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kayewrite · 3 months ago

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How to Love?

genre:; fluff, angst (not really). word counting: 1754

Seungmin x reader (ft. mingyu of seventeen). college Seungmin!. Medicine student Seungmin! (will write lots of university fics because im delulu college student *sobs)

wherein: You are just curious, and you asked for tips from your friend, who willingly helped you.

i reccommend you to listen "how to love" by Day6

You've never been in a relationship before.

Your focus has always been on studying. Study. And more study.

Aiming for the top has always been your priority, which is why the idea of having a boyfriend (or girlfriend) never even crossed your mind.

Besides, no one’s ever asked you out, so why bother thinking about relationships when the opportunity hasn’t even presented itself? (By the way, you’re not some stereotypical nerd. You love makeup and dressing up for yourself.)

But now that you’re in college, things are different. Your goals are getting harder to achieve. It’s not just that the course is challenging; it’s also because it’s not what you wanted to study in the first place. You’re here because of family pressure, and that’s made it even harder to keep up with your lessons.

In college, you start to realize something important:

Studying too much can really drain you.

As you look around, you notice how others are balancing their lives. Your deskmate parties every weekend, yet somehow she has the same grades as you. The notorious bad boy sitting in front, who’s always playing with girls' hearts and puts his studies at the bottom of his priority list, scored higher than you in Differential Equations.

And then there’s your dorm mate, who blushes while talking to someone on the phone. She has a boyfriend, yet she manages to balance her studies without letting it distract her. (By the way, why is she blushing?)

"I'm tired, physically and mentally," you say, resting your head on the cafeteria table while Seungmin, your friend, munches on his sandwich.

"That's what you get after not sleeping for several days and then pressuring yourself too much," he replies, continuing to eat his sandwich—wait, that’s yours!

You lift your head, tired but still sane.

"Then what should I do? What do college students do? Isn’t it our responsibility to learn?"

Seungmin rolls his eyes at your statement. "What are we, robots?" He puts down your sandwich and wipes his mouth with a napkin, realizing that it’s yours and that he should stop eating. (Only 1/8 of the sandwich is left.)

"Listen, you need to get a life. You’re wasting your college years with your nose buried in books. You should enjoy college because after this, adult life limits your happiness. So, as long as you can, enjoy and live your life."

On a normal day, you’d tease him, calling him dumb and saying he’s talking nonsense, but maybe because you’re so tired, or something else, for the first time what he’s saying makes sense.

"Wow, you’re making sense." Your face lights up, and Seungmin can’t help but laugh. "Is that what studying medicine does to you?"

"I'm always a genius, you dumbass. Eat my medals."

What Seungmin said rings in your brain. For the first time, you don’t stress about the upcoming exam.

"Seungmin," you call out after a long, comfortable silence.

"What?"

"I should date."

"Date what?"

"Date someone."

Suddenly, Seungmin clasps his hands together in an overly dramatic way and closes his eyes.

"Finally, my prayers have been heard."

But how do you start?

You weren’t pressured by your surroundings, right? You just want to experience it.

Experience.

But how?

"How?" you ask Seungmin when you sit under the mango tree, studying (again).

"How what? Don’t ask me math questions."

"I mean… how did you meet Shin?" you ask, closing your book.

Seungmin has a lot of experience in love. He’s had many girlfriends (and why not? He’s handsome). So asking him questions about love is never difficult.

Seungmin looks at you intently, his face showing a hint of curiosity.

"She came to me."

"And then what?" Curiosity is evident on your face. Why haven’t you asked him questions like this before?

"And then we dated."

"That fast?"

"It’s because she loved me too much, and I was just doing her a favor." You slap him hard.

"You’re a playboy."

"I’m not. I’m kind."

"So if anyone likes you, you just date them?"

"Well… no."

"I think I’m an idiot for asking you for advice." You lean back and open your book again.

Seungmin laughs at you. He realizes you must be serious about your decision, so why not help? (As a good friend should.)

"Okay, now listen to me. You won’t regret this decision, right?"

"Why are you getting scary?" you comment as he speaks with an unusually serious face.

"I mean, as your friend—a handsome friend, mind you—I’m going to tell you…" He pauses for dramatic effect. "How to love."

You pause, then hit his arm.

"Why are you making that serious face? You’re so funny." You both laugh, and when you’re tired from laughing, Seungmin continues.

"First, fall in love."

"Well, step one is kinda hard."

"Just use your charm, and then you’ll find love. And never let go of the people who want to take care of you. Have you seen yourself? You’re pushing people away."

"I am?" You think back to times in your life when you’ve pushed people away.

"Yes. So never do that. And if you find love, contact me for step two." He laughs, then stands up and runs off.

"What is this, a YouTube tutorial?" you sigh and open your book again, but your attention isn’t there.

"How can I find it?"

You sat alone at your usual spot in the cafeteria, a tray of untouched food in front of you. The sounds of chatter and laughter surrounded you, but your mind was elsewhere, replaying Seungmin's words about finding love. You let out a small sigh, thinking about how you’d even begin.

As you poked at your sandwich, someone slid into the seat across from you. You looked up, surprised. It was Mingyu, the handsome senior from your department. You’d seen him around before, but never this close. He had a confident, easygoing smile that made your heart skip a beat.

“Hey,” he said casually, setting his coffee down. “Mind if I sit here?”

You blinked, momentarily lost for words, then nodded. “Sure.”

He grinned. “I’ve seen you around. You’re always so focused, it’s impressive.”

You felt a blush creep up your cheeks. “Thanks, I guess. I just… try to stay on top of things.”

“You don’t have to explain,” he chuckled. “I get it. College is a lot. But you know, it’s also important to have fun.”

You looked at him, curiosity piqued. “And what do you do for fun?”

Mingyu leaned back, taking a sip of his coffee before answering. “I hang out with friends, play some basketball, and sometimes… I just like to talk to interesting people.”

Your heart fluttered at his words, and you couldn’t help but smile. The conversation flowed naturally from there—jokes, stories, shared frustrations about classes. Time seemed to fly by, and before you knew it, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period.

Mingyu stood up, grabbing his things. “Hey, this was fun. Can I get your number? Maybe we can do this again sometime.”

Your heart raced as you fumbled to take out your phone. “Yeah, sure.”

After exchanging numbers, Mingyu flashed you one last smile before heading off to his next class. You sat there for a moment, still processing what had just happened. Then, without thinking, you grabbed your phone and dialed Seungmin.

“I think I found it,” you said as soon as he picked up.

Seungmin's voice on the other end was a mix of surprise and amusement. “Already? Wow, that was fast.”

Later that day, you met Seungmin again, and he couldn’t believe how quickly things had progressed. “So, what’s step two?” you asked, eager to hear more of his so-called wisdom.

Seungmin smirked. “Step two is to develop trust. It’s not easy, especially when you don’t know someone that well, but it’s crucial.”

You nodded, feeling a bit anxious. Trust wasn’t something you gave easily, but you were determined to see this through.

As days turned into weeks, you and Mingyu kept in touch, though not always frequently. He was busy with his senior projects, and you were swamped with your own studies, but whenever you did talk, there was a comfort and ease that made you feel safe. You found yourself trusting him, even when he wasn’t around.

One day, he invited you to a coffee shop off-campus. You said yes without hesitation. The atmosphere was cozy, with soft music playing in the background. As you sat across from Mingyu, sipping your drinks and chatting about anything and everything, you felt a warmth spread through you.

“I really enjoy spending time with you,” Mingyu said, his eyes twinkling as he looked at you. “Will you go out with me?”

You didn’t answer right away, but the smile on your face said it all.

The next time you saw Seungmin, he could tell something had changed. You were happier, lighter, and it was all thanks to Mingyu. “Alright, you’re ready for step three,” Seungmin said with a grin.

“What’s that?” you asked, still smiling from your last date.

“Build commitment. That’s the final step,” he said, though there was a hint of something else in his voice—something you couldn’t quite place. But you were too caught up in your happiness to notice.

As the days passed, you and Mingyu grew closer. You spent more time together, studying, laughing, sharing your dreams and fears. You felt safe with him, and that trust grew into something deeper. But every now and then, when you were with Seungmin, you’d catch him looking at you with an expression you couldn’t quite read.

One afternoon, you were in the library with Mingyu, your heads bent over your books. Seungmin walked by, and you looked up, catching his eye. He smiled, a soft, bittersweet smile that made your heart ache just a little. He was happy for you, that much was clear, but there was something more—something he wasn’t saying.

You watched him walk away, a thought nagging at the back of your mind. But before you could dwell on it, Mingyu nudged you, making you laugh with another one of his jokes. The moment passed, and you pushed the thought aside.

But deep down, you knew. You knew there was more to Seungmin’s advice than just friendly concern. And as you watched him disappear into the stacks of books, you realized that maybe, just maybe, the steps to love he’d shared with you were ones he’d already taken… with you.

