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itstheghostofmypast · 2 months

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Our Little Secret

Sergeant Choi San x (f) Criminal Reader ft.Wooyoung

Summary: Maybe he was not as bright as his superiors made him believe he was, or maybe he was just a fool, or maybe he was just a tool in a much larger game at play. Either way, one thing was for certain, Jung Wooyoung was impressed by a man who had one too many little secrets, some that he was to keep as well.

Genre: Hurt/Comfort Fluff

Warnings: mention of gunshots, mentions of r*pe (heavy stuff), panic attacks, illegal stuff, strong language- (Mc is a perv, sorry not sorry- lowkey San is the same)

Word Count: 7.8k

Read Time: 38 min

Networks: @cromernet @k-labels

Banner: @cafekitsune

Rating: mature

A/N: I may have had a little too much fun writing this

Wooyoung hated this part of the job, ever since he had joined the force, he had wanted to do nothing but good, but here he was in the late hours of the night in a mansion that belonged to one of the many corrupt political figures that ruled the land. He had begged Captain Park not to put him on night parole, even insisted on doing all the paperwork for everyone, including the slacker Mingi, but the captain was in no mood for negotiation, instead, he had told him the sergeant would accompany him.

Truth be told, the officer was afraid of the sergeant, he had heard great stories about the man, and the first time the young officer had laid eyes on the mountain of a man, he began to believe the rumours. From his well-built body to his feline mannerism, the way he would walk with an air of pride around him, forcing those around to bow in respect, or fear, either way, it didn’t matter because Wooyoung knew one thing for sure- he wanted to be like Sergeant Choi. Due to this very reason, he had agreed to attend this nuisance of an event, a masquerade ball for the elite, filled with all activities which would be illegal if one were poor or even middle class. What confused him, however, was why the Sergeant had agreed to conduct this trivial task. Captain Park had mentioned how he had volunteered himself, even bringing the blueprints of the mansion and the surrounding gardens, speaking with the security teams at the place of function as well- trivial tasks that are often left to juniors like Wooyoung, so why was his superior doing all these things himself?

“Officer Jung, do you copy?”

The static voice rang in his ear, yes, they were given the state-of-the-art technology just for this freak show, the budget the Department of Defence was given had their captain shaking in his boots, which would explain why he was hell-bent on using every penny to the most ‘professional’ manner.

“Yes, Sergeant, loud and clear.”

“Good, the east wing is clear, I’m leaving the man ballroom now.”

“West wing is clear too, Sir.”

“Heading North, to the main gate. Keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.”

“Heading to the greenhouse at the back Sir.”

With that Wooyoung slowly started to walk down the stairs and out into the open, taking a deep breath, the crisp, chill of the night prickling against his warm skin, a shiver running down his spine, he thanked heaven that they were allowed to wear civilian clothes, San had insisted that it would be safer for them and the visitors this way. Ironically, he had chosen to wear a leather jacket, much like his superior, guess he had his boss somewhat figured out at such a quick pace- he really was smart, wasn’t he? Pulling the leather jacket closer to his form, he looked around the luxurious lawn, it was indeed pretty, with a variety of trees and flowers that one would only see in books or the internet, most of the species were not even native, but then again, then again, certain laws of physics or nature do not apply to the rich.

He was glad it was quiet though, a few more hours and this shit show would be finished by midnight, which meant he could go home in peace, and possibly expect some form of praise in the morning from his superiors. Speaking of superiors, he didn’t know much about the Sergeant, only that he was cold and ruthless, and incredibly gifted in the department of looks- apparently was smart too, and that he had a blackbelt- okay so maybe Wooyoung did know a lot about him, but it was all so textbook. He had no personal details on the man, only one thing, that he was married- but that was because of his wedding band that he saw the Sergeant wear in a makeshift necklace. The wedding band wasn’t even on his finger, and the only way he had seen the necklace was when the man had taken off his jacket, the ring toppled onto his shirt, earning a low groan from the man, though Wooyoung’s eyes quickly scanned the item, a simple silver band, hanging from a silver chain. He watched his superior gently tuck it back into his shirt, pressing it against himself for a quick second before sighing, as if he was afraid, he had almost lost it. That was the only glimpse Officer Jung had gotten of his superior that was not consistent with the rumours of his ruthless stature.

Opening the door to the greenhouse he stepped in, the strong scent of herbs hitting his nostrils, making his nose itch. Clicking his tongue in disapproval, he walked down the isle of potted parsley and mint, looking around for anything suspicious, not that there would be anything there. Or so he thought, for the moment he stood at the heart of the glass building, looking around with his hand on his hips, and he heard a little chime- a cat? No, this place was locked and he made sure to close the door behind him, he was sure of it, which is why he was about to dismiss the noise until he heard it again.

Slowly making his way to the source of the sound, he reached for his gun, being as quiet as possible, spotting a silhouette near the roses, and pointing his gun at the intruder he cleared his throat before ordering;

“Freeze! Raise your hands and turn around slowly.”

He was ready, he was oh so ready to prove to his superiors that he was well deserving of that promotion, he was ready to take down this- woman? He was not ready for this, visibly swallowing at the sight before him he tried to not look at anything but the kitsune mask of the woman.

“Miss, are you here by accident or…”

“Oh, honey if you think only men are criminals, then you are part of the problem.” her red lips stretched into a cocky smile, shifting as she leaned against the stand, the slit of her red satin dress shifting, showing a bit more leg than what Wooyoung would consider modest, though his glance served to be more useful than perverted, the silly little shiny pistol hooked to her black net garter caught his eye, the ribbons of the material gripping onto the gun.

“Eyes up here sweetie, my husband wouldn’t appreciate other men ogling at me like this.”

“Cut the crap,” spitting he aimed at her, “Take off the mask and get down on your knees.”

“Kinky.” Was all she said before something smacked against Wooyoung’s hand like a sharp slap, stinging his wrist his gun fell to the ground as he groaned, glaring up at the smirking woman who winked at him, finally noticing the black leather whip in her hand- did they even make whips this long?

He was about to reach for his gun on the ground before it was kicked away, her heel pressing against the back of his hand, “You’re cute, I’ll give you that, but I don’t have much time, cutie.”

Wooyoung was about to tackle her, only for her to smack him across the face with the back of her hand, the rings on her fingers stinging like hell as she made a run for it, laughing like a mad woman, her chuckles echoing across the greenhouse. Growling in frustration he grabbed his gun and ran after her, he knew he couldn’t shoot around like a madman, one shot would be enough, but the leg? No, she’d bleed out. The shoulder? He was hot on her tail, the red dress hard to miss, along with the sound of the bells hanging off the tussles of her mask, his fingers just grazed her dress before she took a sharp right.

“Shit” following after he stumbled behind the shelf, only to stop at the sight before him. The woman was pinned to the ground, her wrists pinned above her head, San’s grip tight as he watched her struggle under him. “She has…a gun” Panting Wooyoung pointed at the now fully exposed leg, her dress had bunched up against her waist as the Sergeant’s lower half kept her legs apart, his free hand reaching for the gun, though Wooyoung could swear his boss was taking his sweet time, he could swear his boss was caressing the woman’s leg, somewhat toying with the garter before ripping it off her, earning a squeak from her followed by a whine.

“Enough.” His voice boomed, gripping her face he squished her cheeks hard, staring down at her, as she instantly stilled, looking up at him, not moving an inch. It was as if she was wired to his command- to have authority such as Sergeant Choi’s would be a dream come true for Wooyoung.

“Did you grab the kitty’s tail?”

“The what?”

“The whip Officer Jung, she calls it the kitty’s tail- you didn’t read the report last week, did you?”

“I umm- I’ll go get it, sir.” With that he ran back to the original scene of the crime, acquiring the whip that she had dropped on the way, probably while running away from him. When he had come back, San was locking her handcuffs, his rough movements causing her to wince, but when he tightened it against her wrist, she whimpered- and that is when he saw his superior freeze for a second, and if it were not for his cunning fox-like observation skills, he would’ve missed how San’s eyes had softened, his hand that was on the cuff loosened its grip, “Let’s go.” That was all he said before leading the two out the back entrance, claiming that the event was already over anyway and that they had to report to no one about their departure.

He glanced back at the woman in handcuffs, chin in palm as she admired the view outside. It was now that he got a good look at her, with her mask in her lap, she was beautiful, no, the word beautiful did not do her justice, so why was a woman as pretty as her involved in something as ugly as this? Wooyoung frowned when San took the turn to exit, unsure of what his superior was doing

"Sergeant Choi, I think you took a wrong-"he was cut off, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror, the lady still sitting in the same position, but her question caught him extremely off guard.

"Sannie, will you be home for dinner tonight? "

Did she just call him Sannie? Though San remained as nonchalant as well, "I didn't Wooyoung, don't worry." he answered only his junior ignoring the woman, this was the first time he had addressed Wooyoung by his name, what exactly was going on? Glancing at the side view mirror, San raised an eyebrow at her, she was sitting right behind the driver's seat, his seat, watching her pout and look at him through the reflection. A small whine made its way through the silent car.

"Come on Sannie~ you can't gimme the silent treatment forever?"

"Detective Jung?" his tone extremely authoritative and hard, earning a flinch from his junior, though the lady behind him just shivered, with something other than fear.

"S-sir its officer, the detective exam’s results aren’t out yet”

“You’ve passed Wooyoung.” He sighed, gripping onto the wheel a bit harder, as he pressed on the gas.

“Sir I- how, how do you know that?” he should have just been happy at the knowledge of his new title, but curiosity always got the better of this foxie, always wanting to know the answer behind the whys and the hows.

“I checked the exams- why do you think Seonghwa sent you with me tonight? They don’t send just anyone with me to such a high-profile case?”

“N-no Sir I-

Once again, he was cut off by a bratty whine, only this time she leaned forward, shifting so she was in between the two seats, her upper body leaning against the gearbox, turning to look at the Sergeant who did not glance away from the road;

“Sannie~ It’s been a week, this isn’t fair.”

"Wooyoung, open the glove compartment, there's a roll of tape there." he gestured to the glove compartment, "Tape her mouth shut for me, would ya."

"Sir!?"

"Sannie~ wait, hear me out-eep" she yelped almost as loud as the screech of the brakes, falling back as her back hit the leather with a thump, Wooyoung's own heart made its way to his mouth, ready to jump out in fear.

"Wooyoung. Tape. Her. Mouth."

As his junior fumbled with the glove compartment the Sergeant parked the car in a secluded area off the road, getting off and slamming the door shut. Wooyoung gulped as he noticed his superior’s body language, he had never seen him like this, what was he going to do with her? Should he save the woman? Were the rumours about him being a ruthless killer of ‘criminals’ going to be proven true after what he was going to do to this woman? Swinging open the car door from her side he pulled her out by her wrist, noting how she winced and looked up at him, "Sannie…you're hurting me." This caused his grip to loosen, though not enough to let go, not that she had any plans of escaping, his cold hard glare was enough to have her rooted at the spot, fumbling with her words- extremely out of character.

He had had enough of this, tonight was too close to be just a risk, she was lucky he was there, there was no way Seonghwa would let her go, and if this was some kind of sick trick to get his attention, he wasn’t interested in it, nor was he going to entertain it.

"San, I swear I was wearing my mask I-"

Her words were cut off by the sudden pressure of his lips, his body pressed flush against hers, pressing it against the car door. Her cuffed hands gripped onto his jacket and pulled him ever closer as his hand at the base of her neck gave her a little squeeze as if warning her to not test him, though a muffled giggle broke past her lips as he slowly parted, the hand on her waist pressing into her. She didn’t care about how rough he was being or how he wasn’t even crouching down properly to meet her halfway, having her stand on her toes just to feel him close, she didn’t care because at least he was giving it to her now, his attention. With their foreheads pressed together, he gazed down at her gentle features portraying nothing but innocence- false innocence, but the sincerity in her eyes was what always had his knees buckling. The sincerity of love that she had for him, letting him catch her every time, letting him into her world, into her life- truth be told it wasn't her who fell into his trap, but it was him who was wrapped around her pinkie.

