#the four

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Sucheon acts like he doesn’t need anyone until you. You’re the one person he can’t treat like an equal rival or a subordinate. You disarm him.

Around others: the same sharp tongue, composed smirk, immaculate posture. Around you: occasionally forgets to mask emotions. A small frown when you’re late, a quiet sigh of relief when you smile.

He will never say “I missed you.” But you’ll hear things like:

“You’re late. I almost thought something happened.” or “You shouldn’t walk home alone at this hour. It’s inefficient.”

It starts as a rival → reluctant ally → trusted partner -> lover arc. He respected your skill first. Then your persistence. Then your heart.

He tried to “schedule” your first date literally wanted to put it in a calendar like a business meeting. You teased him so much that he actually blushed and canceled his next appointment to take you out immediately.

Doesn’t do public PDA, but private gestures? He’s all in hand at the back of your neck, pulling you closer, resting his forehead on yours quietly.

He won’t say “I love you,” but he’ll drive you home in silence, buy your favorite tea without asking, or fix something in your apartment.

He memorizes everything: your favorite food, the way you fidget when nervous, how you talk when you’re tired.

Secretly adores when you wear something slightly oversized of his. If anyone else notices, they’re done.

“Is that my jacket?” “...Maybe.” “Take it off before Jisuk sees. He’ll never stop talking.” (But he doesn’t actually make you take it off.)

Sucheon doesn’t get openly jealous — he just goes quiet. If someone flirts with you, the air drops in temperature.

He’ll wrap an arm around you in a subtle way, not for show — but to remind himself you’re right there.

If someone disrespects you, he doesn’t even raise his voice. He just handles it. That eerie calm before destruction? That’s Sucheon.

He’s bad at comforting with words but excellent at making sure you’re okay. He’ll show up, no questions, no hesitation. Just a soft “Where does it hurt?” or “Talk when you’re ready.”

If you’re crying, he’ll gently brush your hair back, utterly lost but trying so hard.

“Don’t waste energy crying over people who aren’t me.”

He likes peace. Reading, soft music, your presence nearby while he works. You’re his calm zone.

The Four is the oldest original novel idea I still intend to write someday. I first came up with the idea when I was twelve! At the time, it was very heavily (and obviously) derivative of LotR and Prydain, and the spark of inspiration came from the little-known book The Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett. It's undergone many changes in the years since then, and I still need to do a lot of work to make it a viable story, particularly in terms of antagonists (the original villain I came up with was very one-dimensional and needs to either go or be changed so completely as to be unrecognizable, because right now it's just boring).

But the core concept has remained the same for over twenty years: Timor is a twelve-year-old boy who was discovered in the woods at the age of four, somehow managing to survive on his own without ever having encountered human beings before. He is raised by Lord Avadris, who was the High King's most valued councilor and best friend until the king was killed and the land fell into anarchy. Timor learns to speak and act more or less like a civilized person, but still carries some quirks and many, many fears from his experiences as a small child. He's terrified of basically everything.

And then, when he stumbles upon some dusty old boxes, he finds a golden circlet meant for a boy about his age, and puts it on, discovering that it fits perfectly. Lord Avadris sees him, and finally realizes what he should have put together immediately, but had been denying to himself: Timor is the spitting image of the High King. No one knew that the king and queen had had a child, but there's no mistaking it. Timor is the long-lost heir to the throne.

And so now they have to take him to the High King's castle and reveal him to the world as their king...which is something not everyone is too excited about. Various factions set out to kill him, forcing him to run for his life. And Timor himself doesn't even want to be king! But it doesn't matter, because he still has a target on his back whether he wants it or not.

Oh he'd try, sure.

The problem is that the Synchronization is literally a symptom of being Four-Sword-Split, and there's... no medicine for that. The only real cure for a Synch Headache is to Stop Being Synched, aka put the sword back and stop being split. For obvious, time-travel reasons, that's not a viable option at the moment.