#seungmin x reader #stray kids fanfic #stray kids x reader #seungmin #seungmin x you #seungmin fic #college life #books #currently reading #mingyu x reader #stray kids #fluff #angst #seventeen #stray kids x you #seungmin x y/n

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shuahoonie · 2 years ago

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to x, with love | a svt x reader mini series

➼ music can elicit inspiration just as much as words. this mini-series contains a list of imagines that are inspired by a series of love songs.

this is my love letter to you. ♡

note: this can be read as a stand-alone! you don't necessarily have to read each one but i will be extremely grateful if you do! ☺

updates: ideally, every friday at 7 pm CST ☺ [aka whenever i can]

shuahoonie's masterlist

seungcheol

♫ 그렇더라고요 (when you love someone) by DAY6 ↪ some seek love and have the pleasure of keeping it, some never find it, and some aren't meant to find it. you and cheol are determined to discover whether love still exists beyond your old love letters. ↪ bonus: that's just how it is

jeonghan

♫ to you by seventeen ↪ to avoid another blind date, you ask jeonghan to be your pretend boyfriend to get your mom off your back. the kicker? jeonghan secretly enjoys being your pretend boyfriend. ↪ bonus: you are that person

joshua

♫ daydreamin' by ariana grande

jun

♫ oh my! by seventeen

soonyoung

♫ time machine by cuco

wonwoo

♫ unspoken words by mxmtoon ↪ you and wonwoo always had a complicated relationship— no matter how hard you two tried, your lives had a funny way of getting intertwined. and stubborn may you both be, wonwoo will always admit his feat when it comes to you.

jihoon

♫ message in a bottle by taylor swift ↪ a message in a bottle is quite literally how jihoon found out you liked him— and you have to kill thank jeonghan for that.

minghao

♫ 은방울 lily of the valley by DANIEL ↪ hao thought the idea of a meet-cute was corny, impossible even. however, when he recalls the first time he met you, he knew he had to swallow a few choice of words and his pride.

mingyu

♫ warm on a cold night by HONNE ↪ there was no denying that mingyu looked like he was carved out from the gods, that's why he keeps getting asked out. yet every poor person's attempt of asking him out is often met with rejection. the reason? you two are *supposedly* dating (on the dl), he would say. the truth? you two aren’t.

seokmin

♫ all of the girls you loved before by taylor swift

seungkwan

♫ late night talking by harry styles ↪ something shifted in the universe when you and seungkwan started talking on the phone every day. this is big for someone who has their phone on do not disturb for almost the entire day. oh and going on a trip with your bff, practically acting like a couple is normal right? right??? ↪ bonus: can't get you off my mind

vernon

♫ oh shit... are we in love? by valley

chan

♫ 18 - one direction

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sanctuary1988 · 6 months ago

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| Interlude | pt. 1

French: /the petals of love/

Pairing: Gwi x fem! noble! Reader

Summary: A heartless vampire falls in love for the first time in centuries of loneliness. Passion, secrets, betrayal and love drown the royal palace. Will your love for Gwi prevail through time or will it wither away like a fallen rose petal? Maybe love was his punishment, maybe love was your salvation. Or wasn't it a curse to you both? Because, who can beat a race against time? Who can love in the dark? Who can love without truth? After all, even the most beautiful flower will wither away and end in ashes of time, remembered only by the one who cherished her the most.

Warnings: strangers to lovers?, angst, feelings of [loss, grief, mourning], mentions of character dead, TENSION, subtle signs of depression, melancholy, crying, more angst, feelings of yearning and hidden compassion, letting go of grief, historical! AU, royal! AU?, cannon copilant (let me know if I missed anything!)

Word Count: 1.4k words

A/N: We came to an important part of this story, darlings of mine! If my calculations are correct, we are already at one third of Gwi and Flower's story!

I didn't believe I'd get this far this quickly when it came to this story but thanks to all the people that have commented, reblogged and liked for you, loves, have given me inspiration and a desire to write something you'll like. So thank you so much, sweet darlings of mine!

We are already at 34.5k words on this series! O.o Let's see the final word count at the end, shall we?

For now, I'm tagging @my-day6 and @yumisventingmachine. Thank you darlings for your lovely comments that have made me write like a freak, lmao. And to everyone who's silently reading, I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well. ❤️❤️❤️

Please let me know your thoughts in the comments! I'd love to hear from you, loves. Enjoy! 🫶🫶🫶

Winter had started, the snow fell from the sky ever so slowly as if painting the ground below. However, you remained confined to the walls of your room, accompanied by your own silence. With a deep sigh, you sat down in front of your desk, the skirts of your deep blue dress puffed out around you as your shaky hand grabbed a letter you had postponed reading for months.

It was the last letter your mother had written for you. Her last words, her last memory. Now you held it in your hands with a strangling grip that made your heart race with anticipation. You had to muster enough courage to break the seal of the letter before you had it in your hands. The handwriting was oddly family yet strangely distant in your memories.

This was your opportunity to give closure to your mother’s death. It was time to move on, yet you wanted to keep her words at heart with every step you took towards the future of your own life.

And so, you read her letter. After waiting months to find such peace in the darkness you thought would never pass. After staring at it for hours, not wanting to tarnish her last memory. After mourning in the shadows of your own soul the loss of the most important woman in your life.

Sweet girl.

I received your letter. Your words were a calming refugee after all the dark days I have suffered. I hope I can see you one more time. I miss you, (y/n) and if there’s one thing I regret in my life was not keeping you by my side. Forgive me, sweet girl. Forgive me for I was not strong enough. And my weakness caused you great pain. A pain you did not deserve.

I’ll wait to meet you again in my next life, sweet girl of mine. Don’t spill your tears over this old lady, I have lived enough and I have endured so much I am ready to rest until I am born again.

My sweet girl, you were my light in the darkness. I wish for you to be the light in someone else’s path as well.

Always be yourself and shine as the pure diamond that you are. A beautiful flower in a garden of thorns. I love you, (y/n). From the moon and back, remember?

Your mother.

A silent tear landed on the paper you held, then another and another. The pearls of your sadness rolled over your cheeks and dripped down your chin. As you sat in the solitude of your room, you saw movement from the corner of your eye. You didn’t have to look up to know who it was. It almost felt as if you could sense his presence- steady, powerful yet in that moment, tender.

Gwi didn’t say anything but the sight of your tears made him swallow as his heartstrings got pulled softly. With cautious steps, he approached you in a melancholic silence that was nearly suffocating.

“What troubles you, my sweet flower?”

He spoke once he stood next to you as his tone was a rare blend between authority and tenderness. A delicacy that was reserved for you and only you. His tall figure loomed over you as his shadow engulfed you in a comforting darkness you felt oddly peacefully. Almost as if he was embracing you himself. You sniffled, wiping your tears with the back of your hand before you stood up as well, your eyes met his for the first time since he entered the bedroom and for a moment, you were granted a glimpse of his soul.

You saw the gentle concern in his dark gaze tinted with subtle crimson. The shadows of the torches and candles around you accentuated his eccentric beauty as his eyes spoke thousands of words his lips would never speak.

“It’s… It’s a letter from my mother. Her last words to me.”

You explained, your voice barely above a whisper as a lump formed in your throat, feeling as if you were being choked with the cruel grip of a sadness you wanted to leave behind yet it still consumed your mind. Gwi tilted his head to the side, his eyes never leaving your features as you looked down at the letter in your hands.

“I miss her.”

The tips of his fingers lifted your chin, forcing your eyes to meet his once more. His grip tightened ever so subtly but his touch was enough to ground your racing mind as your eyes remained locked with his.

“She may be gone from this world, petal, but she lives on in you. Her love, her strength, they are all a part of who you are now. Of the woman you have become today.”

Of the woman I cherish so deeply.

Gwi thought to himself, his eyes flickering to your lips for a moment before his thumb brushed away a tear from your cheek, his touch feather-like over your skin. You took a deep breath, your eyes fixing once more on the letter in your hands before you took a step towards your desk, forcing the vampire’s touch to leave your skin as you extended the letter toward the chamberstick.

The flames licked at the paper before the corners started to turn black. With a deep breath, you dropped it on the ashtray, watching how the letter crumbled to ashes until there was nothing left of it. It was a closure. It was your goodbye. It was your final act of letting go.

And as the last remnants of the letter turned to ashes, you were left with a bittersweet peace nestling in your heart. His hands found home on your shoulders as you sighed to yourself, feeling his warm touch over your clothed skin.

There was so much tension hanging in the air. So many words left unsaid. But you weren’t going to deny the peace his presence gave your troubled soul.

“My strong flower of sharp thorns.”

You wiped away the last tears that escaped your eyes at his murmured words. It almost felt as if he had spoken them for himself but you had heard them. You had heard his silent truth. The way he regarded you and viewed you in his presence. You swam in the tranquillity that was his touch as you leaned back against him ever so softly. One of your hands touched his as it rested over your shoulder before you closed your eyes. The last tie to your once lovely life was severed and now, now you were left to find refuge in the man who kept you to himself in the dark vastness of his underground palace like a flower in a dead garden.

“Why don’t you join me for tea, mmh? Just this time; let’s take your mind away from that darkness, petal.”

You turned around, your eyes meeting his. For a moment you didn’t think he had actually told you such a thing. Gwi had always been polite to you and you knew that he cared for you to some extent. But his eyes that held so much tenderness couldn’t lie to you. Perhaps you had been drowning so deeply in your sorrow that you didn’t see it. Maybe it had always been there; at least from some time now. That look in his eyes. That look that melted your heart. That look that made butterflies swarm in your stomach. And that look that spoke of a man completely different from what you had heard.

“I’d like that, My Lord.”

His hands dropped to his sides at your whispered answer. You offered him a golden gift he hadn’t seen in months. Something he had silently missed. For your lips curled softly into a gentle smile while you looked up at him.

The vampire lord didn’t say a word. His heart ached within him at the sight of your eyes, wide as if searching for something in his gaze you had no idea existed. His hand tangled with yours before he pulled you with him out of your room. Out of your darkness. And led you to the throne hall to share his evening tea with his precious flower. The future you saw yourself in was with him.

With the handsome stranger that had shown you more than you had experienced in your entire life. With his silent promise that everything was going to be alright.

June/09/2024

A/N: Thoughts? O.O

My inbox is open, darlings! Or feel free to leave a comment! I'd love to hear your thoughts and inputs for the story! Take care, everyone 🫶

~ Masterpost

#sanctuary1988 #lee soo hyuk #kdrama #kdrama series #the scholar who walks the night #gwi #kactor #gwi x reader fluff #gwi x reader #gwi x reader angst #scholar who walks the night #lee soo hyuk characters #vampire #korean drama #korean actor #les pétals d'amour #vampire gwi

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raspberrylix · 1 year ago

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(some) KnB characters and their favorite kpop acts

After seeing a post by @imalwaysinconfusion, I could not stop thinking about the characters and the type of music they would listen to, as music is very cool and event more important to me as knb. But then my recent expertise lies mainly in kpop so this the post. All credits for the idea go to them, hope me doing this is okay :] Most of these are based on vibes and vibes alone

Akashi Seijūrō

(Honestly I’m having a hard time with him, so many signals and yet nothing I could understand, great start)

BIBI

Day6

Midorima Shintarō

Shinee + gg (taemin bias)

Him and Kise have a similar taste but it’d say Midorima is more chill (but don’t come across him on twt during yet another fanwar)

Kise Ryōta

Loona

Itzy

NewJeans

Jeon Somi (when I think of fast forward, I see Kise, why is that?)

