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The Witching Hour: Fly with Me

Pairing: idol! I.M. x POC Female

Type:  One Shot

Genre: Smut, Idol au

Links: FAQ || MONSTA X Masterlist || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

WC: 2.2k

Warning:  Switch!I.M, established relationship, unprotected sex, oral [f receiving], cockwarming, multiple orgasms, back at it with the Amazon position shenanigans [classic and kneeling], messydreamy sex, pining?? [he makes me wanna write poems and i don’t understand it. ;.;]

A/N : poem /spoken bolded words are mine. Moodboard by me. Again this mofo makes me flowery and fucking poetic. I don’t know why, that’s the vibe. So here’s another longer installation into this...series of moments. Wanna make your friends feel better? Write something for them. 

The Witching Hour - pt 1

Songs: Horizon - I.M.,  시든 꽃(flower-ed) - I.M

© thebiasrekkers (Admin T). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

A boy thinks about a girl that sets his soul ablaze. Thousands of miles separate them again, as they are want to do. The distance makes him frigid, unable to find warmth in the burn of the sun at high noon. He feels empty, void of even the most base emotions. He lives in a world of black, white, and brown alcohol with no ice. 

How do I see you?

Because the ice kills the burn, he wants the burn so that he can feel it. 

Strong. 

A boy thinks about a girl that sets his soul ablaze. The tapestry of the world passes him by as he travels to and fro. Faces are dark and bland, but he hears the sound of their jubilation. He hears the sounds of their admiration - for them. 

For him. 

Soft encased in steel.

His eyes are bright, nonetheless, as the flames of a performer burn within him. It races his blood, heats his skin, quenches a thirst now and again. But he misses her. He craves her. 

He wants her. 

Weary of the world.

A warm, sepia-toned vision fueled by heaven and hell. She gave him yin and yang. She gave him pleasure and pain. She offered, and he inhaled it as life itself. She gave him vibrancy, and he knelt at her feet. He prayed to her altar in the most earnest of ways. He prayed that she would continue to bless him. He prayed that she would continue to see that his world would be nothing without her inside of it. 

But yearning to find your place within it.

While inside of him - he longed to be inside of her. Complete and forgetful of the outside world, praying with her name falling from his lips. They sought enlightenment in the endorphin chase of their connected bodies. 

Beautiful to all but yourself

That was then - and now? Thousands of miles separate them, as they are want to do. 

Precious to me

--My Air--

Stop that. I can feel your mind wandering in my direction.

I see a goddess, regal. 

His phone vibrated on a desk in another hotel room. His eyes slid to the message that popped up across the screen. Lips lifted in the barest of smirks as his fingers swiped across the keyboard of his phone. He was writing sonnets, poems, and confessions. He erased them all, the overspill of his bleeding heart. 

And I am your throne.

--The Poet--

I miss you.

--My Air--

You always say that.

--The Poet--

I always mean it.

I am your gilded seat.

--My Air--

Kyun...

--The Poet--

Please. Come to me. 

“I’m so fucking selfish,” he muttered to himself with a bitter laugh. 

The phone was tossed to the side of the bed as he laid an arm across his forehead. The gentle patter of rain lulled him to sleep. He dreamed about random things, images of strange things twisted and warped inside of his subconscious. He finally zeroed in on the thing he wanted the most. Right before he could indulge in that wispy figure - his phone vibrated again. 

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes because he refused to believe the message - an address. He balked momentarily before grabbing a mask and his hat while shoving his wallet into his jeans. There’s apparent confusion on his face as he punched the button for an elevator. He was nervous and anxious by the time the Uber came around.

He bit into the tip of his fingernail as the ride crested into the thirty-minute mark. And then it was over. He was slightly outside the city. He paid the driver a hefty tip before stepping out into the rain. The modern cut of the two-story home seemed to loom ominously as he looked at his phone. He doesn’t care about the rain soaking him through as he texted her back. 

--The Poet--

I’m here.

Take your place upon me.

“So am I,” a familiar voice responds as the door opens. He’s at the top step, skin steaming as he reaches for her. He looks pitiful, letting the rain seep into his clothes. They stare at each other, erasing the world down to their existence. 

He claims her in a rush, breaking enough to lock the door. She pushes the jacket from his shoulders. He presses his wet body against hers, and he is whole. Their tongues tangle together as he dips enough to grab the back of her thighs. He maneuvers enough for the hat and shirt to be discarded. 

He was finally bare-chested, moist, and burning against the thin fabric of her t-shirt and flimsy pajama shorts. He could feel the heat of her against his abdomen. His fingers grazed through the soft coils of her hair. “How?” He ate at her mouth, teeth tugging at the sweet gloss of her bottom lip. “How are you here?” 

Her legs were locked with a vice grip at his sides. She shook her head, a finger placed to his lips. “Let me ease your burden,” she offered a dulcet purr of sound as he stepped back until his legs hit the edge of a bed. There was the scent of sandalwood and dragon’s blood in the air. A scattering of candles bathed them in soft light. All the things that called to his dark poetic heart. 

And face the world... 

He released her, letting her slide down the hard rippled planes of his body. He dropped to his knees, burying his face in the soft flesh of her stomach. His fingers dug desperately into her hips as he inhaled the scent of her. Her fingers ran through the wet strands of his hair. His fingers slid under her shirt, which she promptly removed. She reached for the waistband of her shorts, and he stopped her. 

She saw the hungry gaze in his eyes and let her hands fall away. She knew that look; he made sure she did. A soft smirk lifted the corner of her mouth. A fingernail raised the point of his chin. “Then make your offering.” 

He pressed his face against her covered heat. He knew there was nothing beneath these shorts. He could feel that wet spot growing beneath his lips. He ghosted over the pajama-covered imprint of her pussy. He knew its shape and its secrets. He opened his mouth and sucked at the cloth that kept him from that treasure. He pulled the fabric taut until it slithered between the lips of her pussy. He could taste her with each pull, his tongue snaking out to tease her clit. Sucking furiously until a wanton moan bubbled out of her. 

He yanked the shorts down while he leaned his back against the edge of the bed. He pulled her forward. That hungry took in the length of her body, a warm sepia tone glistening in the dark. 

And all his.

He palmed her ass, bringing her forward until his mouth was in a perfect position. The first tentative flick of his tongue had her thrusting toward his mouth. “Use me,” he said with another flick. “Take me.” The flat pad of his tongue pressed against her clit, sliding down toward the entrance of her sex. Trying to collect her taste, lewd wet sounds of his tongue stirring the slick that pooled. 

His cock was trapped in the tight wet fabric of his jeans. She settled over his face, looking down at him. He noted the look of possession in her eyes as she grabbed a handful of his hair. He moaned into her pussy, tongue out and stiff as she fucked herself on his face. A hand raised to capture a breast, fingers pinch tugging at her nipples. 

She switched from a slow, languid pace, steadily increasing as her pleasure built. He could feel the quiver in her thighs, the clench of her pussy on the tip of his tongue. She threw her head back as he pulled her forward. He opened his mouth wide to take all of her in. A rapid flick of his tongue and the sneak of a ring-studded finger had her crying his name. 

She fell forward, shaking as he pumped her through the explosion. He was sure he came in his jeans, and it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he was inside of her. She gasped for air, her body shaking as she moved to the side to fall on the bed. She heard the thunder in her ears, and she was sure it was the storm outside. 

It couldn’t have anything to do with how he ate her like a main dish. Her eyes felt like marbles in her skull. She leaned up on her elbows as their gazes met. He slipped the finger covered in her essence in his mouth again. 

Her head tilted to the side as he stood, her foot lifting to press gently into the outline in his jeans. “Take them off.” 

Head high.

He reached for the button, the zipper, their gazes still locked. The band of Versace underwear was barely in the frame before he sprung up hard against his stomach. He felt her eyes on him as he grabbed the base of his cock. It was as if his body wept for her attention. 

She sat up, leaning forward, her tongue swirling to collect the taste of him. His eyes rolled shut as she lapped at the angry tip of his cock. He looked down as those plush lips engulfed the head. He prayed he wouldn’t blackout as she tried to take him all in. “Baby, fuck, not like this. I don’t know if I can last.” There was mischief in her eyes as she moaned. The vibration had him curling his toes into the floor. 

Because…

It happened fast - she turned and pushed him down on the bed. She flung her leg over his waist. He grabbed at his cock, holding it straight. “You’re beautiful.” 

She rubbed the slick of her pussy against the head of his cock. He grits his teeth as she lowered in small shallow pulls. Her hands pushed the shiny crimson-tinted coils above her head. Looking down at his face as she sucked him in bit by bit, inch by inch, with each swivel of her hips. 

Changkyun was no small feat to take in. 

She knew that he could kiss her cervix open if she wasn’t careful. His hands slid against her inner thighs as she rocked him into her body. The squelching noises echoed in the dark space of the room. Then finally, she had him completely and totally inside. She settled down on her throne, utterly full of him.

She rocked her hips in a slow drag, figure eight. He growled, digging painted fingernails into the meat of her hips. She worked her lower body, mouth open on a soft pant. He was in the best kind of agony, ready to cum at any second. “Make love to me,” he says, strained. 

Because to me…

She lifts up just enough to get his legs on the outside of her own. She rakes her nails down his inner thighs; takes great satisfaction feeling him pulse inside of her. She smoothes her hands up the rippled planes of his abs, rocking her hips into him. 

And he feels it, the switch in position as he wraps his legs around her. He could feel her clit sliding across his shaft. He could feel the drip of her arousal down his inner thighs. She moves her hands behind his knees, rocking her body into him at a brutal pace.

“You’re so pretty like this. Letting me fuck you so good like this.” She moans, feeling that molten pool in the pit of her stomach—the electricity at the base of her spine. “Tell me something pretty….” She uses his words against him. 

But he can hardly think watching her fuck him. Looking up at her like the amazon that she is. Vital, beautiful to everyone but herself, and all his. He reaches forward, grabbing more of her ass, forcing her to ride him just a bit harder. 

“You are my Queen.” He moans, pulling her down to devour her mouth. His legs lock around her as pussy quivers around him. She feels like home, and he never wanted to leave. “Come for me….” He breathes against her lips. “Come with me….” 

Their bodies crashed together as their voices rose without care. Lewd, wet body slapping sounds, breathing stops and starts. He cries out first, arms wrapping around her, holding him close to her. He shakes so hard, scared this is a sordid dream, as he chants her name like a prayer.

The orgasm rocks her, blurs her vision, fills her ears with the sound of his prayer. She feels like she’s left her body, but he holds her. He pours his load into her; it mixes with hers, streams down her thighs, and creams his cock.

They pant, drained and spent but locked in a sticky embrace. 

He can’t hear anything for the first few minutes. Her hips still held him captive, and the tiny undulations were driving him mad. Finally, he cups her ass, pushing into her with two long, deep strokes.

He cums again and sees stars. He sees his universe stretch out into the crimson coiled halo laid on his chest. He softens inside of her, but he stays. The aftershocks of their lovemaking sent shivers up his spine. He pushes the hair from her face. 

He watches her bite her lip, lifts her gaze to his, and he’s reminded once more. “You’re so beautiful.” 

Because you are the Queen of my soul.

Circles of Marigolds | CHW

Plot: Hyungwon is a fiend whose cynicism has him trapped inside of an invisible prison. He’s only known those ruined walls for countless amounts of years. Resigning himself to his fate, a curious stranger appears and throws his world into a small bubble of controlled chaos.

Rating: Mature // 18+ // NSFW

Genre: angst | hurt/comfort | supernatural

Pairing: Fiend/Demon!Chae Hyungwon x OC [Sabine Archer]

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, Self-Injury (Hyungwon injures himself), blood, gore, heavy angst, swearing, recounting past rape and emotional trauma [not OC], magic/supernatural powers, mentions of death and wanting to die, explosive emotions/heavy cynicism

Links: FAQ || Monsta X Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 16.8k (THICC)

AN: I was just sitting on my couch and playing Nier Replicant when this story decided to dream itself up. I’m a huge visual novel nerd so there may or may not be elements I took from a variety of things I’ve read to help inspire this work as well. There is no smut. There is no romance. There is only pain. READ ALL WARNINGS! If you expected smut or romance then I’m here to tell you, this ain’t it, Chief.

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

Marigolds symbolize beauty, warmth, creativity and winning the affection of someone through hard work. It is also said that marigolds, in the language of flowers, means cruelty, grief and jealousy.

~c.h.~

Much of the stone walls and floors were weathered into dirt and dust, revealing the foundation. The ceiling, too, was crumpled to the ground; layered in flakes and bits. The dirt beneath a pair of worn leather shoes was such tired soil. 

Tired, tired soil.

There wasn’t much to do there except burn dead leaves and wait. To watch the smoke rise slowly and tickle the inside of one’s nose.

Dull as bones. That’s all it was.

It was morning. Hyungwon could smell it in the air. There was the faintest scent of fresh dew collecting on the foliage outside. A healthy shower would fall on the world in a few days, if not that very day. Unfortunately, he would not be able to see it. He hadn’t been able to see it for some time. He could do nothing, because he was stuck.

Others would say “cursed”, though he preferred the term “bound”.

He’d lost count years ago. Odd for a fiend such as him. Their kind was well-known for being able to ascertain the time; down to the very minute. No - the very second of every single moment. He didn’t like to think about it very much. It didn’t change his situation any. If anything, dwelling on it only made his predicament all the more pitiable. 

Or laughable, depending on who you were.

Kneeling down to the small fire he’d created, he took a few of the embers into his palm - inhaling the acrid smell of burnt earth. The amber glow was the only thing that reminded Hyungwon that he had a heartbeat. That he was still alive.

