#neoswitch

his teammates surrounded him, patting him on the back and chanting his name like a spell, a spell that suddenly the entire cohort of his college was now chanting. The team gravitated towards the exit and jaemin was first off the ice. he trudged past his coach, the girls screaming his name until he came to you. perfect you. if he didn’t know you, he could’ve sworn you were an angel. his thoughts were running a mile a minute and one was winning. kiss them. he threw his stick aside and walked up to you, cupping your cheek and kissing you before you could say a word. no longer could he hear the crowd chanting his name, or his coach yelling profanities at him. all he could hear, feel and think was you. he pulled away, keeping his gaze on you. the ‘you’ in question looked like a deer in headlights, caught off guard and stunned.

“i’m sorry,” he whispered, “but i couldn’t help myself.” you giggled in response.

“i’m sorry,” he whispered, “but i couldn’t help myself.” you giggled in response.

falling for a person like jaemin isn’t difficult. definitely not when he’s just so easy to love. it makes you wonder if it’s too easy, as if there’s a catch to it all. though, with the way his tired eyes light up instantly when he sees you walking toward him in the courtyard, anyone could recognize how in love he truly is. jaemin, the boy who wakes up early just so he can give you your morning coffee before your first class even though he doesn’t have class until noon.

the way your heart flutters when he immediately takes a seat next to you in the booth of your favorite diner just so he can hold your hand while eating, and the close proximity promises that he doesn’t miss a single (boring) word you say. still, jaemin makes it known that he’s listening by nodding his head, humming, and maintaining eye contact that is nearly impossible for you to hold.

the worries you once had of not being able to attain that undying love that lasts until you and your partner are wrinkly and weak, crumbles down when jaemin rests his chin on your head as he secures his embrace around you as you both lay on the bed. there are still nights where you assume that he’s just staying with you for pity. but you are proven wrong the next morning when you’re awoken alone in his bed as he got up extra early to make you breakfast, making sure to be quiet the entire time so he doesn’t disrupt your rest. throughout your time together, jaemin observes your expression when eating to see if the food satisfies you, then mentally takes note of the stuff you like and dislike.

all the bad experiences you’ve had with past lovers, moments that almost made you give up on trying to find “the one,” have all been replaced with the fondest memories made with jaemin. one of which is right this moment. the view of the sky from on top of jaemin’s rooftop beats any hill in this small town.

you lean against his chest, his knees act as arm rests for your comfort. jaemin’s toned arms have a strong hold around your waist while his chin is delicately placed on your shoulder.

no words are being exchanged, just deep breaths and the rhythmic beating of your hearts. fingers playing with one another. stepping on each other’s shoes teasingly like what middle schoolers do.

stars are scattered on its dark canvas. “that one is the prettiest,” he whispers, his warm breath hitting your neck. you can see a finger of his point from the corner of your eyes but you didn’t need to know which star he was referring to know which he thinks is the prettiest star of them all.

it’s the biggest one, twinkling in intervals of five seconds, you’ve been observing that one even before jaemin pointed it out. “i think so too.”

moments like these where comfortable silence and calm breathing with jaemin are so valuable. you aren’t sure where else you can find silence that lasts so long and still find it tolerable and enjoyable. jaemin is contradictory to your love life, or the love life that you used to have. the partners you used to date; the attention you used to attract; the treatment you used to deal with.

with jaemin, everything has been completely foreign to you, almost shocking as fiction you’ve read in your sappy romance books is becoming a reality for you. it boggles you. you’re guilty of wanting it to be too good to be true at times when things are suspiciously too calm. almost if calmness terrifies you as you expect it to be the “calm before the storm,” and you have no choice but to sit still and wait for that storm to hit.

“avoir elle est avoir les étoilés,” the voice behind you interrupts your thoughts. he pauses to place a kiss behind your ear, sending shivers down your spine. “to have her is to have the stars.”

heat spreads all through your face and neck. once again, your partner proves your worries false. as his ways of showing love continue and become more prevalent every passing day, those worries crumble down. when he cooks you dinner after a long day at school, that’s when you know it’s genuine. when he nags you to take care of yourself constantly, you know it’s because he cares for you. and when he maintains eye contact and nods while you ramble on about your boring day, you just know.

“you mean so much to me,” you whisper, it’s barely audible. “truly,” said with more power but still requires good hearing to comprehend what you said.

jaemin smiles, and his neck and the tip of his ears become hot. although he hasn’t said the three words in respect for your request to take things slowly, he knows the words you had just said hold the same weight. and to be real, jaemin will cherish anything you give and say to him despite how little it may seem to you — how effortless it looks to you — he will accept and love anything, because, well, he loves you and everything that deals with you.

you’re aware that there is no rush in your relationship, but sometimes, you want nothing more than these thoughts and second guesses to disappear suddenly so you can fully take in jaemin’s love. so you can dive into the ocean of his affection.

He extends the bouquet to you, fidgeting as he waits for you to take it from his hand. Gradually, you notice his face flushing, which you assume from the cold. So, you open the door wider to let him in.

Closing the door, you turn to him, “Hey, what’s happening?” After setting down his backpack, he looks completely lost in your apartment despite his frequent visits on the weekends. “Weren’t you busy doing some project or something?”

“I-I can’t stop thinking about the way we left things back in the library the other day…” he blurts out.

Ah…

“We could talk it out tomorrow,” you tease, trying to lighten the mood as you take the bouquet from his hands. “Tomorrow’s Friday, the last day of the week. And thanks for this.” You raise the flowers slightly in your hold.

Jeno stills as you walk to find an empty vase.

“I’m sorry…” he mutters, but loud enough for you to hear.

You hum. “You don’t have anything to apologise for. I was too clingy—” Jeno draws a sharp breath at that while your heart pangs at the word Jeno used to describe you. Well, he didn’t outright use that word, but it feels like he implied it. “—and you needed space, I understand that. You really don’t have to go all the way here. I’ll still be around tomorrow.”

“Shit, no, you’re not at all clingy, Y/N. I just said how we seem to never part from each other,” he recalls before adding quickly. “But that does not necessarily mean it’s a bad thing.”

“Uh-huh…” You face him after putting the flowers on the vase, hands crossing over your chest as uncertainty looms on your expression. “That’s not what your friends told me, though…” Confusion appears on Jeno’s face now. You continue, “—the day before we went to the library, they told me you weren’t able to focus during hockey practice because I kept on distracting you whenever I’m around. A-and when you said that in the library, I assumed you needed some space… So, I told you I had something to do.”

“Did you?”

“Well, yeah. I have an assignment to finish if I want to go to your celebratory party on Saturday. You invited me, remember?”

Jeno places a hand on his forehead instantly. “I completely forget about that.”

“Glad to remind you of it.” You chuckle before the room lapsed into silence. “Anyways, is that all?”

Jeno sighs. “You’re still avoiding the subject.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

You grow annoyed at this. “Look, you said you needed to get things done too, right? Don’t you have that report you had to do? We can talk about this tomorrow—”

“I missed you.”

Silence.

“I’ve been missing you—” Jeno repeats in a quieter voice. “Like... A lot.”

“It’s just two days, Jeno...”

“Two days too long,” he mutters, gazing at your wooden floor momentarily before releasing a breath. “Look, I know I’m not the best with words or talking about my feelings, but please believe me when I say you’re not making me uncomfortable,” he pleads, eyes begging. “In fact, I love it when you’re around me, even if I got distracted. If I needed the space, I would have told you, Y/N. We promised to be honest with each other, right?”

You nod slowly, and he sighs in relief.

Jeno steps closer to where you’re standing hesitantly as if testing the waters whether or not you’d step away from him. But you remain rooted to the spot, and he strides to you, closing the distance. Once he gathers you in his arms, he breathes in your scent.

“So... Are we good?” His voice comes out uncertain, mumbling into your hair.

“You’re hugging me, aren’t you?” You counter, arms wrapping around his lean frame.

He chuckles, “You’re not making this easier.”

You snort. “Since when do I make it easy for men?”

“Right.” He laughs fondly, burying his face onto the crook of your neck. “I must be an exceptional man to be able to charm you. And in all honesty, I think my lame jokes did it. That’s why Haechan didn’t stand a chance.”

You groan into his chest. “Hell no.”

“Says the one who laughs at my lame jokes.”

“I think it’s time for you to leave. I’m busy, and it’s late.” You attempt to pull away from him, but his strong arms keep you close to him.

“I don’t mind.” He grins. “I brought cuddles and kisses too, you know. I’m sure you’re missing them after two days.”

“You want to stay over…?” You stare at him. “On a weekday? But you don’t—”

“I brought my laptop along. So, we can work on our assignments together.” He cuts you off, giving you the most puppy-like expression as if saying ‘pretty, please?’ with only his eyes.

“If you’re okay with it, then…” You trail off as he nods eagerly at your words.

“Of course.” He kisses your forehead. “As long as you’re with me.”

 You grabbed your kid from her high chair and gave her a tight hug and plenty of kisses. You're about to leave once again for another workday, but you can't seem to get over leaving your child every single day.

///

"Kitty~"

 You cradled Yena as you made your way into the kitchen, where your husband, Mr. Nakamoto himself, was cooking breakfast for the three of you. Seeing him so domesticated made you giggle for a bit. His tattoo-clad body contrasts your pink frilly apron. You wiped his sweaty forehead and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

 Yuta has been working hard as a househusband for more than a year now. He used to be utterly hopeless in the house, something that he couldn't have learned from his past profession, but your husband still tried to keep himself busy while you work, and he stays at home with Yena.

 You see, Yuta is a former head of a famous gang in Japan. When he heard that you were pregnant with his child, he had quit the lifestyle and disbanded the whole unit. It was his life, but it's a small price to pay for raising a family away from chaos. And for that, you are eternally grateful.

 "Yuta, the eggs are burning."

"Shit. I fucked up."

 You sighed.

 "Language, please." You covered your daughter's ears and made your way back to the dining table, placing Yena right beside you as you prepared the baby food you premade for when Yuta will feed Yena throughout the day.

 "I managed to save the eggs..." Yuta brought out the plate of eggs, smilingly proudly as if he's accomplished something. You took one look at the eggs, and apparently, his idea of fixing it was to throw away the burnt pieces. You are now left with irregular pieces of eggs. 

 "Looks yummy..." You took the eggs from him wholeheartedly. You couldn't manage to break the fragile heart of the former gangster head right in front of you. Yuta took out one of the eggs as well, munching happily like nothing ever happened to them.

 Your phone started ringing before you even managed to take a bite out of your breakfast.

 "Oh no. I've got to go!" You stood up from your seat and struggled to find your coat from where you'd left it earlier. You grabbed your suitcase and gave your husband and Yena a kiss goodbye.

 "But… breakfast..." Yuta was disappointed to see you go, so you gave him one last kiss on the lips before saying, "Bring them to work for me later. I forgot I had a meeting at 7."

 You wore your shoes quickly and headed straight to the door. Before you left, though, you shouted, "Yuta, can you go get groceries later after you brought me my lunch to work?"

 Like a puppy, he replied, "Yes, dear. I love you!"

 "Love you too, baby! Give Yena lots of kisses for me!" Before Yuta gets the chance to answer you, you had already slammed the door and ran off to the bus stop to get to work.

///

"Hey, kid."

When you're gone, Yuta likes to play pretend with your kid.

 "You think you're tough enough for the job?"

 He spoke as he dresses Yena up after a bath.

 "We don't take kindly to rookies around here, kid. Are you sure you're man enough to take on the whole Kuma group?"

 Yena answered with a giggle, a gesture that made Yuta's heart melt every single time. It was a habit that Yena picked up from you, and he was glad that she did.

 "Alright. Suit yourself. You will be in charge of holding daddy's grocery basket while we go deliver mommy's lunch. You think you can handle that, kiddo?"

 Yena started babbling some incoherent words, but Yuta took that as her daughter taking up the challenge. She's such a go-getter.

 And after strapping Yena to her carrier, the two of them went on a mission to finish delivering mommy's lunch and buy groceries in one piece. A feat that Yuta wasn't expecting to achieve that day.

 ///

 Yuta had successfully done his task for that day. At the same time, Yena fell asleep in the middle of shopping, so he had an extra time of peace to himself. That is until a group of men came running in his direction. He tried to turn around, whistling as he silently gets away from that situation. If one of them recognizes him, he's dead.

 "Boss!"

 Yuta resisted the urge to facepalm as he heard someone call his former name. He slightly turned around to see Shotaro, his former apprentice, right before the group disbanded. The eyes of the guys chasing Taro went dark. It seems like they have been looking for Yuta through Shotaro for a long time now. He had made sure to hide very well until someone recognized his tattoos showing his plain white shirt.

 "I'm not sure who you're talking about. I'm Nakamoto Yuta, unemployed, full-time househusband."

 "You're the infamous Akuma. You're him, right? The head of the 127 group?"

 Yuta shook his head and flashed a friendly smile.

 "I don't know who you're talking about. If you'll excuse me, you'll wake my daughter up."

 Yuta tried to turn around again, but one of the goons grabbed his shirt. It caused him to move out of balance, almost waking Yena up.

 His attitude started to change. There was a rumor that you should never touch the Akuma unless you wanted to die a horrible death. Now that he has Yena with him, that rule extends to her as well.

 He sighs, and he motioned Shotaro to come to him. The younger guy hesitated at first, but he willingly obliged. Yuta started taking off Yena's carrier and strapped them into Taro's body. 

 "If something happens to her or that basket of groceries, consider yourself dead."

 Yuta warned as he instructed Taro to walk away as far as possible. His fatherly instincts kick in, which the other guy didn't realize made Yuta even more dangerous.

 Yuta cracked his fingers and replaced his toothy smile with something more sinister. It is what they call the smile of death.

 "Now, who wants to die today?"

 ///

 Shotaro came back to the scene, horrified at the lifeless bodies that Yuta left on the sidewalk. Yuta went back to his giddy self again when he saw that Yena was still sleeping in her carrier.

 "You sleep so well. I'm glad that you also got that from your mother." His white shirt was bloody, but that didn't stop him from holding on to his daughter.

 "Taro, help me carry out those groceries some will you?

 ///

 The three of them came home a few more minutes before you get home. Yuta quickly washed himself to get rid of the bloodstains in his body. He also threw his clothes at the trash as they can't take the stains off of them in time before you get home.

 Shotaro just watched as his former boss, the most ruthless killer in Osaka, wears this pink frilly apron while he makes that night's dinner.

 "Would you like to join us for dinner, Taro?" The kid wanted to refuse, but Yuta was wearing that deathly smile of his again.

 "U-uh sure thing, boss."

 "And please, stop calling me boss. Not in front of my wife or my daughter. Just call me Yuta."

 Shotaro dared not to call his former boss by his first name. However, he nodded as a sign of agreement and helped him take care of Yena and prepare that night's meal.

 You went home to the fragrant smell of soup, a dish that had recently become Yuta's specialty. It was certainly better than half burnt eggs.

 "Oh baby, you won't believe what happened at work today. I--" You stopped on your tracks when you were greeted by another Japanese man that isn't your husband.

