sweater weather

she’d be angrier about having to hold a tray if she weren’t so confused and baffled by every single thing, from her surroundings, to this stranger, to his demeanor toward her. it’s all far too foreign for her to wrap her mind around, and she once again feels that dizzying feeling she’d experienced the day before, when she’d passed out from exhaustion, both mentally and physically. she’d better tone it down a notch before she wastes another day.

still as indignant as before, she walks toward the desk at which he’d taken a seat after inviting himself inside, and abruptly slams it against the aged surface. nothing in this room would fly in the palace—at the first sign of wear and tear, she always sent furniture out and brought new ones in. it’s the only way she’s ever known, and cannot understand why anyone would keep a desk around that’s so imperfect. but an aged desk that’s seen better days is the least of her problems at the moment. she has to figure out how to get back home.

“savior?” she asks incredulously, peering at him through squinted eyes. it becomes as clear as day once she stops focusing on her own misery and really takes in his presence that this is the man who had saved her from those thugs in the alley. she becomes uncomfortable under the weight of owing this man her safety and, perhaps, her life, and she shifts her weight from one foot to the other, brows furrowed as one hand reaches over to cover a bruise on her wrist, glaringly obvious proof that she wasn’t dreaming, no matter how much it feels like a nightmare.

but her abashed demeanor changes once more, posture straightening at his comment, assuming her more regal manner, one she’d been born and bred into. she’ll be damned if she lets him comment on her appearance. despite the rags she’s wearing at the moment, she refuses to appear the part of a beggar any longer. “what is this place?” she demands, trying to gather as much information as possible, hoping at some point it will all lead her home. “why did you bring me here?”

          SHE acts as expected and he doesn’t flinch when the tray is slammed down. though his ears aren’t as fond of the gesture, he watches her with thinly veiled amusement. nodding as if trying to patiently impart wisdom to a child, he waits for her to settle down, to realize that all of this anger will get her nowhere. 

          ALL very suddenly, he pities those who had to wait on her. they’d all heard their fair share of rumors around the castle but he didn’t take too kindly to gossip, ignoring it as one of the more private knights of the order. joohyuk didn’t think it his business how a princess acts if she’s doing no harm. but this kind of superiority and ignorance? he wouldn’t be surprised if she’s caused tears of frustration. 

          BROWS arched, he wonders if she’s chosen ignorance as her bliss to survive what must be the horror of being in such a low-class place or if she genuinely doesn’t remember what transpired in the alleyway. not many people could recognize her as the princess, only the cursed, and those who assist the cursed. although he hasn’t taken a liking to her, he still has a duty to uphold, as a knight, as a citizen, and as someone who bears his own curse as well. “you’re lucky you weren’t found by someone else.” who knows what they might’ve done or why they would curse the princess of all people? something must be wrong. how could they have gotten to her so easily? 

regardless of the nagging feeling that she receives whenever she’s around him, his presence is still greatly appreciated, a rather gratifying person to be around. joohyuk was considered a breath of fresh air when she compared him to males of recent history that she’s been around – both within looks and in personality. nana finds herself to be a more upbeat person whenever she’s around him – returns a smile at the sight of his, laughs unprompted, compliments flowing a lot more than usual. even now, a grin blooms at his words, a second of laughter escaping her lips at how they were almost on the brink of being corny – but nana allows it to slide somewhat because it is joohyuk, after all. “while you are blessed,” she says teasingly with a knowing tilt of her head, “you say that like i’m not nice to you always. and do you always have to talk like your the second lead in a young adult novel?”

his second comment takes her aback for a second, letting out a soft “eh?” while her gaze is focused on the bottle being transfered to the floor, which she quickly grabs with a hand, moving it to the wall so that it wouldn’t spill on her floor by accident. “can’t afford? you know, that’s the first time i’ve ever heard that in my life.” her tone is genuine, as the daughter of a hotel heir, something of that phrase she had only overheard being told to other people, not her herself. there’s more teasing dialouge on the tip of her tongue, though it evaporates the moment she turns around and finds him on the floor, the vibe around him unusual but it’s hard to even register that amidst the flash of panic that settles into her skin.

“joohyuk? joohyuk oh my god, are you okay?”

