xXiV. Aftermath

 "There were some things you didn't reveal in your story earlier on." It was late at night, and the clock showed 3:30am. The others had already retired to their rooms, and it was just Celeste and Sungjong left in the lounge. Along with Chess and Jineul of course - Chess because she needs to keep an eye on everything and everyone, and Jineul because he was a prominent part of Sungjong. "The story wasn't complete. Right?" 

  "You're observant, Your Majesty." Chess could see the thinly veiled sarcastic smile on her face - a trademark of Celeste's, though it wasn't meant to charm, but rather to reflect a combination of contempt and respect. "Of course I can't reveal everything. A woman had to keep her secrets, after all." She spread her arms, as if to expose herself to further possible scrutiny. 

   Jienul made a soft growl at the back of his throat, like he was a house cat waiting to pounce on any prey his master told him to. Sungjong placed a casual hand on his back; it seemed like a simple gesture, but Chess knew it was all that stopped him from jumping onto Celeste to maybe claw her eyes out or something - one could never tell with Dark Jineul. "Care to share them with me? I am your superior, after all."

 Chess looked at the two silently, impressed. There was clearly tension in the air - but it was a soft kind of tension. The kind that occurred when there was friendly bantering, intead of full-on assault from either one of them. If she didn't know better, she would've thought the two were old friends, sitting around a fireplace with glasses of wine in hand, trying to outwit each other. If Sungjong wasn't taken already, she would've guessed there was some kind of present. As if catching onto her words, Celeste continued the banter. "You can't pry information out of me like this, Sungjong. It doesn't work that way." 

  "Not even if I say 'pretty please'?" 

  That statement merely made Celeste's eyebrow raise. "Uncharacteristic."

  "Consider me curious," Sungjong shrugged. 

  "Alright, I'll tell you then." The actress snuggled back onto the armchair she was curled up in, pulling the fleece blanket tighter around herself. Chess had rarely seen Celeste so vulnerable - usually this only happens around people she trust the most - like Chess, for example. "But you'll have to promise not to tell the others."

   "Determined to keep secrets hidden, I see." 

  "It's not about that," Celeste shook her head, her long brown locks all messed up on her blanket. "I know you guys wouldn't sell information even for kicks, because you know how that feels. It's that if the elders found out about me leaking this information, you may be in danger."

  At the word 'danger', Jineul perked up, though not for a good reason. "I can protect myself, thank you."

  "It's not about an issue of protection either." Usually Celeste was known for her eternal youth, but under the dim lighting of the lounge, it seemed the centuries she had lived finally caught up with her. "The Elders have enough power to exile anyone permanently, without needing to lift a finger. No, it's much worse if long-held secrets get out. Believe me, you don't want to be there when that happens."

  "Then there are no worries then. I trust Jineul with my life."

  "I'm sure you do," She chuckled, with a hint of bitterness. "Here was what I left out then, though the initial story already covered enough to keep you guys informed."

  "The first thing I left out is how reluctant Underworlders were in agreeing to this whole set-up. I made it sound way less severe than it was." Celeste snuggled deeper into her fleece blanket. "The Underworlders didn't just...agree to the whole thing after the humans threatened them. No. It took decades. It resulted in another bloodbath and they had to eventually draw up a contract. It was like, sixty pages long, but it managed to end in a way that the Underworlders were willing to sign that thing - though of course, whether they were held by gunpoint, knife-point or cannon point was conveniently left out of history."

  "What was in the contract?"

  "Oh, lots of things," She waved a hand dismissively. "That wasn't important. But it required the Councilo's signature. And the MerKing refused to sign it, so the rest of the Councilo literally sent people to violently coerce him to signing it."

  "Internal strife, huh?" A grim smile spread on Sungjong's face.

 "Internal strife indeed," She chuckled. "Well, they got him to sign it. But as punishment for his 'disobedience' - " This she framed with air quotes. "They forced him to appoint his eldest daughter as one of the permanent members of the new organisation. They forced her to live off the land, and leave her home in the seas because of this."

