you couldn't say into the way your lips moved against his, the way your hands clung to him like he was your lifeline.
Minutes passed, maybe hoursâit was impossible to tell. All you knew was the warmth of his touch, the softness of his lips, the way his presence consumed every inch of your awareness. For a fleeting moment, nothing else mattered. Not the set outside, not the chaos of your lives, not even the knowledge that this would complicate everything.
In this room, in his arms, it was just the two of you. And that was enough.
The two of you stepped out of the dressing room, the air between you still charged with the remnants of your stolen moment. Jeonghan's hair was slightly tousled, his lips swollen and redder than usual, while your soft pink lipstick was now smudged, leaving just enough evidence for the curious stares around the set. The whispers were immediate.
It didn't take long for someone to notice, and of course, it had to be Hye-soo. Her eyes darted between you and Jeonghan, narrowing with an intensity that made her look like she was plotting to leap and attack you. She clenched her jaw, her entire body radiating frustration. You, however, were perfectly unbothered.
Pausing mid-step, you turned to Jeonghan and tugged him gently by the arm, making him face you. With the utmost care (and an intentional touch of theatrics), you reached up to fix his disheveled hair.
"You're such a mess," you said playfully, brushing his bangs into place.
Jeonghan smirked, leaning down to your level as if he couldn't resist getting closer. "And whose fault is that?" he teased, swiping his thumb over your lips to clean up the smudged lipstick. The gesture was tender, but there was a flicker of something mischievous in his eyes as he added, "If you're trying to make a statement, you're doing a phenomenal job."
You glanced over your shoulder, catching sight of Hye-soo, who looked seconds away from exploading. "Putting on a show?" Jeonghan whispered, his hands finding your waist like it was second nature.
"Maybe," you replied with a sly smile, purposefully glancing in Hye-soo's direction. The minute your gaze met hers, her expression darkened, and she stormed out of the studio with a huff loud enough to make the crew turn and stare.
Jeonghan chuckled lowly, watching her retreat. "You're dangerous, you know that?"
You shrugged nonchalantly, turning back to him with a lighthearted grin. "Honestly? This isn't even about her anymore. It's about us." You punctuated your words with a quick kiss to his cheek, then pulled away before he could pull you back in.
Just as Jeonghan opened his mouth to respond, the unmistakable sound of someone clearing their throat cut through the air. The two of you turned, and there stood the director, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowing in disapproval.
"Woah," Jeonghan said, feigning surprise as he chuckled nervously. "How long have you been standing there, sir?"
"Long enough," the director replied, visibly irritated. "You two shouldn't be doing this in the middle of the studio. Get a room, will you?"
You suppressed a laugh, but Jeonghan, ever the troublemaker, grinned and replied, "We already did."
Your elbow jabbed him sharply in the stomach before he could elaborate further. "Ow!" he yelped, doubling over slightly, though he was still smirking.
The director pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly like a parent scolding unruly children. "Do you two have any idea how much trouble this could cause for the production? I can already see the headlines:Â 'Male lead Yoon Jeonghan and second lead Y/N caught in scandalous affair!'" His tone was exasperated, though slightly melodramatic.
That was the final strawâyou burst out laughing, the sound bright and carefree, echoing through the studio. Jeonghan froze, his gaze softening as he watched you. His irritation melted away entirely, replaced by a warmth that made him forget anyone else existed.
Your laughter was infectious, and even the director blinked, momentarily disarmed. The entire crew, who had paused to watch the scene unfold, also seemed captivated. It wasn't just Jeonghan who adored youâyou had the entire set under your spell.
Jeonghan caught the lingering stares from some of the staff and cast members, their admiration for you clear as day. His expression darkened almost comically, his gaze sweeping the room as if to warn everyone, Back offâshe's mine.
Finally regaining his composure, the director shook his head. "You're impossible," he muttered. "If this blows up, I'm blaming you two."
Smiling sweetly, you clasped your hands together like a picture of innocence. "We'll make sure that never happens, our best director-nim," you said, your voice as soothing as a lullaby. Somehow, even the director, who moments ago had been fuming, softened under your charm.
Jeonghan leaned in, muttering under his breath just loud enough for you to hear, "You could get away with murder if you wanted to."
You bit back a grin, glancing at him out of the corner of your eye. "Only if you're my partner in crime."
The air outside the studio felt heavy, the crisp breeze doing little to soothe your frayed nerves. You excused yourself from Jeonghan and the director, feigning the need for a breath of fresh air when, in truth, you were looking for herâHye-soo. She'd been haunting your thoughts ever since the shoot began, her presence always a bitter reminder of the tangled history you shared. You weren't sure what you expected from this conversation, but you had to try. You always had to try.
You found her near the corner of the lot, scrolling on her phone with an air of detachment. Her perfectly styled hair caught the golden light, making her look like the picture-perfect heroine she was cast to be. The sight of her still brought a pang of nostalgia, even after everything. For a moment, you hesitated. Was this worth it? Would she even listen?
"Hye-soo," you called out, your voice steady but soft.
She turned, her expression cool and guarded the moment she saw you. "What do you want?" she asked, her tone sharp enough to cut.
"I just want to talk," you replied, taking a cautious step forward. "Can we pleaseâcan we try to fix this? Whatever happened between us, Iâ"
"Fix this?" she scoffed, lowering her phone to give you her full attention. Her eyes blazed with an anger you hadn't expected. "You think you can fix this? After everything?"
"I've been trying to," you said, your voice trembling slightly. "I've tried to reach out to you, to explainâ"
"To explain what? That you're not guilty of anything? That you didn't go behind my back and let people pit us against each other?" She laughed bitterly. "You don't get it, do you? This isn't something you can just apologize for."
Your chest tightened, the weight of her words settling like a stone. "I never wanted any of that. I hated the comparisons, the rumorsâit wasn't my fault. You were my best friend, Hye-soo. I didn't ask for any of this."
"And yet, here you are," she snapped, crossing her arms. "The second lead, with Jeonghan wrapped around your finger. Isn't that enough for you?"
Her words stung, but you held your ground. "This isn't about him. It's about usâabout how we used to be. Don't you miss that?"
Hye-soo's expression faltered for a moment, a flicker of something soft and familiar crossing her face before it hardened again. "If you want to make it up to me," she said coldly, "then break up with him."
Her demand hit you like a slap. You stared at her, stunned, your heart racing as your blood began to boil. "That's not fair, and you know it," you said, your voice low and trembling with emotion.
"Fair?" she echoed, taking a step closer. "Nothing about this has ever been fair. You were handed everythingâ"
"I earned it!" you shot back, cutting her off. "You think my life has been easy? That I didn't work for every single thing I have? You know that's not true."
She glared at you, her jaw tightening before she turned on her heel and walked away without another word. You stood there, your chest heaving, your emotions swirling in a chaotic storm.
The memory of her retreating figure lingered as you stared into the distance, your hands balled into fists at your sides. The bitterness between you two hadn't always existed. Once upon a time, Hye-soo was your everything.
The flashback crept in like an unwelcome guest, bringing with it the bittersweet memory of your early days in the industry.
Back then, Hye-soo had been your anchor, your partner-in-crime. You two had been inseparable, bonded over sneaking snacks during strict diets and whispering secrets late into the night. She was the person you looked up to, admired, maybe even loved in a way that you didn't fully understand at the time.
She had always been magneticâbright, charming, and full of life. It was impossible not to be drawn to her. And for a while, things had been perfect. Until the comparisons started.
It wasn't your fault. At least, that's what you told yourself. You couldn't control how the managers and producers favored you, how they praised your acting skills and visuals. But the more they built you up, the more they tore her down.
At first, Hye-soo acted like it didn't bother her. She'd laugh it off, telling you it was fine, that she didn't care. But you knew her too well. You saw the cracks in her facade, the way her smile didn't quite reach her eyes anymore.
You tried to confront her, to assure her that you didn't want the comparisons either, but the rumors had already started. Whispers about you sleeping with managers and producers to secure your roles spread like wildfire. It was cruel, baseless, and you hated every second of it. But the damage was done.
Hye-soo began pulling away, her warmth replaced by icy indifference. And then, when this project came along, you both fought for the spot. You knew she wanted the role for Jeonghan's sakeâher feelings for him were no secret. But no amount of her family's wealth or influence could erase the connection you and Jeonghan had. Even as the second lead, you'd won a part of him that she never could.
The sound of footsteps snapped you back to the present. Turning, you saw Jeonghan approaching, his expression unreadable. He must have seen Hye-soo leavingâor rather, storming away.
He stopped in front of you, his gaze searching your face for answers. "Are you okay?"
You nodded, though the tightness in your chest said otherwise. "She doesn't want to talk."
Jeonghan's jaw tightened slightly, but he didn't press. Instead, he reached out, his hand brushing against your arm in silent comfort.
"I told you this would happen," you admitted quietly, your voice trembling. "That being with me would make everything worse."
Jeonghan shook his head, his gaze softening. "It's not your fault. None of this is."
For a moment, the weight of everythingâthe past, the present, the impossible tangle of emotionsâfelt a little lighter. With Jeonghan by your side, you felt a flicker of hope.
"She said I should break up with you," you confessed, your voice barely above a whisper.
"And?" Jeonghan asked, his lips curving into a faint smile.
You looked at him, your heart aching with the intensity of how much you loved him. "That's not an option."
Jeonghan's smile deepened, and there was a warmth in his eyes that made the air around you feel a little less suffocating. He took a small step closer, his presence grounding you in a way you couldn't fully explain. "Good. Because she's not the one you need to be worrying about right now."
You let out a shaky breath, glancing down at the ground for a moment, trying to gather yourself. It was hard to look at Jeonghan without feeling both a sense of relief and a twinge of guilt. Hye-soo's words kept echoing in your mindâIf you want to make it up to me, break up with himâbut you had already made your choice.
Looking back up at him, you smiled faintly. "I don't know what I expected, honestly. She's changed. We've changed. I never thought it would come to this."
Jeonghan's fingers brushed against your cheek, his touch so gentle that it almost felt like a promise. "Sometimes people change, but that doesn't mean you have to. You're not the person she's trying to make you out to be. Don't let her take away your peace."
His words were like a balm for the wound Hye-soo had left. You swallowed, feeling the weight on your chest slowly lift. Jeonghan was rightâthis wasn't your fault. But the pain of losing Hye-soo, of watching the bond you once shared with her unravel, still cut deeply.
"It's just... hard, you know? I never wanted to lose her." You looked up at him, your voice barely above a whisper. "But I don't think I can keep pretending that everything's okay when it's not."
Jeonghan's eyes softened even further, and he placed both hands on your shoulders, steadying you. "You don't have to pretend with me. And you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. You've got me, always."
For a moment, there was silence between you two. The weight of the past few monthsâthe rumors, the lies, the rivalry, the betrayalâhung thick in the air, but Jeonghan's presence made it feel bearable. He wasn't just standing by you; he was anchoring you, in a way only he could.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly, his gaze not leaving yours. "The rumors, the truth... whatever you need to say, I'm here."
You swallowed again; your throat tight with the emotions you'd kept hidden for so long. "I don't want to drag you into it... but it feels like everything I've worked for has been overshadowed by rumors that I can't control. I've done everything by the book, Jeonghan. I've worked so hard to get here, and now it feels like everyone's just waiting for me to fall."
Jeonghan shook his head, his hands gently cupping your face as he forced you to meet his gaze. "Listen to me. I know who you are. I know what you've been through. And I know how much you've sacrificed to get to this point. Don't let anyone's wordsâespecially hersâmake you doubt that. You're not alone in this. I'm not going anywhere."
Tears welled in your eyes, and for the first time in what felt like forever, you let them fall. You didn't care. Not anymore. Not when Jeonghan was holding you like this, as if you mattered more than anything else in the world.
"I just... I feel like everything's falling apart," you whispered, your voice breaking. "Hye-soo, the rumors, even my own family. I don't know who to trust anymore."
Jeonghan's thumb gently wiped away a tear, his expression soft but unwavering. "You trust me. And I trust you."
You leaned into his touch, closing your eyes as the weight of everything seemed to melt away, if only for a moment. His words were like a quiet promise, a reassurance that despite all the chaos around you, there was one thing you could count onâhim.
You finally opened your eyes again, meeting his gaze with renewed resolve. "I'm sorry, Jeonghan. For everything."
He smiled, the corners of his lips curving up in that familiar, reassuring way. "There's nothing to apologize for. We're in this together. You don't have to face it alone."
For a long moment, you simply stood there, enveloped in his warmth, the world outside fading away. Hye-soo, the rumors, the industryâthey all seemed distant now. Because right here, in this moment, you had Jeonghan. And that was all that mattered.
A few days later, you found yourself once again in the studio, the weight of the past still lingering, but a quiet sense of peace settling within you. Jeonghan had been right there by your side every step of the way, offering unwavering support when things felt impossible.
The shoot was going smoother now, though the tension with Hye-soo was still palpable. She avoided you at every turn, and the coldness between you two lingered in the air like an unspoken challenge. But you no longer cared.
As you prepared for the next scene, Jeonghan leaned in close, his lips brushing your ear. "You're amazing, you know that?"
You turned to face him, surprised by the sincerity in his voice. "You really think so?"
"I know so," he said softly, his fingers brushing against your hand. "Don't ever forget that."
The connection between you two was undeniable. And in that moment, as you shared a quiet, knowing smile, you realized that everything else could fall awayâbut this, this bond, was something that would never break.
The sound of bustling voices fades as you and Jeonghan slip away from the chaos of the shoot, finding yourselves in a secluded, dimly lit lounge area. The atmosphere is heavy with the weight of unsaid words, the quiet hum of the room pressing down on you both. You're sitting close on the couch, but the space between you seems like miles. The room smells faintly of leather and wood, the faint scent of cologne lingering in the air from where Jeonghan leans in a little too close.
You both start talking about the shoot, trying to keep things light, but the tension is palpable. It's as if every word you speak makes the air thicker, more suffocating. You catch him glancing at your lips a few too many times, but each time you meet his gaze, you notice how his eyes darken, his pupils dilating just a little. The subtle but undeniable spark between you two has always been there. Today, it's dangerously close to setting everything on fire.
You reach for your glass of water, your hand brushing against his as you both move at the same time. It's subtle. An innocent touch. But the moment your skin makes contact with his, everything changes.
His fingers freeze for a split second, the warmth from his hand making your skin burn. You pull away instinctively, but the damage has already been done. The soft touch, the heat from his hand, lingers on your skin like an invisible brand. You swear you can still feel it even though the touch is long gone. Your heart skips a beat, your breath catching slightly in your throat as you glance up to meet his gaze.
His hand is still hovering near where you touched. His chest rises and falls in shallow breaths, as if trying to regain control of the situation. His lips part slightly as if he's about to say something, but no words come out. Instead, there's just a sharp, silent acknowledgment in his eyes.
The tension between you two is unbearable now.
Jeonghan shifts slightly in his seat, and his gaze flicks down to your lips for a fraction of a second. It's as if he can't help it. He swallows hard, his jaw tightening. It's clear he's fighting somethingâfighting the urge to pull you in, to kiss you, to close the space between you that feels too far apart.
You don't move, frozen in the moment, feeling your body heat up in ways you hadn't expected. His breath hitches as he leans just a little closer, his body language unmistakable. You can't ignore it any longer. The undeniable pull between you two has taken on a life of its own, and you're both powerless to resist it.
"Jeonghan..." You whisper his name like it's a question, but it comes out more like an invitation.
His breath catches again, his lips barely an inch from your ear. You feel the heat of his body close to yours, the warmth radiating off him, as he leans in even further, his breath hot against your skin. His lips graze the shell of your ear as he whispers softly, "Do you feel it too?" His voice is low, barely a whisper, but it sends a thrill through you.
You don't answer him with words. Instead, you let your body answer for you, shifting slightly toward him, tilting your head back just enough to give him the opening he's been waiting for.
Jeonghan's lips brush against your neck, soft at first, but with a slow, deliberate pressure that sends shivers down your spine. He's testing the waters, sensing the way your body reacts to his touch, and it's driving you crazy.Â
He grabs the glass of water you were holding, placing it back on the table without pulling away from you or your body.
His hand moves from the edge of the couch where it had been resting, coming to rest on your thigh. He doesn't move it at first, just leaves it there, the pressure of his hand causing your skin to burn beneath the fabric. It's a gentle touch, but you feel it deep in your core, your body reacting almost involuntarily.
You shift slightly, your breath quickening as you feel him slowly inch his hand further up your thigh, his fingers brushing the sensitive skin there. Every small movement from him feels like an invitation, and you can't resist anymore. You lean forward just slightly, your lips finding his in a kiss that's soft at first but quickly grows deeper, more desperate.
His hand slides from your thigh to your waist, pulling you closer as he kisses you harder. You can taste the urgency on his lips, the need that's been building for far too long now.
His other hand moves to the back of your neck, threading through your hair and gently pulling your head back, exposing your throat to him. His lips follow, trailing soft kisses down your neck, before they return to your lips in another searing kiss.
You can feel his heart beating against your chest, and you can't help but want more, the desire building between you two like a slow burn that's finally breaking through.
Jeonghan's lips pull away from yours for a brief moment, his breath coming in shallow gasps. "Are you sure?" he asks, his voice rough with desire. It's a question, but his eyes already tell you he's certain of the answer. He doesn't need to hear the words; he can see it in your eyes, the way you're looking at him, the way you're holding him closer.
You nod, your fingers gripping his shirt as you pull him back toward you. Your lips meet again, this time more fiercely, more urgently. You're both hungry for each other, the restraint that had held you back now gone.
Jeonghan's hands are everywhereâon your back, your hips, your legs. His touch is both gentle and possessive, as if he wants to savor every inch of you but also claim you as his own. You can't help but respond to his every move, every touch, your body betraying you as you lean into him, giving him more of yourself.
His lips find their way back to your neck, trailing kisses along your jaw and down to your collarbone. The way his lips feel against your skin, the pressure of his touch, sends waves of pleasure through you. His hand moves lower, resting on your waist before slipping under your shirt, his fingers brushing against your bare skin.
You gasp as his hand moves higher up to the inner of your thighs, and you spread your legs open, his touch insistent but slow, savoring every moment. His lips return to yours, and the kiss deepens, filled with the hunger and need that you've both been holding back for far too long.
He moves your skirt up, now feeling the wetness of your underwear. You muffled in between kisses, with Jeonghan swallowing your every moans. He pulled the fabric off your legs and buried his fingers deep into your cunt, his thumb running circles on your clit.Â
You shivered under his touch, his fingers working to stretch your already soaked cunt. He fucked your pussy with his fingers well that you were squirming under his touch, sounds escaping from your lips louder.Â
Jeonghan had to shut you up with him kissing your lips. Once you reached your high, cumming all over his fingers, he unbuttons his pants down and you can see the tip of his cock glimmering with precum. "I'm going to put it in, stay quiet this time."
You swallowed hard before nodding. He placed his cock on your clit, giving it a few rubbing before slowly inserting it fully in your cunt. "F- fuck..." He grunted, his head spinning because the way he slid in you almost too easily was too hard to miss. You covered your mouth, not risking being caught by someone again like the last time.
"J- Just put it in," you muffled out, but Jeonghan didn't listen.Â
"Can't have you begging me to stop later," he whispered, his fingers stretching you out, making it impossible to hold out your moans. Jeonghan just had to kiss your soundsâas much as he wants to hear you make those sounds of pleasure, he just can't. Well, not at a public space like this. It's possible that someone will eventually step in.
As he pulled his fingers out, he pulls his pants down just enough for his cock to be freed. It was long, and hard as ever. Jeonghan places the tip of his cock on your clit, rubbing it in your pussy before entering you fully.Â
You moaned, with Jeonghan trying to quiet you down. "Shhh... Damn it."
"I- W- wait," you muffled, your cunt twitching on his cock. "I can't." Jeonghan replied, moving his hips in slow thrusts. "Your walls are swallowing me whole. You're awesome."
His hips moved a little faster this time. You were breathless. Jeonghan has you pinned down on the couch, fucking you now roughly while you hold back the sounds from coming out of your mouth.Â
The sound of skin slapping, your pussy squirming and squelching when you meet his hard thrusts, and muffled moans filling the room. When your walls started to tighten around his dick, that's when he lets out grunts.
Jeonghan thrusted in your cunt, burying himself inside you like never before. He was fighting hard to meet his highs, and yours too.Â
You cum all over his dick before him, but that wasn't enough for him to pull away. He ran circles on your clit, his tongue all over your neck as he finally reaches his own high.Â
Cumming, he lifted your shirt as he took his hot load on your stomach. Your cunt glistened with your own fluids.
"You're amazing," Jeonghan says as he looked at the quivering mess underneath him. Your hair disheveled, cheeks all red looking so pretty like that.
You pushed him before straddling on his lap. "Let me take care of you," you muttered, kissing him immediately right afterwards, leaving him no room to respond.
Him already hard cock springs up again and leaks with precum as you fucked him with your soft thighs. His cock twitching as you rocked your hips back in forth. Rubbing yourself on his cock, hips shaking as you overstimulate yourself above him.Â
And that's when you finally entered him. Your eyes rolling to the back of your head as Jeonghan looked at you with awe.
He lifted your shirt, unclipped your bra as he finds your nipples, kissing and nipping on the sensitive skin there, making you let out a moan. He didn't stop you this time. Who cares if you get caught.
You finally bounced on him, making Jeonghan pant breathlessly. His eyes focused on the way your tits were bouncing before him so sinfullyâhe loved how you took control over him. Especially when he knew you wouldn't do something like this in a public space.
Jeonghan kissed your lips as you grind yourself further into his cock, reaching the depths of heaven. Jeonghan held your hips in place before cumming inside you, the mix of your cum and his blending perfectly as it coated your walls.Â
Your head fell down on Jeonghan's shoulder. Catching your breath as he clips your bra back, cleaning your messy body. His fingers moving to the soft of your hair as if to soothe you off.Â
"You did well," he whispered, planting a kiss on your cheek. He didn't let you pull away from his cock just yet. He wanted to feel your warmth covering his cock. Just by the feeling of your gummy, hot pussy made him hard again, and your tried to squirm away, but Jeonghan didn't let you.
He rocked your hips slowly as he grunted with lust. Moaning as he felt you pussy twitching. "J- Jeonghan... Wait..." You called out, finding his shoulder to bite into his shoulder as he moves you a little faster now.
"Last... one..." He muttered; his breathing heavy as he slides in your cunt a little rougher.Â
With a few more pounds and squirms, he finally cums in you again, with you passing out on his arms right after you squirted three times on his cock.
The room was heavy with the aftermath of passion, the air thick with warmth and the lingering scent of Jeonghan's cologne mixed with your own. Your body was draped against him, utterly spent, your breathing shallow as you rested in his arms. His hands traced lazy patterns along your bare back, his touch possessive, yet oddly tender. You felt the faint thrum of his heartbeat against your cheek, steady and unhurried, as if he had all the time in the world.
Jeonghan, finally contended, ran his fingers through your hair, lulling you deeper to sleep as he uses your pussy to warm his cock.Â
You barely registered his quiet chuckle, the sound sending a faint shiver down your spine. Your mind was hazy, the weight of exhaustion pulling you under. You were vaguely aware of his body still connected to yours, his warmth anchoring you as your consciousness started to slip away.
"Good girl," he whispered, his voice low and laced with something darker, something triumphant. He brushed a strand of hair from your face, tucking it behind your ear as he studied you with an intensity that made your skin prickle, even in your half-dazed state.
You stirred faintly, murmuring something incoherent, but Jeonghan only smiled. "Shh," he cooed softly, pressing a kiss to your forehead. "You've worked so hard, my love. Rest now."
And you did, succumbing to the pull of sleep, blissfully unaware of the way his gaze shifted, how his expression turned from soft affection to something far more sinister.
The soft click of a door opening pulled Jeonghan's attention, though he didn't move. He didn't need to. He knew exactly who it was.
"Good job, Hyesoo," he called out casually, his voice smooth and unbothered. His fingers skimmed along your bare skin one last time before resting on your hip, his touch possessive as he glanced up.
Hyesoo stepped into the room, her face a carefully constructed mask of indifference. In her hands was a camera, and she held it out to him silently. Jeonghan smirked, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction as he took it, already eager to see the results.
"She's full of my scent," he murmured, his voice low and almost reverent as his gaze shifted back to your sleeping form. His pupils dilated as he took in every detail of youâthe flush on your cheeks, the marks he'd left on your skin, the way your body was still connected to his, as if even in unconsciousness, you belonged to him. "I'll save this picture in my head forever."
Hyesoo said nothing, her jaw tightening slightly as she turned away. She didn't need to watch him replay the footage; she already knew what was there. She had filmed it herself, after all. Jeonghan's obsession was no secret to herâit never had been. And yet, she stayed by his side, playing her role in his elaborate scheme.
Jeonghan leaned back against the couch, his free hand absently brushing over your arm as he scrolled through the clips. Each one was a masterpiece to him, a testament to his control, his possession of you. He watched them over and over, his expression shifting between adoration and something far darker.
"You're mine," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else. The words were both a promise and a declaration, one he had ensured would be true no matter what.
Jeonghan's smirk deepened as he reviewed the footage one last time before setting the camera aside. Everything had gone exactly as he had planned.
From the moment he saw you, he had known you were meant to be his. But he also knew you wouldn't come to him willingly, not at first. So, he orchestrated everythingâdown to the finest detail.
Hyesoo had been a key player, pretending to be your friend, earning your trust only to betray it when the time was right. The rumors about you? All planted. The whispers about your connections to the higher-ups, the way people started to question your integrityâit had all been his doing. He needed you vulnerable, isolated, desperate enough to turn to him.
And it had worked. Every step, every move, had brought you closer to this moment. To him.
Even your role as the second lead in the film had been a calculated choice. He had pushed for it, knowing it would keep you close, knowing it would force you to rely on him as the chaos of the industry swirled around you.
"You really are perfect," he murmured, his fingers brushing over your cheek. "Even better than I imagined."
Hyesoo shifted uncomfortably in the corner of the room, her arms crossed as she avoided his gaze. She had agreed to help him, but even she hadn't anticipated the extent of his obsession. Watching it unfold, seeing the lengths he was willing to goâit made her stomach twist.
But she stayed silent. She always did.
Jeonghan glanced up at her, his smile sharp. "You've done well, Hyesoo," he said, his tone dripping with condescension. "Don't think I've forgotten how valuable you've been to me."
Hyesoo's jaw tightened, but she nodded, her expression betraying nothing. She knew better than to challenge him. Not when he held all the power.
As you slept peacefully in his arms, Jeonghan allowed himself a moment of indulgence. He had won. Everything he had ever wanted was now his.
And he wasn't about to let you go.
Not now. Not ever.
a/n: thank you for reading. the plot isnt plotting cause like.. wtf did i just do? i shouldve just put a smut with no actual plot lmao. anyhow i hope reader likes it ! lmk if i missed a few waqrnings or what i should add on the tags/genre. ty ! LY! ááá˘
also, huge thank you for @ririesna who requested for this fanfic idea (actor x actor). without her req, i wouldnt be able to post anything at all. im open for requests, if you want to leave some, i will be posting.
i just made a taglist for oneshots (general groups)? click this link if you want to be added ;)

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âThat's The Way I Loved Youâ
Summary: It was supposed to be a secret. No oneâas in absolutely no oneâwas supposed to know you were that type of person. A fanfiction writer for fun. It was harmless, right? Not until your family friendâs son and your biggest enemyâJeonghanâmanages to find out, and he decides to use it against you for his own gain.
Pairing: Yoon Jeonghan x Fem!reader
Warnings/tags: 18+ MDNI, smut, angst, fluff, crackfic, college au, non idol au, enemies to frienemies to lovers, fake dating, lowkey forced proximity, flashbacks, Jeonghan is an asshole at first, but donât worry, he changes, very self-indulgent since I AM a fanfiction writer lmfao, vague american football mentions (I have no prior knowledge to how playoffs work in college except for my romance books), mentions of alcohol consumption, protected to unprotected sex, p in v, creampies, slight breeding kink (if you squint), oral sex (f & m receiving), multiple sex scenes, dom!Jeonghan, praise kink, pet names, masturbation, semi-public sex, car sex, best friend!97 line, mention of some Twice members as friends.
A/N: This fic idea literally came to me while I was drying my hair, realising I left my laptop open on a Google doc where anyone could read it (the kitchen). Anyways, this is not how I depict the idols in real life, this is purely fiction! Enjoy!
Word count: 13.2k (out of 41.5k... don't look at me like that.)
Dividers from @diviniyae
Title from That's The Way I Loved You by Taylor Swift
PART 1 || PART 2 || BONUS
TUESDAY, 3:46 PM
It was just another day on campus. You were in the library, in your usual spot by the windows, writing and listening to music on full volume through your earbuds, unaware of your surroundings as you typed away on your laptop.Â
You lowered the volume of your music, noticing some students walking around before going back to typing.
He grabbed you by your throat, whispering filthy words into your ear whenâ
That's when you heard a low whistle behind you, making you slam your laptop shut to turn around and see your best friend. You sighed in relief, glaring at him as you opened your laptop again.
âMingyuâ I swear to god, if you sneak up on me like that again, I will throw a brick at you.â You checked whether the doc was saved, and thankfully, it was.
âFirstly, hi, secondly, you shouldn't be writing literal porn on your laptop with full brightness where anyone can see it.â He deadpanned, sitting across from you before taking out his books and tablet from his bag.
âIt's erotica, smartass, and my laptop isn't on full brightness! You just have stupidly good eyes,â you muttered, crossing your arms and leaning back on your seat. âPlus, you interrupted me during the best part, and now I forgot what I was supposed to write!â
âHe grabbed you by your throat, whisperingââ
You cut Mingyu off when he tried to quote the line you wrote, shoving the marshmallows you had on hand, usually craving something sweet or salty when writing. Today it was marshmallows.
âShut up, will you? We're still in a public library, and I'd rather not flaunt around that I write these types of things out hereââ
You hissed before seeing Minghao arrive, looking at the two of you with a slightly judgmental look before taking out his stuff and placing it on the table. âI'm not gonna even ask this time.â
âShe's writing her stuff againâow-!â Mingyu rubbed his bicep with a pout after having swallowed the marshmallows you shoved into his mouth just a moment prior.
âHer fanfiction?â Hao bluntly called it as it was, making you cringe. âThere's nothing wrong with writing literary fiction in a library. Unless she's writing smut again. Then that's just pure public indecency.â
You groaned into your hands, having had enough of your friends, and decided to change the topic. âWhere's Seokmin? Wasn't he supposed to meet us here because he had some news?â
âHe said he's gonna run late. Project thing.â Mingyu checked his phone, reading Seokmin's last message. âYou'd know that if you read the group chat instead of writing your poââ
You shoved another handful of marshmallows into your best friend's mouth.
Seokmin got to the library about thirty minutes later, panting as if he had run a marathon.
âGuysâ! Hey, sorry I couldnât get here sooner, there was an emergency meeting on my project due Wednesday⌠Anyway, I have come bearing news!â He dramatically announces himself, raising his hands grandiosely. It made you groan, making him cock an eyebrow at you. âWhatâs wrong with Little Miss Writer?â
âSpit it out already, Seokmin, before I decide to throw this thesaurus at you.â You threatened, causing the man in front of you to flinch slightly.
âOkay, okay, jeez.. So, Seungcheol is throwing a party this Thursday, and Mingyu, being a part of his fraternity, is invited, and because we're friends with Mingyu, we're also invited!â
You really contemplated throwing the thesaurus at your second best friend. It was truly tempting.
âUhh, is that it?â Minghao murmured, not even looking up from his notebook as he took notes and sipped on his tea from his tumbler.
âOh, no, there's also the fact that Jeonghan told me to tell youââ he pointed at you. ââthat your parents and his parents are going to have their yearly spring grill this Friday. And that you're obligated to come, and that Jeonghan's your ride.â
You've got to be kidding. You gaped at Seokmin as if he grew two heads, your mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. There was no way in hell that you were going to endure a three-hour ride back home to your parents' place in Jeonghan's car!
âAnd why are you the one telling me this, and not him?â You hissed, eyes squinting at Seokmin as he put his hands up in defense.
âHey, heyâcalm down, I'm just the messenger. Literally. And I don't know, maybe because we're best friends?â
Mingyu patted your shoulder in support, knowing what type of history you had with Jeonghan. Both your parents were good friends, which kept you and Jeonghan in constant proximity. During birthday parties, family grills, or just typical celebrations involving scholarly achievements. Your parents expected you and Jeonghan to get along, but it was a missâyou hated each other's guts. You weren't sure where it had started, but from a certain moment when you were ten, and Jeonghan was twelve, you started despising each other.
Everything was a challengeâand Jeonghan teased you for every little thing. The way you dressed, the way you had your hair styled, even the way you spoke! The teasing didn't leave until now, but instead of immature name-calling or calling your fashion sense âweirdâ, it was commenting on whom you had dated or crude jokes involving your love life. But it was never in publicânever in front of other people anyway. Just when it was the two of you, when he caught you somewhere like the library or the campus park.
So to speak, it was going to be insufferable with him.
âWhy did he even offer to be my ride?â You groaned, slamming your laptop shut as you started packing your stuff, confusing Seokmin.
âWhere are you going? I just got hereââ he whined.
âI'm gonna go find that sleazy jerk, and give him a piece of my mind,â you grumbled, shoving your books into your messenger bag with a huff before storming out of the library with the purpose to find Jeonghan.
âShe's gonna go off on him again, isn't she?â Minghao deadpanned, and Mingyu sighed, hopeless.
Heading towards the fraternity house Jeonghan lived in was easy. Mingyu lived there as well, so you managed to remember the route out of habit. You entered the establishment, politely saying âhiâ to the guys that greeted you as you beelined towards Jeonghan's room.
About to knock, you suddenly heard something that made your skin crawl. Moaning. You scoffed, rolling your eyes before knocking at the door anyway, disrupting whatever activities Jeonghan was doing with whomever he was with in his room. When the door didn't open, you pounded harder on the wooden entrance, a soft curse being heard along with some shuffling.
âI swear to god, Cheolââ Jeonghan muttered as the door swung open, confusion painting his expression for a brief second when he saw you. Confusion turned into that shit-eating grin you hated before he spoke up. âOh? What brought you to my doorstep, angel?â
You scoffed at the nickname, always having hated it when he called you that. It wasn't because it was bad or anything, but because of what it symbolised. Angelsâpurity and divinity. But in your case, he used it to flaunt the fact that you were a prude. It pissed you off.
âI'm here because you told Seokmin that you were my ride for this Friday's grill.â You dug your forefinger into his chest before adding. âWhich you are not, by the way. I have my own car, and I can drive home just fine.â
âOh, really?â Jeonghan looked down at your finger that was pressing against his right pec. âFrom what I heard, your car was at the mechanic's since you swerved off the street and hit a pole last month.â
Your eyes widened, trying to think of a logical explanation as to how he knew about that. The only people who knew were your parents and friends, and even with Seokmin's loose tongue, he wouldn't just blabber it to Jeonghan, of all people.
Jeonghan seemed to notice your cogs turning in your brain as he chuckled. âI talked to your momâshe called me, by the way. She told me that you'd probably need a ride after checking up on me. She also told me that you should call her. What's that about?â
Goddammit, your mom. You should've known she'd call him after you'd ignored her calls for the past few days. It wasn't on purpose, not really. You were just tired from all the schoolwork and projects you had due, so you didn't want to talk to anyone for the rest of the week. A sigh left your lips as you dropped your finger from his chest.
âIt's none of your business, for one, and for two, you're not driving me home. I can take the busââ
âAnd afford to get late and have everyone look at you like you did something terrible? Right.â Jeonghan scoffed, crossing his arms as he leaned against the doorframe. âIt's not gonna kill you to go on a three-hour road trip with me back home.â
âOh, yes, it will! You're insufferableââ you gritted the words out from how pissed off you were at the fact that you didn't really have a choice. You were going to have to suffer three horrible hours (with toilet breaks, probably) with Jeonghan. You wanted to bash your head in and die.
âPlease, your exes were insufferable. I'm just a mild inconvenience in your day-to-day.â He shrugged as if he didn't just admit that he was an asshole towards you on purpose. The mention of your exes made your eye twitch, and you didn't want to be reminded of the horrible choices you had made in the past.
Before you could snark out another comment, a girl called out for Jeonghan, making him chuckle once more when you made a disgusted expression. âDuty calls, angel. See you Friday morning.â
âWait whatââ
He slammed the door before you could ask why in the morning. You had classes, and you couldnât just skip. Deciding it was useless to knock on his door again, you started walking back to your apartment, grumbling and muttering to yourself, not paying attention to where you were going, and you bumped into someone.Â
âIâm sorry,â you murmured, rubbing your forehead as you looked up and saw Seungcheolâone of Jeonghanâs closest friends and Mingyuâs hyung. You blinked in slight surprise to have bumped into him, expecting him to be in his own dorm and not outside. âSeungcheol?â
He looked down at you, finally realising who he had bumped into, and said your name softly with a smile. âHey. Whatâs got you in this part of campus? Were you looking for Mingyu?â
âOh! Uhm, no.. I just had a question for Jeonghan, nothing too important.â You shrugged as you made small talk with your senior, rubbing your neck awkwardly.Â
Youâd always liked Seungcheolâbut not in the way youâd expect, noâyou didnât have a crush on the guy, but he was nice to look at and had a nice ass, but there was just no way youâd crush on him. He was nice to talk to from time to time, since he was quite down to earth, and youâd have things in common with him, and heâd defend you from Jeonghanâs shitty anticsâokay, maybe you did have a small crush on him. It was hard not to.
At the mention of Jeonghanâs name, Seungcheol raised his eyebrow. âJeonghan? Whatâd he do now?â
âNothing! Really, itâs just that my car broke down a couple of weeks ago and is at the mechanicâs, so I have to ride with Jeonghan back home this Friday since he has a car.â You explained your situation, and the man in front of you listened intently as he gently grabbed your shoulder, catching your attention.
âI mean⌠if you want, I could give you a ride back home. Iâm not doing anything this Friday.â He offered, and you buffered. Like full-on bluescreened. Seungcheol? Drive you back home? For three hours? That seemed like a wet dreamâokay, no. But it was still something, especially coming from someone like him. You werenât close to him at all, so there was no point in his offering such a favour, but he was still doing it.
You shook your head, smiling softly, thankful for his offer. âOhâI, uhm.. I couldnât possibly. Itâs fineââ
âI insist, I wonât mind driving youââ
âShe said no, Cheol. Canât you get the hint?â
You spun around to see Jeonghan standing behind you, his hair slightly damp, wearing an oversized black tee with his jersey over it, along with loose-fitting black sweatpants. You hadnât expected him to come out of his dorm after what you heard earlier, expecting him to still be busy with whoever he was screwing. Seungcheolâs brows furrowed as his best friend butted into your conversation. You could sense the tension, and you did not want to be in the middle of it.
âJeonghan.â You said through gritted teeth. âWhat are you doing?â
âGetting your ass out of trouble. Cheol, go inside. One of the guys is causing trouble in the living area again.â He casually mentioned, causing his friend to look at you apologetically before heading into the frat house. âYou mind telling me why my best friend was offering you a ride back home?â
Jeonghan asked, his expression unreadable, but there was a hint of frustration in his eyes. Was he pissed? You werenât sure. When you didnât answer, he took a step closer and muttered your name. âAnswer the question.â
âI told him you were going to give me a ride. Why do you care if Seungcheol drives me there, anyway?â You frowned, looking up at him with growing animosity. It was none of Jeonghanâs business, after all.
âBecause, angel, I told your mom that Iâd be the one driving you, remember? So, Cheol canât drive your stubborn little ass. Plus, whoâd know what heâd do to you in those three hours.â
He fake shuddered, and your face flushed at the meaning of his sentence. Jeonghan noticed immediately, letting out a snort. âDo you have a crush on him, angel? Is that it? Youâd let him hit in those three hours back home in his car?â
âWhatâ no! What the fuck, Jeonghan?â You denied all too quickly, making him laugh harder, your embarrassment growing by the second. The last thing you wanted was for Jeonghan to know that you had a crush on his best friend. It was increasingly getting harder to breathe, and you had to leave. Before you could embarrass yourself further. So, you just shoved Jeonghan before rushing the other way, running towards your apartment.
âOh my god, he said that?â Mingyu muttered over the phone as the two of you Facetimed in the evening. You were settled in your pyjamasâa comfy oversized college tee that Mingyu had given you during your freshman year, and shortsâand drinking your favourite tea, while typing frustratingly on your laptop, trying to focus on writing your fic. But it was hard when everything was bringing you back to your earlier conversation with Jeonghan.
âTo be fair, do you have a crush on Seungcheol hyung?â he asked, curiosity lingering in his tone while he ate chips in bed, looking at your deep frown. âBecause you know that Cheol hyung is a bit of aâŚâ
âFuckboy?â You continued for your best friend, your tone deadpanned. âI know that, Gyu. But heâs been nothing but nice to me since I met him, and itâs not hard not to crush on the guy, okay? Plus, heâs got a nice assâŚâ
Mingyu groaned your name, rolling his eyes. Of course, youâd mention Cheolâs ass. âAnyway, if youâre really into him, then why not make a move on him?â
âBecause heâs a fuckboy? And one of your friends?â You glanced at your screen to look at your best friend with an âisnât it obvious whyâ look.
âI mean, yeah, sure, heâs my friend, but that doesnât really stop you from making a move on him, you know? Itâd be worse if he decided to hurt you. And I know Cheol hyung enough that he wouldnât mess with my bestie, or heâd be getting two fists and a foot up his ass.â
âFoot?â You look at him incredulously, letting out a soft chuckle. âWhoâs foot?â
âHaoâs, duh. His skinny arms wouldnât be able to retain proper damage.â
âHeâs a literal martial artist, broââ You snorted out a laugh, feeling a bit better than earlier. Mingyu had always had your back when you were upset, and you were thankful to have such a good friend like him.
âAnyway, I say go for it. Itâs high time you got some good dick. Other than the dick you write about.â He joked, and you glared at him. âHey, donât end the call yetâI still have something to say.â
âWhich is?â You grabbed your phone from where you had it propped up, looking at your best friend unamused.
âGo to the party this Thursday, Iâll be there, and maybe you can make your move on Cheol hyung there. If it doesnât work out, we can always go back to my room and play Uno with Seok and Hao.â
It wasnât much of a bad idea. You werenât really a party person and would rather pack your stuff before your weekend trip, but Mingyu was right. If it didnât work out, you could always hang out with your friends. Plus, it would be nice to dress up and let loose for once.
âFine, Iâll go. But you need to help me with what to wear.â
âAlready thinking, sweetcheeks. I gotta go, see you tomorrow before class, though?â He shifted in his bed, yawning. It was late, and you were only halfway through your fic because you ended up ranting about what Jeonghan had spat out earlier. You only hummed noncommittally before hanging up.
Closing your laptop, you decided to finish your already-cold tea before deciding to brew another cup. Waiting for the hot water to boil in your electric kettle, you bit your lower lip as you scrolled through Seungcheolâs Instagram, looking through his pictures. Thatâs when you saw a post, in collaboration with Jeonghan, a picture of them both wearing medalsâJeonghan for winning first place in relay swimming, while Seungcheol was holding a trophy from their win in the college football playoffs. Your kettle startled you when it finished heating the water, making you double-click on your screen. When you looked back down at your phone, you froze.
You had just liked the post.
Shit, shit, shit. Undo, undoâÂ
But it had been too late.
Jeonghan was playing video games with Seungcheol when his phone buzzed with a notification. When he was about to ignore it, he read your username and that you had liked a post. That piqued his interest as he muttered on the mic that he was leaving the game, a series of whines coming out of his headphones before he left the voice channel and logged out of the game.
Unlocking his phone, he opened the social media app to check which post you had initially liked, a scoff escaping him when he saw it was the one he had collaborated on with Seungcheol. He decided to text you, just to tease and check if you were still up.
Jeonghan: Are you stalking him on social media now?
You: What?? Wtf are you talking about
Jeonghan: Donât play dumb, angel. I saw that you liked the post.
Fuck. So, Jeonghan did see the notification, after all. You had prayed that he wouldnât, alas, your prayers had not been answered this time around. Gritting your teeth, you thought of what to reply, contemplating between playing dumb and just ignoring his text. Instead, you decided to be bold for once, not wanting him to step all over you once more.
You: So what if I did?
Jeonghan: Nothing, just proves my point in you having a crush on him. đ¤ˇ
You: I donât have a crush on him.Â
Jeonghan: You SO do. You wouldnât have run away earlier like that if you didnât.
Jeonghan: Itâs not worth it, you know.
You frowned at that, confused by his message. What did he mean by ânot worth itâ? You contemplated replying, wanting to ask him what he meant, but deep down inside, you kind of knew what he meant. But that didnât stop you from being stubborn.
You: Whatâs not worth it??
Jeonghan: Seungcheol.
You: Why do you care all of a sudden?
Jeonghan: I donât. Iâm just saying, donât waste your time on him.
You: Itâs none of your business who I waste my time on or not.
You: Good night.
You turned off your phone after that, sighing in frustration at the fact that you had to talk to Jeonghan again. Over text this time, but it was still talking to him. You regretted giving him your number last semester because of a shared econ project you had to do with him.
Thatâs when your phone buzzed, and the caller ID appearedâyour mom. You answered, greeting her noncommittally. âHey, MomâŚâ
THURSDAY, 5:38 PM
Thursday came quicker than you realised, and you were getting ready for the party with Mingyu in your room, choosing from the plethora of clothes you had, while you did your makeup.
âGyu, have you chosen something yet? Iâm almost done with my makeup..!â You called out from your bathroom, curling your eyelashes. Mingyu just grunted in response, looking between a cherry red cocktail dress and a baby pink short a-line dress. Heâs gotta give it to you, you had style if you wanted it, but you usually decided to wear sweaters and dress pants instead, giving off a more academic look.Â
âI think this red one will fit you.â He picked it up from the bed, handing it to you as you hummed and glanced at it. âI think Seungcheol will appreciate it.â Mingyu nudged you playfully, making you roll your eyes and swat him.
âThe last time I wore this dress, I got cat-called twice on the street when I was out on girlsâ night with Jihyo and Nayeon.â
âEven better! I think this black cardigan will⌠You know. Make you feel like you.â He handed you your long wool cardigan that fell to mid-thigh, making you feel more comfortable in the dress you planned to wear, since it was quite short and itâd keep you warm during the chilly March nights.
âNow, go get dressed! Minghaoâs already waiting outside, and Iâm sure heâll ditch us if we donât come out in the next fifteen minutes.â
Getting to the frat house was as easy as ever, thankfully, by deciding to wear flats instead of heels. Mingyu managed to find cute doll flats from Jihyo at the last minute, knocking on her door frantically and saying it was a fashion emergency (overkill on his part, but it worked).
The frat house was packed with people from various sororities and other groups, already drinking and mingling with each other. Entering the establishment, you saw a few familiar faces, some of whom were colleagues from other classes or just acquaintances of your friends. Mingyu led you to the kitchen while Hao and Seokmin got lost in the crowd, catching up with their friends (Soonyoung and Jun, if you remembered correctly).Â
âDo you want anything to drink? Should I make you a Mingyu special, eh?â he grinned, but you only shook your head.
âI'll stick with soda, Gyu.. I don't wanna end up on someone else's bed.â You snorted, joking as your best friend shrugged, and poured you a cup with coke.
That's when someone walked into the kitchenâlaughing, albeit a little too loudly for your liking. Seungcheol.
You felt his gaze fall on you, blinking as if he'd seen something mesmerising. Your body felt hot, instinctively pulling the skirt of your dress down as he walked over to greet you with the call of your name.
âHey, you made it-!â He gave you a side hug, then stuck to your side as he nodded to Mingyu. âYou look really prettyâŚâ he complimented, something only you could hear as his breath brushed over your ear, making your skin tingle.
âThanks.. you, uhm.. you look good too,â you complimented him back, making him grin as he stole you from Mingyu. You looked back at your best friend, who gave you only a thumbs-up and mouthed âgood luckâ.
Seungcheol brought you over to his friend groupâyou recognised a few people, thankfully, as you knew them from the football team. Soonyoungâthe energetic oneâseemed to notice you first, greeting you enthusiastically as you sat down on the couch with Seungcheol pulling you to his lap, surprising you at first, but you settled in easily. The rest of his friend groupâJoshua, Wonwoo, and Chanâgreeted you as well.
âSo, how do you two know each other?â Joshua asked first, seemingly curious about the nature of your relationship with Cheol. You fiddled with your fingers, struggling to speak up before the man you were sitting with answered for you.
âWe know each other through a mutual friend. Mingyu. Right, sweets?â He leaned his chin on your shoulder, playing with your cardigan as you hummed, body stiffening. You weren't used to this type of attention, but you couldn't lieâyou liked it. A little too much. It was like the scenarios you wrote on your laptop. Maybe it could be an inspiration for later.
âYeahâI, uh, Cheol and I met through Gyu when he joined the fraternityâŚâ It was the truth, but you couldn't admit the fact that the first time you met Seungcheol was as embarrassing as the time you slipped over nothing at the public pool and fell into the water.Â
It was freshman year, you and Mingyu were shuffling through extracurricular activities and clubs you could join when Seungcheol came over and greeted the two of you.
âHey, Mingyu, who's the pretty girl?â He smiled, pretty dimples appearing. You were awestruck.
âPretty?â Another voice scoffed. You could recognise that voice anywhere as you snapped out of your trance. Jeonghan.
âPlease, she's as pretty as a mule.â He snorted, causing you to grit your teeth, Mingyu holding your hand to hold you back. Who knew what you were capable of doing to Jeonghan if he didn't?
âHannie, don't be mean.. I'm Seungcheol, and you are?â He asked you, and you managed to focus on âdimplesâ as you called him in your head before introducing yourself. âPretty..â
Seungcheol murmured with a smile, causing your face to flush, making Jeonghan scoff. âCheol, stop flattering her, she'll start writing your name with hearts if you do.â
That was it.
You tugged away from Mingyuâs grasp before he could tighten it, and you jumped Jeonghan like some feral cat, cursing him out and yanking his hair while he tried to pry you off him.
âYeah, she was as cute as when I met her.â Seungcheol only mentioned, not bothering to tell the whole story, as his grip on your waist tightened slightly. It was a silent comfort, and you were thankful.
You chatted with his friends for a while, smiling and laughing as Soonyoung entertained you most of the time, but you couldn't help but feel someone staring at you from afar. It felt distinctive enough for you to distract you from the conversation. When Soonyoung got busy chatting with somebody else, you looked around before your eyes met the very eyes you've learned to hate over the yearsâJeonghan. Why the hell was he staring at you?
You kept brief eye contact before breaking it off first when Seungcheol tapped your hip, bringing your attention to him. âWanna head up to my room?â
The question made your body tingle with both anxiety and excitement. You weren't sure what to do, so you just nodded before you could overthink. You could do this. You wrote about shit like this before, you could apply it in real life too, right?
Getting up from your seat, Seungcheol stretched before taking your hand into his, leading you through the crowds of drunk college students towards his room. On the way there, the two of you shared jokes, giggling and chuckling before he finally kissed you.
It wasn't a short, sweet kiss eitherâit was filled with passion, his tongue easily slipping past your lips, a soft moan leaving your lips as he smiled against the kiss. He had you pressed against the wall in the empty hallway, with most of the people either downstairs or outside, so there were only a few people busy talking or making out to bother paying attention to you or Seungcheol.
âI've been wanting to do this for a while nowâŚâ Seungcheol murmured against your lips, sighing softly as he hooked your leg over his hip, pressing himself closer to you. He grasped your face with one hand, cradling your cheek as if he were going to lose you if he didn't hold on.
You whined softly against him when he gently ground against you, your hands fisting the material of his shirt as he slipped his tongue into your mouth once more. Heat pooled between your legs, and you felt your panties starting to stick to your folds as Seungcheol kept on with his lazy grinds.Â
He rubbed the underside of your thigh, moving dangerously high to the hem of your dress to grope your ass, when his phone suddenly started ringing in his pocket. Cursing softly, he moved away from you and pulled out his phone from his pocket, a soft whine leaving your lips at the loss of contact. It made him chuckle before stealing a soft kiss from you, and checking the caller.
âGive me a second, it's Coach..â He murmured, answering the call. âHello?â He moved away towards a more secluded spot in the hallway, but not far enough for your field of view.
During that little moment, your thoughts were scrambled all over the place. You had just made out with Seungcheol. Your freshman crush, Seungcheol. It was silly to think about, but it made butterflies flutter in your stomach anyway. When he finished his conversation, he came back to you with a slightly disappointed yet hopeful expression.
âI need to go for a bit. There was an emergency, and the coach needs me as team captain. It won't take long, I'm sure, so do you think you could wait for me here..?â
You were still a bit out of it, but managed to answer back. âH-huhâoh! Yeah, yeah, of course.. IâI can waitâŚâ
âPerfect. See you in a bit, pretty.â He pecked your lips one last time before running off and leaving you dazed. You just leaned against the wall, a small smile creeping up to your lips.
About thirty minutes passed, and you started to get bored and worried. You didn't have Seungcheol's number, so there was no way you could contact him unless you asked Mingyu, but you were sure he'd get curious as to why you weren't with Seungcheol.
âHe's not coming back, you know.â
You jumped at the sound of Jeonghan's voice, startled by his sudden appearance. He stood there, his expression unreadable as he kept his hands in his pockets. You scowled at his words, unsure of what he meant.
âWhat do you mean?â You queried, and in front of you just shook his head.
âHe's not gonna come back to you, angel. I told you not to waste your time on him.â He reminded you of his warning two nights ago, frustration bubbling in your chest at the accusation about Seungcheol not coming back.
You crossed your arms, posture defiant and defensive as you spoke up, confidence not wavering. âHow are you so sure? His coach called himââ
A scoff left his lips, cutting you off, and muttering something along the lines of âof course, he didâ. That made you frown in confusion as Jeonghan sighed, running his fingers through his black locks before shaking his head.
âAngel, it's a ruse to get him out of situations. I know him well enough to know he didn't bother telling one of his asshole friends not to call yet. He's downstairs drinking.â
You clenched your jaw at that, your head spinning with thoughts. You knew what you were getting into when trying to pursue Seungcheol, but he was so kind to you that you hadn't expected to get played. You didn't want to believe it.
âI don't believe you, heâhe wouldn't just...â You trailed off, unable to defend Seungcheol as he defended you against Jeonghan. Because deep down, you knew what Seungcheol was like. You were just in denial because he was so nice to you. âYou're lying.â
âBelieve me or don't, angel, I know my truth. Go downstairs, do it. I'd love to watch Seungcheol pale up when he sees you so heartbroken.â
âShut up, Jeonghan, you're such an assholeââ You pushed him out of the way, rushing down the hallway before he yanked you back, causing you to collide with his chest.
âLet go of me, jerk-!â You tried tugging your wrist away from his grip, but it only tightened, not enough to hurt, but to keep you in place. You could see his eyes darkened, his jaw clenched as he seemed to think about something. His expression soon lightened, a mischievous grin growing on his lips.
âI'll take you downstairs.â
âWhatââ you were cut off with your own yelp as Jeonghan picked you up over his shoulder, carrying you like a sack of potatoes, supporting your weight like it was nothing. âJeonghan, put me down!â
âStop worrying your pretty little head, my arm covers your ass,â he stated lazily as he walked down the stairs with you wriggling and hitting his back, but he still wouldn't let you go. He only put you down once the two of you were in the kitchen, where Mingyu, Minghao, and Seokmin were nursing their drinks while talking. Seokmin noticed you first, calling out your name.
âHey, I thought you were with Seungcheol. What happened?â He asked, glancing at Jeonghan, who was right behind you, giving your friends a lazy wave.
âCheol ditched her. I warned her about him, but she didn't listen, so take care of her before she breaks down like a baby, hm? See you around, angel.â Jeonghan saluted and clicked his tongue before turning around and getting lost in the crowd.
âWhat did he mean Seungcheol ditched you? I thought the two of you were hitting it off earlier? Wasn't he going to take you to his room?â Mingyu shot out the questions like a machine gun, but you were still reliving the fact that Seungcheol, in fact, did ditch you.Â
You had seen a glimpse of him getting touchy with another girl by the windows as you were carried by Jeonghan, and it made you want to storm up to him and slap him, but you refrained, since it was better not to stir up unnecessary drama. Especially when he was friends with Mingyu.
âIâI don't know what happened. It happened all too quickly, if I'm being honest, and I currently need a drink.â You grabbed a cup and poured some vodka into it, but Mingyu snatched it away from you.
âAh, ah⌠You canât handle your alcohol well, and I sure as hell will not be carrying your ass back home. You can have a beer, but not hard liquor.â He chided, handing you a bottle of beer from the fridge. He was just looking out for you since you couldnât handle your alcohol intake well, and if you started, you wouldnât stop until you were projectile vomiting. The memory of an experience in the past made you shudder as you sipped on your beer and stuck to your friends for the rest of the night.Â
Jeonghan watched you from afar, pissed off at Seungcheol for leaving you hanging like that. Why? He wasnât sure, and he sure as hell didnât like it. So, he decided to take it into his own hands after the party was over, at about 3 AM. He watched as Mingyu whined while carrying you, hearing something about it being Seokminâs turn to bring you back to your apartment, but the latter wasnât listening.
âCheol.â He murmured, standing with his hands in his pants pockets, while Seungcheol was busy cleaning up the number of beer bottles and cups lying around in the room. âWe need to talk about somethingâno, someone.â
His best friend perked up, raising his eyebrow. âAbout who?â He asked, and Jeonghan mentioned your name, trying to coax a reaction from him. Seungcheol just chuckled awkwardly, scratching his neck. âAh, her..? What about her?â
âYou left her in the upstairs hallway,â Jeonghan stated bluntly, causing Seungcheol to wince. âWhy? You never lose interest that easily.â
âYou were watching us?â Seungcheol frowned, gently setting the plastic bag of trash down.Â
âAnswer my question, Cheol. Why did you leave her there?â Jeonghanâs expression remained calm, but there was a hint of sharpness in his tone now.
âMan, I donât know⌠I got a call from Coach andââ
âOh, cut the bullshit, Seungcheol. You wanted to humiliate her, didnât you? Give her a taste of what it could be like between you before cutting her off. Is that it?â Jeonghanâs eyes darkened slightly as he continued to grill his best friend for answers. Seungcheol scoffed softly, crossing his arms at the accusation.
âDude, I donât get why youâre getting worked up over it. I thought you didnât like her?âÂ
âI donât, but that doesnât mean you get to have the right to hurt her like that. Arenât you Mingyuâs friend? Think about how hurting his best friend will affect your friendship with him, both out and in the field.â Jeonghan shoved past him, but paused for a second to say one more thing. âThe only asshole in her life should be me. Apologise to her, Cheol. I wonât say this again.â
âYouâre so heavy,â Mingyu grunted as he adjusted you on his back, mindlessly complaining. You werenât really all that heavy, but the guy liked to complain, after having been the same guy who always carried you back to your apartment room after parties. Note to himself: let you hole up in your room next time, or keep you company on self-care nights. âHow the hell did you get drunk off beer?â
âSheâs a lightweight, dude, plus she was chugging those beer bottles. Itâs like she wanted to get drunk. I mean, I donât blame her after what Seungcheol did to her.â Seokmin spoke up, walking in front of Mingyu beside Minghao. âWhyâd you tell her to go for it anyway? We all know what a notorious fuckboy Seungcheol is.â
âI dunno, man⌠I thought sheâd soften him up. He was nice around herâhell, he defended her from Jeonghan when his bullshit got too harsh. I just⌠Nevermind. Itâs useless crying over spilt milk. But Seungcheol hyung better apologise, or Iâm punching him square in the jaw.â Mingyu sighed as you groaned against his shoulder, cheek pressed as you muttered something in your sleep. âAnyway, Jeonghan has been acting strange lately.â
âYou noticed that, too, huh? Itâs probably because of the trip tomorrow. Speaking of which, has she packed her stuff?â Minghao chimed in, raising his eyebrow. That made Mingyu curse, realising that he had distracted you from packing your stuff earlier that day to get ready for the party. Noticing the pained expression on Mingyuâs face, Minghao shook his head. âWe better sober her up then. You know how much she hates other people organising her shit for her.â
âI know.â
Getting to your apartment was a breeze. Sobering you up, however? Not as easy as it sounded. Mingyu had plopped you onto the couch, stirring you up from your alcohol induced nap, cheeks still flushed as you groaned. âWhat the fuck, dude..?â
âHere, drink some water.â Minghao handed you two bottles of ice-cold water from your fridge, confusion painting your scrunched face. âOne is for drinking, one is for your forehead. Sober up, you have shit to pack.â
âHuhâOH SHIT.â You shot up from where you were sitting, still a bit woozy from the alcohol, but you immediately realised that you had to finish packing your bags for your weekend trip back home. âShit, shit, shitâŚâ
âWeâll help you. You should stay put and sober up properly. Brief clarity isnât going to help you right now.â Hao sat you back down on the couch before finding the half-packed luggage under your bed. âWhat havenât you got packed in here, jesus christâŚâ He muttered, seeing the multitude of clothes, necessities, and some of your favourite books for inspiration, packed.
âI think the only stuff missing is my toothbrush and skincare products. I need to wash my faceâŚâ You groaned after chugging the bottled water. Standing up from the couch, you headed towards your bathroom, wincing at how terrible you looked. Did you cry? You sure hoped not, but the evidence of slight mascara streaks made it likely. You turned the water on, splashing your face with the lukewarm liquid before grabbing your cleanser and washing your face.
After getting your face cleaned, you felt a little more refreshed, packing the products into your toiletry bag before heading back out to the main living area, where the guys had settled down for a round of Uno on your coffee table. You placed the small bag in your luggage, then finally closed it and set it by the door.
âWanna join us? Weâre totally crushing Gyu.â Seokmin snickered as Mingyu flipped him off.
âNah⌠I think Iâm gonna crash. You guys staying over or..?â You asked, and they nodded. Silently thankful, you bid them good night, headed to your room to change, and went to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
FRIDAY, 6:30 AM
You woke up from your alarm blaring in your ear, a groan leaving your lips as you turned it off, giving yourself a measly five minutes to take a small nap before Mingyu busted in, shaking you awake. âJeonghanâs already waiting for you downstairs.â
âWhat?â That jolted you awake as you looked at your clockâ6:30 AM. Why the hell was he under your apartment so early? You groaned, getting up from your warm cocoon, and went to get ready. You tried to ignore the pounding headache as you brushed your teeth, grabbed your towel, and took a quick shower before getting dressed in something comfortable for the 3-hour ride ahead. Youâd get changed at a gas station later, right now, your number one priority being comfort.
Grabbing your backpack and luggage, Mingyu helped you down while Seokmin and Minghao followed as moral support. The three of them hugged you tightly, bidding you their goodbyes before handing you over to Jeonghan.
âYou'd better feed her on the way there, Yoon. She gets cranky when she doesnât snack.â Mingyu warned him, only for you to elbow your best friend on the side, causing him to grunt.
âHe doesnât need to know that,â you muttered, going over to the trunk of Jeonghanâs car and placing your luggage beside his before slamming the thing shut without a second thought. Not your car, not your problem.
âShe seems cranky now. Though who am I to know how she actsâoh, right, Iâve known her since we were kids. But thanks anyway, Mingyu.â Jeonghan grinned, heading over to the driverâs seat and entering his car. Before you could enter the backseat, Jeonghan locked it. âAh, ah, angel. Youâre sitting up front with me. I need a co-captain while driving.â
If there was a god out there, you wished itâd struck you down with lightning because there was just no way. You tugged at the handle of the backseat door, and it wouldnât budge, causing you to groan. Insufferable. Absolutely insufferable.
Giving up on getting into the backseat, you walked over to the passenger-side door and opened it. Before you could enter, however, you heard someone call your name. The voice froze you, blood roaring in your ears as you turned to see Seungcheol.
âSeungcheol,â you murmured, tone flat as he jogged up to you with what seemed like a guilty expression. You didnât want to hear it, but you kept still, foot already half in the car.
âI⌠I wanted to apologise. For last night. I didnât mean to leave you hanging like that, I swear.â
âNo, no. Itâs fine. I shouldâve known, really. Actually, Jeonghan here already warned me, but I didnât listen. So, I learnt my lesson, so thank you, but no thank you, Seungcheol. Get your dick wet somewhere else.â
You slammed the door of Jeonghanâs car after you entered, the man in the driverâs seat jumping slightly. âCould you not slam my car door like that? Iâm still paying for it, you know?â
âJust drive, Jeonghan.â
The drive back home was quiet, Jeonghan occasionally putting music on to set the mood, but other than that, he didnât bother you as much as youâd expected him to. You were still a bit hungover, snacking on something sour to reduce your nausea, while also itching to finish writing your fic that you had been putting off since Tuesday.
âDo you wanna stop by the gas station? I can see youâre running out of snacks, and Iâd rather not have you cranky like Mingyu warned.â Jeonghan glanced at you before focusing back on the road ahead. You hummed noncommittally, looking out the window. âHumming isnât an answer, angel.â
âYeah, sure, whatever⌠I need to get changed anyway.â You pulled back the hood of your hoodie, rubbing your face as you got rid of the sleep that was trying to take you. Jeonghan had the urge to mess with your hair, but he refrained, not wanting to swerve off the street in case you did something. He turned towards an exit, driving to a gas station not far from the highway you were on.
While getting gas, you changed into some jeans and a loose-fitting shirt, put on a grey cardigan over it, and did minimal makeup before heading back to where Jeonghan was. He seemed to have been waiting for you, leaning against the car, fiddling with his car keys before whistling lowly. âYou dressed up for me or something?â
âWhatâno? I just wanted to look presentable for later. We are going to a family grill, remember?â You crossed your arms, looking at him as if he had forgotten. He didnât, since he was already wearing a pair of dark faded jeans and a loose t-shirt with your collegeâs logo. Jeonghan pushed himself off the car before heading towards the gas station, confusion evident in your expression.
âCome on, you were running out of snacks, right? Letâs go buy more.â He pocketed his keys, waiting for you to follow. When you did, he grinned in victory, making you roll your eyes at him.
You picked out your snacks, grabbing the ones you liked the most before heading to the counter to pay. Jeonghan caught your attention by calling out your name. You turned around and saw him hold out two drinks before mouthing, âWhich one do you want?â to you. You just looked at him with a âWhy the fuck are you asking me about that?â before turning back around to smile at the older lady manning the counter. He sighed and grabbed both of the drinks before jogging over to you, bumping into you on purpose when you were about to pay.
âWhat the hell are you doing?â You muttered, tone hushed as you glared at him.
âIâm paying.â He shrugged, smiling at the older lady as he handed her his card. The lady seemed enamoured by the sight in front of her before speaking.
âWhat a cute couple you two are! A road trip, Iâm guessing?â She asked, and before you could correct her about your relationship status with Jeonghan, he chimed in quicker than you, chuckling and nodding.
âVisiting our family, actually. We have a family grill in the afternoon, donât we, babe?â
Oh, this motherfuckerâ
You were going to curse him out, but refrained. Instead, you smiled and hummed, bumping closer to him as you snaked your arm around his waist. That caused Jeonghanâs expression to falter for a millisecond before gaining his composure. If you were going to play this game, then you were going to play it good.Â
The older lady just cooed at the two of you, scanning your items before Jeonghan suddenly grabbed a pack of condoms, causing your face to burn, as the lady murmured something along the lines of âyoung loveâ and rang the rest of your items.Â
You were going to kill him before you could even get back home. You grabbed your snacks in a hurry, thanking and bidding the old lady a nice day, and entered the car, muttering curses.
âWhy the fuck did you buy condoms?â You asked incredulously as you put on your seatbelt.
âI mean, you never know.â He shrugged, hiding the condoms in the glove compartment before driving off. The thought of Jeonghan having sex in his car made you cringe and gag, making him roll his eyes. âChill out, I donât have sex in my car.â
âI donât need to know that!â
You got to your house roughly around noon, and your mother greeted you the moment Jeonghan parked his car. âYouâre home! Come in, come in, your parents and sister are already in the backyard getting everything set for the grill.â
âMom, we need to unpack.â You reminded your excitable mother, sighing with a smile. When you were about to head to get your luggage from the trunk, Jeonghan gently shoved you out of the way and grabbed his stuff first, making you scoff and roll your eyes at his antics. Taking your luggage and backpack from his car, you headed into your house and carried your stuff up to your room, Jeonghan following suit. Turning to look back at him, you raised your eyebrow in confusion. âWhy are you following me up?â
âUh⌠I donât know what to tell you, angel, but weâre sharing your room.â Jeonghan stated as if it were something out of the ordinary.
âNo, weâre not? Since when and why?â You questioned, dropping your luggage the moment you got to the top of the stairs, crossing your arms as he sighed and scratched his neck. You needed answers. Now.
âMy parents turned my room into their personal gym last year, and the guest bedroom turned into some kind of storage unit after the last time we visited for the holidays. So, Iâm staying over at your house and sleeping in your room, since, uh, the last time I checked, you guys donât have any spare rooms.â
âSleep in the living room?â You made a face as you stated the most logical answer known to man. âIâm not sharing my room with you.â
âWhy? You scared youâll get man-cooties?â He grinned at his own childish joke, making you groan and roll your eyes.Â
âWeâre not done talking about thisâMoom!â You called out for your mother, moving past Jeonghan and gently shoving his shoulder as you walked to the living room, which led to your backyard. âMom, why is Jeonghan staying over at our place? His parents literally live beside usââ
âBe nice to him, honey, you canât just make him sleep on the couch, can you?â Your mother looked at you as she handed your younger brother the tray with sausages and other meats.Â
âHand those to your father, donât you, Tommy? Thank you.â She ruffled her sonâs hair before turning back to you and cooing your name when she saw the frown evident in your face. âHoney, heâs staying over because the Yoons are having a part of their house renovated right now. Plus, itâs just for the weekend. Youâll survive sharing a room with your childhood friendââ
âHeâs not my friend, Mom. Heâs tormented me ever since we were in kindergarten.â Your scowl deepened, arms still crossed as you tried to figure out any other solution. âHe could get a motelââ
âHeâs staying, and thatâs final. Be nice to our guest, heâs a family friend, which makes him your friend too.â Your mother used that strict tone you couldnât really defy, even if you tried. What she said was final, and you were stuck with Jeonghan for the rest of the weekend.Â
You rushed back upstairs, where your enemy seemed to have gotten himself comfortable in your room.Â
âGet off my bed. Youâre taking the sofa.â You muttered as you pointed at your sofa. When he didnât listen, you gritted your teeth and used force by grabbing his arm and trying to get him off the bed. It backfired on you, as Jeonghan grabbed you instead and pulled you into the bed with him, making you yelp. âJeonghanâ! Whatâ what the fuck are you doingââ
âShut up⌠Iâm gonna take a nap.â He muttered tiredly, closing his eyes as he kept you close on his chest. âI drove for three and a half hours with your annoying ass, let me sleep in a comfortable space, will you?â
You grunted, wriggling as you tried to break free from his grasp, but he was holding onto you closely. You only managed to break free when your brotherâTommyâbarged in with a bag of candy before rushing out, screaming, âHannie and big sis are snuggling!â, and Jeonghan pushed you off onto the floor before your mom and his mom could come in and see what was happening. He cleared his throat and left the room to âhelpâ with the grill.
âWhat the hell was thatâŚâ you muttered as you pushed your hair out from your face. âFucking weirdo.â
Thankfully, Jeonghan left you alone for the rest of the afternoon, leaving you to hole up in your room in peace, while they prepared the whole cookout. That gave you time to finally work on your fic without any disruptions. Humming softly to yourself, you let yourself type and let the words come to you.
âTell me you want this,â his voice rumbles from behind you, hands fervently roaming around your hips and waist. He nipped on the shell of your ear as his cock nudged against your entranceâ
âWhatcha typing so passionately about, angel?â
You closed your laptop, whipping your head to see Jeonghan leaning against the doorframe of your room with his arms crossed, a grin painted on his lips. A low noise left your throat before you spoke up.Â
âMy thesis,â you snarked, causing him to look at you with an amused expression.
âReally, now?â He cocked an eyebrow, intrigued by your defensive behaviour. His interest was piqued, you were sure of it, from that mischievous glint in his eye. âIâve never seen someone so⌠into their thesis writing.â
âWhat do you want?â You looked at him with an exasperated manner, not wanting to deal with him when you were in the middle of a trance with your writingâin the zone, if you will. You couldnât afford to lose that focus because of an asshat like Jeonghan.
âOh, nothing~ just wanted to check up on my favourite little angel.â He winked, causing your face to scrunch as he chuckled before waving it off. âYour mom asked us to go grocery shopping; she needs corn cobs for the grill and forgot to buyâem.â
âCanât you go alone or something?â You really just wanted to be left alone, but you know your mother will start with her whole shtick again. So, you sighed, hiding your laptop back into your bag before passing Jeonghan.
You got into the car, grumbling to yourself as you put on your seatbelt, Jeonghan following suit as he settled into the driver's seat. He turned on the ignition before handing you the aux. âTurn something on.â
Raising your eyebrow at him, you took the aux and plugged it into your phone, scrolling through your playlist and hitting play. Jeonghan hummed along to the tune, tapping his fingers along the steering wheel as he drove out of the driveway and to the grocery store.
âWe heading to Kimâs?â You asked, and Jeonghan just nodded, still humming the song.Â
That gave you the time to glance at himâa sharp jawline, straight nose, pretty almond eyes that were covered by his hair most of the time. Was he always that pretty? You werenât sure, as he noticed you staring. âWhat? Enjoying the view?â
He grinned as you suddenly snapped out of it, turning your head to face the window. You could feel the blood rising to your neck and ears, embarrassment evident and in its true form. What the hell were you thinking? Jeonghan and pretty were not supposed to be in the same thought process. Were you having a stroke or something?
Once you got to the store, you immediately headed towards the produce section, and wasted no time, while Jeonghan decided to fuck around and grab about two beer bottles, sour candy, and condoms again.
âJeonghan, put those back. Why do you need another pack of condoms?â You muttered the last part as you followed him to the register. Mrs. Kim was there and greeted the two of you with a warm smile, noting the products on the registerâs conveyor belt.
âDating?â She asked, and you shook your head immediately, side-eyeing Jeonghan for making the store owner question your relationship with him. You packed your stuff into separate bags before heading out of the parking lot.Â
âFor a guy whoâs got no one to fuck around in our town, you sure are stacking up on condoms,â you commented briefly as you placed the groceries in the backseat.
âHey, you can never have too many condoms. Plus, who knows, I might land someone.âÂ
His lips ticked up to a grin as you groaned, disgusted at how sleazy he could be. By the time the two of you got back home, the sun was slowly setting, and you pushed the groceries into Jeonghanâs arms before heading back up to your room to finish the part of your fic you were writing. You typed hastily, biting your lip as the climax of the scene hit.
âFuckâyou feel so good, sweetheart. IâIâm gonna cum. Gonna cum inside.. Would you like that, hm? Breed this little pussy to the brim?â Your lover groaned roughly into your ear, causing you to moanâ
You were cut off by your mother calling your name from downstairs. A stifled groan left your lips as you looked between your slightly ajar door and your laptop. âComing!â
Tossing your laptop on your bed, you scrambled downstairs to the kitchen, where your mother was calling you from. âThere you are! Weâre starting soon, so get your speaker; we want some ambience!â
âYou called me downstairs to make me go upstairs?â You blinked at your mother, who just hummed as she got the utensils from one of the drawers. You wanted to groan, but complied instead, heading up the stairs.
Thatâs when you felt the air shift. You looked at your doorâyou had left it open. But that wasnât what alerted you; it was the familiar noise of your laptopâs touchpad clicking. You carefully walked into view, and thatâs when you saw him.
Jeonghan. Holding your laptop in his arms. Scrolling through what was probably your fanfiction. When he saw you, he let out a low whistle, his expression seemingly amused and impressed.
âIs this the thesis you were writing about, angel? âCause this is not really gonna fly in the academic fieldââ
You bolted towards him, snatching your laptop immediately as you slammed it shut, panting like youâve run a marathon. âWhat the hell are you doing in my room?â
âWell, we sleep in the same room for one, and for two, I was going to grab my charger when I saw your pretty little laptop was out in the open, so I couldnât help but snoop. I gotta say, angel, I didnât expect this from you,â he teased, and you couldnât help but fume. âLittle Miss Prude isnât much of a prude, after all.â
âItâs none of your business what I do with my free time, Jeonghanââ
âBut,â he tutted gently, tapping his chin. âIt would be pretty damn bad if someone heard about this, no? I mean, what if your mom saw what you write? Hmm, what if I posted this on the campus website?â
He taunted, and your eyes went wide. âYou wouldnât.â
âYouâre questioning me, angel?âÂ
Shit. You were absolutely fucked because Jeonghan totally would do something about it. No one besides Mingyu, Hao, and Seokmin knew you wrote what you wrote, and it wasnât even that bad. But who knew what Jeonghan had read while you were gone?
âI liked this part, ahem, fuckâyou feel so good, sweetheartââ You covered his mouth before he could quote the part you had just written any further, seething and cursing your past self for not turning your laptop off.
âWhat do you want?â You hissed, keeping your hand on his mouth for a moment longer before letting go and backing up from his space. Jeonghan hummed, pretending to think as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. âSpit it out already..!â
He shrugged, his smile mischievous and conniving as he let you brew in your thoughts. The bastard knew he had you cornered. âHmm, you can agree to become my girlfriend for the next two weeks, and I wonât tell anyone about your little secret.â
âExcuse me, what-?â You sputtered, unsure if you had heard his request correctly.
âYou heard me, angel. Pretend to be my girlfriend for the next two weeks, and I wonât tell anyone that you write smut about your favourite characters, and your self-insert, or was it called an x reader? Thatâs what the file was called, if I remember correctly.â He pondered, and you were baffled.
âWhy?â
âWhy what?â Jeonghan looked at you with a quizzical look as if he hadnât just asked you for the most ridiculous thing ever.
âWhy me?â You crossed your arms as he rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair.
âBecause youâre the most believable one and my only choice-?â
âUh, then why donât you just get, I donât know⌠A real girlfriend?â You stated the obvious, and he groaned.
âListenâif I wanted a girlfriend, I wouldâve had one by now, but I donât. Plus, thatâs too much work.â He murmured, looking away as if he were feeling⌠awkward? You couldnât tell from the way he quickly looked back at you with that smirk of his, giving you whiplash from how easily he could hide his true feelings. âAnyway, you donât have much of a choice, you know? You either agree, or I post your fanfics to the campus website.â
âYou donât even have access to my laptopââ
âYou think I havenât sent those files to myself?â
You had to find the nearest bridge and jump off it, because what the hell. Why the hell did this happen to you of all people? Couldnât god have chosen any other poor soul but you and your fanfiction-loving soul?
A groan left your lips before asking one last question. âWhy do you want me to be your fake girlfriend, orâor whatever youâre asking me to be?â
âBecause, my sweet darling angel, my mom wouldnât stop asking me if I had someone in the past three months, and I, uh⌠kind of lied, and told her that we were a thing like a month ago.â
âYou WHATââ You suddenly grabbed Jeonghan by the collar of his shirt, bringing him closer to you, catching him off guard. âTell me youâre lying. Orâor that this is some sort of sick joke, because I swear to motherfucking god, Yoon Jeonghan, I will strangle you.â
âUnfortunately, angel, itâs not a joke, and I have never lied to you, so. Thatâs also the reason why Iâm sleeping in your room, and why your mom called me to drive the two of us back here, and whatnot.â He listed off the things that had happened in his hand while your grip on his collar just tightened. Then it clicked.
âIs that why my mom has been calling me a lot these past few weeks? Because she thoughtâoh my god, kill me now.â
You let go of him to grasp at your hair, freaking out as you paced. Was this the reason why your mother seemed so cheery yet hopeful on the phone a few days back? Was she hoping youâd tell her all about your budding new relationship with the man you hated your whole life? That brought you back to your conversation with her.
Thatâs when your phone buzzed, and the caller ID appearedâyour mom. You answered, greeting her noncommittally. âHey, MomâŚâ
âHey, honey, howâs my baby doing? Why havenât you been answering my calls? Dad and I have been worried since your car accident andââ
âMom, Iâm fine⌠IâIâve just been busy, you know?â You held your phone against your shoulder and cheek as you stirred your tea before getting comfortable in your armchair. âWhatâs up, though? Is Tommy doing okay?â
Your mother hummed against the other line, seeming to be snacking on somethingâa habit you picked up on because of her. âMmm, heâs fine, he misses his big sis though.. Any exciting news you wanna share with me, hun?âÂ
She sounded excited, which confused you. You hadnât had any news for her since your accident besides your crush on Seungcheol, but she doesnât have to know about that.Â
âWhat do you mean?â
âI dunno, boys, maybe? Any new guys in your life?â She tried to hint, but you werenât getting where she was going with it.
âUhhh⌠no? There are no new guys. Unless you count Mingyuââ
âNevermind, keep your secrets, then..â She giggled, leaving you even more confused, but changed the topic soon after.
You groaned, contemplating either pulling your or Jeonghanâs hair out for placing you into his stupid mess. He just stood there, watching you pace around.
âStop overthinking it, angel. Just go with the flow with me, alright? Let me handle all the talking.â He grabbed your shoulder to stop you from pacing, but you only glared at him, causing him to let you go and raise his hands in defense. âCan you trust me on this?â
âIâve never trusted you ever since you pushed me off the swing in kindergarten.â You deadpanned, crossing your arms, causing him to chuckle.
âTrust me this time, okay? We can shake on it.â He held out his hand to you, waiting for you to shake it.
âIâm not shaking the hand you use to jerk off with.â
The two of you did, in fact, shake on it, immediately deciding to set boundaries while your parents were busy talking amongst themselves. The two of you excused yourselves to your room to have some âalone timeâ, as Jeonghan called it, and you had to step on his toes under the table before leaving.
âSo,â you started as you turned on your laptop, and made a new google doc named âRules for fake dating my stupid enemyâ, making Jeonghan snort at the silly title. âBoundaries.â
âMm, I donât have any.â He shrugged, looking at you with that annoying smile of his as you frowned at him. âWhat? Weâre supposed to be dating, so we better act like it, no?â
âWell, if you donât have any boundaries, I do. And number one is no sex.â
He just seemed to hum at that. âBut we do need to kiss, you know? And be touchy with each other, andââ
âJeonghan, no sex doesnât mean no kissing or whatever dating bullshit we need to do. Thatâs my only no when it comes to this fake relationship.â
âSo, youâre not disgusted with kissing me?â He asked smugly, and you groaned. He was going to be insufferable during your time fake dating, and you knew it. You only typed out your one rule, plus a few more.
Rules for fake dating my stupid enemy:
#1: No sex (which counts oral, fingering, and ANAL btw);
#2: No being too touchy unless we really have to be;
#3: No falling in love.
Jeonghan raised his eyebrow at the last rule. âNo falling in love? Angel, sorry to break it to you, but Iâm not gonna fall for you and amazing porn writing abilitiesââ
âItâs erotica! And itâs a precaution. I know how stuff like these go, so shut up.â You gently shove him, then hit the print button on your laptop. Getting up from the floor, you placed your laptop on your bed and grabbed the piece of paper and a pen. âSign here.â
âReally?â He cocked his eyebrow at you as he grabbed the pen and paper from your grasp and signed it before handing it back to you.Â
âYou make it as if this were some contract or something.â He snickered as you signed it before placing it somewhere hidden. âWhatcha hiding it for?â
âUh, so no one finds it? Youâre not the only one who likes snooping around in my stuff.â You squinted at him accusingly.
âWhy print it, then?â He tilted his head, his expression painted with slight confusion. âIsnât that just a waste of paper?â
âIt makes more things official! Stop starting stupid argumentsââ
âAw, our first argument as a coupleâoomph! What was that for?â Jeonghan grunted when you threw a pillow at his face. A grin managed to find his lips when you rolled your eyes at him. When he was about to say something, you heard both your moms calling for the two of you downstairs.
âReady to be touchy with me, angel?â He offered his hand, his grin turning into a somewhat soft smile.
âAs ready as Iâll ever be⌠I guess.âÂ
You took his hand as the two of you headed downstairs for dinner by the grill. The two of you linked your pinkies together, your brain internally screaming and cringing at the fact that youâre supposedly dating the same guy youâve despised since you were in diapers, but life fucks you over in multiple ways.
Tommy was the first to notice, pointing it out to your mom as you sat closer to Jeonghan than you had earlier, practically âsnugglingâ him. Jeonghan seemed to notice how naturally you fit next to him, clearing his throat as he put his arm over you to sell the lie better whilst talking to your father.
The sun had set by then, and fairy lights and a few lamps in the backyard lit up the space where you were dining. You caught up with your mom and Jeonghanâs mother, laughing softly as fond memories of the past few months came to mind.
âOh, and Mingyu and Hao drenched Seokmin when they found out that it was he who tossed the water balloons at them in the middle of February. It was hilarious, though the three of them got sick, and I was alone for my lecturesââ
âBabe, I was there for most of your lectures, remember?â Jeonghan butted in suddenly, reminding you of the timeline he had set for your relationship. Right. The two of you were supposedly dating by then. âStop making Auntie think Iâve been neglecting you.â
He nosed your hairline and pressed a soft kiss to your temple, which made you tense up before forcing yourself to relax. This was fine. You could do thisâyou wrote about stuff like this, so why were you freaking out?
âPlease, call me mom, the two of you are bound to get married one day!â Your mom cooed at the affectionate gesture happening before her and Jeonghanâs mom. You almost choked on your spit when you heard her words.
âMom.â You murmured through gritted teeth, giving her a look as she shook her head.
âOh, no, itâs fine, angel.. I donât mind planning to marry you,â he murmured into your ear, but enough for both moms to hear, making them look excited. The feeling of Jeonghanâs breath so close almost overwhelmed you, but you sucked it up.Â
For your dignity. For your creative freedom.
âJeonghan, isnât that a little too early for our relationship?â You tried to lessen the excitement in your parentsâ eyes, but he just hummed, shaking his head as he figured out what you were trying to do.
âMmm, I mean, maybe⌠but you never know, do you?â He whispered, voice lower as he smiled against your temple. You shivered at that, pretending it didn't affect you as much as it truly did.Â
After dinner finished, you and Jeonghan were in charge of washing the dishesâwith you washing and rinsing, and him drying them and putting them on the rack. The two of you stayed quiet for the remainder of washing until you accidentally splashed him with water.
âYahââ he muttered, glancing at you before back at his white shirt. He gently dropped the rag he was holding onto the counter before splashing you with the soapy water as well, causing you to gasp. You immediately retaliated, splashing him with more water, and it became a small war between the two of you until Jeonghan grabbed your wrist to make you stop, gently squealing when he splashed you one last time.
He leaned in close, a seemingly fond smile on his lips, and pecked your cheek near the corner of your mouth, causing your breath to hitch and gently drop the sponge into the sink.
When you were about to kick him in the shin, he gently tightened his grip before tilting his head to the side, signalling you to glance to the doorwayâyour moms were peering over. Of course.
You cleared your throat, tugging your wrist away from Jeonghan as you walked past both your mothers, excusing yourself, and leaving Jeonghan to fend for himself. He just chuckled before calling out your name and following you.
âBabee, wait for me!â He whined, pouting as he saw you close the door to the bathroom and lock it.
âFuck off, Jeonghan.â You spoke through the door as you looked at yourself in the bathroom mirror, groaning at how soaked you were.
While you were taking your time in the bathroom, Jeonghan waited by the bathroom door, grinning to himself for some reason as he decided to text Mingyu about what you liked.
Jeonghan: hey :)
Mingyu: ????
Mingyu: Why are u texting me??
Mingyu: did you do something to my bestie đĄđĄđĄ
Jeonghan rolled his eyes at your best friend's protective nature before typing out a response, still waiting for you to come out of the bathroom.
Jeonghan: Chill, I've done nothing. I just have a question.
Mingyu: uhhhh about what?
Jeonghan: What flowers does she like?
Mingyu: âŚ
Mingyu: what
Mingyu: what do you need that for???
Mingyu: leave her alone or istgÂ
Mingyu: you may be my hyung, but I will fight you
Jeonghan snorted at the spam of messages Mingyu sent, shaking his head. This was going to be fun.
Jeonghan: I said chill out, I just need a list of things she likes. An olive branch of sorts while I'm on this weekend trip with her đ¤ˇđť
Mingyu: you're being suspicious
Mingyu: I will find out what you're plotting
Mingyu: ⌠I'll send the list later.
He grinned in victory, humming to himself softly as he sent a last message.
Jeonghan: Thanks âşď¸
Mingyu: 𤨠I'll be watching you đŤľ
He pocketed his phone at that, heading to your room to get changed into something less⌠wet.
You had decided to take a quick shower, drying yourself as you wrapped the towel around your upper body. Unlocking the bathroom door, you expected to see Jeonghan waiting, but surprisingly, he was nowhere to be seen.
Sighing in relief, you tiptoed into your room, closing the door before turning around to see a half-naked Jeonghan in the middle of putting on his shirt. You froze, eyes widening as you clutched your towel. Unable to let out a scream, you only squeaked, standing there like a petrified hamster.
âYou're acting as if you've never seen a shirtless man before, angel.â He raised his eyebrow as he finished getting dressed.
Youâve seen shirtless men multitudes of times beforeâhell, youâve seen most of your friends shirtless, but youâve never seen Jeonghan shirtless before. Not even during pool parties. Heâs always worn a rashguard or a t-shirt of some sort.Â
He gave you a once-over, his brows still raised as he whistled. âYou getting ready for me, sweetheart? I thought the rules said âno sexâ specifically?â
You clutched your towel tighter, giving him a disgusted look. âGet out of my room, creepââ
âCreep? You wound me. Youâre the one who entered the room in nothing but a towel, and youâre calling me the creep.â He scoffed, muttering softly before he pursed his lips and crossed his arms.
âJeonghan, get out!âÂ
He raised his hands in defeat at that, moving towards the door to leave, but not until giving you one last look, which made you grab a throw pillow from your couch before throwing it at his face.
Once he had finally left and shut the door, you let yourself relax and get dressed for bed. You grabbed a slightly ratty oversized t-shirtâone of Mingyuâs old jerseys from his high school yearsâand some shorts from your luggage. When you finished getting dressed, you went over to your vanity to do your skincare.
After twenty minutes, Jeonghan knocked. âCan I come in now?â
You groaned inwardly; you knew that if you didnât let him in, your mom would question the fact that the two of you were dating. What girlfriend doesnât want her boyfriendâs proximity? A fake one, probably, but your family didnât know that. You sighed as you said goodbye to your twenty minutes of peace and opened the door to let Jeonghan back in.Â
He immediately plopped into your bed, which caused you to clench your jaw. âUh, did you forget that youâre supposed to be sleeping on the couch?â
âBut the couch is so uncomfortable, plus, weâre supposed to sleep on the same bed since weâre dating, remember?â He sprawled himself and got comfortable, reaching for you with a teasing grin. âCome on, baby, come cuddle with your boyfriend.â
Your eye twitched, contemplating murder by pillow suffocation, but you held in your urges as you shuddered when you got into the bed with him, his arms wrapping around you like a claw machine capturing its prize. âSee? Not that bad.â
âI will kick you off the bed once you fall asleep,â you grumbled as you tried to get comfortable and fall asleep. Jeonghan just hummed at the threat, instinctively nosing the crown of your head as he himself tried to fall asleep.
Likes and reblogs are appreciated!!
âThat's The Way I Loved Youâ
Summary: It was supposed to be a secret. No oneâas in absolutely no oneâwas supposed to know you were that type of person. A fanfiction writer for fun. It wad harmless, right? Not until your family friend's son and your biggest enemyâJeonghanâmanages to find out, and he decides to use it against you for his own gain.
Pairing: Yoon Jeonghan x Fem!reader
Warnings/tags: 18+ MDNI, smut, fluff, angst, crackfic, college au, non idol au, enemies to frienemies to lovers, fake dating, lowkey forced proximity, flashbacks, Jeonghan is an asshole at first, but donât worry, he changes, very self-indulgent since I AM a fanfiction writer lmfao, vague american football mentions (I have no prior knowledge to how playoffs work in college except for my romance books), mentions of alcohol consumption, protected to unprotected sex, p in v, creampies, slight breeding kink (if you squint), oral sex (f & m receiving), multiple sex scenes, dom!Jeonghan, praise kink, pet names, semi-public sex, car sex, best friend!97 line, mention of Twice members as friends.
A/N: Part two because tumblr fucking sucks but it is here lol. Anyways, this not how I depict the idols in real life, this is purely a work of fiction! Enjoy!!
Word count: 27.5k (out of 41.5k)
Dividers from @diviniyae
Title from That's The Way I Loved You by Taylor Swift
PART 1 || PART 2 || BONUS
SATURDAY, 5:47 AM
Early in the morning, you stirred, uncomfortable and groggy as you shifted slightly. Still clouded with sleep, you groaned when you couldn't move, something warm enveloping youâŚ
You frowned, not remembering bringing your weighted blanket with you. You shifted once more before hearing a grunt behind you, confusing you. As you opened your eyes, you looked around, seeing the time on your alarm clock and groaning at how early it was before looking down to see an arm around your waist.
Since when did you sleep with someone in your bedâ
Wait. Jeonghan.
You clenched your jaw as you wriggled around, trying to get out of his grasp, only for him to tighten his hold on you and let out a strained noise.
âStop... stop moving,â he muttered tiredly, another strained grunt leaving his lips.
âLet go of me, thenââ you grumbled, as you continued to move before freezing suddenly.
Jeonghan cursed under his breath as you realised the hard poking feeling against your lower back. You clenched your jaw before speaking up. âWhat... what is that?â
âWhat do you think, angel?â His voice was as strained as yours, but there was a hint of a teasing tone. You shrieked, scrambling off the bed as you glared at him. He rubbed the sleep off his eyes as he sighed.
 âIt's natural, you know. Plus, you were rubbing yourself all over meââ
âI was not rubbing myself against you!â You hissed as you hugged yourself, cold from the morning air and the loss of his body heat.Â
You could feel your nipples pebbling, and Jeonghan was shamelessly gawking, his sleepy eyes staring at your chest. A scoff left your lips as you crossed your arms against your chest, trying to cover yourself.
âCome back to bed, you're cold, and it's too early to start arguing, we both know it.â He reasoned with you, patting the empty space you had left.
âI'm not getting in bed with you while you have a hard-on!â Your scowl deepened, and he rolled his eyes.
âIt's down now, you turned me off when you started shrieking like a freak.â Jeonghan patted the space once more. âCome back to bed, now.â
âI'm sleeping on the couch.â
You were about to head to your sofa when he grabbed your wrist, tugging you back into bed with him as you squealed. He kept you trapped against his chest, not letting you move an inch as he made you lie on top of him.
âStop moving, or you'll give me another hard-on,â he threatened, and that settled you down. He grinned as you huffed, clenching your jaw as you pressed your cheek against his chest. âGo back to sleep.â
âFuck you.â
âI mean gladly, but your rules prevent me from doing that.â He chuckled when you managed to get your arms free and hit him. âJust go back to sleep, angel, stop trying to fight me so early in the morning.â
You could hear snickering. You furrowed your brows sleepily as you started to wake up once more, opening your eyes as you saw your mother and younger brother, Tommy, tugging your mom as she took a picture of you on top of Jeonghan.
âMomâ?â You muttered groggily as she cooed at you. You grumbled something incoherent as she giggled at how dishevelled you looked.
âGood morning, sleepyhead. You seem to have a little drool there, hm?â
Jeonghan stirred at the commotion, his grip tightening on you before opening his eyes with his face lightly scrunched. âWhaâwhatâs going on..?â
âOop, theyâre waking up, letâs go before they start yelling at us, hun,â your mom murmured as she ushered your younger brother out of your room and closed the door.
âWhat the fuck was that..?â Jeonghan muttered as he looked at you, his eyes half-open. You were about to shrug when you realised what position you were in and how close he was, before you shuffled off him, falling from your bed in the process.
âWhy the hell are you sleeping on my bed?!â You hissed at him as you brought the blanket along, wrapping yourself like a burrito in it, leaving Jeonghan blanketless. âYou were supposed to be sleeping on the couch, remember?â
âAngel, I think youâre experiencing short-term memory loss, because from my standpoint, you were drooling against my chest, and sleeping peacefully a moment ago. And we agreed weâd sleep on the same bed because weâre together, hm?â
Right. The fucking fake dating deal from yesterday. You had hoped it was just a nightmare within a nightmare, that Jeonghan didnât actually read your work and⌠and had a boner because of you just a few hours ago. Closing your eyes and looking up at your ceiling with a sigh, you tried to recollect your scrambled thoughts.
Fake dating your enemy for two weeks. The rules. Good god, why do these things happen to you?
âI suggest we go downstairs togetherââ Jeonghan sat up, rubbing his eyes before you cut him off by grabbing him and pushing him out of your room.
âNo, get out, I need to make a call.â You gave him a quick fake smile before slamming the door in front of his face. Scrambling to grab your phone, you immediately Facetimed Mingyu.Â
He answered after four rings, a groan leaving him as he was enveloped by sheets. âThe fuck do you want? Itâs like 8:30 on a SaturdayâŚâ
âI need to talk to you about something very important, and you canât tell anyone, I mean anyone, not even Hao or Seokmin.â
âUhhh⌠okay? What is it?â He rubbed the sleep away from his face as he looked at the screen with a scrunched expression. âAre you dating Jeonghan or something?â
That made you freeze. How the hell did he know? Did Jeonghan say something to him before you could? I mean, he couldnât have just announced that you were his girlfriend, rightâ
Scratch that. Yoon Jeonghan totally would do that if he wanted to.
 You shook it off mentally before schooling your expression and cleared your throat. Your silence caught Mingyuâs attention, making him open his eyes wider as he connected the mental dots in his head.
âYouâre dating Jeonghan?!â He practically screamed, seeing him sit up as he rubbed the remnants of sleep from his face once more over the screen. âYouâve got to be fucking kidding me⌠Was that why he texted me last night?â
âHe what?â You furrowed your brows at your best friendâs words as his lips turned into a thin line, a tell when he was trying to hide something. âYah, Kim Mingyu, spill.â
He groaned, running his fingers through his bedhead, looking exasperated as hell. âHe texted me to ask about the things you liked. I thought it was suspicious, but he said it was âan olive branch of sorts.â And now youâre calling me. Youâre gone for one day, sweetcheeks. What the hell happened?â
âWellâer, we just.. Uhm..â You faltered, unsure of how to explain it to him. Mingyu was your best friendâheâd read you like a book if you lied. Heâs been there through thick and thin, so there was no point in hiding this from him, right? Scratching your neck, you bit your lower lip and opened your mouth to speak before a loud knock came to your door.
âBabe, your mom is calling us. Is your call going to take longer? Breakfast is already on the table.â You could hear Jeonghanâs voice through the other side of the door, making you look at your confused best friend before looking back at the door.
âGive me a second, Hannie, Iâll be right there!â You called out before turning back to your best friend. âWe just decided to date, you know? Look past our differences and whatnotââ
âSince when? And Hannie? Since when do you call him âHannieâ?âÂ
âSince forever, we donât do nicknames in publicâanyway, I gotta go, Iâll talk to you later, okay? Byeeeââ Before Mingyu could finish saying your name, you ended the call, sighing as you got up from your bed and opened the door with an exasperated expression. Jeonghan had his head cocked to the side, amused at the look on your face as he spoke up.
âHannie, huh?â You groaned at the teasing tone, punching his chest without holding back, which caused him to double over. âOkay, fair enough.â
He coughed, rubbing his chest as he followed you downstairs. You were greeted by the delicious smell of various breakfast foods, and the table was full of them. You muttered a quick good morning to both your mother and father before sitting down beside Jeonghan, not because you wanted to, but because itâd be suspicious if you didnât. You ignored your fake boyfriendâs advances to make conversation, grumbling soft one-word answers as you ate your food.
âBaby..â He murmured into your ear, low enough for your parents not to hear. âAre you testing my patience? Do you want me to announce that you write filthy smut in front of Tommy? Hmm?â
You were sure that Jeonghan was the devil reincarnated, because he was pretty but fucking evil when he wanted to be. And he was currently exploiting his knowledge of your writings against you, using them to get what he wanted, the bastard. So, you just hummed in response, clenching your jaw as you turned your head to face him, his nose gently brushing against yours.Â
Jeonghanâs breath hitched slightly, not expecting you to do something so bold in front of your parents, but he played alongâthis was his game, after all. He glanced down at your lips before looking back up at your eyes, seeing the fiery defiance in them. Leaning in closer, he pecked your lips.
âMorning, pretty girl.. Stop being mad at me?â He murmured, and you grunted softly, looking away to take a bite of your pancakes, licking the syrup from your lips.
You had expected the kiss to happen, but you still werenât prepared. This was pretend. This was pretendâyou repeated to yourself as you took a breath. You were just pretending, so why did it still make your heart thump out of your chest as if you had just run away from a serial killer?
Glancing up at your parents, you noticed both your parents seeming to hold their breaths until a whiny groan left Tommy.
âEww! Hannie and big sis kissed! Theyâre spreading cooties!â That seemed to cut the tension growing in the dining room, causing you to snort.
âSince youâre so against cooties, Tommy, Iâll kiss you too!â You got up from your seat, your younger brother screeching as he ran away from you and your kisses. You easily caught him, holding him as you pressed kisses all over his cheeks and spreading your âcootiesâ all over him.
Jeonghan looked enamoured at the sight, finding himself cracking a soft smile before looking away and clearing his throat. That didnât escape your motherâs keen eye, but she didnât comment on it.
After breakfast, Jeonghan went to wash up, leaving you in your room to deal with your thoughts. Running your fingers through your hair, you decided to whip up a quick fic, working on your works in progress, little by little. You typed on your keyboard, ignoring the incessant vibration of your phone, notifications blaring from the group chat.
You groaned when you saw your name being spammed by Mingyu.
You: ???
Gyu: finally. Iâve spammed you like 20 times.
Hao: Yeah, and you spammed the rest of us 20 times, too. What is this about anyway??
Gyu: nothing, I just need her to answer her DMs đ
Seok: you never spam the gc for that though????
You: Iâm busy writing my fic, just call me dumbass.
Gyu: đ
You sighed, pressing your DMs to see what Mingyu had texted you, only for him to call you. Rolling your eyes, you answered the Facetime call, propping your phone on a plant on your windowsill by your bed. âWhatâs up?â
âWhatâs up? Whatâs up with the fact that youâre dating Jeonghan! You need to explain yourself. Now.â
Of course, Mingyu will want a follow-up to your earlier conversation. He never lets topics like this go unless he knows the whole story. You let out another sigh before speaking up.
âThereâs nothing to explain, GyuâŚâ There totally is so, SO much to explain. âIâve.. Iâve actually been dating Jeonghan for about uh.. A month now?â
âYouâve been what? Iâhow? And you decided to tell me now? Iâwow, I justâwow,â he muttered as he shook his head. âI donât know how youâve hidden this for a whole month from meâus, actually, but as your numero uno, and closest best friend, Iâll keep it a secret from Hao and Seok. Until the two of you go public, that is.â
You felt guilty lying to Mingyu about this, but you had to keep your end of the bargain with Jeonghan. Heâd keep your secret on the fanfiction writing, while you stay his girlfriend for the next two weeks. That meant selling the lie. Even to your closest friends.
Jeonghan soon entered the room after his shower, a towel wrapped around his waist and a smaller one in his hand to dry his damp hair. Mingyu could see him in the background as you pretended to pay no mind to it. You schooled your expression as you turned your head to interact with your fake boyfriend. âHow was your shower, Hannie?â
âEh, couldâve been better with youâoomph⌠Okay, fair.â He chuckled as you threw a plushie at him, hitting him straight in the face again as you glared at him. âIs that Mingyu?â
âYeah.. uh, hey man..â Mingyu called out from the phone, looking at you with an incredulous look on his face. He was talking to you with his face nowâbest friend code.Â
âWhy the fuck is he changing in your room?â His face clearly said, and you shrugged as if it didnât bother you. You could see Jeonghan shuffling around in your peripheral vision, rummaging in his luggage for clothes, before you turned your head to look at him.
âHannie, can you go get changed in the bathroom, please? Gyu and I have some stuff to talk about.â You tried not to linger your gaze along the expanse of his back before looking back at your phone with a slight flush on your cheeks. That made Mingyu squint, but not say anything just yet.
âMmm... Call me once youâre done, okay?â He grabbed his stuff, but not before walking over to you, giving you a forehead kiss, and looking at Mingyu after he pulled away. âMingyu, donât forget to send me that list.â He winked and left the room. You managed to let out the breath you were gently holding before Mingyu spoke up.
âWhat the fuck was that?âÂ
âWhat was what?â You mumbled, trying to calm your racing heart down from that stupid forehead kiss. Your cheeks were tinted with pink, and Mingyu could clearly see how flustered you were.
âThat! Youâre acting as if youâve been hit by Cupidâs motherfucking arrow and acting all flustered for Jeonghan of all people! Itâs⌠Itâs baffling!â
God, you hated this. You hated how you looked like what Mingyu just described, and for your enemy of all people. You wanted to groan and complain to your best friend about it, but you had to keep him out of the loop if you wanted this whole thing to work.
Mingyu was just concerned about your change of heart for Jeonghan, and you got it, you really did. If he were in the same situation as you, youâd also question the fact that he was dating someone he clearly didnât like. You despised Jeonghan, and now you were just⌠Dating him? For a month at that, and managed to keep it a secret until now? It surely didnât make sense to him, but he was your best friend, and as long as you were safe and actually happy, heâd support you.
He sighed before asking something important that you had expected him to ask. âHow did it happen?â
âIt, er.. It started during that one econ project last semester,â you started, and saw Mingyuâs eyes go wide in slight realisation. âI gave him my number so that we could work on it, and we started talking, and I realised he wasnât that bad. He made me laugh, and he took me out on one date. And the rest is history.âÂ
You were lying through your teeth, but it went smoothly enough for Mingyu not to seem suspicious, but he still frowned.Â
The truth was that you absolutely hated working with Jeonghan during that project, having done most of it without his help, and just reading from the notes youâd given him on the day of the presentation. He was a leech, and your hatred for him grew even more back then, but it was a good cover for your ruse, and it made sense within the timeline.
Of course, it did. You were a writer, after all; you could make a story work no matter the circumstance of the meet-cute.Â
Mingyu seemed convinced, but then another question rose to his throat that he wanted to voice out.Â
Your crush on Seungcheol.
You cursed in your head for being so obvious about your crush on Jeonghanâs best friend, and now it was biting you in the ass.
âIt was a ruse,â you grumbled, glancing away from your phone screen. âSeungcheol was in on it. Thatâs why he ditched me. And thatâs also why Jeonghan was with me when I came back downstairs that night.â
It hurt to lie like this, when the truth was that night crushed you, and you drank your feelings away, and now you had to dismiss those feelings so that heâd believe you were in a relationship with Jeonghan. Mingyu hummed at that, his brows still furrowed, but he seemed to have given up on interrogating you.
âIâokay, I believe you. But you didnât have to do all of that just to hide your relationship with him, you know? We wouldâve understood⌠kind of. I still find Jeonghan strange. Just.. just stay safe, okay? Iâm here to talk if you need to.â
You just nodded slowly, taking a small breath before checking the time and cursing. âI gotta go, Gyu, I promised Tommy Iâd go to the mall with him today with Jeonghan.â
âAlright, keep me updated.â He teased, making you roll your eyes at how quickly he was to switch up between serious and playful. âAnd use condomsââ
âMingyu!â You hissed, glaring at your best friend as he cackled and bid his goodbyes. You let out a deep sigh, relief washing over you that it was partially over. You would still have to explain everything to Minghao and Seokminâthe latter being easier to convince than the former.
Jeonghan knocked and entered your room about five minutes after your call with Mingyu, fully dressed and with his hair dried. He seemed to be smug about something, but you were too drained to ask.
âYouâre paying for my therapy.â You deadpanned, and he snorted as he grabbed his wallet from his bag. âYou donât know how hard it is to lie to my best friend.â
âHe seemed to buy the whole 'we fell in love during our shared project together' thing, so I must say⌠your writing skills are paying off.âÂ
âYou eavesdropped?â You looked at him, mouth slightly agape, before scoffing at his audacity.
Jeonghan shrugged, not seeming to care about how you thought of him at the moment, and gave you a once-over instead. He clicked his tongue, shaking his head at how you looked.
âDonât tell me youâre going to the mall wearing pyjamas. As much as I love embarrassing you in public, that wonât do while weâre dating, angel.â He tutted, and you huffed at his words.
âI was going to get readyâget out.â You got off your bed, grabbing clothes from your luggage before opening the door for Jeonghan to leave, but he only stayed in his spot by your sofa.
âSweets, Iâm your boyfriend. I supposedly have seen your body before, so just get dressed in front of me. Itâll take off suspicion from your parents that you keep kicking me out of your room.â He stated bluntly, crossing his arms as he tried to convince you not to kick him out, but you shook your head.Â
You needed your privacy, and he was your fake boyfriend. Jeonghanâs never seen you in your underwear before, and youâre hoping he never has to. âJeonghan, I mean it. Get out.â
âIâll close my eyes and turn around. Scoutâs honour.â He put his hand over his chest.
âYou were never a scout.â You deadpanned, but sighed, knowing he wouldnât back down from this, and closed the door. âFine.. you better not peek, or Iâm smothering you with my pillow.â
âTrust me, angel, Iâm an asshole, not a pervert.âÂ
He turned around and closed his eyes, giving you the privacy to get dressed with him in the room. You waved your hands around like a lunatic to check if he wasnât truly looking before quickly removing your pyjamas and putting on new underwear and a bra before putting on your outfitâit was a simple sundress, adorned with a small flower pattern embroidered near the hem. You brushed your hair and put on some lip gloss before looking at yourself in the mirror.
âWe can go,â you murmured, causing Jeonghan to turn back around and open his eyes. You were tempted to give him a twirl, but you reminded yourself that this was your enemy, and that you shouldnât be getting comfortable around him.Â
You didnât notice how Jeonghanâs expression seemed to harden at the sight of you looking so⌠pretty. What the hell was going on with him? You shouldnât be invoking such a reaction out of him, yet you were.Â
He schooled his expression before grinning. âTrying to impress someone, angel?â
A scoff left your lips before he watched you grab your purse from the hanging rack on your door. âLetâs just go, smartass.â
Jeonghan followed you down to where your six-year-old brother was waiting for the two of you, watching some show on TV. When the kid looked away from the big screen, his eyes widened, and he ran up to the two of you. âAre we going to the mall now? Are we, are we?â
He asked excitedly, and Jeonghan watched as you picked your younger brother up into your arms, resting him on your hip. You called out to your mother, letting her know that you were leaving, Jeonghan following you out of the house and to his car.
Unlocking the car for you, Jeonghan continued to watch you silently from the driverâs seat, his expression unreadable as you tended to Tommy, buckling the rowdy kid up in the backseat before entering the passenger seat.Â
You glanced at him before speaking up. âUh.. you good?â
âHuh?â He snapped out of his thoughts before, giving you a curt nod, mentally cursing to himself for being so occupied with whatever he was dealing with, not noticing that he was acting stranger than usual. âYeah.. Yeah, Iâm fine.â
He grumbled, pulling out of the driveway, focusing on the road instead of his lingering thoughts about how pretty you looked or how concerned you seemed for him. It didnât matter. You hated him, and he hated you. Right?
Getting to the mall, Jeonghan managed to find a parking spot closest to the entrance, with Tommy cheering softly at the small victory of not needing to look for the car later. You giggled at your younger brotherâs antics and unbuckled your belt to get your brother out of the backseat. Before you could do that, however, Jeonghan stopped you.
âLet me,â he just murmured, getting out of the car first and running over towards the backseat door, and opened it to get Tommy out before opening the door for you. He held out his hand for you to take, and you reluctantly took it, huffing at his behaviour.
âWhat is this?â You muttered to him, and he shrugged with a small smileâsomething rare in his eyes as you squinted at him. âWhat are you planning, Yoon Jeonghan?â
âMmm, nothing. I just wanted to be nice to my girlfriend.â He closed the door after you got out, still holding your hand as he held out his other to your brother. Tommy gladly took his hand, and the three of you headed into the mall.
While the three of you window shopped, there were a few things that caught Tommyâs eye, making you note them down on your phone or take a picture of them when the younger kid wasnât looking. Jeonghan seemed to notice, curious about it, he decided to ask against his own will.
