You and Seungmin had always been close. You met in middle school, initially; you sat next to each other in a couple classes and your friend groups merged over time. The two of you formed a more romantic relationship in your last year of middle school, and it really blossomed as you converted into high school. The two of you were inseparable, truly; you were attached by the hip and, in your mind, nothing would tear your love apart.
You, however, stood corrected.
Seungmin, you knew, was amazing at singing, and he loved performing. He wanted to go on to be an idol, and you supported him. You knew it would end your relationship. But you didn’t care, because you loved him and all you wanted was for your Minnie to be happy. However, you were still struck with grief when he broke the news that he was accepted and that the relationship you’d grown to love so much was going to have to end.
You could still remember the day, an hour, the clothes you both wore, every detail. You were on the couch, waiting for him to drop by and tell you the news. You weren’t sure how to feel; if he were to get rejected, he would be upset and feel insecure about his talent, because he could be rather sensitive. But if he was accepted and got into the trainee program, you would lose him forever.
You were truly at a loss.
That being said, he eventually showed up about ten minutes late. You didn’t mind, it wasn’t your place to judge why he’d been late. But as you stood with a bright smile, clad in one of his shirts and simple shorts, your phone dropped from your small hand as you realized that his eyes were red and his cheeks were streaked with tears. Your instinct was to rush over to him and hug him, kiss his tears away, shush him and whisper sweet nothings into his ears, but your movements were delayed. You took slow, short strides to where he stood. His school bag slid over his shoulder and landed on the floor.
“Seungmin,” Your words came out in a feathery breath as you stepped closer, bringing your soft hands up to cup his face, “What’s wrong? What did they say?”
He leaned into your touch, closing his eyes tightly as he fought another sob from ripping out of his throat. “Lamb,” He mumbled, “They won’t… Let us. You- you have to.. Understand..”
Your eyes widened as they glazed with panic, you dropped your hands from his cheeks, “What.. do you mean? Is this it for.. For us?”
Your lover’s eyes shot open, and he struggled to step closer to you, to touch you. “Please,” He whimpered, “Please understand. I’m sorry.”
Your lips pursed into a thin line as you took a tiny step back, fighting the tears that threatened to escape your eyes. You knew what this meant; Seungmin got in, and they told him the truth. You’d been expecting this. But damn, it still hurt like hell.
“I don’t have a choice,” He continued, his lips quivering and his voice breaking, “Please. I love you.”
A sob forced its way out of you, your body jerking with the motion as your throat and eyes burned. “I understand. I know this is what you want. And I’m okay with that. But… It just hurts, Minnie… It hurts. You do have a choice. But I would never pressure you to make that choice.”
Seungmin’s eyes grew wide as the tears he’d been trying to hold back cascaded down his cheeks. He wanted nothing more than you hug you, to tell you everything was going to be okay, to tell you how much he loved you and that he’d never let you go.
But he was letting you go.
You let a sad, teary smile grow onto your face as you looked up at him. “Go, Kim Seungmin,” You said, “Go live your dreams. Be happy. Forget about me, please, because I don’t want to weigh you down.”
The older boy opened his mouth to protest, to which you cut him off before he could even say anything, “This is what you’ve been wanting. So I will support you because I love you. I want to be with you, but it looks like it just wasn’t meant to be that way, and that’s okay.”
All he could do was sob. He didn’t deserve you. You were so understanding, too sweet. Too perfect.
You didn’t deserve to be tossed away like this. You deserved better. Much better than Seungmin.
Once you finished talking, your dam broke; you started sobbing and crying like it was the key to keeping you alive. You covered your wet face as your emotions – your pain – spilt out of you. You didn’t know what you were going to do without Seungmin. He was your everything. Your light, your sun, your stars, your world. Without him, there would simply be a gaping hole in your heart.
The two of you cried together for some time. What else was there to do? Neither one of you could form coherent words. That is until you screamed for him to leave. It was shrill, and lacking all anger; just pain.
Unable to stand to see you like that, unable to cope with what he’d done to you, Seungmin rushed out of the house.
All contact was broken with him after that.
* * *
You were nothing but a hollow shell of a person for two months after the breakup. You sat in your dark room and stared at pictures of him, or pictures of you and him together. You didn’t eat much, and at school, you didn’t talk to anyone. It seemed the others around you knew to leave you be, word of the breakup spread fast – you were the “it” couple, after all. With gossip, comes rumours. Most of your classmates knew the truth because Seungmin going into idol business was pretty big and it spread fast. But there are always those ignorant few who feel the need to stir up drama wherever they go. The biggest one was cheating, which you felt disgusted by. Why would someone assume that either you or Seungmin cheated on the other? Cheating is a horrible thing to do and it’s something you despise with the entirety of your being. That being said, you did not like the scandalous rumours arising in the school halls.
Come summer, you feel a little bit better. Your childhood friend, Benji, had been texting you and cheering you up. He lived in America and had lived there for some time, now. It was a random day that he said something crazy, but something that promised you a new future. Something that you found yourself wanting to do more than anything.
He wanted you to move to America and live with him and his girlfriend.
So, you thought, fuck it. Why the hell not?
After discussing it with your parents, who surprisingly allowed you to go, you packed your things and were sent to California only three weeks later.
There, your new life began. You dyed your hair, started wearing a little more makeup, started working out; you really wanted and took advantage of this “new start.” You became a different person. You were thriving, and you loved it. Seungmin was pushed to the back of your mind. In fact, after almost a year, you barely thought about him at all.
Sometimes, though, you missed him. You missed his soft touches, his lips on yours, his soft brown eyes boring into your own. But you knew that what happened was for the best. With that in mind, you pushed everything back and focussed on your new life.
Once again, finally, you were happy.
* * *
Though you lived in America, your family remained in Seoul. Thus, obviously, you would have to visit from time to time, which you didn’t mind.
It was on one of these simple trips, you were staying in a hotel that was in the city with your two friends whom you lived with. It was late, probably around midnight, and you were craving chocolate more than anything. So, by God and everything holy, you went out to buy some damn chocolate.
Little did you realize just how scary the streets of Seoul were.
You had the hood of your grey hoodie up over your hair, and your hands were shoved in your pockets. The darkness, save for the streetlights, seemed to leak from the alleyways and claw at you. Every small noise made you jump and turn to see what it was. Life was different, come the shadows and darkness of the night.
You made a quick trip to the small 24-hour convenience store. The clerk was a woman in her thirties, she read a magazine with drooping eyelids. You made sure to make your purchase quick.
While she was ringing you up, you glanced outside the window, and what you saw made your heart jump to your throat. There, looking into the store, and probably at you, was a man in a black hoodie with the hood pulled over his head. His dark brown eyes stared into your own, they were unreadable. He walked away seconds after you made eye contact.
You pursed your lips, paid for the chocolate, and left the store. Slipping the sweet candy into your pocket, you rushed down the street, listening for footsteps and watching for the strange man. You didn’t like the feeling in the pit of your stomach; the fear and the dread.
Then you heard them. Quick, heavy footsteps behind you. They, along with your irregular heartbeat, pounded in your ears and pulsed through your veins.
You started speeding up, running as your hood fell in the rush.
“Wait!” A heart-breakingly familiar voice called out from behind you.
You stopped in your tracks and turned to face the person, the same one you saw in the window, except his hood, too, had fallen while running. His newly dyed reddish brown hair swayed in the small breeze and shone in the dim light of the streetlight next to him. His deep, almond-shaped eyes were wide and bore into your own with something unreadable in them. His lips were parted slightly in shock as he panted quietly from the running he’d done to catch up with you. Your eyes became the size as plates, your lungs felt heavy and empty at the same time, your heartbeat continued to rattle your bones.
+ pairing: kim seungmin x female reader + genre: fluff, enemies to lovers, florist!seungmin, best friend!felix + warnings:none + word count: 1.1k + requested as part of my Drabble Event #2 + summary: Your plan was simple: get Kim Seungmin a flower bouquet that screamed how much you despised him. However, your plan fails after you meet the florist and understand that maybe flowers can mean different things to different people. + lia’s note: Hello, I hope you’re doing well. When I tell you I love this drabble, it’s because I do. I had so much fun writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it too! Please, like/reblog this if you enjoy reading it and let me know your thoughts through an ask if you feel like it! As always, happy reading!
“What flower says I hate you the most?” You asked your best friend as the two of you stared at the flower shop window, looking over the different arrangements on display. “Do you think I should google it?”
“Why do you want flowers anyway?” Felix shrugged and messed his hair. “Couldn’t you get him, I don’t know, a box of spicy chocolates?”
“Those don’t say I hate you discreetly, Felix. Those are too straightforward. Besides, he likes spicy food.”
“How do you know that?”
You ignored Felix as you moved away from the window, grabbing your phone and quickly searching which flowers had the meaning of I hate you. You scrolled through a couple of the results and made a mental list of the flowers you’d consider: orange lilies and yellow carnations seemed like the best option. You’d be sure to ask the florist to make you a small bouquet with that.
“Let’s go!”
You grabbed Felix’s hand and pulled him to the inside of the flower shop. A soft melody played and your eyes got lost in the beautiful colours of the different flowers, their scents melting in the air beautifully.
“Welcome to the flower shop! How can I help you?”
Your dream was short-lived when you glanced at who was behind the counter. The disappointment you felt was probably not mutual because his smile didn’t fade. Since when did Kim Seungmin work at a flower shop?
“I’ll wait outside…” Before you could argue with your best friend, Felix was already opening the shop door and stepping outside, offering you a thumbs-up from the outside.
You shook your head and massaged your temples, not surprised Felix left you here on your own to chat with Seungmin. He always did this whenever you were together. Slowly, you made your way to the counter and placed your hands on it, glancing at Seungmin. As usual, he had a smirk on his lips that made your heart jump in your chest at an awfully fast pace. This was why you couldn’t stand Kim Seungmin. You didn’t like feeling this way when you were close to him.
“I’d like a small bouquet with… orange lilies and yellow carnations. You can make it ugly, I don’t care.”
“That bouquet is for me, isn’t it?” He chuckled and leaned on the counter, keeping his eyes on you. You glanced at his lips and back into his eyes, wishing you had the strength in yourself to look away. “Props to you for looking up the meaning of the flowers. Sadly, we don’t have those flowers in stock. Do you still want to offer me an I hate you flower arrangement?”
“Make me a flower arrangement with the flower you hate the most, then.” You leaned closer to him too, somewhat upset. “And I don’t care about how it looks. The more you hate it, the more I’ll like it.”
He shrugged. “I don’t hate any flower, Y/N. And I can’t possibly make it look bad, not even on purpose. I am that talented. However, it will never be as beautiful as you, of course.”
Here he was again, swaying you with his words. You didn’t like this at all, especially when you knew this was the most cliché pick-up line he could’ve used on you. Besides, he didn’t mean it. Seungmin charmed everyone around him with words, half of which he didn’t mean.
His words carried no meaning. He truly didn’t think you were beautiful no matter how much you wished he did.
As he got back to work on the flower arrangement you had requested him, you paced around the flower shop and glanced at the different shades and sizes, smelling a couple of them to get the full experience of their scents. Some were stronger while others were lighter, but you enjoyed all of them.
“Gardenia,” Seungmin said after a while. “Specifically the white ones.”
“Do you hate them?”
He chuckled and shook his head, glancing your way. “I don’t hate them. I just feel powerless by them.”
“Why is that?”
You started to walk towards the counter again, focusing on what Seungmin was doing. He had selected a couple of flowers and was working hard to prepare a flower arrangement. He was methodical in his work, quick too. You found yourself leaning on the counter, fascinated by what he was doing, admiring him from afar.
“I always wanted to give you a bouquet with them.” He stopped what he was doing and messed up his hair, quickly glancing at you. He was flustered, making you flustered in return. “They’re pretty flowers. But I always feared you’d know what they meant so I kept myself from sending them to you.”
“It’s ok if you despise me, you know? What do they mean, anyway?” You said that last part more to yourself than to him.
You got your phone out of your pocket again and searched for the name of the flower he had said. The more you read, the more confused you were. Most websites said positive things, lovely things. Seungmin couldn’t possibly mean that, could he?
“Like any other flower, they can mean different things. But if I ever gave you these flowers it would be to tell you that you’re lovely.”
Your eyes shot from your phone screen to Seungmin on the other side of the counter, extending a bouquet of white flowers to you. It took you a while to understand that the flowers in front of you were the same flowers on the images on your phone.
White gardenias. Seungmin had prepared a bouquet with white gardenias.
Slowly, you reached your hand towards the bouquet, unable to hide your smile. It looked pretty, not ugly as you had requested. And the flowers were lovely, maybe more lovely than you. However, you couldn’t help but wonder what you would do with it. You had asked him for a bouquet with the flowers he despised the most, but now that you knew what they meant, you couldn’t help but wonder if that wasn’t the message you wanted to get across to Seungmin, but couldn’t.
You’re lovely.
“So these are the flowers you loathe the most?” You asked, just be sure.
“I guess…” He shrugged and messed his hair, smiling at you afterwards. “Just let me know which meaning you’re giving to them once you offer me the bouquet later.”
You nodded, feeling your heartbeat increase the more you stared at him. Except, this time, instead of looking away or making a sarcastic remark pretending you didn’t care for him, you allowed yourself to smile and enjoy this small moment.
You couldn’t stop staring at them. No matter how hard you tried to avert your attention, you were just too mesmerized by the way his lips moved as he sung softly to himself. You felt your cheeks heat at the embarrassment of being caught staring at him but you couldn’t find yourself caring.
His lips were just so damnperfect.
Without thinking, you leaned forward, capturing them in a kiss that pulled Chan’s attention from his laptop, quickly sliding the headphones off of his head.
“W-What was that for,” he sputtered as when you pulled back, blushing furiously at the sudden affection.
You didn’t say anything as you leaned back in. You pressed soft kisses so his cupids bow, giggling softly as he pulled you closer to him. You continued to trail your lips across his as he happily welcomed your little kisses. When you pulled back to look at him you you couldn’t help but to let out a sigh at how pretty he was, bare faced, cheeks a light shade of pink and those beautiful lips even more plush than before from your consistent attack on his lips.
