#HAPPY BAEKHO DAY!!!

[aheckinmess]

Seeing Stripes (Dad Sukuna)

(Part 4 of Cursed, Not Cute.)

Read on AO3.

Tags: Dad Sukuna, OC Child, Child Gojo Satoru, Lazy Day Stroll, Protective Sukuna, Soft Sukuna, Sukuna's Original Form, Gojo Satoru is a Little Shit, Sukuna Has a Daughter, She Stays Throwing Shade, Did We Expect Anything Less?, Also There's a Tiger Spirit, She's Just as Sassy

Word Count: 1,535 words

Summary: Besu's thoughtful stroll turns into the start of a new friendship. Only problem is she has no idea how her father will react since it's a boy.

Chapter 4: Seeing Stripes

“I think you’re crazy.” Besu huffed at her tiger companion, kicking the gravel beneath her feet. “Why try to make friends when they’re only going to try and take my power or gain influence with my father?”

“You don’t know everyone seeks to harm you.” Baekho chuffed and rubbed against her leg. “It is not good for you to be alone.”

“I have you.”

“I cannot be the only one you interact with, Little One.”

“Yeah? Why not?”

“You’re eleven now.” Baekho licked Besu’s hand once. “You need others around you to support you. Your father and I can only provide so much. You need peers your own age you can learn to trust and socialize with.”

“I don’t need anyone else.”

. . . . .

As she’d gotten older, Sukuna trained Besu extensively in her use of cursed energy and techniques. She no longer feared walking through the streets of Shibuya. Those who initially viewed Besu’s life as free game soon learned the extent of Baekho’s wrath.

“Your father is worried about you, you know.”

That gave Besu pause, but only for a moment. Then, she shoved her hands in her pockets and redoubled her pace, storming down the streets. She shoulder-checked a fruit vendor and the cabbage man, sending glares at anyone who met her eyes.

“Cub, you know he cares about you. As hard as it is for him to show it, he wants you to be happy, even if he doesn’t fully understand why.” Baekho continues. “Your need for companionship is as evident as the stripes on my back.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know where I’d find that.” Besu sighed, kicking a pebble in her path. “Father only teaches me how to fight.”

“Perhaps he teaches you to fight because it is the only thing he knows.”

Besu opened her mouth to respond when a green-haired man flung himself in front of her.

“May your reign be short-lived, Princess–” His voice abruptly ended as Baekho caught him in her teeth and crushed his bones between her jaws.

She dropped his body in the street and kept walking with Besu, whose expression didn’t change.

“He homeschools me and teaches me everything at home. Am I just supposed to walk out in the streets and befriend the first person I see?” Besu gestured with her hand and it smacked straight into a boy with white hair. “I am so sorry.” She squeaked, covering her mouth with her hands. In an instant, Baekho’s spirit drew back into her body.

“Pfft. Was that supposed to hurt?” The young boy rolled his eyes behind a pair of stark, black sunglasses. Based on the cursed energy radiating from him, there was only one person he could be.

“Was that supposed to insult me?” Besu quipped back, quirking an eyebrow at him. One pair of hands stayed in her pockets, but the other pair rested on her hips in irritation.

“You’re the daughter of the Curse King.” The boy said, tilting his head as his posture reflected her own. “Besu, right?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “And you are?”

“The princess of the Curse King doesn’t know who I am?” He scoffed.

“I know who you are, but I’m giving you the option of introducing yourself before I confirm that you are, in fact, an asshole.” Besu shuffled her feet, reaching out to Baekho with her mind. Keep an eye on him. I sense no threat from him. He seems to be cautious, like you.

The boy’s lips twisted into a smirk at her attitude.

“I like your style, Princess of Curses. I’m Gojo. Satoru Gojo.” His smirk disappeared as soon as it surfaced. “Why are you out here? Fancy a destructive stroll through the streets?”

“I don’t harbor the same destructive tendencies of my father.” Besu started walking, letting him decide whether or not he wanted to follow. “Though you’d think otherwise based on the amount of people that have tried to kill me.”

When the world grew quiet again, Besu assumed Gojo left, leaving the residue of his massive cursed energy behind him.

“People are constantly trying to kill me too. I’m sure you know why.” His voice startled her back into reality and she spared him a glance.

Besu knew. Father had schooled her on a plethora of well-known sorcerer families and their techniques. With the vast variety of cursed techniques she would encounter, narrowing down the families with techniques passed down proved vital for survival. The less wild factors she had, the safer and stronger she’d be.

“I understand.” As she passed her favorite sweet shop, she nodded to him. “Do you like sweets? Do you wanna go get something to eat?” That’s a friendly gesture, right? A respectable invitation, Little One. I’m proud.

“Sure.” Gojo smiled.

. . . . .

Besu sat at a table eating ice cream while Gojo stuffed his face with warabi mochi; she racked her brain for topics of conversation, as well as possibilities to help protect her new friend from assassins like the ones she faced daily.

“Besu, yeah? What sort of cursed spirit latched onto you?” Gojo asked after his last bite of dessert. He folded his arms behind his head and reclined. “I saw a glimpse earlier.”

“She didn’t retreat, she just likes staying inside me to keep other spirits and people from clocking my cursed energy easily.” Besu growled defensively. No need to protect my honor, Cub, he’ll learn soon enough. “But she’s the White Tiger Guardian, Baekho.”

“Baekho, huh?” Gojo tried to appear disinterested, but his eyes shone behind his glasses the same way her father’s had when he’d first heard. “Not often a cursed spirit so powerful as Baekho bonds to anyone, not even a sorcerer.”

“Yeah…” Besu nodded absently, before her face lit up. “Hey! Maybe I can get Baekho to help protect you…from the people trying to kill you, too? Baekho, can you do that?”

A swirl of smoky blue swirled into the air as Baekho’s glowing blue figure materialized beside them.

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that. We are tethered, little love.” Baekho rubbed her head against Besu’s hand and turned to Gojo.

“Ha!” Gojo chuckled, wrinkling his lips into a shit-eating grin. “You think I’m so weak that I need her protection? What do you take me for, a whelp?”

Baekho bared her teeth, a warning for the young cub to stand down. “As it stands, your power is great. Few would ever surpass it. But should you ever find yourself in trouble, rally your cursed energy into a pool at the top of your head as a flare. Energy that’s stored away in the mind is the most difficult to ignore, and we will find you.”

