CAN WE JUST APPRECIATE HOW BRAVE AND CONFIDENT MC IS
*Contains Episode 1 SPOILERS*
I came in with the mind set that MC was going to be a super tropey reverse harem heroine. Kind of like Yui from Diabolik lovers where she isn’t even a person.
Just look at MC she looks like a super cute cinnamon roll but gurrrlllll you have some BALLS and I lived for every single second of her character in this episode.
She’s super determined to keep her show running and keep the same energy that her father brought to the show and I love that she’s running from place to place and hustling like a pimp.
One thing I can’t stress enough is that she speaks her goddamn mind.
You tell her MC! Finish her! Ref Anna on the side tho lol
Now don’t get me started when she went to go look for Victor when she found through Anna that he was withdrawing funding from her company.
She went up to receptionist of his company like “LET ME TALK TO HIM OR I WILL GO TO HIM” and she FUCKING DID
MY GIRL IS FROM THE MOTHAFUCKING HOOD!! FUCK YO RULES BIACH !
Remember when Vic walked into the building like it was his palace or some shit cuz he had to make an “emergency visit or whateva”?? All his employees started bowing down n shit but my GIRL didn’t
Then she met with the grand DICK himself my boo Victor
She be like hey why you cutting my funding bruh?? I need it! Then he was like cuz is just as I thought…. TRASH.
It hurt my girl for like a second but then she started thinking of her hommies from the hood in Loveland and then she pulled up a OOHH Hell NOO and was like Aight you GONNA Pay fo dat shit
If we make it big don’t bring yo lil bitch ass running to me cuz it gonna be late as fuck. You Good?
MC told him infront of every single one of his employees!! Every single one!! the shameeeeee on his cow tho
I FUCKING DIED. I was dead. ☠️ ☠️ ☠️ just like every single one of his employees
Then my boii was so amused and so intrigued by hood rat MC that he looked at her like FUCKING TRY ME with that sexy ass smile of his
MC looked at him like I’m ready BITCHH bring IT.
Them death stares got me like OOOOHHH is gonna get good.
If Anime MC is like this then I’m in for a treat with RENEGADE MC. I’m living so much for her bad bitch energy that I honestly forgot that Gavin didn’t even have enough screen time and that’s coming from one of his #1 hoe’s.
I think I might up just developed a big ASS crush for MC.
Anyway, Good Job MAPPA so far I’m hooked.
Still a low blow for naming her “Watashi” tho when she has more personality than Yui
“ He has hemmed me into a world where he’s the only one in my eyes.”
Even before everything started, they were seeing eye to eye, as equals, as yin and yang, as Venus and Mars, as a man and a woman, just like lovers do (*♡▽♡*)
Why can’t we load more than 10 pics… Whhhhyyyyy?! (I didn’t wanna collage them because each is too beautiful to cut)
Also also, these two always make me feel like a third wheel intruder ‘cuz they’re waaay too lost in each other’s eyes lol
Mr Love Dream Date is the Southeast Asian equivalent of MLQC! It’s closing down in June and the officials have offered to transfer players’ gems from MLDD accounts to MLQC… and nothing else e.g. game progression, karmas, asmrs, etc.
If you have a moment to spare, please sign the petition here for the officials to take the concerns of MLDD players seriously Thank you!
As of 6th April 2022, the Southeast Asia server for Mr Love, which is known as Mr Love Dream Date (MLDD), had been closed down and the server would be erased on 6th June 2022, much to the dismay and frustration of the MLDD players ヽ( `д´*)ノ.
Consequently, the MLDD players would not be having any in-game events in celebration of Kiro’s Birthday this year, unlike the rest of the other servers of Mr Love ( ╥ω╥ ).
Despite that, the MLDD players thought of celebrating Kiro’s Birthday by holding their own event (Couldn’t possibly let the lovely superstar’s birthday passed by silently(•̀ᴗ•́)و).
Interested to know more about the event?
Everyone is free to join the event, be it players or non-players, as long as you know Kiro / Zhou Qiluo and wish to join in the celebration (─‿‿─)♡.
All you need to do is to take a photo of chips/sweets/snacks along with Kiro’s pictures/merchandise/anything that represented or reminded people of Kiro and post it via reblog from this post, along with attaching the hashtags:-
Preorder - Mr Love Queen’s Choice Kiro Birthday 2022 Merch
All items are in Singapore Dollar (SGD), mailed via tracked airmail. All stated prices are already inclusive of shipping from China to me. Please note that mailing to you is additional. PayPal is accepted for international buyers.
For USA/Europe/Canada parcels, tracked mailing will start from SGD$11.90 (250g) and non-tracked mailing will start from SGD$8.30 (250g). For other countries, please dm for info!
ETA: Late Aug 2022 (Subjected to delays due to Covid)
Payment Deadline: 17 April 22:00 SGT
Available
・Acrylic Diorama (16.8 x 8.4 cm) SGD$18.90
・Extreme Shine Shikishi (18 x 12 cm) SGD$14.90
Material is interestingly listed as acrylic and paper.
・Chrome Can Badge (Dia: 7.5 cm) SGD$7.50/ea
・PVC Clear Poster (Size A3) SGD$12.50/ea
・Birthday 2022 Gift Box SGD$54/set
Consists of a citrus fragrance vial, Commemorative Medallion, 2 Polaroid cards.
Tags: mr love Queen’s choice dream date mlqc love and producer kiro 恋与制作人 周棋洛
Hello! I’m hosting a group order for Mr Love Queen’s Choice Official Merch. USA & International orders OK. (USA based) Please see the order form below for more details.
The rainy season had visited Loveland. Aside from being a nightmare for those who still have to travel to work, the gloomy weather also tends to make people melancholic, especially those who are on their own. During such times, it is surprisingly reassuring to have someone to talk to.
Word Count: 2473 words
The weather in Loveland City has been rather erratic recently. It could be sunny at the moment and raining cats and dogs later when you least expect it.
Knowing this, the producer had never traveled around without a foldable umbrella in her bag. This was especially so because the rain always occurred late in the evening, which coincided with the time she usually left her company.