He brought the scorched earth closer to his face, shutting his eyes as he tasted it and spit. Sighing, he dropped the dirt back into the mouth of the flames and watched as the orange and red tongues devoured it once more.

It’s barren.

Of course it was. It was always barren. Because for a being such as him, standing in a singular spot and allowing his miasmic aura to seep out from his skin, the land would wither away with each step he took. It was the nature of his kind. Regardless of the stories, his kin were a very fickle and emotional sort of lot. Modern scientists weren’t necessary to obtain such a conclusion. One look around him and anyone could determine that he was none-too-pleased to be trapped the way he was.

...I’m going to be waiting forever.

Suddenly, the dead leaves and grass rustled off in the distance. Quickly rising to his feet, Hyungwon's eyes shifted in every direction imaginable while he strained his ears. The bored side of himself believed that it was just the wind - the weather pressing on for an oncoming storm. But there was something...unnatural about it. If it had been the wind, surely all the leaves around him would have moved in tandem.

No. This was coming from the east end of the weathered hall. It had to be.

Silencing his breath, Hyungwon struggled to swallow the lump in his throat as his own heartbeat began to climb rapidly. He didn’t dare to hope, yet his own excitement could hardly be smothered. A whirlwind of questions began to assault his mind, fighting for dominance over the loud drumming of his heart.

What is it? he thought, feeling his brows furrow slightly, Who? Is there another one here?

Hyungwon’s mind was racing on what he should do. Did he remain silent? No, that was simply foolish. He’d been waiting for this sort of fortuitous occurrence for who knew how many decades now. Being quiet in the presence of another was out of the question. 

But could he be forward? Would yelling out to the stranger be even more foolish? Perhaps a lie was in order.

Help! Help! I’ve been so wickedly trapped! 

Would that work?

He frowned.

Of course it wouldn’t.

Hyungwon knew he needed to just be still. He needed to just listen and listen closely. 

As he quieted his breath, he also quieted his thoughts. All he had to do was pay attention. It wouldn’t take him long to figure out what was going on. He just had to be patient, quiet, and attentive. 

The shuffling grew louder; more frantic. Chests whined as they were opened and doors were hurriedly thrown out as whatever the new presence was continued its busy movements. Clearly they were exploring. Most likely they were a scavenger of some sort. Hyungwon couldn’t hide the smirk that pulled at the corners of his lips. 

This whole building was little more than a ruin now; a ghost of its former glorious self. There wouldn’t be anything to scavenge in a neglected man-made thing such as this. The most outstanding miracle was that someone found this place at all.

Hearing all that noise was just...odd to him. It shouldn’t have been, but it was. 

Strange, he thought, his frown returning, I should remember sounds such as these…

The distinct clatter of a metal pot resonated through the halls - echoing against the weathered stone pillars of what remained of that place. Whoever it was, they managed to stumble through the lounge and into the kitchen. Several more metal tinny sounds reverberated over the air and tickled the hairs along the back of his neck. Hyungwon scoffed, noting that said stranger was making a right mess of the place. If they managed to make it from there, then it wouldn’t take them long to stumble into the grand hall that he was currently situated in.

On the off chance that it did happen, Hyungwon stood up straight and flattened his palms along the lapels of his suit jacket. Just as he began fluffing up his hair a measure, the sound began to draw closer until, to his surprise, it showed up through the doors the very next minute.

No. 

Not an it. 

A she.

A human girl.

She was carrying a pack and there was a bottle swinging from her waist. Maybe she was a traveler? It didn’t appear that she’d noticed Hyungwon yet. Her stare was adrift and she seemed almost distracted by the new area she stumbled into. 

After a few more steps, he seemed to catch her eye. She moved a little closer to stare at Hyungwon’s face. A little more to look down at his feet. She stopped there. There was no other movement that existed between them.

She continued to stare. Nothing more. 

Without meaning to, Hyungwon found himself doing the same. When was the last time he’d seen another person? How was he supposed to react? Clearly they could see him. How could they not? He stuck out like a sore thumb around the backdrop of this broken down wonder. His pale hair and clear gray eyes were probably even more strange, regardless of the finely tailored suit he donned.

No, that most definitely made his appearance even more strange.

“...come here.”

As if realizing something, she stiffened. Her heartbeat was loud in the air, causing Hyungwon’s ears to ring a little. He felt his deadpan expression melt into a small measure of amusement.

“I need your help, so come here.”

Hyungwon’s voice beckoned her, taking on a friendly air. He certainly didn’t want to scare the poor girl. It wouldn’t help his current predicament in the slightest. However, the girl didn’t bend a single square inch. In fact, there seemed to be a furrow of doubt forming on her brow.

This caused his own brows to knit and the next time he spoke, there was a harsh edge to his words. “What in the hell are you waiting for, brat?!” He watched her eyes widen slightly as her shoulders jumped in surprise. He felt one of his fangs dig into the meat of his lower lip as he glared at her. “Oh, have I been rude? Have I offended you? Then how about this? You are invited to move your daft legs, you hear?!”

It was the first conversational words he’d spoken in centuries. To be fair, they could have been much worse. 

She shook with fear and took a step back. “...a-a fiend?”

“Slow on the uptake, are you? Does it even matter? Stop shaking in your frilly underskirt and get over here.”

The girl grit her teeth, balling up her fist and then pointing an accusatory finger at Hyungwon. “N-No way! You’ll definitely try to devour my soul!”

Hyungwon balked, feeling his jaw slacken at the outrageous declaration. “I’ll what now?” He felt a smile tear across his face. It didn’t take long for him to fall into a small fit of laughter. “What was that? Your soul, you say?”

When was the last time he’d laughed like this? 

His grin continued to broaden and he felt a warmth collecting deep within his insides. Confidently, he flashed his teeth at the girl and watched as she shrank back a measure - increasing the distance between them little by little. Lifting a hand up to his face, he pressed his palm against his cheek and canted his head slightly. His full-fanged smile continued to show.

“Person? Ah, yes, person.” Hyungwon chuckled. “You’re just perfect. Too perfect. A comedian, you are.” Casting her a knowing look, he lifted a brow in question. “Say, won’t you listen to what I have to say?” He took a breath, sucking in his lips between his teeth before releasing them with a soft pop, revealing a single fang between his thick buds. Hyungwon’s eyes narrowed in mischief. “...before I eat your soul, that is.”

Again, Hyungwon burst into gales of laughter. The girl didn’t take too kindly to his amusement, not that it mattered to him. This was great entertainment after endless years of silence and isolation. 

The girl glared back at him, steeled herself, and took a step forward to emphasize her need to showcase her courage in his presence. “You won’t catch me off guard, demon!” She puffed her chest out in a show of defiance and pride. “I’ve read the stories about your kind. I may be weary, but I’m no fool!”

Hyungwon’s grin remained. “Ah, am I that famous?” He clicked his tongue along the roof of his mouth. “I see. I’ve left a mark then, hm?”

“You know what I mean!”

“No, I really don’t.”

The girl puffed her cheeks out, stomping one of her booted feet into the dead leaves around her. “Devils are what you are! Fiendish demons!” Again, she pointed at Hyungwon and he didn’t bother hiding his amusement this time. “I know how it is!”

He leaned forward, still smirking while shoving his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “Oh? And how is it? Enlighten me, would you?”

She seemed surprised by how unfazed he appeared. But it was unavoidable. Everything tumbling from this girl’s mouth was just too hilarious.

The furrow of her brows deepened to showcase her displeasure. Hyungwon thought she looked cute but kept this comment to himself...for now.

“You’re all foul and you try to trick people at every chance afforded to you!”

“Trick you?!” Hyungwon threw his head back and laughed, his fingers curling into fists in his pockets in an attempt to steady himself. It would be very embarrassing if he were to fall backwards on his ass in the presence of this adorable stranger. “Ha!”

He really couldn’t believe it.

What’s happened in all the years I’ve been gone?

A small stretch of silence manifested between them once more. Hyungwon cut through said silence with a soft chuckle.

“And what if I don’t want to trick you, Girl?” Removing one hand from his pocket, he gave a soft flourish with his arm as he gestured to her. “What if I simply wish to hear your voice?”

The girl’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Wha? What the hell does that even mean?”

A giddy feeling began to swirl in Hyungwon’s chest. “Well, why don’t you tell me what it is you’ve read? What adventures have you gone on? I’m terribly bored and I’d love to hear a story.”

She turned her nose up at  him. “...I think I’ll leave.”

“You’d turn your back on a wicked, bloodthirsty creature such as me?” Once again, he flashed his fiendish fangs at the girl. “A fiend, huh?”

This time she scoffed. “I know something rotten when I see it. You’re not fooling anyone, let alone me.”

Another chuckle rumbled in his chest. Ah, she’s just so precious.

He shrugged, sighing as he waved a hand back and forth. “Alright, alright. You win.” He stuck his hand back in his pocket. “You’re right. Like all of us demons, devils and wicked fiends, I am merely trying to obtain your wonderful soul through my devious wit.” Hyungwon gazed at her through hooded eyes. “It’s plain to see that I am a rookie in this field. Green around the ears, you could say.”

It was clear the girl understood that Hyungwon was, in fact, making fun of her earlier accusations against his person. The fiend had no intention of denying it should she ask. He may have been a demon, but he was no liar.

“...why the hell do you want to listen to me so much?”

Her voice, curious, cut through the quiet and seemed to echo off the walls. Yes. It certainly had been years since he’d last heard another voice other than his own. Too many years. Hyungwon wasn’t about to let an opportunity like this slip through his fingertips.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m bored out of my gourd and your voice is quite pleasant to listen to.”

Hyungwon noted the soft flush that tinted the girl’s cheeks. She was clearly an innocent thing, this child of man. It was simply too amusing to tease her in every manner he could think of.

She puffed out her cheeks again. “Liar!”

“I truly want to listen,” he said softly, “would you be so kind as to indulge this fledgling of a demon just this once?”

The girl seemed to be considering it. What a treat! And she was kind if she was, in fact, considering his request. Had the world decided to give Hyungwon a break from the monotony that was his existence inside these weathered walls and his circular prison?

“I might have a story that is appropriate.” She placed a finger on her chin. “I believe it’s a story from one of the books I read a lot when I was small.”

Hyungwon gave a gentle clap of his hands, leaning forward as he waited for her to continue. There wasn’t a need for him to be pushy. He was getting his way, albeit roundabout in fashion, but he would still obtain what he desired in the end. Short-term goals would bear fruit to long lasting happiness. Or some such drivel. 

Had he made that up just now? It wouldn’t have surprised him.

“There was once a cobbler who lived in a village. He didn’t have a girl and it forced him into a sad state of affairs.”

“He didn’t have a girl?” The fiend frowned. “What’s that mean? Don’t human men pride themselves in having sons? Who cares if he didn’t have a daughter?”

The girl scoffed, rolling her eyes while crossing her arms over her chest. “He didn’t have a sweetheart. A wife!”

Hyungwon parted his lips in realization. “Ah, I see.” He, once again, had to bite back the urge to laugh at her displeased expression. “Continue.”

“Anyway, so the man was poor and he was trying to find work. But no one in the village needed their shoes fixed so he started traveling to another village.”

“Well that’s stupid.” Hyungwon brushed a hand through his fringe. “He should’ve just gone around messing up everyone’s shoes if he needed work. No sense leaving for something so trivial.”

“The cobbler,” she continued, ignoring him, “traveled through a dense forest filled with fog. It soon fell dark but he had to keep going until he reached the next village over. On the road, he met a man with a cloak. The cobbler, desperate for work, asked the man if he needed his shoes fixed. The man in the cloak replied saying that he didn’t have any shoes that needed fixing but he could really use a new pair of shoes.”

Not sure where the tale was headed, Hyungwon stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets and rocked back on his heels. It was too early to decide what was actually going to happen so he wouldn’t make any judgments. Not yet.

The girl shuffled forward, squatting down on the ground as she picked up a few dead leaves. “That offer was no good for the cobbler because, well, he’s a cobbler. Not a shoe maker. So he politely declined and proceeded to head down the road. He travels a little further and he meets another man with a cloak. Again, the cobbler asks if the man needs his shoes worked on and the man in the cloak replied that he could really use a new pair of shoes. So the cobbler politely bids the man farewell and continues down the path. He moves even further down the path and, once more, he meets a man with a cloak on the side of the road...”

Hyungwon felt a sneer tugging at his lips. Oh, I know where this is going, he thought bitterly.

“The cobbler finally relents and asks the man what he would give him if he were to get the man a new pair of shoes and the man in the cloak replies ‘Anything’. So the cobbler offers to buy him a pair of shoes and bring them back by sunset the next day. The man in the cloak gives him a bag of coins, taking note of his silver eyes, and the cobbler returns to the village. But as he starts to head back, he notices that the road has changed once more and it is no longer familiar to him.”

The fiend snorted. Yup. This is exactly where I thought it was going. Sighing, he waited for the girl to continue but saw her peering up at him in an almost accusatory manner. “So what happened with the cobbler? Did he ever make it back to the village?”

The girl stood up, dusting off the backs of her legs. “Nope. He wasn’t able to leave the forest and, therefore, was unable to obtain the shoes he promised. He was trapped and damned for eternity.”

“So what you’re saying,” he began, narrowing his eyes a measure, “is that for all you know, I’ve already trapped you. Is that right?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I’m not sure what you’re capable of and I don’t want to know. Not really.” She gave him a pointed look. “Something’s odd about you.”

Hyungwon sighed, unable to force the smile back from twitching at the corners of his mouth. “I’ve been called a great many things in my lifetime, Human, and odd is definitely not one of them.” He scoffed. “As for that story, that’s hardly what fiends are like, you know.”

“You’re the first one I’ve ever met so I have no choice but to believe the stories.”

“They’re called ‘Old Wives Tales’ for a reason, you daft human.”