          SHE’S radiance and sunshine. natural beauty and grace. she’s a reminder that everything about her is effortless, natural. her smile, her personality. it’s all a reminder than his isn’t. he isn’t natural, isn’t effortless, isn’t human. the reality of her words settle in and for someone who isn’t human, he still feels a little hurt by the confirmation he has to give himself while laughing on the outside. “you are! but you could be nicer~ you’re a tease,” he jokes, knowing the double entendre that exists within those words. spending enough time with her has taught him those kind of jokes, of the thin line that exists between innocence and inappropriate implication. “aa. does this mean you want me to speak like the first lead? is that a proposition, jinah?” there it is, the truth: he’s meant to be a second lead. he won’t last forever. his data will and the memory that could be stored for a lifetime can also be swiped clean in a second. 

          HER background isn’t a mystery to him. without being told or seeing enough evidence through her lifestyle and the ease she can hire him with to do odd jobs here and there for her, he could easily search for it but he chose not to. he didn’t want to. he wanted to get to know jinah for her, not for her family or connections, not for her money, so he chuckles when she says she hadn’t been told she can’t afford something in her life. he hopes she’s joking, that she already knows there’s some things that cannot be bought but here he is, a prototype for a company trying to prove that even love can be bought in the end. 

@rkjoohyvk

the sunlight hits her eyes like an elegant waltz on her eyelids. it always did stream in through her windows at just the right angle to wake her. but just like most mornings, she turns over in her bed and attempts to get a few more minutes of sleep; at least, she tries to. but her usually soft and plus mattress feels like a bed of rocks, and there’s a strange an odd odor offending her delicate sense of smell. brows furrowing as annoyance brims within her, she sits up in bed only to realize that she is no longer in the palace. she’s in a strange place in a strange bed and can her strange voices just outside the door.

she sits up immediately, and memories of the past few hours begin to trickle back in, though she still can’t make any sense of it. she remembers waking up in a dark and dirty alleyway, and walking around the village barefoot, trying to make her way back to her rightful place in the palace. those who should be treating her with the highest regard and utmost respect had treated her like filth, as if she were no better than the dirt off their shoes. no one seemed to recognize her as the princess.

that is, until she’d run across a strange group of people…

          AS if she’s already forgotten the day before, deemed it a dream, she threatens him and he has to hold back a laugh. thrusting the tray into her hands, he brushes past her into the room, wanting her gaze to follow his uninvited presence to what is now her room, her new palace. if she’s dreaming, this is the wake-up call he chooses to give her. 

          TAKING a seat at the small desk in the room, the wear of the wood obvious, especially as he traces over a particularly large gash on its surface. at least it’s not centralized but it’s nowhere up to par for a princess. hand resting in his chin as he leans against the desk, he clucks his tongue, giving her a once-over. “is that any way to treat your savior?”

@rkjoohyvk   |   absolute boyfriend au

joohyuk had been acting a little… odd, as of late. and the worst part of it all was that she couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly.

nana was someone that was keen to body language, examining other’s behaviors and how they react to certain situations ( especially ones that she puts them in specifically ) has become a cherished hobby of hers – but even her refined senses couldn’t distinguish what the exact problem with him was. there was no noted change within his behavior, his appearance was the same as ever ( not like that had ever been a problem ), language was still sweet, everything the same has he as always been. and yet… something was off. she felt it within her gut. stares of curiosity quickly transform into stares of study, analyzing him whenever he wasn’t looking for the source of her suspicion. maybe she said something during her drunken night at the club? or maybe her behavior turned him off, somehow? joohyuk has always come off as the non-judgmental type, but at the same time she wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t too happy with her unladylike manner.

at the end of the day all of her thoughts and ideas were just theories, nothing that she could really prove or dispel based off of a feeling. there was no need to treat him any differently seeing as he wasn’t doing that to nana as well, so she pretends that everything was normal and nothing was weirdly wrong. “so… are you having any problems with it?” nana says, announcing her return as she lightly makes her way into the section of her place that she designated for the dance pole ( not a stripper pole ) to be installed in. she needed a place to practice when classes weren’t in session, of course. the water bottle within her hand is sodden with sweat, and she motions it in joohyuk’s direction for him to drink, eyeing him lightly. “not that i could be of any help though, i’m just being nice. and i’m not a stripper, by the way. i’ll leave that to you.”

          HIS current mission was simple. gather information on as many women as possible, research, research, research but he knew better: no matter to what extent he could talk in circles, perfectly explaining and rationalizing that all the time he spends around jinah is research, he knew it had become something beyond that. he preferred to research her, to study her, to be around her. without knowing, she became a preference when he’s not allowed any. as a prototype of the program, he is to accept practically any task requested of him, meet and assist any person, not linger around a specific one. 

