hiatus!!!!!

moonsik wasn’t sure why he felt nervous all of a sudden as he unlocked the front door of his apartment. it wasn’t like he was bringing a stranger home — he knew charlotte ( as his best friend’s wife’s annoying best friend ) and the baby she was currently holding was his godchild even but still, it felt odd. ( maybe it was because he hadn’t brought a girl home for years now but he doesn’t like to think about that. ) “welcome to my humble abode! be careful of the steps, yeah? don’t want the baby to fall.” he warned as he tugged the straps of the diaper bag on his shoulder. it’s been a tough couple of days and he was grateful he got to go home, even if he wasn’t the same person he was before he left the place.

the loss of his best friend had hit him particularly hard, what with him and wonpil having grown up together, and the only reason he managed to keep himself together was the fact that he, along with charlotte, were now the sole caretakers of his best friend’s son. he would have cursed wonpil, who knew very well that he had little to no experience with kids — let alone babies — but he supposed he would let him have the last laugh for now.

“the guest’s room is over there, if you need it. though my offer still stands, you know.”

♥ — 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖋𝖔𝖗 : @sleepscng​ !

 this was definitely not a good look for him. an half empty bottle of soju and a depressed look on his face when he’s supposed to be a happy-go-lucky third grade teacher. though he doubt that any of his students’ parents would ever venture to a shady looking bar. maybe that was partially why he was drawn to it the first place — no one would ever think he would go here. 

tae sighed. one day he would get over his ex-wife. one day. until then, he was more than happy to wallow in self-pity as he pondered over what went wrong with his high school sweetheart and how incredibly unhappy he has been feeling recently. he felt bad for hyuk, knowing the poor guy had been listening to him bitch and moan about his stupid problems for a while now when there were bigger things to worry about.

 “am i annoying?” he asked, definitely starting to feel the alcohol swimming in his system. “like, uh, do i talk too much? i feel like i talk too much and it’s always about me and—- fuck, i’m a mess.” 

being a bartender for — what? almost five years now? — has made him experienced knowing various types of people. the kinds that go through the doors of the bar, from people who seek some sort of closure at the bottom of their soju bottles to those who simply just want to have fun ( they always cause him headaches but they do bring in a lot of money ), hyuk has dealt with it all. including people like taehee, who just can’t seem to get over his ex-wife, which surprised him at first considering how young he looked when he first arrived at the bar. most of his frequent customers were divorced, sure, but they weren’t as cute as taehee either. 

chuckling as he wiped a scotch glass clean, hyuk didn’t hesitate to tell what was on his mind. “yeah, you talk too much and you’re definitely a mess, but i haven’t kicked you out yet so maybe you’re not as annoying as you think.” the bar wasn’t as busy as it usually would be and with his boss nowhere in sight, it gave him the time needed to study the rather pitiful man before him. “you know what you should do? get laid.” it’s the usual advice he gives to almost 90% of the people that comes to the bar and frankly speaking, taehee looks like he needs it. 

  @sleepscng            !

                   In   the   dim   light   that   oozes   through   a   narrow   gap   lies   the   alleyway.   It’s   the   underworld   of   any   town:   gloomy   and   unpleasant.   The   vines   that   crawl   up   window   sills   and   the   crumbling   plaster   that   envelopes   the   old   stone   bricks   appear   romantic   at   first   but   become   daunting   as   the   sun   sets   behind   the   skyline   of   chimneys.   Darkness   is   lurking   in   every   corner   inside   the   labyrinth   of   narrow   passages   and   dead   ends.   Litter   is   dumped   on   the   street   and   birds   nest   amongst   the   sprawling   rot.   He   insisted   on   carrying   her   home   from   her   job   at   St   Mungo’s   Hospital,   which   turned   out   to   be   one   of   the   greatest   things   he   could   ever   offer.   her   feet   been   killing   her   from   running   around   the   whole   hospital,   trying   her   best   to   treat   each   new   patient   that   came   in   ever   five   seconds.   ever   since   the   war   began   the   sprung   between   death   eaters   and   wizards,   these   streets   were   never   safe   to   go   out   at   night.            “         why   are   you   walking   so   slow   ?   am   i   really   that   heavy   ?            ”   a   yawn   escapes   her   lips,   before   adjusting   herself   once   again.   “   it’s   scary   out   here   …   walk   faster   !   i   can’t   believe   they   let   you   in   the   quidditch   team   with   this   kind   of   speed.   “

it had been a long and tiring day for yohan, with the war in full swing which meant more workload for the aurors to find and apprehend as many death eaters as they could. he was somewhat grateful he hadn’t gotten hurt on his mission for the day, knowing that sooji wouldn’t be too pleased if he showed up in her workplace with even a small bruise. “yah-!” he scoffed, holding her legs tightly so she wouldn’t fall off, “you are not that light, you know. ” there was a smile on his lips, however, betraying the offended tone in his words. truth be told, he couldn’t care less that his limbs were aching or that he craved for his bed’s warmth so long as he had sooji around or in this case, on his back. when he saw how tired she had been — practically sleeping on her two feet, yohan didn’t hesitate to offer to carry her home knowing that she had done more good at the hospital than him. “and for your knowledge, it’s because of me that the slytherin team always managed to kick gryffindor’s ass. every. single. time.” he retorted.