Gojo pushed his glasses down far enough for Baekho to see the roll of his eyes. Then he stood and dusted off his shirt.

“You think I need a house cat to keep me safe?”

Besu blinked and Baekho had Gojo on the ground, her massive paw on his chest.

“Hold your tongue, Young Cub. I am tethered, not tamed.”

. . . . .

By the time Besu returned home, Sukuna waited for her in the den. On a throne of bones, he appeared sorely disinterested in the book he read, but Besu she’d been gone long enough for him to hide his worry behind the pages.

“Father, I have returned home.”

“Besu, I am glad you are back safely.” Sukuna bookmarked his page and turned his full attention to her. “You were gone longer than I expected.”

“Yes, sir. I did not mean to delay. I met a new companion.” She chose her words carefully. Anyone else and Sukuna might find them unworthy of her attention. But Satoru Gojo? Besu was sure Sukuna would find him worthy, but his disdain for the Gojo family was of no question.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, sir. We stopped by my favorite sweet shop for idle chatter. I hope that’s alright.”

“Depends on who you were with.”

“A boy my age by the name of Satoru Gojo.”

Sukuna’s red eyes suddenly locked with Besu’s and he bared a set of sharp teeth. At that moment, they seemed like fangs on a feral tiger, not unlike Baekho. She couldn’t tell if the murder in his eyes was because of Gojo’s namesake or the fact that he was, well, a boy.

“What did you talk about?”

Baekho, I’m scared. I am here.

“Well, we mostly just talked about how we’re both constantly trying to stay safe from assassins.” Besu explained, leaving out their discussion of Baekho. “I suggested the sweet shop. I wanted a companion.”

“A companion, I understand. But a boy?” Sukuna groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And not just any boy, either. Satoru Gojo! Of all the sorcerers you could encounter…”

“I’m sorry, Father.”

With a heavy sigh, Sukuna stood and placed four sets of hands on her shoulders.

“Well, as long as you have someone other than Baekho and me to keep you out of trouble…I’ll allow it.” Sukuna surprised her with a kiss to her forehead before stalking away. “But if he ever lays a hand on you, I’ll dismantle and cleave the little ass until he is a puddle of blood and marrow.”

Continue Reading -> Ch. 5

[herbertlangethings]

happy B-day 21st July to our great and handsome Baekho from NU’EST right now !!!!!!

[boysplanetrecaps]

Build Up Episode 9 Recap Part 2: Flower and Guide for a Subtitle Lite Environment

Hey team! Thanks for coming back to my Build Up recap series. In the last one, I began recapping ep 9 but ran out of space for more photos. With the subtitles AWOL for this portion of the episode, I’ve been doing my best with google translate and my vague knowledge of Korean. I’ve been taking more screenshots than usual to help you connect what’s going on on-screen to the recap, so this will take up two posts (I’m only allowed to use 30 images per post). Anyway, enjoy!

I’m using this video link if you need one.

So, Jay’s team is still mid-preparation. 

Cut to -- it’s evening and the team has gone to a recording studio of the composer of their new song. 

Yes, hello, I am also Team Baekho. Thank you for asking.

The tattoo says “N’abandonnez pas” which is “Don’t give up” in French. So inspirational! I’m inspired. Are you?

Knock knock! The guys come in and say hello. This is composer Lee Beomhoon, also known as Prismfilter.

You guys, this isn’t a top tier producer. He has co-producer and arranger credits, mostly with Seventeen, but it’s not like he’s out there writing hit after hit after hit. Shinsadong Tiger or Dem Jointz he is not. They’re saying that he worked on a lot of famous songs, but it was as a producer or arranger, not as a composer, as far as I can tell. That doesn’t mean he can’t write a song, but just that he’s not as top tier as they’re making him out to be. If I’m wrong, let me know.

He asks them if they’ve listened to the song yet, they say yes, he asks what they thought of it. (Meanwhile, the crawl at the bottom of the screen is advertising a Build Up concert series in June.)  We see them hearing a clip of the song and loving the R&B style. 

Jay is happy that it’s sexy, because Jay knows how these shows works. Get those pants sparkling, lads! 

Prismfilter says the song is understated sexy, like a black rose, “rather than being too red and passionate and sexy.” A “dark sexy.” And they guys are like, ooh so cool. Bitsaeon says, “I was just talking about a black rose!” 

Bitsaeon interviews, “At that time, I was feeling euphoric. I think we can really sing this song well!” 

They’re recording with temporarily assigned parts (says the on screen caption). Bitsaeon sings a line, and Prismfilter says that’s a good part for him. Same for Seunghun. Then Prismfilter -- I’m going to call him PF -- asks Jay if he wants to adlib a bit. 

So he does, and PF says, “ah, perfect adlib.” 

Minseo is nervous because this is his first studio recording session. (I guess this team didn’t do a studio recording for the previous round…?) So how will the maknae do? 

He sings the line “It feels like I’m drunk,” and PF turns around to ask, “Have you ever really been drunk?” and Minseo says, “just once.”

PF tells him to remember the feeling, and Minseo tries again, but more “drunk” this time, then says, “it’s not working.” PF tells him to try sort of forcing the feeling -- I think, the translation is unclear -- and Minseo sort of stammers. Meanwhile, strategist Bitsaeon is lost in his thoughts. Suddenly Bit pipes up and suggests that Minseo could use a combination of “falsetto and sincerity” and PF likes that idea. 

All the hyungs have helpful ideas and Minseo seems thrilled to have such nice helpful hyungs.

Seunghun thinks it should sound kind of “loose” and recommends a review of the rap part to add dynamics to the song. 

Seunghun interviews, “In the last round, I hit rock-bottom. For this round, I’m going to write a rap for the first time to help us win.”  

He meets with a rapper called Xitsuh (서출구). Xitsuh says, “It doesn’t feel like this is your first time doing this.”

Seunghun is so proud of himself, it’s kind of adorable. Also, I love his pixelated dinosaur sweatshirt. He says that he worked on it for several days and he thinks it came out well.  

The guys meet in another unheated room to discuss. There are some mysterious pink boxes on the table. In the words of Han Solo, I have a bad feeling about this. 

Seunghun says, “This song is all ours. The sexiness that we talked about -- I think it has to look good on the outside as well.”

Jay says, “Visuals are also important for a sexy style song.”

