Moon-ssi’s response to him was sharper than Jin expected and he peeled back as if smacked. He didn’t quite flinch, but the look that crossed his face was hurt even if it remained soft and concerned. Moon-ssi was definitely upset about something. That much was abundantly clear. Jin just wasn’t exactly sure about what. Maybe he’d misinterpreted all of their interactions lately— in fact, he was almost sure he had. But if he’d misinterpreted them as changing towards him affectionately or just the opposite, Jin still didn’t know. And even if he did, he certainly didn’t know what he was supposed to do about it! Aish… why was this all so confusing!

He frowned down at the two tea cups still sitting pointedly in front of him. With a sigh, he reached for his things and made a few notes. They— or he— would have to redo this for the assignment anyway but it felt weird not to at least try with what they’d found. (If his cheeks heated as he drew the wobbly character for horse, that was nobody’s business.) Peeking back into Moon-ssi’s cup, Jin shifted in his seat. His legs were folded back under himself and it made him feel lopsided not to somehow be in contact with Moon-ssi. Not that they were joint at the literal hip every minute, but especially when the other was annoyed at him, it set Jin on edge. Unable to concentrate, he put the cup down with a sharp snap. “Moon-ssi,” he prompted, voice firm but a little bit desperate. “Wae geurae?” Jin shifted again, determined to get to the root cause here. Directly, for once.

But there wasn’t time to answer before Sensei was dismissing them for a midday break. Jin gave his friend a frustrated look as their classmates began to shuffle, making it impossible for them to speak about it much. He collected his things anyway, and before they could wander off in different directions, he latched onto whatever part of Moon-ssi’s shirt he could reach. “Gochil su-isseo? I didn’t mean to offend you in any way.”

---

Ahn-Bo Jeong & muse song
** wae geurae? - Why are you like that? / What's wrong? (Informal) and Gochil su-isseo? - can I fix it?

---

  

---

* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

He hadn't meant to snap at Seojin-a, nor had he intended to hurt him. The look on his face made it clear that his intentions didn't matter. His friend's feelings had been hurt. First he'd come onto Seojin-a and then was upset at the realization that such things weren't welcome. It would change a lot of things for Ahn-Bo. Mostly the way he went about things. He'd been behaving all this time with the belief that the vampire returned his affections in the same way and had just been slow to act upon it. Now that it wasn't actually the case, Ahn-Bo had hurt him because he was hurting—which was also not okay. The guilt weighed on him as if a tiger sat on his chest.

Seojin-a's anxious energy was nearly vibrating as they quietly worked on the writing portion of the assignment. It didn't take long for him to be wound so tightly that his control snapped. Ahn-Bo had looked up from his work in surprise. He couldn't very well say why he was being this way. Not without it being incredibly awkward between them. And he certainly didn't want Seojin-a to feel pressured in any way to do something he didn't want to. If the offer to switch the tea leaf reading to a horse was anything to go by, he wouldn't be able to handle it if his friend did anything else of that sort once he knew the truth. No. In this, it would be better to keep to himself.

Thankfully he was saved by the bell, with Sensei announcing class was over. Ahn-Bo suspected Seojin-a wouldn't let this go. How would he avoid having to discuss it over their meal? Maybe they should sit by the quidditch team today... and then suddenly, his shirt was being snagged, and his head whipped around to see the cause. Seojin-a. Of course. They wouldn't even make it to lunch, it would seem. "Ani, there's nothing to fix." He forced a smile, though it didn't meet his eyes. He tugged his shirt gently from his friend's grip. "Gaja, you're hungry, let's eat." Without waiting for an answer (in hopes of avoiding any potential protest), he moved to walk in the direction of the dining hall.

gaja: let's go

  

---

⚘


Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me

The forced smile was enough to make Jin frown. He knew Moon-ssi better than that and it was frankly insulting that his friend thought he could get away with pretending everything was fine when it so clearly wasn’t. And after snapping at him. Jin opened his mouth to protest but before he could, Moon-ssi had shaken and brushed him off to head towards the dining hall. If it wasn’t so dramatic, Jin might have let his mouth drop wide open. What in the world had come over Moon-ssi!

