ONE DAY LATER

*Chopping/ slicing noises*

With a knife in her hand, Y/n absentmindedly chopped the carrots as her mind wandered to the distant shores of her daydreams, where waves of possibilities lay ahead, and crashed against the cliff of her imagination, wondering if her thoughts were merely illusions or destined to become realities.

As she gently slid the carrots into the simmering soup, her mind remained on the indistinct desires of her heart before a shuddering voice was heard.

"Y/n!"

The intensity of the female voice made her quickly glance over her shoulder, as she replied to the middle-aged woman, a look of concern mirroring her fine lines.

"Yes, Ajumma?"

"Jo Gon went missing."

Y/n's eyes widened, and without another word they both rushed to the entrance of the mansion, where Mrs. Jo stood with her perturbed-looking features, her hands quivering from the yearnings of her child.

"Mrs Jo! What happened?" Y/n asked, and Mrs Jo replied how the little one ran out of the house two hours ago, when she scolded him, and how she was sure of his return, but that wasn't the case this time.

The Kim mansion was temporarily desolated, except for their trusted workers. Mr and Mrs Kim went to a friend's gathering, while the sons weren't back home yet.

The sun was dipping below the horizon, and with each passing second rose the anticipation of the return of the small kid, as the three ladies's eyes were stuck on the streets in front of them, but to their dismay, not even a leaf rustled.

"Jo Yumi, let's go to your house! I'll accompany you. Maybe we'll find him there," the middle-aged woman suggested, as she read the terrified look written on her coworker's features.

Mrs Jo nodded as she anxiously tried regaining her composure from her trembling trance, in the hope that she'd find her child waiting for her, safe and sound.

In split seconds, a flash of white light surrounded the two lady gumihos and soon, Y/n was left with nothing but fine air.

Y/n's irises dilated in astonishment, and a stunned chill ran down the length of her spine when she realised that those beings teleported themselves to another place, far from the mansion. A small gasp unconsciously escaped from her shocked trance as she jolted backwards to some distance.

She slowly placed her palm on her chest, gently patting the thumping heart inside her ribs, while reminding herself of them being other beings as her mind wandered to every possible folklore and tale, she ever studied or heard about, to settle for an assertion, but the reason seemed to feeble away with rising questions inside her head.

In that moment of stillness, a faint voice of clashing buckets from elsewhere twitched her ears as she frowned and darted her eyes backwards.

She hurriedly went in the direction of the voice and found the little boy huddled in the corner of the bathroom. Relief washed over her like a tidal wave as she rushed towards him, wrapping him in her arms, "Why were you hiding here?"

Y/n questioned the little boy, who was seemingly tamed from the growing darkness inside the bathroom, as the night reached nearer. The little boy remained silent, realising that his idea to scare his mother did not end well.

Y/n realised the kid's intention and soothed his back gently as they walked out of the bathroom before she whispered, "Only your mom can handle you."

Soon voices of leather boots clashing against hard ground were heard, approaching in the pair's direction. A tall figure with a black trench coat hugging across his shoulders appeared in front of them, with questions written on his features.

Y/n eyed in his direction and didn't realize how her heart skipped a beat when his eyes met hers.

"Is something wrong?" Namjoon questioned Y/n, as he stepped on the backyard, moving closer in her direction.

"HYUNGNIM!" The little boy whined while opening his hands wide open, signaling Namjoon to take him in his embrace.

Namjoon proceeded to do so, but it didn't escape his notice how Y/n's eyes widened slightly when Jo Gon hugged him tightly in his embrace. A warm smile got tugged across Namjoon's lips as he attempted to comfort the little boy.

"You screwed again, buddy?" Namjoon whispered in Gon's ear with a teasing tone, knowing that this wasn't the first time.

"Careful with your word choice," Y/n quickly mentioned, making Namjoon nod in agreement after releasing the mischievous presence in his arms.

He further questioned her about the situation, giving Y/n a chance to move closer to him.

Her lips moved as she explained the incident, and gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. She spoke, but her words failed to be comprehended by Namjoon's mind as they got stuck on the serene human in front of him, constantly beckoning him in her musing trance.

He stared at her long lashes and her shining irises and felt an overwhelming sense of warmth and comfort wash over him.

For him, it was as if Y/n's gaze held the power to calm his restless mind and quiet the chaos of the world around him. For Y/n it was becoming arduous to not drown in Namjoon's mysteriously hypnotic eyes; she felt the tension building between them and nervously licked her lips as she waited for Namjoon to respond.

Moments later, Ajumma teleported back to the mansion and rushed in the direction of the hushed voices. She heaved a long sigh of relief on finding the little boy cuddled across Namjoon's shoulders.

Namjoon quickly handed the tired kid in Ajumma's hands, after she told them about Gon's scared parents, anxiously anticipating his return.

The middle-aged woman held the kid in her embrace and started telling Y/n about the worried Mrs Jo.

While Y/n was busy conversing with her coworker, Namjoon's eyes traced her petite figure from the back; his mind fantasizing about her pale skin under the thin cloth. His lingering thoughts were interrupted by a flash of light that surrounded the recurring darkness of the dusky sky, marking the leave of Ajumma and the little boy.

Y/n glanced at the back before moving closer to Namjoon, who cleared his throat and looked elsewhere, in an attempt to cover up from his 'caught red-handed' trance.

"You're surprisingly good with children," Y/n said, with a small smile lining her thin lips.

