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ceapa-mica · 1 year

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The Choices We Make | Chapter 5: Stealth

{cross-posted on ao3} {masterlist}

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Pairing: Imperial!Crosshair x Tholothian!OC

Warnings: angst

Word count: 2767

Summary: Zareena has a plan to search for information regarding Lyle's wherabouts.

a/n: Welcome back!

Sorry I didn't post this chapter sooner, but after that season finale I was too depressed to write for almost a week. I love writing a grumpy character falling in love, and I hope you have just as much fun reading this chapter as I had writing it, dear reader. Enjoy!

"What is this? Misfit central?"

That was the first of many comments Zaree paid no mind to as she approached the table Crosshair sat at with a sad expression on her face. She had looked sad last night, but now even more so, and Crosshair had a feeling something had happened. She didn't look like she fully acknowledged his presence as she sat down and shoved the mushy food over her plate with her spoon. That ray of sunshine of a woman was gone and that concerned Crosshair.

"You're bringing the mood down here." he said, keeping a neutral expression, staring at her while slowly eating the goo that was supposed to be breakfast. "Did one of those regs upset you again?" he asked with a lot of suppressed anger, eying the table the group of clones that were bothering them were sitting at.

"If that was only the case." she huffed. "My foreman paid me a visit this morning. He said someone new will take Lyle's position. They really want to replace him, I- I don't want to work with someone new. How can they do that?!" she hit her fist on the table, accidentally spilling her caf. "Shit…" With one hand she tried to dry the puddle of caf, the other wiped away the tears forming in her eyes.

Crosshair had never seen Zaree like this. At that moment he decided he hated seeing her so unhappy. Sure, her usually positive nature annoyed him at times, but seeing such a warm person so broken made him feel things, which, of course, he wouldn't show.

"The work needs to be done, and since your friend is gone…" he tried his best to find words of comfort, but comforting someone was really not one of his strengths.

"I know you're right… I just wish Lyle would be here. I'm sure you two would get along well. I made a new plan by the way."

Crosshair sighed exasperatedly. "What now?"

Zaree looked around and whispered "Come to the maintenance room at noon, that's when my shift ends. I can't tell you here."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose at the thought of another one of her "excellent" plans. "Fine, but don't waste my time."

The corners of Zaree's mouth twitched in an almost-smile and she stood up and left, her breakfast left halfway uneaten. Usually she was a good eater, but today she simply wasn't that cheerful Tholothian woman Crosshair had met. The cheeky glint in her eyes was gone, replaced by a weariness he hadn't seen before. After finishing his breakfast, Crosshair took a detour to the kitchen where he secretly stole some of the better rations for her to eat later. From what Zaree had told him about Lyle, he had always looked out and been there for her. Crosshair felt like this duty was now his for the time being… until Lyle returned, so he hoped. He wanted to help find her friend to see her happy again, he really did.

As Crosshair showed up at the maintenance room at noon he was surprised to find a stranger spinning on the chair - a young human man with tousled brown hair and dark shadows under his eyes who was listening to the newest jizz tunes on his headphones.

"Who are you?" Crosshair asked with obvious distrust in his voice.

"I could ask you the same question. What's a trooper doing down here?"

"I'm looking for Zareena."

"Aw the little lady got caught up repairing the valves on boiler S43. Had to postpone her lunch break."

As a sniper Crosshair had learned to be patient and leaned against the doorframe, waiting for fifteen minutes. He had to show up for yet another medical exam right after lunch break so he couldn't stay.

"Tell Zareena I was here."

"Sure thing, clone!"

Crosshair rolled his eyes at the way the young man talked. He didn't like him, especially not that he smelled like deathsticks. He took the rations he had stolen from the kitchen with him since he had a feeling that the boy would eat them himself instead of giving them to Zaree.

When Zaree didn't show up for dinner either, Crosshair became worried. Worry and uncertainty were feelings he hated more than anything and didn't exactly improve his mood. With a scowl on his face he went to bed that night, but couldn't fall asleep. Too many thoughts occupied his mind. He wondered what the Batch were up to. Why wasn't Zaree at dinner? What would his next mission be? Those were the questions that wouldn't let him catch any sleep. Around midnight, when he was about to doze off, there was a knock on the door of his quarters. He sat straight up, wondering who it could be. A new mission?

