Silence.

My eyes slowly blink open.

It is completely dark inside the room. I roll over and smell peppermint- Zelo. A soothing sensation passes over me. Chorong and I got him a peppermint-scented cologne from Burberry for his 15th birthday. He’s loved the scent ever since.

The alarm clock on the dresser reads 3:29 AM. I slowly stand up. A surge of gratitude flows through me. They changed me into oversized pajama pants and a hoodie, so I wouldn’t have to sleep in my gown.

I spot Sora cuddled up on the floor across the room, swaddled between heaps of cashmere blankets and pillows.

And then all of the events that transpired a few hours ago suddenly rush back to me and my head spins. I stumble backwards and fall with a thump! back down onto the bed. My chest is aching and I just want to cry- but at the same time, I can’t cry- and god, I need to talk to someone about this, I need Joonmyeon, oh my god.

I stare at Sora for a few more moments.

And then I fumble through the darkness. Grab a piece of paper sitting on Zelo’s desk and scribble a note down.

I’m going to Joonmyeon’s. I love you.

After tucking the note between Sora’s fingers, I slip out the door.

Mr. Lim, the doorman to Joonmyeon’s high-rise apartment building, recognizes me when I walk in.

“It’s been a while,” he smiles.

    “It really has,” I say, reveling in the warmth inside the building. It is below freezing temperatures outside. Another frosty winter night in Seoul. Memories of snuggling up with Joonmyeon and drinking hot chocolate while watching the snowfall play through my mind. Nostalgia washes over me.  “I haven’t been here in a long time.”

    “Well, I’m happy you’re here. Mr. Kim’s been down lately. He’ll be excited to see his girlfriend- even though it’s 3 in the morning.”

    I blush. “I’m not his girlfriend.”

    Mr. Lim’s eyebrows shoot up. “Really? Oh. We all thought- sorry.”

    “No, no, it’s fine,” I laugh, batting my hand. “I’ll go see if Joonmyeon’s up. If I come back down, it’s probably because he’s still sleeping.”

    Or because there’s a 50% chance he’ll slam the door in my face when he sees me. Who knows.

The elevator ride seems to take forever.

I arrive on the 22nd floor.

My knuckles rap against his door.

A long second passes, followed by another one.

I tell myself that he’s asleep.

But I don’t want to leave.

Finally, I pivot around on my heel, my heart heavy with resignation. What was I even expecting, come up here this early in the morning? And why would he even want to open the door for me-

The click! of a lock turning causes me to whip my head back around.

“Hyo?” Joonmyeon says carefully, his eyes slightly narrowed. A shudder runs through my body when I see that he is wearing nothing but a baggy pair of sweatpants.

“It’s cold outside,” I whisper, stepping forward. “You should put on a sweater.”

He blinks. “It’s perfectly warm in here. I don’t need to do that.”

Our eyes do not leave each other. My chest aches with pain and longing and grief.

“Hyo,” Joonmyeon murmurs. He slowly, gradually walks towards me. “What’s wrong?”

I take a deep breath. We gaze at each other through the dim light of the hallway.

And then, by some mutual understand, both of us move to each other and kiss. Warmth explodes in the pit of my stomach as Joonmyeon wraps one arm around my waist and tugs me closer towards him while his other hand tangles itself through my hair. I moan with pleasure as he deepens the kiss, his tongue tracing the outline of my mouth, his teeth slightly grazing my lower lip in a way that causes fireworks to explode all around me.

We stumble backwards into his apartment- , it really is toasty in here- my hand runs down his well-defined torso, explores his chiseled muscles and skims over the six-pack that I never knew he had; god, why are his arms so buff, when did he get so strong? My heart skitters as the muscled arms in question hoist me up in the air and carry me to the bedroom.

I wrap my legs around his waist and- quickly detaching our kiss for a moment- fling off my sweatshirt, leaving me in a thin cami. My body rubs up against his, creating hot friction that makes me ache for more and more and his lips travel down my neck, on my skin and creating angry red marks that create a scattered line to my collarbone- my cami comes off- down my sternum- I weave my fingers through his hair and the moans coming out of my mouth become a confused mess of oh god Joonmyeon and don’t stop don’t stop and holy , why the didn’t we do this before, this is better than anything I could’ve ever imagined-

“I missed you,” I whimper.

Joonmyeon pauses. His chocolate brown eyes look up at mine from my chest.

“I missed you, too,” he whispers, and travels back up to kiss me on the lips once more.

“I’m- really- sorry- I’ve been distant,” I pant in between wet kisses. Joonmyeon chuckles as he hastily undoes the tie to my pajama pants.

“I’m sorry I’ve been a cranky little lately,” Joonmyeon utters in a husky voice that makes my body tingle even more. I can’t get my pants off faster. “You have your own life. You don’t have to tell me everything. I’m not your boyfriend.”

