Riize - Tumblr Posts - Page 3
THE CURRENT/FUTURE STATE OF RIIZE
based on astrology/tarot
Authors Note: In this reading I will be reading and making prediction about the current/future state of Riize as well as mentioning seunghan and his situation in this reading in order to give insight to those who requested it, in the astrological area of the reading I will be using whole sign.
Let's get the elephant out of the room and discuss Seunghan. There are a couple of transits that firmly show this situation regarding him. Mars associated with conflict, harm, fighting, arguments and in hellenistic astrology separation is transiting Riize's 6th house which is associated with coworkers and the work environment. This transit within itself eludes to Seunghan's severance and departure of the group and the possible conflicts and damage control regarding it. Mars is also sextile Uranus which shows the sudden and quick impact and deciding factors of this. Mercury aspecting Saturn can be associated with difficult news and decisions and currently these planets are transiting their 10th house of career and reputation as well as the 2nd house of income..there's definitely money and company semantics as well as an attempt to preserve something involved with the situation.
GROUP TRANSITS/PREDICTIONS:
Mercury transiting the 10th house in scorpio, there could be a lot of talk about the group in itself within the next month as well as people trying to “investigate” what the company could possibly be doing behind the scenes due to a lack of explanation and communication, tabloids + rumors + exposed info could be prevalent
Saturn will be direct and leave their 2nd house of income finances soon and transit through their 3rd house of communication, immediate environment, familiar spaces, minor travel and friends. The members might not travel as much as they previously did or their travels may be limited to certain areas as well. There might be a change in the groups social media presence/activity
Pluto is currently direct and will be transiting into their 1st house of identity, self and how they project their image soon. the group might do a complete change in aesthetics, look and style or deconstruct and rebuild their gimmick/concept and it might cause a ripple effect
Jupiter is currently retrograde in their 5th house of creations/creativity, artistic pursuits, fun, entertainment and is aspecting Saturn. the group might have to rethink or redo the creative direction they’ll take and their events or comebacks might take longer or are delayed. they also may gain attention and have to base their creations on what is bringing them the most attention
Jupiter will also soon transit their 6th house of work environment, coworkers, responsibilities, service/servitude, health and routine in 2025. We may hear about them getting new staff or workers, they may be in better working conditions/schedules, they could be very booked and busy and have a lot to do or take care of, their overall group health will be favorable but there might be some minor injuries
Mars will soon transit their 7th house and retrograde back into their 6th so there might be changes in contracts (for example cutting off a contract w/ a certain brand) or changes in power within them, as well as maybe cutting ties w/ certain staff and employees
GROUP ENERGY READING
Do I have consent for this reading: Ace Of Cups & The Moon; Yes ! but I must keep the members anonymous.
MEMBER A:
( The Emperor, KoS, 7oW, 4oS, The Hanged Man, AoS Rx, Death, and 4oP)
Stoicism stoicism stoicism. This member just wants to hold things together until all this chaos passes. They feel as though there’s no point in trying to control what they can’t and that they should only control what they can which is their self and their feelings. I’m hearing “I know that things won’t be the same”. He really just wants to keep his mental in check and surrender to the changes around him. However it’s not giving a “defeated energy”; this member refuses to let his mental health drown too bad and even if he can’t be the happiest atm he knows he shouldn’t let himself wear himself out with the possible stress and upset
MEMBER B:
( Justice Rx, 2oP Rx, 5oC, Judgement Rx, 4oC, 7oS, 10oC Rx, 9oC Rx, AoC Rx, 2oS)
He feels blindsighted and deceived and as if things genuinely didn’t go as planned. He might have been convinced by someone or convinced himself that things would be smooth sailing for the rest of the year and that the past issues and problems wouldn’t be something to deal with anymore. There’s a big contemplation and thinking about the “unfairness” of everything. He feels like everyone involved and being impacted has been done wrong and there wasn’t unfiltered honesty about everything. I’m hearing the phrase “stand up” he wants there to be accountability taken by someone specific..rather than a team of people ? A staff or manager maybe ? I pulled another card and the King of Pentacles came out so ???
MEMBER C :
( 8oC, 8oW, 9oS, Wheel of Fortune, The High Priestess, 4oC, The Hermit, 2oW/ Channeled Song: She Knows - Jcole)
This person feels like they saw this chaos coming. It’s as if this was a “worst case scenario/nightmare” idea that they’d always come back to in the back of their mind that’s finally came to fruition. Similar to Member A they mainly want to keep themselves level headed and let things play out whether if it’s for better or worse. He’s in a very observant energy. He may have a “deeper”understanding of the situation than the others so he might seem like he’s “ok” and “moving forward” when really he’s extremely in his head..as if he’s on the “outside looking in”, he’s detached himself almost so he won’t get stuck “like he did before” im hearing
MEMBER D:
(5oS, 8oS, 2oC Rx, The Empress Rx, QoC Rx, 10oS, The Lovers Rx, 5oP/ Channeled song: Afraid - The Neighborhood)
They feel on edge and uncomfortable right now. It’s like they’re anticipating on what’s gonna happen next and how it’s going to happen. I’m hearing the channeled song and the phrase “im so over it”. The best thing I can compare this energy to is when you have a terrible day at school/work but when you get home there’s more things to deal with, or when you’re constantly arguing or bumping heads with someone and don’t care anymore. There’s also a negative critical feminine energy that this member feels turned their back on him or this female energy keeps doing things that goes against his wants/wishes. There isn’t a romantic tie to this feminine energy tho..but the member is making it seem that’s it’s obvious who it is but I don’t really know and they won’t elaborate so I’ll just close off here.
MEMBER E:
(The Sun, The Chariot, 8oP, 10oW, The Devil, 2oP, KnoC)
This member is giving me the least info and im hearing “you already know the deal” so I guess the assumptions I have towards how he feels atm is good enough. This member feels overwhelmed and definitely is trying to manage and keep himself emotionally and mentally above water . But, it’s as though he’s bound by a responsibility..he’s being the most optimistic as he can be and just wants to move forward. It’s like he’s trying to keep himself happy and busy while also dealing with the motions of everything. He may also be putting his feelings aside for how and is more busy comforting everyone around him who’s feeling more upset and frustrated.
MEMBER F:
(The Moon, The Star Rx, 6oW Rx, 7oP, 6oP, Strength Rx, 7oC, AoP)
This member feels pretty unstable and similar to Member B they feel disillusioned. They hate how up and down everything has been. They’re very disappointed on how things are turning out because they were just so much more optimistic about everything after a long period of being unsure just to be unsure and feeling a lack of security again. They’re very aware or mostly thinking about the financial aspect of things too and are feeling a lack of security there as well. Just a very disappointed and melancholic energy..similar to when you get bad news you don’t have any say over. They’re trying not to be pessimistic but they can’t help it
MEMBER G:
( The Fool Rx, 3oS, 5oW, 3oP Rx, 3oC Rx, 9oW, Justice, 8oW, 6oC, 10oP Channeled Song: Are We Still Friends- Tyler the Creator & Sorry Not Sorry - Tyler the Creator)
Member G lowkey wants to go home or wants to go somewhere or be in a place mentally where they can feel more relaxed again. Im hearing the phrase “things were much more simpler”. They might also be in disagreement with a lot of people or people might have a lot of misconceptions about everything and he doesn’t like the fact that people are getting the wrong idea about how everything is. He might also feel a bit disconnected from everyone and that includes coworkers and people in his inner circle. For the channeled songs it’s making me feel as if this member feels almost guilty and so apologetic but not apologetic at the same time ? like he knows he doesn’t need to feel all this pressure and guilt but does
sungchan with a small s/o hcs? i'm literally in love with your works bye 😭
# WHEN THEY HAVE A SMALL S/O ; SUNGCHAN edition.
⚝ bf!sungchan x gn!reader | fluff | bf au ⚝ note ; i honestly had no idea how to write this at first lmao... but i hope it turned out fine and you like it! also thank you so much :(
he finds your height (or more on your lack of it) so fascinating
like ??? how are you the same age as him but barely four-fifths of his height ????
he loooooooves teasing you for it
he'll rest his arm on your head and go "hey, has anyone seen y/n?"
on days where he's in more of a teasing mood, he'll even run around your apartment in false panic thinking you're missing
but once you punch him in the stomach (affectionately) he'll stop <3
sungchan also finds your height really cute
seeing you clamber on a stool to reach the top shelves in your kitchen makes him giggle like a little kid
but he'll always be on standby to help you get things!!
which happens more often than you'd like to admit
despite your height, sungchan genuinely admires the way you stand up for yourself and others sometimes
like that one time you stood up for an elderly woman being harassed on the train
the dude was huge, buffer and taller than sungchan but you weren't even fazed
the furious glare of pure hate and anger you bore into that dude's eyes was what had scared him off
and he's seen that glare up and close and personal too
he's learned his lesson from that day on to not bother you when you're on your period
because of your difference in size, sungchan loves how you look in his clothes
you just might disappear into his hoodies, and he finds that adorable
will scream like a schoolgirl about how cute you are and smother you with kisses
calls you his teeny weenie baby because why not :p
but of course, there are times where you get insecure about your height
and sungchan immediately assures you that despite all his teasing, he thinks its one of the best things about you
reminds you that height doesn't really matter
and that you're his prettiest baby :(
© anton-luvr, 2023.
taglist: @wonbons @mxlly143 @keehobaldboy @shawyle @yenart
You just took a shower with seunghan. He gets between your legs so you could dry his hair, your neck catching his attention. (Suggestive in a way but only bc they are in towels + soft pants and moaning??)
# 10:06pm ; HONG SEUNGHAN.
⚝ bf!seunghan x fem!reader | fluff & HEAVILY suggestive | bf au ⚝ note ; this is so... (mouth waters) UGH thank u for requesting!! thank u for waiting and for ur support on all my works too mwah <3 + take care briizes!! hani will come back to us soon, i'm sure <3
Six weeks.
That's how long the doctor told Seunghan his broken arm would be casted for.
"Six weeks?" he echoed in despair, mind flooding with the realization of all the things he wouldn't be able to do.
He wouldn't be able to play his games, wouldn't be able to eat his favorite instant noodles by himself every day, wouldn't be able to properly cuddle you at night - he wouldn't be able to do almost anything.
He really shouldn't have tried that stupid parkour trick with Sohee.
But thankfully, he had you by his side to help him out.
And maybe, not being able to do anything was quite nice after all.
He's sat on the edge of the bathtub, both of you fresh out of a shower and only in warm towels while you ran a hair-dryer over his damp hair.
"Ah, be gentle with the tangles." he whines, wincing when you accidentally tug at one.
You're quick to apologize with a cheery 'Sorry!', and you lean down to kiss him on the cheek.
All grumpiness fades once he feels your soft lips against his warm skin, a smile appearing on his lips.
Seunghan sighs happily as you continue drying his hair, eyes fluttering shut at the feeling of your fingers running through his hair, and he can't help but feel like the luckiest person in the world to have you.
You've been taking care of him ever since his fall, absolutely spoiling him with princess treatment.
He's really so lucky to have you.
He opens his eyes to tell you just that, but something else distracts him immediately.
Your bare neck was right in front of him, droplets of water falling from your wet hair and landing gracefully on your collarbone. He gulps as he watches them slowly slip downwards and behind your wrapped towel.
It was embarrassing how easily and simply turned on he gets, and all just from your neck.
"You look so pretty." he mumbles, leaning forward to press soft kisses all over the exposed skin.
You giggle at the ticklish feeling, but it's quick to turn into a quiet whine as the kisses start to get more aggressive.
Seunghan spares absolutely no mercy, warm tongue and sharp teeth grazing against that one sensitive part of your neck that sends shudders throughout your body.
"My pretty girl," he mutters, grinning as he pulls you into his lap and continuing his work of art.
Soft moans and whines reverberate across the bathroom as his hands start to travel across your body, your own ones busy tugging at Seunghan's hair.
