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#zb1 series
bully⋆.ೃ࿔*:・
thursday, sung hanbin— poetry ii
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⋆˙⟡ zbully1 smut series masterlist! hanbin, jiwoong, hao, matthew, and taerae included. game day (group) chapter here. all 7 endings here.
⋆˙⟡ wc: 3.5k (it's a doozy but it's worth it i literally am so happy with this one)
⋆˙⟡ reader: femme afab (listed first, she/her are used) // gender neutral (alternate version listed second, no pronouns used at all to describe reader— scroll down)
⋆˙⟡ series summary: five bullies. six days. it's gonna be a hell of a week, babe. stay hydrated.
⋆˙⟡ thursday summary: thursday. good news: the week is almost over. bad news: you're stuck in poetry class with sung hanbin as your desk partner. it's weird. sometimes you play off each other so well, you're nearly blindsided by his sudden flipping of the switch. if only you could steal a glimpse at his journal.
⋆˙⟡ warnings: explicit smut. 18+. minors do not interact. please read specific smut warnings under the cut! swearing. angst. slight dub-con. bullying. very toxic softboi/popular soccer star hanbinnie. guys THE LORE. you very well may not survive til the end of the week but we're already on this journey together so let's see it through!!! smut in gn and fem versions are slightly different due to logistics/circumstance. also there's two parts i wrote in here that made me laugh way too hard okay bye. xx
⋆˙⟡ bully scale: ★★★★☆(4.5)
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EXPLICIT SMUT 18+ WARNINGS: choking (reader receiving and safely executed lmao), chest groping/brief nipple play (reader receiving; reader is wearing a bra and hanbin refers to you as having 'tits'), heavy petting (reader and hanbin receiving), fingering (brief, reader receiving), erotic humiliation and degradation (towards reader; about looseness of pussy after this week/disappointing chest but not the size of it he's just being a dick am i making sense), slut and whore used to describe reader, one slap across the face (reader receiving), slight dub-con but we know how reader rolls now lol. hanbin is insanely toxic. enjoy.
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˚    ✦   .  .   ˚ .      . ✦ 
scribble. scribble. scribble. 
the scratchings of your pencil in your poetry journal are growing increasingly violent. you don’t really care. you’d stayed up all night: tossing and turning and thinking and plotting. 
“hey, uh... you okay?” hanbin asks, tapping you gently with the end of his pen. your pencil falls from your fingers as you’re jolted from your anxious thought spiral. 
“huh?” you reply, blinking at the star of the soccer team. “oh, um. yeah. i’m okay.”
hanbin’s brow raises slightly at your answer as if it surprises him. “you sure?”
“yeah,” you reply as nonchalantly as possible. “why?”
you follow hanbin’s line of sight to the open page of your poetry journal. you’ve absentmindedly ripped a significant hole through several pages with your vortex of nervous scribbling.
you breathe an awkward laugh, closing your journal and putting your pencil down flat on your desk.
“you had a rough week,” hanbin says, grabbing his journal from his bag and placing it on his desk. you bite your cheeks to keep from grinning at the sight of your target. “or so i’ve heard.”
“i’m sure you have,” you mumble, glancing at the tile floor. “i’m sure everybody has.”
“they haven’t,” he replies definitively and you know he’s telling the truth. “i promise they haven’t.”
hanbin was a tricky one. the star of the soccer team and undoubtedly the most popular boy at your university, it comes as no surprise that he was also the makeshift ring leader of his stupid group of friends. keeping that spotlight also meant keeping up appearances. while your other bullies made their distaste for you known whenever possible, hanbin had a different preferred method of torture.
he liked to play nice. compliment your poems. share a laugh... reel you in.
until you were so close, you couldn’t escape. that’s when he’d flip the script on you. 
like when he sent your poem about the boy you liked to the entire university’s mailing list last year. you’d insisted you didn’t feel comfortable sharing it with him. you recoiled with embarrassment at the thought of junseo, your senior lab partner, finding out. but he pushed. made you think you could trust him.
the next day, it was pinned to every bulletin board across campus next to a picture of you that hanbin had taken on your class trip to the national library. like some sort of sick calling card.
junseo sunbae-nim never muttered more than a word to you ever again.
so that’s how all this started. hanbin recruiting his three (and then four) asshole friends in a sudden and violent quest to become the bane of your existence. 
sometimes you still can’t help but wonder if you’d done something to upset him. but you shake off that thought each time. you won’t let him get in your head again so easily.
you’ve about mustered the courage to give hanbin some snarky response when your professor’s chalk hatchings across the blackboard send a hush over the classroom.
“good afternoon, everyone,” professor choi greets happily, underlining today’s date on the board. “let’s jump right in today and start with our weekly journals. please share with your desk partner the poem that this week so far inspired you to write.”
your eyes fix on hanbin’s journal again, anticipation stirring as you think about the clues that could be hidden in his poem this week. could the answers you’re looking for really be inside that black, leather book?
“you should go fi—,” you start to suggest a bit too quietly before hanbin unknowingly cuts you off.
“do you wanna go first?” he asks brightly, smile lines illuminating his soft features. you know you shouldn’t indulge him, but you can never stop the corners of your lips from involuntarily turning up in response. no matter how much you hated him, his fairytale prince looks were undeniable.
“oh, uh,” you stammer, grabbing your journal and flipping it open to your entry from this week. you look at the poem you wrote, eyes scanning over the emotional stanzas as you bite your lip uneasily. “i dunno. i kind of got a bit too... personal this week.”
“oh, you know i don’t mind,” he replies calmly. “that’s what poetry is, right?”
“i’m well aware you don’t mind me spilling personal details to you,” you reply with a glare. “but i mind.”
“(y/n)-sshi,” professor choi’s voice suddenly rings over your shoulder. “let’s get reading, okay? time is limited.”
you swallow hard, looking down at your journal shamefully. “yes, professor-nim.”
“so what’s it called?” hanbin asks as professor choi makes her way back up to her desk, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back into his chair. “your poem?”
“the bird,” you answer softly. “it’s called the bird.”
he nods pensively before gesturing for you to start. you look back down at the page, fingers shaking as you try to hold your journal steady. clearing your throat, you recite:
“from her perch at the window, she will never be much. the vultures jeered at her as they circled above. then one flew down— with taloned-hand, he did touch. and a meek little finch turned into a dove. if a dove she can be, she will be it as such. til another vulture fell to his knees with a glove. parted her feathers and took her in his clutch. and from the fair bird, made a raven thereof. she needs to change back, so she tries to stay hush. but a third brash vulture throws her off with a shove. the reluctant truth is she’s filling with lust... and she’s growing quite scared of the bird she’ll become.”
you blink back tears as you close your journal and place it on your desk in front of you. maybe it’s your lack of sleep or the mentally and physically jarring week you’ve had, but reading your poem aloud had left you feeling quite vulnerable.
“that was beautiful, (y/n),” hanbin says suddenly, prying you from your regret. you turn to him, eyes wide as he nods thoughtfully. “i really appreciated the metaphor of the bird. the vultures are considered bad birds, but somehow they changed the subject from an unassuming bird into the more beautiful bird she seemed to want to be... but never thought she could.”
you stare at him as he glances up at the ceiling, those handsome smile lines crinkling his cheeks again.
“funny how things we could perceive as wrong or immoral can actually have a positive effect on us,” he muses with a chuckle. “but it’s only natural for the bird to question that change. she’s done more of that ‘bad’ thing and now she’s afraid it’s turned her into a raven. a bird that frightens her. or maybe a bird she can’t recognize anymore when she looks in the mirror.”
“it did,” you assert quietly. “it did change her.”
“but it sounds like she likes that change. at least part of her,” hanbin rebuts, meeting your gaze. “perhaps if she embraces that and sheds her own guilt— or molts, if you will— she’ll realize the raven is another distortion of her own making, just like the finch was. she’ll realize she is the dove and she always has been.”
your lips part as you gape at hanbin in awe. it was hard not to let your guard down with him when he always dissected your poems so intuitively like this. memories of intense public humiliation are the only thing that can keep you grounded.
“or,” he adds, a small smirk upturning the corner of his lips. “i guess she could also realize that ravens and vultures aren’t the bad birds she thinks they are. maybe she finds that, after all this worrying, she was meant to be a vulture, too.”
“under a minute left,” professor choi calls out from the front of the classroom.
shit. hanbin had talked so much about your poem that he barely had any time left to share his— the poem you desperately needed to be shared in the first place.
hanbin’s still rambling on about vultures, but you’re not paying any attention as a wave of panic rushes over you. 
“you should share yours still,” you prompt a little too eagerly, cutting him off mid-sentence. trying your best to dial it back, you add, “i’m sure it’s very interesting, what with the big game on saturday and all.”
hanbin smiles, holding your gaze for a moment too long. it’s suspicious, but his eyes give nothing away.
“if it’s okay with you, i’d rather not share this week,” he says, throwing his journal back in his bag. “i got a little too... how did you put it? personal.”
you blink at him. “but—. but that’s what i said and you—.”
hanbin mutters something under his breath that you swear sounds like, “not like you’d listen to me anyway.”
but you must’ve misheard him.
your heart sinks, your plan crumbling to ashes before your eyes as professor choi launches into a lecture about wilfred owen’s 20th century use of assonance. hanbin had to have written something about what his friends had been up to. that’s why he used up so much time focusing on your poem. 
your pencil moves across your paper, absentmindedly taking notes until you reach the only possible conclusion: you can’t give up. you’ll just have to amend the plan.
after class, you hurriedly gather your things and run out the door, pulling your phone out and typing vigorously as you make your way to the bathroom.
WHEN DOES THE BOYS’ SOCCER PRACTICE GO UNTIL TONIGHT!? mina: ??? NO QUESTIONS. JUST ANSWERS. mina: jiwoong oppa is picking me up at 7. so i assume about 6:30. THANK U BYE and... please be careful around him. mina: yeah, yeah, yeah i’ll use protection ily
totally not what you meant. and you’d hate to break it to her, but after his little stunt on monday, you’re not sure how fond her jiwoong oppa would be of that request.
6:30. practice would start soon, giving you plenty of time to slip into the boys’ locker room, read hanbin’s journal, and slip out undetected. 
you catch a glimpse of yourself in the bathroom mirror.
a raven’s beady eyes stare back.
~
you kill some time in the library, waiting until practice is well underway before making your way across campus to the gymnasium. your heart is already pounding in your ears just thinking about the little heist you’re about to pull.
but your legs keep propelling you forward.
pulling open the building door, you step inside cautiously. the women’s badminton team is stretching in the atrium of the building, but there’s no sign of anyone else. you head right down the hallway, walking past the cardio fitness center and the weight-lifting gym until you’re in front of the boys’ locker room door.
you put an ear to it, hearing nothing but the whirring of a fan on the other side.
fuck it.
you pull open the door and step inside, white and grey tiled walls and rows of blue lockers surrounding you. your heart races as you look back at the door, wondering if it’s not too late to abandon your mission.
you shake your head. no. you need to find that journal.
with a steadying breath, you begin to walk through the first row of lockers. when you don’t spot hanbin’s bag, you proceed to the second row. and then the next. and then the next until you finally spot it.
tucked under the wooden bench running down the middle of the aisle is a familiar brown, leather messenger bag. you run to it, picking it up from the floor and setting it down on the bench. you unclasp the latch on the front of the bag and lift the flap, opening it up and reaching inside it.
your hand hits something... fluffy. you grab the fuzzy item and pull it out, squealing when you see that it’s a tiny, cream-colored hamster plush. it’s the cutest thing you’ve ever seen in your whole goddamn life. 
and you are disappointed to find yourself thinking it bears a striking resemblance to its owner.
you stuff the little hamster back into the bag. as cute as he is, it’s not what you came here for. you gasp when you feel the cold leather-bound journal in your hand, pulling it out hurriedly and examining the cover.
you open the journal, flipping through the pages rashly until you locate an entry with today’s date at the top. it reads:
“if one is a vulture, it’s assumed they’re no good— despite all the research that they’re helpful to earth. does the finch know that if that vulture could, he’d hunt for a mirror and show her her worth? if that finch is a dove, there’d be something that would still keep her away from achieving true mirth. it’s the vultures, she’d cry before she understood: the vulture has always been a sign of rebirth. a dove, raven, vulture, or finch from the woods, the vultures will find her and double their search. but for someone who claims they feel misunderstood, it’s repulsive the lengths she would go to unearth... something that does not belong to that bird. seems the dove was a raven afterall.”
“pretty good, huh?” the sudden voice behind you makes you jump. “wrote it in, like, ten minutes after class. what can i say? i was inspired.”
you don’t turn around. your face is already on fire from how mortified you are. of course, you’d considered the possibility of being caught. but you hadn’t really realized the weight of that consequence until this moment.
“actually, i think it might be even better than the original,” he continues, footsteps echoing against the tiled floors as he draws nearer. “i mean, you really should’ve thought to flesh out those vulture characters a bit. and you didn’t even consider looking up the well-known symbolism behind them.”
a hot breath fans across the back of your neck, causing you to shiver as a hand wraps around the leather-bound journal and pries it from yours.
“i have to admit, i didn’t really think you had it in you,” he says with a chuckle, fingers suddenly hooking into your waistband and turning you around to face him. he’s in his red and white soccer uniform, skin glistening from the practice meet he should be at right now. “but just in case, i wanted to be prepared. write you something worth reading.”
“h-how did you know?” you stutter quietly. “that i—”
“well, you weren’t exactly subtle, now were you?” hanbin smiles but the light doesn’t reach his eyes. “‘you should read your poem, hanbin. i’m sure it’s exciting with the big game coming up’. like you give a fuck about my poetry.”
that last sentence reminds you of what you thought you’d heard him mumble in class today: not like you’d listen to me anyway.
what was that about?
“aw, don’t get sad now that your plan didn’t go your way,” hanbin coos, lifting his hand to caress your cheek. “i thought it was kind of cute. i can forgive you for stealing, right? you just wanted my attention so badly that you had to play a bit dirty.”
you shake your head quickly. “no, it’s not like that! i swear i wasn’t trying to get your attention, i just—”
“well then, jesus fucking christ, what do i have to do to—,” hanbin snaps before promptly cutting himself off. there’s something in his eyes you’ve never seen before: desperation. 
a large hand wraps around your throat in an instant, shoving you up against a blue locker. the motion knocks the wind out of you and you find yourself gasping for air. your hand flies to remove his from around your neck, but he catches it in his free one and brings it gently back down to your side. 
“i told you in class that if you needed help calling off the vultures, you should ask me while you still can,” hanbin rasps, rubbing his thumb up the left side of your throat. “but you weren’t listening, dove. the gulper got first bite. the rippers tore you apart...”
you breathe shallowly, glancing from side to side for some route of escape.
“but now the king has landed,” he says, tongue flitting across his teeth. “and he’s fucking starving.”
you blink at him, lips parted in stupid shock. “i—... i honestly had no idea you knew so much about vultures.”
“THAT’S WHAT YOU TOOK FROM THAT ARE YOU KID—,” he yells, finger pads digging in tighter to the skin of your neck. his gaze falls to your lips, supple and pretty even in fear. he trails down to your shirt, a button-up front that seems to entice him. “take it off.”
“b-but—.”
“take it the fuck off, (y/n). you should know by now how this goes,” hanbin snarls, grabbing your hand and bringing it to the trail of buttons. you start to fiddle with them, but you have some trouble under the pressure of his gaze. “can’t even undo a button? hm? too fucking stupid, dove?”
you find yourself nodding against all odds.
“need binnie to do it for you?” he coos, smile lines illuminating his face again.
you just nod. it seems to be what you do best.
hanbin unfastens the buttons one-handed and with ease. once your shirt is open, he undoes the center clasp of your bra and exposes your chest. then, he sighs with dramatic disappointment. “seriously? that’s it? got me all excited to see your tits and this is what you have to show?”
you look down at your incredibly normal and attractive chest. you’d never really doubted the allure of that part of your body before. should you have?
the humiliating comment causes a lump to form in your throat... and an embarrassingly intense ache to shoot through your heat. 
he tugs the center hem of your shirt, pulling the fabric further off your shoulders. “it’s a good thing the other guys didn’t see them. they’re far more superficial than me. you should be grateful you found a guy who can look past the disappointment. ”
hanbin’s free hand gropes your chest, thumb rubbing circles around one nipple and then the next as you let out a soft whimper.
“mm, i heard that,” he breathes with a smirk. “even though you never hear me. probably didn’t even fucking clock the first line in that stupid poem. but i hear you, dove. so let me give you what you want. all you have to do is ask.”
you gulp, softly responding, “w-want you to... touch me.”
“yeah?” hanbin affirms, finger trailing down your stomach.
you nod again, this time more assuredly under the guise of his encouraging smile. that is, until a harsh slap stings your cheek.
“well that wasn’t a fucking question, was it?” hanbin hisses, rubbing soothing circles into your cheek with his thumb. “you’re in an advanced poetry class and you don’t even know how to form an interrogative sentence? just must be doodling all the time, huh? about all the boys who’ve made a mess of you this week? like the dumb little slut you are.”
hanbin’s free hand slips under your skirt, fingers brushing over your clothed core before pulling it out again. you gasp when you see his fingers already covered in your arousal.
his eyes darken as he reaches up your skirt again, tearing a hole right through your lace panties and stuffing two fingers inside of you immediately as you cry out. 
“oh, dove, why would i wanna put my cock in here, hm? can already feel how much those other assholes have stretched you out,” hanbin says with another sigh of disappointment. 
another bout of worry clouds your mind. was that true? was matthew right? you thought he was just being a misogynistic pig, but... had you really been physically tainted from the events of this week?
“so fucking lucky, dove,” hanbin whispers, removing his hand from your heat and taking one of yours. he brings it down the front of his athletic shorts and then wraps it around his impossibly hard length. you look up at him, wide-eyed. “where every other man would see damaged goods, i see prime real estate.”
“what—”
“gonna fuck you now, m’kay?” hanbin interjects, pulling his shorts down and exposing himself to you. you hadn’t really seen the other boys up close or at all like this. hanbin’s cock is pretty, long with just a few visible veins and a pink head that’s leaking a bit of pre-cum. it makes your mouth water. maybe you are a dumb slut.
maybe you like it like that.
or maybe it’s just hanbin’s large hand covering your throat, pressing at the sides tenderly that’s making you start to feel a bit high. he brings himself to your entrance, lining up the tip and coating it in your juices. he’s about to push himself inside of you, when he suddenly freezes.
“you want me to, right?” hanbin asks, tone suddenly much softer than it was before. his eyes are locked with yours, holding you there with him against the wall of lockers. “you want me inside you? just me. not those other guys? not junseo hyung-nim or—”
BEEEEEEEEEP. BRRANG. BRRANG. BRRANG. BEEEEEEEE....
a fire alarm rips through the locker room, loud and annoying as ever. you try to jump out of hanbin’s grasp, but his hands stay fixed around you. 