 Chess had heard this story more than once - mostly when Celeste was feeling upset or sentimental. She had seen her cursing the fates or cursing the Councilo whenever that occurred, but never her father. It was a price they had to pay, through no fault of their own. The Merpeople weren't the best Underworlder tribe out there (rather, she would argue that all of them are pretty bad in their own account), but she felt pity for the MerKing. 

  "Oh." That single word fell through Sungjong's lips, but he didn't seem exceedingly surprised. "So you're a daughter of the Mer-court." 

  "At your service." She gave a small nod - and Chess could sense the mockery behind, but it was light-hearted. "Yes. I haven't been home for a number of centuries now. Humans are disgusting. The air is getting harder and harder to breath."

  "Is that why you refuse any roles related to swimming and any singing projects?" For one second, Chess thought White Jineul was there - certainly Dark Jineul wouldn't bother with such frivolous remarks. "There has been multiple conspiracy theories because of that."

   She shrugged. "What can I say? I don't think studio executives would take kindly to their lead actress being an Underworlder, or losing footage when I open my mouth. No, it'll be best to just avoid it altogether."

  Sungjong nodded absent-mindedly, as if in acknowledgement. "Alright, what about other things you've hidden?" 

  "You won't like this either. It concerns the King, and I hope Jineul wouldn't strangle me at the end of it." 

  "No promises," Jineul's stare sent a shiver down Chess' spine even though it wasn't directed towards her. It wasn't an angry glare that promised death - indeed, just pure anger wouldn't frighten her because anger just meant recklessness. No - it was a stare that promised something worse than death if Sungjong was ever in some kind of danger, be it life-threatening or not. And knowing Jineul, he would hold fast to that promise. That was what frightened Chess. 

   "Well, it's not like you could kill me anyways," Celeste chuckled, and reached for the mug of milk on the coffee table. Ever since she became Gemini's messenger, she had found the designated HQ absurdly convenient to live in. Well, she supposed it was good compensation for the deaths to follow. "I'm cursed with the inability to die because my father disobeyed the Councilo. So if you could put me out of my misery, that would be nice." 

   Though Celeste was lying down, completely relaxed, Chess could see the strength of her glance that matched that of Jineul. People often say that brute strength was the most terrifying thing on and off a battlefield, but Chess had to disagree. It was often the soft skills that made people more terrifying, and the premonition of battle that was terrifying, since you never knew what was going to happen next. Being in the same room as these three made her felt like she was in a room with three ticking bombs - despite her centuries of being in the presence of similarly charismatic people. 

   "I'll use your neck as practice for Antiopa next time I need it," Jineul promised.

  "I look forward to that." Again, the mysterious smile gracing her lips. "Alright. Coming back to our topic on hand. The King position, I'm sure, doesn't come without responsibility."

   "And its fair share of doom and gloom, I assume?" 

   "Ha ha ha. Yes. That too. So it probably wouldn't be a massive shock when I say this, but in every instance of internal strife, it was instigated by the King. The Councilo may have ordered it, but Gemini members never obey anyone else except their King - because we're capable of our own thoughts. So it is always the King who starts the internal strife. He is the one who starts the massacre. Because only he could do so." 

   Jineul was already halfway up from his seat. "Sungjong would never do that." 

  "I know that. The problem is that they don't do this out of their free will. Something ends up influencing them. Maybe someone ends up influencing them." Celeste shifted under her blankets. "Believe me. I've seen it happen so many times. Why would I lie to you?" 

  "So you can lead Gemini yourself," Jineul accused.

  Celeste shook her head. "Part of the curse is that I can't lead the organisation. I'm only allowed to be a bystander and bear my fate. There's no way I can escape this." 

   Sungjong snorted quietly. "Your curse must've been a hundred pages long." 

