#do kyungsoo fanfiction | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rancidtae · 10 months

Text

ARCADIA’S LULLABY | CHAPTER 3

Genre: Mafia AU. Vigilante AU. Sci-fi (AI). Warnings: Graphic violence, Strong language Pairing: exo & Original Female Character (Jung Jiah/Kang Rina) - Kim Minseok/Original Female Character - Zhang Yixing/Original Female Character Word count: 7k+ chapter summary: the rain pours relentlessly, but a different storm is just starting. Jiah meets Jongin at a birthday party, it's all harmless fun and magnetic sparks until it isn't, and he calls her the wrong name.

masterlist meet the characters

You wanna disappear in a crowd Just a stranger in a room Wanna change your colors just for the night With no word of it following you home

081222 - 5:43 pm

Things are quiet.

The story is still at the center of the news and online discussions. People have dissected every detail of Lee Chungjae's life to the point that he took down all his posts. In every sense of the word, he's the country's most hated man.

And candidate Lee's reassuring smile when reporters bring up the subject has started to crack.

But nothing else happens.

She's on edge. Let the storm hit already, for fuck's sake.

Yixing finds her restlessness hilarious and texts her a screenshot of the weather app this morning. 90% chance of rain for the next three days.

It looks like Kuraokami answered your prayers.

In the midst of it all, he's been refusing to blend to the background of her mind, exploiting the fact that she's weak when it comes to a good meal. Most days he shows up to her door with takeout, and just yesterday he came with ingredients and made her eat her words about carbonara being the most overrated approach to noodle based recipes.

He’d laugh at her if he could see her now, standing outside the chronicle's building, struggling to get her buzzing phone from the inside of her bag.

A part of her hopes it's the blocked number from before.

But there's a name on the screen, and it puts a frown on her face.

“What do you want.”

A chuckle spills through the line. “Resentment is a terrible thing, you know? It does the heart no good.”

“How would you know? You don't have one."

“I heard you paid someone a visit last night. I wanted to hear it from you.”

She scoffs up at the sky through her see-through umbrella.

"You want me to say I’m... what? Shaking in my boots? So you can rub one out to the sound of it?”

“Language, sunshine. Let’s keep things civil.”

“I tried to be civil, didn’t I? I even gave you a heads-up for old times’ sake, but then you decided to make things personal. So now I’m thinking that next time, I'll just let it blow in your face, make it surprise.”

“Ah, there we go again with that. Why do you insist on calling it personal?”

“Why don’t you suck my dick, Namjoon?”

She hates that she can hear his poisonous smile, over so confident and collected.

“You walked into that room yourself. How is it fair to blame me for the consequences of your actions?”

He enjoyed it, he’s enjoying it even now, she knows. He denied any involvement in her encounter with a certain pair of recently debuted syndicate members, but hist hands were all over that stunt.

A blow like that, the same night she showed up to let him know she had info on his candidate’s son, and he expects her to believe destiny is just funny like that.

No fucking way.

Things may or may not have escalated to shattered wine glass and a deep burgundy stain on Jin's favorite artwork hanging on the wall.

“Can you get to the point? Some of us can’t afford to spend the day scheming, I have things to do.” she says, impatience seeping into her tone.

It's starting to rain, so her hair will start looking crazy in about three minutes.

“I was hoping you were bluffing.”

She laughs in a way that makes an older woman give her a nasty look.

“My hopes weren’t for us.”

Ah.

There it is. As grim as it is, it’s like a weight taken off her chest.

Her surroundings come back into focus. The narrow street. The stream of people walking past her, trying to get out of the rain as soon as possible. A girl brushing her shoulder, recording herself speaking in a foreign language. A taxi driver fighting with a delivery guy. A German shepherd with a yellow raincoat and little rubber boots, its nose against the side of a phone booth.

“I see.”

“Just now?” he has the gall to sigh, disappointed. “I thought you knew when you went to Yoongi looking for a 22. I guess you're not that good at seeing things beforehand anymore, not even when you start them.”

If she had to describe it, she’d say it’s a lot like a game of hide and seek with the kids from her street. Terrifying and exciting at the same time.

“Come to the hotel,” he suddenly says, much to her surprise “Stay here until things settle down.”

And if she had to sum Kim Namjoon up, this would be it. No one but him could give an invitation and a threat at the same time with such ease. Come, or else.

“No. I think I'll stay outside, see what comes out of it.”

Another deep sigh.

“I see. Have it your way, then. You have your fun, make sure to enjoy it.”

She hits the red button and finds that the cute dog with the rubber boots nowhere to be seen, as if it vanished off the street with its human.

At least 13 different people stop her before reaching Kim Kibum's office. Even though her name wasn't credited, her co-workers know what it means when she disappears for weeks, and the kind of stories she chases. The vultures in her department rolling their eyes at the sight of her kind of give it away.

“I thought I told you to work from home until further notice,” he says as she locks the door behind her.

“What? I deliver the story of probably the year, and you don’t want to see my face anymore?”

"Don’t. I’ve had a long day” he huffs, pulling the blinds down. His office looks less cluttered than she remembers. Has it been that long since she clocked in? “You know there’s a reason why I asked you to lay low for a while.”

She drops her body on one of the chairs in front of his desk and grabs a heavy, fancy pen.

“Did you see? Lee Chungjae is living his best life in France pretending to care about free education. He’s out there taking pics with Rihanna.”

Her boss leans over, snatches the pen from her hands, and points it at her like a sword.

“And? What do you expect? That they lock him up as soon as the story comes out? We do our thing, the rest is up to the world. We’re a newspaper, not the league of justice.”

Earlier today she told Haneul something similar, just to calm him down. Now she knows how he felt.

“It’s been a week already.”

“No, it’s barely been a week” he corrects her, moving a storage box under his desk and stretching his waist like he just can’t wait for retirement. “You know how this is, Jiah.”

Yeah, she knows. Shitty. Working your ass off, dealing with red tape and censorship, putting everything on a plate only for the world to move on, people not give a shit, and those who are supposed to do something turn a blind eye and fill their pockets.

“Why is your stuff inside a box?" Even the fake Basquiat is missing, so she knows it's serious. "Are you quitting?”

“I’m moving to a new office,” he says, pausing before adding "Jongsuk quit today.”

The news hits her like an ice bucket.

“He turned in his resignation letter earlier."

"Fuck." she breathes. "Oh. Fuck."

"Talk about freedom of the press, huh?” he laughs bitterly, tapping his temple, shaking his head, his eyes turning red.

In terms of bad news, this is the kind that makes you very aware of the last meal you had.

The Chronicle’s had the same chief editor for nearly twelve years. It’s one of the country’s most respected newspapers, and Jung Jongsuk was a big part of the reason why. The idea of someone with enough power moving the right strings to get the man, the myth, the fucking legend fired just as means of revenge sets a chill down her spine.

It’s a petty but very clear act of revenge. A shame, considering he was damn good at his job and how much he cared about his staff.

She sucks on her teeth “What’s he gonna do?”

“No idea. He showed up earlier today and left as soon as he gave a speech. They want me to step in immediately. Can you believe it?”

She's out of words. Half wanting to congratulate him despite the sad circumstances of his promotion, half wondering what that means for her. He suddenly squints.

“You look terrible. Finals?”

“Done, I’m a free woman”

She's can't stop thinking about Chief Editor Jongsuk, how he was always like the cool stepdad that didn’t have to be too nice or too mean to get your respect, how he gave her a chance when she was just a freshman.

“Shouldn’t you be getting some sleep or, I don’t know... drinking your face off with your friends?”

Her hand slips inside her backpack. “Well, if you'd answered my calls, I would be doing one of those.”

She puts a small, puny handgun on the desk, and slides it in his direction.

“Are you—” he locks the door before lowering his voice to a hiss “Have you lost your mind? How did you get through security?”

“You said we need to be careful and this is what being careful looks like, take it.” she says, sliding it closer to him. It barely brushes the side of his keyboard.

“Are you crazy? Do not— ” he opens a drawer and pushes it inside like it burns to the touch, slamming it shut and leaning his body away, pressing one hand to his forehead. “Jiah, this is illegal”

“I’m the best investigative journalist you have, flirting with the illegal here and there is one of the many reasons why.”

“This isn’t flirting with the illegal, for god's sake, this is raw dogging it, Jiah. This is an office. We’re a–”

“Im Haneul is about to get into witness protection, that’s why I’m giving you something to protect yourself with. Thank you, Jiah. You’re welcome, boss.”

He bites his lip, looking at the drawer with resentment before setting his eyes on her, dead serious.

“Is there something you’re not telling me? Did something happen?”

“It’s always better to be prepared. You know what they say about peace and quiet.”

“I don��t,” he deadpans “Is that some kind of gang lingo?”

She frowns. “Just what has Minho been telling you? I should pay him a little visit—”

“You’re not going anywhere near my staff.”

“Your staff? I’m your staff. He’s a sports reporter, you can walk into a bar anywhere in Itaewon and find a dozen replacements.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose, not denying it. “Did. Something. Happen.”

“I heard something. From a good source.”

“A good source.”

“Yeah, sometimes those are what we call confidential. So—” he fixes her with a look that makes her fear that his eyeballs will pop out of their sockets. “Fine, it was Kim Namjoon.”

He blinks at her. Throws his hands in the air and plops down on his seat.

“That's hilarious. If this doesn’t work for you, you can always pursue comedy. Now get the hell out of my office, I have to move my stuff to the other side of the floor.”

She stands up stretching her arms, giving him a once over and opening her mouth. He lifts a hand.

“I don't want to hear it. Go take a bath, get drunk, do drugs, get laid. You’re an undergrad student, not Chelsea Manning. Live a little.”

“Actually, I prefer Lisbeth Salander."

"Get out."

081222 - 06:55 pm

Something about the bleach fumes welcoming the moment she enters Lady’s Room is just– homely, and Wendy's threatening glare makes up for the stern mother figure she didn’t have growing up.

“Don’t even think about it, boots off.”

She toes off her muddy boots, struggling not to spill anything on the heavy takeout bags, making her way to the back.

“How come he gets to keep them on?”

Taemin looks insane with a black cape covering his body and his hair all foiled up, Seulgi's hovering over him with the cutest concentrated frown. He wiggles is feet at her.

“Clean shoes privilege. Plus, I'm way cuter than you.”

She snaps a picture of him for future use while he's distracted explaining how he read somewhere that hair takes bleach better when you're stress-free, and that the end of his last semester is just the perfect moment.

“And of course you believed that, because it makes total sense”

“No, it’s true,” Seulgi says. “It’s also better when you’re in a good mood. That’s why I don’t like to take people fresh out of a bad breakup, the chemicals get all messed up.”

“Oh, he doesn’t need to worry about that,” she says off-handedly.

Taemin doesn’t like her tone. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Wendy answers before she can, flipping through receipts on the reception area. “It means that you need a relationship to go through a breakup. That’s usually how it works”

“I'll have you know that I have secondhand PTSD from you guys. I’m like one ride home with an angry couple away from giving up on monogamy.”

“So, blue?”

“Silver.” He shows her a picture of a male idol with gray hair, wet styled. He's worried that if he goes too light it'll wash out his complexion.

She inspects his face in the floor to ceiling mirror “Nonsense, you’d look good in anything, buttercup.”

He smiles, always a slut for some validation. "You're coming to Sana’s party, right?”

She groans, plopping down on the chair next to him.

“Jiah, come on, it’s the last party of the semester. The last party before I graduate.”

She’s not swayed by his abuse of the last something before I graduate card. “I’m out of social battery, I'll kill the vibe.”

“We’ll pregame at my place and you’ll be good to go.”

“I can’t be bothered to go home and get changed.”

“Oh! You left the strappy shirt, you know? the one you didn’t know you were wearing backwards, and that leather skirt at my place, I threw them in the washing machine just for an occasion like this.”

“I’m seriously not feeling the vibe today.”

“Who cares, you attract people when you’re sulking.” he shrugs “Plus that’s the skirt you were wearing when you pulled that Romanian guy. We get free bottles every time you have your leg meat out.”

Seulgi slaps the side of his neck with her glove-covered hand. “Don’t pimp her out.”

“And this is why I suggested a ladies-only policy.”

“Interesting that you assume you fall in that category, but go on.” Taemin says, Jiah gasps in fabricated indignation. “And isn’t that reverse sexism?”

“It’s not like men are rushing to get in.”

Irene emerges from the office, walking past them with her all work and no fucking around face on, all her focus taken by her tablet.

“Oh, actually, we had a guy customer a few days ago and he was very happy with our services,” Seulgi says. Taemin and Jiah let out synchronized snorts.

Irene looks at them, going through the pile of papers Wendy handed her. “Grow up, you two."

Seulgi catches on, making a noise of disgust.

“So what did he want? A massage?”

Irene flips a page, scanning its contents. The warning is sharper this time. “Taemin.”

“He wanted a full-on transformation, so we went with silver,” Seulgi says, ignoring the quip, poking at his bleach covered hair with the pointy edge of her brush “It looked pretty good on him. It suited his personality.”

Taemin coos "Is that a crush I smell?"

Seulgi shrugs. "I'm just saying he fit the look, he was easy to talk to. Funny too. Asked a lot of questions about the salon, said a childhood friend of his co-owns one.”

"Huh, sounds boring to me." Taemin shrugs, not impressed. Seulgi and Jiah share a knowing look. He's platonically possessive to a fault, and being the only guy in their group only makes it worse.

Jiah smirks, spinning on the chair. "Sounds like your replacement to me."

He sticks his tongue at her “I was going to introduce you to someone tonight, traitor.”

Irene and Wendy sigh in relief, finally finding whatever it was they were looking for, high five-ing.

“I’m heartbroken.” She yawns. “I wasn’t planning on going anyway”

“You should go.“ Irene says, coming to stand behind her chair, playing with her hair. "You sure need it."

“What is it with people treating me like I’m some boring bitch lately?”

“Have you considered that you’ve been a boring bitch lately? We barely see you, you were supposed to help us look for a new place” Wendy complains, plopping on the other chair next to Taemin’s, spinning. "And you missed the anniversary party"

Nothing for her to do but take the shots. Seulgi steps in for her, an angel.

"Cut her some slack, she brought food. You know that’s sorry in her language."

"Alright, yeah.” Wendy agrees way too easily "And for the record, there's nothing wrong with being boring, Yeri can always use a boring figure in her life"

“I’m not going to a party to be on Yeri Sitting Duty.”

Taemin squints at her, walking to the washing station under Seulgi's orders, cape swooshing dramatically behind him. “But you’re coming, right?”

To be fair, she does feel bad about ghosting them for weeks.

“I swear to god, you better not ditch me for one of your Instagram famous friends."

He doesn't get a chance to reply, his calls for help fill the salon and Seulgi giggles like a sweet summer child discovering the joys of waterboarding. Irene's pleased to the point of pulling her phone out to record the scene, chortling.

081222 - 11:25 pm

One would assume that the only child of the owner of a massive Japanese architecture firm, who also happens to own several clubs in the city, can afford to throw a party with decent alcohol.

Her annoyance should be directed at Taemin for talking her into coming and proceeding to do exactly what she asked him not to.

He’s nowhere to be seen, and Party Yeri is at her peak, hands thrown in the air, dancing between a bunch of freshman girls with their phones out, the red light beams bouncing off her glittery top.

“Not a dancer, or just not in the mood?” a voice interrupts.

She felt his presence before he approached her table. Some people are just hard to ignore, and with his simple silky shirt with a few buttons undone, pushed-back hair, and a flirty strand hanging on his forehead, he has a crowd of curious women and men alike following him with hungry eyes everywhere he goes.

“The second one.”

He smiles just like someone who's used to seeing others react to his looks.

Her first impression of him was jealousy for having better lips than her. She was too busy listening to Mina talk about her internship in Spain to pay too much attention to Taemin introducing the guy. Sitting at levels of handsomeness that don't require a personality, the man bored her without uttering a word.

But he's not hard to look at.

“So, how come we haven’t met before?”

“I don’t know, you tell me. Taemin says your presence is an exclusive experience." she sips her drink, he thinks it's funny. "Jiah, right?”

“And you’re Jongin, one of the dancing friends.”

A guy approaches Yeri’s group, disgustingly scanning each girl like he’s trying to figure out who has the lowest standards.

“Not a big fan of us?”

She considers her answer, watching the girls shrug him off before he can get too comfortable.

“I've learned to coexist with you people. It comes with the Taemin package.”

His little laugh is surprisingly childish for his masculine looks. The way he keeps looking at her face like he can't spare any bit of attention to their surroundings makes her feel like a bug under a microscope lens.

“Here's my theory, I think he might’ve been keeping you to himself for a bit there. But I’ve heard so many things about you that I kind of feel like I know you already."

Jiah doesn't know what to say to that, but holds his warm gaze and indulges in the view for a bit. Caramel skin, glowy under the strobe lights, painted red like a forbidden object of desire, or a character of a Japanese movie, waiting for his lover at a love hotel.

Handsome indeed. Nice jaw, soft nose, slightly arched eyebrows.

“Good things, I hope.”

“Interesting things.” He says with a crooked grin. She cocks an eyebrow, but he beats her to it. “So, journalism. What’s that like?”

She gives him the generic answer she keeps for occasions like this; lots of reading, being on the phone, doing more with less. No one is ever satisfied. Neither the readers nor the editors nor yourself.

Ok. So maybe she assumed a lot of things. He's surprisingly great company, really easy to talk to. He owns a dance studio and teaches from time to time. Some of his students have made it to entertainment companies, and he tries not to seem cocky, but it's clear he's extremely proud of them. He’s very nonchalant about covering various styles, though he’s more interested in R&B these days.

“Your day-to-day sounds like a lot of sitting behind a desk,” he comments. Being someone that works with his body, the idea must haunt him.

“Oh, god, no– I always feel like I’ll throw myself from the window if I spend too much time at the office. I’m on the investigation team, so I’m almost always out on the streets, harassing bureaucrats and stuff.”

“That sounds... fun.”

“Riveting,” she promises. “It’s not bad, really. You go through the boring stuff and then when you get a good story, you remember why you do it, and… it’s a good feeling.”

“You know, usually when someone mentions journalism I think of people with thinning hair and marriage issues.”

“Are you calling me old?”

“No. I was trying to say that you just took down a stereotype for me.” he pauses, pouting and looking up like he’s considering something “But you do give off an old soul vibe, sitting on your own, sulking like you’re here against your own will, ready to decimate anyone who dares come near you.”

She blinks at him, he’s holding back a smile, she can tell. Waiting for her reaction.

“Wow, so you’re just gonna call me a hag like that?”

He looks mildly surprised, worried, and amused all at the same time. “That’s not–”

“And if I look that scary, how come you’re here at my table?”

“Because you’re very attractive. It balances out the scary.”

She hums into her glass.

“And I’m very charming, I knew you’d be harmless.”

“Right.” He’s not entirely wrong. She’s always suspicious of extremely charming people, and the alarms are going off in her head.

“This is me hitting on you, off the record.” he continues, undeterred. She snorts. "And I say that because, as I’m sure you know, Taemin is possessive.”

She lifts and shakes a finger like an aunt at church when the pastor hits a mark. “Like a kid who doesn’t share his toys.”

Which reminds her, where’s that silver-haired menace?

“We’ll just have to ease him into it.”

“Uh-huh. This is flattering and all, I guess, but I’m married so–”

“Oh, that’s fine. I don’t get jealous” he shrugs, very serious about it. Which is unexpected, no one has ever reacted to the I'm married line like that. “I’m not gonna try to compete with your career.”

She's speechless, but in a good way, laughing at the audacity and shaking her head.

But then, just for a moment, he disappears.

There’s a quick, almost untraceable absence, even his smile falters.

Then he snaps back.

“Hey, you wanna get out for a bit? Get some fresh air? Looks like your friend’s gonna be busy for a while.”

Yeri was off her radar for a bit there, and now she’s got her arm threaded with the birthday girl herself. They’re moving away from the crowd, talking into each other's ears like they haven’t debriefed in months, probably headed to the bathroom.

Now that he mentions it, fresh air sounds nice.

“Promise I’m all out of lines,” he adds.

It’s humid out on the street, but less stuffy and noisy. She pulls out a brand new pack of cigarettes and they get fire from a girl hanging around with her friends next to a motorcycle. Her kohl-stained eyes scan Jongin greedily while he leans over, hands cupping the flame.

She suddenly turns to look at her, right when Jongin leans back and thanks her, and winks.

If Jongin notices, he’s unbothered, much more concerned with moving around her to stand on the side of the street, wordlessly making them switch spots. The gentleman move is soon eclipsed by a sudden coughing fit.

It's so bad she feels kind of horrible about finding it amusing. He really just fucked up his smooth streak after one drag.

She offers to grab him a drink, but he shakes his head, grabbing her arm before she walks away. He swallows hard one, two, or three times, wiping the corners of his eyes.

"You good?"

"No." he rasps. “These are the kind that my grandfather used to smoke.”

“You could’ve said no.” she counters, patting his back. They’re strong, she didn’t warn him because she showed him the package.

“I was a victim of peer pressure.” he jokes after clearing his throat. “I was doing well, wasn’t I?”

“It’s ok. Choking on smoke like a high schooler makes you human.” she offers him as consolation. The coughing fit messed up his hair. he looks younger now, less of a threat. Maybe it’s just the fresh air, the relief of getting out of the crowd, and the nicotine easing her up.

He asks if she smokes often, sounding like he doesn’t want to intrude, but a part of him will judge her if she says yes. Truthfully, she hasn’t in months, but it always hits a spot after a while, and people assume she’s too into it.

“Work's stressing you out?”

“That’s what work is supposed to do, isn’t it?”

He winces.

“Not to a level where you have to smoke like a war general.”

She grins at him sideways, the man who introduced her to this particular brand would have a few things to say about that sentence.

“I can deal with the stress, I only smoke when I get frustrated.”

“And does that happen often?”

“I don’t know? I guess. My boss says I’m too much of a control freak. He's a jerk, but sometimes it feels like he knows me better than I know myself.”

“Not great at teamwork, then?” he probes.

“No, I mean-- I’m not, but it’s not that.” she pauses. He’s waiting for her to elaborate. “I just wish I could do more sometimes, and not just document things from the sidelines. Does that make sense?”

“It absolutely does.” he assures. “I think I know what you mean.”

“I tried it, recently” she goes on, and she doesn’t know why she’s opening up to this guy. She’s not trying to turn him into her therapist, and she’s not even sure she wants to take him home at all. There’s too much going on in her mind at the moment, she wouldn’t be fully present anyway. It'd be a waste.

“And how did that go?”

“It was alright at the beginning. I've been helping someone– a friend who was gonna do something he'd regret. Actually, I'm not sure we're actually friends, but he's a great guy in a shitty situation.” she rambles, taking one last drag. “But then things went south in the worst way possible. It didn't even have anything to do with him, just personal baggage and terrible timing. I guess I had it coming.”

He nods, deep in thought, letting a comfortable silence fall between them, just watching people walk past, going in and out of the club. She presses the butt against the sole of her boots, and tosses it in the trash.

“If it’s any help, I’m sure your friend is grateful. You did well helping him.” he says, and she remembers Yixing saying something similar. “And whatever happened, I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think.”

She shrugs. “It is what it is, right? Onwards and upwards.”

He grins, pointing a finger at her. "That’s totally something my father would say.”

“So you ran out of lines and now you’re back to calling me old?”

“I only said that because I didn’t want to come off too strong, but if you insist.” He’s back on charming again, hands in the air like she’s just giving him no choice. The switch between kind to charming gives her whiplash.

A waste, really. A month ago she might’ve taken him home, let him make her coffee in the morning.

“I’m not insisting, I just asked you a question.”

He waves her off. “Bet you 5000 won I can kiss you without using my lips.”

It’s stupid. But he looks like the epitome of determination. Kohl girl behind him keeps looking at them over her shoulder, and without the meaningless rumble of the crowd to distract her, his voice turns out to be quite lovely.

So she tilts her chin at him, giving him the green light.

He takes two purposeful steps. She calls his bluff, refusing to back up against the wall. He gets close enough that he has to bend his head down to keep eye contact, and in a surprisingly smooth move, he places a short, harmless peck right on her lips.

Then he backs up with a single step and pulls out a bill from his pocket.

“A great investment if you ask me.” he says.

She laughs despite herself. Not in the coy, flirted up way, but a full, honest, belly laugh.

The silver-haired menace himself emerges from the shadows with a cowboy hat on his head, thumbs hooked on his jeans. He’s glaring, a scowl on his lipstick-stained lips, focusing on the way Jiah bends over, hand on her tummy and all.

“What are you doing with my best friend? I’m asking both of you, by the way.” he demands.

“Where did you get that?” she asks him, fully recovered, flicking the hat.

Taemin grabs the bill from Jongin’s hand before he can put it away. Jongin raises his eyebrows at him, anticipating complaints for his actions, daring him even.

“Not that I don’t respect the hustle, but I think you’re underselling yourself, sweetie." he says, turning to Jongin like a parental figure setting limits. "A peck from our Jiah is easily worth 10000 won. Pay up.”

“Deal,” Jongin shrugs, reaching for his back pocket again, pulling out several bills, winking at her. "How many can I get for--"

“Alright, we get it, she gets it,” Taemin interrupts, putting an arm around his shoulders, and rubbing his chest distractedly. “I thought you were on Yeri Sitting Duty tonight.”

Jiah licks her thumb and wipes the lipstick marks on his jaw, much to Jongin's endless amusement

“She’s a big girl. You got some on your teeth, you harlot."

"Finally. I keep telling you girls, you baby her too much" he complains, licking his front teeth. "Someday you'll have to set her free, let her make some mistakes of her own. They build character, you know?"

"How wise of you." Jongin says. "Was that the logic behind this new look?"

"Some mistakes don't." Taemin continues, looking at her with crazy eyes, pointing at Jongin. "Some mistakes make your best friend uncomfortable and are off limits."

Jiah and Jongin look at each other. "You introduced us."

"Yes, and? I never said get chummy and explore each other's bodies, did I?"

“Nice tattoo, by the way.” She tells Jongin. She caught a glimpse when he got closer and thought it looked familiar. Then Taemin unknowingly moved the fabric on his chest out of the way and she got confirmation. “It’s the helm of awe, isn't it?”

Jongin mouth falls open, genuine shock taking over his features. Not many people know about runes or recognize them. Taemin tilts his head to the side, eyeing her curiously, suspiciously.

“How do you know that? I thought it was a snowflake.”

“I knew a girl who had one on the back of her neck. Hers was red though. Looked great when she put her hair up.”

Taemin releases Jongin from his clutches with an unconvinced hmph, taking off his hat and putting it on her head. Jongin quietly fixes his shirt.

"Oh. Oh. I think I saw Minho inside. You wanna piss him off?"

Well, that’s great. That’s just great. Super cool.

Jongin takes a look at her face and blurts out the question. "Who's that?"

"Her ex. She broke his heart, he started rumors that she's with the Yakuza." Jongin blinks in surprise, and Taemin looks like he wants to elaborate further. She stops him.

“What’s that grown man doing here?”

“You know he likes to hang around the youngsters and make people guess his age. So, you in?”

“Leave me out of it.”

"Hear me out. I was thinking you and Jongin could walk around, right? Let him see you together, put on a little show. You know how his ears get red and his eyes bulge out when he's angry?” he's trying to contain his laugh, looking maniac. “I’ll buy you dinner, both of you. I’m serious.”

That’s her cue for a bathroom break. She puts the cowboy hat on Jongin’s head, not deterred by the way his eyes follow her on her way inside.

A sigh escapes her lips as the cold water runs over her hands. She smiles at a group of girls walking out of the door, their giggles reminding her of the task at hand—finding Yeri and making sure she's not too drunk to make semi-rational decisions.

Maybe she’ll try to talk her into ditching this place. Yixing's uncle's spot is not too far from here.

The possibility of running into her ex kind of makes her want to bolt. Not out of lingering feelings, she just doesn’t have the energy for that interaction. He has a way with sucking the like out of her.

There's only so much she can take of things beyond her control.

The bathroom door clicks. Something shifts in the air. The unsettling feeling of realizing she's not alone. She glances up at the mirror and catches a glimpse of him in the reflection.

Reacting on instinct, her hand snatches the decorative vase from the sink and hurls it at him. The man covers his face, not before grabbing her forearm and slamming her against the sink.

She puts her palms up to avoid hitting the mirror face first. It happens at once, suddenly he's grabbing her bag, and the next second the chain strap is pulling around her neck.

Her body bends back. His knee's pressed against her lower back. Either she’ll pass out or he’ll snap her in half.

She's not about to go down in a public bathroom. She pushes her shaky fingers under the chain, attempting to relieve some of the pressure.

Her vision' blurring, she's running out of oxygen and ideas. Tears well up. The muffled music starts fading.

There's a distant slam, a loud thump.

And thank fuck, release.

She catches her weight on the sink, gasps for air, almost crashes against the mirror again. She turns on wobbly legs and faces two bodies intertwined and struggling on the floor.

Her attacker’s dressed in all black, mask included, buzzcut, well built. The second man has his thighs wrapped around his head, snarling as he keeps him overpowered. A blue-grey silk shirt clings to his broad shoulders, thin black lines mark the skin on his chest.

The helm of awe.

He knocks the guy out with his thighs which... ok, impressive. With heaving breaths, his eyes land on her.

She runs. He grabs her arm before she can get through the door, and bends over when her knee finds his crotch.

Slamming the door behind her, she slaps her hands against the wall for support, still a bit dizzy, heart racing.

"Wait! Rina– please wait–"

Everything shuts down—her legs, the party, the whole city stops. She drops the plans of putting as much distance as possible between them, turns around and stomps in his direction.

Four letters, one word, a slap to the face.

“What did you just call me?” she demands, her face inches away from his. She doesn't recognize her own voice. He's pawing at his neck, pulling a chain for her to see, like that's gonna do something. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I know them. I know Yixing. You’re in danger, I’m here to help you." he sounds pained, trying to calm her down. She has no sympathy for him.

Hanging from the chain, a silver band morphs into two bony hands that hold a mint-colored ball. A ring, worn as a necklace. She recognizes it at once. She won that ring at some fair in Busan. Someone at school started a rumor that she joined the occult. Kyungsoo's mother thought she was a bad influence.

“We have to get you out of here. He has back up, they'll come soon."

Jiah exhales, relaxes her limbs. He mirrors the gesture, letting out a breath of relief.

Then she runs like her life depends on it. And it just might. She bumps into people, pushes them aside, desperately looking for an emergency exit she vaguely remembers from past situations that shouldn't be crossing her mind right now.

They come in handy, successfully leading her to the deserted alley.

But god, whatever version of it is out there, is just not letting her get away so easily.

The years have granted him an extra couple of inches, not that he ever needed them. Maybe it's just the thick soles of his boots that scrape against the loose gravel. He stops, mirroring her shock for a fleeting second.

She grabs the closest thing available; a rusty, long, and thin metal thing that's heavy enough to give her some confidence. He’s staring at her, no traces left of the awe she saw before.

He's pointing a gun at her face.

"Drop it" he barks "Hands up, turn around and try not to be so damn difficult. In that order."

