midnighteverlark
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Summary
Twenty weeks after their coupling in the Bonus Round of the 33rd Squid Games, Hwang In-ho heads to his favorite cafe with his favorite view. Here, from this rooftop terrace, he can just barely make out the home of the Omega who mate-marked him and ran.
In order to observe the pregnant Seong Gi-hun, In-ho brings a pair of binoculars. And in order to avert questions, he also brings a brochure on bird watching.
A brief follow-up to my ABO 457 fic, Songbird.
(To be clear: this isn't chapter 1 of Songbird P2, that'll be later. This is more of an intermezzo.)
Series
- Part 2 of The Phoenix Arc
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The morning of November 4th, 2024, Hwang In-ho, the Front Man, wakes up in a Seoul apartment he doesn't recognize, and a husband that he very much does. And then his daughter, his dead wife's child, climbs into the bed with them, alive and nine years old now and the most perfect thing In-ho has ever seen.
Despite the shock, the doubt, the confusion, In-ho finds himself very quickly falling in love with this soft life, this kinder reality where neither he nor Seong Gi-hun ever touched the Games, this world where their daughters walk to school together and Jun-ho stops by for coffee and his stepmother calls casually to ask what Gi-hun wants for his birthday.
But this Gi-hun knows his husband, and he knows something is wrong. And In-ho knows he can't stay. Not when the gears of time are still churning in another, colder reality.
Meanwhile, Hwang In-ho, private investigator, husband to goofy, good-hearted Seong Gi-hun, father to Hwang Ji-ah and stepfather to Ga-yeong, wakes up in a world of horror and blood, a world where he himself is the villain... a world where his husband hates him.
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In-ho has one chance to convince Gi-hun to join him as his right-hand-man, or else the VIPs want him dead. He agrees.
Because In-ho is right. The rebellion didn't work. It was never going to work. The players are simply too far removed from the people really in charge. Even killing the Front Man would only result in a replacement Front Man. But as the Front Man's protégé, Gi-hun can make a difference. He can do what he can for the players from above, rather than below. He can investigate the gold-masked men. He can scheme.
There's light in the darkness. In-ho helps Gi-hun get Ga-yeong back. He teaches him how to fight, how to survive in this deadly world. Slowly, slowly, they begin to trust each other. (The kissing happens long before the trust.)
Gi-hun uses his new power, undreamt of in his old life, to do what he never did before: think only of others. And the luxury helps, the high-end alcohol helps, but of course he's still tortured by guilt. But at least they're tortured together, and take sanctuary in each other. Gi-hun gets to fight in favor of the players; In-ho gets to not be alone. They both got what they wanted.
Begins immediately following the events of S2.
Title changed
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“Your rut should hit before the games end, yes?” Il-nam chirps, like it’s an entirely acceptable thing to ask, and In-ho clenches his jaw.
Stiffly, obediently, he answers, “Yes, sir. It won’t interfere with my performance.”
The old Alpha leans in, devious intent glittering behind the mask. “You should use 456.”
“Sir?”
“Really. I want you to have him. I picked him out for you. His scent is excellent, despite his background. And he’s very docile.”
“That’s very thoughtful, sir,” In-ho says, and tries to turn away, but the Host catches at his sleeve and emits a musty pulse of dominant pheromones, the frail old fingers shockingly strong.
"Tonight,” he says placidly. “He’ll die tomorrow, and I want those tapes.”
In-ho’s stomach turns. They’ve never intruded on his rut like this, on a moment of privacy this primal, this raw.
“I have,” he says, slightly raw around the edges, “Perhaps, a... more entertaining alternative.”-
The Host wants the Front Man to put on a show with Player 456. In-ho would rather eat glass, so he comes up with an alternative offer.
Player 218 will watch the coupling.
The VIPs will watch Player 218.
Series
- Part 1 of The Phoenix Arc
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Show Me What's Underneath (I'll Find Your Harmony) by midnighteverlark
Fandoms: Squid Game (TV 2021), KPop Demon Hunters (2025)
25 Jul 2025
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In-ho and Gi-hun watch KPop Demon Hunters together - along with baby So-mang, the de-facto winner of the 2024 Games.
