#I'm used to keeping a basically australian schedule

[sergle]

I've been on a daytime schedule for the past few days out of necessity, rehoming the kitties and everything, and it's making me physically nauseous

[gayf1hoe]

Champion's Son

Scenario - Y/N is the son of the one and only Kimi Räikkönen and when he joins VCARB against his dad's approval he hits it off quite well with Daniel Ricciardo his teammate. Despite the fact he should be focused on the free Red Bull seat he can't help but feel mesmerised by his teammate.

The day before pre-season testing -

Being the son of the 2007 F1 world champion and a well renowned driver, it has meant that for my entire racing career I have had to work extra hard to prove I haven't made it to where I am simply because my last name is ‘Räikkönen’. Many have criticised my racing performance from Formula 3 all the way up to Formula 1 all because I haven't inherited my dad's driving style which he faced much criticism for.

Me and my dad have the same Finnish demeanour - in other words I don't have any time for the media or any other bullshit that comes my way, which has not benefited my media image at all.

When I first joined F1 last year I joined Sauber as my dad requested because it's where he started and ended his career but by the end of that season I realised I was never going to achieve good things there, so I went against my dad and joined VCARB the ‘junior sister’ team of Red Bull. It took forever for me to convince my dad that it was a good move but he has remained sceptical and during every conversation he has reminded me I'm making a mistake.

VCARB has been on edge about taking an inexperienced driver on but they have a much more experienced driver to help coach me to success; however, I will have to remind myself that I'm in competition with this man to get the Red Bull seat.

Tomorrow is pre-season testing and it's the first time I will see Daniel as my teammate. I saw him quite a lot around the paddock last year - I mean it's hard not to see his bright smile. But I never really got to speak to him as I basically clung to Valtteri as he provided me with a sense of home as his calm and straight forward attitude reminded me of my dad and made me feel less homesick.

Pre-season testing day 1 -

I was one of the first to arrive at the garage this morning as I wanted to make a good impression on Laurent that he hasn't made a wrong decision choosing to sign me.

I get to speak to my race engineer Pierre Hamelin and we discuss the schedule for the day and he runs through a few last minute settings that I need to know.

The simulator testing has gone really well and the team is optimistic for this season as last year for them wasn't great but Sauber was in the same boat as them so they weren't alone. There was constant speculation around whether or not Helmut was going to keep Daniel on as he wasn't really performing to the best of his ability or experience but in the end he knew that Daniel had potential and gave him a second chance.

As I'm admiring the car I hear an Australian accent behind me and it's Daniel greeting Pierre. I feel kind of bad that I have stolen his race engineer because VCARB thought that giving the least experienced driver the most experienced race engineer will help us achieve the best results.

I feel my palms start to perspire a little as he approaches me, he has his usual bright smile plastered over his face which has dissipated at the end of last season so I'm glad to see he's come back a lot happier this year.

“Hey, Y/N” he says, extending his hand.

I discreetly wipe my hands against my trouser leg so my first impression on Daniel won’t be me with sweaty hands.

I feel for some reason a little nervous, I have no idea why. I'm not extroverted, maybe it's being around my dad too much that has caused me to be so quiet and introverted but. I have never been nervous about meeting new people and he isn't even new to me.

I don't waste much time and hop in the car to go out and somehow both me and Danny set really good times that put us in the Top 8 which for VCARB last year seemed impossible.

After we finish up with day 1 Daniel suggests that we go to a restaurant adjacent to our hotel in order to get to know each other.

Over the course of dinner we have a general conversation about our lives and raving careers. He is obviously a little older than me so has more experience in racing but we actually have a lot in common. Both of us had an utter shit show last year. I finished P17 in the standings and Danny finished P15, so it's safe to say neither of us had a great year.

After dinner I return to my hotel room and I question my feelings towards Danny. He is very adorable, sweet and caring. In just one day of being teammates he has given me great advice that helped me do great things today.

I'm sure within time my feelings will become clear but feelings have never been mine or my family's strong point.