"Come in!" Crosshair looked in surprise as Zaree came into his quarters. "You have no authorization to be on that level. Please tell me you didn't steal another access card."

"Good evening to you too. And no, this time I came through the ventilation shafts. A great way to go places in this building that are protected by doors you need those cards for."

"How the fuck do you even know which room is mine? I never told you."

She grinned, the mirthful spark in her eyes had returned. "Lyle taught me some basic slicing. That's how I learned your CT number and then looked up your room. Easy."

How she stood in his room in a confident stance, hands on her hips made his mouth go dry. "You came here for a reason. What did you want to tell me?"

Zaree sighed and sat down cross-legged at the end of his bed. "First of all, I'm sorry I didn't show up during mealtimes when I said I would. I had to show that newbie around and explain everything three times because his only interest seems to be his kriffing music box. He works so sloppy and slow… I just hope that's only temporary but…probably not."

Crosshair cocked his head listening to her vent. "Some people just can't get the job done. That's what it feels like working with regs."

"Oh come on, not all regs are like this!"

He rolled his eyes in frustration at the mere thought of how the regs had treated him and his brothers when they were young and still as grown ups. "Now to the reason you visit me in the middle of the night. Y'know what this could look like to someone else. Young lady, visiting me at night…"

Zaree searched for the right words. "I- um oh I'm not here to- I don't want you to think…" Crosshair enjoyed watching her stammer, a smirk forming in the corner of his mouth. "I told you at breakfast that I have a new plan." She was suddenly interrupted by the growling of her stomach which was loud enough for Crosshair at the other end of his bed to hear. He grabbed the flimsi bag with the rations he had stolen from the kitchen and threw it on the bed in front of her.

"Wanted to give this to you since lunchtime. Didn't trust your new coworker enough to leave it there for you."

"Aww that's so thoughtful! Thank you!" Her wide smile made him feel things he tried hard to suppress. As he watched her bite a chunk off the first ration bar, he wondered how her lips would feel on his - a thought that scared him so much he blinked to focus back on what she was saying with her mouth full.

"This facility has a prison. The thing is, Lyle never taught me how to slice into the registry. I need access to the data terminals for that."

"Those are…well protected. They scan your face for verification and alert the security if you don't have the necessary rank."

Zaree nodded. "I know that much. I can overwrite this standard protocol, which includes the face scanning. I need someone to keep watch while I'm doing this and you're my only friend right now…"

Crosshair sighed in exasperation. "Those reckless plans of yours will one day cost you your life. When do you plan on doing this?"

"Tonight."

He blinked once in disbelief. "Pulling a stunt like this takes days if not weeks to plan."

"Days or weeks are something Lyle doesn't have! We need to find him as soon as possible."

She took a small holoprojector from her bag. A map appeared as she switched it on, showing a floor plan with serval red markings.

"See those? That are all the security cams three floors down. The data terminal is right here." She pointed at a yellow marking, then pointed at a certain hallway. "There's the ventilation shaft. It can't be seen on any of those cams, but to get to the data terminal there is one cam that needs to be taken care of. There's a panel hidden in the wall. I can slice into the security system from there and disable it, and show the security personnel some old recordings. I need you to have my back there too."

"And how do you want to disable the cam without anyone seeing you?"

"The cam shows what's going on in the hallway in front of it, not what's happening right below it. I will sneak along the wall and disable it, slice the data terminal, you have my back, and we'll be out of there before you know it."

Crosshair grabbed one of his toothpicks from the small box on the shelf next to his bed. "You said Lyle has never shown you how to slice the prison registry. What makes you think you can do it without his help?"

"I need to try!"

He rubbed his temples at her determination and stubbornness. "Fine. Just be quick." He hated the idea of having to crawl through the ventilation shafts with her, but said nothing. She wanted her friend back, and being one of her friends himself, he should support her, he figured.

Maybe I'm not so bad at this whole "making friends" thing after all…

The mere idea of crawling through the ventilation shafts with Zaree made Crosshair uncomfortable, but actually doing it? Zaree crawled in front of him, knowing which direction to go. He tried to distract himself from the view of her backside in front of him, thinking about that little mission they were pulling off.