However, even with those preparations in place, she still couldn’t avoid being drenched to her skin by the time she reached home. Well, that was to be expected since she had to face the full brunt of the heavy torrential downpour and strong gales with nothing but her umbrella throughout the entire twenty-minute walk.
While it was uncomfortable to be stuck in soaking wet clothes throughout the journey, it was still not as bad as having to endure wearing soggy shoes. Even now, when she was all warm and cozy at home, she still couldn’t dismiss the moist and cold sensation of her aching feet from when she first reached home, as well as the unsightly view of the wrinkled and pale skin of her feet when she took off her shoes. It made her worried that if this carried on, her feet would remain permanently wrinkled one day…
Alas, the current rainy weather was expected to last for at least another week, according to the latest weather forecast. Moreover, it was also predicted that a thunderstorm might be occurring at any time within the week.
With the current downpour already being terrible enough in her opinion, the girl couldn’t imagine being stuck in facing a thunderstorm while on her way home one day. Not to mention, most of her employees were also travelling to work on foot like herself. Therefore, right after she had heard of the latest weather forecast, the girl had informed all of her employees to work from home until the weather was stable enough for everyone to travel safely to work.
As an employer, the producer wasn’t particularly against the idea of working from home. Even though she wouldn’t disagree with the notion that one’s productivity in work might decrease due to being in the comfort of one’s home and the sense of freedom that came from having no one to directly supervise one’s work progress, she believed that it was still better to have this alternative option.
For her, she wouldn’t mind if her employees take it easy when working from home as long as they still deliver their work on time and she could reach them via calls when required. As a matter of fact, if it wasn’t because there were still some pending arrangement details for an urgent project, she would have let them off from work during this period.
After all, she knew full well how hard her employees had been working, while she was out seeking collaborative projects to increase her company’s value and to prevent LFG from pulling back their investment. So, they truly deserved to have some off-days.
Fortunately, it still wasn’t too late for her to do that since she had just settled the matter regarding the urgent project by informing the respective parties of the project about the finalized details.
After sending a message to thank all her employees for their hard work and to also inform them that they will be on leave from work until further notice, the girl plopped herself face-down on the couch. Rolling over onto her back, she clutched her phone to her chest with an evident look of contentment.
With this, she could finally have some time for herself as well.
“Oh right! I should tell Kiro about this.”
Ever since Kiro first messaged her after recommending her show, “Miracle Finder”, on social media, they had been frequently keeping in touch with one another. Their conversations could be related to anything, such as food, movies, work-related matters, the interesting things that they had stumbled upon in their daily lives or even idle talks.
Even though Kiro was a celebrity idol, which made him someone who she normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to approach, let alone chat with frequently, she had never felt daunted by his fame or social status. She didn’t know why, but she always felt like she could talk about anything with Kiro, be it joyful or unhappy things.
Therefore, he was the first person she thought of sharing the news of her holiday.
[Yay! I am finally free from work! ^-^V]
It didn’t take more than five seconds for her to receive a reply that caused her to giggle.
[That’s great! Now, our idler group is finally complete!]
Compared to her, Kiro was certainly more hectic when it came to his work schedule. However, his workload had reduced significantly due to the rainy weather, which limited all of his job assignments to indoors. Once he had completed all of the indoor-related assignments, his manager had decided to give him a break since all the assignments that remained could only be done outdoors, which would have to wait until the weather cleared up since no one wanted to risk getting the celebrity idol sick.
Ever since then, Kiro had proclaimed himself to be an idler and had been lamenting on how he was still missing her as his partner in lazing about. Now that she was free from work too, it was to be expected that Kiro would be delighted.
[Still, it’s a shame that we will both be stuck at home due to the weather.]
[Why? Are you missing me, Miss Chips?]
His message was followed by a smirking emoji.
Blushing at having her innermost thoughts exposed by his teasing words, the girl pursed her lips while typing out her reply.
[I am just thinking how boring it would be since there aren’t many entertaining things to do at home.]
[Oh, Miss Chips doesn’t miss me. T.T]
In response, the girl’s lips had curled up unknowingly and she shook her head helplessly at the thought of Kiro pouting while typing those childish words. To behave childishly without turning people off, none could have done it as effortlessly as Kiro.
If she was like any of her fangirls, she would have fallen for his words and admitted that she missed him, just to not make him be any more disappointed.
However, she knew Kiro better than any fangirls. Moreover, she was aware that Kiro was only pretending to be saddened by her replies in order to coax her into confessing. Not wanting to let him have things his way all the time, the girl decided to play dumb.
[Didn’t we just have a video call last night?]
[Which Miss Chips rejected the first time… :’( ]
[That was because I had just gotten out of the shower at that time and hadn’t fully dried myself off!]
Not many would ever talk to Kiro in such a casual manner. Then again, the girl had never been one to walk on eggshells around Kiro. That is why they have been able to converse with each other with ease. It was because they held nothing back between them.
At the very least, she alone had never felt the need to do so.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kiro had always found it mysterious, how the rainy weather tends to make one feel melancholic. The gloomy and dark skies outside, coupled with the silence that permeates the air within the big house, had further accentuated a sense of solitude. Moreover, having been confined indoors due to the weather and not having much to do, one would naturally be contemplative.
Loneliness.
Who would ever believe that a well-loved celebrity like Kiro, who had legions of fans worldwide, would ever feel lonely?
To the public, Kiro is a bright star, whose radiance never dimmed and continues to illuminate others without fail. It might never occur to them at all that there would also be moments when a star will lose its radiance.
Not surprising since people tend to only notice the beautiful side of things. Thus, it was likely for them to have overlooked the fact that beyond the lights and glamour of the stage, Kiro is just like everyone else, an ordinary person.
He too will be overwhelmed by others’ expectations of him or be weary from having to put up a strong front at all times in order to not disappoint said expectations.
He too wished to be comforted when things were difficult, to have someone praise him for trying so hard all the time or to tell him it was alright to not push himself too hard and to take a breather sometimes.
