#yul fluff

Maybe that was how he didn’t protest at all when a simple peck on the lips that was supposed to be discreet turned into a slightly longer kiss. He didn’t pull away when you threaded your hands in his hair to bring him closer to you, nor did he budge when you slipped your tongue past his lips, deepening the kiss to something neither of you had ever dared to try before. You weren’t even engaged yet (though you both knew that you would get married as soon as the opportunity arose). 

You were situated in an empty room in Jeongjingak, both aware that you Uk and Yeong were supposed to arrive at any time, not knowing when their boat might arrive back in Songrim. The room was a bit chilly as the weather was getting cooler, but Yul’s lips burned through any chill that could touch your body. He had you pressed up against a bookshelf, the same spell books that he had studied in his youth used as a rest against your back as he impatiently kissed you, exhausting his breath and any sensible thoughts left in his head. The only thing on his mind was you and, more precisely, your lips. 

How soft they were, how they moulded so perfectly against his. How did you do it? What expensive balm or ointment did you apply to get him so thoroughly addicted to the taste? If there was a way for him to be able to kiss you like this whenever, he would do it in an instant. 

He supposed that the most obvious answer would be to marry you first. And he had half a mind to propose to you right now and find a ring maker the same afternoon without sending word back to Seoho Fortress. He needn’t bother with his father’s approval when he already knew that nothing would sway his mind when it came to you. You were the only woman he would ever consider marrying, and you knew it too by the way he was kissing you. Yul would never give any other woman a chance to get this close to him, not even if she was the prettiest lady in all of Daeho.

The entire time that you had been lost in the kiss— familiarising yourself with another one of life’s pleasures that you had the enjoyment of experiencing for the first time with the first and last man you would give your heart to— you had been feeling the fabric of Yul’s hanbok. It was a light seafoam green with a soft lavender collar on the outer garment. With your wandering hands, and the style of the set (forgoing any ties for the collar or waist), the fabric easily started to slide off of his shoulders. 

Yul could feel what you were doing and the fact that he was about to lose a layer of clothing. You were so sure that he was going to finally tell you to stop when he pulled away from your lips at long last. But, to your surprise, he didn’t. He made eye contact, his eyes shiny with a hint of mischief hidden in them.

“Do you need help, my love?” He asked softly. You were shocked that he seemed so composed, and not even a little bit out of breath, unlike you. You gathered that it had something to do with his breathing technique. 

You nodded, a bit dazed, but still eager to be any closer to Yul as you could. Admittedly, you had some idea of what he was hiding under the elegant sets of hanbok. You hadn’t exactly been slick when hugging him. But you had never actually seen his chest, and just the thought of it had your face heating up and butterflies swarming in your stomach. 

The outer garment slipped off of Yul in seconds, and he tossed it aside on one of the chairs before grasping your waist to pull you closer again. He simply needed your lips on his again as quickly as possible. He had never felt this impatient in his life.

With your lips back on his and his skin just that little bit closer to your fingertips, you were both more than content. All thoughts flew out the window, much like before, until the sudden sound of footsteps made you jerk away from your lover. Yul didn’t register the reason for your unexpected action until he finally saw Uk’s familiar head of short black hair in the doorway. 

Right. Jeongjingak was a public space, and now that Uk and Yeong were back from their months of hunting down Jinyowon relics, they were overdue for a reunion. Yul had been excited to see his friend originally, but now he felt a twinge of disappointment, realising that Uk was the only thing keeping him from tasting your lips again for the next few hours.

“You’re back!” Yul heard you say as you gave a sweet smile to Uk, and his wife, Yeong, who was right behind him. 

“Yes, it was quite the adventure, wasn’t it?” Uk grinned, turning to his wife for her consensus. She smiled at first, but as she turned back to you and Yul, her gaze twisted to one of confusion and then astonishment. 

“Are you two lovers?” She asked quickly, causing your stomach to drop and Yul to turn his head, stunned by her suggestion. No one in Daeho knew you as anyone more than Yul’s close friend, and most of his rumoured lovers had been women of… more prestigious lineage. 

Uk narrowed his eyes at his best friend, taking in his rumpled hair, flushed face, and finally, his missing outer robe. His head shot back to his wife’s, a knowing look shared between the two before Uk let a sly smile grace his face.

“Yul, you never cease to surprise me. Here? In Jeongjingak? I didn’t know it was such a popular spot.” His smile grew as Yul’s face reddened, practically drowning in embarrassment from being caught in such a scandalous act. That too, with someone he wasn’t even engaged to yet. No one had any suspicion of you two before, and now he was sure that the news would spread rapidly to every corner of the country. And eventually Seoho Fortress too.

“I always thought their energy matched.” Yeong spoke up again, “Yul’s was so calm and yet powerful. No wonder Y/n’s daring personality was just enough to kindle its full potential. They will be a great match.” She gazed at you proudly, giving you a silent nod of approval at your anxious look.

In the time that the few words had been exchanged amongst the older couple, Yul had managed to slip his garment back on, hoping he was subtle enough with it. He was entirely flustered still. Everything from the intensity of the kiss to being caught so suddenly was enough to make his brain short circuit. His image as the cool-headed eldest son of the Seo family was crumbling beneath him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it now that Uk had caught him. 

“Yes… We are… engaged.” Yul stuttered, choosing the last word suddenly as a final attempt to make the situation look even slightly better. Your eyes widened in shock when you heard it, even wondering suddenly if you had forgotten when Yul had ever asked you to be his officially. He had never uttered a word of it to you— the last that you knew was that he would have to send a very carefully worded letter to his father and wait anxiously for approval.

Uk nodded approvingly, “I always wondered when you would. You are the last to do it, you know.” He teased, but was quickly shut down with a slap from his wife.

“Yul is doing far better than you! You proposed to nearly 20 other girls before getting married. And you are younger than him!” Yeong didn’t hold back, and you smiled at the sight. They had been through so much, you were glad that they were finally allowed to be happy together; experiencing a fulfilling marriage after years of hardships. 

