It is Whos Says the Nights are For Sleeping by lucitae on AO3!

Okay actually, I'm not supposed to be reading fanfics anymore since it's so near to the finals, but I can't help but finish reading it. After my last distressed blog post, I decided to give myself a cheat day so I took yesterday off. I finished reading this fic yesterday, and I can't express how much I love this fic.

So basically it's a Onghwang fanfic (Ong Seongwoo x Hwang Minhyun), and it's kind of a rare pairing. It is setted in a fantasy world, where spirits and mythological creatures are real and alive. It is mainly based on Japanese folklore (and a little bit of Chinese folklore), and the manga XXXHolic. It depicts how Seongwoo stumbled upon Minhyun's shop of granting wishes, but instead of seeing the shop as how people thinks it look like, he saw the original form of the shop, which is an empty courtyard and living quarters. From there, along with Seonho, Seongwoo embarked on a magical journey where he went on adventures, met unexpected people, discovered his abilities and eventually found love. There is a different story to almost everyone in the story, some tragic, some strange, some horrific.

As I read the story, I unconsciously drifted with the characters and feel feelings so strong I feel like I'm the one actually experiencing the stories as Seongwoo. The way the author phrases the words are so poetic and cinematic, it seems like I'm viewing the settings right in front of my eyes. I can tell that a lot of research had gone in too, as almost every reference to folklores are linked in the notes at the end of each chapter, and it helps me understanding the story more. There is an overall magical feeling to this fic that I can't quite grasp. The author also uses a vast variety of vocabulary so I have to open a tab to look for the meanings of those words, but I don't mind the work since it improves my descriptive writing skills.

The thing that touches the most is somehow, the love developing between Minhyun and Seongwoo. It starts with a teacher-student relationship, and slowly revolves into something much more, and the process of them discovering themselves being in love in each other is mesmerising. It starts with nothing more than a heart skipping a beat, but ends with love burning so passionately in their chests, and sleepless nights in the bedroom. (Yes, there are a few make out scenes and one particular love making scene.) This is kind of strange as I rarely even read romance where the plot is thick and heavy, but this story just blows me away. Don't mention that there are the just right amount of hurt and comfort, enough to prick my heart but not too much to the point it feels suffocating.

This is definitely a fic I would recommend if you are interested in fantasy stories, especially related to Japanese folklore. The beauty of this fic is what I strive to achieve with my own writing, but I know there's still a long way for me to go. I'll definitely reread this fic in the future if I run out of inspiration to write and just want a breather. 10/10 recommended!

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