@✉ ⋮ moon junyoung Aero wasn't used to receiving hugs from anyone (with the exception of her mother), but his comforted her. With Junyoung's strong arms caging her into his chest, for a split second, she basked in the warmth and safety he provided her troubled mind. But the pet to her head was enough to do her /out/ of all physical affections for the time being. As much as he hated being babied, she abhorred it with a burning passion ten times over. Their moment lasted for seconds then ended like a record scratch, and she placed a manicured finger to his chest to allow space between their bodies. "I didn't say I wanted to hug." She spoke without mirth in her tone. Even though she was five and a half inches shorter than Junyoung, she lasered her eyes at him so he'd get the message.
She backed away when he finally released her as well, but the heiress dared to say she missed being held the very second the cold air of the room enveloped her once more. It wasn't everyday that someone—anyone showed her thoughtful consideration the way he did. Being a workoholic with a frightening presence came at a price, and Aero was surely paying. But in accordance with her character, she played it off, allowing her arms to fall to her sides.
"I, too . . . was caught up in the heat of the moment and shouldn't have acted on whatever impulse I had then." Heat crawled up into her cheeks, gaze faltering from his, trying to blink away the embarrassment and recollection of their raunchy kiss that left her flustered time and time again. The very thought of his lips on hers . . . deep down, Aero hardly regretted kissing him with all of the abandon someone could ever possess in the world. She didn't regret the intensity they shared. But maybe that wasn't something felt between best friends—and if she needed Jun there for her as just /that/, she knew something had to give. They couldn't afford to up again or it would be the end of them. Of their friendship.
"You're forgiven," she reassured, eyes locking with his. "As long as we promise not to let our /lust/ take over again. If we up again, it will be very difficult to stay friends with you, Moon Junyoung."
Aero's lips curved into a teasing simper. If kissing was off-limits, they'd return to their usual flirtatious behavior, and she prepared to make her peace with that.
@✉ ⋮ aero jour geun the words "i never got word that you visited my office and tried to speak to me” suddenly made everything click into place. the reason for all of it was clear from the look on jean’s face when he entered the room and saw the two of them together. of course. this man had kept him away from aero on purpose. part of him so desperately wanted to strangle the man, but there was also a rational part of him that understood the reasoning behind everything. junyoung and jean had a pretty decent relationship for the most part, but jean’s loyalty to aero trumped everything and he would never allow anyone to be around her that would hurt her. and he had done just that.
before he could say anything, the 6’3” man had ran out the door, leaving the two alone again to watch after him. jun had never seen that man run so fast in his life, but could he blame him? both junyoung and aero were known to have scary tempers, and not even a man as big as jean would want to get on their bad side. the laugh that escaped the petite woman by his side drew his eyes away from the door and back to her, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion for a moment at the unexpected laughter.
but the tension dissipated from within him and he relaxed as she spoke, venom no longer coating every word and instead replaced with the normal affectionate tone of his best friend. as she pulled him up to stand with her, he couldn’t stop himself from pulling her into his arms in a tight, but still gentle hug. his hand pet the top of her head affectionately as he spoke, his words calm, gentle like his touch, “i know, ae. again, i’m sorry for hurting you the way that i did. you are my best friend too, and the thought of hurting you pains me. i forgive you, and i hope you can forgive me too for starting it all.” he paused for a moment, trying to process the words that he wanted to say next, and in the span of that moment he also released the petite heiress from his hold, pulling back to look at her as he spoke again, “i let myself get caught up in the moment, in my own lust, and i shouldn’t have put you in that position.”
he let out a heavy sigh as the events from that day played back in his head. he had made a proper mess of everything, and now he wasn’t sure what to do. on the one hand he didn’t truly regret what had happened between them, because it was the best he had felt in a very long time, but on the other hand he knew that them being involved would likely not end well. he couldn’t put his finger on it, but he just had an ominous feeling about the future, and it made him weary. his gaze still locked on hers, he asked, “where do we go from here, ae?”
@✉ ⋮ moon junyoung After she stood up, she wasn't sure where she would go. Probably to search for Jean then head to another bar or to some place where Junyoung or them together would infilterate her thoughts. She couldn't go to her office. The memory of the two of them there tainted every surface of that space. She couldn't go home. Her father would be there, and she didn't want to be there in the morning when all hell broke loose. So many fires, and Aero felt like she'd burn up in the engulfing flames of her /own/ poor choices. The heiress would just have to brave it out. Putting on a courageous charade was something she excelled in, something she had refined from the age of ten. Because what would she have to her name, if not her grit in the face of consequences?