Wooyoung cleared his throat, "Ummm…" Extremely baffled by what had just broken out, he had not just seen his superior fully make out with a criminal- was this legal? Well, technically no- wait was this harassment? Or no, she did call him Sannie, did they know each other?

With a slight chuckle, she stood on the tip of her toes to peck her lover's cheek, "Didn't know you were into that stuff…the audience turning you on huh, never knew my husband was so kinky?"

In an instant the tape was snatched from Wooyoung's hand and smacked across her pretty red lips as she stared at him wide-eyed, a bit confused, a bit scared, but oh so in love.

"Be a good little wife and stay quiet, no need to traumatise my junior even more than you already have."

With that he forced her back inside the car and went to sit on his seat, leaving a sweaty-palmed Wooyoung standing there in complete, utter shock - possibly turned on too- wait- WIFE? Suddenly her statement about her husband rang in his ears, she had mentioned a husband before- was he? Was this man an enemy of the law or a loyal servant of the law? Wooyoung stood there grounded, confused about what to do and what had just happened. Perhaps he had stood there a bit too long, clenching and unclenching his sweaty fists but the driver's door opened again, causing him to flinch, unsure if he was about to move to the car or reach for his gun, he wasn't sure but before he could decide his senior opened the backdoor. He watched another scene of confusion unfold before him, San shrugged off his jacket, and crouched down into the car, placing it over her torso, and tucking it around her upper body, "There, now you're all warm."

Wooyoung was dead sure he heard San chuckle, but the muffled whining was louder. Standing up straight he closed the car door and turned to look at Wooyoung, his white T-shirt clinging onto his well-built frame, the ring in his necklace glimmering under the streetlight. Just who was this man?

"Wooyoung, if you aren't comfortable with this I-"

Huffing the junior stomped to the other side of the car, slamming the door shut. Shaking his head in defeat San let out an airy chuckle, staring up at the stars, "Man, I just attract brats, I'm sure of it."

"You know…this is illegal right?"

They had been driving in silence for almost thirty minutes before Wooyoung had decided to slice the tension. What bothered him more was how it was only he who could feel this tension, the lady at the back was literally snoring away in wonderland and his boss was driving with one hand on the wheel, the other was resting on the armrest, casually drumming against the material.

"Hmmm? What is?"

"This. She's a criminal! We literally caught her-"

"Doing what? Looking at flowers? In a mask? It was a masquerade ball, Detective." he sighed, already using the new title for his junior, who hissed in disapproval, who was this man, where was the man of great stature and moral value that he looked up to since his trainee days.

"You know what I mean, you're becoming an accomplice to a crime and-"

"Then report me Wooyoung." he slammed the brakes, causing the younger one to squeak, holding onto the handle, thanking God that he was wearing a seatbelt, his eyes wide with fear as he looked at his superior staring dead ahead as he mumbled, "Report me if you must, but I'd be damned if any of you try to lay a finger on her again."

"Again? What do you mean-"

Once again, he was left hanging as the man got out of the car slamming his door shut, the entire car swaying in the process. He turned to look at him again when the back door opened, though he noticed the way the woman shook her head and scooted away from him, causing him to sigh, he looked so…defeated. Was she scared of him? Wooyoung's eyes flickered to the woman, his profiler skills on overdrive, what if he read it wrong, what if he was supposed to save this woman from the sergeant? He noted the way her eyes had watered, tears threatening to slip at any given moment, waiting for the last push- he still wasn't sure about their dynamics, what if none of this was consensual? She kept on pulling back until her back pressed against the door, legs pulled closer to her chest as she shook her head, heavy tears dripping down her cheeks, her mascara running like a stream, her entire form shaking, her sobs muffled by the tape- this was not the woman who had smacked him across the face, this was not the woman who had stomped her heel on his hand, this was but a mere broken, scared little girl.

"Sir-" For the third time tonight Wooyoung had reached for his gun, ready to shoot anyone who he thought was suspicious at this point.

"I won't go…I promise I won’t, he explained it to me and I- f*ck I'm so sorry, I'm sorry." His head hung in disappointment, eyes not even meeting hers, palms pressing on the seat, “I’m staying, I swear I won’t leave again.” He whispered reaching for her once more, his hand resting on her ankle, thumb stroking the skin, Wooyoung noticed the way she visibly relaxed a bit, manoeuvring to let him pull her out, he reached for her cuffed hands, pulling them over his head, their faces inches away from each other as he gave her a gentle, dimpled smile- that was new. What he did not expect was for San to completely ignore him, as the Sergeant pulled out his wife in one swift motion, holding onto her bridal style as her muffled squeak echoed across the empty street, followed by his laugh.

He kicked the door open, smiling at the little meow that resonated across the empty hallway, coming to greet her parents, she had indeed spent a week with her distressed mother and in the absence of her father, especially after witnessing the two in a full-blown argument, must have scared the little fur ball.

“Byeol, didn’t I tell you to watch mommy, while I was away?” he called out to the cat that walked beside him, making sure to rub against his leg as he slowly sat her down on the couch, reaching to scratch his baby’s head, only to stop when she gently tugged at the ends of his hair, before her fingers slowly caressed the nape of his neck, arms still looped around his shoulders. He glanced up at her sheepishly, smiling at her, “Sorry, forgot about that,” reaching up he reached for the tape, “I’ll go slow, okay?” nodding at him she looked at him determined, and ready. He did it slowly, making sure he caused minimal pain, and glad he kept the paper tape in the car, usually for their little activities, any other tape would’ve hurt more.

Sighing she licked her dry lips, looking down at her lover, “Won’t you kiss me?” she whispered before turning her head to look at the newcomer, as soon as Byeol hissed, “Nevermind, officer cramped-undies is here, he’s allergic to love.” she mumbled, glaring at Wooyoung who was glaring back at her with the same intensity.

Shaking his head at the two San pulled her arms over his head, undoing her cuffs, and tossing them away somewhere, the clinking of the metal attracting the cat that went running across the room to it. Grabbing her right hand he hummed, gently applying pressure, taking in her reaction, “Sorry, didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay, Sannie.” She smiled, placing her left hand over his, “I’ve been through worse.” Wooyoung noticed the way he froze at her words, his smile turning into a deep frown, glaring at the ground for a split second before shaking his head, and looking up at her with a gentle smile, “I’ll be back.” With that he stood up, gesturing to Wooyoung to follow him as the two made their way into the kitchen, that was across the hall. Wooyoung stood next to the marble island in the centre of the dark kitchen, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket, watching his superior rummage through the cabinets mumbling stuff, “Ah…I told her not to change the place…tsk…this woman never listens to me…where are you…hah! Gotcha.” Like a cat filled with pride and glee after catching a mouse, he turned around with shining eyes, only to pause when he realised it was not his wife, he had turned to but his junior who wore an extremely sour expression, with the whole blank eyes and deep frown, the complete look.

Clearing his throat San looked at him, nodding as if he were grateful to his junior for not reporting him- yet. Wooyoung raised an eyebrow before pulling up the Kitsune Mask, “Care to explain?” his voice held a certain edge to it, more importantly, San knew that wasn’t a question, but an order- wow, he really did attract brats.

“I…” sighing in defeat he nodded, before gesturing to his face, “Apply this, it’ll stop the bruising, just let me patch her up first and…try to get along with her, she’s just been on edge today.” He mumbled walking out of the kitchen after placing a tube of ointment on the counter beside Wooyoung, who scoffed, she was his wife, not Wooyoung’s so why was he supposed to bear her tantrums?

San walked into the living room where she was trying to undo the strings of her heels with one hand, grumbling at the way she had tightened the knots. Placing the medicine box beside her on the couch, he gently pulled away her hand, mumbling a ‘let me’ before his nimble fingers began to work on the knots and strings, “Running in heels is dangerous.” He concluded, taking off her heels and placing them beside him, his baby girl had expensive taste, that was for sure, much like her psychotic brother- biology be damned.

“Are you going to be in trouble Sannie?” she asked, eying Wooyoung who had sat across the three-seater on the opposite loveseat, watching the scene unfold with a blank stare, honestly at this point, he was somewhat intrigued by the way his boss was swooning over his wife, the delicate intimacy making him a bit jealous due to the lack of a partner in his life. Morally, he wasn’t sure where he stood anymore, but this was a side of the Sergeant he had been dying to see, so who was he to deny the favour God had bestowed upon him?

“I don’t think so,” he muttered, opening the box to pull out her makeup wipes, he pulled one out, reaching for her face with his other hand, cupping her cheek, eyes instinctively closing, "But I swear you're in so much trouble." His warning had her eyes snapping open with a pout, though he clicked his tongue and grunted, "Hold still, close your eyes." But she grabbed his hand, staring at it, before meeting his eyes, "Your…ring…You took it off- I- did I- You- I mean we-" her breath hitched, another wave of nausea hit her, the all too familiar ringing in her ears resurfacing. "Hey- no, no, no love, look at me." He gently patted her cheek with the wet tissue, the hand she was holding onto rubbed soothing circles on her thigh, "I didn't remove it, just wore it here" Pulling back he plucked out the necklace from under his shirt, "See, " holding the chain up for her to see, the ring dangling off it, "Just kept it hidden, to keep you safe, okay? You're okay, I'm okay….we're okay." he whispered back, bringing her hand to his lips to press a gentle kiss to her palm, watching her sniffle, "Now, close your eyes, no more crying, or I swear I'll cry", waiting for her to follow instructions, glad when she did, with that, he gently began to clean up the streaks of mascara and residue of her makeup, hand working like clockwork, impressing Wooyoung, much like how he had handled her panic attack- what exactly was going on here, how did San know what to do? Had he perhaps done this before? Why did the sight before him make him feel like he was intruding on something personal, should he leave?

"Wooyoung?" his mental debate came to a halt when his superior called him, looking at his broad back, his face still turned to his wife, smiling up at her, as she looked down at him. She was…beautiful- no, she was charming, her freshly cleaned skin radiating with an alluring glow, almost inviting- was she a siren?

"Wooyoung, if you're done staring at my wife like a perverted teenager-"

"Sannie" she stopped him, as soon as she noticed how the younger one was blushing, clearing his throat as he looked everywhere but at the couple.

"I.I wasn't Sir- I-"

"The ointment." was all San, craning his neck to glare at the man, his eyes cold and hard, swirling with jealousy- possessive huh?

"Yes, sorry, here." scurrying over to the couch he placed it in San's open palm, pausing to glance at his wife- wanting to get a closer look at what may have been his first and only interaction with an angel. Sergeant Choi did strike a deal with lady luck on this one, her features were not only soft and delicate, much like her gentle gaze, especially how she was staring down at her husband with endearment that had him almost vomiting, but her overall persona had changed, not like the devious little being he had encountered at the greenhouse.

"There." Pulling on a cute bow he looked up at her with a smile, "Go change, dinners on me tonight." Standing up straight he side-eyed Wooyoung who stumbled back at the sudden proximity of the taller man, he didn't realise he was standing so close to the two. Cupping her face his thumbs caressed the swollen area of her undereye, her eyes closing at the gesture, nodding when we whispered gently "Go."

With that she was gone, leaving the two men alone, Wooyoung standing there looking somewhat guilty- even though he wasn't part of any of the crimes committed tonight.

"Come on, you want chicken flavour or cheese-flavoured ramen?" San asked, calling him over his shoulder earning a sound of disapproval from his junior, "What?"