she should receive a gold medal for balancing her hero life and civilian life. or maybe an oscar would be more suitable. “the what?” chorong slapped on her new band-aid on her arm ( a cut from yesterday, which she passed off as her being clumsy again ) and glanced towards the television. “oh, i love shadow and sparkle! what did they do this time?” 

the news was showing her and— well, sparkle and shadow fighting crime once again. the usual stuff. she sat beside kiseok, eyes glued to the television screen as the newscasters reported how shadow and sparkle have saved the day once again and we are so grateful our city is under the protection of such wonderful heroes blah blah blah.

the beloved local superheroes were hardly a topic she and kiseok would talk about. granted, she never felt comfortable talking about her double life in the first place. but she felt safe around kiseok so if she ever slipped up, she wouldn’t have to worry too much. “do you ever wonder what shadow and sparkle do when they’re not superheroes? they must have a secret identity.” she asked. 

concern flashed across his face for a brief second at the sight of the band-aid on her arm. he was supposed to be the clumsy one, not her. “they managed to stop a group of bank robbers before they could run away. a bunch of idiots thought they could really beat shadow and sparkle — it’s kind of hilarious.” kiseok chuckled at the memory. it had been a rather easy mission, which he was grateful for since the chances of him and sparkle getting a serious injury were less likely. ( he still felt guilty over the last time his partner had gotten hurt, the villain with the perfect teeth still haunting him. )

realizing what he said might be a little suspicious, he backtracked: “i mean, that’s what the news footage showed anyway.” he cleared his throat before shifting his legs to a more comfortable position under the table. chorong’s question hit a little too close at home and for a moment, he was tongue-tied. she couldn’t have figured it out, could she? she was smart, he would give her that but kiseok had gone to extreme lengths to hide his superhero persona. ( though if he were to be honest, his slip-ups weren’t that uncommon. ) “secret identity…” he glanced at his co-worker before looking back at the tv, rubbing the back of his neck. “i always imagined shadow to live in a cave somewhere, you know. like the bat-caves in the batman movies? with the cool gadgets and everything.”

kiseok was thankful that the restaurant wasn’t too busy. his muscles were aching, his body was sore and he wanted nothing more than to sleep his exhaustion away but he knew he couldn’t simply let his heroic life get in the way of his personal life. it was what he signed up for in the first place anyway. taking a deep breath, he rested his head on one of the tables in the kitchen slash break room hoping to catch a wink or two when his ears perked up at the sound of the television. or to be more precise, the news. shadow and sparkle saves the day again, the headline reads in big bold letters and kiseok couldn’t help but grin widely. there was some satisfaction in knowing that he had made the town a little bit more safer to live in every day, even if it meant keeping his identity and powers a secret from everyone else.

from the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of chorong entering the room and as if a switch had been flipped inside him, kiseok immediately sat up straight while patting down his hair for any unruliness. “hey, chorong, did you see the news?” he wasn’t sure what made him ask the question nor why he wanted to bring up the topic of shadow and sparkle to her attention but he supposed when it comes to chorong, his brain never really seemed to function well.

hanbin wished the day would end already.

he had just wrapped up a meeting with foreign investors, which took up a lot of his time and most of all, patience. making sure they will still invest in the company wasn’t easy and he had to spend hours just buttering them up so they would sign the goddamn contract. least to say, hanbin was exhausted and wanted nothing more than a bowl of hot jjamppong to fill up his empty stomach, but even then he wasn’t sure where to get good korean food in the canadian streets. with a sigh, he made his way towards the last business of the day.

his father had made him donate a generous amount of money towards the montreal hospital under the company’s name, due to his ‘good old friend’ working there and as a result, he was invited for a meeting with the board of directors to show their gratitude. hanbin had retorted that they could have just given him a thank you gift, to which his father scowled, brushing off his sense of humor. (clearly, the old man did not have one.)

“mr. song! welcome!” his ears perked up at the sound of fluent korean and he turned to find an elderly man around his father’s age donning the usual white outfit walking towards him, his steps almost enthusiastic. “so glad to finally meet jihoon’s son in flesh. apologies for not being able to come to your wedding.” hanbin clenched his teeth and muttered a ‘it’s okay,’ already not liking how the conversation was going. he hated being reminded of his loveless marriage, the bitterness never left his tongue from that day.

“—unfortunately, the board of directors are a little busy right now, but fret not! i asked one of our best residents to give you a tour around for the time being so that you won’t regret being one of our greatest donators.” he didn’t even have time to protest nor process what was happening until she was right in front of him, the words dying in his throat at the sight of her.

the one that got away.