"We have to climb down three levels." she notified him. In front of her the ventilation shaft went down and with their hands and feet on its walls they managed to climb down without making much noise. Being a sniper, Crosshair was excellent at stealth. Snipers were supposed to be invisible and deadly, and crawling down a ventilation shaft undetected was one of his strengths. It was even easier wearing only his blacks, the plastoid of his armor would have made crawling quietly somewhat harder

Three levels down they crawled with the airflow until they saw light that came through a grid. Zaree grabbed her screwdriver from her utility belt to open it.

She looked both sides down the hallways.

"Clear." She left the ventilation shaft and held out a hand for Crosshair to take, which he accepted. Afterwards she put the grid back into place, just in case.

"Let's get moving." he said in a hushed tone. Everything was going according to plan. They sneaked along the wall. Crosshair had a single blaster in his hand instead of his rifle he kept trained on the doors, ready to shot in a milisecond's notice. Meanwhile Zareena opened the panel and plugged in her datapad, slicing into the system.

"Oh man, no military funding goes into that security system, that's for sure." she chuckled. She typed on her datapad for several minutes in which Crosshair grew more and more impatient, yet he admired her skills. The way she was so focused on slicing reminded him of his brother, Tech.

They would probably get along well.

"That's it! We should remain undetected for a few minutes until they realize it's an old recording they see on their screens."

The data terminal was in a transparisteel compartment by the hallway. It was semi dark in there, in their case a clear advantage. Zareena frowned as she plugged in her datapad and worked her way to overwrite the terminal's protocols.

"And…I'm in. Great, now let's check those prisoner data." she mumbled, completely lost in her work.

Suddenly one of the doors hissed open and there were steps in the hallway. Crosshair reacted in the matter of a second, pulling Zaree into the dark corner of the compartment, putting his hand over her mouth to keep her from making any surprised noise. Her datapad was still hanging from the data terminal. If anyone looked any closer they were screwed.

Two white armored TK troopers walked past, thankfully none of them paid attention to the terminal or the trooper who kept a mechanic against his chest. They didn't dare breathe until the other door swished open and the troopers were gone. They both let out the breath they'd been holding, only to realize how close they were to each other. The look in Crosshair's eyes was more vulnerable than she had ever seen him. It trailed down to her lips, and so did hers to his own. They could feel each other's breath on their faces. Just a few centimeters closer and their lips would meet.

"We should… my datapad…" she whispered and let her hands sink from holding his waist.

"You better hurry." Crosshair's expression turned from vulnerable to sour in the matter of seconds. He wasn't mad at her, he was mad at himself.

How could I allow myself that? This is wrong. So, so wrong! You're a damn soldier, Cross! Act like it!

Zareena groaned as she opened the files. "Ugh! Fuck! There's no name to the prisoners, only numbers. But their species might be added in the data. Hang on… There it is… Umm…They have no Mon Calamari in custody? That… can't be. Lyle…" Tears were welling in her eyes as she unplugged her datapad from the terminal. "He's not in custody and there are no records that he ever was." Her shoulders sank and tears were now running down her cheeks.

Crosshair hesitated at first then put a hand on her cheek, wiping her tears with his thumb.

"We'll figure out what to do next. But first we need to get out of here."

Zaree nodded, wiping the remaining tears with the sleeve of her dark gray overall.

Back in the ventilation shaft they climbed the rest of the way down to the basement levels where the humid air greeted them. In front of the maintenance room with nobody else in sight, Zaree suddenly jumped to hug Crosshair's tall frame. He stiffened at the gesture, but eventually wrapped his arms around her waist as well.

"Thank you for helping me out tonight." she whispered into his ear and kissed his cheek as she let go of him.

She caused a warmth to spread in his chest that felt like a natural cure to the darkness that lingered there. He was afraid of that new feeling, but it felt too good to not welcome it into his heart.

"Get some sleep, I'll see you at breakfast." was all he could say.

"Funny, I just wanted to tell you the same." She yawned symbolically. "Sweet dreams, Crosshair." With a tired smile she went into the maintenance room where she crashed on the cot that for some reason smelled like deathsticks, but Zaree was too tired to care for her new co worker's bullshit.

Crosshair casually walked back to his quarters and as soon as he shut the door behind him, he hit his head back against it with a frustrated groan.

What is she doing to me? I can't allow myself to be vulnerable.