Minseo is like, “What can we do to take care of visuals?”

Bitsaeon, Age 28, Manager Man

Bitsaeon says he has an idea -- are they curious to hear it? They’re like, just tell us, we want to know! Their acting is really over the top and I’m feeling suspicious. Bitsaeon gets out… a device. 

Oh no! It's product placement!!!!!

I’m not translating this part. They all try it and presumably talk about how great it is and how it’s making them even more handsome. 

Next meeting. Now they’re in a conference room. Seunghun is wearing his team jacket but he’s the only one. 

They’re gathered for practice when they’re suddenly given a mysterious card -- an evaluation. 

Apparently, six days before the actual performance, they gathered to record practice performances, and this is their evaluation from the other teams. 

“You can check the practice situation” “The teams conducted an interim evaluation”  

I don’t really know what the guys are saying in this part because the on-screen caption just says “Calmly evaluating the other teams’ strategies” and my Korean listening skills are waaaaaay too limited for the task. Sorry. But the gist seems to be that they have to choose high and low tiers again. 

So, what kind of evaluation did they receive? 

All three of the other teams gave them a low tier score. 

Haram says that Jay doesn’t mix with the others -- it’s like he’s just performing by himself. Suhwan agrees: “It feels like ‘Jay and the Boys’ all over again.”

Sunyoul says, “The problem is that only Jay is visible.”

Donghun says, “Bitsaeon is really good too, but he’s buried because of Jay.” 

Bitsaeon reads these comments out loud and Jay is flummoxed. He says, “Actually, we’re a team. So the feedback that people can only see me is not good.”

And that’s when the subtitles come back, mostly.   

Bitsaeon’s like, we got this. 

In the next segment, they’re meeting with a choreographer -- and it’s Monika. She’s on a dance troupe called Prowdmon with LipJ, who you might remember from Boys Planet. They’re super intimidated by her. She thinks that Flower needed choreography, and she imagines a “fatal man” who is putting on cologne and fixing his hair. 

“The sexy point is to be indifferent,” she advises.

They try dancing.

“Hawk-eyes initiated.” 

“You ruined it!” she yells. “Do it again!” 

They try again, but they’re not getting it. It’s really hard and they’re worried. So they decide to practice really, really hard. They’re pulling all nighters, which is so ill advised.

I wish people on shows like this would bear in mind that your body doesn’t work right if you don’t get enough sleep. You can’t learn if you don’t sleep. You study and study and it just falls right back out of your brain. It’s like pouring water into a sieve. Not to mention the fact that it plays hell with your mood and your physical condition, including, you know, your VOICE. If you’re in high school or college, please take care of yourself physically, ok? Plan ahead, study daily, don’t pull all nighters. <3 Thank you <3 

The judges are excited for the performance, in part because they liked the song itself. Well, yeah, being given a decent song sure helps. 

The performance begins.

Full version without reactions

My thoughts: 

You can just tell looking at a screenshot that this team is going to win. I mean, I don’t know for sure. I haven’t watched the rest of the episode and I haven’t been spoiled. But I still know. Maybe I’ll be writing a surprised reaction at the end, but I just don’t think so. This team is winning for sure. 

The song itself? I mean, it’s fine. It’s missing something, but it’s not bad or anything. IDK. It's better than the other songs, based on the snippets I heard on youtube, but it I can't get into it.

Ok, don’t get mad at me, but I didn’t love love love this. I liked it, I thought they basically did a good job, but I didn’t love it love it love it. So if you loved it and came here hoping to hear what was great about it, I’m sorry. You can skip all this.

I love how the petals never stop falling but also don't really build up on the floor. Interesting. And there are never any actually on them, like in their hair or stuck in the folds of their clothing...

A lot of the problem is the song itself, I’m sure. It’s like someone took a song like Guilty and made tea with it, and then tried to reuse the bag to make another song with it, and that song was this one.  

But the rest of the problem is that the dancing changed everything. This is supposed to be a vocal show, and full on choreo isn’t welcome here, in my opinion. 

Jay isn’t as good of a dancer as he is a singer, so his stage presence actually is diminished by the dancing. So now they solved the problem of Jay standing out too much by making him not stand out as much. But that’s not a good solution, because now you’ve kind of lost your star, and now you have four interchangeable members, instead of 1 star and 3 backups. His vocals were also slightly negatively affected, too. He did have a few really lovely ad libs toward the end, of course, but I couldn’t just relax and enjoy an amazing vocal performance like I’m used to doing whenever Jay sings. 

In fact, all four of them sounded slightly out of breath and the worst they’ve sounded the whole competition. I’m not saying they sounded bad -- just that every single one of them has sounded better in every other performance they’ve done. I come to these performances wanting awesome fucking vocals, and I just got really good vocals here. Seunghun sounded more nasal than he’s sounded in a while, and Bitsaeon sounded strained at points. 

I wish there had been more harmony. Also, I wish they’d given more lines to Minseo, too. 

And for what it’s worth, this didn’t make my pants sparkle. I guess I just can’t think of any of these guys as sexy, not even for the duration of the song. I think the concept they were trying to do -- “black rose sexy” -- was just too subtle and mature for them. I’ve been racking my brain trying to think of the kind of sexy I think they could do and basically I don’t think these guys should be doing outright mature sexy. I think they’d do best with emo concepts. Basically, think most songs by TXT and I think these guys could do that. 

But that’s just my take. If you loved it, cool! I’m glad you found something you loved and that made you happy. 

I knew the MNET edit would be absolutely slobbering and it was. I knew everyone would freak out about Seunghun touching Jay on the chin, and they did -- we had to have an instant replay. There are a few more instant replays, too.   

When they’re done, everyone goes nuts, of course.

The editors even put the rose petal filter over shots of the judges table.

The judges are judging based on how good the vocals are while they’re dancing, while I just want them to SING. 

What will their high score be? It’s a 99 from Jaehwan, who just goes ahead and does whatever he wants, whenever he wants. I think the judges were feeling bad after last week, maybe? They should -- they gave them criminally bad scores last week.

Backstage, the other guys just sort of freeze in silence. It’s going to be tough to win this week. 

All the fans cheer and scream, and -- aww, Bitseon is crying, I think. They must have been under so much stress. Poor guys. I like all these guys a lot and want them all to be successful!