You looked forward to the day that you would be able to seen with Yul like that. The day people would always expect to see you two side by side, when they would ask you about the other and how you were doing together, because you would forever be united from that moment, sworn to each other until death dared to tear you apart. You had never longed for something as much in your life, nor had you ever felt so deeply in love as you did with the man who stood next to you. Though Yul hadn’t yet asked you, you were already his, and there was nothing that could possibly change that fact.

↳ k-drama taglist (bolded could not be tagged): @eternalgyu,, @wolfmoonmusic,, @cha3w0n-hearts,, @tempobaekh,, @candewlsy,,

@cosmicwintr,, @blossominghunnie,, @parkjennykim,, @seunghancore,, @emmylksblog,,

out of the blue, someone fell from the bushes with a yelp. everyone looked that way, lady l/n letting out a huff.

“there she is… gods, this child will make me die because of an heart attack one day” she mumbled.

indeed, there was a young lady standing in front of the peony bush. she was dusting off the pink flower petals and leaves from her pastel purple hanbok. everyone could notice she was saying something to herself and seemingly, she didn’t realise she wasn’t alone.

“this is our daughter, y/n” your father sighed.

you looked up and suddenly saw the four people’s gazes on you. blood of embarrassment rushing to your cheeks, you approached them.

bowing gently you greeted the guests and a young man caught your attention. it seemed that you caught his too – he was staring at you in awe.

“greetings” you mumbled and refused to look at the unfamiliar people.

“where have you been– you know what? i done even wish to know. this is your new bodyguard, seo yul” your father pointed at the young man in light purple hanbok. you smiled upon realising it had the shade as yours. sending him a nod, he bowed.

his face was truly handsome and being honest, you were glad it was him and not the older man seated next to him.

“it is my pleasure to meet you. i promise, a single hair won’t fall off your head as long as i’ll be guarding you” he said softly. his ebony irises were glued to you, enchanted by your beauty. park jin just lifted the corner of his lips in a smirk, noticing how smittened his nephew is.

“and your name is…?” you asked, ignoring the look your mother sent your way.

“seo yul, lady l/n” the brown haired man replied, his feline-alike features causing you to study his face. then, your gaze fell upon his plum-shaded hanbok with tender, blueish sewings forming peonies. how ironic.

“i like your hanbok, seo yul” you smiled and bowed, then looked at your parents “i still need to unpack my baggage so if you’ll excuse me, i shall get going”

they just nodded and dived back in to the conversation whereas the young mage’s eyes followed you until you disappeared inside the house.

you were so pretty and graceful yet – unlike choyeon – you had a rebellious spark in your eye. something in you just intrigued seo yul and he didn’t even notice when he tried to drink from an empty porcelain cup.

the young mage arrived at your residence, the warm sun heating up his skin pleasantly. the fresh air was filled with the scent of flowers that blossomed in the garden, the birds’ singing beautifully filling in the silence.

someone from the servants led him to your chamber and knocked gently, looking at the new addition to the staff.

“lady y/n is very… childish. please, don’t be afraid to tell her no if she has an ridiculous idea or a foolish request” they said. yul frowned and suddenly the door opened, your maid looking the man up and down.

“you may come in” she said and yul stepped inside.

“who is it?” your voice rung in the room yet you weren’t nowhere in sight. only when your maid came to the folding screen and stepped behind it, he realised you’re there.

blush hit his cheeks and he shook his head.

“it’s seo yul, lad–” he started.

“we’re the same age, i assume. please, don’t use any of the honorific words and nicknames” you hummed and then said something to your maid “this ribbon, please”

yul looked around the room. he didn’t spend much time with noble women except choyeon, yet he thought it’s something known that women tend to be tidy. well…

maybe your room was somehow clean, it definitely had it’s own charm. history books on the floor, along with calligraphy supplies. horse-themed ornaments scattered on the wooden furniture, makeup tools next to a pretty mirror and… empty plates.

“can you show me around the city today, yul?”

his gaze snapped up and he felt his face get warm when he noticed you caught him staring. but there was no anger or disgust in your eyes, no. pure amusement and excitement.

“of course” he nodded, taking in the sight of you. today, you decided to wear a faint yellow hanbok. the sewings at the bottom of the dress were gold and formed a beautiful scenery: young deers, forest plants and wild birds. the rest of the clothing, including the frame of your sleeves, was white. there was a yellow ribbon in your braided hair.

“we shall go, then” you grinned and energetically stormed out of the room. he looked shocked at the maid. the older lady just sighed, dramatically wiping her forehead.

“good luck” she just mumbled and seo yul chased after you, with a love-struck smile.

“so? what are you going to show me? can we see the mage place?” you asked, not even turning around when you heard his footsteps approaching.

you knew he’d say no: you heard that only mages were allowed to enter the place and after all – sadly – you were no mage.

“sure, i’ll take you to jeongjinjak. but be aware that the mages might not be too pleased to see you there” he answered casually and just when he caught up with you, you halted your movements. yul realised he had to stop and turn around, blinking.

“really?” you asked in disbelief, lips forming into a huge smile.

“of course, why not?” seo yul returned your smile.

“i thought… ah, it doesn’t matter. we should go, then” you hummed happily.

yul already knew that he won’t be able to resist you.

“oh my, it’s beautiful here” you sighed when you entered jeongjinjak. the place was spacious and quiet, the air filled with a feeling of seriousness and a scent of old books “do you live here?”

yul nodded, his hand intertwined behind his back as you two strolled around the place carefully.

“my uncle is in charge of this place” yul added. passing by some young mages that were training, you sent them a sweet smile and bowed gently.

they all stared at you in awe, immediately losing focus and stumbling over their own feet. giggling at that, you failed to notice the disapproving look yul sent them.

