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So, I’ve had this fic sitting in my files for about a year now. It was something I had been working on for a while but ended up setting it aside when I started working on True Faith in December of last year.
Don’t worry—I’m still working on True Faith, but I also think this story deserves to see the light of day.
And so, I present to you, my little side project: Red.
I’m not exactly sure how to pitch it as there are still pieces of the story that are coming together in my mind. What I can tell you is that this is another mafia AU, but that element won’t come into play until a bit later. It will be told from both Xie Lian’s and Hua Cheng’s perspectives and will focus more heavily on romance while building out the wider story.
The tentative summary goes as follows:
Our tale begins with Xie Lian hiring an escort to help him deal with an “unspeakable affliction” after a disastrous breakup forced him to leave college and return to his hometown.
Hua Cheng (or Wuming, as he is called when we first meet him) isn’t really interested in helping people—he just wants to get paid. If the situation with a client seems too complicated to deal with, he has no problem walking away. But for some reason he can’t explain, he feels compelled to help Xie Lian.
The two find themselves very quickly drawn to one another, but nothing in life is easy, especially when it comes to love.
Xie Lian is struggling to forget about the demise of the relationship that ruined his life—a struggle complicated by the fact that his ex may or may not be stalking him.
Meanwhile, Hua Cheng is busy running from a past that will soon catch up to him with deadly consequences.
And there you have it. Sort of.
As I said, there are still some pieces of the puzzle that are falling into place. But I want to warn you: things will get DARK.
How dark? Well . . . I was watching Banana Fish when I began plotting this story last year, and a big chunk of the plot as well as Hua Cheng’s backstory (and one other character I have yet to reveal) were heavily influenced by it.
So if you’ve seen Banana Fish, you know what I’m talking about (I promise you a happy ending, though).
Also, don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve named this fic after the song “Red” by Survive Said the Prophet, which is the second ending theme for the Banana Fish anime. It’s a beautiful song and if you haven’t listened to it, I highly suggest you do so.
Alright. That’s it for now.
Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy the story.
And in case you're curious, the cover art was drawn by the talented Chicca Art and you can find them on instagram here.