#broduce101

[boysplanetrecaps]

The Great Produce 48 Rewatch: Ep 2, Signal Song [Part 1]

In my previous post in this silly yet necessary project, we finished off the auditions, including the ones that weren't aired on MNET. It's time for the girls to move into their dorms and start practicing for their upcoming large-group performance to your favorite song and mine, Nekkoya! Let's do it.

In this second phase of the Produce 48 series, the 96 trainees (well, 94 -- 2 of them dropped out already) are asked to learn the lyrics, tune, and choreography of a song then get one chance to perform it in front of a video camera for their final grade. Did I mention that they have to learn the lyrics in both Korean and Japanese? Also, per AleXa in her interview with Grazy Grace, they had about a day and a half to learn the choreography and lyrics in both Korean and Japanese, and this was the very next day after they filmed the auditions for about 24 straight hours. Seems… like a bad idea. But what do I know?

So, the signal song is called Pick Me aka Nekkoya. The only signal song from any of the Produce series that I actually like is Nayana from Broduce101 -- I remember hearing it playing at Cafe Bene in K-town and just liking it without knowing what it was. But I’m not wild about Nekkoya, even if it is marginally better than Pick Me from Season 1. (I mean, “oh won’t you pick me up?” is the worst, ugh). I do enjoy the fact that Nekkoya sounds extra funny to the Japanese girls, because “neko” is the Japanese word for cat. You’d think that someone would have noticed that already…? 

The girls are told that they’ll get to perform on MNET countdown. They’re so happy, despite the obvious fact that most of them aren’t going to get any camera time. They’re probably just giddy from lack of sleep. As in previous years, those in higher ranked groups will get more screen time -- but it’s even worse this year than in previous years, because rather than having the Bs and Cs flanking the As, they’ll all be stacked behind each other, so that it will probably be impossible to see even the members of the B group, much less the Ds.

The diagram at the top of the post shows the F ranked girls at the very back, but actually they won’t even be allowed on stage. The F-ranked girls, the majority of whom are Japanese, are heartbroken, notably the fashion challenged Mogi Shinobu in her blue furry sleeves. This girl is like a living meme.

We stan a relatable queen. 

The judges remind them that all the grades will be reassigned, and that only someone from group A can be in the overall center, a very desirable position. I genuinely don’t remember who gets chosen, but it also seems obvious that it’s going to be 🌸Sakura🌸….? 

Dorm Move In

The girls move in to their dorm room and find color-coded t-shirts waiting for them. I feel like I can feel the texture of these t-shirts through the screen. You know, those t-shirts that feel like steel wool and hang off you like a burlap sack? But despite being a full centimeter thick they somehow are also see-through and show the outlines of your bra? No thank you.

Miru is happy, but I think she is always happy. Honestly, I’m jealous.

Many of the girls like the colors, but the A girls are especially excited by their shirts, which feature a glittery A on a light pink background. Gyrui, the member of Fromis-9 who rocked a side-pony in her audition, is a bit salty that some of her roommates have pink shirts while she has to make due with orange. 

Meanwhile, the F-ranked girls get gray, just to make sure they feel as bad as possible about their situation. SUFFER, the producers seem to be saying. SUFFER FOR YOUR DEFICIENCIES. 

Suffer more, Ichikawa Manami! Your performance in What’s Your Name means you don’t deserve such a thing as “color”!

The F-ranked girls are joking that at least the F is on the back so they don’t have to see it themselves (unless they turn around really really fast). Goto Moe, who mysteriously seems to have completely recovered her voice, finds a white shirt she plans to wear instead. Doesn’t seem like a good idea, Moe. 

Some of the girls find rules posted in their rooms. The rules, as translated by Google translate via my phone camera: 

Adhere to the class schedule

Maintain cleanliness of accommodation and practice rooms. 

Do not make noise while going to bed.

No unnecessary physical contact.

Compliance with writing a practice journal.

Prohibition of use of mobile phones and communication devices 

Thorough management of the training center facilities 

That fourth rule causes a lot of giggling and “touching” among the girls, and the editors play Knock from Broduce 101 in the background. Uh-oh, no skinship allowed! (Gossip online seems to imply that this is because of certain trainees, but I’m not sure that this is true and I don’t want to put anything out there like that without more confirmation.) This was a new rule for this season, but to the best of my knowledge had been kept in place for later seasons. For example, I remember that it was a rule in Boys Planet as well. 

The girls have trouble communicating with each other, but some translation heroes step forward. Miyazaki Miho, who was in What’s Your Name and who I noticed writing in Korean at the beginning, can speak  Korean reasonably well too, and serves as interpreter in one of the D-class dorms for Kim Minju. 

Multi-lingual queen Miho!

Lee Chaejeong, future member of Alice who auditioned with Roller Coaster, has a little stuffie (that she calls her “chingu”) with her. Cho Ahyeong, who auditioned alongside future Cherry Bullet’s Haeyoon, has a stuffie that is sitting in for her mom. Kim Da Hye from Banana Culture (who auditioned with I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend) has a pink stuffie that is a gift from her mom. Wang Yiren (future Everglow) has a piggie. Strong approval on all that. My Christmas wish list is at least 50% Squishmallow. On the other hand, Sato Minami (who I continue to think of as Sailor Mars) has a terrifying doll named Lemon-Chan. No thank you. 

NO THANK YOU

I SAID NO THANK YOU

1:05:35 Training Begins

Ok, we’re an hour into the episode, so it makes sense that it’s time to do something or another! The girls gather in the big studio wearing their Caste T-shirts (see what I did there? I spelled it caste not cast) and get ready to learn. 

Kindly Soyou says, “You will be practicing the title track starting today. Since it’s the first time that the Japanese trainees are being trained in the Korean way, this may be quite difficult.  But please trust in us, your trainers, and listen to us.”  The girls are excited to learn new things -- we hear from Bibian, with her distinctive baby-doll face, and Nakanishi Chiyori, who had the fluffy pink skirt in What’s Your Name.

So the dance class, led by Psychopath, begins.

You can tell that he’s trying to break down the steps and give specific advice. I don’t know how it worked with the translations -- none of the Japanese girls seem to be wearing in-ear devices, so there must have been someone on a microphone, translating the information into Japanese or this would have been chaos. But it I had to learn a dance with someone speaking a language I don’t know, with a translation following a few moments later, it would be so hard to learn. It’s going really fast even for some of the Korean girls, and the Japanese girls look completely lost. Even Miru looks sad. Oh no! Protect Miru! Then after they suffer for a while, Dance Bae tells them the part they just learned is the “easiest part of the choreo.” Oh no!

It’s time for them to study in their groups. This is their class schedule, with the benefit of my google translate on my phone:

I think “consonant practice” should say “self-practice”. 

The A group and B group both have Soyou for vocals and Psychopath for dance. The C group has Dance Bae for dance and Soyou for vocals.  The D group has Mary J Lee for dance and Jeremy for vocals.  The F group has Dance Bae for dance and Jeremy for vocals. 

So, let’s start off with group C, in their yellow shirts, who apparently did the best at the big group dance instruction. Park Seo Young, the blonde individual trainee, has been elected leader and has the L sticker on her shoulder to prove it. 

They are scared when Dance Bae comes in. 

They go up to do the choreo in smaller groups, 5 or 6 at a time, and Dance Bae’s eagle eye picks out even the smallest mistakes. When they make mistakes, she tells them they have to try harder, which, like, lady, they ARE trying. 

Then she picks out Son Eun Chae and Honda Hitomi to dance on their own -- one Korean girl and one Japanese girl to represent their respective groups. 

They both look great, and Dance Bae compliments them. The other girls think they’ll both move up a rank. 

Meanwhile, in class B…

B group has elected Park Minji -- future Secret Number -- as their leader, perhaps because she has experience from being on the first season of Produce 101.

AleXa is serving with a deep red lip. She understands the assignment. 

When Psychopath comes in, they introduce themselves in unison, and he greets them impatiently. He watches them perform, then tells them they have to be more “bashful” in their dancing, mocking their more “powerful” attempts at the girlish choreography. 

They all love him, saying that he’s a good dancer. Cho Ka Hyeon -- the Starship girl who isn’t Wonyoung or Yujin -- voice overs, “I stared at him shamelessly because he’s so good at dancing.”  

Yoon Eunbin likes him a lot. 

They might also think he’s handsome or cute, for all I know -- he was only 34 at the time of taping, so not necessarily too old for them to have crushes on (though obviously way too old for them to date, to be clear!). I know he’s being relatively nice to the girls and it must seem weird that I’m calling him Psychopath, but I DO NOT FORGIVE HIM FOR WHAT HE DID TO THE BOYS ON BOYS PLANET. It was full on psychological abuse. 

Anyway, the dance practice continues. Miru-chan is trying to keep smiling, but she looks more like she’s crying. Psychopath scolds her, because that’s so helpful, and Jurina comes over to try to cheer her up. 

This choreography is much harder than what any of them are used to.  

Her training diary consists of this drawing and the words, “Today I had my first singing and dancing lesson in B class. I couldn’t follow the choreography during class B. I made the teacher worry. Is there no hope for me?” Aww, Miru-chan!! 

We check in with Team A, who are having a vocal lesson with Soyou. Lee Gaeun from Pledis has been chosen as leader, probably on the strength of her already having debuted, and being the oldest in the group. 

Soyou asks for a brave volunteer, and at first, no one steps forward.

Left to right: Lee Ga Eun, Jo Yu Ri, Park Hae Yoon, Kim Do Ah, Yu Min Young, Miyawaki Sakura, Takeuchi Miyu, Kim Cho Yeon, Lee Ha Eun, Lee Chae Yeon, Kim Da Hye, Hwang So Yeon, Choi Ye Na, Na Go Eun, Kwon Eun Bi

Finally, Na Go Eun (future Purple Kiss) volunteers. We’re reminded that at her audition, Soyou had said of her, “She’s the most promising trainee among the ones we’ve seen so far.” But Goeun, singing acapella, goes slightly off pitch, which is what happens to people who don’t have perfect pitch. I mean, most people don’t have perfect pitch! Soyou tells her that she’s going sharp, and that she sounds like she’s just reading a textbook. I would also find it difficult to put emotion into lyrics like: 

From now on, you’re mine, mine, mine, only mine / Mine, mine, mine (Superstar) / From now on, you’re mine, mine, mine, only mine / Will you tell me? Pick me up

… but I guess that’s why I’m not cut out to be a K-idol. That’s literally the only reason, though. 

Jo Yuri goes next, and has a bit of trouble with the high notes. Soyou tells her that she, Soyou, had fought for her, Yuri, to be in A group (no pressure!) and then tells her she’s disappointed. Kwon Eunbi is next to be insulted for her pronunciation and lack of, I don’t know, spirit (?). 

🌸Sakura🌸 is next, and inspirational happy music plays as she talks about how she has studied the Korean lyrics -- amazing!  She sings completely incorrectly, like the tune is only slightly an approximation of correct. Instead of insulting Sakura and/or expressing intense, soul-destroying disappointment, like she did with every other girl, Soyou kindly asks the talented Miyu to come forward to sing it correctly to help 🌸Sakura🌸 understand the melody. Finally, 🌸Sakura🌸 manages to sing a few notes correctly, and everyone applauds. I get it that the other girls like her, because she’s a nice girl, but even so. What. Is. This. 

Next we check in with D group, who has chosen the multi-lingual Miyazaki Miho as their leader. Good call! 

They are working with Mary J Lee, who many of them know from her Youtube dance videos. They seem a little star struck by her. 

Sweet faced Motomura Aoi, who we met during the Never Ending Ferris Wheel performance, is in the back row and seems to have trouble seeing what’s going on. She knows the other girls are more skilled and is determined to do better.

Kim Minju, one of the Very Pretty Girls, is having a lot of trouble with the dancing. She’s self-conscious, looking at everyone instead of focusing on herself. She’s acutely aware that the others are better than her, and she’s taking it to heart, crying in the interview chair. We see her showing up in the dance practice room when no one else is there to practice some more. 

In what may or may not be the next day, we check in again with the B girls at 1:21:48. Kim Sihyeon, future Everglow, and Lee Seunghyeon, who I’m going to just call Riina from H1-Key, interview that their group has Americans (AleXa), Chinese people (Wang Yiren from Everglow, Wang Ke of the red polka dots), Japanese people (Iwatate Saho, Miru from Dancing Hero, Juri, and Jurina), and of course, Koreans. So it can make communication tricky.  

We see Jang Gyuri (future ex-Fromis9) and Lee Chaewon (future Le Sserafim) trying to get Jurina to understand that they want to practice the Japanese version of the lyrics together, using mostly English, but Jurina doesn’t seem to understand.

Husky-voiced Kim Hyuna (who did that excellent audition with My House by 2pm -- did you watch it yet?) encourages everyone to come watch the dance on the tablet, and the Japanese members, who don’t understand at first, come over later, when there’s already a big crowd. 

Jurina interviews that the Koreans crowd around so much that the Japanese trainees can’t see at all. She is obviously frustrated. 

