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earthssprout · 4 months

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happy new year to you & yours, friends ! 🥳🌷🍃 I hope you all had a wonderful & safe time while celebrating, if you enjoyed any such kind of merriment at all 🥺

as I mentioned in the tags on a previous post, I've been meaning to share how I intend to handle Ari's blog as I struggle to balance real life responsibilities & writing. after much discussion with close friends & exploring important parts of myself on my own, I've decided to put Ari's blog on an EXTREMELY LOW ACTIVITY status, of which will remain so until the end of my studies. seeing as I'm pursuing an English degree, there will never be a semester when I'm not writing a bajillion things a week to satisfy course requirements & perform well academically. this, of course, takes precedence 🥺 it is my future, after all !

with all that being said, I don't want to separate myself from this space entirely, so I won't be putting Ari's blog on an indefinite hiatus. however, during the rare opportunities given to me throughout the semester which allow me to be somewhat present on here, I'd like to keep my "obligations" to roleplay as low as possible. therefore--for at least the foreseeable future--I will no longer be accepting new threads or engaging in starter calls/posting my own. if we had any threads going before, consider them dropped. I plan to make this blog what you might call ... " ask - centric " ... meaning that the only method of interaction I will be accepting for a while are asks. I will be answering prompts that are sent in to me, as well as sending the same to others. any asks that I send, however, will not be continued ( except for perhaps on the very rare occasion ). my partners are welcome to continue the ask if they would like to, but just know that it's highly unlikely I'll respond to anything that is turned into a thread. I may, however, toss the response into the treasure box tag ! 🌷🍃

I understand that this, in turn, somewhat prioritizes the relationships that Ari has already built with other muses and, in a way, limits opportunity for her to create new ones. while this restriction isn’t something I’m intentionally enforcing — rather, it is a passive effect of the current state of affairs — given the busyness of real life & all else that is equally important to me, I simply don't have the energy to juggle many things at once on here--in fact, I've been unable to do so for a long while, & I'm only now facing & accepting that fact 😔 the most meaningful & important relationships that Ari has made with other muses were primarily built by lots & lots of ooc discussion, so while I am not opposed to starting new things & building similar relationships, the chances of such happening are much higher with those that are willing to engage in thoughtful discussion about our muses despite my circumstances — plotting over interaction, to put it simply 🌱

regardless, I will still be very slow on here, and I expect I will keep a similar pace when responding to im’s as well. even though asks will be the only interactions/things I respond to on here for a while, please don’t expect me to reply to such with any haste either. I may have the time and creative energy to respond to five asks in a single day, or I may lack both for a month straight. this is, unfortunately, something unpredictable, and therefore I cannot make any promises about how often I'll be here 😔 overall, the greatest shift this blog will be experiencing is how much creative energy I can spend on it and where I decide to invest that. I don’t want to abandon this space entirely, as it is a comforting place to be, and Ari is still very much alive and well in my heart ! I want to comment on posts to support my fellow writers, participate in the occasional dash shenanigan, post random thoughts and ideas I have about Ari throughout the day, and maybe even still actually write ! however, some balancing is in order; I want to improve upon my writing through practice, but most importantly, I enjoy this hobby again 🌷🌼😭

to anyone that isn’t interested in writing with a blog that has such sporadic activity and limited methods of interaction, I completely understand. I always want to be a person that encourages others to do what’s best for them, so if parting ways because of this change is what you need to, then please do so. you will be missed, of course !🌷 but know that this decision to limit my interactions so severely is because I have the same desire in mind — I have to do what’s best for me, in a way that cares for my mental health and nurtures my creative spirit 🌻that being said, this may change. I may limit my interactions even more in the future ... I may open everything back up again ... who knows 🥺

since everything in my ask box is covered in about seven thick layers of dust, I'll also be deleting everything in there too--starting completely anew !

to those who remain, thank you for your ongoing understanding, patience, and support 🌿 at some point, I’m sure, Ari and I will see you outside again ! 🐸🌱🪻🌷🌳🐝

#( ❀ | ooc )#( ❀ | psa )#long post cw #( tumblr keeping my tags despite my long absence is truly the 8th wonder of the world 👀#ANYWAY 🌷 here's the promised post!#it got lengthy in spite of my best efforts but. cmon guys. you've been here long enough to know that I'm incapable of condensing anything #much less a post like this one ... 😭 )

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liverpool-enjoyer · 1 year

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footballers reacting to a younger player calling them dad (long as hell version)

anon requested it n so it shall be!! ngl for some a the teams i simply googled "youngest player on INSERTTEAMHERE." ive never written formal fic for football so i apologize for this being iffy n also for the SHITTON of innacuracies theres bound to be. oh n also that everyone talks like a twenty year old american college student

leo:

"Thanks, dad," Warren said nonchalantly as Leo helped him up off the ground. He had stumbled a little and fell during the last part of training.

Leo only narrowed his eyes a little in response. Dad?

Poor Warren clasped a hand over his mouth, seemingly mortified. "I'm so sorry," he said, chuckling even though he didn't look like he found anything funny. "I guess I just- And then- Yeah I'll, uh, get going now." He scampered away not once looking back.

Leo got to thinking as me made his way back to the locker room. He's used to being called that; he has children of his own. But he's never considered a teammate of his as his own child. Sure, he was helpful, a mentor maybe, but fatherly wasn't how he would describe his behavior with his younger teammates.