Frustrated, she snarls at herself, her jaw tightening until it hurts before throwing the stick to the ground. She turns around, facing the mold-infested wall. The last thing she sees is a torn-off poster of an underground rap collective.

His forearm presses to the back of her neck with no mercy. He searches for a weapon she's not carrying.

"That's for being so fucking stupid. Do you realize what you got yourself into?" he snaps, not giving her a chance to answer before he pulls her back by the back of her shirt and pushes her against the wall again.

"Ow– What the fuck, dude?" the rough, disgusting surface of the wall scratches the side of her face. She kicks her feet against the ground. "I wasn’t even– what the fuck was that for?"

"That's for making my mom worry about you, idiot."

He finally lets her go, and she moves away from him, curses spilling from her mouth.

The exit door opens revealing Jongin—the impostor.

"What are you doing? We need to--"

They guards go up abruptly before her eyes. He raises his gun at her once again, this time with clear intent.

It'd be ugly, she imagines, being shot this up close. Her brains will end up on the floor, his clothes, maybe even his face. The Park Chanyeol she knew was an asshole most of the time, but he didn't have it in him to step on an ant or kill a spider even if his mother ordered him to, let alone shoot someone.

The inevitable fact is that they are strangers. She doesn't know who the time has turned him into, just like she’s no longer someone that he knows.

"Go ahead, big guy," she lifts her chin, rolls her shoulders. He’s looking at her like she's made of cellophane.

Someone takes the ground from under her. The ground is inevitable. Someone grabs her. Her shoulder feels wet, and her hands look for the source. When she looks down it, it’s stained red.

Did he just–

It can’t be. It doesn't hurt. It should hurt.

It all happens too quickly. There's a hissing sound. The impostor grips her tightly and says something.

Was her heartbeat always this loud? And did she really just get shot?

"Eyes open," The impostor orders. There's no escape with the world narrowed down to two walls. They’re closing in.

He keeps talking, telling her that it’s alright. Her heartbeat is drumming inside her head. It’s now supposed to do that, she shouldn’t feel this cold in August. A chill settles in her bones like she’s been running barefoot through deep snow in the woods, wearing nothing but a flimsy hospital gown.

Okay. Maybe she did get shot. And now they’re taking her away. But she can’t go down like this. Irene... the girls will wonder where she is, Yeri’s gonna burn the place down looking for her, Taemin’s too sensitive to deal with something like this, and Chanyeol–

He shot her.

And they keep calling her the wrong name.

"Rina, you have to...”

thump

“...be there...”

thump

“...right? C’mon...”

thump.

"Rina."

And then they kill the lights.

#exo fanfiction #exo fanfic #exo scenario #kim minseok fanfiction #zhang yixing fanfiction #kim jongin fanfiction #park chanyeol fanfiction #exo mafia au #exo x reader #byun baekhyun fanfiction #oh sehun fanfiction #kim jongdae fanfiction #kim junmyeon fanfiction #do kyungsoo fanfiction

7 notes · View notes

marshmallow-phd · 17 days

Text

A Manor of Shadow and Blood

Genre: Regency Gothic AU

Pairing: EXO x Reader

Summary: A stormy night brought you to the manor in the middle of the woods. Nine strange men occupied its halls. They won’t let you leave. A dangerous secret haunts this estate. Learning it might either be your saving grace or it could lead to the last breath you ever take.

Part: 1 I 2 I 3

The wind whistled against the windows like a hallowing scream. You tossed and turned, desperate to fall asleep. The first few nights had been somewhat peaceful, due to the fever having a complete hold over you. To fight it off, your body had kept you in a deep sleep, only broken by bouts of blurry consciousness.

But now… every noise made your eyelids snap open and your heart jump in pace. This unfamiliar place was full of shadows and secrets. Secrets that revolved around the men keeping you here.

Releasing a long sigh, you stared up at the canopy, the newly formed indentions in the knife floating in your mind. They weren’t there before, you were sure of that. You had used that knife to cut the chicken and it was in perfect condition. No human could bend the metal like that.

And then there was the speed at which Yixing caught your wrist.

You sat up with haste. Sleep was not going to come to you tonight. You groaned and rubbed your face with your fingers. The room slowly came into view as your eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight. You had opened the curtain before slipping into bed so you could watch the moon rise into the sky. Looking around the room, you searched for an answer on how to get yourself to sleep. There wasn’t much in this grand room. Simply a bed, a wardrobe, a dresser, the chair–

Wait.

Pushing the blanket off of your legs, you crawled across the mattress towards the chair. The shape didn’t seem right. Six legs instead of four. An extra shape in the outline.

“You should go to sleep.”

A high pitched scream ripped at your throat until a cold hand covered your mouth, cutting off the sound. Now fully bathed in the blue moonlight, you could make out the sharp features of Yixing’s face.

You shoved his arm away to free your lips. “What do you think you are doing in my room?” No gentleman would dare enter a lady’s room like this. Unless– gumption gone, you swallowed thickly. Was the reason you were trapped here finally coming to fruition?

The corner of Yixing’s mouth twitched upwards. He slinked forward like a cat cornering a mouse until his arms trapped you against the mattress, a hand on either side of your hip. Only your elbows kept you from being flat on your back, even more vulnerable.

“You’re a noisy sleeper,” he purred, his eyes flashing. “It's… distracting.”

You scoffed. None of their rooms were near yours. You were sure that all the ones around you were empty. He shouldn’t have been able to hear your tossing and turning. “Distracting?”

He hummed. His right hand lifted from the bed and reached out towards your face. You flinched at the motion, making him freeze.

But only for a moment.

The hovering fingers soon resumed their path. He didn’t make contact with your cheek, however. Instead, his fingers traced the outline of your collarbone. Down one slope and up the other. You trembled at the contact. His smirked only deepend. His fingers moved on to your shoulder, the too loose neckline of the nightgown nearly falling off.

You should slap him away, scream at him to leave, but you were too petrified to do so.

At least, you thought that was what stopped you. The coldness of his fingers moved up the curve of your neck, the tips pausing on the pulsing vein. His thumb caressed the edge of your jaw.

“Go to sleep.”

And like that, he disappeared into the night like smoke from a dying ember.

You didn’t hear or see the door open or close, but you knew you were alone now.

And you were furious.

How dare he come here! How dare he–

Your feet hit the floor, heavy and without a care of being heard. Sleep, in protest of that madman’s orders, would now be impossible. Anger and frustration at your situation fueled something new within you.

You weren’t sure what it was or what it would lead to, but you followed it without question. Donning soft slippers and a thicker slip dress, you found a candle in the top drawer, along with a few matches and a holder. You lit the candle and left your room.

Out. You needed to find a way out. Perhaps if you could get ahold of a piece of paper and a pen then you could write–

But how would you get it to someone who could take it to your family?

This place–somewhere in its halls or dusty room–had to hold the key. Something here had to be your savior, something to make this hope not without merit.

You pinched the candleholder tightly in your hand. The tiny flame danced before your eyes, occasionally catching your attention away from where you were going. All of your senses were heightened, on the lookout for the next corner’s surprise. If one of them was awake at this hour, then more could be as well. Running into one of them could be detrimental–or a possibility for answers. Perhaps if you could get one of the others, one of the less… frightful ones, you might be able to plead for help. One surely would take pity on you.

Or they would simply take advantage of the isolation.

Though that fear lingered in the back of your mind, you kept on your quiet steps.

There wasn’t much you could see with the light of the candle. The floors, like your room, were of wood boards somewhat taken care of. Portraits and landscapes hung on the walls, but their colors had faded, no longer holding the joy of life they once had captured.

Taking a left at a fork in the hall, you came to a large door that didn’t open like the others. It slid sideways on wheels like a ladder against tall bookshelves. As carefully as you could, you pushed the door open and glanced inside.

The room was just a simple parlor, with an unlit fireplace and several stuffed chairs accompanied by small side tables. Most likely an unused smoke room for the gentlemen to disappear to after dinner.

Across the room was another door, though this one seemed to be the normal kind that swung on hinges. On the other side was probably another hallway. A connecting room like this could be useful as a quick getaway, should the need arise. You mentally noted its existence and stepped inside, slowly sliding the door closed behind you. With a deep breath, you started for the other door.

“I don’t recall you being given free reign of the manor.”

You nearly dropped the candle from the unexpected voice. Careless! You should have inspected the room closer and then you would have seen Sehun clearly leaning back in one of the chairs, fully facing you. His expression was a friendly one, but rather one of deep irritation. It would seem you interrupted… something. Or maybe your mere existence was enough to annoy him.

“I wasn’t explicitly told to stay in my room,” you argued, though not in a particularly strong voice. “Is there something wrong with me walking about?”

Sehun stood from the chair with inhuman grace. You had never seen someone move so smoothly, without fault or twitch. He had complete control of his lithe limbs and tall stature. Gangly would never apply to him. His steps were noiseless as he sauntered closer, stopping a foot or two away.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he snarled. “It’s stupid to roam where you shouldn’t be.”

“Stupid?” It was one thing for you to scold yourself in your private thoughts, but you would not be insulted this way. “If I am so unwelcomed in this room then you can simply ask for me to leave.” You raised an eyebrow in challenge, hoping that would cover the pounding of your fearful heart.

He didn’t appear to notice. His jaw shifted left to right, but no words left his lips.

“Well, then.” You took your eyes away from him and started for the other door, holding on to that tiny bit of triumph.

An arm as strong as an iron bar flashed before you, blocking your way and refusing to move. Sehun’s palm was spread along the faded green pain of the wall. You shoved and pushed at the barrier, but nothing even made him flinch. He encroached, leaving behind any sense of personal space, much like Yixing just an hour before. He loomed over you, his upper lip curling into a mixture of a snarl and smirk.

“That bravery is a mistake,” he hissed. You pressed your back against the wall and brought the candle close to you as if that tiny flame was enough to keep him at bay.

Which was exactly the reaction he wanted. A sly, wicked smirk fully took over.

Pursing his lips, he blew once, snuffing out the flame. For a few seconds, you were absolutely blind in the sudden darkness. Sehun was invisible to you, despite his closeness. However, you could feel his breath against your chin. It was cold, like a winter’s breeze. It should have been warm. Human breathes were warm.

That chilling breath grew closer. It traveled from your nose to your cheek and then to your hair, ruffling the strands against your ear. Something nudged against your temple. He took a long, deep breath. His nose. Was he… smelling you?

Your eyes began to adjust to the darkness, absorbing any bits of moonlight that broke through the heavy curtains hanging from the short windows above your head. All you could see of Sehun was the slope of his shoulder and the outline of his hair.

His head snapped up, making you squeak. But he didn’t acknowledge the jump, his eyes turned towards the hallway you had entered from. A low hiss vibrated in his chest. You could nearly feel it in your own. He glanced at you once, his eyes shining unnaturally in the dark. Then, he ran from the room at a speed no man should possess.

You ran back to your room, the candle still gripped tightly by your side. Panic gripped you so completely that you passed the door to your sanctuary the first time. Once inside, you desperately searched for a way to lock the door. There was none. Alright. Fine. You would barricade the door then.

Huffing shallow breaths, you pulled and pushed the armchair so it acted like a weight against the door. It might not be heavy enough to keep it shut forever, but at least entering would be a struggle. You had tried the more fortifying dresser first, but it had refused to shift even a centimeter. The chair was the best you could do.

Ripping the blanket off of the bed, you draped the heavy fabric over your shoulders and sat down on the floor under the window. Your gaze stayed trained on the door, ears straining for the slightest sound to alert you for whoever came for you next. Sehun's cold breath still lingered against your skin. You rubbed at your cheek to try and make it go away. So close. He'd been so close.

And Yixing. That was why you couldn't be on the bed. Not tonight. Maybe not tomorrow. Or even the night after that. It was tainted. You shivered at the memory of his closeness and pulled the blanket in closer. That one long cloth was now your shield, your protection. The object that kept you safe. In your mind, at least. In truth, it would be ripped away from you as easily as water slipping through your fingers. But the thought was enough.

You tucked your chin in between the folds and kept watching the door. Soon, the night would get lighter. Already, the darkness didn't seem as strong.

How long until one of them came? Until someone tried to push their way inside? You hoped it would be a long time. Even hoped that they would forget about you and you could find a way to make it out, survive the forest, and see your family again. The odds weren't in your favor, but that hope was a life line.

As the moonlight shifted, your eyes grew heavy. It was a battle to keep them open. Each time they fluttered closed, you lost ground. Sleep that had eluded you so easily before now came back to reclaim its time. The door blurred before you and then sleep claimed its victory.

Tap, tap, tap.

Your eyes blinked open. It was still night. Or, perhaps, it was night again. This darkness felt new. The beginning of a fresh night.

Tap, tap.

You looked up at the window above your head.

Tap, tap, tap.

Little black dots hit the window before disappearing out of view. You frowned and pushed up off the floor, the protective blanket falling to the floor. Still emerging from sleep, your eyes took a moment to bring the scene into focus. At first, you merely saw a blur amongst the grass.

Then, it took shape.

You groaned. Jongdae was waving at you to come down.

You shook your head furiously. Safety was in here. And... though he didn’t feel quite as dangerous as the others, he still made you weary. The memories of Sehun and Yixing were still burnt freshly into your mind.

At your refusal, he visibly sighed. In his other hand hung a small cloth bag. He pulled a small bun from the bag and held it up to you. Your stomach grumbled and gurgled in response. It looked… nice. You could almost smell the bread's delectable scent. Were you really going to give in to food?

You needed an ally, you told yourself. He was different from the others. How much you weren't sure, but perhaps you could use that. If you could make him sympathetic to you–

Mind made up, you turned from the wind and changed into more appropriate clothing. This time, you heeded Jongdae's advice and kept your hair down to cover your neck. It felt highly improper, like a hundred governesses would appear from nowhere to scold you for being so scandalous. But you shoved the invisible tsking women away and moved the chair just enough to exit into the hallway.

It took some time to find your way outside. Jongdae now waited for you with his back against a lone tree that looked to be one more winter away from death.

"I'll note that food is a way to entice you out."

You glared at him. "Did you have a reason for standing under my window instead of knocking on the door like a normal person?"

"Junmyeon had tried to bring you breakfast around sunrise," he said as he inspected the perfectly browned bun still in his hand. "He couldn't get in, though."

"I blocked the door," you explained casually.

Jongdae raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed by some measure. “Quick learner."

"After some… events last night, precaution was necessary."

"Yixing has restraint." He pushed off the tree and held the bun out to you. "You were lucky that Sehun was called off of you, though. His self-control is... lacking."

You gaped at him, heat rising fiercely in your cheeks. "How did you–”

“Know?" he smirked. "Secrets don't exist here. Best you learn that quickly."

You narrowed your gaze at him. "No secrets?"

Seeing right through you, he laughed, leaning forward and close to your face. "From us. Not for you."

The pure arrogance in that reply. "That hardly seems fair."

"That's life,” He shrugged. Looking around for nothing in particular, he said, “Let's take a walk."

The roll broke easily against your teeth. You chewed on the bite, resisting the urge to moan at its delicious flavor. The inside was still soft and fresh. Finally swallowing, you refused him a single step. "Why?"

"You've been sleeping on a hard floor all day,” he said pointedly. You didn’t want to think about how he possibly knew that. "You need to move." For an extra enticement, he held up the linen bag. More where that came from, he said without speaking.

The bun in your hand, though all of its warmth was gone, was like heaven in your stomach. But it certainly wouldn't be enough. "Fine."

You followed him alongside the house, not bothering to speak so you could continue eating. The last of the orange glow of day disappeared into the horizon far ahead of you. Yes, you had really slept for all those sunlit hours. Once again, night, it would seem, was to be your day. Chewing on the last bit of bun, you held your hand for the next morsel.

"We’re greedy this evening," Jongdae chuckled.

"Did you think I came for your company?" You couldn’t help but give a spiteful response.

Not offended in the slightest, he threw you a rather despicable smile. "Better my company then one of the others."

Though you agreed, you refused to do so aloud. "Are you that different from them?"

He didn't answer. Staring ahead, he reached into the bag and pulled out another bun, holding it out for you.

"Is this to keep me from asking more questions?"

You managed to make him chuckle. "No. Just to keep you occupied while I answer the last one."

Too curious, you accepted the bun and took a bite. Jongdae sighed and clasped his hands behind his back, the now nearly empty bag dangling from his fingertips. "We're all different from each other. I'm not more different from them. Though I am better than the others at controlling myself."

Your steps faltered. "Controlling yourself?"

He nodded. As you passed under another tree, he reached out and swing up into the branches without exerting effort, sitting on a branch well out of your own reach.

"What are you? All of you,” you asked in a breathy gasp. All they were capable of doing was adding up, but logic told you repeatedly it was impossible. You wanted to try and rationalize it, even try to convince yourself that you were still sick with fever. But this was all too real to be a mere hallucination. What it all meant, however, you couldn’t understand.

Hands grasped around two of the branches, he leaned forward and closed the gap between you. "You seem moderately intelligent. I'm sure you can discover the answer on your own."

"As flattering as that is," you huffed through clenched teeth, "if the answer means danger then you should be the man to tell me."

"If?" Jongdae laughed, as if he had read your mind. He jumped from the tree, flattening the bits of hair that had fallen out of place with his fingers. Despite playing in the tree like a child, he looked ever so the gentleman.

"’If' is a fantasy.” He glanced behind you. Scared, you followed his gaze, but there was no one there. When you turned back around, you gasped. His nose was mere centimeters from yours. "It does mean danger. You need to keep your eyes and ears open. Happy or not, you are here for a long while and no one is coming for you.''

You swallowed back tears as his words planted firmly in your heart. Now, you truly accepted it. No running, no escape. You were at their mercy. Whatever they were. And though Jongdae gave the impression that he was on your side, his help was firmly limited. Food and company, that was all he was good for.

Walking once again, you solemnly finished the last bit of bun as Jongdae kept pace. When the second helping of bread ran out, you chewed on your next few words. If you were here for the foreseeable future, you might as well know this land’s history.

"Who’s house is this?"

"Hm?" Jongdae had been lost in thoughts of his own, it appeared. He blinked himself back to the present conversation. "Oh. The manor is Kyungsoo's."

"Kyungsoo's?" you repeated. Odd. The answer you had been expecting was the obvious: Junmyeon. He seemed to be the one everyone looked to for answers or leadership. His word was law, yet this land did not fall to him. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, felt too... isolated, cut away to be the rightful owner of this grand place. The few lords you had met before all possessed the same self-awareness and high opinion of themselves. Kyungsoo didn’t give the appearance that he cared about either.

"Yes,” Jongdae nodded, his previous teasing gone now. “He inherited it from his father. The family used to own as much land as the eye could see. But his father was a gambler. Terrible at cards, wonderful at losing. They had to sell the land to keep the debtors at bay. Now, all that is left is this manor and a bit of the surrounding land, but no tenants. The glory of the family is now reduced to this.”

You listened to the story with careful respect. It was one sadly more common among the nobility then they wished to admit. Land was constantly switching family names, sometimes it was difficult to keep track. A small fear you had was accidentally reminding a high nobility of their careless ancestor. "What's his family name?"

"Jongdae! Here's where you disappeared off to."

Your stroll in the moonlight stuttered to a halt.

30 notes · View notes

jinmindeulle · 6 months

Text

twenty one petals | do kyungsoo

𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 commoner!do kyungsoo x princess!reader

𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 8.2 k

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆 angst, romance | love at first sight, forbidden love

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆 angsty, fluffy

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 none

requested by @kyungseokie, thank you again! hope it's what you were looking for 🥰

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ 　˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　 ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚ ＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚ ＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚

Twenty-one had always represented more than just a number to y/n.

She could finally obtain her freedom to go out of the Palace with only one guard, have her friends over more often, begin her self-defense classes, and learn more about the women she admired the most. Of course, y/n had always had history lessons for it was of utmost importance for a royal like her to be knowledgeable of her roots and ancestry. However, there was one particular Queen whom she had the most curiosity about. No teacher had dared to tell the story of Jeon Mindae, a royal who had vanished after eleven years of rule, and no one ever talked about what had happened to her.

As much as she was joyous about all those new possibilities, y/n was also terrified. Turning twenty-one had also meant that she was of age to finally get married, and the King was well aware of that. Her sister, barely a year older than her, had been married two months after her twenty-first birthday. Consequently, y/n was not expecting any other future for herself.

A week after her celebration, y/n found herself looking out of the window of her chambers, wondering how life went about for people whom she probably would never see ever again. She liked to contemplate all those various faces and create whole identities and characters, imagining stories, often romantic, for each person that called her attention.

Y/n envied them sometimes. Their lives could be different, more challenging, and less privileged, but at least they had certain freedoms to enjoy, even if they did not realize it. They could go out and about whenever, wherever, and with whoever they liked, they could lead an independent life, and above all, they could marry the person they loved. Those aspects of life were what y/n yearned the most, and ironically, was deprived of them. Her only alternative was her newly gained escapades. And she desperately needed to go out.

Even though she had been able to leave the Palace for a couple of hours already, the guard who accompanied her was pretty annoying and watched her every step. He made sure people knew who she was and made her feel out of place, which was the opposite of what she had wanted. So, this time, she had asked the King to send another guard with her.

“Sir Sehun must accompany me this time, Your Highness”

“Why is that so, Princess?”

“I do not intend for people to recognize me when I leave the Palace. Sir Taehun was not fit for that role”

“For I trust Sir Sehun, I will assign him this duty. Await him by the gates”

“Thank you, Your Highness”

The woman could not help but smirk as she made her way out of the Crown room. Sehun was a dear friend of hers and she knew he was both, laidback and protective. She was the safest and most confident under his care.

Y/n had to laugh when, after some minutes of impatient little walks around the gates, Sir Sehun approached her with his thick right eyebrow raised “Ma’am, may I ask why I was requested as your guard?”

“Well, Sir Sehun,” she interlaced her left arm with the soldier’s right one as he was offering, and began their walk out of the Palace “Taehun is a prick” she let out once they were out of sight, and a good distance from the nosy masses of the royal community.

“Nothing new. You just want me to let you live, then” he dropped off the formalities, as they usually did when together and in private — or at least away from those who could not live a life as anything else than aristocrats.

“You know me so well”

The walk to the Cherry Blossom Market was quiet but pleasant. They both liked the silence and tranquility that the forest offered, and it was well known between them that it had to be savored each time, as opportunities like those were usually scarce. Upon reaching the first stalls, y/n sent a smile in Sehun’s way. That was her call for him to just let her go around but always under his careful watch, as she had promised.

The beauty that y/n found there, she was sure could not be found anywhere else. Just the sight of people all dressed up in colorful yet comfortable ropes, some simple, some fancy, brought a new wave of giddiness to her body. The thought of being able to walk with them, passing as one more of the commoners, was what made her the most thrilled. She could pretend, just for a couple of hours, that she was one of the people she usually fantasized about through the glass of her window.

A pair of the prettiest shoes caught her attention, and she had to stop to just admire them. Soft peachy colored silk embraced the pair, both adorned with delicate pink cherry blossom petals on each side. Sadly, she could not have them. The guards would snap them away from her the minute she went inside for the check-up. Commoner things stay with commoners.

A light breeze took her out of her thoughts, and as she placed the shoes back where they belonged with a small bow to the stall owner, her eyes met a wooden bridge, which went over a quiet river. Cherry blossoms surrounded the area, their petals dancing their way to the ground, mimicking a snowy afternoon. After taking a look back to Sehun, who was well aware of her movements, she enthusiastically skipped to the beginning of the bridge, feeling the glee that the soft petals caressing her cheeks provided her with.

The walk to the viaduct was calmer, yet never less eager. The middle of the bridge had a smaller number of people, so y/n decided that that was the right spot to rest a little and contemplate the delicateness of the running water, and how the pink petals bathed in it as if tired of hanging from a tree.

Although her hood was bothering her sightseeing, she knew people would recognize her out of paintings and written records, so she had the need to hide her face as much as she could. The risk was high enough with her hood up.

Noticing how someone stopped right beside her and leaned their forearms on the railing, she took her gaze away from the river and to her other side, pretending to observe the cherry blossoms dancing to the rhythm of the wind. When the woman was about to walk away, she heard the person speak.

“Is it not incredible that there are over a hundred varieties of cherry blossom trees?”

The deepness and smoothness of the voice that she now knew belonged to a man, had her stood still in her place. A shiver ran down her spine and she felt how her cheeks imitated the color of the most intense pink petals.

“It certainly is,” she replied, clearing her throat, still giving her back to the stranger. Though she was aware of the hazard that that man could represent, she physically could not move from her spot. It was as if the man’s voice had put a spell on her.

“Are these your favorite?” he asked, and y/n could not help but crack a smile.

“Fortunately, they are”

Her body was moving without her taking notice, and suddenly she was no longer facing the trees but the very man who had interrupted her alone time, away from royalties, away from turmoil. And the sight in front of y/n had her sigh.

A round face, giving him a youthful and friendly appearance, was complemented by brown almond-shaped eyes, which seemed captivating, warm, and inviting. His well-defined, thick eyebrows framed his eyes and added character to his face. The man sported a small, button-like nose that went well with his soft jawline. Though she tried to avoid looking at his lips, it had become an impossible task. Plump, well-defined, heart-shaped. Flawless. She last noticed that his dark brown hair was up in a topknot, all secured by a simple linen headband.

“Have you ever seen the Shirotae variety?” when his eyes met hers, y/n felt what she could only associate with what her romantic novels described as love at first sight. If it existed or not, she couldn't care less. For her, a man like him talking about her favorite tree and flower, looking at her in what seemed to be undivided attention and care, had to be hard to find — and that had her over the moon in just a couple of seconds.

“I have never left the Kingdom” she admitted, finally able to unglue her eyes from his. Overly conscious, she looked down at her feet, hiding her face as much as possible with the gray hood.

“Hwanggeum is known for having them all, though it is true that the Shirotaes are well beyond our borders. Are you from here, Agassi?”

It was the first time that someone had addressed her as a commoner, and rather than displeasing her, it encouraged her to keep talking to the man. He had not recognized her after all.

“I am, Seonsaengnim”

“So you are well acquainted with the Pink Shell” his faint smile had her melting right on the spot, but she somehow managed to conceal it.

“It might also be the reason why they are my favorite. Though I have read about the other varieties, I have not had the chance to see them in person yet”

“Would you like to?”

If it meant that he could take her away and hold her hand for the rest of the afternoon, she would have yelled ‘Please!’. However, the sight of Sehun waiting for her by the end of the bridge, right behind the enticing man, had her come to her senses “I am afraid my father is not very keen on me going out often, especially out of the city”

“That was not my question, Agassi. Would you like to?”

“I would love to,” she nodded, and with all her might, bowed to say goodbye “It was pleasant to converse with you, Seonsaengnim. Have a good rest of your afternoon”

Walking past him, she tried to reach her guard friend as fast as possible. Her efforts, no matter how big, were cut short by a hand around her unclothed wrist. The warmth he transmitted was able to soothe her uncontrollable heart, just a little bit, for his hand over her skin, was not something her heart was expecting to feel.

“I still do not know your name” he recited, not letting go. “I am Kyungsoo. Do Kyungsoo”

“Pardon me Seonsaengnim, but I am not allowed to disclose my name”

As if he sensed that that was all he was getting from her, the man she now knew to be named Do Kyungsoo let her hand go, and she was finally able to walk towards her guard. “Let’s go” she murmured over her breath, not stopping on her way back home. Sehun rapidly followed, not wanting to discuss what he had witnessed.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Do Kyungsoo stayed on her mind for the following two days, as if he had nowhere else to be. It was surprising how she could not just shoo him away. No matter how many classes she took, how many conversations she had or the piles of books she read, the man with warm eyes and plump lips would always come back. She was aware of the fact that the King would announce her inescapable marriage in the upcoming weeks, hopefully, months, and having met him, she did not want that day to come any time soon.

Three days had passed, and y/n could no longer bear it. She had to see Kyungsoo again, at least one last time.

“Indeed, Sir Sehun is available for you. Where are you heading to?” the King asked, and y/n raised her head.

“To the Cherry Blossom Market, Your Highness”

“Again?” With his eyebrows raised, he observed her every movement.

“I am truly in love with the cherry blossom trees, and these are the last days of their bloom. I yearn to admire them as long as I can”

A nod was the only permission she needed to perform a deep bow and leave the Crown room, looking for Sehun with her eyes. She spotted the guard standing next to the room’s entrance, already informed of his next duties. There was no need to say anything.

With her cloak on and hood already up, silence remained untouchable until they surpassed the main gates of the Palace. The discretion she continuously made sure to have had become sacred at that point. No one except Sehun could know about Do Kyungsoo.

“Are you sure he is going to be there?”

“I am not, but this is the only way I can find out” she sighed, letting him walk by her side.

“Why do you want to see him again?” he asked.

“Honestly, Sehun, I do not know,” the woman admitted “He has not left my mind ever since we met. The only certainty I have is that my heart is longing for him.”

“Do you like him?”

“It is hard to say. I have never felt this way, so I cannot compare it to anything other than what I read romantic in my novels”

“Not a great source, may I say” Sehun giggled, looking at her with small eyes.

“I am sorry, Sir all-the-girls-love-me” her laugh synced with his, heading the conversation in a more relaxed direction.

“Not only girls love me!”

Though tranquility had embraced her as they walked their way through the forest, the sight of the first market stalls made her heart race once again. He could be anywhere, but he was surely closer than before.

When she felt Sehun squeeze her shoulder, she looked his way to find a comforting smile. She nodded. Words were not necessary between them.

Calculated but unconscious steps led her to the bridge where their heartwarming exchange had taken place. The trees were still there, now calmer than before. Petals were still falling, but their dance was more controlled and stable. The bridge itself had fewer people, and she thought that the stillness of the water could not be attractive enough for the masses. It was for her.

A deep breath was all she had to do to muster the courage and find the place where Kyungsoo had approached her. All she had to do was wait. But oh my! It was a true challenge. As she hummed a song that her sister had sung to her while she was little, y/n closed her eyes and let her mind wander around dangerous paths. His cute smile had popped up once again, and it was impossible for her not to smile back. The effect he had had on her in only a matter of minutes was incomprehensible.

“Is it me that you are waiting for, Agassi?”

The feeling that her heart was about to jump out of her chest came back upon hearing his honeyed voice once again. Nothing could have prepared y/n for that moment, regardless of how many times she had imagined it.

“Yes,” she whispered, turning to him with rosy cheeks. Because she had expected to see his gentle smile, the seriousness of his expression took her aback “Oh… Is there something wrong, Seongsaengnim?”

“I now know why you did not want me to know your name, Your Grace”

Her surprise could not be veiled. How had that happened? Was she not careful enough? She would not have come back if she noticed any trace of recognition in his eyes. She could not risk her outings like that.

“You are mistaking me for someone else” Her voice faltered, but her forehead was still up.

“I am not. You are Princess Y/n, daughter of King Younghee and sister of the future Queen, Princess Hara. I apologize for the boldness with which I addressed you the other day, Your Grace. It was only after our encounter that I realized who you were”

So that settled it. Her outings were over, her freedom was over. Seeing him was also over. She understood that good things only lasted for a short period, but she did not see the end coming so fast.