"You're going to feed your wife instant ramen?"

"I was going to feed you too, but if you'd rather be ungrateful then who am I to force you."

"Sir?"

"What?"

"Let me cook. Please."

That's how Choi San found himself sitting at the barstool at the kitchen island, somewhat glad how big it was, his wife was right, the bigger the better- for kitchen appliances, mind you. On the opposite end of the countertop, Wooyoung was silently chopping vegetables, done with carrots, green onions and now the cabbage, this couple ate well, and had good taste in produce as well- Wow Jung Wooyoung, so much for begging God to let you know more about your boss, should've asked for something else instead, like a million bucks or something.

San admired the way the younger man was working, he knew Wooyoung was a hard worker, but his skill and expertise amazed him, also made him realise he attracted brats, but those brats knew how to cook.

"Who is she?" Wooyoung asked, sliding the diced cabbage into the strainer, "What are you involved in please tell me now, I'm at the ripe age of my youth so I can jump careers unlike you-"

"I'm literally only three years older than you."

"My point exactly."

Shaking his head in disbelief San signed, resting his chin on his palm, "You really are something else, huh?"

"I've been called worse, Sir."

"She's…Kim Hongjoong's sister." he began only to stop when Wooyoung slammed the butcher knife onto the board, "THE KIM HONGJOONG? HEAD OF MATZ? THE SOLAR DRAGON? THE MAN WHO KILLS WITH JUST HIS GAZE??? THE SAME MAN YOU ARRESTED- how- HOW DID YOU GET HIS SISTER TO MARRY YOU?" His shrilly voice echoed around the kitchen as San rubbed his temples, God was testing him today.

"First of all, yes, not biological, the two grew up at the same orphanage and secondly, I did arrest him but no one knows she's his self-proclaimed sister- well, other than Seonghwa" he mumbled, pulling off his necklace and staring at the ring, "I remember being like you, believing in the system, believing in the goodness of people, that those who are innocent are never wronged- I was a fool, this entire system is whack and for some reason, fate decided to send me a stray that was abused enough to convince me about how wrong I was."

Wooyoung watched him in silence, placing the dirty dishes in the sink as he turned on the electric stove, "I… see." was all he said, waiting for the water to boil, "Do you have garlic paste?"

"In the fridge, I think." San pointed at the fridge before sighing, "How much do you know about Hongjoong's mission?"

Opening the fridge the man stared at the neatly stacked containers of food, all untouched, if San didn't come home for a week, why was there so much food there? Was she…waiting for him? Making him dinner every night? The knot in his stomach twisted a bit too tight as he sighed, closing the fridge, “You were undercover for a year, by the end of it, you captured the Matz leader and most of the gang."

"Did you know Kim Hongjoong came to me himself?"

"What?"

"Exactly," exhaling he pulled the ring out of the chain, slipping it back on his finger, all snug, where it belonged, "I started the mission as an undercover agent. I was part of an underground fight club, one of the many Hongjoong owns- Django." he nodded to Wooyoung who was adding strips of meat to the bowling broth, "It was fine, the usual bullshit, took me a few months to even get recognition, but one thing was for sure, everyone feared Hongjoong, everyone but one person- his advisor."

"And… that was her?" he asked, deciding to take out the side dishes she had packed away in the fridge.

"Yeah…" Reaching for the mask he admired the details, memories flooding back, "We never saw her face, this mask was who she was, she was quick and agile as a cat, but Hongjoong's favourite. She was also my meal ticket to her brother. After a match I was about to leave when I heard a scuffle, honestly, I was going to leave but the bell" Shaking the mask the bell resonated in the kitchen, and the only other sound present was of the boiling broth, "I knew it was her so I went to check, a few guys had cornered her, I don't know why, maybe she was tired that day, maybe they were physically stronger, but while one held onto her the other reached for her mask and that's when I snapped, all I remember was my hands were bloody and before I knew it I was being taken to meet Hongjoong."

"You saved her?" he asked, as he opened a few cabinets, before looking at San who pointed at the one at the far right, "Plates and bowls are there. Cutlery is in the drawer." With a thankful nod, Wooyoung motioned him to continue.

"Yeah, I did. I was assigned as her bodyguard. I wanted to be Hongjoong's but usually, where you'd find her, you'd find Hongjoong and the other way round." he took a deep breath, “Either way, I realised this little cat burglar was more than just a petty thief, she was his eyes and ears, his map maker, she was Hongjoong’s prized possession. I gained a good number of business details, the only problem was that I also began to learn about her, and how she’d be at school during the day- only a handful of people had seen her face and somehow, I had made it to the list.” Chuckling he placed the mask down, looking at Wooyoung who was busy setting the cutlery, “the first time I had seen her without her mask, I swear I froze up, I never thought I was religious but when I saw her, her gentle eyes to the slope of her nose to her flushed cheeks, I was sure of one thing, God really did make angels and I had just seen one in the flesh.” Wooyoung paused at the statement, only mere minutes ago he had held the same sentiments, but something else got to him too, which he bluntly put forth, “You fell for her?”

“Hard…I fell hard.”

“So …did you like…”

“No” he shook his head, “I was a hot-headed officer on my way to a promotion, like hell, I was going to give in to her, I entertained her fantasies but…never took any advantage of her, she made it difficult though,” he chuckled before sighing when Wooyoung sat down across him, plating the dishes, “I was at the precinct one-night when Hongjoong came over, offered a deal, he said, and I quote;

‘Congrats f*cker, you have my sister wrapped around your finger and she won’t let me make an example out of you, so I come with a deal, take me in- but remove her from all your papers, she never existed- ya got me?’

I didn’t think Seonghwa would agree, but even Sergeant Park Seonghwa was looking for a promotion, so we agreed, The next day we raided the HQ and got a good chunk of their top men, including Hongjoong and she was nowhere near in sight.”

“So you married her after?” Wooyoung asked, placing a bowl of rice in front of San who shook his head.

“No, I hated her, I felt like it was wrong, even if she wasn’t directly involved, she was being protected by the law. But who was I to argue? I remember, a few weeks later she came to see me at the precinct, I remember ignoring her and walking out, she literally followed after me, told me she was going to start on a clean slate, and that she could change for me.” He sighed, staring at his soup, cabbage soup, wow, maybe he should invite Wooyoung over more, “I feel like that was my fault because the very moment I told her that the sight of her disgusted me, every inch of my being hated her- she looked…so scared that night like she had lost her purpose.”

Frowning at him Wooyoung mumbled, “But…she wanted to change!”

“I know, I was a d*ck, I was arrogant, the youngest detective in the precinct, the golden boy, and she did change, went to school regularly, got her degree, hell she even got a decent job- she approached me again after that,” he sighed, before reaching to grab her plate, adding a good portion of rice and meat.

“Did you…you know, accept it?” Wooyoung asked before stuffing his face with the kimchi his wife had prepared for him, man an angel that can cook.

“No.” placing her plate down San glanced at the clock, she was gone for almost 40 minutes, must’ve been in the tub, “Worse, I led her to the worst night of her life, I broke her. We met at a club, by accident of course, I never went to clubs anyway, but when I got promoted to Sergeant, Seonghwa was simultaneously promoted to Captain, and they took us to celebrate. I met her there, she was out with some friends- she approached me, sweet as ever, though I bit back, told her to get lost, that I wouldn’t even care if she even disappeared off the planet.”

Wooyoung visibly winced at the choice of words, truly amazed by the harshness of his superior, especially after witnessing the love he had for his wife, waiting for him to continue.

“I lost her that night, only saw her getting in a cab with her friends, saw the guys too- honestly I thought to myself that night ‘so much for I love you San’. But that was my fault, I should’ve noticed how her eyes were clouded, I should’ve seen how her so-called friends were carrying her stumbling form, how they were handling her, how the guys were touching her.” He paused before letting out a shaky breath, “The next morning I remember reading an online article about another horrendous case, only this time, I knew the victim. I went to Seonghwa, the first thing I could do but he had beaten me to it, he had taken the case to the superiors who had shut it down, you know why?” he asked Wooyoung.

“Because it involved rich kids?”

“Not just any rich kids, Minister Lee’s useless son and his friends- honestly, I was more horrified by the fact that the girls were in on it, the case was closed before it even reached court. I couldn’t let it go though, I tried to contact her, but she wouldn’t even let me see her at the hospital, the nurses told me to leave and when I pushed my way through…I saw not my angel in her glory, but someone whose wings were ripped off- the way she looked at me that day, it’s like she could see through me, with the same disgust I showed to her for several years.”

“What did you do?”

“The only thing I could do, I went to Hongjoong.”

“Did he…”

“Beat me up? Yeah, the man runs the prison too, and I was foolish enough to tell him that I had met with his sister before the crime, and while he was busy breaking my fingers he asked me this one question, ‘Who does your system serve? A rich kid with STDs or a civilian girl trying to rebuild her life?’ I know that was all it took for me, for Seonghwa, that’s when we realised this is more than just some way of life, no, we were wearing the badges of honour, but we were on the wrong side.”

“Then?”

“I don’t know, he beat me up so bad I was knocked out when I woke up, I remember Seonghwa standing by my hospital bed, asking me, ‘Do you want to do the right thing?’ and I said yes. The next thing I knew as soon as I could walk again, I was at her apartment, she didn’t let me in though, but I never stopped, I’d go there each night, sit outside her door, listening to her cry at the other end. One day though, when I was about to ring the doorbell she opened the door, looked up at me, and asked me, why I’d come every night and honestly the only explanation I had was, that if there was one person, I’d give up everything for, it would be her.”

Sighing he chugged down a glass of cold water, “Things were…okay, Seonghwa and I became part of the crew, unofficially of course, we still did our jobs, she still went to work, we bought an apartment together, lived together, did everything’s couples would do. One night she asked me if I’d still love her if she took back what they took from her, she wanted to burn out the fire and there was only one way…”

“What did you…say?”

“I said I’d protect her either way.”

“So…his son didn’t technically…”

“No, he didn’t decide to end his life, she did.” He shrugged, “Who was I to stop her, I am merely her husband and her bodyguard.”

“Wait.” Wooyoung cleared his throat, “So…why did you two…I mean- what- this entire week? Why’d you fight?”

“Oh- that!” shaking his head San sighed, “Obviously Hongjoong wasn’t done with his act of vengeance, I told him it was stupid and reckless and rejected the idea, it's been years and we needed her to not think about it anymore. Though I was supposed to assign two officers for tonight’s duty, and then last week my maps were missing, I suspected it was her, that she gave them to her brother and we fought…she was angry, I was scared of losing her again and well things escalated- I didn’t believe her, until last night, that’s why I removed Officer Song as your partner for tonight, even if Hongjoong wasn’t involved, I didn’t want to risk any chances of her being there- I knew she stopped after she took his son’s life, but knowing how the two crave for blood of the rich, I needed to be sure I’d keep her out of any danger”

“Sannie!” she called out, the padding of her bear feet echoed across the floor as she came running into the kitchen, both men turning to look at her, though Wooyoung instantly looked away, clearing his throat and San sighed, “Where are your pants?”

“Pants?” tilting her head, a bit confused she looked down at her usual sleepwear, his shirt, it was big enough, covered her till her thighs, plus she was wearing her undies, “Forget that- look, did you know Joong’s gonna come visit us tomorrow?”

Choking on his spit, Wooyoung turned to stare at her wide-eyed, what did she just say?

“What???”

“Kitten, what are you saying,” gesturing for her to come closer, she sat down beside San, eying the food before showing San the food, “Apparently Minister Lee’s house caught fire- crisp like burnt chicken I hear,” she giggled before turning to smile at Wooyoung, that smug smile reminding her of a sly cat, “Didn’t know you could cook.”

