#lee suho imagine | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shawol-poser · 1 month

Note

hello!! i'm here for the matchup thingie ^^

• fandoms: shinee + exo

• pronouns: she/her

• mbti + ennea: isfp 4w5

• taste in fashion: i like more simple outfits. like shirts that are just a single color bc i'm not really into stamps and all. and the shirts are in more neutral colors like black & white, or colors in a darker shades, especially red and blue. i loove stripes tho. also sweaters are my thing, and crochet tops for summer. for bottom parts, whatever is comfortable which means i like mom jeans better than skinny jeans lol (sorry if this got too long shshsjsjsj)

• aesthetic tendencies: i'm not really into makeup, the only thing i put on is lip gloss. i keep my hair natural aka curly, i dyed it dark ginger sometime ago but now i'm growing it out and thinking about dying it black (naturally it is dark brown)

• favorite features on my self: hmm i like my eyes and eyelashes, also my lips, my collabones too kinda, and my hair when it's not a mess

• favorite group era: ok this is HARD (pun unintended) omg hmm for shinee i love 1 of 1, the vibes were great and they all looked so good in those colorful fits, so that's the one. for exo tho i'm torn between monster, ko ko bop and cream soda aghshshsjsjs but i will go with ko ko bop for a single reason: red mullet baek (aka the loml)

• what i like in a partner: i like respectful people, who don't pressure me and try to make me feel comfortable through small but meaningful actions. people who are rather quiet than loud really catch my eye, but i also enjoy being around more extroverted and talkative people, although i have a hard time keeping up with them most times

• a song that sounds like me: the archer by taylot swift :,) i relate to it soo much it's crazy. mitski's thursday girl too, and lana del rey's doin' time (a friend of mine once said this song has my vibe lol i took it as a compliment)

• 3 fav songs from the groups: ok now that's hard omgggg for shinee one is definitely lucifer (my fav tt of theirs), an ode to you, and 1 of 1 (honestly i'm still getting into their discography). for exo it's forever, she's dreaming and let me in (man i changed it like 10 times help)

that's ittt, please take your time with writing! and take care of yourself too <3

Hello!! Thank you so much for your patience, it was fun working on this, so thank you for the request! All matchups that I recieve will probably be around this length, give or take, so I hope this is fine!!

For SHINee, your match is: Taemin

Sweetie, can I just ask, are you okay? The songs that you mentioned are exceptionally interesting but also rather sad— Anyway, to start off, an ISFP 4w5, to my understanding, is someone who is very introverted and appreciates living a more average life, with very few but exceptionally exciting things. Just enough to make them not quite ordinary, but just enough to fly under the majority’s radar.

As such, I believe someone that catches wind of your unusual “charm” or interests would become instantly interested in you. Especially someone like Taemin.

More under the cut.

As an idol with a lot of accolades for both group and solo works, he’s definitely someone who outside of work greatly appreciates a sense of normalcy. Being an INFP, this also heavily implies that he’s more likely to be a homebody, and that he’s someone prone to sticking to what he knows and rarely tries anything new. Being with someone who feels like they’re immediately part of his average at-home lifestyle, yet still keeps him on his toes, is definitely someone that he’d like to have in his life.

Besides, his personality is essentially a melting pot of all of his hyungs combined, so in his humble opinion, he’s all the fun that anyone could ever need.

“Minho hyung? Aren’t I enough fun though? 6v6”

He thinks that the way you dress is so cute. To him, although a bit plain, the fact that such outfits compliment you so well is an ode to how naturally charming and attractive you are. And, because they’re more on the simple side, he can subtly match with you whenever you go out without catching too much attention. Nowadays, he’s more interested in looking soft and cute anyway. So if he needs an idea on what to wear, or how he’d want to style himself, he can always count on looking at you to feel inspired!

He also loves your au naturél look. While anyone can appreciate how pretty makeup looks, he especially appreciates how fresh and sexy you look with your natural skin, and glossy lips. For whatever reason, he thinks it goes well with your curly hair, and the mostly natural colors you dye it in! It’s like he’s looking at someone who is beauty incarnate, and he always feels that simply looking at you is like a breath of fresh air. Like after a long day, he can just hug and feel refreshed!

Speaking of hair though, to an extent, Taemin can empathize with how stubborn and messy curly hair can get as he has had it at some point. If you’ll allow him, he’ll probably share some tips about how he managed to keep his tamed. (And if he can’t remember what that special hair thing was called, he’ll randomly ask his makeup and stylist noona about it)

Taemin is also very considerate and well attuned to the emotional needs of others thank to his INFP personality. Whenever he does something with you around, you can always count on him to ask if it’s something you’d like to do. And if not, given his hard-headed nature, he’d try and find a compromise that will still keep things fun and exciting for both of you.

Taemin also strikes me as someone who would take a little work with him home, as opposed to staying at a studio overtime. So he’d probably bounce some of his ideas for concepts onto you, and will willingly engage in lengthy conversations about what you think, how it could be possibly interpreted and received, and if it’s something that the fans would like.

Overall, I think someone like Taemin would be greatly entranced by someone like you :DDD

For EXO, your match is: Suho

On the more Extroverted side of the spectrum, I believe Suho, Mr. Kim Junmyeon, would love to be your match!

As a natural born leader, Suho has traits that can easily stir an exciting and fun gathering into something easy and comfortable. Having a fair share of friends who are introverts themselves, along with members that are on that end of the spectrum as well, he knows how to take care of those that prefer observing and having fun with others as opposed to being the fun.

As an Extrovert, he is usually recharged when he hangs out with people he’s very comfortable with and loves sharing things that he’s interested in with them.

This would extend to you! In the very likely scenario that he’s away on tour or preparing for a comeback, whenever something happens with the boys, or if he finds a pretty illustration or flower, he’ll snap a picture or two just to send you. One with just the object of interest, and one that has him in the frame, along with his famous uncle jokes as a caption or greeting. Most of the time, he’s sharing videos about him complaining about the members.

“I miss you like how the boys miss the point.”

He’s definitely the type of person that would want you to constantly think of him when something good happens in your life, so he’d want you to have a lot of happy memories to look back on whenever you meet. Things like picking out a matching outfit, taking candid photos of you, holding out a hand for you when crossing the road, things that make you feel properly girl-like because he wants to treat you with care. Ever the prince that he is.

He’s also the type of person that tends to take care of the people he’s with, almost in a motherly fashion. So even if he knows that you’re very capable and naturally charming, he’d love to help you out regardless. It’s a habit he’s picked up on as years of being a leader, but in the instance that you do even the smallest of favors for him, he’s eternally grateful. The boys would love you too after seeing how much their leader is whipped for you and would jokingly call both of you, “mom.”

Nowadays, Suho is super into the “casual, effortless” style, so he’d find your own style of clothing very fresh and compliments his own very well. I can also see him as being the type of person that loves to be on camera and likes taking nice pictures of himself. So after getting inspired by those aesthetic posts of couples on pinterest, he would love to take those fun and casual pictures of the two of you, if you would let him.

He loves your eyes. Whenever you two eat together and you’re too absorbed in your food to notice, he likes to watch how your eyes blink and how your eyelashes kiss your grace your cheeks ever so often! He’ll have to remind himself to kiss them later when he sends you home. Though the thought of it makes him feel sort of lonely, he knows that you’d always just be a text or picture away whenever he does go back to work. But as long as he has you right now, he’ll make the most of what he can.

Overall, I think this princely leader would love to take care of you! :DDD

#shinee #shinee matchup #exo matchup #shinee x reader #exo x reader #exo imagines #shinee imagines #lee taemin #lee taemin imagine #shinee taemin #exo suho #exo suho imagine #kim junmyeon #kim junmyeon imagine #suho matchup #taemin matchup

8 notes · View notes

itachianon · 5 months

Note

Hiiiii moddie have you seen true beauty? I think itachi gives such lee suho vibes all in all

Hello nonnie 👋

Yeah I’ve seen True Beauty it’s one of my favorite KDramas honestly. Itachi does give off Lee Su Ho’s vibes if we think about it. Calm, quiet, shy, a fucking genius & oh so sweet once you get to know him. However I feel like he is more polite in general if we compare him to Lee Su Ho’s character overall. More curious on who would suit as Han Seo Jun because he’s my baby in the series, truly.

#True Beauty #lee suho #han seojun #itachi uchiha #naruto #naruto shippuden #itachi #itachi imagines #itachi x reader #uchiha x reader #itachi fluff #uchiha fluff

13 notes · View notes

prbni · 1 year

Text

After Seojun's schedule was over, he turned his phone on only to find a voice message from Jukyung.

"Seojun-ah,yahh Han Seojun! Why did you have to fall in love with me when I was swept up by Suho?Why did I have to fall in love with you when you weren't just my buddy Seojun anymore but superstar Han Seojun? How can I be close to a star when I'm so plain and ordinary? I can only look at you from afar now and wish you were mine. Back when I had a chance to be with you, I took it for granted. And now things turned out like this. You loved me too early, I loved you too late. Why did the timing have to be so wrong? How do I get over this now?"

#kdrama edits #kdramas #kdrama actor #true beauty #han seojun #lim jukyung #korean drama #lee suho #moon ga young #true beauty imagine #true beauty webtoon #fanfiction #drabbles

20 notes · View notes

procuder · 6 months

Text

As a no.1 fan of the railroad arc. I won't talk about the second half of the chapter 113 because I don't know what I'm supposed to say, but!!! Hellkaros and Lloyd's conversation!!! It has changed so much that I don't want to forgive it!!!

First of all, in the opening chapter, Lloyd states that he received information from the Spirit Phone. Hello?? Okay, I have no problem with Lloyd using it. But do you think it's a good idea for Lloyd to search the internet for information about the King of Hell?? In the novel, Lloyd already knows that information. He already knew what Hellkaros was like. He already knew the information that was only briefly mentioned in The Knight of Blood and Iron! Am I the only one who has a problem with this part? Because changing the fact that Lloyd obtained information about the Hell King with unimaginable power from a source that could definitely be trusted 100% a.k.a. TKOBAI or a source that could only be trusted 40% a.k.a. random videos from Hell internet had a very different effect.

And this isn't the only bad part.

What's worse is that Lloyd challenges the King of Hell after he rudely tries to make a deal. There was even no guarantee that Javier would be able to protect him because the Hell King had power beyond imagination! Do you think it makes sense given Lloyd's character? He's not a type who'd take such risks. Especially by risking his own life on randomly information! When I read that, to be honest, I was very disappointed. I daresay that the novel has done it better. If you say 'Manhwa is funnier!' I suggest you read the railroad arc in the novel again. The manhwa ain't ballin' compared to the novel. lmao.

And besides, it was clear that Lloyd knew Hellkaros very well despite having only this little information. The same was true for Hellkaros, who only knew that Suho had possessed Lloyd's body and done many things in a dimension that was not his own. But they still managed to know each other well! Lloyd even admitted that he and the Hell King had things in common. (Okay, I won't shut up about their chemistry.)

And what hurt more than anything was that they chose to completely cut off Hellkaros' thoughts. You'll never know what he's thinking in the manhwa, and yes, the novel is much funnier if you use Lee Hyunmin-nim's logic that he used in the adaptation. (💀)

First, after having a short conversation. Hellkaros had already thought about replacing Lloyd with his own because Lloyd was more capable than he thought. It shows that Hellkaros is more interested in Lloyd even though his work is a lot. And Lloyd was much more polite and respectful to the Hell King in the novel.

Second, in the part where Lloyd talks about building the station. They also talked about details that the manhwa chose to omit entirely. And after Hellkaros had put everything into consideration, how it would benefit him. Do you know what happened? He knew that if he accepted Lloyd's proposal to build a railroad, then yes, there would be no more transportation problems. And Hellkaros wouldn't have to keep those stupid Satanists updated in real time. This means that he will complete his work faster. From all the equations, he got the answer: 'He will be able to get off work.'

I'll give those chores to them all. My own workload will also get substantially lighter. I won't have to continually find a new transportation route for those idiotic demons with a reliable railroad. If that happens...He would be liberated from every single one of his miscellaneous chores. All that was left for him to do was sentence dead souls, a basic task for him. And that meant... I can get off work Thump! Hellkaros' heartbeat vigorously sped up. He could go home. After 670,000 years. Away from his sickening work. He could finally activate the door lock to his house, which still had a protective film on. He could finally open the door to his house, remove his dress shoes, dip himself in a warm lava bath, and binge-watch TV shows with his mana-powered marble. HellTube. Hellflix. Hellcha. Hellver Series.

Chapter 232

See how funny and silly it is? I still have a lot to say. Oh yeah. As for the time Hellkaros actually was working, it wasn't just Lloyd knew from the information he had. Hellkaros was also the one who spoke to him about this matter. 'Why come when I'm busy? Don't you know I'm blah blah blah' Honestly, I especially liked this part because Lloyd had no choice but to listen to this hell king talk. LMAO and it was actually so funny that I wondered what in the world they decided to change it and cut out all the good parts. They even talked in 2 episodes, but?? They decided to shorten it to just half a chapter. I expected to have fun and this is what happened. Are they afraid of making the Hell King have the desires of normal people? His house hasn't even been removed the protection flim yet.

I swear I'll say more if they choose to cut it again in the future. Hellkaros often imagined what he would do once he returned home. And the worst part is that they chose to cut it out. I really don't understand why it was done.