 "Oh, hi. Are you a friend of my husband's?" The guy nodded, smiling happily like a little kid. 

 Cute.

 Yuta then came out from the kitchen and greeted you with a kiss. However, even if he hid his face with his long hair, you still noticed tiny cuts along with his eyes and forehead.

 "What are those?" You stepped closer and tried to sweep his hair off his face. You were hoping to get a closer look.

 "Ahh, haha, those were from when I was attempting to install a shelf earlier. The screw got loose and hit me in the face. Right, Taro?"

 The kid looked panicked, but he nodded profusely like he actually meant it.

 "Alright. What's for dinner, then?"

 You knew that Yuta got in a fight again. You're not as innocent as he deems you to be. There is a reason why you were married to a former gang boss, after all. However, you saw Yena all cleaned up and well-rested. Yuta did an excellent job of taking care of her well. It didn't matter that he went back to fighting once again. It was in his nature, after all. 

Lo and behold, after a couple of years and trying out different techniques and interior designing, Midnight Moon Café had opened and was thriving in its first week. Taeil had chosen to name it after his own last name and to have the theme relevant to it as well. He was more than content with it as it surpassed any expectations he had had. He had no regrets nor any worries as he watched people take pictures and videos of his café after hours, sharing the beautifully sky and "up in the clouds" like place on their social media.

Yet with all of this happiness and good fortune, somehow Taeil had cast an evil eye upon his self. For struggling and walking to wherever the devil took him, an evil sorcerer aimed to find a place to call his own and to take revenge upon those who had wronged him. This sorcerer had been good at one point in time, yet the greed and selfishness that arose with the power he had gained from learning witchcraft had corrupted his mind. After a serious incident, he had been kicked out of the guild in his city and exiled. It was heart-breaking of course, yet he never understood his wrongdoings and instead sought out revenge and to practice his evil sorcery.

He happened to be walking down the same street where Taeil was standing a couple metres away, simply admiring the neon white milky sign of his café with a great sense of pride. When the sorcerer spotted him, jealousy and spite filled him at the prospect of someone being successful and happy, something that had been stolen from him. So, he cleverly thought of a plan and approached poor Taeil who was still in his flour dusted apron, ready to clean up.

“What a beautiful shop you have.” The sorcerer pulled up slowly beside Taeil, pretending to be in awe at the grand place.

“Thank you, it's a café.” Taeil warmly smiled at the man, noticing how he looked to be in poor health and clothes.

“Would you like something to eat? I have a lot of pastries left and would hate to throw them out.” He offered, seeing how this poor man would definitely benefit from all the leftover food he had. Besides, wasting food was a bad thing and he always felt so guilty for it, wishing he could simply donate the unused food to charity but knowing it would go bad very quickly.

The sorcerer’s eyes twinkled as he broke out into a gummy smile, “I would love to, that is very thoughtful of you.”

Taeil smiled, a relaxed happiness in his eyes as he excused himself to pack up the pastries.

He quickly stuck a couple random tarts and other baked goods in a paper bag, sealing it shut and bringing it outside to what he thought of as a poor man patiently waiting.

“Here you go!” He handed it to the poor man who smiled at him, revealing his missing teeth and pink gums.

“May you be blessed," The man put up his hand, making a mockery of religions for he believed in none, "Do you have any wish you would love to come true my child? I could put in a good word for you at the church I visit often.”

“Oh no, that would be too much. All I ask is for you to enjoy the baked goods and to live in peace.” Taeil attempted to be religious back to the man.

For some reason, the sorcerer twitched at the word peace and roughly asked Taeil again, “My boy I can not leave without blessing you. Now tell me what it is you desire?”

“That’s weird.” Taeil thought to himself as he watched the man become agitated. But what harm could come in telling a random man his dreams? Not to mention that most of his dreams had already come true with the opening of his café.

“I don’t think I have anything else I desire besides the success of this café....”

“Are you sure? Nothing that your heart aches for?” The sorcerer didn’t want to use any magic on Taeil to reveal his deepest desires as he was now being entertained by the stupidly naive boy who looked willing to share enough and more with a random man like him.

“I guess...” Taeil's voice trailed, a faraway look in his eyes.

“You guess...?” The sorcerer egged him on, his eyes gleaming.

“I guess it’s always been my dream to not only be successful but to have someone by my side to share the success with. To be able to love someone so deeply that we merge into one with our thoughts and hearts.” He smiled to himself with love filling his eyes to the point where it looked like he had someone he loved. Yet, it was simply the idea of having that perfect love that he was so deeply in love with.

The sorcerer grinned widely saying, “I will grant you that. You will be extremely successful and through your success, will find your one true love.”

Taeil smiled, simply thinking that the man was a bit odd but still kind as they both walked away from each other. Little did he know what was in store for him.

For just a week later, Taeil had lost all of his staff and had been cursed to create terribly tasting food that looked beautiful and created people to lust after him. His once golden hands were now as good as coal. All because he was in the wrong place and time, taking in pride and happiness in what he rightfully should have.

The hushed whispers annoyed you to no end. Normally, you wouldn't have minded it but today was harder than usual, as you'd had to communicate with a rather difficult author when proofreading their local traveling guide. Then when having to fact-check the locations and their descriptions, something that landed you in the gossip chain for being so unusual, you had stupidly tried on some new shoes that needed to be broken into so your feet had been killing you all day. Altogether, the quiet whispers, no doubt more gossip, only added onto the irritation of your aching feet, growing headache and sore fingers that kept typing and erasing, typing and erasing.

Choosing to become a proofreader had always been one of your dream jobs as you'd always taken great pleasure to point out the mistakes in everything you read, whether it be grammer, syntax or the usual spelling mistake. It wasn't a glorified ideal job for many, you were aware. But it paid well and you weren't forced to interact with your coworkers through brainstorming or group activities.

After graduating with an English major and a minor in Philosophy, you'd taken up the first job lined up for you, a perfect job at the Neo Proofreading and Publication Company. As happy as it made you, at times it was demanding to work as a proofreader when dealing with non-compliant authors and clients as well as the occasional rift between two proofreaders when an assignment was handed out. Yet, it was refreshing to take upon a new challenge after another and strive to complete your job by the deadlines. It was a joy to proofread and you felt immensely accomplished after every assignment so you kept going on.

Your office was also not the ideal workspace either as the proofreading floor was located on the basement floor and there were just a couple massive tables with sections in between, separating you from each other. There were no cubicles nor no offices as even your boss' desk was just at the very back of the floor, a bit further from the others. The only separate rooms kept the machinery such as printers, books, belongings and sometimes miscellaneous items such as little models of houses and toys from books that one of your colleagues enjoyed creating.

So the open environment wasn't quite your favourite but everyone minded their own business and it was beneficial that you didn't have to go far to ask if you could borrow an item from your colleagues. The only downside was that anything that was happening could be heard from everyone like if someone was calling their significant other or was being yelled at by their mother.

"Psst (y/n)!"

Lovely. This was another downside to being in an open setting, that you could be called upon by anyone, specifically the annoying workers from the publication company.

You turned to the sound of who was calling you. Of course, it was the intern from the publication company on the floor above yours, Ally. They often visited your floor, the basement really since the publication company dominated the proofreading side, to hand over some items or works needed to be proofread. It was plain bullshit most of the times since they spent a good half hour chatting with the other gossiping proofreaders that needed a break from their job.

Most of the people you worked with were all in their late ages, only a couple were your age and Ally had latched onto them, befriending many. It wasn't that you didn't like the people you worked with, it was just exhausting having to maintain good work and friend relationships and you really preferred not to mix between the two in order to avoid complications. But Ally was a fresh face which all the old and young folks loved.

"Yes Ally?" You didn't even try to hide the exhaustion in your voice as you looked at their bubbly self adorned in a multicoloured flowery dress and pink cardigan, a huge contrast to your black and white work suit.

They grinned, "I was just talking to Sophie and Matteo over here in how we should all check out the new cafe that opened up nearby here! It has the most amazing pastries and it's so cool because it opens at 10pm to 5am!"

Well that was odd but intriguing.

Ally's eyes shined as they continued, "Plus, the owner's really cute and so dreamy." They let out a sigh, the other two following suit, no doubt probably having accompanied her before.

"He's just as delicious looking as his food," A twinkle in their eyes as they continued, "But I've yet to taste." Ally winked while Sophie and Matteo giggled. You managed to hold yourself back from mock gagging, a habit that you couldn't stop doing when watching cringeworthy or extremely cheesy content. Couldn't they all just talk about this type of stuff during lunch break or after work? Must they speak about it during work hours?

"But seriously (y/n), the moon tarts there are addictive I swear. I don't know what he puts in those, I have to ask him actually, but they keep me wanting to come back for more and more!"

"Ssshhh!!!!" Manuel, one of the no nonsense proofreaders shushed her. Finally someone did.

"Except tonight we're going to be hitting up a bar or a club with some of the publication guys and gays, do you want to come with? It'll be fun after having to deal with boring text all day."

Sophie and Matteo sucked in a big breath at her careless words, everyone knew how much you loved your job and dealing with 'boring writing', so no doubt these two were expecting for you to blow up. But you weren't about to have a fit near the end of the day and at work too where you always kept to your own business. Besides, you were too tired to put them in their place.

"I'm good Ally, thanks though."

"Whyyyyy." They whined. You could feel Manuel's glare on you without even having to look his way so you purposely lowered your tone, hoping Ally would follow.

"I'm a bit tired, I've been running around all day so I'll pass."

You didn't include the classic line: "I'll join you guys another time/sometime" as this only encouraged them to ask you more often.

Ally frowned, wanting to argue more but perhaps feeling the intense anger from Manuel so they backed off and let you get back to your demanding work.

Thank god it was 6pm and you only had a couple hours left.

—

"Alright, thank you everyone!" Your boss waved to you all, creating a whole chain of voices to monotonously reply, "Thank you Mr. Lee."

Eagerly logging out, you checked around to see everyone leisurely grabbing their belongings and quickly grabbed your own. You did not want to spare time and to have to take the elevator with anyone so you always made sure to be quick when leaving.

Finally, you were off. Darkness was slowly creeping in as it was already seven and you were happy to head home. The work hours were a bit odd as you all started at nine in the morning and stopped at one in the afternoon, having an hour for a lunch break and to clear your mind and to freshen your mind from the morning. Then you all went back to work at three up until seven or sometimes overtime. That meant that you had fairly long days and it wasn't always so pleasant as you rarely had time to schedule anything after work.

But you only worked four days a week so having three days of vacation was still rewarding plus you could always just have a shorter lunch break and head home early. It was this type of relaxed environment that made this job worthwhile in keeping, at least in your eyes. Many of the folks who worked alongside you had worked for years and were comfortable with their lives, not wanting any change. Curently? You felt the same. It was nice to not have to stress over going through job interviews, new classes, and everything else horribly nerve-wracking in university.

You hurried out the main doors of the building, contemplating on whether to endure an hour and a half more and head straight home in these aching shoes or, whether to stop by the mall and switch out the shoes maybe eat some dinner there and just go home and relax.

If made more sense and saved you more time at home to deal with everything at the mall so you decided to just stop by there for a bit. Your feet hurt immensely, but there was a fire inside of you waiting to be released at the fact that you were off work. It was like a light switch went off as soon as your shoes hit the pavement outside and a breeze passed by.

What a beautiful summer evening.

The flowers were blooming alongside the sidewalk and so many people were happily chatting away with one another, immersed in their own bubbles, something you secretly yearned for. The bus to the mall had just arrived and so you tightened your bag on your shoulder and hurried before the doors shut.

Once on the bus, you let out a deep sigh of relief. Finally, only a couple of minutes until you were out of these damn shoes. Hmmm.... maybe a nice epsom salt bath would help any soreness for tomorrow as you were unfortunately going to be traveling more.

Plugging in your headphones, you let the beautiful arrangement of classical music take over your senses. No more grammar checking nor correcting jargon, all you cared about in the moment were the piano notes drifting through your ears and feeding your mind some peace.

The mall was actually really pleasant to be at. If you weren’t so tired from before, you would’ve had more enjoyment in accepting the free samples from this new restaurant opening and the small yet random jazz band performing across from a newly opened musical instrument store. Yet, you trudged past them in hopes for a pharmacy or even a dollar store to ease the burning pain in your feet.

To your luck, there was one just by the grocery store, carefully hidden from the normal views with a small sign hanging on the wall. You had quickly bought some light blue crocs as they would be very comfortable and easy to walk in, especially while your feet had polysporin and bandaids all over them now.

You had spent a bit longer than you expected at the mall, finding it difficult to choose what to eat and then while seated at a table far from the excessively loud noise, peacefully watched an anime and ate. Somehow, you hadn’t noticed the time pass by as you were so into the anime that when the mall's old european looking clock chimed, you twitched from surprise. Checking your phone, you realized it was now 9pm meaning that you had spent a little more than an hour at the mall.

Damn it. You were going to be late to do your nightly routine and sleep in early to give your feet an adequate amount of time to rest!

Quickly, turning off your phone, you got up and realized that the next bus that stopped the closest to your house was arriving in a couple of minutes. The bus afterwards the next one was going to come in half an hour or so and you knew you’d be home much more late by then.

You practically ran in your crocs, the sounds of the plastic slapping the floor drawing lots of attention your way. You didn't have time to focus on the people that were looking at you like you were crazy in your weird outfit consisting of a formal black and white suit and light blue crocs. But you didn’t really care, they were all strangers, bystanders in your life who you'd maybe by coincidence see one more time or never again. The only thing that mattered was your transportation home.

Once again, this must’ve been your lucky day as when you made it to the bus stop, very out of breath, the bus hadn’t even arrived at it’s scheduled time. Many people had been grumbling about the late bus near you and when you checked your bus app to see if it had come, you found that they were right, it hadn't yet arrived.

Thank god for that. Now it was just an hour ride and then you’d be at home, taking a nice, warm shower and snacking on some pastries. What a lovely thought and an even lovelier realization that you were so close to comfortable clothes and a soft bed.

—

With a merry pep in your step, you got off the bus as you arrived at your stop and thanked the driver. It had become more darker now, the sky being a clear dark blue with twinkling stars above. You stopped on the sidewalk to really take in all of the beauty in front of you. The illuminated streets and small shops buzzed with life and the narrow streets were as usual empty, perfect to have a leisure walk and simply enjoy the ambiance created by the wonderful people around you.

You didn't hate people, on contrary to what your coworkers thought of you. It was just much easier to be friendly and spend time with those who lived near you and those you would be seeing for a longer period of time. Your job was a place of professionalism and seriousness, not for slacking off and emotions. It was also just really warming to walk in your neighbourhood and meet with all the lovely and kind people in your area.

You lived in an apartment just down the street that was surprisingly much more quiet and reserved than the small shops situated just a couple of kilometres or so from it. The neighbourhood was nice and you didn’t have to go far to grab a morning pastry and coffee so you enjoyed living here. On one hand, you got your peace and quiet that you deeply valued, on the other, you had the small city life type of feeling when you walked by the shops and restaurants.