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In-ho glances at the screen as he moves for the kitchen, pausing when it’s not what he expected. Even at first glance, the aesthetic is very different from Gi-hun’s usual viewing material. This is something animated, brightly colorful, and high-energy - on screen, a cartoon crowd of wildly chanting fans fills an enormous stadium stem-to-stern.
“The world will know you as pop stars,” a woman solemnly proclaims in voice-over. “But you will be much more than that.”
In-ho continues on past, into the half-kitchen. He’s angling for a fresh shot of caffeine; today’s long-distance work, helping Jun-ho from behind a screen, has been trying. Rubbing at the bridge of his nose where his computer glasses dig in, he pulls the coffee pot from its burner.
“You will be hunters,” the TV says, and In-ho turns to watch idly over his shoulder as he rinses out the pot at the sink.
The screen has gone dark; the music, soft and secretive. Vibrant pink scars split through the earth of the night, racing towards a village.
He turns back to his coffee. “What are you watching?”
Recent series
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Hwang Inho finds himself forced back into his role as player 001 when his officers rebel against him. He's going to need Seong Gihun's help if he wants to survive. Too bad, Gihun wants to kill him.
Bookmarked by midnighteverlark
28 May 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
Similar to an idea I had on Tumblr a while back
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When exhausted single father Seong Gihun whispers he wants to disappear "just for a moment," the beautiful and terrifying Goblin King Inho takes him at his word. Taking his infant daughter to a twisted labyrinth kingdom and leaving the man with a challenge. Gihun has five days to reach the center and win her back. But the labyrinth is full of lies, and Inho himself is nothing like what he appears to be.
As Gihun navigates changing paths and deadly turns, he finds himself drawn into a dangerous game with a captor who watches him with desperate intensity, that draws and repels Gihun.
The closer Gihun gets to the truth about the Goblin King, the more he realizes saving his daughter might require an impossible choice.
Series
- Part 1 of underground
Bookmarked by midnighteverlark
01 Feb 2026
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Desperation drives Gi-hun to take a life modeling job at a local art college. It’s supposed to be easy money—two hours of sitting still. But when one of the artists looks at him like he’s more than just a figure to draw, Gi-hun starts to wonder what exactly is being seen.
Bookmarked by midnighteverlark
20 Oct 2025
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When Seong Gihun finds himself tangled in debts once again, an enigmatic invitation offers him salvation.
Whisked into a world of luxury and shadows, he becomes the unexpected guest of Hwang Inho, a powerful man who never shows his face in daylight and seems far too interested in Gihun’s blood. Surrounded by secrets, elegant vampires, and staff who know more than they say, Gihun must play a game unlike any before.
The prize? Survival.
The risk? Becoming more than just a meal.
As the sun sets, Gihun discovers that being treated like royalty doesn't mean you're not on the menu.
Or: Gihun needs cash to pay off his debts and care for Gayeong. Inho has plenty, he just asks for a taste. It doesn't take long for Gihun to realize he’s sold his soul to a vampire.
The vampire AU I have dreamed of writing.Bookmarked by midnighteverlark
18 Aug 2025
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What if, when Gi-hun was taken for his second games, it was still too early for the games to begin-but In-ho decided to bring him in anyway?
What if the sedative he used wasn't the one they normally gave to players?
What if Gi-hun was taken to the Front Man's personal quarters instead of the players' dormitory?
What if, by the time the games actually began, he had forgotten everything that happened in those days?
What if In-ho couldn't forget any of it?
And what if those few days changed everything for them?This is meant to be unhinged, so if you’re easily triggered—this probably isn’t for you. That said, in all fairness, I know I’ll end up slipping into fluff too. So if you’re not into soft moments either… well, I don’t know what to tell you. It’s a delicate balance. Beware.
Series
Bookmarked by midnighteverlark
24 Jul 2025