#the greatest estate developer #tged #hellkaros #lloyd frontera #tged spoilers #Ch 113 #Ch 232 #I'm about to commit crime #You know Hellkaros thought about going home 2 times just in their second meeting #Because their first meet is in Lloyd's dream #And they decided to not give us Hellkaros' pov #Why?????#God damn I'm really going to commit crime

23 notes · View notes

lloydfrontera · 4 months

Note

Lloyd goes to return to Suho right? But how many years was it in Korea the equivalent to the years he spent as Lloyd? Like does he still have his apartment if he is gone and couldn't work? Was his body even in Korea when he first became Lloyd? Like was it in a coma and just a shell, but how will he be able to pay when he has no family there? No way is it like an exchange soul since og!Lloyd was still there until KSH!Lloyd helped him

he does yes! but no time passed in korea. he wakes up the morning after he falls asleep reading "The Knight of Blood and Iron" and possesses the body of Lloyd. it's like he was never gone at all.

also. there's a weird implication in ch 401 of tged that the world lloyd and javier traveled to in the trip to seoul arc was,, not the one lloyd comes from?? or that that version of earth was erased when he came back to his own body? because lloyd goes to check the love lock bridge at namsan tower where he and javier took one of the railings and there's absolutely no trace of it. it never happened apparently.

he also checks the novel he was reading and it's completely unchanged. everything he did, all the years he lived, all the people he met,,, not single change was reflected in the novel.

he goes a little insane thinking it was all dream, which,,, yeah. imagine spending entire years of your life in another world and then waking up back in your own reality where there's nothing indicating anything you did was real. i'd go insane.

which is really weird because! SPOILERS FOR THE SEQUEL the scenario you're talking about is exactly what happens to rakiel!! unlike lloyd who comes back to a world where no time passed and nothing changed at all in the years he was gone nor has any sign of his actions in a previous visit, when rakiel comes back to korea he finds out that not only has time continued to pass back in his own world but that his body is comatose and possessed by a very pissed off crown prince!

and to make things even weirder!! lloyd does go back to seoul in the sequel!! he goes with rakiel!!! and he makes no mention of rakiel's korea being a different version of his own!! which makes no sense because!! as some of you may remember from an old rant from way back when!! rakiel gets isekai'd into "demon sword emperor". which is very specifically not set in the "Knight of Blood and Iron" universe and rather takes place in the alternate version of it that was changed by the changes lloyd made!! and to make things even more confusing!! we get confirmation that in rakiel's world TGED does exist but not as a novel or a comic but rather as something you can watch on tv.

so! let's get this straight!!

forgive my reuse of this i didn't really wanna any more effort into this than i had to

we have the original timeline of kobai, which exists as a novel in suho's world. then suho gets isekai'd into that universe but when he comes back to his own world, no time has passed, he wakes in his own unchanged body, none of the changes he makes are reflected on the novel he read, nor do any of his actions as lloyd in the trip to seoul arc. however, in the sequel lee haneun gets isekai'd into dse, which is set in the tged timeline, where lloyd did make a lot of changes to the kobai timeline. and when rakiel travels to his own world, he finds that time has continued to pass and his body is now possessed by og rakiel, plus we get confirmation that tged does exists in some level in his world. AND when rakiel meets lloyd, they travel to seoul together. rakiel's seoul, where tged and dse exist as fictional works, where lloyd is a fictional character.

is that why their transmigration is so different to one another?? because lloyd's is a fictionalized version to rakiel?? because lloyd's timeline (tged and dse) is a work of fiction to rakiel????

but even if that's true we still have one timeline unaccounted for! what happened to the korea lloyd and javier traveled to?? the one where they stole a railing from?? did it just get erased?? is it a different timeline altogether?? does lloyd even know he's a fictional character to rakiel??

forget the fucking romance this is what those stupid ass side-stories should've focused on i don't need sleep i need answers asdsgfdhgf

now. do i think we were ever meant to examine any of this at this level? no, absolutely not this is what autism does to you, no one else cares. however. bk moon is not the boss of me so i can do whatever i want <3 get under the microscope novelboy 🔫

mmh. this wasn't where i thought this ask was gonna go to. sorry nonnie. it will happen again 😔

#hey i got an ask #Anonymous #tged #the greatest estate developer #tged spoilers #cpsm #crown prince sells medicine #cpsm spoilers #lloyd frontera #rakiel magentano

19 notes · View notes

minah-delacroix · 2 years

Text

Crazy Rich Us [Part I]

"There's rich, there's filthy rich, and then there's crazy rich”

Characters: Sungjae, Minah, Tara, Mark, M, Jane

Word count: 2,8k

Genre: angst, fluff(?)

Crazy Rich Asians AU

(Part of the Gossip Witch Universe, but can be read on its own)

Playlist

Paris, 2018

Sungjae Lee & Minah Delacroix

“I didn’t really need any of that” Sungjae said as Minah and himself exited the sumptuous building at 30 Avenue Montaigne. It was an early summer morning and the weather — particularly hot that day — seemed almost benevolent, considering the previous night’s thunderous rain had kept Sungjae and his girlfriend up until dawn. Well, to be honest, the rain had kept Minah up. Sungjae had been soundly sleeping when she slipped onto the bed next to him with plenty of ideas in mind. Yes, Sungjae could’ve slept through thunder and rain without flinching, but no man could’ve slept through Minah’s urgency to — quoting her — “distract” herself.

Of course, Sungjae was not complaining. He truly couldn’t. How could he if Minah Delacroix, his girlfriend — he still couldn’t believe he could call Minah Delacroix his girlfriend — was, by all means, the girl of anyone’s dreams. Model, muse, and arguably the most sought-after young woman in the world of fashion, Minah Delacroix was without a doubt, the most beautiful human Sungjae had ever laid his eyes on. Celebrated by the entire fashion industry, Minah belonged to the uppermost echelon of the European elite. Only heiress to the Delacroix Montpensier fortune, one could go on for hours diagramming all the dynastic links in Minah’s family tree, but from any angle, you looked at it, her pedigree was nothing short of extraordinary.

But while Minah’s unique beauty — a rare one on the Parisian runways — and fortune were unrivaled, it was her confident, fun, and down-to-earth personality that truly had Sungjae wrapped around her Dior manicured finger. How did he even get so lucky, he was still unsure, but he was glad his six-year-old self was intelligent enough to follow his dad —a respected British politician— on his first official visit to France.

“I know you didn’t” Minah replied giggling as she slipped her free hand, the one that didn’t hold a tiny Dior bag, through his. “But I wanted you to match my dress for the BAT Gala, you know it’s important to me,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. “I’m not sure how long you will stick around before you’re back to London, so I need to make the most out of this visit. Plus, imagine your mother’s face when we totally steal the attention from her movie premiere,” Minah added excitedly.

Sungjae would’ve laughed if he hadn’t noticed a couple of men overtly ogling his girlfriend’s very short slip dress as she happily dragged him toward Rue de Marignan. Of course, Sungjae was aware that his girlfriend was the subject of the most feverish talk among women and the chief object of men’s masturbatory fantasies, but that didn’t mean he had quite gotten used to the disrespectful Parisian men practically drooling over Minah in such a blatant way.

“Babe?” Minah abruptly stopped walking, forcing Sungjae out of his musings —and quickly pulling him from some fantasy where he taught some of these men a lesson on respect. Sungjae looked at her with his eyes widening in surprise.

“You were saying?” He quickly replied, noticing they had reached an unassuming building with the word ALAÏA etched on each side of a little white door.

“I said, you probably don’t want to see me try on dresses as petites-mains put pins and wrap fabrics around me for an hour. What about you go, do some sightseeing and I see you in the apartment?” Minah asked, softly pulling her hand from his. “Or- you can call Suho, he will be happy to show you around the city” Sungjae didn’t want to point out that Minah’s older brother always looked at him as though he wanted to murder him, so he only nodded.

“I think I can stop by Franprix on my way back home, we need some groceries” Sungjae replied with a smile.

“Groceries” Minah scoffed with a laugh. “You’re such a dork.” She added, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around her boyfriend’s neck. Sungjae couldn’t quite grasp why buying groceries would be an indicator of his “dorkiness,” but he didn’t dare to add a word. Instead, he allowed Minah to kiss his chin and then captured her lips with his in a long heated kiss. The charm of Paris was that people were so unbothered by physical displays of affection that no one blinked an eye when Minah pushed Sungjae’s head and he moved down to the tender spot on her throat.

“You know, we don’t need to worry about groceries,” Minah said suddenly pulling away from Sungjae’s embrace and fixing the skirt of her dress surreptitiously. “Milene has them shipped from L’Epicerie de Paris,” she said referring to the tiny Tunisian woman who practically ran Delacroix manor and naturally, the only acceptable place to buy groceries in the city. “You could use a visit to L'Odyssex though” Minah added smirking devilishly. “I’ll send you the address, I need you to pick some basic… supplies,” before her boyfriend could ask any question, Minah kissed the cheek of a very confused Sungjae and waved him goodbye. “Then we could have lunch at La Monnaie, the chef is a friend,” she said as she entered the ALAÏA building. “See you, my beloved” Minah blew a flying kiss in Sungjae’s direction before disappearing into the doorway.

Sungjae stood there for a few seconds confused but still wondering how did he get so lucky. Then his phone buzzed into his pocket. The message, from Minah evidently, contained two addresses: “28 Rue de la Gaité, 11 Quai de Conti.”

28 Rue de la Gaité, Paris, 2032

Tara Lee, Minah Delacroix & Jane Durand

“I thought we were going to eat crepes,” Tara Lee said double-checking the number hanging at the front of L'Odyssex, one of Paris' oldest, chicest sex shops. She was pretty sure she had googled the address, and it supposedly belonged to BRUTUS, branded as a bo-bo (boheme et bourgeoise) crepe paradise. At her right, Minah Delacroix rolled her eyes, clad in an archive Alexander McQueen dress that clashed with the heavy velvet curtains hanging at the entrance of the boutique.

“Yes, we will,” Minah said dismissively, choosing to ignore Tara’s not-so-subtle gasp. She was sure the mannequin wearing a bondage ensemble had that effect on her friend, but before she could point out how much of a hypocrite she was being, she heard her best friend calling her name from across the shop. “But we’re going to do some shopping first,” Minah added as she lead the way, waving at the blonde woman standing next to a shelving unit full of colored bottles. Of course, Minah didn’t need to look at Tara to know she was scrunching up her nose in disgust. “It’ll only take a minute. Please, Tara, we’re adults and Jane needs to prepare for her honeymoon.”

Judging by the deep exhale she heard when they caught up with Jane, Minah was sure Tara was not particularly pleased, but she wouldn’t continue to complain either.

“My god, Tara it’s been forever!” Jane said pulling the younger woman into a quick hug and then turning to her best friend.

“Minah, you’ve known this shop forever and never cared to share the address? I can’t believe you call yourself my best friend,” Jane gushed, holding a pink box Tara was sure she didn’t want to know what it was.

“Yes, and I am only sharing this secret because you’re getting married,” Minah said with a light chuckle as Tara attempted to focus her eyes on something that didn’t make her too uncomfortable.

“How did you even find out about this place and why I have never heard of it?”

Tara scoffed thinking to herself that the large front window, with an equally large neon sign promoting “lingerie and sex toys aphrodisiaques” was hard to miss, but she didn’t say anything, choosing to move behind her friends to shield herself from watching some of the posters hanging on the walls.

“I-“ Minah seemed to lose herself for a second before shaking her head and reply “I came across it by chance, you know, I’m a real Parisian and know every corner of the city, from Neuilly-sur-seine to Chateau de Vincennes, like the palm of my hand. And Tara, please, stop acting so strange, you’re nearly thirty. If I were you, I’d be looking around instead.” Minah said putting on a serious face. “You know what will happen the minute your family and our friends see you arriving with Mark in Provence, don’t you? If I were in your place, I’d better be prepared in case Mark wants to make a runaway.”

Jane put a bottle back on the shelf and spun on her heel to look at her younger friend with a grave expression. It made Tara sigh. She couldn’t quite believe they were having that conversation there.

“Tara, you know how brutal our world is. Do you really think Mark is ready for all of that? Are you even ready yourself?” Jane asked.

Tara remained silent. She had anticipated a similar reaction from her friends, but she wasn’t sure that inviting the man she had been dating for nearly two years to Jane’s wedding was worthy of so many concerns. They were in love and this event was truly not about them, but about their friends.

Tara opened her mouth to reply, but Minah cut her off before she could say a word. “Tara, tell me the truth. How much does Mark even know?”

“Know about what?” Tara questioned confused. Minah and Jane shared exasperated looks.

“About everything” Jane replied as if it was obvious, “about your family, our friends, who you are.”

“Mark knows M well. They’re friends!” Tara said defensively, causing her friends to make reproving sounds in unison.

“That is not what we asked,” Jane began, suddenly she had adopted that judgmental demeanor Tara knew she had reserved for anything that remotely involved Sungjae Lee. “Look, I know he is friends with my fiancé, but they met in Oxford. Mark has no idea of who our families really are. He has no idea of what he’s getting into. You know I think Mark is lovely and a great catch. I really do. But inviting him to my wedding means introducing him formally to your family and our friends. Whether you acknowledge it or not that is a big step to take.” Much to Tara’s perplexity, behind Jane, Minah nodded vehemently.

“You might want to prepare him a bit,” Minah said reaching for a purple bottle.

“What is there to prepare him for?” Tara asked, half amused, half weirded out by her friends’ dramatics.

“Listen, T” Minah said, her tone toughening. “You can’t just throw Mark into the deep end like this. You have to prep him.” Tara would have taken Minah’s stern tone seriously if her friend had not handed her a strange-looking bottle labeled “Prep It.”

11 Quai de Conti

Sungjae Lee, M Young and Mark Yang

“Wow, Guy Savoy. I didn’t know you could even make it past the 16th and the Eiffel Tower,” M Young said in admiration when he walked into the private room his best friend had reserved for lunch. It was the first time they were seeing each other in months, but the other man —sitting already at the table, dressed in a full black look— only chuckled, acknowledging his presence with a head movement. “Though, to be honest it’s so your style” M commented, looking at the walls and the Art Deco lamps hanging from the ceiling. “Black walls, black tables, quiet and away from prying eyes.” The man said pulling a chair to sit at the table. “Your kind of place, but may I ask how did you get a table with such short notice?”

“The chef is a friend,” Sungjae replied, quite not believing he could say those words out loud.

M raised a brow, a small smile making its way onto his lips. “Wow, my best friend has gotten so fancy,” he teased.

Sungjae shook his head, looking at his best friend properly for the first time since he got there. M was wearing a light blue Dior suit that looked equally odd on him as it looked good. Sungjae had to gulp when he realized he could tell apart that particular Dior suit. If his memory did not fail him, it was a Kim Jones design from the SS18 runway.

“Then again, what’s not to expect from the British Steve Jobs?” M added jokingly.

“That’s overdoing it” Sungjae shook his head, though admittedly he had heard that moniker precede his name more times than he would’ve preferred. Since he had taken his tech company public, transforming almost overnight into a billionaire, people would give him all sorts of names and overanalyze every move of his. If Sungjae traveled for business, suddenly there were headlines claiming he was chartering private jets, staying in the grandest hotels, eating at the finest restaurants, and indulging in limitless pleasures.

“Do not look down on your success,” M warned, his eyes hardening. “You deserve all the grand titles and attention.”

Sungjae wanted to complain, but upon further consideration, he only smiled at his friend as the maitre d’ approached holding two menus. They fell into a very comfortable silence afterward. That was the charm of a friendship that could basically be traced down to their nursery days.

“Do you have an idea where Mark is? I’m starving,” M broke the silence, pulling Sungjae from a particularly clear memory invading his thoughts when he recognized Guy Savoy’s famous “Iced poached oysters” on the menu.