You gently ran your thumb against the skin of his cheek, taking in every inch of his beauty.
“You’re so pretty,” you whispered, leaning in to press a kiss against his nose.
Chan knew better than to argue with you, instead opting to pull you closer to him as he uttered those three words you never got tired of hearing against your lips. Let’s just say that the two of you didn’t do anything productive the rest of the night, favoring instead to stay in each others embrace as got lost in the feeling of one another’s lips.
You don’t remember how you ended up here but you weren’t going to complain. The breeze caressed your bare legs, eyes falling closed as you listened to the rustling of the leaves and the distant chirps of the birds that had occupied the small park in search for food.
The tears had stopped awhile ago, however the sharp sting of them was still ever so present. You pulled your knees to your chest, hugging them close to you in search of some form of comfort as your wrapped your arms around your shoulders.
The events from today hadn’t stopped plaguing your mind. You were hurt, lost and confused to say the least. Hyunjin’s actions in the pool had contrasted with the concerned look your were met with before running away.
Maybe you had looked into it a little too much.
Your insecurities always did seem to get the better of you. But right now, all you could picture was the way his smile had dropped when he looked at you. You shook your head, willing the tears away as you didn’t want to cry anymore, head still thumping from your previous outburst.
“Y/n!”
The sudden shout of your name had you startling out of your thoughts, eyes widening as you turned to the source.
Hyunjin practically collapsed next to you on the bench, heaving as he hunched over to catch his breath. You stared wide eyed at his form, confused as to why he was even looking for you in the first place.
“Do—Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been,” he forced out in-between breaths.
You just looked at him. The words had caught in your throat, unknowing of what to say to him. You watched as he closed his eyes, taking a deep final breath before turning to you.
“You were looking for me?”
He looked taken back as he scooted his body towards you, “Of course I was looking for you! You’ve had me worried sick. Why wouldn’t I look for you?”
“You seemed like you didn’t want me around before—” you trailed off, cursing as you felt the tears cloud your vision once more.
“Why would you think that? Of course I wanted you around. I always want you to be with me.”
“Hyun you couldn’t even l-look at me.”
His eyes widened as your voice broke, watching silently as the tears began to fall from your eyes.
“I-I know I embarrassed you and I’m sorry—.”
“Embarrassed? What—Y/n you’ve never embarrassed me.”
“Please don’t lie to me.”
Hyunjin looked just as heartbroken as he met your gaze, his own eyes filling with tears as he released a shaky breath.
“I know I-I’m not attractive but Hyunjin the minute I got in the pool—I don’t know I just felt like your were disgusted seeing me like that.”
His eyes widened as he watched you wipe your tears before trying to move yourself away from him. However, he caught your arm before you could.
“God no that’s not it at all! I’m sorry I just— this is going to be embarrassing for me to admit,” he blinked the tears out of his eyes before turning his gaze back towards you.
“I’m sorry that I made you feel less about yourself. That was never my intention and I want you to know that I’ve never been, nor will I ever be embarrassed of you.”
You noticed that he hesitated, eyes flickering around the two of you before turning his attention back on you.
“This is going to sound like such a perve thing to say but Y/n you have no idea the power you hold over me with your clothes on and seeing you in that swimsuit it took everything in me not to take you right then and there in front of everyone.”
Your eyes widened at the sudden confession.
“W-What,” you sputtered, earning a small groan from Hyunjin.
“I know and I’m sorry but you have no idea how good you looked and it took everything in me not to touch you. That’s why I couldn’t look at you because I knew if I did I would embarrass myself,” he whined as his face fell into his hands.
You let out a soft laugh at his muffled ‘but admitting that is embarrassing too idiot,’ before reaching up to run your fingers gently through his hair.
Hyunjin dropped his hands from his face at your touch, gently grasping your wrist as he pulled you closer to him, smiling at you before leaning forward to rest his forehead against yours.
“I’m sorry I was such an ass. I never wanted to hurt you or make you feel insecure. God you have no idea what you do to me angel. I love every part of you.”
You hummed, eyes fluttering open as you pulled back to fix him with a playful glare.
“But you haven’t seen all of me yet though,” you teased.
Hyunjin smirked, biting his lip as he pulled you closer to him by your waist, “We can fix that.”
genre:onlyheadcanons au: regency au, pride and prejudice au warnings:none word count: 0.8k pairing:none a/n:currently going through a pride and prejudice phase right now. if you want to read an actual p&p au i wrote: the first step
bang chan - mr. bang’s mrs. bennet’s poor nerves
“Mr. Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such a way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves.”
“You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least.”
lee minho - “oh, darcy has a lot of money, like a lot”
It was a large, handsome stone building, standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills; and in front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance. Its banks were neither formal nor falsely adorned. Elizabeth was delighted. She had never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste. They were all of them warm in their admiration; and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something!
seo changbin - “i guess he’s good enough for you”
Elizabeth had the satisfaction of seeing her father taking pains to get acquainted with him; and Mr. Bennet soon assured her that he was rising every hour in his esteem.
“I admire all my three sons-in-law highly,” said he. “Wickham, perhaps, is my favourite; but I think I shall like your husband quite as well as Jane’s.”
hwang hyunjin - moments before disaster
“May I hope, madam, for your interest with your fair daughter Elizabeth, when I solicit for the honour of a private audience with her in the course of this morning?”
Before Elizabeth had time for anything but a blush of surprise, Mrs. Bennet answered instantly, “Oh dear!—yes—certainly. I am sure Lizzy will be very happy—I am sure she can have no objection. Come, Kitty, I want you up stairs.” And, gathering her work together, she was hastening away, when Elizabeth called out:
“Dear madam, do not go. I beg you will not go. Mr. Collins must excuse me. He can have nothing to say to me that anybody need not hear. I am going away myself.”
“No, no, nonsense, Lizzy. I desire you to stay where you are.” And upon Elizabeth’s seeming really, with vexed and embarrassed looks, about to escape, she added: “Lizzy, I insist upon your staying and hearing Mr. Collins.”
han jisung - “i’m not good at talking” “that sounds like a you problem”
“I certainly have not the talent which some people possess,” said Darcy, “of conversing easily with those I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done.”
“My fingers,” said Elizabeth, “do not move over this instrument in the masterly manner which I see so many women’s do. They have not the same force or rapidity, and do not produce the same expression. But then I have always supposed it to be my own fault—because I will not take the trouble of practising. It is not that I do not believe my fingers as capable as any other woman’s of superior execution.”
lee felix - pretty girls everywhere
“I would not be so fastidious as you are,” cried Bingley, “for a kingdom! Upon my honour, I never met with so many pleasant girls in my life as I have this evening; and there are several of them you see uncommonly pretty.”
“You are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room,” said Mr. Darcy, looking at the eldest Miss Bennet.
“Oh! she is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you.”
kim seungmin - the world’s most pretentious compliment
“Oh! certainly,” cried his faithful assistant, “no one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages, to deserve the word; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be but half deserved.”
“All this she must possess,” added Darcy, “and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.”
“I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any.”
yang jeongin - clowns are meant to be laughed at
“But upon my honour, I do not. I do assure you that my intimacy has not yet taught me that. Tease calmness of manner and presence of mind! No, no; I feel he may defy us there. And as to laughter, we will not expose ourselves, if you please, by attempting to laugh without a subject. Mr. Darcy may hug himself.”
“Mr. Darcy is not to be laughed at!” cried Elizabeth. “That is an uncommon advantage, and uncommon I hope it will continue, for it would be a great loss to me to have many such acquaintances. I dearly love a laugh.”
genre: only headcanons au: non-idol au/post-idol au warnings: one instance of swearing word count: 0.2k pairing:none a/n:no pictures, just vague descriptions
bang chan
➵ script on his wrist with a reminder to take care of himself ➵ probably handwritten by his mom/other members of skz ➵ gets a minimalist compass on the other wrist
lee minho
➵ just a bunch of random bullshit on his chest and back (sticker style) ➵ all color, no black and white ➵ definitely a cat-related tattoo somewhere (in my head, he has catnip on his ribcage, read the fic i wrote here)
seo changbin
➵ black and white full sleeve ➵ spent way too much time trying to weave in as many elements as possible ➵ an allegorical piece about his struggles
hwang hyunjin
➵ full back piece ➵ designed it himself but modeled it after renaissance paintings ➵ black and white because he’s dramatic like that
han jisung
➵ studio ghibli and anime themed tattoos ➵ small, minimalist ➵ loves them all so much, he accidentally starts a sticker style sleeve
lee felix
➵ hear me out, leg sleeve ➵ neo-traditional flowers and animals in color ➵ flower and color symbolism everywhere
kim seungmin
➵ surrealist tattoo that follows the flow of his bicep ➵ if he flexes, it’ll warp in a really cool way ➵ black and white with some red accents
yang jeongin
➵ new school style tattoo on his forearm ➵ probably an animal-food hybrid ➵ gets a corresponding animal-drink hybrid on his ankle
genre: fluff au: break up au warnings: none word count: 0.1k pairing: gn!reader x ot8 a/n: i’m about 90% joking lol
bang chan
He takes you out to a fancy candle-lit dinner. Cue the Legally Blonde levels of confusion.
lee minho
He sends you a card that says “Sorry For Your Loss” with a picture of him and his cats attached.
seo changbin
He writes you a song listing the reasons why for the breakup. It becomes a viral hit.
hwang hyunjin
He ghosts you. Takes all of his things, blocks you everywhere, and straight up moves to a new city.
han jisung
He does it over text, through emojis. It’s wildly confusing, but the broken hearts at the end clarify everything.
lee felix
He bakes you the most elaborate cake you have ever seen in your life. It’s really disappointing when you see the “I’m Breaking Up With You” lettering on top.
kim seungmin
He sends you a bouquet and a chart of flower meanings. You think the black roses and white lilies made his point obvious.
yang jeongin
He has a long, long speech prepared, and you actually have to interrupt because okay, you get it, no need to pour salt into the wound.
genre: fluff au: non-idol au warnings: none word count: 0.6k pairing: gn!reader x ot8
bang chan - park
Your first date is a complete surprise. He told you to dress nice, so you were expecting to go to a fancy restaurant, but it’s actually a picnic under the stars! He’s got a basket of caprese sandwiches, watermelon slices, and a whole apple pie. While the two of you sit on a red gingham blanket to eat, he makes up silly stories about the stars, and you tell him the real stories about the constellations. He then asks for you to tell him some about the moon, thinking that you don’t know any, but you surprise him with one about two lovers.
lee minho - cat café
His cats are the most important things to him, so he absolutely needs to know if you like them too. Also, a whole afternoon surrounded by cute kitties? Absolute heaven. You are beyond excited when you walk into the café. When you coo over every single cat that passes by and try to pet every one, he has to stop himself from joining in because he can’t let you know his weakness. When a tabby chooses to curl up on your lap and take a nap instead of his, he’s a little offended but simultaneously pleased. If the cats like you, then surely he will.
seo changbin - amusement park
Changbin doesn’t go to amusement parks for the rides. No, he goes to win stuffed animals at the game stalls. He wants to impress you by winning a giant bear at the dart throwing booth, but as it turns out, you’re way better at the game and end up winning it instead. He finds this incredibly hot. The bear sits between you two when you ride the ferris wheel at sunset. Since you can’t kiss him on top of the ferris wheel like you wanted, you kiss the bear instead and make him take it home. It takes you very little convincing.
hwang hyunjin - ice skating rink
Hyunjin knows how not to fall when ice skating, so he’s pretty much an expert. You have limited experience, so you’re clutching the wall for dear life while he coaxes you to trust him and hold onto his arm. When you eventually cave in, you cling to him like a koala as he teaches you how to properly glide instead of just marching along the ice. After a few rounds, you feel brave enough to try on your own, fall, grab hyunjin’s arm in panic, and accidentally bring him down with you. That kiss he gives isn’t an accident though.
han jisung - movie theater
He’s nervous and regretting his choice to watch a horror movie with you. He was betting that you would be scared and that he would be able to hold your hand to comfort you, but the problem is, he’s also scared, and he definitely can’t hold your hand because his palms are sweaty. You both end up panic-eating all of the overpriced popcorn, and now you’re in distress because there’s a popcorn kernel stuck in-between your front teeth. Luckily, both of you agree that since this is a terrible experience, another first date is in order, preferably ones with no horror movies.
lee felix - arcade
If Felix knew how competitive you were, he probably wouldn’t have picked the arcade. You are an absolute demon at air hockey, and he’s convinced that you have to be cheating somehow because there’s no way you scored five goals in a row. Same thing with the basketball free throwing game. When he beats you at DDR, you demand a rematch three times before reluctantly surrendering because he’s just too good. However, the claw machines best the both of you, and you’re the one who has to drag away before he loses all of his money trying to get that alligator plush.
kim seungmin - beach
It turns out to be more like a photography session. With his camera, he photographs you playing in the waves, looking for seashells, and doing your best not to scream when a bundle of seaweed gets tangled in your legs. While he helps you out, you take pictures of him with your phone, laughing as you capture his grimace when he holds up a long strand to show you. Afterwards, he suggests that maybe the boardwalk is a better place to be and offers to split a churro with you. And what do you know, the vendor has heart-shaped churros.
yang jeongin - pottery class
He really wants to reenact the pottery scene from the movie Ghost. The instructor sees this as well, so when she notices that you’re having some trouble getting your cup into the exact shape you want it in, she suggests that jeongin help you out. He sits behind you, cradling your body with his, and gently guides your hands. It’s way more intimate than he expected, and he’s bright red afterwards. You seem too busy with your brand new cup to notice, but when it’s time to paint and glaze a few days later, you guide his hand to draw a perfect heart in the center of his bowl.
genre: slight fluff but mostly angst au: dark academia au, college au warnings: mentions of blood, corpses, murder, knives, stabbing wordcount: 1.2k pairing: gn!reader x kim seungmin
A cold wind scatters dead leaves across the campus, static clings onto wool sweaters, the squirrels retreat to their trees—all signs of an incoming storm. The sky boasts of large gray clouds, the promise of rain literally looming overhead.
