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jinkoh · 11 months

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Pentagon - realizing they have feelings for you

SFW; gender-neutral reader

@huipinkhair requested: Do you think you could write a little ptg ot9 realising they have feelings for you? Like the moment they realise and what they do

a/n: tysm for requesting as always!! ❤️ sorry that it took so long! i hope you'll enjoy these~

Masterlist

Jinho

He sees you working hard at something you’re passionate about. You don’t have to be all that good at it, he’ll always be impressed if you put in an honest effort. He can’t help thinking that it’s admirable because it’s a character trait he values.

He’d probably keep his feelings close to his heart. But if he ever sees you falter or feel insecure, he’d at least tell you how impressed he is with your hard work and encourage you.

Hui

Hongseok

It’s small gestures, like how you leave small sticky notes or a coffee in his studio to cheer him up when he has to work a lot. When he’s tired or things are tough he’ll find himself wanting to see you. It’s not easy for Hui to let others take care of him, but somehow it’s so easy when it’s you. You just make him feel at home.

He doesn’t tell you immediately. For now it’s enough to seek comfort in your presence.

Shinwon

He does something for you, maybe makes you a sandwich or whatever, constantly thinking about what you’d like the best and what would make you the happiest. The moment he gives it to you and sees your grateful smile he's a goner.

Might turn a little clumsy around you, suddenly hyper aware of every little interaction.

Yeo One/Changgu

He makes you laugh with something silly he says. He didn’t even consider it that funny but when you burst into giggles he thinks he wants to be the source of your laughter many many times from here on out.

Tries hard to be funny around you and then smiles fondly whenever your eyes light up with laughter.

You support him in something he does. Maybe he has a musical role or a concert and you come to cheer him on. When he spots you in the audience he'll be overcome with happiness thinking to himself that he really loves you. Might just tell you after the show in a rush of endorphins.

Yanan

Maybe you scold him a little for being thoughtless and at first he gets annoyed and defensive. But then you spill that you’re upset because you were worried about him. He realizes that you must really care for him and somehow it makes his heart flutter? Care for him some more please?

Yuto

He listens to you talking about something you love. Maybe it’s just something small like your favorite yogurt but he realizes he could keep listening forever. And that’s what he does, he keeps listening and thinking over and over how much he adores you.

Kino/Hyunggu

Wooseok

He catches you humming or dancing by yourself while doing something, clearly in a good mood, and he’s just so endeared by it. He’d probably feel torn between gushing over how cute you are and watching in silence so you don’t stop.

Hyunggu would probably feel very excited about confessing to you and not wait too long. Love is something that should be shared after all.

It’s a simple moment. You’re watching a movie or show together, joking around a bit and you’re just so comfortable with him, casually leaning your head against his shoulder or playfully nudging him in the side and that’s when realization sinks in. He's so far gone for you.

Now that he’s aware of his own feelings, he can’t help but be incredibly flustered around you, heart racing at every simple touch.

Masterlist

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adachicuto · 10 months

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last date before wedding with ptg

warning(s): food and wine mentions

↳ jinho: helping him with a cover of a song for youtube and it’d be a pretty romantic song maybe ed sheeran thinking out loud or john legend or maybe something else like eyes, nose, lips and you wouldn’t realize that he got you singing. i don't think he'd post it and just want to save it for the two of you to rewatch. it wouldn’t matter to him if you were an amazing singer or not, just being able to share that moment with you would be enough for him. so, it would probably become a tradition where you'd rewatch the cover for every wedding anniversary, and maybe you would cover more songs together each time as a little segment on his youtube channel and the members would text him and tease him about it every time lol

↳ hui: i get the feeling that he would bring you to a really nice yet underrated restaurant where smooth jazz is played and people are allowed to go onstage and perform a song. both of you would have the biggest smiles on your faces because the date would be reminiscent of your first one. you'd end the date off with really good wine and of course, hui would go onstage and sing (he'd claim it as practice for your big day) and would leave the audience stunned by his amazing vocals. on the drive home, his hand would never leave yours and he'd probably fidget with your engagement ring with a huge smile on his face.

↳ hongseok: your "date" would be so sweet and domestic because hongseok just gives me homey vibes. like, you'd both go to the grocery store to get ingredients for dinner and a dessert you both like. idk it would be the cutest thing and then you'd head back home and he'd start cooking while you worked on the dessert and you'd definitely catch him staring at you every few minutes with a goofy smile on his face and he'd wiggle his eyebrows playfully. you'd step away for a second to back-hug him and hongseok would smile to himself before he'd turn around to kiss you and he'd pull away to say something really cheesy but it would still put a smile on your face.

↳ yeo one: i think changgu would plan the cutest little picnic in the park for both of you. he'd pack some of your favorite foods and snacks and would even get you flowers or something. it would be the cutest thing and he'd take a flower and put it behind your ear and you'd do the same to him and then you'd go back and forth about who's the prettiest lol then the two of you would lie down and cloud gaze. idk i can see a really adorable dog running over to the two of you and it would really like changgu and it would be such a cute moment that would lead you to discuss the possibility of adopting a dog after the wedding. once the sun would start to settle below the horizon, you'd head home and would probably spend the rest of the day watching a show or movie.

↳ shinwon: both of you would agree on going to a spa and maybe a little shopping. i could definitely see him goofing around with you while in the sauna by making weird faces and telling you funny stories. then, he'd have you rest your head on his shoulder and he'd smile to himself. then, he'd tell you about how he was so nervous to propose to you. after a few minutes he'd realize that you weren't talking only to find you asleep. so, he'd make sure that you would be comfortable and would relax too. i think he'd love to spoil his s/o so he'd really enjoy going to the spa with you and it'd be a nice break from all of the wedding prep. on the way home, you'd both decide on ordering in bc neither of you would want to cook after being at the spa.

↳ yanan: he'd wake up extra early to get your favorite breakfast foods and coffee. when he'd make it back to your apartment he'd be met with you half asleep on the couch and would quickly put everything down to cuddle with you for a few minutes and then you'd eat breakfast together. afterward, the two of you would get ready to go and yanan wouldn't tell you but it would all make sense later. so, the two of you would go to multiple places throughout the city and you were thankful that they wouldn't be too far and at each stop, you and yanan would talk about what happened at each, like, one place was where he took you for your first date and another would be where you both said you loved each other for the first time. looking back on all of the memories would make both of your hearts feel so full.

↳ yuto: i think you'd go to an aquarium or botanical garden and it would be on a day when it wouldn't be so busy and the two of you could goof around and take funny pictures of each other imitating the animals. throughout the date, you'd both feel like little kids on a field trip again. both of you would stop every few minutes to stare at something you'd find interesting and the look on your faces at that moment would be so adorable and you'd have to capture the moments. after that, you would go get something to eat and then walk back to your apartment. on the walk, you'd both reminisce about how you met, your first date, and how he proposed to you.

↳ kino: i feel like hyunggu would go all out but it would still be a pretty laid-back date idk if that makes sense but he'd sign you up for a couples' dancing class where you'd learn how to tango and it would be so romantic and fun, even if you're not much of a dancer. after that, you'd go back home to shower and then he'd take you out to a really nice restaurant for dinner. the two of you would be so impressed with your meals but the highlight of your would be getting ice cream or your favorite dessert from your favorite place but then on your way back home it'd start raining and you'd have to wait it out inside a nearby cafe with steaming cups of tea. the whole situation would be pretty funny to both of you and it'd make for a nice moment to look back on.

↳ wooseok: being the youngest, i don't think he'd plan everything out and would just go with the flow. so, i think wooseok would also enjoy a night in with you as your date, especially if it would be a rainy day. he'd go and get your favorite snacks and drinks the day before and would surprise you with everything. the two of you would spend the day watching movies, playing video games, and just enjoying the calm before your wedding day. somehow, you'd end up talking about some of your embarrassing moments early on in your relationship and neither of you would be able to stop laughing and maybe you'd each go through your camera roll and it'd be a really cute moment for both of you.

#this was so cute to write 🥺 sorry if some of them are similar. i tried to make them as different as i could but could only do so much when i #have writer’s block #pentagon #pentagon scenarios #pentagon fluff #ptg #ptg fluff #ptg imagines #ptg scenarios #pentagon imagines #hui x reader #jinho x reader #hongseok x reader #shinwon x reader #yeo one x reader #yanan x reader #yuto x reader #kino x reader #wooseok x reader

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blu-joons · 2 years

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Your First Time Being Affectionate In Front Of Another Member ~ Pentagon Reaction

Jinho:

You pushed Jinho towards the door as he pressed a quick kiss to your lips on his way out. “You’ll be late,” you warned him with a grin.

His shoulders shrugged, looking up as Shinwon walked out of his room and towards the front door too, “don’t stop on my account, I’ll just pretend that I didn’t see you kissing.”

“It was one kiss,” Jinho chuckled as Shinwon passed you both by to head out.

His eyes rolled as he looked back to you both, “it’s one kiss more than any of us have ever seen you share before,” he joked, “I didn’t realise that the two of you were affectionate together.”

“And this is why we’re not affectionate around you,” Jinho quickly explained, “because I knew you guys wouldn’t be able to not tease.”

A sheepish grin formed on Shinwon’s face, “I’m just saying, you guys shouldn’t be afraid of kissing in front of us, it’s all very cute and very lovely for us to see.”

“You sound sarcastic,” you laughed back across at him, “are you going to leave this place and regret leaving your room?”

“Absolutely, every single second of it.”

Hui:

A cheer came from you as soon as you saw Hoetaek, immediately wrapping your arms around him. “Congratulations,” you smiled.

His arms moved around you too, forgetting about the boys walking behind him. “I’m so glad that you could be here,” he grinned back at you, pulling away a few moments later.

“Hey, where’s our hugs?” Yanan teased, opening his arms up for you to walk into.

Your head shook as Hoetaek tightened his arm that was around you, “Y/N’s mine,” he reminded them all, bringing you in as tight as he could to see his side as you congratulated them.

“I thought everyone got a hug because we won,” Yanan pouted, “we’ve never seen you exclusively hug Hoetaek before, or do anything.”

You quickly fell silent as you realised that you had never been affectionate with Hoetaek around the boys before. “I’m not letting Y/N hug any of you losers.”

“We’re not losers, we’re winners,” Yanan reminded him, pointing to the award that the boys had picked up at the ceremony.

“Which is why I’m the one getting hugged.”

Hongseok:

As a scoff came, the two of you looked around to see Hyunggu staring back at you. “You know you’re blocking the way around doing this.”

You went to step back, but Hongseok kept a hold of you. “You know there are many other routes you can take to the living room without having to be irritating for once.”

“But this way is the most convenient,” Hyunggu smugly retorted to him.

You went to move again, but Hongseok pulled you back. “Y/N and I aren’t moving, so you can either walk through our hug or take a different way around to head into the living room.”

“What do you see in him?” Hyunggu suddenly asked him, “the first time I see him be affectionate with you, and this is how he is.”

Your shoulders shrugged, feeling slightly stuck in the middle. “I just do as I’m told,” you laughed, feeling Hongseok tighten his grip around you quickly.

“He’s mean,” Hyunggu sighed as he reluctantly walked around your embrace, “I preferred it when you weren’t affectionate.”

“Sorry, but that side of me has gone.”

Shinwon:

The two of you both jumped back as the door opened and Changgu walked in. “Don’t mind me, I just forgot to pick up my phone.”

Your head shook as you stepped back from Shinwon, “it’s alright,” you nervously smiled, bringing your hands forward as you tried your best to bring a smile to your face.

“No need to be shy,” Changgu assured you as he walked past you, “a hug is no big deal.”

As soon as he spoke you felt your cheeks flush with Shinwon chuckling beside you. “I told you that the boys wouldn’t mind if we hugged whilst at work,” he teased, poking your hip.

“We like seeing you guys together,” Changgu also encouraged, “you know that you’re very much treated like part of the family Y/N.”

Your head nodded appreciatively in reply to him, “thank you,” you murmured as Shinwon moved his arm to wrap around you once again, “that means a lot to me.”

“You make Shinwon happy, which makes us happy,” he smiled as he opened up the studio door again, “I’ll leave you two to it.”

“We won’t be too long, I promise.”

Yeo One:

A look of confusion appeared on Changgu’s face as he pulled away from you to see Yuto staring at him. “What have I done now?”

Yuto shook his head back at Changgu as he watched you walk away, “you’ve not done anything, I just think you and Y/N are really adorable with one another, that’s all.”

“How long have you been stood there watching us?” Changgu asked, slightly concerned.

Yuto’s head shook as he realised what Changgu was thinking, “only a couple of seconds, I promise. I just didn’t want to interrupt your hug, you seemed like you needed it a bit.”

“A little,” Changgu frowned, running his hand through his hair, “Y/N gives really good hugs, they’re incredibly comforting for me.”

Yuto nodded understandingly, “you don’t have to be afraid to hug her around us you know, we’re all happy for you seeing how often you smile with her.”

“I’ll bear that in mind,” Changgu replied, “although I know one or two members who’ll find a way to joke with it.”

“Leave them to me, I’m on your side.”

Yanan:

A squeal escaped you as a pair of hands grabbed onto your shoulders as soon as Yanan kissed you. “I’m not having that, thank you.”

Your eyes looked back to see Wooseok pulling you away with a shake of his head. “What are you doing?” Yanan frowned, finding his arms suddenly feeling very empty.

“You’ve got a bedroom to be affectionate in,” Wooseok quickly reminded you both.

Your heads shook as Wooseok made sure that there was plenty of distance between you both. “It was one kiss,” Yanan tried to tell him, but Wooseok wasn’t interested at all.

“I’m keeping a close eye on you both from now on,” he warned, “we don’t want to see any kissing in this dormitory from now on.”

You looked across at Yanan who was equally as confused as you were, “you know that we can’t do that, don’t you?” Yanan asked him with a loud laugh.

“I’ll keep you both apart,” Wooseok promised, “I’ve got young eyes, and they don’t need to see you both being sweet.”

“Your young eyes won’t be young forever.”

Yuto:

A sudden gasp came from you as a hand wrapped around your arm and pulled you down a corridor. “It’s just me,” a voice spoke.

