#jackosn

The snow was falling. Of course, you were snowed in with the son of your boss. How cliche can this be. Fucking capitalist. With the new year only a few hours away and the snow showing no sign of letting up, you sat at the window of your office building. Bambam was sitting on the other windowsill giving you some space. To say you both didn’t like each other was an understatement. You both were at each other's necks twenty-four-seven. His smug look he gives when he knows he’s got you. The smirk that falls on his lips when he teases you. He had no interest in you, and he’s never made a mood past the suggested comments he makes that cause you to roll your eyes. 

Bambam got up, snapping you out of your thoughts as he wraps one of the blankets he found around your cold body. You hadn’t even noticed you were shivering until he laid the blanket on you.

“There, so you can stop fucking shivering and being annoying.” He said and sat back down on the windowsill. You rolled your eyes and wrapped the blanket over you. Damn your boss for leaving to get the cake he forgot at the store and then getting trapped at his house from the snow. Very convenient. 

After a few hours and the clock counting down the hours until it hit midnight you sighed softly and got up, rummaging through the staff fridge until you found the champagne that was meant for everyone at midnight. You poured were looking for a glass that was on the top shelf, and of course, you being shorter than said shelf couldn't reach it. You huff in annoyance and are ready to climb to get it when you felt a body behind you reach for it and grab one glass for you and one for themself. You turn around and come face to face with smug-looking Bambam. 

“I think this is the part where you say, ‘Thank you Bambi, I couldn’t have done it without you’.” He mocks your higher-pitched voice which caused you to scoff and take the glass from him to fill up your glass. After you poured yourself a healthy amount, Bamba comes behind you and lays a hand on your waist, causing you to jump in being sensitive. He doesn’t seem to notice and leans down to look at you. “Why do you hate me so much?” He asks, almost a bit hurt. 

“I never said I hated you Bhuwakul. I just don’t like your presence.” You say, which was a complete lie. Even though you hated how cocky and smug he was, he was definitely the cause of your wet dreams at night. Even when you said this, Bambam could tell this was a lie. 

“Then how come I catch you looking at me sometimes like you want me to tie you down and fuck you over these desks.” He said in a low tone that caused you to shiver. You had never talked to anyone about your kinks, let alone anyone in the office so you had no idea how he could read your mind. You gulp and take a shaky breath before turning around and gasp softly. Bambams eyes were more of a black than a chocolate brown that they usually were. He had you blocked, holding onto the counter behind you so you were trapped in his arms. He took your drink from you and took a sip, then set it to your lips for you to take a drink. Once you finished the last bit the clock stroke midnight and Bambam smirked. 

“Maybe we should kiss to break the tension.” He says and before he could get an answer out of you, he kissed you, hard. It caused you to moan softly into his lips and hold onto him for dear life. His lips were soft and fit around yours perfectly. He pulled you closer to him and wrapped an arm around your waist, lightly pushing your shirt up to rub the skin of your lower back. His cold hands that contrasted against your flaming skin was enough to send shivers up your spine. He smiled into the kiss and went lower, grabbing your ass and then the back of your thighs. He lifted you up with easy, enough though you thought you were more on the plus size side. 

He placed you on the counter and stepped in between your legs and pushed himself against you, letting you feel him and how you make him feel. It caused a soft moan come from both of your mouths as he steps back for a second. He looks at you and slowly pulls his shirt over his head to reveal the best body you’ve set eyes on. He was taking his time now, wanting to make you feel special. After a while of more kissing that was getting steamier by the minute you pulled away for air. 

“W-wait.” You gasped as Bambam started on your neck, sucking gently but stilled when he heard you said wait. He pulled away and looked at you in the eyes. 

“Is everything okay?” He asked, genuinely concerned. You were shaking a bit from hormones so you placed a hand on his chest. 

“I-I don’t want this to be a one time and done thing. Bambam believe it or not but I really do like you.” You ramble and it causes Bambam to smile and kiss you softly. It threw you off guard and even more when he pulled away. “I guess the teasing wasn’t obvious enough that I was in love with you. Damn you and you people for not catching on clues.” He joked, making you hit him gently. 

“It’s called anxiety. It’s not my fault” You say and blush slightly. Bambam kisses your cheek and then caresses it. 