          THE days are easy for him to count, to his very core. after all, his core is a processor and it’s one that runs too often, too fast, a robot’s version of a heart when he overdoes it like this. (when he thinks he can take matters of the heart into his own hands when they’re not real, he’s not human no matter how much he wants to be) it’s barely audible to the human ear but he knows, the soft whirring is because he’s not resting and not allowing his memory to be downloaded, sent to the main server because he doesn’t want to be caught. how could he answer the question that’s sure to come up? how can he lie when he’s designed to say anything necessary except to the creator? 

The entire event, bet to punch played again through Yuta’s head as he stood there explaining it. His hand gripping his side, trying to catch his breath and stop the stinging sensation of the stitch from increasing. Joohyuk’s long legs were difficult to keep up with. His heavy pants coming between momentary held breaths and licking over his hips, and the bubbled ends of his laughter. “I don’t know. He was being an asshole first. He was bragging about how he could get any girl he wanted… it didn’t matter if he had a girlfriend,” Yuta responds, before shrugging his shoulders instead of saying ‘yes, I started the bet’, because he had.

Another laugh shuddered in his shoulders, fingers combing through his hair and rocking his weight side to side. “I didn’t think he was cheap though. It was $20,” Yuta retorted back in his own defence and puffed up his chest. As if he was ready to fight Joohyuk over it. But he quickly deflates with another laugh. “Why? I didn’t do anything. I even told her about the bet after she gave me her number and said I’d have a handsome guy defend her honour.”

That was when his eyes crinkled, landing on his friend and motioning with his hand. “I picked you, so– congratulations on being more handsome than me,” he adds with another ricocheted laughter, another stuttered breath. If it’d been just him, he would have hit the guy. But Joohyuk was far more physically intimidating than Yuta was and Yuta didn’t want to have to explain a broken hand in training. 

“Show me your hand. We can get some ice from a convenience store,” Yuta motions, holding out his own hand.

          BROWS lift in confusion and he’s not easy to confuse or mislead when it comes to men. at least, when it came to how men think and how stupid bets like that come up, especially when it’s involving a woman. as if he’s programmed to weed out those types of things, as if he was trained from birth to look out most for women over men, for friends and strangers alike, he doesn’t believe so easily, not in this case. “how did his bragging about himself turn into you hitting on his girlfriend? let me guess, you’re going to say it’s because he started bragging that any guy could hit on her and she’d stay loyal?” the possibility of it exists but joohyuk believes more in the chance that yuta didn’t want to hear the guy bragging and made his own claim. 

          NOT shying away, joohyuk puffs up his own chest because, sore knuckles or not, he’s used to going for much longer than one punch. “you could make that much quickly if you wanted,” because joohyuk’s joked a few times about yuta joining him on his mission to fill in whenever needed. a wedding date, a companion for a meal, anything and everything. his latest work with a beautiful, leggy blonde proved to be just that. he knew where nearly everything in her apartment was by now. “and the handsome guy defending her honor had to be me and not you?” he snorts, cracking his knuckles out of habit and clearing his throat when he realizes his mistake a little too late. 

yoongi watches carefully, eyes trailing over everything as he crosses his arms. he shifts in place behind the other, sniffling as he thumbs his nose. experiments are fun, and yoongi’s always liked them; sure, the possibility of something awful happening – like an explosion, some sort of noxious gas – extremes in any situation. it seems silly but it doesn’t change the fact yoongi does think about the possibilities, no matter how dramatic they may seem.

“o…kay.” he says slowly, not fully believing joohyuk but offering a small twitch of his lips in response. “what’s it gonna do? make weird fizzy…carbonation art or somethin’?” he drops his eyes to the ingredients, cocking his head to the side. his eyes flicker back to the other, a strange look over taking his features. it looks eerily similar to something along the lines of being anxious. “ah. well. isn’t that…good to know.” his voice sounds dull, and his entire demeanor seems wary as he eyes the stuff in front of the other. he swallows. “well. i believe ya if you say it won’t explode. i’ll punch you if it does, though.”

he smiles crookedly at the other. it’s not a real threat, but yoongi figures he’d throw some sort of joke in the situation to ease his worry.

          HE really is more confident this time around and justifiably so. he must’ve watched how many videos trying to find someone who actually recorded the reaction and not just a voiceover of the many benefits of drinking lemon water with baking soda. he wanted more science and chemistry than health class, however much they all tie together into one. 

          NOT missing the twitch of yoongi’s lips, joohyuk isn’t fazed but further encouraged by it, grinning proudly as he tells him, “no exploding here, sir! scout’s honor! really!” but again he’s no boy scout and he definitely doesn’t have enough honor to back his word up in this moment. “i don’t know about art but you’re right, it will fizz! hey... have you done this before? no fair,” he laughs, shaking his head. “it’s supposed to be a surprise! but damn, don’t mention punching to me anytime soon. my hand is tingling.” 