Your hands immediately hit against Yuto’s chest as you realised that it was him holding onto you. “What on earth are you planning at? You terrified me for a second there.”

“I just wanted to get you alone without the boys,” he smiled, holding onto your waist.

The smile on your face grew as Yuto began to pull you towards him, only for someone to clear their throat. “Is this what the two of you are doing, hiding so you can be affectionate alone?”

“N-no,” Yuto stuttered as you looked down the corridor to see Hongseok watching you both with his arms folded across his chest.

His head shook at the looks of fear on both of your faces, “I can’t believe you guys felt as if you had to hide in order to hug each other when around us.”

“It’s better than listening to you guys tease,” Yuto retorted, “I know exactly what you guys would be like around us.”

“We would never do such a thing.”

Kino:

Your paced picked up as Hyunggu started to follow you around the kitchen, “we’ll break something if you don’t stop this.”

Hyunggu didn’t care though as he grabbed onto you and started to tickle you, “they won’t be asleep yet, you don’t need to worry about waking any of them up.

“Oh, won’t we?” A sudden voice spoke up in the doorway to the kitchen where you were.

The two of you both stopped as you looked across to see Hoetaek stood there, “we leave you two alone for five minutes and you’re like kids running around the place causing trouble.

“it’s Y/N’s fault,” Hyunggu quickly told him, pointing across to you, “she blew bubbles at me when we were doing the washing up.”

Your eyes went wide as Hyunggu threw you under the bus, “I didn’t ask you to start chasing me around the kitchen and start tickling me too.”

“Hyunggu, sort it out,” Hoetaek scolded, taking your side straight away, “Y/N is far too innocent to do something like that.”

“You don’t know her like I do.”

Wooseok:

You both froze as the door to the dorm opened up, pulling the blanket tighter around you. “What are you two up to?”

Your eyes darted to the door as Jinho walked through the front door. “We’re not doing anything, we’re just watching a film,” Wooseok quickly explained to him.

“Is that all you’re doing?” He pushed, looking at the close distance between you both.

Your heads both nodded in response, “it just got a little chilly, so we pulled one of the blankets down,” you added, trying to assure Jinho that there was no need to panic.

“You two are cute,” he suddenly complimented though, “it’s nice to see you cuddled up, you’re always so distant from each other.”

You smiled weakly back across at him, “I just like to be respectful that this is you guys’ home, I’m a guest here, even when I’m with Wooseok.”

“Y/N,” Jinho chuckled, “this is your home when you’re with Wooseok, never worry about any of us, trust me.”

“Thanks, that really means a lot.”

---

Masterlist

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minimultiestfandoms · 2 months

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Pentagon reaction to you asking to tie a bow around it pt.1

requested: no

wanted to start doing fake texts as they are easier to do then writing full fledged fanfics and i’ve been busy with uni and work so please note fake texts are only open for now! i might open small headcanons later on when i get more used to my schedule!

— sunnie

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Hui

Jinho

Hongseok

——————————————————————————

taglist; @bigkpopstan, @baka-writings, @haechansfbuddy, @jeonronwoo, @jiminslostjam, @bluejaem, @jisungismymom, @hyuckography, @i-luvsang, @neocrush, @moonshineboyz, @chewryy, @sugarcherriess, @neochan, @jinkoh, @shinwolo, @hazyhae, @mrkis, @dollyji, @tddyhyck, @mrkjaems

#minimultiestfandoms #admin sunnie #kpop #made by admin unnie #kpop fake texts #pentagon #pentagon imagines #pentagon scenarios #pentagon x reader #pentagon smut #pentagon fake texts #pentagon hui #pentagon jinho #pentagon hongseok

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unifox · 7 months

Note

If you're still doing the little prompt game maybe Hongseok or Jaeyoon and baking cookies? 🍪

“Cookie Monster”

~Pairing: Hongseok x gn!reader

~Genre: Rotten Fluff. Established relationship

~Words: 0,8K

~Warnings: mention of food, pet names, one little (and very subtle) suggestive thought- Sorry if there are any mistakes!!

a/n: Hi Anon! Thank you so much for the request! Sorry for the wait, I hope you like it. I ended up writing about Hongseok because of his love for Cookie Monster lol. Plus, I missed writing about Pentagon!!

~Foxy🦊

>Request your scenario here<

~Masterlist~

----------

Hongseok likes your cookies.

Ok, maybe 'like' was an understatement. He LOVES your cookies.

He loves them so much, that even on a strict diet, he'd ask you to bake him the most diet-like cookies you've ever seen. You weren't sure if oats and bananas mixed together counted as a cookie.

He would brag to the other members that your cookies were the best in the world, but at the same time, he wanted to gatekeep, eating all of them before the members could get a taste. This was why you called him your cookie monster.

y/n 💕- Hey cookie, could you pick up a bag of chocolate chips on your way home pls?

hong 🍪- Sure honey. I'm on my way

y/n 💕- Thanks, you're the best 🫶

----------

When Hongseok reached home, you had already put all the ingredients in a bowl and had the oven on for preheating. Coming from behind and wrapping his arms around your waist he announced "I'm home. With your choco chips"

You spun around and wrapped your arms around his neck, pecking him on the lips. "You're a lifesaver, thanks babe. Now put those muscular arms for good use and help me hand mix these, please." You both chuckled as he moved to the toilet to wash his hands.

This wasn't the first time you baked together, but for Hongseok it always felt like it was. The domestic scene of you preparing trays with a baking sheet while he hand-mixed the cookies made his heart swell. He hoped that things would stay like this in the future.

When he was done you moved to get two ice cream scoopers so you both could scoop the dough into balls. Looking at the dough it was tempting to eat a little, but Hong refrained from it, remembering about the flour and raw eggs. When one of the trays was full, you moved it to the oven, while Hong kept on scooping the rest into the other tray until the dough ended.

With all the cookies in the oven, you're able to finally give attention to your boyfriend

"How was your day handsome?" You said handing him a cup of lemonade and sitting by his side on the sofa

"It was good. Went to the gym, had a shower there, and then I went to my mom's house. She wanted help with building a new cupboard she bought. The manual was really confusing..." You let him ramble about how his day went, but couldn't help but daydream about him. He was the perfect boyfriend. Caring and sweet, he liked pets, he helped his mom a lot... He even helped elderly people! You once saw him helping the old lady from the floor above you, by carrying her groceries from her car to the elevator.

"You're not listening to me"

"I am baby" you responded quickly

"Yeah sure, what was I talking about?" he smirked

"Oh well! let me check the cookies!!"

He laughed at your antics as you sprinted to the kitchen.

----------

When the cookies were done he helped you put them over a grid to cool down. You pulled out a pretty paper box and covered the bottom with a cute paper towel.

Hong extended his hand to grab a cookie but you were faster, grabbing his wrist

"Babe, these are not for you" You said while trying to contain your smile

"What!? Are you kidding me, sweetie?" He said incredulous

"These," You began sorting them out while checking if any of them were damaged "are for Shinwon! You bragged so much about my cookies that he asked a box of them for his birthday!" You said with enthusiasm even though your boyfriend glared at you.

"Really? Shinwon? Can't believe my baby tricked me into baking cookies for Shinwon" he said sulking

"Oh come on Hong! We made them together! I bet they taste amazing with all the love we poured into it!"

"Whatever... You're lucky I love you. Tricking me like this..."

"Let me make it up to you" You said wrapping your arms around his waist, which he quickly reciprocated by wrapping his own arms around your shoulders.

"Yeah? What will you do about it?" he said smirking, which received a light smack from you

"You dirty. Let me cook for you. Dinner's on me tonight"

"Ok sweetie, I'll be expecting a full-course meal! And cookies"

"Don't worry my sweet cookie monster, It'll be the best you've ever had!"

And even though you promised to make dinner, as the sweet gentleman he is, helped you prepare the food. Indeed the best thing that ever happened to you was Hongseok.

Extra: Shinwon liked the cookies so much that he talked about them for a whole two weeks, making all the Pentagon members crave them. All of them asked you to bake them some cookies (without Hongseok knowing since he would steal them), and even Yanan made you promise to bake him some when he came back to Korea

#pentagon #pentagon scenario #pentagon imagines #pentagon scenarios #pentagon fluff #pentagon x reader #hongseok x reader #hongseok imagine #hongseok scenario #hongseok fanfic #hongseok

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cyncialwoo · 3 months

Note

can you make a reaction of pentagon if they gonna see their ex girlfriend after break up

a/n: Hihi! I know I said two weeks, but I've been balancing school and home life. I'm also re-reading this piece I wrote a while back and brainstorming for new things. Also, I've never written reactions before, so I hope you enjoy it. I'm sorry this is so late.

words: 2.2k >>Masterlist

Jinho

He would be the type to avoid a meet-up.

It’s not like the relationship ended badly, but it’s for convenience.

Jinho wouldn’t want to step on your feelings if there were any remaining

Honestly, for him, there was still something left over

He's delusional. Literally gaslighting himself to think he’s avoiding you for your sake.

The meet-up would be accidental like it was meant to happen.

Jinho honestly hadn’t been out of his apartment in a few weeks. He had been having second thoughts about the entire breakup. Was it the best decision? He wasn’t sure. Although, the food had run out in his house, and takeout was expensive these days.

He was walking through the isles bored when he saw a familiar figure. He didn’t see your face, but he didn’t have to. Something inside him wanted to approach you, but he didn’t. He couldn’t and he didn’t know why. He would rather die than go up to you. He stood there for minutes wondering whether to move past you or do a 180.

He ended up just staring at you, taking in this moment of seeing you again. You were looking at some snacks on the shelf when you turned your head and looked over at him. He watched as the smile spread on your face, and how you waved at him. He reciprocated it, all without much thought. The moment flew by too fast for him because, in the next second, you were gone for the next item on your grocery list.

Hui

Hui would most likely become obsessed with his work

Anything to distract himself

Maybe he’d blow money for some serotonin

Anything to give him a quick whiff of some happiness

He’s been writing songs like crazy and they're all sappy breakup songs

He doesn’t like any of them though

He needs a break and a bad

Hui needed some time out of his studio which was now too stuffy for him. Just a simple walk would do for him. For what he meant for a short walk around the building, he ended up in a park nearby. He sat on a swing slowly rocking back and forth. His eyes were closed taking in the sound around him. It was quiet, barely anyone was around. Still, the sound of the wind and the trees slowly dancing to it making their sound, The casual cars driving by in the background. That was the serenity and peace he had been looking for this whole time.

When he finally opened his eyes he noticed a familiar figure sitting at a bench. They were eating lunch alone with their head down. He didn’t have to see their face to know who it was. He smiled to himself, maybe this was the motivation and clarity he sought.

Hongseok

He’d be more of the jealous type.

He’s most likely the type to stalk a page

He made a fake account just for you!

okay, maybe that’s not that charming.

he regrets his decision though

he's sincere about that

Lately, Hongseok had been feeling like you were losing interest in him, or you were getting over this. With all that he still felt for you, he couldn’t let you. He still couldn’t let you go and needed something to drag you in with him. So, he devised a plan. He would “randomly” meet up with you.

He got used to the schedule that you had, and have, so it wasn’t that hard to find you. He had crossed your path multiple times after the break-up, but neither of you had decided to go and talk to each other. He was too shy, and you wanted to get over him. It was better for you anyway, and sometimes seeing him just hurt.

Not this time when you saw him. You two had managed to get on the same bus. Although, you knew hongseok had a car and could drive. It made you wonder what happened to him after you two separated. You locked eyes with him, and he shared a smile with you. He took that as an invitation to come closer to you on the bus. He made small talk with you for most of the ride. Something about the whole experience felt like deja vu almost as if you had met him again, but in a new life.

Shinwon

He plays it off but he’s most definitely hurting

He hangs around other people for a distraction

He is not okay though

When he’s alone or at home he mostly pouts

Dont come about his mood though because he will snap

He also won't leave the house unless he has to

The guys have to make him come out, so they take him to an inside amusement park

They may spoil him a bit too much.

It seemed like Shinwon was as good as new. He was smiling, laughing, and making his awful jokes. Honestly, Jinho and Hui kind of wished they left him at home. It seemed like this was the perfect thing to bring him back from being a literal human zombie.

They were walking around the theme park when he saw you giggling with your friends. You guys had rented school uniforms on. He was happy that you were happy though. The way you laughed or held your friend's hand. He didn’t notice how long he had been staring.

He was sent back to reality when Jinho tapped him on the shoulder. “You ready to head out already?” Shinwon looked back at him just nodding. He didn’t know if Jinho knew if he was looking at you or not. Either way, nothing was mentioned on the way home.

Changgu

He lives in a cafe.

Or he visits it a lot

Either way, he wants to run into you

First, it was the old cafe you two used to visit

Then your favorite cafe

But nothing, he couldn’t

One day he gave up and just started to work part-time at a random cafe

He was working late nights due to his day job. He was enjoying working at a cafe. He loved the smell of coffee beans after all, and wouldn’t complain if he smelled like them all day. One thing was for sure though, he brought a lot of business to the cafe.

Everyone went to the cafe to see the cute barista. He smiled with all of the new attention, but he wasn’t quite sure if he enjoyed it or not. Some part of him still hoped that one day you would walk into those doors. He convinced himself that all of the girls he turned down were for you. He was staying loyal to you.

The only problem was that he only worked at the late-night, and it was not the most favorable time for a cup of coffee.

One night while he was making one of his famous cups of coffee, he heard a familiar laugh. His head shot up, he had to see your face again. Although, he frowned as soon as he spotted you in the crowd. Your arm was locked around another guy’s laughing and leaning into him.

He frowned and turned over to his coworker, “I'm taking my 15.”

Yanan

The relationship was short

Surely not long enough for deep feelings

That's what he thought before he broke the news to you

But lately, he had been missing you

Denies it and tries to play it slick

I’m thinking this is like a college fling thing

So you guys could run into one another

Finals were coming up and Yanan was in the library with his head stuck in one of the textbooks. He had been there for hours, and he was starting to get hungry. He had a six-hour final that he was preparing for, and he could not flunk it. He searched in his bags to see if he had any snacks left over. Luckily he still had some, leaning back and eating it.