He met her glare with what he hoped was one of his own. His kind already had a bad reputation and for good reason. But adding fuel to the already blazing inferno was madness. The least he could do was straighten out this girl’s silly thoughts with the actual truth. Especially if he wanted her to trust him just a little bit more.

Yes. Obtaining her trust was vital. Because without it, Hyungwon wouldn’t be able to obtain his true goal. 

“Well,” he began, sighing through his teeth, “thank you for sharing that lovely tale.”

The girl’s posture relaxed some and he bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling. Ah, yes. The little game of push and pull. If he pushed too roughly, the girl would flee and his chances right along with her. 

“Do you want me to tell you another one?”

Hyungwon raised his brows a measure. If he pulled too hard, he would rouse her suspicion. For a moment, their gazes lingered before he averted his eyes to look at the dead leaves on the ground. 

“No. I’m fine.”

“Okay then.” Her feet shuffled along the stone flooring, causing him to whip his head up. “I’m gonna go now.”

It was like a gong went off in Hyungwon’s head. His heart slammed against his chest, causing pain to cluster up around his ribcage. Everything felt like it was in slow motion, as though he were running through the ocean. The girl’s eyes were the last thing he saw before she fully turned away from him.

Hyungwon hadn’t meant to take that long step forward, practically lunging. He had no intention of reaching his hand out to her retreating form. He wasn’t a fool. He was clear on where he was and what his predicament entailed. Hyungwon knew how much space he actually had. He knew exactly what would happen the moment he touched that invisible barrier.

“Wait! Don’t go!”

And yet he extended his arm even further - the tips of his fingers crossing over that forbidden meter.

The wave of pain that hit him was automatic. A small red and orange flame ignited around his fingers and knuckles as the smell of his flesh roasting assaulted his nostrils. His skin sizzled and popped, peeling back to reveal the sinews of his muscles. Hyungwon yanked his hand back like a spring-loaded bolt released from a crossbow. He fell to his knees, tears leaking from his eyes and streaming down his cheeks as he hissed and cradled his burning hand against his chest. The magic would not burn his clothes, but the flame collected below his sternum burned just as deadly.

He heard shuffling in front of him and he strained to open one eye to peer up at the human girl. There was a mixture of concern and confusion dancing over her expression. It angered him. It tickled his ire and it was at that moment that Hyungwon remembered why he was so desperate to keep her there.

“You’re really stuck here?” 

It was clear her earlier disbelief was a bit more genuine since she was able to witness the truth of his unfortunate situation.

Yes. That’s right. I know why I want her to stay here...to be close to me… Hyungwon smothered down the snarl that was building inside of his throat. To rend her.

The irony of it all was comedic at best. Hyungwon saw the vines crawling down the pillars and grass poking through the rocks on the ground. He watched the world crumble around him outside of that wretched ring and he could do nothing to stop it. After years of staring at the same fucking walls and floors and cracked windows, there was a living and breathing human standing before him.

Comedy.

The years damned him. They cut and clawed beneath his skin, reaching for his desolating blood. The scars were invisible but it didn’t make them any less real. Those phantom aches ripped and tore through what strength existed inside of Hyungwon’s heart, shattering the few glimmers of hope that threatened to sparkle inside of his very soul.

The girl squatted down in front of him so they were eye-level with each other. “...how long have you been in there?”

“Long enough to beg! Long enough, you hear?!” A fang poked out from beneath his upper lip. “Too long I’ve been trapped in this stinking pile.” The heat continued to radiate from his palm against his chest. “It doesn’t matter to you anyway!”

Her brows furrowed. “I wanna know.”

“Well I’m not gonna tell, you got it?!”

She shrank back a bit. “S-Sorry, Sir…”

Hyungwon blinked, feeling his expression relax. “It’s ‘Sir’, now?” 

He couldn’t hide the venom in his words. His hand hurt too much. Peeking at his hand, he saw it was clicking and stuttering from the effects of the magical flames. His vision blurred momentarily through the onset of tears. It was sizzling and small blazes danced between the webbing of his fingers. Hyungwon opened his mouth, sliding his tongue over the digits to soothe the burns. He glanced at the girl who continued to remain silent as he lapped the flames from the back of his hand. 

“...are you okay?”

“I’m a fiend, am I not? I heal fast.” Sucking on his ring finger, he squinted at her. “I’ll be fine after a moment.”

His fingers continued to pop and snap in the joints and he whistled cool air through each digit while gathering himself back up to his feet. The girl did the same almost immediately. He watched her flatten her palms over the fronts of her skirts. As seconds passed between them, Hyungwon felt his skin repairing itself and the nerves were screaming at him less and less. 

And pull.

“Are you going to stay?”

“I…” The girl sighed, resting a hand on her hip. “...I suppose I could.”

“Oh.” He blinked. He was actually a little surprised by her answer. “...Thank you.”

She reached up to rest a hand on the back of her neck, her face lifting to the hole in the ceiling. “I’m actually lost right now.”

Hyungwon barked out a laugh, startling the girl. “Lost huh? Well isn’t that ironic?” The girl pursed her lips together, obviously confused by his sudden outburst. He chuckled, snapping his fingers and letting the pointer digit remain extended. “Don’t look so confused, Human. The irony is quite clear.” This time, the girl squinted. “Oh come now, just think about it!” Leaning forward, he flashed her a smile that showcased his fangs. “After all, I cannot be lost. Forever and ever I will know where I am and where I am…” He leaned back, shoving his hand into his pocket. “...is stuck!”

He laughed again but the girl didn’t seem impressed with his observation. In fact, she didn’t seem much of anything at all. Deciding he hadn’t had enough of poking at her, he hummed as he licked the swell of his lower lip. 

“In fact, I know this place so intimately that you would blush like a young school girl experiencing her first crush.”

He watched her cheeks flush a shade deeper as she shook her head emphatically. Hyungwon was simply too entertained by this human. She stomped her foot in protest as her whining noises filled the nearly empty space all around them. 

“I-If you know where this is, do you know where Mire is?”

Hyungwon tilted his head to the side. “I know mires. I don’t know this Mire you speak of.”

The girl’s nose wrinkled a bit. “What’s that?”

“You know? Mires?” He folded his arms across his chest. “Do you follow?”

She shook her head and it was suddenly clear to Hyungwon that she was having a hard time keeping her eyes fresh. Just how long had she been wandering around lost until she stumbled her way into his makeshift prison? Not wanting the girl to fall asleep while standing up, he decided to change the topic so that she could stay awake.

“So what’s Mire?”

“Where I was born. Where I live.”

He tapped his foot. “Is it a town? A new town?”

She shook her head again. “No, more like a city. It’s been there for a while.”

“Is that right?” Just before he glanced up toward the ceiling, Hyungwon caught the tail end of the girl nodding. “Did you know this place was once a mire?”

“I don’t know what...well, what is that, Sir?”

Hyungwon sighed, unfolding his arms to run his fingers through his hair. “It’s a dead and wet place.” He closed his eyes. “I, too, was born in a mire.” Pausing, he peered down at the girl who looked a little more awake than she had been a few minutes ago. “Would you like to hear a story?”

The girl blinked, opened her mouth, then closed it. He could tell she was fighting with something and he smirked, amused at her reticence.

“W-What do you want for it?”

His smirk widened, allowing some of his teeth to show. “Your company from morning until noon.”

Her brows furrowed. “Is that all?”

“Indeed.”

The girl scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. “Fine, deal.”

The entire area gave off a soft booming sound. Her voice, her very words, were spoken like a knell. Carrying a certain weight to it, it resonated deeply and seemed to amplify the space surrounding them. Echoing off the stone, ash shook off the walls. It startled her and what small yelp gathered in her throat was smothered by her hands as she covered her mouth. 

Deal, huh? Hyungwon smiled as he saw the sweat visibly slide down her cheek. 

“Did I just...did I just do--?”

He chuckled. “Oh yes, you did.” Clasping his palms together, he pressed his fingers to his chin as his smile grew a little wider. “You made a pact.”

He watched as the girl groaned, collapsing to the ground in an immodest heap and gathering up her pack into her lap. She rifled through it until she found what she was searching for - a handful of wild berries and chestnuts she must have gathered while roaming through the hills and mountains before finding that place. Even from his vantage point, Hyungwon could gather that the chestnuts were picked from the ground or fresh from the branch and the berries were a little mushed together from being tussled around in the pack. He could only guess how the taste would be. 

“Would you like the berries cooled or the chestnuts roasted?”

The girl scoffed, popping a plump berry into her mouth. “Why? So you can wiggle out another pact from me? No thank you!”

Hyungwon laughed while shaking his head. “To be fair, you sealed the deal with your own words, did you not?”

“That was--!”

“Yes, yes,” he said, holding up his hands in mock-surrender, “I understand. A bit of mischief on part. So, to make up for it, I will chill the berries or roast the chestnuts for free.” He curled one hand into a fist, leaving only his index finger pointed upward. “But you can only pick one.”

She looked into the small bushel of berries and chestnuts, attempting to make a decision. She separated them in her lap while pulling out a small handkerchief and placed the berries on the cloth. Then she gathered up the chestnuts in her palms while standing and Hyungwon waited for her to approach. He held his own palms out as she took a few steps forward. Her hands crossed the invisible barrier and hovered over his. She must have been troubled by his smile because she dropped the chestnuts into his hands and all but hopped a full foot back away from him.

It didn’t take Hyungwon long to crack open the chestnuts and peel back the shells. Soon there was a small pile of chestnut hulls gathered at his feet and the pale yellow flesh of the nuts looked like milky pearls in his hands. 

“This won’t take long, Human, but it will still take a moment. Might we chat some?”

“Um...sure?”

“Then have a seat.” He gestured to the ground. “Where were we?”

She sat down on the ground, resting her chin on her knees as she wrapped her skirts around her legs. “Mire...something?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. I can tell you a story about mires in exchange for your story. Though, instead of a story, maybe a bit of banter? I can save the story for a little later.”

He watched her nod, eyes half-lidded. “What do you wanna talk about?”

Hyungwon snickered. “Mires.”

“Oh...right.”

Heat radiated from his palms as small flames gathered around the chestnuts cradled inside. If he pushed too hard, the fire would scorch the nuts. Hyungwon was in no rush. He could afford to take his time. He’d waited this long, after all. What was another few minutes?

“My mire…” Pursing his lips together, he tried to come up with something interesting to say and realized there was nothing. “...well, to be quite honest, there isn’t much to say about it.”

“You said you were born there?”

“Yes,” he replied, not meaning for his tone to sound as somber as it did, “like all fiends, I was born in waste.” Glancing at the girl, he noticed she’d lifted her head up a bit to peer up at him. “You’ve read about us, right? About how we make the land barren wherever we go, unconsciously draining the earth of life when we stand still for too long?”

Her brows furrowed. “Why is that?”

“For sustenance.”

“Ah…”

“The land is pallid and the lofts caliginous at best. The air crawls low to the ground, making everything damp with miasma. Flora is choked to its last breath, made sterile until it, too, is laid to waste.” Hyungwon felt his face twisting into a scowl.

“That sounds...uh…” The girl attempted to bring some levity to what he knew as an awkward conversation. 

“It sounds hideous.” There was no sense in trying to pretty it up. “I know it does because it is.”

“Did you grow up there?”

“Yes, I did. Had a mother and a father too. Shocking, I know.” Again, he sighed, feeling an empty smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I couldn’t help thinking once if that was where I was going to be when I got older. A damned mire.”

Guess not.

“What was it like?”

“Mind-numbing.” Hyungwon scoffed. “Maybe this wasn’t a good topic to discuss after all.”

The girl shrugged. “You just don’t wanna talk about it. That’s okay.”

“It’s not a matter of it being ‘okay’ as there just isn’t much of anything to talk about. Not really.” His gaze shifted to his shoes. “...it’s all so colorless.”

She reached down and plucked a berry from the handkerchief, tossing it into her mouth. It was a little adorable. Hyungwon continued to roast the chestnuts in his palms.

“So, what about yours?”

“Huh?” She paused mid-chew. “My what?”

“Your mire, Human. Do keep up.”

She gave a shrug with one of her shoulders. “It’s nothing special. Just your typical city.”

“Your typical isn’t the same as mine.” Huffing air out of his nostrils, he rolled his eyes. “I’ve been stuck here longer than you might think.”

The girl lifted her head toward the ceiling. “It’s big and loud and people are everywhere you look. Smoke and brick and not a stem of grass anywhere.” She frowned as she lowered her gaze back down to the ground. “...my mom and pop have a farm near there because they’re crazy.”

“Is that where your scent is from?”

She whipped her head up at him, eyes a little wide. “My scent?”

“You smell like horses and herbs. It’s quite cute.” He sniffed a little. “You also smell like some kind of fermented flora, but I don’t know where that comes from.”

“The city is pretty modern. I work at a textile mill every Tuesday.” Her expression looked a little worn just from mentioning the work.

Hyungwon grinned. “Sounds rough.” She nodded and he huffed a small laugh. “Very rough.”

“Cut it out, will you? I’m a hard worker!”

Her words came out a bit slurred, but it was clear that the girl was determined to appear strong in front of him. He wanted to pat her head and reassure her that she was a good girl, but magical enchantments and all that.

“I believe you.” This time he flashed a playful smile. “And as a reward for your noble efforts, I believe it’s time for your story!” The girl shrugged as Hyungwon cleared his throat loudly and rolled his shoulders backward a bit, holding out his fire-laden palms in a dramatic fashion. “Did you know that stars sometimes act as rain in the night sky?”

She lifted her head up some. “Do you mean like a meteor shower?”

Hyungwon sucked air through his teeth sharply to hush her.

The girl pouted. “I’ve heard of it, but never seen it.”

