I haven’t been here in a while and I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t wanna write but… There are two reasons that I have been away: I’ve been training the person who will replace me at my work as I’m starting a new job on April 11 and it has been taking a lot of my energy.
The other reason is that I’ve been binge-reading books during my free time, mostly YA fantasy novels, and my TBR list keeps growing because it turns out that ig is a great place to find book recommendations.
For now, I’m finding comfort in reading. But I’ll be back here at some point!! I do miss writing with you all. ♡
Aiden still wasn’t sure why he had decided to take Eurydice in and give her a place to live after she had been released from the hospital, especially since he was the one who was responsible for the accident that was supposed to kill her. Did he feel guilty? Not really, but he was responsible for the state she was in, and that way, he’d at least be able to keep an eye on her and, if necessary, get rid of her.
Since she had no recollection of what had happened other than having been in an accident, Aiden showed up at the hospital every now and then and made sure that he was listed as her guardian. During one of his visits, he explained to her that his law firm was contacted to take care of her case, which, of course, was a lie, and that, since she didn’t have any papers on her, he would provide an apartment for her in the building he owns and in return she would have to work for him and become his secretary.
He gave Eurydice two weeks to settle into the new apartment and sent Hanna, the only other female working for him, to go shopping with her because she needed clothes to wear on her own time and appropriate clothes to wear when she was working in the office or accompanying him to meetings. He also kept a close eye on her during those two weeks with the help of the cameras that are installed all over the apartment.
Once the two weeks were over, Hanna was also the one who introduced Eurydice to the other lawyers as well as spent another two weeks training her and showing her the ropes of what she’d have to take care of in the office. Since Aiden wasn’t sure how useful she would be, he figured that he’d keep his other business a secret at first, however, it turned out that people easily trusted her and that she had a way to make them talk with ease and spill their secrets. That wasn’t just useful for his law firm but also more than useful for his other business.
A couple of weeks after he had first introduced her to his other business and explained the ropes as well as that he wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of her if she didn’t play by his rules, he had a job for her.
“Alright, let me explain the job and then you let me know whether or not you think you can do it.”, he said and leaned back in his chair, raising his hands and pressing his fingertips together in front of his chest. “I will be attending a business dinner and party. It’s going to be held at the home of an investor and one of our clients wants us to gather dirt on them so they can use it against them to get rid of them as their competition.”, Aiden explained before leaning forward, now resting both of his hands on top of his desk, looking at Eurydice. “I want you to come with me and sneak into the office there and download some files from their computer. Do you think you’re up for the task?”, he asked then paused for a moment before he added, “I trust you but I need to make sure that you believe in yourself to be able to handle this job. We only got one chance.”
There was an unexpected sort of freedom in having no memories from her past and who she might have been in the past thirty some years. Eurydice didn’t even know if her birth date was real or if it had been randomly given to her during the time she had spent in the countryside hospital, blissfully unaware for she was in a deep coma. That was all the nurses had told her some days after she had woken up because themselves knew nothing about possible family members that could have come to visit her. She had nobody to miss, nobody to hope for. Herself was no one which meant that possibilities were endless.
And then, he came to visit her in that pristine white hospital room. Once, twice, then at least once a week. A generous lawyer who provided her with a shelter and a job; even though that had seemed too good to be true, Eurydice had nowhere else to go and so she had accepted easily his offer. She didn’t have any reason to refuse because he was the only person who had reached his hand out to her, he was the only one who had opened a door for a future that appeared less dark than the other locked doors she had been facing. Everything was unknown: whether it was the job of secretary she’d have to learn or her next step into the world, Eurydice had everything to be taught.
And for that there was Hanna. Gorgeous, self-confident, intelligent Hanna. Eurydice couldn’t help but to envy the ease with which the other woman moved through the world, the crowd parting to admire her wherever she walked, her head held high and her lips painted red, her heels clacking on the ground as if to warn any potential idiot to stay back. She admired her. When Eurydice began to grow familiar with her own reflection, she had come to the conclusion that she’d never have the same powerful attitude as Hanna. She looked much more dull, her features neither ugly or pretty, a face that was simply forgettable.
Which turned out to be an asset because people weren’t wary about Eurydice. They talked to her, spilling secrets and confessions probably because she looked harmless, like someone who couldn’t figure out her own way in the world so what terrible things could someone like her do? Turned out that Aiden had another job for her, a job that precisely involved her set of skills. Who knew that being a dull, invisible and forgotten person would come in handy? Certainly not Eurydice. She wasn’t complaining though, not when Aiden had already done so much for her.
Eurydice didn’t take a long time to realize that she wasn’t someone who would turn her back on a person who had helped her.