First race of the season - Bahrain

Petrified. That's the only word that can describe how I'm feeling sitting in my garage. I feel my eyes becoming transfixed on the pit lane. My dad is here as well which makes matters much worse. Don't get me wrong I love him, but having him watch me race puts me under immense pressure that makes me lose focus and make stupid mistakes in a bid to make him proud.

Danny gives me one final smile of confidence through the sea of engineers and it puts me at ease a little and I see my dad avert his gaze towards Danny, when he does so It's the same disapproving look he has given everyone of my partners - all of which he has disliked. I can't think of a single person I have dated that he has liked or even tolerated.

I quickly give him a quick hug, and walk over to the track to get in my car and as I'm walking along the pit lane Natalie Pinkham comes over to me with a microphone and asks me a few pre-race questions and by my response you can really tell who my father is.

“Y/N what do you hope will happen in this race?” she asks.

“I hope I don't crash”

“Do you think the other cars will provide a big challenge for you?”

I simply mumble and say “it depends on how I drive” 

I lift my leg over the halo and push myself down into my seat as the engineers help me get adjusted.

Before every race you feel sick and nervous and if you don't get that feeling you are either no longer passionate about racing or my dad, out of all the things I could have inherited from him the one thing I didn't get was his calm and care-free demeanour.

Lights out and away we go.

I qualified yesterday in P8 ahead of Lance and Kevin and behind Daniel, but a double Q3 for the team was the best thing they could have asked for coming into this season.

It's the team's order that I don't overtake Daniel but by a certain point I'm sick of being stuck behind him and may accidently (purposefully) overtake him in the DRS zone.

The team isn't really happy with my choice but I have the better pace over Daniel so it's only fair plus this is a race so if he wants to overtake me again he is more than welcome to.

“Last Lap Y/N”

I have worked my way up to P4 which has been no easy feat, I know that these points matter to the team. The gap between me and George in P3 is only 0.5 seconds and everytime time I go for an overtake he closes the door on me. If I had a live microphone during that lap it would be filled with beeps.

But in the last DRS zone he runs wide and I get around him and there isn't much space between us and I feel his front wing touch my side pod.

I cross the line in P3. The best result of my F1 career, but it won't be the last time I am on the podium this year.

“Y/N P3, Daniel P5 good result for the team”

Surprisingly when I see Daniel he isn't mad at me for disregarding the team orders and overtaking him and instead he congratulates me with a hug sending butterflies to my stomach.

Race 13 - Silverstone

Since the beginning of the season me and Daniel have grown closer and closer and I would say the development of our relationship has been purely platonic but I would be lying as during the summer break when we went to Australia together we may have shared a kiss and since then we have fell into spontaneous make out sessions that has confused both of us.

The paddock has started talking and gossiping about us ever since after one of the races in an interview Daniel was asked how he felt about having me as a teammate and his answer was:

“It's been great so far and he's not bad to look at either”

This sent the media into an utter frenzy creating headline after headline that have caused me a lot of headaches and my dad to disapprove of a relationship that isn't even a relationship. In the eyes of my dad no one will ever be good enough for his son.

Silverstone has always been one of my favourite tracks, it's steeped in history and the fans seem to have a sensational passion for motorsports which makes it all the more exhilarating to race here.

Yesterday in quali I secured P3 which is my best qualifying session ever and Daniel managed to get P5. The team has been pretty consistent over the past races constantly getting into Q3 and achieving top 10 finishes.

The first race back from the summer break you always feel like you have been away for ages and forgotten everything, but racing is mostly muscle memory and after a few laps it's like you have never been away.

Lap by lap I gain and lose positions and me and Lance are in an intense battle for third but he locks up which for me is a blessing that allows me to get ahead.

20 Laps to go.

Carlos is next on my list to overtake I manage to close the gap to 0.7 seconds and I watch all the lines he takes over the course of one lap and I see at one of the turns he takes the outside line so on the next lap I dive for the inside line and tick him off my mental checklist.