He took that time to scan his surroundings. He had been focused on his work for so long that he hadn’t noticed the amount of people that had come and gone. This time around he noticed you dozed off on a desk. Your head was lying on a textbook sleeping soundly. You looked so pretty to him. He went close to you and put your jacket over you.

He didn’t quite understand his actions or what possessed him to buy snacks for you. He smiled to himself as he wrote a note. He teased you about falling asleep in the library and how you should take better care of yourself. He didn’t sign the note, smirking. Maybe he could tease you more like this in the future.

Yuto

He is already a quiet person, so I feel like he kept the relationship very private

Barely anyone knew that the two of you had broken up

The break up wasn’t on good terms

The two of you could not agree on something

He hated arguments and everything that came with it

He also hated telling you when he disagreed with something because it would lead to even more arguments even if it didn’t have to be one

The two of you were petty anyways

He tried to avoid you, and the places you hung out frequently

Yuto was out with a large group of friends. It was unusual for him, but he was enjoying the extra company. They were at a large shopping mall, so it wasn’t an ideal place to be. He was quieter than usual. Maybe it was because he didn’t want to draw a lot of attention to himself. That was the reason. He wanted some quiet time but didn’t want to be alone. Maybe this was the best solution for him.

He thought of himself over the relationship. Maybe he was being too harsh, but he thought if he heard that you died in a week or so he wouldn’t care. Okay, that was cruel of him, but he needed some way to distance himself.

The sad part was, when he saw you at a store with another guy, his heart sank. He was mad that he still felt some type of way about it and about you. He was disappointed in himself, nonetheless, he played it off and went on with his day.

Kino

I'm going with the cliche trope

He’s just a party guy to me

And I think he’d go to parties to let off his cool. Especially if it was a harsh break-up

I feel like he’d still be jealous and possessive after the relationship

If anyone would try to say something bad about you, he would get mad at them.

He’s still sweet as ever, even if it ended on bad terms or not

Kino was at a party, like usual. He had a huge social circle. He was floating around the party talking to a lot of different people. He was feeling better tonight. He preferred to put himself out there when he didn’t feel up to it. Honestly, he was feeling a lot better.

He did notice you when you walked in, it would be hard for him not to stare. He watched over you, still feeling protective. He knew a lot of the people at the party, some of them having a bad reputation. He would rather watch over you from a distance, not ready to face you.

That didn’t matter when a random guy came up to you. He didn’t know him, but he could not stand the fact that another man was talking to you. He came up to you putting his arm over your shoulder casually. “I forgot to ask you what drink you wanted.” Kino kept a sly smirk on his face. You looked a little upset and surprised to see him there, but he just brushed it off. It was fun to cock-block you.

Wooseok

I think he would be quieter about the breakup

He seems like he keeps more to himself

But he’s generally sweet to everyone

I think the motivation would be down

He wants to keep things on good terms, but that doesn’t mean friends.

He’s not the type to text you after

Unless he needed something

Wooseok had gathered up some motivation lately, after looking at how messy his life had been lately. He was picking his stuff up and putting things in their right places. During that, he found some items that were yours, and he noticed that some of his things had been missing. He frowned, he didn’t want to do any confronting, but he wanted his things back. There’s nothing wrong with that, right?

His hands were sweaty as he texted you. He simply stated that he had a few of your things and he thought that you had a few of his. It was simple and he tried to be as polite as possible. He was not trying to make anyone upset.

After a few days you hadn’t answered his text, so he tried again. This time his tone was a little hasty, and when you responded, it was in an aggravated tone. He was confused. You didn’t want to meet with him and made that clear. He suggested mail, but that seemed to upset you as well.

When he saw you later that week on the street, he said nothing. He did nothing. Any feelings that he had left over for you, were gone. Then he knew he could move on.

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multiphandomunnies · 1 month

Text

pentagon

reactions

accidentally seeing their gf naked

found out the wrong way social media au intros

found out the wrong way part one

found out the wrong way part two

found out the wrong way part three

found out the front way part four

s.o getting shy when they kiss

imagines

jinho

hongseok

flustered

hui

e’dawn

365 so stress

how cute

shinwon

yeo one

yanan

too much effort

kino

yuto

something special (*M*)

technology free

lovers night

wooseok

give it a rest

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takorossi · 1 year

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Pentagon as Pentagon Songs / Covers

(... that I associate them with, purely self-opinion)

Jinho

hmmm "Someday - Song By JINHO, HUI"?

i feel like Jinho really slayed the vocals on that one you know

if it's not "Someday" then it would probably be "Round 2 - Bonus Track" because #jinhoWWEcommentator era

"Spring Snow"!!!!!! SPRING SNOW.

spring snow.

i loved how excited he was at wanting to perform "Spring Snow" for Road to Kingdom

and also the feels

Hui

would it be basic if i said "Shine"??? not if it's the truth ...

"Shine"

because come on, we all know why it's "Shine", what are you talking about if it's not "Shine"???

maybe "Happiness" because i felt like Hui in that M/V was pretty memorable

but also his line in "Organic song" (E'dawn, Yuto, Woo Seok With Hui), both in the original when Dawn performed it by himself in Pentagon Maker and also the released track

"Basquiat"?? VOCAL KING.

Hongseok

honestly the first thing that comes to mind is "Very Good - PENTAGON Version" (originally by Block B) from RTK

the chocolate abs left an impression

and also the "it's okay as long as he doesn't dance inappropriately afterwards" - an RTK staff member

"Dr. Bebe"

the chocolate back left an impression

"Sparkling Night" because his Oppa-ness really popped off there, ESPECIALLY in this Special Live Clip, wow that video really took me to heaven and back you know, i ascended

Shinwon

if i'm going for associated images seared into my brain, i would pick "DO or NOT" because #jokershinwon era and also "Feelin' Like" even though i know he doesn't like it because POOL SHINWON??? shinwon with GLOVES??? ma lord almighty,,,

if i'm going for music music, it would be "Daisy" because he does my favourite line in that entire song ("haengbokhaeya dwae") in that whisper/breathy tone, sorry i'm just simping at this point

but by that logic, i would also associate him with "Naughty Boy" because of the chicken lyric ... it really stuck

if i don't put "One Shot" here, am i really a Shinwon fan?

so "One Shot" because he wrote it

Yeo One

"Pretty Pretty", definitely

high school Yeo One.

nerd Yeo One era.

mushroom Yeo One era.

Yeo One with GLASSES.

also "Eat" (originally by Zion.T) because :( Pentagon Maker :( Yan An :( comfort chocolate :( ("saranghae ... yO")

Yeo One's verse in "Round 1 - Bonus Track", specifically the part where he goes "nappeun saram ... Yanan, Yanan, Yanan"

Yanan

"Feelin' Like"

muscles.

absolute massive badonkerhonker muscles.

but also "Daisy" because i really like the way he dances in it, feels floaty and nice

also "Eat", for the same reasons as Yeo One

also "Round 1", specifically the part where he goes "(ya geuraedo bang gachi sseuneunde) HWAJANGSHI!!!"

Yuto

probably an unpopular opinion but "Shine" is one of them

his rap and the transition back to the group formation in their "Shine" stages left a sensation in my brain that i don't know how to explain

that one unique #notlikeothergirls "Yuto-da" in "Fantasystic"

those verses of Japanese rap in "Cerberus"? chef's kiss.

that low-toned Wooseok!mock-scream in "Round 2"

Kino

first of all, "Dr. Bebe", for less superficial reasons than Hongseok

like i really, and i mean REALLY love his entire persona in "Dr. Bebe"

from the stages to M/V, the facial expression and stature and makeup were EVERYTHING

in chinese, there's this thing we call 病态 (bìng tài), which directly translates to "state of being sickly" and it sounds kind of wack if you put it like that, but basically the way he embodied that psychological inner warfare in his dance and expressions was absolutely Oscar-worthy

"Daisy" because of his tattoo, and his florist dreams, and his dance, and that mafia dance variety thing they did

just. "Daisy". yeah.

Wooseok

i don't know if it's because of his unique rapping tone, but i associate him with a lot of Pentagon's songs

i mean he wrote and composed my absolute favourite Pentagon song, "BAD"

he also did "Nostalgia", which i like

his verse in "Sparkling Night"??? vocal Wooseok???

"Naughty Boy"??????????

okay that one because i hated his hair in it, i'm sorry Wooseok

but also i felt like he was so intrinsically linked with that song for some reason

it just screamed Wooseok to me

uhm

"The Magic Flute ("Der Hölle Rache" - Queen of the Night aria)"

oops

i'm sorry that was just for the crack i swear

#pentagon #ptg #pentagon headcanons #pentagon imagines #pentagon scenarios #crack #jinho #hui #hongseok #shinwon #yeo one #yanan #yuto #kino #wooseok

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hongberries · 5 months

Text

Tell me you've never listened to a pentagon album without telling me you've never listened to a pentagon album.

#imagine thinking hongseok couldn't sing ballads couldn't be me #like this isn't even the brainrot speaking this is just a fact hong is a ballad boy

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wildfluwer · 2 years

Text

Pentagon Masterlist

Hui:

Jinho:

Hongseok:

Shinwon:

Yanan:

Yeo One:

Yuto:

Since I Last Saw You *smut

Kino:

Jacuzzi Sex *smut

Wooseok:

#pentagon #pentagon kino #pentagon hui #pentagon jinho #pentagon hongseok #pentagon shinwon #pentagon yanan #pentagon yeo one #pentagon yuto #pentagon wooseok #pentagon smut #kpop smut #kpop imagines #pentagon imagines #pentagon hard hours

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jinkoh · 6 months

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pentagon x gn!reader

summary: you unexpectedly fall into a strange world and quickly find yourself entangled with its peculiar people—as well as their problems.

tags: alice in wonderland au, multiple routes for several members, a little madness; warnings: non-graphic descriptions of violence, mentions of blood and weapons, cruel characters (but also very sweet and fun ones—this au is less dark than it sounds...probably)

wordcount: ~13,8k

a/n: okay so this kinda became a really really huge project that i've been working on for a while and that i am very attached to so ofc i'd be really excited if you gave it a try hehe i didn't stick very close to the original material so don't be too surprised. in case you want to know who is who from the get go you can check out the character introduction, but they also all get introduced bit by bit~ do heed the warnings before reading!

series masterlist // character introduction // ptg masterlist

The weather had been weird for days now, heavy clouds hanging in the purplish sky and a constant drizzle making puddles form in the streets. The Uncle from the car shop on the first floor said it was an omen; that something bad was approaching. Your landlady called him crazy and said it just needed a proper thunderstorm and the sunny weather would be back. But she didn’t like him much to begin with and if he wasn’t such a good tenant, for whatever that meant, she would have thrown him out long ago. You didn’t really care much for her idle talk. You were somewhat fond of the Uncle, even more so since your cat Humpty Dumpty seemed to have taken a liking to him too, visiting him in his shop, whenever he managed to sneak out of your third floor apartment.

So, when the Uncle told you to be careful in this weird weather and to keep an extra watchful eye on Humpty for the time being, you’d meant to heed his advice.

You must have had a moment of inattention though, because when you came home after getting groceries you found your small flat to be empty. You’d forgotten to close the bathroom window and he must’ve snuck out from there. With a sigh you set the groceries down in the kitchen area before stepping out again, hoping that maybe he was just in the car shop downstairs.

You were lucky, finding the brown animal curled up on the roof of a beige vintage car, while the Uncle himself was working beneath the car, only his legs poking out.

“Here to pick up your cat?” He asked, without coming out.

“He slipped out again,” you replied while picking Humpty up from his spot that must have been incredibly comfortable if his unsatisfied meowing was anything to go by. “Thanks for keeping an eye on him.”

The man laughed. “Felt more like he was keeping an eye on me, honestly.”

You nodded even though he couldn’t see you, watching a little longer.

“That’s a nice car,” you commented, more to make polite conversation than anything else. You didn’t actually know anything about cars, but you did think it was a pretty one with the little hood ornament resembling the shape of an M.

“Yeah, it’s a nice one. A Ford Mercury Monarch, though I doubt you’ve suddenly taken a big interest in cars, have you?”

“Not really.” You chuckled, feeling caught. Of course he’d know that you were just being polite. “Still, it’s kinda pretty.”

“Mhm,” he hummed.

Humpty started to fidget in your arms and you knew it was time to head upstairs if you didn’t want him to scratch you.

“I better go back.”

“Mhm,” he hummed again and you were about to leave, when he pushed himself out from under the car and eyed you seriously.

“Remember to be careful, y/n,” he reminded you once more. “I think there’ll be a storm tonight.”

Somehow the way he said it felt insinuating and sent a weird shiver down your spine.

You swallowed around the lump in your throat.

“I’ll remember it.”

With a weary feeling in your stomach you left his shop, slipping back out into the rain. The building you lived in was an old factory that had been turned into several loft apartments and the commercial property downstairs. A bunch of the complexes in your neighborhood were like that which gave the area a certain charme when the sun was shining onto the red brickstones and reflecting from the big, old windows. When it rained like now though, the sky above dark and grey, the tall buildings almost looked intimidating.

Just when you wanted to turn towards the entrance door next to the shop to head upstairs, you saw a white shadow rushing through your peripheral vision. Your head instinctively snapped around, and you clearly hadn’t been the only one to notice. Humpty all but leaped out of your arms, chasing the white shadow down the street which seemed to be—a rabbit?

For a moment you were frozen in place, watching your beloved fur ball disappear down the street. But then you snapped out of it, running after him as fast as you could.

Sadly, it wasn’t fast enough to catch up to him and to make things worse the Uncle had been right about the storm. The rain was picking up and you heard thunder rumbling in the distance.

Eventually you found yourself in a side street, no trace of either the cat nor the rabbit. Humpty had never been one to come back when called, but you tried anyway, shouting out his name, the brick-lined house walls echoing it back to you.

You knew Humpty would be able to find his way back home, but you didn’t like the idea of him outside in this weather by himself. So, you kept going, even when the rain got so strong you could barely see what was in front of you.