Forcing a smile Wooyoung muttered, “I can, Mrs.Choi.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

“Anytime.”

“Holy shit…” San sighed, “Seonghwa is gonna have a stroke, I swear- did you- did you do this??” he turned to look at her, sighing and reaching to grab her empty glass and filling it with water as she shook her head, “No, of course not, I told you I didn’t even know the layout of his house.”

“Then what were you doing there?” he asked, finally, the right question Wooyoung thought to himself.

“Because I knew you’d be there.”

San felt like his heart was about to combust, wanting to fall into her palm, letting her squeeze it to her contentment, like a little girl with her favourite teddy bear.

“I knew you’d be there.” She smiled, leaning closer to grab his hand and admire the wedding band, right where it belonged, right where they belonged. Wooyoung could only smile in disgust, this act of pure, blind passion making him envious.

“Oh, he did text me though.”

The two men looked at her, waiting for her to speak up, but like any persistent, stubborn feline she had them wait, only continued when San poked her side, earning a giggle, “He said he wants to meet Offic- sorry- Detective Jung. Seonghwa approved of him too.”

“WHAT?” Wooyoung shrieked in disbelief earning a sigh from San, “Well, welcome to the team brat.”

“WAIT NO! I”

She giggled leaning over the table to smile at him, San’s arm instinctively wrapping around her frame, pulling her into him, “It can be our little secret~”

Taglist: @edenesth @mlysalt @spooo00oky @cereal-simp @yessa-vie @marsvillee

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silicacid · 4 months

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Al Jazeera journalist Samer Abudaqa killed in Israeli attack in Gaza

Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Samer Abudaqa has been killed and his colleague Wael Dahdouh was wounded in an Israeli attack in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

Cameraman Abudaqa and correspondent Dahdouh were reporting at Farhana school in Khan Younis when they were hit by an Israeli strike on Friday.

Rescue teams were unable to immediately reach Abudaqa and others at the site due to Israeli bombardment.

“Rescuers just managed to retrieve the cameraman Samer Abudaqa’s body,” a spokesperson for the media network said.

Dahdouh was hit by shrapnel on his upper arm, and managed to reach Nasser hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.

Witnesses said earlier there was heavy shelling in the area around the school.

Wael Dahdouh says the network’s crew was accompanying civil defence rescuers on a mission to evacuate a family after its home was bombed.

“We captured the devastating destruction and reached places that had not been reached by any camera lens since the Israeli ground operation started,” Dahdouh said from his hospital bed.

As the Al Jazeera journalists were heading back on foot because the areas were not accessible by car, Dahdouh said “something big” happened that knocked him to the ground.

After the explosion, Dahdouh said he pressed on his wounds and walked out of the area to get help, but by the time he reached an ambulance, medics said they could not return to the site of the attack because it was too dangerous.

Subsequent efforts to coordinate a safe passage to send rescuers for Abudaqa were delayed, Dahdouh said, adding that one ambulance that tried to reach the cameraman came under fire.

Many Palestinians from the central and northern parts of Gaza have sought shelter in Khan Younis since the war began in October. Many have now been pushed further south towards the strip’s southernmost city of Rafah after Israel intensified its military operations in Khan Younis.

The attack comes amid violent clashes between Palestinian fighters and the Israeli army in locations across Gaza. Residents reported fighting in Shujayea, Sheikh Radwan, Zeitoun, Tuffah, and Beit Hanoon in north Gaza, east of Maghazi in central Gaza and in the centre and northern fringes of Khan Younis, according to the Reuters news service.

The Al Jazeera Media Network condemned the attack and extended its condolences to Abudaqa’s family in Gaza and Belgium.

“The Network holds Israel accountable for systematically targeting and killing Al Jazeera journalists and their families,” a statement read.

“In today’s bombing in Khan Younis, Israeli drones fired missiles at a school where civilians sought refuge, resulting in indiscriminate casualties,” the network said.

“Following Samer’s injury, he was left to bleed to death for over 5 hours, as Israeli forces prevented ambulances and rescue workers from reaching him, denying the much-needed emergency treatment,” the statement added.

In late October, Wael Dahdouh lost four of his family members in an Israeli air raid.

His family had been seeking refuge in Nuseirat camp in the centre of Gaza when their home was bombed by Israeli forces, killing his wife, Um Hamza, his 15-year-old son, Mahmoud, his seven-year-old daughter, Sham, and his grandson, Adam, who died in hospital hours later.

Calls for accountability

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was “deeply saddened” and called for an independent investigation into the attack.

The press freedom group says the conflict in Gaza is the deadliest for journalists it has ever recorded.

“We’re outraged by the high price, I would say the extreme price, that Palestinian journalists are paying,” the CPJ’s Carlos Martinez de la Serna told Al Jazeera, adding that there was a “clear prevailing sense of impunity.”

“We need international, independent investigations to assess all these killings and those responsible need to be accountable,” said de la Serna. “It’s essential to remember that journalists under international humanitarian law are civilians, and the obligation on all parties involved in the war is to protect them, and what we’re seeing, is that journalists are being killed.”

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said it was “shocked” at the attack.

“We condemn the attack and reiterate our demand that journalists’ lives must be safeguarded,” it said in a post on X.

An IFJ report published last week found that 72 percent of journalists who died on the job this year were killed in the Gaza war.

‘A professional, strong team’

The two journalists have worked together with Al Jazeera Arabic since before the war.

“[Samer] and Wael make up a very professional, strong team on the ground, documenting everything and bringing all the facts and live pictures of what the Palestinian people have been going through,” Hani Mahmoud said.

“But particularly with this war, given its intensity in scale and magnitude and the sheer amount of destruction, they have been at the forefront of covering every little detail that one might have forgotten about,” he added.

#from the river to the sea palestine will be free #free palestine #palestine #gaza #wael al dahdouh #samer abudaqa #another journalist #never forget

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whencyclopedia · 7 days

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Allied Bombing of Germany

The Allied strategic bombing of Germany during World War II (1939-45) had multiple aims, which included destroying Germany's capacity to produce weapons; disrupting transport networks and supplies of oil, steel, and coal; destroying the German air force; and breaking civilian morale. To these ends, industrial cities, factories, railways, airfields, and dams were struck throughout the conflict.

Secondary goals of the strategic bombing campaign by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and United States Army Air Force (USAAF) included boosting home morale that Germany was paying a price for its invasion of Europe and bombing of Britain. Another aim was to demonstrate to the USSR that the Western allies were assisting the Soviet campaign on the Eastern Front. Some Allied commanders believed that the war could be won using air power alone, avoiding a land invasion. As it turned out, despite the bombers causing tremendous physical damage and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians, Germany fought on, and only a land operation from the east and west would finally win the war.

Why Did the Allies Bomb Germany?

The official military objectives of the strategic bombing of Germany are indicated in several directives formulated by the Allied Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Casablanca conference in January 1943 noted that the objective of the bombing offensive was:

The progressive destruction and dislocation of the German military, industrial and economic system, and the undermining of the morale of the German people to a point where their capacity for armed resistance is fatally weakened. (Dear, 196)

The Casablanca objective was amended by the Pointblank Directive of June 1943. This emphasised the importance of destroying German fighter plane production in readiness for the D-Day Normandy landings (Operation Overlord) planned for the summer of 1944. Before the Allies could contemplate a land invasion of Continental Europe they had to achieve air superiority or their armada would be destroyed. The Quebec conference of August 1943 reaffirmed the objectives of Casablanca and Pointblank but removed the objective regarding civilian morale.

Other aims of the bombings, perhaps not officially expressed but there, nonetheless, were to show the British and American public and Russia that something was being done to take the war to Germany. In the absence of a land attack on Germany, bombing was the next best thing. As the German Armaments Minister Albert Speer (1905-1981) noted, the air war became "a second front", one that absorbed men and machines which otherwise could have been used on the Eastern Front against Russia and in coastal defences in northern France.

#History #Germany #RAF #RoyalAirForce

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dieversa · 4 months

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Morning Mourning.

It might seem impossible to see anything in the dense, milky fog that has covered Odesa today. But the fog, even the most dense, unfortunately cannot hide the horror, pain, despair and deaths of people.

How hard is it to protect myself from hopelessness, fear and complete calcification of the heart.

The latest, and allegedly the most massive attack by russia on Ukraine so far. Residential estates, houses, the maternity hospital, the school, the trading centre, offices, shops.... Spent almost the entire night and morning on a chair in the corridor under drone blasts, missiles and the challenging work of our Ukrainian air defence defenders. At least 30 people have been killed and More than 160 people were injured.

Russia is and will be a terrorist state. It is easy to become convinced of this by reading the thousands of comments on all social networks written by russians. This is not a war of putin, politicians, military, this is a war of common russian people, who apparently enjoy only one thing - being terrorists, killing common Ukrainians in their homes, destroying homes, trying to completely erase the history of Ukraine. Please remember this and support Ukraine.

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beautifulchris · 10 months

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detention

pairing: hwang hyunjin x gn!reader

wc: 6,1k

featuring: bang chan, lee felix, sf9’s taeyang, loona’s heejin, the boyz’s eric, itzy’s lia, golden child's jangjun

summary: you both get detention at the same place

genres: hogwarts!au, classmates to lovers!au, gryffindor!hyunjin, ravenclaw!reader, fluff, drama, humor (i tried)

warnings: unhealthy behavior, small prejudice

notes: i apologize to heejin, i love you girl! enjoy ♥ moodboard made by me, pictures found on the internet. reposting works from my old blog

order of writing: chan - jisung - minho - hyunjin - jeongin - seungmin - changbin - felix

networks: @kflixnet @k-labels @straykidsland @kwritersworld

tag list: @badwithten @soobin-chois @raethethey send ask/dm/comment to be added!

“Detention it’ll be, Mr Hwang,” the potion professor glared, superficially rubbing his robes from nonexistent dust.

“But professor, I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“Maybe if you cared more about your surroundings… The kitchen, tomorrow after your last classes. And ten points deducted.”

“Isn’t that a little unfair?” pleaded Hyunjin.

“Complain again and I’ll double the points.” With a last deadly look, the professor went on his way and the Gryffindor ran to Quidditch practice. “Don’t run if you don’t want another detention!”

Hyunjin obliged and walked until the professor was out of sight. Then, he sprinted like his life depended on it. Arriving at the pitch, he put on his Quidditch robes, took his broom and joined his teammates in five minutes chrono.

“Sorry I’m late, I was going so fast that I slipped and hit an armor, and it made a sword fly in the air right on…”

“Hyunjin,” started Chan, the captain.

“Sorry, sorry.”

“Wait, I want to know if the sword flew on someone,” said Chan’s best friend and chaser.

“Yeah, the potion professor. I quickly pulled out my wand though and stopped it right before it hit him. I got detention anyway, in the kitchen tomorrow.”

“It’s alright, we don’t have practice tomorrow. Good luck, I heard from Felix that Pitts isn’t happy these days.”

“Thank you for your concern,” pouted the younger before leaving the ground.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

“It’s the third time this month that you forget your homework, Y/N Yoo. I’ll have to deduct five points from you and give you detention.”

“I understand and I’m sorry, professor,” you said as you looked down, rubbing your wrist.

“You can apologize to your House as well, tsk,” you heard a fellow Ravenclaw mutter behind you.

Lia, your friend and classmate, shook your arm gently to reassure you while glaring at the student.

She proposed many times to help you manage your homework and you thought that today was the final cue to accept. Damn your forgetfulness.

At the end of class, the herbology professor said your detention would be the next day after class, in the kitchen.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

Hyunjin was drained from practice, he sprawled on the couch after a hot shower and a second later, Heejin, one of his classmates, sat elegantly next to him.

