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#stars aligned and shattered
apollosgiftofprophecy · 11 months
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POLL TIME!
So, The Secrets That Bind Us will be the next fanfic, but afterwards, I'll need a new one to work on so...
WtSA: Apollo post-Python mainly featuring Auntie Asteria & Grandma Phoebe
SM: Orion gets rekted
WtDMtN: Apollo meets Commodus for the first time
JLYF: Michael Yew meets his dad - and finds out a lil something about himself.
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thatgirlwithasquid · 7 months
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time loop fics time loop fics time travel fics right person wrong time right person not enough time time travel time loop time loop time loop gnashing my teeth and slamming my fists down on the non-present counter sending my love to every fanfic author who writes these tropes because you literally fuel my existence there would be a big hollow nothingness in my heart without these i would die for them again and again and again and again and—
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astroveritas · 1 year
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tag dump .
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stars-and-clouds · 10 months
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You know what makes Aymeric and Haurchefant special?
Despite having every reason to be cold, vengeful, mean and selfish people-being bastards, living in a house they weren't born to, growing up in an environment as hostile as Ishgard, having inherent beliefs different to everyone around them- they still chose to be kind.
I think it takes something away from them if we assume they were simply born with a kinder deposition.
Haurchefant was bullied by all of Ishgard, including his step mother, for being a Greystone. Aymeric was adopted and has really low self esteem because he probably grew up hearing how ill deserving he is of everything he got by being adopted into house Borel. Yet they both made a conscious choice to be better. They wanted to treat others the way they wanted to be treated themselves. They wanted to love and invite change when Ishgard taught hate and stagnation.
This is why the warrior of light would've failed in doing everything they did if it wasn't for Haurchefant and Aymeric. How many warriors of light have tried helping Ishgard before us? Over hundreds of years of war, this revolution can't have been the only one. Yet it was during our lifetime that the stars aligned perfectly to have Haurchefant aid us and Aymeric lead us into changing Ishgard for the better and bring about peace.
Without Haurchefant, we'd have ended up in prison and possibly executed (he saves us again by taking a blow meant for us) and we wouldn't have been let into Ishgard. And without Aymeric's trust over his best friend he wouldn't have let us go to Dravania and afterwards, invite the reality shattering truth about his ancestors' actions and usher Ishgard to peace and unity.
Everyone hails the Warrior of Light as the antithesis to bad with absolute power. That, if they're there, everything is solved. But without Haurchefants and Aymerics, the Warrior of Light would be nothing and would not be able to solve half the problems they have solved.
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stsgluver · 8 months
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synopsis. there’s just something about watching gojo put that blindfold on.
wc. 570
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"it's bumpy at the back. "
"still? but i thought i fixed it?"
"well you clearly didn't. i think it messed up on the first wrap around, you might have to start again."
"can you take a picture or something to show me where it is? i can't feel it."
"no."
satoru turns to you and you don't need to be able to see his eyes to know he's got them raised suspiciously at you, if the smirk on his lips is anything to go by. "no?" he taunts, crossing his legs as you both sit on your bed facing each other. "why not? i've made the same mistake three times now. "
you shrug dismissively, "you're a big boy, don't give up now. i'm helping you." you cover your mouth and look to the side as if though that would stop satoru from hearing the small laughs.
maybe it's because it's so early, or maybe it is just that attractive, but there was just something about watching your boyfriend cover his eyes with bandages that just makes all the stars align.
he always holds one end of the bandages between his teeth, using both of his hands to gather up his undercut before he begins smoothly wrapping it around his head. he never makes a mistake. like everything else he's ever done, the outcome is flawless.
it doesn't matter how many times you've watched him do it, the butterflies that spiral in your stomach never cease.
however, admitting such attraction to such a mundane thing (that he has to do to y'know not deal with the skull-splitting migraines) is embarrassing. especially when you know satoru and the fact he will never ever let it slide.
the hope that maybe he'll be more disgusted by the fact you called him 'big boy' to press you further on the matter is quickly extinguished. "i think i already have," he counters in a sing song voice, "someone likes watching me!"
you almost choke on your spit, coughing as you check the watch on your wrist that's not there, "would you look at the time? you have class!" trying to slip off the bed is futile because satoru's reflexes are three times as quick as yours and he doesn't hesitate to grab your arm.
"class can wait," satoru lifts the bandages above his right eye, giving you a glimpse of his raw power as he eyes you playfully. leaning in dangerously close to you, his breath tickles you as he speaks, "c'mon baby, just admit it."
there it is. baby. the pet name is enough to shatter any self-control you still somehow manage to have left and you lift your head to try and kiss him. keyword: try.
"uh uh, say it," he teases, his tongue poking out to swipe across his pretty lips as he holds you back by less than an inch. if you wanted to swipe your tongue across his lips too, you could.
your cheeks heat up and you cross your arms with a huff, "i like watching you put your blindfold on. happy?" satoru thinks he's going to implode because he doesn't think there's enough space left in his body to cope with the sheer adoration he has for you. he settles for a
"ecstatic." satoru kisses you again, this time with more eagerly as he drags your body towards his lap just to have you closer to him.
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alexlwrites · 2 months
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You ask and you shall receive!
Here's part 2 of "Yoongi never had a crush until you" from my notes app. I'm always open to more requests <3
(Check out part one here)
(Buy me a coffee on ko-fi!)
....
Tonight was the night. Yoongi could feel it, from the tip of his long luscious hair to his weirdly long toe. There was something in the air - whispers of certainty and peace that could either be a sign that Jungkook had left the premises or that tonight was the night that Yoongi was finally going to gather all the courage within his tired body and ask you out!
Furthermore! - he shook his fist in front of his mirror, eyes slightly crazed with a decidive stance - you'd say yes!
From there, everything would fall into place, stars aligning and errors corrected. His shoes would fit better, the wifi faster, the coffee tastier. Everything improved by your presence in his life.
He just couldn't stand all this nervous, jittery energy anymore! It was all so unlike his cool, calm, collected persona and he didn't know how to deal with his sudden difficulties to form full coherent sentences when you showed up. He had to put a stop to it and act on his new and, to be honest, slightly concerning feelings.
You see, he was a man with a written plan! In the depths of his pockets, under seven layers of coffee shop receipts from 5 months ago and guitar picks he thought he had lost, there was a small piece of paper with his plan detailed step by step: first he would calm the fuck down (crucial). Then, check for sweaty hands, unknown food stains on his outfit and bad breath (Just in case!!!!). Then, present his five slide power point showcasing his feelings and finally - finally! - ask you out.
In case you'd say no, he had an extra slide with more appealing arguments (i'm rich, it said). Otherwise, he'd move to south america and live his life as Carlos, the potato farmer.
Of course, as Yoongi's life was never as simple as a power point presentation, all his plans were forgotten when you showed up in his studio dressed up in a way he'd never seen, skin tight dress clinging to your body in the way he wanted to, rendering him speechless and brain dead.
"Yoongi! Sorry for the late hour, I just had to drop these documents before I left and I rushed here because I have plans for the evening..."
Ask her out, his heart said, beating so loud he was surprised you didn't hear it. Ask her out, make her yours, rip this sinful devil sent dress into pieces. Fuck the power point, fuck your canva vision board, ask her out, ask her out, ask her out, ask her...
"Out" he spluttered at last and he swore his heart shattered at the hurt in your eyes.
"Oh, im sorry" you said, dropping the stack of papers on his coffee table, lips pouting and eyes saddened in a way that made yoongi want to choke on his own fucking wrist "I'll leave you be, mr. Min"
"No-nO! I DIDN'T MEAN..." but it was too late and youd already left.
BUGGER.
BUGGER IT ALL TO HELL!
(Part three)
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edgeray · 30 days
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Arlecchino is a patient person.
(Arlecchino x Reader Blurb)
Contrary to what people may think of her, as hotheaded her Pyro Vision may suggest that she is, Arlecchino is a patient person. She reserves patience for the right people, for those worth her time and worth her consideration to even wait for. There are few that do qualify for both of those qualifications, but it is often limited to the children of the House of the Hearth.
And you.
There are times that necessitate haste. And there are times that necessitate patience. She had known since the start of her relationship with you that she needed the latter, even when an internal part of her wanted the former. Because you are not a duty ordered for her to complete. After all, she can't hurry the bud's growth and expect a rose in full bloom. A relationship with you is both spontaneous and gradual, and it is the graduality of things that make the spontaneous that much sweeter, that much more beautiful.
You make her impatient however. You make her restless. Like her former coworker, Arlecchino knows that one day she will also be buried in ice, having died from her service to the Tsaritsa. She does not know when this day will approach, but she fears, yes, fear, that it will be soon. The Fourth Harbinger does not have many things she is afraid of. Cautious, perhaps, wary. If she were to part from Teyvat, the House of the Hearth would be in good hands, she assured that there is already a successor that will take her place. She is wary for what might come for the children, hence why she had taken precautions already.
There is no precaution for you. The day that she does not come home, she knows that her death will surely shatter you.
She knows this because your smile radiates warmth toward her, your touch is tender and innocent on her skin, and your words are whispered and soothing. A pleasurable constant in the everchanging and unpredictable world she's in.
She knows this because every night, you refuse to fall to asleep unless it is under her covers and in the safety of her arms. It matters little to you if your sleep is few or many, you wait every time for when she finishes with her work so that the two of you could sleep together.
She knows this because every time she must leave the confines of home, you kiss her throat with red lipstick to leave a mark of your presence on her. And every time she comes home, you envelop her in welcoming arms and kiss her lips, regardless if she's arrived at the doorstep bathed in blood.
She knows this because you take her hands and instead of shifting your sight away in disgust or jerking away from fear, you trace over each crease and fold of her blackened skin. When you intertwine your fingers with hers so perfectly, she wonders if this was the purpose for her hands: to hold yours.
It is for this reason that she does not want to be patient even though she needs to. Time with you is not eternal, it is an indubitable fact. But she knows patience is key, and the ring in her pocket cannot be displayed to you so thoughtlessly. You deserve so much better than that after all. When the stars align, she will surely take her chance to make you officially hers.
Arlecchino is a patient person. But you make her impatient.
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over-driving · 26 days
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astronomy
seonghwa is worlds away from you. breaking up with him has become the best, and only, option left.
seonghwa x non-idol!reader
wc: 1.1k
warnings: angst, breaking up, crying, heartbreak, insecurities, talk about tour and being an idol, pet names (star, my love)
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as i sit on the edge of our bed waiting for seonghwa to come home, i think about all the memories we had together. the good, bad and ugly. the laughter, the tears and arguments, the kisses and 'i love you's. i sit and reminisce on when we first met, when we first started dating, our first kiss, and every other little moment i spent with seonghwa. and now i have to think about what i'm going to say when he walks through that door and i have to explain to him that i'm leaving.
i hear seonghwa open the front door and then the bedroom door. i stayed unmoving on the edge of our shared bed and silently watched him. he had his bags in his hands from their tour, similar to my bags packed beside me. seonghwa looked up at me and we made silent, knowing eye contact for what felt like hours. no one moved, no one said anything, the only sound in the room was the busy street outside. that was until seonghwa broke eye contact to put his bags down on the floor with a heavy sigh. i continue to stare at seonghwa and couldn't help the tears that welled up in my eyes, but i'll be damned if i let them fall this early.
"it seems like we need to talk." seonghwa said but he spoke towards the ground. you could hear the strain in his voice but you weren't sure if it was from his tour or if he was trying to hold back a heart-shattering sob.
"i don't know what you want me to say, seonghwa," i look into his eyes that refused to look back at mine, "it's time for me to go."
"but it doesn't have to be" seonghwa answered back quickly and desperately. his eyes glancing between my folded hands in my lap to my packed bags at the end of our bed. i stayed quiet, wanting to see if he would add anything else; if he would beg me to stay. but seonghwa didn’t speak up again.
“please don’t make this more difficult than it has to be” i say softly. i knew breaking up with seonghwa wasn't going to be easy, but his silent desperation was eating me alive.
“then let's stop all of this. here, i'll help you unpack.” seonghwa still refused to meet my eyes as he grabbed my luggage, opened it, and started putting my clothes back into the closet. with shaky and fast hands, seonghwa opened the closet and dresser drawers. the only noise in the room was the sound of coat hangers hitting each other and the tussle of fabric. i could feel his heartache from miles away. finally, i let my tears fall as i glare at seonghwa’s back.
“i can have someone pick up my stuff some other time, seonghwa. that won't stop me from leaving.” i break the silence this time. he goes completely still, like he's frozen in place. eventually, seonghwa lets his arms fall, slapping his sides, and hangs his head down. the recurring silence is eating me alive. i want him to say something, anything. i want him to scream at me, yell at me, tell me to leave, tell me that he never even loved me.
seonghwa slowly turned around to face me, his eyes meeting mine for what felt like the first time. the tears welling up in his eyes made me choke down a quick breath and bite my tongue.
“you're my star, y/n” whispered words spill from seonghwa’s lips. words that made my heart clench and my tears fall faster.
“you can't force the stars to align, seonghwa, we’re two worlds apart.” i raised my voice slightly at him. i hate playing this back and forth game.
“two worlds apart? what do you mean, y/n?” seonghwa takes a hesitant step closer to me as he searches my eyes for the answer.
“isn't it obvious? you're an idol, seonghwa. aren't you tired of having to hide our relationship, having to pretend i don't exist, having to constantly check up on me when you're on tour? i'm doing us both a favor.” i speak loudly with my hands but the words falling from my mouth were quiet and broken up by my sobs.
“is that what this is all about? we can go public with our relationship. i don't care what happens or what anyone has to say, i just want to fix this,” seonghwa spoke rationally but i can tell by his body language that he was getting just as frustrated as me, “don't leave over something like this.”
“i guess distance doesn't always bring fondness,” i sigh and haphazardly wipe away the tears on my cheeks, “i wish i could stay with you, seonghwa”
“then stay” he makes no move to wipe his cheeks like i did. the pleading was evident within his voice, but i wasn't going to change my mind. this was the only option we had left. this was how our relationship was destined to end. we used to fantasize for hours about what our future would look like. we would stay up all night talking about our hypothetically wedding and children, but in the back of my mind i knew our words would never become a reality. i'm surprised we got as far as moving in together let alone being together for the past 5 years.
i have nothing but love for park seonghwa. that's why breaking up with him is the right thing to do. “stop trying to keep us alive”
i grab the only bag of mine that seonghwa didn't unpack and walk out of the bedroom, making a b-line for the front door of our apartment. seonghwa was close behind me, spewing incoherent sentence after sentence, begging me to stay. he grabbed onto my arm once i had reached the door.
“we’ll never be two worlds apart, my star, we’re both mars.” i can’t bear to face my soon to be ex-boyfriend; i just keep my head down as i silently cry.
“you're mars, my love, and i'm saturn. its been like that from the start. we’ve been two worlds apart for the past 5 years,” i gently shake seonghwa’s arm off of me and grab the doorknob, “i was never your star, but you’ll forever be mine.” i give him one last tearful look before i opened the door and left, what is now, seonghwa's apartment.
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requests are open !!
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naomeii · 5 months
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Celestial Threads.
—Pairings: Morax x Goddess! Reader
Content : Angst to comfort, platonic! Xiao x reader, mentions of death, tiny bit of spoilers? about the archon war.
Synopsis: Threads of destiny lead to a revelation. As stars align, ancient lovers stand on the cusp of rediscovery, unraveling a tale of enduring love and divine destiny.
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In the age when gods walked among mortals, when the winds carried whispers of celestial tales, there existed a love that transcended the eons – a love between the Geo Archon, known as Morax, now Zhongli, and the Goddess of Stars, Y/n. Bound by fate and forged in the crucible of countless years, their connection withstood the tests of time and the turmoil of the Archon War.
In those ancient days, Y/n, with her luminous presence, stood as the Goddess of Stars, a divine being revered by both adepti and mortals alike. Morax, the stoic and wise Geo Archon, ruled over Liyue with a firm yet just hand. Guizhong, the God of Dust, completed their celestial trio, and together, they shaped the destiny of Teyvat.
The love between Morax and Y/n was no secret. Their hearts beat in unison, their souls intertwined like constellations in the night sky. As the Archon War raged on, their bond became a beacon of hope, a reminder that even amidst chaos, love could endure.
The turning point came when Guizhong, their dear companion, perished in the crucible of battle. The weight of grief hung heavy on their hearts. Yet, the war persisted, refusing to release its grip on the realm. In a desperate attempt to protect their people, Morax and Y/n, mourning the loss of Guizhong, sought to move their citizens to what would become Liyue Harbor.
However, tragedy struck again. In a heart-wrenching moment, Y/n, trying to save a human child, faced her demise right before Morax's eyes. As she was turning into dust, she spoke, "Hold my hand for the last time, my love," as her ethereal form dissipated, turning into stardust that scattered in the wind. Morax couldn't do anything as his lover vanished, and could only choke up sobs that could be heard everywhere, the ever so stoic God, on his knees, crying for the loss of his lover. Zhongli, now, could only hold her hand one last time as the battle continued, leaving him to mourn the love he thought he had lost.
Years passed, and the war eventually came to an end. Morax, still grieving and burdened by the weight of solitude, took on the mortal guise of Zhongli. By his side stood Xiao, the vigilant Yaksha, a witness to the eons of grief etched on Morax's face.
Meanwhile, Y/n experienced a different fate. Instead of succumbing to death, her celestial essence invoked a deep slumber, creating a domain where her powers could protect her. Even in her sleep, she remained connected to the events unfolding in Teyvat.
In the quiet emptiness of her celestial sleep, Y/n heard a voice that shattered the ethereal silence. The revelation that she hadn't perished but rather entered a deep slumber resonated within her being. Awakening after eons, she found herself surrounded by a peaceful landscape that hinted at the war's conclusion.
Fearful of facing Zhongli in his new guise, Y/n made her way to Wangshu Inn, knowing that Alatus, now called Xiao, often sought solace there. The Inn, perched in Dihua Marsh, became a refuge for the Yaksha adeptus. "Y/n!?" he was bewildered.
In the quietude of Wangshu Inn, Y/n found an unexpected companion in Xiao. The Yaksha adeptus, usually reserved and distant, was bewildered by the revelation that the goddess presumed dead for eons stood before him, alive and well. Although he would never admit it, Xiao had found a source of comfort and understanding in Y/n, akin to a motherly figure, though the words remained unspoken.
Y/n's sheepish smile greeted Xiao's perplexed gaze. The conversation unfolded as Xiao explained the passage of time, recounting how Rex Lapis had taken the guise of Zhongli and now worked at Wangshu Inn. He detailed Zhongli's unwavering grief over Y/n's presumed demise, a grief that had lingered for centuries. Y/n admitted she knew of Zhongli's mourning but wasn't ready to confront him.
With a hesitant agreement, Xiao swore among the stars to keep Y/n's incarnation a secret from Zhongli. The pact was sealed, and Y/n, with Xiao's discreet assistance, integrated herself into the daily workings of Wangshu Inn. She took up a job, becoming a subtle presence in the background, observing the world she had missed for eons.
Wangshu Inn became a haven of sorts, a place where Y/n could quietly navigate the realm of mortals. She didn't forge many connections, preferring the solitude of her thoughts. Occasionally, she would encounter the Traveler, Aether, with his long braided hair and striking outfit, and his companion Paimon, a petite figure resembling a fairy with white hair and a star-flecked cape.
The exchanges with the Traveler and Paimon were fleeting, yet they brought a sense of warmth to Y/n's celestial heart. Aether's unknown years of existence mirrored Y/n's timeless essence, creating an unspoken connection between them. Paimon's playful demeanor added a touch of whimsy to the encounters, and together, they shared moments of camaraderie against the backdrop of Liyue's ever-changing landscapes.
As Y/n observed the interplay of mortal lives, she couldn't deny the growing curiosity within her. The world had evolved, and she found herself entwined in its unfolding tapestry, a silent observer with a heart that had endured through the ages. Meanwhile, Zhongli, burdened with the memories of love and loss, wandered Liyue Harbor, finding solace in the memories of his beloved. His mourning was a poignant symphony, echoing through the city he had helped shape, and the stars above, a silent witness to the enduring tale of a love that surpassed the boundaries of time and existence.
"Say traveler, do you ever feel the weight of a presence that lingers, just beyond your grasp?" Zhongli pondered, his eyes reflecting the depth of ancient sorrows.
Before the traveler could reply, Paimon, oblivious to the true nature of Zhongli's musings, quipped, "Well, there's a new worker at Wangshu Inn. She's got this ethereal vibe, you know, and her knowledge rivals even yours, Zhongli! I, ummm, I think her name was Y/n!"
"Y/n?" he uttered, a mix of surprise and disbelief in his voice. Zhongli turned to Xiao, who bore a guilty look, a fleeting expression that didn't go unnoticed by the perceptive archon. Before Zhongli could delve into the mystery, Paimon indecisively changed the topic, diverting Zhongli's attention elsewhere.
Xiao, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief, the weight of secrecy momentarily lifted. The adeptus yearned for the reunion of two souls separated by time and fate. Deep down, he wanted Zhongli and Y/n to rediscover the bond that had endured the tumultuous currents of history. Yet, bound by a promise made among the stars, Xiao found himself torn between the desire for reunion and the commitment to keep Y/n's incarnation a clandestine affair.
As fate continued its intricate dance, Xiao couldn't escape the persistent longing for a resolution that would bring solace to the hearts of the old lovers and bridge the celestial gap that had kept them apart for so long.
As days turned into nights at Wangshu Inn, Xiao found himself caught between the shadows of secrecy and the spark of longing that flickered within Zhongli's gaze. The Yaksha adeptus, ever reserved and distant, couldn't ignore the unspoken desire for the two ancient lovers to reunite. Xiao had sworn among the stars to keep Y/n's continued existence hidden from Zhongli, a promise he held with a heavy heart.
One evening, as Xiao and Zhongli were quietly conversing in a serene ambiance, a slip of the tongue threatened to unravel the carefully woven tapestry of secrecy. Xiao, usually composed and vigilant, found himself momentarily lost in the nostalgia that lingered in the air.
"Zhongli," Xiao began, his gaze fixated on the distant horizon beyond Liyue. "Have you ever felt the echoes of a long-lost presence, as if the stars themselves whispered tales of forgotten bonds?"
Zhongli, intrigued by Xiao's cryptic words, turned his attention to the Yaksha. "What do you mean, Xiao?"
Caught in the currents of emotions, Xiao hesitated. The weight of his unspoken words hung in the air like the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms. "There are threads that bind souls across time, Archon. Threads that withstand the ages, refusing to be severed."
Zhongli, his curiosity piqued, furrowed his brows. "Whose threads are you referring to, Xiao?"
In that moment, a gust of wind carried the celestial scent of osmanthus, weaving through the conversation like a delicate melody. Xiao, realizing the precarious ground he stood on, cast a brief, apologetic glance at Zhongli.
"I spoke in riddles, Archon. Pay it no mind," Xiao replied, attempting to steer the conversation away from the precipice of revelation.
However, the spark of realization flickered in Zhongli's eyes, a subtle recognition that Xiao's words were more than mere riddles. The Yaksha adeptus had unintentionally unveiled the presence of a celestial being, and the consequences of that slip lingered in the air like an unanswered question.
As fate continued its intricate dance, the celestial secret hovered between Zhongli and Y/n, an ethereal thread that waited to be acknowledged and woven into the tapestry of their shared history. Zhongli, with the wisdom accumulated over millennia, sensed the undercurrents of unspoken truths in Xiao's cryptic words. As the Yaksha adeptus faltered, Zhongli's keen intellect pieced together the fragments of information like an intricate puzzle.
He took a thoughtful sip of his osmanthus wine, the amber liquid reflecting the ages he had witnessed. Zhongli's gaze, sharp as the stone spears he once wielded, met Xiao's eyes. "Xiao, my friend, your words may be veiled, but the echoes of ancient bonds are not easily concealed. Threads that withstand time and space."
The Yaksha adeptus remained silent, acknowledging Zhongli's astuteness. The Geo Archon continued, "You may not have spoken outright, but the hints you've woven are not lost on me. Sometimes, the unspoken carries more weight than the spoken."
Zhongli, ever the perceptive strategist, understood that Xiao's oath among the stars was bound by the constraints of explicit revelation. With a thoughtful expression, he spoke again, "While you may not disclose her exact whereabouts, could you, perhaps, lead me to the threads you sensed? A subtle guide through the constellation of destinies."
Xiao, even if the name wasn't mentioned, knew whom Zhongli referred to. Torn between his promise and the desire for the two ancient lovers to reunite, he hesitated. The weight of secrecy pressed upon him, and he pondered the consequences of revealing even a fraction of the truth. Zhongli, patient as the mountains that stood tall in Liyue, awaited Xiao's response, knowing that unraveling the mysteries of the past required delicate steps.
In the inn's quietude, the celestial dance of stars continued overhead, casting a gentle glow on the Yaksha and the Archon, as the intertwined fate of Zhongli and Y/n hung in the balance. Xiao, torn between the weight of his promise and the desire to mend the long-separated lovers, wrestled with the nuances of his oath. He found a sliver of potential leeway in the wording of his vow. He hadn't explicitly sworn against guiding Zhongli to Y/n, only against directly revealing her presence.
As Xiao contemplated the moral intricacies, Zhongli observed the internal struggle in his companion. The Yaksha adeptus finally spoke, his voice carrying the burden of conflicting loyalties, "Zhongli, I vowed not to disclose Y/n's presence directly, but leading you to the threads of fate might be within the boundaries of that oath."
The Geo Archon, with a subtle nod, acknowledged Xiao's delicate distinction. "Lead me, then, Xiao."
With a somber determination, Xiao agreed, "I'll lead you to the threads, but it's up to you to follow them, Morax." The Yaksha adeptus, with a flicker of resolve in his gaze, prepared to navigate the celestial paths that intertwined the destinies of gods and stars, hoping that the reunion would bring solace to the ancient heart that mourned in silence.
The moon bathed Wangshu Inn in a gentle glow as Zhongli, with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation, approached the figure sitting by the edge. Y/n's silhouette, adorned in the celestial radiance, stirred something ancient within him. As he called out her name, "Y/n..?",
the goddess turned, and for a fleeting moment, time stood still.