“let me... let me go!” you assert, hitting his chest with your palm. the pressure on your neck that felt so good just a few moments ago is now filling you with fear, “are you trying to kill me or something!?”
his brow raises slightly, as if he only just noticed the alarm. his grip loosens and you take the opportunity to scramble away from him. 
“of course i’m not,” he replies dejectedly, re-situating his shorts before huffing, “like you have a body worth going to jail for.”
“oh, shut up,” you retort, rolling your eyes as you race to re-button your shirt. “this is all YOUR fault. whatever’s going on this week, i know you’re behind it. you’ve run out of ideas to keep me small. but i’m not small. in fact, i’m a much bigger person than you are! so... i’m sorry for whatever i did that made you hate me so much in the first place. now, please, let’s get out of here.”
you start to run down the aisle of lockers towards the exit door, but a lack of footsteps behind you causes you to stop and turn back.
“come on,” you urge as hanbin continues to stand in place and stare at you, unmoving. it might be the most infuriating thing he’s done all day. “oh, fucking burn then.”
the tangible anger in your voice startles both of you. hanbin blinks quickly back at you, wide-eyed as if you’ve just slapped him across the face. whoever gave him the right to feel that way is sorely mistaken. you turn back around, throwing over your shoulder:
“are there birds worse than vultures?”
˚    ✦   .  .   ˚ .      . ✦ 
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gender neutral version below
EXPLICIT SMUT 18+ WARNINGS: choking (reader receiving and safely executed lmao), chest/abdomen groping (reader receiving; no anatomical descriptions or gender specific language), heavy petting (reader and hanbin receiving), finger penetration (brief, reader receiving), erotic humiliation and degradation (towards reader; regarding looseness of hole (non specific) from desperation and disappointing chest/abdomen region (not related to gender or anatomical gendered parts he's just being a dick to you i hope this makes sense)), slut and whore are also used but not in a gendered context, one slap across face (reader receiving), slight dub-con but we know how reader rolls now lol. hanbin is insanely toxic. enjoy.
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˚    ✦   .  .   ˚ .      . ✦ 
scribble. scribble. scribble. 
the scratchings of your pencil in your poetry journal are growing increasingly violent. you don’t really care. you’d stayed up all night: tossing and turning and thinking and plotting. 
“hey, uh... you okay?” hanbin asks, tapping you gently with the end of his pen. your pencil falls from your fingers as you’re jolted from your anxious thought spiral. 
“huh?” you reply, blinking at the star of the soccer team. “oh, um. yeah. i’m okay.”
hanbin’s brow raises slightly at your answer as if it surprises him. “you sure?”
“yeah,” you reply as nonchalantly as possible. “why?”
you follow hanbin’s line of sight to the open page of your poetry journal. you’ve absentmindedly ripped a significant hole through several pages with your vortex of nervous scribbling.
you breathe an awkward laugh, closing your journal and putting your pencil down flat on your desk.
“you had a rough week,” hanbin says, grabbing his journal from his bag and placing it on his desk. you bite your cheeks to keep from grinning at the sight of your target. “or so i’ve heard.”
“i’m sure you have,” you mumble, glancing at the tile floor. “i’m sure everybody has.”
“they haven’t,” he replies definitively and you know he’s telling the truth. “i promise they haven’t.”
hanbin was a tricky one. the star of the soccer team and undoubtedly the most popular boy at your university, it comes as no surprise that he was also the makeshift ring leader of his stupid group of friends. keeping that spotlight also meant keeping up appearances. while your other bullies made their distaste for you known whenever possible, hanbin had a different preferred method of torture.
he liked to play nice. compliment your poems. share a laugh... reel you in.
until you were so close, you couldn’t escape. that’s when he’d flip the script on you. 
like when he sent your poem about the boy you liked to the entire university’s mailing list last year. you’d insisted you didn’t feel comfortable sharing it with him. you recoiled with embarrassment at the thought of junseo, your senior lab partner, finding out. but he pushed. made you think you could trust him.
the next day, it was pinned to every bulletin board across campus next to a picture of you that hanbin had taken on your class trip to the national library. like some sort of sick calling card.
junseo sunbae-nim never muttered more than a word to you ever again.
so that’s how all this started. hanbin recruiting his three (and then four) asshole friends in a sudden and violent quest to become the bane of your existence. 
sometimes you still can’t help but wonder if you’d done something to upset him. but you shake off that thought each time. you won’t let him get in your head again so easily.
you’ve about mustered the courage to give hanbin some snarky response when your professor’s chalk hatchings across the blackboard send a hush over the classroom.
“good afternoon, everyone,” professor choi greets happily, underlining today’s date on the board. “let’s jump right in today and start with our weekly journals. please share with your desk partner the poem that this week so far inspired you to write.”
your eyes fix on hanbin’s journal again, anticipation stirring as you think about the clues that could be hidden in his poem this week. could the answers you’re looking for really be inside that black, leather book?
“you should go fi—,” you start to suggest a bit too quietly before hanbin unknowingly cuts you off.
“do you wanna go first?” he asks brightly, smile lines illuminating his soft features. you know you shouldn’t indulge him, but you can never stop the corners of your lips from involuntarily turning up in response. no matter how much you hated him, his fairytale prince looks were undeniable.
“oh, uh,” you stammer, grabbing your journal and flipping it open to your entry from this week. you look at the poem you wrote, eyes scanning over the emotional stanzas as you bite your lip uneasily. “i dunno. i kind of got a bit too... personal this week.”
“oh, you know i don’t mind,” he replies calmly. “that’s what poetry is, right?”
“i’m well aware you don’t mind me spilling personal details to you,” you reply with a glare. “but i mind.”
“(y/n)-sshi,” professor choi’s voice suddenly rings over your shoulder. “let’s get reading, okay? time is limited.”
you swallow hard, looking down at your journal shamefully. “yes, professor-nim.”
“so what’s it called?” hanbin asks as professor choi makes her way back up to her desk, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back into his chair. “your poem?”
“the bird,” you answer softly. “it’s called the bird.”
he nods pensively before gesturing for you to start. you look back down at the page, fingers shaking as you try to hold your journal steady. clearing your throat, you recite:
“from it’s perch at the window, it will never be much. the vultures jeered at it as they circled above. then one flew down— with taloned-hand, he did touch. and a meek little finch turned into a dove. if a dove it can be, it will be it as such. til another vulture fell to his knees with a glove. parted it’s feathers and took it in his clutch. and from the fair bird, made a raven thereof. it needs to change back, so it tries to stay hush. but a third brash vulture throws it off with a shove. the reluctant truth is it’s filling with lust... and it’s growing quite scared of the bird it will become.”
you blink back tears as you close your journal and place it on your desk in front of you. maybe it’s your lack of sleep or the mentally and physically jarring week you’ve had, but reading your poem aloud had left you feeling quite vulnerable.
“that was beautiful, (y/n),” hanbin says suddenly, prying you from your regret. you turn to him, eyes wide as he nods thoughtfully. “i really appreciated the metaphor of the bird. the vultures are considered bad birds, but somehow they changed the subject from an unassuming bird into the more beautiful bird it seemed to want to be... but never thought it could.”
you stare at him as he glances up at the ceiling, those handsome smile lines crinkling his cheeks again.
“funny how things we could perceive as wrong or immoral can actually have a positive effect on us,” he muses with a chuckle. “but it’s only natural for the bird to question that change. it’s done more of that ‘bad’ thing and now it’s afraid it’s been turned into a raven. a bird that’s frightening. or maybe a bird it can’t recognize anymore when it looks in the mirror.”
“it did,” you assert quietly. “it did change the bird.”
“but it sounds like the bird likes that change. at least part of it,” hanbin rebuts, meeting your gaze. “perhaps if it embraces that and sheds it’s own guilt— or molts, if you will— it’ll realize the raven is another distortion of the bird’s own making, just like the finch was. it’ll realize it is the dove and it always has been.”
your lips part as you gape at hanbin in awe. it was hard not to let your guard down with him when he always dissected your poems so intuitively like this. memories of intense public humiliation are the only thing that can keep you grounded.
“or,” he adds, a small smirk upturning the corner of his lips. “i guess it could also realize that ravens and vultures aren’t the bad birds it thinks they are. maybe it finds that, after all this worrying, the bird was meant to be a vulture, too.”
“under a minute left,” professor choi calls out from the front of the classroom.
shit. hanbin had talked so much about your poem that he barely had any time left to share his— the poem you desperately needed to be shared in the first place.
hanbin’s still rambling on about vultures, but you’re not paying any attention as a wave of panic rushes over you. 
“you should share yours still,” you prompt a little too eagerly, cutting him off mid-sentence. trying your best to dial it back, you add, “i’m sure it’s very interesting, what with the big game on saturday and all.”
hanbin smiles, holding your gaze for a moment too long. it’s suspicious, but his eyes give nothing away.
“if it’s okay with you, i’d rather not share this week,” he says, throwing his journal back in his bag. “i got a little too... how did you put it? personal.”
you blink at him. “but—. but that’s what i said and you—.”
hanbin mutters something under his breath that you swear sounds like, “not like you’d listen to me anyway.”
but you must’ve misheard him.
your heart sinks, your plan crumbling to ashes before your eyes as professor choi launches into a lecture about wilfred owen’s 20th century use of assonance. hanbin had to have written something about what his friends had been up to. that’s why he used up so much time focusing on your poem. 
your pencil moves across your paper, absentmindedly taking notes until you reach the only possible conclusion: you can’t give up. you’ll just have to amend the plan.
after class, you hurriedly gather your things and run out the door, pulling your phone out and typing vigorously as you make your way to the bathroom.
WHEN DOES THE BOYS’ SOCCER PRACTICE GO UNTIL TONIGHT!? mina: ??? NO QUESTIONS. JUST ANSWERS. mina: jiwoong oppa is picking me up at 7. so i assume about 6:30. THANK U BYE and... please be careful around him. mina: yeah, yeah, yeah i’ll use protection ily
totally not what you meant. and you’d hate to break it to her, but after his little stunt on monday, you’re not sure how fond her jiwoong oppa would be of that request.
6:30. practice would start soon, giving you plenty of time to slip into the boys’ locker room, read hanbin’s journal, and slip out undetected. 
you catch a glimpse of yourself in the bathroom mirror.
a raven’s beady eyes stare back.
~
you kill some time in the library, waiting until practice is well underway before making your way across campus to the gymnasium. your heart is already pounding in your ears just thinking about the little heist you’re about to pull.
but your legs keep propelling you forward.
pulling open the building door, you step inside cautiously. the women’s badminton team is stretching in the atrium of the building, but there’s no sign of anyone else. you head right down the hallway, walking past the cardio fitness center and the weight-lifting gym until you’re in front of the boys’ locker room door.
you put an ear to it, hearing nothing but the whirring of a fan on the other side.
fuck it.
you pull open the door and step inside, white and grey tiled walls and rows of blue lockers surrounding you. your heart races as you look back at the door, wondering if it’s not too late to abandon your mission.
you shake your head. no. you need to find that journal.
with a steadying breath, you begin to walk through the first row of lockers. when you don’t spot hanbin’s bag, you proceed to the second row. and then the next. and then the next until you finally spot it.
tucked under the wooden bench running down the middle of the aisle is a familiar brown, leather messenger bag. you run to it, picking it up from the floor and setting it down on the bench. you unclasp the latch on the front of the bag and lift the flap, opening it up and reaching inside it.
your hand hits something... fluffy. you grab the fuzzy item and pull it out, squealing when you see that it’s a tiny, cream-colored hamster plush. it’s the cutest thing you’ve ever seen in your whole goddamn life. 
and you are disappointed to find yourself thinking it bears a striking resemblance to its owner.
you stuff the little hamster back into the bag. as cute as he is, it’s not what you came here for. you gasp when you feel the cold leather-bound journal in your hand, pulling it out hurriedly and examining the cover.
you open the journal, flipping through the pages rashly until you locate an entry with today’s date at the top. it reads:
“if one is a vulture, it’s assumed they’re no good— despite all the research that they’re helpful to earth. does the finch know that if that vulture could, he’d hunt for a mirror and show it it’s worth? if that finch is a dove, there’d be something that would still keep it away from achieving true mirth. it’s the vultures, the bird cries before it understood: the vulture has always been a sign of rebirth. a dove, raven, vulture, or finch from the woods, the vultures will find it and double their search. but for someone who claims they feel misunderstood, it’s repulsive the lengths it would go to unearth... something that does not belong to that bird. seems the dove was a raven afterall.”
“pretty good, huh?” the sudden voice behind you makes you jump. “wrote it in, like, ten minutes after class. what can i say? i was inspired.”
you don’t turn around. your face is already on fire from how mortified you are. of course, you’d considered the possibility of being caught. but you hadn’t really realized the weight of that consequence until this moment.
“actually, i think it might be even better than the original,” he continues, footsteps echoing against the tiled floors as he draws nearer. “i mean, you really should’ve thought to flesh out those vulture characters a bit. and you didn’t even consider looking up the well-known symbolism behind them.”
a hot breath fans across the back of your neck, causing you to shiver as a hand wraps around the leather-bound journal and pries it from yours.
“i have to admit, i didn’t really think you had it in you,” he says with a chuckle, fingers suddenly hooking into your waistband and turning you around to face him. he’s in his red and white soccer uniform, skin glistening from the practice meet he should be at right now. “but just in case, i wanted to be prepared. write you something worth reading.”
“h-how did you know?” you stutter quietly. “that i—”
“well, you weren’t exactly subtle, now were you?” hanbin smiles but the light doesn’t reach his eyes. “‘you should read your poem, hanbin. i’m sure it’s exciting with the big game coming up’. like you give a fuck about my poetry.”
that last sentence reminds you of what you thought you’d heard him mumble in class today: not like you’d listen to me anyway.
what was that about?
“aw, don’t get sad now that your plan didn’t go your way,” hanbin coos, lifting his hand to caress your cheek. “i thought it was kind of cute. i can forgive you for stealing, right? you just wanted my attention so badly that you had to play a bit dirty.”
you shake your head quickly. “no, it’s not like that! i swear i wasn’t trying to get your attention, i just—”
“well then, jesus fucking christ, what do i have to do to—,” hanbin snaps before promptly cutting himself off. there’s something in his eyes you’ve never seen before: desperation. 
a large hand wraps around your throat in an instant, shoving you up against a blue locker. the motion knocks the wind out of you and you find yourself gasping for air. your hand flies to remove his from around your neck, but he catches it in his free one and brings it gently back down to your side. 
“i told you in class that if you needed help calling off the vultures, you should ask me while you still can,” hanbin rasps, rubbing his thumb up the left side of your throat. “but you weren’t listening, dove. the gulper got first bite. the rippers tore you apart...”
you breathe shallowly, glancing from side to side for some route of escape.
“but now the king has landed,” he says, tongue flitting across his teeth. “and he’s fucking starving.”
you blink at him, lips parted in stupid shock. “i—... i honestly had no idea you knew so much about vultures.”
“THAT’S WHAT YOU TOOK FROM THAT ARE YOU KID—,” he yells, finger pads digging in tighter to the skin of your neck. his gaze falls to your lips, supple and pretty even in fear. he trails down to your shirt, a button-up front that seems to entice him. “take it off.”
“b-but—.”
“take it the fuck off, (y/n). you should know by now how this goes,” hanbin snarls, grabbing your hand and bringing it to the trail of buttons. you start to fiddle with them, but you have some trouble under the pressure of his gaze. “can’t even undo a button? hm? too fucking stupid, dove?”
you find yourself nodding against all odds.
“need binnie to do it for you?” he coos, smile lines illuminating his face again.
you just nod again. it seems to be what you do best.
hanbin unfastens the buttons one-handed and with ease. once your shirt is open, he tugs it to the side and exposes your chest. then, he sighs with dramatic disappointment. “seriously? that’s it? got me all excited to see how good you look under here and this is what you have to show?”
you look down at your incredibly normal and attractive upper body. you’d never really doubted the aesthetics of it before. should you have?
the humiliating comment causes a lump to form in your throat... and an embarrassingly intense ache to shoot through your heat. 
he tugs the center hem of your shirt, pulling the fabric further off your shoulders. “it’s a good thing the other guys didn’t see this. they’re far more superficial than me. you should be grateful you found a guy who can look past the disappointment. ”
hanbin’s free hand roams across your abdomen and chest, fingers ghosting sweetly against your skin until you let out the tiniest whimper.
“mm, i heard that,” he breathes with a smirk. “even though you never hear me. probably didn’t even fucking clock the first line in that stupid poem. but i hear you, dove. so let me give you what you want. all you have to do is ask.”
you gulp, softly responding, “w-want you to... touch me.”
“yeah?” hanbin affirms, finger trailing down your stomach.
you nod again, this time more assuredly under the guise of his encouraging smile. that is, until a harsh slap stings your cheek.
“well that wasn’t a fucking question, was it?” hanbin hisses, rubbing soothing circles into your cheek with his thumb. “you’re in an advanced poetry class and you don’t even know how to form an interrogative sentence? just must be doodling all the time, huh? about all the boys who’ve made a mess of you this week? like the dumb little slut you are.”
hanbin’s free hand finds it’s way into your jeans, fingers brushing over your clothed core before pulling it out again. you gasp when you see his fingers already covered in your arousal.
his eyes darken as he undoes the button clasp and zipper of your pants, shoving your underwear to the side with his fingers. he forces your legs a bit farther apart before stuffing a finger inside of you, causing you to cry out. 
“oh, dove, why would i wanna put my cock in here, hm? so desperate, i could slip right in,” hanbin says with another sigh of disappointment. “did the other guys really make such a whore of you?”
another bout of worry clouds your mind. was that true? was matthew right? you thought he was just being a red-pilled pig, but... had you somehow been physically tainted from the events of this week?
“so fucking lucky, dove,” hanbin whispers, removing his hand from your center and taking one of yours. he brings it down the front of his athletic shorts and then wraps it around his impossibly hard length. you look up at him, wide-eyed. “where every other man would see damaged goods, i see prime real estate.”
“what—”
“gonna fuck you now, m’kay?” hanbin interjects, pulling his shorts down and exposing himself to you. you hadn’t really seen the other boys up close or at all like this. hanbin’s cock is pretty— long with just a few visible veins and a pink head that’s leaking a bit of pre-cum. it makes your mouth water. maybe you are a dumb slut.
maybe you like it like that.
or maybe it’s just hanbin’s large hand covering your throat, pressing at the sides both tenderly and persistently that’s making you feel a bit high. he brings himself to your entrance, spitting in his hand and covering his length as he lines up the tip. he’s about to push himself inside of you, when he suddenly freezes.
“you want me to, right?” hanbin asks, tone suddenly much softer than it was before. his eyes are locked with yours, holding you there with him against the wall of lockers. “you want me inside you? just me. not those other guys? not junseo hyung-nim or—”
BEEEEEEEEEP. BRRANG. BRRANG. BRRANG. BEEEEEEEE....
a fire alarm rips through the locker room, loud and annoying as ever. you try to jump out of hanbin’s grasp, but his hands stay fixed around you. 