"You're driving me insane." he pants, his eyes dark with desperate need and pretty lips swollen when he pulls away to catch his breath. "Taking care of me so well, gotta thank you."
The desperation only grows as he crashes his lips against yours, the towel being the only barrier between the both of your bodies heightening the desperation.
You felt so close and yet so far, and Seunghan needed more.
"W-Wait," you stutter, gently pushing him away from you. "Let's move to the bedroom, I'm scared you'll slip or something and get hurt."
Seunghan can't help but chuckle at your sweet and caring comment in the midst of his sinful actions, kissing over one of the hickeys he had left earlier.
"My baby is so cute," he coos, hot breath fanning against your ear. "But don't worry for now. I'll take care of you the way you deserve, hm?"
Your head spins at what he's hinting at, nodding while hiding your red face on his shoulder.
Without another word, Seunghan carries you up with his other arm and takes you into your bedroom - where he was going to thank you for taking care of him in the best way possible.
© anton-luvr, 2023.
taglist: @wonbons @mxlly143 @keehobaldboy @shawyle @yenart @lycheecheeseyogurt
Hi! 👋🏽 👋🏽👋🏽👋🏽👋🏽 I would like to request an Riize imagine where they walk in the room to see y/n is crying while watching an emotional k-drama.
# WHEN THEY SEE YOU CRYING OVER A K-DRAMA ; 7riize.
⚝ bf!riize x gn!reader | fluff | bf au ⚝ note ; here u go anon! thanks for requesting :) + reqs are CLOSED !
# SHOTARO. - mom mode: activated. instantly drops whatever he's holding to rush to your side, asking what's wrong. you felt a bit embarrassed to tell him it was just because of the k-drama you were watching, but shotaro has zero judgment. he holds you close to him, letting you cry into his arms as he gently rubs your back.
# EUNSEOK. - coming home to see you in tears certainly wasn't something he was expecting, so he gets so worried. he thought something bad had happened to you, and it takes some time for you to calm down from the crying to explain it was just the k-drama you were watching. he's so relieved that it wasn't anything bad, patting your head gently and kissing you on the cheek.
# SUNGCHAN. - like the good boyfriend he is, he comforts you immediately. wraps his arms around you as he asks you what's wrong, brushing your hair out of your damp face. he continues to comfort you even after you told him you were just touched from the k-drama you were watching, and he watches along with you - because how good could the acting be to make you cry? he found out soon enough when he starts crying too.
# WONBIN. - his heart hurts to see you cry, and he knows it's because of how personal the k-drama's final scenes were with your own past. he treats you like you're made of glass for the rest of the day, ordering your favorite foods for you and keeping you warm in the comfort of his embrace, soft kisses and whispers of "it's okay" and "i love you" mumbled.
# SEUNGHAN. - you scared the living daylights out of him when he comes home to see you in tears, but he understands when you tell him your favorite character died in the k-drama you were watching. he wraps an arm comfortingly around your waist as you rest your head on his chest, sniffling as you continued watching while he played with your hair and rubbed your back gently.
# SOHEE. - don't get him wrong, he loves you to bits. but seeing you cry over a k-drama is just too funny for him. he can't help but burst out into laughter at your snot-covered nose, cooing at you and calling you his precious crybaby as he gently wipes your tears (and snot) away. he'll whisper a "it's just a k-drama, hm? don't let it get to you too much." as he presses a quick kiss to your cheek, followed by him ruffling your hair.
# ANTON. - this could go two ways: he laughs like sohee, or he feels sad like wonbin. unfortunately for you, he follows sohee's footsteps this time round. "don't cry, it's just a k-drama!" he chuckles, wiping your tears away. your attempt to justify about how it isn't just a k-drama is cut short when he slips his phone out and takes a 0.5x photo of you - because why not? you have to whack him (affectionately) with pillows to get him to delete it.
© anton-luvr, 2023.
taglist: @wonbons @mxlly143 @eun-luv @shawyle @yenart @lycheecheeseyogurt @soul-is-a-strange-kid @haechansbbg @yang2k
I could fall in love with you | IDOL EUNSEOK X BLK FEM READER
REQUESTED @iamflawless303
summary: put your worries in my hands.
a/n: I'm super sorry that I'm just now getting to this. I hope you still like it. 🥲
Sorry for any mistakes.
I recommend listening to this song for this fic :)
There is a light sprinkling of rain as you scurry across the parking lot to Eunseok's car. You're grateful he can pick you up from work, since he has practiced in a few hours.
The warm air of the car hits your skin. It felt nice being out of the icy rain. Eunseok takes a towel from his Nike duffle back in the backseat and hands it to you. He realizes how you look at it and then laughs, telling you: “Don't worry, it's clean.”
You wipe the rainwater from your arms and face. In the few seconds of being in the car, you couldn't help but feel this heavy energy coming from Eunseok. You've been around him long to know that something is off.
The touch of your cool hand on the back of his neck makes him crumble a little. You play with some of his hair. The rain gets heavier and it's the only sound between the two of you.
“Something is the matter.” You softly whispered. Your thumb strokes the side of his neck.
Eunseok crumbles a little more at your words.
“It's work.”
“I'm listening.”
He lets out a broken laugh while staring straight ahead out the windshield as the rain hits it. Eunseok wants to pour all his worries into you.
How his body aches from all the dance practices. How he's afraid he wouldn't do as well for RIIZE's upcoming performance.
And when Eunseok doesn't say anything for a while, you speak again. “Hey, whatever is bothering you, just place it in my hands.” You smiled a little with your hands held out.
This makes Eunseok smile. So he places his worries into your hands. You rolled down the window and chunked his worries out and quickly let the window up so you wouldn't get wet by the rain.
“How do you feel?”
“Lighter.”
You pinch his cheek making him laugh. “Like I told you a thousand times, Eunseok, if you ever need to talk, I'm always here any time of day. No matter how late always come to me with your worries.”
You were never selfish with yourself. Always giving others tiny pieces of you. And Eunseok sometimes wishes you were a little selfish with yourself. He has more of you than anybody else would ever have. Then again, maybe he is a little selfish himself — always accepting the pieces of you and never refusing.
Eunseok gets you home safely, but before you even get out of the car, he reaches over the console and grabs your wrist, stopping you from fully getting out of his car.
“More worries?” you asked.
“I... I was wondering if I could come over after pract–”
“The door will be unlocked. I'll have your favorite food and drink ready when you get here.”
And damn Eunseok doesn't know what he did in his past life to deserve a friend like you.
Everyone has things that bring them some kind of comfort. And you were Eunseok's comfort person. To him, you are like a tiny, cozy, warm home in the winter that smells of sugar cookies and pumpkin spice.
He gives your wrist a little squeeze before letting go. He doesn't drive away yet until you're inside your place and you flip the lights on.
🩷💞🩷💞🩷💞🩷💞🩷💞🩷💞🩷💞🩷💞🩷💞
Eunseok is sitting on the sofa with you. You and he are binge-watching a show on Netflix. It felt nice to not to do anything after practice, but just to sit with you felt even nicer.
“Can I cry with you?” Eunseok asks, his voice is so low you almost didn't hear him over the TV.
You grab the remote from the arm of the sofa and paused the TV.
“Yeah, of course, if that's what you need, sweetie.” You scoot closer to him on the sofa.
Eunseok lays his head on your shoulder. He then takes your hand and intertwines his fingers with yours. His eyes sting a little and his nose starts to run.
“More worries?”
Eunseok nods. You placed your free hand out. “Let's get rid of them, okay?”
“Okay.”
And with each worry, Eunseok tells you what's on his mind as he places his worries into your hand. Once your hand is full, you blow all his worries away like a dandelion.
He cries into your shoulder. It's a gut-wrenching cry, but a much-needed one. You stroke the top of his head. You knew being an Idol was a heavy load, but you didn't think of the overwhelming amount of stress it came with.
Eunseok couldn't live his life without people online criticizing him over the smallest of things. He either wasn't doing something right or said something that got taken out of context.
People are cruel.
But at least you made Eunseok feel a lot safer.
When Eunseok is all cried out. You wipe his tears away and clean up his face. Then it's the warmest hug from you that he's engulfed in that he could finally breathe easily.
You gently sway him in your arms and kiss his forehead. “How do you feel now?”
“I feel empty now. But in a good way tho. Like after letting everything out, there is nothing else left there that makes me feel like I'm drowning under the weight of my worries with my lungs burning for air.” he said. “And I want to thank you in so many ways, Y/n.”
“Oh, Eunseok, you don't have to thank me–”
Your eyes widen when he suddenly captures your lips in a tender kiss. Closing your eyes you melt into your sofa. Your body is lightly buzzing all over. You feel Eunseok smile against your lips.
“One thank you down. A million more to go.”
A union for idols is necessary at this point. Seeing that video of Seunghan walking past those funeral wreaths and then reading that he went looking for the support posters he’d seen before, that shit broke my heart and now all this rage that I have towards the industry has bubbled up again. I am in no place to do anything about it. Where do I put all this anger and sadness until I can use it? I want to scream and cry for these children. For these people. The people who give their whole lives to bring joy to others. Their whole dream in life is to be someone who makes others smile. How can they do this to someone like that? How can people torture a person who just wants to be happy by making others happy. That’s so pure. That’s a selfless motivation. To want to be loved by loving others. You must be truly soulless to hurt someone like that.
JFC
It just keeps getting worse. Is the entire country fucking insane?
I have seen toxic fan culture from all over the world. I thought Japan had it the worst until I was about 14 and learned what knetz are and omg the stories some of these idols were telling on Strong Heart were just the top of the iceberg. I read articles about people actively trying to kidnap gg members. Didn’t one guy try to drag an SNSD member off the stage? I really thought it would change as the artists and international fans became more outspoken and greater in number but it just seems to be getting worse. What I don’t understand is how can anyone possibly see peddling to the Korean market as more profitable than aligning with international interests? Like when I get down to the root of their motivation it’s clear that they only care about profit. Are they all just profoundly stupid???
Istg if Big Hit hurts these boys after all the shit they’ve put them through, after all the hard work they’ve put in to get to where they are, to lift their tiny little company out of the dirt and to the top of the New Big 3, that’s it I’m out. I have hope still that the culture can shift but it’s very small and very weak.
Now all I can think about is how they feel. How must it feel to stand on stage and expose yourself body and soul to people who will use that vulnerability against you? How must it feel to hold hands with someone at a fansign or look someone in the eyes during a fan call and wonder if they actually care about you or are just using you to fulfill a fantasy? How must it feel to be studied and judged and followed and harassed and threatened and assaulted by people who claim to love you? How must it feel to know that if you are not perfect and objectifiable every second of every day that your whole world will turn on you? How must it feel to starve yourself, exhaust yourself, harm yourself, hate yourself all for the sake of a swarm of jealous abusers? How must it feel to worry that every person you form a connection with could just be using you? How must it feel to fall in love and still have a little voice in the back of your head asking if they truly like you for who you are or for what you can give them? How must it feel to objectified and sexualized and demonized every single day? How terrifying must their daily lives be? What makes all these questions worse is the knowledge that they still get up every day and do it all anyway. They pose and smile and dance and sing and work themselves to the bone regardless of the hate and fear. To be an idol must take an extraordinary amount of courage. To be so scared and feel so small but to love so much that none of that matters. They derive their joy in life from bringing you yours. How can anyone hate them? How can anyone hurt them? I’ll never understand.
A union for idols is necessary at this point. Seeing that video of Seunghan walking past those funeral wreaths and then reading that he went looking for the support posters he’d seen before, that shit broke my heart and now all this rage that I have towards the industry has bubbled up again. I am in no place to do anything about it. Where do I put all this anger and sadness until I can use it? I want to scream and cry for these children. For these people. The people who give their whole lives to bring joy to others. Their whole dream in life is to be someone who makes others smile. How can they do this to someone like that? How can people torture a person who just wants to be happy by making others happy. That’s so pure. That’s a selfless motivation. To want to be loved by loving others. You must be truly soulless to hurt someone like that.