            A sharp playful glare shot his way when he teases her about not really being a soft person. Minhee does act like the hard nose at times but inside she truly mushy soft child, depending on who speaking to depends on what side they would see. Most of the time, she acts tough confident human and mean person to the male species as she learnt from past sometimes men misjudge kindness as flirting. It’s sad the world tends see someone being kind means they want something them. Sometimes that facade falters a /lot/  as can’t help but help strangers.

          WAIT, did mention valentine’s day was coming? Minhee eyes widen at the fact it’s that time of year again. Last year, she was truly sweet even made her boyfriend at the time chocolates but this year. The girl has no time for sentimental, she needs to focus on being a trainee. “Valentine’s day is silly tradition, I do not have time for being all mushy and lovey dovey..I bet you’ll be busy though. Either having ladies coming in for their pre-date manicure or probably got ladies or even men lining up to confess their love to you- I bet it option one right?” she teased back in playful manner while relaxed in his presence knowing her hands are in good hands. 

          HE knows her too well to take the glare to heart and he grins smugly, teasingly at her instead. as much as she wants people to take her seriously, to not see her as an easy target, joohyuk sees someone worthy of being cherished and protected. it’s how he sees all women, whether they like it or not. it’s how he sees most people. it’s cheaters and assholes that don’t get the same courtesy. he can’t stand people who cheat, even if it’s the reason for most of his business. 

( ˟ RENDERING …  )   — — —

“there you go again… look at you! no wait, let me be you for a minute,” the girl hurriedly announces before shaking her body, attempting to put on a soft expression while seizing one of his hands with both of her lithe ones, bringing it up to her chin, “i don’t have any doubts in you, joohyuk. well, i do have one. i wonder if you’re a real person because like i said before, you’re pretty perfect. i mean, i’m pretty perfect. look at my gorgeous eyes. are you charmed by me yet? i know you are.” she said softly, inching closer to the boy while gazing straight into his eyes, trying her best to imitate the look of sincerity he throws her way. it doesn’t last long because laughter breaks through her allure, nana not being able to be serious about any topic for too long within this state. “a likely story. you’re just saying that now so you can try to look normal. i’m not buying it, nam joohyuk!” as she talks she lazily lowers their hands, ultimately breaking contact altogether.

instead her arms cross right below her chest, sitting snug against her body at the thought of going anywhere with jihye. at this point, she wasn’t even sure she could consider the other a friend anymore. “if your date means so much to you that you have to stick by her side, even though she probably paid you to embarrass me – which! isn’t the traits of a good person, and you would be encouraging if you continued to hang out with her like that was okay! because it’s not! – then yes. i’d go home by myself and really would be mad at you forever. so.” her words sound childish but there’s truth within them. but nana knew that joohyuk was smarter than to let that happen so easily – or at least, she hoped. “but you can still cook soup and make me feel all better since you said you wouldn’t leave me alone. that sounds so nice ~” she smiles, reaching her eyes once more. there’s no surprise whenever he talks about his parents, it’s obvious seeing how manners were imbued into him that it had to come from somewhere, “well. they’re not looking at you right now, so they won’t know if you’re not so great for .2 seconds, okay?”

her feet are tired and it’s more of a signal that nana has overstayed her welcome, that they should have left by this point. gaze falling to the ground, she thinks about how if she weren’t such a stickler about germs, the girl probably would of taken her shoes off by now. who knew what diseases saturated the hallway they were in. a light shudder goes through her just thinking about it before she snaps her head upwards to meet joohyuk’s eyes, rolling her own at his reply because of course mister boy scout would think like that. instead, the challenge is within his next sentence, “if she’s not in the right mindset for that, then why are you with her? hmm?” there’s something about the way he said that makes her want to tease him again, but the mention of another friend taking jihye home causes nana to perk up, excitement swimming within auburn hues as she bounces lightly, “then why didn’t you say that before! forget the chauffeur – he’s off duty right now anyway – that would be so much better! which one was it? the one in the blue dress? the one with the bun? do you have her number? i’ll tell you and you can text her and we can go! come onnn joohyuk, i’m gonna die..” the girl whines dramatically with a pout, both of her hands landing on one of his forearms, giving it a shake.