“Yah!” Jin barked at him, annoyance rolling off the little vampire in waves. He followed after Moon-ssi only so far as the hallway so they were out of sight from their teacher before he grabbed the other by the sleeve again and made to whirl him around. This time, he dug in so as to not be so easily shaken aside. “Moon-ssi, wae geurae?!” He demanded again, this time with more emphasis. “Why are you so upset, I don’t understand.” Normally if Jin did something to irritate or upset his friend he had a pretty good idea what it was, even if he hadn’t meant to. But this felt somewhat out of left field and the fact that it had happened on the tail end of their most blatant flirtation to date was making Jin nervous. He wanted to reach out and touch, fix, grab— but all his usual methods of soothing suddenly seemed like alarming red flags. He couldn’t do that if Moon-ssi was angry at him for not getting the hint to move on. Especially here in a hallway so brazenly in front of others.

“Can we just talk about this for a minute? Before going in there? Jebal.” The beg in his voice was obvious as Jin made to tug him further aside. If he could have magically transported them to their hanok, he might have— even against Moon-ssi’s will. This seemed particularly important and having it out in front of others where anyone could overhear around a corner felt like a bad idea, even if they usually spoke in their native Joseoneo. But they didn’t have a choice. Jin was not about to walk into that dining hall and put up with a sour Moon-ssi all afternoon without understanding what he’d done wrong. His heart was practically in his throat as it was.

---

Ahn-Bo Jeong & muse song
** wae geurae? - Why are you like that? / What's wrong? (Informal) and jebal = please

---

  

---

* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

Had Seojin-a truly just done that? In the hallway? In front of their classmates? The annoyed outburst made him stop mid-stride, though he would have had to anyway with the abrupt yank of his sleeve that had him turning toward his friend. Carefully neutral brown eyes met irritated golden ones. Ahn-Bo's cheeks reddened at the persistent demand to know what he was upset about. Why couldn't the vampire just let this one slide? Just this one time! He prepared himself to proverbially dig his heels in. There was no way he was having this conversation.

And then the desperation and worry that had crept into the pleading request that was made next did him in. Ahn-Bo's heart cracked, and all of his determination oozed right out. He allowed himself to be tugged further away from the others, though it certainly didn't allow for any privacy. Ahn-Bo sighed defeatedly. "Fine, Seojin-a." His gaze flicked to the students further down the hall, chatting and messing about as they made their way to the dining hall. "Somewhere else." Hopefully, this would buy him some time, and he would be able to figure out what he was going to say without saying it. His heart was pounding just thinking about it.

  

---

⚘


Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me

Normally, Jin would have let something like this slide. It wasn’t really that big of a deal from an outsider’s perspective; they’d made some confusing readings of their tea leaves and gotten a little embarrassed along the way. The flirtation was only an afterthought, or it was meant to be, to the casual, uninformed observer. But Jin knew better. He was no casual third party. He felt every word they’d uttered between them with all the hope and flutter of a ridiculous, love drunk teenager. The abrupt change in his equally invested, non-third party best friend was not so easily dismissed then.

Jin could feel every fear he’d ever had about confessing his true sentiments to Moon-ssi come up and catch at the very base of his throat. He nodded to the assertion that they needed to chat somewhere else; that was preferable to him too and he quickly turned towards the door nearest them that led out into the snow. (Aish…) But Jin didn’t have the presence of mind to care much about that. As soon as they were outside and relatively alone, a few paces from the palace in a small courtyard that led back down towards the quidditch pitches, Jin
grabbed Moon-ssi by the sleeve again. They could huddle under this tree to remain protected from the worst of the snowfall. Around them, the world went quiet in the way it only did when it snowed.

“Ok,” Jin finally prompted. “But before you start, mianhe for whatever it was that I did! I didn’t mean to offend or upset you with anything I said!” Fingers still curled into Moon-ssi’s robes, Jin pulled him closer. “I dont want to argue again. Not over this. I just—“ he bit his lower lip and frowned a bit, waffling on how to say it. “I don’t want us to misunderstand one another.” And I feel like, maybe, we have been a little bit. For a few weeks now, actually. But even the thought of adding those last few words made bile rise in the back of Jin’s throat. He didn’t know how he was going to approach this topic, or if it was even worth it. So he fell silent instead, turning weary gold eyes up towards his friend. There was a plea in his features but Jin wasn’t exactly sure what it was about. Did he want Moon-ssi to have guessed so they could just dismiss it? Did he want to clear the air even if he hadn’t just in case? It wasn’t worth another month-long argument, he knew that much. Jin would find a way to get over himself. He just… didn’t know how long it would take.