“let me... let me go!” you assert, hitting his chest with your palm. the pressure on your neck that felt so good just a few moments ago is now filling you with fear, “are you trying to kill me or something!?”
his brow raises slightly, as if he only just noticed the alarm. his grip loosens and you take the opportunity to scramble away from him, frantically zipping up your jeans. 
“of course i’m not,” he replies dejectedly, re-situating his shorts before huffing, “like you have a body worth going to jail for.”
“oh, shut up,” you retort, rolling your eyes as you race to re-button your shirt. “this is all YOUR fault. whatever’s going on this week, i know you’re behind it. you’ve run out of ideas to keep me small. but i’m not small. in fact, i’m a much bigger person than you are! so... i’m sorry for whatever i did that made you hate me so much in the first place. now, please, let’s get out of here.”
you start to run down the aisle of lockers towards the exit door, but a lack of footsteps behind you causes you to stop and turn back.
“come on,” you urge as hanbin continues to stand in place and stare at you, unmoving. it might be the most infuriating thing he’s done all day. “oh, fucking burn then.”
the tangible anger in your voice startles both of you. hanbin blinks quickly back at you, wide-eyed as if you’ve just slapped him across the face. whoever gave him the right to feel that way is sorely mistaken. you turn back around, throwing over your shoulder:
“are there birds worse than vultures?”
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haesunflower · 4 months
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soulmates unfortunately series [the prologue]
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genre: romance/fluff with adult themes pairings: reader x park gunwook, reader x kim taerae, reader x seok matthew, reader x shen ricky. word count: 3.2k warnings: drinking, character death, nsfw mention (no actual smut), underage puppy love, and other adult themes. rating is 16+.
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ABOUT. here's the thing about soulmates, once you meet the one that is meant for you, you start to age. the biological clock starts to tick, and you are no longer a fresh faced 20 year old. years go by, and next thing you know it, you've grown old and wrinkly – right next to the love of your life. y/n hated this concept.
y/n has had many soulmates in her lifetime. chapter zero explores the soulmates that came before she stopped believing in the concept entirely.
⋆୨♡୧ series masterlist/about the series. ⋆୨♡୧
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You used to believe in the concept of soulmates. 
It could be a beautiful thing, really. In theory, you build your entire future with this person, remaining young until you meet the one that is meant for you. In this world, your biological clock remains frozen – physical and mental aging included.
Life doesn’t start unless you have your other half along with you. Your soulmate. 
Growing up, you hear and experience multiple love stories around you. You are taught to look forward to this life changing moment, watching out for the tell-tale signs of your other half. Your chest tightens around them, pulling you closer, drawing you in. Others say it’s as if the universe is physically trying to draw you closer together. But you liken it more to a ‘gut feeling’; There’s no other way to describe it, you just know. 
That’s how you felt about Park Gunwook – the first boy you ever came to love. The first soulmate. 
PARK GUNWOOK. TWELVE YEARS OLD. YEAR 1920.
Gunwook lived in the same farm town as you, and everyone knew him. 
He was the favorite son in his family. He wasn’t the eldest – but he was reliable even from a very young age. He ran errands for the neighbors often and was kind to all the children and elderly. If anyone needed some help with carrying hay bale, starting a fire, or cleaning out the barn, Park Gunwook was the go-to, in which he happily carried out his duties with a large smile on his face. 
You first met on a sunny day when you had trouble with your farmwork chores. You were struggling to wrangle the pigs back to their pen, tripping over the mud, and eventually falling into a large puddle. 
He must have been watching over from a far, as the next thing you know an, arm is outstretched to you. “Need some help, Y/N?” 
You look up to see Gunwook, and you take his hand so he can hoist you up from the mud puddle.
“You know my name?” you ask innocently. Gunwook was fifteen at the time, and you, only twelve. 
“Silly girl, of course I know you.” he says as he fixes the bangs on your forehead, temporarily disheveled by the fall. At that moment, you felt it. The undeniable tug at your chest, drawing you to him. You had a feeling he was your soulmate, and your cheeks warmed at the thought.
You reckon he felt the same. For as the years went by, he stayed as a close friend to you. 
When you reached fifteen years old, marrying age, he started to see you more often. 
He would ask you to join him as he saddled up the horses by the stable, and you’d ask him to accompany you as you picked flowers by the meadow. You often talked about your dreams of seeing the world, leaving this small town and meeting new people. You dreamt of seeing all sorts of buildings, appreciating all kinds of art, trying new food, and experiencing new music. He always listened to you in awe, smiling at how passionate you become when talking about your dreams. He knows it’s your favorite thing to talk about.  
Gunwook on the other hand, spoke about inheriting the farm land from his father. He excitedly spoke about starting a little bed and breakfast inn where he could increase tourism in the area, allowing other folk to come experience the beauty of farm life. He once showed you the blueprint sketches he had of his proposed business venture, and with a gummy smile on his face, pointed to a house right by the meadow where your favorite flowers resided, “and here’s where we would live” he said. his cheeks were flushed red, nervous to see your reaction.
It was beautiful. He had promised to build it for you, confirming that he too, felt the same about you. That the both of you were meant to be together. 
“I know you’ve always wanted to get out of here. So I’ll save up for it, and we can both go on a large adventure someday” he reassures you. 
But you pictured the little farmhouse by the meadow where the two of you would live, running the bed and breakfast, and caring for the horses, pigs, and sheep. You suddenly didn’t mind having this quaint little life at all. 
“It’s perfect, Gunwook. I love it.” You reassured him too. 
Sadly, these were the last words you shared with him. The wedding never happened, the house was never built, and you were unable to experience being loved by Gunwook like you were meant to. 
Gunwook died the next morning, at the age of 18 years old. He was helping out the local lumberjack with a project in the forest, and fell victim to a horrible accident. The townspeople and your family spared you of the gory details, so you never got the full story of how he passed away. 
All you remember from that day was waking up and immediately feeling an emptiness in your heart. The tug at your chest was gone, a confirmation that he was dead. You cried. 
You wondered if the universe was giving you a sign, an out from the farm town life that you dreamed of leaving. And you couldn’t help but think: what a sick, twisted, way to communicate, universe.
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You tried to continue living life as you once knew it. But everything in this small town reminded you of Gunwook. You’d often visit the meadow where your forever house with him was meant to stand, journalling or speaking to the wind – hoping Gunwook would hear you. 
Your family let you grieve for two whole years, allowing the pain to fully wash over you so that you can learn to move on. Gunwook was your soulmate, everyone knew that. And at that time, the concept of having more than one soulmate was unheard of. You had already lost yours, and there was no way the universe would have another one for you. 
You weren’t exactly a widow, so you would have to live life as an unmarried woman – which was difficult in that day and age. This is why your father and mother brought up the prospect of arranged marriage, even if it’s just for the sake of living comfortably. You agreed. 
KIM TAERAE. SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD. YEAR 1925.
You came to know Kim Taerae at seventeen years old, when your father was sorting out marriage candidates. He had visited a local psychic who had given a shortlist of all the eligible bachelors in the area who would be the perfect match for you – insisting that ‘your soulmate would be one of the names on the list’. 
You would have called her a quack if the list didn’t include a certain Kim Taerae, a young gentleman three years older, who had a voice of an angel. You officially met at a chaperoned luncheon, with both your parents and his. He was soft, kind hearted, and had a gentle nature to him. 
You met several times after that before your families settled the marriage agreements. You didn’t mind marrying Taerae, in fact, you were scared to admit that he might actually be your soulmate too after all. You felt it during your first few meetings without your parents, the familiar pull at your chest. Eventually soothed by his singing and soft hums he would whisper into your hair. 
“Do you think we could be soulmates, Y/N?” he asked you one evening, you were both sitting on the porch of your family home with the stars as your audience. While he strongly believed you were his soulmate, you had a hard time. You weren’t sure if the universe allowed such a thing. 
“I don’t know, Taerae. I wonder if the universe is kind enough to gift you as my soulmate” you truly meant your words. He knew about your trauma with losing Gunwook, and would often accompany you as you visited his grave. He’s been patient with you, and was content with spending the rest of his life loving you, even if you weren’t soulmates. You felt the same way. 
That year, Taerae turned 21 years old. He was a year older, no longer frozen at 20. Likewise, you turned 18 years old. He got his blood tested to ensure the aging wasn’t a placebo effect, that there was indeed biological change. 
Everyone celebrated Taerae’s aging, the confirmation that the both of you were truly soulmates. You couldn’t believe it at first, but considered it as the universe’s way of saying ‘sorry’ for the loss of your first one. 
Taerae was excited to build a future with you. He even bought a house for the two of you at the capital of the country, and you were both eager to experience city life as a married couple. But that day never came. He died from a tragic car accident, a drunk driver crashed into his vehicle when he was on his way to see you. 
You woke up that day feeling like you were stuck in a recurring nighmare. You were drenched in sweat, and let out the most gut-wrenching scream of grief. You despised how this was all too familiar to you, the loss of the comforting tug at your chest. Taerae was dead, and you wailed for him.  
The car company gave you a free vehicle as part of the grievance. As if a free car would cure the immense grief and anger you had been feeling. To make matters worse, the community mocked you with a new nickname: soulmate killer. Because the mere idea of being your soulmate was an automatic death sentence. 
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You hated the universe. You were angry at its seeming generosity, rather cruelty of losing two soulmates at only 18 years old. 
After Taerae died, your family felt anguish for you. They had immense sympathy, and let you do whatever you wanted to do. You spent another two years grieving Taerae. Though you mostly stayed at home, staring into empty space. You still visited the meadow, this time with a guitar in hand to strum familiar melodies as you thought about the two men you loved. You felt that it was only fair to Taerae that way – if you had grieved him the same way you grieved Gunwook. 
It took you years before you could even feel like yourself again. 
In 1930, you would have been 23 years old. But you still look, act, and feel like a 20 year old. As if the universe was mocking your unfortunate situation. As if aging was a reward and a privilege you receive after meeting the love of your life. As if the universe was blissfully unaware that you have been ripped away from the opportunity thanks to its cruelty. 
You revisited your journal entries from when you were fifteen, talking about your big dream of seeing the world. You felt cursed, and you were determined to make the most of the seemingly short life you would have. After all, if your soulmates kept dying on you – who is to say that you aren’t next? 
So you took your free car, and set off on a road trip. And that’s when you met Seok Matthew, a man who sadly, understood you a little too well. 
SEOK MATTHEW. TWENTY YEARS OLD. 1930.
Matthew’s soulmate also died in a car accident earlier that year. His chosen method of grieving was to travel the world – discovering new places and meeting all sorts of people. That’s how the two of you met, line dancing somewhere in the south america. 
Matthew wasn’t your soulmate, you knew that for sure. But you spent the next five years traveling the world together, making love in cities he took you, and living life as reckless twenty somethings. With him, you were finally able to live out your dream. 
As you lay naked in the arms of Matthew in a hotel somewhere in Paris, he asked you “what if one day, one of us meets our soulmate?”. You adjust yourself to see him more clearly, fingers softly running through his hair. The thought has crossed your mind before, more for Matthew’s sake than your own. 
“It’s been five years Matt, I highly doubt I’m going to meet anyone else. But you might.” you try to foster a small smile, reassuring him he could still have a chance. Matthew has only lost one soulmate, while you’ve lost two. 
“No, I’d never leave you.” He sits up, a large pout on his face. His stubbornness amuses you. 
“That’s what you say now, sweetie.” you laugh as you kiss his pout away. "and you know it's probably for the best, people in my hometown call me soulmate killer, you know?" you try to play it off as a joke.
"soulmate killer? that's cruel. it's not your fault y/n. you know that right?" Matthew's brows are furrowed. You smile as you hold his face, releasing the tension in his forehead by massaging his eyebrows with your thumbs.
That night, he promised to stay in your life no matter what. 
But this promise turned hazy when on one of your trips to South Asia, he met the actual love of his life. You didn’t protest when he came back to your dingy hotel, head down and in tears. You didn’t argue as you watched him pack his bags, for a trip that you weren’t going to be part of. And you didn’t push him away when he asked to kiss you one last time before he left. You let him go, and you sobbed out of loneliness. 
Kudos to Matthew, he did keep his promise. He sent letters every few months to your PO Box, but you didn’t have the heart to open all of it. Last you’ve heard, they had baby number one on the way – and that was your last straw. You changed PO Box addresses shortly after that, unbeknownst to Matthew, who still sent you letters every year until his eventual death. 
This was the first man in your life to have a happy ending. He died of old age, with 3 children and 10 grandchildren. 
Something changed in the five years you spent with Matthew. More than falling in love with a person who wasn’t your soulmate, you fell in love with the world. You could never, ever imagine yourself going back to the domesticated life at home. The years after Matthew turned you into a cynic, and you didn’t believe in love anymore either. 
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PRESENT DAY. 2023.
“Got anything that’ll get me drunk in the next ten minutes?” 
You plopped down on the bar stool, haphazardly placing your purse next to you. The bartender is eyeing you strangely, as if in disbelief that you’re even inside their establishment. 
You sigh and pull out your identification card, a laminated piece of junk that tells you how old you really are. Scratch that, how old you are meant to be. He picks up the card and raises it up next to your face, comparing the woman in the picture to your face. It reminds you that you need to get it renewed…again. After all, the last time you updated your photo was sometime in the 80s. True enough, your ID card reflects a version of you with big hair and large colorful earrings. You don’t blame him for wanting to double check, contrasting the all black ensemble you have currently. 
“Listen pal, I just buried my daughter today. I would appreciate it if you could get on with it”. You might not blame him, but you are impatient. 
He slides your ID card back and pours you a whiskey on the rocks. “Sorry for your loss ma’am” he solemnly extends his condolences as he places your drink in front of you. You pick it up, raising it and nodding a “thank you” before taking a large gulp. It burns. 
You outlived your daughter. And you wonder if you’ve been going about life in all the wrong ways. Atop the alcohol display at the bar is a small TV, flashing a report about a young woman named Somi who was murdered and found dead at her home – leaving her husband a widower. The news station flashed a photo of the blonde couple, sharing that they had just gotten married a week ago. She was beautiful. A shame. 
As the news report slowly drowns you, your mind confronts you with the memories of your past soulmates and lovers. 
PARK GUNWOOK. The soulmate you never got the chance to fully love, and died in the year 1923. 
KIM TAERAE. The soulmate who was your second chance at life, and passed away in 1928. 
SEOK MATTHEW. Who helped you live out your dreams from 1930 to 1935. 
KIM JIWOONG. A man you married in the year 1940, who died from alcohol poisioning that same year. 
ZHANG HAO. The one who gave you your daughter in 1952, but unfortunately fell victim to a house fire. 
SUNG HANBIN. The husband that raised your daughter like his very own. But experienced a very fatal heart attack on the day of your daughter’s wedding in 1973.
Of course, there were others – flings and boytoys along the way. None of which were worth reminiscing about, except maybe for Kim Gyuvin. 
At that moment, a tall man enters the bar and decides to take a seat next to you. His presence effectively drew you out from the thoughts circling your brain. Other than the fact that he too, is dressed in all black – you feel a deeper sense of similarity. Like kindred spirits, you recognize broken souls like yours. You order two more rounds of the whiskey the bartender gave you. 
“I heard about your late wife in the news, I’m sorry for your loss.” You feign sympathy and slide the glass to the man next to you. 
He looks taken aback at first, but accepts your offer. Now facing you, he raises his drink to you. You do the same. He’s strikingly handsome, with platinum hair and dark eyebrows. You also don’t miss that he’s dressed in Yves Saint Laurent from head to toe. He takes a peek at your ID card still laying on the table, making sure to catch your name. 
“Next one’s on me, Y/N” he says, taking another swig at his whiskey, finishing his glass. He calls on the bartender, and buys an entire bottle for the two of you. The bartender returns his credit card, with the name ‘Shen Quanrui’ engraved. 
“Thank you Quanrui, that’s very generous of you.” 
He puts on a small smile, almost no one calls him by his legal name. “You can call me Ricky” he says as he pours into your glass. 
“Alright Ricky. Here’s to life.” you raise up. It feels inappropriate to be clinking glasses on the day you buried your daughter, but you figured you could make an exemption. Ricky too, seemed to be going through the same thing with his late wife. 
“To life.” he responds, tapping his glass against yours. 
Just two broken souls who had lost someone important in their lives, drinking to fill the hollowness. You almost don’t feel the familiar bloom in your chest, tugging at your entire being like a magnet trying to find its other half. And if you do feel it, you pretend it’s the whiskey burning its place in your heart. 
RICKY SHEN. TWENTY YEARS OLD. 2023. The man who you assume to be your next soulmate. 
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jebewonmorelike · 4 months
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✰⋆⁺ Steal Your Heart ⁺⋆✰
*ੈ Part Three: The Magician ♡ Han Yujin
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♡ Steal Your Heart Masterlist
♡ Read this Introductory Post and the Masterlist for details!
♡ Read Part One, Part Two (Gyuvin), and Part Three (Jiwoong) Here!
˚☽˚。⋆ Steal Your Heart: An Interactive Fanfiction Game
... Collect Points to Determine Your Love Interest and Special Ending!!
⁺⋆✰ wc: 9.5k (sorry it took so long but i had panic attacks for a month straight. pls enjoy, i know the chapters just get longer. sorry. i promise they're good though!)
⁺⋆✰ reader-insert pronouns: none used; n/a -- reader is the 10th member of AU ZB1, but the group is referred to only as an "idol" group. no mentions or descriptions of gender of reader.
⁺⋆✰ chapter warnings: crime (reader was wrongfully convicted of a crime), swearing, injury/vague descriptions of blood, suggestion of a drinking problem, mild violence, angst, the choice *ugh, fine* is for kids only (light yujin romance), and lots of really funny and insane shenanigans! all ages welcome; pg-13+ themes.
⁺⋆✰ summary: for series summary click here. jiwoong, gyuvin, and (y/n) are now fully awakened to their powers in the metaverse, confronting their company's president head-on as the fate of au!zb1 lies in their hands. youngest member of zb1, han yujin, has been enjoying his time at university during the group's hiatus. what happens when a wrench is thrown into his plans? inspired by the jrpg persona 5.
⁺⋆✰ please download the scoresheet for the game here!
・゜゜ . . * ✧・゚・ ✧・゚: ・゜゜・.
Welcome back, Player! Get your scoresheet ready-- are you ready to start the fourth installment of our game? Soon we'll get to see how your Chapter Choice from Part Three plays out! Remember to tally your points on your scoresheet! I think it's time we heard from our youngest member, don't you agree?
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JUNE 21st -- AFTERNOON
Yujin had begged Manager Sang to let him miss today’s company meeting. He assumed they’d just be receiving more vaguely discouraging news from President Kim like they usually did every few weeks, so what was the point of going anyway? 
Total Control were just counting down the days until ZeroBaseOne’s contracts expired at this point. That way they could finally pawn off Gunwook and himself to the highest bidding company for re-debut and push Hao as fully a soloist.