With a deep breath and a small smile, you nodded at some people as you walked by. The night wasn’t too warm either so you left your suit jacket on and enjoyed the way the straps were twinkling and the light laughter paired with glasses clinking to welcome you into the night. A strong cool breeze passed by, somehow knocking some important papers out of your bag onto the ground.

You collected the papers quickly but one paper was a bit stubborn than the rest as it kept being swept up by the wind and fluttered into this narrow alleyway. It almost felt as if the wind was teasing you to see how long it took for you to catch up to it’s great gusts. But you weren’t one to give up as you chased and chased the paper, finally snatching it up off the ground.

As you got up and shoved it into your bag, you looked around to see that you had somehow trudged down an unfamiliar and shady looking dark alley. When you turned around to go back, for some reason, some small scooters were all in a line coming your way so you were forced to walk towards what seemed like a more open area with soft lights shining ahead.

Thinking this was maybe some secret connecting alley to another road, you were surprised to come across a small but spacious area that resembled a miniature version of a town square. There were seats set up and you realized once entering the opening, there were also small shops stuck together revealing that this was some sort of hole in the wall area. Except all the shops were closed

There weren't too many people around which felt a bit weird and spooked you out a bit. The scooters from behind you had all passed by you and were making their way farther down the alley and for some reason you felt compelled to follow. Perhaps it was the fact that they were in a clump and it felt safer, or maybe it was the curiousity of what else was going to be discovered. It was still intriguing to see all these scooters in a file going down the narrow alleyway that had now gotten so small from the sides that the scooters barely fit through without touching the sides.

Somehow you didn't wish to bother any of them with questions as they all looked fairly serious and not too welcoming so you followed them and when they all came to a clearing, you were left in shock.

For in front of you was a bigger town square-like area than the one from before, with a fountain in the middle of the painted cobblestone road around it, and many other smaller shops surrounding the fountain with fairy lights hung up everywhere. It was a sight to behold in the night but you knew in the day it would be absolutely extraordinary. With little flowers growing in between the cobblestone and beige picnic benches on the far sides. Once again, the shops looked to be closed except this time, one was still open and vibrantly shone amidst the darkness around it.

You squinted from the bright white neon sign that read "Midnight Moon Café" and noticed the heavily tinted windows that contrasted and didn't give away the interior of the place at all. Wasn't this the place that Ally had been mentioning? Midnight Moon Café? That was a pretty funny coincidence that you had stumbled across it when you had shut Ally's invitation down. It looked to be very pretty, some vines hanging from the roof with beautiful white clematis flowers resembling a wedding dress' train.

It was definitely beautiful but you didn't have the time for it at all.

And you were reminded of this when your phone dinged from a random notification and you checked it only to see that it was now 9:20pm, far too late for you to be venturing out and trying a new café.

Yet, something inside of you was drawn to the beautifully white café and the mysteries it looked to hold inside. It was hard to fight against the feeling and you let out a sigh, deciding to just take a quick peek. Just one small look wouldn't hurt, you could always visit this place the next night.

It didn't spook you out like the previous shops and looked welcoming in a similar way to a late night ramen shop, warm and comforting but with an air of elegance.

Slowly approaching it, noticing that weirdly the scooters had disappeared off to somewhere, you felt a bit nervous, hating the feeling of visiting new places by yourself. But the area looked to be dead so the café was probably quiet and empty which assured you.

Boy were you wrong.

For when you pushed the doors open, in front of you was a sight even more shocking than from before.

A small staircase led you to a spacious and sky-themed room that seemed to have no end to it. The walls were painted a dark blue with white clouds and stars that looked like they were moving but you just wrote it off as really good computer projections. On your side was a long table encased in glass and filled with many different types of pastries, all looking so delicious and unique. This place was absolutely stunning to say the least.

But it was also packed with people like it was some rush hour for a restaurant. Except one thing you noticed as you slowly walked closer was the dazed look they had in their eyes as they ate and spoke with one another. It was odd but they probably were as smitten as you were with the place.

It was like the café of your dreams and because of that, you didn't even care so much about the amount of people and had totally forgotten about your desire to sleep early. Your feet had stopped hurting and you felt like you had taken something that was making you feel so giddy and full of energy. Gone were the eight hours of fatigue and now you were refreshed simply from the interior designing from this place. You hadn't even realized it but the roof above your head also had those same clematis flowers hanging from above, looking like white stars against the dark blue.

You wondered why dark blue had been chosen and not a fresh light blue which would be typical of a café. Either way it felt like a magical sleeping fairytale with how everything was set up. Even the tables and chairs were different shades of blue and the ground had some black swirly fog lightly rolling on top. This seriously felt like some Disney shit happening and it was incredible. A part of you expected Mickey Mouse or Goofy to pop out and announce the newest addition to Disneyland or Disneyworld or something.

You noticed however the one odd thing was that there seemed to be just one person working behind the front counter on the side. You walked closer to the counter, mesmerized by the place and unable to comprehend how someone had made this happen and how you really were standing there right now.

As you got right in front of the counter, blown away at how beautiful the pastries were up close, you noticed the man behind the counter tiredly ask, "Welcome to Midnight Moon Café, what would you like to order?"

Was this the so-called dreamy owner?

Perhaps it might be that your taste in men was different from Ally's or that he might be just having a rough day but this guy looked absolutely exhausted. He was more cute if anything, with his striped baker's cap, plastic face shield to ensure food safety as he baked, almond-shaped eyes hidden behind round glasses, a straight nose, thin pursed lips and he was adorning a dark blue sweater with a cute apron filled with clouds. The attractive appeal was there but with an aura of sadness that lingered as you watched the tired man have no choice but to work.

You pitied the poor man and found it hard to really focus on his attractiveness because of this.

Oddly, he looked like a reflection of yourself at work earlier. Except now you were obviously giddy from this discovering this new place and it being so close to your home that the exhaustion had magically melted away.

You noticed a name tag on his apron, a cute white cloud that read Owner Moon. Was this some themed nickname to go along with the café or was this his actual name? You didn’t want to risk asking him as he didn't even look your way when he spoke, which you would've thought was rude if he didn't look so tired.

Realizing he was probably still waiting on your response, you felt pressured and quickly ordered the first thing you saw.

"Uh I'll have a moon tart please and a caffé latte please." You skimmed over the selection of pastries on the side of you. It was for sure now that you had to come again and try all of the desserts. They looked so delicately and perfectly created, there was no doubt they all had to taste just as great.

"Sounds good." Was his curt response.

As sorry as you felt for him, you wondered why he was all alone and felt concerned for his well-being. Shouldn’t he just have closed the shop then? Or was he some sort of part-timer worker or even full-time worker being profited off of unfairly. Or you could be stretching it and maybe his coworker(s) were just on their break or attending to other matters. Regardless, a part of you wanted to meddle yet a part of you was beginning to accept the reality that you needed to get a move on it and seriously get home and go to sleep to prepare for the next day.

So once you paid and he surprisingly quickly prepared and gave your order which was conveniently packaged for takeout, you decided to eat and drink at home.

As you quickly made your way out, somehow fighting against the weird urge to stay, you thought to eat and walk at the same time to save you some leisure time at home considering you were late already.

You had high expectations for the taste, was it going to be very sugary or have the perfect balance of sweet and sour with the berries you could see hidden inside?

A thrill ran through your body and you shivered at the excitement as you walked up the stairs and out of the magical place.

But when you bit into the tart, you were majorly let down.

It was plain, like seriously plain as if it was made for someone who had a ton of allergies and couldn't consume sugar or merely made by someone who had lost their taste.

The tart itself was a pretty crescent moon shape with chocolate cream piped inside and little bits of mixed glazed fruit in between but the top had a beautiful white chocolate piped to look like little clouds and was dusted with chocolate powder as well as little bits of gold foil. All in all, it was so intricately beautiful that you were very disappointed that it tasted the way it did, like some plain dough and creamy textures, none of the sweetness not even a bit of tartness from the fruit.

You tried to look on the bright side though. Maybe this tart was just a defective one, who knows, you couldn't judge the whole café based off one tart.

So you took a sip of your caffé latte, hoping it would wash away the taste only to be met with more disappointment.

It was the same problem, somehow there was no distinct flavour to it, how could one mess up such a simple drink like this? The drink wasn't even bitter, at least that would've been something to complain properly about. Nor was it too sweet, it tasted like a twice watered down coffee with plain cream in it.

You were so upset as you quickly walked down the sketchy alley again that you didn't pay attention to your surroundings nor to how the alley was slowly and magically being cemented behind you, preventing you from turning around and going back to bring up the issue with the owner. The familiar rush to go home filled you again as you took another small sip of the drink, stepping out of the alley.

Luckily to your side was a trash can and although you didn't enjoy wasting food, this was an exception as you just couldn't bear to take one more sip nor bite.

As you walked the couple blocks to your apartment building, the café's magical interior kept reappearing in your mind. This stayed all the way to even when you got home, took a shower and laid in bed to sleep. The last image in your mind was of the tired but cute café owner and wondering if he was alright.

—

The next day was fairly hectic again.

Somehow, the publishing company had needed many extra pair of hands on deck for their last minute projects and you had been volunteered by your boss as you were pretty ahead with your own assignments and already going to be adventuring out for work anyways.

Begrudgingly, you had gotten up and helped them out, running around (thankfully in comfortable shoes) and helped the distressed publishers and workers.

It was a better day however, as Mr. Lee had let you go home early as a way of saying thanks so you were all comfortable currently in your apartment, wrapped up in a blanket and pajamas as you watched a cooking show.

Living by yourself had encouraged you to cook more at home, realizing how how fast the expenses of takeout and delivery added up. But you enjoyed cooking for yourself and felt it was like a reward after a very long day at work. It was your comfort hobby now and one that you treasured secretly in your heart.

The weather outside had randomly turned rainy and cloudy, despite it being so sunny a couple hours before.

The whole day you had been fantasizing about the café, unable to get it out of your mind and the negative experience of what you had ate imprinted in your mind. You'd hoped to go again today but the weather looked too miserable. The place opened at 10pm anyways, which was plenty of time for the weather to get better or to prepare yourself before going again.

Over the next couple of hours, you researched as much as you could about the café, wondering what the reviews were and if anyone had experienced something similar to you.

To your amazement, all of the reviews were extremely positive and filled with love! You noticed that half of the people commented on the owner's looks as well, talking about how good-looking and kind he was. Whenever commenting on food, most people talked about how the pastries were so good that they felt compelled to go back and eat some more.

It was oddly suspicious that this guy had no negative reviews at all, no matter how much you scrolled down to read. Could it be that he was paying for only positive comments to gain hype for his café?

Now you were way too curious to not go again later on in the night.

The rain had lessened around 9:30pm and was now a gentle mist so it seemed like it would be okay to go out for a short while.

Changing into some joggers, a long-sleeved shirt, a puffy jacket and a cute knitted brown hat just in case the rain was heavy again.

Somehow, the distance to the alley seemed shorter and trudging down the dark and damp alley felt a little less scary now, knowing what was coming up.

The familiar small square had a couple of people in it that were all hooded which was a bit spooky but you tried not to think too much about it.

Soon enough, the big town square came into view and it's one of a kind almost rural beauty shined in the dark. The fairy lights made you feel like you were in some coming of age movie and some shops had their lights on which piqued your curiousity to check them out. Yet, you made sure to keep your eyes on the bright Midnight Moon Café that hadn't opened it's doors yet.

You looked down at your phone and saw that it was a couple minutes to 10 and you were alone in waiting for the café to open. You were lucky as that meant that you could talk to the owner today and ask him about his shop.

Aimlessly scrolling on your phone to pass the time, your ears perked up at the sound of a door unlocking and you looked up. As soon as the door was pushed open, you were met with the eyes of the man from the other day. And boy you were not prepared for how he looked today.

First off, he didn't have his baker's cap on and you had failed to notice the other day, the hair that had been slicked to his neck that would've revealed a mullet and bangs covering his smooth forehead. Now, his hair was all free and showed off how insanely attractive the mullet looked on him. The glasses were also gone as well showing him in a much different light to his innocent baker look.

Not to mention that your mind was going crazy at how he wore a gray hoodie, dark green joggers and converse, an outfit so simple and reminiscent of your teenage years. This guy looked very, very different from the exhausted looking man from the other day. Although he had on a face mask covering half of his face, he still looked to be filled with more life and it was understandable now why so many people fawned over his looks.

Your eyes were still locked on him in surprise as he looked at you unfazed, not even batting an eye to your reaction. Was that just a part of his personality maybe? Or was he just used to people staring at him?

For some reason it was hard for you to speak, you felt so nervous as if you were back in high school and this was one of the popular cool guys who you couldn't approach, no matter how hard you forced yourself to.

"Would you like to come in?" He asked, looking at your casual outfit and the way you were rocking on your feet. He probably thought you were cold, that was considerate of him.

"Uh sure, thank you."

He walked out and held the door open for you, your heart throbbing as you tried to not look into his deep brown eyes that didn't seem to care too much at your close proximity. You noticed the fresh musky melon-y hybrid scent coming off him and tried not to take a good sniff which would show your desperateness.

It was hard to date while being so obsessed with your profession so you hadn't really come across a really fine man like this in a long while. The closest you had was when the attractive interns would come by your floor for their orientations.

You walked down those same set of white steps, amazed at how clean they were. The people working here did an extremely great job to keep everything looking brand new. It was a bit weird to be the first person inside as the place was huge and had soft music playing throughout to make up for what would've been an excruciating silence.

"I'll be right back to help you, I wasn't expecting anyone to come in right at opening." The owner said as he took off his mask, revealing his handsome face underneath. His voice was smooth and made you feel a bit more relaxed.

He looked over at you with a slight curiousity in his eyes as he said, "Usually rush hour starts at 10:30 so this is a first. Help yourself to a table and I'll be right out in just a moment to assist you."

You nodded, not knowing how to keep up the conversation but wondering why so many people came by at a certain time and not right at opening. If all of these reviewers loved this place so much, how come they didn't come right at opening? It wasn't like it was too early or at a bad time anyways, the café was open past midnight until the early mornings.

But this was a perfect chance for you to mention the plain moon tart and latte. You felt some sort of pity still for the owner and didn't want to start any drama in front of customers.

In a couple of minutes, he was out and back in those regular clothes. This time he was wearing a simple short-sleeved white shirt which showed off his fair and lean arms.

However, now was not the time to drool over arms.

He walked over to the table you were seated at with a pen and paper in hand and for some reason the first thing you could think of saying was,

"What's your name if I may ask?"

Great, now you were going to seem just like those reviewers but even probably creepier.

But he didn't seem to be fazed by the question or think much of it, judging by his calm facial expression and instant reply.

"Taeil Moon." He pointed to his nametag with a small smile, "Many people think I use a nickname to go along with the theme of the café but in reality, it's after my own name."

You nodded, avoiding eye contact as to try and focus on what you were actually aiming to say. His name was beautiful though, no wonder he created a whole café surrounding it.

"Could I ask you something?"

"Of course."

You fidgeted with your fingers under the table as you focused on a loose tendril of hair peaking out of his baker's cap. You tried to think of the best way to word what you wanted to without hurting his feelings yet once again, you failed to do so under his gaze.