Nonetheless, Kiro was someone who was always harsh towards himself. Instead of giving in to those yearnings, he chose to bottle up his feelings and carry on in maintaining his flawless image to the public. Facing the world on his own, the only thing that kept him going was a certain hope, which was further reinforced by his mentor’s words at the airport right before Kiro departed to America.
Back then, Kiro thought he had hidden his emotions well, but somehow his mentor still knew about it and had given Kiro a firm hug as he consoled the fifteen-year-old boy.
“Kiro, everyone is born alone and dies alone in this world. Still, that doesn’t mean that we are fated to be alone for the rest of our life. Aside from Eva and myself, you will encounter others who will accept everything about you and love you as you are.”
The famous French singer, Eva Seidel, was the closest person to a mother figure to Kiro. She was also the one who had suggested for Kiro to continue his studies in America. While this suggestion was undoubtedly beneficial for Kiro’s future, it was only because Eva and his mentor were strongly in favor of this option that Kiro decided to go to America in spite of his reluctance to leave France.
Kiro greatly admired and respected his mentor, but he still couldn’t hide his skepticism after hearing his mentor’s words. Of course, his mentor had noticed it as well.
“You might find it hard to believe now, but mark my words. As long as you don’t close off your heart and boldly accept those hands that have reached out to you, you will never be alone.”
That was the last face-to-face talk Kiro had with his mentor.
He kept his mentor’s words to heart, even though he still didn’t believe there would be others who would accept his flaws and imperfections. Still, there was someone who Kiro had always hoped to meet again and he wished she would be one of those people that his mentor mentioned will accept him as he is.
This hope was what had kept Kiro going throughout the years after his mentor’s disappearance.
When Kiro eventually met the girl again and realized that she didn’t remember anything from the past, he thought that it was for the best. With this, they would be able to start afresh and he will be able to show her only the best part of himself.
Nonetheless, whenever he was with her, he felt so at ease that he always ended up behaving unreservedly. Still, the girl had never shunned him for it and had oftentimes told him that she liked him that way.
Of course, he hadn’t truly believed her back then and stubbornly continued to hide his weaknesses from her. She was too precious to him and he was afraid of losing her. Even the mere thought of her disliking him was unbearable to Kiro, let alone the idea of her abandoning him.
To Kiro, his existence was precarious and heavily-dependent on his fame as an idol, which in turn, was reliant on the adoration from his fans. Despite that, he wasn’t even certain whether those adorations were genuine or due to the influence of his Evol.
The vagueness had merely heightened Kiro’s sense of insecurity and he became particularly mindful of people’s perception of him. In order to prove that his popularity wasn’t due to the influence of his Evol but due to his own efforts in giving the best performance to the public, Kiro never stopped pushing himself to the limit.
It was his Miss Chips who had quelled his fear of rejection and loneliness by sticking by his side through all his uncool and vulnerable moments. It was her voice that had pulled him from the darkness of his own mind that threatened to engulf him. Once again, he was saved by her presence and unconditional support.
Even if he was alone, his loneliness would instantly dissipate whenever he heard her voice during a phone call, saw her smiling face during a video call or read back the past messages between them.
[That was because I had just gotten out of the shower at that time and hadn’t fully dried myself off!]
Just like now, Kiro couldn’t stop himself from grinning as they continued to message back and forth between themselves about trivial matters.
[Really (o-O) ? Why do I feel like Miss Chips purposely doesn’t want to see me?]
[Of course not!]
[Hmm…then Miss Chips has to prove it.]
Before she could send out a reply, Kiro had clicked on the video camera icon on the top right side of his phone screen, thus initiating a video call between them. Unlike last time, the girl had accepted the call within five seconds.
However, she must have done so in a rushed manner because the sight that greeted Kiro on the phone screen was of the girl hiding the lower half of her face behind a couch pillow. Finding her posture to be adorable, he decided not to say anything about her slightly disheveled hair.
“Yoo-hoo, Miss Chips!” greeted Kiro while waving at the phone screen. “Glad to see me?”
Although he couldn’t see the lower half of her face, he could tell that the girl was miffed based on her narrowed eyes.
“Kiro! Why so suddenly? I didn’t even have time to prepare myself.”
“It’s okay, Miss Chips is always adorable.” He grinned mischievously and winked at the screen. “As for the sudden video call, it’s the best way to prove whether Miss Chips is avoiding to see me or not. Unless … you want me to go over to your place to meet you directly?”
The girl’s eyes had widened for a second before she shook her head vigorously and clutched the pillow closer to her face.
“Of course, there’s also another reason. It’s because…” Kiro deliberately dragged the end of his words for a while before he broke into a smile.
Figuring out someone’s thoughts is as difficult as disclosing your own thoughts to others. Even so, it isn’t necessarily wise to keep silent and leave the matter be. Having just started going steady with one another, how would MC and Gavin deal with such a situation?
Word Count: 2279 words
Whenever one requests for another person’s opinion on a matter, they usually do so because they couldn’t come to a final decision on their own. So, they required a second opinion in order to either narrow down their numerous options or to get a basis for forming their own opinion.
Unfortunately, not many would openly share their opinions when requested, whether it was due to hesitation in bearing part of the responsibility that came with being involved in the decision making, the fear of having their opinion shunned or they merely didn’t wish for others to be pressured into accepting their opinion.
Therefore, even for a question as trivial as what to have for lunch among work colleagues, the most common answer that one would get would be “Anything is fine”. While such an answer may seem considerate and polite at first sight, it was actually inconvenient to the questioner as the latter was left to make the decision on their own without any additional hints.
This was especially problematic when it involved choosing a gift for someone.
For a straightforward man like Gavin, who had no idea at all when it came to the things that women would like as gifts, the countless choices of bags, cosmetics, accessories and clothes that were available in the mall were enough to make his head spin. Despite there being so many choices available, none of the things that he saw during his window-shopping trip had given him the feeling of being a suitable gift for the girl.
Then again, what would she like to receive as a gift?
Not one to beat around the bush, Gavin had tried asking the girl directly about it in the middle of a conversation about their upcoming plans for celebrating the girl’s birthday.
“Anything is fine.”