          THE ever so popular argument of because. joohyuk’s heard it countless times in a few years. he already lost count within a month when you take his coworkers into consideration as a standalone factor. he knows it would only anger the women he hears it from more to hear that he finds it cute so he hasn’t, he doesn’t, and instead he nods, accepting it as he does every time because hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. thinking back to jihye, he wishes she was only that fierce towards her ex, not this trickster who wants the other unknowingly involved woman to be affected too. that kind of behavior isn’t what he signed up for and he’s hesitant to let jinah know that when she first asked, because it’s not his business to explain but he feels as if he owes it to her now. besides, he keeps telling himself she’ll forget in the morning and maybe she will, maybe she won’t. he’ll deal with it then. 

          HANDS firmly on her shoulders again, he shakes his head, insistent just as she is that he didn’t do what she accuses him of. it could be pointless to explain himself at all to someone this far gone, which he isn’t completely sure of anymore the more he watches her, but he has to. jinah gives him this feeling that he has to explain or she’ll lose actual faith in him and that’s something he doesn’t want. “firstly, you might have been a sad drunk girl at first but you’re not sad anymore, right? and jinah, the last thing you are is poor. even when the odds are against you, you’re blessed and this is more about fortune, you know that. you should never need validation from a guy like me or girls like that. second, you weren’t humiliated. the only one laughing is jihye and she shouldn’t be. she knows better and she knows that if she tried to turn this into more, then it would be bullying and i don’t condone that,” which is rich, considering his past. “third, there was a reason and i told you it. it’s not a good reason but it mattered enough to her. love does... crazy things to the mind.” that much he thinks anyone who’s been in love at least once can understand. 

          SHE could be teasing, she probably is teasing but joohyuk wants her to know: ignoring jinah is really something he would not do by choice. “but uncute? wow, i’m the one who’s poor now. my poor ego. i mean, if i really believed you, then wow my poor ego but... i don’t,” he tells her with a renewed cheeky grin, letting sunshine overtake his face instead of the conflicted storm that brewed while trying to explain enough. easily, she causes him to change expression, stance, and tone with her words. he’s naturally taken in by her gravity, orbiting around her instead of finding his own ground. “i...” usually, he doesn’t give a determinate title to his job but she isn’t far from what he does. temporary boyfriend isn’t a lie so he can’t say no. clearing his throat at her metaphor, eyes widened, he shakes his head. “no, you’re quite right.” that’s his own logic and it’s why he doesn’t treat sex so casually. besides, it sends the wrong message to sleep with anyone who isn’t 100% on the same page as him and he can never be sure. he might as well wait to be sure, to be in a relationship, even if he doesn’t always stand by this belief as much as he pretends to. 

          HE knows she’s generous with compliments and especially when she’s treated well, proper, the way she should be but not everyone has that going for them. he’s confused though when she says anyone would be jealous because he’s the one saying them and he laughs, shaking his head again. “anyone who knows what to say could be in my place,” he explains, wetting his lips and taking a glance behind her in case. “that’s why i’m temporary, jinah.” no one really needs him in the long run. temporary, a filler, joohyuk knows his role isn’t concrete so he doesn’t expect much, doesn’t think much of who he is and what he does. 

          WATCHING her act out an impression of him makes him forget for a second, that the person jinah sees him as is who he actually is; that it’s not all a lie and he could be this genuine, this sincere, this nice. “so... you think i have gorgeous eyes, huh? is that what you stare at while i’m cleaning your place because it doesn’t seem like it?” humor is his first defense here and he’s chuckling as he considers pulling his hand from hers, remembering how small it is, how easy it is for guys like him to take advantage and he hates that thought. he hates that strength used to be what he used for everything. it was never for that, for this, for what he thinks he could easily trick jinah into if he wanted to, but he feels ashamed like she joked that he should feel, even if it’s for a completely different reason. he’s ashamed of the nam joohyuk that existed before he made up this new existence. 

          SHE lets go of their hold first and he’s relieved, didn’t want or have to read too much into it. he wants to listen to her, to go along with it, because that’s who he acts like he is now: nam joohyuk who goes with the flow, easy-going nam joohyuk who is the ultimate yes man but she’s wrong. he’d know if he wasn’t good for a second or not and that’s enough for him when he spent too much time not being good when he did live at home. 

          SIGHING, he looks into her eyes, warning her with a soft, “jinah.” surprised by the change in her mood, he laughs a little before wetting his lips again, trying to remember which one it was. things had been too crowded, too dark for him to get a full picture but luckily they all met up before going to the club so he had an inkling of how to describe her. “her name is soomi. she’s kinda tall, wearing that type of mermaid oil spill pattern. you know which one i mean, right? purples and greens...” and he remembers more about her nails than her ouftit in the long run. that, he could describe with ease. “no, i can text her but... ”