“Well, I’ve heard of it and know it because I’ve seen it.” He lifted his palms up, letting the flames dance in front of his face as he peered into it. “Just think of it, hm? Thousands of lights bleeding along a cold cerulean tapestry above you, falling ever so slowly… They fall so slow, in fact, that you are barely aware of their drag. Imagine it.”

She nodded slowly and also in a different way; pulled into his memory.

“And then...FLASH!” Hyungwon flared the fire in his hands, causing the chestnuts to split and crackle. The girl jumped, the light catching in her eyes. “Flash! Flash! Flash!” He laughed as he made the flames jump in time like a heartbeat, licking up and dancing wildly. “Each brilliant streak cuts through the lights, free and untethered from anything! And then...” The magic in his palm faded, then sighed. “...it dies.”

Pulsing.

Fading.

Pulsing.

Fading.

The girl’s eyes glazed over.

“Just like this…”

Like the final beatings of a heart…

“Despite how slowly they appeared and fell, death is all too swift for these stars.” His eyes shifted from the flames and he peered at the girl. “Tell me, Human...is that sorrowful to you?”

“What?” Once again, the girl blinked. But this time, she bit her lower lip as she attempted to think of a response. “It is.”

Hyungwon smiled. “There isn’t a right or wrong answer, you know? You don’t have to think of it like some test.” He gave a slight tilt of his head. “You think it's sorrowful?”

She nodded. “I do.”

He hummed. “That’s interesting. Very interesting.” He doused the fire with a mere thought, letting the chestnuts cool. He blew on them for good measure. “These are done.” Hyungwon held the chestnuts out to her. “All that’s left now is for you to stay.”

Squinting, the girl waited a moment but eventually shuffled forward on her hands and knees. Stopping at the edge of the circle, she took the fruits from his hands. She looked at him, wearing a bit of an ugly expression. 

“What?”

She didn’t respond. Instead, she settled onto the ground and continued to look at him; though less ugly. It was apparent that she was wondering something. Eventually, her gaze lowered to the nuts in her hands and her expression began to soften. She shelled one and tossed it into her mouth, chewing quietly as her face flushed naturally. Hyungwon felt a measure of amusement as he watched her Adam’s Apple lift up and fall as she swallowed. The girl shifted back a couple of feet.

“...what part of that was the story, Sir?”

“Well look at that,” he replied slowly, “you aren’t entirely daft.” Crouching down, he crossed his legs and rested his elbows on his knees. “Call it a ‘prologue’ of sorts. There is definitely a story here, I promise.” Again, he clasped his hands together, letting them settle in the space between his legs. “I told you I’ve seen this, yes?”

Blinking, the girl nodded.

“...I wasn’t alone when I saw these stars. I was there with another...a ‘Miss’, if you will.” He felt his brows furrow slightly. “She was fair, young...and human.” Closing his eyes, he swallowed the lump in his throat. “She told wonderful stories and we danced together under the moonlight...pressed against each other in the shadows unseen. She was a seamstress in the village and an orphan but that didn’t make her any less radiant in my eyes.” Opening his eyes, Hyungwan stared at his hands. He could only imagine what he looked like at that moment. “It wasn’t often, but when she felt sad, I would often take her out to the fields to see those stars. I figured the beauty of it would ease her woes, if even just a little.”

The girl’s brows were constrained and she chewed sadly. Hyungwon lifted a hand up and waved it back and forth.

“Not to worry, Human. It did.” 

He turned his face up toward the hole in the ceiling. The sky was taking on a bit of an orange tint. The sun was setting off in the distance somewhere, but the soft blue melded with the amber pigment to indicate that it was still a few hours away. 

“I’ve never understood the customs of man. I’ve always been free-thinking and never bound to the thoughts and actions of others. There’s just no need for it; not for a being like me.” He frowned. “So when a disease struck the village and I used my powers to heal the sick, instead of celebrating like she did, they did not take too kindly to my actions.”

“What happened?”

Feeling his eyes narrow, Hyungwon craned his neck to look back at the girl as confusion painted over her expression. “What happened, you ask?” Scoffing, he felt a soft ringing in his ears. “They claimed I would bring karmic destruction to their village. She wouldn’t hear of such slander against my name and defended me against the villagers, despite me being an outsider; a fiend. They accused her of being bewitched and tainted by my unknown power and while I was out collecting herbs for some more natural remedies in the nearby mountains, she was dragged to the village square in the middle of the night where she was raped and beaten to death.”

The girl gasped, the chestnut clutched in her fingers hovering just near her parted mouth.

“I returned to find her dead in the streets - her body treated like little less than refuse. The other villagers said nothing and the council members did nothing.” He bit his lower lip. “...I carried her body outside of the village and buried her in a field where I last saw her smile - where I knew the wild flowers would grow come Spring...when life would be renewed.”

When he looked back at the girl, she’d closed her mouth into a frown.

“I came back to her spot a century later and found a chestnut tree growing there.” His eyes narrowed further. “It was the ugliest thing I’d seen, all gnarled and twisted. Enraged, I razed that entire tree from the bark, the trunk, branches and leaves. I even burned the roots.”

I would’ve shredded up the roots, but I didn’t want to disturb her final resting place…

“For all the good it did, the tree remained. It was alive, bore fruit, and was even uglier than before.” He laughed. “Isn’t that the most wonderful story?”

“NO!” The girl yelled so loudly that it stung his ears, but he refrained from reacting. “Didn’t you mess up those guys? The ones who did it?”

Hyungwon’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean by ‘mess up’?”

“You’re a fiend, aren’t you?” He could see the spidery red veins inside the whites of her eyes angrily creeping toward her irises. “You didn’t eat them?!”

“I did not eat them.” His reply was simple; hollow. He didn’t even bother to hide it. “What happened to them doesn’t matter to the story.”

“I wanna know!”

“And I don’t want to tell.”

“Ugh! Are you serious?!” The girl stood up in a flash and Hyungwon followed her movements with a shift of his head. “You know, when kids in the neighborhood mess with my little siblings, I beat their little asses with a stick!” She pointed at him. “That’s what love is! It’s sticking up for the people you care about!”

Love? His ears perked up and he felt his frown return. “Is that what you gathered from this story? That I fancied her?”

The girl rolled her eyes as if annoyed by having to answer at all. “Well obviously that’s the case, isn’t it?”

“It’s my story, Human, not yours. Come off it.” He huffed air harshly from his mouth. “It is an old story and just that, a story, so just stop…”

“What?!” The girl angrily threw the chestnut in her hand against the wall beside her, her expression sour. “Fine.”

This time Hyungwon rolled his eyes. “I was just trying to entertain you since you looked like you were about to fall asleep.”

“That’s stupid.”

“What was that?” He rose to his feet, kicking up dead leaves around him. “I don’t want to hear that coming from your dumb mouth, you little twit!”

The girl closed her eyes, folding her arms roughly against her chest. “It’s stupid. It’s stupid so just forget it!”

“Are you starting?” He narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. “I will tear out your tongue, you hear me?” He saw the fear filling her eyes as her hands slowly unfolded and fell limply at her sides. “The last thing you’ll be worrying about is your soul since I’ll tear you limb from limb and there won’t be anything left to hold that soul in if you fucking start with me, you got that?!”

The way the girl visibly shook grounded Hyungwon. He blinked, shaking his head, and then chuckled a little as he leaned back. Perhaps a little less push was in order at that moment. He hadn’t meant to get so worked up over the girl’s words but they rattled him somehow. 

“You know,” he began, looking her over from head to foot, “you quivering like that is a little endearing. You already know that I can’t move from this spot.”

She swallowed. “It just...sounded so real.”

He gave an amused chortle. “Did it?” He sighed, rubbing at the back of his head. “Tell you what, to make up for it, how about I chill those berries of yours? I’ll even toss them to you if you’re too scared to come close to me.”

“I’m not scared!” Her head rocked a little bit. “...but I’m kinda tired. Could you toss them anyway?”

“Sure. But only if you agree to stay with me until sunset.”

That seemed to jolt her awake a little. “Is it noon already?” He nodded and she sighed, collapsing once again to the ground and huddling up her skirts around her knees. He could tell her vision was swimming while trying to stay awake. “Fine. I’ll stay with you. Deal.”

The ballroom rattled with a sound. She wasn’t surprised by it that time. Instead, she leaned forward and all but shoved the handkerchief covered berries into the magical circle. The girl shuffled away, but Hyungwon noticed how much more sluggish her movements were that time.

“How long have you been away from your Mire, Human?” He gathered the berries up and let the cold magic collect inside of his palms.

“I don’t know…” She shrugged, struggling to keep her eyes open. “Two days?”

He plucked one of the berries from his palm and tossed it to the girl who was just barely able to catch it. He grinned. “Isn’t that a long time?”

She shook her head, popping the berry into her mouth. “Not really, no.”

“It’s a joke, Human.” He raised a brow and sighed. “It isn’t a crime to laugh.”

The girl frowned. “If I laughed it would be like me laughing at you.”

“Ha!” The bark of laughter was sudden, surprising even him. “Answering with an even better joke instead of laughing? Wow, you really are a comedian!”

She tilted her head slightly. “...huh? What better joke?”

“My existence.” He tossed her another berry and chuckled again. “This situation and my existence, together, is the greatest joke in history itself. I know this and I’ve already missed half of it!”

“Stop.” The girl turned her head away, clearly upset. 

“Such a soft girl.” Hyungwon regarded her in earnest. “I keep searching through my memories for another like you, but I’m finding nothing. And I have so many memories. So many. Travels, delights, regrets…” He averted his gaze, a smile pulling at his lips a measure. “A girl shouldn’t be so soft. The world is so rough, it will just shape you in an ugly way.”

He heard her breathing languidly, watching her sink into her arms a little more from his peripheral. Again, he sighed. 

“Or it was. If you don’t know about mires, maybe the world has become soft now too.” He cut his eyes back to her form. “That would certainly explain you.”

She blinked but said nothing.

“Do you know why I laughed earlier when you mentioned souls? Do you know why I even joke about them?”

Again she blinked. And again, she said nothing.

“So many of us fiends are obsessed with souls. But they have to be extraordinary.” Hyungwon gave her the once over. “Yours feels completely unremarkable. It lacks the maturity and spirit that comes with age and experience.” 

He threw another berry at her and, surprisingly, she was able to catch it but doesn’t partake. Instead, it lingered in her palm before falling to the ground, forgotten beside her.

“The souls of newborns won’t do anything for a fiend. They are special though. Their souls are quite pure.” He watched her back rise and fall steadily, her eyes closed and he knew she was sleeping. His eyes narrowed as he chucked another berry at her, watching it bounce off her hair and hit the ground. “...exquisite.”

A flash of anger ripped across his chest and it took every ounce of willpower he had not to crush the berries in between his palms. He wasn’t sure if doing so would break the pact he’d made. A part of him knew that it wouldn’t but he still couldn’t will himself to actually do it. 

Even though his hands were cold, he wanted nothing more than to scorch this...thing in front of him. This “girl” who dared to show up and rekindle hope inside of him!

I should’ve snatched her when she was at the edge! 

But was it that simple?

Does she have to agree to exchange her life for mine in the circle?

Was he forgetting the conditions?

With one hand still cradling the berries and cooling them, he raised his other hand to cover his face - glaring at the girl through his fingers. If he could just lunge through there and take her, he would do it without a second thought. A rightful punishment for entering his space and throwing his emotions into a tailspin.

His body still felt the stinging sensation of when he’d burned himself just moments before. If he attempted to plunge through the barrier, it would tear him apart - scorch his flesh down to the marrow of his bones and cause his eyeballs to explode like grapes in his sockets. The pain would be never ending and he would still lunge through and take that girl! He’d do it a thousand times over to get out of that blighted circle!

DAMMIT! Why didn’t I grab her before? WHY DID I HESITATE?!

A new thought struck him, rattling Hyungwon to his core. When was the last time he’d been worked up like this? Felt this much passion, rage and sorrow? It felt like bile on the back of his tongue and he wanted nothing more than to bite it off and drown in his own blood. Anything to give him the sweet release of death.

But that failed many times. He was stuck in more ways than one. He couldn’t be allowed outside of that cursed ring and because he was a fiend, he was bound. 

Bound to a life that was meaningless. It had no meaning to him.

I want to die! Tears filled his eyes as his rage began to reach a boiling point. Years of whining silence - every single day! ...what’s a day? Two days, she said! What are days? What are months? What are centuries - centuries? CENTURIES?! ...has it been even longer than centuries?!

And then the quiet settled into the space, a soft wind kicking up the leaves against the stones. There would be embers in his hand, smokey and harsh to his eyes. Had he really spent his days endlessly like that, watching as time marched on without him able to participate?

He used to scream just to hear a voice again.

...what happened to my life?

Hyungwon felt his jaw quiver as his eyes grew warm. 

I wish you hadn’t come here…

Removing his hand from his face, he stared at that girl who looked so peaceful as she slept. So peaceful…

Peaceful little shit!

“Wake up!” He threw several berries at the girl, but she didn’t move. She continued to sleep. “Wake up!” 

Another and another.

“Look at me!” He hurled more berries at her. “This body doesn’t grant the peace of sleep!” Again and again he threw them. “I haven’t slept a minute, you rotten spawn of an overgrown sow! Not even a second! I have always been awake!” Mirthless laughter spilled from Hyungwon’s mouth. “Two days?! You miserable little wretch! Had I only been here two days, I’d empty a pub in minutes, do you hear me?! Damn you!”

He continued to throw the berries.

“When you die, I’ll find and spit on your grave!” 

And he also continued to miss. 

“I’ll plant a chestnut tree there and rip the roots from the ground, desecrating your remains!”

Throw after throw after throw; miss after miss after miss.

“I hate you!”