As expected, the girl had answered him in a cheerful voice that she was fine with anything and that she also wouldn’t mind if he didn’t get her anything because she was well-aware that he had been preoccupied with work recently.
That’s the kind of person she is, always so caring and considerate. Even during those times when he had missed out on their dates due to his work, she hadn’t uttered a single word of complaint. Instead, she had always cheered him on and requested that he take care not to get hurt during work.
For his devoted girl, how could he bear to show up empty-handed on her birthday?
Ever since the producer met Gavin again, she got to know him a little better, a little different from the impression of a violent delinquent that had been painted of him during high school. If anything, the current Gavin fitted her initial impression of a socially-awkward but kind senior, who on a particularly rainy day, had given her his jacket to shield her from the heavy rain and had run away before she could thank him.
Perhaps, Gavin had always been kind.
This belated realization had made her wonder for a moment, of a time if she hadn’t been influenced by the rumors surrounding Gavin, if she had ignored those rumors and mustered the courage to approach him. How different would things have turned out then? Instead of being disconnected with each other for years, would they have been friends…or perhaps something more?
Since time could never be rewound, that possibility would be something that she would never know for sure.
Still, she was grateful to have resolved the misunderstanding between Gavin and herself now concerning the bloodstained letter that she didn’t read. It was after resolving this matter that their relationship, which had been stuck on a standstill since high school, had truly moved forward once again.
Since then, she had witnessed the different sides of the senior who used to be unapproachable to her during high school. No, he was no longer her senior. It would be more apt to say that Gavin had progressed from his status as her high school senior to her protector, someone who she could entrust with her life. Even before they had started going steady, Gavin had been her stout protector, who kept her safe and rescued her from dangers countless times.
Initially, she couldn’t understand why Gavin would go so far to keep her safe when they weren’t even any close to each other during high school. Unable to come up with a plausible reason, she chalked it up to his sense of responsibility as an STF agent in ensuring a citizen’s safety.
Even though she did have a slight suspicion that Gavin might have had feelings for her at that time, she had instantly brushed off that possibility, believing that she had been presumptuous for even having that kind of thought. After all, why would Gavin have feelings for her?
As far as she could remember, she had always been a quiet girl that didn’t really stand out during high school. Aside from that, she rarely meets or exchanges words with Gavin at school, let alone doing anything significant for him. Thus, to her, it would be unlikely for Gavin to have liked her out of the blue since then, much less now, after years of being apart without any contact between them.
Nonetheless, it did warm her heart when she noticed how Gavin gradually opened up to her now as time passed, with him speaking less stiffly to her and how he wore his heart on his sleeve before her through his simple gestures and vivid facial expressions.
That was not all, though.
Whenever she couldn’t contact Gavin because he was away on a mission, she would be so worried about him that she hadn’t been able to sleep well for days. Whenever she learnt that he had been injured after missions, she would be so anxious and upset that she would be having a hard time holding back her tears, as though she was the one who was hurt.
Eventually, she realized that the reason for these turbulent feelings were because she had fallen in love with Gavin. Having lost the opportunity to know Gavin during high school, she didn’t hesitate to confess her feelings to him at the right opportunity. And now, here they are, a few months later, discussing their plans for celebrating her birthday during a phone call.
Even though this would be their first-time celebrating her birthday as a couple, she was intending to spend the day together at home instead of going outside since she was tired from the continuous days of working overtime and would rather not mingle with the crowds, which would be unavoidable on a weekend.
Of course, instead of deciding everything by herself, she had asked for Gavin’s opinion on the matter, that if he was fine with them spending the day at her place.
“As you like.”
It was an answer that she had expected, but she was a little disappointed by it. This was because it wasn’t the first time that she had received such an answer when asking for Gavin’s opinion.
Based on the few months of them being together as a couple, she had noticed that Gavin would always leave it to her to make the decisions by stating that he was fine with anything as long as she was happy. While she did feel flattered that Gavin would prioritize her over himself, this had also made her feel bad as she can’t help but to suspect that Gavin might have been forcing himself to accommodate her wishes.
Just like how Gavin wanted her to be happy, she also wanted the same for Gavin. She would never want to be the one being accommodated one-sidedly in their relationship.
But, how exactly should she broach this matter to him?
For the umpteenth time, Gavin gave the small box within his jean pocket a slight squeeze, as if to confirm that it was still within his possession. After browsing through shop after shop, he finally came upon the gift that he considered perfect for the girl. Fearing that he might lose it, Gavin had been constantly checking up on the box in his pocket at every available opportunity until the moment he reached the girl’s place.
“Gavin.”
Upon hearing his name, Gavin snapped out of his thoughts and naturally looked towards the girl who was sitting right next to him on the couch with her head leaning on his shoulder.
“Can I be honest with you about something?”
“Of course,” he answered immediately without looking away from the girl.
Unlike Gavin, the girl was quite hesitant to speak. Instead, she pulled away from him and sat up straight on the couch. Although he was feeling a little anxious with the girl’s gestures and hesitance, Gavin didn’t prod her to speak. He chose to wait for her to speak up at her own pace, which he didn’t have to wait long.
“Gavin, you have always let me decide on things as I like ever since we got together and I do appreciate that,” she said before looking directly at him with a sad smile, “However, I wish for you to decide on things as you like too. Do you get what I mean?”
The young man didn’t say anything and merely fixed his sight on the girl. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand what she meant. He was just …surprised. He didn’t expect that he had unwittingly made her sad and the worst part was, he wouldn’t have realized the problem if she hadn’t spoken up about it now. Even though it was with much difficulty that his feelings for her were finally reciprocated and they had been dating as a couple for months, he was still so oblivious of her feelings and thoughts at times, which made him furious at himself.
Mistaking his silence as bewilderment, the girl said, “Instead of being accommodated one-sidedly, I wish for us to come to a mutual decision together when it comes to making decisions.”
To be honest, Gavin had neither forced himself nor had he kept his opinions to himself in order to accommodate her. If anything…
“Actually… I am clueless when it comes to the things that you asked for my opinions, which is why I leave it to you to make the decisions,” confessed Gavin while looking down and scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “I thought that since you know better than me, the choices that you made would certainly be better than if it’s from me, who didn’t know anything.”