Feeling somewhat resigned, you turned into another side street, just to be met with the rabbit sitting right in the middle of the road, his bright white fur standing out against the gray surroundings. Humpty on the other hand was nowhere to be seen. But something inside of you told you that if you caught the rabbit, you would surely find him too.

The white animal watched you with calm eyes as you approached, and you almost thought you’d be able to grab it, when it bolted, disappearing behind a corner. You rushed after it, turning into the dead end just to find it deserted and almost completely flooded. The giant puddle seemed to reflect the sky above impossibly sharp, despite the raindrops rippling the surface. In the reflection it didn’t even look all that dark and cloudy, but before you could wonder about it more or bemoan the water drenching your shoes, you suddenly felt yourself stepping into a void, the floor beneath your feet simply disappearing. In a weird epiphany you realized it must have been a missing duct cover, but it wasn’t like that would help you now. You were already falling, dark water swallowing you whole.

When you came to, the first thing you realized was that you were cold and wet. You blinked your eyes open and pushed your damp hair out of your face. It didn’t make sense, you were sure you’d fallen down into the sewer, but you found yourself in the same dead end again, sitting in the middle of the giant puddle, completely drenched. At least the rain had let off and the sky was dyed in shades of pink and purple.

You felt for the opening in the ground that you’d fallen into with your hand, but the duct cover was right there. Confused, you tried to squeeze some water out of your clothes which was only so effective considering that you were still sitting in the puddle.

Just then, your eyes fell onto the white rabbit at the street corner he’d come from, looking at you almost thoughtfully. But then, as if he snapped himself out of a trance, his eyes widened.

“Oh no, oh no,” he mumbled, or you would have thought he did if it wasn’t impossible for a rabbit to speak. “Go back, quickly!”

“What?” you asked anyway, but the rabbit just turned and bolted off again.

“Time is running out.”

For a brief second you stared at the spot where he’d still sat a moment ago, but then you quickly stumbled to your feet and ran after him. You turned the corner just in time to see a man, not a rabbit, scurrying down the street. He had snow white hair, just like the bright fur of the rabbit, and it felt a bit too odd to be a coincidence. Especially with the pair of rabbit ears sitting right there on his head.

“Oh no, oh no,” you heard him again from the distance and even though none of this made any sense, you kept going after him.

Despite running until your lungs burned, you couldn't catch up to him. Maybe that was your sign to call it a day, you thought. Surely, Humpty had already made his way back home to your apartment by himself to escape the bad weather.

When you looked around though, you noticed that something about your neighborhood felt off. On first glance it was the same, but on second glance everything was different. All kinds of weird plants were overgrowing the pavement and crawling up the brick walls. There were no lights on behind the windows, no matter where you looked, nor was there any other trace of people.

Overcome with an eerie feeling you slowly made your way down the street in the direction of your home. The light of the street lamps looked colder than usual and they flickered in irregular intervals.

“I think you’re going the wrong way,” a voice behind you suddenly said matter of factly.

Startled, you turned around, looking right into the face of a young man with bright blue hair. He smiled and it was undeniably pretty, but it didn’t look entirely genuine.

“What do you mean?”

Instead of a reply he just shrugged and then seemed to disappear into thin air. You looked around, trying to understand where he’d gone, but he was nowhere to be found.

“What do you mean?” you repeated, your voice a little shaky.

“That the direction you’re going in is wrong.” He suddenly replied from right next to you.

“But I’m going home.”

“If you say so.” He giggled and it almost sounded childlike.

You felt yourself growing a little annoyed. “Then where am I supposed to go if not this way?”

“I won’t tell you.” With that he disappeared into thin air once more and you didn’t have it in you to feel surprised about it again.

“Fine,” you snapped in no direction in particular. “Then don’t tell me.”

You continued your way, but from time to time you still heard his giggles and little comments.

“So wrong,” he would say with a chuckle, his voice coming from one direction first and then another next.

“If you’re not going to tell me, then at least leave me alone!”

“But it’s funny,” he argued, suddenly appearing right in front of you, a wide smile plastered on his face. “It’s funny to see you run right into their fangs.”

“Whose fangs?”

“The Queen’s servants,” he whispered right into your left ear, before reappearing on your other side. “The heartlings.”

You frowned in confusion, all of this giving you a headache. None of it made any sense. You just wanted to go home, curl up in your bed and cuddle your cat. But you couldn’t help the weary feeling in your guts, telling you that there was at least some truth to the weird guy’s words.

“So, where would you go?”

“Oh, I can go anywhere,” he replied with a giggle. “They can’t catch me if they can’t see me, right?”

“And if you couldn’t turn invisible?”

“Hm,” he seemed to think for a moment. “Maybe I’d get myself a snack from the gas station?”

You looked at his vanishing form in utter disbelief. “A snack?”

“Or a coke, maybe.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Well, I’m not saying you should do that. But you asked me what I would do. And I gave you an answer.”

You felt so unbearably frustrated with whoever this guy was, and yet you still turned around and headed into the direction of the gas station. Maybe you’d get some answers there and if you didn’t you could at least buy a snack and a coke before going home.

When you reached the gas station it too wasn’t quite looking the way you remembered it to. Instead of the brand logo you were so familiar with, the pink neon sign showed an abstract symbol next to letters that you couldn’t read. Just like the rest of the neighborhood it seemed to be completely deserted, but at least the lights in the shop were on.

“Are you sure I can go in?” You asked, convinced the blue haired guy was still around.

“If the door isn’t locked you can,” he replied, his voice coming from further away than you’d expected.

You turned around to spot him sitting in the branches of a tree near the edge of the parking lot.

“Are you not coming along?”

“I doubt my presence would be appreciated.”

You frowned in confusion. “Why?”

“Because I don’t like to pick sides. Besides,” he hopped off the branches but disappeared before his feet hit the ground, just to stand in front of you a second later. “Cats aren’t welcome.”

He pointed towards a sticker on the glass door, a pictogram of a cat crossed out with a thick red line.

“But you’re not a cat,” you argued, following the gesture with your eyes before your gaze settled on him again.

“Am I not?” He tilted his head and a pair of grayish blue cat ears was sitting right there, poking out of his hair.

You stared at him flabbergasted. You knew for sure they hadn’t been there before. You would have noticed such a detail, wouldn’t you?

“Wha—how?”

“Because I’m a cat,” he replied as if it was common knowledge. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

With that, he vanished into thin air once more, the last thing you saw of him the bright white of his toothy smile.

“Wait! Am I supposed to go alone?”

“Weren’t you alone from the start?” sounded his reply, but he didn’t turn visible again.

“But what if I need help?”

“I’m sure you will.”

“So how will I know how to find you?”

He giggled. “Find me? You won’t. But should I ever be in the mood to help, I will certainly know how to find you.”

“Wait!” you tried to stop him once more, but it stayed quiet and you were sure he was gone for good this time.

You sighed, focusing your attention on the shop in front of you instead. Even on closer inspection you couldn’t spot anyone, but the staff door behind the cash desk was cracked open, so you assumed that someone was in the back.

With a deep breath you opened the glass door and stepped inside. It felt cramped with how closely the aisles stood together, maybe a little more so than usual. You looked around, hoping that the cashier would come out if you just waited a bit. You picked up a coke and a chocolate bar from the shelves, not because you were in the mood for either, but because the cat guy had mentioned it.

By the time you stepped to the counter and sat down the products on top there was still no sign of anyone coming out anytime soon, nor was there a bell to ring.

“Hello?” You timidly shouted in the direction of the door. “Hellooo?”

“Hello?” It suddenly echoed back from beyond. “Hellooo?”

You rolled your eyes at the staff’s humor. “I’d like to pay.”

“They’d like to pay,” it sounded back, but this time it didn’t seem to be addressed to you.

Before you could say anything else, the door opened and a guy with tousled red hair stepped out. For a moment he just eyed you thoughtfully but then he broke into a goofy smile that made a dimple form on his cheek.

“Welcome.”

“Uh, hi,” you replied awkwardly. “Do you work here?”

He wasn’t quite what you’d expected. Instead of the off-white t-shirts the staff here usually wore, he wore a sheer turtleneck in bright orange and a colorful silk shirt on top that he kept open. He absolutely didn’t look as if he was working here. Nevertheless, you couldn’t help but think that in some peculiar way, you found him attractive.

“Work here?” he repeated, sounding almost a little confused. “No, I don’t work.”

“Uh, then, is someone here who does?”

“Is anyone here who does?” he shouted towards the staff door, passing your question on.

“No, no one,” came the reply shortly after.

“The hare says no one is here.”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard.” You pinched the bridge of your nose slowly losing patience with whatever was going on today. “So, how do I pay?”

“Oh, with money.”

“With—forget it.”

“All forgotten.” He nodded with a bright smile. “Anything else I can help you with?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I was just looking for my cat and then got into this whole,” you gestured vaguely at your surroundings, “mess.”

“A cat?” His face crinkled with disgust. “Not a blue one, is it? That scoundrel is not allowed in here.”

“Blue? No, Humpty Dumpty is brown.”

“Humpty Dumpty is an egg.”

“What?”

You shook your head in exasperation. “Anyway, so I was looking for my cat and then there was this rab—man?” It sounded more like a question.

“You’re looking for a man?”

“I guess you could say that.”

“Hm,” he looked around the store as if he could find him between the aisles if he just searched hard enough. Then he turned to the door once more.

“Changgu, do we have a man?”

“A man? No, no, we don’t have that.”

“I’m afraid we don’t have any in store,” he said apologetically.

“I’m not—I don’t want to buy one. I’m—he was running away. He had white hair and—rabbit ears? And he seemed to be in a hurry. Have you seen him?”

“Ah, you met Hui. Terrible workaholic, really.”

“Do you know where to find him? I think he knows where my cat is….maybe?”

At the word cat his face scrunched up once more, but he didn’t comment on it this time.

“I might know.”

“So, will you show me?”

“Now? I can’t. It’s tea time. In fact, maybe you should come in and have tea with us.”

You frowned in confusion. “But you don’t even know me?”

“Right,” he nodded. “Who are you?”

“Y/n.”

“Y/n. That is certainly a name,” he nodded once more. “I’m Shinwon. The Hatter.”

“A hatter?” You weren’t aware that it was a job that still existed. You’d assumed that the fast fashion industry had more or less let that handicraft die out. Furthermore, “You’re not even wearing a hat.”

“Not a hatter. The Hatter. And my hat—” for a moment he stared into the distance, a deep sadness in his eyes but then he snapped out of it, smiling like nothing happened. “That’s a story for another day.”

The sudden change in mood had piqued your interest, but you decided to respect his privacy and not pry into it further.

“And what is the Hatter doing in a gas station?”

“A gas station? I’ve never been to one.” He didn’t give you the time to question his words, already turning towards the door. “Now, let’s have some tea.”

Maybe it wasn’t the smartest idea to follow this guy to the back. He didn’t seem to be right in the head, though to be fair, you weren’t sure about your own sanity either. After all, you’d chased down a talking rabbit and then shared a walk with a man who seemed to be able to vanish into thin air. Perhaps, a mad hatter in a gas station was on the normal side of things in comparison.

The backroom didn’t look the way you’d expected, though at this point you weren’t sure what you were expecting anymore. The space was completely cluttered with chests and boxes, and all kinds of fabrics and curtains were draped throughout the room. In the middle of it all was a long table which was decked out with way too much dinnerware. In fact, the tea cups were stacked up so high, you almost didn’t notice the guy sitting in one of the mismatched chairs near the end of the table.

“I brought a guest,” Shinwon declared, pointing at you.

“A guest!” The guy jumped up from his chair with a dazzling smile.

Only now did you see the floppy ears that sat on his head, reaching down all the way to his shoulders. They were a light brown, the same shade as his wavy hair, and they looked so soft and fuzzy you kinda wanted to try petting them.

“Hi,” you awkwardly greeted, raising your hand in a small wave. “I’m y/n.”

“That is certainly a name,” the man replied with a nod and Shinwon next to you clapped excitedly.

“Right? That’s what I said.”

You didn’t know what to make of the comment so you decided to just ignore it. “And you are Changgu I assume?”

“Ah, where are my manners?” He rushed over, accidentally knocking some cups off the table that shattered on the floor.

“Yes, Hare, where are your manners?” Shinwon echoed.

“I’m Changgu. The March Hare,” he introduced himself, reaching out his hand to you, that barely poked out from underneath the sleeves of his plaid coat.

“The March Hare?”

He nodded, before leaning in closer as if he was about to share a secret.

“It’s because I’m as mad as one,” he whispered. “I don’t have both ears in the water.”

As if to prove his point he raised one of his ears and let it flop down again.

“It’s oars, Hare. You don’t have both oars in the water,” Shinwon corrected, before ushering you further into the room. “Now, let’s have some tea?”

He pulled back one of the chairs for you while he took the seat at the head of the table. You sat down and stared at the mess before you, unsure how to behave. It didn’t exactly look as if it was set for a tea party (or set at all, for that matter). You felt out of place and it didn’t help that your clothes were still wet. It had almost slipped your mind, but now that you were sitting you felt the damp fabric sticking to your skin again, leaving you with an itchy feeling.

“Tea?” Changgu, who’d taken the seat across from you interrupted your thoughts. He pushed a cup he’d poured in your direction. The other porcelain on the table got shoved out of the way on his quest but he didn’t seem to mind, not even when one of the higher stacks started to sway dangerously.

Unable to watch what was clearly going to end in disaster, you quickly took the cup with a “Thank you” and promptly received a bright smile in return.

Before you could take a sip of the steaming liquid though, Shinwon held out a plate with muffins to you, each one decorated with a small candle.

“Dessert? We also have cake,” he pointed at a ring cake somewhere in the mess. “And biscuits.”

“Then, a biscuit, perhaps?” You agreed reluctantly.

��A biscuit, Hare, quick, a biscuit for the biscuit!”

Changgu nodded eagerly, holding out another plate to you, and you took one of the cookies from it.

But you didn’t get to try that either, because all of a sudden the door was pushed open with so much force, it made you flinch and drop the cookie into your tea cup.