This was foreign to him; these swirls of emotions. Was he sobbing now? A fiend, sobbing?

He dropped his arms to the ground, crying in shakes. 

Hyungwon wasn’t sure how he was supposed to handle it. 

Because, for the life of him, he couldn’t remember a time he’d ever cried. 

~s.a.~

The fog of sleep started to lift from Sabine’s eyes. Darkness covered her vision and she slowly lifted her neck so she could peer at the world around her. Dizziness pulled at the corners of her mind. It was always like this for her when she was just getting up. Slow to rise, that’s what her mother called her. Parting her lips, Sabine noticed how dry her mouth was too. It was pretty awful, in fact. 

Smacking her lips, she absentmindedly rubbed her eyes. Exhaustion continued to drape over her like a wet blanket. She wasn’t able to fathom why she was so tired.

“Mama?”

Part of her thought everything she’d experienced was just a dream. A really bad dream. But as her eyes regained focus, Sabine took in the sight of the broken world around her and held back a sigh. It wasn’t a dream after all. The situation, in its entirety, was very real.

I can’t believe I got lost on the way to Evergreen…

She frowned, recalling how insistent her mother was about taking the horse with her, claiming that she would be able to get to her destination and back before day’s end. A lot of good it did her, seeing as it got spooked by a crow and took off to God only knew where. That animal bolted off a good mile before bucking her clear out of the saddle.

I’ll whip that sorry nag into next week if I see it again or my name isn’t Sabine Archer!

Sabine didn’t mean it, but it felt good to think about it.

Again, she rubbed at her eyes to make sure they were completely in focus. It didn’t take her long to notice the man from before sitting in front of her. She wasn’t sure if he was asleep or not and if he was, part of her didn’t want to disturb him. Her eyes lifted to the sky and she noticed that it wasn’t quite sunset yet. At least, that’s what she assumed. But she wasn’t a fiend either. They were far better at figuring out the time than she could.

“Sir, are you asleep?”

“No.”

“Oh.” 

She just figured it was the case because his eyes were closed. 

“I can’t sleep.”

Sabine furrowed her brows, flinching at how icy his tone was. Something rolled out of her hair. When it dropped on the ground, she noticed that it was one of the berries she’d been carrying. But why were they in her hair? Sabine carded her fingers through her dark curls, finding two more berries tangled near the ends. Sitting up a little straighter, she took another look around her and noticed that berries were littered all around her, forming a semi-circle like a child’s terrible attempt at some old ritual.

Looking back at the man, she blinked. Whoa...did he throw these at me?

She arched an eyebrow and took a moment to gloss over his appearance. His cheeks were wet, his nose was red, and his own brows were furrowed rather deeply. Sabine couldn’t help thinking that the man looked a lot like one of her younger brothers who’d fallen off the curb back when he was learning how to ride that silly bicycle of his. She couldn’t really think of what to tell him, so she decided to say what she always said.

“Did you do something bad? Tell me the truth.”

He opened his eyes and cut those orbs of silver at her harshly. “Piss off.”

Sabine winced, even though she didn’t mean to. It was clear that he was in that mood again. 

“Um, look… If you got mad ‘cause I--”

“What’d I just say?” He said it like it was a fact and not a question. “Piss. Off.”

Sabine felt a lump starting to form in her throat. What’d I do? I was just trying to be nice, freaking jerk!

Huffing, she folded her arms across her chest. “You want me outta here then?”

Instead of answering her, he shifted his gaze to the floor and didn’t say another word. Sabine could feel her nerves starting to climb. What the hell time was it anyway? Again, she looked through the hole in the ceiling and squinted. There was no way that it was sunset. The sky wasn’t amber enough.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to talk to him again. “Listen, I don’t think that I can le--”

“Leave.”

“But the deal’s not --!”

“Leave.”

“If I mess up the --”

“Leave.”

She didn’t know what the hell to do. She didn’t want to leave! Sabine knew if she messed up a deal with a fiend before it was complete, she’d go straight to Hell. Or was it worse than that? She shuddered to think if it was actually worse...

I’m too young to have my soul damned for eternity! I can’t just walk out! 

Suddenly, a new thought occurred to Sabine and she scoffed. This wasn’t the first time she’d experienced tantrums like this, not even from him. What fear curled itself into the pit of her stomach began to deflate.

“You’re kiddin’.”

Calling him on his bluff probably wasn’t the smartest move, but Sabine decided to do it anyway. Because as she looked by his feet, her eyes began to shake. There weren’t any more berries in the handkerchief. The deal was that he had to cool the berries and toss them over to her, to which he did in a sense. The fiend kept his part of the deal which meant, in turn, Sabine had to do the same. Luck wasn’t on her side when it came to simply walking away. 

“I can’t leave, man!”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s ‘man’, now?”

This was getting ridiculous. Sabine threw her hands into the air in frustration. “Sorry, God!” 

The fiend averted his gaze. “Leave. I want you to be leaving, understand? Get the hell up and walk out of here.” He closed his eyes. “Go and be damned, you villainess.”

Sabine just looked at him. Clenching her teeth together, she did her best to ignore how wild her heart was slamming all over her chest and ribcage. This wasn’t like the other outbursts he’d thrown at her earlier. This was real. Very real. She didn’t have to wonder what he’d do to her if he wasn’t tethered to that spot he was sitting at.

“Burn in Hell, you dog. Lay there and rot with the rest of the rotten filth that is your ilk. It’s where you belong.”

Now she was pissed. “Why don’t you just calm the hell down, huh?!” Picking up his head from his arms, he glared at her. It’d be a lie if Sabine wasn’t feeling afraid again, but she refused to back down. “Calm down, alright? Acting the hell up and for what?”

“You really are an idiot.”

She balked. “W-Well, you’re crazy! Why the hell are you mad at me, anyway?” Her anger was starting to rise, quickly smothering the fear. She’d never been so insulted in all her life. “Why’d you even talk to me in the first place? Whaddya want, dammit!”

Her mother would have been very disappointed at how filthy her mouth was at that moment.

The man said nothing. He just continued to peer back at her with those silver eyes. Sabine was too upset to give her oncoming tirade a pause. She was about to give that demon a piece of her mind.

“You’re lonely, right? That’s it, isn’t it?!” 

She saw him starting to get up and Sabine decided she wasn’t about to let that fiend look that far down on her! She stood up to her full height and didn’t care that he was still taller than her. To emphasize that she wasn’t afraid, she stepped forward and puffed her chest out. She wouldn’t let him get the best of her.

“Listen up! If you think I’ve got a problem scrappin’ with you, think again! I’ll knock your freaking block off, you got that?” She flung her arm forward and pointed straight up at the man’s face. “You just swore against my family and I’m not gonna stand for it, you hear me?!” Sabine was shaking in her boots but she continued to stand her ground. 

“No,” came his icy reply, “I swore against your race.”

Lowering her hand, she swallowed once more but continued to frown.

“Your entire, miserable, sin-hearted race.” He craned his neck, his eyes locking with hers. “Do you know what I’d do once I’m freed from this circle?”

He took a step forward and Sabine took a step back on reflex.

“Yes or no.”

Again, it wasn’t a question. It was a statement; a demand.

She bit her lower lip. “No.”

Leaning forward, just before what she’d guess was the barrier, and let out a harsh huff of air from his nostrils. Sabine swore that the next time he did it, fire and smoke would shoot out. It was cold and warm at the same time. Was that even possible?

She bit down hard on her teeth to keep them from chattering. The last thing she wanted to do was let him know that he was affecting her. Yet she couldn’t tear her eyes away at how menacing he looked towering over her like that.

“I would kill the whole lot of them.” He parted his lips, showing his fangs. “Kill the men, the women, the children. Even the infants. I’d kill them all.” He narrowed his eyes and Sabine was frozen. “To lasses like you, I’d dig my hands straight into their guts, eviscerate their innards string by string and burn them to ashes.”

“I-I…” she stammered.

Sabine’s vision blurred from the onset of tears. What courage she had seemed to evaporate from her body. She’d never felt so small and it embarrassed her. She was the oldest in her family and her parents depended on her to help raise her siblings. They were barely able to make ends meet and she knew the blow that would come with not being able to return home to continue helping her family. She had responsibilities and her siblings always said she was brave - that she’d fight a dragon and win.

All of that pride seeped out of her and disappeared into the cobblestones beneath her feet.

Her tears leaked out of her eyes as she glared back up at the demon. She despised him for making her feel so pathetic in his presence.

“I don’t know what happened to you! I just wanted to know and be nice, even just a little bit.” Tears leaked from her eyes and she furiously wiped them away. “All I can do is say sorry, but I won’t apologize for what anyone else’s done to you! That’s not my responsibility and you can’t make it be mine!”

He leaned back, standing up straight. He breathed out again and this time she really did swear that she saw translucent flames coming out of his mouth; airy and dry. He took a moment to close his eyes, then opened them again. His silver hues were still intense but they were less cold than they had been earlier. He sighed and Sabine could hear just how tired he actually was.

“Are you scared, Human?”

She nodded fast.

“Why?” He narrowed his eyes. “Why are you scared?”

“I-I don’t know!”

“I can’t TOUCH YOU! SEE?!”

In a flash, he pushed his hand toward her face. Sabine’s eyes widened and her entire body locked up instantly. What was she seeing? What in the world was she looking at?!

“I am TRAPPED before here!” he yelled, his voice booming against the walls. 

His skin burned off in a bright yellow glow. She could see his muscles, charred and black as they turned inside out. The fire was blazing all over his hand and she saw a hint of white in the middle of all the swirling flames and colors. His bones?

I can’t watch this!

She started to turn away from the spectacle in front of her.

“LOOK!” Sabine gasped, covering her mouth with her palms as his own hand continued to sizzle and burn; the stench of seared meat overwhelming her. But she slowly turned back to face him again. “Don’t you dare look away!”

“Y-Your blood…” She lowered her hands from her face. “...it’s evaporating.”

He grimaced as tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. One dropped, rolling down his cheek and he jerked his hand back as if it were spring-loaded. He clutched it to his chest, cradling it as if it were something precious.

“I can’t leave...understand?” He sighed. “Do you get it now, you rock-headed Human?” He held up the twisted stump sticking to his wrist. “This right here? This is what I’ve known for a long long time.”

Sabine watched as his hand began to come back together; the melted parts splitting and the bones were covered up again. There was a distinct popping noise as it all happened before her eyes. She wasn’t sure if she was amazed or if she was going to be sick right there. She placed a hand over her mouth to keep herself from vomiting all over the floor.

“I can’t kill your people. I want to, but I won’t be able to leave here, got it?”

Swallowing down her urge to throw up, she quickly cleared her throat and mustered up her courage once more. “Why are you trapped there anyway?”

He sighed, his hand forming back into its original shape. “Would you believe me if I said it was a punishment? An accident? Or even an unjust imprisonment?” Lifting his head, he peered up at the sky. “Whatever I say, whatever you believe, it really doesn’t matter. I was trapped here long before your ‘Mire’ came into being.” He closed his eyes. “And so, really, the reasons no longer have meaning…”

She frowned. “I don’t think you’re being honest with me.”

The man scoffed, softer than earlier, as he continued to keep his eyes turned to the sky. “How do you figure that, Human?”

“I told you before that you need to calm the hell down.” Sabine folded her arms across her chest. She was insane for what she was about to ask. “...how do I get you outta there?”

The fiend lowered his head, peering at her with an expression that could only be translated as disbelief. Yeah, Sabine couldn’t believe it either.

After what felt like a small eternity, he shook his head and chuckled. “...you’ve lost it.”

She shook her head. “Nah, I’ve still got it. I know what I asked you. Now tell me how to get you outta there.”

“Then you never had it to begin with.” He squinted at her, suspicious. “You’re touched, aren’t you?”

“I don’t even know what that means!” Sabine pointed at him. “I’m still thinking straight so just tell me already!”

“Hush and listen, you rude little shit.” The snarl in his voice was unmistakable, causing her to lower her hand back down at her side. “Do you even understand what you’re saying?” He leaned forward, scrutinizing her and Sabine felt weird knots forming in her stomach. “Remember what you’re talking to!”

Like she could forget. Honestly, she didn’t know why he was being so stubborn. “I just think that --”

“I didn’t ‘mess them up’, you know?”

She blinked, confused. “Huh?”

“I did not ‘mess up’ the men who raped her. Eating them would have been a mercy.” Sabine watched as he clenched his fists at his sides. “I bore my nails into their sockets and tore off their faces.”

She felt the color drain from her face. “... what ?”

He cut his eyes down at her. “And that’s not all I did.” A sudden gust of wind blew through the empty ballroom, lifting his hair off his ears and forehead. “When I first saw her lying there, body warm only from the bodies of others, eyes clouded over and lifeless, I set the den where she died on fire. I came upon every single person who lived in her town and murdered all of them.”

What moisture was in Sabine’s mouth all but disappeared. Yet she still couldn’t speak. 

The fiend continued, his voice filling the silence that seemed to stretch forever between them.

“I torched their homes. I pulled their ribs from their chests.” His eyes took on an ethereal glow. “Crushed their heads, snapped their bones, and ripped off their flesh.” He narrowed those same glowing eyes. “If it tormented them, I did it.”

Sabine felt her legs growing weak and she had to lock her knees in order to remain standing.

“And before you let anything sentimental cross your mind, you’re all the same to me. I killed all of your kind because you’re just one kind: human.” He slowly folded his arms against his chest. “Sex? Age? None of that meant anything to me when I tore them to ribbons.”

Holy shit.

It was the only thought that managed to swim out of the dark empty space threatening to swallow Sabine whole.

“As if to mock me, they gathered at the center of that town where I’d first met her. Because desecrating her body and destroying her wasn’t enough, they had to taint my memory of her as well. So I slowly melted them all to the earth.” He furrowed his brows, the corner of his lip curling up into a sneer. “On the night that she died, I erased that town from records.”