RIIZE IS 7 NO DOUBT
a bit about markiemelon 💭
minor! ₊˚ʚ she/her
bored & delusional™
○ browse my m list ○ or just my fake texts
○ nct 🌱 riize ○ reqs ✉️ always open
. ☆ . ☆ . ☆ .
q : what will you find on this blog?
a : just imagines i write in my free time…
. ☆ . ☆ . ☆ .
同じKeyの歌一緒に唄おう . ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪
📦 ﹋ ֪֢ · ↺ 繰り返し何度でも
haechan + sohee = VIBES
So cute! I’ve been slowly getting more into Riize, but Anton has always been my favorite. Keep up the good work!
Impure Intentions || L. CY (Anton)
❀ pairing: chaebol heir!anton x rival!reader, implied fem!reader
❀ genre: enemies to lovers (but not really), fluff, suggestive
❀ word count: ~6.7k
❀ warnings: explicit language, mentions of dysfunctional families, one heated kiss scene
❀ summary: From the day you were born, all you ever heard was, “don’t fall in love with Anton Lee.” A better heir to a multimillion dollar conglomerate would follow their family’s advice. But you…not so much.
❀ a/n: sheesh, talk about writer’s block. This work has taken me so long and so much effort, but i'm very proud of how it turned out! It may have even helped me out of my slump. Also, please don’t judge me too hard. I know nothing about business and corporate families!!! As always, likes, reblogs, and replies are strongly encouraged. Happy reading!
Your head aches. The lights in the banquet hall are too bright and the clink of gilded silverware is too loud. Polite chatter buzzes around you like a pesky fly evading a swatter. The air is suffocating, overly stuffy with high end perfumes and colognes clouding the space. This is torture; the Lee family banquets always are.
It would be better if you could enjoy the food or engage with the various guests like everyone else does, but this is enemy territory. Your family had made it abundantly clear that this was not an event for fun, but rather for scoping out the competition. Lectures about a corporate acquisition going south and details about poor contracting simply entered in one ear and left via the other. You didn’t care why you had to be there. The knowledge of your forced attendance did enough to damper your mood, especially once you were hit with all of the rules around your presence.
Sit still, look pretty, smile politely, eavesdrop on any corporate plans, and don’t talk to Anton Lee.
You never understood your family’s obsession with keeping you away from him, the prized son and heir of the Lee empire. Everyone made sure to fill your mind with negative opinions and baseless rumors about the young man, as if to deter you from even giving him a chance. It wasn’t like you had much of a choice, however. You’ve never even seen the man, let alone had a conversation with him. Anton Lee was much more of a mythical being than he was a person, in your eyes. He was always whispered about, but never seen.
From what you gathered, he was around your age, tall, broad, and supposedly extremely handsome. He was known for his overly harsh demeanor, rumored to command a room with a simple word. His presence apparently spoke volumes, enough to speak to his blunt nature and bad intentions. It made sense, your parents would always say. After all, he is a Lee.
“Fix your face, honey,” your mother snaps with a forced smile. “You’ll give yourself wrinkles before you turn thirty if you keep scowling like that.”
It takes everything in you to fight an eye roll, biting back the string of expletives waiting on the tip of your tongue. “Sorry. I’m going to run to the powder room.”
You don’t bother to wait for her response before excusing yourself from the cocktail table, getting lost in the crowds of people as you head towards the bathroom. Away from your family, the air feels somewhat lighter, although it still reeks of entitlement. The throb in your head is insistent now, forcing you to escape to find relief.
You find yourself heading towards a set of grandiose double doors, hoping they will lead you anywhere but here. Luckily, your prayers are answered as you step through them onto a stone balcony. The crisp nighttime air does wonders to cool your heated skin, a slight breeze ruffling the loose fabric of your dress.
This is exactly what you needed, space and solace.
“Rough night?”
A soft voice makes you jump out of your skin, whipping your head around to find the source. Its owner leans up against the exterior wall, somewhat bathed in shadow. All you can make out is a glimmer of white teeth, reflecting the moonlight.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” the figure apologizes, taking a small step forward into the light.
You feel your breath stutter in your chest as you take in the man. The first thing you notice is his sheer beauty, lips enticingly full and nose broad. His beauty is complemented by his tall stature, the height difference between you two becoming increasingly apparent as he approaches. Like this, bathed in the moonlight, it’s impossible not to notice the broadness of his shoulders and how they taper into a small waist. He fills out his all black suit beautifully, the garments clearly tailored to his every curve.
“Are you alright?” The man asks, stopping only a few feet away.
The concern in his tone is just enough to snap you out of your reverie.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just, um, needed some air.”
The man nods in understanding, leaning over to place his forearms against the balcony’s railing. You struggle not to eye the way his suit jacket stretches across an impossibly wide back. Instead, you mirror his stance, looking out at the beautiful gardens below, bathed in silvery moonlight. Just beyond the seemingly endless maze of hedges, you can make out what looks like a small lake, it’s surface rippling under the nighttime breeze.
“It can be stuffy in there,” the man says softly.
You find yourself hanging onto his every word, shocked that such a mild tone could come from such an intimidating man. “Yeah, it really can be.”
The man lets out a small chuckle, no doubt amused by your clear annoyance. “So I take it you’re not in the business.”
“No, I’m–,” you pause for a moment, not sure how much of your identity you should reveal to the stranger. “I’m related.”
He chuckles again, this time turning to look at you. “Hm, I guess I could say the same for me, then.”
A round of applause sounds from somewhere inside, and you curse under your breath, knowing your family will kill you for your absence. The man next to you seems unphased, as if he’s used to the party going on without him.
“I think I should get back.”
The man flashes you a smile, its brightness almost blinding in the dark. “That’s okay. It was nice chatting with you…”
“Y/N. And you are?”
“Anton,” he whispers. “I hope I can see you again, Y/N.”
An icy chill travels up your spine, momentarily freezing you in place. But you force yourself to remain composed, plastering a smile on your face. You silently thank your years of etiquette training and the countless social events you have had to smile for. With a slight nod of your head, you disappear back through the double doors, instantly choking on the scent of Chanel No. 5.
. . .
It’s easy to believe that your first encounter with Anton Lee would be your last, especially as the weeks pass without a single sign of him. It makes sense that he wouldn’t start making regular appearances at events after attending just once. He has managed to spend twenty years staying out of the spotlight, and you can’t imagine that changing now.
But, for some reason, you can’t help but search for him in the crowd of every gala or at the tables of any grandiose banquet.
He would be easy to spot, with his overwhelming height and dazzling smile. Maybe his honey brown hair would be slicked back off his forehead this time, or maybe it would hang in front of his eyes to conceal his bright gaze. You’re sure that he would still talk in that overly soft tone of his, somehow managing to command a room without a change in volume.
Even his absence begins to feel like a presence in and of itself, drawing you in like a moth to a flame. You tell yourself that it’s simple intrigue and nothing more. The first time you had ever laid eyes on your supposed family nemesis had been on a balcony bathed in the moonlight. Where had he been all these years?
More importantly, why had he disappeared again?
The question runs through your mind as you accept a flute of champagne from a waiter, eyes flitting around the charity dinner in hopes of spotting a specific someone. Somewhere near the front of the banquet hall, the Lee family is seated at a table with a few other wealthy families, but their oldest son is nowhere to be found.
You crane your neck to get a better look. Just to be sure, you tell yourself. But the contorting you force yourself to do has you leaning right back into a waiter, your elbow knocking into his empty tray. The sudden movement has your champagne flute slipping out of your grasp, icy bubbles splattering across your chest and down the front of your dress. You can practically feel the daggers that your mother is shooting you from across the table, always having scolded you about the embarrassment that comes along with being a klutz. Before she can part her lips to tell you off, you excuse yourself politely, dashing out to find a restroom to freshen up.
You let your heeled feet carry you through a maze of hallways, side stepping waiters and party guests as you move further and further away from the event space. It’s only when you travel down a flight of stairs that you find yourself a seemingly private restroom, briefly stepping inside to clean yourself up. No matter how much you dab at the stain in the center of your bust, the wine doesn’t seem to budge. You thank the heavens that it was champagne instead of a red, saving you some degree of embarrassment.
After a few minutes in the restroom, you find yourself wandering around, ending up in a much more secluded lounge space, equipped with a couple of couches surrounding a coffee table. You immediately collapse onto one, sighing as the ache in your feet finally lifts.
It’s only then that you feel your eyes begin to sting, a familiar rush of heat striking your face as a lump begins to form in your throat. The sticky sweet smell of champagne still clings to your body, your dress uncomfortable where the alcohol seeped into it. You’re sure that you look a mess, knowing that tear smudged makeup would be the last thing to complete your disheveled look.
“Another rough night?”
The soft rasp of a voice instantly has you perking up, breath caught in your throat as you take in the tall figure approaching you. His crisply pressed suit hugs his broad shoulders and cinches at an impossibly small waist. His lips are quirked upwards into a small smirk, clearly teasing. Something about it is enticing, setting off a stampede in your stomach.
“How could you tell?” You mumble, trying not to stare as Anton settles into a lounge chair across from you.
The man’s smirk just deepens. “Wild guess. What happened?”
“I spilled champagne on myself and now I look a mess.”
“You don’t,” Anton states, smirk dropping from his face. “You could never look bad.”
You fight the urge to roll your eyes. “How would you even know that? You’ve only seen me twice.”
Anton chuckles, finally relaxing into the plush of his chair. His legs separate ever so slightly at the action, allowing you to admire his mile-long legs. It’s almost frustrating, how perfect he looks. You imagine that if anyone never looks bad, it’s him.
“I’ve seen you way more than twice, Y/N.”
The simple statement has you turning your eyes away from his figure, meeting his open gaze. He seems so casual, so unbothered, as if that one sentence hasn’t turned your world upside down.
“Wait, what?” You find yourself tripping over your words in the rush to get them out. “Wh-what do you mean you’ve seen me more than twice? I only met you the first time at that contracting dinner a few weeks ago.”
Anton chuckles again, cocking his head in a puppy-like manner. “Yeah, that was the first time we’ve met, but I’ve seen you so many times. You and your family have been at every major event since we were kids. How could I not see you?”
“But, I’ve never–,”
“I know,” Anton interrupts. “I like to stay outside or in whatever lounge areas I can find. These things always make me really anxious.”
Wow, you didn’t expect such an honest admission from a man of Anton’s status. If anything, his candor makes him much more attractive, as if he could get even more perfect.
“You know we’re supposed to hate each other?” He asks, a small smile making his eyes crinkle at the corners. “Apparently you’re my rival in the field, and I’m supposed to hate everything you say and do.”
Unfortunately, you know the feeling, causing you to let out a small giggle. “Oh trust me, I know. Do you, though?”
“Hate you?”
You nod, fighting a smile as Anton pretends to think.
“Nah,” he eventually answers. “My grandfather taught me from a very young age that I should never harbor negative feelings for beautiful women.”
The implication has heat rushing to your face, forcing you to struggle to keep your composure. “Well, my family has always told me that attractive men always have impure intentions.”
Anton chuckles, shaking his head slightly. He takes a beat before standing, letting his eyes rake over your still seated figure as he begins to retreat down the hallway. It’s impossible to decipher where the intensity of his gaze stems from. He eyes you as if he were hungry, trapping you against the couch with his stare alone.
“Then let me show you just how impure my intentions are.”
The man is gone with little more than a wink and a smile, leaving you with warm cheeks and the scent of champagne clouding your nose.
. . .
You’re surprised to see Anton as soon as the next event, only three weeks later. It’s a simple charity ball for some rare disease research, but for some reason, Anton has decided not to hide in the shadows for this event. It’s interesting to watch how despite his supposed anxiety, he is clearly in his element. He greets everyone kindly, shooting various guests a charming smile as he is introduced to them. His father looks proud of him, a hand kept clapped over his shoulder the entire time.