"How do you bake?" Was the unintelligible thing that came out of your mouth.

Taeil cocked his head to the side and licked his lips, seeming confused. You would've been more blunt if you were in his position and someone had fumbled with their words but he surprised you once again with his calm and patient nature.

"Are you meaning to ask for the recipe?"

You nodded, hoping you looked more composed than the intense freaking out going on inside you. How come yesterday had been different? You had been totally fine and not obsessing over his looks. Perhaps it was because he looked much livelier and not so exhausted that the pity went away and was replaced with desire. But you didn't want to be like everyone else so you attempted to push down the feelings that were arising.

He looked pensively at the table, putting his paper and pen away in his apron pocket.

“I’ve never really done this for anyone, but tell you what, you can be the first.”

He smiled, somehow the whole place brightened with his smile and a soft feeling fluttered inside of you at the angelic sight.

“I can give you a small baking lesson after hours if you’d like.”

Huh?

You raised your brows, unsure if you’d heard him correctly. Bake? With him?

He looked patiently at you, a spark in his eyes that you couldn’t decipher what it meant.

It sounded like a good idea still. Having a baking lesson could show you what he was doing that was lacking and making his food taste bad. Maybe this was your golden chance and besides, you were going to be spending some one on one time with him which sounded so lovely.

The nervousness had to wear off sooner or later and more of it was because of the way he looked at you now. There was a tender look in Taeil’s eyes and as you thanked him, getting the details to meet up with him on the weekend, you realized that that look never left his eyes when they were upon you. It only faded away as he helped other customers who had begun to swarm in now.

—

It was Friday night.

The night that you were going to be learning from Taeil the so-called renowned baker.

You had prepared yourself as much as you could before stepping out of your apartment.

The fit of the night included some cute dark overalls, a long sleeve brown tee and boots as the weather was muggy again.

Somehow you hadn’t been able to get Taeil and his calm nature out of your head in these past couple of days. It had been agony to wait for this day to come where you could see him and because of this, you hadn’t gone back to try his baked goods again.

A part of you was curious as to whether his food just didn’t taste good or if you should just wait to taste it when you baked together. Although, you weren’t a master baker yourself, you still knew the basics and would be able to tell if he messed up.

Yet, how could he mess up? He had probably been baking his whole life so surely this had to be a one day mistake or maybe purposely to see who was truly praising his food or had no taste buds.

The walk to the café had been peaceful, the pathway and alley seeming more familiar to you now. It was comforting and you felt more relaxed as you walked into the brightly lit up café.

You both had decided to settle on 7pm so that Taeil had enough time to prepare before opening and you had just asked to leave early from work, having done most of what you had to do on a Friday night.

It was nice to leave work early so you had made an early dinner at home and gotten all ready for the night that was to come.

And here you were, inside the café that was a bit more bare and had most of the lights shut off. Taeil had left the doors open for you and so you locked them behind you before following the small ray of light emitting from a set of closed doors on your far side.

It should’ve been spooky to be in the vast space by yourself yet, there was a more peaceful aura instead of the nervous and high strung feeling you’d had before. Was it because you hadn’t seen Taeil yet?

“(y/n), I’m glad you could make it.”

You faltered in your steps as Taeil opened the doors to the kitchen.

He was incredibly beautiful tonight.

Although his clothes were simple, a black hoodie and dark cargo pants, they added onto his untouched beauty. The light behind him illuminated his figure as if he was an angel and truly you believed that he looked like one except in black. Taeil was like a soft, dark angel and yours for the two hours.

You noticed as you got closer that his mullet was messy, as if he’d just ran his hands through it and you wondered why. Was he as nervous as you?

After all, he had mentioned that he had never done this before. But you found it hard that this calm man with a lazy smile in front of you would be nervous.

It was probably stress, thinking of it now, you felt guilty for asking him to teach you to bake before he worked such a long shift into the night. That was another thing you had found out, he worked the whole shift and didn’t work with anyone else. Surely, it was against many work-safe rules but you weren’t in any place to snitch on him.

“I love your overalls by the way, they’re very cute.” He commented as he held the door open, taking a long look at your simple outfit. You realized that you both were matching coincidentally.

You felt your cheeks heat up as you thanked him. He smelled insanely good again and you closed your eyes for a second as you passed by him, allowing yourself to indulge in his addicting scent.

“I have everything set up for us here, I hope this will go okay, I’ve never really properly taught someone how to bake.” He walked over to a drawer and pulled out two aprons. One was his classic cloud apron and the other had crescent moons all over it.

He handed you the crescent moon apron and then tied his own. A part of you hoped that he’d help with yours like some cliché movie scene but he went off to prep and left you to tie your own.

“Okay, today we’ll be baking my infamous moon tarts. They’re fairly simple and use simple ingredients as well so I think it’d be nice to teach you that as a starter.”

He guided you throughout the whole process of the creams and glazing the fruits and creating the dough. Taeil was obviously gentle and patient with explaining it and you couldn’t help but fall for him more. There was an undeniable attraction to him and the unconscious eye smiles, sweet laughs and grins that only made you swoon harder. But you knew nothing was to come out of it. He was simply being kind and allowing you the privilege to bake with him, the privilege that you were going to discover if he .

The whole lesson felt short even though it had gone on for two hours and when the tarts came out of the oven, then you and Taeil had decorated them, they were just as beautiful as when you had seen them in the display.

Now the important factor was the taste. Were they going to taste as horrible as before? God, you hoped not. Taeil had put so much love and care into his baking and you'd found yourself enjoying his company as if you both were old friends. Well, that is if one old friend had a huge one-sided attraction to the other.

As for the ingredients, they all looked similar to the other tart recipes you had found online so really, they couldn't taste bad.

You'd realized that you had been staring at the tarts in deep thought and Taeil had been simply watching you, not saying anything.

"I'm sorry, these just look so beautiful, I find it hard to eat them and ruin their beauty." You mumbled in a daze.

Taeil lazily smiled, his thoughts only being reaffirmed as he watched you picked up that tart, put it in your mouth and make an unpleasant face that quickly changed to a wide fake smile to be polite just for his sake.

"These taste good!" You put your hand over your mouth, straight up lying and regretting that you'd taken such a big bite of the dry ass tart and wondering how to get through eating the rest of it.

"No need to lie for me (y/n), I know what you feel."

You coughed, choking on a specific dry part as Taeil walked up to you, a small smirk curving on the side of his lips and his eyes gleaming.

You were slightly terrified at how he knew, you thought that he couldn't have ever, was this some kind of setup or something? Perhaps he had this weird sixth sense and knew you didn't like it so he had created this whole scenario so that he could cook you alive for daring to disrespect his food.

Although, he didn't look dangerous besides the weird gleam in his eyes. But now you were realizing that maybe you shouldn't have blindly accepted to spend two hours with a complete stranger. No matter if he was a hot stranger.

Yet, you had to admit this was hot as well.

Taeil was so close to you, one more step and he'd be touching you. Your heart was going a mile a minute as the small features on his face became clearer now.

A small acne scar ran across the top of his cheek, some tiny blemishes nearby. Tiny melanin dots speckled all over his face and jaw, so insignificant that you wouldn't have noticed until now being so close.

The once thin lips now looked fuller and were an irresistible pink, looking so soft and inviting. You realized his hair wasn't just a dark brown but also had what looked to be caramel brown highlights hidden here and there. Yet, it was the brown eyes that held so much care in them that you couldn’t stop drowning in them.

He was truly mesmerizing. But this was not the time to be fawning over him as you had now been caught in the act of faking to enjoy his pastries.

"You're probably confused by all of this so I'll try to explain as best as possible. I-I just seem to be filled with a lot of intense emotions right now and it's hard to not act upon them, so um could you please step away?"

His voice was so soft, so delicate as if the words he spoke were not meant for anyone else but you. You were the only lucky one to be graced with his attention.

You gulped down the remaining of the tart, unable to process his words and thirsting for water now to not only wash away the tart but also to cool your hot and bothered body.

Taeil brushed something off your lip, his breathing becoming shallow as his finger lingered on your bottom lip, simply rubbing it gently.

Good lord you were going to lose it.

"I don't think I'd be able to control myself being so close to you and I can't seem to walk away..." He trailed off, reluctantly stopping himself from touching your lips and holding the side of your face tenderly, looking into your eyes before flicking his attention back to your lips hungrily.

The sexual tension was off the charts and you were having a hard time comprehending his words but also at how fast this situation had escalated to. With a deep breath and all of the strength you had in you, you obliged, stepping back a couple steps in order to think clearly because your senses were just filled with him.

Taeil's warm hand fell from your cheek and your heart clenched at the cold feeling that went through your cheek, wanting him to touch you again.

What were these feelings?

What was wrong with you?

He walked over to the tarts as if nothing had happened, taking them off the tray and talking to you at the same time, while you stood frozen and in a daze.

"I can tell you're very conflicted right now and what I'm about to say probably won't help your current state but I do hope you take my words seriously. I've waited a long time for this and I'd hate to see you slip away."

His brown eyes looked up hesitantly to search your face that was void of emotion besides shock as his hands swiftly packaged the tarts.

"Those tarts tasted plain right? Same with the café latte you ordered a couple days ago."

Your eyes widened at his words. How did he know?

Taeil took in a big breath, his vulnerability showing through his eyes and he ran a hand through his hair continuing,

"This will sound stupid I know but I've been cursed."

Excuse me?

You both stood there silent, Taeil trying to read your face while you were processing his ridiculous statement. Was this guy for real?

"I know you might not believe me so I have no choice but to explain as simply as I can, but I have been cursed by someone whom I believe is or was a sorcerer."

Great, now he really sounded crazy. Your eyes shifted over to the exit door to the side of you that could be your ticket to freedom if he pulled some crazy shit like speaking about sacrificing or something. The hesitant trust you had placed in him before coming was dwindling, yet, you couldn't help yourself in trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe there was something going on and he had gotten an evil eye, maybe that's what he was trying to say.

No matter what though, there was just something about him that made you want to try and trust in him.

Taeil was extremely nervous now you could tell, as he was wiping and cleaning everything repeatedly while speaking in a rushed tone. This was very different from his calm and laidback nature you had seen.

"I don't know of his or maybe her name but I do know that it is a curse as all of the things I've been through lead to it. It was just about a year ago and I also was tipped off by an anonymous letter which I believe to be by the sorcerer indicating and gloating in what had happened to me. I think it started when I had been closing my café one day and a poor looking man crossed my path then had blessed me which was a lie as it was a curse."

He huffed, messing his hair again and giving up on the cleaning, plopping himself down on a stool and putting his head in his hands, his shoulders hunched.

"The curse is that everything I bake, no matter how I bake it, will always taste plain and unappetizing. But the catch? The poor man slash sorcerer had asked me what my desire was and I had stupidly told him true love. So whatever I bake and sell to people, they only taste the intense desire and love I have for wanting to find my soulmate and in turn they fall in love with me. I'm sure you've seen it in the people who come here, it's hard not to see it."

This was a whole lot to take in and you leaned against a counter, keeping a distance between the two of you as you tried to process his words. On one hand, it did make sense with the way people lusted after him and did the most, the reviews were a great example of this and even Ally.

But on the other, a curse? Curses were for children who loved fantasy books and escaping from reality. They were meant to be in books and movies so that you could imagine a world that contained magic. You had never heard of any sorcerer in the city nor of them existing altogether either. But you knew that Taeil did have an issue with his baking despite the ingredients being accurate and the way people weirdly desired him.

"If," His head perked up and his hopeful eyes shone as you began to spoke, "If this is true, then how do you lift the curse? And why are you explaining this to me? How am I involved?"

You crossed your arms over your chest, trying to appear a bit tougher yet unable to help the pity that ran through you as Taeil looked frustrated with himself.

"What I say next might be even wilder than the curse so just, just please promise me you won't walk away? Please promise me you'll hear me out?"

You knew you shouldn't be making any promises, especially with a man who believed in curses. But you couldn't help it, he just looked so sad and it tugged at your heart. If he needed help with his magical problems, then maybe you could offer it to him, depending on what it was.

"So the only way to break the curse is if I find my soulmate and if they fall in love with me then we kiss. It's not a huge thing but it has to be a kiss filled with love, not just a small peck or one done for the sake of the curse, it must have natural feelings to it as stated in that horrible letter. My soulmate is supposed to be the only one who is able to recognize the true horrible taste of my food."

Wait a minute....

"And so um, that's where you step in." Taeil got up and walked over to you, completely disregarding his previous statement of staying away from you and the silence being so loud as you pieced together what he was intending.

"You're my soulmate (y/n)." He whispered.

Your mouth was ajar as you stared into his eyes that had that tender look in them from the other day.

God this wasn't real. Where was Ashton Kutcher when you needed him to pop out and yell that this was a prank? Or the Prank Patrol? Where were they?? This had to be some bloody prank.

"Is this a joke? Is this a new way to get with somebody now?"

You knew your words were too harsh as he flinched at your rough tone, stepping away from your upset self.

"I wish it was..." He muttered while looking down at the ground dejectedly and he went back to the other counter to continue with his work, not even sparing you another glance.

"I can tell you probably think I'm a fool so I'll just stop now and just give you the option of leaving. I'm sorry to burden you with this (y/n), it's not a joke, it's something I have to deal with everyday as stupid as it sounds."

You clenched your fists together, not liking the difficult position you were in. It was just a kiss of course, but you didn't know his true intentions behind it. It only seemed like he was trying to get in your pants and this didn't seem like the calm and patient guy you had talked to so far. Your elders had always told you to be aware and stay careful of men who lied as they would just do it again and again without another thought.

Besides, even if a kiss didn't seem to be a big deal, you didn't know what you were getting into as he already seemed unstable enough to come up with this whole curse thing.

Yet, a foreign feeling fluttered throughout your body. You felt compelled to kiss him, to touch him, to run your hands through his soft looking hair and to feel his smooth jaw just as when he had been so close to your earlier. You felt the lust take over your senses and make it hard to logically reason what you should do.

It seemed Taeil could sense this as he looked at you with concern and stepped even further away than was possible.

"This soulmate connection is also supposed to be strong and make us both want one another very badly. I know you're struggling against it so I think the best thing would be for you to leave and come back another day (y/n)."

He was right. It was so fucking weird but he was right. These intense feelings inside of you just wanted to do so many nasty things to him that were clear as glass in your head and it confused you as you had just been contemplating on running out of this place a couple minutes ago but now wanted to stay? Even though Taeil was technically kicking you out?

"Y-you should go (y/n)," Taeil's voice was strained and he walked away even farther, "Come back tomorrow or Sunday. I don't want you to regret your impulsive and unconscious actions."

His hands were white from gripping the kitchen door that led to the café and with it being silent, you could hear his shallow breaths as he struggled like you.

"I'll, I'll see you, just call or walk in whenever you're free to discuss."

He was the first to walk away, leaving you sexually and mentally frustrated.

But the extended distance between you, helped to cool you down a bit and to think more rationally. No matter how badly you wanted him, you had to listen to the voice in your head that was reasonable and fighting against the urge. Taeil wasn’t yours in the moment, no matter what had been said. You’d only known him technically for less than a full day and so succumbing to your desires was only going to lead to regret and anger at yourself.