Namjoon remained silent for a few seconds before a smirk made its place across his lips. His mind warned him not to work on his impulse, but his heart was fueled by an intoxicating blend of longing and curiosity, that drowned out these rational thoughts.
 
"You don't even know," he responded before
turning Y/n over and pinning her on the bathroom wall. She flinched from the sudden jerk on her body and was left off guard by his actions, which made her struggle a bit to get her wrist out of his strong grip.

"Bout the things I'm good at," Namjoon completed his sentence by whispering it in a low husky voice, as he moved closer to her face, his gaze tracing every inch of the flustered human's lips.

Y/n's pupils dilated in realisation as she opened her lips to speak, to stop Namjoon from acting on his nerves, to stop him from luring her body, and to stop making her soul fall for his questionable actions; but Namjoon's slender finger on her lips stopped her from doing so.

He slowly decreased the inches between them, making Y/n's heart beat faster and igniting the hidden temptations that resided beneath. The gumiho's alluring gaze made her play along, despite her mind's rippling waves of warnings, and soon her body gave no resistance to his actions.

Namjoon attached their lips, feeling her thin, sultry lips under his full ones, making her body jolt forward in his direction. His hand impulsively traveled to the spared areas of her waist. Y/n's mind was in total bliss, slowly figuring out what it was like being kissed.

Her grip on the hem of his shirt tightened as he slowly deepened their shared kiss, the predatory gumiho essence inside him fortified as their bodies pressed closer. His irises changed from their normal colour when his hands started trailing her back making Y/n shudder under his touch.

They both found solace in that stolen kiss, in the temporary suspension of reality. Their lips moulded together, exploring the depths of passion and longing. After a brief moment, their mind's warning resurfaced, now louder and more insistent than before.

Namjoon hesitantly pulled himself away, his mind whispering to him of the consequences of succumbing to this forbidden temptation. But at this intoxicating moment of passion, he was sure to disregard the reminders of commitments that awaited him on the other side.

Their lips finally parted, and a bittersweet taste lingered on their tongues. They both slowly glanced into each other's eyes, a light shade of pink hue tinted on both of their cheeks. Their hearts rhythmically syncing together.

Y/n's face wrinkled with confusion and wonder as she noticed Namjoon's dark, black-shaded orbs now completely gone, replacing them with a fierce shade of fire.

Her eyes got completely absorbed by the newly found fiery look on his face, "Who are you all?" Y/n asked, in the hope that this time her questions would not be left unanswered, and she'd finally be able to gain knowledge about these magical beings and how this world works differently from the world she used to reside in.

Namjoon had a different opinion about things in his preoccupied mind. These past few months, he failed to realise that his decisions were nothing but some ways to cope with his reality and an escape from his past that he once thought, it never existed.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

MEANWHILE

The young King of the Min clan entered his opulent chamber, his attention turned to the vast collection of watches adorning the shelf of their own.

His eyes settled on a simple yet elegant timepiece, its silver case was unadorned, showcasing a minimalist design that exuded understated sophistication, and reflected the royal status.

Placing the chosen watch on his wrist, he felt a sense of satisfaction and contentment. He glanced in the mirror, the intricately designed lamp beside, spreading its hue across the room, revealed hidden desires of vengeance written on his face, that had been concealed in the darkness of his room and the palace.

A satisfactory scoff made its way from Yoongi's mouth before a smirk played across his lips as the thought of his plan going smoothly, crossed his mind.

He stepped out of his quarters, and crossed the forlorn hallways of the palace, silently getting accompanied by Butler Ahn from behind.

"Butler Ahn send Jeongguk and Jimin in my cabin," Min Yoongi ordered while crossing the saluting royal guards of his castle. Butler Ahn bowed before he went ahead to do his job.

The king took his steps further, his hand reached out to the left pocket of his regal attire and delicately grasped a sleek, silver cigarette box. Bringing the cigarette towards his lips, he pulled out a silver lighter, and with a flick of his thumb, a small flame ignited the tobacco.

The cloud of smoke swirled and dissipated into the air, blending with the gentle breeze of the evening sky.

.

.

Entering the cabin, Yoongi's eyes locked on the two figures sitting peacefully on the couch. One reading a magazine while the other yawned his tiredness out.

Without wasting any more seconds, he quickly got seated on his high-backed, cushioned armchair and ordered them to open the envelope resting on the table in front of them before folding his hands together on the table.

They both first glanced in Yoongi's direction and then eyed the white envelope. Jimin grabbed the envelope and read the content written in the ancient manuscript.

"It's an invitation for the grand ball," he paused as his eyes slightly widened in shock, "from the Kim clan." He completed, his eyes signaling a sign of warning, from the clan in which they once had a friendship, but now a shattered relation exists in between.

"They want to investigate us, right?" Jeongguk blurted with his frowned brows, and Yoongi nodded before he spoke.

"But this can be our opportunity."

He turned his attention towards his brothers, as his mind got focused onto, a step closer to the unfulfilled act of retribution.

"To use Y/n as bait... for Prince Taehyung," Yoongi completed his sentence and a wicked smile formed across his lips.

"What are we gonna do to both of them?" Jimin momentarily asked and Jeongguk nodded before humming.

"KILL EM."

✧

𝙎𝙤 𝙖 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧!
𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚, 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙣𝙟𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙪𝙯 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨.
*𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙨*
𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙩