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mymoonspace22 · 1 year

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Moon Slave, Pt 1. (Monsta X Mini-Fic)

By: Artemis B. 🥀

Genre: romance, friendship, werewolf au, monsta x fanfiction, short fanfic, light reading, angst, sobrenatural, magic, sobrenatural au, hyungwon x female oc, hyungwon centric, vampire changkyun, shaman kihyun, wizard minhyuk, vampire wonho, human shownu, human jooheon, werewolf hyungwon x human oc.

Warning: strong language, blood, slight body horror, trauma.

Note: No ships, No smut (sorry)

Please read:

This is my first time sharing something like this, be nice, take care of me, please. Also is a part 1 of 3 parts. And last but not least, English is NOT my first language, hope you enjoy your reading~♡

_______________________

6 and a half months ago.

He left at 3am that night, he was supposed to show up at the club until 11, but things dragged on. Not that he cared, he got paid extra anyway. What he does worry about is a certain person who is waiting for him at home, he promised her that he would arrive at 11:30. He mentally cursed himself for having broken that promise for the fifth time that month.

He put his things in his backpack, adjusted his jacket, and took out his headphones while he got on his motorcycle. He was going to text her but his cell phone started ringing, so he answered quickly.

–Youngmin-ah, listen, I'm sorry, really, I'm going to...

"Are you okay? You weren't answering your phone" a sweet and feminine voice spoke to him from the other line. Hyungwon narrowed his eyes, feeling more guilty.

-Sorry, he extended the show. I'm going home now.– He apologized again.

–Sorry to keep you up so late.

"It's okay, love. The good thing is that you're coming, I'll wait for you, come carefully" she replied full of understanding. He mentally scolded himself, feeling that he was abusing her kindness.

-I'm coming soon.

"Take your time and be careful, it's really dark outside." She asked a little worried about his safety.

–Sure, don't worry, I know a shortcut.

"Hyungwon ~ carefully" she reminded him with a warning tone.

–Of course, I'm always careful. See you at home, honey. – he assured her, laughing a little.

They both hung up, Hyungwon turned on loud music on his headphones, put on his helmet and started the bike. Youngmin, Hyungwon's girlfriend, has been living with him for almost a year. She is a Cosmetology student and works part-time at a makeup store. She has a busy schedule, but she always makes time for her boyfriend.

On the other hand, Hyungwon, who is a few years older, is an underground DJ, he performs in different clubs inside and outside the city, someone recognized among the partying community, but he always has problems in his schedule, as his times fluctuate irregularly. Luckily, his girlfriend is very patient and kind, which makes him feel like trash every time he keeps her up or makes her wait.

He is not good with the times, he is very clumsy, funny, sweet with his girlfriend, and quite stubborn. He has a hard time obeying what she tells him, like now, because he ignored his girlfriend and obviously took a shortcut. "At least I'll try to cushion the blow a bit by coming faster" he thought with good intentions, he just wanted to make his girl happy, without understanding that she's already happy like that.

The cold streets were desolate, but the path that he had taken, through the trees, was even more desolate. You could only hear the sound of the motorcycle and the crickets, even though it was 3 in the morning the moon was at its highest point, full, white and bright. Its light filtered through the dense tree tops, giving some light to the dark path.

Hyungwon was going fast on the road, he had already taken it many times, but not so late. He was wearing both headphones, causing him not to hear the rapid and heavy footsteps through the bushes, nor the prominent growl that an animal emitted, much less when the creature prepared to jump.

Out of nowhere, a huge animal jumped in front of Hyungwon causing him to skid and fall off his bike, but it collided with his body hard before hitting the ground. Hyungwon rolled through the bushes together with that animal until he received a push, he was thrown through the air until he was smashed against a tree. The blow left him breathless and he could swear he heard something break, maybe his bones. The blows and impact stunned him, and he fell to his side, gasping for air.

He tried to focus his sight but he could only see a huge black blurry thing destroying his motorcycle, he let out a loud gasp, feeling that he was choking on something: blood.

He began to cough hard, spitting up the thick crimson liquid, his body ached, but his chest also burned, he felt that he must have been cut, perhaps the animal scratched him. His heart skipped a beat when he saw two yellow dots looking at him in the distance, the animal had seen him, observed him, analyzed him, until, letting out a loud growl, it pounced on him. Hyungwon began to scream and sob, trying with all his might to shake it off, but the animal clung to his right shoulder in a ferocious bite, drawing a heartrending cry from the poor black-haired man. The animal kept on squeezing no matter how the young man writhed in its grasp, the creature seized him where he was, and continued, feeling the boy's blood fill his fauses.

The boy was already on the verge of fainting, he felt how his strength was leaving him. He was going to die, and the last thing he would see would be the moon, full, vibrant, far away.

–Young...Youngmin...-ah...– he called out to her in his dying breath.

When he felt that all was lost, he heard a plaintive wail from the huge animal followed by gunshots. The pressure on his shoulder was released and he fell to the ground like a rag doll, the animal having apparently fled, snarling and howling piteously.

"Don't let it escape!" He heard a male scream and several footsteps and shouts.

Someone approached him and moved him a bit, however, Hyungwon couldn't focus on anything anymore.

–Boy, are you alright? Hyungwon-ah? Stay with me, hey, hey!

He was the uncle of his friend Hyunwoo, a policeman and undercover mercenary. He was trying to keep him conscious, but so much pain sent him into the darkness of unconsciousness.

He thought he was dead, he thought he wouldn't make it, everything after the attack was a blur in his memory. He had survived, everything had happened, Youngmin and his friends had taken care of him in his recovery, his rapid recovery. Everything was fine, until it wasn't.

Hyungwon could not deny the tension that was in the air every time the attack was mentioned, and that is that, out of nowhere, Hyunwoo's uncle informed him what he feared: he had been bitten by a lycan on a night with a full moon , and he survived, which means...

"You're infected with the virus, Hyungwon, now you're a lycan." The gravity with which those words sank into his chest was great, but the worst was yet to come.

The next 3 months were strange and horrible, his personality changed, his mood changed, his aura, everything about him changed, his vibe no longer had that glow that he had before. He was having sudden fits of anger, certain primitive needs and desires very foreign to him, which affects both him and those around him.

However, the transformations have been the worst of all, he doesn't control himself, he doesn't think, he doesn't distinguish; Coming to affect his relationship with Youngmin, because he feels that he is a danger to her. The brunette always looked at him understandingly and with wide eyes filled with wonder at his determination to improve, even though he fails every time he tries and has to start from scratch.

Yet he couldn't deny that she was distraught, quite a bit, and still is, like everyone else. The black-haired man has not only shown himself as an ordinary lycan, as his wolf changes every full moon, becomes stronger, more dominant, more powerful, and shows himself more frequently in his human form, which fills her with anxiety and the thought that perhaps he is losing himself.

It was the morning after that awful moon of the previous month, that the brunette noticed something unusual, because Hyungwon, even after passing his transformation, was acting strange.

-Love? Hyungwon? Honey? – She called him several times shaking his shoulders but she didn't get an answer.

When she looked into his eyes, she gasped in anguish when she saw that they were amber and his mouth was slightly open, making no sound.

–Hyungwon? Can you hear me? Woonie? Love?

_____________________________

Present Day.

The blond man snapped his fingers in front of the younger.

–Hey, Chae Hyungwon!

–Oh! Huh? – the black-haired man came out of his reverie, blinking several times. –Something happened? Did you say something?

–I've been calling you for a while. What has you so distracted? – the older man asked with a frown.

–Oh, sorry Kihyun hyung. I was just… thinking.– He avoided his gaze, embarrassed, playing with the food in front of him.

–You're not fooling me, you were thinking something sad– he answered, narrowing his eyes, he knows him very well.

–Of course not– he denied nervously.

–Were you thinking about the tragedy of six months ago?– Changkyun, the youngest of all, asked tactlessly.

–Well…– Hyungwon huffed, leaving the chopsticks aside, he wasn't craving the cake anymore.

–If you put it that way, it sounds sad, Changkyun. I prefer "incident" if you don't mind.

–Yes, of course... I'm sorry– the minor quickly apologized, lowering his gaze to his weird "tomato juice".

–I don't think calling it that way changes the fact that it's been a somewhat...sad experience– Hyunwoo pointed out a bit cautiously.

–True, true... but there is something called: Sensitivity, Hyunwoo, hyung– Kihyun scolded him with a bad face.

–Empathy, too– Jooheon pointed out, looking down at his hands.

–He's not being apathetic, he's being realistic– Hoseok chimed in, picking up his coffee to take a long sip.

–Thank you Hoseok. That. The faster you accept it, the better.– Hyunwoo explained again.

–It's been six months now.

–Almost 7– Minhyuk intervened but Kihyun gave him a scolding look, even though he's younger.

–But who counts them? Right? – He laughed nervously until he closed his mouth.

–I know, I know.– Hyungwon sank deeper into his seat, feeling more miserable.

–Come on Hyungwon-ah, I know it's hard, but you have to do your part and accept...

–Do my part?!– Those words ignited the anger contained within the minor, who stamped his hands against the table.

Everyone got startled, but they noticed that more than angry, he looked hurt.

–Do you think I'm not doing my part?– he asked, his voice failing him.

–Last time I almost attacked Youngmin!

–That was because she had the bad idea to enter when you were transforming, something that won't happen again. And of course you do your part, but it's not enough.

–My God, Hyung!– The black-haired man ran a hand through his hair, blinking several times to keep from crying.

-What else do you want from me?

–It's not what I want, it's what you should do.– He answered softly, but firmly.

–Well, what should I do?– he asked, fed up with the situation.

–Accept.

–I already accepted that my life has become a mess since I was bitten by a werewolf.

–Lycan. And not. That's not what I mean, Hyungwon. That's why you don't progress. – he crossed his arms looking at him fixedly.

-I don't understand you.

–Me neither, so please, elaborate.– Kihyun also asked him to rephrase, now everyone is looking at him carefully.

–What I want to say is that until you accept that it is part of you, you will continue at war with yourself, you must accept it.

-Accept what?

–Your wolf,– Hyungwon snorted in disbelief.

–I know I'm human and maybe I don't fully understand how you feel, but my uncle and I have been around werewolves and lycans for many years to understand their mannerism. You must accept that this "beast" is also you.

-I'm. Not. That. Thing. – He replied clenching his teeth and emphasizing each sentence, he refuses to accept THAT as part of him. However, his eyes were showing the creature that lives inside his being, taking on that yellowish tone that bothers him so much.

Hyunwoo just looked at him impassively, ignoring the restlessness of his companions.

–You'll only hurt yourself more,– he warned him seriously.

–I think he's right, Hyungwon, you have to learn to…– Hyungwon didn't let Changkyun finish, he clapped his palms together loudly, the twinkle in his eyes disappeared and was replaced by a strong headache. So he gave up.

–You know what? I'm leaving. – he said with a muffled voice, standing up.

–Wh...what? No, hey, don't go. – Kihyun asked him while holding his forearm.

–Come on Hyungwon hyung, you don't have to be like that, we're trying to help,– Jooheon spoke with a pout, trying not to make him go away.

–Besides, today is my last day here, come on~

–I'm sorry, Jooheon, but I don't feel well,– he replied with a downcast look.

-Headache?

–Yes, Hoseok. A migraine.– He spoke something dry.

-But...

–Let him go, Kihyun, he's not feeling well.– Hyunwoo asked the blond, as he settled in better, staring at the black-haired man.

Hyungwon looked at him for a second and then looked away. He felt that tickle, that restlessness, that discomfort of being trapped in his own skin. "The full moon, it's close, dammit" he cursed inside his mind as he gathered his things.

–I'll call you guys later, guys. Safe trip Jooheon-ah– he gave them a small and awkward smile before walking out the door of the cozy cafe, leaving the six young men concerned for his well-being.

End of part 1.

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insidious-rp · 2 years

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⊱ 𝑰𝑵𝑺𝑰𝑫𝑰𝑶𝑼𝑺 ⊰

「 ͏ Inspired by The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, The Legacies, American Horror Story ͏ 」

OC roleplay // Literate // 19+ mun & muse // Supernatural City AU // All Orientations // Based on Mewe // Modern Setting in New Orleans // Welcomes Asian descents & Internationals // Black Market System

❛ welcome to new orleans! ❜ ─ We’ve been awaiting your presence. Glad you found your way home, Blaine Albertine.

#krp #krp ads #mewe rp #oc rp #literate roleplay #oc roleplay #city au #supernatural roleplay #oc krp #mewe krp #rpg #lit rp #accepted #monsta x #im changkyun #monsta x im

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miabebe · 4 months

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I Am What I Am (V)

A man of the shadows and a woman who belonged in the skies - fate could not have brought two more different people together.

But was this fate or was this a choice?

Pairing - Im Changkyun x OC, Kim Mingyu × OC

Word Count - 7.3K

Warnings - guns, slight mentions of violence blood, death. This is a necessary, filler chapter so its not as intense, but boy oh boy, brace yourselves for the next one my friends :) also, I tried a new writing style, so the pov in this chapter is a little different!

Previous chapter

Much to her surprise, when Na bi woke up the next day, it was already past noon.

She had passed out from all that exhaustion quite early last night - the muscles of her legs were still sore but the warmth of the bed and the weight of the duvet were comforting. She had forgotten to close the curtains before dozing off and now the yellow of the sun was all over the room. The trees outside were standing still as ever, birds chirped all around - The forest looked so alive, yet still felt so daunting.

Dragging herself off the bed, she closed the curtains, submerging the room into darkness before flipping the switches of the lights.

Something had changed.

Na bi walked up to the small study in the corner, eyes falling on the new contents on the table. It was her belongings - her unnecessarily thick medical textbooks, study guides, lecture notes - all her personal material from home, neatly stacked. On the shelf were her novels, magazines she liked to flip through, journals she had filled over the years. How did he manage to get these?

Even her toiletries were arranged for, neatly laid out by the sink - new bottles of her soap, shampoo, creams and serums of her night routine. In the ten minutes she took to wash up, a fresh set of clothes which, albeit she didn't change into, were laid out for her and outside, on the table was a piping a hot coffee and biscuits. Her bed had been made, the curtains were pulled back again, and the fire of the night had been put out. It was as though Changkyun had a bunch of elves working around here for him - efficient, meticulous and invisible.

Na bi sipped on her coffee as she looked through the books and papers on her table again. When Changkyun said whatever she needed would be arranged for, he kept his word - every small thing, down to drawing pencils and her favourite set of highlighters was here.

Everything except her laptop.

Na bi looked around, eyes searching for it as another realisation slowly dawned upon her. She hadn't seen her phone in very long either. Panicking slightly, she left her coffee and rummaged through the sheets of the freshly made bed - it was not there. She opened the drawers of her bedside table hurriedly, scoured the shelves and cupboards of the room, checked the bathroom, checked the closet but it was nowhere to be found. She tried to recall when she last saw it. A very faint memory told her it dropped out of her hand when she was shoved into Wonho's van.

Fuck.

She needed that phone, how was anything going to work out without it?

Na bi sank onto an ottoman, massaging her temples, her mind behind it racing. She wasn't prepared for this. She hadn't expected things to be in motion so soon; screw Mingyu for not so much as warning her before putting their plan to action. But now it was too late to curse him - she was already in the middle of it all and she had to figure it out on her own, there was no other way.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed her hair back, pulling it into a tight ponytail, something she rarely ever did. Leaving her half empty coffee cup on the table, she stuffed two biscuits in her mouth for some sugar and slowly opened the door of her bedroom. If she was going to crack Changkyun's empire, his house would be the first place to begin.

When Na bi stepped into the familiar corridor, she found herself alone again, a chill running down her spine. It wasn't eerie or haunting in anyway, but the thought of just what she might discover in this inhabitation was terrifying her already. Cautiously, she began walking further down the corridor, doors of two rooms coming into her view - one she assumed was the second guest bedroom Changkyun mentioned and the other was perhaps his own. Surely if there was any place in this house that could give her a clue, it had to be his room.

Opening the first door on her way, Na bi immediately concluded it to be a guest room for the layout was unmistakably, exactly the same as hers - the colour of the walls, the sheets, the furniture, all of it. Except the view from the window. From the left most corner, Na bi caught sight of a sliver of the beach she saw yesterday. So it wasn't a mirage conjured by her exhaustion or a figment of her imagination.....

Gulping at the possibilities, she slowly left, proceeding to the next room, only to find it locked shut. She tried the handle a few times, with both force and technique but neither could open it. Stepping back she glanced at the walls that spanned on either sides of it. It had to be a huge room, which meant it most definitely was Changkyun’s but clearly, neither was he home, nor was anything about him accessible to her.

Na bi though, wasn't one to accept defeat. Besides, how hard could it be to break into a room? One bobbypin and she could have easily found her way in. And perhaps she would have too if she didn't hear the strange sounds of clanking metal from a distance. Frowning, she turned, walking towards the source, trying to locate it. Softly she whispered Changkyun's name, guessing it was him and instantly, the noise stopped. And so did Na bi.

After a long silence and a long period of immobility, Na bi finally took another daring step ahead, the living space downstairs slowly coming into view. It was just as empty as yesterday, only more harshly lit by the afternoon sun. It looked just as beautiful though, she observed as she walked down the stairs, looking around. Changkyun was definitely a man of strange taste but she didn't expect to find herself in approval of it. Except those ceiling high windows. Those still made her stomach churn with discomfort.

When Na bi managed to make it all the way down to the last step, she stumbled, noticing a door she hadn't really seen before. The walls felt warm and she could hear the sound of firewood crackling from the other side. Wondering if that was the source of the noise, she knocked softly before grabbing the handle and pushing the door, only to feel a hand rest on her shoulder.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

Na bi bit back a scream, turning to meet the eyes of a woman almost a whole head smaller than her, looking at her fiercely. Her salt and pepper hair was neatly pulled back into a bun, and with her cute little pink apron and half moon glasses, one would think she was a sweet old lady, but the sharpness of her tone told Na bi otherwise.

"I'm...I'm looking for Changkyun." Na bi watched the woman physically wince at the mention of his name. "Where is he?"

"Master's not home." Master? She wiped her hands on her apron before walking past her and closed the door loudly. The point had been made. "If you there's something you need, you can ask me."

"Is this Changkyun's room?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Yes, it is."

Na bi's eyes flickered between her and the room. What was in there? And if this was his room, who did the room upstairs belong to? And why was it locked?

"Wait, wait." She rushed as the older woman began walking away, following her footsteps. "Where's Changkyun?"

"Master is a busy man." She huffed. "He comes and goes as he pleases-"

"Goes where?"

"He doesn't inform me about his whereabouts."

"When does he usually come back?"

"Whenever he decides to."

"When is that usually-"

"Ms. Baek," Na bi's lips parted in surprise at the mention of her name. And at the faint but apparent annoyance in the woman's voice. "I do not concern myself with master's business and frankly, neither should you. But if your curiosity cannot handle the ignorance then I suggest you ask him yourself, whenever he's back."

And with that, she walked off into the kitchen across, a lot faster than before. Na bi stood in the middle of the hall, staring at a loss.

There's a lot you need to learn about this place Ms. Baek.

Indeed there was. The rooms of this house were just the beginning of things. If she was to be successful in her mission, she needed to know all that was there to know. She had to unravel Changkyun’s world down to the core and she had to do it without letting him get even the faintest idea as to why she was here - that would ruin everything. So right now, what Na bi most desperately needed..... was a friend.

She turned to look at the only other person she had seen here, standing behind the kitchen island, mixing soup in a pot, cutting up some greens and putting something into an oven, all simultaneously. She was perfectly efficient, timing her moves just right, smoothly executing her tasks. She looked not too old, perhaps in her mid fifties, crowsfeet aligned by her eyes which were somewhat soft under all that snappy exterior. If Na bi made the right moves, she knew she could break through that hard perosona of hers and make a potential ally. Only problem was, Na bi had no idea how to make friends.

Silently going back to her room, she threw herself on the bed and stared at the grey ceiling. Her whole life, much to the contrary of what most people believed, Na bi was quite the loner. She rarely went to team dinners, never joined them on karaoke nights and barely ever participated in birthdays or other celebrations. She wasn't hostile to people or unfriendly, no; she just didn't have the time and energy to engage in social niceties. She had cordial relationships with her colleagues and neighbours but that was about it. Seokmin was the only exception in her rather isolated life.

Two years ago, when she first joined the hospital, he too was just like everyone else, a mere acquitance. Somehow, over time, he warmed up to her and honestly, rather insistently inserted himself into her life. Thank god for him though. Na bi didn't know what she would do without that crazy guy who somehow always there when she needed him (which wasn't very often), who always tolerated her rather unbothered attitude (which was very often) and who would always look out for her, no questions asked.

Even though Mingyu had asked her not to inform a soul about her mission, she regretted not telling Seokmin about everything. He was probably worried by her lack of response, but hopefully, he just assumed her radio silence to be just one of her usual unsociable moods - she often ignored him over the weekends and holiday season, knowing he would attempt to set her up with one of his many, many friends.

But Na bi wasn't the kind to date either. Dating apps were completely out of question - they demanded way too much time and commitment. Over time, she disliked meeting the people Seokmin or her other colleagues set her up with too; it was just hours and hours of talking leading to nowhere. Can a person really be understood over a meal and a conversation held specifically in order to impress? It didn't make any sense to her.

Rather, she preferred her not-so-regular-but-quite-frequent rendezvous - Flirting with men at the bar, hooking up at the convenience of their cars or homes, and leaving, first thing in the morning, never to see them again. Atleast those encounters were honest in intention and brief with expectations. Seokmin often ate her ear off about how now that she was getting older, maybe it was time to settle down with one person and though she heard him (and partly agreed), she as usual feigned ignorance.

That's why when Mingyu walked into her life, she decided to take the chance. Things with him flowed so smoothly and were so easy going, she thought perhaps finally, she had managed to find someone more permanent. She found herself willingly going on dates, happily having hours of conversation and was pleasantly surprised that they were on the same wavelength about most things. He seemed to understand her; he was willing to go the extra mile whenever she pulled herself back, he was ok with taking a step back when she wasn't ready - it was as though he knew exactly what she needed.

Except he really did know exactly what she needed. He was nothing but a facade, a man tailor made for her after days of observing and studying her, presented in a way they knew she would be interested enough to meet again and again. It worked. Oh it worked wonderfully well for them, because honestly, Na bi did not ever see herself dressing up for a man but..... it wasn't their triumph.

Deep down Na bi knew what was the exact and the real reason she met Mingyu time and again. It was because he was a cop. It was for Changkyun. It was because should anything happen to Changkyun, Mingyu would be one of the more reliable sources to find out from.

Na bi sat up, crossing her legs, just the thought of it making her nauseous. Sure she was attracted to Changkyun, sure she knew he was dangerous but she did not think he would be the one responsible for Ana.... of course, since she found out, she no longer had the same kind of interest in him.

But the moment he appeared before her yesterday, the moment he met her eye, something in her stomach dropped and she knew - the effect he had on her was far from gone. Na bi though, wasn't insensible or unreasonable. She knew what she was here to do and no matter what happened, she was not willing to end up as the prey in this hunt.

So, to begin with, there were 2 things she had to focus on - 1. breaking the ice with that older woman and 2. figuring out this strange place she was holed up in. And with that clarity, Na bi began her mission, scribbling down the details of her discoveries in her new journal every night.

Day 1

I got together a bunch of papers and started drawing out the layout of the house. Whatever I've seen of it at least. I need to map the whole place out, and whatever is around here too - the forest, the beach, find other landmarks, any and all clues that can help identity this location. I shall do it, one step at a time. But I need to be careful. That older woman, who I think is the housekeeper here, tends to walk into my room anytime. Thank god I managed to hide the papers when she came to give me lunch. (Kimchi pasta and orange juice, absolutely delicious). There's a loose floorboard I found by the fireplace. These drawings should be secure there as of now.

But I don't know what to do about the her. When I smile at her, she simply nods and walks away. She's going to be a tough nut to crack. I watched her all afternoon, sitting in the living room with my books. She left from the backdoor at 3 and came back only at 5. I ate dinner with her at the breakfast bar, tteokbokki and orange juice again, not that I'm complaining. I told her to not refer to me as Ms. Baek and to call me Na bi. She said I could call her Mrs. Lee. She didn't speak much after that, just cleaned up everything and disappeared. Its almost 11 at night now, and I don't think I was really successful with anything today but I'm trying. One step at a time.

Oh and Changkyun didn't come home the whole day today.

Day 2

Changkyun did come home today.

I made it a point to wake up earlier than usual and as I got out of the room, I saw him, sitting at the breakfast bar, eating an omelette. But by the time I got down the stairs to approach him, he left. I don't know if he saw me or if he was ignoring me but I keep missing out on opportunities to talk to him.

I think I made a little more progress with Mrs. Lee though. If my eyes didn't betray me, she might have given a small smile when I thanked for coffee and my favourite breakfast, avocado toast and milk. I watched her again today - she has the exact same routine. She served me kimchi rice and orange juice at 12 and then by 3, she disappeared out of the back door. I followed her this time. There's this small garden at the back of the house with all sorts of vegetables and herbs but there was also a path, leading to a cottage. When I looked through the window, it seemed like Mrs. Lee was getting ready to nap. I think she lives there. It makes sense because there was no other room in the house that could belong to her. Which meant that locked room upstairs belonged to someone I don't know about.

Obviously I broke in. Somehow. I couldn't find a hairpin but I managed to grab a few old pens and do the trick. It was nothing like I expected though - it was a plain old bedroom, albeit bigger, brighter and disappointing. I was hoping to find something concrete here, anything at all, not just antique furniture and vintage dresses which oddly looked very similar to the ones I was dressed in when I first got here. I searched every inch of that place, there was truly nothing of value or even a clue hinting who it belonged to. Only Mrs. Lee could answer that question for me.

I wasn't really sure how to bring it up to her, so I just tried to make casual conversation about it using the dresses. I brought them down before dinner, showed it to her and-

Na bi looked up from her diary, the conversation replaying in her head.

"These clothes." She placed them on the kitchen counter. "I never got the chance to thank you for them."

"You don't have to thank me." Mrs. Lee glanced at them, mumbling. "I thought the red one would look nice on you."

"It is beautiful." Na bi sat down, softly running her fingers over the material. "I'm so sorry, it tore....are they yours?"

"Imagine a hag like me in dresses like that." Mrs. Lee scoffed. "It belonged to my mistress."

Na bi felt something sink in the pits of her stomach. "Mistress?"

"She loved dresses, had a huge collection in fact. A perfect one for every occasion." The use of past tense did not slip past Na bi. "A beautiful woman who only made the dresses she wore more beautiful."

"I should probably apologise to her then. Where is she...." Na bi trailed off looking at the woman's eyes become slightly wet.

"She was the sweetest thing alive. I don't think she would have minded. Master on the other hand, I'm afraid he was a little... displeased."

Na bi tugged the edges of the dress nonchalantly. "He must really love her."

"More than anything in the world." She sighed, slowing down her stirring. "That's why he's always hurting...."

Her voice softened as she looked at Na bi, eyes shaking like she spoke more than she should have. This was what Na bi wanted anyways - carefully guarded information being let slip. But she had to take it slow, to not raise any suspicions. And Mrs. Lee didn't seem like she was willing to let anything else slip as silence took over between them again.

-she said it belonged to her Mistress. Whoever she is, or was, either she doesn't live here anymore or she's dead, I don't know which. But it's proved Mingyu wrong. Changkyun cannot possibly be interested in me. Not when he had someone else in his life. Someone he cared enough about to still hold on to her personal belongings. Then why was he looking out for me? What do I mean to him?

Who knows? He could answer my questions, he's the only one who can but yet again, he didn't come home.

Day 3

Today I drew more of the map. I left the house before sunrise, followed the same route I took the time I first ran out of here and yet again, it took me to the beach. I passed almost 58 large trees, ran almost 3km west of the house to reach it. I still don't understand how I can possibly be near the sea. Where on Earth is this place?

I made sure to return in time for breakfast though, but Changkyun was not there today. I had toast and milk again and Mrs. Lee seemed more guarded than usual, perhaps after yesterday's slip up. But she didn't seem as unfriendly, maybe because I squeezed the orange juice for lunch by myself. When she was gone by 3, I knew what I wanted to do today - search through Changkyun's room. So I did just that, except today..... he was inside.

Na bi felt her hands shake as she recalled the encounter.

"Ms. Baek."

Na bi froze, hand on the handle as the voice boomed behind her.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

She turned around slowly, eyes falling on the not so large room with a really large table in the centre, Changkyun seated behind.

"I uh...thought I heard you in here." She slowly walked in.

"Really?" He looked at her amused. "I'm known to be quiet as a cat."

Na bi gulped, clearing her throat. "You.... haven't been home in a while."

"Neither have you." He titled his head at her. "I stopped by your room this morning."

Na bi felt her heart hammering away in her chest.

"I....must've been in the shower."

"I didn't hear the water running."

"Oh then," Na bi looked away, at the fireplace, thinking quick. "You probably came when I was in the garden."

"You left the house?"

She stared at the flames harder, hoping not to give herself away. "Why? Am I not allowed to?"

"No." Na bi turned to him surprised as he continued. "There are no restrictions on you here Ms. Baek, you are free to do or go wherever you wish."

"Really? There's a room upstairs though....that you keep locked." She looked at him, trying not to seem too inquisitive, probably horribly failing at it. "Am I not allowed in there?"

"Can locked doors possibly keep you away?"

Na bi blinked at him. Did he know that she...

"That door has been like that for years." He clarified. "Simply locks every time it's closed."

"Oh." Na bi licked her lips, walking closer up to him, the contents of his table getting clearer with each step. "Then what about this room? Mrs. Lee stopped me from entering it a few days back."

He smiled. "Perhaps because entering someone's personal room in their absence is a sign of poor etiquette."

"Of course." Na bi glanced at the papers on his table, holding her breath as she did.

Maps. Hundreds of them. Much like the one stashed safely in her room, the one she was drawing out.

She looked up meeting his eye. "So you're not....hiding anything here?"

Changkyun leaned back, expression unreadable but he shook his head. "Not from you, no."

Why not though?

"What are all these then?" She pointed, stuffing her hands in the back pockets of her jeans so he couldn't see them shake.

"Maps of different areas in Seoul." He spread them out further, allowing her to take a closer look. "This is how I keep my business organised."

"Huh." She nodded, noticing red crosses and black circles scattered all over the papers. "What kind of um business do you-"

She jumped a little, at the sound of a strange static noise, unable to recognise its source.

"What's that sound?"

"My cue. I have to go, there's a meeting..." He got up and Na bi immediately took a few unnecessary steps back as he walked up to her. "Meanwhile, the reason I was looking for you..."

He handed her a familiar, shiny black device that felt cold in her palm.

"Wonho said you dropped it when he picked you up."

Her phone.

Na bi inwardly sighed in relief as she wrapped her fingers around the cold metal. Changkyun walked up to the door, donning a blazer over his trademark black shirt. Na bi followed him out, her mind still focused on the contents on the table. She knew she was far from done with this room.

He returned my phone to me but its as good as not having one. There's a crack, right across the camera lens, rendering any picture I take absolutely unfathomable. And I don't get any signal here, not one bar. I can't contact Mingyu or Seokmin, that phone is as good as a brick.

When Mrs. Lee came back, I helped her with making dinner. I know I'm no cook but I can follow instructions and I think I did a good job of it? She was afterall talking to me sweetly and even gave me an extra helping of her special homemade kimchi. Maybe I'm not far from making a friend here but Chankgyun.... I still can't figure him out.

I still don't get him.

Day 4

I covered the North side today.

It's.... its the same. Almost 5km of trees, trees and more trees and the end of it all, a beach. I'm getting a faint inkling as to where I actually am but..... I don't want to think about it. If what I'm assuming is true, I couldn't be more trapped.

Yet again I didn't see Changkyun for breakfast but I didn't see Mrs. Lee either. She was back in the garden, trying to deal with some weeds and dying tomatoes.

Fate, if its real, must be trying to help me because who knew better about gardening than I did. I think that hour we spent, fixing up those shrubs probably broke the last of the ice between us. Mrs. Lee was smiling more than usual, talking about the plants and all her recipes, and just seemed to have warmed up to me now. So I thought it wouldn't be too wrong to ask her the question.

"Mrs. Lee, I was trying to call a friend yesterday. You see I didn't get the chance to tell anyone I was going to be away, but I wasn't getting any signal? Is there.... is there any place where I can get better cell service or something?"

"Around here? No dear, there's no cell towers for miles." She tugged the weeds. "We don’t need them anyways, no one around here uses phones."

Na bi felt a wave of apprehension wash over her.

"Then... how do you contact people? Like your family?"

"Master is all the family I have." She smiled. "And need."

I think don't know if Mrs.Lee was telling the truth about the phones. But her statement did confirm something else I've been wondering - we're not the only ones, there are others. Others who lived around here and perhaps, they can help me understand more about this place. I just need to find them.

After lunch today, I wasn't able to explore anymore - Mrs. Lee needed help with the garden again. I wasn't able to extract any more information from her either, she was too focused on the task at hand. But over dinner, she did say something that surprised me.

"You really seem to like my kimchi."

Na bi took a break from shoving a huge bite into her mouth and looked up, nodding.

"I like everything you make. I don't get to eat much fresh food at home. I pretty much survive on kimbaps and instant noodles."

Mrs. Lee frowned at her, shaking her head. "You poor thing. Must be tough, having to eat those miserable packaged food."

"I don't really mind it." Na bi confessed. "I actually really like it-"

"Well you're not going to find any of that poison in this house." She crossed her arms. "I don't allow it. It's unhealthy and atrocious. Master is already picky with eating vegetables, imagine adding those preservatives to his system."

Na bi raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't eat vegetables? What a five year old."

"Indeed." Mrs. Lee broke into a fond smile. "You should've seen him when he was actually five. He wouldn't even take a bite of the kimbaps I used to make. Always spat it right out."

The image of his full cheeks as he munched on the kimbap in her home flashed in Na bi's head. I'm not picky.

"Thanks to you, I've been able to get him to eat at least a few vegetables a day. Even though he still insists on having some meat every meal-"

Na bi tried to swallow her bite quickly. "Because of me?"

"Yes you. I've been cooking more vegetarian dishes recently since, well, Master told me you're a vegetarian. And so I can..."

Na bi didn't hear anymore. Not with her mind full of thoughts.

He knows what I eat. He knows what I wear. He knows what I smell like. He knows everything yet I don't know why. Why did he bother to know so much? If like Mingyu said, he is interested in me, why hasn't he made any move, or even conversation?

I can't figure him out. I can't figure him out at all.

Day 5

Today morning I managed to cover the South side. It took considerably longer cause it was much larger, 10km at least, but to no one's surprise, ending at a beach. 3 directions, all ending at a beach, I think what I fear is true..... perhaps tomorrow I will be able to prove it.

But there was something I didn't see elsewhere - a helipad. At least that's what I'm guessing it is. It was just a large clearing in the woods, and by the way the impressions looked in the grass, that seemed like the most probable explanation. Yet another factor supporting my theory....

Also, I found out how they do it. Live without cell towers and phones that is.

Walkie talkies.

I saw Mrs. Lee talk into one over breakfast today. I don't know how I've never noticed it before, this black box like machine sitting in the corner of the kitchen counter. She said we were running out of rice and by the evening, there was a huge sack of it, sitting by the back door. I don't know much about walkie talkies and how they work, but I am aware that both parties need to be in a certain range. That's only further proof that there are others here, people who might be able to help me but also people I've never managed to catch sight of over the many days I've roamed around here. I need to explore the east side tomorrow. That might be the last piece to finish the puzzle of this place.

While Mrs. Lee took up most of my day, trying to teach me some simple recipes, I did manage to slip into Changkyun's room once again after lunch. There were no papers on the table this time, in fact it was completely empty. I tried looking through the drawers, the shelves - they were all empty.

The only other things in the room were a bed, a couch and a wardrobe. I looked through the wardrobe too - it was just a bunch of suits and hoodies that looked a whole lot more comfortable than the clothes kept in my room. Maybe that's why at that moment I decided to strip out of the really uncomfortable blouse I was wearing, into one of the hoodies....

"You really have a mind of your own don't you?"

Na bi knew before turning that Changkyun had just walked out of the bathroom; she had heard the water running. What she didn't expect was that he would be clad in nothing but his towel, hanging low on his waist, little rivets of water streaming down his torso. Na bi could not hide the way her eyes roamed over his body.

She cleared her throat, turning back to the wardrobe. "As should everyone."

As he began walking up to her, she grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt and threw it to him over her shoulder. The muffled sounds told her he had caught them and was slipping them on and it was only when she felt his breath on her neck that she knew he was done.

"You keep forgetting to breathe when you're around me Ms. Baek."

His voice was a soft whisper, making Na bi realise that she had indeed held her breath all this while and allowed herself to exhale. When she turned, she found herself trapped between him and the wardrobe behind her, her eyes flickering to between his lips and eyes. Changkyun raised his eyebrow as he looked pointedly at his grey hoodie which she had donned.

"You really oversold yourself with whole 'whatever you need will be arranged for' statement." She crossed her arms. "The clothes you filled my wardrobe with look like the personal collection of someone who cannot decide between being a victorian widow or a rebelious milkmaid from the alps."

Changkyun laughed, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. "I knew Wonho didn't know a thing about women's fashion."

Na bi blinked at him. "Wonho bought the clothes?" Changkyun nodded.

"How... how did he know about the... blue?"

"I told him."

"Did you also tell him the scent I use?"

Changkyun nodded but scoffed looking at her expression. "It's a colour and a smell Ms. Baek. I have good memory. You need not feel grateful for the bare minimum."

"Okay then, How did you know I was vegetarian?"

"I guessed? Based on the your eating habits."

"But you were barely with me for a day. How could you know?"

Changkyun grew silent for a minute, looking rather amused.

"Your questions are rather different from what I expected you to ask me Ms. Baek." He leaned closer, as though he was searching her face for something. "You're rather unpredictable."

Na bi wanted to laugh at that. Maybe she would have if Mrs. Lee didn't knock to call them for dinner. As Changkyun left, Na bi winced at the loss of his warmth and his scent around her. No, no, no. She had to snap out of it.

He had dinner with me for the first time today. Mrs. Lee was right, he was indeed picky with his food and his vegetables - he refused to even touch the kimbap. He really had enjoyed the one I made him though. I don't know if he liked my food or dare I say, if he likes me....

I don't think I'll ever know.

Day 6

I was supposed to explore the east side today but I couldn't - Changkyun was home all day.

He was there eating breakfast with me. He was there, playing the piano as I pretended to read through my books. He was there for lunch, and there when Mrs. Lee took her usual siesta. We played chess all afternoon, which he, not surprisingly, ended up winning. I let him win - it was our first game afterall. I wanted to crack his gameplay more than I wanted to defeat him, see how his brain works, figure out how he thinks. He's..... straightforward. He wasn't hiding behind any moves, or playing any mind games. He was simple and upfront. I don't understand him any more than before.

After that I caught him leaving the house so this time I asked him where he was going. He said for a swim and asked if I wanted to join. I probably shouldn't have but....

Na bi followed Changkyun out of the back door of the house, walking the opposite direction of Mrs. Lee's cottage. She hadn't had the chance to explore the east side yet so she took each step behind him carefully, looking around as she moved. When the trees cleared before her and Changkyun moved out of her view, her eyes fell on a water spring, pouring out from behind stacked rocks into a small pool reflecting the blue of the skies and white of the clouds.

Na bi stared at it wordlessly, missing the moment Changkyun stripped out of his shirt and pants and jumped into the water, disappearing under it. Coming back to her senses with the splash of droplets all over her, she looked around in the dead emptiness of the woods.

Changkyun’s head appeared above the water, hand pushing back the dark hair sticking to his face as did the familiar sight of his drenched, sculpted abs. He looked at her, head tilted, eyes questioning.

"I... don't know how to swim." Na bi confessed. The pool didn't look too deep, one definitely didn't need to know how to swim to get in there but Changkyun didn't point that out as she pulled her pants up to her knees and sat on a rock, legs dangling in the waters.

Instead, he smirked. "Did you offer to come along just to watch me Ms. Baek?"

"Maybe." Na bi answered truthfully, trying not to let her eyes wander anywhere below his neck. Changkyun chuckled, disappearing under the water again, as Na bi relished the feeling of the cool waters around her legs.

He swam around for a while, submerging himself for long periods of time like a child trying to see how long he could hold his breath under water. Sometimes Na bi panicked when she didn't see him come up soon enough, but he always came up - the man could clearly hold his breath for a ridiculously long time.

As the sun began to set, the cool waters started feeling a lot colder, making Na bi pull her feet out, shivering. Watching her Changkyun got out, shaking the water off like a wet dog, making her cover herself, looking away. Grinning like a child, he walked away and to her surprise, began collecting a bunch of sticks and twigs from here and there. In five minutes, he stacked them all and pulled out his lighter from the pocket of the discarded pant and started a fire.

Na bi scooted closer to the flames as he dried himself off beside it and sadly, dressed himself up again. When he sat down across her, poking the sticks, she slowly began questioning him.

"So this is what you do around here?" She rubbed her hands warm. "Play the piano, swim out here, all alone?"

"When I have the time yeah." He replied, nodding. "Which is not often. I'm usually far too busy with my business to find time for such things."

What kind of business?

Strangely, Na bi felt bad for him. He didn't look like he was much older than her which meant he was in his late twenties too. She wondered how it was, living a life so isolated, so alone, so far away, in the shadows. She liked being alone too but his life seemed so.... lonely.

"I can't imagine. I've been here barely a week and I feel like I'm already losing my mind."

"Go out then." He stated like it was the obvious solution. "Some city air should help."

"Wait I..." Na bi tried not to look too shocked. "I can leave this place?"

"Of course Ms. Baek." He glanced at her amused. "You're not my prisoner."

"No I just.... thought it was too dangerous for me out there?"

"It is, but Wonho and my men can accompany you, make sure you're safe when you're out."

Of course, she would still have company, of course she'll still be watched. But she had to get out, she had to meet Mingyu somehow, tell him everything she found out so far.

"And when will I be able to go back home?" She added. "My home."

Changkyun took a deep breath. "Soon. I admit we haven't made much, actually, any progress on finding those who are after you but hopefully....soon."

"Well I can't stay here forever. My suspension ends in less than 2 weeks, I need to be back at work, back at home."

"You may return whenever you wish Ms. Baek. Today, tomorrow or in 2 weeks. I can arrange for your protection wherever you choose to be." His gaze pierced her. "I meant it when I said I'll look out for you."

Why why why Changkyun?

Na bi wanted to ask him, she wanted to ask him so much more but there was something about the silence that fell between them that didn't allow her to talk. She...liked it. She had often craved for a silence this comfortable and warm and to find it here was.....terrifying.

It persisted till the fire finally burnt out, submerging them in the darkness of the evening, dimly lit by the swarms of fireflies. Changkyun finally got up, brushing off the dried twigs and leaves off his pants, as Na bi struggled to do the same with her foot fast asleep. Laughing at her stumbling movements, he walked up and pulled her onto her feet, her hands flying to find their place against his chest, face inches away from his.

You could put her at gunpoint but it was moments like this that Na bi dreaded more. Moments where she was so physically close to him that her defences, her inhibitions, everything crumbled down, overwhelmed by the desire to just feel him against her, just once.

But then Ana's image flashed in her head. Her lying sprawled on a forest floor much like this, all that blood.... this was sick. This man was a murderer, this man killed her friend, yet she... she couldn't do this. She shouldn't do this.

Before she could separate herself from him, it was Changkyun who pulled away, not meeting her eye.

"The temperature tends to drop fast around here after sunset. We should head back." And with that he walked away, leaving her to follow him, perplexed by his behaviour as always.

My clothes are all here. All that blue miserableness in the closet is gone, Changkyun arranged for my own clothes to be brought from home. I showered for longer than usual today. I don't know, I just felt strangely dirty.

Then I had dinner with him again. Mrs. Lee was the only one who spoke the whole time though. I couldn't find any words to say to him, he didn't seem to have any either. After dinner he informed me that Wonho will take me wherever I want to go tomorrow.... I need to figure out how to meet Mingyu. The map isn't fully done but I need to tell him whatever I know and to give him...

Na bi looked up from her diary at the gun on the table.

She found it, in the pile of clothes Changkyun had discarded before he jumped into the waters. She'd recognise it anywhere - it was the same one he had on him the night he came to her house. The same one who's bullets implicated her in this mission with the NIH. Perhaps the same one that committed many crimes.

She just needed to get it to Mingyu somehow. She would've given it to him too. If only he didn't let slip the truth. If only Na bi didn't find out what was really going on....

#changkyun series #changkyun smut #changkyun angst #mingyu series #mingyu smut #mingyu angst #monsta x series #monsta x smut #monsta x angst #changkyun #im chankgyun #monsta x changkyun #monsta x #kim mingyu #seventeen Mingyu #mingyu #seventeen series

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smileydk · 5 months

Text

''Noona and Hyung should marry!''

Pairing: Idol!Beomgyu x OC

Summary: Beomgyu has to work at a kids café for some kind of promotion for his band. Jiwoo is partially forced and partially happy to bring her newphew to the very same kids café.

cw/tw: fluff, crack, k-drama shit, oral (m, f), fingering, unprotected sex (wrap it if you wanna tap it), car sex, tummy bulge, kissing, hickeys, orgasm denial (kind of?)

Note: Based on the youtube video obviously. Not gonna be exact since we need some romance.

''Noona!'' Changmin screamed as he ran through the house.

Jiwoo chuckled to herself. She was playing hide and seek with the boy and was currently sitting in his closet. Changmin had been screaming Noona for 3 minutes while he searched, and Jiwoo had zero intentions to reply.

His small feet could be heard outside the closet, they tapped against the carpet as he ran around the room, looking everywhere he possibly could.

''Noona?'' His voice was breaking.

''Fuck'' Jiwoo mumbled to herself and opened the closet. ''Changmin, I'm here'' She wrapped her arms around his small body and smiled as sweetly as she possibly could.

''Why didn't you answer me when I screamed?'' Changmin glared at the older woman.

Sometimes Jiwoo forgot that Changmin was only 3 since he was very bright, but then again, at moments like these his actual age showed.

''Because we were playing hide and seek. It wouldn't have been fun if you knew where I hid, would it?''

Changmin sniffled and wiped his eyes. He pouted slightly but nodded slowly.

While the two just sat in Changmin’s room his single father, Changkyun, and Jiwoo’s brother peeked inside the room.

''Jiwoo, would you mind taking Changmin to KiCa today? I’ve gotta go to work. Some paper work I, apparently, forgot the other day''

''Wow, the Kim Changkyun didn’t do all his paper work in time? I’m so telling mom about this'' Jiwoo teased.

Changkyun was a brain surgeon. He finished his education at the young age of 30. Despite his young age he was a very skilled surgeon. Jiwoo was proud of him, but she also saw it as her duty to keep his ego to a minimum.

''That didn’t answer my question. Can you take him or not?''

Jiwoo nodded. ''Of course. If I get the car''

Yes. Jiwoo lived with her brother. Why? Simply because they had a great relationship and because she was a broke college student. It was hard to make enough money to live in Seoul while also studying at Seoul university.

Jiwoo had saved since she was a little child so she could get into the best of the best, and she got some money with her scholarship. She wanted to become an attorney, after being 19 and seeing Extraordinary Attorney Woo.

Yes, a k-drama was the reason.

Besides, it was Changkyun’s proposal that Jiwoo moved in with him. His idea was that she could help him out with Changmin, and she gets to live with them. Plus his apartment was close to university.

''But I'm going across town!'' Changkyun exclaimed. ''And you know, it's mine!''

''Fine! Where is KiCa anyways?''

''It takes 10 minutes with the bus, come on, you've been there before! Dumbass. The new workers there are your age. Find a boyfriend'' Changkyun smiled sweetly as he threw on his coat. ''See you later, sis! Might wanna put on something other than that mini-skirt, it's cold outside''

Jiwoo turned to her nepwhew. ''Your appa is mean, Noona can wear whatever she wants''

''I know, you look pretty, let's go to KiCa!'' Changmin was very excited. He adored the place. He was quick to put on his shoes and jacket. Jiwoo wasn't even by the door when he was done, and the three year old was impatient.

''Noona! Hurry up!'' Changmin jumped.

''Calm down, Changmin-ah, I'm coming. KiCa doesn't open for another 20 minutes'' Jiwoo put on her favorite knee-high boots. They were a gift from Changkyun on her birthfay, and she basically lived in them at ths point. And then she threw on her leather jacket.

''Noona looks like a kpop idol. But Noona is also the slowest person on this planet'' Changmin complained as Jiwoo finally opened the front door.

''Yah, I can also stay home which means you have to stay home'' Jiwoo raised a daring eyebrow.

''Sorry Noona! Let's go, please'' He pouted.

''Aish, fine'' The woman couldn't say no when he pouted.

A small, happy squeal left Changmin's lips as they got on the bus. He hadn't seen his friends in so long! He missed them so much. He also really wanted to play in the dirt! And have P.E with the work-Hyung.