Yet for the past twenty minutes, not a single drop has fallen. As you traverse the campus to the library, you wonder if you should have chosen to wear your oxfords instead of your practical but ill-matching rubber rain boots. The prospect of rain was what stopped you, but you were very nearly tempted to damage your favorite pair of shoes because Kim Seungmin asked if you wanted to study together.
As charming as you found him, you nonetheless donned your cherry-red boots before you left your dorm and took what your friends referred to as your ‘funeral umbrella’ in case a storm did arrive. You discover that you made the correct choice when you approach the steps outside of the library, when the sky finally enacts its threat.
It comes down all at once, and you scramble up the darkening stairs with your unopened umbrella. Fat water droplets pelt your cheeks, and lightning flashes in the distance, momentarily lighting up the world before it falls dim again. A small crowd has gathered at the door to watch, and you hastily push past them, muttering apologies as you frantically smoothing your wild hair before entering the premises.
You suppose today has proved to be an unfortunate sort of day because Seungmin is one of the onlookers. He calls your name, and you wave back, trying to presume a nonchalant pose that turns out to be more awkward than you imagined. When he makes his way over to you, you are thoroughly flustered.
And you haven’t even said a word to him yet.
“Forgot you had that?” he teases, gesturing to your umbrella.
“I thought I could make it. It all happened so fast.” You nervously thumb the strap of your worn leather messenger bag and wonder how you are going to make it through the study session. “Good thing you got here before it started.”
“Yeah, I just missed it. I arrived a little before you did. But now that you’re here,” he says, “where should we go? I like the basement level the best, but I’ll let you choose since you got rained on.”
You select the fourth floor, the topmost one with the large floor-to-ceiling windows and a terrace overlooking the historic campus. Brick buildings laced with ivy, sun-dappled maple trees—with such a view, you have no clue why anyone would prefer the fluorescent lights and dust of the basement.
When you ask him, he simply replies, “No one’s ever there.”
Your shoes make uncomfortable squelching sounds rather than the satisfying clicks you are accustomed to. The students lounging on the first floor eye you as you pass by, but Seungmin continues striding forward, slowing his steps when he remembers that he is walking alongside someone for a change.
“I can hold your umbrella for you,” he offers.
“I’m fine. Oh,” you realize as you now look more carefully at him, “you didn’t bring one, did you?” Before you lose your nerve, you add, “I can walk you home or to your car or whatever if it’s still raining when we’re done.”
He smiles. If you were the dramatic, romantic sort—and you are—you would liken it to the sun. “Really? Thanks.”
“It’s nothing,” you shyly reply as you press your thumb to the elevator button. It has always felt wrong to you that a stately, old building like the library has something as modern as this. Sometimes it feels as if the university agrees since the elevator works like it is as old as the invention of the apparatus itself. “You said 9 in your text, right?”
“Yeah, but we can honestly study until closing if you want. I don’t have anything planned for tonight.”
“That sounds great! I mean, ‘cause I also—”
A loud rattle interrupts you. The silver doors open, and a boy with a near identical messenger bag to yours, walks out. You and Seungmin step inside and stand a delicate distance away from each other in the middle. You push the button for the fourth floor, and the doors shut, leaving just you and Seungmin alone, together, underneath a flickering panel of light. The inner workings of the elevator shift and creak as they carry you upwards.
A crack of thunder, able to be heard even through the walls, makes you jump. The light disappears the same instant, and a frightened cry escapes your mouth when everything goes black. Seungmin asks if you’re okay, and you assure him that you’re fine. The elevator is at a standstill.
“I think we lost power,” you uselessly say after a few seconds, when it is clear that the outage is not going to be momentary. You fumble for your phone, only to reason that there will be no service anyway. You turn on the flashlight and direct at the panel of buttons. “Hopefully the emergency call actually works.”
Seungmin seems rather delighted by the situation. “Can I do it?”
Unfortunately for him, the elevator starts going back down. Everything is still dark though, so you and Seungmin exchange concerned looks when you both voice your confusions. As the ground floor approaches, the confusion morphs into unease when you hear the commotion on the other side of the doors: distant screaming, a multitude of hushed conversations that have become a sea of noise, and orders being shouted.
“What the fuck is happening?”
You grip your umbrella handle tighter while Seungmin puts his arm protectively in front of you when the doors open. The first floor is still swathed in darkness, but with the help of flashlights from everywhere, you can make out a crowd of people crouching near the front entrance. Lightning flashes, illuminating dozens of faces against the windows. As Seungmin guides you out, you catch whispers.
Knife. Stab. Murder.
No, two murders. Maybe three. Definitely more than one.
You pull on Seungmin’s sweater sleeve. “Let’s stay here,” you say before he can get any closer to the crowd. A wide berth has been given to the crime scene because of a security guard, but Seungmin seems entranced by it. Half of the library seems to be in the same stupor as well. “I don’t think we’ll be able to leave.”
“Yeah, probably not.” He sweeps a hand through his hair and sighs. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
You echo the same sentiment and let out a sigh of relief when you hear sirens in the distance. When the paramedics come with stretchers and not body bags, for a moment, you hope that this is all a mistake and that someone simply fainted. But when the crowd gets up to make room for the paramedics, through the gaps, you see a dark pool of something that can only be blood. Then a limp hand laying leadenly across the floor.
“Don’t look,” Seungmin warns too late.
“I know.”
You tear your eyes away but not before seeing a police officer pick up a bloody messenger bag that looks eerily similar to yours.
summary -> there’s nothing worse than falling for your best friend, is there? Add him moving away to the mix.
word count -> 2.5k
genre -> friends to lovers!au, angst
warnings -> mutual pining, both of you are absolute dumbasses about your feelings at first but very painfully obvious now, nothing else.
past.
“You’re my past, my present, and i hope, i awfully hope you’ll be my future,”
You finish and look up at Seungmin, he holds his breath and his face gradually twists into one of those smiles that make your heart feel at ease. And he feels the same, it’s right in his eyes as he holds out your hand –
And you open your eyes to yourself, hair unkempt and in front of the mirror. You were practicing confessing to your best friend and a version of you that was not completely a fool in love rolled its eyes at you, this was so typical, falling for your best friend, fantasizing about him feeling the same, it was all so cliche.
But it went away as you shook your head, there’s nothing wrong in it.
In about a few hours, all your friends would come over, including seungmin for a casual hangout and normally you would be scrolling instagram until seungmin came and reminded you what time it was.
This was just how every weekend of yours went by.
But today instead of the usual relief in your senses that you could finally relax after a hectic week, a nervous fiddling sensation took over you as you anticipated that the clock hit the 5:00 pm mark quickly.
present.
You sit on seungmin’s bed fiddling with the handle of his bag, touching along the rough surface of it. You’re shocked you still have tears in you, given the amount you’ve cried as the realization of it all settled in you, and blink them away. You were going to be okay, besides you can’t afford to cry in front of Seungmin, you can’t make him weak, it’s already going to be so hard for him.
As you scratch off a spare piece of dirt from the bag, you can’t believe it gets to stay with seungmin and you don’t. So silly.
you think back to that day again, it was july, early july, yes. You remember how your heart was practically jumping out of your throat as you saw him.
And it was Han who found out, it was one of the gatherings you all kept at the time, you planned it at yours this time, wanting to confess while cleaning up or when the rest of them are gone because it was almost always this way; they’d come over and have fun, watch movies but at the end of the day only your best friend would stick around to clean up or vice versa if it was at his. It often ended in a sleepover with you both being so tired that you’d fall asleep right about just anywhere.
Back to Han, he wanted a pen for your cousin, who was visiting at the time, to write down her number and he knew that being the nerd he was, seungmin would have a pen and paper with him. The movie was paused for a quick bathroom break for seungmin when your cousin had finally given into the han’s shameless flirting and had accepted to give her number. Han had discovered the acceptance letter then, perched between his books, not in an intention of hiding, almost as if he wanted it to be discovered.
A dark blue envelope with a huge “to, mr. kim seungmin” written in professional handwriting. And when seungmin came back, his friend looked at him with a small smile, clearly offended that his friend didn’t tell him, but he still got over that quickly and hugged him tight, he was so proud of him.
Meanwhile seungmin had looked to you, and while you knew seungmin had an interest in going abroad, you didn’t actually quite believe it till that moment. And you had comforted him, if that’s what made him happy then he should obviously go for it.
And he let out a sigh in relief.
But time had stopped for you, what was supposed to be something special had ended tragically and you felt pain sear through your heart slowly, taking over your body slowly.
But deep down you both knew that even though you told him that it was okay, it wasn’t quite the case. He could sense the disappointment you had in him in the next few days in the form of distance you gave him, the silent treatment.
They only stopped when he confronted you about it, and you apologised and confessed to him, who would like their best friend moving away?
To which he had told you it’d be okay, he’ll stay in touch and be back before you know it.
Thinking about him, he comes out of the bathroom with his hair moist and skin glossy. He’s, unfortunately, dressed, as the tshirt sticks to his obviously wet torso. You can almost see the wheels in his brain spinning as he makes sure he’s taken everything and has planned everything. As he looks at you, he shoots you a smile.
And it pains him more than anything in this world to do it, because he chose this, he shouldn’t be regretting it, he shouldn’t be hiding the fact that he isn’t happy, from you; but he doesn’t want you asking the reason behind it, because clearly he was very happy about his admission letter when it came in 2 months ago.
But it was before. It was before the realization that hit him on the head suddenly and caught him off guard that he’s in love with his best friend. And he thought it’d go away, he’d ignore it and that would be it. But as the days passed and the time he’d have to spend away from you came closer, he wished on every shooting star in the world for it to be cancelled, some unexpected thing to pop up, anything.
He can’t tell you this obviously, because as of now, it’s concrete he’s going and if you even reciprocate a proportion of his feelings, you’d be hurt and he did not want it.
past.
The screen had gone black, leaving the dark room in silence in its wake. And the credits began rolling on the screen. Some trashy ost plays in the background and as seungmin reaches for the remote on the table, a question lights up your brain.
‘what if he doesn’t feel the same?‘
You’re 14, and you don’t see a problem with being in love with your best friend except one, which might just be the downfall of the very feeling.
Oh wait, no, there’s another, 'what if he does feel the same, but you both don’t work out?’ that’d automatically be a crash for a great friendship.
And the movie which revolved around two best friends trying to navigate problems while being with each other and just ending up together gave you hope, you wouldn’t lie, but you also knew real life was nothing like a movie.
So you tried to get your answer slyly, lying on your back on the sofa of seungmin’s basement, you watched him as he wrapped up the stuff that was littered around, spare pieces of popcorn, wrappers from packets of chips, to get ready to sleep.
As he tried finding them all, you stretched your hand, and looked at the ceiling, and as nonchalantly as possible -
“Minnie, did you like the movie?”
“Uh huh,”
“The plot?”
“Kinda?” he said, still not looking up from his work.
“Do you think best friends can end up as lovers?” dropped the bomb.
“I-, well,” he looked up and you turned to him, the tension in the air was thicker than it had ever been.
“It depends on the person,” and for a moment you think, he might confess or if he doesn’t you have the urge to, but -
“And besides that was a movie, y/n, a movie.”
He knows, now, or has a hunch about what you were trying to tell him.
present.
Maybe if he had been a little more intelligent he would have realized it then and he wouldn’t be here in this ordeal.
And even though all of the articles he found on long distance relationships were positive, he didn’t wanna do that. It was too much longing.
So he was just going to have to leave and try to forget you, because in this case he can’t have you return his feelings. Just no, he doesn’t know how he can leave after that.
He glanced at you, trying to look around the room for things he could possibly need but have forgotten.
And goddamn is he in love with you.
The reality hits you once more as you’re taking the bags downstairs, he’s leaving, he’s taking all of your happiness with him, he’s taking away the bracelet you made him when you were 7 but you’re sure it’d be forgotten. He checks the time on his watch, “3:00 pm.” he announces, his flight is in 3 hours, and in 3 hours your relationship, your friendship will be a thing of the past.
present.
You don’t believe it’ll remain the same even after he promises you with a comforting smile everytime you bring it up.
His parents give you a sympathetic look as you shoot them a smile; it’s going to be fine, his mother had told you. “You can come visit when you miss him.” and you’d rather bite your own knee then visit this house where you spent most of your childhood and all of your teenage years without the boy who made it alive.
Seungmin sees you zoning out and it makes him wanna rip apart his admission letter, tear away the suitcases and stay here forever. But he takes one look at his watch which draws closer to his departure and recounts if he has everything for the umpteenth time.
And you wanted to break down all over again as you saw the bags piled over near the door where you’d run in together during summer hoping your popsicles don’t melt until you can slurp and look into the mirror and see the color on your tongues, secretly hoping what the two colours would look if mixed;
The original plan was for you to see him off at the house itself; but his parents urge you to come to the airport and you pick at your sweater, thinking of ways to stop your tears. And even Seungmin insists you tag along, he doesn’t even want to waste a minute of being with you.
and you bury your upset inside deeper; you need to keep your friend strong.
a few of your common friends drop by as his father loads the luggage in the back of his car; the sun is a pretty shade of orange mixed with pink, a little dull and depressed due to its defeat to the moon in a few hours.
you think about how you’ll keep on replaying this evening over and over again for nights to come. thinking about something you could have said to make the pain go away because feelings weigh down on you, threaten to crush you apart when you don’t let them out and that was exactly what was going on with the both of you.
Han, as he completed talking to his friend, walked over to you sitting on the porch, and took a seat there.
“are you okay?” he asks in a whisper. “i mean your best friend is going away,”
he emphasises his ‘best friend’ a little too much to be in a normal way and you narrow your eyes at him.
“fuck you,” you roll your eyes playfully and laughs as well. it was an unspoken thing between you two, he knew you liked seungmin but he kept his mouth shut and you knew that he did.
“but for real though,” his expressions transition to serious after he’s done laughing. “are you going to tell him or not?”
“no,” you deadpan.