Scoffing at his own misconception, Gavin then returned his gaze back at the girl. “I am sorry,” he said earnestly while meeting the girl’s eyes, “I didn’t realize that I had made you upset by doing so.”
The girl’s expression had softened, long before Gavin had apologized.
“It’s nothing to apologize for, Gavin. I brought this up because I didn’t want any misunderstandings to remain unspoken and eventually fester between us. Now that we have talked about this, we get to understand each other’s thoughts better, am I right?”
Gavin nodded.
“So, I would also be honest with you. I would prefer that you share your opinions with me, Gavin, even if you think it is silly or when you have no idea at all. Can you promise me this?”
“Mm, I promise.”
Having received his word, the girl clapped her hands together and smiled brightly.
Seeing the girl’s bright smile, Gavin thought that there was no better time than now for him to reveal the gift that he had bought for her birthday. So, he slowly took out the small box from his pocket and presented it on the palm of his left hand to the girl, who had gasped in surprise at the sight of it.
“Gavin, this…”
A knowing smile crossed the young man’s face.
“Whether it was back then or now, the only person on my mind, who had kept me going no matter the obstacles, have been you and only you, no one else.”
Having said that, Gavin then lifted open the cover of the box with his right hand to reveal a pair of identical silver rings with a gold-plated gingko leaf pattern in the center. It was a pair of custom-made promise rings, which signified an unmarried couple’s commitment to their relationship.
“Even though we had only been dating for a few months, I wish for us to stay together, now and always, and never be apart. Would you accept this?”
The girl, who had been covering her mouth with both hands all this time, had giggled with glistening brown eyes.
“Of course! Of course, I accept!”
Beaming with joy, Gavin then proceeded to put on the smaller promise ring on the girl’s fourth finger of her left hand. Once he was done, the girl had already reached towards the other pair of the rings in the box that had been placed between them. Without saying a word, she reached out for Gavin’s left hand and carefully put the ring on his fourth finger in the same manner as hers.
Engrossed in admiring the sight of the promise ring on his ring finger, Gavin was surprised when the girl had lunged forward to hug him without warning. Even though she didn’t say anything and merely buried her face deeper onto his chest while hugging him, the slight feeling of dampness on his chest was all Gavin needed to understand her current feelings. So, he returned the girl’s embrace with a contented smile and spoke out the rest of the words that he had wanted to told her on that day.
MC had volunteered to cook for dinner, while Victor prepared himself for the worst case scenario. How would this dinner for two turned out in the end?
Word Count: 2582 words
Constancy was a word that fitted Victor’s character, just like how spontaneity was part of the girl’s disposition.
Whenever Victor thought he had gotten used to the girl’s random and silly antics, she would prove him wrong by surprising him in one way or another.
Just like this time.
“Victor, leave tonight’s dinner preparation to me!”
That was what she had declared over the phone when he called over to discuss their plans after work. Victor had no idea what had gotten her so pumped up to volunteer to do the cooking for that night.
Nevertheless, he did have an inkling of the girl’s cooking skill based on the homemade pudding that she had made last time for the famous celebrity, Kiro. Not to mention, that was just a dessert,which didn’t involve as much preparation as needed for a main course. Therefore, Victor’s response to her declaration had been instantaneous.
“Definitely not.”
As expected, her voice was filled with indignation at hearing his answer.
“But why?!”
To prevent unwanted accidents, to avert getting food poisoning, to avoid wasting food…There were plenty of similar reasons that came to his mind. However, Victor knew that if he were to tell her any of those reasons, she would certainly throw a tantrum and they would end up in an argument. With this dinner being their first face-to-face meeting within the past few weeks, the last thing he wanted was to ruin this opportunity with his bluntness.
Still, that didn’t mean that he would yield on this matter.
“When was the last time you cooked?” Just when the girl was about to answer, Victor had interrupted her by saying, “Instant foods don’t count.”
Following that, there was a pregnant silence on the other end of the call, which caused the corner of Victor’s lips to perk up unconsciously. He could picture vividly in his mind the current expression on the girl’s face as she was thinking up a retort to his words. With furrowed brows and a childish pout, she must be grumbling about him in her mind.
“I don’t have time to cook, that’s all!” was her retort after a minute of silence.
“Not even on the weekends?”
“I have to work on the proposals for LFG over the weekends…”
“Hmm, so I am the one to blame for that?”
At this moment, there was a sudden change in the girl’s tone as she spoke enthusiastically, “Anyway, I really feel like cooking today! So, you just have to sit back and look forward to tonight’s dinner!”
Knowing that she was trying to divert the topic, Victor chose to let her have her way. Even though he still felt uneasy about letting her cook, it would be pointless to try to change her mind now when she was already so determined and enthusiastic about it.
It was not that he was worried about whether he will be starving or getting food poisoning tonight. Even if she ended up making an inedible dinner, Victor could just cook up something simple with whatever ingredients that were available at the moment to make up for it. If that was not possible, they could go out to a nearby restaurant for dinner at the last minute.
So, what Victor was worried about the most was the girl, who was unused to working in the kitchen, hurting herself when cooking on her own. Still, Victor would never tell her that and he doubted that she was even aware of his concern for her. With a deep sigh, he replied reluctantly.
“Fine…”
“Great! Then, see you later!”
After ending the call, Victor glanced at the time. There were at least three hours left before their dinner appointment, which was more than enough time for him to go through his last agenda of the day. Nonetheless, after a brief moment of contemplation, the CEO of LFG had tapped on the button of the intercom phone on his desk. After a beeping tone, a flustered young male voice had answered from the other end of the intercom.
“Goldman speaking.”
“Goldman, bring forward the company meeting that was supposed to be an hour later, inform the departments involved to be ready within fifteen minutes.”
“Noted, sir!”
After a resounding beep from the intercom, silence returned to Victor’s office.
With this, he should be able to finish up his work and meet up with the girl earlier.
Hopefully, nothing had happened by then.
Hopefully.