Just like her, he crashed on his bed and fell asleep almost instantly, the next morning would come soon enough. In that short night he dreamed of deep blue eyes and a smile so bright it was a contrast against her brown skin. That spark in Zareena's eyes followed him into his dreams, and Crosshair felt as light as a feather. This was no spice dream though, no, those feelings were real. He feared that they could become as addictive as spice nonetheless. His rational mind told him to be careful, while his heart yearned for more.

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a/n: He's catching feelings, and of course he doesn't know how to handle it! This is kind of a fix it fic because I wanna give Crosshair what he deserves: Love (and some good pussy later in the story) …and maybe a much deserved break lol

#tbb crosshair #crosshair x oc #crosshair x reader #crosshair fanfiction #tbb #tbb fanfiction #the bad batch #the bad batch fanfiction

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d-noona · 4 years

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MAKE OVER

Chapter 2: Librarian the seductress

Jung Hoseok x Reader

Reader as Kang Hyeonji

SUMMARY: When Kang Hyeonji transformed herself into a striking redhead, the entire male population of Seoul stood up and took notice. But her make over was for Jung Hoseok’s benefit alone. He began to show interest in the new look but not in the way she wanted. Suddenly he was over-protective, perhaps a little jealous. It seemed that the idea of having a relationship with her couldn’t be further from his mind. The girl however wants more. So it was time for an ultimatum. If Hoseok didn’t want Hyeonji to lose her virginity to another admirer, he had no option but to make love to her himself.

Hyeonji was standing at the library computer, running the wand over the first of the huge pile of returned books, when something caught her eye. Something bright and red. She glanced up through the glass door to see a shiny red car turning its brand-new nose into the empty parking space right outside the library. It brought no flash of recognition, despite being a memorable model. Not quite a sports car, it was stills stylish and expensive looking. A newcomer to the area, no doubt. Not knowing that this particular library branch was closed to the public on Wednesday morning. Hyeonji was about to return to the job at hand when the driver's door opened and a heart-jolting familiar head of hair came into view, gleaming under the summer sun.

Hoseok.

Her heart leaped. So he had remembered her birthday. He'd even come in person. She could hardly believe it. Her happiness knew no bounds as she watched him close the car and stride up onto the pavement and across to the front doors. He smiled at her through the grass as he tapped on the wooden frame.

"Can't they see were closed?" Choon Hee complained from where she was sitting at her desk, flipping through one of the new publisher catalogs. She could not see who was knocking. If she had, she would not be so anxious to send the unwanted visitor away. Min Choon Hee might be happily married to her husband Min Yoongi with three children, but she still had an eye for a good-looking man.

Hoseok was just that –and more. At twenty five, he was in his physical prime, his elegant body in perfect tune with his handsome face. His height was no joke either, his lean frame made him look even taller, and did his choice of clothing. In winter they range from soft suede numbers to tweedy sports coats. In summer he chose linen or lightweight wool in neutral colors, and teamed them with cool T-shirts. Ties rarely graced his neck. In fact, Hyeonji had never seen Hoseok dressed formally.

Today he was wearing stonewashed blue jeans, a navy shirt and a loose cream jacket with sleeves pushed up to his elbows. His black hair was longer than when she'd seen him last, falling to his ears from its side parting and flopping with its usual rakish charm across his high forehead. He looked slightly wind-blown and utterly gorgeous. Hyeonji immediately put her "moving on" decision on hold for a good seven years. Thirty, she decided a new, was soon enough to give up all hope. The fact that Hoseok was standing where he was at this very moment had to give her some hope. Fancy him abandoning his precious business on a working day to drive this long from Seoul to Gwangju, just to see her on her birthday.

"For pity's sake!" Choon Hee snapped when Hoseok knocked a second time. "Can't they read? The library times are on the darned door!"

"It's someone I know," Hyeonji said. "I'll just go let him in." Choon Hee jumped from her sit "But it's almost..." The sight of Hoseok's handsome-self stopped her in her tracks. "Mmm, yes by all means let him in," she murmured, primping her glossy black straight hair as Hyeonji hurried out from behind the reception desk across the functional grey carpet. Hyeonji wasn't worried that Hoseok would find Choon Hee attractive. As pretty as she was, she was a married woman. Hoseok believed in keeping his sex life simple.

"One girl at a time," he'd once confided in Hyeonji. "And never anyone else's."