Listening to her boss’ explanation of her very first mission, Eurydice didn’t think it would be too difficult for her and told him so. “As long as I don’t have to climb walls or crawl through vents, I don’t see a problem.” Her muscles still needed to gain strength and mass as it turned out that spending years lying in a bed and being fed liquids wasn’t exactly the best way to remain healthy. She had already gained some weight in the past month since she had been released; Hanna was making sure that she was eating all of her three meals. Maybe Hanna will be able to doll her up for that mission, Eurydice made a mental note to ask her later for help with an outfit. “What kind of files are we looking for? Tax haven? Suspicious activities? Embarrassing pictures that will ruin a reputation?” Some guys from the team had given her a list of must-watch movies and it seemed like a lot of them were around the same theme: the mafia, illicit activities, drug dealers, heists. Eurydice had particularly enjoyed The Godfather and she had wondered if she’d ever have the opportunity to travel to New York and Italy.
Shifting on her feet, she pushed her round glasses up her nose and briefly wondered if she should trade them for contact lenses for the mission. “How much time do we have to prepare before the dinner party?”
his thoughts are t a n g l e d up in a dilemma. the more hojin tried to give them some sense the worse this fever felt. he has been ignoring the rumours about his family situation for awhile now, but they’re starting to reach for hojin’s throat. whenever he steps outside, joins one of the kim’s dinners ─ he’s met with one particular h e a v y amount of passive aggressiveness from the oldest son. almost as if he wants to make sure, hojin remembers his place. perhaps he shouldn’t join these dinners anymore. they’re tiring too. the screen of his phone goes black, after hojin checks with the date again. oh, ─ valentine’s day.
when the bell rings and hojin recognises a familiar face caught in the camera, he smiles, not wasting a s e c o n d to appear at the front door, ❛ of course, hurry up, it’s cold outside. ❜ eun’s immediately granted access to hojin’s house as he steps aside ─ gently putting a hand on the other’s shoulder as eun walks by.
❛ let me take this. ❜ it’s crazy how fast his mood can change in the presence of eun. that a single peek into the bag makes hojin bite his lower lip in j o y f u l anticipation. ❛ do you want to start cooking right away or will you first tell me why you’re here on valentine’s day? should i get the ice cream out of the freezer? ❜
Eun doesn’t need to be told twice, far too happy to trade the cold weather behind the closing door for the warmth of Hojin’s place he is slowly but surely growing familiar with. Cheeks flushed red from the biting cold, he steps out of his shoes and doesn’t protest when the bag is taken from his sore fingers ( the thought of wearing gloves had reached him a little too late, when he was already well on his way over ) ; he tries so hard not to lean into the other’s touch, as brief as it is. Luckily one question is distracting and shocking enough for Eun’s mind to completely focus onto it and momentarily forget about wanting.
“Believe me or not,” a bashful laugh slips past his lips, “but it has completely slipped my mind that today’s Valentine’s Day. I guess that explains the amount of promotion on chocolates at the store today. And all the red hearts. I was wondering why there was so many stressed men! This makes so much more sense now.” Valentine’s Day. That one special day for couples and love confessions. Suddenly, he finds himself hit with the realization that he might have interrupted Hojinㅡ what if he had plans with someone else? What if there was already someone over? What if, what if, what ifㅡ
Briefly glancing around, he doesn’t see anyone else but Hojin and it doesn’t look like he was ready to go out to meet with someone else. Eun wills his heart to calm down and squashes the anxiety rising to the surface. “I just wanted to see you and have dinner with you,” Eun doesn’t have any other explanation and doesn’t see the use in lying; nevertheless, it doesn’t stop heat from rising in his cheeks and he is thankful for the distraction that comes with cooking dinner as he takes the ingredients out of the bag once they’re in the kitchen, “but if you have other plans, we can totally have dinner together another time!” If that’s the case though, Eun might accept to borrow the ice cream for he’ll probably feel a little bit (a lot) sad.
Hangyeol & Songhwa - ❝ so, what would you be? if you had to power to change all the things making you unhappy, what would your life look like? ❞
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE YEARNING ㅡ CLOSED ㅡ @nxvalunxsis
How many times had Songhwa asked herself this exact question? She had long lost count even though she knew it was pointless for she had been given a cursed ability and that there seemed to be no way to get rid of it. Sometimes, in her dreams, she saw faceless and glowing persons that looked otherworldly enough for Songhwa to be convinced that they weren’t real. It didn’t stop her from begging them to take the ability back because she just wanted to be normal, she just wanted to live a quiet and dull life without fearing the inevitable future. The faceless beings always replied that it was impossible for it was her cross to bear and that it was gift she would learn to appreciate when the right time would come. When that would be, she wasn’t sure. Songhwa didn’t think that there would ever be a right time in her life.