“Ah, not in the middle of tea time,” Shinwon complained, clearly annoyed but not surprised. “What does the Queen want now, Paul?”

For a moment you weren’t sure who he was talking to, but then you spotted the frog that was standing upright in the doorway, dressed in an outfit that resembled a Victorian newspaper boy.

“An invitation,” he croaked, taking a big leap right onto the table, porcelain clinking at the sudden impact. He fished out a piece of paper and handed it to Changgu who took it from his green fingers.

“We got it. Now, shoo, we’re having tea.” Shinwon gestured for the frog to leave with a wave of his hand. “Unless you fancy to join us for a cup?”

“Not particularly,” the frog replied, hopping off the table and disappearing to where he’d come from.

Changgu passed the paper onto Shinwon who took it with the tips of his fingers as if it was something disgusting.

“What is it?” You’d managed to catch a glimpse of the writing and once again had to realize that whatever alphabet it was, you couldn’t read it.

“A party invitation,” Shinwon replied, almost spitting out the words.

"Do you not like parties?"

At your question he broke into a laughter so intense as if it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

“Do I not like parties?” He turned to his friend in amusement "Did you hear that, Changgu?"

“Do you not like parties?” Changgu repeated, shaking from laughter himself, his ears flopping up and down at the movement.

You felt awkward and maybe a little upset that you once again weren't in on whatever the joke was.

“Well, do you?” You interrupted their laughter, light annoyance in your voice.

Shinwon's eyes were gleaming when he replied. “I love parties, Biscuit. I love them so much I celebrate all my unbirthdays every year.”

Changgu nodded hastily to support his point. “Every single one!”

“We’re celebrating one right this second.”

You didn't bother asking what an unbirthday was. “Then what’s so bad about this?”

Immediately, Shinwon's face turned dark again. “It's the Queen's party.”

“Then don't go.”

“Don't go, you say,” he repeated with another giggle. “No, we have to go. It's the Queen's party."

After a brief glance at a clearly broken cuckoo clock on the wall he sprung up with so much vigor, his poor chair fell over backwards and clattered to the floor. “In fact, we should go right now!”

Then his eyes got stuck on you.

“You're wet,” he commented as if he only just now noticed the sorry state of your clothes.

“I fell into a puddle.”

“Why would you do that?”

You frowned. “It’s not like it was on purpose.”

The side eye he exchanged with Changgu told you that he still considered it to be weird, but he let it rest.

“Either way you can't wear that to the party. The Queen hates bad fashion.”

“Oh, I won't go to the party, I wasn’t invited.”

Another rush of laughter overcame the two of them.

“It's the Queen's party,” Shinwon repeated yet another time. “Everyone is invited. Hare, don't we have some clothes for the child?”

“I'm not a child,” you argued but neither of them minded you.

“Maybe we have some in the dairy section.”

“Mhm-mhm,” Shinwon nodded thoughtfully and then disappeared into the shop only to show up a minute later with an odd looking suit that he handed to you. The fabric felt cold, as if it'd just come out of the refrigerator and the combination of colors and patterns seemed a little random. But it was still better than the damp clothes that were sticking to your skin uncomfortably, so you took the suit and changed into it while Shinwon and Changgu waited outside.

When you came out again, the two of them seemed to have cleaned up for the occasion as well: Shinwon had buttoned up his shirt and tamed his red hair while Changgu had added a black tie with red dots to his outfit. He hadn’t bothered to tuck it under the collar of his shirt though so it made him look more disheveled than before, but you didn’t point that out.

Shinwon eyed you intently, his brows furrowed as he took in every inch of you. Then he broke into a happy smile. “Oh, it suits you! Isn’t that right, Hare?”

“Exquisitely so!”

You weren’t sure about their assessment but their compliments still made you feel a little better in your skin.

The three of you stepped outside and you would have thought the sky would be pitch black by now, but it still had the same purplish pink colors as before.

“So, where is this party?” You asked as you walked down the street.

“The Red Castle,” Changgu supplied an answer that made you none the smarter.

“Of course,” you mumbled. “Where else would it be?”

Even though Shinwon had been less than ecstatic to go to the Queen’s party, he didn’t dwell on the bad mood. Him and Changgu giggled and goofed around on the way, most of their jokes going past you.

“I’d much rather go home,” you let out a small sigh, barely even noticing that you’d said it out loud.

Shinwon interrupted his laughter to turn to you. “Oh, that’s just the right mindset for attending this party. I too would much rather go home. But,” he playfully nudged your shoulder with his own, “when we all want to go home, it’s almost the same as actually going home.”

You didn’t a hundred percent get the point he was trying to make there, but his words felt comforting nevertheless. Perhaps it wasn’t his words per se, but the consoling smile on his lips and the genuine expression in his eyes.

You shook your head in amusement. “Let’s go home then.”

“Let’s go home!” he repeated with a wide grin, raising his fist into the air and making you giggle.

As you kept walking, you slowly realized though, that maybe that was quite literally where you were headed. You were only a block away from your house now, and the closer you came, the more lively it got on the streets that had still been empty a few hours ago. Approaching your home should have filled you with a sense of relief, but instead it just made you feel queasy.

Your bad feeling about it all proved to be there for a reason. When you turned into your street, you could barely recognize what used to be so known to you. The streetlights were decorated with a weird assortment of red flowers and warning tape, and the whole area was jammed with people (though you weren’t sure if people was the right word for the diverse assembly of beings, some more human than others but none that were human through and through) and at the center of it all seemed to be the tall factory building with its brick walls and the car shop on the first floor. It looked vastly different, the entire front of the building covered by a huge mural painting depicting roses that crawled up the walls, their stems carrying sharp thorns. Still, there was no mistaking it:

“That’s—that’s my house.”

“Oh, how fortunate,” Shinwon exclaimed gleefully. “You wanted to go home!”

“No, but—,” you interrupted yourself, not even sure what to say. Maybe it’d been a little delusional to believe your home would still be your home if nothing else seemed to have remained the same.

“You didn’t want to go home after all?” Shinwon nodded understandingly. “Then this is indeed unfortunate.”

“Very unfortunate,” Changgu agreed.

“I’m just so confused. Why is nothing the same as before?”

“Maybe that’s a question for a caterpillar,” Changgu replied seriously. “They are experts on things that do not stay the same.”

Before you could inquire how you were supposed to discuss this with a caterpillar of all things, you spotted a familiar pair of snow white ears in the middle of the crowd that disappeared as suddenly as they’d shown up.

Without thinking you chased after the white rabbit. You weren’t sure why you were still so keen on catching him. It didn’t seem very likely anymore that he knew where Humpty was. But he was the only one who had already been there when the world was still normal, so maybe he’d also know how to turn it back.

“Why are we running?” Shinwon asked behind you, sounding out of breath. You hadn’t noticed he’d come along.

“The rabbit!” You explained. “I saw the rabbit.”

“Why are we running?” Changgu shouted from behind Shinwon, following as you rushed through the crowd.

“The rabbit, they saw the rabbit,” Shinwon explained in your stead.

You almost expected to lose the rabbit in question again, but then he was suddenly standing right there, throwing a worried glance onto his wrist watch. You abruptly stopped in order not to run him over, causing Shinwon to bump into you. In your relief to have finally caught on, you didn’t pay it any mind though.

“Thank God,” you pressed out, catching your breath.

The man with the white rabbit ears turned to you, seemingly only noticing you now.

“Oh. Oh, no,” he looked a little distressed at your presence before his eyes wandered to your company in surprise. “And the Hatter?”

“And the Hare,” Shinwon added, pointing at Changgu who’d come to a stop behind him.

“So, what do you want?” The man asked, his eyes darting to his watch once more. “I’m in a hurry.”

Shinwon chuckled. “It’s good to take a break from time to time, Hui.”

“Of course, you would say that.”

“My cat,” you interrupted before their discussion could drag on. “Did you see my cat?”

“A cat?” He sighed. “I don’t have time for Yanan’s shenanigans."

“No, no,” Shinwon chimed in. “This cat is brown.”

“I don’t have time for a brown cat either,” Hui shook his head. “In fact, I don’t even have time for this party.”

With that he took off, quickly disappearing into the crowd again.

“Wait,” you shouted after him. You still hadn’t asked him about whatever was going on with the world around you, and he was probably the only person who could know something (and also the most sane one you’d met so far, despite his constant haste and his rather cold demeanor).

“Don’t take it to heart,” Changgu reassured. “In fact, he already lingered longer than usual. Sometimes we don’t hear from him for months. And he doesn’t even spare the time to celebrate his unbirthdays.”

You sighed in resignation. “Still, I had so many questions.”

“Even if he knows the answers, I doubt he has the time to give them,” Shinwon replied comfortingly, though it didn’t feel very comforting at all. “Caterpillars on the other hand have a lot of time.”

You didn’t get why Shinwon too was bringing up caterpillars now, but the two of them had been talking nonsense from the moment you’d met them so it was a little late to start overthinking it now.

Suddenly, the sound of a fanfare cut through the noise of the crowd.

“Oh, it’s beginning,” Shinwon exclaimed, grabbing your hand and pulling you further towards the front, until you were standing in the second or third row with a direct view on what used to be your home and was now something else entirely. "From here you can take a good look so you know whom to avoid."

"The Queen?" you asked for clarification.

"That too. But the Heartlings and Knave as well."

You remembered the former from when the blue cat had mentioned it before, but the knave was new. You didn't get to ask though, because the fanfare sounded again.

A frog, just like the one that had brought the invitation, was standing on a stack of tires in front of the garage door, a scroll in his hands that he unrolled solemnly. He cleared his throat twice before finally addressing the crowd.

“Your Majesty, the Queen of Hearts,” he announced, his voice way louder than you would have expected from a frog of his size.

The crowd cheered more or less enthusiastically and he hopped from the stack of tires. A pack of ferrets came to the scene, quickly pushing the tires to the side. The last one had barely scurried away, when the roller shutter of the garage started to open, slowly disclosing the shop beyond. For a while, all you got to see was the car that was parked right in the center. You recognized the vintage car immediately with its beige finish and the M shaped hood ornament. As the shutter had almost rolled all the way up, it finally revealed a person sitting on top of the car, in just the same spot that Humpty had taken a nap in earlier today. (At least you thought it was still today—with the sky not changing color at all, you were a little confused about the passage of time.)

To your surprise though, it wasn’t a Queen at all. Instead it was a guy with choppy blonde hair wearing a velvet tracksuit. His gaze was fierce and there was something captivating albeit intimidating about his aura. Still—

“Where’s the Queen?”

Instantly, the whole crowd fell silent.

The man in the velvet suit cocked his head, his eyes narrowing in on the guests. “Who asked that?”

Everyone around you took a step away, trying to gain some distance from you. Solely Shinwon and Changgu stuck to your side, but even they seemed a little uneasy. From your peripheral vision you spotted a man with wavy hair next to the garage door straightening out his posture. You hadn’t noticed him before, but he must have been there all along. He pushed back the fabric of his jacket a bit to reveal the grip of a gun that was tucked into the waistband of his pants. You didn’t understand what was happening, but you were smart enough to realize it wasn’t anything good. Your stomach was filled with dread and you instinctively reached out to Shinwon, your fingers clasping onto the hem of his shirt.

“Uh, oh, Biscuit,” he whispered close to your ear. “You’ve really done it now.”

“I said,” the man in the velvet suit started again, this time with more emphasis, as he leaped off the car roof in one smooth movement. “Who. Asked. That?”

The crowd seemed to budge even further away from you, leaving you easily exposed to the man who approached with striding steps.

“You?” His gaze landed on you, making you feel small and helpless. “It was you, wasn’t it?”

He took another step closer, close enough for you to spot the beauty marks on his face, close enough to notice the glow of his skin. “Tell me your name, dear.”

“Y/n,” you pressed out, your voice barely hearable.

“Y/n,” he repeated with a hum, almost as if he was tasting the sound of it on his tongue. “So, y/n, what were you thinking? What made you believe that I’m not worthy of being the Queen?”

The thoughts started circling in your mind. It was clearly a trick question; no matter what reply you presented him with, it would be wrong.

Thankfully though, you didn’t have to give one at all. Before you could even think of saying anything, you felt Shinwon leaning in close to your ear again.

“I’ve got this,” he whispered, stepping in front of you with confidence.

Anxiously, you glanced over to Changgu, who gently took your hand in his, mouthing a reassuring Don’t worry.

“Your Distinctiveness,” Shinwon greeted overly friendly, taking an exaggerated bow.

“Hatter,” the Queen replied, his face contorted in disgust.

“You see, my dear friend is new here,” he explained. “And to make matters worse, they have terrible vision, don’t you, Biscuit?”

You felt frozen, even more so now that the Queen's attention was back on you. It wasn’t until Changgu squeezed your hand, that you hurriedly nodded.

“Very terrible vision,” Shinwon repeated, his voice sounding pitying this time. “Can’t even tell right from wrong.”

“Is that so?”

The Queen didn’t seem convinced as he gave you another once over. You instinctively held your breath, as if that could protect you from his piercing gaze.

“Consider this a warning,” he eventually said, finally taking his eyes off you.

“And you, Hatter,” he turned to Shinwon, “educate your guests right. Wouldn’t want to lose any, hm?”

“Of course, your Noteworthiness; by no means, your Exquisiteness,” Shinwon nodded meaningfully.

“Good!” The Queen’s mood suddenly shifted. He clapped his hands and a grin spread on his lips. “Now, let’s celebrate, shall we?”

He strode back to the car, using stacked up tires to take a seat on the roof again like a Queen on her throne.

You let out the breath you’d been holding, relieved that you’d evaded whatever storm would have awaited you if Shinwon hadn’t been there. You gently tugged on his sleeve to get his attention.

“Thank you. You really saved me there.”

“Oh, yes, Biscuit, that would not have ended well,” he replied with a giggle before his expression grew more serious. “But I have your back.”

You weren’t sure why he’d helped you, after all he barely knew you at all. But you didn't dwell on it for too long. Of everyone you’d met today, if you had to choose just one person to trust, it would surely be him. In all his madness and with all his nonsense, you decided to trust him.