He’s either the most nicest person you can meet at the concert or he won’t be afraid to drop kick someone from being a bg stan, the line is very thin

Aomine Daiki

Ateez(!!!)

MonstaX

P1Harmony

Stray Kids (with this I’m really not sure, but he’d love megaverse and side effects for sure)

Murasakibara Atsuchi

Xdinary Heroes

Ateez (Mura would love FOB -> mingi loves FOB -> I love both ATZ and FOB with mingi being my bias-> dots are connected)

Either Woodz or Gaho or both but both of those might be too light for him

Dreamcatcher (feels like Himuro’s influence)

Kuroko Tetsuya

Day6 (wonpil bias, won’t elaborate)

DPR, DPR LIVE in particular

Hoody

Dean, heavy on him

Kagami Taiga

Stray Kids

iKON

bold shot, but somehow, I feel like he would like BlackPink a lot

epik high

Woodz

Kiyoshi Teppei

Seventeen

GOT7

Red Velvet, heavy on Red Velvet

T-ARA, KARA

TEEN TOP, B.A.P, Block B, VIXX, basically all the best from early-mid 3rd gen

he's the chill type and would get along with everyone, despite their music taste and would try to learn about one's favorite artists, if he doesn't know them. he also misses how back in the day idols would interact between groups

Hyūga Junpei

Kard

SuperM

Cheetah

Rolling Quartz <3

he just likes badass people, dunno

Izuki Shun, aka a man with perfect taste

DPR IAN

J-hope

BIBI

Jamie (!)

Koganei Shinji

Xikers, definitely xikers

Billlie

5th gen stan for sure

Takao Kazunari

NCT all units

Riize (maybe)

SM gg

Basically I see him as a huge SM stan

Sakurai Ryō

Lucy

Onewe

AKMU

Himuro Tatsuya

The Rose

Tablo

Woodz

Dreamcatcher

Aida Riko

Yezi

AleXa

G-(i)dle

Mamamoo

(i just think she's very cool and would love cool woman of kpop)

Momoi Statsuki

Nmixx

TXT

enhypen

Oriwara Shigehiro

NCT dream

Riize, big fan of riize, totally has mastered play a guitar move

was this post just me assigning my own favorite artists to these characters, thus making a situation where they had to be my bffs? mayhaps. but i had a lot of fun

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day6source · 5 months ago

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240619 day6_kisstheradio

🌙 The 1st anniversary of Dekira that started in early summer and was celebrated again in summer too✨ DAY6 members who've made memories every season A special birthday spent together❣️ Receiving a live gift from DAY6 🥹Starting in overwhelming family mode The special guest of Kongchu was invited 💚 Meeting the one and only DJ 💚 Young D A segment of Sungjin, Wonpil, and Dowoon's version of Dekira 🙌 💌 Today like always Thanks to all of you who made Dekira shine A night when everything felt more and more like a miracle 💫 Happy 1st anniversary, Thank you from the bottom of my heart 🫶

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fy-parksungjin · 3 months ago

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youtube

DAY6 Special Live ＜9th Debut Anniversary Mini Fan Meeting＞🎂🍀

#day6 #sungjin #youngk #wonpil #dowoon #e:fanmeet #240907 #240907 fm #Youtube

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flurrys-creativity · 2 years ago

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Resfeber

resfeber (n.) ~ the tangled feeling of fear and excitement before a jounrey begins

Pairing: Kim Wonpil (Day6) x GN!Reader; Genre: Hybrid AU, Fluff, a little angst; Rating: sfw, pg-13; Warnings: mentions of anxiety, hints of hybrid mistreatments, hints of anxiety attacks, mentions of therapy; Wordcount: 1.712

Summary: You were afraid of basically everything. Even the tiniest sound made you anxious and you couldn’t go anywhere you haven’t been before. The downside of being a cheetah hybrid. Therefore it was decided you would get a companion, someone who would help you through the day and any panic attack. A dog hybrid.

A/N: I don’t remember how long this has been on my wip list... *sigh* buuuut it is inspired by the fact that cheetahs get emotional support dogs in zoos... which makes me very soft..

You fidgeted on your seat, unable to stay still. Your tail flicked around almost impatiently. Every few seconds your gaze wandered to the clock on the wall next to you. Each time you calculated the remaining time anew. You started bouncing with your leg as your senses went into overdrive.

“Maybe this was a bad idea”, you mumbled and picked on the skin around your nails. Your gaze wandered back to the clock. Five more minutes.

Not able to stay seated, you got up and paced around the room. You took deep breaths in hopes to calm down.

“You knew this was coming. You prepared everything for this to come. It’s going to be fine. Dr. Park said this would help me.”

Before the hybrid rights were evoked you had stayed with a human, who had told you everything you were supposed to do. You never had to think for yourself or worry about doing something wrong even if you only sat near his chair. You simply had to wait for his next command. Now though, you got a life of your own and you just couldn’t handle it. What were you supposed to do? How did someone live without being told what to do?

Therefore Dr. Park had started to visit you for regular therapy sessions. He was the one who suggested a companion to ease your anxiety. Something you had discussed with him over a dozen sessions before you agreed to it.

You froze on the spot when you heard a car door slam in front of your home. You glanced at the clock, seeing only a minute had passed. Meaning you still had four more minutes before your visitor arrived. Yet the footsteps outside coming closer to your front door made it abundantly clear they were already here.

A nervous chirp left your lips once the doorbell rang. You had no more minutes to prepare yourself anymore.

“Y/N? It’s Dr. Park! I’m here with someone who’d like to meet you. Could you open up the door? Without sprinting away this time?”

You winced involuntarily at the memory from his last visit. You took one last deep breath and turned towards the door. “I’m a predator, I don’t sprint to run away. I’m totally calm and I got this and everything is fine and they are probably very nice and Dr. Park is right and…”

You opened the door.

“So nice to meet you!” An excited young male greeted you, making you jump on the spot. Without noticing, he grabbed your hand and shook it vigorously. All while he grinned from ear to ear. “I’m Wonpil! I’m a dog hybrid, labrador to be precise. Did you make something to eat? It smells amazing.” He inhaled deeply as he closed his eyes in the process, still holding one of your hands.

You blinked several times before your eyes wandered over his hybrid features: the brown floppy ears between his dark hair, slightly elongated canines, a warmer temperature than the human average as well as the rapidly moving tail behind him.

Your gaze switched to Dr. Park, showing you weren’t so sure about this whole situation. To your dismay his expression was as unreadable as always. He simply gestured all of you to go inside, probably because he didn’t want to hunt you down after you sprinted away with inhumanely speed.

When you reached the living room and sat down on the couch, Wonpil immediately sat down next to you - not losing his excited manner in the least.

“We already discussed how this is supposed to work”, Dr. Park said calmly and sat down on a plush chair opposite of the couch. He observed all of your reactions towards Wonpil. “Did you prepare everything like I asked you to do?”

You nodded shortly. “I prepared the spare room and ordered more groceries online. I also made some space in the bathroom.” Even though you said it out loud, your brain couldn’t quite believe the fact you wouldn’t be living alone anymore. Or at least for the time being until you were able to control your anxiety attacks.

“That’s really considerate of you. Thank you.” Wonpil smiled brightly and nodded in appreciation. “This is quite the change for you. I’m happy you’re doing so much for this. It means a lot to me!”

You bit on your lower lip and quickly grabbed your tail, knowing the tip would just flick around like crazy from the sudden attention on you.

Wonpil laughed softly, suppressing the urge to coo at your antics. “I’m also nervous”, he admitted and clutched his hands in his lap, “but I feel like we’re going to become really good friends.” Even though you were a predator, the nervousness you radiated felt palpable and Wonpil wanted nothing more than to hug you and calm you down. He knew he couldn’t do that right now as you two were still strangers to one another. Yet he offered you his hand, holding it with the palm facing the ceiling.

His heart nearly burst into dozens of tiny pieces when you delicately placed your hand in his, accepting his words and most importantly him into your life.

After a few more necessities were discussed, Dr. Park bid his goodbye and left you two alone in your now shared home. You still felt slightly uneasy about all of this but you knew it was for the best.

The first week together you tiptoed around Wonpil, whenever you exited your room - the only space you had solely for yourself. Of course you didn’t deliberately try to avoid him but you didn’t know how to act around him. Not that you knew how to act around anybody in the first place.

“Morning”, Wonpil greeted you quietly from behind, making you jump slightly and turn around to him. He smiled sheepishly and waved one hand hesitantly.

You frowned in thought, noticing he wasn’t as chipper as before. “Are you unhappy?” You clutched your hands and started fidgeting with your fingers. Somehow you didn’t like the thought of him being unhappy.

Wonpil tilted his head to one side, looking at you with a puzzled expression. Once it dawned on him, he quickly shook his head. “No, no, no. I’m just trying to make you feel comfortable around me.”

Your eyes widened in surprise and you felt the dread bubbling up in your stomach. Cold sweat ran down your back and dark spots appeared at the edge of your vision. You were the reason Wonpil changed his behaviour. You were the reason he toned down his personality.

Wonpil immediately noticed the distant look in your eyes and how your stance shifted slightly. He knew if he wouldn’t get you back, you would bolt out of the room and any progress the two of you made over the first week would have been gone again.

“Y/N”, he spoke softly and stepped closer to you, moving into your line of sight, “it’s alright. You did nothing wrong. I want you to feel comfortable around me. Maybe you can tell me what might help you.” Ever so carefully he pried your hands open. “It’s going to be a long journey but I just know we can do it.”