“Why are you here?” y/n had to know at least that. Was he back to solely ask for forgiveness?

“I had wanted to see you again, Your Grace. I came back here the day following our meeting, but you were not here. That same evening, I traveled to the Grand Market to buy more merchandise to sell at the Market, and I saw the big portrait of your family at the entrance. How could I not know who you were?” the calmness with which he uttered his sentences had y/n in a trance. His eyes had not left hers, as if he had rehearsed for that exact instant together. “After learning about your true identity, I knew I had to stop myself from expecting this encounter to happen again”

“But it happened” she murmured, feeling her chest expanding with a deep breath.

“I genuinely tried, Your Grace” he shook his head, still not moving an inch from his spot “But it proved to be impossible.”

The silence that followed his statements permitted the woman to process her sentiments, one by one. There was nervousness. Uncertainty. Fear. But there was also expectancy. Excitement. Bliss.

“We are not supposed to do this” he continued “A commoner can only dream of meeting a royal and give her the life she deserves. I know I am not able to do so. However, I am here. And you are here too, Your Grace”

“I needed to see you again,” she admitted, taking her hood away from her view. She had to see him in all his plenitude because it had to be the last time “only one more time. My mind was playing tricks and my duties could not be fulfilled if I had you in my head every hour”.

“I understand,” Kyungsoo nodded, and for the first time that afternoon, his fingers touched hers. Her lifetime seemed to pass right in front of her eyes as the caress of his warm skin against hers filled her senses. It was overwhelming, yet y/n wanted more. “I want you to have this. We cannot interact in person anymore, but I consider letters to be a very effective way to communicate. If that is what you want, Your Grace”

The eager nod she gave him made Kyungsoo show the first smile of the afternoon. His relief could be sensed, and that also gave her the reaffirmation she had been desperate for. With a discrete hand movement, she took the folded piece of paper, keeping it inside her cloak’s pocket.

“I also know you will get married in the near future” his forehead furrowed, and y/n felt how her eyes welled up. That was a topic she was not ready to face, especially with him “Although that makes it even more dangerous and unfeasible, I am still willing to do this. Are you, Your Grace?”

Not following her heart was not an option. She would allow herself to be selfish this time.

“I am”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Your Royal Highness,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. I write to you with the utmost humility and respect, fully aware of the immeasurable distance that separates your world from mine.

Since the moment I first had the privilege of glimpsing your radiant presence from afar, my heart has embarked on a journey it had never before known. It is a journey filled with profound admiration, deep respect, and, dare I say, love that transcends all boundaries.

I am but a humble commoner, a mere speck in the grand tapestry of your Father’s noble kingdom. Yet, as I go about my daily toils, I find myself endlessly enchanted by thoughts of you. Your delicateness, your kindness, your voice—all of these qualities have illuminated my every waking moment from the second you answered my inquiry.

Please understand that I harbor no illusions of grandeur, nor do I seek to intrude on your world. My affection is a silent and solitary affair, a secret held close to my heart, and now to yours. It is a love that has to remain unspoken, for I am painfully aware that my place in society precludes any dreams of an impossible union.

I am content to serve my kingdom, my family, and my fellow commoners with all the devotion and diligence I can muster. In doing so, I hope to honor the same virtues that have earned you the admiration and adoration of all who have had the privilege of knowing you.

May your days be filled with happiness and prosperity.

With the utmost reverence and eternal devotion,

DKS.

His neat calligraphy imprinted in liquid ink had perfectly accompanied what he had expressed in that letter. Kyungsoo’s well-thought-out words had her heart leap in excitement and yearning. The man had probably spent an afternoon ardently writing, employing careful words and admiring sentences.

In return, she had to let him know what he had done to her as well. The impossibility of their reunion could not make their days heavy with misery.

My Dear Kyungsoo,

I wish nothing but good health and spirits for you in return. Your words have touched my heart, and I am deeply moved by the sincerity and humility with which you express your feelings.

Your admiration and respect have not gone unnoticed. I am grateful for your kind words and the sentiments you have shared with me. It is rare to encounter such genuine devotion and honor in this world, and your letter has brought warmth to my heart.

I must confess that your unwavering dedication to our kingdom and your fellow commoners resonates deeply with me. Your commitment to serving our people is a testament to the qualities that make our realm strong and resilient.

It is with a heavy heart that I must acknowledge the realities of our respective stations in life. The traditions and responsibilities that come with my position demand a life of duty and sacrifice, which I am still unable to come to terms with. Your affection is a gift I shall cherish in my heart, but I also have to understand the limitations that bind us.

I encourage you to continue your path with the same steadfast determination and honor that you have shown thus far. Your devotion to our kingdom is a treasure, and I have no doubt that your contributions will be felt and appreciated by many.

Please know that I hold your words and your spirit in high regard.

With the deepest respect and warm regards,

y/n.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Weeks had passed, and letters had come and gone. What had first started as a timid and knowingly-impossible romance, was now a tragedy that only found its way to the surface through words of passion, endeavor, and selflessness.

The only one who knew about their exchange was Sehun. Since he was made responsible for her outings, no matter where they were, he had soon suggested delivering the letters back and forth, as he had understood how hazardous their short encounters could be. Seeing each other from afar from time to time was not enough, but was the only thing they could do for their growing affection.

When she did not go with Sehun, their letter exchange was not done over the bridge. The men had made up a system unknown to y/n, but extremely effective in turn. Despite knowing how she was putting herself at risk each time she hid her letter in Sehun’s sleeve, she trusted her guard. Because receiving Kyungsoo’s letter was the only time of the week she felt purposefully happy, she neither wanted to nor would stop.

But alas, as she had learned, everything came to an end. However, that was not the way she had wanted it to happen.

“Kyungsoo was not there this morning” Sehun’s forehead creased, worrisome written all over his face.

“What?” she had to stop herself from actually yelling, and shielded her mouth with one of her hands “Not any trace?”

“None”

“He has never done this”

A knock on her chamber’s door startled both of them, and Sehun had to take a step back to allow her to reach the hatch next to him. She looked at him, puzzled, and with a deep breath opened the door.

“Your Grace, Your Highness is requesting your presence in the Crown room”

“Is it urgent?”

“It is, Your Grace”

Thanking the maid, y/n closed the door behind her and hugged Sehun “I have a bad feeling about this”

Call it third eye, intuition, or merely understanding. The woman had not failed to see what was coming.

“You are to get married next week, y/n. Everything has been settled, and I am glad to announce that your future husband is the best prospect I could find for you. You will meet him in three days when he comes to formally propose to you.”

When she squeezed her eyes shut, the tears that had shimmered them traveled down her pale cheeks. Y/n could only see Kyungsoo reciting his letters to her in his mellowed voice, promising her to find a way to be together, not caring about social boundaries anymore. She only wanted to hear his whispers, to feel his tender touch, and to experience what would be like to have his inviting lips caress her own.

But now, the King was taking that away from her. The possibility they had built through their letters had to remain impossible.

“Why are you doing this to me, Dad?”

It was the first time in years that y/n had called the King dad. She had felt that he no longer deserved that title, no matter how painful it was to lack that figure in her life. After her mother’s passing, he changed. His anguish for his loss had duplicated hers and Hara’s. He had forgotten that he had two daughters who had lost a mother and had only started to care for his heartbreak.

“You are more naive than I wished you were.” he declared, unmoved by her emotions “I could have waited some weeks, some months even. But your recent behavior was proof enough that you need someone to discipline you”

“What are you talking about?” a mess already, y/n felt how her future with Kyungsoo vanished little by little. The love they had both developed over months through words and glances from afar was coming to an end, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it from happening.

“Twenty-one is the prime of your life, and albeit you are not becoming Queen, you have duties to fulfill. Disregarding that, you have been frequently meeting a commoner, y/n. Please, do not tell me that that is not accurate, because I have eyes all over my kingdom. The greatest way to get you back on track is to give your hand in marriage to someone who is well-versed in our world, and knows how to treat you”

“As a trophy? As garbage? As a scum?”

“Has your sister protested like you are? How do you know you will be treated badly if you have not crossed glances with him?” his harsh tone would not scare her away.

“I do not have to do that to understand that he will make my life miserable. The one person who is able to make me happy is not him” Rage was getting into her quite rapidly. She had to fight for what she wanted. But how?

“The one person you are so sure about making you happy is no longer available. I am sorry, daughter, but this is your life.”

“What have you done to him?!”

“Return to your chambers, y/n. That was all I had to say”

“Dad?! What have you done to him?!”

The sorrow was unmeasurable. She had put Kyungsoo at risk, she had made him suffer the consequences of loving her. She had selfishly walked him to a dark place, which she did not even know what it looked like. Where was he? Was he even alive?

The pressure that was building in her chest was somewhat relieved when Sehun went inside her room, with no knocking in between. He was the only one she had allowed to do that in case of an emergency. And God knows she was in need of what Sehun could provide to her, be it a hug or simple reassurance words. But luck was on her side — if one could say that after what she was about to go through — and he was there with more than just that.

“I know what happened” Taking her hands into his, he began to share the information he was able to gather “Taehun has been following us, and he was the one who told your father about Kyungsoo”

“That bastard!” y/n’s eyes flooded with tears as she squeezed Sehun’s hands harder.

“I have never liked him, but that just crossed the line” he admitted “The King sent his soldiers to capture Kyungsoo, and now they got him in the dungeons” “Oh my Goodness” the fear multiplied, and the sudden relief she had felt upon seeing her best friend disappeared to make room for that familiar pressure, this time coming back twice as bad.

“I have a plan” he nodded, placing his big hands on her shoulders “Jaemin is watching over him during the night shift… and he owes me”

Y/n could do nothing else than cry on his shoulder and thank him over and over again. She truly did not know what she would do without her loyal guard, without her Sehun.

—

With her fingers tightly gripping her dress sleeves, the princess followed the guard down the spooky stairs of the dungeons. Though not too far away from the Palace, they had to ride a horse to make it quicker — and she was not a fan of horses. However, this time, she did not really care. Kyungsoo was her only priority.

“Why is this so smelly?” she whispered, coughing when the damp odor reached her nostrils.

“Do you think they would bother to clean this?”

“Too busy standing next to the King, I guess.”

Just when the flight of stairs started to appear endless, y/n saw light coming from one of the corners, and she could finally breathe “He’s here, right?”

But the woman did not have to wait for Sehun’s response, because he was right there. Sitting with his back resting on one of the rusty cell bars, Kyungsoo looked drained. His face was pale and smeared with dirt and sweat. His clothes were ragged and mucky. Because his eyes were closed, she could only guess — and hope — that he was sleeping.

“Stay back. I’ll talk to Jaemin first”

As Sehun walked towards the light, she could sense how the movement around him was slowly waking him up from his slumber. His eyes had lightened up when he recognized her best friend and a sense of easiness travelled down through y/n’s spine.

“Come, y/n”

If Kyungsoo’s eyes had lightened up when he saw Sehun, the instant his gaze met hers he appeared to hold the stars and the moon altogether in his orbs. “You are here”

No time was wasted when the master key let him out of the cell. They embraced each other for the first time, and the relief that they both felt upon finally having their love in their arms was indescribable. Letters were incredible, but they lacked contact, they lacked tangible affection.

“I am so sorry” she cried, taking in the feeling of his arms around her waist, and how his left hand caressed the back of her head with soft strokes.

“None of this is your fault, my love” he whispered, and being able to hear his sweet voice calling her that endearment sent her heart jumping out of her ribcage “We were aware of the risks. And I am still delighted with the decision we made”

“How?”

“Because I get to have you in my arms now” he let her go, only to place his hands on her cheeks, looking into her eyes as if they held the universe. “We will be fine”

“Why are you so confident about that?” y/n could not help but be hesitant about everything around her now. She had only questions in her mind, no clear answers in sight.

“Because” he brushed her lower lip with his thumb, his eyes traveling down with it, and back to her orbs “what we have is not easily broken. They can try, but we fight back. And if it is not now, it will be then. We will be together, my love. Trust me”

And with that promise, Kyungsoo pressed his lips onto hers and sealed the deal. The initial surprise had her frozen, trying to figure out what was actually happening. But when everything was clear, y/n closed her eyes and let him in. His passionate way of kissing her was more telling of his love for her than any of his letters were, and that was a lot to say. He was an excellent writer. But when it came to kissing…

Their romantic moment was cut short when Sehun fake coughed in an attempt to get their attention. When their lips were mere centimeters away from each other, he was quick to intervene “I am really sorry to interrupt your… moment, but she cannot stay much longer”

“What do you mean stay?” the woman looked at her best friend, baffled by his statement “Is he not coming with us?”

It may have been a dumb question, but she did not see how they could not just let him go, at least to hide somewhere far away.

“That would be an overly bad idea” Kyungsoo uttered, interlacing his fingers with hers “That would get everyone killed. Me, Sehun, the other guard. We cannot risk it” he shook his head, and rapidly let her hands go to brush the tears running down her cheeks “We will find another way, my love”

“But…” she sobbed, suddenly feeling like a little kid in his arms “I do not want you to die, my darling”

“I am not dying anytime soon. I have to become your prince first” he giggled, and that sent the butterflies in her stomach on a wild flight.

“Guys…”

“Sorry,” Kyungsoo apologized and pressed a kiss on her forehead “Go back to your chambers and wait for Sehun to tell you what to do next. Whether the plan takes a week, two months, or three years… we cannot know for sure. The only thing I know for a fact is that we are meeting again, and we will have our happily ever after. I promise you, my love”

y/n would recite those exact words for the following two years, be it aloud or in her mind. Kyungsoo’s vow was not to leave her soul anytime soon, and she decided to use it as a way to have him close to her heart every day.

She had had to get married. She had had to share a room with someone she did not love. She had played the trophy wife role for too long for her liking. But Sehun had continuously reassured her that the plan was going smoothly, and if everything happened according to it, she would meet Kyungsoo in a short time.

“Hajoon wants me to become pregnant” she confessed, a halo of panic in her eyes “I cannot deal with this anymore” Her cheeks, very familiar with her tears by that point, wetted the beginning of her bluey sweetheart bodice.

“When are you heading to the tour around Hwanggeum?”

“In three days”

“Hold on for a week. We are getting there”

Do you know that feeling of time slowing down when what you only need is the wait to be over? That was what y/n was experiencing ever since she left Kyungsoo in that horrid dungeon, hoping that seeing him again would be a matter of days. Her heart was hopeful, but her mind was not so much so. She knew that rushing into what your feelings dictate never brings good results, but the urgency had become tangible as the months went by.

He was in the back of her mind most of her days, but very much present when her husband pressed kisses on her forehead, and occasionally on her lips. Despite not liking him much, she had to admit that Hajoon was clearly not the worst. He had respected her boundaries and only touched her when she let him. She was suspiciously sure that he had a lover way before they had gotten married, and that was a strange relief for the woman. However…

“I truly wish things were different, y/n… but we have to produce an heir soon”

“It sounded like you really want that” she sarcastically replied.

“Your Father…”

“Of course” she nodded, putting her hairbrush away to look at him “I will tell him we are trying. A child is not part of my plans right now”

The only person in her plans was Kyungsoo, and the wait was becoming heavier on her. In order to relieve stress, she took the first book she could get from the history section of the library and headed out to the gardens. It was nice to just feel the breeze clash with her rosy cheeks, and just let it calm her nerves down. The copy she had blindly chosen was one she had never seen in the years and years she frequented the library, and that encouraged her to go through the yellowed pages before choosing a story. Y/n had to stop on page one hundred and thirty-six, one with its edge slightly folded. There, a sketched portrait of an elegant woman caught her attention. Her stern look was emphasized by a set of well-defined curls that framed her clear face, big eyes, and slim nose. Her lips were pressed in a soft line as if they had been like that for a long time.

Jeon Mindae.

The one and only secret that the royals were good at hiding, but could only conceal for so long. She had noticed how even after turning twenty-one, no one was mentioning her, not even to highlight the great advances that had happened during her short reign. But now, she was about to discover the truth.

In the annals of Hwanggeum's rich history, there exists a chapter of intrigue, love, and profound change that transcends the centuries. This is the tale of Queen Jeon Mindae, whose reign is forever etched in the hearts and minds of the people, for it was marked by an extraordinary love affair and a subsequent transformation of the kingdom's destiny.

Queen Mindae, known for her benevolence and wisdom, ascended to the throne during a time of prosperity and unity. Her rule was celebrated for the well-being and happiness it brought to her subjects. Nevertheless, behind the façade of a perfect queen lay a hidden love that would change the course of Hwanggeum's history.

Unbeknownst to her court and subjects, Queen Mindae had fallen deeply in love with Kim Beomseok, a commoner she had encountered during a secret exploration of her kingdom disguised as a humble citizen. Their love, while genuine, was forbidden, as royal protocol dictated that a queen must wed a nobleman from a neighboring kingdom.

For years, Queen Mindae and Beomseok carried on their love affair in the shadows, yearning to be together openly. The burden of the crown and the expectations of the kingdom stood as barriers between them.

The climax of this tale came during a grand ball in the palace, held to celebrate Hwanggeum's prosperity. On this fateful night, Queen Mindae mysteriously vanished, plunging the kingdom into a state of chaos and confusion. Wild rumors swirled about her fate, from kidnapping to assassination, as the people sought answers.

The official proclamation, issued by the royal council, declared that Queen Mindae had forsaken her throne to elope with Beomseok, her commoner lover, relinquishing her responsibilities. Her disappearance was thus presented as a voluntary act. Hwanggeum was left in the hands of Princess Miyoung, a distant cousin, who was chosen to rule in Mindae's absence.

Yet, the official narrative failed to quell the suspicions and doubts of the kingdom's citizens. In secret gatherings and hushed conversations, the people of Hwanggeum rejected the notion that their beloved queen would willingly abandon them.

The queen's true location was never found, and a network of loyalists worked tirelessly to erase Queen Mindae of Hwanggeum’s history. However, the people of Hwanggeum yearned for her return, not to rule, but to be a symbol of love and unity.

To this day, the last of us are patiently waiting to get a glimpse of her once again, to see her next to her beloved Beomseok, and to thank her for her transparent and wealthy rule. Queens like her are not made any longer.

She had to be more sensitive than usual because as she read each word, the tears were uncontrollably running down her face. It was like seeing herself in the mirror, but only seeing one difference: she had been unable to run away with her true love.

How had been Jeon Mindae’s life after vanishing? Had she been happy?

She truly hoped she was. She knew the feeling of loving someone who you are not supposed to and fighting for it to be alive even after years of waiting. It was exhausting, yet worth it, if by the end of the line she got to see him again.

Y/n kept the book pressed against her chest to the third destination of their tour, as a way to keep Jeon Mindae’s story close to her heart. If what Sehun had promised a week before was true, she was about to see Do Kyungsoo after two desperate years of sharing a bed with a stranger, pretending not to die a little with each passing day. That was not the life she had wanted for herself, but what could she do?

Just wait, said her best friend every day. So she did just that.

But now, seeing the premises of Gyulcheon, it was like the sun was finally shining for her. Its citizens were slowly gathering around their carriage, waving at her and Hajoon, who had sported the same fake smile for the last five days.

The city center was prepared to receive them, and the line of people who had gifts for them kept on growing as they got closer to the Palace’s entrance.

Her husband leaving the carriage first, y/n waited for Sehun to open the door for her once it was safe to do so. High-end families and generals bowed at her as she walked all the way to the Palace’s porch, and she could only smile at them with faked enthusiasm. Hajoon, awaiting her at the first step of the staircase, took her by her elbow and led her to the seatings decorated with golden and ancient figures. For the next two hours, they met Gyulcheon’s citizens who had to welcome them with gifts and offerings, a long-held tradition which the princess found pointless. Why would rich people need presents from poor, unprivileged ones? How was that even fair?

“I have to apologize My Prince, but I was only able to afford an honorable gift for My Princess”

The voice she had longed to hear for so many days, months, and years, reached her ears in an unexpected place. Her gaze pinned to her lap slowly raised to meet the eyes she had yearned to see, and the knot she had had in her throat ever since that night in the dungeons, tightened. He was as beautiful as she remembered, like time had stopped as soon as they met. Fighting back the urge to throw her arms around him, she bowed at him with her head and took a deep breath.

“You do not have to worry. I am content if my wife is.” and with that, Hajoon turned to the next peasant, who was offering him a wrapped-up gift.

“Thank you, Seongsaengnim” In a murmur, she took the laced box from his hands, trying to at least brush his fingers with hers. The shiver that she felt traveling down her spine was a sign of how strong her love for him was, even after all those years.

“Please try them as soon as you can, Your Grace. I would be devastated if they did not fit you”

His low buzz had her dancing in a cloud of her own. However, the guard that was next to him made it clear that he had to move quickly. More people were waiting behind.

“I will, Seongsaengnim. I thank you again. It was nice to meet you” Pressing the box to her chest, she bowed at him once more, Kyungsoo copying her with an even deeper one. When they slowly rose, it was as if they had already blended their thoughts. “I love you” was whispered from both ends and a soft smile graced their faces when the man departed.

Later that day, and alone in the chambers she was offered for her stay, she quickly headed to the corner where all their offerings had been placed. Hajoon was in a meeting, so she had time to find the only one that mattered. The laced box was hidden under the hundred packed gifts, so she had to make a big effort to retrieve it once it was on her radar. Once in her hands, waiting was no longer an option. Not even taking her time to appreciate the decorations around it, she removed the cover and tore through the white tissue paper wrap. What she found took her back to that afternoon, the afternoon that had changed her life.

The pair of shoes she had caught sight of that day were in her hands. She would never forget that soft peach silk that embraced the pair, and how those pink cherry blossom petals adorned them so delicately. With a cheeky sigh, y/n concluded that he had seen her from the moment she had set foot in the Cherry Blossom Market, when she had run to the stall, too entranced by the shoes to even care who noticed her.

His words from the morning popped up in her mind as she ran her fingers around the shoes, and she rapidly put them on the floor to try them on. She knew he had meant something with it — the plan had to be resumed. As soon as she put them on, a relieved giggle left her lips. They were about to be together, once and for all.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

“All set?”

She nodded to her husband and took Sehun’s hand to step into the carriage. Once inside, her best friend winked at her, and she had to suppress the smirk she wanted to give him in return. Nothing could make her happier than seeing him ride his horse by her window, Hajoon too preoccupied with his book to even spare her a glance.

Their long conversation was interrupted when the carriage made an unexpected stop, and her husband looked out of the window for the first time in hours “What is happening?”

As Sehun yelled “Ambush!”, everything seemed to occur in slow motion. Half a dozen men all covered in black from head to toe surrounded the wagon, one of them violently opening its entrance door as the rest engaged in physical fights with the horsed soldiers, less in number and not so much prepared to respond to such a sudden attack.

The man who opened their door was quick to take her by the arm and shove her out, not even caring to check if her clumsy fall had caused any harm to her body. Indeed it had, but she was too busy screaming for help to even notice that her wrist had twisted under her weight in her landing. “Please!” she yelled as the stranger dragged her to his horse and effortlessly sat her on its saddle.

“y/n!” She heard Hajoon’s voice muffled by all the swording around them. When she looked behind her, the stranger had already taken his own weapon out of his scabbard, waiting for her husband to get closer. However, he was never capable of doing so — another one of the ambushers had his blade pressed to his throat.

“Do not move.”

“Hajoon!”

Her cry was followed by her kidnapper gracefully jumping on his horse, slightly adjusting his position in front of her. Triggering movement with his heel, the brownish animal began his race right into the woods, the carriage quickly disappearing from sight.

It was only about half an hour into their ride that y/n let herself breathe in the fresh air. His addicting scent reached her nostrils in the process, and a chuckle escaped her lips as she strongly wrapped her arms around the man.

“I missed you” she whispered to his ear, and he squeezed her hand in his.

“I missed you too, my love”

72 notes · View notes

exouniverse · 6 months

Text

(My) Home

Pairing: kyungsoo x gn reader

Genre: fluff, established relationship, non-idol au, chef!kyungsoo au

Warnings: although it is very fluffy, there are small conversations regarding some sensible topics such as the mention of a dead parent, and tough moments during enlistment; however, they’re touched from a healing perspective and not explicitly detailed.

Summary: since the moment Kyungsoo met you, he has felt that being by your side is just like finding solace in the warmth of home. With this realization, he has meticulously arranged a surprise to propose the transformation of that comforting sense of home into a tangible reality.

Word count: 8.7K+

A/N: it’s finally here! My heart needed this fluffy fic so I indulged, the characters took me in ways I didn’t see coming so it took me a little bit longer to post (this was supposed to be the first fic I posted here, but inspiration hit with the birthday fics lol.) I didn’t want any angst but still, some happy tears are shared between them.

MOODBOARD

Some vocabulary insights I think I didn’t get to explain:

Bujubangjang - 부주방장: sous-chef | Dulce de leche: caramelized milk spread, also named arequipe, manjar, or cajeta | Gyeran-mari - 계란말이: rolled omelette | Seoleim - 설레임: Korean ice cream brand | Yeobo - 여보: honey, darling, sweetheart (commonly used between married or engaged couples) | Yeobobangjang: word play term from yeobo (여보) and bujubangjang (부주방장), created for the story’s purpose | Yukgaejang - 육개장: it is a spicy shredded beef soup.

The memories imprinted on the photo albums never failed to bring a genuine smile to his face and make him reminisce; not even the dust that tickled his nose could ruin these types of moments. He flipped through the well-worn pages, letting memories wash over him. He knows he has changed a lot through the years, but his essence is still palpable somehow; nonetheless, he doesn’t feel the need to alter anything about his personality. He’s loved by the people around him and, for once, he is comfortable and happy with the person—he has come to admit—he has surrendered his heart to.

He smiled, wondering how it would have been if they had met as toddlers, maybe at kindergarten or at school, and gone on beach trips with friends during the summer. His smile would have brightened even more just by seeing you posing beside him, poking his dimples as you are already so used to doing. Kyungsoo just knows deep in his heart that you would love what he’s been planning; he can’t let that little evil voice of doubt and insecurity win this one. You are clueless so far about his plans, but hints from you have also been received and thought through, so that’s what moved him to plan his proposal for moving in together.

“Kyungsoo, son.” He heard his mother’s voice calling from the kitchen, snapping him out of his daydream.

He followed the sound of her voice, appearing quicker than she had expected, causing her to jump in surprise. “Sorry, mom!” he exclaimed, letting out a chuckle as he approached, eager to taste the Yukgaejang, whose enticing aroma had already made his stomach growl.

“Hands off!” his mother scolded him. “I can’t let you get creative with Yukgaejang; your father likes it this way.”

He only continued to chuckle at his mother’s expression as he remembered the last time he tried and failed, earning him a week of an indescribable, odd-tasting soup. Teenager Kyungsoo would have likely tricked you into tasting it as a prank, just to have an excuse to be together in the nurse’s office, but he would have completely regretted his antics the moment he came to realize he liked you.

“Do Kyungsoo, did you hear what I said?”

“Oh, sorry, mom, need any help? Sorry, what did you say?”

Because of his giggles and daydreaming, he could have been doomed at that moment had his mom not been aware of the reason why he was behaving that way, so she only continued to give him the banchan she had served for him to set on the table.

“Have you decided which photos to take with you already?” his mom wondered, noticing the albums on the sofa before she sat down to eat with her youngest son, who was visiting for the day with a peculiar excuse.

“There are a lot. You can tell me which ones you want to keep, and I’ll choose from the rest.”

“It’s okay, you can take as many as you want.” She paused to think. “But do leave me the one from kindergarten where you have that big smile of yours; I don’t get to see it often.”

“Mom, I do smile!” Kyungsoo protested, perplexed at his mother’s bluntness but still amused.

“I know, I know,” she giggled. “It’s only directed to a specific someone nowadays.” And just like that, she delivered her last joke, playfully teasing her son just a bit more.

“Mom!”

The way his eyes widened in surprise amused her so much that she couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “I love Y/N! I truly do, but you don’t visit us as frequently as you used to,” she revealed, honestly.

Kyungsoo put a piece of haemul-pajeon on his mother’s rice at the same time that he offered her the smile she missed. “Ok, I’ll try visiting you more.”

Content with her son’s actions, she continued to eat the seafood pancake with a smile on her face. “Bring Y/N with you too; I miss our drama marathons,” she encouraged.

“I’ll sure do, mom.”

“Oh, they’re here!” You glanced toward the front door, leaving the cookie dough unattended as you rushed to the entrance to let your little guests in.

Kyungsoo chuckled as he witnessed your surprising speed. He went to check on the dough to see if he could help you in any way; he is the one that’s mostly in the kitchen, whether it’s yours or his, but you specifically told him not to do anything since you wanted to share this new recipe with him.

“Uncle Kyungsoo!” your older niece shouted out as soon as she saw him. He waved at her and she ran to embraced him. “Are you making cookies? Can you make them blue like you did last time?”

The shower of questions gave him away, so he tried to plead innocence by giving you an honest smile, which only grew bigger as he saw your two adorable twin nephews next to you. They both happily ran to hug Kyungsoo’s legs.

“I swear I didn’t change or touch anything.”

His ears could have burned to the touch, even when he was telling half the truth, because he indeed didn’t do anything—only thought about it, and got very close to tasting the cookie dough.

“I know those eyes, what are you hiding?” You squinted at him.

“Is it safe to leave my kids with you two?” your sister joked as she closed the door at a dramatically slow pace.

“Ari, he’s hiding something, right?” you kept teasing.

“I’m not.” Kyungsoo couldn’t stop his laugh. It could have given him away, but you know the nuances in his expressions too well. Also, it’s a given that he wouldn’t have had enough time to change anything.

“I’ll give you one chance; you can add one ingredient that you think could make it better.” His smile was like a reward. “He’s been pretending to keep himself busy while I’m making cookies,” you explained the context of the situation before you.

“Kyungsoo-ssi, you’re a chef, and isn’t today your free day?” your sister asked.

He only giggled and proceeded to taste the dough as everyone in the room expected his feedback; even your twin nephews paid attention, probably expecting a taste too.

He surprised himself; it was hard to tell, but there was some kind of ingredient that his palate was enjoying but couldn’t quite figure out because of the sweetness of the sugar and the distinctiveness of the vanilla extract present in the mixture.

“Are these chocolate chips?” he asked once he realized where the new flavor came from. There was a sweet flavor there that just didn’t taste quite like chocolate.

“Nope, they are dulce de leche chips; Ari’s friend makes them.”

Kyungsoo was incredulous but mostly confused. “Uncle, you don’t know what dulce de leche is?” your niece asked even more incredulously than him, making everyone laugh.

At that moment, your nephews started to build up energy and tried to climb up to Kyungsoo’s arms to see what he was eating. It had taken a long time for them to turn hyperactive, but they had been too entertained with his bunny slippers before. Kyungsoo managed to lift both of them to help them grab some chips from the bag that your niece pointed at and let her grab a bunch first.

“Remember the Latin American Festival we went to a couple of weeks ago? We tried dulce de leche with those small crumbly cookies.”

“Oh oh oh, yeah, I remember now. Mhmm, this is good, so good. I’m not doing anything; you even added sea salt, right?”

“Yeah, of course I did!”

“Well, I’m sorry to be a party pooper, but I must leave now,” your sister announced.

“Come kiddos, say goodbye to your mom!” Kyungsoo took them to their mom, but the older one started crying, realizing his mom was leaving. He jumped on his mother as soon as he was close, and it wasn’t long before the little one started crying too.

Your niece approached to try to calm her brothers, but you remembered you had just the thing to distract them so your sister could leave.

“Let’s go play in the camping tent; there are tons of balls to play with,” you told your niece so she could help you convince her brothers since they follow her lead all the time.

“Yes! And can we have ice cream?” She got all of the adults to laugh yet another time, but at least she managed to lessen the crying and desperation so your sister could talk to them and remind them that she needed to go for a while and that she was coming to get them later.

“I’ll go get the ice cream,” Kyungsoo offered. “I can accompany you downstairs.”

“Thank you, Kyungsoo-ssi. You’re so kind.” Your sister accepted his help as she put your nephew on the floor so you could take them to the camping tent you set for them to play in.

Kyungsoo led your sister outside after he took his wallet to go buy ice cream for everyone staying in your apartment.

In the elevator, silence fell, but for the generic music coming from the speakers. Kyungsoo spoke first, "thank you in advance. This means a lot to me."

“You’re so sweet; nobody has ever done anything like this. Y/N loves you like crazy, I can assure you of that, it would totally be the best surprise.” She searched in her bag for an envelope and handed it to him. “This should help with your plans.”

“In exchange, I will take good care of your kids, I promise,” he assured her as he held the envelope and handled it with so much care.

“Of course, you two are a great team. You always do a great job!”

While Kyungsoo went for ice cream, you were doing your best to distract the kids. The twins were like the moon and the sun, so the easier task was to leave your niece to play with the youngest in the tent while you tried to control the middle one, who was throwing the balls and even the toys at your sofa. The space in your living room where you placed the tent expanded to the whole house in about two minutes; all of the toys and balls were all over the place.

Luckily, you had finished the dough and were able to refrigerate it before the baking process, ensuring the mixture remained untouched by the Poké Balls flying about. This allowed you to attend to the children on your own until your boyfriend returned from the store.

You didn’t even need to get your camera to recollect the evidence for your sister because she knew her kids. However, you still took some pictures with your phone to send them to her, as you caught the kids’ enjoyment when they started playing together.

As you were writing to her, your phone rang with a video call from Kyungsoo, and as soon as the kids heard his voice, they all came running to say hi to him. He let out a quick giggle while his cheeks turned red. He hadn’t expected to have so much noise coming from his phone at the convenience store; he even bowed at some people behind the camera, apologizing.

“You can turn it to just a voice call if you feel more comfortable that way,” you suggested once the kids went quiet, expecting to see what their uncle was going to show.

“It’s okay; it’s quick. Just wanted to show these two options I had in mind for the kids.”

“They love the cookies and cream Seoleim—“

“Oh, but I want the banana one,” your niece expressed, creating a double echo from the little ones.

“Uncle, banana,” said the youngest, making Kyungsoo giggle.

“I can bring both, and do you want some vanilla ice cream to eat with the cookies?”

“You’re a genius!” you smiled. “Thank you, jagi.”

Kyungsoo mirrored your smile and waved goodbye. “See ya all soon!”

It didn’t take long for him to come back, so he got to see the chaos you got caught in again when he arrived. He ran to the kitchen before he was trapped by the kids at the entrance, and he gave them their ice cream fast enough for them to run back to you. Kyungsoo quickly hid the envelope in his jacket and put the vanilla ice cream in the fridge to eat later with the cookies. Since it was relay time, it was easier for him to hide the surprise with his belongings when you came to the kitchen to finally start to bake.

Taking care of your niece and nephews was challenging; Kyungsoo couldn’t even lie to himself that it wasn’t, but they were quite adorable and funny. You’ve been doing this for longer than he has, so it seemed to be so easy for you when he first saw you interact with the kids. However, he has worked on it and gotten to improve fast. Such as when your nephew started a tantrum because he wanted to go out to play but Kyungsoo saw it was about to rain. You came into the room to help, but he waved off your help, determined to handle it himself.

With them, he had learned to let loose and have fun, even if he had to act cute or like a clown. Who would have thought he could pull out some moves? Singing was easier, and karaoke rooms were witnesses to that, but he learned to accept that dancing was also fun, and he really wasn’t bad at it. It could be that or the opposite, but your nephew’s laugh was a reward either way.

For you, it was not just the little one’s laugh but Kyungsoo’s enjoyment. His face shone so much when he smiled, and his big eyes turned into little half-moons of joy. You instinctively grabbed your camera and caught as many of those moments as you could. The peace and comfort that he transmitted were priceless. You were happy that it didn’t take too long for you to finish setting the cookie dough to bake because you got to join them just in time, joyful to be able to catch more of Kyungsoo’s dancing and silliness with the kids.

At the end of the day, once you bid farewell to your sister and her children, reality hit you in every cell of your body. The exhaustion from playing all day, cleaning ice cream from the floor and carpet, cooking, and feeding left your muscles aching. You knew you now had to clean up your apartment, but leaving it all for the next day seemed more appealing than tiring yourself more by tidying it up.

While you were going back up to your apartment, Kyungsoo was picking up the toys that the kids left unorganized. Your sister had tried to get them to pick up everything they played with before they left, but you let them go easily since they seemed to be about to fall asleep in seconds.

You contemplated him once you entered your apartment; he was only bringing up smiles from you lately. “I can clean up tomorrow. I’m too exhausted now, aren’t you too?” you asked.

“I am,” he giggled, but he kept picking toys up from the ground. “I wanted to help.”

“You work tomorrow; rest up,” you said gently as you approached him, until you wrapped your arms around him from behind and rested part of your weight on him.

He stopped, feeling your energy drop. “I’m okay; I’m used to being tired from running the restaurant all day.”

“It was your free day today, though. I made you work too much. Kids and food are not the same.”

“Yeah, they’re not,” he recognized and looked back at you from his shoulder.

You smiled at him and managed to grab his hand. “See, just come with me. Let’s just chill for now. Let’s watch some variety shows and rest,” you suggested as you guided him to the couch and then grabbed the remote to turn the TV on.

You found a traveling variety show you hadn’t seen before, and it got you interested. The hosts were indulging in many unfamiliar and mouthwatering dishes, catching Kyungsoo’s attention. It didn’t take long for you both to get lost in the scenery and seemingly delicious food they showcased, and your exhaustion finally kicked in as you started to feel your eyelids getting heavy.

“Come closer; you can rest your head on my shoulder,” Kyungsoo whispered, and you followed his instructions. He was too content and expectant already. His smile, if only you could see it, might have given something away. His eyes, illuminated by the light of the TV, were incredibly expressive. “You did well today; I enjoyed every single minute,” he continued whispering, gently stroking your hair. All the while, he purposefully concealed that smile and look from you.

“I did too.” You gently grabbed his hand, and he squeezed lightly.

“You can sleep,” he giggled softly. “I can feel you drifting away.”

“No, I’m okay. Got to be here with you until you have to go.”

Kyungsoo knew you were tired, but he was sure something in the tone of your voice sounded different, and he couldn’t ignore the sense of urgency it conveyed. Although he had already planned to stay to surprise you, the change in the way you talked made him more determined to be there for you.

“I can stay; take the day off tomorrow and stay with you,” he offered, without giving much away.

“You’re leaving the kitchen unsupervised?”

It seemed you were still trying to keep your humor up and that nostalgia or melancholy unnoticed, so Kyungsoo tried to keep it up too, saying, “yeah, I can. I’m the chef.”

“I don’t believe you.”

He giggled, seemingly more amused than he is used to, and planted a gentle kiss on the top of your head. “Believe me now?” he asked, his voice filled with playful affection.

“Don’t buy me with your sweetness!”

Like a defiant toddler, he didn’t listen and instead shifted his body to cuddle and have you wrapped in his arms. “I just want to cheer you up,” he murmured tenderly.

There was a pause in your reaction, and suddenly, you held onto his hand again. “How…” you began, your voice barely audible as it caught in your throat. The word trembled on your lips, reflecting a mix of curiosity, surprise, and perhaps even a touch of vulnerability.

“You don’t have to say it if you are not ready.”

“Soo—“

“Rest. I’ll get you to your room and leave if you fall asleep.”

That smell was familiar—the pungent, savory scent of kimchi fried rice—paradoxically evoking only good memories with the people you love. You even smiled before you could open your eyes, but curiosity quickly appeared when you realized you were supposed to be alone in your house at this hour in the morning. Your sister couldn’t have possibly come today after the news she got yesterday. It was the low humming accompanying the sizzling sound of the kimchi rice that made you jump out of bed. The bedsheets fell on the ground, almost making you fall, and the door made such a sound when it hit the wall that it made Kyungsoo jump. The mixture of emotions was a tiny bit overwhelming, but your smile gave away the happiness you felt by seeing him in your kitchen making breakfast.

“You’re awake.”

“You’re here!”

His shoulders slightly went up and down as he silently laughed, connecting his gaze with yours in a way only he could. Your feet were smarter than you, taking you to him to yet again hug him from the back, but this time sharing your happy morning energy with him.

“Careful, you can burn your hand,” he cautioned, moving you both away from the heat.

You pressed your head against his back, inhaling the lingering scent of his perfume on his shirt. “I have you here, so I don’t mind.”

“How can you not mind?” He was surprised by your reply. “It’s painful, and I don’t want you to get hurt. You might even get me to burn the rice, so move, please," he insisted.

You looked at him, squinting, because of his unbelievable-expected, hot and cold reply. His teasing was cruel sometimes, but it really only added to his adorableness. He also said please, so he is forgiven.

“So is this the kitchen you’ll run today?” You had your wits too, and you used them wisely.

“My yeobobangjang, help me out, please?”

“Yeobo?” you chuckled. You were amused by his accidental play with the words bujubangjang and yeobo. He can’t just deny his cuteness, and you couldn't help but be charmed by his playful antics.

"Yeah yeah... I did say that," he giggled, realizing that he had let it slip without much thought. He rarely calls you jagi or jagiya, but yeobo is a whole different level of endearment that you still didn’t expect to hear.

With your help, breakfast was ready a lot faster, allowing you both to sit down and eat together peacefully. It was not a special occasion to celebrate anything in particular, but simply having him there in front of you was enough to make you feel grateful and happy. You also knew that he needed an explanation about yesterday. He wouldn’t ask unless you took too long to say anything, but he would subtly check in to see if you were ready to let him know.

"Thank you, Soo," you said, offering a warm smile and a piece of gyeran-mari. "About last night—"

"Y/N, I don't want you to feel pressured into saying anything," he interrupted gently, his voice filled with understanding. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me. Just… just know that I'm here for you."

You shook your head slightly, trying to show him that you still wanted to share. That’s all you wanted to do last night when you went back to your apartment and saw him. “I’m okay. I was feeling just a bit… I don’t know, sad? Nostalgic, perhaps?” you explained, and you noticed how his eyes were focused on you and whatever you needed to say.

"When we were getting the kids into the car, Ari received a call. Jongseung's mom is sick and was taken to the hospital," you explained, pausing briefly. "I wanted to go with her, but she asked me not to. I felt so powerless in that moment. I think..." you trailed off. Sensing your pain, Kyungsoo reached for your hand across the table, offering as much comfort and support as he could.

"I was sad because it reminded me of mom. I hadn't even thought about her in so long," you confessed, as the emotions were building up inside you. "And then, I also thought about how much Ari took care of me after mom died. I always feel like I should repay her for all that she's done. So, I wanted to comfort her and go with her, or at least help her with the kids... but she just told me to go back home. She said she would update me when necessary."

Kyungsoo jumped off his seat to take the one next to you. He brought his bowl and chopsticks and placed them next to yours. As he settled down, he gently turned you to face him, taking hold of both of your hands. With a small smile and caring eyes, he said, “you do more than enough for your sister; she knows that. You are incredible, Y/N. I bet your mom would be so proud of the person you have grown into.”

The light in his eyes—you swear, it could warm you up for days with just one look. Being loved by him feels like peace and comfort; it’s exciting, and there’s fire and playfulness all at the same time. His kindness fills your heart with so much joy. The tears coming out were not just because of sadness but happiness because of having the best boyfriend in the world. You couldn’t even feel the cheesiness of that statement in that very moment, not when he was holding your every sorrow in the warmest embrace.

“Do you want to do anything today?” he whispered once you seemed calmer. “We can stay in, but if you want to go out, I will be more than happy to take you anywhere.”

“Did you really take the day off?”

Your curious question made him giggle. “Why so surprised? I’ve done it before,” he reminded you in his best attempt to hide his nervousness. Not that he is a workaholic or anything, but it was more due to the whole plan for the day and that he already wanted to tell you all about it.

You slowly let go of each other, and you just smiled at him, knowing how much he has done to schedule both of your lives so you can spend the most time together and never miss anything. It has also taken a lot of effort from you because both of your jobs have always been complicated with free time. “Let’s maybe go for something to eat for lunch; we can just cuddle until then,” you suggested while you held his cheeks and poked his dimples.

“What an adventurer, my love,” he joked at the same time that he carefully dried a couple of tears from your cheek, but he was the only one laughing when you playfully punched his arm. “I love it, I love it, I love you.”

“I love you, dumpling,” you exclaimed as you poked the dimple forming on his face.

“What?” His laugh echoed all over your apartment. “I haven’t heard you say that to me in so long!”

“What? Love you? Yeah… it’s been so long!” you said cheekily, but his antics still moved you, and you fought a smile by pouting.

“You dumb head!”

Your eyes widened at the audacity. “What did you just say?”

“You dumpling!” He also poked at your cheek.

“You didn’t sa—“ He cut you off with a kiss. You relaxed into it even when you wanted to just laugh out loud, but that translated into a smile, one that he mirrored while kissing you.

“We were eating,” he casually whispered while taking a small breath.

“We should probably keep doing so,” you whispered back, stopping him from getting any closer.

“Are you feeling any better?”

“Yeah, thank you.”

“Well, then you can do the dishes when we finish.”

“Yah! Do Kyungsoo!” You crossed your arms, pretending to be mad. “I’m only laughing because you are too. I love seeing you laugh. Also, thank you for cleaning yesterday’s mess, how’d you like to be rewarded?” you asked, teasingly moving closer, noticing your apartment being clean and all in order.

“Ahh stop,” he blushed, holding a giggle. You noticed him clearing his throat. “Let’s finish our breakfast.”

You often find yourself yearning for more mornings like this, with Kyungsoo playfully teasing you and your laughter filling the room. The idea of living together with him has crossed your mind from time to time, but you’re too hesitant sometimes, thinking too much if you’re in the right moment to take that step. You’re also guilty of letting other people own a place in your mind that tells you that it might be too soon, that you should possibly think about marriage first, and that settling down could mean risking your job and whatnot. Those voices really need to be quiet because you don’t see anything wrong with what you two have. Your job couldn’t possibly be jeopardized; two years of relationship is enough for you, and you’ve known him for almost five years already, so you might as well dive right in there and then.

It’s even funny how Kyungsoo is not worried about what to wear to go outside since he has at least five outfits in your apartment, even for someone who is quite simple when it comes to clothing. He even has one of his chef jackets and an apron for his uniform.

All of the getting ready went so smoothly that you could easily picture it all far ahead, but you were easily brought back to the present when you connected the dots of Kyungsoo wearing his faux leather jacket and gloves. You were seconds away from grabbing your camera from your bag and capturing that moment forever. It made sense in a way since you ended up cuddling and doing nothing for so long that you two ended up deciding to go on a picnic in the afternoon, so the jacket would serve well for the cold night, but the combination was surely making your heart flutter.

“What?” He turned around with a smirk on his face after grabbing his helmet. “Got yours too,” he said handing you the other helmet that was next to his.

“For a second, I don’t know why, I forgot you own a bike—a motorcycle type of bike.”

“You make no sense.”

“Never mind, let’s go.” Your thoughts were better kept inside your head, so you just put your helmet on and hopped on the bike. You felt the chuckle in his belly while you were trying to hold on tight. You always enjoy how comfortable he gets, but at the same time, he has made you blush way too much in just one day.

The change from summer to autumn felt more present in the past few days. The ride on the motorcycle exposed you even more to the change, as the weather was feeling nicer and you were not feeling like your head could burn from the heat inside the helmet. You held on even tighter and closer to Kyungsoo as you felt more comfortable along the ride. Somehow, you suddenly had flashbacks to the very first time you hopped on his motorcycle. You were just friends then, but now that you realize it, the feelings were catching up to you, and that was one of the first times that you thought about him differently.

You reached the first stop, which was his house, so he could leave his motorcycle parked. You had nothing really planned for the picnic, but you decided you were having it at Yeouido Hangang Park, so you would take the bus instead of worrying about parking. Kyungsoo had suggested the picnic and going to the Yeouido Bamdokkaebi Night Market, which surprised you a little, but it sounded great since you two hadn’t really had a cute romantic date in a while.

“Could you go pick up Meokmul and Hoochoo at the daycare?” Kyungsoo asked once he took his helmet off. You got lost in his eyes for a second, but then you noticed the ends of his hair were slightly damp and his nose was a little bit sweaty. He looked like his dogs, so you giggled.

“Y/N?”

“Oh, sure! Yeah, I’ll go.”

He shook his hair, hypnotizing you once more. You were completely lost and hadn’t even thought of fixing your own hair, but his hand found the rebellious lock on your left side and patted it back down. The proximity made you shiver, which made him giggle.

“Wait for me there; I’ll just go for my bus card and some stuff for the picnic.”

He dared to approach and give you a kiss on your forehead. Kyungsoo might have suspected it, but there was no denying that he had you eating from his palm from the moment you realized he had gone all bad-boy-look with his outfit today, just to match his motorcycle, just to tease you, just because—you wouldn’t know, but you’re more than grateful for the blessed view.

Haeun was at the reception today, so she waved at you with a wide smile on her face.

“Hey, Y/N! How have you been? Are you here to pick Hoochoo and Meokmul?”

You nodded happily, and when you reached the reception desk, you gave her your ID. “Haeun! It’s so nice to see you again. We’re taking them for a walk.”

Haeun’s eyes widened. She really was like a puppy taking care of a lot of other puppies. “Oh, they’ll be so happy! Come with me,” she invited, handing you your ID back after processing the discharge and calling a coworker in to take her place at the reception while you two went to get the dogs.

You trailed behind her as she led you down the hallway to the seating room, where the dogs' belongings were securely stored. "Hoochoo has been asleep for about twenty minutes now," she informed you, searching for the dogs' leashes. "Meokmul has been playing with Toben and Vivi," she added, providing you with an update on the dogs' activities.

“Oh, they’re here too?”

“Yes, she was lucky to have them here to play with. They’re really the best of friends.”

“Did Hoochoo have fun too?”

“Yeah, she played for a while but got sleepy after eating,” she giggled and pointed towards the playroom to let you know she was going in.

It was nice to hear that they were having the greatest time while you kept their dad away for a while. When you met them, there was an instant connection between the three of you. It had only taken a few seconds, and Meokmul was the first one to like you. Hoochoo was initially shy, requiring Kyungsoo’s gentle intervention to help the little puppy open up.

Funny enough, Haeun was the one who had introduced you to Kyungsoo when you coincidentally arrived at the same time to pick up your dogs. The three of them were harmoniously playing since they had already been friends for weeks. It just so happened that the owners hadn’t met yet. The bond that you all created was so strong that the loss of your dog two years ago was truly felt by them, but that only brought you closer to Kyungsoo and his dogs.

Meokmul had possibly smelled you or heard you because the barks in the distance were definitely too familiar. The little one ran towards you, making Haeun struggle a little with the leash, and the special treat you had taken from their bag didn’t help either. You showed it, and she ate it before you picked her up.

“I’ll go get Hoochoo with the carrier in case she’s still asleep.”

“Yes, thank you, Haeun!”

“Meokmul-ie, how are you? Hello, little sunshine!” You heard a chuckle behind you after cutely talking to the hyperactive dog on your lap. It was Kyungsoo, showing his most joyful smile. He was holding a little picnic basket, which made you wonder just how impromptu it would actually end up being. Knowing him, it probably didn’t even reach one percent.

“She woke up; she’s energized now, so—“ Haeun entered and stopped when she caught sight of Kyungsoo. “Oh, Kyungsoo-ssi! The two parents coming for their little girls; how cute!”

The both of you giggled and smiled at each other before bowing your heads to Haeun. “Thank you, Haeun-ah,” you said as you grabbed the double carrier and Kyungsoo took Hoochoo’s leash. “Let’s have a coffee together soon, yeah?”

“Welcome! We definitely should, just text me when you’re free. Have a nice day!”

“Enjoy your day, Haeun-ah!” Kyungsoo waved goodbye before he held your hand and led you outside.

The afternoon skyline was gorgeous, looking like the sunset was beginning soon enough. You contemplated it and squeezed Kyungsoo’s hand, to which he reacted with a chuckle. The reason was not important; just hearing that low, sweet chuckle of his was enough to make you feel all cozy and calm. You strolled along the sidewalk with your two beautiful dogs until you reached the bus stop, where you had to get the pups in the double carrier.

Kyungsoo scratched Meokmul behind her ear as she looked a little anxious. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Promise it won’t be long, little one.” He talked soothingly to calm her down.

He kept scratching her ear on the bus ride so she wouldn’t start barking nervously, and you gave her some treats to entertain her. Hoochoo received some too, but she was at ease in the carrier, all warmed up and happy with the company of Meokmul. The ride was indeed short, but Meokmul calmed down easily thanks to both of your calming attentiveness.

Once at Yeouido Park, you got both of them out of the carrier so they could walk along with you. Kyungsoo smiled at them and then at you. The picnic basket was on the floor next to the carrier, so the two little dogs couldn’t help but inspect it with their noses. “Ready for our date, little ones?” he chuckled.

Meokmul and Hoochoo barked as if they were answering him, waving their tails expectantly. You managed to take a picture of the three of them right in that moment, and when Kyungsoo looked back up, realizing you just took a candid photo, you said, “they know something’s up. What have you got planned, Soo?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Ah, it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you. For now, let’s walk; we’ve got some food to gather for our picnic.”

“So there’s nothing in the basket,” you commented suspiciously.

Kyungsoo only laughed, shaking his head as he took the dogs strollers in one hand while the other searched for yours. He squeezed once he held it gently, looking for something in your eyes that made him smile so brightly. You were curious now, but you decided it would be even more entertaining if you waited for whatever he planned for the night.

You set off down the busy lane with one pup each, Kyungsoo not letting go of the picnic basket, and you holding the carrier. The street food market bustled with delicious aromas and a lively atmosphere filled with people’s laughter and small chatter.

You stopped at a tteokbokki stand once the scent translated into flavor in your mind. The draw was so strong thanks to the warm feeling it gave you just thinking about the taste of the soft rice cakes in your mouth. You asked the vendor for a medium serving to take away, and Kyungsoo put it inside the picnic basket. It was hard not to peek, but he was too fast at closing the cover, nervously giggling.

A dumpling stand caught Kyungsoo’s attention; he approached and looked back at you, smiling knowingly. You immediately poked his cheek. “What do you think about these dumplings, Chef Do?”

“They look delicious, right?”

You marveled at his expression, reminiscing on your requested class all those years ago to your newfound friend, who looked at you amused at your concentration with his cheek full of dumpling flour. Kyungsoo’s weakness was food. “I do see one delicious dumpling,” you teased, holding his gaze with fire in your eyes.

The words caught up in his throat, so he swallowed thickly before his voice could come out shaky. His ears heated up, and he tried to look anywhere else. He still giggled, knowing you were taking your chance at teasing him, just like he did earlier when he knew you were staring at him with those dreamy eyes because of his choice of clothing.

Luckily, the woman serving the dumplings caught his wandering gaze and asked for his order; otherwise, he would have melted in front of you. After ordering two servings of dumplings, one steamed and the other fried, he managed to pull off a playful smile at your teasing words once his heart settled. He found your gaze still lingering, your eyes glowing with glee and something deeper; he could only hope it wasn’t just his longing playing tricks on him. All of the surrounding noise drifted away, and he found himself present with only you there in that moment.

He wished to reach for you and confess everything he had planned for the night, but his question still weighed with uncertainty and insecurities, so he needed a moment of complete confidence and the setting he had already pictured. The crowd would make him nervous even when no one paid the minimum attention to them. There were still some more steps to take to reach that longed-for destination.

Kyungsoo was more than reassured when he felt your hand on his arm. You didn’t have to say a word; the slight scrunch of your nose when you smiled and the warmth of your gaze calmed his anxieties. With you, he felt not only seen but understood—a comfort that had been hard to find all those years before you came into his life.

Too soon, the order was ready. With a kind smile and a bow to the sellers, he thanked them and packed away the dumplings. Hand in hand, you continued your wandering stroll along the market, picking whatever snack you desired. Since you found some fried chicken and already had tteokbokki, you two decided to pass by the convenience store and buy some ramyeon for the perfect food setting.

It didn’t take too long to reach the camping and picnic area once you had all of your food. Kyungsoo found a great spot near a tree, where you managed to settle before the last bits of light from the sun touched the sky. He had come prepared, as you had expected.

“Let me rearrange everything; close your eyes,” he asked you as you finished getting the little ones in their carrier since both of them were tired from playing all day and walking along the market with you two.

You were surprised to hear that since you two had already set the blankets on the grass, and he had taken out his wooden house-shaped lamp and put it next to the picnic basket. You still carried on, hopeful for his surprise.

After setting the folding table and carefully displaying the indulgently selected feast with flickering candle lanterns and fresh strawberries he had brought from home, he asked you to open your eyes again.

You swiftly opened your eyes, and they mirrored the light coming out of Kyungsoo’s as you traced over all of the little details and felt your heart warming up. “Soo, jagi, it’s beautiful,” you breathed. “It looks even more appealing now.”

Hoochoo’s head popped out of the carrier, hearing the both of you laugh together. She now looked hungry, so before you started on with your meal, you gave her some of hers. Meokmul was fast asleep, it seemed, but halfway through your dinner, she woke up asking for food.

With full bellies and hearts lighter, conversation turned reminiscent, noticing how many moments you had referenced from your friends to lovers relationship beginnings. Although short and recent, you managed to get enough closeness that led you to develop such strong feelings for one another. Kyungsoo knew it was time now that the momentum was clear with your talk being about you two.

The sweet and careful touch of his hand over your cheek soothed you into a pleasant mood, interrupting your giggles with his gesture. Whatever he needed to say or was thinking about, you lovingly gave him all of your attention.

“Y/N,” he started. “I have a surprise for you,” he smiled.

“Another one?” you genuinely asked, immediately interested in all of the possibilities.

He nodded. “You could say so, yeah.” His hand lingered on your cheek, but with a light stroke on your cheekbone, he shifted towards the picnic basket.

From an outside bottom compartment, Kyungsoo reached for a gift box, carefully handing it to you. He looked expectant as you grabbed it, the corners of his lips forming a slowly growing, hopeful smile. His features were divine, lighted up by the candle lanterns, and you couldn’t wait long to see what he was gifting you.

You looked at the photo on the cover; you captured that moment just a few weeks ago at Kyungsoo’s house. It had been such an ordinary day, but you had matched sweaters on, completely unintentional. Meokmul was on his lap, and you were holding Hoochoo, who licked Kyungsoo’s chin and made you laugh. The view of such a lighthearted moment, as well as your guess at what could be inside the book, brought happy tears to your eyes almost immediately. As you looked back at him, you caught a watery shine in his.

“Why am I crying? This is just the first look at your gift,” you sniffled.

Kyungsoo chuckled, amused at your reaction, but he embraced you to try and soothe your crying. “It’s okay if you cry; just promise it is out of happiness. My intentions were never to make you hurt.”

“It’s happiness; I’m excited to know what’s inside.”

Kyungsoo was already beaming at seeing you so moved by just the cover alone. He dried your tears and planted two kisses on your forehead. “Open it,” he urged softly. “I hope you like it. I tried to do the most I could within my creative possibilities.”

You giggled softly. “You are creative, mostly in the kitchen. You’re a genius chef, and I’m so lucky to have befriended you,” you advocated for him, honestly.

“Befriended,” he simply repeated and chuckled.

You continued to open the photo album, still wrapped in his arms. He wasn’t stopping his surprises, it seemed. The first two pages of the book had photos of both of you as kids; you could see why he chose those pictures, and the caption soothed you and filled you with so much gratitude and love for him.

Were we destined to find each other? Our connection seemed to exist earlier than we could imagine, no matter where we were.

His sweet smile was timeless. You could see yourself meeting Kyungsoo as a kid at that beach, running around and playing on the shore where small waves washed over your feet. It wasn’t the same one, but something in the pictures looked as if they were taken at the same place, day, and time.

“I saw that picture at Ari’s house a couple of months ago. Undeniably so, I knew I had seen something similar before. I had my picture at home, so when I returned that day and searched for it, I could only think about how many more could show such similarities,” Kyungsoo explained, talking near your ear.

You lifted your hand to caress his cheek. “You’ve been crafting this since then?” you asked.

“Not right then, but I had been looking for pictures, and then the idea came. Mom and Ari helped quite a lot,” he chuckled. “Just yesterday, I finally got your childhood pictures so I could add them.”

You kissed his cheek and continued to flip through the pages. Pictures of you two at different schools but with similar smiles, different cities but the same colors in the sky, different dogs but the same pose. Your lives seemed somehow planned and destined to blend; your eyes kept pouring down tears of joy when you reached the page where your early encounters started to appear—all those pictures you took.

A picture of you two at the first New Year’s party with his parents specially moved you. You were still just friends then, but he invited you over since he was also carrying out the first celebration at his new apartment.

You told me about your mom two days before, and I wished with you that she was there with us. But you must be her mirror; I can see her in you from the little details you’ve shared with me.

Kyungsoo held you tighter. He hadn’t anticipated in the planning and crafting of this gift that you could be sensitive about your mom on this day, so he consciously kept you wrapped in his arms. He felt how you squeezed back, embracing the reassurance he was trying to give you.

“Thank you, Soo,” you managed to say, but while it’d be easy for you to find words to express your feelings, this time there were not enough.

“Turn the page,” he said, his voice cracking. You moved to face him, and he smiled through the tears. “I have something to say,” he managed to speak calmly, in spite of his rushing emotions.

You followed through and flipped the page. A carefully crafted collage portrayed the photos you sent him—while you took care of Hoochoo and Meokmul, or just a nice picture of a sunset you saw—along with letters while he was enlisted and some of the ones you took on his day offs.

Kyungsoo took a deep breath, and you carefully held his hand. “I…” he started but stopped when he felt his tears coming down; you cleared them carefully and softly smiled. “That time of my life was hard to get through. I don’t think I thanked you enough for being there and all that you did for me.” He finally found the right words as he brushed his thumb over your hand.

“All those letters, all those pictures, all those moments you shared with me—you gave me the hope I lacked. I told you many times that I had fallen for you slowly and carefully, but it was on my mind every day,” he smiled tenderly. “You have no idea how much I love you. I learned to say whatever is on my mind because of you; if I hadn’t said those words to you, I probably would have lost you.”

You slowly shook your head. “No, I was too head over heels for you already. I wouldn’t have let you lose me.”

He giggled and kissed you softly, taking his time to marvel at this moment with you and trying to release the last of his nerves. “Could you take a look at the last page?” he asked, breaking away for a moment.

Eager to know what that last page offered you, you turned it over and smiled. The last picture, a copy of one of your photography class projects where you captured the concept of “home,” greeted you; it was Kyungsoo’s side profile while cooking in his restaurant’s kitchen. Next to it was a photo he had taken of the two of you when you visited his friends in Busan.

You looked up at him, wondering, searching for the answers in his joyful gaze. Kyungsoo held your hand at the same time that the two little pups woke up. Both of you couldn’t help but giggle, thinking they must have wanted to be a part of your moment, so you grabbed Meokmul, and he put Hoochoo on his lap.

Clearing his throat, he began, “Y/N, I’ve been thinking about this for awhile. Whenever I’m with you, no matter where we are, I feel at home. You are my home and safe place, and I want to have you as close as I can… would you like to start living together?”

He was a mind reader; you couldn’t help but reach to lovingly cup his face. Meokmul wanted her space with the two of you, so she started licking your hands and Kyungsoo’s cheek in the process. The both of you laughed while Hoochoo wagged her tail. “Of course, Soo!” you exclaimed between giggles.

When you could breathe easily and the pups calmed down a bit, you ran your fingers through his hair. “You’re also my home. You’ve loved every part of me, just as I have loved every part of you. Would you believe me if I told you I have also been thinking about it?”

His eyes widened, and a silly laugh escaped him. “I would actually believe it, but how are we so in sync?”

“I don’t want an answer; I just want us to keep working this way,” you admitted.

“You’re so wise,” he kissed your cheek. “Thank you; you’ve made all of my dreams come true just by being you. I can’t wait to wake up each day and see your beautiful eyes and fall asleep staring at them too.”

You pulled him close, softly brushing your lips against his; he placed his hand on your neck, his thumb slightly brushing your earlobe. Your lips met softly and slowly, making you feel at ease, like coming home—him—your home. “Thank you for loving me; it’s the greatest gift I’ve ever known.”

#kyungsoo #kyungsoo x reader #kyungsoo fluff #kyungsoo fanfic #d.o. kyungsoo #do kyung soo #chef Kyungsoo #exo #exo fanfic #exo fanfiction #exouniverse

44 notes · View notes

dreamylittlesugarcube · 9 months

Text

Clickbait

Genre: EXO AU

Characters: Kyungsoo x Female Reader

Warnings: Kind of some swearing?

Word Count: 1000

Summary: You meet your long-term pen pal and it’s SURPRISE, Kyungsoo.

A/N: This was a request and a fun one at that! I hope you enjoy it. Don’t forget to like and re-blog if you do. How would you react if this happened to you? Leave me a GIF in the comments!

Also note: This is my own original work, if you’d like to share, please re-blog. Do not re-post. Image used is not mine, credit goes to Soompi.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crouched behind a hip-height brick wall, you carefully checked your phone, watching as the seconds ticked by, second by second closer to the appointed meeting time.

55…56…57…58…59…60

7:00 AM

Behind you, the giant hands on the clock tower advanced and the bells chimed, each dong seeming to say MOVE YOUR BUTT, COWARD! You peeked around the corner, careful to stay hidden as you scanned the mostly-deserted park, wondering if any of the strangers walking by happened to be your stranger. Though perhaps ‘stranger’ wasn’t the right word. More like ‘person-I’ve-told-all-my-inner-thoughts-to-but-actually-never-met-and-might-

be-a-scammer’.

Not for the first time, you wondered if you were foolish. Foolish to have joined a cooking community on Reddit. Foolish to have responded to a post from soogoodmykimchispaghetti. Foolish to have spent over a year messaging a person you only knew online. Day by day, falling for the kind, witty man you exchanged food porn photos with.

If you’d learned anything from MTV’s Catfish, it was to be skeptical of young, seemingly attractive, well-spoken men online. Especially ones who avoided video chatting and changed the topic every time you asked for a picture. You’d sent him one of yours, hoping he’d respond with one in kind. But he hadn't. And yet somehow he’d still talked you into flying to meet him in Seoul. Which was precisely how you found yourself in your current position, hiding within sight of the meeting place, unsure of whether you actually wanted him to show up or not.

From your point of view there were three options ahead of you:

Option 1: He ghosts you and you can quietly pretend this never happened

Option 2: He’s nothing like you imagined

Option 3: He’s everything you thought he’d be and more

Option 4: He tries to extort you for money or join his MLM scheme.

Honestly, 75% of those options sucked.

“Um…puffypancakegirl29?”

You startled at the sound of a voice behind you, losing your balance and falling flat on your butt in the process. On the ground, you closed your eyes, taking a deep breath before you looked up. You had time to register dark brown eyes, fluffy black hair, and full-looking lips before instant recognition hit.

Your ult bias, EXO’s Do Kyungsoo, extended his hand to you.

“Puffypancakegirl29?” he tried again.

Your throat felt tight as you nodded mechanically, managing to grasp his hand and allow him to pull you up from the dirt. You made a show of dusting off your pants as you thought about what to say.

Hello Soo, nice to meet you, by the way I love you and your voice makes me melt? Or Nice to meet you Soo, by the way I really enjoyed that low-cut white pirate shirt you wore on Music Bank the other week?

Both of those options sounded like excellent ways to freak out the K-Pop idol who was apparently your long-term penpal.

“Are you okay?” Kyungsoo asked, dark brows knitted together in concern.

You swallowed hard. “Yeah, yep, totally fine, all good,” you sputtered. “Just waiting for you.”

“Behind a wall?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow in amusement.

You shrugged, murmuring something unintelligible. Fighting the urge to run, you made a beeline past Kyungsoo for a bench you spotted just down the path.

“Wait,” Kyungsoo called after you, stooping down to pick up the phone you hadn’t realized you’d dropped. “Your phone…”

Now in front of you, he stood, staring at your lock screen with an expression you couldn’t quite read. In horror, you realized what he was seeing: a close-up of him wearing that god-damned pirate shirt, looking sexy as hell during his “Cream Soda” promotions.

You quickly snatched the phone out of his hands, hiding it behind your back to try and bury the evidence, though you knew it was already too late.

Kyungsoo sat down beside you, hands folded calmly in his lap.

“So…I take it, you know who I am then?”

“Yeah,” you replied. “Yeah, I know who you are. But only now, I swear I didn’t know before.”

“How would you?” he asked gamely. “I never sent you a picture…which I’m sorry about, by the way, I just–”

“No, I get it, Kyungsoo. I do. With your job, you have to be careful…and sending pictures to some random girl you met online–”

“You’re not some random girl–”

You laughed. “I’m the definition of ‘some random girl’, Kyungsoo. I mean, we met on a cooking subreddit thread, for pete’s sake.”

“True,” Kyungsoo chuckled. “It’s nice to meet you, by the way.” He extended his hand for you to take. “You know, once we decided to meet, I’d been thinking about how to reveal my identity to you, but I guess now I don’t have to.”

You took his hand, pumping it up and down. “I swear, I’m not a weirdo. I just really like your voice, that’s all.”

“And my chest, apparently.”

You felt your face get red. “I would love it if you would forget about that,” you said, wondering if there might be a sinkhole nearby for you to fall into.

“Not a chance,” he responded, sporting a grin that said this would definitely come up again in the future.

“Um…so…what should we do now,” you asked dumbly, trying to shift the conversation to literally anything else.

“I was thinking maybe breakfast? Get to know each other a little more?” Kyungsoo replied. “I know a great place near here that serves those fluffy, souffle pancakes and I assumed maybe you–”

“Is that why we had to meet at the crack of dawn?” you blurted.

Kyungsoo laughed, his eyes squinching in a delightfully cute way. “Well, partially. That…and I’m…well, me, so–”

You smiled at his words, holding up a hand to cut him off. “Breakfast sounds good.”

Kyungsoo got up, putting on a black baseball cap and face mask. His “on the down-low” gear, you assumed. You walked together through the park in companionable silence and once on streets, let him guide you down some surprisingly quiet alleyways towards your destination. A bright yellow awning greeted you, along with the sweet smell of baked goods and maple syrup.

“Kyungsoo?” you said, stopping him just outside the restaurant.

He turned to smile back at you and your heart thumped loudly in your chest.

“Thanks for being Option #3.”

~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading Clickbait! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Don’t forget to leave me a meme or GIF in the comments. How would you react if this were you? Inquiring minds must know!

XOXO,

Emmy

#kyungsoo fanfic #kyungsoo exo #do kyungsoo #exo fanfic #exo #kyungsoo #exo fic #exo fiction #exo scenario #exo fanfiction #exo scenarios #kyungsoo fluff #exo kyungsoo #kyungsoo scenarios #exo request #cream soda #exo imagines #kyungsoo x reader #kyungsoo x you

89 notes · View notes

peachysooxo · 5 months

Text

The Kingdom of Us

Chapter 2

pairing: kyungsoo x OFC genre: Royal!AU, nonidol!soo, crownprince!kyungsoo, romance, drama

theme: arranged marriage, modern royalty, enemies to lovers, war, betrayal, eventual smut word count: 3,197 description: Kyungsoo fights his feelings at the engagement dinner being held for himself and Alina. Part of Alina’s past is revealed, Kyungsoo questions his own motives

warnings: mature themes, mentions of sex, mentions of anxiety, minors DNI

Author’s Notes: hi! Thank you so much for your support. We are getting a little deeper into this world, I hope I don’t make you hate Kyungsoo with this story! No significant warnings this time. Photos are not mine. Dividers by @saradika-graphics ! Happy reading (:

KYUNGSOO

I stand at the end of the foyer with Chanyeol and Baekhyun on either side of me. I glance up the stairs every so often, waiting for Princess Alina to join us for our dinner. This entire night was for her, it was merely advertised as being for us. It was another formality I had to pretend to be excited about. I had merely been a guest at these engagement dinners before, now the entire family was elated that it was my turn, it meant improvements and promotions for everyone. Though our engagement wasn’t official, it felt like it. I listen to the chatter from my aunts, mother and cousins, the anticipation of the Princess coming down the stairs was unbearable.

Ah, Princess Alina.

Alina gave me a headache and I barely knew her for five hours. Her push back earlier today was a big surprise to me, she isn’t exactly known for having an opinion. Valencia was embarrassingly behind in their treatment of women, unfortunately all anyone can focus on is Alina’s beauty. Too bad all of said beauty goes to ruin the second she opens her mouth. All I know is that she better go along about our agreement, or I will make every single day of her life a living hell. She’s just another thing thrown in my face because she’s a “good decision”, the “right girl to grow the dynasty”. It never occurred to anyone that I didn’t want any of this. Though I didn’t have another woman in mind, it didn’t mean that I couldn’t find a wife on my own.

“Hey, pay attention.” Baekhyun nudges me. Unlike the rest of the family, I allowed Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Yixing to speak informally to me. I don’t have any brothers and they were the closest I could get to siblings. They were the three men I trusted the most in the court.

“I am paying attention. See? I’m waiting for my prison sentence to grace us with her presence.” I nudge him back, a slight growl in my voice.

“That was harsh.” Chanyeol mutters.

“Excuse me?” I look up at my cousin, his cheeks are red and his eyes are downcast. “Do you want her? You can have her.”

“I didn’t say that.” Chanyeol snaps. “I just think you should be nicer to her. She’s young and scared, I know you don’t want this but don’t take it out on her.”

My eyebrows raise and an unfamiliar burn tingles in my head. My ears ring and suddenly Chanyeol is a threat to me. Never have I felt this toward him, alarm bells sound in my head. This is more reason to not go through with this. What makes angry is Chanyeol trying to tell me what to do with my fiancé. Whether I like it or not, she’s my headache and none of his damn business.

“Is it not a fact, Chanyeol? I was assigned a wife; hand chosen by my parents. It is a life sentence I have to serve. I’m being as nice as I can be. It’s not my fault my parents didn’t think when they chose her.” I explain with shrugged shoulders, clasping my hand over my wrist. The hustle and bustle of the family gathering and talking to one another is almost deafening, I didn’t enjoy these formal gatherings, never have. They felt so superficial, so showy and obnoxious. Half of this family hated each other anyway. The other half were social climbing leeches that wanted nothing else from me but status and support for whatever they do. Most of them are only here out of curiosity. They want to meet the People’s Princess, or so everyone calls her.

A figure at the top of the stairs catches my eye. I wait to see if it’s my forever headache announcing her presence, and sure enough it is. Princess Alina’s shy smile charmed the entire room to go silent and watch her descend the stairs. She didn’t have to say anything at all, it was her presence that was magnetic. The moment she came into my vision, time stopped. I take in every bit of her, studying her for any flaws. It aggravated me that she was naturally so… Lovely.

She was the only genuine person in this room, her smile was honest. Truthfully, I didn’t know much about the Princess. The only thing I did know is when her smile was fake and when it was real. I wasn’t stupid, I did my research. I watched Princess Alina from afar for some time and learned quickly that she wore her emotions on her sleeve. At the many charity events the Princess attended, she’d have that wide smile that showed off her dimples. If she wasn’t pleased, she wouldn’t show her teeth and would narrow her gaze. Tonight, I saw her full smile, dimples and all.

Princess Alina was glowing in a white form fitting dress that flowed just below her calves, a square neckline showing just a small bit of her deeply tan skin. Yellow gold jewelry in the shape of hearts adorned her neck and ear. Every small bit of her was perfectly put together as if she was crafted by hand. Her hair was styled to fall down her back in a braid with small flowers placed strategically intertwined from the crown of her head down into the braid. It was a traditional Valencian hairstyle, she always had her hair in traditional styles for these types of events. I grew annoyed that she was wearing makeup for the simple fact that it accentuated her beauty.

Up until her arrival, I received a photo of the Princess every year and never gave it a second thought or more than a quick glance. Every princess had their photos edited to look much prettier than they really were. It wouldn’t be unfair to imagine that Alina was any different. Now I see her in front of me and she looked exactly like her photos. When we met earlier in the day, I bullshitted that “your photos don’t do you justice” comment. Now, I see that was wrong to do. I should’ve paid more attention. Everyone in the room gathered and lined the walkway to the dining room, watching and whispering compliments as she greets each member of the Doh Royal Family. She certainly didn’t have to waste her time, but she took the time that none of these people deserved. A small part of me disagreed with each sentiment that was spoken because they weren’t enough to describe what I saw in front of me. It’s becoming very difficult to hate someone who’s so…

So…

I couldn’t even find the proper words for her. She took them from my mind and my mouth. Princess Alina was ethereal, there was something about her that made my heart flutter and it angered me. I stop and compose myself, bringing my head back down to earth. I had to focus on the task at hand. I couldn’t let her beauty get to me.

“She is stunning. Your son and the Princess will have beautiful children.” Aunt Micha coos to Mother behind me.

“We’ll see about that.” Mother grumbles under her breath. I roll my eyes and turn to Princess Alina as she stops in front of me, her respectful bow takes me by surprise. She plays her role exceptionally well; I couldn’t ask for more. She offers a soft nod, her lips curving into a smile with emotionless eyes. It’s a relief that she’s devoid of emotions in her eyes. I fear that she would make me retract my stipulations if I saw the true emotions in her gaze. I offer my hand and she gracefully accepts it. I link her arm with mine and escort her to the dining room. Along the way I put my hand over hers and smile down at her.

“My darling, you are so beautiful.” I say lowly. The Princess’ eyes gaze into mine, discomfort at my sweet name for her caused them to well up with tears. Her smile gives her a deceitful glow that can fool anyone into believing she was happy. Were all of her smiles fake? She’s holding back tears. She hates this as much as I do. Everyone in this room believes we instantly fell in love, how wrong they were. We kept our eyes forward and Alina made it a point to greet everyone, it boggled my brain. Why did she have to acknowledge everyone? Princess Alina stops for a moment, stepping in front of me. “What is it?”

She tries to suppress a giggle and adjusts my tie with soft hands. She pats my chest and bows her head. “Your tie, Your Grace. The knot was coming loose.”

“Thank you, Princess.” I lower my head in thanks. A gentle smile comes and goes as fast as I blink my eyes. We bow to Mother and Father, two Royal Guards approach them with customary gifts from Valencia. Princess Alina’s home country offered a gold necklace to the Mother and a gold watch to Father. One of Valencia’s biggest imports was gold, it was customary for a Valencian Royal to gift their future in laws gold jewelry. Of course, Mother and Father delighted in the gifts. King Ignacio and Queen Evelina could’ve just given it to them on their last visit, but I digress. Formalities are everything.

I guide Princess Alina to her place at the table and pull her chair out. She sits, I take the seat next to her and the family all collectively gather around the large dining table. The conversation is light at first, the duchesses ask the Princess what life was like in Valencia. Between the first and second courses of dinner, I thoroughly studied Alina’s every move. I was filled with so much fascination that someone could mistake it for love. Alina does the same whenever I turn away from her, I catch her in my peripheral vision. How curious is it that I want to look at her constantly? Our gazes catch each other’s, and we hold the contact for a few seconds. Alina turns away with red cheeks, her attention focused on anyone else but me.

“So, Princess Alina, how is the alliance your father made with the Azteco Nation? Still strong?” Boram, my cousin by marriage, smirks, leaning forward on the table. Alina’s demeanor never changes, she never shows her cards.

“It is only faring well considering Azteco’s Queen is my sister.” Princess Alina laughs softly. “I fear the only alliance Azteco’s King has with Valencia’s King is that they are in-laws.”

“How wonderful! How is Queen Maria doing? We were made aware that the birth of Princess Daniela was quite traumatic.”

“Boram,” I warn softly. Alina pats my knee under the table and nods to my cousin.

“Queen Maria has recovered well. Thank you for asking,” Alina beams. Murmurs spark down the table at how “well trained” Princess Alina is, how nothing can unnerve her. Mother pays close attention to how Alina reacts, she had been ever so curious if the Princess will crack under pressure. I didn’t understand why Mother was suddenly so displeased with Alina, it was her that chose Alina as my betrothed. Perhaps her own guilt is being projected onto the Princess, but that can just be me overanalyzing this situation we found ourselves in.

“And your relationship with King Daniel? Is there any truth to the rumors?” Boram pries deeper, not satisfied with Alina’s answer. What is she talking about? Princess Alina’s smile fades and her eyes lock with Mother. Mother’s brow furrows and a sly grin appears on her face, her attention turning to Boram.

“Boram, what is this you speak of?” Queen Hyunae questions. “Princess Alina, care to explain?”

I can see the anxiety and stress strangling Alina. She was a deer in the headlights, panic rising on her face. What is it that’s making her so nervous? Disappointing me? A secret being revealed and the possibly consequences? Oh, this is going to get good. The entire room falls silent, not even a pin drop could be heard. She turns her attention to me, begging me with her eyes to stop this from getting out of control. Confusion riddles my mind, obviously it’s something that shouldn’t be revealed at dinner such as this. I shake my head and turn my attention to my troublemaking cousin.

“Alright, enough! Boram, you need to put an end to the gossip that you spread. You’re making Princess Alina uncomfortable. I expect better treatment toward her.” I demand, my acting is so good that everyone believes me.

“My many apologies, Princess.” Father adds, glaring at his niece. “This behavior will not happen again.” The silence brings awkwardness to the dinner table. I decide that enough is enough and I change the subject for now. Regardless, I will find out what it is that Alina is hiding from me.

“Princess. Are you prepared for our rehearsals? Our engagement ball is coming up.” I offer. Alina looks into my eyes and nods.

“It will be delightful, Crown Prince.”

After the disastrous dinner, I suggest that we take a stroll in the palace garden, a place Alina had not been before. We leave together, changing the tune of the family. The Princess takes in the beauty of the garden, something in her calms and changes into serenity. She looks up to the sky and locates the moon, I look in the direction of her gaze and see the crescent in the sky.

She is the moonlight. She must have hung the moon and stars herself, there is no comparison to this beauty she possesses. Stop while you’re ahead, Kyungsoo.

“So,” I break the silence. “You hooked up with King Daniel?”

She stops walking and shakes her head vehemently. “I could never do that to my sister or to you, Your Highness! How disgusting are you?!”

This whole, “hurt you before you can hurt me” thing is only backfiring. I stand speechless, unsure of what to say. The only thing I can think of doing is to drop to my knees and bow, aware that eyes are on us. Confused, Alina sinks down and touches my face out of concern. “Princess, my deepest apologies for insulting you.”

“Never do this again, Your Grace.” Alina replies, a smile on her face to cover her agitation. “It is clear how you truly feel about me.”

What happened between Alina and Daniel? I never got along with Azteco’s king, every rumor I heard about him wasn’t too far from the truth. The puzzling part was how Alina fit in to this, did I not pay enough attention to what she was doing while waiting to be brought to Seoul? I surmised long ago that anyone is capable of hurting the people around them for selfish reasons; I’ve known it, I’ve felt it.

I also understood my circles were much different than the ones the women in this family were in. I take Alina’s hands and we stand together, my arm resting on her upper back. “Princess, everyone has a past. Everyone pretends to wait for their betrothed, but we all know that is never the case. It’s okay if you had a relationship before me. I had relationships before you.”

Alina’s eyes water, pain written all over her face. Slowly, she starts to back away and I can’t help but feel satisfied that I managed to keep her at a distance. “Crown Prince… I didn’t know you did that. It is becoming abundantly clear that this is not going to work. Here I was, the only one being true to our betrothal. I… I…”

“Stop crying, darling. There are eyes everywhere.” I caress my betrothed’s face, pulling her close to me. Alina stiffens to my surprise.

“Please… You don’t need to do this.”

“I wanted to kiss you, Princess. Are you pretending to be shy with me?” I peer closer, feeling her muscles tense in my hold. Alina holds back a sob and looks away, what am I doing? Am I a monster? I quickly loosen my grip on her and kiss her hand, smiling. “A tease, hm?”

“I thought you were much different than this, Crown Prince.” Alina starts. “Why do you hate me? Am I not what you want? Please don’t torture me and let me go. I will accept my punishment, anything is better than what lies ahead if we keep going.”

I stare at my betrothed, shocked at her plea. She was in agreement when she arrived and suddenly that changes? Obviously, something happened between Daniel and Alina, she just didn’t want to admit it. Not yet at least. I refuse to be made a fool with a wife such as her, keeping secrets and lying to my face. I shrug my shoulders and wipe her tears out of annoyance of seeing them. They’re probably not real anyway, just enough to get her out of this conversation.

“No, you’re staying. I will walk you back to your chambers, Princess.” I give up for now and walk the Princess back to her chambers, continuing the silence between us. She slips in her door and locks it, allowing no room for me to follow her. I walk back to my chambers and slide my phone out of my pocket, sending a message to Princess Alina. I might not want this marriage, but I’m not a heartless man. That look in Alina’s eyes said it all: she really took all of this seriously (as much as I didn’t want to believe it) and I betrayed that by dating despite the laws a betrothal held, or how she might feel about it when she found out.

Kyungsoo Princess, I am sorry for my words. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me.

Darling Wife Okay.

I acknowledge her message and proceed to search forDaniel and Alina rumors on the internet. To say the least, I was bothered by what I saw.

King Daniel weighs options of breaking betrothal of Crown Prince Kyungsoo of Seoul and Princess Alina of Mariposa

Princess Alina of Mariposa Absent from Wedding of now-Queen Maria of Azteco and King Daniel due to Illness

Princess Alina Enlists for Medical Military Service, to get closer to King Daniel or Crown Prince Kyungsoo?

Valencia’s Crown Disputes Rumors of Princess Alina Carrying a Secret Relationship with Brother In Law King Daniel

Fellow Military Nurse discloses the truth: “Princess Alina pines and cries over betrothed Crown Prince Kyungsoo as he gets closer to enemy lines.”

I remember hearing of her presence at my base, but I never wanted to see her. How much truth is in these headlines? Are these rumors? Do gossip websites really need that much attention, why not focus on celebrities? Not one word about Alina had been this controversial, in fact tonight was the first time I heard of any of this.

Kyungsoo Princess, I would like to see you

Darling Wife Why, your Highness…?

Kyungsoo I would like to speak with you

Darling Wife No. Goodnight Crown Prince.

25 notes · View notes

sooghostwriter · 1 year

Text

Third Name

Member/Pairing: Do Kyung Soo x OC

Genre/Type: Smut, Mature, Romance, Royalty/ Dictatorship AU, Action, Time jumps. Multichapter.

Word count: 8250 words.

Summary: Anna has a plan for her own freedom. Prince Kyung Soo has one for the nation. She thinks she is meeting her enemy, he just wants to meet her. When the revolution begins he will need her help to claim their freedom.

PS: I block empty blogs.

Chapter 11

Kyung Soo’s face begging her to take him out of there was hunting her.

It was the first time Anna saw him like that, and she wasn’t planning on letting him there suffer for much longer. So this meeting with Minseok, Sehun, and Chanyeol had to be the last one.

“If we are taking him out we can't just take him, we have to make it look like a kidnapping, make a huge deal about it, use it as a distraction,” Minseok said very seriously.

“For what?” Chanyeol asked, almost angry. Not with Minseok, but with everything. He and Sehun were filled with frustration since they couldn’t leave the Clan’s hideouts, unable to help anybody, especially their friend.

“So the Clan can start moving and also to bomb his uncle's reputation” The three of them looked at Minseok asking for more details.

“If Kyung Soo just disappears he could use it, say that he ran away, or straight up fake his death and take the crown, if we kidnap him he is going to have to explain some things to the Crown and at least they will look for him”

“I see, we are going to put him in a tight spot, I like that, me and Chanyeol will take care of it and Anna is in charge of kidnapping her boyfriend" She liked the idea, although at this point she would agree to any plan. Anna asked them the only thing she cared about now.

"When is this happening? " Minseok told them to prepare for that Friday.

That night, and the ones that followed, she visited Kyung Soo and shared with him their plan. His eyes shone and he promised that he would follow the rules, without asking for explanations.

Anna explained everything with details and made him repeat some important parts of the plan to check if he was paying attention.

"As long as you are with me we will be ok, but if we split for some reason you need to stay in the castle hidden, they are never going to search for you here, they are going to assume that we took you out" She told him holding his hand as soon as she notice how nervous he was.

"Who is going to help you?" He asked, offering both of his hands for her to hold.

"I was told that it's about time to tell you this, and it's going to be a lot, so interrupt me when you think it's needed because you have a question or it's just too much" Kyung Soo assured her that he was going to do so and also remain calm.

Anna spoke without interruptions about the Clan. Kyung Soo only listened and stared at her with his big round eyes.

"With your illness and your parents death the Order is currently in a malleable state, they could support you and wait for you or just choose your uncle as the next king, if that were to happen, the people would take the hardest part and the Clan would have to change the course of actions radically… your uncle has his own people, his own ideas and connections with other countries that could start a coup" Kyung Soo covered his face with his hands, breathing heavily.

"And if they chose me, what was the original plan? " He asked after calming himself down.

"You were going to start your own coup against the Order, with the support of the Clan"

"So a civil war?" Anna began repeating what Minseok said to her.

"The goal was always to create a citizen movement stronger than the crown and its army, use the least amount of confrontation between citizens…I think we are almost there, but things have to speed up, and we will see what kind of force is needed after we take you out of here"

"We can't avoid confrontation then" He commented with resignation.

"No we can't, but you know? The Clan has gained so many followers… and even if they don't consider themselves as followers, the amount of people that's against the crown is the majority now, so I would say that we could have a short period of confrontation" Anna tried to inject some positivity in him.

"You think so?... But all these people resent me too. Why would they follow the Clan knowing I'm part of It " The sadness in his voice made her reach for his face and caress his cheeks softly.

"I wouldn't be so sure, people have always liked you, they think you are different from your family… I changed my mind after meeting you " She ended, feeling a bit shy.

Kyung Soo hid his face in her hand with a shy chuckle.

"Everything you say surprises me, but nothing seems strange, I'm taking it in with much ease"

"I've noticed it, I'm quite relieved " Silence fell upon them, a calm silence. Anna kept caressing his face and Kyung Soo rested a shy hand on her leg.

"I take your touch with much ease too" He teased.

"You definitely do"

"I have been dreaming with you a lot," Kyung Soo confessed, his eyes closed.

"Tell me about them" She invited him.

"You appeared in a room, covered in spider webs and with your feet wet, it was a big room covered with paintings, probably here in the castle. You said that Sehun told you to go there using the passages, then… " Anna stopped him covering his mouth.

"Let me finish your story so you can see that it wasn't a dream but a memory" Anna told him how he helped her dry her feet, cleaned her hair and then trained her for the first time. His eyes kept growing bigger and bigger, nodding with her as she described his dream. As if she had been there.

Because she did.

As Anna said, it wasn't a dream, it was a memory.

"What about my other dreams, are those memories too?" Anna couldn't know, so she listened to the ones he remembered, and to their surprise, she knew all of them.

Kyung Soo heard the deaf noise of the two guards falling unconscious. And just a couple of seconds later, two guys appeared through his doors.

"Chanyeol? Sehun?" Kyung Soo called them, but regretted it immediately after seeing the excitement in the eyes of one of them.

"You remember us?" He asked, his eyes beaming.

"No he doesn't, Anna told her about us coming" The other tall man answered, stealing the words from his mouth.

"I don't remember you… " Kyung Soo tried to explain, but the same guy interrupted him.

"But you feel like you know us, we know, I'm Sehun, this is Chanyeol" He pointed at the guy behind him with a smile. The guy, Chanyeol, pushed Sehun to the side and threw himself onto Kyung Soo, hugging him tightly. Kyung Soo's arms circled his wide frame without thinking twice as he heard Chanyeol's quiet sob. He then saw over his friend's shoulder how Sehun cleaned his tears with the back of his hand and taking one long step he hugged them both. Despite how hard they were hugging him, Kyung Soo felt his chest filling up with air and something else.

Sehun was right, he felt like he knew them. Kyung Soo had seen them in his dreams several times.

"Your majesty!" They heard from down the hall. They looked at each other and Kyung Soo felt a spark. A child-like excitement that was short lived as they noticed that the nurse was on her way.

"Now if you excuse me" Chanyeol told him with sudden urgency. He went behind him, put on his balaclava and gave him an arm lock as Sehun put on his own and took out a gun. Kyung Soo took a deep breath, held onto Chanyeol's arm and began squirming and asking for help.

As soon as the nurse appeared at the door, Sehun held the gun to her head.

"We are taking him with us, but you can't come" And with a swift movement that made him almost gasp in awe, Sehun hit her in the back of the neck, making her pass out. He then grabbed her with one hand and threw her inside one of the empty closets.

"Let's go" He then said, as if nothing happened.

As Anna told him, Chanyeol and Sehun were going to be his kidnappers. They needed people who knew the castle, and although they weren't the only ones, they insisted on participating just so they could meet his friend sooner.

Chanyeol's grip around his neck was now around his shoulders as they went down the stairs. Sehun walked ahead, checking the corners with his gun held tightly. A noise bomb was set to explode in five minutes, so they had to be quick.

They were reaching the second floor when they heard the loud bang of the noise bomb. Two seconds later he felt the floor vibrating. He looked at his friends in fear, wondering what could be causing that movement.

"There they are," Chanyeol muttered as a group of around ten men appeared. His first instinct was to run, but he knew that he had to stay put. The ten men stopped in front of them, fully armed, with a serious expression, and standing very close to each other, forming a tight pack. Chanyeol grabbed Kyung Soo's arm and pushed him in front of the guards. Two of them took a step to the side and from between them a man appeared.

It was his decoy. Same eighth, hair, complexion and clothes. Even his face was similar to his. His double bowed at him and called his name with devotion. Kyung Soo did the same, thanking him for what he was doing.

They made the exchange. Kyung Soo left with the guards and his decoy with Chanyeol and Sehun.

"We will meet later" Sehun assured him after seeing the look on Kyung Soo's eyes.

The pack of guards dashed down the hall with him hidden between their massive bodies. When they reached a new set of stairs, they split into two groups. One went back to his room to play the part and check on the noise bomb. Kyung Soo's group went downstairs, to the service rooms, more specifically the kitchen. The four men that accompanied him took him inside an empty room and began changing clothes. They hid their uniforms inside backpacks and put on black clothing and balaclavas. One of the guards began pulling rifles from one of the closets and handed one to each of his companions. They did everything in complete silence, only exchanging looks to communicate. Kyung Soo kept quiet, looking at them in amazement, wondering if he used to be like that. If he also knew how to hold a rifle like that.

" Your majesty, we are ready to go, I will be the one holding you, so I hope you don't mind if… " Kyung Soo didn't let him finish and stood in front of him, giving him his back so he could hold him like Chanyeol did before. Although this guy was probably two times bigger than his friend.

"When you helped me train on sword fighting at the military, you held me like this once, I was fifteen back then and you were twenty, I was very small and skinny back then and you told me that someday I was going to get bigger, and here we are" The guard shared with him as they got ready to leave the room. Kyung Soo was smiling for the first time that day. Because even if he didn't remember that, he felt an overwhelming fondness for this man. Before he could say anything, the men opened the door and took him out of the room. He began playing the part again, screaming and fighting his kidnappers.

They shot some bullets to the ceiling and people began coming out of their rooms. Butlers, guards, and maids. Kyung Soo noticed how they all reacted differently. He could split it between people who knew what was going on and people that didn't.

They walked into the kitchen because it was one of the few rooms that had a door that went into one of the castle's gardens. The only garden that had a passage directly into the forest behind the castle.

One of the guards walked ahead of them and was getting ready to kick the door open when one of the cooks stood in front of him holding her knife.

"Leave our king alone" She muttered between clenched teeth. Kyung Soo recognized her. She was his personal cook, the woman that had been feeding him since he was a baby, Nuni. That wasn't her name, but it was the name that his baby self gave her and it remained like that until now. Kyung Soo knew that the order was to get rid of whoever got in the way. So he begged his captors not to hurt her. They were taken aback by his reaction.

"Nuni, let us go, I will be alright! " He insisted. But she stayed put, still holding her knife with her tired hands.

"You heard him, we will take good care of him," The guard said, hovering over her. She held his stare, then looked at Kyung Soo and then back at the guard.

"If something happens to him, I will skin you and feed you to the Order" Nobody laughed. The guard nodded at her, looking less threatening, and pushed her to the side. Kyung Soo told her again that he was going to be fine as they dragged him outside the castle.

"That was unexpected, " Commented the guard holding him. Kyung Soo couldn't answer, still shocked.

As they walked into the garden, they began hearing shoots on the wing of the castle just above them. They quickened their steps until they reached a small hut that could be turned down by a soft gust of wind. Two men walked inside lifting an iron coffin with a lot of effort. Then a third guy got to his knees and with one punch of his fist destroyed the small wooden door under the coffin. His captor grabbed him by the arms and quickly shoved him down the hole with little care. He could barely register the fall, from one second to the other he was on the hard and damp floor of the passage, with a pungent pain in his palms.

He heard quick steps approaching him and soon a light shone in his face.

"Kyung Soo!" His body recognized the voice before his brain could, relaxing immediately and forgetting about the pain. Anna turned off the flashlight and helped him get up. Before he could regain balance, he threw himself to her, hugging her tightly, taking in her scent.

"Anna, you did it, you really got me out of there" His raspy voice whispered into her ear.

"Kyung Soo, Do you remember me?" Anna asked, surprised by his hug and the passion in his voice, hopeful that all this had brought back something, anything.

"No, I haven't, I'm so sorry, but please hug me" Anna circled his waist with her arms and his relief brought tears to his eyes.

“My head can't fully remember you yet, but the rest of my body does, so please keep holding me" Anna felt his hands rubbing her back and his lips caressing her jaw and neck. He was holding her with such enthusiasm that he lifted Anna off her feet, making her giggle. Her carefree laugh and her touch made something click in his head. That same muscle memory that knew how she felt between his arms and against his skin made him realize how much he needed to kiss her. And now that he could finally savor freedom, he wanted to mix that taste with her kisses.

He held her face, resting his forehead gently on hers. She was looking at him with glassy eyes, her lips forming an adorable pout. Anna felt as if her heart had stopped beating, in comparison to how fast and hard it beat as she waited for Kyung Soo in the damp passage. Now all that seemed very distant and the only thing that mattered to her was him holding her and looking at her like that. She felt him running his fingers through her ponytail, making her close her eyes as a hot shiver ran down her back. Kyung Soo reached for her face cautiously, testing her reaction and his. Although it was clear to him that he wanted this, he needed this. He held her chin and gently tilted it up until her lips were centimeters away from his. Anna stared into Kyung Soo's deep gaze. Her right hand searched for his, interlocking their fingers as she moved closer. Kyung Soo released a short sigh, before taking a deep breath and closing the distance between them.

Kyung Soo's lips stroked hers slowly at first, testing Anna's response and his. But that didn't last. It was the softness of her lips and the taste of her mouth that made him hold her tighter and deepened the kiss. Anna threw her arms around his shoulders and almost climbed him as she answered the kiss. Kyung Soo always kissed as if it was the last time. And he was kissing her like that. Like he knew that she was his. They quickly melted into each other, her fingers tangled in his hair, as Kyung Soo touched her through her thick wool jacket. In the distance she heard a noise, a low cough, or something of the sort. Then Kyung Soo's name was called by a deep voice. It became insistent enough that she had to break the kiss and push Kyung Soo away.

"Your majesty, Anna, you need to start moving" Kyung Soo's ears went red and Anna covered her mouth in embarrassment. The guys that brought Kyung Soo to her were still there, giving them some privacy by not looking, but they could hear everything.

"I'm so sorry, thank you for your work, we will see you later." She thanked them again, grabbed Kyung Soo's hand, and pulled him into the depths of the dark passage.

They walked for around thirty minutes until Anna stopped in front of an iron stair. At the end of it, he could see the square metal door that indicated the end of the second part of the plan. And so far everything worked perfectly.

Anna led the way again, climbing the stairs and opening the door with one strong push. The bright light made him look away with discomfort.

“I’m going to go first to see if there’s any problem, don’t go out until I come back” He nodded and took a step back to give her space so she could move.

She came back 5 minutes later, although for Kyung Soo it felt like an hour.

He came out of the passage feeling overwhelmed by the amount of green under his feet and the cold wind messing with his hair. Around them, there was a forest with tall trees and bushes spread here and there. The only noise they could hear was the wind, no cars, no people. He couldn’t even see the castle.

Next to him, Anna was doing her part. As he was amazed by the nature that he could finally see after months, she was taking a radio out of her backpack. She turned it on, jolting at the loud static noise, and quickly found the channel to communicate with the people on the other side.

“This is queen, my partner is here, any news? over” Again static and then a click.

“Everything is moving, there are currently four groups moving and searching for the three decoys we send and Kyung Soo so be careful, get out of there as soon as you can, over”

“Understood, over” Anna turned off the radio and searched for Kyung Soo. He was staring at the passage door with attention. She called his name and he brought a finger to his lips.

“I think there’s someone in the passages” He whispered. Anna stood next to him and sharpened her ear.

A rhythmic sound and some grunts, whatever it was it was getting closer. And it couldn't be good.

Anna took off her backpack and searched for the one thing she knew would help them. Kyung Soo’s eyes grew three times bigger when he saw Anna pull a hand grenade from her backpack. She got on her knees at the edge of the entrance and with expert hands she pulled the trigger and threw the grenade inside the passage. They had 10 seconds to run away and avoid any mishap. Kyung Soo grabbed her hand and pulled her up, running away, avoiding trees and jumping over rocks. They stopped when they heard the explosion throwing themselves to the floor and covering their heads.

The explosion only lifted some dust and made the floor shiver, but the shouts from the guards in the passage as they saw the grenade coming at them were loud and clear.

Anna just closed her eyes and thought about the greater good.

When she was finally ready to open them, Kyung Soo was staring at her with wonder, but also a lot of worries.

“It’s your first time doing this?” He whispered.

“It is,” She confessed after a couple of breaths.

“I’m sorry you had to do this because of me” He said as he held her hand.

“I would do it a hundred times and more if necessary, let’s keep moving” She held onto his hand and got up, following the planned path to get out of the forest.

When they reached the highway, Anna looked at her clock, checking if they were right on time. Just two minutes ahead of schedule. Their surroundings were silent too, Kyung Soo suspected they were on the highway behind the hill that surrounded the castle. He was shocked by the fact that he knew that information. He was still not sure of how much memory he had lost.

“The truck is going to be here in a minute, remember to pay attention to the sound, if we can’t hear the squealing from the pigs, we need to hide '' Anna instructed him as she changed her backpack from her back to her chest. Kyung Soo closed his eyes and did as Anna instructed. He counted the seconds in his head, and just when he was reaching fifty-nine, he heard one loud squeal. He could also hear Anna celebrate with a curse.

The truck approached them at a low speed, flickering its lights. The noise of the pigs was now louder than its engine, as the smell.

“It’s going to be a short ride, don’t worry” Anna assured him as if sensing his worry.

The truck stopped, and they climbed the door, jumping onto the back, and falling between the smelly pigs. They moved to the front, avoiding the grumpier pigs, and settled there. Anna took the radio from her back and turned it on.

“We are on the truck, over” Static noise.

“There are guards at the bypass, do as planned, if it doesn’t work, he knows that he has to drive past them, over” Anna took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and answered.

“Understood, over” And she turned off the radio.

As they said, there were guards at the bypass. Before them, two cars waited for their control. Anna and Kyung Soo slid down the wall of the truck and lay on the floor hidden by the pigs. The smell was so strong that she had to hide her face on her arm, trying to isolate her nose. It was useless, but it helped her focus. They couldn’t hear what was happening. The truck moved slowly ahead and then stopped. The pigs complained, and time passed. They were stuck for around five minutes until the truck engine woke up again with a loud roar. Anna turned on the radio again.

“Safe?, over” Just a second passed until they answered.

“Safe, see you in an hour, over” Static noise again.

They kept quiet, sitting down, already used to the smell. Anna kept checking her clock, the anxiety didn’t leave, even when knowing they were safe now. She wasn’t going to rest until Kyung Soo crossed the doors of the old parliament. There was still danger, and her senses were all focused on catching any sign of it.

Kyung Soo kept quiet, to not disturb Anna’s focus and to be a little help too. He kept looking through the slits between the wood of the back of the truck. He knew how the old parliament looked, he could even remember some rooms from the inside. From behind a thick wall of trees, he could finally see it. Anna gasped at the sight and held his hand tighter.

“We are almost there” She whispered, smiling brightly.

The closer they got to their destination, the scarier it got. At any time a car from the Order could appear behind them, they could even meet them at the doors of the Clan hideouts. Too many things were at risk, and it would be their fault. Anna wished she was the only one feeling that burden.

The truck stopped and the driver got off. He dashed to the back of the truck and pulled the doors open with a single pull. This was probably the first time she felt so happy to see Junmyeon, and she let him know.

“Right back at you Anna, Kyung Soo, I’m so glad to see you again, I’ll tell you who I am later, let’s move, Minseok is waiting for us” Kyung Soo bowed at him, looking uncertain and followed Anna as she began to move.

They ran across the abandoned highway behind the parliament and reached the gates. Anna took the key from her boot and opened them, closing behind. Every opened door had to be closed.

As soon as they got inside the abandoned building, Kyung Soo commented on how he was familiar with it. There was excitement in his voice, which made her and Junmyeon smile. He followed them down the main hall, having a weird feeling of knowing where they were going. When Junmyeon opened one tall wooden door, he gasped in surprise, making him jolt.

“Minseok, you son of a bitch, you scared me, I thought we were meeting down there” Kyung Soo saw a man approaching, meeting them halfway. He shook Junmyeon’s hand and patted Anna’s shoulder before approaching him.

“It’s great to have you here Kyung Soo, I’m Minseok '' He held his hand up and Kyung Soo shook it without hesitation.

“Anna told me a lot about you, I hope our memories come back to me soon” Kyung Soo saw the sadness in his friend's eyes, so he smiled calmly to show him that he was better than they thought. Anna was the one who brought them back to the urgent matter and hurried them to keep moving. They went inside the service bathroom. Junmyeon pushed the elegant closet to the side, exposing the black metal door. She opened the lock and they got inside the tunnel with Minseok leading the way with his flashlight. She waited for Kyung Soo and locked arms with him, knowing how cold that path was, sicking for warmth and hopefully giving him some.

When they entered the main hall, Kyung Soo gasped loudly. Walking around and sitting on different surfaces there were around 100 people showing different levels of worry.

They were all waiting for him.

Everybody stopped what they were doing and slowly approached them. Minseok was the first one to talk.

“Everything went according to the plan, we will have time to talk tomorrow, as for now, we should let Kyung Soo rest, it was a long and tiresome day” Everybody agreed. But one of the assistants, their teacher from university, walked to the front and spoke for the crowd.

“Your majesty, welcome home, can we greet you?”

Kyung Soo looked at Anna nervously. He wanted to greet them, thanking them for being there, but he still felt as if he didn’t quite deserve the attention and reverence he received from them. Anna circled his waist, smiling at him, bumping his hip with hers playfully. The warmth he felt coming from her was the support he needed to greet everybody and thank them in some way for the hardship they go through just to accompany him.

He spent about an hour doing so. Everybody introduce themselves as if it was the first they were meeting, although he knew it wasn’t. Anna stayed next to him the whole time. She clearly knew all of them, and with the information he had about the Clan and his involvement with it, he felt overjoyed by the fact that she had involved herself so perfectly with all of them.

Minseok had a filling meal prepared for them at his office. But first, their friend made them change into clean clothes to get rid of the pig's smell. Kyung Soo was excited to talk to him. He wished Sehun and Chanyeol were there with them, but they had to end their part of the plan, so they would be back tomorrow morning. It was almost midnight, the food was gone and Kyung Soo was feeling the stress of the night turning into tiredness. The chat with his friend helped him calm down the adrenaline, but everything felt very strange still. Good strange, though. He was out of that prison. No nurse injecting him and causing him pain. He could move, do what he wanted, speak whenever he wanted. He didn’t have to listen to his uncle's horrible comments anymore, he was out of danger now and Anna was with him. She didn’t have to walk those cold and spider-infested passages anymore to see him. She wasn’t speaking to him in whispers just so the guards outside his room couldn’t hear them. She was laughing freely now, speaking loudly. He didn’t know how long this new calm would last, but he was going to enjoy it.

Minseok was considerate enough to ask Anna to guide Kyung Soo to his room. Room that in the last months had become her room. She always kept it clean and tidy, knowing that he would be back someday. She walked him down the hall, holding his hand and sending him loving looks as he asked random questions about the Clan’s building. She felt almost suffocated by happiness.

Anna walked him inside his room and gave him time to look around. The way he walked around his bedroom reminded her of how she inspected his room the first time she visited it. He stared at the books, the paintings, he touched the furniture and the fabrics around him. He stopped at the wall covered with photos. Like Anna back then, he probably didn’t recognize most of the people there, but he was still smiling. Her tummy shivered when Kyung Soo set his eyes on their picture.

“I like how you look in your uniform” He commented, taking the picture from the wall and bringing it to give it a closer look. She stood next to him, still having that fuzzy feeling when looking at that photo and how sweet Kyung Soo looked passing an arm around her shoulders, kissing her cheek.

“If I ever had a doubt about what you said about us, now that doubt it’s completely gone,” He said with a chuckle. She only rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

They sat on the bed staring at the photo wall, with Kyung Soo pointing at faces asking for names or telling her how much he remembered about them. It wasn’t a lot, but he knew some things, like names, or specific events that she couldn’t corroborate if they were accurate or not. She promised him that they would ask Minseok tomorrow.

Kyung Soo began talking about their day, saying and asking what he couldn’t say as they made their escape.

“I bet you were nervous and thinking about this nonstop,” She told him playfully after they went over the last bit of their day, the dinner with Minseok.

“I was nervous, but to be honest, I was thinking about you, worried about you, nervous about what you had to do, watching everything you did. In my lockdown what I did the most was think about you” His voice didn’t show any shyness, but his ears were red.

“You have been thinking about me?” She whispered close to his face.

“Yeah,” He turned his head, moving closer to her, but not meeting her eyes.

“What kind of thinking?” She kept digging.

“The kind where I have to control myself” He finally met her eyes, dark and big, pulling her in.

“Kiss me, love” She ordered him, climbing on his lap as he grabbed her face, kissing her before she could finish her sentence. The way Kyung Soo touched her hadn’t changed. His hand followed a pattern that was familiar to her. Grabbing her waist pulling her closer, holding to her hips and rubbing her thighs and back. Then repeat until he grew frustrated with the clothes between his hands and her skin. His passion turned into desperation quickly. He was a bit hard and rough, biting her lower lip and sucking on the skin of her chin and neck. She moaned as his hands slid up her chest, holding her head by the nape.

"Kyung Soo, are you sure you want to do this?" She asked him, driven by consideration for her boyfriend who was currently recovering from a memory loss and a very traumatic experience. But Kyung Soo didn't answer and kept kissing her face and neck. She insisted once again, but she got the same answer from him. At least she had the consideration, she thought to herself, as she pulled his sweater off.

"Kyung Soo I’ve missed you so much" She whispered desperately, against his lips, kissing his cheeks and forehead.

"I’m sorry, I’m so sorry" He hugged her, hiding his guilty face on her chest. She hated seeing him like this, apologizing when he was the victim. She grabbed his face and made him look at her.

"Don’t! Come here” She had to grab him harder as he insisted on lowering his head.

“You are never leaving my side again, understood?” He nodded, kissing the palm of her hand.

“We will stay together from now on,” She promised.

“Yes Anna” He kissed her other hand.

“And we will achieve everything we want, not tonight though, tonight we will only think about us, ok?” Kyung Soo giggled, that childish laugh that put the first seed of love in her heart.

She pushed him onto the bed and climbed on top of him, trapping him under her body, kissing his cheeks and neck taking in his delicious scent and the warmth of his skin. Kyung Soo’s grunts and sighs of pleasure were interrupted by a question.

“Have I ever had you like this before?” He saw it a couple of times in dreams, but he never trusted those blindly.

“Yes, a couple of times” She confessed, looking at his curious eyes.

“I hate that I can't remember it” He cursed with frustration, and Anna understood it, but that was not the mood she needed at that moment.

“Don't worry, you will” And to fully bring him back to the moment, she sat up and took off her flannel.

He opened his mouth and eyes wide in adorable shock. His hands reached for her naked waist, slowly, flinching when he could finally touch her.

"You so familiar to me, I can't find you in my memory if I try, but just now when I touched you, I knew it wasn't the first time" He moved his hands up and shyly caressed the edge of her bra.

"It's okay, you can't see what we had, they made you hide it in your memories, but you can't forget me, who I am in essence, what we did, the way I felt on your hands and lips, there are some things you can't forget Kyung Soo, focus on bringing them back” His hands settled on her waist as Anna moved her waist slowly, out of reflex. Kyung Soo closed his eyes as his hands moved down her thighs and then up again, briefly rubbing her center with his thumb.

Anna moaned softly, holding to his forearms.

“Please tell me that you remember some of me” She begged.

“I can't... I try but I can't” There was some despair in his voice. She felt terribly bad for him, guilty for telling him that, but she never let sadness or frustration be useless, so she used those feelings to fuel her will and do something about it. She was the only one who could help him remember her.

“Then come here, I'm going to make you remember” Anna grabbed Kyung Soo’s clueless face and brought him to her. Making him sit on the bed, having him close to her face and chest.

“You liked it when I touched your chest, you said it gave you a burning feeling” She caressed down his neck with the tip of her fingers and then placed her hands on his warm chest.

“And this was your favorite” She held his chin and turned his face to the right making her way to his neck. He closed his eyes in pleasure, hugging her waist and hiding his face on her shoulder.

“I know those things can't be erased from your head, they are imprinted on your skin” She whispered on his neck making him grunt. Emboldened by his reactions and by the delight of touching her man like this, she pulled off his sweatshirt.

“Can you feel it?” She hugged him, rubbing his shoulders and taking in the warmth of his chest.

“I.. think I do” He chuckled, kissing her chin.

“Good, touch here, you said you loved it” She pulled down her bra ignoring the gasp he released, and put his hand on top of her breast.

“Touch it, please, touch me” Kyung Soo did as told, calling her name and immediately taking his other hand to her chest.

“My head can’t place the moment I did this, but it feels so intimate and ours, everything about you feels like that, I touched this skin before” He dropped a chaste kiss between her breasts and what was meant to be a single kiss turned into a mission covering every inch of her chest with his kisses.

“Yes you did, several times” She moaned. holding his head to her chest.

“And the first time you broke into my room, I could recognize your smell,” He said between kisses.

“It was a gift from you”

“I can't place you in my memories, but I recognize everything” He repeated.

“Because we loved each other, we still do,” She told him, staring into his eyes.

“We do, I do,” He confessed, catching her by surprise. Even if he didn’t remember, she had managed to catch him and dig herself into his heart again.

Kyung Soo picked her up, throwing her on the bed and settling his body in between her legs. He got comfortable, holding her down, planning on staying for a while there, touching, kissing, and grabbing onto this body that was one of the few things he could recognize. But not only her body. Anna’s scent and whimpers, the way she touched him and hugged him, inviting Kyung Soo to touch and kiss her more didn’t feel new, he recognized all of them, which didn’t make it less exciting and arousing.

As Kyung Soo sucked on her collarbone, rocking his hips into her, Anna reached for him, craving his lips as she thought about every single night that she spent lying awake on that same bed, loving him and missing him.

His bottom lip dragged on the skin of her face, dropping kisses on her nose, eyelids, and forehead. Anna’s hand reached down his back and did their best to pull Kyung Soo’s pants down, but his belt didn’t allow her to do so. Her insistence made him chuckle, distracting him from worshiping her. He kneeled down between her legs and undo his belt as she unbuttoned her jeans. She lifted her hips and pulled them off, kicking Kyung Soo in the process. Between shy laughs, Kyung Soo got up and got rid of his pants, and as soon they were gone he came back to his previous position, jumping into Anna’s wide-open arms.

He stopped for a second before kissing her again, his eyes darting all over her face.

“You are so beautiful” He whispered, closing his eyes as Anna caressed his cheek. “And so brave, smart, loving, and… dangerous” She laughed loudly, the feeling of her chest vibrating under him with laughter was divine.

“Is it because I threw that grenade? Or the whole kidnapping thing?” She asked, cleaning her tears.

“All of you, I just wonder what would happen to me If I wasn’t on your side, or if you used all that dedication to hurt me”

“Lucky you, I used that determination to take you away from there and make you fall in love with me again” Her answer hit him like a brick. He forgot to add that he loved her confidence too. All the words he could say got stuck in his throat. As his eyes focused on her half-open mouth, a flickering image came to his head, blurry but with clear words. Clear enough for him to repeat them.

“I can put my life in your hands, I've done it a couple of times now” She recognized those words as hers.

“I did so once, and I still do” Anna whispered in his ear as he leaned down to hug her. Kyung Soo followed the line of her jaw with the tip of his nose, dropping kisses on his way. She caressed and scratched his back softly, whispering his name, the more he kissed her the louder she got.

Despite how she needed more from him, of how he wanted it harder from him, she was getting intoxicated by his touch, his smell, his warmth, and the weight of his body on top of her. Anna opened her legs wider so she could rub herself against his thigh, holding him down by the ass.

Kyung Soo grunted in her mouth, as he pressed his tongue against hers. Seeing his need reciprocated by her, made him feel euphoric. He got rid of his underwear and hers, almost tearing them apart. Anna tried to close her legs out of reflex. but Kyung Soo held them open, staring at her already wet center with admiration. He reached for her with wandering hands, touching her, covering his fingers with her wetness, and spreading it along her lower lips.

She covered her mouth, trying to quiet down her loud moans. Kyung Soo didn’t stop, he wanted louder moans. Slowly, he shoved one finger inside her, so softly that she almost didn’t feel it. He laid down next to her, pillowing her head with his arm. His right hand began rubbing circles on her clit, and then went lower, penetrating her with two fingers. He moaned in her ear, hugging her closer, as she tightened around his fingers. She called his name and he answered by dropping kisses along her jaw.

She reached down, wanting to touch him too, to hear him and arouse him. She dragged the back of her hand against his hard-on. The touch was soft, almost fleeting, but it still made him groan. She wanted to touch him more, more intently, to reciprocate his attention, but Kyung Soo didn’t have the strength to stretch this anymore. Because as he told her before, he has been thinking about her, the kind of thought where he had to control himself. There was something about Anna, about what they were, that clearly wasn’t just saved in his memory. His whole body called for her, her nude body, her moans, and her pleasure.

He peeled his underwear quickly, apologizing for the rush, although Anna didn’t need explanations. She grabbed him by the waist as soon as he was fully naked and brought him to her. Anna’s hands slid around, sinking into the full cheeks of his ass, grabbing hard and with need. Kyung Soo giggled adorably, and she kissed his smile, cheeks, and nose as he positioned comfortably between her legs.

She felt the tip of his dick poking her entrance, making her shiver in anticipation. Her hands went from his ass to his shoulders, allowing him to enter her more comfortably for both of them.

Kyung Soo moved his body to the side, grabbing his member and rubbing it up and down her slit. Anna begged for him, kissing his lips as she tangled her fingers in his hair. She felt him sliding inside her slowly, carefully, and lovingly as always. Anna let him do everything, she wanted to feel owned by him. She released a sigh of relief when he entered her. Relieved that her body still remembered him and that once again he was back in her arms.

He looked down at their bodies, thrusting once as a response to the excitation that it caused him. His eyes scanned up her body, his mouth open in awe. Anna grabbed his face, begging him for a kiss and lifting her hips to have him closer and deeper inside her. Kyung Soo filled her ears with words of love and adoration, making her blush with his devotion. As Anna hugged him tighter and caressed his body, his mind kept flashing images, random flashes of her, of them. Scenes that didn't feel like dreams. But above all that, there was Anna, completely new to him, but not a stranger. He loved her, that was clear. And he was crazy for her.

Anna looked back at him with glassy eyes. Her mouth opened with pleasure, caressing his back and groping the places she liked. He could tell that she knew his body probably better than himself. He liked how she wanted him and how honest she was about it, because he felt the same, and he felt like it was burning him.

Anna moved her hips searching for more. Although she loved having her boyfriend nice and slow, she was still shocked about how everything unraveled. Despite how positive she was and how hard she worked to get him back, she was always scared that Kyung Soo would be gone forever. But he wasn’t. He was there with her like always. The same kisses, the same hugs and caresses. The same passion, want and love. Even when she wasn’t a clear memory in his brain. That always gave her a bit of confidence, how she managed to make him look at her again. Feel for her again.

She grabbed him by the nape and brought him closer so she could kiss him hard, latching her lips over his lower lip, sucking hard. They both moaned at the same time, desperately curving their bodies into the other.

Anna bent her knees and Kyung Soo quickly grabbed hold of her legs, thrusting quicker. He was surprised at how greedy his heart was, how primal were his needs.

Anna thought she was going insane, with everything Kyung Soo was doing to her and the way he muffled his moans in the crock of her neck. She felt his encouraging and loving words running down her body, enveloping her. With each thrust and every kiss, she felt closer and closer to her orgasm. And as much as she wanted to make this moment last, she knew it was impossible.

Kyung Soo’s grip on her thighs grew tighter and the kisses on her shoulder turned into soft bites. She captured him between her legs, asking for harder and deeper thrusts. He complied, bucking his hips only a couple of times before she felt her orgasm wash over her. The way her body reacted made him reach his own climax enhancing her pleasure.

His body felt on top of her, his hips still moving, but softer. She couldn’t stop kissing his lips, even when it was hard to breathe for both. A hint of a smile played on Kyung Soo’s lips as he looked at her. Although she wanted to tell him how much she loved him and how incredible he was and just make him blush with her devotion, she was out of words. He gently rubbed her neck, tucking her hair behind her ear and kissing her cheek.

He rolled to the side to lay next to her and caressed her face again before passing out as soon as he closed his eyes. She covered her mouth quietening her giggles and went out of bed to fetch a towel and clean them both. Kyung Soo didn’t wake up as she cleaned him, nor when she accommodated him in the bed and covered him with the duvet.

Anna went to sleep a little bit later. Taking advantage of his sleeping state she kissed every inch of his cute face before resting.

The next morning, Kyung Soo didn’t wake up.

#exowritersnet #exosnet #do kyung soo #kyungsoo smut #kyungsoo fanfiction #d.o fanfic #exo fanfic

68 notes · View notes

andimoon · 9 months

Text

Writing chapter 3 ✍🏻😈

Here’s my inspiration mood board for this one.

#exo #fanfiction #kpop #oc #baekhyun #do kyungsoo #kyungsoo #angst #smut #fluff #me: 😈😈😈#✍🏻#unknown thoughts #exo x oc #new #story #bbh #byun baekhyun #exo baekhyun

32 notes · View notes

stellaruniversewriters · 2 days

Text

The Ocean That Lies Under the Rain por King-Yeom

❝ Kyung Soo estava com seu carro estacionado do lado de fora do Banco Nacional, ajeitando alguns de seus documentos no assento do passageiro quando as primeiras gotas de água se chocaram contra o vidro escurecido do automóvel. Ele imaginava que seria apenas mais um dia chuvoso quando, de repente, um zumbido irritante ecoou em seus ouvidos e deu lugar ao som de uma guitarra que surgiu ao fundo de sua mente momentos mais tarde. Era uma sonoridade inicialmente destoante e fraca, que se confundia à melodia lamuriosa da água; no entanto, à medida que a tempestade do lado de fora tomava forma, o som aumentava ao ponto de enlouquecê-lo.

Ele se encolheu sobre o banco do motorista e se virou ensandecido para todos os cantos ao tentar encontrar a origem da música, na esperança de que viesse de algum restaurante ou pub nas redondezas. Chegou ao ponto de sair do carro na tentativa de identificar a origem da sonância — o frio da água invadiu suas roupas e tornou o tecido mais pesado contra seu corpo magro, retesando os músculos ao ponto do desconforto, porém não havia nada além do som da guitarra e da chuva.

E isso tornava tudo mais estranho.