---

Ahn-Bo Jeong & muse song

---

  

---

* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

His friend knew him too well, clutching his sleeve so that he couldn’t run from this conversation. One that he already knew was going to crush him, and put their friendship on shaky ground. He’d never considered things to be one-sided; what would Seojin-a’s reaction be? Would they even still be friends after this? Seojin-a clearly had the same worries about the outcome of whatever this was. Ahn-Bo had to remind himself it wasn’t fair to his friend to be frustrated with him for not knowing what he’d done to cause this..

He frowned breath the tree at the vampire’s words, and then again when he realized they were outside without any overcoats. This would have to be quick, for Seojin-a’s sake. Ahn-Bo didn’t trust himself to reach for him in return. The proximity was only so they could speak quietly (and so he physically couldn’t leave.)

Exasperated, he used his free hand to run thr back of his neck. “You’ve done nothing to be sorry for Seojin-a, stop saying it. Jebal.” He couldn’t listen to it anymore. This was his own fault. He should have been the one apologizing. “We’re not arguing.” he added quickly - for both their sakes. It didn’t do much to soothe his fraying nerves. “I was…” Aish, how to even say this? “Surprised and... I reacted poorly. Mianhe.” and then because he really couldn’t help himself. “Can we go back inside now?.”

  

---

⚘


Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me

He knew enough to expect the exasperation but it still stung as Jin tightened his grip on Moon-ssi’s robes. He was trying to fix things, ssi-bal! Why was Moon-ssi being so pig headed about this?! It was like no matter what Jin said, his friend was determined to blow it off. Brush it under the rug. Forget it happened at all. But wasn’t he the one always getting annoyed at Jin for the very same? Now Jin could understand the frustration on the flip side and he tried his best to muster the patience Moon-ssi usually had with him.

“Hajima, Moon-ssi!” (Obviously, he wasn’t very good at it.) “I know there’s more to this than just you reacting poorly. Something has been… different, for a few weeks, and I want to—“ he didn’t know what he wanted to do, actually “I think we should discuss it.” Whoops. That’s definitely not what he wanted. But maybe it was for the best.

Jin dropped his friend’s gaze and his cheeks heated instantly as he realized what he had to do. He was bolstered only by the fact that Moon-ssi seemed as desperate for them both not to be fighting as he was, proven by the quick reaction saying as much, and so Jin decided to take the leap. This wouldn’t be the thing to destroy their friendship. He could feel it in his bones. Maybe it would make things really awkward for awhile, unbearably so and he’ll wish he’d never said anything at all— but they would recover from it. He believed that they could. He had to, or else what was the point of thier even being friends?

With a frustrated breath, Jin frowned and looked quickly around them. They were too exposed here, even if the courtyard was completely abandoned. He grabbed Moon-ssi by the front of the robes and shoved him further back into the depths of the ancient willow tree behind them.

Even in the dead of winter with snow and frost clinging to the hibernating branches, the depth of the old tree and the sheer volume of drooping boughs provided a wall of cover for two teenagers. Jin didn’t stop until they were well and truly swallowed from view and even then, he pressed Moon-ssi up against the giant trunk at the base of the tree. Only then did he take a small step back and force himself to remove all hold of his best friend. He’d have to get used to keeping distance for a little while; it was as good a time as any to start.

“You got upset because of the description of the horse in our tea leaf readings,” he clarified, looking directly at the ground. If he laced his hands behind his back, it was only because they were twitching from a misplaced desire to hold onto his friend as a life raft during these difficult next few words. “The tea leaves also showed a bridge in both our cups, exact mirroring images, pointing towards one another. We know that… Sensei said we had interconnected fates but,” Jin felt his cheeks heat even more and he paused, chewing on his lower lip. “I have no intention of loving anyone,” there. Done. Leave it at that. It’s fine. “I don’t think I could anyway, because, well…” hajima, Jin-ah—

“Joahaeyo, Moon Ahn-Bo-ssi!”

The words were quiet but fiercely blurted as they tumbled out, half stuck, from Jin’s throat. He was red from temple to toe, a furious shade of maroon that probably looked ridiculous against his too-pale skin. But his conviction held. He’d come out with the hardest part. Now he just had to finish. The words ‘I don’t want this to change anything between us’ or ‘I’m sure it will pass soon anyway’ died on his lips however as Jin took the risk to look up. The expression that he saw reflected back on Moon-ssi’s face struck him dumber than a flat stone. Suddenly— every other word he’d had planned floated off into oblivion.