“Hyunjin, want to help me on my defence against the dark arts homework? I’m really bad at it.”

Hyunjin couldn't see all the efforts Heejin put in getting attention out of the boy. It wasn't his fault he wasn't interested. Nor was it his fault she wouldn't back down on her own. He just let her be.

“Same here, you should ask someone else. Eric, for example,” he answered without opening his eyes. Eric was one of his closest friends in Gryffindor.

“Then what about we go out after classes tomorrow? We could go to Hogsmea-”

“I got detention, won’t be able to.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Then I’ll get detention too, to spend time with you!”

Hyunjin finally opened his eyes and looked at Heejin in disbelief. She was, on the other hand, smiling innocently and feeling happy he would show some kind of attention to her.

“Why would you… get detention on purpose…? Those are awful…”

“I can take it, don’t worry about me,” she winked and as she got up to leave, she flipped her hair.

Hyunjin could only frown but eventually believed she wasn’t serious and relaxed against the couch, his homework could wait a few more minutes.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

The next day, Hyunjin and Heejin got out of class at the same time.

“Let’s go to detention together!” she excitedly said as she tried to take his arm in hers but failed miserably because they were going different ways. “Where are you going?”

“The kitchen.”

Her face dropped. “What? I have to polish the trophy room, oh my god.”

“Isn’t the caretaker the one that oversees this detention? You better run if you don’t want to be late.” Hyunjin left, fearing to be late himself while Heejin cursed under her breath.

It goes without saying that she spent a terrible time polishing countless awards and trophies without magic along with a few other students.

You were slowly walking to the kitchen like a condemned, not looking where you were going, so you bumped into a taller frame two meters from the kitchen doors —meaning you walked past it. You lost your balance and almost fell over but Hyunjin caught your arms and helped you steady.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking straight,” you apologized looking at the person. Realizing it was Hyunjin, your eyes widened, you quickly freed yourself from his hold and entered the kitchen right away, but not without hearing him chuckle. There were two other students already.

“New students for tonight. Two of you can wash the floor while the other two make sandwiches,” Pitts, the house-elf responsible for the kitchen, ordered. The Gryffindor and the Slytherin rushed to the tables to start making sandwiches but got stopped by a yelling Pitts. “Wash your hands first!”

Hyunjin and you shared a glance, silently judging the students that unfairly chose for you, in your opinion.

A smiling house-elf came to you and Hyunjin with mops and buckets full of water and cleaning products. “You can use these, try not to wash too close to the fire over there, another student did that two days ago and put it out. Pitts wasn’t pleased at all.”

“Thank you,” you shot him a smile and went at the end of the place to start away, doing it as neat as you could.

“Then I’ll do the other side,” whispered Hyunjin to himself. He didn’t really know how to clean efficiently, but he did his best, tripping a few times.

While you were almost done an hour later, you realized Hyunjin was not even in the middle and three house-elves were on the floor, massaging their butts. The other students changed tables and went to your area of cleaning to avoid their shoes from being soaked. He kept apologizing to everyone but also didn’t stop his mistake. You quickly finished your part and joined him on the dry part of the floor, behind him.

“Hyunjin,” you called and watched him get startled with an apologetic smile, “you’re putting too much water, it’s never going to dry.”

“I’m sorry, I’ve never done this before.”

“It’s alright,” you assured. You didn’t learn any spell that could do the trick —yet— but you knew house-elves could do a lot. “Can you dry out this area, please?” you asked a house-elf next to you who happily obliged. “Thank you!” You turned to Hyunjin. “So, you need to wring it first before washing the floor, like that.” You showed him how it was done and he thanked you four times in a row.

“You’re welcome, I wasn’t expecting an ace of Quidditch to know that anyway.”

He was taken aback by your remark, not really understanding what Quidditch had to do with his lack of cleaning knowledge. He felt like you were nicer to the house-elves than himself and he found it intriguing.

“I get that you’re judging me from my popularity, a lot of people do, but—”

“Popularity? You think you’re popular?” you asked, crossing your arms and raising an eyebrow.

“Wait, wrong choice of word. I meant reputation.” You slowly nodded, motioning for him to continue. “Anyway, don’t let my reputation cloud your judgment about me, please.”

“Why do you care what I think about you?” You were confused now and uncrossed your arms.

“I—” he blushed, embarrassed. “I don’t know, you seem cool and I’d like to be your friend?”

It was your turn to be taken aback, never would you have thought this would happen.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

Your back was sore from all the moping you had to do —the kitchen had the same dimensions as the Great Hall so it was really huge. You complained to Lia, who half listened and half focused on her homework. You were seated at a table in your common room.

“Do you need help for your potion homework? I just finished it. We also have to write two parchments on how to take care of a kneazle for care of magical creatures.”

You sighed loudly. “What would I do without you?”

“You could start by buying a planner and note your homework on it. Then do them.”

“Nope. I prefer having you,” you smiled tiredly.

The 7th year keeper of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team entered the common room, spotted you and came to kiss your forehead.

“Hi sugarplum. How are you? You look tired.”

“I am, I got detention in the kitchen for forgetting my homework thrice.”

“Could have been easily prevented, then, huh? Please do your homework properly. I’m sorry Lia,” he added.

“Oh, it’s alright, don’t worry,” she blushed. “I can do that for my best friend.”

“Okay, dad,” you put your thumb up, eyes half closed.

“Big brother would be enough,” he laughed and left you to join his friends.

“Taeyang is so sweet, you’re so lucky to have a brother like him. Plus he’s really handsome.”

“Wipe your saliva before anyone notices,” you mocked as you got a closer look at your homework. You decided that you won’t be forgetting to do your homework anymore, it was too tiring.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

Eric sat next to Hyunjin in the Great Hall during dinner.

“I metamorphosed some library books into crows and the librarian didn’t find it as funny as me. I got detention with Heejin, we had to polish silver without magic. She was mad. She kept muttering she got detention for nothing because you weren’t even there.”

“Well that’s a good thing I wasn’t seeing your fingers.” They were full of bandages.

“Oh, that? No, it’s from the fanged flyers I sent in the courtyard earlier. They’re not easy to stop.”

Hyunjin shook his head and chuckled. “You’re unbelievable. Aren’t you tired of getting detention?”

“I’m having fun so it’s worth it. By the way, how was yours?”

“I learned how to mop the floor and Y/N was there.”

“Y/N? They’re from Ravenclaw, right?” Hyunjin nodded. “Did you talk?”

“Yeah, I asked them if we could become friends.”

Eric gasped dramatically. “What did they say?”

“Yes,” he rolled his eyes at his friend’s mocking behavior. “Eat your chicken and french fries before they disappear.”

Heejin, who wasn’t that far from the two friends, heard it all and wasn’t pleased by the news. She searched for you at your table and decided to put an end to this nonsense, starting by trying to burn a hole on your head —from the intense staring.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

You loved transfiguration, the art was beautiful and you appreciated your accomplishments after putting lots of effort into them, because it wasn’t easy, at all.

No matter how hard you were focusing on the hedgehog in front of you, you couldn’t make it into an acceptable pincushion. Yours still had the hedgehog’s spines while Lia's next to you, still had feet and even tried to flee. Both of you used the reparifarge spell and kept trying. At the end of class, Lia managed to make a perfect pincushion while you were… getting there.

“Hyunjin,” called your professor, “would you please tutor Y/N?” Hearing your name, you looked at her with wide eyes. Were you this bad? “I’m sorry,” she said to you,” but I’m afraid you won’t pass the exams if you can’t do this after a week.” By that, she meant three hours of class.

Hyunjin stopped next to you without you noticing, smiling and waiting for you to start packing your stuff. “I’ll do it professor.”

“Professor! I have trouble transfiguring this as well, could Hyunjin help me too?” you heard Heejin ask from the back of the room. Lia and Eric rolled their eyes in unison.

“How inconsiderate must you be to want your classmate to tutor two people at the same time? Chaewon, would you please tutor Heejin?” The Ravenclaw agreed with a smile and you got out of class with the hedgehog in your hands, avoiding Heejin’s glare, Hyunjin and Lia beside you.

“Do you want to practice now? Or after lunch?” As if to answer his question, Lia’s stomach growled. You were hungry as well.

“Let’s eat first and meet up in the courtyard,” you proposed.

“Good idea, I’m starving,” said Eric as he put an arm around Hyunjin’s shoulders. He shot Lia his best smile, which she answered with a smirk, before taking your arm and walking to the Great Hall, the boys following.

The hedgehog sleeping in your robe’s pocket, you were eating in front of Lia on the Ravenclaw table.

“Oh my god, she’s at it again,” she grumbled.

You followed her gaze and turned around to see Heejin next to Hyunjin, clearly overstepping his personal space. Eric’s smile, on the other side of his friend, was gone and he looked upset. Hyunjin was just ignoring her, trying to eat and talk to Eric.

You preferred focusing on your plate and that was the moment Jeongin chose to push Heejin gently and sit at her place. She was about to protest but one look from the 3rd year Gryffindor closed her mouth.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

Lia and Eric went their way to let you and Hyunjin practice in peace.

“Do you have the image of the pincushion in your head?” You nodded. “Okay, try.”

You did, and the pincushion had a head.

“Damn it,” you cursed.

Hyunjin used reparifagex right away. “It’s alright, it took me a while too.”

Yeah, like an hour, you thought.

“Your wand movement seems a bit off, can you show me again?” You nodded and tried again, without using the spell. “Hm. Can I?”

“Sure.” Hyunjin moved so he was behind you, putting his hand over yours. His hand was warm, enveloping yours perfectly. It felt like the movements he made were fine, elegant even, compared to the ones you did earlier. “I think I got it,” you smiled, turning to him.

Hyunjin let go of you with a nod, watching you try yet again. The pincushion was perfect, fancy color and neat sewing. “Yes! You did it!”

“It’s all thanks to you,” you said, trying a few more times to turn the hedgehog into a pincushion, just to be sure you mastered it.

“It’s my pleasure.”

You thought accomplishing this was enough for the professor but no, she wanted Hyunjin to keep tutoring you until the end of term.

“I’m so sorry, I’m going to be such a burden,” you whined as you got out of class, massaging your temple with two fingers.

“Not at all, we get to spend time together.” You looked at each other and shyly smiled.

Your friends, in the back, were smirking at the sight.

“Soon,” Eric whispered to Lia and she nodded.

“I don’t think so,” whispered Heejin from behind them. If looks could kill…

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

The next day after dinner, you were in your common room, doing your homework with Lia as usual. An owl entered by an opened window and landed on your shoulder. You recognized Soren, Hyunjin’s owl, for seeing her a few times delivering him posts on mornings. She lifted her talon so you could take the letter and after doing so, she affectionately nibbled on your ear before leaving.

You opened the letter. It was short and, as expected, from Hyunjin.

Y/N,

Would you meet me in the courtyard right now? I know it’s late and you might have other things to do— but I have something to tell you. I hope you’ll come.

Hyunjin

“Are you going?” asked Lia after reading the letter from above your shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m not turning down on Hyunjin,” you started, putting your stuff in your bag. “See you later,” you waved at your friend and left the common room to go to the courtyard.

Once there, however, Hyunjin was nowhere to be seen. Instead, you were greeted by Heejin, arms crossed, a disgusted look on her face.

“I can’t believe you came. What do you think he would say to you?”

You were annoyed to be deranged by her of all people. And for what? You never did anything to her. Your eyes rested on her bandaged fingers.

“What did you do to your fingers?” you asked, ignoring her previous question.

“This damn owl didn’t want to deliver my letter at first, she attacked me,” she said, clearly annoyed and you suppressed a laugh. “Anyway, stay away from Hyunjin. He’s too good for you.”

“You don’t know me but okay, is that all?”