What we see in the video, though, is that the Japanese trainees’ method of trying to see the video is to just stand there looking sad and wishing that the video will magically come closer. We don’t, for example, see them tapping anyone on the shoulder and pointing at the tablet with a hopeful facial expression. They just STAND THERE. I know it’s a cultural thing, but toxic passivity drives me nuts. 

Quick story time. A few months back, I was flying somewhere for work, worried I’d miss my connecting flight which would cause serious issues with my job. I was seated in an aisle seat, and I noticed that boarding was taking a really long time. There was a woman standing in the aisle wearing a big backpack that kept smacking me in the face as she spun around trying to let people pass her. She apologized when I pointed that out, and I was like, it’s ok, but why don’t you just sit down? And she said, well, there’s someone sitting in my seat. I asked her which one was supposed to be her seat, and she pointed to the aisle seat in front of me. I was like, just say something, and the woman was like, oh no, I can’t, I don’t want to be rude. Meanwhile, people were still trying to board. The woman with the backpack was trying to duck into chairs that are open to let people pass, but there were hardly any open seats left and so she was really slowing down boarding, making everything really difficult for everyone. And all because she doesn’t have the chutzpah to either (a) tap the person on the shoulder and say “I think you’re in my seat” or (b) at least ask a flight attendant for help. So then I had to be the one to tap that person on the shoulder. Turned out she had sat in that seat KNOWING IT WAS THE WRONG SEAT because there was someone in HER seat, which was the window seat. So then I had to tell the person in the window seat that SHE was in the wrong seat. Like here I am just trying to get the plane to take off on time so I don’t miss my connection and no one has the ability to speak up about the simplest of things. The woman in the wrong window seat realized she had just made a mistake, and she apologized and moved up one row to the correct seat, and everyone got seated. But like, my GOD. What was your endgame, backpack woman? To just stay in the aisle the whole flight? URGH. I get it, some people are shy, but sometimes if you don’t speak up, it’s actually irresponsible and rude. And it’s even worse if you then make the other people out to be the bad guys. 

Sorry, this is a pet peeve of mine. Deep breaths. 

The four Japanese members sulk about how no one is “letting” them see the video, without ever, I don’t know, pointing to it? Walking over and gently taking it out of someone’s hands? ANY FUCKING THING? If I had to deal with people that passive I would evaporate. Just boil away into space. 

Finally, husky-voiced Hyunah grabs Jurina by the arm, drags her over to the side of the room, and begins teaching her the choreo. Jurina realizes that the Korean girls who know how to dance learned the choreography first, so that they could teach it to the other girls, and regrets the misunderstanding. 

H1-Key Riina helps Saho learn the choreo.

Saho interviews that in Japan, the girls typically work by themselves, but in Korea, the girls work together as a group, which makes her really happy. What I’m learning from this show is that Korean culture is superior to Japanese culture. Thanks, MNET editors! Thmeditors. 

We see some of the Korean girls using English to talk to AleXa. Cute!

Choi So Eun interviews, “It feels like we’re communicating telepathically.” 

We end the segment on this shot of the girls all crowded around Juri and Jurina -- looks like maybe Juri had been crying and then everyone in the whole class came over to cheer her up? Maybe? Anyway, it’s cute. They’re working together. This is my favorite thing about shows like this. 

At 1:24:20, we switch over to watch the A girls at their dance practice. Gaeun shows off her dancing, and she looks great, of course. She’s so cute! 

Behind her, you can see, left to right, little Lee Ha Eun, the “little Chungha” girl; Kwon Eunbi, looking a little different with her hair pulled back; Lee Da Hye from Banana Culture; behind Gaeun, you can see a tiny bit of the short, talented Miyu; Jo Yuri, of the yellow Chewing Gum; and Yu Minyeong of the mint green polka dots in the Celeb Five performance. (We’ll see Minyeoung dance in a little bit….) 

As Gaeun finishes her performance, we get to see Hwang Soyeon, the “little Sunmi,” show off her teleportation skills! At 1:24:45 she’s standing by the wall next to 🌸Sakura🌸, calmly applauding for Gaeun. 

Psychopath praises Gaeun, saying that all the details of her dancing are very neat and precise. 

At 1:24:57, Soyeon has teleported to be sort of behind Gaeun. Dahye from Banana Culture is still near the wall -- but she’s out of breath and is pumping her t-shirt back and forth to cool herself down. Jo Yuri and Miyu seem to have disappeared. Soyeon has charged the part in her hair, and also seems out of breath. Gaeun’s hair is much messier, too. 

And at 1:25:00, Soyeon has teleported back to her original position next to 🌸Sakura🌸, with her hair put back to its original part. 

These are some talented girls, my friends. 

Look, obviously this is just some bad editing, but it wasn’t an accident. For whatever reason, they wanted it to look like Psychopath was praising Gauen alone. Maybe he was, but maybe he wasn’t. This is all just to go back to one of my key points about this show: It is edited with such a purposefully heavy hand that it might as well be fiction. 

In the next group, though the editing wants us to focus on Choi Yena, my eye kept getting drawn to Kim Doah, future Fanatics/GP999 contestant. She’s just so expressive there! 

Left to right: Eunbi (권은비), Doah (김도아), Dahye, Yena (최예나), and Minyoung (유민영). 

Psychopath reminds Yena not to let her fingers go in her mouth in the “tap near your mouth” part of the choreo. It’s interesting to think about those little details. 

Many of the girls have their turn, and then he asks Yu Minyoung to come out to the center. He calls her “Celeb Five,” not by her name, even though she’s wearing a huge name tag.  He called Gauen and Yena by their names, but not Minyoung! She makes quite a few mistakes. We see a flashback to the very first dance rehearsal, something we’ve never seen before -- Dance Bae pulling Psychopath aside and asking why on earth did Minyoung get an A. Honestly, I wondered that too at the time -- I said I would have given her a C.  Psychopath reminds her that Minyoung was part of that Celeb Five performance. Back at the A-team’s dance rehearsal, Psychopath, showing his true nasty colors, says, “I think it was a really good idea to do Celeb Five back then. But you have no charisma now. You’ll end up in lower classes.” She just sort of says “Yes, I understand.” She wants to stay in A class, but I think she knows her skills are just not up to the task given her short training period. 

This next segment, which begins at 1:27:35, is probably my favorite part of the whole episode. Jeremy just actually teaches the D-grade girls to sing. Instead of insulting them, or scolding them, or telling them that they have to “try harder,” or rolling his eyes and asking if they even want to be here, he just teaches them how singing works, physically. It’s a delight to watch. He has them do something that my vocal teacher taught me, an exercise to open up your palette. You start by being super super nasal, making a sound fully through your nose, then sort of make a “nnnngg-gga” noise that clears the sound out. It’s hard to explain in words, but it’s something I do before I sing a note, even alone in the shower. He even explains it to them in Japanese, since there are so many Japanese members of the class and the Japanese girls are especially nasal. Is he or is he not the most lovable of people? 