It was surprisingly conservative attitude in this day and age, especially coming from a man who looked like Hoseok, who had women throwing themselves at him all the time. He had a similarly strict attitude to marriage. Only one per lifetime, which was why he'd always say he would not bother with marriage till he was in his thirties and financially secure. He didn't want to make a mistake in finding his partner.

"In the meantime," he joked to her one day, "I'm having a lot of fun auditioning possible future candidates for the position of Mrs. Jung Hoseok." It had always terrified Hyeonji that one of those future candidates might capture Hoseok's love as well as his lust. Fortunately, that hadn't happened, and Hyeonji had taken heart from the failure of his various very beautiful girlfriends to last more than a few months. But his latest was a bit of a worry. A statuesque brunette who went by the name Tinashe, she'd already lasted six months –a record for Hoseok. He'd even brought her home with him for Christmas break, during which time Hyeonji had many opportunities to see Tinashe's assets. What she could do for a bikini was incomparable.

But I'm not going to think about Tinashe right now, Hyeonji told herself as she turned the key and swept the open door. Today is my birthday and my very best friend has come to celebrate it with me. "Hoseok!" she exclaimed, smiling up into his dancing brown eyes. "Hi there, Hyeonji. Sorry to interrupt. I know you're working but I simply had to show you my new car. Picked it up this morning at one of those dealerships just the other side of town and couldn't resist taking it for a spin. Before I knew it I was on the express way headed here. I thought what the hell Hoseok? You haven't had a day off in ages. Drive up to Gwangju and visit your Mom."

He smiled a sheepish smile, showing perfect teeth and a charming dimple. "It wasn't till I pulled up into the driveway that I remembered today is her golf day. Took all the wind out of my sails, I can tell you. But no way was I going back to Seoul without showing someone. Naturally, I thought of you. So...what do you think?" and he waved in the direction of the car. "It's one of the new Mazda Eunos 800s. The Miller Cycle version. Great red, isn't it?" he finished.

Every drop of joy drained out of Hyeonji. Hoseok hadn't come for her birthday. He'd come to show her a pathetic car. Worse, she hadn't even been his first choice of viewer. She'd run a very poor second. As usual. Something hard curled around her heart, setting in concrete and trapping her love for him deep inside. Hyeonji determined it would never see the light of day again. She glanced coldly over at the offending vehicle and shrugged dismissively. "If you've seen one red car Hoseok," she said coolly, "You've seen them all."

There was no doubt he was taken aback by the icy indifference of her tone, for his eyebrows shot up and he stared at her with bewilderment in his beautiful brown eyes. Hyeonji was disgusted with herself for instantly feeling guilty. So much for her first foray into hating Hoseok, but she was determined not to weaken this time. Enough was enough.

"You know me Hoseok," she went on brusquely. "I've never been a car person."

"That's because you've never learned to drive, Hyeonji. You'd appreciate cars more if you were ever behind the wheel. Come on. Come for a short spin with me." He actually took her arm and began propelling her across the pavement. "Hobi!" she protested, wrenching her arm away from his hold and planting her sensible shoes firmly on the pavement. "I can't. I'm at work."

"But surely the library's not even open," he argued. "Certainly they won't miss you for a couple of minutes?"

"That's beside the point," she said sternly. "You might be your own boss, Hoseok, and come and go as you please, but most people can't, me included. Besides, it's almost morning tea and I have to be here for that." The rest of the staff had all chipped in to buy her a cake. It was a tradition in the library whenever one of them had a birthday. No way was she going to run out on her real friends to indulge Hobi's ego.

"I don't see why," he said stubbornly.

No you wouldn't...

Hyeonji thought mutinously, and toyed with telling him, just so he could feel terrible for a full ten seconds. The decision was taken out of her hand when Choon Hee popped her head out the door. "Come on birthday girl. Namjoon and the new girlfriend Han Byeol brought your cake along and all twenty-three candles are alight and waiting. So get in here and do the honors. You can bring your hunk of a friend, if you like," she added, looking Hoseok up and down with saucily admiring eyes.

"We've got more than enough cake for an extra mouth" Hyeonji relished Hoseok's groan. To give him some credit he did look suitably apologetic once Choon Hee appeared. "God, Hyeonji, I had no idea it was your birthday. There I was, blabbering away about my new car, and all the time you must be thinking how damned selfish I was being." Frankly, she was enjoying his guilt. It had a deliciously soothing effect on her damaged pride. "That's all right Hobi. I'm used to your not remembering my birthday." He winced anew. "Don't make me feel any more rotten that I already do." Hyeonji almost gave in. it was awfully hard to stay mad at Hoseok. He didn't mean to be selfish. He was, unfortunately, the product of a doting mother and far too many God given talents. Brains and beauty did not make for a modest, self-effacing kind of guy.

Hoseok could be generous and charming when he set his mind to it, but in the main he was a self-absorbed individual who rarely saw beyond end of his own classically shaped nose. God know why I love him so much, Hyeonji though irritably. But then her eyes travelled slowly from his perfect face down over his perfect body, and every female cell she owned clamored to be noticed back.

But the only expression in his eyes when he looked down at her was remorse. When he forcibly linked arms with her, she glared her frustration up to him. "Don't be mad at me, Hyeonji" he said with disarming softness. "I'm not mad at you," she returned stiffly.

"Oh, yes, you are. And you have every right to be. But I'll make it you to you tonight, if you'll let me" says the man who is desperately clinging to your arms. "Tonight?" she echoed far too weakly. "Yes, tonight," he said firmly. "But for now I think your colleagues are waiting for you to blow out those twenty-three candles."

With typical Hoseok confidence he steered her into the library and proceeded to charm everyone in the place. It annoyed Hyeonji that he gave her openly curious workmates the impression that he was a boyfriend of sorts. He even extracted her promise in Choon Hee's goggle-eyed presence to go out with him later that evening. She initially refused dinner, no way was she going to disappoint her mother, but grudgingly agreed to after-dinner coffee somewhere.

Hyeonji told herself afterwards that she would never have agreed to go out with him at all if she'd been alone with him. She would have sent him on his way with a flea in his ear. She didn't need his pity, or guilt. The moment his new red Mazda roared of up the road back in the direction of Seoul, Choon Hee and Han Byeol settled their dryly knowing eyes on her.

"Well you're a dark horse, Hyeonji, aren't you?" Choon Hee said as they walked together back into the library. "I've always thought of you as a quiet little thing and all this time you had something like that on the side." Han Byeol giggled along with Choon Hee. Hyeonji silently cursed Hoseok. All he ever caused her was trouble and heartache. "Hoseok's mother lives next door," she explained with more calm than she was feeling. "I've known Hobi for years. We're just good friends."

"Oh sure. He drove all the way up from Seoul to wish you a happy birthday because you're just good friends. You know what? I'll bet you're one of those girls who go home from the office at night, and perform one of those ten-second transformations." Choon Hee laughed while Han Byeol agreeing to every word she said. "You know the type. Off come the glasses and the straight laced clothes. Down comes the hair. On goes the sexy gear, make-up, and perfume, and –WHAM! Instant meat in heat!"

Hyeonji had to laugh. It would take more than seconds to transform her. "You can laugh," Han Byeol scoffed. "But I'm no one's fool. And you're far prettier than you pretend to be. I always did wonder why you never seemed to be on the lookout for a fella. I was beginning to think all sorts of things till glamour boy arrived on the scene today. He gave me a case of instant heat, I can tell you. And I saw the way you looked at him when you didn't think anyone was noticing. You've got it bad. I know the signs. So why haven't I heard of this paragon perfection before? Why all the mystery and secrecy? Is he married? A womanizer? A bad boy? Look, you can trust me with your deep dark secrets" she whispered. "I won't tell anyone."

Hyeonji laughed a second time. "There's nothing deep or dark to tell. I repeat... we're just good friends. As I said before Hobi used to live next door. We went to school together, though not in the same class. He was two years ahead of me."

"Well, there's nothing remotely boy-next-door about him anymore" came Choon Hee's dry remark. "He has city written all over him. Not to mention success." Hyeonji and Han Byeol nodded to this "I am well aware of that, believe me. I'm not blind, but there's never been any romance between us, and there never will be. He has a steady girlfriend. Goes by the name of Tinashe."

"Tinashe," Choon Hee repeated, her nose wrinkling. "Don't tell me. She's stunning with boobs to die for, hair down to her waist and legs up to her armpits?" Hyeonji startled. "You know her?"

"Nope. Just guessed. Men like your Hoseok always seem to have girls like that on their arm" Choon Hee smirks. "He isn't my Hoseok" Hyeonji said tightly. "But you like him to be, don't you?" Han Byeol added.

