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prettywordsyouleft · 5 years

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The Sex Contract - Chapter 9

Genre: friends to lovers au / friends with benefits / mature content / romance / angst

Characters: Shim Changmin x Kaia Ashton (OC)

A/N: Due to the overwhelming request I have followed your encouragement to bring back one of my older stories. This was back in a time where OCs were everything and writing one chapter in each main’s point of view was the trend. I hope that even though I have edited this drastically, that you can appreciate this story comes from my older style of writing. I definitely still read this often and find it enjoyable so I hope you will too.

Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 - FINAL

Chapter 9 – Changmin’s POV.

Changmin let Kaia into the apartment and frowned instantly, the scolding he was going to give her for wasting so much time left his mind as soon as he saw her expression. Instead, he grabbed her and led her over to the couch, helping her sit down.

“Is everything okay?”

She nodded distantly but otherwise didn’t reply.

“You don’t seem okay, in fact you look as if you’ve seen a ghost,” he pointed out, poking her arm gently. She didn’t even flinch and Changmin became concerned. Getting up from the couch, he went over to the kitchen and turned on the jug to boil some hot water. Collecting two cups from inside the cupboard he prepared the hot chocolates, in hopes the sugar would brighten her up without the effect of caffeine. He brought the drinks back over to where Kaia sat and placed them down on the coffee table.

The sound seemed to bring her out of her thoughts. “What did you say?”

“Nothing, but I made you a hot chocolate. You should drink it,” Changmin urged and the girl nodded, reaching forward for the cup and just held it. She fell back out of awareness and he wondered what she was overanalysing. He was somewhat an impatient person, and he wanted to help Kaia with her problem instead of wait for her to figure it out.

“Changmin, is it very easy for a person who doesn’t work for an Entertainment company to date an idol?” she eventually asked and he blinked a couple times at her question before shaking his head.

“You should know by now Kai, given you work in Entertainment news that it’s quite hard. It’s why most idols have relationships with each other or the people they work with.” Changmin placed his mug down and scooted closer to the caramel haired girl. “Why, what have you discovered?”

“N-nothing, I just wondered if a relationship like the one I just pointed out could stay off the radar well.”

He contemplated her statement. “Depends on the fame of the star. For someone in a less known position, it could be quite possible. But for someone such as myself, it’s barely possible to have a female friend, let alone date a girl without the whole world knowing. I’m just thankful no one has seen you as a potential partner or this entire agreement would become the most lethal operation in destroying my career.”

“Couldn’t that happen if news comes out about it?” she asked and then stared down at the beverage in her hand. “Could I end your career?”

“Hey,” he said softly, leaning closer to the girl and lightly bumping her so he didn’t spill her drink. “Why are you thinking so seriously, hm? What got you like this? Do you know someone who is dating a famous person now?”

She shook her head. “It mustn’t have been who I thought it was, because like you said, that would be nearly impossible.”

“You’ve sparked my curiosity now. Who exactly did you think you saw?”

“Junsu,” she mentioned and Changmin froze. “I uh, mean the Junsu from two pm of course ha-ha!”

He glanced at the girl who diverted her gaze, taking a gulp of her drink and then squealing because she had burnt her tongue. Changmin couldn’t help but chuckle at the awkward move and pulled Kaia’s head around so he could examine the damage. It didn’t look that bad. He smirked. “You’re so clumsy at times.”

“I didn’t think that through very well,” she agreed and then smiled, seeming to be stepping out of her thoughts. “So uh, I’m guessing you have to get back to work soon. Sorry, I wasted the time.”

“I’m not worried, I kind of miss just hanging out,” he told her honestly and she nodded her head. “I like where we’re at though too, I feel I’ve learnt a lot about you lately.”

“Like?” she wondered and Changmin chuckled again. “Hey, don’t you start teasing me. I came here on my lunch break and haven’t even eaten yet. I even gave up sushi for you.”

“So let’s order sushi then,” he proposed, glancing at his watch and faltering when he saw the time. She was right; Changmin was expected back at work in less than half an hour. He cringed lightly. “Can I order sushi for you?”

“Don’t worry; I’ll just get something on the way back to the office. Though if I’m honest, I don’t feel all that good. Do you have any medication I could take Min?” she asked, rubbing her neck and he eyed the girl with fresh concern, nodding his head and got up.

“Just wait here, I’ll get you some.” He headed into his bedroom and to the en-suite, looking in the cabinet for some medicine. Finding the box he required, Changmin went back out to the living room but frowned when she was nowhere in sight. “Kaia?”

There was no response, and he noticed her bag was still on the counter where she left it. Going over to where he left the girl, Changmin found her sound asleep on the couch. Smiling at her, he looked around before deciding to hoist the girl up. Changmin knew how uncomfortable it was to fall asleep on that couch. She surprisingly didn’t stir awake as he carried her down to his room, gently placing her on the bed and pulling the blankets up over her.

“You must be truly exhausted,” he murmured and stood back to his full height, glancing at his friend and then put the box of medicine on the bedside table. Jotting Kaia a quick note telling her to let herself out when she woke up, Changmin quietly stepped out of the room and headed out back to work.

“And so Minho said to me about some soccer match that he and Donghae, with a few trainees, have planned in two days. I was completely annoyed, of course, they plan things when we’re not in Korea,” Yunho mentioned as they both entered the apartment later that evening, exhausted from practice.

“Why are you complaining, Minho will be coming to Japan whilst we’re there. I’m sure if you time it well you could meet up for something.”

Yunho nodded and then stopped after turning on the lights. “Did Kaia come over today?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Did she forget her bag?” he continued to enquire and Changmin frowned, noting the handbag still in the same place it had been earlier. He stepped around Yunho and headed down to his bedroom, opening the door and stopped in his tracks. Kaia was still in the bed and seemed to be asleep. His breath was caught in his chest as he went over to her side and reached to feel her head. The action was enough to stir her and she opened her eyes, blinking a few times.

“How come you’re still here?” Changmin asked softly, crouching down as Kaia sat up in the bed. She looked around herself and coughed. “Are you ill?”

“My throat hurts a little.”

“Just wait here,” he told her and went down to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. Yunho was in there and looked at Changmin with concern. “She mustn’t have woken up when I left her here. She’s been asleep for at least nine hours now.”

“Sounds like she needed to sleep. Do you need a hand?”

He shook my head and smiled at the man before heading back down to the bedroom. Passing the bottle to Kaia, she drank some of it before coughing again. Changmin offered her the medication and she took it before slumping back down on the bed.

“Changmin-ah,” she said and he glanced at her. “I don’t think I have the energy to move. What time is it?”

“Eleven.”

“Ugh, okay.” She hung her head and then tried to heave herself to the side of the bed. Changmin gently stopped her.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

She looked at him tiredly. “Home. I don’t want to make you sick.”

“Well, you’ve already slept in my bed so I’m pretty sure I’ll catch it regardless. Though I am really fit so don’t worry about me, I’m more concerned about you. Which means you’re not leaving.”

“But-”

He shook his head firmly. “I have to wake up at three anyway to fly to Japan early. So don’t worry too much. Do you need me to help you to the bathroom?”

“Yes please,” she said and resigned herself to his aid. Changmin helped her in so she could use the room and then took her back to bed, assisting her in removing her jacket and pants so she was more comfortable. He then took off his own unneeded layers and flicked off the light, climbing onto the bed and snuggling into his pillows.

Everything was silent for a moment and he glanced over his shoulder at Kaia, the girl staring up at the ceiling. He chuckled and turned to face her. “Problem?”

“We haven’t exactly shared a bed on purpose yet,” she announced and he laughed again at her worries. “Don’t laugh at me!”

“We fell asleep after playing Fifa that one time at five in the morning, how is this any different? Besides, I’ve had more than enough sex with you now to not need to make a move. Sleep well Kai, I’ll see you if you wake up when I do.”

“I guess you’re right, night Min.” She sighed and then nestled into the pillow, closing her eyes and instantly drifting off.

Changmin found himself cat napping like he usually did when he knew the alarm was set for an odd time, and every time he woke up, he looked over at Kaia sleeping to make sure she was okay. It was a different experience and he enjoyed it, wondering if he would have felt any more satisfied than he did now, had they enjoyed some intimacy together before his trip to Japan. It made him realise that whilst he liked the arrangement a great deal, there definitely needed to be some changes when he got back home.

But for now, Changmin enjoyed the idea of sharing his bed with his best friend. Though he couldn’t put his finger on the reason, he knew he would miss her a great deal whilst in Japan this time.

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Part 10

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#shim changmin #changmin #tvxq #tvxq imagines #tvxq scenarios #tvxq fiction #tvxq romance #changmin imagines #changmin scenarios #changmin fiction #changmin romance #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #kpop fiction #pwyl; the sex contract #prettywordsyouleft writes

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overthinkingkdrama · 6 years

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Old Souls

{A Scarlet Heart: Ryeo fan fiction}

Set immediately after the end of episode 20.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

The fleeting moment of relief Jin Woo had experienced, holding Ha Jin in his arms like this, left him almost at once. Replaced by white hot shame and the painful awareness that he had made another mistake. That he was still making that mistake. Right now.

But he couldn’t let her go at once. His body didn’t want to obey him. She’s real. She’s here in front of me. I can touch her. I can feel her heart beating. His felt the tears threatening to fall again. Only by closely controlling his own breathing did he keep them in check. A rational part of Jin Woo was screaming at him, over the centuries’ ingrained impulse to hang on to her with everything he had, to never let her out of his sight again.

Stop. Stop it. You have to stop this now.

The rational voice won out. He let go and quite nearly shoved her away from him, afraid he would fold her into another desperate hug. He took a quick step backwards, looking anywhere but into her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t…I, uh…” He stumbled over his words. “Where is the …or…I need a restroom.”

She blinked at him, visibly confused. Who could blame her? She pointed him back towards the pension, and he moved past her in the direction she indicated. Leaving Ha Jin and his luggage behind without any further word.

As soon as he stepped into the room he closed and locked himself into the en suite. The space was too narrow for pacing for pacing, but he managed to turn around fully three times in a private moment of mania, before bringing himself to a stop, grabbing hold of the edge of the vanity, face to face with his own reflection in the bathroom mirror.

“What the hell was that?” He growled under his breath. “This wasn’t supposed to happen”

He brought one shaking fist down hard on the counter, wincing at the unexpected pain of his knuckles scraping against the porcelain basin of the sink.

“Ow!”

“Are you alright in there?” He heard Ha Jin’s voice from the other side of the door.

Damn it. “Yeah, fine.” He ran some cold water in the sink and splashed it over his face repeatedly, trying to come back to his senses. Blinking away water droplets he stared himself down in the mirror again. In his head this time he said, you promised you wouldn’t do this. You weren’t going to make this harder on her.

He’d been steeling himself against this meeting for weeks now. Trying to turn his heart to stone. Telling himself every day, a hundred times a day, he wouldn’t be shaken when he saw her again. He’d thought he was almost ready. But in his head it had been different. In his head he had picked the place. He’d rehearsed his first words to her. His last words. Every word in between.