There was only one thing to do, obviously. Ask a younger teammate.

When he got to the locker room he approached Neymar, who didn't notice him at first.

"Ney."

His friend's face brightened upon noticing Leo was there. "Yeah, what's up?" he asked, before taking a swig of water.

"Do you see me as a father figure?"

In response, Leo was met with Neymar choking and coughing. "NO, GOD NO-" he stopped to cough again and catch his breath. "WHAT GAVE YOU THAT IDEA?"

"Nothing, jeez, calm down."

---

ney:

"Woah, not like that, you could hurt yourself," Neymar told Bitshiabu. He was doing an new training excercise incorrectly, and the last thing PSG needed was a good player pulling or straining something.

Neymar took a minute to show him how to do it properly. "Thanks, dad," the seventeen year old said sarcastically. Despite the snark, he appreciated the help.

Neymar just laughed in response, but for the rest of traning the thought kept bouncing around in the back of his head. 'Dad? I was acting like a dad? Some of them see me as old enough to be their father?'

Well, he was a father, but that was different. His teammates were much older than Davi.

Oh, gosh, was he getting old?

Later in training, when he saw Leo, he grabbed the poor man by the shoulders without so much as a hello. "Leo. Do you think I'm getting old?"

In classic Leo fashion, he looked like he'd rather be anywhere than here, interacting with someone. "Well, technically we all are... You're older now than you were yesterday, so I guess you are get-"

Neymar let out an exasperated sigh, unhappy with that answer.

His next victim was Sergio, who's phone conversation he interrupted to ask him the question of the day.

"Do you think I'm getting old?"

"You interrupted my conversation with Lukita to ask me if-"

"JUST ANSWER."

"SURE, I GUESS. I DON'T CARE."

Damn. Neymar was gonna have to get hammered tonight. To prove he still has it in him.

---

milly:

"What about you, Milly? Any fun weekend plans?" Andy asked. Some of the team were talking about the plans they had for the free weekend they had coming up.

"You bet; I have a date with my new book and chamomile tea."

This earned him a few eye rolls, most noticably from Trent. "Aw, that's so boring! Robbo and I are hitting this new club Saturday night, aren't we, mate?" he reached across the kitchen island to fist bump his friend. "Surely you've got something more fun in mind."

"I might fire up the grill if the weather allows..." Milly started. "Oh, and I should probably get my car checked out; it's been making this weird noise."

"Yeah yeah, we get it, dad, you're boring."

Milly didn't hesitate. "I am nowhere near old enough to be your dad," he said with his typical snark.

"You do act like it though..." the previously quiet Alisson chimed in, peering at his friends from over his coffee mug.

"And you're no spring chicken either," Milly remarked, which shut the goalkeeper up. "Will you lot ever get bored of the 'James is old' joke?"

"Aw, don't be like that, mate," Andy said with a hearty laugh, putting an arm around Milly's neck and ruffling his hair. "You know it's just because we love you!"

Milly sighed. Yeah, he did know, he supposed.

---

kdb:

"I mean," Alvarez said between passes. "You're practically his dad."

Kevin rolled his eyes for what was probably the third time during that conversation.

"Ah, shove it, you know I'm not that old."

"It's not about age," his younger teammate responds, accepting the ball Kevin passed to him. "You're always like... I dunno, dadish."

Kevin just gave Alvarez an absolutely bewildered look. "...Are you actually saying these words?"

"I'm serious, mate! You're always, y'know, taking him out for ice cream after training, making sure he gets home safe, whatever that means-"

Kevin brought up a hand to rub his temple. "Oh my gosh, I don't see him as my kid. Can't I just be nice?"

"No."

"Shove off," Kevin said playfully.

An amused grin crossed Alvarez's face. "Speak of the devil."

Kevin turned to see Erling walking up to the pair.

"Hey guys!" Erling said with a polite wave, and Alvarez waved back.

"You need anything?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah, actually," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Do you think you can give me a ride home after training? Jack drove me but he had to leave early."

"Of course, no problem," he replied without hesitation, and clapped a hand on Erling's shoulder for seemingly no reason.

Erling nodded happily in response. "Thank you, dad!" he said with a bright smile, before walking away as if what he said was completely normal.

It was taking everything Alvarez had in him to not start rolling on the ground with laughter. "What was that about not being his dad?"

"Shaddup."

---

luka:

It was actually Luka who started it.

Everyone entered the locker room very happy, fresh off a 44th minute goal from Rodrygo that had earned them the lead. The young player received hugs and claps on the back from pretty much every player. The attention was well deserved; the goal was a beauty, after all.

One of the last players to congratulate him was Luka. "Good job, hijo!" he said, hugging his teammate. "You were brilliant out there!"

"Gracias, papa," Rodrygo said, casual, even though he had never called him that before. "But it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't set me up for it!"

"Aw, aren't you the sweetest," said Luka, smiling proudly as he ruffled up Rodrygo's short hair beyond repair.

Rodrygo reached up in a futile attempt to fix his hair, and even though it wasn't said out loud, he got the feeling that he could call Luka that anytime he wanted.

---

luis:

Training had long since ended, and everyone was in the locker room, gathering their belongings and talking amongst themselves.

Luis and Kauan had been making small talk, with Luis telling his youngest teammate about some of his exploits and giving him some pointers.

"Y'know," Kauan eventually said. "You kinda remind me of my dad!"