It took you several minutes before you were able to focus on Wonpil again, blinking a few times as well. It took you even longer until your brain finally registered what Wonpil had said to you. Yet you couldn’t form a single word as an answer. You inhaled shakily, feeling the tears brim at the corners of your eyes.

Wonpil rubbed his thumbs over the back of your hands in a calming manner. “How about we sit down on the couch and take some time doing nothing at all together?” He waited for the faintest of nods from you before he guided you towards the living room.

The second your body hit the cushions all the energy in your body evaporated. You basically melted onto the couch and just closed your eyes, feeling way too exhausted.

Wonpil sat down next to you, still holding one of your hands and caressing the back of your hand. His tail wagged gently when you rested your head on his shoulder with a soft sigh.

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to apologise for”, Wonpil reassured you, easing more into the couch as well. “We can’t change who we are from one day to the next. It’s a process, which will take quite some time. I don’t expect you to embrace me with open arms just after a week of living together.”

You rubbed your free hand over your face, wiping away a few stray tears. “It’s frustrating. You’re doing so much and I… I don’t do anything.” Without receiving an answer you continued ranting about the struggles your mind gave you each and every day. “I just want to be normal”, you cried in the end.

“You’re doing way more than you’re giving yourself credit for”, Wonpil told you and squeezed your hand comfortingly. “You just opened up to me, Y/N. That wouldn’t have happened a week ago.”

“I just dumped a truckload of frustrations on you.”

Wonpil chuckled softly and shook his head. “I might agree with you that the frustrations were the reason for you to open up but I don’t think you dumped anything on me. I’m here to help you, to listen to you, to share your worries and fears. And as you can hear-” he pointed at his rapidly wagging tail “- I’m extremely happy with this situation.”

This made you snicker as well, hiding your face into Wonpil’s shoulder. The tip of your tail flicked from side to side, indicating the racing thoughts within your mind. Yet Wonpil’s presence so close next to you, kept your worries at bay.

“I’m scared”, you whispered after a while, curling more into Wonpil’s side as if you wanted to hide away. “But I’m also excited.” You sighed and glanced upwards to see Wonpil’s bright smile, making yourself smile as well. “I think your unshakable positivity makes me excited for what is to come.”

Wonpil nodded slowly. “I feel the same way. The trust you’re showing me makes me excited to see what the future holds.”

Taglist: @xavi-in-kpopland

#kwritersworldnet #kdiarynet #wkcnet #kvanity #thekpopuniverse #kim wonpil #day6 #day6 wonpil #hybrid au #fluff #one shot #resfeber #kpop #idol

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lv-iceprince · 9 months ago

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🖤…mixtape ship…💕

@eudonyx

oh my god, I haven't done one of these ships in a hot minute so thank you so much for requesting this, i absolutely adored doing this for you and yeah.

apologies for the delay but i hope this finds you at a time when it was valuable and most importantly i hope you have a great day

wren

~txt~ taehyun🖤💕

Upon listening to your playlist, I was met with an overwhelming amount of confidence regarding the fact that I was going to ship you with Taehyun right or wrong. Before I get any further into the ship I'll add the songs below just in case you forgot which songs you sent me:

Celebrity - IU

Angel with a shotgun - The Cab

Adore You - Harry Styles

Love Story - Taylor Swift

Blue Hour - TxT

Express Moon - Jo Yuri

Feel Special - Twice

Home - BTS

Starry Night - Mamamoo

Days gone by - Day6

Highlight - Izone

Left & Right - Seventeen

Most of this ship is riding on the idea that you and Taehyun are star-crossed lovers, in the most volatile way. It's passionate and true how much he loves you. It's love with a twist, one would assume that it's just a case of puppy love, yet something is so adult and based in reality. No matter how sweet you both seem on the surface there is this undeniable sense of lust and the realization that you are having a resounding affect on others just by wanting to be together.

Taehyun is your unconventional prince charming who knows deep down that you are meant to be and that you are wrapped around his finger. One would presume that you were both just too innocent to know what was going on but that's not the case, you're both sugar coated but you know that some of your feelings aren't that pure.

He is the one you call to experience something that makes you feel complete, and even if he stutters when you tell him you love him the morning after, there exists some deep love in his heart he just doesn't know how to say it. It would go on like this for a while, not knowing what you were and being confused that your relationship was staying afloat, yet Taehyun really just craves your care and affection even if he seems indifferent.

If there was some distance between the two of you, each day you would creep closer to each other until your fingers were lightly grazing. Taehyun has hearts in his eyes for you and hearts in his fingers on the nights he sneaks into your bedroom or encourages you to sneak out to meet him. No matter how you put it there was something pulling you away from him, a person who Taehyun didn't want to acknowledge since he knew he was way better than that loser.

Once that moment of clarity comes, the moment he knows that he couldn't possibly live without you, he picks up his guitar and makes his way to your home, ready to serenade the ever loving crap out of you. As soon as he started strumming, and when the first few words of Days Gone By by Day6 left his lips you knew this was true love, even if it wasn't perfect. That day Taehyun sang with the most devotion and truth, his occasional voice cracks were even more beautiful than the song itself. He was fighting against all of his anxieties to serenade you, he was your brave knight fighting for both of you.

At the end of the day, when you're leaning in for a rushed kiss before you let your inhibitions go, you are certain that there is no better type of love, and you're correct. Taehyun knew it was love too once he realised that he would move heaven and earth for you, and pull you away from someone who clearly doesn't love you, just to see you smile.

And when all is said and done, after Taehyun pulls down his brave face he almost cries at the idea of being in love with, and sharing a life with such an angel.

~moodboard 🖤💕~

~shufflemancy reading🖤💕~

'but does he know you call me when he sleeps?

but does he know the pictures that you keep?

but does he know the reasons that you cry?

or tell me, does he know where your heart lies? where it truly lies

right here with me, babe

where it truly lies

my bed, babe

where it truly lies

in my arms, babe

where it truly lies'

~like a moth to a flame♡ swedish house mafia & the weeknd

~your song🖤💕~

#kpop ships #kpop matchups #txt #mixtape ships #black and pink aesthetic #heart edition #Spotify

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faceglitchsworld · 1 year ago

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Reasons why Xdinary Heroes should partecipate to Awesome Music Festival and Grand Mint Festival:

Both festivals, but especially Grand Mint Festival, are a perfect place for K-Bands performing in front of a large crowd. It's a challenging crowd too, because they'll not just meet Villains but people from different fandoms or just people who hear music in general, so they can challenge themselves and see if their music can reach different people.

Both festivals are open to K-Bands under an entertainment company so no "they can't do it because they're an Idol band :(" argument there (and just don't call a band Idol band in general PLS, if there's a thing that I hated about GSI is that there was this stupid distinction. K-Bands are K-Bands. Full stop.). Examples that I can give: Young K from Day6, Ha Hyunsang from Hoppipolla (he's currently under Wake One Ent. You know Wake One right?), I'll from Hoppipolla and my beloveds Onewe and N.Flying.

They can interact with other K-Bands and learning something from them.

K-Bands are respectful in general so, again, wholesome interactions.

This point is for @224-12 specifically: N.Flying perform in both festivals so they can meet and interact behind the scenes.

This is another point for @224-12 : LUCY perform there too. So you might get interactions.

They should just perform live in general

So JYP do ourselves a favour and let them join festivals

#sincerely a casual listener #terestext

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kyufessions · 1 year ago

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boy on the bus

synopsis: you’re writing a letter that won’t reach him

pairing: non-idol! changmin x g.n. reader

genre: fluff turned angst (??)

word count: 1.2k

general taglist: @jwnghyuns @eaudenana @soobin-chois

tbz taglist: @ilovechanhee

i was told life is supposed to be boring. everyday we wake up and attend our normal jobs that we either love or despise. i did what was told of me, got my degree, and got that boring job. i also never missed a singular day of work, not daring to be looked down upon by my supervisors but rather being looked at as the employee that goes above and beyond, whether the company deserves someone like me or not. but i did what momma told me, and lived that boring life that i only dreamt of as a child. “life won’t be that boring, will it?” id promise myself i wouldn’t make it boring, but rather have it be fun and exciting. but still do exactly as momma said. and that i did- except, i felt little fulfillment and joy. until i met you.

it was just a normal wednesday afternoon after work, sitting in the back corner of the bus for the next ten minutes until i arrived at my destination. headphones played day6’s discography on a loop as i stared ahead out of the window, admiring the same view of the busy streets and occasional trees and bushes that i notice everyday through the changing seasons. but this day was different, because of you.

i noticed you coming in from the bus stop in front of the local college campus, you were wearing nothing but just grey sweatpants and a random graphic tee with a pullover flannel with frames glasses that accompanied your face perfectly. the way small strands of hair stuck to your forehead was something i couldn’t help but notice, my mind fluttering with curiosity. i watched as you looked around for a seat- your eyes finally meeting mine. once they did? i felt my heart do a kick that it hadn’t for several years up to that point. no one had caught my eye quite like you did, not a single soul. but yet here was a random stranger on the bus making my cheeks heat up at the shyest smile that’s thrown at me.

one afternoon, all the seats had been occupied- all except the one next to me. this was when my life changed for the better. instead of choosing a seat farther from me, you’d sit next to me instead. we’d catch up on life (mainly yours, mine was too repetitive for any curiosity to arise) until i got off at my spot, saying our goodbye’s until the very next day we’d do the same thing. one day, we ended up getting off at the same spot due to me having to do grocery shopping. and, funnily enough, you accompanied me. then it became a friday afternoon tradition for us to go grocery shopping until one of us had to leave- each friday becoming a little longer than the previous. it was sweet, it was slow.

one day, you didn’t show up. i said “hey, i’ll see him tomorrow. it’s okay.” but that day never came until three days later. playfully, i scolded you- jokes like that became our thing. instead of getting off at your spot, you got off on mine. that night, we just walked around my neighborhood and shared a bowl of tteokbokki and kimchi at the restaurant down the street from my apartment. you told me everything from your stressful college days, to overworking yourself i. both work and classes, to friend drama- everything. it made us closer, and it made my heart warm to know how close you considered me to be to gush your feelings out to me on a random thursday night.