---

Ahn-Bo Jeong & muse song
* hajima = stop it / don’t do it (casual) and Joahaeyo = i like you

---

The following 1 user Likes Seojin Jeong's post:1 user Likes Seojin Jeong's post
   Ahn-Bo Jeong

---

* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

Ssi-bal, had Seojin-a figured it out after all? The last few weeks Ahn-Bo had been more obvious in his flirtations—ones that he could have sworn his friend had welcomed and returned. Again, he was reminded that flirtation for the fun of it versus having intentionality behind it were two different things. They'd had a misunderstanding between them, indeed. “I think we should discuss it.” His heart sank, and already, he felt nauseous. This was going to be far more painful for him than their fight had been—this one was far more layered. It felt more personal; Ahn-Bo wouldn't describe himself as a fragile individual, but when it came to his feelings for Seojin-a, he may as well have been made of kiriko glass. By the end of this conversation, he would be shattered into a thousand sharp pieces.

Ahn-Bo braced himself, though he knew it was pointless. There would be nothing he could do to shield himself from his first broken heart. It was good that his friend had thought to remove them from view for any nosy students that might happen to pass by the courtyard. His friend had decided to be very thorough, it would seem. Ahn-Bo found himself being steered backwards until his back gently pressed against the trunk of the great tree. The bark was cold, even through the fabric of his clothing. It would give him something to distract himself with when things went poorly. (Because he was full confident that they would.)

Besides, if Seojin-a made him cry, the privacy meant that he didn't have to explain their exchange to anyone. The palace was small, and word spread quickly. Still, he was determined to take the news and stay as put together as possible. If he showed any sign of pain or despair, Seojin-a would feel even worse about this. It was good he was being honest on his own, at least. Ahn-Bo had made him promise that he would try—and here he was, trying. Joeun ge joeun geoda.

Ah, and now it was time. Seojin-a had recognized it had been about the stupid horse. Already, he felt the back of his throat burn. No, he was determined to not be emotional about this. Ahn-Bo was entirely unaware that Seojin-a was looking at the ground as he spoke, because he was doing the same. Staring at their boots dusted in the snow they'd walked through to get here. Aish, his hands were even shaking! Quickly, Ahn-Bo tucked them behind his lower back, pressing his palms against the frozen bark of the tree as if it would anchor him.

“I have no intention of loving anyone." There it was. Seojin-a didn't feel that way about him, nor did he ever want to. It felt as if he was being crushed from all sides, squeezing tighter and tighter until he couldn't breathe. Eyes stinging, he blinked quickly to try to prevent them from filling with tears. Seojin-a continued speaking, as if he needed to explain himself. He didn't, but Ahn-Bo let him anyway. The vampire could say what needed to be said, and then they could pretend it never happened. “Joahaeyo, Moon Ahn-Bo-ssi!”

It took him a second to understand what he'd heard. Those were not the words he'd expected, and at first, it confused him. Ahn-Bo's head shot up as he met Seojin-a's eyes. His friend was sporting the deepest blush he had ever seen, covering every bit of exposed skin. “Joahaeyo, Moon Ahn-Bo-ssi!” rang repeatedly in his mind. Each time, he felt the squeezing pressure ease. With it, his expression flashed from surprise to hesitantly hopeful to relief and back to surprise. "Joahaeyo?" he heard himself whisper, his voice reverent. Was this truly happening? He hadn't passed out and dreamt this up, right? No, the coldness of the bark against his palms and the sharp bite of winter on his nose and cheeks told him that he was very much awake. And this was very much real.

A moment later, he was vibrating with so much joy and romantic affection and energy that he couldn't contain himself. He flung his arms around his friend and wrapped him in a hug, squeezing them together so tightly he should have worried he was hurting Seojin-a. A bright, beaming smile was on his face as he said, "Dahaeng-ida!"

kiriko glass: a traditional Japanese craft of cut glass, characterized by intricate patterns meticulously cut into colored and clear glass to create a striking contrast and brilliant shine • joeun ge joeun geoda: "what's good is good", similar to "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth", suggests just being grateful and not finding fault with one's situation • Dahaeng-ida: "that's a relief"

The following 1 user Likes Ahn-Bo Jeong's post:1 user Likes Ahn-Bo Jeong's post
   Seojin Jeong

---

⚘


Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me

The look on Moon-ssi’s face was so filled with hurt and angst that Jin felt his heart break. He had sorely miscalculated; saying something about his feelings very well might have just brought about the untimely end to their whole relationship. He’d never seen Moon-ssi so upset or unhappy about anything before. Even in the shadows under their frosty willow, he could see clear as day the tears that refused to drop clouding those beautiful honey-brown eyes. Moon-ssi’s face had set in a stubborn pout (more familiar maybe, but still unsettling) and he looked like he was about to break. Like he was just holding it together by a tether which Jin had unwittingly just clipped without a moment’s regard.