âWhy are you writing down everything he pays attention to?â
âHuh-? Oh, uh, his birthday is soon, and I wanna kind of spoil him, yâknow? You only turn seven once, plus Mom and Dad wonât be able to stop me from spoiling my cutest little brother.â You watched your brother play in the kidsâ area with a fond smile, Jeonghan letting out an âahâ sound.Â
When Tommy got bored with the kidsâ area, he walked over to where you and Jeonghan were sitting and tugged at the hem of your dress. âCan we please get ice cream? Pretty please, big sis?â
When he gave you those puppy-dog eyes and a pout, you chuckled; it reminded you of a younger version of Mingyu. You got up from the bench, stretching your arms before offering your hand for your younger brother to hold.
âSure, Tommy, anything for my favourite soon to be seven year old.â The kid cheered as he took your hand into his and Jeonghanâs with his other hand, causing him to be between you and your fake boyfriend. You looked at Jeonghan, offering him a small smile, and he gave you a quick, lazy grin before getting lost in his thoughts again. It made you wonder what he was suddenly thinking about.
After finding an ice cream shop, the three of you ordered your preferred flavours. You cringed at Jeonghanâs choice.Â
âMint chocolate? Really?â You snorted gently as the three of you waited for the vendor to hand you your treats. Jeonghan raised his eyebrow at you, intrigued by your reaction to his flavour choices.
âItâs an elite flavour. You picked what? Vanilla?â
âAnd strawberry. I have better taste than you.â You thanked the vendor as she handed you the cold treat. You watched as she ogled Jeonghan shamelessly as she passed him his ice cream. Rolling your eyes briefly, you gave Tommy your dessert for him to hold while you took out your wallet from your purse.Â
When you were about to pay, Jeonghan swooped in, stopping you and taking his card out from his wallet to pay instead. He smiled at the vendor, making her giggle, which caused you to cross your arms and scoff. Once Jeonghan finished paying, he led you and Tommy to sit by the tables, your expression as sour as the lemon sorbet Tommy was licking.
âBig sis, your ice creamâs gonna melt if you donât eat it!â The younger one pouted slightly as he finished his snack in record time. You gave him a small smile before taking a bite out of your cold treat, the sweetness not pacifying your inner bitterness towards Jeonghanâs earlier behaviour.
Obviously, he noticed, having done that on purpose to coax out your reaction, and he seemed to have gotten what he wanted. âAngelâŚâ He started, trailing off as you gave him a pointed look.
âWhat?â You muttered, taking another bite of your dessert, not fully enjoying it as you thought.
âAre you jealous?â Jeonghan grinned, resting his chin on his palm as his smile reached his eyes; a mischievous glint shone through. You sputtered, giving him a baffled look before scoffing.
You? Jealous over Jeonghan? Hell would freeze over before that could happen. Sure, you disliked the way he smiled at that vendor earlier and how she seemed to eye-fuck him earlier, but you were not jealous. You rolled your eyes at the man sitting across from you, finishing your food before speaking.
âIn your dreams, Jeonghan. Iâd ratherâŚâ You trailed off, glancing at your brother, who was preoccupied with the free colouring paper on the table, but you covered his ears either way. âIâd rather step on horseshit than be jealous over you. Flirt with whomever you want.â
Jeonghan pursed his lips at that, taking the last bite off his ice cream before wiping his lips with a tissue. âNot gonna flirt with anyone else but my angel, baby.â
He suddenly got up from his seat, surprising you when he leaned down and kissed your lips. It wasnât long, but it wasnât a peck either. This kiss was sweet and lingered, as if to reassure you that he didnât want anyone else but you. He pulled away when Tommy let out a disgusted noise, making Jeonghan chuckle as he sat back on his seat, leaving you surprised and buffering.
âEugh.. I donât get why people kiss. You and big sis kiss, Mom and Dad kiss. Whatâs so nice about kissing?â Tommy muttered, scrunching his nose before Jeonghan pinched his cheek and spoke up.Â
âYouâll get it when you find a girl youâre very intrigued with and want to know about more.âÂ
You recovered after that sentence, looking at Jeonghan as your breath hitched gently. You hadnât expected those words to come out of him, of all people. Trying not to linger on it, you paid him no mind, focusing on your younger brother instead and asking him about his birthday plans.
âWill you be coming with Hannie? Please tell me youâll come!â Your brother pleaded, a slight pout finding itself on his lips again.Â
Easter was in two weeks, and Tommyâs birthday was just about a week away, so you could afford to miss a few classes to drive back home a day or two earlier. You knew why he was pleading with you, and you felt bad for having missed his birthday last year because of exams.
âOf course weâll come, bud, I promise weâll make it this time. Isnât that right, Jeonghan?â
You looked at Jeonghan as you roped him into the conversation, already having moved on from the earlier kiss. He nodded before ruffling your brotherâs hair. âOf course. Weâll be there and bring you lots of presents.â
âYay! You and big sis are the best, Hannie. Iâm glad you guys are dating.â
A lump grew in your throat, knowing that Tommy was getting used to seeing you like this with Jeonghanâdating, being together. He was attached to Jeonghan and growing even fonder of him. It was going to be hard to break it to him when the two weeks were up, and you and Jeonghan were going to have to go back to your ordinary livesâbickering and disagreeing over the most trivial things.
A part of you didnât want this to end for some reason. Maybe it was because of Tommy, but you knew the truth was uglierâmore complicated than you wanted to admit. For some reason, seeing this part of Jeonghan was giving you mixed feelings, and it was messing with your head. It was fake. But how much faking does it take until it starts being real?
You decided to shake it off, focusing on the now rather than the later. That was future youâs problem.
After another hour at the mall, you noticed Tommy getting tired and signalled to Jeonghan that it was time to go home. He nodded, picking the younger fella up with ease, the latter immediately snuggling into Jeonghanâs shoulder.Â
By the time you got to the car, the kid was already knocked out cold, making the man carrying him chuckle softly as he settled him into the backseat. He opened the door for you, prompting you to roll your eyes but play along before he took the driverâs seat and started the car.
Once you got back home, you let Jeonghan carry Tommy to his room, letting the kid nap before dinner while you stayed downstairs to talk with your dad.
âSo, how was the outing? I hope the little man wasnât much of a menace.â He chuckled tiredly as he took a sip of his coffee, his eyes tired but warm. He was sitting on a stool by the kitchen island, hunched over. You sat down beside him, shaking your head gently.
âNah, he was good. Iâve got a whole list of gifts to buy him, though.â You shrugged as your father said your name sternly. âWhat? Itâs not like you havenât spoiled me back when I was seven! Let me have this.â
âNo wonder youâre his favourite family member⌠He even said so in school.â He grumbled as he sipped his now lukewarm beverage. Your eyes softened at the admission of being your brotherâs favourite, glad to be someone close to his heart, even with your age gap.
Thatâs when Jeonghan decided to announce himself, clearing his throat as he greeted your father. âSorry to disturb your little conversation, but, uhâŚâ
He trailed off, acting sheepish as he looked at you, sending you a quick wink before looking back at your father, asking for permission to take you out for a night drive, which surprised you. You werenât expecting him to have anything planned, but you were proven to be wrong.
âYeah, you guys can go, just donât do anything too stupid like swerve off the road and hit a poleââ
âDad.â You groaned, rolling your eyes as you got off the stool and went over to where Jeonghan was standing. Jeonghan chuckled, wrapping his arm around your shoulder, pressing your body close against his.
âWe wonât swerve, I promise.â
âSoâŚâ You started as you entered the passenger seat once more, glancing curiously at him. âWhere are we off to?â
âItâs a surprise, angel. I take it that you know what those are?â He started the car once more, shifting into gear as he drove. He handed you the aux, just like when you drove back home. âTurn on something.â
You did as he said, but still had questions. You couldnât help it, you were curious by nature, and you couldnât help but try to guess. But Jeonghan just shook his head at your incessant questions, shushing you. âYouâll get to know once we get there.â
âI just hope itâs not somewhere where you plan to murder me.â
âYour imagination is astounding, angel, truly.â He snorted gently, shaking his head as he focused on the road, the sun already setting on the horizon. You just huffed, letting him keep his secrets as you watched the pretty view of trees surrounding you out the window.
Jeonghan parked the car in a vast field, the setting sun facing you as he turned off the ignition and unbuckled his belt. You followed suit, getting out of the car to follow him to the trunk, where he had a cooler and blanket that werenât there before. He took it out before heading over to the warm hood of his car and sat down.
He patted the space beside him as he took out two beers from the cooler and then revealed the bag of takeout he had with him. You cocked an eyebrow at him, surprised at the whole thing. âWhereâd you get all of this from?â
âOrdered takeout from your favourite restaurant chain. Thought the beer would be a nice beverage to drink with it.â He shrugged as he handed you your portion and the utensils. You were surprised he knew your favourite order, only to remember what he had said to Mingyu.
Right. The list. Mingyu probably told him about your order. But that didnât make the gesture any less sweet. You thanked him softly, sitting down cross-legged on the hood of his car, enjoying the moment before speaking up.
âDid you get my order from Mingyu?â You asked in between bites of your food. Jeonghan glanced at you before chuckling and shaking his head.
âNo, sweetheart, I didnât.â That answer confused you as you looked at him with a befuddled expression before he continued. âI notice things about you more than you think, you know. I donât need the list from Mingyu to know what food you like and what you dislike.â
Your breath hitched at those words, not expecting him to admit something so⌠real. Clearing your throat, you looked ahead of you instead of Jeonghan, watching the sun set, and changing the topic.
âSo, uh.. Howâd you find this place? Was it your past makeout spot with girls or something..?â You grumbled as he scoffed, taking a bite of his own food before swallowing and speaking.
âYou think so lowly of me, angel.. But no, this is my own private spot I used to go to. Just to clear my head and whatnot. Now, itâs our spot,â he murmured, sounding almost soft as he continued eating his food. Jeonghan had been revealing so many parts of himself these past 24 hours that it was giving you whiplash. Was this the same Jeonghan youâd been bickering with for the past decade?
Finishing your dinner, the two of you decided to drink the beer he had brought to wash the meal off. Only after a few sips, you could feel yourself loosen up, leaning against Jeonghan as you shivered, the sun fully setting on the horizon, leaving the sky a dark midnight blue.
âYou cold?â He teased, but you only hummed, scooting over closer to him, which made Jeonghan stiffen before relaxing. He wrapped his arm around you, pulling you closer as you sipped on your beer. âI didnât expect you to exploit me of my warmth, angel.â
âWell, I am, so shut up,â you muttered, closing your eyes as you handed him your half-empty beer bottle. âYou'd better get this away from me before I finish it whole and do something I might regretâŚâ
âLike what, angel?â He murmured, voice soft as he placed both your beers into the cooler before lifting your chin to make you look at him. âTell me.â
âNo.. Itâs stupid,â you practically whined, burying your face into his shoulder as you inhaled his scent. He smelled nice. Nicer than you expected, as you sighed softly.
âCome on,â Jeonghan cooed, coaxing you to say what was on your mind. âDonât leave me hanging.â
You moved your head away from his shoulder to gaze up at his eyesâpiercing through you with an unspeakable softness. You mumbled, incoherent to Jeonghan as he leaned down to hear you better. âMind repeating that, angel?â
âI want you to kiss me.â
Jeonghanâs breath stuttered, hearing you say those words so carelessly, stirring something in him. He looked at youâsearching for any hint of regret or withdrawal from your words, but he found none. A soft curse left his lips as he chuckled.
âAngelâŚâ He murmured, voice slightly strained. âYou donât mean that, do you?â
âI mean it. Kiss me.â
Jeonghan wanted to. For some godforsaken reason, he truly wanted to kiss you until you were breathless and gripping onto him tightly, but something was stopping him. Was it because you probably werenât thinking straight? Maybe. He wasnât the type to use you while you were under the influence of alcohol. He may have been an asshole, but heâd never be that type of bastard.
âBaby, I canât.â He brushed a few strands of hair away from your face, hooking them behind your ear. He chuckled when you pouted, making him kiss you on the nose instead. âGod, youâre insufferable when you donât get what you want.â
âYouâre the insufferable one,â you muttered, huffing softly as he laughed again.
âIf I give in, youâre not gonna pull away until I say so, hm?â
He leaned in, and he couldnât help but smirk when he heard your soft gasp. âWhatâs it gonna be, angel?â
You only nodded, causing Jeonghan to pinch your side, and making you yelp as his smirk widened at the small noise.
âUse words, baby.â
When you were about to give him the green light, your phone started playing a stupid ringtone you had set for your group chat, which made you realise what you were doing and pushed yourself away from Jeonghan.
It was like a splash of needed, cold water for both of you. Jeonghan grabbed his beer, taking a swig of it as he tried to calm himself down. You werenât thinking straight. You didnât mean it. You hated him, and he hated you. He just managed to find you insanely attractive right now because of the goddamn alcohol in his system.
âWe should.. We should head back,â he rasped, finishing his beer before tossing the empty bottles into a trash can not too far away from the car. He brushed off the dust from his pants before looking over at you, staring at your phone after what seemed an accidental dial to the group chat by Seokmin. Jeonghan sighed, calling out to you softly, causing you to come back to reality. âI said we should head back.â
âRightâ right. Sorry.âÂ
You scrambled from the hood, entering the car without a word, and let him fold the blanket you had been sitting on for the past hour and a half. He packed the stuff back into the trunk, one last sigh leaving him before he entered the driverâs seat with a clenched jaw.
It was going to be a long ride home.
The ride back was silent, your thoughts consumed by the near-kiss you had nearly shared with Jeonghan. The call from the group chat mustâve been divine intervention, saving you from doing something stupid like kissing Jeonghan when you clearly didnât have the reason to.
You didnât even try making conversation. What were you supposed to say after almost kissing your enemy?! Thankfully, Jeonghan didnât seem to want to say anything either, as the only thing that accompanied the silence were your soft breaths and the gentle rumble of Jeonghanâs car.
After parking in the driveway, he turned off the car, the rumbling of the engine cutting off and leaving the two of you in complete silence. Neither of you moved until Jeonghan opened his mouth to say something, only for you to speak up faster.
âIâll head up first, thanks for the food.â You managed to utter in a hurry, getting out of the car as you slammed the door and scurried to your house.Â
Unsure why, but your heart was pounding, and you didnât want to hear what Jeonghan had to say, even though your curiosity wanted answers. Was he going to address the almost-kiss? Or was he going to tease you like he always did when you made a mistake? Youâd tear your hair overthinking it, so you focused on getting to your room unnoticed by your parents instead.
Managing to avoid a full-blown interrogation from your parents, you went to the bathroom to wash up and change, splashing your face with cold water a couple of times to cool it down. Why the hell did you still feel so hot after a refreshing shower?
You entered your room, a small sigh leaving you when you didnât see Jeonghan in there, probably downstairs talking to your parents. Great. That gave you time to collect your thoughts and write. Youâd been itching to do that all day, Jeonghan just had to take you out on such a romantic outingâ
Wait. Romantic outing? Was that supposed to be romantic?Â
Your brain buffered as you were halfway through grabbing your laptop from your bag before shaking it off. Definitely not romantic. This was fake, you reminded yourself. It was only for show, for goodnessâ sake.
Sitting down at your desk, you opened your laptop and loaded the Google doc you had been editing for the past few days. You were partially done with the smut section, typing more to the scene before fully moving on to something else. You bit your lip as you tried figuring a scene out, struggling as you typed and deleted it, backtracking and reconstructing the sentence to make it make sense.
âYou need help, angel?â Jeonghanâs voice suddenly materialised behind you, startling you from your seat as you turned around to see him peering over your shoulder. âYou seem to be struggling.â
He pointed out nonchalantly, making you scoff and face your laptop once more. You continued to type the edited scene, ignoring the fact that Jeonghan was lingering over your shoulder, reading what you were writing. For some reason, his presence didnât bother you as much as it usually would. And he seemed to notice that too when you turned to look at him, as if waiting for his feedback.
âItâs good so far, angel. Donât stop on my account.â
His voice was low and encouraging, and you couldnât help but let a few butterflies flutter in your stomach. You caged them soon after, shaking your head mentally as you continued typing on your laptop. Soon, Jeonghan grabbed a nearby chair, sitting down behind you as he read and watched you write. His presence alone made something tingle between your legs, making you nibble on your lower lip once more as you crossed them.
Did this count as foreplay for writers? Letting the guy you found incredibly annoying watch you write and read what you were typing?Â
You werenât sure, as you just continued to let inspiration flow through you until another smut scene bubbled through the document. Thatâs when you decided to pause, and Jeonghan let out a frustrated noise.
âWhat?â You murmured, confused as you were about to close your laptop, but he stopped you.
âFinish writing that scene.â
âJeonghanââ You looked at him as he held your wrist, preventing you from closing your laptop. He only looked back at you with what seemed like a serious expression, though a hint of desperation shone through his eyes.
âAngel, I said finish writing it. I wanna know what will happen.â He let go of your wrist, but was still looking at you as you contemplated writing the rest of the scene. If you were being honest, you werenât sure how to write the scene with Jeonghan scanning through the screen intently.
So, you let out a shaky breath before opening your mouth. âIâIâm not sure how to go with itâŚâ
Jeonghan frowned at that, not fully believing that you were struggling to write a smut scene of all things. âWhat were they supposed to do?â He asked, set on helping you with this scene whether you wanted to or not.
âAfter the kiss, the male lead was supposed to trail his lips down her body, to you knowâŚâ You trailed off, feeling hot all of a sudden. Why were you getting so nervous over something so trivial as smut?Â
You were used to discussing scenes with Mingyu, even asking him about certain positions heâs tried on girls before, but now you were shying away from the conversation like some⌠prude. It was ironic.
âUh huh, and then what, angel? You need to talk to me if you want me to help.â You swallowed thickly, your eyes roaming around the room as you fidgeted in your seat, your legs still crossed as your thighs clenched. âCome on, sweetheart, speak up, youâre the expert.â
âHe eats her out.â You blurted out, cheeks flushing as you finally said it. Jeonghan hummed, as if to think of how to write the scene, only for him to turn your chair to face him, caging you between him and the backrest.
Your breath got caught in your throat when Jeonghan leaned in, nosing your jaw gently before pressing a feather-like kiss to your neck. He was testing the waters, and you were letting him, staying still. His hands moved from the handrest of your chair to your legs, prying them open.Â
When you instinctively tried to close them, he nipped your soft skin before whispering into your ear. âKeep them open, sweetheart. Be good for me.â
The soft command made you shudder, unsure why, but you wanted to be good for Jeonghan, at least at the moment. Your curiosity got the better of you, and you wondered where this would lead.
A soft noise left your lips when Jeonghan sucked on your collarbone, leaving a small mark before shifting from his seat and kneeling between your legs, slotting himself perfectly. He tugged you gently, causing you to lean against your chair a bit more as he hooked your legs over his shoulders.
âJeonghanââ you whimpered in protest, but he shushed you, gazing up into your half-lidded eyes.
âLet me give you inspiration for the scene, angel. Focus on me.â
He only muttered before kissing your inner thighs, occasionally nipping the supple skin. He then focused on your clothed cunt, pressing a soft kiss against your mound, which caused your hips to buck. Jeonghan only seemed to chuckle at that before pushing the gussets of your shorts and panties to the side, not wasting time as he groaned at the sight of your pussy. âSuch a pretty pussy, baby.â
Your toes curled when he pressed a soft kiss to your clit, biting your lower lip as you tried to muffle your moans. Your hand flew to grip his hair, carding your fingers through the soft locks as he finally flattened his hot tongue against your slit, lapping up your arousal.
Jeonghan moaned against your cunt when you tugged on his hair, the sharp pain sending his blood down to his cock as he continued to lap at your juices like a man starved. He watched as you threw your head back against the plush backrest, his eyes darkening with pleasure at the sight of making you react this way.
âOpen your eyes, angel. Watch me ruin you for everyone else.â
You obeyed, your eyes fluttering open as you looked down at Jeonghan, holding onto the undersides of your thighs tightly, you were sure that they were going to leave bruises, while fucking you with his tongue.Â
Your wet hole clenched around his muscle, his tongue skilled as he switched from fucking you to swirling it around your pudgy bundle of nerves. You panted as Jeonghan worked hard against your cunt, making sure to pleasure you with his mouth alone.Â
âJeonghanâHannie, IâmâIâm so closeââ You whined, feeling the familiar heat coiling in your abdomen as your clit throbbed from the attention of his mouth. He hummed, slowing down his ministrations on purpose to draw out your pleasure until you were trembling and whining for him to let you cum.
âDo you deserve to cum, baby? Do you deserve to cum on my mouth?â Jeonghan crooned, kissing your soaked pussy lips gently as he looked up at your wrecked state. You nodded, heaving as your cunt drooled more slick. âYeah? My angel deserves to cum, does she?â
âYes, Hannieâplease, pleaseââ you begged.
Youâd never expected youâd be begging for your enemy to make you cum, but beggars couldnât be choosers.
With that, Jeonghan increased his fervour, suckling on your sensitive, throbbing bud, one of his hands moving towards your cunt and plunging two fingers in without warning, and it made you moan out loudly before you covered your mouth with your hand. You hoped your parents were still downstairs, busy with whatever they were doing, while you got eaten out by your fake boyfriend.
Jeonghan grinned lazily at the fact that he made you react to him in such a way, his fingers curling just right to find that spongy spot which made your vision blur. You whimpered into your hand as he felt your hole spasming around his digits, signalling him that you were getting closer to the edge.
âCum for me, sweetheart,â he murmured against your mound, suckling on your clit just right, causing the band in your belly to snap, igniting your insides as you came hard around his fingers. Slick gushed from your spasming hole, as Jeonghan continued to fuck his fingers into your squelching pussy, the noises making your face burn from embarrassment and arousal.Â
Once you rode out your high, he pulled his fingers out of you, a whine leaving your lips at the loss. He chuckled as he sucked his fingers clean before lapping up your cunt again to âclean you upâ until you were whining from overstimulation and pushed his head away.Â
You sighed, your body limp from the orgasm you had just experienced, as Jeonghan stood up from his position and wiped the remnants of your essence from his lips before leaving the room without a word.
A frown formed on your lips as you sat up straight, confusion bubbling up in your chest as to why Jeonghan just⌠left.
That was when post-nut clarity hit you, your eyes widening as you covered your mouth in realisation.
You had just let Jeonghan eat you out. On your office chair. In your childhood bedroom.
Jeonghan was fucked.
What had gotten into him that he did that, of all things? He had locked himself in the bathroom, splashing cold water onto his face, trying to calm himself down. He groaned as his dick twitched in his jeans, his mind muddled with you.
He couldnât stop thinking about how pretty you looked when you came around his fingers, muffling your noises as you rode out your high. The way you panted and mewled his name like it was the only thing you knew.Â
The way your pussy clenched so tightly around his digits when you came that he wished it was his dick in there insteadâ
A groan left his lips when he decided to mutter âfuck itâ before unbuckling his belt, undoing his jeans, and shimmying them down to his thighs. He shoved his boxers down, letting his cock out of its confines as he hissed at the cold air hitting his leaking tip.
Jeonghan panted softly as he teased his shaft, rubbing the slit of his tip, making a mess of himself, smearing the precum along the length of his cock. He pumped his hand along the base before teasing the tip once more, giving himself some time to build up to his release, not wanting to cum too fast just yet, as he relived eating your sweet pussy out.
His eyes screwed shut, imagining the way your tight pussy would spasm around his cock, pleading with him to keep fucking you as you whimpered. He shuddered when he imagined the way youâd whimper out his name in that needy tone.
Jeonghan. Hannie.
He cursed to himself as he felt the familiar knot forming in his stomach. Jeonghan stroked himself faster now, fucking his fist as he imagined it was your cunt he was filling up instead, hating himself for wanting you so much when he finally came into the toilet bowl with a pathetic grunt.
He needed a shower.Â
A cold, long one if he was going to try and survive the night without touching you.
You were already in bed, facing your window as you contemplated the life choices that brought you to this moment. What possessed you to let Yoon fucking Jeonghan do that to you and leave the room without explaining himself?
It was fucked up, but such was your life.
And now you were thinking of a way to somehow confront him about it. But where would you even begin? It wasnât like it meant anything, right? He just ate you out for your fanfiction research purposesâ
You snapped out of your thoughts when you heard the door open and close, and saw Jeonghan in his clothes, his damp hair, before he grabbed his pyjamas and left the room again. He came back five minutes later with furrowed brows as he sat down on your sofa. You bit your lower lip, but you decided to say something.
âAre.. are you not going to bed with me?â You asked hesitantly, and that made Jeonghan tense up before relaxing. He looked at you with a clenched jaw, as if he was thinking of what to do before sighing and getting up from the sofa to settle under the sheets with you.
He didnât dare touch you, which you silently appreciated as the two of you lay there, looking at your ceiling. Your breathing grew calmer as you got more comfortable, settling as you turned to your side, facing Jeonghan, while he stayed still, as stiff as a board.
âGood night..â You mumbled, closing your eyes as you tried to catch some shut eye, turning around to face your window instead. While your body seemed to stay calm, your brain wouldnât shut up as you kept reliving the same scene over and over.Â
When you came around his fingers. His mouth.
The way he grinned up at you when you moaned.
And the way he just left.
You wanted to thrash around and crash out, but Jeonghan was right beside you, so that was a no-go, so you just stayed still, breathing through your nose as you let sleep take you soon enough.
SUNDAY, 9:33 AM
It was the morning the two of you were going back to campus, and Jeonghan was silent all morning, which was unsettling since heâd always have some teasing quip to send your way. By the time breakfast was over, however, he was back to normal, all smiley and teasing.
âDone packing, sweetheart?â he asked from behind you, spooking you as you decided to hit him on the shoulder.
âStop sneaking up on me like that.â You hissed, frowning as Jeonghan chuckled and held his shoulder where you had assaulted him. âAnd yeah, all packed.âÂ
He took your luggage after you closed it, not even trying to stop him, since it was quite heavy with all the stuff your mother had decided to give you. A bunch of snacks you liked that you couldnât buy near campus, a few tupperwares since you kept losing yours (cough Seokminâs fault cough), and a whole ass wok. You werenât sure what you were going to use it for or what you were going to cook in it, but the gesture was sweet nonetheless.
You squeezed your brother goodbye, promising him youâd come back soon, as the kid just pouted, close to crying, as your father whisked him away with candy before the poor boy could start bawling his eyes out. You hugged your mother the longest, rocking side to side with her until she pulled away.
âYou look happier with him, you know?â She suddenly spoke softly, confusion painting your face.
âWith who, Mom?â You tilted your head as she chuckled and shook her head at how oblivious you were.
âJeonghan, silly. I see the way you look at him. And I see the way he looks at you. I swear, thatâs the same way your father looked at me when we were your age.â
You swallowed thickly at that, glancing at Jeonghan who had just packed all your stuff into the trunk, wiping the sweat off his forehead as you looked away before he could catch you staring. Chuckling at your motherâs words, you easily dismissed them, waving your hand in front of you.
âItâs not like that, Mom.. weâre justâŚâ
âDating? Oh, honey, I know.â She patted your cheek before continuing. âBut Iâm sure of it. When the time comes, youâll realise how much you loââ
Jeonghan called out your name, cutting your mother off. âYou coming, pretty girl?â
âIâm coming!â That didnât sound good. Your ears burned as you quickly bid your mother goodbye and rushed to the car, seeing Jeonghanâs smug smirk. âShut it, Yoon.â
âI didnât even say anything.â
You were greeted by your friends waiting under your apartment building. Mingyu squinted at Jeonghan as he took your stuff out of his car and handed it to your best friends.
âDo you wanna come up?â You offered, crossing your arms unconsciously as you remembered the deal. Two weeks. You could pretend in front of your friends for two weeks, right?
âNah.. Iâll come over tomorrow. Pick you up for breakfast, what do you say? My treat.â He counter-offered, grinning as you hummed and nodded. âPerfect.â
You stood there awkwardly as you glanced at your friends, who seemed to be waiting for something to happen, and you sighed. âWe should kiss...â
Jeonghan seemed intrigued by your bold whispered statement, but he only shrugged before grabbing your waist and leaning in to kiss you.
You gasped against his lips as they moved slowly against yours, not faltering once as you got used to it. Getting the hang of it, your hands found their way to his shoulders, squeezing gently as Jeonghan restrained himself from slipping his tongue into your mouth.
Mingyu cleared his throat loudly before speaking. âWe donât have all day, lovebirds!â
Jeonghan pulled away first, his cheeks dusted with pink as he panted, giving you one last peck, and his signature grin came back to his lips. He squeezed your waist gently before letting you go. âIâll see you tomorrow, angel.â
âMmm.. see you.â You waved weakly, watching him enter his car, giving you a wink before driving off.
âGod, I canât believe I had to witness you make out with your enemy. I thought you were pranking me over the phone.â Mingyu muttered.
âWait, you KNEWââ Seokmin pointed at his best friend accusingly while Minghao just rolled his eyes. This was going to be a long day.
âThereâs no way the two of you started dating during that period; it doesnât make sense!â Seokmin complained as you had explained the whole storyâa lieâto them. Unfortunately for him, it did, in fact, make a lot of sense. There were no plot holes; you made sure of it. This lie was actually foolproof, and no one could see throughâ
âThen whyâd you lie? You couldâve just told us you changed your mind about Jeonghan, and weâd probably be against it at first, but in the end, itâs your love life. All we can do is support you and kick his ass if he hurts you. There was no point in hiding it with a âcrushâ on Seungcheol.â Minghao voiced out his thoughts plainly, and you clenched your jaw. This was what you loved and hated about him; he always made sense and clocked you on your bullshit immediately. But he also seemed to buy the lie, so there was no point in arguing.
âYeah, I know.. But I justâI was so used to hating on Jeonghan, you know? Plus, it was a good cover to keep it private until we were readyâŚâ You trailed off, scratching your cheek as you acted convincing. You looked at them apologetically and watched their reactions.
They bought it. The three of them bought it, and you were off the hook for now, as you got your freedom for the rest of the day. Mingyu had left for football practice; Minghao had a meditation group meeting to hold, while Seokmin went to meet up with one of his friends. You could finally write in peace.
That was until your phone buzzed with a notification from Jeonghan. You groaned.
You: What now??
Jeonghan: Thatâs not how youâre supposed to greet your boyfriend, sweetheart.
You: fake boyfriend***
You: anyway. What? I was busy writing
Jeonghan: Was it that part?
Your ears burned at the implication of what he meant. It wasnât even 24 hours, and he was already teasing you about it. You scoffed as you continued to text him, trying to fight the smile forming on your lips.
You: none of your business. Now spill, youâre literally wasting my time
Jeonghan: Ouch, that hurts, angel.
Jeonghan: But I just wanted to say, look out your window.
You: ??
He didnât reply after that, making you grunt and get up from your chair before looking out your window to see Jeonghan leaning by his car with a bouquet in his hand, waving up at you. You huffed, rolling your eyes as you headed downstairs in your silly Hello Kitty pants and plain tank top.
âWhat are you doing?â You crossed your arms as you paused just a few steps from him. He rolled his eyes at the distance, grabbing your upper arm to tug you into his personal space as he handed you the flowers.
âGiving my girlfriend flowers? Isnât that obvious?âÂ
âAt 6:48 pm? Yeah, totally not strange.â You took the flowers anyway, taking a whiff of them and pressing your lips into a line not to smile. âSeriously, Jeonghan, what are you doing here?â
âI just wanted to see you.. Is that so bad?â He tilted his head to the side, a lopsided smile on his lips as he seemed to sound genuine.
Your enemy. Wanting to see you? The world must be ending.
When you huffed, he only leaned down to peck your lips, causing you to gasp softly. He then kissed you again, this time lingering as he smiled against your mouth. You couldnât help but move your free hand to tug him by the material of the loose hoodie he was wearing. Jeonghan chuckled as he pressed a couple more kisses, each one longer than the other, until the two of you were making out again.
His hand slipped from your waist to your cheek, caressing gently while his other hand stayed on your waist, squeezing. Jeonghanâs tongue slid across your lower lip, and that caused you to whine out softly before opening your mouth for him. He groaned against your mouth as he tasted the sweetness of your mouthâmint and chocolate. Ironic combo coming from you. He liked it, maybe a little too much, but you werenât aware of that.
He only pulled away for air before diving back in, overwhelming you slightly as you squeaked and turned your head away. It was a silent âenoughâ, and Jeonghan understood, pecking your cheek before giving you space.
âOh, and I have one more thing for you,â he murmured after recovering from the kiss, opening the backseat of his car to grab a zip-up hoodie. âSince you know. Iâm your boyfriend now.â
âYou just want to see me swim in your clothes.â You deadpanned but took the hoodie either way. You managed to get a whiff of itâit smelled like him.
âMaybe. And maybe because youâre mine,â Jeonghan whispered, voice low and intimate now as his gaze trailed along your body before back to your face, causing you to feel a little too exposed in your clothes. He gently grabbed you by your chin, caressing your jaw.
âIâm yours for two weeks.â You corrected him, feeling heat suddenly coil between your legs at the way he looked at you.Â
âTwo weeks is enough, angel. Youâre mine either way. Iâve ruined you for anyone else, remember?â
You shuddered at the reminder of what had happened last night, your mouth slightly agape before Jeonghan gave you one last peck. âOkay, back to writing you go, angel. I donât wanna waste any more of your precious time.â
He grinned as he ruffled your hair and got into his car, giving you a wave and a salute before driving off, leaving you a flustered mess.Â
You swear, Yoon Jeonghan was going to be the death of you one of these days.
The next morning came by faster than you expected, waking up from the alarm on your phone, grumbling softly as you got up from your couch, realising you probably dozed off while writing the evening before.Â
You stretched, checking the timeâ6:45 AM. You didnât have class until nine, so it gave you some time to get ready, but you remembered that Jeonghan was supposed to pick you up for breakfast.
For some reason, a voice in your head told you to put on the zip-up hoodie over the lace-trim camisole you were wearing, matching it with some flared, dark, faded jeans. You put on a few pieces of jewellery before checking your phone, seeing a message from Jeonghan from a few minutes ago.
Jeonghan: Morning, angel :) Iâm waiting downstairs. Take your time.
Jeonghan: I also already bought you your breakfast, so hurry up, actually.
You scoffed at the juxtaposition of his messages, rolling your eyes as you put your shoes on and grabbed your bag with your laptop and notebooks along with your keys. Locking the door to your apartment, you headed down to see Jeonghan wearing his usual loose t-shirt and jeans, with a grey jacket over them.
You gave him a small wave while he let out a low whistle, giving you a quick once-over. âI see someoneâs trying to impress someone. Is it me, angel? Hmm?â
He teased, but you decided to play his game, giving him a twirl. Jeonghan snorted, shaking his head as he tugged you into a short hug before opening the door to the passenger seat for you. Entering the vehicle, he closed the door and hurried over to the driverâs side before you could grab the cup with the coffee.
âAh-ah, thatâs not yours. This is yours.â He handed you the warm cup with tea. âGreen tea with honey, right? I also got you some pastries from that bakery you frequented.â
You blinked at him, your face expressionless as Jeonghan looked at you, confused. âIs.. Is everything alright, angel?â
Unsure of what to say, you just grabbed the bag with the pastries, checking if they were indeed the ones you liked. They were.
How the hell did Jeonghan know all of these things? You were sure you weren't that predictable or that Jeonghan didn't pay enough attention to you to notice what you liked or not, so you were sure he got the list from Mingyu this time around. How else was he supposed to know how you liked your tea, your favourite flowers, or the pastries you loved?
You swallowed thickly before speaking. âThank you. You... uh, you didn't have to. Since you know, we're faking it and all.â
â...right.â Jeonghan looked away from you as he started the car and started driving towards the campus park.
The drive was short to the park, and once the car had stopped, the two of you got out of the car and leaned against the hood of it, enjoying the fresh March air. It wasnât too cold nor too warm, spring having been around the corner. You silently sipped on your tea and ate your pastries, while Jeonghan drank his coffee with a small frown on his face.
You werenât sure what he was frowning about, but you couldnât bring yourself to ask as you just basked in the oddly comforting silence. For once, it was nice to be around Jeonghan after years of animosity and bickering. If you told your past self where you were right now, sheâd probably scoff and look at you as if you had grown three more heads.
âIs it good?â Jeonghan suddenly spoke up, and that made you look at him. âThe pastries, I mean. Are they good?â
âDo you want a bite?â You blurted out your offer, passing the paper bag with the pastry towards him as he paused before leaning in and taking a bite. He hummed, pursing his lips gently before licking them.
âItâs.. Itâs not that bad, I guess,â he murmured, washing the sweetness of the pastry off with some more coffee. âNot as sweet as you.â
He added, soon after, with a tiny grin on his lips, causing your whole body to warm up at his words. You were never going to live this down, were you?
After your short breakfast, the two of you decided to take a walk around the park, letting some students see the two of you act all close and âlovey-doveyâ. You clung to Jeonghanâs arm, smiling sweetly and laughing at his jokes as the students you passed by had their mouths hanging slightly. I mean, since when did you laugh at Yoon Jeonghanâs jokes? And clung to him as if you were in love with the man?
Most people knew how much the two of you hated each otherâit was a whole thing around campus because of how popular Jeonghan was with the girls. He was as notorious a fuckboy as Seungcheol. If not worse than him. So, seeing him act so⌠enamoured by you was strange to say the least. He didnât look at other girls the way he looked at you, that was sure.
When it was almost time for your first class, Jeonghan walked you to your building, even though his was on the other side of campus. âSee you during lunch? I need Seungcheol to see that weâre a thing.â
âCanâtâI promised Mingyu and Jihyo weâd hang out at the library.â
Jeonghan just let a soft âahâ at that before nodding and pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. âAlright, then.. Iâll see you later.â
You hummed as you gave him an awkward wave, not expecting the forehead kiss and easy acceptance of the fact that you had other plans with friends.
âHe let you hang out with us?â Mingyu raised his eyebrow, skepticism laced in his tone. âLowkey thought heâd be one of those semi-possessive pricks that wouldnât let their girlfriends hang out with guys.â
âMingyuâyou were literally telling me to use condoms last time we called.â You swatted your best friend as he snickered, eating a chocolate bar. Jihyo was interested in gossip, so you had told her most of what happened; her reactions were the same as those of your three best friends.
âThe two of you started dating way back then? Was it already serious back then or..?â Jihyo, seemingly more observant than your male friends, questioned about the whole nature of the relationship.
âNo, we started being more serious just about two weeks ago.â Jeonghan suddenly appeared from behind you, startling you as he sat down beside you. âYou donât mind if I join you guys, right?â
âJeonghanâŚâ You murmured, surprise still filling you as he hummed, handing you a paper bag that seemed to contain a cream cheese bagel from the cafe you liked hanging around at with your friends.
âNo, we donât mind, but why are you here?â Mingyu seemed suspicious at the sudden appearance of Jeonghan, but the latter kept it cool. âArenât you supposed to be with your friends or something?â
âNah, I ditched Seungcheol to spend some time with my pretty girl here.â Jeonghan ruffled your hair, causing you to swat his hand away and huff before giggling.
âMy pretty girl?âÂ
Both your friends sounded surprised at the new nickname used, glancing at your unbothered reaction, when youâd normally have scoffed by now or insulted Jeonghan in some type of way. But no, you just playfully swatted his hand away and giggled.Â
Jihyo recovered from her shock first, and Mingyu followed as the former decided to continue grilling the two of you for answers. âSo you havenât slept with anyone within the month the two of you were casually seeing each other?â
âNope.â Jeonghan easily answered as if it were the truth. You wanted to scoff, remembering that the last time you went over to his dorm, he was with someone. Noticing your slightly disgruntled expression, Jeonghan leaned to whisper something into your ear. âIt was porn.â
You snorted at that, your best friends looking at you confusedly before you continued your little whispered conversation with Jeonghan. âWho watches porn that loud?â
âI did it to pretend to have someone over, you know, so that people would leave me alone.. I havenât slept with anyone since I told my mom I was dating you.â
That admission seemed to make you feel a bit better for some reason. You weren't sure why, but knowing that Jeonghan hadnât slept with anyone for the past month because of some blatant lie he'd told his mom was incredibly endearing. But then again, you vividly remembered the girl calling Jeonghanâs name.
âThe video said âbabyâ, not âHannieâ, angel.â You seemed to have said your thoughts aloud, making him answer your concern before pecking your cheek in front of your friends. âTrust me, if I were to sleep with someone, itâd only be with you. Iâm yours as much as you are mine.â
Those words made your whole body flush, and that made Jeonghan grin, cocking his head to the side in slight awe of your reaction. This was fake, this was fake, this wasâ
âAhem. Weâre still here, you know? You can do this little intimate bubble later.â Mingyu deadpanned, squinting at Jeonghan and you as he crossed his arms.
âMingyu, shut up, I wanted to see them kiss!â Jihyo whined, hitting your best friend for ruining the moment between you and your fake boyfriend.Â
As much as you started to enjoy pretending with Jeonghan, you knew this was dangerous for your heart, and were quietly thankful for Mingyuâs intervention, even if he didnât know the truth. That was your best friend's intuition for you.
âShit.. I need to get going, I have cheer practice, and you,â she tugged at Mingyuâs hoodie. âHave football practice. Weâll leave you two to your devices. Donât have sex here, though, have some decency.âÂ
Jihyo winked at you before dragging Mingyu out of the library, leaving you and Jeonghan alone. You immediately scooted your chair a little further away from him, only for him to scoot closer to you again, making you furrow your brows.
âEven if your friends arenât around, other students are. Better safe than sorry, angel. I still have that file saved on my phone.â He cooed, teasing and taunting you with the same thing that made you agree to this dumpster fire of a relationship.
âHere I thought youâd stop being an ass.â You huffed, rolling your eyes. Glancing at the untouched bagel, you took it out and took a bite, sighing in pleasure as the flavour of the cream cheese hit your tongue. âYouâre lucky Mingyu was nice enough to comply and give you that list of things I liked, because I would've cursed you out by now.â
Jeonghan was about to correct you, but he hesitated before deciding against it, shaking his head with a soft smile as he let you believe what you wanted to believe.
Jeonghan wasnât sure where it started; when heâd start paying attention to every little thing about you. He swore he just loved riling you up and seeing you so pissed off at him, but ever since that night, he couldnât get you out of his head. It was like everything that he had noticed had accumulated, and he remembered everything. The way he overheard how you liked your tea, or that you loved strawberries, or the way youâd scrunch your nose when someone got your order wrong. He noted everything down mentally without even realising it.
He both hated and loved the fact. Hated it because it showed that he cared more than heâd like to admit, but loved it because heâd get to see that surprised expression on your face every time he did something right. It was both a reward and a punishment.
So, when he watched you enjoy the bagel he bought you from the cafe you liked just outside of campus? It made his heart squeeze in both doubt and certainty. He was going to have your heart by the end of the two weeks, or heâd die trying. Otherwise, heâd rip himself to shreds.
âWe should get going. Do you have any more classes?â He asked when you finished eating, grabbed his bag, and slung it over his shoulder. When you shook your head, Jeonghan hummed as an idea popped into his head. âOkay, good, I wanted to take you somewhere. Itâs a surprise, though, so Iâm gonna have to blindfold you. We just have to go to my place for a minute so that I can get said blindfold.â
âAre you sure youâre not trying to kidnap me?â You snorted as you packed your stuff and crushed the paper bag before throwing it away by a nearby trash can. âAlso, why do you own a blindfold?â
âWouldnât you like to know, angel?â He winked playfully, making you flush as he chuckled. He was going to make sure youâd like this surprise, already planning how he wanted to woo you fully.
The drive to his dorm was a short one, and Jeonghan didnât take long to grab the blindfold, leaving you to wait in his car while you typed on your phone, trying to pass the time by writing some parts for your fic. When he came back, you closed your phone, clearing your throat as if you were almost caught handing out contraband in a prison yard.Â
Jeonghan didnât even blink when he clocked you. âYou were writing fanfiction, werenât you?â
âIââ You tried to defend yourself, but he didnât let you, chuckling instead.
âJeez, angel, relax. Iâve seen you write. You donât have to explain yourself to me, and you can write whatever you want. Now turn around so I can put this blindfold around your eyes.â
You listened, turning around as he wrapped the blindfold around your eyes, careful not to make it too tight but also not too loose. When you sat back, you could only see black, your primary sense taken away from you because of Jeonghanâs supposed surprise.
âWe also need to make a small pit stop somewhere, and the surprise is a bit of a drive, so just relax and enjoy being temporarily blind, alright?â He murmured, making you turn your head to look at him with a deadpan expression, but it didnât work since your eyes were covered. He just chuckled, caressing your cheek before he ignited the car and started to drive.
Jeonghan parked his car after he had driven the two of you somewhere, and told you to stay put while he went to get something. He came back about twenty minutes later or so, opening the door to the backseat and placing some plastic bags into the seats before getting back into the driverâs seat.
âWhatâd you buy?â You asked curiously, and he only hummed in response, leaving you curious.
Jeonghan continued to drive you both for about 30 minutes before stopping. âWait a sec, Iâll get you out of the car.â
He simply said before exiting the vehicle, rushing towards your door as he opened it, taking your hand. It was chilly, and you could hear the soft chirping of crickets. You could also smell the dampness in the air.Â
âWhere are we?â You finally asked as he took off the blindfold from your eyes. It took you a bit to get used to seeing again, but once you did, you gasped softly. You were by the lakeside, where the university used for activities. It was a popular spot among college students, but it seemed stranded.
âWeâre at the more secluded part of the lake. I only know of this spot. And now, so do you.â He nosed your temple as he brought you close. You were in awe of the spot, the sun setting from afar beneath the treeline, leaving the sky with a beautiful pinkish-orange hue. âSurprise?â
âThis is beautiful, Jeonghan, Iâthank you.âÂ
You looked up at him, eyes soft as he looked back at you with the same look, but it was a bit strained. You wanted to ask him about it, but he only distracted you with the view of the lake as he sat you down on the hood of his car before bringing the food he had bought earlierâburgers and fries. He handed you the food, which you eagerly accepted, as you were a little hungry.
The two of you ate in silence, enjoying each otherâs company as your thoughts brought you back to that night when he brought you to that field, and he had done something similar. That reminded you of the almost-kiss.Â
You swallowed thickly as you sent Jeonghan short glances, your heart pounding in your chest as you remembered how tipsy you had been back then, how it felt like a good idea to kiss him when you clearly didnât have to. It made your body tingle as the parallels seemed to happen.
Once you were done eating, Jeonghan threw the containers of your food back into the plastic bag. The two of you enjoyed the sounds of nature before you decided to say something. âHey, Jeonghan?â
âMmm? What is it, angel?â He glanced in your direction, tilting his head to the side.
âI⌠can I ask a stupid question?âÂ
âDepends,â he murmured, scooting over closer, leaning down as he smiled at you. âWhat kind of question are we talking about?â
âThe type that would make me regret it,â you murmured, the keywords coming out. The type that would make me regret it.
It immediately took him back to that night in the field.
 âYou'd better get this away from me before I finish it whole and do something I might regretâŚâ
âLike what, angel?â He murmured, voice soft as he placed both your beers into the cooler before lifting your chin to make you look at him. âTell me.â
âNo.. Itâs stupid,â you practically whined, burying your face into his shoulder as you inhaled his scent. He smelled nice. Nicer than you expected, as you sighed softly.
âCome on,â Jeonghan cooed, coaxing you to say what was on your mind. âDonât leave me hanging.â
You moved your head away from his shoulder to gaze up at his eyesâpiercing through you with an unspeakable softness. You mumbled, incoherent to Jeonghan as he leaned down to hear you better. âMind repeating that, angel?â
âI want you to kiss me.â
Jeonghan swallowed thickly as you watched him react to what you had just said. So he did remember. It wasnât just a figment of your imagination. He covered his nervousness with a chuckle, a familiar smirk coming to his lips as he spoke.
âAnd what would make you regret asking it, angel?â
âBecause I want you to kiss me, Yoon Jeonghan.â You said simply, but your heart pounded in your chest as you waited for his response. You werenât tipsy. You were fully in control of your thoughts and words, so there was no doubt that you truly wanted this, and Jeonghan wasnât just hearing things.Â
He clenched his jaw as he chuckled softly, before being on you in seconds. He cradled your face into his hands, bringing it closer to his as he crashed his lips against yours. You couldnât help but squeak gently at how desperately he kissed you, melting against him as you kissed back.Â
Jeonghan didnât give you time to breathe, slipping his tongue into your mouth as he groaned at the taste of your lips against his once more.Â
This kiss was real. And no one was going to take it away from Jeonghanâs cold, dead hands.
âFuckââ he muttered against your lips, moving his hands from your face to your hips, pulling you flush against him as he continued to ravage you with his mouth, grinding himself against you.
A whine left your lips as your hands tangled in his hair, causing him to grunt softly, loving the way your hands felt in his hair. âThis is what you do to me, sweetheart.â
He choked out as he pulled away from the kiss to lead one of your hands to his clothed, half-hard cock, making you palm him through his pants. You whimpered, your eyes glassy as you looked up at him, lips slick with spit and puffy from kissing him so much.Â
Your eyes seemed to plead for something, but you seemed unsure to ask as you continued to palm his cock. Thatâs when he decided to ask, wanting to know what you were thinking about.
âWhat is it, angel? Talk to me,â he cooed, squeezing your hips as he nuzzled his nose against yours.
You bit your lower lip as he cooed at you, swallowing before voicing out your needs. âI need you to fuck me, Hannieââ
That made Jeonghanâs breath hitch, his eyes searching your face for any hint of hesitation or regret for asking that so suddenly, but he saw none. When you squeezed his dick gently, that made him groan and nod, already leading you to the backseat of his car.
You crawled into the backseat, Jeonghan following suit as he pressed his body close to yours, his hands roaming all over your body. His delicate, slender fingers trailed along your abdomen, pushing your top up to caress the underside of your bra-clad breast while he ground himself against your ass, muttering sweet nothings into your ear.
âGonna fuck you so good, youâll forget your name, angel. Gonna ruin this pretty pussy with my cock.â
You whined at that, grinding your ass back against him as he moved his hand to play with your breast, squeezing and pinching your nipple. âHannieââ
âShh, let me take care of you, sweets.. Lemme fuck that little attitude out of you until youâre only begging for my cock.â He whispered filthily into your ear, causing your cunt to squeeze around nothing as the continuous grinding only got you wetter. He pushed your top, along with your bra, higher, exposing your breasts to the cold air inside the car.Â
That caused your nipples to pebble into hard peaks, making you moan softly when Jeonghan continued to play with your tits until they were sore.
Once he was satisfied with teasing you, he easily dragged your jeans down, leaving you in your baby blue cotton panties, the gusset soaked with your arousal. He sat back on his heels as he palmed your ass, whistling lowly.
âThis is one hell of a viewâŚâ He muttered to himself, which caused you to push yourself back against him, impatient and whiny.
âHannie, hurry upââ you complained, only to squeal when he swatted your rear before soothing it with his palm. âPlease, Jeonghan, I need it so bad.â
âI know, sweetheart, me too, but let a guy enjoy the view.â He cooed, causing you to huff softly, but you let him get what he wanted.
After a minute or two, he finally moved, grabbing the pack of condoms he had bought from the gas station. âI told you theyâd be useful.â
You scoffed, rolling your eyes at his words as you watched him undo his pants slowly, teasing you, a shit-eating grin present on his lips as he pulled out his leaking cock. Your throat dried up at the sightâlong and thick, precum beading at the pinkish-red tip. He wrapped his hand around it, stroking himself gently at the sight of you, and all you could do was whine.
He opened the packet, ripping it with his teeth before taking the condom out and rolling it over his shaft, a soft hiss coming out of his lips.
Jeonghan stopped wasting his time now, dragging your panties down to reveal your drooling cunt. You trembled as you licked your lips in anticipation, gasping softly when he positioned his tip against your gaping hole.
âYou sure you want to cross this line, angel? This means breaking your âNo sexâ rule,â he murmured, still giving you an out if you wanted to stop. You only pushed yourself back, jutting your lips slightly.
âFuck me, Jeonghan,â you pleaded, too horny to think of the rule you had set for both of you. âRules are meant to be broken.â
Jeonghan groaned in approval at that, as he pushed his tip into your tight heat, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. He tried not to slam into you, letting you get used to the stretch as you cried out his name.
You dug your nails into the leather seat of his car, moaning as his cock filled you up inch by inch. âJeonghan, fuckââ
âI know, baby, you feel so good stretching around my dick, such a good girl for me, just fâmeâŚâ He grumbled as he leaned his body against yours, pressing his chest against your back as he finally bottomed out inside you. You felt the way he stretched you out, your pussy spasming around his thick length, making him grunt as his hips bucked against yours.
Once you had gotten used to his dick inside you, you wriggled your hips, whining softly. âHannie, move, please..â
Jeonghan listened, praising you once more, making your cunt clamp around his cock tighter at the sound of his voice. He dragged his cock until the tip was the only thing inside of you before slamming back into you full force, causing you to squeal and lean your hand against the door to prevent hitting your head against it.Â
He couldnât help but be rough. Your pussy was so tight around his shaft that it was driving him insane. You whimpered as Jeonghan continued with his punishing thrusts, his cock sliding in and out of you with ease from how wet you were.Â
âFuck, youâre so warm inside, baby. Choking and sucking in my cock like youâve been needing thisâis this what youâve been wanting? Getting fucked by me like this?â He muttered into your ear, nipping the shell of it gently as he continued to pound into your sweet, dripping hole. You moaned pathetically, crying out as you nodded.
âCome on, baby, use your words, tell me how it feels.â
âFâfeelsâfeels so, so good, H-Hannieâfuck!â You stumbled upon your words, Jeonghan fucking you harder, punctuating each thrust with your words, making you cry out again.Â
You could feel yourself get closer to your orgasm, whimpering as you reached for your clit, only for Jeonghan to slap your hand away. âAh-ah, no touching. Youâll cum when I say you can cum, baby.â
âButâbutââ you whimpered, and he only snapped his hips harder against you, making you understand that you werenât the one in charge here. He was.
Your orgasm built slowly, feeling the heat coil in your gut until you couldnât hold it in anymore as your pussy spasmed, leaking slick down your thighs. âHannie, Iâm so closeââ
âI know, baby, me too..â Jeonghan grunted out as he felt himself get closer to the edge. He moved one hand from your hip towards your pudgy, neglected clit, rubbing the nub in tight circles with his fingers. âCum for me, angel⌠Cum around my cock.â
Your toes curled as you wailed, panting as your orgasm hit you like a freight train, coming to you in strong waves of pleasure. Your back arched, eyes rolling to the back of your head as your pussy clenched tightly around Jeonghanâs cock, milking him for what he was worth. He came soon after with a strangled moan, spilling into the condom he was wearing.
The windows of the car were fogged up, and the damp scent of sex lingered on both of you. Jeonghan pulled out with a wet pop, tying the used condom and throwing it into a plastic bag on the floor of the backseat. He watched as you trembled, trying to recover as your empty whole continued to spasm. The sight alone was enough to make him hard again as he soothed you by rubbing your hip.
âYou okay..?â He asked softly, catching his breath as he leaned against the backseat door. He manhandled you with ease, turning you around before sitting you down on his lap, his half-hard dick nudging against your mound.Â
You were still panting as you leaned your forehead against his. âCan we go again?â
âBabyââ
âCan we please go again, Hannie?â You pleaded in that sweet tone that he wouldnât be able to deny, even if he tried. He nodded, already nudging his length against your weeping pussy once more before grabbing another condom and pushing himself fully inside you.
Jeonghan fucked you nice and slow this time around, dragging out the feeling of his cock inside you as you ground yourself against him, riding him like he wanted you to. He played with your clit, making you reach your second orgasm quickly before he flipped the two of you over, and he was on top of you again, as you wrapped your legs around his waist. He chased his orgasm before he came into the condom once again.Â
He didnât pull out of you this time, basking in the afterglow as he looked down at you with awe. When you asked for a third round, he practically groaned, not having the stamina you had. But he obliged either way, giving you what you wanted until your legs felt like jelly.
By the time the two of you were finished, you were twitching and whining, and tears were running down your cheeks from how much Jeonghan had ruined you. The two of you were cuddling in the back seat, with you on top of him as he played with your hair.
You werenât sure what this meant, but the two of you definitely crossed a line you couldnât come back from. But you werenât willing to talk about it now, enjoying each otherâs presence instead.
After a little while, you sat up, patting Jeonghanâs chest as he stirred from his nap. âWe should get going. Itâs late.â
He grunted, but you were right. It was indeed getting late, and youâd rather sleep on a comfortable bed instead of the backseat of his car. So, the two of you got dressed, cleaned up after yourselves, and headed up front to the driver and passenger seats. The drive back was quiet and full of tension, but when Jeonghan placed his hand on your thigh, you quietly welcomed the comforting touch.
He squeezed the covered skin gently, humming as he drove while you watched the treeline outside the car window. He tapped his fingers along the steering wheel before glancing at you and speaking. âYou good?â
You hummed weakly at his question, closing your eyes as you leaned your head against the cool window. You moved your hand to intertwine it with Jeonghanâs, the touch surprising him, but he didnât pull away. When you got to your apartment, he parked the car, but didnât fully turn it off just yet.
âI, uhmâŚâ You started, unsure of what to say, as post-nut clarity set in on the way, your brain arguing with your heart as you avoided looking at Jeonghan. He seemed to understand where you were getting at, squeezing your hand gently.
âWe donât have to talk about it, angel. Just head back upstairs,â he murmured softly, as if he wasnât going to even try to fight you about this, brushing his fingers along your jaw as he made you look at him, and grabbed your chin gently before bringing you in for a slow, sweet kiss. He pulled away before he could slip his tongue in, holding himself back as he gave you a strained smile. âGood night, angel.â
You exited his car, dazed from the sweet kiss, walking up to your apartment on autopilot as you sat down on your couch before grabbing a throw pillow and screaming into it.
You were fucked. Both literally and figuratively.
You didnât sleep a wink last night, spending your time writing and bothering Mingyu instead. You decided to email your professors to say you wouldnât attend your lectures that day and would instead rot in your room.
In the afternoon, Jihyo suddenly came over with snacks and your favourite drinks after hearing from Mingyu that you were supposedly bedrotting in your apartment. She gently kicked the door to your bedroom open, throwing the grocery bag into your bed before crossing her arms. âOkay, spill. Why werenât you in any of your classes today?â
âI stayed up all night..?â You glanced at her with toner pads on your cheeks, one knee tucked close to your chest as you stated the obvious. You fidgeted in your chair, your leg that was down on the floor bouncing gently as you looked at your laptop screen blankly.
âOkay, that canât be the only reason you missed Classical Lit. I took notes for you, by the way, Iâll send them to you later.â She plopped down on your bed, noticing your clenched jaw as you typed. You seemed distracted, which she could clock immediately from the years sheâs spent time with you. âYouâre thinking about something.â
You cursed mentally, closing your eyes as you sighed. You couldnât tell Jihyo you fucked Jeonghan and that you were freaking out about it, because that would seem suspicious for two people who were supposedly dating for a month now, right?
âI, uh.. I mightâve done something,â you started, your shoulders slightly tensing up as you continued. âI fucked Jeonghan.â
Jihyo shot up, sitting down straight as he heard the words âJeonghanâ and âfuckedâ in the same sentence. âYou did what?â
You winced at Jihyoâs reaction, though you were a bit thankful that she was surprised. You turned your chair as you scratched your head before picking on the material of the sweatpants you were wearing.
âIs that why you didnât come to any of your lectures today? Because youâre sore from getting laid?âÂ
âWhatâ?! No! IâI just.. I knew I wouldnât be able to focus, andâ and I didnât know how to feel about itâŚâ You looked down at your rug, unsure of what you were currently doing as Jihyoâs gaze softened.
âOh, honey, youâre freaking out, arenât you?â You nodded at that, jaw still clenched as you thought of how to explain it to Jihyo without sounding like you werenât used to a relationship with Jeonghan.
âItâs just⌠It was our first time, you know? I initiated it, and it was amazing, god, it was absolutely amazing, but post-nut clarity or whateverâŚâ You muttered, chewing on the inside of your cheek.
Jihyo just hummed at that, thinking of something to say. âDid the two of you talk about it? You know, after?â
You shook your head, and Jihyo sighed at that. You bit your lower lip before adding something more, knowing that Jihyo just wanted to help.
âWe did cuddle in his backseat for a little while. And he kissed me good night afterwards.â
âYOU HAD SEX IN HIS CAR?!â She covered her mouth after screaming, apologising for startling you as she cleared her throat. âIâsorry, I just didnât expect Jeonghan to have sex with you in his car. He never does that with anyone. Did⌠did you do it in a parking lot or something?â
âWhatâno! He took me to that lake our university uses for water sports, but not to the usual hook-up spot most students go to. He took me to a spot only he knew about, bought snacks that I liked, and it escalated from there.â You scratched your cheek as Jihyoâs jaw hung open. You blinked at her, concerned as you took off the toner pads on your face, getting up from your chair to throw the pads away.
Once she recovered, she turned to where you were standing, doing the rest of your skin care routine. âGirl, you should know that Yoon Jeonghan has never fucked anyone in his car before. He treats that thing like his templeââ
âPlease.â You rolled your eyes, but Jihyo seemed serious. That reminded you of what Jeonghan said to you before.
âChill out, I donât have sex in my car.â
âSeriously, girl, if he did all that, that means a lot. I might not know Jeonghan that well, but I do know his sex habits. He never, and I mean never, had sex with someone in his car. Never. None of the girls I know who hooked up with him has ever done it with himââ
âOkay, enough. I get it. Iâm special or somethingâŚâ You grumbled, still doubting inside. Not because Jeonghan never fucked anyone in his car, but you before but because you could feel your feelings stirring in your chest when you knew that this was supposed to be fake.Â
Jihyo could sense there was something still bothering you, so she just dragged you into your bed after you placed down whatever skincare product you were holding. âYouâre literally his girl. But youâre doubting something. What is it?â
âNothing, itâs just that we didnât talk about it. I mean, not that I didnât want to, but I was also scared, I guess?â You shrugged, and your friend just nodded gently.
âDo you want to do it again?â She suddenly asked, catching you off guard. Did you want to do it again? You werenât sure. But what you were sure of was that it couldnât happen again. It shouldnât because you werenât sure you wouldnât catch feelings for Jeonghan if you did.
âI donât know.â You just answered her, looking at your ceiling.
You wanted to slap yourself. Catch feelings for Jeonghan? That was a ridiculous thought, but it lingered in thereâin the deepest pits of your hesitant heart. You could feel your anxiety spiking, but you shoved it down into the box you hid deep in your head as you just sighed. Past you really screwed you over.
A few hours into your hangout with Jihyo, you received a text from Jeonghan that you decided to ignore until it was late in the evening, and Jihyo had decided to leave, but not before giving you a tight squeeze and reassuring you that itâd be okay.
Jeonghan: Are you home?
Jeonghan: I have something for you, so please reply.
Jeonghan: Angel??
Jeonghan: Iâm coming over.
That was his latest message, and you were going to rip your hair out as you continued to pace in your living room, wearing your ratty t-shirt and sweatpants. You werenât ready to face him yet. What were you supposed to say? What were you supposed toâ
A knock interrupted your thoughts, and you took a deep breath. You could do this.
You opened the door to find Jeonghan, wearing a simple navy blue hoodie and grey sweatpants, holding a white teddy bear in silly overalls and a basket of strawberries. âHey.â
âHi.â You stood by your door, blocking the entrance as he smiled at you. âWhatâwhat is that?â
âOh, uh⌠I saw it while I was shopping earlier, and decided to buy it. Itâs for you. I named it Jeonghan Jr., isnât he adorable?â He tilted his head as he made the bear wave at you.
âIâyou came over just to give me a bear?â You sputtered, blinking at him rapidly as he shrugged.
âYes, and to talk.â His expression got a little more serious as you swallowed thickly, unsure if you wanted to let him in. âCan I come in?â
You faltered for a minute before finally moving aside to let him in, closing the door as you stood there awkwardly. You led him to your living room, letting him sit on your couch as he looked at everythingâthe pictures on the wall of you and your friends, the tiny bookshelf in the corner where you had your reading nook, and some other memorabilia you had. There were fairy lights on the rod of the window curtains, giving the room a warm glow as lamps lit the space instead of the ceiling light. It felt homey.
âWhat did you want to talk about?â You blurted out, feeling observed as Jeonghan perceived your space. He patted the space beside him, but you only shook your head as you hugged yourself. You couldnât trust yourself to sit so close to him after last night. Not when his touch still lingered on your skin as if it branded you.
He sighed, placing Jeonghan Jr. by your throw pillows before rubbing his neck, as if he felt awkward. Maybe he was, you couldnât tell. âAbout last nightâŚâ
âWe, Iâ if you thought it was a mistake, I totally get it, I donât know what had gotten to me last night, Iâm sorryââ you started to ramble, looking around to avoid his gaze as you supported a nervous smile.
âAngel.â
âI said that rules should be broken, yes, but I wasnât thinking straight, not really, I guess I was really horny and whatnotââ
âAngel, listen to me.â He finally cut you off, not realising he had gotten up from your couch as he grabbed your shoulders. âListen to me, and tell me one thing.â
âYeah..?â You looked up at him, eyes full of conflicting feelings you werenât sure how to address as your heart continued to clash with your brain. You were supposed to hate Jeonghan, so why were you feeling like this?
âDo you regret it?â He simply asked, making you blink at him.
Did you regret it? How the hell were you supposed to answer that? How were you supposed to answer a question like that when your feelings were all over the place?Â
You only clenched your jaw before answering what you had to say to keep this less messy.
âYes.â No. âI do.â I donât. You had to prevent yourself from clenching your jaw as you looked at how Jeonghanâs face seemed to harden up as he just nodded. You could feel your heart clench in your chest, even though it wasnât supposed to do that.
âDo you?â You decided to ask back even though you knew that the answer would hurt. You needed to know.
âNo.â He shook his head, no hint of that smile you always saw on his lips. âNot one bit, angel.âÂ
He answered simply and honestly, and that took your breath away, not expecting such an answer to come from him. âBut I understand where youâre coming from, so Iâll leave you to your devices for now.â
He let go of your shoulders, passing you to head towards the front door, and you didnât stop him. Why would you? This was fake, so there was no point in pretending to care about it.
The door to your apartment clicked shut, but it made you flinch as if he slammed it closed either way. You stumbled into your couch, covering your face with your hands as you felt the lump in your throat growing and your eyes stinging.Â
You let yourself cry into your hands quietly, taking in sniffles as you realised how much you craved Jeonghanâs presence even if you hated it sometimes.Â
You liked Jeonghan.
It had been four whole days since your conversation with Jeonghan, and the two of you acted like normal, sharing kisses here and there or holding hands in public. You pretended it didnât affect you, but it was slowly getting to you with every lingering kiss coming from him, or whispering a joke that only the two of you would laugh about in front of your group of friends.
Right now, you were driving home a day early with Jeonghan for Tommyâs birthday party on Saturday. His hand was lazily placed on the console of his car while he hummed along to the music in the car. You, on the other hand, were fidgeting with your fingers, unable to stay still as you picked at your cuticles.
Jeonghan noticed, grabbing your hand before you could make your fingers bleed. âStop doing that.â
He chided softly, glancing at you before looking back at the road. He intertwined your fingers together, and your throat tightened, being reminded of that night as you closed your eyes shut.
Your eyes only opened when he squeezed your hand comfortingly, a silent reassurance of sorts that gave your heart more reason to clench and ache. Was this really the same man you used to hate? The same man who picked on you and embarrassed you? You couldnât tell anymore as you avoided looking at him.
Once you'd gotten back home, you were greeted by your younger brother as he tackled both you and Jeonghan, a soft âoomphâ coming out from the two of you as you laughed softly. You ruffled your younger brotherâs hair before picking him up into your arms.
âYou missed us, didnâtcha, bud?â Your brother nodded as he hugged you tightly, then looked at Jeonghan with a wide smile.
âHannie is here too!â He said excitedly, and you hummed, nodding. Jeonghan booped Tommyâs nose, making the kid scrunch his face before he laughed.
âOf course, bud, I promised Iâd bring your big sis home early, didnât I?â He reminded the little boy, and your eyes softened at that. âAnd we have a plethora of presents.â
Jeonghan whispered with a wink, and Tommyâs eyes sparkled at the mention of gifts. When he asked to see them, you denied him, telling him heâd receive them on Saturday, his actual birthday. The boy pouted but settled down after your dad took him and coaxed him into a game of hide-and-seek.
âHeâs such a hyperactive kid.â Jeonghan sighed, and you snorted softly at how tired he looked. The two of you headed up to your room, placing your stuff there before he closed the door, and you paused when you felt the air change.
âAngelâŚâ He murmured behind you, and you could swear every hair on your body stood at that sound of his voice. His hands moved to touch your hips, hesitant, but there.
âYeah?â You whispered, voice airy as he pressed himself against you, head leaning against your shoulder as he let out a deep sigh.
âNothing. Just let me hold you like this for a second.â He sounded strained, as if he was holding himself back.
âYou donât have to do that when weâre alone like this, Jeonghan. Thatâs against the rulesââ
âScrew the fucking rules, angel. We crossed lines nights ago, so just let me have this.â His tone was hard, but not harsh, as he pleaded. So, you let him hold onto you like that for five minutes before he finally pulled away.Â
Jeonghan cleared his throat. âIâm going downstairs. You coming?â
âIâIâll be there in a bit. I still have to unpack some of my stuff.â You turned to look at him, expression unreadable. He paused before refraining from saying anything else and left you alone. Once he had exited the room, you let out a breath you were holding, running your fingers through your hair. What the hell was going on with him?
You finished unpacking about fifteen minutes later, going down to find Jeonghan lounging around in the living room before his gaze found yours, and he stood up, licking his lips. âDo you, uh, want to go on a walk with me?â
You blinked, swallowing thickly as you looked around to see your parents by the dining table, probably eavesdropping. Nodding, the two of you headed towards the front door, shouting to your parents that you were going on a stroll with Jeonghan.
The two of you walked in silence around your neighbourhood, feeling too awkward to talk. Itâs been like that all day, or when the two of you were alone. All because of that evening.
Then, you noticed something with the corner of your eye, gasping softly, which made Jeonghan turn his head towards where you were looking. It was the playground you, Jeonghan, and Mingyu used to play inâwell, mostly you and Jeonghan, since Mingyu was forced to study all the time.
âDo you wanna go?â He murmured, and you nodded, already walking towards the swings as you snorted at the memory coming to you.
âYou used to push me off the swing a lot.â You sat down on one of them, glancing at Jeonghan and waiting for him to sit down.Â
He chuckled at the memory you triggered, sitting down beside you as he started swinging himself gently. âThat was only because you hogged my spot.â
âIt wasnât your spot, Jeonghan, itâs a public playground!â You laughed softly, pushing him gently as he cracked a genuine smile. It was the first one that wasnât as strained as the others from a couple of days ago.Â
âYeah, but it was my favourite swing! The seat was comfortable back then.â He sighed, reminiscing about the times of your childhood with a fond smile. âI remember pulling at your pigtails, though.â
âYou suck,â you grumbled, making him laugh as you pouted, but laughed along with him. The atmosphere between you was lighter, and you felt relief. He seemed to be looking at you now, and you looked back at him with a soft, warm smile that he returned. Something pulled at your heartstrings.
Thatâs when you leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Jeonghanâs lips without expecting to do it. You gasped softly, pulling away, but he chased your lips and brought your face closer once more, pressing his mouth against yours more firmly as he kissed you.
You let yourself melt into the kiss and mewled softly when Jeonghan slipped his tongue inside your mouth. He kissed you as if youâd disappear if he didnât hold onto you long enough. He held your face as if you were something he cherished and cared about, something he didnât want to lose. And on the inside, you hoped that the latter was true.
Both of you pulled away for air, panting softly as Jeonghan leaned his forehead against yours, smiling. âI.. I didnât expect that.â
âMe neither,â you mumbled shyly as he pecked your slightly swollen lips before getting off the swing and offering his hand. You tilted your head in confusion as you took his hand and got up from the swing you were sitting on. âAre we going back already?â
âYou donât expect me to fuck the lights out of my girlfriend in a playground, do you?â He smirked, tilting your head up with his index finger before cooing at you. âOr are you into that thing?â
You flushed, slapping his hand away as you grumbled and started walking ahead of him back to your house, as he chuckled and followed suit. You were back to bantering, which was good. But that didnât really confirm or deny your feelings for one another.
Heading back to the house, you made a small pit stop at a convenience store to get some snacks and drinks. On the way back, he decided to quietly grab your hand without warning, pretending to be oblivious to the fact that the two of you were holding hands. You stifled a laugh at that, buying into his deception as both of you walked home holding hands.
âWeâre back!â You shouted from the front door, and your mother answered back with a brief âdinner will be ready in an hourâ, giving you time to kill. Once you finished taking off your shoes, you went upstairs with Jeonghan, your mind fully straight on one thingâfinishing your fic.
So you plopped onto your bed, holding your laptop while Jeonghan looked at you with a barely restrained smile. You looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, wondering what he found so amusing while your laptop booted up.
âNothing, nothing⌠Itâs just that I kind of knew you were going to start writing the minute you chose those specific snacks and drinks at the convenience store earlier. I find it cute.â
He sat down on your bed, putting your legs over on his lap as he rubbed your calf up to your knee, making you shudder slightly as your focus shifted from your laptop to him. âJeonghan.. Whatâwhat are you planning?â
âDidnât I say I wanted to fuck my girlfriend senseless earlier?â He purred, fingers trailing up your thigh. Curse you and your decision to wear shorts earlier!
âJeonghan, youâyou were joking,â you murmured, voice pitched in a soft whine as he chuckled.
âI donât joke about that type of thing, sweetheart. Put your computer away and spread those pretty legs. We have an hour before dinner's on the table, so I'd like to have dessert first.â His eyes were lidded, tone completely serious as you fidgeted. You couldnât tell if he was messing with you or not, and it was both incredibly arousing and nerve-wracking.
Thatâs when Jeonghan grabbed your laptop, closed it, and tossed it somewhere on your bed. He gently pried your legs open, slotting himself between them, and you let him as your breath stuttered.
âCan I show my girlfriend how much she means to me..?â Jeonghanâs voice was laced with nervousness and need, his crotch pressing against yours as he brushed away a few strands of hair from your face. He waited for your approval, not moving an inch until you said yes. He searched your expression, seeing nothing but uncertainty, and he wanted to get rid of it.
âI.. I donât know, JeonghanâŚâ You trailed off, seeing his expression twist into something you considered disappointment, before you continued. âCan you?â
It was soft, but enough for Jeonghan to hear as he sighed in relief, muttering something along the lines of âfucking teaseâ before crashing his lips onto yours. He kept his grinds minimal, to tease you of what was to come, as he moved his lips against yours with vigour, his fingers skimming and squeezing your thighs. His hands travelled along your plush body, groaning softly.
âYouâre so perfect, angel. You donât even know how much you drive me crazy,â he muttered against your mouth, pushing your top gently to touch the soft skin of your waist.
You chased his lips as he smiled before pressing soft pecks, giving you what you wanted, but not enough to satisfy. âYeah? How do I drive you crazy, Hannie?â
âFirstly, that,â he murmured, nose brushing over yours as he spoke. âLove it when you call me that.â
âWhat else? Enlighten me, Mr. Yoon.â Jeonghan groaned at that, grinding his hips against your clothed core a bit harder, causing you to gasp softly. He placed another soft peck on your lips, nipping your lower lip as he grinned.
âSecondly, the way you gasp when I touch you. The pretty sounds you make when I tease you.â He whispered, hands squeezing and trailing up to the underside of your breasts, cupping the soft flesh over your lacy bra.
You gasp softly, already panting when all he did was gently grind against you and touch you so lightly. He chuckled at that. âAlready so worked up⌠my lovely angel needs me to help her, donât you?â
He cooed, and you nodded, unable to deny the fact that you needed him. Badly. So, he gave you what you wanted, grinding his hips properly now, as he leaned his head down to kiss down along your jaw and neck, nipping the skin gently as your arms found themselves wrapping around his neck lazily.
Jeonghan worked on taking your shorts off while kissing your neck and collar bones, making sure not to leave visible marks as he finally shimmied your shorts off down to your ankles, leaving you in your baby pink panties. âCuteâhey, ow-!â
He winced when you slapped his back as he chuckled against your neck. Thatâs when he spotted the damp spot on your underwear, making him smirk. Your face flushed as you turned your head when he looked up at you with a teasing glint in his eyes. He then moved his hand to ghost over the gusset.
âAlready so wet for me? I havenât even done anything yetâŚâ He pressed his fingers against your clothed entrance, teasing and rubbing along your clothed slit. You whined and squirmed, your thighs loosening and spreading a bit wider for him, which made Jeonghan smirk. He played and teased your pussy until you were drenched, your inner thighs coated with slick.
âHannieâI, I canâtââ you whined, writhing after the amount of teasing. You craved more, and you wanted Jeonghan to give it to you. âPlease, please, pleaseââ
âAw, resorting to begging already, angel? Okay, Iâll be nice and give you my cock. That is what you want, right?â He cooed, and you couldnât help but nod hastily, wanting anything he had to offer youâanything that would reduce the quelling ache in your cunt.
Jeonghan pushed his sweatpants and boxers down to his thighs, letting his cock out of its confines, gently slapping it over your covered pussy. He then shoved your panties to the side, too impatient to tug them off you.Â
He bit his lower lip, watching as he pushed himself into you, seeing how your little hole stretched as you stifled your moan against his shoulder. He could feel your walls spasming around him as you took him in, welcoming the intrusion. âThatâs it, sweetheart, just take my cock, hm? Let me make you feel good.â
âHannieââ you whined, mouth agape as your head hit your pillows when he snapped his hips harshly, bottoming out in one thrust. Your legs trembled as he set a punishing pace, making you let out obscene noises he had to muffle with his hand to prevent alerting your parents.
âBe quiet, angel⌠You donât want to get caught, do you?â He crooned, his thrusts relentless as you shook your head and tears glazed your eyes from pleasure. He was ruining you, and you loved it.
âFuck, at this point I might cum in youââ he muttered, making your eyes go wide at the fact that he was currently fucking you raw. Were the two of you that impatient? Your eyes rolled back from the feeling of his bare cock inside you, Jeonghan chuckling when he felt you get slipperier, your drooling hole clenching and unclenching around him as filthy sounds of skin slapping, your muffled moans, and his stifled grunts filled the room.
The way you reacted to the fact of him fucking you without a condom was what got him off. âYou like that, don't you? My bare dick inside your messy pussy? You just want me to cum inside this pretty little hole and fill you up, don't you? Come on, baby, tell me.â
Jeonghan moved his hand from your mouth, your soft moans turning into a soft pant as he slowed his pace down. You managed to keen out a soft whine, and he snickered at how fucked out you looked underneath him.
âSo cute⌠You can't even utter a word because you're so drunk off my cock, aren't you?â He murmured condescendingly, a little bit mean, but you only moaned. Your fingers grasped the t-shirt he was wearing, fisting it tightly.
âFâfaster, please, go fasterââ you choked out, your tears running down from the corner of your eyes, and Jeonghan wiped them away before snapping his hips gently, giving you what you wanted, but not quite.
âDo you deserve that, angel? Do you deserve to get fucked hard and fast by me?â He cooed, sweet yet mean, keeping his pace achingly slow. âDo you deserve that after telling me you regretted fucking me the first time?â
You cried out softly when he stopped moving, your pussy squeezing him, milking him as he moved his hand from your cheek to stimulate your pudgy clit. Your toes curled as your legs twitched at the pleasure jolting through you in a different way.
âI didn't mean itâI lied, I lied, Hannie, I didn't regret itââ you babbled, pleading with him to start moving again. You admitting that you didn't regret that night ignited something in Jeonghan, his hips moving once more, full of vigour and need as he grabbed one of your legs and hooked it over his shoulder, reaching deeper into you, as he pistoned his cock in and out of your drippy cunt.
You clung to him, eyes closing shut as you buried your face into his neck, your release coming dangerously close. He could feel the way your walls started to spasm, sucking him in like a suction, desperate for his cum, but he knew better.
He continued his ministrations on your bundle of nerves while plunging himself into you deeply, his thrusts getting sloppier as he made sure you came before him.Â
The heat in your stomach coiled with each thrust and touch, your body heating up impossibly as you reached the edge and started to cum around his shaft, almost triggering Jeonghanâs orgasm as he grunted and held back.
He prolonged your high and chased his release as he rutted into you before pulling out and coming all over your stomach, groaning as his vision blurred. Panting softly, Jeonghanâs hips bucked involuntarily, a moan leaving his lips when he saw you painted with his cum while your legs shook.Â
Thatâs when the two of you froze, a knock being heard. âHoney? Is everything okay in there? Dinnerâs ready.â
You could hear your momâs voice through the door, making your sex-hazed brain clear up immediately as you spoke up with a hoarse voice, still recovering from the physical activity youâd just done with Jeonghan.
âWâweâre fine, Mom! Weâll be down in tenâno, fifteen minutes!â You stumbled between your words as Jeonghan pressed gentle kisses on your neck and collarbones to give you a hard time answering. Satisfied with your answer, your mother left, her footsteps fading as you let out a sigh in relief.
âYou look so hot covered with my cum, angelâŚâ He murmured against the valley of your breasts, nosing the soft lace as he looked at you with lidded eyes. âDo we have to go downstairs?â
âJeonghan.â You rolled your eyes as you pushed his face away from your chest, and he grunted and pouted. âClean me up.â
âGladlyââÂ
âNot like that!â You hissed, smacking him as he chuckled and got off you to grab a few tissues from the tissue box on your nightstand before wiping off the cum from your stomach and helping you fix yourself up. Once you were done, you were about to leave the room, but Jeonghan grabbed your wrist, spinning you around to face him. He grabbed your waist with his free hand before placing a soft kiss on your lips, which made you huff.
âYouâre so needy,â you grumbled, cheeks flushing.Â
He only kissed you again, smiling against your lips before speaking. âAnd insatiable. But only for you, angel.â
The two of you went downstairs five minutes later than you told your mom, trying not to look awkward as both of you bickered quietly before sitting down beside each other. Your family talked as usual, unaware of what had occurred between you and Jeonghan just thirty minutes ago.Â
While you ate, one of Jeonghanâs hands found itself on your thigh, rubbing sensually as you tried not to squirm in your seat to avoid suspicion from your parents. He pretended like nothing was happening, happily conversing with your father about something random you had tuned out. When his hand ghosted your center, your leg jolted, and your knee hit the table, alarming your parents as they looked at you with slightly confused expressions.
âMuscle spasm, sorry.â You apologised, shoving some mashed potatoes into your mouth. âThese potatoes are really good, Mom. Right, Hannie?â
You looked at Jeonghan as you suddenly shoved a spoonful of the mashed potatoes into his mouth, catching him off guard as he just chewed and hummed. That gave you the chance to swat his hand away from your thigh while you poured some juice into his cup, acting like the doting, sweet girlfriend you were.
âSo,â your mother started. âAny plans for the future? Like kids, hm?â
You and Jeonghan both choked on your drinks, almost spitting them out. âMom!â
You gave your mother a look as she looked away with an innocent look on her face. Jeonghan recovered soon after, running his fingers through his hair as he nervously chuckled.
âWhereâd you get that sudden idea, auntie?â He asked, and your mother hummed softly while your father looked stiff and awkward for bringing up such a conversation during dinner.
âOh, I donât know. It just seemed like a good question, you know. Iâd like grandbabies soon!â
âMom. Weâre literally still in college.â You deadpanned, but your mother wasnât truly being logical until Tommy decided to chime in on the conversation.
âI donât wanna be an uncle yet! Iâm too young!â He whined, and the situation got a lot lighter as you snorted softly and Jeonghan shook his head and smiled. The conversation then shifted to Tommyâs birthday and preparations for the next day, giving you time to breathe as you continued eating dinner in peace.
After dinner, Jeonghan and you headed upstairs to get ready for bed, with you going to the bathroom first. You did your skincare, changed into your pyjamas, and headed back to your bedroom, where Jeonghan was scrolling through his phone, wearing nothing but his sweatpants. You were still getting used to seeing him shirtless, and you couldnât help but enjoy the view for a bit.
You nibbled on your lower lip before clearing your throat, announcing your presence to him as he looked up from his phone. âYou can go to the bathroom now.â
He hummed, getting up from your bed before passing you, only to stop to whisper. âGlad youâre enjoying the view, angel.â
Your cheeks and neck burned as he left the room, leaving you alone with your thoughts. Thatâs when everything hit you. What were the two of you even doing? Was⌠was this real now? You werenât sure until you asked him, but it contained more beans to spill than you wanted to deal with right now. So you shook it off, deciding it was better to enjoy the moment than overthink it.
When Jeonghan came back, he saw you half-sitting on your bed, leaning against the headboard as you read a book. Sighing softly with a fond smile, he moved towards the bed, deciding to slot himself between your legs and lie down on you. A grunt left your lips as you tried to kick him off somehow, but failed while he buried his face into your chest.
âYouâre clingy,â you whined as you placed your book down, sighing in defeat when Jeonghan inhaled and exhaled deeply. âWhy are you like this?â
You complained, but moved your hands to his hair, gently playing with the soft strands. He only hummed, pressing his cheek against you, and listened to your calm heartbeat.
âBecause I think Iâm gonna break another rule.â
Your breath hitched at that, and your heart started to increase its pace. Jeonghan seemed to notice how your body suddenly went rigid and let out a soft exhale before looking at you.
âYou donât have to say anything,â he murmured, eyes soft and full of something vulnerable as his hold on your body tightened. âNot yet, at least. Iâm still figuring this out myself. ButâŚâ
Jeonghan trailed off, smiling at you. âI do want you, angel. More than you know.â
Those words hit you harder than youâd like to expect, sending your thoughts through a whirlwind of possibilities. Did that mean that this was real now? You wanted to voice all your thoughts, and Jeonghan sensed you had questions, so he simply answered them for you.
âI want you, as in I want you, angel. I donât want to see anyone else after this whole thing ends.â He shifted, hovering over you now, his face leaning close to yours as his hair tickled your skin. You swallowed thickly, not knowing what to say as your heart raced.
âDoes this mean we stop faking it..?â You finally managed to speak after a minute or two, your voice quiet and hesitant.
âOnly if you want to.â Jeonghan watched your brows furrow as you looked away, as if you thought about the pros and cons of actually dating him properly. He didnât rush you, not wanting to scare you off, and afraid of your answer.
You were silently freaking out, unsure of the whole thing as you frowned at the sudden change. Did you want to stop faking it? Did you truly want Jeonghan in the way he wanted you? You already figured out that you liked him, but you didnât know what went through his head, and you didnât want to get hurt in the long run.
Seeing the hesitation in your eyes, Jeonghan faltered, figuring out your answer through your face alone, his jaw clenching before unclenching as he started speaking. âI⌠I was just messing with you. Forget it.â
He muttered, pressing his cheek against your chest as he tried to fall asleep to the sound of your heartbeat, leaving you even more confused and full of unanswered questions.
You started the day pretty early due to preparations for Tommyâs birthday party. He had invited a few friends from school, so it was going to be quite a big party, filled with kids, which meant a lot of work for you, Jeonghan, and both of your parents.
You were currently busy preparing the cake, always baking it from scratch, and trying your best to make whatever your brother requested. Thankfully, he asked for something simpleâa blue three-tiered cake with toy cars. You tried to make the toy cars edible and tried your best to make them as accurate as possible to the movie characters your brother was obsessed with.
Preparing the cake also meant being distracted from your thoughts. Jeonghan left you with questions he was probably unwilling to answer after last night, but at least it wasnât as awkward as it was a few days ago.
While you were decorating the cake, Jeonghan came into the kitchen with a stack of boxes containing new toys and a bunch of wrapping paper. He placed boxes on the counter with a soft grunt. âHowâs the cake going?â
You paused as he tried to make conversation, your eyes moving from the spot you were piping to your fake boyfriend. The mere presence of him threw you off your game, and you hated yourself for liking it too much while you were still thinking of the situation that happened yesterday. The sex, the talk. Everything.
âWhat does it look like, Jeonghan?â You were snappy, and he understood that, but still flinched gently at your tone. You were confused and angry, but mostly angry from frustration with decorating the cake and the lingering questions in your head. âIâm decorating the cake. Thatâs how itâs going.â
âGot it.â
He stayed quiet after that, doing what he planned to do, which was wrapping the gifts you had bought for your brotherâwell, Jeonghan bought half of them, arguing with you by the register about who was going to pay for them. He ended up winning, shutting you up with an embarrassingly long kiss in publicâthe stupid bastard.
You gritted your teeth as you just continued piping the cake with the blue whipped cream, accidentally squeezing on the piping bag a little too tightly, which caused it to pop, sending the cream everywhere, mostly landing on your shirt. It landed on Jeonghan as well, prompting him to pause on what he was doing as he blinked and looked at you.
âYou did that on purpose.â He deadpanned as he grabbed the bowl where the rest of the whipped cream was, and scooped some into his finger before wiping it on your face. You screeched, retaliating as you snatched the plastic bowl from him and smeared the cream on his jaw and neck. âOh, you littleââ
Jeonghan let out a scoff as he chased you around the kitchen, as you squealed, trying to avoid him. Thatâs when your dad entered the kitchen to see the whipped cream all over the place. Your father cleared his throat, bringing the chase of cat and mouse between you and Jeonghan to a halt, your boyfriendâs hands wrapped around your waist as he picked you up to keep you from running.
âYou'd better clean this mess up before your mom and Tommy come back from the store.â With that order, Jeonghan let go of you, nodding at your father.Â
Once your father left the room, you got rid of your shirt, leaving you in your tank top, leaving Jeonghan gaping before turning his head away, muttering to himself as he wiped the excess cream from his face with a paper towel.
You made a new batch of whipped cream, finished the cake, and put it in the fridge to cool overnight for the party the next day. You hated the silence between the two of you, and even if you were still partly annoyed at Jeonghan, you just wanted to talk to him.
âHey.â You started, albeit awkwardly, but that caught his attention as he finished wrapping up the gifts for your younger brother. âSorry about earlierâŚâ
He waved it off, shaking his head as he cocked his head to the side and smiled. âNo need to apologise about that, angel. Donât worry about it.â
âBut Iââ
âHush. How about you just help me take these into your room so that the little man doesnât see them before his birthday party tomorrow?â He countered, trying to keep the atmosphere light between the two of you.Â
He didnât want to linger on what happened, like usual. So, you followed with it, taking a stack of the boxes from Jeonghan before the two of you headed up to your room. If he didnât want to take responsibility for whatever was going on between the two of you, you wouldnât either.Â
Guestsâmostly kids Tommyâs ageâwere already filling up your backyard as you juggled between the bowls of snacks and drinks you were carrying, clearly struggling before Jeonghan stepped in. The two of you hadnât talked since yesterday, having just cuddled in your bed in silence, accepting each otherâs warmth.
Other than that, you avoided him like the plague in your own home. It was easy with all of the commotion going on, though you still bumped into him once in a while when your mother called for both of you.
âAsk for help, donât you?â He murmured, grabbing the juice from under your pits as he walked toward one of the tables set out in the backyard. âStop avoiding me.â
âIâm not avoiding you, Iâm just busy.â You snapped back softly, not wanting to start an argument in front of Tommy and his friends.Â
Jeonghan huffed and placed the juice bottles on the table before turning to face you. âYou are avoiding me, and I don't blame you. I'm an asshole, remember?â
You clenched your jaw at that, knowing what he was trying to do. He was trying to paint himself as the same person you used to hate. Deciding to ignore him, you set the bowls of snacks out, kids swarming the table as you assisted them pour juice into their cups, smiling softly as you busied yourself rather than bothering with Jeonghan.Â
After a bit, your parents took over for you, letting you take a breather in the kitchen. You were nursing some juice in a glass, leaning against the counter, when Jeonghan came into the kitchen with an empty bowl. He paused for a second when he saw you before grabbing a bag of chips and pouring the contents into the bowl.
Silence filled the room, aside from the crinkling of the foil bag Jeonghan was crushing between his hands after filling the bowl with chips. He threw the foil pack into the trash and grabbed the bowl before finally sighing and placing it back down. You continued nursing and sipping on your drink, ignoring him, before he grabbed your wrist and dragged you upstairs.
âJeonghan, what the fuck are you doing?â You frowned as he kept quiet and dragged you to the upstairs bathroom before locking the door. Blinking furiously, your frown deepened as you scoffed. âWhat the fuck are we doing in my bathroom?â
Jeonghan just shrugged, prompting you to head over to the door, but he easily stopped you as he caged you between himself and the bathroom counter. âTo talk.â
âWe talked, what the fuck are you on?â You muttered as you tried to get under his arm to escape, but he didnât let you, which made you grunt softly. He was being irrational, and you couldnât be stuck in the bathroom with him right now. Not when your parents might need your help.
âI mean, without this animosityâI donât like it, angel.â It was his turn to frown as he leaned down. You let out another huff, snorting softly. âIâm serious.â
âYeah, right. Tell me that when you actually mean it, because Iâm not letting you mess with me againâmnf-!â You grumbled, rolling your eyes, only to widen your eyes when he pressed his lips against yours. One of his hands snaked to the back of your head, holding onto the nape of your neck as he kept you there.Â
His lips desperately moved against yours, fingers tangling in your hair as he tilted your head a bit to the side. You hit his chest as you tried to pull away, only to give up and melt against him after a minute of resisting.
You grasped onto his shirt, fisting it tightly as you returned his kiss, a relieved grunt leaving Jeonghan when he felt you relax against him. A sigh left you when he moved his mouth from yours down to your jaw and neck, licking and nipping but not marking. You mewled when he nipped a particular spot on the slope of your neck, making him smile against your skin.
âYou drive me insane, angel,â he muttered softly against your neck, which earned him a soft scoff from you once more.
âI know, you said that beforeââ you cut yourself off with a soft gasp when he pressed himself against you, his clothed erection pressing against your lower stomach. Biting your lower lip, your hand let go of his shirt, snaking down to cup his hard cock against his jeans.Â
A choked-out groan left his lips, his forehead pressing against the slope of your neck as you palmed him through his pants and gently squeezed. âAngel, I wouldnât recommend that if I were youâŚâ
âAnd why not?â You nosed his temple, your breath ghosting his ear as he shuddered before chuckling.
âBecause we wonât leave this bathroom until Iâm done with you.â
You softly gasped at that, toes curling slightly in your socks when Jeonghanâs hands roamed along your body fervently, squeezing your ass before easily undoing the buttons of your shorts. He tugged them down hastily and let them pool down on your feet along with your panties. You shuddered at being exposed, squeaking when Jeonghan suddenly picked you up and sat you down on the cold counter, and spread your legs so that he could slot himself between them.
Looking down at your exposed core, he groaned, his hand already moving down to tease your soaked slit.Â
âYouâre always so fucking wet. Canât get enough of this sweet pussy,â Jeonghan muttered, licking his lips as you squirmed.
âSuck.â He brought his fingers to your mouth, and you opened it, sucking his slick-coated fingers while looking into his eyes, leaving him breathless. You could feel it in his gaze and from the way he pushed his digits into your mouth deeper that he wanted to see how deep you could take without gagging.Â
Gurgling and swirling your tongue around his fingers, you moaned around him, sending vibrations along his knuckles as he let out a strained chuckle. âYou wanna say something, angel?âÂ
You nodded, and Jeonghan took his fingers from your mouth, a spit trail connecting your lips and his slender digits. âCan⌠can I suck your dick now?â
Jeonghan let out another choked-out noise, rubbing his face with his other hand before chuckling.
âAnything you want, angel,â he murmured, moving from between you as you got off the counter, switching positions with Jeonghan. He leaned against the counter while you slid down to your knees and got in between his legs.Â
Helping you undo his jeans, Jeonghan shoved his pants down to his mid-thigh, pulling his cock out of its confines. You watched him stroke his length a bit, enjoying the view of you on your knees, before you whined and slapped his hand away.
âBossy,â he grumbled before letting out a soft hiss when you took him into your hand, stroking and squeezing gently as his tip drooled out precum. Jeonghan could help but run his fingers through your hair, messing it up a bit as he tugged you closer.
You pressed soft kisses along his shaft, giving the tip a kitten lick as you tasted himâa tangy flavour assaulting your taste buds as you moaned. You started suckling on his tip while giving him a proper handjob, your hand working along his thick shaft. You looked up at him as you took more of his length into your mouth and saw how his head tilted back from pleasure. Sucking eagerly, you hollowed your cheeks, swirling your tongue around him as you let out soft hums that left Jeonghan reeling as he bucked his hips, pushing his cock further into your mouth.
You gurgled when you took him deeper, eyes watering as you tried to deepthroat him. Jeonghan cooed, wiping your tears as he panted. âNo need to try so hard, angel, I'm not gonna cum down your throat right now.â
You let out a confused noise before he pulled you off his cock, leaving your lips puffy and coated with spit. He flipped the two of you around once more, having your lower back pressed against the counter as he pried your legs open with his knee.
Jeonghanâs eyes zeroed in on the slick covering your inner thighs, a soft grunt leaving him. âYou got off on sucking my dick? You're less innocent than I thought⌠though, knowing what you writeââ
âJust put it in, Jeonghanâ!â You hissed softly, impatient and needy. He snorted, grumbling at how bossy you were being as he positioned his bulbous tip against your weeping entrance.
A whimper left your lips when he pushed in, never getting enough of his cock inside you. Jeonghan pawed at your hips, gritting his teeth at how tight you were from this angle. He fucked you slowly and shallowly, skin slapping against skin, echoing through the bathroom. You watched how he pistoned his cock in and out of you, letting out a soft mewl before looking back up at him with fucked out eyes.
Jeonghan chuckled, caressing your hips gently as he pecked your lips. You shied away before he could, kissing your cheek instead.Â
You shouldn't be doing this. That was all you thought about as you whimpered and moaned for him. He could see it in your eyes even when you were so fucked out from his cock alone. When you were about to say something, Jeonghan gently placed his hand around your throat. Not to choke you, but to show a bit of dominance and ground you in the situation.
âYou were gonna say we shouldnât be doing this, right?â He started, and your breath just hitched as you looked away, but he moved his hand from your throat to your chin, making you look at him. âAngel, there are billions of different things we shouldnât be doing, but this? This is ours.â
âJeonghanââ you tried to voice out how you felt about this whole thing, but he just shushed you with a thrust of his hips that made you whimper.
âYouâre mine, angel. Even when Iâm not sure about how I feel towards you, youâre mine, and Iâve always been yours. Even when you hated me.â
Your body shuddered at his confession, knowing what it all meant deep down. He cared. Jeonghan truly cared for you, and this meant everything. He wasnât avoiding his feelings anymore, and he was showing you his vulnerable side. So, you just gave yourself to himâto this. You wanted nothing more than to be his.
âIâI want you.â You managed to choke out as you managed to pull him closer, your lips ghosting his as you panted at every thrust he made, your orgasm getting closer. âI want you, Jeonghan.â
âI want you too, angel.â
He quickened his pace as he felt your walls spasming around him, groaning against your lips. âIâm gonna cum too soon if you keep squeezing my cock like that, sweetheart.â
You moaned at the idea of him coming inside you, your eyes lidded as you panted. Jeonghan seemed to read your mind as he chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.
âYouâre trouble, angel⌠You want me to cum in you, donât you? Breed this sweet pussy? Have you full of my cum while you help your mom with handing out the cake? Is that it?â He crooned, his tone sweet but his words condescending, as you nodded gently, causing him to groan. âYeah? Of course, you do, youâre my good girl, after all.â
âJeonghanââ you mewled, milking his cock as your pussy clenched. He continued to piston his dick into you, watching as a milky white ring formed around the base of his shaft, making him bite his lower lip to prevent himself from coming at the sight alone.
Jeonghan moved his hand from your hips to your clit, rubbing the sensitive, throbbing nub with his thumb in tight circles, making you cry out softly against his shoulder, leaning your forehead against it.Â
âIâIâm gonna cumâJeonghan-!â You squealed as your release hit you like a wave, your boyfriend prolonging your pleasure as he continued to pound into you and rub your clit ruthlessly.
Jeonghan could feel his orgasm coming closer, his thrusts getting sloppier as he buried himself deep inside you, moaning as he filled you up with sticky, hot cum. He shuddered as your cunt pulsed around his sensitive half-hard dick, spurts of his release filling you up to the brim, and dripping down your thighs.
âFuckâŚâ He muttered, panting heavily as he kept you plugged with his dick, not wanting to pull out just yet. Jeonghan, ever the gentleman, pressed a soft kiss to your temple after ruining you for anyone else. âI donât wanna pull out.â
He mumbled with a soft pout, making you hit his chest as you chuckled with a soft exhale. âWell, you have to. We need to be there for when Tommy blows out his candles.â
âOhâfuck, right. Iâll clean you up, then.â Your boyfriend pulled out hastily, prompting the two of you to moan in unison as he grabbed a few tissues and cleaned your sensitive cunt up before helping you into your shorts, and helped you fix yourself up.
Heading downstairs, you bumped into your mom, who had been frantically looking for the two of you. âWhere have you two been? Weâre gonna blow the candles off the cake soon! Come on, Tommyâs looking for the two of you.â
She dragged both of you to the backyard, where your dad held the camera as he took pictures of your brother standing by the cake, smiling widely when he saw you and Jeonghan. Thatâs when all of you started singing happy birthday to him, and he thought of a wish. He blew on the candles, his friends and your family cheering and clapping, before your mother took the cake to cut it into slices for the kids.
You kneeled to your brotherâs level, giving him a hand-five, smiling softly. âSo, what did you wish for, little guy?â
âIf I tell it wonât come true!â He huffed, crossing his arms as he pouted. âBut I can write it down! Thatâs what Dad said I could do so theyâd come true even more!â
Your brother ran to your dad to ask for a pen and paper, then returned to you to write down his wish. âHere! Donât read it out loud though⌠I really want it to come true.â
âOkay, okay.â You ruffled your brotherâs hair and took the piece of paper from him.
âI wish for big sis and Hannie to stay together forever! And for big sis to keep making me cakes until forever!â
Your heart squeezed, smiling as you pocketed the piece of paper before picking your baby brother up and spinning him around. âIâll make sure that wish comes true, little man, I promise.â
Tommy cheered as you put him down so he could eat some cake, leaving you with Jeonghan once more, standing happily.
âWhatâd the paper say, angel?â He asked, hiding his hands in his pockets as he glanced at you.
âIf I say it wonât come true, Jeonghan.âÂ
âFair enough,â he murmured, but pouted nonetheless. âIs it something about us dating forever and ever?â
You sputtered, hitting his shoulder as he snorted out a laugh. âYouâyou read it over my shoulder!â
âI did, so what? I plan on keeping the same promise you made to the little menace.â He smiled at you, the gesture full of warmth as he wrapped his arm over your shoulders. âCome on, I wanna try that cake you baked. I wanna check if itâs as sweet as my girl.â
He nosed your temple as he whispered the last part into your ear, making your face turn pink as you hit him again. It was a good day.
When Easter break was over, you and Jeonghan had to go back to campus, bidding your goodbyes until summer vacation. By then, Jeonghan wouldâve graduated, and youâd be a junior with your friends. Doubt filled your chest again as you thought about it while typing on your laptop in Jeonghanâs car. He seemed to notice your perplexed expression, poking your thigh gently as he focused on the road.
âWhatâs bothering you?â He asked, and you just grunted softly. âCome on, sweetheart, talk to me. I know itâs definitely not the smut youâre writing right now. Thatâs your âIâm worried about somethingâ face.â
You tore your eyes from your laptop at that, looking at him incredulously. âWhat?â
âYeah, you heard me. You make a face when youâre perplexed with something, and I wanna know what it is because⌠just because.â He paused at the last second, stopping himself from saying something stupid as he shrugged.
âI was thinking about you graduating this yearâŚâ You murmured, glancing back at your laptop as the light turned red. Jeonghanâs eyes softened at your concern, taking your hand into his.
âIâm not going anywhere, angel. I still have a masterâs degree to pursue, remember?â He squeezed your hand gently, reassuring you, but you still had some doubt. Jeonghan sighed softly. âDonât make me fuck you in my car again, because I will, just to proveââ
âOkay, okayâno⌠no need to go such lengths.â You flushed, clearing your throat as you closed your laptop with your free hand before looking at him, as he started driving again. âI just⌠I donât know. I thought you didnât want to pursue a masterâs? Didnât you say it was stupid to get a masterâs degree in PoliSci?â
âI changed my mind, angel, people can do that, you know? Plus, it gives me more time with you on campus.â He shrugged before smiling. âJust to look out for you. And drive you to campus.â
âMy apartment is a fifteen-minute walk to campus, smartass.â You retorted, but understood his reasoning. The thought of him staying made you both giddy and guilty. Did he really want to spend another two years in uni just for you? Jeonghan brought you back from your thoughts when he called out your name.
âStop overthinking. I want this, really. Like more than you know.â He brought your hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to your knuckles. âI wonât let some other grimy college students steal my girl.â
His girl. You were his girl.
Once you got back to campus, your friends decided to steal you away from your boyfriend, saying something along the lines of, "Spending this much time with Jeonghan is unhealthy." You snorted at their logic, but let yourself get dragged away anyway, wanting to catch up with your friends.
âSooo, how was break for you guys?â Seokmin started as he took a sip of his iced coffee. Mingyu and Seokmin were mostly glancing at you since you had practically ignored the group chat for the whole break, spending your time with your family and Jeonghan instead of updating them. Minghao wasnât interested, scrolling through his phone instead, but still listening.
You sighed, rolling your eyes as you started. âIt went well. I can show pictures of the cake I made for Tommy.â
âNo, spill the tea. What happened between Jeonghan and you during? Did you guys do something fun?â Mingyu waved off the idea of you showing the three-tier cake you worked so hard on, making you want to smack your best friend. Memories started flooding into your brain as you flushed.
âYouâre mine, angel. Even when Iâm not sure about how I feel towards you, youâre mine, and Iâve always been yours. Even when you hated me.â
âYouâre trouble, angel⌠You want me to cum in you, donât you? Breed this sweet pussy? Have you full of my cum while you help your mom with handing out the cake? Is that it?â He crooned, his tone sweet but his words condescending, as you nodded gently, causing him to groan. âYeah? Of course, you do, youâre my good girl, after all.â
âFuckâŚâ He muttered, panting heavily as he kept you plugged with his dick, not wanting to pull out just yet. Jeonghan, ever the gentleman, pressed a soft kiss to your temple after ruining you for anyone else. âI donât wanna pull out.â
You snapped out of your little bubble, your face now a red hue as Mingyuâs face turned smug. âThey definitely had some funâow!â
He hissed when Minghao gently karate-chopped Mingyuâs head. âItâs none of our business. Let her have a personal life, Gyu.â
You sighed in relief when Minghao reprimanded your best friend, thankful as the conversation switched from you to some random thing Seokmin did during his trip to the Maldives.
When the three of you had caught up enough, you texted Jeonghan on your way home to come over to your apartment, rolling your eyes when he sent a bunch of winky faces. He was waiting by your building when you came into view, his expression brightening up.
âHow was catching up with your besties? Fun?â He pressed a soft kiss to your forehead as the two of you headed upstairs. You just groaned, sighing softly as you pressed yourself against Jeonghanâs side.
âYes, but tiring. I enjoyed it a lot.â You smiled as you unlocked the door before entering your home, tossing your shoes into the shoe rack and dragging Jeonghan towards the bathroom.
âWoah, right now?â He cocked his eyebrow, amused at your decision. You sent him a deadpan look, making him chuckle.
âI just wanna shower with you, smartass.â You rolled your eyes as you started shedding your clothes without much care, earning a hum from Jeonghan.
âWe both know it wonât just be a shower, sweetheart.â He murmured against your now bare shoulder, kissing it softly. âAnd I know you wonât complain.â
After your shower, the two of you huddled up on your couch, refreshed and relaxed. You were on top of Jeonghan as the two of you cuddled, and Jeonghan was on his phone, scrolling through his socials, while you listened to his heartbeat, slowly dosing off.
Thatâs when a small flash and soft muttered âshitâ brought you back from your almost-sleep, grunting against Jeonghanâs chest. âDid you take a picture of us?â
â...No?â You snorted at his unsure tone before you just nuzzled into his chest, making him sigh.
âGod, I love you,â he murmured before realising his slip-up, the two of you freezing up in your spot.
âSay that again?â You moved your head to look at him, your expression soft as your eyes showed warmth. âPlease?â
âIâfuck,â he muttered, flushing pink as he rubbed his face. âI didnât want to say it like this.â
âCome on, Hannie, tell me again.â You tugged on the string of his hood, jutting your lip into a small pout. God, you were going to be the death of him.
âKiss me first. Then maybeââ You cut Jeonghan off, not hesitating to press a soft kiss to his lips as he flushed further, his ears burning.
â...I love you, angel.â
âI love you too, Hannie.â
FIN~
taglist: @wonushy
Likes and reblogs are appreciated!!
Delayed
AN: I have been wanting to write about this hair since Super, and now I finally have the motivation and time. Super Jeonghan, you will always be famous to me. The Jeonghan brainworms are very severe right now.
Synopsis: Tonight is arguably one of the important dinners in the kingdom's history. It could make or break relations with the Wen family. Your husband, however, is much more interested in dragging you to bed than building political alliances at the moment.
General tags and warnings: Yoon Jeonghan x Fem! Reader, established relationship, implied arranged marriage, hinted at former enemies to lovers, extremely vague historical AU, royalty AU and there is zero plot here.
Smut tags and warnings: dirty talk, fingering (f. receiving), Reader gets edged once, petnames, having children gets brought up once and it's mostly a joke, nipple and breast play (f. receiving), handjob (m. receiving), piv sex without a condom and creampie.
Word count: 2.5k.
I will block you if you are a minor and/or have no easily visible indication of your age on your blog if you interact with me in any way.
âYour brother is going to lecture our ears off if we're late,â you remind Jeonghan, trying your best not to lose yourself in the way his hands drag along your sides and the way he breathes in your freshly washed hair.Â
âWho cares what Joshua thinks?â he mutters dismissively into your neck, leaving goosebumps in his wake, âI'd much rather spend my evening with you instead of at that dinner filled with people I can't stand,â he finishes off, teasing the hem of your robe with his long fingers.Â
âAs sweet of a sentiment as that is, we have guests from the Wen family visiting. We can't just not show up,â you argue, still remaining in his arms and shuddering when his lips press against the exposed skin of your shoulder. You bite back a whimper when one of his hands continues to trail higher up your thigh, pushing the fabric of your robe out of the way as much as he can to expose as much of your skin as possible to his scorching touch. Jeonghan is arguably the smartest man you know. Hell, you'd go as far as to say he's the smartest man in the nation. You're well aware he's just trying to sway you right now but, you can't pretend he's not being very convincing right now.Â
âYou've got me there,â he concedes but, his hand doesn't slow in the slightest, âWe'll just be a little late, that's all,â he whispers and you swear you've never heard a more tempting offer in your life. It's so much worse when he spins you around to face him. As though you weren't feeling dizzy and lightheaded enough. The lust in his eyes shines brighter than the moon outside of your bedroom window. The charcoal one of his servants applied around them amplifies his want that causes your own desire to flare up viciously. And to think, a year ago you couldn't stand this man and struggled to imagine yourself liking him in any capacity.Â
How things have changed.Â
âYou're a terrible influence,â is all you say before pulling him by his own robe and smashing your lips together. You resist the impulse to roll your eyes when you feel him chuckle against your lips. Fortunately, his hands do a fantastic job of distracting you from his smugness. Nimble fingers untying the knot at the front of your robe with practiced ease. It doesn't quite pool around you but, it does grant your husband all the access he needs. Warm hands wasting no time in kneading and massaging as much of your tits as he's able to. Groaning into your mouth when he feels your hardened nipples underneath his palms.Â
âThey can't be mad at us for being late anyway,â he mumbles against your lips, âThey've been harassing us for an heir for months now. We're just fulfilling our royal duties.â You laugh harder than you anticipate. Your laughter doesn't deter Jeonghan, though. His attention simply shifts to kissing along your jaw and running his hands along your body as though this is the first time he's touching you. As though he didn't have those same hands on you this morning. Out of everything you've learned about him these last few months, his seemingly bottomless lust has caught you the most by surprise.Â
âYou're ridiculous,â you finally manage to say once you've calmed down sufficiently, allowing your fingers to play with the ends of his hair while his mouth reacquaintes itself with your neck. âAm I wrong?â He asks brazenly, briefly shooting you a look that's equal parts exasperated and knowing before continuing with his very important task of mapping your body with as much of his lips and hands as possible.