Luis immediately burst into laughter, but it was out of genuine joy rather than condescension.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, not bothering to wait for an answer. "I'm not that old, kiddo. Now would your dad do THIS?"

Before his teammate could respond, Luis had taken Kauan into a light, non-painful chokehold n given him the strongest noogie he could muster, sending Kauan into a fit of giggling.

When Luis had mercy on the kid and let him go, Kauan needed a minute to catch his breath and compose himself.

Kuan gave Luis a sly grin. "Y'know, my dad does that to me all the time!"

"Damnit."

---

lewa:

It wasn't Gavi's day. Or his week, and it wasn't shaping out to be his month, for that matter.

He didn't know what was wrong; he just wasn't playing like his normal self these past few games. But the crushing blow was this game in particular, when he was subbed off in the first half due to his performance.

The atmosphere in the locker room after the game was still positive, however, as they had won. But Gavi wasn't participating in the celebrating and joking. He had changed and was just sitting by his locker, just... thinking. He hated sulking like this. He felt like he was being dramatic. Maybe he should go.

He didn't notice someone had approached him until he heard his voice.

"Gavi?" Robert asked, voice laced with concern. "What're you doing here all by yourself?"

The younger player just shrugged, blinking away tears that definitely weren't forming.

"May I?" Robert asked, gesturing to the spot next to Gavi on the bench.

Gavi just muttered a quiet "yeah," and Robert sat closely next to him.

Robert took a good look at Gavi, and for a moment he was reminded of his girls.

"You don't seem to be too happy with yourself," the man said.

"Can you blame me?" Gavi asked, trying not to sound sarcastic.

"Well, I understand. But I don't think you should be so hard on yourself," he put an arm around the young player. "You're talented, Gavi, and you're only going to get better from here. You just had a few rough weeks; it's not permanent. And I'm saying that because I really believe it." He smiled warmly at the young man.

Gavi would be lying if he said he didn't feel just a little bit better. He found himself resting his head on the other's shoulder.

"Thank you, dad. I mean- shit, I-"

Robert just chuckled in response. "It's ok, really, I'm honored," he said, holding the other just a little tighter.

---

sergio:

"Hey, dad? Do you-" Vini shut his mouth quickly after he realized what he had just said.

Sergio was on him before the young player could even apologize. "I'm sorry?" he asked, feeling kind enough to at least give the young player a chance to explain himself.

"I don't know, I guess I just got my wires crossed, or something-"

"I thought so. Just don't let it happen again," Sergio said, sounding less angry and more just... irritated. And with that, he left.

Much later in the day, Sergio found himself at Luka's place eating dinner with his teammate, as was pretty much tradition after training.

"Y'know," the team captain said between bites of what Luka made him. "Those kids of ours are really improving. I mean, they were always talented but, y'know..."

Luka just smiled and kept his thoughts to himself. He knew if he made mention of Sergio referring to the young players as their kids, he'd deny it faster than you could say Madrid.

---

pep:

"Don't overwork yourself, Cole, I don't want you getting hurt," Pep said to the young player. It was Cole's first training back after recovering from an injury, so he was prone to hurting himself again.

"Sure thing, dad," Cole said sarcastically.

Pep simply blinked at the young man. He had been managing a long time and had been called many things by all his players over the years. But this was definitely a first for "dad."

After a few seconds of silence, Cole could tell that his attempt at a joke was not well received. He simply stared at the man staring back at him, waiting for whatever stupid prize awaited, and kind of hoping he would just die right now.

"Laps."

Cole's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Hm?"

"Laps."

"Uh... don't you think that's too exerting? You just said I should take it e-"

"Laps!"

And without another word, Cole took off running. It wasn't until three laps in that he realized he never asked how many of these things he should do.

Shit.

---

klopp:

"We've won our last five matches," Darwin said.

"And it's raining outside, so traning will be, uh... Not as good," chimed in Harvey.

"And we promise to train extra hard tomorrow! Don't we, lads?" Cody asked, turning to his teammates, who nodded furiously in response.

"I still don't know if you can afford to miss it; training every day is important," Jurgen told the boys. There was a new movie out that the boys wanted to forego traning to go and see. Rather than sending one person to him to be The Negotiator, the boys thought it was better to approach him with their request all at once.

"But papaaaaaa!!" damn near all of the teammates chimed at once.

Jurgen clenched his expensive-ass teeth. These boys always knew how to get to him. He loved being reminded that they loved him and saw them as a father, as someone to be trusted and depended upon. He couldn't even remember when they started calling him that.

He loud out a long, overly-dramatic sigh.

"Fine."

In return, he received a chorus of cheers. An onlooker would think these boys just watched their teammate win them a penalty shootout.

In no time at all he was swarmed with hugs and "thank you, papa"s from too many of the boys to count.

The boys all stopped at the door when they saw their gaffer wasn't following them.

"Aren't you coming?" Alisson asked, eyes kind and welcoming.

"Do you want me to?" questioned Jurgen, looking at his boys' faces for signs of approval. Most of them just rolled their eyes at the suggestion that they didn't want him to join them.

Alisson approached him, took him by the arm, and dragged him to the door himself, Jurgen laughing while following him.

"Of course we do, papa."

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uhohproblems · 1 month

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"Disappointing,” White Knight said, and Biowulf flinched full-body. White Knight tsked disapprovingly, but he tipped his head, half inviting. “Soldiers who show that sort of initiative would get rewarded.”