What fighting spirit she had was gone. He’d knocked it completely from her body.

Her lower lip began to tremble. “Why’d you tell me that?”

“You asked.”

“I didn’t want to…” She shook her head roughly, eyes narrowing as she took a step forward. “You didn’t have to tell me all the...the whole story!”

“You’re right, I didn’t,” he said with a shrug, “but didn’t you want to know?”

Her entire body started to vibrate. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“I’m a fiend.” He carded his fingers through his bangs. “That’s all there is to it.”

“That’s bull!” She did her best to hide the wobble in her words. “Is that why you got put in here?”

“No.”

She didn’t believe it. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“...holy shit.”

The sigh that pooled from his mouth sounded so heavy and tired. “I’ve done many things in my life, Human. Some found them admirable and others thought them despicable.” He lifted his head to face the ceiling once more and she could swear that his brows were furrowed in pain. “I’ve put a curse on a family for every single one of their generations. I’ve rescued slaves from their tyrannical masters. I’ve ruined a marriage and bonded another; massacred a town and saved a child. I’ve done so many things in my life…” He smiled but there was nothing happy about the gesture. “Of all the things I’ve mentioned, not one of them is the reason that I’m here now.”

Sabine curled her fingers into the fabric of her skirts. “...did you forget?”

He shook his head, lowering it so he could look back down at the floor. “Oh no. I remember it quite clearly.” Shoving his hands into his pockets, he put a little bit more weight on his back leg. “But as I said, the reason no longer matters.”

I just...I don’t get it…

“You wanted me to save you, right?” She stared at his broad shoulders as he turned his back to her, frowning. “I’d swear on my family’s good name that that’s what you wanted.”

He didn’t move to look at her and he remained silent. She wasn’t sure if she was frustrated or more curious than she’d been about him all day.

“But now you’re telling me all this mixed up stuff and I just don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to think.” She sighed. “What the heck do you want?”

“You gone.”

Sabine slowly breathed out through her nose and closed her eyes. There was no way that was true. She’d be an idiot to believe that now. She shook her head again before opening her eyes to stare at the fiend’s back.

“You’re lying to me.” She straightened out the sleeves of her blouse and knocked off invisible dust from her skirt. “Sure, I don’t think about complicated things and whatnot, but I know when someone’s lying to me.” Sabine pointed an accusatory finger at him and she didn’t care that his back was still facing her. “Why the hell are you lying to me?” For a second, she thought she saw him flinch before he slowly turned back around to peer at her from over his shoulder. “I know you don’t want me to leave so just tell me what happened to you!”

Slowly, he shifted his legs so he was fully facing her now. Sabine locked eyes with the fiend, his silver tones glowing once more before they, too, dimmed - matching the amber glow of the sun’s rays as it began to set. 

“How long have you been in there?”

“...I don’t know.” His eyes lingered on hers for a few more seconds before shifting off to the side. “I don’t know anymore.”

That was a surprise.

“You really don’t know?”

His brows furrowed. “That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

Something was definitely wrong. Fiends supposedly had a knack for knowing the exact hour of every day, even down to the second. It was a famous trait and carried throughout all the stories. There had to be some truth in that so what did it mean if a fiend lost that ability?

Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait…

Sabine clasped her hands together. “...you must have loved that girl a lot, huh?”

His eyes widened but remained trained away from her. “I…” There was a soft clicking sound in his throat before he swallowed it down. “...shut up.”

The ache in her chest was unmistakable now. She’d been battling with it all morning and afternoon and she couldn’t figure out how to place it. But now it was clear to her. Very clear.

...I feel so bad for him.

It was the weirdest thing to Sabine, but it was also the saddestthing. Everything about that man was sad to the very core. He was just so damn miserable and pathetic that a person would need to lose all of their five senses to miss it. Because beneath all the bravado and scare tactics, this man was broken and hurt and trying to reach out. It was clear she’d triggered something in him to make him lose his temper and take her down an avalanche of other emotions, but still…

Sabine took another step forward, closer to him than she’d been when he attempted to push his hand through that magical wall she couldn’t see. “You really don’t know how long you’ve been in there?”

“Yes.” He gave her a tired look to match the tired response and it shook her just how much time existed behind those eyes. 

“I think you’ve been in there for too long.” She clasped her hands together in front of her. “I don’t think you really wanna kill anyone.”

He scoffed, but that, too, sounded tired. “Then you really are a fool.”

“Hush up. I’ve had enough of that joke.” She frowned, screwing her face up in annoyance. “Now tell me how to save you.”

The fiend refused to say anything. She watched him struggling with something, no longer trying to hide it from his face. But she wasn’t having any of it. Reaching out, she grabbed at his hand - the hand that was once mangled, charred, and now fully healed - and held onto it. 

“Tell me.”

He just stared down at her. Then he shifted, his movements so slow, and he eyed her hand. Then he held it with both of his own, squeezing it between his fingers. 

He then locked his eyes with hers. “...I need to switch with another life. That’s the only way for me to leave this place.”

Sabine put on the most confident expression she could muster, smirking. “Well, I’m not gonna switch with you. Listen to me!” She cut him off just as he started to open his mouth. “I’m gonna find another way, alright?”

For the first time in a while, she saw a spark in his eyes; albeit from annoyance. “What the hell can you do?”

Her smirk widened. “I’ll plant something in your place.”

“Nothing can grow here.” He returned her smirk with one of his own; a derisive one. “I’m a fiend, remember? A demon?”

In an instant, doubt and hesitation crept up along Sabine’s spine. It threatened to place her in a chokehold but she quickly shook her head. No. She couldn’t let any thoughts like that take over or she’d wind up running away. And if she ran away, she knew she’d regret it. She would regret it until she was a decrepit old woman just about to fall into her own grave. There was a chance that she wouldn’t even be able to live with herself if she turned her back on someone she could help.

On someone she could save.

“Doesn’t matter. The land’s gonna be fine once you’re out of there, right?” Courage welled up inside of her and she felt her smile returning. “At least, that’s what I think...what I’ve read. I’m no expert at this sort of thing.”

He gave her a dubious look.

“Look, all you gotta do is just believe in me!” She looked up, taking note that the sun was gone. The pact was finished so there was no risk to her soul anymore. Her eyes leveled with him again. “You don’t want me to leave anymore, I know that. I can feel it.” Feeling his grip tighten around her hand, she squeezed harder in an attempt to match his strength. “But I want you to believe in me. Let me go and I’ll save you!”

The man looked at his hands again, suddenly cutting into Sabine’s with his thumbnail. She winced, sucking in air through her teeth. But the fiend did not say anything. He just continued to stare, not meeting her gaze at all. Sabine was scared that if she showed any fear, what fragile bond existed between them would shatter like thin glass.

A new fear lodged itself in her throat.

He wouldn’t...would he?

Would he actually pull her in? Would he jerk her arm forward and leave her doomed to the fate that he’d experienced for countless years? There was simply no way that that was true. He wasn’t as cruel as he made himself out to be. He was just hurt and lonely. He just needed someone to believe in him…

And yet there was a bit of doubt that lingered…

Don’t pull me in.

Trying to calm her racing heart, Sabine felt like she was going to lose it.

Stop pulling me!

But it was getting harder and harder to stay sane when she could feel him bringing her arm in a little bit closer. And then a little bit more.

Please! Don’t do this! Just trust me!

He dug his nails into her again, but she bit back her urge to wince; her urge to cry.

“...let me go.” 

It was a whisper, sharp and desperate. She hadn’t meant to say it out loud but Sabine was terrified and was unwilling to look at him - afraid of what she might see. She didn’t want to be trapped in that circle! She didn’t want that! Internally, she kept praying and pleading that the demon wouldn’t pull her in there. She knew he wasn’t evil and doing something like that, damning her to that fate, would have been truly evil. 

Had she been wrong about him?

And just like that, slowly, he does it.

He released her hand and was holding his own up where hers had been. Just as he was about to drop it at his side, Sabine gathered her courage and grabbed his hand once again. She gave it a reassuring squeeze, pressing the pads of her thumbs against the backs of his knuckles. Their eyes met and it was like seeing him for the first time.

“Believe in me. Okay?”

Again, he doesn’t say anything.

Letting his hand go, Sabine gathered up her satchel and slung it over her shoulder. She shifted around so she could look back up at him. They hold that stare for a long moment. 

And then she saw his brows furrow as if he were in pain but was hellbent on keeping it all inside of him.

“Please. Don’t betray me.” His eyes seemed to shine. “I beg of you.”

“I won’t betray you, I promise,” she said with a smile, noting that the walls didn’t shake and her voice didn’t boom, “and when this is all over, I want you to tell me your name.”

And with that promise buried deep in her heart, Sabine turned and ran out of the ballroom. She disappeared through the broken world she’d been a part of for the last several hours, determined to save that man and his own broken soul.

~c.h.~

After countless years of waiting, of being in the same spot, Hyungwon felt pure agony shredding through his veins.

He'd only been waiting for her for two hours.

As he sat by the makeshift fire he’d created and recreated from the dead leaves inside of his circle, he wondered how pathetic he must have looked. Fiends were known for being flighty creatures and, in a sense, easily bored. Stuck in one place for centuries certainly hadn’t helped his situation at all. But in what felt like small lifetimes, he began to feel hope.

He was feeling things.

The night air was chilly and the moon perched itself high in the sky, hovering over the hole in the ceiling. Fiends rarely felt the elements and the fire was merely a form of psychological comfort rather than an actual necessity. In the back of his mind, he probably started the fire for the sake of that human girl. She got lost once so was there a good chance she would get lost again, right?

Maybe I shouldn’t have let her go. Hyungwon smirked as he settled down by the fire, curling legs up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his knees. I’ve become less cruel in my old age…

But that child managed to call him out on his bluff. The rage that festered inside of him burned quietly inside of him; in the darkest recesses of his heart. Truth of the matter was Hyungwon was terrified. He was absolutely frightened of the idea of placing his trust in another person. Not because he knew how cruel humanity could be, but for how horrifying he knew he was capable of being. It would be a lie if he didn’t feel a measure of guilt for razing that town to ashes; the town she called home.

His anger was too much and he was far too young then.

Reaching out with one hand, he stoked the fires and peered at the orange and red tongues of flame dance further over the leaves. He grabbed a handful of twigs and threw them in there as well for good measure. It was the only thing he could do to keep his mind quiet and still. He just needed to bury it away and so Hyungwon hid his face in his arms, listening to the soft wind gusts that whipped through the ruins.

He didn’t want trepidation to reach forth with creeping fingers to take hold of his mind.

After another hour of waiting, Hyungwon caught the faint sound of shuffling feet. He continued to keep his head low, not wanting to appear desperate. His earlier actions be damned, he was a fiend and his old self would have berated and laughed at him for begging any mortal for anything. 

As the footsteps grew closer, he curled his fingers into the sleeves of his jacket - waiting and all but silencing his breath. It wasn’t until her feet reached the edge of his barrier did he finally look up. When he did, he took note of the girl’s appearance and felt his brows furrow.

Her clothing was disheveled, covered with smudges of dirt and grass stains. Sweat covered her forehead, her hair clinging to her skin. Her hands, covered in dirt and mud, were carrying what Hyungwon presumed was some kind of branch; a sapling. Dirt and grass were caked under her fingernails and she carefully set the sapling down beside her before removing her satchel.

Wiping the back of his hand across his nose, he stood up and let out a heavy sigh from between his lips. He gave her the once over as she tossed some of her hair over her shoulder. “You look a mess,” was all he offered.

“Yeah, well,” she said, her stomach growling and she sniffled a bit, “it’s a little hard to dig out a tree properly without the right tools, let alone one like this.”

She held the sapling out and Hyungwon’s eyes widened slightly. “Isn’t that…?”

The girl nodded. “Mmhm. A chestnut sapling.” Their eyes met and he couldn’t help wondering what kind of look he was giving her because she immediately held up her hand to halt any and all rebuttals I might have attempted to throw. “Don’t start. I didn’t pick it because I wanted to make fun of you. Chestnut trees are strong.” Her eyes lowered to the sapling and she gripped it with both hands. “...if there’s anything that’ll take root in bad earth like this, it’s gonna be a chestnut.”

He lifted a brow. “...Right.”

She grabbed the satchel off the ground. “Okay, step back. I’m coming in.” 

After a handful of seconds, Hyungwon obliged and stepped back, allowing her ample room to do what she needed to do. He wasn’t planning on doing anything underhanded, but he knew it would be useless to voice such a thing aloud. After all, she was human. It was in her nature to be curious but skeptical. It would be a surprise if she wasn’t still afraid of him and the possibility that he would just step out of the circle as she worked.

“Take it,” she said, offering up the chestnut sapling to him.

For a moment, he hesitated. But he knew she would just patiently wait for him to take it, so he did - gingerly grasping it between his fingers. It felt so small in his hands. Hyungwon watched her take a sharp rock out of her satchel and began stabbing at the ground with it, cracking the floor. He thought about offering to do it for her so that she didn’t injure herself, but the harsh look of concentration was enough to stop him in his tracks. 

It was clear she was determined to do everything alone.

Each time she hit the ground, the earth broke up little by little. He pursed his lips together, noting just how bad the soil was underneath the rocks. If the girl was the child of farmers, then she would’ve seen it as well. If anything grew in that pile of barren earth, it would be with awful chances at best. An olive or chestnut tree was about the only thing that could stand a chance.

There it is again, he thought, frowning, that damned hope.