The party proceeded, though it hardly resembled your understanding of the term. There was music, sure, but the mood felt strained. The Queen however didn’t seem to notice or perhaps he simply didn’t care.

“It’s a party,” he drawled. “So, entertain me.”

“Of course, your Highness,” the frog from before hurried to assure. “The dancers, get the dancers!”

A group of dancers stepped forward, wiry figures with white wings on their backs just like those of a swan. Music started to play and they moved to the melody. It was a beautiful choreography but you couldn’t help but notice the way their arms seemed to tremble with nerves. And you weren’t the only one.

“What a pity for them,” Shinwon whispered next to you.

“A tragedy, even,” Changgu agreed.

“He won’t like that.”

“He’ll despise it.”

You looked between the two of them, before your gaze wandered back to the Queen. He looked onto the spectacle with contempt.

“Boring. Show something else.”

Immediately the music got interrupted and a different song played, the dancers changing position and starting anew. The Queen watched for a moment, his lips pursed thoughtfully.

“If only I could make this more fun,” he complained with a big sigh but then his eyes widened as if he’d had a brilliant idea. “Ah! I know! Jack! Get me some firecrackers!”

The frog nodded, relaying the task onto the ferrets who disappeared and showed up seconds later with a red box. The Queen clapped joyfully before he took the box and fished a lighter out of his pocket.

“What is he doing?” You asked Shinwon, your voice barely a whisper.

“Playing a game, it seems. He loves games.”

An uneasy feeling took root in your stomach. “What kind of game?”

“Dodge.”

The game was exactly what it sounded like. While the performance continued, the Queen lit up the firecrackers and threw them at the dancers’ feet, watching in delight as they tried to evade the small explosions.

You felt sick to your stomach and for the first time since you’d fallen into the sewer you truly wished to wake up from what clearly had to be a nightmare. With shaky fingers, you pinched the skin of your inner arm, hard enough to make tears spring to your eyes. But nothing happened. You didn’t wake up and this wasn’t a dream. The dancers were still hopping from one foot to the other, the Queen’s manic laughter drowning out the music they were dancing to. And you just stood there, frozen in place, averting your gaze instead of stepping in.

“That’s insane. How can he be so cruel?”

“He’s the Queen of Hearts, what did you expect?” Shinwon scoffed. “Of course, it was different when—no, I shouldn’t say. Not here.”

The rest of the party continued in the same vein. The Queen had a very different idea of how to stay entertained, it seemed. His games hardly qualified as games at all. If anything they were torture, for those who had to watch and even more so for those who had to play. But he was sitting on his makeshift throne enjoying the show.

“Oh, what a delight!” The Queen eventually addressed the crowd. “I had feared for this party to become a disaster. After all, it was off to a miserable start, isn’t that true?”

Maybe it was just your imagination, but you felt as if his eyes were looking right at you, giving you a warning glare as if to say I remember you. Don’t mess up again.

Panic rushed through your body and you were shaking like a leaf as you tried to withstand his gaze. When he looked away at last, announcing it was time for the grand finale, you felt all strength leaving your body and your knees would have given in if Shinwon hadn’t immediately reached out to steady you. Even when you’d found your balance again, he stayed closely behind you, resting his hands on your shoulders.

“Are you okay, Biscuit?”

You didn’t even bother pretending and shook your head.

“When is this over? When is it finally over?”

“Soon. We only have to make it through the fireworks now. You can hold out, right?”

You nodded weakly and watched with something akin to relief as the ferrets set up fireworks that for once seemed to really be just that—fireworks.

“No one’s going to get hurt, right?” you asked, to be sure.

Shinwon gave your shoulders a reassuring squeeze. “No one’s going to get hurt.”

And his words proved true. The ferrets lit the fuse and you watched with tired eyes as the flame crawled over the bloodstained floor until it reached the fireworks. They shot up with a bang and exploded into sparkling pink hearts filling the sky above you that had at last started to darken. It was a beautiful spectacle and for a brief moment you could almost trick yourself into thinking that it’d been a regular party after all. Almost. While everyone’s eyes were glued to the sparkling sky, your own fell to the Queen again. He was watching the fireworks too, in awe of its beauty, while the traces of his cruel games were scattered all around him. It seemed he was the only winner today.

After a moment he lowered his head to look at you. It was a slow, deliberate shift as if he’d been aware of your gaze all along. His eyes briefly flicked over his surroundings before they landed on you again, a small smile on his lips. Despite the distance you knew exactly what he was mouthing at you.

Beautiful, isn’t it?

When it was finally over you couldn’t even manage to be relieved. You’d seen too much and you despised yourself for watching all of it in silence.

“Why is everyone just accepting this?” You asked, once the crowd had dissipated and you’d gained some distance to the Red Castle.

“Because there’s nothing else we can do,” Shinwon explained matter-of-factly. “Not yet.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that it’s not time yet.”

“Not yet,” Changgu echoed. “But soon.”

It wasn’t a very satisfactory reply, but who were you to talk? You’d only been here for a day and it wasn’t as if you’d been brave enough to say anything either. No, you’d looked away much the same as everyone else.

You sighed and followed behind them, slowly realizing that you had no idea where you were headed. It definitely wasn’t the way back to the gas station unless the streets had suddenly swapped places which wouldn’t be the craziest thing to happen that day.

When you asked, Shinwon looked at you in confusion. “To the caterpillar, of course.”

“The caterpillar?”

“You want answers and he has a lot of them. And if you’re lucky a few of them might just match your questions.”

“Is it far?”

“Oh, very much,” Shinwon nodded but then he added, “we’re almost there.”

Eventually you turned into the street with the old theater and realized that that must be where you were headed. You’d always loved it there and had many fond memories of musicals and theater pieces you’d watched there. It was a charming building with a pretty front that you remembered to be adorned with big illuminated signs announcing the shows that were currently running. Now though, it looked sad and abandoned as it laid in complete darkness at the end of the street.

“What happened here?”

“The Queen doesn’t fancy theaters, I’m afraid. He’d rather the only shows that happen are the ones he holds in the castle. Of course it was different when—” Shinwon interrupted himself once more, but then he seemed to remember that you weren’t at the party anymore and that no one was around to hear. Still, he whispered when he continued, just to be safe. “It was different when Hongseok was still king.”

“Very different,” Changgu agreed. “Hongseok loved the theater.”

“He also loved cookies,” Shinwon added.

“And fun rides.”

“And coffee.”

Changgu nodded excitedly. “He handed out free coffee on all 23rd unbirthdays.”

“He did. Every 23rd.”

“The 23rd unbirthdays are always the best,” Changgu explained.

You looked at him in confusion. “Why?”

Now Changgu was the one looking confused. “Because they are the 23rd, of course.”

“Right,” you nodded slowly even though his explanation didn’t actually explain anything. Still, even if it didn’t make much sense, what you did understand was how fondly they thought of Hongseok. You didn’t know if he’d been a capable king, but he must have been a beloved one.

“Why isn’t he ruling anymore?”

Shinwon laughed, as if it’d been a particularly stupid question. “Because now we have the Queen, dummy. There can’t be a king and a queen.”

You wanted to argue that in fact there usually was both, but you doubted that anything would come of it.

The three of you walked towards the entrance of the dark building when Shinwon suddenly stopped in his tracks and swiveled around to Changgu.

“Do you have cash on you?”

“No, no,” Changgu shook his head, turning his pockets inside out as if to prove his point. A single button fell out and clattered to the floor.

“Oh, no. I am afraid they don't take credit card.” Shinwon sighed with a wistful glance at the dark and empty ticket booth before turning to you. “You don’t happen to have any?”

Your gaze wandered between him and the abandoned theater. “What do you need cash for?”

“To buy a ticket, dummy,” he said with a giggle. “Hare, she doesn’t know you need a ticket to go to a theater.”

“You can’t just go in without a ticket,” Changgu nodded.

"No, I—agh, nevermind."

“You’re so funny, Biscuit.”

You didn’t consider yourself a particularly humorous person, but as long as it made them laugh you supposed it was fine. Still, you didn’t get why you would have to pay to go into an abandoned building where there clearly were no shows running. You checked your pockets anyway, but you had nothing except for an old bubble gum wrapper.

“Hm,” Shinwon looked thoughtful. “Well, I guess it will have to do.”

He took the wrapper from your hand, picked up the button from the street and fished a safety pin out of his own pocket. The random assortment of things was then shoved through the hatch of the ticket booth that was meant for paying. Meanwhile Changgu opened the entrance door to the right of the booth which was barely hanging in its hinges.

“After you,” he said with a grin and an exaggerated bow.

“Very kind,” Shinwon replied with a nod and a tip of an invisible hat as he stepped past him into the dark lobby of the theater. You followed suit, giving Changgu a quick thanks.

Somehow the building made you feel weary. It was distressing how it looked as if it’d been abandoned from one second to another. There were coats hanging in the cloakroom and a half eaten bucket of popcorn was laying tipped over on the floor, popcorn scattered around it. The whole atmosphere gave you chills.

Shinwon and Changgu didn’t seem to have any such concerns though. The Hatter went straight for the snack counter, starting to rummage through the fridge that was clearly turned off.

“Coke anyone? Or a limo?” He asked, holding up glass bottles, that almost looked like the popular brands you knew, if it wasn’t for the unfamiliar writing.

He didn’t wait for a reply, already setting them onto the counter.

“Do you think we should bring something for Jinho too? You think he'd want a coke? Or something else?”

“Maybe something else.”

Shinwon nodded thoughtfully. “A water? But that's for boring people.”

“Maybe a water,” Changgu agreed anyway.

“Jinho? Are we—are we still talking about a worm here?”

Shinwon bursted into laughter. “A worm! Oh, he would hate that!”

“Wasn’t it a worm?”

He snorted before turning to Changgu. “A worm, Hare! A worm!” He repeated between chuckles, nudging his friend in the side who’d long joined his laughter.

“We shouldn’t ever tell him that.”

“We shouldn’t. He would hate it so much.”

“He would,” Changgu shook himself in delight. “Maybe we should tell him.”

“We should!”

“So, it wasn’t a worm?”

“A caterpillar, Biscuit. He is a caterpillar.”

Jinho was sitting on one of the balconies, watching the empty stage. His head was propped up on one of his hands as he leaned over the balustrade, sipping on a small pouch of red ginseng extract. The dim light in the auditorium gave his dark gray hair a blueish, almost iridescent shimmer that made you want to question if it was real. Still, he was most certainly not a caterpillar.

“A lovely theater, isn’t it?” He mumbled without looking up and you weren’t quite sure who he was talking to.

“Very lovely,” Shinwon was quick to agree but he didn’t sound serious.

“You should have seen it in its heydays,” Jinho continued, turning his head to look at you. “It was truly marvelous.”

He spoke slowly, as if his every word was well considered and it made you nervous.

You swallowed around the lump in your throat before you replied. “I’m sure it was.”

“Mhm,” he hummed approvingly, then he turned back to the stage. “I’ve been expecting you. You’re late.”

“Oh!” Shinwon chimed in. “Really? I was thinking we should have left a little earlier.”

“Not you, Hatter,” Jinho drawled in response. “Alice.”

“Alice? Which Alice?” Shinwon looked confused.

Jinho nodded in your direction. “That Alice.”

“I’m not Alice. My name is—”

“Y/n,” he interrupted you with an exasperated sigh. “I know. But you’re also Alice. One does not preclude the other, you foolish rat.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You couldn’t quite choose between feeling distraught by the fact that he knew your name or offended by his tone, so you settled for both.

“It means exactly what I said. You’re Alice.”

While you still didn’t get what he was trying to say, Shinwon and Changgu looked absolutely flabbergasted, their eyes flicking back and forth between you and Jinho.

“Our Biscuit… is Alice?”

“The Alice?”

“How many times do I need to say it?” Jinho shook his head. “Y/n is the new Alice. That’s how it’s written in the script.”

“It’s written in the script,” Shinwon repeated in disbelief.

Changgu nodded. “Y/n is Alice.”

“Would anyone please explain to me what’s going on? How can I be Alice if I’m me?”

“Because the script says you are.” Jinho squeezed out the last bits of ginseng extract, before shoving the empty package back into the box that was sitting on the seat next to him. “The script is never wrong.”

“What script?”

“The one,” Shinwon explained unhelpfully.

“The only,” Changgu added.

Jinho took out a new pouch of ginseng, his whole focus on the packaging as he slowly and carefully ripped it open. Your eyes automatically followed the movement.

“I can show you. If you wish to see,” he offered without looking up.

“I—I don’t know. I don’t know what any of this means so I don’t know if I want to see it or not.” You instinctively turned to Shinwon for help, searching his eyes for advice. “Do I?”

He didn’t immediately reply and when he did his voice was unusually calm and collected. “I think you should.”

“Okay,” you nodded slowly before turning to Jinho again. “I want to see.”

He didn’t seem to be in a hurry, calmly emptying the rest of his ginseng extract before getting up from the velvet seat.

“Let’s go to the prop room then.”

“Oh, the prop room!” Changgu looked excited, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I haven’t gone there since our last show. It’s been a while!”

Jinho led the way out of the auditorium to narrow stairs at the far back of the hallway. A chain with a handwritten sign was supposed to keep visitors out, but Jinho nonchalantly pulled it to the side.

“Careful,” he warned before going downstairs and not without reason. Fabrics, props and costumes were scattered all over the steps and the handrail, making it feel like an obstacle course. While you slowly followed Jinho, carefully not to trip on anything, Shinwon and Changgu seemed almost delighted, hopping down the steps as if it was a funny game. Though, after seeing the gas station’s backroom it wasn’t as surprising that they weren’t bothered by the mess, you supposed.

Once you’d reached the bottom of the stairs, Jinho pulled a small key out of his pocket and unlocked the wooden door to reveal a room, cramped with more odds and ends.

Changgu went right in, purposefully taking a handkerchief from one of the zillion shelves.

“Was wondering where I’d kept that,” he commented happily before stuffing it into his pocket.

Jinho pushed past him with a sigh. “We haven’t taken out the script in a while, and this is how you act? Some adequacy, if you please.”

“Don’t be such a killjoy, Worm.”