“Errr… he said he was getting off the metro five minutes ago, so he must be somewhere between Point Neuf and Saint Michele,” Sungjae said surprising himself. It was strange how fresh the memories of his first proper summer in Paris were.Even though almost ten years had passed since. M seemed to share the amazement because he placed the menu on the table and crossed his arms over his chest.

“When did you become such an expert in all things Paris?” He asked, looking genuinely eager for an answer.

Thankfully, Sungjae didn’t have to answer to that question because the maitre d’ reappeared, leading the way for a young man, who smiled at him brightly when their eyes met.

“Sorry I’m late,” Mark said, patting M on the back as he got to the table. “I kinda lost track of time in my morning jog,” he said jovially as he took the empty seat between his friends. “You know, I’m surprised you wanted to have lunch here in the first place. It didn’t strike me as our sort of thing,” he continue to speak, probably not noticing the way M was staring at Sungjae.

Perhaps out of nostalgia for their days in Oxford or perhaps out of mere habit, M, Sungjae, and Mark liked to meet up at the most modest coffee shop they could find in town. It was a ritual of sorts. Not like they had the chance to meet a whole lot, though. They were all very busy most part of the year.

Since graduating from school Sungjae had gone on to build a tech empire that was listed as one of the greatest companies in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, M was running his family business and whatever it was, always kept him busy. Mark, on the other hand, had landed a Department Lecturer position in their alma mater, which required him to deliver at least 16 hours of lectures, classes, and seminars every week. It wasn’t a fancy job, but Mark was satisfied.

“Well, by the looks of it, Sungjae is now an expert in French luxury locations” M joked.

“I haven’t been here in-” Sungjae tried to defend himself, but realized that giving away how long it was since he last stepped in that restaurant would give him away. “Years. And I thought it would be nice to have lunch in a nice place since you’re about to get married.” He said, reaching out to pat M’s arm.

“Speaking of marriage, how are Astrid and Ashleigh?” Mark briefly took the menu, but upon inspecting the first page he convinced himself he would let his friends order for him as he mentally prepared himself to spend one-quarter of his salary on whatever overpriced food they’d eat. Then he leaned back into his seat, patiently waiting for Sungjae to update them about his wife and daughter.

“They’re fine. Ashleigh took Astrid on a trip with her parents around Spain. They must be in Malaga now.” Sungjae said more out of politeness than real interest in sharing news about his nonexistent marital life. Then he quickly added, “How is Tara?” So Mark wouldn’t keep asking any more questions.

Mark, the sweet naive Mark fell into the trap and started gushing about his girlfriend. Sungjae almost felt guilty that he allowed himself to disconnect from the conversation, as images from the past flashed up. He was surprised to catch himself still thinking about her ten years later.

...

#oc #story #sungjae #minah #tara #jane #m #mark #crazy rich asians au

1 note · View note

byunmyeon · 2 years

Text

Saudade

↳ pairing: lee suho x reader

↳ synopsis: this is the third installment following philophobia and metanoia. after years of being away from your soulmate, you finally begin to believe that you have a chance at a normal life. but you learn that fate is never that simple or kind.

↳ warnings: language, alcohol consumption (nothing too crazy), ANGST you guys know what it is, a pinch of fluff

— note: sorry this took so long! i hope you guys enjoy the final part!

Fate was something you would never be able to truly understand. It was something so complex, yet at the same time so astoundingly simple.

When you were younger, you always believed fate to be a benign concept that could only lead to happiness. The day you lost sight of your string, you belatedly realized that all your preconceived notions were nothing more than delusions born from the idealized world the people around you had constructed.

Perhaps the cognizance would’ve been easier to deal with had you not been forced to move to a city that was constantly embraced by a daunting aura, one that didn’t allow you to properly heal from your internal wounds. Looking back on it, the trepidation might’ve had something to do with the fact that Seoul was the city where you would be forced to confront your destiny—the same fate that had disappointed you time and time again.

And therein lied the reason why being back felt like a surreal dream.

Every memory that came with walking down the busy streets overwhelmed you. After all this time, you still found yourself powerless to the retention of the time in your life where you felt the most miserable. Years had passed since then, but being back at the start of it all had you faltering in a way you thought would be impossible after your treatment.

There was a sudden heaviness in your chest and feet as you neared your destination. You allowed yourself to stare at the large building with muted dejection. This was the last place you were willing to revisit, but you were aware that never returning wasn’t a viable option. Not after you agreed to work through your condition without any restraint.

You instinctually forced yourself to shove all of your unwanted emotions into the dark place of your mind that was rarely visited before heading into the large building. By this point, you’ve become overly familiar with the place; a token of your dedication to get better. In spite of the fact that you were no stranger to the setting, an unbearable feeling of discomfort overcame you in that moment. You were undeterred by this sudden shift in your emotions and forced your feet to carry you to the elevator.

You pressed the button to the top floor, briefly recalling the days when you only had to go to the fifth floor. How time flies.

The second you stepped off the elevator, you noticed a young woman waiting to greet you. She led you to the large office, knocking once before letting her boss know you had arrived. You heard a familiar voice urging her to let you in.

The doctor’s new office was twice the size of his old one—a luxury he never would’ve had without your help. Being in his office reminded you of the point in time when you were adamant about not helping him with his research. Now, helping Dr. Kwon study the enigmatic soulmate bond was the very thing you had dedicated your life to. A true irony, really.

“Y/N.” Your name was spoken fondly and with a friendly smile. “It’s been a long time since we’ve met like this. How does it feel to be back in Seoul?”

Dr. Kwon’s words made you think about how long it had been despite the fact that it felt like you left the city only yesterday. You hadn’t been able to visit him personally since you left the rehabilitation center and started working with other patients to further his research, but you never imagined that being in front of him after all this time would feel as harrowing as it did. Deep down, you knew it was only because of the torturous memories you subconsciously associated with him. Luckily for you, those memories no longer forced you into a debilitating state—a development you had worked hard to achieve.

With that thought in mind, you set the report on the doctor’s desk while murmuring a noncommittal response to his inquiry. “There aren’t any new side effects.”

Your distant response made Dr. Kwon frown. Many years had passed since you two met, yet that did nothing to help erase the line you drew all those years ago. It wasn’t unusual for his patients (you, in particular) to unconsciously project their internalized trauma onto the people in their lives, but he couldn’t help but be slightly disappointed with your behavior.

“Tell me about what’s been going on with you.” Dr. Kwon prodded gently. “Have you been seeing anyone?”

The doctor’s biggest hope was to successfully help you get past your philophobia so you could finally start living normally. However, even after all these years you still didn’t allow yourself to get close to anyone romantically in spite of knowing no one could ever hurt you as badly as your soulmate had.

“I’ve lessened my dose like you suggested.” You told him even though you knew he would read it in the report after you left.

“That…” Dr. Kwon’s smile faltered, but only for a second. “That’s great. If you aren’t experiencing any side effects or withdrawal-like symptoms, I think we can start drafting a plan for you to stop taking the suppressants altogether.”

Those words caught your interest. To be able to live normally without the help of the suppressants was something you had longed for since you started your treatment back when you were a teenager.

“Will I really be able to?”

Dr. Kwon didn’t miss the spark in your eyes as you gazed at him. It made him confident that he could potentially help you live happily like you always wanted. He would never give up his mission to help you get better, and this was the first step to achieve that goal.

“If you don’t mind staying in Seoul a bit longer.” He said simply. “This way, I’ll be able to monitor you more closely and decide how soon you can stop taking the suppressants.”

You had no intentions of extending your stay, but you would do anything to be free from the chains that came in the form of medicine. And so, you eagerly agreed.

Often times, you were thrown into situations before you realized it.

When you coincidentally ran into Soo-ah, you didn’t expect her to invite you to come out with her and a handful of your former classmates. You had meant to politely decline her invitation, but instead you found yourself asking her who would be in attendance before you could stop yourself. She listed off names you could vaguely recall, but just barely. There was no mention of him.

And so, you ended up drinking with people who you didn’t know that well and vice versa. You weren’t uncomfortable per se, but there was a pressure building in your chest that you couldn’t make sense of. Luckily, the alcohol helped you forget about the foreign sensation as well as the other strident thoughts that had been on your mind.

It wasn’t until you stumbled out of the place that the real trouble began.

You had taken all of two steps, but came to an abrupt stop after you heard a quiet yet forceful call of your name. Han Seojun was walking toward you with a strange look in his eyes. In that instant, you knew that whatever was coming next wouldn’t be pleasant.

“How long are you planning on staying in Seoul?”

His question threw you off. Seojun was someone you could hardly call a friend, and you were certain that wouldn’t change with time. Despite not liking the premonition that came along with his words, you answered him anyway.

“Not long.” You told him truthfully. “I have some work related things to take care of, then I’m leaving.”

Seojun remained silent as if in deep thought, and you assumed he was done with the conversation. But as you turned on your heel to walk away, he called out to you again. This time, the tension in his tone made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

“About Lee Suho…”

You tensed instantly. Just the simple mention of his name awoke feelings in you that you thought you’d gotten rid of a long time ago. Instead of reacting in a way that would give away your true emotions, you turned your head slightly to look at him. Seojun could only see half of your face, but it was enough for him to hope that you might still care about his friend.

“He’s missed you. Even though he’s living abroad right now, he still—”

“I have to go.” You interrupted him, unwilling to hear the rest of his tirade. “I’ll see you around.”

Back then, you had no idea it was only the beginning of fate’s cruel plan.

People often said fate was something that you made yourself—something that wasn’t predetermined but something that was subject to change depending on the course of action taken. You weren’t so sure if that was true because more often than not, you found that the course of your life was filled with trials and tribulations that were completely out of your control. These painful events (as your mother and countless therapists said) were meant to build character. In your case, they just hurt.

However, now that you were older, you were starting to understand what people meant.

After all, it was you who decided to remove yourself from the situation and distance yourself from your soulmate. It was you who made the effort to get better and build a new life for yourself. That had to count for something.

You had come this far, and that in itself was a notable achievement. Soon enough, you would no longer be dependent on the supplements Dr. Kwon developed soon after you came into his care. It wouldn’t be long before you would be free to live your life without any restraints.

That thought alone made you appreciate the view that much more. Snow was falling lightly, but it didn’t take away from the calmness you felt. Nothing could kill the high you were on. Finally, everything seemed to be falling into place. The peaceful life you always yearned for was within your reach, ready to be taken.

“Y/N.”

There was a sudden heaviness in your chest and feet after you heard your name. Every single hair on your body stood up at the sound of an eerily familiar voice calling your name, a voice that you wouldn’t be able to forget in a million years. Hesitantly and very slowly, you turned around only to come face-to-face with the one person you hoped to never see again.

The mere sight of him evoked a jagged feeling from your chest that you were very familiar with. It was no longer as intense as it once was—a curtesy of the supplements you were taking. However, you weren’t numb to the dull ache seeing your soulmate caused.

Suho’s face crumpled instantly at the sight of your watery eyes. The glistening tears in your eyes could’ve easily been mistaken for previous crystals from how brightly they were shining. He reached forward and cupped your frozen face, barely able to contain the emotions swirling in his chest.

You flinched away from his touch, realizing that all the effort you made up until this point was in vain. The ache in your pounding heart reminded you that no drug in the world could be strong enough to completely detach you from all the emotions your soulmate provoked.

“I’ve missed you.”

There was a sincerity to his words that might’ve moved you at one point in time, but now his words only left a sick feeling in your stomach. This could have been due to the suppressants, or perhaps the result of being away from him for so long. Either way, the affection Suho was displaying was something you no longer wanted or needed.

“Why?” Your voice was quiet as a single tear fell from your eye. “You rejected me.”

Unlike before, Suho’s expressions were completely transparent. His wounded eyes almost had you regretting your blunt words. Almost.

Not being able to withstand the sight of his pained expression any longer, you turned around and ran.

It was a well-known fact that the string of fate pulled soulmates closer and closer until the two souls were eventually brought together. Trying to resist the tug was practically impossible and, in most cases, futile. You were no exception to this natural contingency despite taking every possible measure you could to fight it. Eventually, you learned that fate wasn’t something that could actively or easily be avoided.

That’s why it wasn’t too surprising when you crossed paths with Suho so soon after you saw him the other night at the bridge. Whether it was coincidental or not, the strength of the bond was enough to soothe the initial irritation you felt at seeing your soulmate. Perhaps the power of the pull was what made you accept the invitation to have a meal with him, or maybe it was out of the need to prove to yourself that Suho could no longer affect you in the intense way that he used to.

The restaurant wasn’t anything grand, but they did serve alcohol which was perfect for you because you weren’t sure you could sit through a meal with the person who broke your heart while being completely sober. You didn’t hesitate to start drinking before the waiter brought your food out.

“So,” Suho cleared his throat as he saw you down a shot with concern. “How have you been?”

It was a loaded question that almost made you angry because how did he think you had been? Undergoing treatment wasn’t anything easy, and it definitely wasn’t pleasant. But you couldn’t bring yourself to spit out your poisonous thoughts. If you agreed to join him it was because you were better now (and to potentially expand on your research). You couldn’t let all your hard work go to waste because of his sudden reappearance and your petty need to make him feel the same way you had all those years ago.

Suho saw you hesitate, and for a moment he was worried that the resentment you seemed to feel for him would keep him from getting closer to you. He felt extremely relieved when you answered him politely, seemingly not too caught up with rehashing the past.

“You actually worked with the Dr. Kwon?” Suho was in awe.

“I still do.” You told with a nod. “I’m the one who helped him develop the suppressant for the soulmate bond.”

Your comment wasn’t malicious, but Suho felt his chest tighten uncomfortably. The drug you helped develop was worldwide famous as it was the first of its kind. He had read about all of its effects and how it was life changing for people who had been rejected by their soulmates. People like you.

When you saw the look on Suho’s face, you let out a dry, humorless laugh. “I’m taking them, if that’s what you wanted to know.”

There was an awkward pause, and you weren’t sure why everything had become so tense all of a sudden. Suho should’ve guessed that you were taking the suppressants because of the fact that you were still alive. Without those drugs, you would’ve died a long time ago. It would’ve been easy enough to tell him that, but something restrained you from doing so.

“So… you don’t feel anything now that you’re with me?”

That wasn’t exactly true. A suppressant was different from a blocker, and even modern medicine wasn’t advanced enough to stop all the effects caused by the soulmate bond. However, you didn’t tell Suho any of that. It was petty, but there was still that part of you that was unwilling to let him off so easily.

“Not really. I feel the like I’m spending time with any other person.” You lied.