“miyeon?”

juno would rarely spend her time on dating apps but she grew tired of the type of people she would normally attract when she would go out so she gave it a try. when she found danny’s profile she couldn’t help but question if he was real or not based on everything he had on it. she would always think to herself. “he isn’t real, he can’t be real.” but would continue to talk to him because she enjoyed doing so. tonight would be their first time meeting and she was extremely nervous because she didn’t wanna get her hopes up and be let down if he wasn’t who he said he was. walking into the restaurant, she is extremely impressed at his taste in location. she heard her name being called which made her turn her head to see danny standing there. “danny?” she asked, in complete shock that it’s actually him and not some random creepy guy. “hi. this place looks really nice.” she continues to speak as she bites at her lower lip.

danny grinned sheepishly at the comment. he had thought long and hard on the places they could meet but ultimately chose his favourite place, knowing it never failed him before. the fact that juno liked it was enough to know he made the right decision. “let’s sit, yeah?” he gestured towards the chairs beside him and took a seat, the nerves before slowly dissipating replaced with what he could only describe as excitement. “it’s nice to finally meet you in person. i didn’t think you would come because you might think this is all just a set-up but… i’m glad you did.” there was a wistful smile by the end of the sentence as he searched her face for any hesitation or worse, regret. “not that this is a set-up. i hope you aren’t disappointed or anything.”

danny had never done this kind of thing before but he supposed there was a first for everything. his choice of restaurant was dimly-lit and though there was constant noise of chitter-chatter around him, none of them paid attention to him sitting at the back. if they were regulars, they were probably used to him by now and if they weren’t, it was either they weren’t fans of his or danny’s face were almost inconspicuous under the dim lighting, which was exactly what he wanted. he doesn’t want to ruin their first meeting with unwarranted attention. perking up at the sound of the front door opening, his smile widened as soon as he saw who it was. “juno?” it felt odd saying her name out loud for the first time, reminding him that she was an actual human being, and not just a profile on a dating app that he downloaded in the spur of the moment. “hi.”

— * @effulgcnt

[ minho + sooyoung ]

sooyoung didn’t know why she was nervous. this technically was her first date since her accident but prior to it she was a hundred percent sure she’s been to probably a hundred ones with minho since he was the only guy she’s ever dated— or at least that’s what people have told her. deep down, sooyoung knew it was true. she has no recall of any past dates whatsoever but she trusted her gut and it said just that. 

she stood in front of her full length mirror, smoothening the skirt of her dress, tugging on her stockings so they distribute evenly. no area too thinned out (she found herself fussing over these small things; she wanted to look perfect) has she always been like this? she noted that she needed to ask about it. sooyoung could only remember so little— well, at least she could remember things now. her last clear memory was when she entered college, her first day to be exact, and everything after that was black. on somedays, sooyoung found it so frustrating not remembering anything and wondered if she would ever get those memories back. she hoped she would because minho was in them. 

in this time of her life, in the midst of all the hardships she faced and they faced as a couple, he chose to stay by her side. she wished she would have kept at least one memory of him. seeing him made her heart flutter and although they lost the old memories, she knew and hoped they’d create new ones. better ones maybe. 

sooyoung snapped out of her trans-like state as her mother’s voice echoed through out the house, announcing minho’s arrival. she began to panic. did she look okay? was her outfit appropriate for the occasion? she wasn’t going to freeze in it right? what type of jacket should she put on? there were so many questions, she was beginning to get a headache. “just a minute!” she called out, settling on whatever jacket was nearest to her and rushing downstairs. sooyoung had the widest smile on her face as she glanced at minho. “hi,” she breathed out, shoving her hands into her pocket. “so…our not-so-first date.”

minho’s palms were sweating as his car stopped in front of the ahn’s residence. he was nervous, there were no other words for it. when was the last time he had gone on a proper date with sooyoung? ever since he got the job at the firm, his duties as a boyfriend was neglected and before he knew it, it was too late. gripping the wheel tighter than before, the regrets began to wash over him. how he should have been better, done better. how he could have prevented everything if he hadn’t drank the night before…

“get your shit together, minho.” he muttered to himself as his reflection stared back at him from the front view mirror. there were signs of eyebags under his eyes from countless of sleepless nights trying to adapt to an empty space beside him, but other than that, he thought he looked presentable enough. he made sure to shave that morning and even brushed his teeth twice just in case before leaving his place. it gave him a sense of déjà vu, taking him back to his college days when he had spent hours trying to look good before his dates with sooyoung. 

all of that seemed like a distant memory now.

turning the engine off, minho made his way to the front door, doing his best to get rid of the jitters threatening to overcome him. he had been to her parents’ place multiple times before but for some reason, it never looked as daunting as it had been today. still, he made sure to greet her parents as normal as he could, not wanting to show off any signs of nervousness. it was bad enough that he played a role in their daughter’s accident, he didn’t want to worry them even further.

he could hear her before he saw her, prompted him to turn around just in time for her to stand before him, her smile almost blinding him. for a moment, minho looked like a gaping fish, loss at words at the sight of sooyoung in front of him. she was wearing casual clothes, much like him, but it was as if it’s his first time in months that he truly paid attention to her. “first— first date, yeah!” the words came tumbling out of his mouth once he realized her parents were watching. with reddened cheeks, he shly held his hand out for her to take. “shall we?”