14 laps to go.

Max is next on my list. A not so easy target. He has dominated this season not to the surprise of many, but today for some reason Max is off the pace more than predicted, so it's a great advantage for me and I push my car to lengths it probably isn't designed to reach.

But I eventually set the Red Bull in my sights and push my accelerator as far as I can. And with a little bit of coasting into the turns and DRS I get within overtake reach of him.

2 Laps to go

I decide that now is the time to make my move, otherwise I don't know when I will come this close to a race win again.

“Y/N be careful when overtaking”

In the final DRS zone I make my move and barely get past him, he clearly isn't letting the race win go easily, constantly weaving left to right behind my back wing.

“Y/N last lap, Verstappen 0.7 behind”

I know that if I can hold him back for one more lap my dreams will come true and more importantly I will make my dad proud who is here today.

Thankfully Max can't get around me and for the first time and certainly not the last time I cross the line in P1.

Most driver's normally scream into their microphone or cheer loudly but I'm not one for that reaction. Instead I simply thank the team for all their hard work and promise to achieve this result again.

After the podium and interviews I finally see my dad and in typical ‘Kimi’ style he mutters something which is him trying to display his pride in me and we share a brief hug.

My mother has tried to get us to be more affectionate with people and eahc other as we are quite closed off and emotionally constipated, my mother also says I have no love or passion but if she knew what me and Dnaiel got up to in the summer break would send shockwaves through her. Not in a horrific disgusting way more in the way that she doesn't believe I know how to express love for someone.

Mid way through the conversation Daniel comes over and asks of he can talk to me in private but before I can answer my dad answers for me:

“No, fuck off we are talking”

Daniel walks away defeated and I scold my dad in Finnish which is his way of understanding how annoyed I am because as a child if I was mad I would always switch to Finnish.

I eventually conclude giving my own father a lecture on his attitude and go in search of Danny. I eventually find him scrolling on his phone and I tap his shoulder to get his attention.

He looks up at me and smiles slightly looking unsure, my father's words probably still echoing in his mind.

“I'm sorry for what my dad said, he didn't mean it in a mean way, he's just… well he's just Finnish”

He laughs at my attempt of apologising on behalf of my own father.

“It's fine it's Kimi I know what he's like, plus he's only trying to protect his son”

“So what did you want to ask me?” I ask.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go to this outdoor cinema I found and after we can go for dinner”

My initiative tells me this is a date. I want to clarify but I'm apprehensive.

“Is this a…. I mean is it a…” I struggle to get my words out but it's clear he knows what I'm trying to ask.

“A date?” he finishes.

I nod slightly and he continues “do you want it to be a date?” .

I think for a moment and nod and feel my cheek burning with embarrassment.

Final race of the season - Albert Park, Australia

This year has been fucking unpredictable, and an emotional roller-coaster.

Me and Daniel “finally” got together in the words of Max who said it was painful to see us naively crushing on each other.

When my dad found out I thought he was going to have a heart attack, he has made Daniel's life hell by constantly giving him warnings about what will happen to him if he cheats or upsets me. Each time I have to reassure Danny that he doesn't mean what he says so he doesn't leave me and run a mile, but he wouldn't be the first to do so.

The team has had a great season with only one DNF which was Danny but it wasn't his fault it was a hydraulic failure. We are currently P4 in the standings and in the drivers championship I am P6 and Daniel is P4.

Many are shocked and in disbelief at the improvements we have made, we have had more podiums than Mercedes and Aston Martin this season and Danny has finished in the top 5 more than both McLaren drivers.

Entering the season people doubted us but we came and delivered.

But next season I will have a new teammate as Red Bull decided Danny is the one for them. As his boyfriend I am happy but as his rival on the track I'm annoyed so I have had to find a way to balance the two juxtaposing feelings.

The final race is always the most special one, it's the one where everyone goes all out for the last race for a few months. Any driver or fan will tell you the winter break feels quite long but only the drivers will tell you the break isn't long enough and it's all the more special for Danny as it's his home race.