âNo, you're not,â you concede, letting him pull you towards your ridiculously ornate bed, âbut, you're not doing a great job of trying to sway me into believing you suddenly care about your royal duties,â you say with a smile that hurts your face a little. âWhat? A man can't change his mind?â He asks with faux seriousness.Â
âHe can but, maybe he should change it another time. Not when we're meant to be getting dressed for a dinner that's very important for the future of our kingdom,â you muse, joining him on your silk sheets and letting him palm your thighs and litter your collarbone with messy kisses. âWe'll make it,â he says with so much certainty that you really can't find it within yourself to disagree or argue with him. Especially not when his hand is making its way up your inner thigh, âWe just have to be quick and efficient, that's all.âÂ
Jeonghan doesn't give you much time to digest his words. Dragging you into another impassioned kiss while his fingers brush your delicate folds. He swallows your quiet gasps eagerly. Devouring every sound the swipes and presses of his fingers pluck from you. âI thoâthought you said we had to hurry,â you whine when he continues to toy with you. His touches far too light and far too quick, not allowing you a second to savour them. âYou're right, you're right. My apologies.â He has the nerve to chuckle into your mouth but, any snark you're about to unleash on him is forgotten instantaneously when he finally presses his fingertips to your clit with enough pressure to make your eyes flutter and your hands fist his robe.Â
âHanâHannie,â you whimper, allowing yourself to get lost in his skilled fingers and mouth. The thought of political dinners completely vanished from your mind. His mouth finds its way to your neck, kissing along your jugular before descending to your collarbone. You're certain that he could kiss every part of you over and over and over again and it would still never be enough for him. He pushes two fingers into you at the same time that he latches onto your hardened nipple. Dark eyes watching you under his lashes as his mouth draws breathy gasps of his name (well, attempts of his name) and his fingers gradually open you up for him.Â
Not one to be outdone, you find enough coherence to palm him through his undergarments. Pride swelling in your chest when you feel his fingers falter and his quiet groan pressed into your skin. He's already so hard and the urge to sit on him and swallow his cock to its hilt grips you violently. So violently in fact that it doesn't take much more prompting for you to slip your hand into his undergarments and grasp him directly. Your walls squeezing around his fingers in time with the way he pulses in your hand.Â
âYou're going to be the death of me,â he hisses, finding his composure rather quickly (because of course he does) and curling his fingers inside you in the way he knows will make stars dance in your vision. Frankly, you wouldn't be shocked if he was a warlock because the reactions he pulls from you are not normal in the slightest. âYou ah started all of thâthis,â you remind him, gradually stroking him and delighting in the way his cock throbs in your palm with every movement. It's always lovely to be reminded that he's just as far gone for you as you are for him.Â
Jeonghan chooses not to respond. Electing instead to increase the intensity of the way his fingers curl inside of you and covering your breasts in kisses while he shallowly thrusts into your hand. It's all messy and barely coordinated but, you find the tension in your core building. Every brush of your clit, every touch of his fingers, every kiss and lick of his mouth just pushes you closer and closer to the edge. You're sure he can feel the way your thighs quiver and the lack of focus you're able to provide to his slick cock in your hand. It's so close that you can practically taste it.Â
And just like that, Jeonghan pulls his drenched fingers out of you.Â
You're not sure when your eyes shut but, they fly open within an instant. Shooting your husband with a look that you're sure is equal parts betrayal and frustration. You can't help the way your hips jolt, searching for any sort of stimulation. Instinctively looking for anything to help ease the fluttering of your walls and the incessant pulse of your clit.
âJeonghan.âÂ
He does at least look a little ashamed but, not enough for your liking. You can still see the amusement too clearly in his eyes. âI'm sorry, love,â he doesn't sound sorry in the slightest, âYou know I can't help myself sometimes,â he says with an upturn of his lips that makes your stomach twist horribly and your ache between your thighs worsen. âLet me make it up to you,â he offers, maneuvering his way between your thighs before you can blink and recognise he's no longer in your grasp. Gods, you know his hair is going to be ruined by the time the two of you are finished but, you truly hope not. He's looked otherworldly before but, seeing him from this angle is an entirely different experience altogether. You've got to slip his servants a generous amount of gold coins in thanks.Â
His kiss is gentle this time. A stark contrast to the way you can feel his tip prodding at your dripping, eager entrance. âI love you,â he sighs before pushing into you and, you really don't think that's all that fair. You really did marry a dirty trickster of a man. âAlways so eager and ready for me,â he continues, his voice hoarse with desire as he finds his pace and all you can do is cling to his back for some form of grounding, âMy beautiful, lovely, brilliant, erotic wife,â he grits out, one of his hands gripping your hip fiercely.Â
It's hard to think of anything other than his gorgeous face twisted in the most arousing expressions you've ever seen in your life and the way his cock drags along the deepest, most intimate parts of you. You knew you were close before but, a few thrusts already have you dangerously teetering on the edge. âYou're so unfair,â you gasp out while he focuses his attention on nipping at your throat while twisting and tugging at your nipples with those stupidly skilled fingers of his.Â
âUnfair?â He laughs breathlessly, meeting your lidded gaze with his own, âMaybe you shouldn't have seduced me with that flimsy robe of yours,â he argues. The following snap of his hips is sharp and you can't really find it in you to respond. Grasping his own robe for purchase as the tension in your core begins to reach a fever pitch. âHow was I meant to stop myself when you looked like that?â He rasps into your ear and you think it's deeply unfair how many of your weaknesses he's learned and, is using against you. He chuckles into your skin when all you're able to reply with are choked gasps and whines of his name. You can feel him smile into you when you jolt just as he presses his fingers to your swollen clit. Not giving you a chance to collect yourself before he rubs circles into you that cause your thighs to shake violently and your walls to tighten around him.Â
âYou wanted to cum, right?â His tone is teasing and you swear you hate him. It's difficult to speak when you can practically taste your climax with every touch of his fingers and stroke of his cock, âI want you to,â he breathes, a touch of desperation to his tone, âI want to feel it when you do. Want to feel you cum all over me, all around me,â he whispers straight into your ear and you can already feel the beginnings of electricity shooting down your spine, âI need to.âÂ
You're not sure what causes the cord to snap entirely. His cock? His fingers? His words? His voice? Him? You're not sure it really matters, ultimately. Your breaths turn to gasps and whimpers moans of his name while your thighs quiver around his slender hips. Every extremity tingling with the lightning you can feel coursing through you as Jeonghan continues his movements even through your mind numbing orgasm. You're too lost in a daze to make out what he's saying but, the bleary vision of him with his carefully styled hair sticking to his sweaty face and his smeared, charcoal liner make your stomach swoop all the same.Â
ââbeautiful you are,â are the rushed words you do manage to catch just as his grip on your hips grows harsher and his face morphs in pleasure. Jeonghan's stamina is impressive. Another aspect of him that you never quite expected. And usually, you'd be more than happy to let him continue making love to you until you both pass out but, you both have duties to attend to.
Jeonghan isn't the only one who has picked up a trick or two over the course of your marriage.Â
Using what little energy you have left, you wrap your arms around him. Jeonghan lets you pull him closer to you, his breath stuttering when you intentionally clench your walls around him and drag your fingernails along the parts of scalp that aren't covered in hair clips. âHannie,â you add an extra bit of whine in your voice, reveling in the way you feel him shudder and his cock throb inside of you, âLove you, Hannie.â He makes a noise you barely register before kissing you fiercely and holding you in place as he snaps his hips faster and faster, his blunt nails digging into your skin and your kiss being more tongue and spit than anything else.Â
You're not sure what pushes him over the edge but, it's not long before he moans long and quietly into your mouth and you feel his cock shoot rope after rope of his release into you. The warmth that fills you is familiar and just so him that you can't help the soft whines that fall from your lips as you feel him ride out his climax. You can tell he's trying his best to not just collapse onto you but, the shakiness in his arms is evident and he's practically on you already. A small laugh bubbles out of you and you can't help but, smile when he shoots you a curious look.
âWhat?â He asks, running his thumb along the marks his nails left on your hip.Â
âYou can rest on me if you want to, beloved husband,â your face hurts from how much you're smiling. You must look insane, âYou won't crush me.âÂ
Either he's just as insane as you are or he shares your bizarre sense of elation right now because he smiles right back at you before responding, âI thought we had a dinner to attend?â You decide to ignore how attractive he looks with his eyebrow raised.Â
âWe're already running late anyway. What's a few more minutes?âÂ
He really has become a terrible influence.Â
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Seventeen Masterlist | Ko-Fi
đđđ đđđ¨đđ§đ ⥠jeonghan x reader
â i eagerly await your permission to taste you, as long as that may take â đĽ ďšâš
plot summary : you canât decide if itâs the worst or perfect time for a vampire to whisk you away from the life youâre all too familiar with.
content warnings : jeonghan x reader, vampire au, regency/dark fantasy au, vampire!jeonghan x princess!reader, featuring wonwoo and joshua, love at first sight, might be kinda rushed (sorry), suggestive scenes/making out but no smut, mentions of blood because duh, wonwoo is a bit of an ass but only for drama/entertaining purposes, angst, yearning, cursing, betrayal, cheating, 14.2k wc!
author note : iâm running for the hills after posting, this is my first time writing a vampire fic iâm so sorry if itâs cringey đ not proofread
it was like waking up from an unfathomable nightmare and immediately searching for a single flicker of light to bring you even a semblance of comfort. of reality. but when he woke up that day, his chest felt empty, his entire body felt cold.. it was nauseating, nerve-wracking, to say the least. for a moment, he wondered if he was stuck in some sort of cruel purgatory.
his home was much darker than he remembered. not a single sliver of sunlight was permitted to peek through the windows, the curtains now bolted to every corner of the large windows. he knew it was daytime, somehow, but he felt a strange sense of exhaustion.Â
then his friend walked through the door.. but he wasnât as happy to see him as he had expected. somehow, at a single glance, his friend looked different, his usual friendly countenance diminished. his friend parted his lips but remained silence, as if the two of them shared an unspoken sense of dread. it confused him, made him wonder just how much had changed when he was asleep..Â
in a brief passing, just as he was pushing the quilts forward, he saw it. a flash of painful memories nearly sent him falling back against the pillows again- and suddenly it all became too clear. he stared again at the marks on his wrist in a fit of rage and came to realize this new life ahead of him was anything but a cruel purgatory.Â
for at least, for some, purgatory would eventually come to an end.Â
â
the chandelier shone bright above the crowd, the polished marbled floor beneath your feet somehow glistening even more so than usual. even with hundreds of guests dancing gleefully through the room, there wasnât so much of a scratch on the tile. though you were hardly interested to find out what went into cleaning your fianceâs ballroom floor.
you stared down at your pasteled tulle skirts in a daze, wondering how youâd come to let a perfectly good outfit go to waste. across the room, wonwoo discussed business, finance, strategy.. anything he figured you couldnât be bothered to hear. especially on the night your engagement was to be formally announced.
you should have been happier. it was a momentous occasion, an important milestone for many, not just royalty. strangers from both yours and wonwooâs kingdoms joined together to celebrate your future union. you werenât just promised to him but a life of stability, comfort.. yet you should have been happier.  Â
one thing that would have made you happier, for example, was if your fiance shared even one dance with you. it seemed that the two of you went through the motions of your speedy engagement in different ways, with him evidently viewing it only as a transaction. which, in all fairness, it was exactly that.
you soon came to find out there was only so much you could take. you managed to sneak out of the ballroom without anyone noticing, furthering away from the crowd until all you could hear was the echoed tapping of your heels against the floor.Â
there was nothing like a breath of fresh, night air, especially after hours of suffocation. the crisp autumn air was refreshing, rejuvenating, almost- even if you had left your shawl inside. you chased the wonderful feeling of freedom the further you stepped into the unfamiliar gardens, the full moon high above your head mistifying, to say the least.
âitâs beautiful, isnât it?âÂ
a cool, low voice not two feet behind you startled you out of your daze. you turned around, only to find the culprit was just as handsome as he sounded. fluffy blonde hair, elegant and striking features, dark eyes that shone beautifully in the moonlight.. he wore elegant black robes, covering every inch of his skin. incredible- you had barely shared any words, yet he seemed to be the most elusive figure you had and ever would lay your eyes on.Â
âyes,â you suddenly coughed out, a short chuckle leaving your lips soon after. âyes. it is..â
the man, noticing your flustered state, chuckled knowingly and took a single step closer. âmy apologies. i didnât mean to startle the queen-to-be.â
you tilted your head, finally noticing the crimson in his eyes. his irises were the deepest shade of red imaginable, just like rubies.. it was unlike anything youâd ever seen before. âhow do you know who i am?âÂ
he chuckled again, sending a chill down your spine. âi saw your tiara and took a leap of faith. besides.. everyone in the kingdom knows who you are.âÂ
âmaybe youâre right. even so.. itâs unfair,â you started, struggling to speak as eloquently as he did. âthat you know who i am, yet i donât even know your name.â
âjeonghan.â he spoke without hesitation, seemingly carrying enough confidence for the two of you. especially considering the skillful way he took your hand in his and pressed a kiss against your knuckles. his fingers were cold as they wrapped around yours, as if youâd plunged your hand in ice cold water, yet you couldnât bring yourself to pull away. âitâs a pleasure to finally put a face to the name. such a gorgeous face, i might add.â
you furrowed your eyebrows, puzzled. âdidnât you-â
âgossiping remarks in the town square hardly do your beauty justice.â he smirked, as if he knew the flattering remark was more than a satisfactory explanation. after all, you were doing a terrible job masking just how flustered you felt..Â
âthank you,â you finally whispered, avoiding his gaze. a never ending sea of tall oak trees marked a plunge into darkness, one you had since been contemplating diving head first into.Â
his gaze followed yours into the forest several feet ahead and he raised an eyebrow. âforgive me for sounding invasive, but shouldnât you be inside? with your fiance?â  Â
âi suppose i should be,â you sighed, making no attempt to hide your apprehension. âbut.. itâs a little suffocating in there at the moment. i just needed a moment to decompress, collect my thoughts.â
he smiled to himself, as if to be taking pride in the fact you had placed confidence in him. âthatâs understandable,â he started, releasing a long breath. âyouâre starting a new chapter in your life. that doesnât always come easy.â
âi donât mind change, not really,â you shrugged. âand i know how lucky i am. i just..wish i had more of a say in these types of arrangements.â
jeonghan nodded, briefly humming in contemplation. âso now, youâre just.. inattentively going through the motions of a life you didnât sign up for. i know a little about what thatâs like.â
âyou do?â disbelief filled your tone as you raised an eyebrow.
he chuckled at your phrasing, stepping closer to you until one breath could have pressed your shoulder against his own. âyes. i may not be of noble blood.. but that does not mean i cannot try to understand those who are.â
his words were so vague, his tone so alluring, yet you couldnât bring yourself to ask him to elaborate. especially once you were met with his beautiful crimson eyes again and ultimately left speechless- this stranger puzzled you in many more ways than one. his eloquent way of speaking was a perfect match for his beauty, positively alluringâŚ
âi suppose.. i better go back inside. before the prince starts to suspect something,â you chuckled sheepishly, still struggling to hide your bashfulness.Â
he watched you take a few steps towards the staircase before calling out to you, âso soon?â
you turn to him with a gentle smile, âwell.. yes. itâs rather rude to keep my intended waiting, whether weâre in good spirits or not. wouldnât you agree?â
he smirked broadly, twisting his lips in a way that made your heart race. âi do. but he doesnât seem to pay you any mind, does he?âÂ
something rather dark clouded your mind and there was an unmistakable pang in your heart, whether it was brought on by confusion or something else entirely, you didnât know. was the mysterious jeonghan a mind reader, or was he simply more intuitive than most?Â
he continued, âotherwise he wouldnât have left you out here, all alone. especially near a dangerous forest.. whether youâre in good spirits or not.âÂ
you couldnât stop the smirk pulling at your lips as he repeated your words. âwill you join me inside, then? i canât, in good conscience, leave you out by this âdangerous forest.ââ
his eyes briefly widened as he stared past your shoulder for a moment, the light from the lanterns illuminating his dark irises. it was a terrifyingly alluring sight, disappearing in a flash of lightning. he spoke coyly, âvery well, if you insist.â
maybe you were imagining things, but the flames in the tiny candles throughout the hall seemed to expand from the moment he stepped past the doorway. there was a shift in the air, one that you couldnât conjure the words to explain. and yet, you made a conscious effort to take his hand in yours the moment the two of you were in the ballroom. he seemed puzzled at first, as if you had caught him in a flustered state.
âshare a dance with me?â you offered, admiring the depth of his fluffy white hair.Â
he tilted his head briefly, giving rise to another devilish smirk. âi would be honored.â
it was an undoubtedly puzzling sight, the princess sharing a dance with a dazzling stranger on the night of her engagement party. you did your best to shrug off the judgemental glances and inquisitive stares, focusing only on the beautiful man leading you in circles around the dance floor. like everything he did, he led the waltz with skillful precision..and charm. for the knowing smile never left his lips.Â
it felt strange trying to avoid his gaze when his chest lay nearly a breath away from yours. you quickly caught on to the cunning nature in his smile, chuckling to yourself. âyou smile like you know something no one else in the room does,â you noted quietly.Â
he laughed softly at your words and you could have sworn you saw the lanterns flicker one more time. âmaybe i do,â he replied coyly.
you scoffed, âvery well.. do you mind enlightening me?âÂ
he merely shook his head, the loose curls near his eyes shaking with the impact. he laughed again and it seemed to overshadow any other sound in the room. âno.. no i donât think i will,â he finally answered with a snicker.
âyouâre no fun,â you teased just before he twirled you under his arm.Â
âon the contrary,â he whispered, just before his grip on your waist tightened ever so slightly. it seemed as though he spoke not to argue with you, but to make a promise..
the song eventually reached its end with the orchestra drawing on the last few notes. applause scattered throughout the room, prompting you to take two steps back from jeonghan and draw in a deep breath to collect yourself. something about the look of intrigue in his dark eyes pulled you in like a moth to the flame.Â
you watched him part his lips and mentally asked yourself what he was about to say. run away with me? in a heartbeat..Â
âget away from her,â a deep voice not two feet behind your shoulder demanded.Â
you, recognizing it immediately, whipped your head back. âwonwoo.. we were just-â
wonwoo ignored you, quickly reiterating his words in a much louder tone. âget away from her. i wonât ask again.â
jeonghanâs smile never faltered, giving rise to a new level of darkness in his eyes. âand why would i do that? i was under the impression we were to share another dance.â
wonwooâs hand fell to his side to circle around the silver detailed hilt of his sword. unmistakable anger filled his narrowed eyes as he stared at jeonghan with nothing less than the deepest form of hatred. but whyâŚ? âyou have no business being here. how did you even manage to get in here? you weren-â
âwerenât invited?â jeonghan offered with a snicker. âyour lovely fiance was gracious enough to invite me in, actually.â
jeonghanâs words were filled with venom, leaving a sour taste in your mouth. you looked back and forth between the two of them with furrowed eyebrows. âi donât understand..â you started dryly. âwonwoo, will you just tell me wh-â
âthereâs no need for that,â wonwoo cut you off once again and gripped tighter to his sword, threatening to release it from its sheath at any moment. âjeonghan, leave. thereâs no need to cause a scene.â
he took a single step backwards and hummed, as if in contemplation. although he could easily overpower anyone stupid enough to get in his way, there was no use in dealing with collateral damage. as boring as his night was turning out to be.. âvery well. just remember.. you canât get rid of me that easily now.â
he disappeared in the blink of an eye, a blur.. not even a cloud of mysterious smoke signalled his departure. a collective gasp filled the room and you, at a loss for words, released a heavy sigh as a pit formed in your stomach. your suspicions from the beginning had been confirmed: there was more to the beautiful stranger than met the eye.
not only were you frightened, confused about your encounter with the strange man, but you felt like a fundamental piece of information was missing. you turned to wonwoo, demanding, âhow did you know his name? what is he?â
he appeared dejected, his frame slightly shrinking under your gaze. there was no excuse for him to ignore you now. âthat, my darling,â he started in a weary tone, just as a light pattern of rainfall began to tap against the windows. âwas a vampire.â
â
âyou do realize how foolish your actions were tonight?â
your fiance, always the monotonous one, stood near your doorframe with his arms folded across his chest. you chuckled bitterly at the reflection in your vanity mirror; how fitting, it seemed, that the first time he bothered to visit your quarters was in order to scold you. nonchalantly, you brushed through your hair without bothering to focus on his eyes, even in the mirror.Â
you argued, your tone slightly harsher than anticipated, âhow was i supposed to know what he is?âÂ
âthatâs besides the point; itâs the principle. you canât just invite people into my-â he paused, clearing his throat. â-our castle without even discussing it with me first.â
you finally turned around to face him, your eyebrows furrowed. âmaybe i would have taken better care to heed your request if i knew your kingdom was overrun with.. with vampires. i donât remember you mentioning that at all in the arrangement, by the way.â
his shoulders noticeably stiffened at your words, the horrible notion of the monsters bringing a shiver down his spine. it was true; his kingdom, like many, had been crawling with vampires for centuries. but as far as you were concerned, none of your subjects had reported so much as a sighting of the terrifying creatures. you felt barely equipped to handle what would undoubtedly be a catastrophic attack, now that you had invited one in..
wonwoo stood in silence with his jaw clenched for a moment, pondering his next choice of words carefully. defending oneself against a vampire was bad enough, but an entire castle? how could someone be so foolish⌠âand if i remember correctly, the only concern your family had was the promise of more land and soil.âÂ
you clenched your jaw in an effort to hold your tongue. his words, however poisonous, had a hint of truth to them; your marriage was an arranged transaction. and it was becoming increasingly clear that wonwoo wanted desperately to remind you of it every day..
âso what happens now?â you finally asked, your voice slightly strained.
âthere are two guards sanctioned outside your door. just.. stay in here for the night and you should be safe. and donât leave this room unless permitted,â he instructed you without an ounce of sympathy in his tone.Â
âgood night,â was your acknowledgement as you turned back around to stare in the mirror. the moment you heard the door click shut several feet behind, a heavy, weary sight left your lips. knowing there was no chance of you getting any sleep that night, you took to studying the details of your reflection and wondering how youâd been paired with the most apathetic man in the realm.Â
outside, the wind was getting harsher and harsher, blowing through the large trees planted near your balcony and seemingly knocking at the french doors and windows. the full moon shone brightly directly above the castle, casting shadows into your bedroom. not for the first time, you wished you werenât a night owl.Â
 it felt like you were waiting. waiting for something, or more accurately, for someone. although the windows were closed, you felt a chill run down your spine, giving rise to goosebumps that would form along your arms. your bright blue dressing gown was only a few steps away, draped over the dressing screen. yet.. you felt glued to your chair.Â
hours must have passed before the wind all but ripped the balcony doors off their hinges, sending a harsh wave of frosty air through your bedroom. although you felt the effects of the cold, goosefleshed skin and slightly shaky hands.. it didnât feel unwelcomed. actually it felt oddly comfortable.Â
and then lightning struck, a flash of blinding light piercing through the space of your bedroom. yet, you might as well have welcomed the storm with open arms; the rain had always brought you comfort, after all. especially during sleepless nights.
âi do apologize for the interruption,â a clear voice behind you spoke smoothly, prompting your shoulders to stiffen. you could hear jeonghan, feel his presence directly behind the small vanity chair, yet he did not appear in the mirror in front of you. even so, you stared straight ahead, as if to make eye contact with his reflection.
âis it true, then?â you asked him while tugging at a loose thread on your sleeve.
he let out another chuckle, the sound going straight to your racing heart. âit seems like you already know.â
you drew in a breath as he rested his hands on your shoulders, his thumb brushing lightly against your collarbone. âi should have seen the signs,â you thought out loud. maybe you were as foolish as wonwoo claimed, for you made no effort to push jeonghan away..
he hummed, âare you sure you werenât just ignoring the obvious?âÂ
you furrowed your eyebrows gently in contemplation, reflecting on the first time you saw his deep red eyes, felt his cold hand against yours.. suddenly, you let out a halfhearted chuckle, âmaybe youâre right.â Â
although you couldnât see his reflection, you could feel his gaze piercing into yours. you swore you could hear him smirk as he spoke lowly, âdonât beat yourself up, princess. based on what i now know about you, it seems as if youâre craving a little more of.. an adventure.â
âadventure?â you quickly shook your head, snickering. âi wouldnât say that.â
âi would,â he countered gently. âyouâre bored, princess. and who could blame you, with the man youâre expected to marry?â
you paused, watching your hair fall behind your shoulder in the mirror. although it appeared to move on its own, jeonghanâs fingers brushing gently through your achingly soft locks pulled you back into reassurance. âyou think you can give me what i really want?â you asked him lowly, the faintest hint of amusement in your voice.Â
he paused, leaning down just a little bit. you felt his breath brush gently against the shell of your ear, effectively sending yet another shiver down your spine. âi know i can.â
a soft breath barely left your lips before his own were on your neck, leaving a trail of feathery kisses in their wake. you tilted your head back, your eyelids falling shut with ease as you bore your throat to him. for a moment, he was cool, calm and collected, releasing a gentle sigh against your skin. he was determined to savor the moment for as long as possible, even if your pulse racing beneath his lips was louder to him than the thunder outside. his eyes were screwed shut as he fought with everything inside him to ignore his instincts, to let his sharp teeth only lightly graze the surface..  Â
the gentle prick prompted your eyes to open and you sat upright again, finally turning to face him. his pupils were dilated, his gaze intense.. but he seemed to immediately understand the place of unease you were coming from.Â
âdonât worry,â he assured you with a gentle smile. âiâll only take a bite if you really want me to.â
a gentle sigh left your lips after he spoke, loving nothing more than the thought of allowing him a taste. the collected way in which he spoke, the flushed look in his eyes, all of it almost tempted you to tilt your head back for him all over again. âwhile i like the sound of that,â you started breathlessly. âiâm not sure how wonwoo would feel about seeing the marks in the morning.â
he nodded while doing his best not to showcase his disappointment at the mention of your fiance. here you were, desperate to appease a man who paid such little attention to you.. âas you wish,â he whispered.
you shifted in your seat to face him better as he knelt upon the floor. he was now eye level with you, yet not nearly close enough, in his mind. you finally asked him quietly, âwhat are you really doing here?âÂ
âcan i not pay a visit to a new friend of mine?â he asked, his eyes locked intently on yours.Â
you scoffed lightly, tilting your head. âconsidering your teeth were almost in my neck, iâd be willing to guess your visits come with ulterior motives.â
he shook his head, his tone nowhere near as defensive as you expected. âas i told you; i eagerly await your permission to taste you, as long as that may take.â
you bit the inside of your cheek, trying not to let the promising notion go to your head; whether he intended the double entendre or not, you werenât entirely sure. âyou have a lot of restraint for a vampire.â
he laughed at your words, his eyes filling with amusement. ânot all vampires are as vicious as they are in the fairytales, princess. some of them are just-â
âgoing through the motions of a life they didnât sign up for?â you offered with a smirk.Â
he paused, his expression filled with surprise. maybe it was all in his head, but the two of you seemed to understand each other much faster than anticipated. âyes,â he finally chuckled. âyes, you could say that.â
âbe that as it may, wonwoo, the guards, theyâre all preparing to take extra security members. it's dangerous for you here.â
he sighed, almost in defeat, before nodding his head. âi thought of that. thatâs why iâm offering to take you somewhere with me.â
you chuckled, taken off guard by his words. âwhere?â
âfor a drink, perhaps?âÂ
âi thought you only drank blood.â
he snickered again, shaking his head. âagain, so quick to judge. i happen to enjoy red and white wines just as much as blood.â
as a quiet apology, you chuckled and sheepishly looked at your lap. âvery well, where are we going for this drink?âÂ
he paused, lifting his hand to cup your chin between his thumb and index finger. his eyes immediately searched for yours as if he couldnât stand a second being denied the sight. âmy home, of course.â
â
soaring through the sky in the arms of a vampire was something that youâd never even dreamed about. he could have easily teleported back to the mansion while holding you tightly to his figure, but holding patience as a virtue, he opted instead for an extended flight above the forest. the rain seemed to disappear magically and for a moment, you wondered if he had something to do with it.Â
the kingdom from several feet above was beautiful, tall trees scattered around open plains and tiny houses keeping their distances from each other- all the while, the cold wind blowing against your face remained gladly welcomed. suddenly, flying didnât seem so unnatural.Â
you werenât expecting the vampireâs home to be a large, magnificent mansion. although its several towers were dark, looming, and slightly offputting to any onlooker and it appeared more worn down than wonwooâs castle, you found it quite alluring. soft candlelight poured out of a handful of windows, signalling a comforting safe haven inside.Â
he still cradled you close to his chest, one arm around your waist while the other relaxed under your knees, when his feet finally landed on the ground. although he wouldnât admit it out loud, he suddenly felt unconfident about the outward appearance of his home. âitâs not much,â he started quietly. âbut itâs home.â
âit looks lovely,â you assured him, smoothing your hand over his covered shoulder.
âwell, then iâm glad it holds up to your standards.â
when he carried you gracefully to the large front door, it dawned on you that the sight of the two of you must be hilariously misleading to any potential onlooker. after all, you were still in your white nightgown with only a small dressing robe to shield you from the cold. and with the way he held you so close, you looked almost like his bride. for a brief moment, you wondered if he wrestled with the same thought process.
just as you suspected, the interior of his mansion was much more welcoming than the exterior. plush scarlet furniture at every corner, dimly lit candles and lanterns upon the walls and tables, pitch black curtains hanging from the windows, a bearskin rug in the center of the drawing room.. it was oddly..cozy.
you tightened your arms around his shoulders while taking in all of your surroundings. youâd never seen that much red in your entire life. a cold breeze coursed through the hall, prompting you to shiver in his grasp. he only chuckled, bringing you closer to his chest. âit gets a bit drafty in here sometimes.. but iâll keep you warm.â
he set you down in favor of holding onto your hand and leading you near the fireplace. as he briefly left you to place a drink order with one of his servants, it dawned on you: although you were in enemy territory, you couldnât remember a time in which youâd felt safer.Â
he seemed to rejoin you as quickly as he left, sitting down next to you on the bear skin rug. you watched the flames flicker in his eyes, accentuating their redness.. âhave you lived here for a long time?â you asked.
âmy whole life,â he replied lowly. âthis mansion has been passed down among my family from generation to generation.â
you took another look around, taking note of just how high the vaulted ceilings were.. yes, it appeared old, very lived in.. but you sensed that if those walls could have talked, there were many secrets yet to be shared. âitâs beautiful,â you reiterated, unsure of what else to say.
âthank you,â he chuckled, endearment in his tone.
only a few minutes passed before the drinks were finally delivered in exquisite black chalices. you grasped the goblet delicately, taking a look inside and staring deeply at its deep red contents..
âi promise its nothing more than ordinary red wine,â jeonghan assured you, taking the smallest sip from his own cup.
you chuckled, keeping your eyes locked with his own while taking a gentle sip, aiming to savor the taste. it was the richest red wine you had ever tasted, a sweet undertone proving to be more addicting than you could have imagined.. how fitting, it seemed, that the vampire knew were to find the perfect brands of red wine.Â
âthis is far from ordinary,â you noted, setting your goblet a few inches away on the floor. âwhere did you find it?â
he licked his bottom lip, the sight doing more to your heartbeat than it should have. âarenât i allowed to at least have a few secrets?â
âvery well.â
he set his chalice down near yours, using it as a less than discreet excuse to inch his way closer to you. for a moment, he said nothing, the gentle crackling of the fire before you filling the silence. his eyes remained fixed upon your figure, most notably your neck and jawline. he yearned for even the smallest taste, knowing you were most likely just as sweet on the inside as you were on the outside..Â
you, of course, feeling his intense gaze on you, turned to him with a small smirk. the fact that a real, living vampire was so clearly fixated on you was more flattering and ego-feeding than it should have been. âyou have a history with wonwoo, donât you?â you asked, effectively catching him off guard.
âyes,â he answered without hesitation.Â
so your suspicions were correct. there was something concerning about the way wonwoo addressed him without even a flicker of fear in his eye. and of course, the fact that your fiance couldnât have been bothered to tell you how he had come to know and despise the vampire. âwill you tell me about it?âÂ
âno,â he replied, his tone just as sharp and quick as before.
you tilted your head, eyebrows knitting together as you tried not to showcase your annoyance outright. âand why is that?â
âbecause iâd much rather focus on you tonight, darling princess.â
just like that, your brief shift of annoyance melted away. how could it be possible that a man youâd met only hours ago proved to be more attentive than your own intended? were you really this starved for attention that you would allow yourself to venture inside a vampireâs home, territory that you were frighteningly unfamiliar with?Â
you did your best to push those silly questions to the back of your mind, mirroring his actions and inching closer to him. but once his shoulder was pressed against yours, the breath seemed to be snatched from your lungs.. âwhy.. do i feel so drawn to you?â
he paused, lifting his hand once more to let his fingers graze against your jaw. the longer you stared in his deep red eyes, it only became more apparent that the vampire was insistent on devoting every ounce of his attention to you and only you. he soon whispered, âi could easily ask you the same thing.â
once his hand cupped your cheek, effectively reeling you in closer to him, you abandoned any sense of guilt preventing you from kissing the beautiful vampire in front of you. the last thing you thought about in depth before his lips met yours was the fact that your engagement was purely a transaction, it was anything but love. after that, your mind felt hazy, foggy, focusing only on the feeling of his lips against yours.
he kissed you slowly, deeply, as if determined to memorize you on every intimate level. your gentle sighs, the patterns in which your addicting lips, the feeling of your skin against his.. your nose briefly brushed against his as you tilted your head to kiss him at a better angle and he nearly saw stars.Â
his hand glided down to your neck and he, too, felt as if the air had been snatched from his lungs. for he felt your blood rushing underneath his fingertips, he heard your heartbeat echo in his ears again, the effect of a mere kiss proving to excite you and intimidate you all at the same time. it was too tempting, too alluring.. yet he couldnât bring himself to pull away. in fact, he only cupped your neck tighter with the one hand.  Â
the two of you were quickly snapped out of your collective daze when a tiny prick on your bottom lip prompted you to break the kiss. you were breathless, feeling a shockwave run down your arms as a result of the tiny little nibble heâd allowed himself, yet you couldnât bring yourself to break away from him completely.Â
âwas that-â you whispered, taking a mental note of the way his pupils dilated once again.Â
he only smirked faintly, allowing you the tiniest glimpse of his sharp, gleaming fangs. the hand on your neck slid into your hair, tangling themselves in the strands. âdo you want me to stop?âÂ
you couldnât deny how strangely alluring the sight of his fangs were. in an instant, he could change his mind and show his true colors, prove himself to be exactly what you were always warned about.. and yet, they werenât so terrifying now that you were seeing them for yourself. and he made no attempt to catch you in a bad moment and drain your blood..
as soon as you saw him gently swipe his tongue across his bottom lip and inadvertently bare his fangs once again, your decision was made.
âno.âÂ
you moved your own hand to the back of his neck, pulling his lips right back onto yours. you quickly got lost in the kiss again, this one more passionate, more desperate than the last.
jeonghan smirked against your lips, doing his best to keep his hunger and desire at bay. it was too soon, too fast to steal from you just yet. for he had you exactly where he wanted you and he was going to take his time, enjoy every second of his attempt at retaliation. even if his patience was wearing incredibly thin..
â
you were back in your private room before the sun rose. although there was some falsehood to the legends and rumors about vampires, they did, apparently, avoid sunlight at any cost. you slept peacefully for about.. two hours before being abruptly awoken by your new handmaidens. they were nothing if not punctual, youâd soon come to realize.Â
immediately upon waking up in your new home, you were filled with a sense of dread and longing.. jeonghanâs home was a perfect escape from your responsibilities. everything about the vampire himself was fantastical in every good sense of the word; every second with him felt like a dream. naturally, it was much preferred to waking up to your cold-hearted fiance.
even sharing a meal together felt like a formality. the two of you kept great distance as you ate in silence and avoided eye contact at any available opportunity. it was torture.Â
âi trust you slept well?â wonwoo finally spoke up, though his voice suggested disinterest.
you paused before slowly nodding your head. you couldnât tell if the lack of sleep or the memory of your shared night with jeonghan was the bigger issue playing in your distraction. âyes, partially. and you?â
âpartially,â he replied dryly.
you nodded again, making no attempt to hide your own disinterest. your gaze fell to the large grandfather clock in the corner of the room- nightfall had never seemed so far away..
âi need you to do some studying today,â wonwoo abruptly spoke, once again pulling you out of your daze for better or for worse. âif you are to live here, you must learn to defend yourself against those.. monsters. especially now that we are forced to potentially coexist with one in this castle, no thanks to you.â
while pushing his scolding remarks to the back of your mind, you glared softly at him. âwhy canât we just find someone to bless the castle? or move to a safe house, for that matter.â
âitâs not that simple,â he sighed in annoyance. âonce you invite a vampire into your home, the only way to uninvite them is to transfer ownership of the property. which i do not intend to do. or.. to kill them.â
âwhich you.. do intend to do?â you asked hesitantly.
he paused, clenching his jaw as his gaze briefly fell to his plate. âi will do whateverâs necessary.â his narrowed eyes met yours. âif he comes after whatâs mine, iâm afraid iâll have no other choice. letâs hope, for everyoneâs sake, that he makes the right decision and keeps to himself.â
âwhatâs mine..â for whatever reason, you hated the way those two words sounded. you realized quickly that he could have been talking about anything; his home, his jewels, his throne.. maybe even you. suddenly, you bit back a chuckle- there you were, thinking that he couldnât have cared less what became of you. could he have proved you wrong?Â
yet, you felt no ounce of regret or shame. in fact, you were wrestling with the temptation to tell him he was wrong about jeonghan more than the temptation to confess your secret affair. if that was even the correct word to use..
âwill you ever tell me what happened between the two of you?â you asked, though deep down, you already knew the answer. especially as he rose to his feet and took a step back in avoidance.
âall you need to know is that heâs a monster. and you would do well to keep your distance from him.â
seeing nothing better to do after your shared meal, you took to the study to comply with wonwooâs request. he had a surprising volume of books on vampire folklore and legends, making you wonder if any of them were filled with facts. you settled comfortably against the sofa near the lit fireplace; you had a feeling you would be in there for a while..
meanwhile, as sunlight poured through one studyâs window in abundance, another room was filled with darkness. the curtains completely shielded the glass in jeonghanâs study, preventing even a tiny sliver of sunlight from sneaking into the room. he, too, felt simultaneously exhausted and restless somehow.Â
as he paced back and forth, tossing a ripe green apple from one hand to the other, he sighed heavily. he should have known that exacting revenge on the would-be king would be no easy feat. he expected complications, maybe some curveballs.. but he never expected to fall for someone so quickly. and so intensely, at that.
his nervous state of mind was not lost on joshua, a man whom heâd always called his brother. joshuaâs understandable fear of the sun prevented him from getting any sleep during the day, provoking him to keep a cautious, watchful eye around the castle. that particular day, his pattern seemed to come in handy.
âwhatâs troubling you? you are usually hard to find during daylight,â joshua noted, sitting comfortably on the dark red loveseat in front of jeonghan. Â
âitâs all going according to plan,â jeonghan started, pausing his steps in favor of standing directly before his closest friend. âsome parts are proving to be.. a little too easy. i can go inside the castle as i please. thanks to his bride-to-be.â
joshua furrowed his eyebrows, evidently confused. âi donât understand-â
jeonghan sighed, his avoidant gaze drifting to the apple in his hand. the words felt heavy on his tongue, embarrassment flooding his veins and preventing him from replying straight away. âi canât deny that i.. find her incredibly charming. alluring. in all honesty, i canât even put it into words. a small part of me even feels guilty for using her blind trust in me to my advantage.â
âyouâre.. in love with her?â joshua stiffened slightly on the couch, the confusion evident within his features. âthatâs impossible. you havenât even known her for an entire day.â
jeonghan lifted his chin with a tiny smirk, âreally, joshua. after all weâve seen, after all weâve done.. youâre skeptical of a tiny thing like love at first sight?â
âyou sound incredibly delusional.â
jeonghan turned his back on the other man with a heavy sigh, hunching his shoulders ever so slightly. âi knew you wouldnât get it. i donât know why i bother to tell you these things anymore.â
joshua laughed in disbelief, much to his friendâs annoyance. âiâm trying to be the sensible one here. youâve waited for years, plotting every last detail.. you want to throw it all away for.. for what? a princess you have no chance with?âÂ
âiâm not saying i want to throw all my plans away,â jeonghan countered. âi..can have it both ways. i know i can.â
âyou canât,â joshua replied with another chuckle, rising to his feet. just as he reached the doorway, he sighed, turning back with his hand still on the cold doorknob. âfor your own sake..i urge you to get your priorities in order. or youâll spend the rest of eternity regretting it.âÂ
jeonghan chose to stay silent, allowing the door clicking shut to fill in the silence. he didnât plan for this. he didnât plan to fall so quickly, to let the hopeless romantic deep inside him take over.. he didnât plan for you to be so beautiful and charming, and he definitely didnât expect to feel guilty on your behalf. of course wonwoo never knew to appreciate a wonderful thing when he had it.
then of course, he wondered if he was telling joshua the truth. if he really could have it both ways.
â
within a few days, security measures around the castle had somehow heightened. the two guards never left your bedroom door, standing stoically in the hallway day after day. while you were weary of the two of them staying just outside your bedroom twenty four hours a day, you knew it was futile to request them to leave you alone.Â
for wonwoo was growing more and more anxious by the day. the only time he didnât have someone watching closely over you was at night time, when you were presumably asleep. you had a feeling it would only get worse after the wedding, which was only a few weeks away. naturally, it felt best to enjoy what little nights you had left with jeonghan, even if it did drastically ruin your sleep schedule. Â
one night, you sat crosslegged on the vampireâs large, four poster bed with him only a few inches away from you. he let his gaze slowly drift all the way from your eyes to the bright pink dress you wore. what a light you were in his darkened home, a light that he suddenly didnât want to dim.Â
he wore a white, fluffy shirt that almost appeared as velvety as his blonde hair. his collarbones peeked from under the fabric, revealing more of his skin than youâd seen. you werenât sure exactly why, but it begged the question, âis it..strange? not having any heartbeat.âÂ
âyouâve been studying.â he chuckled before shaking his head. âno. not entirely. just..feels a little empty.â
naturally, there were so many questions you wanted to ask him every time you came face to face with him. he could easily prove all of the books youâd been forced to read wrong. but there seemed to be no delicate way to approach any of them.Â
âcan i..â you started, your eyes falling to the ruffles in his shirt near his chest.
he didnât waste a single breath before replying in a cool tone, âplease.â
with his permission, you tentatively reached out to place your palm flat against his covered chest. sure enough, there was nothing there.. nothing but cold. you wondered how he could stand it. âyouâre right,â you whispered. âhow can you stand the cold?â
âyou get used to it after a while,â he replied, and you soon realized how foolish it was to ask him such a question. you forgot all about the brief embarrassment, however, when he moved a hand to rest on your shoulder, just above your collarbone. you watched his lips part as he seemed hyperfocused on that area of skin, all of the blood beneath seeming to gather under his fingertips like a magnet.Â
âyou can hear it, canât you?â you finally asked him, feeling your own heart race as his eyes seemed to cloud over with hunger. that action, alone, may have been enough of an answer for you.. but you simply loved to hear him speak.Â
he nodded stiffly, âyouâre so reactive. your heartbeat.. itâs like a thousand drums.â
you bit back the smirk tugging at your lips, his words shamelessly feeding your ego. âthatâs just what you do to me.â
he sighed in return at your words, crimson eyes flicking back up to yours. âhonestly..?â
âhonestly,â you nodded with sincerity, tugging him closer by the ruffles on his shirt and chasing his lips with your own. the kiss lasted ten, maybe twelve seconds before he pulled away slowly, leaving you feeling strangely empty as the cold left you.
you never would have known he was wrestling with several dilemmas in his own mind. he remained focused entirely on you, as if to be wondering if you were truly sitting before him.. âyouâre so.. enchanting.â
the breathless way in which he spoke, the way his gaze absentmindedly fell to your lips.. it could easily have made you faint. you instead moved your hand slowly up to his cheek, pulling a gasp from his lips as the warmth of your palm met his skin. âiâm not the one with powers.âÂ
he chuckled even though your words brought him back into reality all too quickly, and he lowered his chin ever so slightly. âiâve enjoyed these nights with you very much. i just.. want to ensure that you are, too.â
you chuckled, his words sounding almost absurd to you. âof course i am. donât you think i would have turned you away by now if i didnât enjoy your company?âÂ
âfair point,â he nodded. âhowever.. with the matter of your engagement-â
âwonwoo and i are not in love, if thatâs what youâre wondering,â you gently cut him off. really, the last thing you wanted was to talk about your fiance with him, but you complied, knowing it must have at least brought him a little comfort. âour engagement is purely out of obligation to our kingdoms. though i assumed you, the intuitive vampire, already knew that.â
of course.. he should have known the stoic prince carried no romantic feelings towards you. his only question was, would it complicate his own plans? would wonwoo really be so unbothered by the loss of a most precious princess? Â
âwell, i knew he was inattentive,â he started.
âbut you didnât know the details?â
âi canât read peopleâs minds, princess, not fully. itâs more like i can read emotions. i know wonwoo to be cold, dismissive, and.. in turn i knew you to be deeply upset and lonely.â as the words left jeonghanâs lips, he felt a strange pang of guilt in his chest for the first time. it was unfamiliar to him, who had no heartbeat- clearly, he hadnât planned this far ahead.
âand bored,â a half hearted chuckle left your lips just before your eyes searched for his again. suddenly, you wanted to push any notion of your life just outside his window to the back of your mind. âyou say you canât read peopleâs minds.. but could you read other vampireâs minds?â
he tilted his head to the side for a moment, biting back a beautifully knowing smile. âwell.. itâs different for everyone. but i could, potentially, read the mind of a vampire that iâve turned.â
his words stuck with you for a moment, his tone almost promising. although it felt, sometimes, that he understood you on many levels you hadnât expected him too, there was a possibility he could come to learn even more about you. but would it feel invasive? or would it feel especially intimate?Â
âat least, at that point, weâd be fully transparent with each other,â you hinted with a smirk.Â
he immediately flashed a smile, finding delight in your words. it was almost too easy.. âi like your way of thinking.â
âthereâs plenty more where that came from.â
with an arm around your waist, he pulled you closer, your words igniting a fire within him. the knowledge that you were so willing to even consider becoming like him was too much to bare, the thought of sharing eternity with you too tantalizing to ignore. even if it wasnât originally his plan..Â
a sigh left his pouty lips before they were back on yours. he had no words in that moment, all of his thoughts fighting to the death in his own mind as he kissed you with every ounce of strength he had left. only a knock at the door pulled him out of his confusing trance and prompted him to break the kiss, his hand remaining on your cheek.Â
âyes?â he sighed out in annoyance, pulling a chuckle from your lips.
joshua pushed the door open, his eyes filled with disapproval as he saw the two of you in such a tight embrace. yet, jeonghan couldnât bring himself to pull away and even mask his dignity. âitâs nearly dawn. the princess should be on her way home soon.â
âyes, joshua, iâll take care of it,â he replied dismissively, nearly making you laugh again.
joshua, however, was not amused. the distasteful look never left his eyes, his otherwise neutral gaze speaking louder than words. you felt slightly judged, realizing how compromising your position appeared to be.. although, the fact that jeonghan didnât seem to care less provided a small amount of comfort.Â
âwell, take care quickly,â joshua finally spoke, his tone low. as your eyes flicked back and forth between the two vampires, you wondered if theyâd shared some sort of secret conversation you had no part of in the brief, passing silence. âwe donât need her fiance knowing who she really spends her nights with.â
he left the room before jeonghan could bite back with a rebuttal. instead, he turned to you with a remorseful, slightly reluctant gaze. you swore his grip on your waist grew tighter as he whispered, âiâd spend all my days and nights with you in a heartbeat.âÂ
you felt foolish for falling in love with someone so quickly, abandoning any sense of logic in favor of connecting with a phantom. speaking with him about the promise of a shared eternity felt almost childish.. yet incredibly tempting. âit sounds..truly wonderful.â
he must have sensed your hesitance for he slowly pulled back, studying your thoughtful gaze. âi know itâs fast..â he started, his hand soon finding your own. âwhy donât you consider it carefully?â
âi will,â you promised, quickly bringing his hand to your lips and pressing a kiss against his knuckles. it was, truthfully, an empty promise- you knew you would have an answer by the end of the week. in all honesty, you had your answer as soon as he left you by your bedroom window. you knew you were hopelessly in love with him as you began to miss him from the second he left your side.
before the sun began to rise and you were within the security of your own chambers, jeonghan came to realize he would be remiss if he didnât take a few extra peeks inside the castle. the castle that was technically his, in a round about way. soon, he was hidden near the large window in wonwooâs office, where the crown prince worked tirelessly.Â
jeonghan watched him in bitterness, realizing that he hated sharing with this man. he hated sharing the castle, the princess; it was never his plan. suddenly he remembered his vow, that he would rip everything away from wonwoo in a satisfying movement. and he rationalized that no matter how his own plans would change, the ending would be the same.Â
for he was purely giving the prince the same treatment he, himself, had been given.Â
â
âyouâve been acting strange lately.âÂ
you werenât expecting a confrontation from wonwoo, of all people. you were certain that he was the last person in the castle that paid enough attention to you, therefore he would be the last to realize a shift in your behavior. yet there were some things even wonwoo couldnât help but notice; you were notably sleepy during the day, skipping meals, mostly unable and unwilling to participate in simple conversation..
he couldnât help but wonder if the upcoming wedding was a contributing factor. he was no stranger to experiencing cold feet, the feeling of unease only heightening now that it was more than a few days away. yet in his mind, you could have done a better job of hiding your apprehension.
you were quick to brush off his words, sighing, âiâm just tired. i havenât been sleeping very well lately.â
this was odd; as far as wonwoo was aware, you barely participated in any of the wedding planning. granted, neither did he- âis the guest room not to your satisfaction?â he asked, his voice slightly strained.
âno, itâs perfectly fine,â you did your best to assure him, your tone slightly dry.
he paused, distracting himself with the scattered papers on his desk for a moment. he couldnât let his confusion or his intrigue get the best of him, or worse, become blatantly obvious to you. the last thing he wanted was to give you the impression he cared a great deal about your feelings towards him, or your courtship in general- maybe it was a horrible tactic, but it stopped the lines from becoming too blurred.
yet, there was one question burning a hole in the back of his mind. he cleared his throat after a moment, crossing his arms over his desk. âhave you.. by chance witnessed anything odd in the castle lately?â
you knew what (or better yet, who) he spoke of even with the lack of details. you leaned your head back against the arm chair, feigning contemplation. ânot that i recall.. in all honesty, iâve never felt safer in my life than i have during these last few weeks.â
âgood,â he muttered in that all too familiar dismissive tone. though he was still unconvinced..
âhave you?â you countered, raising an eyebrow.
ânothing worth noting,â he replied without taking his eyes away from the paperwork.
you chuckled, âif we are to be married, though, i think most things would be worth noting. if thereâs something you wish to tell me, please say so at once.â
âitâs nothing, i swear it,â he replied a little too quickly. as always, though, he was quick to compose himself and momentarily hide his disdain. âiâm sure that if thereâs anything amiss within these walls, it will present itself in its own way.â
you werenât a fool; you knew that was his own way of hinting at you to tell him whatever secrets you may have buried within. but you remained silent; there was no definite way of telling your fiance that you were planning on leaving him for a vampire you barely knew.Â
to leave wonwoo was to leave an agreement, a transaction, at the risk of bringing corruption to your kingdom. to leave the world you knew behind in favor of an eternity of unfamiliarity.. yet you couldnât get the promise of eternity with someone as attentive and enchanting as jeonghan out of your mind. especially with every moment you sat silently in the library with said fiance..
you wished you could read wonwooâs mind as you watched him slump over his desk, devote his entire attention to his work. did he truly suspect you of something? or did he have a confession of his own that he was harboring?
â
it was particularly cold that night, even with jeonghanâs large black cloak draped over your figure. he walked slowly by your side, clearly unbothered by the icy breeze even as it blew against his thin white blouse. for a moment you envied him; even if a part of you had always enjoyed the fall and winter time, you wished there was an easier way of walking through it completely unbothered.
âwhy did you take me out here, again?â you asked, tugging the heavy material of the coat closer to your chest.Â
he chuckled a little bit, draping his arm around your shoulders after hearing the slight warble in your tone. it was a wonderful distraction, however brief it was. âi wanted to show you something. itâll only take a minute.â
true to his word, it wasnât long before he led you to the back of the small gardens. much to your surprise, they were kept very well.. almost too well, considering the state of the weather. yet near the back corner lay a large bush of vibrant red roses, the scarlet petals appearing to be made from the finest silk, itself.Â
âhow..how are they-â you stumbled over your words, enchanted by the deep red flowers. something about the specific shade of red was strangely alluring, pulling you closer and closer to the bushes.
âalive?â he finished, noticing your fixation on the flowers and snickering. âthereâs a lot more about this house that you donât know about. strange magic courses through the entire property, magic that even i canât wrap my head around at times.â
he stepped forward, extending his hand slowly to pluck a single red rose from the bush. he turned to you with a smile ghosting over his lips, his eyes practically piercing into yours. slowly, you reached your own hand out to take the rose from him, unsure if the whisper of gratitude actually left your lips.Â
âitâs beautiful,â you sighed gently, treating the stem with delicacy and care.
âisnât it?â he chuckled, watching you carefully in admiration.
you rotated the rose between your fingers, wanting to study it from every angle. it truly was magical, especially with the knowledge it had suffered through harsh winters.. there was something so beautiful about its resilience. suddenly, a sharp pain coursed through your finger, brought upon by a prick of a thorn. the rose fell into your other hand as you examined the small wound, the tiniest drop of blood falling down your index finger..
you chuckled, caught off guard by the prick of the large thorn. while you were opting to forget about it, though, jeonghan seemed fixated on it, his eyes glued to your finger. he watched the soft pool of blood trail down your hand while you searched your pockets for a handkerchief. he drew in a deep breath, one that called to you.Â
briefly, you were alarmed by the intense daze he fell into. youâd never seen such intensity in his eyes. you wiped your hand off on your skirts, making a mental note to wash it off later, before tapping his shoulder. âjeonghan-âÂ
he blinked repeatedly once the gentle trail had been washed away, any evidence of the incident wiped clean. though the smell of iron still filled the air between the two of you, tempting him, taunting him.. he cleared his throat, avoiding your gaze for a moment. âmy apologies, princess.âÂ
âitâs not your fault,â you started, offering a gentle smile of reassurance. âi should have been more careful.â
âno-â he paused, distracted by the tiny dried marks of blood on your skirt. although his fixation was slowly melting away, the sight puzzled him, raising too many questions and prompting him once again to battle with his impatience. he lifted his chin to meet your gaze, âno. i should have known-â
you held your hand behind your back; although the wound was small, there was no shame in being cautious. âitâs.. killing you, isnât it?âÂ
he held eye contact, his intense gaze softening as your words echoed in his mind. he still couldnât wrap his head around how his mood had shifted within only a few weeks of knowing you; yes, he yearned and hungered for you.. but he had grown concerned for your wellbeing. your readiness.Â
âit is..â he slowly admitted.
you sighed deeply; at least the two of you shared a certain hunger. you moved a hand to his cheek, the other now gripping a little more timidly onto the rose. âthen just..â you paused, unsure how to state your plea. âi swear i can handle it.â
he sighed in frustration, taking a step back and letting you withdraw your hand from his face. âyou know i canât do that. not yet.â
âbut why?âÂ
he paused, turning his back on you. he didnât want you to witness his expression change as he contemplated his piling dilemmas.. âbecause..â he started, his tone vague and unsure. âyou have to be sure that youâre absolutely ready. and i mean.. absolutely ready, without question.â
âiâll be fine, i swear- i know that you must be suffering-â
he shook his head quickly, gripping gently onto your upper arm. he spoke lowly, as if to share a secret with you alone, âyou know how patient i can be, princess; i can wait for just a little while longer. we have to find the perfect moment.âÂ
you tilted your head back to get a better look at the moon directly above the two of you, shining like a spotlight and providing the perfect ambience. in your mind, there couldnât have been a better opportunity; the garden was perfectly secluded, cold, the two of you in your own little world.. meanwhile, as jeonghan was allowed a better view of your neck, the intense hunger pooled in his stomach again, his mind going fuzzy..Â
you, of course, did nothing to help him out of his daze as you spoke, âthis seems like as good an opportunity as any.â
âno, no-â he started, shaking his head before his gaze fell to the grass. maybe he was being selfish, but he was aiming for a perfectly satisfying moment to taste you, to take you into his world. a time when it would torture wonwoo the most.. âtrust me. the wait will be worth it, i promise you.â
you let out a heavy sigh of defeat, knowing there was no use trying to convince him. maybe there was a small truth to what jeonghan said, maybe there was something special about waiting.. ultimately, you complied with his request and agreed to wait. although, you hoped the right opportunity would present itself sooner rather than later.Â
â
when you arrived home, however, you wished youâd spent at least a few more minutes trying to convince him.Â
âi was wondering where youâd been running off to.â
you recognized wonwooâs voice from across the room immediately. he leaned back against your bedroom door with his arms folded across his chest and much to your surprise, there was no anger in his expression. more like.. intrigue. a knowing smirk twisted at his lips, hitting you like a slap in the face.
âso you have kept in contact with that.. new friend of ours.â
you hopelessly feigned innocence, your eyebrows knitting together in such a vain attempt. âi donât know what youâre talking about.âÂ
he scoffed, the sound of mockery sending a pang through your heart. âdonât lie. tell me, where else would someone go during the night time?âÂ
you felt your throat run dry as he spoke, knowing that he had effectively backed you into a corner. knowing that your act of innocence had come to a close, you let your shoulders slump as you asked him, âwhy do you care, anyways? itâs not like you were planning on putting any effort in this marriage outside of the trading agreements.â
he shrugged his shoulders, pushing off of the wall to take a step closer. âmaybe youâre right. but i simply wonât allow that horrid monster anywhere near whatâs mine. not anymore.â
âbut donât you see? he couldnât care less about your castle. he has a home of his own, he lives comfortably. he doesnât need to steal anything from you. you.. you judge him too harshly.â
âthen why would he try to worm his way into gaining partial ownership of the castle?â
âyou tell me,â you countered after a bitter scoff left your lips. âfor godâs sake, just tell me what really happened between the two of you! why are you so convinced heâs hyperfixated on ruining your life?âÂ
his shoulders stiffened, his eyes quickly leaving yours. for a moment, he seemed to be vaguely tempted to tell you the truth, with you standing before him, on the edge of your seat.. âfrom this moment on, you are not to see him any longer.â
you felt your face grow hot with rage as he quickly turned his back on you. you yelled, âyou donât get to decide that for me!âÂ
âiâm doing this for your own good,â he bit back, whipping around to face you with a harsh stare. âi thought your studies would have brought you some much needed clarity but apparently not. you either canât see jeonghan for what he truly is or you simply refuse to. heâs a demon. heâll feed on you and drain you for all youâre worth as soon as he gets the opportunity.â
âyou donât know that! you donât know anything about him, heâs gentle and.. beautiful and kind.. whatever version of him you thought you knew, itâs not him!âÂ
âthatâs exactly my point!â he snapped. âhow can you not see that heâs putting on a facade for you?â
you hated how blunt and cold his words sounded, how they drove into your heart like a stake. most of all, you hated how even for a brief second, you wondered if there was any truth to his statement. was the vampire truly so magnetic and alluring to a fault? did he truly have a certain power over you that you couldnât begin to comprehend?
âyouâre wrong about him,â you finally muttered, your voice silent yet filled with anger. if only the sunlight wasnât peeking through your curtains; you would have relied on the vampire of the hour to conveniently whisk you away.
wonwoo huffed, opening the door for two more guards to step inside your quarters. âtheyâre to watch over your balcony every evening,â he explained, only fueling the raging fire of anger inside you. âitâs not up for debate; itâs unsafe for you at night, otherwise.â
you were quick to follow him as he stepped into the hallway, hurriedly making his way to the spiral staircase. it was as if his words meant nothing, as if they had no consequence.. âso iâm a prisoner? my privacy is to be thrown out the window?â
âitâs for your protection,â he bit back, the monotony in his tone doing little to reassure you. âi wonât argue with you on this matter for a second longer. not when thereâs endless amounts of work to be done.â
you stopped in place, your hand clutching tightly onto the railing.. how did you keep managing to forget about your own wedding?Â
â
as the days passed, you considered again and again what may have become of you if youâd begged and pleaded with jeonghan to let you stay with him. at least for a little while longer. after hours and hours of meticulous wedding planning and rehearsals, you were heartbroken to find that the vampire made no attempt to approach your balcony. the two guards, unassuming as they may have been to a being like himself, were still a nuisance he wasnât willing to deal with.
it was the evening before your wedding. even when you were surrounded by family members, servants, and several members of the court alike, you had never felt so isolated. final preparations were being made but you couldnât bring yourself to focus on anything except for the dancing flames in the wallâs tiny opening before you.Â
although jeonghan had remained absent for a few days, you could still feel his presence somehow. a brief gust of cold wind, for example, resembling a whisper in your ear.. it prompted you to wonder if beyond the stacking differences between the two of you as individuals, he had found a way to communicate with you.
soon wonwoo stood before the rest of the crowd, gathering their attention. as he spoke, it was the happiest he had ever sounded for as long as you knew him, which, truthfully was not saying much. âtoday marks a momentous occasion- the eve before two kingdoms with many differences on paper, put them aside and unite as one.â
modest applause rang through the hall and brought a discomforting tingling to your ears. they seemed to be celebrating your hopelessness and wonwoo seemed to catch on, for his eyes immediately landed on you before he spoke again. âmy dear princess-â the words unfamiliar and unwelcome, âlet us celebrate the beginning of a new chapter together.â
together.
one thing was for certain; you two were to stay at armâs length as you navigated the new chapter he spoke of. neither of you had any intention to embrace a possible connection.
the two of you would, however, do whatever necessary to keep up appearances. hence why you slowly approached him with the fakest, loveliest smile you could plaster upon your lips.. and as you faced the crowd with him, hand in hand, either of your parentsâ proud smiles forcing your stomach to twist in knots, it all felt too alarmingly real.
it was clear your audience was expecting something, maybe a little kiss.. which neither of you would give them the pleasure of witnessing. both of you were determined to save that agony for the wedding..
as suspense seemed to fill the room, however, thunder began to rumble on an otherwise clear night sky and rattle the windows. while no one else in the room seemed to think much of it, you were puzzled- could it be-
ânow donât stop on my account.â Â
a collective gasp filled the room as jeonghan stood merely a few feet away from the reluctant couple with a shit eating grin. his gray suit made his fluffy blonde hair that you had missed so dearly pop, not to mention his deep red eyes. you had to laugh; it truly felt like centuries since you had been forced to commit the vampireâs beautiful features to memory.
âjeonghan,â wonwoo sighed through gritted teeth. âiâm getting a strange sense of deja vu.â
âas am i,â he chuckled, taking a single step closer to you. he barely had time to blink in your direction before wonwoo unsheathed his sword, the sharp tip nearly inches away from the vampireâs jaw. his smirk merely deepened as his eyes flicked to the blade. âcâmon. you know that wonât do a thing.â
âtrue,â wonwoo nodded. âbut it could distract you.â
you furrowed your eyebrows in questioning merely seconds before jeonghan quickly reached behind and plucked the pointed wooden stake from the guardâs hand. he laughed and you hated how beautiful the sound was leaving his pouty, addicting lips.. âi donât get distracted, old friend. not anymore.â
wonwoo huffed, making no further attempt to mask his anger. âget out of my castle at once.â
âwith pleasure.â his voice was sharp and cool as he reached towards you, dodging the sword and grabbing your forearm. his grip was firm but gentle, his cold fingers locked around your arm as he brought you into his cold embrace. the last thing you saw before he draped his dark cloak over your figure was wonwoo waving the sword in jeonghanâs direction to no avail. for in the blink of an eye, you were in the center of the vampireâs drawing room.Â
you were breathless. your chest heaved against his as you gripped tightly onto his shoulders, not wanting to part from him for even a moment. âthank you..â you whispered. âhow did you..â
âi had a feeling,â he replied, his hands slowly inching closer to your lower back.Â
âwhy didnât you come back?â you asked him with desperation, your grip on his shoulders subconsciously growing tighter.
he stayed silent for a moment, his expression turning somber. âthere were a few complications. and i.. well, truthfully i needed some time to myself. please forgive me, princess, i should have told you-â
âno,â you interrupted, moving your hands to cup his cheek and prompt him to look in your eyes again. âwhat matters is that weâre together now.â it took everything within you to hold back from adding a tiny âforeverâ to the end of your sentence. you could only hope that the look in your eyes spoke for itself.
he let out a gentle sigh, which was laced with nothing but affection, before bringing you closer to his large window. now that he was allowed a proper view of you in the moonlight, a peaceful resolve within his features. his hands remained glued to your waist as he brought you impossibly close to him, barely allowing either of you room to breathe. though, it was the way you preferred it.
âiâm sorry princess,â he spoke again, guilt filling his crimson irises to the brim. âi failed you.â
you shook your head immediately, seeing no need for another apology. âno. not yet. you came just in the nick of time.â
he leaned down, letting his forehead rest against yours. thanks to the close, breathless proximity, he could perfectly hear your heart racing in your chest. the sound, as always, was like music to his ears, prompting a familiar ache in the emptiness in his chest- âas did you.â
you pondered the gravity of his words as a warmth spread throughout your body. it washed away all of the dread, hopelessness you had felt not even an hour earlier. and for that- you were eternally grateful to him. you pulled away just enough to meet his gaze again, your voice filled with sentimentality that finally made him smile, âwe both found each other at the perfect time.â
he had no words. he hoped his actions would speak louder as he brought a cold hand up to the back of your neck, pulling you in for a deep and slow kiss. he poured everything into it: love, adoration, and most notably, hunger. that familiar sharp, chilling wave of surprise washed throughout your body the moment his fangs grazed your bottom lip.Â
your lips were only a single breath away from his when you paused, whispering to him emotionally, âiâm ready.â
he paused, pulling his head back just enough to meet your gaze. but you could tell his patience was wearing extremely thin, judging by the way his fingers had tangled themselves into your hair. âare you absolutely sure?âÂ
he barely asked the question before you nodded your head, your fingers wrapped around the lapel of his jacket. âpositive. please-â
he flashed a smile of relief, the moonlight giving rise to a glint of his pure white fangs merely a millisecond before he leaned in. hoping to help you relax, he left a trail of hungry yet soothing kisses from your jawline to the area where your neck and shoulder met, right above your jugular.Â
this was it. this was the moment. all the horrible, tortuous waiting on his end was drawing to a close. he felt you stiffen in his arms as you drew in a deep breath and released it, unable to completely eradicate your subtle fears. your sigh was like a mystical breeze, filling his ears like the sweetest music..Â
he parted his lips, barely letting the sharp edge of his fangs graze the surface of your skin. you quickly responded by gasping and gripping on tighter to his biceps, whispering to him and pleading, âdonât let me go.â
upon hearing your words, he stopped, guilt coursing through his cold body upon impact. you couldnât fool him; as much as you tried to hide it, you were scared. understandably so. and he couldnât bare to see it. especially when you had no idea what lay in store..
he stumbled out of your grip, taking two clumsy steps backward. âi.. i canât-â
you opened your eyes to see him with his chest heaving, his fangs disappearing from view. then you gently pressed, âwhy?â
âi canât do this-â he repeated, his voice worn and shaky as he avoided your gaze. âi canât do this to you.â
âno-â you gasped, raising your voice without fully realizing. âno, jeonghan, i want this. i want you. for eternity, just like you promised-â
âno, you donât-â he reiterated firmly, turning his back on you. you watched as he practically shrunk under your gaze, picturing the sunken look in his beautiful eyes.. a horrible air of confusion and uncertainty filled the tense air before he finally spoke, âyou know.. i wasnât always like this.â
you furrowed your eyebrows, confused. âwhat do you mean?âÂ
he chuckled, but it wasnât his usual light, airy laugh. no it was filled with an unmistakable sadness that nearly snapped your heart in two.Â
âi worked in the palace once. a few years ago. i grew up with the prince, we were good friends- hence why i was able to join the ranks of his knights so quickly. the army, being sworn to secrecy, were tasked with hunting and killing vampires. wonwoo, of course, led all of us fearlessly, determined to put an end to the generational battle.
âbut i made the mistake of trusting in him too much. i misjudged him.. so i told him the truth. that i had befriended one. that he was reclusive, that he meant no harm- that perhaps, these were deeply misunderstood creatures. obviously, he didnât take too kindly to my confession and when i refused to tell him who and where this vampire was, he took an unexpected approach. he promoted me to the general leader of his army.â
he noticed your confused expression but continued to stare out the window, eyes falling to the gardens below. âthe next excursion the army took was to a notoriously violent family of vampiresâ home. he and i took the lead.. but we were dangerously outnumbered and underprepared. but you see.. he had made sure of that.â
you froze, asking him quietly, âwhat do you mean by that?â
he drew in a deep breath before releasing it, his cold breath casting a cloud upon the window in front of him. âafter commanding the rest of his men to escape, he left me inside. for dead. but i suffered a much, much worse fate than death.âÂ
suddenly he pulled back the sleeve of his silky shirt and you gasped, finally being allowed a glimpse of a tiny scar from none other than âfangs..â
he nodded, dropping his arm to his side. âjoshua rescued me and brought me back here, to his home. the only thing worse than the nightmare of being bitten was waking up from it. waking up without a heart, without a running pulse, with a terrible, terrible hunger-â he paused, his eyes finally finding yours. âand to think.. i thought about subjecting you, darling princess, to the same horror.â
it was too much to handle, all at once. you actually stumbled backwards, your hand barely clutching onto the curtain to stop you from falling..Â
âit.. it canât be true-â
âbut it is.â
you felt your heart shatter in your chest and brought a hand to soothe the aching area. âso you were going to use me.. for revenge?âÂ
once again, he was unable to look in your eyes. he bit on his lower lip, hard enough to draw blood, before shamefully nodding his head. âi was.âÂ
âwas any of it true?â you asked, raising your voice again. you couldnât help it, you were hurt, angry- angry with both of them, somehow.Â
he stepped closer immediately upon hearing the tiny warble in your voice. his hand fell to yours and he pressed a kiss to your knuckles before explaining, âlisten to me.. falling for you was never part of the plan. i wanted to take his life from him, everything he knew and loved, just as heâd done to me. but⌠i never stopped to think about what could become of you. the one who cast their own little spell on me, princess.â
tears fell from your eyes like a dam breaking and you bowed your head down, allowing a small cry to leave your lips. all your hopes, all your ambitions were suddenly dashed with the confession. you brought your hand to your lips in a vain attempt to muffle the heart wrenching cries that left your lips.Â
for a moment, you struggled to speak, struggled to voice to jeonghan how.. confused you were. how hurt you were on his behalf. how even then, you couldnât bring yourself to stop caring so deeply for him. that beyond your initial hurt and anger, you believed him.Â
âyou donât have to say anything,â he whispered, his fingers brushing along your jawline. âi know.â
although there was a small comfort to those two simple words, it couldnât silence your cries. not completely. you looked up to him, and much to his (and truthfully, your own) surprise, you sobbed, âi want to stay with you.â
âno you donât,â he shook his head, letting his hand fall into your hair.Â
âi do,â you sobbed, anger and desperation in your tone.Â
âno. you-â
âi do!â you cried out, the edge in your voice breaking his own spirit. âi donât want to go back now, i.. jeonghan, i canât go back now-â
he sighed gently, sorrow filling his eyes once more. âprincess, pl-â
âi canât! i canât, i wonât!â you buried your face in his chest, despite how angry you felt with him in that moment. âyou canât make me!â âlisten,â he spoke gently, yet with confidence that brought you to briefly silence your tears. he cradled your head in his hands, fingers weaving through your hair. âeven after the pain begins to dull.. you will be hunted. you will never stop living in fear. he will never stop searching for his princess.â
you knew he was right. but you refused to acknowledge it. you cried desperately into his jacket, where he continued to hold you tightly.
âyouâll lose everything. everything you know and love,â he started, his voice finally beginning to shake. âyouâll even lose the sunlight.â
you would have cried out your protest again, had he not seemingly captured your words from you. instead, you felt dumbfounded, speechless.. and for the first time in forever, you felt like giving up.Â
âi canât do that to you. i wonât do that to you.â he captured your chin between his thumb and index finger, prompting you to look into his eyes again. you couldnât resist, even if the devastation in his eyes was as clear as day. âplease.. donât ask me anymore.â
it pained you to speak, your voice lowering, âdoes that mean..â you sighed, gently closing your eyes to avoid the look of despair in his eyes. âis it over now?âÂ
he paused, hating to answer you straight away and potentially add salt to the wound. he seemed to carefully, mindfully craft his words before he spoke, ânot completely, princess. iâll be with you. you could hear me during our time apart, couldnât you?â
his words brought you a sliver of hope, even if you werenât fully satisfied. even if you were still preferring to abandon your life in favor of sharing blissful eternal moonlight with him.. âyes. i could.â
âthen donât stop listening for me,â he pleaded before pressing one last feathery kiss against your forehead. âalright? swear it.â
âi swear it,â you murmured, your voice threatening to give way once again. his lips found yours before he could hear the promise in its entirety and he kissed you passionately. the two of you poured your most heartbreaking (but not your last) goodbye into the kiss rather than using anymore hurtful words.
â
it was as if wonwoo was expecting you to come back home. as if he expected you to immediately regret your decision and come back to him.. and you would let him think that way, for now. there was no use in arguing with him and adding to the tense environment. at least he seemed to share the same sentiment, for he didnât ask any questions or gloat- for jeonghan, in his eyes, had found defeat and that was more than enough for him.Â
the morning of the wedding, you felt nauseous, as expected. you were less concerned about parading yourself in a ceremony with a man you couldnât care less about and more concerned about what it meant for your future. a life filled with safety, security.. and as jeonghan put it, boredom.Â
but it was better this way. as you sat at your vanity table, you felt as if you were reliving the memory of that first night in real time. your eyes flicked to the rose he had given you, laying across the table. it was still in full bloom, vibrant waves of red petals still as full of life as when you had first laid eyes on it. suddenly a cool breeze filled your room, even with the windows closed.. maybe a little bit of his magic would stay with you for the rest of your life, after all.
You Are In Love | y.jh (18+)
A life-changing event caused you to escape to the countrysideâa coastal village with a small population of mostly old people and women. It was there that you found peace in your turbulent life and an unexpected connection with Yoon Jeonghan.
Genre: mistaken identity, strangers to lovers, smut Pairing: Yoon Jeonghan x afab!Reader Warning: mature themes, explicit sexual content (18+), NOT PROOFREAD! Canceled out the angst bcs, just bcs. Notes: 19k words, song prompt was You Are In Love by Taylor Swift. I miss Hannie sm. Why can't he be like jaehyun and taeyong who appear in public from time to time? jk, obviously. I'm not complaining (I am). Guys it's been a while! Although, I'm sure you're already used to me popping in and out randomly. Just wanna let yall know that I see your asks all the time and most of them make me giggle. I'm just a little shy so I don't interact much. I'll try tho :> Disclaimer: I do not know them, nor do I claim they would ever act irl the way they are portrayed in this story.
Playlist: You Are In Love - Taylor Swift, Star Blossom - Doyoung x Sejeong, Magnets - NIKI, Starlight - Taeyeon Enjoy~
After four hours on the road, you finally passed the sign marking the entrance to the small town. The coastal highway had felt endless, a stretch of asphalt lined with rolling hills, but now, the ocean breeze was carrying the freshness of the countryside and the faint scent of salt. You drove through gentle hills before reaching the heart of the village, where a few modest establishments lined the narrow streets.
You knew what was waiting for youâa small, idyllic townâbut even so, the retro charm of the downtown area caught you off guard. No buildings rose taller than four stories. It was like a pocket of time frozen in place, with shopfronts displaying modern signs over worn wooden frames. The colors faded but were still vibrant in the afternoon light.
You drove past the last few storefronts, through rows of homes and wide open fields until you reached the guest house. It looked much like the other houses in the neighborhoodâsimple and unassuming, save for the bright red roof and the wooden signpost by the gate.
The gates were open, so you let yourself in, taking a moment to soak in the quiet surroundings. The house had a traditional Korean setup, with a low table outside, a shed of large clay crocks (probably holding kimchi or fermented soybean paste), an outdoor cooking area, and other signs of daily life scattered around.
Then, the front door swung open, and a petite elderly woman stepped onto the porch, dressed in a floral blouse and loose pants. Her silver hair was neatly pinned back, her sharp eyes scanning you before she broke into a warm smile.
âYou must be the city girl,â she said, hands on her hips. âTook you long enough.â
You blinked at her bluntness but caught the teasing glint in her eyes. You smiled apologetically. âI know, Iâm sorry. Something came up, so I had to delay for a day. Is the room still available?â
âOf course! We donât get many guests here. Havenât had a single one this year until you.â She waved you inside. âCome. I donât usually take in long-term guests, but I liked the way you spoke on the phone. You seemed polite.â
Inside, the house was warm and lived-in, wooden beams stretching across the ceiling. Something was cooking in the kitchen, filling the space with a savory aroma.
âYou must be starving. Lunch is almost ready,â she called from the kitchen.
âThank you. Iâll just grab my things from the car,â you said, pointing toward the door.
She nodded. âAh, right. Let me help you with that.â
âNo, itâs alrightââ
âHannie!â she called out, ignoring you. âCome out and help our guest with her luggage.â
A moment later, a figure appeared at the doorway. Tall, dark soft-looking hair trimmed just above the shoulders framed her delicate featuresâa straight nose, lips, and sharp, striking eyes with long lashes that would make anyone jealous.
There was something boyish in the way she moved. Her stride was quick and heavy, her clothes were loose and simple. A plaid button-down over a plain white t-shirt, and pair of dark sweatpants. Not exactly the dainty look you mightâve expected from someone with a face like that, but it suited her.
âHannie,â the elderly woman called again, motioning to the car outside.
She only hummed in response before stepping down from the porch and heading straight for your trunk. You followed after her, popping the trunk open just as she reached it.
âThank you,â you said. âI can get the heavier ones,â you offered, out of habit more than anything.
Hannie barely spared you a glance before hauling out your largest suitcase like it weighed nothing. âItâs fine.â
You blinked. Okay, strong girl.
A small duffel bag dangled from her other hand as she turned back toward the house, moving easily despite the weight. You had to admit, you were a little relieved to know there was another girl your age in the house. Youâd expected to spend most of your time with elderly folksânice as they were, they didnât quite offer the same kind of connection. But with Hannie here, at least youâd have someone to talk to.
Shutting the trunk, you grabbed the rest of your bags and followed her inside.
The first three days passed uneventfully. You quickly became familiar with the routine in the house: the sounds of cooking from the kitchen, the fluttering of old curtains in the breeze, and the occasional gathering of the elderly ladies just outside the gates of the guest house. You had been expecting peace, but this was something else entirelyâa rare kind of mundanity, where time seemed to stretch and slow down. You loved it more than you had anticipated.
Hannie, the granddaughter of the house, was always present in some way but never fully there. She rarely spoke, her gaze slipping past you instead of meeting your eyes, and she was gone for long stretches of the day. You sometimes wondered where she wentâperhaps to town, perhaps somewhere even quieter than hereâbut it wasnât a question you felt the need to ask. It didnât seem like she would answer, anyway.
When you did cross paths, the interactions were brief. A polite nod from her, a quick greeting from you. Occasionally, youâd catch her in the kitchen, stirring something at the stove, or stepping onto the porch with a towel slung over her shoulder, hair damp from a shower. Once, when you mumbled a sleepy âgood morningâ while rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you thought you saw the corner of her mouth twitch upward before she disappeared out the door.
You assumed she was just a little shy. Maybe reserved. That was fine with you. It was oddly nice having another girl around who didnât expect constant conversation.
The guest house ownerâGram, as she liked to be calledâwas warm and thoughtful, though she saw your lack of movement as odd. She often encouraged you to explore, to go into town, to at least take a walk.
âMost people get restless after a day or two,â she said one morning, watching you sip your tea at the low table outside. âYou, though, you act like youâve been waiting your whole life to sit still.â
You grinned. âHonestly, Gram? I have.â
She clicked her tongue, unconvinced. âHannie, why donât you take her into town today? Show her around. The store wonât burn down without you for a day.â
At the mention of her name, Hannie, who had been quietly peeling fruit by the water pump, finally glanced at you. Her expression was unreadable, but her head tilted ever so slightly, as if sizing you up. Then, just as quickly, she shrugged. âSure.â
It wasnât exactly an enthusiastic invitation, and you didnât want to force anything. âThanks, Gram, but I promise, Iâm fine. Iâm enjoying myself.â
Gram sighed, shaking her head. âIf you say so. But if you change your mind, just tell Han.â
You nodded, and across the table, Hannie met your gaze again, her lips pressing into something like a faint smile before she went back to peeling.
Still, Gram refused to let you be completely idle. Every day, she gave you a small taskâflipping sun-dried herbs at noon, covering them before sunset. It wasnât much, but it made you feel like a part of the household rather than just a passing guest.
Hannie never commented on your meandering presence in the house. Sometimes, sheâd walk past you on the way out, sometimes youâd catch sight of her returning in the late afternoon, looking effortlessly graceful yet somehow boyish in the way she moved.Â
As the days passed, little things about Hannie started catching your attentionâdetails that didnât quite match the soft-spoken, delicate image youâd formed of her at first. Her voice, though quiet, had a low, steady timbre. Occasionally, sheâd roll her shoulders or rub the back of her neck in a way that felt oddly... rugged. There was something in the way she leaned against doorframes too, hands stuffed in her pockets, with a relaxed posture. And yet, she still looked as graceful as ever, dark hair soft against her skin, her features almost too pretty.Â
The contrast was interesting, but you didnât think much of itâso what if she was a little rough around the edges? Plenty of girls had tomboyish sides.
Strong, you thought idly one afternoon, watching her haul in a sack of something from outside. Strong for someone so pretty.
But you didnât dwell on it. More than anything, it was just nice having another girl around. She wasnât unfriendly, but she wasnât exactly inviting either. It wasnât awkward, though. If anything, it suited the peacefulness of the guest house. You werenât looking for company, and Hannie didnât seem eager to offer it. But of course, living together would make people grow closer.
One morning, you found yourself at the kitchen table, lazily flipping through a magazine Gram had left lying around. Hannie stood by the sink, rinsing a handful of freshly picked persimmons.
âDo you eat these?â she asked.
You looked up. It was the first time sheâd spoken to you without it being a response to something you said first. âI like them, but I never really had them fresh like that,â you admitted.
She grabbed a towel and started drying one. âThey taste better chilled.â
âOh?â You watched as she set a few aside and placed the rest in the fridge. âSo you like them cold?â
She shrugged, placing one on the table in front of you. âTry it later.â
After that, you noticed other little things.
When you forgot your slippers outside one evening, you found them neatly placed by the door the next morning. The first time you struggled to lift one of Gramâs large water jugs, Hannie walked past, muttered, âYouâll hurt your back,â and hoisted it up with ease before you could protest.
âThanks,â you said, surprised.
Gradually, your paths started crossing more. If she was already outside when you went to dry the herbs, sheâd sit nearby, scrolling through her phone while you worked. If you ended up in the kitchen at the same time, sheâd slide you a cup of whatever she was drinking without a word.
The conversations stretched a little longer, too. One weekend morning, you found her on the porch, sitting quietly under the sun. Without thinking, you sat beside her, stretching your legs out and basking in the sunshine.
âGram says you havenât gone to the beach yet,â she said.
You raised an eyebrow. âSheâs been trying to get me out of the house since day one.â
Hannie smirked slightly, eyes still on the road. âSheâs not used to people who like sitting still.â
You laughed. âYeah, Iâve noticed.â
You talked about the weather, the best place to buy snacks in town, how the local stray cats had more attitude than city ones. They werenât deep conversations, but they were comfortable.
Hannie still wasnât overly talkative, but she started meeting your eyes more, responding with more than just a nod. And sometimes, when she thought you werenât paying attention, youâd catch a small, amused smile on her lips.
It wasnât much, but you were getting used to each other.
On a cool Saturday afternoon, you sat cross-legged at the low wooden table outside, with a basket of vegetables sitting between you and Hannie. Gram had roped the both of you into helping with dinner, which, in her words, âwould taste better with young hands working on it.â
You didnât mind. It gave you something to do.
Hannie, across from you, was peeling potatoes efficiently. You, on the other hand, were going slower, carefully stripping the skin from each one with a small knife.
âHow long have you been staying here?â you asked.
Hannie didnât look up from her task. âI live here.â
âLike, since birth?â
âMaybe,â she said, lips twitching.
You gave her a flat look. âThatâs not a real answer.â
She considered for a second before finally saying, âI wasnât born here, but I grew up here. I left a few years ago, but I came back.â
You nodded, filing that away. âWhere did you go?â
She flipped a potato in her hand. âSeoul.â
âYou lived there?â
âFor a bit.â
âYouâre very specific,â you said dryly.
She smirked. âYou ask a lot of questions.â
âOf course. I have to know who Iâm living with.â
âMm.â She switched to peeling carrots. âYour turn, then. I have to know who Iâm living with, too. Thatâs fair, isnât it?â
You rolled a potato in your hands. âDepends on the question.â
Hannie shot you an amused glance but didnât push. âWhyâd you come here?â
You shrugged. âI wanted a change of pace.â
She peeled another strip from the carrot. âThatâs a vague answer.â
âThe specifics are boring,â you said through gritted teeth, unwilling to divulge anything.
She let out a small huff of laughter. âFair enough.â
For a while, neither of you spoke, just continuing your work. The sun had begun to dip lower in the sky, and you were realizing once again why they called this guest house The Sunset House. The smell of something simmering in the kitchen drifted through the air.
âWhat do you do all day, anyway?â you asked, breaking the comfortable quiet. âI always see you coming and going, but you never say where youâre headed.â
Hannie hummed. âI go to work at the grocery shop.â
You nodded. âSo youâre not just freeloading off your Grandma, then?â you teased.
She snorted. âI have my own money and I know how to work for my meals.â
âOkay, but I have a real question,â you said, squinting at her. âWhatâs your skincare routine?â
Hannie blinked at you, clearly caught off guard. âMy what?â
âYou have really nice skin,â you said matter-of-factly. âLike, itâs annoyingly flawless. I need to know what youâre using.â
She chuckled. âI just use whateverâs around.â
You frowned. âLiar.â
âItâs the truth,â she said, looking far too entertained.
âNo fancy routine? No expensive products?â
âNope.â
You narrowed your eyes at her, but she just kept peeling, smug as ever. You huffed. âThis is so unfair. Your skin is prettier than mine and I have like, a ten-step skincare routine.â
âSounds like a you problem.â
You grabbed a potato and chucked it at her arm. She caught it easily, shaking her head with a grin.
The conversation continued, flowing from one topic to another with no real directionâjust small questions, half-answers, and the occasional amused remark. It wasnât deep, but it didnât need to be.
By the time you finished, the basket of peeled vegetables was full, the sun had lowered into a deep orange, and you had learned just enough about Hannie to know there was still more to figure out.
It was hard to ignore the nagging thought in your head ever since you arrived in town. While you tried to brush it off, convincing yourself that you deserved this break from your turbulent city life, the anxiety that you should be doing something more productive lingered in the back of your mind.Â
It was probably because your mind and body were so used to being on high alert all the time, functioning at full capacity every day for the last several years that you start getting anxious when youâre not doing anything and just relaxing. You could feel an odd sense of suspicion, nagging at the back of your mind like, âShouldnât you be doing something?â
Watering Gramâs garden plants was enough to push away all these thoughts, though.
As you stood under the gentle heat of the morning sun, you maneuvered the hose expertly, a result of doing the chore every day for the last few weeks. You let out a slow breath, feeling oddly content with the simplicity of it.
âAre you planning to drown my plants?â
You startled slightly as Gramâs voice rang out. Turning, you found her watching you with a hand on her hip. âCome here,â she said, beckoning you over to the low wooden table. âI have a better use for those hands.â
You shut off the water and wandered over, only to be greeted with a rice cake shoved into your hand. âWould you like to come to the beach today?â she asked.
âThe beach?â
âThereâs a new teacher at the daycare center. Seola, a very lovely lady. She arranged a picnic with the elderly and the children.â Gram gave you a pointed look as she patted your hand. âYou should come. You need to socialize with someone your age before you forget how to hold a conversation.â
Before you could respond, Hannie stepped out onto the porch in her usual shirt-over-tee combo and denim jeans, brushing her hair back with her hand, she slung a bag over her shoulder, acknowledging you with a brief nod before passing by.
âGram, Iâm off,â he said.
âAlright, see you later,â Gram replied. She waved him off before giving you another look. âHan will be there too, so you donât have to worry about being around people you donât know.â
Not that you needed much convincing. You had already planned to explore town today anyway. You finally had enough of the idle days, and you were now ready to see and experience the quaint charm of this small town.
So at noon, just before lunchtime, you drove to the beachside with Gram, the car packed with the food she had heartily prepared all morning.
The beach was lively with old and young voices, laughter, conversation, and the sound of waves rolling against the shore. You helped Gram set up the food, spreading it out on the picnic blankets as she introduced you to the small group already gathered thereâa few elderly folks, some parents, and a handful of kids darting around with beach toys and shells. It felt like stepping into a family reunion, where everyone knew each other and shared years of memories you could only imagine.
Gram introduced you as a temporary resident. âSheâll be here for six months,â she explained, smiling as curious eyes turned your way. âLetâs all be nice to her. Sheâs from the big city.â
âAh, so thatâs why you look so pale,â an older woman teased, squinting at you. âYou need some sun on you, dear.â
âShe should eat more, too,â another one chimed in, eyeing you like she was already planning to pile food onto your plate.
âYouâll love it here,â one of the older women assured you. âLife moves slow, but thereâs always something to do if you know where to look.â
Another joined in with a chuckle. âA bit of gossip now and then, a trip to the market, a walk by the coast⌠it doesnât take much to stay busy here!â
They were warm, welcoming, and funny, and their playful remarks had the same lightheartedness as Gramâs. You found yourself smiling more than expected, caught up in their conversation as they asked about your stay. You also met Seola, the new daycare teacher who moved to town just two months ago. She was the same age as you were, and you felt a sense of kinship with her as someone who came from the big city yourself.
At one point, a little boy ran up to you out of nowhere, his face bright with excitement as he held out a shell. âLook! This is the best one I found today!â
You knelt down, taking the shell from his hands to admire it. âWow, this is a good one,â you said, humoring his enthusiasm. He beamed, launching into a detailed explanation of why it was superior to all the others. You nodded along, half-listeningâuntil something just past his shoulder caught your eye.
Out by the water, Hannie emerged from the waves, hands pushing through his soaked hair, slicking it back from his face. Droplets clung to his skin, sliding down sharp cheekbones and along the lines of his jaw. You blinked, something about the sight snagging on a thought you couldnât quite place.
Then she stepped fully onto the shore, reached for the hem of her wet shirt, and pulled it over her head. And your mind went blank.
Time seemed to slow as your eyes registered the defined shoulders, the abs, the arms that clearly belonged to someone used to physical labor. The sunlight played across his skin, highlighting every line and shadow. You couldnât move. You couldnât speak. All you could do was stare.
Hannie wasnât just a little masculine. Hannie wasnât just oddly strong. Hannie⌠was a man.
Your breath caught in your throat, and an unexpected heat rose to your cheeks. The boy in front of you was still talking, but you couldnât hear a word of it anymore.
How could you have missed this? It was as if every little sign from the past several days were suddenly lining up like pieces of a puzzle. The deeper voice, the way he carried himself, the fact that he had never once actually referred to himself as a girl. And then there were the times Gram had mentioned her grandsonâthe one you thought youâd never met, yet had been living with all along. He had never corrected you. And you? You had been so sureâso certain you knew exactly who you were living with.
As you stood there, still absorbing the shock, two teenage girls approached you excitedly.
âWhatâs it like living with Jeonghan?â one of them asked, practically bouncing on her toes.
âWho?â The name threw you off entirely.
âYoon Jeonghan,â the other girl chimed in, as if it were obvious. âYouâre staying at Gramâs guest house, right? Isnât he amazing? Heâs like the pride of our town.â
Jeonghan. The name sounded foreign to you, yet as you watched him crouch down to help one of the kids collect shells, it suddenly seemed to fit him perfectly.Â
âI thought his name was Hannie?â you asked, though the moment the words left your mouth, you realized how foolish they sounded. Hannieâit wasnât his name. Just a nickname, something his grandmother must have been affectionately calling him.
The girls giggled, exchanging amused glances. âThatâs just what the grandmas call him.â
One of them leaned in, lowering her voice like she was sharing a juicy secret. âHeâs kind of famous, you know? We run a fan page for himâitâs almost at 100k followers.â
âHe gets a ton of idol trainee offers. Some people even come all the way here just to see him,â the other added. âBut he always turned them down. Now, he works at the store downtown. Everyone loves him.â
Jeonghan. Jeonghan. Yoon Jeonghan.
You blinked, still grappling with the idea that the quiet, elusive Hannie was actually Jeonghan, the townâs golden boy. Before you could think of what to say, Gramâs voice called out, interrupting the conversation.
âLunch is ready! Come here and eat!â
The girls scampered off toward the picnic mat, giggling about something you couldnât quite catch. You turned to follow, but your thoughts were still spinning.
âKids! Hannie!â Gram called again, waving him over. âCome on, letâs eat!â
Jeonghan straightened, brushing sand from his hands before jogging up the beach. The sunlight glinted off his skin, drawing your gaze before you could stop yourself. Heat crept up your neck again.
He reached the mat and, without hesitation, plopped down next to you, his damp hair falling casually over his shoulder.
âYouâre here too,â he said, smiling at you before grabbing a bottle of water. He seemed completely at ease, oblivious to the turmoil running through your mind.
Lunch was a lively affair, the mat spread under the shade of a large tree, bowls and plates of food passed around as conversations overlapped. The elders were particularly chatty, most of their attentionâunsurprisinglyâfocused on Jeonghan.
âYou know, our Hannie here was top of his class in university,â one of the grandmothers boasted, nudging the woman beside her. âAlways so clever.â
âAnd so hardworking,â another added, her tone exaggerated in a way that felt suspiciously rehearsed. âHad all sorts of offers after graduation. He even worked in Seoul for a bit.â
âReally?â Seola, the teacher, perked up with interest, chopsticks pausing midair.
You, however, narrowed your eyes slightly. There was something oddly deliberate about how they were talking about him, as if⌠as if they were trying to sell him.
Jeonghan, sitting beside you, seemed completely unfazed. He took a sip of water, then casually met your gaze. âWhat are you thinking so hard about?â
You blinked, realizing that you had been staring. âI was just wondering why theyâre talking about you like youâre a prized cow.â
Jeonghan nearly choked on his drink, turning away with a cough. Beside him, one of the elders clapped her hands together, unaware of your remark. âAnd! Heâs very good with children,â she announced, nodding toward the group of kids playing nearby. âThey all adore him.â
Seola chuckled. âThatâs rare. Most guys arenât patient enough with kids.â
âExactly!â The older woman beamed. âThatâs why any girl would be lucky to have him.â
Your eyes flickered to Jeonghan, curious as to how heâd react, but he was busy picking the green onions out of his soup. As if this whole matchmaking attempt had nothing to do with him.
You stifled a laugh. âYou seem very popular, Jeonghan.â
âMm,â he hummed in agreement, finally looking at you. âAre you convinced?â
âOf what?â
âThat Iâm a catch.â He tilted his head, the corner of his lips twitching up just slightly.
Your chopsticks hovered over your plate. The way he said it was so casual, but something about his toneâlow, smooth, just teasing enoughâmade your stomach flutter.Â
You masked it with an eye-roll. âI donât know. You donât seem that impressive to me.â
Gram clicked her tongue, shaking her head as she picked up a piece of grilled fish and placed it onto your plate. âClearly, you need to spend more time with him.â
âGram?â you questioned, genuinely perplexed by the insinuation in her tone.
The lunch continued in the same direction, the elders throwing more praises, Seola responding with polite interest, and Jeonghan humoring them without ever actually engaging. It was almost funny how unfazed he wasâuntil you caught a few of the older women exchanging glances as if they were mentally taking notes on how both you and Seola were responding.
Oh god. They werenât just selling Jeonghan. They were matchmaking him.
You needed some air.
As the meal wrapped up, you slipped away from the group, stepping onto the shore where the waves lapped at your feet. The realization of the past hour was still in your mindânot just about the eldersâ intentions but also the fact that your whole perception of Jeonghan had shattered today.
And, of course, just as you were attempting to collect yourself, he appeared beside you. âEscaping?â
You glanced at him. âYou too?â
âSort of.â Jeonghan walked alongside you, hands in his pockets, letting the wind ruffle his damp hair. âFigured youâd need company.â
You hesitated before blurting, âWhy didnât you tell me you were a guy?â
Jeonghan stopped mid-step. âWhat?â
âThe whole time, I thought you were a girl, maybe a little masculine or a lesbian, but biologically, a girl. Iâve been calling you âHannie,â but thatâs not even your real name. Your name was Jeonghan. You never corrected me.â
His expression shifted from confusion to pure shock. âWait.â He turned fully to you, blinking rapidly. âYou thought I was a girl?!â
You crossed your arms. âYouâre really pretty with equally pretty hair. Your grandma calls you Hannie.â
Jeonghan ran a hand down his face, half-laughing, half-exasperated. âOh my god.â
âI mean, can you blame me?â You gestured vaguely at him. âLook at you.â
His mouth opened, then closed. He looked down at himself as if seeing what you saw. Then he exhaled a laugh, shaking his head. âUnbelievable.â
You smirked. âI think itâs kind of funny.â
Jeonghan shot you a look, smirking. âI bet you do.â
You basked in the comfortable silence as you continued walking. The waves were cool against your feet, and the voices behind you grew distant. Every now and then, you caught Jeonghan glancing at you, as if still processing what you had just confessed.
Finally, he sighed, shaking his head. âA girl.â
You grinned. âIâd say Iâm sorry, butâŚâ
âBut youâre not.â
âNot even a little bit.â
Jeonghan let out a sharp laugh, the kind that came from deep amusement rather than disbelief this time. You got the feeling he wouldnât let this go anytime soon.
The next morning, Jeonghan was heading downtown for an errand, and Gram suggested you go with him. âYou should get out more,â she said, nudging your arm. âLet Han show you around. Itâll be good for you.â
You didnât see a reason to refuse. The town was still unfamiliar, and a trip to the market sounded more productive than another slow morning at the guest house. Plus, you figured you might as well start your car after letting it sit idle for so long.
Which was how you found yourself in the passenger seat, watching as Jeonghan adjusted the mirrors before smoothly pulling out onto the road. He drove leisurely, one hand resting on the wheel, his other elbow propped against the window.
By the time you reached the market, the streets were busy. Stalls lined the sidewalks, vendors calling out to passersby, with the scent of fresh produce, grilled food, and sweet treats. Jeonghan was greeted warmly at every turn, engaging small talks with vendors who seemed genuinely happy to see him. He was polite, smiling when an elderly woman at a vegetable stand patted his arm and called him âour handsome Jeonghan.â
Then she turned to you. âAnd who is this?â she asked with a teasing smile. âHave you finally brought a girlfriend home, Hannie?â
Before you could react, Jeonghan laughed. âSheâs not, but she wished she was.â
âNo, I donât!â you exclaimed.
âNo need to be shy, dear,â the vendor said, grinning. âIf I were a few decades younger, Iâd wish I was his girlfriend too.â
You groaned while Jeonghan bit back a laugh, handing over the money before gently steering you away.
âI canât believe you have fans in every age group,â you scoffed.
âWell, itâs a small town,â he replied, chuckling.
After finishing the errand, Jeonghan led you to a small cafĂŠ tucked between two shops. The place had a cozy charmâwooden tables, hanging plants, and an old vinyl player in the corner playing soft jazz.
A man behind the counter beamed when she saw him. âJeonghan! Itâs been a while.â
âHi, Joon. Iâll have the usual,â he greeted, then turned to you. âYou?â
You looked up at the menu hanging overhead, wondering what to order or if you wanted coffee at all.
Joonâs gaze flicked to you. âThis must be the pretty guest Gram was talking about.â
You glanced at him, curious. Jeonghan waved a hand. âYeah. She doesnât get out much. Iâm showing her around town.â
âYou should come more often. We make the best coffee in town,â Joon said proudly. âNot that there are any other coffee shops around,â he added, chuckling. âWhat can I get you?â
âUh, Iâll have what heâs having,â you said, smiling politely at him.
âComing right up!â
Jeonghan led you to a vacant table by the window. âYou come here often?â you asked.
âNow and then.â He pulled out a chair and sat across from you, resting his forearm against the table. âThe owner, Joonâs mom, used to sneak me free pastries when I was a kid. I feel obligated to keep giving her business.â
Your lips quirked up. âBribed into loyalty. Classic.â
He just laughed, watching you for a moment before asking, âWhat do you think of the town so far?â
You thought about it and then shrugged. âItâs charming and peaceful. Everyone seems to know each other. Itâs kind of nice.â
He hummed, stirring his drink lazily. âIt has its charms.â
âWell, they seem to adore you,â you noted.
He shrugged. âIâm very likeable,â he said smugly, making you laugh.
Minutes later, Joon set two iced drinks on your table before slipping away. You took a sip and raised a brow. âOh, this is sweet. Vanilla latte?â
Jeonghan nodded. âDecaf. You donât like sweet?â
âI do,â you admitted. âBut I didnât peg you as the type.â
Jeonghan took a sip of his own drink. âAnd what type did you peg me as?â
You tilted your head, pretending to analyze him. âBlack coffee. No sugar. Maybe a shot of espresso if youâre feeling adventurous.â
He gave you an unimpressed look. âDo I look like I hate myself?â
You laughed. âNo, but,â you shrugged, making him smirk.
âIâll have you know I like nice things. Why would I suffer through bitter coffee when I could enjoy this?â He lifted his drink in emphasis.
You smirked. âSo you have a sweet tooth.â
âDoes it bother you?â
âDo you care what about I think of you?â you asked back, narrowing your eyes playfully.
Jeonghan just took his drink and looked out of the window, ignoring your question entirely. You didnât press, enjoying the coffee instead and the nice ambience of the cafe.
Before heading home, Jeonghan made one last stop at the grocery store. It was bigger than you expected, with stocked shelves and a steady flow of customers.
âYou work here?â you asked as you followed him inside.
He nodded. âI own it. Well, not really. It was my grandpaâs. After he passed, someone had to take over.â
Something about the way he said it made you pause. âIs that why you came back?â
Jeonghan didnât answer right away. He picked up a basket, taking his time as he strolled past the produce section. âYou could say that,â he said eventually. âI came back because Gram would be lonely by herself. Sheâs old now, someone has to be here and make sure sheâs alright.â
You glanced at him, noting how his expression didnât change, but something about his voice softened.
âShe still works at the pear farm,â he added, shaking his head fondly. âShe said sheâd go crazy if she had nothing to do, so someone has to be around to make sure she doesnât overdo it.â
Hearing that made you feel like you understood them both a little more. The quiet life they had here, the small routines that kept them moving forwardâit all made sense now. You became more curious about them, but you didnât want to pry, so instead of asking, you just took what he told you and left it at that.
As you trailed behind him, your gaze landed on the skincare aisle. âAlright, spill. Which one is it?â
Jeonghan followed your line of sight, then let out a dramatic sigh. âAre you still on this?â
âYouâre ridiculously pretty,â you said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. âItâs only fair that I find out how.â
He gave you an unimpressed look, then reached out, grabbed a random product, and handed it to you. âHere.â
You examined the label. âThis is a body wash.â
âExactly.â
You narrowed your eyes. âYouâre lying.â
He smirked. âYouâll never know.â
âAnd if I sneak into your bathroom later?â
He stuck his tongue in his cheek, then smirked before saying, âI guess I'll see you there, then. I take really long showers at night, you see.â
You blinked rapidly, surprised at the sudden turn of the conversation. Clearing your throat, you put the bottle back and turned away. âFine. Keep your secrets.â
The days that followed were more eventful than the previous ones. You still helped Gram around the guesthouse, still found time to sit outside with her in the afternoons, listening to the occasional stories she decided to share. But now, there was something different about your daysâJeonghan.
He wasnât just around anymore. He was in your space, in your routine, slipping into your life as if he had always been there. Like how he took it upon himself to be your unofficial tour guide, showing up outside the guesthouse just as you were about to head out.
âWhere are you going?â heâd ask.
âIâm not sure, but Iâm going around town again today,â youâd say, tossing your bag over your shoulder.
His eyes would glint with amusement. âYouâll get lost.â
âNo, I wonât.â
But you always did. Turning one too many corners in the winding streets, ending up somewhere you hadnât planned. And somehow, Jeonghan was always there, lounging by a store or leaning against a wall like heâd been waiting for you the whole time.
âYou have a terrible sense of direction,â heâd say, grinning.
âAnd you have too much free time,â youâd shoot back, but you never minded when he fell into step beside you.
He took you everywhere. To the best lookout point in town, where the cliffs met the endless blue of the sea. To the hills, where wildflowers bloomed in untamed clusters, swaying lazily under the afternoon sun. To the pear farm, where you met Gramâs friendsâhardworking women who took one look at you and started teasing.
âSheâs the one staying at the guesthouse?â one of them asked Jeonghan, squinting at you. âYouâre showing her around, arenât you?â
âSomething like that,â Jeonghan replied, glancing your way with a smirk.
âAh, what a handsome pair,â the woman sighed dramatically. âYou look great together. Youâd make the most beautiful babies.â
You choked on your own breath while Jeonghan just laughed, handing you a pear like nothing happened.
There was also the day he dragged you onto a boat. It wasnât planned. You had only gone to the dock to look around, but Jeonghan had other ideas.
âEver been boating?â he asked.
You eyed him warily. âNo.â
âGreat.â That was your only warning before he pulled you toward a small boat, casually untying it from the dock.
âWaitâwhat if I get seasick?â you protested.
âYou wonât.â
âHow do you know?â
âWeâll find out when we get there,â he chuckled, offering a hand to help you board the boat.
You hesitated, but you took his hand anyway. He had never done anything to disappoint you so far, so you trusted him. And despite your initial wariness, you had to admitâit was nice. The air was crisp, the water was calm, the reefs below were beautiful, and the silence between you was comforting.
At one point, Jeonghan leaned back against the edge, stretching his arms. âYou like it here, donât you?â
You glanced at him. âI do.â
He smirked. âIâd bet fifty bucks you never leave.â
You scoffed. âNever leaving is a stretch. Maybe Iâd never want to, but I will anyway because I have to.â
Jeonghan flashed a mischievous smile as if you had just challenged him. âA hundred, then. You will never want to leave, and you never will.â
You rolled your eyes. âNow youâre making me want to leave just so I can take your money.â
âAre you gonna play or not?â
âNo,â you said, shaking your head. âI donât need it.â
Jeonghan sighed nonchalantly. âFine. But I know Iâm right.â
You werenât sure when it happened, but somewhere between stolen pears and getting lost in town, between late afternoon coffees and spontaneous boat rides, you had started to enjoy his company. And maybe he had started to enjoy yours, too.
That afternoon, as you and Jeonghan strolled back home, he glanced at you and asked, âYou free tonight?â
You arched a brow. âWhy?â
âItâs Joonâs birthday,â he said. âHeâs having a small party at the cafĂŠ. Just us and some friends. He invited you too.â
You hesitated. âHe did?â
Jeonghan smirked. âHe mentioned it the other day. You probably forgot.â
You did remember Joon casually saying something about it, but you hadnât thought much of it at the time. A small celebration at the cafĂŠ didnât sound bad, and truthfully, you werenât opposed to seeing other people your age, too. Most of the people youâd seen around were old enough to be your grandparents.
âAlright,â you said. âIâll come.â
âGood. We can go together.â
Later that evening, you followed Jeonghan to the cafĂŠ, which was livelier than usual. Warm lights glowed from the ceilings, the scent of coffee still permeating the air though none of it was being served now. All you could see on the table were bottles of soju and beer, spicy and fried food, and a cake sitting at the center.
The small space had been rearranged to fit a gathering, with a handful of tables pushed together. A few people were already there, chatting, laughing, clinking glasses. Most of them seemed around your age, and it didnât take long to notice that many of them were couples.
âJeonghannie hyung!â Joonâs voice rang out the moment you stepped inside. He grinned, wiping his hands on a towel before pulling him into a quick hug. Then he turned to you. âAnd look who actually came. Finally.â
You scoffed. âHappy birthday, Joon. And I do go outside, you know.â
âOnly because Jeonghan drags you everywhere,â he teased, earning a snicker from Jeonghan himself. âCome in. Let me introduce you.â
You met a few of Jeonghanâs friends. You barely remembered their names, but it didnât take long to notice that most of them had grown up togetherâand many had ended up marrying each other. Seola was also there, curled up beside a guy, her arm draped lazily over his.
âYou made it,â she said, smiling when she saw you.
âI did.â You nodded toward the guy beside her. âBoyfriend?â
She nodded. âIâm glad you came,â she said. âJoon said he invited you, but I wasnât sure if youâd actually show.â
You shrugged. âFigured I should experience the townâs nightlife at least once.â
Seola laughed. âThis is about as lively as it gets.â She leaned in conspiratorially. âSo, you and Jeonghan, huh?â
You rolled your eyes. âNot this again.â
âWhat? You donât like him?â
âHeâs fine, but he annoys me a lot.â
She laughed. âThatâs how you know he likes you.â
Before you could protest, Joon clapped his hands together. âAlright, drinks are on me tonight. Eat, drink, have fun!â
âHappy birthday, Joon!â
The evening unraveled in a blur. There was food, laughter, and lots of conversation. At some point, someone turned on music, and people started to sway along. Jeonghan stuck to your side for most of the night, occasionally teasing you, occasionally offering you bites of his cake as if you didnât have your own. You didnât realize how late it had gotten until a few guests started nodding off in their seats, the conversations had grown louder, and the laughter became more unrestrained over the clinking of bottles and half-finished drinks.
Joon was already passed out on the table by the time you and Jeonghan decided to leave. His friendsâstill rowdy despite the late hourâbid you both a noisy farewell, slurring words and waving exaggeratedly as they walked you out the cafĂŠ doors.
The night air greeted you like a sigh of relief, cool against your warmed skin. You stretched your arms above your head, exhaling contentedly. âItâs nice out.â
Jeonghan hummed in agreement, stuffing his hands into his pockets as the two of you strolled down the quiet village road. âYeah. I should thank you for coming tonight. Because of you, I wasnât assigned to take care of Joon. He gets drunk so quickly and I have to clean up after him most of the time.â
You laughed, tilting your head toward him. âYouâre welcome? I guess? I thought he could hold his liquor because he kept insisting he could outdrink everyone.â
âWell, heâs also the best liar among all of my friends too, soâŚâ he replied, making you chuckle. The alcohol had settled pleasantly in your system, making it easy to laugh at whatever nonsense he spewed.
âYou held your liquor pretty well,â he remarked, side-eyeing you with a smirk.
You grinned. âI have a high tolerance.â
âAlmost as high as mine.â
âAlmost?â You scoffed. âI was drinking at your pace all night, and Iâm still standing. Do you see me stumbling into ditches or tripping over my own feet?â
Jeonghan smirked, challenging. âWell, not yet.â
You gasped, feigning offence. Eager to prove him wrong, you stepped ahead, turning to walk backward easily. Arms spread wide, you gave him a smug grin. âLook at that. Not tripping.â
That made him laugh and shake his head fondly as he beckoned you back to his side. âAlright, fine. You can walk.â
âIâm not even drunk at all,â you said, falling into step beside him.
âYeah? Howâs your balance?â he asked just before bumping his shoulder into yours, playful, teasing.
You almost tripped over yourself, but regained your balance in time. Scoffing, you nudged him back. He nudged harder, almost making you lose your footing again. Huffing, you shoved him, but he didnât budge. Before you could react, Jeonghan caught you by the shoulders, pulling you flush against him.Â
The sudden closeness sent a jolt through youânot from surprise, but from the unmistakable heat of his body against yours.
And you didnât pull away.
Maybe it was the alcohol making you more uninhibited, or maybe you simply wanted this too. You werenât sure, but you didnât want to think about it too much.
Neither of you spoke,as you both continued walking. His hands remained firm on your shoulders, like it wasnât anything out of the ordinary. And you basked in the warmth of it, not even noticing that you were gradually leaning closer against him.