“i always wanted to at least possess the power ryusu” you hummed sadly “but my parents were never willing to find me a teacher, even though they know some of the stages themselves. selfish, isn’t it?”

you turned to yul and his apologetic smile. there was a certain softness in his features, a look that was different to what you always stumble upon. most of the people assumed you’re a spoiled brat and treated you this way. but yul was the only one who didn’t: he was carefully listening and genuinely cared about what you said.

“i can teach you the basics, y/n” he offered and before you could burst out with happiness, he quickly added “but it must remain a secret between us”

“of course it will” you grinned and quickly went to hug him. you realized your actions and froze, feeling ashamed of your impulsiveness. seo yul noticed that and his heart ached with a strange feeling. were you taught to suppress your emotions? “thank you so much, yul”

“it will be my pleasure, la– y/n” he smiled, ebony irises glinting with happiness. you held eye contact for a mere moment longer before there was a sudden bang.

it was the mages in training who were just staring at you and didn’t notice that they tripped over the edge of the passage.

spending time with yul became a part of your routine. however, it wasn’t a negative thing. you loved his company; for the first time ever you felt like you had a friend. someone who truly cared for you.

a knock at your door caused you to smile. yul had a specific pattern of knocking – it sounded like a tender melody, rhythmic but pleasant to listen to.

“come in!” you hummed, finishing braiding your hair. your guard entered, bowing and scanning your figure (not so) secretly.

“good morning” he hummed, stepping in. you could read it on his face that he wanted to add something but halted from doing so. ‘you look stunning today’ was what lingered on his lips, albeit his shyness prevented him from wording it out.

“what should we do today?” you asked, tilting your head.

you adored seo yul – he always kept up with your ideas and temper. most of the maids were old and always too tired to even take a short walk. even though he wasn’t your maid – and certainly, he wasn’t old – he never had a problem with taking strolls around the city or showing you the neighbourhood . sometimes it included walking through hills, high grasses and small rivers. but he was always willing to do so.

“is there something particular you wish to do?” he asked, his tender voice calm as always.

“not really, no” you shook your head.

“then, we could go–”

he wasn’t meant to finish when your mother barged into the room. her face morphing into relief when she noticed you.

“you’re here, good. do not leave the house today, i heard there are some… civil commotions in the city. and it’s been dangerous lately” she said and her eyes met yul’s. he bowed “oh, you’re here. you can go home now. y/n’s not leaving the household today”

“but mother, i–” you started.

“no. it’s too dangerous” she cut you off and left, the maids closing the door behind her.

yul watched your features grow sad and his heart sank. you lost your excitement, eyes gradually fogging with a strange, bland emotion.

“it’s fine. i’m not in the mood anymore, you can go home” you mumbled, turning your face to the window.

“i’m not in the position to disobey your mother’s orders, however i’m your guard” yul offered and carefully studied your reaction “and not to brag or be overconfident, but you’re going to be safe under my watch”

there was a ghost of a smile dancing on your lips as you played with the hem of your hanbok.

“mhm… and what if my parents found out?” you hummed, cocking your eyebrow.

“i’d take the responsibility” yul said seriously. shaking your head, you stood up.

“no need, i was just teasing you. shall we go, then? where are we going, anyway?” you asked.

“to the market. i believe you haven’t seen it yet, y/n?” he asked with a tender smile.

“no, our maids do the duty of providing food…” you hesitated and stopped yul before he left. his eyes widened when he felt your hand on his chest “how are we going to leave? it’s the middle of the day, everyone will see us”

“just trust me, lady” he hummed and slid his hand to grab yours “may i?”

you nodded. yul’s gentle and smooth hand took in yours, as if scared that he’ll cause harm. blush spreading across your cheeks, you looked away and let him lead you.

seo yul was like a cat – his moves were sharp and calculated, paying attention to if someone is coming or not. in no time, you left through the back door and the garden. finding yourself in the middle of a busy street, you looked at him with wide eyes and a smile of gratitude.

“i’ll be using this route” you grinned and saw a flash of fear go through his face.

“no, don’t do that… you’ll get hurt or…” he started and you let out a gasp, drawing some passersby’s attention.

“what is that? that colorful thing? wait, yul, are those parrots?” you yelped in excitement and he couldn’t help but laugh sincerely. his features dropped when you ran off.

“wait a moment!” he giggled, adoring your excitement.

yul walked you through the market, explaing who’s selling what. the delicious smells and colors surrounded you, mouth agape as you took in all the amazing views. the young mage was stealing glances at you and how adorable you were while doing that.

“oh, the sweets!” he hummed and noticed you look that way curiously.

“can we get some?” you asked.

“of course” he grinned, hands interlocked behind his back. he followed you slowly while you already approached the seller. eyes meeting, you stood closer to him once yul arrived.

“what are we having? my treat!” you grinned “all of them look delicious…”

“my favourite are the pine pollen tea ones” he mumbled shyly, pointing at the greenish cookies.

“well then, we’ll have each one of everything” you hummed and noticed the seller’s eyes widen.

“ah, yul!”

you both turned around and saw a man with blonde hair approach you. while yul was distracted, you said something to the snack seller.

“what a beautiful lady… my name is park danggu” the blond man bowed dramatically as you stared him up and down.

“uh-uh. nice to meet you, i’m l/n y/n” you smiled and frowned, looking at yul. he just smiled.

“that’s a friend of mine” your guard explained and noticed all the snacks are already packed, waiting for you. suddenly, yul had a strange feeling ache in his heart: he did not want you to talk too much with danggu. “shall we go home?”

“oh, already?” you pouted, grabbing the bag. yul took it from you, fingers brushing against each other. blush spread on both of your cheeks. danggu smiled upon that.

“yeah, i’m busy either way. i will see you around, yul. don’t come home too late, though” danggu wiggled his brows and was off before yul could even say something.