Jaehwan says that he felt like he was watching an artist’s performance. That's sweet.

VCG says that Seunghun he knows how to move his body -- and he knows it, that’s why he wore that outfit. Fair! Seunghun definitely did the best with the choreo, from wha tI could see.

Baekho says that maybe it was a mistake putting them first.

And that’s about it for this performance and this segment! 

Thanks for going along with me on this ride, and again, sorry that I couldn't gush about this performance like maybe some of you were hoping I would. I still like the members of this team and hope they make it into the finals.

Ok, see you in the next one, when we see Partners be given a song that doesn't really suit them and also isn't good! whee?

[hopeonmyphone]

BTS's J-Hope celebrates 30th birthday by visiting fans' celebratory banners and billboards in Seoul [Allkpop]

BTS's J-Hope took to social media to celebrate his birthday with fans.

The BTS rapper officially turned 30 on February 18. The day prior, he posted two videos and a photo as Instagram stories on his personal account, writing "HAPPY," "HOPE," and "DAY" on each in sequence.

The videos show congratulatory birthday banners and bus stop billboards in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, all specially prepared by his fans around the world. The photo, which is the final of the three, shows J-Hope himself, dressed in a denim jacket and black beanie.

Meanwhile, J-Hope is serving as a training instructor at the Baekho Recruit Training Battalion, 36th Infantry Division, in Wonju, Gangwon Province. His expected military discharge date is October 17.

Source: Allkpop

[kutiee]

Oh yeah, I went back and watched Idol physical race after the marathon :'D because the shuttle run there was a warm-up for him and he actually seemed so happy to run and light on his feet <3

And literally that's what one of the mcs said later on the podium, that he's a monster :'D

Oh and euijoo holding back tears while watching aaahhh, now wonder k spent an eternity replaying their 10m video and didn't get any sleep TT I really hope we get a YouTube vlog of this but i'm not sure they had time to film TT

Idol’s physical race was an experience, to say the least. Like, they just went there and broke all the pre-existing records???? Like it was nothing???? 😭 It genuinely looked like they were having a field day (esp. k, fuma and nicho), but goodness k is really something else. I still remember screaming (internally) when baekho had to stop k at the end from continuing his “shuttle-run” jdjdjdjdj

Yesss omg that clip T-T they’re so adorable pls they were so excited!!! jumping n screaming and some were getting emotional 😭 and k... they love each other so much it’s 😔😔

Unfortunately I don’t think there will be any vlogs though :(( they uploaded short clips of everything on twitter so I think they only had those filmed sjdhjfhj

[cherryeol04]

Action! | Ch. 24

Genre: Humor, Romance, Slice of life?, Crackheadedness

Pairings: BaekRen, MinRon

Work Count: 2.7K

Summary:  From the moment he was casted, Ren wasn't sure if he had what it would take to be a pop idol. Losing faith in himself, he was going to give up the future he had always wanted, but one person stood by his side and renewed his faith. After a hot debut and rapid growth of stardom, Ren started to notice that maybe this person, his close friend, was something more. But how could a straight man even remotely think of a homosexual relationship?

Warnings: Homophobia, some smut (chapters will be marked)

A/N: I wrote this series back in 2012 and used OCs and over the top writing style for arguments. Whoops. Lmao it’s pretty decent though, so I hope you enjoy!

↶Previous     Next↷

Ren’s POV

I know I’m being a burden on these people, and I hate it. My hyungs are so nice though, accepting me into their dorm, feeding me. I never meant to be gone for so long, but I just can’t go back. Baekho would be there and he’s probably so happy with Uee noona. Which I’m happy for him, I just wish he didn’t have to rub it in my face like he had.

That’s what hurt the most.

Days turned into weeks and every day I got a call either from Minhyun, JR, or Aron, all begging me to come back. But never from Baekho. The piercing pain I felt at the end of each day as I laid down to sleep, knowing that once again, the call was never going to come, I honestly thought I would die each and every time. I sleep horribly, I feel horrible, and I must look horrible. I suppose that’s why the other’s forced me up, dressed and literally dragged me from the home.  Why couldn’t I just stay and mope around some more?

Adrian-hyung was no fun.

~*~

Staring up at the large planetarium, I was in awe. I never knew one even existed, yet alone resided in South Korea. This was going to be interesting to say the least. It was certainly something I haven’t gone to before. Looking back, I stared at the others who were sharing my same awe.

“It’s bigger than I thought.” Kai said and laughed softly.

“Everything’s bigger than you think.” Chiko muttered with a pout. “Just like our last dinner you ordered fed all of us and the staff.”

“Hey! It’s not my fault!” he protested with a shake of his head.

“Alright children.” Adrian spoke, wrangling in his dongsaes. “Let’s go.” Walking into the building, we were greeted by such eerie silence that panic grew inside me. I looked around carefully, even over my shoulders. It was something straight out of a horror film. I liked horror and all that, but not when I had to be a part of it.

“Where is everyone?” I asked, noticing just how empty it was inside.

“I have no clue.” Adrian said and frowned. “In fact, all I got this morning was this letter telling us to be here. It was signed ‘A Friend’.” He explained and pulled the letter from his pocket. JaeMin took the letter and read it over briefly before sighing.

“It’s probably like some sort of hidden camera variety show.”  JaeMin said.

“Then why am I here?” I asked as I stared at them.  They all looked at me as if they just realized I was there. I don’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Probably bad considering the fact that they just realized I wasn’t even a part of their group, yet I was brought anyway and no one even mentioned that I shouldn’t go in.

“Uh….” They were all at a loss for words. I don’t blame them, I felt the same way.

“Hey look.” We turned and watched as Kouji moved over to a welcome table a picked up an envelope titled ‘For Ren’. “I think this really isn’t for us.” He said.

“Apparently.” Adrian said as he walked over, took the envelope and opened it. Pulling out the thick card, he read it over. “For all the pain he caused, for all the days you’ve been a way, there will be many more to make up for them.” He read. “Within this building, there are three special locations you need to visit. Each will give you a clue to where you need to go next until you’ve reached your final destination. Your first clue ‘He has to be from another planet.’ Mission start!” he read before snorting.

“Oh boy, they need new writers.” Kai said with a smirk.