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After ending the call with Victor, she breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at the cooking ingredients that she had laid out over the kitchen counters. The recipes of the two dishes that she had intended to make were stuck to the surface of the top cabinet for her to view them easily during the preparation process.
Since she had taken a day off from work today, she had spent the whole night scouring the internet for the most straightforward recipes for these two dishes yesterday. The step-by-step instructions seemed simple enough and she had brought the exact ingredients that were stated in the recipe at the market this morning. So, nothing should go wrong if she follows the recipe completely.
It should be fine…I think.
Even though she had been insistent on personally preparing tonight’s dinner, she was actually doubting if she could pull it off well. It had certainly been a long time since the last time she had done any actual cooking. Still, it wouldn’t be fair for her to one-sidedly enjoy Victor’s cooking, to be the only one on the receiving end.
She didn’t remember when or where she had heard it, but there was a mention somewhere that cooking a meal for someone is a genuine expression of affection and care towards the other party.
This made her think of all the times that Victor had cooked for her, either as a reward for completing her tasks well or on his own whim. Even though she was certain that Victor was busy with his own share of work as the CEO of LFG, he had never complained and would still make time to cook for her when she asked for Souvenir’s meals as her reward. As for herself, she had done nothing but eating to her fill all these times, much to her belated embarrassment.
That was why, at least once, she wanted to let Victor have a taste of her cooking.
Please let this turn out well.
With that thought, she rolled up her sleeves and pumped herself up before starting with the preparations.
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When Victor rang the doorbell of the girl’s apartment unit, there was thirty minutes left before the appointed time. Even though he had brought forward a meeting in order to leave the company earlier, something unexpected came up at the last minute and it took a longer time to resolve than he would have preferred. Therefore, as soon as he was done with that matter, he had headed straight to the girl’s place without even stopping by his home for a change of clothes.
Is she done cooking?
Did she cut herself while prepping?
Did she burn down the kitchen?
Those thoughts were on his mind throughout his journey to the girl’s place. Even now, as he stood waiting before the closed door of the girl’s home, Victor wondered if he would be greeted by a strong burnt scent and the sight of billowing black smoke when the girl opened the door. Fortunately, that scenario didn’t come true. When the door was pulled aside, all it revealed was the girl wearing clean casual home attires and with her hair tied up into a ponytail, smiling nervously at the sight of him.
“Oh, why are you here so early?”
It was only after noticing that there hadn’t been any wounds on her hands or anywhere else for that matter that Victor was finally able to relax.
Of course, he would never admit this to her.
“To supervise the cooking progress of a certain dummy.”
The girl had instantly pouted when hearing the word “dummy”, but she didn’t say anything else. Instead, she stepped aside and welcomed him into her home. Now that Victor thought about it, this was actually the first time he had visited her place, even though he had driven her back from work countless times in the past. Whenever they meet up, it has always been either at LFG, Souvenir or any other public places. In fact, she had even been to Victor’s place before, albeit rarely.
Nonetheless, the moment he stepped foot into the apartment unit, it was evident that the place belonged to her. It wasn’t due to the cute plush dolls that adorned the top of the shelves, the framed photographs of the girl’s youth that hung on the wall or the pile of stacked-up papers and folders on the coffee table at the living room, but because the place gave off a cozy and welcoming presence, much like its owner.
“Victor.”
As he shifted his attention back towards the girl, she said, “Actually, I just finished preparing dinner a little while ago.”
Having arrived earlier than the appointed time, Victor didn’t expect dinner to be ready. So, he was slightly impressed that the girl was already done. However, she seemed uneasy when mentioning about the dinner.
Was it because the final outcome was worse than what she had intended? Anyhow, since there wasn’t any burnt smell in the vicinity, Victor believed that the situation shouldn’t be too bad.
“So, why don’t you take a seat over at the table,” the girl had gestured towards an empty square table, “while I brought out the dishes.”
Having said that, the girl had headed straight towards the kitchen before Victor could respond. Not one to sit and wait to be served, he also went to the kitchen with the intention of taking out the tableware to help set up the table.
The first thing that caught his attention the moment he entered the kitchen was the sight of the messy kitchen counters that were littered with remnants of sliced vegetable ingredients and the piled-up cooking utensils in the kitchen sink. Still, the mess wasn’t as bad as he had expected.
Just when he had looked away from the mess, he locked eyes with the girl who was on her way out while holding one plate of food in each hand. She instinctively looked away from him when meeting his gaze, as though she was embarrassed.
But for what reason?
To Victor, she had actually done better than he expected and he even felt a little bad for having underestimated her culinary skill so much. For someone who rarely cooks, she actually managed to cook up two edible-looking dishes for dinner. There was just one thing, though.
“So,” Victor looked at the two plates in the girl’s hands, “It’s a vegetarian dinner tonight.”
With the two dishes being stir-fried Bok Choy and pan-fried sesame garlic tofu, there was no meat being served at all. Hence, Victor had called it a “vegetarian dinner”.
“Actually, the first thing I tried making was pan-fried fish,” said the girl in a softer voice, “but it didn’t turn out well.”
With a nervous chuckle, she then looked up to meet Victor’s gaze. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have been so stubborn about cooking dinner myself.”
Victor merely sighed.
“What’s there to apologize about?”
She mustn’t have expected him to say that as she stared at him with those bright brown eyes of hers. So, Victor elaborated further by saying, “After all, you had prepared dinner, as promised.”
He reached out and took the two plates from her hands.
“So, let’s sit down and have dinner before the food gets colder.”
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An awkward silence was hanging in the air throughout the entire dinner session. Unable to tell from Victor’s poker face on whether or not he was displeased with the meal, the girl can’t help feeling so anxious that she couldn’t really taste what she was eating.
Although Victor had brushed off her apology in the kitchen, she was still worried that her cooking might be unpalatable for Victor, whose taste in food was much refined and cooking was far superior than her. It would be worse if he was forcing himself to eat this because the other option would be to starve himself. Perhaps, she really shouldn’t have insisted on cooking when she wasn’t even good at it.
While she was mulling over her own thoughts, she didn’t realize that she had cleared her plate and it was at this moment that Victor decided to break the silence between them.