Não havia qualquer outro som, além da guitarra e da chuva.❞

Personagens principais: Do Kyungsoo, Kim Minseok, Park Chanyeol [EXO]

Gêneros: Comédia, Drama, Ficção, Universo alternativo, Romance, Gay/Yaoi e mais...

Tema principal: Rainverse

LEIA MAIS EM NOSSO PERFIL DO SPIRIT FANFICS

7 notes · View notes

wolveswithblackpearls · 2 months

Photo

Werewolf AU!Kyungsoo

What was wrong with you?

Yes, he was… cute, but thoughts like that led to attachments. You didn’t create new attachments. That just ended in disaster. The few you had were enough for you.

Inspired by @marshmallow-phd ‘s ‘The Untamed Part 2: White Out’.

~Admin J

Original date of publishing: Jan 12th, 2019

6 notes · View notes

aphrodite1288 · 6 months

Note

Hi, just wanted to tell you that there are a few new long fanfics being written or done. One is Private Matters. Hope that was helpful.

Thank you for helping the fandom/kaisoo shippers fell like we are not delulu.💞

Can you suggest more? Thank you.

#kaisoo fanfictions #kaisoo fanfic #kadi fanfiction #kaisoo fanfiction #kadi fanfictions #fanfics #kaisoo #kadi #kaisoo love #love #dika #kaisoo love story #jongin #kai #do kyungsoo #d.o

14 notes · View notes

marshmallow-phd · 24 days

Text

A Manor of Shadow and Blood

Genre: Regency Gothic AU

Pairing: EXO x Reader

Summary: A stormy night brought you to the manor in the middle of the woods. Nine strange men occupied its halls. They won't let you leave. A dangerous secret haunts this estate. Learning it might either be your saving grace or it could lead to the last breath you ever take.

Part: 1 I 2

The fever took over almost as soon as you left the bathroom. Your feet had become heavier, like lead refusing to be moved. Your vision went black before you made it to the bed. Consciousness came and went, images you weren't sure were real or not blurred your vision. A man wiped your forehead with a cloth. Another fed you salty broth. Two more held you upright as someone changed the sweat-soaked pillowcase. The last image you remember was the lingering presence of someone near the doorway. All you could register was his short black hair and white tunic. He turned from the bed and walked out of the room as you fell back asleep.

*****

A long groan rumbled your throat as your eyes blinked open. The fever that had consumed your body was gone. Your rough tongue scraped the roof of a mouth desperate for moisture. Every limb was sore from not being used. A small pain still pushed at your head, but it was bearable. Only a small measure of light broke the edges of the curtain. It was either barely dawn or the very end of twilight.

"It would seem you're past the worst of it."

You gasped at the unexpected voice. Junmyeon emerged from the shadows and stood at the edge of the bed. He tilted his head, the upper half of his face still cloaked in the darkness.

"I was sick," you stated to no one in particular. Perhaps in mere confirmation for yourself.

Junmyeon nodded. "You had a fever for two days".

"Two days!" you gasped. You were supposed to arrive to your aunt today. If you didn't show–

An echoing thud interrupted your thoughts. You sat up slowly, groaning at the protest of your arms and torso. Junmyeon kicked the familiar chest on the floor again. Excitement pushed away all remaining consequences of the fever. It was your trunk with all your things. Soon, you could be on your way again, with a harrowing tale for your worried relative.

"We found it this morning," he explained. "Along with the driver."

Your heart leapt. "He's–"

"Dead. Probably broke his neck from the fall." His voice was void of empathy. Death–at least the kind not directly in contact with himself–did not affect him. "The carriage isn't salvageable. and the roads are still practically swamps.”

Each breath you took in came faster and faster, more shallow than the last. How could the roads still be unfit for travel? The room began to tilt. "So, what does that mean for me?" Perhaps you would have to wait for a replacement carriage or for your aunt to come get you herself.

He looked to the door with a resigned expression. "You will stay here until we deem fit."

"What!" You scrambled out of the bed. Your knees buckled as soon you feet touched the rug. Going so long without proper nutrition and being sick with fever left you weak. Junmyan caught before you could be injured, sweeping you up into his arms. A mild shiver chattered your teeth. Through your thin nightgown you could feel the icy chill of his fingers. How one's skin could be the temperature of snow, you didn't know.

He laid you back down on the bed with a rather smug expression. "Traveling isn't in your best interest. You need to regain your strength."

You swallowed thickly. "And after that?"

The only answer you received was a smile.

"You can't keep me here!"

"Eat," he ordered, gesturing to the small table in the corner. A silver tray with fresh morsels sat and waited to be consumed. "You're free to roam the manor as you choose, but remember: there is nothing for miles, not even an inn. You'll meet a hungry wolf before coming across another human." He bowed as if he were a gentleman and left you alone to accept your circumstances.

*****

A small amount of strength returned to you after eating. Although fasting in protest could have been effective, you pathetically couldn't resist. Food had always been a favorite weakness of yours.

The next form of protest you tried was keeping to your room. But after a few hours of not a footstep outside, you concluded self-confinement was only useful if someone noticed.

From your trunk you pulled one of the more plain dresses that had been packed for you. It wasn't too difficult to dress yourself. The true trouble came for your hair. Despite being in bed for several days, no knots caused you pain. That, however, was the extent of your talent. Charlotte, your maid, had been the one to curl and pin your hair in the latest fashions. The best you could do was tie it back with a plain blue ribbon. Squaring your shoulders, you yanked the door open with force and shelled out of the room.

Up and down the different halls, you tried to make sense of the layout. This manor expanded in nearly every direction. You went upstairs and down again, unsure of where you were. The bit of light that managed to fight past the thick curtains that hung in front of every window grew in strength. But though the day grew older, you saw none of the residents. No sound alerted you to any being close. It gave you an eerie feeling. It was as if you were alone but an ever lingering presence haunted every corner.

You took another random left turn. And stopped.

The front door was just on the other side of this hall. You scanned the area around you. Your ears strained to hear anyone that could possibly be near. Not even a bird sang outside. You took a step. Then another. And another. One at a time, you paused between each step, waiting for one of the lords to suddenly appear and drag you back to your room.

Huh. Your room. As if your stay here would be forever permanent. You prayed that they would soon grow bored of you and send you on your way. All this could be was a terrible joke because they had no other way to occupy their time.

You'd reached the door. Possible freedom lied on the other side. Yet, your fingers hovered above the handle. Junmyeon's warning waded through your mind like a morning fog. Nothing for miles. Surely if that was true, the driver would have stopped rather than continue on in the storm.

And then there were the wolves. You knew of their existence. And how a human could be just as satisfactory as elk if they thought they could overpower whoever they came across. To them, you would certainly make easy prey.

"Doors only move when one opens them."

With a shrill gasp, you whirled around and pressed your back against the door. The one who drew your bath last night–Jongdae–was leaning against the entrance to the side parlor. He stared at you with a bored expression, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Where did you come from?" you demanded. You had looked in the parlor as you passed. No one was in there.

He waved an uncaring hand in the air. "Around. I heard you walking and when it stopped, I came to see why.”

"You heard me walking?" You'd put slippers on before leaving the room since your boots were still caked with mud. You could hardly hear your own steps against the wood boards.

Jongdae merely raised an eyebrow, refusing to explain. You huffed. The previous fright in you disappeared. Pushing off of the door, you shuffle past him and into the parlor. Your feet were beginning to pulse after walking around for hours. You sat in one of the cushioned chairs to give them some relief.

Before you could blink, Jongdae was seated in the chair across from you.

"How did you do that?”

Smug, he leaned back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other. "Would you like a tour?"

"Not if you refuse to answer my questions," you scoffed.

The corners of his lips curled upward. "I think it might be better if you figure it out for yourself. Over time."

That earned another huff. You especially disliked the insinuation that you would be here for a long while. Hope still flickered in you like a warm ember, desperate for fuel.

Jongdae stared at you quizzically. "Why didn’t you run?”

"Because, there isn't anywhere to run to," you answered quietly. You were lucky to make it here in the first place. Regardless if you were imprisoned or not, you were thankful to be alive.

Still eyeing you with that studious share, he leaned forward, his elbows resting on his thighs. "Is there another reason you don't want to leave?"

You swallowed thickly. It was impossible for him to read your thoughts. He couldn't possibly know that something else held you back. "It's safe here–”

"We both know this place isn't safe for you," he snapped. "Your instinct should be to run as far as you can.”

"B-but the wolves..." your voice trailed off, overshadowed by the thumping of your heart.

"The wolves are nothing compared to here." He stood and all seriousness melted away as he stretched his limbs. "Or maybe they aren't. Perhaps that simply depends on you." You flinched as he reached for you. He didn't pause and his fingers passed your face, instead pulling at the ribbon in your hair until it came loose and dropped the fabric in your lap. "I wouldn't wear your hair like that.

You frowned at him. The men here weren't exactly the epitome of current style. "Why?"

“Keep pulling it back like that and you'll have your answer." He dared to wink at you before strolling from the parlor.

It took a little while to find your room again. Part of you wondered if you should have accepted Jongdae's offer of a tour. Another part stubbornly insisted you would find your own way eventually.

Sitting down at the small table, you pulled the curtain back. Your room was on the second floor, which gave you a decent view of the grounds.

Unlike most of the forest you remember seeing, this area was void of life. The trees were bare, their branches rigid and spindly. No birds or other woodland creatures scurried about. There was plenty of grass and garden hedges, but somehow all of the beauty was sapped from their blades and leaves. A few stone benches and structures were scattered about the estate, but whatever stunning carvings they used to present had been worn away. A sadness had overtaken this land, infected its very core. Not even the sunlight–now making its way to the other horizon–felt warm. How could anyone live amongst this?

All your strength gained through breakfast waned. You didn’t need sleep, per se, but rest wasn’t a terrible idea. Leaning back, you tucked your feet under you and shuffled into the corner of the chair. Your eyes slowly closed–

And snapped open at the soft knock from the door. You scowled at the door. It replied with another knock. With a huff, you stood and crossed the room, pulling the door open with force. "Yes?"

Junmyeon smirked at your hostility. "It's time for dinner."

You looked down, but his hands were empty. No new silver tray in sight.

"Dinner is with us."

Your throat tightened as his words sunk in. With them.

He motioned with his head. "Come."

"I have to change."

His eyes raked you up and down, then he raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Why? Because you always charged for dinner when you weren't dining with only your family. It simply wasn't proper to wear what you were tramping around in all day.

When you neither spoke nor moved, he reached behind you and pulled the door closed, pushing you out of the room and into his chest. He chuckled at the contact. You shoved him away. His amusement didn't waver. "The dining hall is this way."

Understanding that the only way you would eat was by following him, you complied. He led you to one of the familiar staircases, but then down a hallway you didn't recognize. The dining hall sat on the other end. Past the grand entrance was a long, dark red table that ran the length of the room with the ability to seat at least twenty. An old chandelier hung from the ceiling, a few of the precious crystals missing. A roaring fire clicked and cracked on the opposite wall.

"You'll sit here." Junmyeon startled you as he pulled a chair just to the left of the head of the table. All the other available seats were occupied. With your chin held high, you accepted, letting him push the chair in. Then he sat at the head.

There were four chairs on each side of the banquet table, haphazardly spaced, and a lone chair at the other end. To your immediate right was the one named Yixing. He stared at you with narrowed, interested eyes that somehow made his already sharp features lethal. You dropped your gaze instantly, finally noticing the food in front of you. Your eyes lifted... no one else had a meal, only a goblet full of wine.

"Has everyone else eaten?"

"Mm," Junmyeon hummed over the rim of his glass. When the goblet left his mouth, a faint red smear remained behind. He licked his lips slowly to wipe it away. "We don't typically... eat dinner, but thought of it as an opportunity to introduce you.”

A few chuckles echoed around the room, but the joke was lost on you.

"Eat," Junmyeon motioned to your plate. All eyes were trained on you. The silverware clinked and clattered as you picked up the fork and knife. Would the food be poisoned? Did they get some sick enjoyment from this? You cut off a small bite of chicken. Each bite was slow, testing the flavor. It wasn't beautifully seasoned, but you couldn't taste any bitter poison underneath. You swallowed and cut another bite.

Satisfied, Junmyeon motioned to the man on his right. "This is Jongin.”

"You have a pretty name," the man purred. You merely stared at him and continued to eat. He laughed from his chest. "Then Chanyeol." This one bowed in his chair with a flourish of his arm. "Jongdae." He winked. You scowled at him. "Sehun." This one didn't look at you, looking bored as he leaned back lazily in his chair, sipping from his glass. "Kyungsee at the end."

Kyungsoo, who had been staring at the table, his chin resting on folded fingers. He glanced at you but immediately looked away when he met your gaze.

"That one is Minseok," Junmyen went on. The one named Minseok smiled at you with an eerily feline grin. "Baekhyun." He, too, grinned at you in a way that sent a chill down your spine. "And next to you, I'm sure you remember, is Yixing."

You didn't look at him again. Putting down the silverware, you gave your attention back to Junmyeon. "When can I leave?"

He scoffed before he could take another sip of wine. "I already told you. Until we deem fit."

"You can't keep me here!"

"Maybe you should have considered that before you came here.”

"You might enjoy it here," Baekhyun hummed.

"I doubt it," you snapped back.

Chanyeol leaned forward onto the table. “Do you have family?"

You swallowed nervously. "Yes."

"You should ask her if she has a lover," Jongdae crooned. When all eyes jerked to him, you carefully slid the knife over to your right hand under the rim of the plate. By luck, you had decided to wear a dress with sleeves. You just needed to conceal the knife until you were back in your room.

"Do you?" Jongin asked of you, a little too interested for your comfort.

You glared daggers at Jongdae. "No, I don't."

His lips curled gleefully. "I don't believe you." He shrugged. "Then again, maybe it's not a lover that you’re trying to avoid."

"My aunt is expecting me."

"And she'll keep expecting you," Junmyeon growled.

A hand flashed out of nowhere, snatching up your wrist and catching the knife before it fell to the floor. "I wouldn't do that," Yixing warned. You tried to yank your wrist back, but he took the opportunity to bring you closer to him.

Junmyeon sighed. "Yixing.”

Revealing who was in charge Yixing released your wrist, but he put the knife in front of him. Small indentations appeared along the blade that weren’t there before. A perfect fit for a hand.

You stood with such force that your chair overturned behind you.

"Finished already?" Jongin teased.

You gave a single hard nod and stormed out of the dining hall. None of them stopped you.

"This is going to be fun," one of them chuckled. A chair scraped hastily against the floor and you hurried faster to your room.

28 notes · View notes

jinmindeulle · 7 months

Text

twenty one petals | do kyungsoo (preview)

𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 commoner!do kyungsoo x princess!reader

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆 angst, romance | love at first sight, forbidden love

the story i originally intended to be short, turned out make me write 5k+ words, so it's taking longer for me to write. in the meantime, this is the preview i can give you! @kyungseokie, thank you so much for your request. it will be up in the next couple of days!

Your Royal Highness,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. I write to you with the utmost humility and respect, fully aware of the immeasurable distance that separates your world from mine.

May your days be filled with happiness and prosperity.

With the utmost reverence and eternal devotion,

DKS.

38 notes · View notes

exouniverse · 8 months

Text

Hello

Don’t get too distracted… 🤭

Before I post the first fic, I wanted to give a sneak peek of it to get everyone’s attention.

(My) Home

Pairing: kyungsoo x gn reader

Genre: one-shot, fluff, established relationship, non idol au

Warnings: mentions of a dead parent (it will not be long and reader will surely be reassured. It has also been long since it happened so don’t expect it to be too upsetting)

I’ll give more info when I upload it. For now, I can’t really tell when exactly it is but I’m really getting close to the end so “soon” is appropriate.

Now… the sneak peek…

“It didn’t take long for him to come back, so he got to see the chaos you got caught in again when he arrived. He ran to the kitchen before he was trapped by the kids at the entrance, and he gave them their ice cream fast for them to run back to you. Kyungsoo quickly hid the envelope in his jacket and put the vanilla ice cream in the fridge to eat later with the cookies. Since it was relay time, it was easier for him to hide his surprise when you came to the kitchen to finally start to bake.”

#exo #exo fanfic #exo fanfiction #kyungsoo #kyungsoo fanfic #kyungsoo fluff #do kyungsoo #do kyung soo #d.o exo #d.o. kyungsoo #kyungsoo x reader #kyungsoo x you #exouniverse

12 notes · View notes

dreamylittlesugarcube · 1 year

Text

Flames of Attraction

Genre: EXO AU

Characters: Kyungsoo x Female Reader

Warnings: Swearing, kissing, mentions of “the deed” but nothing graphic

Word Count: 9.3k

Summary: Who’s the boss? You are! Or at least, you had been until he showed up. For the past month, you’d busted your sous-chef butt to keep the hotel restaurant afloat after the head chef abruptly up and quit. Now, the manager’s brought in a friend, celebrity chef Do Kyungsoo, to lead the kitchen. With Kyungsoo wanting to run things his way, will tensions flame into something more?

A/N: Oh my gosh, I finally finished! This is my longest fic to date, as part of the Crimson Aurora Hotel and Spa Collab. Buckle up for ~10k, folks! ! hope you enjoy it! Please re-blog so that others can find and interact with this post easier. Thanks a million!

P.S. I’m planning to write some filthy epilogues for anyone interested!

P.S. GIFS and pictures do not belong to me, so credit should go to the original owners. (theonly-vagina-kyungsoo-will-fuk

~*~

“Feeling a little tense today, boss?”

You glanced up briefly from your pork cutlets to find Hyun-min staring at you, elbows on the counter in a manner you’d told him you don’t enjoy. As the chef de partie in charge of the meat station, a classmate from culinary school, and a long-time friend, he was entirely too perceptive for your liking. This quality was exceptionally beneficial in the workplace, but not so much when you were trying to squash your anger in the name of professionalism.

“No, what makes you think that?” you responded, lying through your teeth.

Hyun-min flashed you a cheshire cat grin, feigning nonchalance. “Oh, I don’t know…maybe because our new boss shows up tomorrow? THE WORLD FAMOUS CELEBRITY CHEF DO KYUNGSOO?!”

“Who’s side are you on anyway?” you mumbled as Hyun-min squealed in excitement.

“Yours, of course. But I can’t help it. The man’s a legend–helming a three-starred Michelin restaurant when he was under the age of 25 and he’s model-hot?!”

He fanned himself dramatically with a copy of tonight’s menu.

No one needed to tell you how talented Do Kyungsoo was. His accomplishments spoke for themselves–the book deals, the television shows, the James Beard awards, and yes–the coveted Michelin stars. You'd watched him on TV before and couldn’t deny that he’s good–okay, amazingly good, with a great knack for flavor. He’s been listed in more than one “30 Under 30” article. Was it fair to be blessed with that level of both talent and looks?! Furthermore, you wondered why someone like him, who’s been the executive chef of many, many famous restaurants would come here. Perhaps, Manager Kim had more connections than you knew.

It’s been several months since Head Chef Maurice abruptly departed. Many chefs have been interested in replacing him, but Manager Kim wasn’t satisfied with any of them, which left you, the sous-chef, to fill in the gaps.

Rather than sticking to one type of cuisine, you introduced fusion dishes, which have been very well-received. You were happy, guests were happy, and Mr. Kim seemed happy…so happy that you thought he might give you the promotion you always dreamed of. After five years of toiling away at this restaurant you’d thought maybe, just maybe this was your time. You felt blindsided at the news of Do Kyungsoo’s arrival not even two days ago, which left you with no time to process anything beyond anger.

“I’m fine,” you said tightly, grabbing your meat hammer. “Absolutely.” Pound. “100%.” Pound. “Totally.” Pound. “Fine.” Pound. Pound. Pound. Pound.

“Uh-huh, sure,” Hyun-min sayid, narrowing his eyes in obvious doubt. “You can lie all you want, honey…but don’t take it out on my poor, innocent pork cutlets. They’re supposed to be thinly pressed, not hacked to pieces!”

He quickly grabbed the tray of meat and moved it protectively out of the way, like you were a wild animal he couldn’t trust not to strike once his back was turned.

You flushed in embarrassment at your lack of composure, still incredibly on edge. Since you weren’t allowed to mete out your frustrations on the schnitzel, you’d need to seek out other avenues. Fortunately, your friend at the front desk was only too happy to help, and before you knew it, you were face down on a massage table, tension draining from your limbs under the masterful hands of the Crimson Aurora’s best masseuse.

~*~

Not 20 minutes into your lavender-induced stupor, a knock sounded at the door. Jongin told you to wait and slipped out the door, returning to quietly inform you that a certain Do Kyungsoo had arrived and “required your immediate attention.”

As you dressed, you could feel your stomach twisting into knots as you made your way to the kitchen. Standing outside the kitchen doors, the absence of clanging pans, furious chopping, and loud, boisterous voices was your first clue that something was amiss. Through the window, you could see the kitchen staff positioned in a line, as though awaiting military inspection from their commanding officer. Do Kyungsoo stood in front of them, looking every bit the formidable chef he was rumored to be in his immaculate black chef’s coat.

Taking a deep breath, you pushed the door open, crossing the threshold that usually felt so familiar, yet was now completely alien. You put on your best “welcome” smile and stepped into the lion’s den. The noise from the squeaky doors drew the man’s attention and he turned to look at you.

Coming forward, you bowed in greeting. “Hello, my name is ____. I’m the sous-chef here. My apologies for being late, I was just informed of your arrival.”

Kyungsoo sized you up from head to toe, noting your messy hair, untucked shirt, and overall lack of polish. Not what he’d expect from his supposed second-in-command. What type of serious chef got a massage during the work day? If he were any of his former employers, you’d be given your notice immediately. The restaurant world was an unforgiving place, but Kyungsoo knew the dangers of being too quick to judge, so your skills in the kitchen had better impress.

You shuffled past Chef Do to stand beside Hyun-min, painfully aware that the former probably definitely knew exactly where you were. You might not be happy that he was here, but you’d never want your professionalism to be questioned over such a matter. Tonight he wanted to observe and see how the kitchen works and this dinner was your chance to wow him, to prove to Chef Do that you knew what you were doing. You’d worked your butt off covering for Chef Maurice and done a good job, goddammit!

With renewed vigor, you threw yourself into preparing tonight’s special, your team working hard alongside you to pull out the stops, all while under Chef Do’s watchful eye. It was unnerving to feel his gaze on you, judging your every move during prep work–choice of ingredients, knife work, organization–and you could tell everyone else in the room was feeling the same tension. If Hyun-min was an open book, then this man was the definition of a book wrapped in chains with a lock and key, his expression never changing, making it frustratingly impossible to know his thoughts.

Kyungsoo circled the kitchen, observing each and every moving part, noting both what he liked and things that needed to change. People had always told Kyungsoo that he was hard to read. His agent was always telling him he needed to “emote” better and give more fan service to the camera when he was filming shows. Kyungsoo disagreed–it wasn’t that he hid his emotions, he just didn’t see the point in pretending to be something he wasn’t.

Cooking was serious business–raw and real, both chaotic and orderly at the same time.

During filming for his various television shows, he missed the sights and sounds of the organized chaos around him–orders coming left and right, a flurry of quick hands pushing dishes through the window, and the joyful calm of the knife in his hand as he rhythmically chopped vegetables.

By the time the first ticket came through, you and your team were in the groove and you were forever thankful for muscle memory. The donkkaseu was perfect–golden and crunchy from the panko crumbs and slightly spicy from the red pepper flakes. It went down on a brioche bun, topped with kimchi coleslaw, and accompanied by a creamy gamja salad. Running a clean cloth around the edge of the plate, you rang the bell, literally sending your heart and soul out of the kitchen on a platter.

Ashley, longtime waitress and confidant, gave you a thumbs up through the window and you breathed a sigh of relief. Throughout the night, customer reactions were generally positive and you fielded the odd complaint of “the fish is dry” or “I asked for the steak medium” with ease.

10:00 came and went and the kitchen closed down to its nighttime snack menu, serving a selection of Korean favorites like pajeon, tteokbokki, stir-fried squid, and cheese corn to be paired with a menu of creative cocktails. This brainchild of your’s and Taemin’s, the hotel bartender, had worked to draw in guests coming back from shows and concerts and attracted pedestrians from the outside looking for an elevated bar experience.

An hour later, the kitchen was clean and the prep for tomorrow was done. You thanked the team for their hard work and sent them home, with you and Hyun-min remaining to fulfill the last-minute orders. You could see Chef Do in his office through the open door, scribbling furiously, no doubt making sure to take down every little mistake made during tonight’s service. You cringed, knowing there would be a debrief sooner rather than later, but pledged to defend yourself and your team, should the need arise. Everything ran smoothly tonight and you were proud of the job you’d done, though not immune to the fact that there was always room for improvement.

Hyun-min rang the bell and Ashley came to retrieve an order, a secretive smile on her face, which could mean only one thing: gossip.

“Am I going to have to ask or are you just going to tell me?” you asked, giving her a pointed look before handing over the plate of cheesy rice cakes.

“Fine, twist my arm if you must.”

Ashley beckoned you and Hyun-min over and leaned in close, as though she was about to divulge top-secret information.

“Chanyeol’s getting lucky tonight…sent a drink to a girl and now he’s laying on the moves.”

“Hot piano guy?” you clarified, watching as Hyunmin hung his head and groaned. “Sorry, Hyun-min, I guess that ship has sunk.”

“Why are all the available men in this place taken?” he whined. “First hot, ice king Sehun, now tall drink of water, Chanyeol?!”

You patted his arm in sympathy and silent agreement. Despite the fact that the Crimson Aurora Hotel seemed to employ a mysterious amount of above-average looking men, neither of you had been able to make a love connection.

That might be for the best, you mused.

You worked long hours and not everyone was understanding about the amount of time and effort it took to do what you do. Your last boyfriend had complained that you worked too much, were too focused on the restaurant and not enough on him or your relationship. In hindsight, he’d been right–you had put the job first–but honestly, he hadn’t supported you in the way you needed–always making comments about you needing to “get a real job” like his. You wanted and deserved someone who not only believed in you, but understood your drive and passion for creation and innovation.

Ashley grabbed the plate from the pass and turned on her heels, throwing an “I’ll keep you updated” over her shoulder.

With the last order of the night complete, you closed down the kitchen, hanging up your apron on the hook before turning off the lights. The glow from the office drew your eye, but the now-closed door dissuaded you from further investigation. Slinging your bag over your shoulder, you pushed through the kitchen doors and made your way to the place your night usually ended: the bar.

You slid onto a bar top stool, feeling relaxed for the first time today. The red bubble pendant lights, reminiscent of magma, cast a crimson glow over the space. At this hour, the place was mostly deserted, save a lone businessman in one of the alcoves. Seeing no sign of Chanyeol, you assumed he’d retired for the evening with his new lady friend.

Without asking, Taemin placed your drink of choice in front of you and you took a sip, enjoying the burst of fruity flavor on your tongue. He left you to your thoughts, but not before leaving you a bowl of spiced nuts and prawn crackers to snack on. You closed your eyes, letting the jazzy music wash over you, appreciating this time to decompress.

“May I join you?”

The request, accompanied by a gentle tap on the shoulder startled you practically out of your chair. Chef Do stood before you, dressed in jeans and a simple black t-shirt, looking remarkably less intimidating than just an hour previous. Considering the two of you hadn’t started off on the right foot, you couldn’t imagine what he wanted to talk about.

When you gave a hesitant nod, Kyungsoo took a seat next to you. Mindful of first impressions and the work he had to do tomorrow, he asked for water when the bartender came to take his order. You were quiet next to him, so he tried to break the ice.

“Service went well today…You did well today, _____.”

You froze mid-swallow, sputtering as liquid went down the wrong way.

“Was that the wrong thing to say?” he wondered.

“No,” you confirmed, trying to keep your tone as even as possible. “Just not what I was expecting.”

Kyungsoo managed to stifle a smile.“What were you expecting then?”

What had you been expecting?

A jerk who thought he walked on air, someone who ordered others around without deigning to lend a hand, that’s what. It would be easier to hate someone like that, easier to let your anger simmer under the surface. Honestly, you weren’t sure what to do with the person who was currently in front of you. You munched on the prawn cracker, grateful for the crunch, crunch that filled the silence.

Kyungsoo lifted a brow at your obvious avoidance of the question. He chose to artfully change the topic. Eyeing up the prawn crackers, he asked you to share, taking a second to lift it to his nose and inspect the outside before putting it in his mouth.

“Even fry, consistent cuts, crisp texture. Where do you source these from? They remind me of the ones my grandmother used to make.”

“Actually, all the bar snacks are made in-house,” you informed him, pride filling you as you spoke.

You explained that you’d been trialing the homemade snacks and late-night bar menu in hopes of attracting new customers, ones who appreciated quality food and alcohol.

“Not what you were expecting?” you responded cheekily.

“Not exactly,” he returned, smiling genuinely at your response.

“And the response has been good?” he asked, a hint of skepticism as he peered around the now-deserted room.

You grinned behind your hand. “There’s a concert venue down that street that should be getting out in about–”, you checked your watch, “–fifteen minutes. This place’ll be packed soon with people looking to wind down from their music high. I usually try to be out of here by then, but you’re welcome to stick around and see the chaos for yourself.”

You downed the rest of your drink and pulled cash from your wallet, which Taemin warded away with a firm shake of his head and an “on the house”. You bowed your head in appreciation and stuck a couple bills into the tip jar.

“Just friends trying to support friends,” you said, smiling sweetly at Taemin’s look of censure.

You looked over to see that Chef Do had finished his water and put his coat on. You bid each other goodnight and then you were off to the subway station, ready to get home to your apartment, take a well-deserved shower and watch some mindless TV.

Sitting at home, wrapped up in a blanket, you flipped through TV channels searching for something to watch, not that there was anything decent to watch this late anyway. You turned to a cooking channel that was your usual standby and came face-to-face once again, with your new boss, but this time he was whipping someone’s butt in a battle for the best beef bourguignon. He won, of course, but on these types of shows it seemed like he always did.

You thought back to your day, which to your surprise, wasn’t as bad as you imagined it might be. This morning you’d been angry–angry that Chef Do was coming, angry with Manager Kim for not giving you a promotion, and in all honesty, angry with yourself for not being good enough yet.

Now, those emotions felt flimsy and fragile, slipping through your fingers like air, and as much as you tried to hold on, away they went. Resentment might remain, sure, but a burgeoning respect had started to well inside you, one that recognized talent for talent and appreciated a dry sense of humor…and something else too, that you don’t want to name just yet. With that in mind, you clicked the television off, tuning the man out of your living room and out of your life–at least until tomorrow.

~*~

Morning came and Kyungsoo felt hungover, despite having nothing but water at the bar last night. He knew it would be a long day at the restaurant, so he filled up on some breakfast and plain coffee. His phone rang and he saw his agent’s number flashing on the screen. He was tempted to ignore the call, but knew she’d just keep calling back if he didn't pick up.

“How’s my rockstar chef today?” his agent, Nina, drawled in her Texas accent.

“Fine, Nina, just–”

“Perfect,” she interrupted. “Listen babe, I know this whole “head chef” thing wasn’t exactly your first choice, but Kim Junmyeon is a good friend and I owed him a favor. Think of it like a little mini-vacation.”