“he’s silly” you snickered and poked his arm. yul seemed flustered.

on your way back you chatted all the time. you decided you won’t go anywhere once you’re home, so you dismissed yul to go back (only after thanking him for his company, of course).

once back at jeongjinjak, yul was surprised to see a package addressed for him.

it turned out you bought all the pine pollen tea snacks for him and had them delivered at his dorm.

the mage couldn’t help but melt and smile absentmindedly at the gesture.

for a couple of days yul was dismissed from his duties: your parents gave him some spare time and you said you’re not in the mood to leave the house. it left him pondering if something is wrong and decided to ask you if everything is alright.

the time he spent without you made him realise something: life is bland when you’re not by his side. you’re so lively and energetic, yet so adorable at the same time. he missed you and had this tingling feeling in his heart whenever you weren’t around. yul was looking forward to the day he’ll meet you again.

after finally coming back to his duties, he went right away to your chamber. it was late and dark outside but a messenger called him, saying it was urgent. the mage thought something dangerous was happening.

“y/n?” yul asked, coming into the room. there was a couple of candles lighting up the room, shadows dancing on the walls.

“yul! let’s go out!” you whisper-yelled, grabbing his hands. a pleasant warmth spread through his body before he processed your words.

“what? i thought it was an emergency and you got hurt…” he mumbled.

“no, no. i’m fine. just bored to death… are there any horses…?” you asked hesitantly.

“h-horses?” he choked out, eyes widening. you shrugged nonchalantly.

“i feel like going on a horse ride”

you are insane.

“sure, we’ll find something” he scoffed, shaking his head. he shouldn’t be doing this; none of this, at all. he’s about to sneak out with a lady he was supposed to protect and do something that could potentially harm you. which, he was here to prevent in the first place.

but he couldn’t help it! he felt like you put a spell on him, he just wasn’t able to resist.

“we shall go then, my lady” he hummed. good thing the room was dimmed, otherwise he’d see how your face reddened with a shade of ruby-alike shade of the yin and yang jade.

yul held your hand gently and helped you leave through the window. erupting into quiet giggles when you almost stepped on his feet or when you passed the peony bush where he first saw you. under the cover of dark night sky, yul led you to a nearest stallion. he looked around, making sure no one saw you.

“y/n, do you even know how–” he turned around and gasped when he saw you already on the horse.

“can we go to the pretty fields? please…” you mumbled. yul nodded slowly and hopped on a horse too, leading the way.

“we should be back before sunrise…” he mumbled. there was a look of calmness in your face, almost unfamiliar.

wind in your hair, the sound of horse hooves pleasantly clacking against the ground underneath the starry sky caused your heart to soothe. the smell of fresh grass and yul’s silhouette beautifully framed by moonlight – it was a moment that you wanted to stay in forever.

arriving at the fields, you stopped next to a small stream. the water was rustling pleasantly, hypnotizing you. yul realized that you stopped following him and turned around, looking at you. something was troubling your mind, clearly.

“yul-ah”

even in the faint light you saw his eyes widen. cute.

“yes, y/n?” he asked, voice gentle.

“i think i… no. um, actually, no. i’ve been practising ryusu! can i show you?” you asked and he nodded, locking his hands between his back.

you put your body strength on your legs, focusing to keep your moves sharp and clean. chest moving up and down to keep your breathing regular and steady. just when you thought you got it–

“y/n, i think… my heart longs for you when you’re not present but then it acts as if it was possessed whether you hold my hand… i’d rather look at you than all of the stars or beautiful ornaments” yul said, his words carried by wind.

letting out a shaky breath, you looked at him. moonlight shining on his handsome face and somewhat scared eyes.

“why did i say that…” he mumbled.

you let out a melodic laugh and ran up to him, wrapping hands around his neck. yum was startled but held you gently.

“you fool” you mumbled, smiling against the fabric of his hanbok “my heart calls out for you too. i’ve been meaning to say that for while, that’s why i needed some time alone”

“huh?”

you leaned away and gently grabbed his face, cupping his cute cheeks.

“you’re the only one who understands me, yul-ah. i bask in your warmth and kindness, your spirit makes me feel alive– can… can i kiss you? i’m out of words” you asked. yup nodded shyly, unsure what to do with his hands.

placing your lips on his plump ones, he instinctively wrapped hus hands around your waist. pulling you closer and smiling softly into the kiss.

when you felt like you were running out of your breath, he pulled away.

“you need more training though…”

a frown formed on your face and he snickered.

“with ryusu?” you asked, unable to believe he just said that.

“no– well, yes. if you train your breathing, you’ll be able to kiss longer” a smirk danced on his lips “or the other way around. fortunately for you, i can help with such matter”

suddenly his eyes widened, the flirty behaviour disappeared in a blink of an eye.

“don’t tell your parents. or my uncle. we’re kind of… breaking the rules”

“i won’t” you smiled sweetly and tip-toed to smooch his cheek.

years spend alone without friends or love, barely with your parents caused your heart to ache in a mysterious and hurtful way. but now, with yul by your side, a soothing feeling washed over it as if someone put a calming balm. a balm called love.

masterlist <3

In front of others, Yul was forced to conceal his pain. You had watched as he kept a straight face in front of his father, mother, uncle, and household servants. It had taken quite a bit of coaxing from you to even get him to not conceal his pain from you. 

Your heart shattered into a million pieces seeing him like that; in pure agony, sweat building on his forehead, jaw clenched and eyes shut tightly as he tried to endure it. It was hard to even imagine how painful it must be— Yul barely even flinched from a stab wound. How much more painful must it be that he could barely stand?

You wrapped your arms around him tightly, your left hand finding his, “Squeeze it as hard as you need to.” You told him softly. Thankfully he complied, squeezing your hand tightly, breathing out in short cut-off gasps.

You knew you couldn’t do much— you felt helpless every time it happened. You could hold him tightly and soothe him with your words, and you hoped at least that much was enough.

