《 city streets.

[i kid you not, i haven't done novella in ages so-- *wheezes down to my soul* ugh... this was just setting up the scene bby orz the next posts will be eons shorter, i promise ;; i also wanna assure you, the next post will focus more so on jae and less on alissa u v u;; i need to describe the moment as best i can, so i'll need some wiggle-room this post couldn't give me.]

@ahn jaehyun. Fate had always possessed an odd way of toiling her deepest works in the interwoven seconds that endowed a precious life. She was a temptress, a sadistic puppeteer with a ferocious bite for boredom and a deviant sense of humor.

Kangjoon had assumed he'd known that much firsthand, just by the portrayals of his life up until then... A past riddled with good intentions that scraped the framework of his being and hemorrhaged crimson rivulets. Mistakes that bled and crusted and left a cluster of scars he could only keep hidden. But she was nowhere near through with him just yet.

The journey to Pukansan had been one laced with jovial humming and the occasional stuttering of footfalls as Alissa lead them along. She was always so keen on taking the lead, his little queen- because it was clear that the title of a 'princess' was too lily-like for her. She was a ball of energy with a moxie that rivaled her own father, and Kangjoon adored her for it... And so he didn't dare to defy her as she commanded their steps, unable to keep still for even a moment's pace as they crossed the threshold into the park. Chestnut-tinged orbs swept along the expanse, a buoyancy overcoming his heart at the sight of his little girl's excitement. But as always, he couldn't forget to indulge her as the father figure he was.

Stooping to her level, grimacing for but a second when his right knee popped in protest, he placed a hand on her shoulder to garner her attention away from the other squealing children. He figured he had all of 4.2 seconds. "Baby girl, remember what I told you, yes? Just be yourself and have fun... A little queen like yourself doesn't need to be afraid of what the peasants think--" He'd barely taken a breath before a soft voice rattled the quiet fortitude they'd built for themselves- a loving protection that could only exist in the fleeting moments of a parent and child.

But recognition tore deeper than amusement, and memories of the past overwhelmed the hopes of the future.

Honestly, Kangjoon needn't turn around... The voice behind him was so unmistakable, a velveteen veil that caressed the thin fibres of a desire he'd long let go of. Or at least one he'd meant to... But he entertained himself more than anything by following Alissa's gaze, solidifying what he'd heard. And, for the first time, the castle the two of them had constructed out of fervent dreams and bountiful love had been breached.

"Jaehyun...?"

The name even tasted foreign... But the reaction it triggered in the depths of his core, forbidding him from even blinking the sight away, was not. He'd been so stupid to believe he could chance a day of normalcy, especially when someone as himself existed... Someone with a trail of sins that lined the wake of his dragging footsteps. And thank God for the inopportune moment his daughter had taken to reel Kangjoon right back to earth, but not quite yet to her side.

"Daddy, I wanna go play now..."

[it's so good--- overwhelming tbh but good nonetheless ; u ; <333333333333333333333333]

[] wait is that a good thing or not-

[i'm dying-- compliments, i'm about to pass out]

[] babe pls you spoil me with ur compliments-

[i forgot how to air]

@seo kangjoon. He wasn't sure why he remembered him in that moment, but he did.

The fleeting glances and soft touches when they were in public, the whispered promises of 'I'll be with you tonight', the heated pants of his name against his own neck as they finally fell into euphoria together at the break of dawn, hands entwined tightly on the sheets. It was obvious even to Jaehyun that he had been in love with Seo Kangjoon back then. So madly, madly in love.

But Kangjoon never felt quite the same.

Jaehyun breathed out a bitter chuckle under his breath at his despondent thoughts and raised his camera to his face again, snapping a photo of some girl talking on her phone outside a cafe. It was a completely pointless photo, but it managed to marginally distract him from thinking of his first male love. That was all he'd wanted from it anyway. Why was he even thinking about him? All of that happened years ago; it should've counted as a college fling to him. But it didn't - why didn't it. Why had he cared so ing much about that man.

"Oh- Sorry." An elderly man smiled and shook his head at the male's apology when they collided by accident, Jaehyun bowing anyway before he turned his back to that side of the street and attempted to focus on new things to photograph. A fountain, little kids chasing the pidgeons around, a man blowing huge bubbles for money - usually he'd be filling his SD card so quickly it'd be useless within ten minutes, but now that he'd thought about Kangjoon, even for that one second, he couldn't find it in him to do what he did best. And so he retreated into his observation mindset and sat down by the edge of the fountain, watching the kids scream and laugh as the pidgeons and the bubbles merged into one big game for them. He couldn't stop a smile tugging his lips upwards at the sight. There was one kid in particular, though, who caught his attention completely. He couldn't see her dad, who was crouched in front of her with his back facing the photographer, but he could see her perfectly and instantly knew he wanted to photograph her. He'd never seen eyes that were so olive tinted.

She was fiddling with the hem of her top the way children always do when they're too shy to join in with something that looks fun, which in this case was the giant pidgeon-bubble chase going on in front of her, when Jaehyun quietly walked up to the two of them and ran a hand through his already messy hair, his onyx eyes softening when he made eye contact with her. "Exucse me, sorry to bother you - I was just wondering if it would be alright to take a photo of your daughter here? If she musters the courage to go play with the pidgeons, that is."

He flashed a wide smile at her as he spoke, his eyes crinkling at the corners when she giggled shyly and stared between his legs towards the other children with longing filling her mesmerising eyes. everything, he'd made the right choice coming up to these two, considering just how adorable this girl was. Although he'd regret ever thinking that as fathomable in mere moments, when her father would turn around and look him right in the eyes.

@kim taehyung. (sorry for the delay, love-)

Baekhyun nervously walked along the pavement of the sidewalk, his phone close against his chest with the emergency number on speed dial. The sky was nearly pitch black, the moon was full and shining, fog emitting the air giving off an eerie feel, and he could have sworn he was reenacting a scene from a horror film he watched earlier. His palms were sweaty and Baekhyun’s eyes were moving all over the place - in front, behind, the sides. Baekhyun was taking babysteps. It’s not like this has been the first time he ever walked around the city alone at night; he has done it plenty of times when he has to walk home from the club. Still, even at twenty one years old, Baekhyun is terribly afraid of the dark.

“Almost home, almost home..” he muttered repeatedly, spotting the corner of his apartment building. He picked up his pace, seeing the apartment building getting closer and closer.

It was until he tripped over something - or, rather, someone. Baekhyun let out a shriek finding a body right next to his. He was pale, small-framed, and skinny like a twig. Hesitantly, he approached the male carefully, gently poking at his sides. He did this for a whole minute until Baekhyun got the hint that he was knocked out cold.

“Oh, damn,” as soon as he spotted the name tag on his clothes, he knew this guy was a high school student. He quickly hoisted him up, slinging an arm over his shoulder, taking him back to his apartment.

*twerks on dat v-card tbh*