that very next day, i didn’t need to go grocery shopping. after telling you that, you said words i thought i had only dreamt of: “let me take you on an official date then!” the excitement in your voice, that smile.. how could one say no? you took me to your favorite cafe, remember? i do. we had banana pancakes and coffee at 6PM, then we stayed at the arcade until they kicked us out. when your hand slipped in mine, butterflies erupted. everything suddenly started feeling okay. everything felt okay.

the weekends were our date nights. do you remember when you asked me to be yours? in the sunflower field? it had been my first day off of work in a while and you had promised to make it special. and that you did. you made all my days worth living again. you made them fun, more exciting. the light was no longer dull but rather blinding with endless possibilities. it was like that for an entire year until everything suddenly stopped.

no more bus rides. no more dates. no more gushy facetime time calls as we do our skincare routines as we complain about not living together yet. it had been one day where you didn’t show up on the bus. “sorry, got busy.” was all you said. silence filled my phone for the remainder of the night until the next day. you didn’t show up again, so i asked if you were okay. “sorry. meet you for dinner?” but you never did. you never met me at that same restaurant near my home, so i walked thirty minutes to your favorite cafe. but it was closed. during the thirty minute walk back i called you, but to no avail. by the third call, i gave up. assuming you fell asleep or became busy with your finals for graduation.

the next day you didn’t show up on the bus either. i texted. no response. i texted your friend. no response. “maybe he’s busy.” id say, making up every excuse in the book. instead, i got off at your stop and walked to your apartment to find it empty. no furniture, unlocked doors, an empty fridge. i asked your neighbors, and quickly called you once they said you had moved out almost a week ago. but once again, no answer.

it’s been months, and i’m still stuck on the boy from the bus; i’m still stuck on you, ji changmin. i should be mad whenever i think of our lazy mornings with our feet tangled together as you hum a soft tune into my hair, your fingers playing with the messy strands. but i don’t. i instead get butterflies, just like when i first saw you on that autumn day. you were my first love. you taught me how it felt to feel genuinely loved for who i was, you taught me how it felt to be loved back. whether that love was true or faux, i still thank you.

should i? should i really be thanking the man who has me sitting outside of our your favorite cafe with tears streaming down my face at 3AM? probably not. but i fell pathetically for you. and i fear i might still be doing so until i snap back into reality.

why did you leave suddenly? with no warning? are you okay, wherever you are? did you finally create your own dance studio? or did you debut? do you ever miss me, too?

you made my life worth living for a while, ji changmin. maybe i can find the excitement on my own this time? maybe you were a lesson sent by the universe. and for that i thank you. it was a very cruel lesson, but thank you.

sincerely,

#kyufessions the boyz #tbz #the boyz #tbz ji changmin #ji changmin #tbz angst #the boyz angst #changmin angst #tbz changmin

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jayudistrict · 1 year ago

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Jayu District is looking for the members of Day6 to be our newest residents!

Jayu District is an idol based, Semi-lit/literate roleplay. Find your tranquility living within Jayu District. A community of friendly and neighborly residents. There's always something to do at Jayu, whether it be biweekly activities or have fun in our chats. Make a home for yourself and apply to be reside in Jayu today! We can’t wait to meet you!

»»—— ♥ General/idol based »»—— ♥ 19+ »»—— ♥ City theme »»—— ♥ Semi-literate/Literate »»—— ♥ All Asians accepted »»—— ♥ AU options included within the RP

♡ Rules ♡ Master List ♡ Apply ♡ AFF ♡ Mobile Navigation

#kpop rp #day6 #find krp #krpv #mewe krp #mewe roleplay #mewe rp #roleplay

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boysplanetrecaps · 2 years ago

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Recap of Boys Planet Episode 1 (Part 1)

It’s time for another giant MNET show! Are you excited, fellow Star Creator? Woo!

This is Boys Planet, also called Boys Planet 999 by random incorrect people, including me. And this thing you’re reading is a “watch along” guide/recap to the show. You can read it as you watch the show to get the behind the scenes dirt, or to keep track of who is who and what is going on, or after you watch, or whenever. I don’t spoil anything with respect to who gets kicked off, but I will help you connect the dots with respect to who is who. I’ll use helpful pictures and stuff, too.

All time stamps will correspond to the version on Viki. When I list ages, I’ll use international ages (Korean ages have historically always been 1 more than the way the rest of the world accounts ages).

Who am I?

An internet rando. I live somewhere in the United States and am over 21 years of age. I used to sing acapella and have a strong sense of pitch, but for dancing I just know what I like. I can read/understand a bit of Korean and a bit of Japanese as well, and can tell the difference between spoken Korean, Japanese, and Chinese, so at times I might be able to shed a little light as to what’s going on. When it comes to evaluating performances, I’m not likely to be mean, and I try to understand what might be going on with people but I will be snarky and honest, especially about the editing. Cool? Cool! 🙂To the recap!

Feel free to skip past the drama-teaser to 1:25 for an earnest promise that the show’s producers have paid other people to watch them so that they can’t possibly cheat, before the show can begin and of course, immediately begin to cheat. Yay!

The show’s host, I’m sorry, “Star Master”, Hwang Minhyun, talks earnestly and dully about how there are stars in the sky and foreign members of kpop groups. Hilariously, he appears to be in a futuristic room looking out into a starry sky, perhaps aboard an orbiting space station with a really good gravity system in place. His desk, a cheap Ikea looking affair, is bedecked with a model of the main seating area for the show -- The Space Council Chambers -- a name plate that says “Star Creator”, an unusually huge yellow desk lamp, and an old fashioned globe. This is the shit I live for.

Minhyun is known for his appearance on Produce 101 Season 2 (aka, Broduce 101) as well as for being a popular member of both Wanna One and NU’EST. I’m more of a Baekho girl, but I like Minhyun just fine. There’s something about his face that I never, ever, ever recognize him when I see him, which I find is often the case for Korean “visuals.” He is nice looking, if a bit… personality free? But that could be the directing.

Anyway, Minhyun gets up and pushes a button that says start…

And then we see a (computer generated) room which has been set aside to house a large…. gumball… machine... thing (that is computer generated). Large plastic balls fall from the two parts of the machine to meet in the center. None of this is necessary, or real, and I find that delightful.

Minhyun tells us that now, we are all Star Creators and we’re going to make the next Kpop boy group that the world wants. You know, in case you’re not happy with A.C.E, Astro, Ateez, The Boys, BTS, Ciipher, CIX, Day6, DKZ, Drippin, Enhypen, E’last, Exo, FTIsland, GOT7, Golden Child, Highlight, IKON, JustB, Kingdom, Lucy, Monsta X, NCT, Oneus, ONF, OnlyoneOf, Pentagon, The Rose, Seventeen, SF9, SHINee, Stray Kids, TO1, Treasure, Trendz, TXT, TVXQ, Up10tion, Vav, Verivery, Victon, Vixx, WEi, Winner, Xdinary Heroes, Younite, or Z-Stars. But yes, we need more groups. Bring ‘em on.

Minhyun goes on to talk about how there are two groups of trainees -- K group (Korean) and G group (Global), represented by blue and pink respectively, as well as two heavily mic’d flags.

“Please vote for the boy shining brightest!” the shiny boys chant in unison.

You can vote for whoever you want, whether K or G, though the editors do strongly suggest you vote K, and the votes will again be weighted the way they were in GP999 -- ie, Korean votes will be weighted as 50% of the votes, and Global votes will be weighted as the other 50%. If you want to skip past the voting instructions, skip to 5:20.

So, we look down at what looks kind of like one of those rolling-marble puzzles,

but it turns out to be the hallway through which all the trainees have to walk on their way to the Space Council Chambers.

Lee Da Eul (18) and Lim Jun Seo (17) from 143 Entertainment, the first to enter, are offered sparkly star stickers, and they decide to give themselves 1 star each, adding that they aren’t totally sure if they even deserve those one stars. Ok, politeness is sweet, but why go on this show if you don’t believe in your abilities? Anyway, these chosen two get to say “woah” and “eego buyo?” as the lights turn on loudly. They explore the Council seating, feel the soft seats for the top 9, then decide to sit in seats 4 and 5. (Later on, they’ll perform “Replay” by SHINee as their audition.)

Next to enter are the trainees from Wakeone, who, we see in a flashback, had a pre-show meeting with their sunbae, Kim Chae Hyun from Kep1er, who did really well on GP999. Chaehyun encouraged them to be confident on the show, saying, “If someone is very good but has no confidence then there’s no charm to them.” The five Korean trainees from Wakeone gave themselves 7 stars each -- these are Kim Taerae, Park Hanbin, Lee Jung Hyun, Mun Junghyun, and Park Minseok. Their confidence spurs Lim Jun Seo to go move to seat 9. Wakeone’s maknae, Mun Jung Hyun (17), sits in the chair for #1. (Later on, these 5 will perform “The Real” by ATEEZ.)

From here there’s going to be a lot of fighting as to who gets to sit in that chair, and I’ll be honest, I don’t care that much.

Next to enter is: Canada! One of the Wakeone trainees says “I would’ve never imagined someone from Canada” as the on-screen words say, “What will this Canadian trainee look like?” The combined impression from those two sentences is that people from Canada are unimaginably weird looking. Mun Jung Hyun wonders, “Will people with blonde hair and blue eyes show up?” Which, again, hilarious. Do they not know that Somi (IOI/soloist/future Star Master this season), Wendy from Red Velvet, Mark Lee from NCT, and a bunch of other k-idols are from Canada? Why do I know that, come to think of it? Why do I know that, and not where my keys are?

Also, whenever Koreans talk about Canada, all I can think about is the k-drama, Goblin, in which they talk about “Canada” as if it is a single city with maybe two restaurants, and where it is always the beginning of autumn, encased in a gentle fluttering of orange maple leaves.