But seeing her like that. Looking like that. He’d completely fallen apart. What had he said? I missed you? Asshole. He cussed himself out. Min Ki as well…he might have to kill him when he got back. Now he had to somehow walk this back. To stick to the resolution he’d made without looking like a total lunatic. Yeah, good luck with that.

Straightening up and setting his jaw, Jin Woo gave himself one last warning look before he left the bathroom and joined Ha Jin. She’d carried in the luggage and had placed the suitcases next to the bed, waiting for him to unpack.

“I would have gone back for those.” He said. “You didn’t have to carry them.”

“Oh, I don’t mind.”

She wasn’t looking directly at him. She was flitting around the room like a bird, looking for non-existent busy work to do. Tidying things that weren’t out of place. She had sensed the drastic change in his demeanor and was trying to divine its meaning.

“No…” He said quietly, “I really should have done it.”

A tense silence followed, as he tried to decide what to say next. Eventually she spoke first, “So, uh, I’ve been thinking about what we should do with our night. What do you think about leaving our things here and grabbing a quick bite to eat? We could—”

“I’m really not hungry right now.”

“Me either really,” She laughed nervously. “A drink then? It’s still early but…”

“No, Ha Jin, I—”

She ran over him with her words, each new one tripping over the next as it rushed out of her, “Oh, you’re probably tired from your trip. Silly of me. I should have realized. Why don’t you change or shower or you can lie down for a bit while I’ll go for a walk—” While she chattered like this, Ha Jin had already begun to drift toward the door, as if she would make her escape before she had even finished speaking.

He went after her, gently taking hold of her hand to stop her.

“Ha Jin. Stay. For just a few minutes. I need to say something.”

“Okay.”

He led her back to the foot of the bed where they both sat, tensely, side by side. Absently his thumb brushed across her back of her hand. Catching himself, he let go and pulled his hand away.

“You are mad, aren’t you?”

“No. I’m not mad.”

“But you’re not happy either.”

“Ha Jin I—I really wish this had happened another way. I was waiting for the right moment. And I didn’t expect I would see you this way. But I’m afraid the longer I wait the harder this will become…”

Her back became rigid as she cut off his rambling, “No, you’re right. If there’s something that’s hard to say, you should say it now.”

“I didn’t lie when I said I’ve missed you. I did miss you, desperately. I’m sure I will miss you even more in the future.” He paused, trying to remember what he was meant to say next. He thought she might speak again. But she just sat waiting as her hand, recently relinquished, curled slowly into a fist. There was no other way than just to say it straight out. “I want to stop now.”

“You want to stop—?”

“Let’s stop seeing each other. Yes.”

To his surprise she gave a bitter little laugh, “Min Ki was wrong…I was right. You really were planning to break up with me.”

“I know this is the worst possible timing. If there was any way I could have—I’m really sorry it ended up happening like this.”

“Why should you be sorry? You had no idea I was planning to make a fool out of myself.” She said. Her voice was startlingly cool and steady. “I suppose I’m allowed to ask why?”

He glanced down. His knuckles had turned an ugly red and were already starting to swell. He covered them with his other had so Ha Jin wouldn’t see. “I don’t know what we’re doing anymore. I can’t imagine a future in which you and I are happy. All I can see is a thousand possible heartbreaks and one obvious conclusion. I should never have started something I didn’t have the courage to see through.”

“When I sent you to Yoon Jung you told me not to worry. That nothing was going to change between us.”

“I know. I told you a lot of things I couldn’t follow through on. I thought I could handle it. I was wrong.”

Suddenly she turned toward him, placing both hands on his forearm, her eyes bright. “Is it just because of the memories? If I made it seem like all I wanted was for you to remember…if I placed too much of a burden on you…”

“No…that isn’t it. Looking for my memories me think about choice. Whether I still have one or not. If my path has already been determined by some long dead tyrant, or if I still control where it will lead me. I wondered whether I was only here because of a choice that was made for me a thousand years ago, in another life. And I thought about how unfair that would be. To both of us. I’ve decided I want to make my own choices again.”

“And so," She said, "The first choice you’ve made is that you don’t want me anymore.”

“Of course I do. This isn’t about that.” He said, shaking his head.

“What it’s about then?”

“I don’t know myself when I’m with you. I can’t…trust myself when I’m with you. And I will never become what you need me to be. I’ve finally realized that.”

“Jin Woo-ya…It’s my fault for not expressing my feelings sooner. You don’t need to change for me. The way you are right now, I—”

“No,” He said. He’d found his way back to the words he’d meant to say to her at last. Each one carefully chosen, like a finely honed blade aimed for the vital spot. He knew how they would echo in her mind. “It’s not enough. Sure, I want you now. I love you now. I do, but…this kind of feeling won’t last. It will burn itself out eventually. And I will start to resent you. I may even come to hate you. Before that happens, I want to end things here.”

All the while he’d been speaking, he could feel her struggling. Searching for the perfect words to counter him, to change his mind. But at his last sally, he could see the fight go out of her. Her shoulders dropped and she became so still he wondered if she was holding her breath.

After a long silence she said, “I understand.”

He’d planned up to here. Right up to this moment. What he had not expected was how much it would sting to see her concede. He hadn’t expected the wave of regret that hit him almost at once and made him wish he could take it all back. “I’ll…I’ll give you some time alone. You should keep your things in this room. I’ll speak with someone about getting another and—”

Before he could continue though, she stood abruptly, “I need some air. I think I’ll have that walk now, after all.”