You wonder if he’s comfortable like this, with a blur of people and faces constantly passing by him. However, you are instantly snapped out of your wondering when a manicured hand grips your shoulder. The feeling of your mothers lips close to your ear sends a shiver down your spine, a perpetually bad omen.
“Straighten up,” she scolds. “We’re going over to talk to the Lees. Their son is making a public appearance at an event like this for the first time. No funny business.”
You would laugh if not for the uncomfortable way her nails dig into your shoulder. It forces you to instantly fall in line behind your father, taking a deep breath as you get closer to the Lees. What is only a few seconds feels like hours until you finally stand face to face with your supposed rival.
“Yoon Sang, it’s a pleasure to see you again,” your father greets, shaking the hands of the head of the Lee family.
He even leans in to place a friendly kiss on Mrs. Lee’s cheek. You find yourself standing frozen in place as the parents exchange greetings, unable to do anything but stare at the man before you. He sports his signature charming smile, mouth full of perfectly white teeth on display. Not for the first time, you feel your face grow warm.
“We thought it was about time for our Y/N to meet Anton. After all, they will be competitors when they take over the respective businesses, right?”
Your father’s comment snaps you back to attention. However, you are immediately distracted by the feeling of Anton’s large hand engulfing yours, his palm both warm and surprisingly soft to the touch. You have to glance upwards to meet his eyes, but it’s impossible to miss the amused glint in his stare.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Y/N. I have heard so much about you.”
You force a smile on your face. “The pleasure is all mine.”
It’s easy to tune out the conversation after that, letting the adults blabber on while you reminisce about the feeling of Anton’s hand in yours. The man seems to be similarly distracted, clearly eyeing your figure. The silence between you speaks volumes, and you hope your parents are too deaf to hear it.
“We would love to have Anton over at our headquarters sometime,” your mother suggests, her piercing voice rising above the noise of the ball. “I’m sure Y/N would be happy to show him around!”
You don’t even have time to process the full body panic that begins to overcome you before Anton’s family is readily agreeing.
“I agree that it would be great for them to know the ins and outs of the business,” Mr. Lee replies with an overly saccharine smile. “We would love to have Y/N over for lunch at the estate as well. Who knows? Maybe they’ll find themselves to be friends.”
Your dad chuckles, obviously disgusted by the thought. “You’re so right. The two might even do a merger some day!”
As the group erupts into phony laughter, you feel the beginnings of a migraine tingling behind your left eye. Something about the cacophony of laughs and the dull classical music is making you ache, your stomach starting to swim with nausea. You dare a glance upward, fighting the pain that blooms in your head with the motion.
Anton’s gaze is bright where it meets yours, a soft smile poised on his full lips. His cheeks are dusted with a slight blush, clearly flustered by the implications. There’s a slight fidget in his fingers, twirling expensive rings as a means of soothing himself.
He’s cute, you realize, not for the first time.
It’s only after a few more moments that the families say goodbye, the Lees promising to send a lunch invitation soon. Anton shoots you another smile before he follows behind his family, suddenly looking small despite his large stature. You can’t help but smile as you watch his departure, suddenly realizing that your migraine has disappeared.
. . .
The Lee estate is just as gorgeous as you expected it to be, with tall stone gates and artfully placed landscaping. It looks impossibly large from where you’re seated in the car, causing nerves to begin to creep up your spine. You pass off the butterflies that begin to flutter in your core as obvious intimidation that comes with being on the property of your family’s biggest rivals. It surely has nothing to do with an overly soft voice, broad shoulders, and kind eyes.
“Remember,” your mother had told you before sending you off. “This is business. Reveal nothing and absorb everything. And most importantly, remember that Anton Lee is not your friend.”
You take a step out onto the perfectly paved driveway, surprised to already see someone standing by the door. Anton seems to perk up when you lock eyes, shooting you a polite smile. His wave betrays his excitement, though. You imagine that if he were a puppy, his tail would be wagging.
“Y/N, hey! I’m glad you actually came.”
“Please,” you shoot him a cheeky smile. “As if I could ever turn down an invitation from the Lee family.”
Anton lets out a slight groan. “Don’t remind me that this is ‘business.’”
“Well then what would you like for me to call it?”
Anton shrugs, turning to hold the front door open for you. It’s only when you pass through the threshold, Anton still standing behind you that he responds.
“A lunch date.” Before you have the chance to respond, Anton is shutting the door behind you both. “Come this way. Food’s on the patio.”
It takes a few turns down intricate hallways to get to a set of double doors that lead to the patio. As promised, there’s an assortment of sandwiches and salad laid out on a round table, two seats set across from each other. You would be impressed, if not for the even more stunning view that lay before you.
The patio looks out on sprawling gardens, tall bushes and blooming flowers swaying softly in the breeze. A little beyond the landscaping, a wooden dock leads out to a large pond, its greenish-blue water seemingly sparkling under the midday sun.
“Wow, this is beautiful,” you breathe out, unable to take your eyes off the sight before you.
“Yeah, it is, isn’t it? My parents have always had an affinity for water.”
You imagine that all of their properties have pools or lakes, much like this one. Meanwhile, your own family prefers the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle, never expanding beyond brutalist modern penthouses in the tallest apartment buildings in the city. It must be nice, you imagine, to have a space that feels like a home and not just another office.
Eventually, the two of you sit, settling into a comfortable silence as you distribute food amongst yourselves. It’s quite amusing to watch Anton as he eats, clearly possessing the hunger of a growing young man while forcing himself to take small bites and practice the etiquette of an heir. You wonder if you look the same, so obviously restrained while you want to let loose, if only for a bit.
Despite the fact that you haven’t seen another person since you set foot in the Lee estate, you know that people must be somewhere. There are always eyes on you.
“I’m surprised that your family was so adamant about having me over,” you begin, settling back in your chair. “I thought I was the enemy.”
Anton smiles, eyes crinkling at the corners. “Well you know what they say. Keep the enemy close and all that.”
“Is that what you want to do? Keep me close?”
You know you’re treading in dangerous waters. All it would take is one word about the obvious flirting to Anton’s parents for you to become your family’s disgrace. You can practically see the headline now: Conglomerate Heiress Gets Rejected By Rivals’ Son. Your family would disown you. And yet, as color begins to flood Anton’s cheeks, you can’t find it within yourself to care.
“Yeah,” he says, voice coming out even softer than usual. “I think that is what I want to do.”
You duck your head, clearing your throat in an attempt to settle the flutter in your stomach. “I’d like that.”
A sudden interest in lunch leaves both of you munching away in silence. It’s peaceful, despite blushing cheeks and racing heartbeats. It allows you to realize that being around Anton is unlike being around anyone else in your family’s circle. Here, there’s no pressure to be prim and proper, no pressure to listen out for secret ins and outs of business.
It’s odd to find comfort in the one person who is supposed to bring you anything but. And yet, with the warmth of the sun on your face and the pleasant fullness in your belly, you’ve never felt more at home.
“You know,” Anton starts once you have both cleared your plates. “I think we’re supposed to be talking about business.”
You fight the urge to roll your eyes. “Can I be honest?”
Anton nods slightly, honey brown hair shifting across his forehead.
“The business is the last thing I want to talk about.”
Anton smiles. “Trust me, I feel the same way.”
There’s a beat of silence, the two of you content to simply sit as the breeze ruffles the flowers that dot the landscape. When Anton speaks again, you watch his mouth, noting the way that his lips hold the same hue of the red tulips in the nearby flower bed.
“Can I show you something?”
The simple question has your gaze flickering back upwards, trying to ignore the way your heart races when his eyes meet yours.
“Sure,” you whisper, words instantly carried away by the wind.
Following behind Anton through the grass proves to be harder than you imagined, his long legs allowing him to move with a grace and speed that is difficult to match. He leads you in between a maze of flower beds, bringing you deeper into the garden until you’re surrounded by tall hedges on either side. From here, it’s impossible to see the house, so you just continue to follow behind Anton. You find yourself eyeing the broadness of his shoulders and the way his shirt shifts across the muscles of his back as he walks. It’s hypnotizing, so much so that you don’t realize that you have arrived at your destination.
“This is my thinking spot,” Anton says with a little flutter of his arms, clearly trying to present the space to you.
The hedge maze has opened up to a small central pocket, not housing much except for a small fountain and a stone bench. Anton is quick to take a seat, motioning for you to occupy the space next to him. It’s a bit of a squeeze, putting you and Anton close enough that you can feel the heat of his skin on your own. You dig your nails into the stone of the bench, hoping that it will steel your nerves.
“I like to come out here when my parents get in my head about the business. It’s pretty peaceful.”
“Yeah,” you say softly, despite knowing that no one is within earshot. “It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah, it really is.”
There’s an airiness to Anton’s voice that has you turning to face him. You take in a sharp inhale when you notice that his eyes are already on you, the close proximity leaving your faces mere inches away from each other. The overwhelming rush of blood in your ears forces you to turn away, taking a deep breath to calm your thundering heartbeat.
“You take all the girls here?” You aim for teasing, but the slight break in your voice makes it err more on the side of desperation.
Anton shakes his head earnestly. “You’re the first person I’ve brought here who isn’t my family.”
The admission feels like a sucker punch to the gut. Except there’s no pain, just a rush of warmth that climbs up your throat like ivy. Anton is clearly surprised as well, his own words deepening the pretty flush that has taken hold on his cheeks. His bottom lip is trapped by his teeth, its plushness oh so enticing in the afternoon sun.
“Y-you know,” you stutter out, swallowing thickly before continuing. “When you said you had impure intentions, I thought you were joking.”
“I don’t think I could joke about how bad I want you.”
It should feel like a corny line. It should feel like something he says to all the girls. After all, he’s Anton Lee. He could get anyone he wanted at the drop of a hat. So why does it feel so real when he says it to you? Why does it feel like those words are meant for you, and only you?
Anton’s gravity is pulling you closer, allowing you to lean further into his space. You’re close enough that you can feel his warm breath fanning your face, coming out in gentle puffs that reveal just how fast his heart is racing. He has released his bottom lip by now, leaving it glossy with saliva. It’s impossible not to anticipate the smooth glide of it against your own.
A sudden vibration snaps you both out of your bubble, the two of you popping apart as if you were repelling magnets. It takes a few seconds for you to realize that the vibration is coming from your own phone, buzzing incessantly. You shoot Anton an apologetic look before stepping away to take the call.
“We need you back home,” your mother rushes from the other side of the line, not bothering to waste time greeting you. “Your father wants to hear about your business with the Lees before he heads to his strategy meeting in an hour.”
“But the Lee house is thirty minutes away!”
You can practically hear your mother’s eye roll over the phone. “Then you better get going.”
. . .
Business meeting, my house at 4pm?
The text comes as both a surprise and the most expected invitation in the world. In your flurry to leave his house the week before, you had made sure to leave the man with your number. In turn, he smiled wide, promising to invite you over for another “business meeting” soon.
Before you can inquire about how much business will actually be necessary to discuss, your phone buzzed again.
My parents just left for a business trip to Milan.
A flutter rushes through your stomach at the implications. It’s clear what that means, that the two of you will finally have a chance to act on your chemistry without the watchful eyes of competitive families. The two of you will finally get to exist as your own people, and not as rivals and heirs of major global conglomerates.
The thought alone has you spending extra time on your appearance as you get ready. You make sure your hair sits just right and that your lips are perfectly glossy before pulling on a swimsuit and heading over. You try your best to remain as still as possible during the entire ride there, knowing that nerves in combination with the late summer heat will be enough to set you aflame.
Your heart is slamming in your chest by the time you finally pull into Anton’s driveway. It’s accompanied by a soft flutter of affection when you spot Anton’s figure, waving at you from the doorway. The wide smile on his face alone is enough to melt you. But the relaxed fit of his muscle tee and the way his swim shorts sit low on his hips has your face flooding with heat.