Suho felt a sharp pain strike his chest. The throbbing was painful, but all he could focus on was your cold expression. There was no trace of resentment or love or anything. Just a blank canvas that he was unable to fill.

After a beat of silence, you spoke up, unable to stand the discomfort that suddenly consumed you. “I’m sorry about your dad. It must’ve been hard for you.”

Your words caught Suho by surprise. He wasn’t sure how you knew that his dad had been in the hospital while he was abroad, but it hardly mattered. The knot in his chest loosened when he saw your earnest expression. Your empathy was just that, but to Suho it meant the world. It touched him deeply that despite all the pain he had put you through, you didn’t hate him enough to rejoice in his misfortune.

“He’s better now. That’s part of the reason why I came back.”

You didn’t need to hear the other part because you knew what it was, and you weren’t ready for him to vocalize it. Dr. Kwon would be proud.

Suho seemed to realize you were uncomfortable and quickly changed the subject. “How has it been helping Dr. Kwon with his research?”

“Healing.” You told him without thinking. “It helped me get better, and now I’m one step closer to living a normal life like everyone else.”

A sudden pain struck Suho in the chest. Your smiling face managed to soothe some of the sting, but not fully. He would never be able to truly forgive himself for what he did to you. It was his fault you hadn’t been able to finish off high school like everyone else. He was the reason you hadn’t been able to live like any other person who found their soulmate. But somehow Suho pushed down those feelings of painful regret and smiled back at you.

“That’s great, Y/N.” He managed to say through the pain he felt. “I’m… I’m really happy for you.”

Seeing Suho was starting to become a regular occurrence. He was insistent on spending time with you even though you weren’t always welcoming of his company. Recently, he had started to walk you to work. There were times where his actions moved you and times where his actions irritated you. It was usually the latter, but this time you couldn’t be angry or annoyed. Not when it was clear that something was wrong. The moment you laid eyes on Suho, an uncomfortable feeling pinched at your stomach only for it to die down and completely disappear within the next second.

“Hey, are you okay?” You asked, unable to hide the worry in your voice.

Suho caught the emotion in your tone and faintly smiled. “Are you worried about me?”

The contrast in his behavior always threw you off. He wasn’t acting like the person you remembered, and you never knew what to make of his perplexing behavior. Was this really the person you met back in high school? It didn’t seem like it. There was a subtle jerk in your chest, almost as if the emotions being repressed by your medicine were clawing to get out. You frowned at the feeling.

“Have you looked in the mirror today?” You ignored his question. “You don’t look okay.”

Suho shrugged off your words. Instead he told you to have a good day and to not overwork yourself. That was another thing you couldn’t understand. Suho followed you everywhere, except your workplace. You weren’t sure why he had an apparent aversion to the building you currently worked in, but you didn’t dwell on it. Having a place you were able to escape to made you forget all about his abnormal behavior. Well, not entirely.

It was difficult not to think about the situation you had found yourself in. You didn’t know exactly what to call this… relationship between you two, but it felt like you were in a sort of limbo state. It was alarming and potentially problematic because recovery was something that was well within your grasp, and you weren’t sure if Suho was hindering you from finally grabbing what you worked so hard to achieve.

“There’s something you’re not telling me.”

Perhaps not telling Dr. Kwon that your soulmate was back and regularly seeing you wasn’t the wisest decision, but you were sure he would have canceled his plan to take you off the suppressants if you had told him the truth. You kept your cool expression in tact, not willing to give yourself away.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Dr. Kwon frowned. You hadn’t so much as looked up from the paperwork in front of you, but he wouldn’t let you get away from his question so easily. Not when it was about life or death.

“I’m talking about the fact that a man named Han Seojun came in here asking about a consultation for his friend, Lee Suho.”

The shift in your eyes was immediate. You couldn’t hide the emotion on your face as you looked over at Dr. Kwon. He was looking at you with a somber expression, waiting for your explanation. But you couldn’t be concerned with that because there was a sinking feeling in your stomach that wasn’t allowing you to think straight.

“Han Seojun managed to get him in here for a check up.” The doctor continued after realizing that you weren’t going to provide him with the answers he was looking for. “I’ve haven’t seen so much strain on a heart in a long time. His results look almost like yours did all those years ago.”

Blood rushed to your ears, partially muting all the noise in the room. The feel of your heart pounding painfully against your chest was foreign now, yet familiar all at the same time. It was almost entirely painful, but not quite. No. This couldn’t be happening. There had to be some sort of mistake. But you knew there wasn’t. The signs had been there, and you had purposely ignored them because you hadn’t wanted to entertain the possibility of Suho going through what you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.

“You’re rejecting the soulmate bond.” Dr. Kwon said simply, not knowing he was voicing your greatest fear. “If he doesn’t undergo treatment soon, he will die.”

There was a moment where you could only hear your heartbeat. It’s unsteady rhythm was the only thing you could focus on in order to hold back your tears. It was true that you didn’t want Suho in your life, but to think he was experiencing the same pain you had made you feel sick to your stomach. No one, not even Suho, deserved to experience that type of pain. You could only press your lips together, afraid that a sob might break through at any moment.

“Y/N?”

You lifted your distant eyes, as if snapping out of some sort of trance. “Sharing a person’s medical information is a crime.”

Dr. Kwon frowned, but wasn’t all that fazed by your threatening reminder because he was aware that your reaction was nothing more than a byproduct of the trauma caused by your soulmate. Still, he had expected more from you. The treatment you received at the facility he founded was meant to help you (which it had—physically), but it had also inadvertently morphed your philophobia into something more grave that didn’t allow you to be emotionally vulnerable.

The doctor let out a deep sigh. “Y/N—”

“If you’re going to treat him, then do it.” You said as you put down the paperwork. “Just don’t expect me to care about what happens to him.”

With that cold statement, you stood up and grabbed your things. You hurried to the door, not willing to be in the office any longer. Just as you reached the door, you were stopped by the doctor’s voice.

“He won’t take the supplements.” Dr. Kwon said. “I don’t know why, but he’s unwilling to undergo any sort of treatment.”

You swallowed thickly, unable to keep the tears in your eyes. It was difficult, but you swallowed the lump in your throat and walked out of the large office without looking back.

Suho never thought you would ask to see him first. It was something that went beyond his all of his wildest dreams, and for the first time he felt the pressure in his chest loosen. You had asked to meet him at the bridge where he first encountered you after returning, and he didn’t hesitate to clear his schedule in order to meet you. He didn’t have time to think about why you wanted to see him. It didn’t matter, either. Not when you willingly wanted to see him and spend time with him.

Suho made it to the bridge in record time. His eyes immediately spotted you, able to distinguish you almost immediately. Even from afar you looked as stunning as ever. The bright city lights managed to give you an ethereal glow that took his breath away. Not wanting to keep you wait any longer, Suho was quick to go over to where you were standing.

“Y/N.”

You turned around, expression as blank as usual. It was a bit disappointing, but Suho wouldn’t let that deter his mood. When he finally got close enough, he could see traces of concern in your eyes. It made him wonder what was wrong while thinking of ways he could ease your discomfort.

“Suho.”

He hadn’t heard you say his name in years despite all the time you two had spent together. It was like music to his ears, and it made him hopeful that you two were finally moving in the right direction. Maybe earning your forgiveness wouldn’t be impossible like he originally thought.

“You’re dying.” You said shakily. “Because of me.”

Suho felt his heart sink into his stomach. He didn’t have any time to think about how you found out, but he couldn’t stand to see at the wounded look in your eyes. The last thing he had wanted to do was hurt you, yet that was the very thing he did.

His silence made the sickening feeling amplify. It was true. You had known it was since Dr. Kwon had told you, but part of you had hoped it was a mistake or a flat out lie. To think that you were doing the same thing Suho did to you was reprehensible. All your years of helping people and your own recovery didn’t seem to mean anything because it felt like you were right back at where you started. Except now it was you who was causing the pain.

You swallowed thickly, not believing this was happening. “Why… Why wouldn’t you agree to take the suppressants?”

The stoic expression that was imprinted in your mind made an appearance for the first time since you two met again. It made you feel sick and like you were trapped in the middle of a bizarre nightmare.

“Don’t you realize what you’re doing?” Your voice rose slightly. “How could you be reckless enough to disregard your own health?”

Suho’s eyes gleamed with regret and something else you couldn’t identify. “You did the same thing back then. You risked your life for my happiness.”

The suppressants weren’t perfect, and still left room for error. Often times, the emotions people didn’t want to feel passed through and consumed them. But now it felt like you weren’t taking the medicine at all because in the next instant, you were bursting with emotions, the most prominent one being anger. How could he compare your situations? How could he think that this was what you wanted?

There was a tense pause, one that didn’t last very long but felt like an eternity.

“Don’t act like you’re doing some selfless deed.” You hissed, feeling angry tears pinch the back of your eyes. “What I did back when we met isn’t the same as what you’re doing now, and you fucking know it.”

For a moment, you two only stared at each other fiercely. Similar emotions were building inside both of you, ready to burst at the seams. Neither of you were willing to speak the truth, but expected the other to understand.

“You chose to do that for me back then.” Suho forced himself to say. “It was your choice, and what I’m doing now is mine.”

And it was his choice. Suho would never forgive himself for everything he did to you, and he was certain there was nothing he could ever do to make it up to you. Except this. Only going through the same pain would he be able to truly repent his mistakes. The only problem was that you didn’t take his words in the way he meant them.

“It was never my choice!” You yelled angrily, feeling like you could explode from the rage. “Why would I ever choose to feel the pain you put me through?”

Everything was happening too quickly, but it was too late to backtrack. The misunderstandings and the misuse of words didn’t matter anymore because you were finally letting your true feelings spill out of you like a waterfall.

“You were the one who rejected the bond that we have without caring about how it would effect me!”

The sight of your tears came as another blow to Suho’s chest, one that was much stronger than all the others. Everything was falling apart so quickly. Too quickly to stop it. Suho took a step toward you but you stepped back. The anger and pain you were feeling was evident now.

“When are you going to stop hurting me?”

Suho sucked in a sharp breath. Your words made him feel as terrible as he did when he found out you couldn’t see your string. A single tear slid down his face as he looked at your pain-filled expression. The bond between you was completely damaged, and for the first time he could feel it.

“Wasn’t it enough for you when you almost killed me because you loved Lim Jugyeong?” You wondered, feeling like your throat was closing in on itself. “I didn’t know about our bond, but you willingly ignored it. When I found out, you didn’t hesitate to tell me you didn’t want me as your soulmate. I accepted all of that, so why… why do you keep doing this to me?”

Subconsciously rejecting or accepting the soulmate bond was something every human did as soon as they recognized their soulmate, and it had a stronger effect than most people would ever understand. It might’ve occurred to you that this is exactly what you were doing, but thinking logically wasn’t possible with all the emotions that were overpowering your thoughts. It no longer mattered that you never intended for any of this to happen because it had. Because it was fate.

Suho couldn’t stand it anymore. All the pain he caused you was suffocating, and he couldn’t do anything to stop it. He reached for you, only to be stopped by the blinding pain his chest. Tiny black dots clouded his vision before they completely engulfed it.

You could only watch in horror as Suho collapsed on the ground just as you had all those years ago.

At times, you wondered if your entire life was nothing more than a terrible dream. Some of the things that happened to you felt too surreal and distorted to be an actual part of reality. However, there was always certain moments that managed to remind you that your life was far from a dream. Seeing Suho’s pale form laying in a hospital bed was one of those moments.

You watched him carefully, gasping quietly when his eyes slowly opened.

When Suho saw you by his bedside, it immediately eased some of the pain he was feeling. You tearfully whispered his name, no longer hiding behind the stoic mask he had grown used to. It almost made him feel like all the pain was worth it.

“I’ll go get the doctor.”

You stood to leave, but Suho immediately caught you by your wrist. He gently caressed it, looking like he might cry. “Stay. Please.”

And you did. You slowly sat back down, feeling the enigmatic pull take over your actions. You hadn’t felt it in years, and you wondered if it would be a good idea to take more of the suppressants before your feelings became too intense to control.

“I’m sorry.” You apologized through the tears. “I shouldn’t have said all those things to you knowing that your health is in a delicate state.”

Your apology meant the world to Suho, but it also managed to make him feel horrible. Just like back then, you were putting his feelings before your own, and he couldn’t stand it. He didn’t deserve the consideration you gave him back then, and he definitely didn’t deserve it now.

Suho shook his head. “Everything you said is the truth. I deserve that and much more.”

You pressed your lips together before letting out a shaky sigh. None of that mattered anymore. The only thing you were concerned about was helping him get better. “Take the suppressants.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?” You demanded, feeling your heart clench painfully. “The pain is only going to get worse.”

“It’s nothing compared to what I did to you.”

His words made your heart ache. At one point in your life you wanted him to suffer in the same way you had, but now it was the last thing you wanted. Two wrongs don’t make a right, but Suho didn’t seem to realize that. Seeing him in this state wasn’t what you wanted at all. Didn’t he understand that?

“If you don’t agree to undergo the treatment, you’ll die.” You told him, your voice was an apparent mixture of fear and guilt. “How could you think that would make me happy?”

“You haven’t forgiven me for what I did, and neither have I.” Suho said. The tears in his eyes spilled over as he looked at you. “I don’t deserve it either.”

You couldn’t stop your tears own from falling. He had it all wrong, and you weren’t sure that you could ease his pain despite having done it so many times before.

“It’s not that I don’t forgive you.” You whimpered as you took ahold of his hand.

This next part was going to be difficult for you to express, but it needed to be done. It was the only way you were going to be able to truly heal from all the pain that you went through.

“It’s that I don’t forgive myself.” Your confession came out in a shaky sigh. “I didn’t love myself enough to put my health first. Even back then, I had the option to get treated before the pain became unbearable, but I didn’t because I loved you more than I loved myself.”

You let out a quiet sob. “And I’ve never been able to forgive myself for that.”

If anyone understood that feeling, it was Suho. He didn’t hesitate to pull you into his arms, caging you against him. It felt warm and comforting—an unexpected safe place. It made you feel completely protected, like nothing and no one could ever hurt you.

“It’s not your fault.” He whispered. “None of it.”

Suho couldn’t have known it, but his words set you free. Finally, you accepted that your father’s death wasn’t you fault, neither was the resentment your mother felt, not even the fact that Suho had rejected you. None of it was your fault. You were only a victim of the circumstances.

The road to recovery wouldn’t be an easy path, but it was one that you were both willing to take.

Fate was a strange concept, indeed.