Me and Danny qualified next to each other so as I'm waiting for the lights to go out I get the wonderful view of him.

The team has been quite forthcoming about our relationship. They have of course been annoyed at how much we distract each other but they realised if my dad is there I'm focused so they have invited him to as many races over the season as they could.

“And its lights out and away we go, and it's a good start for Max Vertsappen and Charles Leclerc and it's the two VCARBS who will fight each other into turn 1, but it will be the home hero Daniel Ricciardo who will lead”

“As we enter the last lap for this formula one season it is a Red Bull family podium with Vertsappen leading, Ricciardo in P2 and Räikkönen in P3. And its Max Verstappen who will cross the line as world champion but its Ricciardo and Räikkönen who will round off the podium”

I can't lie I'm not satisfied with P3 but I'm happy for Danny who secured P2 in front of his home crowd.

As we are on the podium the realisation that one and Danny are no longer teammates hits me.

In a moment of brief privacy Danny hugs me and can see I'm not my usual self and more upset, and questions what's wrong with me.

“I'm just a little sad we will no longer be teammates”

“But we will still see each other and you have to promise me that you won't leave me for your new teammate”

“Well he is from New Zealand so you are pretty much the same”

Daniel gasps and starts his usual rant about how Australians and New Zealanders are not the same.

[onboardsorasora]

🎾Tennis AU pt 33🎾

No, your eyes do not deceive you, you don't need to adjust your glasses. Wanted a bit of fluff from these boys specifically

Part 1 - Max Meets Dan | Part 31 - Thanksgiving | Part 32 - FIA Prizegiving

He was late, Max and Rupert had gone on ahead of him while he'd had an interview scheduled at the hotel. The SUV pulled up to the edge of the Melbourne Walk and Daniel's eyes widened at the size of the crowd.

“You reckon we can just power walk it through?” Blake asked and Daniel gave him a dubious look in return. 

“We can try. It probably won't be so bad though.” 

The door opened and Daniel stepped out, smiling his thanks to the volunteer. He only had a second before he registered that the crowd was going wild. It wasn't until he closed the door and saw people stretching their arms out with caps and signs and markers towards him that he realized that the crowd was going wild for him.

Daniel! Omg Daniel! We love you Daniel! Aussie Aussie Aussie! Ki Ki ki!! aaahhhh Daniel! Danny Ric!!

Two burly security people flanked him from seemingly nowhere and Daniel felt his eyes widen further before he shook himself out of it and stepped onto the Walk. 

It was chaos of a good kind. He couldn't remember signing so many things at any one time at an open. He still couldn't believe this was his life. This must have been what Max felt like when he'd come to the Australian open. No one had expected all the screaming fans with red bull racing kits stretching for a picture or his touch.

At the end of the path was an interviewer and Daniel grinned when the presenter threw an arm around his shoulder to start asking him questions. I honestly couldn't hear himself think over the roar of the crowd and truly was happy when they made it further into the more quiet parts of the paddock.

“Mate that was mental.” Daniel gushed to an equally floored Blake.

“We might have to get you a disguise to get you outta here later.”

They made it to the energy station, waving to DC and Adrian as they sequestered themselves in the quieter space.

“Oh Daniel, there you are! C'mon, I need you to change quick.” Vicky came out of nowhere, pushing Daniel in the direction of the driver rooms.

“Hey Vicks, erm what are we doing?”

“You're doing a hot lap with Max and Ford. I need you to change into the race suit in Max's room and then we need to go.”

Daniel looked back at Blake who seemed to be looking at his phone, Daniel wondering if he was checking the out of nowhere overfilled calendar again.

He changed as quickly as he could, fighting to get the navy nomex up his thighs without Max's help. The race suit was navy and basic. Branding him Red Bull and Ford Performance. He walked out and was immediately escorted onto a golf cart.

“Daniel!” Max greeted him with a kiss and Daniel calmed down a little. His anxiety had been spiking with all of the new unknowns happening at the same time.