   "I'm sure if we flip through it we can find some sort of loophole where it says I can be leader. But the point is, I'll never manipulate anyone for my own gain." She held their gazes. "Trust me."

  A silent moment hung between them, before Jineul made a curt nod and leaned back. "Fine." 

  "Okay, good." Celeste exhaled. "But you must know that the King's actions didn't come from his own will. And when that happens - Jineul, you can't let your emotions guide your actions. Because you're the strongest fighter in this team, and if you obey blindly it'll only make things worse." 

  "You think I'll turn my back on Sungjong because of you lot?" 

  Celeste sighed. "Just stew on it a little. You have to understand - when the situation comes it all goes on your shoulders. That's all. And - "

   "Why can't we just back out, then?" Sungjong questioned, leaning on his knuckles, a thoughtful look on his face. For a man who was told he would single-handedly bring down Gemini, he seemed remotely relaxed. It was rather disturbing. 

   "That's it. You can't." For the first time in that evening, a trace of surprise was present on both the Queen and King's faces. "The moment you accept Gemini's invitation to become part of them, you can't back out. And if you do, you'll die anyways. So it's useless either way." 

—  heraklion port, greece. 28.7.2017

  Minkyung took a deep breath of the fresh sea air, the first in a long time because she had been stuck at Headquarters for so long. It was a bit chilly, so she was glad she brought along a blanket. Wrapping it around herself, she stared off the distance, trying to process her thoughts.

   After her outburst at Celeste's revelation, she had ran to her room, upset and angry. And after like ten minutes, her agitation got so out of hand that she had a violent urge to escape from HQ. So that was what she did, after grabbing a plaid jacket and a picnic blanket, as well as some money. 

   So, at 2am in the morning, she wandered around the city with a blanket in her hand, and some loose change in her pocket. She felt a bit stupid doing that, but the cashier at the 24 hour convenient store didn't even bat an eye when she hauled three bottles of apple cider onto the counter, and handed back a handful of change for the fistful of notes she passed him, so Minkyung supposed it was alright. 

   Since then she had been sitting on one of the cargo boxes on the pier, sipping absent-mindedly from her bottle while thinking through what the heck she had said that evening. It was uncalled for, definitely, but Minkyung generally felt her response was warranted. Because, an unescapable death? Internal strife? "What a load of horse." She mumbled, taking another swing from the bottle, before discovering it was empty. Grunting, she tossed it aside, not caring where it landed, before reaching for the pile she had placed next to herself, only to discover she had drunk them all. 

   "That's littering, you know." Minkyung turned her head to the source of the voice. Yukhei was standing there, holding some more alcohol in his hand, which he held up. A six pack of beer. "You're not doing anyone good by throwing stuff around." 

   "Well, you're not doing me good by just standing there either," She retorted. "Come up."

   Yukhei sighed, but Minkyng wasn't in a particularly forgiving or happy mood that night. She supposed she should be happy that her boyfriend decided to go purposefully out of his way to comfort her, but she was still in a sour mood. Early mornings weren't the best time to do anything except drink. The werewolf groaned as he hoisted himself up, before tossing the cans of beer up, making them clink against each other. 

   "So what's wrong?" He prompted as Minkyung absent-mindedly leaned against him, while he popped open one of the beers and handed it to her, before opening one for himself. Like second nature, he, too, circled her shoulders with an arm. "You said it was urgent." 

   "Yeah, I kinda feel stupid now," She mumbled. He chuckled, and pat her arm fondly. "Nothing like a good awakening to start off your day."

   Minkyung glared at him. "I didn't call you here to make fun of me."

   Yukhei shrugged. "I'm sure you didnt." And then silence. That was a habit of his, waiting for her to continue while not intruding on her thoughts. He had learnt, early in their relationship, to not disturb her when she was thinking, or when she obviously had thoughts weighing in her mind, because disturbing it would mean consequences. But once in a while she wished he could read her mind. That way, she wouldn't have to go through the trouble of actually voicing her thoughts. 