He greets you with a tight hug when you cross the threshold into the house. You try not to swoon at the firm pressure of his arms around your torso, ignoring the heat of his bare skin on your own. Anton had never touched you before, not beyond a simple handshake exchanged in front of parents, always respectful to a fault. For the first time, you find yourself grateful for that fact, knowing that now that you’ve had a taste of his touch, you will forever be addicted.
“I’m so happy to see you,” Anton gushes. “My parents have been really getting on my nerves about business and competition lately.”
“So you decided to invite the competition over to chill?”
Anton smiles, cocking his head in a puppy-like manner. “No, I invited the competition over to swim!”
So that’s why he reminded you to wear a bathing suit mere minutes before you left for his house. It makes sense, from the minimal texts that the two of you exchanged. Anton was always excited about the balanced heat of late summer, citing it as the perfect time for a lakeside swim. You wouldn’t know, of course, never having the luxury of having a lake in your backyard.
“What about your staff?”
“I let everyone have the afternoon off,” Anton responds proudly before letting his smile sink into something softer, more private. “I just wanted us to have some time alone.”
The simple admission rings out loudly in the otherwise quiet house. It’s clear how badly Anton wants this, how bad he wants your company despite the taboo that comes with it. Unsurprisingly, you find yourself wanting it just as bad, if not more. You’ve never craved anyone’s presence the way you have craved Anton’s, despite him being the one person in the world that you supposedly need to keep your distance from.
A small nod on your end is enough for Anton’s smile to grow once again, pearly whites on full display as his eyes wrinkle at the corners. The sight alone has your heart beating a little harder in your chest, the minor flutter in your abdomen growing into a full stampede of emotions. The feeling only intensifies as Anton engulfs your hand in his, lacing your fingers together as he leads you out into the backyard.
The late afternoon sun sparkles against the water, illuminating everything in a blue-yellow glow. It’s the most captivating sight for miles, you’re sure, until Anton begins to take his shirt off. The way his muscles shift under his unblemished skin rivals the beautiful surface of the lake, sparkling in its own way. His shoulder blades dance across his back enticingly as he leans down to remove his socks and shoes.
He shoots you a smile over his shoulder before cannonballing right into the water.
It takes only a few seconds for the man to reemerge, slicking his honey brown hair off of his forehead. His biceps bulge with the movement before waving you into the water. It’s as clear of a signal as any, but you can’t help but hesitate, suddenly shy at the thought of stripping down to your bikini in the presence of such a man. But the delicate reflection of sunlight in his eyes and the easy smile on his face is enough to draw you in.
Before you know it, you’re discarding your clothes, taking a running head start to join Anton in the water.
Your skin is submerged in an icy chill, the water surprisingly cool for so late in the day. But soon the warmth of another body is nearing, making the cold that much more bearable. You resurface with a giggle, giddy from the feeling of swimming so long. Instantly, Anton is joining in, clearly happy seeing you filled with such glee.
“Fuck, it’s cold!” You exclaim, shrieking when Anton splashes a bit of water your way.
“It’ll get better,” Anton grins. “You just gotta keep swimming.”
It’s easy to do as told, letting your body relax as you continue to wade in the cool water. Eventually you let yourself fall into your back, feeling the contrast between the warm sun on your face and the cool water surrounding your body. It’s serene, allowing you to let your worries quite literally float away. However, the feeling of a chilled hand grazing your hip is enough to snap you out of your relaxation, scrambling to right yourself in panic.
“Sorry!” Anton chuckles. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just getting bored without you.”
“It’s okay,” you soothe, finding that the pace of your heart is beginning to quicken for an entirely different reason.
Anton looks especially beautiful like this, with his damp hair splayed messily across his head and drops of water dripping down his face. The sun has just begun to set, painting Anton’s skin with a beautiful golden hue. His eyes glisten just like the water, sunlight sparkling as it dances across the reflective surfaces. Like this, Anton seems so bright, so luminous, that hating him seems impossible.
“I’m really glad you came today,” Anton says, his voice dropping to that soft shy tone he always uses in the presence of others. “I’m glad to have someone who gets what it's like.”
You can’t resist the smile that begins to tug on the corners of your mouth. “You’re not just saying this to get my family’s business secrets?”
Anton huffs out a laugh. “No. I’m saying this because I really like you. I like spending time with you, even though I’m supposed to hate it.”
With every word, you find yourself drifting closer to the man, his hand remaining steady on your hip as you tread lightly. Despite the obvious effort to keep your head above water, you feel like you’re drowning. But the slick feeling of Anton’s skin against yours reminds you that you won’t drown. Anton won’t let you.
“I like you, too.”
The simple admission has Anton’s face flushing, the pretty rose color glistening orange in the light. It’s beautiful. He’s beautiful. You hate to dull his beauty in this moment, but you have to.
“But what about our families? It’s not like the two of us can ever be anything.”
Anton sighs, his face dropping with realization. “I know, but…is it crazy to say that I don’t care?”
The hand on your hip tightens, pulling you even closer into Anton’s space. It’s close enough that the two of you end up bumping knees every so often, constantly moving to keep yourselves afloat. Here, in his space, you can see the way that his lashes cast subtle shadows on his cheeks. It’s easy to count the few moles that pepper his face and neck, sitting stark upon unblemished skin.
When his eyes meet yours, it becomes clear what you wish to do. No, what you need to do.
“Anton,” you whisper. “What did you mean when you said you had impure intentions?”
The man moves to open his mouth, but before he can get the first syllable out, you cut him off.
“Don’t tell me,” you coo. “Show me.”
You would be lying if you said you never thought about the feeling of Anton’s plush lips on yours. In reality, you spent too many nights lying awake, thinking about the slick feel of his mouth on yours, of the way his large hands would feel clutching onto your body, of the feel of his soft brown strands underneath your fingertips.
But dreams never compare to the real thing.
Nothing could compare to the pure bliss of having Anton’s mouth slide against your own. He moves fervently, letting the kiss carry the twinge of desperation that you both have felt since you’ve met. It’s far from the polite way that you expected Anton Lee to kiss, but that makes it that much better.
His nose grazes your cheek as he tilts his head, angling himself to kiss you deeper. His tongue is warm as it eases its way into your mouth, the warmth a welcome contrast to the chill of the lake. The hand that was once grasping your hip travels down to your backside and thigh, lifting you up to wrap yourself around his waist. It’s improper, at the very least, but you can’t find it in yourself to care when Anton sighs softly into your mouth.
It feels like ages before the two of you part, chests heaving where they remain pressed together. You’re so close that you imagine that even water can’t exist between you two. Anton’s abdomen is solid where your core is pressed up against him, supporting your weight so that neither of you are at risk of sinking.
“That,” Anton whispers, “is what I meant by impure intentions.
You can’t help but giggle at the boy’s breathless tone, suddenly feeling giddy that you were the one to make him this way. You were the one to fluster the ever-perfect Anton Lee. It was you. It’s always been you.
“Our parents…” you mutter reflexively, your mind a war zone.
“Hey,” Anton coos, bringing a hand under your chin.
With just a gentle tilt, you meet his eyes, instantly getting lost in the way his gaze bores into yours. As if he can’t help himself, Anton leans in to place a quick peck on your lips. When you part, a soft whine escapes your lips, mourning the loss of your lover’s kiss.
“Y/N, we’ll figure it out. I won’t let this go south because of our parents.”
You nod nervously, trying your hardest to believe in the reassurance that Anton is trying to provide you. As if he could sense the residual nerves, Anton presses his lips against your forehead in a soft kiss. The sensation makes your eyes flutter shut, a content smile beginning to grown on your face. After a brief moment, Anton chuckles.
“Who knows?” He mutters. “Maybe our parents will get that merger after all.”
. . .
[8 years later]
BREAKING NEWS: Lee Enterprises and TOTAL, Inc. have announced a historic merger to form one mega-corporation. This announcement comes one year after CEO and President of Lee Enterprises, Anton Lee, and Chairperson of TOTAL, Inc., Y/N Y/L/N, announced their marriage. The new multinational conglomerate will be known as Lakeside, LLC, and is said to have a current stock value of over five billion dollars.
.FIN.
So cute! I loved reading this, the pacing was really nice not too long or too short. The slang was also very interesting to read, definitely something you would hear nowadays :)
ඞ JOIN GAME?
not everyone is good at playing obby’s on roblox, and you’re no exception to this rule: after a particularly nasty encounter with another player on roblox’s altitorture, you log into twitter only to find out that the very same player who publicly dunked on your gaming skills turns out to be anton lee, a well-known streamer who also happens to be a friend of a friend. fed up with his fans bombarding your dms with teasing remarks or jealous musings, you decide to end it once and for all by appearing on his next stream with a promise to get through an obby successfully. however, you realize that the only thing you’ll be successful at is falling for anton lee instead.
PAIRING. streamer!anton + fem!reader
GENRES + WARNINGS. non-idol au, streamer!anton au, crack, strangers to friends to lovers, rivals to lovers(?) | profanity, violent jokes, sexual jokes, y/n is horribly bad at games so that deserves a warning of its own, mentions of GOJO 🤢
STATUS. completed
PLAYLIST. electronic lover by breathe electric; there is a light that never goes out by the smiths; she won't go away by faye webster; she's got you high by mumm-ra; accidentally in love by counting crows; 青のすみか by tatsuya kitani
CHARACTER PROFILES
the better dsmp
robloxians
CHAPTERS
one. coolprettycutegirl
two. 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔦𝔰 𝔩𝔦𝔣𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔥.
three. no lube, no protection
four. ganyu says…
five. facebook stalker
six. 𝕝𝕖𝕥’𝕤 𝕙𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕦𝕡 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕘𝕖𝕥 🔥𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂🔥 ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ 𝔂𝓪𝓷𝓰𝔂𝓪𝓷𝓰 𝓸𝓫𝓫𝔂😭😭😭😭😭💔💔💔💔💔💔
seven. HATE the player not the game
eight. gobble gobble 💔
nine. LALALA
ten. 50k words slow burn streamer x weaboo romance slight angst happy ending
eleven. y/ntonchansoul server
twelve. 3 dollars and a crunchyroll subscription
thirteen. kaomojinese
fourteen. modern day michelangelo
fifteen. who else feel Baka rn 😭
sixteen. pixelated haiku
seventeen. my little skibidi toilet
eighteen. organ failure 💔
nineteen. satosugu but straight
twenty. #STONERLAND_SUCKS
twenty-one. elon musk plz ban anton’s mortal enemy
twenty-two. galvanized steel and eco-friendly wood veneers
twenty-three. sungchan boy kisser confirmed
twenty-four. choose ur poison (simp edition)
twenty-five. user gojoxdino’s last straw
twenty-six. there is no “we” in y/nton
twenty-seven. u can’t just say perchance
twenty-eight. a friendly date for friends!!!
twenty-nine. oikawa drip at the function
thirty. awesome-sauce
thirty-one. soul literate era
thirty-two. #JUSTICE_FOR_YNTON
EXTRAS
EXTRA 31.5. seunghan’s 0 kills
EXTRA 1. #FlyHighYN 🕊️
EXTRA 2. sungtaro vs y/nton
EXTRA 3. behind user gojoxdino…
EXTRA 4. another minecraft server!?!?!?
story by hangup119. do not steal.
Love this! Can’t wait for the next chapter
જ⁀➴ dirty little secret lee anton smau
synopsis: living with your older brother had its perks, including easy access to his hot best friend
half smau half written, brothers best friend, kys/kms jokes, smut (MDNI!!), fluff, possible angst
TAGLIST: CLOSED!!
profiles
─── ♡ chapters:
01. congratudolences
02. long live anton 🕊️❤️
03. up… plotting
04. library shenanigans ♡
05. i dont bite ♡ (smut)
06. silly goofy mood
07. bye baby
୨୧⸝⸝﹕it’s salty in the middle of those sweet moments.