Her denial hung in the air, "I do not know whom you are talking about, perhaps you are mistaken." The Goddess spoke attempting to mask the truth. However, Zhongli, now fully immersed in the recognition of his beloved, wouldn't be swayed. With words wrapped in the echoes of shared memories, he questioned her absence and the long years of yearning that had persisted.
Y/n, unable to maintain the facade any longer, confessed. The tale of her deep slumber, the celestial domain, and the fear that had kept her away unfolded. Zhongli listened with a mix of emotions – relief, understanding, and a love that time hadn't dulled.
Their reconciliation unfolded beneath the luminous embrace of the moon. Zhongli, overwhelmed by the return of his cherished companion, felt the weight of millennia lifting. As their lips met in a tender kiss, the stars themselves seemed to shimmer in approval.
Curious, Y/n asked Zhongli how he had discovered her secret. His gaze shifted to Xiao, who stood at a respectful distance, an awkward expression etched across his face. Y/n, in a surprising twist, approached Xiao not with anger but gratitude. She thanked him for leading Zhongli to her, acknowledging the complexity of the promise he had upheld.
In the quiet of the night, beneath the watchful eyes of stars and moon, the reunited lovers finally embraced the beauty of their shared past.
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twstowo · 4 months
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Chapter 1-1 [Sorceress!Yuu x OB!Characters]
˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗SYNOPSIS: You escape a tower where you had been kept for years.
♡︎ This is the continuation from my other post.
♡︎To everyone that liked my previous post I just want to say that I love all of you and I hope the stars, planets and universe aligns so that your 2024 is the best ever <3
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Amidst the empty, snow-covered landscape of a long-forgotten winter, a figure draped in somber black attire crossed the fields. His stride cut through the pristine white expanse, his flowing locks of snow-white hair blending seamlessly with the wintry hues around him. The biting cold seemed inconsequential to this man, hardened by relentless training to serve as a guard in the court of the future king of Briar Valley. Yet, despite his noble purpose, he found himself far away from his liege, drawn back to rescue a friend lost in time.
A letter had reached him from the parents of Y/N, a childhood friend trapped within the confines of a tower nestled within the lands owned by the rich couple. Silver had always harbored reservations about the idea of a tower, but he understood his lack of power amidst the chaos that had consumed their younger years. When the plea arrived, urging him to free his friend, he couldn't bear to remain idle. He felt an undeniable pull, a yearning to reunite with a long-lost friend and perhaps seek forgiveness for the lost time that had passed between them.
With determination etched upon his face, he embarked on this solitary journey, fueled by the desire to not only free Y/N from captivity but also to rekindle the bonds of friendship and make amends for the years that had slipped away. Following the map enclosed in the letter, he ventured into an eerie, desolate forest marked by lifeless trees stretching endlessly. Encountering peculiar creatures and treacherous assailants along the way, he pressed on, unfazed by the perils that beset his path. His determination was unwavering; he had journeyed from afar, yearning for this moment since their last meeting.
With each cautious step, he navigated the labyrinthine forest, drawing closer to the rumored tower guarded by a mystical creature claimed to exhale azure flames, capable of reducing a person to ash in moments. Upon breaching the tower's threshold, he discovered an absence of both the fabled beast and his long-lost friend. The room that was purported to house them stood vacant, shattering his expectations and leaving him at a loss.
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You strode along a peculiar path strolling through the dreary expanse of the forest your parents had confined you to. Your memories were a fog, obscuring the reasons for your seclusion within the tower's confines. A nagging feeling warned against unraveling the mystery, urging you to steer clear of seeking answers. Lost in this unfamiliar realm, unexplored before now, you wandered alongside your feline companion, Grim.
"And where are we going?" Grim's fur bristled with frustration. It wasn't solely your desire to escape the tower that wearied Grim; the feline had grown attached to you and relished your notions of venturing beyond to explore the world. Yet, despite days of wandering, the two of you had found no exit from this enigmatic forest.
"Maybe we have been walking in circles?" Your words were hushed, uncertain whether this revelation would soothe Grim. After all, gazing out from the lone window in your tower room, the forest appeared endless, stretching far beyond the eye could see.
Traversing through the forest, you held onto the hope that eventually, some sign would emerge—a new path, a person, perhaps even an entire city. Your resolve remained unwavering; there was no turning back. The tower, a distant memory now, would never hold you captive again. Yet, a chill wind swept through the woods, prompting you to shiver uncontrollably. Your attire, comprised of aged white clothes salvaged from the tower's closet, and a weathered black cloak with a concealing hood, provided little protection against the elements. Grim, your mystical companion, often perched on your shoulders, found comfort in the cloak's embrace.
"If only there were another way to travel," you murmured, casting a glance at your magical feline, who rolled their eyes in exasperation.
"The great Grim isn’t going to carry you on his back!" His retort echoed through the trees, irked by the suggestion. Though capable of transforming into a formidable creature—once the guardian of the tower's confines—he seemingly preferred his diminutive feline form, much to your appreciation of his adorable appearance.
"Well, do you want to keep on walking forever? Because this forest doesn’t seem to ever end." you countered, feeling the strain in your feet from the prolonged confinement within the tower. Your pace had slowed considerably, akin to a sloth's lazy pace. Years of captivity had taken a toll on your body, and each step felt more arduous than the last.
Grim shot you a final glance, resolute in his refusal to transform into a means of transportation. However, he was not without alternative solutions, wielding his magical abilities to devise an unconventional plan. "Pick up that branch," he commanded, prompting your confusion regarding how a mere branch could aid your predicament. "Come on! The great Grim can't do everything alone!" His arms folded in impatience, urging you to comply. Reluctantly, you retrieved the branch as instructed.
Then, with an incantation from Grim, the ordinary branch underwent a peculiar transformation, morphing into a broom-like contraption. Its tips danced with vibrant, colorful blue flames reminiscent of Grim's ears.
"Holy Seven!" You gasped, seizing the strange broom with fascination, astounded by Grim's unexpected prowess. "This is incredible, Grim!" A wide smile graced your face. "But what on earth do we need a broom for?"
Observing your confusion, Grim sighed and facepalmed—acknowledging that your extended seclusion in the tower had left you unaware of certain common knowledge. Brooms, in many circles, were used for flying.
"This is our way out," Grim declared with a mischievous grin, while your eyes widened in apprehension at the revelation.
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Flying on the broom turned out to be an ordeal far worse than sore feet. Each moment aloft sent shivers coursing through you, surpassing even the biting cold of the forest below. Gripping the broom with all your might, you clung to it for dear life, terror seizing your senses as Grim navigated the skies with what felt like reckless abandon. Refusing to glance downward, “Anything new?” you shouted for any updates, determined to keep your focus forward.
"New? Why not see for yourself?" Grim's laughter mingled with the rush of the wind as you struggled to maintain an upright position on the broom. Finally, compelled by curiosity, you dared to steal a glimpse below.
And there it was—a sprawling city sprawled beneath you. Its architecture, a symphony of white and red-hued houses, stood amidst fields of vibrant greenery. Everything appeared serene and harmonious, a stark contrast to the unfamiliar world you had known within the confines of the tower.
As Grim skillfully guided the broom downward, relief flooded over you as your feet finally met solid ground. The sensation of touching the earth after so long brought a rush of happiness, drawing curious gazes from the city dwellers around you.
"After my magnificent assistance, I think I deserve a reward!" Grim proclaimed, his smile wide with expectation. You anticipated the request that would follow. "The illustrious Grim demands a taste of tuna!" His expression held a note of insistence, and you recalled the gold objects you'd brought along from the tower, potential assets for earning some much-needed money.
As you and Grim strolled through the bustling town, you couldn't help but notice the vibrant attire donned by the locals—mostly shades of red. The surroundings were adorned with bushes filled with crimson roses, and the air carried the sweet aroma of baked goods. Selling your possessions yielded the necessary funds for sustenance, and you studied the shops in search of canned tuna. Yet, an enchanting sight halted your quest—a bakery showcasing tantalizing red cakes, their appearance strangely delightful.
Upon entering, a bell chimed, alerting the man at the counter to your presence. He was handsome, with short green hair and a welcoming smile that eased your nerves. Engaging with another person after such isolation felt foreign, leaving you momentarily speechless until he prompted a response.
“Anything you want?”
"Ah! I'd like to try one of those red cakes!" You pointed at the tempting treats, a blush creeping onto your cheeks as he chuckled at your reaction.
"You mean the strawberry tarts?" He retrieved one and continued, noting your apparent unfamiliarity with the locale. "You seem like you're from far away." Your attire betrayed your outsider status amidst the city's vibrant energy.
"I've come from afar." You approached the counter as he carefully packaged the tart. Tendering the money, you hesitated, feeling the weight of conversation hovering awkwardly between you. "This place looks... really lovely..." Social interactions were a challenge after your prolonged seclusion. How did people engage in conversation, anyway? But before you could melt into the floor you heard the sound of the bell again.
The atmosphere in the bakery shifted with the arrival of the hooded figure, their face concealed. While the kind baker engaged them in conversation, you found yourself growing anxious about Grim's whereabouts. Scanning the shop, your worry escalated until an odd noise drew your attention upward. To your shock, Grim perched atop the ceiling boards.
"Get down, Grim," you urged in a hushed tone, attempting to coax him back without drawing attention. But Grim, seemingly preoccupied with exploring, paid no heed to your plea. As he wandered, his paw accidentally struck a weak spot, causing him to tumble down.
Time seemed to slow as you witnessed the unfolding scene—a cinematic sequence unfolding before you. With a horrified scream, you watched as Grim fell down, ultimately landing on top the hooded figure, sending both crashing to the floor. The hooded stranger, now revealed his face in a dark shade of red, while his widened mad eyes looked at you. You tried to reach for his hand to help him get up but he slapped it away.
"You—" His voice quivered with rage. He scrambled to his feet, his fury evident as Grim sought refuge in your arms, fur bristling. "How... How dare you! OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!!" You watched as a strange collar appeard on your neck, and the red headed turned to the baker. Riddle's anger seethed as he addressed Trey, his voice tinged with frustration. "What type of customers are these, Trey? You really can't just let everyone enter inside here."
Trey, clearly unsettled by Riddle's outburst, attempted to placate the situation. "I'm sorry, Riddle. They seemed lost, and I thought—"
But Riddle, with a dismissive gesture, cut him off, his demeanor unyielding. "Don't make excuses. Just ensure this doesn't happen again." With an abrupt departure and a reproach directed at Trey, he left the bakery without sparing another glance in your direction.
Concern etched on his face, Trey emerged from behind the counter and approached you, “I’m sorry, Riddle tends to be a litle explosive”.
Grim, perched atop the counter, chimed in, expressing his outrage at Riddle's threatening demeanor. "A little?! It almost looked like he wanted to kill my Human!" Grim exclaimed, hands on his hips, clearly displeased with the understatement.
"Well, I suppose you could interpret it that way..." Trey's response was sheepish, scratching the back of his head. "This isn't an ideal introduction to the Queendom of Roses for you." He stated while eyeing the conspicuous collar around your neck,
“How do I remove this?” you inquired, only to be met with an unexpected revelation from Trey.
"Only Riddle can remove it."
"No way! He didn't even let me get a word in!" Your frustration was palpable, rejecting the notion that Riddle, the irate stranger, held the magic to removing the collar. “Does this mean I will have to live forever like this?”
“I propose we off this Riddle’s head ourselfs!” As Grim enthusiastically proposed taking matters into their own hands, suggesting an extreme solution, Trey visibly grimaced, swiftly dismissing the idea. Your irritation at Riddle's unreasonable behavior grew, feeling unjustly targeted for no reason.
“If you really want I can tell you were the collared people hide?” There was a questioned expression on Trey’s face, not knowing if that would lead you anywhere.
"Wait, there are more people collared by this guy?" The notion of indiscriminate collaring struck you as incredibly unjust. Despite your seclusion in the tower, the concept of such tyranny was abhorrent. "And no one opposes him?"
"That's because he's the future king of the Queendom," Trey revealed, stunning you with the revelation of Riddle's immense power. The gravity of the situation dawned on you—the consequences of opposing someone of Riddle's stature could be dire.
"Where can I find these collared people?" Your desperation for a solution became palpable, realizing that these individuals might hold the key to breaking the spell.
Trey hesitated, scratching his head, hinting at potential complications in locating them. “Well-”
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By now, you found yourself aligning closely with Grim's idea. Approaching the other side of town, a large group of collared individuals welcomed you. What upset you most was the maltreatment endured by those with collars—those exempt from Riddle's special treatment mocked the collared ones openly. You, too, had been subject to their derisive stares upon exiting Trey's bakery.
Joining the group, you inquired about their experiences with the collars, growing increasingly dismayed at the absurdity of each story you heard.
"He's nothing but a spoiled brat!" shouted a man, his eyes ablaze with defiant confidence. "We ought to band together and overthrow him!"
"See? Even this human has good ideas," Grim chimed in, nestled on your shoulders. "We should support him." Before you could intervene, Grim walked towards the outspoken man.
"Look! A cat with blue ears!" The group stepped back, intrigued by the peculiar feline.
"A cat?! I am Grim the Great! The most powerful and magnificent—" Grim began, boasting about his grandeur until you scooped him up, silencing his self-praise.
"Is that so? If you're as remarkable as you claim, then I'm sure you'll assist us in dealing with Riddle," another voice chimed in. A man with dark blue hair approached, extending a warm welcome. "I'm Deuce. And you?" he asked, his smile inviting and soft-spoken.
"I’m Y/N, and this is Grim,” You pointed at your cute companion who rolled his eyes at Deuce. “we're here seeking any knowledge on how to remove my collar," you explained, only to be met with laughter from the surrounding group, leaving you wide-eyed with embarrassment.
"Don't mean to dash your hopes, but unless you find Riddle in an exceptionally good mood—" His expression conveyed the unlikelihood of such an occurrence. "There's no way to rid of the collar..." The sentiment elicited audible sighs from some listeners, conveying a sense of resignation.
Cursed be the day I left that tower. At least there, you wouldn't have been collared by some random tyrant. “So what is the plan?” Turning to Deuce, you inquired, prompting a shift in his expression, a broad smirk forming.
"Glad you asked. Follow me!" Deuce's demeanor took on a newfound enthusiasm as you trailed after him. Wandering through the streets led you to a peculiar forest, distinctly different from the lush greenery you'd seen while flying on the broom with Grim. This new place felt darker, stranger, and oddly familiar. After a brief walk, you arrived at a large table, adorned with teacups and scattered cake platters, as if a tea party were in progress. A man in purple attire with cat ears sipped tea while a red-headed individual seemed on the verge of pulling his hair out.
"Looks like we've got someone eager to join the party," Deuce announced, drawing the attention of the other two men toward you.
"Great, and what can they do? Unless that cat can shoot lasers from his eyes, I'm not interested in this recruiting thing anymore!" the red-headed man retorted, appearing ready to storm off.
"Relax, Ace," Deuce replied calmly, though his words seemed to only enrage Ace further, prompting him to hurl a cupcake at Deuce. "That's it, I'm tired of this—" Deuce rolled up his sleeves and advanced toward Ace, who stood up, poised for a confrontation.
"You're not from around here, nya~" The sudden, peculiar voice startled you so much that you jumped and let out a startled scream. Your heart raced, proving not quite resilient enough for these unexpected encounters. The owner of the voice chuckled at your reaction, appearing as nothing more than a floating head to your wide-eyed gaze. "Sorry, sorry. Why don't you join our tea party?" A phantom hand rested on your shoulder, though nothing visible was there.
"What... What's happening...?" Your voice quivered with uncertainty as the enigmatic cat-man guided you toward the table. Nearby, Ace and Deuce tumbled on the ground, their faces smeared with cake. "An invisible cat, two guys throwing cake at each other... What else will I see today? A caterpillar smoking?"
"Perhaps it'll show up later," the cat guy replied with a cryptic air, leaving you unsure if he was joking or being serious. "Now, tell me about yourself~"
As you recounted your tale, the tea grew cold, and Ace and Deuce, their attire adorned with grass and cake stains, eventually joined the tea party. You detailed your tower confinement, your encounter with Riddle, and your awareness of the collared individuals. Che'nya listened intently, hanging on every detail.
"And why were you locked inside that tower?" he inquired, his grin teasingly cheeky.
"That's a good question," you admitted, realizing it had been so long that you couldn't recall the reason. Vague memories of your parents bidding farewell as a man escorted you into a carriage, destined for the tower, flickered in your mind. Struggling to piece together the specifics, your memories remained frustratingly elusive. Sensing your silence, Che'nya spoke up.
"Are you familiar with a story about a sorceress locked inside a tower?" he inquired. The tale was unfamiliar to you; however, you felt his penetrating gaze, probing for any hint of recognition. "I suppose not, but it's curious how closely your story aligns with hers."
"What do you mean?" you inquired, puzzled by Che'nya's fascination with this fairy tale.
"You see, this sorceress was so powerful, surely her magic could break Riddle's," he explained. Glancing around, you noticed Ace and Deuce attentively absorbing Che'nya's words as if they were the most profound.
"So, you think I'm the sorceress?" you ventured, feeling a surge of uncertainty.
"No, that's impossible, nya~" He swiftly dismissed your suggestion, chuckling as if you'd said something ludicrous. "But what if she is listening to our conversation?" In an instant, his demeanor shifted to one of seriousness, eliciting audible gulps from Ace and Deuce, their expressions now reflecting horror at the possibility of an unknown presence among them.
"If she's here, why would she help me?" you pondered aloud.
"In the story, this sorceress is cursed to live forever inside a mirror. Only someone from outside can help her escape—someone she could trust. But she only trusts herself..." Che'nya paused, savoring the suspense, taking a sip of tea. "And the two of you seem to be the same person, just in different universes."
"This is the most absurd thing you've ever said, Che'nya," Ace scoffed, rising from the table. "If that were true, why does Y/N still have the collar?"
"Because she didn't try to remove it," Che'nya promptly replied, exuding confidence. His gaze flickered to you, almost challenging you to prove him right.
Your hand reached for the collar, not anticipating any change as you attempted to concentrate on the thought of it disappearing. With closed eyes, you visualized being alone, solely you and the collar. Yet, there was an intrusion, a presence beyond Che'nya's invisible touch—a touch woven of magic, immaterial yet undeniably real. When you opened your eyes, Ace and Deuce stared wide-eyed as the collar slipped from your neck and clattered to the ground.
“No way…” Deuce’s voice came as a whisper, frozen in place as he stared at the collar on the floor.
“That's great, now take mine off!” Ace dashed to you, seizing your hands and pressing them against his collar, a wide grin spread across his face. “C’mon! I have things I want to do!” Despite his selfishness, you complied, attempting the same method as before. You closed your eyes, focusing solely on the collar, anticipating the peculiar presence, but it never opened. “Why is it not working?”
“I don’t know…?” You were equally perplexed. Che’nya disregarded Ace’s complaints, briskly approaching you.
“Well, this is perfect! Now we just need to get you inside the palace!” Deuce stepped closer, expressing his surprise.
“Wait, Y/N will do that? I thought you wanted someone familiar with the layout and stuff!”
“No, Y/N is perfect for the job.” Che’nya's innocent smile transformed into a sly grin, leaving you bewildered at the sudden turn of events.
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♡︎Thank you for reading!
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comradekatara · 2 months
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Jin/Song ?
okay normally i think smashing together two random background characters is corny and nonsensical, but i do actually think they’d be really funny together as a couple. like, they’re both so forward to a point that it’s truly absurd. if they met they would uhaul within a day and break up within a week but treat it with the gravity of a life shattering divorce. i am absolutely here for their disastrous trainwreck of a relationship.
maybe song moves to ba sing se to study medicine and that’s where they first meet. and only much later do they realize that they both “dated” the same guy (jin claims they dated even though they went on exactly one date and he never called her again; song claims they dated even though he was in her house for medical purposes, spurned her advances, and carjacked her) and they’re like “wow….its meant to be……the stars have aligned….. you’re the love of my life, my soulmate…….” and then two days later jin is throwing all of song’s things out her window onto the street while song uses a puddle on the ground as a mirror with which to cut her own bangs. i love dyke drama
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elixrr · 3 months
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STARS ALIGN!
♡ XIAO × READER (× KAZUHA?) ♡
SYNOPSIS: You don't know how, and you certainly don't know why, but somehow your once-beloved boyfriend, Kuni, broke up with you about a week after high school graduation. After leaving and ghosting you out of nowhere, you decide that you need to move on, and you let your friend, Kazuha, move in with you. While he's definitely a dating candidate, you start college and, by fate, a boy named Xiao sits next to you in the lecture hall...
WARNINGS: Heavy swearing, some fighting, sexy men
CHAPTER: Prologue
NEXT CHAPTER: Ch.1
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“What?”
You dropped the glass cup from your hands.
“You heard me.” Kuni scoffed, arms crossed and eyes rolling. “I've had it with you. I'm done. We're done.”
“But— But why? What did I do? Is there something—”
“No.” He cut you off like he meant it. And judging by his demeanor? He really fucking meant it.
“There's nothing to discuss. There's nothing to negotiate.” Kuni leans in close, “We're well fucking over, got it? I don't give two shits if you cry to your friends about me because in my happy little world— without you— we never happened. And never will. Ever again.”
Kuni pushed you away, grabbing his things and his suitcases. He stopped at the door and turned around to look at your tearful face.
“Bye, crumby little shit.”
And the door slammed shut. Even when sobbing, you could hear a car skid to the front of the house, as well as Kuni's suitcases rolling against the pavement. A few car doors open and close, and the car skids away.
And that was the end of it.
What did you even do wrong?
“Wh— Who are you calling a fucking crumby little shit?” You sob, slamming your palms on the kitchen counter.
“What the fuck did... What did I do wrong?” Dirty dishes are suddenly shattered and pieces of ceramic scramble across the floor. A vase with yours and Kuni's one-year anniversary bouquet suddenly crashes and shatters on the floor. You rip the flowers apart and throw them across the room.
What the fuck—
—did you do wrong?
— – -
It's been a good two months since the breakup, and you've been doing better. You've been hanging out with your friend groups more often, and they've been there to cheer you up. Actually, you even let Kazuha move in with you, and after getting that plan straight, you trashed everything that reminded you of Kuni.
Still. Your ex-two-year anniversary will happen a week from now, and you're really not excited. You're curious, though. Why did he even break up with you in the first place? You weren't an asshole, nor were you violent. You and Kuni were a good pair, so why did he leave you like that?
“Y/N?” Kazuha tucks a lock of hair behind your ear. “You're spacing out again. Are you okay?”
Snapping out of it, you look at Kazuha with a forced smile. “I'm pretty okay. Actually, thinking about it now, getting rid of Kuni's belongings really helped. I just need to use a different air freshener.”
“Ah, that actually reminds me, I did buy us an air freshener. I picked out something that reminded me of you, so it's on the sweeter side, if you don't mind.”
Kazuha smiles back at you with the air freshener in hand, and you're pretty much speechless.
“Aw, Kazuha! You think I'm sweet?”
“Of course. Now, let's continue moving and building the essentials. I'd rather not sleep on a futon again.”
“Right, let's get on with this.”
You come in and out of the house, unloading the final pieces of furniture from the car. You watch Kazuha swiftly piece the new furniture together one-by-one, and his whole room has all of his belongings organized, even without the furniture being finished.
You stare in awe as Kazuha completes his rocking chair like it was just some small, easy puzzle that just about any baby could solve.
“You're literally such boyfriend material.”
Kazuha stops in his tracks.
“What?”
“Huh? What happened?”
“You... Ah, nothing. I thought you said something. A– Anyways, I'm nearly done. I'll just need the closet.”
“Oh, I have the box and the pieces in it. Let me get it for you!”
You leave Kazuha in the room in shock. He thought you were still into Kuni... Did you actually mean those words? Is he really a potential rebound option for you?
Do you really like him back?
Whatever the case may be, he doesn't want to risk rejection. Not yet, especially when he's just moved in.
“I've got it! Here you go.” You hand Kazuha the parts for the closet. “I hope this is better than your old one. IDEA has some really good furniture.”
“It is, I'm really happy to have a functional room.” Kazuha opens the box up and begins his work on the closet. You lean on the doorframe quietly, watching him work his magic.
It's amazing how times changed. With Kuni around, you rarely ever got to go out alone. He always needed you near, and so you eventually were fired from your job at moonbucks. You had to distance yourself from friends that he didn't get along well with or didn't know of. Kuni was very clingy and just as toxic.
A thought pops into your mind. You smile.
Maybe I'm better off without him.
Why did you even stay with him in the first place?
“So, Y/N. I've been thinking,” Kazuha interrupts your thoughts, “should I start paying the rent? You're jobless, thanks to... Anyways, my family fortunes and my jobs can give us enough for rent, food, and other things.”
“Shit, I should get a job now that Kuni can't control me.”
“Issue is, college starts for both of us, no? Three days from now.”
“Shit! Shit shit shit, you're right. There is a café nearby that I could try going to. Pays above minimum wage, and it's pretty popular, given the only other café nearby is absolute dogwater.”
Kazuha gives you a look.
“...Sorry. I know your friend worked there. But! Ever since he moved away, the place has gotten shittier and shittier. Most of the employees quit, anyway! Ah, whatever, it's okay. I'll look into getting a job at Starry Night.”
— – -
“See you at lunch?” You smile at Kazuha.
“Of course. See you at lunch.” Kazuha smiles back and walks into the building. You watch the doors shut, and you start going towards your destination. You've got about fifteen minutes to get across the campus, and luckily, your class is about five minutes away.
You look around. The day is bright, the sun shines down on the campus, and there are people everywhere. You glance over at everyone nearby, and while you're nervous, you're absolutely ready for this year without a toxic boyfriend.
“Woww Y/N, you got a glow-up!” Hu Tao chimes in, hopping in to give you a hug. “I haven't seen you all summer! How've you been? Why didn't you text me?”
“How's Kuni?” She adds.
“Oh, he's the reason why I haven't texted all summer. His ass broke up with me, and honestly? His loss, my gain. I mean, no more boyfriend air, right?”
“Wow, he really is a dick! Well, just remember that my grandfather runs a funeral home, and if you need to call in for a cremation, I'll give you a discount! Anyway, my class isn't this one, so I'll set you free. Later, friend!”
And within a heartbeat, she runs off to the next friend she spots. You sigh with a smile, entering the building to attend your classes. The actual room was bigger than your average high school classroom, but it was smaller than a gymnasium. A good amount of the seats were full, but there were a few rows left almost completely empty. You sat down in a randomly chosen row, and nobody really sat near you. Besides, you might as well introduce yourself later.