We meet Seok Matthew (20), who is independant, and has given himself three stars. He looks a tiny winy bit like Xiumin from Exo to me. In an interview, we can see that he speaks Korean reasonably well. His sister got him into dancing and now he really likes it, and he came to Korean to reach his dream.

Then we meet Japanese trainee Takuto, born November of 2007, dressed for… boxing? He has boxing gloves hanging from a string around his neck and has a sweat band around his head. In his intro package, he speaks in sort of halting Korean -- hey, it’s a lot better than my own Korean -- and poses in power poses to show he’s a “manly man” (they translate it as “tough guy” but google translate says “manly man” and I think that’s funnier).

An up close shot reveals he has actually stenciled “Takuto” in English letters on his cheek with blush.

As the MNET editors mercilessly play the clip of him saying he’s a manly man ( “상 남… 상 남 자” /“Sang nam… sang namja…”) over and over and over again as if to teach us the proper pronunciation, Takuto looks around at the older bigger guys and makes a big heart over his head with his hands. All the other guys react by laughing and clapping, charmed.

MNET obviously isn’t showing everyone who comes in, as eagle eyed viewer will spot additional trainees in the Space Council who were not shown entering, but hey, I mean, whatever, it’s MNET. This has been edited so much it’s basically fiction.

In comes Wumuti (23), who has such a unique look to him that I was curious as to his background. My internet roving tells me that he was also on the MNET show Under 19, and that he’s an ethnic Uyghur from China. I was like, ok, what is a Uyghur? Turns out they’re a sort of Turkish ethnic group but mostly they live in Northwest china, and oh…. It’s really sad and awful, guys. The Chinese government is doing things like work camps and forced sterilization and stuff to try to wipe them out. I can’t help but root for anyone who comes from a background like that. Also, his name written in Korean characters looks cute: 우무티. Later on he’ll perform UN Village by Baekhyun.

So, Wumuti comes in and we see he’s given himself 6 stars. He makes a beeline for Chair 1, where he loses Rock Paper Scissors. Come on, can’t the guy catch a break?

Then we see a montage of trainees fighting for Chair 1, and again, I don’t care. They plank for it, thumb war, etc. Kum Jun Hyeon, 19, who has absolutely covered his nametag in stars to the point you can barely see even his name, is cheered on by his Redstart ENM labelmates as he nabs the chair. They have also gone completely HAM on those stars. (Later on, he’ll do Nunu Nana by Jessi.) I feel worse and worse for our initial two guys, giving themselves just one star.

Apparently, MNET isn’t interested in spending time watching each trainee come in this time, and that’s possibly for the best, but it does make it a bit sketchy that we see certain trainees.

For example, we meet the trainees from Taipei, who come in like this:

Left to right, this is Chen Kuan Jui, Qiu Sheng Yang, Chen Ren You, and Dong Dong. Kuan Jui, holding that bejeweled stick, has given himself 5 stars, while the others have given themselves 2 or 3 each. Mun Jung Hyun and Kim Tae Rae wonder to each other, is that a magic staff? Like the kind that Sun Wukong carries? (Sun Wukong, aka the Monkey King, is a famous character from Chinese mythology.) (Later on they’ll do Tiger Inside by SuperM.)

Kuan Jui marches up to Chair 1 and does a full standing split that would actually put Le Sserafim’s Kazuha to shame

And thus, he earns the seat.

I don’t know if the ability to put one’s ankle behind one’s neck is a something I need from a kpop idol. But I mean, good for him? I guess?

In come the trainees from Jellyfish, and Lee Ye Dam reacts as if someone has splashed him in the face with cold water, which, given that this is MNET, is not impossible. Someone says, “no way!” which is very odd, because Jellyfish always sends trainees to shows like this. I mean, Mina and Sejong came out of PD 101. And it’s not as if Jellyfish is doing all that well. They squandered Sejong, they murdered Gugudan, and their most successful group is Verivery, who are very sweet, talented, and hardworking but not exactly smashing sales records. So yeah, not sure what Yedam is so excited about.

We get a bit of a slow-mo to take in what we might reasonably be excited about: sexy Park Gun Wook (18).

To be clear: I don’t personally find him sexy; he’s way too young to seem sexy to me personally. I’m saying that that is obviously what he’s going for. He gives off big time Kang Daniel vibes to me, not really in looks but in terms of what he’s aspiring to. He and his fellow Jellyfish trainees are tall and manly, and Gun Wook already may have a fan following since he did pretty well on another survival show called Wild Idol. Gun Wook goes straight for Chair 1, and the other trainees comment on how muscular he is. He challenges the current seat sitter, a Japanese trainee named Riku, to a thigh wrestling game (??). Poor Riku -- we didn’t see him take the seat, but we sure see him lose the seat.

Time for an American trainee! I love that the Korean word for USA is “MiGuk” (or Bi-Goo, as it’s usually pronounced). Apparently it translates to Beautiful Country, which is so kind of them to say. I hope that the USA will do more things to earn that name going forward.

Out come Jay and Na Kamden. Jay, lovey, there are already enough Jays in Kpop --you have to think of a different name. It seems like Jay strongly prefers speaking English, but understands some Korean, while Kamden understands Jay’s English but prefers to speak Korean. Kamden appeared on Wild Idol as well.

Then we get a montage of tall global trainees, mostly Chinese. For people like me who don’t readily understand heights in cm, it’s good to know that 183 cm is 6 feet. So someone 188 cm is like, 6’2.

We also meet Cong and Dang Hong Hai from Vietnam, who later on will perform View by SHINee. Hong Hai speaks Korean, even if it’s with a really thick accent. It has to be so hard for the global contestants.

Then we meet the group from Osaka, Japan, and it turns out one of them is Keita, who the whole Space Council recognizes. He was on YG’s TreasureBox, the show that made the group Treasure, and then later on debuted with Ciipher. It’s not too weird he’d come on this show, as Ciipher is still, alas, in semi-nugu territory.

Ah, here is Yuehua, who are sending in 4 Korean trainees and 4 Global trainees, each entering via their respective doorway, which is so charmingly unnecessary. The Korean trainees come out in all black, while the “global” team is a bit more colorful in faded denim. If you’re not familiar, Yuehua is a Chinese company with branches in Korea. They co-manage WJSN with Starship, and manage Everglow outright. They also manage new boy band Tempest.

Anyway, then there’s a montage of the trainees finding each other handsome and saying they look like other famous people, capped off by the entrance of Sung Han Bin to the strains of tender piano music that presumably plays in his wake naturally due to his extreme handsomeness.

Even I can tell that he is in fact, quite good looking in that classic kpop way. He looks like he should be with SM entertainment, but he’s from STUDIO GL1DE, which doesn’t bode well for his skills. A guy who looks like that who could do a nice step-touch and could at least carry a tune in a bucket would get picked up by a more prestigious agency. But maybe I’ll be proven wrong on that…. Hmmm….

Cube’s trainees are announced, and we’re treated to a brief montage of Cube’s top artists, including BtoB, Pentagon and G-Idle. The camera pauses for a moment on Hui from Pentagon as the group performs Shine. The trainees talk about how talented the Cube sunbaes are -- how talented would their hoobaes be? Out comes Bak Do Ha, looking like a figure skater. (Later on he’ll be performing My House by 2PM.)

There’s still one more empty chair, and the Space Council wonders: what agency could sending the last trainee? It turns out it’s also… Cube?!? Bak Do Ha smiles and laughs to himself as the other trainees are wondering why this last trainee is being announced last and separately. They all immediately recognize him as Hui-sunbaenim from Pentagon, a group that debuted in 2016, has had some serious ups and some serious downs, and won a bunch of music shows as recently as a few months ago. This 29-year-old man who has already done his military service bows to the 15 year olds and introduces himself as Lee Hoe Taek from Cube, politely saying “I look forward to working with you.”

Guys. GUYS. I have a lot of feelings about Hui from Pentagon being on this show. I could talk endlessly about it, but the upshot is: negative. I have negative feelings about this. When Pentagon went on Kingdom, they actually kind of… fell in my esteem. Hui seemed so sad, like the group was just so sad, and Hui was pushing so hard to make his song remixes cool that he forgot to make them… pleasant to listen to, or fun to see performed. I think Hui is a genuine, top-tier talent when it comes to songwriting, producing, and singing. I love a lot of Pentagon songs, including ones people don’t talk about but should, like Can You Feel It and Sha La La. I am still angry that E-Dawn got kicked out over being a human being with a love life, and angry that it hurt Pentagon a lot, and heartbroken that a lot of that probably landed on Hui’s head.I get it that he’s doing this to get people to notice Pentagon. After all, their contracts are up in 2023, and no doubt they’ll want to leave that awful agency. Maybe they’ll pull a GOT7 and all leave together and stay together. So I get it that he wants to promote. But the thing is, I don’t believe that “all publicity is good publicity.” I think having people feel sorry for you will make them not feel impressed by you, or attracted to you, and I think that will hurt you. I think this was a big mistake and it makes me feel second-hand-humiliation. I hope I’m wrong. Sincerely, I do.

Anyway, this award winning songwriter and top-tier vocalist has rated himself 3 stars. Thinking about it, that was kind of the only move he could make -- he has to pretend to have a reason to be on the show, and that reason can only be to “work on myself and continue to improve to be the best Lee Hoe Taek I can be”, or something along those lines. To be Hui and give himself 4 (or more) stars would feel like an NBA star who came to dunk on a bunch of high school kids.

We cut to his first interview with the staff, in which he said that he had only gotten discharged from the military a week ago and feels shy in front of the camera. We get a brief montage of trainees saying they’re not sure why he’s here, some of them seeming a little irritated. Others say that it’s a honor to be on the same show with Hui.

Hui decides to challenge the current number-1 chair sitter (16 year old Park Ji Hoo, who says “I just got here!”) to a contest to win the chair, and bowing deeply and speaking politely, says he’d like to have a singing contest. Of course. He lets out a delightful musical phrase, and Ji Hoo stands there listening, then scurries away without singing a note.