With all the willpower you could then muster, you went out the exit, wanting so badly to go back in and just hold Taeil, to merely touch him. But you couldn't give in, you had to think it through first and this situation just made your head hurt at how quickly it had escalated.

So begrudgingly, you walked away from Midnight Moon Café, sighing and confused at this bizarre situation and as to when you should come back again.

—

You decided to not to go during the weekend no matter how much your body was telling you to. Taeil’s words begin to ring even more true as you ended up spying in the alley to see all of the people still fawning over his feet with this dazed look in their eyes. The curse seemed to become more believable when you saw how when people took one bite into the Midnight Moon pastries, their movements slowed down and their eyes glazed over.

Another option you’d considered was that he laced the food with drugs but that would also mean that you would’ve been drugged as well. This was highly unlikely as the first time you had ate the pastries you had felt fine. The second time you’d also felt fine and only really felt a drastic change when Taeil had come into close proximity.

It should’ve been ridiculous really but you were slowly beginning to believe Taeil and had so many more burning questions at the tip of your tongue about this situation. Yet, you couldn’t bring yourself to visit him on your days off. There was a slight nervousness as to what was going to happen next.

If you truly were soul-mates what was going to happen? It wasn’t that you were unsatisfied with Taeil, curse or no curse, he was seriously an amazing person. You’d discovered after sleuthing or well creeping about him that he’d used people’s desire for him in a positive way by contributing to charities and having people follow in his steps.

Could it be seen as a wrong thing for some? Perhaps. But donating to charity was never wrong even if some were doing it while being under some sort of spell.

But you had decided that you’d have to face this head on and get to the bottom of it. You didn’t want to run away from things as at work you always faced situations head on so this was it.

Thinking it would be better to visit a bit later on when the rush died, you had stayed up until 2am. This was one of the first times you had stayed up before a work day. Honestly, you should’ve regretted it, knowing that you’d be yawning and being slightly grumpy throughout the day from the lack of sleep but one day wouldn’t hurt.

You had to get to the bottom of this.

Dressed in some long basketball shorts, a baggy tee and some sneakers, you made your way over to the beautifully decorated café. A part of you had dressed this way thinking that it would sfop the sexual tension between you and Taeil, surely in non-form fitting clothes you would be seen as less desirable but that thought went right out the window when you locked eyes with him outside the café.

The silence was excruciating as you simply stared at one another in want.

“I was wondering when you’d come back, I knew you would just didn’t know when.”

Lord have mercy. He was taking out the trash in a tight short sleeve white tee, black shorts for the mildly warm night and his classic converse that you were beginning to adore.

The two of you just stared at one another, all questions leaving your mind as all of your senses were just filled with Taeil. The fairy lights softened the atmosphere and made it feel like you both were either in a cliché romantic movie or that this was like a date. The latter was what you secretly hoped could happen one day.

“You, you look good.” Taeil muttered, a pained look on his face as he forced himself to look away.

“Thank you, you do too.” You politely replied, feeling hopeless as your plan had obviously not worked and awkward as to what was going to happen now.

He cleared his throat, his eyes shifting to anywhere but you and said, “Come in, no one’s here since it’s so late. I’ll make us some tea.”

He opened the door for you and somehow you managed to keep yourself together when thanking him and attempting to casually walk inside while your brain screamed at the close proximity and the intoxicating scent of his musky cologne once again.

But over the past two days, you’d trained yourself to control the urge, finding it much easier now to hold yourself from jumping on him.

“Oh wait, I forgot that my baking and cooking will taste bad to you.” He laughed bitterly.

“It’s okay, I’ll um make the tea.”

You followed him to the kitchen, the fresh memories coming back to you. Making the tea was quite relaxing and soothed you for what was to come so thank god you had done it.

Taeil sat on a stool on the other side of the counter, facing you and took a sip of the warm tea. His eyes closed from content and a peaceful smile etched its way on his face, making you wish that you could capture this moment and attempt to paint and fully preserve his raw beauty.

“So where should we start?” He grinned, seeming a bit more cheeky and lighter than before.

That early morning you talked and talked for what seemed like a short amount of time. Taeil had luckily not had too much business and had explained to you about the specifics of his situation.

You’d learned that when he had opened the café, it had been successful and he’d employed many people to work for him. But as the curse was placed, many people quit because of the tension and toll that the Taeil crazy customers put on them. This had left only Taeil behind and he had no choice but to keep the shop open. This was also why he had relocated in such an oddly remote location to prevent people from finding him quickly yet, that had seemed to fail.

No matter what he did, if he gave up on baking and did something else, the curse forbade him to take upon another career besides his current one.

He didn’t mind it too much though, he really minded the people more and after a while he had come to accepting that his pastries tasted bad.

The conversation was deep yet light at times and you wished to just keep talking with him forever. There was something about lat night conversations that was so intimate but also helped you to bond closely with the other person.

Your trust in Taeil expanded as he kept talking and being so polite. The more he spoke, the more you were making up your mind as to what you were going to do.

“Hey Taeil,”

“Mhm?” He was cleaning the dishes now, you realized he had an extreme habit of cleaning when stressed which you found adorable.

“Is it just one kiss? Will this uh tension wear off after?” You felt bold in asking and knew you wouldn’t have if this had been during the day.

His whole body froze, kitchen gloves on and all. After a couple seconds or so he slowly nodded, unable to speak.

“Okay then, I believe you in most parts and I think then I’ll kiss you as to release you from this whole thing.”

Knowing he was still taken aback, you got up and walked over to him, placing a hand on his thin clad shoulder.

Taeil turned around, his eyes wide as he took in your disheveled and tired state. You were simply drunk off the exhaustion and wanting to just stop the worrying and fear from what was to happen next.

Before you could do anything else, Taeil cupped your cheeks delicately, slight concern in his eyes as he asked, “Are you sure? You don’t have to, we can wait it out or-or find another way. I don't want to force you into this (y/n), those were never my intentions, I'm sorry."

You found it funny as this whole situation had done nothing but put a whole lot of pressure on your shoulders. But fuck it really, Taeil was the closest thing to perfection you had seen if there was anything in this world that was perfect. It may have been naive for you to think this way but a part of you wanted to just take the risk and see what the outcome was. It was thrilling to dive head first into this crazy world of curses and magical tarts. It was just a kiss, you kept telling yourself.

Just a kiss.

Looking into his eyes that held fear for the future, you hoped your own showed some reassurance before you took the leap.

You leaned in slowly, the moment feeling so fragile and precious. Taeil's hand moved to the back of your head, caressing it gently as your lips landed on his own delectably pink ones.

You were right.

Taeil's lips were just as soft as they looked.

You slowly moved your lips against his own, feeling the deep thirst in you take over and wanting to only have Taeil touch you for as long as it was possible. You could taste the tea on his lips, your eyes fluttering close as he deepened the kiss.

The situation intensified fairly quick as your hands slid to the back of his head, finally being able to feel the soft mullet and tugging at it, wanting more and more of him. Meanwhile, Taeil hand's slid from your head to your shoulders then to your waist, pulling you in right up on him so that your body moulded with his own, feeling the heat roll off him. You did the same, letting go of his hair and sliding your hands from his collarbone to his chest, just wanting everything you could have of him.

This moment was perfect. You knew right away now that you couldn't go back, this was it for you, he was it for you.

Grasping for air, the both of you stopped kissing and you slumped against Taeil's shoulder, the fatigue from not being able to sleep well these past few days catching up to you and feeling high from this blissful feeling coursing throughout you.

If every kiss felt this powerful and intoxicating then you never wanted to stop kissing Taeil.

"I didn't know that you were so tired, I would've just asked to meet up another day" He laughed softly, rubbing your back as you put most of your body weight on his.

You couldn't tell if it was the tea or simply that that was one of the most mind-blowing kisses you'd ever had but you were absolutely addicted to him now and feeling so sleepy.

Taeil put his arms around you, hugging your soft body so that he could touch you one last time before he parted with you.

"I guess the tension doesn't wear off huh." You mumbled into his warm shoulder. You could feel him laugh as his shoulders shook and he replied, "I guess it doesn't."

The both of you simply stood there in each other arm's, enclosed and not wanting to be the first to move away and face with the reality sitting on your shoulders.

"It's getting late and I know you have work tomorrow fairly early so you should go home."

Your heart fell at his words, not wanting to leave him and his touch. There were more questions on your mind as well now that had arised. Such as, where did you stand now? Were you together? Was his curse lifted and he could bake well again?

Taeil gently lifted you off his shoulder and kissed your fore-head, his eyes holding so much tender love for you that you wanted to succumb to your desires and kiss him again. If only, you weren't so tired.

"Come back tomorrow and we'll discuss it all okay? I think the curse must have lifted off now and you're way too tired to properly talk with so I'll walk you home and we can meet again."

A nervous feeling washed over you, what if Taeil didn't want you now that you had helped him lift the curse? Your shoulders slumped as he walked away to grab the shop keys to lock up. Time had apparently flown by and it was 4am now so he was closing up an hour early.

When he walked back to you, he noticed how dejected you looked and realized what must've been on your mind.

"I know you must have a lot of questions but one thing I can assure you is that I want you (y/n). I want you like no other and that was prevalent when I first paid attention to you the second time we met. You might be thinking that this is all because of that stupid curse but even if that hadn't happened, I'd still want you more and more after getting to know you."

He kissed you tenderly again, reluctantly pulling away and resting his fore-head against yours, his eyes fluttering as he closed them as he cupped your cheek, his whole body tense.

"You're the one for me (y/n) and what happens next is what you decide it to be, I'll be fine with whatever you decide."

"I only want to be yours and for you to be mine." You whispered, feeling his body relax and a bigger smile stretch across his face.

"I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear you say that." He gave a gentle peck before stepping towards the exit and holding the door open for you.

"After you." He gestured to outside, looking like so happy and you felt yourself mirror his happiness and walked out the door. Taeil locked up the door and put his hand out, letting you slip your own into his and feel the warmth radiating off him.

You both walked home, murmuring to one another like those secretive lovers you often saw roaming the streets, in their own bubble. You had found your other half and now you were never going to part with him. The future could hold whatever in store but with Taeil grasping your hand in his own warm one, making you feel like a main lead in a movie, you didn't care whatever happened as long as you were together.

—

A couple of weeks later

"Yeah, I dunno the Midnight Moon Café owner just doesn't do it for me anymore... I heard he's in a relationship now too so don't want to mess with a man who's off limits." You could hear Ally loudly whisper to your coworkers by the printing machine.

A small smile swept across your face and you tried to act like you were just happy about something to do with work.

"It's so weird though, you know? Like he was so dreamy but now I'm realizing he's just average I guess."

Your brows furrowed, not enjoying the way Ally was being rude towards your sweet boyfriend. You didn't know what got into you as you got up and walked over to the printer, your feet having another mind of their own as they rested to a stop in front of your terrified coworker and surprised Ally.

They looked at you as if you were going to tell them to quiet down but instead you simply smiled and whispered, "I still think he's pretty dreamy, I guess that's one of the reasons why I'm still dating him dunno. That or for his creative, kind and intelligent personality I guess."

Ally's mouth fell open and your coworker looked like they were going to pass out. You were never one to join in any gossip so this was new of course.

"Are you just saying that or, or are you really dating him?" Ally sputtered, eyes wide as they didn't believe your words.

"I guess you'll just have to see after work." You winked, reaching behind them and saying, "Sorry, just gotta grab something." Then you walked away, head held high and feeling so powerful for the way you had defended Taeil's innocent self. It didn't matter what people said about him or you, society's words shouldn't have such an impact. Yet, it was the condescending way that Ally had degraded Taeil to just his looks that really upset you and you had wished to see that shocked look on her face.

So it was worth it.

You heard a door close and knew that Ally had left, thank god. Before you were able to get back to work, a gentle tap on your shoulder made you jolt in your seat.

You turned around to see Manuel who had a smile on his face and he mouthed a thank you before going back to his seat. A big smile stretched its way across your face as you tried to concentrate on your work but failed to do so for the rest of the day.

"Than you again everyone!" Mr. Lee thanked you all and for the first time you enthusiastically thanked him back, quickly grabbing your belongings and excited to leave. This time it wasn't for the sake of avoiding everyone but for who was waiting for you patiently outside.

It felt like you were flying as you rushed to see the man who you daydreamed about in the middle of work and whom you wished you could be with every minute of the day.

Moon Taeil waited outside, a giddy feeling rushing through him as he checked his watch to see that it was now 7pm and you'd be rushing to see him. His life was back to normal now, his pastries tasting delicious to all, including himself. He'd also been lucky enough to hire people again which took a load of stress of maintaining the huge café off his shoulders. It seemed that the love spell thing had also worn off as well on people and instead they came by for the quaint and lovely hidden café and not him.

He though about his future with you as that was the only thing on his mind constantly nowadays. Sure, you two had only started officially dating for only a couple weeks now but it felt like a dream for him that he never wished to wake up from. So many people around him kept saying that he was in the honeymoon phase which would wear off soon enough but he couldn't disagree more.

The love he had for you was eternal and no matter what happened, it would remain in the deepest parts of his heart and mind. Sure, tough times were to come like when he had discovered that you didn't like that he stress cleaned and had advised to find a better way to cope. And how he didn't enjoy the fact that you stayed up late at night watching shows and dramas only to wake up the next day totally exhausted as you headed to work. But it was all a part of your love for one another.

And when he saw you practically fly out of the building's front doors, his cheeks hurt from the huge smile on his face and his heart burst with joy as you jumped into his open arms.

This was his forever, holding you in his arms and feeling his heart beat wildly out of his chest at the same rhythm with yours.

You were his forever.

And as you held Taeil as close as humanely possible, this moment was one you would never want to exchange with anything else in this world. Just by being in his arms you had forgotten any hardships from the day adn what you'd said to Ally, so wrapped up in your boyfriend and that fresh scent of his cologne you loved. You didn't pay attention to the people who stared at you, some reminiscent of their own loves and some envying you.

You fit together perfectly, your fingers, your bodies, your lips, your souls. And when you pulled back, facing a wide smiling Taeil, his brown eyes shining from the sun reflecting off them, you knew that this was it.

Your love was worth it forever and forever. And as you grew old, having children of your own and managing the café as well as proofreading, you never regretted it for a single moment that you had succumbed to your desires for once and taken a risk.

Due to the weather forecast, your journey back to the city was delayed. Usually, you wouldn't have minded. You were rather content spending your downtime at the military camps. The dirtied barracks held their own brutish charm, and the crass language the men threw around didn't faze you. You'd been raised amongst soldiers all your life; it was your normality—however, not this time. You couldn't wait to be rid of the pretentious Lord, his company proving to be insufferable.

Lord Sal was lazy and indulgent, consuming double the amount of rations while others went without. Not only that, he continued to recite his repetitive tales of heroism and how more men should be like him.

One day, you were going to whack him over the head with the hilt of your sword, and frankly, you weren't looking forward to the consequences that would be bestowed on you as a result.

