tigermcth

“I wasn’t offering you money.” – Nunnally lies. Of course, she has wanted to, but he has his pride too (and she knows that) – “But since you’ve brought it up yourself… “

“Yes, I will give it to you. If you ever asked.” – she shrugs – “After all, it’s his money. It might as well be put to some good use.”

His request makes her flinch; a cold shiver runs down her spine. He doesn’t know what he’s asking for; or perhaps he does. She hates the man. Every moment spent with her uncle, every forced smile of gratitude, is an ordeal. And yet, she can do nothing. He has no legal claim over her, she’s an adult now not like years ago, and still, somehow, he rules her life. And she knows that. Nothing is going to change that soon.

“I’ll try.” – she says at last, though she has sworn to herself to keep her head down. Keeping him occupied always means inviting trouble. But the other matter, Jong-Seok, that is different. And Nunnally can’t simply reconnect with Je-Oh so openly. But she’ll figure out the way? Flattery? That often works.

“May I…” – the question slips out before she can stop herself. Perhaps not the wisest move, and yet, she feels the temptation burning through her restraint.

⠀⠀ it wasn’t the reassurance that he wanted, but it was enough. truth was, he’d never expect her to entangle herself in the chaos of his life & had actively discouraged it, in fact. even though she was tethered to this life in some ways regardless, they still had a precarious friendship. her uncle would undoubtedly make things difficult for him if he knew. however, for je-oh, that threat was a distant shadow next to the sharper guilt of becoming a burden.

⠀⠀ he offered a muted gesture of gratitude, hands pressed together with a slight bow of his head. but just as quickly, the formality collapsed into a shrug as he retreated into a lean, hands dipping into his sweatpants pockets. ❝ i usually can handle him, but that bastard’s annoying. ❞

⠀⠀ in a life filled with burdens, jong-seok was one of the few that felt perpetually unbearable. je-oh despised playing nice—despised the demeaning performance of offering that loser even a fraction of himself. it was a draining act, & normally left a residue of bitterness for hours afterward. begrudgingly, the only person he could thank was her uncle, who discouraged jong-seok from bugging him too much.

ㅤ 「ㅤ 余 温ㅤ 」

₊˚⊹ ㅤa collection of character analysis/headcanon questions to learn more about your character and your partners'! writing/headcanon prompts requested by anonymous. feel free to edit these as you see fit.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐀𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐂 𝐒𝐔𝐃𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐂𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐀𝐓 𝐉𝐄-𝐎𝐇'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 & 𝐒𝐀𝐄-𝐁𝐘𝐄𝐎𝐊 𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐀 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄, first in mild confusion, then astonishment. a cup of soda... of course! how could he forget? the bubbles & slight acidity in soda water should help lift some pigments from the fabric before they set, but he has to be quick. ❝ 네, 부탁드립니다! ❞ a small ray of hope lights up the vermillion eyes as the korean man smiles & turns in place, releasing his already loosened tie in order to bow ever so slightly. ❝ 당신은 천사 같아요.. ❞

reaching for the violin case just then, he takes hold of its strap before hoisting over the broad shoulder with practiced ease, only to smile a little wider when je-oh raises & makes his way over to the bar. sae-byeok follows him like a fox in a heartbeat, the whole crowd gradually fading into one seamless background where only the two of them seem to exist & somewhere between waves of music & an occasional brush of a shoulder, he cannot help but to let own eyes wander ── trailing down full length of that slender body ── finally taking a good look at the supposed angel.

pretty, is sae-byeok's first thought. the skin on the back of his neck is smooth & pale, almost translucent, framed by tresses of black hair which shine like polished onyx underneath the fluorescent lights. then lower is his waist, delightfully slim, hourglass-shaped, his hips supple & round in all the right places as they move with a captivating rhythm of their own. sae-byeok feels his throat go dry, focused perhaps a bit too much on that specific area. with some effort he forces himself to glance higher & luckily just in time too, because they are already at the bar.

it's quite stunning how quickly sae-byeok can bring back his smile & make it appear completely natural, as if he wasn't just checking out je-oh's behind like some lecherous beast. ❝ 내가 낼게요. ❞ he reaches for the university jacket, only for the long fingers to pause right above own chest. shit. the jacket. mentally scolding himself for getting so distracted sae-byeok chuckles & quickly adds in english, ❝ ah.. one moment. ❞ in a smooth turn, he walks back over to the seats on the other end & reaches for the abandoned top, but just as he does, a sudden thump rattles the nearby door, followed a muffled groan that makes the korean man freeze in place.

he glances at it subtly, watching the old wood rattle again as someone gets brutally pummelled on the other side. his vermillion eyes sharpen at the sight but, that's about it. no sudden gestures, no visible panic. the university jacket is retrieved as per normal & from inside the wallet, all the while sae-byeok returns back to je-oh. ❝ 활기찬 밤이네, huh? ❞

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀angel.

⠀⠀the amusement it caused alone was enough to draw an unguarded smirk along je-oh’s lips. simply returning the gesture, he offered a measured nod before leading them toward the bar, where je-oh signals for a nearby bartender. ❝ 소다수 좀 주세요. ❞

⠀⠀ besides him, the stranger’s voice cut through the din, promising to pay after retrieving a forgotten jacket, which je-oh concedes without hesitation. he would’ve foot the small bill, a usually hollow gesture given the state of his wallet, but rather content in allowing the stranger to play the benefactor.

⠀⠀ slipping onto a vacant stool, je-oh tracked the other’s return to the table, keeping him in sight until a sudden commotion flared at the far end of the room. a glance revealed two men trading wild blows, fists flying in brutal arcs, the show short-lived as a few brave onlookers finally pried them apart. one was immediately hauled out the door, all flailing limbs and vulgar shouts while the other remained hunched over, clutching his stomach.