“Hey baby. Do you know what's going on here?” Daniel looked dubiously at the helmet he was given and Max grinned at him. Luckily Vicky explained in short order.

“So I'm supposed to ask him questions while he tries to make me puke on a lap? And you want to film this?” He asked even more dubiously, Max's snort made him smile.

“You won't puke Daniel. It's just like a rollercoaster, I think.” Max pointed out, Daniel didn't have the heart to tell him that the last rollercoaster he'd been on he actually had puked a little. He'd keep that tidbit to himself.

They strapped him up in the car and Daniel looked at the cardstock paper they gave him. There were a few questions and the paper was thick in case he started clenching it maybe.

“You'd think they'd use a bigger font or something.” Daniel muttered which caused Max to look over at him and laugh.

“You'll be fine. Just make shit up if you can't read em.” Max shrugged and patted Daniel's thigh. “You look lovely by the way.”

Daniel grinned at him and blew a kiss.

“So what should I do?” 

“Uhm, just brace, maybe. Keep your head planted on the headrest as best you can and look forward don't try to look through the windows, you'll get sick.” 

Daniel felt his shoulders lose some of their tension at Max's words and cadence. He could do this. It wouldn't be so bad.

He was wrong. It was bad. Damn this thing was fast as fuck. A hysterical laugh tore itself from his throat.

“The questions!” Max prompted with his own laugh. 

“Oh shit!” Daniel giggled and patted his lap to find the paper. “God these words are vibrating all together– uhm when– uh fuck it I can't see shit. What's your favorite Ford vehicle?” Daniel couldn't read those questions if he tried. He was in a Ford with Ford emblazoned on his chest. When in doubt, think about marketing

Max laughed a happy sound. “That raptor we drove in LA was pretty great. Remember when we took it up the mountain. I didn't think we would have made it to that ridge when you went off road but I was surprised.”

Daniel cackled when he remembered how Max yelled at him the entire time they were pretty much diagonally climbing the hill. “Oh it was so sick, the four wheel drive on that thing mate. Holy crap this thing is fast! We might have to get one of these too.”

They laughed all the way to the end of the lap while Max started drifting through the last turns. 

“Oh jeepers that was mental.” Daniel crawled out of the van, comically pretending to kiss the asphalt while Max rolled his eyes and took off his helmet.

“It wasn't that bad, I think.” 

“This is why I drive when we're going anywhere!” Daniel laughed at Max's grin.

“No, this is why Blake drives.” Max needled then ran off with a laugh when Daniel lunged after him.

[edge-oftheworld]

so there's this orchestral piece called the moldau that is one of my favourite songs. it's about a river, and kinda depicts everything that goes on down said river?? anyway i've studied my fair share of hydrology as well as music and i'm kind of obsessed with catchments (fun fact!!) anyway. been thinking for a while 'what if i just made one but like for a local australian river' and i was thinking of the brissy river but the urban area is so messy at the end and then i heard close my eyes like 24hrs ago and was like 'hmmm what about the river catchment luke grew up in and now i'm the proud reader of wikipedia and procrastinator of tasks and i'm gonna tell you, the hawkesbury's headwaters are in the hills behind wolloongong and it goes around behind the georges, cooks and parramatta rivers through mostly rural areas with heaps of interesting land uses, basically runs the rural perimeter of the sprawling metropolis of sydney and goes past richmond and windsor (its most urbanised areas which are not very urban) to then have its mouth at broken bay just south of gosford in between the central coast and the northern beaches of sydney. also has tributaries flowing in from the blue mountains on the great dividing range. and can i just say every name of every landmark is fitting? blue mountains. broken bay. these could be chapters/movements. anyway i'm busy rn so i'm gonna schedule this in for 2028 when i turn 27 so keep a look out and if i ever become a famous orchestral composer who's also an urban designer that really loves rivers, you guys better tell luke he inspired me

[jd-loves-everyone]

Who are these 9 boys?