"Three more days?" Jade spoke wistfully, leaning against a training post.

Jade's gear differed from the other soldiers. Unlike your soldiers, she didn't sport armor. Jade was a different type of fighter. She was agile and stealthy. The weight of chainmail would only weigh her down. Instead, she wore clothes of solid black. They worked both for camouflage but to disguise bloodstains, preventing an enemy from deciphering a singular body part that had been injured and using it to their advantage.

"Until what?" You inquired, sheathing your turquoise sword. You had been passing the time, hacking at one of the countless training posts—the brittle wood splintering with every blow.

You were conscious of the fact that on the night of the raid, the strength behind your sword had only just been enough to hold back a wolf. You needed to improve your endurance, strengthen your body. You weren't the kind of person satisfied with winning by inches.

"Until the storm passes," Jade said, tucking her braid inside her cowl.

"You couldn't possibly know that,"

"Call it a hunch," Jade shrugged.

You rolled your eyes, dusting your pants as you stood to your feet.

"You're going to visit him again? Aren't you?" She stated knowingly.

"He's my prisoner. I'm responsible for him until we reach the city."

Jade sighed, "Whatever you say,"

You set off, leaving the training grounds. You headed towards the camp's makeshift prison.

"Y/N," Jade called after you.

You halted.

"Don't get too close to him," Her voice stern, "Nothing good can possibly come out of it."

───

Jeno hated to admit he missed the tent he had been once housed in. He had been transferred to a barred cell that was predominantly dark, damp, and smelt of rot. He struggled to gauge the amount of time that passed. The only light that filtered into the dingy room was when the sun shone through the crevasse where the two walls met.

Jeno hung from his wrists, silver shackles preventing any attempt of an escape. He had long lost the feeling in his upper limbs, his torso sore from keeping his body upright.

To pass the time, his mind would drift back to you. You had visited him a handful of times, and yet, it still did feel like enough. He selfishly wanted more of you. He wanted to explore what went through your mind. He wanted to understand your motives and what drove you.

Despite being on opposite sides, from two feuding halves with decades of bloodshed between them, you were never hostile towards him. Instead, you were unexpectedly kind-hearted. You had tended to his wounds until they completely healed and smuggled food to him when the chance presented itself.

Jeno's eyes lit up, your sweet scent filling the air.

"Are you hungry?" You asked, a set of keys jangling in your hands.

You undid the padlock and swung back the rusted door. Jeno noted you were wearing simple slacks, loose and breathable. The kind of pants used for sparring. Oddly, you also wore padded weights around your wrists and ankles.

"A little bit," Jeno replied, "Have you ate?"

"You're the prisoner," You secured the keys back onto your belt, "And you're worried whether I've eaten?" You teased lightly.

"I know food is hard to come by around here. I don't want you skipping any meals in order to feed me." Jeno answered earnestly.

You lowered your head, hiding a smile.

You were the general's daughter. You led raids against his kind, and most pressingly, you had taken him hostage. Jeno should have despised you, but he didn't.

He showed you concern when others did not. He cared to listen even if it was just for you to complain. His attentiveness towards you was something you weren't accustomed to and was something you weren't sure you'd ever experience again.

You unhinged the lever, spinning the dial that coiled the steel chains. You loosen the chains for him, allowing Jeno to lower his arms by his side.

"Thank you," He slumped to the ground, a groan of relief leaving his mouth.

You approached closer, revealing a dented tin from the satchel fastened around your abdomen. You cracked the lid. Inside were roughly-cut biscuits.

"They're pretty bland," You warned. "I couldn't get my hands on any sugar to sweeten them,"

You fed him one. Jeno crunched on the burnt crust, not letting a crumb go to waste.

"Not bad," He swallowed.

You knew he was lying. You had tried one earlier, the taste barely digestible.

"Liar," You gave him another. In spite of the taste, they were still food, and as Jeno had said, food was hard to come by around here.

"Why do you wear weights?" Jeno inquired between mouthfuls, "They cannot be comfortable."

"They're not," You agreed, peering down to the pair around your wrists, "I'm strength training. They'll help me reach my goal faster."

Jeno tilted his head, "Do you constantly train?" He had seen them on you before.

He knew you wielded a sword and that you weren't any ordinary swordsman. You certainly out-skilled the average soldier on the battlefront.

"Acceptance within the military isn't an easy feat for a woman." You didn't bother to disguising your bitterness, "I've never lost a battle thus far, and if I want to keep it that way, I need to continue training."

Jeno's face softened in admiration. He had quite an exceptional mate.

───

Thunder roared, violently shaking the ground. A flash of blinding light pierced through the center of the base, stunning soldiers who had been running laps only moments before.

You ordered the soldiers to hurry and barricade their quarters. You had never seen a storm so fierce, and precautions needed to be taken at once to ensure everybody safely made it through the night.

You were the last one to retire to the bunker, scanning to make sure nobody remained outside.

"Quickly, close the door," Jade instructed, using her weight to pin down a table that was shifting backward due to the wind's strength.

Jeno’s barred cell should be sturdy enough to withstand the storm. You told yourself before closing the iron door behind you.

You twisted the lock sideways, before fiddling with the secondary safety mechanism.

"Madness, absolute madness." Lord Sal shook his head furiously, "Look what the wind has done to my hair!"

You did your best to ignore him, crawling to the other side of the room and settling yourself on a hammock. You laid down, shutting your eyes.

"Are we suppose to rest on those?" The Lord sounded horrified, "Where are the beds?"

"You insisted on staying in the bunker during the storm," You masked a yawn, "There are no beds in the bunker."

"Then I'll stay somewhere else," The Lord protested, planting his hands on his hips, "Somewhere that isn't so primitive,"

"Go ahead," You jested, "Try not to get blown away when you step foot outside."

Lord Sal sulked. He stepped in the direction of the door before stopping, "Perhaps, I can endure it for one evening."

"Too bad," Jade muttered under her breath, "We could have gotten rid of him once and for all."

You cracked a smile.

"Are you in any way addressing me?"

"Not at all, my lord." Jade feigned ignorance.

"I thought not. A penniless commoner like yourself shouldn't be so bold too so."

You could envision Jade reaching for her nunchucks in response to his comment. As much as you'd have like to witness her throttle him, you didn’t want her getting in trouble.

"Jade," You warned. Your eyes were still closed as you turned to lay on your side.

You heard her exhale.

"Fine."

───

Jeno cracked his lids, his eyes adjusting to a new day. The thunderstorm had passed, but not without making a crater in the roof. The rain had hammered down. His cell which had lacked the proper irrigation, flooded in result.

You slushed through the murky rainwater, unbothered by the filth.

He had worried about you during the storm's commotion. Unnecessary, as you more than capable of looking out for yourself. Still his worry came naturally, relief washing over him as soon as he set eyes on you again.

“Terrible that storm, I’m glad your okay.” 

Your eyes flickered foward. A gasp caught itself in the back of your throat. Some debris from the fallen roof had lodged itself in Jeno's chest and arms. You hastened to remove it, using your nails to dig out the fragments of wood and tile.

"Does that hurt?" Your brows furrowed in concern.

He shook his head, "It's uncomfortable, but unless it's silver, it won't hurt."

You continued to remove the chips, his skin healing almost immediately. The closer you leaned in, the more intoxicating your scent became. His inner wolf rumbled. The sight of your neck appeared more and more enticing.

No Jeno. No marking. He scolded himself.

He wondered just how much of the mate bond you felt. He had been told by his brothers that humans usually didn't feel the pull like they did. They'd gradually develop feelings over time. Still, you must have felt something. He had no other explanation on why you were so nice to him.

"Y/N,"

"Yes?"

He held his breath, anxious about what he was going to ask you next.

NETWORKS: @czennienet | @nct-writers | @neoswitchnet​

MONI’S NOTE: Finally, Jeno’s part two is here! I hope you like is chapter, I’d much appreciate a comment, like or reblog if you do. 

TAGLIST: @jaeshatshop | @leetaesnow | @taessandwich | @tacojisung | @dawnfeather | @chckencarlyn | @liendoesja | @peachescherryheart | @wykynct | @milkteajuseyo | @noonawriter | @ltyzennie | @benseviyorumdoyoungu | @anakinandbtsislove | @tyongluvs | @hoshitaro | @taeyaeongs | @moonylvi | @deliciouslyblue | @2-cute-4-school | @edgy-harrie | @ittybitty-amy | @4-sun | @lovestrucked-again | @changbinniez-princess | @sunny-nyu​ | @morklee1200 |

If you’d like to be tagged in this fic please send me a message.

When your boss moved you to the graveyard shift, you were certain it was nothing short of a curse. The lack of sunlight you witnessed, the subsequent cost of vitamin D supplements, the inherent loneliness of living your whole life while the majority of your city slept.

There were certain benefits, however, once you gave yourself the time to adjust. Laundry, for example. On your days off, you were perfectly free to saunter down to the completely empty laundry room in your apartment building, which was a rare sight. In days long past, you’d had to fight tooth and nail for an opportunity to run a load of laundry, although you had found that the room was mostly empty come 3 in the morning. Key word: mostly.

There was a certain gentleman, who apparently lived in your apartment building, although you hadn’t ever seen him before your late-night laundry escapades. Now, however, he seemed to be a regular fixture in your life. You hadn’t yet figured out whether this was a benefit or drawback. In fact, you were having trouble figuring him out in general.

Soft brown hair, a little overgrown but he wore it well. Warm eyes, dark and shining, the kind you’d expect to see on a puppy. An air of confidence, the sense that he knew exactly who he was and what he was worth. Something about him… you just had to know more. He was a particularly interesting synopsis on the back of a novel, and you wanted to stay up all night reading him, cover to cover. You’d begun sharing smiles with the man, glances across the laundry room. Not that night, though.

That night, his rosy lips were pointed decidedly downwards in a frustrated pout, his eyebrows furrowed in a worried knot. There was something on his mind, that much was clear, and your mind ran wild, creating stories about what might be troubling him. He’d missed his stop on the bus home and ended up in a strange neighbourhood, and he was attempting to comprehend the oddities he’d witnessed. He was an undefeated chess master, and an upcoming champion was threatening his spot on the throne. His pet turtle hadn’t been eating her greens and he just couldn’t figure out why. None of those things, or perhaps all of those things.

“Fuck! For the love of god!”

The man’s cursing startled you from your daydreams, the impact of his shout causing you to drop the shirt you were holding. Even through your alarm, you found yourself thinking that he had a nice voice - even when he was yelling obscenities. You wondered how it would sound when he paid compliments, when he rambled about something he cared about, when poetry tumbled from his lips.

“Hey,” you called to him across the room, with all the bravery you could muster. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah,” he confirmed, although this clearly wasn’t the case. “I just can’t get this damn stain out.”

“Hm. What’s the stain?”

He lifted the shirt higher so that you could see it. A white t-shirt - well, you assumed it was once white. The condition of the fabric, when he pulled it from the washing machine, was a little less than ideal. A rusty stain covered the expanse of the material, red and brown. The man was far from happy - you could tell this wasn’t his first time battling this particular stain.

“Would you believe me if I said it’s ketchup?” he asked with a wry smirk. You couldn’t help but smile back at him - his sarcastic amusement was contagious, and you couldn’t help but feel that this was a frequent exchange for him. Not so much the laundry situation, but the smirk, making warmth blossom in the heart of a complete stranger.

You nodded. “Got it, no questions asked. Have you tried running a cold cycle? And do you wanna borrow some stain remover?”

“You’re a lifesaver,” he praised you. “Or at the very least, a shirt-saver.” You laughed at this; you wouldn’t have expected him to be so dorky. Or, upon reconsideration, maybe it was obvious. From the way his eyes glinted in the light. You swiftly closed your own machine, setting off the cycle, before gathering your equipment, your clothes-washing tools, and taking them over to the man.

“Here,” you said, taking the shirt from him and squirting the remover onto it. You walked him through the steps, rubbing the substance into the material before tossing it back into the machine and running a cold cycle.

“I’m Jungwoo, by the way. Apartment 127.” He held his hand out, and you shook it. Jungwoo, you thought, running his name through your mind. You wondered how it might taste, through laughter or in the dark.

“[Name]. Apartment 129.”

“No way,” he remarked. “We’re so close together - how haven’t we bumped into each other? Before recently, I mean.” It made you feel strangely special, the way he acknowledged your recent encounters with each other. Though you’d never spoken, he recognised you. He’d noticed you.

You shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t know. Well, actually - I just moved to the night shift.”

“That’ll be it,” he confirmed. “I’m a creature of the night, mainly.”

“Well, I’m gonna go. I have… stuff to do.” His pause intrigued you, but you let it slip. Jungwoo tapped the sign on the wall beside him, reading DO NOT LEAVE LAUNDRY UNATTENDED. “I won’t tell if you won’t. See you around, [Name].” With a wink, and a smile, he was gone.

*

Now that you had a name to the face, a voice to the man, a sliver of personality to the otherwise unknown figure, Jungwoo seemed to occupy your thoughts a lot more in the coming week. Hard as you tried to curb these thoughts - you barely knew the man, after all - but whenever you left your apartment, particularly when it was any later than 11pm, you found yourself looking for him. You scanned the hallways, crossed your fingers when the elevator doors opened, kept an eye on the door of apartment 127. It was all to no avail, however. You didn’t see Jungwoo once in the week following.

You’d almost given up hope entirely, or perhaps you were so weary and exhausted from your shift that even Jungwoo was far from your thoughts, which were solely focused on your warm, comfortable bed that you couldn’t wait to fall into. Birds were chattering away to one another, and you sincerely believed you’d never get used to falling asleep at seven in the morning. As you were scanning your way into the building, passing your key fob over the sensor, you noticed a figure behind you, in your reflection. The person was tall, though their identity was hidden by their hood, and fear flashed through you.

You really hoped this wasn't one of those horror stories - where a strange man gains entry to an apartment building where he doesn't belong, only to murder its inhabitants. You glanced backwards before you pulled the door open, only for your fear to lessen and your concern-slash-confusion to raise.

"Jungwoo?" you asked, peering at him. He was clearly trying to hide himself, but you knew it was him. You unrecognised his lips, and hoped that wasn't creepy, but what deterred you was the swelling around the left side of his jaw. "Are you okay?"

"Hey, [Name]. I'm fine." He tried to give you a reassuring smile, but winced as the action twinged his swollen features.

"You don't seem too fine," you commented, trying to peer at the rest of his face, under his hood.

"I've had worse," he shrugged, wincing again. "Look, can we go inside?"

You frowned, pulling open your apartment door before ushering him inside and pulling down his hood, acting fast and catching him unaware, only to gasp at the state of his face. Along with his swollen jaw was a black eye, and a gash across his forehead that had recently ceased its bleeding, judging by the dark, dried blood around the site of injury

"Oh my god, Jungwoo, what happened?"

"Listen, I said it's fine-"

"Come on, let me patch you up." You grasped his arm, marching him towards the elevator, and he got the message that his protesting was worthless and you wouldn't be taking no for an answer. Once in your apartment, you pulled a chair out from your kitchen table and pushed Jungwoo firmly down onto it, before digging the first aid kit out of your cupboard.