There’s something so poignant about Ji Hoo saying, “I just got here” to Hui. He just got here in the show, he just got here in this industry -- he just got here on this PLANET compared to Hui. And here comes Hui to take the chair. I like Hui, I do, I just…. Ugh.

Ollie, who is representing China but seems quite comfortable speaking English, notices that the two sides of the room are really different, with K-group mostly wearing suits or leather, and G-group more varied and colorful. Yes, that is obvious. Can we have another season of Youth With You that doesn’t end with a milk scandal, please? Anyway…

Interestingly, Ollie can also speak a decently pronounced, if slightly halting, Korean in his interview. Zhang Hao can also speak a bit of Korean -- it sounds to me like he has a Chinese accent on his Korean, but it’s not like I would really know. But they’re both Yuehua trainees and it wouldn’t surprise me if their agency gave them intensive Korean language training. Love that. It’s really smart of Yuehua, and so truly helpful to their trainees.

0:23:00 The Judges Come Out

The room darkens and the trainees watch a short video about how they’re on Boys Planet now and are trying to become shining stars or whatever the shit. Turns out this year, there will be multiple hosts, and the viewers will be called Star Creators. The boys are nervous in general and in specific.

Time to meet the vocal master: Lee Seok Hoon. The trainees recognize him, and while they clearly respect him, they’re scared of him after his time on Produce101. He’s known for turning his head to the side and looking disgusted when someone hits a sour note, or for nodding appreciatively with his eyebrows raised when someone hits a good note.

Solji is the female vocal master and their enthusiasm seems bigger -- it’s Solji from Exid! Who doesn’t love her? Wrong people, that’s who. A trainee says that she’s been teaching at a University, and like, I hope so. I just want Solji’s life to be full of respect and comfort. She just seems like such a class act. I bet she’s an excellent teacher. And then Onestar comes out, who we might recognize from GP999. The trainees cheer for him and he makes them cheer more.

Then the rap master: pH-1 from H1ghr music, who introduces himself in rapid English. Several of the trainees claim to be big fans. I’ll be honest and say I’ve never heard of him. And I actually do listen to some k-rap. Per Wikipedia, he was born in Korea but moved to New York when he was 12. I guess he chose English as the lingua franca, but in that case, talk more slowly, dude. Anyway. Wikipedia adds, “As the three keywords he pursues in his music are truth, positivity, and experience, his work contains positive or honest messages, generally excluding references to drugs, money bragging and excessive "flexing", and explicit sexual content.” So, look forward to that. Or not. I don’t know what you’re into.

Dance Masters: From 1Million, Back Koo Young and Choi Young Joon. Look I don’t know much about much but I *do* know that 1Million is top tier when it comes to dance. So these guys are good. The trainees are psyched to see them. Also, Lip J, who is “the living legend of waacking.” The trainees say their judges/trainers are like the Avengers.

The judges immediately move into intimidation mode. It’s time to find out how the trainees rated themselves, star wise. The Korean group was more confident, overall.

What’s sort of interesting about this is that during GP999, the Chinese girls were far more confident than the Korean girls. That’s because Chinese culture isn’t as self-effacing as Korean culture is, in general. Kind of interesting, too, that they had the boys do this, but not the girls. With the girls it would have been such a mine field because it’s “unfeminine” to have faith in yourself. Anyway.

Japanese trainee Haruto interviews, in Korean, “Only a maximum of four stars were allowed, but almost everyone did whatever they wanted.” Yep.

The judges explain that their first performance will be the “Style Level Test”, during which their self-assessed star levels will be replaced by judge-assessed stars. Also, we learn that K-group and G-group are being pitted against each other; the team that wins more stars overall will get access to the next song that they have to practice a day earlier. Kind of cruel -- my assumption, without having seen the whole episode, is that the K-group will win, and the G-group will be at a further disadvantage, having one day fewer to practice and needing even more time due to language barriers. Why do I watch these shows? Am I mentally well?

Auditions Begin: 0:32:58

Finally, we get our first audition -- Team Jellyfish, who gave themselves all 4 stars. The trainees are suitably cowed; after all, Kim Dayeon from Kep1er is from Jellyfish. Kim Gyu Vin (who is a serious talent in his own right, and will later on perform Kick It) calls Park Gun Wook “Park Gun-Wook -nim” even though, as he notes, Gyu Vin is actually a bit older than Gun Wook. It’s just that Gun Wook looks so big and mature. Little boxer Takuto met team Jellyfish backstage and backed away from them as if scared, his hands in a fig leaf position, and they encouraged him to come closer and were nice to him and called him cute. Gun Wook is the leader, the all rounder, and is also apparently pretty nice. See? Kang Daniel vibes?

They’re going to be performing GBTB (Go Beyond the Barrier) by their sunbaes, Verivery. One of the dance masters actually choreographed this, but the boys seem confident to perform it in front of the choreographer. Fighting!

Left to right: Jang Yeo Jun, Park Hyun Been, Han Yu Seop, Park Gun Woo

My thoughts:

I’ll be honest, this is my first time hearing this song, and I’m ok not hearing it again after this. Just sort of… like what if you took all the NCT songs and threw them in a blender with an electric guitar? Sorry, VERRER. I still think Verivery are very cute and charming and my bias is Dongheon.

As for the performance: I have not a ton to say, because it was fine. All four of them did fine dance wise. Gun Wook stood out with his charisma and his big nice face. (I know the Korean ideal is small faces, but I like big faces.) I think Jang Yeo Jun danced a little bit better than the others, doing those weird leg kicks a little bit better, and Park Hyun Been rapped really fast and pretty well. Their singing was on key, too. I think Han Yu Seop was the main vocalist, but I actually think his singing was among the weakest -- there were times that I couldn’t even hear him sing. But they were dancing really hard. So for an audition for one of these shows, he was ok.

They ask GunWook to dance by himself, and he chooses a song by Seventeen. The dance masters warn him that it’s hard, but he’s unbothered. He has good charisma, great facial expressions, and sharp movements. As far as I can tell, he’s good.

The judges give them all the same score -- 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐ . They took away a star because the boys didn’t sing loud enough. The boys do their best to accept their fate.

WakeOne doing Glitch Mode.

The team comes out in a choo choo train formation -- sorry for that extremely technical term -- then introduce themselves (and I’ll tell you a little more):

Super Charming Anthonny! (He’s almost 19, from Japan, and got all A’s on Produce 101 Japan)

Refreshing energy Min! (He’s 22, from Thailand, and also went on Under Nineteen)

Powerful Dance Haruto! (He’s 18, from Japan, specializes in dance, and went semi-viral for complaining that his profile picture didn’t look like him, even tho it kinda does….)

After they introduce themselves, Haruto asks if they can have a moment to check their formation -- basically, they want to rehearse on stage during the audition? The judges let them, sighing about kids today, but everyone is mildly impressed that these foreigners are talking to each other in Korean. Min’s profile says he speaks Thai, Korean, Chinese, and English, but not Japanese, so maybe that’s why they’ve settled on Korean to talk to each other -- plus it looks better to the judges that they know enough Korean to communicate.

My thoughts:

I have to note that Glitch Mode is the kind of song I’m a bit over. I really like Cherry Bomb and Firetruck and even got on board with Kick It but this sort of shouting-in-unison, wandering base line, jazzy-melodic-SM-bridge when the singers can sing… I just am a bit past it. Sorry, folks. (Update: But I do love Ayo, so who knows anymore?) So I don’t know this song super well. I listened to it twice before watching the performance trying to figure out what the melody is and kind of failed. So. There’s that.

This was a really cute performance, though. I watched the full version on youtube before I watched the show version. All three of them danced well, with a lot of energy and great facial expressions.

Haruto obviously stood out for dancing, doing aerials and backflips and splits. He rolled with the fact that his mic pack fell out of his pocket right at the beginning, and didn’t let it show on his face. But his singing was egregious. He’s not a singer, and this song is incredibly difficult to sing even when you’re standing still. Also, his rapping wasn’t too bad.

Min did some high kicking and acrobatics as well, and his rapping was actually good. I won’t say his singing was good but it was on key as far as I could tell, which is an achievement.

Anthonny was the vocalist of the team and as such didn’t do any flipping around, but he sang the best. Like I said, overall, pretty charming. I have a soft spot for Anthonny for no darn reason. He’s just a cutie.

Interestingly, the version that aired on the show had most of the bad singing edited out. I think the show wanted Haruto to look better. The judges ask him about his dancing ability and he says he used to do ballet and proceeds to do a sort of crazy 30 consecutive ballet turns. Haruto is obviously a really good dancer, but so was Min, who also rapped well. And Haruto’s singing was very, very bad -- did I mention that? But they still gave him an All Star rating ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐ , which strikes me as objectively incorrect. I like him, you guys. I do. He’s charming and cute and a great dancer. He didn't sing well in his audition. That isn’t an opinion; it’s a fact. I think maybe 2 or 3 stars would have been fairer. Or maybe Haruto sang a separate song and did a lot better in it, but we didn't see...?

Min and Anthonny both get 3 stars 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐ , though the show doesn’t care enough to bother to show it.

Next up, at 49:00, is Team Taipei. I’ll put their photo back up so you don’t have to scroll back and forth.

Again, left to right, that’s Chen Kuan Jui, Qui Sheng Yang, Chen Ren You, and Dong Dong.

The judges immediately ask about the big stick and he explains he needs it for performance.

My thoughts: They perform Tiger Inside by SuperM. As always, I checked out the Youtube version first, before I watched the MNET edited version. I like this song just fine, if you’re wondering.

The flexible Chen Kuan Jui is 22. His online profile mentions he does ballet and that one of his hobbies is “stretching.” Yeah, that checks out. His dancing is very good -- little details like how he bends his fingers, stuff like that. You just know his toes are pointed inside those boots. That said, his vocal color is unpleasant, and his choice to retrieve and spin that dumb stick was…. You know…. A choice. A wrong choice, but a choice. Sorry if you liked it, but I found it really unimpressive. I’d rather just watch this talented dancer dance.