“why? it’s so fucking obvious he likes you!” he groans.
“I don’t know, han. firstly i’m not even sure he likes me and second, even if he does, we’re not guaranteed to work long distance so it’s better if he finds someone else there and we’ll see it from there if or when he’s back.”
“you’re dumb.”
you shoot him a grin, “i know.”
later, you’re in the car, you’re going over something suitable to say, because the atmosphere is tense. his parents are getting as upset as you as their only son is about to leave.
and seungmin; seungmin feels like he could start bawling his eyes out anywhere, he didn’t want to leave his world, his home.
but it was his choice and now he had to own up to it.
And finally about two hours later, he’s glancing at his city, his parents and his world, all for the last time. He wants to turn back time and never ever write the essay that got him in here in the first place, but it’s impossible.
“We’ll go get some snacks for you?” His parents sense the need for privacy and excuse themselves. Meanwhile you try to not cry your very existence out.
“so,” he turns back. you’re on the boarding gate almost, after this, it can be almost a year when you see him again, and you //know//, you just know you both won’t be the same as now.
“I didn’t think you’d come actually,”
“to the airport?”
“to see me off, i know you’re not happy with my decision.”
And you don’t deny it; no more playful bantering.
“I mean we did plan to go to a college near us, but well things change and I couldn’t let you leave without saying goodbye.’’
and you hug your best friend.
you don’t want him to go, you want to confess to him, make him regret taking this decision. but as much as you loved him, he loved his dreams.
and as for you, seeing him content would be enough.
and so, after his parents return and his mother sniffles a little, he leaves.
he promises he’ll stay in touch, give you updates, a dorm tour, and you give him a day or two before he gets busy. and you don’t blame him, you accept it and you move on.
it is hard on the first night, you toss and turn, about to text seungmin to let him know you can’t sleep and to possibly sneak out and sit on the bench outside your house just staring up at the sky. but as you pick up your phone you realize that he’s not coming.
so it sucks but you hug your pillow and try to forget it. but ended up wetting with the constant flow of your tears.
you move on with your life, your classes, new friends, a whole new kind of life without your best friend.
but then his face turns into a small icon you see on instagram putting up stories of the new cafes he visits and the new people he meets.
and he contacts you first, a lot, updates you, facetimes you.
What are you supposed to do when your friend is secretly in love with someone, but too shy to act on it by themself? Play cupid, of course! Y/n is sure that getting involved in her best friend’s one sided love is the best route of action, even though she’s painfully clueless about love. But with a little help from her friends and some love of her own, maybe playing cupid won’t turn out such a huge disaster after all. @nakyngs
Warnings: tooth-rotting fluff, probably some typos idk
Summary: Felix finds out why you’re always so sleepy around him
a/n: a short blurb to hopefully help you sleep <3
Felix smiles down at you, eyes scanning over your sleeping figure with nothing but fondness. You’d had a rough week and had come over to spend the weekend with him and the rest of the members at the dorm at his invitation. As usual, the nine of you had ordered slightly too much take-out and binged slightly too many episodes of the show you were all watching together.
That was half an hour ago - after talking for a bit, you’d left your spot on the floor in favor of curling against your boyfriend’s side, letting your head tip onto his shoulder and your eyes fall closed. You’d drifted off to sleep after a bit, and Felix couldn’t help but let his mind drift to the other times you’d let yourself fall asleep around him. On the bus, on your couch after a long day, in practice rooms after staying up with him to give feedback on routines. He loved it, of course, but it did leave him wondering - why were you so often sleepy around him?
He turns to Hyunjin, who sits on the other side of the sofa, and outright asks him, watching his volume level to preserve your slumber. His friend tilts his head in thought for a moment, then nods.
“I saw something online that said if you feel safe around someone, your body lets you be tired around them - lets you fall asleep quickly. It’s probably that,” he answers with a shrug, getting up to go help Changbin with the dishes, leaving Felix a speechless, melting mess.
Your boyfriend stares down at you again, warmth exploding in his chest. You felt safe around him? The thought brings a smile to his lips, which he presses to your forehead in a feather-light kiss, wrapping an arm around you when you press closer to him.
He freezes. Your breath catches in your throat as he turns to face you once more, eyes wide.
“What?”
“I know it’s too late,” you admit, sighing. He shakes his head slowly. “But if you could just forgive me- no, you don’t have to do that, you don’t need to, but I’m not going to let you slip away this easily, I-” your words die in your throat as he quickly closes the gap between the two of you, takes your face in his hands, and presses his lips to yours.
You melt into his arms as they circle around you, pulling you to him with a firmness that, if it were from anyone else, would scare you. But this is Chris. This is comfortable, this is familiar. This is him.
“I love you,” he murmurs when the two of you pull apart, faces remaining centimeters apart. He runs a hand over your hair. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise. I’m so sorry.” You start to cry in earnest, tears soaking the front of his shirt as you bury your face in his chest. He doesn’t say anything, just holds you to him with a tenderness that makes you sob even harder. “I’m so sorry,” he repeats, rocking the two of you slowly back and forth.
He hums quietly, something he used to do over the phone when you couldn’t sleep. It’s a song you recognize, an old one from when you were kids. His mom used to sing it while she cleaned the kitchen, the two of you sat at the kitchen table doing math homework or drawing.
When you finally step back a few inches, he takes one of your hands, giving it a reassuring squeeze. You smile at him, biting the inside of your cheek.
“Can I kiss you again?” you ask tentatively, and he smiles, tilting your head up with his right thumb and forefinger. You fit your lips to his, cheeks ablaze. You take it slow, letting yourself let go of any residual worries. His breath is warm as it mingles with yours, and his lips are slightly chapped, but not rough. You bring a hand up and rest it on the side of his face, smiling against his lips as he wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you to him again.
You hiss in pain as his sleeve scratches against the cut on your neck. He pulls away, concerned.
“What’s wrong?” His eyes widen when you lift a hand to the abrasion, and a couple of your fingers come back dotted with red. “Fuck, did I do that?” he asks, going to check his hands. You shake your head, sighing at yourself.
“No, it’s from earlier. I thought I got it to stop bleeding, I guess I was wrong.” When the panic on his face doesn’t go away, you lay a hand on his arm. “I’m fine, my necklace just got caught on my shirt and it cut my neck a little. I’m okay.” He nods.
“You should put something on it,” he stresses.
“You sound like my mom,” you complain as you head inside, nodding for him to come in behind you. He shuts the door behind him, laughing quietly as he follows you to the bathroom.
He nods for you to sit on the edge of the tub, pulling the first aid kit down from the shelf above the sink. You take a seat, watching as he takes out some Neosporin and a band-aid.
You scoot over so he has room to sit next to you, shivering as he pulls down the collar of your shirt and carefully cleans and covers the angry red stripe across your neck, gentle fingers ghosting over your skin.
“Thanks,” you say as he returns the first aid kit to its spot next to a jar filled with toothbrushes. He nods.
“Be careful, okay? That could’ve been worse if it was deeper.” You nod, taking the hand he offers to help you up. You stumble forward, cheeks burning as he easily catches you, your faces a breath away.
“Hi,” you say, grinning. He laughs as you regain your balance and stand up. “I know it’s, like, 3 am, but I’m not tired at all. Do you want some hot chocolate?”
“Always,” he answers, and you grin.
About a minute later, you’re standing in the kitchen, perched on your tiptoes, reaching up to grab a couple of mugs from a cabinet. Chan reaches over you, procuring the cups and placing them down in front of you.
“We get it, you had a growth spurt,” you grumble, and he laughs, wrapping his arms around you from behind for a moment before letting you go so you can make the drinks.
“Can you fill up the kettle?” you ask, and he nods, picking it up and taking it over to the sink, turning on the tap and letting the water pour into it. He hands it back to you with a smile, and you put it on the stove, turning on the burner and leaning back against the counter as you wait for the water to boil.
“So,” Chan says, standing next to you. “We should probably talk.”
“Yeah,” you agree, nodding.
“So, do you want to…” he trails off, motioning between the two of you. You nod, smiling softly at him.
“I do. I really do,” you say earnestly. “I’m not going to pretend like I’m not terrified, but I want to try.”
“What of?” he asks, and you sigh, using your palms to hoist yourself up to sit on the counter. You lean over to check the kettle before looking back at him.
“The stuff I mentioned earlier, I guess. Just things not working out.”
“You have nothing to worry about, I promise,” he reassures you, shaking his head. You open your mouth in protest, but he shakes his head again. “Even if we can’t make it work this way anymore, you’ll still be my best friend, okay? That’s never going to change,” he says, coming to stand in front of you, taking your hands in his and holding them up between the two of you, interlocking your fingers. “I’m not going anywhere. Ever.”
“Okay,” you breathe. “I won’t either.” He smiles, moving your hands from between the two of you to press his lips to your forehead. He pulls back, meeting your eyes.
“We’re good?”
“We’re good,” you say quietly, nodding. You hold out your arms, and he smiles, wrapping his around you, picking you up off the counter, and setting you down on the floor to properly hug you. You bury your face in the crook of his neck, breathing him in. He pulls you impossibly close to him, clutching at the back of your sweater like he’s afraid you’ll disappear into thin air. “You’re going to be the death of me,” you breathe, and he laughs. You smile at the sound.
“I would hope not, I really want to drink that hot chocolate.”
The two of you stay up for another hour or so, sitting on the kitchen floor, sipping your hot cocoa, and talking about what to do next.
“I’d prefer if we didn’t tell the members for a bit,” Chan says, grimacing. You tilt your head.
“Why not?”
“They’ll tease both of us mercilessly.”
“Fair point. We can wait a bit on that one,” you laugh, nodding. Chris smiles softly as he watches the corners of your eyes crinkle with laughter. He’ll never get tired of the sight.
“You’re so beautiful,” he says, making your stomach do somersaults. You set your mug down as he laughs at how flustered you are. “I’ve complimented you before, haven’t I?”
“It’s different,” you whine, burying your face in the crook of his neck. He just laughs softly, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you to him. “Chris,” you say, voice comically muffled by his sweatshirt. “I’m really tired.” As if on cue, he yawns.
“I think you might be psychic,” he teases.
“Can you spend the night?” you ask tentatively, sitting back. “I don’t feel good about you driving back this late. Also, I don’t want you to leave.”
“Sure,” he says, lifting a hand to your face and gently brushing his thumb over your cheek. “I can stay.”
“Yay,” you cheer quietly as you stand up, making him laugh. You grab the mugs the two of you used and quickly hand wash them in the sink as Chan puts away the hot chocolate mix and says hi to Bella.
When you’re done, the two of you make your way down the hall to your room, leaning on each other for support. You hadn’t quite realized how tired you were earlier, but as the adrenaline from the earlier events of tonight and the small traces of caffeine in the chocolate wear off, your exhaustion smacks you in the face. Chan’s visibly in the same predicament, barely able to keep his eyes open.
You switch on your lamp, the bulbs illuminating your room as you rummage through your closet for PJ shorts and a t-shirt. You quickly change into them as he washes his face in the bathroom.
Bella comes trotting in as he enters, and you scratch her ears as she curls up on her bed in the corner of your room. Chan flops face-first onto the mattress, star-fishing across the blankets. You laugh, shoving him over to one half and then climbing under the covers. He does the same, yawning.
“C’mere,” he says, and you laugh as he pulls you into his arms, wrapping them securely around you.
“Wait, I forgot something,” you say, leaning your head back. He tilts his head, confused.
“What did you-” you press your lips to his, and you can feel his cheeks warm.
“I’m glad you remembered,” he says as you lay your head back down, and you laugh softly.
“Hey, Chris?” you say after a while, pressing yourself closer to him.
“Hm?”
“Thank you. For not giving up on me. I’m sorry for not telling you how I was feeling about everything earlier.” You feel him smile as he tucks your head into the spot between his chin and chest.
“I don’t think I’m capable of giving up on you,” he says.
You drift off to the sound of his quiet breathing and the comforting weight of his arms around you, dreaming of sunny afternoons from years past and warm laughter that echoes through your head like a melody.
Chan lies awake until he’s sure you’re asleep, smiling when your breaths even out, the hand you’ve intertwined with one of his going limp. He knows you’ve been having trouble getting to sleep - what with finals having just ended and not knowing how you did yet, along with everything else, you’ve told him how hard it is for you to get enough rest as of late. He’s glad you’re able to get some now.
He mulls everything over as you slumber beside him, unable to tear his eyes away from your sleep-softened features. He isn’t sure that any of this is real, unable to believe that the person in his arms is finally his. After all these years, you’re his.
Andgod, is he yours. He has been since the day he met you. Yours. Always.
“You don’t have to talk to me, but I’m not giving up on you.“
a/n: sorry this update took so long! i’ve been burnt out bc of how difficult school’s been lately and it’s been hard to find writing time. tysm for being patient <3
You lay in bed for hours, nervously fidgeting with your necklace, moving the ring back and forth along the chain, fingers turning raw. The sound of Bella barking at a car pulling up across the street startles you, and you turn quickly, your necklace slicing the back of your neck.
“Shit,” you breathe, wincing. You quickly bring a hand up to check the cut, sighing when it comes away dotted with red.
You trudge to the bathroom, switching on the light. It flickers sporadically, spelling out a message you don’t care to decipher. Dampening a washcloth and pressing it against the back of your neck, you lean back against the counter, staring up at the ceiling. What a night, you think to yourself, letting out a bitter laugh.
Once the bleeding seems to stop, you retreat to your bedroom, thoughts consuming you again. You mull over what you’d said to him, knowing it wasn’t fair to either of you. It wasn’t fair of you to not try, preferring to lose him completely without even taking a risk.
He was stupid.
He was so fucking stupid.
Chan repeats the word over and over in his head as he sits upright in bed, unable to move.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
He’d said he wanted to forget everything. Forget you. He’d practically done everything but pack your bags and send you on the next flight to New York.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Sighing, he toys with the ring on his finger, a knot tying itself in his throat.
He eventually pries himself out of bed, fumbling to the bathroom in the dark and turning on the water.