“Can I sit here?” Someone beside you mumbles. You look to see who it is, and it's...
It's a cutie.
“Yes. Absolutely, yes.” You blurt out, coughing in embarrassment. To make matters worse, the boy gives you a confused side-eye but sits down regardless. In this row, there's only you and this mystery boy. A silence settles between you two, even with the slight bustle of the lecture hall, and you just can't help your near deathly curiosity. Who would pass up an opportunity like this, anyway?
You turn to the boy with a small, welcoming smile, and an offer to shake hands.
“By the way, I'm Y/N. What's your name?”
He turns to look at you, removing the airpod that faced towards you. He denies the handshake and responds,
“Xiao.”
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CHAPTER 1 ESTIMATE: Sunday, January 21st|ET
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presleyhearted · 14 days
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The Good Girl Act | Part 1
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pairing : 1970s!e x Asian!OC summary : Angel Song grew up in a strict, Korean household. Molding her into the perfect 'good girl.' Through a strange case of serendipity, she finds herself face to face with Elvis Presley, the one person who just might threaten to shatter the glass of her good girl act. chapter warnings: age gap, profanity. genre: fluff, angst, (future smut)
author's note : hi! this was originally a one-shot in my mind, but when I started writing I realized the story is longer than that. So, a full-length fic. I noticed the lack of Asian-centred characters in the fandom, so here we go. I have so much planned for this, already daydreaming about future scenes. Each part will have warnings, so please refer to those before reading. This series will contain 18+ and mature themes, even if this part one does not. So, please be wary of that if you are a minor, do not interact. enjoy reading! - Rose 💋
Las Vegas, 1972
She shouldn't be here tonight.
The piles upon piles of paper that occupied back at her dorm room would agree. A rather stark contrast to the blinding lights, numerous glamoured clothing, and excited chatter that filled the spacious room she was currently in. Two different ways one could spend their Thursday night. Not even the carefree reputation of a weekend could ease the guilt of temporarily abandoning academic commitments.
My goodness, it's Thursday night Angel thought to herself, as she couldn't help but fiddle with her fingers, trying and failing desperately to relax in the seat. An action that does not go unnoticed by Felicity, her carefree roommate.
"Are you on your period?" Felicity asked her, nonchalantly. Thankfully, she says this in a quieter voice. Angel knows that there is no embarrassment in the natural cycle of womanhood. But it is still a topic that can only be discussed in hushed whispers between women.
Angel shook her head, "No. Why?"
"It's just, you keep fidgeting in your seat." Felicity pointed out.
"I can't help thinking about that paper for-"
Felicity quickly shushed her and took hold of her arms, "Oh my god, Angel. No. No talk about assignments, essays, or professors. We are sat front row about to see thee Elvis Presley in front of our very eyes!" She said, in a matter-of-fact, way and gesturing her hands dramatically to the stage.
"I know, but-"
"No buts! Our boring life as college students can wait, but this is once in a blue moon." Felicity persisted, her voice drifting off into a dreamy sigh.
Although, Angel instinctively was about to reply back something along the lines of academic responsibility needing to triumph seeing a star's live performance - her roommate's words processed longer in her mind. Felicity tends to be bolder and acts quickly without thinking most of the time. A habit that doesn't exactly align with safety, but does very much so with trouble. Angel was quite the opposite and is the one who persistently cautions her roommate's spontaneous pursuits.
But Angel does know that spontaneity can result in good things. She can act at least recognize that. Which is why, she held back her tongue before replying to Felicity, because well - this is one of those good things.
Very good things. Angel's thoughts echoed.
A reminder more so. A reminder of the time when she first heard him sing and see him perform. Just one year before her senior year of high school, she stumbled upon his performance on the television screen in her parents' living room. The '68 comeback special. His all-black leather outfit, tanned skin, jet-black hair, and not to mention the crooked grin that he so consistently displayed to his audience. His voice - a beautiful, rich, and deep timbre that captured anyone who listened. Angel did. Certainly. Not to mention the way he moved on stage - he was practically swimming with charisma and sexual appeal.
But of course, her eyes were only captivated by his performance for a short while before her mother waltzed in and abruptly turned the television set off. Hands-on her hips, a deep set frown on her lips, as she looked at her teenage daughter in bewilderment. A type of bewilderment that made whatever magical word Angel was so captured in - burst and disappear. Her mother wasted no time in questioning her, heck, Angel could still remember the words to this very day: 'What on earth do you think you are doing watching such vulgar movements? You are poisoning your mind!' Her mother's words half English, and half in Korean.
In which, Angel remembers replying back, in defense 'But Eomma (Mom) it's only dancing!' A reply that ended up with a lecture from her mother about the dangers of viewing such a performance. The dangers of Elvis Presley, and how he corrupts their generation to pursue wrongful actions. Angel could not simply understand the issue in the matter, but she knew better than to say more.
So, that was that. Her father caught the news from her mother, which turned into another discussion. But despite all of that, Angel desperately, found herself wishing to hear his voice again. There was something naturally comforting, and something true when he sang. So she bought his records, in secret, and played them whenever her parents were not in the house.
But thinking back to that day that she first saw his performance, as she lay back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling - there was one word that jumped from the confines of Angel's mind.
Daring.
Elvis Presley was absolutely daring.
Angel found herself shaking her head, and a smile pulling on her lips at the memory of her past self. And so, although college is important, she knew Felicity had a point. It would be foolish to brush past an opportunity to see him perform live. To satisfy the part of her that became a fan on that day years ago. After all, college is every day, but Elvis Presley? it would only be once. She will see him perform once, and go home, and she knows that her future self would be glad that she created such a memory. A memory that she will surely cherish forever.
So, without that in mind, she looks to Felicity, "Okay. You do have a point."
Felicity claps excitedly and smiles in triumph, "Oh, this will change our lives forever. I just know."
The showroom was quickly filled with hundreds upon hundreds of excited audience members. It ranged from regular, avid fans to top A-list actors and actresses occupying the seats of the spacious area. Angel couldn't help but sneak a glance at the clock that was just to the right wall. ten minutes. Elvis Presley will be out on stage in just ten minutes.
The actual realisation finally hit her. Earlier all that occupied her mind were her worries between the battle of having fun, or turning back and burying her nose in the papers at her desk. But now, now that she has accepted that it did not hurt to let this opportunity happen, the wave of what will actually happen any moment now gripped her mind.
Elvis Presley will perform and he will be right in front of me. Her heartbeat couldn't help but quicken at the thought of it - the pure excitement and rush, hitting her all at once.
Being overwhelmed by listening to his records was one thing. But seeing him right in front of her? In, what, she glanced at the time - eight minutes - overwhelmed wouldn't even begin to describe what she would feel. Felicity chatted away with her prediction on what songs he would play and apparent rumours about potential medleys. But Angel was drowning out the words, not quite hearing it, her excitement was filling up her body quicker and quicker. Shit.
She needed a drink, and she needed one fast. Luckily, servers were plentiful, walking around with circular trays as they placed various beverages and food onto tables. She managed to get a glass of water, muttered a thanks, and drank it. Felt the cool liquid against her tongue. Better. She's calmer now.
But heard her stomach rumbling, her cheeks hot in embarrassment. Right. She didn't eat before they left the dorms, because well, her cheerful red-headed roommate thought it was the best to surprise her with tickets at the last minute. Angel simply didn't have time to process everything, before she found herself walking into the infamous International Hotel.
"- I still think Gregory Peck is leagues better than Cary Grant," Felicity said, drifting the conversation to some Hollywood actors who were rumored to be attending tonight.
Now that her body is much more relaxed, Angel felt good that she was able to properly engage in a conversation with her roommate. But yes. she was still hungry.
Angel shrugged, "Both are good. But I can't say that I've seen all the pictures that Cary Grant was in, so I couldn't make a fair judgment." She replied, every assessor and the analytical tendency jumping out of her, all second nature.
Felicity simply shook her head, "Very well, then, Attorney Song." She teased, as she smirked.
Angel laughed, "Oh, shut it."
At the corner of her eye, she saw a server that was about to pass their table. Angel quickly planned that she would stand up, which she did, and turn around and browse the food options that the server held. The turning around and standing did certainly go to plan, however, the latter most certainly did not.
In fact, what did end up happening is the abrupt movement from Angel caused the glass of beverage on the tray to lose balance and slam right into her. Spilling her dress. The server's eyes widened, as he profusely apologized, Angel was quick to tell him that it was not his fault and most certainly hers due to her clumsiness. Felicity gasped and handed Angel the few paper towels that were on their table, but despite this, the stain was still very noticeable.
"Oh, great," Angel groaned.
Then she remembered. She remembered how she always brought spare clothes with her in case of anything. A situation precisely like this. With that, she bids Felicity a temporary goodbye, in which the redhead reminds her to hurry as the show is about to start.
five minutes. The clock read as she ran past it, through the doors, and into the hallway of the first floor of the hotel.
Angel sighed in relief at the sight of the female restrooms and was about to push the door open when she noticed a sign - 'out of order, please use the next available restroom. we are sorry for the inconvenience.' Shit.
"Hi, excuse me," She said at the receptionist sat behind the desk.
The lady nodded for her to continue, "Yes, Ma'am. How can I help?"
"I saw the restroom is out of service. Are there other restrooms located on this floor?"
The lady sighed, "There are no other restrooms on this floor, Ma'am. The next one is located on the third floor."
Third floor. She glanced at the clock - three minutes.
Shit. There is no way that she will make it, well at least not to see Elvis' first walk onto the stage.
She nodded, "Alright, thank you for your help."
Angel then makes a run for it to the elevators. She pressed a button and well, it is definitely taking its time, as she found herself tapping her feet impatiently on the carpeted flooring.
She surveys her surroundings, there is the option of taking the stairs, but that will just make her sweaty. An image that Angel definitely does not want to add to the already spilled drink on her dress. She bites her lip anxiously and stops her eyes at a door in a corner. There is no room number, only the sign saying 'supply closet.'
Aha, perfect.
She quickly looks around, making sure that no one is around to see her. Once she is satisfied that the coast is clear, Angel quickly runs to the supply closet, swings the door open and locks the door. She breathes out a sigh of relief and mutters to herself, "Thank the Lord."
She mentally thanks her past self for choosing a dress that was easy to remove, as she begins to pull down the sleeves of her dress, and pull down the top part.
The supply closet was exactly what is sounded like - towels and various cleaning supplies filled four shelves. The space was tiny, but that didn't matter, just enough space for one person to quickly change into clean clothes and make a swift exit. A good plan before any member of the cleaning staff encounters her.
Because yes, this is most definitely not a changing room.
But then again, nothing is quite going to plan this evening. So, well, it should not be a surprise for Angel to discover that yet another part of her plans has been thrown out of the window.
A clearing of a throat made her jump, Angel's eyes widened as she quickly grabbed onto the top of her dress to cover herself, and pulled her sleeves back up. She turned around, "What th-"
Her words get caught in her throat, she spun around expecting a complete stranger and was ready to hit them with her bag. But she paused her movements, for it was not a stranger that was before her. Yes, she did not know him personally, but my goodness she knew him in a way. Tanned skin, effortlessly cool black hair, fancy jumpsuit adorned with glittering stones, and the few rings that occupied his fingers.
Elvis Presley.
He was sat down with his back against the wall.
His azure blue eyes held contact with her brown ones, with both of his hands up as if in surrender. He vigorously shook his head, "I-I-I. . .honey, I swear to ya. I-I wasn't," He stammered. A bright bloom in his cheeks.
She immediately knew what he was trying to say, albeit a stuttering explanation from him.
"I didn't look at nothin', " Elvis ran a hand through his hair, seemingly stressed out about the situation.
Angel raised an eyebrow and Elvis nodded.
She then most certainly realized that he was waiting for her to say something. Anything.
Angel took a deep breath and tried to find the words herself, "You. . how. . . but it's just. . . fuck." She ended up cursing under her breath, completely mentally kicking herself for not being able to articulate one simple sentence.
cute. Elvis thought.
Elvis felt himself smile but fortunately controlled himself enough not to continue to do so. Thinking to himself that a smile won't help her right now.
Angel held her head in her hands, muttered a few words to herself that Elvis realized must be in a different language, and then looked back at him.
"Okay. I- uhm, I believe you. It's just. . . what is actually happening?" Angel asked, seemingly been able to calm down her racing heartbeat but her brain not yet fully comprehending the situation.
The complete impossibility of it.
Elvis nodded and gestured to the floor, "Why don't ya sit down, honey. I'll tell ya."
There. That southern drawl, a tone that sent a shiver down her spine. But she was quick to snap herself out of it.
"I uhm, I need to change." She gestured to the spill on her dress.
" I won't look. " Elvis held his hands up in defense and immediately turned around to face the wall. Angel bit her lip a little apprehensively, but then thought to herself that there is quite literally no other way around this. So, she turned around and began to change. The space in the closet was not very generous, if Angel were to step backward just a step - the back of her legs would surely be hitting Elvis' head.
Angel tried to calm her breathing.
I am getting changed when Elvis Presley is right behind me. What in the world.
She changed into a regular mod dress and turned back around. Just in time to see that there was a clock on the wall, right above where Elvis sat. The countdown is over. It was done approximately ten minutes ago, but there were two things that Angel was certain of;
One; the countdown for Elvis to appear on stage has long been finished.
Two; Although the countdown was over, the one that it was for was not present on stage and instead he was - right here. Sat down, turned around, in a cleaning supply closet and Angel is about to find out why.
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mingihttps · 22 days
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astronomy
seonghwa x non-idol!reader
seonghwa is worlds away from you. breaking up with him has become the best, and only, option left.
wc: 1.1k
warnings: angst, crying, breaking up, heartbreak, insecurities, talk about tour and idol life, pet names (star, my love)
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as i sit on the edge of our bed waiting for seonghwa to come home, i think about all the memories we had together. the good, bad and ugly. the laughter, the tears and arguments, the kisses and 'i love you's. i sit and reminisce on when we first met, when we first started dating, our first kiss, and every other little moment i spent with seonghwa. and now i have to think about what i'm going to say when he walks through that door and i have to explain to him that i'm leaving.
i hear seonghwa open the front door and then the bedroom door. i stayed unmoving on the edge of our shared bed and silently watched him. he had his bags in his hands from their tour, similar to my bags packed beside me. seonghwa looked up at me and we made silent, knowing eye contact for what felt like hours. no one moved, no one said anything, the only sound in the room was the busy street outside. that was until seonghwa broke eye contact to put his bags down on the floor with a heavy sigh. i continue to stare at seonghwa and couldn't help the tears that welled up in my eyes, but i'll be damned if i let them fall this early.
"it seems like we need to talk." seonghwa said but he spoke towards the ground. you could hear the strain in his voice but you weren't sure if it was from his tour or if he was trying to hold back a heart-shattering sob.
"i don't know what you want me to say, seonghwa," i look into his eyes that refused to look back at mine, "it's time for me to go."
"but it doesn't have to be" seonghwa answered back quickly and desperately. his eyes glancing between my folded hands in my lap to my packed bags at the end of our bed. i stayed quiet, wanting to see if he would add anything else; if he would beg me to stay. but seonghwa didn’t speak up again.
“please don’t make this more difficult than it has to be” i say softly. i knew breaking up with seonghwa wasn't going to be easy, but his silent desperation was eating me alive.
“then let's stop all of this. here, i'll help you unpack.” seonghwa still refused to meet my eyes as he grabbed my luggage, opened it, and started putting my clothes back into the closet. with shaky and fast hands, seonghwa opened the closet and dresser drawers. the only noise in the room was the sound of coat hangers hitting each other and the tussle of fabric. i could feel his heartache from miles away. finally, i let my tears fall as i glare at seonghwa’s back.
“i can have someone pick up my stuff some other time, seonghwa. that won't stop me from leaving.” i break the silence this time. he goes completely still, like he's frozen in place. eventually, seonghwa lets his arms fall, slapping his sides, and hangs his head down. the recurring silence is eating me alive. i want him to say something, anything. i want him to scream at me, yell at me, tell me to leave, tell me that he never even loved me.
seonghwa slowly turned around to face me, his eyes meeting mine for what felt like the first time. the tears welling up in his eyes made me choke down a quick breath and bite my tongue.
“you're my star, y/n” whispered words spill from seonghwa’s lips. words that made my heart clench and my tears fall faster.
“you can't force the stars to align, seonghwa, we’re two worlds apart.” i raised my voice slightly at him. i hate playing this back and forth game.
“two worlds apart? what do you mean, y/n?” seonghwa takes a hesitant step closer to me as he searches my eyes for the answer.
“isn't it obvious? you're an idol, seonghwa. aren't you tired of having to hide our relationship, having to pretend i don't exist, having to constantly check up on me when you're on tour? i'm doing us both a favor.” i speak loudly with my hands but the words falling from my mouth were quiet and broken up by my sobs.
“is that what this is all about? we can go public with our relationship. i don't care what happens or what anyone has to say, i just want to fix this,” seonghwa spoke rationally but i can tell by his body language that he was getting just as frustrated as me, “don't leave over something like this.”
“i guess distance doesn't always bring fondness,” i sigh and haphazardly wipe away the tears on my cheeks, “i wish i could stay with you, seonghwa”
“then stay” he makes no move to wipe his cheeks like i did. the pleading was evident within his voice, but i wasn't going to change my mind. this was the only option we had left. this was how our relationship was destined to end. we used to fantasize for hours about what our future would look like. we would stay up all night talking about our hypothetically wedding and children, but in the back of my mind i knew our words would never become a reality. i'm surprised we got as far as moving in together let alone being together for the past 5 years.
i have nothing but love for park seonghwa. that's why breaking up with him is the right thing to do. “stop trying to keep us alive”
i grab the only bag of mine that seonghwa didn't unpack and walk out of the bedroom, making a b-line for the front door of our apartment. seonghwa was close behind me, spewing incoherent sentence after sentence, begging me to stay. he grabbed onto my arm once i had reached the door.
“we’ll never be two worlds apart, my star, we’re both mars.” i can’t bear to face my soon-to-be ex-boyfriend; i just keep my head down as i silently cry.
“you're mars, my love, and i'm saturn. its been like that from the start. we’ve been two worlds apart for the past 5 years,” i gently shake seonghwa’s arm off of me and grab the doorknob, “i was never your star, but you’ll forever be mine.” i give him one last tearful look before i opened the door and left what is now seonghwa's apartment.
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requests are open !!
reposted from my old account
38 notes · View notes
wannaeatramyeon · 1 year
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mooooom! i got a request for youuu~ 💌
-young reader learned taekwondo from hansu, but never got to meet his son. so, she only knew taehoon from hansu's stories and cute photos of him aaand that's how she developed a crush on taehoon. years later, she finally meets him... but her "cute" image of him immediately shattered the moment he opened his mouth; chaos ensues 💀
this scenario has been on my mind for a while now and it makes me giggle to an unhealthy degree that i want an entire fic of it 😭 also if it wasn't obvious, i thirst for hansu content 🥺🫶 tysm in advance 🤧
p.s. i really REALLY love your fics and your writing aaaaaa 🫠 ik i already told you before and but im saying it again hehe hope you have a great day! ilyy~~ 💖💖
My dear lovely baby Rie! I saw this and thought yes, let's drop everything INCLUDING Tears of The Kingdom and write this.
But... I'm sorry, there really isn't much Hansu in this, it's very very Taehoon centric.
One of the best things about fandom is bringing people together and I'm so happy to have met you!
Seong Taehoon x Reader: Strangers to... a Not-Crush
Follow up with Hansu and Taehoon here
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You're pretty sure you're in love with this Taehoon.
The first time you heard his name was during your very first Taekwondo lessons, many many years ago
Schedules, circumstances, situtations; all the usual life happenings has stopped you both from actually meeting.
But Hansu waxes lyrical about his son. You must have heard for the hundredth time how he is a spinning prodigy, how he has surpassed Hansu at a similar age, how he will be one of the best. His name destined to be written in the history books.
As Hansu talks about his son with stars in his eyes, you can't help the shine rubbing off on you too.
.
.
"Y/N, this is Taehoon."
Your jaw drops. Sure, Hansu has shown you countless pictures. Compared to the real living thing though, the gap is so vast you might as well say he's the least photogenic person alive. That's really saying something, because Taehoon photographs well.
He's one of the prettiest boys you've ever seen.
With his lips and eyes and even his goddamn hair. Are those lashes even for real? And then you notice his stature and his muscles, his rock-solid chest and abs peeking through.
Maybe he's not pretty at all. He's fucking hot.
You jaw drops even further.
Why on earth hasn't Hansu ever shown you a full body picture, he could have at least prepared you. Like a cliche, you feel weak at the knees. You feel light-headed-
Then Taehoon opens his mouth and the illusion shatters. Splinters into a hundred million little pieces. With his next words, you've never felt more pissed off in your life.
"Keep looking pervert, and I'll pluck your eyes out,"
What the fuck is this guy's problem.
.
.
For once, the stars align, and you see each other constantly.
You curse the damn stars. You curse Hansu for passing your tutelage to Taehoon. Most of all, you curse Hansu for creating this.
The idea of Taehoon is much better than this... this fucking menace you have to see day in day out.
Taehoon makes you address him as Master. He hits you on the head for stepping out of line (you bite your tongue every goddamn time), he takes no prisoners during your spars together, makes you repeat exercises over and over until you're on all fours and trying not to throw up.
And infuriatingly, he touches you.
Little corrections with his hands, his elbows, his knees, his legs, his foot. "Your stance is shit," he tells you, "your technique is still off," as he taps the offending body parts, mere millimetres out of place. Your cheeks burn every time and your skin is on fire even hours later.
What's worse is your head swims every night with Taekwondo and Taehoon.
Lying in bed, all you can see is him. That antagonising smug smile on his lips. You want to wipe it off his stupidly handsome face.
See if he has any cutting words left when, not if, you beat him in a spar, and you gloat over him, straddling his hips, trapping him between your thighs and you can feel how aroused he is-
Oh.
Shit.
You hug your pillow tighter to your body.
This relevation is a fucking nightmare.
.
.
Taehoon reckons your skills are average at best. What he's most impressed with is your dedication and tenacity.
No matter how many times he kicks your ass, you still get back up for more. Regardless of all his nitpicking and corrections with your form, you take onboard his words and listen.
He hasn't missed that it's all through gritted teeth. Still.
He also hasn't missed you blushing and your breath catching in your throat when he touches you.
Nothing not out of necessity, all completely above board. But it's still funny. Messing with you.
Taehoon tells himself he is completely unaffected. People fawn over him all the time, you looking at him with hearts in your eyes is nothing new.
It's just amusing, that's all.
.
.
You don't know whether this is heaven or hell.
Taehoon piggybacks you all the way from the studio to the emergency room. You're so close you can almost taste him, see all his faint freckles, the vein in his temple from the exertion and concern.
All this proximity is doing nothing for your crush. Which you are determined to get over, by the way. Because this guy is a goddamn asshole and nothing else.
It was a silly accident, really. You went for an opening when there was none, causing Taehoon to mistime his kick. You collapsed like a sack of shit.
Worried hands check up on you even as his mouth runs.
"It's fine," you say, waving off his concern. When you tried to stand up, your ankle is in no mood to bear any weight.
You go down for a second time.
Taehoon's patience is unexpected. He waits with you until you are seen to.
Conversation is strained, and he doesn't talk much, just giving you wary glances every now and then.
But you fill the silence, telling him little anecdotes from your life and your day. Bridging the gap between Taekwondo and the little pieces that make up the rest of your life.
His lips quirk as you speak. The smiles aren't condescending.
Eventually, when the nurse tells you it's just a simple strain and will heal if you keep off it, Taehoon is the one that nods and asks follow up questions.
At the end of the day, after another piggyback this time to your home, you thank him for his time and he is surprised at your sincerity.
.
.
Taehoon doesn't miss you. Definitely not.
The only reason he is at your door with stew and kimchi is because his old man told him to check up on you.
You're not able to attend any lessons while you recover, and Hansu wanted to make sure you're ok. Not Taehoon. Taehoon could not care less. He also did not jump at the chance of seeing you again, so much so that even Hansu gives him a questioning look. Ridiculous.
Why is his palm sweaty? Must just be the heat. Taehoon wipes it on his jeans before knocking twice on your door.
"Come in," you call out, and Taehoon hasn't missed your voice. And he hasn't missed the sight of your face neither.
He doesn't greedily take in the colours of your bedroom, the pictures on your wall, the books on your shelf.
He doesn't memorise your handwriting when he walks past your desk, something that is so uniquely you, like a fingerprint.
And when you give him a shy smile and apologise for the mess, it doesn't affect him.
Nor when you take the proffered food and have a mouthful, Taehoon doesn't soften at this.
The ensuing silence is not comfortable. He doesn't want to stay longer. His fingers don't twitch in your presence, having grown used to casual touches with you.
.
.
This song and dance is continued for the next few weeks only because Taehoon is a good son, and an even better teacher.
He needs to check up on the welfare of his student.
And then finally, after too long, when you show up at the studio again, Taehoon's heart absolutely does not soar.
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technologyculturedneo · 11 months
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Secret Room. Jaemin
"What happened that night, should stay between us. I don't know you and you don't know me. Got it?"
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PAIRING. husband!Na Jaemin x detective intern!Reader
SUMMARY. Na Jaemin. A decent young respectable business man, husband, father and family affair man. He's idolized, admired, and highly praised with high esteem within his social circle. However, his morally perfect world falls apart when getting entangled with you in a one night stand. One lustfully pleasing night together doesn’t prepare you for the chaos that soon follows when Jaemin is accused of murdering his daughter. The crazy thing, is that you know he didn't do it, because he was with you that night, but now you’re tasked with writing a report on his innocence guilt.
WARNINGS. Mentions of: Death (both minor and heavy), Smut (including and not limited to cheating, heavy/soft intercourses, pussy eating kink, foreplay, dry humping, dom and sub con, consensual etc.) And Cursing (minor use)
GENRE. Longshot! Side chick and husband romance. Cheating scandal. Strangers to lovers(?) Angst yet lively. Gore but only towards the end. Twisted cheating romance.
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You've been an intern detective writer for more over 9 months now and you're extremely prideful in the work you do. Being able to 'have eyes at the back of your head' or being known as 'sharp’ is an esteemed word and/or phrase that your higher executives prefer to use when describing you. Maybe you're selfish and tend to be heavily guarded, and perhaps even self centered, however- as you see everything and nothing gets past you, you're surprised how you let a man slip right through your rib cage and straight into your soul.
With that title in head, you should've known from the moment you stumbled through the unfamiliar door, that the man you were about to fuck was a father, a husband. Of course the signs weren't there when you entered the dark house, when you began making out radically and bumping left and right into things. The signs weren't there, however the wall you pushed him against had a framed picture of him wearing an adorned suit and a lady dressed in heavenly white. You could only make out her smile as it was too dark, but something in you told you she was his. You should've stopped, but the need to satisfy your craving was so strong. You continued to suck his face off as he ran his hands up your waist to unzip the zipper of your tightened leather black dress. You laughed into the kiss as he gripped your flesh underneath your thigh and sat your body up onto a dresser which made you slightly elevated- you aligned yourself in a position where your lips would still be attached as your hands roamed his dark hair while he began pulling your strapless dress down. His eyes, star gaze with a black hole of lust, looked up into your own thirsty sinister eyes after taking in the view of your nudity, of you not wearing underwear.
"Very naughty," he laughed instantly diving for your thighs with sloppy and hungry kiss bites. "Can I?"
"Anything you want Mr Big Shot,"
As his slippery tongue meets up with your heated core you buck up into his face moaning out aloud, your whole body radiating with pleasure. Your arms shoot back trying to maintain your balance against the dresser- that you don't notice when you knock over more framed pictures. The framed pictures consists of a young girl being held tightly and wrapped in the arms of her loving parents, another photo is of the man and his wife smiling after a graduation they had attended for their daughter finishing pre school and the last two of the man's daughter starting out in her first grade and winning an award. The shattering sounds of the frames are covered by the loud gasping moan that leave your lips. You're groaning out the married man's name.
A name which you've only learnt an hour ago, yet someone else who's learnt it for a far longer period- tries as hardest as they can to scream it out. Trying to scream out (without a clue of how) for help. Tears spread across the eyes of the watcher as blood drips from their forehead, and clogs the person's throat, while they still try so hard to scream out the name. "Abah-"
"Ahh~" However, you, eluded with pleasure passionately yell out his name only making him laugh and the vibration coursing all around your body. "Jaemin don't stop," You breathe, gasping out when your legs begin to shake. Although he pulls his moist lips and tongue away from your core, they travel up your navel to your breast before finally getting to your neck just as he unfastens his belt and prepares his hard shaft for your entrance. He picks you up by your thighs again, balancing your body weight against the dresser. His hips are hard and fast paced when slamming straight into you. You arch your back just as his teeth grunt out by how warm and soft you feel inside of him, his eyes erotically shut by how good you feel against him while he continues placing sweet bites on your chest. Being overwhelmed by pleasure you shut your eyes tightly as his eyes roam down your figure. His thumbs playing with your nipples at the same time trying to ravage the dress off your body.
"Feels good, doesn't it?" You pant out. "I still don't believe this is your first time. You're a professional,"
"Not my first time," Jaemin breaks s smile from his pleasured erotic face. "But I've never had it like this, you feel so good,"
"I know," You moan out, straining your eyes to stay open and fixed on his sensational gaze, but your eyes shut in ecstasy.
His voice raspy and hot rhetorically edging you on, fucking you dumb and senseless that you can barely open up your eyes. His eyes are all over your face, his hands patting your head gently running his fingers through your hair. "You're so warm."
Jaemin thrusts hard into you, sweat dripping down the middle of his back and forming on patches of his forehead. The last time he went this hard, was probably too far into his past to collect, (too far and way back) however tonight, being balls deep into your core and feeling his own heart emulate with so much pleasure. His lips press onto the side of your neck, while burying himself deeply into your throbbing and clinching core as his hand grip hard onto your skin.
Your eyes flatter open, but all you can see are stars in the darkened room before your eyes roll to the back of your head. "Oh my soul," you pant out, still feeling him, squeezing him, the surge of pleasure coating your entire being.
When meeting him at the bar, you immediately wanted to fuck him. However, he intrigued you by his way of talking and you ended up... indulging into the conversation, sharing and actually getting to know him. That's why, as he's thrusting with layers of passion, and you feel just how much he wants you, you know just how much he needs this. He mentioned his life being surrounded by doing things for others, that he never got to do anything for himself. You couldn't relate, however after engaging with him and sorta trying to to understand him (which was out of character for you) you really wanted to satisfy him especially since it's what he wanted.
His whole body is attentive to you and you can absolutely feel just how concentrated he is. Him caring for you and solely taking time to please you- especially after getting to know him, only makes you want to treasure his heart. It's not everyday a random stranger pours out their soul and actually gets you to listen. Most of the time, if someone didn't give you what you wanted, you wouldn't spare a second on them. Yet somehow you feel open to this man...
He feels so good to you. It's so good that you lose your mind when you're suddenly picked up and placed carefully against the couch and he's in you once again.
He takes his time, not fast as before, yet with the same passion his lips kiss every part of your body. He carefully calls out your name, whispering how good you feel, how soft your body is, how inviting you are and how glad he is to have met you. He's so engrossed in praising you, and it's so contagious that you pass on the same praises as you get down on your knees taking your turn in making him feel special.
He deserves an award. You make sure that as you suck him off, that your eyes are on his gorgeous ones, blessing him with the sight of how good you feel sucking him off. He bites his lips panting out softly. You watch as the pleasure builds up in his face. His hand passes through your hair when you go deeper on his shaft and your tongue glaze over his balls. His toes are clinching together and his teeth are so tight on his lip that he throws his neck back in ecstasy when feeling the blood. You're taking him in so well that it takes everything in him not to bust in your mouth- your warm mouth that salivates as you gag onto him using your hand as well to pump him up and down as you start choking yourself on his dick.
His grip that's on your hair gets tighter that he lets go afraid of hurting you- instead his hips have a mind of their own especially when thrusting up into your mouth a bit more faster then your original pace. He squeezes onto the chair but you take a hold of his hand allowing him to squeeze you instead. With one hand in his and the other supporting you in stroking him, you're sure that he's holding himself in to not let go yet. You go faster and faster, his timid groans growing louder and deeper and his grip gets tighter and harder, the pressure rising and creating tight knots that-
"Shit!"
He squirts out in plentiful flows of passion. His eyes adjust to the new found bliss, his body relaxes into the new sensation of pleasure and his dick moves on its own with happiness- jolting and twitching. It leaves his dick in streams and long strokes that makes him shocked by his own cum. Or maybe he's so shocked by how well you open up your mouth and stick out your tongue, not allowing a single sperm to leave your mouth. His wife would never. You swallow down the salty flavored goo and laugh out by his worn out appearance.
"Have you never been sucked before?" He shakes his head with stars still in his eyes as he tries to catch his breath. You smile and rub his knees as the desire and urge takes over you to take over him when his member comes to life again. "Well Jaemin, I'm gonna make you feel so good tonight. Do you wanna feel good?"
He doesn't even know how to respond, but with the way his member jolts forward again you read his excited eyes and go on.
Another round of his passion oozing out of him and dropping onto you, has you feeling really special and lucky. You've gratefully caught a big pot of gold with Jaemin. You both can't stop moaning out each other's name. Your bodies merging so well and instantly that you feel almost delusional and believe you've found the one. You can't help it, you've never experienced a one night stand like this. It started out as talking and then fucking for pleasure, but now you're joined and connected on the couch as if you were blissfully talking as you were in the bar. You feel as though you are carved for him, that your body was carved for him alone. You both explore different positions and even have him eat you out again- it's something he really wanted to try and you told him to do as he pleased because truly he deserved all the pleasure. After all, you both wanted to benefit something from this one night stand. If you were being honest, it was more then a one night stand. You felt joint t him.
With the way you both aligned, you can't help but want to give him your number, just so that he can hit you up whenever. You'd surely fall on your knees for him again. And you can't say that for everybody.
After half an hour of going down on each other and filling each other up with your fluids, you're resting on the long couch against Jaemin's chest with his arms wrapped around you- securing you.
The lights are on. They're slightly dimmed down.
Your arms hold him around his torso as you bask in the silence and soft lullaby of your breaths. Your warm bodies heating each other up. Your legs tangle again with his, loving the feel of having him so close to you. His eyes are shut drifting in and out of sleep, while yours are open. He wants to compliment you at how great you were without sounding too strange or being delusional, so he tries his best to look for the words.
Meanwhile your eyes are suddenly dead open and panned to a photo frame on the wall. You were simply staring at the photo thinking of how great Jaemin was that you didn't pay mind to the photo... until you saw the smile of the woman in the photo.
The photo... he's happily looking down at the petite shining woman with beautiful short brown hair. Like you stated, you knew he was married because of the photos that kept looking at you while you both fucked. But you didn't really think he was married!
You're absolutely gutted upon seeing the photos. Your eyes roam around to see what else you can find, and surely the living room is packed with photos on different sides. Not only of the lady that seems to be his wife, but of a young girl. Your lips tremble in anger and you close your eyes.
You hate the feeling you're feeling for only now realizing that he is a married man and you've slept with him. A married man with a child. It's only now that you feel an odd object on his left hand. It must be his ring. Fuck. The feeling of guilt, shame and deception wash over you that you slowly retreat your hands from his torso.
You hate being in this position. The position of being a middle woman.
You aren't a middle woman- yet you've been in this position one too many times. But unlike the other times, you don't leave right away. You want to know why. Why he'd cheat?
Well... assuming his wife isn't dead or he didn't divorce. You'd feel so much more better that he's single, but with the pictures around and the ring on his finger, you don't want to fool yourself. His warm chest and bulging arms have you in a state of warmth feeling safe, yet his deceitful nature makes you feel dirty and raw. Does he hold his wife like this, or is it only you?
"Jaemin," You call softly onto his name, hearing him hum out in the same silk like voice as yours. He's surely feeling too peaceful around you, because the second he hums out, his hands trace your back again and he plants a kiss on the top of your head.
"Yes?"
"Did you enjoy it?"
His low chuckle is from the inside, it gurgles out of him and you can tell there's a smile on his face- a large one that is. He nods his head, licking his lips. He still doesn't have any words for how satisfied he is feeling, but since you've brought it up, his lips are running even before he can think. "I really did. It felt so good- in fact you felt so good. I can't explain it in words, but I.... The best I've had in years, actually,"
You're left speechless. Completely speechless. If you didn't know about his wife, you'd feel good that you did a go job, you'd even take it a step further and ask if he wanted to hook up more with you- because surely tonight, a bond was made.
Except you don't want any part of him, knowing he's got his own.
"Where's your wife?"
Your question forces his eyes to stop wondering and to snap back into a distressed reality. He isn't expecting that.
Your tone isn't even sharp, but when it leaves your lips you're sure he feels it too. He feels how disappointed and disgusted you are in him. "I get that we’re both grown adults and can do whatever the fuck we want, but was this really necessary? Are you kidding me? Fuck,” You roll your eyes.
Jaemin stays silent. Shame. A disappointing reality where he can't have what he wants. His arms try to rest around you a little longer but you're already turning and shifting, which makes him uncomfortable.
"I was transparent with you. So why lie to me?" You utter out. Trying to let him know that you made him an exception into your heart.
He seemed so true and good. Someone you wouldn't mind meeting again. But now, you've just stained him. He stained you too, yet you wonder why you're feeling upset instead of angry. Maybe because you feel betrayed again...and not by him...but by your ex. Your ex who was everything but faithful to you.
"A guy like you seems so loyal. So why?" You ask.
"You wouldn’t have agreed to sleep with me if you knew I was married.” Jaemin sits up detaching his arms from your body making you feel cold. His tone is monotone. As if he's shut down. “I too was transparent when I said I only want sex."
"Do you honestly think this was only sex?"
"Thanks for tonight." Jaemin avoids the question, you feel angry when he wears his pants with no shame or remorse within his tone.
You don't even waste another second in his presence as you begin to dress up as well. Feeling dirty as if you cheated on yourself. You clean yourself up with the tissue handkerchief in your purse and throw it in the bin. You walk over to the door (that you first stumbled into with Jaemin) and you sigh out. You fish for your phone, calling on a taxi cab.
Once you make the call waiting for the taxi to come, your eyes are latched onto Jaemin who moves around the living room (where you two were intimate) and cleans up all the traces of shame making sure that everything is cleaned up neatly and back into place. He cleans up the house and sweeps the broken glass pieces before finishing and standing by the door, nervously watching you as you impatiently wait for your ride.
His eyes are soft and keep still on you. His hands fidgeting not knowing where to be, on his hair, pocket, fixing his shirt- you wonder why he's nervous, but you ignore him.
"Thank you for the night. I enjoyed it." His little smile flatters his face upon looking at your upset face. “Do you think we could meet up again?”
You roll your eyes glaring in his direction. "You're such an asshole. Do you not feel guilty?"
"Can we please not talk about that? Can we just... ignore it?" He's backsliding again. Creating a smoke screen, as if what he did won't come into light. "Did I make you feel good?" He goes on.
You feel guilty watching him do that, watching him watch you with eyes of excitement. How does he feel no shame for what he did?
Upon the arrival of your taxi, the guilt washes away and you slam his door making sure to leave the shame behind. You didn't want any of that. You don't want any of that. You don't want to be reminded of how good it felt, because by doing that you're only cheating again in your mind to a poor woman who most likely didn't deserve it.
You clinch your jaw the whole drive, thinking of how perfect Jaemin felt. You're angry at yourself for letting your pussy feel things, for letting your heart feel attached. If you knew he was a father, a husband- you wouldn't even have slept with him- so then why did you continue even after seeing the pictures of him and his wife?
Pussy over brain?
Perhaps because of how much he put into it?
Maybe because, you know that he looked at you, but his attention was in your heart.
Love at first sight? Lust at first sight? Which was it?
He literally made love to you...that wasn't fucking, that was love making. You know the pain of being cheated on, so for you to be feeling this- just makes you wonder if Haechan, your ex, was just as into it as Jaemin.
You caught Haechan, sleeping in bed with the girl. You don't know whether she forgot to leave or if he wanted her to stay (the same way Jaemin asked you), but one thing you do know is that she stayed with him and cuddled up so close to him. He looked so peaceful. You got in the room and even had enough time to sit and watch them wake up together. They kissed until they noticed your presence. In an instant Haechan with unknown speed and adrenaline- he jolted with such worry on his face and begged for your forgiveness in hopes that you'd forgive him.
That stupid fucker forgot he was butt naked when apologizing to you.
Is Jaemin feeling like he's on top of the clouds because he didn't get caught? Maybe he is. But you know how this whole cheating thing ends. Although you and Haechan broke up years ago, it still stung, as it left a dirty impact on you. It the reason you started sleeping around, to avoid the pain. It's also the reason you focused on getting ahead in your workplace. Anything and everything to make yourself by dwell.
And now thinking of Jaemin's wife, you can't help but harden your heart.
Stupid men.
Jaemin will get caught one day.
You just hope that you'll never ever be in a position that'll ever make you look like a middle woman. Again.
Of course, over the years after your break up, you slept around and the guilt came from sleeping with other men who were in relationships and the women had caught you sleeping with their significant other.
It's traumatic and you're refusing to experience or relive those moments again. All because of what happened tonight.
Love is dying because of people like you.
So when you get back home laying down on your bed you close your eyes and force yourself to sleep. Although your body is tired and wants to sleep, your soul is awake and reliving the moments you spent in Jaemin's arms. The way he held you and made you feel his all was absolutely something new for you. Usually on your day off from the Police Academy, you'd spend your full day and night in the house resting up your body from the intense police training. However whenever you'd feel spontaneous and a bit horny, you'd walk out your house in the most eye catching outfit and make your way to the bar. Most of the guys you'd meet were not talkers and just went straight for the gist of fucking you. However Jaemin...
"Why can't I stop thinking about him?" You stuff your head on the pillow.
He initiated such an intriguing conversation, capturing your attention for the whole night. Very soft spoken with his raspy voice, had hooking eyes and a mesmerizing smile. You thought he was drunk out of his mind, turns out that's when he's the most functional when trying to hide his stress. The burning lust was behind those sluttery words he'd use to describe how 'so sexy' you were. The sex talk sorta just happened when you put your desires aside to talk and engage with him. You spent your night talking in sexy and tried your hardest to not pounce on his handsome self.
Your conversations involved smut talk, erotica fantasy thoughts and flirtatious touches here and there. He was so dignified and interesting that when he asked you to go back to his place with him, you didn't hesitate to accept. The moment you got close to the door he said he wanted to kiss you, to make sure he wasn't going to regret his choice- and then right outside that bar, you began making out with him. And my oh my was he impeccable. He was a fine young looking man with the sex drive of a demon and you had expectations. He met them for sure- but at what cost?
Hurting his wife and kid while trying to please himself.
You drift off to sleep, ending your Sunday night...pre Monday morning with thoughts over the man Jaemin and how you've landed yourself another mark on being a middle woman.
This has to stop.
So when you wake up Monday morning with determination, you make sure to be set and focused and not think about the night you had. You want to do good today, to make up for the bad of the previous night.
And luckily for you, the moment you get there's a case ready and prepared to be investigated on.
"You'll go with Detective Jaehyun." Your eyes widen when you hear your name paired with the fast paced senior of your entire company district, Detective Jung Jaehyun.
Without wasting a second you get off the discussion table and run behind Jung Jaehyun when his long legs are already walking out the door. You've been on the field for about 13 months now, and you know which ways to go prior to your previous supervisors. It's due to discipline, priority, hard work and dedication why you were the remaining intern out of a set of 10 who you came in with. Each month, you kept pushing yourself and redeeming your qualities to prove yourself worthy to be a full working member of the KPS detectives.
So setting on your game face, you follow Jaehyun who's already outside the building looking at his clock while leaning on his car.
"3 minutes late." He says when looking up at you with a stern gaze.
You point your hand backwards. "The elevator was-"
"That's not my business. Are there no stairs? Exactly." Jaehyun opens his door inserting his foot inside and getting in.
You quickly follow, not wanting to set a bad impression of yourself, after all if you're paired with him it must mean that they've finally recognized your skill set and are (probably) ready to have you in their company.  And what better way to know if you're ready then to send you off on a serious case mission with one of the most toughest trooper alive.
"Once dismissed and sent on field, you should be in the car within a minute. Child murder cases are one of the most toughest, as families expect the police to quote on quote do something. As if it's somehow our fault that these things happen."
You say nothing as Jaehyun retaliates and communicates all by himself somehow having an issue with the case- but from his words you can tell that he also has a problem being paired (or stuck on babysitter mode as he said) with you. Without even a single breath from your end, he drives and follows the GPS coordinates for the house you're supposed to meet the family. Being time sensitive, Jaehyun is already driving into the drive through by the 15 minute mark and walking up the stairs with you following behind grumpily- not long after a minute, other police cars begin to show up.
"I don't want a word from your corner. Zip it until you're spoken to." Jaehyun states as he knocks on the door of the family. "However, what you can do, is what you're interned here for. Write. Write as much as you can about the scene and when we get back to the office, you leave it on my desk. I'll go over it and see if you're needed on the case or not. Tip of advice, make it good because if it were up to me, you'd be gone 4 months ago with the other rookies. There's no room for selfish and standoffish personalities in crime and investigation. Hate to cut it to you, but you don't belong here. Your continuation with our department all depends on the report you'll leave on my desk. Got it?"
Sucking in a breath, you nod your head just in time for the door to swing open with a teary eyed woman.
Only been on the scene a few times, you've managed to always keep a poker face to conceal all your emotions, yet when the broken mother breaks down with every word she tells the officer and investigators you can't help but show just a little bit of emotion.
Sincerely hoping that perhaps you can sympathies with her. Okay...maybe you also did it for selfish reasons being that if she warms up to you, she may prefer to talk to you a lot and that would mean Jaehyun would need to back off. After all, your job is suddenly on the line again.
You walk around the house taking down note of the scenery presented wondering from where you'll start. According to the mother, she has reason to believe that her daughter was killed. Even though there's no body present, the bloody scene of the child's room and even the corridor that has a trail of blood is evidential enough to back up her theory. In the process of writing down and paying close attention to detail and conversation, your mind slowly starts to divert...
Especially after walking into the living room...
There's a long couch. A fireplace. Some dressers with pictures on top. There's also an entry that leads to a long hallway before the front door.
Your lips get dry when your full focus is brought upon one large picture hanging on the hall.
It's a wedding canvas of a woman and man happily linked together.
Jaehyun scoffs. "To think, a murder case occuring to an infamous business man."
"It's too early to suspect anyone, but we're strongly leaning on the husband." An investigator states lowly while entering the living room with Jaehyun. "His side of the story doesn't add up or make any sense. He claims he wasn't at home yet his wife says otherwise. And then he said he came home for a little while but went out again, because he received a work call. But when we asked again he said he went to a club. His narrative gradually became harder to follow, he mentioned that the child went for a sleep over but the wife said something else, but he kept pushing out different stories until he said he'd go out to clear his head."
"How many months is she pregnant?” Jaehyun asks casually seeing you frozen in the living room.
“Hasn’t said a word, seems to be in her prime months so perhaps 4 or 5, fuck me even 2, who knows?” The investigator states.
“Let’s be careful to not start out with a bang." Jaehyun mentions after following your gaze, taking one look at the enlarged photo on the wall. "After all they are public figures." He sighs upon recognizing the face of the man, or rather the already proclaimed suspect. "Owner of Cyberport Cultured Neo Hotels. We need to make sure we’ve got solid and hard proof to pin him down, otherwise this will be a case the media will intrude in. We don’t want that. Got it?"
"Yes sir," The investigator nods his head.
"Well were is he?" Jaehyun sighs while stuffing his hands in his pockets.
Your ears are alert when hearing a door shut. Your eyes divert to the figure emerging from the hall way and it feels like deja vu all over again. Suddenly the hallway where you passionately made out seems to be so clear and vivid in your mind. You can see yourself moaning out his name and him carrying you and placing you on the dresser with pictures. You blink your eyes, hoping that the man that you see now is not the man that you were with hours ago. He's dressed in a black leather jacket. The same leather jacket you set your eyes on at the late night club, the same leather jacket you helped to remove while in your prime thirst of lustful need, that same jacket that fitted and adorned the man who made you feel all sorts of wild emotions of ecstasy and bliss, the man who kissed and called your name like you were making love in heaven...that same man is now looking back at you.
But instead of pure need and lust- his face is struck with horror.
"Jaemin?" You whisper out.
Your name leaves his lips barely above a whisper and he can't help but be frozen in place when remembering your features. He wanted to meet you again...but he didn't think it'd be this soon...in this circumstance. Here you are in the light of his house, wearing a black uniform with a local departments badge on your shoulder, looking just as crazed as he is.
It feels like you've been caught. “Shit.”
It feels like you can’t breath, and if matters can’t get any worse, his wife walks in the living room. Her petite frame looms below him and in her dried out and tear stained face, she wraps her arms around his neck placing a light peck on his lips muttering words of encouragement and asking if he’s feeling any better. As she brings his frozen head down to peck his lips, his eyes are dead locked on your own- even when his wife’s lips touch his, his eyes are only on you. Your chest rises up and down before you spin around rapidly blinking and clearing your throat ignoring the daunting look of Jaehyun. 
-
Jaehyun leans over his desk folding his arms. Ever since the crime scene log, you were very spaced out and Jaehyun wondered why is it that you’ve been on edge. 
Your legs anxiously shake as you grip the material of your trousers, eyes long zoned out with your appearance resembling a corpse. Jaehyun picks up the report again, peeking up from your printed out report feedback sheet taking in your distraught face trying to get your attention, which is far gone. He reads over the last paragraph again before setting the papers on the desk calmly. You don’t budge.
“I’ll get straight to the point.” Jaehyun speaks just as you find yourself jumping in your seat upon hearing his voice. “Do you know Mr. Na Jaemin?”
Jaehyun’s question forces you to grow alert and anxious. Your freaking job is on the line, and you’ve been partnered up with a bulldozer official detective who will not hesitate to send you home- one wrong move and your whole career is gone. You hesitantly nod your head pursing your dry lips together before answering. “He’s a pioneer working in the most sought out for hotels. He’s infamous. Why would I not know him?”
“Valid.” Jaehyun nods his head, yet lifts up the report as if proving an unknown point. “Then what is this report? Out of everyone in the house, you only saw it fit to interview or rather lay out your facts on him? Was he the only person in the house? Aside from that, regarding the report, it seems that you’re exclusively trying to defend him.”
“What?” Your eyes widen. “No.”
“He’s the only name on this report, alongside the other mindless information you put in.”
Your lips stutter before the words come out. “That’s b-because you and the investigators are adamant on locking him up as if he’s the culprit. We’ve barely had enough time to investigate yet you’re already pinning him-”
“Is there anything wrong with claiming he’s a suspect?”
“No there isn’t, but-”
“But what?” Jaehyun leans on his desk his gaze going over your stressed out face. “What is it? Why are you eyes set on him?”
Your head itches and you so desperately want to scratch it without looking like an idiot. Did you really only write about Jaemin? “I’m sorry sir, but he’s a well-known figure. His daughter got murdered-”
“He was in the house at the time it happened.” Jaehyun interrupts. “Is that not suspicious to you?”
You breathe out knowing your argument is weak and could get you removed off premises effective immediately. “It’s not. The whole scene is too clean and the way it’s playing out with Jaemin being a suspect is already suspicious! H-how sure are we that he was the only one in the house? I’m telling you that there has to be someone else behind this. We didn’t even investigate. Have you ever been in a situation where a crime is happening and you have no idea that it’s taking place- yet coincidentally you’re at the place and happen to be a victim but everyone is pointing you out to be a culprit? I strongly believe that this is the position in which Na Jaemin is in. There are many rooms in that house specifically 4. One for him and his...wife and the other was for his child. He could’ve been in his study while the crime was taking place, more over he could’ve been doing something else, who knows, he doesn’t want to expose what he was doing, however in his eyes I can tell that he didn’t do it. Maybe he forgot to close the door and an intruder entered and he couldn’t hear a thing because the intruder was quick. Perhaps the intruder was already in the house when he claimed that he got back, or even the intruder could be someone that works in the house. Who knows? Maybe-"
"You're an intern right?" His question completely stops you. You realized that you've gone overboard in Jaemin's defense. However that's not what the Detective Jaehyun says, because his next words are so sharp that you wished you never even opened up your mouth. "Prove his innocence. I want to know where he was, what he was doing and most importantly how he didn't know his daughter was in the next room being killed. Full report, facts, witnesses and most importantly and effective is evidence."