You watched his breathing steady a little, and you let out a relieved sigh, knowing that the pain was subsiding. You pressed kisses to his temple until he stopped squeezing your hand. He held it gently, his strength completely exhausted.

“You’re okay. It’s okay.” The words were more of a reassurance than a fact. You knew he was not okay, nor would the pain ever stop unless there was some way to get the wretched worm out of his body. You longed to be able to take over his pain, if only for one day. Anything to let him rest.

“Thank you.” Yul uttered once he had caught his breath, letting his head fall until it rested on your bosom. You sunk your fingers into his hair, gently threading them through to relax him.

“I hate to see you in pain… I wish I could take it away from you.” You told him quietly. The moments after were always filled with a voiceless longing for things to change, from both Yul and you.

Yul straightened, shaking his head, “No. Never. It is far too painful for me to even think of you experiencing it too.” He met your gaze. You had rarely seen him look so scared and determined at the same time. “Seeing you in pain would be far worse than the pain I experience now.” You sighed, knowing you could not fight him on this. 

“You understand how I feel then…” You swallowed uncomfortably and forced a smile back on your face. Fighting with him over this, even if it was just a small disagreement, was not worth it to you. 

He reached for your hands, “I am fine now, my love. Do not trouble yourself over it too much.” He smiled at you, and you could not help but mirror it. Cupping his cheek, you leaned down until your lips connected. Hearing Yul’s contented sigh at the feeling of your soft lips, you smiled into the kiss.

Despite the agonising pain Yul experienced daily, as long as he was still able to hold you close and kiss you like this, he would do it all again without thinking. He could not lie to you and promise to be able to spend decades more by your side. He could wish for that amount of time to stay next to you— to call you his wife— but he’d be dumb to believe that he was going to live for that much longer. All he could do was vow to stay by your side for the rest of his life. Hundreds of years would still never feel like enough when it was all over. He had learned to cherish what he had while he had it. He wouldn’t let you go until he was at death’s door. That way he could die without any regret. 

↳ k-drama taglist (bolded could not be tagged): @eternalgyu,, @wolfmoonmusic,, @cha3w0n-hearts,, @tempobaekh,, @candewlsy,,

@cosmicwintr,, @blossominghunnie,, @parkjennykim,, @seunghancore,, @emmylksblog,,

chwiseonru didn’t have a stage, to be frank. they just moved a couple of tables and cleared some space. the ladies sitting on the cushions, dressed in pink and purple coloured hanboks were on the ground. their fingers gently strummed their instruments, touches feather-alike.

suddenly, there were footsteps. everyone in the tavern noticed a woman.

she was wearing a black hanbok with crimson sewed details. small leaves and flowers adorned the cloth on the sides. she had her long hair braided, loosely put and swaying on her shoulder.

her hands were slim and her pointer finger was adorned with a red jewel. it shone beautifully, ruby and crimson glittering in the faint light. if one looked closer, they were about to realise it’s one of the half of ying and yang stone.

however, her face was hidden behind two fans. one of them was black with faint agate details, the other was an opposite – red with black sewings.

she held them in a way that hid her face, which only made the viewers more curious.

suddenly the pace of music fastened and the woman started flapping her fans a bit more rapidly. with swift and hypnotising moves of her body, she revealed her face.

she had some artistic makeup on her face: a curved line forming under her eyes that created a crooked circle, only to connect above her brows. two, small ruby stones were glued on her cheekbones symmetrically.

yul noticed the way the prince’s eyes widened, cheeks flushing and lips parting in awe. the mage scoffed, ignoring his friend’s gaze.

the performer moved gracefully, just like water. her moves were clean and gentle, the flutter of fans creating her own music. uk frowned upon noticing the similarities between some of her dance moves and chisu or even hwansu.

“she’s gorgeous” go won breathed out, his eyes focused on the dancer.

the performer’s face remained cold and expressionless, eyes trained in the audience. a brief eye contact with the prince caused him to smile and nod. whereas yul just clutched his fist, uk was growing more and more suspicious.

the song seemed to reach its climax, beat going faster and faster. nevertheless, the dancer didn’t fail to catch up, moves becoming more sharp and sturdy.

with a sudden thrust, the rest of the candles went out. briefly after, she finished the performance ending in the same position she started.

people started clapping and cheering, go won cleared his throat.

“who… is she?” he asked quietly, turning to the others. in the meantime, the servers lit up the candles again.

“l/n y/n” a female voice rung up from behind him, causing the crown prince to jerk in surprise.

yul sent you a soft smile, your face visible in the light once again.

the crown prince turned around and grabbed your hand, placing a gentle peck on the top of it.

“your performance was stunning. i have never seen anything like this in my entire life! the music, your moves and grace… truly breathtaking. how come i haven’t seen you perform before?” he asked, eyes sparking with adoration.

you chuckled sweetly, bowing elegantly.

“thank you, your highness. i had a break from performing… someone insisted i started dancing again which is why i’m here” you smiled and caught yul’s ebony irises on you. you couldn’t read his expression.

“thank gods that person convinced you. sincerely speaking, im fully mesmerised with you” the prince smirked, a playful smile dancing on his lips

“i’m pleased to hear that, my prince” you bowed once again, noticing uk’s sturdy gaze on you.

“i shall invite you to my castle one day”’ go won hummed. you nodded with a satisfied smile.

“i appreciate that you’re thinking so highly of me, my prince…” you started and looked above his head, only to meet seo yul’s gaze. you weren’t meant to finish as another compliment was landed at you.

“and your fans… may i have a look at them? they look absolutely stunning” he asked.

normally, you’d refuse. but it was the crown prince after all.

nodding and handing him your fans, you saw how he traced the detailed sewings on them.

“beautiful work. may i know by who was it made?” go won asked, rising his head up to look at you. he was amazed not only by your dancing skills but also your beauty. especially those e/c eyes.

“it was a gift from a dear friend of mine” you explained and took back the fans once he handed them to you.