He has Minami (owner of the Lemon-chan doll) lie flat on her back to learn how to engage her abs while she sings, and afterward, she can hold a note without wavering unpleasantly. You guys, this is what learning to sing is all about. The segment is only about 2 minutes long, which is a shame -- I could watch this for a long time. I like watching kindness in action! If you want to watch, here’s a Youtube clip. 

And that's as much as I can fit in one post, so I'll have to cut it off here! I hope you're at a temperature you like to be at, and that you have the right number of Squishmallows nearby. Take care and see you in the next one, when we finish off their preparations for the signal song evaluation!

[seonghwasblr]

I'm not going to watch Road to Kingdom, but if I was, it would only be for the possible interactions of my broduce101 dudes (oneus and tempest)

[natalidenton]

Another kpop sticker drawing from my Monday stream!

(thanks again to those who joined <3 at www.twitch.tv/NatAliDenton )

I also uploaded this drawing of  Hwang Min-hyun to redbubble too! (i’ll be putting it on my society6 soon too)

If you want to suggest kpop stars for me to draw (and turn into stickers you can buy super cheap) in the future, just join my art streams or send me a message!

[incorrect-produce101-quotes]

Guanlin: It’s not gonna work, I’m not a snitch.

Jisung: Fine, let’s try something else. Tag a friend you recently robbed a house with.

Guanlin: LMAOOO @Jihoon

[gugulin]

I CANT BELIEVE ALL OF WANNA ONE ARE DATING EACH OTHER

[all-about-wannaone]

Wanna One as Mafia members (1/3)

Hello everyone! As mentioned before in the previous post, I have actually received a ton of requests to do an AU like this; where the Wanna One members are involved in their very own mafia gang. ^^;; Hence, without further ado, I have finally began the AU! I’m sorry to keep so many of you guys waiting, even though I cannot tag the requesters in the first place because they were all anons, but I did actually have quite a good time writing this out for you guys. :) Part 2 and Part 3 will be out very soon, and for those still waiting for your written ships, I promise, they would be done soon! Thank you for all your support and just some good news, but I am 25 followers away from 1000 followers? I swear, you guys are too nice. ;-; Also, I hope all of y’all have had a blessed Christmas and may the ending of 2017 be a good one for all of you too! ^^ 

Also, just a note that the voting for the Wanna One Fanfiction Awards ends today at midnight GMT so be sure to vote HERE for your favourite fanfictions! “When Two Worlds Collide” has been nominated for Best Angst so do head down and vote for that as well! ^^ Thank you everyone for your support once again and I just wanted to say that I love all of you! <3

Yoon Jisung:

The leader of the gang

Was probably made the leader as a strategy rather than an actual thing when the syndicate was passed on to the 4th generation and he was coincidentally the oldest.

Seriously though, no one suspects that he’s the leader, especially with the fact that he seems to take nothing seriously.

Everyone probably expects him to be someone with a decent life and have his entire life in order with a decent job, and being in a mafia gang is probably the last thing they would expect (or it is simply impossible to imagine)

Nobody really knows how he got dragged into such a line of work, but it is rumoured that even though he is someone who never fails to have a bright smile on his face, he did have a pretty difficult past and was left with no choice if he wanted to survive.

Also, it did not help that his father had some link to the mafia as well, especially when his father was a well-known man in the law community, and his success was probably determined by the generation before Jisung.

Truth be told, the gang has a bigger history of making society a safer place to be, even if the handling of matters might not be the most lawful and just.

So enough introduction and back to the AU

Jisung is known for his fun-loving personality and probably prefers to be eating good food at hidden cafes, enjoying indie music and just being way too comfortable in the environment which is littered with constant danger.

Has a smile that literally fools everyone, which also explains why he is never caught by the rival gangs, because no one believes that he’s the leader, whatever the description the rival gang’s leader might have given to his lackeys. 

Despite his love to go out and have a little bit of fun, the rest of his gang prefer he stay at home and would probably go so far as to buy whatever he wants for him; from cold brew coffee from arguably the best cafe in town to brand new albums from his favourite indie band.

Sometimes, he wishes that he could escape from such a life, but knows better than to do so.

He might have a lot of money at his disposal, given his position, but would probably settle for a simple (but secure) loft apartment.

Decorations pretty much scream his personality, especially in terms of having miniature sized real looking animal stuff toys in his house and ensuring that he only has happy colours in his apartment.

He might seem like a real jokester by now, and should probably better be off being removed from the mafia, but there is good reason why he is their leader.

When his fellow members are in danger (captured, held at gunpoint etc.), he would go so far as to meet the rival gang for himself and reveal his shocking true identity, even if it might cost him his life in the future.

However, he’s not stupid either and probably made use of Woojin’s tooth mic (which is so discrete and no one will notice it) as a signal to when he is in real danger and in need of aid.

Nevertheless, Minhyun would ensure that all of his whereabouts are accounted for, and when Jisung really needs the members, he would make sure that they would always be on standby and ready to save their leader.

Jisung is actually smart, alert and careful, even though it might not seem like it, and oversees all operations together with Minhyun, ensuring that his own members stay safe and would act as Minhyun’s 6th sense if need be.

Almost never blames anyone if they failed a mission, and would only give a mini speech to get them back up on their feet again.

All in all, he ensures the safety and well-being of all of them and is serious in missions, but also makes sure that he keeps a sense of camaraderie and brotherhood, provides an A-star support system and the occasional fun to lighten the burden of being in a gang.

Ha Sungwoon:

The one who deals with anything related to drugs; buying, selling (not for consumption though) and even ceasing operations.

He might be small in stature, but it would truly be a grave mistake to think that one can fool around during the drug trades.

Even though he does know the workings of the complex system of drug trading at the back of his hand, he was also the accidental strategy anyway.

No one suspects him anyway and even if they do, they’d probably shrug their shoulders and let him do what he wants to do without bothering him at all.

With regards to his entry into the gang, it all started when he was very young, and even though he came from a pretty dysfunctional family, he still wanted to take revenge on those who gave his mother the wrong drug, which ended up killing her in the process.

Don’t get him wrong, his mother was a kind woman, but she needed a remedy to relieve her emotional turmoil, and her last form of consumption rendered her dead.

He still can remember how he simply came home from school and was all ready to show his mother what he had achieved, only to find her cold body with white foam at her mouth and splatters of blood when she tried to cough out the supposed poison.