Kim Woojin: The 3rd year, chicken enthusiast with an angelic voice and an adorable smile.We met when we got paired up for a school trip. I was so nervous about being next to a 3rd year (that I didn’t know) that I barely looked at him for at least the first 30 minutes of the trip. His age plus his broad shoulders and tall stature, only served to intimidate me more. Oh, how wrong I was to think he’d be any bit intimidating.

In truth, his body type only added to his personality in a way that made him resemble a giant, cuddly, teddy bear.

He was gentle and polite as he tried to get me to come out of my tightly sealed shell, with lame jokes and the cutest laugh.

We even shared my earphones, which was how I found out about his utterly divine voice. After complimenting him, he blushed a pretty pink, and asked about my own hobbies and talents. After much prying, he was able to figure out that I also loved singing, but had little to no confidence at all in my own voice (especially after hearing his).

So by the end of the trip, he promised to help me show my voice to the world. And he’s unknowingly succeeded, considering that when we’re alone, he’s my whole world.

Bang Chan: The 3rd year, Student Council President and an aspiring artist, who was too afraid to take a step in the direction of his dreams, so he is now stuck in a path that he doesn’t want to follow.

He is also my neighbor, who gives me a ride to and from school everyday, I’ve learned a lot about him during these rides (and I can only guess, that so has he), like the fact he has a puppy (from the dog hair in his backseat) and that he writes music (really good music). He’s seen all of me: he’s heard me sing more than once (sorry Woojin) and I’ve even broken down in his car (and he held me through it).

I’ve already followed his advice many times, so I hope he follows mine, just once, and goes after his dreams.

Lee Minho: My first crush and the one who made me fall in love with dancing (and him too, in the process). No wonder he’s the captain of the school’s dance club. He’s just mesmerizing to watch.

Despite his very flirty nature, he’s not a player, just very friendly (maybe too friendly). And in spite of this, he still likes to fiercely declare that cats are better than people (especially his 3 cats: Dori, Soon-ie and Doong-ie). The reason why his contact name on my phone is “Crazy Cat Minho”.

Considering that when we first met (at 12 years old) we only spoke briefly, I didn’t expect him to remember me (or for him to have such a… colorful personality, considering his cold demeanor upon first meeting me), let alone want to get as close to me as he has become recently. He even invited me to his house a few times (his little brother is adorable, but he always seems to be staring oddly at me. Is there something on my face?)

I hope my longtime-brewing feelings for ‘The school’s dancing gem’ don’t change how close we’ve gotten, because I’ve really come to value him as a friend, more than just a crush.

Seo Changbin: The 2nd year “bad boy”, who’s really just a softie. Despite him being known as such for being part of the boxing club (and doing pretty good on it) and owning a motorcycle, he also works part-time at the cafe (there, I discovered that he has the cutest smile).

Even the way we met goes against the way he’s been stereotyped. He showed me (on my first, nerve-filled, day) the way to my class (which I later found out was nowhere near his own class).

I refuse to admit that my increased number of trips to the small, cozy cafe is for me to catch a glimpse of that beautiful smile, the fondness in his eyes as he talks to his little sister when she visits him at work, but it is most definitely not because of how much I’ve come to enjoy the giggle-filled conversations we have during his breaks and slower days. I instead like to blame it on my borderline addiction on coffee and hot chocolate.

I hope that, as time goes by, we can talk more. I’d love to see that wonderful smile directed at me more often. I just wish that he never invites me to one of his fights, because I don’t think I’d be able to handle seeing the wounds beneath all those band-aids he always wears.

Hwang Hyunjin: The school’s certified pretty boy (and the most popular one). He sits next to me in most classes, so I got to know him for not just his looks, but his intelligence as well, and during dance club, I got to know his humorous side and the passion he holds for dance. I also found that he is a lot shier than most would expect him to be.