After the infiltration into the Consortium's mountain base, Biowulf obsesses. White Knight deals with it.

(NSFW!!)

#generator rex #biowulf #hello again genrex fandom. have you ever been possessed #have you ever had your narrative haunted #have you ever invented a wholly bonkers au bc you liked a side character so so much.#this is part of an otherwise unwritten lengthy au about biowulf becoming part of the exprovidence group.#and then bamboo gotted me with their wk madness #I got lost in the introspective prose with this one fellas #haha ❤️ yay ❤️#please talk to me abt biowulf. pls talk to me about vk wk mirroring

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lakesbian · 1 day

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i was gonna make a joke about scrabbling at my keyboard while my pr team attempts to drag me away to prevent me from making a serious post considering the matter of whether or not rose thorburn junior jerks off but this is the same account where i posted a 1k+ word long analysis of blonde wildbow characters ranked by likeliness to have a piss kink so we all know i don't have a pr team

#footnote 1: see last answered pact ask for why i was considering this matter #footnote 2: okay so you know victoria dallon's canon piss kink?#and how i posted saying that i forbade her from having one because i disliked it?#and how i got a weird joke ask in response to that riffing that all blonde people have a piss kink due to society's kink-based caste system #and how i cropped it to look like it was a long contextless rant and posted it saying 'ok' to be funny?#and it breached containment and nobody knew it was about victoria dallon?#and the tags were all full of people tagging blonde characters as the post?#yeah the ranking was a shitpost based on that whole thing that spiraled into careful thought and an overlong essay because #of the sort of person that i am #for example i did not have to include lengthy context in the tags i could have assumed anyone reading just remembers the context #but i did it include it. due to being the sort of person that i am

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mctildatautou · 2 months

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𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 : farmer's market 𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 : open starter @providencepeakstarters

matilda found herself in uncharted territory, far from the bustling streets of new york or the familiar european country charm she was accustomed to. it marked the dawn of a new era in her life, one she had reluctantly come to embrace. as with any fresh start, it motioned her to venture into unexplored parts. at the top of her list - the local farmer's market.

initially unintended, matilda ended up stumbling upon place to be on saturdays. lost amidst the stalls and the commotion, she found herself trpped in what seemed like an intricate maze of fresh produce. looking for an escape route, she turned to the person beside her.

' um... hey. could you perhaps point me towards the exit ? ', she began tentatively, her voice carrying a note of uncertainty. ' and tell me if this market thing is supposed to be some sort of maze. ', she ended with a small chuckle.

#providence.starter #a starter for the loT but if u prefer a closed one mssg me on disco <3 #n idk how this got lengthy feel free to shorten!

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puppyeared · 9 months

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footnotes arent enough I need you to talk to me like im fucking Amelia Bedelia

#this isn’t about anything in particular btw. I just have to add a lot of memos when I’m doing things because some things are done a certain #way and it isn’t explained well in the instructions. like my mom has instructions on her baking recipes right #but when it says stuff like add dry ingredients to wet ingredients it also means you don’t dump it in one go you add it slowly by portion #this is probably why I find videos and demonstrations the most helpful when I learn something. like I almost always ask someone to show me #how they do it because there could be something they do that’s already second nature and wouldn’t really be considered in an explanation yk #I don’t think I’m an exception either. when the rice is done cooking I divide it into 4 quarters to bless it #but there are a million ways to divide rice and it makes me think that one persons way of doing it or not doing it all is just as valid #theres also technically no wrong way to divide rice afaik. this means either all ways of dividing rice is safe or valid until we find some #universally terrible way of dividing rice. until that happens nobody really thinks about specifying HOW you divide the rice #source: I have anxiety starting and doing things for the first time because I got way too many people yell at me NONONO WHAT ARE YOU DOING #THATS WRONG while I’m in the middle of doing the thing. I would rather have people think I’m either very stupid or overly specific #than go thru the panic inducing fear of ‘YOURE DOING THIS WRONG OMG WHY DIDNT YOU ASK AHEAD OF TIME THIS WILL BE FUCKED UP FOREVER’ 🧍#nothing wrong if you don’t give something a second thought because you’re so used to it. but I can and will ask about it and I don’t think I #really should feel bad about it if I don’t know enough to dispute it. idk #the other way around I try to be as specific as possible and word things in a way that people who might not get where I’m coming from will #understand. but the problem with that is my explanations tend to be lengthy and I lose them either way 🗿#Im. trying to work on that using examples and stuff because they seem to work the best #but if I could write everything down on a word doc and beam it into your melon that would save both of us time and embarassment #im rambling the short version is I have adhd #yapping

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parameddic · 6 months

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there is such a good fic to be written in a 'she really is a scribe but everything you'd think still happens, and she ends up bonding andarna anyway' sense but i am constantly too tired to write fics and anyway all i want to do is read it. why can't i read the thing that i want which i invented in my brain and am sad about not existing outside of it. that's my argument

#hi i promise this is a 911ls RP blog but also here is an ooc post about two books i read this week #iron flame #kdjflskdjlkdjg #the empyrean spoilers #i have. unfortunately. got stuck on these books for no reason #i am STILL thinking about them #there is so much. war involved in them and normally i am. not patient enough for lengthy war novels #like i skipped most of the third of the healer series by maria v snyder bc i just got. tired #but these ones??????? seem fun???????????????????????#.......... there is such a good fic to be written in a 'she really is a scribe and still stumbles on the rebellion' sense

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manawari · 10 months

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The Shadow Knight

(honorable mentions bc why not) @i-bring-crack @julyarya @winter-1023

In the public eye, he was just an ordinary civilian. But in the underground. . . He was a complete different person.

