it's almost nine.
the sky is an oil spill — a dark canvas splattered with metallic colours. a few stars peek out at the people moving beneath them and then decide they're uninterested as they move back behind the thin clouds plastering the atmosphere.
oh gong is strolling casually behind seon mi, perusing his numerous social media feeds. seon mi is behind him, hat pulled over her twin braids (courtesy of gal pye and bu ja) (they had been so proud of their handiwork) and her hands hidden in her pockets. her cheeks are red like an apple's; eyes dancing between the sights around them.
as he turns his head just a bit to sneak a glance at her, he finds himself staring.
this woman. she was a ridiculously obstinate pain in the ass who refused to call on him. hah! and when she did, it was for others! and yet ... she was his ridiculously obstinate pain in the ass.
she nibbles on her lip for a second before worrying the inside of her cheek. he hides the smallest of grins.
oh gong had become attached to his food without even noticing it.
"mm, where do you want to eat?" she asks quietly, but he's much too transfixed on her mouth and fingers as they gesticulate softly in the cool air. puffs of breath escape her lips as she murmurs another question in his direction.
he covers his jaw with a large hand.
"so .. what you're saying is you think you're seriously infatuated with sam jang?" pal gye says, chewing a pineapple chunk.
"seon mi. and not infatuated. i ... i think i might really like her." he worries the sleeve of his coat between his index and forefinger with a light crease in his forehead.
"that's ridiculous. you're the great sage of the heavens, and you're thinking about a human woman in that way? not to mention, you still have that bracelet on, so maybe you're being mislead. also, you're her predator," he adds, lifting an eyebrow. "and didn't you know her as a kid? that's like, creepy, oh gong." he makes a face and oh gong rolls his eyes.
"hello? is anyone home? i brought food, and also ma wang and bu ja," hollers a voice from the vestibule, followed by an offended sniff and a "sorry."
oh gong is on his feet in the blink of an eye.
pal gye snickers.
"aiyah, aiyah, oh gong, what is with you? i can carry them," says seon mi, laughing lightly.
he just smiles.
later, the two of them have dish duty, and they're screwing around with the soap when ma wang pokes his head around the corner and glares at them. bu ja shoots them a weird look before climbing into the fridge to sleep.
as the sink is draining and seon mi is drying her hands, he studies her. the way her thick hair is sliding out of its loose ponytail. the way the kitchen light is falling on her ivory skin. how her dark eyes are fixed on his.
"what are you staring at me for?"
caught.
...he decides he doesn't care. it's okay to indulge. he's weak, weak for this woman who is his supposed prey and also a child (okay, well, was a child) and many other things, including possibly a sacrifice, and maybe he doesn't love her, maybe it's really only the bracelet —
but.
that one word leads him to believe otherwise. that one word, more than anything, is a feeling lodged deep in his chest.
"there's something on your face," he says softly.
her eyebrows knit together. "ah, where?"
(he is kissing her.)
her lips taste like vanilla chapstick, and she stiffens in confusion at first before melting into his embrace. his palms slide up her arms and grip her closer. she shivers, mouth falling open underneath his touch. he spins her around and lifts her up against the counter, rucking her green shirt up over her hips. seon mi gasps and tangles her arms around his neck.
his mouth trails down to her neck and he begins to suck and kiss - it sends waves of electric warmth up her spine.
"what do you think you're doing on my kitchen counter, you fools?!" roars ma wang, who is quickly reminded that oh gong actually owns the house. for the sixtieth time.
bu ja peers at them from between the fridge doors.
suddenly very shy, seon mi buries her head in oh gong's broad chest and wills everyone to leave.
"it was me," oh gong says to her a moment later once bu ja has closed the fridge door and ma wang has retreated to the living room again.
"eh?"
"i was on your face."
she sputters before clambering off the counter and shuffling away very quickly.
additional notes: im very tired. goodnight. originally posted on ao3. i love them. my kids.