“So this is all…for me?” I asked, confused. Why would they do this? From the sounds of the letter, it seems that my friends are trying to cheer me up and get me to go back home. But I don’t want to. Not if Baekho is going to be there and continues to act like he does. A part of me is actually hoping though, that this is Baekho’s way of asking for forgiveness; that this whole thing was orchestrated by him. But I don’t want to get my hopes up. I doubt it is.

“Looks like it.” Adrian said and smiled. It was a knowing smile and I had to wonder if he had a hand in all this.

“Oh a quest! Sounds like fun! Let us help?” Chiko asked.

“No, we can’t help.” Adrian said. “This is for Ren, let him do it.” He said and nodded.

“Aw poo.” Chiko pouted cutely and we laughed. He was a maknae for a reason after all.

I sighed. Alright, looks like I’m on my own for this. No worries though, I’ve done many variety shows like this. I can solve this and figure out what’s going on too. “Okay, the first clue is ‘He has to be from another planet’. Who would be from another planet?” I asked myself. There was JR, but he wasn’t crazy. There was Aron, but he wasn’t that crazy. It certainly isn’t Baekho and if this was done by him, he wouldn’t be the first clue, so then…Minhyun? Realization slowly came to me. Minhyun was a bit out there, even when he was trying to be straight and narrow. He was silly really. So it’s Minhyun I’m looking for but how do I find him?

‘Okay Ren think. Whenever we tease Minhyun we say he’s an alien. And I know we’ve even said which planet he was from, so which planet? Which planet was it?’ Even though there wasn’t a time limit, I felt extreme pressure. We always joked about Minhyun being from the planet...?

‘Jupiter! That’s right, it’s the largest planet in our solar system, next to the sun of course. Because Minhyun is so tall, we tease him he came from the largest planet in the solar system because they made their aliens tall there.’ Alright, alright, so now I knew where to go. I looked around the lobby for a moment before finding the blaring map kiosk. Making my way over, I searched for any room or floor that had anything to do with Jupiter.

“Let’s see.” I said, running my fingers through the different rooms and after a while I finally found it. “Third floor!” I announced happily. Alright! I did it!

“Good then go.” Adrian said and shooed me off towards the elevators. With a grin I stepped in and pressed the ‘3’ button and the doors slid shut. I was nervous and excited at the time. I loved playing games, but what awaited me at the end is what was nerve-racking.

When the doors opened, I stepped out and looked around. Images were hung all through the small hall, all of the planet Jupiter. Most included facts and information about it. Turning to my right, I started down, looking for Minhyun. The other was my clue, the person I was supposed to find, and with him being so damn tall, it shouldn’t be too hard to find him.

The hall opened up into this large room and right in the middle of it stood a large statue of the planet Jupiter and standing in front of it was a smiling Minhyun. I walked over to him, grinning and he pounced, wrapping me up in his arms, squeezing me.

“Minki!” he said happily and I was sure I heard tears in his voice. “I’ve missed you so much.” He said. When he let go of me, we pulled back and I stared at him. My heart broke seeing my best friend crying like that. I hated knowing I was the one who was making him cry like that.

“Minnie.” I said and hugged him again, rubbing his back. “I’ve missed you too.” I told him and pulled back. “After this is done, maybe we can hang out?” I asked.

“Of course!” Minhyun said happily. “We have so much to catch up on!” he told me before handing me the card. “Have fun alright? I’ll see you at the end!” he said.

I nodded and watched him walk off before sighing. It was so good to see my friend once again. I hadn’t meant to cause them so much pain by leaving. Maybe soon things could go back to slightly normal and I could return home.

Looking at the card, I turned it over and read the back. “He speaks alien better than our language.” I laughed at that simple clue. It was easy to know who it was referring to. Aron still had trouble speaking our language, even after being here for so many years. And I knew he was from the planet Mars because Mars was the ‘real’ planet that had aliens speaking weird tongues coming from.  Finding the map on the floor, I searched until I found which floor Mars was on.

Getting back on the elevator, I headed up to the fourth floor. One would think this building would be ordered according to positions of the planets in the solar system, but apparently it wasn’t. When the doors opened, I stepped out and was greeted instantly by Aron, who drew me into a bear hug. I laughed and returned it, glad to see the other.

“Damn Minki.” He whispered as he pulled back and looked me over. “Still sexy as ever, don’t change.” He said. I blushed hotly at his comment and smacked him lightly.

“Stop it!” I said and smiled at him.

“Never.” He said before handing over the card. “I hope you come home soon, it’s not the same without you. We’re not the same without you.” He said.

“Maybe…one day soon.” I said, a little unsure.  He nodded and hugged me once more before turning and walking off to go join Minhyun, wherever he was. Sighing, I flipped the card over and read the next clue.  “When he’s at his best, his passion shines brightly like this star.” I frowned. Well it was either JR or Baekho and though I was hoping I would see Baekho next, I was pretty sure it wasn’t him. In fact, I was almost sure he wasn’t a part of this. He had Uee noona, why would he need to be here? Even if it was his entire fault.

So then it was JR and it was the sun that was the brightest star in the solar system, the one that burned the most. So after finding the map and locating the Sun room, I headed up to the ninth floor. When the doors opened, I wasn’t ambushed like last time. Instead, I actually had to wander around a bit. It wasn’t a large room like Jupiter.  Everything known about the sun was very little. I was going to give up, not sure if I would ever find JR. After walking around the corner of the hall into a smaller room, I found him standing next to the window.

“JR.” I called as I walked over to him. He turned to me and a grin spread across his face. He waited until I was close enough before hugging me.

“Minki. I’ve missed you.” He said. I almost cried at that. All my friends had missed me and I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think I was honestly that important to them. But I was and that made me feel so loved inside. So maybe I didn’t need Baekho. Sure, having the other love me would have been wonderful, but I had friends that loved me just the same, that should be enough for me. And well…it was going to be enough for me. After this, I am going home!

“I missed you too.” I said and smiled at him as I pulled back. “Can I have the card please?” I asked.

“Sure.” He said and handed it to me. But he didn’t let go. Instead, he held tight and stared into my eyes. “Minki, Nu’est is not the same without you. We can’t go on. Please…come back. We need you more than you’ll never know.” He said. It was the leader talking, trying to keep all his members together, but at the same time I knew it was my friend talking, wanting us to be back together and whole once more.

“I know.” I said and nodded. “Very soon…I’ll be back home.” I told him. He nodded and released the card, and with a pat on my shoulder, left me alone too. Smiling to myself, I flipped the card and read it, my breath leaving me.