I find myself lying on Jaebum's desk and the office seems a lot darker than before I fell asleep. I stretch my arms and I look around as I have a strange feeling. But nobody is in there. I glance down at the folder that is open in front of me and I focus my attention on the new guy's picture. That's when I realize that the bright hair colored guy in my most recent dream is Jackson. I find it strange because I have never met him before and when he said my name it sounded all too familiar. But I conclude that maybe my mind just made up this dream because the last thing I saw before I fell asleep was his picture.

I gather up the documents and close them back in Jaebum's drawer. Then I leave the office and decide to go downstairs to check on Jaebum. When I turn the corners, I hear voices coming from the dining hall so I stop by.

There I see my uncle and my aunt sitting at the table while a stranger is having his back to me. I go in and when they see me, my uncle and aunt stand up and bow.

"Your timing is perfect," chuckles my uncle and he sits back in his usual seat.

The guy turns around and it doesn't surprise me to see Jackson. What surprises me is how different he is in real life. Yes, he still has that sharp face with even bigger scaled puppy eyes as he is in front of me. He has toned muscles but… he is short. Not too short, but shorter than me. And when he looks at me and registers it's me who he is facing, a huge warm grin appears on his face.

"Jinyoung-ah!" He calls out and I shiver for a moment. His voice sounded like as if he was calling me from another room.

"Mr. Wang, please, he is the heir you can't call him like that," my uncle butts in but my aunt places her hand on his.

"Darling, he is a foreigner. Maybe in their place, this is how they treat royalties. He needs to learn our etiquettes first, be patient with him," she tells him off then Jackson sighs deeply.

"I forgot that this is what we live in now," he notes and I'm not quite sure if I understand what he means.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I say formally and I shake hands with him.

"I'm Jackson Wang and I'm sure by now you heard I'm your new foreign affairs advisor," he says it like as if he just recited a line he had to learn for a presentation.

"Yes, indeed. I'm looking forward to work with you," I nod and a weird silence erupts.

"Perhaps the maid can show Mr. Wang where his office is," my uncle suggests when he starts to feel the awkward environment himself.

"Yes, that's a great idea. I was about to check on Jaebum anyway. Jackson, we can talk tomorrow morning about your duties as the new advisor," I turn to him and he nods, but then he catches on what I just said.

"Is Jaebum hyung okay?" He asks and I give him a questioning look. He sounded like as if he knew him... and he called him hyung so casually.

"He is, I suppose. But why do you care?" My question catches him off guard and he giggles in embarrassment.

"As I'm the new staff member, I should care about other staff members as well," he explains but I can tell he is bullshitting me.

"If you say so," I let him off then I wave and leave the hall. I have a weird feeling about this new guy but I don't want to get too paranoid. My parents were the ones who sent him here, so I can’t do anything just trust their judgment.

I walk slowly towards the hospital wing just so that I can be alone with my thoughts. I have so many questions regarding Jackson but I guess I will get more answers as the days pass. I suddenly have the urge to call my parents and inform them about Jackson and ask some questions, but there is something in me that pulls me back. Or not even pulling me back, but hiding something from me. I suddenly stop in the middle of the corridor and put my hands on my head. I feel that there is something in my mind that is locked away. 

Emptiness is rushing through my brain when I try to recall information about my parents. It feels weird but I can't remember when they left and where did they go and why. I have memories of them in my head but I'm starting to realize they have left a long a time ago. For a while now it was just me, Jaebum, Yugyeom, Uncle, Aunt, and occasional guests in the castle. But I felt so empty and lonely. Even the dance we held a month ago seems like a far away memory.

This makes me feel really uncomfortable, almost as if I'm about to lose my mind. To clear out my messy head, I continue to walk towards Jaebum's hospital room and when I open the door and see him peacefully reading, my worries are gone. Everything is back to normal. I guess as long as I have my bodyguard with me who is also my best friend, I don't have to worry about my head.

"Feeling better?" I ask him and when he notices me, he closes his book. He pushes himself up on the bed and shrugs when I sit on the end of it.

"Sort of… I mean the wound hurts a little bit but it's nothing to worry about," he replies and I nod. I sigh and I can tell he notices on me that I'm a bit stressed.

"So… is the new guy here?" He asks and I silently nod. "How is he?"