Steam billows up from the showerhead as he steps inside, letting the water soak his hair and skin. He rubs his hands with his face, ring catching on his nose and leaving a small scratch in its path.
He sighs, angrily wrenching it off and watching as it slips through his fingers. It falls to the slick tiled floor of the shower with an echoed ping. He quickly picks it up, clasping it in his hand with a shaky breath.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
He turns off the water, stepping out of the shower and drying off with a towel as he slips back into his room and pulls on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. He quickly discards it as he realizes it’s the one you’d borrowed a few nights previous, opting for the one he’d worn earlier today.
He sits down on the edge of his bed, opening his still-closed fist to reveal the slim metal band that rests on his palm. He sets it on the mattress next to him, burying the heels of his palms in his eyes, blocking out the pale moonlight filtering through the blinds.
Muffled sobs shake his shoulders as he doubles over, the words the both of you had spat at each other on the beach replaying over and over in his head.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
He isn’t sure how long he stays like that, but by the time he sits up, a knot has twisted itself in his neck. He checks his watch. 1:47. Sighing, he stands, grabs his keys from his dresser, and heads for the hallway. He pauses in the doorframe before turning back to grab the ring sitting on the comforter and then goes downstairs.
He grabs his shoes, pulling them on then quietly slipping outside, closing the door behind him.
He drives and drives and drives, not sure where he’s going.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
He berates himself silently as he turns down street after street, repeating the words in his head even louder when he realizes where he’s ended up.
He hops out of the car, closing the door behind him with a thud and making his way down the path into the park, letting his legs carry him to wherever they’re going. The fuck if he knows.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Moonlight ripples like silver foam across the pond, its dim rays washing the surrounding foliage in a cold, pale glow. Chan sits down on a bench by the water, pulling his legs up and crossing them under him with a sigh. He glances over to the spot you’d occupied just days ago, when none of this was as complicated as it was now, when he hadn’t ruined everything.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
He stands with a shudder as he battles with the idea developing in his head. It’s idiotic, he tells himself as he walks back. Far beyond it, in fact.
He gets into the car, putting the key into the ignition and pulling out onto the street, hands shaking as he grips the steering wheel.
If you’re awake, you might as well pack. You leave in a couple of days, and your suitcase is still a jumble of worn clothes and recently purchased books and other various items from your outing with everyone earlier today.
Sighing, you grab an extra hamper from your closet, fill it with your laundry, and take it to the mudroom, tossing the used clothes into the wash and turning on the machine before heading back to your room.
You tetris all of your books into a cardboard box, making a mental note to print out a shipping label tomorrow morning - you’ll have to mail them to your dorm, they won’t fit in your luggage. You frown as you realize that means you won’t be able to read them for a few weeks.
You hear a series of muffled sounds from the direction of the living room, passing it off as Bella knocking over the bucket of her toys in the dark. You continue folding shirts and jeans, placing them into your suitcase neatly.
The sounds repeat, and this time you realize they’re knocks - someone’s at the door.
Who the fuck is even awake right now? you think to yourself as you pad into the living room, sidestepping the folded clothes and boxes on your floor.
You open the door a sliver, eyes widening as you realize who’s standing on your porch.
“Chris…?” you manage to breathe out.
“Hey,” he says, swallowing nervously.
“What are you-” you sigh, shaking your head. “It’s two in the morning. What are you doing here?”
“I was stupid. I was so fucking stupid, Y/n, I-” he takes a deep, shuddering breath as he forces himself to meet your eyes, the familiarity in them no longer comforting. “If I could take it all back, I would. I didn’t mean what I said, I-”
“You said it, though,” you say, voice wavering.
“Y/n…”
“I can’t talk to you right now, I’m sorry,” you say, voice breaking as you shake your head and step back over the threshold.
His words die in his throat as you shut the door in his face, tears stinging his waterline.
“I’m not leaving,” he says, shaking his head firmly as he watches the shadow of your form freeze behind the frosted glass. “You don’t have to talk to me, but I’m not giving up on you.“
You pull the door open again, salty tears pricking the corners of your eyes. “I was perfectly happy to go back to being just friends,” you choke out. “But I think you made it pretty clear you don’t want to do that. I’m not going to force you to do something you don’t want to.” You sigh, shaking your head. “I loved you, Chris,” you force out, biting back more tears that threaten to spill down your cheeks. His face crumples. “I really, really loved you. I still do if I’m being honest with myself. But I can’t- I can’t keep letting us do this,” you say, motioning between the two of you.
“Y/n, I l-”
“No,” you cut him off, shaking your head. “Please don’t.“ Your vision blurs as more tears bead in your eyes. You sigh, blinking furiously as you look away briefly. “You were the only person in the world that made me feel safe. Made me feel at home. Even if that home looked different from time to time, even if we both thought it would have different implications at some point. But I realized that waiting for you, waiting for us, wasn’t something I could do. I was scared, okay? I was scared.” your voice breaks as you admit it. You pretend to not notice the tears starting to trickle down his face, akin to your own. “I know that’s stupid, but I was. I was terrified that I would lose you if we couldn’t make it work, or that you’d meet someone else - someone better. That they’d make you’d realize that waiting for me wasn’t- wasn’t worth it.”
Chan freezes, brows knitting together as you finally step out onto the porch to stand a few feet from him, letting the door shut behind you.
“Y/n,” he breathes. You shake your head, turning away from him, but you make no move to stop him, so he keeps going. “I didn’t mean what I said. That doesn’t make it okay, but…you deserve to know that it wasn’t true. And you also deserve to know that-” he takes a deep breath. “-that there couldn’t be anyone better than you. Ever.” You turn your head slowly, eyes softening. “If you need to let go, I understand. I won’t try to stop you. I’m sorry that I made you feel like you did, nobody deserves that, especially you. I’ll- I’ll get going.” He glances away for a moment, looking out at the neighborhood. “I’m sorry,” he says quietly, turning to leave.
“Chris, wait,” you say shakily. He looks back at you for a moment. You shake your head slowly, biting the inside of your cheek.
Deep down, you’ve always known that he’s part of you. He knows everything about you, and he’s never shied away from any of it. He’s never hesitated to let you know how much he cares about you.
He’s your best friend.
You won’t let yourself sabotage this like you usually do with things that matter to you. You’ve lost too many relationships like this. You’re sick of it. You’re sick of yourself.
But somehow, he isn’t. He isn’t sick of you. He’s always there when you need him. He’s always by your side. And that’s what you need right now.
Synopsis: The Captain Killer of Levanter is on the loose, but small-time fish merchant Captain Kim Seungmin is more interested in turning a profit and in the pretty tavern wench who keeps flirting with him. But as the murders continue and as Seungmin grows more infamous…
… maybe he should be concerned about the Captain Killer.
Pirate AU with some fantasy elements. Cameos from OT8, Day6, TWICE, and GOT7 if you’re really looking.
Warning: alcohol, death, drowning, guns, knives, light gore, murder, one instance of suicide ideation, violence
Word Count:19.5k
Pairing: fem!reader x captain!Seungmin
Happy Halloween! I finally got around to editing this a year after I wrote it.
03 March
He didn’t understand why he was afraid of his pursuer, but something deep inside was telling him to run. They had no visible face or weapon, yet there was an unmistakable aura of danger about them.
“Who— who are you?” The man scrambled backwards, splinters from the dilapidated dock digging into his palms as he tumbled onto the ground. “You’ve got the wrong guy, I swear. I— I didn’t do anything wrong!”
The hooded figure leaned down and cupped his face. He flinched at the coldness of the touch and the warmth of the familial gesture. “Captain Yang Jeongin, otherwise known as the Sea Fox, correct?” asked a velvety voice. When he nodded, his whole body trembling in fear, the figure smiled. “Tell me, how does a cabin boy become a captain in seven months?”
All the blood drained from his face as he realized who his pursuer was. “Please, I’m only a few hundred short. Just one more day, and I will have the money for you.”
“The sea does not take kindly to those who do not pay their debts.”
“Please. My mother and brothers need me! I’m so close,” he sobbed. “Have mercy on me!”
They ignored the pleas and stopped back. “Let the water be your judge.”
The figure flicked their hand, and a monstrous wave crashed upon the dock. Captain Yang choked on a mouthful of saltwater and begged for forgiveness, but his cries fell on deaf ears. However, the water did not seem to touch the figure, who watched as the captain thrashed around, trying to fight a foe who could not be hurt, before being dragged down to the depths of the ocean. His screams bubbled to the surface, and the sea went still.
All was well again.
24 March
The bustling port town of Levanter was famous for several things: trade, the finest gunsmiths, and the best rum on the eastern side of the world. Several taverns lined the streets and back alleys, but Captain Kim Seungmin only had eyes for one.
Back Door of the Sea.
Ever since he found out that he would have to land in Levanter for deliveries, he had been thrilled. The gruff old captains from his hometown always spoke of their rich, dark rum and had declared it to be a rite of passage to win a brawl at the rowdiest tavern in the largest port town of the east. As the young captain of a small fish merchant ship, Seungmin had a lot to prove. His family and his crew were depending on him, and no one would ever respect him if his current position was due to nepotism alone. He needed to establish a name for himself. Though he didn’t like it, the quickest way was to be seen as ruthless. Despite dropping anchors only a mere one hour ago, he headed straight for the tavern.
Even two buildings down, he could hear the music, along with the hollers and raunchy sea shanties. Yellow light flooded the windows, and a line of drunk men fell out the door.
With a thumping heart, he deftly weaved around the drunkards and stepped inside. There, the cacophony was greater, the air sweet and sticky with rum and sweat. He had planned to head straight for the bar, but he kept getting distracted by the sights around him: a group with their cutlasses waving about in the air, a drinking competition between a large, muscled man and a lass who couldn’t have been more than fourteen, the amount of free flowing gold at the bar…
“What can I get you?”
You, the young woman behind the bar counter, looked too young and innocent to be serving in such a place, Seungmin thought. Though that was similar to what his elders always told him when he decided to captain a ship. He smiled back at you, and your own expression turned more genuine.
“Rum, please,” he said.
You laughed, and he burned red with embarrassment as he realized his mistake. He was too used to the bar wenches at home knowing what he wanted.
“First time drinking?” you teased. “What kind of rum do you want?”
“Dark. Honey Fever, if you have it.”
“Of course we do.” You expertly poured him a glass and slid it across to him.
He barely caught it before it tipped over the edge. The amber liquid stung his throat when he swallowed it, and he could feel the rum burning as it went down. No wonder why the rum here was so renowned; it was even better than at home.
“Let me guess. You’re from the JY Isles, aren’t you?” At his stunned face, you clapped your hands together. “Knew it! JY Isles lads always like Honey Fever. Not surprising, seeing that that’s where it’s originally from. So, what’s your name?”
“Kim Seungmin.”
“What are you? A surgeon? A mate? You’re too old for a powder monkey. Cabin boy?”
“None of those,” he replied before bringing the glass to his lips again. “I’m captain.”
Your mouth dropped open, but you quickly regained your composure when someone called for another round of drinks. You scurried away to fulfill the order, but you looked back at him with a certain look in your eyes he couldn’t place. Curiosity? Admiration? Attraction? Seungmin heard stories of women throwing themselves at captains — if he was being honest, he had expected it would happen at some point — but despite the power he held, he felt small and scrutinized. It was all too much for someone who had been captain for a week at most.
“Aren’t you too young to be captain?” You were back with a brand new stain on your white top and a slew of empty glasses.
“Everyone certainly seems to think so. Do you need help with that?” he gestured to the tray you were balancing.
“I’m alright. You might not be though.” You paused and glanced around the room before leaning forward. Your voice was a whisper when you said, “Have you heard of the Captain Killer?”
Levanter always had a few criminals around, mostly thieves and bounty hunters, but it seemed that their latest most-wanted had a vendetta against captains only, as evidenced by the killings of the Double J’s, the Stormwrangler, and just recently, the Sea Fox. It was hard not to know about the Captain Killer. Seungmin had overheard some sailors talking about him at the docks, and there were yellowed notices tacked to every bounty board and wall.
“Of course. What about him? Is he here?” Now it was Seungmin’s turn to eye the crowd.
“No! Well, at least I hope not. You just don’t seem very worried about being murdered, considering you’re apparently a captain.”
Seungmin shrugged and finished his drink. It no longer hurt to swallow now that his throat was numb to the pain. “He only goes after the notorious, high ranking ones. I have nothing to worry about. I captain a ship for a small fishery.”
You shook your head. “The Sea Fox was a fish merchant captain too, and he was found drowned two weeks ago. You should have seen the corpse, all bloated and half-eaten by fish. I heard you could count his ribs.”
He counted out two gold pieces and dropped them at the counter. There was a fight breaking out on the other end of the tavern, and he wanted in. “Maybe he just drowned.”
You laughed. “No one ‘just drowns’ in Levanter. I’d be careful if I were you, Captain. It would be a shame to lose such a pretty face around here.”
Seungmin felt his cheeks grow warm, and it was not from the rum. “Good night… I didn’t catch your name.”
“Y/N. And fair winds, Captain. No one’s beaten Mad Dog John yet.”
You were right to wish him luck.
Liquid courage definitely gave him courage but not strength. A clean right hook to his jaw immediately had him wishing he had stuck to the bar, and a swift punch to his stomach had him wishing he had not drank. A skinny twig of a boy jeered at him, but before Seungmin could land a hit on him, some swab dug his heel into Seungmin’s private quarters. He limped back to his boat that night, too ashamed to stay around and afraid to further damage what little reputation he had.
When he woke up the next morning, he had fresh bruises and the desire to stay in bed. None of the crew had seen him return last night, and he wasn’t sure if he could face any of them. His first mate, a veteran sailor named Wonpil, would be the first to laugh at him and tell everyone back home what happened.
However, sales had to be made. Seungmin put on his rarely worn navy blue coat and pulled the collar as high as possible to hide the injury on his jaw. Most of the crew was gone, presumably to find better breakfast than the usual biscuits their cook offered.
“Cap’n,” the cabin boy, Dowoon, saluted. Evidently the lowest member of the crew was forced to stay behind. “The fishmongers are here.”