From then on, he became a totally different person and joined a gang willingly just to study the drug trade and its possible scams, before moving onto Jisung’s gang because they seemed to give him better prospects and better treatment (even though it led them to constant raids from Sungwoon’s previous gang).

Could probably tell the difference between heroin and cocaine with his naked eye, and could even differentiate grades from the same family of drugs.

His job is pretty dangerous though, which explains why he is skilled with weapons such as the throwing knives, because he admits that he is small and stature and would need an upperhand apart from hand-to-hand combat.

If someone does dare to fool him, one can easily be prepared for the wrath of Ha Sungwoon, and truth be told, no one wants to see the side of him and that is because one could easily end up not seeing the light of day anyway.

Goes out pretty often to do fieldwork and research of the area (i.e. taking note of all the CCTVs and possible ambush spots) that he will be trading in and Jisung always ensures that their strongest bodyguard aka Kang Daniel goes with him should anything happen, especially when no one seems to mess around when the latter’s around.

Ensures that the members of the gang is passed on of the knowledge of the drug trade as well, or at least the gist of it, just in case he himself forgets in the heat of the moment.

Sure, he might seem like a serious man who is still determined to find the culprit who killed his mother, but he is also another surprising softie at heart.

He might not be the best with words, unlike Minhyun or Jisung, but he is a brother that all of them can count on just for company. If you needed someone to simply listen to all your laments and stresses, Sungwoon will be ready with soju for the legal ones and cider for those who are not.

He might be fierce and hot-headed in the field, but out of the job, that’s when the man with the warm heart comes out.

Probably likes to live in a penthouse in the middle of town.

Might be dangerous but then again, it will always ensure that he will be ready whenever the gang requires his aid.

Hwang Minhyun:

The gang’s second-in-command and main strategist.

He is a certified genius and is able to solve riddles from rival gangs to ransom notes to morse code in mere seconds.

Has an apparent IQ of 150 and for some reason, nobody questions it.

Always mistaken as the leader by rival gangs from everywhere and anywhere, and always gets caught and chased after, but never seems to mind.

In fact, he’d probably prefer he be used as the decoy rather than risking Jisung’s life, no matter how “well”  Jisung (or so he claims) can act.

Too good looking for his own good that he’s always the one who catches everyone’s attention, together with his same-aged friend, Ong Seongwoo.

Doesn’t look like he knows any ways of defending himself because of his tall and lanky physique, but he does know some self defense as taught by Kang Daniel, and probably handles ranged weapons better with a hell of deadly accuracy.

Trust me, he never misses.

Level-headed, way too calm to actually be comfortable around him (because he’s also that confident in his abilities) and always serious when it comes to anything work-related.

Count on him on being willing to burn the midnight oil if it means that he will find those causing trouble for the gang before the sun rises or the cock crows.

Again, he is also another one whom nobody knows how he got roped into such a line.

Could easily pass off as a celebrity, professor or simply a young and handsome CEO of a huge company.

He doesn’t like to talk about it though and prefers to keep silent about it, but it is rumoured that his reason was probably similar to Sungwoon’s, especially since he is always so determined to work on those cases that involve the use of arms.

Despite the facade of seriousness and calm, he actually does have an innate motherly nature, contradictory to what most would tend to see.

He cleans their working area, gets rid of the rubbish, cooks for the members together with Daehwi and basically enquires about the day at school for the younger ones.

Babies the young ones (from Jihoon onwards) to no end so DO NOT mess with the kids.

“Obsessed” with cleanliness (even though he does not admit it) and would nag his fellow members while cleaning up their area, lecturing them on the possible germs and rodents they might attract to the area.

Explains why his desk is spotless (you can wear a white glove, run your finger through the surface and find no dust on it whatsoever) and everything is put in neat stacks or in drawers and even more folders.

Things to take note about Hwang Minhyun? Don’t touch his table. Just don’t. Ask and it shall be given.

Similarly, he lives in a relatively huge private service apartment with minimalistic decorations, and is called “boring” for it, but honestly, as long as he’s happy, opinions don’t really matter.

All in all, he’s super reliable and is always ready for whatever the team needs him for, even if it’s to unclog a weirdly choked toilet at 3am.

Ong Seongwoo:

The gang’s smooth talker/ scammer to trick rival gangs into falling for all the traps that Jaehwan has set up.

Always manages to get all forms of information, from the superficial to the actual details, almost like the whole story.

Gets 95% of the story from all the ladies that he meets (even those who are pretty up there in the hierarchy of rival gangs) and 5% from the bosses themselves, regardless of their character types.

It’s either he’s an amazing flirt to the ladies or just plain intimidating to the bosses with his intense gaze that would easily make any “strong” man crumble under it.

Always gets caught for his smart mouth or being mistaken for the leader of the gang together with Minhyun, but gives his all to psychologically confuse the culprit, and steps out usually unharmed.

When he does come out with a bruise on his eye, he probably underestimated his opponent, but somehow still has the fighting spirit and confidence within him.

Which is also the reason why he’s also their interrogator, simply because he gets information out in a mere 15 minutes.

Not ashamed of his background and he spills it as if it’s a matter-of-fact.

Used to be an actual police officer who had a uniform decorated in all sorts of iron-on badges and was subsequently pretty high in the rankings.

Hence, he knows the law at the back of his hand, keeping the group out of trouble even if they’re doing all these in the name of justice.

Unfortunately, he did not know his father had caused trouble for the previous generation of the gang and volunteered himself to owe the gang whatever his father has done wrong, especially after they threatened his mother and younger brother.

No one else in the police force knows his true story, thinking that he left for personal reasons, which is not entirely wrong, but Seongwoo’s superior knows better.

Still meets up with his superior on his off days anyway, who continues to look out for him, and will always be behind Seongwoo’s back, whenever Seongwoo needs him.

Sometimes, the members themselves are still trying to wrap their heads around the fact that Seongwoo was actually a police officer with such a high rank, even though it’s kinda expected.

He just doesn’t look the part, simply because he was  probably recruited by modelling and entertainment agencies like crazy back then. (which was actually true)

With all the training that he has gone through, he’s skilled in all sorts of defence, both in combat and ranged weapons, and is probably one of the best.

Skills well hidden behind the handsome face = perfect for the mafia investigator.

Serious and tenacious with his work, and is almost like Minhyun’s assistant since they are the same age, but he does have a little bit of a jokester in him too.

When the team’s going through tough times, he would be the most effective moodmaker, and would make the atmosphere less dull than before.

Probably the one to initiate having a monthly day off for all of them to relax (because Jisung does forget sometimes as their leader) and settle any underlying currents of tension, if any.