“The bok choy was slightly overcooked, which caused it to be less crunchy. As for the tofu, you should have left it on the pan a little longer for it to be crispier.”
Hearing his sudden comments on her cooking, the startled girl didn’t know what to say and just nodded fervently. At the same time, she also braced herself for any impending harsh critiques that would come from the owner and chef of Souvenir.
“Overall, it was a decent meal and a good effort for someone who only cooks once in a blue moon.”
The girl blinked her eyes once … and then twice.
Did she hear Victor correctly?
He was praising her, right?
As that realization sunk in, a bright grin gradually adorned her once grim face, as though she had received the highest acclamation in the world. Well, Victor doesn’t simply praise people after all. Moreover, his words had also meant that her efforts for this entire afternoon hadn’t been a waste after all. Nonetheless, she didn’t get to relish in her sense of accomplishment for long as Victor had spoken.
“Now, can you tell me what exactly made you want to cook all of a sudden?”
The question caused the girl to stiffen for a moment. There wasn’t any reason to not answer Victor. So, she decided to be honest about it, in spite of the awkwardness she was feeling in revealing the truth.
“Well, you have always been the one cooking for me, while all I did was just eat.”
Feeling very embarrassed at this point, she looked down at her lap as she continued, “So, I thought I should do the same as well, you know, to show my gratitude.”
There was a moment of silence before she heard Victor speak.
“Dummy.”
She smiled as she already expected him to say that. However, what she hadn’t expected was to look up to see Victor smiling gently at her. That faint smile that was filled with tenderness was strangely nostalgic to the girl… but why?
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To be honest, Victor hadn’t expected that to be the reason for the girl’s sudden enthusiasm in wanting to personally cook. After all, he had merely cooked for her because he wanted to and he had never expected anything else from her in return.
“That’s unnecessary. As long as you sincerely enjoy my cooking, that is all that I need as gratitude.”
After all, back in the past, it was that bright smile of a certain silly little girl at the first bite of his first attempt of a homemade pudding and her genuine exclamation of said pudding being delicious, that got him interested in cooking in the first place.
So, as long as his cooking could bring a certain dummy happiness and contentment, that would be rewarding enough for him.
What if MC hadn’t been able to return to her original world?
An alternative scenario for the confrontation between the Black Queen and Lucien in Chapter 25.
Word:1876 words
I will never care for anything ever again.
It was a decision that the Black Queen had made after experiencing countless heartbreaks, betrayals and deaths over and over again throughout those different parallel worlds. Regardless of how much she had struggled, the same outcome had awaited her every time.
Death, be it hers or her loved ones.
Even when she chose to sacrifice herself to save humanity, her loved ones would still end up suffering until the very end due to the very same humanity that she had saved being hell-bent on destroying themselves out of distrust and envy. No matter what, everything that she had done would be meaningless. In the end, she would merely suffer meaninglessly again and again.
Therefore, she learnt that the best choice would be to abandon everything.
By doing so, she will never have to suffer again for another’s sake.
And yet…
She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about him.
With her other naïve self losing her way among the myriads of parallel worlds, the Black Queen was able to set foot upon this world, whose destruction had just been postponed. While she was thinking of what to do next, the thought of him had crossed her mind and brought back the feelings that she had buried deep within her heart.
That man who was always negligent when it came to taking care of himself.
How would he cope with her other self’s absence in this world?
Based on what she could observe from the Black Cabin before this, the Black Queen could tell that the man and her other self had shared an intimate but tragic relationship in this world, much like what she had personally experienced in the other different worlds.
This was to be expected since he was the one who was tasked with ensnaring her and yet, they both ended up falling for each other. Their love was something that was not meant to be. Even so, they couldn’t deny their feelings for each other and ended up suffering for one another over and over again.
With how deeply they love each other in this current world, the Queen was curious about his current condition now that her other self was gone. Thus, she decided to pay him a visit.
Since her presence in this world hadn’t fully been established yet, she was like a phantom to everyone else, except for those who she always had close connections to in the previous worlds. So, she was able to easily slip into the research center without being noticed by anyone.
While standing before his office door, she lifted her hand and was about to knock on the door when she heard the muffled sound of broken glass from within the room. The profound smile on her face had instantly wavered for a moment as a glint of anxiety flashed across her eyes. Nevertheless, she regained her composure in the next instant and proceeded to knock thrice on the office door.
There was a moment of silence before the door was opened before her, revealing the man that she was looking for at the moment, who had his collar unbuttoned and his loosened tie draped around his neck.
In contrast to her amiable expression, Lucien had narrowed his eyes when he realized that it was her who was standing before his door. Still, the Black Queen had pretended not to notice the air of hostility around him, Instead, she smiled sweetly at him.
“We finally get to meet, Professor Lucien.”
Without waiting for his response, she nimbly slipped her way into his office before he could block her path. Nonetheless, she hadn’t taken more than three steps into the room before she was roughly yanked back by the arm. She then had her back pressed against the wall, prior to feeling the sensation of a cold and sharp object being pressed dangerously close to her throat.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
It had been a long time since she had heard his voice. To hear it now, she can’t help but to have a mixed feeling of both relief and sadness, even if said voice was laced with nothing but cold hostility and those violet eyes that used to gaze at her with fondness were currently filled with nothing but murderous intent.
What happened to you?
She had wanted to ask him that, but held her tongue.
She didn’t keep her silence out of fear, but more out of disbelief and heartache instead.
The Lucien that she knew was always composed and kept his emotions well-concealed behind his fathomless violet eyes and disarming smile. Therefore, it was unbelievable for her to be witnessing those raw emotions being laid bare before her eyes now. Throughout those many parallel worlds that she had experienced, she had never once seen Lucien as miserable and on edge as he was now.
It made her heart ache for him.
Still, the pain and pity that she felt for him soon turned into bitterness as she realized that these torments that he was experiencing were all due to how deeply he loved her other self, not her. Instead, all that the Lucien before her held towards her was nothing but enmity and contempt, which was proven clearly by the scalpel that he was pressing dangerously close to her throat.
Even though she and her other self were the one and the same, to this Lucien, the Black Queen was merely an imitation, a fake.