All Jin Woo could do was watch Ha Jin’s back as she tried to hold herself erect and take steady steps away from him, out of their room. But she couldn’t hide the tremor in her shoulders that told him she was barely choking back a sob, trying to hold in the tears until she was out of his line of sight. She closed the door soundless, without looking back at him.

Once she was gone, Jin Woo felt himself slip helplessly off the edge of the bed, sinking onto the floor and burying his face in his hands. His whole body shook, but tears didn’t come. He wouldn’t let them. It wasn’t as though he deserved to cry over her anyway. The inside of his head echoed with the cacophonous roar of centuries, the bitterness of disappointment, and the unquenchable hatred of the self. They all threatened to crush him, to drive him back into the blackness. He felt like he was back again, staring up at the darkened ceiling of Professor Choi’s study, lying paralyzed on that hard leather coach, where he’d nearly lost himself.

He almost wished he had.

Jin Woo thought back to how he’d come gasping back to consciousness, without enough breath even to scream, disoriented in that dimly lit room. He’d jerked upright, his skin slick with cold sweat. There was someone next to him, stand over him, hands on his shoulders. Speaking to him. The voice anxious, the name it called was unfamiliar.

“Calm down, Jin Woo. You’re safe now.”

The sound of his own heartbeat had seemed dreadfully loud in his ears. Though he had come out of his trance, the flood of memories had not stopped, nor even slowed. They kept on coming, one crowding in upon the next, until it seemed like his head would burst from the sheer quantity of them. Visions from the distant past mingled with recent memories, until he didn’t know who or when he was.

“I couldn’t wake you. I thought something had gone wrong.” The older man had dragged over the ottoman and was sitting square in front of him, looking into his face with eyes full of concern. “Jin Woo-ya, are you with me? Lee Jin Woo-sshi?” Then slowly, in a different tone of voice he said, “…Pyeha?”

It was the title that finally snapped him back into focus.

“Ji Mong…I’m here.”

The old astronomer froze. His hands slipped from Jin Woo’s shoulders, and he sat back staring at him with a fixed gaze. “Did you remember something?”

“Everything.” He sat there, clutching either side of skull. His head throbbed. He could still see fragments from the last moments of Wang So’s regression. The smell of blood was still in his nose, so real he could somehow taste the metallic tang of it on the back of his tongue. Speaking was still difficult, but he managed with grunts and gestures to communicate what he needed. Ji Mong put the tiny wicker waste bin into Jin Woo’s hands just before he was violently ill.

When the dry heaving subsided he managed in a rasp, “I think…I think I fucked up.”

�� “It’s okay.” Ji Mong patted him several times on the back, his voice low and gentle, “You can take your time. This part gets better. I promise.”

After a while, when Jin Woo had regained his bearings, Ji Mong had led him downstairs and brewed him a blend of loose leaf tea. It tasted like something Soo used to make in the Damiwon. “I had it made special. In case…we ever met again.” He explained. He was using that very formal tone of his, as though he was standing at the foot of the throne. For some reason that made Jin Woo nauseous again.

“You don’t have to do that. Let’s call each other by our present names and speak comfortably, okay?” He said, “Professor?”

Ji Mong seemed a little taken aback but at last he nodded, “Yes, of course. If that’s what you want.”

Jin Woo’s head swam. Too many years in too little space. But it wasn’t like he’d feared. There was no loss of control, nor did he feel like a passenger in his own body as when he’d first allowed himself to go to Ha Jin as Wang So. Instead it was as though his mind was an old familiar house where he’d been living for years, and he’d happened to take down a curtain in a back room to discover there was entire other wing there, as big as the rest of the house by itself, that he’d never entered or even known about. And each new room he explored frightened and repulsed him more than the last.

“Do you want me to call Ha Jin for you?”

“No. Don’t call her.”

“I think she could do more for you than I can—”

“I can’t see her right now. She can’t know about this.”

“I don’t understand. Isn’t…isn’t this why we went through all this?”

Jin Woo’s eyes were stinging, his throat burned. “I thought if I remembered…I thought I would understand him. I thought I would understand why she loved him. But I still don’t understand it at all.” I was even worse than I’d feared, Jin Woo thought. A wolf that devoured her whole. “She wanted to forget. She wanted the chance to live as Go Ha Jin, as though we never happened. And I took that away from her too.”

Professor Choi’s face was grave. “So what do you intend to do?”

“I’ll have to try to make it right somehow. I want to give her what I couldn't give her back then.”

"And what is that?"

"Her freedom.”Jin Woo felt that old despair creeping up inside him, coaxing and familiar. It was inviting him to fall back again into the same senseless cycle he’d lived in before Ha Jin had appeared and upended his life. Though this time it would be worse, because this time he knew exactly what he was missing out on, and he knew it was entirely his own fault. He thought he could have probably remained on the floor for hours, curled up like that, prostrate with self-pity, until night fell outside.

But he couldn’t even do that. This was meant to be their room, after all, their bed. Not being there whenever Ha Jin got back was the least consideration he could show her. Getting to his feet was a struggle, and when he finally managed he couldn’t seem to gather his thoughts.

What do I do now? He wondered, where do I go?

He stood there staring blankly around him for several minutes before, disgusted with himself, he let out a shout of frustration and lashing out at the first thing he saw, aiming a kick at the luggage near his feet. The impact broke the flimsy latch on the top of one of the suitcases, causing the contents to go flying across the room.