“He didn’t know what he had until it ran away. He didn’t know what he needed until it was told to him. Now he needs his Minki back and in his life. Under the planet signifying love, you’ll find him.” I had to take a few breaths. Baekho…was he really here? Did he really need me? I wasn’t sure, and I knew I should have been more cautious. I had been hurt once, I didn’t need it again. But damn it if I couldn’t help it. After finding the map to find out what floor Venus was on, I bypassed the elevator and took the stairs.

Taking them two by two, I ran up to the eleventh floor, which thankfully wasn’t that far up from the sun. Slamming opening the door, I looked around frantically, searching. I ran through the whole hall and room, but I didn’t see him. Baekho wasn’t there. My heart broke once more and I felt like crying and I almost did.

All this, for nothing.

I was heading for the elevator when I heard soft music coming from a closed door. It was a room I hadn’t checked before.

Maybe?

Moving to the door, I pushed it open and stepped in. Romantic music was playing and hearts lit up all around the walls of different colors. And in the middle of the room hung the planet Venus and underneath it was…

“Baekho.” I whispered.

“Minki.” He said and smiled at me. “I’ve missed you.” He said. My heart was suddenly healed and bursting with joy. I’ve never felt this happy in my life, not even when I was picked to become a trainee. I ran to him and threw my arms around him. I was a bit worried he would be caught off guard and we would go tumbling down, but we didn’t. He caught me and held me tight in his arms, his face pressing against my neck.

“I’m so sorry Minki.” He whispered. “I was such a dumb idiot. I should have realized sooner just how important you are to me.” The tears fell from my eyes this time. I couldn’t hold them back. I was just so damn happy.

“It’s okay. I forgive you.” I knew I shouldn’t have forgiven him so easily, but I couldn’t stop myself. Here was, in front of me, holding me again. He had planned this whole thing, just for me. How could I not forgive him? He pulled back and stared down at me, grinning.

“I’m glad you do. I was a fool and I’m sorry.” He apologized once more. “Minki, I love you.” The squeal left me before I could contain myself. Those words were ones I have longed to hear for so long now. And he said them. Baekho finally said them!

“You fool!” I said and tapped the side of his head lightly. “I love you too.” The arms tightened around me, pulling me closer. Soft lips pressed against mine. This was our first kiss and it was magical! I stood there, clinging to him, pressing to him, returning his kiss with such passion, never wanting it to end. And though I heard the cheers of the others who were watching us, I could have cared less. The world faded away from around us and all that was left was Baekho and I and the kiss we were sharing.

This is how it should have been all along. And though I wished this would have happened months ago, I was glad it happened now. I knew our future was bright. I was coming home and going to be Baekho’s boyfriend.

Nu’est was back!

[solplparty]

백호 (BAEKHO) 'No Rules' Official MV https://youtu.be/XqfnTlwcjuQ 백호 (BAEKHO) 1st Mini Album [Absolute Zero] 'No Rules' Official MV [Absolute Zero]의 타이틀곡 ‘No Rules’는 시끄러운 도시 속 오직 ‘우리 둘’만의 공간에서 속삭이는 자유로운 해방의 순간을 그린 곡으로 백호가 직접 작사, 작곡에 참여해 완성도를 높였다. 아주 가까운 거리에서 만나 서로의 ‘체온’을 느낄 수 있는 아슬아슬한 장면을 ‘Night Swimming’이라는 일상적이지 않은 키워드로 풀어낸 이 곡은 중독성 강한 베이스 라인과 반전되는 ROCK 사운드가 특징이다. 'No Rules’ 뮤직비디오는 '사랑의 절대 온도'에 대해 이야기한다. 사랑을 느끼는 동안, 혹은 사랑하는 사람과 가까이 있는 그 순간에 느낄 수 있는 행복한 감정을 '온도'로 표현했다. 다양한 순간을 경험하고 비로소 완전한 상태가 되는 백호의 모습이 담긴 뮤직비디오를 통해 지금까지 보지 못했던 백호의 다채로운 매력을 엿볼 수 있다. The lead track “No Rules” illustrates a tantalizing moment of freedom that the lovers share amidst the hectic city. BAEKHO participated in the production and writing of the track, perfecting the alluring mood. “No Rules” unravels the breathtaking scene of romantic and secretive night swimming with an addictive bass line and a rock sound. From tingling happiness to tormenting lament, the music video portrays passionate love by utilizing ‘temperature’ as a means of measurement of emotion. The music video of the lead track “No Rules” will present a glimpse of BAEKHO’s charm that has never been seen before. #백호 #BAEKHO #Absolute_Zero #No_Rules M/V Director HOBIN a HOBIN film AD KANG TAEWOO Production Assistant MOON JONGHO, JEONG KUERI, YOUN SEOKJU, JEON HUISU, JEON YOUNGJOO a HOBIN film PD KIM JIYEON Director Of Photography LEE GUN Focus Puller BAE GYEONGGEUN 2nd Camera Assistant KANG JUNGKYUN DIT KO TAEWOOK, PARK SANGWON 3rd Camera Assistant PARK HAMIN, JUNG SEUNGHOON Drone Team KIM TAEJIN, PARK HWAKGYU RoboJib Operator KIM YONGHYUK RoboJib Assistant WANG SUNHO Gaffer (DAY 1) LEE HYUNSU Lighting Assistant HEO SUNGHYUN, PARK GYUNGEUN Gaffer (DAY 2) CHOI DOOSOO Lighting Crew JUNG YUJIN, LEE SANGJOON, PARK MINJAE, RYU SEONGHOON, LEE KIEUN Generator MOON SUNGJIN Art Team RAWPIE @rawpie_seoul Art Director EASY MEAN Set Director KIM JAEWOONG Team Leader YUN JUNGHEE, LEE MYOUNGHWA, LEE SUKJONG Team Member KIM CHOHYE, CHOI SEUNGHYUN, LEE HYEUNYOUNG CAST YOU SORA CAST HMU CHOI YEBIN Drift Team KIM HONGRAE, AN SEEWOO VFX BAE YOONJU VFX Assistant JEON EUIJEONG Storyboard PARK YEON, HOBIN Connect with BAEKHO(KANG DONG HO) Official Homepage : https://www.pledis.co.kr/html/artist/singer_baekho Official Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/c/BAEKHO_PLEDIS Official Twitter : https://twitter.com/BAEKHO_PLEDIS Official Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/this_is_baekho Official Weverse : https://weverse.io/baekho ⓒ PLEDIS Entertainment. All Rights Reserved HYBE LABELS

[hwanwooyoung]

[200514] M Countdown :: I’m In Trouble :: Baekho

[koreasoul7]

Happy Baekho day 💕

My oppa ❤ Baekho!!!