Maybe you shouldn’t have been this disinterested by what she had to say— or she had planned to do it anyway, but the moment you turned around to go, she casted a hex on you.

“Colloshoo!” Your shoes stuck to the ground, you couldn’t move anymore. “Now you just need to wait for a professor,” she chuckled. Did she think you were this dumb?

I mean, you had a hard time in transfiguration, yes, but you were really good at charms.

You put out your wand and pointed to your shoes. “Finite Incantatem.” The effect of her hex got removed and you turned to face her. “I think you’ll need more than that to stop me.”

She sighed deeply and ultimately prepared for a duel. “Don’t chicken out now.”

“Just because I’m not a Gryffindor doesn’t mean I’m a coward. Langlock!”

Her tongue glued itself to the roof of her mouth, making her unable to speak. She clutched at her throat and ran away quickly. You decided to go back to your homework when you saw Heejin talking to the potion professor in one of the hallways. You couldn’t avoid them so you waited for them to come to you.

“And she just attacked me behind my back!” Heejin was smiling behind the professor but you still had her panicked face in mind when she couldn’t open her mouth.

“Y/N Yoo, did you just attack Miss Jeon?” he asked.

“Do you want to hear my side of the story or are you going to believe her lies?”

“I don’t have time for your little games, Yoo, I’m going to give you detention for attacking another student and wandering in the castle at night.”

“She sent me an owl asking me to come here, then used Colloshoo on me, and I get detention?”

“Maybe you should have stayed in your common room. Jeon, you’ll get detention for the same reasons.” If that was the only semblance of justice you were getting, you were going to accept it.

“What?” Heejin was not having it, though.

“But I won’t give you the same detention. Jeon, you’ll pickle rats’ brains in the dungeons tomorrow after class while Yoo, I heard the Hospital Wing needed hands to clean out the bedpans so you’ll do that.”

“Yes, professor.” The least you wanted to do was stay with these two so you rapidly went back to your common room, hearing Heejin’s protests in the distance. She probably got more trouble.

“How was it?” enquired Lia the moment you entered.

“Turns out it was Heejin wanting me to stop seeing Hyunjin.”

“What?! Where is she? I’m going to—”

“She complained to the potion professor —of all professors— and we both got detention. You better stay here.”

“What happened?”

You explained everything and she seemed really mad. “I wonder if she doesn’t have a rat’s brain,” was all she could mutter with clenched teeth.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

At the Hospital Wing for your detention, you found Hyunjin already there.

“Hyunjin?” you called.

“Y/N? Are you hurt?” His eyes widened at your sight and he ran to you.

“No, why would I be?”

“It’s the Hospital Wing, generally students come here when they need to,” he laughed.

“I have detention,” you pouted.

“Ah, me too. Eric used dungbombs in the toilets of the first floor and I happened to be there with him.”

“It sucks, I’m sorry. He seems to enjoy it though.” You started cleaning out the bedpans with him under the vigilant gaze of the school’s nurse.

“Trust me, he does! So, why are you here?” After you narrated yesterday’s events, he opened his mouth —only to close it a few moments later.

“No way… I’ll talk to her, I’m so sorry. This is embarrassing, she’s not even my friend.”

“It’s okay, I know how to take care of myself,” you winked, which reassured him a little.

“But… What she did isn’t okay, if only just the fact she used Soren, my precious owl…”

“She’s really sweet by the way,” you smiled at the souvenir of his owl’s affectionate behavior towards you.

Heejin wasn’t in neither of your mouths for the remaining hours in detention, preferring talking about the things you had in common and made you both smile.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

Hyunjin did keep his promise, because the second Heejin went to see him in their common room, all smooth and smiling, he confronted her.

“Hi Hyunj-”

“We need to talk.” His voice was firm, his face closed.

Heejin acted confused and worried, putting one of her hands on his arm. “What’s wrong?”

“Let’s talk privately,” he continued, leaving the common room to go in the nearest empty hallway, Heejin right behind him. “What you did to Y/N was so wrong, and don’t get me started on Soren.”

Heejin’s expression changed at your mention, of course you told him, what a snitch. “It’s not what you think,” she pleaded.

“And what am I thinking?”

“I— she attacked me first!” she tried.

He sighed exasperatedly. “I’m in no place to tell you what to do but it’s in your best interest to stay away from Y/N, Soren and me, from now on. If you could stop obsessing over me, it would be cool too. Please, wake up and stop trying to get me to like you, I won’t. I can't. I like someone else.”

He was about to leave when Heejin grabbed his arm. “It’s Y/N, isn’t it?” she rolled her eyes in annoyance. “They came out of nowhere and stole your heart just like that, while I was there from the beginning and gave you everything.”

“I’m sorry, but you were suffocating me. I don’t think that’s love.”

She stared at him for a while then finally let him go, looking down. “I— I understand. I’m sorry for hurting you.”

Hyunjin smiled. “I forgive you, and Y/N and Soren deserve an apology too.”

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

The next day, Heejin came to you as you were going to a tutor lesson with Hyunjin.

“Y/N, can I talk to you?” she blushed in embarrassment.

“Are you going to hex me if I refuse?” you raised an eyebrow. She shook her head in disagreement. “What do you want?”

“I wanted to apologize for what I did to you. It wasn’t right, I shouldn’t have done that. I was jealous of you and wanted Hyunjin for myself.” She had slump shoulders but maintained eye contact.

“What made you change your mind?” you frowned, still being a bit suspicious.

“Hyunjin, actually. He talked to me and made me realize how unhealthy and delusional I was being. I’m really sorry, Y/N. I’m not asking you to forgive me, though.”

You genuinely smiled at Heejin and offered a hand to shake. “I do. Let’s bury the hatchet.”

She happily shook your hand and you parted ways to go to your lesson.

“I just spoke to Heejin,” you said as you arrived in front of Hyunjin, seated on a bench in the courtyard. He opened his eyes wide. “She apologized and I forgave her.”

He sit up straight. “You did?”

“Yeah, you did too, right?” you said as you sat next to him.

“She told you?”

“No, I figured. You seem to be indulgent.”

“I guess I am. I’m glad she willingly apologized.”

“Oh, I thought you made her do it?” you joked.

You both laughed and started working on cross-species switches —a pain.

After the tutoring, you were doing your homework with Lia. Taeyang entered the common room and sat next to you at the table.

“Y/N, who’s the guy I saw you with earlier?” he enquired, looking over your neatly done herbology homework.

“I need you to be more specific.” You knew who he was talking about but you could have your part of fun from time to time.

“There’s more I don’t know about?!” His shocked expression was worth it.

“You know him, why act like you don’t?”

“So he is a Gryffindor’s chaser. You’re not feeling like befriending the enemy?” he joked.

“It’s not like I was playing and you’ll always be my number one Quidditch player.”

“I better be. So are you more than friends?” he smirked.

“Oh my god no Tae, and don’t you dare give me the talk!” You took your stuff to finish your homework on your bed, knowing Tae wouldn’t follow you there.

“I’m just asking, but you’re defensively answering, plus you’re fleeing. You’re hiding something from me, I know it,” he said to himself, comfortably installed in the chair, lost in his thoughts.

Lia whispered something to your brother then followed you upstairs and you both worked on your respective homeworks.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

“We got a friendly match coming up this weekend with Ravenclaw, so I want all of you to do your best. Their keeper and seeker are particularly good,” said Chan at practice.

“We weren’t expecting a friendly before at least three weeks, what happened?” asked Hyunjin.

“I don’t really know, Chaeyoung asked for this, and said it was important.”

When Hyunjin joined the pitch that day, he thought he understood why this friendly was being held. Taeyang was on his broom, flying over the stands where you were, talking together. He grew anxious and a bit jealous, because Taeyang was a really good —and intimidating— keeper and apparently, you were also close to him.

During the friendly, you were cheering for your house team and lowkey Hyunjin. He scored some goals but Taeyang stopped a large amount of quaffles. Ravenclaw won after Jisung caught the snitch.

After the match, you waited for the teams outside of the changing room with a bag full of cauldron cakes.

Jisung and Chani were the first ones to go out and thanked you after you congratulated them and offered them some cakes. Then Hyunjin came out.

“Hey, what did you think of the match?”

“It was great. You were great, flying like an eagle.”

He giggled. “Thank you.”

“I must admit, you’re pretty good on a broom,” a voice said from behind you. Taeyang put his arm on your shoulder and took a cauldron cake from the bag in your hand. Hyunjin was a bit intimidated so he thanked him quietly, his eyes fixed on his hand on your shoulder.

“I present you my big brother,” you smiled and his eyes widened. He immediately felt stupid for being jealous and looked away.

“I’m Hyunjin,” he proposed his hand, which your brother shook strongly.

“Taeyang. I’ll keep an eye on you, just so you know. Don’t mess with my sugar plum.” You grimaced at the nickname, he had to use it now.

Hyunjin gulped and shook his head vividly. “I would never.”

You were embarrassed and the rest of the teams coming out saved you. You offered the rest of the cauldron cakes to everyone and fled to the castle.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

Next saturday, you were wandering alone through the castle —Lia went to Hogsmeade with Eric— when your brother came to you.

“Y/N, I got an owl from dad. With no surprise, he told me to keep an eye on you and to keep you away from trouble.”

“How sweet of him. Couldn’t send an owl directly to me and ask how I’ve been, though?” That was your dad. And hearing about him angered you.

“Y/N… don’t be like that, please.”

“Like what? Did he ask how I was in your letter?” His silence answered your question. “See? My time in detention is all he cares about, I’m tired.”

“I’m going to answer him. Stay inside the castle, it’s going to rain soon.”

“Whatever.” It’s frustrated and angry that you walked outside, between the castle and the Quidditch pitch. You looked for a mud and poop free area, lied down and took deep breaths.

Your dad was a Quidditch player in his years at Hogwarts. He was so good at it that he made the national team after he graduated. His whole life was dedicated to Quidditch, so he was beyond proud when Taeyang made the house team in his second year, like your dad. But he was also extremely disappointed when you didn’t even bother to go to the tryouts, despite the pressure your dad was putting on you.

Your brother was supportive of your choices and always defended you against your dad, but it was pointless. He acted like you were dishonoring the family and his ‘legacy’. It hurt you to the core, but you wanted to live your own life like you intended to, not like your dad or anyone else wanted you to.

You could have hated Quidditch because of all this, but you kept on supporting your brother and your house team, by coming to the practices and bringing sweets along for the team. Your brother often asked you to stop, saying you were just going to make them gain weight but they never said no to your gifts, especially not Jisung and Chani.

You looked at the sky, trying to clear your head. It was blue with lots of white clouds and you closed your eyes for a while, enjoying the breeze. Around twenty minutes later, you felt drops hitting your nose, then your forehead and neck. Milliseconds were enough for the rain to pour like a waterfall. You sighed and put your robe’s cap over your head. The castle was further than expected but you didn’t run.

Suddenly, you didn’t feel the rain anymore although it was still pouring. You lifted your head and saw Hyunjin on his broom, an umbrella in his hand put above you. He had his Quidditch outfit on, water dripping from his damped hair. He smiled sweetly at you and your cheeks burned from the kind gesture. You ran to the castle so Hyunjin wouldn’t have to do that for too long and he didn’t have problems following you. When you arrived at the big door, your gaze went to the Quidditch pitch and despite the weather, you could see forms flying around, meaning one thing: Hyunjin was having practice and ditched it for you. He shook his hair while you looked at him and smiled fondly.

“Your hair is sticking out everywhere. Cute.” Your eyes widened at what you just said and coughed. “Thank you for the help. You were having practice, right?”

Hyunjin chuckled at your expressions. “No problem, Y/N. Yes, Chan will understand why I left.”