Jungwoo was silent through the whole affair, and you sensed that some of this was surprise. It didn't seem like he was used to this - being taken charge of, that was. He seemed like the type of guy who took charge of everything and everyone he encountered. Well, you supposed, he had met his match.

He was a good patient, and only flinched once, when you brushed his wounds with an antibacterial wipe. Finished your cleaning and bandaging, you leaned back against your kitchen counter, eyeing the man up. He said nothing, simply looking back at you with an undetectable look on his face. His lips were set in a straight line, though his eyes were soft.

“Do you want a drink?” you asked him eventually, breaking the silence. “I have decaf coffee, tea, hot cocoa-”

“Hot cocoa, please!” Jungwoo interrupted, looking excited all of a sudden, despite his injuries. You nodded, and went to prepare two hot cocoas. Silence fell again, and it was a strangely comfortable silence considering you were near-strangers.

“So,” you spoke after a few moments, “I know I said I wouldn't ask questions. But I did just fix your face, so I think you kinda owe me a little explanation.”

“Hey, hey. This face? Could never need fixing. You can’t fix perfection.”

You gave him a look. “You’re avoiding the subject, Jungwoo.”

“Alright, alright,” he raised his hands in surrender. “I’m a street racer.”

You paused for a few beats, looking at him. Searching his face for any sign of amusement, waiting for a gotcha!

It didn’t come. “A street racer?”

“You don’t believe me?” he asked. He sounded genuine. You were left wondering whether he was, in fact, a street racer… or a pathological liar.

“You don’t look like a street racer,” was all you said, as you handed him his cocoa. He took a sip.

“Then, what do I look like?” he questioned. A model, you thought. Outwardly, however, you simply shrugged, and tried to hide your blush by taking a sip of your drink. “You can come see me in action if you want, baby. I’m racing again tomorrow night, midnight.”

You raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. “Follow a mysterious man, who I’ve found covered in blood on two separate occasions? Come on. Even to you, that must sound a little shifty.”

Jungwoo shrugged. “You’re the one who invited me into your home, baby.”

You sighed -  you couldn’t really fight him on that one. You wrapped your hands around your mug tightly. “I don’t know anything about you, Jungwoo. I don’t even know your last name-”

“Kim,” he interrupted. “Kim Jungwoo.”

You roll your eyes. “Fine. Well I know your last name, now. But still. How do I know you’re even telling the truth?”

Jungwoo smiled, his lips twisting upwards in the corners in the most endearing way possible. He looked into your eyes. “[Name]. Darling. Why would I lie?”

You give him a cynical look. “Really, Jungwoo? There are some serious creeps out there. Creeps who tell many different lies for many different reasons. And none of them are good reasons.”

“Just trust me, okay? Take a leap of faith.” You raised an eyebrow at him. Most creeps weren’t this pretty. “A leap right into my arms,” he continued, stretching his arms wide as an invitation.

Snorting out a laugh, you delivered a shove to his shoulder. Gently - you didn’t know the extent of his injuries. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Midnight, right?”

“Midnight,” he confirmed. He smiled at you, in a way that you couldn’t help but smile back. “See you then.”

With that, he was gone, leaving you alone in your kitchen once more. Jungwoo always seemed to come and go, much like a tornado, leaving you shell-shocked and windswept in his wake. Street racing, hm? You shook your head to yourself. Just what were you getting yourself into?

*

As you didn't have a car, you didn't tend to visit your building's underground parking lot often. If you did, you were sure you would've noticed Jungwoo's car before. Cars didn't typically stand out to you - you weren't a car person. But even you had to admit, there was something impressive about the vehicle.

It sat low to the ground, vintage-looking, stark black with two contrasting white stripes running across the middle. You didn't know they still made cars like that; maybe they didn't, you considered. You found yourself wondering how it sounded when the engine ran, how it looked when Jungwoo sped down city streets inside it. You noted the sizable dent on the front bumper, and wondered just how bad his crash had been the previous night. Apparently not big enough to deter him, seeing that he got right back into the game, but perhaps that said more about Jungwoo than the size of the crash.

"What do you think?" Jungwoo asked, his smirk audible in his voice. This thing was clearly his pride and joy.

"I like it," you admitted honestly. It's cute, you tacked on, mentally. Though it was an honest compliment, you weren't sure it would go down well if you voiced it.

You smiled when Jungwoo opened the passenger-side door for you. It was nice learning things about him - he was a gentleman, you noted, someone who believed in chivalry.

"You aren't gonna speed with me in the car, right?" you asked as he settled into the driver's seat, only half joking.

He shook his head. "I put myself at risk when I drive. I wouldn't do the same to you, [Name]." You said nothing, but felt your heart swell.

“It’s just a twenty-minute drive, baby. This kinda stuff has to take place on the outskirts of the city.”

“Hey,” you remarked, your tone surprised, curious, but not hostile. “Why do you keep calling me baby?”

Jungwoo paused for a moment. He didn’t seem to have the answer any more than you did. “I don’t call everyone ‘baby’ y’know. I’m not one of those guys,” he noted your sceptical look, “Really.” He trained his gaze back towards the road, eyes pointed forwards. “Something about you… I don’t know, [Name]. I just have to call you baby.”

You’d be lying if you said your heart didn’t flutter wildly at that. You pulled your scarf up to hide the blush that flooded your cheeks. You'd spent far longer than you'd like to admit picking out your outfit. You weren't entirely sure what type of person he was yet, nor the crowd he raced with. Not that you were trying to impress anybody - that wasn't you, that wasn't what you did. You just didn't want to stand out too much.

The weather was warming but the nights were still cool. You'd gone for a light jacket, paired with your favourite scarf. Enough to keep you warm, but not so much that you were completely bundled up.

"This isn't a big race, by the way," Jungwoo shared. "I'm sorry I can't show you something more impressive."

"That's okay," you told him, and it was the truth. You were happy to be invited here regardless. "I've never seen street racing before, so I guess I'll be impressed by anything."

Jungwoo snickered. "You're cute."

The city lights passed by in red and white streaks, and you felt dazzled. Before long, Jungwoo was pulling into a parking lot on the outskirts of the city. It had a strange feel to it; you knew that, by day, this place was probably rather abandoned, seeing activity levels of zero, most days. But now, just after midnight, there was a thrum of energy, small as it were.

Streetlights shone onto the lot, revealing one other car, its door open. One figure stood beside the car, another sitting in the passenger's seat.

Jungwoo put the car in park, but paused and turned to you before getting out. "Hey, if you wanna go home at any point, just let me know. I'm your ride 'n stuff, so…"

You nodded. "Thanks."

"And, by the way, if you get scared, you can always hold your hand."

You scoffed. "Sure. You wish."

Jungwoo winked at you, and opened his door to climb out. "Maybe I do wish that," he murmured before swiftly moving on, not giving you enough time to react. "The door sticks, I'll come open it for you."

Jungwoo was flirty. But you didn't know what he was after. You didn't know how genuine he was. Sure, he'd invited you out here to watch him race with his friends, but how did you know he wasn't just doing it to get laid? Were you the first person he'd brought here? The second? The tenth?

You found yourself flustered as you looked up at him, climbing out of the car. You really had to stop overthinking every interaction between you two. You left the car and approached the other, sticking close to Jungwoo's side.

"Jungwoo," greeted the standing man with an inclination of his head, a happy grin on his face.

"Hey guys," Jungwoo grinned at the boys. "This is [Name], like I said."

"Hi," you waved politely.

"This is Yukhei and Sicheng," he indicated to his friends. You found yourself wondering, Are all street racers this beautiful?

Yukhei was tall, an overgrown golden retriever of a man, with kind eyes and tousled hair. His beauty was a warm and welcoming one, and you couldn't help but feel favourably towards him right away. Sicheng, sitting in the car, had a more elegant, delicate beauty, a slight smile and a curious gaze; something about him intrigued you. You weren't sure what you'd expected of a group of street racers, but this wasn't it.

"Let's get into it," Jungwoo declared, sounding fired up. His excitement was electric, you felt it in the air.

"Move it, babe," Yukhei instructed Sicheng, who left the car with a roll of his eyes.

"Look after [Name] for me, Sicheng," Jungwoo called out before getting back in his car.

"I'm sure [Name] can look after themselves," Sicheng responded, before turning to you. "You might want to step back for this, though."

You complied wordlessly, taking a few steps backwards. Jungwoo and Yukhei lined up their respective cars, revving their engines a little more ferocity than necessary. Sicheng stood in front of them, a piece of fabric in his hand that looked like a bandana. He raised it in the air. The tension was thick, anticipation weighing on your shoulders. Sicheng lowered the bandana, and in an instant the cars were gone, leaving behind a cloud of dust which you braced yourself against.

And then… silence. It felt a little anticlimactic, but it made sense when you thought about it; the boys were racing through a concrete jungle, obviously you couldn't observe the whole course. Sicheng let out a huge breath, a cathartic sigh. You realised that your own adrenaline was running high, and imagined that Sicheng's must be even higher, since the cars had rushed right past him, impossibly close.

"That's that," he commented, smiling at you. He came to stand beside you, and you watched as he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, pulling out a flask. "Cocoa," he said, before taking a swig. "Want some?"

You took it happily, enjoying the warmth that the sip instilled deep inside you. The night was a bit colder than you expected.

"So, you're Yukhei's-" the word boyfriend was on the tip of your tongue, but Sicheng interrupted before it could come out.

"No, no. We're just friends - he's my best friend. He's like a brother to me."

You nodded in understanding. "And you don't race?"

"Only idiots race," he said sagely, and you trusted his judgement; if the people he was closest to races, he would surely be an expert.

"I'll keep that in mind." You accepted the cocoa flask, when he offered it to you again.

"So, how do you know Jungwoo? He was very vague when he said he was bringing someone."

Your initial response, mentally, was I don't know him, not really. Although, you waved it away. It didn't feel true. "He's my neighbour. We haven't known each other long."

"He must like you," Sicheng remarked offhandedly.

"Well, I don't know about that," you denied, skeptical.

"He wouldn't have brought you here if you weren't special. This whole thing, the racing, it's all underground. You can get into a lot of trouble when you're caught."

You thought this over. Special. Of course, this was Sicheng's word, not Jungwoo's, but you wanted it to be true. It seemed more and more likely, the longer you dwelled on it; and you certainly had spent some time dwelling on it. He must've seen something in you, to invite you here. Maybe more than just bed-material. Maybe.

Minutes later, the two cars returned to the parking lot, almost side by side.

“I won that, for sure!” Yukhei yelled out of his open window.

“Yeah, for once,” Jungwoo contended. “C’mon, you’re showing me up in front of [Name]. They’re gonna think I’m a bad racer.”

“You’ll get it next time, Jungwoo,” you cheered him on with a smile.

Jungwoo and Yukhei raced a few more times, while you and Sicheng drank hot cocoa and cheered them on. You couldn’t explain why, but you felt more and more enthusiastic each time Jungwoo returned; you really got into the spirit of things. Jungwoo seemed to be the clear victor; he had won four races while Yukhei had only won one.

"Should we call it a night?" Jungwoo asked. "I'm starving." You had to admit, you were getting pretty hungry too. Upon checking your phone, you realised that a few hours had passed. You were so consumed in the excitement, in keeping score for Jungwoo, that you'd barely realised time was passing.

"I was thinking the same thing," Yukhei agreed. "We going to Aeja's?"

Jungwoo turned to you. "Are you up for that, [Name]?"

"Aeja's?"

"Aeja's diner," he elaborated. "The best apple pie you've ever tasted. Are you hungry? I can take you home, if you want."

Your stomach rumbled, as if answering the question for you, and you chuckled. "I'm famished."

You found yourself smiling when you got back into the car with Jungwoo. His presence was warm, and it felt good to be sitting next to him again.

“Are you having fun tonight?” Jungwoo asked you as he pulled out of the parking lot, following Yukhei’s car. “Sorry we haven’t really got to hang out yet. It can be kinda boring, watching people race.”

“No, I’m having fun,” you told him honestly. “This is exciting, and Sicheng’s been keeping me company; he seems nice.”

“I hope we can spend some more time together, [Name],” Jungwoo said, taking his eyes off the road for a moment to look at you. “We should hang out again.”

“I’d like that,” you replied honestly.

The tinkle of the bell above the door was a light, welcoming sound when you stepped into the diner. It was a nice place, and though you'd never been there before, it somehow instilled a sense of warm nostalgia within you. Hardwood floors, neon lights, cracked red leather booths. It was like something out of a movie. It was empty, save for a bored-looking waiter behind the counter.

"You guys again? Really?" he drawled, but there was a teasing expression on his face. He had an angular jaw, chocolate-brown hair in a low ponytail, and a nametag reading Yuta.

"Hush. We keep you in business," shot back Sicheng, as the four of you found your seats in a booth.

"You're right," the waiter - Yuta - conceded. "Manager's talking about shutting this place up at 10 every night." He came around the counter, joining you at your table.

"Don't you dare," threatened Yukhei, sounding deeply devastated at the prospect of new opening hours.

"It's not up to me, bro," Yuta raised his hands in surrender, seeming amused.

"I need this place," Yukhei iterated.

"Yeah, yeah. What do you want?" Yuta pulled a notebook and pencil from the pocket in his apron, ready to take your orders.

Jungwoo, Yukhei and Sicheng all knew what they wanted immediately, being regulars at the diner, so you just followed Jungwoo’s lead and ordered a burger and fries, with a milkshake.

Yukhei folded his arms onto the table, leaning towards you. “So. Did Jungwoo tell you about the big race?”

You looked to Jungwoo in question. “Big race?”

Jungwoo nodded in confirmation. “In a few weeks. That’s what we’re practicing for right now.”

“Million won prize,” Yukhei interjected.

Your eyes widened in surprise. “A million? Where does the money even come from?”

“Gambling, mostly,” Jungwoo explained. “A lot of people bet on the organised races.”

“Your Jungwoo’s the favourite for this upcoming race - three to one.”

You dismissed Yukhei’s remark of your Jungwoo, instead focusing on his claim of Jungwoo’s capability. “Woah, really?” He looked bashful when he met your gaze, and you had to admire the fact that he hadn’t bragged about this to you; you’d met far too many boys who boasted and gloated about their many triumphs, talking themselves up in a completely unnecessary and unlikable way. Jungwoo wasn’t one of these boys, it seemed.

“It’s not like this is a huge race,” he explained. “I only stand out locally. Plus, I have some pretty strong competition in this guy Jaehyun.”

“This is so crazy,” you expressed. “This whole street racing thing, I mean. It’s all been happening right under my nose and I had no idea. I didn’t even know it existed, really. I kind of thought it was just a movie thing.”

“It’s very real, baby,” Jungwoo assured you. You had to admit, you weren’t at all mad about the pet name he’d assigned to you; your heart fluttered each time the word passed his lips.

Yuta returned with your food, and you all tucked in. The boys hadn’t been exaggerating about the quality of this place - the fries were heavenly, the burger not too greasy.