The apologies built on his tongue, ready to tumble out with every excuse in the book. Panic welled in the little half-vampire’s chest and anything he’d meant to add after acknowledging but breezing past the truth died instantly. (Why had he thought this was a good idea again?!) But he didn’t have the chance to utter a single one before confusion, something Jin couldn’t place, and then… relief? (no it had to be disbelief) flashed across his friend’s face. Moon-ssi’s voice was quiet and ghostly as he repeated Jin’s words back to him. Shame, maybe, prickled at Jin’s skin making his dark red cheeks burn hotter and more painfully. He opened his mouth again to say something— anything really— but it was too late.

Moon-ssi leapt forward, closing the space between them, and wrapping Jin in his arms. He squeezed so tightly, Jin didn’t even have time to catch his breath before his face twisted into a frown. He could hear the smile in Moon-ssi’s voice as he responded, but the words made no sense whatsoever. “Dahaeng-ida?” Jin heard himself echo. What? “You ...you aren’t angry?!” It felt almost too good to be true. Surely he could not be understanding this reaction correctly. Jin brought his hands up to rest gently on Moon-ssi’s arms which had wrapped around his shoulders as he tried to move his brain past that realization. “I-I thought you’d be… more upset by this confession.” And maybe he was a little bit accusatory as he said it. “I thought…” Never mind what he thought. “Seolmyeong jom haejuseyo!” Jin demanded, voice soft but still firm (and confused.)

---

Ahn-Bo Jeong & muse song
* "Please give me an explanation" or "Please explain a little" (here: please explain yourself)

---

The following 1 user Likes Seojin Jeong's post:1 user Likes Seojin Jeong's post
   Ahn-Bo Jeong

---

* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

Seojin-a's confusion bounced right back to Ahn-Bo. What did he mean? Why would he have been upset? And angry? Admittedly he'd been those things before the confession, but they'd evaporated like rain on a hot summer's day. There one moment and gone the next. He loosened his hold on his friend and leaned back slightly so that he could see the expression there, as if it would give him some insight. No, the vampire's pretty face and golden eyes were definitely still confused. And accusatory—yet another thing Ahn-Bo didn't understand.

He'd pulled back just slightly, his hands dropping to either side of the vampire's waist. Something he'd just realized he'd never actually done before. His pulse raced and his blush deepened. It wasn't nearly as powerful as Seojin-a's, but it was still noticeable. "Neoneun nal haengbokhage hae," he told him firmly, emphasizing "happy" to clarify that he wasn't angry or upset. (Not anymore, at least.) His thumbs brushed back and forth soothingly, although he wasn't certain whether Seojin-a would actually be able to feel it.

Neoneun nal haengbokhage hae: "you make me happy"

The following 1 user Likes Ahn-Bo Jeong's post:1 user Likes Ahn-Bo Jeong's post
   Seojin Jeong

---

⚘


Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me

As Moon-ssi pulled back and gave him, albeit a very small amount of space to breathe, Jin looked up at his friend with an expression that echoed the confusion he felt. He was also searching that familiar visage for any clue at what in the tiger’s tail was going on in that big head of Moon-ssi’s, but there were no hints and only that same smile he’d heard moments ago. Before he could ask again however, Moon-ssi’s hands dropped to his waist. Jin froze.

They had never done this before. He’d hugged Moon-ssi and been hugged in return; they’d even curled up much too close and fallen asleep on an occasion or two (or twelve) where they were more tangled limbs than they weren’t. But this intimacy was new and Jin felt the very realization light up his cheeks again like a candle. (His blushes were a bit like flames, actually. They flickered and dulled, sometimes growing low, but often times they didn’t quite manage to extinguish fully before they were roaring ablaze again on a moments notice.) Should he pull away? Was Moon-ssi just doing this because of what he'd said? The questions turned themselves over in his mind but Jin didn't have time to decipher the situation before his friend was speaking, and the words that tumbled out of Moon-ssi's mouth didn’t exactly help matters either.