Even now, you couldn’t tell if destiny was something that was predetermined or something that could be made, but it didn’t matter. You walked the path that you were meant to take despite not being ready for it. In the end, it had led you to the place that you were meant to be at.

“Y/N!”

You looked over your shoulder with a smile, seeing Suho excitedly wave at you from the other end of the street. He jogged over to you with a giant grin on his face before engulfing you in a tight hug. His warm embrace gave you a sense of security that you had grown to love.

“Did you have fun with Seojun?” You asked, feeling like you were in the middle of a blissful trance.

“The guy thinks he’s all that because he’s famous now.” Suho said jokingly, emitting a laugh from you.

An entire year had passed since that day in the hospital, and now you could proudly say that you had successfully worked past your philophobia. It hadn’t been easy, but with help from Dr. Kwon and even Suho you managed to overcome all the trauma you had been unconsciously clinging on to. Now, you were living happily without the help of suppressants.

Suho pulled back, looking at you with shining eyes. He cupped your face before he swooped down and pressed his lips against your own. You melted into the kiss instantly, feeling a fiery passion consume you. The movement of his lips was sweet yet strong. It managed to make your head swim with euphoria. Suho gently caressed your cheek before he slowly drew back.

“I love you.”

You couldn’t contain your smile. “I love you, too.”

Suho let you go and swiftly grabbed your hand. He swung it happily as you two walked down the street. “Where should we go?”

“There’s a new comic store that opened down the street.” You told him with a grin. “Let’s check it out.”

Suho gave you another smile and gave your hand a gentle squeeze. The sheer joy you felt in that moment seemed unreal. It was hard to believe that you managed to get to this point where happiness was a regular part of your life. You never imagined that it would be a part of fate’s plan for you. There was only one thing that made you realize it was all real and not part of some blissful dream.

You looked down at your intertwined hands, smiling wider when you saw the red thread wrapped around your index finger.

#lee suho x reader #lee suho x you #cha eunwoo x reader #cha eunwoo x you #true beauty fanfic #suho x reader #lee suho imagine #cha eunwoo imagine #cha eunwoo #lee suho #true beauty #lee suho fanfic #cha eunwoo fanfic #astro fanfic #true beauty tvn

967 notes · View notes

icysab · 10 months

Note

hi! i love all ur imagines, especially the true beauty ones I rlly love it so could u maybe make more boyfie imagines? it can be lee suho or han seo jun. Maybe jealous imagines or smth <333

omg absolutely this is so good aahhh!! i think i’ll do jealous seojun because as much as i <3 suho, i am a seojun girl forever

#sab speaks

0 notes

tearsona · 3 years

Text

true beauty | h.c. with fem!reader | part five

a/n: thought this would take me less than a day to write bc i already had everything in my head, but i kept getting busy and stuck. also seojun’s such a sweetheart it was hard to write angst bc i just don’t think he’s ever gonna do anything wrong… anyway this hc has gotten sm love i’m so happy bc so many kind ppl have been interacting with me i’m??? :( <3

part one | part four

“missed me already?” a voice from behind shakes you out of your thoughts that were deafening in the otherwise silent night. you whip your head towards the source and it’s crazy, how your entire being softens at the mere sight of him.

it’s been a rough week and tonight you’re just really really sad and badly in need of a hug, badly want to curl yourself into a ball and be wrapped up in somebody’s arms, nuzzle your face against their neck like a baby, and feel your troubles leaving your body.

thankfully, seojun’s presence alone feels just like that - like a warm embrace. like landing on a pillow after a long day.

which is why you’d asked to meet him at this time of the night.

“it’s only been a weekend,” you deny as you roll your eyes, but you don’t try to hide the smile on your face as you do. “was just bored.”

more like, sick of being at home.

you hand the boy the cup of hot chocolate in your hand when he walks to you and rests his arms on the railing next to yours, and he’s close enough so that your clothed bodies are touching and all of a sudden the sweet mixed scent of his crisp cologne and laundry detergent is clouding your sense.

then he goes, “mm, just say you wanted to see my handsome face,” and the emphasis on the word makes it known to you that he’s teasing you over that truth game from the school trip. whilst he says this, you feel his body lean towards you a little and you’re about to scold him for the lack of space but when you look up at him, oh, he’s closer than you thought. too close, like… heart-stopping close, that you can feel his warm breath on your cheeks when he adds, “you don’t have to lie a second time.”

and it’s already bad enough from a distance but seojun is dangerously, painfully, drop-dead good-looking up close.

so you desperately fumble with your shut-down mess of a brain, scrambling for words, but it proves itself useless when the only thing you come up with in the end is “pshhhh!” as you tilt your head and push the boy away, and it feels like coming up for air after being underwater for long. when your brain finally catches up to you, you follow up with, “getting too cocky over a toy, huh. but i mean, if it makes you happy…”

you take your eyes off him and take a sip from your drink in an attempt to cover the red in your cheeks, but fortunately, the boy seems oblivious to the effect he’s just had on you anyway. he looks smug nonetheless.

but if you’re being honest, you haven’t let go of that game either. ever since then, you’ve also wondered multiple times, if seojun has ever found you attractive. or, maybe you just want to know what it is about you that’s so unlikeable that, not even once in his 6 years of being by your side, has he ever looked at you that way - the same way he looks at the girl he’d met less than three months ago.

wonder how, while you’ve been struggling all this time to keep the guy at an arm’s length, everything seemed too easy for him; how he’s able to remain this carefree and bold and unaffected around you, completely oblivious to the way your body stills every time your hands accidentally touch or the way you lose all your senses whenever he’s standing too close like this, even after all these years.

but even more you wonder what he meant when he picked love over friendship. because, no matter how inaccurate the “lie detector" was, the way he pronounced his answer with zero hesitation… there’s just no doubting that he meant it. and it’s been quite honestly eating at you ever since… the memory slipping inbetween casual moments wherein you think seojun is picking jugyeong over you, like when he apologetically ditches you at the convenience store because he’s worried that jugyeong might stay in school until late, or when he hears through the phone that she’s hurt herself just a little bit.

you know it’s petty to think like that sometimes - you were never the me or her type of friend. but when the question and answer presented itself to your face in such an explicit manner such as a truth game, you can’t help the way the scene replays in your mind at every vacant space.

yeah, you may be important to him, but this is all you’ll ever be - a close friend. a buddy. and with love over friendship, you wonder how much until he’s willing to give you up for someone that could make his heart melt.

…and just like that, you’ve let unwanted thoughts fill your mind once again.

“ah! right,” you break the silence when he grabs the now empty cup from your hand and disposes of it in the trash can along with his, and then you wait until he’s back before you continue, “that lip gloss you were looking for, i found a shop that had a stock of it left.”

so then you tell him that you bought it, looking a little too proud for someone who’d actually turned the web upside down searching all over for the damn pricey makeup item, like you aren’t currently on the verge of dropping out of school next semester because there’s no one to pay for it…

but then your stomach twists a little when you remember that you’ve yet to bring the matter up with him and ask him for help, which you plan on doing tonight.

anyway, you rummage through the contents of your bag for the said item saying, “tell gowoon it’s a present from me too.”

seojun looks surprised. “gowoon? wait, that’s not—i already got her a present though.”

you look up at him. “then… why… were you looking for this?”

and then seojun swallows, looks slightly embarrassed when he explains that he’d actually been searching for it because jugyeong seemed to really want it when they were at the mall but it was sold out everywhere they looked. but then he trails off and looks at you, doesn’t fail to notice the way your shoulders slump, so he clears his throat and says, “i’ll give it to gowoon. she’ll love it. especially if it’s from yo—”

“no,” you interrupt before you resume searching for the item in your bag to hide the disappointment in your face. “do with it what you want.”

there’s a brief awkward silence because seojun feels bad, but he tries to make it better with, “hey, but you’re amazing though. it was really hard to find…” but then he unintentionally starts doing the opposite as he invites your jealousy further in when he continues with, “jugyeong would be jealous. she’s really into makeup, y’know. as in, she’s going to enroll in makeup classes.”

seojun continues rambling, but you choose not to pay all ears because it’s all jugyeong this, jugyeong that. you don’t even need to look to know that there’s a dumb smile plastered on his face as he talks about his favorite topic, unaware of the torment he’s putting you through, so you pretend to still be searching for the item just so you don’t have to see that until -

“…really expensive though. remember that cafe i used to work in? my boss was looking to hire. i introduced her.”

you feel your heart jump at this and he’s surprised by how quickly your head shoots up at his news. “you… got her the job?”

seojun nods hesitantly when you don’t look happy with his decision, and he’s curious why so he waits for you to speak, until more seconds have passed by and the only thing you respond with is a laugh. by the way your chest is aching you’re not supposed to be finding this funny, but you do anyway. and so the boy watches you in confusion. “what?”

what’s funny is the universe’s way of letting you know it hates you - how extra intent it’s been these days to show you its longest finger and how you came here thinking you could maybe catch a break from that, or at best, be relieved of some burden, but now you’re feeling the exact opposite of comforted - like an utter fool - from how many times you’ve already been let down.

“ah, nothing, just…” you smile. “just, why are you still doing this?”

seojun’s expression falters a bit, unsure what you mean, but he may have an idea. “doing what?”

you shrug, trying to find the words to say without hating the way you’ll sound like. “i don’t know… asking jugyeong out on dates? getting her makeup? a part-time? everything?”

but you don’t have to elaborate because seojun knows what you mean by ‘everything’ - as in, all the times he’d unnecessarily gone out of his way for the girl - because he’s always been aware of it himself, knows he’s only setting himself up for heartbreak… just never acknowledged it. “i mean… jugyeong has a boyfriend now. don’t you think you should leave these to him?”

there’s no way suho hadn’t already offered to find jugyeong a part-time, just like he had for you in case he said seojun couldn’t. he’d probably even gone as far as offered to pay for her classes himself. suho’s exactly the kind of person to do that.

you see hurt flicker in seojun’s eyes for a moment and you try to swallow your guilt. deep down, you know this is just an excuse for you to get mad at him, because the truth is, this is your jealousy speaking - the side of you that ached to be with him, the part of you that wanted to shake him by the shoulders and tell him to give it up because it’s hurting you seeing him be so hung up on someone else when you’ve been here all along.

but it’s not like it’s his fault. you’re just the same as him - both foolishly stuck in one-sided love. and you know very well that feelings can’t be helped.

he knows you have a point. even so, he tries to reason out: it wasn’t a date. and it was one time. plus, it’s not like friends can’t do those things, not like he’s crossing the line, right?

“…and it’s not my fault her boyfriend’s lacking.”

this causes you to scoff, crossing your arms against your chest. “and so? you’re just going to swoop in every time? fill in the gaps where you think he’s lacking… is that it?”

“no—”

“what are you trying to achieve?” you say pointedly, “plus points?”

“hey!” seojun reacts and he’s looking more offended than ever now by your accusation, blinking at you a couple of times in disbelief. you, of all people, were the person he had least expected to misunderstand him like that. “i do things for her just because… i want to.” because i like seeing her happy, that’s what seojun wanted to say. “i’m—i’m not trying to be her boyfriend. that’s… different.”

but you already knew that. it’s just as he said - this is seojun’s love language. just like it is yours. showing effort, going above and beyond to do nice things for the other person to make them feel cared for, loved. that’s just how he’s always been… to his family, to you, and now, to jugyeong – without expecting anything in return. it’s not like you actually thought he was purposely trying to win the girl’s heart away. you know he’s not the kind of person to do that to someone that is off-limits.

it’s just… today you’re extra emotional, extra fragile, more inclined to say things you don’t actually mean or take everything to heart. anything that can possibly hurt you - no matter how small - has the potential to wreak havoc all over your senses and make you lose your control.

you heave a sigh, give in and say, “i’m sorry… i really didn’t mean to say that.” though there’s still a hell lot of pain and frustration in your heart that you wish you could just… let out.

seojun’s features soften when he hears the sincerity, relieved to know that that was not what you truly thought of him.

“yeah…” he hums, “when you finally find someone you like, i know you’ll understand.”

and with that, the funny ache in your chest deepens as the three-word confession now threatens to come out, fluttering violently against your ribs like birds in a cage and causing more damage to your already weakened emotional state. but no matter how much your eyes are stinging right now, you’re not going to cry in front of him, you think.

but the urge to confess is not like anything before. because it had always been bearable then. (which is why you had managed to convince yourself that you were fine with being just friends.)

but not now, you think. right now it feels like your heart could burst.

yet still… you don’t do it. instead, you offer him a sad smile, clutching the object in your hand tighter. “right… what do i know?”

so then silence lays thick in the air with unspoken words.

“but, seojun,” you begin, “i’m pretty sure suho’s already a good boyfriend to jugyeong, you know.”

like suho’s definitely not lacking like seojun claims he is. even though the two have been keeping their relationship a secret, it’s not hard to tell that suho is madly inlove with the girl, and there’s no doubt that he’s already treating her as he should, maybe even beyond that. and seojun needs to see past his resentment to accept that - otherwise he’s just fooling himself.

and so that’s what you tell him.

but then seojun doesn’t know what he’s more annoyed by: the bitter pills you’ve been forcing him to swallow, or you defending suho like this. not to mention how he’s been seeing you act all buddy-buddy with the guy lately and how much it irked him to the bone every time, still thinks suho doesn’t deserve either of your friendship after everything. only he hasn’t confronted you about it. because he knows it’s not his life to control.

but there’s still another reason why seojun’s bothered by your rekindled friendship with the other man, as if the first one wasn’t already enough to get him boiling. no matter how much he’s tried to ignore it, every now and then it nags at him.

“you… since when were you and suho close anyway?” seojun asks as calmly as possible, and you look at him like this isn’t the point, and you’re thinking you’re not in the mood for this conversation because you already know it’s not going to end well, especially when you’re still not even done nursing your heart from earlier’s punches.

“why? are you going to tell me to stop being friends with him?”

seojun nods. “o, that’s right… but you wouldn’t listen anyway because you’re stubborn.” and then he pauses, hesitates, before he goes, “but how do you… think jugyeong would feel?”

i mean, you already knew he was against it, but you didn’t expect that this would be his reasoning and somehow you find this even more disappointing. of course he just likes her that much… “how would she feel?” you throw the question back at him. “so… you think jugyeong can have you, but suho can’t—”

“no, no, that’s not what i’m saying!” seojun shakes his head and frowns, and then again, he’s contemplating whether or not it’s necessary to even let you know, so it takes a long pause of silence before he finally goes, “jugyeong thinks suho likes you, you know.”

and you’re completely taken aback by this, just another thing that stirs up a whirlwind inside you when you’ve already had enough of that for the night. “w- what?”