But his reach for her wrist to stop her from leaving dissolved the well-known wall that had already begun to go up inside her heart, and she hesitated. The emotional pull he had on her was nothing like she'd ever experienced before. There in his gentle voice relayed an intimacy she hadn't known him for. It was almost jarring but in the most delicate of all ways that the look on his face tempted her hands to preciously rest upon his cheeks and wipe away what ever fears scowled his handsome features. Frowns didn't look good on him. Even if smiling wasn't something he often did anyways.
His request softened her resolve, and she stayed but remained standing by his side. "You came? But I—" Before she could finish, Jean walked back into the room, a quizzical look forming on her French bodyguard's face at the two. Then the reason for having never been informed about Junyoung's visits dawned on her.
"I never got word that you visited my office and tried to speak to me," Aero spoke to Jun but her questioning eyes locked on her bodyguard, rosy-red lips pursed with suspicion. The guilty expression that immediately worked its way onto Jean's usual stoic mien confirmed what she wasn't asking aloud, and he rounded back out of the room with utmost speed like a cat being chased. A laugh escaped her. She laughed and the sound only reverberated as she realized how ridiculous this all was. Of how ridiculous she'd been about this entire ordeal. Aero never thought Jean was capable of gatekeeping her on his own accord. She's confront him about it later but for now, the female returned her attention to her friend beside her.
A satiated sigh pressed from her lungs, clearing her head of any remaining animosity she held towards him. "Of course. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have initiated the kiss. You're my best friend, Jun." she then wrapped her hand around his that held her wrist and gave it a small tug for him to stand with her. "I was hurt by you leaving the way you did, but I'll get over it. Forgive me for being unrelenting?"
@✉ ⋮ aero jour geun he should have come to her sooner? what could she possibly mean by that when she was the one that had been avoiding him? it made no sense to him given the amount of times he had gone to her office to apologize, the first of which being the next day, and he was turned away each time by her bodyguard. according to jean, aero didn’t want to see him, and despite that fact he kept going back, and after about 5 attempts to talk to her he finally gave up. he figured that she would come to him when she was ready to talk, but she didn’t. and now here they were.
how could she sit here and blatantly lie to him like this? not only that, but she was calling him pathetic too? he could feel the fury welling up within him at the situation at hand, at her for lying and claiming he didn’t try to reach out to her, but mostly at himself for putting her in this position in the first place. he knew the part that he played in what happened and he knew that he ed up. he knew that he never should have reeled her in the way that he did. it was a moment of weakness for him, a moment in which he let his composure around her slip and allow himself to indulge in the thoughts that often flitted through his head each time they were together.
the anger was going to get the best of him, and he was close to raising his voice, but he stopped himself. because he realized that he was really losing her. there was no going back from this and if he were to blow up on her now, the years of friendship they had built would come crumbling down. the fracture that was already there was so deep, the smallest thing could bring it all to the ground. he needed to do whatever he could to repair it, because the thought of losing her was nearly unbearable.
as she stood up to leave, he instinctively reached out to grasp her wrist, his hold gentle, never wanting to cause her pain, despite the fact that he already had in an entirely different way. “don’t go, ae. please,” his voice was quiet, vulnerable, nothing like his normal way of speaking. he was never the type of person to show vulnerability. in his line of work from the military until now, vulnerability made you weak and made it impossible to do your job properly. but here he sat, practically begging a woman not to walk away from him. but she wasn’t just any woman. he spoke again, his voice still low, “ae, i did go to you. i showed up at your office the next day, every day for five straight days. but i was told you didn’t want to see me and they turned me away each time. i thought maybe you needed time to cool off and that you would come find me when you were ready, but you didn’t. and now you’re here. i know i hurt you, and i’m sorry.”
@✉ ⋮ moon junyoung Aero hated the way her body betrayed her. All of that anger, confusion inside muddled into that familiar impassable desire to reach out and pull him even closer. His scent clouded her thoughts, blurred her ability to think with a clear mind. She hated it. She hated him. But she despised herself more. Why did she have to go, give in, and muck it all up? If she hadn't abandoned all rationality in that moment and leaned in, she wouldn't have found herself in the current situation. But she knew she couldn't take all of the blame for want transpired. Junyoung only instigated. Aero permitted.