  "Celeste...she told us something." Minkyung thought of sharing everything, but remembered at the last minute, that if word got out people would have to suffer for it. "It concerned the future of Gemini."

   "Is that a bad thing?"

  "The contents of her words were." She swallowed. "I'm actually not supposed to tell you anything about it, because - "

  "Because Underworlder Elders tend to be super stuffy and don't like it when their secrets get out," He nodded. Minkyung was surprised. "How do you know that?"

  "I was born and raised in the Underworlder realm, Kyungie." The surgeon pursed her lips at the nickname, but didn't say anything. "Things happen." She could see Yukhei was tense, which happened everytime his past was mentioned, or he mentions his past. The hand on her shoulder tightened. "When Underworlders don't like something, they obliterate them."

   The two were silent for a bit, and when Minkyung deemed the moment safe enough to continue her story, she opened . "Alright. So Celeste told us this thing we aren't really supposed to share."

   "Which concerns Gemini's future," He prompted. 

   "Which concerns Gemini's future," She agreed. "And...it'll end up in death. A lot of death."

   She thought Yukhei would be surprised at this revelation, and Minkyung stared at him discretely from the side of her eye.To her surprise, he merely looked sombre, but it was enough; she had never seen him so serious before. "You know, this reminded me of a story I've heard before."

   "From your family?" The moment those words left , she knew it was a mistake. Yukhei had a nortoriously bad relationship with his family - that was a forbidden topic. He didn't appear mad at her, but then he never does. 

   "No. From the guys." He was referring to his friends, of course, his brothers - the werewolf gang who had followed their alpha diligently to South Korea when he ran away from home. Sicheng. Hendery. "I think I've told you about this before, when you were first invited to join Gemini." Minkyung sat silently, processing his words. When she didn't respond, he continued. "About the rumours around Gemini. Remember?" 

   "Might need a refreshing or two." She took a swing from the can, the metallic taste still apparent on her tongue after the bitterness of the alcohol.

   "It was about the stories of conflict that breaks out in Gemini." When he saw the blank look on her face, Yukhei sighed. "You're really far gone, are you."

  "Just keep talking." Minkyung elbowed him. She was known for her high alcohol tolerance, and certainly a few beers or two wouldn't knock her out. Nor a couple more ciders. ...Okay. Maybe it was getting to her. But Minkyung swore her mind was still clear. 

  "What goes on in Gemini is pretty much a secret to the rest of the Underworlder tribes, even to leaders like me. But rumours get out, because it's not like these Gemini members don't have family members who were also Underworlders. And when their family members disappear, they get concerned. People didn't know what Gemini was even for in the first place, and now those who were recruited just starts disappearing? It was suspicious." 

   "It gets even more sketchy when the family of those recruited members start to fight amongst themselves. It was usually something stupid - wounded pride, or dignity or something. But these fights always end up involving more than just them - and it always end up killing people. In the worse case, an entire tribe can be wiped out. People say - when people you know gets recruited to Gemini, it'll end in catastrophe. That's why I told you not to do it in the first place."

   "From what I heard, joining Gemini was a great honour," Minkyung mumbled. "That was why I decided to do it."

   "Maybe those stories were more wide-spread in werewolf circles." And she nodded, because she never heard anything from her colleagues - then again, if they knew, they probably would've declined. "But I'm guessing this was what Celeste told you."

   "Something similar," She agreed. Minkyung hoped he understood that she had to keep things vague. "But yeah." Throat suddenly dry, she emptied her can of beer and placed it next to her. When Yukhei saw her reaching for another, he promptly swatted her hands away.

   "So you found out about this, and...what happened? Got so agitated you couldn't stand it, and decided to just drink yourself silly, but somehow still remembered to call your boyfriend?"

  Minkyung smacked the side of his shoulder, causing Yukhei to crack a smile at her antics. "Shut up."