You breathe.
"If you wish to be a detective writer and want to keep your job here, show me that fire." He gets up picking his black leather jacket on his chair. "I've got cartel, intel and speculations, I usually work alone yet for your intern benefits I'll be trusting you with the victim slash but not comfortable suspect. Try not to mess up. That fire in your eyes right now is what I want to see in your report. Get working."
_
You feel like your heart has stopped.
Because you knew exactly were Jaemin was out through the night of the murder, you thought that you had some leverage and could easily persuade the expecting heart of Detective Jung Jaehyun. However your entire world falls apart when a portion of the evidence you'd use was already tainted with your presence. You had gone to the club where you met Jaemin and with your badge of authority demanded the tapes for analysis.
The owner gave you the section part you asked for (22:00-00:00), with all the relevant angles of the outside area as well as inside. Sitting by your assigned desk going through the video, you felt a peak of satisfaction watching over you as Jaemin's figure entered the bar and the camera caught it in 4k- heck you could even say 5k because of how clear the footage was. He sat on the bar stool that was close to the entrance and the timestamp was within the hours of the murder. He spent a long time in there continuously drinking. Your smile enlightened your face and you couldn't help but already begin on your report.
Everything came crashing down the moment you stupidly realized that you were also there! It didn't help that when you looked at the screen you saw a feminine figure with jet black long hair and a leather black body con dress sit close to Jaemin. At first you're confused of seeing the lady...until you realize IT'S YOU!
Right there in 4k- heck 5K, your back is to the camera yet when you get up and turn around your face can be seen clearly. You and Jaemin share a drink and although your convo is muted, you spend a long time with Jaemin and the timestamp draws nearer to the predicted hour of the incident. You physically shy away and frail like a lizard when Jaemin in the footage moves close to your seemingly expectant self and his lips attach to yours. His kiss - as you remember - was slow yet passionate. He's someone who kisses with his all. Seeing his lips against yours- you can't help but feel an intense amount of guilt wash over you when thinking of his pregnant sweet wife. She didn't deserve this but for some reason a cruel master above has set you up for defamation.
Jaemin takes a hold of your hand and pays for the half finished drinks before leading you to the back. You follow with the security camera and when Jaemin makes it to the backdoor- your eyes pop out when the heavy make out session between the two of you turns wild. You're brought back to that night, how badly you wanted to take him in, make him cum in you right there and didn't care for whoever's watching.
You instantly get out of the security camera footage sending all the files to a little USB drive. You quietly sit in your seat with your head pressed up against your palms. What the hell were you going to do now? Your thoughts are all over the place and you lose track of time not realizing that the sky slowly changes colour; from a sky blue to an almost faded pink-orange hue.
"Fuck." You lowly curse. "What am I going to do now?"
After a moment of thought and moment of silence you get up from your seat and head out. As an intern, you aren't allowed to have a company car and any forms of transportation you'd need, you would need to go with Detective Jung Jaehyun. But with what you were going to do, there's no way you'd want him to tag along. You stand by the lift while sending in a request for an Uber driver.
The thought of an Uber driver makes you think about the night prior when you ordered an Uber driver home... Could it be possible that there was any surveillance outside while you left? If so, that could really help.
Once you're outside and notice the sky color you wonder if you should just clock out instead, but with the driver already outside you don't think twice and just go. The street area is quiet, vacant and you wonder if any houses have security camera as there are no poles of cameras around. You mentally note in your head to check the surrounding blocks and houses nearby if they've got outside cams just in case there aren't any security cams.
As expected some police car departments are present. Cautiously announcing your presence, you're met with only the usual yellow tape surrounding the house with a cleanup team. However the small family of mother and father.....actually the husband and wife, aren't there. With the investigation going on and their daughters blood stains everywhere, they thought it would be best to leave the house vacant so they're staying at a hotel. Thankfully you're given the address, the address of the infamous hotel in which Jaemin owns, but when you catch the sight of the backyard and the sight of black hair with an infamous jacket you sigh out in relief.
It hasn't even yet been a day. You came to work, introduced to your partner, met the family of whom you were to investigate their daughters murder, got appointed to Jaemin, went to the club to get tapes, came back to work to watch the taped and finally being met here...in Jaemin's house, where everything began. You can't help but sigh. It's already been such a long day and afternoon and all you want is get the case over and done with. You didn't like that your private life was on the line of a murder investigation. The faster your prove Jaemin's innocence, the faster you can redeem your position at work and actually be assigned an intern role where you can prove yourself and skills.
This case, with Jaemin in it, isn't proving your skills, it's dangerous and could tarnish your reputation and adding a black stamp and disapproval. You truly need this job, and the faster your finish it, the faster you can move on from this whole mess.
Walking down the backyard stairs and across the little garden where you see Jaemin's eyes fixed on the something in his hand. As you get closer, you see it's a little beige wrist band. "Listen," you start out, probably alarming him because his head sharply snaps to you. Ignoring his tired face, you breathe out. "We need to talk about us."
Jaemin blinks and his jaw clinches. He wipes on his red eyes with back of his hand before they disappear in the pockets of his black leather jacket.
"I found the security-"
"My fucking daughter just died."
Are the first words to leave his lips. They're quiet, yet they were sharp to silence you.
He tilts his head to the side, while his eyes shimmer with disappear. "And you're here wanting to talk about us?"
Your mouth closes feeling your heart shrink by your insensitivity. Jaemin's eyes scrunch up with such distaste, before they're remorseful and turn away.
"She died in my house while I was fucking you and you want to talk about us right now? You came all the way to..."
He can't even look at you, and inside your soul you break by his will to hold himself together while he terribly struggles as the tears leave his eyes. He's quick to use his back hand to wipe the tears but they're already apparent to you.
"My daughter... my little girl...my healthy precious gem, my princess is dead somewhere out there and missing. Fucking missing...and you..." Jaemin's lips tremble. And his tired eyes, exhausted red eyes get watery and your heart stops. He exhales and closes his eyes stuffing his hand with that little beige wrist band in his pocket before glaring up at you. "Don't you dare think that just because we slept together makes us official. What happened that night should stay between us. I don't know you and you don't know me. Got it?"
You're so wrapped up in not getting your ass fired that you forget that something so sensitive had happened. Despite him cheating, he has...had a daughter who he cared for. You see it in his eyes when he blinks and a tear falls down from his eye. He's quick to wiping it away, but it's enough to cause a vain to bulge from his forward and for his face to furrow while looking down.
Your heart aches.
You've always loved the idea of starting a family. You remember that when you were still with Haechan all the conversations you'd had about kids. You both wanted kids. So to see someone who had a kid be in mourning, makes you feel so insensitive.
Did you even care to see the face of the child who was killed?
Even a picture?
No.
All you thought about, was your one night stand with the father of the child.
Your eyes pane down to your clasped hands. "I'm so sorry. I really am." You try to look for the words but you're speechless. You don't have your own kids, so you wouldn't know what he's feeling. But you gulp down and turn back to him, who had taken out the band again to simply look at it. "How old was she?"
It was already in your report briefing file, but after being so insensitive you figure that you could at least pay your respects.
Jaemin sniffs back and you can hear just how much he's holding back. "E-eight." The word alone gets Jaemin in a slump mode. He shuts his eyes tightly. "I'm such a terrible parent, she was in the house and I was with-" he stops himself sucking in a sharp breath.
"Jaemin." You gulp, feeling a different feel to when calling his name. As much as you hate being the middle woman, something about being present with him during that moment makes you feel thankful that you were with him. The fact that you know he's innocent makes you thankful. "You're innocent. You didn't do anything-"
"And because I didn't do anything she was killed. She tried to call for me, but I mistook it to be your moan." He gasps out. "I was in...the house when my...I should've listened to my gutt."
He grunts out and you can hear just how frustrated and gloomy he is at himself. "The reports said she was mute," you quietly add trying to understand what he meant by heard. Surely you would've heard, but she's...she was mute.
"She's deaf. Can't hear anything. Not mute. She's been trying to talk, while wearing hearing aids of course. But, she was still learning." Jaemin scratches the back of his neck shaking his head, the tears making an appearance yet again. "They think I killed her, but can you just imagine how scared she might've felt? Possibly trying to scream with her lungs without a clue how? Or even gasping for air while frantically trying to move her hands? She was scared...my baby, alone in her room, her father in the living room." He sniffs back maintaining a deep breath, cooling himself down. "And now her body is nowhere to be found. At first I thought she could be alive, but after seeing all that blood, her missing body and all these police, ambulance, detectives...you... I just.."
Jaemin slowly crumbles forcing his tears back. Your hand hesitantly lands on his back. Sucking in a cold breath you calmly move your hand along his back in a soothing manner. "We'll find her. I know it's not comforting but we'll find her for you. I'm sorry that this has happened."
"I just can't get out of my head how much she tried to do something. I even think she tried to call for help. Her blood shows how she struggled. There's a messy beeline from her bed to the hallway. It stops right by the bar of stairs." Jaemin runs his hands through his hair, looking into the air. "I swear I heard her voice, I know now that it was her. She tried to call me..."
You hum out quietly. "What does she call you?"
To that, he shuts his eyes tilting his head in agony. He whispers out. "She calls me Abahbah when wearing her hearing aid.. I heard it...she blabbed it out and I ignored it, thinking it was..."
The sounds that leave his lips are one of despair and disappointment.
"She hates wearing it, but she loves hearing my voice." Jaemin scoffs in pity. "If she was wearing her hearing aid, it would be such horrible sounds to hear. Her father moaning out and having the time of his life with someone who's not even his wife..."
All you can do is stand and listen, hearing your heart break every time he reveals a piece about his daughter. His daughter.
"I'm sorry to ask this," His head train to the beige wrist band again. "Can you stay?"
You don't know why that makes you feel relieved, however you feel warm inside knowing he needs...no...he wants you to stay. "Of course,"
"I mean you don't have to but-"
"I'll stay as long as I can," You tell him. "Do you need me to make you some tea? Something to drink?"
While being with him, you realize that it doesn't always have to be about you.
_
Getting back home that night, you can't fall asleep.
A part of you already knew that you'll most likely not fall asleep until this case is done. But now instead of dread, your head is driven to actually assisting the case in finding out what really happened. It kind of brings you back to you past self who was adamant and selfless.
Although Jaemin was in his feels and rambling out his thoughts, he assisted you with Intel to the case. And truly speaking when you entered back in the house, you got out your own camera to take the pictures of the child's blood line from her bed to the hallway. Such a pitiful sight to see. Her father and some random woman. The guilt washes away when you think of it as helping her to find out who took her body.
You want to believe that she's alive, but by the third day upon entering the office you know that her tiny 8 year old body that was in serious drainage of blood and lack of water, couldn't survive. Within three days, you visited Jaemin's wife, Chae and spent a lot of time with her. You learnt just how much Jaemin was a family man as well as well respected and loved because his friends and parents where at the hotel with Chae. They comforted and cried together with her. You helped around a bit with making tea and making sure you weren't sticking out like a sore thumb.
You only saw Jaemin briefly, he locked himself up in their room balling his eyes out and it's where you got to see his father and friends console him. He looked disheveled and so blue. His family were his support. You couldn't stay around the first day because you thought they should bond with their family. You ended up going back to work and working on the case there, where Jaehyun gave you some information of the neighbors and what they heard or possibly heard. Jaehyun also requested for a neighborhood footage, which he would get in a week's time.
You digged a little more deep into potential suspects. Outside of the family, Jaemin was a public figure and was well greatly admired for having managed and maintained a luxurious mansion hotel, Neo Hotels, with a rating of 7 out 10 in Korea. He was a young, aim driven businessman with a handful of competitors. None of which he was friends with, so with no personal interaction you believe that none of his competitors had anything against him aside from business. You go on to checking his close friends as well as Chae, those who were constantly around the family. And opt for interviews with the few. Surprisingly theirs a decrease of people Jaemin and Chae know and you're even more shocked when seeing Haechan as a part of friends that Jaemin knows. Sending him an email as well as a text message, your brain works in hyper mode. Could it have been his friends, someone he worked with or someone in the family?
The only family he stays with is his wife, Chae.
It was hard looking at her in the eye knowing fully well that you slept with her husband, but conversation was eased in when talking about her daughter; Na Daejun. Which you slowly learnt (around the second day) that Daejun was actually not her child but Jaemin's child...well his sisters child. His sister had been pregnant but was induced by a chronic illness which led to giving birth to her child prematurely and eventually taking her lasts breath before dying.
When you asked about the father of the child, Chae briefly mentioned that Jaemin's sister had been raped. With all the new information piling up on top of you, you can't help but feel even more depressed at the fact that Jaemin could be mourning over his sister again. Again, you've never had siblings of your own so you can't imagine what Jaemin is going through. Upon looking at Daejun's baby pictures, you instantly can tell how close Jaemin was to her.
Around the third day 6 out of the 7 friends you messaged agreed to have a chat interview with you. The fourth who rejected the interview was actually overseas, so you ruled him out. You ended up speaking to 6 people separately. Two cooperated and were ready to help with the investigation in anyway that they could, because they were torn and weren't even aware of the struggle their poor friend, Chae had gone through. Three of them, (Jaemin's friends) who you already met in the hotel when visiting Chae, where hands down literally doing their own digging without the investigators and we're of big help to you. They gave you news on where Daejun went to school, which parents didn't like her because of her hearing difficulties and how the teachers would favour her over their own kids- it's as though they were Daejun's big brothers.
The love they have for Jaemin is unfathomable and you're relieved with all the information you got, thanks to Jungwoo, Mark and Kun. You don't even want to suspect them because of how protective they were with her, however Mark stood out most to you because on that day he mentioned that Jaemin asked him if he could drop Daejun home from school. He said he stayed with her until Jaemin came home. Warning signs because according to Jaemin he never came home around he afternoon- only at night and night you were with him.
The last person you talk to is Haechan.
As much as it pissed you off to engage with your ex of more than 3 years, you are tongue tied seeing him. For some reason, for some odd reason the mere thoughts of: Why did he cheat on you? Surface in your brain.
The thoughts keep you from greeting him or even making eye contact with him. In a tense silence you both drink your cups of tea, because coffee is too strong. Not only do you pick up the cup simultaneously but you also take a sip equally before placing it down. You feel nothing from common similarity, however Haechan smiles at how old habits die hard. He tries to not pay mind to the silence, hoping that he'll get his chance to speak to you. After all it's been 3 years.
"I don't think you're of any use to me, or this case." Your sudden open-ended question comes out rigid and you bring out your mini notepad and pen to jot down his words (or give you a distraction) instead of thinking and looking at him. "So I'll make this quick."
His scoff emits the same palpable tension in the air. So much for hoping he could speak to you. You didn't change. Your name leaves his lips naturally, just like when he used to call you to come back to the present and away from work. You don't look at him. You don't give him the power to gaze into your eyes and make you feel like shit.
The day you broke up with him, seemed like the most easiest days of your life. However the crawling yearning belittling emotions in you weren't at ease. You were in constant reminder, by all the small things, that he left you for someone else.
You thought you were a good girlfriend, who gave him space and allowed him to do his job, who was present and attended to his needs...most of the time, but you had no argument that you were a stable girlfriend who didn't give him any headaches (unlike Jaemin who managed to swiftly get into your mind, Haechan was simply by chance why you still stayed with, so he should've felt honoured)- but then why would he do what he did?
Why did he do what he did?
You were physically attached to him, he gave you safety and the best comfort after each and every case. You were emotionally attached to him, especially when he'd listen to everything you had to say, in fact the communication was the strongest point and unit in your whole relationship-
"You're gone again."
Blinking several times you inhale and click on your pen writing scribbles on you paper pretending to write something important when nothing but the thoughts of him cloud up in your head.
"You haven't looked at me once since you walked i-"
It begins. His way of trying to apologize.
"I heard you're friends with Jaemin."
He rolls his eyes. "Can we please talk about us before we get into-"
"We can't talk about us, when there's a murder case that has to be closed. You know I don't work like that. My time is moving."
"Oh my god. Y/n. I really thought you changed." He shares his thoughts. "But you're still the same. Come on please,"
"I'm not off." You're distaste can be heard and you try not to look at him in disgust. You simply try to carry on with what you came here to do. "What do you think of Jaemin?"
You will not give him the privilege.
"I get that this is a case and you're questioning me-"
"How would you describe Jaemin during college, assuming you go way back?"
"-We'll talk for a moment about the case but can we just-"
"How come you're listed as his friend when you have minimum contact with him-"
"-hell Y/n, can we just tal-"
The constant back and forth and talking over each other creates such an imbalance that a few cafe seaters turn to look at you two, but you digress and continue asking all your questions - cutting him off just as he wants to speak. It goes on for a really long 2 minutes, the questions continuously pouring out of you, until he stops talking and sighs leaning back frustrated on his seat.
"Has he ever evoked suspicious details?"
His mouth twists in anger and he waits for you to look at him but you don't. "Y/n-"
Roughly you get up from your seat clicking your pen and shoving it back in your pocket. Not even looking at him, you take some steps away from the table, your back is turned and you walk away, while speaking up for him to hear. "Thank you Mr. Lee for your time and lack of answers. I'll cross you off the list now."
"It was you, wasn't it? The girl he slept with."
Dramatically that makes you pause for some seconds, before breathing in avoiding his eyes and continuing to leave.
"Or should I say it like him? Death in the seductive form of a lady with spectacular eyes,"
You ignore him getting your hand on the door.
Banging the table whilst scrapping his chair back as he sprints up- draws your attention forcing you to stop.
"C'mon Y/n don't leave again! For hell's sake just listen to me. Are you really going to be so wrapped up in your own head ignoring that you're just as guilty in this matter?"
You hesitate with your next step but brush it off continuing and getting closer to the door.
"Fine. You wanna be that way? Okay." Donghyuck grumbles, clearing his throat to prepare his next words. "You fucked him in his house while his kid was being murdered. Admit it-"
Your neck sprains from the heavy lifting words that spoil out of his mouth, as you glare at him. Your breath hitches in your throat.
"He thought you were an assistant to an assassin." Donghyuck seriously trudges. "Keeping him distracted while his kid was being murdered. Is this seriously what you've become? You leave me and go on to spreading your legs for-"
"Shut the fuck up!" You storm to the table with a befuddlement. "Have you fucking lost your mind? I didn't sleep with anyone-"
His eyes give light to an emotion of desperation, until you realize it's not desperation in his eyes but hurt. Oddly, you feel satisfied when you assume he's hurt that you slept with someone, but your emotions are crushed by his next words and the look of hurt shifts into mocking and belittling.
"I'm surprised you're trying to help him when all you care about is yourself." What he really means, is how on earth Jaemin got you so invested in him. Because the you he knows, would never not once put in everything for a person. You were selfish. "In fact, I'm willing to bet you don't even care about him. You're trying to save your ass. I can't blame you. You slept with him on the day his kid died-"
"I'm not trying to save myself-"
"He cleaned up and thought about you all night long. And here you are actually trying to save him. But you can't even take a minute to listen to me to try and understand-"
"Understand what? It's not about you!" You snap.
"It's not about you either! But still, till this day your head won't allow you to think about others. It's always you!"
"I'm so sick of this- just tell me where you heard what you heard and I'll fucking leave you alone. And stop speculating about me. I'm literally still in this case because he's innocent-"
He scoffs. "You know he's innocent because you slept with him. I bet you if you never did, you would've locked him up."
"You know what. I'm not here to play your stupid games and listen to you blabber." You point out. "I don't have time for this, or for you."
"That's why I slept with her." Haechan burns out, making your breath halt just a your eyes squint. "You never had any time for me. You kept me around as some form of item instead of a person. So now I'm finding it hard to believe that you're actually defending this man. Even besides the fact that you slept with him, you would've still locked him up. But you're still helping him? Why? You couldn't spare time for me to talk, but you initially stayed and spoke to Jaemin the whole night before going to fuck him."
Your tongue pokes your cheek. "You're even stressing on his behalf. But you never ever cared on my behalf. He's a good person and you used him. He's sex deprived, and like the being he is, he stroked off to you, balls deep and eyes shut in ecstasy as he thought about you. He didn't get to finish as his wife came back home with a tired gaze. She passed him and went straight for her room when she yelled out. He stopped thinking about you, got his hands out his sweats and attended to his wife only to be mortified at what he saw. What the fuck did you guys talk about that also has him thinking deeply about you? I used to think about you do much, hoping you'd think of me to. But you never did." A long pause rests in the air. Your eyes hollow and evident of your guilt as you hear him. His eyes gaze back into your eyes, there's a strong aura of overwhelming heat of guilt upon the room, mostly upon you, Haechan is just glad that he has you back and this time you're listening. "Am I still going to be scratched from the list?"
Glaring to the side, you catch pairs of eyes that quickly look away. Groaning out by your unprofessional manner you pull out your badge long enough for all the on lookers to grasp where you're from. No use getting random phone calls to the station of two people discussing a serious matter in bursts of anger.
You take a seat and fold your arms, your eyes on Haechan, firm and serious never blinking. He takes a seat too. You don't even speak, giving him the floor as he desperately wanted it. "Y/n I'm sorry for-"
You breathe out in heaps of anger.
"I know an apology isn't what you want to hear, especially from me," Haechan continues regardless of your eye roll and bouncing leg of anxiety.
"Haechan-"
"However it's what you're gonna get if you want the full story. I'm sorry Y/n. I really am." He voices out, trying to look sincere, but he looks more guilty then sincere. Not only was he nervous for actually talking back to you in the manner he did, but he felt bad for demanding your attention only to state his cheating ways again. So knowing that you won't listen to his one way apology (he knows you're only interested in Jaemin) he tries to play the victim card. "On that morning you caught me with that her, you didn't give me a chance to explain myself-"
"Oh please. As if what you did needed explanation." You roll your eyes.
Haechan sighs quietly and nods his head. "You're right. That night you had just called that you were gonna be working over time. Again. I was mad and angry that you stood me up, again. I was at the restaurant by myself. Looking like a fool while watching people come, eat and go. Should I say 'again'? Because really I've watched people arrive, eat and go in every restaurant all by myself because you never had time for me. In fact, not only in restaurants, but generally you never ever just sat down next to me asking me anything about myself, or how my day was. That night, I was beyond mad. I watched, I waited for you and all you could do was send a short text saying, sorry I'm tired. I worked overtime, I won't be home tonight, I'll be in the office. I'll never ever forget that night. I can say all the things I wanted from you that night, but it won't change anything now. It wasn't even the first time you had left me, so I got used to you not showing up when I needed you. Heck even the chef... The chef, she knew me specifically because you'd never show up and I'd always eat by myself...sometimes with her. But-"
"If you're trying to guilt trip me, then it's not going to work. You're the one who cheated." You point him sharply refraining yourself from getting worked up and angry. But you're already so heated. How dare he blame you for an action be did? Although you said his guilt trip wouldn't work on you, you admit that you were kind of unfair towards him in some ways. But you won't give him the satisfaction to know it actually wounded your ego, because despite everything, it still hurts being cheated on. "Don't forget it. Don't forget that you cheated. Not me."
"And that's why I understand why Jaemin did it. Why he fucked- no. Let me use his words." Haechan bites back on his lip while balling his fists. "Why he made love to you that night. I understand why, after years of cancelling his premium therapy membership, that he called me up just so he could talk about what had happened. He doesn't know that I know you, he doesn't even know that you know me, in fact I didn't even know that he was talking about you fully. He mentioned your name, but the words he said afterwards shocked me because I know you. The you that I know, only thinks of herself. You're selfish. Not selfless. All he knows is that he slept with someone who was not only purely satisfying and selfless. When he said that while saying your name, I was perplexed because that's not you. He's confused and mourning and the only person who can believe him is someone who he cheated with. That's you by the way."
You're attentive to his words, but feel so guilty just like him and you hate that he's putting you in his shoes and then putting you back in your own shoes.
"When I slept with the chef, it was to feel love. I know now that it was stupid of me to do that, but what assurance could I have gotten when every time I set up an appointment on your free day, you decided to work?" Haechan questions himself as if he's back to that day. "Same with Jaemin, his motive was simply because he needed to be fucked to forget. H-he's a man who's been sex deprived from his wife, who he's convinced is lying about her pregnancy. Honestly loyalty lasts long when everything's alright within the relationship. But the moment something snaps, you begin to wonder why you were loyal in the first place. And that's Jaemin, his motive for being with you was because his wife was dishonest somewhere and somehow. Unfortunately for Jaemin, the one time he chose to be disloyal... he happened to choose to be disloyal not knowing the aftermath. Unfortunately for you, you're entangled in this messy situation with him. Why did you sleep with him?"
Your lips are sealed. But your thoughts are bouncing off the wall. "You mentioned his premium therapy membership before he cancelled. How did you meet him?"
"We go way back since college because he was amongst my first clients. I'm his therapist. He ended his membership the moment his sister died. The night he found out about his daughter, he called me, on a private phone with a private line, and tried to explain everything that happened. Unfortunately that's all I know. He now calls me from time to time to ask for methods he can use to mourn peacefully while being under the watchful eyes of the police. I'm sharing this confidential information with you because we both know he's innocent. I'm sharing this with you, because if there's still a way for me to get back into your heart, the I'll glady take it. I've been-"
You roll your eyes coming close and cutting him off while muttering. "I don't care what you've been up to. Go fuck someone else until you forget me. It's been working for me, hopefully it'll work for you." You don't care if it's harsh, you don't care if you're being rude by walking out the cafe without another word. All you know is that he gave you all the information he knows.
Before leaving the store, you look back once, seeing him run his hands through his hair.
_
The next days are filled with you cramping up your brain with investigation. You barely sleep, looking at the case at every second to prove Jaemin's innocence. Being in Jaehyun's team, consisting of you, some other man known as Taeil (Jaehyun tasked him with the main focus to locate the body) and Jaehyun himself- you guys are task force 3, faced with dealing with the child and her location. While other units and forces are tasked heavily on finding the killer. However as you're trying to prove Jaemin's Innocence, from time to time you're cooperative with the other units in order to receive information.