“You know what they say about street racing, right?” Sicheng asked you, and you looked at him inquisitively. “Street racing started when they made the second car.” You smiled at the charming proverb.

“Drive fast and leave a sexy corpse, that’s my motto,” Yukhei said, around a mouthful of burger. Jungwoo snorted out a laugh, and Sicheng rolled his eyes though he was clearly amused. You caught Jungwoo’s gaze, and your own laughter doubled. There was a certain happiness that erupted within you, whenever you made eye contact with the boy.

You had to admit, this night was the most fun you’d had in a long time. You hadn’t met up with any friends in a while, now that you were a night owl, and you appreciated the way these three boys accepted you into their circle.

*

It was almost instantaneous, the switch in your life from loner to social butterfly. You began spending your nights with Jungwoo, Yukhei, and Sicheng, either racing, hanging in the diner, or otherwise exploring the city. You and Jungwoo had grown close, faster than you would’ve expected. He set off fireworks in your heart, stars erupting whenever you closed your eyes.

“What did you do before I came along?” you asked Sicheng as he poured you a cup of hot cocoa, in the parking lot that had grown incredibly familiar. “This must be so boring on your own.”

“I didn’t come to watch them race often,” Sicheng said. “I come to the big races, and we hang out a lot anyways - it’s not easy to find other people who are pretty much nocturnal. But Jungwoo asked me to come along to keep you company that first night.”

You hummed in acknowledgement. You supposed this was a new routine for more than just you.

“Oh, shit,” Sicheng muttered suddenly, looking past you. You turned to see red flashing lights, a police car cruising by silently.

“That’s bad, right?” you asked Sicheng, your heart spiking with nerves.

“It’s not good,” he confirmed, grimacing.

“What’ll happen if they’re caught?”

“They’ll probably get taken down to the station,” he explained. “After that, who knows.” Sicheng seemed worried, going by the tense look on his face, and his agitation was contagious. A sense of panic began to set in, and you chewed your lip anxiously.

“If they realise cops are patrolling before they’re caught, they should manage to get away okay,” he said, and you nodded in understanding.

After a few minutes, a few tense and painful minutes, a car rolled into a parking lot - Yukhei’s. He drove to you and Sicheng, parking up and climbing out.

“Where’s Jungwoo?” were the first words that passed your lips, urgent and hurried.

“Hiding out, I hope,” Yukhei responded, running a hand through his hair. “Fucking cop car, patrolling. We split when we saw it.”

Your worries weren’t eased in the slightest. “I’ll try texting him.” When you pulled your phone out of your pocket, you realised your hands were shaking.

Are you okay??? you tapped out, as quickly as you could. Moments passed. “He’s not replying,” you exhaled.

“Don’t worry, okay? It could mean he’s on the road, driving back here,” Yukhei said.

“It could also mean he’s been caught,” Sicheng mentioned. You saw Yukhei shoot him a look that said not helping.

Yukhei patted you on the shoulder. “Jungwoo’s survived much closer calls than this, alright? He’s tough. He’ll be fine.”

Though it felt like hours had passed, it had only been eight minutes, and you knew this precisely as you’d been checking your phone for messages the whole time. When the hum of Jungwoo’s engine neared, and he arrived at the parking lot, you audibly gasped. He jumped out of his car, and the sight of him, unscathed, brought relief that was almost overwhelming. You ran to him, hugging him tightly.

“Hey, hey, I’m alright. It’s okay,” Jungwoo reassured you with a surprised laugh, wrapping his arms around you. You pulled away, feeling shy all of a sudden, though Jungwoo kept a hold on you, arm wrapped around your waist.

“You think there was a leak?” Jungwoo asked.

“Maybe,” Yukhei responded with a shrug.

“A leak?” you asked. “What do you mean?”

“The police may have gotten word that there’s a race planned here. They don’t usually patrol this area,” Jungwoo explained, still holding you close.

“That’s what makes it a perfect racing spot,” Yukhei added. “No speed cameras, no police.”

Jungwoo sighed. “Let’s just call it quits for tonight, yeah? I’ll talk to Johnny tomorrow, see what he knows.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Yukhei agreed. “Let me know if you hear anything.”

“C’mon, baby,” Jungwoo said, ushering you to his car.

The ride home was strangely silent. You didn’t think it had ever been this quiet between the two of you, not since your laundry room days. When Jungwoo parked up in the garage, he paused before getting out of the car, turning to you.

“Hey,” he said softly, placing a comforting hand on your knee. “You okay?” You simply nodded, eyes trained on your lap. “Look at me,” he said, and you did. His eyes were wide, genuine concern evident in his expression.

“I was really worried about you tonight,” you explained, and he smiled.

“I know,” he said gently. “That’s not something I’m used to, y’know? There usually isn’t anyone to worry about me like this.” His voice didn’t call for pity. If anything, he sounded amused by your outburst.

“I don’t know what came over me. I was terrified for you, Jungwoo.”

His smile turned into more of a smirk. “Maybe you just care about me, baby.”

“I do. I really do.” Your heart was racing, pounding at an alarming rate. Looking at Jungwoo, this hurricane of a man who had stormed his way into your life, you felt something you couldn’t explain. You wanted to be close to him, to stay close to him forever. When he slowly leaned in, you closed your eyes and waited for his lips to find yours.

They were soft - softer than you would’ve expected. His touch was light as a feather when he cupped your cheek. Your hands went to him automatically, settling on his body as though they were always supposed to be there; your left landing on his shoulder, your right flat on his chest. Jungwoo deepened the kiss without hesitation, sliding his tongue past your lips and using it expertly. A small moan emerged from within you, and Jungwoo pulled away before things got any more intense. You were left panting slightly, adrenaline coursing through you.

“I care about you too, for the record,” Jungwoo stated, and you smiled, shaking your head in amusement.

“Do you want to come to my apartment?” you invited him.

“I’d love to.”

*

You awoke as the sun was setting, golden rays filtering through your curtains. You blinked yourself awake, eyes adjusting to the room. Jungwoo was sitting at the edge of your bed, scrolling through his phone. You smiled to yourself, admiring his frame, the wide expanse of his shoulders. You noticed his eyebrows tied together, frustration etched into his features, and wondered just what he was looking at.

“Morning,” you greeted him sleepily, before amending, “Evening.”

“Hey, baby,” he replied, expression softening into a kind smile once he saw that you were awake. “You sleep well?”

You nodded. “Everything okay?”

Jungwoo laughed, a stressed chuckle, as he ran his hand through his hair. “One of our message boards was infiltrated - everything’s coded, but we can’t take any risks, especially not after last night. We’re gonna have to change the location of the race.”

“Oh no,” you said with a frown, moving to sit beside him. He lifted his arm, and you cuddled into his side, savoring his warmth. You tried hard not to smile to yourself, given Jungwoo’s unfortunate situation. You hadn’t realised just how much you’d craved his touch until you got it, and now you’d gotten a taste, you never wanted to let go.

Jungwoo groaned. “This is gonna throw me off, big-time.”

“But it’ll throw everyone else off, too. That could be a bonus,” you pointed out.

“You’re right,” he agreed, planting a kiss on the top of your head. “Plus, I have you now. My good luck charm.”

You smiled into the warm skin of his bare chest. This was a big obstacle, very close to the race. But, even with your very limited knowledge on the subject, Jungwoo seemed like a very competent racer. You knew he’d push through this.

*

The boys hadn't been exaggerating about the sheer energy these big races brought. There was an electricity in the air, and you felt inexplicably giddy, as though all your hairs were standing on end.

Floodlights shone down on the parking lot - not the one you'd been visiting, unfortunately, but a revised location on the other side of the city. The place was swarming, a whole crowd of people packed into the lot. Around fifty, if you had to estimate. Drinking, laughing, preparing. You didn't know what you'd expected, in terms of demographics, but you were surprised. People from all walks of life were here; punks with brightly coloured mohawks, men who wouldn't look out of place as lawyers or accountants, some of the most beautiful women you'd ever seen. It seemed that the art of street racing was seductive to all types of people.

You clutched Jungwoo's hand as you looked out at everyone, standing beside his trusty car. You knew he was nervous, but he didn't show it. He smiled down at you, giving your hand a squeeze.

"You're gonna do amazing," you reassured him, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"I know," he said, hints of a smirk on his lips. He looked past you suddenly, scowling. "Who let you in here?"

You turned to see a man approaching, a smug look plastered on his face. He was tall, as tall as Jungwoo, and handsome. Though his charm was different to Jungwoo’s; where Jungwoo was pretty, puppy-dog eyes and a bright smile, Jaehyun was angular, cocky grin and dark eyes.

“Could ask the same about you,” he shot back. “You ready to get your ass kicked?”

Jungwoo sighed, shaking his head with a smile. “Don’t try to trash talk me, Jaehyun. It’s embarrassing.”

“I’m not gonna be the one who’s embarrassed, Kim,” Jaehyun denied. “See you out there.”

“You won’t see me, man,” Jungwoo called out to him as he walked away. “You’ll be left behind in my dust.” Jaehyun failed to reply, only shooting Jungwoo the middle finger behind his back. Jungwoo snorted in laughter.

“So, that’s Jaehyun?” you asked. You’d heard about him, from Jungwoo and the others. He was one of the only racers who was on Jungwoo’s level, his biggest competitor. He’d won the last race, and Jungwoo was determined to take back the crown.

“Yeah, that’s him,” Jungwoo nodded. “Nasty piece of work, right?”

“Yeah, awful,” you agreed with a laugh - it wasn’t serious. The two of them were rivals, that much was evident, but you sensed a great deal of respect between them, without a doubt. They challenged each other, pushed each other to be better, and it seemed that they appreciated each other for that.

An air horn sounded suddenly, and you grasped Jungwoo’s hand a little tighter in surprise. He grinned at you, and you laughed as your cheeks heated. You were just so excited, so worked up, that it made you jumpy. “That’s the signal, babe,” Jungwoo explained. “Kiss for good luck?” You complied, giving him one last lingering kiss.

You reconvened with Sicheng, watching as Jungwoo and Yukhei got in their cars and drove towards the starting line. There were six cars, in total, with Jungwoo, Yukhei, and Jaehyun accounting for three of them. Yukhei’s nimble red car stood out among the bunch; Jaehyun’s was a deep blue, bigger than Yukhei or Jungwoo’s; however Jungwoo’s was certainly the most impressive of the bunch, with her stark white stripes. You could have been biased, though.

Your heart was pounding. With nerves, with excitement, possibly even a bit of fear. This was racing - real racing. You knew how dangerous it could get. After all, you’d fixed up Jungwoo’s injuries yourself. And, really, he was lucky to get away that lightly.

The parking lot was near silent as the cars lined up. You and Sicheng stood, a few metres away from the line of cars. You looked at Jungwoo, through his windshield. There was a look on his face, determined and excited, that made your heart flutter.

You’d never felt a silence so heavy, never heard a silence so loud. It was as though every single person was holding their breath. The tension sunk its sharp, jagged teeth into your skin, and you dug your nails into your palm.

“On your marks,” boomed a voice, amplified by a megaphone.

“Get set.” Engines revved.

“Go!”

Almost the instant the word had been uttered, the cars had sped off, leaving no trace behind. The crowd erupted, whooping and cheering. Sicheng pulled you into a hug, and you laughed as you held him close. There was a certain high that came from this, an adrenaline rush. You could barely even imagine how Jungwoo must be feeling, flying down the streets at lightning speed.

“You look nervous,” Sicheng commented, the corner of his mouth lifting. You gave him a small smile in response. “Jungwoo knows what he’s doing,” he reassured you, and you nodded. This felt so reminiscent of the times you’d spent with Sicheng, waiting for Jungwoo and Yukhei to finish racing, drinking hot cocoa and laughing together. Though it also felt wildly different. There was something riding on this race; Jungwoo’s pride and a lot of money. Your heart was pounding. A month ago you’d never spared a thought for street racing, and now? You’d give anything for one man to win this race.

The race was a little longer than what Jungwoo and Yukhei had been practicing - or maybe it only felt that way because you were sitting on the edge of your metaphorical seat. You could hear them, in the distance. An unmistakable low rumbling, thrumming through the asphalt. It grew louder, the cars drew nearer. You reached for Sicheng’s hand, clutching it tightly as butterflies raged in your stomach. You stepped forwards, peering down the street. You saw the headlights in the distance, as they turned onto the stretch of road. Sicheng gripped your shoulder, pulling you back gently from harm’s way, and you chuckled, a little embarrassed at your anxious enthusiasm.

You didn’t think you’d ever seen cars move that fast - in fact, you didn’t think you’d ever seen anything move that fast. You barely had time to blink, as Jungwoo and Jaehyun’s vehicles, a blur of black and navy, raced ahead of the others, appearing in front of you within an instant.

A screech, a deafening crashing sound, and a hoard of gasps met your ears all at once. If it weren’t for Sicheng’s grasp on your hand, you would’ve ran directly into the line of oncoming cars. “Jungwoo!” you heard yourself cry out, and although it was your voice, it sounded distant, far away.

“Hey, hey, [Name],” Sicheng said, pulling you closer to him. “He’s okay, Jungwoo’s okay.” His words were meant to soothe you, but his voice was still tinged with worry. You blinked, looking out at the scene in front of you.

The other cars whizzed by, driving past the wreck that Jaehyun’s car had become. Jungwoo had been the clear winner, as Jaehyun’s car had skidded off-course just a short distance from the finish line. The bumper had been dented, the metal crumpling as though it were paper. You watched as Jaehyun stumbled out of the driver’s side, mostly unscathed. A group of people ran to him, now that the cars had stopped flying by, carrying first aid kits, but you paid them no attention. You shrugged free of Sicheng’s grasp, running to where Jungwoo had stopped.

You caught sight of his car, dented along one side, and tears sprang to your eyes. Jungwoo climbed out when he saw you coming, and you held him at arm's length, looking over him frantically. “Are you okay?” you asked, your voice barely rising above a whisper.

“Baby, baby, I’m fine,” Jungwoo breathed, pulling you into a hug.

“Jaehyun,” you uttered. “He-”

Jungwoo pulled back, kissing your forehead. “He’s okay,” he assured you. You followed his gaze to Jaehyun, whose forehead was being wiped by a makeshift medic. He gave the two of you a thumbs up, and Jungwoo waved back.

“You won,” you stated, looking back to Jungwoo.

“Yeah,” Jungwoo laughed. “I guess I did.”

“You don’t sound very happy,” you pointed out, caressing his cheek lightly.

“It doesn’t feel right - I feel like I’ve won unlawfully, y’know? I only won cause Jaehyun crashed-”

“Maybe, but you don’t know that for sure,” you told him. “You won, and that’s that.” Jungwoo sighed, and you kissed him.

An air horn sounded, and you jumped yet again. Jungwoo laughed. “That’s for me, babe.”

“And the winner is Kim Jungwoo,” called out the voice, crackly through the megaphone. Jungwoo raised his hands in victory, as a scatter of applause rang out for him.

“A million won, huh?” you said. “What you gonna spend it on?”

“Fixing up my car, probably,” he sighed, looking back at the dent in his vehicle. “And I might take my baby on vacation.”