But after a semester exploring an incredible gift of an opportunity he had been given, Yujin wasn’t even sure if he wanted to redebut anymore.
From the start, Yujin had only wanted to be in ZeroBaseOne. He was barely in high school when Total Control’s survival show changed his life forever. His members became his friends and often his parents-by-proxy. Obviously, he didn’t need that sort of coddling anymore, but it never stopped them from pinching his cheeks and cooing at him affectionately as he seethed.
Despite his annoying members and the indefinite hiatus of the group, Yujin could imagine less and less having an idol career separate from the incredibly dysfunctional family you all had formed throughout the years.
But the inherent need to dance still called unshakably to him. And that’s where attending university had swooped in to save him…
When Yujin auditioned for the Dance Performance major at the Korean National University of Arts in the winter, he’d been automatically waitlisted. It broke his heart, but he ultimately knew he wouldn’t have been able to afford university anyway-- what with the debt he owed the company continuing to pile up and all.
No work, no pay. For anyone. 
Manager Sang had somehow caught word of this and held a meeting with the upper management of Total Control right away. When President Kim called Yujin into his executive office the following week and told him that the company would pay his university tuition if he eventually passed the Dance Performance major audition, the youngest member of ZeroBaseOne was shocked. 
He’d always thought of President Kim as a bit of a blowhard, so this seemingly benevolent opportunity left him a bit shaken. So shaken that Yujin could barely focus on reading or interpreting the lengthy contract shoved immediately in front of him.
Luckily, Manager Sang was there to explain it to him and, after assuring he found no pitfalls in it, Yujin shakily signed his name on the dotted line in a happy daze.
That had been the only good news Yujin had received from the company since your... accident. So he almost threw up from whiplash after President Kim announced half an hour ago in the company boardroom that all ZeroBaseOne members (the ones not currently serving time for a felony, of course) would start preparing for a comeback by the start of next week. 
Yujin had come straight to the company after his calculus exam that afternoon feeling positive that his efforts had yielded him good results. There had been no doubt in his mind that he’d ace his audition for the Dance Performance department after the meeting at Total Control, but a full hyperventilation episode in the bathroom later has Yujin currently sprinting down the street-- three minutes late for his audition appointment.
“Han Yujin-sshi?” A feminine voice is calling as Yujin nearly collapses into the university’s main auditorium. The tone of the voice suggests that it’s called his name several times already. Yujin bows furiously in apology at the judges’ panel as he runs down the aisle, throwing his duffel bag down haphazardly on a theater seat and unlacing his shoes like he’s gunning for a world record. 
He clambers up onto the stage, gulping when he suddenly remembers how big the auditorium is-- something that would never have bothered him a year ago. Yujin had been practicing almost every night for at least nine weeks with Hanbin at his dance studio, perfecting his audition routine until there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he would make the cut.
Yujin had pulled an all-nighter studying for his calculus final last night, but Hanbin had reassured him that he had nothing to worry about.
“You know what you have to do,” Hanbin said, running his hand through Yujin’s hair fondly. “Nothing’s gonna get in the way of this between now and tomorrow. Believe in yourself. You’re a shoe-in.”
Hanbin could never have predicted the news they’d received this afternoon and the pained look in his eyes from across the conference room said it all.
“I am new student, Han Yujin,” he introduces himself a bit robotically to the panel of six judges in front of him. He knows a couple of them from his elective dance classes this past semester, but most of the other judges are higher-ups in the department that he’d only seen at his previous failed audition. There’s a wave of nausea in Yujin’s stomach and he quietly swallows it down. “I am eighteen years old and I have been dancing since I was in middle school. I’m grateful for the opportunity to display my skills to the judges and I will work hard to be a member of the Dance Performance school.”
Yujin waits for the music to start in his opening stance but when it doesn’t, he realizes there’s whispering coming from the judges’ table. 
“Excuse me, Han Yujin-sshi,” a rather stern-looking older man that Yujin doesn’t recognize calls out to him. The hopeful student brings his arms back to his side, nodding compliantly at him. “Are you the idol Han Yujin?”
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Yujin bows quickly. “Yes, sir. I am Han Yujin of idol group ZeroBaseOne.”
“I see,” the older man replies, whispering something to the woman beside him before meeting Yujin’s gaze again. “I’ve heard your group has made quite the mess of yourselves. I’m surprised you admitted to your membership under these circumstances, but I respect the honesty nonetheless. Please continue with your performance, Han Yujin-sshi.”
The audition is a blur. The music comes on and Yujin performs his routine, but his mind is everywhere but the auditorium. Instead, he’s thinking about the judge’s comments, Hanbin’s look of pity across the boardroom, the air in his lungs that never seems like it’s enough, the thought of not being able to go to university anymore...
The monthly envelopes of cash that his parents have to send him so that he can eat...
The otherworldly roar of the crowd only a little over a year ago when ZeroBaseOne performed a sold-out encore show at the Skydome...  
The bloodcurdling sound of you screaming your lungs out wafting all the way to the police station waiting room as you plead your innocence...
“Thank you, Yujin-sshi. We’ll look forward to seeing your continued improvement at our next audition.”
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JUNE 21st -- EVENING
Yujin stands outside the door of your dorm building, stuck ruminating about whether or not to go inside. On one hand, if he went inside he’d have to tell everyone about his failure. But on the other hand, he could go to sleep in his perfect, warm bed and (hopefully) never wake up.
He takes a deep breath. Maybe he could avoid everyone if he just kept his head down and made a beeline straight to his room.
Yujin opens the door, ready to make a run for it when he comes face to face with…
Let's find out the effects of your Chapter Choice for Part Three, Player! To refresh your memory, Choice 1 was to make Jiwoong do Lots of Aegyo while Choice 2 was to request A Kiss.
⁺⋆✰ If You Chose “LOTS OF AEGYO”:
“You—,” Jiwoong stutters, taking a step back. “You wouldn’t. You couldn’t.”
“I can,” you affirm with an evil smile. “And I will. And I’ll also film it and make you post it.”
“But… But I have a reputation to uphold!” Jiwoong protests, running his hands through his hair in anguish.
“Do you?” You and Gyuvin snort at the same time.
“Oh, shut up,” Jiwoong spits, shaking his head in disbelief. “Why couldn’t you have asked me to, like… make your bed… or… I dunno, like, kiss you or something?”
“WhAt,” you squeak. “Why would I ask you to kiss me?”
“I dunno, you probably can’t get anyone else to,” Jiwoong replies with a shrug, his ears turning crimson. “Okay, can we just get on with the aegyo?”
“Yeah, can we?” Gyuvin seconds with a huff.
“Yeah… Yeah, okay,” you agree, pulling out your phone and opening the camera app. “Can you do a cheek poke?”
Jiwoong sulks, puffing out his cheek and poking it with his index finger. He looks like a depressed toddler. You take a pic.
“Uh, how about a finger heart?” Gyuvin suggests with a shrug as he stares at Jiwoong like his hyung has three heads. 
Jiwoong makes a finger heart with his right hand, positioning it in front of his face as he continues to frown. 
“Can you just f*cking lighten up for a second?” You ask, lowering your phone. “Is it that hard? Do I need to physically force you to look happy?”
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“Happiness wasn’t part of the deal,” Jiwoong replies with a smirk, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
“No, no, no, no— get those hands out of your pockets! I’m not done with you!” You shout, walking over to Jiwoong and prying both of his hands back into the open. You form a ‘C’ with each of his hands and stick them to each of his cheeks. “Ohhhh, soooo cute Jiwoongie!”
Jiwoong is placated as he stares back at you, doe-eyed as you take a picture. It’s as good as you’re gonna get.
You send it to him and then grab his phone from his hands, making sure he opens Instagram to post it. Once you hand it back to him, you watch attentively as he types a caption and posts the aegyo picture.
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“Aren’t you just the cutest baby boy in the whole world?” You tease as Jiwoong turns red again, rubbing it in as much as possible while you have the opportunity. “Jiwoongie is sooo adorable, I could just. Eat. Him. Right. Up.”
Your bond with Jiwoong has grown stronger. +0 Jiwoong Point. 
・゜゜ . . * ✧・゚・ ✧・゚: ・゜゜・.
⁺⋆✰ If You Chose “A KISS”:
“A WHAT!?” Gyuvin shouts, your hand flying to cover his mouth. You definitely don’t need to attract the attention of anyone else in the dorm right now. Still, your tallest friend continues to protest, “MMWHHMM!”
Jiwoong just blinks at you, eyes widening a bit in nervous surprise. “Are you—… are you serious?”
Gyuvin’s hand closes around yours, prying it off of his mouth. “I’d f*cking love to hear the answer to that question as well, actually.”
“Well, I know it’s a large price to pay and might even be too much to ask in exchange for joining the Phantom Thieves,” you explain, glaring at Gyuvin as he slowly catches on. “Clearly, Jiwoong is shocked and disgusted by this proposition so—.”
“I am?” Jiwoong interrupts.
“Yes! Exactly! You are,” you agree enthusiastically, not realizing that Jiwoong’s statement had actually been a question. “So it seems like you aren’t going to be able to join the Phantom Thieves after all! Oh noooo! This is terrible news. But since you really don’t want to kiss me—.”
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“Who said I don’t wanna kiss you, (Y/N)?” Jiwoong interrupts again, a dangerous smirk now turning up one corner of his lips. “Would be a lot more fun than listening to the two of you keep yapping.”
You’re silent, suddenly aware of the possibility you might be caught in your own trap. Jiwoong’s arms fold across his chest— one eyebrow arching smugly. Even though he had spent the better part of a year ignoring you and talking about you behind your back, you should’ve known that Jiwoong would somehow still be down to kiss you.
He’s down to kiss everyone. 
“In fact, the only one who said I don’t wanna kiss you, is you,” Jiwoong continues, taking a step towards you. “And how funny is it that you’re the one who suggested it in the first place? Maybe you’ve been thinking about kissing me this whole time.”
“That’s enough, hyung,” Gyuvin warns, large hand resting on Jiwoong’s shoulder. “We’ll just pick something else.”
As Gyuvin starts to turn you back around to discuss a different price, Jiwoong suddenly pipes up.
“W-wait! Wait. Just wait a minute,” he says, both hands extended in front of him. This is not the stance of someone with the upperhand. “You… you already picked the price! N-no take backs! Yeah, I said it. Get over here and kiss me, (Y/N).”
“I can do literally whatever I want to actually,” you respond with a shrug. “And now that you made fun of me, I’m gonna make the price MUCH worse now.”
“NO! No, (Y/N), please,” Jiwoong begs, closing the distance between you as he places his hands on both of your shoulders and shakes them. “Just let me kiss you! PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, LET ME KISS YOU!”
You have to admit, it’s a pretty nice ego stroke to have Jiwoong desperate to kiss you. Not to mention, he does look a lot more handsome when he’s not esophagus-deep in a drunken bar hook-up. 
A lot more like himself, too.
You lean in. 
Closer.
Even closer.
And place the teensiest, tiniest peck on Jiwoong’s pretty, pink lips.
Your bond with Jiwoong has grown stronger. +1 Jiwoong Point. Please add +1 Jiwoong Point to your scoresheet.
“Oh my god,” Gyuvin says.
“Oh my god,” Jiwoong says.
“Oh my god,” you say.
・゜゜ . . * ✧・゚・ ✧・゚: ・゜゜・.
All Continue Reading Below
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“Remind me to apply for on-campus living next semester,” Yujin huffs with disgust, dropping his duffel bag in the middle of the hallway.
“Yujin-ah!” Gyuvin exclaims, you and Jiwoong jumping back to find your youngest member standing hollow-eyed at the floor. “How—… how long have you been standing there, buddy?”
Yujin shrugs. “I dunno, a minute or so.”
Sh*t. There’s literally no way he hadn’t just heard you speak. The three of you wait in silence for the youngest to comment on it.
“If you’re waiting for me to congratulate you about getting your voice back,” Yujin says, eyes glued to the floor, “I literally could not give a flying f*ck about it.”
You breathe a collective sigh of relief. Indifference was usually what you could expect from Yujin and, though it hurts you most of the time, you couldn’t be more grateful for it right now.
“So… you won’t tell anyone about it?” You request, smiling sweetly at your maknae.
“Whatever,” Yujin replies with a roll of his eyes. You’re fairly certain you can interpret this angsty teenager response to mean something like ‘okay’.
The door flies open, a panicked Hanbin scrambling through and into the hallway. “HOWDIDITGOWEREYOULATEAFTERTHEMEETINGWEREYOUTOOUPSETTOPERFORMWELLDIDYOUMAKEITINTOTHEPROGRAM?”
F*ck. Yujin’s audition was today. You instantly feel bad for forgetting.
Yujin shakes his head back and forth just once. So that’s why he was being extra mopey and aloof. He’d worked so hard. Poor thing.
You all sit in the awkward air until Hanbin finally says, “There’s beef marinating in the fridge. I’ll go cook it.”
“BEEF,” Gyuvin yells, pumping his fist up to the sky triumphantly. You grab his arm and force it back down to his side, trying your best to be mindful of Yujin’s feelings. It’s too little too late though and Yujin lets out a long sigh before walking off down the hallway to his room.
“Do you have kimchi?” Jiwoong calls as Hanbin traipses off to the kitchen. “I think you should check if there’s any kimchi left. Someone might have… eaten it for lunch… or something.”
“All of it!? I bought that big container two days ago,” Hanbin calls back. “You and Gyuvin go buy some then! (Y/N), can you come help me, please?”
You start to make your way to the kitchen, but a large hand on your shoulder stops you. Gyuvin’s lips are pressed together nervously as he blinks back at you. “Oh um, (Y/N)? There’s something I need to tell you before--.”
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“C’mon! Whatever it is, it can wait. Kimchi can not,” Jiwoong hurries, grabbing Gyuvin and pulling your best friend out the door behind him.
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“So, what happened at the company meeting today?” The robotic voice of your phone screenreader rings out, cutting through the sizzling of oil in the skillet pan. 
The piece of meat that Hanbin’s holding falls from his hand and splashes back into the bowl of bulgogi marinade. He fishes it back out without looking up at you, calmly replying, “Oh, it was just a regular meeting.”
You nod, aware that Hanbin’s lying to you but unsure as to why. You type again and hit play: “Why would Yujin have gotten ‘upset’ after ‘just a regular meeting’?”
Hanbin places another strip of beef into the skillet, turning up the heat. “Can you get more vegetable oil, please? There’s a new bottle in the hallway closet.”
You press your lips together, walking out of the kitchen and to the hallway closet. You open the door, locating the unopened bottle of oil on the third shelf when a series of buzzes in your pocket grabs your attention.
“(Y/N), can you hurry?” Hanbin calls from the kitchen. “I need to put more in now!”
Buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz. Buzz, buzz.
It seems urgent. And vaguely Canadian.
Mini-Decision: Would you rather be Hanbin’s Helper or reply to those Matt-sterious Texts?
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If you chose "Hanbin's Helper", read below:
You shrug, deciding the texts will have to wait for this moment. If someone was dying, then maybe it was just their time.
Running back to the kitchen with the vegetable oil bottle, you toss it to Hanbin who lets out a little panicked yelp before catching it easily in one hand.
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“Thank you, honey,” he says, cracking the seal on the bottle and pouring in a liberal amount of oil. “I can always count on you!”
Your bond with Hanbin has grown stronger. +1 Hanbin Point. Please add +1 Hanbin Point to your scoresheet.
You grin, standing next to Hanbin and resting your head on his shoulder. He chuckles at your rare display of affection.
You finally pull out your phone and read the urgent series of texts…
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“Something did happen today,” Hanbin says softly, placing more beef into the pan. “At the meeting. I’m sure you could already tell.”
You nod, quietly watching the oil bubble around the meat.
“Gyubinnie didn’t say anything to you though?” He asks with a pout. “He always spills the beans to you. I wonder why he didn’t tell you yet.”
Maybe he was trying to, you think.
“But I’d imagine it’s the same reason that I don’t want to tell you,” Hanbin continues with a laugh. “The truth is, I never saw this coming, lovey. I don’t know what we’re gonna do.”
You lock eyes with him, brow furrowed with concern as your face pleads for him to tell you.
Hanbin swallows, appearing nervous again. “I don’t want to be doing this unless it’s all of us. Together. It’s not right any other way.”
・゜゜ . . * ✧・゚・ ✧・゚: ・゜゜・.
If you chose "Matt-sterious Texts", read below:
Your fear of Hanbin’s scolding is strong, but your curiosity about the multiple buzzing texts in your pocket is undoubtedly stronger.
Pulling out your phone, you read the series of urgent texts…
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Your bond with Matthew has grown stronger. +1 Matthew Point. Please add +1 Matthew Point to your scoresheet. 
What did Matt mean by that? Things might get even harder on me now?
“F*ck, the vegetable oil,” you whisper, grabbing the bottle and sprinting towards the kitchen. You stop dead in your tracks when you find Hanbin glaring at you, hand on his hip in the sassiest stance a man could possibly take.
You wince at him, sheepishly walking up to him and handing him the unopened bottle.
“Seriously? I had to turn the burner off,” he scolds as he takes the bottle, turning around and resuming his pan frying. “If you’re not going to be helpful, then just sit over there so you don’t keep f*cking things up.”
Hanbin could have a viper tongue when he was mad. Fortunately, he knew this about himself and he was already turning around to apologize as soon as the words came out of his mouth.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t soon enough to keep a tear from rolling down your cheek. 
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“Ohhhh, no,” Hanbin coos, pulling you in for a hug immediately and cradling your head to his chest. “I’m so sorry, honey. I didn’t mean that.”
He holds you close to his side as he turns you both around so he can cook and dote on you simultaneously. “Are you okay, (Y/N)? Did something distract you earlier?”
You nod slowly into his shoulder, pulling out your phone and holding up the texts from Matthew so Hanbin can read them.
“Ahhh, I see,” he says, patting your head. “This would be pretty bothersome to read, huh?”
You gulp sadly, a little pout on your lips that Hanbin absolutely lights up at.
“I’ll bring Matthew’s papers to the company,” he assures quickly. “And I guess I should explain what’s going on to you, too. I really don’t want to be the bearer of tough news, but you deserve to know.”
・゜゜ . . * ✧・゚・ ✧・゚: ・゜゜・.
All Continue Reading Below
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“What he’s trying to say is, we’re having a comeback,” Yujin announces unceremoniously as he sits down at the kitchen table. Hanbin turns around and glares at him but Yujin just shrugs. “What? You were gonna find out eventually that you’re getting left in the dust. So what if I don’t sugar coat it? You only have yourself to blame anyway.”
You’re not mad at him. You know he’s just extra angry tonight about his audition. Still, the news feels like a gut punch-- and you’ve been taking a lot of those lately. You feel a lump in your throat start to form, but the sudden question of why this was happening distracts you momentarily. 
President Kim couldn’t possibly think rehabilitating such a problematic group was a good investment of his money or time or reputation.