I hesitate for a moment before I mumble, “What if I want that to change?”

Joonmyeon stares at me for a few moments with wide eyes, and for a second I think that I’ve said something wrong.

And then he groans, “Finally,” and buries his head in the crook of my neck.

“Huh?” I ask, utterly confused.

“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you to say those words? I thought this would be an unrequited love my whole life!”

“What? You- you like me?”

He rolls his eyes. “The sky is blue. Grass is green. You’re ing hot.”

Joonmyeon just cussed. My heart skitters. “But you can’t like me,” I protest. “I’m... just me. I’m not your type at all. Do you want me to remind you who all your ex-girlfriends have been?” I count them off on my fingers. “Supermodel who walked at Fashion Week, the daughter of a world-class designer, one of Sora’s popular party freak friends-,”

Joonmyeon groans. “Oh, great. Exactly what I’d like to hear: the girl I like talking about my ex-girlfriends in bed.”

I turn bright red. “We’re not in bed! I mean- okay, yeah, we’re literally in bed- but that makes it sound like... we’re like...,”

“We’re like what?” Joonmyeon asks cheekily. “Say it.”

“You know what I mean! We aren’t doing... that!”

“Really?” Joonmyeon looks at me pointedly. Suddenly, I become acutely aware of the fact that I’m down to my bra and , and Joonmyeon’s still in nothing but sweatpants. I flush even harder.

“You’re the worst,” I mutter.

“Aww. Am I still the worst after... this?”

“What are you- , Joonmyeon, oh my god-,”

As I lay in Joonmyeon’s arms, cuddled up in his thick comforter, the weight on my shoulders disappears in a matter of moments. The sound of Joonmyeon’s soft breaths on the back of my neck instantly puts me at ease. Holy . This is the best thing that’s happened in months. Yeah, I’m still massively ed. I killed my friend’s brother. Her father’s a corrupt politician working with gangsters. I still don’t know who ordered my parents’ death. Every gang in Seoul- especially BTS- is still after my .

But Joonmyeon and I are okay. More than okay.

I’m going to have to figure out a way to explain why I’ve been so stressed lately, and why I’m half the time. I’ll resolve all of this gang mess as quickly as I can and then Joonmyeon and Sora and I can go back to being normal again-

But will it really be normal?, a small voice asks. You shot her brother. Her dad’s evil. BTS still goes to school with you.

No. I push all of that to the back of my mind. We’re going to be okay. We’re all going to be okay.

Jesus, my throat is parched.

I yawn, carefully slipping out of Joonmyeon’s embrace as to not wake him, and pad to the kitchen.

I stare off into space as I pour a glass of water for myself from the tap. Moonlight seeps through the window in front of the sink, casting a faint white glow across the kitchen.

There’s something still nagging at me. A tiny little voice that’s telling me that I’m forgetting something.

The masked man knew that I had the donor banquet today. He specifically wanted me to read that speech- he wanted to see me realize the truth about Sora’s family. Which means that he was there. But no one there matched his appearance. Nearly every donor was in their forties at least. Graying hair. Some balding. All of them unoccupied with me, save for admiring my dress-

Wait.

The first time I met the masked man was at Club Luxe. When I didn’t have my disguise on. Which means he had to have recognized me amidst the chaos of flashing neon lights and darkness and screaming partiers.

A cold, sinking feeling penetrates every square inch of my skin. Seeps through me. Diffuses all the way from the tips of my toes to my pinky fingers.  

As if the universe has coordinated my growing revelation and guided the moonlight to shine onto this particular object, something in the corner of the kitchen catches my eye.  

I feel numb as I reach across the kitchen counter and pull a white chrysanthemum, peeking out from behind a thick black book.

Oh.

And then suddenly, a pair of arms slams down onto the counter on either side of me and cages me in between them. I am trapped between the counter and the person standing mere centimeters away from me. Every muscle in me is frozen. I cannot even move to face the person I know is standing behind me.

“Oh, no,” a familiar-but-unfamiliar voice utters silkily. “You weren’t supposed to find that.”

I am utterly still.

Finally, finally, I turn around.

Kim Joonmyeon, my boyfriend of 34 minutes, towers above me, his lips curled into a malevolent sneer.

A/N: and here begins The Event :^) get ready for a complete show. 

guys im just a er for secretly evil manipulative stepford smile joonmyeon..... like in betray me not ahhahahEHehehah

so guys i rly wanna get fit does anyone have workout tips and diet tips for me to slim down my waist and alllllll

also! if anyone could hit me up with ~evil~ hawt pics of Joonmyeon that would be great (like this):

old A/N: im graduating HS in a week

dont know if i'll keep writing (i'll finish this story ofc but idk about future stories)