Many people looked up to him as the supreme fighter. They admired his fast reflexes, powerful fists as though they were made out of steel, eyes that could look into abyss, and most of all, his ability to take down his opponents as the final blow. There had been reported of incredibly damaged ribs, broken noses, shocking bruises, and others that made the doctors pull their hairs in frustration. They'd ask what was the cause of those wounds, an unfortunate accident — answered by the men who brought in the bodies.

But little did they know, a huge event was going on behind — and below — the outside world. A place that was not for the faint of heart. A place where chaos ruled and existed for the entertainment of many watchers who placed their bets on their chosen fighter. The winner got all the money, of course, which was why the audience must chose wisely between the two participants.

But there was one person majority of the people had come for. . .

Shadow Knight! Shadow Knight! Shadow Knight! They'd shout once the match was about to begin.

Shadow Knight. . . A moniker for someone who had created a throne in the ring. He stole everyone's attention to his body's movements that was hard to look away, it was like a demon had possessed him which was why he brought so much damage and left the arena unscathed. No matter how bigger the opponent was, Shadow Knight would always prove that size never mattered, it was the brute and strength that mattered in the fight.

In each victory he was coated with, there came a price. . . Enemies. People who would track him down, take revenge, and grab the money in his hands. These were the ones who often tried to lurk into his shadow and pounce for attack. He knew beforehand that he would have a target in his head, but not once hindered him from living the life he had in the sunlight.

Whatever happened in the underground, must stay in the underground. . .

"Jin-ah! Wake your brother up!"

"Okay, mom!"

He slept soundlessly under the covers, unaware of the unwanted visitor in his door. He snuggled deeply into his pillow and placed another one on top of his head to keep himself lulled within his slumber. The sounds from the other side of the door remained as faint whispers in his ears, but that was until a heavy impact crashed onto his relaxed body

"GAH!" Jin-woo cried out, quickly curling himself into a ball as his arms flew over to his waist. His teeth gritted against each other when he whirled his head over his shoulder. "Sung Jin-ah!"

"Good morning, brother!" Jin-ah looked down on him with an innocent grin. "Had a nice dream?"

Jin-woo growled. "Come here, you little punk!"

"Mom!!" Jin-ah screamed as she sprinted out of the room with her infuriated sibling in tow.

Jin-woo chased her to the living room and grabbed Jin-ah by the wrist to trap her into his arm and ruffled her hair until it became into a mop of mess. His little sister protested furiously as she wiggled against his grip. Meanwhile, Kyung-hye sighed at her ruckus of children, with one of them being basically an adult in his early twenties.

Once everything had soothed down, the two siblings had settled on the table, devouring on the breakfast their mother had prepared for them. It was as if nothing happened. Except that Jin-woo still had that sour look on his face he constantly flashed at his sister for waking him up in his least favorite way. Jin-ah was unfazed, continuing to eat her breakfast with a broad smile just to annoy her brother.

Their father had passed away due to a tragic accident that was too late to save him from death. It was only a day after Jin-woo had graduated from college. Regardless of the devastating memory, the three of them thrived and healed from the grief, it was fortunate that they hadn't gotten into a problem with finance since Jin-woo was now providing sufficiently for his mother and his sister's studies.

"Jin-woo, are you off to work now?" Kyung-hye asked.

"Yes, mom," Jin-woo nodded. He grabbed his wallet from his backpack and took out a few wons to hand them to his mother. "Here, in case you need something, mom."

Kyung-hye widened her eyes in surprise. "Wow. . . That is a lot! A— are you sure about this, son?"

"Of course." Jin-woo smiled.

"Hey, brother! I, uh, kind of need some money for this science project." Jin-ah let out a timid chuckle. "You don't mind, do you?"

Jin-woo rolled his eyes and gave her what she asked. "I still haven't forgotten what you did earlier."

"None taken." Jin-ah snickered.

As Jin-woo closed the door shut on his way out, Kyung-hye let out a longing smile. She spoke;

"Your brother is truly lucky with his job, isn't he?"

Jin-ah huffed. "As much as I don't usually say it, I agree. He sure has some skills to impress his boss. Not all workers are getting a worthy amount of salary."

Kyung-hye chuckled. "Just like what your father had once said, your brother is unique in his own way."

Being a mechanic in a big company had its own perks, it included high profit and tools provided by the company itself so the workers only had to use them without spending a single dime. However, he had chosen to work at the repair shop the company also owned since it granted more services for customers who wanted to get their vehicles fixed. Although the profit was the same, Jin-woo liked to get his hands busy rather than sitting around in the building's garage, waiting for any of the workers to seek help.

And besides, he liked to have his workplace in a simple environment.

Being in the age of twenty-two had earned him a saving grace from ending up in an overbearing job and problematic finances.

. . . The only con was dealing with atrocious customers. People who were ready to do nothing, but try to ruin his day while he kept a nice expression on his face.

"Knock! Knock! Is anybody here?"

Jin-woo paused from twisting the wrench around the engine, he dragged himself out of the underneath of the car using the wheeled board and got up. He walked toward the awaiting customer, who had a purple spikey hair and a malicious glint in his eyes — Kang Tae-shik. What does he want now? Came a blunt thought.