“Alright, you should go back now. Don’t catch a cold!” He was going higher but stopped to give you the umbrella.

“You’ll need this more than me. I suggest you go dry yourself and stay by a fireplace. Bye!”

He flew to the Quidditch pitch and you were left there, your heart ready to combust from the cuteness of the conversation you just had.

You entered the castle and Taeyang found you in the hallway.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay inside?” His disapproving look didn’t wash away your smile and heart eyes.

“I don’t regret it.”

Your brother used the hot-air charm to dry your clothes and you thanked him, before going to your common room together.

“I told dad you were doing good and that you could take care of yourself just fine. You okay?”

“Yes, yes I’m good. Thank you. You’re the best brother ever,” you chanted, linking his arm to your own.

“I’m your only brother, it’s easy.” He 100x preferred seeing you smile than being upset, and wanted your happiness above all, even your dad’s wishes.

You sat together on a couch close to the fireplace to fight the cold.

“How do you put up with the pressure dad’s putting on you?” you asked.

He thought for a while then shrugged. “I love Quidditch and I’d rather he focuses on me to let you breathe. I’m sorry it’s not going as planned, I just wish he would stop caring about Quidditch so much.” You hugged your brother tightly. You were thankful for him.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

It was May and the last Quidditch matches of the season were being held. Slytherin had won against Hufflepuff, and the points in the match opposing Gryffindor to Ravenclaw were going to be crucial to know the winner of the Quidditch Cup.

You were excited to know which house would win this year and of course, you supported your own house, and Hyunjin.

You went to see him before the match at breakfast. “I’m rooting for you. But also my brother and my house team. Anyway, good luck.”

You left before he could reply so you had no idea how happy and confident it made him. Albeit you could feel it on the pitch when he came on his broom. You were in the stands with Lia and Eric, respectively in your house colors, and you must admit Hyunjin’s name left your mouth a lot during the match, maybe even more than Taeyang’s.

“300-270 for Gryffindor and the golden snitch isn’t caught yet,” said Jangjun, one of the commentators.

“Come on Jisung,” you heard Lia whisper beside you.

Your eyes were on Hyunjin. He avoided Chaeyoung and gave the quaffle to Lisa, allowing her to approach the goal. She pretended to shoot and your brother fell for it.

“Lisa scores! 310 for Gryffindor,” shouted Felix, the second commentator.

“It looks like Jisung has seen the snitch,” commented Jangjun. “Mark is right behind him. He’s gaining ground… Jisung’s giving his all… and he catches the snitch!”

“Ravenclaw wins 420 to 310!” announced Felix.

All the Ravenclaws jumped and screamed, pumping their fist into the air. You were really happy for your house team. Gryffindor did lose this match, but they accumulated the most points so they won the Quidditch Cup.

“We were 40 points away from the Quidditch Cup,” Taeyang had said in the common room where every Ravenclaw celebrated their victory. “But we did great on the match. I’m really proud of every single one of you. I could’ve stopped more quaffles—”

“Hey, you stopped a really large amount of quaffles and no one here could have done the same,” you said as-a-matter-of-factly.

You could hear some people agreeing with you and the screams intensified.

“Thanks Y/N. To our victory!” he cheered, raising his butterbeer into the air.

The crowd echoed and the party lasted until late but paused for dinner. In the Great Hall, you could see the pride in every Gryffindor’s eyes interested enough in Quidditch. You saw Hyunjin and gave him a thumbs up and a big smile but you definitely didn’t expect him to run to your house table and take you into a big hug, which you reciprocated, obviously.

Lia's smile widened and she discreetly clapped her hands while a few Ravenclaws gasped and stared at the two of you with wide eyes, including your brother. He knew there was something going on with the two of you, but, like you, he didn’t expect that to happen here and now.

“I think I did so well thanks to your encouragement so I wanted to thank you for it,” he whispered cheerfully in your ear.

“Are you sure? It was really awkward, not really an inspirational speech,” you jested.

“Yeah,” he laughed, a light sound you couldn’t get bored of hearing. “Maybe it’s because it was you.” He sounded more serious so you moved back to make eye contact. Neither of you cared about the people around you. “Y/N, spending time with you is the highlight of my days. You’re dazzling and I really, really like you.”

You smiled until your eyes crinkled. “Hyunjin, you happen to be a really good guy whose presence makes me incredibly happier. My life has been brighter since I met you. I like you too, like a whole lot,” you giggled and his smile couldn’t be wider.

He hugged you tight again and when you opened your eyes, you were met with your brother’s. He was smiling contently, giving you a thumbs up.

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed, please let me know <3 and here's the masterlist!

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mariacallous · 4 months

Text

Morning: day 659 of the full-scale invasion

From early, picket lines are set up near the walls of Kyiv’s city state administration. My friends and acquaintances are protesting, demanding that the capital’s budget be directed not to the repaving of roads, but towards the purchase of drones and FPVs for the battlefield. People close to me are saying: “I don’t want new roads; I want my friends to come back alive.”

A deputy from Kyiv city council has the audacity to suggest that the cities have enough on their plate: let the state take care of the war budget, he argues. Cities need their budgets for maintenance. And this perfectly sums up the widening gap between civilians and the military. Every day the same discussions take place – who should be mobilised? Who is ready to enlist? Can we live our lives for anything other than the war?

We are not even talking about replacing the hundreds of thousands of military personnel who have served in the army for almost two years now. Not to mention those who were already defending the country before the invasion. The latest mobilisation is a question of somehow restoring the military after daily losses.

The night before last, Kyiv was woken up by our air-defence sirens. But they began to sound after the first explosions, which meant that no one had time to run to the shelters. Russia had fired 10 missiles and 10 attack UAVs (drones). Our air defence forces shot down all of them, but the debris fell in four Kyiv districts. Fifty-three people were injured, mostly with lacerations. Nine of the victims are children.

The Russians are targeting infrastructure to deprive civilians of heat and electricity. The harsher the winter, the more missiles we can expect. And this expectation, the psychological threat, has been going on for three months.

Noon: day 659 of the full-scale invasion

A Russian cyber-attack targets one of the major phone networks. About 20 million Ukrainians are left without mobile connection and mobile internet for three days. On social networks Ukrainians post messages of support and gratitude to the network operator for its efforts.

For three days I have been catching a signal in wifi hotspots. I think about those areas where mobile is the only way to access the internet. Finally, on the afternoon of the third day, the phone connection reappears. I call my mother. I ask whether everything is OK, whether she has been worried. She says everything is fine, it is just wartime.

Every day there are reports of the deaths of artists at the front. Friends of friends. Within one week, several members of the film community perish. A cameraman, an actor. Not for the first time, I think: Russia is knocking us out one by one, dozen by dozen. Civilians, military. Cinema, literature, visual arts, agriculture, architecture, education, economics, sports – pick any field, there are irreparable losses everywhere.

The full-scale invasion turns social media feeds into endless obituaries of black-and-white photos. And at any moment in time, when it seems that the heart can no longer contain the losses, there’s another newsflash and another death appears.

Afternoon: day 659 of the full-scale invasion

A broadcast with Vladimir Putin is on at the Kremlin – a media spectacle during which the dictator allegedly speaks to the Russian people live. And while the tsar is talking to his lackeys, he is also sending a message to Ukraine – a MiG-31K is taking off from a Russian airfield, and Kinzhal missiles are flying in our direction. Those missiles will reach Kyiv in three minutes, and Kharkiv in two.

Despair and rage.

A video appears of Russian military using captured Ukrainian soldiers as human shields. The Russians attack Ukrainian positions, hiding behind the Ukrainians.

Despair and rage.

We discuss Oleksii Anulia’s story about his time in Russian captivity. The catalogue of torture inflicted on him is unfathomable. In civilian life, he used to be a kickboxing champion and an elite sportsman. He used to weigh 102kg; he lost 40kg in captivity. Oleksii also lost 6cm in height. Barely a single organ in his body remains intact – the Russians made sure of that.

Among other inhumane punishments, prisoners had to stand still for 18 hours a day. Holding their hands behind their backs with their heads lowered, they had to splay their fingers and were not allowed to move. They cut the tendons on his thumb with a rusty knife, saying: “You were shooting at our military with this finger, killing our soldiers.”

Once Oleksii brought in an earthworm from outside. He put it in the toilet cistern and after a week he had a whole brood of them. This is how he got his first portion of protein in a long time. Another time, he was hunting a little mouse and had to shove the not-yet-killed pest into his mouth and eat it alive so that the guards would not take his nutritious prey from him.

Despair and hatred.

Evening: day 659 of the full-scale invasion

At one of the many new bookstores that, despite everything, have opened in Kyiv this year, a “book of the year” ceremony, awarded annually by editorial staff of BBC News Ukraine, is taking place.

The fifth air-raid alarm of the day sounds. The organisers suggest that in keeping with their security protocols, we should go to the air-raid shelter. To which one of the members of the jury, a respected professor, replies: “Let the BBC be scared, we are not.”

The ceremony carries on uninterrupted, but most of us have phones in our hands. Mobile internet has been restored, and we monitor Telegram channels tracking Russian missile and drone launches.

Just another day of full-scale invasion, packed with pain.

I look around the event; these are my friends and colleagues, representing several literary generations. And as has become a habit in recent months, I simply cannot help but imagine all of us dead. All. At once.

In the rest of the world, hearts are hardening. Attention is divided between conflicts. Activists’ focus is absorbed by the rise to power of populists and rightwing conservatives. But two important things remain constant in the beating of these hardened hearts of ours.

The first: Russia always strives for chaos and for rightwing politicians to be in power.

The second: what Ukrainians have had to accept – is that there will be no other life. This is the way it is. And when you hear the promise of a politician who, instead of fighting for democracy and the future, promises you a return to stability, be sure to check who is financing him. Perhaps this is another Russian puppet.

Late evening: day 659 of the full-scale invasion

News breaks about discussions on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. What started nine years ago on the Maidan is now being decided on the battlefield. The future of Europe, in which the question will be determined: where will Russia stop?

Soldiers’ canteen. Eating with a colleague. It’s the 22nd month of my service in the military. Every time I scoop up the soup, I feel like I’m sipping my own sadness. I tell her about my anxiety before missile attacks, about my anger at those who dodge serving in the armed forces, and those who desperately pretend that the war is not about them.

She listens to me, puts her plate aside, looks me in the eye and says: can you imagine Ukraine without Kharkiv? Without Kyiv? Sasha, we might lose the country. And I will be in the armed forces until this threat goes away.

These are simple, clear words. But someone has to say them out loud. And when I think about the coming year, what 2024 will bring, I realise once again that the issue is not about my personal lack of hope, burnout or my non-existence.

The question is whether my country will still be there.

And when will the F-16s finally soar in our skies.

Morning: day 660 of the full-scale invasion

9am. As it does every morning, the country stands still, for a minute of silence in memory of the dead.

The thought occurs to me that by the end of my life, these minutes of silence will add up to 24 hours of silence for those who are no longer with us.

For those thanks to whom we still exist.

Translated by Maryna Gibson

Oleksandr Mykhed is a writer and member of PEN Ukraine. His book Language of War won the George Shevelev prize on 17 December 2023 and will be published by Allen Lane in June 2024

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usafphantom2 · 28 days

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25 Years Ago Today: An U.S. F-117 Stealth Jet Is Shot Down Over Serbia 🇷🇸

March 27, 2024 Military Aviation

F-117 shot down

F-117 as seen through the NVGs (A1C Greg L. Davis, USAF, via National Archives)

OTD in 1999, “Vega 31” was shot down near Belgrade. Here’s how it went.

On Mar. 27, 1999, during the fourth night of Operation Allied Force (OAF) over Serbia, a U.S. Air Force F-117 Nighthawk (#82-0806), flown by Lt. Col. Darrell P. Zelko, was shot down while returning to Aviano airbase, after a strike mission against a target near Belgrade.