But then a sharp bark split through the silence, making you flinch and pull away from him. A dog stood behind a fence nearby, watching you both with wary eyes, still growling slightly. You held your breath, staring back at it. Then it barked once more, and you squealed.
âRun,â said Jeonghan, but you were already bolting.
The two of you raced through the empty streets, feet pounding against the road, breathless laughter echoing into the night. He nearly overtook you, but you darted ahead at the last second, reaching the guesthouse gate just before he did.
Panting, you turned to gloatâonly to freeze when you realized how close he had stopped. Face-to-face, no, face-to-chest with Jeonghan, who was also catching his breath. You stood there, chest rising and falling, staring at each other in the dim glow of the streetlamp.Â
He looked ethereal under the yellow light, his hair slightly tousled from the wind, his lips parted as he exhaled. There was something almost dreamlike about the way he gazed at you, his eyes dark and unreadable, as if he were seeing something in you he hadnât before.
The cool night air did nothing to ease the heat creeping up your skin. You were still drunk, or maybe just lightheaded from the run, but it was hard to focus on anything except how close he wasâhow easily he could reach for you if he wanted to.
âYouâre staring,â he murmured.
Maybe you were. But you were also a little drunk. And he was very, very handsome.
So you said it. âYouâre so handsome.â
This wasnât the first time youâd told him that, but this time, he didnât laugh like he usually did. Instead, he stared at you with a soft expression on his face. Then, slowly, his eyes dipped lower, stopping on your lips. You did the same, your eyes landing on his plump lips, so pretty, so inviting.
For the first time, the thought crossed your mind.
What would it feel like to kiss him?
Would he be slow about it, teasing? Would he pull you in lazily, like it wasnât anything special? Or would it be something elseâsomething that would leave you breathless and light-headed?
âWe should get inside,â he said, eyes still fixed on your lips.
You nodded. But neither of you moved. He didnât touch you, but you felt it anywayâthe intensity of his gaze, the way he stared at your lips.
Would he kiss you if you leaned in first? The thought was dangerous. But you couldnât help it, not when he looked at you like that, like he was thinking the same thing.
Jeonghan exhaled deeply, like he had just come to a decision. He took a slow step toward you to close the distance and your entire body awoke with anticipation. Just as he was about to reach for your face, the gate rattled loudly.
Both of you jumped as it swung open, revealing a very awake, very confused Gram. âWhat are you two doing standing there?â she asked, peering at you both suspiciously.
Jeonghan, ever the smooth talker, recovered first. âWe were just about to go inside, Gram.â
Gram squinted at him before clicking her tongue. âIf youâre gonna flirt with our guest, at least do it inside where itâs warm.â
Your face heated instantly. âWe werenâtââ
âMm-hmm,â she cut you off, unimpressed. âCome on in, itâs late.â
She turned, leaving the gate open for you to follow. You swallowed, glancing back at Jeonghan who was watching you with a knowing glint in his eyes. Then, with a slight smirk, he gestured toward the door.
âAfter you,â he murmured.
You werenât entirely sure what had just happened between you. But you had a feeling it wasnât nothing.
You had barely finished setting down Gramâs breakfast tray when she sighed and pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. âI swear, I feel fine,â she insisted, but the slight rasp in her voice and the warm touch of her skin told a different story.
âGram, you have a fever.â
She waved a dismissive hand. âA slight fever never kills anyone.â
âShould I take you to a clinic?â you asked, but she shook her head.
âNo need. I just need some rest,â she said, patting your hand. At that moment, Gramâs friends arrived with hearty chatter and warm smiles.
âHow are you feeling?â one of them asked, squinting at Gram sprawled on the couch.
âIâm fine, but Iâm worried about Hannie. Heâs at the farm handling the inventory today, but itâs too much for one person,â Gram said, sighing almost too dramatically.
âOh no, the poor boy,â said another who turned to you with a suspicious grin on her lips. âYou should go help him.â
Another grandma agreed. âOh, my. Yes, dear. You should.â
You hesitated. âI donât wanna leave Gram aloneââ
âShe wonât be alone. Weâre here,â said another, already nudging you out of the way.
âGo on, dear. Fret not. Weâll take care of her. Weâll make her soup.â
âSheâll be fine. You think we donât know how to take care of one of our own?â
You hesitated, looking back at Gram, but she only chuckled weakly. âGo on. Youâll be more useful there than fussing over me.â
So you went. Jeonghan looked genuinely surprised when you arrived at the farm. He was sitting on a crate with a clipboard in one hand and a pen on the other. He took one look at you and cocked his head.
âHi. What are you doing here? Howâs Gram?â
âSheâs fine her friends came over. She sent me here to help,â you said, brushing past him. âSaid you had too much to do alone.â
Jeonghan snorted. âDid she now?â He leaned back, arms crossed. âWas it her or the other women?â
You frowned. âUm, all of them? Why does it matter?â
He smirked. âYouâve been tricked.â
âTricked?â
âTheyâve been trying to marry me off for years. This is exactly the kind of thing theyâd do. Trick a poor, unsuspecting woman into spending time alone with me."
âExcuse me?â You blinked, thrown off. âAnd you just⌠let them?â
âThey mean well. Just desperate to see me settled. Been at it for about four years now. And thereâs not much I can do.â He shrugged, tapping the pen against the clipboard. âBesides, it doesnât happen often. There arenât that many women around my age who are still single. So when someone new shows up, they start getting ideas. Poor Seola kept getting baited on her first week here.â
That sent a rush of heat up your neck. You looked away, pretending to inspect the baskets of pears stacked nearby. âWell, sorry to disappoint them, but Iâm only here to help.â
âRight,â he said, his voice laced with something teasing. âStrictly business.â
You nodded, clearing your throat. âStrictly business.â
âYouâre not here thinking about how you almost kissed me a few nights ago.â
âExcuse me?â you gasped, indignant. You pointed a finger at him. âYou almost kissedââ then pointed the finger at your chestâ âme. Get your facts straight!â
Jeonghan chuckled but didnât push it further. Instead, he handed you a clipboard and gestured toward the stacks of wooden crates. âIf you insist on helping, you can double-check these counts while I finish up the rest.â
You huffed but took the clipboard anyway, moving toward the crates while he returned to his own work. The quiet stretched between youânot uncomfortable, but filled with a hyper-awareness that had been there for days now, ever since that one drunken moment outside the guest house.
You focused on counting and scribbling notes, but every so often, you caught glimpses of Jeonghan moving nearby. He worked with efficiency, sleeves rolled up, hands deftly sorting through the inventory. The sunlight filtering through the trees left patterns over his skin, making him look almost too picturesque for a man just organizing pears.
At one point, you were so absorbed in pretending not to be aware of him that you lost your footing, nearly stumbling over a crate. Jeonghan glanced up from where he was standing, just as you had steadied yourself.
âCareful,â he said, smirking. âWouldnât want Gramâs âstrictly businessâ helper to break something.â
You shot him a glare. âI tripped over a crate. Nothing to break here.â
He smirked. âStill, Iâd be devastated if you got hurt on my watch. What would the old ladies say? Probably accuse me of mistreating my future wife.â
You groaned. âCan you not bringing that up?â
âWhy? Does it bother you?â
Yes. Maybe. A little. You werenât sure. But instead of answering, you tossed a pear at him. He caught it effortlessly, turning it over in his hand.
âYouâre very defensive,â he mused, biting into the pear.
âAnd youâre very annoying,â you shot back, before returning to your clipboard.
The work continued. He teased you every now and then and youâd retort but mostly tried to drown him out. By the time you finished your part of the task, you felt the kind of exhaustion that wasnât just physical.
Jeonghan stretched, rolling out his shoulders. âI think thatâs good for today.â
âGreat,â you said, setting down your clipboard. âThen Iâllââ
Before you could finish, rain started falling. It was so sudden that you both stood there for a second, blinking up at the sky as the cool droplets hit your skin. Soon, you realized it wasnât stopping, and Jeonghan nudged your arm.
âRun to the warehouse,â he said, pointing to the warehouse which looked so far away. âGo,â he repeated, and you started running.
You reached it in no time, but not without getting soaked. Inside, the space was dry, the scent of cardboard boxes and ripened pears filling the air. You wrapped your arms around yourself, shaking off the water clinging to your skin. Jeonghan leaned against the doorway, watching the rain with furrowed brows.
He glanced at you a few moments later. âYou okay?â
âYeah,â you replied, rubbing your arms. âThe weather was so nice today. I didnât think it would rain.â
âWell, the weather likes to be unpredictable sometimes,â he said, gaze drifting over you before he reached for something on a nearby shelfâa folded blanket. He tossed it over your shoulders without a word.
You blinked. âWhere did that come from?â
âEmergency stash,â he said simply. âMost of the workers here are old women. They prepare for anything and everything.â
âThanks,â you mumbled, pulling it tighter around yourself.
Jeonghan just hummed, still watching the rain. And for a while, neither of you spoke. The world outside was misty and gray, but in here, it was warm and quiet. The warehouse was fairly large, but the space between you felt small. And it may be because the place was packed with endless crates of pears and shelves of pear products.
You werenât sure how long you stood like that before he turned toward you fully, head tilting slightly as he studied you.
âYou really donât mind being here, do you?â he mused.
You frowned. âWell, I didnât but if I had known it would rain, I wouldnât have come up here at all.â
He chuckled. âNo, I meant in this town. At the guesthouse. Helping out on some pear farm.â
You thought about it, about the slow mornings, the sense of peace youâd been trying to chase, the way youâd felt so much more at ease these days.
âI donât mind,â you admitted, leaning back against the wall. âItâs⌠nice. No deadlines to chase. No stuck-up superiors breathing down my neck. No endless stack of workload to bury my face in.â You sighed in relief, smiling absentmindedly. âItâs really nice.â
âWhat happened?â he asked, joining you in your corner. âBack in the city?â
âItâs nothing,â you shrugged. âIâm just taking a break from corporate life.â
âI see,â he replied, unconvinced but knew better than press for answers you werenât ready to share.
The rain was coming down harder now, drumming against the roof of the warehouse and soaking the ground outside. You could hear the soft trickle of water running off the edges of the roof, pooling into the dirt. The crates of pears sat forgotten outside, and you wondered if theyâd be fine, though seeing Jeonghan not worrying about it made you assume they would be.
You noticed how Jeonghan shivered slightly, damp clothes clinging to his skin. âCold?â you asked.
He shook his head, but you could tell he was lying. You scooted closer to him and draped the blanket over his shoulder, too. It was then that you realized that it was a small blanket, just enough to wrap around you but too small for the two of you.
Jeonghan chuckled. âThanks, but I donât think this is helping.â
âRight?â you replied, chuckling.
He shifted slightly, lifting one arm and draping it over your shoulder. You hesitated at first, but you let him pull you closer, letting the warmth of his body seep into yours. He rubbed your arm with his hand, squeezing gently in an attempt to fight the cold against your skin. It worked, though not well enough.
âHow long do you think this rain will last?â you asked, slowly leaning against his chest.
Jeonghan hummed, and you felt his chest vibrate. âNot too long, I think. An hour at most. Maybe half.â
âMy car is just below the hill. I should have driven it all the way up here,â you sighed, closing your eyes.
âYou didnât know this would happen,â he said, rubbing your shoulder. âDid you see my pickup down there? I didnât drive up, too.â
You chuckled, pulling away to look at him. You were gonna say something, but the way he was looking at you made you hold your breath.
His gaze was steady, searching, as if something was fascinating about your face. He didnât move, didnât say anything. He just looked, and something about it sent a slow, burning heat in your chest. Your gaze drifted lower. His lips were slightly parted, and you knewâjust as you had known that night outside the guesthouseâthat this was going to happen.
You werenât sure who moved first. One moment, there was space between you; the next, Jeonghan was leaning in, and your fingers had curled against the fabric of his shirt. His lips met yours. A slow, quick peck. Barely a kiss at allâjust a taste. But then you exhaled, and he was kissing you again, properly this time.
Soft and lingering like he was savoring the moment, like he had thought about it and now that it was happening, he didnât want to rush. His lips were warm, even with the cold outside. You responded without thinking, tilting your head, pressing closer. Your fingers tightened in his shirt. He hummed against your lips, low and pleased, his other hand finding the small of your back and pressing you closer. The blanket slipped from your shoulders, but you barely noticed.
Jeonghan angled his head, his hand sliding up to your jaw, thumb stroking just under your ear. His tongue brushed against yours, coaxing you into parting for him. A quiet sound escaped you, something between a sigh and a gasp, and that was all it took for him to press you back against wall, his body flush against yours.
The heat between you burned hotter than the cold rain. His hands roamed, brushing over the curve of your hips, slipping under the hem of your shirt to find the warmth of your skin. You gasped against his mouth at the sensation, fingers tightening in his shirt.
He took that as encouragement. His lips left yours only to trail lower, to your jaw, and down to your neck. You shiveredânot from the cold, but from the way he touched you. Your own hands moved, pushing beneath his damp shirt, palms pressing against his stomach. He let out a quiet, surprised laugh before he kissed you again, deeper, hungrier.
The rain outside blurred into nothing. It was just him. His lips, his hands, the heat of him against you. But then, he stopped, pulling away just enough to look at you. His fingers flexed against your waist, as if holding himself back.Â
He pressed his forehead against yours, exhaling sharply as he asked, âIs this okay?â
The words sent a jolt through you, cutting through the haze of heat and desire clouding your thoughts. Your pulse pounded in your ears, and for the first time since kissing him, you could hear the rain againâthe steady downpour, the distant rumble of thunder.
Reality came crashing in, making you pull back slightly with a shaky breath. Your hands gripping his shirt loosened. His gaze searched yours, unreadable but patient. He was waiting.
âIâŚâ You swallowed, looking away. âWe shouldnât.â
There was a second of silence, Jeonghanâs hand leaving your waist and reaching up to tuck stray strands of hair behind your ear. Then he planted a soft kiss on your forehead and said, âOkay.â
You werenât sure if the cold you felt now was from the rain or from something else entirely. But it was gone as soon as he pulled you into a hug.
âBut we can do this, right?â
You chuckled lightly, closing your eyes and basking in his warmth. âYeah,â you replied, wrapping your arms around him too. âYeah, we can.â
You tossed and turned all night, replaying every moment at the warehouse. The way his lips felt against yours, the way he touched you with veneration, the addicting heat that had consumed you. All of it.
It was just the heat of the moment, you told yourself. Just a fleeting lapse of judgment, nothing more. But the longer you lay there, the more you realized you were lying.
You wanted it. You liked it. And you liked Jeonghan.
It wasnât just your imagination. You didnât imagine the way your heart raced when he kissed you. You didnât imagine the sparks of pleasure dancing on your skin when he touched you. You didnât imagine the way you melted in his arms when he held you close until the rain stopped.
You were still trying to come to terms with it when you heard faint voices outside. Curious, you pushed yourself up and peered through the window.
Outside, it was the early hours of dawn. In the dim dawn light, Jeonghan stood with Gram by the shed, lifting the lids off large clay crocks. Even though you couldnât hear them, it wasnât hard to guess what they were doingâGram was transferring kimchi into a large container, with Jeonghan helping her.
As if sensing your gaze, he suddenly glanced up and caught you watching. You froze when his gaze met yours. But Jeonghan just smiled and raised a hand in a lazy wave, which you returned sheepishly.
Then he sent kisses your way, gestured that it was still too early, and mouthed that you should go back to sleep. Clearly, he had no idea you hadnât slept a wink yet.
You huffed but nodded anyway, and just as you pulled back from the window, you heard Gram say something. Jeonghan turned to her, his head tilting in mock innocence, and you could imagine her scolding him for slacking off. Smiling to yourself, you shut your window and crawled back into bed.
As expected, you woke up late the next morning. It was almost noon, but it was the weekend, so you knew Jeonghan and Gram would be home all day. But he was nowhere to be seen.
Gram told you over lunch that he had gone to the city to visit his parents. You only nodded in response, pretending it didnât affect you. But as the day stretched on, you found yourself missing him.
Which was stupid.
He was just a guyâa good-looking guy, yes, but that didnât mean anything. Good-looking guys had a way of making you think you liked them when you really didnât. Besides, liking Jeonghan wasnât part of the plan. You had come here for peace and quietâto breathe and to heal, not to get swept up in whatever this was.
So you spent the day distracting yourselfâhelping Gram in the kitchen, reading in the shade, taking a walk along the shore. Anything to push thoughts of him away. The more you did, the more you convinced yourself that you didnât like him that much.
You werenât that attached to him. You didnât care that he wasnât around, didnât notice the way the day felt quieter without him. You werenât thinking about the way he always leaned too close when he talked or how he made even the dullest moments entertaining.
Would he be back today? Tomorrow? Would he have texted you if you had exchanged numbers?
Stop it. This wasnât you. You didnât get flustered over a guy. You didnât sit around waiting like some lovesick idiot. You were better than this.
You were fine. Your thoughts kept circling back to him, but you were fine. You just needed to reset. Get a good nightâs sleep. Tomorrow, youâd be back to normal.
So you sat outside on the porch after dinner, telling yourself you werenât waiting for him. You were just enjoying the evening air after a hearty meal. You werenât glancing at the road every few minutes. You werenât hoping heâd arrive before you ran out of reasons to stay outside.
Then, as if answering an unspoken wish, Jeonghanâs pickup came rolling into view, kicking up dust along the quiet road. The second you saw it, the day seemed brighter, and your heart felt lighter, warmer.
Oh.Â
So this was it. This was what it felt like to really like someone.
Jeonghan parked his truck and hopped out, already smiling from ear to ear as he walked over to where you were sitting on the porch. âWaiting for me?â he asked, opening his arms as if he was waiting for you to jump into them.
You scoffed, crossing your arms defensively. âNo. Iâm just getting some air.â
Jeonghan raised his brows. âYou couldâve just lied and said you were. Youâre hurting my feelings here.â
âIâ what?â
He sighed, pouting. âIâm hurt because youâd been on my mind all day, and I couldnât wait to come home and see you again.â
You blinked, suddenly feeling too warm despite the cool night air. The way he said it so smoothly, so easily, like it was just a simple fact, left you scrambling for a response. But nothing came.
Neither of you spoke.
Instead, you just stood there, staring at each other in the warm porch light. He didnât even try to laugh it off or take it back so your heart thudded a little harder, unsure what to make of this.
Then, the front door creaked open, and Gram stepped out. âHannie, youâre back so soon,â she greeted, eyeing him up and down. âHave you had dinner yet?â
âI did,â he answered, stepping back slightly. âI picked up something to eat on my way here.â
Gram huffed. âYou should get some rest, then. You must be tired. Why didnât you just spend the night at your parentsâ house? Driving back and forth like thatââ She gave him a knowing look, voice lilting with mischief. âIt almost seems like you were excited to come home for some reason.â
You caught the implication immediately. Jeonghan did too, if the way he smirked was any indication.
âYouâre right, Gram,â he said without missing a beat. Then, with a glance at you, he added, âActually, I was wondering if I could take the reason out for a stroll.â
Gram barely spared him a glance as she waved a hand dismissively. âDo whatever you want.â She turned back toward the house, muttering, âYoung people these days. So forward. Too liberated.â
And just like that, she was gone. You, however, were still standing there, completely dumbfounded.
You turned to Jeonghan, who was watching you with an all-too-pleased expression. He tilted his head toward the road.
âSo? You coming?â
You walked in silence for the first few minutes. You were expecting Jeonghan to start the conversation because, obviously, he should be the one making conversation. There were plenty of things he could start with, like clarifying what he meant when he implied that you were the reason he chose to come home right away despite the long drive.
âDonât you have anything to say to me?â he finally asked, leaning down slightly to peek at your face.
You turned away. âNo. What would I even say to you?â
Jeonghan straightened up, huffing. âI practically spelled it out for you, and you have nothing to say?â
You stopped in your tracks, exhaling sharply as you ran a hand over your nape. âOkay, what the hell is this? How about communicating clearly and more openly like grown adults instead of whatever this is?â
Jeonghan turned fully to face you. His expression was unreadable, but his voice was light when he said, âI like you.â
For a second, your mind went completely blank. You opened your mouth, then closed it, then let out a breath. âAre you sure?â
His brows furrowed. âWhat kind of question is that?â
âI meanââ You gestured vaguely. âItâs not just because of yesterday? Maybe itâs a momentary lapse of judgment. We kissed, and there wasâŚâ You hesitated to say it. â...a moment, and now you think you like me because of it.â
Jeonghan tilted his head, then asked, âAre you drunk?â
âNo.â You shot him a look. âJeonghan, Iâm serious.â
He chuckled, but when he spoke again, he was serious. âNo, itâs not just because of yesterday. I donât pull something like that on just anyone. Iâve liked you for a while now.â
âWhy?â
He grimaced, like he couldnât believe you had to ask. âWhat do you mean why? Because I do. Youâre pretty and nice. Youâre smart. Youâre good with kids, good with elders.â His voice was steady, without hesitation. âIâm not in love with you or anything. Not yet, at least. I just think youâre⌠amazing. And honestly, I wasnât planning to act on it.â
You frowned. âThen why are you?â
âBecause,â he said, watching you closely, âI think you like me too.â
Your pulse quickened. âNo, I donât,â you lied, shamelessly.
Jeonghanâs was menacingly confident. âYes, you do.â
You rolled your eyes and walked ahead, heading straight for the beach. He followed closely behind, undeterred. âCome on, Iâm being honest here.â
âWell, what do you want me to do about that?â you asked, not even glancing back.
âNothing. Justââ He caught up to you and slipped his hand into yours. âAt least tell me you heard what I said.â
âI did.â
âSo? What do you think?â
You sighed, pulling your hand back. âI havenât thought about it yet.â
And truly, you hadnât. You liked him too, yes. But what to do about it? You hadnât thought that far ahead. Did you want a relationship with him? Were you going to act on your feelings or pretend none of this ever happened? You havenât decided yet.
That didnât seem to discourage him, though. If anything, his smile turned triumphant. âSo youâre gonna think about it?â
âEven if I do, thereâs no guarantee thatââ
âItâs alright,â he cut you off, grinning. âI know I can change your mind.â
You raised an eyebrow. âYouâre making me want to reject you just to spite you.â
Jeonghan laughed, his head tipping back as he did. âYou can try, but you wouldnât want to.â
That made you laugh, too, though you werenât sure if it was because it was funny or because he was right. Either way, it didnât matter. You shook your head, exhaling sharply. âYouâre really confident, huh?â
Jeonghan shrugged. âItâs not confidence. I just know Iâm right.â
You scoffed, lightly kicking sand at him. He dodged with a laugh, but you caught the way he was still looking at youâlike he already knew what youâd decide.
You werenât sure exactly when Jeonghan decided to start his little mission, but once he did, it became impossible to ignore. Maybe it was when he started showing up more often, always finding excuses to be around you. Maybe it was when he started helping you without being askedâfixing the latch on your door when it got stuck, carrying things before you could, slipping you an extra slice of fruit without a word.
Or maybe it was when he stopped being subtle about it.
âYouâre really going all out with this, arenât you?â you asked him one afternoon when he took the heavy bag of groceries from your hands. One moment, you were struggling with the weight, and the next, he was lifting it effortlesslyâlike heâd been waiting for the chance.
âThis isnât even half of it.â He flashed you a smile. âDate me for real, and Iâll show you what all-out really means.â
At first, it was playful, something you could brush off. Jeonghan was naturally charming; he knew exactly what to say and how to say it to fluster you.
âIf you keep staring at me like that, I might get the wrong idea,â heâd tease whenever you so much as glanced his way.
But then there were moments when the teasing fell away, leaving something else in its place.
One evening, after a long day, you sat on the porch, stretching your legs and watching the sky change from gold to deep blue. Jeonghan appeared beside you, holding two cups of tea. He handed you one without a word, then sat down beside you, close enough that your shoulders brushed.
You took a sip, the warmth spreading through you. âDid you make this?â
âI did,â he said, propping himself on his hands. âGram told me you liked this kind.â
You turned to look at him, but he was already watching you. The usual mischief in his eyes had softened into something else. You looked away first.
But if his actions werenât enough, he made sure everyone else knew he liked you, too.
It wasnât over the topâno grand declarations or dramatic gestures. Jeonghan was smoother than that. He let people assume what they wanted and simply confirmed it with a smile. He wove it so naturally into conversations that it left no room for argument.
âYouâre a good boy, Jeonghan,â a man at the market told him one day. âI should introduce you to my niece. Sheâs a lovely girlâsmart, well-manneredââ
Jeonghan barely let him finish before shaking his head. âAh, that wonât be necessary,â he said, glancing at you. âI already have someone I like.â
The manâs gaze flickered between you both before he let out a knowing laugh. âOh, I see. You two make a nice couple.â
Before you could open your mouth to correct him, Jeonghan sighed dramatically. âI know, right? But sheâs making me work for it.â
âWell, keep at it then.â
You groaned, moving to another stall before he could make it worse. But it didnât stop there. As you browsed through vegetables, another vendorâa woman in her fortiesâraised an eyebrow at you. âYou two seem close,â she said knowingly. âAre you finally together?â
Jeonghan sighed again, this time heavier, as if burdened. âNot yet. Sheâs making me suffer.â
You turned to glare at him. âOh my god, stop saying that.â
The vendor laughed. âSmart girl. Make him work for it, dear.â
You let out an embarrassed chuckle. âThatâs what everyone keeps telling me.â
At the market, the vendors chuckled and nodded approvingly when he sighed about how hard he was working to win you over. At the cafĂŠ, the barista raised an eyebrow when Jeonghan ordered your drink before you could even say it.
âHeâs already ordering for you,â she mused, sliding the cup across the counter. âBoyfriend privileges?â
Jeonghan took the cup and handed it to you without missing a beat. âNot yet, but Iâm working on it.â
You swatted his arm. âWhy do you keep telling everyone that?â
âWhat? Itâs true.â He looked at the barista. âShe is making me work for it.â
The barista laughed. âSounds like youâve got a good shot.â
âExactly.â He flashed her a grin before steering you toward a table.
Then there were the aunties. The older women in town had a habit of doting on Jeonghan whenever they saw him, always fussing over how handsome he was, how polite. And, naturally, they always tried to set him up with their nieces or granddaughters.
âYouâre not seeing anyone, right, Hannie?â one of them asked one afternoon as you both helped carry groceries to her house.
âNo, but Iâm trying,â Jeonghan replied.
The auntieâs eyes twinkled with amusement. âWell, dear, you should consider it. Heâs a catch.â
Jeonghan turned to you, smirking. âHear that? Iâm a catch.â
You rolled your eyes and walked off, pretending not to hear the rest of their conversation.
But despite all his teasing, despite how easy he made it seem, you could tell he meant it. The way he always lingered close, the way he took things from your hands without asking so you wouldnât have to carry them, the way he looked at youâwarm, steady, reassuring. He wasnât playing around.
Soon, three months had passed and the townâs founding anniversary festival came. The celebration took place at the townhall by the beach, with tables stretched across the clearing. The scent of grilled fish and food blended with the salty breeze, and children ran barefoot across the sand, shrieking as they chased each other. It was the kind of gathering that felt timeless, a tradition that was part of the town itself.
You watched from the shade of a large tree, with a cup of cold barley tea in your hands. The scene before you was lively, familiar now, yet something inside you was restless.
Jeonghan was at the center of it all.
You werenât sure when you lost track of him, but now, across the clearing, you spotted him with a group of aunties fussing over him. One of them reached up to pinch his cheek, scolding him for not eating enough, and he only laughed, throwing an arm around her shoulder and promising to come by for dinner next week. Not far from them, a group of kids tugged at his sleeves, demanding that he join their game. He let them drag him off with a grin, playfully ruffling a boyâs hair as they ran.
He was so at home here. And a strange feeling twisted in your chest as you took it all inâthe way people naturally gravitated toward him, the way he moved through the crowd like he belonged, because he did. He had a place here, something his, something permanent.
And you⌠you were just passing through. A guest in their steady everyday life.
Strong breeze rustled the trees overhead, and you exhaled, as if trying to shake the thoughts away. It shouldnât matter. You knew from the start that this was temporary, that eventually, youâd have to leave. Which was why the idea of starting something with him felt so selfish.
Across the clearing, Jeonghanâs gaze caught yours and the smile that tore across his lips made your heart melt. You smiled back as he chased the kids away and started jogging toward you.
âWhy do you look like that?â he asked as soon as he was sat next to you.
You blinked. âLike what?â
He carefully grabbed the cup from your hand and took a sip. âLike youâre about to cry.â
You huffed, smiling sheepishly. âI donât know what youâre talking about.â
Jeonghan crouched beside you, resting his forearms on his knees, watching you carefully. âYouâre thinking too hard about something,â he said. âWhat is it?â
âItâs nothing.â You looked away, but he reached out, gently tucking your hair behind your ear.
âYouâre a bad liar.â
You sighed. âItâs just⌠itâs really nice here,â you admitted, gesturing toward the gathering. âYouâre really part of this town, arenât you?â
Jeonghan tilted his head. âOf course. I grew up here.â
âExactly.â You let out a small, self-deprecating laugh. âYou belong here, Jeonghan. This is your home. And Iâm just a guest.â
He studied you for a second, then said, âIs that what this is about?â
You shook your head, but it was unconvincing, even to yourself. Jeonghan exhaled, then reached up, lightly flicking your forehead.Â
You winced. âOwâwhat was that for?â
âFor being stupid.â He rested his chin on his hand. âYou think just because Iâve lived here longer, that means I belong here more than you?â
âYou do, though,â you muttered.
âMaybe.â His gaze softened. âBut that doesnât mean you donât.â
You opened your mouth, but no words came. Because wasnât that the problem? No matter how much you loved this town, it wasnât yours. And if you started something with him, would it really be fair, knowing youâd have to leave eventually?
Jeonghan must have sensed your hesitation because his lips curved into a small, knowing smile. âYouâre thinking too much.â
âI canât help it,â you chuckled.
âItâs okay.â He reached for your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours. âJust donât talk yourself out of liking me.â
Shaking your head with a grin, you said, âIâll try.â
âGood,â he replied, still holding your hand, thumb brushing absentmindedly against your skin.
You were staring at each other when someone called your name. âEnough with the eyes! Come help us with the lanterns,â one of the women called, waving you over to where a group of ladies sat beneath a pavilion.
Jeonghan rose to his feet, patting his knees as he said, âGo on, then.âÂ
But before you could pull away, he leaned in to press a quick peck to your cheek. Your skin burned as a chorus of delighted gasps and giggles erupted from the women.
âOh my,â someone cooed.
You turned to glare at Jeonghan but he was already walking away with a satisfied grin. âIâll see you later,â he said casually, hands in his pockets like he hadnât just done that in broad daylight, in front of an entire audience.
You inhaled sharply, willing your face to cool before reluctantly stepping toward the pavilion. It didnât help that all eyes were on you, their smirks making it painfully clear that you were about to be teased the moment you step under that shade.
âOh, look at her,â one of them teased, nudging another. âHer face is all red.â
âAbout time, donât you think?â another woman drawled, folding the paper carefully over the frame. âTheyâve been at it for weeks now. Itâs a wonder why theyâre not dating yet.â
âYouâre not?â asked one, turning to you with curious eyes.
You blinked, chuckling awkwardly as you sat down. âNo. Weâre not.âÂ
You glanced around at the lanterns in progress, carefully folded and held together with thin wooden frames. âSo how does this work?â you asked, steering the conversation elsewhere.
âAh, youâve never done this before?â one of them asked, already making space in front of you. âHere. let me show you.â
âFlying lanterns are part of the festival. Every year, we make these, light them up at night and send them out to sea,â another explained, demonstrating how to fasten the frame together. âMost people make wishes on them before letting them go.â
You nodded, watching her hands. âThatâs nice.â
âIt is,â she agreed. âSome people write their wishes down, but most just send them off and let fate handle the rest.â
The conversation wandered after that. The women shared stories about past festivals, about childhood memories, about their work, their families. Some had left the town for a time but eventually returned. Others had never left at all and found both their purpose and their love in this small town.
âIsnât it funny how life works?â one of them mused. âSome of us spend years wanting to leave, only to realize later that thereâs nowhere else weâd rather be.â
A few nodded in agreement, their expressions wistful. You listened quietly, fingers tracing the smooth paper of your lantern.Â
You never thought about staying, not once. This town had been an escape, a peaceful pause in your fast-paced life. But somehow, it kept drawing you in. You used to feel like a visitor passing through, but then there were mornings spent sipping tea with Gram, evenings watching the fishermen return with their catch, and nights when laughterâyours and Jeonghanâsâechoed through the town. Eventually, it got to a point where when you looked up, the sky was no longer unfamiliar. The people here werenât strangers anymore.
And JeonghanâŚ
âYou know,â another woman started, glancing at you with a knowing smile, âthereâs a popular myth about these lanterns.â
That got your attention. âA myth?â
âItâs probably just that, a myth with no truth to it,â she said lightly, her hands expertly tying a knot, âbut itâs been passed down longer than anyone can remember. They say that you can make wishes when you send out a lantern, but if you send one with your lover, itâs a wish to stay together forever.â
You smiled, finding it unsurprisingly typical but interesting nonetheless. âThatâs⌠romantic.â
âThatâs why couples always do it together,â another woman added, grinning. âItâs tradition.â
The first woman turned to you again. âHas Jeonghan asked you to send one with him yet?â
You blinked, caught off-guard by the question. Then again, you should have expected the conversation to take this turn. Before you could answer, another woman let out a laugh. âOf course he has! He wouldnât miss the chance.â
You pressed your lips together, knowing there was no way out of this. If you admitted that Jeonghan hadnât asked, theyâd tease him mercilessly. If you denied everything outright, they wouldnât believe you. So instead, you focused on your lantern, pretending to be engrossed in aligning the edges.
The women continued chatting around you, discussing the upcoming lantern release, while your thoughts drifted.
Jeonghan hadnât asked you to send one with him. Would he?
And if he did⌠would you say yes?
You waited for him to ask. Maybe it was foolish, but as the day stretched into the night and festivalgoers started making their way to the beach with lanterns in hand, you kept expecting Jeonghan to turn to you and say something. An invitation, even a playful oneâanything that would suggest he wanted to go together.
But he never did. And somehow, you still ended up going with him. Not that you were expecting to go with someone else.
There was a mini talent show by the beach, with townsfolk participating by singing or dancing. Jeonghan had simply taken your hand and led you away from the main stage, settling on a low stone wall far from the noise of the crowd. From where you sat, the music was still within reach but the space around you was quiet.
He left to get food and returned not too long after, making you raise an eyebrow. âThat was quick.â
Jeonghan handed you a skewer with a smirk. âDonât ask, just eat.â
You narrowed your eyes at him, but you still took the food. You talked over the hearty food. He complained about how long the lines were, you accused him of cutting them. He neither confirmed nor denied it, only smiled in that way that said maybe I did, maybe I didnât.
At some point, his gaze drifted to the lantern resting beside you.
âDid you make that?â
You hummed, nodding. âWhereâs yours?â
He stretched his legs out, leaning back on his hands. âI donât need one.â
You glanced at him. âWhy not?â You instinctively pushed the lanter away from him. âYou are not taking mine.âÂ
He frowned. âAre you saying you donât want to send one together?â
You stared at him, heat creeping up your cheeks. âWâWhat are you talking about?â
Jeonghan smirked teasingly. âSo you already know the myth?â
You blinked but didnât say anything. He turned his head toward you. âYouâre not gonna make me go light one alone, will you?â
You scoffed. âIs this how youâre gonna ask me to light one with you? Surely you can do better.â
âAsking is for people who donât get what they want.â
You let out an incredulous laugh and rolled your eyes. âHave fun lighting one by yourself then.â
He hummed, seemingly satisfied. For a moment, the conversation paused, the music from a young girl singing a ballad echoing through the cool night air. The warm glow of festival lights flickered over Jeonghanâs features as he watched you eat quietly and watch the show.
Then, in a quieter voice, he said, âWhat would you wish for?â
That made you glance at him, looking away just as quickly when you saw the fond look in his eyes. You cleared your throat. âI donât know. Peace, maybe.â
Jeonghan chuckled. âLike world peace? Thatâs so generic.â
âNo. Peace in my own life,â you corrected, scoffing.
He hummed. âThatâs not what most people wish for.â
âYeah? What do most people wish for?â
He leaned back on his hands again, gazing toward the dark sea. âLove, money⌠fame?â He smirked. âA kiss under the fireworks.â
You chuckled. âThat last one sounds oddly specific.â
âDoes it?â His tone was light, but his eyes flickered back to you, holding yours for a second too long.
You looked away first, exhaling. âI think peace is a good wish.â
Jeonghan didnât reply right away. âIs that why you left the city?â he asked eventually.
There it was, the question about your life and choices. Somehow, it didnât feel as jarring as the previous times he tried to bring it up. Maybe because you wanted to tell him this time.
You pressed your lips together before answering. âI got fired for exposing a senior executive who sexually harassed one of my coworkers. Long story short, the company protected him and I got fired. I sued for wrongful termination but my own lawyer told me to back down, said the fight wasnât worth it. They were too big and I was too small.â
Jeonghanâs expression hardened slightly. âSo you gave up?â
âI didnât at first,â you murmured. âBut they made sure no one else would hire me. There spread rumors about me. That I leak information to rival companies. None of it was true, but in my field, something like leaking information is a big deal. It was enough to ruin me.â
Jeonghan didnât say anything at first, but his jaw clenched. âThatâs bullshit.â
You let out a breath of a laugh. âIt was. But I had no choice so I took the settlement and left. I just⌠wanted to be somewhere far away. I needed a temporary escape.â
âTemporary?â he echoed.
You glanced at him, only to find him still watching you intently.
You hesitated, fingers curling around the wooden frame of the lantern. You thought about the town, about the people who had unknowingly made space for you in their world. About Jeonghan who had secured a place for himself in your heart. And about you who had slowly started to belong here.
âI donât know,â you admitted. âI think Iâm starting to change my mind.â
Jeonghan didnât speak, just watched you, his gaze steady in the lantern-lit dark. Then he leaned in, slowly. You werenât sure if you moved too, only that suddenly he was too close, his eyes flickering to your lips. His fingers brushed over yours on the cool concrete, squeezing as he continued leaning closer.
And just when your lips were about to meet, a loud boom echoed the air, and the sky erupted into colors.
You were startled, glancing at the sky as fireworks exploded in bursts of gold and red, reflecting in your eyes. Beside you, Jeonghan chuckled. âYou wished for a kiss under the fireworks, didnât you?â
You burst out laughing. âShut up.â
He grinned, jumping down the ledge and nodding toward the crowd gathering by the beach. âLetâs go. Theyâre starting.â
You scrambled to grab your lantern and get down the wall. But Jeonghan was already lifting you by the waist and setting you carefully on your feet. Then with your fingers intertwined, he led you down the sandy path to the beach where people were starting to light their lanterns.
And for the first time since arriving in this town, staying sounded like a really good idea.
The drive up to the pear farm was quiet, but not in a way that felt empty or awkward. Jeonghanâs hand was warm against yours, his thumb absentmindedly tracing the back of your palm as he steered with his other hand.
When the lanterns started floating into the sky, he had leaned down to whisper, âThe view is better from up the hill.âÂ
And before you could even respond, he was already tugging you toward his truck, grinning like he knew you wouldnât say no. And you didnât.
Now, sitting on the rooftop of the warehouse, you could see what he meant. From here, the town stretched below, the coastline shimmering with lanterns drifting over the sea like golden fireflies. It was breathtaking.
For a while, neither of you spoke. It was much quieter than the festival down below. Up here, it felt like the rest of the world had fallen away. Jeonghan sat close, one arm over your shoulder as you rested your head against his chest, his heartbeat steady and soothing. You turned your head, wanting to say something, only to find that he was already watching you.
He smiled. âI really, really, like you. You have no idea.â
âWell,â you breathed, smiling back at him. âI really, really, like you too.â
He smirked. âI knew it.â
You rolled your eyes. âBoy, bye,â you muttered, moving to stand up but he stopped you.
âIâm sorry,â he chuckled, looking nowhere near sorry at all. âDonât go.â
His fingers brushed over your cheek, light at first, as if waiting for you to stop himâbut you didnât. Instead, you nuzzled into the warmth of his hand. The slight furrow of his brows and the affection in his eyes stirred something inside you, igniting some kind of courage that made you reach for his cheek and lean forward to press a soft kiss on his lips.
A quick one. Fleeting but it left a tingling sensation on your lips, itching for more. Something flickered in Jeonghanâs eyes before his lips crashed into yours in a slow, searching kiss. It wasnât hurried or desperate, just deep, lingering, like neither of you wanted to let go. So you didnât let go.
Jeonghan kissed you like he had all the time in the world. His lips moved over yours in a way that made your breath hitch, slow and thorough, like he was memorizing you, savoring the shape of your mouth, the way you sighed against his lips.
Your fingers curled into his shirt, clinging onto him as warmth spread through you. He made a quiet sound when you pulled him closer, one hand slipping down to your waist, the other threading through your hair to tip your head back. The angle deepened the kiss and sent a shiver through you when his tongue pushed into your mouth.
You caught your breath when he pulled back slightly, eyes searching yours, his thumb tracing your jaw. Then, just as easily, his lips were back on yours, softer this time but just as insistent.
You didnât know how long you stayed like that, only that at some point, you found yourself stepping down from the rooftop, hand in hand with him. The warehouse door creaked as he pushed it open, revealing the dim interior where weeks ago, something had almost happened between you. This time though, you werenât stopping.
Jeonghan glanced at you with an inquiring look in his eyes, as if asking for a confirmation to continue. But you had already made up your mind. You reached for him, and he caught you in his arms with a breathless laugh. Then his lips were on yours again.
His hands slid down your back, pressing you flush against him. The warmth of his body, and the firmness of his touch was intoxicating. His lips trailed along your jaw, down the line of your throat, lingering at the sensitive spot beneath your ear.
âWe can still stop if youâre not sure about this,â he murmured against your skin, his breath warm and teasing.
Your fingers tightened around the fabric of his shirt, already half undone from when youâd tugged at it earlier. âStopping is the last thing in my mind right now.â
That was all the permission he needed.
His lips were on you again, hungrier this time, as if something had snapped inside him. The restraint he had so carefully held onto unraveled with every touch, every kiss. Your back met the cool surface of a stack of crates, but you barely noticed, too caught up in the way his hands slipped under the hem of your dress, the way he pressed into you like he couldnât get close enough.
His hands slid higher, slipping beneath the tight band of your bra. The heat of his palm cupped your breast, sending a new wave of warmth through you. His lips left yours to trail lower, nipping at the hollow of your throat before pressing open-mouthed kisses along your collarbone. Your back arched into him before you even realized, his hands tightening at your waist in response.
âJeonghan,â you breathed before you could stop it.
He hummed in response, the sound deep and approving. His fingers brushed along your ribs, teasing the hem of your dress upward, giving you plenty of time to stop himâbut you didnât. Instead, you tugged at his shirt and yanked it from his shoulders.
You could barely see him in the dim light, but you could still make out the smooth lines of his skin, the way his chest rose and fell with each breath, his smooth long hair slightly disheveled from your hands running through it.
Without a word, he lifted you off your feet and kissed you again. Your legs wrapped around his torso, arms around his neck as he walked further into the warehouse and set you down an empty worktable.Â
The cold surface of the worktable sent a shiver through you, but Jeonghanâs hands were warm as they slid along your thighs, pushing them apart just enough to step between them. His gaze darkened as he took you in, his fingers trailing on the bare skin beneath your dress before he pulled it over your head, tossing it somewhere behind him.Â
âSo beautiful,â he murmured, almost absentmindedly, like he was too distracted by you to realize heâd said it aloud.Â
He leaned in again, capturing your lips in another slow, lingering kiss as his hands worked the clasp of your bra. The second it slipped from your shoulders, he palmed your breasts, thumbs brushing over your nipples in circles. A whimper escaped you, your back arching into him.
He lowered his head, lips parting just before he wrapped them around your nipple, sucking slowly and deeply. The warmth of his mouth sent a sharp jolt of heat through your nerves, pooling low in your stomach.Â
âJeonghan,â you gasped, thighs tightening around his waist as he switched to the other, his tongue flicking over the sensitive bud before closing his lips around it and sucking again. He groaned, like he was savoring the taste of you, like he couldnât get enough.
His hands slid down your back, gripping your hips, pressing you firmly against him and there was no mistaking the hard press of his erection through his jeans. The realization sent another wave of heat through you, and you bucked against him without thinking.
He grunted and pulled back just enough to meet your gaze, half-lidded eyes directed at you. âYouâre gonna make me lose my mind,â he murmured, voice rough.
You kissed him, messy and eager, before smirking against his lips. âWell, wouldnât you love it if I did?â
âOh, fuck you,â he breathed before laying you down the table with urgency.
Your skin prickled with anticipation as you watched him unbuckle his belt. His fingers worked quickly, shoving his jeans and boxers down just enough, freeing himself from the restraints of his clothes.
Your lips parted at the sight of himâhard, flushed, and already leaking at the tip. You felt yourself clench at nothing as he leaned over you again, hands gripping your hips as he pressed himself against the damp fabric between your legs. The friction made you whimper, your thighs trembling around him.
âSo sensitive,â he groaned, rolling his hips against yours, dragging himself along your clothed sex. âSo soaked too.â
âPlease do something about it,â you whispered, tilting your head back as his mouth found your throat, sucking at the supple skin, leaving behind a delightful sting that you knew youâd still see tomorrow.
His hands slipped into the waistband of your underwear, hooking his fingers in the fabric and dragging them down in one swift motion. The cool air against your bare skin made you shiver, but Jeonghan was quick to settle between your legs again, his fingers tracing teasingly up your inner thigh.
He paused, gaze flicking up to yours, searching. You knew what he was asking. pulling him down, capturing his lips in a desperate kiss. âI need you,â you whispered in his ear.
Jeonghan groaned into your mouth, pressing you deeper into the table as his hands roamed your skin. His fingers trailed lower, brushing against your inner thigh before sliding between your legs. A sharp gasp left you at the first stroke of his fingers. You didnât bother pretending to be shy, not when he was rubbing delightfully against your clit, not when your hips bucked into his touch on instinct.
Then, just when you thought you couldnât take any more, he pulled back. You were just about ready to protest but your voice disappeared the second he dropped to his knees.
His hands gripped your thighs, dragging you closer to the edge of the table. He looked up at you, eyes dark with something ravenous.
âOhââ before you could form a word, his mouth was on you.
The first swipe of his tongue sent a full-body shudder through you. âJeonghanââ His name broke off into a gasp as he sucked your clit.
He hummed, satisfied, as he settled between your thighs like he belonged there, his fingers digging into your hips to keep you stillâthough that did little to stop the way your legs trembled around him. Then, without warning, he buried his tongue inside you, licking deep, slow, dragging obscene noises from your lips.
Your hands flew to his hair, clutching and pulling when the pleasure became too much, only for him to groan in approval, his grip tightening on you. The soundsâhis mouth, your gasps, the heatâfilled the empty warehouse, making your tummy coil tighter and tighter with every movement of his tongue.
âJeonghan,â you whimpered, thighs squeezing around his head. âIâmââ
âI know.â His voice was hoarse, breathless, and he didnât stopâif anything, he doubled down, sucking harder, fingers replacing his tongue, thrusting deep, curling just right until the knot in your stomach came undone.
Your body arched off the table, waves of pleasure crashing through you, leaving you breathless, dazed, trembling beneath him.
Jeonghan kissed his way back up your body. He lingered at your boobs, then at you collarbone and your neck, his breath warm as he whispered against your skin, âYouâre beautiful like this.â
You barely had the voice to respond, still trembling from the way heâd unraveled you so effortlessly. But when his lips met yours again, you tasted yourself on his tongue, and something about that sent a fresh wave of pleasure through you.
You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer, feeling the warmth of his skin against yours. His forehead rested against yours, his lips brushing yours with every breath.Â
âPlease tell me you want this,â he whispered, his voice low and unsteady. Not because he didnât know it, but because he needed to hear it.
You cupped his jaw, your thumb brushing over his cheekbone. âI want you, Jeonghan.â
His hand slid down your thigh, lifting it higher against his waist as he positioned himself with you, moving slowly. His lips found yours again, swallowing your gasp as he pushed himself in, filling you inch by inch, stretching you in the most delightful way.
He groaned softly into your mouth, his fingers intertwining with yours beside your head as he pushed deeper, until there was no space left between you. He didnât move right away, just held you, let you feel him, let you adjust to the feeling of him buried inside you.
âYou okay?â he murmured, his thumb brushing over your knuckles.
You nodded, breath shaky, overwhelmed by the way he was looking at youâlike you were something to be cherished, something to be loved.
Then he started to move slowly, deeply, like he was practicing the clench, like he never wanted to forget the way you felt around him. He kissed you between every thrust, your lips, your cheek, your jaw, anywhere he could reachâhis hands never leaving yours.
âYouâre trembling.â
You were. From his hands, his mouth, his manhood and the intoxicating euphoria that clouded your head and left you gasping, arching into him, chasing every movement, every moment.
And when he finally whispered your name like a prayer, you knew you were completely, utterly lost in him.
Neither of you said much on the ride home, still giddy about what had just happened but too shy to talk about it. He kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting on your thigh, as he hummed quietly with the music from the stereo. The cool night air slipped in through the open window, carrying the faint echoes of the festival, but here, in the car, it was just the two of you.
The guest house was dark when you arrived, Gram still out enjoying the festival somewhere. You half expected Jeonghan to go back to his room, but you knew heâd follow you inside yours.
âWanna shower together?â he asked, hugging your from behind and kissing the side of your head.
You huffed a quiet laugh. âI think Iâll go by myself.â
âOh, come on. Just say yes,â he whined, burying his face in the crook of your neck. âPlease?â
You chuckled, shaking your head. âFine.â He was quick to tug you down the hall and into the bathroom.Â
In the bathroom, steam floated in the air as warm water cascaded over your shoulders. Jeonghan stood behind you, arms wrapped loosely around your waist. He reached for the soap, lathering it between his palms before smoothing it over your shoulders, down your arms, his touch more soothing than teasing.Â
His fingers traced along your spine, his lips brushing over the back of your neck before he whispered, âDonât get turned on. Weâre just taking a bath.â
You smacked his chest, laughing as you took the soap from his hand. âTurn around.â
Like an obedient puppy, he did as he was told and you lathered the soap against his back. For a long moment, you just stood there, quietly helping each other wash up.
As you were running your fingers into his hair, Jeonghan said, âYou keep touching me like that, and weâre never getting out of here.â
You scoffed. âTake your mind out of the gutter.â
He grabbed your wrists gently, making you pause. âOkay, I hope you know thatâs too much to ask when youâre standing here naked with me.â
âOh my god, youâre the insatiable type, arenât you?â you asked, shaking your head as you wriggled your hands free from his grip.
Jeonghan only grinned. âBaby, every man with a working penis is insatiable.â
You scoffed, flicking water at him. âThatâs so insightful. Thanks,â you said with a deadpan expression.
He smirked. âI like to think Iâm a man of wisdom.â
âYouâre a menace. Thatâs what you are.â
âYeah? And yet, here you are. Naked again. With me.â
You rolled your eyes playfully. âObviously, I have bad judgment.â
âMm. Bad judgment is agreeing to shower with me and expecting nothing to happen.â He leaned in, his breath warm against your ear. âAdmit it. You wanted to see this again,â he added, gesturing to his body.
You shoved him under the water, laughing as you said. âYeah, whatever.â
âSee?â He slicked his hair back, giving you a triumphant look. âI always knew you liked me too much,â he teased, pressing a kiss to your shoulder before stepping back under the spray.
You rolled your eyes but didnât pull away when he reached for the loofah, running it down your arm with care. For all his teasing, he took his time with you, washing your skin with gently strokes, like he enjoyed the act itself, not just the excuse to touch you.
At some point, his fingers found yours under the water, linking them together. You looked up to find him watching you. He didnât say anythingâhe didnât need to. The silence, the warmth, the feeling of standing here with him in the warm light of the bathroom, it was enough.
Steam was still in the air as you stood side by side in front of the bathroom mirror, you wrapped in a towel and him shirtless with gray sweatpants. You reached for your moisturizer while Jeonghan lazily brushed his teeth, watching you through the mirror.
âI saw a house for sale near the pear farm the other day,â you said casually, dabbing the product on your skin.
Jeonghan hummed, dipping his head down the sink to rinse his mouth. âOh yeah?â
You nodded. âItâs nice. Small, but cozy. Has a garden.â
âI know that one. Nice house. The owners moved abroad with their daughter.â He wiped his mouth with a towel.Â
âDo you know how much theyâre selling it for?â
He capped his toothbrush and turned to face you fully. âIt should be affordable. Real estate isnât too expensive around here. Why? You interested?â
âMaybe,â you replied, shrugging.
He made a thoughtful sound, turning back to the mirror. âI wonât move in with you unless you marry me first.â
You snorted. âDonât we technically live together already?â
âThis is a guest house. Thatâs different,â he countered. âBuying a house is serious. I like you a lot, but I wonât spend money on a house unless weâre official official.â
Rolling your eyes, you turned to him. âI have my own money, you know?â
âSo?â
âSo? Iâll buy the house myself.â
Jeonghan nodded. âYeah, I admire strong and independent women, but no. Not moving in with you unless you put a ring on it,â he said playfully, wiggling his fingers.
You shook your head, packing your skincare products back in your pouch. âI didnât say I was gonna live there with you.â
âOh?â he scoffed, crossing his arms. âWell, then if youâre living in that house, I should at least get a key.â
He turned to wash his hands, but halfway through, he froze. The bathroom went quiet except for the steady trickle of water against porcelain. Slowly, he turned back to you, his brows furrowing in realization.
âWait a minuteâŚâ
You didnât say anything, just shrugged. His eyes widened, and he straightened, covering his mouth in mock shock. âYouâre staying?â
âIâm considering it.â You walked out of the bathroom, and as expected, Jeonghan was right behind you. âThereâs a few things I can do if I settle down here. I could open a shop or something. Take up teaching or do marketing consults for the pear farm. I donât see why not.â
You turned to find him still standing there, hand over his mouth like he couldnât believe what heâd just heard.
âSeriously?â you deadpanned.
He ignored you, blinking a few times before asking again, âYouâre staying?â
You chuckled. âYeah. Iâmââ
Before you could say anything else, Jeonghan pulled you into a tight hug. He let out a breathy laugh against your hair, one hand sliding up to the nape of your neck.
You smiled, wrapping your arms around him too. You hadnât expected it to be such a simple decision. When you first arrived, you told yourself this was just temporary, a place to breathe before figuring out where to go next. But now, the thought of leaving felt impossible. The town had settled into your bones. The people, the warmth, the way the sea stretched endlessly against the skyâit had all become a part of you. And of course, admittedly one of the main reasons of your stay, Jeonghan.
Maybe youâd known for a while. Maybe youâd been staying long before you admitted it to yourself. Maybe your doubts were just the shadows of a past self trying to resist the peace you had found here.
You hugged him a little tighter, pressing your face into his shoulder. Jeonghan pulled back just enough to meet your gaze, his lips lifting into a mischievous smile.
âLetâs get married before you change your mind.â
You scoffed, patting his chest. âOkay, slow down, cowboy.â
And just like that, you were walking into a new phase in your life. Something slower, more mundane but steadier, and uneventful in the best way. It might have seemed too soon to say, but deep down, you knew youâd never regret choosing this life.Â
Choosing him.
[fin]

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building blocks | yjh
(agreeing to be the teaching assistant is the last thing you want in a semester where you're already swamped with work. but, you need a letter of recommendation from the professor and you're out of other options. enter jeonghan, the menace who signs up for the class seemingly on a whim and disrupts your entire routine.)
pairing: master's student!jeonghan x TA!f!reader genre: university!au, strangers to loveres | fluff, minor angst, attempt at humor, smut rating: explicit, minors DNI word count: 19.7k (idk what to say atp) warnings: mentions of eating and drinking, jeonghan briefly drives a motorcycle, they're both engineering students but i don't claim to know engineering, the angst is minor because there's some miscommunication smut warnings: lots of kissing, hand job, fingering, slight voyeurism? (jeonghan watches reader finger herself), kind of loser!jeonghan, missionary sex, nothing really crazy all things considered
a/n: this is for the TA collab hosted by the amazing @camandemstudios. those two have been working so hard on this and i can't wait to read all the fics. but go easy on me because i know next to nothing about structural engineering. credit to @caelesjjk for this banner, it's so amazing 𼰠also thank you to everyone that helped me brainstorm along the way @ugh-yoongi @haologram @highvern and of course to @wqnwoos for letting me borrow her name.
note 2: this isnât proofread. i had something come up irl and wanted to get it posted, so iâm sorry for any errors! iâll come back to it next week when i have a minute.
(tag list at the end)
Your entire academic (and professional, for that matter) career has been a battle. A fight to be taken seriously. A fight to get the right classes. A fight to make the right connections. A fight for every inch that youâve gotten. There are times that you wonder if itâs all worth it, wonder if anything should be as hard as this. But, all youâve ever wanted was to be an engineer. To be able to leave your mark in some sort of meaningful way, even if thatâs also a little conceited. Itâs all you want and youâre so close to getting some much needed room to breathe.Â
ExceptâŚ
You have to make it through one last semester of this damn Masterâs program. You managed to find a sponsor to allow you to commit to a final semester full time, with only part time research work. Thatâll put you in a good position to carry on for your PhD, with your dissertation topic already picked and funded. Things had been going entirely too smoothly, in hindsight. You should have known. Everything about your application to the upcoming program is perfect. Except for the final recommendation. And, of course, the professor to give that recommendation wonât just give it to you to recognize the years youâve put into this. No. He implies that thereâs something he needs from you.
Nothing really awful, in the grand scheme of things. Not for someone that does want to return as a lecturer at some point down the road. Itâs just that you didnât really want to be forced into a teaching assistant position for Professor Choiâs introductory structural engineering course. Itâs the course that weeds out whoâs actually going to carry on with the civil engineering branch of the Masterâs program from those who may switch out to something that better suits them. Which, again, isnât a huge deal, except that you remember how burnt out the TA looked from when you took the course and itâs the last thing you need during your final semester. Itâs hard to know that some portion of your future hinges on doing this. Itâs also hard to forget another friend of yours admitting Professor Choi had given him a recommendation without the hoops.
Whatever.
What doesnât kill you makes you stronger and all that.Â
So you schedule your regular meetings with the professor, make a separate email folder for all course related communication, jot down the important dates, and figure out which lessons you have to help plan. First up is going to be the introductory class. Professor Choi comes in and introduces himself while you distribute the syllabus, an odd task when everything is available online through the portal, but he likes things in hard copy. Once heâs done his introduction, he leaves the rest of the first class to you, as he had with the TA in your course during your first semester. For a moment, you consider pointing out that this is a Masterâs level course and you donât really need to do the typical introductions. Most of these people have busy lives and, even though theyâll have to work together on projects, can manage without syllabus week. But, Choi is old school and you know it. You also need his letter, so whatâs the point in trying to change his system? Youâre not here to do anything other than fill a spot that he was having trouble filling, get your letter, and go.Â
When you scan the roster before the first day, nobody particularly sticks out. There are a couple of relatively familiar names, though youâre not sure you can place faces to them, but most of the students seem to be in their first semester of the program. It only takes getting to the introductions for someone in the course to stick out, though.
âWell, Iâve always been good at building Legos. I figure, how different can it really be?â one student answers.
It takes everything in you to school your face back into a politely interested expression when the rest of the class bursts out laughing. Your initial reaction had been incredulity. Surely he couldnât be serious. Thereâs no way someone just wandered into this program because he liked building Legos. The laughter from the rest of the class dies down and you keep your attention on him.
âWhy did you really join the program?â you ask. Thatâs what every student was supposed to be sharing. A problem for this student, apparently.
âThat is why I joined,â he says with an infuriating smirk.Â
âWhat did you say your name was?â you ask.
âJeonghan,â he answers without anything else.
You consult the roster in front of you and put a star by his name. This is someone you know youâre going to have to keep an eye on.Â
âDid I get a star already?â he prompts, earning another few chuckles from his classmates.
âSomething like that,â you say and then turn to the person next to him. âAnd why did you join?â
Nothing else grabs your attention during the remainder of the introductions. Several students volunteer what theyâre hoping to get out of the program. One brave student says sheâs heard that Professor Choi is tough before asking for your opinion. Although you give a neutral answer, you make a note to speak to her privately to address her (very valid) concerns.Â
When it comes time for you to return to speaking about the rest of the semester, you expect Jeonghan to interrupt in some way. He gives the impression of someone that likes causing a little bit of chaos or bringing attention to himself. Instead, he simply listens, notes something down occasionally, and gazes at you so intently that you nearly feel yourself flush. It would be a lot easier to ignore him if he didnât look like some kind of model, though. You catch yourself looking at him more than once when other students are sharing answers. His nearly black hair falls in longer layers around his face, not quite reaching his collar in the back. Thereâs something almost delicate about his nose, about all of his face, really. His features are soft in a sort of beautiful way. Itâs only when he catches you looking that you shake any consideration of his features from your mind.Â
Once thereâs only a few minutes left, you dismiss the class with a reminder that your email is beneath Professor Choiâs on the syllabus and youâre always around to help them. This class, you share, can be daunting and youâre here to help them get through it in one piece. That part comes out genuine because you do mean it. None of these students are to blame for the position youâre in. Itâs not their fault that they have a TA that doesnât really want to be in the position. So, youâre not going to make them suffer. Youâre going to help them just as the TA for your class helped you. You make a note to reach out to him and ask for some advice.
Jeonghanâs eyes linger on you as the other students get out of their seats and begin talking, mostly about what theyâre most excited for in the coming semester. You have to break first and look down to collect some papers from the desk. It also helps to remind yourself this is the same student who said he joined the class because he likes Legos. Ridiculous. When you look back up at the class, youâre half expecting to see his attention is still on you. Itâs not. Heâs joined a few classmates and is leaving the room without a backward glance.Â
Legos, you remind yourself, and return to gathering your things.Â
The one good thing about all this is that itâs an evening course, designed for people that have to work during the day. When the class is over, you get to go straight home to eat dinner and meld into the couch with your roommate, who also happens to be your best friend.Â
You: iâm tired, want me to pick up food on the way home?
Bestie boo: i already called in an order from that one place you like so you can pick it up on the way homeÂ
You: wow who are you and what have you done with my best friend?
Bestie boo: i didnât pay for it
You let out a snort because thatâs exactly the friend you know and love. He has to cover up ordering your favorite food from your favorite restaurant, which is sweet, by reminding you heâs still a giant pain in the ass. The gesture is enough for you to ignore it and just let him have this win. Maybe youâre off your game, but youâre a little tired.
âYou should watch where youâre going.âÂ
The comment nearly makes you jump out of your skin. Sure, you scare easily as it is. But itâs worse when the voice comes out of seemingly nowhere. Of course itâs Jeonghan from your class, leaning against the wall just outside the building. His eyes glint at your reaction, like heâs enjoying it. Maybe he is. A second later, he pushes off from the wall to come closer.Â
âAnd you shouldnât scare people like that,â you retort when your heart slows a bit. Heâs looking at you conspiratorially. âDid you have a question from the class?âÂ
âNo,â he answers easily.Â
âSoâŚâ you start.Â
âDo you memorize the faces of all your students so quickly?â he wonders, continuing when you give him an odd look. âOr am I special?âÂ
âYou made an impression,â you say neutrally.
âA positive one?â he presses.
âI didnât say that,â you counter.
âBut, still, you remembered me. Unless you learn all your students' faces before class as TA duties,â he says.
You sigh and decide to give him a partial truth, one thatâs less likely to bite you than admitting his face is one of the only ones you remember. âI havenât been a TA before so I donât have a manual for how Iâm going to approach it.âÂ
âHappy I get to be your first, then,â he says and turns to walk away. He turns back over his shoulder with a wicked smile and calls, âsee you next class!âÂ
Your mind is preoccupied all the way to the restaurant to pick up the food and all the way back to your apartment. Itâs only been one day of class and you can already feel that this student is going to be a menace. Worse than that, he seems like he knows heâs getting under your skin and wants to press it even further. Realistically, you just have to get through any of the classes that you lead. Otherwise, heâll be the professorâs issue.Â
Seungkwan is waiting on the couch, aimlessly scrolling on his phone when you walk into the living room, takeout containers in hand. Itâs relatively familiar, though you know that he also likes to be out whenever he can. A perpetual social butterfly.Â
âToday was already fucking annoying,â you moan when you set the boxes down and flop onto the couch.
Seungkwan gives you a sympathetic look. âAt least youâre one step closer to getting what you need from that idiot.â
Youâre confused for a moment because you hadnât been thinking of Professor Choi at all. âOh, yeah, no. I wasnât talking about Choi.âÂ
âWhat was the issue then?â Seungkwan asks as he leans forward to get his food.
âThereâs this guy in the class and I donât know. I canât figure him out,â you offer. âHeâs so annoying. Like who signs up for a structural engineering class just because he likes building Legos? And that smirk. Ugh. I hate him.â
âSure sounds like it,â Seungkwan quips.Â
âFuck off, I do,â you double down.Â
âWhatâs he look like? Is he cute?â he wonders.
âDoes it matter?â you ask.
âNo. You answered anyway,â Seungkwan says with a grin.
âFine, yes he is attractive because for some reason Iâve been cursed. Why do all you annoying people in my life also have to be hot?â you whine, casting a look at your roommate.
âDid you just call me hot?â he barks through a laugh.Â
âFuck off, just pick a show. Itâs your turn,â you say with a push on his arm.Â
You make it through the first few classes as a TA without much to report. Jeonghan tries your patience, but thereâs not much he can do during the class and he doesnât linger afterwards. Thatâs usually when Professor Choi wants to debrief on the course material and make sure the next class is ready. The class is also just starting to get into the real material and away from the foundational information.Â
But, now the course is well and truly underway, which means you have to announce that youâll be starting to hold your own office hours every week. Of course, Choi also has office hours and students could take advantage of those. Probably would, if not for the fact that he encourages the class to go to you first to try and resolve anything. Something about how heâs very busy and thatâs why he has a TA. Itâs exhausting and just another obstacle in getting what you need.Â
After getting feedback from the class, you decide to set two different times for office hours, one during the late afternoon and one during the early evening to accommodate schedules. A few students show up right at the start of your first office hours session with similar concerns. So, you invite them in and start to work through a few practice problems to illustrate the point that theyâre struggling to understand. Itâs actually surprisingly easy to work in this way. You would never admit it to Professor Choi, but itâs actually kind of enjoyable. Thereâs value in helping someone understand a difficult concept. Itâs also really rewarding to watch the comprehension dawn on the faces around you as each of them seems to grasp what youâre saying.Â
Honestly, you canât imagine your first office hours going any better when youâre already an hour into it and youâve been working with the same three students. Of course, just as theyâre gathering their things to head out, feeling more confident than when they showed up, Jeonghan appears in the doorway. He doesnât even say anything at first, just looks around at the other students. They seem oblivious to whatâs happening around them.
âThanks again,â one student says as heâs standing up.
Another student catches sight of Jeonghan and she smiles. âOh, sorry Jeonghan. We didnât know you were having trouble with any of the concepts or we would have asked you to join us.âÂ
âThatâs fine,â he says easily. âI was busy until just now anyway.âÂ
âDo you all feel confident with the topics? Or would you like to stay and go over something now that Jeonghan is here?â you ask, trying not to appear hopeful. (And failing at that pretty miserably.)
âOh no, weâre definitely set. And we had plans,â the first student says with a look over at Jeonghan.
The three of them exchange goodbyes with Jeonghan and head out, allowing Jeonghan to close the door behind them before plopping into a seat at the table in your office. Heâs directly across from you, which makes it hard to avoid his eyes. When you do meet his eye, though, heâs got a sneaky, all-knowing look on his face. You donât like the loot of it one bit.
âWhatâs with the look?â you ask.
âWhat do you mean?â he retorts quickly.
âYouâre making a face,â you say.
âAre you saying you donât like my face?â Jeonghan asks, pretending to be offended.Â
âWhy are you here, Jeonghan?â you ask to switch tactics.Â
âThese are your office hours. Iâm here to ask questions about the material,â he says.Â
âYou donât need any help with the material so far. Iâve graded your problem sets and the answers have been perfect,â you admit.Â
âImpressive, isnât it?â he muses.Â
âIâm not answering that. It brings me back to my question, though. If you donât need help, why are you here?â you press.
âWhy does it seem like you donât like me?â he asks.
âI donât have any feelings about you either way,â you deflect.
âNow, thatâs not true,â he disagrees.Â
âYouâre determined to get under my skin,â you say, half as a joke.Â
âDetermined to figure you out,â he corrects. âIt doesnât seem like youâre all that excited about being a TA.â
âThatâs because I was forced into it,â you blurt out and immediately clap a hand over your mouth. Thatâs the last thing you meant to say. âI didnât meanâŚâ
âNow weâre getting somewhere in this relationship,â he says, sitting back into his seat with a satisfied smile.Â
You heave another heavy sigh, a common occurrence around this man. âWhy are you so determined to figure me out? Why do you care how I feel about you?â
âBecause everyone seems to like me right off the bat,â he says.Â
âI can see why,â you deadpan.Â
âSo can I stay? Or do you have very important things to do?â he asks.
âItâs my office hours, so Iâm here to help students until the two hours are up,â you admit.
âPerfect.â
The next few times that you hold office hours feature Jeonghan showing up for the second half. It seems deliberate that he doesnât show up right when they start, especially because you always have at least one other student in your office. If thereâs another student there, he joins in to ask questions along with whoever else is there. When itâs just him, his questions are much more personal. Itâs obvious that he wants to know you. Know your likes and dislikes, know the things that make you tick, know who you are when youâre not at school. Seems very convinced that the version of you outside the walls of the engineering building is very different from the one he sees. Jeonghan doesnât seem to realize that heâs slowly getting more and more of a peek into who you really are. Thankfully, he doesnât bring up your slip about being forced into being a TA.Â
It doesnât make it any easier to be around him.
It should. You should be able to get used to his particular brand of torture. Yet, with each new piece of information you learn, you unlock even more questions. Itâs like you canât ever really figure him out. Or maybe that he doesnât want you to. Heâs very careful to give vague answers about the serious things, while he goes on and on about the things that donât matter. Heâll spend a solid five minutes talking about the latest Lego heâs building, but then breeze past the few questions you ask about him personally. It usually includes some sort of quip about how heâs wearing you down and how you clearly want to know him better.Â
âBet you thought you were escaping me today,â a voice says, startling you out of your thoughts.Â
âJesus Christ,â you gasp. Your heart beats a mile a minute as you look up to glare at the intruder.Â
âNo, Yoon Jeonghan. I can see the confusion, though,â he says and you sigh heavily.Â
âOffice hours are almost over,â you point out.Â
âNot for 20 more minutes,â he counters.Â
âRight, but I was in the middle of grading something,â you say, indicating the design plans in front of you. He glances over at them.
âHm,â he says.
âWhat, Jeonghan?â you ask with exasperation.
âJust doesnât look like mine is all,â he says and plops into the chair across from you.
âWell obviously,â you say. âCanât exactly grade your project with you sitting here.âÂ
For some reason, that makes him break out into a wicked grin. âSo you arenât grading my assignment because you were hoping Iâd show up.âÂ
Ah, yes. Now you see your mistake. Should have definitely seen that coming, too. âYouâve come to every other session. I wasnât hoping youâd show up again, but it was a fair assumption that you might.âÂ
âWhatever you need to tell yourself,â he says placatingly. âDâyou have a question?â you ask. The tension headache you associate with Jeonghanâs presence in your life is threatening to make an appearance.Â
âNope,â he says, popping the last syllable.Â
A notification on your phone stops you from responding to him and you unlock it immediately. It seems that Professor Choi needs to give you a stack of assignments and instead of just walking a few doors down the hall, he had to send a message. You drop your phone back on the desk with the message still open and take a calming breath.Â
âEverything good?â Jeonghan asks with more care than youâre used to.
âYeah, Iâll be right back. Have to go pick something up from Professor Choiâs office,â you say, already on your feet and heading towards the door.Â
It only takes a minute or two for you to go and come back. For once, youâre thankful for Jeonghan because it gives you the ready-made excuse that youâre just wrapping up office hours with a student waiting for you to return. He doesnât need to know that student hasnât ever asked you a class related question without another student present. Youâll take the wins where you can get them. The pain in ass in question is still sitting exactly where he was when you left him.Â
He looks up at you as you walk back in, set the folders on the corner of your desk, and sit back down. âYou really hate Professor Choi.âÂ
âI didnât say that,â you counter quickly. Probably too quickly.Â
âYou didnât have to. Sometimes you have a really expressive face,â he comments and looks back down at his phone.Â
âOnly sometimes?â you wonder. Jeonghan looks back up to regard you.
âItâs always expressive, but you work a little harder to control it in class than you do outside of it,â he decides. âYou mentioned something about being forced into this. Why be a TA if you hate it?âÂ
âI donât actually hate being a TA,â you clarify. He seems to accept this at face value. âItâs justâŚI didnâtâŚno. Why am I doing this with you?â
âBecause Iâm asking?â he offers.Â
âI had never considered being a TA. I wasnât opposed to it, I just hadnât really fit it into my schedule. It has been a lot of fun, though,â you say. Itâs the first time youâve noticed how much attention Jeonghan gives you. The way his eyes are on you and it seems like he tunes out any other distractions.Â
âHow did you end up here, then?â he asks. Any teasing or lightness is gone from his tone.Â
âPlease donât make me regret giving you the honest answer,â you say warily. âBut, Iâm applying for my PhD program. I have everything that I needâŚexcept for a final letter of recommendation.â
âOh, youâre joking,â he says and actually does look offended on your behalf. âHeâs making you TA for him in exchange for the letter? Thatâs why you said you were forced into it?â
âYup,â you respond, popping the end of the word like he had done earlier..Â
âWell, thatâs definitely shitty but Iâm still counting myself lucky that you ended up with this class,â he says.
âI canât figure you out,â you admit.Â
âI know.âÂ
That should be annoying, the way he says that he knows you canât figure him out. Itâs like heâs not even trying to hide that heâs making it difficult to get to know him. Yet, heâs not making it a secret that he wants to get to know you better. Thereâs just something about him that prompts you to share things you wouldnât with anyone else. No, thatâs dramatic. Itâs just easier to share with him than it usually is with someone else that you barely know.Â
Despite asking again if Jeonghan has any questions, he insists that heâs fine with just sitting there to keep you company while you have to wait to see if any student comes by in the last minutes of your office hours. For a change, he doesnât ask any personal questions. Doesnât try to press you into admitting things that you usually wouldnât. He just takes out his laptop to make it look like youâre actually helping him in the event that anyone checks in on you.Â
Nobody does. The last few minutes pass quickly with you returning to grading the assignment you had been working on. The two of you gather up your things in relative silence and Jeonghan walks with you out to your car so that you can head home. Youâre expecting something else or something different, but thatâs all there is. Just a walk to your car, a smile with a goodbye, and him heading off in another direction. Itâs somehow the strangest and most normal interaction youâve had with him. It makes you pause to wonder if this is the real version of him. A little quiet, a little reserved. Not being a menace to anything and anyone in his path.
Itâs not until youâre back home, sitting on the couch with a glass of wine while watching some variety show with Seungkwan that you realize it wasnât quite the normal interaction you thought it was.Â
Jeonghan: i appreciated you telling me the truth about the class today
The message lights up your screen and all you can do is stare at it without being able to believe it. How are you getting a message from Jeonghan with his contact information saved? Youâre racking your brain trying to figure out if you gave him your number, or saved his, and just didnât remember.Â
âWhatâs with your face?â Seungkwan asks.
âWow, that was nice,â you retort.
He looks over at your phone where the notification still shows a message from Jeonghan. âFinally gave him your number, huh?â
âNo, I -â you start when another message comes in.
Jeonghan: you left your phone unlocked when you went to Choiâs office and I figured it was time for us to exchange numbers
Seungkwan, now more invested in your messages than in the show in the background, lets out a low whistle of appreciation. âWow, heâs good. I see why you like him.â
âI donât like him, Kwan,â you sigh.
âSure,â he says dismissively.Â
As if to prove something, you make a show of moving your phone over to the end table and turning it over. Seungkwan gives you a Look that plainly says heâs not buying whatever it is youâre trying to sell. Otherwise, he lets you go back to the show that youâre watching without bringing it up again.Â
The text thread with Jeonghan seems to haunt you every time you open your messages, at least until there are enough conversations to push it out of your view. Surprisingly, you donât get any more texts from him when you donât answer. He also doesnât show up to your next office hours, which is a bit odd to you. And you canât vent to Seungkwan about it because heâs still very convinced that itâs only a matter of time before you end up sleeping with Jeonghan. Ridiculous, honestly. Like you would waste your time on someone youâre not even sure you like.Â
That carries you through to your next class. Itâs a slightly more complicated lecture that Choi does every semester to try and scare students off this path. He claims itâs so that everyone knows what they would be getting into. You suspect that itâs his way of reminding everyone just how smart he is. Not exactly the most flattering trait, but you suppose that he probably doesnât care about that. Doesnât need to. Heâs been teaching so long that his job is guaranteed at this point.Â
The good thing, though, about knowing Choi wonât need you during the entirety of the class is that you get to just sit at the back of the class and do some work. It gives you the chance to get through grading some of the assignments for the class without having to take time away from something else. Letâs you get absorbed into that to tune out the grating sound of Choiâs monotonous voice as he tries his best to warn students off the path. Youâre so absorbed that you donât notice the way that Jeonghan periodically glances over his shoulder to where youâre sitting, trying to catch your attention even for a moment.Â
When the class comes to an end, you make your way up to the front as you would any other time. Itâs a little irritating to have to check if thereâs anything Professor Choi needs like youâre his personal assistant, but youâre also resigned. What youâre not prepared for, though, is that he calls Jeonghan up to the front of the room.
âYes, Professor?â he says with so much respect and deference that it almost feels real, if you didnât know how he feels. One of the only personal things you actually know about this mystery of a man..Â
âI really enjoyed your proposal for the final project using Legos,â Choi starts. âEvery few semesters, I get someone that seems to think being good at using plastic building blocks means theyâd make a good engineer. But, youâve actually been doing wonderfully in the class. So, I want you to work with my TA here to refine the idea a little bit. I donât think youâre meeting your full potential with it yet.âÂ
âOh, well Professor ChoiâŚâ you start and he waves a hand.Â
âSurely it isnât a problem to help foster the best student in my class, is it?â he challenges.
âNo, of course not,â you concede.Â
Professor Choi wears a triumphant smile. âGood. Iâll leave the two of you to coordinate your schedules. See you next class, Mr. Yoon.âÂ
The formality of calling students by their family names nearly makes you roll your eyes. Itâs only when you note the glint in Jeonghanâs eyes that you catch yourself. The two of you say your goodbyes and a silence settles in Choiâs absence.
âShould I just stop by your office hours tomorrow?â he asks when itâs clear you arenât going to say anything.Â
âSure, that works,â you say. âYou stop by most of them anyway.âÂ
âDoes it bother you that I do?â he asks, a note of something you canât detect in his tone. Maybe vulnerability.Â
That makes you soften. âNo, of course not.â
âI can back off if itâs making you uncomfortable,â he says with a forced smile. âMaybe it was too much adding my number to your phone.âÂ
âWe can talk about boundaries when I see you during office hours tomorrow,â you joke. At least it seems to bring a real smile back to his face.Â
In a strange turn of events, Jeonghan shows up to your office hours only two minutes after they start. You havenât even gotten yourself fully unpacked because you werenât expecting him to show up at the beginning. Not when he seems to show up in the latter half every other time.Â
The differences continue as you settle into the work the professor assigned the two of you. Jeonghan pulls out his proposal, something you hadnât actually seen yet, and talks you through his ideas. His idea had been to submit a design for a brand new structure built to scale entirely using Legos. Itâs ambitious in a way because the blocks only come in certain shapes and sizes. You canât just cut something down to fit the size that you need. It requires a good amount of forethought. But, for someone like Jeonghan whoâs taken to the course like a fish to water, it doesnât seem like itâs quite enough. You can see why the professor asked you to help him work through it a little bit more. It needs to be fleshed out a little further.Â
As the two of you go back and forth with ideas about how to give it an element that makes it more impressive, youâre stuck by how easy it is to work side-by-side with him. How well the two of you work together. Itâs like every visit before this has been building up to the level of comfort you have now, even if youâre still pretending that you donât really know him. Maybe you donât, though. Itâs not like he ever gives you real answers to your questions.
âWhy Legos?â you ask as the two of you are feeling stuck on where to go to expand on the proposal.Â
âBecause itâs funny to see how annoyed you get when I bring it up, so I figured it would be funny to imagine you grading my final project that has to do with Legos,â he says with that same look.
âBe serious for once, Jeonghan,â you sigh. âIâm trying to help you with this. Itâs the least you could do.âÂ
âSorry,â he says after a moment and shifts in his seat. âItâs, well, itâs just always been the way that I zone out and reset. At first, it was just when I needed a break from dealing with people because I had to focus on the instructions. Then, I started to think about how impressive it was that they were able to form these insane shapes with building blocks. Then, it started to get more elaborate with me testing out what worked and what didnât when I built my own designs.âÂ
Itâs one of the first truly real and truly honest things heâs said to you. Not hiding behind a joke or brushing off an answer. Itâs just him and you feel like that one response helps you know him better than all the hours heâs spent in your office up until that point. It also helps you realize what the proposal was missing in the first place: something personal from him.Â
Ultimately, what is going to make this project stand out is something that makes it personal. A structural engineer doesnât really need to design a building or a bridge or any other structure. They do need to design and analyze any of the support systems, though, which can be a dull job at times. Adding something more human will make it stand out. So, you suggest that Jeonghan take it a step further than just modeling a structural support system from Legos. You suggest that he set it up almost like instructions for an established set. But, instead of simple drawings to make it step by step, you suggest that he include little snippets about his previous experiences with using Legos, how he tests it to make sure he structure will hold, and any calculations he does for load capacity and gravity.Â
Initially, he seems a little unsure. Itâs easy to see that talking about things that are more personal to him, especially for a final project, is uncomfortable. After a lot of reassurances that nobody but you and Professor Choi will see it if he doesnât want them to, he finally agrees that itâs a good idea. It does seem like heâs at least excited about the prospect now, though.Â
While heâs rewriting his proposal to submit to the professor, you get back to what you had planned to do during the first part of your office hours before he showed up: grading assignments. Once again, his isnât on the stack to be graded. Out of habit, you always grade his first and some time when heâs guaranteed to not be around. Itâs oddly comfortable to work like this, grading papers while he types away on his laptop across from you.Â
Once he gets through typing up a new proposal, he asks if you would be willing to read it over. Youâre just about to suggest that he email it to you, when he just hands his laptop over. Seems unconcerned about having you his laptop. Although he watches you carefully as your eyes scan through the words, it feels like his only concern is what you think about it. Which doesnât need to be a concern at all. Itâs perfect, as far as youâre concerned.Â
You tell him as much when you look up with a smile. âI love it.â
âDonât be nice to me now,â he says nervously as you hand the laptop back over.Â
âWhat?â you ask.Â
âYou donât need to spare my feelings now when youâve been ignoring my texts,â he says like heâs trying to protect himself.Â
âSo much to unpack there and weâll return to the texts,â you say, a little exasperated. âBut, Iâm not being nice about the proposal. Itâs perfect and I genuinely canât find a single thing Iâd change. Choiâs going to love it.âÂ
âAh, well, he was right in getting your help. I wouldnât have gotten here on my own,â he admits and it does actually make you smile again.Â
âStill your idea,â you say to encourage him.
âThank you, I appreciate it,â he says and you know itâs the real him for a moment.Â
âOkay, but back to the texting,â you say to shift.
âThe boundaries chat, wonderful,â Jeonghan says, returning to his previous mask of being a menace.Â
âYou really shouldnât be going through a strangerâs phone and adding your number,â you chastise.Â
âWeâre not strangers though, are we?â he challenges. âAnd I didnât go through your phone.â
âNo?â you ask with an eyebrow raised.
âYour phone was still lit up when you left so I called myself quickly and then created a new contact, and then locked your phone and put it back,â he says like itâs the most normal sentence in the world.
âThatâs insane?â you state with a level of shock.
âI really wasnât trying to cross some sort of line,â he admits with a shocking level of sincerity. âI just really like getting to know you and I figured youâd feel weird about giving a student in your class your number, even though youâre still a student as well. So, I just wanted to make it easier. If you donât want me to have it, you can delete it right out of my phone.â
Jeonghan holds his unlocked phone out to you and itâs open to your contact. For some insane reason, you do actually believe what he said. Itâs easy to see how he might want to befriend you and be hesitant on how to do that. He strikes you as the kind of person that can put on a mask of liking to be social, but really would much rather be at home or in a small setting like in your office with you. And you do actually enjoy having him around, even if you keep trying to pretend that heâs basically a stranger to you. Heâs not wrong, either. You would have felt weird about exchanging numbers with him. Youâll never admit that to him.Â
He must see the hesitation on your face because he retracts his hand. Waits for you to say something, though. âI guess itâs not the worst thing that you have my number.âÂ
âThatâs almost a positive,â he jokes. âYou could give a guy false hope that you actually might be starting to like me.â
âOh, now I wouldnât go that far,â you quickly tack on. âWouldnât want you to get a big head.â
âHave you seen the grades Iâm getting? I already know Iâm doing something right,â he brags.Â
âI have seen your grades since Iâm usually the one grading them,â you remind him. âSo, I have to balance it out.â
âYou just wanna break my heart over and over again,â he whines.
âYouâll survive,â you deadpan.Â
Everything seems to carry on as it always does. You have to make sure youâre keeping up with all of your actual classes for your degree. Grade assignments when Professor Choi hands them off to you. Give feedback on the upcoming topics. Most importantly, you find plenty of time to disengage from all the hustle of classes. To enjoy time with friends where you can let your brain just wander onto things that donât matter nearly as much.Â
Even though you donât ever text Jeonghan first, it doesnât seem deterred because you do always answer the messages that he sends to you. Some of them are idle thoughts throughout the day. Others are questions that he wants answers to and seems to think heâs more likely to get them over text than during the hours he spends in your office. Your favorites, though, are when he texts you some wildly out of pocket statement and then gets you to debate him on it because itâs always something completely inane. Something meaningless. It gets you so fired up, though.Â
âHeâs so infuriating,â you complain as you forcely set your phone down on the couch next to you.Â
âIâm guessing weâre talking about Jeonghan,â Seungkwan says from his position on the other end of the couch.
âWhy would you immediately jump to Jeonghan?â you ask.Â
âBestie, we havenât talked about anyone else but Jeonghan all semester,â he says. You fling a pillow at your roommate.
âFirst, youâre being dramatic. And second, yes I talk about him a lot. Heâs infuriating,â you say.
âWhatever you say,â Seungkwan says dismissively.
âI might hate him,â you say.
âThey say hate sex is the best sex,â he says without taking his eyes off his phone.
âAnd they say killing your nosey roommate isnât actually a crime,â you retort.Â
Seungkwan looks up at you and smiles. âLetâs do it baby. I know the law.âÂ
âYouâve been spending too much time around Vernon,â you scoff.Â
âMaybe, but if you kill me, whoâs going to lend their ear to you and listen to your troubles?â he asks.
âVan Gogh,â you answer immediately.
âHeâs dead,â Seungkwan says with an arched eyebrow, carefully avoiding the more obvious retort.
âAnd so are you to me right now,â you say flatly.Â
âTouche,â he says with a light laugh. âWhatâs he done this time thatâs got you all pissy?â
âHeâs spent the last 20 minutes debating with me over whether or not a hotdog is a sandwich,â you say, expecting Seungkwan to think itâs just as ridiculous as you.Â
What youâre not expecting, though you should be, is for him to pick up Jeonghanâs side in the debate and make you rehash everything youâve already talked about. It sounds like such an innocuous topic. Something so outlandish that it could possibly spark debate for more than a few minutes. Yet, here you are, having the same debate all over again. It makes you even more heated despite not having a stake or opinion before Jeonghan asked you. In fact, you had never even considered the question. It was one of the most effective he had posed since he started sending you random questions or opinions like this.Â
Somehow, though, your biggest mistake is telling Jeonghan that your roommate got just as invested as he had about the topic. Worse when you told Jeonghan that Seungkwan was on his side. It made it immediately obvious that you could not ever let those two meet. It would spell an instant demise for any remaining sanity you had left. The realization that they would be instant best friends is terrifying.Â
The debate about whether or not hotdogs are sandwiches lasts all the way until the next day when Jeonghan shows up at your office hours, right at the start. The look on his face tells him that heâs about to carry on the text conversation. But, thankfully, he falls silent when you say that you actually want to get some grading done unless he actually has a question about the course material. It makes him soften, actually, and he agrees that heâll sit at the little table and work on some of his own homework. It doesnât really give the impression that heâs asking you for help, though youâre sure that you could sell it if you needed to.Â
Normally, itâs not all that distracting to have Jeonghan in your space. Probably because heâs there so often that youâre kind of used to him by now. Thatâs a thought you donât allow yourself to dwell on too long. Itâs easier to maintain the idea that you kind of hate him than to consider what your real feelings might be. Yet, those thoughts seem to be swirling in your head just by him existing in the same space as you. If heâs equally affected, then you canât tell. His fingers seem to fly across his keyboard as he works steadily on something.Â
Without warning, his voice interrupts the rhythm you finally find. âCan I ask you a question?â
âYouâve never asked permission before,â you note, but donât look up.
âI wasnât sure if it was an office hours question,â he says with a little hesitation.Â
That does get you to look over at him. âIs it about the course material?â
âNo,â he says.
âShocking,â you sigh. âWell, whatever it is, letâs have it.â
âDo you want to go out and get dinner sometime?â he asks, looking more vulnerable than usual.
Itâs enough to make your heart both constrict and threaten to beat out of your chest. Does he know that youâve been sitting here internally debating what your actual feelings towards him are? Has it been that obvious on your face?Â
âWith you?â you ask to buy yourself time.Â
âThat would be the idea, yes,â he says with a nervous chuckle.
âI donât knowâŚâ you start.
âYou donât know because youâre trying to spare my feelings? Or youâre not sure for some reason?â he asks to clarify.
Thatâs such a crossroads kind of question. Youâre not actually sure what the answer is yourself. All you know is that you feel immediate panic at the thought of one of the professors, especially Professor Choi, seeing you out with him. Itâs not that there are any rules about TAs and students dating. After all, TAs are just students themselves. But, since youâre doing most of the grading, setting some of the assignments, and even leading some of the classes, itâs frowned upon. It could give the student actually in the class some kind of perceived advantage. The thoughts just go rapidly flying through your brain as you look over at Jeonghanâs expectant face.
You decide on some version of the truth: that it doesnât matter what you think, itâs not a good idea for you to blur that line. That if someone from the university saw you out, that it could possibly jeopardize everything youâve spent years working on. That Professor Choi seems even more old school than most of the other professors. Youâve already sacrificed so much. Itâs just not a risk you think you can take.Â
What you donât say: that the question actually confuses you. That you can see yourself saying yes to finally figure out what exactly it is thatâs going on with you and Jeonghan. You wonder what type of place he would pick. Wonder what heâs like when itâs really just the two of you without the risk of someone else butting in. You wonder if maybe heâll answer all those personal questions that heâs so fond of dodging when heâs sitting in your office. It actually makes you wonder if saying yes is worth taking a risk when youâve been so careful with everything in your entire academic career. Itâs the kind of thought that really terrifies you even more. This is a man that you canât even figure out your feelings towards and yet youâre considering taking a massive risk.Â
Itâs one of the most intense office hours you hold and youâre left with more questions than answers.Â
Itâs been another exhausting day between your own classes, research, and doing work as a TA. Sure, there are definite upsides to your schedule. It helps you feel like you have a complete grasp on the material. It also helps you feel like you might be well suited to being a lecturer or even a professor yourself down the line. You also know that youâre giving more to your time as a TA than you need to. Itâs just that you donât want to leave anything to chance. The stronger the recommendation from Choi, the better.Â
When you get to your apartment, Seungkwan is in the kitchen with Vernon and Chan. Which should be a concerning sight, since none of them are exactly great cooks, but youâre too tired to really care. Youâre also kind of starving and whatever theyâre making smells good. Whatâs the worst that could happen? So you call out quick greetings before heading into your room to drop off your things and change. You reemerge to the sounds of them bickering back and forth.
âHey, do you want to try some of what weâre making?â Chan calls.
âSheâs going to say no,â Seungkwan says.
âIâm starving. Iâm down to try whatever it is,â you disagree.Â
âLooks like Chan wins this one,â Vernon teases.Â
A beep from your phone distracts you from engaging in the bickering back and forth. Itâs the last thing youâre expecting, though it shouldnât be. Ever since Jeonghan managed to get your number, and heard your half-hearted chat about boundaries, heâs been bothering you whenever he feels like it.Â
Jeonghan: have you thought about what I asked? You: no Jeonghan: donât believe you You: my answer hasnât changed Jeonghan: that it's not a good idea? You: exactly Jeonghan: thatâs not a no You: isnât it? Jeonghan: listen, I respect you and if you tell me no, I wonât ask again Jeonghan: the only thing Iâm going to ask if you actually think about it before saying no You: fine
âHello? Are you there?â Seungkwan asks, snapping his fingers in front of your face.Â
âHuh?â you ask.
âOh, sheâs gone girl,â Chan says with a laugh.
âWho were you texting?â Seungkwan asks. He gives you a look that screams heâs about to tease the shit out of you if youâre honest.
âOh, nobody important. Just a friend,â you say dismissively.Â
âAre we calling Jeonghan a friend now?â Seungkwan teases.Â
âIt wasnât Jeonghan,â you say with an eye roll.
âWhoâs Jeonghan?â Vernon asks.
âI think heâs that guy weâve been betting on when sheâs gonna finally give in and sleep with him,â Chan says in an undertone to Vernon.
âIâm not going to sleep withâŚhang on. What the fuck?â you ask, wheeling around on Seungkwan. âHave you been betting on me again?âÂ
âOnly when youâre being an idiot,â Seungkwan says with a shrug.Â
âWait, again?â Vernon asks.
âBro, we have been involved in other bets,â Chan says.
âI need new friends,â you grumble.
From there, it devolves into the usual bickering that you associate with your friend group. Sometimes you wonder how you even got so sucked into this friend group where theyâre two or three years younger than you. Youâre incredibly thankful for them, though, even in moments like this where you want to strangle them.Â
Dinner moves into watching something and playing a game. It always goes the same way. Chan or Vernon take care of picking what to watch since they watch more TV and movies than you and Seungkwan. Conversely, Seungkwan usually picks the game, which is never a good idea because he always picks something that heâs good at. It doesnât really matter to you, at least. Your brain tends to be fried from classes and research and all that. Itâs nice to let them just make the decisions and chime in when you have something to say.
Thankfully, the conversations quickly move past your friends and their complete conviction that you have feelings for Jeonghan to much less serious topics. Sitting there, though, you feel an overwhelming sense of peace even in the chaos. Even when you say that you need new friends, you know that you wouldnât trade these friends for the world.Â
Itâs been just over a week since you promised to give Jeonghanâs question actual thought. Youâre still not entirely sure why you agreed. Itâs not like youâre actually going to say anything other than no. Itâs been a little weird, though, because Jeonghan hasnât brought it up again, either. Itâs like heâs actually been true to his word. He even skipped your office hours when he would usually show up just to bother you and pretend to ask questions.Â
Since your workload has been a little light, you agree to go out for drinks with Seungkwan and some friends. Itâs a much needed night to unwind and just not think about any of the issues that plague you during the week. Itâs a night of ridiculous conversations while you all give each other a hard time about nothing that really matters. Eventually, as is always the way it goes, Seungkwan gets up and kicks off some karaoke. Itâs a blessing and a curse. Heâs got an amazing voice and you feel like you should be paying to hear someone sing that well. But, then he wants other people to join him and none of you are that keen to embarrass yourselves by following him.Â
Casting your eyes around the bar, they land on someone in a leather jacket. As you watch, he shrugs it off and sets it on the back of his chair. Thereâs something compellingly beautiful about him. He runs a hair through his short, perfectly textured black hair and turns his face slightly to the side. Youâre appreciating his profile for a second before it hits you. This isnât some stranger. Itâs Jeonghan. Itâs just that heâs clearly cut his hair and styled it differently. You quickly return your eyes to your group and only can hope that he hasnât noticed you yet. Then again, Seungkwan has been loud and singing before returning to your table. Most people seem to have noticed him. Still, since Jeonghan hasnât texted you or come over to say anything, you figure that maybe he hasnât seen you. No matter what, you down another drink to forget about checking him out.Â
By the time itâs your turn to go up to the bar and get another round of drinks, youâve mostly pushed the thought of Jeonghan out of your mind. With your back to his table, itâs been much easier to act like he doesnât exist. Once youâre at the bar, itâs a little more difficult. Your eyes find his table without even meaning to. His jacket is still there, but heâs not.Â
âLooking for me?â a soft voice asks from just beside you.Â
It makes you jump a little to realize that heâs somehow right next to you. You try your hardest to act like youâre unaffected when you turn to face him. Try to act like you didnât realize he was there. Kind of fail at that, honestly, because youâre one drink past the point of being able to pull it off. âHey, Jeonghan. How long have you been here?â
He smiles that mischievous smile that always makes him look like he knows something that you donât. âI saw you looking over at my table. You knew I was here.â
âI almost donât recognize you with the new haircut and that leather jacket,â you say and only realize your mistake a second too late.Â
âThe leather jacket back at my table?â he asks, raising an eyebrow in challenge. âI saw you checking your phone too.âÂ
âWere you watching me?â you challenge.
âYes,â he admits freely. âYouâre nice to look at.âÂ
âOh, well thatâs notâŚI didnât mean,â you stutter out, saved by the bartender setting a small tray down of drinks for you and your friends.Â
Somehow, though, because life isnât fair (and neither is Seungkwan), your best friend picks that moment to waltz over claiming he wants to help with drinks. What he really seems to want is to introduce himself to Jeonghan. Even goes as far as pretending he hasnât heard Jeonghanâs name before. Seungkwan manages to sell it better too and you think it would probably pass with anyone else that wasnât paying such sharp attention. Itâs only then that you notice Jeonghan doesnât have a drink in hand. Doesnât really seem the slightest bit drunk. Which is fine until Seungkwan manages to make it even worse by inviting Jeonghan and his friends to come join your group.Â
Then, something else thatâs kind of weird happens. Jeonghan, who has spent the entirety of the semester up until about a week ago terrorizing you, barely says anything to you at all. He talks about his favorite artists with Seungkwan. Asks Chan for suggestions on some movies that heâs recently seen. Even laughs about random ass memes with Vernon. His friends, whose names you canât even remember, fit in just as seamlessly. Itâs a littleâŚwell, uncomfortable. Itâs giving you entirely too much time to think and you donât like it.
So, you do the only reasonable thing and you keep getting drinks. Stay just on the right side of drunk so that youâre aware of your surroundings, but not sober. It makes it easier to deal with everything happening around you.
As the night continues on, your merged groups seem to ebb and flow. Some people wander over, drawn in by the fact that it seems like a fun place to be. Other times, some wander off to make new friends or have new conversations. This is especially true of Seungkwan, which youâre used to. Your roommate is one of the most social people that you know. And then people start to make their excuses to leave as it gets later. How you end up outlasting Chan is a mystery, since he seems to have endless energy. Itâs fine, though. You still have your roommate.
Well, until he tells you, without nearly the amount of shame that he should have, that heâs going to be bringing someone home that he got to talking to about karaoke. Itâs a little unlike him, at least until you realize that the person isnât a stranger. Theyâre definitely someone that Seungkwan has talked to before. It still leaves you a little lost on what to do or where to go.
âI never ask you for anything,â Seungkwan pleads. Itâs patently false. Heâs always asking you for things, just never things like this.Â
âI could text Chan or Vernon to see if theyâll let me crash on their couch,â you say, trying to quickly clear the cloudiness from your brain.Â
âDonât they put their phones into DND as soon as they get home?â Seungkwan asks.
âMy only other option is to just go home and put headphones on,â you say.
âYou could come crash at my place. My roommate wonât be back from a trip til tomorrow,â Jeonghan offers.Â
âPerfect! Thank you!â Seungkwan rushes out.
âUm? Seungkwan? You canât just send me to some stranger's house?â you protest.
âHeâs not a stranger. Heâs been in your class all semester and at your office hours nearly every day,â Seungkwan says with an eye roll. Jeonghan looks vindicated hearing this piece of information. âYouâre so dramatic.âÂ
âItâll be fine. I can sleep in his room and you can sleep in mine. Iâll even make sure you have fresh sheets if youâre worried,â he says.Â
This is definitely a bad idea. Even though youâre not drunk, youâre definitely not sober enough to pretend youâre not at least a little bit interested in Jeonghan. Everything about him seems to be a study in contrasts. Confident but not in some toxic masculinity type of way. Chaotic but serious at the same time. Silly to where he would say he joined a class because heâs good at Legos but also genuinely smart. And beautiful in a way so few men seem to be. Heâs just something entirely his own.
You shake your head because you realize youâre spacing out. This is a terrible idea and one you probably wouldnât agree to if you were sober. Itâs not like heâs actually a stranger, though. Jeonghan seems to have realized the conclusion before you open your mouth. âWhatâs the worst that could happen?â
âDangerous question,â Jeonghan says with a glint in his eyes.Â
âI love you,â Seungkwan says and wraps you up in a hug before skipping off.Â
âAre you ready to leave, then?â Jeonghan asks when itâs just the two of you.
âYeah, might as well,â you say. He nods, looking a little unsure for the first time since youâve known him and turns to grab his jacket. Says a quick goodbye to his friends and you try to ignore the looks they cast over at you.Â
âLetâs go,â he says a minute later.
âAre we calling an Uber or something?â you ask.
âIâm sober because I rode my bike here,â he says as he leads the way outside.
âIâm sorry, you rode your what?â you ask, brain slow to catch up with what heâs saying. Itâs then that you notice he didnât just grab his jacket. Heâs got a helmet as well.Â
âBike,â he says and indicates a motorcycle parked outside the bar.Â
That brings you up a little short. Itâs the last thing you would have expected when you thought of this man. Though, maybe it shouldnât have been. After all, you said he was a study in contrasts. Isnât this just another one of those?Â
Somehow, the more you look, the more it seems to suit him. Itâs not some big, clunky bike. Not what you typically think of when you think of a motorcycle. Itâs sharp and beautiful, just like he is, even if you can only admit that in your head. He pulls open a compartment that seems to be under the backseat and hands over a helmet.Â
âPromise I wonât go too fast,â he says with a softer smile than youâve seen on him before. Like heâs actually trying to reassure you.Â
Sure, itâs not the first time youâve been on a bike. Itâs just that of all the ways you could have seen this night ending, this wasnât one of them. At least youâre not feeling too self conscious as you slide onto the bike behind Jeonghan and wrap your arms around his waist. You miss the way his breath stutters as you settle in close to him. Miss the way his heart starts to beat out of his chest because youâre too focused on getting comfortable. Donât even think twice about clinging to his lean frame. But, even with the drinks, itâs hard to ignore the way that your body slots perfectly against his. Or the way your thighs squeeze against his hips. Maybe thereâs a lot more to whatever has been happening than youâve been admitting to yourself.Â
Once you reach Jeonghanâs apartment, he carefully helps you off the bike and then puts a bit of distance between you again. Itâs the first time that you notice he seems nervous, like maybe, you think, he might be reconsidering if this was a good idea. Thereâs not really much you can do about that now. You promised Seungkwan that he could have some privacy in the apartment and youâre already here. It canât possibly be so bad that you really regret coming here. It could even help you sort through the very complicated feelings that are making their presence known.Â
Inside the apartment itâs incredibly cozy. Not at all like you imagine two single guys would live while theyâre in school. Itâs not overly cluttered, but it doesnât feel cold either. Jeonghan disappears as soon as you both have your shoes off, which lets you look around at some of the decorations. He returns with a spare t-shirt and shorts for you to change into. Despite your insistence that itâs fine, he just presses them to you and indicates where the bathroom is for you to change.Â
It feels oddlyâŚcomfortable. Like this isnât the first time youâve seen him outside of class or your office. It also makes you take a little longer to change because you have to process whatever youâre feeling. Since youâre not sure exactly what to do after you change, you peek your head out into the living area. Jeonghan is setting some snacks and water out with the TV on in the background. You take it as a sign that youâre supposed to come out and join him. Momentarily, he disappears into his room and reappears also wearing more comfortable clothes.Â
The confusion only gets even worse from there. Maybe itâs just that Seungkwanâs gotten into your head. Since youâre finally processing that you might be interested in being something a little more with Jeonghan, you expect things to go a certain way. Seungkwan, and your other friends, for that matter, seem to think itâs only a matter of time before you cross over into being more than friends. Subconsciously, your brain must have latched onto that. Even wanted it, a little. But, now youâre here, and Jeonghan doesnât do anything. Heâs not the smooth, confident person that youâve gotten to know over the course of the semester. He doesnât try to pull any moves on you. Just makes sure that youâre comfortable, that you like the snacks, and that you like the show he has on.
It all feels like itâs a little too much and so Jeonghan shows you the way to his bedroom. Your nerves feel frayed because surely, this is the moment where things finally shift. Surely this is when he makes whatever move heâs held off on making up until this point. Quickly, you brush off the need to change the sheets. Itâs not like itâs that big of a deal if something else happens. Without giving your brain a chance to overthink it, you lean in to give him a hug. His whole body tenses for a second and youâre about to pull away, when he finally relaxes and wraps his arms around you.
âYou know, you can just sleep in your own bed,â you offer carefully.
âI donât want you to be uncomfortable,â he says through an emotion that you canât place.Â
âI wonât be. Plus, Iâd hate to force you into your roommateâs bed,â you suggest again, meeting his eye to reinforce the point.
âOh, well, itâsâŚâ he starts, eyes avoiding your gaze.
âReally, Jeonghan, itâs fine. Your bed is big,â you say.
âOkay,â he agrees and walks to the other side of the bed.
Itâs confusing, to say the least. He slides into the opposite side of the bed without meeting your eyes again. Youâre not exactly sure how to give him another sign that you want something else to happen without making it too obvious, especially because itâs not clear if he wants that. The guy constantly in your office was just on the right side of flirty. Always trying to wear you down. This Jeonghan in his apartment is much quieter, more reserved. Like heâs not really sure what happens now that heâs gotten you outside of school like he claims heâs wanted.Â
âDâyou usually sleep with the TV on?â he asks and you pull a face.
âIâm not a psycho,â you snort.Â
âGood to know after I let you into my apartment,â he jokes back and turns on the TV anyway. âIâll set a timer just in case we both fall asleep.âÂ
Confusing. Youâre laying in bed with this person that up until tonight you referred to as basically a stranger and thereâs justâŚnothing happening. The two of you are plenty close enough that you could brush up against him, yet not touching at all. His attention seems to stay forward on the TV. Occasionally, he shifts to get more comfortable, but he doesnât get onto his phone or even really look over at you.Â
Thankfully, the bed is comfortable and without even realizing it, you drift off to sleep laying on your side, facing Jeonghan. The last thing you remember is looking up at his face. Appreciating the cut of his jaw and the way the light from the TV threw his features into contrast. Then nothing but the easiest sleep youâve had after a night of drinking.
In the morning, when itâs too early to wake up after a late night but late enough that the sun seeps through the curtains, you have a momentary panic wondering where you are. Slowly, the night before settles back into your brain and you relax into the bed. Itâs only when you feel a weight around your middle that you wonder if everything is coming back. It is, though. You think back to the last things you remember before falling asleep. Jeonghan was safely on his side of the bed. Now, his arm is draped over your waist and heâs breathing rhythmically like heâs still fast asleep. For once, instead of overthinking it, you just slow your brain back down and drift back into sleep. After all, this is one the right path to what you wanted the night before.Â
The sun is fully up when you wake up again if the light streaming around the curtains is any indication. Thatâs not the only difference, either. Thereâs no weight around your waist and, when you look over your shoulder, the other side of the bed is empty. Which isnât entirely surprising when your phone tells you that itâs nearly noon. Itâs very unlike you to sleep in that late, but it makes sense. Youâre just thankful that Jeonghan insisted on giving you so much water and something to make sure you didnât wake up with a headache. Even though youâre still a little tired, youâre not hungover and that feels like a miracle.Â
But, what do you do now? Nothing happened last night, despite genuinely feeling like Jeonghan had some level of interest in you. But, then he did share the bed with you and curl up to you during the night. Maybe that was his subconscious way of showing what he couldnât say. Youâre out of the bed and nearly out the bedroom door when you hear voices drifting in from somewhere else in the apartment. Voices, plural. One is clearly Jeonghan, but the other sounds female and that stops you in your tracks.Â
The decision is immediate once you hear the second voice laughing at something Jeonghan says. You open your group chat with Seungkwan, Chan, and Vernon to ask if any of them are around to pick you up. Chan is the first, and fastest, to respond, saying to drop your location and heâll be out the door to get you in a minute without any questions asked. Thatâs more than youâre expecting and youâre incredibly thankful. Makes it feel like one weight has been lighted as you quickly and quietly get dressed back into the clothes you wore the night before.Â
Chan texts you to let you know heâs only a few minutes out. Thatâs your queue to actually leave the bedroom and make an appearance out in the rest of the apartment. Jeonghanâs back is to you and it looks like heâs got a cup of coffee next to him. The other person you heard from the bedroom is, in fact, a woman. Sheâs stunning in an effortless way that actually makes your head hurt a little bit. It has absolutely nothing to do with the drinks the night before, either. Her eyes land on you and thereâs a smile you canât place. It could be saying that she knows she won, despite whatever effort you made. Something on her face must tip Jeonghan off because he turns around.
And itâs worse than you thought, immediately. The smile on his face is both welcoming and soft, like heâs actually happy to see you. It only makes the whole thing more confusing. Why is he looking at you like that with one of the most beautiful people sitting across from him?Â
âYouâre awake,â he says, still smiling. âI hope Hana here didnât make too much noise.âÂ
âSorry, babe, I only have one volume setting,â she, Hana, apparently, says with another smile you canât place.Â
âDo you want coffee? Something to eat?â Jeonghan says and starts to get out of his chair.
âNo, no, itâs fine. My friend is almost here to pick me up. Thanks for letting me crash last night,â you say without fully meeting Jeonghanâs eyes. It means you miss the confusion that settles in there.
Without a backward glance, youâre out the door and down the elevator. Itâs only another minute or so before Chan pulls up, shockingly by himself, and smiles softly at you as you get into his car. All he asks is if youâre hungry and then starts navigating to your favorite place to get breakfast food thatâs open at least into the early afternoon. Itâs exactly what you need right now.Â
Chan lets you just be in your head while he drives with music playing softly in the background. It might be a dangerous decision, honestly. All you can think about are reasons for that person, Hana, your brain supplies automatically, to be in Jeonghanâs apartment like that. His roommate wasnât home, to the best of your knowledge, so that means she was there for Jeonghan. Was that his girlfriend? Was that why he was so reluctant to do anything the night before? On some level, you do know thatâs probably not the right answer. The rational part of your brain knows that he wouldnât be so calm if that was his girlfriend. Thereâs no space in your brain for rationality right now, though. So, youâre going to stew in the feelings that she could be dating someone.Â
âDo you wanna talk about whatever happened last night?â Chan asks once youâre sitting opposite of each other in a booth.Â
âNot really,â you say. âNothing happened last night, though. So, you donât have to worry about whoever wins the bet.âÂ
âIâm not worried about some stupid bet. Iâm worried about you,â he says.Â
You shrug. âI think I might actually like him.â
âNo shit,â Chan says with a knowing smile.
âYou didnât let me finish. I think I might like him and I donât think it matters,â you say.