So what was he planning?
“I’m sorry, (Y/N),” Hanbin says, shaking his head. “I’m just as upset as you are.”
Yujin snorts. “Don’t oversell it.”
“Yujin-ah--,” Hanbin starts to scold when he’s interrupted by ecstatic shouting.
“Kimchi: SECURED,” Gyuvin announces excitedly as he and Jiwoong enter the dorm with a big container of kimchi from the shop down the street. 
“Ew, you’re so embarrassing,” Yujin says annoyedly as his eyes glue to his phone screen. “Just say you got the kimchi in a normal way.”
Gyuvin takes both of Yujin’s cheeks in one hand and squishes them emphatically. “I live to embarrass my only son.”
“Hello?” A voice suddenly calls from the front of the dorm. “Oh, it smells amazing in here.”
Manager Sang bumbles into the kitchen, a big envelope tucked under his arm. He’s wearing a corduroy button up, dress khakis and thick-framed black glasses— his Total Control Badge hanging from a lanyard around his neck.
He usually checks in on the dorm more often, but this is the first time you’ve seen Manager Sang this week. Except, of course, for the brief appearance of his likeness at King Hyunwoo’s palace last night. You eye him up and down curiously. 
“Hanbinnie’s cooking for you all again, I see,” he observes with a chuckle before scanning the room and fixing on Yujin.” “Yujinnie, I have some… paperwork for you.”
“Huh?” Yujin responds like a zombie, completely worn out from his week of exams and his failed audition. “Paperwork? Is it for next semester?”
“Yeah, uh, just,” Manager Sang stammers, placing the envelope on the table in front of your maknae. “Just some stuff we need you to sign.”
“I’m gonna start looking at class options tomorrow,” Yujin says, a bit of levity in his voice as he talks about continuing school. He picks up the envelope and begins ripping it open, excitement continuing to build in his voice. “Maybe it’s a good idea to get my academic requirements out of the way first anyway.”
The smile on his face fades slowly as he pulls out a large, stapled packet of what appear to be legal documents.
“This—… this is my contract with the company to pay for my university,” Yujin says confusedly. “Do I just have to sign to renew it for next semester or something?”
Manager Sang swallows hard, replying shakily, “Well… Not exactly…”  
Yujin starts to leaf through the pages of the contract, his brow furrowing with concern. “Why--... Why are a bunch of things circled in red Sharpie?”
“You see, um... President Kim heard from your university’s dance department that you did not pass your audition today,” Manager Sang explains nervously. “So we need to collect some signatures and the promised payment for failure to succeed. Including accrued interest, of course.”
“PAYMENT!?” Yujin shouts, standing up from his chair-- the speed at which he continues to flip the pages of the contract is growing alarming. No one moves a muscle as you wait for Manager Sang to fix the problem, like he always does.
“Y-yes, Yujinnie. Don’t you remember?” Manager Sang replies, a sweat beginning to break at his hairline. “If you failed to pass the audition for next semester, Total Control is no longer liable to pay for this past semester of your university studies.”
The contract falls from Yujin’s hands and onto the table. You take the opportunity to pick it up and rifle through it as Manager Sang continues to mumble on about clauses and fine-print.
You find it on the fourteenth page, a small-print section labeled and circled in red Sharpie: Proceedings for Failure to Succeed. 
A silence falls over the room. You’re almost afraid to look at Yujin— the energy radiating from him is absolutely white-hot. 
“You told me to sign this,” Yujin says finally through gritted teeth. Jabbing a finger right at the middle of Manager Sang’s chest, he accuses, “You read the fine-print for me and you told me it was safe to sign.”
ZeroBaseOne had once been so popular that you’d had too many managers and staff to keep track of. Manager Sang had been with you since pre-debut, though, and the members favored him because of the bond that was shared. In recent years, President Kim had also begun to favor Manager Sang and promoted him to Head Manager. When ZB1 and Total Control effectively collapsed, Manager Sang was the only manager who remained at the dying company.
You’re suddenly faced with another question of ‘why’.
“I’m sorry you’re so upset,” Manager Sang swallows, stepping backward out of Yujin’s range of motion. “You should always read a contract yourself, Yujinnie. Maybe this can be a lesson for you. In the meantime, the payment is due by Monday.”
Manager Sang rushes out of the dorm and Yujin runs after him. 
“Go get him and calm him down,” Hanbin orders the three of you, keeping his hands on the skillet handle and spatula to keep from tearing his hair out. “Now!”
You, Jiwoong and Gyuvin clamber out of the kitchen towards the front door— your hands grabbing the hem of Yujin’s t-shirt just before he escapes into the cool, night air.
He’s screaming, kicking, crying and the force of his despair knocks you both down to the floor. Jiwoong locks the front door as Yujin collapses onto you.
“It’s not fair,” he cries and you just smother him into you more— Gyuvin and Jiwoong wrapping themselves around him so that he’s contained on all sides. “It’s not fair.”
“It’s not,” you agree, knowing all too well the gut wrenching pain of your f*cked up company betraying you. “It’s not fair at all.”
“It’s gonna be okay, Yujinnie,” Gyuvin soothes, rubbing his back. “It’s all gonna work out.”
“I want to go,” Yujin begs— not you or Gyuvin or Jiwoong, but the universe. He’s not speaking entirely intelligibly, but you know he means he just wants to keep going to school. “I can’t pay that money-- I can’t pay it so I can’t go anymore and I JUST WANT TO GO!”
“COMMAND HEARD: GO. COMMAND ACCEPTED. DESTINATION: METAVERSE. HAVE A NICE TRIP!”
“She really just does whatever she wants, huh?” Gyuvin wonders, shaking his head.
“What!?” Jiwoong shouts as that familiar red haze fills the air. “I thought the Metaverse was that castle at Total Control? That’s what Gyuvin said while we were at the market just now!”
“I—… thought so, too,” you say, watching as your dorm transforms into a cold, damp stone labyrinth. It’s dark; the only light coming from wooden torches hung on the walls of rock every few feet. Haunting screams and cries echo and ricochet down the hallway.
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“Oh good,” Yujin says as he sits up, wiping his eyes and nose and looking around at his new surroundings. “I’m dead.”
“I…” You start to reply, marveling at what you can only assume to be the Metaverse version of your dorm. “I wouldn’t count on that just yet.”
Yujin throws his arms up exasperatedly. “Well, sh*t! Can someone put me out of my misery already?”
“(Y/N), this… this looks like some sort of prison,” Jiwoong whispers, palm up-turned towards the dark, stone ceiling above— a drop of murky water splashing onto his skin.
“Sounds like one, too,” Gyuvin snorts despite the chilled expression on his face giving him away. 
“Okay, but for real,” Yujin pipes up behind you, the slightest bit of worry starting to creep into his voice. “Did I pass out or, like… get sick or something?”
“Yeah,” you reply absentmindedly, a million different questions running through your own head. Yujin starts to wander off a bit and your hand shoots out to grab his wrist— keeping him safely glued to your side. “Or something.”
“Hey, let me go,” Yujin huffs, trying to free himself from your grasp. “This is my dream, isn’t it?”
You look at your angry maknae, finding red, puffy eyes and a still-quivering lip from the grief he’d just suffered.
Not a chance in hell that you’re letting him go. He’ll thank you one day.
“F*cking let go, (Y/N),” he shouts, gripping your forearm with his free hand and twisting. “Even in my subconscious, you’re such a d*ck!”
But that day is not today.
“WHO DARES TO TRESPASS IN THE ROYAL DUNGEON!?” A shadow guard’s voice bellows down the hallway that, in real life, leads to Yujin and Hanbin’s bedrooms. 
“Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t,” Gyuvin says, pushing Jiwoong down with him to hide in a crevice in the stone wall. There’s another crevice of a similar size a bit farther away which you dart towards, using all your effort to pull a reluctant Yujin to safety with you.
“Owww,” Yujin whines as you shove him out of sight of the shadow guard bumbling down the hallway. You squish his lips together with your free hand, eyes begging him to be quiet. It’s easy to see the message isn’t registering. Instead, you watch in slow motion as Yujin’s pointer finger rises from his side and goes straight into your left ear.
He grins triumphantly as you jump back and, in your discomfort, let go of Yujin’s wrist. He runs out of the cove in the wall and straight into the path of the shadow guard. Gyuvin catches your eye from across the dark hallway-- fear apparent as he looks to you for a new game plan.
“Whoah, this looks SO real,” Yujin marvels as the shadow guard breaks out in a sprint towards him. You gasp in horror as the giant figure crashes into Yujin, knocking him to the ground-- the back of his head hitting the cold stone beneath him. He sits up shakily, rubbing the back of his head and then bringing his hand towards his face. 
The rich, red sheen of blood dripping from his fingers makes your heart sink to your stomach. 
“This... feels so real, too, actually,” Yujin says dazedly as the shadow guard pulls him to his knees by the collar of his shirt. “(Y/N)...? (Y/N), I think I need h--....”
Your gaze fixes back on Gyuvin as you make a fist at him, signaling it's time for an all-out attack. He nods, tapping Jiwoong beside him to get ready. You hold up three fingers, then two, one...
You take the first attack. A gust of wind flies from your palm, but unlike the shadow guards you’d encountered before, this one doesn’t fall to the ground. Instead, it merely teeters before righting itself and turning to face you. 
Gyuvin releases a blast of ice next, icicles flying through the air and tearing a hole through the shadow guard’s chest. It’s clear the wound is serious as the guard loses his grip on Yujin, the youngest boy collapsing limply to the ground again. 
But much to your horror, the wound in the shadow’s chest begins to mend itself-- the black vapors inside of him growing thicker and thicker by the second.
“Jiwoong-ah, NOW!” You shout as a series of fireballs fly towards the shadow. They rip three separate holes in the guard’s form, finally knocking him backwards. But it’s not enough to vanquish the shadow guard. You need more power and, as the shadow guard’s wounds begin to heal again, you need it fast.
~I think it’s time we acquired a new skill. What do you say, my friend?~
“I think your timing is impeccable, Arsène,” you praise, closing your eyes as you feel a new source of power surge through you. You extend your arms, an immeasurable amount of flower petals flying from your palms and attaching to the shadow guard. 
New Skill Unlocked: In Bloom ˚❀༉‧₊
The guard sinks to the ground as he’s buried alive in flower petals and you run to Yujin, who’s staring wide-eyed up at you— one hand still cradling the wound on his head. 
“Yujin-ah,” Gyuvin calls  as he and Jiwoong land next to you. “Are you okay? Are you dizzy?”
Yujin shakes his head innocently. “N-no…”
“Which question was that an answer to?” Jiwoong asks, brow furrowed in concern.
“I’m okay, I think,” Yujin responds. You gently detach his hand from the back of his head and bring it toward you in the dim light, finding more fresh blood on his fingers. He looks up at you, much more scared than before. “What’s happening?”
You take his blood-stained hand and pull him to his feet. “You’re going to be okay, Yujinnie. I promise.”
“But—,” Yujin starts to protest as Gyuvin interrupts him.
“I think we should take a look around, (Y/N),” your right-hand man suggests, wrapping an arm supportively around the youngest’s shoulders. He gestures to the incapacitated guard on the ground, “Ya know, while we have the chance?”
You nod decisively. “I think you’re right, Binnie. Let’s tread carefully— stay behind me.”
You take a deep breath as you follow the direction of the loudest screams: they’re coming from where Yujin’s room is. As you approach, you find metal prison bars running vertically in the cement doorway, revealing a Metaverse version of your maknae. He’s wearing matching dark grey and white striped shirt and pants, hunched over a grey, sleight desk as the sound of furious pencil scribbles echo off the damp walls. 
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“Is that--... Is that me?” Yujin whispers, pushing you aside so he can get a better look. “Why the hell am I a prisoner!?”
“I think each one of us has a cell just like this,” you say, looking at Gyuvin and Jiwoong. “It might be a reflection of how President Kim sees us: his prisoners.”
Metaverse Yujin puts his pencil down, picking up the finished document in his hand and looking it over. He slides it to the side of the desk, but, as soon as he does, the paper disappears. Metaverse Yujin screams in frustration, slamming his fists on the desk as he grabs another sheet of paper from the pile and continues his maniacal pencil scribbling. 
“To think we’re all serving time for crimes that President Kim committed,” Jiwoong shudders, shaking his head in disgust. 
“I’d say it’s a pretty good reflection of our reality,” Gyuvin says, looking at you sadly. “It only makes sense our dorm is King Hyunwoo’s dungeon.”
“Hold on. Did you just say President Kim’s crimes?” Yujin asks, a confused frown on his face. “And… King Hyunwoo?”
You watch as Metaverse Yujin has another episode of hysterics. If President Kim thinks Yujin is suffering this much... It’s because he’s personally made sure that he is.
“Yujin-ah!” Yujin calls, knocking on the metal bars with his knuckles. “Over here!”
Metaverse Yujin’s head snaps around, locking eyes with his real-life counterpart. He stands up from his desk-- a wild, frantic look in his eyes as he runs to the metal-barred doorway. Yujin jumps back as the Metaverse Yujin’s bleeding knuckles wrap around the bars, shaking them desperately. “Make it stop! Please, make it f*cking stop!”
“What happened to you, Yujinnie?” Jiwoong asks, eyeing the young prisoner with a concern you hadn’t seen from him in a long time. “Why are you being held captive like this?”
“You don’t have much time,” Metaverse Yujin whispers, trembling as he peers down the hallway. “He’s coming back. I can’t be punished again. I CAN’T!”
“Ssssh, Yujinnie. It’s gonna be okay,” Gyuvin soothes, placing a hand on top of the prisoner’s. “We’re gonna get you out of here!”
Metaverse Yujinnie sinks to the ground in despair. “You can’t... I can’t...”
“But... I can,” Yujin whispers. You look over at him to see that he’s crying again, but this time his tears are different. They’re not helpless. They’re defiant. “I can get you out of here. I can make President Kim pay for what he’s done to you. I... I can make sure I never have to feel like this ever again.”
“Yujin-sshi,” an ominous voice echoes down the hall. Your body tenses and you grab Yujin by the shoulders, shoving him behind you to shield him. “Are you working hard, Yujin-sshi? Are you making something of yourself yet?”
As the figure comes into focus, your lips part in shock. “Manager Sang?”
“You think you can escape the fate that King Hyunwoo chose for you, Yujin-sshi?” Manager Sang mocks as he draws closer. His chest is bound in chains-- a giant lock at the front. “What about you, (Y/N)-sshi? Do you really dare to climb out of the grave you’ve been hiding in this year? Trying to protect your youngest member when it was your carelessness that killed his future in the first place...”
“You--... you’re in on this?” Gyuvin asks, disgusted at the man who’d taken care of you the most throughout your careers. “You were on President Kim’s side this whole time!? How long have you been selling us out for?”
“Since the day I made... the choice. When the King asked me to wrap (Y/N)-sshi’s hands around the wheel that night while he fled the scene, I made the choice,” Manager Sang announces, eyes glowing red. “The choice to call the paparazzi when Jiwoong-sshi’s out at night. The choice to deliver the bribe checks to the media when Gyuvin-sshi schedules another meeting. And the choice to convince the youngest member to sign a contract.”
It’s only now you realize that someone’s hand is gripping into your upper arm, nails digging into your skin. You turn to your right, ready to pry them off before you remember who you’d placed behind you to shield them. 
“President Kim knew you would fail, Yujin-sshi,” Manager Sang continues. “Everyone at the company knew you would fail. That’s the only reason the investment was approved in the first place.”
Yujin’s fingers have turned white with how hard they’re gripping you, but the look in his eyes makes you hesitant to interrupt him-- no matter how painful it is for you. He’s panting heavily in an attempt to catch his breath and, before you know it, he’s started screaming.
“(Y/N)...” Gyuvin says softly, his gaze falling to your arm. A stream of blood has begun trickling down your arm past Yujin’s fingers. 
You shake your head. You’ll just have to power through it.
“And, just on the off chance that you really wouldn’t fail, President Kim asked me to help take some measures to ensure that you did,” Manager Sang says with a satisfied smile. “President Kim needed my help. He always needs my help. So, I asked you for your schedule at the beginning of the week: how else would Total Control have known to plan such a bombshell of a meeting for ZeroBaseOne just minutes before your audition, Yujin-sshi?”
“SHUT UP!” Yujin shouts behind you. His hand finally leaves your arm, starting to hit the concrete wall next to him with his fists. “EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP!”
NO CAN DO, FINE SIR. THERE’S SOMETHING I MUST MAKE YOU PRIVY TO: I AM ZORRO, MASKED SWORDSMAN AND YOUR NEW PARTNER IN THIS QUEST FOR JUSTICE.
“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?” Yujin shouts, crouching down to the ground-- trying to find any semblance of reality he can.                          
THOUGH THE BURDEN OF GREAT PURPOSE IS A MIGHTY ONE, WE WILL BEAR THE WEIGHT TOGETHER. IT’S TIME TO TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE... COMMENCE THE FIGHT!
Jiwoong gasps as a mask begins to form on Yujin’s face-- the material fusing with his skin as it has each time before. You wish your youngest member didn’t have to feel this pain or join the dangerous fight you accidentally stumbled into this week.  It had always been your instinct to continue to protect him, no matter how much he resented you.
SSchrip...
New Confidant Unlocked: Magician *ੈ Han Yujin
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But after seeing him promise Metaverse Yujin to stop the pain he’s been feeling, you know for sure that Yujin has grown into the man you’d all hoped he would. He didn’t need to be shielded from the truth. In fact, he might be crucial in helping you expose it.
Yujin is still doubled over, a new mask resting across his eyes. You can’t help but smile when you see the bunny ears on each side.
“If you’re all done messing around,” Manager Sang suddenly says behind you, “I’d like to kill you so I can collect my check.”
Jiwoong steps forward, raising his hand as he prepares to throw a fireball, but something restrains his arm before he can. Yujin smirks, releasing Jiwoong’s hand from his grip.
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Step aside, Hyung... I'll handle this. ‧ ₊ ✫ ˚・
Jiwoong makes room for Yujin at the front, folding his arms across his chest with a laugh. “Less work for me.”
New Skill Unlocked: Hyung Card ೀ
When Yujin takes center, you’re confused when he doesn’t raise his hands in the direction of Manager Sang like you, Gyuvin and Jiwoong usually do to use your powers. Instead, he brings them together, fingers loosely interlacing as his palms meet. He stares at his thumbs, then up at Manager Sang without blinking.
“Oh sh*t,” Gyuvin says with a grin as a strange, purple fog forms above Yujin and slowly engulfs Manager Sang. Yujin finally blinks and the cloud lets up, revealing your manager writhing on the ground in a confused and panicked state.
“Too cute,” Manager Sang whispers over and over, hands covering his eyes. “He’s just too cute. Too cute. TOO CUTE!”
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“Wait, WHAT!?” Yujin shouts, stamping his foot. “Did I just brainwash him with... cuteness!?”