SUMMARY! for reasons unknown to him, you seem to absolutely hate lee anton. on several occasions, he’s tried to hate you right back, but found that it can be difficult to dislike someone when you’re completely infatuated with them.
PAIRING! lee anton x fem!reader
GENRE! college!au, slice of life, swim team!au idk what to call it actually but anton and reader are both captains, fluff, angst (kinda), (one-sided) enemies to lovers WC 6.6k
WARNING! swearing, reader is mean to anton for a while, miscommunication, i have no knowledge of swimming as a sport and had to do a lot of research for this one so sorry if this contains some inaccuracies, not proofread
NOTE! when anon requested this i jumped out of my seat bc rivals to lovers with anton was my very first wip on this acc but i scrapped it and this gave me an excuse to write abt it again
anton thinks the world of you while you think nothing of him. he’s unsure of how someone he thinks of so highly could hate him so much, and he’s even more unsure of how he could still be so enamored by you despite knowing that you feel the exact opposite way about him.
he gave up on trying to understand the root of your hatred towards him long ago.
at first, he assumed that you were just jealous of the fact that the boy’s swim team had a bigger budget than the girl’s. this wasn’t anton’s fault by any means, but he thought that you might’ve been taking your anger out on him due to his position as team captain. the school administration seemed to simply favor the boy’s swim team over yours, and even anton knew that it wasn’t fair. the favoritism meant that anton’s team received better funding, which inevitably meant better… everything.
anton vividly remembers the glare that you’re always giving him only growing in intensity the day he and his team stepped into the pool area wearing their brand new goggles and swim trunks. he recalls the way the other girls on your team looked down at their own worn out swimsuits upon seeing anton’s team’s new attire, and he felt terrible. if it were up to him, he would’ve entered the room wearing the same faded blue swim jammers he and his teammates were forced to wear at the start of the semester if it meant you’d stop looking at him with such disdain in your eyes.
if this had been the reason behind your distaste for the boy, he would’ve understood. but the hatred you held for him extended beyond swimming, too.
“your hair looks stupid like that,” he hears you mutter from behind him. he turns around, an indifferent expression adorning his features to mask his nervousness.
the fact that you still manage to get the boy’s heart racing and his palms sweating despite your cruel words is baffling to him.
anton’s teeth sink into his bottom lip, wanting to retaliate but not having the slightest idea what to say. “my hair looks like this everyday,” is all he can pathetically exhale.
you’re still staring at him with a furrowed brow and he stares back at you, perplexed. he wonders if you have anything else to say to him or if you were insulting his hair for the pure fun of it. he thinks he’d be fine with either, because at least you’re talking to him.
he feels like slapping himself in the forehead at his own lovesickness.
after a few moments of silence, you scoff, signaling with your hand that you want him to move out of your way.
wordlessly, anton obliges, stepping aside and watching as you continue on your way to whatever class you have next. he notices merely seconds afterwards that the hallway he’s currently standing in isn’t narrow in the slightest, meaning you could’ve easily gone around him and still insisted on making him move. he wishes he could dislike you— he really does.
anton turns around to find sohee and seunghan now leaning against the wall, having observed the entire interaction between you and their love-struck friend. sohee looks at him pitifully while seunghan claps, slowly and sarcastically.
“don’t,” is all anton says to them, hanging his head. he knows that they’d like to drill another lesson into his mind about how he needs to stop letting you push him around like that, and he’s not in the mood for it.
“anton, my man,” seunghan sighs, putting an arm around his shoulders. “i get that you like her, i really do, and that she’s pretty and all,” he feels anton’s shoulders momentarily tense at his words, “but i don’t think she’s into you. like, at all.”
anton shrugs the older boy’s arm off, shaking his head. “i don’t like her,” he lies through gritted teeth. sohee and seunghan share an unamused look.
in actuality, the two of them were there to witness anton fall for you firsthand. when their younger friend first saw you and two of your friends walking through the quad area of campus, they watched the way his eyes widened and the way the oxygen left his lungs. they recall thinking that anton’s heart would burst out of his chest and fall right onto the grass below the three of them. his friends were in disbelief that anton was currently standing in front of them and denying his feelings for you when they quite literally saw him develop said feelings in real time.
when anton found out that you were captain of the girl’s swim team, it only solidified the way he felt about you. being captain of the boy’s swim team himself, he thought it was the perfect setup. he was too shy to nonchalantly walk up to you and initiate conversation, but he had the notion that swimming would make good enough of an excuse.
his hopes of becoming acquainted with you through your shared interest in the sport were crushed almost immediately. when he first tried to strike up a conversation with you, you sent him a scowl that intimidated him into walking the other way. on a separate occasion, he attempted to talk to you again, only for you to turn your head and pretend that you hadn’t heard him. he hasn’t tried to initiate anything ever since, the only time the two of you ever interact being whenever you glare at him or make a remark about him in passing.
he never found out what your problem was when it came to him, and he doesn’t think he ever will.
anton sees sohee and seunghan’s solemn faces and scoffs. “i’m serious, guys!” he complains, “you’ve seen the way she acts towards me. why would i like somebody like that? that’s like setting myself up for failure.” his chest tightens as the words leave his mouth. he only said that so his friends would drop the subject, but he knows that there’s truth behind his statement. the two boys only exhale disappointedly.
sohee purses his lips. “if she didn’t absolutely hate you for no reason, you guys would probably look good together,” he comments. seunghan nods, “too bad she’s got a stick up her ass.”
for whatever reason, anton wants to defend you and tell his friend that there is no stick up your ass— you’re only hostile when it comes to him. he realizes how pitiful that sentence would sound to sohee and seunghan and decides against saying it out loud.
“stop being hung up on that girl, anton,” sohee chimes, putting a hand on his friend’s arm, “there’s plenty of fish in the sea. you would know all about that, right? since you’re a swimmer and all.”
seunghan hits sohee in the arm jokingly. “he’s on the swim team, not a fucking merman.”
“he’s so cute, are you kidding me?” you hear rei practically squeal as you step into the locker room. she and jiwon are both already wearing their swimsuits, and the latter looks up upon hearing you enter the room.
“who are we talking about?” you smile, setting down your backpack. it’s late in the afternoon and you’re relieved to be done with your classes for the day, finally able to do what you love most.
“um,” jiwon begins, “no one in particular. right, rei?” your friend sounds a bit on edge as she turns to the girl sitting on the bench beside her, who shrugs. “we’re talking about anton,” she replies, earning a slap on the arm from jiwon. “ow! what the hell?”
jiwon watches as you halt your process of taking off your shirt, about to change into your swimsuit. she knew that your mood would turn sour at the mention of the boy; it’s a known fact amongst the members of your team that you hate lee anton.
“you think anton is cute?” you turn to rei, frowning. the girl lets out a huff of air, her bangs moving in the process. “i don’t see how you don’t,” she mutters, “and i don’t get why you hate his guts either. he’s super nice.”
you continue changing, the two girls looking away from you as you do so out of respect. “you wouldn’t understand,” is all you say in response. jiwon bites her lip, feeling bad for the boy. she’s seen it all— the fleeting, longing glances anton sends your way, and the scornful looks you send him in return. she doesn’t comment on it, not wanting to upset you, but a minuscule, intrusive part of her desperately wants to know what’s going on between you and the captain of the boy’s team.
rei, however, seems to know no boundaries. “would you be mad if i dated him, then?” she chortles, giddily kicking her legs. not facing you, she doesn’t see the way you grow tense at her question. you open your mouth to respond when a knock at the locker room door startles the three of you.
the door opens a fraction and you turn to see yujin pop her head inside. “are you guys almost ready?” she asks, scanning the room before her eyes land on you. “oh, hey, captain,” she smiles, eyes forming crescents. you wave, and the older girl continues. “coach wanted me to remind you guys that we have a joint training session today,” she clenches her teeth for a second, eyes moving to jiwon and rei who are wearing matching nervous expressions at the reminder. “you know, with the boys team,” yujin finishes, not daring to look you in the eye in fear of how you might react.
as captain of the team, you were curious as to why your coach would want to remind you of that, seeing as you were often the first person to obtain this information. upon deeper thought, you realize it was probably because even your coach knew about your hatred towards anton and wanted you to stay focused this time around rather than glaring at him every few minutes. you almost let out a laugh at the thought.
“you hear that, captain?” rei teases, “prepare yourself! don’t let anton distract you this time.”
you throw a towel in her direction, earning a grunt from her. “i should be telling you that,” you scold, “seeing as you’re obsessed with him all of a sudden.”
rei laughs, and you’re unsure of how to feel when you come to the realization that she didn’t disagree with your statement.
once you finally leave the locker room, you come face to face with your sworn enemy himself.
anton doesn’t look in your direction for as long as he normally does, memories of your interaction from earlier in the day flooding his mind. no matter how small of a gesture it is, your teammates take notice of it. “he’s not staring at you today,” gaeul whispers, shocked.
you only shake your head. “like i care,” you spit, crossing your arms, “i prefer it that way, actually. he should focus on his own team.”
wonyoung puts her hands on your shoulders from behind, lightly shaking you. “loosen up, okay?” she advises, her own eyes drifting over to anton’s team. as if on cue, anton looks over at you for a moment, watching as you joke around with your teammate. he wishes that you were even half as nice to him as you are to your team, wondering what it would be like to laugh with you the same way wonyoung is right now.
noticing anton’s preoccupied state, one of his teammates calls out to him. “captain!” anton turns his head away from you, looking his teammate in the eye. “yeah, taesan? you need something?” he inquires, getting back into his leader headspace. taesan looks over anton’s shoulder at your team, making the inference that he had been distracted by you. like always, taesan thinks to himself.
“do some stretches with me, yeah?” he says, wanting anton to fully dedicate himself to practicing instead of letting you pose as an obstacle.
anton is a good team captain— any of his teammates can attest. but it feels like anytime you’re in his presence, he’s only able to give 80% as opposed to his usual hundred, the other 20% being spent completely fixated on you.
he walks over to his dark haired teammate with a nod, agreeing to help him warm up. he thinks it serves as a more productive way to pass time than staring at you like a lovesick idiot.
“i was thinking,” taesan starts, copying the way anton does shoulder stretches to loosen his joints, “well, me and leehan were talking about it, actually. we should do a bonfire later, at the beach,” he tells the older boy.
anton licks his lips, nodding absentmindedly. “just you and leehan?” he asks, looking around the room for the boy in question. he sees leehan standing in the corner looking disinterested and waves him over. with an inaudible sigh, leehan reluctantly joins the two boys who are now doing tricep stretches. taesan shakes his head in response to the question anton had posed, “no, i meant, like, the whole team,” he corrects. “tell him, leehan,” taesan nudges his teammate.
“i hate stretching,” leehan murmurs, gaze aimed towards the white tiles beneath him. “about the bonfire, dumbass,” taesan deadpans. leehan perks up at the mention of something that he actually cares about. “oh, yeah! we’re gonna invite the whole team,” he grins, “it’ll be a blast, anton. you’ve gotta go.”
anton thinks it over, biting the inside of his cheek. “it’s already kind of late though, no?” he points out, causing the two boys on either side of him to groan. “bonfires are literally supposed to happen at night,” taesan comments at the same time leehan says, “don’t be such a buzzkill.”
“is the girls team invited?” anton can’t stop himself from asking, earning more groans from the two boys. “i don’t want to go through the trouble of inviting them,” leehan complains. “yeah,” his friend nods, “plus, he’s only asking because he wants their captain to be there.”
taesan’s comment makes anton come to a halt, and he’s now the only one out of the three of them no longer stretching. “that’s not true,” he defends himself, “i just feel kind of bad. i mean, we already have a bigger budget than them, and stuff.”