Almost as soon as the outburst was over Jin Woo regretted it. He was still afraid that Wang So’s memories had come, ready fitted, with all Wang So’s demons. With a heavy sigh he set about cleaning up the mess he’d made. Setting the damaged suitcase open on the bed he realized it was the one he’d believed to be Min Ki’s. Pinned to the lining he found a note from his friend:

By now I imagine you’ve realized I tricked you. Mianhaeyo, Hyung. Believe me when say this is all for you own good…

Jin Woo didn’t finish reading before crumpling the paper in his hand and tossing it into the trash. Repacking the case he realized that Min Ki had assembled a veritable “steamy getaway care package” for his trip. There was massage oil and scented candles, a tiny bathing suit that definitely wasn’t Jin Woo’s, a pocket guide on how to talk to women with several dog-eared pages, as well as several items that Jin Woo didn’t examine closely, but tossed back as quickly as he could. I really am going to kill him, he thought.

He couldn’t manage to get the thing latched again, and end up tying the handles together with one of his socks and stuffing it into the corner until he figured out what to do with it. There was still no sign of Ha Jin. Jin Woo found the spare key on the bedside table and left to find the proprietor of the pension to see about securing another room.

The pension was a pretty old hanok that had been converted and updated in places with Western touches, a fusion of traditional common areas with modern amenities. Under other circumstances, Jin Woo thought, it would have suited his taste perfectly. There was no one manning the front desk, and he wound up wandering the house aimlessly for a while before another guest directed him to the kitchen. There he found the pension owner, rinsing a huge portion of uncooked rice, preparing for the evening meal. She was a lively ahjumma with a generous quantity of graying hair pinned into a bun at the back of her neck. She looked up when he walked in, but didn’t pause in her work.

“Hello,” Jin Woo said politely, “I was wondering—”

“You’re one of my new guests?” She said before he could get his question out.

“Yes. I just got here today. I’m Lee Jin Woo—”

“Ah, Lee Jin Woo-sshi. Room four right?”

“Right.”

“I knew it. The newlywed couple.”

“Uh…what?” Jin Woo blinked at her. It took him a few moments of stunned silence before he realized what must have happened. She thinks we’re on our honeymoon.

“Your pretty wife was waiting around for you all morning. You should have come in together. Is your room okay? You have everything you need?”

“The room is fine. Actually, I needed to ask…”

She finally straightened up and faced him, drying her hands on her apron, craning her neck curiously as though she expected someone to be standing behind him. “Where is she?”

“She…?”

“Your wife.”

“Uh…I don’t really know where she is right now. That’s what I needed to talk to you about. I was wondering if you have any empty rooms available.”

“Empty rooms?”

“Yes. We’d like to sleep separately.”

The woman narrowed her eyes at him. She wasn’t a tall woman, only coming up to the middle of Jin Woo’s chest, but there was certainly something intimidating about that frown of hers.

“Sleep separately? Why? Did you fight?”

Jin Woo gritted his teeth, wondering if it was worth it trying to tell the truth, or if he should simply allow the woman to believe what she wanted. He ended up merely nodding.

“Married couples quarrel.” She said, sympathetically, “Trust me, the best way to work it out is in the bedroom.”

Jin Woo started to protest, “No, I don’t think you understand, we just—”

She snapped, “I have no spare rooms.” beginning to shoo him bodily out of the kitchen. “Go find your pretty wife. Bring her in for dinner. Chicken ginseng soup is the best thing for you. Good for stamina.”

And with that he was summarily shut out of the kitchen. He knew he should walk back inside and explain himself properly, like an adult, but he couldn’t muster the will. He already felt like a dog as it was. The idea of explaining that he and Ha Jin weren’t honeymooners, but instead she had surprised him with a romantic trip and he’d thanked her for it by breaking up with her right after he arrived was too mortifying to endure.

He found his way back outside and sat for a little while on the porch, watching strolling vacationers moving up and down the beach. Unconsciously he found himself watching for Ha Jin’s return. There had to be another option. He started scrolling through other hotels on the island, but his service was painfully slow and the few that he could find were completely booked for the night. Maybe if I’m lucky Ha Jin will let me spend the night on the bathroom floor, he thought, I can figure out something else in the morning. But the idea didn’t sit well with him.

He caught sight of a man dressed in the attire of a fisherman and ran up, waving to get his attention.

“Excuse me, sir.” He called, “I’m looking for a way off the island.”

“Ferry won’t run again till tomorrow.” He replied.

“I know. There has to be something other than the ferry. Could I charter a boat for instance?”

“Expensive.”

“That’s fine, as long as its tonight.”

The fisherman glanced up. After a few moments of thought he pointed out at the horizon. “Do you see that?” Jin Woo looked up and noticed for the first time that the sky had begun to change. Dark clouds were rolling in and even the beach was slowly starting to empty of tourists, “Nobody should be out in a small vessel when that storm breaks. Sorry, son, you’re stuck here until morning.”

Jin Woo was still trying to come up with an alternative when the man nodded to him impatiently and continued on his way.

“Thanks anyway,” Jin Woo said after him, though he doubted he was still listening. The wind was starting to pick up too. He decided to head inside himself, wondering if Ha Jin was back in their room already.

He found his way back into the dining room at the pension, half expecting to meet her there. But there was only a smattering of other guests, gathered around the low tables, seated on cushions. He found an empty place and sat down. After a while the owner came out with two younger women, all carrying steaming trays of food. When it came his turn to be served and the ahjumma saw him sitting alone, she wouldn’t hand over his bowl at once.

“Where’s your girl?” She asked.

“She hasn’t come back yet. She must be out walking somewhere.”

“I told you to run after her, didn’t I?” She said, tutting at him.

All he could do was shrug, “She wants to be alone.”

He watched a look pass over the owner’s face that said she was seriously considering walking away without feeding him. But after a moment of hesitation, she handed over his food, setting down the rice bowl with a little more force than was strictly necessary, glowering at him all the time. She retreated back into the kitchen without another word.