Seungmin gave him a curt nod. “Are the fish ready to be unloaded?”
“Aye, sir. The crew already brought them up to the deck. Should I drop the plank for the fishmongers now?”
“Yes.”
A short while later, a group of middle-aged men flocked by their workers boarded his ship. Seungmin collected his gold and scribbled down the numbers for the daybooks, while the Dowoon directed the workers to the barrels of fish.
“Captain Kim?”
Seungmin looked away from his observations to discover a woman on his ship. He didn’t believe the superstitions, but the oddity was jarring. “You’re the bar wench from Back Door, aren’t you? What are you doing here?”
You smiled. “I thought it was you. I bookkeep for a few merchants during the day.” You pointedly looked at his jaw, and he turned red under your gaze. “I warned you about Mad Dog.”
“He’s, uh, a good fighter,” he lied. He had been taken out by other competitors, but you didn’t need to know that.
“He’ll be back tonight if you want to try again. I’ll have a glass of Honey Fever waiting for you.”
Your invitation echoed in his ears and made him feel like he had drunk a full bottle of rum. “I can’t. We’re leaving tomorrow morning, so I’ll be busy tonight.”
“Oi, what are you talking about, Captain?” a voice called. Wonpil. He and the rest of the crew were back. “We’ll take care of it.”
Seungmin did not want to brawl, and he wasn’t even sure if he would be physically able to. “No, no. I should stay and help,” he insisted.
Wonpil slung an arm over his shoulder. “You deserve a night off with a pretty lass, Captain.”
While Seungmin was vehemently protesting and blushing, you did not seem the least bit perturbed by his statement. You grinned and said, “I’ll be waiting,” before leaving with the fishmongers.
Once you were far away, Seungmin turned to his first mate, who now had the biggest smirk on his face. “What was that? Look, I know you mean well, but I am your cap—”
“Aye, I hear you. Your pops told me to look after you, so I am.” He turned serious. “You need a break, Seungmin. It’s only been a week since we left the Isles, and you’ve already got gray hair over nothing.”
“It’s my family’s livelihood. And we’ve got four more towns to go to.”
Wonpil patted him on the back. “Me and the lads will get it all worked out. ‘Sides, don’t you have a brawl to win?” He flicked Seungmin’s collar aside and poked at the deepening bruise. “Don’t think I don’t see it.”
Seungmin winced and edged away, pressing a delicate hand to his jaw. “Bilge-sucker,” he spat out.
“There you go, bookkeeping boy,” Wonpil grinned. “There’s a captain in the making.”
The moon was out and the tides were crashing against the ship when Seungmin headed back to the tavern. His crew, true to their word, busied themselves with the sails and lines, and bid him good luck. Wonpil made him take a cutlass, and Sungjin, the cook who also doubled as the surgeon, rubbed a herbal-smelling salve on his injuries.
Like you promised, there was a glass of Honey Fever waiting for him at the bar. You were busy chatting with another man when Seungmin sat down, but you quickly excused yourself once you saw him.
“Enjoy the wine,” you called after him before turning to Seungmin. “Hello, Captain Kim. Glad you showed up.”
“Who was that?” he asked, nodding at the man you were previously talking with. “He looks familiar to me.”
You arched an eyebrow. “No need to be jealous. He’s a regular around here. He’s actually a captain himself. Lee Felix, the Silver Serpent.”
“Oh, the treasure hunter. My father bought something from him some time ago for my mother.”
“You aren’t supposed to be working on a ship, are you?” You leaned down on the counter and propped your head up with your hands. “I can hear it in the way you talk and the way you dress; it’s too gentleman-y.”
He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I was studying business at university, but my father got injured, so I took over last week. I got his crew, and they made me captain for some reason.”
“Probably because you’re smart.” He shook his head, and you huffed. “You got into a university, of course you are. And” — your voice went soft here — “I’m sorry to hear about your da.”
“Thank you.”
The conversation turned silent, and Seungmin sipped on his rum while you poured drinks for a batch of newcomers. The rum tingled going down and spread a familiar confidence throughout him. He could hear the raucous start of a brawl on the other end of the tavern, and the bruises over his body ached. Despite himself, he finished his glass and started walking towards the fight.
You noticed this and called out, “Good luck!”
He weakly grinned back. His cutlass, sheathed at his waist, hit his leg with each step. He had no intention of using it, but it felt reassuring that he would have a backup plan if things went south. Mad Dog was at the center of the chaos, and Seungmin somehow managed to dodge most of the flying fists and land a solid punch to his side. That was his only victory for the night though. Seungmin ended up being tossed onto a nearby table, causing several shattered glasses and spills across the floor.
He laid in the puddle of rum and his own self-pity for a while, contemplating why he decided to join the fight when he was already sufficiently battered from last night.
“Captain Kim!” he heard you say. You knelt down and helped him sit up. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” he said. His back stung, but at least his cutlass had not flown out and stabbed him. “I think I need a drink.”
You laughed. “You’re a sailor at heart.”
Once Seungmin was re-situated at the bar, you refilled his glass. He downed it all, and you tentatively poured him another.
“Numbing the pain?” you asked. He nodded, and you advised, “Make sure you can still walk right, else you’ll get mugged or murdered.”
You then reminded him that he also had to pay, and he drank his rum significantly more slowly after. The bag of gold coins he brought with him were luckily still in his coat pocket, and he dropped six coins onto the counter.
“Leaving so soon?” you said, more teasing than serious. “Mad Dog usually stays ‘til we close.”
“Last drink of the night.” Feeling bold — courtesy of said drink — he added, “I can stay a little longer for you though.”
He immediately regretted it when a sly fox smile appeared on your face.
“And for that, I’ll let you have another round on the house, you sweet talker.”
Was it the rum or the flirtatious compliment that had him running a fever? “Thank you, but it’s alright. I have to be up early tomorrow.”
You tucked the bottle back onto the shelf. “Next time you’re here then. When are you coming back?”
“Next month, or that was what my father did anyway. Monthly trips, I mean.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it. Say, where are—”
Unfortunately, someone — a seadog if Seungmin had to guess based on the scar across his eye — shouted, “Wench! You deaf or something?”
“On my way, bilge-rats!” you shot back. In a kinder tone to Seungmin, you said, “Sorry. You know how they are.”
The old men hardened by salt and wind from the Isles were similar, and Seungmin nodded sympathetically. “It’s alright. I should get going and help the crew anyway. What were you going to ask?”
“Where you’re going after Levanter.” You poured a full tray of drinks and started for the rowdy table near the back. “I’m coming, you filthy sea bass!” you retorted in response to their complaints.
He was amused by how quickly you switched personas. Sweet one second, and venomous the next. “The SM Archipelago.”
“Oh, I’ve heard how pretty it is there. Lucky you. Anyway,” you sighed, “good night and fair winds, Captain. I’ll be waiting.” You winked and turned away.
There was no need to since you weren’t facing him, but Seungmin hid his blush behind his coat collar. “Good night, Y/N.”
25 March
Who knew a broken compass would have been of so much value to him?
He leaned back in his desk chair with the golden compass in hand. Its needle was loose, but such a flaw brought a gift: the ability to control the sea. The waves could go still or grow the size of a mountain at his command. He rotated the needle, and the waters beneath his ship began gently swaying. Let his crew have a good night’s rest after the nightmare it was to retrieve the artifact of the sea god.
The young captain gently placed the compass into its velvet-lined case and snapped the box shut. He was exhausted from the day’s activities, and the expensive bottle of wine he had made him drowsy. Just as he was about to retire to his quarters, there was a loud knock on the door.
He cursed his crew for needing him so late. “What do you want?”
The lock clicked, and the door swung open. A hooded figure stepped inside, and he reached for the flintlock pistols at his desk. He pointed one at the stranger.
“One more step, and I’ll put a bullet through your skull,” he warned. “Who are you, and what do you want?”
They had the audacity to laugh. “Look how red you are. You couldn’t even hit me if I let you.”
The figure strolled purposely towards him, and he fired. The shot went wide and shattered the window of his wine cabinet. He blamed it on the sudden violent movement of the ship. Blasted compass had to go haywire at the worst time possible. When he pulled the trigger again, the bullet tore the painting he had a buyer lined up for. He cursed once more.
“Look at how much money you lost me,” he snarled. The figure was an arm’s length away, but he still couldn’t make out their face underneath their hood. “Spit it out already.”
They ignored him and closed the gap with their hand, running an ice cold finger down his jaw. “Captain Lee Felix, also known as the Silver Serpent, you have stolen from Pontus, and he demands retribution.”
He had not paid attention to the floor or the entrance. Seawater had been slowly streaming inside the room the entire time, and without warning, began rising. Cold water sunk into his boots, and when he finally took note, it was too late.
“Let the water be your judge.”
The ocean grabbed his ankles and pulled him to the ground, hauling him across his mahogany floors. In desperation, he shot wildly at where the figure stood, but each bullet either missed or was diverted by a wave. He gasped for air, but a hand made of water covered his mouth and forced its way down his throat. The figure watched as a limp Captain Lee disappeared past the door frame and listened as his body tumbled overboard.
The figure retrieved the compass from the jeweled case and tossed it out the window into the ocean. It bobbed up and down in the waves before sinking into the waiting palms of Pontus. Then as quickly as it came, the seawater receded and left behind puddles as the only evidence of its appearance. The ship’s movement slowed to a gentle rocking motion.
All was well again.
27 April
To say Seungmin had been relentlessly mocked by the seadogs from home was an understatement; it would have hurt less if they had shot him point-blank in the face. His own father had howled with laughter when Wonpil told him that his son lost two brawls in a row at Back Door. The elders had sent him back onto his ship with barrels of fresh fish for delivery and a ridiculous amount of healing salves and bandages.
The ship arrived in Levanter earlier than expected, and Seungmin let his crew take the day off. While some opted to catch up on sleep, Seungmin donned on his captain’s coat and headed to the marketplace with a plan to find you. He told himself that he wanted to hear the latest news about Levanter from you, but that wasn’t the entire truth.
He wanted his free drink too.
He remembered you said you did bookkeeping for some merchants, and he hoped he would find you behind a fish stall, recording yesterday’s sales. However, the late morning turned to early afternoon, and you were nowhere to be seen. After asking everyone he came into contact with, an old woman reported seeing you by the docks an hour ago.
As such, he returned to where his ship was located. To his excitement, you were sitting at the very end of the pier, atop of an abandoned crate. A leather-bound ledger was balanced precariously on your knees, and the sea breeze made the pages flutter. You pressed the top corner down with a stern finger as you read, but the bottom edges still ruffled. Seungmin almost didn’t want to interrupt such a peaceful moment; even the tides seemed gentler around you.
You were facing away from him, but the creaky planks as he stepped towards you made you notice his presence.
You looked up from your book and quickly shut it when you recognized him. “Captain Kim, you’re back! Has it already been a month? It’s so nice to see your pretty face again.”
He had forgotten how easily flustered he was around you. “Were you waiting for me?”
“Oh, don’t flatter yourself,” you laughed. “I love the ocean more than anything. Being away from it for too long makes me blue.”
“I suppose working by the water is more pleasant than in a stuffy study.” He offered you a hand. “I believe you owe me a drink.”
You held his hand but didn’t let him pull you up. Instead you patted the back of it. “Swing by the tavern tonight. I’ll be working then,” you winked.
“Right! And you’re working now as well,” he said, remembering that you were a bookkeeper by day. “I-I’ll let you get back to that. See you tonight?”
“I’ll be waiting.”
His crew seemed to be under the impression that every time he announced he was going to Back Door, he was looking to redeem himself with a win. Sungjin stuffed his coat pockets with pots of healing salves and rolls of bandages, while Jae, crew member and lover of all things dangerous, exchanged his bag of gold for a pistol. Unfortunately, Seungmin did not notice the extra weight — he had chalked it up to him being tired from a full day’s worth of sailing — until he mindlessly checked his pockets to ensure that he had not been robbed by any of the tavern’s patrons.
“Bilge-suckers,” he cursed when he pulled out the miscellaneous items.
“Captain, did you just—” You uncorked the rum bottle and grinned. “That calls for another round on the house.”
Seungmin sighed. “Sorry. Won’t you get canned if you keep giving me free drinks?”
You shrugged and poured the rum. “Doubt the boss will care. Spilled alcohol” — you gave him a knowing look — “is nothing new here. So how was the SM Archipelago?”
“It was good. All four towns I went to were having a fish shortage, so I was able to get the fishmongers to pay more than usual. If they’re still having one now, I’ll be able to make a large profit the next time I visit. How’s Levanter been?”
“Same old, same old,” you hummed. “Trade is still good, Mad Dog is still undefeated, and the Captain Killer is still on the loose.”
“He still hasn’t been caught? It’s been a month.”
“You remember Captain Lee, the treasure hunter? He stopped by here the night before you left Levanter, and no one’s seen him since. The Captain Killer definitely got him. You should be careful.”
Seungmin shook his head. “He only goes after the high-ranking ones, and I’m just a small fish in a big ocean. They didn’t find Captain Lee’s body, so how do we even know he’s truly dead? Maybe he’s on vacation,” he joked, trying to get a smile or even an eye roll from you.
You lowered your eyes to his, and Seungmin felt his heart beat faster. Your gaze was intense, and there was not a trace of humor when you said, “Captain, I’m serious. Don’t give him a reason to go after you. He’s a shark. I’ve heard the sea witches in Levanter are getting more orders for protection charms and the like.”
Sea witches liked to reside in port towns and especially Levanter. Their advertisements were through word of mouth, and Seungmin had heard of a few during his time on the docks. Protection charms, paid for with gold, were the most popular items they provided, but there were also whispers of more deadly services. He dared not approach one in fear of payment.
You studied his face. There were no bruises, but he almost felt them reappearing under your appraising stare. “You might wanna consider getting one. I know a witch or two.”
“You’re really worried about me, aren’t you?”
“Five captains from Levanter are gone,” you softly said as you cleaned his now-empty glass. “One day they’re strutting around town, and the next day they’re sleeping with the fishes. I don’t want that to happen to you.”