"Oh, nice. It's pretty boy!" Tae-shik smirked. "Can ya fix my motorcycle? I somehow couldn't go to work with its engines keep malfunctioning."

"Isn't that the reason why you came here?" Jin-woo retorted.

Tae-shik snickered. "No need to get your panties in a twist. Isn't that the right way to treat your customers?"

"Just get out and I'll get your motorcycle done by two days." Jin-woo said and turned around. Suddenly, he was grabbed by the collar of his sleeveless shirt, so he was forced to face Tae-shik.

"Two days? I can't just commute for freaking two days!" Tae-shik snarled.

"Sorry, but that is our policy. Learn to wait."

Tae-shik growled and raised his fist. "I already had a rough morning, don't make it worse, Sung."

"Gonna cry?" Jin-woo's mouth tugged into a grin.

As if it was the last straw, Tae-shik launched his fist at him. Unfortunately for him, Jin-woo blocked it with his own hand and twisted it aside before releasing. Tae-shik yelped at the crack in his wrist and aimlessly moved it around. Jin-woo received a cold glare.

"Urgh, screw this place!" Tae-shik seethed and eyed the mechanic as he walked out of the shop, grumbling. "I'll get you next time."

Jin-woo crossed his arms over his chest. One of the cons of doing his job, dealing with customers like Kang Tae-shik with inferiority problems. There hadn't been a week, or day, where he wouldn't have to witness any of his co-workers or himself resisting rude customers.

But he didn't always use his hands to answer them.

At least that was how far his patience could go.

"Keep doing that and we'll have a low rating," spoke Song Chi-yul, the one who was in charge of the shop. "Everyone knows you are strong, just try not to break someone's bone."

Jin-woo laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, Mr. Song. I'll hold myself back next time."

"That sounds like instead of promising." Chi-yul shook his head, a loose smile forming on his face.

Jin-woo shrugged.

He managed to repair two cars and a motorcycle, not the one owned by Tae-shik obviously, before he was finished for the day. He changed back to his normal clothes and left the establishment. The sun was completely out as the dark blue side of the sky had stretched over the orangish hues. Jin-woo stared at it for a few moments and pulled his phone out to send a message to his mother.

[ I am going out with some of my co-workers. Don't wait up for me:) ]

It was a blatant lie. But, both of his mother and sister would believe it anyways, as he didn't use that "excuse" all the time, so they hadn't grown suspicious of what he was doing.

It was like he was living in two different lives.

One, was a life filled with warmth and happiness he wouldn't waste a second to gain. And the other, was a life that was only for himself and nobody else had to know.

Because little did Kyung-hye and Jin-ah know, there was another place Jin-woo had been getting his so-called salary. . .

A neon-lit door awaited for him a couple of blocks later, two bodyguards stood in the doorway as Jin-woo approached them. They looked at the visitor under their intense gazes and inspected his body. Jin-woo whispered a familiar word to them and the guards' expressions changed, they straightened up and opened the door. Jin-woo entered into the establishment, pulling his hood up to his head, then turned to hidden door in the hallway that would led him to the staircase of his destination.

Music blared to the ceiling with the intertwined smell of liquor and cigarettes wafted across the wild place. People clamored without a care in the world. Lights flashed in various colors to match the ceaseless energy. But they only came for one thing and that was the main attraction which was about to begin.

As soon as the dancing lights stopped and the bigger bulbs had lit up toward the arena, everyone stopped and gathered around the centerpiece of the Underground. They muttered in anticipation and prepared their money for the incoming bet.

Finally, the host made his way to the center and held his microphone. "Ladies~~ and gentlemen! Who is excited for this night's entertainment?!"

They shouted incoherently to the top of their lungs.

"That's what I am talking about!" The host grinned broadly. "Let me introduce our first player! He's one of the scariest humans to ever walk on this Earth, a prime fighter, can crush someone's head with his bare fist, and stands over six feet tall!" The audience clapped and whistled. He proceeded with the name. "Folks, Hwang Dong-soo! A.k.a. . . THE TITAN!"

The crowds cheered and shouted their support for the first introduced fighter. Hwang Dong-soo walked with his chin held high and a bold smirk smeared across his face, he stepped up to the arena and punched his fists at the air above him, shouting louder than the audience to express his confidence.

"And now!" The host raised his voice to get everyone's attention once again. "The contender you've all been waiting for. . . ! The undefeatable champion of the Underground, a demon inside of a human body, won all eighteen matches straight. . . EVERYONE GEAR UP FOR THE SHADOW KNIGHT!"

The watchers went wild. All of them screamed and clapped, even others jumped, for the fighter they all had been waiting for — The Shadow Knight. The contender who had won all their hearts and never failed to feast them with his spectacular moves.

He stood in the entryway. The two fighters found each other's gazes in a burning line in the distance between them. Chills trailed down everyone's spines as silence gradually dawned upon the place, Jin-woo stared at the ferocious face of Dong-soo, who was also the brother of one of the fighters he had previously fought.

"Yikes! I am feeling the tension already!" The host guffawed. "Anyways, good luck, fellas. Place your bets in and may the best fighter win!"

"Woohoo!!!" The audience cheered. Two young ladies began to walk around, holding a bowl for each of the contenders in the stage.