“keep telling yourself that, champ,” leehan grumbles. “we see right through you.” anton steps forward, looking at both of them simultaneously. “guys, seriously,” he says lowly, “i feel bad.”
taesan lets out a laugh, “right, you feel bad that you won’t be able to make heart eyes at y/n tonight.”
anton rubs his palm across his face, frustrated. “here’s an offer for you. you either invite the girls team, or…” he pauses, attempting to appear intimidating, “you’re not allowed to have the bonfire at all.”
the two boys scoff in unison. “you can’t just do that,” taesan snorts, “you’re our captain, not our mom.” anton scratches his head at that, disorientated. “look, i— okay,” he tries again, “i don’t know. i’ll buy you guys food, or something.”
it’s now taesan and leehan’s turn freeze in their places. “why didn’t you start with that?”
practice ends faster than you wish it had and you hoist your bag over your shoulder. you turn to jiwon and rei, about to ask if they’re ready to leave when you’re interrupted by two loud voices. “girls! hey!” you turn your head to see two members of the boys swim team— who’s names you never bothered to learn— running up to you and your friends.
“hey,” one of them pants, “don’t leave yet.” you look at your friends once more, studying their expressions that look just as confused as yours. “anton wanted— ouch!” the boy is interrupted by his friend slapping him on the arm harshly, as if he had said something wrong. “all of us, i mean, wanted to know if you girls would like to join us tonight,” the boy finishes, rubbing his arm while sending a subtle glare in his friend’s direction.
“join you.. in doing what, exactly?” you inquire, serious as ever. the two boys seemingly grow smaller under your intimidating gaze as if they hadn’t anticipated your somber attitude. “we’re doing a bonfire,” the other boy replies, pointing his thumb in the direction of the rest of his team. you look over the boy’s shoulder, your eyes landing upon anton, who is already looking at you. upon seeing your eyes scan over him, he looks away.
rei claps her hands together a few times, “we’ll be there! thank you for inviting us.” her words startle you and you open your mouth to protest. you had just been seconds away from telling the boys in front of you that you weren’t interested.
“yeah, count us in!” jiwon chimes, and you want the tiled floor below to swallow you whole. “you guys have fun, then,” you tell them, eyes swimming with boredom, “i’m going home.”
“no!” the boys in front of you shout in unison, startling you and your team. “you have to come. especially,” one of them pleads. “and why is that?” you put one hand on your hip, intimidating them further.
everyone already seems to know the answer to your question before the boys can even formulate the words to say it. “our captain wants you to.”
your teammates all but drag you to the beach against your will, uttering complaints about how you “need to learn how to have fun” and how they’ve “been waiting for something exciting like this to happen”.
within the first 5 minutes of your arrival, you’ve already tried to escape more times than your friends are able to count. wonyoung had to keep a tight grip on your wrist to ensure that you wouldn’t go anywhere, and you swear at the girl in your head for being stronger than she appears.
“i can’t believe anton himself told his friends to invite us just so he could see y/n,” rei mutters, astonished, “do you have any idea how lucky you are?”
“that’s definitely not the reason,” you deny, already wanting to drop the topic, “they probably just thought it would be funny because everybody on the planet knows that i hate him.”
and while taesan and leehan are most definitely aware of your hatred towards their captain, their reasoning for inviting you and your team really was because anton wanted to see you.
“invite the girls team!” leehan mocks, intentionally making his voice sound higher, “i feel sooo bad for them!” anton pays no mind to the way he’s being blatantly teased, his eyes trained on you. “feel bad for them my ass,” taesan comments under his breath, “he’s already making heart eyes at her, just like i said.”
“you’re a real masochist, you know that?” leehan adds, waving a hand in front of anton’s line of sight. the taller boy blinks in response as if he had broken out of whatever trance you had him under. “that girl doesn’t even try to hide the fact that she hates you, and you’re still, like, obsessed with her.”
anton sharply exhales through his nose, not needing another reminder of the fact that you dislike him and that he’s stupid for helplessly pining after you.
“i’ve heard that a million times,” he retorts, “and i’m not obsessed with her. in fact, i’m starting to hate her, too.”
he thinks that lying to his teammates is just as difficult as lying to sohee and seunghan, only receiving humorless looks in response to his statement. “right,” taesan scoffs, “you hate her so much that you forced me and leehan to invite the entire girls swim team just so you could see her.” anton lightly hits him with the back of his hand, muttering, “i told you that’s not the reason.”
all three boys turn to look at you, arms crossed and unamused. “oh, man,” leehan laughs, “she’s bored out of her fucking mind.” anton watches you carefully, your eyes burning a hole in the sand beneath your shoes. “why don’t you go talk to her, captain?” taesan teases, slapping his friend on the back boyishly. anton staggers forward about a centimeter due to the impact, looking back at the boy. “or anyone on the girls team, for that matter. since you made us invite every single one of them,” leehan quips.
but anton thinks that talking to you would only dampen your mood even further, and he doesn’t want the glare that you’re currently directing towards the sand to be aimed at him. “try talking to her, right there,” leehan points to someone in your general direction and anton follows his finger with his gaze, “naoi rei. she’s one of y/n’s closest friends, i think.”
taesan lets out another scoff, “yeah, but she’s not y/n. anton wants y/n, not the next best thing.”
jiwon and rei stand next to the bonfire, and you overhear one of them comment on how it isn’t as big as they were expecting it to be. you see wonyoung and yujin sitting on some large rocks a short distance away from the shore. you quickly scan the perimeter looking for gaeul, who you find sitting on the sand and looking up at the stars. your friends are all enjoying themselves— why aren’t you?
as per usual, you want to blame your discomfort on the fact that anton is in your vicinity. but how exactly could you do that when he hasn’t interacted with you all night?
come to think of it, your last interaction with the boy in question was earlier today when you told him that his hair looked stupid. you shake your head at the memory— you hadn’t even meant it. you actually liked his hair, but you’d rather drop dead than admit that to him. you hate lee anton with a burning passion, and you hate that you like his hair.
you hate that you’re currently sitting here wishing that he would come up to you and say something. after all, your friends dragged you here and his teammates made it seem as though your attendance was obligatory. the way you see it, the least anton could do after subjecting you to all of that is talk to you. you suppose that you can’t really blame him for not wanting to, though. you kick the sand beneath you at the realization.
you’re not sure how much time you spend thinking about the boy you swear to hate with every fiber of your being, but you conclude that a few long minutes must’ve gone by, because suddenly you look up and find that both your team and anton’s team are gathered around the fire. you watch them carefully, eyes wandering from individual to individual.
you see yujin laughing with some guy from the other team. you see the two boys that invited you and your friends to this very event. finally, your eyes land on anton, and you regret it almost immediately.
he’s nervously scratching the back of his neck the way you often catch him doing. he’s got a bashful smile on his lips as he looks down at whoever he’s currently talking to. you crane your neck to see who that may be, and find that it’s none other than your own teammate and friend— naoi rei.
you make a face of disgust that no one sees, and only then do you realize that you’re still standing a good distance away from the large group. “oh my god,” you scowl. you run a hand over your face, conflicted. you already hated being here, and seeing anton converse with one of your closest friends might’ve just made your attitude towards this whole situation a million times worse. you know that rei is probably over the moon right now, looking up at him with a twinkle in her eye and a girlish smile.
you want to be happy for her— you think that any good friend would jump at the sight of their teammate getting along with the person they find attractive— and you swear that you would be if the person she was talking to was anyone but him. you tell yourself that it’s because rei deserves better than him, ignoring the way your heart plummets. he was only going to chase after you for so long.
you shake your head rapidly as if it would rid your mind of the thought, not knowing where it came from in the first place.
you need to get out of here— asap.
you hate lee anton and you hate that you like his hair and you hate that you spent a decent amount of time tonight wishing that he’d speak to you.
you hate that you even care in the slightest that he’s currently flirting with your best friend and you hate that almost everyone here managed to convince you that he and his teammates invited you simply because he wanted you here.
you discreetly make your way around the group, advancing towards the shore. you don’t think anyone sees you as you do so, hearing the sound of their laughter grow more distant with each step you take towards the sea. as you continue moving forward absentmindedly, you don’t realize that you’re already knees deep in the water until a salty wave crashes into you, reaching the area below your thigh.
“what are you doing?” your head quickly turns to find the source of the voice and you scowl once you realize who it is.
of course, anton chooses now to finally talk to you.
you turn back around, ignoring him, because that’s how you are— you think about him more than you’d ever like to admit and act indifferent towards him once he’s in your presence. anton watches as you turn your back to him, unsure of why he assumed that this interaction with you would be any different from your interactions in the past.
nonetheless, with bravery that he didn’t even know he had, anton continues talking. “you could get sick if you go any further,” he blurts out.
in truth, anton had been watching you through his peripheral vision as he was conversing with rei, and saw as you treaded through the sand and into the water. he excused himself— he had been looking for a way to escape the conversation anyway— and followed your silhouette that was now standing in the ocean, letting waves collide with your legs.
in retrospect, he should’ve thought of something to say to you beforehand, because if the mere act of him talking to you wasn’t enough to piss you off, anton was sure that lecturing you about how you could get sick from swimming at night would definitely cause you to flip your lid.
his suspicions appear to have been correct, because you whip your head back around and give him an angry look. “what are you doing here?” you spit, expecting him to flinch and avoid your gaze the same way that he always does.
“why can’t i be here?” he presses, furrowing his brow, and you’re the one that flinches. “do you own the ocean?”
you’re sure that steam would be coming out of your ears right now if you were living in an old cartoon. you clench your fist, taken aback.
“why do you hate me so much, y/n?” anton pleads, unable to prevent the million dollar question from leaving his lips. this is a position he never thought he’d find himself in; confronting you about your unadulterated hatred towards him while your entire bottom half is almost completely submerged in the ocean.
your lip quivers and you clench your teeth as you feel your resilient facade start to crack. neither you nor anton are sure where his daring attitude came from, but it seems to be catching both of you by surprise, because even the boy in question moves to wipe his palms against his jeans to rid them of their clamminess. “answer me,” he demands, his voice as soft as it normally is and yet it still intimidates you.
you turn around for the forth and final time, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of discovering the root of your distaste towards him. anton shakes his head, although you’re unable to see it, and sharply inhales in preparation for what he’s about to do.
he cautiously takes a step forward, letting the water dampen the cuffs of his jeans. he cringes, but proceeds nevertheless, mimicking the strides that you had taken minutes prior.
before you’re able to prevent it from happening, anton is standing directly beside you, jeans darkening as the water seeps into them, and you nearly jump out of your skin.
the tall boy leans forward, and you lean back. “answer me,” he repeats his previous words in a hushed voice.
you’re looking down at the water that the two of you are standing in and anton thinks it’s funny, for a moment, how the roles seem to be reversed— you’re tense and apprehensive while he’s bold and collected, trying to crane his neck to meet your downward pointed gaze.
“you should know the reason why,” he hears you speak under your breath. you finally look at him, eyes narrowed. “you’re making fun of me, aren’t you?” you question, and he recoils.
“i’m not— what? why would— why do you think i’m making fun of you?” anton sputters, genuinely appalled at the accusation. he’s unable to wrap his head around what kind of thoughts might be running through your mind right now.