New Skill Unlocked: Super Aegyo ₊˚⊹♡
The three of you very poorly stifle your laughter as Yujin turns around to glare at you. His mask now has glowing pink cheeks and little heart-shaped bubbles flying from the eye holes. You have to look away from all the cuteness before it brainwashes you, too.
“Oh, COME ON!” Yujin yells with a pout. “I’m not cute! I’m not a baby! You saw how fast I took him down!”
“You can sulk about it later, Yujinnie,” you say, grabbing his shoulders and turning him back around. “How about you finish this?”
“Really?” Yujin asks, brow raised in surprise. “You think I can?”
“I know you can,” you respond with a smile. “And I know you’re upset with your power, but the truth is... I think it might be the strongest one yet.”
He smiles back at you. “Thanks.”
Bringing his palms together again and focusing his eyes on Manager Sang, another cloud of purple fog swallows up your manager until a soft plea can be heard from within it.
“Please, please stop,” Manager Sang begs as Yujin blinks away the fog. “I--... I can’t do this anymore. I... I surrender.”
You approach him cautiously, Gyuvin, Yujin and Jiwoong following suit. “You... surrender?”
“Yes, I--... I can change! I’ve worked for King Hyunwoo... President Kim... for so long. I remember when you all were just kids still waiting to debut,” he says, a soft, reminiscent smile forming on his lips. “I knew you’d be successful. I knew it from the moment you stepped on stage at your first FanCon. None of the groups before you at Total Control ever had enough support to have a FanCon. But you did within just three months.”
“Then why have you been doing this?” Gyuvin asks, distrust still palpable in his voice. “Playing President Kim’s lackey?”
“Last year. After... everything happened,” Manager Sang says with a regretful sigh. “I handed in my resignation letter. But my wife had just had a baby that same month and... our baby was very ill when she was born. President Kim promised to give me a raise if I continued working and reported all of your information back to him. For many reasons, I couldn’t say no.”
“But we trusted you,” Jiwoong says quietly. “We trusted you and you... You’ve just been helping President Kim hurt us? You could’ve done the right thing at any point this year. Can you really sleep at night knowing the harm you’ve caused?”
“I’ll regret it for the rest of my life,” Manager Sang answers after a long moment. “After my involvement with staging the crime scene, I was at the mercy of President Kim. If I hadn’t done that... I truly wish I hadn’t played along for once. I’m sorry for the harm I’ve caused you, (Y/N)-sshi. I’m sorry for the harm I’ve continued to cause you all.”
You nod solemnly. “I wish you could tell the truth now in the real world. But I don’t see how that would be possible.”
“M-maybe... I--... C-can...” Manager Sang’s voice becomes choppy, his form appearing to glitch. He continues to glitch in and out until finally fading away. 
Gyuvin runs his hand through the space which was previously occupied by Manager Sang, finding only air in his place. “What the hell was that?”
“I’m not sure,” you say, brow furrowing as you think of the implications of the events that just unfolded. Had Metaverse Manager Sang been a projection of President Kim’s cognition like everything else in the Metaverse has been... Or was it Manager Sang’s own cognition that had apologized to them just now? “I think we need to--.”
Thud.
“Yujin-ah!” Jiwoong shouts as your youngest topples over onto the cold, damp cement. You reach your hand out, shielding Yujin’s head from taking any more damage tonight. 
“Yujin-ah,” you call, the three of you moving him into a more comfortable position. “Can you hear me? We’re going home now, okay?”
As soon as you say the words, the red haze around you begins to dissipate. The dark prison walls turn plastered and beige again-- the doors to each of your rooms reappearing in the place of the vertical metal bars. 
“WE DO AWAIT YOUR HASTY RETURN. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT ANY INJURY SUSTAINED IN THE METAVERSE MAY CARRY OVER INTO THE REAL WORLD. TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH.”
“Is--... Is she watching us?” Gyuvin asks with a frown.
“Everything okay out there guys?” 
Fuck. You totally forgot Hanbin was still in the kitchen. 
“We need to get Yujin to his room right now,” you urge, looking at your youngest member sprawled out on the floor of the foyer. 
Both Gyuvin and Jiwoong conveniently avoid your gaze…
Mini-Decision: Someone’s gotta carry Yujin. Will you say “Ugh, Fine” or “Woongie SO Strong”? ~
Author’s Note: PLEASE only choose “ugh, fine” if you are Yujin’s real age/a minor! Obviously Yujin is 18 in this fic, but that’s just for story purposes. ONLY MINORS choose this option if you’d like to unlock Yujin’s ending at the end! This choice has a hint of romance so a reminder that this fic isn’t real, Yujin is just a character in this story, the romance is all age appropriate and JUST FICTION. Thank you for being respectful and kind!
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If you chose “Ugh, Fine”, read below:
With a heavy sigh, you grab Yujin’s left arm and point to Jiwoong to grab the other one. Gyuvin supports him and, together they lift Yujin onto your back. “Stay here and distract Hanbinnie,” you whisper, rushing down the hall as fast as you can and into Yujin’s room.
“We’re... Um...” You hear Gyuvin call to Hanbin in the kitchen, “Changing! Yeah. We’re just changing.”
“Oh for f*ck’s sake,” Jiwoong mutters.
“... In the hallway?” Hanbin responds confusedly, footsteps pattering towards the foyer as you lock the door behind you. “You’re wearing the same clothes as you were before.”
“I meant metaphorically,” Gyuvin clarifies with a nervous laugh. What follows is a loud smack and a mumbled, “Ow.”
You sit down on the edge of Yujin’s bed, unwrapping his arms from around your neck and situating him so that he’s propped up on his pillows. He looks so peaceful resting like this and you wish you could just let him sleep, but you need to wake him up to check if he has a concussion first.
“Yujin-ah,” you say softly, brushing a lock of hair from his eyes. His lashes start to flutter against his cheeks until they’re staring up at you. He sits up quickly-- too quickly and you gently nudge him back down to a reclined position. “Don’t move too fast. You’ll get dizzy. How do you feel?”
“Was it real?” He asks excitedly, stars in his eyes. “The dungeon? The magic powers? Manager Sang?”
You press your lips together, conflicted. You could still tell Yujin it wasn’t real. That he hit his head running to the door and must’ve had a crazy dream. That everything was the way it had always been. That he could go back to passively disliking you and maybe working out a new deal with President Kim and Manager Sang. That he won’t get hurt again...
“Yeah,” you admit finally. “It was all real.”
“I knew it,” Yujin says with a grin, folding his arms across his chest satisfactorily. “I knew you wouldn’t lie to me. You need my help, obviously”
You smile back at him. “I do need your help actually. But, more importantly, you need your help.”
Yujin’s smile fades as he looks down at his lap. He doesn’t say anything, but his silence alone confirms the truth.
“I’m so sorry, Yujinnie,” you say, placing a hand on his wrist. “I wish you didn’t have to go through any of this. I wish we all could’ve stayed as happy as we always were forever. I’d do anything to go back and change it. Maybe now I can finally make things right... and with you by my side again.”
Much to your surprise, your typically sarcastic and affection-avoidant maknae places his hand on top of yours. “It’s not your fault, (Y/N). I didn’t know that before. But I do now.”
“Oh, it’s really okay--.”
“It’s not,” Yujin cuts you off. He’s clearly a bit uncomfortable with the sincerity he’s having to display, but you appreciate it nonetheless. “And I’m sorry.”
“That actually means a lot to me,” you say with a smile, which Yujin happily returns. “I missed talking to you, kiddo.”
“Oh come on! We’re almost the exact same age. I’m NOT a kiddo,” he corrects with a groan. He then looks at his lap, a little blush on his cheeks. “And I’ll prove it to you.”
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Your bond with Yujin has grown stronger. +1 Yujin Point. Please add +1 Yujin Point to your scoresheet.
“(Y/N), open the door,” Gyuvin whisper-yells as he jiggles the doorknob. You rush over to the door, Jiwoong and Gyuvin almost knocking you over as they barge inside.
・゜゜ . . * ✧・゚・ ✧・゚: ・゜゜・.
If you chose "Woongie SO Strong", read below:
“Oh my goodness,” you coo quietly, grabbing Jiwoong’s right bicep and squeezing. “I didn’t realize how big your arms were!”
“Wh—… What?” Jiwoong stammers as you continue to feel up his arm. “Me?”
“Woongie soooooo strong,” you sing-song, batting your eyelashes at him for full effect. 
Unfortunately for Jiwoong, you know exactly how to play to his weakness and his chest begins to puff at your flattering. “I— I guess, yeah. Yeah! I kind of totally am actually.”
Gyuvin snorts, turning away from you to keep from ruining your evil plot.
“So stroooong and SO handsome,” you add, just to knock it out of the park.
“I’ve heard this a lot in my lifetime actually, but,” Jiwoong replies, one eyebrow piquing at you charismatically, “I never thought I’d hear it from you. Maybe we could talk more about how handsome and strong you think I am over coffee or—.”
“—SO strong you could carry a full-sized Yujin!” You finish. Trap successful.
Jiwoong’s previously seductive expression turns quickly to disappointment. “Aw,” he grumbles, removing his arm from your grasp. “I thought you’d finally seen the light.”
“The light being…?” Gyuvin asks, patting Jiwoong’s shoulder comfortingly.
“Me,” Jiwoong answers, brushing Gyuvin’s hand off and fixing his shirt; trying to re-establish his dignity. “I thought you’d finally seen me.”
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Your eyes widen in surprise at the sincerity of his last sentence. Jiwoong is surprised by it too and he coughs awkwardly to distract from it. 
“Okay, okay. I’ll do it,” Jiwoong relents, stooping down and picking up Yujin all by himself.
“Holy sh*t, you actually are kind of strong,” you marvel a bit at his unexpected strength. 
Jiwoong shrugs as he carries Yujin down the hall to his room. “I know. Blew your chance though.”
Your bond with Jiwoong has grown stronger. +1 Jiwoong Point. Please add +1 Jiwoong Point to your scoresheet.
As Jiwoong shuts Yujin’s door behind him, you look up at Gyuvin confusedly and whisper, “He’s just joking around, right?”
“Kids, what’re you doing out there?” Hanbin asks as you hear the oil in the skillet slowly stop sizzling. Entering the hallway, his brow furrows as he looks around. “Where’d Yujinnie go? Didn’t I tell you to calm him down?”
“We did,” Gyuvin answers quickly. “In fact, we got him so calm that he’s now unconscious.”
Hanbin’s eyes bulge at this. “Excuse me!?” 
You sigh, looking up at the ceiling and shaking your head. You should’ve made Gyuvin carry Yujin instead.
“I mean, he’s just taking a nap,” Gyuvin thankfully corrects his previous blunder.
“But—… I just finished dinner,” Hanbin responds sadly. With a sigh, he continues, “I understand though. It’s been a hard day for him. You guys’ll still eat, right?”
“Of course!” Gyuvin exclaims as you nod enthusiastically beside him. “Um, could you just give us a couple minutes though?”
“Oh, uh… Sure,” Hanbin agrees confusedly. “Why?”
“I have to… Give… (Y/N)… something,” Gyuvin improvs absolutely seamlessly. “Yeah, I have to give (Y/N) something now or else I’ll forget to do it later! We’ll be riiiiight back.”
“Oookaaay,” Hanbin says with a sigh as you and Gyuvin run suspiciously down the hall. “I’ll just bring a bowl to Gunwook in the meantime, I guess.”
・゜゜ . . * ✧・゚・ ✧・゚: ・゜゜・.
All Continue Reading Below
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JUNE 21st -- NIGHT
After eventually scarfing down beef bulgogi like it's your occupation, the four members of the Phantom Thieves sit on Yujin’s bed-- gathered around your youngest member like he’s the baby Jesus in his manger. It’s a bit of a funny sight.
“Are you sure you're alright, Yujinnie?” Gyuvin asks, turning Yujin’s head so he can see the back of it. “It’s healed a lot. And you can’t even see the indents on (Y/N)’s arm anymore… But still. That was way too close of a call.”
“Way too close,” you agree, bottom lip tucking between your teeth in thought. “If injuries we get in the Metaverse can carry over to the real world… What if we had a way to heal them while we were still in there?”
“You mean, like, medicine and bandages and stuff? Can you bring real world objects into the Metaverse like that?” Jiwoong asks.
“I don’t see why not,” you reply, tilting your head to the side as you consider it. “We’re able to bring our phones in with us. Maybe anything that’s in our hands or pockets is fair game. I think we need to stock up on whatever we can get.”
“So… what happens now?” Yujin asks and it’s a very good question. “We’re—… We’re gonna take down President Kim? Through the… Metaverse, or whatever? How do we even do that?”
“I don’t really know yet,” you admit honestly. “But I think we’re getting closer to finding the answer. All thanks to the newest member of the Phantom Thieves!”
A reluctant smile turns up one corner of Yujin’s lips. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I guess I had to do one thing well tonight.”
“We’ll fix that, too,” you say and you mean it. “We’ll get you back in school and we’ll get all your debt paid, okay? Everyone’s debt will get paid.”
“We’re gonna need to plant some money trees, then,” Gyuvin says, scratching the back of his neck. “We can’t stockpile meds and first aid sh*t and then pay Yujinnie’s university debt on our own. Jiwoong hyung’s in the negative over there after last night.”
“Hey, I have a little bit of money left,” Jiwoong says, pulling out his wallet and opening it. It’s completely empty. “F*ck, did I lose my ID too?”
“Gyubinnie’s right,” Yujin says with a nod. “We need money. And as the news and best member of the Phantom Thieves, I’m about to make a suggestion that no one will like…”
“No…” You whisper.
“You can’t mean,” Gyuvin whispers.
“I think we should try to get Ricky hyung on board,” Yujin says definitively; a chorus of groans echoing into the air. “I mean, do you guys have any better ideas for quick cash?”
“But Ricky hates me,” you whine, leaning your forehead on Jiwoong’s shoulder.
“To be fair, everyone basically hates you,” Yujin says with a shrug. Curse your savage maknae. “But, once they know the truth, they won’t anymore. Probably. Ricky included. Probably.”
You sigh defeatedly. “I guess if there’s really no better option… It’s settled. We’ll go talk to Ricky at his Club Jeune Et Riche on Friday.”
“Oooh,” Jiwoong hums, shaking his head. “No can do. We’ll be at the company.”
Gyuvin smacks Jiwoong so hard, he goes flying backward off the bed. “If you don’t shut your mouth--.”
“I already know about that actually,” you say, chewing your cheek. “Courtesy of our smart-mouthed maknae.”
Yujin smiles sheepishly. “Sorry. Again.”
“I’m sorry, (Y/N),” Gyuvin says, looking at you shamefully. “I wanted you to hear it from me, but I... Guess I fumbled the bag.”
You’re not mad at Gyuvin either. Or any of your members (except Hao-- you’re always mad at Hao). You just feel sad. And left out. And hurt. And happy that maybe you didn’t ruin their lives completely. And okay, maybe a bit mad.
But a leader must trudge on.
“It’s okay. I’ll go talk to Ricky on Friday by myself then,” you announce, biting your lip. “I just can’t imagine he’d even give me the time of day...”
Jiwoong clears his throat awkwardly, climbing back up onto Yujin’s bed. “Well, what if he didn’t know it was you he was talking to?”
You raise an eyebrow at him curiously. “What are you suggesting?”
“What if... American heiress and art collector, Rebecca Song, paid him a visit instead?” Jiwoong suggests with a grin.
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“Who’s Rebecca Song?” Gyuvin asks confusedly. “Or... is that the--... That’s the point, isn’t it? Okay, I get it now.”
“Some acting work for (Y/N)? Don’t you have the lowest rated web drama of all time or something?” Yujin muses, smiling evilly as he considers it. “Make sure you film it.”
It’s not a bad suggestion though. You like to think you’ve gotten better at acting since your web drama fiasco in 2019 (a romantic comedy set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by clowns instead of zombies), but you have no proof of that. Still, Ricky could very well slam the door at just the sight of your face...
What do you wanna do, Player?
⁺⋆✰ Chapter Choice ✰⋆⁺
It's your decision, Player. Will you visit Ricky as...
CHOICE 1: Yourself
OR
CHOICE 2: Rebecca Song: Esteemed Foreign Art Collector
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yujinsmom · 2 months
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zb1 reactions!
──★ ˙ ̟🎀 !! ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ :¨ ·.· ¨:⠀ ᯓ★
⠀ `· . ୨୧⠀⠀
pov: when he sees u fangirling over another idol on his tl
-hyung line
⚠️ not to be taken seriously!
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zerobaseonefics · 1 year
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enchanted ㅡ ricky
ricky x gn!reader
genre : fluff, fake dating.
warnings : none <3 shout out to my 🐇 anon and to @mins-fins cuz he seemed excited to read it yesterday 🤭
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"ricky, stand up-"
"i said i would beg! i'm begging"
you sighed heavily. growing up as ricky neighbor, you two ended up being great friends. your parents knew each other so your families often did thing together, such as going to holidays, picnics and these kind of things. it is know to everybody that ricky's family was wealthy, and yours was just as much as your parents became business partners over the year.
"come on, i don't wanna go with them, and you have no one to take you there. if we go together, our parents will let us be!"
rich people problem, i guess... once a year, your parents' business partners organized a ball for their kids. it was not just a little dance for shit and giggles, no, it was just so the kids can meet together, fall in love and make their life with someone from a wealthy family. ricky and you grew up going there every year. when you were younger, your parents never pressured you to have a partner to go there. however, around a certain age, you better have one if you don't want your parents to be the laughing stock of town. ricky and you decided years ago to never go together, otherwise your parents would imagine things and think you're a couple. at that time, you didn't have those hidden feelings you have for each other like you have today.
and now, you guys were eighteen, going nineteen, and you had to take someone with you. the problem is, you were absolutly bitchless, and ricky's parent were forcing him to go with someone he couldn't stand.
"ricky, i would've gone with you if our parents weren't friends. you know damn well they won't stop teasing us with it and think we're in love or something."
"and? is it worse than you not pulling and me being forced to go with that goblin??"
"don't call people goblins, i already told you that's mean!" you choked, hitting his arm
"well i don't care!" ricky whined before letting his head fall on the kitchen table you guys were sitting at.
you were thinking about it, and yes, your parents thinking ricky and you are a thing wasn't a problem for you. at least, it was not worse than seeing someone else at ricky's arm. but you knew you will not be able to stand your parents thinking you guys are in love when you were convinced ricky didn't like you back.
suddenly, ricky got up.
"what if we tell our parents that we are dating, and then we break up after the ball so they leave us alone."
"i mean...that could work."
"so you're fine with it?"
the blonde looked at you with eyes full of hope, waiting for you to say yes. you let yourself a few seconds to think, before sighing.
"screw it, i guess that's a nice plan."
a huge smile on his face, ricky took your hand and dragged you with him to the door.
"mom, i'm taking y/n on a date, i should be back around 6!"
"what?" you said in a choked voice to make sure she couldn't hear it.
"you're dating y/n??" she suddenly appeared, her head peeking out of her room.