"Well he looks about the same as on the picture but he is not that intimidating and there is something cheerful and friendly in the way he talks. Maybe because he is a foreigner and has a different kind of mentality. I don't have bad feelings about him. Although…," I start and I want to tell him about his odd behavior but I don't know how to put it into words.

"Is there something negative about him?"

"Well not exactly. It just feels like as if he knew us from before and we met him before. I'm not sure…"

"I mean there are a lot of foreign guests on these monthly parties so maybe he attended a few before. And it seems like your parents know him that is why they appointed him. So it's likely that we met with him before, we just didn't care enough to remember him. There are always a lot of people anyway. You can't remember all of them," he explains and his words make me calm down. It actually makes a lot of sense.

"I guess you are right. Anyway, I don't want to bother you in your reading. I will go upstairs and go to bed early. It was an eventful day," I sigh again and Jaebum nods.

"Good night, Jinyoung-ah," he says and goes back to his reading.

I go upstairs and I'm surprised to see Jackson standing in front of my bedroom. He is looking at one of the paintings that are displayed in the hallway. When I get closer I see it's a painting of a blue Ferris wheel that has yellow, blue, and red carts. For a second it looks like as if the wheel is moving but then I blink a couple of times and I realize it must be my mind playing tricks on me since I'm tired.

"Look at this painting, what does it make you think of?" Suddenly Jackson asks. I wonder how did he know that I was standing behind him.

"Ferris wheels can be usually found in amusement parks where kids go to play during the summer. It's a good ride for those who are scared of roller coasters because these wheels are not going that fast and you can enjoy the view from the top. Although those who are scared of heights can still find it intimidating. But I think they are pleasant, " I answer and he shakes his head.

"That's it?" He asks and he looks at me with big curious eyes.

"Yes, or is there something else?"

"Well… I guess you are right. But I see something more to it. Anyway, I came to thank you for the room you gave me. It's really nice and cozy. I appreciate it," he says and I nod.

"It's no big deal, after all, we royals have to give comfort to people who work closely with us. You'll get used to it soon."

Jackson doesn't say a word for a minute, he just stares at the painting in front of us. I take a closer look at him and the lamp in the hallway makes his face more clear than before. I see that his hair is unnaturally light and when he looks over and smiles kindly at me, he looks a lot like in my dream. It actually all feels too real. 

But perhaps Jaebum is right. I might have met him in a party before so that's why he was so familiar to my unconsciousness. I have this feeling to tell him about my dream, but it would probably come off differently if I have said out loud, 'hey Jackson, I had a dream about you even before you arrived in the palace'. Like he might take my intentions in another way.

"Is there something you wanted to talk about?" I ask him as I assume that is why he stopped by my room.

"I have so many questions to ask you…"

"We can discuss your job tomorrow morning. I mean it's not that confusing so you will be fine," I say and I pat his shoulder. He looks at me with sad puppy eyes and he makes me even more confused.

"It's not about the job… it's about this whole place," he tells me as he turns to look around. "How did you manage to make up such place?"

"I didn't make it up, this is where my ancestors, other royals have been living for centuries. I just happened to born here," I reply but I don't think I satisfied him with my answer.

"Never mind, I think I just have to go along with this and maybe with time things will get back to normal. Or at least I hope we won't be trapped here forever…" he says with a deep sigh then he walks away. I feel upset because he just left me hanging with such final words and I keep trying to figure out what he meant. What does he mean by being trapped?

I chase away my heavy thoughts and feelings and I go into my room. I take a warm relaxing bath while listening to music so that I can drown out the silence. When I finish and get into my pajamas, I go to my office. I have to look through the documents for the referendum since I'm sure the parliament will find some mistakes in it regardless. Since I'm just a prince, not a king, I'm not sure if I can make this come true. I don't want to tell my father because I know he would be against it. But I don't want to put my family in danger and just like I said to Mark, it's worth it to take this risk. Even if the people will want to get rid of the monarchy, we will still be just fine. We have enough money and we can move into a much smaller house. If we sell the palace to the government and make a museum out of it, we could get even more money. I have all this figured and calculated out, now I just have to make it come true.

After I finish looking through my papers, I decide to head back to my room. It is stressing me out to go to bed with a tens mind, thinking about what will I dream of tonight. There are curiosity and excitement in me, but on the other hand, I'm anxious because there is something that tells me if my dream continues and doesn't stop in mid-air then I might not be happy with the end. But as in the afternoon, I experienced it, there is a possibility for me to have other realistic dreams. My mind is a black hole with endless possibilities of scenarios that it made up to make me feel uneasy.