As they got off the bus, and Changmin bowed politely at the driver, he broke into a sprint. The Kids Café was right by the bus stop. Jiwoo chuckled slightly as she jogged to catch up.

Changmin pulled gently at the door to check if they'd opened. The door opened with ease and the boy's smile widened. He rushed towards the elevator and immediately pressed the button.

''Noona, hurry! The elevator will be here any second! I wanna meet Juhyeon!''

Jiwoo chuckled as she nodded. She sped up her walk and reached the boy just as the elevator dinged, signaling it was on their floor.

Changmin quickly pushed the button to the KiCa floor and the elevator doors closed. As the display showed the floors ticking by Changmin only grew more excited.

Jiwoo had been at the KiCa before and she knew the ones who worked there, kind of. According to Changkyun there were a few new faces, but when they entered she spotted the old workers, and an unfamiliar head.

He turned around and Jiwoo's eyes were as wide as saucers.

''Choi Beomgyu'' She mumbled to herself.

''You must be Changmin'' He smiled and leaned down to put a name sticker on the boy's chest.

Changmin nodded happily, not frightened by the unfamiliar face. He had always loved meeting new people. He was a social butterfly. ''Yeah! I'm Changmin, what's your name, Hyung?''

''Beomgyu'' Beomgyu smiled as the three year old nodded, before he quickly walked into the playroom to join his friends in whatever they were doing.

Jiwoo took a seat in the café area. She got herself a fruit tea before pulling out her phone. She was usually bored out of her mind since Changmin spent the full hour at this place, and she couldn't leave during that one hour.

She was facing the little window they had, which showed the play area. She chuckled to herself as Beomgyu clearly tried his best at bonding with the children, without much success.

Beomgyu looked up from his failed bonding attempt and spotted the laughing girl. He raised an eyebrow at her and crossed his arms. Jiwoo tried her best to not laugh at him, but it was hard when he pouted like a five year old kid.

Changmin spotted his Aunt looking through the window with an amused grin. ''That's my Noona. Appa says she's single and needs to find a boyfriend. Hey, you're pretty, are you single?''

Beomgyu raised an eyebrow. ''Changmin, your Noona is very pretty''

''Wait here'' Changmin stood up. He dusted off the dirt on his clothes before he rushed out to Jiwoo.

''Changmin, what did you do?''

''Work-hyung, I can't remember his name, thinks you're pretty! Come on, I'll introduce you!'' Changmin grabbed Jiwoo's skirt and tugged gently.

''Changmin, I can't be in there. I can talk to him la-''

Before Jiwoo could finish her sentence Changmin had walked back into the playroom. He walked straight up to Beomgyu, who had now managed to make a little girl cry, grabbed his arm and gave it a harsh tug.

''I'm gonna introduce you to Noona!''

Beomgyu's only thought was that at least one child seemed to like him, even if it was because he wanted to match him with his Noona.

He pulled him outside and forced Beomgyu to sit. ''Get to know each other. I'm gonna play with Juhyeon'' Changmin smiled sweetly before taking of once more.

Jiwoo looked after her nephew with a confused look. She had no idea what his plan was, but she was sure she didn't like it.

Beomgyu also looked quite confused. ''You're a mom!?'' Was the first thing he exclaimed. Not "hi" like the normal person would.

''Aren't you too young to be a mom? And too beautiful?'' He continued and winked before he leaned back, trying to act cool.

A small chuckle left Jiwoo's lips. ''Nope, I'm his aunt. Why he calls me Noona is a mystery. And do you mean mom's aren't beautiful?'' She raised an eyebrow.

She was born a tease. It didn't make it better that she was almost 10 years younger than her older brother, meaning she could tease without any consequence.

''No! I didn't mean it like that- don't twist my words!'' Beomgyu sat up with furrowed eyebrows. He enjoyed meeting someone who a) weren't his members and b) someone who didn't treat him like a global superstar.

''I'm not twisting your words. I'm creating my own interpretation'' Jiwoo shrugged and put her phone away as well as her Airpods.

''So, Ms. Tease, got a name?''

''Yeah, don't you? I thought everyone had a name'' Jiwoo raised her eyebrow again, knowing very well that she probably got on his nerves.

''I would like to know it if you would like to tell me'' Beomgyu took a deep breath. She was a bit too good at teasing.

''Kim Jiwoo, I know you're Choi Beomgyu. Must say, big fan, and you look damn taller without the other giants in your group'' Jiwoo stretched out her hand for Beomgyu to shake. ''What is Mr. Superstar doing here? At KiCa? And what in the world did you do to make that girl cry?''

''I'm here... why am I here? I have no idea. And she started'' Beomgyu mumbled in an accusing tone, as if he wasn't almost four times her age.

''Ah yes, the four year old girl probably deserved a grown man fake-crying in her face'' Jiwoo chuckled as Beomgyu tried explaining himself. ''I think that's some kind of record''

Beomgyu narrowed his eyes at her. ''You're actually worse than Yeonjun-Hyung''

''It's a talent'' She flipped her hair dramatically, causing it to whip Beomgyu in the face.

''Are you always this rude?'' Beomgyu raised and eyebrow and leaned closer to her.

''Yep'' Jiwoo wouldn’t admit it, but he made her a little nervous.

''Beomgyu-ssi, I told you to clean the shoes. It's a punishment for making a girl cry'' One of the, female, workers scolded Beomgyu.

''Fine''

20 minutes later Beomgyu finished cleaning the children’s, very dirty, shoes. And the other workers decided he'd probably do better in the "P.E" room.

Why?

Mostly boys, and apparently the boys were a bit more hardcore. And because the P.E room was a lot more… well physical and less sitting still.

Beomgyu put name tags on the boys as they lined up after each other.

''Are you a female teacher or a male teacher?'' One of the kids asked, causing Jiwoo to burst out laughing.

''Yah, Seoan, he's clearly a man'' Changmin protected Beomgyu as he spoke. ''Men can also have long hair, and be very pretty!''

''Thank you, Changmin'' Beomgyu patted his head and glared slightly at Jiwoo as she still laughed.

''Yes Beomgyu, you’re a very pretty man'' Jiwoo snickered as Beomgyu still looked a little offended.

''I know. Now stop laughing at me''

Jiwoo raised her hands and nodded.

''Good girl'' Beomgyu disappeared into the playroom with the four boys.

Jiwoo did not enjoy the fact that him calling her that had such an affect on her. Nor did she like that the comment basically went straight to her core.

''Fuck''

''Yah! You can’t just leave me here!'' Beomgyu whined as the staff and crew from HYBE packed into the car.

''You made a girl cry. Yeonjun said you deserve it'' One if the producers shrugged and closed the car door. ''Here’s a few bills for the bus. Have a good time''

''Hey, Mr. Superstar, need help?''

Beomgyu turned around and found Jiwoo standing in front of him, holding Changmin’s hand.

He was slightly embarrassed, since he came from Daegu he didn’t know the bus system that well Seoul. In his defense they never took the bus in Seoul, someone always drove them around.

''Uhm… yeah?''

''Me and Changmin are heading home and uhm… hopefully Changkyun’s back with the car and I can give you a ride to HYBE. Sounds good?''

Beomgyu nodded. As Jiwoo started walking she missed the fact that Beomgyu didn’t follow her.

Changmin noticed. ''Work-Hyung, you coming or not? And stop staring at Noona’s ass''

Jiwoo chuckled to herself as an awkward cough left the man’s lips, followed by some quick steps.

''Noona and Hyung should marry!'' Changmin exclaimed out of the blue.

The two adults looked at the child. ''No. Noona and Beomgyu are friends. Nothing else''

Beomgyu nodded along.

''No, marry'' Changmin pouted.

Jiwoo sighed and shook her head. Sadly Changmin got the genes everyone in the family had. The ones that basically made it impossible to convince you once you'd decided on something.

After the 10 minute bus ride and another bow from Changmin to the bus driver the three found themselves in Changkyun’s luxury apartment.

''Oppa~''

''Yes I’m home, yes you can borrow the car. Key’s in the bowl. Hello Beomgyu''

Changkyun looked up from his phone and waved at Beomgyu.

Beomgyu and Changkyun went to the same high school. Changkyun remembered Beomgyu as a small, adorable, shy nerd.

Now he was 6’1 tall, grew out his hair, grew some muscle, could sing, his voice dropped about 4 octaves, and he wasn’t as shy anymore.

''You got a glow-up. You look a lot better in long hair'' Beomgyu smiled and bowed.

''Thank you~ I’m giving Beomgyu a ride to the HYBE building''

Changkyun smirked. ''Condoms in the glovebox''

Jiwoo flipped him off as she exited the apartment. Beomgyu only followed, and chuckled slightly at Jiwoo’s red cheeks.

During the few hours he’d known her she’d only been an ass, a teasing ass, not that he minded. She was fun to hang out with. But now Ms. Cocky was blushing over something as simple as condoms.

''So… if you’re a fan, whatcha think about my longer hair?''

Jiwoo totally forgot the fact that she was speaking to the Choi Beomgyu. She spoke as if it was her best friend, Sanghoon, in the passanger seat. They always made suggestive, flirty jokes with each other.

''Sexy, easy to pull- I mean… it looks fine''

Beomgyu smirked. He enjoyed every second. ''You think I’m sexy? And your thoughts are what now?''

''What? You are sexy and you know it'' Jiwoo slowed down and stopped outside the HYBE building.

''And you’re sexy as hell'' Beomgyu smirked. ''Here’s my number. Call me''

''Uhm… sure''

Jiwoo never meant to actually call Beomgyu. Not because she didn’t like him. But come on. She was a “normal” person, not famous in any way other than possibly being the sister of the "best surgeon in the world".

Beomgyu was a global superstar. He had millions of fans who adored him, cried as they saw him, spent all of their savings in hope to pull a little piece of paper with his face on.

She was sure he didn’t even give her his real number.

She was convinced he only did it as some kind of thank you, for the ride.

But Changmin found her phone one day, unlocked, wondered who it was and decided to find out himself.

When he realized it was work-Hyung he immediately found his father, told him about the situation and the two quickly went into action. Action meaning: getting Jiwoo a boyfriend.

With other words, Changkyun forced his sister to drive to a place he’d chosen, pick up Beomgyu and drive to another place, which he'd also chosen.

She hadn’t planned for anything that happened that day to actually happen.

It was all her brother’s fault.

She was absolutely not planning on laying on her back in the backseat, Beomgyu’s head burried between her legs. Chest heaving quickly as Beomgyu shoved his tongue between her folds.

Her hands were pulling at Beomgyu’s long locks, making the man smirk, due to the statement she made a few days ago.

As her high was approaching Jiwoo tried closing her legs, which Beomgyu didn’t seem to like. His fingers dug into her plush thighs, forcing them to stay open.

''Fuck~ I am so… close- fuck!''

The man smirked and pulled away from her pussy. He smirked as he wiped his lips. ''You tease me, I tease you, princess'' Jiwoo whined as she felt her orgasm fading away.

''Fuck your legs are sexy, especially in these boots'' Beomgyu ran his nose along her legs, leaving a kiss or hickey along the way.

Jiwoo was embarrassed over how easily he made her wet. But then again. He was Choi Beomgyu. He was basically famous for singing and good looks.

''Changkyun is gonna kill me'' Jiwoo mumbled as Beomgyu continued kissing her legs, which seemed to go on forever in Beomgyu's mind.

A small chuckle left the man’s lips. ''Wasn’t he fhe one who wanted you to do this?''

''Shut up'' Jiwoo whined and punched Beomgyu in the chest. Beomgyu only continued chuckling and leaned closer. He pressed his lips against Jiwoo’s while he allowed his hand to travel south. His ego grew slightly as a high pitched moan left Jiwoo’s lips.

It was dark. The clock might have been 1 in the morning. But someone passed the car, which caused Beomgyu to slap his hand over Jiwoo’s mouth.

The person stopped slightly and turned towards the car.

''Keep walking!'' Beomgyu snapped in a rude tone. The person seemed terrified and disappeared. He removed his right hand, which covered her mouth, while his left hand sped up it's movements.

Beomgyu dipped his head down and started leaving hickeys all over Jiwoo’s neck. Jiwoo’s fingers found Beomgyu’s scalp again and started pulled at his roots.

A small groan left Beomgyu’s lips as her nail scratched against his scalp. He might have enjoyed her pulling his hair a bit too much. ''Fuck that's nice- do that again, princess''

Jiwoo chuckled and repeated the action, forcing another groan from his pink, plump lips.

As Jiwoo felt her orgasm building up again, which didn’t take long due to previous orgasm build up, she clenched around Beomgyu’s long, slender fingers, only he had no intnetions of letting her cum anytime soon. He ripped his fingers from her and smirked.

''Beomgyu!'' Jiwoo whined loudly. ''I swear. If you don’t let me cum soon, I’m doing it myself and forcing you to watch''

''Fine, only because you asked so nicely, princess ''

He pulled down his pants and underwear. He pumped himself a couple of times.

Jiwoo stared with wide eyes. ''That is not gonna fit'' She mumbled to herself.

''We’re gonna make it fit, princess. Hands and knees''

Jiwoo did as ordered. Beomgyu could almost cum from the sight of her on her knees, mouth open and ready for him.

Beomgyu pushed his dick past her lips and immediately let out a groan. Her warm mouth embracing him was almost enough for him to burst right away.

Without a second thought he grabbed her hair and pushed her head all the way. A choked sound left Jiwoo’s lips while Beomgyu thrusted into her mouth.

Beomgyu had a firm grip on her hair, pulling slightly, which forced a moan from Jiwoo’s lips. ''You like that, hm?''

Jiwoo hummed in response, which sent vibrations down his shaft. A loud, throaty groan left his lips. An ego boost on Jiwoo's behalf. She hollowed her cheeks as much as she possibly could.

Beomgyu groaned again, feeling his own orgasm coming. He twitched in her mouth, causing the woman to hollow her cheeks again. His thrusts sped up and a final groan left his lips.

A moment later he came down her throat. As Beomgyu pulled out he groaned at the sight. A string of cum, mixed with saliva, hung between her perfect, pink lips and the tip of his dick.

''Oh my god- best head ever. So your smart mouth is good for something other than snappy remarks''

Jiwoo laid back down on her back, per Beomgyu's demand, and waited for him to do... anything to her.

The man placed his hands by her head. He hovered over her and smirked as he stopped just an inch from her face. He laid his cock across her stomach, groaning to himself.

Jiwoo spotted it as well and a concerned whimper left her lips.

''It's gonna fit, or I'm gonna make it fit'' Beomgyu pumped himself a few times before running the head along her slit.

A whiney moan left her lips and her body jerked slightly. A taunting chuckle left Beomgyu's lips. ''Needy?''

''Yes, please fuck me~''

''Your wish is my command, princess'' Beomgyu chuckled but did as wished.

As he entered her slowly Jiwoo's jaw fell open, eyes closed and eyebrows scrunched. ''Fuck- you're too big'' She panted as she could feel him still pushing inside her.

''Come on princess, be a good girl, you can take it''

When he bottomed out he stopped for a moment. Both so that Jiwoo could adjust to him, and to allow his eyes to take in the heavenly look before him. As he let his gaze travel her body, it stopped by her belly.

''My god, you are tiny'' Beomgyu mumbled as he laid his hand on her tummy. His ego grew as he could see his own dick all the way up in her belly.

And the size difference was a bit too hot on Beomgyu’s behalf.

Another whimper left Jiwoo's lips. ''Fuck- please move~''

The man nodded slightly and pulled out slowly. He pulled almost all the way out before thrusting back in, harshly, making the whole car shake.

His ego grew with each moan that left Jiwoo's lips. It grew even more when she moaned his name, loud and clear.

Jiwoo placed her hand over her mouth in an attempt to silence her moans. It didn't do much, but it did something.

Beomgyu chuckled and grabbed her hand. He pinned them both by her head. ''Nuh-uh, I wanna hear those pretty sounds''

Due to the two earlier, almost, orgasms it wasn't hard for the third one to build up. Quickly.

Apparently Beomgyu could tell as well as his hips sped up even more.

If someone was to talk by they'd know right away what was happening. But the two inside the car? Not a single care in the world, except chasing their much needed orgasms.

''Fuck- please let me cum this time'' Jiwoo managed to get out between moans and pants.

''Of course, princess. You've been such a good girl''

Those were all the words Jiwoo needed to hear before she released around Beomgyu. A moment later Beomgyu came inisde her, slowing down his movements to ride out both their highs.

As he pulled out a cocky grin grew on his lips. ''And you said it wouldn't fit''

Jiwoo only punched him in the chest again. A small "ouff" left his lips. ''Fuck you''

''Hey, you texted me first''

''My brother texted you first. I left my phone unlocked, which seemed to have been a mistake''

Beomgyu raised an eyebrow. ''You calling me a mistake? The sounds you made say otherwise''

''You- I- we-'' Jiwoo didn't know what to say, which was a rare thing.

''Cat got your tongue, princess?'' An amused grin grew on Beomgyu's lips as he spoke. He leaned down and pecked her lips. ''Sorry''

'They both got dressed and walked around the car to get into the front. They both missed the paparazzis snapping photos of them. They both missed the fact that they were, most likely, gonna be on the news tomorrow.

''Asshole''

''Your asshole''

''Whatever, cheescake''

#fluff #kpop fluff #kpop oneshots #txt smut #txt #choi beomgyu #beomgyu #beomgyu x reader #beomgyu smut #beomgyu fluff #one shot #beomgyu one shot #tomorrow x together #smut #txt beomgyu

72 notes · View notes

marvelous-llama · 9 months

Text

MONSTA X recs

most of the mentioned works is 18+ NSFW, MINORS DNI

tumblr is based on reblogs not likes, so please reblog and comment under works you like. Show love to the authors and appreciate their hard work

<<next chapters

pls don´t hesitate to hmu, if any of mentioned links doesn´t work or you have suggestions for more fics... thank you so much for all the love and comments

OT6

The Faculty by @iibonniee

The anti-love club by @dropsofletters

Public Adventures by @iibonniee

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Play It Cool by @btssmutgalore

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Repair Work by @flurrys-creativity

Hyunwoo x fem!reader (wc - 1.6k) strangers to lovers - smut You totally forgot the appointment with the worker, who was supposed to change a device inside of your apartment. So when the door bell rang, you opened the door - barely dressed - which grabbed his attention.

More Than A Helping Hand by @sotteoks

Hyunwoo x fem!reader (wc - 6.9k) roommates to lovers, friends to lovers, university AU, rich kid!reader - fluff, smut your university roommate Hyunwoo is everything you wanted and then some.

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love is · · · by @jeonstellate

Kihyun x fem!reader mafia AU, arranged marriage - angst, fluff in a world where [first name] can only safely love one other person besides themselves, a simple favor changes everything.

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Hyungwon x fem!reader (wc - 17k) strangers to lovers, meet cute - fluff, smut, crack(ish) “You can’t catch feelings sucking tequila out of a stranger's bellybutton.”

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bad news, good news & good news, bad news by @seungkwansphd

Hyungwon x fem!reader (wc - 2.9k + 5.4k) enemies > fwb > lovers, frat!Hyungwon, university AU - angst, smut, fluff after a breakup, you find yourself in the company of your self-proclaimed nemesis. you know as well as anyone that you two don’t get along, but your bodies have something different in mind.

middle of the night by @jooberry

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Changkyun x fem!reader (wc - 4.2k) fwb to lovers, mutual pining - fluff, angst, smut you and changkyun have been hooking up for a while now. both of you want more, but neither is willing to say it without some reassurance from the other end.

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Drink You Deeply by @catkyunie

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70 notes · View notes

biffhofosho · 7 months

Text

Le Cirque du Fantasme | Part One

Fandom: Monsta X

Genre: Smut, natch

Word Count: 12.2k

Pairing: Jooheon/Changkyun/Minhyuk x OC

Synopsis: Step right up! Step right up! Come one, come all to a celebration of the macabre, the daring, the enticing, and the beautiful. Inside this tent is another world—one that will challenge your senses as much as your soul. Nowhere else on Earth can you experience such an awakening. Just take caution—once you are awake, you’ll find it hard to ever go back to sleep.

The Vibe: Third person (as always), fall fog, small town, lost and found, night circus, inhumans, the seen and the unseen (heh), everything fantastical and provoking, wonderstruck OC, questioning reality, copious amounts of worldbuilding leads to copious amounts of smut, foursome, suspension, light bondage/shibari-adjacent, temperature play like woah, sexual oneupsmanship lol, acrobatic sex yw

A/N: Literally the second the opening bars hit on “Daydream,” I knew I was going to write an October fic to it. Not only that, I knew exactly what it called for.

I had originally intended to publish multiple October fics, same as last year, but since I boned myself over with my earlier writing hiatus, the least I can do is give you a twoshot. This is my love song to my readers who love worldbuilding as much as I do. I didn’t try to rein in the muse this time, so hopefully you disappear into another reality entirely with me. Also—

Since it’s October, when we do get to the smut, I, um, went slightly more deviant than usual ahahaha. .-.

Cvr | 01 | 02 | 03

“Oh, no.”

Mariam is aware that, all things considered, she is under-reacting.

She is lost when there is no reason for her to be lost.

Only minutes ago, she was walking home from her late shift at the diner, and now she is wandering through fog as thick as stuffing and woods where there should be sidewalk. It’s nighttime, but it’s doubtful that even in daylight things would change. Even with the pale moon, she can neither see where she has come from nor where she is headed.

The fog has muffled every sound like a pair of noise-canceling headphones. She can hear only the crunch of dry leaves under her boots. And, yeah, it’s late, but where’s the traffic? She always passes a few cars on the road. She realizes that is exceptionally weird, but there’s nothing to do but move forward. Carmel isn’t very big; she’s bound to wander into one of the old cemeteries any moment, and then she’ll know she’s close to her apartment.

Still, the woods are a little concerning. Town might be tiny, but if she’s somehow wandered into the woods around Ninham Mountain, Mariam could be lost for hours. The state forest is huge and full of lakes, and she is definitely not on any sort of trail at the moment.

Slowly, her usual cavalier attitude wears thin. It’s getting cold. The chill of autumn bites at her through her flannel, and she withdraws her fingers into her sleeves before they can chap. The further she walks into the fog without a guidepost, the more nervous she gets.

“Idiot!” she curses at herself.

Suddenly, it dawns on Mariam to check her phone. She fishes it out of her bag to find she’s been walking for ten minutes, which is her usual walk home, but she can’t see a single building let alone a sidewalk. Foolish as it is, she decides to map her route, but something much more alarming happens.

No signal.

She cannot call. She cannot text. She cannot even access her GPS.

The little marker on the map has her floating in a blob of gray, which is ironic considering she is unmoored in a cottony swab of nothingness.

“Oh, no.”

This time, at least, Mariam is painfully aware that her reaction is right on point.

She keeps her phone in hand now in the hope of catching a wisp of signal. She doesn’t feel like she’s walking up hill—she doesn’t feel like she’s moving at all—but in the hopes that she is, maybe she’ll pick up the cell tower. Realistically, she can’t have gotten that lost in ten minutes.

Her ears perk. She hears something other than her own feet, and she stops to make sure she isn’t hallucinating it.

Nope, that’s music all right. It’s just really, really weird music. Like someone’s playing organ music, but it’s definitely not from the Baptist church. It’s too… whimsical?

Mariam cocks her head. It reminds her of something. She can’t remember what, but something from her childhood, she’s sure.

With no other options, she walks toward it. At least she’ll find one other human out here who can give her some directions.

She turns on her flashlight, but it just rebounds off the fog and blinds her. Mariam stumbles against a tree and waits for the flood of brilliance to wash from behind her eyes. When she opens them again, the fog has miraculously thinned.

She’s definitely in the woods, not one of the little town parks or someone’s backyard but somewhere wild and unmanicured. The trees are spindly but thick, almost claustrophobic. There’s still no sign of a trail, and yet it seems like she’s on one. In fact, she can see it laid out before her, free of brambles and thickets and fallen trees. The fog is thinner there, too, though all along the sides of her, it’s as dense as cinder block.

The only thing that makes sense is following it, so Mariam does, and as she walks, the music gets louder. It also becomes more familiar. Maybe it’s because she’s lost, but something about it is so inviting. If notes can be colorful, these are positively flamboyant. She finds herself smiling in the fog.

The trail-not-trail bends and when she rounds a big boulder, she sees it.

There, in a glade cloistered by a lush canopy of fiery red maples, squats an enormous circus tent replete with a black flag snapping in a breeze that she can’t feel. The tent is striped white and black, high contrast even in the dark. There’s a long entrance tunnel, and at its maw is a ticket window lined with warm white lights. It glows like a lighthouse, and Mariam finds herself drawn into its harbors.