There are just a few problems with my growing interest for him: 1- his crazy fangirls (who drive me crazy for only appreciating his visuals), 2- my childhood friend, Jisung, hates him (and it seems to be mutual) which makes for some interesting classes, considering I sit between them and 3- my, infinitely more talented, best friend, Maia, has a crush on him (at least she did last time we talked about it, which we don’t do often, for obvious reasons, so maybe it’s passed?)

Despite all of this, I can’t help but feel attracted to the boy with the purest giggle and an eye-smile brighter than the sun itself.

Han Jisung: My childhood friend, we’ve basically been joined at the hip since we met. Despite this, even he doesn’t know some of my deepest secrets. I didn’t tell him about most boys in this ‘list’, but every time I spoke about any of them, he acted like an overprotective brother, talking about how they didn’t deserve me and things like that. I don't even want to imagine what he would have said or done if I told him about my interest in Hyunjin, considering they're basically mortal enemies.

He’s the one Maia keeps pushing me to reveal my feelings to (because apparently, he'd be the most likely to return them. Something I don't agree with). Although she'd also like our boyfriends to be able to at least look at each other without rolling their eyes.

And I can see why she does this, I mean, he's handsome, adorable, thoughtful, reliable and knows me like very few people do. But, as cliché as it sounds, I don't want to ruin our friendship because it really means a lot to me.I sometimes wonder if simply by being his friend, I'm only hurting myself more.

Both his sisters treat me like family and I see them as the sisters I never had, during broadcast club (which we have together) I not only get to listen to his soft voice for long periods of time, I also get to experience how truly thoughtful and attentive he is everyone around him as he solves all the problems sent in by students with a gentleness I sometimes wished was directed at me more often.

Lee Felix: The 2nd year, australian transfer student, with the cutest freckles. I never thought I had a thing for accents, but Felix proved that, in fact, I do, and don't get me started on his voice, deep enough to make basically anyone swoon, it has nothing to do with his cute face (and even cuter personality). Before meeting Felix, I had no doubts that Hyunjin was the most handsome boy in school, but now I'm questioning that fact. There’s just something about him, everything fits so perfectly.

I still remember how lost he looked on his first day. With barely any decent English speakers other than myself and a few others, I inevitably became his korean tutor and quite close to him. With his talent for dancing I doubt he'll have problems getting a job, but I hope I can help him become fluent in time for the exams.

Kim Seungmin: My mother’s best friend's son (confusing, I know). The 1st year from the photography club, who asked me to go with him when he went abroad to continue his studies in college (at the time I said I’d think about it but I know it wouldn't be possible).

We met at his mom's birthday party, where we kept each other company throughout the (screeching-filled) event, as the other kids were much younger than the both of us.

In that one afternoon (that dragged on to night), I found out a lot about him, like the fact that his dream is to become a world-known photographer, or the fact that he is incredibly shy (I had to start the conversation even after about 5 minutes of sitting in awkward silence) and because of this, he doesn't smile much, only giving me small, polite and tight smiles in the beginning of our conversation. I was only able to get a real smile out of him when I glanced at one of the pictures on the wall, complimenting him on it. He immediately got this light in his eyes, even if he (at first) tried to act bashful. After I praised his vision, his smile turned wide, broad and genuine as he went on and on about his passion.

On that night, I also found out something about myself, the fact that I'd do anything to keep that beautiful smile on his face, even if it took him away from me.

Yang Jeongin: My new, 1st year, neighbor and Seungmin’s best friend.We actually met once Seungmin told me how desperately in need of help he was in English. So, despite my already busy schedule, I offered to help him. And, after discovering that he had recently moved into the house across from mine, we walked home together (after cancelling my plans with Chan).

The boy was friendly from the start, lively, energetic, and all around an actual ball of sunshine.

With so much love to give and so little confidence in things like his wonderful voice, I suspect he hasn't received a lot of love back. I wish I could be the one to give it to him. I guess I should take Woojin’s advice and get him to come out of his shell too.But with how often he seems to blush around me, I doubt he has enough experience with girls to know what a crush even feels like and I'd hate to confuse him with my own feelings.