It would be foolish to let it consume him. Having his hopes dashed would be worse than just outright killing him. That thought, alone, almost tempted him to toss the girl out of his circle completely. She didn’t trust him but she was doing a damn good job of not showing any sign of reticents or weakness. If she was worried, Hyungwon would never know because she continued to keep her face pointed at the ground as she stabbed, pulled, and dug - clearing out the stones and dirt in her way.

He watched her pile up the dirt beside her, digging into the hole with her bare hands now. She would need the soil for later, bad as it was. After several minutes of effort, she leaned back and looked at the hole she made. 

But she didn’t say anything. She didn’t move. Not right away.

And then, slowly, she turned to face him. His grip on the sapling tightened from how haggard her expression was. She quickly wiped it away, holding her hand out to him.

Huh. He canted his head slightly. ...was that relief?

Wordlessly, he handed her the chestnut sapling. Without wasting a second, she opened up her satchel and began pulling out wet, healthy soil she must’ve gathered while she was out. Transplanting the sapling, she carefully began putting good soil over its roots and filled the hole back up with a proper mix of the good soil and the dirt from the foundation. Taking the canteen from her waist, she opened the lid and started pouring water onto the dirt and over the sapling. It smelled like it came from a fresh spring and Hyungwon’s memory recalled a well of spring water a way’s out from where they currently were.

Just how far had the girl gone, exactly?

She emptied the insides of the bottle over the leaves and plot, screwing it closed when she’s finished and placed it back on her waist. 

The girl sighed, looking just as tired as she most likely felt. “That’s it.”

“That’s all?”

She nodded, standing up while wiping sweat from her brow. “Yeah…”

He watched her turn to look outside of the circle. He did the same. She shifted beside him, but Hyungwon couldn’t tear his eyes away from the space that existed outside of that magic circle. 

He saw her take a step forward. 

Then another. 

And another. 

Hyungwon didn’t move. He stayed rooted to that spot, his heart beat slowly escalating inside of his chest. When she was no longer at his side, the girl turned around. He stared at the chestnut tree and he could see she was doing the same just out of the corner of his eye. 

Did it work?

His eyes slowly moved to that invisible barrier and he bit his lower lip. He was scared. He was at the edge of that magic circle and terrified. Hyungwon could admit that now. Because in all the years he’d been trapped in that space, he’d never attempted to run his entire body through that barrier. Touching it scorched his entire hand, bringing him pain that was absolutely awful. When he’d pushed his hand through and watched his limp turn into a charred, meaty stump, Hyungwon felt on the verge of passing out and wanting to die. He may have had a stone face when he did it, but the tears were very real.

But if he ran his whole body through?

It could kill me, he thought, feeling his shoulders beginning to tremble, and if it does, I just pray that it completely incinerates me...please. I don’t want the pain…

Rolling his shoulders back, he gripped his hands into fists at his side. Hyungwon held his breath and closed his eyes, taking a step forward. In one more step, he would hit the barrier. But he couldn’t think about it. He just had to do it.

He just had to pray that it ended quickly; that death would be swift.

“W-Wait!” the girl cried, but it was too late.

He was crossing “the line” and he wouldn’t stop. He couldn’t stop. Good or bad, this was going to end.

He was ending it.

As his other foot left the circle, Hyungwon faltered, his weight carrying him forward. He could feel the world shifting as gravity threatened to throw him into a raw tilt and it forced him to open his eyes. The girl stood before him, eyes wet as tears streamed down her face. Hyungwon drew closer until he felt himself lowering down toward her, his arms wrapping her up into an embrace. He felt her arms encircling him, gathering him up against her chest as he pulled her even closer. His skin warmed up all over and he nuzzled his face affectionately into her neck, rubbing his nose over her cheek as his own tears leaked from his eyes.

What little strength he had slowly drained away from him, but he continued to stand so he wasn’t overwhelming her with his added weight. Slowly, he felt the girl’s palm stroking over the top of his head and resting on his neck, her body trembling as she cried.

“It’s okay now,” she whispered into his ear, causing a broken sob to lodge itself into his throat, “it’s all over.”

“Hyungwon,” he whispered, breathing past her ear.

“W-What?”

“My name is Hyungwon…” He pulled her even closer. “...and thank you.”

He held her tightly and didn’t say anything else. Not for a few more moments. He just wanted to stay like that a little longer; for just a few more selfish minutes.

When those minutes passed, Hyungwon chuckled and pulled away from her, his hand moving to wipe at her face. “You know, you’re awfully stubborn for a lass. Are all of the lasses like you now?”

She pouted as she looked up at him, shaking her head. “It just really hurt looking at you, that’s all.”

“Right,” he said, reaching out to take her hand in his. 

He couldn’t blame her. He was an emotional wreck himself. If his parents saw him like that, well, they’d have a whole festival over the affair.

I wonder if they’re still alive somewhere…

Hyungwon pulled the girl gently along, leading her outside. There was a large and dense forest close to the ruin and he blinked, surprised that none of it had been cleared out. Time wasn’t kind to his prison, but the world was starting to heal and grow. He didn’t remember it being so green beyond the hills.

“When was the last time I saw this place from here?” She didn’t say anything, but he hadn’t expected her to give an answer. “Has it truly been forgotten?”

“I think so. I’ve never heard of it before finding my way here.”

He smiled, looking up at the sky. “...I think that’s a good thing.” No one else needed to be trapped here, magical or natural alike.

“Oh, right,” he said, craning his neck to look down at her, “you never told me your name.”

A soft flush touched her cheeks, making her look adorable despite her terrible appearance. “Sabine.”

“Sabine,” he repeated, letting it roll off his tongue before smiling, “you’re still lost, aren’t you?”

She scoffed. “Well, obviously.”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t get smart. I’ll help you.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “I can’t give you an exact time of when we will find it, but I promise you that we will.”

Sabine raised her brows. “You’re not gonna travel or anything?”

“I think this should be enough of a journey after standing in one place for so long,” he said with a chuckle, “we can camp by the spring east of here for the night. You know that one, right?”

“I think so,” she said softly while looking at the sky, “at least if it’s the one I’m thinking about.”

“Can you fish?”

“Not without a rod, no.”

He sighed. “Then I’ll fish for you. But you’ll have to be the one to prepare it. I can’t do everything for you, now can I?”

Taking her hand again, they walked down the small hill that crested just over a stone wall. Just at the edge of the forest, Hyungwon spied something out of the corner of his eyes. Pausing, he took a moment to peer at what was situated at the base of the tree. 

It was a circle of marigolds.

“I’m glad you stayed.” It was a sudden thought that was made vocal. He wasn’t sure if he’d intended it to or not. Instead, he laughed while turning to look at her. “I’m glad you’re such a foolish girl.”

She rolled her eyes. “Whatever…”

“Truly, I’m glad. I can’t say it enough.”

“It’s alright,” Sabine said with a shrug. 

He pointed his finger at her, causing her eyes to cross. “Don’t go consorting with any other fiends than me, understood?”

She smiled while shaking her head and for a moment, Hyungwon’s heart paused. 

“Got it.”

“Let’s go then.”

As they continued to walk, Hyungwon’s mind became lucid - more so than when he’d been freed. Everything felt so bright that it would surely blind him. He was happy. The sun would shine a different way now; different than from all the ways he’d seen it before. He thought he’d seen them all, but he knew it would be pleasant this time. Hyungwon would watch it come up in the morning and would protect the girl as she slept. It was clear she was tired and so he would let her rest when the time came. 

He couldn’t wait for the dawn.

Because when morning came, he would be going to a ‘mire’ brimming with life; to guide him there, free of charge.

Afterwards, well, who could say? The world undoubtedly had changed so much since he’d been away. It already didn’t feel the same. He could tell that his friends had died; he could guess it from the way the air felt on his skin. They were gone and he hadn’t been able to wish them farewell.

His kin, too, were dead.

Fiends still roamed, but he knew none of them…

But this girl? This girl he would watch over, keep after her, even if only from afar. He wanted her life to be well and to have all the success that she could ever deserve. It would teem with happiness and comfort, anything that he could afford to give her. 

And when she was gone, then perhaps that would be the time Hyungwon would go too. It probably wasn’t the best use of the time she’d returned to him, but he was tired. So very tired…

He smiled, lacing his fingers through Sabine’s hand. ...but I think that I can stay awake a little longer.

F I N

Shadow’s Birthright | MYG

Chapter 8: Another Today

Plot: Riding in on thunder and lightning, two princes are born. But a crown cannot be shared. It can only be worn by one and one alone. The hands of man have separated the brothers, allowing one to live in wealth and comfort inside the palace while the other grows up among commoners. But Fate cannot be destroyed by the hands of man. A shared destiny reunites the brothers; one to become a king who descends into madness and the other will rise as a dragon whose journey has only just begun in order to claim a crown he does not desire to have.

Rating: NC-17 // NSFW

Genre: series | historical!au | fantasy!au | angst | romance | drama | tragedy

Pairing: Min Yoongi (Lee Yoon) x Female OC (Kalina Shuri)

Warnings: Historical setting, caste system, magic/sorcery, graphic violence, disturbing graphic images, religious tones, angst, slow burn, smut

Previous Chapters: Prologue 01 02 03 04 05 06 07

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 3.271

Tag List: @luxekook, @pinkpjmin, @btsaudge, @flowerwrites06, @stillcopingxx, @taevkimchi, @aroseforyoongi, @vivpurple7, @happilystrongthroughthedark, @sw33tnight, @nikkitane, @mini-coop25, @shrimpmsg, @ggukkieland​ @hobigif-ficrecs​​

AN: I really don’t know what else to say in these notes anymore lol. So just enjoy the ride!

P.S. Please bear in mind that while the historical accuracy will be mostly correct, I am setting this in a time period in Joseon history where there was no such thing as a king who had a twin brother. Obviously that’s where the fiction/creative freedom is going to come in. Everything else will be period accurate, trust and believe.

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

“On today’s long road, even if I fall, I will walk again.” - Jung Jaeil

Few words were spoken between the Crown Princess and himself. Yoon didn’t mind. He preferred the quiet. It gave him time to mull over thoughts that circulated inside of his head. The expedition to Ming would not be a short one. He anticipated that he would be gone for a month. Maybe longer, depending on how things panned out as he fulfilled his duties as Joseon’s liaison. He wasn’t expecting anything problematic, but he wasn’t planning for everything to go smoothly either. Anyone could make an attempt on his life at any time. Worse, he could wind up as a hostage in Ming in order to twist his father’s arm to obtain whatever they wished and on their terms.

Yoon certainly wasn’t about to let that transpire. Not while he was still breathing.

“I’m happy you enjoyed the banquet, Cheo-ha.” The Crown Princess’s voice interrupted his thoughts and he turned to look at her, seeing the gentle smile on her face. 

He reached out to take her hand in his and he watched a soft flush crown her cheeks. “I think it’s more important that you enjoyed yourself, Ping-goon.”

She nodded, making sure to match his pace as they walked through the palace. Their attendants followed closely, but were far enough away to give them some semblance of privacy. They continued to walk in companionable silence until they reached a bridge. Pausing for a moment, they peered over the edge to view the lake as it showcased the moon’s pale reflection. 

Thoughts of Kalina lingered in the back of Yoon’s mind. He wanted to be able to see her before he made his long journey. There was a greedy and gluttonous part of him that yearned to be able to feel her soft skin beneath his palms once more. But he knew what kind of person the sorceress was. She’d indulged him once and wished him a safe journey. That would be all she would spare; even for him. 

He hated that he couldn’t tether her to his person at all times.

“Forgive me for asking...” Chae-Ok lifted her face as he looked at her. “...will Your Highness stay with me in Magnolia Pavilion tonight?”

There was an unmistakable look of pining etched on her features. Yoon’s brows furrowed and he felt the Crown Princess’s hand gripping his own just a little harder. He didn’t pull away. Instead, he waited for her to continue.

She averted her gaze. “Please allow me to serve you.”

Again, silence. Yoon heard his heart slightly thumping in his ears. It was rare for Chae-Ok to be so forward. But there was also the duty that she had as a Crown Princess. She had to produce an heir in order to bring security to the royal household. As many times as they tried, they were unsuccessful. The royal physicians said she was healthy so there was no issue with her being able to bear children. The problem was most likely due to stress and timing. 

Yoon’s own heart was an issue as well. It wasn’t that his wife lacked the ability to satisfy him. Basic male urges were something that could easily be sated. It wasn’t like with women who, more often than not, needed to have an emotional connection with the person they shared a bed with. But even Yoon secretly held himself back when he laid with his wife. 

Was it because he wasn’t ready to be a father yet? Or to have the responsibilities that came with being a parent? He still felt so out of touch with the world and there was much that he needed to learn. He felt so inferior to his father and while the ministers in the court respected Yoon, he knew it was simply because of his title. That type of loyalty had a weak foundation and would crumble under his feet if he wasn’t careful.

Smiling, he reached out to pull Chae-Ok into his arms. She gasped, pressing her palms against his chest. Yoon rested his cheek along the side of her temple, breathing in the fragrant scent of rose petals. 

“Of course, Ping-goon,” he whispered, feeling her fingers curling into the front of his robes. Yoon chuckled when he thought he heard her smothering a sob. Patting her back, he pulled her even closer to him. “Forgive me, Crown Princess. I haven’t been very attentive to you, have I?”

She rapidly shook her head back and forth and he chuckled. “That’s not true, Crown Prince! I know how busy you have been with your studies and duties within the palace. What right do I have to complain?”

Pulling back, he cupped her cheeks in his palms and lifted her face up so he could see the pink tinting her cheeks. When two tears leaked from her eyes, Yoon used his thumbs to sweep them away. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, sighing softly against her skin.

“You have every right to complain. And you should.” He clasped the back of her neck, tilting her face upward again. “Tell me your worries and share your burdens with me.”