He sat alone at the table staring at his food dubiously, before forcing himself to pick up the spoon. He hadn’t eaten anything since the morning but he had no appetite. What right do you have to act all heartbroken? He started shoveling in big mouthfuls of rice and soup, though it didn’t taste like anything to him, fighting to swallow it all down, and then beginning the whole, mechanical process over again. After a little while the two younger women—they bore more than a passing resemblance to the pension owner and he’d taken them for her daughters—asked if they could join him at his table. His mouth was full but he gestured for them to sit. Thankfully, they were more interested in the meal and in the weather outside than they were engaging him in conversation.

They spoke in the unfamiliar satoori of the island, and he listened to them with an idol ear.

“The sky looks bad.” The younger one said.

“It’s going to be a nasty one,” The older replied, mixing her rice into her soup. “I would hate to see someone get caught out in that.”

Jin Woo looked up, “Is it really dangerous?” He asked, thinking of what the fisherman had said.

“For someone who doesn’t know the island? Absolutely.”

The younger nudged her eunni gently, “Oh yeah, you remember what happened to those surfers last year.”

“What happened?”

The elder looked up and answered him seriously, “This past summer there were some vacationers who died on a night like this. They tried to shelter in a cave and it flooded, trapping them. Before anyone could get to them they drowned like that.”

As if to give the story a sinister punctuation, there was a flash of lightning followed by a low growl of thunder. Jin Woo could almost feel the color go out of his face. “Don’t worry.” The younger sister said, perhaps thinking he was superstitious. “They weren’t staying in one of our rooms.”

Wiping his mouth Jin Woo stood up hastily, “Please excuse me.”

Jin Woo hurried awkwardly out of the dining room, through the hall and back to the interior door of their room. Surely she’s back by now. Where else could she go? Despite that sensible sounding voice in his head he was shaking. He fumbled with the key, and had to force himself to take several deep breaths in order to successfully work the lock.

The room was empty and everything was just where he’d left it.

He pulled out his phone and called her. It took a few rings before he realized he was hearing the sound of her ring tone from inside the room. Her phone was lying on the bed. He didn’t have any idea where he would look for her, but Jin Woo was already rifling through his luggage looking for the jacket he’d packed. He didn’t bother putting it on, tucking it under his arm; he headed for the exterior door, which slid open onto the porch.

Although the storm hadn’t quite arrived, heavy drops of rain had begun to fly through the air at intervals. The atmosphere was electric, and each time the sky flashed with lightning and there was an accompanying roll of thunder, apparently growing nearer, Jin Woo redoubled his frantic search. He didn’t know where to start so he walked back through the village, looking in the windows of restaurants, cafes and corner shops, hoping she’d decided to shelter inside one of those.

But the streets were nearly empty, and most businesses had closed early, shuttered up ahead of the storm. Eventually, not knowing where else to look, he found himself heading back in the direction of the shore. He spotted someone at a distance, standing stationary at the end of a stone jetty, facing seaward. At first he couldn’t tell who it was, he only hoped. By the time he reached the jetty he was sprinting, he’d recognized the skirt she was wearing.

The waves had started to rise and roil around her, at times crashing against the rocks, but she just stood there, hugging herself, careless of the turmoil around her.

Jin Woo was winded by the time he reached her. “We…we need to go back…the storm…” He panted, leaning forward with his hands on his knees.

Ha Jin turned around slowly, gazing at him as though she didn’t know him.

Straightening he said, “Did you hear me? You have to come back now. It’s not safe out here.”

She seemed to drift there for a moment. And he thought she wasn’t going to answer, as though she hadn’t understood what he said. Then her eyes focused and she stared hard at his face.

“Explain it to me again.” She said.

“What?”

“The reason we have to break up. I don’t get it.”

“I…I told you already—”

“I know what you told me, but need you to explain again. It doesn’t make any sense. One of us has changed. It wasn’t me, so it must have been you. So what changed, Jin Woo-ya?”

Her eyes were red-rimmed—she had cried, but she wasn’t crying anymore—and bright with fury. Jin Woo was taken aback, but he tried not to let it show in his face. “You really had me scared, do you know that? And now you want to do this here?”

“Why? Can’t I?”

“We can talk if you want to, but let’s go back first,” He said, setting his jaw. The intermittent droplets were becoming a steady drizzle. He shook out his jacket and tried to put it around her shoulders. She brushed him off.

“No, stop. You don’t get to break up with me and then try to keep looking after me. That isn’t how this works.”

“Fine,” He said, shoving it into her hands. “I’m not interested in playing this game with you. Stay here if you want to. I’m going back.” Turning away he made his way back up the jetty, trying hard to ignore the sound of blood rushing in his ears, making fists out of his hands to control their shaking, hoping like hell that she would follow him.

Over the sounds of the storm he heard her shouting, chasing him back onto the beach, “You’re not you. I’ve figured it out. Not just Jin Woo anymore. You remembered something! You remembered don’t you, Hwangja-nim!”

[Chapter 12]

#scarlet heart #scarlet heart ryeo #moon lovers #old souls #fan fiction #chapter 11 #happy anniversary Moon Lovers #wait for it....

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mys-takenforgranted · 7 years

Note

Hey, good luck with your blog :) I think you write everyone really in character. So my request is: how would the RFA, V and Saeran react to a MC who also has an identical twin?

thank you so much ! this will be interesting. i remember last school year there was a girl in my class and i never knew she had a twin until one day they were both in class. one sat beside me and the other was behind me. you can picture my confusion as i stared back and forth for like 3 minutes, completely convinced i had lost my mind before i remembered twins were a thing lmao. anyway enjoy!