I wake up feeling fresh and I realize I didn't have any dreams. This is the first time in weeks and it makes my day start very differently. I jump out of bed excitedly and I draw the curtains just to get greeted by a heavy downpour. Rain can bring down my mood but I feel much better since I didn't have any dreams that I don't even care about the storm.

I go downstairs before the staff arrives in my room. I planned to greet Jaebum but in the middle of the hallway, I notice Jackson rushing in my direction.

"Prince Jinyoung!" He shouts and for some reason, I feel embarrassed. I'm probably even blushing since he called me this way.

"Yes, Jackson," I say as I clear my throat.

"Since Jaebum hyung is recovering from yesterday's incident, I was appointed to give you your daily task," he explains and he gives me a small piece of paper. There aren't many tasks on them since we are mainly focusing now on the party that will be held during the weekend.

"Did you meet with him?" I ask him and he shakes his head. "I'm just asking because you called him hyung… in such a friendly way. Even yesterday..."

"Ah…," he says while scratching his neck. "In China, that's how we do it," he answers and I don't understand what he is saying.

"China? Is that the name of the kingdom you came from?" I ask him and he looks at me with wide eyes.

"You don't know what is China?"

"No… never heard of it. I mean, I wasn't taught a lot of general knowledge of faraway kingdoms. Mainly the ones that surround us," I shrug and he shakes his head with a chuckle.

"Unbelievable… but then what is the name of this kingdom?" I panic because suddenly I don't remember. I dig deep into my memory and I try to remember what father used to tell me. All the lessons he gave Yugyeom and me about the kingdom. Then a sudden memory comes into my mind.

"Narnia."

"Narnia?" Doubts Jackson and he starts to laugh hysterically.

"Ah Jinyoung-ah, you have been reading those books lately, right?" He asks while still laughing. I start to shift my balance from one leg to another as I get annoyed. He makes fun of our kingdom's name and he even forgets to call me formally. When he notices that I'm not too pleased by his reaction, he clears his throat and stays quiet.

"Now that you had a good morning laugh, you should get ready. In an hour I want you to be in my office to talk about your tasks," I say and without him giving me an answer or a bow, I just turn around to leave.

"I can't believe this new guy," I storm into Jaebum's hospital room and I find him sitting on the side of his bed while he is putting on his shoes. "Are they releasing you?"

"Yeah, I'm still a bit slow because of the wound. I have to be careful because it might open again," he tells me and I can see him struggling to put on his shoes. "Are you talking about Jackson, by the way?"

"Yes, he is really confusing me," I tell him and I kneel down on the floor just so that I can help him tie his shoe.

"That's not necessary," he says and tries to protest but I smack his hand.

"You just said so, your wound can open and we don't want that," I tell him and he finally gives up.

"How does he confuse you? Do you… fancy…?"

"Hyung! Don't even think about that, ugh you are so annoying," I cut him off and I pull on his shoelaces stronger than I should and he groans.

"Okay I was just kidding, but what's wrong then?"

"The way he speaks… that's one thing that he keeps on talking to me informally. I can get over that because you talk to me like this too, he is a foreigner, and he is the same age as me so whatever. But there are so many times when he talks ambiguously. I can't make sense out of what he is saying and sometimes I feel he knows something that I don't," I explain to Jaebum and when I'm done tying his shoe I sit down in a chair next to his bed.

"Do you want me to investigate on him furthermore?"

"You don't have to. You should just get some rest. Besides, I don't think he is dangerous. He is… he is just weird. We will see as time passes…" I tell him while also telling myself.

"Okay… if that's how you feel," Jaebum shrugs. "You should have some breakfast."

At the table, it was a surprise for me to see a new guest. 

“Choi Youngjae,” I call out my old friend who is impatiently waiting for the breakfast to arrive. 

“Jinyoung hyung, so nice to see you,” he greets me as he stands up and hugs me. It’s been a while since I saw him and he changed a little. He got taller and even more muscular. He is starting to become more manly but there is still that sunshine personality radiating from him. 

“Where have you been all this time?” I ask him as I sit down at my usual spot. Yugyeom is not here yet neither my uncle and aunt. 