You make me happy, he'd said, with an emphasis on the endearment. Great. Fine. He made Jin happy too, but that wasn’t exactly news. They'd been friends for years. “Moleugess eoyo,” Jin muttered, somewhat deadpanned. “I thought you were just upset with me…” Not that he was complaining, technically. But he was a bit nonplussed and determined to get to the bottom of whatever was happening here. They were going to miss lunch altogether if they kept this up which he knew Moon-ssi wouldn’t want.

---

Ahn-Bo Jeong & muse song
* I don't understand...

---

The following 1 user Likes Seojin Jeong's post:1 user Likes Seojin Jeong's post
   Ahn-Bo Jeong

---

* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

Why... why wasn't Seojin-a happy yet? Ahn-Bo felt as if he had been very clear about how he'd felt from the confession. Relieved. Happy. What more did he need? Was this one of those times when he was letting his overthinking run away with him again? Rather than feeling frustrated—he was far too giddy for that—he decided he would make certain that he spelled it out as specifically as possible for his vampire. There would be no room for any more confusion or doubts or... whatever else Seojin-a was doing right now.

"I was upset with you," Ahn-Bo admitted sheepishly, "Although it wasn't really you I was upset with. Just... I've been waiting for you to admit you liked me for so long. And these last few weeks," his head tilted with a 'remember, you just mentioned this?' expression to Seojin-a in hopes he was following along. "It had seemed like maybe you were getting close to telling me, and then today in class... the horse was me and you were horrified, and I just..." Saying it out loud was just as embarrassing as he'd been afraid it would be. He took a deep, bracing breath before he continued. The wounds that had been inflicted earlier may have been healed, but they were still tender.

His gaze was unable to meet Seojin-a's, instead drifting off to study the frozen sweeping branches of the tree surrounding them. "It made me think that I had been wrong about it all along. That I'd been imagining things or thinking you meant something different than your actual intentions." He huffed a breath, wanting to shove his hands in his robe sleeves in his discomfort. Unwilling to release his hold on Seojin-a, his fingers wound up curling into the fabric of the other's robe.

"It's happened before." Ahn-Boh didn't need to go into specifics. There was no reason to bring up what had happened and with whom over the summer. Neither of them wanted to think about that situation, so he hurried along with his explanation. "I thought that maybe I'd been making you feel uncomfortable all this time, and then I was angry with myself for doing that to you." He frowned, recalling how sick he'd felt over it.

"And then," he looked down at the golden eyes not far from his again, "You wanted me to explain it all and I thought if I told you the truth, you'd feel pressured..." And now here they were. He watched Seojin-a's reaction closely, waiting for the understanding that he would have now.

The following 1 user Likes Ahn-Bo Jeong's post:1 user Likes Ahn-Bo Jeong's post
   Seojin Jeong

---

⚘


Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me

Jin waited with all the impatience of a startled colt: too concerned to make a move just yet but very eager to kick around and buck until he dispelled the nervous energy once it was safe. As soon as Moon-ssi began to speak, his brows creased harder into a frown and Jin stuck out his lower lip into a forceful pout. “You knew?!” he demanded. “Why didn’t you say anything!” If one hand balled into a small fist and came up to pound just lightly on Moon-ssi’s chest, Jin was determined not to be ignored. How could Moon-ssi not have said anything?! This had been… a monumental realization for Jin! Firstly, because he realized he had those kinds of thoughts for a boy, but secondly, because it was specifically this boy. His best friend. His danjjak chingu! His Moon-ssi! (Jin wrinkled his nose at the thought. Ok, that might be taking it a bit far; there was nothing his about Moon-ssi, but he was still frustrated by it even as his friend went on.)

The bit about the horse made sense, in retrospect. Jin’s frown softened and he looked up with wide eyes as he imagined the situation from Moon-ssi’s perspective. He still didn’t understand why the horse being Moon-ssi (which, ne, was exactly the interpretation Jin had as well) and his vehement refusal of it would upset his friend so much. (Not unless…)

Moon-ssi looked away from him then and Jin ducked his head, searching for his friend’s gaze again, determined to hear him out. This all seemed rather important— like the puzzle pieces were coming together, he just couldn’t make out the shape just yet or how they fit together. His friend's fingers curled into the fabric of his robes and Jin’s hand released from its fist and settled, softly, flat against the front of Moon-ssi’s own. An encouragement, maybe, to go on. Jin could understand the discomfort at thinking them in another grand misunderstanding. It had happened before and they were both still raw from the time they’d spent apart over the summer. It manifested as an eagerness not to argue which, sometimes, turned into a blunt desperation on both their parts to better communicate so maybe it wasn’t a complete waste, he thought idly.

But there was still a puzzle piece that just wasn’t lining up. How had Moon-ssi been making him uncomfortable these weeks? Was he referring to that same strange closeness Jin had mentioned just earlier? “What… pressure do you think I’d feel?” he asked, shaking his head just slightly in confusion. If anything, he was worried that he’d now put Moon-ssi under some kind of pressure to be, or act, or accept something Jin had no intention of his needing to deal with at all. But he wasn’t stupid enough to say that. Yet. No understanding dawned, though a niggling feeling was beginning to churn in Jin’s stomach as he leveled a suspicious look at his friend. "Moon-ssi... naege soljighage malhaejwo, jebal."

Because... well... he couldn’t possibly mean that he… returned Jin’s rather odd sentiments, could he? Face flashing red again, Jin tried to shake that thought quickly aside but it refused to budge. In fact, it swelled in his chest like a sheepskin filling with water. It could both drown him and provide the very essence Jin needed most to survive. But he wasn’t willing to go too far down that path just yet. Nobody in his life had ever shared any scrap of affection without having some expectation or condition tied to it, and somehow… Jin just couldn’t imagine Moon-ssi being like that. It didn’t make sense anyway when he had a fiancé and a shiny future all prepared for him which had nothing at all to do with Jin. But Jin was the first to acknowledge that well laid plans were often the first to burn. So he waited for Moon-ssi’s response with his heart thundering in his skull. He promised himself he wouldn’t be disappointed, no matter the outcome.

---

Ahn-Bo Jeong & muse song
* danjjak chingu = best, soul-mate-like friend / naege soljighage malhaejwo = be blunt with me, please

---

The following 1 user Likes Seojin Jeong's post:1 user Likes Seojin Jeong's post
   Ahn-Bo Jeong

---

* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

He had been so busy with his explanation that he hadn't realized what Seojin-a's initial reaction had meant until he'd finally stopped speaking. Seojin-a had expected him to just go up to him and announce, "Seojin-a, I know that you like me. Could you pass the ink? Mine's run out." There was no chance in hell that his friend would have received that well, no matter how Ahn-Bo had approached it.


And as he waited for the understanding to finally land and reward him with a blush and glimpse of the dimple that made his heart pound… it hadn’t appeared. Instead, Seojin-a still didn’t seem to get it. Nor did the story make sense to him, despite how thorough Ahn-Bo felt like he’d been. He chewed his lip at the question, not entirely certain if his friend was teasing him and pretending not to know, or if this was still genuine confusion.

“Joahae, Seojin-a,” Ahn-Bo pronounced it fully, so there could be no question to what he’d said. Although at this point, he wouldn’t put it past the vampire to somehow misunderstand that too. And then for good measure, he ducked his chin and leaned forward just enough that they were nearly nose to nose. “I have liked you for so, so long. I kept it to myself because at first, I didn’t know if you felt that way too. Then I saw the way that you looked at me sometimes and I thought that maybe you did. I didn’t want you to feel like you had to admit to anything if you weren’t ready, so I just waited.”

His voice turned light, amused at how thorough Seojin-a was requiring him to be. “I Moon Ahn-Bo like you, Jeong Seojin-a. Is that blunt enough for you?”

joahae: “I like you”

  

---

⚘


Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me

It did not go unnoticed that Moon-ssi gave him no answer to his rather offended question on why he hadn’t said anything. To Jin, it was the most obvious thing in the world to have pointed out— yes, maybe, over tea! Or ink! Whatever. Maybe it was just because he wasn’t sure that he would have been able to keep from mentioning it if he’d noticed and their roles had been reversed. Did that say something negative about him, Jin wondered, idly. It was a good thing they’d never find out now.

As for the rest of it: gold irises widened to the size of dinner plates, or maybe it was just his pupils, as Jin thought he heard Moon-ssi say— nope. He’d definitely heard that correctly. (Moon-ssi knew him so well he said it slowly and with perfect diction.) But how—? When—? What?! (It seemed his friend knew him so, so well he had answers for those too.) Jin’s cheeks turned redder and redder the more words came out of Moon-ssi’s mouth with their noses pressed nearly together. Jin closed the distance only because it was one less thing to distract him as he tried to understand the meaning of the suddenly very foreign language he’d grown up speaking. After what felt like an insurmountable effort to register the truth, his brow pinched a little in the middle.