Yoosung:

i know i say this a lot but this poor boy

it happens by accident. on one of his rare excursions out of the house, yoosung bumps into a stranger. only it isn’t a stranger, it’s “MC”!

“MC” is thoroughly confused when yoosung wraps his arms around them and pecks their cheek.

you are more amused than anything when you walk up and tap your boyfriend on the shoulder

the look on his face was like he’d seen a ghost instead of twins

“oh my god, oh my god, ohmygod!!! please tell me i kissed the real MC!”

your twin just sympathetically shook their head and walked off to finish grocery shopping, while you just pulled him close to you

yoosung would not stop apologizing so you went to kiss a random stranger’s cheek to make him feel better

it worked for like 5 seconds, and then he got territorial and pulled you closer to him

Zen:

somehow this man knew immediately your twin wasn’t “MC”

like he adores you so much, trust him to know your eyes are a lighter shade than the person standing in front of him

he politely asks for their name and you sidle up to him, surprised he knew it wasn’t you

“MC, you never told me you had a twin.”

“honestly, i’m more shocked that seven never let it slip.”

the RFA party continued without a hitch, but you watched as the other members confused your twin for you and ask how you managed to change outfits so quickly

neither you nor zen attempt to shed light on the confusing situation smh

jaehee definitely gave you a verbal beating for that, though she obviously doesn’t say anything to zen

Jaehee:

at first jaehee thought she had stepped into an alternate dimension

she had invited you to her place for dinner and you brought your twin along with you

she was cooking dinner when you two arrived and just said to come in

you took a quick bathroom break while your twin walked up behind her to see what she was cooking

“it’s your favorite.”

your twin simply says “it’s probably MC’s favorite”

jaehee is ??? confuse ?

she spins around and asks why you’re talking about yourself in third person right when the real you walks in

she completely shuts down and has to excuse herself for a good 10 min

Jumin:

it happened when he stepped into work one particular day

there “MC” was, sitting in a little cubicle, typing away on a computer

he was so confused. when did his MC start working at his company?

“oh, nice to meet you! i was wondering when i would get to meet you.”

okay, now he’s beyond confused. he thinks it’s some kind of weird joke.

“you never told me you would start working here.”

now your twin is confused. they introduce himself and mention they were MC’s twin

“right…”

he immediately turns back around and doesn’t go to work for a good 3 days

707:

of course this little shit already knew

but seven being seven he had to make a big spectacle out of it

“oh wow! two MC’s? twice the love? wow!”

somehow he manages to convince saeran and the two of you to pull a bunch of pranks with him

vanderwood ends up knocking seven out

jaehee and jumin are Highly Unamused™

yoosung cries, zen is just really confused?, and v pretty much ignores all of it

good luck trying to pull out of his schemes

so our baby is blind

he doesn’t see shit

he’s only slightly shocked when he finds out you have a twin

why didn’t seven tell him about this? sure he didn’t tell anyone, but him and v are still pretty close

your twin is more shocked than he is

“you never told me he was this cute. i might have to steal him for myself.”

v would never know either way tbh but thankfully you don’t have an Evil Twin so nothing out of the ordinary happens

Saeran:

he knew as well

he’s a hacker just like his brother, but you had also mentioned it to him before

still, the moment he saw two of you, his mind froze

even though HE HIMSELF IS A TWIN, he seemed to forget twins were a thing

“what the fuck? how much did i drink?”

when seven attempts to drag all of you into his evil plans, saeran begrudgingly goes along with it

at one point he forces seven to stop because vanderwood punched him before he realized his mistake and knocked seven out

somehow saeran and you + your twin still end up doing his dirty deeds

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musingsofahistorymajor · 7 years

Text

My Museum Tales part 1

(Part 2)

People get angry when you don’t know everything about everything in the museum. “What year did this random event that has nothing to do with the exhibit happen? Why don’t you know? You should know!”

Guest: “What mileage does this car get?” Points at a car made in 1902. Me: “I have no idea but probably not a lot?” How the fuck should I know?

Guest: “What are the odds of you letting me sit in that DeLorean?” Me: “0 to -100.” Guest: “Why not?” Me: “Cause you could damage it. Only the curators and specialists are allowed to touch the artifacts. That car is an artifact.” Guest: *Surprised* “Oh.”

Guest asks me what sort of food the dining room sells. I am confused. We have no dining room in the museum. Guest points at the the map. He’s pointing at the dining room of the 1900s Mansion (the museum I work at has two mansions on the property). I have to tell him that that room isn’t a place to eat. It was the dining room for the family that used to live in the Mansion. He is still confused. Nothing I say helps.

Coming back from break to hear my relief hang up the help phone (which is connected to the parking) lot say, “The system isn’t broken, your brain is broken” in such a defeated voice.

Executive staff: “Can you put our events on other organization’s online calendars when you have a free moment?” No? Cause that’s not how the internet works. Its not possible unless they have a public calendar.

The most common question we get: “Where are the dinosaurs?” Across the street at the NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM! It’s the building with all the dinosaur topiaries, the stegosaurus statue out front, and the dinosaurs painted all over the parking garage.

Came across a woman changing her babies diaper on the floor of the kids play room. A) GROSS! B)There’s a restroom with a changing table around the corner.