“I was just traveling around the world and having performances. Now I’m finally home again and I’m ready to be your official pianist on this upcoming ball,” he declares excitedly and I smile warmly at him. 

“That’s great. We really missed your incredible performances in the past months. I’m sure Yugyeom will be happy to see you too,” I say and at that moment Yugyeom and BamBam run through the main door of the dining hall. 

“Hyung!” They both call out and run to Youngjae to hug him. 

“That’s one thing that little prince Yugyeom is towering over me, but BamBam what happened since I last saw you?” Asks Youngjae with an awkward chuckle. 

“As Yugyeom’s best friend I can’t let him be twice as tall as me, so I needed to catch up,” BamBam says with a big smile on his face. Everything seems peaceful just like in the old times. 

“Breakfast is ready!” Calls out the maid and our plates are getting served. We stay quiet as we eat. I find it odd that Uncle and Aunt are not eating with us, but they always have some things to take care of. Jaebum usually doesn’t eat with us but I was hoping that he will make an exception for at least today when he is still recovering. 

“How is the new guy?” Asks Yugyeom when he finishes his breakfast. 

“Jackson?” I ask and he nods. “He is okay, I mean I haven’t known him for long but I think we will be fine with him,” I tell him and he looks relieved. 

“I have to tell you something, but maybe when it’s just the two of us,” he says and I look at him worriedly so he continues. “Nothing serious but just as one brother to another brother talking about my small concerns since our parents are not home.” He explains. I want to ask him more but when I see him awkwardly looking around, I leave it to him. 

I can hear the rain still steadily falling on the ground next to the palace. It keeps on knocking on the windows and I can hear a low howling of the wind. Everything seems ordinary and nothing is out of place. I feel good in the present and I enjoy the food that got served for breakfast. But there is still something bothering me. When I get deeper in my head and it’s just me and my thoughts, I feel anxious. Worries flash in my mind and I try to chase them away but they are persistent. That is why I try to make small conversations with the boys around me. Basically about anything just so that I can get my mind away from thinking into useless things that will not help my mental state to be more positive. 

“I'm very excited for the ball,” mentions Yugyeom when he shows the tasks on his phone. We still have many things to do but we set a date and sent out the invitations to at least a hundred guests so we are progressing. 

“I’m nervous to hold it since mom and dad are not here but if I remember well, there weren’t any problems last month either,” I think out aloud and Yugyeom happily nods.

“There weren’t any problems. I mean it was a bit boring but this time, it will be lot more fun,” he predicts and his enthusiasm makes me smile. 

“I have to go and talk to Jackson. You guys should just continue with the planning and I will join you later,” I say as I finish my breakfast and clean my mouth with a napkin. I stand up and walk closer to Youngjae who looks even more tired after he finished well his breakfast. “As always you get our biggest guest room on the third floor so please get some rest. You must have had a long trip,” I pat his back and he slowly nods his head. 

“I did and I will go upstairs just in a minute. But first I want to say hi to Jaebum hyung so I’ll look for him now,” Youngjae stands up and shakes my hand then he leaves before me. I wave to Yugyeom and BamBam then I leave the hall as well. 

Jackson is already waiting for me by the door. He is zoning out, so at first, he doesn’t notice that I’m there. I take out my key and unlock the door. A weird smell welcomes me which means I need to open the window to let some fresh air in. I poke Jackson’s shoulder and he realizes that he can come in the office now. I motion towards the chair for him to sit. It’s the place where almost twenty-four hours ago Mark Tuan was sitting and drinking bourbon. The two guests seem different from each other but there is something common. They both make me feel uneasy. 

“So, Your Majesty, what do I have to know about this job?” He asks in a sarcastic tone and I roll my eyes at him but I try to not care about his attitude. 

“Basically you have to attend important meetings when we discuss relations to our neighbors. You have to research and learn about our history at first and how we communicated with other kingdoms in the past. These are very important for you to know in order to understand why are we in our current situation with them. I heard the King and the Queen hired you because on their diplomatic trip they realized that we are not on good terms with others around us. So we are looking for ways to improve that and that is going to be your job to figure out how so...” I pause to see if he is taking any notes or if he shows any interest in the matter. But nothing. “Jackson, are you paying attention?”