Hyeonji opened her mouth to deny it. But her tongue betrayed her when a thickness claimed it. Tears pricked at her back of her eyes.

Her Hoseok...

What a concept. What an improbable, impossible, inconceivable, unachievable concept. To keep clinging to it was not only demeaning to her personally but depressing in the extreme. "There was a time when I did" she said at last, her tone clipped and cold. "But not anymore. I have better things to do with my life than pine for the impossible."

"Impossible? Why do you say impossible?" as Han Byeol curiously asked. "For pity's sake Han Byeol, you've seen him and you too Choon. You guys said so yourself men like Hoseok go for girls like Tinashe, not mousy little things like me."

"You'd be far from mousy if you made the best of yourself. To be frank, Hyeonji, a little make-up wouldn't go astray. And an occasional visit to the hairdresser." Hyeonji stiffened, despite the criticism striking home. "I wouldn't want a man who didn't love me for myself" CHoon Hee said sharply. "That's rubbish and you know it! I'm a married lady and I still have to work hard to keep my man. Now you listen to me, Hyeonji and you too Han Byeol for your sake and Namjoon's." Choon Hee turns to face Hyeonji "Now, when Hoseok comes to take you out tonight. Surprise him."

"Surprise him?" Hyeonji asked dryly feeling nervous about Choon Hee's suggestion. "Yes, leave your hair down. Slap some make-up on." Han Byeol added "Use a sexy perfume. Wear something which shows off that great little figure of yours." Choon Hee nodded in approval.

For a split second, Hyeonji was buoyed up by Choon Hee and Han Byeol's compliments on her figure. But then she thought of Tinashe's tall, voluptuous, sex-bomb body and her momentary high was totally deflated.

"I don't have any sexy perfume," she murmured dispiritedly. She didn't own much make-up either. But she wasn't about to admit that. Choon Hee gave her an exasperated glare. "Then buy some at the mall during your lunch hour!" Their library was in a small regional center which boasted a few shops, a well-stocked chemist shop included. Hyeonji declined telling CHoon Hee and Han Byeol that she only had five dollars in her purse. Sexy perfume was expensive, and she'd rather wear nothing than douse herself in a cheap scent.

Hyeonji actually contemplating asking her friends to lend her some money and reality returned with a rush. She could wear more make-up than a Japanese geisha and drown herself in the most exotic expensive perfume in the world and it would not make Hoseok fall in love with her. "Thank you for your advice ladies," she said with a return to common sense "but I really rather just be myself. Now I'd better get back to these books." Hyeonji resumed checking in the returns, blocking her mind to everything but the thought that at least she would not starve to death tonight after her mother's special birthday meal. Hoseok could buy her something delicious and creamy to go with her after-dinner coffee.

Hyeonji gave no more thought to the girl's advice about make-up and perfume, till she arrived home late that afternoon and opened her carryall to find a paper parcel sitting on top of her house keys. It contained a small but expensive-looking bottle of perfume.

And a note. "Happy birthday darling!" Choon Hee and Han Byeol had written with their usual extravagant hand writing. "This always worked for me. Well, sometimes. Still, what have you got to lose? Go for it! We chipped in so don't worry about it. We love you. Go get your man!"

Hyeonji sprayed a tiny burst of perfume onto her wrist and lifted it to her nose. It was a wonderfully sensual smell, its heavy musk perfume bringing images of satin sheets and naked bodies and untold unknown delights. Hyeonji shook her head. To wear such a scent in Hoseok's presence would be the ultimate torture, and let's face it, Hyeonji told herself, wearing perfume, no matter how sensual, isn't about to turn Hoseok into some kind of sex-crazed lunatic. With a girl like Tinashe in tow, no doubt he has all the sex he can handle. Hyeonji glanced at the perfume's name and laughed.

SEDUCTRESS

Good Lord. It would've been a powerful potion to turn her into that. It was a nice thought of Choon Hee and Han Byeol's, but a total waste of time and money. So was her advice. For Hyeonji she believed she did have something to lose. Her self-respect, and possibly Hoseok's friendship.

Chapter 03

Masterlist

#bts #bangtansonyeondan #btsjhope #junghoseok #btsjhopexreader #fanfic #btsromance #makeover

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