âStart at the beginning and weâll figure this out together.âÂ
Itâs been a week since whatever happened at Jeonghanâs apartment and you havenât spoken a word to him since leaving. Not that he hasnât tried to speak to you. After breakfast with Chan, you realized you had both texts and missed calls from Jeonghan trying to figure out what went wrong. Those stay unanswered. Even if youâre being stupid, you canât really bring yourself to behave in a different way. When the next class comes around, you avoid his eyes as much as possible. The one or two times you do look over at him, he looks incredibly hurt and confused. Itâs funny, you think, how heâs the one thatâs acting put out by this whole situation when youâre the one who had to wake up to some other woman in his apartment without understanding anything.Â
That leads to your first office hours. Thankfully, Jeonghan doesnât show up to those like he normally would. The office feels a lot quieter, even though other students stop by to ask questions. It just all feels very professional and detached. Not comfortable in the way it does when he drops by. Itâs hard to admit, even to yourself, that you had gotten used to having him around. That you even looked forward to it. Somehow, youâre not really sure how, Jeonghan became one of your favorite parts of every day you saw him. That realization makes you want to crawl into your bed and hide forever. No matter what, it doesnât feel like youâll have the option to go back to that. It sucks to realize it just took you too long to come to the very obvious conclusion.Â
Now, at least, itâs the weekend again so you have a short reprieve from all things school related. Well, all things Jeonghan related because you still have your own homework to handle, assignments to grade, and a new week to prepare for. At the very least, you deserve a little bit of a treat. Texting the group chat makes you realize, though, that a lot of your friends seem to have their own things going on.Â
Seungkwan is out spending the day with the same person that he brought home last weekend. They seem like theyâre really enjoying getting to know each other, which youâre rooting for wholeheartedly. You want your roommate and best friend to be happy. Vernon is kind of vague saying that heâs got other plans. With anyone else, you might think that heâs also seeing someone. You just know that he tends to be a little spacy when it comes to sharing plans. Knowing Vernon, heâs probably just off with some friend of his. Once again, Chan comes through and says that he could really use a coffee. Apparently, thereâs some new cafe by him that heâs been wanting to try out. It feels like an excuse because Chan will absolutely go anywhere by himself, but you take it all the same. Heâs actually probably the easiest of your friends to speak to about this, even if heâs younger than you are.Â
One sip into your drink proves that this is the best decision for a Saturday afternoon. Chan chatters away about the things that have been going on in his life. Heâs taking more dance classes in every free moment he has and itâs nice to see the way his face lights up talking about it. He certainly seems happier than any time you see him talking about his actual classes. Think about suggesting he give up one thing to pursue something else that would truly make him happy. His face is different when heâs happy like this. It makes it obvious how strained he feels with everything else.
A laugh pierces through the crowd and it gives you the worst sense of deja vu. Suddenly, youâre back in Jeonghanâs apartment. Which is crazy, right? What are the odds that he and the mystery woman are in this same coffee shop at the same time as you and Chan?
Not impossible, apparently. Well, at least in part. Your eyes cast around for the source of the laugh when they land on the mystery woman sitting with someone else that you donât recognize. Your brain tries to stutter over the name before it forces you to think, Hana. Just as youâre about to look away, her eyes find yours like she could sense someone looking at her. She flashes a smile, which you try to return, before looking back at Chan and whatever story heâs sharing.Â
That should be it. Except, when she appears by your side a moment later, you realize itâs not. She has someone else youâve never seen in tow behind her. Chan, not always as quick on the uptake, looks up at her in confusion.
âHey, I wasnât sure if you remembered meâŚâ she begins and youâre quick to answer.
âI do, yeah. Sorry about the other day,â you say. Chanâs face has a look of dawning comprehension.Â
âNo, no, itâs fine. Iâm sorry if I did something to offend you. I didnât even catch your name,â Hana says and you open your mouth to share before she cuts you off with a wave of her hand. âNo, Jeonghan told me. Heâs done nothing but speak about you for weeks now.â
âAnd I thought I could be annoying,â the mystery person says from behind Hana.
âOh, Iâm so rude. This is my boyfriend, Joshua,â Hana introduces and your brain short circuits. What? Boyfriend?
âAnd Jeonghanâs roommate. I hit traffic coming back last weekend or I wouldâve been there to meet you as well. Make the morning even more awkward,â he jokes.
âIâm sorry,â you say, rapidly trying to make your brain connect. âYou two are dating?â
âYup!â Hana says with a smile and then notices your face. âWait, what did you think? That I was dating Jeonghan?â
âOh, well, I donât know. I just thoughtâŚit was still early-ish in the day andâŚâ you stumble awkwardly.Â
âBabe, no. Jeonghan is very single. I was just early getting there because Joshua hit traffic and I was excited to see him,â she says. âHe will kill me for saying this, but he hasnât talked about anyone but you since the class started.â
âPlease note that I had no part in spilling the beans. I have to live with him,â Joshua jokes.Â
âAnd just so thereâs no more confusion, Iâm one of her closest friends, Chan. Not a boyfriend or date or anything like that,â Chan says.Â
âOh!â Hana says and turns to Joshua. âJeonghan was mentioning him, remember? There was a movie we were supposed to watch.âÂ
âYeah, he did mention that,â Joshua agrees.
âAnyway, Iâm sure you have lots to think about, but Iâm nosy and I figured Iâd say hi. Have a good weekend!â Hana says, full of more energy than anyone should have on the weekend. Joshua gives a smile and follows her out of the shop.
As soon as theyâre out of sight, you drop your head into your hands. All that worrying and you could have just talked to him. Could have avoided this whole idiotic situation.Â
âFeeling kinda dumb right now?â Chan asks. You raise your head to glare at him. âI did say it didnât seem like he was seeing someone.âÂ
âNot the time, Chan,â you say.
âItâs completely the time. Look, yeah you fucked up by not just talking to him. But, you admitted that you liked him. He clearly likes you. Just talk to him. Iâm sure you can fix it,â he says.Â
âI donât know,â you start. âI was such an asshole.âÂ
âI mean, yeah, you kind of were. But, he spent that whole night after Seungkwan invited them over getting to know your friends. Genuinely interested in everything we said. Heâs not doing that just to make more friends. He wants to show you that he can fit into your life without anything really having to change,â Chan reasons and it brings you up short.
âWhen did you get so smart?â you question.
âIâve always been smart, you just treat me like a baby,â he says with an eye roll.
âYou are the baby in this friend group,â you point out.Â
âJust go figure out how to make it up to him,â Chan says.Â
Even though you know it was a terrible miscommunication, youâre not sure how to approach Jeonghan for the rest of the weekend. Youâre also not sure how the conversation will go. So, despite knowing better, you decide to just take your time. Get yourself completely set for the coming week and figure that youâll see Jeonghan during the next class. As much as you want resolution, you donât feel like it would be enough for you to text him and ask to talk. That could also be taken wildly out of context.
So, you prepare for the next class. Make sure you look a little cuter than you normally would for class. Go over what youâre going to say with both Seungkwan and Chan, whoâs gotten incredibly invested in the whole situation. Itâs another class where youâll just be sitting in the back and listening, which might also make it easier. Youâre a little early getting there so that you can set all your things down.Â
But, then the class starts to fill in and you donât see Jeonghan. Professor Choi closes the door, doesnât comment on Jeonghanâs absence, and just starts teaching. Itâs unusual. He normally takes attendance. Instead, he does a head count of the students and gets on with teaching. Everyone else is there. Jeonghan is the only one missing. You figure that maybe he reached out about missing the class. It leaves a weird feeling in your stomach, though, because you wonder if heâs okay. What if something happened to him?Â
At the end of class, you join Choi at the front as you do on every other occasion. The answer comes immediately when Choi looks up at you. âMr. Yoon emailed me before the class to say that he was feeling very sick and wouldnât be able to make it. I assured him you would send over some notes on the subject matter today.âÂ
You try to avoid any relief that you feel at knowing itâs at least nothing that serious. It sucks that heâs sick, but at least he wasnât in an accident or anything. You need to stop going to the worst case scenario, honestly. âOh, sure. Iâm sure heâs already ahead on the material, but Iâll send it over.â
âHeâs such a good student,â Choi agrees. âThank you for helping him with the proposal. Iâm not sure if you read it over, but itâs exactly what I was looking for.â
âI did read it because he wrote it during my office hours. But, it was all him,â you say.Â
Professor Choi looks up at you like he knows thatâs not entirely true. âI can feel your influence on it. In a good way, of course. You have a habit of helping people get to their best results.â
âThank you,â you say earnestly. Itâs the most genuine compliment heâs ever given you. He reaches into his briefcase and pulls out a folder to hand to you. âDid I miss picking up an assignment to grade?â
âNo,â he says with a smile youâre not used to seeing. âThis is your letter for the recommendation packet. I already sent it in, but I thought you might like to see a copy.â
âThank you so much, Professor Choi,â you say with a relieved sigh.Â
âYouâre incredibly bright, probably one of the brightest students Iâve ever taught,â he says and it takes you completely by surprise. âI know itâs probably seemed like Iâve been hard on you because I have been. I knew there was even more potential in you waiting to be coaxed out. I also know I made it much easier on John to ask for a recommendation. But, between you and I, your letter is much more complimentary and personal than his was. I canât wait to see what you accomplish.âÂ
It all suddenly makes sense. Everything that Choi has put you through since asking for his letter. It almost makes you laugh. âIâm sorry for doubting your motives for asking me to TA this class.â
Now, Professor Choi does actually laugh. âOh, no need to apologize for that. Itâs much easier to get the most out of a student when they think they have something to prove.â
âYou may be onto something,â you agree.
âIâll see you next class,â he says and closes up his briefcase to head off.
With that bit of good news, you feel a lot lighter. You almost donât even need to read the letter (though, you definitely will later). Itâs enough to know that your entire future is still open ahead of you. It makes all of the miscommunication with Jeonghan feel incredibly silly. It also makes you feel a little bolder. So, you figure that you still have the location for Jeonghanâs apartment dropped in a group chat. Why not get him some food and medicine to help him feel better? Itâll give you a chance to apologize for how youâve handled everything up until this point.Â
That idea seems a little poorly thought out when you show up at Jeonghanâs apartment with soup and medication. He answers the door, looking completely fine healthwise and confused to see you standing on the other side of the door.Â
âProfessor Choi said you were really sick so I figured Iâd bring some soup to help you feel better,â you offer, holding up the bag to show him.Â
âWhy are you here?â he asks. Thereâs none of the normal warmth.
âI was worried about you,â you admit.
He sighs and leans against the doorframe without letting you in. âI canât do these mind games.âÂ
âIâm sorry,â you say immediately. âI know I messed up really badly. I owe you an apology.âÂ
âYou might as well come in,â Jeonghan says and steps aside. âSoup does also sound good. Itâs cold out.âÂ
âRight, here,â you say and hand it over to him.
âIs there enough for you to eat with me?â he asks and takes the bag. âOh, it looks like it. Wanna join me? And you can try to explain whatâs been going on?âÂ
âSure,â you agree.
Itâs mostly silent as Jeonghan heats up the soup and puts it into two bowls for you to enjoy it with him. He sets the bowls at the kitchen table and also sets some drinks down for you. The two of you take a few sips first before you venture to explain whatâs been going on.
âIâm really sorry, Jeonghan,â you say.
âSo youâve said,â he comments. Heâs not going to make this easy on you.
âThat whole night when I stayed here wasnât exactly what I signed up for,â you admit. He opens his mouth, but you wave him off. âLet me try to get this out. You were so kind and caring to me when you brought me back here. Then, I was kind of expecting something to happen and nothing didâŚâ
âBecause you had been drinking. I wasnât just gonna be like hey, letâs jump into bed when your mind wasnât fully clear,â he says with a scoff.Â
âThatâs fair. I get that,â you acknowledge. âThen, I donât know. I saw Hana sitting out here with you the next day and I just kinda freaked out. I had realized that I might actually like you and hereâs this beautiful person in your apartment for who knows what reason. I worried she was your girlfriend or something.â
He snorts a little derisively at that. âThat would be kinda shitty to share a bed with you and then let you walk out to find me with a girlfriend. Sheâs not, by the way. Sheâs my roommate Joshuaâs girlfriend.â
âYeah, I know. I ran into her and Joshua while I was getting coffee over the weekend,â you admit sheepishly. This seems to surprise him.
âYou met Joshua?â he asks.Â
âThey didnât tell you?â you ask in return and he shakes his head. âProbably because Hana told me that Iâm the only one youâve talked about since starting the class.âÂ
âI wouldnât have even cared if I had an answer to why you started ignoring me,â he says.Â
âI got a bit scared,â you say softly.Â
âThat doesnât mean you shouldnât just speak to me,â he insists.
âI know that. I really am sorry, thatâs all I can say,â you offer.Â
âWell that and you can tell me that you do actually like me. Not that you might like me or something else vague,â he says with a glint to his eyes.Â
âYou areâŚinfuriating,â you say with a laugh. âYouâre beautiful and smart and funny and impossibly kind. You make me want to pull out my hair at least once a dayâŚâ
âDonât do that. You have nice hair,â he interjects.
âBut, yes, Iâm trying not to be scared anymore. So yeah, I do like you,â you say.
âWhat about being the TA for my class?â he asks and you shrug.Â
âThe class will end eventually,â you say.Â
âDoes this count as our first date, then?â he asks like the true demon he is.Â
âOnly if you plan something else for our second date,â you concede.
âDeal,â he agrees.Â
Everything feels a little bit easier after that. A little bit lighter. Like you actually can breathe for the first time all semester. You tell Jeonghan about the letter and he suggests that you read it right then with him. It makes sense, in a way. Working with Jeonghan has brought out exactly the side to you that Choi wanted to see. It feels like this is kind of his win as well, even though he didnât realize it. It also feels a little less overwhelming to read it with him by your side. (Itâs a rave. Way better than anything you could have dared to hope for and better than any other letter written by him that youâve read. Everything feels worth it and like it falls into place.)
Now that the awkwardness is out of the way, Jeonghan shares that he wasnât actually sick, which you already know. Itâs obvious looking at him that he feels fine. It does surprise you a bit that he admits to avoiding you to give himself time to process, though. Then he moves onto talking about Joshua and Hana, grumbling that they hadnât told him about running into you after you relay the entire conversation. Even goes as far as to say that he would have come to class so that you could have figured all of this out. Instead, he admits telling Joshua about the plan to skip. Thatâs why Joshua isnât there, though. He claimed he was going to give Jeonghan his space to work through whatever he was feeling and spend the night at Hanaâs. You make a mental note to thank Joshua for that.Â
âHow early is your day tomorrow? Do you want to stay and watch a movie or something?â he asks a little awkwardly when you finish your soup.
âNot that early,â you answer easily. âA movie sounds good, but can we watch something in your room? I feel like laying in bed and being lazy.â
âOh, uh, sure,â he says.
âWe donât have to,â you say quickly.
âCan I say something thatâs really gonna make me lookâŚnot cool?â he asks.Â
âSure,â you say curiously.
âYou make me a little nervous,â he admits.Â
That completely surprises you. Nothing about Jeonghan really seems anything short of confident in everything that he does. Itâs kind of nice to see him falter. All you do is hold out a hand to him. âItâs okay, thereâs nothing to be nervous about.â
He takes your hand easily and lets you lead him into his own bedroom. Seems very content to let you just set the pace of whatâs happening. So, you settle on top of his covers and he hands you the remote. Itâs nice to get to control whatâs on the TV for a change, even if youâre not really paying much attention to it. Jeonghan is a little stiff against his headboard as you try to settle into his body.Â
âIs it okay if I lean against you like this?â you ask, suddenly worrying this is too much.
âOf course,â he says after a moment.Â
âYou can tell me ifâŚâ you start.
âNo,â he says firmly. âNo, Iâve been thinking about this since the last time I had you in my bed.â
âJust since then?â you tease.
âNo, it was definitely before then, but Iâve already lost a lot of cool points,â he says.
âI donât want to possibly misread the signs, but are you okay withâŚâ you start, once again, before he cuts you off.
âI am fine with absolutely anything you want to give me,â he says and you wish you could see his face. Wonder if heâs blushing.
âAnd if thatâs just a cuddle?â you test.
âFine,â he says.
âOr if itâs a kiss?â you ask and feel the breath he takes. âOr what about if itâs a lot more than a kiss?âÂ
He takes another beat. His voice sounds a bit strained when he speaks. âDefinitely more than just fine.âÂ
Thatâs really all the confirmation that you need. Making sure youâre on the same page is important and getting this kind of consent makes it easier to relax. You settle further back into his chest and pull his arm around you, let one of your own arms drape across his lap. It feels like it might be easier for him to settle that way. So that you canât see his face and he doesnât have to worry about losing any more cool points. Not that those really matter with you anyway. More than anything, itâs entertaining to see the way this constantly confident, perpetual pain in the ass gets so tongue-tied now that heâs getting what he wants.Â
The more time goes by, the more he seems to relax a little more into whatâs happening around him. His fingers absently run along your arm, raising goosebumps in their wake. He leans his head down to meet yours and you could swear his lips press the lightest kiss into your hair. His entire presence is a little overwhelming. And he smells amazing. Itâs such a unique scent that you canât place. Something light, airy, and delicate. Something that seems to perfectly suit him. It might be your new favorite scent.Â
Nothing about the TV show is keeping your attention. It feels like little more than a precursor to what you both know is coming. But, Jeonghan doesnât make the first move beyond the contact his fingers make with your arm. The first actual move seems like it might belong to you, which is actually kind of exciting. Itâs a bit thrilling to know that youâre going to be in charge with this man whoâs done nothing but send every one of your senses into overdrive. Itâs nice to know that he doesnât need to be in control of everything.Â
Almost as if youâre testing the water, you run your hand across his lap, careful to go slowly. He stops breathing for a second as he seems to wait to see what youâll do next. It prompts you to run your hand back and forth a few more times, not bothering to move on from the subtle imprint of his dick through his sweatpants. Everything about him stills: his hand freezes on your arm, he doesnât fidget, and his breathing is incredibly shallow. He starts to get noticeably harder underneath your hand while you keep your eyes trained forward, even though you have no idea whatâs going on in whatever show you picked as background noise. Thereâs something strangely intimate about this in the way it feels a little innocent.Â
Finally, when he starts to moan a little with each motion, you pull your hand away. Delight in the way he actually whimpers at the loss of contact. Itâs time to actually face him so that you can see what youâre doing to him. Repositioning yourself, you see the look on his face. Heâs a little flushed just from the attention and his eyes are wide. Waiting. All heâs doing is waiting to let you set what happens next, like he canât really believe that this is happening after so much time. It is, though.Â
You run a hand through his hair and marvel at how soft it is when it looks perfectly styled. Either his hair just looks like that or heâs got the best products in the world. Neither feels fair when heâs already this stunningly beautiful. Gently, you lean forward to press your lips against his. Let your hand tangle in his hair as you anchor yourself to him. The kiss is at complete odds with you slowly rubbing him through his pants. Thereâs a little bit of desperation and youâre not even sure which of you itâs coming from. All you know for sure is that his lips are so soft that they feel like clouds and he doesnât even fight you for control when you slide your tongue into his mouth. Just meets whatever pace you set. He really is happy with whatever you give him.Â
Your free hand winds down his body and doesnât waste any time slipping into the waistband of his pants. When your hand wraps around his cock, he tries to pull away from the kiss, but you donât let him. The moan that comes from you running your thumb over his tip gets caught up in your lips. You pull your hand out just long enough to spit into your palm and return it to the inside of his pants. Jeonghan does break the kiss when your hand wraps around his cock and strokes the first time, a hiss coming out of his mouth.Â
âAre you still sure youâre okay?â you ask, but itâs almost more of a tease.Â
âFuck,â he hisses out. âPlease donât stop. Please.â
Hearing him nearly begging like that is the sweetest sound youâve ever heard. Never could you have imagined you would have this man like putty beneath your hands. Itâs going to your head a little bit and then it hits you. You wonder if you can make him come just like this. Wonder how that would feel to have that kind of power over him.Â
So, you do the only logical thing, and decide to test it out. You kiss him again, fierce and messy and desperate. Keep a steady rhythm of stroking him. Heâs a squirming, writhing mess under your touch and itâs like he doesnât even remember what to do with his hands. Itâs actually turning you on as well to know that he wants you this bad. That nothing more than your lips and his touch are going to send him over the edge. Itâs obvious when he starts getting close because he works harder to break the kiss. Canât seem to catch his breath. You take a little pity on him and kiss across his jaw. Even pull away to watch him as he squeezes his eyes shut.
âYouâre gonna make me come,â he whimpers.
âSo come,â you direct.
âI canât come in my pants like a fucking teenager,â he protests. âPlease, Iâm beggingâŚâ
âI want you to come for me, Jeonghan. Right now. Exactly like this. Come for me and show me how desperate youâve been to have my hands on your cock,â you instruct.
âFuck,â he draws out. âFuck, I canâtâŚIâm gonnaâŚâ
His release comes almost out of nowhere, so hard and heavy that it coats your hand as you continue to stroke him through the release, coaxing every last bit from him. Once heâs spent, he collapses back against the headboard of the bed and you see any tension drain from his body. You pull your hand from inside his pants and wipe it off on them. Thankfully, he doesnât even seem to protest.Â
While his breathing steadies, you shift and get off of the bed. He slowly opens his eyes and tracks your movement. Only swallows a little hard when you start to undress without taking your eyes off him. Sometimes, this part makes you a little self conscious. Itâs much easier now, though, knowing you had just made Jeonghan come in his pants. Thatâs an ego boost you never expected to get. His breath stutters when you even remove your bra and panties, leaving yourself completely exposed before him. His eyes go somehow even wider when you get back onto the bed and position yourself in front of him. He reaches out to touch you, but you slap his hand away.
âOh, no, no,â you chastise softly. âNo, my little demon, you are going to watch now.â
âWatch?â he asks.Â
âYes, watch,â you confirm and study his face. âDonât you want to watch me get myself off? Donât you want to watch me show you exactly what it is that I like?âÂ
âF-fuck thatâsâŚwow,â he stutters out.Â
You lean back, using one hand behind you on the bed to brace yourself. You spread your legs open to show him the way your pussy already glistens a little. The kissing and the feel of bringing him over the edge like that really turned you on. Itâs a little bit of a first for you. Running a finger up your entrance, you collect some of the wetness there. Do it once more for good measure. And then, still emboldened by whatâs happened so far, you reach forward to hold your finger out to Jeonghan. Let it run along his lip until he takes it into his mouth and tastes you.Â
âFuck, youâre soâŚjust, fuck,â he hisses. âCan IâŚâ
âNo,â you say and cut him off, pulling your finger back.Â
Now that youâve had a taste of him begging for something, you want to drive him to that again. Want to get him so turned on that he canât even see straight. You slowly tease at your entrance and watch the way his eyes track each movement. When you use your free hand to play with one of your nipples, he seems like he canât really figure out where to look. Then, you slide one finger into your pussy and itâs like he canât see to take his eyes off the motion. You moan, even though itâs nowhere near enough of a stretch, and increase the rhythm. Quickly add another finger and start to fuck yourself just the way you like. Just the way you would when you want to draw out your release a little more than using a toy. You slide your free hand down your body and use it to rub small circles on your clit. Somewhere, the thought of Jeonghan watching you becomes a little secondary. Itâs incredibly sexy to know that heâs just watching, but youâre also invested in your own high. You want to do this for yourself as much as to show Jeonghan. Canât possibly realize that Jeonghan is even more turned on knowing that youâre so lost to your own passion.Â
The orgasm washes over you more suddenly than youâre expecting and it takes a moment to catch your breath. It takes another moment to realize that Jeonghan has undressed himself while you were lost in your own world. He isnât touching himself though and you canât figure out if heâs still sensitive or just waiting for your permission. Itâs hard to avoid the realization that every part of him is beautiful. His body is all lean lines, not overly muscular, yet still looks strong. Even his cock is kind of beautiful in a way, which isnât fair. Itâs not surprising, though.Â
âThat was one of the sexiest things Iâve ever seen,â he admits, a little breathless.Â
âDâyou think you can make me come as well?â you tease. âWant to feel my pussy squeeze around you?âÂ
He nods immediately and it makes you laugh a little. âI know I can. I wantâŚâÂ
âTo taste me?â you offer and his eyes go dark with lust.Â
âCan I?â he asks. âCan I actually get a taste? Just your finger wasnât really enough.âÂ
âI want to see what that mouth can do when itâs not talking a mile a minute,â you say. âI hope youâre just as good with your tongue.â
Itâs obvious that this catches him a little off guard that youâre so confident now with him. So easily fall into telling him exactly what you want him to do. But, youâre very curious to see what his skills are like. The two of you reposition so that he can settle between your legs. His eyes find yours, searching, Maybe asking permission. You nod and he uses his fingers to spread your lips open. He licks up your core and mutters a quiet fuck under his breath at your lingering wetness. The breath against your core sends a slight shiver through your body.Â
After all the build up and everything, you donât really have the patience for him to go slow. So, you tangle your hand into his hair and press his head further into your cunt. Force his nose to brush against your clit. Donât really stop to consider if itâs too much for him. His moans into you seem to show that theyâre not, though. Itâs nice to just take what you need and know that heâs enjoying it just as much as you are. When you ask him (read: tell him) to add a finger, he does it without question. For someone that always seems to have a retort for everything, heâs surprisingly quiet now. Nothing piercing the quiet of the room apart from the constant stream of moans from both of you and curses from you as you get closer to your second orgasm.Â
The second one hits a lot harder than the first, a fact that you wouldnât really want to admit to Jeonghan. Itâs too obvious to hide, though. You donât even care. Jeonghanâs tongue is far better than anything you could have dreamed about. Not that you were dreaming about it. (And not that you ever got yourself off in the shower or in your bed, late at night, thinking of the annoying guy who wouldnât ever seem to leave you alone. Absolutely not.) When you open your eyes again, you find Jeonghan looking at you with awe. Thereâs nothing smug about his look. It makes your insides go even a little mushier. Itâs definitely not the time for those kinds of emotions.Â
âWow,â is all Jeonghan says.Â
âYeah,â you agree.Â
âDo you still want toâŚ? I mean, can we stillâŚâ he starts.
âJeonghan, do I make you feel that nervous?â you joke. âYou just ate me out and made me come all over your face.âÂ
He shrugs. âI just donât wanna press my luck.âÂ
âMaybe we just stop here then,â you say with a return shrug. âIâm not sure you want it enough.â
âOh, no, I definitely want it,â he disagrees.
âAre you sure?â you taunt. âSure you can handle it?âÂ
That unleashes a side of Jeonghan you havenât fully seen yet. The next moment, heâs begging you for your pussy. Begging you to show you how much he still wants you. Begging to make up for the fake that he came in his pants just at your touch. Just begging for anything and everything. He even goes as far as to say that heâll do all the work. It shouldnât be working for you. Itâs kind of lame, the way he just canât seem to stop himself from running his mouth. And, unfortunately, itâs working for you. You kiss him just to make him stop.Â
The kiss immediately turns into something desperate, but youâre not sure which one of you takes it there first. Every new bit of him you get only makes you want even more of him. Itâs kind of insane to think you werenât even sure you liked him when itâs been so easy to fall into this. Jeonghan breaks the kiss and reaches over into his nightstand for a condom. Somehow, he manages to get it on in nearly record speed, despite his nerves about everything else. He doesnât waste any time in positioning himself, either. You lie back when he spreads your legs open and seems a little drunk on the sight of you. You tap his side with your foot and he shakes his head clear of whatever he was thinking.Â
Jeonghan lines himself up at your entrance and presses his tip in. You arch your back, moaning at the initial stretch. Itâs immediately better than either of your fingers or his tongue. You wrap your legs around his waist to pull him in and it makes him snap into you in one swift movement. All you wanted was to be full and you squeeze your walls around him. Direct him to move. The two of you work together to figure out the right pace, knowing that neither of you is likely to last all that long. Youâre both a little sensitive from everything in the lead up to this moment. Still, you revel in the way that Jeonghan rolls his hips into you. Appreciate the way that he nearly pulls all the way out before snapping back into you. Moan into the sloppy kiss when your mouths crash together. Itâs hard to tell where your own whines start and his moans begin. The sounds all kind of blend together into some kind of weird harmony.Â
Where Jeonghan was incredibly vocal when he was begging, he doesnât seem to have a coherent thought to share now. Yet, his eyes never leave you. Like heâs trying to map each part of your body. Itâs too fast for him to learn what you actually like. Thatâs not what you need, not right now. What you need is to have another release, one that comes at the same time as his own. And thatâs exactly what you get when you come hard again just as you feel his thrusts stutter. A moment later, heâs coming into the condom and eventually stilling inside of you.Â
The last thing you want is to feel the loss of him inside of you, but you understand that he has to pull out. His breathing is heavy when he rolls over onto his back. Itâs clear that he doesnât want to get out of bed. That itâs a struggle. But, he gets up to dispose of the condom and you hear water running in the distance. He returns a moment later with a wet cloth and starts gently washing you without even asking. He tosses the cloth on his dresser and then collapses back on the bed next to you. Pulls you into his body without a second thought.
âI donât want to go anywhere,â you say softly while youâre nestled into him.Â
âLike I would let you leave,â he says just as softly.
âOh, the man that begs for my pussy is going to force me to stay?â you challenge.Â
You feel the way his chest slightly rumbles with laughter. âI was hoping youâd let me live for a second.â
âAfter you not letting me live since we met? Fat chance,â you answer.
âI suppose I deserved that,â he says.
âI really donât want to leave tonight, though, so hopefully you have more clothes to lend me,â you say.
âYouâre gonna have to let me move for that,â he says in return.
âWorst offer Iâve gotten all day, but fine,â you agree and allow him to disentangle from you.Â
Once he offers you some clothes, you also get up from the bed to get dressed. Try not to ogle Jeonghan too much as he does the same. He catches you, because of course he does, but surprisingly doesnât say anything. Only smiles back at you. You help him remake the bed before the two of you go back out into the living area. It occurs to you that you didnât exactly let your roommate know what you were up to before just heading straight over to see Jeonghan.
A fact that is immediately obvious when you see the texts and missed calls on your phone. Oop.
âHey,â you call out to Jeonghan. âMy roommate, Iâm sure you remember himâŚâ
âYeah, Seungkwan, right?â he asks.
âYeah, heâs freaking out because I forgot to say I was coming over here,â you say. âIâm just gonna call him really quick to let him know Iâm fine and Iâll see him tomorrow.â
âDo you want privacy?â he asks and you just laugh lightly.
âNot sure I need it,â you say and the phone is already ringing. Seungkwan answers nearly immediately.
âWhat the fuck? Are you okay?â he asks instead of saying hello.
âChill, Kwan, Iâm fine,â you answer.Â
âWhere are you? Your class ended hours ago,â he says.
âHas it been hours?â you ask with some amount of surprise.Â
âWait, where are you?â he asks again, sounding calm but skeptical now.Â
âI justâŚjust donât worry about me for the night, okay? Iâll be home tomorrow,â you say.Â
âSwitch to video, you whore,â Seungkwan says skeptically.
âDonât be a weirdo,â you retort.
âCome on! Turn on your camera!â he yells and you pull the phone away from your ear.
âFucking fine,â you grumble and press the button on your phone before holding it back up to your face.
âI KNEW IT!â he shrieks gleefully. âWhoâs shirt is that?â
âOh, well, itâsâŚâ you stall and look over at Jeonghan. Heâs already moving toward you.
âWell?â Seungkwan prompts as Jeonghan leans over behind you so his face shows in the camera.
âItâs mine,â Jeonghan answers and Seungkwan looks like Christmas came early.
âWell, hello Jeonghan,â he says.Â
âI promise to take good care of her and send her back in one piece,â Jeonghan says and Seungkwan canât contain his grin.
âKeep her as long as you like. Iâm about to be so rich,â he says, far happier than he should be.
âGoodbye Seungkwan. Iâll see you tomorrow,â you say and hang up before he can say anything.Â
Once you hang up, Jeonghan gives you an odd look. Like heâs trying to figure out what Seungkwan just said.
âDo IâŚwant to ask?â he finally asks.
You sigh. âSeungkwan started placing and taking bets about me sleeping with you as soon as I mentioned you.âÂ
âAnd when was that?â he asks, seemingly not even surprised by the bets. You internally curse.
âAfter the very first class when you mentioned you joined because you like Legos,â you admit.Â
âWe could have saved so much time,â he whines and you just shake your head.
âThis is exactly how it was supposed to go,â you disagree.
âMaybe,â he concedes. âShould we get some sleep? We can figure everything else out in the light of day.â
âSounds perfect,â you agree and follow him to bed.Â
Itâs far easier than it should be to settle into bed with him. Like youâve done it a million times before. Maybe itâs okay to allow yourself to have the things you want. Maybe this can all be as easy as attaching one block to another until you have something amazing.Â
i hope you liked it! and like i said, i'll be back to fix any spelling/grammar errors after the weekend.
taglist: @newjihoonie, @tinyelfperson, @dokyeomkyeom, @miriamxsworld, @hongrizon, @klecksstorys, @sunflowergyeomie, @gyuminusone, @aaniag, @straykidswhoo789, @kimseokgen, @beomesbabe, @haolistic, @vanishingboots, @babybae-shisui, @harry-the-pottypus, @okiedokrie-main, @nuttywastelandmentality, @writingbarnes, @gyuhao365, @jjin-kun, @divinityyy, @dibidibidismynameisleeknow, @jelly-n , @christinewithluv, @hipsdofangirl, @sana-is-ms-rmty, @lllucere, @vixensss, @soffiyuhh @aidanjoon, @hanniebub, @stormy1408, @lilifiedeans, @hyucksrealm, @joshuaslv, @tinkerbell460 (strikethrough means can't tag)
â starcrossed losers â˘
one night was all it took for your world to unravel. you live now as a princess with no kingdom, a daughter without a family. but when jeonghan reminds you what it feels like to be selfish again, you're torn between reclaiming your birthright and surrendering to the comfort of his arms forever.
â FEATURING;Â jeonghan x reader
â Â WORD COUNT;Â 23.8k words
â Â TAGS;Â princess!reader, enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, magic & fantasy, angst, grief/mourning, slow burn, yearning if you squint i guess, smut (MINORS DNI)
â Â NOTES; remember when i said this was going to have two parts only? yeah about that... :') the lore was just A Lot, so to speak LOL. it's nigh impossible to conclude in two chapters, so surprise! there will be part three hehe (this is real, no more additions i PROMISE). and just a heads up to those seeing this fic for the first time, this is PART 2!! not a lot will make sense if you don't read part 1 (as linked below hehe).
this is part of the itâs complicated series.
PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE
â Â SMUT TAGS; oral (f receiving), intercrural sex, drunk sex, they're both just yearning so much for each other your honor, jh still calls you 'your grace' in bed lol, explicit letters? they're freaky with their correspondences (think: medieval sexting), masturbation, fantasizing abt ur lover who's half a kingdom away
The portrait hall was colder than you remembered.
Your steps didnât echo much across the marble, muffled by the hush that clung to the air like dust. It smelled of polished stone, old candle wax, and something harder to name. You werenât supposed to be here, not alone and not this late, but no one stopped you anymore.
You walked the corridor slowly, trailing your fingers along the stone. Paintings lined both sidesâevery monarch who ruled before your father, frozen in oil and velvet, with stiff collars and colder eyes. You didnât know all their names, but they were not the ones you came here for.
The last portrait at the end of the hall is framed in gold. Lit by a dozen quiet candles, it hung just a little higher than the rest.
Your mother.
You tilted your head back to see her face. She looked taller in the painting than anyone ever describedâpoised, regal, with a kind of beauty that didnât invite affection so much as reverence. She looked like you. Or maybe you looked like her. Youâd heard it since you were old enough to understand wordsâhow you were her mirror. Her shadow. Her echo.
For a long time, you simply stared, hoping something might change. That if you stood still enough, the memory you never had might rise out of the quiet. That she might turn her head to smile and speak with you.Â
âYour Highness.â
You didnât turn right away
Siwon stepped closer, his shoes making no more noise than yours, and bowed low. Neither formal nor stiff, but familiarâthe same way he always did with you and your father.
âYou take after her more than you know,â he said softly.Â
You kept your eyes straight. âBut I never met her.â
âNo.â Siwon stood beside you as he folded his hands behind his back. âBut sheâs with you, all the same.â
You hesitated. âWhat was she like?â
The kingâs advisor was quiet for a long moment. When you looked up at him, he was watching the painting with something gentle in his faceâlike even now, after all these years, he was still trying to remember the sound of her voice.
âThe queen was a quiet woman,â he said. âThe court often mistook that for softness, for weakness, but it was far from that. Iâd daresay, what she had was strength. She didnât have to raise her voice to be heard.â
You didnât answer, but you listened anyway.
âHer magic is⌠unique,â he said. âShe could speak to animals.â
Your brow furrowed. âPeople can do that?â
He smiled faintly. âNot most people. But your mother could.â
Your chest tightened. The thought felt too large for you, too wild and far away.
âDo you think I can speak to animals too?â you asked.
Siwon turned to you fully, studying your face in the candlelight. His expression was unreadable, but not unkind.
âI do not know,â he told you honestly. âWhat I do know is this, Your Highnessâyou will be great. Just as the queen was. In your own way.â
You nodded, slowly, but your eyes were already drifting back to the painting. Her eyes were the same color as yours. But hers knew more. As if they had already seen the road waiting for you.
A faint breeze stirred through the corridor. One of the candles flickered, its flame bowing low before righting itself again. The shadows on the queenâs painted cheek shifted just for a moment, as if sheâd breathed.
You stood very still.
Beyond the glass, an owl perched silently on a high branch, its feathers blending into the dark. You didnât see it, but it watched you with eyes the color of tarnished goldâpatient, ancient, and strange.
Siwon said nothing more. He only bowed once, and left you alone in the hush. You stayed a little longer to gaze up at your mother, memorizing the lines of a face you somehow already carried. Then, without a word, you turned and walked back down the hall.Â
Behind you, the owl did not blink. Its eyes held no judgment.Â
Only memory.
The road was longer than it shouldâve been.
Ancarra sat beside Seraphia on every map youâd ever seen, but tonight, it felt impossibly farâlike a dream slipping out of reach. Ahead, Soonyoung gripped the reins tight as the coach hurtled forward, the horses driving through the dark as if speed alone could outrun the ruin swallowing your homeland.
Minghaoâs scheme was an attack on all fronts. He didnât just seize the capital, he struck it like a blade to the heart, then sent his forces spilling outward into the neighboring cities before anyone could react. Fires erupted within hours. Screams echoed through the streets. Those who resisted were cut down without mercy, their bodies left where they fell as a message.
You hated that you were fleeing while your people suffered. The guilt clawed at your chest, louder than the thunder of hooves or the distant roar of collapsing stone. You shouldâve stayed. Fought. Died, maybe. Anything but this helpless retreat into the night.
The carriage jolted over uneven ground, wheels rattling as it sped through the dark. Inside, it was tense and still, save for the tremble in Joshuaâs clasped hands. He sat across from you, his usual calm replaced by something sharper. Youâd never seen him this shaken before, but how could he not be? He came to this kingdom to partake in your name-day celebration, and now you were all escaping from the ashes of the capitalâits streets overrun, its people scattered, its sky lit with fire.Â
Every now and then, Joshua looked like he might speak. A prayer, maybe. A scrap of comfort. He was good at those. But you didnât move. Didnât meet his gaze. Didnât say a word.
So he stayed silent too.
Each breath you took was shaky as the nightâs events replayed in your mind. From the argument that broke out between Jeonghan and Minghao, to leaving your father and Siwon and Reya behind. You wanted to scream, to cry, to tear the world apart until it made sense again. A pit had settled in your stomach, cold and unmoving, as if grief had anchored itself there before youâd even had time to mourn.Â
You hadnât even noticed Jeonghan shifting closer until you felt the warmth of his shoulder brushing yours. There were no clever remarks. No biting retorts. This silence was unlike him. Jeonghan had always met fear with wit, always masked discomfort with a smirk or a well-timed jab. Now, he just sat beside you like he understood. Like he knew that if he spoke, the weight you were carrying might shatter into something neither of you could hold.
You only realized you were shaking until Jeonghan shifted beside you, just enough that his voice could reach you without disturbing the hush in the carriage.
âBack in Seraphia,â he said quietly, âJoshua and I used to sit through hours of meetings. Couldnât speak. Couldnât even glance at each other without getting called out.â
Joshua stirred across from you, lifting his head just slightly at the mention.
âSo,â Jeonghan went on, âwe came up with a system.â
He reached down and tapped your knee once, light and deliberate over the fabric of your dress.
âOne tap means âokay.â Or âunderstood.ââ
Then he tapped twice.
âTwo means âIâm here.ââ
You blinked, the simplicity of it landing with more weight than it shouldâve. You turned to look at him, but Jeonghan wasnât watching youâhis eyes stayed focused somewhere just past the smoke-fogged window. He wasnât trying to fix anything. He was just⌠offering.
Across from you, Joshua gave a faint, weary smile. âHeâd overuse it,â he said softly, his voice hoarse but laced with familiarity. âEspecially when he wanted me to lie for him.â
Jeonghan didnât deny it. But he tapped your knee twice again.
Iâm here.
You didnât know where a trick like that would ever be useful again. But something about it made the carriage feel a little less cold. A little less like a coffin.
With a quaint sigh, you leaned into him just a bit, and finally let your eyes close as the carriage hurtled deeper into the night, toward a future that hadnât yet begunâand away from everything you could never return to.
You fled Ancarra at midnight. You arrived in Seraphia at midnight, too.
Weary didnât begin to describe itâthere was a bone-deep exhaustion no salve could soothe, no rest could touch. But still, you pressed on because you had to. Because turning back was no longer an option.
The royal gates opened in silence.
No guards shouted. No horns were blown. Only those within the highest circle had been told of your arrival. Soonyoung stayed close. He hadnât let go of your hand once since you left the carriage. Even now, as the royal halls unfolded before you, too lavish and too golden in the low candlelight, his grip was still tight, still trembling.
Jeonghan and Joshua led the way. Their home was pristine, but it was the tension in the air that choked you. Familiar, but no longer comforting.
Youâd been to this castle beforeâmore times than you could count. Youâd played in these halls. Danced in that ballroom. Once tripped down those stairs and cried into the queenâs lap until she bribed you with an entire tray of sweets. And still, youâd never felt smaller than you did tonight.
The Seraphian king and queen were already waiting when you were ushered into one of the drawing rooms. They looked exactly as you remembered them: regal, elegant, kind. But this time, the queen didnât reach for your cheek with a gentle tease. She reached for you like a mother.
âMy dear,â she whispered, folding you into her arms. âOh, my poor girl.â
That was all it took. Your knees nearly gave way, and you had to grip her robes to keep yourself upright. But you didnât cry just yet. You just clung to her like a lifeline.
Soonyoung bowed hastily, words pouring from his mouth before anyone else could speak. âYour Majesties, Iâplease forgive me. If Renxing learns youâve taken us in, theyâll see it as an act of war. We didnât mean to bring that to your doorstep. Weâll leave at first lightââ
âNonsense,â said the king, rising to his feet. âYou will do no such thing.â
The queen nodded. âYou are children. Brave, loyal childrenâbut still children. You should not have to live on the run. Not like this.â
Joshua stepped closer to your side, quiet but watchful. Jeonghan on the other hand, hadnât moved far eitherâlingering near the door, as though still expecting trouble to follow through the threshold. But the queen looked at him then.Â
âJeonghan. Take them to the west wing. Let her rest,â she said all while smoothing a hand across your hair. âTomorrow weâll speak with the court, but tonight⌠She's home.â
Home.
You didnât know if this place still qualified as that. But you let yourself be led away anyway, the promise of a bed and safety something you no longer had the strength to refuse.
Shortly after stepping into the west wing, Joshua handed you a change of clothes. The fabric was soft, finer than anything you remembered from Seraphiaâs storesâlavender-dyed linen, threaded with silver at the hems. Fit for royalty.Â
You barely registered it when he placed the bundle in your arms. Your eyes kept flickering to the stonework. The sconces. The tapestries. All things that reminded you of home.
Of a home that was no longer yours.
Jeonghan said nothing as he walked ahead, guiding you and Soonyoung down the hall. He knew these corridors like the back of his hand. You remembered once accusing him of being born with the entire palace floor plan stamped into his skull. Now you trailed behind him like a ghost, your hand still clasped around your advisorâs. When you reached the two doors at the end of the hall, the older prince opened both.Â
âThese rooms are yours for as long as you need them.â
Soonyoung started to step away, finally giving you a little space. But your grip tightened, your breath catching in your throat.
âNo,â you said quietly, urgently. âDonât.â
Your advisor blinked. â...Princess?â
You turned to Jeonghan. You hadnât called him by name once since fleeing the castle, but now, your voice cracked under the weight of formality. âMay I share a room with him? Just for tonight.â
It was strange. The way the words sounded in your mouth, like they belonged to someone else. But you couldnât bear the thought of sleeping alone. You were used to the velvet canopy of your bed. The tinkle of windchimes outside your window. Reya curled beside your feet, a silent guardian through the night. Tonight, you had nothing.Â
No father. No Reya. No home.
You were a princess without a kingdom. A daughter without a family. And Soonyoungâ
He was the last piece of Ancarra you had left.
âOf course.â
Your eyes met Jeonghanâs for only a moment. He didnât press. Didnât question. Didnât flinch at the unspoken wound in your gaze. He simply told you, âRest easy. Iâll be right next door if you need anything.â
And then he turned and left, the door clicking shut behind him.
Joshua quickly excused himself to his own bedchambers down the hall as well, bidding the two of you a good nightâs sleep. The concern lingered in the younger princeâs gaze, but like Jeonghan, he knew better than to press. You wouldnât know how to respond in your current state either.
So for tonight, you clung to what was left. To Soonyoungâs hand, and the sound of your own breath.
The council chamber was stifling. Heavy with incense, arguments, and the scent of fear. Seraphiaâs nobles lined the carved obsidian table, draped in silk and pride. The royal mages sat to the side, faces sharp with suspicion. You stood beneath their scrutiny like a shadow that did not belong.
ââŚand still, we do not know the full scope of the damage,â one mageâhigh-collared and agelessâwas saying. âNo formal declaration. No surviving messengers. Instead, weâre relying on the testimony of fugitives.â
You flinched at the word.
Soonyoung stepped forward immediately, jaw tight with barely restrained frustration. âHer Highness is not a fugitive. She is Ancarraâs rightful heir.â
âAnd Ancarra,â one noblewoman drawled, âmay very well be gone.â
Jeonghan, seated beside the Seraphian king, said nothing. But you felt his gaze flick toward you, subtle and reassuring. His fingers drummed once, then again, against the dark wood of the table. Two quick taps.
It came and went like a ripple in still water. But you caught the message, and with it, the ache in your chest lightened just slightly. Jeonghan couldnât speak now, not when the room brimmed with eyes trained on every twitch and breath. But he had found a way to reach you anyway.Â
Iâm here.
His father leaned forward.
âWe have no confirmation,â the king said. âThere have been no proclamations from Renxing. No movement at our borders either. Everything surrounding Ancarra has been⌠suspiciously quiet. We mustnât act hastily.â
âYou are asking us,â another noble spat, âto shelter the target of an imperial coup. The general of the Renxing army ransacked her castleâwhat happens when he turns his gaze here?â
âAnd what happens,â Soonyoung countered, âif we do nothing? If we let Renxing consume one kingdom after another while we pretend not to see?â
A harsh silence fell.
Someone muttered under their breath, âWe are not ready for war.â
âWe donât have to be,â Jeonghan said at last, voice calm but deadly precise. âNot yet, at least.â
All heads turned.
âThe princess and her advisor will remain under our protection,â he went on. âIf Renxing wanted to make a move, they would have done it already. Minghao isnât a foolâheâs waiting to see how the other kingdoms respond. How we respond.â
âAnd if our response is weakness,â someone murmured, âheâll strike.â
You didnât speak. You couldnât. Not with the sight of your fatherâs blood still fresh in your memory. Not with Reyaâs last words still echoing through you like the toll of a funeral bell. But you felt Jeonghanâs gaze on you again, a flicker of warmth in a room gone cold.
Two taps on the table.
Iâm here.
Time passed like molasses. Slow and suffocating.
In the weeks that followed, you learned what it meant to haunt a place while still being alive. You were a ghost in the Seraphian castleâseen but untouched, spoken of but rarely spoken to. After that council meeting, the king swore every noble and mage present to silence. A blood oath of secrecy. Your name, your survival, your very presence within Seraphiaâs marble halls became a state secret punishable by death.
You knew it was necessary. Still, it left a hollow sort of guilt in your chest. How many of them resented you for it? How many feared the noose for sheltering the broken thing Ancarra left behind?
You had nowhere else to go.
So you stayed. Hidden.
Some days, you didnât rise from bed. Others, you sat at the same window for hours, watching the sunlight shift across the floorboards without ever touching your face. Birds came sometimesâtiny, curious things you would have spoken to once without thinking. But now their songs only deepened the quiet inside you.
You didnât speak to them.
You didnât speak much at all.
Soonyoung tried, in his quiet and patient way. But even he couldnât always get through. He gave you space, and Jeonghan filled in the spaces you didnât know how to ask for. He never pushed. Never chided you for letting yourself drown in your grief.Â
Instead, he left things for you to have. A fresh cup of tea on your bedside table. A shawl when the castle halls turned bitter cold. A book he thought you might like, even if the pages remained untouched for weeks. Joshua would come by to spare you the exact same kindness every now and again, but it was different when it was Jeonghan.Â
You werenât used to this version of him. It even unsettled you at first. Youâd built your walls tall and sharp, braced for the inevitable moment heâd strike a nerve just for the fun of it. But it never came. Jeonghan did not demand anything from you. Not even conversation.
He simply remained.
Sometimes, you would catch him watching you from the doorway of whatever room youâd choose to linger in that day. Not like a hawk, but like a boy whoâd once laughed too loud and too often, now standing very still for fear of making you disappear. You werenât sure what to make of it, but you let him linger.Â
One morning, you actually made it to the dining hall.
You werenât even that hungry, but Soonyoung had pressed gently and Jeonghan had waited in the corridor without saying a word, just long enough for you to force yourself out of bed and into something clean. That was how most things happened lately. Not because you wanted them to. But because the people who hadnât left you yet⌠waited long enough.
You sat alone at a small table in the far end of the hall, poking at a bowl of warm barley stew. The fire crackled in the hearth, and the morning sun slanted through stained glass in ribbons of gold and violet. You barely noticed.
âPrincess?â
You looked up.
The woman that approached you was unfamiliar. Mid-thirties, maybe. Her pale robes were brushed with ink black sigils and constellations. Youâve studied Seraphia's geography before, so you vaguely recognized the embroidered crest on her clothes. She was a royal mage of Aragorn, one of the southern cities.
You blinked at her, unsure what to say. The woman didnât bow, but she placed her hand gently over her chest in a gesture of greeting.
âI hope Iâm not intruding, Your Highness. My name is Taeyeon,â she said softly. âI just wanted to see how you were doing.â
You stared for a second too long, then dropped your eyes back to your half-eaten bowl.Â
âIâm⌠still alive.â
The words escaped your lips with no real thought. You hadnât meant to say them aloud, but they were true. And in some small, exhausted part of you, it felt like that was enough. However, Taeyeon didnât smile at your answer, nor did she grimace. All she offered in response was the slightest nod of her head.Â
âItâs a relief that youâre very much alive,â she said. âBut, Princess, are you truly living?â
You couldnât answer.
Because that sentence cut straight through you like a drawn blade. Your spoon fell gently back into the bowl as your chest started to ache. Your breath hitched before you could stop it, and in that flicker of pain, you remembered:
Ancarra will never die as long as you live.
You had survived that night; you were surviving still, but you werenât living. Not in a way Reya would have believed in. Not in a way your father would have wanted for you.
Taeyeon didnât press you for an answer. She simply stood there, hands folded loosely in front of her, watching with the kind of stillness that made you feel like she saw more than she should. Not just your body seated at the table, but the frayed thing beneath it trying not to come apart.
After a moment, she spoke again.Â
âIn Aragorn, when we lose someone,â she said, âwe say: May your shadow return when your heart is ready to follow it.â
You lifted your head. Taeyeon gave a small smile before continuing.
âIt means thereâs no shame in not feeling whole,â she explained. âSometimes the part of us that knows how to live stays behind with the ones we lost. But that part can find its way back, when weâre ready to want it again.â
You couldnât respond, but you didnât turn from her, either.
Taeyeon inclined her head again. âForgive me for interrupting your morning, Princess. Iâll take my leave.â
And just like that, she turned and walked off, robes trailing soft behind her, the sigils on her sleeves catching light like starlight on ink.Â
That evening, the castle was quiet.Â
You sat by the window, letting the breeze pull through in slow, whispering drifts. Moonlight spilled across the floor in a soft silver veil. You hadnât lit a candle. The dark felt easier somehowâlike it knew how to hold the ache without asking you to explain.
Taeyeonâs words still echoed in your chest.
May your shadow return when your heart is ready to follow it.
You repeated it in your head like a spell, tracing it over the ache in your ribs, the hollow behind your sternum. And for the first time in weeks, you felt⌠lighter. As if some part of you was no longer curled in on itself.
A knock at the door broke the quiet.
Soonyoung stepped inside after your soft murmur of permission. His brows were drawn, a solemn expression fixed to his face as he closed the door behind him. He looked exhaustedâbut it wasnât just that. You recognized it now. Determination. The kind that didnât come without a cost.
ââŚThereâs something I need to tell you,â he said.
You looked at him. And your stomach twisted before he even began.
âIâve made the decision to return to Ancarra. Or beyond, if thatâs where the truth leads.â His voice was calm, but beneath it, his hands were clenched. âItâs been more than a month, and we still donât know what Minghao truly wants. Or if the Renxing emperor is even complicit in his actions. That silence is not mercyâitâs misdirection.â
â... So youâre leaving me?â Your body tensed, the words spilling from your mouth before you could stop them. âYouâre leaving me alone?â
Soonyounâs expression grew even more pained. âI must, Your Highness. Itâs the only way we can take back the kingdom.â
You stood too quickly. The chair screeched behind you.
âBut you donât even have magic, Soonyoung!â Your voice cracked like glass. âHow will you protect yourself? What ifâwhat ifââ
âHe wonât go alone, Your Grace.âÂ
The interruption came from the doorway.
Jeonghan leaned against the frame with his arms crossed. You didnât even notice him slipping into your bedchambers.Â
âSoonyoung asked for my counsel before he made this decision. Seraphia will assign him two of our finest knights. Theyâve been given clearance to act under our name, and they shall die before they let harm come to him.â
But none of that comforted you. None of it made the hollow, aching grief in your chest feel any less unbearable. Because it wasnât just about strategy or survival.
It was about losing the one constant you had left.
âI canâtâŚâ Your voice was hoarse as tears slipped past your lashes. âI canât lose you too.â
Soonyoung crossed the room in three strides, and this time, he didnât wait for permission. He held you as your breath shook, as your hands clutched at his sleeves, as all the agony youâd kept buried for weeks came tumbling loose from your chest.
âYou wonât lose me,â he murmured into your hair.Â
You pulled back just enough to look him in the eye. âSwear it. Swear youâll come back to me alive. Swear you wonât even think about letting yourself get killed out there.â
Soonyoung raised a hand to his heart and bowed his head solemnly.Â
âI swear it. âOn Ancarra. On my life. I will return to you.â
At that moment, you believed him.
Because you had to.
The library was quiet this afternoon.
You sat tucked into your usual corner, nestled between shelves that reached toward the vaulted ceiling like ancient sentinels. A book rested open in your lapâone Jeonghan had brought you days agoâits pages worn at the edges, words curling like ivy down the margins. The scent of dust and cedar wrapped around you, warm and unintrusive.
You'd begun venturing beyond your chambers more often now. Not much. Not far. But it was something. The worst of the weight had lifted, even if grief still hung from your shoulders like a veil. You could breathe again, even if each breath was fragile.
But you still kept your distance.
The Seraphian nobles who roamed the castle in silks and polished boots looked at you like a stain on the tapestriesâan echo of a ruined kingdom. Their glances were sharp and slick with quiet disdain, and so youâd learned to disappear before they could speak your name.
Here in the library, though, no one expected anything of you.
You had just tucked your knees beneath you, settling deeper into the window seatâs cushions, when the door eased open with a soft creak.
Jeonghan stood in the doorway with a bundle of red roses in his hands.
You blinked. âWhat⌠is this?â
The prince stepped inside, the edge of his cloak brushing the floor like a velvet shadow. âWhat does it look like?â he said, one brow lifting. âAm I not allowed to bring flowers to my betrothed?â
You stared at him. Then at the roses. Then back again. ââŚDid you pick those from the palace gardens?â
âNot quite. Shua bought them for me from a florist in the city.â A crooked, boyish smile tugged at his lips. âSo maybe itâs a gift from him, too.â
You took them slowly, careful not to crush the velvet petals. The scent was unexpectedly sweetâdeep, almost honeyed. âTheyâre beautiful,â you murmured. Then, with a bitter little laugh, âBut⌠can I still be called your betrothed when my kingdom is in ruins?â
Jeonghan didnât even hesitate. He crossed the room without hesitation and sank into the seat beside you, close enough that your shoulders touched.
âIâm betrothed to you,â he said, brushing your cheek delicately with his knuckles. âNot your crown. Not your court. You.â
The roses trembled slightly in your grip. You looked down at them, then at his other hand resting between you. That warmth beneath your ribs stirred again. Like the first hint of spring in frozen ground.
You lowered your gaze, letting the silence settle between you.
The roses in your lap were the same deep red as the ones that always bloomed late in your garden back home. You hadnât thought about those roses in months. Maybe longer.
Your fingers tightened slightly around the stems.
Youâd spent over ten years loathing Jeonghan. Not because he was a stranger. but because he never missed a chance to get under your skin. Heâd tease you until your temper frayed, smirk when you snapped, and always walked away looking far too pleased with himself.
And by some twist of fate, the two of you fell into each other in ways that would have made his mother faint. You hadnât stopped being confused. Not when he kissed you back behind that statue of a winged-lion. And certainly not now, with red roses in your lap and his breath soft beside your cheek.
If only heâd been like this from the start, you thought. We wouldâve been married at eighteen.
But you didnât say it aloud. You didnât dare. Because what if this was just another version of him you didnât know how to keep?
ââŚThank you,â you said finally, voice barely above a whisper.
Jeonghan didnât look away when you voiced your gratitude. He just nodded once and then leaned back slightly, letting the weight of the moment stretch into something more familiar.Â
âYou know⌠since youâve been out and about lately, I was wondering.â
âWondering what?â
âIf youâd be interested in getting a bit of exercise.â His mouth twitched.Â
You blinked. âWhat kind of exercise?â
âThe kind that gets your blood moving. Not a walk in the gardens or a stroll in the city,â he added, as if reading your mind. âSomething a little more⌠hands-on.â
You arched a brow. âAre you offering to fight me?â
âPlease.â He huffed a laugh. âI like my bones unbroken.â
You snorted despite yourself.
âI was thinking,â he continued, âthe captain of the royal guard is in the capital for once. Heâs only around for a few days, and I figured⌠he might be a good sparring partner. If youâre interested.â
Your fingers tightened slightly around the roses in your lap. You hadnât picked up a sword inâgods, months now. Maybe longer. Before everything fell apart, youâd been too busy preparing for your name-day. For the wedding. For the future you were supposed to have. But now that future was uncertain, and you were tired of feeling like a ghost inside it.
You let out a slow breath. âAll right. Itâs about time I stretched my legs.â
âPerfect. Seungcheol gets cranky in the mornings, but itâll be worth your time,â he reassured.
Thatâs how you found yourself following Jeonghan to the castleâs training grounds. You were given a set of training clothes before you leftâthe fabric lighter than your usual garments, loose enough for movement, fitted enough not to snag.Â
The castleâs training grounds were nestled behind the east wing, flanked by low stone walls and a cluster of blooming trees that masked the sound of the city beyond. A rack of weapons stood at the far end, well-maintained and meticulously ordered. You could see chalk lines on the ground, which Jeonghan said were for marking the sparring space.
Everything here breathed discipline.
The captain of the royal guard was already at the center of the yard, shirt damp with sweat, muscles taut with the effort of repetition. He held a longsword in one hand, his other arm wrapped loosely behind his back, and swung with precise, unhurried controlâover and over, like a pendulum.Â
âSeungcheol does that a thousand times every day,â Jeonghan whispered. âExactly a thousand. He wonât stop until he hits the count.â
You watched the glint of the blade arc through the air again. âWhy?â
âHe says if his body forgets how to move, his men might not live long enough to remind him.â
At the sound of your footsteps, Seungcheol paused mid-swing. He didnât sheathe the swordâjust lowered it, slow and steady, turning to face you both. His expression was unreadable. Eyes sharp beneath dark brows, jaw set in a way that suggested he didnât approve of being interrupted.
âCaptain,â Jeonghan greeted, polite but casual. âHope weâre not intruding.â
Seungcheolâs gaze flicked between the two of you before sparing a shallow nod. âYour Highness.â
The prince gestured toward you. âWe were hoping youâd spare some time. She wants to spar.â
Seungcheolâs frown deepened. His eyes settled on you again, more pointed now. âPardon the bluntness, but Iâve heard from the staff youâve barely left your bedchambers these past few weeks. Youâve been⌠recovering.â His tone didnât mockâbut it didnât soften either. âYouâre in no condition to spar.â
You met his scrutiny with a calm smile.
âThen,â you said gently, âwould you please help build my strength back up?â
For a moment, the only sound was wind through the leaves, and the faint creak of leather as Seungcheolâs grip tightened on his sword.
He didnât answer right away. He studied you for a moment, like someone measuring the weight of a blade before deciding if it would bend or break. Then, wordlessly, he turned and walked toward the weapons rack.
Jeonghan leaned in, voice low beside your ear. âThatâs as close to a yes as youâll get from him.â
You followed the captain, pausing at the display of steel. Seungcheol gestured for you to take your pick, and you scanned the rack quietly until something caught your eye.Â
A light looking blade with a slender edge and a modest curveâcloser in length to a saber than a broadsword. It wasnât built for brute force. It was built for speed and control. For footwork and momentum. You tested the balance with a quick flick of your wrist, feeling it settle in your palm like it belonged there.
âIâll go easy,â Seungcheol said once you faced him across the chalk-marked sparring circle. His tone wasnât patronizing, just careful.
âDonât,â you replied simply. âI wonât learn anything that way.â
His eyes narrowed just slightly. Then he lifted his blade.
You moved before he did.
Not because you were faster, but because it was how you fought. Nimble and reactive. Fencing had been etched into your body since you were a child; every muscle remembered the rhythm of lunge and parry, advance and retreat. That grace had bled into your swordsmanship over the years, giving you a certain elegance that traditional soldiers often lacked. Where Seungcheolâs footwork was grounded and economical, yours was fluidâalmost like you were dancing. You ducked and pivoted, letting your momentum carry you in and out of reach.
Still, the difference in strength was undeniable.
Even with Seungcheol clearly restraining his strikes, each blow sent shockwaves through your arms, your shoulders, your core. You felt it everywhereâsinew, bone, the spaces between your ribs. It didnât help that your body was still readjusting to this level of activity. Your blade met his again, sparks flaring where metal scraped metal. You twisted your body, slipped past his side, and landed a touch against his arm. It wasnât a real wound, but a point nonetheless.
Seungcheol adjusted his stance, looking more serious.
Despite his earlier protests, it was clear he wasnât holding back where it counted. He saw you not as a princess, or Jeonghanâs betrothed, or a grieving shadowâbut as a fighter. And he responded accordingly.
It wasnât easy. But that was the point.
For the first time in weeks, you felt something more than the dull ache of loss. You felt fire in your muscles, purpose in the press of your feet against the dirt. Your pulse thundered in your earsânot with fear, but focus.
By the time the sparring session wound down, your limbs ached in the best possible wayâburning from use, not from injury. Seungcheol lowered his blade and gave you a curt nod, sweat darkening the collar of his tunic.Â
Jeonghan, ever dramatic, clapped twice as he stepped back into the ring. âI thought nothing could top your archery, but clearly, I was mistaken. If Iâd known you could dance like that with a blade, I mightâve started picking fights even sooner.â
You gave him a flat look, but the smile you tried to suppress betrayed you.
Nearby, the palace maids arrived with a tray of refreshments: cool water, fresh fruit, and honey-dusted pastries. Jeonghan plucked a slice of melon and collapsed dramatically onto the grass, gesturing for the two of you to join him.
Seungcheol accepted a waterskin and sat with a soldierâs ease, posture still straight. He glanced at you over the rim as he drank. âYou donât fight like most nobles, much less a princess. Who trained you?â
You wiped your brow with a cloth, accepting a small plate from one of the maids. âThe captain of the royal guard in Ancarra,â you replied, selecting a piece of apricot. âYesung. He was my master since I could walk straight. My father trusted him a lot.â
Seungcheol paused mid-chew.
âYou know him?â you asked, catching the subtle shift in his eyes.
âIâve heard of him,â he said eventually, voice neutral. âRespected name, even here in Seraphia.â
But there was something elseâsomething he didnât say. The tension around his jaw hinted at it. His gaze drifted off, distant, like he was weighing the risk of continuing.
You watched him carefully, but he said nothing more.
Instead, you exhaled and reached for your cup. âI regret not spending more time training,â you said softly. âWhen I got older, there were just⌠too many duties. My blade started collecting more dust than not.â
Seungcheol looked at you then. âYouâve still got the edge. Itâs not gone. Just dulled from disuse. You get it back by doing what you did today.â
Jeonghan leaned his head back on the grass and let out a satisfied sigh. âAnd by winning dramatically in front of handsome soldiers,â he added unhelpfully. âThat helps.â
You snorted into your drink. Seungcheol rolled his eyes.
The walk back to your bedchambers was quiet, the sun already dipping behind the spires of the palace, painting the corridors in molten gold and deepening shadows. The soreness in your shoulders had begun to settle into something warm and satisfying, and your thoughts floated somewhere between the scent of red roses and the weight of Seungcheolâs blade against yours.
Jeonghan walked beside you with an easy, unhurried gait, arms folded behind his back. For a while, he said nothing.
Then, casually, âYou two got along fast.â
âHm? Who?â
He glanced at you. âYou and Seungcheol.â
You laughed. âYou set that match up, remember?â
âI did,â he said simply. âStill. You didnât hold back.â
âNeither did he.â
You stopped at the entrance to your chambers and turned to him with a no-good smile. âWaitâare you jealous?â
The prince scoffed. âI didnât say that.â
âYou didnât have to.â You stepped forward, narrowing the gap between you, your voice dropping into something deliberately teasing. âPrince Jeonghan of Seraphia, green with envy because someone dared to match me blow for blow.â
âIâm not envious of Seungcheol.â
âOh? Then why the face?â
âI do not envy his swordsmanship,â he clarified slowly. âBut I donât particularly enjoy watching someone else touch whatâs mine.â
You opened your mouth to remind him that one: you do not belong to anyone; and two: sparring with Seungcheol was his idea, but Jeonghan moved before you could get the words out.
The prince pushed you gently but firmly against the nearest wall, the cool stone kissing your spine through the thin fabric of your tunic. Your eyes widened instinctively, darting down the hallway for any unfortunate witness. But no one was there.Â
âJeonghanââ
His face was too close. You could see the mischievous glint in his eyes now edged with something darker, something you werenât used to from him. His palm rested just beside your head, the other curling lightly around your hip.
âI may not be a fighter,â he whispered, âbut you know very well how good I am as a lover.â
Your breath caught in your throat.
And just like that, Jeonghan stepped back, smirking faintly as if nothing had happened at all. âIâll let you have your bath,â he said lightly, already walking away with a brief wave. âEnjoy the rest of your day, Princess.â
Your heart hammered in your chest as he disappeared around the corner, carrying the heat of the moment with him.
To Her Highness, the Princess of Ancarra,
I hope this letter finds you in a place of quiet strength. It has been a few weeks since we last spoke, but your presence has lingered with me. I write to you not only to offer my continued condolences, but also to speak plainly of something I withheld during our first meeting.
You see, I sought you out not only because of political curiosityâbut because I had heard whispers of your beast magic. There are few in this realm who bear such a gift. Beast magic, as I know it, is more than just communication or communion with the animals you encounter. And in the right hands, it can move worlds.
Forgive my boldness in bringing this to you now. I know you may still be in mourning. I know healing rarely follows a straight path. But if your heart is readyâif your spirit stirs with the thought of reclaiming that part of yourselfâI wish to offer something more than words.
There is a mage here in Aragorn. Older than most, and not fond of titles, but a veteran in every sense. She has mentored magi of all kinds, but has always been drawn to those with wild souls, whose power doesnât stem from structure, but from instinct. I believe she would take you as a student, if you so wish. You will have space, safety, and the freedom to shape your magic on your own terms.Â
Should you agree, sign the edge of this letter in ink. I have enchanted the parchment to alert me of that choice, and I will come to you shortly, wherever you may be. But please only do that when youâre certain that you wish to leave the capital. My method of travel takes quite a toll on me, and I must prepare accordingly. I ask for no immediate answer. Only that you consider what your power might become, and what peace you might find in knowing it better.Â
May your shadow return when your heart is ready to follow it.
With respect and warmth,
Kim Taeyeon Royal Mage of Aragorn
You had already read the letter by the time the light slanted low across the windows, gilding the old stone floors in gold and ash. It lay open on your lap, creased in the middle where your fingers had pressed too tightlyâhalf from surprise, half from the rush of hope you hadnât meant to feel.
When it first arrived, you thought of Soonyoung. Your heart had leapt, sharp and high into your throat. But no, Soonyoung wouldnât send letters. He wouldnât risk a paper trail, not when enemies watched every corridor and whisper.Â
Still, the disappointment lingered. And yet... Taeyeonâs letter had been a surprise.Â
Sheâd written with care, but she hadnât danced around her purpose. You read the letter twice. Then a third time. The ink smudged faintly where your thumb had lingered too long.
Now, hours later, you sat in the small borrowed study near Jeonghanâs wing, the one with the wisteria vine crawling halfway across the outer windowsill. The Seraphian castle was beautiful, but it wasn't home. You missed the way the light fell in Ancarraâs hallways. You missed Soonyoungâs presence like a missing sleeve in winterâa functional, familiar part of you.
Youâve been training your swordsmanship again even when Seungcheol had already departed for his next mission. But gods knew that adjusting had been slow for you. On top of the fact that you were practically inconsolable for the first few weeks, the guards didnât know how to speak to you, the maids were too kind, and the Renxing forces remained ghastly quiet. Taeyeonâs letter didnât fix any of those things. But it gave you something you hadnât had in a long time: direction.
A quiet knock stirred the air. You tucked the letter under a book, as if it were a secret.
The door creaked open to reveal Jeonghan, relaxed as ever in a loose cream shirt and embroidered vest. Behind him trailed Joshua, who offered you a polite smile, hands folded behind his back.
âFancy going out for a drink?â Jeonghan asked, like he was inviting you to a garden stroll and not suggesting a public outing for a supposedly hidden political exile.
You stared at him. âA drink?â
âMhm. In the city.â
âYou mean the city city? Where people... live?â
Jeonghan tilted his head. âWell, yes. Unless youâve found a secret tavern in the catacombs.â
You glanced from him to Joshua, as if the latter might somehow provide clarityâbut Joshua only gave you a sheepish little shrug, like heâd already tried and failed to talk Jeonghan out of this idea.
âJeonghan,â you said slowly, âyour father threatened the entire royal council to keep my presence here quiet. And now you want to parade me around in broad daylight?â
He snorted. âFirst of all, itâs past dusk. Second, Iâm not parading anyone. Third,â he clapped a hand on Joshuaâs shoulder, âthis one sneaks around all the time and hasnât been caught once. If anyone can get you in and out without raising suspicion, itâs him.â
Joshua rolled his eyes but didnât argue. âWeâre going to The Bitter Swan. Myâuh, my lover works there. Sheâs a bartender. Best in the kingdom.â
That actually made you pause.
Joshua had been engaged some time agoâbefore Ancarra fell, before the world started collapsing beneath your feet. You didnât know the full story, only that it hadnât ended well. But now, he looked... different. Not visibly changed, but lighter in a way you hadnât seen before.
âYouâre seeing someone?â you asked, more surprised than you meant to sound.
He scratched the back of his neck. âYes. For a while now.â
You nodded, something soft brushing against your chest. It was relief, you realized. You were glad for him.
You glanced at the hidden letter, then back at the two boys. âFine,â you said, rising reluctantly from your seat. âBut if I get recognized and we end up sparking an international incident, Iâm blaming both of you.â
Jeonghan grinned, wholly unrepentant. âNoted.â
The Bitter Swan was tucked between two shuttered bakeries and lit by a pair of storm glass lanterns swinging above the doorway. The place was alive with soundâlaughter, the shuffle of boots on worn floorboards, the clink of glassâand warm in a way that most Seraphian halls, no matter how finely gilded, never quite managed.
You kept your hood up until you were past the threshold, nerves twisting sharp beneath your ribs. But no one gave you a second look. No one whispered. No guards came bursting through the door with drawn blades.
Joshua led the way, weaving easily through the crowd with Jeonghan at his heels. You followed, careful not to draw attention. Then you saw herâbehind the bar, sleeves rolled to her elbows, hair tied back with a leather cord. Her smile cracked open the moment she spotted Joshua.
âWell?â she called. âDid you bring me anything worth my time or just more of your sweet talk?â
Joshua grinned and flicked his fingers, conjuring a small daisy out of thin air. It hovered for a moment, pale and delicate, before he caught it and stepped behind the bar to tuck it behind her ear.
His lover groaned. âEvery time. Itâs always a daisy.â
âAnd you always keep it,â he said, smug.
You tried not to stare. Not at her, or at the way Joshuaâs magic came so easily now. You hadnât realized how long it had been since you saw him do that. Since he let himself do that.
Then he turned to you. âThis is Yoona,â he said, gesturing proudly. âYoona, this isââ
âYes, yes, I know.â She rolled her eyes and wiped her hands on a cloth. âYou already told me. Donât say it out loud or youâll blow her cover.â
That startled a laugh out of you. âYou told her?â
âI trust her,â Joshua reassured. âBesides, she would have figured it out before I even said anything. Might as well cut to the chase.â
Yoona winked. âYour cloak screams âIâm totally not a royal in disguise.â Kind of reminds me of someone who used to do the same thing around these parts.â
You blinked. Then laughed again when Joshuaâs ears flushed red.Â
Jeonghan slid onto the barstool beside you like he belonged there. âCould I get an Oak Walker for myself and the lady? Shua said heâll be our designated chaperone for the evening.â
You blinked. âYou just decided Iâd like it?â
Jeonghan shrugged, a faint glint of mischief in his eyes. âEveryone likes an Oak Walker.â
The night unfolded slower than you'd expected.
At first, you stayed stiff, elbows tucked, back straight, eyes flicking toward the door every time it creaked. You scanned faces, counted exits. Even as Yoona poured drinks with practiced ease and Joshua lingered at her side like a puppy off-leash, you couldnât quite unclench your shoulders. You kept your hood up for the first half hour.
But then Yoona started talking.
She shared funny little anecdotes from her years working the bar. About a traveling bard who sang so terribly he cleared the room, or the night a drunk warlock accidentally enchanted every pint glass to sprout legs and sprint off the counter. Her storytelling was effortless, the kind that made even strangers lean in. Somewhere between the second and third tale, you realized you'd relaxed. Your hand had drifted away from your hip. You werenât glancing at the door anymore.
The Oak Walker helped, too.
It was deceptively smoothâsweet with oak and vanilla, warm with something spicedâbut it hit harder than it had any right to. You told yourself you were sipping, pacing yourself, being careful. Then your empty glass would surprise you again and again.
Yoona snorted every time you ordered another. âYouâre going to end up horizontal if you keep that up,â she warned, sliding yet another refill your way.
You stuck your tongue out at her.
At some pointâwhen exactly, you werenât sureâJeonghan had moved closer. He was sitting right beside you now, his thigh brushing yours every so often as you shifted. His posture was lazy, but there was a sharpness to his eyes that suggested heâd been tracking your slow descent into tipsiness for some time.
âYouâre swaying,â he murmured near your ear.
âIâm not,â you argued before promptly hiccuping.
âGods, youâre such a lightweight.â
You glared at him. Or tried to. âShut up or Iâll stab you with a sword next time I get my hands on one.â
Jeonghan barked a laugh. âDrunken threats. Very classy.â
But his arm, which had come to rest around the back of your chair somewhere between the second and third drink, stayed where it was. Steady, warm, and protective. You didnât even notice when you let yourself lean into the space he made for you. Just a little.
The three of you left Bitter Swan not long after your fifthâsixth?âOak Walker.
To be fair, it wasnât your idea. You were perfectly content demanding another glass while challenging a very large, very confused sailor to an arm-wrestling match you absolutely would have lost. But Joshua caught Jeonghanâs eye across the bar, and that was all it took.
âTime to go,â Jeonghan said, patting your shoulder lightly. You squawked in protest but didnât resist too hard when they flanked youâJoshua at your right, Jeonghan at your leftâas if you were some rare treasure they had to smuggle back to the castle.
The streets outside were quieter than you expected. Somewhere in the distance, bells were ringing curfew, and the fog had begun to settle low over the cobblestones.
You, however, were a menace.
âIâm not drunk,â you declared at one point, even as your boot missed the edge of a step and Joshua had to steady you with a hand to your elbow.
âOf course not,â Jeonghan said. âYouâve just decided stairs are beneath you.â
âThey are. Stairs are a scam. A royal scam. Heh, royal. Thatâs funny.â You paused, frowning. âWait, no. That was supposed to be a joke. Go back.â
âIâm afraid we canât rewind time, Princess,â Joshua said patiently.
By the time they got you to the carriage, you had insisted on giving a passionate speech to a very disinterested cat, tried to compliment a streetlamp, and proclaimed your full, undying allegiance to the Bitter Swan and all its patrons.
Inside the carriage, nestled between velvet seats, the city slowly falling away behind you, you finally slumped back with a long sigh.
âThis was nice. I never got to go out like this back home,â you mumbled, head tipping toward Jeonghanâs shoulder. âI also like when youâre like this. All... not princely.â
He made a quiet sound in his throat, something between a scoff and a laugh. âIâm not sure if I should be flattered or offended.â
âNo, you donât get it,â you said, voice softer nowâslurred at the edges, but anchored by something true. âYou walk around like nothing touches you. You flirt like itâs a game, like none of it matters. But itâs like⌠no one actually knows you. Not even me, and Iâve been engaged to you for ten years.â
A breathy laugh slipped from your lips before fading into a quiet, almost wistful smile.
âBut when itâs just you like this... it makes me feel like I can breathe.â
Jeonghan stilled beside you.
Joshuaâs brow furrowed across the seat. He looked at his brother, then back at you. You didnât seem to notice. Your head lolled back against the cushion, eyes fluttering shut.
âEven if youâre a smug bastard,â you added faintly. âDonât get ideas.â
The silence stretched, thick with something unspoken. Joshua turned, meeting Jeonghanâs stunned gaze with one of his own. Neither of them said anything.
But the look they shared said enough.
Back at the castle, the journey to your room was a blur of hushed giggles, missteps, and Jeonghan hissing at you to keep your hood up while Joshua kept watch for wandering guards.
By the time the three of you reached your door, you were hanging heavily off Jeonghanâs arm, still swaying from the Oak Walkers. Joshua muttered something about returning to the pub to keep Yoona company until closing before slipping away into the shadows like heâd done it a thousand times before.
Inside your chambers, Jeonghan helped you sit at the edge of your bed. âYouâre going to regret all six of those drinks in the morning,â he said mildly, crouching to unlace your boots.
âMm, but they tasted like joy,â you mumbled, tugging at the laces of your bodice.
Jeonghan helped with the ties carefully, without looking where he didnât need to. He passed you your nightgown and turned his back while you changed, though that didnât stop you.
âYouâre very noble all of a sudden,â you said, grinning lazily. âTrying not to peek?â
âIâm showing you the courtesy of basic decency.â
âYou didnât care about basic decency when weââ you hiccuped, then giggled, ââwhen we kissed behind that statue of a winged lion. You still remember, donât you?â
He paused, his back still turned, jaw tightening faintly.
Once you were dressed, Jeonghan turned to tuck the covers around you. âGet some sleep,â he said quietly, smoothing the blanket near your shoulder.
But before he could pull away, your arms slipped around his waist from behind.
âAre you really going to go,â you murmured against his back, âjust like that?â
He sighed, long and steady. âYouâre drunk, Your Grace. It wouldnât be proper.â
You tilted your head, voice featherlight and slurred with sleep and something else. âIt wasnât proper either,â you said, âwhen you touched me like that in the solarium. Whatâs your point?â
He stilled.
Then slowlyâalmost reluctantlyâhe turned to face you. His hands found your shoulders, firm but not rough. His expression had lost all pretense of ease. For once, Jeonghan didnât smile.
âYou donât know what youâre saying,â he said firmly.
But he didnât move away.
You could feel his heartbeat beneath your fingers when you reached out to touch his chest. His pulse rabitted beneath his sternum, like this moment held more weight than the two of you were willing to admit. Jeonghan didnât move. He could only grip your shoulders like you might shatter if he didnât. Or maybe the one heâs keeping from unraveling is himself.Â
You watched him through half-lidded eyes, your breath warm against the hollow of his throat. âYou havenât kissed me in so long,â you said softly. âWhy is that, Jeonghan?â
His jaw tensed. âYouâre mourning. It isn't the right time.â
You tilted your head, defiant despite the haze in your mind. âWhen is it ever the right time with you?â
âPrincessââ
âYou always hold back,â you murmured, stepping closer, your voice a thread pulled tight. His grip on your arms tightened just enough to betray the shift in him. âYou flirt. You tease. But you never let yourself go too far. As though anything beyond stolen trysts is suddenly too dangerous for you. Tell meââ your eyes searched his, âis that why you havenât married me yet? After all this time?â
Jeonghan was right. You didnât know what you were saying at all.Â
If you were sober, these words wouldâve stayed buried behind the iron seal of your mouth. You hated the thought of being bound to Jeonghan. It was why youâd begged Soonyoung to delay the wedding for as long as he could.
So why were you spouting all this nonsense now?
âThatâs not true,â Jeonghan said hoarsely.
You leaned in, lips brushing the corner of his mouthânot quite a kiss, but enough to burn like one. And with a quiet, tantalizing whisper, âThen prove it.â
That did it.
His restraint, so carefully held, snapped in an instant. His hands slid to the sides of your face, cradling it like something precious right before his mouth crashed against yours. There was nothing tentative in itâno diplomacy, no distance. Just months of longing, of near misses, of moments swallowed by duty and danger, unraveling all at once.
When you gasped against his lips, his hand curled around the back of your neck, and you thought, dizzy and triumphant:Â
Finally.
You reached for the buttons of his shirt, fumbling. The fabric shifted under your clumsy fingers, but coordination was beyond you nowâyour limbs soft, your blood warm and slow with drink and heat. Jeonghan caught your hands gently.Â
âBe patient,â he murmured, brushing a kiss to your knuckles.Then he moved slowly, guiding you back against the pillows. You shivered as his hands slid down your sides, a reverent touch that made your breath hitch.
You could only arch into him as he settled between your thighs, drunk not just on the Oak Walkers but on the ache of him, on months of silence breaking like a tide. And when his mouth found your skin, your name a prayer between his teeth, you thought:
Let them find out. Let the whole castle burn. Just not this. Donât take this away from me.
His lips traced fire along the inside of your thigh, and you bit down on a moanâmore out of disbelief than modesty. Jeonghan, with all his control and quiet arrogance, was unraveling before you, piece by piece.
âSay something,â he murmured. âTell me this isnât just the alcohol acting out for you.â
You blinked down at him, flushed and breathless. âItâs not. And you know it.â
âIf I keep going, I wonât be able to pretend nothingâs changed tomorrow.â
Jeonghan met your eyes, and without thinking, you reached for himâhands threading through his deep red hair.Â
âThen donât pretend.â
Once the words left your lips, he surged upward to kiss you again. It was deep and consuming, like a dam finally giving way. You clung to him, pulling him closer, and the weight of him, the feel of his breath tangled with yours, made your head spin more than the whiskey ever could.
You felt the tremor in him, not from fear, but from feeling. From how deeply this meant something.
âI shouldâve said something,â he murmured into the curve of your neck, voice wrecked. âBack in Ancarra. Before everything fell apart.â
âYou still can,â you whispered, tilting his face to yours. âWeâre not gone yet. Iâm still here.â
Maybe that was the most dangerous truth of allâthat despite the kingdoms collapsing, despite Renxingâs siege and the shadows gathering at every border, this moment felt more real than any prophecy, any throne. Just skin and breath and the way Jeonghan looked at you like you were the only thing tethering him to this world.
He pressed his forehead to yours. âYou donât know what you do to me.â
You smiled faintly, heart thudding. âI think Iâm starting to.â
Then he kissed you againâfierce and open and hungry for all the time youâd lost. And this time, you didnât hold back either.
Not when his hands tangled with yours above your head, not when his mouth trailed lower, slower, lingering in places that made you gasp his name like a prayer.Â
When his mouth finally touched where you wanted him most, it was with unbearable tenderness. A gasp escaped you, sharp and involuntary, your hips twitching toward him. He moaned softly at the sound, as if the taste of your pleasure was more intoxicating than wine.
Jeonghan didnât rush. He mapped out your cunt with his mouth, tongue tracing patterns that made your legs shake. His lips sealed around the most sensitive parts of you like he wanted to unravel every breath, every thought, until only he remained.
And you let him.
Your back arched as a wave crested inside you, and still he didnât stopâdrawing moans from you like music. His hands anchored your hips, firm but never demanding.Â
It wasnât control. It was devotion.
When release finally came, it tore through you like a storm, and Jeonghan held you through it, never looking awayâhis gaze dark, intense, and awestruck. You reached down breathlessly, pulling him up to you. His lips were wet, his cheeks flushed. You kissed him without hesitation, tasting yourself on his tongue.
Jeonghanâs breath was still heavy as he hovered above you, eyes searching your face like he was memorizing every inch. His hand cradled your cheek, thumb brushing over your lip.Â
âTell me what you want,â he murmured.Â
You tilted your hips toward him, guiding him between your thighs. His breath caught as he realized, as your legs pressed around him, skin on skin, warm and slick and aching.
âThis,â you whispered, voice trembling. âI want you like this.â
For a moment, something flared behind his eyes. Hunger, need, maybe even love. But then he huffed a soft laugh and shook his head.Â
âNot when youâre drunk, Your Grace.â
You blinked up at him, still breathless, heat pulsing in every part of you as disappointment started to simmer just beneath the lust. âButââ
âI can give you something else,â he said, and leaned down to kiss your cheekâgentle yet maddening. âSomething that can make you feel good regardless.â
Confusion started to seep into your face, but Jeonghan answered by grabbing both of your thighs as he let both of your legs dangle across one shoulder. The angle was odd, but something told you he wanted your thighs pressed closely together.Â
You were about to let out a quiet protest until he undid his trousers, hauling his cock from the confines of his clothes with a sigh.Â
His eyes fluttered shut for a moment, like the weight of your mutual desire was too much. Then, tentatively, he slid his length between your thighs, fitting perfectly into the space where your heat welcomed him, even without the final joining.
The friction was maddening.
He rocked forward, slow and careful at first, your slickness easing every motion. The head of his cock dragged against the seam of your sex with every thrust, the pressure hitting just right, over and over. You squeezed your thighs tighter, gasping his name as he groanedâlow and hoarse, like the effort of holding back was burning him from the inside.
âGods, you feelââ He cut himself off with a sharp exhale, hips stuttering against you. âIâm not going to last if you keep looking at me like that.â
âThen donât,â you breathed. âDonât hold anything back.â
And he didnât.
His rhythm grew faster, desperate. The sounds he made were nothing like the prince the world saw. This was Jeonghan stripped bare, undone by the feel of you, by the friction, by the intimacy of it all. Your hands gripped his back, your bodies flush, breath tangled between moans and whispers of each otherâs names.
His thick head caught on your clit with each pass. Part of you just knew Jeonghan deliberately did that to spur your pleasure just as much as his own. And as he continued to piston his hips, you found yourself growing dangerously close to the edge once again.
âJ-Jeonghan,â you whimpered, tears streaking your vision. âI⌠Iââ
The words were lost as your orgasm crested like a tidal wave, washing over your entire body until the water pulled you under. You shook beneath him as ecstasy rushed through your veins, but Jeonghan remained steadfast in fucking himself between your thighs, letting you ride it out.
When he came, it was with a trembling cry whispered into the air, spilling between your thighs as his body shuddered against yours. You held him through it, stroking his arm, grounding him all while he collapsed into you.
You stared at the ceiling, the soft hush of dawn just beginning to graze the edges of the sky. There was no clock here, no crown, no war bleeding at the borders of your memory. Only the warmth of his body, the scent of him lingering on your skin, and the echo of your name on his breath.
And for a moment, you wanted to stay like this.
You wanted to forget Ancarra. Forget Minghaoâs blade slicing through everything youâd ever built. Forget the looming war and the kingdom you were supposed to save. You wanted to let the world burn and bury yourself in this fleeting mercy.
You shifted slightly, curling closer to Jeonghan.
Maybe just a little longer.
The capital of Ancarra was a corpse wearing its own crown.
Soonyoung kept his head low beneath the hood of a merchantâs cloak, blending into the flow of hushed voices and weary footsteps. Smoke still clung to the skyline, the charred bones of once-proud towers jutting upward like broken fingers. The flags bearing the royal crest were torn down, replaced with strange foreign emblemsâRenxingâs deep red and black, fluttering like bloodstained silk in the wind.
Where once there had been music, laughter, street hawkers and flower-sellers, now there was silence. Watchful, suffocating silence. Soldiers patrolled every alley, every market. People avoided eye contact. The bakeries had stopped baking. The temples stood shuttered.
The king was dead.Â
The princess had vanished.Â
And Minghao had claimed a throne he never earned.
Soonyoung moved quickly through the ghost of the city he once knew, slipping through side streets and old guard passages, the kind of hidden routes only a fixture of the palace could recall. Heâd asked his knightly chaperonesâthe ones Prince Jeonghan loanedâto stay back for this one. Theyâd refused at first, but Soonyoung always had a gift for convincing others to his whims.
He reached the outer walls of the castle, scaled the crumbling servant stairwell, and ducked behind fallen scaffolding before finding a familiar breach behind the armoryâone that led straight into the lower corridors.
Inside, the air was damp with mildew and blood. Tapestries had been ripped down, and the scent of iron lingered in the halls. He heard boots echo overhead and paused, listening. Then, with careful precision, he descended into the dungeons.
Thatâs when the strangeness began.
Locked behind rusted bars werenât just criminals or dissentersâbut beasts. Hunched and hostile things with glowing eyes and matted fur. Creatures with scales, tusks, or too many limbs, some caged and chained, others muzzled or sedated. All trembling in the cold. All watching. It made no sense.
And then came a low growl.
Soonyoung turned just in time to dodge a lunging wolfâwild-eyed, massive, its teeth bared. It wouldâve ripped his throat out if not for the blast of cold that knocked the beast backward. Ice exploded against the wall, sending a dusting of frost across the floor.
âEasy,â came a low voice from behind another cell. âYouâll spook the rest of them.â
Soonyoung turned, breath caught. âSiwon?â
The older man looked tired but alive, dark hair damp with sweat, his hands bound but his magic clearly not entirely suppressed. âNice disguise,â he muttered. âYou always did look better in rags.â
âYouâre alive.â Soonyoung rushed forward, already brimming with questions. âWhat happened? Why are there beasts in the dungeon? What the hell is Minghao planning?â
But Siwon raised a hand, glancing toward the stairwell. âQuiet. Theyâre keeping me alive for nowâto broadcast Minghaoâs âgenerous new ruleâ when the time comes. And for when the princess resurfaces. Iâm leverage.â
âLeverage and locked up with beasts?â Soonyoung hissed.
Siwon nodded grimly. âTheyâve been experimenting. Testing something. I donât know what it is yet, butââ His eyes flicked to a cage where another animal that looked too much like Reya lay unnaturally still. âI think it has to do with cursed magic.â
Soonyoung paled. âCursed magic? But thatâsââ
He didnât finish. Footsteps echoed down the corridor accompanied by shouting. Torchlight flickered around the corner as Soonyoung felt his stomach drop.
âGo,â Siwon said, voice urgent. âYou canât be caught.â
Soonyoung hesitated, hand curling into a fist. âIâll come back. Iâll get you out.â
Siwon gave him a thin smile. âJust bring her back in one piece. Thatâll be enough. Oh, and Soonyoung?â
âWhat?â
â...Tell the princess it was Yesung who did it,â he said with bated breath, âThe one who betrayed us. The one who sold the kingdom off to Renxing.âÂ
The information struck Soonyoung like lightning in the middle of summer. Yesung? The captain of the royal guard? But as much as he wanted to probe Siwon for more details, time was running out.
With one last glance at the wolf pacing behind the bars, Soonyoung turned and vanished into the shadows.
Morning hadnât come yet. The world outside was still cloaked in that hushed, pre-dawn blue, the kind that made you wonder if time had stopped altogether. Your head pounded and your body ached in places you didnât expect, even though Jeonghan was careful. Even though you didnât go all the way.
He was still asleep beside you, one arm draped lazily across the bed, red hair spilling over his cheek like spilled ink. His face looked softer in sleep. Open, vulnerable. You found yourself staring too long.
You didnât hate yourself. Not like you thought you would. Instead, you felt something worse. The slow, terrifying crawl of something tender. Something like the beginning of love.
Because for a moment, you forgot everything that mattered. Jeonghan let you forget what it meant to survive, and helped you remember what it felt like to simply exist.
But now, in the quiet, it hit you like cold water: staying here made you complacent. Safe. Soft. You were a princess without a kingdom. A daughter without a family. And every second you spent here pretending otherwise was another second lost.
Your gaze drifted to the window. The letter still sat on the table beside it, right where you left it. You rose without a sound, careful not to disturb him, and took up the quill and ink.
Taeyeon warned you that her method of travel required preparation, that you should only sign when you were sure. You expected it would take a day or twoâmaybe more. So you thought youâd have time. Time to think, time to say goodbye. Time to figure out how to look Jeonghan in the eye and explain why you couldnât stay. You thought you could sign it now and still have a moment to breathe.
But the moment your name met the parchment, the magic activated with a pulse of light.
The letter glowed gold, the ink lifting from the page like threads spun from starlight. Then it curled in on itself, folding and folding until it collapsed inward and blossomed into a glowing portalâright there, in your room. You stumbled back in disbelief, heart hammering, the rush of air from the magic tousling your hair.
And then, from the other side of the portal, Taeyeon stepped through.
There was no fanfare, no sound but the hum of power quieting in the air around her. The royal mage surveyed the room calmlyâeyes briefly catching on the prince still fast asleep in your bed, shirtless and obliviousâbefore settling on you with a look somewhere between curiosity and disapproval.
âYou were going to leave without saying anything?â
You hesitated. You planned to write him a letter. Maybe to wake him with a kiss, or not at all. You hadnât decided. But none of that mattered now, not with Taeyeon already standing there, the magic still warm and thrumming behind her like a living thing.
You glanced at Jeonghan, at the peace on his face you almost convinced yourself you deserved to see one last time.Â
Then you nodded.
âItâll be easier that way,â you murmured. âItâs not like I have anything to bring with me anyway.â
Taeyeon didnât argue. She only lifted her hand toward you.
You took it.
And with one final glance at the life you nearly let yourself want, you stepped into the portal. The air folded around you like silk and silence.
The letter vanished. The portal closed. The room was empty.
And all you left behind was the shape of your absence.
You stepped out onto the balcony and caught your first real glimpse of Aragorn.
The southern city stretched far beyond what you expectedâsunlit and sprawling, built into cliffs and winding hills, with a hundred mismatched rooftops like shattered pieces of stained glass. It didnât have the symmetry of the capital, or the soft elegance of Seraphia. It was a riot of color and sound even from a distance. Banners flapped. Smoke curled from chimneys. Somewhere below, someone shouted, and laughter followed like a wave.
It was chaos. But it felt alive.
Youâd bathed and changed in Taeyeonâs estate, which wasnât so much a home as a half-forgotten villa carved into the side of a ridge, overtaken by vines and mountain wind. It had a well-worn warmth, like someone had lived here a long time and only kept what they needed.
Taeyeon joined you on the balcony, pulling her hair into a loose twist. Out of her usual robe dotted with magic sigils, she didnât look like a royal mage. She looked like someoneâs older sister. Someone who could disappear into a crowd.
âSouthern cities like Aragorn are free,â she said, following your gaze. âToo far from the capital for the crown to keep a firm grip. Thatâs why I brought you here.â
You blinked. âAnd the king?â
âDoesnât know.â She smiled faintly. âNor does the queen.â
Your chest tightened. The guilt sat bitter on your tongue, but before you could speak, she added, âThereâs another reason.â
You glanced at her, and she said, quietly, âRefugees from Ancarra have been trickling into the southern cities. Mostly women and children. Soldiers who deserted. Farmers who fled. Those far enough from your capital to not be held hostage by that tyrant general.â
The words knocked the wind out of you.
âWhatâwhy didnât you tell me?â
âIâm telling you now,â she said calmly. âBut youâre not ready to see them. Not yet.â
You tried to object, to insistâbut your voice caught, and she looked at you like she could see every fracture in your heart.
âI know itâs been a while, and youâve been waiting on news from Ancarra as much as the rest of us. But even I can tell youâre still bleeding, Princess,â she said. âThereâs a time for reunions. And a time to gather yourself. Letâs start with food.â
Taeyeon led you down into the city, into the belly of Aragorn, where stone staircases spiraled through sloped streets, and balconies overflowed with drying laundry and flowerpots. She took you to a tavern built into the bones of what mightâve once been a watchtower.Â
It was cramped, loud, and the air was thick with spice and woodsmoke. You couldnât imagine someone like her here. But Taeyeon walked in like sheâd been coming for years.
âLady Taeyeon!â a woman called from behind the counter.
Another man shouted, âSheâs brought a friend! Should we be nervous?â
The royal mage raised a hand in greeting, utterly unfazed.
You watched in quiet disbelief as the room seemed to fold around her presence, not with reverence, but with the easy familiarity reserved for someone who belonged. No one bowed to her or whispered about her greatness. They greeted her like someone who knew the names of their children and the best time to buy peaches at the market.Â
It was strange to see someone like Taeyeon received not as a myth, but as a neighbor.
She didnât hesitate. She ordered for you both without ceremonyââYou need to try the stuffed flatbread,â she saidâand waved off your hand when you reached for coin. With practiced ease, she slipped through the crowd and guided you to a table tucked beneath a cracked window, where the breeze carried in the mingled scents of rosemary and dust.
As you settled into the corner seat, your plate still steaming between your hands, a flutter of movement caught your eye. A small brown birdâscruffy, no larger than your palmâlanded neatly on the cracked windowsill beside you. It tilted its head, eyes trained on the food, and let out a sharp chirp. You smiled, at first thinking nothing of it. But then the bird spoke.
That smells like heaven. Is that stuffed with cheese? Iâd kill for cheese.
The voice was bright and insistent in your mind, clear as thought but not your own. For a moment, you frozeâyour fingers tightening around your fork. It had been so long since you let yourself listen. Youâd shut that part of yourself away the moment you left Reya behind, too afraid that hearing the voices of animals would remind you of everything you abandoned.
But here, now, something in you had gone quiet enough to let it in again. No pressure. No grief. Just the sound of the wind, the hum of the tavern, and a hungry bird with far too much personality.
Without thinking, you broke off a corner of your flatbread and offered it up. The bird hopped forward with greedy joy, clutching the crust in its beak before flying off again, wings catching the light like a wink. When you turned back to the table, Taeyeon was watching you with an amused look.
âYou havenât been listening lately,â she said.
It wasnât a question.
You looked down at your plate. âNo.â
âWhy?â
You didnât answer right away. âBecause if I heard them, Iâd remember Reya. And if I remembered him, Iâd start mourning. And mourning takes time I didnât want to lose.â
Taeyeon nodded, slow and knowing. She leaned back in her chair, arms folded loosely across her chest. âInstinct magic like yours is a funny thing. It doesnât demand permissionâit just lies in wait until youâre ready to use it again.â
You paused, fork halfway to your mouth, the word catching like a splinter in your thoughts.
âInstinct magic?â you echoed. âIs that what I have?â
Taeyeon didnât answer immediately. She was watching the bird again, which had settled on a rooftop across the street, fluffing its feathers against the wind. When she finally spoke, her voice was quietânot lecturing, not grand, just a simple truth shared over brunch.
âMagic like mineâyou study it, shape it, discipline it until it bends to your will. Itâs rigid and mathematical. A spell goes here, a sigil there. If you mess up the sequence, things fall apart.â
She looked at you then.
âBut yours⌠yours doesnât wait for a spell. It listens. It lives in your body, in your breath. Itâs older than theory; wilder, and much closer to the roots of things.â
You frowned slightly. âBut I canât control it.â
âNo,â she agreed. âYou donât control it. You coexist with it. Thatâs why it scares people, or why they donât think itâs real magic. And probably why you stopped trusting it.â
You turned her words over, trying to fit them into the corners of yourself that had long gone quiet. Youâd never thought of your gift as anything so dignified, it was just something you had. Like a birthmark. Something no one else quite understood, even when they pretended to.
But instinct magicâthat felt like a name you hadnât known you needed.
After brunch, Taeyeon turned to you with that same unreadable calm. âDo you want to meet Hanya now? The veteran mage I mentioned in my correspondence?â
You didnât have anything better to do. And something in youâmaybe curiosity, maybe restlessnessâsaid the sooner, the better. You nodded.
Taeyeon gave a short hum. âThen we better bring her a gift first.â
She led you into a narrower, more tangled part of the city, where the buildings leaned in on each other like gossiping friends and flowering vines crept along every fence. A painted sign above a crooked door read Vines & Embers.
âThe shopâs run by a plant elemental named Hyejin,â Taeyeon explained as she pushed open the door, âand her husband Chanâheâs a fire elemental. Bit of an odd couple, but they make it work. Somehow.â
A little bell jingled overhead, and a young man with tousled hair and a permanently sunburned grin looked up from the doorway.
âLady Taeyeon?â he greeted, eyes lighting up. âWhat can we do for you today?â
Behind him, a woman waved lazily from the counter, where she was pruning something that looked like a rose crossed with a starfish.
âJust the usual for old Hanya,â Taeyeon called back.
Hyejin gave a knowing nod and disappeared into the back room.
Chan lingered near the door, folding his arms as he looked between the two of you. âAnd this must beâŚ?â
Taeyeon didnât miss a beat. âMy niece from the coast. Sheâs visiting for a while. Poor thing needed some fresh air after the capital.â
You blinked once, then remembered to smile. âNice to meet you.â
âAhhh, makes sense,â Chan said, beaming. âYouâve got her eyebrows. And the general look of someone who's been breathing too much palace air.â He winked.
You didnât know what that meant, exactly, but you let it slide.
As Hyejin worked in the back, Chan kept the conversation going, bouncing from gossip about the midday heatwave to which blossoms had opened early this year. Eventually, the topic veered toward the refugees.
âSome of the Ancarra folks came through here last week,â he said. âQuiet lot. Tired eyes. They don't ask for muchâjust space to rest. Hyejin's been growing nightshade and balm to help with the headaches. Too many of 'em wake up screaming.â
You kept your face as still as stone.Â
Taeyeon didn't look at you, but you felt her shift ever so slightlyâher sleeve brushing yours in what could have been an accident. Or not.
Just then, Hyejin emerged with a bundle wrapped in waxed paper and tied with gold thread. It smelled of lavender, iron, and something like starlight or ozone. A few pale blue feathers, still shimmering faintly, had been tucked beneath the twine.
âSheâll know what it means,â Hyejin said simply.
âOf course she will,â Taeyeon replied, reaching for the package. âThanks, Hyejin. And tell your husband to stop setting fire to the begonias.â
Chan coughed. âI swear they like it. Itâs character-building.â
You followed Taeyeon out of the shop with the bundle in hand, still wondering what kind of person received a gift like thisâand what exactly you were walking into next.
Taeyeon brought you to the edge of the mountains the same way she fetched you from the capitalâthrough a shimmering cut in space. You stepped through the tear in the air and landed on solid ground, but she stumbled slightly as the portal winked shut behind her.
âYou okay?â you asked, catching the way her hand gripped her hip a second too long.
She straightened, gave a breathless laugh. âIâm fine. Spatial magic has its price. It would be too powerful otherwise.â
You frowned. âWhat kind of price?â
Taeyeon shrugged. âCall it the law of equivalent exchange. Power doesn't come from nowhere. I burn a little bit of myself every time I open a gate like that.â She glanced back toward the now-empty air. âDoesnât mean itâs not worth it.â
You didnât press further. Because ahead of you, nestled into the foothills, was a crooked little house stitched from stone, ivy, and old wood, half-sunken into the slope like it had grown from the mountain itself. A windchime of bones clicked gently from the awning. Chickens wandered the yard, unpenned. A goat napped on the porch. A monkey dozed in the rafters.
You could hear them all. Thoughts like quiet murmurs in the back of your headâcurious, distracted, and alive. It had been so long since you let yourself listen to animals, yet here, among the clamor, you felt your magic stir like an old song.
Taeyeon stepped onto the porch and knocked once, sharply. No answer.
She knocked again.
A rustle, then a grumble. âGo away! Iâm not buying anything and Iâve got enough potions to last through winter.â
Taeyeon didnât flinch. âItâs me. I brought someone who wants to study under you.â
For a while, there was only silence. But then came the groan of old hinges. The door creaked open to reveal an elderly woman with tangled gray hair and a face carved deep with lines. She squinted at Taeyeon first.
âI told you, Iâm too old to be anyoneâs damn teacher.â
You stepped forward quickly, holding out the bouquet from Hyejinâs shop. âThese are for you, maâam,â you offered.
Hanya didnât even look at the flowers. Her gaze landed on youâand stopped. Her face went still. For a second, it was like she didnât see you at all, but something beyond you.Â
Then she slammed the door shut.
âTeacher,â Taeyeon said flatly, rubbing her temple, âthatâs not very polite.â
âGet that girl away from here.â
âShe came all the way from the capital.â
âI donât care if she came from the moon. Iâm not touching that cursed magic. You hear me?â A pause. Then quieter, like a huff of disappointment: âYou shouldâve known better.â
You stared at the door, still holding the flowers. âWhat does she mean?â you whispered. âCursed magic? I just talk to animals. Thatâs all I can do.â
Behind the wood, Hanya hissed, âThatâs not all you can do at all. And if you donât know it yet, you will. And when that happens, youâll wish youâd never come knocking.â
Taeyeon only sighed, her shoulders rising and falling with quiet resignation. âLeave the gift,â she murmured. âThereâs no getting through to her today.â
You hesitated, glancing again at the shut door. But you obeyed, setting the bundle of paper and twine neatly by the threshold. The goats watched you with interest. The monkey stretched out a lazy limb and scratched its side. You stepped back down onto the grass and asked, âWhat even is it? The gift, I mean.â
âSheâll feed her beasts with it,â Taeyeon said.
You blinked. âBeasts?â
Taeyeon nodded, gesturing toward the scattered creatures dotting the property. âHanya practices beast magic. Like you, she can understand and talk to animals.â Her eyes lifted toward the awning, where the monkey now dangled by its tail. âThese ones? Theyâre naturally drawn to her. But sometimes, more dangerous ones come too. Wild wolves. Mountain cats. Iâve even seen a wyvern once.â
You stared. âAnd she just⌠lets them near her?â
âThey come and go. She doesnât cage them. She tames them.â Taeyeon smiled faintly. âThey all love those flowers we brought. Itâs called cindersong. Has a scent only beasts can smell, something sweet and strange and grounding. Hyejin grows them by hand. That bundle will be gone by nightfall.â
You looked again at the door, now just a closed shadow in the stone. âIf our magic isnât so different⌠whyâd Hanya refuse to teach me?â
Taeyeon was quiet for a long time.
Then she glanced once more at the shut door and said, âLetâs head home. Weâll talk more there.â
Back at the estate, the portal spit you out into stillness. The sun was lower now, and so was Taeyeonâs energy. You noticed the tremble in her fingers as she straightened her robes, the slight wobble in her step.Â
But before you could offer help, a maid appearedâsomeone you hadnât seen this morning, with cropped hair and quiet hands. She moved without a word, as if sheâd known what was needed long before you arrived.
A steaming towel was pressed into Taeyeonâs palms. A small vial uncorked beneath her nose. A flask of something bitter and glowing, passed from hand to hand as she gulped it down. By the time you reached the study, Taeyeon looked a little less hollowed-out, though her eyes were still rimmed with strain.
You both sat. She didnât waste time.
âShe was from Ancarra too, you know,â the royal mage said quietly. âHanya.â
Your breath caught. âShe was?â
Taeyeon nodded. âShe never talks about it. I didnât even know for years. I only knew her as the former royal mage here, in Aragorn. She was the one who taught me everything I know.â She exhaled slowly. âBut beast magic... thatâs an old kind of magic, almost ancient. It was hers long before she came here to Seraphia.â
âShe said Iâll regret coming to her,â you murmured.
Taeyeonâs eyes softened. âShe doesnât mean that. But thereâs a theoryâjust a whisper, reallyâthat instinct magic, beast magic, whatever you want to call it, was born in Ancarra. That it came from there and nowhere else. But no one remembers how. Or why.â
You tilted your head. âNo one?â
âI tried looking,â she said. âI went to Ancarra once. Searched your libraries. Your temples. Nothing. No records. Not even mentions. Itâs like the world agreed to forget it.â
Your chest tightened. âSo now they call it... cursed?â
Taeyeonâs lips pressed into a line. âThatâs the word people use. Cursed. Dangerous. Unnatural.â She shook her head. âBut I donât know why. Teacher never explained.â
The silence came like a tide. You let it wash over you.
Then, softly: âBut she recognized you. Your blood. That voice inside you. It frightened her. Maybe you reminded her of who she used to be. Or what she ran from.â
You looked at your hands. They didnât feel cursed. But they didnât feel innocent either.
Before you could form a proper response, there was a knock at the study door. Taeyeon raised her head. âCome in,â she called, and the quiet maid from earlier slipped in with barely a sound. She didnât speak. Just walked up to you, placed an envelope in your handsânot Taeyeonâsâand bowed before disappearing again.
You stared at the envelope, then at Taeyeon, who was already laughing under her breath. âMinjeong,â she explained. âA woman of few words. But I promise she knows everything before the rest of us do.â
You barely registered the words. Your gaze had dropped to the wax seal now pressing cold against your thumb. The crest of Seraphian royalty gleamed there in deep red, too familiar to mistake.
Your heart sank. âOh.â
Taeyeonâs smile faded into a sigh. âThat boyâs fast. I thought we had at least a week.â
You blinked. âWhat?â
She didnât elaborate. So you cracked the seal and opened the letter.
Jeonghanâs handwriting was sharp as everâelegant and scathing in equal measure.
Dear Princess,
Congratulations on your daring escape. Truly, I admire the stealth. Slipping away in the morning without so much as a goodbye kiss? Bold of you. One might say... cowardly, but letâs be generous.
Iâm writing this from my private study, where Iâve spent the last several hours wondering if you were kidnapped, murdered, or simply decided I was a regrettable phase of your mid-royal crisis. I even considered the possibility that you ran off with Choi Seungcheol, but he just came back to the castle again, equally clueless of your whereabouts.Â
In case you're wondering how I tracked you down: say hello to Dandelion. Heâs the highly trained storm petrel currently biting your finger, unless someone else suffered that fate and handed this to you instead. He can locate anyone in the world by scent. (Yes, even yours, and yes, you smell like roses and rain, itâs weird.)
Now. If you do not respondâpromptlyâand assure me that you have not been carted off by Minghaoâs forces or worse, eloped with a royal mage named Kim Taeyeon, I will stop at nothing to find you.
I am, after all, a very concerned fiancĂŠ.
Yours unwillingly, Jeonghan
By the time you reached the bottom, Taeyeon was sipping her tea again, trying to hide a smirk behind the cup.Â
âStorm petrel?â she asked mildly.
You stared at the paper. âHe named it Dandelion.â
Taeyeon hummed. âAffection is such a strange language.â
Later that evening, you decided to dignify the whining prince with a correspondence of your own, lest he level his own kingdom the same way Minghao did to yours.Â
You lit the candle with a flick of your fingers and settled at the desk in the bedchamber Taeyeon lent you. The flame wavered with the breeze drifting in from the open window, casting long shadows over the parchment. Dandelion the storm petrel hadnât left yet. He perched like a judgmental gargoyle on the bedpost, fluffing his feathers with great, self-important fuss.
âIâm not writing a novel,â you muttered.
Iâve been waiting, he chirped back, more sullen than stern. The eldest prince said Iâd be plucked and roasted if I returned without your reply.
âDramatic as always,â you sighed, but the guilt twisted in your stomach anyway. You pulled the blank sheet toward you and smoothed it flat. The ink smelled sharp, like iron and smoke.
And then, under the dim, flickering light, you began.
Jeonghan,
Thank you for your concern. Truly, the mental image of you pacing around your study, catastrophizing my disappearance, is something Iâll cherish.Â
Iâm safe. Not kidnapped. Not murdered. Not swept away by a charming stranger (though Taeyeon did try to buy me stuffed flatbread, which Iâm beginning to suspect was a bribe). No need to summon the cavalry.