“Of course I am,” he says with confused facial expression and he straightens himself in the chair. 

I glance at Jackson with a cold look just so that he can realize that I’m not in a good mood. I just don’t understand why my parents would hire someone who doesn’t even seem fit for the job. I sigh and I press the bridge of my nose to calm down. But then I take another look at Jackson and he seems apologetic. 

“Listen... there must be a good reason why my parents wanted you to come to the palace and work with me. So I don’t doubt that. But now that you are here, you have to work hard and try to get accustomed to the way our kingdom goes. I will give you a home and you don’t have to worry about any of the necessities. But in exchange, I ask you to give your all to this job,” I explain to him calmly and I make sure that my tone doesn’t sound rude but still stern somehow. 

“You talk exactly like our boss,” he sighs but I barely make out what he is saying. I assume by boss he means my dad. “You are right. I came to this place because they saw some potential in me and now I have to work hard to keep my position... in the palace. This is so much like when I became a trainee,” he chuckles and for some reason, he looks excited. I don’t understand what he means by trainee but again I can just assume that it might be something regarding the time he started to work in foreign affairs. 

“I’m glad you understand,” I say with a light smile just so that I don’t seem too cold. 

An awkward silence enters the room and I wait for him to say something. He mentioned last night that he had many questions to ask me, but now he was just staring awkwardly at my desk. 

“I noticed that you don’t have any family pictures,” he speaks up suddenly. 

“You are right... we don’t have any,” I say when I look around my office and try to recall the pictures on the wall from the hallway. “I don’t know why is that,” I wonder out loud and I start to feel uncomfortable. Again that empty feeling enters my chest. 

“This place seems really weird to me, but I will try to get used to it... for now,” concludes Jackson and I can’t say anything so I just nod. 

“If you have any questions and you can’t find me, then ask Jaebum. Later on I will introduce the two of you,” I tell him as I stand up. He follows and we shake hands then he turns to leave the room. He looks back for a moment and I have that feeling he wants to say something else, but then a knock on the office door stops him from it. 

“Then, I’ll see you later,” he says and opens the door. Yugyeom is standing there and when he notices Jackson he freezes for a moment. 

“Oh, Yugs, this is Jackson our new staff member. Jackson, he is Prince Yugyeom, my younger brother,” I introduce the two of them and Jackson has a warm smile on his face as he looks Yugyeom up and down. 

“Nice to meet you,” he says and extends his hand towards Yugyeom. My brother looks like as if he has seen a ghost and the way he shakes Jackson’s hand is very cautious. 

When Jackson leaves the room, Yugyeom slowly walks in and he seems paler than ever. 

“What is wrong with you?”

“Hyung... you won’t believe it what I’m going to say,” he says and sinks down in the chair where Jackosn just sat. “I heard you and Jaebum talk about your dreams often so I thought you might be interested in mine too. And I thought it’s just a regular dream... but now that I have seen Jackson in real life... I can tell you he was in my dream even before I met him...” He tells me and for a second I keep quiet to think about what he just said. 

“But I think there is a possibility that you have met before. I mean for Jaebum and even for me too he felt familiar,” I try to calm him down but he shakes his head. 

“I don’t think so... and in my dream, he was friends with us and he was so carefree. But that’s not the end of it. You know who else was in my dream and was having fun with us?” He asks and I shake my head because of obviously I don’t know. “Mark Tuan.” 

“Mark? Have you ever met him before?” 

“No! That’s what my point is. I have had this dream with both Jackson and Mark when I’m not even close to them,” this is making me more confused than my own dreams. 

“This is definitely weird... but dreams can be very absurd and unpredictable. Maybe... your mind is just very messy because of the pressure you have on yourself for planning the ball,” For his and my own sake I try to come up with a reasonable explanation but it doesn’t calm Yugyeom. 

“I don’t think so hyung... it all felt too real,” he replies then he gets quiet for a while. 

“What really happened in your dream?” 

“We were in a car. In like a minivan or a small bus, I’m not sure. Jaebum was driving, BamBam was in the back of the car, sleeping. Youngjae and Jackson encouraged me to draw funny pictures on BamBam’s face with a marker. Jackson was filming the whole thing. Mark and you were sitting together. You were listening to music and occasionally you joined our conversation. It was so simple... but so real,” he explains and this time it hits me harder.