There’s a man in the window. He’s the most intense blend of handsome and cute she has ever seen. If she looks at him from one side, his eyes are thin and sharp, and they cut through her like razors, but if she looks at him from the other, his dimples cup his playful mouth as though they can barely contain his inner vibrance. His hair is darker than the night itself, making his skin look white as starlight by comparison, but the booth lighting frames his head like a halo. He’s an impossible mix of everything all at once, and she has never seen his equal.

Mariam steps to the window with an overwhelming sense of intimidation.

“Welcome, fair lady,” he says. His voice is potent. He says each word with a confidence that she has never felt in her whole life even at her best, and she finds herself captivated in the span of five syllables. His eyes dance as he studies her. “You’re just in time.”

“For what?” she asks.

“Showtime, of course. I was just about to close the ticket window, but lucky for us, I didn’t.”

It’s kind of a weird thing to say, Mariam thinks, but his unswerving confidence makes her reconsider.

“Actually, I was just looking for directions?” she says with more of a question than she intended.

“It seems to me you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

Again, his conviction makes her question hers.

“I wasn’t planning on going to a show tonight.” She fishes through her bag and finds the small roll of ones and fives from her shift. Tuesday shifts were notoriously poor payouts, but a traveling outfit this elaborate has to cost a pretty penny considering how exclusive it must be out here in the middle of nowhere. “How much? I don't have much cash on me. You take cards?”

“Those little plastic rectangles?” he replies with a flippant smile. “Pointless.”

Mariam frowns. “Then I don’t think I can afford it.”

He leans across the counter, almost through the window itself, into her personal space. Her hands fly to her chocolate locks and gather them to one side, twisting and twisting it as tightly as she feels her stomach twisting.

“Oh, admission is very reasonable,” he assures. This time when he smiles, it feels like he’s keeping a secret. He presents a golden ticket, the glossy paper winking as it turns between his well-manicured fingers. “Admission is only a dream.”

“A dream?” Mariam says skeptically.

“Just that, miss. In exchange for the best dream you’ve ever had, we will provide you with a new one. Seems like a fair trade, yes?”

“It would be if I knew what you were talking about.”

“I promise you’ll never experience anything else like this.”

Her brow furrows as she glances up at the big top. “I don’t even know what this is.”

The ticket-taker pouts, and his lush lips fatten to sumptuous thickness. “I’m afraid the show must start, miss. Do we have a deal?”

Mariam considers. This isn’t why she came—no, wait, she didn’t intend to come here at all—but she is here now, and this charming ticket monger is next to impossible to resist. What’s the harm in telling him one single dream? He doesn’t need to know about that particular dream.

And, anyway, it’s not like he’s conning her out of any money. In essence, it’s some free, entertaining shelter from a foggy night. She weighs her options and makes her decision.

“Am I supposed to, like, write it down or something?” she asks.

“Just lean in,” he instructs.

Hesitantly, Mariam tips forward over the counter, and for a brief second, his plump lips ghost along hers.

She should jerk back. She should slap him. But she does nothing but let him kiss her like the night mist. She is frozen as a current of muddy feelings spill like water from her lips. The back of her brain tickles a bit, but it’s overruled by the more pleasant tickle of his lips dusting over hers.

When he’s done, he licks his lips, which have curled into a tiger’s grin. His eyes are lively, and he’s panting lightly. He clears his throat and adjusts his hips in his pants somewhere behind the counter.

“How delicious,” he practically purrs. “I may have to keep that one for myself. I almost feel bad for taking it from you, but I promise the replacement will exceed it.”

He presents the golden ticket, and Mariam takes it. She expects it to feel like paper or maybe metal, but instead, it feels gauzy, and she can't stop rubbing her thumb over it.

“Straight through there, fair lady,” he says. “The show is about to start, and a whole new dream awaits you.”

The ticket monger holds open the black curtain, and she enters the tunnel. The moment the curtain shuts behind her, it is blacker than an abyss. The only thing she can see is a thin, shimmering line of light at the far end.

Outside, she hears the snap of the ticket booth closing, and she knows she is alone. The music is louder now, drawing her forward more powerfully than ever, and she realizes why she recognized it in the first place. It rises and falls and scampers and twirls, almost as though she can see the notes surrounding her, teasing and laughing at her. It is the song of childhood, of delight and fantasy.

It is the song of the circus.

There are smells here, too, familiar and unfamiliar. There is the buttery warmth of popcorn and, beneath it, something much more unctuous, a bit like when the cooks at the diner render the lard for the pie crusts. There's a hint of something acrid too, and it reminds her of the smell of her father's rifles.

Mariam follows the tunnel to its end, where she parts the drape only to be assaulted by the brilliant spotlights surrounding a huge red ring. There are seats seven layers high around three sides terminating at a ring entrance shuttered by another heavy curtain, but this one is three times as tall and wide as the entrance she just came through. Just surrounding the ring are four enormous tent poles soaring to the canvas above, where wires zig and zag across the arena and café lights accent each black and white stripe, softening the harsh spotlights.

The ticket-taker is there to greet her as though he has never seen her before. He beams at her, those dimples creasing his plump cheeks. Mariam approaches with her ethereal ticket in hand and starlight in her eyes.

“What’s this? A golden ticket?” says the man with a sharp eyebrow raised. “We have ourselves a VIP tonight it seems. You’re in for a truly mesmerizing experience, miss. Follow me. I will show you to your seat.”

He does not take the ticket from her after all but, instead, leads her across the ring itself toward a pair of empty seats in a box on the floor.

“VIP?” she says as she struggles to keep up with his commanding steps. His thick black boots thunk across the floor and resound under the big top. “But I didn't pay you anything for it!”

“But you did,” he insists. “The most tantalizing dream gets the VIP treatment. After all, we have to work harder to replace what we have taken.”

Mariam tries to remember the dream she’d thought about before she entered, but where her brain searches for the memory, it finds only the lingering taste of his lips, which she savors like berries ripened by the moon until they’re ready to burst. It’s a bit of a silly thought, yet dark, sweet juice coats her mouth and whets her appetite for something even darker.

They stop outside the box seats, and the dimpled man holds open the door with a question on his face. “You want VIP, don’t you?”

“I do,” she finds herself answering.

This broadens the man’s shoulders, and now he smiles so widely that those thin eyes shut under the powerful force of his bright cheeks. “Your private seats then, my fair lady.”

Mariam sits on one of the velvet-padded seats as he closes the door and offers her a sweeping bow like the showman he is. The ticket-monger-turned-usher disappears now behind the backstage curtain, and she has little doubt she will see him in the show, most likely as a clown judging from his over-the-top antics.

As she tries to relax into her seat, Mariam spares some time to look beyond the open stage and see what other lost souls have stumbled into this weird circus. She wonders if she’ll see any of her friends or coworkers in the stands.

She does not. What she finds is far more unnerving.

There are only a dozen or so other spectators in the stands. None of them sit anywhere near each other. They are spread throughout the whole tent, high and low, mostly in shadow because the spotlights are fixed downward in the ring. At first, she thinks they are strays like her, but as they wait for the show to start, Mariam begins to doubt they are even human. If she looks at any one of them head on, they look like normal people, mostly men but a few women, too, but from her periphery, she swears she sees the jaws of a wolf or the skin of a lizard or even a pair of antlers when she turns her head. Most have eyes of glinting gold exactly like those she’s seen along the road when her high beams catch just so.

And there are fangs. Fangs everywhere, some long and thin, some fat or even serrated.

One of them, a thin, hunched man with mottled scales in patches all over his body, is eating from a black and white striped carton which might usually house popcorn, but it definitely isn’t, and he isn’t eating whatever it is with his hand but with quick snaps of a lightning-fast tongue.

Mariam is growing uncomfortable again. She had thought this place might get her back home, but it has taken her somewhere far more foreign, and she’s feeling more alone than ever. She has felt different a lot in her life but never like an actual alien.

She should probably be more scared than anything, but none of these people—creatures—are looking at her. They are all looking toward the ring. Nobody speaks although she swears she hears a snort from one side of the arena that someone echoes on the other side with a series of strange clicks.

She wishes the berry-lipped man would come back and take the seat beside her. She can’t be sure he’s human now either, but she trusts his smile and his dimples, even if she shouldn’t.

Just when Mariam is ready to dart to the exit, music swells anew. It is far more powerful than the spirited diddy that lured her here. Under the big top, the organ booms and the drums thunder, and everything feels like it’s spinning like a carousel.

“Strangers! Friends! Denizens of the dark and light dwellers alike!” comes a voice of unquestionable power from somewhere backstage. As far as Mariam can tell, there is no sound system. It's just the voice of a true entertainer filling the canvas wall-to-wall. “The time has come to revel in the greatest spectacle the night has ever seen. Pretense, common sense, even the very laws of nature itself, have no place under this canopy. What you will experience tonight will challenge your very perception of reality. Nothing you have seen before tonight can prepare you for what you are about to see. At times, you may think you have wandered into a dream, but I assure you, what you are about to witness is so much more. Welcome—”

The backstage curtains sail wide with a snap and a flutter, and a man bursts through, his arms wide and his dimples shining in the spotlights.

“—to Le Cirque du Fantasme!”

The audience applauds, rather lackluster Mariam thinks for the passion of such a lofty introduction, so she tries to clap just a little louder than everyone else. After all, she is getting the VIP treatment, so she should return the favor.

The man rises from a bow that completely folds him in half, and she shakes her head in awe. She had expected—hoped—to see him again, but she is not prepared for the striking figure the former usher cuts in his crimson crushed velvet coat. The tails swish at the back of his knees as he laps the ring. Diamond buttons splinter in the light as does the sweat already beading at his brow.

“I am Jooheon, your ringmaster, but I am also your guide. For every wonder you experience tonight, I will be by your side to remind you that what you are witnessing is indeed real. Together, we will discover there is magic left in the world if you know just where to look.”

He stops in front of the VIP box and tips his head with a smile just for Mariam, and then he is gone.

Back in the center of the ring, Jooheon enumerates the many wonders on their horizon, impossible, tantalizing things that cannot be real, yet the more he promises, the more she believes him. Thanks to this man’s unprecedented versatility, she is also starting to believe this is a one-man circus. Maybe he will perform all of the spectacular acts he’s teasing.

But Jooheon confounds her again. With a dramatic swoop of his hand, he draws the audience’s eyes to the massive curtains at the rear of the tent, and slowly, the heavy fabric parts by unseen hands.

Mariam’s seat trembles. At first, she thinks she’s imagining it, caught up in the ringmaster’s passion, but then it trembles again and again, and she realizes they’re tremors.

No. Footfalls.

The arena is dead silent.

Thwomp. Thwomp. Thwomp.

The face appears first in shadow—a great black snout snuffling so strongly that the curtains puff. Even through the veil of backstage, the eyes are clear and bright, an otherworldly metallic green that flash the same sort of gold that some of the audience members possess.

Another footfall, and the muzzle appears, ornamented with thick black lips fringed by snow white and overhung by two bone-shattering fangs as long as her hand.

Since Mariam sits off to the side, the eyes do not seem to perceive her, yet she tucks her legs up against herself and ducks her head to peer from behind her knees as the rest of the creature emerges to fill the ring.

It’s a wolf—if one can call it that. It’s nearly twice the height of a horse and just as broad. Its fur is white all over save for the silver tips to each hair that make it sparkle in the spotlight. Its chunky claws click on the ring floor as it shuffles into position.

Mariam relaxes now. Maybe it’s because Jooheon is standing there unbothered by its haunches or maybe it’s because its face is rather doglike despite its other ferocious features or maybe it’s the fact that its tail is wagging, but most likely, it’s because a man sits astride its great shoulders, scratching its fluffy ears.

“Friends, behold!” trumpets Jooheon. “Our Amorak and our beastmaster, Shownu! Together, they will take us on a journey through the world of creatures long considered too elusive or vicious to be tamed. Many have been laughed at for believing the campfire tales or legends of our ancestors, but for Shownu, these legends are not legends at all but friends and allies, and now, they will be yours, too.”

The Amorak sits down, and Shownu releases its mane to slide down its back like a child on a playground. The beastmaster lands easily and pats the great wolf’s backside. With a snap of the man’s fingers, the Amorak stands and side-steps as delicately as a pony so that even a man as imposing and broad-chested as the beastmaster stands beneath the animal, the man’s head at its elbow.

From the shadows beneath, Shownu whistles, and the wolf spins so its back legs face the audience. Another whistle, this one like a see-saw, and the creature wags its tail in huge, careful strokes that send its long fur sweeping the faces of the audience members brave enough to sit in the first couple rows. Laughter rings out. Mariam finds she is laughing, too, and perhaps even a little envious.

As if he knows this, Jooheon saunters over to the VIP box and says, “Fair lady, would you please stand?”

“What?” she whispers hoarsely.

“Now is better,” he teases with his dimples.

The Amorak shifts, and now there is no doubt it perceives her. The beastmaster steps out from the belly of the beast and walks toward her. Mariam shoots up from her seat, less out of fear of the creature than out of respect for its master.

Shownu stands opposite Jooheon at the box and centers his attention on the VIP. There is a gentleness in his face that she could never have anticipated considering his ominous moniker, but Shownu smiles at her very differently than Jooheon ever has. His lips do not part but, instead, sit neatly atop each other in a way that raises his cheeks like two little fresh-baked rolls.

“Hold out your hand, palm up,” the beastmaster instructs in a gruff but inviting voice.

Mariam does so hesitantly, and when her arm is fully extended, the Amorak raises its paw, too, and places it light as a feather in hers. It’s so huge that only a portion of a single blazing paw pad fills her palm. Its long feathery fur tickles her skin, and she finds herself giggling. The two men exchange smiles, and the Amorak lowers its head. It snorts once, and her long hair sails behind her. She laughs harder now, and the beast and the beastmaster withdraw to the heart of the ring again, her body vibrating both from the experience and the tremors of footfalls.

Mariam sits back down, cradling her hand to her chest with a slack-jawed smile on her face.

The duo performs a few other stunts—the Amorak stands on his back legs and wobbles in the circle, as does Shownu, which has the audience cackling, and then it howls, nearly blowing the roof off the circus tent, which sends the audience cowering—before the wolf takes a seat and Shownu takes a post at the curtain.

Another man, this one even broader and more muscular than Shownu, comes out just long enough to shepherd in two sweet-faced animals before he disappears into the back. At first, Mariam thinks they are fawns, but then she sees the tawny wings folded at their backs.

Jooheon introduces these as perytons, not that that means anything to her, but the antlered person she’d caught sight of earlier in the stands cheers and stamps so enthusiastically that the ringmaster practically glows with the praise.

Shownu gets the energetic little critters to perform a choregraphed dance, which would be cute enough, but then they take to the sky, and whimsy becomes awe. The perytons glide and weave just like birds though they snort and snuffle like deer. Mariam is so lost in the spectacle that she barely catches Jooheon’s note that their sweet faces conceal true power, and no sooner does he say this then one of the little deer-birds divebombs the spectator with the popcorn container and, with taloned back legs instead of its hooved front ones, grabs a hunk of what looks like entrails and lobs it back like a baseball to its friend. The other peryton snaps it out of mid-air to devour it, and the sight of a sweet little fawn face gobbling intestines is not something Mariam imagines she will ever forget. The Amorak growls, and the two mischievous babies promptly land, bleating like kids laughing at their father.

After that, Shownu spreads his arms out wide and lifts his powerful chest, and the perytons follow suit, their hawk-like wings fanned out, every feather articulated. There’s no denying the stir in Mariam’s belly as she studies the beastmaster commanding his beasts, for they follow his every command unquestioningly.

The perytons perform a few more aerial tricks of agility with a ball and a ribbon, and when they are done, the buff shepherd from earlier fetches them to the back and then returns, this time dropping a trail of meat into the ring.

From the back inches a gigantic pink blob. The front end is nothing but a gaping maw lined with hundreds of wicked teeth, and… that’s it—it’s nothing but pinkness and horrifying teeth. Again, Mariam finds herself tucking her feet up onto her chair as though she’s afraid it will break into the box and mow her clean off at the knees.

Jooheon explains this is a Mongolian Death Worm, eyeless and earless but hardly helpless. The crowd is instructed to keep quiet since it hunts by vibration, but Mariam quickly sees that is only partly true when the worm reaches Shownu, and the beastmaster stoops down to pat the top of its head while two big nostrils open for a long sniff.

The creature is longer than her father's car and the color of exposed muscle. Its segments undulate when it moves as well as when it eats, which is an awful lot like Taz from the Looney Tunes, she thinks. It should be grotesque, but Mariam can't help but find it adorable as the monster looks up at its master and seems to smile even without eyes and lips.

Through a series of stamps and claps of his hands against the floor, Shownu communicates with the beast. It rolls up and lunges on command, jawless mouth snapping. It roars with the power and ferocity of a sandstorm, and her blood curdles. Then, as if to rub its stubby pink nose in the face of its moniker, the worm curls into a ball that Shownu scoops up in his sturdy hands and lobs straight into the air for his Amorak to catch in its mouth. Finally, the big wolf drops it to the ground, and the giant wad of chewed bubble gum unspools and jiggles itself dry to the squeal of the few audience members who sat too close to the action and got sprayed with giant dog saliva.

As the laughter dies down, however, the ringmaster reminds everyone not so subtly that this is a death worm. To prove that point, Shownu brings out a giant rod with a metal ball on the end and taps the top of the worm's head. It growls—a sound that trembles in the bones more than in the ears, a bit like a building earthquake or an oncoming train—and rears up, and when it does, it puffs out almost twice its width. Fantastic crackles of lightning discharge from its head and arc into the ball at the end of the rod. They snap and pop and sizzle in yellow so brilliant, Mariam has to close her eyes most of the way so she doesn’t go blind.

When at last the worm deflates, panting in the ring, the beastmaster touches the tip of the rod to the metal pole supporting the tent, and a sonic boom shivers the canvas on its rails. The residual electricity stands up every hair on Mariam's arms and, unfortunately, most of her head, too, which she is quick to smooth down. Shownu pats the worm on the head again, and the chubby blob slinks off behind the buff shepherd, rather satisfied for a death worm, she thinks.

After a hearty round of applause, the beastmaster and the Amorak both bow to the audience, and Shownu takes the opportunity to leap between the giant wolf’s shoulder blades. When it rises again, the man sits astride with a nod for the crowd and one specifically for Mariam, and he looks as much like a cowboy on a horse as he does a man on a mythological creature.

Jooheon takes center stage again, and she is struck by just how much the man seems to belong in the spotlight. With a toothy grin, he says, “Shownu, everyone! Please let him hear how much you loved his menagerie of talented friends.”

Applause and cheers ring out, and Mariam joins in extra loudly since she’s still feeling electrified by the death worm.

“For our next act, I invite you to feast your eyes on a man with the strength of a beast, the body of a god, and the face of an angel. But it isn’t just strength he brings to the table, no, no, no, but agility. Straight from the realm of the Fair Folk, prepare to delight in the beautiful brute force and precision artistry of our resident fae, Wonho!”

The ringmaster steps to the edge of the ring as the former shepherd returns to center stage, padding out in bare feet unaccompanied. He is massive, with enormous shoulders corded with muscle protruding from his tank top. Mariam wonders how it doesn’t burst at the seams considering how the rest of his chest bulges against the fabric, but maybe that’s just another part of the circus magic or it’s simply painted on. It's not much different with his pants. The way the fabric stretches around his tree trunk thighs is perhaps even more magical, and she knows she should probably look away, but how can she when it seems as though the man was made specifically to ogle.

His white hair has the faintest hint of lilac, and like the Amorak fur, there’s a metallic glint to it, but it’s nothing to the glint in his emerald eyes. Even from ringside, they are piercing, so green that they seem lit by some internal flame, and when they fall to her, Mariam exhales so sharply that she realizes she’s been holding her breath since he strolled in.

He is carrying something in his enormous hands. It looks like a giant crystal cube, and it warps and shatters the light like a disco ball.

Wonho smiles. It’s as dazzling as Jooheon’s, all teeth but no dimples, and it accentuates just how delicate he is despite his big body. His ears stick out like little butterfly wings, but just before she can be spirited away by such cuteness, he shucks the tank top over his head, and it’s not just the intimidating display of muscle that catches her off-guard—it’s the actual set of wings at his back.

They unfurl, thin and translucent as stained glass, framed in by silver rims as fragile as the mint green panes inside. She thinks there's no way that something so ethereal could possibly be functional, but, as if to prove her wrong, Wonho alights before her eyes toward a crow's nest just above the ring. The wings make a rustling sound, like a stack of papers blown apart at an open window. They beat nearly as fast as a bumblebee’s, and when he pivots in the air, the breeze they make ruffles Mariam’s hair.

He lands on the platform there and puts down the block in his hand. He wipes his hands on his pants and then rubs them together before waving at each group of the audience. To Mariam, he adds a bow.

When he's ready, he takes several deep breaths, that gargantuan chest ballooning with every one. He picks up the block and splays his hands on either side of it, and then she hears the cracking. It sounds like ice when she pours soda over it at the diner, pops and crackles and pings.

His biceps strain and his forearms flex, and the cracking gets louder and louder and louder. Huge fissures zigzag across the cube until there's an explosion. The cube is powder now, piles in his hands and at his feet. Before anyone even has a chance to applaud, the strongman pivots and flaps his wings, and now, it's snowing under the tent. Like an oscillating fan, he swivels from side to side, and Mariam feels the kiss of snowflakes on her cheeks and lashes. It melts instantly, but its dewy memory sends a smile of pure marvel to her face.

Instead of flying down from his perch, Wonho leaps and lands on his feet with a thud so fast that the snow is still falling like glitter on his fair skin. He doesn't bother to brush it off but lets it melt to a sparkly finish that turns him into living art.

He spends a few minutes lifting impossibly heavy objects and then taking to the air with them as though they are beach balls and not anvils and boulders and other ridiculous things. With his hands, he twists pipes into shapes like balloon animals and ties a knot—out of rebar—with his feet.

Another man emerges from the back then, this one long and thin like taffy freshly pulled, but when he steps into the ruthless lighting, she sees his fair skin is covered in delicate iridescent scales. He brings a stool, a mirror, a bow and arrow, and a bullseye. The tall man configures everything carefully while Wonho makes faces at his coworker in the mirror, and Mariam realizes the strongman is just as much a clown as anything.

When everything is ready, the tall man steps back. Wonho does a handstand on the stool, his back to the bullseye and his eyes on the mirror opposite it.

There’s something about the way his muscles lengthen as he contorts that has Mariam licking her lips. The twitches in his forearms as he adjusts, the flare of his ribs under that dewy skin, that illicit bulge urging against the constraints of his lycra pants—Wonho is truly an astonishing sight, and there’s a pang in her heart when she realizes how much of the world will never know his beauty and grace.

When he’s balanced just so, muscles trembling and abdominals squeezing with breath and stability, the other man situates the bow with the arrow already nocked between Wonho’s nimble feet.

The strongman shuffles his hands on the stool seat and achingly slowly bends his legs, arching his chest as a counterbalance. When the bow and arrow are lined up with the bullseye, Wonho grips the bowstring and pulls it taut.

Mariam holds her breath.

Wonho holds his.

The arrow flies.

Straight into the red bullseye.

The small crowd breaks out into uproarious applause, and she finds herself standing as she claps. Wonho bows to them all as the tall man clears out the equipment, and just as the strongman finishes his rounds, the Amorak comes bounding back in.

The audience recoils at the sudden thunderous intrusion, especially since the great beast is growling, but Wonho is unbothered, and only then does Mariam realize there’s a humongous rope lodged in its great teeth. The strongman pats the wolf’s head before he snatches the free end of the rope and shakes the Amorak back and forth. The growling turns to snarls.

Wonho takes to the air, yanking and pulling, those fragile wings beating more ferociously than the snarls sound. The Amorak digs in its claws and tries to pull back, but with a cheeky wave to the crowd, the white-haired fae drags the wolf back through the curtain as though the creature ten times his size is nothing but a tiny terrier.

The room is speechless, which Jooheon is only too happy to discover.

The ringmaster slides right back into the spotlight and trumpets, “Don’t forget to let Wonho hear it if you were impressed.”

Of course, the small crowd erupts, Mariam chief among them. She can’t escape the image of those pretty wings contrasting rock-hard muscle, the kiss of ice crystals melting on ivory skin.

It’s impossible. It’s unbelievable. She is shaken to her very core.

“We’re not done yet, folks,” Jooheon promises as he cuts through her existential crisis. “Our next performer is just as sure to wow you as much with his incredible dexterity as his unparalleled visuals. I personally guarantee you have never before seen anything like his act let alone the performer himself. He has come up from the darkest depths of the sea to dazzle and delight you with wonderous abilities only a one-of-a-kind hybrid like himself can conjure.