You may relax your Very Concerned FiancĂŠ act. I didnât vanish to hurt you. I left because I needed clarityâon my magic, on myself, on what all of this means now that Ancarra isnât mine to call home. I didnât say goodbye because I knew youâd try to stop me, and I didnât want to leave angry. I wanted to leave clean.
But you found me anyway. Of course you did.
Iâll write again soon. Donât storm the continent in the meantime.
Not yours, Go Die
P.S. You are the regrettable phase of my post-royal crisis. Get your timeline straight.
P.P.S. Dandelion lives in constant fear of becoming your next lunch. Heâs feathered, not marinated. Be nicer to animals, Your Highness.
You tucked the letter into the envelope with a final sigh, sealing it with the wax Taeyeon had left on the writing desk. Dandelion, still perched on the bedpost like a little sentinel, fluttered down as you approached.
âHere,â you said, offering him the letter. âTo Jeonghan. Straight to the capital.â
The storm petrel took it delicately in his beak, clamping down with practiced care. But when you eyed him skeptically, wondering how on earth a creature his size could cross a continent with a letter in his mouth, he made a raspy scoffing sound that sounded an awful lot like offense.
âRight. Sorry for doubting you,â you muttered, raising your hands.
He tilted his head. Youâre not so bad, he seemed to say. Tell that fiancĂŠ of yours to feed me something better than dried sardines next time.
With that, Dandelion turned, wings unfurling in one smooth movement. He took off toward the open window, a flash of white feathers disappearing into the night sky. You watched him vanish into the starlight, feeling oddly... lighter.
Still alone in the room, you crawled back into bed, the mattress soft but unfamiliar. You lay in the dark, arm tucked beneath your head, and tried to make sense of the day. The bizarre flower shop. Hanyaâs slammed door. Taeyeonâs reluctant honesty. You still had no leads on improving your magic, not when your supposed mentor treated you like a plague, so maybe youâd go back to the one thing you could rely onâyour body. Training. Swordwork. Something solid. Something that didnât vanish the second you thought you understood it.
Just as your thoughts began to settle into that decision, the sound of flapping wings returned. You sat up, expecting to see Dandelion again. Maybe he forgot something.
But it wasnât him.
An owl now perched on your windowâs edge, dark-feathered and still as a shadow. Its eyes gleamed gold in the candlelight. It didnât blink. It didnât move. And yet, it didnât feel ominous. Quite the opposite. You couldnât explain itâbut something about its presence was⌠calming.
You barely noticed the way your eyelids started to droop. A deep, sudden fatigue swept over you like mist.
When you finally fell asleep, it was under the owlâs silent, unblinking gaze.
It had been a few days since you arrived in Aragorn, and the stillness was starting to press in around the edges. Jeonghan hadnât written backânot a word, not even a featherâand though you tried not to let it bother you, his silence echoed louder than you expected.
Taeyeon was doing what she could. She promised sheâd talk to Hanya again, try a gentler approach in-between her duties as a royal mage. But even magic couldnât untangle years of someone elseâs pain overnight.
And you⌠youâd been trying too. You'd crept through the market in borrowed clothes and a pulled-down hood, heart racing, hoping to slip by unnoticed. The refugee quarter wasnât far. You made it to the edge more than onceâclose enough to hear voices in your own dialect, smell the cooking you remembered from your palace kitchensâbut each time, something in you buckled. You turned back. Not yet. Not today.
So instead, you trained.
Taeyeon had told you that Chan trained under a warrior named Jongkook, and now here you wereâbruised, panting, and flat on your back in the dirt.
"You're dead again," Chan said sheepishly, hovering over you with a hand outstretched. "Sorry about the fire."
You blinked up at him, still trying to catch your breath. The edge of your tunic was charred, the singed fabric curling at the hem like dead petals. Heâd almost set your entire sleeve ablaze during a block that got a little too passionate. Again.
"I noticed," you muttered, grasping his hand and letting him haul you to your feet.
Jongkook only watched from the edge of the clearing, arms crossed, unreadable behind his weather-worn face. âHow many times do I have to tell youâyouâre relying on your feet like theyâre swords.â
âForce of habit,â you said through clenched teeth.
âNo habit survives the battlefield if it gets you killed.â
You didnât argue. You couldnât. Not when you knew he was right. You'd been trained in precise swordplay, elegant footwork, and quick reflexesâall the hallmarks of a princess pretending to be a warrior. But Jongkook wouldnât let you touch a blade, not until you learned to fight with your body alone.
No weapon. No titles. No shortcuts.
Only fists, breath, and bruises.
Back in Ancarra, the very idea of you brawling wouldâve caused a scandal. Fencing was already a rebellion in silk; hand-to-hand combat wouldâve been cause for exile. And yet, here you were, sweating like a farmhand and aching in places you didnât know existed.
Jongkook finally grunted and motioned for the two of you to follow. âEnough for today. Come eat.â
You didnât expect lunch to be anything more than a few dried rations or stew on a stone fire, but Jongkook surprised you. His home was humble, tucked into a cluster of pine trees, but the smell of simmering broth and grilled meat hit you before the door even opened.
"You cook?" you asked, incredulous, as he set down bowls with a practiced hand.
âI fight. I eat. I survive.â His voice had no hint of egoâjust fact. âSame as youâll do.â
Chan handed you a bowl and gave you a crooked smile. âI canât feel my shoulders.â
You lifted your own bowl, still wincing as you sat. âI canât feel my dignity.â
Chan snorted. Jongkook said nothing, but you swore you saw the corner of his mouth twitch. You mightâve been losing the fights, but something told you that you were starting to win something else.
You returned to Taeyeonâs estate just before sundown, dust and sweat clinging to your limbs after another brutal round of training. The moment you stepped past the threshold, Minjeong was already thereâsilent as ever, like she moved on ghostsâ feet.
âMy Lady wonât be back until morning,â she said.
You blinked. âSorryâwhat?â
It was the first time youâd heard Minjeong speak. Her voice was soft but steady, like a stream running beneath snow. She tilted her head at your reaction, not bothering to answer.
âAny requests for dinner?â she asked next, as if nothing strange had just occurred.
You shook your head. âAnything will do.â
Minjeong nodded once and disappeared into the house, leaving you standing there with the peculiar weight of her words hanging in the air. Taeyeon wouldnât be home tonight. That⌠felt strange. Sheâd been a constant since your arrivalâa reliable north. The house felt too large without her.
You marched up to your bedchambers, peeling off your outer tunic, planning to draw a bath after grabbing a change of clothes. Taeyeon had filled the wardrobe with outfits tailored for your sizeâsoft cottons and loose robes you wouldnât have been allowed to wear in Ancarra. She really had thought of everything. You were in her debt more than you could say.
But before you could open the drawers, you noticed the flick of movement by the windowsill.
A storm petrel.
Not Dandelion. This one was sleeker, darker, its feathers almost blue in the candlelight. It perched stiffly, an envelope clenched between its beak.
âAre you alright?â you asked gently, stepping closer.
No answer, just a quiet ruffle of wings. You took the letter from its beak and the bird lingered like some feathered guardian by the window. Even if it didnât bother talking to you, you could tell that this one was waiting for you to write up a response as soon as you could, too.Â
You turned the letter over, and your heart stuttered when you saw the same dignified wax seal as before. You broke it with one finger.
Princess,
So you can write. I was starting to worry the storm petrel union had gone on strike. You know, I thought Iâd be angry when your letter finally arrived. But I read it three times instead. I think I hate how well you know me.
Dandelion is alive, thank you very much. Traumatized, perhaps, but alive. Heâs been flapping around like a nervous maid since his return. The cook offered to pluck him for stew and I havenât had the heart to correct her yet. I might. Depends on my mood.
As for youâdonât vanish again. Not without telling me first. Itâs very hard to be a dramatic, wounded fiancĂŠ without an audience. Also, if you think you can just slip away from me after that very passionate night we shared, you are sorely mistaken. My spine still hurts, by the way. Iâm convinced you were trying to kill me.
I miss you. Thatâs the part I wasnât going to write, but here we are.
Iâm glad youâre safe. Even if youâre halfway across the continent dodging affection and soul-searching.
Your eternal headache, Jeonghan
You didnât realize you were grinning until the nameless storm petrel let out a low coo from his perchâwatching you with the bored impatience of someone who had five more deliveries to make and a schedule to keep.
So you picked up your pen and got to it.
Jeonghan,
Three times? Thatâs almost romantic. I would accuse you of sentimentality, but we both know your ego would never survive the scandal.
Iâm glad Dandelion survived his brush with death and domestic labor. He deserves better than you, frankly. If you let him become soup, Iâll never speak to you again.Â
As for that very passionate nightâI wasnât trying to kill you. If I were, you wouldnât have walked again, let alone written me such a smug letter. But Iâll take the compliment. Iâve been told I leave an impression.
Donât worry. I wonât vanish again. Not without warning. Not unless I have to. (There it is, my honesty for the week.) I didnât expect your letter to hit as hard as it did. You miss meâand I believe you. Thatâs the part I wasnât going to write. But here we are.
Iâve been training these days, sparring with my fists instead of a sword. I lose a lot, but I think thatâs the point. Youâd laugh if you saw how bruised I am right now. My fellow mentee said it builds character. I told him I liked mine just fine before.
I miss you too.
Donât let them make a martyr out of you while Iâm gone.
Still not yours, Ancarraâs rightful heir
You didnât sleep well.
The letter from Jeonghan sat folded beneath your pillow, like a charm you pretend didnât matter. You read it again before the sun rose, and again while pulling on your boots.Â
Every morning since arriving in Aragorn, you told yourself tomorrow. Tomorrow, you would go to the quarter Taeyeon had quietly given to the displaced people of Ancarra. Tomorrow, you would face the ones youâd left behind. But âtomorrowâ kept slipping further out of reach, buried under bruises, training drills, and the uneasy ache of being both too much and never enough for the person you used to be.
Taeyeon had done more for them than you could have asked before you even set foot in the city. The district she gave them had once been a lively hub of artists and potters, abandoned years ago after a flood rerouted the river. Now it stood reclaimedâtent cloth strung across old balconies, makeshift hearths glowing behind broken windows, and gardens sprouting defiantly between the cracks of sunbaked stone.Â
The people of Aragorn had helped them, quietly and without fanfareâsharing food, teaching them how to barter, offering stories instead of suspicion. Their reception of your people was so much warmer than how the royal council welcomed you and Soonyoung the day you arrived, and you received that knowledge with quiet relief.
You didnât know what you expected to feel, walking into that space. Guilt was a given. Shame too. But the nausea that coiled in your gutâthat was new. You kept your hood up and your hands hidden, as if either could disguise the lineage stamped across your face.
Hyejin spotted you first.
She stood beneath the faded awning of an old workshop, sleeves rolled high and violet-stained hands doling out jars of nightshade balm. Her presence was a calm one, even surrounded by the sick and weary. You watched her laugh gently with an elder as she re-wrapped the womanâs wrist, murmuring something too soft to hear.
Then her eyes flicked up.
âOh!â she called, brightening. âYouâre Lady Taeyeonâs niece, right? What are you doing all the way out here?â
You froze. Right. That was the description Taeyeon gave to themâher niece, a woman just visiting from the capital. Nothing more. It was safer that way.
You opened your mouth, but then someone else called out to you.
ââŚPrincess?â
You turned.
A middle-aged woman stood at the edge of the path, a basket of foraged roots slipping from her arms. Her eyes widened as if she were seeing a ghost. You didnât know her. Not by name, not by face. She was one of thousands youâd failed to protect. But the way she looked at you made your throat tight. It wasnât just recognition, it was faith. And that was harder to bear.
Now she fell to her knees.
âPrincess,â she choked, tears welling fast. âItâs really you. Thank the gods, youâre alive. Weâwe thought you were gone. We thought theyââ
Her voice broke, and you dropped beside her, grasping her hands before she could press her forehead to the dirt.
âPlease,â you whispered. âDonât. You donât have toââ
But more eyes had turned. More voices picked up. Murmurs of your title wove through the narrow street like wind in dry leaves. And the nausea returned when you dared to look at Hyejin.
She stood very still, a jar of balm still cradled in one hand. Her gaze swept from the kneeling woman to you, her expression unreadable. You braced for a question. A quiet who are you, really? But it never came.
Instead, Hyejin held your gaze for a moment longer, then offered a small, knowing smile. With a slight dip of her head, she turned and slipped away into the crowd, leaving you exactly what she had given the others: space.
You stayed kneeling beside the woman longer than you meant to, your hands still wrapped around hers. She was trembling, her tears falling silently now, one after the other.
Then the others began to gather.
They didnât crowd, not exactly. But one by one, they drew closerâshuffling feet and hesitant steps, eyes wide with something like reverence. One man offered you a stool. A girl no older than ten held out a cup of watered tea with both hands. Someone murmured something about fanning you, someone else about soup.
You tried to stand, to wave it all off, but the attention followed like a tide. Hands reached to steady you, voices overlapped.
"Let her sit, she must be exhausted."
"Princess, do you need anything? Say the wordâ"
âNo,â you said, gently but firmly. âThereâs no need for that.â
They quieted.
You looked around at the facesâlined with fatigue, hollowed by worry, but still somehow soft. Still kind. âIâm no different from any of you,â you said. âTitles donât matter now. Iâm just another child of Ancarra who had to run.â
A few exchanged glances, unsure. Still, the space around you loosened. Their fussing eased, retreating into murmured apologies and lowered gazes. You hated the way the word princess seemed to build a wall no matter how gently you tried to tear it down.
You accepted the tea from the little girl with a nod of thanks and turned to the group.
âHas there been any word?â you asked, voice quiet. âFrom home?â
The silence that fell was louder than words.
A few exchanged glances before a younger man finally spoke. He had a bandage along his forearm and eyes that looked far older than his face.
âThereâs been nothing since we crossed the border. No letters, no couriers. Not even smuggled word from the traders. Itâs like the land itself closed up behind us..â
He paused, voice growing rougher. âBut before that... we saw enough.â
Another woman nodded, arms wrapped tightly around herself. âThe new king⌠Heâs changed everything. The patrols. The laws. People vanish, sometimes whole families if they so much as defy him. The soldiers say itâs for peace and orderâbut they act more like hunters than guards.â
Your heart ached with every word. For the longest time you could only assume that Minghao would seize the throne the moment heâd killed your father, but hearing from the citizensâ mouths that heâs been bastardizing the place you called home⌠You couldnât even begin to fathom how to feel about it.Â
All of a sudden, someone else muttered, âAnd the animals...â
You turned toward the speaker, a boy barely in his teens.
âThey're not right,â he said. âThings from the mountains and the marshes showing up in the city. Creatures weâve only heard in stories. I saw oneâtwice the size of a horse, with eyes like glass. The guards didnât even flinch. They walked it like it was trained. And when they ordered it to kill my parentsâŚâÂ
Your hands tightened around the cup.
âMinghao has been gathering beasts all across the kingdom, Your Highness,â said an elderly man, leaning on a carved cane. âMy daughter told me that his armies brought them into the capital in droves. Those that he wasnât interested in experimenting on were given as pets to his high-ranking soldiersâŚâ
Experimenting? For what?Â
Minghao had always been a steady, gentle presence in your life. Despite the harshness of his upbringing as a Renxing royal, he never let it harden him, at least not with you. He was the one who first placed a bow in your hands, one of the few who stood beside you when others scoffed at the idea of a princess learning to fight. He never saw you as less for wanting more. And for a long time, you remembered what it felt like to trust him.
So why did this sound like something heâd planned for a very long time?
Your peopleâs eyes clung to you, heavy with hope that hadnât been asked for, but had somehow taken root the moment they recognized your face. It wrapped around you like ivy, quiet and persistent, tightening with every breath.
You could feel your heartbeat in your throat.
âYouâre the rightful heir,â the woman in front of you whispered with hope. âWe donât ask for miracles. Just⌠tell us you havenât given up. Tell us weâre not waiting for nothing.â
A few others murmured in agreement.
You met her eyes. Then the eyes of the boy whoâd lost his parents. The man with the bandaged arm. The old man with the cane. Each one etched with wounds and wear, and yetâeach one daring to hope again.
And in your chest, something twisted.
I donât know what to do.
The thought tried to rise, thick and shameful. You didnât know how to reclaim a kingdom, or face someone you once trusted with your own life. You didnât know what it meant to be queen, or even if you wanted to be.
But you remembered your fatherâhow even in the face of every problem the throne had to face, he never once let the people see the storm in his heart. His spine had been a spine for all of Ancarra. When grief nearly drowned you, his voice was still the one you searched for in the dark.Â
You rose slowly to your feet, pressing the tea back into the girlâs hands with a soft smile. The circle around you widened just slightly, respectful and watchful.
âI know itâs been hard,â you said, your voice calm, steadyâmore than you felt. âFor all of us. Weâve lost so much. But weâre here, weâre still alive. That means something.â
A few people nodded faintly. Others just watched, unmoving, like they were afraid this moment would vanish if they blinked.
You turned to look at them one by one, drawing strength from their presence even as their weight settled deeper on your shoulders. âWe may not be in Ancarra anymore, but Ancarra still livesâin us. In our choices. In what we fight for. That hasnât changed. That wonât change.â
You breathed in slowly, deeply, like your father used to before addressing a court that expected miracles. You remembered how he never flinched when the weight of the country bore down. How he didnât always have the answers, but he never let them see his doubt.
He was gone.
Now it was your turn.
âWe donât know whatâs coming next. But I promise youââ You paused, squaring your shoulders. âWhatever it is, weâll meet it. Together.â
A long silence followed. Then someone whispered, "For Ancarra."
Another voice echoed it. Then another. Until the street hummed with the quiet beginnings of belief. You didnât let yourself cry, though you wanted to. Because you were not just some girl lost in a country that wasnât her own.Â
You were Ancarraâs future.Â
The sun had begun to dip when you returned to Taeyeonâs estate. The cobbled path was golden in the light, and the silence of the grounds wrapped around you like balm. You half-expected to find the courtyard empty again, but as you stepped through the arched gate, a familiar voice called out:
âYouâre just in time for tea.â
You blinked, surprised.
Taeyeon sat on the front porch, a delicate porcelain cup in one hand, the other resting loosely across her lap. She looked far too serene for someone who had been managing half the cityâs magical logistics. Her dark hair was pinned back today, but loose strands shimmered around her face in the late light. A second cup sat beside her, already steaming.
âI thought you were still out,â you said, walking closer.Â
Taeyeon smiled apologetically and gestured to the seat beside her. âI had to tend to some administrative tedium. The mageâs guild gets skittish every time I miss a meetingâafraid Iâve gone off to start a war, probably. But now Iâm back. And far more free to help you with the Hanya issue.â
You sank onto the cushion beside her with a sigh and reached for the tea. âMinjeongâs cooking was plenty company,â you said truthfully, a little grin tugging at your mouth. âSeriously. Iâve never had noodles like that.â
âShe takes it as a personal offense if anyone walks away hungry,â Taeyeon said fondly.
For a few beats, the quiet settled in. Then you set your cup down and turned toward her, more serious now. âAbout HanyaâŚâ
Taeyeon arched her brow.
âI wanted to tell you⌠you donât have to scheme on my behalf.â You hesitated, choosing your words carefully. âI want to speak to her myself.â
âOh?â She tilted her head, lips twitching. âWhat spurred this on?â
âI met with some of the Ancarrian refugees today,â you said quietly. âTheyâre still holding on. Somehow. And they looked at me like Iâm still someone worth believing in.â
Her smile deepened, warm and proud. âYou are someone worth believing in.â
You looked away, the words settling somewhere too close to the bone.
âOkay,â Taeyeon said. âIâll take you to Hanya at first light. But for todayârest. You still have bruises from your sparring sessions at Jongkookâs. Iâm afraid Prince Jeonghan will have me maimed alive if he finds out I permitted those blemishes on you.â
You snorted, the tension easing from your shoulders. âHe would not.â
âSpeaking of that prince,â she added, âhe sent another letter for you. The birdâs already waiting by the window of your room.â
You blinked. âAlready?â
Taeyeon laughed cheekily. âI think heâs working through separation anxiety in written form.â
You thanked Taeyeon quietly and slipped back into the house, the scent of roasted nuts trailing from the kitchen. As you passed, Minjeong barely looked up from her chopping, but she gave a small nod, and the faintest smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. You returned it before heading upstairs.
Your room was bathed in amber light. The shutters had been opened just enough to let the sun filter through, casting golden stripes across the floor. Perched on the windowsill was a familiar birdâindignant, and unmistakably sulky.
âDandelion,â you breathed.
He stared at you like heâs been waiting for hours.
Took you long enough.
You raised an eyebrow. âYouâre in a mood.â
You would be too if someone plucked you out of the royal aviary at an ungodly hour reeking of alcohol. Dandelion fluffed his feathers with great offense. Is that guy really your type? Heâs a little insane, you know.
âHeâs plenty insane,â you corrected, not bothering to answer his question as you reached for the letter heâd placed on your nightstand. âJeonghan woke you up just for this? Couldnât even wait until morning?â
With no bribe, too! Not even the crust of a honey biscuit. Ungrateful bastard.
You stifled a smile, already recognizing Jeonghanâs dramatic scrawl on the parchment. But as your eyes parsed through the words heâd written, a scowl slowly rooted itself on your face.
Princess,
Do you know what the problem is with Oak Walker? It makes a man honest.
I was going to write something refined. Polished. The sort of letter your new mage friends would be proud of. But then I started thinking about the way you looked the last night we were togetherâmoonlight on your collarbone, moaning like the pretty thing you areâand suddenly, grammar didnât feel that important anymore.
Do you ever think about it? The way you ruined me?
I havenât slept a full night since. My bedâs cold. My back still aches. My staff wonât meet my eyes. They think Iâm possessed. And maybe I am because every time I close my eyes, I see you beneath me, skin flushed, breasts bouncing, my cock nestled between those supple thighs of yours.
You should come home. I promise to let you pin me to a wall as revenge for the last time I did that to you. Or the floor. Or the damn balconyâIâm not picky.
Yours in body and soul  Jeonghan
P.S. If you burn this, I will know. I will feel it.
You stared at the letter.
The words were very much still there.
Your ears burned. Your soul burned.
ââŚHe did not justââ
Your voice strangled itself in disbelief as your gaze flitted wildly across the page, trying to make sense of the absolute audacity bleeding from every line. And oh, there it was againâmy cock nestled between those supple thighs of yoursâandâ
You slapped the parchment face down on your desk like it had personally wronged you.
From the desk, Dandelion ruffled his feathers. You alright? Did he insult your ancestors or something?
You made another strangled noise and slapped the letter facedown, as if that would undo the image now seared into your brain. Gods, you could see it all againâJeonghanâs mouth on your skin, the way his voice had gone hoarse whispering your name, the heat of his body against yours, theâ
You groaned and pressed the heels of your palms to your eyes. âHeâs actually insane.â
You keep saying that, Dandelion said dryly, and yet youâre redder than a boiled beet.
âIâm notâ! Shut up.â
Just say the word and Iâll drop something in his bathwater. Maybe something that turns his voice high-pitched for a few hours.
You gave him a look. âYouâre supposed to be neutral.â
Iâm not that neutral. A pause. So. Am I taking a response back? Or should I just cough dramatically near his ear for a full day and let him know itâs from you?
You groaned againâbut this time, you reached for a fresh sheet of parchment. âHeâs not getting the last word.â
Dandelion chirped happily. Thatâs the spirit.
Jeonghan,
Have you completely lost your mind?
Actually, donât answer that. I already know the answer. No sane person sends that kind of letter via bird in the middle of the night, without so much as a crumb of food for the courier. Dandelion is offended. I am mortified beyond belief.Â
Do you even remember what you wrote? Youâd better hope not, because if you ever say any of that out loud to my face, Iâll make good on the âpinning you to the wallâ part, but not the way you meant.
Gods, Jeonghan. I came to Aragorn to figure out who I am outside of what the world made me. To breathe for a moment. To think clearly. And then you go and send that? You really are the most ridiculous man Iâve ever met.
But since Iâm concerned that my lack of a direct response to your⌠debauchery might result in further punishment for Dandelion, then yes. I think about that night more often than Iâd like to admit. However, unlike you, I donât write important correspondences while under the influence of Yoonaâs evil Oak Walker, so thatâs all youâre getting out of me.Â
Sincerely, Dandelionâs only friend
P.S. Your staff thinks youâre possessed because you are. I should know. Iâve spent more than enough time in your orbit to recognize the symptoms.
P.P.S. Get some sleep. I mean it.
You folded the letter with great precision, like you were packing away something volatile. Sealed it with the little copper signet Taeyeon had given you, stamped with Aragornâs flame. Then you turned to Dandelion, who was very visibly preening like he hadnât just been dragged into a royal sex scandal against his will.
âHere,â you said, handing over the rolled parchment. âStraight to the prince. No stops. No flirting with the bluebirds on the southern cliffs.â
I have done no such thing!Â
You shook your head, trying not to laugh. âJust go. And if he tries to read this out loud to anyone, claw his face off.â
Dandelion took off in a sweep of dark wings and indignant muttering, leaving you alone once more in your sun-dappled chambers.
For a moment, you simply stood there, the silence hugging your shoulders. Then you sank into the bed, curling onto your side as your eyes drifted toward Jeonghanâs most recent letter. Youâd tossed carelessly on your quilt like it wasnât responsible for the blush creeping up your neck.
You reached for it.Â
(You shouldnât have. You absolutely shouldnât have.
But you did.)
Your gaze traced the lines again, the scrawl that grew progressively less elegant the filthier it got. You could almost hear his voice in itâdrawling, drunk, and smug. And unfortunately for you, your treacherous memory filled in the rest.
The curve of moonlight over his skin. The way your names had blurred on each otherâs tongues. The pressure of his mouth between your thighs, and your fingers tangled in his red hair as you gasped forâ
You groaned into a pillow, mortified.
What was wrong with you?
Why did your body remember every second with such vivid, burning clarity? You pressed your legs together and tried not to think about the fact that you were embarrassingly warm all over. Youâd literally just met with the remnants of your people this morning, and now youâre fantasizing about an uncouth prince?
Heâd ruined you, and he wasnât even in the damn room.
You buried your face deeper into the pillow, as if suffocating yourself could somehow drown out the memory. It didnât. If anything, the darkness behind your eyelids made it worse. You could still feel Jeonghan bracing himself above you with that maddening smile before stealing the breath from your lungs. You reached blindly for his letter again, the parchment crackling beneath your fingers. Read the lines a third time. Maybe a fourth. Your thighs shifted.
âStop,â you groaned at yourself.
But the memory was a wildfire now, licking across your skinâhis mouth, his hands, the weight of him, the way he'd said your name like it was holy. And gods help you, your hand started moving before you could talk yourself out of it.
You bit your lip as your fingers brushed over the waistband of your trousers, breath catching in your throat.Â
But your body didnât seem to careâbecause your mind was already there. Back in his arms. Back in that room lit by moonlight and madness, where the air had smelled like sandalwood and wine and something distinctly him.Â
Tell me what you want.
You slipped your hand lower, hips shifting as heat pulsed through you.
âI hate you,â you whispered.
Your fingers moved slower, firmer, guided by the rhythm of memory. His hands on your thighs. His mouth at your neck. You moaned softly, biting down on the edge of the pillow as your heart raced. The ache built steadilyâhot, urgent, and overwhelming. His name fell from your lips again, this time as a whimper.
That night you hadnât gone all the way. But what if you did? What if Jeonghan had sunk his cock into your needy heat? You just knew heâd fuck you until you saw stars; knew heâd whisper how good your tight cunt felt around him. And then youâd take everything he gave, let him mark you, make you hisâ
And when the wave crested, when it shattered through you like a tremor beneath the skin, you clung to the sheets like they were him.
You lay there for a while, panting, flushed, half-glaring at the ceiling.
Jeonghan. That infuriating man.Â
Even half a world away, he still had you wrapped around his goddamn finger.
The morning sun hadnât yet burned off the dew clinging to the leaves when you and Taeyeon stepped through the shimmering veil of her portal, landing on the mossy path outside Hanyaâs crooked little house.
You still couldnât meet Taeyeonâs eyes.
Not after last night.
Every time your thoughts wandered, they wanderedâand your cheeks burned hot all over again. If Taeyeon noticed anything strange about your stiff posture or the too-casual way youâd greeted her this morning, she didnât mention it. She just handed you a piece of toast, opened a portal, and strolled through it like nothing was out of the ordinary.
Which, thankfully, gave you room to pretend nothing was.
The animals were already stirring around Hanyaâs porch. You saw the same monkey from last time perched on the railing, along with a sleepy fox curled beside the doorstep. As you approached, the fox cracked open one eye and regarded you lazily.
Most give up after the first rejection, it said.
âIâm not like most,â you murmured back, steeling your resolve as you lifted your hand to knock.
The door creaked open as Hanya filled the doorway like a shadow, her sharp gray eyes already narrowed in irritation. Her lips curled into something resembling a snarl.
âI thought I made myself clear last time,â she said. âI donât want your cursed magic anywhere near me.â
You met her gaze head-on, spine straight. âBut donât you carry the same cursed magic too?â
There was a pause. Barely half a breath. But you saw itâthe way her shoulders tensed, the way her eyes widened slightly, just for a second. Behind you, Taeyeon gave a quiet, knowing laugh. Hanyaâs glare returned full force, but something about it had changed. She muttered something under her breathâprobably a curseâand turned with a huff.
Honestly, this was a bit of a surprise. You didnât think that was all you had to say to change her mind.
âWell,â she grumbled, stomping inside. âDonât just stand there.â
You exchanged a glance with Taeyeon, your chest still tight with nerves. But you followed, stepping into the home of the one mage who might finally understand what had always made your magic feel wrong.
Hanya stepped back with a grunt and a reluctant flick of her wrist, gesturing for you and Taeyeon inside. âDonât touch anything,â she muttered. âEspecially if it hisses.â
The moment you crossed the threshold, the air changed.
The interior of the house felt less like a home and more like the heart of a living, breathing wildwood. The scent of moss, singed herbs, and fur lingered in the air. Wooden shelves lined the walls, cluttered with bundles of dried grasses, enchanted bones, claws from creatures you couldnât name, and glowing vials that pulsed with slow, otherworldly light.Â
A spiral of thick roots twisted up through the center of the room, acting as a natural column. Hanging from it were dozens of charms: teeth strung on thread, bits of crystal, and bells that rang with no breeze. A fat marmalade-colored cat blinked at you from the top of a high shelf. The fox from outside slinked past your ankles like mist, its nine tails fanned with interest.
Hanya poured steaming water over crushed bark and a cindersong bloom in a chipped stone teapot. The scent was bitter, like burned honey and pine. She set it on the hearth without ceremony, then turned to you.
âIf you want me to teach you, girl,â she said, âyou need to know where you come from. What you carry.â
Taeyeon gave you an encouraging nod, stepping aside as if to say: this part is yours.
Hanya motioned for you to sit. âThere are two kinds of beast mages left in Ancarraâthose who speak, and those who become. You think youâre the first kind. But you need to understand both.â
You sat down, back straight, heart pounding.
âIn the beginning,â Hanya said, settling across from you, âbeasts ruled those lands. Not animals, but spirits. The First Beasts. Embodiments of instinct and truth. They were united by a trifecta: the Owl of Wisdom, the Tiger of Loyalty, and the Serpent of Vengeance. Humans were nothing but prey. Until some brave soul knelt before the trifecta and listened instead of running away from them.â
âA covenant was made between the First Beasts and the Ancarrans of old, and two kinds of magic were born,â she continued, âThe Tongue of Beastsâthis is yours; the path of communion, empathy and true listening. The other is the Shape of Beasts, which belongs to shapeshifters. Borrowed form. Physical memory. The two were meant to exist in balance.â
âBut something happened,â you murmured, voice hushed.
Hanya nodded, dark eyes unreadable. âA warlord rose and called himself the Beast King. He thought speaking was weakâwhy whisper when you can devour? He took the forms of the spirits without their permission, without their wisdom. Killed them. Absorbed them. And in doing so, shattered the pact.â
The fire popped behind her, sending sparks up the hearth.Â
You thought about Hanyaâs words long and hard. The two kinds of beast magic, the story of the Beast King usurping the First Beasts⌠Was this what Minghao was planning? The reason why he was bringing those creatures to the capital of Ancarra?
âYour mother was a Speaker, too,â Hanya said. âShe may not have worn the title openly, but she carried the gift. So did her mother before her. The Royal Bloodline wasnât just made to rule humansâit was made to speak to what came before humans. The First Beasts. Your voice can stir them from slumber.â
You swallowed, a lump forming in your throat. âWhy⌠why didnât anyone tell me? About the truth behind our magic? All I was told was that Mother could speak to animals, tooâŚâ
âBecause the world calls it cursed now,â she said, voice cool. âBecause after the shapeshifter betrayal, they lumped all beast magic together as dangerous. Dirty and forbidden. And so the stories died. The line was broken. And you, little Speakerââ her gaze flicked over you with something between scorn and pityââwere left to figure it out alone.â
A kind of aching clarity poured in. You had spent your entire life speaking to animals in whispers, never knowing why the birds sang back, or why Reyaâs voice rang louder in your heart than most peopleâs ever did. Youâd been told it was a blessing, then a curse, then something to be hidden. Now, finally, it had a nameâa legacy. You werenât broken. You werenât a mistake.Â
You were part of something ancient.
âI want to learn,â you said, quietly. âI need to.â
Hanya gave a slow, grudging nod, already rising to her feet with a determined look on her face.
âThen letâs see if your blood remembers what the crown forgot.â
The castle halls were quieter than usual when Joshua went looking for his brother. Morning light filtered through the tall stained-glass windows, casting blue and gold patterns on the stone floor. When he asked after Jeonghan, the maids exchanged uneasy glances.
âHis Highness left at dawn,â one whispered. âDidnât say where.â
Joshua sighed. Of course he didnât. Jeonghan hadnât been himself since you disappeared. He told everyone you were safeâthat youâd gone somewhere to train, and that your letters proved you were aliveâbut even Joshua could see the cracks beneath that assurance. His brother doubted it. Every second of every day.
So he followed instinct, rather than logic. Out past the castle gates, through the eastern woods that had long since been declared off-limits to servants and guests. There was a place there that no one else knew about; a clearing only he and Jeonghan used to sneak away to when they were younger.
And there, in the center of that clearing, was a black dragon.
It lay curled in a bed of flattened wildgrass, wings folded tight to its back, smoke curling from its nostrils. Massive and ancient, yet somehow familiar in posture. A creature no longer supposed to exist. Joshua froze, breath caught in his throat. Then his boot crunched softly against a patch of dried leaves.
The dragon cracked open one enormous eye, golden and slitted. It narrowed slightly at the sight of him, but did not move. Joshua swallowed and smiled, trying not to be overwhelmed by awe.Â
âYou know,â he said, voice casual, âyouâre a lot more talkative when youâre human.â
A puff of smoke answered him. Clearly irritated.
Joshua tilted his head. âCome on, brother. I know itâs you. Talk to me in a form I can actually understand.â
There was a pause.
Then, with a low rumble that shook the leaves, the dragon began to shift. Bones and scales folded inwards; wings collapsed; the long tail vanished in smoke. What remained, standing amid the dissipating steam, was a manânaked, barefoot, breathing a little too hard. His hair was black again, same as the dragonâs scales.
Joshua stared at him. âReally?â
âYou came looking for me. You get what you get.â
The younger prince tossed him his cloak. âI swear to the gods, Iâm the only thing standing between you and a dozen traumatized gardeners.â
Jeonghan caught it, but didnât laugh. He sat down in the grass, folding the cloak loosely around him, gaze lost in the distant treetops.
Joshua sat beside him, knees drawn up. âYou didnât even tell me you could do that. Back then you only transformed into⌠simpler things. A dog. A squirrel. But a dragon?â
âItâs not exactly something I advertise.â
âNo,â Joshua said quietly, âbut itâs something you should have told me.â
Jeonghan didnât answer. The wind stirred the grass. Smoke still lingered faintly in the air, curling around them like memory. Joshua leaned closer to feel for his temperature with the back of his hand, the fussy brother that he was.
âYouâre burning up from the inside,â he frowned. âThat form⌠You shouldnât hold it for too long.â
âI know.â
âThen why use it?â
Jeonghan looked down at his hands, still trembling. âBecause when Iâm a dragon,â he said, voice soft and raw, âI donât have to feel how much I miss her.â
Joshua blinked, taken aback. Not by the words themselves, but by how easily theyâd fallen from his brotherâs mouth. Jeonghan wasnât one for confession. He wore his emotions like armor: controlled, polished, impossible to pierce. But here, now, stripped of everythingâtitle, pride, even clothesâhe looked like a boy again.Â
A boy mourning something that hadnât died, just disappeared. And Joshua, who had always been his quiet shadow, his tether to the world, suddenly felt the full weight of that love. Not just longing, but devotion. The kind Jeonghan had never been able to unlearn, no matter how much time passed or how far you had gone.
Jeonghan let out a shaky breath. âAnd gods help me, Shua⌠The longer sheâs gone, the harder it is to believe sheâs coming back.â
Joshua didnât answer him.
He had always known his brother loved you. That part had never been a mystery. It was in the way Jeonghan lingered at the edge of your worldânever gentle, never far. Even as children, he needled and provoked, the way some boys do when affection is too sharp to name. He kept you close by keeping you off balance. He orbited you like gravityânot because he was soft, but because he didnât know how to let go.
And heâd known about the shame, too. About the curse.
His shapeshifting magic had always been a secret, one locked behind palace doors, spoken of only in whispers within their family. Their parents never acknowledged it directly, but Joshua had seen the signs. The fear in Jeonghanâs eyes after a transformation gone wrong. The burn marks on his skin that no one ever treated aloud. The way he would disappear for days whenever the magic overwhelmed him. Their motherâs cold silences. Their fatherâs refusal to meet his gaze.
So noânone of this was new to Joshua.
But what he hadnât understood, not until now, was how tightly Jeonghanâs self-hatred was knotted around the fact that he loved you.
Being betrothed to the girl he adored shouldâve been a blessing. But it became a terror. And so he did what he did best: pushed, provoked, made himself unbearable. He gave you every reason to hate him. Because if you loved a cursed thing, maybe the curse would claim you, too. And Jeonghanâfool that he wasâwould rather be unloved than be the reason you were ruined.
Joshua reached over, not saying a word, and rested a hand on his brotherâs shoulder. In the quiet, the trees swayed. Somewhere far off, a hawk cried.
And the two princes sat alone in the clearingâone still smoking from old magic, the other quietly holding him togetherâas the last vestiges of dragonfire cooled to ash.
PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE
⢠end notes: i'm having SUCHHH a ride writing this, you guys have no idea lmfao!!! and if you noticed, joshua's mc from his fic in the series finally has a name too + chan and hyejin appearance, who else cheered? i was supposed to have this up next week, but today's a holiday for me, so i got around to editing and finally cleaning up this part :3c i really really tried to make two parts work but... :( however, like in my jeongcheol x reader fic, inflection point, all the best things come in threes! that said, thank you oh-so much for the overwhelming reception on the first part T T i was gone for more than a year, so i didn't expect people to like my stuff after all this time UEUEUEUE see you in the finale!!!!
this is part of the itâs complicated series.
synopsis: y/n is a witch from a long bloodline of illustrious Spellmasters. After a spell gone awry, they are left cursed to age prematurely and disfigured. In shame, they run and end up in the picturesque town of Martine to regroup and lift the curse. Enter Class A Spellmaster, Jeonghan - a little boastful of his talents, honestly - who agrees to assist in their research. All the while, a vicious wizarding manhunt sweeps the land - but what does the handsome Spellmaster have to do with it?
pairing: wizard!jeonghan x (f)reader feat. wizards seungkwan, mingyu, seokmin, soonyoung + joshua
word count: 41k+ (holy shit.)
genre/s: howlâs moving castle-inspired au, fluff, humour, romance, magic!
warnings: some very!minor body horror and dysmorphia, mentions of persecution by demographic, minor mention of blood, inaccurate references to witchcraft practices, some kissing
a/n: welcome, esteemed reader, to a fic over three years in the making. spawned from hannie's pretty pretty hair in ready to love era. my poor geriatric laptop is currently hemorrhaging due to the sheer amount of text right now. bear in mind that while this may be my magnum opus, doesn't mean it's going to be amazing. just damn long, which was never my strong suit. but hey, lore so deep i have a glossary? i hope you enjoy the ride anyway! also also @wonwooslibrary SAMMMM, SHIT LOOK I DID IT!!! thank you for your capital letter support, reading drafts and hearing my constant empty promise word count updates.
You caught your image in the reflection of a window; a bus stopping at a crossroads. By Merlin, you looked like a ghoul - swathed in layers of loose fabric, hooded to hide your face from direct vision. It was a recent image you had taken on in the last few days since you had left your family home.
You had cried for most of it, as if in mourning. Your veins feel empty and breathing is dull. You canât feel the magic that you know is always in the air for the first time in your life and youâre panicking. Like drowning in a void. Suki, your familiar, looks as if sheâs taken on a form of mange, her flickering whiskers wiry. She yowls often, glaring at you every moment youâre both awake.
Itâs not until you reach a tram line and lopsided tram depot that you realise that youâre almost out of pity money in a far-off town. Said tram dings as it passes. Martine.
You went there growing up for a few school breaks. A hilly, seaside town that felt too modern yet nostalgic with its intricate and old tram network and tall brickwork. You really have been walking for a while.
You look at Suki. âWell. Back to civilization, huh?â
She seems to curl her lips up at you to bare yellowed fangs and turns to stalk down the main road. Fair enough.
In the time youâve walked, youâve had a lot of time to think of your next move. Too ashamed to turn back. Afraid of the debris youâd left behind and the consequences from it. You didnât want to remember, ironically enough, seeing as memory spells are what got you in this mess in the first place. If you donât want to go back, you must go forward. Fix this - and Suki, you guess. So, you had to reach for magic again and find a cure. It wasnât hard for you to make that choice; you yearned for it to spark at your fingertips again.
But you feel so ashamed, wandering the town of Martine, a slovenly beggar in a matter of days. Just as people had on the walk here, everyone avoids any eye contact with you and Suki. Monsters in public, too grotesque to look at. Limp and withered on a park bench, you slip further and further into self-absorbed depression. How old were you now? How were you to survive? Where do you even begin?
A large hand touches your shoulder. In the almost-night, a tall young man smiles gently. âYou look lost - are you okay?â
You shake your head slowly. âI - well noâŚâ
âIâm Kim Mingyu, first of my name. You must be tired and hungry - Martine is quite far away from any other towns. Did you want a bite to eat?â He guides you to your feet, making your decision for you even as you protest in confusion.
âI, well yes, but - I have no money or - wait -â
He shakes his head and feather light, steers you through the streets to a corner of town a little less busy, but further uphill. Something more suburban. Suki doesnât protest for the first time since the curse has struck.
âDonât worry. Iâd feel terrible leaving you exposed to the elements like that. Think of this as something for me rather than a favour for you. To keep my conscience clear.â He babbles on as shop signs are turned closed and street lamps are lit.
âAh, here we are.â Mingyu says to a small manor house.
Itâs quaint compared to the other houses that line the street, but still extravagant by regular residential means. Faded red brick and a thatched roof with a blooming front garden and white picket fence. Hanging from the fence is a lovely sign â Ajiâs Home Away from Home: B&B. He doesnât even lock his front door! In the entryway there is an altar, a wooden spoon amongst it - you bow. Leading you both down the low hallway, Mingyu seats you at a round dining table and swiftly puts a tattered apron over his head. The table rocks a little on old, uneven legs and he chats with you as he sets up.
âI never got your name - you are?â He looks over his shoulder expectantly with bright eyes.
You only give your first name, rude in most situations. âThis is Suki, my fami- companion.â
A scrawny white dog enters, claws clattering over the hardwood floors. Suki and the canine are civil, seeming to communicate in a language all their own. Mingyu checks the pie in the oven - how he arranged it so quickly is beyond you - before eyeing you curiously.
âY/n, do you happen to be of magic blood? A witch?â He asks.
You heave a sigh, unable to hide the glare you shoot the animals on the floor. âHow could you tell?â
âWell, Aji never behaves this nicely with non-magical beings, like Suki. You bowed to my altar and didnât panic at the dishes cleaning themselves. Most mortals are at least a little amused by it, even nowadays.â He surmises.
Honestly, the dishes were such a regular thing in magical households you didnât even realise it was happening. Wooden spoon, quick food, warm house - must be a Kitchenmaster.
âI am - well, used to be. My magic is a littleâŚ. compromised to say the least.â
He hums in acknowledgement. âWell, if we can rustle up some sort of payment, youâre more than welcome to stay here for as long as necessary. I run the B&B here, anyway. Just me.â
You smile, idly adjusting the table settings in front of you. âI - Mingyu, thank you. That is most gracious of you.â
âSo, you look like youâre a little lost to say the least - very far from home?â As he flits about the kitchen, he chats with you over his shoulder.
You bow your head, engrossed in the dents and pot burns that litter the wooden table top. âUh, yes, very.â
âSomething happen?â Something quietly simmers and bubbles as he works on some root vegetables.
âYes. I - magic. I suspect.â Itâs hard to admit any more than that.
Saying more means admitting to your own fallacies. Right now, you are content to wallow in your misery; lick your wounds. Suki however, gives you a surly side eye from her place by the window with Aji. He twists to properly eye you. You know how disarming and unsettling your appearance is, so having someone examine so intently makes you want to curl up into a ball.
Mingyu looks at you, thoughtful. âMagic related. Was this curse by someone else or a backfire - self-inflicted?â
You sigh, long winded. âBoth? The spell was quite old, so it may have had caveats I wasnât aware of.â
âHmmm. I have a friend. Potionsmaster, Class B. Family run apothecary. He might be able to help. Lee Seokmin.â Mingyu stoops against his fridge to write it out on a notepad magnetised to it - of course he has one of those. He rips it off and folds it neatly, handing it to you. âGive him a try tomorrow - see what he can do.â
As soon as heâs written that, it's the blink of an eye and dinner is served. Something that would have taken the average person half an hour, takes the Kitchenmaster mere minutes. Mingyu pretty much force feeds you a stew of sorts with plenty of vegetables and hot spices - to warm you, he says firmly, arms crossed - and a side of rice. The pie he claims is for tomorrow - itâs better the next day when it all settles and isnât so viscous. Suki gets a little saucer with salmon, mushed to bits for her little teeth.
After a waddle - read, struggle - up to the attic, his smallest room and a fitful rest, you drag Suki out at the crack of dawn to make the long walk down to Lee Seokminâs shop, the address tucked into the pocket of your own apron. Suki, disgruntled by the wake-up call, trots haughtily in front of you, weaving about and purposefully getting in your way. You pull up to a stop, fists on your hips. You can hardly see her through the head covering you had meticulously wrapped this morning in the mirror in the attic.
You glare down at Suki. âHey now, be good. If Mingyu is right we might just get out of this just as soon as we got into it.â She gives you a glare with her green-gold eyes and you sigh, amending your words. âFine, as soon as I got us into it. Sorry.â The mangy cat seems to roll her eyes at you, trotting ahead with a haughty tilt to her nose. Even in her state sheâs as proud as ever.
The door jingles when you open it, the light from the street shining in. The wood is warm and despite the knowledge that a lot of potion supplies need to be cool and out of direct light, sunlight illuminates everything - how was this supposed to be a Class B Potionsmaster with a place like this? Herbs and dried ingredients sit in jars on top of tinted glass cabinets. Touching them you find them cool, yet not icy or condensated - must be magic.
A door to the side is open, even more sunlight streaming through a room much like a greenhouse. A cauldron softly bubbles and smokes, its fragrance neither sweet nor unpleasant but inherently herbal. A young man, tall with narrow features and a sunny smile pops up. He wears a canvas apron, stained wooden spoon in hand.
âHello - welcome to Lee Apothecary! How can I help?â
Heâs so warm and sweet! âSeokmin?â
He nods. âThatâs me â Lee Seokmin, first of my name.â
âMingyu sent me. Said you may be able to help.â
You heave a breath, shutting your eyes. You canât even bear to see your hands as you uncover your face from the loose coverings. You can hear the soft inhale of shock. Suki jumps from a shelf to land next to you, warm against your leg.
âItâs a curse. Can you help me?â
Your age and disfigurement are too hideous to be natural. The wiry age in your grey hair, gnarled limbs and wrinkles. One eye is different from the other. Warts and missing teeth. Your hand is strangely shaped and you try your best not to hobble when you walk. Itâs only now that you notice Sukiâs appearance goes further than mange, her tail with a sad broken kink in it.
He walks around his counter to face you, his long fingers cradling your own as he examines you. Touches your palms and turns them as if they will reveal something to him, like an Augur. The Potionsmaster does the same to Suki, who is for once calm and pliant - the moggie never does as sheâs told.
He sighs and shakes his head. âNo, Iâm sorry. This is too heavy a curse for a simple potion to fix.â He squints at you. âBut...you knew that already.â
âI was hoping otherwise.â
âEven if I could tell you, no potion would do this, or fix this. A spell does something like this - changes your aura. However, if you want, I can make a glamour mist and tonic to lessen the blow. Your familiar, however, is stuck as she is.â
Suki yowls broken, and you nudge her into silence. âPlease, itâs been awfully hard as I am.â
Itâs only been a few days, but itâs more than enough to be grateful for however you looked before this.
He turns away to pick out ingredients, weaving through the store and dropping them into his apron. âWhat did you look like before all of this anyway?â He says.
âYounger.â Is all you say, guarded.
He tells you heâll be by Mingyuâs tonight to drop off the tonic along with some other supplies for Mingyu â free of charge. Somehow your disfigurement has lost your youth but gained luck. Or pity. Theyâre both the same at this rate. Mingyu is welcoming new guests when you come up the road. So as not to scare his clients, you gesture to the courtyard, a tall gate on the left. With his towering height, he sees all and merely nods in the slightest. As soon as the door is shut, you carefully walk the winding side path to the gate, the path all but hidden in his immaculate garden.
He opens the gate for you from the other side. âWh-â
âI donât want to scare anyone.â You murmur.
He tilts his head in sympathy, dressed in brown trousers and a lovely knitted cardigan. âYou neednât worry. They were just dropping off their luggage and have headed off to the beach. You are welcome here, trust me.â
You both walk through the bright courtyard back to the kitchen. This is Mingyuâs home turf, his safe space and is quickly growing to be yours. He instantly puts the kettle on and sets the two of you up for late morning tea.
âSo, how did Seokmin go?â
âHeâs coming by tonight to drop a tonic off. He couldnât fix it, only ease it. I think I will need to do some research myself, once Iâve worked out how to take care of myself.â
Youâve never been on your own, the family house your only home. So, you meant it when you said taking care of yourself. Never having had to stay under a roof that wasnât your own. As promised that evening, as the sun is just beginning to set and the lamplights are being lit, Seokmin is at Mingyuâs, dropping off his concoction of cleaning supplies. The two of them chat away animatedly in matching aprons. The tonic smells like roses and ginseng, in a spray bottle. You could pretend and mistake it for a perfume if you wanted to. The directions, to spray three times in the morning, in sunlight, facing east are labelled on the bottle. His eye falls on you idly stirring Mingyuâs soup with only a finger against the spoon handle.
âYou look dead bored.â He says to you in passing.
âI am. Magic used to be a crutch for me. Part of my studies and my livelihood. Now I donât have itâŚâ you go quiet on that sombre thought. âAnyway! Iâll find something to amuse myself and my creaky bones.â
They both laugh weakly. You were getting used to the old and geriatric jokes that spilled off your tongue. Used far too often to lighten the mood and ground yourself.
Seokmin perks up though. âWell, if youâre ever in need of something to occupy yourself, I could always use a hand down at the shop. Someone to cover while Iâm on errands.â
âHappy to help, Seokmin.â You say firmly.
You take Seokmin up on his offer, puttering around out the back of the apothecary, cutting and preparing ingredients as well as appropriately storing them. His parents have retired so Seokmin runs the place on his own. Itâs sweet, seeing packages come in from them once in a while with limited, rare ingredients along with heartfelt messages reciting their recent grey nomad adventures. His own family has limited texts on spells, the whole family being Potionmasters, but itâs a start. A way to adapt the spray that he provides and eventually add on a tonic to improve your actual health. You canât run a marathon, but you can go the full day on your feet now, without feeling like youâll keel over by the end of lunch. Seokmin graciously provides you a small salary - exactly enough to keep your lodging with Mingyu. By day you work out the back of the apothecary, by night you pour over any magical text you can get your hands on to gather knowledge on how to reverse the curse youâve brought upon yourself - truly showing your real age with a part time job and all.
Sat one mid-afternoon at the iron garden table, you catch the tears in Mingyuâs apron - fraying at his shoulder and the scorch mark that wore a hole in his pocket. You pout and groan as you rise, feeling your body creak as you reach to pull it off the hook in the wall.
âMingyu, your apron.â You murmur.
Heâs come in from the garden, wearing a soft sage green one, the pockets filled with herbs. He has gardening gloves on, dusted with dirt. The Kitchenmaster splutters and panics at the sight of you up and about but you wave him off with a huff.
âPlease, I can mend this. Something small for your kindness.â You say.
He must see the desperation in your eyes because he nods, tugging off his gloves to toss on the garden bench by the back door. Mingyu guides you back inside to plonk you back at the dining table, round and thickly waxed.
âI think I have some old sewing bits in a cupboard. Iâll be back, okay?â He says, gently as always.
You nod, smiling. âYes, please.â
As he dashes off, his large frame swallowing any space down the hallway, you clutch his cooking apron. There are food stains on the canvas, obviously an effort made to clean them away to no avail. Not to worry - you can fix that too.
A small biscuit tin popped open before you. The young man hovers wearily in front of you for a moment, in and out of the natural lighting as you scrounge through for thread and needle as well as something like a patch. Itâs sweet how he gapes like a fish, squeaking a little and flapping his hands in the air. Very distracting though.
âI - are you sure youâre okay? I mean - if the joints in your hands, well -â
You level him with a look. âI'll be fine, thank you Mingyu. Give me the rest of the night at most and it will be done. Donât go fussing and panicking just yet.â
He falls quiet and nods, waddling back out to the garden to finish up his chores. Suki sits outside on the wooden bench where shoes were usually shucked underneath, snoozing in the sun. If you were sure of one thing, other than your magic, it was sewing. All of your family had a mundane ability. Your mother was a wonderful gardener, your father a mechanic. Your grandmother was a hairdresser before she became a member of the high council. You took up sewing - something your mum was also adept at so could give you a head start. So mending Mingyuâs apron was a slice. By instinct, you add a sigil, a meld of cleanliness and resourcefulness. If only to help in repelling any more potential food stains and to better utilise the pocket. Sewn with an off-red thread, for luck. By the time the sun sets and Mingyu heads inside to make dinner, his apron hangs back on its hook, better than before. He gapes, rubbing his calloused thumbs over the new thread. The splash of colour seems to bring a bit more life into it.
Mingyu plunges his hands, then his elbows into the pockets of his apron, wonder rounding his lips. âTheyâre⌠endless!â
You laugh, rolling your eyes. âI merely sewed some charms and sigils into the inner. They arenât magic or anything special I assure you. Holds just as much as you need - in theory.â
âYou fixed it so well. Thank you.â The Kitchenmaster says softly.
âOf course. Youâre welcome.â You shrug. âThe least I could do. Now, whatâs on the menu?â
Over time, between helping Mingyu and helping Seokmin, you would sew. Cloaks for Mingyu and his wizarding friends, sigils stitched inside to keep them warm and to not lose them. Resistance to wear and tear, to give luck. They were richly designed and soon others, magic or mortal, were taking notice, asking for hats or coats. They would pay handsomely too for their commission. Women who wanted bonnets and sunhats and men who wished for suit jackets and mending their jaunty hats. You would measure exactly to size and chat as you did so, posted up in Mingyuâs kitchen by day and your attic room by night. The attic now has bolts on bolts of fabric leant against the wall and sewing scissors constantly on your person. The research has taken a bit of a back seat, actually.
âSo, this is awfully pretty. For any reason in particular?â
The young woman hums and gazes out the window to the courtyard, bright and peaceful. Her clear skin glows and her petite lips curl in a shy cherry smile. Minji is her name and this is the second time she has come to see you, the first time for some basic mending on a lingerie dress for a summer outing.
âIâm going on an outing with a very kind young gentleman - Hyungjin. His father works at the radio company, you see. Heâs asked me out for a picnic - just us. Or, as just us as it can be with my sister chaperoning. I want to look my best.â
You smile. âAnd what do you consider to be your best? Imagine how you want to be seen - what you want him to think when he sees you.â
âPretty. Oh, maybe a little taller? I just want him to think that there is no one else like me.â
âThat makes sense. Remind me, when was the deadline for this hat?â
She looks at you, a little startled. âOh! Three weeks from Wednesday - the outing is on Thursday.â
You nod, pulling away to a calendar in the hallway draw to mark the date. Suki follows in your shadow, eyes speaking volumes of curiosity. âSo I donât forget. This is a big commission, Suki.â You murmur down to her.
You pull over a sketch as you sit back next to her. Measurements down the left. A large floppy straw hat with sakura pink ribbon around the base and fluttering down to tie to her chin. A floral pin to the right, twined with many small flowers like a bouquet. The sketch shows how the inside will most likely be felted, to prevent the straw from snagging in her dark silky curls. Minjiâs eyes light up as she coos and sings. Her slender hands clasp against her chest as she sways on the spot, ever the romantic.
âOh itâs perfect. Delightfully summery. If we could have the brim a touch thinner and the band a quarter of an inch thicker, that would be divine.â
You grasp the pencil oddly in your gnarled grasp, roughly drawing the modified lines. This has her singing again, humming and clapping in agreement. She is only one of two commissions - the other being an optional winter cloak for Soonyoung, a vivacious Spellmaster that specialises in ritual dance. He was going up to the mountains for the next month and needed something a little sturdier than whatever he wore down in Martine. Heâd even had the mind to pre-buy the material he wanted and bring it to you!
Mingyu lets you work in his kitchen for almost a month, one danish tin filled to the brim with sewing supplies and another biscuit tin on a shelf in the hall keeping your payments safe for board. He disappears out the back for long periods of time, banging about on the other side of the kitchen wall. He comes back sweaty and dusty, waving off your curiosity with a giggle. He would even shoo Suki out from around the corner.
âI promise Iâll tell you about it as soon as itâs done.â Is all he says one evening.
So, when he finally announces his work complete, youâre embarrassingly eager. The Kitchenmaster tugs you standing and holds your gnarled hands, guiding you up and around the back, down a path youâd never thought to wander to. Maybe he had cleaned this up too, recently.
He leads you around the back of the house to a little building, seemingly tacked on the end as an afterthought. Somehow, you realise, youâve never thought to look this way, even out of curiosity. The bricks were the same but the wood for the window frames werenât. The door frame was different again in material and shape compared to the rest of the house. Pulling out an old skeleton key, Mingyu opens the peeling forest green door to a dusty room, odds and ends everywhere. The room is dark and a little musty. Dust floats free in the air. Heâs quick to open curtains and windows to air out the sizable room.
âThis used to be my uncleâs office - he used to be some kind of intellectual. The garden was planted for his studies, actually. But when I moved in, I never needed an office, so it kind of just became the storage room. But, now that people are asking for your sewing and tailoring skills more frequently, you need more than just the dining table or even the attic. I can of course help clean up, but I thought, maybe? You could set up here? I mean, the desk is big enough to do something with, right?â
His warm eyes are hopeful as he stands by a desk, hands fiddling with the pocket of his apron. Suki surveys the space, sniffing at boxes and furniture. Finally, she settles herself atop whatever was on the window seat. Her yellow eyes glare at you expectantly. Certainly not taking no for an answer.
âI mean, this has way more natural light and saves people from walking through the boarding house all the time? O-Only if you want to? Take up tailoring properly?â Mingyu babbles on.
You take it in, slack-jawed. âMingyu...you...you found a room, just for me?â
Youâre afraid to speak any louder than a whisper, unable to trust your voice. You rest your hand on the heavy wood of the desk, surely a generation old, by the carved designs alone. Suki is inspecting every corner, her twisted whiskers getting in everything and catching cobwebs. Mingyu starts to go a little red, chuckling with a shrug.
âWell, yeah. Canât have you working on the kitchen table forever, can we? And I want you to feel comfortable here, for as long as you need to be.â He smiles.
You bite your chapped lips to stem the gurgled breath - your eyes prickle. You squeeze his large hand with your knobbly one, weak but meaningful.
You smile. âMingyu, this is a lovely idea. How much extra would you like me to pay?â
He pauses to stare at you, as if youâve grown a third eye. You flinch at the expression, uncomfortable with it in your current state. Mingyu softens his expression, shaking his head.
âExtra? No, I donât use this room and you need it. No extra charge. Itâs a win-win for the both of us. Please.â
You relax and nod, smiling tentatively. âAll right then. If you insist. Thank you Mingyu.â
Mingyu tinkers away for a few days after. As do you, the both of you working on opening up the back room some more. Dusting and wiping down surfaces, packaging anything up that needed to be out the way. Mingyu carves sigils into cupboard doors, jamming more and more things into them than usually possible. You stare curiously at the lone sewing set you had been working with, sat awfully small on the desk â still out of a biscuit tin. You take in the rest of the room â empty window seat, desperate for cushions, plenty of empty shelves for whatever you desired. Fabrics and sewing supplies. Maybe a dress form and some hat bases. If you really dared in the far future, maybe a sewing machine.
Itâs at the end of the week that Mingyu reveals his final work for you. Signs. Two â one to hang above your study door, the other to hang by the back gate of the bed & breakfast, facing the street. Martine Fashion and Millinery. You gasp, running your fingers over the painted and sealed wood.
âMingyu, really?â You murmur.
He beams. âWell, if youâre going to be working here, your business needs a name. And customers need to be able to find you. Really, it was no trouble.â
He stoops to pick up and push a small lacquered chest across the table at you. You let out a wet gasp, hands trembling as you reached out, fearful to do so.
âNow, now before you panic, this came out of your board for the month, so this isnât so much of a gift as it is an investment. And itâs just a basic one. You can add to it when and however you choose. But the biscuit tin was a little meagre at this point.â He explains.
You shake your head. âI donât know what to say. I-I donât understand. Mingyu, Iâm just some lady you met and took in. There is no need to go to these lengths.â
He shrugs and smiles again. âLike I said, this is all just an investment for me. I know this will pay off, for the both of us.â
You nod and promise to yourself that you intend to make every moment of this work count. If not for yourself, for Mingyu and all his hard work.
So Minjiâs commission plans get moved into the back room as does the calendar from the hallway. And the next morning, as soon as the sun kissed the horizon, you waddled through town to pick up supplies. Speaking of Minji, sheâs just as delighted as you are at the new space, swaying and bouncing on her toes and clapping in joy in the doorway.
âOh, look! Itâs wonderful! Your own space! Youâll be flooded with work in no time.â She gushes.
You smile warmly. Suki isnât even perturbed by her noise.
âI hope so. Here, this is yours.â You guide her to a hat sat on a back shelf where dry specimen jars were but days ago.
You turn to present it to her and watch with shock as her bright eyes go glassy. She holds her delicate hands to her little mouth. She glances between you and the sun hat, made to her specifications, almost as if youâd pulled it straight from the original plans.
âThis - this is for me?â She squeaks.
You nod. âOf course. Exactly as you asked. Would you like to-â
She whipped her hat pin out and wrenched her current hat off, slipping the new sun hat on. In that moment, you had to tip your head up a little to see her as before. There is a little mirror nailed to a wall and Minji twists and turns to examine it and herself.
âIâmâŚitâs beautiful. Oh, Y/N, youâve done a magnificent job.â She says softly.
âI hope so. Hyungjin canât possibly resist you now.â You add.
Youâre startled suddenly as she throws her arms around you, her soft floral scent enveloping you. She squeezes tight for such a petite girl, swaying you a little.
âI canât thank you enough. Truly.â
She pulls back, radiant and pops it into the waiting hat box. She takes a moment to secure her current hat back in place with her glittering pearl hat pin and cradles the box close.
âI donât care what happens tomorrow. I know it will go swimmingly. Iâm telling all my friends about you. I want you positively swamped with work if itâs all going to be just as good as this.â She says, resolute, before whirling out with a spring in her step.
Minji quickly rushes back, swinging into the doorway. âI will have my father send payment to you by the end of the day. Youâre getting paid handsomely for this, I assure you. A mere one hundred is not enough.â
You open your mouth to protest the agreed price but sheâs already gone, past your window and away.
In the days after, a young man walks into the study, angelic and handsome. As if he walks on air and pretty eyes almost hidden behind a lemon blonde fringe. There is a sleepy yet sweet turn to his lips as he waltzes into the study, a bundle of fabric in his arms. However, as soon as he lays his eyes on you, his face twists unpleasantly.
âOh dear. That is quite the curse you have.â He hums, letting the door shut behind him.
You deflate, leaning wearily against the desk. Of course, it has to be a wizard - a Spellmaster no doubt from the way he looks you over.
You heave a sigh. âHow can I help?â
âWell, I heard there was an exceptional seamstress in town and I just had to see them. My cloak is in tatters after my last assignment - small chimney dragon. Mingyu sent me.â
You perk up. âYou know Mingyu?â
âCertainly.â They smile. âIâm Yoon Jeonghan, first of my name, Class A Spellmaster - best in Martine.â
No wonder they could see through Seokminâs glamour. You hold out your hands as he gives you the dusty pink and sky-blue cloak. Itâs shredded and singed, limp in your grasp the way a wizardâs cloak never should be. Most cloaks of magic users had some sort of life or vibrancy to them. Their energy would zing over your skin, leaving you alive and sensitive. You lay it out over the heavy desk to make out the top and tail. He peers over it like a worried parent.
âSo, can you fix it?â
You shoot him a scowl. âIf you gave me some space and light, maybe.â
He ducks his head and steps back. âRight. Sorry. I just - my mother and grandmother made it for me. Theyâre my family colours.â
Something jabs right underneath your rib cage - an uppercut of feelings. Now you really canât turn it down - not that you would, you need the money.
âI see. Well, come back in a few days and Iâll see how I go. I - youâre my first proper, official customer. With the sign and all.â You confess.
Jeonghan straightens up. âWell, that is an honour. Please, let me know how you go - good day.â
The way he eyes you, youâre not sure what heâs referring to. But still, you pass a vague wave and hunch over the garment. When he leaves itâs with a little less bravado as before, his airy gait is a little more grounded - vulnerable. But Suki is absolutely enamoured with him, watching him with intent from the window.Â
âSuki leave him alone and come here, I need you to hold this.â You call, brisk.
She reluctantly turns and leaps up, sitting exactly where you need her as you unfurl it all and get to work on the spare space of the buffet. Your pencils and tailorsâ chalk come out as you sketch plans and designs. You frown over your shoulder as you eye it again. This was not going to be some small feat, thatâs for sure. By the end of the day, you have a semblance of a plan drawn up, especially after you realise that the tatters are worse than first feared. Itâs as if a bear has torn into it then a flood of moths had a feast. That small chimney dragon certainly did a number on this. Too many holes to just sew back together and call it a day. Heâs going to need a whole new cloak. So, you add new fabric to the list of shopping supplies. And then note that youâll need to design something asap - befitting of the willowy wizard.
It takes until the end of the week to have the design drawn up and fabric brought and cut to size. At least the hood and collar are still intact, so the measurements from that are used. Mingyu approves of the new design heartily, mindful of spilling goulash on the plans.
âOh, thatâs just perfect. His family isnât from around here, so heâll be waiting for a new one from them forever otherwise. Jeonghan is going to love it.â
You work furiously with it, alongside three other garments for Minjiâs friends â as she had promised, a steady stream of pretty socialites had come in with grand commissions, all with varying deadlines and needs. Jeonghan pops in once or twice as well, still appearing full of confidence, yet a little bare now you knew he was missing something. He didnât quite look whole. You shooed him out every time, with the promise it would be done soon.
âDo bear in mind that this is going to cost you a pretty penny. You gave me some shreds of a cloak and expected me to work magic on it â of which I cannot.â You huff one day.
He shrugs blithely, lemon yellow hair shining in the sun. âIf Mingyu and the others trust you, so do I.â
Then, he has the nerve to better eye you. âHmm - cursed?â
You draw up short and glare at him. âHow dare â yes. Why?â
Jeonghan shakes his head. âWho would curse you?â
âItâs none of your business!â Your grip is fisted in the fabric of his cloak, ready to slam it down and kick him out.
He slides his sight to Suki, looking at him as if he hung the moon and stars in the sky for her. He giggles and slants his head down at her.
âAnd with a familiar? So, you were a witch? A cursed witch with no magic. Hmm.â He ponders like a detective.
âOut with you.â You say through clenched teeth. âItâs not ready yet.â
The blonde draws back and tips his head as he backs out of the study. His shadow draws long over the floorboards.
âOf course. I will see you next week.â Jeonghan says softly. At least he has a bit of tact, you think as you heave a steadying breath.
When the assigned day arrives, Jeonghan is dramatic, splaying his body across your counter and disturbing your garments. Despite your irritation at the disruption, you smirk â your anger over the other day has dissipated. The secret is out, no use in holding anything over it.
"You roll wrong on that Spellmaster, and you'll become a pin cushion."
He sits up swiftly to attention, shooting you a pout. "Right. So, is it ready yet?"
You nod, opening the small cupboard above your head to pull down a folded garment, delicate and fine. You tuck some of the other pieces aside, folding them to hold their designs. The window streams in sunlight that catches on the metal of the pins.
"Now, like I said, I canât work magic and that cloak you gave me just could not be salvaged." Jeonghan deflates at your news. "However, I hope you don't mind, but I did take the liberty of designing and making a brand new one, based on the old pattern and colour scheme, and with Mingyuâs approval. With some added practicalities."
You shake it out, holding it up, inside facing. It looked a bit like the old diamond design but stylistically fragmented, like falling confetti. You used most of the old cloak, in fact, splicing it over the new sky-blue fabric youâd brought. You added a hood lining. Thin gold trim along the entire edges and a pocket or two as well. What catches his eye though is the talismans and charms stitched into the pattern. Ones for protection and added strength to the material. Ones for luck and a weave of beauty charms along the bottom hem, as functional as it was decorative. He smiles blindingly, taking it from your grasp. The fabric is thicker than before but still breathable and good for varied types of weather. He holds the cloak to the window, inspecting it with awe rounding his petal-like lips.
âI - Itâs beautiful.â He looks at you. âIâm glad you fixed this so well. I donât know what I would have done if you had done any less.â
Youâre a little overwhelmed with the compliments but shrug to take them, turning away and somehow trying to hide. But Jeonghanâs gaze isn't something you can hide from - heâs too talented and observant not to see. Every wrinkle and atom of your disfigurement. It suits his fair hair and skin, somehow more ethereal than before. Only now do you notice how discreet his wand holster is, tied under his shirt by his waist, only the wind giving it away. He steps in long paces into your personal space.
"And you used your magic as well! I thought you said you lost it along with the curse?" He blinks at you owlishly as he slides it over his solid shoulders - nothing like Mingyu's but still attractive. You frown.Â
"I have. Sigils aren't magic per se. Regular mortals can invoke them." You mutter, shifting your face deeper into your swath of fabrics.
Ever since Jeonghan arrived and re-exposed your curse, you'd taken to wearing your well-covering garments, if only for peace of mind. Not to mention the fact he was absolutely gorgeous so who would want to be seen next to him in your condition?
"Still. These ones have power to them. I bet they've never failed." He replies in a hushed tone, running his fingers over the silvery white thread stitching it all together.
You stay silent as he caresses the fabrics again, his posture changing back into something haughty - just the same way as you had first met him. His dark eyes brim with sincerity though, a warm lopsided smile there too.
âNo, really. I am indebted to you - this cloak is one of the most important things I own. Please, will you let me help you find a cure for your curse? I insist.â Jeonghan has to dip his head quite far to eye you with your lopsided hunch.
You wave him off with a scoff. âDonât be silly. Iâll be fine. Just please ensure that I am paid for my work. Itâs going to be a little bit more expensive than you probably expected, including labour and materials.â
Youâre lying. Obviously. Your trip to Seokmin was enough proof of that. Your room in the attic was back to being littered with research texts from Seokmin and any of Mingyuâs other friends who you raided. It had even escaped down here, cluttered in the corner of a shelf behind you. For those moments when your fingers could not take a moment more with a needle.
âOf course - name your price! But please, I insist. I am a Class A Spellmaster - the best wizard I know, if I do say so myself. If I cannot find a cure, then I will leave you be.â He casts a glance at Suki. âBut I'm sure neither you, nor your familiar, want to stay in these forms for very much longer.â
You grumble and gristle under your breath but concede - it couldnât hurt to have another pair of eyes, not to mention the expertise. You knew you were just as smart as him, once upon a time.
âTsk, if we can help it. I suppose another perspective isnât the worst thing. Thank you, Jeonghan.â You straighten up a bit. âBut, just for the record, I do know far better casters than you.â
He shows up bright and early the next morning, a satchel slung by his hip and a pile of books tucked amongst his arms. His lemony hair is in his eyes, from the wind. His cloak looks good on him still, settled with airy pride on his shoulders as it drifts about his calves. You splutter and scoff with disbelief from your new place in the study. You didnât expect him to start so soon.
âI - good morning?â You grouse.
His back is straight as he plonks it all down on the buffet. âHello, study buddy.â
âHmm, speaking of that...where will you be studying? I have the desk?â
Jeonghan really makes himself at home, politely shucking his shoes off by the doorway to show white redarned socks with sky blue patches over his big toe sewn with swamp green thread. He hangs his cloak up on the prescribed hooks by the door, the curling bronze dulled with age. Somehow, he finds a stool and tugs that over. How he looks so at home with his pastel attire startles you. Suki, as usual, is no help at all, no matter how much you nag her - âthis is for our board payment, you know. Keep a roof over our head? Useless cat.â
He pulls out his ink and quill and arranges himself neatly, a notebook rested against his thigh. A pair of thin gold rimmed glasses come out and gingerly perch on the bridge of his nose.
âSo, how far have you gotten with your research? I assume youâve done some?â He stares at you expectantly over his spectacles and you canât help but screw your face up - he looks like some kind of fluffy gossip column reporter, even the way he crosses his legs in such a conversational fashion.
âJeonghan, all my notes are in the attic. I donât really have the time to trudge all the way up there at the moment - I have three deadlines to meet to make board for next month.â
He waves you off. âOh, thatâs fine. Just talk to me and Iâll listen - get what I can. Then maybe tonight I can borrow your papers and weâll see what we come up with. I give it no more than a week and I'll have some answers for you.â
Ugh, arrogant.
Itâs been a few months and business is booming. You work late hours most days and often carry some sort of garment with you to Seokminâs when he is out on house calls and needs someone to watch the apothecary for a delivery. With you around he can even afford to do house calls now, something unheard of before, seeing as he was the only one at the shop. Suki doesnât like those days much, moving about, so she stays in the study, the window opened a crack to let herself in and out as she pleases. Meanwhile, you enjoy working on commissions in the bright, warm conservatory attached to Seokminâs apothecary. You make board and more, having the profits to purchase hat stands and so on, as well as squirrel away a portion into the former Danish tin forâŚwell you werenât sure what. But it felt responsible to have a bit aside for whatever emergency may befall you. Maybe injury? You were old.
Jeonghan has become a steady fixture in the study, between his own jobs. His cloak has been mended plenty of times since. His own corner while you take commission appointments at the main desk, his shoes staying on then. The Spellmaster even has the ingenuity to draw up a hefty glamour spell, with your expertise. You preen a little at his surprise at your knowledge â before all this you were studying to be an apprentice Spellmaster for the High Council your grandmother is on, so you needed to be a vessel of knowledge for anything. The glamour spell helps you ease the fear of leaving the study to retrieve any of your purchases from the post office, or even being seen by him. He brings lunch from the kitchen yet is fairly quiet, other than bouncing the odd theory about. Itâs refreshing from his dramatics initially.
Jeonghan rushes into the study one afternoon, face flushed but eyes a light. Heâs waving a scrap of paper in his hand, a massive book tucked under his arm. He had told you the evening before across Mingyuâs round, wobbly kitchen table that he would be working from his place - he had Spellmaster duties to attend to after all. He acted as if you thought he was the centre of the universe.
You scowl at him, a little irritated at the interruption. âHmm?â
âY/N! Iâve - Iâve got something!â
You look at him, nose screwed up. You roll your free hand at him, as if to continue. He rushes to sit on the edge of the desk yowling when a stray pin pricks his thigh.
âAbout your curse! Itâs self-inflicted!â He says quietly, full of pride.
Your face turns even more and your voice drops deadly low. Everything goes still. âI beg your pardon.â
He wilts at your tone of voice. Deathly calm yet uneven to tread. Your glare is both old and young, a fury for any age. He turns out the tome he held, fabric hardcover soft and faded on the corners from age. He points to a passage that threw your entire life back in your face.
Self-inflicted curse caused by a power recoil, usually due to using a spell too advanced for oneâs own capabilities. This can affect the casterâs relative surroundings in any fashion from explosions and fire to time displacement. The cure is unknown and inconclusive, suspected to be only found by the caster themselves. A casterâs Familiar, should they have one, is greatly affected by this curse, as they are linked.Â
âItâsâŚthe effects are the same.â He says carefully. âThis is why you had so many sources on self-induced effects. You knew.â
Itâs a slap in the face having your own suspicions said back to you. You didnât truly want to admit out loud this was all your fault to anyone else except Suki. Nor did you want anyone else finding out your own monumental mistakes.
âWith an unknown cure, Jeonghan!â You cry out, louder than you intended, but you meant it. âI can be stuck like this forever - or however long that is in my state. And all I know is that itâs my own fault! Which, from everything so far, was kind of obvious!â
You rise up and snap the book shut, narrowly missing his nimble fingers. You havenât been this enraged in a long time. Before the curse. You shove it back in his direction.
âGet out. Get out!â You yell, shooing him out of the room like vermin.
Suki is rumpled and skitters around your feet, sending herself out with him. Traitor. You slam the door in his fearful face and bow forward, resting both palms on the wood.
Of course, it was your fault. Youâre the one with the arrogance to try and cast the memory spell when your father had explicitly told you not to. It was old and full of components you thought you understood â you were studying this specific vein of magic, of course you should know by now. You could do everything else, why was this the spell that would hold you back? Once it had been cast, your memory would be able to hold almost infinite information. It was easier than binding a casterâs magic. Your own hubris led you to cast it in the sloping backyard of the family house. In the dead of the night with everyone away at a Council convention. You had felt it fly out of control, like a garden hose pressure sending it spinning and water flying. Your shout of shock and Sukiâs yowls the last things you heard. Then the home that had been in your family for generations was up in flames, the frame hanging together by the thread. The force of it all sent you careening into your motherâs prized rose bushes. When you came to, this is who you were. So, you ran.
So yes, youâd known deep down for a long time where it came from. But hearing there was no cure? Well then, what was the point?
You work in a guilt and anger fuelled fever the rest of the day and only until the oil in your lamps had dwindled did you toss it in for the time being, dragging your feet around into the house. There was a serving of dinner set aside, still magically warm to the touch, but the rest of the place was dark and quiet.
Jeonghan waits a few days before he returns, devoid of supplies for once. You suppose now that he had worked out the crux of the curse, that that was it. Mission accomplished. Youâre working on a suit for Eugene who owned the post office. Heâs planning on surprising his wife for their anniversary and wanted to look as good as feasibly possible. Guilt has been eating at you like nothing else, but you were too prideful and busy to find him. His hands are tucked underneath his cloak, behind his back. You fold the suit away quickly.
âIâm sorry.â You say quickly, softly before he can get any thought in conversation.
He looks up, brow creased beneath his fringe. âSorry?â
âFor snapping at you. And not telling you everything about the curse. I let you go on a wild goose chase and didnât stop you at all.â
Jeonghan sighs and smirks wryly. âThank you. But Iâm sorry as well. I was a little insensitive when I brought it up. Of course there is guilt to things like this. But, now that we know where this stems from, we can start working on how to reverse it.â
You canât help it. In shock, you laugh, bowed against the desk. You laugh so hard, you must cover your eyes, tears seeping out with the force. Suki is at attention, ears folded back at the sharp noise.
âYou still want to help me. Even though we may never find a cure?â
He nods and straightens up smartly. âEven if we donât find one, weâre all still here for you. So, are you in?â
âSure.â
He backs up from his place in the doorway. He hasnât even taken off his shoes yet, like usual. âThatâs great, since I left all my supplies in the kitchen, in case you said no. Weâve got a lot of work to do. But, imagine it - my lifeâs work, breaking the unbreakable curse. Yoon Jeonghan, legendary Spellmaster.â
You scoff loudly and turn away from him to let him bask in his imagination before retreating to get his things. Goodness, he was ridiculous. The most arrogant Spellmaster in Martine, surely.
Not even a week later, Mingyu peers in, a little frazzled. âI - are you very busy?â
Jeonghan is at his usual perch, swiftly sitting upright. Youâre intently over another filmy garment - with summer breathing down your neck, a lot of commissions were being used with thinner fabrics, looser to let that salty sea breeze through.
âNo more than usual. Do we have an urgent client?â You ask.
âSort of. Iâll bring her round.â
Moments later, Mingyu is trailed by a young woman with inky black hair piled in a typical Gibson bun from the way her hair sits off her neck and forehead. She wilts in a large sunhat and pastel pink dress with a touch too many frills to be tasteful. There is a basket on her arm.
Mingyu ushers the young woman in. âHi, Y/N. This is Park Haeun, third of her name. Sheâs holidaying for the summer. From Aria. I suggested she come round to get one of her dresses fixed?â
Sheâs petite and full of soft shapes - except her eyes. Despite how wide they were, her eyeliner is sharp and narrow. Sheâs the epitome of an Aria summer - all muslin fabrics and warm rolling hills. In her arms is the basket, and in quite a rough fashion she pushes it onto your workspace, disrupting some of your other commissions. Her little round lips are pursed in a pout. Jeonghan busies himself with Suki by the window, teasing her a little and scratching at her chin. He usually does this with any of your consultations, some false air of privacy.
âOh! I - Madam Y/N!â You bristle at the title but understand - the glamour does show some age. âI met Master Mingyuâs current lodgers on the train when the most disastrous thing happened! One of my favourite dresses was caught in a trunk and ripped. Master Mingyu says you are a dream with a needle and thread! Is there any way to salvage it?â
You tie off your thread and carefully (yet hastily) fold the combination undergarment away into the cupboard you have commandeered from Mingyu. Wading over, you pull the dress out, shaking it straight. The hem of the dress has torn a good inch or three, leaving it frayed and disrupting the overall image of airiness. It was right at the front. Not an easy feat.
âThe fabric is awfully thin. I mean, with the price of fabrics here, I would just recommend a little mending and sew a whole new layer over top, if youâre that attached to it.â You mutter.
She withers a little. âOh. I was really hoping something could be done. It was a gift from my father.â
You clench your teeth. Sentimental stuff always gets to you - Jeonghanâs cloak was enough evidence to that. Laying it out, you better inspect the garment, comparing the tear, then the rest of the stitching. If you did it close enough with two strands rather than six like usualâŚ
âLeave it with me for the week. Iâll see what I can do.â
She beams and you blink from the haze of her image. âOh, wonderful! Thank you so much Madam Y/N.â
Haeun reaches out to shake your hand vigorously and draws back a little as she comes closer. Her joy morphs to concern and you can feel her eyes seem to go through you.
âAre you well, Madam Y/N? You look awfully...ailed.â
You draw back as well, tucking your hand into yourself and drawing your attention to Mingyu. âI... well, Iâve had a bit of a tough time. Mingyu, when is lunch?â
He blinks at you. âI - very soon. Iâll back around when itâs ready? Bye, Y/N.â
At least he gets the picture of dismissal. Haeun looks guilty enough for you as she dips her head in farewell. Only now you realise that sheâs still wearing her hat. Inside.
âThank you so much again, Y/N. Goodbye.â
They both exit and you can see her give a lingering look to Jeonghan, who she hasnât had a chance to speak with at all. He smiles small and polite, eyes sliding to yours widened in alarm. The moment their feet hit the brick pathway, he steps over for you to catch his forearm.
âShe saw through the glamour. All of it. How did she see through my glamour? We made it ourselves." You hiss in panic.
âWhat do you mean?â
âShe couldnât look me in the eye - barely looked at me at all. Asked if I was ailing. Iâm supposed to look old, not haggard!â
He shrugs. âShe may just have The Sight. No need to worry.â
You scowl and twist away to eye the garment darkly. You had to fix this pretty thing now. If only to be rid of her chipper disposition.
You tinker away at it, your assumptions right when it comes to mending it. You were glad that the waist was well gathered, so the movement mostly hid anything possibly unsavoury - which none of it was. With such a straightforward fix, you had no reason to sew in any charms. In those two days, Haeun was exploring the town, often running into any of the wizards you knew. Mingyu invited her over for dinner the night you expected her back for her dress. Jeonghan chatted with her at length about Aria, something you wouldnât have expected of him - he was usually so private. Your chest would have a sharp icepick driving through you the more he opened up to her. It had you turning your nose up at him and giving him the silent treatment under the guise of commission work. Small wins, you suppose.
When she shows up in your workroom again, Jeonghan is on her tail, smiling brightly. It makes your stomach churn and you canât work out for the life of you why. She may not be the most tactful person, but she was pleasant enough. There was nothing to be worried about, no matter how much your gut may think so. Mingyu was trying to get you and Suki to eat. Haeunâs dress, once youâd set up for it, was an easy job, finished in a matter of hours, so you were back to your more demanding garments. Minjiâs new hat - yes, another, the girl had an addiction, you swear - is half done, glaring at you from the mannequin head standing on the desk. The ribbon looks limp as it seemed to reach out for you.
âMadam Y/N! How does my dress go?â
You duck into the side room, formerly what you assumed to be some sort of library or dark room before it was cleaned out and a window busted through. Hanging in the sun is the dress. She gasps on sight, rushing over to grab at the hem. Gently ruffling and tugging the skirt, Haeun deems it worthy. She scoops it from your arms, folding it hastily back into her basket. If that was how it was packed in the first place, no wonder it caught a snag â no respect.
âThank you so much! It looks like it never happened at all. How much?â
You shrug. âOnly $60.â
She looks at you from the side of her lashes but passes over the money for you to slip into the Danish tin in a drawer of the desk. Patting the lid of her basket, she beams back over at Jeonghan.
âYou were right when you said she was the best seamstress youâd ever met in the world.â
âAre there no seamstresses in Aria?â You canât help but ask.
She shrugs. âYes, of course, but none of them would have said yes to this job.â
Oh. So it was like that then - the impossible job.
Youâre still smarting over her comment when they sweep out in the same breezy fashion that they arrived and you get back to your work, ignoring the beseeching gaze of Jeonghan through the study window. You were tempted to pack some of his studies away for room, but at the heart of it all, you didnât have a venom in you to do so - there was plenty of room elsewhere for your spread out. He was only trying to help, after all. And Haeun did pay as requested. Other than a foul mood there was nothing to negate or argue.
You are surprised though when Jeonghan reappears not an hour later. Your ears are attuned to the sound of his sensible boots over the pathway, even through a catching giggle of Haeunâs that carries from what must be the kitchen or courtyard.
âJeonghan, is dinner ready so soon? Itâs not even dark.â You comment, pausing to lean on the desk.
He shakes his head. âNo, not yet. Mingyu is waiting for the others to arrive first before he even thinks about touching a spice or spoon.â You huff a laugh through your nose but he continues. âI was actually checking on you. Haeunâs words didnât sit well with you and I wanted to settle her before I saw you.â
Again, you laugh at his turn of phrase - he treats her like a child to be coddled. Knows you too well not to make his words a statement. You nod.
âYou are correct. I didnât like her comment about the Aria seamstresses. I canât pin down just one thing, but itâs enough to annoy and insult, Jeonghan.â You say as evenly as you can. Itâs not his fault.
He hums and comes closer to lay a hand over your own gnarled knuckles. It still takes everything you have not to withdraw. His dark eyes are warm and the turn of his mouth sympathetic.
âAh, I know. She is from Aria and they tend to be like that, you know? Bad at filtering their thoughts with a serve of perceived imperious. I should know, Iâm from Aria, too.â
Your brows shoot up into your hairline, even as it comes together in your mind. Oh, of course! Jeonghanâs accent was a dead giveaway to his upbringing. Through his soft, slightly raspy voice the faint accent of those from Aria was present. Even in the way he dressed, simple but clean, unlike Seokmin and Mingyu who both looked more ready for a day farming and other labour in earth tones and natural woven fibre such as linen. So, he had that air of superiority about him you liked to pop so often. How had you not noticed it before? It was nice, as much as you hated to admit it, to work with someone a bit more well-travelled like yourself. Soonyoung was an exception seeing as his magical talent was so rare and sought after, he travelled often. But Jeonghan had grown up in another country. There were different customs and meanings for social etiquette and various objects. It meant more knowledge which you had always selfishly strived for.
âI see. That makes sense.â You say carefully.
He nods again, eyes shut sagely. âHmm. Would you like to come inside now? Have a cup of tea before we send Haeun on her way?â
He squeezes your hand gently and you pull away from your work, letting him lead you out. Suki meows and takes the window exit instead as you grab the key and lock the door.
Famous last words. Somehow, youâd both forgotten she was here in Martine on holiday, so whether you liked it or not, she was sticking around for a little while longer. A few days later showing up at Seokminâs for a chat and to arrange a lunch by the sea for those who could join - you were instantly withdrawn from this event as you had jobs to do and a trip to the post office for Eugene.Â
Then, a day or so later after that, another feature at Mingyuâs place to see off his lodgers and stick her nose in your business. An empty babble about how hard working you were and a slight kickback about your age again. You bite your tongue at how the cluster of wizards humour her, like babysitting a child. Even Jeonghan gets in on it sometimes, your research on the back burner for his own jobs and Haeun.
Seokmin is walking you back to the boarding house, his arms full of fabrics ordered from the post office. The sun is almost set, gas lamps lit and casting everything in a dim, warm glow. But your hackles raise when you feel the rush of whispers through the air. For once though, they donât seem to have begun because of you - in fact, barely anyone is looking. Itâs the women of the boutiques and the populace donned in cloaks that huddle close and murmur, something akin to a buzzing hive. Pointed hats up and down the street, tilted together in hushed tones. Distress weaving them together. You glance at the Potionsmaster and he guides you to a pair of young men. Joshua and Soonyoung - youâre getting quite close to them as they drop into Seokminâs store, asking for this and that or into Mingyuâs for Sunday night dinner. Soonyoung loved his cloak, toasty and functional up in the mountains for the solstice. Theyâre kind enough not to speak of your condition and they chat with you almost as easily as they do Seok.
âWhatâs going on?â Seokmin chirps, hands tucked into the pocket of his canvas apron - heâs resting your fabrics on the park bench the group managed to grab.
Soonyoung turns to him. âWhere have you been? Have you not heard?â
You look between them all and shake your head. âWhat is it? Why are all the Casters out tonight?â
Joshua pulls out a limp and crumpled newspaper from his cloak. Itâs folded back to a page in the middle. Wizards Flee Aria En Mass. He puts it away before you get a chance to read much else.
âThe King of Aria has put a bounty out on a wizard who entertained the court for slighting the princess. Every wizard in Aria is being called for questioning - word is itâs more like torture. Soon, Aria will be devoid of magic users all together if this is how they treat us.â Joshua summarises quietly with a shake of his head and soft tut between his lips. âI thought it was bad before, when the royal family called wizards extortionists of the court.â
âI donât know how much of a heart she has, honestly.â Soonyoung grumbles. âEnacted a ritual for them for the summer solstice once. She had the nerve to call it barbaric.â
Seokmin gently kicks his leg in silent scolding but doesnât disagree. Nor do you. You canât help but think of that throwaway comment of Jeonghanâs after hassling you one day in the office, feet kicked up on the desk. Then again, when Haeun rubbed you the wrong way.
âJeonghan is from Aria.â You say softly, looking to the pavement. âHe might get called up.â
The three of them turn to you, Suki plopped on a foot. You shrink into your head scarf, feigning cold. The crease to your brow has Seokmin slipping an arm around you, tucking you tightly to his side. He smiles small yet bright.
âDonât worry too much about him. He can handle himself - besides, heâs here in Martine with us. They havenât summoned anyone from over the border yet.â
You hum and nod, bidding farewell to the other two wizards as you turn for the hill.
The summer was in full swing, fresh sea breeze winding up the hilly streets of Martine and into the open window of your studio. It had the sun turn warmer and days drag languid. Sometimes you just wanted to stop and let the world go by, like today. Jeonghan seemed to be in the same mood, his notes open but empty in his lap and his ankles propped up on the window seat. He sits a little awkwardly, twisting to sit half in the sun. All he had asked was if your family was just as powerful as you. Then off you went. Tangents about your father and grandmother, the most powerful witch you had ever known. The gently rolled hill that made your backyard so smooth juxtaposed with your familyâs higgledy-piggledy ancestral home, structures leaning and hanging off it as the members of your family grew over the generations. Your motherâs gardens, blossoming and flawless year-round. Shadows have changed for sure by the time you surface from your memories.
You feel like a bit of a fool for harping on so much about your family home, the homesickness eating away at you so obviously. Even as Jeonghan listens so intently to you, pausing his research. You laugh and shake your head.
âYâknow what? Enough about me. What about you? Did you grow up in Aria? Whatâs that like? Land of Melodies as they call it - oh! Can you sing?â
He chuckles but shifts, and officially closes his notes to toss them on the other window seat cushion - guess nothing was really getting done today then. Youâve mirrored him, putting a hatpin in the hat stand you were working on, setting it to the corner of the desk. You slump in your set, arms folded over the dark wood.
âI can - most of us in Aria can. If you can't, you play an instrument. Or if not that, you certainly have some kind of talent in the fine arts. Itâs the backbone of the country.â
Jeonghan though, is quiet and guarded with his answers and you canât help but think youâve struck a nerve. But he lets you press on so you donât quite know how bad said nerve is. You find out that he has a younger sister who is a beautiful witch herself who likes working with animals. And that heâs been away for a long time.
âSo, whatâs kept you away for so long? For work or - did you screw up at home too?â You laugh lighter than you feel at the self-deprecating joke.
He shoots you a look but shakes his head. âNo, for work. I used to work in the Kingâs Court. As a performer.â
You coo in interest. âOoh, what did you used to do!â
âI was a court magician. One of the best Spellmasters means I can do all sorts - make the stained-glass windows dance and sing, send people into the sky.â Jeonghan says gently.Â
Is that a whiff of wistfulness you detect? You wouldnât be surprised. Such a job could easily boost his already inflated ego on a daily basis. Listening to the King - a man with no magic, despite his daughterâs extensive magical talents - exclaim and wax poetic about Jeonghanâs abilities would surely leave any normal magic user with a sense of importance.
âI bet that would have paid handsomely too. Why did you leave?â
Then he goes quiet, a shadow passing over his warm eyes. Youâre about to pull your question when he speaks again, glancing away from you.
âUh, affections were not returned at court, so I couldnât stay. The King was after me over the whole ordeal, so I had to leave.â
You canât help it - you splutter out a laugh. âYouâre...on the run from the King of Aria over a jilted lover?â
He pouts and huffs, sleepy eyes turning to a steely glare. It doesnât quiet you at all as you stop further forward, howling with laughter. Suki is curled up on the floor in a slice of sunlight, one golden eye squinted open to watch the two of you. Tugging his cloak tighter around himself, he nods.
âNot just any. The princess; his daughter.â He mumbles.
Youâd met her once as a child with your family on a work trip to Aria. Beautiful and graceful. A wonderful magic-user. But very haughty and condescending to your younger self, which you never took very kindly. You could imagine the two of them together easily. Jeonghanâs pretty appearance and her sophisticated beauty, not to mention their combined magic abilities would have been something to be reckoned with. Your own heart shrinks a little, aggravating the creak to your aged bones.
âOf course - youâre the wizard the King has a bounty on! It had to be you! But why would you run from a life like that?â You say with wonder.
âI didnât mean to lead her on - didnât even know I was doing it until I turned her down and she threatened my life! She told the King that I stole her heart and called a bounty on me. Good thing I used an alias at the palace or I would have been done for by now.â He explains with a sigh, raking his hands through his hair and pushing his fringe back.
Surely the use of an alias didnât make him look much better, but you decided not to offer that opinion even as you ignored the way your heart picked itself back up again. You direct your attention back to the hat at your desk, nodding in understanding.
âWow, Iâm still impressed youâve managed to hide out for this long.â You say instead.
Jeonghan smiles. âI know. But still, I try not to get too comfortable.â
You look at the way heâs kicked off his boots by the door and now shifted off his seat and into your sunlit window seat, curled up like a cat.
âOh yes, you look most uncomfortable in a foreign space.â
He rolls his eyes but says nothing else. Your focus back on Ms. Kangâs summer hat, an odd request for autumn - nevertheless, itâs work. As you attach and gather the inner felt and matching ribbon, you canât shake the questions bubbling on the tip of your tongue.
âDid you steal her heart, like she said? Physically or otherwise?â You ponder aloud.
âNo! As able as I am, I didnât. She still has one. Where, I donât know.â Jeonghan whines.
Suki startles at that, eyeing you then the beautiful Spellmaster. She migrates to his stomach and he smiles softly, rubbing gently behind her ears. You snarl under your breath, lip curled back.
âRude littleâŚâ
Jeonghan can slowly see your youth turn its head, in minuscule ways.
Your growing passion for your little sewing business. Minji especially brings it out whenever she comes by to say hello, the grey in your hair seeming to glow like starlight in the sun - two cosmic lights against one another.
You talk to him, not like a Spellmaster to be revered, but a person. A mischievous young man that wonât leave you alone. And when he isnât actually doing his job as Spellmaster in Martine, youâre making him run errands for you. Haeun could try and vie for his attention as much as she wanted, with a pout complaining how he worked just as hard as you. But her saccharine syrup words had nothing on the whip tongue you had that would catch his ankles.
âJeonghan, Iâve ordered a few bolts of fabric from Seychelles and had mail come by saying it is here. Can you go down to the post office and get it?â You say, a pincushion in the shape of a squishy cat sits on your wrist. If he squinted it kind of looked like Suki.
He jerks a little from his reclined perch across from you at the desk. âYou want me to do what? Canât you get Mingyu to do it or cast it over? Or delivery?â He complains without venom.
You shoot him a severe glare. âMingyu has guests in the B&B at the moment. Besides, this is Martine, not Aria - you should know as well as I that they arenât forward enough to have a delivery service yet.â
There are no fine wrinkles catching on the edges of your eye side, nor in your laugh lines. Like a young woman with a grey wig on. He has to blink away his awe and compose himself. Something, he thinks, to add to his study notes. With a dramatic sweep he settles his cloak on. Running his fingers through his lengthening blonde strands to clear his face he flops in the doorframe.
âI suppose youâre right. Iâll be back in a jiffy.â
You smile, small and grateful with a minor tip to your chin as a nod, aiming your focus back on the garment scattered in front of you.
Youâre still young on the inside, you remind yourself, every time you gaze a little too long at Jeonghan. Rain or shine, heâs angelic. Sometimes he helps you garden, hovering by you like a worried mother while you hack away at weeds and cut flowers for the many vases that are scattered throughout Mingyuâs house.
âI - be careful! YouâreâŚâ He murmurs under his breath, gardening gloves and a ratty canvas apron tied around his waist (that you made for him, a patch of blue flowers on the pocket)Â
You twist on your knees to look up at him severely, a snarl twitching at the edge of your lips. âIâm what?â
âFragile.â He sighs.
Youâre still old on the outside, you remind yourself every time he says something like that, stamping out the skip in your heart.
Suki adores him, obviously - theyâre just as vain as each other. Suki used to preen and fluff all the time before her mange. And now thatâs back on form with the strengthened glamour, she does it twice as often, as if to make up for lost time. Jeonghan submits to her every whim.
âOh Suki, you are gorgeous today.â He says, sickly sweet, clapping softly as she parades around the study, a new scarf made from fabric scraps nestled amongst her fur - this one in a brassy gold and green to match her eyes and her fur.
You roll your eyes. âYou donât need to humour her so - she does enough of that herself.â
She yowls at you, shooting you a scowl - you return the sentiment, sticking out your tongue over the combination undergarments you were mending - one too many romps in the field for Minji, you think wryly.
You donât realise that your age eases every time you stay outspoken. How you glow cool yet bright like starlight, bouncing off Jeonghanâs warm and strong radiance with something softer but just as steady. You miss his glances - he has a bit more self-control - who wants to be caught daydreaming about the elderly seamstress that Mingyu houses? You hope he misses yours as itâs a little odd to be having someone of your condition look so at a young wizard of his calibre.
He doesnât see your age very often any more - physically or otherwise. Whether it may be because heâs seen you without that elderly edge for a while or because often you donât act your physical age. Maybe it might have to do with the fact that magic users age at a different rate to mortals, so age is less of an obstacle. But no, you're still twenty-something to him. Youâre still magic.
A few weeks later, Minji, now a regular client of yours (actually, your most frequent and favourite, if youâre honest) comes rushing in. Sheâs a youthful whirlwind, running into the work room, the door left swinging open to let in the early autumn air. Itâs not even a week after you finished her second hat and sheâs waving her left hand around, shards of light scattering throughout the room.
âI - what is the meaning of this?â You splutter, squinting to shield yourself.
Hyungjin peers in from the doorway with a kind and soft smile, a little flushed in his cheeks. The ribbons of Minjiâs hat flutter through the room as she squeals.
âWeâre getting married!â
You stand up and eye the ring glittering on her finger, the gold band pristine and a teardrop shape of a diamond set in a gold crowning. Itâs beautiful and tender, just like her. You smile brightly.
âIâm so happy for you! Congratulations!â
âItâs thanks to you - it has to be!â
You shake your head as you cradle her hand. âNo, how can it be? Minji, youâre a wonderful person - of course Hyungjin would propose. He would be foolish not to.â You smile over her shoulder to him. âJust as you would have been silly to turn it down.â
She shakes her head. âNo, no. It would have taken us forever! It must be you! Y/N, will you make my wedding dress? With your beautiful work and luck, I canât imagine anyone else. Father and I will pay handsomely for your work as always, I assure you. Just, please, say yes?â
Her dark, sparkling eyes plead with you silently as Hyungjin shrugs - as if to say what his fiancĂŠ says, goes. Her hands swing yours as the bottom lip juts out in a pout. You screw your own nose up and turn away.
âAlright, fine. If you stop pulling that face.â You say gruffly.
Suki, however, has perked up immensely, golden eyes watchful and curious with their glow. Minji squeals, jumping on the spot. She even drags Hyungjinâs loping frame closer, planting a solid kiss to his cheek. Her skirts kick at your legs as she flounces about like a puppy.
âOh, thank you! Iâll come by next Wednesday? To discuss design and budget, of course.â
Before you have a chance to even agree, she whirls out, her heels clicking over the cobblestone, but not before stopping suddenly, head tilted at you in confusion.
âI - yes?â
She laughs, shakes her head. âNothing, only that it looked as if you had gotten younger somehow. Silly thought to tease you with, Iâm sure. Goodbye!â
Her shoes sound over the stones and around the corner, naivety dancing past your window. You turn, bewildered, to Suki. She meets you halfway to stare at you just as intently. You look down at your hands, then to the half-sewn sigil in Seokminâs mended shirt.
âDo...do you think it was really me?â You say softly to Suki. âI - do you think I can cast again?â
She chirps and leaps up to paw at the shirt, swiping it towards you. You nod and claim your usual place behind the desk, stitching away at the strength charm, pouring intent into every piercing of the fabric. You want this shirt to be strong, almost indestructible. The moment you tie the thread off, there is a gust of wind, warm and cold all at the same time. Suki bristles against it, struggling to hold herself upright. When it clears you let out a strangled scream.
Suki. Sheâs fluffy and majestic as the day the two of you met. As if the curse and mange had never happened. Whiskers straight and wispy, twitching proudly on her face. Her yellow eyes were vibrant, reminiscent of topaz rather than tarnished gold. She seemed to preen and wink at you, as if to say, yes, weâre back.
Jeonghan has shown up early - early being midday - for another round of study. But heâd gawked when he had seen you, claiming you were somehow different.
So, in a panic you dash back inside, scrambling for the powder room on the ground floor of Mingyuâs place. You delicately touch your face, watching your reflection react. Old. Not ugly anymore, but still old.
You tear up, biting your lip as your turn away in disgust all over again. You jump in fright at the sight of Jeonghan in the doorway. Then you promptly burst into tears, pushing past him and dashing down the path to your sewing room, slamming the door shut. You scramble to shut the filmy curtains there for privacy. Barely a moment later, there is a faint tap at the door.
"Go away!"
"Can I come in, please?" His voice is soft.
You whine out in disagreement. He knocks again, pleading gently.
"No! I'm still old! The curse isn't gone!" You cry out, crumpled against the wood.
Head buried in your knees, you lament your situation. He taps again, this time much closer to your head. His hand smooths down the wood and you assume he's sitting on the pebbled ground outside.
"Let me in so we can work this out together. Suki is out here and she looks perfectly fine. We really should talk about this."
"Ugh, I know she does! I don't want to! It's hopeless, Jeonghan. Go home, please. Take Suki with you if she'll let you. I really want to be alone." You whimper.
You can hear him shift against the wood. "Okay. But I will be back tomorrow. We will fix this. Together."
There is a soft tone of pleading you've never heard of before and he drifts away.
Jeonghan makes good on his promise, showing up the next afternoon to see how you are. He carries in a small pile of spell books, full of ideas. They fall quiet at the sight of you, passed out in the late afternoon sun over a half-made garment, the design plans crumpled under an outstretched arm. Jeonghan has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself silent. Your youth has returned to your face, smoothing out wrinkles and giving your hair a lively shade again. He seems to hold his breath, keeping the world as still as he can to look at you a moment more unbroken. This is really you. There is a pucker to your face as you shift in discomfort, opening your eyes. Then like the flood of a rainstorm, the age has returned, your prim hairstyle drawing your face back. He quickly drops all of his papers to your sewing cabinet, all of them obsolete at this new clue.
âJ-Jeonghan. You are back.â You yawn, threading your needle into your garment in a baste stitch to hold it in place.
Standing, your posture isnât as hunched as before and he can finally make out your proper facial features, even through the age. You would have looked beautiful a few months ago - you did, moments ago. The grey of your hair isnât so wiry, more reminiscent of the silver that glints on his fingers when he casts spells - glowing and bright.
âI said I would be, so I am. Suki is in the kitchen with Mingyu. Seems like Iâm not a catâs cook.â He laughs softly.
You smile too and roll your eyes. âDonât take it personally. Sheâs been my familiar for years and sheâs never been completely happy with whatever I give her.â
Then, you look down to the garment youâre working on, fiddling with the rough hem. âBy the way, Iâm sorry for lashing out again, yesterday. It wasnât the best news.â
He sighs and comes round to meet you by your desk. Jeonghanâs slender hand falls over your own, his thumb rubbing absent circles.
âI understand. Of course it wasnât. It was something we didnât factor into our journey. But itâs still progress. So now we work on this new phase.â He gives your hand a squeeze and a gentle smile. âBefore you know it, youâll be back to normal and even more amazing than before.â
With Jeonghanâs persistence at solving your magical mystery, you feel itâs only right to maybe divulge the true goal - your past. So one balmy afternoon, you walk to the back of the attic room, to the small shelf. Jeonghan is hanging in the doorway, polite yet curious. A single book sits flat - charred on the top corners and missing the back cover. Suki jumps up to the window sill and watches the two of you intently. You flip to the back few pages that move in a loop. Jeonghan leans over, scanning them carefully. Itâs one of the few things you took from the accident, and it was only by luck seeing as it flew from the explosion and landed in the scorched grass nearby.
"That's Suki. Wait...is that. That's you." He says, pointing at one.
It's a personal favourite of yours. You were dancing in a circle on the back lawn of your ancestor's home, casting sparking light charms with your newly carved wand. Suki weaved and pounced at your feet, trying to catch them while you laughed at her. Even though it's in sepia tones you could see the life and youth that you used to have. The one next to it a few years before, out the front of the High Council building. Youâre in your favourite cloak and a dark formal dress, the heirloom witchesâ hat wonky on your head and a blinding smile. Youâre holding your Class B Spellmaster qualification proudly in both hands, your wand clutched amongst it. A little over two years later, you were cursed.
"Yeah. That's what I looked like before the curse - that last one. A few months after this the accident happened and my wand splintered to pieces. I lost it and my youth to the fire." You murmur.
He smiles. "You're very pretty."
"Was, Jeonghan." You correct him gently with the slight gravel to your voice.
"Well, the ugliness was lifted, surely the age can be too." He says with conviction.
You shrug. "Let's hope."
All the while, Haeun slowly worms her way into almost every facet of your new life. Waltzing to your study space too often unannounced to do nothing but meddle and make herself at home.
Dinners and lunches at Mingyuâs round kitchen table he has to always polish before she comes or else she will say something about it. Perched daintily in the window of Seokminâs conservatory as your little band of wizards tries another way to lift your curse. And if you werenât familiar with these tactics you wouldnât have picked up on just how damn nosey she was. She was no help in your quest to reverse your curse, content to babble and give the wizards the nth degree about absolutely nothing!
Asking Seokminnie about his wand skills, naively watching the shame round his shoulders as he confesses his minimal wand ability. Then her botched attempt to smooth it over and move on as if trying to hide a table under a rug.
You pat Seokminâs arm later on, in a rare shadow of the greenhouse. âSeok, youâre the owner of the best apothecary in Martine. Who needs spells when you've got that?â
He smiles small and shrugs, his aura still seeming too dim for your liking. Such a kind young man didnât deserve to be diminished.
âI guess. Thanks.â
âNo, I mean it. Leave her be. Youâre worth far more than youâre obviously giving credit for.â
Haeun isnât a threat. You arenât competition. There is no competition â youâre an old lady. Albeit a young woman trapped in the body of an elderly one, but still. Haeun doesnât know that. Still, whenever she comes around to your sewing space specifically, babbling like a schoolgirl, you end up more accident prone and grinding your teeth. Mingyu and Joshua have wisely learnt that it is in your best health not to bring the Aria holidaymaker to the study.
Jeonghan is another story.
Suddenly, for all his perceptiveness, he brings her round every time heâs with her. Despite your abrasiveness toward her, heâs smooth as butter. Perches himself on the edge of your desk, the soft scent of honey and something fresh filling your senses. Haeun almost always tries to hover with him before resigning herself to the window seat, thus kicking Suki from her sun spot. Youâre glad you have at least one comrade - as unlikely as she is - in arms against this imaginary foe. Surely he isnât being that oblivious or insulting. Jeonghan isnât like that. You hope itâs just a necessary evil he canât get out of, or constant coincidence. Maybe she likes being in your space? Whatever it is, you wish it werenât true.
Mingyu brings it up, oddly enough, as you nurse your tender, well-stabbed fingers just before dinner.
âHave you ever known Haeun to be a flirt?â He says over the chopping board.
You shrug. âNot entirely? She follows Jeonghan around like a lost puppy, but thatâs most likely only because theyâve both been to Aria. I mean, I went when I was a kid - my grandmother had work liaisons with the royal family and their council - but I donât remember much.â
The tall Kitchenmaster frowns and nods slowly. âI see.â
You stand up and scoop up the pile of carrots and drop it in the pot. âWhy, âGyu? Do you see something?â
Your heart sinks as you say it out loud and Suki peers up at you, careful and strangely still - now that sheâs back on form, sheâs exceedingly attuned to you, perceptive to everything you donât want to say.
Mingyu shrugs. âI mean, it was fine at first - sheâs new to Martine. But now she hangs off Jeonghan like a... a bit of a leech. Sheâs almost been run over twice! Jeonghan has had to pull her out of traffic both times and she fell all over him when she did so. I donât know - it just seems a little too much to be coincidental. Sheâs even starting to stir talks in the bakery and the post office! Eugene is talking about her.â
Your brow shoots up and you decide to avoid Mingyuâs awfully accurate deductions. âEugene! Well, sheâs making an awful lot of fuss for some summer holiday maker.â
The tall young man shrugs, fluffing his brown hair out of his eyes. âI suppose. But I have a feeling she might fancy Jeonghan - sheâs always trying to get him to go to dinner or lunch with her. He canât seem to take the hint for once though. Heâs usually so perceptive with people.â
You screw your nose up and scoff. âOh, my days. Who would ever think that throwing yourself into oncoming traffic is a successful way of courting someone? I certainly hope you arenât right, Mingyu or else Iâll be a bit sick. Poor Hannie.â
The taller man snaps his head up at the affectionate name, but says nothing else.