That she had met Hangyeol and that she had been able to confide about her ability was just sheer luck. They only understood each other because they both were…different from humans. That was enough, though. Songhwa hadn’t believed that they’d meet again after she had painted him yet here they were, spending time together again. But the more time they spent in each other’s company and the more she was bracing herself for a new prophecy to disrupt the apparent calm of their…friendship? She wasn’t even sure how to define their relationship.
“Only one thing has been making me unhappy, and if I were to remove it, everything else would go back to normal. I’d have a tranquil life. That’s all I want.” She replied, dragging her eyes to the overcast sky. It was going to rain soon. “What about you? Would you change what you are?”
Dongha & Korae - ❝ i haven’t stopped thinking about the way you laugh. i’m hoping i’ll get to hear it again. ❞
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE YEARNING ㅡ CLOSED ㅡ @nxvalunxsis
They weren’t dating, but it awfully looked like they actually were. Korae wasn’t spending a week without seeing Dongha whether it was for their lunch break or simply to relax after a long day at work. They had agreed to not label their relationship and just take things as they came, which Korae was comfortable with but there was no denying that she was beginning to think of him as someone who was important to her and that she wanted to keep in her life. She cared greatly for Dongha and loved the way he always made her smile and laugh, loved how safe she felt in his arms and how he seemed to always encourage and support her. Korae had never met another man like him.
The movie came to an end on her television and she stretched her arms and legs which ended with a content sigh slipping past her lips, the smile on her face when a warm hand was wrapped around her ankle. And it only widened after hearing Dongha’s words, words that made butterflies flutter all over her stomach until she was laughing as he tugged on her ankle to bring her closer to him. “And what are you planning to do to hear my laughter again?” Korae questioned with a raised brow though the cheeky glint in her eyes betrayed her amusement. Of course, it wasn’t long before she was bursting out in laughter as Dongha’s hands found the sensitive spots on her ribs to tickle, leading the goddess to try and squirm out of the way until she was all but pinned against the couch, tears of laughter glistening in her eyes. “You cheater! You’re stronger than me!”
“Both it is then.”, Noah said and sprayed a good amount of whipped cream in both mugs before topping it off with a couple of mini marshmallows sprinkled here and there. “This good or do you want more?” Spraying a bit of whipped cream onto his finger, he smirked at Gureum before he quickly dipped his finger against the tip of their nose before bursting into a wild chuckle upon seeing their confused expression. “I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist.”
Once they were done with their mugs of hot chocolate, Noah clapped his hands together and pushed himself off of the couch. “Alright, let’s get to decorating.”, he said and emptied the bags filled with various decoration items on the couch next to Gureum. “There are lights, window stickers, candles, and a bunch of other stuff we can use to decorate the place.”, he said, grabbing a bag with a Christmas lights chain. “I wanted to get a small fake tree but, honestly, they’re way too expensive but I’m sure we’ll make this place look festive and cozy even without a tree.”
Noah wasn’t sure but something told him that Gureum would probably look for his approval before putting something up so he decided to say something about it right away. “Just grab something and put it wherever you think it would look good, I don’t care. I want this to be our Christmas decoration because I hope that we’ll be spending Christmas together.”, he said casually without much further thought put into it.
When decorations seemed to endlessly pour out from the bags like a rainbow colored waterfall, Gureum couldn’t hold themselves back from gasping in genuine amazement, their obsidian eyes glinting with wonder as they didn’t stop themselves from picking up a box of green and red candles to have a better look at it. Everything looked so pretty and Christmas-y, it definitely set the mood, making the whole place look like it belonged to one of those corny holidays movie. “Oh, you should have told me,” Gureum commented regarding the tree, wishing that they could have participated in more ways than one if Noah had needed it, “I could have helped to pay for it. But you’re right,” they smiled, nodding, “I’m sure it’ll look great even without it.”
With Noah allowing them to decorate as they wished, Gureum reached for the window stickers and stood up from the couch, but couldn’t bring themselves to start decorating right away, not after their best friend’s words about spending Christmas together. That was something they had hoped for too, but they hadn’t been able to voice it as they had somehow convinced themselves that Noah would have better things to do. Gureum still couldn’t explain why Noah would rather spend Christmas with them, but they weren’t going to question it. “I’d really like to spend Christmas with you too, Noah.”
And only then did they hurry to the windows, their emotions being an awkward mix of happiness and embarrassment. Luckily, decorating Noah’s place soon became their main focus for they wanted to do it properly. They were nonetheless surprised when they plopped down on the now empty couch and realized that almost two hours had already passed. The final result was absolutely worth it though: colorful lights were blinking against the walls, casting the prettiest glow against them, candles had been lit up and various decorations had been placed all over the place. “It looks really nice,” Gureum commented softly, their eyes easily finding Noah which brought a smile to their face as he joined them on the couch to take in their hard workㅡ Gureum was more fascinated with the way Noah’s face glowed from the lights above their heads, “we make a pretty good team when it comes to decorating.”