The blonde Qiu Sheng Yang is 21. He also was on Atom Boyz with Ren You, on the same team but eliminated much sooner than Ren You was. His performance here is not fabulous but not awful. He seemed uncomfortable to me, like he was overdancing a bit.

The distinctive looking Chen Ren You is 19. His online profile states that he’s a singer; he was on a Taiwanese reality show called Atom Boyz that sounds like a frickin’ hoot, but doesn’t seem available in full with English subtitles, anywhere. Ren You has one of those faces -- like GunWook on this show, or Sehun from EXO, or that one guy from Drippin, Junho. Like a face that’s just like HI, I AM A FACE. I dig it, don’t get me wrong. Anyway, his performance was good. I thought his dancing was purposeful, but sort of calm, and his singing was really good. On key, on rhythm, pleasant, all that good stuff. I’m rooting for him.

The delightfully monikered Dong Dong is 22 and represents Stardust Entertainment. I’m old as shit but I am still apparently 12 years old on the inside because I can’t. He apparently was on a Chinese reality show called The Coming One 2. Anyway, he does fine, I guess. On key, dancing is decent, it’s not awful. Bring it on, bringenon, brigggedon!

So yeah, I say Chen Kuan Jui was the best dancer in the group, and Renyou is the best singer in the group, but they were all basically ok. Of course, the MNET editing focuses almost entirely on the stupid stick, and Renyou’s excellent singing is edited out. They give Renyou 2 stars ⭐⭐ . Are we watching the same thing? Maybe his dancing was bad and I just can’t tell because I know nothing about dancing.

The judges focus on flexy Chen Kuan Jui and give him time to dance, and of course, he’s genuinely a very very good ballet dancer. He can get up with his toes and flip around and do all sorts of crazy stuff. But I really dislike his singing voice and I don’t know, I find him off-putting for no good reason. That’s not fair of me, but yeah, it’s where I’m at. Regardless, the judges give him 4 stars. ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐ We don’t see it, but Dong Dong gets 1 star ⭐ and Sheng Yang gets 2 stars ⭐⭐ .

Now we have a montage of G group groups: team Vietnam doing View, team Thailand doing Kokobop, and a Chinese group doing God’s Menu. The editing here is brought to you by MNET’s editing team, shown here at their most recent staff meeting.

We barely see any of these teams, so I watched their full performances on Youtube and will let tell you about it!

Team Kokobop:

A Thai duo who greet everyone with a sawadee ka. Zhang Hao from Yuehua (good looking guy with auburn hair -- we’ll meet him soon) tells Ricky from Yuehua (distinctive blonde guy, giving us Keifer Sutherland in Lost Boys vibes) that he wants to be friends with the Thai guys because he likes Thai food.

Winnie, from FirstOne Entertainment, claims his specialty is freestyle dance. He’s 24. I’ve seen his name spelled Winne, but more official sources spell it Winnie. He’s a member of nugu group NINE.i -- two other members of that group are on the show, but they’re Korean, so we’ll meet them later.

Nice is an individual trainee. He’s 22. He seems scared to look up or into camera lenses.

My Thoughts:

They perform Kokobop, and I watched the whole performance on Youtube. I’m a huge EXO-L (my bias is ALL OF THEM) and I really love this song, so I know it well. Winnie was actually pretty decent, singing a really difficult song. He was a little sharp here and there but really not that bad. He also looked pretty comfortable and hit the dance moves reasonably well. I never know what the Korean public thinks looks good, but I think his styling isn’t working for him. He’s wearing way too much foundation, that shade of hair color doesn’t suit his skin, and his contact lenses just give him an unearthly, fake look. He looks better in some photos I’ve seen of him online, like this one:

Winnie, I hope for good things for you going forward.

Nice was terrible vocally; the dancing was ok but the vocals were unacceptable. He also looked really, really shy -- like he can’t even make eye contact with the camera. I think he is way out of his league, bless him. You’re very cute, Nice. I assume you’re rich or you wouldn’t be here, so I hope your personal wealth cushions the blow when you are rightfully kicked off. (Smash cut to Nice making the final line up because he’s cute….???)

MNET editing was pretty kind, honestly. Nice can only benefit by being edited down. He’s like the shark in Jaws -- looks great as long as you don’t see him for long. The judges give Nice 0 stars, and give Winnie 1 star ⭐ .

Next up is a G-group team: Team God’s Menu

Oh, these poor guys. They look good in their outfits, to be fair, but poor guys. Non-native speakers of Korean, trying to do this song? As someone said online, “Their souls probably left their bodies when they found out they had to do this song.” I’m trying to think of a group who could cover this song and do it justice. Monsta X probably could. And I mean, of course BTS could. Probably Hui or Jeon Soyeon could do a cool remix that would suit their own teams. Regardless, this is not an ideal song for a rookie group of non-native Korean speakers.

I watched the whole performance on Youtube. I’m not obsessed with Stray Kids but I do like them (my bias is Changbin!), and I love love LOVE this song. Here’s my take:

Xuan Hao also appeared on Youth With You 3, which I didn’t watch. He ended in 62nd place and apparently also uses the name “Swen.” He says on his initial profile worksheet that God’s Menu is his favorite song, and maybe that’s one of the reasons that he did a great job here. His dancing was sharp when it had to be sharp and fluid when it had to be fluid, and his singing was on key and on the beat. He’s a better singer than I.N. anyway. Yes I said it: I.N. is not a good singer. Come find me and kill me for it, I guess? That’s the kind of thing you should end a human life for, right? Anyway, I like Xuan Hao.

Lin Shiyuan was apparently once a Cube trainee, but is now independent. He has the job of rapping Changbin’s intro rap. He doesn’t do very well. He very noticeably rushes the beat pretty much every time it’s his turn to vocalize in any way, maybe because he’s nervous, and his pronunciation is not great. He had definitely learned these complicated dance steps, but he wasn’t dancing them, just doing them. I could see the fear in his face, and when he wasn’t singing or rapping, you could almost see him counting the steps. When they were flipping the pancake, he didn’t look up to wait for it to come back down, which is 90% of the fun of that move. I can’t blame him and I’m not blaming him. Poor guy.

Feng Junlan actually did pretty well. His rapping was on the beat and sounded good, and his dancing was precise. He looked up when they flipped the pancake -- it makes such a difference. If the judges have any sense that have to have noticed how well he did.

When I tried to watch it to focus on Chen Liang, Feng Junlan kept stealing my attention. Liang did fine dance wise, as far as I could tell (but didn’t look up when they flipped the pancake!), but his vocals were very off key (if at least more or less on the beat).

The judges are kind in their manner, but not generous with their stars.

Xuan Hao gets 1 star ⭐ , which seems too low to me.

Lin Shiyuan gets 1 star ⭐ , which must be for the dancing.

Feng Junlan gets 2 stars ⭐⭐ , which seems low to me, but I’m glad it’s not 1 or 0.

Chen Liang gets 2 stars ⭐⭐ , which seems high to me.

Team View - Vietnam

My thoughts:

Obviously, like any sane person, I love this song.

Basically, none of their performance gets shown, but you guys, they were pretty good! Honestly, they sang on key and tried to keep their energy up and yeah, I don’t speak Korean but I know this song well and it didn’t sound awful. Check it out on Youtube and see for yourself -- compare their singing to that of Haruto’s and you’ll see what I mean.

The judges give 22-year-old Cong just 1 star ⭐ , which is cruelly low, and give 19 year old Dang Hong Hai 2 stars ⭐⭐ , which is ok, I’m on the fence between 2 and 3 for him. But it’s like the judges are watching these auditions from Minhyun’s space station. And maybe… I don’t know… is there a little racism? Just a little bit? Against these two Vietnamese trainees?

From what we can tell from the editing, the judges really dinged them for their pronunciation, as if that matters the most? As if the ability to sing on key isn’t, perhaps, more important?

In an interview, Cong says, in Korean, that he practices Korean every day. His pronunciation is pretty bad, though. You probably wouldn’t guess from hearing it that that was Korean, but if you listen closely you hear the Korean verb endings. It must be so hard for someone coming from a tonal language, like Vietnamese or Chinese, to learn a non-tonal language like Korean. I think it’s much easier for Japanese speakers to speak Korean -- they’re totally different languages but have similar sounds in them. (To be technical: Japanese and Korean are not related at all, but they have similar phonemes, which are the basic sounds you make when you speak. Korean has additional vowel sounds that Japanese doesn’t have, and there are other small differences, but if you can pronounce one language it wouldn’t be too hard to learn to pronounce the other.)

Then we get a mini montage about how much global trainees want to be kpop idols. Thai trainee Winnie says (in what sounds like very good Korean) that he wanted to be an idol since he was a kid. He turned down an opportunity with a very prestigious university, Chulalongkorn University (it’s the highest rated university in Thailand) in order to come to Korea and pursue this dream. -- in the audience, Kim Ji Woong, a 24-year-old individual trainee we haven’t met yet but who I assume is handsome,* mutters, “Can I go to that school in your place?” which strikes me as… super sad. Like, there’s stuff going on here we don’t know but can kind of guess.

*I have to say things like “I assume this person is handsome” because my standards of handsome/not aren’t always the same as everyone else’s. For example, I think that Chen is the best looking member of Exo. I think all of these boys are nice looking, and some of them are cute or charming, etc, but I can’t always tell who is going to be the “visual King” or whatever for a given season.

At 55:36, we see Qiu Sheng Yang (who we met earlier, in Tiger Inside), then his teammate, the flexible Chen Kuan Jui, then Osuke, a Japanese trainee we haven’t met (he’s going to do Crown), then Min, the Thai trainee who did Glitch Mode, all talking about how much they admire Korean pop music, all to the tender strains of gentle piano, and Koreans everywhere smile in satisfaction, I guess.

And that’s enough for one post! Part II will be linked here.

#Boys Planet #boys planet 999 #boysplanet #boysplanet999

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