The F-117, callsign “Vega 31”, was hit by one of a series of missiles fired by a S-125 “Neva” missile system (NATO reporting name, SA-3 “Goa”) belonging to the 3rd Battalion of the 250th Air Defence Missile Brigade of the Army of Yugoslavia, at a distance of about 8 miles.

According to Sergeant Dragan Matić, the soldier later identified as the operator who fired the missiles, the stealth plane was detected at a range of about 50 to 60 kilometres and the surface-to-air missile radar was switched on for no more than 17 seconds.

F-117 wreckage in Serbia.

The pilot successfully ejected and was rescued between 5 and 8 hours later (depending on the sources): AFSOC (Air Force Special Operations Command) dispatched MH-53M, MH-53J and MH-60 aircrew along with Special Tactics Airmen responded to the emergency and, coordinated by E-3 AWACS and supported by several specialized platforms, including an EC-130E ABCCC and A-10 in Sandy role, rescued the F-117 pilot.

youtube

While the shootdown of the F-117 #82-0806 marked the first ever and only downing of a stealth aircraft in combat, how the Serbians managed to achieve the then almost unbelievable kill is still open to debate.

On one side, the Serbs claimed they had found a way to detect stealth aircraft by using slightly modified radars: the modifications involved the use of long wavelengths to try to “paint” the target at short range, exploiting the moment when the low observability of the Nighthawk was degraded by the opening of the bomb bay door.

However, this was not true: according to some Serbian sources, the story of the modification was purposely told by the battalion commander and served as propaganda. In the end there was no modification of the P-18 or SNR-125 radar.

What is true is that the Serbians were extremely cautious in operating their SAM batteries, dispatching messages without using cell phones or radios, so as not to risk to be intercepted and geo-located, and relocating the batteries across the country.

F-117 taxies at Aviano AB during Operation Allied Force (USAF)

In the end, besides the successful tactics used by the Serbians, the shootdown of the F-117 was also the result of a series of other contributing factors:

the use of the same route for the third day in a row, making the flight path of the stealth aircraft predictable

the lack of dedicated SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) support

the fact that the F-117 approached the Belgrade area flying at low level, jinking and banking

the Serbs knew that the F-117s were coming, because, they monitored U.S. and allied radio comms on UHF and VHF frequencies, which, at the time, were mostly unencrypted; were also able to intercept NATO plane’s ATO (Air Tasking Orders) that enabled them to put anti-aircraft batteries at positions close to the ground targets; relied on a network of spies who operated outside the Italian airbases spotting aircraft taking off and others, near the Serbian borders, who provided details about the incoming raids.

Anyway, the achievement of Colonel Dani Zoltan, who commanded the SAM battery of the 3rd Battalion and used a SAM system introduced in 1961, is impressive especially considering that, after shooting down “Vega 31”, “Hammer 34”, an F-16C of the 31st Fighter Wing piloted by Lt. Col. Dave Goldfein (future Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force) was also shot down by the 250th Air Defense Missile Brigade on May 2, 1999.

Moreover, it has also emerged that another F-117 was damaged by Serbian air defenses during Allied Force.

A Yugoslav propaganda poster, stating facetiously “Sorry we didn’t know it was invisible”.

The F-117 today

25 years after the famous and quite surprising, at that time, downing, the iconic F-117 continue to fly, despite being officially retired in 2008.

As we report quite frequently here at The Aviationist, F-117s are still flying not only for training purposes as adversary aircraft and cruise missile surrogate, but also for research, development, test and evaluation, possibly related to next generation programs.

In accordance with of the Nation Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2007 (PL 109- 364, Section 136), 52 F-117 aircraft were retired and relocated to the Tonopah Test Range (TTR). Under the requirements of the NDAA, the USAF preserved each F-117 aircraft in Type-l000 (T-1000) storage, which maintains the aircraft in a condition that allows recall for future service. On 30 November 2016, Section 133 of Subtitle D of the National Defense Authorization Act repealed the requirement to preserve the F-117 aircraft in a recallable condition and the USAF intended to declassify, demilitarize, and disposition four F-117 aircraft per year.

F-117 Fresno

An F-117 Nighthawk lands for the first time at the Fresno Yosemite International Airport, Sept 13, 2021, to conduct training missions with the local Air National Guard unit. Two F-117 Nighthawks are participating in dissimilar air combat training missions this week along with F-15 pilots from the 144th Fighter Wing in Fresno, Calif. (Air National Guard photo by Capt. Jason Sanchez)

The aircraft continued to be spotted, even more than it had happened until then, with the Nighthawks also deploying to several U.S. bases to carry out Dissimilar Air Combat Training with other U.S. types. Then, in 2021, the U.S. Air Force published the first official images of the type still involved in flight operations on the DVIDS (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service) network.

In September 2022 the Air Force Test Center published a Request For Information (RFI) about a possible 10-year contract, expected to start from January 1, 2024, for maintenance and logistics support services for the F-117A fleet at the TTR airfield, acknowledging that the U.S. Air Force is willing to keep the aircraft flying at least until 2034. Interestingly, the U.S. Air Force is about to complete the certification of the F-117s to refuel from the KC-46: a sign that the service plans to keep the Nighthawk flying for many more years.

F-117

One of the two F-117s flying low over the Sierra Mountains on Apr. 21, 2023. (Image credit: @stinkjet)

About David Cenciotti

David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

@theAviationist via X

#Youtube #f 117 #serbia #kosovo #balkans war #cold war

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dailyanarchistposts · 28 days

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Chapter 6. Revolution

How will communities decide to organize themselves at first?

All people are capable of self-organization, whether or not they are experienced in political work. Of course, taking control of our lives won’t be easy at first, but it is imminently possible. In most cases, people take the obvious approach, spontaneously holding large, open meetings with their neighbors, co-workers, or comrades on the barricades to figure out what needs to be done. In some cases, society is organized through pre-existing revolutionary organizations.

The 2001 popular rebellion in Argentina saw people take an unprecedented level of control over their lives. They formed neighborhood assemblies, took over factories and abandoned land, created barter networks, blockaded highways to compel the government to grant relief to the unemployed, held the streets against lethal police repression, and forced four presidents and multiple vice presidents and economic ministers to resign in quick succession. Through it all, they did not appoint leadership, and most of the neighborhood assemblies rejected political parties and trade unions trying to co-opt these spontaneous institutions. Within the assemblies, factory occupations, and other organizations, they practiced consensus and encouraged horizontal organizing. In the words of one activist involved in establishing alternative social structures in his neighborhood, where unemployment reached 80%: “We are building power, not taking it.”[101]

People formed over 200 neighborhood assemblies in Buenos Aires alone, involving thousands of people; according to one poll, one in three residents of the capital had attended an assembly. People began by meeting in their neighborhoods, often over a common meal, or olla popular. Next they would occupy a space to serve as a social center — in many cases, an abandoned bank. Soon the neighborhood assembly would be holding weekly meetings “on community issues but also on topics such as the external debt, war, and free trade” as well as “how they could work together and how they saw the future.” Many social centers would eventually offer:

an info space and perhaps computers, books, and various workshops on yoga, self defence, languages, and basic skills. Many also have community gardens, run after school kids’ clubs and adult education classes, put on social and cultural events, cook food collectively, and mobilise politically for themselves and in support of the piqueteros and reclaimed factories.[102]

The assemblies set up working groups, such as healthcare and alternative media committees, that held additional meetings involving the people most interested in those projects. According to visiting independent journalists:

Some assemblies have as many as 200 people participating, others are much smaller. One of the assemblies we attended had about 40 people present, ranging from two mothers sitting on the sidewalk while breast feeding, to a lawyer in a suit, to a skinny hippie in batik flares, to an elderly taxi driver, to a dreadlocked bike messenger, to a nursing student. It was a whole slice of Argentinean society standing in a circle on a street corner under the orange glow of sodium lights, passing around a brand new megaphone and discussing how to take back control of their lives. Every now and then a car would pass by and beep its horn in support, and this was all happening between 8 pm and midnight on a Wednesday evening![103]

Soon the neighborhood assemblies were coordinating at a city-wide level. Once a week the assemblies sent spokespeople to the interbarrio plenary, which brought together thousands of people from across the city to propose joint projects and protest plans. At the interbarrio, decisions were made with a majority vote, but the structure was non-coercive so the decisions were not binding — they were only carried out if people had the enthusiasm to carry them out. Accordingly, if a large number of people at the interbarrio voted to abstain on a specific proposal, the proposal was reworked so it would receive more support.

The asamblea structure quickly expanded to the provincial and national levels. Within two months of the beginning of the uprising, the national “Assembly of Assemblies” was calling for the government to be replaced by the assemblies. That did not occur, but in the end the government of Argentina was forced to make popular concessions — it announced it would default on its international debt, an unprecedented occurrence. The International Monetary Fund was so scared by the popular rebellion and its worldwide support in the anti-globalization movement, and so embarrassed by the collapse of its poster child, that it had to accept this stunning loss. The movement in Argentina played a pivotal role in accomplishing one of the major goals of the anti-globalization movement, which was the defeat of the IMF and World Bank. As of this writing, these institutions are discredited and facing bankruptcy. Meanwhile, the Argentine economy has stabilized and much of the popular outrage has subsided. Still, some of the assemblies that made a vital niche in the uprising continue to operate seven years later. The next time the conflict comes to the surface, these assemblies will remain in the collective memory as the seeds of a future society.

The city of Gwangju (or Kwangju), in South Korea, liberated itself for six days in May, 1980, after student and worker protests against the military dictatorship escalated in response to declarations of martial law. Protestors burned down the government television station and seized weapons, quickly organizing a “Citizen Army” that forced out the police and military. As in other urban rebellions, including those in Paris in 1848 and 1968, in Budapest in 1919, and in Beijing in 1989, students and workers in Gwangju quickly formed open assemblies to organize life in the city and communicate with the outside world. Participants in the uprising tell of a complex organizational system developed spontaneously in a short period of time — and without the leaders of the main student groups and protest organizations, who had already been arrested. Their system included a Citizen’s Army, a Situation Center, a Citizen-Student Committee, a Planning Board, and departments for local defense, investigation, information, public services, burial of the dead, and other services.[104] It took a full-scale invasion by special units of the Korean military with US support to crush the rebellion and prevent it from spreading. Several hundred people were killed in the process. Even its enemies described the armed resistance as “fierce and well-organized.” The combination of spontaneous organization, open assemblies, and committees with a specific organizational focus left a deep impression, showing how quickly a society can change itself once it breaks with the habit of obedience to the government.

In the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, state power collapsed after masses of student protestors armed themselves; much of the country fell into the hands of the people, who had to reorganize the economy and quickly form militias to repel Soviet invasion. Initially, each city organized itself spontaneously, but the forms of organization that arose were very similar, perhaps because they developed in the same cultural and political context. Hungarian anarchists were influential in the new Revolutionary Councils, which federated to coordinate defense, and they took part in the workers’ councils that took over the factories and mines. In Budapest old politicians formed a new government and tried to harness these autonomous councils into a multiparty democracy, but the influence of the government did not extend beyond the capital city in the days before the second Soviet invasion succeeded in crushing the uprising. Hungary did not have a large anarchist movement at the time, but the popularity of the various councils shows how contagious anarchistic ideas are once people decide to organize themselves. And their ability to keep the country running and defeat the first invasion of the Red Army shows the effectiveness of these organizational forms. There was no need for a complex institutional blueprint to be in place before people left their authoritarian government behind. All they needed was the determination to come together in open meetings to decide their futures, and the trust in themselves that they could make it work, even if at first it was unclear how.

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