Yoon felt her trembling beneath his hands. “C-Cheo-ha…”

He smiled again, his shoulders relaxing a measure. “And when I return, you can continue to do so.”

Chae-Ok smiled, her lower lip quivering slightly as she nodded. They grasped hands once more, their destination within the palace set. While he knew that he could not give her his entire heart, he wanted to be fair. Yoon wouldn’t deny her what little of himself he could give. 

He owed her that much at least.

Jimin pressed his body against the wall, his spine tense as his muscles seemed to coil - ready to spring into action should the need arise. Internally, he was hating every second of this. If one thing went wrong, they were going to be thrown into the palace jail immediately. And that was if they were lucky. If fortune decided not to favor the brave this evening, they would be tortured and killed before the rooster crowed.

But as much as he hated to admit it, Taehyung’s little ruse seemed to have worked. 

Much to his chagrin, Taehyung opted to dress as one of the palace maidservants. Jimin donned the robes and role of a palace eunuch. As long as they didn’t draw too much attention to themselves, they would be able to move in and out of the palace without much constraint. The number of servants within the palace walls was almost too much for any person to truly fathom. Hence why passes and records were kept. But at night, there were fewer servants wandering since most hated the night watch schedule.

That didn’t make Jimin’s anxieties any less, however.

The sudden sound of hurried footsteps brought Jimin to full alert. His eyes narrowed when he saw Taehyung running with his skirts hiked up all the way to his waist. They both huddled down behind the bushes where they wouldn’t be seen. 

“I’m glad you were smart enough not to run around with a lamp.” 

Taehyung rolled his eyes as he bunched up the skirts around his thighs so he could squat more comfortably. “I’m not an idiot, Hyung-nim.” He smirked, then pointed at the sky. “Besides, the moon is really bright tonight. I don’t need one. The gods are blessing our little excursion.”

“Or cursing it.” Jimin frowned as he pulled the map Namjoon gave him out from the confines of his robes. “Were you able to find out anything?”

“No, not too much.” He leaned forward a bit. “Though there’s a rumor going around that the king’s special guest is here.”

“Special guest?” Jimin lofted a brow. “What kind of special guest?”

Taehyung folded his arms across his chest. “Apparently he’s an old friend of the king.” He shifted his gaze down at the map, but Jimin knew he wasn’t actually looking at it. “I also heard that he was His Majesty’s former bodyguard.”

“How far up in rank was he?”

“He wasn’t just a bodyguard.” Taehyung met Jimin’s gaze. “He was the bodyguard. Like, his former Commander.”

Jimin hummed to himself as he rested his elbows on his knees. “Any reason why he would be here?”

Taehyung shook his head. “No. But I heard from some of the servants that he comes to visit every few years. He doesn’t stay for very long, but their chats are usually pretty private.” He frowned. “The king even dismisses most of his staff when he comes by. That’s pretty suspicious, don’t you agree?”

Nodding, Jimin quickly glanced over the map to gauge their current surroundings. He pointed to one spot. “Well, we’re not too far from the King’s palace. The problem is blending in well enough to not get noticed by the other servants.”

“I figured you would want to get closer.” He saw the triumphant smirk spreading over Taehyung’s features. “I already paid off a eunuch and maidservant to let us take their shift for a few hours. They also serve at the king’s palace.”

Narrowing his eyes, he sucked in air through his teeth. “...I’m not even going to ask you how you managed to get away with that.” Jimin cuffed the side of his head. “We’re not going to be staying around that long, you fool!”

Taehyung whined as he rubbed his scalp. “C’mon, it’s all I could manage, alright?” He quickly craned his neck back and forth. “But we need to go now. I told them we’d relieve them in the next half hour.”

“Dammit, Taehyung-ah! We’re not that close to the King’s palace right now!”

Jimin quickly folded the map and stuffed it back into his robes. They both stood up, making haste across the stone pathways. They had to be swift and careful. If any palace guards thought they looked suspicious, they would have to make a hasty exit and run for their very lives.

Dojin smirked as he watched the King puzzle over what move to make next in their game of Go. There were times when he would let the King win, simply in the name of their old friendship. Other times, he would opt to wipe the board with his pieces - trapping his friend and giving him no room to escape. The King claimed he was a ruthless strategist, to which Dojin often took it as a compliment. He was able to keep the King safe within the palace walls thanks to his strategies. He was offered the position of Grand General once, but Dojin promptly turned it down. If there ever came a time for war, he wanted to be at the King’s side - not on the battlefield.

As much as he missed his duties, Dojin enjoyed the quiet mountain life he currently lived. He did hard manual labor at the docks to help bring in a decent income and to keep his body hardened. The King and Queen both sent him monthly stipends to get by, enabling him to amass a small fortune. It was something he wasn’t really used to having and, personally, he could do without it. 

But the hard truth was that raising an infant wasn’t easy. Raising an infant without a wet nurse or any motherly figure in the picture was an absolutely daunting task. The first few years were, of course, difficult. When he knew weaning Yoongi on rice water wasn’t going to cut it, he had a woman in a small village help him since she’d just given birth and had milk to spare. He spun some story about his wife dying in childbirth.

That was when Dojin discovered that the village was remote, but self-sustainable. The mountain was his to claim and he built his current house at the highest he would dare without hurting the infant’s lungs from the high altitude. It was the beginning of a very long but fruitful relationship between himself and the young prince.

“You are terrible, Dojin-ah.”

The King’s voice cut through his inner musings. He smirked as he watched him mulling over which move to make next. Dojin knew if he was able to predict his strategy, he would be able to get out of the pit he was currently in. But if he didn’t, then it was game over. Again.

Dojin chuckled as he folded his arms across his chest. “Didn’t you always tell me to be relentless in these sorts of games, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, but this is unnecessary.” He watched the King snort, scratching at his beard. “I should be thankful that we’re friends. I shudder to think what would happen if we were enemies.”

“If we were enemies, Your Majesty, I would never have left your side.”

The King’s eyes lifted from the board to meet his own. “Why do you say that?”

Reaching for the teacup, he took a small sip. “Because the smartest strategy is to keep one’s enemies closer, is it not?”

“You jest far too much, my old friend.” The King lifted up one of the white pieces, slapping it down onto the board as he flashed a victorious smile. “Take that!”

Dojin hummed as he surveyed the board, approving the King’s move. He managed to wiggle out of his pincer hold. But it wouldn’t last. Sadly, he’d managed to leave his flank unprotected. 

Instead of attacking mercilessly, Dojin continued to drink his tea. It was getting later into the evening and he needed to set off for home at first light. Well, after acquiring a few provisions. He’d left Yoongi alone and while he knew the young prince could more than take care of himself, the parent in him wanted to be able to provide a decent meal and some new clothes. Kali would take care of keeping his hair trimmed short and if he needed entertainment, his friends in the village would amply provide. 

“Are you faring well financially, Dojin-ah?” 

Humming, he set his cup down. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

“And Yoongi? Does the prince need anything?”

A lump formed in his throat. He wasn’t sure how to answer that question. Did he need anything? There were plenty of things he knew Yoongi needed. He needed to be able to live a life where he could walk freely in the streets of Joseon without worrying about someone noticing him. He needed to take comfort in knowing that he had a family, one outside of Dojin, that loved him and missed him greatly. He needed a mother’s comforting embrace. 

There were plenty of things that Yoongi needed and wanted. But that didn’t mean that he would be able to receive these said needs. It all stemmed from his birth, his origins, and the curse that currently branded his face. 

The very scar that his own father, the King, gave him.

Dojin lowered his head respectfully. “There are many things he needs, Your Majesty. Things that I cannot provide him.” He sighed, lifting his head. “I may have raised him and I do consider him my own son. But the truth, Your Majesty, is that I cannot give him everything he needs. That is out of my hands.”

He saw the pained expression forming on the King’s face. He hadn’t meant to reopen a wound that he knew wasn’t properly healed. Dojin knew that throwing Yoongi aside was the most torturous thing the King could have done. Anyone could see it. But for the sake of maintaining peace in the royal household, the King did what he felt he must to secure the hearts and minds of those inside the palace. Twin births equated to possible bloodshed. It would not be the princes’ faults. Blame would be placed at the Noble Factions who attempted to control the princes - pulling one in a direction and dragging the other into another.

“You know that I would want nothing more than to bring him back into the palace.” The King pressed his fingers into his temple. “He is my son. Nothing will change that. But I can’t have the Royal Court in an uproar over it.” He sighed, a tired look painting over his features. “His very existence is problematic. I have faith in the Crown Prince’s abilities and I admire his ambition. But the minute any of the other Noble Factions discover there is another prince with the right to the throne…” The King’s brows furrowed as he curled his hand into a fist at his knee. “Dojin-ah, you’ve seen it for yourself. You’ve seen what this palace looks like when there is turmoil in the Royal Household. I don’t wish that for my children.”

Dojin sighed, giving a solemn nod. “I know, Your Majesty. I know. I just hope that he’ll learn the truth one day...and figure out a way to cope with it.” His lips formed into what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “You know, you could always come and see him yourself. It wouldn’t be your first time traveling incognito.”

The King chuckled. “I dare not without the Queen.”

“Bring her along, Your Majesty.” Dojin saw the surprise reflected in the King’s eyes. “I think he at least deserves to see the woman who brought him into this world, don’t you?”

It was hard to gauge the King’s thoughts at that moment. And there wasn’t a lot of time for him to process it. Because there was a slight disturbance in the hall. Nothing noticeable by any normal person’s ears. But for Dojin, a man who trained in martial arts since he was a child, who spent years honing his senses to peak conditions, could sense the air shifting behind the sliding doors of the King’s chambers. 

They were supposed to be alone. It was the only way for these sorts of conversations to even take place without prying ears. It was the safest way for His Majesty to indulge in the conversations he longed to have with an old friend.

Having that safety net tainted in any way angered Dojin.

Reaching into his robes, he gripped a pair of throwing knives between his fingers. He pressed a finger to his lips as he silently signaled to the King. The King nodded, sticking his hand into the bowl where his white Go pieces were. It would mask Dojin’s next move.

With a whip of his arm, he threw the knives out toward the hallway. They tore through the rice paper on the door - embedding into the floorboards. One set of feet shuffled away and another all but disappeared from hearing range. Dojin’s eyes narrowed as he quickly raced to the door, flinging the doors open and glaring into a now empty hallway. His gaze shifted to the floor where the knives were. There were a few droplets of blood on the polished wood.

He heard the King rise from his seat. “Assassins?”

“No. I didn’t sense any bloodlust from them. Probably a pair of curious servants.” Dojin slid the door closed. “Though it is getting late, Your Majesty. I need to be heading back home.”

“Should I notify the Palace Guards?” 

He knew the King was decent with a sword. Causing a panic in the middle of the night over non-combatants would be pointless. But loose lips would sink the fleet. Dojin couldn’t let that happen. It seemed his old ways of thinking were starting to breach the surface.

Pivoting on his heel, Dojin moved to pick up his sword and satchel. “That isn’t necessary.” He smirked. “In about two hours, it won’t matter.”

Don’t tell mommy | Lee Taeyong

 Lee Taeyong x Reader  

▸ Too much fluff, too much smut ▸ Part of The Arcana: Love Readings hosted by @jenojam​ & @donkey-hyuck​ ▸ Five cards spread: Temperance (reversed), Justice (reversed), The star (reversed), Judgement (reverse), Death (upright) Summary: Taeyong, your best friend for over a decade, loved you so much that he got you pregnant and you thought your ex is the father of your baby. Your best friend did not tell you the truth because he’s a coward and he is afraid to lose you, until one fateful night, you found out about the truth. Word count: 10,921k Warnings: Smut, Super mature themes, smut on smut, cheating, mentions of cheating, unprotected sex, and protected sex, fingering, drunk sex with consent of course, rough sex, swearing, baby bump appreciation, pregnancy fluff, baby fluff, Jaehyun is an asshole (kind of), mentions of alcohol, swearing, nipple play, mentions of other idols. It has a plot don’t worry, it’s not all smut, I lessen the smut, loneliness while being pregnant.    A/N: Pure fiction. If you’re not okay being a pregnant character in a fiction, please click away. idk, but the inspiration of this story is my guy best friend and we’ve been friends for almost a decade now. You will know him through Taeyong’s character in this fic hehehehe. Also this kind of inspired by the movie The Switch but the plot is so so so so far.  Graphics by me HEHE.

“It’s all about horrible timing, wasted opportunities and not being able to say what he need to say when he needs to say it.“ - The Switch, 2010.

How it all started

Lee Taeyong has been in love with you from the moment he saw you sitting alone in the university’s coffee shop. He was sitting quite far away from you with his chaotic friends, Doyoung, Jaehyun, and Taeil. But looking at you brought him peace even just for a second before Jung Jaehyun nudges his elbow and caught Taeyong’s attention. Just like that his peaceful world became noisy again.

“Y/n, we go to the same class. What do you think of her?” Jaehyun talks low beside Taeyong, careful not to get your attention. Yet.

“She’s beautiful. Not gonna lie” Taeyong responds.

“I think that beautiful girl is the one for me. I can’t stop thinking about her, but I want to make it right this time. I’m done playing games-this girl is something”

Taeyong was speechless after hearing what his friend just said. Jaehyun has a reputation of being the university’s cutie and number one playboy, that simply means he can get whoever he wants and Taeyong can only pray that you’re different from every girl in this school.

Helpless and hopeless, Taeyong watches Jaehyun walk towards your table and disturb your peace like how he did with his. Taeyong watched you laugh at Jaehyun’s jokes and Taeyong watched you give your number to Jaehyun. It’s not that he’s disappointed with you for being under Jaehyun’s spell, he’s more disappointed in himself for not saying that he likes you too. Just this once he wanted Jaehyun to back off let him win you, but instead of standing up for himself, he just sat there.

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