"i didn't know how to tell you, but yes, we've been dating for a few weeks now", ricky said confidently as you were turning red.
"oh my god! is it why you didn't want to go with my colleague's daughter?"
she started rambling about how happy she was about the news, and ricky had to cut her off gently for you two to go. he opened the door, not letting go of your hand.
"okay, so what do we do now..."
"we're going on a fake date."
"is it really necessary? our parents are not with us, we don't have to go that far."
"don't worry about that, it's to imbue us with the couple vibes."
and ricky took you on a date. once, and twice, and a third time again before the ball. and it never felt fake, not even once. or maybe you were just delusional? at least, that's what you were thinking, not knowing ricky was having the time of his life pretending to be your lover.
the night of the ball, ricky came to pick you up. you were surprised when you saw his cheeks turn crimson red when he saw you all done-up. it wasn't that hot tonight, why was he like this? (well you're a dense bitch) (i'm sorry) (let me go back to my serious narrator persona wait)
the feeling of taking you to the dance was bittersweet for ricky. you two have planned to fake your 'break up' to your parents after the ball. it means it was the last time he could take your hand, pass his arm around your waist or your shoulder to take you closer to him, look at him with obvious love in his eyes with the excuse of faking it so you won't be unconfortable.
everyone joked about how they knew you two will end up together since you were young, and they congratuled you on finally being a couple. but both of you knew the truth, and it's why it didn't please you as much as they thought it would.
the evening was going smoothly as you both tried to joke around and enjoy the moment.
now, the time has come. the most awaited moment by the people your age that were going to the ball was slowdancing, as cliche as it sounds. you watched the other kids as they got up with excitement with their partner to dance. the song playing on background was enchanted by taylor swift. tugging on a piece of your clothing, ricky tried to have your attention. you turned to face him.
"you're comfortable with doing this? we're not obliged to do it if you don't want to, you seem hesitant about it." fervently, you shook your head to deny his allegations.
"no no! it be weird if we didn't do it, right? and i'm comfortable, since it's you."
ricky tried to restrain his smile as he got up from the seat you two were on. he gave you his hand, waiting for you to take it in yours.
"can i have this dance?"
you laughed at his act.
"i would love to", you admitted, putting your hand in his. he took it to his lips to plant a kiss on it, still in his gentleman act.
and here you were, on the dance floor between all those stupid rich kids, your arms around ricky's neck as he was holding your waist, slowdancing. the blonde haired boy bent a bit to whisper in your ear, pulling you closer.
"can you believe we're breaking up tomorrow?" he mumbled in a teasing tone, making sure no one but you could hear him.
"don't bring this up, i'm your lover for at least... three more hours", you answered in the same volume.
"you know, now that i think about it, our parents are probably gonna freak out when we tell them we broke up."
"that's true, and we're gonna have to tell everybody here that we're not together anymore."
"seems tiring."
you simply nod, and ricky straightened himself up to look at your eyes. there was something special about the way he looked at you, something you couldn't explain. little did you know, that same thing was shining the same in your eyes, and ricky started to think that maybe his feelings were mutual.
"you're making me feel so weird right now." ricky confessed, which made you frown. you hummed in confusion, waiting for him to continue.
"do we really have to break up?"
"i mean, we're not gonna pretend forever... right?"
"it felt right to me. how was it for you?"
"how was what?"
"me being your boyfriend."
it seemed like a joke to you at first, but the more you observed his face, there was not even a pint of playfulness. he was dead serious. you didn't answer because you were taken aback, so ricky continued.
"i loved being your boyfriend, even if it was all an act. i might be wrong, but i feel like it wasn't that bad for you either. please let me take you on a real date at least once and if you don't like it, let's just forget about it."
"i don't think i can forget about it."
was is it a rejection? did he ruin everything by confessing? ricky let his head down in shame, cold sweat running down his back. suddenly, he felt your hand on his cheek, and he looked back up to you. you quickly kissed his lips.
"i would love to date you for real this time", you said, as enchanted was coming to an end. he beamed befofe leaning back to yours lips, and he was now the one kissing you.
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choiyawnzjun · 4 months
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SERIES MASTERLIST
forbidden sex toy — sim jaeyun
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౨ৎ intro
౨ৎ part 1
౨ৎ part 2
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gunhaos · 1 year
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INTRODUCING ZB1 Kim Jiwoong
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blossominghunnie · 9 months
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𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝
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Pairing: Sung Hanbin x fem!reader
Genre: Fluff, based off 5sos’ Best Friend.
Summary: A couple scenarios that made Hanbin realize that he slowly fell for his best friend.
Warning: None
Note: Ahh, I was so excited to write this. I’ve loved this song for yearssss. 🫶🏼
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Hanbin always knew he felt something for you, even if he wasn’t sure what that feeling was.
You basically grew up together. You knew each other since elementary school but funnily enough didn’t like the other, like at all.
Hanbin was a very outgoing guy, he knew everyone and had tons of friends. On the other hand, you were a little bit more reserved, you had a small but tight group of friends and preferred to listen rather than to talk.
You were so different yet similar in other ways.
You didn’t like how loud he could get or that smirk he gave you every time he knew he did something to annoy you.
And he didn’t like that you were a nerd that only cared about school (false, you only cared about having good grades but didn’t live for school) and that you rarerly talked.
And that went on for years. Until your best friend, Minjun, started dating Hanbin’s friend, Matthew, in your freshman year of high school. Forcing your two groups to spend a lot of time together.
At first you both dreaded it, but after some time you started warming up to each other. You discovered that you shared a love for music and you also liked the same movie genre.
After that you started hanging out more without your other friends and texting a lot, too. You started calling each other “bestie” and “best friend”.
It was a cute friendship and even your friends teased you that you would eventually end up together.
1. Even every time that you got the flu
I'm not scared at all to get close to you.
I don't run away when your face says achoo.
But I run to get you a tissue.
Hanbin remembers vividly the first time you got sick with the flu. You were supposed to hang out at the fair the next day but called him to cancel.
“I’m sorry Bin, we’ll have to reschedule.” You talked on the phone.
“Why? Are you okay?” He asked in a concerned tone.
“Yeah, don’t worry. I just got the flu and I feel awful.”
“Oh, Bestie.” He answered. “Do you want me to get you anything?”
“No, no. It’s okay, Binnie.” You waved your hand even though he couldn’t see you. “I’ll just sleep and order take out.”
“Ooor, I could cook you something warm and take care of you.”
“Nooo, Bestie. You don’t have to do that.” You spoke. “I don’t want you to get sick, too.”
“Nonsense. Nothing’s gonna happen to me. I have a strong inmune system.” He answered making you laugh and cough a little afterwards. “Just accept, Y/nnie. I promise I won’t run away when you sneeze, I’ll run to get you a tissue.”
After you contemplated his offer, you accepted.
You had such a sweet best friend.
“Okaaay.”
Hanbin was genuinely happy to take care of you. “I’ll pass by the convenience store to get you snacks and medicine.”
“Okay, Bin. I’ll see you soon.”
“Yeah, I won’t be long.”
“Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
2. Remember when your parents went out of town?
They were, dumb enough to leave us with the house
We had 100 people naked on the sofa
Dancing 'til the cops said: Game over
Turned out it was Cheri's dad
So we did shots while we rode in the back
He even let us all use the siren
It was the best night, I'm not lying
Since your parents went on a week long trip to Las Vegas, they left you home alone. Letting you invite some of your friends so you wouldn’t be on your own.
So, Hanbin convinced you to throw a party on Friday and invite your friends and a plus one. Which wasn’t a very good idea. Word spread throughout campus and now you had a ton more people than what you were expecting.
You gave the black haired a look. “This is all your fault.”
“Mine? Why?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, yours. Because you seem to forget how popular you are.”
“Oh.” He gave you a sheepish look. “Okay, maybe I do.”
“Lighten up, Sweetheart. We’ll kick them out if we need to.” Taerae, your boyfriend at the time, spoke as he threw his arm around your shoulders.
“You? But you’re scrawny, love.” You teased him.
“I’m stronger than you think.” He started ticking you.
“Okay, okay! You are.” You gave him a hug and he kissed you on the forehead.
“Let’s go dance, babe.” He took your hand and dragged you to the dance floor, which was really your living room.
Hanbin was left on the sidelines with some of your other friends, just watching you as you danced with the brown haired.
“Just tell her how you feel.” Zhang Hao talked as he saw the way Hanbin was looking at you.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The older gave him a look. “We all know you’re in love with Y/n and have for years.”
“I’m not in love with her, she’s my best friend.” Hanbin spoke defensively.
“Don’t even try to deny it. We’ve all seen the way you look at her, like right now.”
As he was processing what his best friend said, a police siren could be heard on the distance.
“POLICE! EVERYONE OUT, NOW!” Someone you couldn’t recognize shouted.
Everyone started screaming and running as fast as they could, and exited the house.
When the cops arrived, your group of friends and your boyfriend, were the only ones left.
So, turns out that they received a noise complaint from one of your neighbors, which wasn’t surprising cause that old woman hated you.
Anyway, you weren’t in trouble because the police officer was one of your closest friend’s dad, Cheri.
You all ended up doing shots in the back and using the siren.
It was a pretty amazing night.
After that, all of your friends went home.
Hanbin laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling, still thinking about what Hao had told him.
Maybe he liked you more than a friend?
He couldn’t deny that he found you very pretty and adored your personality. You were so special to him.
After overthinking for what felt for hours, that night, he realized that he liked his best friend, more than a friend.
Would he ever confess to you? Maybe.
He couldn’t do it right now, because you had a boyfriend and he respected your relationship. That and he also wasn’t sure if you felt the same.
For now, he’s content to have you as his best friend, so telling you about his feelings would be a problem for future Hanbin.
════ ⋆★⋆ ════
5sos’ songs series masterlist || Zb1 masterlist || Main masterlist
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riotokki · 5 months
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ㅤㅤㅤㅤꔫㅤWINTER FAIRYTALE⠀𖫲⠀⠀SUNG HANBIN,
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͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏𐬹 ୨౿ ꤫ paring⠀𖫲⠀⠀sung hanbin && fem reader, genre⠀𖫲⠀⠀highschool au && series, warnings⠀𖫲⠀⠀will be added in the chapters, wc⠀𖫲⠀⠀???
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ㅤꔫㅤSYNOPSIS⠀𖫲⠀⠀winter had always been that time of the year where you'd wish everything would suddenly disappear. but that all changed when you met him, you felt as though a part of you had been found, one that you'd so desperately been searching for.
ㅤꔫㅤSTATUS⠀𖫲⠀⠀on hold,
ㅤꔫㅤUPDATES⠀𖫲⠀⠀???,
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ㅤ꒰͡ 𐙚 ͡꒱ㅤCHAPTERS⠀𖫲⠀⠀
prologue⠀𖫲⠀⠀first meeting,
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͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏͏ ͏ ͏ ͏𐬹 ୨౿ ꤫ LETTERS⠀𖫲⠀⠀riotokki, omg..... this took a bit..... anyways hii! i decided to make a series bc why not 🤭 (i probably won't even make it to the prologue but ykw..... whatever 😍) also let's not talk abt the moodboard thing.... idk why i couldn't find stuff that would fit together 😭anyways. hopefully with it being thanksgiving break i can get a few chapters out!!! (i plan on getting the prologue out sometime tomorrow maybe? if everything goes well) but with that being said thats all for now!!! bye bye 🫂💗💗💗
ㅤꔫㅤTAGLIST⠀𖫲⠀⠀@bunreis, @leehanist, ask to join!
ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ © riotokki 2023.ㅤꔫㅤonly on tumblr.
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jjanguri · 10 months
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tapioca pearl gyubi part ⅟∞
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nillachoco · 6 months
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currently writing a reader x basketball player and I can't think of a protagonist
suggestions?
between zb1, en-, bnd members...
(I did think abt Hee, woonhak, gyuvin but yeah can't even choose between them)
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haesunflower · 4 months
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the soulmates unfortunately series (zb1) [preview]
⋆⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆⋆ ˚。⋆⋆
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ABOUT. here's the thing about soulmates, once you meet the one that is meant for you, you start to age. the biological clock starts to tick, and you are no longer the fresh faced 20 year old. years go by, and next thing you know it, you've grown old and wrinkly – right next to the love of your life. but here's the thing about y/n, she hated that.
y/n has had many soulmates in her lifetime, 4 of which had made a significant impact on her life. namely, her first husband, kim jiwoong. the man that she had a daughter with, zhang hao. the husband that raised her daughter, sung hanbin. and finally, ricky shen. (un)fortunately for her, her soulmates keep dying.
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genre: romance with adult themes warnings: mentions of death, blood, character death, killers, cursing, etc. contains adult themes. each chapter will have specified warnings. note: yujin is not in this series as he is not 18 yet.
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CHAPTERS
chapter zero: the first few soulmates
chapter one: the man she first married, kim jiwoong
chapter two: the man she had a daughter with, zhang hao
chapter three: the man that raised her daughter, sung hanbin
chapter four: unfortunately, ricky shen
chapter five: the finale
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PREVIEW OF CH ZERO. (below the cut)
“Got anything that’ll get me drunk in the next ten minutes?” 
You plopped down on the bar stool, haphazardly placing your purse next to you. The bartender is eyeing you strangely, as if in disbelief that you’re even inside their hole in the wall establishment. 
You sigh and pull out your identification card, a laminated piece of junk that tells you how old you really are. Scratch that, how old you are meant to be. He picks up the card and raises it up next to your face, comparing the woman in the picture to the you that sits in front of him. It reminds you that you need to get it renewed…again. After all, the last time you updated your photo was sometime in the 80s, reflecting a version of you with big hair and large colorful earrings. You don’t blame him for wanting to double check, contrasting the all-black ensemble you currently sport. 
“Listen pal, I just buried my daughter today. I would appreciate it if you could get on with it”. You might not blame him, but you are impatient. 
He slides your ID card back and pours you a whiskey on the rocks. “Sorry for your loss ma’am” he solemnly extends his condolences as he places your drink in front of you. You pick it up, raising it and nodding a “thank you” before taking a large gulp. It burns. 
You outlived your daughter. And you wonder if you’ve been going about life in all the wrong ways.
Atop the alcohol display at the bar is a small TV, flashing a report about a young woman named Somi who was murdered and found dead at her home – leaving her husband a widower. The news station flashed a photo of the blonde couple, sharing that they had just gotten married a week ago. She was beautiful. A shame. 
At that moment, a tall man enters the bar and decides to take a seat next to you. Other than the fact that he too, is dressed in all black – you feel a deeper sense of similarity. Like kindred spirits, you recognize broken souls like yours. You order two more rounds of the whiskey the bartender gave you. 
“I heard about your late wife in the news, I’m sorry for your loss.” You feign sympathy and slide the glass to the man next to you. 
He looks taken aback at first, but accepts your offer. Now facing you, he raises his drink to you. You do the same.
He’s strikingly handsome, with platinum hair and dark eyebrows. You also don’t miss that he’s dressed in Yves Saint Laurent from head to toe. He takes a peek at your ID card still laying on the table, making sure to catch your name. 
“Next one’s on me, Y/N” he says, taking another swig at his whiskey, finishing his glass. He calls on the bartender, and buys an entire bottle for the two of you. The bartender returns his credit card, with the name ‘Shen Quanrui’ engraved. 
“Thank you Quanrui, that’s very generous of you.” 
He puts on a small smile, almost no one calls him by his legal name. “You can call me Ricky” he says as he pours into your glass. 
“Alright Ricky. Here’s to life.” you raise up. It feels inappropriate to be clinking glasses on the day you buried your daughter, but you figured you could make an exemption. Ricky too, seemed to be going through the same thing with his late wife. 
“To life.” he responds, tapping his glass against yours. 
Just two broken souls who had lost someone important in their lives, drinking to fill the hollowness. You almost don’t feel the familiar bloom in your chest, tugging at your entire being like a magnet trying to find its other half. And if you do feel it, you pretend it’s the whiskey burning its place in your heart. 
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REPLY OR SEND AN ASK TO BE TAGGED TO THIS SERIES
tagging: @dwcljh@snowflakemoon3@kpoprhia@en-ct@jiaant11@caocoamamam@mashihope@wonluvrbot@littlegirltacos@ihrtgw@ollieluvrs@thejadeazalea@keiwook@yjhcloud@gyuvinnie@doobinnies@forrds
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jebewonmorelike · 6 months
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✰⋆⁺ Steal Your Heart ⁺⋆✰
*ੈ Part One: The Fool ♡ The Beginning
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♡ Steal Your Heart Masterlist
♡ Read this Introductory Post and the Masterlist for details!
˚☽˚。⋆ Steal Your Heart: An Interactive Fanfiction Game
... Collect Points to Determine Your Love Interest and Special Ending!!
⁺⋆✰ wc: 2.9k (it looks long because of all the media, but it's not i promise!)
⁺⋆✰ reader-insert pronouns: none used; n/a -- reader is the 10th member of AU ZB1, but the group is referred to only as an "idol" group. no mentions or descriptions of gender of reader.
⁺⋆✰ chapter warnings: crime (reader was wrongfully convicted of a crime), swearing, mild violence, mentions of drinking and dui, angst... and the start of a really fun adventure! all ages welcome; pg-13+ themes.
⁺⋆✰ summary: for series summary click here. one day, a glitch in the matrix causes (y/n) to enter a different dimension where they gain special powers that will help them and the rest of zb1 to defeat their evil company once and for all. AU. based on the jrpg persona 5.
⁺⋆✰ please download the scoresheet for the game here!
・゜゜ . . * ✧・゚・ ✧・゚: ・゜゜・.
Welcome to the start of our game, Player. Make sure you have your score sheet ready! When there’s a mini-decision or chapter choice coming up, I’ll pop in to give you a brief tutorial. But for now, let’s travel back to where our story begins, shall we?
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“We’ll ask you one more time, (Y/N)-sshi,” a burly police officer says; elbows propped on the metal table as he glares at you distrustfully. Anything you say is the wrong answer. “Where were you the night of June 19th, 2022?”
“I was at an event,” you say slowly, watching as the corner of the officer’s lip begins to twitch. “It was an after-party for the premiere of our new tour documentary. The whole company was there! They all saw me there.”
The officer nods. “They did indeed. The problem, (Y/N)-sshi, is that not one of them remembers seeing you leave.”
A blurred memory of colored strobe lights, a black sportscar, and a man in a suit flash in your mind. The truth is that you don’t really remember leaving the party either.
“It was... It got kind of crazy,” you admit, pulling at the skin on your fingers. “I don’t--... I don’t know what happened.”
The officer nods, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms. “You and your group members have a bit of a reputation, don’t you?”
“It’s not like that,” you counter, furrowing your brow annoyedly. “It’s hard, okay? Being an idol is... We just--... We just want to have a bit of fun sometimes, but--.”
The officer’s interest is piqued by your confession. “A bit of ‘fun’? Can I assume by ‘fun’ you mean... partying? Drinking? S--.”