In the end, her other self was loved more dearly than her.
This irrefutable fact had merely made the Queen hate her other self more. Moreover, she wanted so much to lash out at the man before her, if only to let him feel her anger and pain.
“Oh?” She smirked, despite the stinging pain and the thin trickle of blood that came from the scalpel being pressed too closely against her throat, “And here I thought you wished to see this face.”
For a splitting second, she felt a slight tremble from the scalpel on her throat. Savoring the slight satisfaction from successfully unsettling the usually untouchable man, she continued speaking boldly.
“It seems I am not welcome here…but if you wanted to kill me,” she then hardened her gaze and stared right back at his icy violet eyes as she deliberately emphasized each of her words, “Do you really think you could do it?”
Despite there being no noticeable changes in his expression, the Black Queen could sense the internal conflict between rationale and sentiment that was raging within Lucien’s mind.
“You are not her.”
Those words were spoken by him with absolute conviction and a hint of threat. Even so, there was a noticeably soft edge in his voice when he mentioned her other self. Ironically, it was this gentleness of his voice that caused the Black Queen’s heart to ache even more than the bleeding wound on her throat. Even Lucien’s spiteful tone and hostile actions towards her hadn’t hurt her as much as that seemingly trivial gesture.
While the Black Queen had always believed that her tragic experiences in the other parallel worlds had hardened her heart and made her emotionally numb, here she was feeling such indignation and bitterness when knowing full well that Lucien wasn’t at fault at all for treating her that way since she was merely an outsider, if not an invader, to this world.
Still, this Lucien would never know how much the Black Queen loves him in every parallel world nor would he ever know how much anger she currently held towards her other self for being so weak as to leave this man before her so hurt, broken and vulnerable.
He never knew and he never will.
Regardless of the outcomes in those various worlds, whether he killed her, he died for her or vice versa, in the end, the Lucien in each of those worlds never knew the full extent of the Queen’s love for them. There was no happy ending awaiting them… and that was what frustrated her so much and drove her to despair, to give up on caring about anything.
Despite that, she still couldn’t give up on her love for him.
How infuriating.
Disregarding the scalpel that was pressed against her throat, she reached out and pulled Lucien’s head towards her without warning and kissed him directly on the lips. The action had been so quick and sudden that the man was frozen in place and the scalpel that he was holding had slipped from his grip before falling onto the floor with a dull ‘clang’.
It was at that moment that a scene of her other self kissing Lucien by surprise at a public aquarium had suddenly flashed through her mind and the Queen realized that this was Lucien’s current thought that was accidentally exposed to her through the fine cracks within his mind.
For him to think of her even now…
Annoyed, the Queen tried to wrap her arms around Lucien’s neck to pull him closer to her. However, he had regained his senses by then and he instantly shoved her away from him. While wiping his lips with the back of his hand, he glared at her and spoke venomously.
“Don’t even thinkabout it.”
At this point, the Queen couldn’t comprehend how he could love her other self so dearly that he was on the verge of breaking apart and yet, despised her to the very bone.
For him to be this cruel to her.
Never mind… it’s fine.
She had plenty of time.
No matter how much he yearned for her other self now, the fact remains that she couldn’t return to this world. Sooner or later, he will have no other choice but to accept this truth.
Even if he didn’t, the time would come when he would eventually break because of it. When that happens, she will be there for him. She will be by his side until this world comes to an end and she would have to move on to another world as a new cycle repeats itself again.
After all, regardless of him being Ares or Lucien, she was the only one who could truly accept and love him for who he is.
“I should leave now.”
As though nothing had happened, she nonchalantly straightened the creases on her black dress. With a sweet smile, she then curtsied and said, “I will pay you a visit again next time, Professor.”
Without waiting for his response, the Black Queen then turned and left the office, leaving the professor on his own.
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It was after he was certain that the Queen was truly gone that Lucien allowed himself to slump onto the floor while clenching his chest tightly. His brows were knitted together and beads of sweat were dripping down his chin. The back of his shirt was also soaked wet as he endured the pain in his chest that was currently making it difficult for him to breath.
Even in that tormented state, he still managed to speak through gritted teeth.
“She … is not … her.”
However, it was uncertain whether those words were spoken as a fact … or to convince himself.
For me, it’s reorganizing my blog and masterlist! Having been occupied with real life obligations and all, this is the opportunity for me to reorganize my blog and look back on all that had been achieved within this year (The new year is coming soon after all).
I have to say, it brought me great joy and pride to look back on my past fanfics and the responses on them. So, I would like to mention a very big thank you to all who had read and supported my fanfics before this. You have no idea how happy I am whenever someone noticed my fanfics within this unfathomable void known as Tumblr every now and then (≧▽≦).
I would also like to take this as a chance to express my gratitude to fellow bloggers whose posts had always been a source of comfort and motivation during my tough times in real life this year. After all, what better time to do so if not now?
Thank you to @cheri-translates/@cheri-cheri for the constant posts of MLQC translated comics and other related translations, along with sharing your lively vibe through your remarks in the posts ♡＼(￣▽￣)／♡.
Thank you to @xiaomoxu for your translations on Lucien-related dates before your hiatus. Lucien-related materials are so rare to find for me ( ╥ω╥ ).
Thank you to @aliaisreal/@ontowanderlust for sharing your MLQC drabbles and also for your interesting JJK excerpts (^ω~).
Thank you to the trio Kiro stans, @link4eva,@keliosyfan&@cheesy09 for sharing your thoughts and support for Kiro. It was heartwarming to me to read of your adoration and love for Kiro (´ ω `♡).
Thank you to @acrispyapple for sharing the beautiful images of the new karmas (≧◡≦).
Thank you to @perhaps-in-anotherdream for your translations and analysis on tsundere Victor (･ω<)☆.
As for my wish on the coming year, may I have time and inspiration to write more fanfics and may my future works continue to be able to entertain my readers.
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy new year ahead.
P/S - I have open my askbox. So, feel free to drop a note to talk or anything but no writing requests please (My WIPS alone are enough to bury me alive (//ω//).