He might have a sharp tongue with his thoughts and opinions, but they are truly for the best intentions.

Take his words to heart, but take the tone with a pinch of salt, because he hates to sugarcoating situations and real life. If it was meant to be a certain way, he would say it as it is.

Of course, there are days when he would joke around endlessly and craft the most sarcastic of remarks, but be a little patient and one would probably realise how he’s actually a key person in the gang.

Might seem to love luxury and all forms of riches, but would much rather stay in a quiet house along a quiet lane.

Don’t forget, he does have regular police patrols in the area, as suggested by his superior.

In the end, Ong Seongwoo is probably one of the best scammers out there, and also the best actors, so as much as he loves fun and games, he likes to play dangerous games too.

So don’t risk it.

Part 2: Kim Jaehwan, Kang Daniel, Park Jihoon, Park Woojin [coming soon]

Request a scenario here! 

Wanna One masterlist

[rvd444]

Produce 101 Season 2 Trainees’ MV Releases (Part 1/?): Jelly / I Got You / The.The.The / The Real / Sixteen

[emperor-lover]

Could you do a college au for sungwoon? He's my bias and no one really writes for him 😭 tysm love UR MINHYUn scenarios are so cute they made me soft

aw anon of course!! I can totally relate about not having many things to read about your bias/bias group as well :( and yaasss i’m glad my Minhyun scenarios are having this effect on people hahaha!! I tried my best, hope you enjoy! x

Ha Sungwoon College!AU

first of all, what. a. cutie.

probably the happiest little bean you know at college

he had gone on a gap year after high school so he was one of the older guys in your cohort but his baby face suggested otherwise

literally everyone thought he was one of those young geniuses that had skipped a couple of years of high school 

he is still pretty much a genius though

He’s a business and marketing major, and he just absorbs all the information in lectures like a sponge

maybe that’s why his spongebob impression is so superior

he’s such a people’s person and is so warm-hearted

everyone has a soft spot for him

heart of gold, so so friendly, to the point where you were pretty sure he was a real life angel

you barely saw him angry or annoyed but you had seen him upset once before because his best friend Taehyun was going on an exchange to a college overseas for the entire sophomore year and Sungwoon had cried in his room and refused to talk to anyone

you first met Sungwoon during orientation week as a freshman/first year

you had gotten kinda lost and overwhelmed by all the hustle bustle of the students around you and your roommate that you met a couple of hours earlier had disappeared amongst the crowd

all these seniors had leapt at the opportunity to convince you to join their clubs or organisations

which left you drowning in a sea of flyers

you tried to get the campus map out of your bag in attempt to find your way back to your room, but your hands were too full so a few pamphlets slipped out of them

as you went to pick them up, Sungwoon had already reached down and gotten them

you thanked him and he had smiled brightly before passing them back to you

“oh hey, I was thinking of joining that club too!” he had gestured to one of the many fliers you were holding

you hadn’t even had time to look at them yet so you had no idea which one he was referring to

“Maybe I’ll see you there!” he had beamed before heading off back into the crowd

you manage to reunite with your roommate after a little bit more searching and you both decided to head back to the dorm

You’re waiting for the lift to reach the ground floor because you refuse to climb 9 flights of stairs

as the door opens you see a familiar face

“Hey it’s you again!”

Sungwoon is standing there with one of your close high school friends, Hwang Minhyun

Minhyun looks between the two, “Sungwoon, you know y/n too?”

“I bumped into them before! They were holding a pamphlet for the ballad club that we were thinking of joining!”

He turns to look at you properly, “I’m Ha Sungwoon, I’m sure we’ll see each other lots this year y/n!”

You’re a bit taken aback by his positivity but it’s in a good way

Like you’ve never met someone with such a nice and welcoming aura

And it turns out that Minhyun and Sungwoon are roommates in the floor above you in the dorm

so you’d literally bump into them all the time

you’d lost count of how many times you’d now bumped into Sungwoon in the lift

He’d nudged your shoulder teasingly

“y/n, you’re not stalking me by any chance are you?”

“I could say the same to you!

After getting to know him you realised that Sungwoon was someone who was prepared for anything and everything

It started raining suddenly? Sungwoon’s got an extra umbrella

Feeling hungry? He’s got a special pocket in his bag full of snacks that could rival Ong Seongwoo’s.

You got a papercut? Sungwoon’s got a plaster, antiseptic, first aid kit, the whole shebang

The thing with Sungwoon though is that because he’s so nice to everyone it was easy to presume that he wasn’t flirting with yu

he’s just being the nice soul that he is

like you just assumed that he was this friendly to every person out there

so you never realised during lectures together last year, you were the source of his distraction

his eyes would wander over to your face admiring you from a distance

if you finished later than him for the day, he’d always wait for you in the library to walk back to the dorms with you

there was one day where your timetable was so packed that you barely had time to eat and Sungwoon had just pushed his lunch towards you insisting that he was full

it wasn’t only one way though, you had always been his biggest supporter

You’d go to all his singing performances, cheering him on loudly from the audience

you’d let him snooze on your shoulder whenever he hadn’t been getting much sleep which was often

so you were always worrying about his health because Sungwoon was someone who always put others before himself

He’s someone that you truly cherish in your life

You weren’t sure about your feelings for him, but after a long conversation with Minhyun, the two of you deduced that you indeed had a huge ass crush on Sungwoon

Minhyun was so fcking pleased because you had always nagged him about his crushes so now he could tease you about this one

And whenever he saw you and Sungwoon hanging out (which is often), he’d make little sassy remarks

“oh, guess I’m third wheeling again today!”

Fast forward to the start of your Junior year, you and Sungwoon had driven into the city to shop for new university supplies

The two of you have got the music turned all the way up and you’re both singing at the top of your lungs

Sungwoon’s phone starts ringing so he turns down the music and presses the answer button on the car dashboard (PSA never drive while using your phone!)

“SUNGWOOOON, where are you man?”

It’s Yoon Jisung, a senior and the ballad club leader

In the background you hear a commotion and snippets of conversation

You can clearly hear Minhyun’s low voice

“Jisung hyung, tell Sungwoon that he can’t come back today until he asks y/n out.”

Your eyes widen and you just look at Sungwoon who has gone a very bright shade of red

“Oh yeah, are you finally going to ask y/n out this year?!”

“I don’t know what’s stopping him, I’ve already told him that y/n likes him!” Hwang Minhyun, you traitor, how could you leak this info

“Because I swear, if I hear you gush over her again this year like you did for the entirety of the past 2 years of college I will banish you from the club”

“It’s getting hard for us Sungwoon, so we have to intervene.”