“And?” You spit. “Weren’t you young once? Or were you always a middle-aged assh*le that smells like hot dog water?”
A splash of water hits your face, running down your neck and soaking your shirt.
“You wanna be a smartass?” The officer asks, eyebrows raised. “I’ll book you right now, no questions asked. We already have you at the scene of the crime. We have your fingerprints on the steering wheel of the vehicle. Tell me: what more do I really need from you?”
“I didn’t do it,” you say softly, looking down at your lap sullenly. “I would never drive when I was like that. I wouldn’t.”
“Tell that to Park Junyoung-sshi,” the officer says, standing up from his folding chair and walking to the door of the investigation room. “You can find him in the morgue.”
“Wait! Please! I DIDN’T DO IT! I DIDN’T-- I DIDN’T... I,” you scream, your voice suddenly growing hoarse as it gets harder and harder to speak. “I... didn’t...”
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You groan as the sound of your alarm wakes you from your dream. It could technically be called a nightmare, but you dream it so much that it’s become almost... soothing. 
Forcing yourself up and out of bed, you walk to your closet and throw on a suitable outfit for work. Jeans, a black t-shirt, and athletic sneakers. You open your bedroom door and walk down the hall to the shared bathroom. Taerae is standing at the sink, lazily brushing his teeth.
You smile at him sleepily and he returns the gesture before spitting and exiting the bathroom. You take his place, brushing your teeth, washing your face and examining yourself in front of the mirror. You have to admit: for a convicted felon, you’re still pretty hot.
Not funny, you scold yourself as you walk out of the bathroom and down the hallway to the kitchen. You find Gyuvin at the table organizing a bunch of papers, photographs and flashdrives. Not this again...
“Oh, hey (Y/N)!” He greets with a grin as he scoops some noodles from a pot at the center of the table into an empty bowl for you. You sit down next to him and start to eat your breakfast. “Today’s the day. I think I finally have enough evidence for KBS to take the story!”
You sigh into your bowl of hot noodles. Gyuvin thinks every day is the day that someone will finally care about Total Control Music’s injustices. The reality is, you couldn’t even get your other group members to care. 
And you couldn’t really blame them. They were tired. Distraught. In financial ruin. On an indefinite hiatus because of a crime that you were convicted of. If you were them, you wouldn’t believe you either. 
“I think the video from the 2018 trainee showcase that I broke into President Kim’s assistant’s office to steal is really gonna sway their opinions once and--,” Gyuvin babbles excitedly as you begin to type something into your phone.
“Can you just stop!?” The AI voice on your phone interrupts. You know losing your patience won’t help the situation, but you continue to type anyway-- the AI screenreader vocalizing your words for you as you go. “I don’t need your help, Gyubin-ah! I never asked for it in the first place. Get a f*cking life and stop obsessing over mine.”
Gyuvin blinks back at you; hurt. It’s not an emotion you like to see on your best friend and it should be enough to make you instantly regret everything you just said. But you’re feeling stubborn this morning. And apologies always come out insincere when read by a robot anyway.
“No,” the taller boy says after looking down at his feet and then back up at you. “I won’t. You can lash out at me all you want. I’m still gonna help you.”
Your bottom lip tucks between your teeth as guilt starts to creep in.
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“I’ll be home at 6,” he says coolly as he gathers his things and walks to the door; stepping outside and letting it slam shut behind him.
F*ck, you think. 
You feel a hand on your waist as someone scoots by you. It’s Hanbin. He’s almost glowing as happiness and fulfillment radiate off of him. Jerk.
“I’m off to work,” Hanbin says, pausing in the hallway and looking back at you. “I’ll be back late, okay? Can you make dinner for whoever’s here?”
Hanbin’s attention is caught by some dirty dishes that are sitting on the floor outside of Gunwook’s room. He shakes his head sadly, walking over and picking them up before placing them in the sink.
“Please, (Y/N)?” Hanbin asks, smiling at you hopefully. You roll your eyes as you agree with a reluctant smile. “See, you’re a good egg when I need you to be.”
You put your hands together in the shape of a heart and he grins, walking back towards the front door. 
“Stay hydrated today! See you tomorrow,” Hanbin calls over his shoulder as he heads out the door to his dance studio.
You look at your phone, checking the time. Sh*t, you think, as you find you only have twenty minutes left til you’re meant to report for duty. There’s two new messages in your inbox: one from Ricky and one from Matthew.
You only have time to answer one...
This is so exciting, Player! It’s time for your first mini-decision. These mini-decisions won’t affect the course of the story too much, but they will be an opportunity to earn points.  So, Player... Who would you like to respond to?
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If you picked Ricky, read below...
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You've received +1 Ricky Point for your choice of Ricky. Please add this point to your score sheet.
・゜゜ . . * ✧・゚・ ✧・゚: ・゜゜・.
If you picked Matthew, read below...
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You've received +1 Matthew Point for your choice of Matthew. Please add this point to your score sheet.
・゜゜ . . * ✧・゚・ ✧・゚: ・゜゜・.
Continue Reading Here
You stuff your phone in your back pocket, throwing your bowl in the sink and grabbing your work gloves from your cubby in the hallway before heading out the door.
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Crunch. 
Your grabber stick closes around a water bottle. It’s covered in a horrifically foul-smelling substance and you’re practically gagging at the stench. You pick it up and throw it into the big trash bag you’ve been lugging around for an hour now. You’ve filled six so far during your “shift”.
The sun is unforgiving on this mid June afternoon. It illuminates the reflector tape on your neon orange vest as you collect trash on the side of the highway. A big sign a few hundred feet ahead of you indicates that you’re on National Route 3 this afternoon. You hadn’t worked on this highway yet.
How charming that your new “job” allowed you to keep partaking in one of your favorite things about being an idol... Travel.
Making your way back to the police tent once your trash bag is full, you join the back of the line to hand in the garbage you’ve collected. You chew your cheek, examining the dirt on your shoes when a soft snickering coming from behind you catches your attention.
“That’s that idol. Isn’t it, hyung?” A male voice asks excitedly. “The one who was convicted of vehicular homicide?”
“Community service? Really?” Another voice huffs. “All I did was rob a corner store. Should I really be serving the same sentence as a murderer?”
It doesn’t bother you much anymore. This happens everywhere you go.
“I hear the President of Total Control bribed the judge for a lighter sentence,” a woman chimes in. “Rumor has it, they’ve even started preparing for a comeback.”
“No way,” the first man refutes. “Everyone sees right through ZeroTalentOne now. All the other members are just lucky they didn’t meet the same fate.”
The woman suddenly sighs dreamily. “That Zhang Hao could still take all my money, though.”
“He’s very good,” the older man agrees. “I saw him on a variety show last week. Did you know he’s classically trained on the violin? I hope he can get away from that garbage group once and for all...”
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Your community service shift ends at 5 P.M. as it always does. You got your license back a month ago after 9 months of good behavior. Trading in your BMW for a less conspicuous car, you’ve been trying to get used to driving again. Unfortunately being wrongfully convicted of vehicular manslaughter didn’t exactly put you in a calm state of mind behind the wheel.
Only 13 more months of your sentencing. You could make it til then. Couldn’t you?
You’ve been walking around aimlessly for fifteen minutes after the bus dropped you back at the police station, trying to find where you parked your car. You reluctantly glance across the street at a large, nauseating building looming over you— it’s your company. A sign that reads “Total Control Music” shines from above the entrance and a few young girls are outside holding protest signs.
You sigh. It’s about time you just accept that you’re lost before you get yourself into a mess. Pulling out your phone, you scroll to find your navigation app-- thankful that you put a pin on the map where your car is parked. 
But something unfamiliar next to your navigation app catches your eye...
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Huh? What the hell is that?
You press down on the app with your thumb, opting to move it to trash. Must be some weird virus...
But just as soon as the app is deleted, it reappears on your screen. MetaNav? Maybe it’s a new navigation app that your phone company is beta testing.
You shrug and tap the app to open it and figure out what it is.
“YOU ARE NOW EXITING THE REAL WORLD,” a robotic, feminine voice suddenly booms from your phone. “NAVIGATION SET FOR: THE METAVERSE. HAVE A SAFE TRIP.”
Oh sh*t, is all you have time to think before the world glitches around you. The air grows hazy and the buildings and vehicles in your line of sight begin to distort. 
You look back up at Total Control Music, expecting to see the girls outside screaming and running around in confusion and fear. But the sight you see instead is far stranger.
Where your company headquarters once stood, there is now a giant, golden castle in its place. 
You squint your eyes shut-- wondering if maybe that foul-smelling substance from earlier was toxic waste. That maybe your brain is turning to mush and projecting hallucinations before your inevitable death. 
Or that, maybe, you’ve just finally lost it...
You stare at the palace in front of you for a few moments. If it really is the end, you think... I might as well see it through.
Cautiously, you make your way across the street and up the grand steps of the castle. Your brow furrows suspiciously when you realize that the giant embellished doors are wide open. Like someone left them open just for you.
Don’t be ridiculous, you think; shaking your head annoyedly. This isn’t real. Just go inside, (Y/N).
Your body tenses as you step through the doors and into the castle. It’s unbelievably lavish-- marble pillars and red carpet lining the hall. You gasp as you turn your attention to the decorated walls.
They’re lined with guilded portraits of young, beautiful people. People you recognize. 
You walk up to one of the portraits to examine it more closely. It’s of a handsome young man-- a distinctive, broad grin on his face and cavernous dimples.
It’s Kim Taerae.
Dazed, you walk up to another portrait beside it; instantly recognizing the youthful glow of the young man to be your maknae— Han Yujin.
What is this place? 
Just then, a loud grunt comes from the other side of the hallway. Your eyes land on what appears to be a huge castle guard bumbling down the corridor. He’s wearing the armor of a knight but, as he gets closer, you realize he doesn’t have a face. Instead, black mist swirls in its place. He seems to be some sort of... Shadow.
“WHO GOES THERE?” The shadow guard shouts. For someone without eyes, he sees quite well. 
You blink at the guard; swallowing nervously as he bounds angrily towards you. It’s a good thing this is just a hallucination.
“I SAID, WHO DARES INVADE THE KING’S PALACE?” The shadow guard bellows as he grabs you by the arm. It hurts.
Five more shadow guards suddenly appear as the first one kicks the back of your knees, causing your legs to buckle. You fall to the ground as your free arm is now restrained behind your back as well.
“INVASION IS A CRIME PUNISHABLE BY DEATH,” one of the shadow guards announces. “YOU WILL NOW BE TRIED BY HIS MAJESTY, THE MAGNIFICENT KING KIM HYUNWOO!”
Your eyes widen at the name. Kim Hyunwoo?
President Kim Hyunwoo?
Adorned in a long, devastatingly garish red robe and golden crown, “King” Kim Hyunwoo enters the hall. The shadow guards bow to him furiously. As he approaches, your jaw drops.
It really is him. President of Total Control Music, Kim Hyunwoo. 
“It’s been a long time since you’ve been inside this palace. And, if I’m not mistaken, it should’ve been longer. Your banishment is far from up,” he says, smiling at you cruelly. “But tell me, (Y/N)-sshi, how have you been?”
You stare at him, dumbfounded.
“Oh, that’s right! You lost your voice. Silly me,” President Kim says with a laugh. “It’s not like anyone really cares about that though. It was never as good as my voice anyway.”
Perplexed, you frown. President Kim had been an idol once. He made a couple hit songs in the early 2000s and, after being unable to match his success, founded Total Control Music in 2010. ZeroBaseOne became the company’s only successful idol group when you debuted in 2019. It was assumed that, after everything, you would also be the last.
President Kim was a bit incompetent... A little eccentric at times... Hit on every woman he met just to be turned down... But the look you saw in his eyes now was one you’d never really seen before. It was sinister.
“If it weren’t for my accident--,” he starts and then corrects himself with a smirk, “I mean, your accident, I would’ve finally made enough money off of you to fund my comeback. Now I have to pretend to put all my efforts into that Hao kid and sell your intimate details to the media for extra cash. I suppose I should thank you for taking the fall. Though I guess you didn’t really have a choice, did you?”
Your lip quivers as you stare at him in horror. You can’t be hearing him right. That can’t be true. Did President Kim really frame you that night?
“It was so easy, (Y/N)-sshi,” President Kim hisses with an evil glee. “You and your members had already built your slightly questionable reputations on your own. All I had to do was wrap your fingers around the steering wheel. You couldn’t even stumble away fast enough before someone saw your face at the crime scene.”
Rage like you’ve never known is broiling underneath your skin. All this time... You’d fallen so painfully from grace. You watched your friends follow-- all of your lives and careers, destroyed.
 In the back of your head, you’d even started believing that maybe you’d really done it.
“And the loss of your voice was just a fun bonus,” President Kim says with a smirk. “I had planned to pay off some witnesses to negate your testimony in the courtroom, but how convenient it was when we found out you couldn’t even give one!”
Something in you snaps. A white hot flash blurs your vision as an unfamiliar voice suddenly echoes in your head; a sharp pain searing through you. 
Well, well, well... It took you long enough to grow a backbone, my friend. The name’s Arsène.
You grip the sides of your head, trying to make the voice stop.
I can help you fix this, my friend. You can finally seek retribution from the people who have wronged you. Are you going to let him get away with this?
I... I--...
The pain is so unbearable that you’ve almost gone completely numb. It’s coursing through your whole body, burning you from the inside out and remaking you in its own vision: your true vision. Suddenly, something is forming around your face and fusing to your skin -- a mask? 
Or are you finally going to stand up for yourself and take back what is yours? Come on, answer me! ANSWER ME!
꩜˖ ݁ 𖥔. “I AM!” .𖥔 ݁ ˖꩜
The frantic scream rips from your throat as you rip off the mask that has attached to your skin. You don’t even feel the pain.
The wound heals as soon as it's opened and a new mask sits delicately across your eyes. It’s suddenly clear to you: you are Arsène. Arsène is you. You are silent no more.
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・゜゜ . . * ✧・゚・ ✧・゚: ・゜゜・.
You smile at President Kim, noticing a glint of fear in his eyes. 
“I’d like to make my testimony now.” ‧ ₊ ✫ ˚・
President Kim begins to back up before turning and sprinting out of the hall. The shadow guards lunge for you, but you reach out your hands to stop them. A heavy gust of wind flows from your fingertips; knocking the guards to the ground.
New Skill Unlocked: New Kid on the Block ˖꩜
You glance in the direction that President Kim took off, about to run after him when screeching sirens begin to sound. More shadow guards begin to appear and you’re afraid you’re outnumbered. You sprint to the doors instead, running through them and down the steps of the palace. You start to run to the other side of the street as two guards follow you down the steps. 
“F*ck, get me out of here!”
“GETTING YOU OUT OF HERE,” a robotic feminine voice announces from your back pocket. “RETURNING TO THE REAL WORLD. PLEASE VISIT AGAIN SOON.”
You stand still as the world distorts again, the air growing hazier and the objects around you shaking before finally returning to normal. Out of breath and scared sh*tless, you look back at the castle behind you...
To find the regular, plain-old Total Control Music building in its place.
“Holy sh*t,” you breathe out.
“Holy sh*t,” a voice says behind you. You turn around to find Gyuvin gawking at you; his jaw in danger of touching the floor. “Did you just... speak?”
⁺⋆✰ Chapter Choice ✰⋆⁺
Well, Player, you've reached the end of the chapter and your first chapter choice. Chapter choices won't always come at the end of the chapter-- they might be somewhere in the middle instead. You can enter your choice in the poll below if you like, but you don't have to! It's just there because your Game Master is curious as to what you'll pick. ;) Your choice will have consequences in the next chapter that may earn you points, so remember which option you picked so you can read the corresponding excerpt!
So, Player, will you choose to...
CHOICE 1: Lie to Gyuvin
OR
CHOICE 2: Tell Gyuvin the Truth
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gyuvxx · 4 months
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૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡ requests are open!
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zerobaseonefics · 11 months
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now playing ╰₊✧ ゚⚬𓂂➢ the 'taylor swift' series
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🎹⸝⸝﹕'cardigan' kim jiwoong. [exes to lovers, angst, fluff] tba
kim jiwoong was your first love and the one who made you feel like you were worth it for the first time. unfortunately, after you graduated high school, you had to break up for many reasons. you never dated someone else after him. years passed and you started to think you'll never find true love again when life decided to make you two meet again.
'and when i felt like i was an old cardigan under someone's bed, you put me on and said i was your favorite'
🎹⸝⸝﹕'love story' zhang hao [forbidden love, angst, fluff] tba
zhang hao and you were born in two families that are known to be the biggest rivals since more than 3 generations now. what happens when you end up falling for each other?
'romeo save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel'
🎹⸝⸝﹕'wildest dreams' sung hanbin [idol!hanbin x idol!reader, angst, fluff] tba
three years after your debut, your group is finally getting recognized by the grand public thanks to your new song which is topping the chart. to promote your group, you are sent to the new season of the show 'we got married'. your fake relationship made up for the show with zerobaseone's leader slowly starts to become real... will you get an happy end?
'say you'll see me again even if it's just in your wildest dreams'
🎹⸝⸝﹕'paper rings' seok matthew [childhood friends to lovers, fluff] tba
you never dared to tell your best friend, matthew, that you kept the paper ring he gave you when you were kids, asking you to marry him. however, after a bit of alcohol and an accident, it seems like there was no point in hiding it anymore.
'i hate accidents except when we went from friends to this'
🎹⸝⸝﹕'lover' kim taerae [established relationship, fluff] tba
after lots of highs and lows, taerae and you can finally tell your kids the whole story about how you met and how you fell in love.
'i've loved you three summers now, honey, but I want 'em all'
🎹⸝⸝﹕'enchanted' shen ricky [bestfriends to lovers, fake dating, fluff]
your best friend ricky and you are now reaching the age where your parents want you to find a lover to bring at the annual gala they organize. it might be the push you two needed after secretly having a crush on each other.
'this night is sparkling, don't you let it go, i'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home'
🎹⸝⸝﹕'stay stay stay' kim gyuvin [angst, fluff, honestly just idiots that broke up over a dumb thing] tba
okay, maybe you overreacted when you decided to storm off and break up with gyuvin just because he missed you date. now, you're supposed to get him back... unless he does it first.
'i'm pretty sure we almost broke up last night, i threw my phone across the room at you'
🎹⸝⸝﹕'georgous' park gunwook [highschool!au, classmates to lovers, fluff] tba
gunwook is quite confused... when he thought he was getting closer to his crush, aka you, the said crush started to be cold towards him. psst, gunwook!! they are just afraid of their feelings!!
'you're so cool, it makes me hate you so much'
🎹⸝⸝﹕'never grow up' han yujin [platonic !!] tba
after two years in college, you started to come back to your parents' house less and less. for the first time in a while now, you were able to come back for christmas. hearing your little brother's whining about random things. with a nostalgic point of view, you teach him that the moments he's living right now are worth it.
'and don't lose the way that you dance around in your PJs getting ready for school'
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miisart · 7 months
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