Jinho’s head snapped around to Shinwon, giving him a death glare. “Worm?”

Shinwon just shrugged lightheartedly. “Right, Caterpillar. My bad.”

“These kids,” Jinho shook his head before turning his attention back to you. “Let’s take a look, shall we?”

He took your hand and pulled you along to the far back of the room, where a wooden chest was covered with a bunch of colorful fabrics. Jinho shoved them aside to reveal the little metal lock that he opened with another key from his pocket, before pushing up the lid of the chest. It was empty except for a stitched booklet that looked like a regular manuscript for a musical or a theater piece. Jinho took it out and thumbed through the pages until he abruptly stopped, his finger pointing to one of the lines.

“We’re here.”

You stared at the scripture written in the same unfamiliar letters as everything else in this world.

“I can’t read that.”

“Ah, right.”

Jinho closed the booklet briefly before opening it again, his fingers still marking the page. When you looked this time, you were surprised to find that it was written in letters you were able to read. Your eyes scanned the lines Jinho was pointing to, and you were overcome with a feeling of disbelief.

Caterpillar: We’re here. Alice: I can’t read that. Caterpillar: Ah, right.

Below that, the sentences seemed to be incomplete, only bits and pieces that were scattered on the paper.

“How is that possible?” you asked and right as you spoke the words started appearing in the script.

“It’s the script,” Jinho explained calmly. “That’s what it does. It documents and it predicts. It assigns roles and it decides the plot.”

“That’s right,” Shinwon nodded meaningfully but your eyes were still glued to the page, watching as everything they said formed on the paper.

“And as you can see, y/n, your role is Alice,” Jinho continued. “At least for now.”

“For now? What does that mean?”

“Well, you’re the replacement,” Changgu stared into the distance with a nostalgic shimmer in his eyes. “The old Alice is no more.”

“Did they…die?”

“Died? No, no, he is fine.” Shinwon pressed out between laughter so hard, he had to hold his stomach. “He would whine so much about this. I can practically hear his voice: ‘Don’t say something like that! Don’t jinx me!’ So funny.”

“Wooseok fulfilled his role,” Jinho explained calmly. “So now he is only Wooseok, in the same way you were only y/n before you became Alice.”

You sighed. “I don’t remember applying for the role, though.”

Jinho rolled his eyes. “Very funny.”

“So, what does it mean? Is me being Alice the reason that I’m stuck in this weird parallel universe?”

“What’s a parallel universe?” Changgu whispered, nudging Shinwon in the side.

“Surely the opposite of an unparallel iverse,” Shinwon whispered back.

“Ah.”

Jinho didn’t pay them any attention. “Not exactly. You’re stuck in this weird parallel universe—”

“That’s the opposite of an unparallel iverse,” Changgu interjected.

“—because you followed the rabbit through the Looking Glass. He was supposed to directly bring you here—but well, there’ve been some circumstances.”

“I didn’t follow anyone through a looking glass though.”

“Mhm, not purposely,” Jinho hummed. “You fell right in.”

“The sewer?”

Jinho scrunched his face in disgust. “Not the sewer. The reflection. The mirror image on the water surface.”

“So if I fell in—can I fall out again?”

“Oh, it doesn’t work like that, foolish Alice.”

“Foolish Biscuit,” Shinwon echoed, but his voice had a fond undertone to it.

“You have to fulfill your role first. Then you can go back.”

You nodded slowly. That at least meant there was a way back. “So, what do I have to do?”

“Right, that’s the tricky part, dear Alice. The script never reveals the full plot until it happens.”

“Are you saying I have to fulfill my part without even knowing what that is?!”

Jinho shook his head and skipped to a later page in the script. “We do know some things.”

The page was almost blank, only scraps of a conversation readable.

Queen of Hearts: Alice?! You betrayed me Queen of Hearts: What have you done to me? hurt so much Queen of Hearts: I'm dying

You stared at the words, an uncomfortable feeling spreading in your stomach. You had an inkling but you still asked anyway.

“What does this mean?”

“You will kill him,” Shinwon whispered. “You will end his reign.”

“No.” You shook your head. “I can’t—I can’t possibly kill anyone. Can’t someone else do it?”

Jinho shook his head. “It has to be you. He won’t die if it isn’t you.”

“But—how would I do it anyway?”

“I'm sure there are plenty of options. The King would know. Poison, maybe.”

Poison. You shuddered at the mere prospect of it; the body cramping up and lips turning purple—a gruesome thought.

“I can’t.”

“You’ve seen his cruelty. He doesn’t deserve any better,” Jinho said calmly. “And it will happen anyway. The plot may not be all written out yet, but that which is written will happen with certainty. Unless, of course, you die before that. Then a different Alice would have to take your place.”

“Unless I die?”

He shrugged. “If you’re careful that shouldn’t happen. So don’t worry about it too much, just follow along.”

Your head was spinning with all of this. Of course you wanted to go home, but could you really kill someone? But what if it was the only chance to go back? And if what Jinho said was true then was there even a use to think about what you wanted? It would happen, whether you resisted it or not. The only way out was dying, so there wasn’t even a decision for you to make, not really.

“Okay, fine,” you pressed out eventually. “I’ll fulfill my role. I’ll be Alice.”

A small smile tugged at the corners of Jinho’s lips. “I knew you would say that.”

“But how would I even get close enough to do it?” You asked Jinho while he locked the booklet in the chest again. “Does the script say anything about that too?”

“Not too much,” he admitted. “But I am convinced a chance will present itself. The Queen has his eyes on you.”

His words had you incredibly worried. You’d seen his cruel games and you’d felt his piercing gaze on you—just the prospect of having to be in his presence again terrified you.

No, the Queen didn’t seem like the type of person you’d want to have the attention of. You would much rather be invisible than to be seen by him. Yanan surely wouldn’t be afraid of him; he could just turn invisible if things got dicey. You still remembered the cat’s cheeky smile before he’d disappeared on you. In fact, it was ingrained so clearly in your brain, you almost thought you saw it in the corner of the room. But when you blinked nothing was there.

You shook yourself out of it, focusing back on the problem at hand.

“But he doesn’t know, right? That I’m Alice?”

“No one knows,” Jinho reassured. “Only a selected few. The Rabbit. And the people in this room. Though,” he threw a quick glance at Changgu who was playing around with some props on a shelf, “who knows how long the Hare will remember. He tends to be a bit scatter-brained.”

“So, what now?” You asked once the three of you were outside the theater building again.

“Hm, I guess we need to go see Hongseok. I’m sure he’ll have some poison for you,” Shinwon replied and you almost flinched at his words. How could he say it so casually, as if it wasn’t a big deal? As if you weren’t supposed to kill someone with it?

“Off to the White Castle we go,” Changgu agreed. “The King is the best address for anyone seeking leach or lotion or poison or potions.”

“Hare! You can’t call him that. Not here.” Shinwon reprimanded him, his eyes searching the streets around you cautiously.

“Right, right. The Un-King, the Used-To-Be-King, the No-More-King,” Changgu corrected. “Either way, chemistry has always been Hongseok’s strong suit.”

You weren’t sure if brewing lethal poison was really part of regular chemistry, but you’d been curious about Hongseok anyway after everything they’d said and it wasn’t like you had a better idea.

“Wooseok will be there too,” Shinwon looked at you with a small smile. “Maybe you’d feel better after talking to him.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

You walked through the city for a bit. It was deserted again, no traces of all the people who’d still been out a while ago to attend the Queen’s so-called party. As if the sky had decided to match your mood, it had turned all black by now, lit up only by the crescent moon that was hidden behind thin clouds. Time seemed to be a little off here, and you thought you could understand the Rabbit a bit. Who wouldn’t be in a constant hurry if time passed almost randomly?

“Where’s everyone?” You eventually asked when you turned into yet another street that was completely void of people.

“It’s after the curfew,” Shinwon explained.

“Yes, the curfew,” Changgu was quick to nod. “Once the sky turned fully black, it's for the best to hurry back.”

“If the sun has fully set, it is time to go to bed,” Shinwon added.

“If the sky is in the moon, the knave of hearts will get you soon.”

“But Hare, that’s not how it goes. The moon is in the sky.”

“Hm, hm, right, that’s not how it goes,” Changgu repeated thoughtfully before his eyes widened with an epiphany. “Ah! If the moon is in the sky, fear the red Knave’s dreadful eye. For if he spots you in the street, a dire fate is what you’ll meet.”

He looked at you with a proud smile after he was done reciting his little poem, but you couldn’t really share his enthusiasm.

“So, we’re not supposed to be outside right now?”

“You’re so smart, Biscuit!”

“Then shouldn’t we go inside? And who’s the Knave anyway?” you asked, the term feeling a little familiar.

“Of Hearts,” Shinwon replied. “The Knave, that is.”

“The Knave of Hearts?”

“Yes, that’s right. He’s the Queen’s right-hand man.”

“You might have seen him at the party,” Changgu chimed in. “He has a scary look. And his birthday is in January.”

“Why does that matter?” You asked in confusion.

“Oh, it doesn’t. But it means he has an unbirthday today and instead of celebrating he’s surely out on patrol.”

“You must know me very well,” a deep voice suddenly sounded from behind you, making Changgu’s ears perk up in interest.

A man stepped out of the darkness of a house entrance, and the moment the dim light of the street lantern fell onto him, you recognized him as the guy with the wavy hair from the party. You remembered him well—mostly because of the gun that was surely tucked into the waistband of his pants even now.

“If it isn’t the Knave of Hearts himself,” Shinwon exclaimed with a delighted tone. “It’s been so long, Yuto, the last time must have been when—right, you probably wouldn’t want to talk about that. It was a dark day for your Queen after all.”

“Hatter,” Yuto replied with a straight face, his tone void of any emotion. “Always a pleasure.”

Then his eyes fell onto you.

“I see you still have your visitor with you. I would say their little scene today wasn’t a source of amusement for the Queen, but that would be a lie. In fact, Hyunggu was very amused.”

His words made a cold shiver run down your spine and you automatically took a small step back.

“Oh, yes, our Biscuit is a very humorous person,” Shinwon replied, his voice still light but he held out his arm in front of you protectively.

Yuto huffed a laugh before glancing at the dark sky. “Still, violating the rules isn’t a funny matter. Why aren’t you in your cozy little hideout yet, Hatter?”

“We’re on our way!” Shinwon said.

Changgu nodded over-enthusiastically. “Yes, yes, on our way. Almost home!”

“Better hurry then. I won’t be as kind next time.” With that, Yuto turned around to go his way, leaving you with an anxious feeling in your stomach.

Shinwon let out a small sigh as soon as he was out of sight. “That was a close call. Now, let’s hurry, let’s hurry. I wouldn’t want to run into him twice. Not a very funny fellow.”

Shinwon and Changgu didn’t seem particularly shaken by the encounter. After a few steps they were back to their giddy selves. You on the other hand couldn’t stop yourself from checking each dark corner for a person hiding in the shadows.

When you spotted the ferris wheel towering above the surrounding buildings you started to suspect where you were headed: the amusement park. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d been there, but just like the theater it was a place with fond memories to you.

Once you reached the entrance, Wonderland written on the archway in weathered letters, you had to find that there was none of the usual hustle and bustle. The park laid before you abandoned and still, solely the lights of the castle in the middle of the artificial lake flickered weakly in the distance. What used to be a vibrant, lively place looked washed out now, the fun rides and booths overgrown with patches of moss and their colors bleached out by the sun.

“Aaaand we made it,” Shinwon said as soon as he stepped through the entrance.

“But we’re still outside?”

“Outside but not really. The curfew isn’t in force here.”

You looked around in confusion. You didn’t really see a reason why anything would be different on the grounds of the amusement park. “Why not?”

“Because the White King’s protective spell takes effect here. It keeps heartlings from entering. Even the Queen can’t enter,” Shinwon explained.

“The Queen isn’t as powerful as he’d like to make everyone believe,” Changgu added with a nod, as he headed straight for the shabby pedal boats in the shape of swans that were floating on the calm surface of the lake.

He pulled one a little closer to the pier, gesturing for you to get in. When you set foot onto the boat it started to wobble dangerously and Changgu held out his hand to steady you, not letting go until you were safely sitting on the bench in the back. Shinwon got on next, taking one of the two front seats and Changgu hopped on last, after untying the rope from the metal loop on the pier. The two of them set to work, pedaling the little boat towards the small castle. As a child you had always dreamed of going there, but it hadn’t been open to the public, the pretty front just a means of decoration. Now though, there was no fence separating the little island from unwanted visitors, and the two of them easily steered the boat onto the narrow shore.

Changgu got off first, tying the rope around one of the two flagpoles that were positioned left and right of the castle. You remembered them to fly flags with the logo of the amusement park but now they were white, depicting a silver pentagon with a snowflake in the middle. The emblem of the White King, you supposed. The three of you walked the cobblestone path up to the entrance of the castle. Now that you were standing directly in front of it, it seemed way bigger than the decorative fake in your memory. It probably was bigger.

Shinwon didn’t bother knocking on the double wing door before pushing it open and stepping inside. The lobby was all white, from the marble floor to the chandelier and it almost felt blinding.

“Hello?” Shinwon yelled into the building with the same tone you’d had at the gas station earlier today and you wondered if it was on purpose. “Hellooo?”

“Eh?” A honey blond head of hair appeared on the second floor, leaning over the handrail. “Shinwon? Changgu?”

Changgu raised his hand in a tiny wave, a dorky smile on his lips. “Hi.”

“What are you doing here?” The guy asked as he walked towards the stairs and made his way down. “And who’s your friend?”

“Y/n,” you introduced yourself before anyone could beat you to it and say Alice or Biscuit.

The guy came to a halt in front of you and only now you realized how incredibly tall he was. There was nothing intimidating about him though as he looked at you through big doe eyes. His hair was combed back in neat waves and he was wearing a sweater vest that was loose even on his lanky frame.

“Wooseok,” he introduced himself and held out his hand in a greeting. In comparison to everyone else he seemed surprisingly normal.

“So, what are you doing here?”