Aside from that, your unit is pretty eccentric and busy all the time, even in ways that you've never been busy before, to the extent that even when you wash your dishes you only see the blood of the poor child.
With Jaemin being a primary suspect, and Mark being a secondary suspect, you're surprised that they both have alibis.
Haechan (despite you excluding and hiding everything he said) served as an alibi for Jaemin (as proven in the short text he sent you, that he'll keep his mouth shut if you needed him too. And you did). While Jaemin's wife Chae served as an alibi for Mark saying she was the one who was present and that Marked made a small innocent mistake by switching up the names.
Being in a meeting right now you're not expecting your phone to buzz. But it does causing you to react quickly. Ever since sending an email to meet up with Haechan, he's been using the email platform to engage into conversation with you.
Mr Lee Haechan:
Don't forget to drink water
Have a good day!
Aside from trying to work on the Jaemin case, your phone's been pretty scattered with emails from Haechan.
You:
Go fuck someone else until you forget about me.
Is what you told Haechan, and its still what you're telling him. Frankly speaking...
There's absolutely no reason to defend Jaemin, except your job being on the line, but aside from that, you free willingly put yourself in a dangerous mission to save him, especially when everyone is against him. Haechan's constant messaging got you to a deep pot of realization.
You'll never admit it to yourself, but consciously you know why you slept with him. And the person who helped you realize it, was non other than Haechan. You always knew why, you just could never admit it. While you were always busy for Haechan, for Jaemin you felt available. It's bizarre because you only spoke to him that night, but you were hooked onto him so strangely.
You wanna apologize to Haechan. But apologizing would mean giving him another chance. And you don't want that.
The break up, even before the cheating scandal, was already in motion. You loved Haechan for the person he was and always being ready to put you first, but, you hated how busy you were and how free he was. He just wanted to be with you, but you had to focus on your work and yourself. He's someone who's selfless and always puts others needs before his own, hence him always saying it's okay even when it's not. The outcome of being selfless is hurting alone inside and causing an unbalanced outburst of emotions. You both studied psychology, him for his work in therapy and you for insight on criminal behavior. You both know how an outburst of emotions can be deadly. In your case, and his case, it resorted to him cheating.
It's good to finally get the answer that you've been looking for of why he cheated on you, but it hurts knowing that your prediction of him not being happy in the relationship was true. You wish you could give him all your time, but you can't forsake yourself just to make him happy.
But now why is it different with Jaemin? In a way, he's almost similar to Haechan by being selfless. However why is it that you want to give him your time. You don't have to save yourself, you can lock him up just as all the evidence proven is already on him. Yet... You're trying to save your ass by helping him prove his innocence.
You know the answer, but you refuse to let it sink in.
So you're working, day and night to get him out your head and out your heart.
He's grieving and cares about nothing else. His world is falling apart, just like the way it was when he was in the bar making fun of all his problems (except for his wife which he refused to mention), only except this time, you want to be by his side. He doesn't deserve this. You're being selfless for him.
"Intern." You jump and blink upwards towards Jaehyun. "If I see you spacing out once more, you're off the case. I can't have you day dreaming every quarter of the day."
"Sorry."
Jaehyun stares at you, long enough for you to feel uncomfortable and change your seating position. "Pay attention. Taeil thinks he's got a lead. Taeil, you may continue."
Taeil, in his black jeans and buttoned down black shirt moves over to the white board which is adorned with all our findings and possible clues. "We've always thought that the body might've been carried out through the girl's window. But we spotted something yesterday." Taeil pins onto the board two images of grassland as well as road tracks. "Drops of blood."
You lean in your seat paying close attention. Any information is information for your ears, the D.A is already at your neck about locking up Jaemin and you can't let that happen.
"We found the blood on the doorstep of the backdoor and on the road in the back alley. Coincidence that it might've been for a stray or passer, we disagree because we tested the blood and it's a match to the girl." Taeil runs a hand through his hair. "Meaning, the body was carried, but it was wrapped in something sealed tight that only drops of blood could be let out. Right now, we've got 6 search dogs on different routes, searching for another possible droplet."
"Why not use the security camera on the block? Have you not yet received it?" You enquire.
"Honestly getting the fucker on cam and closing this case would be the best thing right now." Taeil turns his head in your direction. "The security camera footage has been stolen. My guess, the person who hid the body has the tape. We opted for a copy of the tape, they told us it's already been sent to the prospects. We ask Jaemin if he received any tape, he lyingly said no feigning crocodile tears. It's obvious that he has it and is lying. I'm strongly leaning on Jaemin."
"Not only that, he has barely been to his house. Something's off-putting about him, and he's starting to slip." Jaehyun inputs.
"Why not Chae?" You surprise yourself as well as Jaehyun and Taeil. But you roll on with the dice you threw. "They live in a hotel, a hotel that he owns. Jaemin hasn't been to his house in 4 good days and has spent it in his office grieving for his child. Meanwhile Chae is constantly on sight despite being pregnant. Why suspect Jaemin of stealing the tape when he hasn't been around, for all we know it could've been another detective. He's a simple man grieving now because he just lost his fucking child. I'm not trying to disrespect you or your words, but I think we should still keep our options open on who we think the suspect is."
"We can't keep the line open because it's goddamn self explanatory of who the killer is." Taeil rebuts. "Besides, that's not our department."
"It's not Jaemin-"
"Look if you wanna be a lawyer and prove his innocence you're in the wrong department-"
"You said you found droplets of blood on the backdoor exit and back alley, you asked for a tape and they claimed that they gave it to the prospects. I'm not complaining, my problem is why would he hide the tape?"
"Because he's the killer." Taeil deadpans, his head so wrapped around Jaemin being the killer.
"No. Listen to yourself. If he's the killer, you mean to tell me, he killed his child in her room, had a chance to escape the house and go wherever with the child and return back to the house, with no print? I strongly disagree. He said he was in the house all through out the night, even when the police were called, he was in the house. He never left the house-"
"I don't trust a word that guy says. His narrative kept changing whenever we asked him were he was."
"That doesn't mean you get to-"
"You weren't kidding when you said she's hell bent on taking his side." Taeil peers to Jaehyun tiredly cutting you off. "Why'd they pair her up with you? Listen here intern. We're not going to do things your way. When evidence is present we stay on it until we have the person confess or behind bars."
The rest of the discussion goes on with Taeil and you bickering about Jaemin's innocence before Jaehyun calls it progress getting us to end the meeting due to our endless back and forth comments.
"You argue like a kid. An illiterate kid might I add. All the facts are laid out in front of you, the defense attorney general is already filing up a lawsuit and you're still asking for more time on Mr Na Jaemin." Jaehyun rephrases out your whole situation in a nutshell. But everything is far from being in a nutshell. "Why? I'll keep asking this question until the end of this case, so get used to it. I'm really curious as to why you're pushing every moral you learnt in your years and months of training, for Mr Na. What did you see? Did you see something? What is it? Tell me, because I'm a second away from handcuffing him myself."
"Sir, please just give me, more time-"
"We don't have that time you're looking for. Other units have already closed in on Jaemin, his own family is already suspecting him and on top of that the faster we get him in and interrogate him, the faster we can find his child and where he hid her body."
You stand firm giving your best determination stare. "Sir. Give me just 3 days."
"3 fucking weeks have passed since we started this case. It's not looking good if we keep this open for a month, the prosecutors will take over the case and we'll be underneath their control. I don't work like that. We need to pack up and lock up now."
"Fine. Give me a day. Please." You beg.
Jaehyun folds his arms running his tongue against his lips. His eyes, hollow and deep, show how much he's neglected sleep for this case. If you think you've been working hard, then you certainly haven't seen how strained Jaehyun has worked and how easily he found all the clues to close in on Jaemin. However Jaehyun is no fool. With your compartment and the way you've been acting around the whole case, his active brain worked out that you may have had some kind of entanglement with Jaemin. It wasn't only him, Taeil questioned your motive on multiple occasions, however today he asked if you were Jaemin's lover of the past or else it made no sense why you defended him when all the ways were pointing to him.
Holding back his tongue from what he believes, he simply eyes you, and with the way you don't back down, your eyes pleading for some more time. Your eyes urge him to investigate you and Jaemin's relationship. It's why he nods his head when he says: "You've got the rest of this day and tomorrow. No more chances. Get going."
You don't have time to express your contentment when you're already picking up your phone and ordering a ride-
"Intern."
You stop by the elevator when Jaehyun calls you back. "Yes sir?"
"I'm locking him up tomorrow if you have nothing."
You thought that you'd be fueled up and eager to get moving, however once you get inside your ride and give the address of the hotel, you're drained, frustrated and overwhelmed. It's not fair. Jaemin is innocent. He didn't do anything, but surprisingly all the evidence has been pointing to him. The neighbors claim that they last saw him taking her to school in the morning as usual, the parents at school claimed that a male picked her up (most likely Mark) but the team of detectives are hell bent on making it all about Jaemin. His wife claims that she wasn't well and went to the clinic the whole day (she's got a doctor's note to prove it). However she claims that Jaemin took the child to the sleepover centre- to which Jaemin strongly denied but nobody listened to him. It's even worse when the sleepover centre mentions that the child hadn't come. So officers are leaning on the fact that Jaemin could've killed her since the afternoon and he hid her body and feigned ignorance.
The case runs all over your head when you enter the prestigious hotel, which has slightly been affected by the situation in which Jaemin is a main suspect. It's really alarming how the media gets it's sources and are always ready to twist and manipulate facts.
You walk past the guard giving him a tight smile as he knows who you are and opens up the door for you letting you pass. You're about to head on to their top leveled apartment until your eyes latch onto a familiar black leather jacket, black drenched hair and dispirited Jaemin making his way through. Your eyes narrow a bit when following his direction with your eyes. Your legs are no stranger to stalking as you walk up following him and where ever he's going. He enters through a door entitled staff only. You get your badge ready just in case you have to use it. Its not until you open up the door to an empty white lit corridor leading in one direction.
You carefully walk along the path until you spot some stairs that lead to an underground basement filled with (assumedly) residents cars. The parking area is darkly dim, with no sign of staff members to watch over the cars.
You freeze in your step, when your eyes catch a figure standing by a grey door. It's Jaemin. Your breath hitches in your throat when he leaves the door open and enters inside...
Your legs take in the invitation as you climb down the rest of the stairs passing by the parking set of expensive cars before following the passage way until you reach the door that's blending in with the wall. The door is already open, so you enter inside- with your eyes slightly straining from the brightness of the pure white light in the room- office....private parking?
The office is large, with a clear see though desk holding up a laptop and some documents. By the side of the office there's some frames of photo certificates of different deals. Jaemin's handsomely in some pictures shaking hands while at the same time, other photos are simply signed certificates. However, what throws you off the most is the sleeked back, navy blue, extravagantly catching the light by its posh outline.
Seeing as Jaemin is nowhere in the office, you most likely think he's in the car. And strangely enough he's inside the car, drinking from a whine glass sophisticatedly. Trying your luck, seeing as though he knew you where following him and wanted you to follow him, you pull open the door that's unlocked.
Not even hesitating, your leg steps inside the posh car and you comfortably situate yourself before closing the door.
Inside the car, there's light air conditioning, music swaying gracefully along the speakers softly and a carefree and unbothered male sitting on the driver's seat while drinking from his wine glass. Aside from the music playing, it's silent in the car as you listen to Jaemin adorn himself in the drink and the air condition leak out cool streams of air. Behind the gear stick, there's a little presentable set of a tray with the darling red whine bottle.
Jaemin leans towards your side opening up the compartment lid and taking out a wine glass with a handkerchief. Cleaning the glass and setting it down on the tray next to his empty glass, he begins to fill up the glasses and smoothly tilts a filled glass towards you.
Silently you take the glass from it's steam and chuckle, which delightfully gets him to smile despite the darkness underneath his eyes. Feeling like you're in the bar again, you take a small sip of your drink before turning your gaze to him. With flattery, you catch his attention when you speak.
"Wine," You smile, teasingly, imitating the way you first spoke when you were in the bar. "That isn't a drink to drink alone. Mind if I join?"
Jaemin's lips quivers revealing a little smile. He picks up on his own glass meeting yours half way as you both clink on it. He takes one big gulp, finishing the whole glass, while you take another sip, letting the flavour and the taste swirl around your taste buds. "So, what's the occasion? A fine lady like yourself shouldn't be in a place like this," He perfectly recalls your conversation, causing you to engage and pursue the way you did.
"I could say the same for you," you giggle, crossing your legs and leaning back on your seat. Just like when you were at the bar, he looks nervous and a bit hesitant. "It's not everyday, I come across a distressed man drowning wine instead of alcohol," You try to tone down a bit.
However, he sharply intakes a deep breath also leaning back on his seat. "What can I say," He surprisingly turns his head into your direction. Your breath hitches in your throat when his enduring dark brown eyes take in your being. He literally looks at you, causing the pits of your stomach to flutter. "I'm merely a god. I'm simply a man with problems, sitting next to a goddess with the most spectacular eyes,"
You nervously laugh, your inability to make eye contact for a long period dawns on you and you turn away. However Jaemin's eyes are still on you, analyzing your neck sinking and the coats on cheeks lightly changing colour.
That makes him smile, relaxed and free. Just like the first time he laid his eyes into your own enchanting soul. He sets his empty glass down on the tray, his fingers moving along his own while he constantly fumbles on deciding whether to continue drinking as planned or...draw into this conversation and see where it leads to.
You drink your drink avoiding eye contact, but your lips tugging upwards brightens your face. Jaemin's fingers itches to feel how warm your face is yet he refrains himself.
"How are you?" You ask, when noticing he's lost a bit of weight and a lot of his charming smile.
Jaemin blinks away the stars before focusing back on you.
"I heard you had a service of burial last week Saturday... without her body," You mention, your eyes finding his again. "It must've been hard."
Jaemin takes in a breath nodding his head, consciously aware of who you are now. A detective. Instead of answering you, he takes out his phone unlocking it and instantly seeing his little girl, Daejun's eyes.
You lean in when he brings his phone close to you, showing you a picture. In such a pretty beige dress with white hems, Jaemin crouches down beside her with his arms wrapped around her. Your eyes find his again (which are tenderly already on you) for a second before you both make it back to the pictures. He nudges his phone towards you and you take it in your hands, sliding to the next picture and next and next. There's even a picture and video were he's doing her hair. Jaemin's approximation with his child only mourns into your heart, as you think of your own parents and the day you were mourning over them.
Jaemin was an ideal father figure for the little girl. If you didn't know that it was his sisters child, you would seriously believe that it was his child. Then again, he took the child in as his own. He built a bond with her from the very beginning. You even tear up a bit when seeing that he had a picture of her at birth inside of the incubator breathing chamber for premature babies. You see Jaemin everywhere with little Daejun, she was his own daughter.
"My parents..." You sniff when releasing that it does hurt. "I never...they both died after giving birth to me. My mum in labour and my dad in a car accident while driving to the hospital." You smile tightly and shut your eyes afraid of letting the tears out. "She's...really lucky to have had a dad like you. I'm sorry for your loss,"
Jaemin's eyes are glued to the picture and he nods his head. "I'm sorry about your parents,"
"It's okay, I never really knew them," You hum out. "But, thank you. Honestly, you reminded me of my childhood. These pictures, brought back those times I spent at the orphanage home. And that day when I came by to your house, and spoke as though your child meant nothing, really reminded me that it's not easy to lose someone dear to your hear."
"Can I share something with you too?" He asks meekly. You give him your attention, allowing him to take refuge in your silence as he speaks. "I'm sorry for that night. That night I...asked you to sleep with me. I should've been fully honest that I was married and had a kid. Maybe if I was honest.."
You breath out and nod your head. "Are you blaming yourself again?"
Jaemin doesn't say anything, and when you look at him, he's deep in himself looking tired. "I should've been there." His tears are unintentional but when they're by the brim of his eyes and he blinks, your hand mindlessly cups his cheeks as your thumb wipe gently under his eye. Your hand goes underneath his other eye before landing back against his cheek. "If only I paid close attention to her that day, then I wouldn't have lost her..."
You have no words to say, no words of comfort, no words to shake off how useless he was feeling. You also felt like shit after finding out he had a child and a wife. Your hand does the talking, allowing him to cry as your touch brushes underneath his ear to massage his hair. Careful not to accidentally knock over the glasses, your other hand sets the glasses on the empty cupholder closer to your seat, and the wine bottle down and finally removing the tray placing it down. Fixing your position you allow yourself to lean close just to run your fingers into his hair and onto his scalp.
Jaemin's eyes blissfully close by the sensation your fingers bring and by the feeling you provide. He leans into your touch while leaning back on his seat, simply watching you. To think you were an orphan. It would make sense on your views and why you were sensitive. At the bar, you came with full intent to get laid, but when he started to speak to you and you considered a conversation, he noticed that you seemed hurt and afraid to open.
You both barely spoke about yourselves yet you seemed to understand and know each other just by the way your eyes were on each other.
"For the past couple of months, my wife and I were rocky with each other. Avoiding each other because of a misunderstanding and this growing dislike to one another. She was getting a bit too comfortable with going behind my back and making deals, and having this idea of sending Daejun overseas to finish her studies. I mean, it's not a bad idea, but Daejun's deaf and from the beginning I've been with her. Heck, I vowed to always be there for her," He sighs.
Staying quiet for a bit allowing himself to recall the days before this incident.
"I've always been there with her and for her. I didn't like the idea of her being far at such a young age. I mean, was it wrong for me to want to be close to her until maybe the day she graduated? I just wanted to protect her and be with her, teach her things, learn with her, watch her grow, see her smile, care for her, comfort her, help her whenever she needed me...I just wanted to be there for her. Its all I want.." Jaemin's eyes lower. "It's all I wanted,"
"After stating that I didn't agree, that I didn't want to let her go, Chae got so furious." Jaemin continues. "She signed Daejun for aftercare and day-care services, and registering her to live at a dormitory home for mute and deaf kids. Anything concerning Daejun, Chae would take it upon herself to make final decisions without my consent."
You frown, whilst still patting his head. "How come?"
"I don't know. And whenever I ask, she'd tell me Daejun went for sleepover at her friends place. Only to find out that Daejun had been going to aftercare after school and straight to the dormitory. I cancelled that immediately, only to find out that Chae, as my wife, opted that all matters concerning Daejun should be informed only to her because I, as Daejun's father was too busy. She changed it all," Jaemin shakes his head slowly. "I thought they had a good relationship, but when Daejun asked me to start taking her to school, because she didn't want to be around Chae, I understood that Chae really did a number on her. I spoke to Chae, and that's where the arguments began. It got to the point where I wanted to leave with Daejun. Chae got too controlling of Daejun, or rather just trying to get Daejun out the house. So I warned her that I'd leave her if she kept doing what she was doing." Jaemin scoffs.
As a middle person, you have no right to enter into their relationship problems. But as a detective, this is all news to your ears. However, right now, as he himself is confiding in you, you gradually engage with him. "So why didn't you leave her?" You feel 'botchy' for asking that kind of question, however the gears in your head are turning. Leaving Chae or resolving the matter back then, could've probably not led up to this.
Not to say you were suspecting Chae, but...Chae's pursuit to get rid of Daejun has kind of worked. Except Daejun's dead.
"She told me that I can't leave because she's got a child." Jaemin answers."
"Her pregnancy right now?" You ask. Recalling Haechan's words and how he said Jaemin thinks she's faking it, or that she's not really pregnant- you can't remember it well, but Haechan's words come to mind.
"I couldn't leave her, because I had to take responsibility for what I did. That's until I found out." Although he looks indifferent to Chae's distaste for Daejun, you notice his face changes when talking about Chae's pregnancy. He looks almost disappointed and ashamed. "Stillborn."
Your eyes widen by his words. Making your busy thoughts halt. Stillborn? Chae's baby. Chae has a stillborn baby? The baby...is dead?
"There's a doctor's report somewhere in the house." Jaemin shuts his eyes, and you can only imagine that he's pouring in anguish as his jaw trembles and tongue pokes his cheek. "On that same day that Daejun disappeared Prior. Early in the morning. After dropping Daejun. After Chae went to the hospital. I found the report and read it. I tried to confront her about it... But...the thought of saying it out loud. That my first actual child was sitting dead in that womb. That my first unborn child was no longer living. That maybe, because of the stress in the house, I caused Chae to lose our child. A child which I hadn't even laid eyes on...my child was dead. The responsibility that I stayed for, was no longer there. I couldn't... I don't know why you she didn't tell me. Why she kept carrying it while knowing that it was dead? On the other hand, she kept trying to push Daejun out the house, as if it was Daejun's fault.... I know it's stupid to think that. But the fact that my child had died months ago, and she kept making life harder for my little gem filled me with frustration, pain, but most of all regret. For so many things. I don't even remember where I went. I was limbo. All I know is that I was tired. The thought of leaving her crossed my mind, but after finding out about my stillborn baby... I just wanted to comfort her until she would be okay. I even thought staying with her, along with Daejun would make up for her loss...our loss. I wanna say that, we did that to the baby, but in me deep down I keep blaming myself. I remember just trying to get rid of everything I was feeling. But on that day, I don't even remember my thoughts. They were too much. I... Chae's been keeping secrets from me, acting strange with Daejun- now that I think of it, Daejun would ask...would sign to me, if Chae was angry with her. I was... To be vague, sleeping with you made me wonder why I put up with her in the first place. Why I let myself be trapped and lost in this predicament?"
He stayed with her because of her new growing baby in her womb. But that morning he found out that the baby was actually dead. It set him off character. It's on that same night he went out to the bar and slept with another woman...with you.
Your brain begins to work in detective mode. While your ears are sincerely open to everything he saye, your mind was piecing pieces together. This could be the key to his innocence. It makes sense why he never spoke up during his confession statement. He was in and out of it that he didn't want to hurt Chae, nor let his mind wander to the drastic and sudden present reality. Not to mention he slept with you and you showed up as a detective.
"You know...I had a sister... Daejun's mother- I didn't sleep with my sister if that's what you're thinking. My sister passed away, and left Daejun behind. But before that, when she was still alive, she really wanted to make sure that her child would be in good hands just in case she'd go. Of course she trusted me, however she believed that a mother would know best. A woman with a good heart, who'd look after her child. At the time, I was betrothed to Chae since childhood and assumed she wouldn't mind looking after Daejun with me if my sister had to pass." Jaemin's somber eyes reveal such a deep emotion of sadness that it makes you- literally- want to embrace him until everything would be okay.
"Jaemin, no. Please don't do this to yourself." You plead, running your hand gently across his cheek, using your thumb to caress his skin. "It's not your fault," You whisper out, maintaining a firm, and strongly positive attitude. "It's not anybody's fault of why this happened. Don't blame yourself please. You know, somethings in life, need to happen for a bigger picture to be revealed. For a brighter future, for joy and peace to come. I... I don't have the answers, but I'm speaking from experience. Things happen for a reason. We can't see it now, but I'm certain that they'll eventually make sense and make the pain go away. It felt really good being with you that night, but I felt like complete shit after sleeping with you knowing you were married. Yet, I don't know how or why, but after that day and continuously investing myself in this case, a lot of things that were unclear in my life became clear again. And I'm not saying this to disregard that Daejun was being brutally hurt while we were together, but I'm saying that... you don't have to blame yourself. The pain of losing Daejun will never go away as you're her father, but I want you to simply picture her in a good light. You gave her a lot of security and assurance that you were always there for her. You were her abahbah, and she loved you so much so that you shared a special bond, despite not being her real dad- she considered you so much. And from everything I've seen when being with you, you care a lot for everyone around you. You genuinely take responsibility with determination and you put your all into everything. I promise you, one day, it'll make sense. Just don't blame yourself please."
Jaemin nods his head smiling meekly at you. You smile back, still running your fingers over his scalp.
"Would you..." Jaemin breathes out. "I mean, if Daejun were still alive...I'm not asking anything weird, but...would you look after her?"
The sudden question shocks you out of your train thought and you have to bring your thoughts back to the present conversation. "Honestly, when I was growing up in the orphanage and would go to school seeing all these parents loving their children and buying all sorts of gifts and snakes and toys, there was nothing more I wanted them being adopted by two loving people who wouldn't mind giving me the world." You smile at your child thought coming to light. "Sadly I was never adopted. But I was filled with the urge to comfort families who lost their kids. And sadly, yet again, I feel like I had lost my main motive for why I wanted to be a detective when it became all about forgetting my ex and just getting this job, that I didn't care as much about the families and who they lost. As long as it kept me busy, then I didn't care. But, in regards to your question and this case. I adjusted my character a lot, I mean...you've even got me fighting for your innocence with the passion I had before. So, I'm not saying I would, but if D-Daejun felt comfortable with me, I think I'd be comfortable with her too. But I can't really say that, it's been a real struggle to allow myself to be selfless. But for you... I think I'd try."
Jaemin's warm hand circles around your wrist and by the contact of his soft hand on your skin, you bite the inside of your cheek with anticipation. Although his eyes gaze deeply into yours, his lips travel along the insides of your palm, just as he intertwines your fingers together. His lips slide from your palm to your wrist before he turns your hand around planting light kisses on your backhand. His eyes shut as he gatherers both his hands to engulf your own planting little kisses, yet meekly playing with your fingers. He doesn't open his eyes, but his lips move. "I never even thought about that. If Daejun would be comfortable... I think she would've been comfortable with you. And besides, when we met at the bar, you were very much selfless when paying attention to me sincerely. When finding out that she... disappeared, I lost hope in leaving Chae. Leaving her will pin me out to be the real culprit. But you need to believe me,"
His eyes open, peering into yours, hopefully and faithfully. The stars that twinkled on that night you together, are shining brightly in his eyes again right now. Your eyes latch onto his hidden lips as he continues to kiss your hand, before he stops for a second and says your name. Your stomach twirls inside and you can't help but suck in a breath, especially when his long lashes pane upwards filling you up with his soul.
"No matter what they say," He shakes his head whispering. "I didn't kill her,"
"I know,"
And just like the last time, your hand that's securely in his manages to get back on his face just as he draws near and you both meet half way in crashing your lips against each other. It's like a magnetic force keeping you in bound within his reach, your hand that's on his face gets tangled within the depths of his hair, just as his soft hands grasp onto your face while his other hand moves down your side lifting you up.