Seungmin could see concern all over you. Your head hung low and you wiped down the glass, each of your motions slow and melancholy.
“I’ll try to be more careful,” he said. “I swear on my ship and my honor.”
“Thanks, Captain. And if you wanna charm, let me know. I’d miss you if you were gone, you know.” Your demeanor shifted back to normal, and a wicked grin spread across your face. “Who else would I give free drinks to and watch lose brawls?”
He chuckled. “Seungmin. You can call me Seungmin.”
Seungmin returned back to the ship in high spirits. He had spent a good hour chatting with you about everything, from rum to your latest mishap at the general store. After the initial conversation, you were back to your usual bright self, and there was never a moment where he wasn’t laughing or smiling. His steps were not as straight as they normally were when he left, and the walk back to his ship took longer than usual. Seeing his state, his crew descended upon him like a flock of seagulls and pestered him with questions.
“Did you finally win?”
“He’s got no injuries! You won right?”
“Did you use the gun? It’s a pocket pistol, but it stings like a cat o’ nine.”
His mood deflated as he remembered the three people Mad Dog threw onto the street. After two drinks — on the house, courtesy of you — he had almost considered joining the fight until you wisely talked him out of it. Seungmin tossed the weapon back to Jae and the medical supplies to Sungjin. “I didn’t fight. I just went for a drink and to hear the news.”
Jae inspected the pistol and frowned when he discovered it truly had not been used. He pocketed the gun and looked at his captain. “Wait, I took your gold! How did you even buy anything?”
“The pretty tavern wench, eh?” Wonpil nudged Seungmin’s arm and shot him a sly look. “I knew she caught your eye. Wait ‘til your pops hears about this! And your ma too!”
Just like that, Seungmin was pushed away and his potentially-existent love life discussed. He tried to interrupt, but Wonpil shoved him out of the circle of whispers.
“I’m your captain!” he protested. “And as your captain, I demand that—”
“Aye, you are, but you’re still a lad, and this talk is for men,” Wonpil replied. He goodnaturedly patted Seungmin’s back. “Don’t you have deliveries tomorrow morning? Get some shut-eye in case the wench comes again.”
Seungmin grumbled, but he still followed his first mate’s advice. Sure, Seungmin was supposed to have more power, but Wonpil was his father’s first mate and had more experience in just about everything. Besides, he reasoned, he did want to be well rested for all the merchants in the morning.
And for you as well, if you showed up.
He changed into his bedclothes and climbed into his hammock. He didn’t think he would be able to rest after the night he had, but the ocean waves eventually lulled him to sleep.
The sun in his eyes and the sound of footsteps woke him up the next morning. There were distant shouts from Dowoon about barrels, and Seungmin remembered that the fishmongers were going to show up later. He sighed and grabbed his daybook before leaving his cabin, which was something he regretted after Younghyun, the carpenter and sailing master, nearly ran over him with a barrel.
“Morning, Cap’n!” he saluted before rushing to the deck. “Everything’s ready.”
“Good morning?”
Wonpil was the next to greet him. Luckily, he only had a list of the inventory, of which he immediately handed to Seungmin. “Morning, Captain. Me and the lads are gonna get stock up on supplies, while you handle orders for the day. Be back in a few hours.”
“Alright then?” Seungmin replied to an empty doorframe as Wonpil disappeared up the stairs.
Everyone seemed to be in a hurry, and he had no idea why. When he stepped onto the deck, no one, not even Dowoon, was there. At least all the fish were ready though. He peered over the side of the ship to see how many fishmongers were waiting and also discovered the reason why his crew was acting so oddly.
You.
You were back, perched on top of a crate, waiting with one of the merchants. Seungmin, too happy for words, lowered the gangplank and announced that he was open for business. The two of you exchanged smiles as you passed by each other. Unfortunately, Seungmin grew too busy sorting barrels and cataloguing sales to chat with you for even a second.
Curse all of his crew for abandoning him at such an inopportune time.
You, on the other hand, milled around your merchant, dutifully collecting all transaction information. When your merchant was finally satisfied with his purchases, you waved him off and lingered around.
“Captain Kim,” you greeted, mock-saluting him. “Everything good so far?”
“Most of the fish reserved for Levanter have been sold, so yes. Just” — he checked the inventory list — “two more barrels left.”
“Good to hear. You gonna be at Back Door tonight? We got a new shipment of Honey Fever and Blue & Red coming in.”
“Blue & Red?” He racked his brain for what this was, and all he came up with was a possible memory of a limited edition version of Honey Fever.
You gasped and poked at the insignia on his coat. “You’re from JY Isles, its origin! How could you not know? It’s a new brand of rum that came out a few weeks ago.”
“Ah.” Seungmin had stayed away from taverns when he returned home from last month’s trip due to the merciless teasing from every old salt in a ten-meter radius. Not that that had stopped them anyway. “I, uh, must have forgotten.”
“You’ll love it,” you assured him. “It’s like spiced Honey Fever. I’ll have a glass waiting for you.”
Before Seungmin could even nod, the last remaining fishmonger grabbed a hold of your shoulder and snarled, “Wench, you done talking? I’ve got business to do here. What’s a woman like you doing on a ship anyway? Get outta here.”
You grabbed his wrist and reached for something in your skirt pocket. “Listen here, you scummy—”
Fearful of the havoc you were about to cause, Seungmin pulled you away just in time and cut in with, “Sir, I can help you now.” Then he leaned towards you and whispered, “I’ll see you tonight.”
You put the pen knife away and straightened your blouse, glaring at the fishmonger. “Scummy sea bass,” you hissed. To Seungmin, you sweetly said, “Fair winds, Captain.”
“Fair winds.”
The crew had stocked up well on their trip to town, and as such Sungjin cooked a grand meal for dinner. Seungmin couldn’t remember the last time he had vegetables that weren’t brown and wilting. He grew up in a fishing town, and there wasn’t much farmland in the Isles. With their bellies full of food and the finest rum Levanter had to offer, most of the crew drifted to sleep right at the table. Seungmin was ready to do the same until he remembered his promise to you and until he realized that he should inform you that he would be sailing for the Archipelago soon.
He tiptoed off the ship and headed straight — or as straight as he could possibly walk — to the tavern. There really was no establishment like Back Door, with its fine selection of rum and its rowdiness of ten taverns. He would miss coming here. When he came in, deftly dodging a flying bottle, he spotted you with an empty tray tucked under your arm.
“Y/N,” he called after you.
You looked back and flashed him a grin. You pointed at the empty seat at the bar and the full glass of what he assumed was Blue & Red. “Gimme a minute.”
He settled into the barstool and tasted the rum. Spicy and definitely not as good as Honey Fever. He swallowed what he already had in his mouth, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted the rest.
“Classic kinda fellow, are you?” you said, raising your eyebrows at his sour expression. You set down an armful of dirty glasses and started wiping them down. “I thought you’d like it.”
He didn’t mean to make you feel bad. “No, no! It’s— it’s fine!” He hurriedly chugged the remaining liquid and tried to not cough it back up as it burned on the way down.
“Cap— Seungmin,” you corrected. “It’s alright. The usual then?”
He started to nod but shook his head. “I had some at dinner, but thank you anyway. I actually came to tell you I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“Oh! Already? You just got here though.”
Seungmin, unsure of what else to do, shrugged apologetically. “I’m sorry. I wish I could stay longer.”
“Me too,” you sighed. You rested your head on your forearms and looked up at him. “You be back in a month?”
He tried hard to not let his blush show, but he couldn’t hide it behind his collar since he wasn’t wearing a coat. He managed to find some gold in his trouser pockets, and he set them at the counter. “For last night,” he said. “And I should be here again in a month. Save me a drink when I get back?”
“I’m starting to think you only hang around me for free drinks. Not that I mind though. Not many gentlemen around here, so you’re more refreshing than an ocean breeze,” you winked. You laughed at his panicked face. “Good night and fair winds to you, Seungmin. I’ll be waiting.”
“As will I.”
16 May
A crescent moon hung in the sky, and inky black waves crashed against the rocks.. The wind howled in his ears, and if he closed his eyes, he could almost hear her cheering on the gales, encouraging them to blow their sails. It was a near creation of that horrendous night, and he wanted nothing more than to forget. His empty bottles laid shattered on the dock, his bare feet dangling over the water. If he wanted to, he could just inch forward and sleep forever.
The floorboards creaked, and he felt someone sit beside him. It was too dark to see them, but he offered the whiskey in his hands. Maybe they were like him.
“So it’s true,” they whispered. “The captain with the face of a mermaid. The scar does add to the appeal.”
He snorted and took back his whiskey. He hated the gash across his face, a souvenir of the night. “You’re lucky I’m too drunk to kill you,” he slurred. His cutlass was somewhere on him, and he fumbled around his hip for it before brandishing it at the stranger. “You see that? If I stab you right, you’ll be dead.”
The stranger gently turned his face to theirs. Their palm was ice to the touch, and he recoiled when they left their hand on his cheek. She used to wake him up like that — frosty hands placed on his cheek on winter mornings.
He squinted through the darkness to see if he could make out who they were, but unfortunately for him, they wore a hood, and the rest of their attire was covered by the attached cloak.
“Captain Hwang.”
“Get away.” He forcefully leaned back and rubbed the side of his face against his shoulder, trying to warm it back up.
“I had a question for—”
“I ain’t interested in talking to you. ‘Less you got something to drink? I like whiskey most, but I’ll take anything.”
They ignored his remarks. “You have some experience with sirens, don’t you? Let me think… Two months ago, was it, when you and your sister went sailing? How was it?”
The blood in his veins froze, and all the memories he tried so hard to forget came flooding back.
Her, excited by the prospect of exploring the sea. Her, reading the map. Her, steering the wheel for the first time. Her, diving into the water. Her, disappearing into the ocean.
“Shut up,” he gasped out. “Shut up.”
“You slaughtered them all,” they continued, whispering in his ear. “And dismembered them. One. By. One.”
The sirens, their song luring her closer. The sirens, smiling at her thrashing. The sirens, smug at their latest victory. The sirens, bloody and gutted and never to sing again.
He shuddered as he remembered the aftermath. There was so much red on the sand, in the water, on his skin. Everything looked red. “They killed her. I had to.”
“She listened to their song and succumbed to it. The sirens did no wrong, but you did.”
“Shut up. Shut up!” He shoved the figure aside and tried to get up, but the world spun him until he landed on his back. “They deserved to die. They killed her!”
The figure was unbothered and stood over him. “Captain Hwang Hyunjin, the Siren of the Shore—”
“Don’t call me that.” He wished he had never allowed the nickname to spread after the news broke out.
“—you have committed at least three counts of unlawful murder. The ocean—”
“‘Unlawful?’” he managed to choke out. “Nothing ‘unlawful’ about punishing murderers.”
“—sentences you to the death penalty. Let the water be your judge.”
Judge, jury, and most importantly, executioner. He reached for his cutlass, but a heavy boot came down upon the blade and ensured he would not be able to grab it. Realizing it was his end and his desire for life was dwindling by the second, he remained still, taking in the last of the world. Dark and sullen, he would not miss it. He did not flinch, not even when he heard the waves grow more violent, not even when the moon was swallowed by a wall of water, not even when he was snatched from the safety of the dock.
He was going to see her again.
The surface water rippled as he was laid to rest in his grave, and the figure kicked the blade — still splattered with siren blood — into the ocean as another piece of retribution. The sea calmed, and all was well again.
28 May
The trip back home to restock was rough due to the weather, and he hadn’t slept well in days. Seungmin shut and opened his daybook twice to make sure his eyes were working properly. He had never seen so many zeros on a single line before. Or maybe he shouldn’t have let his crew be in charge during the sales in the Archipelago.
“Wonpil, is this…”
Wonpil grinned and nodded. “Aye, Captain.”
“… a joke?”
The grin faded and was replaced by concern. “No! The fishmongers were desperate for fish and offered me coffers of gold. And in N City, they said we had some rare ones, so I took the highest bidder.”
Rare fish? From the Isles? Or was it a hybrid breed or a mutation that made it look different? Seungmin’s mind was full of questions about them, but it didn’t matter. If he could get his hands on more of those fish, he would be rich. His father could have the best medical care possible, his mother could stop running errands for others in her old age, he could buy a new and better ship, his crew could…
“Captain? Oi, Captain.”
Wonpil’s words woke him out of his daydream. Seungmin shook his head and stared at the pages once more. The numbers were still there, and if he waved his hand in front of them, they didn’t disappear.
“What did the fish look like?” he breathed. “Did they say?”
Wonpil hummed, and Seungmin could see him actively trying to recall the description of the fish. “Big,” he finally said. “Big and with an orangey dorsal fin. Should I get your pops?”
His father. If Seungmin did this right, his father could live a life of luxury and never return to his current hazardous job at the shipyard. “Yes, please. We’re going to find this fish and make it ours.”
31 May
Never had he been so paranoid of thievery until he possessed barrels and barrels of valuable goods. When they dropped anchors in Levanter, the sun was setting and burned the sky orange. Dark blue began to creep in, and Seungmin was unusually worried about neighboring ships stealing his cargo in the dead of night. All of his crew assured him that everything would be fine, especially since no one but them even knew of the existence of such a species of fish. However, he was not placated, not even when Dowoon voluntarily stood guard in front of the hold. He vaguely remembered your suggestion to get a protection charm from a sea witch. He wondered if they worked for fish barrels.
Seungmin paced the deck, patrolling, for a solid hour before Wonpil practically threw him onto the dock. “Take a break, Captain,” he shouted, tossing a bag of gold at him. “Get us some rum!”
Jae scrambled to pick up the plank before Seungmin could run back on board. “We got it! Bring back some bottles for us!”
And that was how Seungmin found himself in his favorite tavern in Levanter. He had initially planned to buy some rum and then return to his ship, but you caught sight of him and headed over to him.
“Seungmin! You’re back!”
He couldn’t help but mirror your smile. “Y/N. How have things been?”