“i see. will you perform again?” the crown prince asked, flirty tone in his voice.

you were meant to give just one dance.

but who were you to deny the majesty’s request?

you finished shortly after midnight, the moonlight sneaking through the windows. the prince wanted more and more, enchanted by you. only when he noticed that your musicians are getting tired, he decided to stop. bidding you farewell (not failing to shower you in compliments once again), he was gone. the ordinary people went home, leaving just a couple of drunkards and the mages left. they decided to return to the jeongjingak.

when you left, they stayed for a bit longer to finish their drinks. yul put his hands on his thighs, observing the crown prince.

“i’m really enchanted. who invited her?” the man asked. uk was about to snicker a joke about being so love-struck.

“yul! yul knows y/n, they’re good friends!” danggu yelled out, a bit more louder than he intended. yul felt his eyes widening as the prince’s thundering gaze shifted to him.

“seriously? and you never introduced me to her? seo yul, i’m disappointed” the crown prince tsked.

“i never knew you were a fan of such things, your highness” yul bowed his head and stood up. the sudden motion combined with couple of drops of alcohol in his system caused his vision to blur.

“ah, it’s a shame i only discovered her now. but better now than never, hm?” go win tilted his head and observed yul’s rosy cheeks.

“yul-ah, you seem distracted. is everything alright?” uk asked, worried. he stood up and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“yeah, i’m just tired. we shall go. i need to get one thing done and i’ll join you in jeongjingak” yul sighed. he bowed and left them, ignoring their weird looks.

there was a sudden knock at your door. you let out a sigh but your gaze didn’t leave your reflection in the mirror.

“i’m sorry, your highness, but the performance is over” you called, hands working on untying your braid.

“oh, my apologies. i just hoped for a quick chat with such an amazing dancer”

you turned around and your face lit up upon seeing yul. he smiled wildly when your eyes met.

“oh for you master yul… i suppose i could make some time” you teased. yul closed the door and approached you slowly, as you reassumed to unbraid your hair “did you enjoy the show?”

“oh, of course i did. anyone would be a fool not to enjoy it” he hummed, placing his hands on your arms and massaging them gently “a certain individual seemed to enjoy it especially…”

“oh?” you rose your eyebrows, meeting his dark-brown irises in the mirror’s reflection. his face was pensive, brows furrowed and jaw tensed.

he huffed and leaned a bit forward, grabbing your hair gently and putting it on your back. as he started to unbraid your hair tenderly, careful not to tug too harshly, you started to wipe off your performance makeup.

“the crown prince fell in love, i recon” he murmured, shrugging nonchalantly.

“with the performance? i mean, i’d be rather upset if the future king wasn’t entertained with my dance” you hummed and put away the dirty cloths, your face now bare.

“i think he was more found of you than the show itself, y/n” seo yul sighed and parted the last parts of your hair, finally letting it flow on your back loosely.

“hm… it flatters me, truly” you smiled and noticed his brows twitch “yul?”

“yes, dear?” he asked, sitting down next to you. he looked at the stone on your finger, smiling subconsciously.

“are you jealous?” asking, you raised the corner of your lip.

he just rolled his eyes playfully, yet no words were spoken.

“oh yul…” you giggled and poked his chest “you seemed to kill him with your gaze the second he opened his mouth while he was talking to me”

“stop talking such nonsense about the future head of the country…” seo yul grunted, avoiding your gaze. a slight blush adorned the tips of his ears.

he leaned and grabbed your fans, holding them gently.

you observed how he traced the black sewing, then moving to the red one. he was thinking about something, absentmindedly moving his fingers along the soft fabric.

“i’m sorry” you huffed, placing your hand over his “i tried to hold a distance but he was too…”

“it’s a future king, they tend to get too blind to notice someone is uncomfortable” yul scoffed and looked up at you, suddenly reaching out and holding your chin with his free hand. he tilted his head, a faint smirk dancing on his lips “but you’re mine”

“mhm” you hummed in agreement and waited for him to shorten the distance between you two.

as your lips finally met, your head went spiralling. every kiss with seo yul was like the first time, always so passionate and tender.

you’ve been dating yul for a while now, yet you were keeping your relationship secret from the public eye. and for the time you’ve spent with your lover, you noticed his habits… such as struggling to word out his love. however, his words just weren’t verbal: yul adored to shower you with gifts and small gestures.

like those fans you always perform with. or the finest performance makeup supplies he got from afar. or the handmade hanbok for you to perform in. or the musicians.

or the ring.

as you felt the air escaping your lungs, you moved your hand from his and put it at the back of his neck.

leaning away, you noticed his flushed cheeks.

“i’m yours, yul. not going anywhere, even if the prince offers me to rule the country” you chuckled and tapped his ring, the blue part that matched yours.

“good” yul huffed, noticing the gesture.

after all, the red and blue yin and yang jade was the symbol for ever lasting love for a reason.

masterlist <3

“This is why I shouldn’t allow you in the study.” He muttered, though he only leaned into your touch, showing no signs of wanting you to leave.

“The door was left open, though? If anything, I think that was a sign that you were hoping I’d come in at some point.” A smile grew on your face at the suggestion you were making. You and Yul both knew that he had just forgotten to close it because he had been too scatterbrained. You always kissed him before he left to work on something, leaving him flustered every time.

“I was hoping to finish reviewing this book of spells before it goes to get copied and sent to Jeongjingak…” He trailed off, tilting his head up to look at you with shining eyes. You just shrugged and placed a kiss on his forehead.

“Well, I was hoping to hear more of my lovely husband’s singing that he chose to hide from me for 2 years.” You laughed as Yul sighed again. You knew all his weaknesses, one of the biggest of which was when you called him your husband. It made his heart melt whenever he was reminded of it— that he was really truly yours forever and ever.

After successfully working out the knots in his shoulder, you moved a little higher, your fingers gently starting to work on his neck. You had him more than distracted by the pleasant massage and he tilted his neck a little to the side so you could more easily work on it. You moved a little closer to press a kiss to the side of his neck, hearing the small hitch in Yul’s breath because of it made you smile.