Something tightened in her at his words. He cared that other hands had been on her. But maybe it was the protective instinct in him. After all, Saekhyun's spoiled reputation had been his own doing, and any noble man like Junyoung had valid reason to be infuriated with the blatant audaciousness of sick men like the former. The thought that his anger arose from the latter reason killed something joyful in Aero and rushing back, came the infuriating confusion that plagued her before. Too many words left his lips, she tried to process it all.
He . . . enjoyed what they shared but thought it dangerous...? He didn't want to it up, but he had left her there without explanation? She scoffed and broke her gaze from his, hardly able to believe what met her ears.
"If you felt bad about it immediately, you should've came to me sooner. Instead, you waited until I showed up in front of you to say something. And the fact that you say you can't stop thinking about it, but never acted on your poor choices before I stepped foot in here today. That's pathetic, don't you think?" Scorn seeped from her tone, eyes flitting back to Junyoung's as her brow cocked up in question. Her expression remained tight, merciless.
"I think you already ed up your chance to claim me as someone important in your life, Junyoung. Maybe you should've thought before you grabbed the back of my ing neck and told me you wanted me." She relived every second of that moment as the words spieled out of like liquid flames. Hot enough to scorch. Her hands shook with the anger that brimmed underneath her skin. If she didn't leave now, she knew she'd do something rash. Jean wasn't back yet from delivering Saekhyun outside, and in no way would he be able to hold her back.
@✉ ⋮ aero jour geun she was avoiding his gaze, he knew it, and yet his own gaze was trapped, locked on the woman who seemed to have etched herself permanently in his mind. their encounter in her office had really done a number on him, and all he could think about now was the way their lips had fit together so sinfully perfect, the way their bodies fit like puzzle pieces, the sounds she had made because of him- he needed to stop imagining it before the clarity of his thoughts went out the window.
but instead of acknowledging what he was referring to, she avoided the topic and chose to mention son saekhyun instead, and part of it made him feel angry again. she had been avoiding him like the plague since that day, and even with him right here beside her, she still wanted to try to avoid it? the hypocrisy of it was not lost on him however. he knew he was the one in the wrong when he practically ran out of that office. but here he was, trying to make it right, and even if she wanted to avoid the topic, he would not let it go.
he let out a scoff at her words, a lilt of frustration in his voice as he spoke, “you think i give a what he does? he touched you, ae. he’s lucky i didn’t kill him where he sat. that is not what this is about. no, you know exactly what i want to talk about.” he paused for a second, his gaze zoning in on her own, maintaining eye contact and keeping himself calm despite the burning fire within his abdomen that only appeared when he looked at aero. it was hard not to want to reach out and touch her again, even in moments like this. looking at her in this dim light, that emerald dress hugging her body, the slit showing a dangerous amount of milky skin, it all fueled the desire he felt for her. but it was a desire that was wrong to pursue, and he was fully aware of that.
“you’ve been avoiding me since our… makeout session in your office and me leaving without saying anything. i know that it wasn’t my best moment, and honestly i felt bad about it immediately. i shouldn’t have just left like that. i just… panicked. what happened felt amazing, mind blowing even, and even now i can’t stop thinking about it. but this connection, attraction- whatever this is between us, it’s dangerous and i panicked because you’re one of the most important people in my life, and i don’t want to that up,” the words were starting to pour out uncontrollably, something totally out of character for him, but he was prone to doing things that were out of character when aero was around. although he wanted to look away, uncomfortable by the situation they were in right now, he forced himself to keep his gaze on the beautiful heiress.
@✉ ⋮ moon junyoung When the heavy door to their room suddenly flung open, both Aero and Saekhyun's gazes followed with confusion on their faces. But before she could verbally acknowledge Junyoung's presence, he'd already zoomed halfway across the room to where they sat, his own hands tearing Saekhyun's hands off of her thigh. Aero wondered if someone had stolen her pair of lungs for the night because yet again, she couldn't find the air to breathe at the pleasant echoes of his voice. It was the same voice that greeted her in her office a week ago, the one that made her forever weak in the knees. Despite the roaring rage that burned beneath his hellish gaze, he appeared calm, composed. The heavenly epitome of safety vesseled in one man.
Aero watched both in awe and consternation at Junyoung's handling of the older man. If his arm wasn't already broken from the brutal grab, the twist was sure to do it. The heiress wasn't sure whether she felt grateful or vexed, maybe both. For one thing, she no longer had to endure Saekhyun's loathing touch on her thigh. But on the other hand, she hadn't concluded her conversation with him, and the unfinished business, especially where she shouldn't have been meddling in the first place, was going to come back and bite her in the in the name of her father's wrath.