Minjun had been assigned to a research project in Australia but since they weren’t able to come up with any promising results in the timeframe they were given with the funds they were provided, the project had been terminated which meant that he was sent back home.
It’s been a week since Minjun had returned from his stay in Australia. Thankfully, he was given a week off which he used to visit his family and, of course, his little brother. At the end of the week, he prepared to go back to work and went through some paperwork that was sent to him to prepare him for possible future assignments as well as changes that have taken place while he was gone. One of those changes was, that he would have a new colleague to work with. The name listed on the document seemed familiar but he couldn’t connect it with anyone in particular.
Heading to bed early that night, Minjun woke up early so he wouldn’t be late for the first team meeting where he was going to be introduced to his new colleague as well as discuss which projects he would be part of.
After arriving at the facility, Minjun finished his coffee on his way to the entrance and tossed the paper cup into one of the bins next to the front desk, bowing his head to the secretary before pulling out his ID and sliding it across the scanner.
Once inside the restricted area, he stopped by his office where he dropped off his bag and put on his lab coat before he headed to the meeting room. He wasn’t surprised to see that his brother was already there so he went straight to him and threw his arm around Minsoo’s shoulder with a smirk which Minsoo responded to with a nudge to get his brother off of him.
After greeting everyone else and just as he wanted to complain in a playful way, the door to the meeting room opened once more and a familiar face entered the room. Byeol. Minjun looked at her with a pleasantly surprised expression and pointed at her. “Ah, Byeol-ssi. Now I know why the name seemed so familiar.”, he said and let out a chuckle but before he could approach her and talk to her, their boss walked into the room and told everyone to sit down so they could start.
Minsoo quickly shuffled to the other side of the double line of tables in the center of the room and sat down next to Byeol as they had already been teamed up together ever since she started working there. Meanwhile, Minjun took a seat opposite of them.
Her alarm clock rang at 6:00am sharp which happened every Monday morningㅡ that is if she was home. Occasionally, one could find Byeol by the ocean in the middle of the night or on a boat with a team of scientists and other marine biologists to study the sea life under various conditions. There was never a moment to feel bored, especially when there was still so much to learn about and discover and this was partially the reason why she had become a marine biologist when the time had come for her to choose what she wanted to do of her life. The main reason was that she had always been fascinated by what laid underwater, in the darkest depths, where very few humans had been able to go.
However, that morning, there was one thing in Byeol’s mind: Minsoo’s older brother would join their team and work with them. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she highly doubted that this Minjun was the same Minjun she had been butting heads with some months ago when she had been sent to Australia to work on an important project that unfortunately hadn’t been completed. No, she definitely didn’t want to think about it: Byeol was still incredibly bitter about what happened, especially when the project could have led to great discoveries.
Pushing aside the memories of those days that now belonged in the past, Byeol stretched her arms and sat up in bed, more than ready to start a new day. As she went through her morning routine, she also mentally listed her main tasks she’d have to start or complete today and despite the endless amount of things she had to do, she still hoped to add a quick little trip by the sea side at some point. Round glasses perched on her nose, a light blue button down shirt under a creamy blouse that matched her pants and Byeol was ready to go to work half an hour after having woken up.
When she reached the laboratory a while later, she had switched her blouse for her lab coat and was carrying a cup holder with four cups from the coffee shop right next to the facility. One for her, one for Minsoo, and the two remaining for their colleagues. She had wondered if she should get one for Minsoo’s brother, but she didn’t know his preferences when it came to his morning drink. The last thing she wanted was to get on the wrong foot with him, especially on his first day. “Good mornㅡ” The greeting died on her tongue when she was met with a very familiar face, one that still made want to hurl her hot cup of coffee at. It was the guy from Australia! She couldn’t believe it. And he dared to smile like this, what an assㅡ
The meeting started moments later and Byeol took her usual seat, Minsoo sitting to her left. But as much as she wanted to focus entirely on what the chief was explaining, her eyes wandered more often than not towards Minjun, simply because she still couldn’t believe her eyes. And then her name was called and she blinked several times, sending a quick glare towards Minsoo when he snorted before she looked over at their chief. “I’m sorry, what?” Perhaps she should have stayed in bed that morning. “Minjun-ssi will team up with Minsoo and I?” She couldn’t really protest, could she? The last thing she wanted was for her next few days to be filled with nosy questions about her reluctance to work with Minjun, so Byeol gave a simple nod of her head and the meeting went on, until the chief left. Maybe she could let Minsoo deal with his brother. Maybe she could escape to her office without anyone else noticing andㅡ No. She was a professional. She wasn’t going to run away even when she wanted to. Taking in a soothing sip of her favorite macchiato, Byeol finally looked over at Minjun and tried to ignore the urge to punch the stupid smile out of his face. “Well. Let’s get to work. There’s a lot to do.”