“I guess I’ll finish this later.” Yul whispered with a small smile, closing the spellbook and placing it on top of a stack of books on the table. You laughed slightly at your victory, your breath hitting Yul’s neck and causing goosebumps to spread on it. You pressed one more long kiss to his adam’s apple before pulling away.

“I want to hear you sing. I’m sure you’ll sound good.” 

“I think you should lower your expectations, my love. I’ve never studied how to sing.” He said simply, but you shook your head.

“My expectations are extremely high, so don’t disappoint me.” You joked, though it wasn’t entirely sarcastic. You had high expectations for everything your husband did, only because he seemed to be so good at anything he tried. He excelled in so many areas, and you would truly never get tired of seeing his proficiency. Whether it was spells, sword-fighting, bird whistling, writing letters, or kissing, he was an expert in all areas. 

The last two, you were especially familiar with. You had received dozens of letters from Yul before you were engaged, and each one was as heart-fluttering as the first. As for kissing… Well, you had daily reminders that there was no one that kissed better than him.

You weren’t quite sure how his lips were always so pillowy soft. In your two years of marriage, that had still stayed a mystery to you. You could daydream about the way his lips moulded with yours like an elegant dance, a perfect balance where neither was overbearing the other. He always kissed you with a gentleness that had you dizzyingly falling even deeper for him. 

Yul took a breath and closed his eyes, starting to softly sing the song he was before— this time from the beginning. It started out slow, deep honey-like notes blending together to create a glorious melody. His voice was soft and gentle; exactly what you would’ve expected from him. But it was somehow so much more than you could’ve imagined.

It wasn’t just soft, it was rich as well. As the song progressed to its chorus and the notes climbed higher and higher, he didn’t falter. His high notes sounded just as clear and perfect as his low notes did, and you quickly fell into the trance his voice had created. You wanted to hear him sing forever now that you had discovered this hidden treasure.

The song came to an end far too quickly, though you were sure he had been singing for at least four minutes. But four minutes just wasn’t enough— you craved more of the intoxicatingly sweet sound of his voice. He blinked open his eyes and smiled shyly at you.

“I hope it didn’t disappoint you?” He asked, still a little embarrassed about singing in front of you for the very first time. Of all the people on the earth, he wanted to impress you the most. He knew you were already his, and even if he failed at something it wouldn’t change your image of him, but the satisfaction of pleasing you was something he never got enough of.

“I didn’t know I married the man with the best voice in Daeho.”

Yul flushed at your comment, “I’m sure I don’t have the best voice in Daeho.”

“Well, it’s all subjective isn’t it? And I meant it when I said it.” You clarified and leaned a little closer, “Can you sing for me again?” 

Yul couldn’t possibly say no to you, especially not when you were looking at him with such soft love-stricken eyes. He seemed to get lost in them all too easily, glimmering as if the entire night sky of stars was captured in your irises. He leaned in slowly, not even realizing that he was drifting closer and closer to you until he felt your breath on his lips. He closed his eyes again and quickly captured your lips with his.

If it was anyone else, he would’ve been bothered that his work had been interrupted.

If it was anyone else, he wouldn’t have believed that they were telling the truth when they said he had the best voice.

And if it was anyone else, he wouldn’t have felt so shaken with the warm feeling of butterflies and comfort and adoration and love.

But it was you, so Yul didn’t particularly mind you distracting him; in fact, he couldn’t deny that he even liked it. Especially when it ended like this: with his lips on yours, the sweet taste of your lips ending up on his by the end of it.

“Of course I can sing more… Whatever you’d like.”

You had as busy a schedule as him, mostly because of your decision to take on all the preparations for your weddings single-handedly. He knew you wanted it to be as perfect as possible. You had been dreaming of this day since you were little. Now that you had found the perfect man, you needed to plan the perfect ceremony as well. From the flowers, location, food, ceremony, afterparty, and even attire, you were responsible for planning it all. 

Yul had always admired how big a dreamer you were. You had fantasies and aspirations and always worked incredibly hard to complete them. And while he was hard-working and book smart, logistical and artistic planning had never been his strong suit. He was lacking in many ways, and watching you work reminded him of it every day.

Or he would have been able to watch you, if you hadn’t been seemingly avoiding his presence for over twelve days now. It was a perfectly sunny afternoon and Yul had finished all his work early. There was absolutely no excuse for him to not come to see you— even the weather was encouraging him to pay you a visit. He knew you were probably cooped up in your room, writing a million letters to all the vendors and designers you had hired for the wedding. It would benefit you greatly to get outside.

The sounds of shouting and subsequent rushing of footsteps was definitely not what Yul had anticipated hearing as he walked up to your home. One of the maids seemed to rush out of the house in a panic, her eyes widening and her face growing hot out of embarrassment once her eyes landed on Seo Yul.

“Master Seo! Oh, goodness, you should not be here right now— If Miss. L/n finds out she’ll only panic more—”

“Why is she panicking?” Yul interrupted the maid’s hurried jumble of words, concern growing every second he didn’t know what was going on. He had only been gone from you for twelve days; what possibly could have happened in that time? Before he even got an answer from the maid, he was already making his way towards the front door, unable to wait a second longer to figure out what was wrong.

“M-master Seo, please!” The poor maid scurried along after him, warning him to not go into the house. Yul seemed to be conveniently deaf to her pleading. As soon as he stepped in, he realized why he might not have been wanted at this particular moment.

Dozens of fabrics were… well, everywhere. On every surface, scattered on the floor, and even some stuck hanging from the walls. Yul’s concern grew, as well as his utter confusion and astonishment at how the house could have gotten this messy.