From your seat your leg eagerly shifts when you plant them on either side of him sitting up on his lap. Your lips gasp out when his mouth departs from yours and straight to your neck. His mouth leaving open kisses just as his hands roam around your back, down to your butt. Mumbling between your neck he asks: "You have no idea how much I missed you. Do you want me to make you feel good?"
Jaemin watched as you climbed on top of his lap, and his brain was just so deeply filled with the idea that he wanted you. You hum out in response, but it's muffled by your moan when his lips suck on your neck again bringing your body down. Your hand taps above, turning on the lights in the car.
"God, | missed you so much," he whispers in your ear again, trailing kisses down your neck. “Gonna make you feel so good."
"Jaemin, please,” you whimper at his words. You truly missed him too, missed this. You missed everything about him. Just by the touch of his fingers, that weren't too fast neither too slow in discarding your clothes, piece by piece, while still maintaining a perfectly steamy kiss as he takes your breath away. You let him remove your clothes, your tongue focused on his own as you fight for dominance- which he's clearly winning. Your blazer, your pullover, he unbottons your shirt sliding them off your shoulders moaning out when feeling your hot skin.
You pull your tight vest, as well as your sports bra over your head once, your boobs falling out and Jaemin instantly catching them mounting his lips on them and making it a mission to please both of them.
While you moan out by his kisses, his charming laugh while fanboying over your boobs and tongue action only edge you to unbotton your jeans as quick as possible. He laughs and stops your hands. "You're in such a hurry let me do it." He chuckles lovely again, shifting his reclining chair smoothly back until it hits the back seat before he makes the seat alignment slanted to make him laying down easier.
Meanwhile your hands slide underneath his white shirt, getting over his chest and slightly squeezing his man nipples. You smile when he bites his lip emitting a low groan. "You like that?" You smirk.
You laugh at his meek behavior and holding his shoulders down to the lowered seat, you grind your hips on his hard growing member. Dry humping him exactly like a dog in heat. The car is filled with sounds of ecstasy, with Jaemin groaning out as you moaning out when feeling his bulge pulsating underneath you. His hands finding your boobs and squeezing them and spreading his hands over them bringing them together, minding how soft they are, how perky your nipples are, how warm they are and how he can feel your heart beat while squeezing.
"Rock paper scissors for who gets to start," his needy eyes looking into your own, just as he bucks his hips upwards his hands leaving your boobs by gripping your hips continuing his motion. He bucks his hips up roughly again. He presses you harder into him while he moves his hips up trying to reach his high.
"Jaemin I just want you now,"
"| know baby, | know, it'll be faster if you play rock." He positions his fist forward and you roll your eyes playfully doing the same thing. The motion of his hips stop with him panting out, however you continue circling your hands over the hard materials trying to feel him.
"Rock paper scissors!" You play a rock as instructed and he plays a scissor.
"Yes!" You cheer, while fumbling with your pants again, going back to your seat to remove and kick off your trousers remaining in your black laced thong. Similar to Jaemin who unfastens his belt and brings down his pants and boxers leaving them at his knees. Your eyes marvel when his hard rocking cock shoots up and slaps his abdomen. "So hard," you coo biting your lip.
He lets out a low curse when you climb on top of him again, your clit already moist over your thong as you slide over his dick instead of allowing it inside you. "Are you really teasing me with your wet pussy? Tease." he grunts yet looking pleased to the extreme. "Shit." You hold onto his shoulders slippery grinding your hips back and forth on his shaft that's still over his stomach. Your wetness only lubricating over his. "Fuck," he holds onto your hips following your movement and the way your hips roll.
You throw your head back as your hands are placed over your boobs, fumbling and folding and feeling the warmth and softness. Jaemin's back gets off the lowered seat going up to kiss your lips as his hands drift to your ass. "Up," you let out in between the tongue deep kiss.
Jaemin grips your ass holding you up while you move your panties to the side and slid onto him. You both moan out even with your lips sealed together. Your muffled moans continue as you push yourself all the way down till you met his hood.
"Shit." Jaemin moans out when you push him back down the seat having your way. The windows of the car already giving the foggy appearance. Jaemin proudly let's out his grunts watching as you bounced up and down, your boobs bouncing in his face making him flustered.
You laugh placing your hand on the roof of the car at Jaemin's red face when he places a hand over to cover. Your walls clench around him, and he bit his lip. You lean forward moving his hand gripping his jaw making him look at you. "I love your face looking like this," you moan, as Jaemin tries to maintain contact but when you begin to suck and kiss on his neck he loses it. His hands grip your ass hard as he holds you in place making you go faster, thrashing you up and down over his rock hard cock.
You stop kissing his neck to cry out in ecstasy when his hips begin to play into action while smashing you furiously and with such unknown speed. Your bodies colliding together as your eyes tightly shut feeling his thrusts going deeper and deeper. You moan out as you and Jaemin both cum at the same time falling on the seat with you on top of him. You can feel his liquids in you swimming together with your own wetness, you both don't move. You keep yourself deeper feeling the pulsating of his cock and you roll your eyes back riding out your high by moving on his dick back and forth. To hush your moans you kiss him, passionately. You feel Jaemin continue to fill you up completely and his breathing matching yours as you pant out heavily.
"My turn," Jaemin simply says and with one hand he presses you onto his body as his other hand slides down your spine to your hips, lifting you off his shaft. Gathering your wetness with his fingers, he slowly slips his digits inside of you making you squeal by his three fingers. He works his fingers in you, dying by that quenching sound and your heat closing up on him. Making that beautiful curl motion with his fingers that you love so much. He starts hitting your spot just as his thumb rubs evenly fast over your bud- making you immediately shake.
"Jaemin," you cryingly moan out in pleasure, your fluids getting louder and louder as your eyes struggle to remain open. He laughs deeply at your shaking legs, his hand on you back sliding down to grip your ass. You groan, already sickeningly close to another orgasm. "Jaemin," you whine, rocking against his fingers with fervor and need. You gasp trying to lift yourself up, only for his large hand to find your back again placing you down over to chest. As he places you down again, you can feel his throbbing cock give warmth over your body. Feeling yourself flutter around Jaemin's fingers, you arch your back outwards and gasp as you harshly cum again, and your legs and butt lift up by themselves still shaking. Jaemin's fingers continue to work, but now with two fingers. He rides them into your sensitive swollen pussy and you ride his fingers in the air through your high- your eyes animatedly rolled back. You fall back on Jaemin's chest panting out in ecstasy when your thong is slapped back into pussy
This is pussy drunk.
Jaemin adjusts his position to be on top of you, as you lay back on the lowered seat. He frees one of his legs from his pants, as he goes down on his knee ready to taste you. His kisses start at your lowered stomach making your moan as he goes lower and lower.
His wet, cold hair slightly touching your ribs making you shiver at the sudden contact. He places kisses to your inner thighs, glancing up at you from time to time to make sure you're alright.
"Are you still strong?"
"Jaemin just give it to me," you whimper at his words. You truly missed this. You missed everything about him. How he made you feel. Jaemin kisses your wet clit, pulling your thong aside and slowly adding his tongue to the mix, lapping at your pussy, his tongue spelling out his name on your heat, before sucking and deeply inserting his tongue. When you hips shake again, Jaemin holds onto your rising legs and gets on top of you.
He leans into your ear moaning out. "I wanna feel you in me, but slowly."
He wastes no time in diving inside you with his risen dick pulling sweet moans out of your throat. He takes his time with you, going from just the tip gripping in and out of you to fucking you slowly and passionate while leaving wet kisses all over your neck. When your moans grow louder and your hips start thrusting back, he knows you're close. He really just wanted to enjoy you with a free mind. He picks up his pace, going faster now, his own orgasm approaching. His thrusts practically getting animalistic not a sense of empathy or corcern for your wellbeing- however contradicting being there as he kisses your forehead eery once in a while, running his hand over your sweaty damp hair. You loved him really, really loved it, you craved him more than you did the sex but this love making is even better with him.
Your muscles are tight, your legs were shaking erratically and you don't know if there's tears of pleasure falling out your eyes. Whatever it is, you know that you never wanna leave him and that you always want to be there with him.
"I'm cl-close-" your words get cut off by your moans. He grabs your waist with one hand, moving with the same passion. His other hand moves to rub at your clit, slow, tight circles. He buries his face in your neck as his own moans and groans grow louder and finally-
"Ahhhh!" You both cum again, looking straight into each others eyes taking in the look of pure pleasure combined with a heavy thirst for each other. Your lips find their place again when you both suck deeply feeling your body moulded together. He was definitely made for you. And you hate that his got a wife. But you can't help it when your hands go around his neck allowing him to be embraced into you as you savor this moment. You're even awestruck when he whispers into your ear: "Your mine."
His cock slips almost completely out of your pussy before it sinks back in the girth, having you feeling like you are being stuffed full even though it's just the tip. Your puffy pussy wraps around his cock like warm, wet, and tight glove. And he can't get enough of it trying to maintain his breathing. You feel so good around him, he's never felt like this before when having sex. Your body aligns with him so perfect that he just wants you in him forever.
"I would selfishly ask you to stay for tonight," Harsh breaths leave his lips as he groans. "I need you all night long.. but you have to go to work, right?"
You sigh, but it turns into arousal when he speeds up his movements earning a pathetic pornographic moan from your mumbling lips. "Jaemin," You pout. "Your dick is too big, I can feel it in my chest,"
"Chest?" He laughs lightly looking all over your face. "Is that so?" He whispers going out again and full loading in again causing your back to arch into his, making him chuckle.
"Mmhm.."
He grunts, loving your expression and eyes that tenderly gaze at him. "But you love it, yeah? You love me don't you?"
Instead of answering him, your hands go from his hair to being placed underneath his neck. You look into his eyes, straight into his brown wanders and smile. You don't answer and neither does he expect an answer because you both dive in to feel each other's lips again. To feel the warmth of his own tongue against yours. Pulling away, your eyes take him in. Strands of his black hair stuck to his sweaty forehead. "I love you," you moan out when he thrusts in you. "I love the way you fuck my pussy, Na Jaemin. Meeting you is the best thing that's ever happened to me,"
"I love you too," He kisses your neck hiding his smile. "I love the way your pussy and body takes me in." Maybe it's a hidden rule to never say the big three words during sex, but right now during the heat of the moment you both feel something that's undescribable- and the only way to describe it, is simply love. You both can't resist the dawning attraction that you both get into another session of slow yet long strokes of nasty yet passionate car sex.
Breathlessly while riding him from the back and allowing him to roam his hands on your ass, you thrust yourself inside of him while twirling your hips and rounding him with speed. You moan out aloud while holding onto the steering wheel gasping for air when he takes over in pumping inside of a you a few long strokes before releasing. In sheer ecstasy you throw your head back as you both combine your voice to let out your vocals of pleasure.
Your eyes are drawn to a little red light flickering on and of. It's a dashboard camera. You smile and turn to him just as he slaps your ass. He chuckles looking flustered and fucked out of his mind. "You've got yourself a sex tape,"
"Sex tape?" You point to the camera and a look of recognition crosses his face. "I should probably remove that. Probably would need to replace the memory card," he chuckles a little. "Come on," Getting off his shaft and sneaking next to him, your lips attach themselves onto each other again. You both can't get enough of each other, desperately needing him close to you.
Both losing track of time, you stare into each other's eyes with admiration taking in your boldness and fierce approval of each other. You're pleasing to his eyes and he's perfect for you. A smile grows on your lips and you rest your head on his.
You stay with him in the car, as he wraps his black leather jacket around yours shoulders, while you wrap your own blazer over his and your waist allowing sleep to consume the both of you. And for the first time in a long while, you feel like you can actually sleep and take rest.
Useless.
Because thirty minutes later, you're awakened by your ringing phone. With your leg draped over Jaemin and his arm securely around yours you can't help but wish this case was already over.
Cleaning up with the hand wipes he has in his car, you dress up quickly leaving him still rested in the car smiling and looking peaceful when you kiss him in departing. Your lips not having enough of him, and neither he having enough of you when he tries to get you to stay again.
Patting your wet hair down as you tie it in a low bun, you make your way outside the car and out the office. There's an off smell that you smell, but you brush it off thinking it's the congested air from within the car. Walking out the dark parking lot and up the stairs getting back to the main lobby, you're stunned and stopped in place when seeing Chae by the elevator.
Upon seeing you, she smiles sadly and waves you over. Shit. You whisper to yourself getting in the elevator with her.
"I didn't know you were coming,"
"Oh," You nervously adjust your blazer, feeling as though she's got x-ray vision and can spot Jaemin's hands on your body. You smile looking away from her. "Wanted to check on you actually. Uhm... I had questions I wanted to ask, but if you're busy-"
"No, I'm available. I just went for a walk with Mark,"
You nod your head purposely avoiding her eyes until you can get the guilt out your system. When the elevator stops and you both walk out the lift going over to the apartment door. You wonder whether you should question her based off of what Jaemin revealed to you about her, or if you should just go with the flow of your initial reason of stepping in.
Entering into the apartment, your eyes take in the massive amount of space when there are no people. There's already set furniture, all matching with the cleanliness of the space. The curtains are open revealing the beautiful pent view of the sunset and the city outline. You move forward in the apartment looking outside. "It's crazy how we still haven't found her e body,"
Chae who's in the kitchen boiling some water looks through the open kitchen view to you standing by the floor to top ceiling window. She remains silent and continues preparing the tea. Once she's finished, she walks over with the tray of tea and sets it down on the table taking a seat on the long white couch looking at you.
"Tea?"
Turning your head away from the cyberspace city and all the lights coming on, you politely join her on the couch. "Thanks,"
"Have you seen Jaemin since?"
Trying not to be panicked you breath in and nod your head. "Here and there." You quickly drink on your tea avoiding eye contact.
Chae however scoffs and shakes her head. "It must be nice being an officer. You get to see him. Meanwhile I haven't seen him since the burial. I don't know what's going on with us anymore. He's avoiding me,"
You stop pretending to drink, looking down at her hands over her pregnant stomach. Stillborn. You remember Jaemin saying. "He must be grieving,"
She huffs and leans back. "Grieving? I think he wants to leave me."
You gulp tightening your lip. "That's a heavy accusation."
"But it's true," Chae sadly says breathing out. "Even before his daughter to go missing, we were starting to get rocky. I don't know, but I keep getting the feeling he knows," You drink on your tea trying not to speak but urging her to speak, peeking in her direction seeing her looking at her stomach circling it slowly with a saddened face. "Marriage. A fucking tool to create babies and a legacy. I wanted my own kids, but he already had her, that little deaf girl. Wasn't even his. I thought he wanted kids, since he loved her so much. So I wanted to give him a child, so that he could be happy. But... We weren't having any time together because of her. I slept with Mark."
You completely halt in your thoughts when she says her last phrase. Your head blank when looking at her. Suddenly the guilt weighs off your shoulders, the guilt of making Jaemin cheat on his wife. It doesn't mean what you did is good, if anything it shows how really marriage is a tool to keep couples together and imbalances happen when women like you invade a home, or even worse, when women inside a marriage seek help outside in order to fix and adjust a problem in their marriage. Sleeping in the marriage and making it bitter, is what you can kind of feel has happened to Jaemin and Chae.
Him already having a child. And Chae simply wanting her husband to focus on her, instead of the outsider.
She shakes her head. "And even that went wrong. I'm supposed to be due next month, but....my baby's dead. And I feel so fucking sad." She sniffs. "I don't know how to look at Mark and tell him his baby is dead, and I don't know how to look to Jaemin and tell him what I've done and that the baby I had for him has passed."
"Chae," You set your tea down gently and open your arms allowing her to lay her head on you.
"Is it so wrong that I just wanted him to love me? I tried everything to get her into another good home, or to study abroad and even get means to make her independent and an individualist, but Jaemin refused all that and just wanted to watch over her. For crying out loud, he married me. Did he just wants to use me? If he can love a child that's not his in that way, then he can most certainly love a child that's not his. Right?" She questions. "Getting into marriage I thought I'd be able to cope looking after his sisters child, but I couldn't. He just used me, he didn't really need me or love me. Only that deaf girl. I didn't even mean to sleep with Mark. It was by accident. But when I was knocked up and saw Jaemin attach himself deeper to the girl and wanting to leave me, I told him that I had his child."
The fact that Chae, herself is opening up sends you into therapy mode. At the end of the day, she's still a person who's lost her child. She ended up telling you that the baby is dead inside here womb and that she slept with Mark - in other words the baby wasn't even for Jaemin.. making it saddening that he cried for a baby that wasn't even his and feeling guilty over a baby that wasn't his.
"I think he already knew a long time ago that I cheated on him. Otherwise he wouldn't have brought an unknown lady into our house and fucked her while his daughter was being killed." She sniffs again.
Your hands freeze completely. How does she know that? It freaks you out, how you're the unknown lady and so far Haechan and surprisingly Chae know the details of what Jaemin was doing that night. You don't think she knows it's you. "He brought an unknown lady while his daughter was being killed?"
Chae nods her head again. "I saw it with my own two eyes."
"Wait Chae. You're not making sense." You try to piece her words together. "You were home while he was fucking another lady?"
At that, Chae tenses up. Did she just accidently tell you that she was home?
"So that means you knew that Jaemin wasn't the killer. You could've backed him up with your statement." You say being shocked. "Wait, did you just say while his daughter was being killed you saw him fucking another lady? That means it's either you saw the killer and did nothing or..."
"You've got it all wrong Detective." Chae gets off your arms and shakes her head. "I was at Mark's house-"
"No you-"
You hear the apartment door make a beeping sound before he opens up like a chamber door revealing Jaemin. His hair messy and eyes hallow and empty when looking at Chae until his ers move over to you. You're still too stunned at Chae's comment but take in his appearance with flustered cheeks, considering that you both consciously fucked each other raw in the car a while ago.
"Jaemin you're home," You're expecting him to ignore Chae, the way she claimed that he would, but he moves closer to the wall with his hands in his leather pocket looking down at her and talking to her. Your heart filled with guilt again. You slept with a married man again. Even if he's not happy in his relationship, you still feel so bad. Chae seems to really want his attention in her life. Your phone rings and you snap out of your shock.
You get up answering the call seeing it's Taeil's contact. "What?"
"We've got the neighborhood surveillance cameras. I've been trying to get a hold of you-"
"I'm on my way."
You cut the call not wanting to let your thoughts fly by. Just as you're about to go, you spot Jaemin in the kitchen and Chae nervously squeezing her hands standing next to the door. It's either she's hiding something from you, or Jaemin, or she's nervous about something deeper. "Uhm do you have to go? Jaemin....wanted to-"
"Have you eaten Detective?" Jaemin's raspy voice gets your attention to divert back to him- as well as Chae who turns to face him in shock. Jaemin looks up to you when removing his black leather jacket, his tongue flickering down to moist his lips. "I could make you something before you go," If Chae was shocked before, then right now she's trying to maintain her agitation. She looks angry.
"I haven't eaten, but I really have to go," You sympathetically say walking slowly. But instead of walking towards the door where Chae is, you stop within Jaemin's direction. "Thanks for your offer,"
It's not tension that lingers in the air when you both look into each others eyes. The longing need to go, suddenly moved away from your mind as you peer at him. It's silently pleasing to gaze into his eyes and have him attentively minding you, especially when he says. "Can you stay a while?" His voice dangerously low forgetting that Chae is still in the room.
A temptation crawls over you to kiss his lips again, and you know he feels it too when his eyes plead and beg for you the same way he did when he was expressing himself. Your lips open up, but Chae beats you to it bitterly. "What do you mean can she stay? She has to work." The ulterior anger in her voice can be heard. "Right."
That wasn't even a question, it was her basically opening up the door for you to leave. You're not even surprised when she grudgingly holds the door open for you. Taking one last look at Jaemin, you walk out towards the door only for it to be slammed once you're out. She's furious and is gonna take it out on Jaemin.. Perhaps.
Not even a few steps forward- the yelling that you predicted happens. Chae yelling at Jaemin. "Just tell me the fucking truth! You fucked her! It's her right? You fucked her right?; Fucking talk you asshole! She smells like you, even the way she looks at you tells me everything I need to know- that you fucked her! Don't touch me! Don't even- You offered to cook for her? You- you-" Her voice turns into a struggle whimper and angered roar and just like that, you hear such a loud smack which jolts you to jerk on forward and start moving when you hear their house door open. You hide behind a wall hearing the footsteps quicken. It's Chae running down the steps while pulling on her jacket and adjusting her bag.
Unconsciously you find yourself carefully walking back to their apartment -only for you to collide into Jaemin in shock.
He's rubbing his cheek, yet upon seeing you he pulls his hand away slowly and simply smiles. He's tired. His eyes weigh heavily on the eye bags, but you can see he's trying to be brief. First his daughter disappeared while he was sleeping with you and now his wife losing her mind because of you. You're in such a hot seat and guilt and shame, however when you open your lips, it's like not even an ounce of regret passed through you.
"Is it okay, if I can take you up on your offer again?" You briefly smile.
His eyes, although tired, light up and he nods his head. He looks around calmly and opens the door widely for you to enter. "Make yourself comfortable," he says.
"Make myself comfortable?" You smirk and turn to him. "You don't need me to help you in the kitchen,"
"It's okay, I wanna make you something to eat, as well as myself. I'm a good cook." He politely shakes his head smiling at you. His hand nuzzles your cheek and chin- pinching it slightly letting out a little laugh. "Besides, it's been a while since I've eaten too,"
Your eyes widen. "You haven't eaten?" It makes sense why you saw that he also lost some weight. "Even when mourning you need to eat," you tell him softly.
He sharply takes in a breath looking away for a second before resting his hands back in his pocket. "Yeah, that's why I want you to eat with me. Chae's gone out. Uhm. Y..you can stay...if you want..." He rubs the back of his neck.
You smile decently removing your blazer and walking towards the long couch again.
"Uh, I just wanted to go and get the wine in the car. Please don't go, I promise I'll be right back." He mentions warmly and clears his throat before going out.
Smiling at the door even when closed, in your heart you feel content and happy that this is where you're supposed to be. With him. You take in the view of the city again by the large window and smile to yourself.
Why you're smiling and fantasizing about Jaemin- is beyond your control. But you do know that within these few hours of being together elevated you soul.
You just have to be able to prove him innocent before hopefully starting out anything with you.
You stand and look around the house simply waiting for Jaemin and sending a haste text message to Taeil that you'll only be coming in tomorrow. For now, you just want a break. And standing while day dreaming about a man who's not even yours, yet, seems to give you the relaxation you need.
You sigh out when wondering why he's taking so long. You decide to go after him hoping to help him if he needs help. After closing the apartment door and using the lift to go down, you're unaware of Chae using the stairs to go back up to the apartment.
To her surprise instead of seeing Jaemin, she sees your black jacket and pounds every room door open trying to 'catch' you and Jaemin in the act. Meanwhile you find your way through the secret hall pass and finally in the underground/parking hidden office space.
Luckily you find Jaemin.
You smile when entering the office seeing him close the back door holding onto a full bottle of wine. His face is a bit twisted as if in disgust, but smiles when seeing you. "Hey," he says and moves to you with the wine bottle. "Uh, I'm sorry for taking time. There's just a weird smell itching my nose,"
You recall smelling the odd smell before you left and nod your head. "I smelt it too when leaving. Do you often use this car? Do you take it for car washes?" You ask as you move towards the desk with the wine bottle and begin opening it with a twister. Placing the red wine within the two glasses already set.
Jaemin who's already opening up all the doors of the car hums out. "I use to take it for a wash every 3 days, although I haven't been, or rather I don't use this car as much anymore." He mentions looking puzzled and disgusted again.
"It's a sign you should take it for a wash," You smile and drink on the wine. He opens up the boot and you sadly sigh. "I'm sorry that things aren't going your way,"
"It's alright. I've been a bit-"
You pick up his wine glass and navigate yourself to him, whose behind the car. You're confused when he suddenly stops talking and remains frozen with his hands still on the lid of the hood. "What, you found the source?"
You go behind the car but instantly get hit by a wave of a wreaking air. You cough out covering your nose and shaking your head. "Oh my god," You try not to breath through your mouth by the foul sewerage air.
Standing next to him, your face is scrunched up and morphed in similar actions as him. There's a black duffle bag and Jaemin grunts.
"Is that your gym b-"
You freeze for a second when he opens up the black duffle bag seeing a black plastic. Just as much as you're confused, you quickly panic and jump back when Jaemin curses a loud and falls backwards cursing out repeatedly. "Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-no-no-no-no-please-no-please-please-please-say it's not real-fuck-no-"
Jaemin erupts hysterically in tears. Your eyes move from his crying botched agonizing face to the duffle bag and plastic wondering what could possibly-
.
No.
Your hand quickly drops the glass as you dash to the boot and rip open the plastic suffocating within the wreaking dead rotting air of his child. "No.." you tremble seeing a bloodied head with patches of wet dark hair sticking against the plastic. Your eyes are brimming tears and you can't even see when Jaemin crawls back and with shaking hands terrifyingly holds onto the head - wailing out in sheer agonizing torture.
Yu're shocked out of your mind when you see the rotting corpse of the little girl. Jaemin begins crying and you stumble back by the stench. Your trembling hands reach for your pocket and you pull out your phone hearing it ring. You can't even hear the caller as you stutter out in distress. "We found the body. We found the body. Please- come quick-" you cry out trembling dropping the phone immediately running to Jaemin when he gets up and ravages the plastic and duffle bag open. He places his head on the bloodied chest trying to hear a heartbeat but you scamper him away. Trying to compose yourself at the gruesome sight of the both of you covered in blood- the blood of Jaemin's daughter.
"Jaemin don't touch the body, Jaemin don't-"
Jaemin can't even hear you as he drops to the ground screeching out in weasels of trauma pain. He attempts to lunge at the body again claiming that she could be alive- but already the sight and clear evidence of her dead body shakes you up. You end up handcuffing Jaemin with your safety cuffs telling him not to move.
In a blur you maintain your balance or you try to maintain your balance as you rush out the door and run out the office to the outside. Not only are the people stunned and avoiding your bloody and tear stained state but they rush on and begin dialing for any sort of help when you call out for help.
A few minutes seem to pass with sirens trailing and tailing on each other. Jaehyun and the rest of the detective forces are on full command and control when bashing in and following you as you lead them to the scene. Jaemin's wails can be heard - when entering the office you're shocked again in pain when you see Jaemin's body on the floor cradling the dead body which is still half in the duffle bag, but instead of it being in the car it's now on the floor within the gap of Jaemin's cuffed hands.