  "Well, anyways, I'm glad you're physically okay, even if you might be mentally shook up." He pat her head, and she pouted. "Go back to sleep. We can talk tomorrow."

   "But Yukhei," She hesitated, not sure how to voice her worries. "What should I do?" 

   "Well," He sighed. "There's not much you could really do, now, could you? You've already done a number on your teammates, and I don't think they appreciate you just running off like that."

  "You're right." The atmosphere was still the same, but for the first time since she ran out from HQ, Minkyung felt strangely calm. "I'll go back, then." 

   Yukhei squeezed her arm, apparently an attempt at comforting her. "If you want, I can stay for the night."

   "I - " Minkyung was about to decline because she could handle herself, but a thought popped to her head. "You just said that because you have nowhere to sleep, didn't you?"

   Yukhei shrugged. "Technically I could just sleep in the streets in my wolf form, but..." He sent her a well-meaning glance. "I hope my girlfriend isn't that mean to make me homeless for the night?"

   Minkyung punched his arm playfully, though he winced. Mumbling an apology under her breath, she gave in. "Fine. But Gemini is like a ticking bomb now. Everyone's tense around each other. Just watch yourself."

   "Oh, I'm sure they wouldn't bother with a small fry like me," Yukhei waved dismissively, and jumped down the cargo box with impeccable ease. When Minkyung tried to follow, she stumbled, and nearly greeted gravel with her face if not for him pulling her back. "I knew it. You're hammered, aren't you?"

   "Just a little bit," She admitted, trying to stand on her feet, though gave up when Yukhei swept her up in one go in a bridal hold. "Do you know where home base is?" 

   "Nope. You'll have to guide me." 

   "It doesn't help when you're holding me like this, you know," She pointed out, and immediately get dumped on her feet. Staggering a little, Minkyung dug her communication device out of her pocket. "Okay, I think it's...that way."

   "You sure?"

   "Like 50%?"

   A sigh. "That's not sure then."

   "That's more than, say, 43%." 

   "Still not enough." 

   "Fine, you handle it then, if you're such a smartass. Going at it, why don't you also - " 

   Minkyung's eyes went wide when she felt Yukhei's lips on hers, effectively shutting off anything else that she could say. When she was sure she had suffocated with the lack of air, he pulled away, a small smirk on his face. "What should I also do?"

   The doctor was about to reply, but instead pushed him aside. 

   ...

 "Goddamnit Kyungie, you should've told me you had a queasy stomach. I wouldn't have manhandled you then."

   "Yeah well - "

  "There, there." A gentle hand rubbing her back. "It'll be better to get all the alcohol out of your system."

   Yeah, Minkyung totally had a strong alcohol tolerance. 

Okay yeah this turned out to be more fluffy than I expected it would be, but you know what, a healthy amount of fluff harms no one :D 

Oh, and you thought the first couple to kiss each other is Hyunwook and Daehyun? Well PLOT TWIST Y'ALL

But yeah...it's kind of a sudden introduction but hey, it made sense right ;) RIGHT IT DOES

About the eBay thing, I have an update...mfs permanently suspended my account for no reason and told me I can't know why because of security reasons. Like Jesus hell that's my account you're suspended shouldn't I have a right to know? I think I'll end up being one of those people studying law just to spite people because...yeah, that's what I do 

In any case they said they will be delivering what I bought to me, so fingers crossed, but in the meantime I guess it taught me to be careful online. Whelp.

Oh yeah, for those who are still invested in the kpop community I'm sure y'all are super tired of reading bullying news every day or so with no evidence, but check out what Jisoo did. The dude actor Kim Jisoo, not Blackpink Jisoo. Like, what the . 

Anyways yes! An update! Next chapter's going to be fluffy soft things again, because I don't have much patience for angst :p 

And yeah...I ran out of ideas to name this chapter because I don't think y'all would appreciate Soft Moments IV or something