He followed the sounds of distress until he reached the doorway to your room— exactly what he expected. A harsh shout for everyone to get out sounded, and the silence that followed was almost deafening. Yul waited just outside in almost frozen shock, registering that the shout must have come from your mouth. Never in his life had he heard you shout. You barely ever got angry. A row of servants quickly filed out of the room, each bowing their head in shame.

Yul breathed out heavily, considering whether it would be wise for him to just leave now and not bother you. The last thing he wanted was for him to make you more upset, especially if you felt like you needed to be alone. But he couldn’t bear to leave when he could just make out your broken sobs and sniffles from the closed door. It was the most heartbreaking sound he had ever heard.

He slowly slid the door open a little to peek inside the room, being as quiet as possible in order to not startle you. The room was as messy as the rest of the house— extravagant fabrics strewn all over the floor and tables. You were sitting in the middle of the room, hunched over yourself. Yul noticed that you were dressed in a particularly elegant white hanbok dress that draped over your figure perfectly.

“Y/n? What’s wrong?” He spoke as softly as he possibly could, making sure he didn’t make the situation worse. He wanted to help lessen your tears, not create more. His soft approach seemed to have the opposite effect that he wanted, though. As soon as you heard him, you startled and turned around quickly. Upon laying eyes on him, your sobs only got worse and you immediately hid your face. Yul’s heart sank.

“Love? Tell me what happened.” He coaxed, kneeling down next to you, placing a hesitant hand on your shoulder. He could feel how tense you were, but also how you softened ever so slightly once you felt his touch. He felt relieved that he didn’t seem entirely unwelcome. “Can I help at all?” 

“No! It’s— it’s all ruined, Yul! W-we should have never tried in the first place!” You cried, heartbroken, and Yul frowned again. He pulled you closer to him, wrapping his strong arms around you in a safe embrace. It was clear that he wouldn’t get an answer to what started this mess until you had calmed down a bit. He stroked your back and softly shushed your sobs, waiting patiently for your crying to subside a little. When it finally did and your face was dryer, he pulled away from the hug slightly and pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“Can you tell me what’s wrong now, love?”

You nodded, eyes focusing on a certain spot on the floor as you started explaining in a mumble, “It’s stupid, but… Since I can’t make my own dress, I wanted to get it from this particular dressmaker. But with our wedding in 4 months, they won’t have it ready in time.” You looked up at him again to gauge his reaction, your eyes watering again as you tried to go on. 

“I tried the other dresses, but they’re just not the same. I just wanted to look pretty for you, and now— now it’s impossible.” Your face crumbled again as you gripped the current dress you were wearing, looking like you wanted to shred it to pieces.

“What do you mean it’s impossible? You always look pretty to me.” Yul said simply, cupping your face in his hands and brushing away some of the new tears that had escaped. He offered you a soft smile, something that would help reassure you that everything was okay.

“I get that this… dress is important to you. You want to wear it more than anything, right?” He asked quietly. Knowing you and how long you had looked forward to getting married, he knew you had probably planned your dream wedding since you were little. It seemed as if you had had your eyes on this particular dress for years now.

You nodded, “If I had more time, I could order the fabrics myself and sew it… But I can’t. This dressmaker has the best fabrics. You know I know everything about fabric— it’s really important for the design. It just won’t work with anything else.” You sighed, seemingly more relaxed about the situation now, but still disheartened.

“Did you design the dress yourself?” Yul questioned. You had always been interested in textiles, and picked it up as your main hobby for most of your life. Most of your wardrobe was made up of your own designs, and you had even designed some pieces for him. Each design was so detailed and stunning; Yul thought you were better than any other designer he had seen.

“Yes. Songrim doesn’t have good seamstresses, Yul. They’ll mess it up, I know they will. This was supposed to be a mockup, but it’s completely different from my original design.” You gestured to the dress you were wearing right now. Yul looked at it again, trying to figure out what you thought was so wrong with it. It looked beautiful to his eyes, but he knew next to nothing about garments.

“We could always… postpone the wedding?” He offered, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. He had already waited so long for this that waiting even longer seemed like torture. But he knew you cared more about the wedding than he did, and he would do anything if it made you happy. 

“But… You wanted to get married before Spring.” You reminded him, heart sinking at the thought of postponing the wedding. It was even worse than not being able to wear your dress. It was clear that you would have to sacrifice one or the other.

“I’ll just pick a different design.” You whispered. “Mine was too complicated to complete in 3 months anyway…” 

“Are you sure?” Yul’s worry reached his voice, and though you didn’t feel quite sure about the decision now, you knew it would all turn out good enough. It didn’t need to be absolutely perfect, sometimes good enough was something you had to accept.

“I’ll save the design. Our daughter can wear it at her own wedding. I’ll make it for her myself.” You spoke, your smile growing as you thought of the idea.

Yul raised an eyebrow, “Our daughter?”

You glanced back at him, “I know you want one.”

He nodded, his face growing a little flushed, “I-I do, but we’ve… never… talked about it before.”

You laughed, “Well, we just did.” You kissed his lips before any more flustered words could come out of them. Despite the disaster that Yul had found you in, and the fact that the situation was still partially unresolved, the kiss made everything feel okay again. You sighed in content at being able to feel his soft lips against yours. Twelve days had really been far too long.

Your hands found their way into his soft brown hair, threading it through your fingers as the kiss went on. His hand cupped your jaw and his thumb stroked your cheek gently as you finally let all the stress of the afternoon panic leave your body. You giggled when you broke apart, your eyes shining with pure love as you looked at your betrothed. His hair had gotten messy from your fingers and his face was flushed as it always was after a long kiss. But he looked so content and at peace, and you savoured knowing that you brought Yul some rare serenity that he had seldom had the luxury of experiencing in the past few years.

“I can’t wait to call you mine.” You confessed, basking in the silent eye contact that Yul gave you. His eyes seemed to hold a million different emotions, all of them professing his undying love for you.

“You know that I already am, love.” He whispered back, pressing his lips to your temple forehead one more time to complete the statement.