“i mean—thought. she thought he liked you before they started…” seojun mumbles, “but i think she still gets bothered by it. just… i thought you should be aware of it.”

you take a moment to process this, try to figure out what to do with the information, and then you realize that seojun had already mentioned this to you then… back when you asked him why jugyeong had been crying the night before - he just didn’t specifically say it was you. “did she tell you why?”

yes, and seojun remembers it very clearly from how many times that specific line from jugyeong had played in his mind over and over again in the past few days.

“no.” seojun darts his eyes away from you and turns to lean back against the railing before he’s side-glancing at you. somehow, you feel like you’re being judged.

“it’s stupid,” he adds later on, and you can’t help the ugly feeling that bubbles in your stomach at this comment. something about it and the way he looked at you makes a part of you feel like you should be offended, even though you’re more than half percent sure that he probably did not mean it the way that part of you feels he did. maybe you’re just overthinking.

so you try to shake the feeling off. “so? what did you tell her?”

“well, what else… that it’s impossible. suho had always only seen you as a friend anyway.” and then he says the next part teasingly: “also that she shouldn’t worry about you at all, because you have the worst taste in men.”

something inside you clicks, and you finally understand why.

it’s true. all your exes had been questionable. you had a habit of dating jerkish guys you handpicked yourself, guys you knew you’d least get attached to, like men who had really bad sense of humor or those who couldn’t even take it upon themselves to walk you home at night or atleast text you to ask if you’d gotten home okay - and every single one of them seojun had been there to criticize.

not that dating was a problem to you or that you hated yourself. just that, you’ve always been too blinded by your unrequited feelings for the man in front of you to like anyone else that way or even let yourself enjoy a long-term relationship, so you settled with short ones that gave you temporary enjoyment.

commitmentaphobe, that’s what seojun often called you, and you’re already used to him bashing your poor relationship choices that this isn’t new to you anymore.

and so that’s not what bothered you.

you ask, “did suho tell you that?”

“tell me what?”

“that he’d always only seen me as a friend.”

seojun frowns as he looks at you. he’s trying to gauge the expression on your face to see where you’re at, to figure out why it matters to you if suho only saw you as a friend, but finds that it’s devoid of emotion. blank. “no?” he says, truthfully but hesitantly, “i mean… it’s just a given, isn’t it?”

you feel as though your chest had been stabbed when your heart finally snaps at this. tonight, seojun had unknowingly stretched your heart thin and this was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

but it’s not all his doing. you’ve been forced to endure a lot of things in a span of two weeks and it was your mistake for thinking coming here would give you the relief you needed.

seojun hadn’t even said anything wrong. in fact, he had been good to you all throughout your friendship. all this time, everything has been just you falling victim to your own idiotic feelings for him. sure, his obliviousness could get annoying sometimes, but again, it’s mostly because you were just good at concealing your feelings.

in the end, this was all entirely your fault - yet what you’re about to do is pin it all on him because you’re tired and selfishly want out, and you’re too much of a coward to ever consider an honest confession as an option.

maybe you don’t want to be his friend anymore.

this shouldn’t be the type of decision anyone should make on one of their worst nights, but your mind has been throwing a million things at you at once, leading you to question everything including your friendship with seojun, and your heart is currently feeling too many emotions at once as well to even be able to decide what feels like the right thing to do.

truly, you couldn’t ask for a better friend to you than seojun. he had never done anything to make you feel unimportant at all, but this is you finally acknowledging that your feelings made you greedy, that you had been foolish for ever thinking you could be content with just being friends, and him not being able to reciprocate has given you feelings of still not being enough and finally you’ve decided that you can’t bear them anymore, and that perhaps seojun deserves better than someone like you.

you know it’s not easy to get rid of feelings for somebody, but it’s not impossible either. you just surely haven’t been trying your best, because there had always been a tiny part of you that didn’t want to. but now that you finally do, you realize that you’d only fail in trying if seojun was always next to you.

“y/n,” seojun breaks the silence with a soft voice, and when you see the horrified look on his face, that’s when you realize that tears have already fallen from your eyes before you could even stop them.

he takes his steps towards you and reaches out, but you immediately back away and he looks as though you’ve physically hit him. the panic in his eyes and his loss for words can be understood - this is the first time he has ever seen you cry (apart from when you’d lost seyeon), and immediately he puts this at the top of the list of absolute worst things he’ll make a point never to see again. but he doesn’t even know what he’s said wrong…

you swallow the lump in your throat and finally put an end to his confusion when you say, “you just can’t wrap your head around the possibility that i can be anything more than a friend, can you?”

seojun freezes, eyes wide and pleading. the pain that’s etched on your look scares him, and the weight in your chest only worsens at the sight of the distress on his face because you don’t think he deserves to be on the receiving end of this.

“you must think,” you continue, “that just because you don’t find me attractive means no one else does.”

seojun wants to say no. no. no. no. but he can’t seem to bring himself to do it because it feels like anything he says will be wrong, and he’s afraid it’ll only break you further. he’s completely clueless as to how to comfort you because this was something he has never had to deal with before. “y/n, that’s not it—”

“you don’t have to lie,” you cut him off. “i know you don’t see me as a woman. you may not be aware, but you make it so painfully obvious sometimes.”

seojun doesn’t argue against that, doesn’t really know how to, only settles his eyes on the ground in guilt, thinking he must have messed up really bad for you to let him see you cry like this. and in public too.

“and i guess i never really told you my type,” you say with a chuckle, “but i… really like caring men,” you continue. “you know, the type who would go out of his own way for me… and thoughtful enough to remember what i like and… i like when they know how to make me laugh, too… and, they have to be faithful, of course,” you smile, “or else it wouldn’t really last, right?”

vague, but you think this is the closest to a confession you’ll allow yourself to give before letting go.

to seojun, it feels like he had just been struck by lightning, realizing this was the complete opposite of what he had known about you all along, but he still doesn’t know what it entirely means. and so he’s looking at you like he’s still trying to make sense of all of this, but you don’t find yourself wanting to wait to hear what he has to say next.

you bring your hand up to your face to feel the wetness of your cheeks before finally wiping the tears away as you exhale, “anyway.”

“y/n—”

“it’s late. i’m sorry for meeting you out here, but i’ll go,” you say as you take a step and grab one of his cold hands to slip the lip gloss in. “goodnight, seojun. take care.”

you don’t sit with seojun at lunch in school the next day.

and the day after that.

and the day after.

part six

#true beauty #true beauty headcanons #han seojun x reader #lee suho x reader #hwang inyeop #cha eunwoo #seojun #suho #han seojun #lee suho #hwang in yeop #idk if im happy with this #seojun x reader #han seojun imagine #lee suho imagine #suho x reader #tbhc

1K notes · View notes

gyusbambi · 3 years

Text

humph; han seojun (pt 3)

click here for humph masterlist!

part 1, part 2, part 4

story: frenemies to enemies to lovers, high school au

synopsis: seojun and you have known each other since kindergarten. you’re neighbors and even attended the same singing and piano classes. despite knowing each other for such a long time, you don’t enjoy spending time with seojun. even though you are aware of his unfairness, you keep spending time with him. when will you finally leave your childhood frenemy?

note: humph! is a story inspired by pentagon’s “humph! / 접근금지”. originally, this is a seungyeon fanfiction, which i posted on my wattpad. words: 4.3k

after what seems like forever, the bus finally arrives at the location. the rest of the bus ride went alright, except that suho kept turning around in his seat, checking if you’re doing well. because of that you simply decided to text him that everything was fine: seojun wasn’t even talking to you. on the contrary, he acted quieter than usual, looking out of the window the whole time.

speaking of: how lucky seojun felt that you didn’t seem to notice the truth behind his behavior. after all he’s a person incredibly difficult to read. one moment he’s mean only to remain silent in the other. even his friend with keen sense of perception, chorong, struggles to detect the real meaning of the boy’s actions. however, he’s definitely not about to give up, after all he spent the whole night planing the ultimate reconciliation.

han seojun himself, has no clue how to act. yet, one matter is clear: he wants to make up with you. the whole time he suppressed that he misses being near you, constantly trying to fight back the thought of wanting you. well aware that it’s easier said than done, he thinks of a way to overcome his stubbornness. in the first step, he needs to distance himself a little, though the concept of that seems more difficult than it sounds.

after everyone gets settled into their hotel rooms, it’s game time. outdoors you stand next to your roommates sua and soojin, as your teacher explains the simple rules for the tug of war game. your teacher’s suggestion of separating the teams classwise gets absolutely rejected by chorong, who claims that the game wouldn’t be exciting that way. therefore, your teacher hands the rope to chorong himself, stating that he should choose his opponent and divide into two groups.

at the sight of your friend grinning from ear to ear, you narrow your eyes in suspicion. is it that big of a deal from him?

but you’re even more surprised when he chooses his closest friend han seojun as his opponent to which the latter doesn’t react well.

“woah, you betrayer.” seojun tilts his head with a frown on his face before brushing his hair away from his forehead,

“game on.”

“okay, i’m the first one to choose and i choose y/n!” enthusiastically chorong pulls you to his side a little too fast, causing you to bump shoulders with him.

something seems off today.

two equal groups finally get created, a line separating them from each other. kim chorong and han seojun face each other, positioning themselves in the very front. purposely, you stand near the back, gripping the rope tightly with your hands since you don’t feel that strong.

right when the game is about to start, chorong suddenly groans in pain while holding his stomach,

“i don’t feel so good. someone else should take my position.”

“oh, well then suho should-”, you raise your hand to suggest who should replace chorong but you get interrupted by chorong immediately,

“y/n, thank you so much for volunteering. my strongest player!”

everyone watches you with confused eyes, probably thinking the same thing that’s running through your head. strongest player?

overwhelmed, your helpless eyes search for suho’s and it doesn’t take him long to react,

“if you’re not comfortable i could-”

“y/n, come on! what’s taking you so long?” sua gently grabs your shoulders from behind to push you to the front while laughing nervously.

as stupid as it sounds, once again you’re not able to hear her whispering something certain to your group members, while you are too busy observing the boy on the other side of the drawn line.

the whole team is lead to confusion when your friend tells them to let the rope go on the count of three.

on the sign of your teacher, the two groups start pulling the rope to their direction, trying to get the other members to their side. certainly, it’s difficult and requires a lot of strength. while tugging the rope with force, you look up to see han seojun doing the same thing, completely focused on the game.

“three.”

his veins are visible on his arms.

“two.”

his hair slightly covers a part of his forehead.

“one!”

all of the sudden everyone in your team, except for you, lets go off the rope, causing you to lose balance and stumble forwards.

some of the opponents fall down while the others are able to find balance in the last second.

letting out a small yelp, you find yourself falling into han seojun’s arms. however, when you grab onto his shoulders to prevent yourself from falling, he quickly reacher for your waist. before he knows it, both of you fall on the ground.

han seojun lays beneath you.

eyes tightly closed, your head hits his chest. with embarrassment you look up, to find him doing the same. the boy looks more than just shocked. his grip is still steady on your waist, hair messy, gaze on you.

are you starting to find him attractive?! (a/n: good morning, y/n)

and as you eventually notice the rosiness on his almost pale face, you cough more than just once.

“you just fell for me.”

it seems like it’s the last straw for you, when these words leave han seojun’s mouth with teasing tone.

now your stupid heart rate is speeding up again and you are sure that it’s able to explode any moment. not to mention, the boy beneath you can possibly hear it due to the extreme closeness.

therefore, you’re happy to come to your senses and stand up swiftly. after seconds han seojun does the same, watching you brush the dirt off your jeans.

he smiles at the sight of you and for once decides to ignore kim chorong grining like a cheshire's cat.

mission complete.

in the next game you have to build groups with four members and stand on a piece of newspaper. the group loses the moment one of their members step out of the paper.

lee suho instantly tugs at your sweater, asking if you want to be in a group with him. a smile forms on your lips and you nod to his request with joy. sooner than think, soojin approaches the both of you, questioning if she could join you. chuckling you playfully hit her shoulder to show that obviously she could,

“of course! now we only need one more person. how about sua?”

“i think sua wants to stick to her boyfriend.” soojin giggles while observing the couple clutching to each other.

as all three of you look around for a last person to join you, kim chorong pushes han seojun to your direction forcefully, causing his back to hit your own. with a look of puzzlement you turn around.

“sorry, seojun! we’re already four people. you gotta join their group.”,

kim chorong whines in a false upset tone before focusing back to his own group. once again, you fail to notice the grin on his face.

before it can get awkward between the four of you, you indicate them to step on the piece of paper. you wish you could overlook suho and seojun exchanging annoyed looks. it seems like both of them could start a fight any moment. thankfully soojin steps forward, standing between you and suho.

soon the host starts the game. everyone holds each other closely, your own arm around seojun’s back. you don’t fail to notice a smile appearing on soojin’s face when suho wraps an arm around her, holding her tightly. amused, you try to hold in your laughter but soon freeze on spot when seojun swiftly pulls you closer to his body before you can lose your balance and fall backwards. your own grip on his jacket tightens. both of you look at each other at the same time, taken aback by the sudden closeness. seojun coughs, a faint tint appearing on his ears, and looks away a little too quickly. meanwhile suho looks like he’s about to explode.

in the next round you intentionally squeeze yourself between the two boys, so that they don’t have the chance to throw fists at each other.

“why does suho ruin my plan!”

further away from you, chorong complains to sua and taehoon. the latter sighs with disappointment while shaking his head,

“i don’t know.”

“it’s almost like he likes y/n.” chorong scoffs sarcastially, eyes focused on lee suho.

but soon shock hits all three of them. chorong and taehoon avert their gazes from suho to look into each other’s eyes in horror,

“oh, no.”

the last day at the countryside is colder than usual and remains extremely silent, only sounds of crickets can be heard. that being so you choose to stay in the hotel room, watching tv dressed in jeans and a cozy hoodie. fully prepared for bed, you even removed your contact lenses and wear you specs, hair up in a messy ponytail.

however, the unexpected sight of your two roommates dressed up in their winter coats and combat boots causes you to sit up with surprise written in your face. both sua and soojin do the same when they spot you sitting on the couch lazily. after a short silence with the sound of the tv playing in the background, you finally break the awkward quietness,

“are you two going somewhere?”

“why are you still in those?”

instead of answering your question, sua looks you up and down with a confused expression. reacting to her statement, you push your glasses up your nose, eyes unable to meet hers,

“i thought we were staying in.”