“We’re looking for Hongseok,” Shinwon explained, slipping out of his shoes and leaving them by the entrance as if he was visiting someone else’s apartment and not the prop castle of an amusement park. Changgu did the same though and you realized Wooseok was wearing slippers as well, so you too toed out of your shoes. Surprisingly enough, the marble floor didn’t feel very cold beneath your feet at all.

“He’s in the kitchen,” Wooseok nodded towards a corridor to his right.

“Alright!”

Shinwon sauntered down the hall with the casualty of someone who’d been there a thousand times before and Changgu followed along just as naturally. You were a few steps behind them, Wooseok next to you. He kept glancing over to you curiously but didn’t say anything.

“Hongseok!” Shinwon greeted just a bit too loudly as he threw open a door to reveal a spacious kitchen.

A man with curly brown hair looked up in surprise, his hands covered in flour and a white apron tied around his waist.

“Oh, Hatter. And Hare.” He went over to the sink and rinsed his hands before his gaze fell on you. “And another guest?”

“Yes, this is—”

“Alice!” Changgu interrupted his friend, visibly excited about sharing the news.

“Alice?” Wooseok’s head snapped around to you and he stared at you with wide eyes. “So, you’re—you’re not from here?”

You just looked back at him. You’d already been told that Wooseok was the old Alice, but it hadn’t even occurred to you that maybe he too wasn’t from this universe.

“Now, now,” Hongseok walked over to you, wiping his wet hands on his apron. “We shouldn’t corner our new Alice like that. What’s your name?”

“Y/n.”

“A pretty name,” he smiled and gently squeezed your hand. “I’m Hongseok, the White King, but you might have heard. Wooseok was our last Alice, but his part has already played out.”

“Yes, yes,” Shinwon interrupted. “Biscuit already knows all that. But what we don’t know yet is how to kill the Queen of Hearts.”

“Oh,” Hongseok’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is that your part?”

“Seems like it,” you murmured, not withholding that you weren’t exactly fond of it all.

“Mhm, so it’s that time already. It’s really coming to this.” With a swift movement of his hand he motioned for the others to leave. “Give us a moment, will you?”

They did as they were told, though Wooseok lingered a moment longer before actually stepping out and closing the door behind him.

“Do you want to drink something? A coffee? A hot chocolate? I have cookies too.”

You were inclined to say no, but when you gave it another thought you realized you hadn’t eaten anything in quite a while and could also really use the comfort of a hot drink. Hongseok prepared a hot chocolate and a plate of cookies for you, while you sat down at the small table in the corner of the room. Once he was done he sat down across from you, his eyes calm and gentle. After how Shinwon and Changgu had talked about him, it shouldn’t have surprised you, but it still amazed you how different his whole aura was compared to the Queen of Hearts. Where the Queen had been intimidating and rash, Hongseok radiated kindness and patience.

“Here,” He mumbled after a moment, nudging the plate of cookies a bit in your direction to encourage you to try some. “They are good, I promise. I only just made them this morning.”

You hesitantly took one and started to nibble on it, only to find that Hongseok had been way too humble—it tasted amazing.

“See? They are good right?” He looked a little proud when you nodded. “So, do you want to tell me about it? About what’s written in the script?”

In all honesty, you didn’t. But it seemed like he wanted to help so you told him about everything that you’d found out at the theater. Through it all, Hongseok listened calmly.

“So now,” you concluded your story, “I have to find a way to actually do it.”

“Well,” Hongseok nodded slowly, “here’s the thing: the Queen of Hearts is not easily harmed. Not just anyone can—it has to be Alice. And even then, there’s only one weakness.”

“Which?”

“The heart.”

“The heart?” In a way it seemed plausible for that to be the weakness of someone called the Queen of Hearts, but at the same time it seemed a little too simple.

“Yes.”

“How do I do it then?”

“Mhm,” he got up from his chair and walked towards a glass cabinet with a zillion little bottles and jars inside.

“I know of two ways. One is this,” he held up a little test glass with a dark red liquid in it. You swallowed around the lump in your throat.

“Poison?”

“It's the blood of the Jabberwocky to be precise. But poison describes it just fine. Once it gets into your body it will pollute your blood and ultimately make your heart stop.”

Maybe it wouldn’t be that hard. You could just add some to his food. Still, the thought of being able to feel it invading your blood circulation made your skin crawl. “And the other way?”

“I doubt you’ll like it.”

“What is it?”

Hongseok sighed before opening the drawer beneath the glass cabinet. He pulled out a silver dagger so radiant it almost looked white. He held it out to you and you hesitated before you stood up and took it with trembling fingers. It was lighter than you’d expected and ice cold to the touch.

“If you stab him with that—but it needs to be right in the heart.”

That was definitely worse. You would never be able to actually go through with something like that.

“I couldn’t,” you pressed out, holding it out in your open palm for Hongseok to take it back.

But he gently closed your hand around the hilt again.

“You don’t have to use it. But keep it, just in case.”

“There won’t be a case.”

“All the better.”

Hongseok had invited all three of you to spend the night in the castle, so you wouldn’t have to go out during the curfew again. The room you’d gotten was fancy and as white and shiny as the rest of the castle’s interior. In the middle of it was a soft bed that smelled like vanilla and fresh snow and just waited for you to slip under the covers, but you felt restless. You paced the room, unable to tune out that there was a dagger and a little heart shaped pendant with poison laying on your nightstand. This definitely wasn’t how you’d expected your day to end. It seemed to have gone downhill from the moment you’d stepped foot to that cursed party, but when Shinwon had talked about the Caterpillar having answers, there’d been a sliver of hope flaring up inside of you. Now, there was nothing left of that.

Even though you’d gotten your answer on how to get back to your world, you didn’t feel relieved in the slightest. All you could think of was the horrifying things you’d have to go through before finally going back. And the worst part was that you didn’t seem to have a choice, not really. Even if you decided it wasn’t worth it and you’d just stay—what was written in the script would happen either way.

series masterlist // character introduction // ptg masterlist

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blu-joons · 2 years

Text

When He Forgets Your Birthday ~ Pentagon Reaction

Jinho:

You could see the smile on Jinho’s face dropping as soon as he watched you walk in from work with several present bags from your colleagues in your hand.

“Oh,” Jinho whispered, with the penny dropping straight away as he read the print that was on the bags, scratching nervously over the top of his head, “Y/N, I don’t even know what to say.”

“It’s fine,” you replied, although your voice let you know that it was far from fine for you.

You placed the bags down, hearing Jinho stand up from the sofa. “I’ve bee so busy with work that I completely forgot what day it was today, time’s just ran away.”

“I don’t need to hear any excuses Jinho,” you told him, turning around to face him. “Luckily the guys at the office gave me a great day at work to celebrate my birthday.”

“There’s still a couple of hours left in the day today.”

Your head shook as Jinho tried to dig himself out of the hole he’d dug himself. “I’m not interested, my birthday has been and gone now I’m home.”

“I promise that I’ll make this up to you,” Jinho called out to you.

“You’ve got a lot of making up to do.”

Hui:

Your head shook as you arrived home to see decorations up around your apartment, with a pile of presents stacked up on the coffee table from Hoetaek.

“Happy birthday,” he weakly smiled as you walked in, watching as you took in Hoetaek’s attempts to make up for the fact that he had missed your birthday that morning. “What do you reckon?”

“How long did it take you to put this together?” You quizzed, knowing how last minute it was.

Hoetaek walked slowly into the room as you sat down in front of your presents. “Not too long, I did actually have your presents bought a few weeks ago.”

“You just somehow managed to forget the actual day of my birthday then?” You asked as you picked the first of the gifts up whilst Hoetaek sat down too.

“I didn’t forget, it just slipped my mind.”

Your eyes rolled as Hoetaek tried to put a positive spin on things. “You can put it how you want, but this doesn’t mean that I’ll just forget.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to either,” Hoetaek assured you.

“It does make my day a little better though.”

Hongseok:

A loud shriek came from you as you walked into your apartment to several people cheering, looking around to see the place completely packed out.

“What do you reckon?” Hongseok asked as he walked over to you in between the crowd, throwing his arm around your shoulders to pull you in.

“When did you plan all of this?” You asked in reply, shaking your head in disbelief.

A chuckle came from Hongseok at the expression on your face, “it’s been planned for a few weeks but I don’t know how I managed to keep it quiet.”

“I thought you’d forgotten,” you whispered, having spent all day with Hongseok with not a single mention of your birthday, despite the hints you dropped.

“I would never, ever, forget your birthday.”

Your hand hit gently against Hongseok’s chest, “I can’t believe you pranked me, I was ready to come home and ignore you tonight.”

“You can’t sleep, you’ve got a party to attend,” Hongseok teased.

“This could be the best birthday ever.”

Shinwon:

Your smile was wide as Jinho and Yuto both walked towards you, handing two cards across to you as soon as you walked into the studio behind Shinwon.

“Happy birthday,” Yuto grinned as you tore open the card that he gave you, flickering your eyes across to look at Shinwon who was stood just beside you.

“Yeah, happy birthday,” Hongseok added, almost as if he was driving the knife in.

You could see the realisation in Shinwon’s face, watching his hand scratch over the top of his head. “Are you alright?” Wooseok asked him, noticing his face.

“Y-yeah,” Shinwon stuttered, although as he looked to you, he was far from fine. “I completely forgot,” he whispered so that none of the others could hear.

“I already figured that one out this morning.”

A sigh came from Shinwon, “I don’t even know what to say right now, even the guys remembered and somehow I forgot Y/N.”

“I don’t know what to say either,” you admitted with a shrug.

“I’ll fix this, I promise.”

Yeo One:

A sigh came from you as you noticed Changgu hovering around as you packed up your bag ready to head out to work and try and make the most of your day.

“When will you be home?” Changgu asked, his voice quiet as he tried to get a response from you without upsetting you even more than he already had done.

“I don’t know, I think I might see a few of the others at work,” you calmly replied.

Changgu’s head nodded, not surprised by the fact that you would probably be home late. “Have you got plans with some of your colleagues to celebrate?”

“Yeah, at least they remembered,” you told him, unable to stop yourself from getting a dig in, “at least I’ve got something to do to celebrate, right?”

“Your friends are always so good to you Y/N.”

You quickly nodded in agreement with Changgu, “it’s nice that they remember things about me, things that maybe a boyfriend should.”

“I probably deserved that, didn’t I?” Changgu shrugged back to you.

“Yeah, I think you probably did.”

Yan An:

Your head shook as you arrived home, you knew exactly what Yan An would have been up to during the day, and what you saw definitely didn’t disappoint.

“Happy birthday,” he laughed as he saw that you had arrived home, hoping to see a smile form on your face too, only to be left by a look of disappointment and sadness.

“Do you think all of this makes up for the fact that you forgot?” You honestly asked him.

Yan An’s head shook as he realised that he was still in a bit of a hole with you. “I’m trying here Y/N, surely you can at least try and appreciate that much from me.”

“I know,” you sighed, taking a good look around the room, “maybe it’s me, maybe the thought is just lingering in the back of my mind looking at this.”

“Can you try and forget? Just for today at least.”

Your head nodded slowly back at him, “I’d like to at least try and enjoy the rest of my birthday and maybe talk about this tomorrow.”

“I’ve put a lot of effort into this,” Yan An tried to get you to see.

“I can tell, it looks good.”

Yuto:

As your phone buzzed yet again, Yuto’s eyes stared across at you, almost irritated that your breakfast was being interrupted again by notifications.

“What on earth has been going on with you this morning?” Yuto quizzed, resting his head into his hand. “Have you got some problem at the office that is making your phone pop?”

“Not quite, I’m just replying to a few friends and family,” you subtly explained to Yuto.

His brows knitted together as he still struggled to figure out what was going on with you. “Why are they all messaging you at seven in the morning?” He added.

“Really?” You asked him, almost in disbelief. “Sorry to get in the way Yuto, I’m just replying to the people who have remembered that it’s your birthday.”

“Your birthday? Of course, I know that’s today.”

Your head shook straight away at how panicked Yuto sounded. “Don’t even try and pretend, you’ve forgotten my birthday, haven’t you?”

“Y/N, I’m sorry,” Yuto hastily told you in an attempt to lessen the damage.

“I can’t even believe you right now.”

Kino:

The day was as usual for Hyunggu as he arrived at work, taking a seat with the rest of the boys as they began to prepare for another day of rehearsals.

“Did you spoil Y/N this morning?” Hongseok asked as Hyunggu sat down beside him, “I did send her a text this morning to wish her a happy birthday, but she's not replied to me yet."

“Happy birthday?” Hyunggu asked him in surprise, looking around at the other members.

Hongseok nodded, as did several of the other boys too. “I haven’t got the wrong day, have I? Y/B/N is Y/N’s birthday, isn’t it?” Hongseok quizzed, looking around too.

“Yeah, it’s definitely Y/N’s birthday today,” Changgu agreed, watching the expression on Hyunggu’s face drop the more the realisation began to sink in for him.

“Have you forgotten Y/N’s birthday Hyunggu?”

His eyes looked around in panic, “I really need your help,” he asked of the other members, trying his best not to get too flustered.

“How could you ever forget Y/N’s birthday?” Yuto asked him in surprise.

“I don’t know how this has happened.”

Wooseok:

You hung back from Wooseok as he began to walk upstairs to bed, with you following behind, making sure that there was some distance between you.

“I’m sorry again,” Wooseok told you once he reached the top of the stairs, turning around to watch you walk up the final couple, keeping your eyes looking down away from Wooseok.

“I get it,” you replied, stepping to your left as you began to head to the spare bedroom.

Wooseok knew it was coming, but it didn’t stop him from feeling guilty still. “Are you sure that you don’t want to sleep in our bedroom? The spare room isn’t great Y/N.”

“I just want to sleep alone,” you replied, carrying on walking to the left. “I might as well just to finish off what’s been the worst possible birthday that I could have had.”

“I told you that I’d try and fix this Y/N, and I will.”

Your eyes finally looked across at Wooseok, “you can try and fix this, but that doesn’t change the fact that you ultimately forgot my birthday.”

“I’m sorry it’s been so bad,” Wooseok told you as you opened the door.

“Bad doesn’t even come close I’m afraid.”

---

Masterlist