The door was shut behind him in a loud clasp, shortly after the host had walked out of the arena. Jin-woo took a few steps forward and kept a bland expression on his face. Dong-soo growled at the reaction and clenched his large hands into fists before marching forward and took the first launch of attack.

Jin-woo dodged his head away from the incoming fist in a blink of an eye. Dong-soo widened his eyes, but it wasn't long until his ire was beginning to explode through his eyes, so he began to storm punches at his mere opponent — all while his attacks were being avoided and The Shadow Knight not moving his hands even for just an inch.

Filled with aggravation, Dong-soo roared and launched another punch, only then to end up in the same response. . . But the difference was that Jin-woo had the outstretched arm locked between his. His mouth curled into a smirk at the shock in his enemy's face and took it as an opportunity to finally shot his fist at Dong-soo's face.

The crowd caterwauled in cheer.

Dong-soo shook his head as a quick recovery from the retaliation and whirled his head to—

*POW!*

Jin-woo threw a hard kick on the back of his head and headed to the center to wait for the next move. If Dong-soo's anger could make an impact, the floor could've been vibrating already. He had a satisfied grin on his face, as if sensing the boiling hatred in the large man, which was bigger than Dong-suk. Poor man had ended up with two bruises on his head, a black-eye, and a fractured nose when the battle was finished.

Could Dong-soo end in the same state as his brother?

Another thing about this current match— Jin-woo had encounters with men who were Dong-soo's subordinates. It was evident that they worked under him since it happened two days after Dong-suk's defeat. Jin-woo managed to get them out of his tail before the conflict could increase further.

Dong-soo retaliated with full force and Jin-woo successfully blocked his attacks, along with agile swerves. He had been fighting in this rink eighteen times — nineteen, counting Dong-soo — and had encounters in the outside, so he practically memorized each move and knew where to aim without an analysis. Fighting was no longer foreign to him, if anything, he liked to consider this as a secret hobby.

Eventually, Dong-soo managed to pin Jin-woo down. His ripped arm interlocked around his neck. The crowd let out a gasp at the unexpected sight. Jin-woo grunted against the firm grip.

"Gotcha now, you bastard," snickered Dong-soo.

Jin-woo let out a smirk. "Your confidence never ceases to amuse me."

Then, he sprang his head up to crash his forehead against Dong-soo's face and kicked his foot against his leg. Jin-woo pushed his weight up to pin Dong-soo against the floor this time and wasted no second to crash his knuckles at the face without a pause.

"Shadow Knight! Shadow Knight!" The crowd chanted.

Jin-woo kept slamming punches until he finally stopped, but only concluding it with a strong blow before he got up. His left hand fidgeted after the strenuous move and had bits of blood on them. Dong-soo's face was damaged and bruised, his ichor sticking out of his cheek and a gradual flow from his nose.

He's weaker than I expected. Jin-woo though, caressing his bruised knuckles.

But part of him had a strong inkling that the battle hadn't ended yet. Not when Dong-soo was famous for knocking people out in one blow. Jin-woo turned around and pulled his hood up.

Even the crowd was silent.

Jin-woo turned around, deciding to count up to sixty before he could leave the ring.

Forty-three, forty-four, forty-five, forty-six. . .

Then, all of the sudden, the audience went wild once again. Heavy footsteps headed toward his direction. Just as Jin-woo turned his head, he was greeted with a surging punch. . . Luckily, he managed to dodge, so the fist had crashed onto the barrier that surrounded the ring. Jin-woo quickly grabbed Dong-soo by the neck and fired a powerful kick from his knee to knock the face out.

Blood dripped on the flooring, but Jin-woo didn't pause there. He punched Dong-soo's torso and clashed his foot at one of his legs, also hitting his elbow at the arm, then grabbed the back of the head to slam his opponent on the ground face-first. It was enough to shook the entire floor.

"Give up, Hwang Dong-soo?"

Dong-soo growled and reached out his hand, but Jin-woo grabbed it and twisted his wrist. Dong-soo cried out. Unfortunately. . . Jin-woo still didn't stop there.

He cracked Dong-soo's arm with his foot.

The winner had been declared.

The audience went insane. They clapped for their supreme fighter's victory. Jin-woo caught the door being opened and a couple of men strode in to pick up the defeated body. The host joined in and supported the crowd with their cheers, gesturing to Jin-woo, The Shadow Knight, to present his glory.

"Wow! Couldn't the fight be more intense? The Shadow Knight rules this ring once again!" The host celebrated and patted the victor's shoulder. "We have already placed the money in your bag, so enjoy your whole batch!"

Jin-woo let out a smile. Finally, he could go home now.

"Ah-hem!" Someone from the crowd cleared his throat loudly. The person raised his hand. "I would like to fight Shadow Knight."

All eyes fell upon the challenger.

"Are you kidding me?!" The host gasped. "Someone actually challenged Shadow Knight?! Well, this night couldn't be better! Alright, everyone, place your—"

"Actually," the man stepped up to the front. His muscled arms crossed over his chest. "I'd like to challenge him for free."

Jin-woo parted his lips in surprise. Nobody had challenged him for another round. . . What was more surprising, this man had no desire to be paid.

Nonetheless, it was settled.

The new opponent had entered the arena. He was tall and muscular, but no bigger as Dong-soo. He had orange hair and had sideburns on his cheeks. Jin-woo hadn't seen this man in his life, but he could tell this opponent of his must be a very strong fighter as well.

Surprisingly, before starting the fight, the man had offered his hand out to Jin-woo with a grin.