You see it yourself later in the week though when Jeonghan convinces you to come out with them for lunch. You even waggled your finger at him as menacing as you could.
âOnly because I do have errands to run - I have some deliveries to pick up and drop offs to make, okay? Lunch is a maybe.â
He pouts at you as you leave the study and lock it behind you. Suki is right on your tail and you blow your silver-grey hair from your face.
âA definite maybe?â
You roll your eyes. âFine⌠a definite maybe.â
Haeun somehow ends up trailing behind us and Suki, a third wheel dressed in a sunhat and another chemise de la Reine, a pricey garment for a stroll. âI - if you are too busy to come along, we understand, don't we Jeong? You ought to leave her alone at her work - she must have a lot to do.â
She hastens to shut the gate behind the lot of you, bundling up her skirts a touch so as not to catch it on the fence or the bushes. Her pet name for him makes you turn - it didnât even roll well, you think in a petty tone. Jeonghan rolls his eyes, slipping your arm through his and patting your frail hand that rested over his forearm.
âHaeun, donât be silly - our seamstress mistress here never comes out! She needs a rest - a breath of fresh air, hmm?â
He looks down at you kindly but you keep tight-lipped. You hope the elderly donât know how to blush or youâre done for.
Jeonghan guides you to the inside of the sidewalk, closer to the shop fronts, his arm curled securely in yours. This leaves Haeun to bring up the rear, her steps fast and small as she tries to keep up with the two of you - Jeonghanâs legs long and your agenda short.
âSo, whatâs for lunch-â
âCan we go to the post office first? Thatâs why I came out. And to Madam Park.â You pat the hat box in front of you.
He rolls his eyes but smiles. âAh, yes that. I suppose so - let me.â
He tugs the hatbox from your grasp, tucking it up under his arm. Haeun gasps and puffs on your tail as you turn into Martineâs post office, the door jingling brightly.
âEugene!â You call.
A familiar man with dark wavy hair pops up around the corner, fluffy moustache and all.
âAh! My favourite witch! And Jeonghan, Master of Spells!â Eugene cries out, heavily accented.
You roll your eyes. âYou know better than to call me a witch - and donât stroke his ego. He doesnât need the help.â
You all laugh as the owner personally attends to you from the gate by the counter. His hands are permanently ink stained and a roll of postage stamps is unfurling from his pocket.
âAh, but you have to be a witch to enchant Master Jeonghan to do anything!â Eugene counters.
Jeonghanâs mouth flaps indignantly, no sound able to come out, even as he goes a little pink. You actually giggle â Eugene had always been the best for banter, ever since you did his suit for him. The anniversary dinner went great and he had sung your praises to anyone in the post office that week.
âDo you have my parcels?â You chirp.
He nods and hums, flipping his imaginary mane of hair. âCertainly! A lot of them this week - are you sure you can carry them all?â
âI, uh just the little ones today - Iâll pick up the mannequin tomorrow.â You decide aloud.
He puts them in a little canvas bag, no doubt one of many from his wife, Francesca. âHere you go, amica.â
âNot to worry Eugene, Iâll pick up the mannequin tonight?â Jeonghan says breezily. Jeonghan scoops that the little canvas bag too, even as you grab for it in protest. He tips his nose up haughtily to end the conversation.
âAh Master Jeonghan. Of course, of course.â Eugene smiles, eyes crinkling at the edges. âSee? Heâs so enchanted you didnât even have to ask him!â
You protest again without much energy, more so out of propriety. They chat lightly and you happily wait. Maybe the wizard was right about getting some fresh air. Your shoulders felt lighter, your mind a little less restless. There is movement in the corner of your eye and you catch the tail end of Haeun slipping out the door to wait outside. With her many skirts and her feathered straw hat, maybe it had become a little claustrophobic in the little store for her. If she had learned to take off her hatâŚ
Finally, the two of you wave off the postman and head back out into the sunny weather. Haeun appears indifferent and patient, turning from the shop window next door to brighten at the sight of you.
âAh, Jeonghan.â
Oh. Right. Again, he situates you on the inside of the sidewalk and straightens his back. âThank you for your patience, Haeun. Now, Y/N, whatâs next?â
You lift the small package you bought with you; a pink cloth held together with twine. âI have to deliver this and the hatbox to Madam Parkâs residence then I am back to the study.â
He pouts. âNot even lunch? Look, even Suki would like something to eat!â
You glance down to your familiar, sitting and glaring patiently. She just wants out, full stop. You stoop to glare her down â a stalemate. âYou little⌠fine. Madam Park then lunch. Then, back to the study.â You state firmly.
Madam Park is not at home, but her doorman takes the package. Youâre a little disheartened that you cannot see her reaction like you usually do, but surely sheâll come back later on in the week to thank you â she always does.
So as you walk down Martineâs cobbled Main Street â the only street in town devoid of any cars â the three of you discuss lunch prospects.
âWhat about that spicy thai?â Haeun suggests.
Before you can voice your weariness because youâre fussy like that, Jeonghan shakes his head. âNo, Y/N is very sensitive to heat. Thereâs that tea house in the gardens? Overlooking the koi pond? An iced tea and something fresh?â
You smile. âOh, you remembered. Thank you. But, I donât mind.â
âThe tea house it is then.â He decides.
As your little group walks downhill for the tea house, chat is mostly shallow - about things such as his upcoming jobs and rumours about Minjiâs wedding. It was so far off but already the rumour mill was working overtime about anything from a secret child to his sister being snubbed from the guest list. You both know the truth and youâre delighted to hear that Hyunjinâs family has enlisted Soonyoung and Joshua to be part of the ceremony - both of their talents would be well utilised. Haeun makes comments here and there about the unfounded rumours as if theyâre true but for once they roll off your back like water on duck feathers. His arm doesnât loosen from yours once.
Itâs mostly business as usual from here. Jeonghan brings your mannequin by and complains the whole time setting it up that itâs too heavy and any minor inconvenience in between. But itâs sorted eventually and just in time for Minjiâs preliminary appointment - sheâs bringing her mother and a few of her friends by too for an ideas session. She sent a brief message the other day that her whole wedding party was considering garments or accessories from you and you could already see how packed you would be leading up to it. Haeun comes around more unprompted, making herself a nuisance.
Haeun looks at you, pity bloomed like a garden in her eyes. âOh, how horrible to be cursed with such an affliction. I would hate to be so old so soon.â
She shudders at the thought and you pause the mending of her winter stockings to glare at her. One positive to it all is how hard an old ladyâs glare can hit home. It can silence even a morning rooster if used well. She stills and settles, suitably humbled-
â- but why someone would curse a mortal like us is beyond me.â She muses and your brows shoot up into your hairline. Mort-what? But she still wasnât quiet, dammit.
âSo, what did you look like before?â Haeun asks, fluttering her lashes.
She speaks as if sheâs never been told no. You push her garment away, utterly finished for the day, no matter how much daylight was left. Although why she wanted to have a winter item fixed in summer was beyond you. Using and abusing your talent with a needle while she was here, must have been it.
âYounger.â You snap, rather loudly.
The young woman startles and looks at you, mouth finally closed.
âI have other errands to do - Iâm sure you can see yourself out now. Suki.â
You stand, Suki hot on your heels, like she doesnât want to be seen there either. There is a faint hiss from the furball as you turn the corner. And if Suki gets to her stockings again later on and renders them irrevocably damaged, you try very hard to appear ignorant and sorry. You donât need her business - you werenât that desperate.
But you startle on an overcast morning at the loud thunder of footsteps nearing you. There is a blur past your window before Jeonghan breaks into your doorway. His expression is the strongest pout youâd ever seen. He smells like smoked fish and his pants up to his knees sopping wet, not to mention the rest of him was at varying levels of soaked as well.
âWhat in Merlinâs - Jeonghan what happened?â You say, pushing your current commission aside. Suki stands still, very obviously torn between running and comforting him - the smoked fish smell is throwing her off, for sure.
He sighs, out of breath. âI was on a job this morning and the Port Authority forgot to mention that it was Flying Bluebream season. As soon as I started my casting on the first ship, they flew out of the water and into me! Then, since I hadn't finished the spell, the engine of the boat blew up with the sudden influx of weight and magical energy in the area and I almost sank with it! Never again. Soonyoung can have them.â
You take him in better and your chest seizes up. Softly, you mention the added problem. âJeonghanâŚyour cloak. Did it get caught in the engine maybe?â
His mournful eyes fly wide and he unclasps it from his neck, swinging it round for him to better examine. On the outside, there were fish scales and guts - that was an easy wipe down thanks to your sigils and choice of fabric. But the hemâŚit looked like it had been chewed on and spat out before being set on fire. Then Jeonghan makes the loudest noise youâd ever heard from him - a raspy quiet-loud yell layered with dismay and frustration. He even gives it a maddened shake.
âHow did I not notice? What are we going to do?â He cries out at the top of his lungs.
Youâre shocked into silence with all the raucous heâs making and Suki has made her choice to back up behind the desk, her jewelled eyes blown wide. Carefully, you pry it from his grasp. As much as youâre annoyed by the destruction of your hard work, you know itâs not his fault. The Port Authority should have told him - they would know the seasons of the ocean off by heart, so to enlist his help but not think through all possible occurrences is their fault. Even the explosion is on their head. You carefully run your fingers over the damage, mind wandering. You still had scraps of his cloak material in the cupboard and you could add that length back along with the sigils, which had held up surprisingly well. They would be even better now you had some of your magic back.
âCalm down, Hannie.â You say, gentle. âFirst of all, we need to clean it of all this fish and guts. Go find Mingyu and ask for a bucket of warm soapy water and a soft scrubbing brush. And a stool - Iâll need something to sit on.â You give him a once over and frown, reaching for him - you werenât sure where your hand wanted to land though. âOh, Jeonghan, please get a change of clothes too. Youâll get sick.â
He nods and races out. You carefully drop it to the floor while putting your pin cushion and various other sewing supplies aside. Then you adjust your apron tighter and roll up your sleeves past your elbows, grabbing a scrap ribbon to keep your hair out of your face. Suki sniffs the air and backs up even more and you shoot her a look.
âDonât you be so dramatic. When Jeonghan gets back, you need to be nice. Heâs your favourite, so it shouldnât be too hard, huh?â You mutter at her.
From there, you scoop it back up and take it outside, resting it on a windowsill. He waddles around the corner moments later, trying as best as he can not to let the water slosh. His lovely brow is furrowed deeply, teeth bared in concentration.
âIâve got to get you a stool - be back.â He adds as soon as heâs put the bucket in front of you.
You pick up the brush straight away from the depths of the water, brisky brushing it down to dislodge the unwanted debris and give it an initial spot wash. You make a note to sweep this all away into the garden once it is all sorted. You delicately soak the swath of fabric and youâre about to drop into an awkward squat when he comes out in a shirt two sizes too big, sliding to bare his porcelain collarbones and a pair of trousers with a drawstring tightened over his hips and rolled up at the hem. Heâs in a pair of clogs you would have thought were for gardening and a towel slung around his shoulders. Jeonghanâs wand holster has moved from under against his ribcage to sit lopsided on his hip, easier to put on but more often a more combat-style placement. You bury a chuckle behind your fist and he sets a three-legged seat by you. You donât react and take a seat, getting to work on washing out the smell and anything else hidden.
âWhen Iâm done, this is going to have to dry before I can mend it. If we do it without a spell, I wonât be done till tonight at least. Unless Mingyu or you have anything up your sleeves to dry it out quicker.â You say, starting to twist your wrist to scrub.
Heâs gone again and by the time Suki has finally braved the mild elements and youâve finished washing it, heâs back, his wand twirling between his gracefully calloused fingers. There is a bit more pep in his step too and his hair is dry, towel missing.
âHang it here.â He says with soft command, gesturing to Mingyuâs washing line.Â
Once done, his hand takes your wrist, keeping you close and yet out of the way. He murmurs an incantation and a sculpted blast of wind spurts from the tip of his wand, swirling and fluttering the garment in a targeted way before dissipating. Mingyu had obviously provided some kind of spell, as you suspected he had as a Kitchenmaster. Youâre smiling smugly when you whip it from the line and bring it back inside.
âJeonghan, can you give meâŚtwo hours? Then itâll be good as new.â You say, already buried in the cupboard full of your scraps.
He takes a seat in the window, sleepy lashes fluttering expectantly with his chin in his palm. âIâve got time.â
You canât help but smile a little, trying in vain to press it down between your lips. In an effort to be nonchalant, you shrug and stoop over your emergency project, brandishing your scissors to the light like a mad scientist before hacking at the charred edges. His eyes on you set you ablaze and build the much-needed pressure to spur you on.
Finally, after exactly two hours and a lot of fiddly sewing and snipping, the sigils are fixed and the hem looks like it never happened. It had somehow gotten easier over time, your shoulders and knuckles not aching so much and more dexterous than usual. You put it down to finding a working rhythm. Now you lift it and flick it straight with a flourish, presenting it to Jeonghan, who has been mostly quiet during your fever state. He springs to his feet on your rug, having kicked Mingyu's gardening shoes by the coat hooks. He doesnât even bother inspecting your work, reaching straight for it and slinging it over his shoulders. His eyes sparkle again and his lemony hair has regained its willowy life.
âAre you not going to check my workmanship?â You pout a little.
âDo I have to? I trust you.â Jeonghan says lightly, smoothing it down his sides.
âWhat about a thank you?â
He rolls his eyes and leans for you, bowing multiple times. âThank you so much for your tireless work, Mistress Y/N. Ah, my hero - an angel.â Then he goes ramrod straight, his eyes lighting up, scarily so. âYes, Angel.â
You squint your eyes in return. âWhy do I feel like that isnât good for me?â
He reaches to brush a non-existent hair from your cheek and you seize up with the affectionate implication. Then thereâs that grin that only spells trouble, too pretty and too sly.
âIâve no idea what youâre talking about, Angel.â
Then you scowl and clench your teeth, hoping you canât blush - they way his grin widens and his shoulders roll back says otherwise. You curse Great Merlin, Morgana and all in between for the name. With that he whirls out, mentioning something about Mingyu and washing.
Haeunâs outspoken opinion really crosses state lines one blithe summery day in the studio, which has eventually become the main hub of all things â Mingyuâs kitchen is usually the other location of large discussion. Soonyoung has come in with another newspaper article, detailing the sanctions and tough conditions wizards and now other magic users are facing in Aria. You know that this would be a matter of great concern to your grandmother, as a principal member on the High Council. But, no mention of them has occurred yet. Perhaps they are biding their time on a plan of sorts. You look over to Jeonghan, who has sobered at the mention of other magic users. His sister. You hope the Council has a plan.
You frown. âThatâs horrible. But surely, a crusade against wizards is a little much?â
Haeun looks at you with a glaring pout. âLove is enough for a war. A broken heart is enough for such a mission. I feel as though maybe your age may cause you to forget the strength of young love.â
You rear up, pushing aside the mending task at hand. Stepping around the desk, you point menacingly. Mingyu is startled, too stunned by the unfolding argument to intervene.
âExcuse me? Did you just call me a forgetful old biddy?â You snap. âHeartless and dismissive because I think the king and princess are being stupid?â
Her eyes widen and she puts her palms up. âNo! No, not at all! Only that things feel different over time and such an endeavour is warranted for a higher power.â
Another step as you swat her hands away to encroach on her space even more, forcing yourself to look upwards at her soft face. You growl through clenched teeth, âyouâre making it worse.â
âWhatever do you mean? Madam Y/N, the crusade in Aria is at the will of the blood of the monarchy and magic. I was always told that magic casters felt things differently - stronger - and that their love was not something to be messed with. It was fate and it cannot be fought. So of course the current situation in Aria is serious. But easily resolved.â Haeun pouts, tilting her head like a lost puppy.
Now your finger jabs her chest, hard and you bare your teeth just like Suki. She gasps, making a little squeak when you do it again. âHow - How - just where did you hear all of this drivel! You Arians are delusional if thatâs what you all think. Itâs cruelty - even a mortal can see that!â
Jeonghan delicately reaches out to grasp your hand, turning your smaller frame away. His eyes are insistent, the quirk to his mouth begging you to back down.
âOkay, okay, letâs give everyone a little space. Haeun?â He soothes, even as his eyes slide back to you to betray his uneasiness. âCome, this kind of topic is not worth the energy.â
Youâre still glaring. She relents and smiles prettily at Jeonghan.
Haeun nods. âExactly. As much as the King is right, itâs not something to be debated over at this point in time. Everyone here is safe.â As you try to dodge and struggle at her underhanded quip, she looks expectantly at the wizards in the room. âMasters Jeonghan and Mingyu, will you accompany me to a lunch venue - I havenât had a chance to find anywhere particularly enticing today.â
Jeonghan smiles diplomatically, stepping away from you and closer to the door. âCertainly, it would be a pleasure.â
Soonyoung has wedged himself up against the wall at the exchange, gaping like a fish out of water. All over a news article, heâs probably thinking. Haeun dips her head at you as you stew, smiling brightly. Her dress is taking up most of the work space and you want to yank off the silly lobster tail bustle you would never see in this summer weather. Not to mention the hat she rudely left on as she entered, despite standing right next to the coat rack. She keeps doing these things! How quickly your perception of a person can change.
âRight then.â She quirks her lips up in a wry smile, as if she knows something you donât. Such a feeling is something youâre not used to. âI have a feeling our relationship is becoming quite interesting, Madam Y/N. Even with our differences - but that will only make it all the more intriguing, will it not? Hmm, goodbye.â
She turns with a swirl and exits the room, leaving you unable to make a reply as she leaves the door wide open. What in Merlinâs name is that cryptic babble supposed to mean? You turn your lip back and shut the door with a simple push - an action that takes about as much effort as a charm in a sock. So why couldnât she do it! Jeonghan looks at you and presses a polite kiss to your temple, patting your hand.
âIâll see you later, okay? Try to calm down. Sheâs from Aria - she doesnât mean to antagonise you. Thatâs just the way their people are.â He says with a shrug.
You arch a brow. âWhat, like you?â
He clasps his chest in mock hurt. âYou wound me, Angel. Iâm a delight.â
He tucks your grey hair behind your ear and waves you off. Jeonghan jogs after the others and around the corner, waving wildly as he passes the window - you roll your eyes and return the gesture, sagging against the edge of the desk the moment his shadow is gone. Suki watches you and in an uncharacteristic move, jumps the desk to your hip and settles against you, the fluffy warmth swathing you in a moment of calm.
Seokmin has a massive order of potions to send out, so heâs called everyone in to help. The sun doesnât blister through the cloudy day, which is a saving grace. Soonyoung and Joshua, a Crystalmaster in the highest class are inside the shop arguing over whether rose or rose hip is the better ingredient while Seokmin is working on one cauldron in the warm conservatory. Jeonghan is there too, laughing amongst them all - goodness, he glows. Youâre with the far larger cauldron outside - this batch flies off the shelves so it needs to last at least the rest of summer. Itâs in the final stages of brewing, you know that much, with how few ingredients are left out.
You don't miss Haeun walking past the simmering potion, thick fluttering lashes blinking curiously as she passes by. You turn your attention back to the bunch of herbs you've twisted in twine, chopping the foliage as small as possible for the next step of the potion. You suddenly flinch as the sharp smell of something chemical and sour hits your nose. Looking back up to the potion, you see dark smoke curling thick from the cauldron.
"Uh, Seokmin?" You yell from the courtyard, unable to tear your eyes away from the vicious turn.
You shoo Suki back as you peer into the iron vessel. It bubbles thick and slow like tar while simultaneously bubbling and boiling in the middle like dishwashing liquid. It's turned from a calm aloe green to a sickly swamp and forest shade. You jump back with a squeak as a large bubble pops and spits. The four rush out, Seokmin pushing through. Haeun is perched on the entry steps, brow creased.
"What did you do?" Seokmin says accusingly, dipping his ladle into scoop some of the turning potion out into a shallow bowl. It hisses and burns, the smoke lessening.
"I didn't do anything! I don't have the recipe, you do. Besides, I don't have the kind of power to put something in with that much intent, we all know this." You snap, stepping back.
You cross your arms, indignant that you were accused of something that you didn't do. Joshua screws his nose up at the scent, falling back next to you. His built upper body dwarfs you greatly and you bury the urge to shrink into his dark navy cloak.
"Can you fix it, Seok?" Soonyoung murmurs.
"Maybe. Do we have salt, distilled water, probably sage and⌠âShua, you got any quartz on you?"
Joshua beams and fishes amongst his many pockets to pull out a white crystal. "Always."
You and Soonyoung wade over with the other ingredients, watching as he carefully cups a small pile of salt in, a hefty splash of moon water and a whole bundle of sage. He murmurs to the quartz in his hands until it glows and drops it in, waiting. It seems to calm and dilute itself, falling back to a simmer. But as soon as it calms, it seems to turn violent, growing rapidly in size, the iron cauldron warping with the backfired potion. Seokmin's eyes fly wide.
"Itâs going to blow! Run!"
The group scatters, but as you hear the rumble and creak growing in insistence over your shoulder, you worry if you'll make it. Jeonghan turns and yanks on your arm, huddling you in front of him as he dives for the work bench you were just at. There is a hollow explosion, seemingly full of air that bursts behind you and rocks the bench, then a heavy splatter. Jeonghan keeps you curled up tight against him, tucked under his chin. It goes quiet and all of you peek to see the damage. The backyard is covered with tar-like liquid, Seokmin's cauldron out of shape at the rim, but not burst. You're shaking from the suddenness of everything and Jeonghan is gentle in helping you up and trying to soothe your racing heart. Haeun and Soonyoung both pop out from inside the conservatory and Seokmin and Joshua from around the side of the shop. Suki is frazzled in the window.
"What the hell happened to that?" Joshua says carefully.
"No idea. Something might have fallen in it. Also, definitely the sage." Seokmin confirms, dodging the sticky substance on the floor and walls.
You can feel eyes on you and you slide your sight to catch Haeun staring right at you, mouth ajar. She blinks rapidly upon being found out, turning away purposefully. Her nose still tips up in the air. Jeonghan's arm doesn't leave your shoulder.
"I'm gonna get y/n back to Gyu's - she's a bit shaken up. Will you be okay here without me?" The pretty Spellmaster says.
Seokmin sighs. "Yeah, I guess. We have the cleaning here covered. See you guys later. Feel better soon."
You wave goodbye, not sure if you can trust your voice yet. Jeonghan's arm doesn't leave your shoulders, Suki trotting in your shadow. You're glad the walk isn't very far, but he still lets you take your time as your breath still rattles and your limbs suddenly fragile as glass. You hate being reminded of how out of touch your body is with your mind. It's not until you're back at Mingyu's, sat at his rocky kitchen table that you finally speak.
"Haeun was the last person near the potion." You murmur.
The pretty Spellmaster turns to you from the window - heâs gorgeous in that afternoon sunlight. "What?"
"Haeun. She was near the potion right before it went weird. I don't want to point fingers but there's a chance that she put something in." You dip your head.
Jeonghan takes the seat next to you, resting his hands over your knees. Dark eyes bore into you, steady and sure. There is no vengeful conviction, but you donât need that. Whatever Jeonghan is, is enough.
âDonât worry. Weâll get to the bottom of this. I believe you.â His lip pulls up and he pats your knee again, a little more rough and good natured. Then he stands and pats at the sleeve of your dress, adjusting the strap of your apron. âIâm going to go back and check on the clean-up. But Iâll be back for dinner tonight. Will you be okay till then?â
You nod. âSure. Weâll be out in the study, hmm Suki?â
She tilts minutely to open her eyes, the best version of agreeing youâll get. Jeonghan hums. âRight, then, Iâll see you later, Angel.â
He floats out and you wave your fist indignantly after him the moment he closes his mouth. âHey, stop calling me Angel! Iâm an old woman for goodnessâ sake!â
 You hear later on that the cleaning went off without a hitch and that the next batch of potions did as well, notably you were not invited. It feels like a bit of a stab to the gut, but you try to brush it off, especially with the amount of commissions you have this month - you would have more than enough money left over after Mingyuâs board and re-stocking your supplies you wouldnât even know what to do with it!
Haeun comes by far more often than before, sometimes even unaccompanied. Still shoving Suki from her place in the sun and pulling out a battered poetry book that she didnât seem to really read. Instead, she would interrogate you, full of backhanded compliments and badly veiled insults under the guise of curiosity and culturally different social etiquette. Suki had made it clear she hated her, even ditching you in favour of scruffy little Aji in the main house. You bit your tongue a lot with her, especially after the last argument. Pick your battle seemed to be the motto of your relationship.
âSo, Madam Y/N. Jeonghan likes to be close to you. Wouldnât you consider that a little odd at your age?â She says with her funny little lilt. Her poetry book hasnât been touched, her pinky finger slipped between the wrong pages.
Your teeth grind but you donât stop to look up at her. âPerhaps, but Iâm also at the age where we can learn a lot from one another. He could stand to grow up a little. I donât read into it, Haeun. Besides, didnât you say that age moves differently with magic users?â
Her pillowy mouth rounds and flaps as she struggles for words. âBut-but it still doesnât make sense. He takes such good care of you and escorts you out of here like a date! I find it far too familiar of the two of you.â
âJeonghan takes care of me. I am frail and ill-tempered at my age. He and the others are kind and attentive to me and my afflictions. There is nothing wrong with that, nor is there any more to it. Haeun, I would sincerely advise you to stop trying to read between lines that are not there.â You are quiet yet firm.
She merely ducks her head, scolded for the time being. After a long while where you manage to finish the darts needed for the garment and she ruminates in the quiet, Haeun sets her poetry book aside and reaches into her reticule to pull out an embroidery panel of Ariaâs native flowers.
âMadam Y/N, I would like to give this to you. I am by no means the best at the work, but I thought you might appreciate it.â She lays it in front of you, right over the garment youâre currently working on.
Again, as if she is the centre of everyoneâs universe. You pick it up to better inspect it. Itâs a shocking result - the threads are uneven and twisted, front and back and you worry that the hoop hasnât been tightened to the correct tension. You smile thinly and put it in the third draw of the desk - where you keep your scraps.
âHaeun, thank you for the gift. I can see you worked very hard on it and appreciate it very much.â You lie through your teeth.
She preens. âThank you for noticing. I think I should get going though - I do have other appointments.â
You grunt a reply but question what other engagements she has - she has only ever oscillated around the young wizards you call friends. She pops to her feet and glides out, leaving a heady scent of roses in her wake that stab right between your eyes.
Perhaps itâs your own fault for going back this late at night â your last delivery could have waited, and you certainly werenât given extra for it like usual. The sea breeze whipped through these narrow streets particularly sharply, so the shawl you had on combatted it well. Soonyoung had brought it back as a souvenir from his trip to the mountains, so the fabric was enchanted â thin but well insulated for versatility. Despite the late time, the shadows were longer and darker than expected.
Then there was the smell. Rather than the brisk tang of sea salt and a touch of pine from the shoreline, this was closer to sulphur or the mudflats from further down the coast. The swamp dwellers were notorious for their proclivity to dark magic. They were the ones you went to for revenge and the forbidden. So why that scent was here confused you. The air was thick and the streets devoid of people, something was very wrong. People liked to stand on the cobbled streets well into the night, warm drinks in hand, socialising in the most inconvenient of places.
You turn and stretching from every shadow and unsavoury corner are beings oozing and rasping toward you. Bottomless ink black Phantoms for your soul. The more shadows you pass, the more they catch and gather, growing in numbers. The smell is thick and suffocating, an ice cold rocketing up your spine. Mingyuâs is too far, Seokmin too far as well and under protected for such a situation. Joshua has already been passed. Jeonghan said he was on a job tonight. Which leaves Soonyoung. Heâs a detour down a risky, dimly lit alley to the parallel street, but it had to be done.
âS-Suki, Soonyoungâs. Go.â You gasp, as she yowls and takes off running.
You pick up the pace as best you can with the uneven cobblestones and winding streets. The Phantoms sound like a windstorm, no human noise to be heard. They swallowed anything human or otherwise they set their sights on. You let out a weak yell when you feel a tendril, wet and viscous glance at your ankle. Soonyoung lives in a wonky little townhouse with warm brown and black fired brick and a russet brown door. There is some kind of sigil carved into the door, a pattern of them around the doorframe and windows as well. Perfect choice to seek refuge with. The door flings open before you can get to it, his keen eyes on you as he grabs both of your wrists and yanks you in. The door slams shut. Suki is sitting on his living room carpet, awash in warm tones and streaks of black.
âBy Merlin, whatâs going on with you!â He cries, patting you briefly to check you over.
âPhantoms.â You wheeze.
He jumps, wriggling about on the spot. âYou brought Phantoms to my door! How did you find them?â
You lean against his hall table and glare at him. âThey found me.â
âPhantoms are old entities. They need something physical to keep them attached to this plane.â He murmurs to himself, looking you over with his chin in his hand.
Soonyoung goes still then fixates on the brooch that kept your shawl on your shoulder. He points accusingly at it as it glints in the streetlight. âWhere did you get that from?â He yells out.
You pat it, tracing your finger over the filigree edging. âI - Haeun gave it to me. For fixing her third dress this month. Said it was in her family but not her taste? Insolent girl.â
Sheâd implied that it was too dated for her and that your old age was perfect for it. By Merlin, always a dig at your age from her, constantly backhanded. He almost rips your shirt-waist in his haste to take it off your person. As your shawl falls away, he tosses it to the floor of his hallway like it burns. Again, he points at it aggressively.
âThat - that thing is riddled with negative energy! It has to be cursed as well.â he tosses a glance over your shoulder to the Phantoms loitering outside his door. âThatâs why those entities have been chasing you. Something has happened to set off the energy and attract them. We need this cleansed, right now.â
Soonyoung backs up the hall, eyes still on the glinting metal. âStay here. Watch that. Iâll call the others.â
As soon as he turns the corner for his pokey kitchen, the windows start to whistle and rattle, as if there is a hurricane outside. You know it's the Phantoms. But you donât dare face them with what Soonyoung has told you. Something you donât want to risk blinking and missing. Moments later, heâs racing out the room, and grabbing your wrist, yanking you down the house after him. Throwing open a door with his free hand, there is a small, step-in study with all sorts of ritual resources. Instantly, he pulls a swath of cloth, a jar of salt, matches and some dried herb bunch. The phantom hurricane roars louder and you shriek in shock. His brows are set - youâve never seen him so serious and determined, usually happy-go-lucky and chaotic.
He passes you the cloth and salt. âCan you help me block off the area? Until they get here?â
âWhoâs coming?â You ask as you throw the sigil-sewn cloth over the brooch and trickle a steady unbroken ring of salt around it.
âEveryone - âShua, Seokminnie, Jeonghan and Mingyu. If it can pull out all this level of Phantom, I donât know how powerful it actually is.â
Everything within you seems to seize up as you stare, unseeing, at the pile of fabric at your feet. His warm hand wraps around your shoulder. Heâs burning the herbs, waving the smokes in patterns over the brooch. Soonyoungâs sharp gaze shortens momentarily.
âWeâve got you. Youâll be fine.â
âIâm so sorry for bringing this into your house.â You lament.
He shrugs. âThatâs what friends are for. Iâm glad you trusted me enough to find me for help. I was probably your best bet in a pinch anyway - a lot of my magic works with physical items and energy signatures.â
There is a long, frantic knocking at the door and Soonyoung leans back to call down the hall, âcome round back! Quick!â
Joshua bursts in first, his cloak pockets heavy and clinking softly with his multitude of crystals. His hair looks a little sleep rumpled. âI saw them crowd the windows - whatâs going on?â He says.
âY/n set off a cursed artefact. Phantoms ensue.â Soonyoung explains. âDâyou bring cleansers and shields?â
You take offence to his choice of words. âI-hey! I didnât do anything but wear it! Why do you guys keep thinking itâs my fault these things happen?â
The dancer gives you a sympathetic look but says nothing more of it. Instead they seem to ignore you and start to merge and chatter orders and ideas, Joshua setting crystals - most quartz - around your shawl. Static starts to build in the air and the Phantoms even more restless somehow. You feel listless and left out. Maybe even a bit envious - if you had proper magic this would never have happened. Jeonghan breaks in next, hair windblown and his cloak buttoned wonky over an undershirt and loose trousers. His scowl rivals the storm outside. Instantly he steps for you, raising a hand to your face, checking you over.
âWhat happened? Are you all right?â He says a little harsher than youâre used to.
Still, you nod as Mingyu jogs in, apron smouldering in patches and Seokmin carrying a large bag, a little pink in the face.
âYes, Iâm well. The brooch from Haeun is cursed.â You mutter.
His expression turns funny - something about it you canât pin down - and he guides you to the edge of the stairs. âI see. Stay here while we cleanse it. Then weâll dispose of it.â
âIâm sorry for pulling you away from your commission.â You mumble, tilting your chin away from him.
âHey, hey. Itâs alright, Angel. Iâll always come. Letâs go, hmm?â
He knows you too well, that after this ordeal you wouldnât want anything to do with it anymore. That you knew he was busy and Soonyoung called him anyway. Seokmin is frantically stirring and splashing concoctions on the pile while Mingyu, Soonyoung and Jeonghan plan out a spell. The three of them start to chant in Archaic, wands aimed at a point in the air. You clasp your hands over your ears as the noise of the Phantoms becomes closer to a wretched scream. The fabric starts to smoke then is alight with bright orange flames, burning rapidly to a crisp, with the ease that the natural cotton had. Then the brooch starts to jump and rattle, writhing painfully on Soonyoungâs floor. Seokmin peeks under Mingyuâs arm to splash some more potion on it. Joshua is sat on the floor, eyes screwed shut as the quartz flexes and glows at his command - you can almost see the tangible webbing of magic whispering white between them, like a cage. There is the sensation of all the air being sucked from the room, into the brooch in its last ditch attempt to fight before it also screeches and pops, molten and limp. Mingyuâs forehead is beaded with sweat and Soonyoungâs jaw is cleaned so tightly you would have mistaken it for being screwed shut. But the Phantoms are silent, the streetlight back to glaring through Soonyoungâs front windows. You slump and heave a sigh, the air back to normal. Joshua, a little pale, collects his precious stones and stores them in his cloak, clattering away with the weight. He tilts his head to check in on you.
âHow are you?â He says gently as always.
You smile. âBetter, now thatâs over. Thank you all for your help.â
He rises to his feet and rubs warmly at your upper arm. âOf course we would. Here, take a couple of these for protection for a little while. You know the drill - put them at windows and on your person.â He drops a few quartz and malachite into your apron pocket with a soft smile.
Theyâre all a little drained from the ordeal, so Soonyoung brews some tea and you all claim various seats, sprawling out from the front living room to the stairwell where you stayed on the bottom steps. The tea was warm and strongly herbal with lemon balm and chamomile. You were pointedly not looking at the heirloom item that had started all of this. Seokmin is the first to finish, taking his chipped mug to Soonyoungâs sink and meandering over to you. He leans on the banister to peer over at you. The tea serves to centre and settle your thoughts and Suki slips into the living room for some attention.
âAre you okay?â He says softly; kindly. âWhat a night!â
You shrug. âI am now. Thank you for coming. Iâm sorry for causing you such trouble. This is the second time something has happened.â
His arm awkwardly reaches over and pats your shoulder. âNo, not at all. Anything for a friend. As long as youâre safe now.â
Jeonghan is next, coming round to stoop by your knees. His eyes are more droopy than usual but they never waver from you. If he had the energy you were sure he would have crossed his arms or put his fists on his hips. The background noise of the house guests is an added comfort.
âI agree.â
Somehow, the very sight of him settles you even more, any walls or cautious misgivings crumbling away. He tips his chin and you shuffle over so he can sit next to you by the wall. His knees go up comically high with how low he sits. But instantly, his arm is around you, humming and patting.
âThere we are. We should get you home soon, hmm?â
You nod and let Seokmin pull you to your feet. You squeeze his hand and look for a long moment at Jeonghan. âIt happened again. Something from Haeun. She brought it from Aria.â
Youâre thankful that Jeonghan is whip-smart - not that youâd ever admit it to his face - and can read between the lines. He smooths your stray hair down, fluffing the ends of it. He has that funny look on his face again, the same one he had before the spell when you had mentioned her and you physically bite your tongue, regretting even voicing your half-thoughts. Seokmin is too busy guiding you through the cluttered hallway of shoes and various items they had all brought with them, dumped unceremoniously. You call short and brisk for Suki and she brings the rest of your friends with her as they cram into the doorway. They look ridiculous, all wide, patient eyes watching you.
âI-Iâm going to head out. So Iâll take the -â
Soonyoungâs eyes crease and he quickly scoops up the cloth and brooch, throwing it over his shoulder into the burning fireplace. The fire twists a brief cobalt blue before settling, the cotton and metal smouldering to nothing. It should put things to rest, but thoughts linger, like floating particles in water.
âNo, you arenât. I would never make anyone carry a cursed artefact. Y/Nnie, go home. Me, Seokmin and âShua will clean up.â
Mingyuâs wide frame breaks free and meets you at the front door so youâre wedged in by Jeonghan on one side, and the kitchenmaster on the other. You give everyone brief goodbyes as you're escorted out the house and onto the hill. You didnât do anything but you donât have the effort to be part of the empty conversation going on over your head. The pair of them lead you upstairs and Jeonghan waits outside while you get changed and settle for bed. You have no shame as he moves about the room, murmuring some spells over windows and any kind of door including your wardrobe. Suki steers clear of the windowsill where the Spellmaster sets up Joshuaâs cluster of stones. The moonlight that streams in seems to glow whiter than before the quartz was there, like filtering dirt and evil. Even with his sluggish movements, Jeonghan even tucks you into bed, patting the blankets down over you!
His hand stills on the folded edge as he seems to look past you. âAngel, if anything else happens, we will need to talk. You arenât safe anymore.â
You try to sit up, but with how tightly he has you wrapped, itâs not possible. âWhat do you mean by that?â
âOnce is a coincidence, twice is a maybe. Three times? Someone wants to hurt you.â His tone is devoid of the initial bravado or sweet warmth youâve always known from him.
âJeonghan, the only changed catalyst since Iâve been here is Haeun. Iâm scared she has something to do with it. But I havenât done anything to her - sheâs just a rude girl from Aria.âÂ
Your turn of phrase doesnât lighten his demeanour. But he says nothing else, instead, smoothing the covers down one more time and giving Suki a scratch behind the ear before turning out the light.
âGoodnight, Angel.â
Jeonghan is around far more than not now, as is Soonyoung who brings a life to your space that you appreciated in the short bursts he gave. There is a brightness and innocence to the energy he gives, always coming from a place of good - even as he grumbles when you use that boundless energy of his to rearrange the study. You arenât sure how Jeonghan manages to hang around so often, especially between his jobs. If anything, they should be building with the near change of the season. But he even escorts you to your various deliveries and supply pickups from Eugene. He doesnât say why, only that he âalways has time for you, Angel.â Which you partially expect with your curse, but his world should not revolve around you.
Itâs one of these various trips that Haeun tacks herself onto, drifting out of the tea house and sweetly calling Jeonghanâs name. She struggles a little to catch up but hums and smiles.
âThank goodness. I havenât seen you for such a long time. May I accompany you? Oh, Madam Y/N. You are out today as well?â
What in the - you had both walked past the window together! You simper over your shoulder at her.
âCorrect. As long as we are not disrupting any prior engagement of yours.â
She tuts and shakes her head while Jeonghan has an eerily still look about him, his head slanted and eyes slightly squinted. His gaze is intense and disarming so you have no idea how she is managing to act so blithe under its beam. The plan now is to head back to Mingyuâs with a supply pick up and you wished she wasnât accompanying the three of you to no doubt insert herself into her place in your study. No point arguing it now. Conversation is stilted and awkward as you personally struggle to maintain politeness. Suki has gestured to something for Jeonghan and he humours her, dawdling to a shop window she arches up to. A sharp shriek from Haeun cuts through you, right in your ear and you pause to turn at the drama. You donât get to eye her when she cries out again in vague distress and leaps backwards, knocking you backwards over the edge of the sidewalk.
The tram is the only mode of transport along this road, horse and buggies no longer allowed due to the⌠smell, so usually you would be able to right yourself, dust off and scold the flighty young woman with time to spare. But the trolley cars were running late, almost front to tail. All you can hear is the persistent dinging of the trolley car rolling down the hill, signalling disaster. Haeun is still muttering and whining, her hands over her face and her pretty button up boots standing on your own skirt so you canât move. Jeonghan yells, high and thin and while youâre struggling to move as close to the sidewalk as you can, he drops all your supplies and nudges the girl out the way. Her feet tangle and her eyes fly wide as she almost hits a store window - by Merlin you all must look like a slapstick skit. The ringing bell is deafening now and the Spellmaster stoops over to effortlessly scoop you up and onto the walkway, both arms wrapped tightly around you to tuck you against his chest. You can hear his heart flutter and his breath heave loudly over you. The tram rattles past, the passenger chatter an inaudible blur.
âGood Morgana, that was close. Y/N, are you well?â He mutters, leaning back just enough to eye you.
You nod. âYes, thank you. I donât know what happened, I - Haeun?â
You carefully unfurl yourself from the blonde, peering around to the young woman, tears dried on her cheeks. Suki stands between the pair of you, wide stance and glaring.
âHaeun, whatâs going on?â You say sternly.
She sniffles and shakes her head, trying to almost bury her face under her hat like a child. Jeonghanâs hands fall protectively to your shoulder and the small of your spine, over the knot of your apron.
âGoodness, Iâm so sorry! Only I - it was just here?â
âWhat was?â You press, scowling.
âThe-the Kaononai. It came out from that bookstore. Oh it was so scary!â She cried out, her hands already reaching for her face.
You glanced down to Suki who hadnât let Haeun out of her sight. âSuki, did you see it?â
Her tail flickered, as did her left ear, but no response - something to discuss when you both got back to the studio.
âHaeun, you need to be careful.â Jeonghan says, careful yet firm.
She pouts and goes a little cold, her fists bunching tightly so they turn pale. Sukiâs tail has fluffed up and you make a point of looking around for anything dangerous. The only being that could cause trouble is Haeun at this second.
âMe, be careful? Jeonghan, if I was right and the Kaononai was really here, we would all be dead by now from it.â She says low - itâs the most threatening thing youâve heard from her and sounds nothing like the obnoxious innocent little mortal from Aria that has been shadowing your group since the day she arrived.
His grip tightens on you. âY/n certainly would be - she doesnât have magical offensive skills and your panicked dancing could have killed her before the Kaononai got to any of us. Besides, Suki is a very well attuned animal and would have sensed it long before you.â
She glares down at your familiar, going beet red in the face - you could have sworn you saw steam billow from her little ears. Itâs a miracle that no one else has shown up on your part of the street, even as onlookers on the other side of the street pass. Sukiâs eyes glow and somehow, youâre touched by her fierce show of protection. Sheâs never done something like that for you in all your years of tethered companionship.
âSuki, shhhh.â You say, repeating it till she had taken a step back. You level a look at Haeun. âI think you ought to go back to your lodgings and lie down. Itâs all been a bit much for you today. Good bye, Haeun.â
You donât leave any room for argument with your patronising tone â you really couldnât keep it to yourself, no matter how much you should have tried - and Jeonghan seems to take a hint, collecting everything from the pavement. He tips his head in a silent sulk her way and turns on the heel of his boot to follow you with Suki proudly leading. You leave her on the street and while you donât regret it, something ice cold and viscous seeps down your spine.
Jeonghan guides you home startlingly somber, and drops your things in the study when he asks for the key while depositing you in Mingyuâs front living room. Itâs a warm space of neutral cream shades and comforting textures and fabrics. The main window oversees the front garden, private enough thanks to the fence and the artfully placed rose trees - less so bushes from the way they grew upwards. Suki claims the space next to Aji, both little furballs feeding off one anotherâs warmth. Jeonghan returns with a glass of water for each of you and deposits it on a dated doily.
âAre you sure youâre okay? You can say no.â He says soft and firm, dark eyes settled on you.
You nod your head. âIâm a bit shaken, but fine.â
You have too much to do to be shaken. Jeonghan has now insisted on staying with you in your study, not hiding the fact he wants to keep an eye on you. Heâs managed to simmer down much faster than you have from the events. A surprise with how riled up he was right after - he didnât fight your cold dismissal of her either. You hiss as you prick your finger on the needle - usually hand sewing, as tedious as it was, could be soothing. It was one thing to focus on, those back and forth motions of the thread therapeutic. But not when you mind has way too much going on. You couldnât quite sweep it all away with the repetition. You swear under your breath when you do it again, not a few moments later. Jeonghan looks up from his papers, a millimetre of concern between his brows.Â
âAre you okay? Youâve been doing that a lot lately. Maybe you should take a break.â He hums.
You scoff. âDonât be silly. I have three things due in the next week, I canât really afford to take a breather. Itâs this or go stir crazy here.â
He slants his head, his blonde strands glowing, again. âLike what?â
Jeonghan eases over on his stool, careful not to catch his cloak under its foot. You sigh and fold away the shirt you were working on for Joshua - he wanted something lightweight for the warm weather and you were more than happy to accommodate as much as he was willing to pay.
âI...Itâs okay. Something for another day.â Your smile wanes.
âDon't be silly, Angel. I want to hear about it - itâs making you wrinkle.â He says as compensation.
You tip your head back to laugh. Of course thatâs why he wants to hear - because itâs interfering with his research and studies of you. Another variable that needs taking care of. Sure, youâll humour him.
âIt needs to be kept quiet - I donât want our friends getting all funny. Not to mention, we have been meaning to have a chat about it.â He mimes twisting a key over his lips and tossing it over his shoulder. âIâm a little weary of Haeun. Something doesnât feel right. From the moment we met her, all thatâs happened is trouble. She feels like some kind of bad omen. I donât want to think that of her, but I canât help it when hiccup after hiccup has happened. The cauldron, almost getting run over, the Phantoms? I donât like it - her. But I also donât want to look as if I am fixating on her unfairly either.â You gnaw on your lip instead of pouting, not a very flattering look for someone of your physical age. The Spellmasterâs frown deepens.
âHmm, I understand that. And I know youâve both been butting heads over a lot.â
You roll your eyes. âDonât be shy - everything.â
He laughs, airy like the weather outside. âFine, over everything.â
âI just worry that there is more going on than we fully understand. If someone should be in danger, shouldnât it be you?â
âBut instead, this is the third incident that has endangered you since you arrived in Martine. Things that come in threes. Auspicious number â it means something.â He puts his little diary aside, filled with his upcoming commissions and appointments. You know for a fact that the pricing of his talents is the backs pages, well worn by now.
âUnfortunately, I think youâre right. The curse is one thing, all these almosts are another. And she has been involved with them, one way or another. willingly or not. Itâs all too much to be coincidence. Please, be careful around her. Sight or not, something is off. I can feel it, with what little magic I have.â You softly argue.
His dark eyes scrutinise you, scanning for something, youâre not sure. Finally, his shoulders relax and he nods, giving in. âOf course, I trust you, Angel. And, besides, I have my own reasons to be wary of her too, thinking about it - she is from Aria. And she has had some part in all of our recent incidents, there is no longer any coincidence or doubt about that. I canât get too comfortable, in case it all turns on me next.â
You chuckle - Itâs easier to breathe now. âOh yes, right. Fugitive of the law.â
He scowls and you laugh harder, letting him draw back to sulk in the corner. He even turns his back on you! âLeave me alone - donât you have things to do?â
Haeun doesnât see you buried in the extensive garden when she leaves Mingyuâs kitchen. Youâre taking clippings of this and that, inhaling the intense scent of marigold when you hear her heels hit the brick flooring. The end of her voice still carries as she heaves a sigh, weighing at her delicate shoulders. The roll of her eyes is unexpected nor attractive on her doll-like face. It sits unfocused in your eyes as you squint and blink away the haze that clouds her figure. It flickers as she looks down to check her purse and you wobble on the balls of your feet, falling into the garden. Her eyes, a shocking forest green - the colour only found in the royal bloodline of Aria. Haeunâs hair is now a mousey brown in long waves. Haeun is really the princess of Aria. The scent of roses, heady and thick in her wake. Her opinion of the wizard inquisition - she was in charge of it. It was alarming how much of it made sense. As you fumble to right yourself in the dirt, your mind reels. Why hasnât she attacked Jeonghan yet? Haeun has been in Martine for a good few months and the only one whoâs had trouble since sheâs shown up is you. But Jeonghan has never actually been left alone with her since he arrived in Martine. Maybe not as silly as you thought then. You feel wiry hands grip you standing. Haeun - Seoyun is in front of you, dusting you down.
âMadam Y/N, are you okay? I didnât see you there, youâre so quiet!â She says.
The smell of roses is making you dizzy, now youâre close to her. She scoops up your clippers, dropping them into your apron. She guides you to the garden seating, pushing on your shoulders to encourage you. Her frown sits heavy on her brow while your stomach churns. The princess fluffs at your grey hair, shaking it of leaves and dirt.
âYou really donât look well - youâve gone so pale. Stay here and Iâll find someone to fetch you. Okay?â
You hum out a response and she nods, dashing inside like a gazelle. Youâre too shocked to do much else. Mingyu is running back out in a heartbeat, kneeling before you. His kind eyes search yours for anything. His big hands rub at yours, limp in your lap.
âAre you okay? Can you see?â He prattles off questions endlessly.
Itâs only as you see her dress in the corner of your eye that you pull him in, whispering quickly, âget Haeun out of here and call for Jeonghan, now.â
âThank you so much for taking care of Y/N. Iâve got it now. Will we still see you Thursday evening?â He says, hand at the small of her back. You can see the confusion and protest lining his lips and you scowl wordlessly. He nods, standing to turn to Haeun.
His tall figure leads her down the path out to the main entry. She looks over her shoulder in confusion, but still responds to him as they disappear from view. You lay your head forward on the cool painted metal of the table. You donât know how long it takes but there is a cool hand curled around the junction of bare skin where shoulder curved to pulse, thumb stroking idle circles.
âYou called?â
Finally, you lift your head to eye the Spellmaster. No doubt you have swirling indents on your forehead from pressing your face into the metal, but no matter. âI was right about Haeun. Sheâs not just bad news. Sheâs the reason for everything from the last six months. Sheâs the princess.â
The concern from Jeonghanâs face melts away and leaves him pasty and pale, eyes unseeing.
You barrel on, quietly, as if for fear she could catch you out. âSheâs got a glamour on, really strong. Weaker on females though - sheâs hiding from men because she wants to catch one. You. Thatâs why sheâs been hanging around. Sheâs been trying to corner you for months. But youâve never been alone with her.â
âI - Haeun is Princess Seoyun? Why didnât⌠sheâs an extraordinary witch, and can easily best most of us here at once. Why didnât she just attack us and then deal with me?â
You shrug. âNo idea? Too much of a scene? All of us are well respected here in Martine. It would be hard to be rid of any of us without drawing suspicion.â
He clutches both of your hands too tightly as he bows over you, as if holding on for dear life. Everything is shadowed about him. âSo, what do we do now?â
âNeither of us can be left alone until we work out what to do with her. We need to protect ourselves first. So we need to let the others know. If we know anyone else, we should ask if they can help. Itâs the entire crux of the wizard persecution at stake.â Itâs unspoken that your side will not be called to arms. That means facing things you didnât have time for. Jeonghan nods.
âUs against the kingdom of Aria, hmm Angel?â He smirks limply.
You roll your eyes. âSomething like that. Câmon, better fill Mingyu in.â
Itâs the earnest way you ask Mingyu to call in every favour or magical contact in Martine for a meeting at his place that seems to ring the severity of the situation home. Everything about Mingyuâs place was warm and safe and inviting. A levity about it that melted away when you reached across the benchtop to lay a hand over his as he cooked dinner.
You squeeze his free hand and stare him down as you say, âdo not under any circumstances tell Haeun that this is happening. She must not suspect anything out of the ordinary or try to invite herself. This is for magic users only.â
He frowns but nods. âOf course. I think a few friends are passing through in a day or two from across the sea.â
âThe more hands the better.â
Mingyu sends out magical mail from his fireplace that night to Soonyoung, Seokmin and Joshua, the ashes turning lime green in the fire and the smoke seeming to twist with an underlying life. Then another flash from the fire in a cobalt-ocean blue. You lean closer.
âWow, who was that for?â You mutter from your place on the bowing sofa.
He pokes at the embers to drown them out. âA few friends from out of town - a Spellmaster named Boo Seungkwan and a caster called Lee Chan. Chan is only a Class C wizard, but heâs currently travelling for his Class B examinations so heâs pretty much passed. Heâs one of the smartest guys I know - quick learner and good at anything he picks up. Actually! Last I heard he was currently out west seeking guidance from the only Shieldmaster known, Choi Seungcheol, first of his name.â
Your mouth rounds. You had vaguely heard of him - specialised in all manner of strength and protection magic. No one had specialised in it like him before. Moments later two flashes of green and a blast of blue spark in the base of the fireplace before settling at the edge of the hearth. They settled on three scraps of parchment. Mingyu stoops over to scan them. Suki has parked herself by the embers, soaking up what little warmth is left.
âSoonyoung and âShua are coming, of course. Chan is still up country with Seungcheol.â Mingyuâs brows raise. âNow he would have been good to have.â
The next evening, Mingyu makes double his usual amount of food, seeing as there would be seven mouths in total crammed around his round dining table. Jeonghan had been with you all day, refusing to leave you alone. Neither of you were sure why you had become the target here if Jeonghan was supposedly the one at fault. Only that it was there to scare as much as it was to hurt you. It was odd how much the both of you were so right.
âOtherwise,â you scowl, âshe could have finished me off at any time. Sheâs one of the most powerful magic users known by The Council. Ugh, itâs like playing with your food before you eat it.â
That notion has you quickly, stuffing food in your mouth to refute it with yourself. Surely Mingyuâs heartfelt meal would be distracting. Seungkwan was instantly very righteous and vocal, swearing to protect and agree with whatever it took to keep the pair of you protected. A rotating roster was easily set up to keep someone with you at all times. It didnât make you happy, having to be guarded and helpless, but such was your current ability to protect yourself. Jeonghanâs eyes donât leave you for very long and you try to be mature and not read into it, even as his knee bumps yours.
It felt like a long, slow limbo state, full of tension that sat in your shoulder blades you couldnât shake. Not even Minjiâs bustling plans and back-to-back appointments could distract you. Your friends arenât the best liars, especially Seokmin, which certainly tells her implicitly that circumstances have changed. Youâve been deposited at the apothecary today as part of the roster, sat in the warm space under crystal clear sunlight as you work on a thank you gift for Seungkwan for coming into town just for you. Seokmin is making a batch of your tonic when he gives you a guilty expression, pinned with his lips worried between his teeth.
âShe came by yesterday.â He says quietly.
Your needle goes still. âOh, did she?â
âHmmm. Asked for rosehip and some northern cinnamon. I said I didnât have either in stockâŚthen she pointed to the cinnamon right by my head. And the dried rosehip in my hand.â He goes tomato red and cringes over the pot. âShe left after, really quiet.â
You canât help but laugh, swinging back on your chair. Itâs a laugh bordering on hysteria. âAh, Seokminnie, you tried. Itâs alright.â You sigh. âIt just might mean sheâs got a clue something is up. I mean, we know Soonyoung has been avoiding Haeun like the plague because he canât hide his facial expressions. And âGyu has locked the side gate.â
The sweet potionsmaster still pouts a little. âIâm just, worried.â
You rise and meet him at his weathered wooden bench, leaning your head on his shoulder. The tonic was clear at this point, having boiled and distilled for so long, past the grassiness of the herbs and sweet jamminess of the rosehip. It was still a little thick, so you pass Seokmin a glass of moonwater.
âI know. But weâre doing all we can - we donât know her well enough to plan any other moves.â The words taste chemical and bitter with how unsure you were.
A week goes by and finally both yourself and Jeonghan have a shared roster - by Merlin, it sounds so boring. Soonyoung had gotten in the way yesterday during a commission and was back at home, nursing a pair of missing eyebrows. Jeonghan was haughty upon entry of the study, insisting that it was his own fault for dancing like a b-rate ballerina. As if a trap had been triggered, a yellow-orange spark appeared in the air between you, swirling open a portal. An envelope in peacock green hung in the air before dropping as the portal closed. The corner drops on Sukiâs head with a petulant yowl. Jeonghanâs wand is out in an instant, aimed at the door, then the window.
âThat sorceress.â He hisses.
You stoop to open it up, hearing Jeonghan squeak in protest. His name is at the top so you hand it off to him. âOh hush, itâs for you anyway.â
His sleepy eyes scan the heavy paper and you watch them turn to stone. His fist crumples the paper to the point of ripping and you rush to ease it from his grip. Jeonghan isnât a violent person as far as you know.
âItâs a threat. To hand myself over to her.â His gaze settles on you, grasp twisting from the note to your own hand. âOtherwise, youâll get hurt. Like she has already tried before.â
Damn propriety - you step closer so Suki is forced to move and your toes of your shoes almost touch. âYouâre not going to do that, are you? Jeonghan, sheâll kill you, or something worse.â
Heâs quiet and you donât trust him as far as you could throw him. So, you take the note and turn on your heel to your desk, tossing the letter away before he can ruminate on it longer. Today, he stays out of the sun, claiming the stool by the wall instead, just watching you. It usually annoys you, but at least if heâs watching you, heâs still here. By the time sunset hits and Joshua shows up with his soft feline smile to escort Jeonghan home, youâre even more on edge, the thought of Mingyuâs tea the only possible soother to your worry. Jeonghan is taking some time to fuss over Suki and Aji in the kitchen when you grab Joshuaâs wrist, yanking him up to your level in the doorway to the courtyard.
âPlease keep an eye on him. More than one of you. Haeun sent a letter to him today, threatening him to turn in or risk me. He didnât answer me after that.â You wring his wrist with your fingers, as if it were your own instead. âI want him to be safe, especially after all heâs done for me.â
Joshua hums softly and nods. âOf course, Y/N. Weâll go round to Soonyoungâs tomorrow then.â
On Mingyuâs turn babysitting you, he locks up your study for the day and sends another note in the fireplace to Minji to delay your appointment by a day or two under the guise of supply shortage. The B&B is now quieter, autumn being the off-season. Heâs repainting the front fence and has you checking bedding and towels for any moth damage. It has you in and out of the house so Mingyu can keep an eye on you. Once that was done, he had a stool in the front garden at the ready under an umbrella. You wished there was a way to stave off that upcoming boredom somehow. With everything confirmed to be moth-free â you had even refilled the mothballs, breathing through your mouth to avoid the strong scent â you turn the hall to smell the tell-tale scent of electricity in the air, sparks and cracks meeting your ears. Itâs a slow jog to the courtyard and you find Haeun casting something, casting shadows dark and long.
âH-Haeun. What are you doing?â You call quietly from the doorway.
She turns to you, her glamour all but fallen away with the strength of her casting. Now green eyes meet you and burn, a manic edge to her lips.
âAh, just the person of the hour. Come here.â You hesitate, still confused - the actions have all been proven, but not the motive. Her wand waves at you too casually. âHere!â
You stumble out with the magical force, looking down the pathway. âWhereâs Mingyu?â
She shrugged. âGullible dear - fooled him into thinking there was an attack on Jeonghan. Especially after yesterdayâs little scare. The gate has been enchanted. I wonât need to stall that long, if you do as youâre told.â
Even your own shadow has been cast long, despite the clear weather. There is a wicker basket weaving itself with vines and roots. Black and red candles, obsidian and amethyst. Rust nails and something ugly and pickled. This was a vicious spell.
âSo you baited them? He didnât even have a chance to think about what he wanted to do?â You protest.
âOf course not. He has had months to do it. Those little scares should have been enough - heâs supposed to be smart. The most cunning member of the Aria Royal Artists Guild, apparently.â She almost sings and this voice feels more natural to you. No all-knowing simper that gave you whiplash.
âHaeun - no, Seoyun. What do you want.â You say, the fear fading from your voice, only left with caution.
âYour heart.â She shrugs simply.
Somehow, she is not surprised at your knowledge in the reveal. No dramatic announcement or offended gasp. So shameless, you think disapprovingly. The basket is placed on the ground, candles and crystals surrounding. The candlesâ smoke swirls restlessly into the air and there is a putrid scent overtaking all else. She wants to catch it.
âWhy? You have one - Jeonghan never took it in the first place - that was just some rumour of the court.â
âSo? Yours is unbroken. You have the one he wants - why he wants your old, shrivelled up thing is beyond me, not to mention highly improper. I mean, a real step down in my perspective.â She makes a flourishing gesture at herself. âBut you are to his taste, so I want it. If I have yours, I have his - ugh why do I have to spell everything out for you?â Seoyun rolls her eyes.
âI donât know - why do you keep answering?â You grumble.
You startle though as she pulls out a bloody lambâs heart from the depths of her purse, holding it aloft, the dagger in her left hand making you squint from the glare. She drops it with a sickening splat in the basket. The dagger stays though as she advances on you. You look around for something - someone - anything - until your back aches against the door frame. Suki yowls and rushes into the courtyard.
âSuki, go! Get away!â You command - you didnât want her getting hurt.
And maybe she could get out of here for help. Sukiâs claws clatter and fade down the hall. From her skirts Seoyun pulls out a corked vial, empty for the minute. She slices her own hand, red dribbling down her pale skin into the glass. She gestures for your own hand, jerky and severe. You hold it out limply in between you so she can yank it toward her. Instead, she initially bypasses it and yanks for your hair, held back in a severe, business-like braid. As you cry out sharply, her grip on her blade switches and she smoothly arches up and slices it off. Pocketing the hair, she twists your slack hand to her liking. You hiss and whine as the used blade cuts into your fragile palm. She squeezes and prods until she gets what she wants and you continue to whimper in pain. Seoyun tosses your hand away after that, marching over to her materials. Youâre honestly a little curious as to how she is going to do it, so as much as you know the danger, you stay to watch while pressing your hand in your apron to stop the bleeding. The blood is dripping into the basket with the heart and suddenly she holds the dagger downwards.
âYou have a heart, I could use that. Whatâs yours is now mine. Love, loss, man. This heart, tied to anotherâs, Give this power to me.â
It feels like twine has been twisted and looped through your chest, tightening, everything seeming to go tunnel vision on the glinting metal. A sound like shattering glass. Then a crack by your ear and the blade goes flying. Another and the spell is scattered, candles rolling into the garden bed and the butchered organ making another splat to the stones. Jeonghan braces himself, breathless, around you. His eyes fall to your bloody and wrinkled palm.
âWhat did she do to you?â He hisses.
âShhh, just a cut.â You say through the sting.
Jeonghan scowls darkly and cradles your hand, running his thumb over it and murmuring a spell that seals the wound. Youâre finally given a moment to breathe, with the princessâ spell broken and the squeeze from your heart relaxed.Â
He draws himself up and turns to put you in his slender shadow, asking again. âWhat did she do?â
âTried to bind and take my heart.â Youâre still a little too shy to say why.
She laughs now in surprise and over his shoulder she grins. Itâs not hard to see her plan forming before you as she flicks a spell at him, the air turning hot and strong in the courtyard from her fury. Her power turns red, electric and vicious - it puts static in her hair. Jeonghan, though, steps flawlessly in front of you, bracing his forearm up and disarming it. The force is so strong though that it sends you both skidding back, what little strength you had before gone. Your legs wobble, forcing you to your knees, a wilt. They begin to duel, the smell of burnt electricity suffocating, smoke beginning to swirl. It looks like Jeonghan is gaining. Until she starts talking, her eyes glowing a sickening green.
âYou lied to me, Jeonghan! Said you loved me! You string me along for my power, my status, even my money! You thought I was pretty until something prettier came along. Now look at you. Infatuated with some old hag, defending yourself from one of the best Masters in the world. Youâre not doing very well.â Her lips curl up in a smug grin. âLeft yourself wide open.â
She sneers as she lifts her free hand at you. You can already see it coming. You can defend yourself from it easily. So, as you brace yourself to stand, Jeonghan twists his wrist sharply to break the connection between himself and Seoyun and leaps to take your hit. The surge of animated smoke flies, flinging him into the wall behind you. He slides to the ground with a low groan, squinting his eyes at the princess. Now heâs physically vulnerable, she steps closer and closer as Seoyun lays into him, finishing him off with a psychic attack, a burst of pretty pink popping limp from his chest. Heâs out of magic. She seems to love kicking a beaten horse when itâs down as shards of debris rise from the pavement and glow red and green â a toxic swirl of colour â to rain on the two of you. You make your way to him to shrink her catchment zone. Itâs instinct how you want to whip your old wand out from your apron. Instead, you say the spell straight, a lot riskier and more unrefined. It does the job though as a dark metallic grey blooms to shield the two of you from most of it. A rock clips your shoulder and tips you forward. The princessâs eyes widen in manic surprise before she smirks triumphantly as you hobble over the rest of the way to scoop up Jeonghan's prone frame. He kind of smoulders, burning hot to the touch and his eyes unfocused and hazy.
"Jeonghan, can you hear me?" You call, patting his cheek.
Long lashes flutter as his head lolls to face you. He smiles. "Yeah, I'm still here."
"Can you - can you get up? On your own?"
He nods and braces himself on the wall, swaying. You carefully let him go, stepping back. His eyes fly wide as he collapses, hacking a heavy cough. His skin glows a sickly green. You can't catch him fast enough this time and you cringe at the heavy thud he makes.
"Maybe not. You should probably get out of here. Go find Mingyu and Seok." He groans.
You shoot a glare over your shoulder as the princess inches closer and you position yourself in front of him in a weak shield. Your thin hands brush his dull blonde fringe from his eyes. They have a halo of green around the irises that sets your gut off and you gnaw on your lip.
"Yeah, but what will she do to you?" You hiss.
"Probably take me back to her father. Maybe...hang me?" He rasps out and you gasp.
You can't stop your grip from tightening in his hair and he flinches limply. "So I won't make it back in time to do anything, will I? Jeonghan."
He doesn't reply, only looks at you with a deep fondness you hate. You can't leave him here, alone and vulnerable to a witch like her. Someone with too much vengeance in their power. You can feel her glare as you pull out a pen you had in your apron from Seokmin's desk. Quickly, you draw a few healing and shield charms over his skin, watching the glow fade into a pasty and clammy shade stuck to his skin.
"Move, hag. You are no longer my concern." She says haughtily. âThe bait has suddenly served its purpose. I have you right where I want you, hmm.â
You hate the lack of respect she gives you, whether you are old or not. If he can't do anything... You yank his wand from his grasp and turn to face her. You can hear your back crack as you stand to your full height. The weight of Jeonghan's wand in your hand is equally familiar in your posture but different in the fact that it isn't your own - the wooden curves and ridges suited to his style. Just something to shield, you remind yourself. There wasn't much you could do but stall and wait it out. Hopefully the others would catch on and come in for reinforcementsâŚthrough the back door. Soon.
"Surely you don't need to hurt him anymore. He didn't mean it. Jeonghan isn't like that." You protest gently, casting as you speak.
Another soft, rippling shield fans out in front of you and she steps closer, lip curled. "You act like you know him! He's a devilish warlock. I'll only ask once more. Move aside - now that I have him, Iâve no want to hurt you. Don't talk about what you don't know and let me deal with him, hag."
Hag this and hag that! You didn't look that bad! And how dare she call Jeonghan a warlock, a magic user of evil. Between his sweet, sleepy gaze and his dedication to you alone, heâs the furthest from evil. The princess shrugs helplessly and starts firing off spells when you don't respond to her. Youâre quick to sling up another, more combat-suited shield to protect the two of you. You try not to let your surprise show - that has been the most powerful thing you could cast so far. Her brows raised in interest but nothing else was said from her. You step closer, finally dropping the shield and firing off your own spells with a deft flick of Jeonghan's wand, swiftly building in strength and speed. Sparks crackled in the air, flying into the brickwork and burning smoke grey shapes.
"Do you know who this old hag is?" You snarl.
She's a challenge but nothing you can't handle, being from such an old, powerful family. You had been taught well even with your current fallacy. Despite the odd weight distributed by your body, your stance is planted strong. Oddly enough, you can barely feel it.
She shakes her head, finally unsure of herself. The crease to her pretty brow is satisfying. "Nobody."
"Wrong. I am a descendant of the best Spellmistress in the land and sea. I am a Spellmistress strong enough to bind you."
Your head is tilted back as you perform the spell down your nose, murmuring low and fast under your breath. Vines from the walls shoot out to twist her into submission, her wand clattering to the brick floor. A moment of blinding light and a hot, burning sensation rips through the space and distracts you enough to flinch, but not much more, still steadfast in the middle of your spell. The spell you were casting didn't usually do that... Wand aimed at her, you don't bother to focus on Jeonghan. If you bind her, maybe her own spell will break. Her eyes bulge comically and she splutters and gapes like a fish, probably from shock at the trick you pull. You can hear a shifting and a soft groan behind you. Holding the princess in place, you glance over your shoulder to see the Spellmaster crawl to stand, leant heavily on the brick wall. His eyes are large, but still have a sheen of green shining over them with the light that streams in.Â
"Jeonghan, if you can, get two empty jars from Mingyu's shelf. I'll separate her magic and make her a more...manageable size." You say, your newly claimed wand is still weaving your spell. He rocks to stand freely but doesnât move anymore, still staring. âJeonghan, now!â
You cast again, watching the vines tighten and shrink her, like squeezing water from cotton. She finally seems to find her voice, gasping and yelling a chant which is easily silenced with a magic laden word. You suck in a breath, holding it for a moment to centre yourself again before yelling a sharp chant to separate the princess from her core. A small marble sized shape hangs in the air, glowing a pulsing green, dark and fierce. Obviously, her emotions had gotten to her core - no wonder Jeonghan was a sickly green colour. You can hear him hop down from the step next to you and flicking your wrists inwards, you drop the minute princess in one jar and her glowing core in the other. He hastily secures lids onto them, while you're murmuring a shield spell over the two of them. It wasn't strong, but it didn't have to be with their sizes.
"Well, that's that. Let's get you ready and we'll get you on your way to clear your name, shall we?"
"W-wait."
You turn in the hall, pushing the jars on the bench. You've changed the princess's lid for a piece of cloth, so she can breathe. You can see her yelling at you, shaking the jar as she hits the glass with her fists.
"Hmm?"
He grabs your hand. "Go look in a mirror."
You roll your eyes, tugging your hand free to glare at him. "Wow, way to add insult to injury. No thank you, no nothing. Just a reminder of my appearance. Itâs not like I cast magic, just for you to save your life."
Jeonghan glares back in return, surprisingly sharp, grabbing your hand again and pulling you down the hall to the bathroom. Suki has since slunk out from the living room, jumping sky high at the sight of you. Obviously didnât bother looking for help. Damn cat. Jeonghan stands behind you as he manhandles you in front of the mirror. You gasp, reaching up to touch your face. You appeared your age again. No wrinkles, no bony hands. You smile, blindingly so as Jeonghan does the same.
"I'm...I'm me again. I'm..."
"Beautiful. But I already knew that." He says.
You chuckle. "Liar."
His brows shoot up. "No, really! I've seen you like this before. When the first one was lifted. Well, exceptâŚâ
Your hair. It hadnât turned back to its former colour before the curse. But instead of the wiry, dull white-grey, itâs vibrant, short and almost metallic, glowing likeâŚ
He runs his fingers through the uneven ends Seoyun cut. âItâs just like starlight.â The hand on your shoulder goes to hold your cheek, his sweet smile seeming to melt you a little.
You hear a strangled cry of shock and the soft slam of a door. You cringe - Mingyu must be home. The two of you rush out to the courtyard to meet up with him. He turns to look at you, his own wand â his kitchen spoon, of course â brandished and expression more furious than you even thought possible.
"What th- oh my goodness! Y/N! Your curse is broken! How?" He drops his things at his feet rushing to meet you. You hold out your arms as he comes crashing into you, rocking the two of you unsteadily. His laughter is loud and muffled in your ear.
âHey. Uh, well. Kind of a weird story. But the princess of Aria is in a jam jar on your kitchen bench and I shrank her to help Jeonghan out. But weâll need to take her back to the Aria court and plead Jeonghanâs innocence.â You pull back and shrug, shy.
Youâre not used to the strength in your bones, the life curling in your hair. Jeonghan, in the meantime, has cast the courtyard back into its former state, garden table and all. You feel anew, the magic thrumming through your veins, your breath sweet and easy. Everything around you seems alive and restless. Mingyu marvels at you as well, giving you another not so light squeeze.
âThatâs, uh, amazing. Iâm so glad youâre okay! When I got to the apothecary, Seokmin almost chewed me to bits for leaving you behind.â He glanced at Jeonghan, who had picked up Suki in the hallway. âI - how did you know?â
The blonde shrugged. âI didnât. Not until Suki here came out into the street. Sheâs never alone. Soonyoung couldnât hold me back, even if he knew.â
Suki purrs, a loud rumble, quite impressed with herself. Youâre grudgingly glad she actually listened for once, after all. You crouch to her level and reach out to give her a thorough pat and tail scratches in thanks. Jeonghan glances at you, going sober.
âWeâll need to leave as soon as we can to get Seoyun back to Aria and end this mess. Itâs not right for our kind to be persecuted over the delusions of a young witch such as herself. Sheâs used her privilege so irresponsibly.â He tuts.
Youâve rarely seen Jeonghan so serious. You detach yourself from Mingyu. âGo back to yours, and collect what you need. Iâll watch the princess, now Iâve got my magic back in full. Weâll leave as soon as youâre ready. My commissions are not so urgent that I canât be away for a few days.â
He smiles warmly. âYouâll come?â
âOf course! Iâm not leaving for a while! If youâll have me.â I whittle off.
Mingyu is watching the two of you like an avid sports match - back and forth in the kitchen. Jeonghan breaches the space between the two of you, a hand resting on your arm, his thumb idly stroking for a moment.
âYes, yes of course. Iâll need the most powerful witch in town to help plead my case.â
He barely tears himself away before sweeping down the hall and back out the door he entered. You turn to Mingyu, to catch him out but he spins so violently to eye the miniscule princess in her jar. He raises his finger, about to tap on the glass as the princess screams and shakes her hand at him in spelled silence.
âUh, excuse you. Donât tap the glass â she isnât a science specimen.â You scold. He rears up, going pink with guilt. âIâm going to pack a bag with what I can feasibly wear. Can you watch her? Suki, you as well.â
He nods his head. As you turn to the stairs, the young man calls your name.
âYes, hmm?â You raise your brows in question.
He beams. âYour pictures donât do you justice.â
Jeonghan and yourself catch the first trolley car you can up the hill to the outskirts of Martine. You swing out near the back door, feeling the afternoon sun and salty wind whip through you. You missed feeling at ease in your own skin. Maybe you would never have gotten used to ageing. Princess Seoyun is in a little picnic basket, napkins and a scarf tucked around her to prevent the jars from cracking.
âHow long is it going to take us to get to Aria?â You ask as the two of you hop off at the end of the route, the trolley car stops connecting to a small train station.
Jeonghan has a small suitcase and is also holding your own, insisting on doing so, no matter how much you argue against it. Suki even managed to come with you, perched on your lap.
âProbably at least the rest of the night if we caught the express. If not then by midday tomorrow at the latest.â He gauges. âI just grabbed the first tickets they had.â
The train to Aria is spent with a million marvels and twice as many questions, try as you might to bask in your newfound freedom and youth. The magic that thrums through you feels stronger than before and youâre not sure if itâs because itâs true or that itâs been so long that youâve been without it that you underestimated it.
âOh, and we must arrange a new wand for you as soon as possible. You have a family craftsman, I assume?â Jeonghan says, wedged next to you in economy class, the best seats that could be arranged on the fly.
You go quiet at the thought. Your family. You had become so absorbed in your plight and new life in Martine. Now that you were cured of the curse, you could go home. Was home still there, despite the curse being lifted? Or was it irreversible collateral damage? The blonde frowns at your stillness and reaches for your forearm.
âHey, whatâs-â
âI â yes we do. Eight generations in fact. Iâll need to send word once we finish in Aria.â You look away from the changing scenery to the handsome Spellmaster. âAre you ready? We both know that Ariaâs royal family are stubborn and arrogant, to put it mildly.â
He startles at your swerving topic but accepts it, sighing. Together you spare a moment to glare at the basket covered and locked on the seat across from you. Suki has a possessive grey paw on it and sheâs already been told twice to stop batting at it to the point where it had to be locked away.
âAs ready as I can be. But thatâs why youâre here. Surely, heâll listen to you â brightest witch this side of Morganaâs Gate.â He smiles winningly, a warm haze in the setting sun â you donât remember Aria being this far away.
Your economy train cabin is not the most comfortable - the padding in the seats worn to indented lumps, potential carpet burn from the worn fabric and no curtains on the window. The doors rattle unless something is pressed against them, which is counterproductive for their use. It was not the most ideal conditions to be sleeping in, so for a while, despite how limber your new-old body is, you struggled to get comfortable to even doze. Suki had no troubles, curling up and a purr rumbling to life. The princess has been given some scrap fabric to sleep on like a mouse and the basket covered again. Jeonghan seems content to sit across from you, watching the dark scenery go by. Your body was exhausted though, the fluctuation of magic so soon and extreme wringing you out.
He glances at you, lashes fluttered and shadowy across his face. âTrouble resting?â
You hum. âI just want to sleep for a bit. I canât even think straight now. But, well, itâs not the most comfortable spot, is it?â
He coos and hums at you like a baby, getting up and sitting on the side closer to the door. His hand reaches up to pat your silvery hair that now glows in the dark - another element that didnât help. âAwh, my poor angel. Here, rest on me. Take your shoes off.â
The blonde lifts his feet up to show his green and grey striped socks with a soft chuckle. You mirror him, lifting each leg awkwardly so your knee hits your chest, yanking at laces and buttons to toe your sensible shoes off inelegantly with a thump. You wriggle your own stocking covered feet next to his, covered with blue flowers and he snuggles impossibly closer. You arenât used to such closeness now and you gasp, looking up at him. His fluttery gaze stares patiently in the dim light.
âSorry. Iâm not used to⌠being close with people. The curse and all.â You say under your breath. He tries to draw back but your own brow crumples and Jeonghan sways back. âStay though. I - well, I donât mind if itâs you.â
Trying to pry honest, tender emotion for you is like water from a clogged drainpipe. Jeonghan seems to have the patience for it though as he loops his arm around your shoulders and you tuck yourself into the hollow of his arm. His thumb strokes slow, soothing circles into the sleeve of your blouse and you let yourself be sucked into the motion, going slack and limbless. He softly hums a song youâve never heard and you struggle to remember where in the royal court he worked, only that his voice was as beautiful as him. Upon arrival into Aria, still a little drowsy and weaving on your feet, youâre stopped by guards at the station entrance. They demand to see identification. The moment Jeonghan pulls out his navy leather identification, youâre both swarmed.
âMagic Caster.â One spits with cornflower blue eyes and honey stubble.
Two guards flank Jeonghan, grappling roughly with each arm. His dark eyes were blown wide and furious on you as you were knocked about in the kerfuffle.
âLeave her be!â He protests.
Suki rears up and hisses next to you and you swoop to pick her up and shush her. Youâre all making quite the scene in the old station foyer, all the commotion echoing off the marble flooring and domed ceilings. You try your best to struggle and get closer to the Spellmaster.
âYou are arrested under the Imperial Aria Proclamation for treason against the crown. You are to be taken for questioning regarding the curse upon the crown princess and their whereabouts. Anything spoken or performed while in custody may be used against you in judicial proceedings as evidence. You will have your magic bound indefinitely or until proven innocent.â The blue-eyed guard says aloud.
You finally reach Jeonghan and grab the one part of his arm that isnât occupied. You go still and stern, a pillar against the ebb and flow of the Aria guards. âIâm gonna say it.â
He frowns and limply struggles for some breathing room. âSay what?â
âItâs us! We stole the princessâs heart! We also kidnapped the princess.â You thrust the jar with the Thumbelina-like figure above the heads of the guards. âWe demand an audience with the King of Aria, as is our right by Imperial Law.â
The station goes eerily silent from every person in the nearby vicinity. Suki and Jeonghan have mirrored, slack-jawed expressions. Then a riot ensues. Suki is ripped from your arms as is the jar holding the princess. Rough, armoured hands yank you back and forth, thus detaining you as well.
âWhat have you done?â One soldier mutters loudly.
âIâll not free her until we have been given an audience with the King. Only the spellcaster can return a witchâs bound powers.â You repeat in return as youâre carried out to the nearest carriage.
Your legs dangle a little as they sway back and forth through the station. Jeonghanâs eyes are on you the entire time, watching intently of every move.
Aria is a bright, vibrant land, fairly flat in terrain. Where Martine uses patchwork cobblestones, uneven but full of character, Aira is laid with smooth stone brick to ensure the masses move easily - they do have a far larger population than Martine, after all. A charcoal grey that absorbs water well and makes the buildings pop with colour. All roads lead to the castle in the centre of the city, behind an inner wall. It used to be a liberal place, known for its talent in the arts and court of expert entertainers, the likes of Jeonghan included - singers, comedians, acrobats, dancers, musicians and so on. After the death of the queen, Seoyunâs mother, it had been a little off-kilter. That was why your family had travelled here when you were a child. To talk some sense into the king. The people of Aria had been walking on eggshells for years. Jeonghan still gapes at you from the bench across from you in the carriage. Obviously not prepared for more than one person to arrest. Not surprising seeing as theyâve questioned almost every Aria witch and wizard according to sources.
âI canât believe you turned us in.â He says in disbelief.
âWhat else was I supposed to do? Let you get arrested without a chance? Whatever we would have done next would be weak without the other. We need to do this together.â You rationalise. âBesides, as if I was letting you try and sacrifice yourself to the royal family twice in two days. Itâs almost like you have a death wish.â
The guards bracing you both watched the conversation intently, committing it to record for sure. But you had nothing to hide, no point in trying to protect some right that hadnât been needed at this moment in time. You had faith that this would be resolved with the meeting at the palace. The Aria Royal Palace - Ritornelli Palace. A grand, sprawling building in Baroque-style with the central throne room encased in a large glass dome. It glittered like a jewel on the horizon. Of course, you lot were not paraded through the front gates, instead sent to an eastern entrance, nondescript and almost unbearably tight.
The guard on your left was more abrasive than the one on the right and by some miracle they all barely spoke. Suki was being given a rough time of it as well, flying about in the baskets at your feet, being kicked between guards. With your new found strength, you speak up.
âHey! Be careful with her. She canât do anything to you.â
She yowled loudly, the storm cloud of fluff persistent as you were. A different guard, dressed in emerald green marches towards the back of the carriage. This must be the royal guard of the palace - the inner circle, so to say.
âTake them to the Throne Room. The King is expecting them.â he says, before turning on his heels, back the way he came through a sliver of a tunnel.
The halls are low and curved in narrow arches, with enough room to fit two people passing. Youâre sure that these must be the servantâs passageways; the highly functioning underbelly of the castle. Finally, you open up into a grand hallway with smooth marbled floors and rich carpets from the southerly countries. This looked familiar, vaguely. A glance at Jeonghan has his eyes roving the space, but youâre not sure what heâs seeing. The grand double doors open without even a creak and reveal the grand throne room. A rainbow of stained glass and exotic designs looks exactly how Aria is famed to be. The King Rodolfo of Aria is a stoic man with a short white beard and glittering golden crown. Stern green eyes bore into the two of you until youâre dragged to a halt in the centre of the space. So this is where his daughter gets it from.
âAh, Yoon Jeonghan. Back from your grand escape to hand yourself in â with an accomplice.â His haughty gaze hits you in full, mouth twisted unpleasantly. âTheyâre pretty. Poor thing. With the nerve to summon an audience?â
Why Jeonghan is so quiet worries you. But with your curse broken, by yourself, you have a renewed confidence along with riding the fumes of adrenaline. Bordering on arrogance yourself. Just. As you glance at him briefly, you note his downward chin and the tensity of his muscles. Fear.
âI know my rights.â You barrel on, loud and firm that your voice projects to every corner. âTo plead our case. Or else your daughter stays in the jar and I call upon my family.â
Okay, that last bit wasnât supposed to come out. The Spellmaster whips his head around to gape. âWhat in Merlinâs name does your family have to-â
âYou donât get to bargain.â The King snarls, cutting you both off and leaning forward so his elbows rest on his knees.
Youâre on a roll now. âYes, actually, I do. You arenât familiar with it, but the spell on your daughter can only be broken by the caster or by death. And you canât kill us after the scene we made at the station.â
Jeonghan has been forced to his knees, as the primary criminal and seeming the larger threat of the two of you somehow. Even though youâre the one running your mouth. The blonde looks up though, briefly, as if begging you to get on with it, a little bit of your previously possessed cautious sensibility there. How the tables have turned.
So, you arch a brow and tip your chin up at the King. âSo, may we?â
King Rodolfo relents. âYou may. Only you. Your testimony will determine the wizard Yoon Jeonghanâs fate.â
He gestures twice â once at yourself, the next at the quiet shadows of the room. Suddenly the guards have released you and Suki. Along with that, there are now two simple seats and a small table placed at the bottom of the dais. The princess and her little ball of power are placed atop of it. Sheâs making gestures at you and you just know that sheâs trying every curse under the sun, just to see if any stick.
The King sits in one, so you cautiously claim the other. Now that youâre closer to him, you can see he holds a faint glow, like sunlight from within. His tunic is embroidered with vibrant feather motifs, a parrot red and sea green. Everything about him is fashioned brightly just like his country. Another silent gesture over your shoulder and Jeonghan is hoisted up roughly and pulled to end up on your left again, back on his knees on the mosaic floor.
âNow start from the beginning. Who are you? Who is the witch that defeated the best Spellcaster in Aria?â
Now that the focus has been put on yourself, you glance at Jeonghan who nudges his chin. âTell him. Please.â He says in a breath.
âI am uh, Y/N, Class A Spellmistress. Daughter of Jisung the Magnificent, Granddaughter to Bora, Grand Spellmistress of the Magic High Council.â
The Kingâs brows shoot up and he leans in again, as if he canât see very well.
âYouâre a Class A, descendent of the L/N family. One of the oldest magic families in the world. The missing granddaughter.â He says in a hushed tone, oddly calm compared to moments ago.
âI gue- yes.â
âAnd youâve been in some seaside town with a known fugitive for how long?â
You hastily put a finger up. âAlmost seven months, but! I didnât know Jeonghan was a fugitive. And I was in the middle of a very private, personal matter, which the crown princess inserted herself into. It all got very tangled and complicated. And private. Not really relevant here.â
He smirks at your fumbling and you shrink in your seat as best you can. Suki rubs against your weak ankles in support from beneath your seat. Meanwhile Jeonghan is agog at this influx of information. Oh rightâŚno one knew who you really were apart from some old cursed lady. You ponder where to actually begin. First meeting you supposed. From that rocky first meeting in your study, to every run-in after. The explosion at Seokminâs and the shadowy beasts that chased you. Your growing weariness of her every move â Jeonghanâs trust. Every now and again the jar would rattle in defiance, but the king stilled it with a hand.
âI promise Iâm not trying to make her a villain, Your Majesty.â You hasten to add at one point. âBut her actions donât make it easy.â
âI am quickly gathering that.â Is all he says. âContinue.â
Youâre talking so much that the shadows have changed their angles and Jeonghan has been forced to sit back on his heels, heâs getting tired. Then you explain the final act. Her delusional spell, the battle in Mingyuâs courtyard that ensued. Itâs all gotten very tiring.
âWhich brought us to the station and then here.â You sigh.
The King has since gone very quiet, bottle green eyes pensive. He looks at his daughter, so small. Sheâs since given up her protest and escape and now sits at the bottom of the jar in her mended chemise a la Reine, resigned. Elbows on her knees and chin in her palms - maybe youâre imagining it, but even a little red in the face from embarrassment. You wished you could reach for Jeonghan, just for another familiar soul.
âMy daughter has caused you quite theâŚtrauma.â He says finally.
You jerk at his turn of phrase. âI â well yes, I suppose thatâs one way of putting it. I may have had the tact to lessen the blow and call it trouble â inconvenience?â
He smiles, wane. âPolite of you. But no need. The Crown Princess is unfortunately as immature as feared. I had hoped with time and goals she would ease and grow wiser. Particularly after the passing of her mother, the Queen. Her magic seemed to become her haven and I indulged it. And my own judgement has been clouded by grief and bias. The magic wielders of my land have been persecuted for long enough.â
He levels Jeonghan a look. âWith this testimony, I decree Wizard Yoon Jeonghan, Spellmaster Class A, cleared of all charges laid against him by the kingdom of Aria. Your record will be scrubbed of any evidence or investigation. A formal apology will be published and the bounty removed. You will leave this room a free man.â
The guards release him and he springs to his feet, turned toward you, his smile blinding. At the last moment, he thinks better of it, bowing low to the King instead, to bare the blonde crown of his head, his lengthening hair drifting about his chin.
âThank you, Your Majesty.â He says, reverent
The glass jam jar is now jumping and rattling worse than ever, and you can hear the princessâs yelling, although a little indistinct â your silencing spell must be wearing off. The King lays his palm over the lid to press it still.
âAnd you,â he settles on you, âI decree you cleared of all charges laid against you by the kingdom of Aria. The same steps will apply for yourself as they will for Jeonghan. You are also free.â
The more he speaks, the older he sounds. You know how that feels. Age rushing into your body like a torrential flood. Reminding you of your limits and fallacies. You rise and bow as well, the curtsey you learnt as a child seeming little juvenile right now. Then you leap for Jeonghan, he barely manages to catch you as you squeeze tight as you kick up your ankles.
âWe did it. Youâre free.â You say into his shoulder.
 The Spellmasterâs hand is back in yours the moment you both finish and your gaze trails to the glaringly obvious loose end, now echoing through the hall like niggling background noise.
âI...what will happen to the princess?â You ask.
King Rodolfoâs expression sours. âShe will be disciplined accordingly. When she receives her magic back will be up to her and her future behaviour. Iâm not pleased in the least with how she has humiliated our kingdom and our family name.â
He gestures again and the chairs, table and this time, the princess are squirrelled away into the shadows. You feel all too exposed all over again, eager to end the meeting and return home. But the royal levels his gaze to the both of you.
âYet, I am not done. You have both proven your worth as Spellmasters â even bested my daughter, the best in Aria. I offer you both places in my court and seats on the royal magic council for Aria. After this shameful time in our history, we should be eager for fresh eyes and new talent that has our peopleâs best interests. I can now see that the princessâs actions have left us vulnerable to the whims of the few.â
Your dream, within reach. Not completely what you had in mind, but almost. And with Jeonghan? You turn to him, to find him doing the same, an expression of expectance and some kind of hope in his eyes. You donât know what for. But you canât find yourself leaping at the chance like you used to. Before the curse. Before Martine and Jeonghan.
ââHan, what are you choosing?â You say, turning to face away from the king.
He drops his gaze to the marble mosaic flooring. âI never wanted that. Being in the position I am and working hard where I am is enough. I landed well when I fled the castle. Iâm going back to Martine. But if this is something youâve always wanted? Whatever you choose, I will support you.â
You nod. âOkay.â
Jeonghan bows again. âThank you for the generous offer, Your Majesty, but I do not feel capable of the task given and Iâll have to decline.â
You see the shift in sight to you and you shake your head with a tentatively growing smile. âI thank you as well. However, this isnât my home. Martine is. I canât just leave it all when so much has happened to me and I have unfinished business.â
He pauses to look between you. Suddenly, there is booming laughter as he nods, reclining back in his place. The gold halo appears again and the jewels in his crown scatter fragments of colour through the space and over your feet. You donât feel as if he has taken offence to your rejection, which you're thankful for - you only just got into his good books. But your grandmother always told you about the library underneath the Aria gardens, stretching for acres. Full of magic resources.
âHowever, I do have my own request, if you please.â You call, holding a hand up gingerly.
Jeonghan whirls to look at you, but you ignore his pointed look and the miniscule tug on your wrist. Donât be greedy, heâs saying.
âOpen access to the castleâs private magic library, anytime we choose.â
There is a silence of mixed tensity before he nods, swatting idly with a wave of his hand. âIâll grant your request, small in comparison to what duties you have declined. Thank you again for your service, you are dismissed.â
You beam and bow deeply, twice over before dashing out the door with a giggle. You tug the blonde along with you, Suki weaving about the both of you in joyful zoomies. By the time you have exited the castle - through the front gates this time - you have been given back your belongings and provided safe passage back to Martine as soon as available. There was even another carriage waiting, this time far more luxurious and less utilitarian in style. A guard follows you both, with explicit orders youâd heard in the hall to ensure that the three of you made it safely onto the train without resistance. With the drama of this morning, you were thankful for the promise of security. The footmen open the door and Jeonghan assists Suki in, then yourself, his hand gentle on the base of your spine for stability. He leaps in smoothly and the door closes with a mute click. There is a small lunch pack on the bench across from you, along with your tickets.
âOh look, an en-route meal.â He says lightly.
While food sounded amazing, what you wanted even more was rest. The ordeal had taken it out of you and you longed for your creaky bed in the attic with the pink frilly floral sheets and Mingyuâs living room fireplace. Maybe that old age thing was still hanging around - everything kept wearing you out! Even as the thrum of magic through your body resisted it. Jeonghan glances over at you and shifts closer - By Merlin, your thoughts must be that obvious on your face. But then you remember how gruelling kneeling on the unforgiving marble floor must have been for the hours that you talked. The awkward angle that his arms stayed distended at to keep him subdued. Now you notice his own mirrored signs of weariness and the ginger way he held his arms. He kept rubbing the space under his kneecaps and he had limped with a favour of his ankles in the effort to move through the castle. Now itâs your turn to give him a haven, opening your arms for him to awkwardly settle into. His smile was warm like fresh pastry and made your cheeks heat up too.
âRest. There's plenty here for the both of us and we can always take it on the train back.â You pat his knee and shift to lean back. Heâs a little more firm and itâs a little more difficult to manhandle him to tilt so heâs leant against you. âProperly.â
You smirk a little before closing your eyes. The smooth stone that paves the roads comes in handy as the trip is easy and devoid of bumps. With the angle, your nose is now amongst his soft blonde strands and where you thought it might tickle, it doesnât, instead gentle. The faint scent of cotton and lemon lulls you until youâre carefully shaken from the edge of sleep. Jeonghanâs dark eyes crinkle when you jerk upright.
âWeâre back at the station. The footmen have advised that the next train is boarding and leaves in half an hour. Are you ready?â His already pillow-soft voice drifts quietly.
You sit up to attention, Suki already leaning on you with a paw that feels like a dagger on your thigh. âSure, letâs go home.â
One of the footmen goes as far as to escort you all onto the train, flashing his seal and the tickets the King had provided. These tickets lead to the plush private cabins with their dark wood and red velvet seating. He stores the minimal luggage before pressing the tickets into Jeonghanâs grasp, bowing and exiting. Suki finally gets out and has a sniff around before claiming one of the window spots, with the wind away from her.
Poor Suki though, her peace doesnât last long, seeing as this is yet another sleeper train back to the coast. You let Suki pick at the feather light slivers of salmon in your boxed lunch, while in turn, Jeonghan let you pick out the lettuce and spinach salad mix of his in exchange for your sheets of dried seaweed. You let him talk idly to fill the time, and prompt him with questions on his studies - ever the academic you were. It was also a ploy to push him out of his listener role between the two of you. At promptly sundown, Jeonghan casts the beds flat - the sight of the crisp monogrammed sheets had your drowsiness and worn magic come flooding back to the forefront of your mind. He could barely get them laid on before you were curling up in a ball, walking boots still on.
He nudges you. âAngel, you need to take your shoes off, get changed.â
You groan and sit back up, yanking at the buttons and laces to kick them off by the door. Even though you had sleeping garments, you didnât quite feel comfortable yet in being seen in them. Your body may have felt like your own again, but not enough to not remind you of how old youâve been.
âYou go, Iâll do it after.â You lie, eyes closed.
Thatâs the last you remember until dawn, the cool sunlight piercing through the crack in the curtains and the steam horn blowing to announce the trainâs arrival in Martine.
Your vest is off, hung on one of the coat hooks, next to his cloak and the collar of your shirt waist is loosened. Youâre missing one stocking, your foot hanging off the edge. But youâre under the sheets, the sound of deep breaths next to you growing more familiar. Good Morgana, he sleeps like a god. He had the sense to change but the pity to leave you be. Suki is tucked right under your arm, her tail laid across your neck. The whistle sounds again and Jeonghanâs nose wrinkles like a rabbitâs. Rubbing at his eyes, he rolls to better face you, calling your name thick and low with sleep. Youâre glad he canât hear your heart stutter.
âAre we back yet?â He mumbles.
You hum, sitting up and adjusting the curtains to peek out at the landscape. The thinning trees blur by and the air is more arid - you can almost imagine smelling the salt on the rolling breeze.
âWe must be. Letâs go home.â
A burning streak races through you as you say the words. Home. Martine was home.
Mingyu meets the two of you in the front living room. He takes your little suitcases and sets them aside, proceeding to wipe his hands nervously on his sage green canvas apron.
âYou both made it back. How did itâŚâ He raises his brows as he trails off.
You preen. âYoon Jeonghan is no longer a fugitive and is now a free man. Aria is on its way to being back to normal for all magic users.â
The tall wizard heaves a sigh, then pulls a face. âOh, thank goodness. I mean, itâs a little more than I expected, but!â Then he simmers, going back to being weary. âThereâs someone here for you â just you, not Jeonghan. I told them you were out of town and wasnât sure how long youâd be but they insisted they waitâŚâ
âGood Morgana, for how long!â You shoot to attention.
Only then do you realise that Jeonghanâs hand sits loosely at your waist, an unconscious and certainly not unwanted notion. His grip tightens a fraction, becoming more noticeable.
âOnly for an hour or two. Funnily, they didnât seem to think youâd be too long.â
That sets you off even more. No one apart from the guys here knew where you were. With that, you ignore everything else and stride up the hall, Suki racing past and almost tripping you. Past the dining table to the courtyard-
You draw up short. An elderly woman in a simple blue and white striped shirt-waist and skirt at the garden table idly sipping a cup of tea. It would have been green or chamomile for sure. Her grandiose navy velvet cloak is slung over the back of her seat. She looks up at the thundering of your steps, her eye colour mirroring yours. A familiar coat of arms pin glints proudly on her chest.
âGrandmother.â You say quietly.
Suki is absolutely delighted to see her, meowing loud and persistent as she meanders over for pats. Meanwhile youâre halted in the doorway, your feet cemented in place. Itâs been over six months. Which in theory, doesnât sound like a lot. But after the curse and having not mentioned a word to your family of your condition or whereabouts, away from people youâd never been without, any amount of time is monumental.
âEnjoy your sabbatical?â Bora says dryly.
âI didnât want⌠itâs complicated.â You murmur. You move to wilt and sit on the back steps of the kitchen, suddenly so small.
âFrom Kim Mingyuâs recount, so it would appear.â She replies. âThe house is fine. It was in a temporal bubble so easily reversible. Our clocks are still off though, even now. However, perhaps that will have changed now you areâŚback on your feet.â
You slant your head in the afternoon light. âGrandmother, how did you know where I was after all this time?â
âWell, at first scrying didnât work.â She begins.
âMy aura had been disrupted.â You confirm.
She hums, levelling a glare to silence you. âSo, after months of putting out contacts, we hear from sources in the palace in Aria of all places that you had returned, with silver hair. That you had bound the crown princess with the Vine Principle. We had informants work their way back from Aria, to here - this very house. The family was worried sick. Your mother had to close the nursery for a month â her emotions were affecting the plants.â
Guilt churned deep and thick in your stomach. Suki pulled back to headbutt your calf and comfort you. Now that the curse had been lifted, you were closer than ever. Boraâs gaze is expectant.
âIâm sorry, I just â after what Iâd done and â I was cursed. I couldnât bear to stay. So ashamed. I thought I had destroyed everything. But, Martine has made things better.â
She sighs softly. âI understand. I too, have made mistakes â nothing like yours, but mistakes all the same. But youâve broken a strong curse that would have taken years for anyone else to even scrape the surface on. You have made an impact on the lives of those in Martine, without a drop of magic. And you corrected a wrong for our people in Aria that not even I could rectify when you were younger. Your journey and time away has done you good. It was necessary.â
Finally, the weight lifts and you can breathe. With a hand preoccupied, scratching Sukiâs chin, you look up to smile. âThank you. I think so, too.â
Setting aside her tea, she rises to stand and lean on the back of the chair. When your grandmother smiles in response, itâs rare and demure, the vision of elegance. But always worth it. Better than gold.
âYou have done outstanding. Now, youâve always had your eye on the High Council, yes? Like myself and your father?â Bewildered at the direction of conversation, you nod. This must be what whiplash feels like â youâve seen the look youâre pulling on Jeonghan too many times. âFor your diplomatic heroics, I would like to offer you a role within the Council. Most likely as an attendant for myself or your father as we both work in Spellmastery. But I believe your perspective would be valuable in furthering the strength of our people. You would have to leave Martine, probably stay in the Glass City, to attend to your duties.â
Six months ago â hell, even two months ago â you would have leapt and grovelled for a part to play in the High Council. But, you had roots here now. A happy future youâd carved by yourself. People who cared about you and you felt the same. And there was him.
âI â I appreciate the offer. Truly, I do. And I understand that this kind of opportunity isnât given to just anyone all the time. But I have a life here now and I think Iâd like to live it before having such a career. I hope you understand.â
You feel eyes on you and twist back on the steps to peer down the hall. A blur of lemon yellow vanishes round the corner, then pokes sheepishly back in. Eavesdropping. His cheeks are the faintest colour, his grin cheeky at being caught. Speaking of life. You wink back and then face your grandmother, to gauge her reaction. You donât say no to a woman like her easily. But thereâs something akin to pride blooming in her features, pushing her shoulders back and curling her thin lips.
âI do.â She makes her way back inside, climbing past you on the steps. She pauses at your side to lay a hand on your shoulder. âYou have done extraordinary things here. I hope you continue to do so. Just please, call once in a while?â
You throw your head back to laugh as she passes you and glides down the hall.
Another, warmer presence is at your back moments later. âSo, who was that?â
You roll your eyes and tip your head back to eye him upside down. âAs if you werenât listening.â
He holds his hands up. âI actually didnât get all that much.â
You shuffle over so he sits. His knees sit up near his chin and itâs almost comical. âMy grandmother.â
His eyes go wide. âThe High Spellmistress?â
You nod and watch his jaw go ajar. âThe very one. She offered me a place in the Glass City; in the Council as an attendant.â You can feel his presence dim and you reach out to lay a hand on his thigh. âI said no. That there was life to be had here - people I care about.â
He looks down at you, his expression calm but also unreadable. An aspect of him you were still trying to get your head around. From flamboyant, arrogant Spellmaster to careful and cautious Jeonghan.
âLike who?â He says, fishing very obviously.
Something you had absolutely no patience for. You purse your lips, amused. âOh, I donât know, Mingyu certainly.â
He deflates even more and now you canât help but panic - you had hoped he could take a joke, like always. He had always had a confidence and bravado about him you didnât think you could shake. Yet again, the shoe is on the other foot. You twist to better face him and tuck your knees under his.
âHey, hey. And you, Jeonghan. Of course you.â You reach out to turn his face towards you. Dark eyes swimming beneath his sunny yellow fringe, almost exactly the same way as the day you met him. Your thumb runs circles over his cheek, daring for you. âYou know, fishing for compliments is not very flattering, Jeonghan. And you donât need to with me. I found my magic for you.â
He smiles, radiant, and puckers his lips to kiss the pad of your thumb - a gentle romantic, youâve slowly realised. You gasp quietly, your heart stuttering relentlessly as it tries to catch up and regain control with your emotions. Now you know youâre blushing, your chest all tight and, oh maybe a little lightheaded with how easily confessions come to light. As much as he grated on you, Jeonghan made talking easy. Suki meanders closer and pleasantly interrupts with a loud meow. The sun is setting - dinner, like clockwork. Jeonghan grins and shushes her, still under your touch.
âQuiet Suki, weâre having a moment. Thatâs good. Because no matter what, I was going to be with you.â He says with a steady conviction that makes you feel as if an Augur could have predicted his from miles away. âThe moment you laughed - really laughed - I was hooked. My angel, spun of magic and starlight.â
Martineâs annual Magic Festival is a month away, but preparations have been in the works for at least two months before. Between Joshuaâs Crystal forecasting, Soonyoung gearing up for the many rituals to take place and Seokmin bringing in extra stock for the apothecary and any roaming magic users, everyone is busy. Jeonghan is slowly getting busier, with wards to put up and a lot of liaising with Ariaâs magic council for their representatives to be greeted well. It was all about marketing, you supposed. And they deemed yourself and Jeonghan the best people for the job. You had still not been given permission by the King to release the princess, so she must not be⌠mature enough to participate in the event.
You had commissions coming out your ears, requiring daily trips up to the Post Office for supplies you had ordered. Most of the time Eugene would just throw your new supplies at you and send you on your way. Not that you werenât welcome to conversation, but everyone now knew your services were a well sought after commodity. Even more so now the curse had been lifted. A better Spellmistress than Jeonghan in Martine? Everyone paid handsomely for your wares.Â
Somehow between everyoneâs commissioned garments, you managed to find time to work on planning your own. The week-long festival was the biggest event on the Magic Calendar. Held in a different city every year, casters from far and wide travelled to celebrate. Everyone dressed in their best and stored their best spells or potions for trading and enjoyment. Martine would become a city that never slept. Street vendors and magic demonstrations, parades and parties. You thought it a bit funny when Martine had been announced. Maybe, for those in the know, even rigged. It meant your whole family would be coming to town and making a nuisance of themselves in your business.
Itâs a cool sunny morning when the post arrives to you first. Itâs magic mail, from the way itâs wrapped in velvet and floats in the door of the study of its own accord, landing gently on your work - a suit for Soonyoung with glittering chains and coins that would jingle as he danced. Your name is in thin cursive on the note slipped between the many folds. The velvet is long and wide enough for a whole new garment - which gets your brain thinking before youâve even reached your gift. You gasp and hold it to the light. Suki perks up and goes still as well. It looks battered and a little weathered in places, the top not quite pointing straight. But youâve seen this hat in your familyâs home for many years and in plenty of portraits - painted or photographed. The ribbon around the base needs freshening up since the last wearer and the dead flowers pinned beneath it look a little meek. Setting it aside, you reach for the note and unfold the heavy textured paper. The letterhead is emblazoned with the High Councilâs coat of arms.
Y/N, It is now your turn to proudly represent the family in this yearsâ Magic Festival. Like those before you, decorate as you see fit and wear it with pride. I will be speaking at the opening, so I look forward to seeing you then. Regards, Bora
You look at Suki. âAre you seeing this too?â
She meows assurance in response. You twist it and tilt it to get a better feel of it. It even felt magic, humming with its own presence and life. Of memories from those before. This was monumental - youâd seen your mother wearing it for as long as you could remember and youâd been dreaming of the day it was your turn. When you had completed your studies and the family deemed you ready to represent them. While you had briefly worn it for graduation photos, it had still firmly been in your motherâs possession. You look past it to the fabric it arrived in - you now needed a whole new plan for what to wear, and that bolt of velvet was just where to start.
Some days Jeonghan deemed his jobs to be two-person jobs, effort and time cut in half he had said blithely. So you were tugged out of the studio and on the streets. He still walked on the side closest to the road and Suki still weaved trouble beneath feet. But the tasks were easy and a way to stretch your magic muscles, so to say. Today entailed a few wards and something about a âFull House Downâ, an expensive offer that Jeonghan had available.
âWhat is a Full House Down? It sounds like a lot of nothing. Scammer.â You say, sceptical.
He gasps, mock offended. âIt is not! It is a full sweep of a household to implement an integrated magic system. Wards, self-cleaning, security, and other such additions.â
You baulk at his list of services. âOh. And what are you - we doing today?â
âMr and Mrs Park Hyunjin require our talents for their new home.â Jeonghan smirks proudly over at you. âI thought you might enjoy flexing your magical talents for your dear friend and customer.â
You beam and twine your arm in his, your grouchy mood instantly mollified. âAh Jeonghan, thatâs very sweet of you. Thank you. Now, tell me the plan - what is the commission, so to say.â
The job is only an hour and half, entailing security measures over windows and doors, kitchen cleaning spells and temperature management. And if you managed to put in a few luck and protection sigils about the place, Jeonghan didnât mention it. Hyunjin was in his office, Minji having tea with her mother and sister at the family home. His fine features greeted you warmly from the window as you carefully hovered a storey from the ground. Your wand was now your own, crafted by a close travelling friend of the other wizards, Minghao. It was a sturdy oak wood with lovely engravings around the top end that looked like rippling ribbons that curled into a comfortable moulded grip. The Tudor-style home with thatched roof positively glowed by the time the two of you were done with it.
You knocked Jeonghanâs hip with your own. âWell done Spellmaster Jeonghan.â
âAnd you, fellow Spellmistress.â His dark gaze slid to you, warm and crinkled.
Again, you slip your arm in his and he yanks you close to lead you back to your many garments awaiting attention. Idly he drops a kiss to your temple as you both pass a cafĂŠ, some mortal young women pausing their conversation to look at the two of you longingly through the window front.
âYouâre a tease, Hannie.â You mutter with a smirk. âOh, did I tell you my grandmother is coming to open the Magic Festival? She sent me the family Hat. My mother had it last.â
Your mind drifts from the cobbled pavement and pelting sunlight to the faded ribbon and withered floral you knew were hers. The embroidery was your grandmotherâs and the patches and unfortunate kink in the pointed tip were your great grandmotherâs - she worked on a farm and put the Hat through the wringer.
His breath catches as he looks down at you. âReally? Congratulations, Iâm so proud of you, Angel.â
You nod, your face warming. âI- thanks. She sent it in a pile of velvet I just have to use. I have a feeling she knew I would - I donât really have anything to wear that would be suitable otherwise. All of it is back home, for the best.â
He coos and pats your hand. âOh, I would have loved to see you in your little dresses before you dropped the hem! So cute.â
You screw your face up and squirm. Suki has leaped up onto a brick wall to parade in the sun, her tail lax but pink nose in the air. He means the dresses and garments you would have worn before being deemed an adult, with hemlines to your mid-calf and flat slippers and frilly neck decorations. Even trousers and tunics for more manual work in pleasant pastels. While you had worn more adult wear before the curse had happened, the darker tones and properly dropped hemline didnât happen until you were in Martine. You had stuck to mainly ankle length skirts and light linens for breathability and easy manoeuvring for spells.
âDonât be ridiculous. I looked like a child! I do not need the thought of you coddling me like one.â You softly snarl.
He simmers a little and gently sways the two of you. âIâm sorry, Angel. I didnât mean to annoy you. Only that, I would have liked to know you when we were younger.â
âNot much has changed, apart from the fact Iâm a little wiser.â You shrug. âMaybe a little grumpier.â
Jeonghan chuckles and leans forward to open Mingyuâs back gate. âRemnants of old age.â
You make a grumbling noise but leave it at that as you fish your key out of your apron to unlock the door. Suki dashes in first, narrowly missing tangling your ankles together so she can return to her well-warmed spot in the sun.
You work feverishly on your own personal project, stabbing your soft fingertips far too much for your lack of patience in the few weeks left. Mingyu is sweet enough to bring you dinner a few nights into the studio, humming positive observances of your progress. Suki is not allowed anywhere near the garment, for fear of having stray fur caught on the textured material. Minji has her regular tea appointments with you as well, perched in your window seat, every guestâs prime position.
âOh, you know what would be absolutely darling? If you and Jeonghan matched! He is escorting you, of course.â She sings.
You slide your eyes at her. âIâm my own person, Minji. Besides, this dress is for me. Itâs my first after the curse.â
She had been absolutely ecstatic for you when she came in the day after you returned from Aria to find a silver-haired young woman making measurements and grumbling remarks. She had claimed on sight that she knew you were magic - you had to be with the way you handled a needle and thread. Then she made a point of barging in unannounced just as often as Jeonghan in the lead up to her wedding with tea and gossip. It was what friends do, she preened. You donât tell Minji after your conversation that you were now looking for a ribbon for lacing the same blue as his cloak - you refused to give her such satisfaction.