“During portions of the show, you may feel tempted to enter the ring. For your safety as well as the safety of our performer, I ask that you please use the seatbelts provided at your seat before we begin.”

Mariam looks down and finds that there is indeed a belt dangling from her chair, which seems utterly ridiculous at first, but as she recalls the incredible things she’s just witnessed, she secures it around her waist. Only a moment later, as the click of buckles ding around the tent, Jooheon walks by with a gentle smile, though his eyes are on her secured seatbelt.

He does the same throughout the rest of the crowd while two new men, one with red hair and one with blue, emerge with Wonho from the back and lift a large wooden cover from the center of the ring to reveal a shallow pool of water. They roll the cover off to the side into a metal corral and then linger at the lip of the ring along with Shownu and the man with the scales, who takes up his station closest to Mariam’s booth. Each man turns his back to the stage to watch the crowd instead, and when the man with the scales catches her gaze, the iridescence shimmers to the sweetest pink before it goes white as a sheet.

She has only a moment to reflect on the tall man’s otherworldly elegance before Jooheon clears his throat.

“Introducing: the one, the only, the luminescent Kihyun!”

The lights dim and the gentle circus music that always swells between acts dies entirely. Each of the last two performances had music, but now, it is so quiet, all she can hear is the lapping of the pool.

It is almost pitch black, though there is just enough light to see a figure emerge from behind the curtain.

He is compact and wiry. His bare feet pad across the ring and dip into the pool with the gentlest of splashes. He wades into the center, the water rising no higher than mid-shin, and then he opens his eyes.

Mariam had assumed it was just too dark to see his eyes, but now that they are open, she understands. He’s special.

They shimmer with the same eerie softness of a glow-in-the-dark toy. They don’t have the sharpness of oncoming headlights which force the eyes away, but instead, they draw her in. They beckon. She imagines seeing them looking down at her in the dark of a bedchamber, but she shakes the thoughts away.

He stoops and rifles beneath the water and soon comes up with a handful of rings. One by one, he squeezes them, and suddenly, they glow, too. He drops four chartreuse rings back below the water to glow at his feet but holds on to five others, though each of those are different colors.

Slowly, Mariam realizes it’s not just Kihyun’s eyes or the rings that glow. Pinpricks of light stud his body like a runway, and she can see now that, though he has arms and legs like a man, he is different—he is more. His skin is also unique. Though she can’t be sure of the exact colors, his front is definitely lighter than his back.

He wears a skintight outfit, something streamlined like a full-body swimsuit though its hard to be sure in the wan light, but now, she can clearly see the outline of sharp, articulated fins both on his forearms and his back.

Kihyun divides the rings in his hands and begins to toss them in the air until a rainbow of light streaks through the darkness. He builds speed until it seems that he’s not just juggling rings but bending light all together.

Once he’s captivated the crowd, he begins to sing. It’s not like anything Mariam has ever heard. Her heart slows. Her mind muddles. She forgets things beyond the show of light and the swirl of the melody around her. Kihyun bend a series of “oohs” and “ahs” of varying textures and power and lengths just as he bends the light—masterfully.

He spins. He pivots. He catches behind his back. Through it all, he sings.

Mariam realizes vaguely that her hips hurt where something presses unfairly against her. It’s keeping her from the ring. It’s keeping her from Kihyun. If she could tear her eyes from him, she could figure it out, but she can’t risk a second away from his incandescent frame.

The music stops, and Mariam stops, too, waiting for the next dulcet note. Abruptly, the juggler gathers all but one the rainbow rings in one hand and crouches down to the water.

He rubs the pink ring along the surface in a figure eight, and when he lifts it, it is dripping loudly in the stone silent room. He brings it up to his face, and Mariam can finally see his features clearly—his angular jaw, his strong cheekbones, his sharp eyebrows. Even the bow on his elegant lips is pointed.

He puckers those dangerous lips and blows into the center of the ring. Just like a kid’s wand, a bubble appears, but Kihyun does not easily run out of breath and the bubble stays flexible. By the time he is done, the bubble is almost as tall as he is. With a swift motion, he flicks the ring inside the bubble, and it seals behind it. The surface warbles with the pink light within, and with another gust from his lips, it sails to the ceiling above Jooheon and hangs obediently like a balloon tied off. He repeats the process with the remaining four rings until there is a watery chandelier illuminating the whole room. Mariam catches a glimpse of shimmering aqua on her own skin, hears the burble of the impossibly churning water sphere overhead, but she can't bring herself to look up—only ahead.

Kihyun stoops and scoops a cupful of water, which he then pours into his mouth. At first, she assumes it’s just a necessary part of being whatever it is he is, but then he spits a thin jet of the water into the air, only when he does, it’s colored with the same eerie blue-white light that dots his body. The stream wanes, but he replenishes it with another long draft from the cup, this time arcing the glowing water like a hula hoop as he spins. On the last drink, he blows a trio of bubbles, these ones as small as his fist but infused with the otherworldly luster. He does not pop them but casts them gingerly just above his head where they hang like a halo.

Finally, he fishes back through the water again, and this time, he brings up five already-glowing balls. These, like the rings, are clearly a prop, though half of Mariam wonders if they’re actually shimmering deep sea pearls.

Kihyun starts juggling these the same way he did the rings, establishing a familiar rhythm before picking up speed until he adds a new layer. He closes those firefly eyes and trusts in whatever senses he has left to keep the balls aloft.

Above him, the little bubble crown illuminates his wet black hair, which undulates back from his face as though caught in an unseen current. It is as mesmerizing as the blender-like rhythm the balls seem to be caught in between his dexterous hands.

Sing.

Please sing.

Please.

Mariam thinks she’s said that in her head, but the whispers hit her ear, and she realizes she hasn’t.

The man with the scales encroaches at the edge of her vision, and it’s a crude reminder that there are others in the room beside the luminescent Kihyun.

As though he’s heard her, the juggler opens that exceptional mouth, and more notes pour out, and though there’s no eerie blue light to accompany them, they’re brilliant all the same. Kihyun has a way of singing that sounds as though they’re all underwater.

None of the balls waver even for a second. His unswerving confidence that he will never let them drop is almost as mesmerizing as his unearthly voice.

Again, Mariam feels that pressure across her hips, and it’s becoming more insistent by the second.

She should be in the ring by now. She needs to be. She might go insane if she’s not.

A whistle pierces the air, and Kihyun stops singing. The balls fall together in a discordant splash, and quick as the death worm’s lightning, the juggler raises his arm, forearms out and fins in a full mast. From the tips of those articulations, he shoots something too small to see in the dim light though Mariam hears the little pew-pew-pew-pew-pew as he spins in the pool.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

Each massive glowing bubble explodes overhead while the rings inside fall into the hands of his fellow performers and the water rains in a much-needed cold shower over the audience. Mariam lets out a squeal as she is drenched and gulping for air against the wet chill. Goosebumps dimple her from head to toe, and she folds her arms over her chest to generate fresh heat.

The crowd is too stunned to applaud, but Kihyun doesn’t wait for it either. He exits the pool, bows to the stands, and then pads off to the back while the other performers begin the cleanup. Meanwhile, Wonho takes to the sky to buzz over the handful of audience members one by one, spinning around so his wings beat like a fan over them. He reaches Mariam last, and when he blasts her with air, she yelps and shivers, but in short order, she is dry and happy again in her flannel. He tips his impish head to her and buzzes back to help the others with the last of the preparation, and soon the ring is back as it was.

Now dry and sober, the audience remembers itself, and together, they erupt into riotous applause. Mariam tries to stand for an ovation, but then she remembers the seatbelt, and as soon as she unbuckles it, it’s like a weight is off her lap, and suddenly, it doesn’t seem so silly.

“Let him know, let him know!” cheers Jooheon as he takes center stage again. “You’ll never see another one like Kihyun, folks.”

Of that, Mariam is certain. She claps fiercer than ever even as her cheeks color at the memory of his voice.

“I’m sorry to tell you we have but two acts to go,” Jooheon laments, and Mariam laments with him. She feels the dread even before he says it. But he brightens immediately and surges forth in a sweeping circle around the room. “But the good news is they will both delight, confound, and astound you.

“First up, from far across the seas, on an untamed mountain, comes a beautiful and elusive man who both defies your notice but also demands it. Don’t let the sweet face fool you, he is wild and unpredictable and harbors a true hunger for adventure. Prepare to thrill as he risks life and limb to take you to the edge like never before! I present to you… Hyungwon!”

The spotlight centers in the ring, but no one is there and no one emerges from the back either.

“Hyungwon!” Jooheon repeats just as dramatically, but no one appears. Eyes start darting around the room, so, too, do whispers break out. The man in the crimson coat looks back to the entrance. “Hyungwon?”

The ringmaster looks a little nervous, those robust lips pulled tight as he paces the ring edge. He clears his throat.

“My apologies, esteemed guests. Hyungwon is supposed to be nocturnal, but sometimes he drifts off. Just a minute, and we'll get on with the show.”

Mariam sees Wonho darting back behind the curtains while, in the deep shadows at the edge of the ring, she spies the mysterious Kihyun with his arms stacked over his chest as he shakes his head. It's just starting to get uncomfortable, and they're all at the edge of their seats.

“Where is he?” Mariam whispers.

“Boo,” comes a totally different whisper along with a puff of hot breath beside her ear.

Mariam yells and instantly clamps her hand over her mouth as she jukes to the side in time to catch the luminous round face of the man with the scales.

All eyes as well as a spotlight turn to the VIP box to find Hyungwon with this face beside hers, flaunting a toothy grin and cheeks like doorbells begging to be pressed. His laugh is airy and infectious, childlike even, and though he has startled a year of her life from her, Mariam is laughing, too, even as her hand clutches her heart in hopes of slowing it.

How long had he been there without her knowing?

As her pulse slows, she closes her eyes, and when she opens them, he is nowhere to be seen.

Mariam swivels around like a dope, but the new performer has vanished. A few other crowd members laugh, but the patchy lizard man with the long tongue is outright cackling and applauding louder than anyone as though he understands the joke better than the rest of them can.

Jooheon, Wonho, and Kihyun are all laughing, too, so Mariam has to assume this is all part of the man's grand entrance.

And grand it is! Now when the spotlight centers in the ring, Hyungwon strolls into it. He is sporting a pair of leather pants but nothing else, not even shoes, and she can see it's not just his hands and neck and face covered in those scales but his whole body. Like the rest of his features, they are delicate and captivating, almost like glitter sewn directly onto his skin. He throws his arms wide, and she is dazzled by more than just his unique features. He is lean and sinewy with a tiny waist and shoulders as broad as a door.

Colors and shapes dance across his scales in seemingly impossible patterns; even his hair shifts like fiber optics. She recognizes many of the patterns: the tent stripes or the ring floor or the Amorak’s fur; for a moment, he even glows like Kihyun’s strange luminescence. His visual display morphs into a splash of crimson in the exact shape and design of the ringmaster’s coat, which makes Jooheon beam and clap enthusiastically. Hyungwon concludes with the most shocking display of all—he nearly disappears from plain sight by copying the patterns of the backgrounds on all sides.

But then something occurs to Mariam. Hyungwon is almost totally invisible thanks to his camouflage, but the leather cannot follow suit so it looks like a pair of pants floating in the middle of the ring. When he’d been right beside her though, there’d been nothing—not even pants. Shock and more than a little embarrassment grip her body, and she swears the performer knows because he turns to her right then with a very troublesome smile.

Mariam has been so busy being awestruck by their performances that it hasn’t occurred to her to consider how much of them is human when so many parts of them clearly are not. But now the rabbit is out of the hat and she's chasing helplessly after it, wondering what kind of lovers such spectacular beings would be. That's not a thing she should be thinking about looking at a chameleon man, especially because she is a conservative person—she has been her whole life. But sometimes she has thoughts… fantasies. Sometimes she has unusual dreams. There was one in particular she’s often thought of since, in her moments of weakness, but what was it again?

She's so far gone in the illicit thoughts that she nearly falls out of her seat when a motorcycle above her roars. She looks up, and there is Hyungwon at the peak of tent on a platform much higher than the one Wonho had risked. She doesn’t remember the motorcycle there, but it must have been. It sits anchored at the edge of the platform. It has no tires, just rims resting on top of a wire, and though there is a ring securing the machine to the wire, it won’t keep it upright. Beneath it is a perch as a counterbalance, and, of all things, one of the perytons sits on it. Its clawed back feet cling like a bird on a wire.

Hyungwon sits astride the motorcycle, now clad in a black leather vest and a pair of boots. As a whimsical note, some of the scales across his face have blackened into a sunglasses shape. He isn’t tethered to anything, and Mariam can see between his slight twitches and the peryton’s, they are working together to keep themselves upright on the wire.

The engine revs again, and Jooheon raises his hands to incite the crowd. Everyone whoops and cheers, including Mariam, and then Hyungwon zooms ahead.

The bike zips up the slight incline to the other end, where he lets off the gas, and the unlikely pair drifts backwards smooth as a sled riding down a snowy hill. Once they’re back at the bottom, Hyungwon surges ahead again, but he slows when they reach the middle of the line. He cuts the engine, and instead, the room fills with the ping-ping of the wire bobbing under the weight.

Below, the peryton wobbles and tips backwards, clinging to the rail with its claws as it hangs upside down and spreads its wings. Once it’s at full breadth, Hyungwon stands on the footpegs and slowly—tremulously, steps both feet onto the seat before propping one on the handlebars. He, too, spreads his muscled arms, and as the motorcycle glides backward down the slope, little bursts of yellow, like tiny supernovas, fire across his skin. Feathers whisper in the breeze before the crowd roars with the showcase.

Mariam’s heart is in her throat, so big she practically chokes on it. Her skin pebbles with fresh goosebumps because the pair isn’t slowing. In fact, the motorcycle is picking up speed as it glides.

Before they can crash back into the platform, Hyungwon slides back onto the seat and revs the engine again. The peryton swings back upright, and the rider tosses down some dark and messy treat to his passenger.

Mariam assumes it’s over, but then the bike sails even faster up to the peak, and this time when they brake at the top, the peryton rocks side-to-side, and just like that, the motorcycle loops like a propeller around and around the wire.

She screams. So does someone else. Both rider and passenger are completely unbothered.

They whirl backwards down the wire, and it almost makes Mariam sick to watch the spinning. Even worse, as has been happening all night, she thinks again on things she shouldn’t. She thinks on how strong his thighs have to be to hold onto that bike, and she finds herself clenching hers just as hard.

Just as they get to the platform, the peryton startles and takes flight, which immediately flips the motorcycle. Hyungwon plunges from his seat several stories above the floor. Screams ring out all around the canopy.

But not Mariam. She can’t scream. This time, she’s too paralyzed with terror.

This is it. This is going to be the show where something goes horribly, terribly wrong, and as much as she had already been changed by tonight’s performances, this will ruin her.

She feels sick.

Hyungwon’s halfway to his surefire death when the winged creature swoops down casual as can be and grabs his outstretched wrist with its back claw. He drifts like Alice falling down the rabbit hole to Wonderland onto yet another motorcycle that Mariam never even saw waiting for him in the ring.

Relief washes through her, and she realizes that over the course of however long she’s been sitting here, she has formed some kind of unnatural bond with the performers. She thinks of them not just as acrobats or athletes but as friends—or, maybe, more disturbingly, something more. Just the notion of them getting hurt tightens every muscle in her body like a winch.

But no one else seems nearly as bothered by the daring risks they’ve just witnessed. As the crowd leaps to its feet, Hyungwon waves and circles the ring on the bike a few times. With a rev of his engine and one final wheelie, he speeds to the back with the peryton in tow.

Jooheon makes his way to ring center as usual, and he’s cheering just as much as the audience. That infectious smile of his stirs the crowd as much as it stirs Mariam’s heart with gratitude.

“How about that, dear guests? I think I can boast with total confidence that that was yet another act such as you have never seen! Another round of applause for Hyungwon and Dyani. Let them hear you.”

The audience doesn’t disappoint. With each act, they’ve gotten more and more comfortable and more and more awestruck. It’s beginning to feel like an impossible ask to ever leave this big top. Yet, Jooheon’s next words send a chill through Mariam’s bones.

“As always, we close our show with the most dynamic performance of all. As you have learned by now, nothing about Le Cirque du Fantasme is traditional, so it must hold true that neither are our clowns. Not only will they take to the skies tonight, but they will take you to new heights with them. Be dazzled as fire and ice harmonize in ways you never thought possible, and, above all, expect the unexpected. Presenting The Flying Fools, Minhyuk and Changkyun!”

The ringmaster steps to the side as the final two performers enter the room.

They move in perfect unison, but that’s where the similarities end. The taller one, with hair like candle flames, presents in vivid detail. His face is shaped like a flame, too, with all the same flickering dimension and undulating contours. His skin is bright and brilliant like his smile only with a sheen to it, and when he spins in the lights, Mariam realizes it’s like a cast of gold dust upon him. She’s not sure if that’s stage makeup or if that’s just part of who he is, but considering his counterpart, it seems like the latter.

The shorter one has hair like snowflake filaments, each strand almost crystalline yet without being actually frozen. Even the cool way he strolls feels like a breeze across damp skin. Though his lines are sharp, borderline cutting, when he steps in the light, Mariam swears she can see through him. He’s sleek when he moves; every line and twitch has a purpose. It’s as though he is untethered and untouchable by everything. It’s almost as though his feet aren’t even touching the floor. She might think he’s a ghost if everyone else weren’t seeing the same thing.

With a pair of synchronized bows, the performers greet their audience silently just as the others did, saving all the talking for their ringmaster. Instead, they start their act with a series of incredible one-upsmanship. The redhead conjures fire in his palm, which the blue-haired man snuffs with a flick of his wrist. In retaliation, he then creates three snowballs of varying sizes into a very sweet but very humble snowman, and the redhead returns the favor by lobbing a fireball under his knee with the unforgiving precision of a meteor. The poor snowman explodes and melts into a puddle while the crowd chuckles.

They make faces at one another as they hurry to build their next assault. One constructs a basketball-sized snowball to the other’s fireball, and with a war cry like two brothers squaring up, they throw at each other. If either is off-target, Mariam will be buried in snow and the other side of the ring will be engulfed in flame, but their aim is true, and the two balls collide with a hiss like punching a hill of sand.

As they mock-squabble, a bar lowers from the ceiling, one side featuring a ring dangling from a chain and the other side featuring willowy baby blue ribbons fluttering as they descend. The two performers continue silently bickering as the redhead climbs into his ring and takes a seat and the blue-haired man winds his foot intricately through one ribbon while he scales the silks.

Once their eyelines are even, the bar raises, and now, the two men soar over center stage a few stories up. Closer to the spotlights, the redhead glitters like a disco ball while, at precisely the right moment, the light pierces the blue-haired man, like sun through a blanket of clouds, and shines down on the ringmaster’s grin.

As the pair reach their pinnacle, they play—not just off of the instruments but each other. It’s organized chaos. The man in the ring rocks like a monkey on a swing, his feet kicking and lifting. At first, it’s art, but then it’s clear his true intent is to toy with his friend. He drops. He swings. He pushes off of his friend’s back like a swimmer off the pool wall.

While the man in the ring flips and threads through his hoop, the man in the straps flies beside him. Thanks to the push, physics draws them back together until they’re rebounding off each other like a Newton’s cradle. Both of them are light and slender, but their sinew flexes with each choreographed move.

Watching them somehow makes Mariam feel strangely feminine, which isn’t something she usually thinks much about. Between work and TV and sleep, she doesn’t spend much time on herself. Carmel is a hamlet, too far removed from the City for the Big Apple to tempt her and too insular to attract outsiders except for the accidental stranger passing through. She doesn’t have to doll herself up because there’s no one in town left to impress, but as the dexterous duo wheels above to a chorus of ruffling silk and clanking chains, she feels soft, pliable even. She wishes she’d had time to change out of her shift clothes or apply some lip gloss. Watching them perform makes her yearn to impress them the way they’ve all impressed her.

Her eyelids droop.

They’re so beautiful. They sail as though the ribbons and chains are merely there for decoration, as though the sky would be their playground with or without them. They might be aiming to make everyone laugh, but Mariam sees beyond that. It’s their artistry she’s swept up in—the way they flick not just their wrists but echo the motion straight through to their fingertips, the way they use every part of their body to sell a complete experience, the way their no doubt countless hours of rehearsal ensures their whimsy looks as effortless as it does unstudied.

The blue-haired man chokes up on one silk as he releases the other and wraps his foot in the chiffon. He spins. He twirls. He sails by his wrist. The ribbon fans like a cape beneath him.

But when he swings too close to his fellow performer, the redhead shoves him playfully out into space to send the blue-haired man arcing over the audience to a chorus of “oohs” and “ahs”. Seeking his revenge, the aerialist slips down the fabric to angle himself like a bullet with an aim for his fellow performer.

At the last moment, the man in the ring latches on to his friend’s wrist, and together, ring and ribbon twine through the air. They circle together before they push apart and rotate like two bodies caught in each other’s orbit. It’s beautiful. It’s hypnotic.

Mariam can’t get them out of her head. Of all the things she’s seen tonight, they ensorcel her every sense. They’re two fools bickering like brothers, but without the bounds of gravity, their playfulness becomes aerial ballet. She wants to be part of the fun.

The redhead climbs on top of his hoop, legs splayed around the supporting chain, and reaches for the chiffon. While he goes high, the blue-haired man goes low, grasping the ring. He looks up at his brother-in-air and pokes his tongue wickedly at the corner of his mouth.

The next thing Mariam knows, the hoop is white with frost, and with a yank, the blue-haired aerialist shatters the ring beneath the redhead’s legs. Frozen metal tinkles to the floor. The redhead grips his chain tighter now, but there’s vengeance in those calculating eyes, and he spins so fast, he looks like a tornado of fire.

His hand lashes out.

He grabs the ribbon supporting his friend’s foot.

Flame marches up and down the chiffon, and the blue-haired man barely has time to unwind his foot and leap to the second silk before the other ribbon is engulfed. It untethers at the loop above and drifts to the floor like a snake made of fire to coil messily beside the shattered hoop.

Both men hang by one hand. The set piece begins to lower, but their rivalry does not slow. Their feet bicycle as they kick each other like toddler brothers, and the room reverberates with laughter. They collide only to push off each other’s thighs, and when they swing back, their arms are outstretched—not for each other but for their opponent’s supports.

The pair stills in the air.

The redhead grips the silk above his friend’s hand, who also has hold of the chain now.

They look each other in the eyes, each confident they have the upper hand.

Chain crackles like a sheet of ice. Fire ignites like a burner.

Their eyes widen. Their cocky grins falter.

They fall.

The pair thunders to the floor, each landing on his own feet thanks to their cleverly choreographed descent. And then they descend into a playground slap fight like the fools they’re promoted to be, which sends Jooheon skittering to center ring to break it up.

The tent is shaking with the crowd’s laughter and applause. Mariam is already on her feet and whooping at the top of her lungs like she’s never done before.

Jooheon raises the redhead’s arm by the wrist and champions, “Minhyuk!”

He does the same to the blue-haired man next as he yells, “Changkyun!”

The crowd somehow gets louder.

“One more time, my friends, for all our distinguished performers!”

Out of the back comes the rest of the circus, including the Amorak and the perytons but thankfully no death worm. Together, everyone fills the ring, the ringmaster front and center. They bow in unison, even the animals, and when they rise, Mariam thinks it’s simultaneously the most ridiculous and most wonderful family she’s ever seen.

The crowd doesn’t seem to take a breath in its cheers. The stands might not be anywhere near packed, but no one would be able to tell because the heartfelt screams—and a couple of animalistic roars, she notes—fill the canvas to the brim.

Jooheon couldn’t look prouder. His dimples have never been deeper. His eyes are little arches. His pearly teeth glimmer. He glows not from the spotlights but from the praise.

“Thank you all for coming! From all of us at Le Cirque du Fantasme, you’ve been a terrific audience, and should our paths chance to meet again someday, we hope you’ll return for another round of unparalleled fantasies. Get home safely, everyone!”

The cheering continues even as the performers head backstage, and once they’re all gone, the guests begin to filter out, each murmuring to the other strangers. It’s clearer now that the lights have come up that the denizens of the big top couldn’t be more different. As far as Mariam can tell, she’s the only obvious human.

She lingers in the VIP box. She’s probably supposed to leave—it’s clear from Jooheon’s well-wishes that they’re all supposed to—and while she’s not afraid of the strange folk after such a show, she just doesn’t want to go.

She’s changed.

She’s not the same Mariam she was when she walked through those striped flaps. How can she go back to her boring, conservative, empty life knowing all that truly surrounds her? It’s like discovering that the world she always thought was flat has a third dimension.