As the men did what the men did, Jean leading the mentioned out of the nightclub, Aero returned to her drink, taking another wallowing sip and permitting the honeyed, bittersweet liquor wash down the perturbation that swirled around in her stomach. She held no inkling of doubt that Saekhyun's anger would reach Laurent's ears by dawn. And now, Junyoung and her were alone in the room together. Meaning that the palpable tension from before, once again, inched its way into every sharp corner and curve of air, space. nearly closed up when the other came to seat on the couch with her. She couldn't turn to look at him. Because if she did, he'd be too close again. He'd be too close, close enough for her to recall every little detail on that perfect face of his. She'd remember his lips. And how breathlessly undone they caused her to be. And she'd remember those fiery eyes that stared deep into her own and uncoiled something tameless in her.
"You want to talk about what happened just now?" she set her glass down on the black-marbled coffee table in front of her, avoiding his gaze. She knew exactly what he was referencing to. Their office escapade. But Aero wanted to avoid that conversation for as long as she possibly could, so she played it off. "You shouldn't have came in and done that."
Aero looked at him now. And on god. He looked better than the last time she'd properly laid eyes on him—like he was molded from the talented hands of the goddess Aphrodite herself. And for a split second, she chided herself for ever allowing him to walk out of her office unscathed.
"I was doing just fine before you barged in, /yet again/. Now he's going to go and run his mouth."
@✉ ⋮ aero jour geun junyoung straightened his jacket as he stepped into dionysus, his security team and the club staff greeting him with respect as he made his way past the bar area. as the head of security at the club, he was a picture of authority. patrons knew who he was simply from the aura radiating off of him and it was clear from the clean-cut, perfectly tailored suit he wore that he was an important figure. he might not be rich, he might not own the club, but this place was under his control and everyone knew it.
he was on his normal patrol of the club, his expression stoic save for the intensity of his gaze. it was the kind of gaze that attracted women to him like a moth to a flame, but when he was at work he meant business. these women couldn’t hold his attention anyway, given that his thoughts had been filled with a certain petite heiress since their… experience in her office. thinking about it now made the heat in the room a little less bearable, and he loosened his tie just a tad, the only flaw in his otherwise pristine appearance.
as if his thoughts alone could summon the woman, he spotted her moving through the club with her bodyguard, jean. normally she would have come to see him first, but it was clear that she was avoiding him this time. but could he blame her? the way he left her in that office was despicable at best. he told himself that it would be best to leave her to her business here and stay focused on his work, and yet his feet carried him toward her, wanting him to resolve the situation between them.
he followed at a distance as she walked down a hall on the second floor, toward the vip rooms. what business could she have up here? of course she was a vip, but oftentimes she wouldn’t come up here unless she was meeting someone. his thoughts were confirmed to be true when he stopped outside the doorway, off to the side out of sight, listening to the voices within. he wasn’t normally the type to eavesdrop, it was a waste of time and not worthy of his attention, but anything involving aero was worth it to him. the disgustingly familiar voice of son saekhyun filled his ears, and a ball of anger settled into his chest, making him clench his fists. this man was one of the most vile men he had met. hell, he had even killed men less vile than this. but he was a big investor for the dionysus nightclub chain and was therefore untouchable to him, at least for now.
the whole conversation made his blood start to boil, but he didn’t make his presence known because he knew aero. she could take care of herself and she didn’t want or need him to save her. he was prepared to walk away and let her handle the issue herself, until the man spoke suggestively, “aww, are you jealous? you know, there are ways to remedy that, sweetheart. it can be our own little secret." and with that he could no longer hold himself back. he was in the room before anyone had a chance to process his presence, his voice projecting a calm rage, “son saekhyun, what did i tell you about putting your hands on women?”
the hand that was on aero’s thigh was soon ripped off of her as junyoung roughly pulled the man off of the couch, twisting his arm behind his back at an awkward angle and pushing it into his back, pain the ultimate goal as he leaned in to speak lowly, his tone cold as ice and threatening, “if you ever think about touching her again, i will beat you to the point you’ll be begging me to kill you. don’t test me, saekhyun. you know i’m a man of my word.” and with that he pushed the man toward jean, handing him over to the 6’3” man “jean, do me a favor and get this piece of out of my sight before i change my mind and kill him now.”
as soon as the two men were out of the room, junyoung took a deep breath to calm himself, allowing the rage to slowly leave his muscles before he took a seat on the couch next to aero, his gaze washing over her for a moment, taking in the beauty of the woman sitting by his side, but not allowing himself to appreciate her appearance for too long before he spoke to her, “i think we should probably talk about… what happened.”