You could barely sleep the night before - Suki just as restless, bouncing up and down off the bed. Only after a potent, lukewarm shot of Mingyuâs lavender tea did sleep find you. Certainly not the way in which Mingyu intended for it to be consumed. You were meticulous when getting ready by the soft east sunrise, murmuring ceremonial incantations as you did so. Some to bring prosperity and power during this auspicious time, others for your family and magic. Everything felt warmer and buzzing, as if the magic that swirled within you was just begging to burst free. Sukiâs golden eyes seemed to glow even more as the magic between you both strengthened. You were meeting Jeonghan in the studio, which was handy seeing as you had forgotten the extra pin for your apron there, hoping you wouldnât need it. You can hear him before you see him, his boots making crisp steps over the russet pavement - even the air sung in his wake. Nervously, you smoothed down the front of your dress, spinning from the full-length mirror to face him in the entryway.
The velvet hugs your torso nicely, the sky blue silk ribbon of the back lacing popping brightly. It had thick straps and was long enough to hit your ankles. A thin white blouse underneath youâd been working on for a while with long sleeves to protect against the sun, a turned up rounded collar and rounded v-neck from the apex of your shoulders that met nicely with the straight neckline of your overdress. There were little lace eyelets on the neck of your blouse that had been painful to sew on that you imported from Aria. Sensible lace up boots in a shiny black leather - Eugene had recommended a fabulous cobbler, that turned out to be his cousin. Flowers embroidered on the hem of your dress, difficult with the thickness but necessary as they weaved with luck and magic sigils. And your hat. You had added that same Aria lace to the brim but dyed it a sky blue as well. Your apron is a crisp white with more lace on the bottom along with the sky blue silk ribbon in a strip near the bottom as well, white cotton sigils almost invisible to the eye stitched in. Jeonghan in his cloak and a starched shirt and sky blue pants goes still in the entryway. Multiple layers of long necklaces and talismans from his family glinted and shimmered against his pure white starched shirt. His graceful blonde hair curled gently with the magic in the town, a life all its own and dark eyes that glittered with morning light. Suki graciously let you tie the last of your ribbon around her neck in a pretty bow. And you bathed her too! Miracles do happen.
You frown after he neglects to move again. âJeonghan, what? Is it not good? I mean I know the velvet is a bit much but-â
He scrambles now and shakes his head, closes his mouth. âNo! Not at all! Itâs beautiful. Iâve just - Iâve never seen you like this? SoâŚI have no words. None that make sense.â
You smile and secure your hat. âOh good. Letâs go then, Iâm meeting my grandmother there.â
He shakes his head again and steps closer, reaching for you and tugging you by the waist close. You gasp and grab to steady your hat.
âYouâve almost made it too well. I wish I could keep you here.â Itâs a pondering purr that electrifies you.
âIf you would like to brave the wrath of my grandmother, then by all means.â You roll your eyes as best you can.
Jeonghan laughs and shifts your hand to lift your hat. He angles it to shade both of you from the sun blasting through the window. There is a sweet scent about him, like sugar dust and lilies with that undercurrent of pine that you would miss if you didnât know he used it to fragrance his bedsheets.
âSunlight and Starlight - I think we could take her.â He draws a long, meandering kiss from you, making your lashes flutter in a struggle to focus. He grins, cheeky. âBut for you, Angel, Iâll escort you to town.â
He withdraws to settle your witchâs hat back on your head, straightening the brim. Looping your arm through his, you motion for Suki who leaps down and trots in front to the gate. The zing of your magic under your skin and through your pulse never gets old as you pull out your wand from the holster on your rib cage. A simple wave of the wood instrument and the door closes, sealing with a silver spark.
â starcrossed losers â˘
at age fifteen, youâre betrothed to a prince named jeonghan. at age twenty-five, youâre set to marry him. so when your father gives you a chance to find love all on your own, you immediately take it. now if only jeonghan would stop fucking sabotaging every relationship youâre trying to get into.
â FEATURING;Â jeonghan x reader
â Â WORD COUNT;Â 21k words
â Â TAGS;Â princess!reader, enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, betrayal (not frm jh), angst, minor character death, blood and violence, smut (MINORS DNI)
â Â NOTES; two years... it took me TWO YEARS to write this and post it AJAHDSFJSHFDGDF i am sorry? SO DEEPLY SORRY!?!?!? but that aside, this probably only starts to get more jeonghan-centric at the 10k word mark... OUGH..... i needed to do a lot of worldbuilding AHAHAHAHA BUT I PROMISEE it's for good reason!
this is part of the itâs complicated series.
PART ONE. PART TWO.
â Â SMUT TAGS; vaginal fingering, making out in places where you shouldn't, semi-public sex (that's it for this part unfortunately...)
Your life changed forever on a Tuesday morning.
As a princess, your days were dictated by a perfectly curated schedule. Every hour accounted for, every moment neatly placed in a grid of expectations and duty. It should have felt restrictive for most girls your age. But not for you. You liked the structure. The routine gave your life shape and purpose. You didnât have to wonder what the day might hold or scramble to meet your obligations. All that was required of you was to show up, shoulders squared, chin high, and play your part in the ever-charming production of royal daughterhood.
Mondays and Wednesdays were for lessons with your private tutorâarithmetic, magical history, the foundations of politics and diplomacy. Tuesdays and Thursdays belonged to physical training. Fencing and archery were your common favorites. Fridays were reserved for etiquette, where you were taught about flawless posture, graceful curtsies, and a hundred ways to say no without ever using the word. Meanwhile, weekends were for socializing, when nobles from Ancarra and beyond paraded their heirs and fortunes before the court like trinkets at market.
On this particular Tuesday, Changkyunâs form was sloppyâleft shoulder too low, footwork too eagerâand you exploited it mercilessly, driving him back across the mat with a flurry of perfectly timed lunges. He faltered on his retreat, lost his balance, and went down with a sharp oof before the tip of your foil points just shy of his collarbone.
You didnât smirk, but it took effort.
Flat on his back, your fencing partner let out a groan and flung an arm over his eyes. âYouâve been spending too much time with Master Yesung. Heâs turned you into a menace.â
âIâve always been a menace,â you tell him, withdrawing your foil with a flick. âYouâre just slow today.â
From the far end of the training hall, a low, throaty rumble of approval rolled across the floor like distant thunder. You glanced over your shoulder to find Reya lounging on the polished stone, tail twitching like heâs amused with your victory. The massive white tiger regarded you with half-lidded pride, resting his chin on his paws like the king he thinks he is.
Changkyun gave Reya a wary glance. âHe still hates me.â
âHe hates everyone,â you replied fondly. âExcept me.â
You didnât say the rest: that Reya is more than a pet. That you hadnât tamed himâyou found him, half-starved and snared by a hunterâs trap in the snowfields. That when your magic surfaced and it turned out you werenât a fire-wielder, or a stormcaller like the other gifted scions of noble houses but simply a girl who could speak to animals: everyone acted like youâd been cursed with the art of babysitting.
That is not real magic, they said. It will never be useful in court.
So you honed your body instead.Â
Foil. Footwork. Form. You mastered it all, until no one dared question your worth out loud. And maybe Changkyun is the only person who ever looked at you without that shadow of disappointment on everyoneâs faces when they thought you wouldnât notice.
Your fingers brushed as you help him to his feet, and your heart liftsâ
âjust as Royal Advisor Siwon clears his throat.
The sound snapped through the air like a blade cracking on steel. You and Changkyun jump apart.
âYour Grace,â Siwon said, bowing deeply. His silver-rimmed spectacles gleam in the sunlight. âThe king requests your presence. Immediately.â
You blinked. âIâm in the middle of training.â
âIâm afraid this takes precedence, Princess,â he told you with the faintest edge of regret in his tone. Heâs always been considerate of your feelings. âThe matter is⌠personal.â
Your stomach twisted at that.
Moments later, you pulled off your gloves, tucking them under your arm beside your training foil. Reya got up from his corner with a huff as he padded silently toward you, his presence at your heel like a silent question.
âIâll return,â you told Changkyun, though youâre not sure you will.
The halls of the Castle of Ancarra were quiet at this hour, but never truly still.
Morning sunlight streamed through stained glass windows, spilling pools of color across the floor dancing faintly over the stone as if the palace itself breathed. The scent of blooming flowers drifted in through open archways from the garden courtyards beyond, clinging to the walls like perfume. Somewhere distant, you heard the faint hum of magic wards being tuned by the royal mages, that soft shimmering sound like glass being struck gently by wind.
You, on the other hand, smelled like sweat.
Each step echoed a little too loudly as you padded down the eastern corridor. Beside you, Siwon walked with his usual glacial calm, every inch the model of a court advisor. Reya prowled silently behind you, massive white paws silent against marble. His fur rippled like snowdrifts in motion, and his blue eyes tracked every passing flicker of movement with the lazy wariness of a predator who knew he had nothing to fear.
You squinted up at Siwon, who maintained his pace without so much as glancing at you. âYou know, if you donât tell me whatâs going on, Iâm going to assume Iâm dying.â
âI assure you, Your Grace,â he replied without inflection, âyou are not.â
âThen Iâm being exiled.â
âAlso incorrect.â
âThen what is it?â
He gave a patient sigh, the kind adults always gave when they thought you were being childish. (You were fifteen, not five, but that never seemed to matter.) âIt is not my place to say.â
You groaned. âThatâs what you always say.â
âBecause it is always true.â
âCan you at least tell me if Iâm going to like it?â
âSome might consider it an honor.â
â...Will you make me one of those snowman figures with your frost magic to shut me up?â
Siwon glanced at you, startled but amused. âI thought you already outgrew those, Princess.â
You huffed, and Reya let out a rumble behind youâhis version of agreement, no doubt. You didnât like the way this was heading. Siwonâs face gave nothing away, as usual, and thereâs no way to break through his defenses.
Rounding the corner near the west wing stairwell, you nearly collided with one of the younger palace maids, who let out a startled yelp and nearly dropped her stack of linens.
âOh! Princess!â she gasped, eyes wide as saucers. âYouâre still in your fencing kit?â
You look at her bizarrely. âYes? Itâs fencing day?â
Regardless, she looked horrified. âYour hair is allâyour tunicâoh dear, youâre soaked. I-Iâll have the other attendants prepare a bath immediately. Do you want rosewater or lavender? I can call for your blue silks, or maybeââ
âShe wonât have time for that,â Siwon interrupted mildly, stepping forward. âHer Highness is expected in the kingâs study at once.â
The maid faltered. âOh. I see. O-Of course.â
You offered a weak smile. âItâs fine. My fatherâs seen worse. Remember when Reya broke into the aviary and I spent half a council meeting covered in goose feathers? This canât be worse than that.â
Behind you, your tiger gave a low, pleased chuff. You could feel his smugness. The maid tried to laugh politely but gave up halfway through. She curtsied and retreated with all the urgency of someone fleeing a burning room.
You scratched behind Reyaâs ear absently as you continued walking with Siwon. âYouâd think theyâve never seen sweat before.â
âYou are a princess, Your Grace,â Siwon said. âThe ideal princess does not perspire. She glows.â
âIâll be sure to glow after Iâm dead.â
Siwon did not react.
Which, of course, was the worst reaction of all.
He reached the grand oak door at the end of the corridor and knocked twice with the back of his hand, the sound deep and final before opening the door.
âAfter you, Princess,â Siwon said, and you stepped across the threshold, sweat-streaked and bracing yourself for the sentence that would ruin the rest of your youth.
The scent of ink and parchment greeted you first.
Not the cloying perfume of court scrolls but something plainer. Vellum stacked in rows, ink dried in the well, candle wax crusted in yellow pools on the old wooden desk. A fire smoldered low in the hearth, casting long shadows over the high shelves. A half-eaten plate of bread and cheese sat untouched near the window, forgotten beside a ledger the size of a paving stone.
Your father sat behind the desk, hunched over a thick sheaf of correspondence, pen stilled in his hand.
The King of Ancarra was not a large man, not like the kings in your history books who towered over battlefields in gleaming armor. He was wiry, silver streaking his dark hair while the creases at the corners of his eyes deepened not by age but by long nights and hard decisions. He looked up when you entered, and the tiredness in his face softened.
âBug,â he said, smiling gently. âYouâre here.â
As Siwon left you two your own devices, you bowed because you were expected to. But when you straightened, you didnât hide the concern in your face. Not even that old, endearing nickname could dispel your unease.
âYou look awful.â
He barked a tired laugh and set the pen aside. âThank you, sweetling. Thatâs what every man longs to hear from his daughter.â
You stepped forward, Reya padding behind you with the faintest growl of warning. He never liked this room. Maybe it reminded him of confinement, or maybe he just hated the smell of parchment.
âYouâre still doing all the ledgers by hand,â you said, eyeing the mountain of work.
Your father didnât deny it. âWho else would?â His smile was wry. âThe ministers mean well, but theyâd outsource my soul if I let them. I trust my own hand better.â
You bit your lip. Heâd always been like thisâstubborn in his solitude, steadfast in his refusal to lean on others. Ever since your mother died, heâd carried everything himself. That day was etched into your life, even though you werenât old enough to remember it. You were told she passed giving birth to you. That her last words were your name. Your father never married again, never even considered it.
Part of you always wondered if that was loyalty, or guilt.
You moved to stand beside him, your sweat-streaked fencing gear looking very out of place in the quiet glow of his study. âYou could have waited for me to change.â
He gave a soft hum. âDidnât want to waste time. I know how long it takes for you to pick a ribbon for your hair.â
You gave him a playful glare.
And then, his expression changedâjust slightly. The weariness didnât fade, but something settled in beside it. A sort of gravity youâd seen only a handful of times in your life.
He gestured to the seat across from him. âSit. Thereâs something I need to tell you.â
The hairs at the back of your neck prickled, but you do as youâre told. Reya let out another disgruntled noise as he curled at your feet, frost blue eyes squared on your father. Shortly after sitting down, you folded your hands and straightened your spine like youâd been taught.
âIs something wrong?â you asked.
â...Youâve grown,â Your fatherâs fingers brushed across the parchment before him, as if searching for the words inside it instead of in his own mind. âFifteen now. Three years left until youâre given the Dawning Crown.â
That doesnât quite answer your question.
The Dawning Ceremony was a rite of passage for every member of Ancarran royalty. On your eighteenth birthday, the veil of childhood would be lifted. Youâd stand before the court in ceremonial robes, swear your oaths beneath the kingdomâs banner, and receive the Dawning Crownâa silver circlet that marked your right to advise the throne, to lead, to inherit.Â
But something told you that wasnât what the king summoned you for today.Â
âYes,â you said warily. âWhat of it?âÂ
Your father looked up at you then. His eyesâtired, kind, and quietly burdenedâsearched your face as if trying to memorize it before he said something you wouldnât forgive.
âIâve arranged a betrothal for you.âÂ
Silence dropped between you like a stone into water, and it rippled in your chest. You blinked, as if youâd misheard. âWhat?â
âA betrothal,â he repeated gently. âTo Prince Jeonghan of Seraphia. The engagement will be announced before the yearâs end. Youâll be married once you both come of age.â
Your throat went dry as you sat there stiffly, the rest of your body frozen while your brain scrambled to catch up. Outside, you could hear the distant flutter of birdsong through the windows, absurdly cheerful for the moment. Reya stirred at your feet, sensing your shock.
âButâŚâ You swallowed. âI thought I wouldâ I thought Iâd be able to choose.â
Your fatherâs face flickered with regret, but his voice was firm. âI did what I had to, bug. This alliance is necessary. Seraphiaâs port routes feed half our inland trade. And their King trusts Jeonghan to succeed him one day. Heâs⌠heâs a good boy.â
You opened your mouth. Closed it. Tried not to make a sound like a dying bird.
Jeonghan.
You remembered him only in flashes. A diplomatic visit when you were thirteen. A boy with moonlight hair and a smile made of silk and sunshine. All the noble daughters swooned while he bowed and kissed their hands like something out of a storybook.
But you saw it.
You saw the glint of amusement in his eyes when he flattered people just to watch them squirm. The flick of his wrist when heâd âaccidentallyâ stepped on your dress train. The way heâd offered you a honeyed tart, only for you to discover it was filled with chili paste. Your lips had burned for hours.
You scowled. âI wouldâve preferred his brother. Joshua at least has a soul.â
The kingâs sigh was long and worn, as though heâd rehearsed this conversation a thousand times in his head and never found a version where it didnât end with you furious.
âI know this isnât what you wanted,â he said quietly. âBut itâs whatâs best. For the kingdom.â
You could feel the pressure in your chest start to swellâtight and hot and helpless. You shoved back from your chair, the legs scraping loudly against the polished floor. Reyaâs ears flicked at the sound.
âSo thatâs it?â you demanded. âYou marry me off to another kingdom and hope I forget everything I wanted? What about Ancarra? Who do you expect to rule when youâre gone, if Iâm stuck in the next kingdom over with a husband I didnât choose?â
Your voice rang louder than you meant it to, but once it started, it wouldnât stop.
âFather, Iâve trained my whole life to help you. Iâm learning about the laws, the politics, the treaties. Iâve fought and studied and bent over backwards to prove Iâm not some fragile little girl just because my magic doesnât shoot lightning out of my hands!â you sniffled, barely breathing with how much your throat feels like itâs stuffed with cotton. âAnd now youâre saying itâs all just... for decoration?â
Your father closed his eyes.
For a moment, the silence returned. Not heavy like before, but much more somber.
âYou think I donât want you here?â he asked, and your heart cracked at the roughness in his voice. âYou think I havenât dreamed of the day Iâd see you on the throne beside me, crowned and proud, finally free to shape this kingdom with your own hands?â
The king stood behind his desk, and the gesture felt too slow for the weight of what he carried.
âYouâll still rule Ancarra in my place one day, bug,â he said, his voice low with weariness. âBut Iâve seen the parts of you that mirror the worst of me. The way you shoulder everything on your own. The way you keep others at a distance, offering only whatâs required and nothing more. I know that kind of loneliness. Iâve lived it. And I wouldnât wish it on you.â
He looked at you then, and the weight behind his gaze was heavier than any crown.
âIâm not trying to chain you to another kingdom. I just want you to have someone by your side. Someone who sees you not as a sovereign, or a symbol, but as a woman. As a queen who doesnât have to stand alone.â
You turned away, biting the inside of your cheek to keep the anger from spilling out again. Just minutes ago, youâd been silently fretting over your fatherâs terrible habit of grinding himself into the groundâand now he was saying you were the same. That youâd inherited his loneliness like it was part of your bloodline.
Reya brushed against your side, his fur warm and solid as a low huff vibrated in his chest. Youâre not alone, he said. Iâm still here.
But the comfort didnât dull the sting. It didnât make the room feel any less like a cage.
âPlease, bug,â he said softly, reaching across the desk to take your hands in his. His grip was warm, steady, and just a little too gentle. âI need you to trust me. Just for now.â
You looked at himâat the sleepless shadows beneath his eyes, the ink smudged into the creases of his fingers, the quiet burden he carried alone because he never let anyone close enough to share it. Your chest ached.
You nodded, once. âJust for now.â
Life went on, as it always did.
Your schedule remained unchangedâlessons, training, etiquette, more training. The castle walls stayed the same shade of honeyed stone, and the banners still rippled with the wind in Ancarran silver. No one treated you differently, but that was the worst part. The servants still curtsied, the guards still bowed, and Siwon still handed you your briefing scrolls with quiet efficiency. As if nothing had changed. As if your future hadnât just been carved into stone.
But when you walked through the halls, people looked at you a little longer. Nobles smiled a little too kindly. Maids paused mid-task to whisper behind their hands.
Reya sensed the shift, too. He stayed closer than usual, his great striped head brushing your elbow when you walked, his breath warm at your back when you slept. His presence grounded you, but not even he could quiet the nervous churn in your stomach as the ceremonial dinner approached.
The Seraphian royal family arrived two days after the harvest moon. Their procession was the usual fanfareâbanners and courtiers, guards in gilded armor, a fleet of pearl-dappled carriages led by plumed steeds. You watched it unfold from the balcony with arms crossed, ignoring the way your heart drummed harder when you spotted Jeonghan stepping out in gold-trimmed robes, his hair ink-black and tied back with a silken cord.Â
It used to be much lighter, didnât it? Though there were always rumors about the eldest Seraphian princeâthat he changed his hair as often as his wardrobe, either by spellcraft or cosmetics. You werenât sure which unnerved you more.Â
The ceremonial dinner was held that evening in the Grand Marbled Hall. Candles glittered in every chandelier. The finest cutlery had been polished to mirror-shine. You were seated at the right of your father; Jeonghan sat directly across from you, grinning like this was all terribly funny.
For the sake of appearances, you were perfect. Pleasant and regal as you should be. You smiled when prompted, clinked your glass when toasts were made, and managed not to stab anyone with your fork. But once dessert had been cleared and the nobles began drifting into smaller pockets of conversation, you stepped away from the main table.Â
And, of course, Jeonghan followed.
âYouâre brooding,â he said, appearing at your side like a shadow. âItâs a charming look on you, truly. Very mysterious, but also very tragic.â
âIâm resisting the urge to toss you into the fountain,â you said coolly, still upset over Reya being barred from the ceremonial dinner. Siwon claimed your tiger would terrify half the guests into fleeing back to their homelands, but honestly? Thatâs exactly where you want Jeonghan to be.Â
All of a sudden, Joshua materialized behind him with a sigh. âBrother, maybe you shouldnât antagonize your future wife during the first dinner.â
The older boy raised an innocent brow. âIâm simply trying to get to know her better. Itâs called bonding.â
âItâs called being a smug little shit,â you muttered, turning to Joshua. âRemind me again why they didnât marry you off instead?â
âBecause Iâm only thirteen, Princess,â Joshua said with a rueful smile. âAnd unlike Jeonghan, I canât talk my way out of anything. Or into it.â
Jeonghan pressed a hand to his chest. âYou wound me.â
This was what your interactions looked like for the next few years.Â
Time wore on in polished routines and reluctant familiarity. Your lessons deepened. You traded your fencing foil with a sword. Your council briefings grew longer. And through it all, the shape of your future loomed larger, carved into every careful glance from the court, every politely worded expectation.
Jeonghan visited often enough to fulfill duty, but never more than that. He was cordial in public, infuriating in private. He knew just how to smile at the other noble girls, how to offer a compliment sweet enough to make them blush. But never you.
You werenât sure when it started to bother you.
He didnât try to charm you. Didnât send letters. Didnât hover by your side during banquets or take your hand when music played. Instead, he teased you, irritated you, challenged you. When you dueled with the court trainers, heâd lean against a post with a smug grin and critique your footwork. When you won a mock debate in strategy lessons, heâd ask if you were aiming for tyrant or empress.
He wasnât cruel. Just⌠completely uninterested.
And so, you mirrored him. Distant, cool, and unimpressed.
It was easier that way. You told yourself it didnât matter, that you preferred it like thisâthat it was better if neither of you cared. That way, when the Dawning Ceremony finally arrived, and the court crowned you with silver and called you queen-to-be, you wouldnât look for him in the crowd. You wouldnât hope he was watching. Wouldnât wonder if he saw more than just a political pawn.
You were eighteen now. The veil of childhood had been lifted. The Dawning Crown gleamed in your reflection like a weight youâd only begun to feel.
The door creaked open behind you. Your stylists fell silent at onceâone still halfway through pinning the final clasp on your ceremonial mantle. When they turned and caught sight of who had entered, they dipped into low bows, murmuring deferentially before excusing themselves in a flurry of silks and whispered footsteps.
You met your fatherâs reflection in the mirror.
He looked tired. Always did, these days. The strain of kingship lived in the soft slump of his shoulders, in the silver threading through his dark hair. But tonight, he wore a quiet pride that almost softened it.
âI still remember when you used to run barefoot through the garden, covered in dirt and insisting youâd seen a dragon in the clouds,â he said, his voice low and fond. âAnd now look at you.â
You turned to face him fully. The ceremonial robes felt heavier under his gazeâwoven from Ancarran silver and river-blue silk, embroidered with threads that shimmered like starlight. The Dawning Crown had been nestled into your hair not ten minutes ago, and already it felt like a permanent weight.
âYouâve grown into a fine heir,â he went on. âThe court respects you. The people speak your name with hope. I have no doubt youâll rule even better than I did.â
The words landed gently, like feathers instead of stones, but you only offered a small nod. âIs that all, or did you come to deliver another surprise engagement?â
He huffed a laugh. âNot today.â
A shape lingered in the hall behind him. You turned toward the figure, and felt your spine straighten when he stepped inside. You recognized him immediately.Â
Lord Kwon Soonyoung of the River Quarter. Young for a noble, but sharp-tongued, quick-witted, and endlessly frustrating to the older lords who couldnât keep up. He spoke boldly during court sessions, often to your quiet amusement. Not because he was reckless, but because his suggestions made sense. Because they werenât rooted in pride or greed or tradition-for-traditionâs sake.
You could tolerate Soonyoung.
More importantly, Reya mirrored the same sentiment. Your beast stirred at your side but made no noise. His tail thumped once against the floor, and when Soonyoung reached out, Reya allowed him to touch his headâwithout biting or growling or snarling.
You blinked. âHe never lets anyone do that. Not even the king.â
Soonyoung smiled faintly. âI bring very expensive jerky to council meetings.â
Your father gave a dry cough that mightâve been a laugh. âI thought it was time you had an advisor of your own,â he said, shifting his weight. âSomeone who understands your vision. Who wonât cower, but wonât sabotage you either. Youâll still have access to the council, of course. But from now on, Lord Kwon will report directly to you.â
You glanced back at Soonyoung, one brow arching.
He inclined his head solemnly. âIf youâll have me.â
And despite the crown digging into your temples, despite the pressure mounting outside those palace doors, you found yourself almost relieved for once.
The kingdom held its breath as the sun dipped low behind the peaks of Ancarra, casting long shadows across the capital. From the grand plaza to the marble steps of the palace, thousands had gathered to watch you rise.
The Dawning Crown sat heavy atop your headâwoven silver and moonstones, forged centuries ago for this moment. You wore it like you wore the future: unshaking, though it pressed against your every thought.
You stepped forward beneath the carved arch of the Grand Marbled Hall, every bell in the capital chiming at once. Your people stood below. Nobles flanked the raised pavilion. The wind caught your cape and made you look more like a figure from myth than flesh and blood.
Jeonghan, of course, was in the very front of the crowd, cloaked in Seraphian white and gold. His black hair fell loose tonight, ribbon tied lazily at the nape of his neck, and his expression is half amused, half something else. He didnât look proud. He didnât even look solemn. That damn prince simply looked like he was waiting for something only he knew the shape of.
You tore your gaze from him as the High Chancellor stepped forward.
His voice carried through the twilight air: blessing your name, your bloodline, your title. You bowed your head at the proper moment.
When it was your turn to speak, you found your voice more easily than expected. You spoke not just as a daughter, but as a queen-in-waiting. You spoke of duty, and legacy, and of your peopleâof Ancarraâs strength. The crowd answered with a roar.
And just like that, it was over. The stars blinked to life overhead. The music would begin soon. So would the toasts, the dancing, and the procession of noble flatterers lining up to be seen. But firstâyou slipped from the velvet crush of the crowd and found Soonyoung waiting just off the ceremonial steps, where the torchlight flickered low and Reya prowled like a sentinel in the dark.
He stiffened when he saw your expression. âPrincess?â
You pulled him aside, away from the footmen and ladies-in-waiting, and met his eyes.
âYouâre my advisor now,â you said, voice low but steady.
He nodded.
âThen this is your first task,â you whispered. âIf you cannot stop my betrothal to Jeonghan⌠delay it. Months, yearsâI donât care. Just buy me time. As much as you can.â
Soonyoung blinked. âAnd if they ask questions?â
âThey wonât.â You stepped closer. âBecause youâll be clever. And because no oneânot the council, not the court, not even my fatherâcan know that it was me who told you.â
Your advisor hesitated only a moment longer.
Then he smiled, something sharp and wolfish. âConsider it done.â
Years passed like storms over open fieldsâloud, relentless, and gone before you could catch your breath.
Your title grew heavier with each passing season. Every month brought new scrolls to sign, new decisions to weigh, new nobles testing your patience and pretending not to. But by your side, always, was Soonyoung.
He proved himself more than just a quick wit and a clever tongue. He was tactful when you were tired, bold when you hesitated, and disarmingly good at navigating court politics without letting it twist him. Most importantly, he did as you asked: he stalled. And stalled. And stalled.
Soonyoung often cited economic instability. He sowed polite doubt about timing. He suggested further diplomatic exchanges. And every time the matter of the betrothal crept to the surface, he found a way to push it back under without leaving fingerprints. For that, you trusted him more than most.
Still, no amount of clever maneuvering could keep Jeonghan away.
The Seraphian prince was a constant thorn in your side. Not overtly cruel but sharp enough to get under your skin. He made biting comments over tea with the council. Danced merely once at galas, and always with just you, even if his smile never reached his eyes. He acted the perfect prince in public, all grace and golden formality, but in private he still found delight in teasing your temper and smirking when it frayed.
And you matched him, blow for blow. It was the only way you knew to survive it.
You tried everything else. You proposed policy changes that would jeopardize the alliance. You drafted appeals to dissolve the arrangement. You whispered to other members of court, trying to find a crack in the centuries-old yet unspoken agreement binding Ancarra and Seraphia. But the betrothal endured, untouched, like some ancient curse carved into stone.Â
You were set to marry each other once you both turned twenty-five, and not even Soonyoung could circumvent the inevitable for longer than he already had. Â
On the eve of your twenty-fourth name day, you couldnât bear it any longer.
You found your father in the observatory, where he often retreated these days, away from court noise and council bickering. He looked older nowâsofter around the eyes, silver threading his entire beardâbut still steady, still listening.
âIâve done everything you asked,â you told him, voice low but urgent. âIâve honored the engagement. Iâve strengthened our kingdom. Iâve waited. But pleaseâŚâ Your hands clenched at your sides. âPlease let me find love on my own. Not in a treaty. Not in an obligation.â
The king looked up at you, quiet for a long moment. And in that silence, your heart thudded so loudly you feared he could hear the break in it.
Your father didnât answer right away. He looked at you for a long time, like he was peering through the layers of duty you wore like armorâpast the queen-in-waiting, down to the little girl who used to trail behind him with ink on her sleeves and admiration in her eyes.
Then finally, he sighed, running a hand through his hair, wearier than youâd ever seen him.
âIf you must,â he said softly. âThen choose. But do it wisely.â
And just like that, the floodgates opened.
Soonyoung, ever your loyal accomplice, was the first to act. But your fatherâs advisor, Siwon, was ten steps ahead. Between them a list was compiled: eligible bachelors from noble families across the continent. Men with good standing, decent lineage, tolerable personalities. A thick folder of names, portraits, court records, and correspondences appeared on your desk within the week.
âYou asked for love,â Soonyoung reminded you, lifting an eyebrow. âNot obscurity. We still have to make it look⌠proper somehow.â
You stared down at the endless sea of faces, all of them smiling too politely. The illusion of choice wrapped in silk and gold. It wasnât exactly what youâd hoped for, but it was somethingâa sliver of agency in a life that rarely allowed any.
Near the end of the list, a familiar face stopped you cold.
Im Changkyun.
The boy who used to spar with you in the training yard until both your arms gave out. The only one who never pulled his strikes. Who called you âlightfootâ just to get under your skin and laughed when you beat him anyway. Heâd left court years ago to pursue something abroad for a few yearsâyou hadnât heard from him since.
You held his portrait a moment longer than the others.
He looked older now, jaw sharper, eyes steadier. But something in his expression was the same: direct, unafraid. You set the image aside, just slightly, like a card at the top of a deck.
âConsidering him?â Soonyoung asked, not even trying to hide the curiosity.
You didnât answer. Not really. Just tapped the edge of the page and muttered, âHeâs not terrible.â
Several days later, you invited Changkyun to the castle.
The back gardens were quiet this time of dayâjust enough sunlight spilling through the high hedgerows to illuminate the walking path in pale gold. The magnolias were in bloom, their wide petals fluttering in the breeze like fallen silk. You waited near the old stone bench beneath the olive tree, Reya sprawled lazily in the grass at your feet like he didnât weigh as much as a small carriage.
Siwon and Soonyoung lingered at the archway entrance, trying and failing not to look like posted guards. Youâd already told them three times that Reya was protection enoughâand given the way the striped beast flicked his tail with bored menace, you were fairly confident no one would get within lunging range without permission.
Still, you appreciated their presence. Just as you appreciated the way the household staff had been strictly instructed, sworn to silence, and double-compensated for their discretion.
No one from Seraphia could know.Â
You heard footsteps before you saw himâlight, careful, and familiar. When Changkyun emerged from the vine-draped path, the first thing you noticed was how tall heâd gotten. His frame was broader, shoulders squared. His hair was longer now too, tied back against his nape.
But then he grinned, and you knew it was still him.
âWell,â he said, stepping into the clearing with a casual ease that made Reya lift his head. âSome things donât change.â
You quirked an eyebrow. âLike what?â
âYour taste in terrifying pets.â He nodded at your tiger. âStill looks like he wants to eat me.â
Reya snorted through his nose. You werenât entirely sure it wasnât a laugh. âHe does. But only a little.â
Changkyun bowed low, more mockery than formality, then straightened and met your eyes. âYour Highness.â
âDonât,â you said, voice softer than you expected. âNot here.â
His expression eased. âAlright, Lightfoot then.â
You nodded despite the jab, the name fitting better in his mouth than you remembered. And for a moment, standing there in the hush of a secret meeting surrounded by the scent of olive and magnolia, you felt like a girl again. A little reckless. A little hopeful.
âSo,â Changkyun said, glancing past you to where the advisors waited in careful silence. âAm I here for tea, or a political inquisition?â
You smirked. âThat depends on whether youâre still terrible at fencing.â
âOh no,â he groaned. âYouâre going to beat me again, arenât you?â
âIf youâre lucky,â you said, turning to lead the way deeper into the garden. âIf youâre not, Reya will.â
And Reya, as if understanding perfectly, bared his teeth in a lazy grin.
You walked side by side with Changkyun through the garden path, Reya ambling behind like a silent chaperone. The quiet between you wasnât uncomfortable, just tentative. It had been years, after all. Heâd grown into his frame the way trees settle into their rootsâsteady, grounded, and unpretentious.
You stopped at the far end of the gardens beneath a low-limbed willow, leaves swaying like curtains in the wind. When you turned to face him, the words tangled briefly on your tongue.
Changkyun tilted his head. âYouâre fidgeting.â
âIâm not.â
âYou are,â he said, grinning. âSame way you used to before you asked to borrow my practice foil. Or when you were about to do something reckless.â
You huffed, cheeks warming. âIâm not here to be reckless. Iâm being strategic.â
âSame thing, in your case.â
You gave him a look, then sighed. âFine. Iâll be frank with you.â
âThatâs new.â He raised an eyebrow in mock surprise.
You ignored him. âYouâre here because Iâm⌠looking.â
His expression shiftedâcurious, but not alarmed. âLooking? For what?â
âA husband,â you said quickly, like yanking a bandage off. âSomeone suitable enough that my council and court will approve. Someone who could make this kingdom feel less like a cage, andââ You stopped, biting the inside of your cheek. âSomeone I could maybe stand.â
Changkyun blinked, taken aback for a moment, then leaned in slightly. âBut⌠arenât you already betrothed?â
You stilled before carefully saying, âItâs complicated.â
He looked at you for a long moment. Not pressing, not even judging, but he did take a moment to read between the lines.
âRight,â he said finally, with a nod. âComplicated.â
You were grateful he didnât pry further.
Hmph, you thought. If Jeonghan were this thoughtful, I wouldnât have a problem with it.
You immediately wanted to punch yourself. What? No. No. Why in the worldâ? You shook the thought off like water from your hands. Ridiculous. Completely and utterlyâ
âIâm flattered,â Changkyun said gently, pulling you from your spiraling thoughts. âReally. It means a lot that youâd even consider me.â His eyes dimmed just a little. âBut I canât.â
Your heart paused. âCanâtâŚ?â
He nodded, almost apologetically. âThereâs someone else. Weâve been together a while now. Sheâs not from a noble house, so it was never going to be public, but⌠weâre expecting a baby in the spring.â
It hit you like a brick wall of mortification. âOh, godsâChangkyun, I didnât know. Iâm sorry, I didnât mean to put you in aââ
âNo, no,â he said, holding up a hand. âI know you didnât. You never would have tried if you did. Iâm honored you thought of me, but Iâve already made my choice.â
You took a step back, mortified beyond belief. âI just tried to poach a taken man.â
âWith a pregnant partner,â he added with a teasing grin. âA bold move, even for you.â
âStop laughing,â you hissed, trying to suppress the heat crawling up your neck. âThis is a diplomatic disaster.â
And of course, when you turned to stalk back to the garden entrance, you saw themâSoonyoung and Siwon, standing just where you left them, whispering like schoolboys and failing horribly at hiding their laughter.
âYou both knew, didnât you?â you growled.
Siwon cleared his throat and looked up at the sky. Soonyoung offered a helpful shrug. âWe just wanted to see how long it would take for you to find out.â
âYouâre both fired.âÂ
âYouâve said that four times this month,â Soonyoung said cheerfully.
âAnd it gets less believable every time,â Siwon added.
Behind you, Changkyun laughed again. Reya huffed. You tried very hard not to fling yourself into the hedge and disappear.
You went back to the drawing board with a vengeance.
The wall of your study, once reserved for regional maps and grain forecasts, was now a collage of organized chaos. Pinned parchments fluttered in the breeze from the open windowâportraits, lineage charts, summaries of estates and personalities. It looked less like a matchmaking effort and more like a war room. Reya had taken to curling up just outside your door, wisely avoiding the flurry of thrown quills and muttered curses.
Siwon and Soonyoung stood to one side, arms crossed like generals surveying a battlefield. They were your most loyalâyet infuriatingly connivingâadvisors, offering unfiltered commentary with the energy of drunk gossip mongers.
âLord Hwan?â Siwon suggested, tapping one parchment with a silver quill.
âToo stiff,â you replied without a hitch. âHe talks like heâs trying to sell me on an insurance scheme every time he opens his mouth.â
âWhat about the Crown Viscountâs second son?â Soonyoung asked. âHandsome. Educated. Keeps birds.â
âHe also believes women shouldnât sit in council chambers. Next.â
After a while, the portraits dwindled down to just a few names that hadnât been immediately dismissed. Among them, a new face caught your eyeâa boyish nobleman from the southern coast. You remembered him. Soft-eyed but sharp-tongued. He has an earring glinting in his official portrait, a reputation for charity work, and biting courtroom wit.
âBoo Seungkwan,â Siwon said, noticing your gaze. âHeir to the wine barons of Chasan.â
âIsnât he the one who screamed at the High Treasurer for misappropriating village taxes last winter?â you asked, intrigued. â
Soonyoung grinned. âThe very one. Rumor has it the Treasurer nearly cried.â
You plucked Seungkwanâs page from the wall. âI like him.â
âHeâs a bit dramatic,â Siwon offered.
âHeâs principled,â you corrected, pinning the portrait near the top of the selection board. âAnd Iâve had enough of spineless men. Give me someone who isnât afraid to raise his voice when somethingâs wrong.â
âHe also sings,â Soonyoung added helpfully.
âEven better.â
You three stood there a moment, gazing up at the organized chaosâyour court of candidates, your silent rebellion. It could be the most brilliant plan in the world, or the one that precedes its impending doom, but youâre more than willing to take a gamble.
It didnât take long for you to make the journey to Chasan.
You traveled in an unmarked carriage with Soonyoung at your side, no royal banners or official escorts. Siwon had protestedâloudly, thoroughly, and with increasing despairâbut your father, ever the silent observer of your misery, gave his blessing with one condition: Keep a low profile.Â
Chasan was warm with early spring, the hills rolling green and gold beneath a sun that glinted off the distant sea. When your carriage pulled up to the modest but elegant estate of the Boo family, no one rushed to greet you. No horns. No footmen. Just a confused stable boy blinking at you like youâd ridden in on a cloud.
You glanced at Soonyoung, who raised an eyebrow.
âGuess no one told them the queen-to-be was dropping by.â
âI did write in the letter that Iâd come in person,â you muttered.
One of the household servants scurried out after some frantic internal shouting. âOur deepest apologies, Your Highness, Sir Boo is in the lower vineyards at the moment. We⌠we werenât expecting you so soon.â
âItâs fine,â you said, already stepping down from the carriage. âWeâll find him ourselves.â
Soonyoung caught up, eyes scanning the gentle sprawl of grapevines that stretched toward the southern slope. âMaybe youâll get to see what heâs like in the wild,â he joked.
You shot him a look.
The two of you wandered down narrow earthen paths between sun-dappled vines, boots crunching softly over tilled soil. A few workers paused to bow, but no one made a fuss. Chasan was humble in the way that made you ache a little. No gold plating, no marble archways. Just earth, sky, and the scent of crushed grape skins in the wind.
âThere,â Soonyoung whispered, grabbing your elbow and pulling you behind one of the taller vine trellises. You followed his gaze and stopped short.
Boo Seungkwan was farther down the row, partially shielded by the grapes, one hand still gloved in working leathers. He was laughing, light and warm, as he leaned close to the young servant boy in front of him.Â
And then, without hesitation, he kissed him.
Not a scandalous kiss. Not a stolen one either. But soft, sure, and heartbreakingly tender.
You stared, your heart thudding with a strange sort of⌠sorrow. Or maybe guilt. You hadnât meant to intrude. You hadnât expected this.
Soonyoung gently nudged your arm. âGuess weâll be checking him off the wall.â
You swallowed and turned away, careful not to make a sound as you whispered, âLetâs go. He deserves to enjoy this moment without a royal shadow looming over it.â
Neither of you spoke again until you were halfway back to the estate, the quiet breeze tugging gently at your cloak.
ââŚSiwon is never going to stop laughing about this,â Soonyoung said at last.
You sighed. âI know.â
That crushing defeat hit you harder than you thought.
You didnât speak to anyone for days. Not after Seungkwan. Not after Soonyoung tactfully burned the last of the correspondence in your fireplace while Siwon wordlessly updated the registry of Unviable Matches with a heavy sigh.
Maybe this was your fate. Maybe it had always been. Maybe you were foolish to think you could outrun the gods' ink when the story had already been carved in gold. Betrothed at fifteen. Crowned at eighteen. Wed to Jeonghan byâ
You didnât let yourself think the year aloud.
Your advisors, mercifully, didnât try to coax you out of your misery. No jokes. No teasing. No âweâll find anotherâ or âwhat about this one.â Just silence and quiet presence.
Siwon left your tea in the mornings and your scrolls at dusk. Soonyoung started keeping his sarcasm locked behind his teeth. Even Reya laid his massive head across your lap while you read, his usual restlessness tempered as if he, too, knew your storm was not one that could be barked away.
You went through the motions. Court duties. Decrees. Oversight reviews. But your spirit dragged its heels, worn and brittle. And after nearly a week of going nowhere, you couldnât take the stillness anymore.
So you left.
No guards or carriages. Only a cloak over your shoulders and Reya at your side, his striped form padding silently beside you as you stepped out into the humming heart of the capital.
The city had always been your balm. Cobblestone streets. Songbirds in the eaves. Familiar chatter from vendors and weavers calling out their wares. The people greeted you with warmth, not fanfare. They knew Reya by sight nowâknew his name, evenâand parted for him without fear. Children ran up to scratch his ears. Old women offered you candied dates or weathered blessings.
You wandered further through the market square, slowing as a tapestry caught your eye. It looks new, strung between two wooden postsâits threads shimmering silver in the sunlight. A dragon this time, coiled mid-roar and stitched with care and pride.
Before you could move on, a small hand tugged at the hem of your cloak. You looked down to find a boy, no older than ten, staring up at you with wide, serious eyes. In his hands, he held a delicate ring of daisies and chamomile.
âItâs a crown, Your Highness,â he said shyly, holding it out like a secret. âNot the fancy kind, but it feels nice to wear.â
You crouched to his height, gently taking the floral gift with both hands. âThen itâs perfect,â you whispered. âThank you.â
Thank the stars you hadnât worn your Dawning Crown. It wouldâve felt like mockery now. You slipped the flower ring over your head and straightened. The child beamed. Reya gave a gentle huff of approval, as if to say: See? You still matter to the people.
You exhaled slowly and looked over the rooftops where the palace glittered far above the city.
You werenât ready to give up yet.
After purchasing some trinkets to bring home to your father and your lousy advisors, your footsteps take you further beyond the market. The flower crown sat a little lopsided on your head, but you made no move to fix it as you settled onto the edge of the city squareâs old stone fountain.
Reya laid down beside you with a content grunt, his chin resting on his massive paws as his tail flicked idly across the cobblestones. A warm breeze blew, catching the scent of fresh bread and sun-warmed stone. Pigeons cooed and strutted about the square like they owned it.
One of them hopped closer, cocking its head.
âWell?â you asked it. âI donât have food but you get conversation. Fair trade?â
The pigeon blinked, unimpressed. Youâre not who usually feeds us. Whereâs that baker girl with a soft voice and flaky biscuits?
âHm. Sheâs got better treats and a softer voice,â you laugh. âYou birds have standards.â
Another pigeon joined the first, eyeing Reya suspiciously. Why do you always drag around that oversized tiger? He looks like he eats things like us for fun.
Reya rumbled low in his throat without lifting his head. Keep talking, feathers. I havenât had lunch.
The pigeons flapped backward in alarm, cooing indignantly.
Savage! Barbarian! You wouldnât dareâ
âIgnore him,â you said, stifling a smile. âHe likes pretending heâs scarier than he is.â
Reya huffed again, this time clearly offended.
One pigeon scoffed. He nearly ate one of us the last time you were here.
âAnd one of you tried to steal his jerky. Actions have consequences.â
You sat there for a few more minutes, chuckling quietly at the birds' gossipâhalf of it nonsense, half of it accurate enough to be alarmingâuntil you heard a voice behind you. Gentle and familiar in a distant, unexpected way.
âMay I join you, Your Highness?â
You turned your head, and nearly gasped.
Standing just beyond the sun-dappled edge of the fountain was a boy you hadnât seen in years. Noânot a boy anymore. He was taller now, broader at the shoulders, his dark hair falling just past his collar. Instead of court finery, he wore a pared-down version of Renxing armor: travel-worn, softened at the edges, the pauldrons stripped away and the gold embroidery dulled by dust and sunlight.
You blinked, almost laughing from the sheer surprise of it all. âMinghao! Stars, it is you.â
âItâs good to see you again, Princess.â He caught your hands when you reached outâsteady and familiar.Â
But before the moment could settle, Reya let out a low growl, rising onto all fours. His ears are pinned back, blue eyes locked on your old friend with unmistakable suspicion.
âOh, stop that,â you said, stepping in to soothe him with a hand on his head. âReya, Haoâs a friend. Not lunch.â
Somethingâs wrong, he growled, muscles coiled beneath your touch. He smells like fire and blood.
You hesitated, fingers buried in Reyaâs thick ruff as his growl faded to a low, vibrating hum. His tail didnât flick, his gaze didnât waver.
Fire and bloodâŚ
Minghao probably did smell like both, even if you couldnât catch the whiff. Maybe in the way old battlefields did. Burnt magic clung to his clothes like smoke. His hands bore the marks of sword work, knuckles darkened with bruises that hadn't fully healed. Still, he was a fire elemental. And the general of the Renxing army. What else was he supposed to smell like? Roses?
But hostile as he was, Reya had never reacted like this before.
You gave his ear a scratch, more for your comfort than his. âHeâs just being dramatic,â you said lightly. âDoesnât like surprises. Or anyone whoâs taller than me.â
Minghao smiled. âI could kneel, if that helps.â
âDonât tempt him.â
He chuckled, stepping closer with a graceful ease that didnât match the war-weathered armor. âDid he say anything interesting?â
âNo,â you lied smoothly, straightening up. âJust a lot of growling and wounded pride. Why? Worried heâs giving away secrets?â
âOnly curious,â he said, voice soft. âItâs not every day a celestial tiger growls at me like I kicked his favorite moonstone.â
âYou did once steal a peach tart from my plate. He never forgot.â
âI regret nothing.â
You looked him over, still stunned. The years had sculpted him into something sharp and striking. Thereâs a faint scar curving along his forearm, and the unmistakable presence of someone used to command. But his eyes⌠his eyes were exactly the same.
âI didnât even know Renxing was sending delegates.âÂ
âTechnically, soldiers,â Minghao amended. âMy father offered support in fortifying your kingdomâs defenses. He sent me and a small contingent to assist in training.â
âThatâs the official reason, isnât it?â you teased.
He chuckled. âYouâve grown sharper.â
âAnd you havenât changed at all,â you interject with a beaming smile. âDo you still carry that lopsided bow you used to train me with?â
Minghao grinned. âI retired it years ago. But I remember those lessons well. You nearly took out my eye once.â
âIt was one time,â you said, rolling your eyes. âAnd you moved too close to the target!â
Reya, however, didnât find this reunion nearly as delightful. He rose behind you, placing himself between Minghao and your side with a deliberate flick of his tail.
You gave him a dry look. âHe taught me archery, Reya. If he meant to hurt me, heâs had a ten-year head start.â
âI mustâve offended him in a past life.â Minghao chuckled, giving a short, respectful bow towards the tiger.Â
âHe just doesnât like being left out of things,â you said, motioning for Minghao to sit with you by the fountain again. Some of the pigeons scattered as Reya circled, settling beside you with an annoyed huff. You pretended not to notice the way he kept one sapphire eye trained squarely on your old friend.
âItâs strange,â you said, watching the breeze stir the trees across the square. âI feel like I shouldâve known you were coming. Or that I wouldâve felt it somehow. We used to be glued to the hip during all those summer visits.â
âWe were children,â Minghao replied gently. âBut I remember it, too. I was glad when my father chose me to come here. I hoped Iâd see you again.â
You flushed, just a little. âWell⌠you have. And Iâm glad. Really.â
âIâll be staying at the castle with the soldiers,â he told you. âWe begin drills in a few days. Until then, I thought Iâd take a walk through the city. See whatâs changed.â
You grinned, brushing a strand of hair from your face. âNot much. The pigeons are still rude.â
A few feet away, one of them let out a coarse squawk. Youâre the one talking to birds like a madwoman. Canât even find a husband.
You lobbed a pebble at it. âYou eat garbage.â
Minghao watched in silent amusement as you finished your not-so-private argument with the townâs most opinionated pigeons. When you finally noticed his expression, you offered a sheepish grin.
âI missed this,â he said, the corner of his mouth tugging up.
You raised a brow. âThe pigeons?â
âYou,â he said, laughing softly. âYouâve always had a⌠unique way of handling the world.â
âYou say that like itâs a flaw.â
âItâs not.â His gaze lingered, warm and thoughtful. âItâs justâvery you.â
Reya let out another displeased noise. But you were too caught up in the moment to notice the way his muscles stayed coiled beneath his striped coat, the faint bristle in his fur. He didnât like this reunion.
But you? You were just happy to see an old friend.
Back at the castle, preparations for your guest had moved quickly. One of the east-facing guest roomsâtypically reserved for visiting dignitariesâwas swept, polished, and perfumed with lavender water. Minghaoâs soldiers were escorted to the royal barracks, where Ancarrian efficiency met them with warm cloaks, strong cider, and a welcome that was formal but kind.
By morning, the dining hall was bathed in golden light, sunlight spilling through the tall arched windows. The table had been set with a surprisingly casual spread: flaky breads still warm from the oven, crisp autumn pears, spiced porridge, and thick cream served in polished stoneware.
You were already there, hunched slightly over a steaming cup of tea, still groggy but determined not to show it. Reya was helping himself to whatever lavish breakfast the castle chefs had laid out for him, utterly absorbed in his bowl. From the way his ears twitched with contentment, your tiger was clearly pleased. You only looked up from your own food when you caught the quiet rhythm of approaching boots.
âGood morning, Your Highness,â Minghao said, bowing first to your father, then offering you a softer nod. âPrincess.â
âYouâre early,â you replied, smiling into your cup but it drops the moment Reya starts baring his teeth at your friend again. âReya. Knock it off.âÂ
Your father chuckled. âHe tells me his men were stretching at dawn on the south field. Quite the commander.â
âDiscipline is second nature in Renxing,â Minghao said, lowering himself into the seat next to yours with smooth, princely ease. âThough Iâll admitâyour lands make it easier. Crisp air. Clear skies. Even my men look taller here.â
âFlatterer,â your father said, grinning. âCareful, or youâll find yourself a permanent guest.â
âThat would be no punishment,â Minghao said, his eyes catching yours for the briefest moment, light with mischief.
You bit back a laugh and nudged the basket of pastries toward him. âTry the honeyed ones. Theyâre dangerous enough to make you not want to leave.â
He did, and the way his face lit up made you grin. âYou werenât exaggerating.â
Across the room, Soonyoung and Siwon stood with the servants near the door, their posture still and unreadableâsave for the way Soonyoungâs brow lifted slightly when you leaned in, listening to something Minghao murmured beneath his breath.
You talked like it had been days, not years. He spoke of Renxingâs northern reachesâwild coasts and glass-shelled beetles that migrated through frozen rivers. Of teaching a recruit to read by bribing him with hawthorn sweets, only for the boy to repay him in river crabs. Your father listened with gentle amusement, but it was you who laughed the most
And then, without warning, the thought crept in like smoke curling under a door.
What if it were him?
The match with Jeonghan had been sealed long ago, your fate marked in ink and crown and ritual before you could even attend council meetings officially. But what if it hadnât? What if you hadnât spent your whole life dodging destiny like it was a creature waiting to pounce?
What if love was simple?
A shared pastry. A soft story. Warm hands over tea and morning sun.
You looked at Minghao againâhis easy smile, the grace in his posture, the power quiet and controlled beneath the silks and steel. And in that stolen, treacherous heartbeat, you let yourself wonder.
What if it had been him instead?
Before your thoughts could wander dangerously, however, your quiet meal was interrupted.
You noticed the change before you heard it. A flicker of movement by the door. A servant, breathless and wide-eyed, darted toward Soonyoung and Siwon. She was whispering something too fast for you to catch.Â
Minghao was still speaking beside you, animated as he described a night march through an ancient canyon in northern Renxing where their footsteps echoed like ghosts trapped in a glass cage. His voice was smooth and warm, and you wanted to listen, truly you didâbut your gaze kept slipping back to the door.
Soonyoungâs arms were folded now. Siwon murmured something in return to the servant, nodded once, then approached the table with the quiet stride of someone who only ever brought important news. The king glanced up at the shift in mood, and you followed his gaze as Siwon stopped just behind your chair and bent slightly at the waist.
âYour Highness,â he said softly, his eyes flicking toward you, âPrince Jeonghan of Seraphia has just arrived. Heâs asked to speak with the princess at her earliest convenience.â
There was a beat of stillness.
Minghaoâs story paused mid-sentence. He looked toward Siwon with faint curiosity, but said nothing. Your father gave only a slight nod, an order to let him join breakfast, and returned to his tea as if this were a perfectly ordinary disruption. But your hand, still resting near the plate of fruit, curled into a quiet fist.
Moments later, the doors opened with their usual hush, but somehow it felt louder this time. Jeonghan stepped in, haloed in sunlight through the high windows. He was still draped in Seraphian silks, still unfairly beautiful.Â
His hair was brown now, swept back with a soft curl falling over his brow in a way that seemed carefully unintentional. He moved with that same effortless poise you had grown up watching and (grudgingly) admiring.
Minghao, ever-so gracious, stood as Jeonghan approached, offering a nod before shifting seats to the other side of the long table. It left the space beside you open intentionally.Â
Jeonghan slid into the empty chair like heâd belonged there all along. âGood morning,â he greeted, his voice dipped in velvet, his smile almost disarmingly warm. âI apologize for the surprise visit. I was in one of my moods and thoughtâwhy not go see my future wife?â
You gave him a withering look, but it faltered when he leaned in just slightly and added, âJoshua sends his regards. Heâs recently been engaged himself, you know.â
âOh?â the king said, lifting a brow. âCongratulations are in order.â
âYes,â Jeonghan said with a calm nod. âThe daughter of one of our royal mages. She isnât of noble blood, but sheâs well-versed in magic and negotiations. My brotherâs always had a soft spot for strategists.â
âSounds like he inherited that from someone,â Minghao said mildly.
You raised a brow. Jeonghan only smiled, utterly unbothered. âHardly. I prefer my companions predictable. Less likely to start a war over breakfast.â
A chuckle moved around the table.
Then Minghao tilted his head and said, almost idly, âAnd heâs not using magic, still?â
Jeonghan blinked. âPardon?â
âJoshua,â Minghao clarified with a small smile. âBoth of you, actually. Last I heard, neither of the Seraphian princes had taken up their birthright. The royal bloodline in Seraphia is known for its strength in enchantment, no? And yet you keep it buried, still?â
You stiffened a little. Not in shock, but because the question came from nowhere. Your spoon hovered above your tea. Magic was always a strange subject between nations. But the abstention of Seraphiaâs recent royalty was somewhat a hot topic among the surrounding kingdomsâAncarra included.Â
Minghao, for his part, was infamous across empires as a fire elemental prodigy. The youngest to command a regiment of war mages in Renxingâs history. His aura carried that same warmth now, flickering low like a hearth. Reya, beside your chair, shifted uneasily. His icy blue eyes fixed on the man across from him like a second set of judgment.
Jeonghanâs gaze didnât waver. âOur magic is not the crownâs priority. Seraphia thrives through diplomacy, not flames.â
Minghao leaned back, folding his hands. âA shame, really. I always wondered what it would look likeâroyal Seraphian magic unleashed.â
You didnât miss the slight tension in Jeonghanâs jaw.
And that, more than anything, gnawed at the back of your mind as Minghao took another sip of tea. You sat there in your seat with perfect posture and a polite smile, but the thought slipped into your skull like a splinter.
Youâve never seen Jeonghan use magic.
Never seen him spark even a flicker of it. Never caught a rumor, never heard a whisper. Not even from the palace gossip mill, which had happily speculated about the color of his undershirts once and still hadnât shut up about the time he laughed too hard at a coronation toast.
And you wouldâve asked. You shouldâve asked.
But that wouldâve required speaking to him longer than a required greeting, longer than the bare-minimum exchange you both had perfected over the yearsâsmiles for the court, ice behind closed doors. You found out about Joshuaâs affinity by accident, really. Heâd once stopped to admire a hedge maze in your gardens, and when he touched a dying stalk, it bloomed again beneath his hand. Simple and gentle, much like the boy himself.
But Jeonghan?
Nothing.
No elemental surge. No runic marks. No rumors of illusions, or voicecraft, or even basic wards. Either he had nothingâor he was hiding something so carefully, so deliberately, that no one had been able to name it.
And now Minghao was here, a walking blaze of power, and Jeonghan was smiling like none of it even mattered. You reached for your teacup, mostly to keep your hands busy.
You didnât like mysteries. Especially not when they sit beside you, pretending to be harmless.
The silence stretched just long enough to begin tasting uncomfortable. Minghaoâs smile didnât falter. Jeonghanâs posture remained infuriatingly elegant, but you could tellâif only because youâve spent years learning how to read himâthat heâs ready to change the subject.Â
Itâs your father who spared him the effort.
He cleared his throat and gently set his goblet down. âAnd how long will you be staying with us this time, Prince Jeonghan?â
You turned slightly toward the head of the table, grateful for the break in tension. Jeonghan flicked his eyes toward the king and answered smoothly, âJust a few days, Your Highness. I was passing through the border en-route from the east and thought it best to pay a visit.â
âAn unannounced visit,â Soonyoung muttered under his breath from his post by the door. Siwon nudged him with an elbow.
The king chuckled, brushing past the remark. âIt is always a pleasure, no matter how sudden.â Then he glanced toward you. âPerhaps you and my daughter might walk the gardens this afternoon? The roses have finally bloomed this year.â
You almost choked on your tea.
Jeonghan nodded with a faint, serene smile. âOf course. It would be an honor.â
Your spoon clinked against porcelain just a little too hard. Reya emitted a low growl from under the table, whether in protest of the plan or of Minghaoâs lingering presence, you canât tell.
Minghao, to his credit, simply sips his tea again. But his gaze flicks to you, then to Jeonghan, curious. Assessing.
And for the first time in a long while, you canât tell which prince unsettles you more.
You didnât get far from the dining hall before your hand shot out to catch Soonyoung by the sleeve, dragging him into the shadowed archway beside one of the tapestry alcoves. Siwon followed of his own accord, arms folded neatly behind his back, expression already knowing.
âIâm asking this plainly,â you whispered, eyes flicking back toward the corridor. âAre we absolutely certain Jeonghan doesnât know what weâve been up to?â
Soonyoung blinked. âAs in the matchmaking campaign?â
You stared at him.
âRight, yes, that,â he amended. âThen no. I mean yes. As in, he doesnât know. Iâm almost sure of it.â
âAlmost?â
Soonyoungâs smile twitched. âPrince Jeonghan is⌠difficult to read. Cheerful as he is, he doesnât quite let anyone be privy to his intentions.â
You pinched the bridge of your nose. âWhat if heâs just biding his time? Waiting until Iâm alone before springing some awful, âYouâve dishonored our familiesâ speech and demanding we set the wedding date?â
âPrincess,â Siwon said gently, âheâs had nearly a decade to pull such a stunt. And he hasnât. Donât start doubting the quiet now.â
You glanced up at him, voice lower. âBut what if Minghao's presence stirred something? What if he sensed it, somehowâthat Iâm searching for someone else?â
Siwon regarded you with the patience of a man who had outwaited a thousand royal tantrums and twice as many council disputes. âPrince Jeonghan is many things. But petty is not one of them. Heâd confront you if he had suspicions, not toy with them.â
âNot petty, huh?â you muttered, âIâm not so sure about thatâŚâ
Soonyoung scratched the back of his neck. âWe did keep the search quiet, Princess. Every servant sworn to secrecy, every meeting arranged through as discreetly as possible. If Prince Jeonghan knows, heâs clairvoyant. Or just very, very nosy.â
You sighed and pressed a hand to your forehead. âThis whole morning felt cursed. Reya was uneasy the whole time. Iâgods above, I liked being with Minghao again. Thatâs the worst of it. I liked it, and Jeonghan probably sensed that.â
âSo?â Soonyoung said, baffled. âYouâre allowed to entertain visiting nobility, especially if theyâre your friends. Prince Jeonghan doesnât own your breakfast companions.â
âBut heâs my betrothed!â
âIn title only.â
Your shoulders sagged, and you gripped the edge of the column beside you. âI felt like Iâd been playing a game I didnât know the rules of. And everyone else was holding cards Iâd never seen.â
Siwonâs gaze softened. âThat is the nature of court.â
A sigh escaped your lips. âIâm supposed to walk the gardens with him soon.â
âTry not to trip into the koi pond again,â the older advisor added.
âThat was once,â you scowled. âAnd it was raining.â
Soonyoung grinned. âStill your most graceful fall.â
You shook your head and pushed away from the column. âPray for me.â
âIâll light a candle,â Siwon said dryly.
âIâll start digging a moat,â Soonyoung chirped.
You waved them off and stepped back into the corridor, spine straightening with every step. Whatever awaited you in the garden, you would meet it with dignity.
The royal gardens stretched out before you, awash in morning light where sunlight filtered through the trees that swayed with the breeze. You walked slowly along the mosaic path, hands clasped loosely before you, Reya trotting a few steps ahead. He hadnât growled onceânot even when Jeonghan fell into step beside you like a ghost slipping from a dream.
âItâs been some time since we walked here,â Jeonghan said plainly.
You didnât meet his eyes. âHas it?â
âI suppose not that long,â he amended with a soft chuckle. âBut long enough to miss the scent of the roses. Your gardeners have always done them justice.â
You glanced toward the flower bed just aheadâwide as a banquet table and brimming with tangled stems of roses. Their leaves are a lush, lacquered green, buds curled tightly on the branches like secrets not yet told. A few bold blooms had already unfurledâdeep crimson, velvet-soft, catching the morning light like drops of spilled wine.
âTheyâre late in blooming this season,â you murmured.
âMaybe theyâre waiting for a sign,â he said. âSomething worth blooming for.â
You didnât respond. There was always something slippery about himâhow his compliments wore the face of riddles, how his tone was too gentle to grasp without suspicion. You didnât trust softness when it came from him. Not when youâd spent half your life bracing against it.
Still, he continued beside you, hands tucked behind his back in perfect princely grace. His eyes scanned the gardens, the trees, the rooftops just beyond the horizon.
âI heard your fatherâs invited Renxing to join our military councils,â he mused.
You stiffened, just slightly. âHe has. Their soldiers arrived yesterday.â
âAnd Minghao is their prince and general?â Jeonghan added lightly, almost amused.
That makes you pause. âYouâve met?â
âA long time ago,â he said. âI doubt heâd remember it, but he does seem aware enough of my existence to want to pick a fight with me .â
You huffed. âYou make it easy for anyone to want to pick a fight with you.â
Jeonghan didnât deny itâjust offered a knowing smile, the kind that curled at one corner of his mouth and made you want to both slap it off and stare a little longer. You walked in silence for a few steps. The wind stirred the trees again, rustling petals onto the stone path, and somewhere nearby, water trickled over the lip of a marble fountain.
Then he said, almost offhandedly, âHe likes to speak first. Draw lines before anyone else has a chance to set the terms.â
You glanced sideways at him. âYou mean Minghao?â
Jeonghan nodded. âHeâs clever. Knows exactly where to place a cut for the deepest bruise.â
âWell, heâs a general. Heâs trained for that.â
âHeâs also a prince,â your fiancĂŠ pointed out, tone light but edged. âWhich makes it harder to tell when the bladeâs diplomatic.â
You didnât answer. Not because he was wrong, but because you were surprised he noticed. Still, Jeonghan wasnât looking at you. His gaze wandered, serene and distant, as if this was just another quiet stroll instead of a conversation tensed on the knife-edge of politics.
âFor what itâs worth,â he added after a moment, âIâve never liked men who think precision is the same as power.â
That caught your attention.
You studied him for a beat longer. His posture, as always, was deceptively relaxedâtoo smooth, too practiced. But something had shifted. Maybe it was the way he said it, or the fact that Reya brushed gently against his side as he passed, tail flicking once before moving on. Jeonghan looked down at the beast, a faint smile twitching at his lips.Â
âHeâs warming up to me.â
You scoffed. âHeâs tolerant, at best.â
He tilted his head with a lazy smile. âStill better than hostile.â
It was. You hated that you agreed.
Days drift by in a hush. You expect tension, expect something grand to stir. After all, two foreign princes now share your roof, both with their own legacies, their own shadows trailing behind them. And yet, the palace breathes as if nothing has changed. No great disruptions, no clashing tides.Â
The soldiers in the barracks adjust to the presence of Renxingâs warriors with the wary politeness of men trained to kill side by side, and the kitchen staff still sends up too many pastries at tea. Minghao spends most of his days in the training yards or reviewing your kingdomâs defenses with the captains. He is gracious when he joins you at court, always with a smooth word or charming smile. Reya still watches him like a hawk from afarâbut the tension has settled into a sort of cold awareness, like two great cats pacing the edge of each otherâs territory.
Jeonghan, on the other hand, has made it his personal mission to haunt your every quiet moment.
He never speaks of the conversation in the garden again, but you can feel it hanging in the air whenever he appears. You pass him in the corridor, and he gives you a smile. You leave the solarium early, and heâs somehow in the hall just outside, pretending to admire a tapestry. You ask the cooks to surprise you with something new for breakfast, and he comments idly at the table that youâve always liked tart things with honey.
Itâs maddening.
By Thursday, youâve had enough.
You marched down to the archery range before breakfast, bow in hand, and jaw set with razor-tight focus. You havenât had time for this in weeks, and it shows in the tension of your shoulders, the crackle in your spine. You notch your arrow, draw back your arm, exhaleâ
âGood morning, Your Grace!â
You startled a little too dramatically. The arrow sailed in a wide arc and landed somewhere in the hedges with an unceremonious thwack.
You spun around to find Jeonghan standing at the edge of the range, hands clasped like heâs arrived for a morning stroll. Beside him was Soonyoung, who gave you a guilty, wide-eyed look before mouthing Iâm sorry and quickly stepping out of the line of fire.
Your voice came low and clipped. âAre you following me?â
Jeonghan only lifted a brow. âWhy, of course not. I was merely enjoying the views that the Ancarran castle has to offer. As your future consort in alliance, I should know the corners of your kingdom, donât you think?â
Soonyoung took one careful step back, and from his perch under the nearby tree, Reya let out a snort that sounded suspiciously like laughter. Jeonghan didnât even bother making himself look like he didnât purposely startle you at all.Â
You sighed and retrieved another arrow. Next time, youâll aim for him.
You notched another arrow, shoulders tight with barely restrained irritation. Behind you, Jeonghan and Soonyoung settled onto the bench near the range like they have every right to be there. Which, technically they do, but that didnât stop your fingers from twitching with the urge to send an arrow through the wood beside Jeonghanâs ear.
Another shotâcloser to the bullseye this time. Still not enough to stop your pulse from thrumming too fast.
âYouâre good,â Jeonghan said, his tone easy and observational, like heâs commenting on the weather. âShua and I werenât trained like this in Seraphia. As you know, our court prefers diplomacy and dance over daggers and bows.âÂ
You didnât turn, but you heard the amusement laced through his voice. Soonyoung gave a small, sympathetic shrug from beside him. âItâs true. I once saw him faint at the sight of blood.â
âExaggeration,â Jeonghan replied airily. âI merely swooned with elegance.â
You let out a slow exhale, notched another arrow, and fired. This one landed square in the center of the target. You heard a low whistle from your advisor andâmore infuriatinglyâa small, approving hum from Jeonghan.
âItâs rather convenient,â the prince mused, crossing one ankle over the other. âMy future queen being so fearsome with a bow. I daresay I wonât need to lift a finger. Youâll protect me, wonât you, Princess?â
The arrow youâd just pulled from the quiver snaps between your fingers.
âIf I protect you,â you said coolly, âitâs only because I donât trust anyone else to finish the job of ending your miserable existence cleanly.â
Soonyoung looked away, coughing suspiciously into his sleeve.
But Jeonghan? He beamed like you handed him a bouquet. âHow romantic,â he sighed, resting his chin on his hand as if admiring a painting. âYou do know how to make a consort feel cherished, after all.â
Your heart pounded, and itâs not from the archery.
The morning was clear the day Jeonghan left.
A soft breeze combed through the courtyard where his carriage waited, draped in the white-gold sigils of Seraphia. The horses pawed the cobblestones impatiently, as if mirroring the mood of the man they wait forârestless and infuriating to the very end.
You stood beside your father beneath the marble archway, cloaked in the formal grays of a diplomatic farewell. The kingâs voice was kind when he spoke to Jeonghan, and your fiancĂŠ was all grace and bows and eloquent farewells. Even Minghao lingered beside you with an inscrutable smile, hands behind his back like a soldier at ease. Youâre aware of the others watching tooâSiwon and Soonyoung among the entourage, the guards, the servantsâall witnesses to this perfectly polite departure.
Itâs nearly done.
But then Jeonghan stepped forward to take your hand in his. He kissed it, gently and reverently, all according to protocol. And then he leaned in too close for comfort.
âI look forward,â the prince murmured into your ear, warm breath brushing your skin, âto the next time I get to ruin your aim.â
You jerked back before the blush could spread to your ears, willing your face into a mask of court-trained calm. Every lesson you endured under the glare of etiquette tutors saved you in that momentâyour shoulders straight, your smile pleasant, your tone as composed as a glacier.
âHave a safe journey, Prince Jeonghan,â you said, eyes narrowed in the most ladylike way possible. âDo try not to miss me.â
His smile could set cities alight.
âOh,â Jeonghan began, stepping back toward his carriage, âI intend to do exactly that.â
You resisted the violent urge to throw something at his head.
Heâs gone before you could reply, the carriage wheels rolling across the stones like the closing of a storybook chapter.Â
Only, you suspectedâno, you knewâheâll be back soon.
By the time Jeonghan vanished beyond the gates, you'd already gathered Siwon and Soonyoung in the war roomânot for military strategy, but something far more treacherous:Â
Court-approved matchmaking.
âWeâre at a consensus then,â you said, tapping your finger once against the map of Ancarra. âPrince Minghao is not a viable option. Even if I wanted toââ
âWhich you actually do,â Soonyoung cut in with a pointed look.Â
âEven if I did,â you repeated with force, âit would be a diplomatic nightmare. Calling off an engagement with Seraphia for the prince of Renxing? Weâd be lucky if we only lost trade ports and not entire border towns.â
Siwon chuckled. âIâm surprised youâre willing to pick the task up again, Princess. You looked⌠quite dejected after your trip to the Boo Estate.â
You had to pin Soonyoung down with a glare to keep your advisor from saying anything that will raise your blood pressure to dangerous levels. âFailure is part of the journey to true love. Hasnât anyone told you that, Siwon?âÂ
Your fatherâs advisor hummed, his spectacled gaze skimming the interior list of nobility youâd had scribes compile over the past few weeks. âSo the suitor needs to be from Ancarra. Someone who can cause enough gossip, enough scandal, enough public affection to make it plausible you fell wildly in love and couldnât help yourself.â
Soonyoung grinned. âWhich means we need a boy you could realistically kiss in public without gagging. Oh, and someone that wonât run when Reya so much as growls at them.â
You glared at him. âYouâre on thin ice.â
Your advisor raised his hands in defense. âWhat? Iâm just sayingâyou do tend to scowl at most men like theyâve insulted your bloodline. Same goes for your beast.â
Siwon, ever the calmer tactician, cleared his throat. âWeâll approach this with structure. Letâs narrow the list to eligible bachelors who meet the following criteria: loyal to the crown, reasonably attractive, tolerable by Reya, andâpreferablyâalready a little in love with you.â
You tapped your fingers again, faster this time. âIt doesnât need to be a real romance. Just enough of a performance to convince Seraphia the engagement fell apart because of me, not them. If Iâm the reckless one, Jeonghan saves face. Everyoneâs happy.â
Soonyoung leaned back, arms behind his head. âYou really think Prince Jeonghan cares about saving face?â
ââŚNo,â you admitted, remembering the smirk he wore as his carriage departed. âBut Seraphia might. And the court definitely will.â
âThen we manufacture a heartbreak,â Siwon said simply. âWe choose someone charismatic, familiar, close to the palaceâenough that no one questions why you spent time together. Youâll laugh too loud at the gardens. Leave flowers in his rooms. Maybe evenâgods forgive usâwrite a poem.â
Soonyoung winced. âThatâs low.â
âAll is fair in love and politics,â you muttered. âOr at least, in fabricated love.â
You glanced out the window, where the sun slipped behind the edge of the tower, casting long shadows across the floor. Jeonghan was gone, and your future hung on the next name you circled with ink and lied through your teeth about.
War you could prepare for. But this? This was treasonous theater. And it didnât help that the world kept sending you warning signs left and right.
It began with Lord Doyoung of the northern territoriesâa bookish type with a gentle voice and decent bone structure. You think, Yes, this one might do. But the very morning heâs due to arrive in the capital, his carriage overturned on a clear road with no other travelers. His horse? Spooked by a pigeon. A pigeon wearing what the guards swear was a tiny gold ribbon.
Suspicious.
Then thereâs Jaehyun, a second-born noble who helped manage his familyâs glasswork business. Intelligent, considerate, and crucially uninterested in politics. You traveled discreetly to a manor on the coast to meet him. However, the moment you arrived, he was gone. Apparently left the day before to pursue an urgent pilgrimage after receiving a mysterious letter from a "reputable Seraphian monastery" asking for his divine insight.
But the worst, the true collapse of your sanity, came when you tried to court a commoner. A sweet, curly-haired apprentice scribe from the capital. You met by accidentâhe dropped his stack of scrolls, Reya frightened the life out of him, and you ended up laughing like someone in a romance novel. You arranged to meet him again secretly by the statue of the winged lion after dusk.
And guess whoâs already there?
Jeonghan leaned against the base of the winged lion like it was a throne carved just for him. The dusk painted him in gold and shadow, and he looked utterly at homeâone ankle crossed over the other, arms folded loosely, a single wildflower tucked behind his ear like heâd stolen it from a love-sick dream.
âYouâre early,â he said lazily, as if heâd been waiting minutes rather than hours. âI almost thought you werenât coming.â
You stopped dead. âYouâre not him.â
âNo,â he agreed. âBut Iâm certainly better-looking.â
âYouââ You took a sharp breath, rage tightening behind your eyes. âWhere is he?â
Jeonghan tilted his head. âThe apprentice? I believe heâs having a lovely evening at home. His mother made delicious stew, and he felt itâd be rude to miss it. Or so the note said.â
You stared. âYou intercepted him?â
Your fiancĂŠ smiled, all teeth and wicked charm. âTechnically? I intercepted the opportunity. You never said this was an exclusive audition.â
âYou are unbelievable.â
âAnd yet,â he said, stepping into the moonlight, that damn wildflower still tucked behind his ear, âyou keep trying to replace me with men who donât know the difference between a sword hilt and a dinner spoon. Truly, you wound me, Your Graceâ
You didnât realize your fists were clenched until your nails dug crescent moons into your palms.
âThis isnât about you,â you hissed.
Jeonghan stepped closer, voice maddeningly gentle. âIt always is.â
Your fists were clenched so tightly your arms shook, your breath short and ragged. The statue's winged shadow barely concealed you from the open square, where lanterns were being lit one by one, their warm glow spreading like a slow-burning fire.
And Jeonghan just stood there.
Mocking you with that unbearable calm, his eyes full of all the things you hadnât said in ten years. The flower behind his ear was ridiculous. His shirt collar was crooked. His entire existence was meant to push you to the edge of insanity.
âYouâre infuriating,â you snapped.
He smirked. âThen stop chasing ghosts andââ
You didnât let him finish.
Your hand fisted his lapel and pulled hard, slamming your mouth against his before your brain caught up with your body. It wasnât soft or sweet or measured, but raw, full of teeth and fury and years of words swallowed down in silence. Youâd meant to shove him, maybe slap him. But somehow, your lips found his instead.Â
And the worst partâthe truly damning partâwas how good it felt.
The warmth of his mouth. The way he froze for the barest second, then exhaled against you like heâd been holding his breath for a lifetime. And then he kissed you back.
Jeonghan didnât just return it. He answered it.
His hands slipped to your waist, slow but sure, like heâd dreamed of this and was finally awake. He kissed like he knew every inch of your stubbornness, every sharp edge, and loved the way you cut him open. One hand tangled in your hair, tilting your face, deepening the kissâand it became something molten, dangerous, entirely public.
Somewhere behind you, Reya snarled like a warning. You werenât alone. The statueâs shadow didnât hide the way Jeonghanâs hand curved around your hip, the flush in your cheeks, the hunger in the space between your mouths.
You tore away first, panting and wide-eyed as your heart thundered in your ribcage. Jeonghan looked at you all while swiping that tongue of his across his bottom lip.
âWas that part of the act?â he asked softly, lips still red, voice dangerously close to tender.
You didnât answer. You couldnât. Because if you spoke, you might admit it wasnât the kiss that terrified you.
It was how long youâd wanted it.
By unspoken agreement, neither of you addressed the kiss behind the statue. Not in words, anyway. But everything afterwards shifted.
Jeonghan began appearing in Ancarra with alarming regularityâalways with a perfectly valid excuse. Delivering letters from Seraphia. Attending diplomatic luncheons. Touring agricultural reforms that absolutely did not require a princeâs attention. And every time he stepped through the gates with that lazy smile, your blood pressure spiked.
He was still insufferable. Still poking at you like a child with a stick and a beehive.Â
âYou missed me,â heâd say, voice low in the hallway.
âI was hoping youâd gotten arrested,â youâd reply without looking at him.
âYou dreamed about me again.â
âReya dreamed about biting you. I just watched.â
But no amount of sarcasm could undo the heat that had settled between you like a splinter you couldnât dig out. And while your verbal battles raged on, your bodies fell into an entirely different rhythmâone of breathless tension and stolen moments.
A quick kiss when no one was looking. A lingering touch at your waist beneath the pretense of helping you onto a horse. A late-night visit to the library that ended with your back pressed against the cold wall of a forgotten corridor, his mouth hot against your throat.
You hated him.
You hated how good he was at knowing when to push you. You hated how you let him.
One day, Jeonghan found you in the west wing solariumâalone, for once, dressed in something plain for the heat. The moment he stepped through the arched doorway, you already knew he was going to do something reckless.
You tried to keep your tone sharp. âDonât even think about it.â
âI wasnât,â he said innocently, approaching anyway. âI was remembering how you kissed me first.â
âI kissed you to shut you up.â
âWell,â he murmured, stepping behind you, brushing your hair aside to press a kiss just below your ear, âit didnât work.â
You didnât stop him when his hand slid beneath the hem of your dress, fingers trailing up your thigh with infuriating patience. You shouldâve. You always told yourself you shouldâve. But instead, you exhaled through your teeth and leaned back into him, fists clenching the edge of the table as he teased his way higherâhis touch maddeningly sure, maddeningly soft.
And when his fingers finally slid inside you, you didnât even pretend to resist.
Because for all the years of distance, all the fire and anger and scarred memory between you, Jeonghan still knew exactly where to find the weak spot beneath your armor.
âYouâre shaking,â the prince murmured against the shell of your ear, and you could hear the smirk in his voice. âDidn't know you could be so delicate.â
âI will break your nose,â you hissed, breath catching as his fingers curled just right. âShut up and get it over with.â
He chuckled. âYou say that like Iâm doing this for me.â
âGods, I hate you.â
âYou donât sound very convincing.â
You bit down hard on your lip to stop the moan rising in your throat. His hand moved with a maddening rhythmâconfident and precise, like heâd learned you in secret. Maybe he had. Maybe Jeonghan had always known how to find the cracks in your walls, the fault lines in your resolve.
Your knees nearly buckled when he dragged his thumb over your aching clit. The spot that made your vision flicker, made your breath stutter.
He caught you before you fell.
âOh,â your fiancĂŠ said with mock sympathy. âIs this where the princess begs?â
You turned your head, eyes glittering with fury and heat. âYouâre so lucky Iâm unarmed.â
âAm I?â He dipped his head to kiss the corner of your jaw. âBecause right now, I feel like the one being conquered.â
You made a soundâpart growl, part gaspâas the pleasure crested higher. You hated how easy it was for him to pull you under, hated how your body betrayed you, trembling at his touch even as your mouth spat venom.
But gods, it felt good.
It felt like revenge, like surrender, like twelve years of wanting something you swore youâd never let yourself need. He played your body like an instrument only he knew how to tuneâdrawing out every gasp, every tremor, until the fire in your gut finally, finally broke.
You clutched the table edge like a lifeline, moaning his name as each wave of your orgasm shuddered through you. You felt sticky and unclean, and Jeonghan thought it to be a good idea to smear the mess heâs made of your cunt across your inner thighs.
As if to mock you even further, he leaned in, lips brushing your cheek as he whispered, âYouâre going to think about this tonight. When youâre all alone.â
You whipped around and shoved himâhalf-heartedly, breathlessly.Â
âGet out before I feed you to Reya.â
Jeonghan grinned, catching your wrist and pressing a kiss to your knuckles like a knight, of all things. âIâll come back when you miss me.â
âI never do.â
He was already gone by the time you realized your legs still hadnât stopped trembling.
Thankfully, Jeonghan left before lunch. That meant you could change your ruined dress and have a meal in the peace and quiet you deserved after that daunting encounter in the solarium.
You sat between your father and Minghao in the smaller sunlit dining chamberâthe one reserved for informal meals and less scrutiny. Sunlight poured through the windows, glinting off the crystal decanters and catching in the honey glaze of the roast pheasant. The servants came and went like shadows. Minghao poured you some tea without asking, which you would have appreciated, if you werenât so wrapped up in your own mind.
âSo,â Minghao says casually, âhowâs the treason?â
You glanced sideways at him, feigning ignorance. âTreason?â
He smiled. âYouâve had that look on your face since you walked in. Like someone who just burned a letter and buried the ashes under a rose bush.â
Before you can answer, it began.
The birds.
You heard them before you saw themâthree magpies nestled like gossiping witches along the arched windowsill. One of them fluffed her feathers and gasps, loud in your skull.
She was scandalous with a man just this morning!
Your eyes widened. No one else reacts. Of course they donât. Only you can hear them.
Back in that room again, another coos. Pressed up to him like a heat-starved mareâ
I told you, the third interrupts with a huff, sheâs betrothed to him. Itâs legal. The king said so. Even if she climbed that prince like a ladder, it would still be state-sanctioned.â
You nearly choked on your tea.
Your father paused mid-sentence. âSomething wrong, bug?â
You covered your mouth with your napkin, glaring furiously at the birds. One of them winked.
âJust⌠feeling a little hot,â you muttered.
Oblivious to your internal unraveling, thye king picks up his fork and says, âWe should start finalizing your name-day celebration soon. Twenty-five is a milestone.â
âI vote we skip it,â you said darkly, eyeing the window again. The birds have not left.
Minghao hummed. âYouâll have to get used to celebrations. Especially now that your wedding with Prince Jeonghan is not far behind.â
You hesitated just long enough for him to notice.Â
â...Unless itâs not happening?â the general asked jokingly.
You didnât know how to explain it. How every time Jeonghan visits, he kisses you like he wants to ruin you. How your body remembers the curve of his smile before your mind catches up. How you tell yourself itâs a temporary madnessâjust lust, just unfinished business, just war-born tensionâbut your hands keep betraying you anyway.
And now the damn magpies were singing it to the skies.
She moaned his name! one of them cackles, beak open wide. She gripped his hair likeâ
âExcuse me,â you said sharply, standing up so fast your chair skitters back. âI need some air.â
Your father looked mildly concerned. Minghao raised an eyebrow.
âShould I send someone with you?â
âOnly if they can shoot birds,â you mutter, already turning toward the hall, cheeks blazing.
Behind you, you heard one final chirp:
Reckless princess. Sheâll marry that boy or die trying.
The weeks leading up to your twenty-fifth name-day blur into a storm of brocade, guest lists, and mental breakdowns.
What was once meant to be a modest royal banquet has spiraled into a full-blown spectacle at your fatherâs behest. The ballroom has been draped in gold silks and strung with imported glass lanterns, and couriers from neighboring kingdoms have arrived daily, bearing gilded gifts and stomach-turning compliments. Youâve had to write nearly a hundred invitations by handâbecause of course you did, since your father insisted that nothing but your own pen would do for a celebration of this scale.
Four gowns. Four. In one night. Each more elaborate than the last, all designed by different tailors to reflect âthe four faces of the princess.â (Whatever that means.)
And looming behind the lace and laughter and godforsaken gemstone embroidery is the other event everyone is whispering about: your wedding.
To Jeonghan.
You tried to keep a mental list of reasons to loathe him, just to stay anchored. Heâs insufferable. He flirts with everything that looks his way. He laughs when youâre mad. He kisses like he owns the air you breathe and gets away with everything because his face is tragically symmetrical.
And worst of all?
Youâve started to imagine what it would be like to marry him and not hate it.
The very thought sent you into a tailspin of self-loathing and denial. But no matter how many times you told yourself you didnât want this, something traitorous inside you fluttered every time he looked at you with those unreadable eyes and said your name like heâs always known it.
By the time your name-day arrived, youâre equal parts exhausted and vibrating with tension. The maids were still pinning the final layers of your first gownâa deep rose silk trimmed with silver threadâwhen someone knocked at your chamber doors.
âPrincess?â one of the guards called. âPrince Jeonghan and Prince Joshua request to see you.â
You nearly groaned aloud, but waved them in. âFine. But if they mess up a single pin, Iâm going to skewer them with it.â
The door opened, and the two Seraphian princes entered like they own the placeâJeonghan with his usual amused swagger, and Joshua with a more subdued grace you havenât seen in months.Â
You didnât rise from your seat as your maids were still halfway through adjusting the fall of your sleeves. but you did narrow your eyes when Jeonghan swept in with a smirk and a flourish. The new color of his hair wasnât lost on you eitherâdeep burgundy red. You still had no idea how he changed its color like the seasons.Â
âHappy birthday, Your Grace,â Joshua greeted warmly, offering a polite half-bow.
âThank you,â you replied, eyes softening. âItâs good to see you again. I thought youâd be too busy planning your own wedding.â
Joshuaâs smile flickered, but he was quick to recover. âAh. Well. Some things are in motion, others⌠less so.â
You raised a brow. âThat doesnât sound ominous at all.â
âItâs complicated,â he said, then adds with a small laugh, âBut Iâve learned from Jeonghan not to overshare.â
His brother leaned against the wall with a lazy smile. âIâm an excellent role model.â
You snorted. âYouâre a warning sign carved into a cliff face.â
Before either man could reply, a footman appears in the doorway, whispering something in Joshuaâs ear. The younger prince bowed again before excusing himself, promising to speak with you again before the night is over.
And then itâs just you and him.
Jeonghan eyed the gown youâre still being pinned into with a mock-solemn look. âDo I get to see all four today, or is this one the final form?â
âDonât act like you care,â you quipped, trying very hard not to shift under his gaze.
âOh, I care. Iâve always loved watching you suffer.â
âWonderful. Then youâll enjoy what happens next,â you told him coolly, gesturing for the maids to step back. âBecause if youâre going to keep staring at me like that, Iâm going to assume you came here to be mauled.â
As if on cue, Reya let out a rumble of noise from where he was being pampered by one of the braver palace maids. Ferocious as he was, he always did like getting his claws clipped, as well as wearing his favorite collar if the occasion permits.Â
Jeonghan closed the distance between you with infuriating calm, eyes never leaving yours as he flashed a wicked grin. âYou look beautiful when you threaten me.â
Your pulse did that annoying thing it always did when he looked at you like thatâlike you were something worth chasing, even when you were bristling with knives. You rolled your eyes so hard it nearly dislodged the Dawning Crown pinned into your hair.Â
âAnd you look like a scandal waiting to happen.â
His grin widened. âThatâs the nicest thing youâve ever said to me.â
Before you could come up with something scathing in return, Reya padded over, nails clicking softly on the polished floor, his gleaming coat freshly brushed, a ridiculous silk bow tied around his collar. He stopped beside Jeonghan and huffed, as if unimpressed with the theatrics.
Jeonghan crouched smoothly to scratch behind Reyaâs ears. âAh, my true supporter arrives. Donât worry, Iâll protect you from her wrath.â
Reya growled, just faintly.
You smirked. âHeâs siding with me, clearly.â
âIâm wounded,â Jeonghan said, rising with mock offense. âBetrayed by beauty and beast alike.â
Then he extended his arm to you. âShall we?â
You stared at it for a beat, suspicious. But Reya nudged your leg gently with his snout, and you sighed, slipping your hand into Jeonghanâs. âFine. But if either of you embarrass me tonight, Iâm feeding you to each other.â
âRomantic and resourceful,â Jeonghan said with a wink. âYouâll make an excellent queen.â
You didnât dignify that with a response. But as you walked down the corridor, Reya flanking your other side like a silent shadow, the three of you looked like a tableau of something unspoken and inevitable.
The ballroom was a gleaming vision of excess: golden drapes spilling from vaulted ceilings, glass lanterns casting slow-dancing light over a sea of jewel-toned silks and polished marble. An orchestra played on a raised dais, their melody light and sweet, but charged with the weight of spectacle.Â
You stood beneath the tallest chandelier, Reya sitting loyally at your side despite the sea of legs and perfumes swirling around him. The first toast had long since passed. Youâd curtsied, smiled, and performed your gracious-lady routine so many times your cheeks hurt. And then the master of ceremonies called your name.
A hush fell.
Your father approached with a dignity that made your throat tighten. He was dressed in deep blue, embroidered with your kingdomâs sigil, and he extended a gloved hand with gentle formality. You placed yours in it, and let him lead you into the center of the floor. The music swelled.
Your first dance had been rehearsed, of courseâweeks of steps and spins and graceful nods. But when he whispered, âYouâve grown into someone Iâm proud to call my heir,â you missed a beat. His voice was low, almost shy. âAnd I know⌠itâs time to let my little girl go.â
You blinked hard, eyes stinging. âFatherâŚâ
âI asked too much of you, bug. Pushing this match before you were ready.â He exhaled, voice heavy but warm. âBut Jeonghan⌠for all his faults, heâs steady in the ways that matter. If youâve come to accept him, then maybe I wasnât entirely wrong to hope.â
You didnât correct him. You couldnât. Not when he was looking at you like thatâlike someone trying to make peace with the things he had broken, and still dared to believe he hadnât ruined everything.
The dance ended in soft applause, and you embraced him tightly before slipping away into the crowd. You barely had time to exhale before another hand reached for yours.
Minghao.
He wore black trimmed with crimson thread, Renxingâs crest gleaming like bloodied gold on his shoulder. His touch was precise, his posture perfect, but his eyes held a steadiness that grounded you. Your heart warmed even further.Â
âIâve never liked these things,â he murmured as he led you into the dance. âThe court politics. The pageantry. Celebrations of this caliber are rare in Renxing.â
You gave him a dry smile. âAnd yet you came anyway.â
âI came because Iâm loyal to the alliance between our two kingdoms,â he said simply. âAnd to you.â
That steadinessâhis quiet presence, his unwavering calmâhad always comforted you. Minghao was the shield between Ancarra and the unknown. For months, his men had trained your countryâs footsoldiers and honed them into formidable warriors. You felt safe with him, the way one does with stone walls and drawn blades.
But then he added, almost as an afterthought, âItâs a beautiful kingdom. Shame what war does to beautiful things.â
You glanced at Minghao, frowning faintly. âWeâre not at war.â
âNo,â the general said, still smiling. âNot yet.â
The song ended, and he bowed with courtly precision. You blinked after him uneasily. But there was no time to dwellâanother partner was approaching.
Of course, it had to be him.
Jeonghan offered his hand with a dramatic flourish, his red hair far too striking to ignore. âMay I steal the final dance of the night?â
âOnly if you promise not to talk,â you muttered, taking it.
He did not promise. Of course not. He pulled you in with the confidence of a man who knew every beat of your rhythm, every angle of your resistance. His hand rested lightly on your waist, the other guiding you effortlessly into the waltzâs pattern.
âYou cried,â he said smugly.
âI did not.â
âYou almost cried.â
You glared up at him. âIf I did, it was because I had to dance with you.â
His grin softened, just slightly, something real shining through the mischief. âYouâre beautiful. Not just the dress. You. I thought you should hear that without a punchline attached.â
You blinked.
It unsettled you more than his teasing ever had.
The song slowed, spiraling toward its final note. For a moment, your fiancĂŠ held you still, one breath closer than necessary. The world spun in candlelight and cello strings around you, and you hated the way something in you leaned toward him instead of away.
âI wonât always be an enemy, you know,â he said quietly.
âI know,â you replied, just as quiet. âThatâs what makes you dangerous.â
After the dances, your stomach practically growled in protest.
Dinner was winding down into a soft haze of candlelight and velvet laughter. The tables glittered with the remains of a decadent feastâglazed meats, sugared fruits, wine-stained napkins folded like petals. Reya lay at your feet, gnawing contentedly on a thick strip of jerky, a gift from Soonyoung (via the royal kitchens, of course). Every so often, his tail thumped against the marble with a low rhythm, as if to remind the room that he was still on guard.
You barely had time to sit between greetings, pulled into conversations and compliments from all sides. There was Yeri, a childhood friend turned court mage, who gave you a vial of bottled starlight as a name-day gift. And Seulgi, the clever young ambassador from the coastal isles, who kept trying to guess which gown was your favorite. You laughed freely for the first time all night, warmed by the company, the flicker of candles, the slow-blooming sense that maybe everything might be all right.
Until it wasnât.
Near the center of the ballroom, Jeonghan stood facing Minghao. It looked almost casual, but only on the surface.
Then Jeonghan said, loudly enough for the conversation to die around you, âTell me something, General. How many times have you tried to kill your own father and emperor now? Was it three?â
Minghaoâs eyes narrowed. âThatâs a bold accusation to make in public, Seraphian.â
âAnd yet,â Jeonghan replied with unbearable calm, âyou havenât denied it.â
You stood up from your seat, heart jumping to your throat. Minghao stepped forward, his voice still even, but you could hear the warning beneath it. âI serve Renxing with my blood. My father knows this.â
âDoes he?â Jeonghan tilted his head. âOr did you send his last stand-in home in pieces, too? Or was that an âaccidentâ like the rest?â
A cold, electric silence followed.
âIâve seen the way you linger at the map of Ancarra when no oneâs looking,â Jeonghan added. âThe way your men move when no orders are given. Youâre not here to serve the alliance. Youâre here to watch it rot.â
Minghaoâs hand twitched. Just a flicker. Just enough to make Reya growl.
You shoved back your chair and moved, fast. âJeonghan, stopââ
Too late.
âI shouldâve cut your tongue out the moment I knew what you were,â Minghao hissed.
âAnd I shouldâve told her what you are days ago,â Jeonghan snarled, and without waiting for another word, he punched him. The impact rang through the ballroom like a crack of thunder.
Minghao didnât fall. Of course he didnât. But his head jerked back, his lip splitâand when he turned back, he looked every bit the general people feared. Cold and murderous. You stepped between them before another blow could land.
âEnough!â you said, chest heaving. âThis is a royal banquet. On my name-day. You will not spill blood here.â
Reya pressed his flank to yours, snarling low. Behind you, guards surged forwardâbut no one dared act before you gave permission. Jeonghan wiped his knuckles on a napkin. âYou should tell your father. Or donât. Doesnât matter. The truth always shows eventually.â
Minghao didnât speak. But his silence was louder than anything. And just like that, the celebration fractured. Not with a scream, not with bloodâbut with the breaking of something deeper.
Trust.
It was several hours past midnight when you heard three gentle but firm knocks on the door to your bedchambers.
Annoyed, you stared at the collection of unopened gifts stacked high on your vanity. From delicacies imported from neighboring kingdoms to the most expensive cosmetics in all of Ancarra, your guests had certainly spared no expense in trying to curry your favor. But not even their lavish presents could dispel the pure vexation that had made your blood boil the entire evening.
You didnât bother to answer the door. Instead, you swept yourself into the plush seat tucked beneath the dresser mirror. There was only one half wit currently residing in the castle brave enough to disturb you in the dead of night, and with how miserably tonightâs festivities had gone, you were in no mood to extend your hospitality to anyoneâleast of all Seraphiaâs exasperating, insufferable, schemingâ
âIsnât it a little too late to be testing out swatches, Your Grace?â
You tried to ignore him. The way his silken dress shirt dangled half untucked from his trousers. The self-satisfied look on his face when he noticed you fumbling with the cherry red rouge youâd been applying to your lips.
But try as you might, you couldnât ignore Jeonghan when he reached a hand in front of you, nimble fingers wiping off the excess color youâd accidentally tinted just a few millimeters past your lip line.
Not when his smoldering stare held yours captive in the image reflected in your gilded mirror. Not when you couldnât even find it in yourself to resist when he gently grabbed your chin and forced your gaze to marvel at the man himself.
âSulking again, Princess?â Jeonghan sneered, and you wanted to hate him for it, but you couldnât. âI saved you from a man charged with treason three times in a single decade. Why are you pouting at me like I took away the love of your life?â
âBecause youâve made it your lifeâs purpose to make my life miserable,â you snapped, lacing each word with venom. âMinghao isnât a traitor. If he was, he wouldnât become the general of the Renxing army. He wouldnât even be daring enough to live in our castle for months.â
He sighed, sounding almost sympatheticâbut youâd long seen past the ruse. âPoor little thing, still being played like a fool all because you abhor the idea of one day becoming my wife. Tell me, didnât you find it odd, how persistent he was in pursuing a woman whoâs already spoken for?â
âMinghao is not pursuing me, and I am not spoken for,â you hissed, trying not to crumble from the way his thumb dabbed lightly at your lower lip. âNot by you. Not by anyone. Father gave me a choiceââ
âYes, of course. Everyone knows the story of the Ancarran Princess chained to a troublesome foreigner. So troublesome that she had to beg on her knees just to get the king to reconsider,â Jeonghan cooed, his face inching closer to yours.
âBut as it turns out, all the other men youâre trying your damnedest to replace me with are even worse fiends than I.â
Your lungs burned as if theyâd been set aflame, and Jeonghan was merely fanning the fire. âYouâre despicable.â
âAnd you, Your Grace, are far too gullible,â he chuckled, each breath searing against your skin. âIâd say just give it up and surrender, but youâve been fighting me since we were children. Ending our relationship in such a boring way wouldnât make for a good story, now would it?â
You remembered something Soonyoung once told you in passing: how Jeonghan loved deeper than anyone expected. He loved his homeland. He loved his family. He loved his people. And with how tirelessly he kept pulling you back into this engagement, anyone would assume he loved you too.
But how were you supposed to believe that someone like him was capable of love when all he did was thrive off your misery?
âThis new rouge youâre testing,â he murmured, as if he hadnât just stomped on your last nerve. âItâs the kind that takes days to remove once it dries, isnât it?â
âIn what way does that concern you?â you gritted out.
The despicable prince simply hummed. âOh, nothing. Iâm just curious about its actual longevity.â
Your heart practically stuttered to a stop when he closed the distance between youâonly a hairâs breadth separating your mouth from his. You didnât know how it happened, but your fingers were suddenly coiled in the fabric of his shirt. Searching for purchase. For solid ground.
But you should have known better than to anchor yourself to someone as volatile as Jeonghan.
âIf someone were to ruin it in the next ten seconds,â he whispered, his voice all heat and danger, âwould you be even more furious than you are now? Or would it have the opposite effect? Would you finally melt into their arms? Would you let them tear all your defenses asunder?â
Your pulse roared in your ears, and suddenly, you couldnât remember how to breathe. His intense gaze pinned you in place no matter how badly you wanted to flee. The scent of expensive champagne lingered on his lips, and to your horror, you found yourself craving a taste.
But you couldnât. You couldnât want that. You couldnât want him.
This was the man who had made your life a waking nightmare for as long as you could remember. The man youâd be cursed to sit beside in the throne room if you didnât act soon.
You knew these facts perfectly well, and yetâŚ
A scream ripped through the corridor, sharp and blood-chilling.
Jeonghan snapped his head toward the door. The sound of shouts followed, heavy footsteps, the unmistakable ring of steel against steel.
âWhat was that?â you breathed, your voice brittle with disbelief.
Jeonghan was already on his feet, eyes narrowing as he reached for the dagger he always kept hidden inside his coat. âTrouble,â he said grimly. âExactly the kind I warned your father about.â
Another cry echoed down the hallâthis one closer.
Then the door burst open.
A castle guard staggered inside, crimson soaking the front of his uniform. His mouth opened, a desperate warning hanging on his tongue, but it was too late. A blade sliced across his back, and he fell with a gasp. Behind him came two men clad in obsidian armor trimmed in blood-red. Their faces were obscured by masks, but the crest etched into their chests was unmistakable.
Renxing.
You couldnât speak. Couldnât move. Couldnât breathe.
Jeonghan swore violently and grabbed your wrist. âWe have to go. Now.â
He yanked you into motion. Your bare feet slapped against the cold stone floor as he led you out the side passage and into the corridor beyond. Chaos bloomed all around you. Servants scattered, guards fell, and the dark-clad invaders moved with deadly precision through the castle.
âJeonghanâwhat is happening?â you gasped, stumbling to keep up with him as he veered toward the grand stairwell.Â
He didnât look back. âThe Renxing Empire. Minghao. Heâs making his move.â
âNo,â you said, heart lurching. âNo, he wouldnâtâheâs still here, heâs been living hereââ
âHeâs been watching you. Learning the gives in your defenses. Counting how long it takes for your soldiers to mobilize.â Jeonghanâs voice was hard as steel. âAnd now heâs using it all against you.â
Around the corner, a blur of motion caught your eye.
Reya came barreling through the hallâhis snow-white maw stained crimson. He pounced with his teeth bared, knocking one of the Renxing soldiers clean off his feet, and with a snarl, clamped his jaws around his neck.
You let out a cry. âReya!â
The tiger lifted his head, ears twitching, and bounded back to you, fur bristling, blue eyes alight with fury. Jeonghan cursed under his breath.
âI knew it,â he spat. âI knew that bastard wasnât here to play diplomat.â
He grabbed your hand, fingers firm and unyielding. âWe have to find the king. Now.â
The three of you sprinted through the castle, Reya leading the charge with a guttural roar. The corridors grew slick with blood. Familiar facesâservants, guards, noblesâlay scattered and motionless. The once-gleaming halls of your home were being razed from the inside out. When you finally reached the kingâs bedchambers, the massive oak doors were already ajar. The scent hit you firstâmetallic and thick. Then you saw him.
Your father lay slumped over the edge of his bed, blood soaking through his embroidered robes, pooling beneath his lifeless hand. And standing above him, eyes cool and unrepentant, was Minghao.
His sword dripped with red.
You stumbled backward in disbelief. âNoâŚâ
Jeonghan stepped in front of you, shielding you instinctively. âSo this was your grand plan, was it?â he growled, tone deadly. âCozy up to the Ancarran throne and strike the moment our backs are turned.â
Minghao didnât even flinch. âYou were never naĂŻve, Jeonghan. That was always your problem. But the princessâŚâ His gaze flicked to you, unreadable. âShe wanted so badly to believe in goodness. It made her easy to control.â
Your heart shattered. âWhy?â Your voice was barely a whisper. âWhy do this?â
âBecause peace is a lie,â Minghao said, voice cold and resolute. âAncarra has grown weak. Soft. You live behind silk curtains and delude yourselves with choices you were never truly free to make.â
He stepped forward, sword still glinting in the torchlight. âI came to study my enemy. And now Iâve buried your king. The only thing left to do⌠is take the rest.â
Jeonghan snarled and drew his blade. And behind him, Reya let out a thunderous roar, low and full of rage. You stood paralyzed between the past and the future, your kingdom falling apart in front of youâbetrayed by one youâd defended, protected by the one youâd hated. Your hands shook at your sides. Jeonghan wasnât a warrior, heâd said it himself. You were unarmed too, but even with your weapons, your down spiral into grief would make it impossible to wield.Â
A sudden blast of cold tore through the chamberâsharp as shattered glass, singing with elemental fury. The air cracked as a jagged beam of frost magic erupted from the doorway, striking toward Minghao with blistering speed.
He parried it without hesitation, raising his palm as searing fire spiraled out from his fingers. The two magics collided midair, frost and flame meeting in a violent, hissing explosion that shook the floor beneath your feet and bathed the room in blinding steam. You staggered back, stunnedânot by the impact, but by the magic itself.
You knew that spell. Youâd seen it only a handful of times, in hushed moments of practice behind closed doors. Only one person cast frost magic that way.
Siwon.
The kingâs most trusted advisor, robes singed at the edges, his eyes blazing not with panic but with purpose. He emerged from the ruined entrance, frost still crackling at his fingertips.
âThereâs no time,â Siwon said, voice hoarse but commanding. âYou have to go. The southern gates have already been breachedâSoonyoung and Prince Joshua are waiting with a carriage at the old postern tunnel.â
âNo,â you gasped, still frozen in place. âIâm not leaving him. I canâtââ
âPrincess,â Siwon cut in, harsher now. âThe king is gone.â
You shook your head, the burn in your throat rising with each breath. Your eyes remained fixed on your fatherâs bodyâhis crown toppled, his blood soaking the carpet your mother once chose. It felt impossible. It felt wrong to leave him here alone. But Reya had already made his decision. With a deep growl, your tiger stepped forward, nudging your side with his enormous head. His low whine was almost mournful as he lowered himself to the ground, offering you his back.
âReyaâŚâ you whispered.
He growled again, firmer this time, nudging you harder. And thenâmiraculouslyâhe allowed Jeonghan to climb on behind you, his tail lashing with urgency. Jeonghan didnât question it.
âLetâs go,â he said, gripping your waist as Reya tensed beneath you, muscles bunching like coiled springs.
âDonât let him take the throne,â you whispered to Siwon, your throat raw.
He gave a single nod, eyes heavy with something far more complicated than grief.
And then Reya bolted.
You clung to her as she raced down the blood-soaked halls of the royal wing, Jeonghanâs arms around you, the wind screaming in your ears. Behind you, the flames of Minghaoâs betrayal burned hotter than ever, and you knew this was only the beginning.
The wind had long since dulled into a low, steady whistle as Reya carried you through the winding woods beyond the outer citadel. The scent of smoke clung to your skin. The copper taste of blood still lingered at the back of your throat. But you felt none of it. Not until his paws hit the forest floor and slowed, the ground beneath him trembling slightly with the echo of distant explosions. The rendezvous point was just aheadâa small ridge overlooking the secret passage that led to the waiting carriage below.
Reya knelt again.
You slid off his back slowly, your knees buckling the moment they touched the ground. You didnât cry out. Didnât speak. Just curled your fingers in the dirt and stared at them like they didnât belong to you. Jeonghan dismounted after you, quiet for once. He took a step forward, maybe to say something, maybe to steady youâbut you turned away, shoulders trembling with the weight of everything youâd tried to keep inside.
The tears came then. Finally. Hot and merciless, carving tracks down your cheeks as a sob tore itself from your throat. âI should have known,â you whispered. âHe was here for months. And I didnât see it. I trusted him. I trustedââ
Your voice cracked, the image of your fatherâs lifeless body flashing in your mindâs eye again. âFather told me I had a choice. And I chose wrong.â
âYou didnât choose wrong.â Jeonghan knelt beside you, gently pulling your hands away from your face. His teasing smile was gone. All that remained in his eyes was something gentler. âYou chose to believe someone could be better than the world made him. Thatâs not a flaw, Your Grace. Thatâs who you are. Itâs why people love you.â
âBut the kingdom... M-My father, Siwonââ
You shook your head, overwhelmed with memories of Siwon making ice sculptures for you in secret, of your father lifting you into the air when you were small, telling you that Ancarra would someday be yours. That all the land the sun could touch was worth protecting.
âI was supposed to protect them,â you said, voice raw. âBut I couldnât.â
A rustle in the trees cut the air like a blade. Then another. And another. Jeonghan rose to his feet instantly, hand going to his waist where his blade was sheathed. You scrambled up behind him, Reya growling low in his throat as shadows stepped out from the dark.
Renxing soldiers.
Half a dozen at least, clad in black and red, their armor glinting beneath the moonlight.
âWell, well,â one sneered. âThe little princess, right where we want her.â
âYou think youâre getting out of this alive?â another added. âYou let your kingdom fall from within. You let us in. And now you want to run? After everything?â
Their words twisted in your gut like poison. You didnât speak. But beside you, Jeonghan went terrifyingly still. And thenâyou saw it. A glint in his eyes, sharp and inhuman. Something reptilian. Slitted pupils. A golden gleam, cold and ancient. It vanished a second later, but it made your breath hitch.
Before you could question it, Reya stepped forward, positioning himself between you and the soldiers. His tail lashed. His fur bristled. But most startling of allâ
Go.
Your eyes widened. Reya never spoke like thisârarely ever with such clarity. But his voice rang clearly in your head, steady and resolute. Iâll hold them off.
âNo,â you gasped aloud. âReya, noââ
He turned his massive head toward you briefly, his frost blue eyes impossibly calm.
Ancarra will never die as long as you live.
Then he charged.
âReya!!â you cried, arm outstretched, but Jeonghan grabbed you from behind.
âWe have to go,â he said firmlyâthough you knew he hadnât heard a word your tiger said. Somehow, he still understood.
You stumbled after him, barely able to breathe, heart threatening to break clean in halfâbut you ran. You ran, tears blurring your vision, Reyaâs roar behind you echoing in your bones as you and Jeonghan raced for the ridge where Soonyoung and Joshua were waiting.
You didnât look back.
Because looking back would break you beyond repair.
PART ONE. PART TWO.
⢠end notes: oh mein gott... after two years, i finally put this baby out of my system and into existence. HELLOOOOO lovely people of caratblr, i missed you also terribly!!!!! this story has been camping in the back of my mind the entire time i was gone, and i'm so happy to finally get to share it with you! the entire thing is 40k in total, and i've been told tumblr gets EXXXTRA cranky if i even dare to dump everything in one go, so here we are, chopped into two parts :( i will probablee have the next part up next week just to keep you guys on your toes heh. i hope you liked reading this as much as i loved writing it. i miss jeonghan so terribly, and this fic got me to blow off that steam SIGHHH.
this is part of the itâs complicated series.
loving jeonghan is like the delight of holding a warm bowl of soup kind of love. loving him creates an eager sense of anticipation. loving him lets us know the comforting warmth that is on the horizon. loving him is nurturing. loving him permeates every aspects of our being. loving him assures the sense of being looked after. loving him offers refuge from the harshness. loving him creates a space to be protected. loving him soothes. loving him provides a profound sense of warmth, like a security of life.

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omgg. a year already? lol, it should have been my second anniversary here on tumblr when i didn't forgot my first account around 2022 đŠ
learned basic sign language (and still learning)! and for braille, we're still at the start but it looks harder than i thought it would be. đ