“Sungwoon?”

“Did he hang up on us? Oi, Ha Sungwoon, answer us!”

You’re still blinking rapidly at this discovery but it’s clear that Sungwoon is more shocked than you are at the current moment

You cough awkwardly and you can practically imagine all the guys on the other end of the phone freeze

“Uh…Sungwoon, i guess….you’re not alone….uh we’ll just…uh hang up now,,”

the line goes dead and the car ride just continues on in uncomfortable silence

you keep your eyes fixed to your hands that are fiddling in your lap not sure what to say

It’s so silent that it’s almost to the point where you feel like it’s suffocating you until Sungwoon finally speaks

“y/n, I hope this doesn’t change anything between us, but I guess seeing as I just got outed by the guys, I may as well come clean…”

He gives you a shy smile before returning his gaze to the road

You’ve actually never seen Sungwoon look so unsure and insecure before

“I really do like you. So much. But I totally get it if you like me as just a friend, i can imagine it’s probably quite awkward for you right now…”

You’re not sure if you’re imagining it, but you swear his hands are trembling from his nervousness as his hand tightens its grip on the gear stick of the car

Reaching over, you take his hand in yours and squeeze it gently

“Sungwoon, the feeling’s mutual, i really like you as well, and it’s been a long time too.”

And the sigh of relief that you hear from Sungwoon is the cutest thing ever

He squeezes your hand back, and runs his thumb gently across your knuckles

“You don’t know how much I’ve wanted to hear you say that yourself.”

you guys become the cutest campus couple ever

cute level = legendary

just the fact that you both look out for each other and everyone else around you, makes you such a loveable couple

also Minhyun tries to act all smug because he knew all along that you two were the perfect pair and always tries to take credit for your relationship

“Hwang Gallyang strikes again, I should just drop out and be a fortune teller.” 

And you and Sungwoon are just so done with him, like pls stop third-wheeling our dates hwang, we know you’re loud and proud about being a clairvoyant

but apart from that, you just have such a peaceful and happy relationship that’s full of a lot of adoration and warm hugs and kisses and whisperings of sweet nothings to each other

cries what a wholesome relationship i cant

hey all~! Hope you enjoyed this college!AU - I have a couple of tests at uni next week so posting will slow down a bit, but I have a few drafts that I’m excited to update and show to you all! Please look forward to them

[emperorhwangs]

is this the sea because all I see are ships

[jeojang-pote]

the triangles in Where You At are the produce 101 triangles, and the ones holding seen with them (Baekho, JR, Minki) are escaping the aftermath. they are trying to find each other and break free into the new era.

[deens94]

the pain is real

[onewon-1-blog]

princesix as your boyfriends hehe

i’d probably pick kenta or sanggyun hehee

[natalidenton]

Drew Kang Daniel from WannaOne to see if I could make it into a cute sticker.

(i totes did)  Streamed me drawing it, so thanks to everyone who joined me on www.twitch.tv/NatAliDenton

<3

heres the Redbubble link if anyone wants one! (ill be uploading to my society6 soon)

[incorrect-produce101-quotes]

*texting*

Jisung: Are you okay? I can hear you crying, do you need anything?

Daniel: Thank you, I’m okay, I’m just in a fight with my cat

Jisung: Your cat??? Did she scratch you? Are you okay??

Daniel: No, it didn’t get physical. I just feel like she’s been ignoring me and she knows i can’t handle that and she’s acting like she doesn’t care at all

[gugulin]

[all-about-wannaone]

3/100 Ways To Say I Love You

Pairing: Ong Seongwoo x Reader

Genre: Fluff 

Prompt: “No, no, it’s my treat.” 

Words: 3587

A/N: Hello readers! I know that I have been pretty inactive in the past week and that is because I was in Japan and did not take my laptop with me for the week’s getaway. :( For those who are still waiting for your ships and requests, I have started working on them and will post them soon so this Ong Seongwoo scenario would serve as the easing into the motion as I get back to my usual activity. :) Thank you all for being so patient and supportive with me and I hope that this does not disappoint. :) Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more of this series coming up soon! 

“I hope the study session was productive today. I know it’s a little heavy on the content, but I bet you could at least remember one concept… right?” Seongwoo asked, sounding slightly concerned.

“Y-yeah,” I stammered, taking a while to comprehend what he was saying. You see, Seongwoo and I had just spent 5 solid hours in the school’s library, focusing solely on the many concepts of Chemistry (whose names I could never remember) and Advanced Mathematics. And these were the two brain draining subjects that I neither loved or hated, but what I did know was that these were my worst subjects in the recent examination. In fact, I was far from the passing mark and it was as if my entire world had come crashing down on me when I received my results.

My parents went ballistic at my grades, breathing down my neck and telling me the importance of doing well in my studies, just so that I could aim for the top 3 universities once I graduated. They had begun to research on well-known cram schools and tutors, who charged an arm and a leg, but they were willing to do anything at this point to make sure that I pulled up my socks and score the grades that they wanted.

Unfortunately, cram schools had only given me even more pressure, especially when I was surrounded by students from the elite high schools such as Daewon Foreign Languages High School; they could conquer the entire Ivy League if they wanted to; or Anyang High School; they could get into the local universities easy, just with their grades alone. Hence, perhaps this was the reason why my grades fell even more, just due to the immense pressure alone.

“Hmm,” Ms Jung, my homeroom teacher, pondered during a short check-in session, as she looked at the possible options I had to improve and look ahead, “If cram schools do not seem to be aiding you in your learning, how about asking one of your classmates for help? Considering that all of you are students, and what more in the same class, perhaps the both of you could empathise and understand each other better.”

“B-but I don’t really talk to the class very much though…?”

“I know you’re soft spoken, I really do,” Ms Jung replied in an empathetic manner, “but this is the best way, in my opinion, for you to get a grasp of your learning gaps before moving onto the second year.”

I sighed at the thought, and even though I hated to admit it, I had to agree. It was probably the most effective way, especially when I had gone through too many experiences with teachers who gave no two hoots towards those lagging behind.

“Okay, the most I could do for you is to consult a student from the class. I’m pretty sure they’ll be more than willing to help you.” She said in an assuring manner, patting me on the back with a warm smile.

And so she did, and I had to admit that she was probably the most efficient teacher that I had ever met, because it only took me 4 days to receive a message from an unknown number.

“Hey. This is Y/N right? Ms Jung just consulted me this morning about advanced math and chemistry, asking me whether I was more than willing to tutor you. When do you want to start?”

I was beyond confused when I saw the message, so I replied, meaning no harmful intent, “Uh… yes this is Y/N, but who is this?”