#칠월의_선물_동호야_생일축하해

#This_is_BAEKHODAY #Baekho #DongHo #KangDongHo #백호 #강동호 #NUEST_BAEKHO #NUEST #belaruslovekpop #belaruslovenuest

[baekhodongho]

im upset that we most likely wont see them perform on a stage for this new album, but like at the same time im happy baekho isnt gonna have to live on some almonds n basically starve himself bc you know pledis/hybe (derogatory) would want to get one more shirtless/shirtless-adjacent moment out of him

[nuestworlds]

[PT-BR] Hoje é o dia do nosso doce Baekho! Ter você em minha vida me trouxe muita alegria. Seu sorriso, sua risada, sua voz melodiosa e maravilhosa trás felicidade para qualquer um que a escuta! Obrigada por ser alguém incrível e gentil, alguém que faz os LOVES sentir orgulho em amar de todo o coração! 🐯🧡

[ENG] Today is our sweet Baekho's day! Having you in my life brought me a lot of joy. Your smile, your laugh, your melodious and wonderful voice brings happiness to anyone who listens! Thank you for being someone amazing and kind, someone who makes LOVES proud to love with all their heart! 🐯🧡

© @nuesthoon

[starryallnight]

Happy birthday, happy birthday I thank the one who made you be born Once again, happy birthday

Happy Baekho Day!

[boysplanetrecaps]

Build Up Episode 8 Recap: Do Re Mi Fa, Gift

Hello! It’s time for me, BPR Unnie, to continue recapping MNET’s Build Up, episode 8! In the previous one, we saw a team with no name cover Uptown Funk and make everyone dance. In this one, we’ll see a team of balladeers sing a ballad. Will that win the night? We’ll find out! Let’s go!

Hey look!

It’s Glasses Baekho™!  He just looked so cute I had to take a screen shot. This show is so great. Isn’t this show great? 

Dahee calls the team up on stage.

They introduce themselves by singing “do-re-mi-fa,” and in a moment of brilliance, Dahee says, “And you have Do-re-mi-fa-SOLAR over there!” (Get it? Do-re-me-fa-so-la.)

Look how proud Dahee is. Hey Dahee, join my improv team! 

Solar jokes back and everyone is having a great time and I wish I were fluent in Korean! I learn two or three words a month so I’ll be fluent in a thousand years, so look forward to that! 

Glasses Baekho™ says this team is the only ballad team, and that they ranked first in the interim check. Ah, so that’s how they earned the right to choose the running order.

Junhyeok has put on a fair bit of concealer and blush, I think. But it looks good. 

We cut back to the interim check. 

OMG, new and different Glasses Baekho™? I want to collect them all! 

Baekho announces that Gwangseok’s team has ranked first place, but the team doesn’t look pleased at the news.

Junhyeok says he’s “more startled than happy” because “they don’t think we’re their competition.” The team thinks that the other guys chose them as the top tier precisely because they are NOT top tier. And… they’re right. 

Hey look, it’s Jeup and Donghun. Imagine seeing them? On this show? There they are! Hi! 

Bitsaeon explains, “Although they said to pick the top tier based on the performance, I think all teams were thinking quite strategically.” 

We see that Bitsaeon’s team was tempted to pick Jeup’s team as the best, but decided not to give them that boost. Soomin’s team would have picked Jay’s team as the best, but again, didn’t, and Sunyoul’s team thinks along the same lines.

The song they’re doing is Gift by Park Hyo Shin, a song released in 2009 that “conveys the singer’s pain and hopes”. 

Sample lyrics:

Whatever others said, I told them I’m not weak, and tolerated such days with tears They didn’t know me, and didn’t even want to listen to what I had to say Left alone in the darkness of the night, one, two, three, I count the stars and in the moment that the morning sky appears… Today, the sky seems like a gift someone left behind for me Under its warmth, stronger than yesterday’s, if you are like me, Listen to this song now, close your eyes, and when you open them once more, It’s going to be alright!!

Ah, if only they had talked to me. I could have told them that songs with a “it’s going to be alright!” messages always (1) get the audience clapping and singing and long and (2) lose. Always. Find me a time that a “it’s going to be alright” song on any Produce/Planet type show has ever, ever won. They often come in last place! I don’t know why. Everyone enjoys them, and no one votes for them. 

Bitsaeon, Donghun, and Soomin voice over things like, “It was a predictable song” and “They did what they’re used to doing” and “It’s the same every round.” 

Donghun’s team must not have picked Yeo One’s team as the top tier, because on the mic, he says “I think we can easily beat you this time.” 

Yeo One has a sassy comeback, but… it doesn’t quite land. 

Junhyeok interviews, “I think we made a bad choice.”

They decide to have an emergency meeting at a… convenience store by the docks, I guess?

I mean, they might as well meet outside since apparently buildings aren’t heated in Korea.

Junhyeok says: “Since we established vocalist image that only does ballad….” And Yeo One chimes in: The performances we've shown could have been quite limited.” They’ve done a lot of emotional songs -- maybe it’s time to freshen things up.

They want to show a bright and fun side and decide to add a bit of movement. 

Yeo One is their performance expert, and he comes up with some basic semi-choreo for them to do. 

They have fun preparing. 

And then… it’s time to perform!

Full version without reactions 

My thoughts: 

Pleasant. 

I don’t know what else to say about it. Everyone did fine -- well, Junhyeok was pitchy on that first big high note -- but it’s like I was forgetting about the performance even while I was watching it. There are a lot of distinctive voices here, but this was just so… aggressively pleasant. 

I think this would have been a great song for a group to perform at the end of a long concert. You know, when they’ve built up a lot of good will throughout the night and everyone’s kind of emotionally spent and wants to have a sort of “credits role” moment as the encore. The group comes out wearing their tour-merch t-shirts and everyone sways. Great. I’m on board. But it’s just the wrong choice for the only song that you can sing. 