“of course not! we should have fun on our last night.”, soojin chuckles while sitting down next to you, taking your hand in hers.

after nodding understandingly, you return soojin’s smile,

“that’s right. have fun, guys! i think i should stay in.”

before your friend sitting next to has the chance to reply to your decision, sua throws your jacket on your face softly,

“no way! you’re coming with us, y/n.”

removing the piece of clothing from your face, you’re met with sua staring at you with troubled eyes. resigned, you sigh before putting on your jacket which causes both of your friends to cheer. yet, this time you notice sua’s body losing its stiff posture while letting out a huge breath.

meanwhile han seojun walks outside with his hands in his pockets, feeling the cold air on his face. a shiver goes down his spine as he passes several students, who seem to enjoy the last night outside at this terrible weather. in fact, the young boy would rather stay in his hotel room if it wasn’t for his stubborn friends, who basically force him to attend the talent show. although, he thinks their several excuses are nothing but ridiculous (”it’s the last night”, “you should sing”, “sneak around in the woods” etc.) he still leaves his room at the mention of you. kim chorong never misses the chance of bringing you up in tangled situations, well aware of seojun’s reaction.

the moment they arrive at the talent show, which takes place near the forest, han seojun instantly spots you a few steps away from his friend group. completely uninterested you stand next to your friends, impatiently tugging at sua’s coat. at this sight of you, dull eyes visible under your specs, a few loose strands of hair falling down from your ponytail, he can’t help but smile at your disinterest. a few seconds ago he was feeling the same way but this changed thanks to your appearance.

minutes pass as everyone waits for the host to appear on the stage. students already found their seats on the floor, absorbed in their own conversations. somehow, chorong finds a way to sit close to you with the help of sua. the boy sits between you and han seojun with relief. moreover, he focuses on being as far away from lee suho as possible. fulfilling his plan, soojin luckily approached suho first, causing the cupid team to achieve their goal.

finally the host makes an appearance on the stage and lists the number of performances before the first group comes into view. seven girls from your grade, dressed in the same shirts and skirts, start dancing to a girl group song. at the sound of nonstop by oh my girl your disinterest disappears suddenly, replaced with excitement instead. to be honest, you really enjoyed this song, although it isn’t really your type.

while the girls are performing, chorong nudges seojun’s side with his elbow next to him, who seems rather bored.

“did you know this song is about someone who crushes on their best friend but is unable to confess?”

chorong’s sudden statement catches seojun’s attention and he turns his head to his friend next to him with a confused face,

“so what?”

“ah, i’m just saying.”, his friend shrugs with a playful pout before focusing back on the performing group.

what’s wrong with him?

before seojun can further question chorong’s odd behavior, his eyes unintentionally land on yours.

“saljjak seollesso nan!” (my heart fluttered a little)

viewing you bopping your head to the song happily causes seojun’s expressions to soften and without knowing his eyes linger on you with admiration.

the talent show ends after the last performance. unfortunately the air is even colder now causing many students to rush back to the hotel with almost freezing bodies. unquestionably, you start walking the same way as them, expecting your friends to follow you only to get pulled back.

sua loosens her grip on your jacket when you turn around to face her,

“how about we sneak around the forest, huh? what do you say?”

“forest?”

“apparently it’s haunted. isn’t that crazy?”,

she noticeably grins at you with excitement.

“yeah, that’s crazy.”, uneasily you mumble since you have bad memories with forests.

“come on, y/n! you love adventure.”

eventually you give in and follow sua and taehoon into the woods, still concerned about your decision.

seojun doesn’t seem surprised when his friends appear in front of him as he’s about to return to the hotel.

“let’s go ghost haunting!”

“ghost haunting?” he repeats chorong’s words with a questioning voice,

“forget it. i’m going to sleep.”

“why? are you scared?”

at the teasing tone seojun rapidly reacts,

“scared? me? what do you take me for!”

without having to try harder, the friend group follows seojun into the forest.

by some way the woods correspond exactly to your memories from your middle school time. you observe dark tree trunks around you as the moon shines through a lattice of leaves. with every step the undergrowth cracks and you hear the sound of wind slipping through the leaves. breathing in the cold air, you smell the scent of rich earth.

it’s almost like you’re experiencing that certain traumatic moment once again but luckily you aren’t alone.

to the sound of a flutter of wings, sua nervously clutches on taehoon’s coat while holding your wrist in the other hand. abruptly, her boyfriend stops in his track with wide eyes, causing both of you two stumble forward.

“w-what?”

“did you guys see that?” taehoon speaks without averting his gaze from the trees standing a little further away.

sua gulps, “see what? is there something?”

her voice has gotten quieter and more nervous as she follows her boyfriend’s gaze,

“this was supposed to be a mission and now we’re going to die.”

“what mission are you talking about?”

hearing your question, taehoon rapidly turns around to face you.

“nothing.”, he nudges sua with warning eyes before stepping forward,

“it’s probably nothing. do you guys really believe in ghosts?”

although he sounds quite confident, his steps are still cautious and the nervousness on his face is impossible to overlook. with each step, all of you feel your hearts pounding against your chests.

“kim chorong, where the hell are you?” sua mumbles under her breath impatiently, yet so quietly that you can’t understand a single word.

your skin shivers from the cold air and you feel your muscles tightening. trying not to shake, you grip on your friends clothing, waiting for taehoon to check what’s behind that mysterious tree.

and for one second all three of you stand still in complete silence when suddenly a tall dark creature stands not so far away from you. all of you scream in fear at the same time and before you know it you all sprint off to the opposite direction.

your legs move in extreme speed as your heart races in your rib cage. sua and taehoon are in front of you, running even faster with every second passing. frightened, your friend checks behind her and sighs in relief when she sees that you’re still with them.

from there, you run without thinking about stopping. after what seems like minutes your legs give in after you suddenly trip over a bumpy root. a small gasp escapes your mouth the moment you fall down on the slippery earth, wet and dewy leaves sticking on your palms.

without wanting to waste any time, you swiftly look up in hope to see your friends but unfortunately you’re only met with clumps of bushes, tall trees and barely visible black trails snaking through the undergrowth.

standing up, you brush the dirt off your hands and knees. hopelessly, you look around one more time to find someone but unluckily, you’re all alone in the haunted woods. the fact that it’s utterly dark makes everything worse and you try your best to suppress some terrifying memories.

although you’re shocked and frightened, you try your best to remain calm. it’s only a matter of time until you eventually find a way out of this stupid forest and return to your hotel. what could possibly happen to you? the woods are probably safe anyway, considering that the whole story about the ghosts is only a legend.

taking a deep breath, you look up to see stars in glimpses through tree breaks. it isn’t completely dark. seojun would always tell you to look at the moon and the stars when you’re afraid of the dark.

it seems like the track is endless as you walk further into the woods, fog covering your sight slightly. with your arms wrapped around yourself to keep your body warm you continue following the path. the further you go, the more you start to worry about where to go. there is nowhere to go. indeed, you are lost in the middle of the dark woods with nothing but yourself.

a look of concern crosses your face when your knees feel weak, causing you to stop in your tracks. carefully, you approach a random tree next to you and sit down completely exhausted. slowly, you were struggling to breathe normally. nothing but your heavy breathing and the sound of branches moving in the wind could be heard.

fidgeting with your fingers, red from the intense coldness, you try to come up with a way. yet, your head is only filled with memories from the time you were lost in the forest.

you remember every single detail from that night. how you left seojun stubbornly, your body shivering from the cold, dark shadows surrounding you, leaves crunching under your feet and tears streaming down your eyes.

these horrible memories cause you to feel uneasier than you already are and you feel your eyes tearing up.

you’re scared. nothing but fear takes over your shaking body. in this huge forest you are lost and completely alone. wrapping your arms around your knees, you cry quietly, heart beating faster than it should. time passes and you lose track of time while tears run down your cheeks.

out of the blue, a voice echoes through the forest with a worried tone to it. from all the panic and fear, you don’t bother looking up. soon the familiar sounds are easier to hear, pointing out that the person is near to you.

“yah, kim chorong! where are you guys?”

han seojun?

“if you guys don’t come out now i’m leaving without-”

when you’re sure that it’s han seojun’s voice, you look up to find him standing only a few inches away from where you’re sitting.

“y/n?”

han seojun’s shocked eyes find yours in a matter of seconds. the young boy stands there in his leather jacket with worry written all over his face. it hurts him so much to see you in this state and all he wants to do is to hug you.

it doesn’t take him long to squat down in front of you. carefully, he caresses your almost freezing face with his warm hands after brushing your hair out of your face. sadness crosses over his face when he wipes the tears off your cheeks. seojun’s heart aches when you look into his eyes with a mix of fear and relief, teary from crying the whole time.

“are you hurt? what happened to you?”,

he asks with a low tone, eyes never leaving yours.

at this, you squinch your eyes shut, only crying harder than you were,

“i got lost here. all alone.”

usually, you would feel embarrassed to cry or say something like that, especially in front of han seojun. but right now, you don’t care at all. on the contrary, you feel so happy that seojun found you, once again.

eyebrows drawing together, he lifts your chin up to take a better look at you,

“look at me.”

attempting to stop yourself from crying, you look into his eyes.

“it’s over now, y/n.”

“seojun-ah-” you trail off when you notice your voice shaking slightly, still taken aback by the whole situation.

“you’re not alone anymore. i’m with you.”, seojun wipes the last tears away from your face before pulling you in for a tight hug, strong arms wrapping around your figure. you feel relieved when he rubs your back comfortingly.

taking in a breath, you wrap your arms around his body, hugging him even tighter. face resting on his chest, you’re eventually able to calm down as he hums caring words into your hair with soothing voice.

fortunately, both of you find a way out of the woods. the whole time seojun held your hand tightly in his to make you feel safe. silence took over both of you, no single word leaving your mouths. now and then his thumb rubbed the back of your hand which helped you calm down.

but it definitely didn’t help your poor heart. instead of slowing down, it only beat faster.

isn’t it strange how seojun is the one who found you again, when you were lost in the woods? what’s even stranger is the fact that you feel differently near him. needless to say, you enjoy finding yourself in his arms. you also liked falling asleep on him in the bus ride.

it couldn’t be...

eventually you arrive at the hotel. eyes darting around your surroundings, you cough shyly,

“we should uh, we should go in now. again, thank you, seojunnie.”

seojunnie?

instantly your eyes widen in horror at the fact that you decided to call him by the nickname you gave him when you were younger. embarrassed, you’re unable to make eye contact and rub your neck before letting go off his hand after mumbling a good night under your breath.

however, before you have the chance to leave, seojun reaches for your wrist and pulls you back lightly. the boy tries to hide his pleasant smile and stares at you. surprised, you wait for him to speak.

“it may be a little too late. it also be not the right time or place to say this. but i just have to tell you that i’m sorry.”

sorry?

seojun notices the frown on your face and continues after taking a deep breath,

“i’m sorry for everything. i’m sorry for treating you nothing like a friend, i’m sorry for annoying you all the time, i’m sorry that i stole your audition and i’m so sorry for telling suho to stay away from you.”

the boy talks nervously, a look of guilt appearing on his face.

“it’s my fault that our friendship ended like that and i should have never done those things. i-i don’t know why i went that far and didn’t question your feelings but... but i just want you to know that i sincerely feel sorry. i’m sorry, y/n.”

utterly absorbed in his speech, you don’t notice him taking a bracelet made out of flowers until he wraps it around your wrist carefully. the feeling of his fingers brushing over your wrist causes butterflies to appear in your stomach.

“i hope you forgive me.”

after putting the bracelet on your wrist, seojun watches you staring at it with a look of surprise. the poor boy feels nothing but nervous standing in front of you, waiting for your reaction. after all, he’s content that he’s finally able to apologize, which took him long enough.

“i do. it’s okay, seojun.”

when you smile at him with happiness written in your eyes, he can’t believe his ears. how can you forgive him so easily? the young boy stands there silently in shock.

“seojun-ah?”

“you forgive me? really?”

hearing his excited tone, you nod while playing with the bracelet, eyes not leaving his,

“i’m happy we’re friends again, seojun.”

abruptly, he pulls you in for another hug, spinning you around,

“i missed you.” he mutters under his breath while you chuckle with amusement,

“i missed you too! but i think i’m gonna fall.”

after putting you down, seojun grins at you with loving eyes, happier than ever.

will he be able to overcome his feelings this time? needless to say, he likes you more than just a friend. but for now, he just wants to be near you again.

“race you to the rooms, zombie.”,

after pinching your cheeks, seojun sprints away. soon you follow him, laughing at the nickname,

“hey! you didn’t count!”

to be continued...

708 notes · View notes

barbenheimer-core · 2 years

Text

AUDERE EST FACERE !

둘. balenciaga : part one — 3.6k words

Getting used to the new way of things definitely wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. There was no guidebook available to advise her on how to live in a fictional, but very, very real world where the people she knew were reduced to mere caricatures of what they once had been.

She wasn't even kidding. If she thought she had already seen the worst of it when her mother had yelled at her brother, oh boy was she mistaken.

As she had come to find out, no matter if she was in the right or wrong, Ahyeong was no exception when it came to being at the other end of her mother's disappointment.

It became apparent when Hwayoung had arrived at the ER to collect her daughter following a phone call from the receptionist alerting her of Ahyeong's injury.

Drowsy from painkillers and weighed down by the heavy cast on her ankle, Ahyeong gripped the crutch at her side as she walked to her mother's car in the parking lot. The bruising on her foot had looked awful at first, but upon further checking and x-ray scans, her bone was only fractured and the discolouration was the result of the harsh impact on concrete.

Her mother had been eerily quiet ever since she had picked her up at the gate, but as Driver Oh — her parents' designated chauffeur — embarked on the way to their home, Mother finally broke the silence.

Ahyeong didn't know what she was expecting. No, wait, she knew exactly what she expected to hear: the same words her mother had told her when she had scraped her knees on asphalt when she had been a little girl trying to learn how to ride a bike for the first time, asking if she was feeling okay, or if it hurt too much.

Instead, what she got from her mother was: "I wasn't expecting this from you."

Despite the internal heaters of the car that provided respite against the chill of the night, the air around them felt impossibly cold.

"How could you be so careless? Getting injured right before school? If this is your way of rebelling against me, let me tell you, young lady, it will not work," she scoffed.

"Perhaps I've been too ignorant in letting you out of the house so freely. From now on, you're to ask for my permission every time you decide to leave the house. Understand?"

She didn't even wait for her daughter's response and continued on, jaw set in annoyance as she almost spat her next words, "And also, next time you decide to afflict yourself on your escapades, call the housekeeper to get you instead. I had to leave a conference with foreign investors just to pick you up. Honestly, you call yourself my daughter. I wonder what I did wrong in raising you that you ended up like this."