“Alright, I suppose. It’s definitely better now that you’re here,” you cheerfully said. You gestured to the shelf of liquor behind you. “Drink?”
“Not tonight. I’m buying bottles. Can I get three of Honey Fever and two of Blue & Red?”
“Sure. Gimme a minute.”
You then headed to the storeroom, leaving Seungmin time to observe the rest of the tavern. There were no brawls yet, but a lass had started a drinking competition with someone. Another person poorly played the fiddle and sang sea shanties, and the screech of their voice was accompanied by a few drunkards discussing the latest crimes in town. A man in a black brocade coat — likely another captain — was locked into a gambling game and appeared to be winning.
Seungmin had missed it, unsavory characters who could possibly steal away his fortune and all.
The noise of glass rattling brought his attention to you. You had an open crate with his orders inside, and you heavily set it on the counter.
“Here you go,” you sighed. “You celebrating something?”
“In a way.”
“Oh! What is it?” You eagerly leaned forward, and your eyes were wide with anticipation. “A birthday? Is it a gift for someone? Wait, is it your birthday, Seungmin?”
He laughed and shook his head. Before he could change his mind, he quickly whispered to you, “I found some rare fish in the Isles.”
You blinked and leaned back a little. “Treat them well, or there will be trouble,” you warned.
“I will. If I sold poor quality fish, my customers would have my head.” It was supposed to be a joke, but now that he said the words out loud, he was sure there was some truth to it. His mind flashed to the cranky fishmonger who swore up and down his latest delivery of mackerel was subpar.
“So you’re gonna turn a profit?” You set an empty glass before him. “How about that drink then? To celebrate?”
“Maybe tomorrow,” he replied, taking the crate in his hands. “I need to get back.”
Your merriness turned into dejection, and he wanted to slap himself for being rude. You hadn’t seen him in a month, and if he was being honest, he wanted to chat with you longer as well. He missed how easygoing you were and how you made him feel. However, the thought of his father reminded him why he was doing it — to keep the business running and to keep his family secure.
“I can stay longer tomorrow night,” he promised. “I’ll stay until sunrise and drink everything you offer me. And you can tell me everything that’s happened to you, even the boring things from bookkeeping.”
You brightened. “You’re my favorite patron, you know that? I’ll be waiting.”
Seungmin shifted the crate to one arm and waved goodbye with his free one. “Good night, Y/N.”
“Good night, Seungmin.”
Another day, another line in the daybook with numbers he had never seen before. Seungmin, in high spirits, arrived at Back Door with gold lining his pockets and a sense of accomplishment. Dozens of eyes stared at him as he entered, and a wave of murmurs rippled through the building as they recognized him as the newest upcomer in the fish market. He tried to not smile too much or come off as too arrogant, but by Pontus if he wasn’t pleased by how much money he made.
He sat down at the bar, and a bar wench that was certainly not you gave him a coy smile.
“Hello, Captain,” she purred. “Fancy a drink? Or would you like something… sweeter?”
“I, uh, I—”
“Back off, Sana,” you said with an armful of rum. “He’s my regular.”
Her coquettishness vanished, and she looked back and forth between you and him in delight. “This is him? You didn’t tell me he was the Fish Dealer. Lady Luck has been smiling upon you, Y/N.”
“The Fish Dealer?” he asked.
“That’s what they’re calling you now,” you replied as you nudged Sana away. “Cute, isn’t it?”
He shrugged. He would have liked something less on the nose, but at least he had a nickname now. His reputation had to be improving.
“Your usual,” you said, setting down a glass in front of him. “So how did you get those fish anyway? It’s all everyone’s talking about.”
Seungmin shrugged like it was no big deal, but on the inside, he was alight with joy. As nonchalantly as he could, he replied, “A couple of fishmongers in N City realized we had a new fish species, and when I returned home, I looked around for fish matching the description. My father and I found some more of them in the Isles.”
You waited for him to say more, but he did not. “So, where exactly did you find them?” you prodded. “And how did you even get them without everyone finding out? It’s mostly fishing and fisheries in the JY Isles, right?”
“I don’t want to say,” he slowly said, gesturing around. “You know, to keep it a secret.”
“Understandable, but boring. Remember what I told you yesterday.”
“Yes, I’ll be careful with the fish.” With how much money he was earning, of course he would. “About those protection charms? What exactly do they protect?”
“You want one? It’ll take me a couple days to get one for you, so you’ll need to stay a while.”
“But what do they protect?”
“Depends on the witch and what you ask for,” you slowly answered. “Most sailors ask for storm or sea protection, but Pontus doesn’t always heed those. People specifically want drowning protection now. Again, Pontus doesn’t always heed those. What is a witch to the ocean after all?”
All the found captain corpses had been drowned. Charm or no charm, they all wound up dead anyway. “What about property? Cargo and the like?”
“Oh, Seungmin,” you sighed. He would have found it a lovely sound if not for the exasperation it held. “Do you care about those blasted fish more than your life? How about you give me the location and I send a sea witch to charm the place?”
“You know I can’t. As for the charm, I have to leave tomorrow morning. It’s alright, I’ll be careful. I will treat the fish well.”
You nodded sagely, accepting his promise. Then your eyes lit up with mischief, and you gave him a sly grin. “I’ll give you free drinks forever if you tell me the location?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “You do that anyway.”
“It’s the only way I know how to flirt with you. Can you blame me?”
Fortunately, someone shouted for a refill, so Seungmin could recollect himself when you attended him. Unfortunately, you called to your fellow bar wench, “Sana, can you cover for me?”
She nodded and headed over to the gambling table, while you stayed at the counter, pouring a glass of Blue & Red for yourself.
“I missed you around here,” you remarked, noticing the way Seungmin’s face turned even pinker. “No one else blushes for me like you do. Now, what are we going to talk about until sunrise? You did promise to stay until then.”
“How has Levanter been?” he questioned, eager to no longer be the main point of the conversation. “Is the Captain Killer still killing captains?”
It was a joke, but your face immediately fell. Your eyes flitted over to the bounty board where the Captain Killer’s weathered paper was. “Aye. The Siren of the Shore was found dead last week. He lost his sister a few months ago, so everyone thinks he drowned himself, but he’s another captain gone. Seungmin,” you sighed and he knew exactly what you were going to say next, “you should really be careful now. You’re starting to become more well-known, so you could be his next target. Don’t give him a reason to go after you.”
“I know, I know, but I’m a fish merchant, remember? There’s nothing intimidating about me.”
“Except that you’re rich now, and maybe he wants some gold from you.” You polished off your drink and refilled his. “Be careful.”
He nodded and raised his right hand. “I swore on my ship and honor, and I still do.” In the world’s worst attempt to change the topic, he asked, “How is the bookkeeping business?”
You looked relieved to discuss something else other than his possible doom, though you were the one who was always bringing it up. “Well, it is doing fine, thank you for asking. Oh! You are not gonna believe what happened yesterday! Do you know who… ”
You started your story about the merchant who tripped over a bundle of rope and landed in a pile of fish guts, and Seungmin laughed all throughout at everything you told him. True to his word, he stayed until the morning. Your shift was supposed to end at two o’clock, but you remained behind the bar, chatting with him and occasionally fulfilling orders with the other wenches. Most of the patrons now were either asleep or passed out drunk. Despite how much rum he had and how little rest he had gotten the past few days, Seungmin still felt sober enough to head back to his ship.
He placed a handful of gold on the counter as payment. “I’ll see you next month?” he whispered, not wanting to be the target of someone’s anger at being woken up so early.
Your head rested on your forearms, and you let out a yawn. You blinked sleepily at him and smiled. “I’ll be waiting. Maybe we can walk on the beach instead of drinking all night. I hear it’s very romantic.”
The weak sunlight filtering through the windows cast a halo on you, and he could almost imagine a crown of moonlight in its place.
“That would be… nice,” he lamely replied, ignoring the growing heat on his cheeks. Still facing you, he walked backwards to the door and almost stumbled over a man on the floor. “G-goodbye, Y/N.”
“Goodbye and fair winds, Seungmin.”
As predicted, he got an earful from his crew when he made it to his ship, but not the kind he expected. They were more curious about how things went instead of annoyed that their captain came back half an hour before they were going to leave. Jae didn’t let him on board and withheld the plank until Seungmin explained in excruciating detail about his night.
“… and then she wished me fair winds,” he finally finished. He massaged his temples and hoped that the gentle throbbing he felt was irritation and not a hangover. “Drop the plank now!”
Jae begrudgingly did so. “She didn’t even kiss you goodbye? You got no charms or something?”
At the word ‘charms,’ he thought back to your concern. Perhaps he should get one, if only to ease you. Seungmin pushed past Jae to his quarters. He didn’t miss the smirk across every single one of his crew member’s faces. “Weigh anchor, lads.”
“Aye, aye, captain.”
03 June
The sound of dripping water on a ship — especially one that was floating in the middle of the ocean — was never a good sign, but no one else seemed to hear it. He growled to himself as he took a lantern down to the cargo hold. Every single one of his blasted crew members reported no leaks, but he barely trusted those lazy swabs anyway after what happened last time.
Dripping water led to rushing water, which led to a sinking ship.
As he went down the stairs, the persistent drip drop grew louder. It echoed in his ears, and he was overcome with the urge to tear through all the barrels and crates. He muttered curses to himself as he checked the walls of the hold nearby and the water supply.
Nothing. Not even a wet spot on the floor.
His suspicions were correct in that his crew was lazy. No one had bothered — or perhaps they were too afraid to — to check on the animals. Blasted cowards.
The lantern light gleamed on the enormous tanks in the back, and he walked up to the closest one. He rapped on the glass with his knuckles and chuckled when the tropical fish inside darted away.
“Where’s my favorite fishy?” he teased, tapping again. He held the lantern closer until he could make out a large iridescent tail curled on the opposite end. “My pretty little fishy. Is all your water still here?”
The owner of the tail quickly spun away, hiding itself behind a passing school of glowing fish.
“Come out, come out,” he said in the same singsong tone. When he knocked louder, it trembled and made small whimpering noises. “C’mon, fishy. If you answer me, I’ll give you a treat.”
It coiled into an even tighter bundle, its scales shimmering in the light as it did so. After a brief pause, it gave a pitiful nod.
This thing had been compliant from the start, and he still expected it now, especially since he had control over its life. He snarled and pounded on the glass, making it flinch. “I don’t like liars,” he spat out. “Where’s the leak, huh? I know it was you.”
“No, Captain,” a new voice interrupted. “It was me.”
He turned to the direction from where the voice was coming from. A hooded figure, no weapon in sight, stood not too far away.
“So I got a stowaway?” he chuckled, drawing his cutlass. “Tryna sink the ship you’re on ain’t a good idea.”
The figure laughed and stepped closer, easily batting his sword aside. It clattered against the floorboards, and he was suddenly stricken with a sense of terror. They were offenseless, he was defenseless, but he couldn’t help but feel that whatever was coming would not result in a draw.
“It’s a perfectly grand idea for what you have done, Captain Lee. More than fair, as a matter of fact. The ocean knows of your crimes, but we can no longer turn a blind eye to them after what you have most recently done.”
They touched the tank, and the water inside started to sway, covering the glass in hundreds of droplets and making it difficult to see inside. The dripping, wherever it was coming from, grew louder and faster. The wooden floorboards darkened in color as the sea began seeping in, and the entire ship began to shake.
“The sea’s fair game,” he hoarsely answered. “Those bilge-rats. We’re sinking.”
He ran for the exit, but a cold hand swiftly grabbed his wrist and snapped him back. He tried to pull away, but their grip was unrelenting. Meanwhile, more and more water flooded in, tipping the ship backwards.
“The captain goes down with the ship.”
“I ain’t captain anymore!” he lied. The tanks were cracking under the impact of sliding crates and barrels, and he wanted out before the creatures could break free. “I’ll get the real one for you if you let me go.”
The sound of running footsteps and his cabin boy shouting, “Captain! Captain Lee! The boat is going down!” entirely disproved his claims. The footsteps retreated after sending the message, and Captain Lee once again cursed his useless crew.
“Don’t listen to him!” he pleaded.
The figure only derisively laughed in reply. Soon the tilt of the ship grew steeper, but the figure’s hold on him prevented him from moving a single bit. He wondered how they were still standing upright.
“Captain Lee Minho, also known as the Black Cat,” they said over the rush of incoming water, unbothered by the calamity around them, “sea creatures are not meant to be kept confined and gawked at for your pleasure. Stealing away a mermaid from her home and locking her away, the ocean cannot forgive you. Let the water be your judge.”
Suddenly the ship lurched downwards, and he fell with it as his wrist was freed from its grasp. The seawater tumbled down onto him, and he knew he was going to drown if he didn’t do anything about it. He opened his eyes, ignoring the stinging of the salt, and found himself face-to-face with his pretty little fishy. Her wide eyes stared back at him, taking in the details of his face. Apparently, her timid nature had washed away, and she patted his cheek in a mock-reassuring manner. Too panicked by his predicament to do anything in return, he watched as she swam to the figure, hood still covering their face, cloak billowing in the currents. They appeared to be unbothered by the water, and he wondered if they were something magical like a mermaid too.
Captain Lee did his best to swim upwards towards the air, but it seemed like the ocean would not allow it. His prized exotic fishes, having finally escaped their glass cage, circled him, restricting his movements. If he was not deterred by that, the water above him would push him down to the ever-sinking floor of the boat.
The figure and the mermaid seemed amused at his efforts, and he could hear the mermaid’s bubbly giggles. Her friend, however, only viewed in silence, almost savoring the moment. He couldn’t decide which reaction was worse.
He was running out of air, and his futile attempts only helped diminish his supply. His heart thumped at an increasing rate, and black slowly obscured his vision.
You did a great job ignoring those who disliked you, you thought you were great at it, specially woth Jeongin, that until college work forces you to work together.
This is a work of fiction, people mentioned or involved are actual human beings and none of this work is based on actual facts over the celebrities mentioned nor is intented to portray them in a realistic way.
Some themes are not factually acurate, any problem detected on the information given may be comunicated to me via DM.