It’s weird because Junhyeok said he knew they’d made a bad choice, and they thought they could dress it up with a little bit of extremely lite choreo? I don’t get it. I think they didn’t understand the assignment the way that Jeup did. 

In the MNET edit, everyone likes the performance. 

Wendy does her best to smile with her new lips. 

The judges comment on how nice Yeo One sounds, and what a great voice Gwangseok has. 

Eunkwang has to exchange looks with Wendy and Jaehwan over Junhyeok’s sweet tone.

Everyone is a little surprised and pleased when things brighten up and they do that tiny bit of choreo (lining up and stepping away one at a time). Yeo One gets the audience to wave their arms in unison. 

We see Wendy a lot. She seems to be really enjoying it. 

When one of them say “BASU!” (clap), the audience does clap, but they can’t find the beat, and neither can the judges. Looks like many of the judges have their in-ear monitors out. 

When they’re done, the judges applaud, but Solar looks like she wants to wish herself into space.

Seohyung backstage says, “They tried to give the finale feel, like an encore,” and that’s true, they did, but it just sort of makes you nostalgic for the other performances from the night. 

Donghun, who had his filter shot off in the war, says, “They’re desperate. They’re all on the edge.”

The judges are voting…

… and they don’t look thrilled. 

The high score comes in, and it’s a 94. 

What in the fuckity fuck fuck.

Meanwhile, Jay’s team is just like…. 

I wish the judges could go back and just admit they were wrong about Jay’s team. Don’t any of them even take a moment to think, “Hey, I gave Drowning a 90 or less, do I really want to give this team a fucking 94?” But someone gave a fucking 94. Whatever.

Solar, on the other hand, isn’t super complimentary. She says: “The song itself was well suited for the finale. It’s a hopeful song, and you sang it very hopefully, but there was no narrative to the performance, so the hopeful message wasn’t really conveyed.” 

VCG says: “In terms of performances, some share the hope with the audience, while other asks them to witness the singers’ happiness. Your performance was the latter.” The on-screen caption says “It seemed like a performance for the four members, not for the audience to empathize.”  He isn’t thrilled with how they used Gwangseok (I think he thinks there wasn’t enough Gwangseok? There didn’t seem to be enough of anything or anyone!) and says “If you get another chance, show me something deep.”

Eunkwang, who gave the 94 -- and who I think might have been the only one who really liked the performance-- says, “I actually felt differently. That’s how diverse the audience’s ears are. During the entire performance, I felt cozy and overwhelmed. Like I was in the clouds.” He praises Gwangseok and the team as a whole. 

Well, that’s nice that they got some good feedback. I find Junhyeok a sort of touching figure somehow and wouldn’t want him to be completely bulldozed in this round. Life has bulldozed him enough! 

And that’s about it for this post. In the last one, I’ll cover the last 15 minutes of this episode, and do a general wrap up of this round of competition. 

It’s a gross stormy day where I live and I have a sad tummy, so what else am I going to do but surround myself with squishmallows and watch Korean tv shows? My Fella just made another pot of coffee for us, my afternoon appointments all canceled due to the storm, I’ve got my microwavable slippers on, so let’s do this. 

See you in the next one! And have a very Jeup day until then!

[cloudminhyun]

[NU'EST Official] 210619 LOVELY Episode 128 HAPPY JR'S DAY 0608 HAPPY BIRTHDAY

(Link to video in source)

[hopeonmyphone]

BTS's J-HOPE reveals recent situation during military service as an assistant professor… Message to fans "Reminds me of activities from a year ago"

J-HOPE of BTS, who is currently serving in the military, reported his happy recent situation.

J-Hope said on the 8th through the fan community platform Weverse, "A wonderful weekend. I was appointed as an assistant training assistant for a certain period after completing a research lecture as an assistant professor at the Baekho Recruit Training Battalion of the 36th Division. I am serving," he posted a long message.

He continued, "I haven't had time to tell you about my recent situation because I'm so busy. It's short, but I thought I'd say hello to you with this post, so I came here," showing his love for his special fans.

He added, "While carrying out my military service in the hot July, I remembered the days when I was passionately active as J-Hope around this time last year. Although we are completely different, we are passionately looking forward to the future. I think the feeling of drawing is the same. I came here to convey that I live as J-Hope with Jung Hoseok (J-Hope's real name) who will never change anytime, anywhere, in any situation." I told you.

Finally, J-HOPE said, "ARMY (fan name), be careful of the heat and the rain. I pray for the health of all military personnel and trainees." I left a cordial greeting.

J-Hope, the second member of BTS to join the military after Jin, the oldest, completed basic military training in May. J-Hope will be discharged in October 2024.

Source: KStyle

[nu-blessed]

Today is Ren’s birthday! (23 reasons to love Choi Mingi)

Ren is 23 years old today!

He is NU’ESTs ultimate mood maker, and gives so much of himself to loves everyday! So here’s 23 reasons to love Ren

1.) He slays in any outfit 

2.) He is NU’ESTs moodmaker and will never fail to make you smile. He is the type of person with such a big heart and gives so much to everyone around him.

3.) He’s not afraid to pull off long hair

4.) He has AMAZING vocals

https://twitter.com/Realovetruelove/status/1058389124170870785

5.) He is official kpop king of cross dressing

6.) The other 4 members are basically at his bidding (maknae on top amirite ladies) 

7.) ....but they also love to tease him

8.) His idol is Lady Gaga (we stan an intellectual)

9.) And he uses every opportunity to dance to her songs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUaM6FQzMLo

10.) He gives his all to brighten the mood and entertain the other members even when it looks like his body’s about to give way

11.) He eats cutely

12.) He is a dancing KING  

13.) He is a terrible cook

14.) He always stands up for what he believe’s in even if theres backlash

15.)  He treats his fans like his best friends 

16.) He champions the idea of people wearing whatever cloths they want 

17.) He lost a lot of weight during produce and was in the worst state of his whole career, but still never gave up to save nu’est from disbandment 

18.) He can be sexy if he wants to!

19.) Even when he was tired himself on Produce he only wanted to cheer others up

20.) He is Minhyun’s partner is crime (2019 will be WILDE) and Baekho’s play buddy lol

21.) Aron is in love with him

22.) JR is also in love with him

23.) We love everything about him with all our hearts and wish him a happy birthday ❤️