Ahyeong looked on, processing the poisonous words that pricked her skin, and accepted one of the many cruel realities of her situation.

Song Hwayoung, a businesswoman with expectations that were higher than the tallest mountains and a personality as explosive as active volcanoes.

That was the woman sitting across from her at that moment, not her mother.

Her sigh was barely heard over the static hum of the engine and passing vehicles. This was definitely going to take a while.

If she thought that she would be cut slack with a fractured ankle and be left alone to wallow in her thoughts, she was terribly wrong.

New world meant new info, things that didn't exist before but existed here in this world. Thank whatever entity existed in the cosmos that the Internet was created, because Ahyeong didn't think she would've known half the things she did now if she hadn't seen the news feed on all her SNS accounts — which thankfully were the same — feeding her with all she missed out on.

First order of business was finding more information about whatever may be relevant to the story she was dropped in. For better or for worse, Ahyeong instinctively knew that she was going to be a big part of whatever charade she was thrown into, and if she went into this blind as a bat, she was bound to crash and burn. Even if she could find a way to get out of here, and it really was a dream (her ankle vehemently protested against that fact), she was not counting on false hopes and delusion. So in order of relevancy, it was.

One person that jumped in her SNS feed far more times than she could ignore was Jung Seyeon. She knew the gist of it; a friend of Suho and Seojun, debuted idol with a soulful voice and wonderful personality, ruined by falsities and someone's needless hate.

Upon laborious scrolling and exploration of trending tags, she gathered that it had been his birthday yesterday, the first after his untimely death the previous year, which also explained the memorial she had seen the other day while on the verge of falling.

What disturbed her was that she had stood in the same place as Seyeon, same building, same roof. It put Suho's reaction into perspective when he had found her, and further mounted her guilt in bringing up bad memories.

Digging up things she needed to know about the story — which was more inclined towards the drama than the webtoon; she had just started watching the show when she'd been swept away so her foreknowledge didn't really count for much — also meant that eventually, she would end up finding out something or the other about herself too. Which she did. She found out a lot of things, on the Internet and also in real life from people she was rather horrified to be associated with.

"Young Miss, you have guests. Shall I send them up?"

Eunjung knocked on her door to get her attention, relaying her message, and waited for her response with all the patience of a saint. She was a godsend and the Song heir couldn't be more grateful for her being present in the family.

Meanwhile, Ahyeong frowned, a confused look passing her features for a second.

Guests?

People coming over to the Song Mansion was not unheard of, but it was rare, and they were all either her parents' acquaintances or some of her brother's classmates. Ahyeong wasn't big on inviting people to her house or making friends beyond the usual superficial ones. She had a few who she loved having around, but never at her house.

Maybe they heard of her injury and came over to check? Dohwa hadn't texted her in a long while — was his number still in her phone? — so he probably visited?

Ahyeong lit up in excitement and sat up in her desk chair — her ankle had gotten considerably better and the cast would be off in a few days — and nodded at Eunjung, who almost chuckled at her eagerness and went downstairs to lead the guests up to her room.

She needed some semblance of familiarity from before and Dohwa was perfect for it. He even was Ahyeong's partner-in-crime when they read the True Beauty webtoon together in the rare days off that they had in the library, so maybe, just maybe, Dohwa would remember.

They didn't know each other too well, only bonding over trash romance manhwas that he dug up from the deepest corners of Seulli High — her former school; she had transferred to Saebom now, albeit unwillingly — but she liked to think he really did care about her.

Footsteps echoed up on polished stairs, advancing towards her bedroom located at the end of the west wing, and Ahyeong was almost vibrating with nerves at the implications of her train of thought.

She might not be the only one who was self-aware — that's what she had come to call this phenomenon — and quite frankly, she was counting on the fact that she didn't have to suffer through this alone.

Misery loves company and all that.

Well, turns out, the misery part of that statement was going to be more prominent when her guests stepped in through the door and Song Ahyeong recognized a gaggle of faces that definitely did not belong to Dohwa.

"Oh my goodness, Ahyeong-ah! Long time no see! I heard you were back so I came to see you! It's been so lonely without you, years go by so fast. How was New York?"

"Did you get souvenirs?"

"Did you really meet that hotshot makeup artist Selly? I saw your post on SNS. Waah, you're really living the life."

Fragile hope that had bloomed in her chest shattered into a million pieces, being flooded by a wave of horrified realization at the presence of the group of girls in her room.

She had been trying to deny it, pretending that she hadn't seen and read what she had, that the description was just that way because of a trick of light, that her eyes hadn't been working, her mind had been frenzied in panic.

Song Ahyeong, The Bully.

As Park Semi and her gang of tormentors stood in front of her with lips painted crimson and sharp teeth gleaming with an unnatural whiteness, Ahyeong realized just what type of crowd she was supposed to be a part of here.

The smile was ever-present on her face, cheeks aching from keeping it up for so long. Having moved their long-awaited meeting to the parlour on the first floor (damn that girl was rich), Semi's hands moved in elaborate gestures to demonstrate her encounters with their favourite victim- er, classmate, Im Jugyeong.

After three long years, Ahyeong was back. The queen b, the it-girl, the ideal student, her "best friend": Song fucking Ahyeong.

Honestly, Semi almost forgot the girl existed. Seeing the Song Heir trending on SNS for having landed back in Seoul was a shock for the girl who had been trying to establish herself as the person-in-charge after Ahyeong had left.

Semi had been trying so damn hard to build her reputation from scratch and was finally at the point where everyone in the surrounding neighbourhoods knew her as "Park Semi" instead of "one of Song Ahyeong's lackeys". But of course, the bitch just had to come back and ruin all her hard work.

She had to restrain herself from turning her smile into an ugly scowl.

She wouldn't do it, though. More like she couldn't, couldn't afford to burn the bridge that she had so painstakingly formed in middle school to rise from the rear end of the social ladder, going from an invisible nobody to a person who turned heads wherever she walked.

And when the opportunity presented itself, she seized Ahyeong's reputation in her absence and made it her own.

How could she keep it up now? How could she manage to compare to her when people kissed the very ground Ahyeong walked on?

Her smile wavered, fingers clenching around the handle of the teacup as she looked at the girl sitting in front of her on a chair that looked akin to a throne, calmly listening to one of the others talk about a particularly funny prank on the class pig with an amicable smile on her face.

The years had done her well, she grumbled in her mind. Ahyeong had gotten noticeably taller. Her occasional ventures into the modelling industry were justified. She'd seen those editorials in high-end fashion magazines. Semi wouldn't be surprised if her height counted in the 170's. It was a far cry from her own small stature.

Moreover, her aristocratic features were sharper and finely regal, lips perfectly plump and full of colour, the natural flush on cheeks that complimented her skin, her elegant posture and long dainty fingers that curled around the teacup, nails impeccably manicured, long legs crossed at her ankles.

For shit's sake, Ahyeong had no flaws. She was the epitome of perfection, anywhere she went, she belonged.

Semi scoffed in her mind, cogs already turning in her mind and forging the beginnings of a plan.

Enjoy the time you've got now, bitch. I'm going to make sure you run back to whatever hole you came from.

Calm. She looked calm. At first glance, that is. People didn't usually try to look deeper into appearances and took everything at face value.

Never had Ahyeong been so grateful for the ignorant nature of human beings.

Her hands looked normal. No, they were shaking with tremors as she tried to control them by clenching them around her cup until her knuckles turned white.

Her face looked passive. Her eyes were dry from not blinking for so long in fear that one of them would do something unsavoury the moment her eyes closed.

She looked fine. No, because she knew for a fact that she was staving off a panic attack.

Bullies. Fucking bullies, tormentors, tyrants, thugs, why the fuck were they in her house and talking to her like she belonged with them?

Her chest was constricting in odd ways, throat clogging up painfully.

When was the last time she breathed?

Was the parlour always this small?

Their mouths were moving, oh, they were talking.

Were there windows in the room? She really wanted to jump off one right now, anything to get away from this mess.

The door slammed open, cutting off the conversation — was it a conversation she was supposed to be a part of? Couldn't remember, she wasn't really talking, too busy trying to get oxygen in her lungs — and snapping the guests' attention to it.

Relieved from the unwavering attention of such unpleasant companions — although they were behaving well and were friendly, too friendly — Ahyeong breathed, taking in as much of the stuffy air as she could before slowly letting it out.

One... two... three...

When she reached ten on her count and everything shifted back into focus, she turned to the person who'd interrupted them and at the same time saved her.

(She hoped to any higher being up there that her guests hadn't witnessed her like that. She'd rather not give them anything to use against her, even if they hadn't shown any hostile intentions.)

Gilyeong stood by the unlit fireplace with a sneer that would've made Severus Snape proud.

"Look what the cat dragged in."

Semi huffed, setting her cup down, and put her nose in the air, flipping her hair back, "A princess, of course."

"I was thinking of something along the lines of a toy rat made of plastic."

Did he just accuse Semi of having her face done?

Bless her brother, she was going to shower him with flowers and gifts for this, because Ahyeong was forever going to treasure the memory of the mortified look on Semi's face.

She barely kept herself from snorting out loud, while Semi's friends held no such reservations, or maybe failed to control themselves, and dissolved into a fit of giggles and hysteria.

"You little-" Semi shook in anger as she rose from her chair, pupils blown wide with rage, "how dare you, you piece of-"

"Careful, Semi."

Said girl froze in her attempt to slap Gilyeong, and all laughter ceased at the sound of Ahyeong's bone-chilling voice that rang loud and clear in the room.

(She was vaguely aware that it was the first words she'd said the entire evening aside from the meekly spoken pleasantries and affirmations.)

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she warned, eyes narrowed as she pinned a cold glare at the offending hand that was a couple inches away from her brother's face.

As much as Ahyeong liked to playfully gripe with her brother, she never tried to lay a hand on him. And anyone who dared to do so would be spared no excuses by her, much less by a person with such a notorious history.

Semi visibly gulped at that, lowering her hand and letting out a nervous chuckle, "C'mon, Ahyeong, it was just good fun!"

"You and I have very different ideas of 'good fun', Semi," Ahyeong replied, setting her cup of untouched rose tea down and standing up, the other girls exchanging a look and following suit.

"Now, Gilyeong, what were you here for?"

"Umm..." His eyes moved over his sister, the girls and then to the door, "Eunjung said it was getting dark."

She turned to the guests who stood awkwardly in front of her, smiling wide — too many teeth, she later thought, after her brother commented how she looked like a shark — to hide the beginnings of boiling irritation that replaced her prior panic.

"I believe our time has been cut short, and I'm sure we'll have many opportunities to sit and chat again," God, she hoped not, "let's say our goodbyes for now, yes?"

It came off as more of a statement than asking for permission. There was no room for argument.

Gilyeong was boring holes into his sister's head with how hard he was staring, standing beside Eunjung as Ahyeong waved off her old friends — yeah, right, "friends" — and stepped back inside the foyer.

She had obviously noticed him doing so, because she raised an eyebrow at him, "What?"

"You're fucking terrifying, you know that?"

Eunjung looked affronted and hissed vehemently beside him, immediately launching in a tirade of "where did you learn such language?", "I should put soap in your mouth" and all that jazz. But he tuned her out, focusing solely on his sister who looked at him like he'd grown a second head.

If it was anyone who had grown a second head, it would be her. Because what in the ever-living heck was that back in the parlour?

Admittedly, a weird feeling had been pooling in his gut ever since he had seen a pale-faced Ahyeong entering the first-floor parlour with people who he didn't recognize in the slightest, and upon asking the housemaid, he came to find out they were some friends from middle school.

That immediately sent warning bells tolling in his mind because the grinch having friends? It was unheard of.

Not that he believed Ahyeong couldn't make friends, it was just that she often didn't have enough patience to deal with their bullshit with the workload that their mum often insisted on piling upon her.

When the thread of nerves in his mind had finally snapped in an hour, he all but barged into their conversation — which looked to be one-sided because Ahyeong wasn't speaking at all, only nodding her head at times, and when he looked close enough he could almost see her shaking- no, he wasn't spying on them — and was pretty sure he was the only one who had noticed her struggling to breathe properly.

Seriously, who were these people?

And then he makes a comment that blows one of the pissy girls' wig off and then he's flinching back because the rat's about to slap him and then he's shivering because his sister looks like she's about to commit murder.

Even their father's monthly tennis matches at the country club didn't give him so much whiplash.

He swore the room's temperature had dropped at that moment. He had scrambled to pull up and excuse as to why he had come in the room, roping Eunjung into it, and he thought he'd seen something akin to relief in Ahyeong's eyes.

But of course, that was soon overlooked when she pulled out her baby-eating smile and dear lord, why the fuck did she look like she would rip their heads off if they didn't leave right now?

She looked like a shark out for blood. And now, he told her so.

Ahyeong looked contemplative for a while before she shrugged and walked past him and Eunjung, who was still ranting about his use of such demeaning language — clearly, she hadn't seen him around his online friends when they went on raids in LOLOL — saying a few words that raised a lot of questions about his sister's overall mental well-being.

"Well, better get used to it because that's how the writer wrote my personality."

It was a mystifying feeling to be in front of a place that was inherently fictional but also real. The school in the drama was located at Yonsei University, but this building's address was further away from the original location that existed in this world.

It was beautiful. The hedges, the undergrowth, the ivy hanging off the old building. Students in Saebom's signature uniform milled around in clusters, either chatting idly or rushing off to their classrooms before the bell would ring.

The sun hit the scene just right, making it seem as though the scene came straight out of a painting. Well, it was supposed to be fictional anyway.

Ahyeong breathed in deep, straightening out her skirt and adjusting the nook of her tie that rested beneath her grey sweater vest. The tailored uniform was fitted snugly on her form.

The cast had come off the previous week after the doctor had given the all-clear, and now her legs were adorned by a pair of ankle-length boots, stockings and thigh-high socks.

She glanced at her watch that peeked out under the sleeve of her plum blazer.

7:43 am.

She needed to be at least fifteen minutes early to get her paperwork sorted out before classes began at eight.

With one last exhale to get rid of her nerves, she nodded at Driver Kwon, grabbed her backpack, and stepped out of the car and right into the eye of the storm: Saebom High.

And so, the plot begins.

TURN.

masterlist

#true beauty #cha eunwoo #hwang inyeop #moon gayoung #lee suho #han seojun #im jugyeong #kang sujin #extraordinary you #lee suho x reader #lee suho x oc #korean drama #kdrama fanfic #kdrama imagine #kdrama scenarios #webtoon

118 notes · View notes