It was obvious that Nina had never worked in the kitchen because no one, no one who’d ever worked in a restaurant kitchen would refer to it as a “vacation”.

“Listen sugar, I’m working on lining up another show for you. The network is thrilled with ratings for your last series and they’re clamoring for more.”

“But Nina, I don’t want to–”

“Yeah, you don’t want to stay at the hotel for too long. I know, I know. Nina will get you out of there soon, don’t you worry.”

“That’s not what I was going to–”

“Listen, Kyungsoo, my Starbucks is here so I’ve got to run. Mwah!”

Kyungsoo didn’t even have time to say anything before she was gone. He wasn’t surprised–Nina ran a mile a minute and he was absolutely certain the woman was made up of 90% caffeine. She’d been his agent for years, since the beginning, when he’d been a simple link cook with a dream.

It would be fair to say he never expected things to go this far–the crowds, the book deals, the shows, the fame–everything. All he ever wanted was to share his cooking with the world, maybe even own his own farm-to-table restaurant, so truth be told, he was excited at the prospect of settling down for a little while and making his mark on the Ink & Pepper.

When he’d been approached about the opportunity six months ago, the Ink & Pepper had seemed like a restaurant with uninspired food and little direction, and needing some massive changes. He’d come prepared to wipe the slate clean of anything or anyone weighing down the place–employees, concepts, menus, whatever it took. Upon arrival, he’d been shocked to find the kitchen in pretty decent working order. Provisions were well-organized, stations were clean, and the staff worked cohesively.

Not at all what he expected.

He knew it came down to you, the sous-chef masquerading as the one in charge. The sous-chef who got massages during the work day. He hadn’t thought much of you when you walked in looking like you’d just woken up from a three-hour nap; however, you’d quickly proved him wrong–executing and expediting dishes flawlessly.

From the beginning, it was obvious you were used to being top dog and he wondered how you’d take to following his orders. He smiled, fondly thinking of the days he himself had been filled with bright ideas and loads of sass-not so different from you.

With a little time left before he had to be at the restaurant, he took his two puppies out for a walk before dropping them off at daycare. Leaving his car behind, Kyungsoo strolled through the neighborhood, making note of the small, tucked-away restaurants that he wanted to try (and maybe own) someday.

He was stopped by several older ladies who asked for his autograph and was happy to oblige. Two signed napkins and many selfies later, he was zooming through the streets on his way to the Crimson Aurora.

The kitchen was in full swing by the time he walked through the doors and he was greeted by the sound of clanging pots, sizzling pans, and steam, which halted to a whisper. Gazes followed him as he walked to his office and stowed his things. He called the team together and went over his notes from the previous evening. Once he made it clear that he wasn’t firing anybody, the staff visibly relaxed…well maybe except you.

You frowned several times while he was talking, most notably when he mentioned that menus would solely focus on classic, French cuisine. Interesting. You must prefer a different style of food, and he made a note to ask you about that later. You also cringed when he critiqued the cook on the lamb chops from last night. Not debatable, in his opinion, it was medium or bust.

After he finished, he pulled several staff members to go over the grocery order for next week, when his menu went into effect. He had relationships with some of the top vendors in the city and he wanted to make sure the restaurant had access to the best ingredients possible. He hadn’t had time to go over the new menu with you, but he was excited to roll it out next week.

The day flew by–diners came and went, food left the kitchen and empty plates came back–and soon the moon was high in the sky. The kitchen lights dimmed, and from his office he could see the staff heading out for the night, leaving you and Hyun-min behind to finish up.

The spicy, sweet smell of tteokbokki filled his nose, making his mouth water. He remembered the tteokbokki his mother used to make him growing up, with plenty of fish cakes and sliced eggs.

During culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu, he lived in Paris, adopting the lifestyle and the cuisine. Fresh fruits and vegetables, cheeses, yogurt, meat, and fish–a delicious and nutritious diet, but very different from the food he ate growing up.

From his vantage point, he could hear bits and pieces of your conversation with Hyun-min–a bad experience on a blind date, the latest episode of The Bachelor, and Hyun-min’s cat giving him the cold shoulder. Kyungsoo didn’t have any use for idle gossip, so ended up tuning out most of it anyway, at least until he got a late-night call from New York. By the time he was done, the kitchen was deserted. Curious, made his way to the bar, and sure enough, there you were, sitting in your usual spot. Without thinking too hard, he slid into the seat next to you and ordered his new usual.

~*~

Three months later

“Just water will do tonight, Taemin.”

You knew who spoke without even having to look. Chef Do’s voice was distinct–deep and rich like melting chocolate, one that carried perfectly in a room (or kitchen). Water again tonight, it seemed. It made sense, Chef Do–Kyungsoo, as he’d told you to call him off-the-clock, seemed like a water kind of guy.

“Do you drink anything else besides water?”

“Do you drink anything besides passion fruit cocktails, ___?” Kyungsoo shot back playfully, sliding into the seat next to you.

“I’ll have you know these are passion fruit mocktails, Kyungsoo. In my old-age, I can’t handle alcohol on a weekday like I could in my youth.”

You were over-exaggerating a little bit, considering you weren’t even 30, but bouncing back seemed harder these days, especially when you had the responsibility of being up for work just hours later.

Looking over at Kyungsoo, you lifted an eyebrow. “What’s your excuse?”

Kyungsoo shrugged. “I just drink water, nothing else. It’s very…hydrating.”

He winced, clearly aware of how obvious that answer was.

You nodded awkwardly before reaching into your bag and pulling out a glass container. You’d learned that Kyungsoo was a sucker for snack foods, so this ought to do the trick. Oddly enough, this had kind of become your nightly routine for the past few months: cook your butt off all day and hole up at the bar with your boss at night. Hyun-min had joined you a couple of times, but dubbed it “boring” since it didn’t involve soju, spandex, and getting down at the club.

“You want some kimbap? Nothing fancy, just some beef rolls and a couple of tuna.”

You handed over the container for Kyungsoo’s inspection. Someone once said “you eat with your eyes first”, and you found that was especially true for chefs. Your kimbaps looked pretty good, the veggies were cut consistently, the egg was yellow and soft, and the roll was tight. Not as good as your mom’s, but decent.

Kyungsoo cautiously took one and popped it in his mouth. You offered him more and the two of you ate in silence.

Kyungsoo chewed thoughtfully before asking: “When do you have time to make these things? The rice seems really fresh, so obviously these weren’t made yesterday.”

“We usually keep some ingredients on-hand for staff in case they get hungry. I make them right before we leave…you’re usually on the phone when I do.”

Kyungsoo let out a big sigh, massaging his temples.

“It’s my agent, Nina. She lives in New York, so there’s a bit of a time difference.”

“How do you do it all?” you wondered aloud. “Balance running a restaurant and a television career at the same time?”

Kyungsoo chuckled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

“Truth is, I don’t. It’s always one or the other. If I’m filming a show, I’m gone from work for weeks or months at a time. My agent is always pushing me to do more shows and appearances, but if I do, it takes me away from being in the kitchen. Even now she’s pushing me to judge some big competition show in Europe.”

It was surprising to hear this from him. He seemed like such a natural on television, born to be on screen. You would have never guessed he felt any other way, but here he was, wanting the simple basics of cheffing.

“...but you’ve worked at some of the best restaurants in the world…all those Michelin stars…”

“But are they truly mine?” he mused. “Someone else’s vision…someone else’s kitchen…not mine…”

Getting a Michelin star always seemed like a pipe dream, so much so you never gave them more than a passing thought. But pondering it now, you realized he was right: Michelin stars were given out to restaurants with outstanding cooking, in terms of ingredients, flavor, technique and consistency over time. While the chef might be the vehicle to gaining those stars, the stars stayed, even if the chef moved on to other places.

“Well, technically this place is yours now, right?” you said, trying to lighten the mood.

Kyungsoo smiled softly. “Yeah…I guess you’re right. A place of my own to finally do as I wish….”

Though you’d slowly come to accept the reality of working under Kyungsoo, your chest still tightened at his words. A place of my own.

“...and what about you?” he continued. “You must have a dream too.”

When you sheepishly admitted to having a similar dream, understanding lit his eyes.

“Ah, so that’s why you’ve been so morose about the menus lately.”

“I have not been morose”, you grumbled as Kyungsoo shot you a look of mock disbelief. “I haven’t! Disappointed is the word I would use.”

Kyungsoo scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Have you ever thought about working somewhere else? There’s got to be hundreds of places that would see the value in your skills.”

“I mean, sure, I’ve thought about it here and there, but the Ink & Pepper was the place I first got my start and the people there are like family. I’m not sure I could leave. It just feels right, you know?”

Kyungsoo nodded in understanding, at the same time knowing opportunities would be more ripe if you looked beyond the small boutique hotel restaurant. Plenty of talented chefs never made it further than being someone else’s underling and he didn’t want that to happen to you. Kyungsoo knew many of the top people in the industry and if he put a word in with the right people, maybe you’d…

Taemin chose that moment to interrupt, saying the bar was closing, and checking your watch, you realized you and Kyungsoo had never stayed this late before. You meandered down the sidewalk, silently making your way towards the bus stop, together but alone in your thoughts. Kyungsoo dropped you off at your stop and you watched his back as he slowly walked away.

“Are you going to do it?”

You were loud enough that Kyungsoo turned back, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“The show, I mean. Are you going to do it?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes filled with understanding, as he came to a stop a few feet from you.

“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “Why? Just waiting for me to go so you can take back your crown?”

“Hardly.” you huffed, scowling at the mischief you saw in his eyes.

“Then you’ll miss me?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

You rolled your eyes. “Again, hardly.”

He stepped closer. “That’s a shame, because I’d miss you, ___”, he said quietly.

You turned towards him, ready to deliver another biting comeback, when you saw he was serious.

“You what?”

“You heard me. I said I’d miss you.”

Dazed, you sucked in a breath, trying to process what you just heard. It was quiet around you, and you realized Kyungsoo was waiting for you to speak. Words needed to be formulated into sentences, but unfortunately your brain was jumbled up like a plate of scrambled eggs.

Kyungsoo stepped closer, and all you could see were his eyes, jet-black against the night sky. He lifted his hand to your face, running his thumb across your cheek in a gentle caress. You opened your mouth to speak, but no words came out, as though your brain was unable to process anything but the ripples of electricity running through your body and the warmth of his skin against yours in the cool night air.

In your peripheral, you heard the squeal of the bus as it angled into your stop. The doors hummed as they opened and several people got off, no doubt ready to hit the town. You needed to get on that bus, but to do that, you’d have to break away.

Kyungsoo reached up to clasp your face with both hands, drawing your gaze back to him, no doubt sensing your imminent withdrawal.

“I have my car here, ____.” Kyungsoo murmured, his deep voice making you feel tingly. “Let me take you home.”

With the bus driver looking your way, you only had a few seconds to make a choice. You knew what you should do–get on the bus and go home to your apartment alone–but here you were, contemplating being alone with a man–your boss you might add! — a man you’d never thought about in a romantic way until now…

Are you sure? a voice inside you countered. You’ve never thought of him in any other way? Never fantasized about him caging you against the door of the walk-in? Not once imagined what was under the tight, black chef’s coat he wears everyday?

You sucked in a breath as your brain acknowledged what your heart had known for a while now. Kyungsoo occupied your thoughts during the day (and night) more than you’d like to admit, and before you could remind yourself this was a bad idea, you found yourself blushing and nodding.

You took the arm he offered, and soon you were cruising through the city street. Leaning back against the expensive leather seats, you could feel a deep tiredness settle into your bones. You fought to stay awake, but as the car’s warmth drifted over you and soft jazz filled your ears, you were soon lulled into dreamland, as Kyungsoo’s car sped towards your destination.

~*~

Kyungsoo eased to a stop in front of your apartment, happy you had agreed to let him take you home. This was too far from the hotel for you to travel alone. He’d definitely be dropping you off on a regular basis, now that he knew. Not only would it satisfy his concern for your safety, but selfishly, it would also fill his need for you.

Looking over, he smiled to see you dozing next to him. Turned towards him in sleep, he admired your features in the soft glow of the streetlights. It was so different to see this side of you, so relaxed and serene–a stark contrast to the fast-paced, tenacious dynamite you were in the kitchen.

You murmured in your sleep and his gaze was drawn to your lips and he wondered what they felt like. His hand hovered inches over lips and he longed to run his thumb across your cupid’s bow.

His plan was foiled by the blare of a car alarm two blocks down, causing you to startle awake.

“Kyungsoo! How long have we been sitting here? Why didn’t you wake me?” you admonished, playfully swatting him on the shoulder.

Truthfully, he’d enjoyed watching you sleep, just being near you was enough to make his heart flutter. But as usual, Kyungsoo played things closer to the vest, not wanting you to know how much you affected him.

“Should I have carried you up the stairs then, like a gallant knight aiding a fair lady?”

You made a retching sound in your throat. “No, absolutely not. Besides–” you say, your gaze flickering up and down his body, “I have doubts that you’d even be able to get me to the door.”

Kyungsoo knew it was a joke, but it didn’t stop him from bristling at your words.

“Ah, that’s where you’d be wrong, ____. You see I lift.”

You quirked a brow in his direction, amusement sparkling in your eyes. “Yeah, lift pans, maybe.”

“Try me,” he challenged.

“Okay, you’re on. A piggyback ride all the way up to my apartment. Oh and did I mention I live on the 4th floor?” you added, bursting with glee.

Looking out the window at your tall apartment building, Kyungsoo found himself regretting his rash words just a bit. He did go to the gym, he hadn’t been lying about that, it was a necessity in his line of work to keep his stamina up. However, he’d never carried an adult human more than a couple of yards at any given time. Puffing up his chest, he knew he’d make it even if it killed him, he had a lady to impress, afterall.

When Kyungsoo bent down and ushered you on, you hesitantly stepped forward to get into position, sliding your arms around his neck. Up close, the pleasing scent of forest teased your senses and you had to stop yourself from pressing your face into his neck and inhaling the musky scent.

Kyungsoo lifted you with surprising ease, wasting no time before starting the long ascent up the winding staircase. As he climbed and climbed, Kyungsoo’s breathing quickened and you could tell he was getting winded. His palms were scalding through your pants and you could feel the warmth of him seeping into your skin. When you finally reached your apartment door, Kyungsoo sounded like he was running a marathon.

“Alright. Here. We Are. I Win.” Kyungsoo said, taking a long breath between each word.

You held your hands up in defeat. “Okay, okay, I surrender. I was wrong.”

Being wrong had never, ever felt so right.

Kyungsoo gently set you back on your feet, before turning to face you.

“So what’s my prize?”

“Your what?”

“My prize, ____. You challenged me, I won, therefore it’s only fair to receive appropriate compensation.”

“And what’s your idea of ‘appropriate compensation’?”

You knew what you wanted him to say, what you wanted him to do. The moment at the bus stop had teased your senses, and now, all you could think about is what it would feel like to have his lips against yours, his strong arms pressing you tight against his body.

Kyungsoo detected the hint of flirtation in your voice and it chafed against his conscience. Up until now, he’d been able to keep up the light-hearted conversation, continue to play the game, both now and at work, while burning on the inside. The angel on his shoulder told him this was a bad idea, that no good could come from kissing an employee, but the devil on his other whispered about how good it would feel to finally have your lips against his own.

Before he knew it, his body made the choice for him, wanting satisfaction and tired of this constant state of denial. His arms shot out, encircling your waist and pulling you tight against his body. Your eyes widened, narrowing on his lips, and he took that as an invitation to seal his mouth against yours.

Sinking into Kyungsoo’s warmth, your hands wound around his neck to secure him closer. You sighed into his mouth, tilting your head to the side, squealing at the feel of his tongue teasing your lower lip. Your hands found their way into Kyungsoo’s silky hair, and you tugged him closer, groaning as he sucked your tongue between his lips. The sound of heavy breathing filled the quiet hallway and you wanted nothing more than for him to slide you up the wall and take you out of your misery.

Kyungsoo’s attention drifted to your neck, allowing you a moment of reprieve to catch your breath. Soft lips moved from your collarbone to just below your ear, alternating between gentle kisses and soft flicks of tongue. Kyungsoo paused to blow lightly on your skin, still wet from his previous care. You shivered at the sudden hot-cold sensation, clutching Kyungsoo’s head closer in a silent bid for more.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway and the sound of male voices drew closer. You knew those voices: Hyun-min and his posse on the way back from a wild night out.

Forced from your lust-induced haze, you regrettably tore away from Kyungsoo’s lips. Kyungsoo’s stark look of confusion quickly faded as he realized the situation you were about to be in. Shoving the key into the lock, you pushed open the door, pulling Kyungsoo inside in the nick of time.

As the voices outside faded, you breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing you needed was Hyun-min finding you pressed up against your boss as he sucked on your neck. Not because he’d object, but simply because he’d never let you live it down.

In the darkened apartment, it was quiet, save for the sounds of late-night traffic drifting through the window and Kyungsoo breathing beside you. Pins and needles ran up and down your spine, your entire body titillated by the sounds of Kyungsoo’s movements in the darkness. Wanting more.

Kyungsoo whispered your name. Yes or no? he silently asked.

When you didn’t respond, he slid his hand along the wall, fumbling for the lightswitch, as if that would bring the answers he sought.

You had only seconds to make a decision.

Yes or no?

A split second decision. You clapped your hand over his, preventing him from flipping the switch. In the darkness, the sweet spell remained, unbroken by obtrusive light. And in the dark, consequences be damned.

Reaching out, you grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand, softly tugging him further into your apartment.

~*~

Fuck. Chop. Fuck. Chop. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Chop. Chop. Chop.

Kyungsoo dropped the knife, running his fingers through his hair. Getting on the line usually helped clear his thoughts, but not today. No matter what he tried, his thoughts drifted back to you. It’d been dark when he woke in your bed, so dark his eyelids had practically begged for more sleep. It had been so tempting to wrap you tightly in his arms and remain.

But he had left.

It wasn’t his style to leave without a word, but he’d been unsure of where you stood. He felt regret with how things had ended–you deserved to wake to a frittata and fresh coffee in bed, not to cold sheets and an empty apartment.

The back of his neck heated in shame. He’d slept with an employee. This was basic work ethics 101–do not engage in sexual relations with staff members. Cocky it would never happen, he’d let his guard down around you. How could he–

“Something bothering you, Chef?” Hyun-min asked, startling Kyungsoo from his thoughts.

Kyungoo attempted nonchalance. “No. Why would you think that?”

“Maybe because you’re practically pulverizing the vegetables,” Hyun-min said gesturing knowingly to the cutting board. “Unless gazpacho is now on the menu?”

Kyungsoo looked down to see finely diced tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, cut too small for the fresh salad he’d intended to make.

Hyun-min loaded the remaining vegetables on a tray, carting them away before any further damage could be done. “I swear, you and _____ have it out for my station,” he muttered as he walked away.

Cut off from his distraction, he was grateful for once when his phone rang.

“Hello, Nina,” he greeted, closing himself into his office for what would no doubt be a lengthy conversation.

“Hey, doll. How are ya?”

“Well, actually Nina–”

“Great, glad to hear it. Listen–Nina came through for you, love. You’re out.”

Kyungsoo frowned. “What do you mean, Nina?”

Nina sighed, talking slowly as if she were explaining it to a toddler. “I mean you’re out of that little restaurant, babe. The network called and the competition show in Europe is a ‘go’. They want you there in two days.”

Kyungsoo sucked in a breath, trying to digest what he’d just heard. Two days? Nowhere near enough time to tie up loose ends–both with the restaurant and with you.

“Two days, Nina? That’s–”

“I know, love. It’s an eternity, but what can I do? You have a flight to London tonight, so pack a bag and head to the airport. I’m sending the tickets to your email now.”

“Thank you, Nina, but I–”

“No problem, kiddo. Nina’s here for you. Oops, Bobby’s here, gotta run. Talk soon, mwah!”

Before he could get a word in edgewise, the call dropped and she was gone. Kyungsoo vowed to himself that he’d get a new agent when this was all over, someone who actually let him finish sentences once in a while. Or let him have a vacation. Do anything that wasn’t on a schedule.

By the time he’d packed up his office, the rest of the staff had filtered in, prepping for the long day ahead. A soft knock sounded at the door, drawing his attention. You slipped inside, shutting the door behind you, a look of determination on your face. You turned, walking to stand in front of him with your arms crossed.

“I have something I want to talk to you about, Chef Do.” you announced, the use of his formal title not lost on him.

He gestured for you to sit, but you remained firmly where you were.

“Why did you leave like that?” you whispered, voice low in the off chance anyone was listening outside. “You just left..no note..no text…no nothing. Did it not mean anything to you?”

Your voice cracked at the end, betraying the hurt you’d promised to keep hidden.

Kyungsoo sighed, running his hands over his face. “No, ____, of course not. But I’m your boss. I crossed a line last night–”

“We crossed a line last night,” you corrected, hurt turning into anger at the insinuation he’d somehow taken advantage of you. “I remember being very much in control last night, Kyungsoo.”

Watching the hurt blossom in your eyes, Kyungsoo wanted nothing more than to take you in his arms, assure you that last night had been special, a night he’d never forget.

His phone dinged and he looked down to see an email from his agent, with the tickets for his flight. He had a flight out of here to London tonight and the timing couldn’t have been worse.

Fuming with righteous indignation, you looked around Kyungsoo’s office, for the first time noting its emptiness. Where pages and pages of notes had dominated its walls, now stood bare. Stacks of cookbooks were packed neatly into brown boxes sitting on the floor. Your heart squeezed at the realization: he was leaving. But why? Surely it couldn’t be because of last night…

“So…that’s it? You’re leaving…just like that?” you said in disbelief. “Was it because of last night?”

Kyungsoo flinched, not liking the hurt in your voice. “No…no absolutely not. My agent called me this morning…the show is on, _____. They’re expecting me in London the day after tomorrow…I have a flight out tonight.”

A roaring noise filled your ears and a tightness filled your chest. What did you say to that? “Congratulations”? “Don’t go”? “What about us”? It all seemed lame in the moment. One thing was sure, however: you wouldn’t be that girl. The girl who simped over a celebrity one-night stand, who expected more when it was never anything beyond casual.

“Congratulations, Kyungsoo,” you said, a wistful smile on your face. “I’m sure it’ll be amazing.”

“____, about us, I–”

Your eyes started to feel hot. “No, Kyungsoo, don’t worry about it. I know we were just caught up in the moment last night.”

“But I really–”

You shook your head to keep the tears at bay, backing towards the door. “You don’t owe me any kind of explanation, Kyungsoo, I get it. Waking up alone was enough of a clue, so you don’t have to say anything else.”

“Wait–”

“Goodbye, Kyungsoo. I hope you get everything you wanted.”

You slipped quickly out of the office, not stopping at Kyungsoo’s continued protests. You didn’t want to hear what he had to say. No, it would gut you to hear you were just some hook-up. Better to avoid and save your heart the pain.

Your feet carried through the kitchen and out the door just as tears started to fall. The scent of starch and detergent fumes engulfed you as you fled to the laundry room, the best place at the Crimson Aurora for some good old-fashioned privacy. You stayed there, hidden, not brave enough to face him at the very end. The loud whir of the industrial laundry machines washed out the sound of your tears and then and there you vowed to cleanse your heart of him, like removing a stain from a white sheet.

~*~

Three months later.

It still felt weird. Sitting in the office, that is. Your new office. It almost didn’t seem real–so much so you had to pinch yourself to prove it wasn’t a dream. But there it was, written on a shiny, gold desk plate: _____ ________, Head Chef.

You looked out into the bustling kitchen, filled with activity as the staff–your staff–worked hard during dinner rush. Making your dishes. In your kitchen. You still couldn’t believe you were here. Thinking back to that day three months ago, you’d never have guessed what life could bring.

After hiding out in the laundry as long as humanly possible, you had trudged back to the land of the living, hoping to make it through dinner service so you could go home and have a good old-fashioned ice-cream cry.

Hyun-min had practically jumped on you when you walked through the kitchen doors, peppering you with questions. Where was Chef Do going? Why were you crying? So many questions it made your head spin. The phone had rung, and you’d been relieved, for once, to be summoned to Manager Kim’s office.

Being the amazing friend that he was, Hyun-min had insisted you celebrate after hearing the news. You’d gone out with the kitchen staff that night, dressed to the nines, but without your heart really in it. You felt conflicted–you finally had it, the dream job you always wanted, but it came at the expense of losing something–or someone.

Kyungsoo’s new television show had started airing, but you couldn’t bring yourself to watch, not willing to be tortured by what you couldn’t have. Luckily, your work kept you busy, at least during the day. It was nights that were harder. You couldn’t escape him, even in your own damn apartment. The stairs, the door, the bed–all reminders of that one unforgettable night before the rug was pulled out from under you.

A knock on the door disturbed your thoughts and you looked up to see Hyun-min hovering in the doorway, a peculiar expression on his face.

“Um, boss? There’s a customer out front who’d like to speak to you…something about overcooked lamb chops…”

“You offered to re-make it, I’m assuming?”

Hyun-min nodded. “Yeah, but they said they wanted to talk to you specifically.”

Telling him you’d be right there, you reluctantly got up from your chair and donned your starched, white chef’s coat. Dealing with a picky customer wasn’t out of the ordinary, but your threshold for dealing with complaints today was at an all-time low.

“Table 4”, Hyun-min called as you headed through the kitchen and out the doors into the dining room.

Walking through the busy dining room, you dodged waitstaff and waded through customers, fresh from a matinee musical performance. You approached Table 4 from behind, where a lone male figure was seated.

Taking a deep breath and pasting your “the customer is always right” smile on your face, you prayed a little sweet talking and a comped glass of wine would be enough to smooth this situation over.

“Excuse me–”

Dark brown eyes turned toward you, full lips that you were intimately familiar with parted into a smile.

Kyungsoo.

You rubbed your eyes, making sure you weren’t just seeing things, that he was really there. What was he doing here? It didn’t make sense. He’d blown into your life, set it on fire, then breezed out, never to be heard from again. In the three months he’d been gone, you hadn’t heard from him once.

“_____,” he breathed. “I heard you got the head chef job, so I came as soon as I got back from London. I missed you–”

Hearing his voice, your resolve wavered. You cleared your throat, striving to take control of the situation. You were a professional, the chef in charge now, and you wouldn’t let your feelings get the better of you, gosh darn it!

“Hello, sir, I heard from my kitchen staff that you were unhappy with a dish we prepared for you. May I ask what the issue is?”

Kyungsoo’s smile slipped from his face, as though he was surprised, almost disappointed at your reaction.

Kyungsoo leaned forward, making sure no one could hear him but you. “Can we talk…privately?”

As Kyungsoo led you into an empty office, he felt a hint of unease. He’d pictured your reunion much differently. In his imaginings, you were overjoyed at the surprise of seeing him, smiling widely before pulling him close for an embrace–the embrace he’d imagined everyday during those long, lonely weeks in Europe. He understood, but it stung all the same.

Once inside, he walked towards the window, stopping to look out into the bright moonlight, trying to gather his thoughts. You stayed a respectful distance away, looking wary, as though you were about to bolt out the door.

You waited for Kyungsoo to speak…and waited…but he only continued to look out the window. “Look, Kyungsoo, what is it? I’ve got to head back to work soon.”

Kyungsoo turned towards you, silhouetted in moonlight, his eyes dark as the sky behind him.

“I missed you,____. So much. Everyday.”

You snorted. “Sure, Kyungsoo. You missed me. So much so you called me all of zero times. Or did I just miss all those calls and texts you sent me?”

Kyungsoo shifted between his feet. “I know I messed up, _____. I shouldn’t have just left like that, you deserved better than that.”

“Yeah, you’re right, Kyungsoo. I did deserve better. You just left without any explanation.”

Kyungsoo started to speak, but you kept going.

“I’m not talking about leaving for Europe, Kyungsoo. I understood that part, you had an opportunity and took it. But that morning, you just left my apartment, no note, no explanation, nothing, after we–” you cut off, not wanting to say it aloud.

Crossing to you, Kyungsoo gripped your shoulders. “I’m sorry, _____. That morning, it killed me to leave. I wanted to make it so good for you, but I was scared.”

You watched as Kyungsoo worried his lower lip. “Scared of what?” you breathed.

“Us. What we did. I was your boss, ____. No matter how much I wanted you, I was disappointed in myself. Then, when I was in Europe, I wondered if you’d even want to hear from me. I was your boss and I took advantage of you, I worried you felt you had no choice–”

You put your pointer finger against his lips, cutting him off before he could finish what he was going to say.

“Kyungsoo, I appreciate the concern, but I’m not a baby. I chose to invite you in, I chose to let you kiss me. For god’s sake, we were stone cold sober, so it’s not like we can even blame the alcohol. You didn’t force me to do anything, okay?”

He nodded and you removed your finger from his lips.

“For what it’s worth, I thought you deserved a frittata. If I could do that night over, I’d have made you the most delicious breakfast you’d ever had and served it to you in bed.”

“Well…I guess next time, I’ll be holding you to that, then.”

Kyungsoo looked up, his mouth forming an “o”. “Next time?” he whispered.

“Yeah, next time,” you said, a small smile lighting up your face.

Kyungsoo slid his hands from your shoulders to cup your cheeks. “So…you forgive me?” he said, hopefully.

“Yeah, I forgive you. You made some dumb decisions, but hey, at least you’re still cute.”

Kyungsoo pinched your cheeks in revenge, immediately stroking the reddened skin to soothe the burn.

“So, what are you going to do now that you’re back?” you asked, turning serious again.

“I actually leased a restaurant just a few streets over,” he said sheepishly. “I finally did it, got my own place.”

“So…you were really here to check out the competition, eh?” you said, shooting him a grin. “What did you think?”

Moving his hands to your waist, Kyungsoo pulled you against him, your faces just inches apart.

“The lamb chops were a little overdone,” he said with a wink.

You scoffed. “Shut up, Kyungsoo. Don’t you have anything better to do with those lips? Like kissing me, perhaps?”

“Much better,” he said, joining your mouths together at last.

As your lips clashed, you soaked in the feeling of being in Kyungsoo’s arms again. You certainly hadn’t expected today to end this way. That Kyungso was here to stay was even more of a surprise, in a restaurant of his own not four blocks away. Once again, you were competitors, though this time on equal footing.

As they said, “keep your friends close and enemies closer,” and this enemy, you’d enjoy keeping very, very close.

~*~

Thank you so much for reading Flames of Attraction! I hope you enjoyed it and if you did, please re-blog for others to find! And please support the other amazing creators on the Crimson Aurora Hotel & Spa project. @myeoning-call @leewalberg @yourkeeperoftherunners @taem-min @ouvuo @dreamylittlesugarcube @jxstadaydreamer @xiubaek-13 @yourkeeperoftherunners @ninibears-erigom and @sojuri

XOXO,

Emmy

#kyungsoo exo #kyungsoo romance #kyungsoo x you #kyungsoo x reader #exo kyungsoo #kyungsoo fanfic #kyungsoo fanfics #kyungsoo x oc #do kyungsoo #kyungsoo story #exo d.o #exo fanfiction #exo fanfic #exo #kyungsoo fanfiction

60 notes · View notes