@✉ ⋮ moon junyoung The sleek, obsidian-gleamed limousine rolled up to the crowded front of Dionysis. Before she had even stepped out of the car, Jean had already requested for the nightclub's security team to clear the pathway. Donned in a mini silk skin-fitting, emerald moment, classy thigh-slit stopping at her upper right hipbone, Aero Jour Geun slid out of the car with the grace of a seductress viper. Her wrist, ears, and neck glittered delicately with a million white diamonds. To say the Dionysis heiress was untouchable would be an understatement. She'd bite if touched, if provoked. Although clubgoers craned their necks to catch a glimpse of who had arrived, Aero paid them no heed as she strolled her way inside the dimly-lit building.
Gangam's bright and bustling friday nightlife remained something she still wasn't accustomed to, even after living in Seoul for over a year now. In that moment, her heart longed for her cozy two-storied home back in Strasbourg, France—back where Ines, Jean, Pierre, and her together, unbothered by the demands of the world (of her father) would equal home. Alas, she had tricky business to tackle tonight. She'd armored up and wasn't going to back down now because of a few sentimental feelings that had washed over her. She was raised to be better than that.
The blaring music filled her ears, colorful streaks of spotlights danced across the walls as Aero traversed deeper into the club. At the corner of her eyes, she caught Junyoung making his way around the area, and her breath hitched. It was too soon to see him. It was friday night. She thought he only worked weekends? Quickly, to avoid running into him tonight and further postponing her meeting with Saekhyun, Aero rounded a corner, Jean following closely behind without question.
Every since their last encounter, he'd been at the forefront of her thoughts incessantly so. The way he left her there. After what had happened between them. The flaming ball of anger she acquired from endless overthinking over the past week stationed itself in the pit of her stomach. Perhaps seeing him /was/ going to help her tonight.
Once she reached the end of the hallway on the second floor, her eyes immediately fell on the older man already positioned comfortably against the lush couch cushions there. "Son Saekhyun, Aero Jour Geun." she bowed her head then offered her dominant hand forward for a customary handshake. The other's head turned away from the woman beside him to glare at who had interrupted his good conversation but once his face landed on Aero, the hard expression there fell away in the flip of a light switch. Disgusting.
"Aero, Aero, of course. Join me on the couch." he spoke as though they were close friends, which perturbed her even further, especially when he waved away the finely dressed woman that had sat by him. Saekhyun neither offered his hand or took Aero's. She lowered her hand and gave a look to Jean, which meant for him to wait off on the side. Taking a seat on the opposite couch of him, Aero crossed her legs and waved the wait staff over to order herself a drink. "Whiskey on the rocks, please."
"Whiskey? I saw you as more of a strawberry gin and tonic kind of girl."
With the way the Dionysis was looking at her now, she wish she could throw that drink in his face.
"I do not give an ounce of of what you think of me. And the fact that you think I do is laughable." But she didn't laugh. Instead, she took her drink from the waiter and sipped.
"What a foul mouth. Don't you know who I am, princess? Your daddy would disapprove."
"Who do you think sent me here? Santa Claus?"
"He might just be. Hiring presents like these..." the older male's gaze drifted off as a group of young women walked by, drunk and giggling. Her own gaze followed. She wanted to vomit.
"You're revolting. I want you out of our clubs by tonight, Saekhyun." Aero spoke without tremor, staring straight at the other with a death glare. She was done with the piling harassment cases. Done with having to avoid his wandering touches during investor meetings. The publicity of his behavior would be worse than losing his shares in. And she was willing to take that risk, even if Dionysis wasn't hers yet.
His gaze floated back to Aero, and a sickening shudder ran through her entire body. "Aww, are you jealous? You know, there are ways to remedy that, sweetheart. It can be our own little secret."
For a second time that night, her breath caught in . Saekhyun's hand had discreetly reached over to graze the expose top part of her thigh. Aero's grip on her glass of whiskey tightened, contents preparing for launch.
i. expired reservations have been cleared!
ii. current ratio: 11 men / 12 women
iii. first event will be occurring soon, lots of connections to be made with current members!