Soon enough the hotel, parking lot and secret office is flooded with police and an ambulance and the whole crew.
In your weary and distorted state you see Jaemin being taken away from the body and is brought to his feet- and for some reason, while in holding, his wife, Chae in tears is outraged and slaps him.
"I didn't do it-" you can hear Jaemin say before he's dragged away by the officers.
It's an ongoing nightmare in your head. From the terrible scene to the muffled voices of anger, to Jaemin's face and his eyes starring at you pleading telling you that he didn't do it.
A week has passed. Thankfully you were frantically frantic as before. But you sit idle in your seat with your whole trembling body wondering what to do.
The security footage of the neighborhood indeed reveals a black vehicle pulling up- but instead of the front yard, the car is on another street behind the house. It's impressive how the footage was taken, as it clearly shows someone carrying that big duffle bag across a street and a car suddenly appearing and both the person and the duffle bag disappear in the car as it speeds away. What's more crazy, is that the same footage also captured another car pulling up but instead at the front yard at the same time. However only one person leaves.
You know for certain, that one person leaving is you. As you called on an Uber late at night after you refused to stay with Jaemin. Later on, by foot- a person is seen treading slowly to the house. The person identified as Chae.
With all that information and footage, you'd think the detectives would try to rationalize everything.
No.
They put Jaemin behind bars, saying he orchestrated the whole thing and what's worse is that he had hitmans who helped him. It sat well with everybody except you.
You spoke to Jaehyun repeatedly trying to tell him that they've got it all wrong. You could tell he was irritated by you, but you also could tell that he felt something wasn't right. You pressed on the matter even going as far as claiming yet again that Chae mentioned he was in the house with a hooker. Excluding that you were the hooker.
To no avail, it's been 9 full days that Jaemin was locked up and awaiting his trial which would be in a months time after the detectives, DA and court settled down and placed all the information together.
Another reason you sit idle on your work chair trembling, is because you took the dash bored memory card from Jaemin's car without permission from the investigation team and have been hiding it. Reason being, because yet again as you're caught in the camera making love with Jaemin, if reversed and rewinded back a couple of weeks it shows the culprits of the little girl's killer... You still don't know what happened, but you have proof that Jaemin is innocent. Which is why as you walk to Jaehyun's office with both USB and memory stick of the club footage as well as the car dash memory card, you know that justice will be served for Jaemin's innocence.
"Intern. You're getting on my last nerve." Jaehyun grumbles out. He gets back to typing ignoring you. You don't mind him as you set both the stick and memory card on top of his table with a written report of the whole case. "What's this?" He looks at the report file reading the title page with a confused look. He groans and leans back on his seat. "We've already closed the case and sent it off to the DA. You've been positioned as an official member and Detective Writer of our police force. Why is it that you can't let this case fucking go?" He complains but you cut him off.
"Because I was involved sir." You blink your eyes, breathing out and maintaining an emotionless face. Your try to stay still hoping your tears won't fall by your selfless act. You train your eyes on the clock instead of his heavy eyes. "An innocent man is in jail. And even though it'll cost me my job and dignity, I'm prepared to risk it all. In the account and accord that he's innocent and set free." You gulp when removing your new shiny official badge and placing it on the table next to the evidences. "The proof is all there."
You bow your head and walk out his office. Instead of going back to your desk you find yourself going to the department canteen. You wanted to go to the police station to see him...to see Jaemin. But the guilt of letting him rot inside especially since you knew that he was innocent was killing you.
So as you idle sit on one of the lounge chairs staring into the abyss of your mind, your thoughts begin to wonder.
You're seated for what seems to be like the whole day with the sun setting and you having not moved from your position. You're broken out of your trance when your phone rings. As usual it's Haechan. Your moral support in letting you know that you shouldn't be pining on yourself. This time, you ignore his call and sigh out heading back to the office.
You're met by Taeil who stops you with a disappointed look as well as paper. "Just to let you know what it's about, you're suspended. Jaehyun's waiting for you in his office."
You don't know what Taeil thinks of you or what he knows. You don't even care what he thinks of you.
You've been an intern detective writer for more over 9 months now, but now you're an official Detective Writer....or rather you were. You were extremely prideful in the work you do. Being able to 'have eyes at the back of your head' or being known as 'sharp’ is an esteemed word and/or phrase that your higher executives prefer to use when they were describing you. Maybe you're selfish and tend to be heavily guarded, and perhaps even self centered, however- as you've been on this case, your moral values and center core routes have returned. Even though, you're not so sure what your hidden and secrecy actions will let your executives and higher-ups call you, but one thing you do know is that you've earned an honesty medal. As you see everything and nothing gets past you, you're surprised how you let a man slip right through your rib cage and straight into your soul.
The first thing you hear when entering Jaehyun's office is your high erratic moan. You feel embarrassed and you shrink back in embarrassment. When Jaehyun pauses the video and glares at you, you know you're done for.
In your head you're hoping for the story to end. That Jaemin is released. His wife is cuffed and the truth is all out. But it's not that easy.
Jaehyun pauses the video and looks up to you. "You were among the top 10 interns to have found favour in the executives eyes. By default, I assumed you slept with him, as you're the only female intern. I was proven wrong when seeing your work ethic and drive. All the values and morals that we as detectives have, you embodied them. Working with you, I was astound as well as amazed by your surging drive to prove us all wrong. Now I'm not quite sure whether your drive to work was for the right reasons. I'm honestly disappointed in you." Jaehyun mentions and you don't know why, but your pride sinks. Thinking back to how you started this case with conviction that truly you were going to get into his good book. But now you've disappointed him. *I've heard so many good critics about you. And working with you, my judgement based off of you was wrong, you are not only a hard worker but you pay close attention to detail. Which brings me to this evidence. Taking this new evidence to the directors and DA will tarnish your reputation, ruin your resume and deem you untrustworthy, it'll evict you from working in any other force team again. However, not taking it, allows for the man behind bars to be sentenced for a crime he didn't commit. I'm conflicted in between two options. The first, suspending you and closing off this case myself with the right person behind bars, and the second, allowing you to redeem yourself and prove yourself to me again by getting another form of evidence, a verbal confession preferably from Mrs Na herself."
Hearing his words and hearing that perhaps you have a chance you're baffled by his generosity. Leaning into faith and his words you stand slightly straight. "How would I get a verbal confession?"
He turns to his compute screen and types some things on his keyboard before turning the screen to me, while pressing play on a layer footage. It's the car footage.
Your eyes widen when you see Mark's face in the dark. He waits alone and a second later theirs a knock on the door. Mark rolls down the window and you can hear a brief: "Can you open the boot?"
Mark is quick in pressing a button. He turns his head back before smiling as the door opens and someone gets in the car. Removing the black hood over the head- your eyes widen when seeing Chae.
She looks nervous and is evidently shaking while gasping and trying to catch her breath. "Mark please drive."
"But Jaemin-"
"Drive!"
"Yeah sure," he looks uncertain and puzzled. He turns his head around facing the road before starting the car and driving. "You okay Chae?"
Chae is shaking and holding tightly onto the black jersey she's wearing nodding her head. "Yes I'm fine. You're going back to the office right?"
"Uh," Mark looks ahead for a second. "Yes. Jaemin sent me a text to pick him up from home-"
"I have his phone. It was me. He's occupied right now." Her lips tremble. "Mark I did something terrible." She breaks into sudden tears and cries out. "Mark-"
Mark looking panicked he pulls over the car and attends to Chae hugging her. "Hey," he softly calls patting her head. "It's going to be okay,"
"Mark, it's not," She trembles and continues crying. "I didn't mean to do it. She wanted her dad and started crying and he suddenly came home and- and just came in and she- she wanted to see him- Mark I hit her- I didn't mean to- to- he came home with another woman and - and- she started crying and I hit her- Mark- Mark-"
"Don't worry Chae. Chae calm down, please calm down. Crying and stressing isn't good for the baby," Mark informs and tenderly wipes on her tears looking into her eyes. His hands move in her hair and he brings her close placing a kiss on her forehead. Before looking at her. "Let's first get this car back in the office and then we can talk,"
"Okay," Chae still has worry in her eyes but complies with Mark.
He returns to driving the car with one hand and assume the other hand is one her hand or thigh. They eventually go along in silence. Jaehyun stops the video. "From here on, they're quiet. I assume they spoke outside of the car. I don't know what she told Mark, and I don't know what Mark knows. In the car, she was a bit tongue tied and a mess, so her words aren't clear enough for them to be pinned. All I know is that she said she hit her and that he, being Jaemin, brought in another woman, that being you. With that said, she never enters in the car again. The next encounter in the car, is of you and him. From the likeness of your conversation Chae's baby is still born, her and Jaemin have been rocky, she didn't have a good connection with the little girl, and most importantly she wasn't at the hospital the whole day. If you're willing, I want you to get a confession out of her. I'm sure it won't be easy, but it's all I have as an idea. It's either that or your pride. I'm willing to let this slide off because it looks like an honest mistake. You sleeping with him was probably meant to be a one night stand. Considering you slept with him again, knowing what you know is beyond me, however that's not my business nor does it involve me. I didn't appreciate your dishonesty or hiding the bar footage, but I appreciate your courage in speaking up, even if it's at the very end." He stands up with a file in hand. "I'm sure riling her up about her cheating husband will egg her into cracking and confessing. And upon watching the car footage, his wife and Mark seemed to have a really strong bond. He seemed the least suspicious. But if he could hide and cover up for Chae, how much more is he hiding. Would you be up for it?"
You don't think Jaehyun has any other alternative motives other then wanting to get Chae to confess. You don't think it's because he wants to help you. "Yes." As long as you were keeping your job and he was allowing you to continue the case, you didn't care.
Right when he lets you leave his office, you go to your contacts book and find yourself dialing up Mark as well as Chae opting for them to come in to give their last closing statements. You prepare yourself by thinking of what questions to ask, you think deeply of triggering questions for both Mark and Chae.
Considering that Mark doesn't know that he was the one who impregnated Chae you think of how to bring it into the equation.
°
Mark is seated in the interrogation room seemingly calmly. You doubt he knows what Chae has done, but based off what Jaehyun said about him being close with Chae, you still have to make sure. Besides, if he knew that Chae was the killer (assuming she's the killer), why would he go on to helping the investigation.
Jaehyun looks through the one way glass mirror watching Mark, he sits down and hits the recording recorder tape. He nods in your direction and you walk in.
"Hi," You smile, causing him to look up and sitting up in his seat looking welcoming with his big eager eyes.
"Hey,"
"Thank you for coming in on such short notice. Uh, I'm not gonna take up much of your time, I just need one last sentence from you."
"No problem," He nods his head before clearing his throat and leans in. "I actually wanted to come to the station myself,"
"Really?" You question tilting your head a little. "What for?"
He shakes his head leaning back on his seat folding his arms. "It doesn't add up or make any sense that Jaemin murdered Daejun. He loved her with all his heart more than anything else in this world. I'm finding it really hard to believe that he would do that. Look, I may have lied in the beginning of the case,"
You nod your head allowing yourself to look open, making it calming for him to speak. He removes the beanie on his head, and presses his hands together cracking his knuckles. "If it's possible, I would really need you to be honest."
"Yeah, yeah." He nods his head. "Uhm, first of. I'm the one who dropped Daejun home from school that day..." He sighs out. "I really didn't do anything to her. According to the school she was feeling sick and Jaemin sent me a text to get her. I did as told and stayed with her, making sure she ate and was warm. I covered her and wrapped her in a blanket. In the report, I said, I waited till Jaemin came home but I lied. I waited till Chae came home. She came back from the doctors office. That's what I wanted to be honest about, and also.... This was late at night, but I picked up Chae from her house. Please don't think it's her or me, or even Jaemin." He sighs and scratches his head. "I really wish I knew who did it."
"You said you picked up Chae late at night,"
"Yeah," Mark briefly nods his head. "Uhm, she was crying a lot. Uhm." He sighs. "Look man, it's not my place but apparently he was home with another woman. That's why I'm certain that....okay, I don't know but he was with another woman and Chae wanted to go anywhere but home."
You nod your head, feeling thrilled that the words are rolling out his mouth. "You picked her up with what?" You open up your file pulling out a print out. "When looking at the neighborhood footage, we were unable to capture who brought Chae home because their were trucks and trucks of movers. A new person was entering the neighborhood so lots of people where moving in and out and the trucks blocked the view of the house. So I want to ask, what car you drove?"
"I remember that, uh. Picking up Daejun from school, I walked with her until home. And picking up Chae at night, I drove with Jaemin's company car. Uhm, if it helps, I don't think Jaemin had his phone with him. Chae had it, seems like he forgot it since morning. So accordingly she's the one who sent messages, using his phone."
Your heart elevates in joy by Mark freely confessing. He's words edge you on and are back up for the case. "Thank you Mark for your honesty. We'll keep this in the record. Uhm, you said you drove with Jaemin's company car. How did you have possession to it?"
"I drive Jaemin around sometimes. So I've got a spare key."
"On what occasions do you drive him around?"
"Business meetings or say maybe he wants to go to the club, or he's tired. It's a job but I don't mind helping out, it's the least I can do,"
"Hm, interesting." It's not an opening, but you slide in your question. "Why do you do it? Out of gratitude or because you're guilty of something?"
He visibly looks stunned. "What?" He mumbles.
"I'm not implying anything bad, I'm just asking. You're helping out him, Chae and even Daejun as a friend or..."
He blinks his eyes and shifts in his seat. "As a friend of course,"
"As a friend?" You question while nodding your head. "It's just you said that it the least you could do. And I'm wondering, why you said that. Is their something you did that you feel guilty of- I'm not including Daejun here but, maybe your wronged Jaemin and want to make up for it...or you possibly had a misunderstanding with Chae or-" he looks uncomfortable when you mention Chae and he looks down squeezing his hands together.
"As a friend." He states out.
"Why did you pick up Chae late at night?"
He scratches his head. "Uhm. Like I said, she messaged me using Jaemin's phone. And she saw Jaemin with another woman-"
"No, no, I get the part. But why call you with Jaemin's phone. At first, we were suspicious of you because of his call records but we dropped you when Chae came to your defense. So I'm wondering, why did Chae defend you...why she holds you in high regards, especially since you're more of Jaemin's friend then her. I'm not implying anything malicious. But, I had a chat with her....about her baby. Unfortunately, the baby is stillborn." You gulp sadly when Mark halts and looks up quickly with big eyes. "She's known for months now, but she's been finding it hard to open up. I'm not sure if she's planning to give birth to it being still or not, but I'm worried that she might not get the chance to speak to you."
"T...to me?" Mark's lip trembles and he closes his eyes looking saddened. His hands run down his hair and he sniffs. "It's mine...right?" He whispers. "My baby,"
You stay quiet, feeling sad. You empathize with him in the sense of him being a middle man. "Mark..."
He sniffs again, slowly picking up his head and wiping his eyes. "So is that what you wanted a statement for? What do you wanna know? That I slept with my best friend's wife and knocked he up? Or that I took her to my place to forget about him while he fucked some other woman?" He heavily pants out, seemingly struggling to hold in his emotions. "Fuck. Are you sure it's mine? That I....I'm responsible?"
"That's something Chae can answer." You say quietly surprised that he took her to his place. You're even surprised that he admits to sleeping with her. "As for what I want to know, I want to know your relationship with her?" You say out in a soft tone, hoping to not evoke anger.
But he's not angry. He's disheartened and looks broken. "It was a mistake okay. She... I... Look," he sits forward. "I slept with her once. We both agreed to never talking about it again. By that time, things with her and Jaemin were getting rough. I don't now what was going on, but I didn't like seeing he upset. So I just started helping out. Or rather, trying to get Jaemin and her to avoid each other. She was pregnant and I didn't want her to stress. I didn't even know...that it was mine. I just wanted her to be...." He looks down and sighs out rubbing his face.
You feel bad for Mark, so getting the information you needed, plus the additional information he let out, you thank him. Jaehyun calmly leads him to the canteen telling him to drink and eat something or even rest a bit. You follow behind Jaehyun waiting to hear his verdict.
Before you can head on back Jaehyun sees Chae entering the canteen. "Wait, there's Chae," he points out. "Come."
"Mrs Na." Jaehyun starts and goes on to shaking her hand. She has a soft smile before her eyes see you.
"Hi Chae," You nervously greet, seeing her smile disappear.
"Hi." She stiffly smiles. "I got your message. What statement did you want to get from me?"
"Uh, if you could just follow us to the interrogation office-"
"I wanted to buy some milk before we can start." She cuts off. You look to Jaehyun and he nods his head.
"Oh, ohkay." Judging from her tone, you're reminded of when she yelled and slapped Jaemin for wanting you to stay. She's probably onto you. You step back yet jump a little when you bump into someone. Mark. He holds onto Chae's arm and looks in between his eyes.
"Mr Lee, I think it's best you to rest up for now." Jaehyun speaks up yet backs down when seeing the strong eyes Mark has towards Chae. On instinct, he gets out his phone setting the voice record on.
"Mark?" Chae's tone softens. "What are you doing here?"
Mark turns to you and looks back to Chae. "Can I please talk to her for a minute?"
"Of course yeah," You nod your head, but Jaehyun nudges you shoulder. You don't know why, but looking down at your watch and thinking of whether Mark wants to let her know what he told you so that she can perhaps lie to you- is what goes on in your mind and it's what you think Jaehyun stopped you for. You can't let them talk. "But can it be after? I won't take up her ti-"
Mark doesn't even wait for you to finish before turning back to Chae and speaking up. "Was it mine?"
Your eyes enlarge not only by him talking over and ignoring you, but by his question. Chae's equally stunned and confused. "Yours?"
"The baby." Mark starts looking down at her bloated stomach. "Was it mine?"
"Was?" She questions, her chest rising and falling. "What do you mean was?" Her eyes watering. "I don't know what you're talking about-"
"Chae tell me right now. Tell me the truth. Is this the reason why Jaemin's been upset with you?" He lets go of her while stepping back, but she quickly holds onto both his arms.
"Mark no-"
"Chae," his eyes water a little yet hers are pouring already. "I told you to leave him. I told you that you shouldn't stress yourself. I said come with me- Chae I care for you more than he does! Chae why did you stay with him- now look what you've done!" Mark bursts out, the tears running down his eyes. "My baby....our baby....our baby's dead-"
"Mark please don't stay that! He's still alive! He's still alive! He's not dead!" Chae frantically pulls on his clothes crying out. "Please-" she cries. "I'm sorry-"
"Chae why did you stay with him? I told you I could look after you, Chae..." He whispers and wipes his eyes moving back and away from Chae's hands that try to reach to him. "What did you do that night?" Mark ends up asking. "While he was fucking that woman, what did you do?"
Chae's trembling and hiccuping still crying. "I didn't do- I called you Mark- please Mark, please help me- it was an accident- I swear I didn't mean it-"
Mark steps back running his hands through his hair. His jaw clinches as the tears fall out. "You left my place to go back home- so you had nothing to do with Daejun's disappearance right?"
"Mark-" She chokes out. "Please don't do this-"
"Chae-" his voice trembles. "I told you leave him. I begged you to leave him- but you... You didn't touch Daejun right?"
Chae's hyperventilating at this point, the tears falling onto her clothes. Sh clutches her stomach and shakes her head. "She was hitting me-" She whispers. "She was hitting my baby-" She struggles to breathe but continues. "Mark I didn't mean to- Jaemin came in with that lady and Daejun was-" she stops herself and cries on. "Daejun was screaming- Mark please-"
"Fucking tell me the truth Chae!" Mark shakes his head and pants out. "Jaemin was preoccupied with the woman to notice you- what did you do? While he fucked that woman on your couch- Goddamn Chae don't tell me you laid your hands on Daejun- don't tell me you took out your frustration on-"
"I hit her okay!" Chae bursts out and shakes her head taking two heated steps forward grabbing Mark's shirt. "It was his fault! He made me do it! Mark that bitch was moaning out my husband's name! So I hit his precious daughter!"
She pushes Mark back with full furry and rage. You try to intervene but Jaehyun holds you back.
"And then she started crying and I threw her on the bed telling her to shut up- but she fucking wouldn't shut up! He was going to leave me! He was going to leave me if he saw that I hit her, so I covered her face with a pillow." Chae gasps out and moves back looking down at her hands. "But that stupid brat, hit me. She punched my stomach and I.....I didn't mean to hurt her, but I took her clock and hit her with it through the pillow. But she kept trying to escape and she kept hitting me and my baby- Mark-"
Chae bends down holding her stomach.
"Mark she was the one who killed my baby and tried to make a run for it- I couldn't let her tell on me and I couldn't let her get away with killing my baby- and then I saw the blood- I don't know if it was from me...my baby... I snapped. I threw the clock at the back of her head and she fell. She was about to scream again but I covered her mouth and took her back to the room. Mark- I.... I didn't mean it ...and there was a stupid bitch moaning out my husband's name. He didn't even care- he fucked that lady and I got so angry. I don't know what came over me when I grabbed the clock and kept hitting D-D-Daejun over the head.. I just wanted her to be quiet,"
Jaehyun stops the recording by the end of Chae's frantic crying. Mark draws closer to her on the floor and he gently wraps his arms around her, as she bursts out crying while holding onto him tightly.. Your heart aches for Daejun... the little girl who was caught up in the whole mess and drama.
"Mrs Na Chae," Jaehyun gets out his handcuffs, not even minding the couple that's securely holding onto each other. "You are arrested for the murder and missing case of the persons of Na Daejun. Anything you say this point on will be used against you. You have no right to a lawyer, and you are to remain silent within the next hour."
.
7 months later..
The days following after Chae's arrest were frightening. You had never seen a court case as such. Aside from the palpable tension between Jaemin, Chae and Mark, you found yourself in a sticky situation when Jaemin had to come clean and admit to what he did in the house that night. He briefly laced out that he was in an unfaithful entanglement with another woman- and while he said that, at some point in the court room Chae screeched in anger pointing at you with pure hatred blaming you for pushing her to the limit.
You don't really know if Chae knows you to be the woman Jaemin slept with, all you know is that she suspects you a lot for having an affair with her husband.
Speaking of husband, as soon as the court case was settled and Chae was sentenced on the account of first degree murder 8 to 10 years- Jaemin decided to put quits to their relationship with a divorce following.
You haven't known Jaemin for long, but within the weeks of the trial, you hardly saw him with an expression on his face. He was extemly quiet with this repeated gloomy face stuck on loop. Not only was it heart breaking seeing him that way, but you couldn't help it when comforting him. All you did was give him a comforting hug.
A hug which you thought would rekindle your 'love' to him again. But instead you got a little head nod after you asked if he was okay, and that was it.
You never saw Na Jaemin again.
His business suffered collateral damages. His public image of the perfect man was ruined because of the cheating scandal as well as false publicity of him bribing the judges to get away with killing his own daughter.
According to reports, even though he had lost quite a number of ratings (due to the events of the past), he continued to run his business for some months before shutting it down altogether because of the lingering discomfort he had in running a business after knowing that a child, his child, had died and was prematurely buried in his own hotel. After closing down his hotel and removing his license, you honestly thought he would find his way to you...
Foolish.
You have no words to describe the whole incident, but when Jaemin paid you no mind after the court case, you felt incredibly stupid for falling in love with him.
You could only say it is what is is. While you humbly thrived and diligently worked in your new role and position, you constantly got reminded of Jaemin whenever you'd go to the club with your colleagues, or when you'd sit in Haechan's passenger seat being reminded of your hot steamy make out with Jaemin in his car, or even the simplicity of looking at kids with their fathers. You wanted a relationship with Jaemin.
You wanted him, needed him, so desperately that you stopped going clubbing and got yourself a rebound in Haechan. You thought you could forget Jaemin, if you kissed, touched, fucked somebody else. Unfortunately, you were engraved with into Jaemin so much that nothing and nobody else came close or even compared to him.
Nothing compares to the way he made you feel by your touch deprived self. You'd secretly touch yourself behind Haechan's back at the thought of Jaemin and his skilled tongue eating you out, you'd moan out whenever Haechan kissed you because in your head you only thought of Jaemin. You only saw Jaemin. A soft hand touch, an unexpected hug, warm handshakes where you could feel Haechan's entire hand in yours, the texture of his skin- everything Haechan did, you only allowed your mind to see Jaemin in everything.
You wondered how your life would be with Jaemin. Unfortunately, your Na Jaemin was Lee Donghyuck.
That's why you're not too sure if you're imagining things.
You're out with Haechan on your monthly date night at a beach side restaurant sitting outside facing each other... and you see him.
You feel like you're losing your mind.
Haechan sits across from you talking about logistics or something along those lines, looking at passionate as ever that he doesn't even mind if you pay attention or not.
You really don't know if you're going crazy or not..or if you're imagining it.
But there's a man, in a black long sleeved shirt, with jet black styled hair, sitting all alone looking lavish and mysterious, drinking what looks like red wine...with his gaze on you from time to time.
The eye gaze where you feel as though the nerves in your face that go down your spine and chest are attracted toward his gaze. He's sitting two meters away from you, yet there's such a strong hold he has on you, that your legs cross over each other to slightly squeeze your needy core. The intimacy of... Eye contact. Smirks across a crowded room. Raised eyebrows. Knowing glances. Witty banter.
You gulp and try to focus on Haechan and his deviating topic but your mind wanders onto how you cannot kiss him but you really wish you could.
"Are you listening?" Haechan snaps you out of your dazed eyes and you hum nodding your head. From the corner of your eyes, you see Jaemin smirk.
For some reason, you can already tell that tonight you won't be leaving this restaurant with Lee Donghyuck as Na Jaemin, but that you will leave the restaurant with Na Jaemin being in between your legs. With the way he's looking at you, and the way your needy eyes plead with him, there's no way this won't be another 'secret' locked up in a room.
As you're about to leave, you tell Haechan that you'll meet him by the car.
You pay the finest attention to smallest details when you're touch deprived; such as someone's shoulder brushing against yours, someone starring at you too long or even your own hand brushing against your clit at night when you're by yourself. That's why walking towards Jaemin table, you know what you want and this time you're going to do it the right way.
You just hope this time that there's no dead body around.
-
I think the word count was 29k something.. lol...if you made it all the way to the end, thank you so much for reading. it took months writing this and i enjoyed every bit of it- which is why I'm even happier that you've finished everything- thank you for taking your time to give this a shot and reading it <3
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