“because there’s no way in hell that you don’t know why i hate you, lee anton,” you say, words flying from your mouth hurriedly. “there’s no way you just let me push you around and stare at you like you’re the scum of the earth if you don’t know the reason why. you have to know,” you look into his eyes in search of an answer but you’re only met with confusion.
anton shakes his head. “i don’t know, y/n,” he begins, “i really don’t know, and i’m sorry if you think i’m playing a prank on you right now, but i’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.”
he looks down momentarily, his eyes landing on his wet jeans. when he looks back up, he’s zoned in on the way the moon makes your eyes look as though they’re sparkling, and he thinks it’s beautiful. “you may know this already,” he starts speaking again, “but i’m in love with you.”
he makes sure not to stutter or appear anxious in the slightest, afraid that if he made the slightest mistake, he’d try to prevent the words from leaving his mouth. and he needs you to know.
your lips part, his words shocking you more than anything else that has taken place tonight. “i’m always lying to my teammates and my friends, saying that i don’t like you because they think i’m insane for chasing after someone who wishes i didn’t even exist,” anton continues, his tone becoming sorrowful, “but i can’t lie anymore. especially not to you.”
by now, both of your hearts are pounding, and you’re sure that they would be audible if it weren’t for the sounds of the waves crashing. “so, no,” he says, “the reason i let you push me around isn’t because i know why you hate me. it’s because i’m in love with you, and no matter how hard i try, i can’t stop.”
he waits for you to respond, eyes trained on yours. you finally start speaking, lowly and carefully. “there was this guy,” you tell him, “you used to hang out with him last year. i would see you and him laughing together all the time, with two other friends of yours.”
taking in your words, anton ponders who you could be referring to before his eyes widen slightly. “wonbin?” he asks, although he has no doubt in his mind that you’re talking about his older friend. wonbin, seunghan, sohee and anton were practically attached at the hip during the latter’s freshman year of college, and when wonbin made the decision to drop out in order to pursue a career in music, the other three were left to fend for themselves.
you scoff, despite wanting to contain your hostility towards the boy after his confession. “i don’t know his name,” you mumble, “but yeah, that’s probably him.”
anton nods, urging you to continue. he’s finally going to find out why you’ve disliked him for as long as he can remember and he doesn’t want to waste a second. “he told me that you liked me,” you say, watching as the boy flinches in your peripheral at your words. “and i was so happy at the time because i liked you, too.”
it’s anton’s turn to be stunned by your confession, not believing the words that are coming out of your mouth. “i would always look at you, but you’d never look at me back. when your friend— wonbin, i guess— told me that you liked me, i thought that meant you would talk to me,” you shake your head at the memory, “but you never did. it was like i didn’t even exist to you.”
you keep talking, quietly, “every single person who knew me knew that i liked you. one day, i saw you guys laughing together like you always did, and then it clicked in my brain.” you’re silent for a moment before you continue. “i figured that you must’ve known that i liked you, too, and told your friend to say that to me as some sort of cruel joke.”
anton is yet again appalled at your words. “you only seemed to start caring about my existence at the beginning of last semester. you tried to come up to me a few times, and i always assumed it was because you were finally feeling bad about the whole wonbin thing and wanted to apologize, and i didn’t want to hear it. it was around that time that i started hating you.”
you scratch the back of your neck, not having thought that you’d ever admit any of this to the boy standing beside you. anton swallows before he thinks over his next words. “i didn’t know about any of that,” he assures you, and he can sense that you doubt his words momentarily because he starts talking faster. “i’m not sure what prompted wonbin to say that to you, but i can tell you this,” he whispers, “i’ve been in love with you from the very first time i saw you, and no amount of insults or glares from you is ever going to change that.” for a moment, even the waves of the ocean seem to still, leaving only the sound of anton’s voice ringing in your ears.
you’re not used to feeling this vulnerable, and the fact that you’re sharing a moment like this with lee anton— the man you (no longer) hate— sends a shiver down your spine. you find yourself searching for a sense of familiarity, even if it comes in the form of playful banter rather than the usual insult.
“say that again,” you tell him, and he’s unsure if you’re being serious at first. when silence lingers in the air, he finally begins speaking. “i’ve… been in love with you since the first time i saw you,” anton says, unsure. you shake your head, displeased.
“put it in the present tense,” you purse your lips, crossing your arms. anton lets out a curt laugh, now realizing that you’re actually joking with him. so this, he thinks, is what it feels like to laugh with you. “i’m in love with you, y/n,” by now, he’s adorning a smile that reaches his eyes, head slightly tilted towards the ground bashfully.
“wanna know something, lee anton? i think i might be, too.”
weeks later, you’re swinging open the doors to the pool area, the smell of chlorine crashing into you as you step inside.
the boys team is in the middle of practicing, leehan and taesan— who’s names you finally learned after enduring weeks of their relentless teasing, always having to hear a complaint from them about how their team captain is even less focused than before since the two of you started dating— spotting you almost immediately. they let out exaggerated groans, knowing they now have to witness you and anton grossly interact.
“captain!” taesan calls out with dread lacing his tone, “your girlfriend is here.” upon hearing that, anton, who is currently in the pool, whips his head around so quickly that you’re almost positive he could’ve gotten whiplash. you wave, and rather than exiting the water, he swims over to where you stand on the poolside. looking up at you, he smiles, slightly out of breath. “hey, lovely,” he says, removing the goggles from around his head so he can study you better.
he pays no mind to the sounds of his teammates gagging in the background, not looking anywhere but at you.
to say that both your team and anton’s team were surprised upon hearing about your blossoming relationship with the boy would be an understatement. not only did both teams have to grow accustomed to the fact that you no longer hated anton, but they also needed to get used to the mere concept of you two dating each other. it wasn’t as though you two no longer served as distractions to the other, however— if anything, you both stared at each other even more than you had previously, the difference being that now you looked at anton with adoration in your eyes rather than resentment.
“i don’t know if seeing you two together makes my heart want to explode with joy, or if it makes me wanna throw up,” you recall rei telling you during practice one day. anton has shared similar stories, stating that although both taesan and leehan are happy to see their captain in a relationship with the girl he’s been pining after, they hate the way anton apparently never shuts up about you during training.
you look down at the boy, flashing him a smile of your own. droplets of water threaten to fall into his eyes, but he doesn’t seem to mind. “hey,” you hum, “i won’t bother you long. just checking in.” anton shakes his head, water spraying the floor beneath you in the process. “you never bother me,” he says.
“oh, hush,” you wave your hand dismissively. “i’m serious. hey, can you come down here for a sec?” anton asks, gesturing for you to crouch next to the pool. you give him a suspicious look, morphing your lips into a tight line. “anton, i’m not letting you pull me in there.”
he shakes his head again, letting out a laugh. “i’m not gonna pull you in,” he tells you, and you still aren’t convinced. “y/n!” he whines, stretching the final syllable. you look to the ceiling for a moment, letting out a scoff before kneeling down next to the pool.
in a swift motion, anton grabs your shoulders and lands a kiss on your lips. it’s wet from the water of the pool and you pull away, wiping your mouth with your sleeve. anton is laughing as you swat at his arm, muttering something about how he got your shirt wet.
anton sees an opportunity in the fact that you haven’t stood up yet, fully wrapping his arms around your shoulders, nearly causing you to fall into the chlorinated water. his laughter only increases in volume, and his teammates don’t think they’ve ever heard him laugh that hard. you let out a yelp, feeling the water continue to seep through the fabric of your shirt. you struggle against his embrace, and he shows no signs of releasing you. “lee anton! oh my god— i hate you!”
you both know that you’re lying.
AUTHOR’S NOTE! this is my 30th time trying to post this but we move
call it parasocial but seunghan shouldn't be experiencing this type of pain... having your feet touch the door of your dreams (in his case he barely lived it and probably was still trying to register his dream becoming a reality) is ruthless. hope he doesn't end up disillusioned by this
Sohee, from the korean boygroup RIIZE, posing and making videos as Naruto at NARUTO The Gallery in Seoul 🫶 A cutie 🥰
𝓙𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓪 𝓴𝓲𝓼𝓼
𝓢𝓱𝓸𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓸 𝔁 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓻
𝒲𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈:taro being to cute
𝒲ℴ𝓇𝒹 𝒸ℴ𝓊𝓃𝓉:890
𝒩ℴ𝓉ℯ:thank you @wonhes for helping with the prompt a life saver
Shotaro had always been the sweetest. From the moment you met him, he was nothing but attentive and caring. He had this quiet charm, with his shy smiles and soft-spoken words, but it was clear to anyone around that he was the type of guy who always put others before himself. Especially when it came to you.
Your relationship was steady and comforting, but there was one thing that had been lingering between the two of you—his hesitance to kiss you. It wasn’t like you hadn’t felt the tension. You noticed the way his eyes would drift to your lips when you were close, how he’d nervously fidget with his hands, and the small breaths he took as if he was about to close the gap between you… but he never did.
It had happened countless times.
There was the night you two sat on the couch watching a movie, his arm lazily draped over your shoulder. You could feel the warmth of his body as you leaned against him, the perfect moment for something more. You turned to look at him, catching him staring at you. His eyes flickered down to your lips, just for a second. Your heart raced as you waited, knowing he was about to make his move. He leaned in slightly, his breath ghosting your cheek. And then… nothing. He pulled back at the last second, his cheeks flushed as he nervously scratched the back of his neck.
You didn’t bring it up then. You knew he was shy, and you didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.
The second time was when you were out for a late-night walk. The sky was clear, stars twinkling above as the two of you strolled hand-in-hand. The conversation was light, full of laughter and little teases. He stopped walking at one point, his eyes soft as he looked at you. Your steps faltered when you noticed the shift in his gaze. It was the same look—gentle, full of affection. He stepped closer, his hand lifting to brush a stray piece of hair behind your ear. Your heart skipped a beat as he leaned in again, but just as his lips hovered close to yours, he stopped. His face turned pink, and he let out a small, awkward laugh before pulling away.
It was becoming a pattern, and you were beginning to wonder if he was overthinking it, worried about messing things up.
Then came the third time. You were sitting in a park, the sun setting behind the trees, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. Shotaro had been extra affectionate that day, holding your hand and pulling you closer than usual. As you sat side by side on the bench, he looked at you again with that familiar expression. You could see the gears turning in his head, his eyes shifting between your eyes and lips. This time, you were sure he was going to do it. He leaned in, your faces so close that you could feel his breath on your skin. And then, as if something spooked him, he quickly pulled back, his face redder than ever.
You sighed inwardly, watching as he fidgeted in his seat. It was sweet, the way he was so nervous, but after all these moments, you couldn’t help but feel a little impatient. You wanted to kiss him too. You wanted to show him that it didn’t have to be such a big deal—that you were ready whenever he was.
So, after the fourth near-kiss that week, you decided to take matters into your own hands.
The two of you were sitting in your room, music playing softly in the background. He was next to you, as usual, his hand resting comfortably in yours. The conversation was light, but you could tell his mind was somewhere else. He kept glancing at your lips, his expression torn between wanting to kiss you and hesitating, just like always.
Enough was enough.
You took a deep breath, steeling yourself before turning to face him. "Shotaro?"
He looked at you, eyes wide and curious. "Yeah?"
"Do you want to kiss me?" The bluntness of your words caught him off guard, and his face immediately turned bright red. He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. Instead, he fumbled over his thoughts, looking absolutely flustered.
"I-I mean… I do… but…"
You couldn’t help but smile at how adorable he was, stammering and unsure. Before he could spiral further into his overthinking, you decided to close the gap yourself. Leaning in, you pressed your lips softly against his, finally bridging the space that had been taunting you both for so long.
At first, he was frozen in place, shocked that you’d taken the lead. But it didn’t take long for him to relax, his hand coming up to cup your cheek as he returned the kiss with a gentle enthusiasm. His lips were warm and soft, and you could feel the tension melt away as the two of you finally shared the moment you’d both been waiting for.
When you pulled back, you saw the mix of relief and joy on his face, his shy smile making your heart flutter. "I… I’ve been wanting to do that for so long," he admitted quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just… I didn’t want to mess it up."
You laughed softly, brushing a thumb over his cheek. "You could never mess it up, Shotaro. It’s just a kiss."
He smiled sheepishly, leaning his forehead against yours. "Yeah… I guess I was just overthinking it."
You gave him a teasing look. "Just a little."
He chuckled, his arms wrapping around you, pulling you closer. "Thank you for… you know… taking the lead. I’ll be braver next time."
You smiled, resting your head against his chest. "I’ll hold you to that."