The big top is empty now except for spilled cartons and other litter. Humongous paw prints dapple the dusty ring floor. Motes of dust drift through the beams of light, past the gently swaying extra cache of rings, ropes, and ribbons above.

With a deep, shaking sigh, Mariam resigns herself to her fate. Just as her hand lands on the swinging door to the box seats, the backstage curtains fling open, and the redhead, Minhyuk, and his blue-haired partner, Changkyun, enter.

“Finally!” exclaims Minhyuk in an exuberant voice. “Showtime is always the hardest when you can't open your mouth.”

“I think you’re the only one who suffers on that point,” Changkyun retorts in a much gravellier tone.

The pair take to sweeping up their torched and shattered mess as though they don't even realize they still have an audience, the redhead gabbing away to make up for lost time.

Mariam doesn’t say anything. She’s sure she’s not supposed to be here, and she worries they’ll ban her from ever coming back—not that she’s sure exactly where she is or how she got here. She ducks down a little before she catches herself in her own stupidity. There’s nowhere to hide.

Should she apologize? Hurry out? She could just tell them that their rhythmic aerial battling has stirred things in her that she never thought she’d feel, but that’s probably stupider than trying to hide.

The last act is still emblazoned in her mind when the ringmaster abruptly appears from the back. While the other two men work around the tent, he heads directly toward Mariam as though he never expected her to leave in the first place.

“Well, my dear, what did you think of the show?”

His lips look even fuller and juicier somehow. She’s drunk just on the way they purse and pucker.

“Unbelievable,” she breathes. “I don’t even know what to say about it.”

“And how has VIP been so far?”

Mariam cocks her head to the side. “So far?”

“Did you think your experience ended with the show?”

“Well, yeah.”

Jooheon chuckles. “For the pretty maid in the front row, I offer a truly once-in-a-lifetime upgrade free of charge.”

“What kind of upgrade?”

“Only the most exclusive kind. We’re going to custom build you a dream, my dear.”

Mariam squints. “I thought the circus was the new dream?”

“Well, thank you, but you forget that we took your best dream ever.”

“Oh, yeah,” she says with a blush and a scuff of her boot on the floor. She's getting a strange feeling from his burrowing gaze that she's missing something more important than she’s realized. “But since I don't remember what it is, how do I know you haven't already exceeded it? Tonight was amazing.”

“Trust me, we haven't traded in fair yet. We can do better because… it’s important to me that you remember tonight—and me—forever.” Jooheon smiles at her then, but it’s different than those other flamboyant smiles. This one is gentle and sincere.

“There’s no way I could forget,” she admits shyly.

He looks dubious, but he nods and offers his hand as he opens the VIP box door, too. “Let me see to it then.”

The moment Mariam’s hand slips into his, the ringmaster’s demeanor changes. He’s been the consummate showman all night, but he’s narrowed that influence of his tremendous power to her and her alone. The big top hasn’t changed, but as he leads her to the center of the ring, it’s all much more intimate now.

Jooheon squares up to her and smiles, this time with the faintest hint of a lip bite. His thumbs rub reassuringly over the back of her hands as he takes one step closer.

“We're going to make you the star of our show.”

#monsta x smut #le cirque du fantasme #october vibes #jooheon smut #minhyuk smut #changkyun smut #third person #trilogy

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capricornwriter5 · 2 years

Text

Is this healthy or toxic? - Epilogue (part II)

Pairing: Changkyun x female OC

Genre: smut, fluff, angst, idol AU, I.M. x OC ⚠️Warning: mentions of mental health affections, soft drugs

Words: 4k

Epilogue of: Is this healthy or toxic?

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Chapter 2 - The First Rumor

The awards ceremony that both would attend was one of those celebrations in which the entire Korean press would be, its mission was one: not to miss a single detail of the night.

Naturally, Changkyun arrived with the rest of his members, they posed together, and after greeting several of their closest friends, they sat together.

For her part, even though Liv had entered with other renowned choreographers and even producers, the girl had become so close to her group that she went directly to greet them, and since Seventeen was not that far from Monsta X, I.M wasn't missing a single thing his girlfriend did.

"Changkyun" Shownu called when he noticed that the maknae was looking at Liv without any discretion. “You have ALL the cameras on you, control yourself.”

"I'm not doing anything, hyung."

"You haven't moved your gaze from Liv, anyone would notice."

Fortunately, Shownu did not have to say more, for a group of girls from their company was arriving and after greeting all the members, they talked a bit with them. Although there was no kind of romantic relationship between the members of Monsta X and Cosmic Girls, the fans had created rumors about practically everyone, particularly about I.M and another idol called Luda. However, until that night that had not been an issue for the rapper and his girlfriend, actually, they had barely talked about it since they both knew the truth; besides, Liv had also been the victim of gossips that didn't make sense, like all the ones she'd faced about her and Hoshi, even about her with other members of other groups she'd worked with.

During the afterparty, there weren't that many cameras, just a couple of authorized photographers so the guests could relax a little more. Even so, the entire industry was at that party and the rumors were precisely the most interesting thing of the night.

“Hey, but when did you finish that? I just brought it to you!” Hoshi said as he returned next to Liv. "Don't bother explaining, I got it." The dancer had looked in the same direction as Liv and understood what was going on the moment he saw Changkyun and Luda talking. “We can go to their table if that's what you want. You know… mark your territory.”

Olivia wasn't exactly a jealous woman, she more than anyone knew how much I.M loved her; however, Liv noticed how Luda had been looking for her boyfriend pretty much during the whole damn night, and it was something that was starting to annoy her. Liv tried to be as professional as possible, but she also had her limits, especially if someone tried to get into her relationship.

However, Hoshi's comment made the choreographer laugh. “Did you seriously just use that expression? You know I can't just show up there, there are too many people."

Just as Seventeen’s main dancer was trying to convince his friend to go put the other girl in her place, Wonwoo sat between the two.

"I want to leave." He commented sounding highly overwhelmed. "I just wanted to go to the bathroom, but I ended up running into people who I don't know who they are, but who said hello to me."

"Dude, what the fuck? You can't be that introverted your whole life." Hoshi reply.

"Leave him alone, he's not an attention seeker like you," despite Liv was intending to defend Wonwoo, she did not look at him, her eyes were fixed on her boyfriend. Not even when Hoshi demanded an apology did Liv pay attention.

“What's up, Liv? Is Hoshi already drunk and you're planning to change seats with someone else?” Wonwoo asked.

“I have nothing to do with this. Your friend and his fan girl are responsible.” He said pointing at I.M and Luda.

“Oh, come on! You can't be serious. They're nothing, I think there was no more than one date.”

"WHAT?" Liv asked loud enough for other members of Seventeen to look at her strangely. “Kyun told me that nothing happened!” Hearing that, Wonwoo covered his face with his hands, he had screwed up.

"Shit…"

"Wonwoo, explain yourself right now or Liv will make us all pay tomorrow with those practices where I can't even feel my legs," Hoshi begged.

“It was nothing, they just went to eat something. It was so insignificant that I don't remember when it happened." The rapper tried to explain while swallowing hard, the look of his choreographer was scary.

"See, Liv? That's why I tell you that you must go mark your territory!"

"And I told you I can't just show up!"

Feeling guilty for making everything worse, Wonwoo believed he could help. "Changkyun is my friend, everyone knows it, it won't be strange if we go say hello."

Liv thanked him because in a few moments she was already close to her boyfriend, who smiled tenderly at her. Totally different from how he had behaved towards Luda, I.M immediately pulled out a chair for Liv to sit in at the same time Wonwoo sat next to him.

"Well... just pretend I'm not there." Wonwoo said, but before turning around a bit, he tried to make his friend see his expression and understand that he had done something stupid.

"Hi, gorgeous." I.M greeted with his low voice. "You didn't tell me you would wear the dress that I gave you," he said practically in his girlfriend's ear.

"And you didn't tell you had dated Luda."

"What are you talking about, baby?" The rapper's question explained itself, as Wonwoo turned around to apologize and make I.M understand that it was his fault.

However, the couple knew they couldn't talk for long and the last thing they wanted was to argue, so they both tacitly agreed to stop the matter at least for the moment.

“How's everything so far? Those producers you were talking to are big fish."

“Now that you mention it, I was planning to tell you at home but... guess what." She teased with a mischievous smile. "Some of them were talking about your second album, they said they were expecting to get an invitation from you to work together.”

"Really?"

Probably on another occasion Changkyun would not have believed what his girlfriend said, he would have doubted his talent, but the time he spent working on himself, and the security that Liv transmitted to him, made him smile. Despite being proud of his work, he was still pretty shy, but Liv found it adorable to see his ears blush a little, it even managed to make her forget about the other girl.

"Of course! I told them that since I had already worked with you, I was sure that you would exceed their expectations."

Changkyun gawked at her, his gaze would tell anyone who saw them how much in love he was with Liv, but before losing his mind over her and taking her hand, someone interrupted them.

“Changkyun, let's go. Picture time.” Joon Hyung didn't just tell him that, he also waited beside I.M for him to stand up.

“Does it have to be now, hyung? They are photographing the girls.”

"You are next, let's go." He repeated.

I.M knew that the only thing the manager wanted was for him not to be sitting around talking to Liv. Joon Hyung was not entirely wrong, and Olivia knew it, she had already sensed several gazes on them. Therefore, she agreed with the man, and with a smile for her rapper, she got up first.

Fortunately, Kihyun was already walking toward the girl, which allowed I.M to go a bit calmer.

“Liv, Wonwoo, hi!” The singer greeted. "Are you already leaving?"

“We just came to say hello to Changkyun, but he had to leave because they had to take some shots of him,” Wonwoo explained.

"Pictures of him alone?" It wasn't normal for the managers to call a member apart, plus Monsta X had already been photographed together, hence, Kihyun looked for the maknae and found him posing with Luda. "I hope that photograph doesn't come to light, I'm done with rumors." Kihyun commented while Wonwoo looked at his choreographer out of the corner of his eye.

Despite being genuinely introverted, the Seventeen rapper tried hard to start a conversation that had nothing to do with I.M and his colleague. Fortunately for him, Jooheon approached with another member of Seventeen and the conversation was much more fluid.

**********

Finally, in the apartment, Changkyun had been playing with his cat while Olivia finished removing her makeup. "You looked stunning tonight." He commented taking the cat down so he could hug Liv in such a way that he rested his chin on her shoulder. "I like you better this way though." He said causing the girl to laugh a little. “Baby, about Luda, that was nothing. We are from the same company, I have known her for some time, and we have bumped into each other in the cafeteria.”

"Did you go on a date with her?"

“It was only once, and absolutely nothing happened. I would not even call it a date. I was not interested in dating, Liv, I was waiting for you. I know that we weren't together, but I trusted you would come back."

Olivia remembered Kihyun's words when she and Changkyun were just starting to date and her brother had warned her about what kind of person the youngest of the group was. Changkyun's nature was to give his soul and heart to the people he loved, and all the time together proved that to Liv. Without doubting her boyfriend, she closed to the rapper and, taking his hands, kissed them.

Running his thumb delicately over Olivia's lower lip, I.M smirked. “Were you seriously jealous? YOU jealous?

"No... I just don't like you to hide things from me and you hadn't told me that."

"Liv, you're terrible at lying! You're even worse than me," he said laughing.

“Yeah, right... You still get sensible when you see me talking to Hoshi. Now that I think about it, you get upset with all the dancers I work with!”

"Where do you get those ideas?"

"Last time I told you I was going to eat with Astro's members you made such a scene that I had to call Jooheon to calm you down."

"Bullshit..." He said lying down and stretching his arms in such a way that his shirt allowed Liv to admire his abs. "I could never be mad at you for hanging out with them, Jinjin is one of my best friends."

"Oh, the irony! Jinjin himself told me that you are ridiculously annoying and that you asked him not to let Moonbin get any closer than necessary." She responded by bringing her hand to her boyfriend's firm stomach. A light touch from Liv was enough for I.M to close his eyes and sigh.

“He was lying”

"Kyun, admit it, you're more jealous than me."

"Nope…"

“Okay, then I'm glad to hear that because today I got a juicy offer. I was offered to take over the choreography for Moonbin's solo debut. They also want me to appear with him in the video.”

"WHAT?"

The speed with which I.M opened his eyes and sat back up provoked Liv to cover her lips to keep from laughing. Being calm was I.M's thing, staying calm and not exaggerating any emotion was a typical characteristic of the rapper, so seeing him react like that was truly comical.

However, more important than his jealousy was his concern for Liv's health. "Why more work, Olivia? You’re already in charge of Seventeen, you also have that new group, and from time to time you work with Astro. I don't want to see you with a burn-out."

"Kyun, you know that I don't work alone, I have amazing dancers creating the choreographies with me."

"And what about your knee? Baby, you need that surgery."

It took Olivia a long time to convince Changkyun that her knee was fine and that the doctor had told her that she could still wait a little longer before surgery, for now, the therapies were enough. However, once she assured him that she could handle the workload, the jealousy returned.

"You could just do the choreography, why does he want you in the video?"

"It was not only a request of Moonbin." She clarified. "His company thought it would be a good idea, that way I wouldn't have to train anyone because I would know all the moves."

"Well, obviously it's a good idea, you're perfect." He mumbled crossing his arms.

When it came to spoiled boyfriends, Changkyun was the king of them. He was used to receiving all of Olivia's attention, so having to share it was something he hated. Even so, they had never argued about it, the rapper's claims used to be more tender than serious, and that was precisely what happened that night. Trying not to make the problem bigger, Changkyun mumbled, or rather, complained to his cat as he played with him and ignored what Liv was trying to tell him.

I.M agreed to pay attention to her until Olivia sat in front of him and cupped his face. "I haven't signed anything yet, they just offered it to me today at dinner. It could be a good opportunity, but if you don't..."

“You know what would be a better opportunity? That you appear with me in my next video.”

"Kyun, I'd love to, and you know I'd do it without thinking if it didn't mean a problem for your career."

“It wouldn't be so weird, Liv. You are a great choreographer, just as Moonbin wants you for his video, another singer could ask you for the same thing, and that could be me.”

“Do you really think we can hide what we feel for each other? Because I don't think so." She said playing with the rapper's dark hair.

"Maybe if they let me make love to you in the video, we wouldn't have a problem." He joked leaning close to Liv's neck and slowly spreading kisses. "Do it, take the opportunity. You're too good for people not to see you. BUT if he gets any closer than necessary, I'll kill him, Olivia." He warned before losing himself in the body of the choreographer.

**********

The next day while Changkyun slept, Liv got up, took a bath and when she was ready to go out, she came over to kiss her boyfriend's forehead, who was turning around looking for her and making unintelligible sounds. However, Olivia had already learned to decipher what I.M said in those moments in which it was impossible to know if he was asleep or not.

“Baby, don't you remember? I told you I'd have breakfast with Jules. When I get back, we'll go to my parents' house."

“Tell her hi,” he said hugging the pillow Liv used. "Don't come back late, I've missed you so much."

With a smile on her face, the girl left the apartment. Being so early, she managed to get quickly to where her friend was waiting for her. Jules had already ordered coffee for both of them, and knowing Liv so well, she had also ordered breakfast.

"Oh! I've never met someone more efficient. Ki doesn't know what I like to eat and Kyun spends hours looking at the menu, even if we go to the same places and order the same thing, I swear he always does it."

"I figured you wouldn't have much time, you told me you're leaving town today."

"Yes, I'm desperate to do it."

Just as Julianne was about to reply to her friend, she was checking something on her cell phone, in fact, she was about to block it when she saw a picture that had just been uploaded. Her first instinct was to read the news, but if there was anyone who would be interested, it was Liv, since it was about her boyfriend.

"Liv, did you see the picture they took of Changkyun from yesterday?"

"What are you talking about?"

Jules handed over her cell phone and Liv even felt her stomach churn with anger at seeing I.M with Luda, and it wasn't just that, but also the title of the news, which hinted that they were both dating.

“Yesterday we talked about this…” Liv said with a sigh. “Apparently they went out once, he says nothing happened between them and I believe him, but she won't leave him alone. Jules, she chased him all night.”

“If she's bothering you, I can handle it. I can totally take care of this, in fact, I promise I'll scare her so much that she'll never come near her again."

Olivia laughed because she knew that her friend was capable of doing it, since the first time Jooheon introduced Jules to Liv, the dancer knew how brave she was.

“It's not that simple, and it's not just about her. I.M wants to make our relationship public.”

"And you don't want the same?"

“Of course I do! But I’m worried about what this might bring to his image. Can you imagine how people would react if they find out about you and Jooheon?”

“But we're not engaged, Liv, you are. You should be able to plan your wedding in peace and enjoy all of that properly.”

“I know it, and believe me, I want to do it too, but I’d like us to first think about how to do everything. The managers don’t like me very much, and I don't blame them, it hasn't been easy to deal with all this.”

"Fuck them! It's your relationship, not theirs."

Liv's jaw dropped at hearing her friend speak that way. Julianne used to be so polite and discreet that it wasn't common to hear her say things like that, but the girl was right, Monsta X managers didn't have to own that much control over the members and their private lives.

After a while, Liv also told her friend about the video with Moonbin and her boyfriend's reaction.

"Well, then there are several things to control, first that bitch, second your boyfriend's jealousy, third, Moonbin's dirty hands in that video, and fourth the noses that managers want to stick in everything."

"Jules, what's up with you today?" Liv asked laughing a lot and deciding that the best thing would be to change the matter or her friend would go to fight with the first person she found on the street. “Let’s talk about museums, paintings, and those things you like.”

*********

A few days after returning from Olivia's parents' house, Monsta X had a photo shoot. Liv had rushed in to watch the session, with all due caution, of course. The choreographer had stayed behind with Hyungwon, Jooheon, and Kihyun while the photographers worked with the maknae.

"Look at him, anyone who sees those pictures would think he's a badass." Jooheon joked.

"Badass, yeah right! We're talking about the same kid who was crying all over the place because Liv left him."

"Ki, don't be rude!" The girl said hitting him in the arm. “But you're right about something, Kyun is not like that. Do you want to see something funny?”

Kihyun, Jooheon, and Hyungwon saw Liv's mischievous look and nodded right there.

Being very careful not to be seen, Olivia took off the mask she was wearing, and moving a little from where she was, she placed herself in a spot where I.M. could see her. Once she had her boyfriend's attention, the girl winked at him and blew him a kiss. That was enough for Changkyun to turn so red that they had to fix his makeup countless times. In addition, when it was his turn to pose with the decoration that was next to him, he threw everything else on more than one occasion.

While that was happening, Jooheon, Kihyun, and Hyungwon laughed with Liv. For the guys, Changkyun would always be the baby of the group, and for Olivia, there was no one more adorable than him.

“Oh, look at him! He's finally smiling!" Hyungwon commented. “Since his photo with Luda came out, he has been more serious than usual.”

“Yes, dealing with Joon Hyung and Deok Joon has been somewhat chaotic,” Jooheon said as Kihyun nodded.

"I asked him to ignore that."

"Well, he didn't listen to you, little sister, he ordered that they clarify all those rumors immediately."

"I.M’s right, he has nothing to do with that girl, he is engaged to Liv, he doesn't have to put up with being related to someone else."

"Hyungwon, you know how this industry works, the rumors never stop even if the companies speak out," Jooheon said.

"Well, they could do better, I.M had every right to demand that clarification, now everyone's talking about it." Seeing Liv's face, Hyungwon placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. “You don't have to feel bad, none of this is your fault and I want you to know that we all support your boyfriend. Shownu himself asked Deok Joon to help, after all, he's the most approachable. But he didn't get anything, he said to ignore this gossip and it will pass soon."

"It surprises me that this photograph was leaked, the guy who took it didn't sell it to anyone, there's evidence of that." Jooheon said.

“Do you think it was Luda? Her popularity went up quite a bit after that.” Kihyun mentioned.

"Changkyun should investigate more, what's more, not even him, Starship should take care of this and not allow the rumors to continue," Hyungwon said starting to get annoyed.

"After what happened with Wonho, are you still optimistic?" Kihyun asked ending the conversation because I.M was already walking towards them and his ears were still so red that it made everyone laugh.

“That wasn't funny, Liv! I was lousy in all the photographs.”

"You looked more handsome than ever!" Liv was controlling herself not to hug him, for the couple had the eyes of Joon Hyung and Deok Joon fixed on them.

“When you are recording your video, I swear I'll come and do the same to you.”

"It won't work, I don't embarrass myself so easily." She said winking at the same time that Changkyun imitated her and Kihyun looked at them feeling ashamed.

“How old are you two, fifteen? Behave.” Said the singer separating them.

*********

The creation of the choreography for Moonbin as well as the video shooting happened extremely quickly. Since Liv had worked with the idol before and knew how good dancer he was, it didn't take long for her to teach him the moves. As for the video recordings, I.M accompanied her but stayed on the sidelines with Jinjin, who continuously told him to relax and stop being so jealous. The video was very sexy and in several shots the closeness between Liv and Moonbin was more than Changkyun could tolerate. However, he controlled himself because I.M knew that it was a unique opportunity for Liv, and it really was, as soon as the video came out, many people were talking not only about the idol but also about her.

The collaboration had been so successful that Kihyun insisted on celebrating his sister and thus organized a dinner. However, there was a moment in which I.M just disappeared. It had been a long time since Liv had been alone with the boys and Jules, but her boyfriend was nowhere to be seen.

After apologizing to Minhyuk, since he was the one she was talking to at the time, the girl left the apartment, thinking that maybe I.M was in the garden, but there she only found Wonho and Shownu.

“Liv! What are you doing here? You are the star of the night.” Wonho said hugging her affectionately. “We were about to enter again.”

"I was looking for Kyun, have you seen him?"

"The last time I saw him, he told me he was going to get something out of the car." Shownu replied.

Even though the car was tinted, Olivia only had to get a little closer to discover that her boyfriend was arguing with someone. She heard almost nothing because the windows and doors were closed, but from the look on his face and the way he moved his hands, it was clear how furious he was.

It wasn't until Liv knocked on the door that Changkyun noticed her presence and seeing her there, he ended the call and tried to calm down before getting out of the car.

"Baby, what's up?" She asked hugging him as soon as he was close. The tension that the rapper had could be felt just by brushing his shoulders. "Did you argue with Deok Joon again?"

“Let's not talk about this, it's your night, we're celebrating." He kissed her forehead, but before he could leave, Liv took his hand, and just looking at him made him apologize. It wasn't that easy for Changkyun to forget about his bad communication habits, so sometimes he needed a little more help. “I want to clear up this whole Luda thing, I don't want any more rumors. And if my managers don't do it, then I will."

"It's just a photograph."

"Baby, you were the first to clarify that there was absolutely nothing between you and Hoshi when the rumors started a long time ago, you understand how I feel, so why don't you let me...?"

“It's not about giving you authorization, Kyun, I just want you to think things through. But if you want to do it, I'll support you.”

I.M was silent for a moment, but then he looked at his girl and put his arms around her. Taking advantage of the closeness, he spoke into her ear. “I'm not going to do it just because it could affect you. I don't want them to talk about you, or persecute you."

“I can take it.”

“I know, but I don't want you to do that, at least not yet. Let's talk about this later, it's your night."

The couple was entering the room when they found a scene they had NEVER seen before. Everyone, absolutely all his friends were silent and too serious, all looking at a cell phone.

"What's going on?" Changkyun asked.

“Better sit down…” Jooheon said.

To be continued... 🐱

➳ Next Chapter

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lvndr-thghts · 2 years

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discord kpop fc 1x1's

hi, i'm andie! i'm currently looking for some long-term discord rp partners, 21+ only please. i'm in the est timezone and i'm free all week after five usually! i primarily write mxf and i happily do doubles, though i'm also down for some fxf! i write in third person, present tense. also-- i only write oc's. i do not play real people. (sorry bandom fans.)

in terms of plots i'm interested in, i generally lean toward rl angst (totally down for smut, too!) but i'm happy to do cute fluff every now and then as well. gimme toxic co-dependent relationships, gimme roommates with sexual tension, gimme long-term one sided pining- and that's just off the top of my head, i love adding depth and discussing plots/headcanons/random ideas with my partners so if you do too, we'd probably be a great match!

i primarily use k-pop face claims (only 18+) for oc's/muses as well as korean actors/actresses, thai actors/actresses, etc. and i'd like it if we had similar taste as well! i'm also not opposed to making twins for faces we both happen to love, i think it'd be really fun! as a side note- i'll literally play any face you're feeling. i'm not picky about my muses at all.

here's a list of some groups/faces i'm feeling rn:

(this is by no means a comprehensive list and if the group is listed i'm prob willing to play anyone in it, these are just my faves, bold indicates favorites to play as, italics indicate favorites to play against)

BG's: astro (eunwoo, rocky, moonbin), ateez (san, mingi, yunho, wooyoung, seonghwa, yeosang, hongjoong), the boyz (juyeon), exo (kai, baekhyun), got7 (jackson, mark, bambam, jayb), monsta x (changkyun, hyungwon, wonho, kihyun), nct 127 (jaehyun!!!, johnny, yuta, mark, taeyong), seventeen (mingyu, the8, joshua) skz (bang chan, hyunjin, lee know), wayv (ten, xiaojun, winwin, hendery)

GG's: aespa (karina, winter, ningning), billlie, blackpink (jennie, jisoo, lisa), dreamcatcher, everglow, g(idle) (miyeon, soyeon, yuqi, minnie), itzy (yeji, ryujin, yuna), kep1er, loona (jinsoul, yves, heejin), red velvet (joy, seulgi, irene, wendy), twice (sana!!!, jihyo, mina, tzuyu, momo), wjsn, xg

SOLOISTS: christian yu/dpr ian!!!, woodz, b.i, dpr live, chungha, sunmi, iu, jeon somi

if you're interested at all in building a beautiful world and fangirling over our faves together, you can either send me an ask/im with your discord, interact with this post, or message me on here and i'll get back to you if i think we're a good fit! thanks for taking the time to read!

#kpop 1x1 #rp #1x1 #kpop rp #discord rp #kroleplay #kpoprp #krp 1x1 #discordrp #krp ad #mxf rp #discord 1x1

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pocminiseries · 2 years

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Too Much

↠♤Pairing: I.M x OC ↠♤Warnings: Mature Themes, Adult Content, Explicit Language. ↠♤Genre: Non-Kpop Related, Smut, One Shot, Imagine. ↠♤Synopsis: In which she falls back into the arms of the man she loves the most.

"I miss you"

Nia could admit that it was a text she knew shouldn't have been sent and for a split second, she wished to take it back but...

"Come see me"

In minutes she found herself on the deserted roads at 2:36 in the morning, headed to the last place she should be like the fool she has always been when it came to him.

It always happened this way.

They'd argue, break up and end up back together as if nothing happened.

It had become a routine, one that she was slowly getting tired of.

But it was difficult for her to break away from the one person who knew her better than she knew herself.

If she wasn't so afraid of being alone, she would've been broken free but somehow her mind had convinced itself that she needed him.

For three years they played this cruel game. The trust they once had for one another almost cease to exist. Yet, the love they shared seemed unscathed.

Even when they attempted to date other people, somehow, someway, they always ended up back together. The word "sorry" no longer existed in their vocabulary. There were only so many times it could be said until its purpose became tainted.

In a way, she was positive they liked hurting one another. A sick way to show they still cared.

Two months have passed since she last saw him and she was doing so well without him. Or so she forced herself to believe. Her weakest moments always seemed to attack her thoughts late at night as she lay in bed alone.

She shouldn't miss him.

Life was much better without his presence.

But every time her eyes closed, her mind was filled with thoughts of him no matter how hard she tried to forget him.

She was addicted to everything that was him and he knew it.

He thrived off the fact that no matter how many times she yelled out "fuck you", she'd always come back to him where she belonged.

In his twisted mind, no one would ever love her in the way he does.

Touch her as he does.

Kiss her as he does.

Hold her as he does.

And more importantly, make love to her as he does.

Just the thought of him shook her mentally.

God, she hated him so much.

Licking her lips, Nia stood quietly outside of his apartment door, silently telling herself to just turn on her heel and go back home where she needed to be.

But she'd be lying to herself if she didn't say that she missed him because she did.

However, it wasn't as if she needed him like the oxygen she breathed.

And just as she was about to walk away, the sounds of locks coming undone caught her attention, pulling her from her intense thoughts.

"Shit," She whispered to herself as the door swung open to reveal him in all of his toxicity. Nia noted how his hair had grown longer with his bangs hanging just below his eyebrows. He stood in front of her with an unbuttoned satin shirt showcasing his chest and a pair of matching pants. A mean mug immediately spread across her face as she ignored her rapidly beating heart.

He knew exactly what the hell he was doing.

"Why did you call me here I.M?" It was a question that she already knew the answer to but the need to break the silence between them was necessary.

The way he looked at her...it was as if he saw right through her.

A small smile formed on his face as he eyed her slowly from head to toe and back up again before his dark eyes settled on her own. "The same reason why you decided to come...because I wanted to. Now come in," He answered, stepping aside to let her in.

Shaking her head, Nia did as he said while he locked the door behind her. She stood quietly in the middle of his dark hallway that had the kitchen on one side and his living room on the other, his scent filling her nose no matter which way her head turned.

"Keep walking," Changkyun softly ordered, his warm breath fanned against her ear causing a shiver to go down her spine.

Biting her tongue, she removed her slippers and walked further down the hall towards his dimly lit bedroom where the door was left slightly open. Nia felt Changkyun's arm brush past hers to push the door completely open to reveal his cozy room.

"What have I told you about coming out in public dressed like this?" He questioned lowly, tugging at the bottom of the white romper onesie that fitted snuggly against her skin. It was obvious she wore nothing underneath.

"I wasn't about to change just to come see you, besides..."

"Besides what?"

Nia felt so small under his gaze as he stood in front of her with his arm crossed. "I won't be here for long," She informs him, turning her attention towards the hard rain hitting against the glass above them.

Changkyun smirked at her words knowing full well they were a lie. "Why won't you just be with me Nia? Every time you run you always come back to me in the end,"

"You know exactly why," Nia instantly replies. It was a question that was asked by him often and the answer never changed. "What do you even want from me? You have so many options,"

"I want you to be my wife Nia. No one else compares to you and you know this," He counters back with swiftness. "No more games. No more lies,"

Nia stared back at him, looking for any indication of dishonesty. "I don't know I.M...I need time to think,"

As much as she wanted to believe his words, it was hard. She was so fuck'd up mentally because of him.

"Why do you do this to me?" She questions just above a whisper, hating how weak she was when it came to him. All it took was one look and he had her right where he wanted. She was his and no one else.

"Take it off," He commands, ignoring her question on purpose. "Please..."

Maybe it was because of how tempting Changkyun looked at the moment. Pure sex on legs. Or the way he spoke to her, demanding yet sweet. It took little to nothing to get her to do whatever he asked of her.

She was so pathetic.

However, Nia didn't care. Especially when he slid inside of her, hitting every spot, including the ones she didn't even know she had.

Only he could make her body shake with need. Giving her the type of dick that made her call out to the heavens above in bliss. Even to the point tears would run down her face in disbelief.

He fucked her as if it would be their last, leaving nothing untouched.

Nia found herself bent over with her ass in the air just how Changkyun liked it. Her hands gripping the sheets as he delivered toe-curling strokes after another, driving her insane. "You feel so good," She whined, feeling him places kisses along her back.

Changkyun said nothing at first, only responding by practically fucking Nia like his life depended on it. Rolling his hips every time in a way that had Nia wither with need. Her pussy welcomed him each time he filled her with such need.

"Say it,"

"It's yours," Nia barely croaked out, knowing what he wanted. "It's all yours," She said again, reaching back to push him away. The pressure in her gut became too much.

"I can feel it...just a little bit more. You can handle it,"

#pocminiseries #pockpop #poc kpop #im monsta x #ambwkpop #ambw #maturethemes #kpopfanfic #ambwfanfic #ambw kpop #interracialfanfic #kpop smut #interracialstories #ambw fanfic #monsta x fanfic #oneshot

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monsta-x-star · 1 year

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Yun Chobyeol (korean: 윤 초별; born July 30th, 1996), known professionally by her stage name Star, is a fictional South Korean rapper, dancer, producer and songwriter. In May 2015, she made her debut as a member of the co-ed group Monsta X, under Starship Entertainment.

Disclaimer: This work is purely fictional and does not represent any idols real personality or action. Please consider this while reading all of my work. Thank you and have fun.

Basics

Relationships

Eras

Pre-Debut

coming soon

Trespass & Rush (2015)

coming soon

The Clan Pt. 1 Lost & The Clan Pt. 2 Guilty (2016)

coming soon

Social Media & Content

coming soon

A/N: If you want to check out my other Kpop Additions, here is the link to my Masterlist. My original account is @i-am-confused-about-life, if you want to check that out. Have fun!

Kpop Masterlist

Hey, thanks for giving this post your time and I hope you will enjoy my stories. Consider reblogging, liking and commenting. Constructive Feedback is always great. You can also send asks and I will answer them. I appreciate you 💛

#masterlist #monsta x #monsta x 8th member #monsta x addition #monsta x added member #monsta x female addition #monsta x female oc #monsta x female member #shownu #wonho #lee minhyuk #yoo kihyun #chae hyungwon #lee jooheon #im changkyun #monsta-x-star #monsta x star #monsta x oc #i-am-confused-about-life

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krp1x1finder · 7 months

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hi hi :) 22+, looking for a partner to fill a couple wanted plots.

oc x oc only. interested in plots in the entertainment industry and general angst. i would really, really, really like to write a specific mxf plot with myself writing the female character. once we get to know each other better, we can write fxf alongside that plot! i am extremely open to doing so, but i have a few specific mxf plots i am dying to write right away. so please only like this ad if you're willing to write the male character in a mxf plot with the potential to double with a fxf thread in the future.

i'm comfortable with smut and dark content! i tend to use faces from the following groups: gidle, twice, everglow, fromis_9, itzy. for opposites, i love kim hanbin (b.i), dpr ian, jungkook and taehyung (bts), sunwoo and juyeon (tbz), hongseok (pentagon), park wonbin (riize), jaehyun (nct), kai and kyungsoo (exo), im changkyun (monsta x), choi san (ateez). however, i always want my partner to use whoever they want to.

please leave a like on this post if you're interested, and i'll message you!

🌸 !

#krp ad #krp 1x1 #1x1 rp #original #mxf #everglow #fromis 9 #gidle #itzy #twice

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daydreamerbunny · 1 year

Text

𝓶𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽

last updated on 5/10/2023

PLEASE NOTE: these is purely fiction and does not represent the idols or any other real person in anyway.

Do NOT take my writings as your own.

Key:

s = smut

a = angst

f = fluff

ＫＰＯＰ♥

ＢＴＳ ♥

Jeon Jungkook

⇢ last (afab reader, s, f and a) One last time.

⇢ one year (afab reader, a) Jungkook comes to apologize and he realizes you are with someone.

⇢ royal engagement (afab princess!reader, s) You’re a princess to a small kingdom and the neighboring large kingdom just lost their king, making your childhood fling now crowned. Your family makes a trip to express condolences and plans on maintaining the tight alliance your kingdoms have.

Min Yoongi

⇢ one year (afab reader, a) Jungkook comes to apologize and he realizes you are with someone.

ＭＯＮＳＴＡＸ ♥

Im Changkyun

⇢ {unknown hiatus} rose gold series, involving other Monsta X members (afab named reader, s, f, and a) Being engaged to a charming prince suddenly makes you the most desirable woman in the castle. Part 1, part 2, and part 3.

⇢ i’ll wait (afab reader, s) Your professor overhears some girls teasing you and decides to make you feel better.

ＳＨＩＮＥＥ ♥

Lee Taemin

⇢ bitten & smitten (afab reader, s) Your village is raided by the vampire prince and he decides that you are his.

ＯＴＨＥＲＦＡＮＤＯＭＳ ♥

α v α t α r ♥

Jake Sully

⇢ Rumor Has It (afab human reader, s) You have a thing for Jake's avatar and Jake finds that out and decides to indulge you on it.

⇢ Pretty Girl (afab human reader, s) Jake and reader fuck without her oxygen mask.

⇢Silly Girl (afab omatikaya reader, s) imagine tying up Jake in attempts to spice it up in your sex life and it does not go in your favor.

⇢ Bunny (afab human reader, s) Jake fucks you on Easter.

⇢ Jake hisses at reader (afab human reader, a and f) Requested

Neteyam Sully

⇢ Always (afab Na'vi reader, a) Neteyam loses you and reflects back on the happy moments.

s t r α n g є r t h í n g s ♥

Henry Creel

⇢Latrodectus mactans (afab reader, s) Henry and you were both orderly. He was 001 and you were 002. Henry takes advantage of the crush you have on him to help him with his plan to escape the lab. He's willing to break a few of his own rules to make sure you were his.

ＳＴＡＲＷＡＲＳ ♥

Kylo Ren

⇢ His Rock (afab reader, f)

⇢ Restless ( afab reader, f)

⇢ I Don’t Blame You ( afab reader, a)

⇢ Baby Steps ( afab reader, f and a)

ＤＥＴＲＩＯＴＢＥＣＯＭＥＨＵＭＡＮ ♥

Markus

⇢ hope (afab reader, f) Markus and reader support each other in Jericho.

Connor

⇢ on the couch (afab reader, s) Connor is needy and needs a quickie.

⇢ nurse (afab reader mentions of sports bra but otherwise gender neutral, f) Connor takes care of you while sick.

⇢ hot coffee (afab reader, f and implied s)

⇢ rushed emotions (afab OC, f) Connor needs Noelle’s help to help Markus.

⇢ into you (AO3 link) (afab reader, s) It’s the DPD’s Christmas party and Connor decides to make a move.

Gavin

⇢ big softie (amab reader, f) reader is hurt on the job and Gavin is worried sick.

ＴＨＥＨＯＢＢＩＴ／ＴＨＥＬＯＲＤＯＦＴＨＥＲＩＮＧＳ ♥

Thranduil

⇢the scent of spring (afab reader, f)

⇢ ada (afab reader, f)

⇢ pale beauty (afab OC, mild s)

#masterlist

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miabebe · 1 year

Text

I Am What I Am (II)

A man of the shadows and a woman who belonged in the skies - fate could not have brought two more different people together.

But was this fate or was this a choice?

Pairing - Im Changkyun x OC, OC x Surprise Seventeen member hehe

Word Count - 7.7K

Warnings - Nothing too explicit but mentions of blood, guns, knives, violence, (t.w) references to suicide, murder

Previous Chapter

“I need to sit.”

Na bi peered into the darkness and her eyes fell on a couch at the far end of the room. Changkyun simply watched, buttoning his sleeves as she pushed with all her might, bringing it to the centre and plopping down on it. Her legs sure thanked her, but the fire in the pits of her stomach had reignited as she looked at him from a considerably lower and painstaking angle, standing before the table.

“Why are you here Ms. Baek?”

Na bi pursed her lips in thought. Honestly, she forgot. The sight of him had blown every ounce of reasoning out of her head. Sure, driving the car down an empty freeway at 140 kmh had adrenaline coursing through every inch of her body and yeah, maybe her ‘interaction’ earlier with that gentleman in the club had gotten her to some kind of high but she didn’t think she would ever find it this hard to get it together. There was nothing she could really process except him and the slender yet sculpted build of his body. He didn’t look very menacing but he didn’t seem like he was gentle either. Na bi wondered if he was the kind who liked it slow and teasing or hard and fast, not that she would have a problem with either-

Crossing her legs to keep it all in, she leaned back into the softness of the couch, mentally and physically pushing herself to the maximum possible distance away from this man.

“Who are you?”

“You already asked me that.” The corners of his lips curled into a smile. “And I already answered.”

“And I heard you.” She tilted her head in question. “But I’ve never heard of you before.”

“Not many have.” He tucked his hands into his pockets. “I am a myth Ms. Baek. The knowledge of my existence is a privilege.”

Na bi let her eyes scan him down then up. Recalling the way he stayed concealed in the shadows the first time she met him, she scoffed. “Privilege or liability?”

When he didn’t clarify, she clicked her tongue, shaking her head dramatically. “So you are hiding.” She sighed. “That's sad; you were a lot more interesting when you didn’t admit to being a coward.”

Changkyun smiled, unaffected. “I don’t expect or need you to understand Ms. Baek. Ignorance is a luxury people like you can afford.”

Maybe if Na bi was less drunk, she would have been sensible enough to be offended by that but she simply pouted. “Enlighten me then.”

“What you call cowardice is gameplay Ms. Baek.” He leaned against the desk behind him. “My identity is irrelevant, so I choose anonymity. I let my work speak for itself.”

“So who gets, as you call it, the privilege of knowing who you are?”

“The few who have business with me, my men” He cocked his head, looking at her. “And you.”

Na bi felt a strange combination of fear, exhilaration and curiosity grip her all at once.

“No one else?”

Changkyun shook his head.

She took a minute to take it all in. She should have been more afraid. She really should.

“Sounds a little unfortunate if you ask me.” He raised an eyebrow as she leaned towards him, half whispering. “Having all this power and no one afraid of it.”

“I don’t seek fear because I don’t thrive on it Ms. Baek.” He mirrored her, leaning too. “Imagine what I could have done to you if fear was what I wanted.”

Na bi felt a single bead of sweat roll down her neck.

“Then what do you want from me? Why are your men stalking me?” When Changkyun looked at her expressionlessly, she rolled her eyes. “Don’t deny it. They haven’t been subtle and I’m not blind.”

“No, you’re not.” She could practically hear the amusement in his voice, like he had observed the way her eyes were all over him.

He walked around his desk, pulled open the drawer, taking out a familiar picture and threw it onto the wooden surface of the table. Na bi got up, walking closer to it, picking the photo of Ana in her hands, the same one Wonho had shown her that night.

“That’s from the cctv of my headquarters a few days ago. Your friend Ana, turned up at a location that no one other than me and my men know of, asking for me, by my name."

Na bi frowned. “How did she know where to find you?”

“Your skipping sequence Ms. Baek” Changkyun walked past her, sitting down on her chair. “How did she even know of my existence in the first place? The range of my business acquaintances does not extend to people like her.”

“How do you suppose she knew?”

He hummed. “Assumption is judgement’s biggest enemy Ms. Baek. I was hoping to have a conversation with her to let her explain herself, but that was the last time anyone had seen or heard from her.” Na bi didn’t even realise when he got hold of the lighter he began playing with. “And incidentally, while looking for her-”

“-your men kidnapped me.”

He nodded. “It was a mistake and it is my fault you got roped in this mess and so, it’s only fair that until all this gets over, I look out for you.” Changkyun watched her face scrunched in confusion. “Ms. Baek, there are a lot of dark and dangerous things hidden in the shadows of Seoul. My identity holds a higher value than you can imagine. Should anyone get the idea that you might have even the slightest clue as to who I am, they would hunt you down for answers.”

“So, all these days, your men were…” Na bi blinked at a loss of words. “Protecting me?"

He gave a small nod.

Na bi stared at him. Of all the reasons she had imagined for his men stalking her, this was nowhere on the list.

“You’re telling me that rather than eliminating someone who might be a threat to your identity which you apparently so carefully safeguard, you chose to employ your men to work round the clock to protect her? All because she was a mistake?” Na bi stared at him incredulously before letting out a surprising short laugh. “Oh, you absolute asshole.”

For the first time, Changkyun’s expression betrayed his thoughts – it was a mixture of annoyance, confusion and amusement all in one.

“Either you habitually don’t think twice before you talk,” His voice was suddenly a lot deeper. “Or you’re not afraid of much when you’re drunk Ms. Baek.”

“Please,” She scoffed. “I’m not afraid of much when I’m sober either. There is not much to fear if you’re not afraid of death, and I see death every day.”

Na bi walked up to him, her shadow falling on his darkening expression.

“You’re not protecting me and this is not just about Ana. Someone like her cannot possibly be a threat to you.”

The image of those armed men in Ana’s house flashed in Na bi’s head. The only reason another group of dangerous people were after Ana had to be for Changkyun.

“Someone else is looking for you. Someone who is a part of those dark and dangerous things you claim are in the shadows of Seoul. Evidently, they are aware that Ana has you all figured it out and they knowing getting to her means getting to you, but you....You don’t know who they are, do you?”

She walked around the chair, her fingers tracing it.

“Ana was your only link to them but she’s missing. You knew, whoever they are, if they learn of me, they will come after me instead. That’s why I’m alive, that’s why I’m being monitored. I’m bait, aren’t I?”

She leaned down, meeting him eye to eye.

“Or did I misjudge the depth of your character?”

Now that she was much closer to him, her eyes once again began wandering across his face and she wondered why she was not more annoyed or aggravated at the realisation of how she was being recklessly played around by him. Changkyun on the other hand was silent for a whole minute, looking right back into her eyes before his lips curled into a smile.

“I think I misjudged the level of your intelligence Ms. Baek.”

Na bi pulled herself back feeling victorious but he got up, on his feet, eliminating the little distance she put between them. “But you are transparent and lack depth so you think everyone is as one dimensional as you are.” This time she felt her fists ball in anger. “Had you not given in to your saviour complex and unnecessarily curious nature, you wouldn’t have become the potential target that you are now. It’s not me but you who brought you to where you are,” He took the picture from her, freeing her hands. “But just because there were other reasons to keep my eye on you, doesn’t mean I wasn’t looking out for you.”

Na bi knew those were empty words from him but she couldn’t help but feel a weight drop in her stomach. It didn’t help that he was standing so close, and it helped even less when Na bi took a step closer to him, doing the top button of his vest that he had missed.

“Prove it then.” She smoothened the fabric on his chest nonchalantly before looking up at him. “Take me home.”

“Wonho will drop you- “

“Not him. You.”

He sighed. “Ms. Baek. If you haven’t figured out already, I don’t come out in the open.”

“You said you wanted to protect me, didn’t you?” She licked her drying lips. “So, it’s you or no one.”

Changkyun’s eyes flickered down there, just for a second before he met her eyes again. “I’m inviting trouble keeping you around, aren’t I?”

Na bi smiled as she walked out, knowing he would follow.

The ride to her house was pretty silent.

In that half an hour, Na bi understood Changkyun wasn’t much of a talker. If she had nothing to say, neither did he. Conveniently enough though, he would at least answer her questions when she had any and she had very few questions.

Okay, she only had one question.

“Are you getting married?”

Changkyun momentarily took his eyes off the road to throw her a glance, clearly not expecting that of all things. Well, he for starters, he was all suited up - not a crease in sight, not a hair out of place, smelling like a very distracting combination of whiskey and roses but the watch on his hand, it looked old, like a choice of sentiment rather than style.

“You look very marry-able right now.”

“Why Ms. Baek,” His voice was laced with amusement. “Would you like to?”

“Hell no.” Na bi scoffed, looking out of the window at all the buildings whizzing by. Sure, she was attracted to him, hormones and alcohol clearly amplifying it all but that was about it. “You and I can’t possibly be meant to be.”

Changkyun hummed. In thought? In agreement? She had no idea. But that was the only conversation they had the whole way home. She wanted to ask more; of course, she wanted to. Curiosity was Na bi’s fatal flaw but either this really expensive BMW’s smooth navigation was lulling her to sleep or Seoul’s air was laced with some sort of sedative tonight – whatever it was, she was progressively losing grip over herself, so uncharacteristically, she shut up.

When the car came to a stop in front of her building, Na bi rolled her head over to look at Changkyun – he was already looking at her. She definitely wanted to say something, either a thank you or goodnight, but whatever it was, under his gaze, yet again, she forgot. Not a word was exchanged, neither was any emotion - there was no sadness over a goodbye, no longing to see each him again. But in the silence of the night and the small space that held them at an arm’s distance from each other, there was one thing that was definitely there – a meaningless craving. A desire so electrifying that she could practically taste it in the air and feel it in the way every cell in her body was fighting the idea of just pulling him closer. Na bi wondered if he felt that too; she couldn’t tell.

When Changkyun made the slightest movement towards her Na bi immediately felt her breath get stuck in her throat and her heart race in her chest. At first, he simply unbuckled her seat belt and she had begun to get disappointed but then she felt him lean closer. Though this was exactly what she wanted, though he was what her body was so desperately seeking, Na bi felt her eyes close reflexively, her hands gripping whatever it could on the seat.

“The lights are on.”

Frowning, her eyes flew open to see Changkyun still a considerable distance from her, his eyes fixed on something else entirely, far behind her. Following his line of vision, she realised he was staring at the windows of her house, the only one with lights on at 3am.

“Yeah well,” She hoped to god he didn’t notice her reaction earlier. “I don’t live in the dark.”

“Did you leave them on before you left?”

She shrugged unable to remember. Changkyun’s expression darkened as he unbuckled his own seatbelt and stepped out of his car, making her hurriedly mirror his actions.

“Wait,” Na bi pointlessly lowered her voice. “You think they found me?”

He continued staring at the window for a moment before he quickly made his way into her building and up the stairs. Swearing under her breath and barely able to balance herself, Na bi followed, stupidly trying to keep up with a man who seemed to move at the speed of light. By the time they climbed four floors and had reached her house, she was a panting mess but he was still perfect, not a crease, not a hair out of place.

“9963.” She blurted, giving him the password to her door, only belatedly realising what she had done. Before she could fully comprehend the consequences of her actions, he opened her door and stepped in. Standing by the frame, Na bi watched, still out of breath and in awe as he moved around so cautiously and so quietly, like he was made of a gas or something. It took a good five minutes of looking around before the tightness in his shoulders finally relaxed and he turned to her.

“Looks like you’re safe.”

“And of course you sound disappointed.” Na bi mumbled under her breath.

The trap they were using her to set up still hadn’t led them to their prey. If only he had managed to get his hands on someone tonight, if only he got the answers he was looking for, a lot of her problems could have been solved. Kicking off her shoes, she walked in, sinking into the couch. Changkyun’s eyes followed her across the room.

“Are you going to leave now?”

Na bi looked up at the man, pushing her urges down yet again for the nth time now. Earlier today, when he called her transparent, he was right. There was nothing hidden in the way she looked at him – the desire in her eyes was as clear as day.

But his gaze was as dark as the night. He seemed so layered and unreadable and as much as she wanted to unravel all that he kept hidden away in the shadows, she didn’t think she should. Some things were meant to hold on to, and some weren’t and as Na bi herself had claimed earlier, this wasn’t meant to be. She had to let him go.

“Stay.”

“Dr. Baek, are you listening to me?”

Instantly snapping out of her trip down the memory lane, Na bi looked up at her attending and the entire team looking at her, waiting. Realising that she had in fact, not been listening, her eyes quickly flickered between the patient’s vitals on the screen and the paper in her hand. Swallowing on nothing, she took a shot in the dark, praying to whatever gods were out there that she had analysed the situation right.

“Yeah, yeah, I shall uh… do a head CT and set him up for an LP?”

That eyebrow of her attending raised in question, lowered a little. “And get his fever under control.”

Na bi quickly nodded, taking notes and sighing inwardly with relief as the team continued the morning rounds. Close. She had been letting her mind wander a bit too much. Not only was the horrible hangover headache making it hard to stay grounded to reality, her thoughts too were all over the place, mostly trying recollect the events of last night which she had navigated drunk off her face. Now was neither the time nor the place for it but clearly, self-control was not one of Na bi’s virtues. It was only when the patient next to her violently retched and threw up onto the floor that she finally got it together and put her thoughts behind her.

An hour and three separate crises-es later, Na bi found herself catching a short break as she walked down the corridor from the pantry, looking out of the window at the greying sky. Seoul was uncharacteristically gloomy today. Peeling the orange in her hand, she popped a piece in her mouth, eyes scouring through the crowd of people scattered around, looking at their feet in particular. No combat shoes.

When Na bi woke up that morning, the sun was already way up in the sky, giving her just enough time to quickly change into a fresh pair of clothes, grab her bag and run out of her house. It was only when she had finished gobbling her breakfast and finally had some substantial energy in her that she noticed the absence of Changkyun’s men - There was no one in combat boots.

She didn’t know how to feel about that. It was evident from last night that Changkyun’s enemy, whoever that was, hadn’t identified her yet so she was in no immediate danger but she didn’t still understand the sudden disappearance of her apparent protection squad. The voice of reason in her head told her that she was merely a pawn in whatever game Changkyun was playing and this was probably just another one of his moves. Her gut feeling though, begged to differ – it said something had to have gone wrong.

It was when both voices that were battling it out in her head that she felt a tap on her shoulder and the orange peel in her hand was replaced by a small bottle.

“Drink up.”

Na bi turned to see Seokmin, her closest friend at work handing her the hangover tonic he frequently used.

“Hell no, that’s bitter as fuck.”

“Get it together Baek.” He crossed his arms. “This is a hospital; you’re a doctor and you look like shit.”

“Thanks.” She murmured, cracking the seal open, trying not to taste the horrible liquid as she drank it.

“What happened last night?”

Na bi drank slower to avoid answering. He did kindly invite her out last night and so she did owe him some sort of explanation but what even was she supposed to say? I shot a man in the leg, stole his car, met up with a mafia leader, insisted he drive me home and then we…. It sounded absolutely insane even in her head, who would even believe her?

First off, mafia supposedly didn’t even exist in Seoul. After the famous Crime WipeOut operation back in 2011, the streets were declared ‘crime free’ – the cops had been advertising their success with that phrase for years now. But everyone knew that was not true. Working in the emergency room, Na bi especially knew that was not true. Every other day, people would walk in with all sorts of injuries, claiming they “fell down the stairs” or “got hit by a car” when their wounds clearly told another story. No one would dare question them though, not when they could feel the outline of a weapon in their pockets.

And now Na bi’s encounter last night had confirmed facts. Mafia very much did exist in Seoul and somehow suddenly, thanks to one man, she found herself deep, right in the middle of it all. It would be unfair to Seokmin to drag him into it too.

“I wish I remembered it all.” That was as honest as she could get with him - there was indeed a big gap in her memory of last night's events that she just couldn't recollect no matter how hard she tried.

“I need my blue pajamas.” Na bi put down the seat of the toilet and sat on it, crossing her legs, feeling much better having thrown up. She was definitely talking to Changkyun about something before she felt her stomach turn and ran to bathroom - she tried hard to remember what exactly that conversation was about again but it was pointless, she had no idea. The earlier suited man who now somehow only had his white shirt on, appeared by the door, holding out a navy-blue set of pajamas but she shook her head. “Not these ones.”

“Nearly everything in there is blue.”

“I like blue.”

“This is blue.”

“But this is not the blue I like.”

Changkyun didn't reply but his silence was loud.

“What? Didn’t you say you wanted to make sure I’m safe?”

“And safety includes a specific blue pajama?”

Na bi slid off the toilet and walked past him to her wardrobe, pouting. “I feel safe in those blue pajamas.”

She scoured through her clothes while he stood behind her, not too close but perhaps close enough to catch her if she stumbled.

“These.” She held up an old, faded pair of sky-blue pajamas. “These belong to my sister but this is me.” She pointed at the print of small white butterflies on the fabric then to herself. “Baek Na bi. White butterfly.”

And then without a warning to herself or him, Na bi pulled her shirt over her head, stripping out of her clothes. At that point, Changkyun who’s eyes were focused on her all this while, looked away, making her suddenly very conscious of her actions. Actions she didn’t seem to put much thought into; which wasn’t very unlike her but something felt different today - it was almost like she was made of two minds. Unfortunately, the second one was hell bent on being honest and irrational.

“I think…” She pulled up her pants, adjusting the elastic, looking him up then down. “I think I’m really attracted to you.”

He turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow, looking amused. “I think you should sleep Ms. Baek.”

Something did a somersault in Na bi’s chest. “With you?”

“Would you like to?” He leaned against her dresser, crossing his arms.

She mimicked him, leaning back against her wardrobe. “Very much.”

When those words left her mouth, Na bi had no idea what she expected the consequences to be. She had no idea what exactly transpired between them after that either.

As far she remembered, they were on opposite ends of the room and she was looking into his unreadable eyes for just one clue about what he wanted. Then, suddenly, somehow, they were standing right across each other, inches apart in a loud silence where she could only hear her heart race in her chest. She didn't know if Changkyun felt even an ounce of what she was feeling, or if he too wanted her as much as she craved him and there was only one way to find out.

Lord knows where Na bi got the courage, or why she gave into the stupidity but impulsively, she got on her tiptoes, hands grabbing his shirt to pull him closer and let her lips softly brush his, which to her surprise, parted. Na bi saw a hundred different things flash in his eyes, but none of them seemed like a no, so she kissed him again, more certain this time, closing the gap till there was nothing between them. His hands grabbed her waist as she stumbled, setting off something hot in her chest.

And just like that they walked back entwined, lips not leaving each other till the back of his knees hit her bed, prompting her to push him onto it, finally giving them the space to breathe. Changkyun looked up at her with his hooded eyes, his hands sinking into the comforter behind him. There was something undeniably hot about him just sitting on her bed like that, doing nothing but watching her. He was letting her make the moves.

And so she did, standing between his thighs, taking his face into her hands, leaning forward to kiss him once again. She didn’t know if his arm wrapped around her, pulling her into his lap, or if she climbed on the bed, straddling him, but here they were, just mouths moving, tongues roaming and hearts beating real fast. Na bi felt herself getting lost in that pleasure, her hips naturally finding a rhythm against him but his arm around her held her in place. He lifted her and with a swift motion, her back hit the bed and he was hovering above her, exploring her face with his eyes. She pushed the strand of his hair which escaped its place, before she noticed the small healed wound on his eyebrows, her fingers tracing them.

“What happened here?”

One breath.

Then two.

“Hit the corner of the table when I was running away.”

“Running away from what?”

“The people who killed my family.”

Na bi blinked – she did not expect that candor. Or his lack of hesitation.

She stroked it softly, “Does it still hurt?”

What a pointless question. The wound looked old, like it had been years since he got it. Na bi realised with a pang in her chest that he must’ve been young when this happened. It must hurt like hell.

She propped herself on her elbows and reached up, planting a small kiss on it, obviously a very apt medical solution. “Better?”

For the first time, he let out a soft laugh, a genuine one.

Na bi kissed it again and again and again, slowly making her way down his face, finding his lips with hers once more. Yet again, time was lost on her. She just felt an undeniable, craving need for him, to feel him, to own him. This is what it must feel like to burn from within.

She let herself sink into the softness of her comforter, freeing her hands to unbutton his shirt when his arm under her tightened pushing her up her bed, neither action hindering their mouths on each other. Na bi had her fair share of experience with men but nothing ever felt like this and they weren't even doing much. The attraction she felt towards him was like never before, it didn't even allow her to think rationally. She knew they should stop - she was drunk and he was a stranger, a dangerous one at that, but she couldn't bring herself to. And just as she wondered if he too could not stop himself, she felt him pull back.

“Na bi….” His voice was so soft? “You should sleep.”

“Don’t want to….” She muttered, pulling him closer, but he didn’t give in.

“Sleep.”

He rolled off her as she groaned, pulling herself together, curling up into a comfortable position. He was right - even though she wanted him, her body needed sleep. And to stop this madness. She tucked her palm under her head and watched him by the frame of her bedroom door, buttoning his shirt, looking back at her.

She had expected him to be gone before she knew it.

“Aren’t you going to go?”

“I’ll leave when you sleep.”

The stomach somersaults were back.

“Will I ever see you again?”

He didn’t answer her question.

“Don’t go around doing something stupid.”

She chuckled, pulling her sheets closer, feeling her eyes flutter shut under the warmth of the covers. “You don’t mean that." She yawned. "Because if I don’t then your enemies won’t find me. And if they don’t find me, you won’t find them.”

“Ms. Baek,” Na bi looked at him one last time as sleep finally took her in. “Please don’t do anything stupid.”

Trying to ignore Changkyun’s last words still ringing in her mind, Na bi pulled herself back to reality, continuing the conservation. “I should’ve let you know before I left Min-ah, sorry.”

“Yeah, you should’ve.” Seokmin leaned against the window. “I worry about safety. It can get crazy out there.”

Na bi nodded. He had no idea.

She had no idea about a lot of things either.

She had no idea what Changkyn’s actions last night meant. Or his words. Was he attracted to her? If he was then why did he stop? And if he wasn’t, didn’t that mean he was using her, just like she suspected he was? And if he was using her then why did he ask her not to do anything crazy? How was she of any use to him if she wasn’t an efficient trap? Or was she wrong? Was she not a bait? And he truly mean what he said about looking out for her? But if he did mean that then where were all his men today??

Na bi felt like she could crush the bottle she was holding with her bare hands. All these questions were just turning into a never-ending loop that she was stuck right in the middle of with no answers and no escape. She needed to get her mind off all this.

“Crazy workload today?” She pointed at all the case files in her friend's hand, desperate for a change of topic. He shook his head, looking down at the corridor as a patient was wheeled out, white sheet covering their face. When a hand slipped from under the covers from the inertia, Na bi noticed the cut across the wrist.

“There was nothing I could do.” Seokmin sighed. “He bled out.”

“Cut that deep?”

“Two cuts. One on each wrist.”

Na bi felt the bile rise in her throat.

“Let me guess, family doesn’t suspect any foul play?”

“The usual.”

Seokmin handed the files to the intern who meekly walked up to him before she took them and rushed off.

Everyone in the ER knew of these cases, Na bi had seen a couple of them up close before – cases determined as self-inflicted injury, completely ignoring the fact that it was not one but two clean cuts on both wrists. Anyone with a pair of eyes and a brain could tell that was clearly not self inflicted but somehow, these cases would never reach the point of investigation. The family didn't dare push them and medical staff did not have the authority to – they just went on to become yet another record on paper.

The mere thought of such cruelty made Na bi's stomach turn. She wondered how anyone believed that evil did not exist in Seoul when she saw evidence of it in every corner, at every given moment - even the very next one.

Ambulance sirens.

Both her and Seokmin immediately looked at each other, ears perking at the sound of not one, not two but sirens of seven ambulances getting increasingly loud.

True to her training, Na bi immediately flung the bottle in her hand into a nearby trashcan and rushed to the entrance with Seokmin right behind her, pulling her hair into a higher and tighter ponytail. The rest of the doctors and nurses had already assembled, prepping to take on the load of cases that was about to walk in. But given that 'smooth-sailing' was just not a part of the emergency department's vocabulary, the head nurse ran up to her, a worried look on her face. “Dr. Baek, Dr. Yoo isn’t here.”

Fuck, she forgot - the attending had left right after morning rounds for a conference in Busan which meant-

“Jaehyun is in charge.” Seokmin concluded, voicing her thoughts as the three of them turned and looked across the corridor.

Jaehyun's face was as white as the wall behind him, hands shaking. Shit. Sure he was two years her senior which theoretically meant he was the most experienced person here to lead the room but Na bi knew he didn't have the stomach for what was coming; especially when the hospital doors opened and all she saw was blood. Blood, blood, blood, everywhere.

“Who’s in charge?” A paramedic looked around urgently while Na bi continued looking at a frozen Jaehyun. “Who’s in charge???”

There was no time for incompetence. Not right now.

“I’m taking over.” She whispered to Seokmin before she stepped up. “Me, Dr. Baek. What happened?”

“Traffic accident.” He panted. “That’s what they said on the call but I don’t think so. Seems more like a…..”

Na bi looked around the room, her vision tunneling on the details. There were almost 40 men, most of them were severely injured, but it was definitely not a traffic accident. They had massive gashes, wounds that looked like they were cut by something sharp, like a knife. The bruises on their eyes and mouth, those were obviously landed from a fist and the way some of their ribs and arms seemed broken, this was definitely a -

“Gang fight.” They said at the same time.

“They’re criminals.” Seokmin whispered, his voice laced with hesitancy.

Na bi took a deep breath and slipped on her gloves. “And we’re doctors.”

Na bi closed the door of the storage room behind her, finally getting away from it all.

It had been 3 hours. 3 intensive hours but to be honest, it wasn’t as bad as she expected; she had seen far worse days. While there was copious amounts of blood, the wounds weren’t so deep or severe that a few stitches and dressing couldn’t handle. About five of them had to be sent for emergency surgery and were now being monitored in the intensive care. Those who had fractures were scanned and appropriately bandaged and those who had rushed here accompanying their companions were detained in a separate room till the cops arrived.

Na bi had no choice but to ask Seokmin to call for law enforcement. Given how they were taking their own sweet time to come, maybe she was mistaken about the gravity of the situation but she had assumed that she couldn’t just brush 40 people injured by violence under the rug – it was necessary to get the police involved. Regardless of the fact that every single one of those brought in was wearing combat boots.

Cracking the joints of her neck, she gripped the metal bars of the shelf before her and briefly shut her eyes.

The faces of those who were brought in today flashed before her– she didn’t recognise any of them. None of those who used to follow her were there, neither was Wonho and neither was Changkyun. Na bi didn’t know why it was necessary for her to find out but the moment she noticed the combat boots, her first instinct was to look for Changkyun. It wasn’t like she deeply cared for him or anything; it was more because of curiosity. Of course, it was plain old curiosity, what else could it be-

Her eyes flew open at the subtle sound of the carboard boxes - Someone was in the room.

Pretending not to notice, yet extremely cautiously, she looked around for the spare supplies she came for and true to her intuition, just as she tried to reach for the gauzes at the back of the shelf, she felt a presence press against her back and something sharp and cold pricking her neck.

“Where is he?”

Na bi wouldn’t have screamed, she recognised that voice but she felt a hand cover her mouth anyway. She tried to struggle free from it but the tip of the knife against her skin inched deeper.

“Where is he?” Wonho whispered harshly again.

She pried his hand from her mouth, whispering back loudly. “How am I supposed to say anything with your hand on my mouth?”

Na bi felt a sting and the blood trickle down her neck. She had encountered this man so many times but this was the first time he was hurting her. Frankly, it sort of annoyed her, making her snap in retaliation. “How would I know where Changkyun is?”

Wonho’s grip on her softened and she took the opportunity to set herself free and face him. He looked tensed.

“How do you know his name?”

Na bi held a piece of gauze against the burning cut on her throat. Fuck.

“.....he told me.”

“He told you?” Wonho looked at her in absolute disbelief but eventually shook it off like he had other more important things to deal with. He pointed his knife at her. “I don't care why he decided to disclose it to someone like you, but don’t you ever dare take his name. Not before me, not before anyone, do you understand?”

Na bi nodded slowly. She had forgotten the dangerous weight his name carried. Was that how comfortable she had gotten with all this?

“And I’m asking you for the last time. Where is I.M?”

Ignoring how silly the name 'I.M' sounded, Na bi sighed. “I swear, I have no idea; I was drunk remember?”

“He dropped you home.”

“He was wearing a suit.”

“What?”

“Are we not playing state-the-obvious?”

Wonho’s confused face turned into exasperation. “He didn’t return after that; you were the last one who saw him!”

Na bi scoffed. “What, you think I tied him up and put him in my basement?”

“Of course not. I already checked your house-“

“Wait, what-“

“I don’t think you are really understanding the gravity of the situation Ms. Baek.” Wonho moved closer to her, urgently. “He is a very important man and things can go very wrong without him around.”

Why was everyone around her suddenly going missing?

“I swear to god, I have no idea. Last night we….. I mean, I fell asleep and he left, I don’t know where he went after that or what might have happened-“

“Na bi!” Both her and Wonho jumped apart, turning at the sound of Seokmin knocking the door. “The cops are here.”

Wonho placed a finger on his mouth warning her, as though Na bi didn’t know she had to keep quiet. Fishing something out of his pocket, he handed it to her as he took a step back into the darkness of the room – her phone. Recalling what she had done with it last night, she wanted to ask Wonho if the person she shot was okay but when she looked up, he had already melted into the shadows he came from.

Adjusting her scrubs, still looking over her shoulder, she walked over and opened the door to see Seokmin waiting for her and next to him, in uniform, was her next problem for today who also happened to be a very, very familiar face.

“Na bi, this is Officer Kim Mingyu.”

Seokmin introduced her to a man who didn’t really need an introduction because if she hadn't left him without an explanation last night, she would have been introduced to him anyways.

He seemed to have recognised her too, his eyes widening, expression changing from confusion to surprise.

“Officer Kim, this is Dr. Baek, she was the one in charge today.”

“Dr. Baek Na bi.” Mingyu pieced together her name, shaking her hand with a slightly cocky smile dancing on his face. “Fate works in funny ways.”

As Seokmin frowned looking back and forth between the two of them, Na bi turned to him. “Min-ah, help me go check if everything is okay in the wards, please?” When he didn’t move, still suspiciously staring them down, she emphasised on the please once more, with a look of promise in her eyes to tell him the details later and he finally left, leaving them alone. When Na bi turned her attention back to Mingyu, he still hadn’t let her hand go and his eyes were on her lips, making her cheeks flush red.

“I’m so sorry about last night-” Na bi began when he extended his other hand towards her, making her reflexively take a step back. “Woah.”

He immediately looked apologetic, pointing at her neck. "You're bleeding."

"Oh, that's nothing." She pressed the gauze onto her wound again, pulling her hand out of his grip. "Again about last night, I'm sorry. It was rude of me, I should have said something before I left like that….”

“The way you ran out, I was worried if everything was okay with you.” And he genuinely looked concerned. Sweet.

“Everything was fine, I just had something personal to take care of.”

He nodded slowly pursing his lips, and two tiny dimples appeared on his cheeks, making Na bi smile.

“I’m glad I found you again.” He put his hands his pockets, his shoulders scrunching up. “Now I just need to meet you one more time to confirm my theory.”

“Your theory?”

Mingyu nodded. “I believe a first meeting happens by chance. The second one may be a coincidence, but a third time?” He looked around before whispering. “That’s fate.”

Na bi chuckled. “I don’t believe in fate officer.”

“Give it a chance doctor. Third time’s a charm.”

“And why do you think we will run into each other once again?”

“Because I would like to take you out for dinner tomorrow.”

Na bi crossed her arms, trying hard not to smile. “Setting up a third meeting? Well that’s cheating.”

“I don’t just leave things to fate Dr. Baek.” He leaned in so close, Na bi could smell that familiar scent of him, the same one he had on in the bar, the memory of his mouth on hers coming back. “I work for what I want.”

It would be a lie to say Na bi was not impressed. Usually, these kind of words didn't have much effect on her, she would have just laughed it off. But the first time she met him, she had judged him to be a lot more amateur and inexperienced and now clearly, he knew what he was doing and he was doing well. So, when he put his hand out looking pointedly at her phone, she gave it to him and watched as he gave himself a call and saved her contact on his phone with the emoticon of a butterfly.

She laughed. “My 8th grade boyfriend used to save my name like that.”

“I like butterflies.” He looked at her with captivated eyes. “I think they’re really beautiful.”

Their wings might be but what about the ugly creature they hide under all that colour?

Na bi took back her phone, saving his number with an emoji of her own – a dog.

Mingyu pouted, dimples popping up again and she laughed, pointing at him, “There you go! I knew you were the golden retriever kind- “

“Na bi!” She startled, turning towards the sound as Seokmin ran up to her, bending over and coughing to catch his breath before he finally found his voice. “They’re…they’re all gone.”

“What?” Na bi and Mingyu blurted together, shocked.

“The ones in the ward, ICU, the ones detained, all, every single one of them is missing.”

Na bi immediately ran towards the wards, both men following her. There were dozens of officers everywhere, talking to the staff, taking notes, walkie talkies going off but the beds – they were empty. All of them.

They checked everywhere, they checked everything but there were no traces of Changkyun’s men.

It was like they were never there.

Na bi opened the door of her house, kicking off her shoes, tired to the bone.

After hours of questioning by the cops, Na bi began to understand the meticulousness with which Changkyun’s men worked.

While the hospital had called the police immediately after the ambulances arrived, it turned out they received no such call – Changkyun’s men had somehow intercepted it. It was only hours later when Seokmin called again to check on the delay that the cops received the information, arriving within 20 minutes with a full task force but their culprits had already cleared the scene by then. They didn’t even leave any clues behind – all their belongings had disappeared with them; the security cam footage was wiped clean, any and all records made for medical reasons were shredded – they had even taken their medical waste away. No one stopped them through all this – no one dare to.

Na bi threw her bag on the couch, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. But just as she hurriedly chugged it, there was an unexpected knock on her door, prompting her to glance at the clock – it was 11pm. Who would come by now?

Had Changkyun’s enemies finally found her?

Na bi felt a chill run down her spine. As though she bad timing was the highlight of her fate, just today of all days, none of Changkyun’s men were around. She was all alone, there really was no one to help.

When another knock followed, she immediately grabbed her phone and texted Seokmin, asking him to come over immediately, then scoured through the kitchen drawers and grabbed a knife. Heart thumping in her chest, she slowly made her way to the door, first looking through the peephole to see just how many people were threatening to break down her door but there was only one. Just one man in a spotless white shirt, standing with his head down and palms on the door and without even looking at his face, Na bi knew who it was.

Sighing in relief, she threw the knife onto the dining table and quickly opened the door, as he lazily lifted his head giving her a small, familiar smile.

“Changkyun?”

He seemed like he was struggling to stand straight. Was he drunk?

“You’ve been gone for hours. Do you always work this late…..”

As his eyes trailed down her face, his smile vanished, hand slowly reaching for her neck, his finger smearing with blood as he ran it across a painful spot – the wound from Wonho’s knife seemed to have opened up again.

“You’re bleeding.” He rubbed the blood between his fingers, looking at it. “What happened?”

Was he slurring?

"Wonho came to the hospital and-"

Before she could finish, his heavy eyes fluttered shut and he stumbled forward but Na bi quickly caught him, just as his knees gave away. She could feel something warm and sticky on his back making her look over his shoulder at her hand, a sight that nearly made her heart stop. Blood.

For the first time ever, her hands shook as they were drenched in blood, his blood and as though he finally gave up, Changkyun went limp in her arms.

Next chapter

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