Me: “I’m sorry sir you can park there. It’s a fire lane.” Guest: “I’m not parked.” Me: *looks at the guest who is no longer in their car and already in the building.The car has been there for at least 15 mins.* Me: Are you going straight back to your car then? Guest: No I’m here to visit the museum Me: *looks at the camera like I’m on the office* At what point does a car become “parked”

The time a catered event tried to have Cherries Jubilee, a dessert which requires it to be SET ON FIRE. The cooks didn’t understand why they couldn’t make it after we explained that it’s dangerous for the artifacts and it would set the fire alarms off. They light it up anyway. Fire alarm went off. Building had to be evacuated.

Radio Conversation: Me: Are we selling tickets at the door for tonight’s event and what methods of payment are accepted? Employee 2: Yes and cash. Credit card. Check. Employee 3: Wampum Employee 2: Barter and trade

That time my boss called and said she was looking for someone creative to help her come up with an idea for centerpieces for big annual fundraising event that night because it completely slipped her mind. The event was that night! She asked if I could come up with something cheap and quick to make but also looks nice. Using random art supplies and things we have lying around the storage rooms, I came up with some flower vase with photos around it type of thing (looked better than this sounds). Took all day but I made seven centerpieces out of nothing .

Guest: “Why are you only open on Wednesday?” Me: “We’re not?”

Guest: “Aren’t you always free on Saturdays?” Me: “No?”

Guest: “How far of a drive is it to the Mansion” They were standing in the Mansion….

Guest: “What’s the Hay House?” Me: “……It’s a house? Belonging to the Hay family? That you can tour?”

Guest comes in and reads the sign with our admission prices listed. Guest: “So these are the suggested prices?” Me: “No ma’am. The are THE prices. They’re not suggestions” Guest: “No these are the suggested prices.” Me: “….No. These are the prices. If you’d like to see the museum you have to pay the appropriate admission price.” Guest: “So these are the suggested prices then.” Me: “NO. You HAVE to pay the admission we have listed here or you can’t come in. They are not suggestions.” She left.

Local police called us to say that people are walking through some dog poop and were spreading it all over the sidewalk by our museum. She wanted us to go powerwash the sidewalk. The sidewalk is city property not the museums. Its’ technically not our job to do that. She got furious when we said we couldn’t do it and they actually came over and yelled. Our boss had to tell her no. Eventually the head of security went out to look and said there was no poop anywhere so he didn’t know what their problem was anyway.

People ask to see objects or exhibits we haven’t had in 40 years or that we have never had period and get angry when I tell them they’re either aren’t here or are no longer on display. The most common ones are: “Where’s the Fabergé egg?” (never had one in the museum ever) “Where’s the mummy?” (we are not a natural history museum nor do we have anything to do with egypt) “Where are the dollhouses?” (the dollhouses were on exhibit 35 years ago) “Where are the dinosaurs?” (again. not a natural history museum)

Guy complained because when he went to our living history site (an old farm) and his newly washed car got dirty, the walk was “dangerous” because it was not paved, there were a lot of people and no exhibits. ……..It’s a farm. Of course it’s dirty and you walked on grass. And there were tons of people because you attended one of the biggest events of the year there. And the exhibits are the buildings and trades you see. What did you expect?

Guest: “The carousel isn’t moving, is it open?” Me: “Yes it’s open.” It’s not moving because no one is there to ride it right now. It’s not always moving. Be kind of hard for new riders to get on.

The employees had a training session for customer service and one of the sections was on service animals. Once the speaker told us a miniature pony could be a service animal we all latched onto it and could stop talking about how much we’d love to have a pony in the building. This went on for days after the training session ended.

Guest comes up to me and tells me that a couple of the women’s stalls are “quite nasty”. I go and tell my boss and the head of maintenance. HofM comes out of the restroom and says, “Why did you make me do that?! Who does that to a toilet!” Turns out someone ahem…missed. I refused to “investigate” for myself. Later he walked by my desk again, said “apparently someone doesn’t know how to use the bathroom correctly”, shuddered and left.

Guest once spent 10 minutes telling me about his toothache

The joke every elderly man tells when they buy admission: “I’d like one child ticket please!” [insert fake laugh here]

Guest: “I’d like to renew my membership.” Me: “Awesome! Just fill out this form and what level are you renewing?” Guest: “Idk can you look it up?” Me: “Well it depends on how long ago you had your membership” Guest: “Let me look on my old card” The membership cards tell you what the level is.

The many children who run under the barriers, climb into the antique cars, and move the steering wheel like it’s a toy as the parents watch and take photos.

The grown adults who reach over the barriers and touch the tires or honk the horns. HONK THE HORNS! The whole museum can literally hear you doing that. It’s a car horn!!!

One of the brides who rented the Mansion garden for her wedding wanted to bring a live horse into the museum so she could ride it out after the ceremony.

Questions asked by drunk people on the carousel: “Which horse is fastest?”, “Can you make it go backwards?”, *reaches out into my booth* “Let me use the microphone”, “Can you make it go faster?”

I once had to kick a guest out of the carousel pavillion during a party because she was so drunk she couldn’t walk a straight line, lost her shoes, and was spitting on the floor. Guess who had to clean up her saliva…

Each admission has a brick hidden somewhere under it. We call it a “Security Brick”

Birds get inside the museum all the time. We now have a club for anyone who manages to catch one. I’ve caught one myself. It’s always fun watching newbies freak out when another one comes in. I want to get shirts made.

One client who rented the museum was so offended by the “naked” cherubs on the carousel that we had to figure out a way to cover up their “boobs”. We draped rainbow scarves over them.

Here’s to all the wonderful guests who have given me some interesting conversations, hugs, thank you’s, patience, and the opportunities to leave my admission desk and give them short tours full of enthusiasm. I treasure those moments

#stephs stuff #museum life #working in a museum #working gal

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