One hand came up to settle gently, just barely brushing Moon-ssi's left cheek. “You could have told me,” he said softly, missing the entire point of, well, everything. But it felt like a sticky thing not to address it— since they were being so honest and all now. “Jjinjja. You can always tell me anything, Moon-ssi—” no, that felt weird in their quiet little moment. “Ahn-Bo-ah. Even if there might be pressure.” Jin smiled as he said his friend’s name incorrectly. It sounded strange to him now to say Ahn-Bo-ya, despite the fact that he knew better. They’d get used to it. Everything would be fine. But that brought them to the next order of business.

“So…” Jin felt his face continue to redden even more as he went nearly cross-eyed trying to look Moon— Ahn-Bo-ah in the eye. “What happens now?” He whispered. Surely something had to change, right? Or maybe nothing. It was a big deal that they’d even talked about this. That didn’t have to mean anything changed, except that maybe he could be a little more honest in how he felt when Moon-ssi did something endearing or sweet. Jin felt his stomach flutter at the thought. He liked the idea of being able to say it. And suddenly, the full weight of their reality dawned on him and he felt warmth flood from the tip of head down into his frozen toes. A silly smile wormed its way onto his face, but Jin remained quiet, unwilling to pull away or pop their little bubble. If they died like this, right here and now, he was sure he could go quite happily indeed.

---

Ahn-Bo Jeong & muse song
breaking our fourth wall here, yolo~

---

The following 1 user Likes Seojin Jeong's post:1 user Likes Seojin Jeong's post
   Ahn-Bo Jeong

---

* Jin takes potions and enchantments at times to give his voice a persuasive quality.
His performances, or even a simple conversation, can sometimes suggest thoughts
and ideas to his audiences.

Ahn-Bo Jeong

Finally, it was there. He could see it in Seojin-a's eyes—the dark centers wide and surprised, the gold and green shrinking in their wake. Their cold noses just barely brushing, plumes of their warm breaths swirling between them. It almost appeared as if his simkung was in disbelief at the revelation. As if he hadn't expected it. Which... didn't make much sense to Ahn-Bo when his rather obvious actions of the last few weeks were considered. Either he hadn't been fully listening, or he truly didn't understand the explanation if Seojina's first response was anything to go by. They could sort that out later.

For now, his simkung's frigid fingers brushed his cheek just as they had in the mountains last month, searching for yomogi. Except this time, they both knew what the mutual adoration and attraction reflected in their eyes meant. "Ahn-Bo-ah," he repeated, completely smitten. He'd been calling Seojin-a informally for years now, and now finally, the vampire was on the same level. His belly was swirling and swooping and dipping as if it were the golden snitch, leaving him breathless and excited. Even with his own cheeks stinging against the bite of the air, he knew the vampire was even colder. (As evidenced by the feel of the fingers against his skin—his own was cold, but Seojin-a's were like ice.) If only the heat from his blush could reach all the way to his fingertips.

Ahn-Bo huffed a laugh at Seojin-a's question. Things had been cleared up, and now he was ready to move forward. "Now, we go to the dining hall before we miss lunch." He was grinning from ear to ear, giving his simkung/s waist one last final affectionate squeeze before releasing him. The pair headed back inside, ears, nose, and cheeks a sharp red. Thankfully, the midday meal was a warm soup. Between that (of which Ahn-Bo had seconds) and his persistence that Seojin-a wear his scarlet scarf until he was truly warmed up, they managed to thaw out. The rest of the day was spent sneaking lovesick glances at each other and finding any excuse they could to be as close as possible.

simkung: the feeling of your heart skipping a beat when you see or think about someone you find attractive. It combines "shim" (심) from "shimjang" (심장) meaning "heart" and "kung" (쿵), which is the sound of a thumping heartbeat. The term can refer to a crush, as well as any situation that makes your heart skip a beat, such as a cute puppy or a romantic scene.

The following 1 user Likes Ahn-Bo Jeong's post:1 user Likes Ahn-Bo Jeong's post
   Seojin Jeong

---

⚘


Ahn-Bo speaks in Korean to his family unless otherwise stated in posts.
He has a noticeable accent when speaking in English.

Set by the amazing Fox! • plot with me