"May the best fighter win." He said.

Jin-woo stared at the hand before reluctantly accepting it. "You too."

"My name is Baek Yoon-ho." His opponent smirked this time. "Please to meet you, Shadow Knight."

Before he could even blink, Yoon-ho yanked his hand and sprang his knee against Jin-woo's stomach. It was hard. . . Too hard.

Jin-woo grunted and let out a scowl before launching his punch at Yoon-ho in retaliation. However, the latter blocked it and fired his fist at Jin-woo's cheek. The crowd gasped at the sight — Shadow Knight receiving a counterattack from a volunteered opponent?

What the hell?! Jin-woo widened his eyes. Who is this guy?

In fairness, Yoon-ho had a built of a fighter, therefore he must've known how to throw a punch and retaliate with more power. But what was his reason to step into the challenge? Show off his power to the crowd?

Jin-woo didn't want to lose. No, he never fell into defeat. And he wouldn't allow himself to come home with a scratch on his face either.

To make matters worse, Jin-woo hadn't landed a single hit at his new opponent. Yoon-ho kept avoiding and blocking. It made his blood boil. How is this even possible? A random stranger volunteered himself out of the blue and turned out to be a monstrous fighter. . . Jin-woo wanted to get this over with, but he also wanted to end the night as the victor.

Then, just when Jin-woo finally had his hand on Yoon-ho's neck, a siren blared out. He froze. The crowd quickly disintegrated and rushed out to the exit doors hidden in the place. Jin-woo was about to move away, but Yoon-ho slung his arm around his neck and forced him on his knees. Men clad in dark outfits came rushing down the stairs whilst the crowd completely disappeared.

What the hell is going on?!

"Not bad for a fight. We should spar sometime." Yoon-ho grinned.

Jin-woo scowled. "Just who do you think you really are?!"

"So it is the infamous Shadow Knight." A new voice cut in.

It was an old man. With grey hair and a beard, but he also had a scar crossing over his nose. He was followed by two other men, holding authority in his presence, but they only brought confusion to Jin-woo. As well as Yoon-ho, who must've been part of this plan.

"Let him go, Mr. Baek." The old man ordered.

Yoon-ho obliged. Jin-woo panted for air and got up, meeting the old man's eyes with a snarl. "Care to explain what is going on? Why do I feel like this is a set up?"

"I am Go Gun-hee. Please to meet you, son." He introduced himself. "And to answer your question— yes, this is a set up."

"Unbelievable."

Gun-hee chuckled. "May I ask who you are, Shadow Knight?"

"With all due respect, it is none of your business, sir." Jin-woo said. Suddenly, he was yanked by his jacket.

"The elder is asking you a damn question." Yoon-ho growled.

Jin-woo rolled his eyes. "Easy there, tiger," he glanced at Gun-hee. "I'm Sung Jin-woo."

"Mr. Sung, I'd like to give you an offer." Gun-hee reached to the inside of his blazer and pulled out a card to hand to Jin-woo. "Work for me."

Jin-woo stared at the card, it was grey and had a symbol above the acronym 'H.U.N.T.E.R.S'. He eyed at it blankly and looked up to the old man.

"No." He answered. Plain and simple.

Yoon-ho widened his eyes. "What?"

"You can ponder about it if you want. I am not rushing you, Jin-woo." Gun-hee told him. "Just give this number a call once you made a decision."

"I said what I said." Jin-woo adjusted his jacket. "Now, if you excuse me, sir? I need to be home."

He began walking to the door.

He was no insane person to accept a "job offer" from someone who had butt into the place and placed a subordinate to blend into the crowd just to make him fall into a trap afterward.

"This can benefit for your family. You know, you have a mother and sister, am I correct?"

Jin-woo halted.

How in the world did—

Driven by his shock, Jin-woo whirled around and began to storm toward Gun-hee, only then to find himself pinned against the barrier by one of the bodyguards, who had a vice-like grip on his neck. The guard had a solid gaze even though he wore a pair of sunglasses in such an environment.

"Mr. Woo, go easy on that man. We cannot afford hurting him, can we?"

Jin-woo threw a knee-kick at him, but the bodyguard blocked it with his hand and sent him stumbling back to the center.

"H— how. . . " Jin-woo gritted his teeth. "How did you know?"

"Work for me and you'll know." Gun-hee said, his curving up. "I can use a fierce fighter like you."

"Ha. . . Don't make me laugh." Jin-woo huffed. He sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll think about it. Can you leave me alone now?"

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Sung." Gun-hee dipped his head.

Jin-woo nodded and made his way to the door, not without flashing a death glare at the bodyguard who had laid his hands on him earlier.

He left the establishment and saw four cars parked in front. He ignored it and adjusted his bag on his shoulder as he continued to walk across the street, thoughts running in his mind like a spinner wheel. Those people had crossed the line for mentioning his family. Were they worthy to be trusted? Jin-woo didn't think so.

Job offer my ass. He had only chosen this whole Shadow Knight as a hobby, something he would join if he felt like he wanted to get his hands dirtier than fixing an engine, and the price would have his family thrive without worries.

But if he was to accept the offer. . . Would the price be worthier?

#look who got her hands way too much on action #secret underground fighter!jin-woo hehe :3 #with a small dash of mechanic!jin-woo #damn this one-shot has gone LENGTHY #solo leveling #sung jin woo #sl fics by rei

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