“Wow, do you not save your classmate’s numbers? I’m offended.” The reply came in a flash, followed by another message, “Anyway, this is Ong Seongwoo.”

Ah… Ong Seongwoo.

Truth be told, he was indeed the epitome of a true surprise and the reason why one should not judge a book by its cover.

He was popular with the ladies (shouldn’t it be extremely popular), the volleyball team’s ace libero and could easily charm his way through a woman’s heart. It was a given that the students would oggle over him; the ideal man for the girls and an object of envy for the other boys. Sometimes, it was often rumoured that even the teachers loved him, especially when he was truly “drop dead gorgeous”.

Hence, to most, he appeared as the resident’s “fuckboy”, perceived to lead wild lifestyles, have an affluent background and probably flunked every single class in the process. However, Seongwoo was pretty much the opposite. He was, what we called, a closet mugger, and he studied hard and well. In fact, he was probably born brilliant since he could understand concepts effortlessly, and could probably score stellar grades despite having no sleepless nights or experiences of burning the midnight oil; which was a norm amongst high school students.

I suppose that was the reason why Ms Jung had assigned me to Seongwoo. He was the top student of the class in terms of his overall grades, second in the cohort and the A-star student in both Chemistry and Advanced Math. There was no other way around it, and besides, even though I had not spoken a single word ever in the year, he was still nice enough to offer his help anyway.

Therefore, we scheduled a time, making an appointment on a Wednesday at 3pm, and I had to say that the first meeting was extremely awkward. I knew he was good looking, but seeing his sharp features up close would make anyone turn into a blushing mess. However, the vibe that he gave was one filled with seriousness and it was intense, but he had every right to, especially when he was going to teach a student who was “significantly weaker” than him.

Indeed, he was baffled with what I did not know, asking me what I did not know from the syllabus first. In retrospect, I was probably confident in 10% of the entire syllabus and the rest passed by like a blur to me throughout the year. Like I said before, there were many teachers that I met who cared nothing for the weaker students, accounting for the state that I was currently in.

Nevertheless, he kept his cool (surprisingly) and sighed, before saying in a slightly dejected, but determined tone, “So… I guess we’ll just refresh your memory on the basics for today. Your foundation, as of now, is nowhere near stable, so before we can advance any further, these are all the things that you would need to know.”

Wow. Harsh.

As time went by, we started to meet more and more often, especially with me having to sit for a foundation test to see if I needed to change classes or not. Hence, for some strange reason, he was all the more determined to teach me, making sure that I knew everything to the point that I could spill all the information in the textbook, word for word.

Thankfully, in that span of time, I had also gotten to know Seongwoo a little better than what I had already known from all the gossips and rumours that were often present in the corridors. When he was not burying his head in the books, he loved to joke around with his friends, showing me videos of all the pranks that he had elaborately planned out, just to capture all of their reactions. God knows what ran through his mind at times, but he would show all these videos to me in the quiet library and it took me all not to laugh out loud at all of them.

There were days when we had forgotten where we were, only to realise the librarian staring daggers into our souls, but all Seongwoo had to do was to reciprocate with a small polite smile, which had also caused her to get a little flustered.

Indeed, behind that suave exterior, Seongwoo was just like any other teenage boy; playful, fun-loving, spontaneous and it was indeed a mystery to how he could excel in school without even trying.

At the end of the day, we ended up becoming pretty close friends and study sessions soon escalated to spending time with each other during lunch, sharing little snippets of our lives and laughing at all the embarrassing and hilarious moments that we captured. Sometimes, it went beyond the superficial and he was there throughout the triumphs and tribulations.

When I was sick, he came over with warm chicken soup in a thermal container. When I was sad, he was a shoulder to cry on, and all he had to do was to provide a comforting arm placed around my shoulder, assuring me that things will get better. When it was my time of the month, he knew exactly what cheered me up; dark chocolate (lots of it), caramel ice cream bars and instant noodles. Eventually, my mother had begun to approve of him, and it was clear that he too clicked with my mother.

“He’s such a nice boy, Y/N. Is he your boyfriend?”

Yep, she was that straightforward.

“Eomma, of course not,” I would laugh awkwardly after that, and she would only squint her eyes at me saying that there was no way she was going to believe it, “He’s… a little too out of my league and besides, isn’t grades more important now?”

She nodded in approval, but that was after she had given me a hint of what she had hoped for, “I understand how you must be feeling, but then again, I can’t stop your heart right?”

Feelings aside, after months of hard work and progress monitoring from the sharp eye of Seongwoo, I had taken my foundation tests quite smoothly and it was finally the day when I would find out whether I needed to be transferred to another class. As Ms Jung read out the names of the students who had taken the tests, Seongwoo closed his eyes and kept his hands together, possibly praying to all the Gods out there that I would pass it. I chuckled at the sight, but kept it together when Ms Jung called my name.

“And finally, Y/N…” I was still standing at this point, anxious to find out how I had performed. My palms were clammy and I swore I could have broken out in cold sweat at the anticipation. Ms Jung sighd at first, and it was as if all hope was lost, but her lips began to curve upwards and she said in a calm, yet proud, manner, “Good job Y/N. You scored the highest in the class for Advanced Math and second in Chemistry. Congratulations.”

That was when I heard loud cheering and a resounding applause from Seongwoo. Despite the fact that he was now faced with judgemental and surprised gazes from my classmates, he paid no attention, shooting me a thumbs up and a proud expression for my performance.

I mouthed a “thank you” to him and smiled at the rest of my class, bowing here and there to all who had congratulated me. Sitting down, I whipped out my phone immediately as I felt a vibration from my pocket.

“Good job Y/N. I’m so proud of you. Keep aiming high and just know that I’ll always be here for you when you need me. Let’s go out for dinner soon as a celebration okay? Indeed, never underestimate Mr Ong’s intelligence.”

I scoffed and shook my head, shooting him a glance and there he was, still with a cocky grin plastered on his face. On the contrary, I could still tell that he was proud of my achievements, and the same went for his own milestones, considering that he had mentioned to me that he was a terrible teacher. Hence, I was beyond grateful that the fruits of the labour was worth it after all, and it was mutual too.

Sadly, we started to lose touch eventually, especially when we were out of class. Sure, we still met up to study and acknowledged each other with an energetic wave in class, but that was about it for the initial start of the second year. We never really shared a common lunch break anymore, especially when our teachers started to band us according to our grades. When he left the class, he would shoot me a sad smile, and I’d just reciprocate the gesture, but wished him all the best through text anyway. Furthermore, he had started to prepare for his the upcoming volleyball tournaments anyway and they trainee for 6 days a week, juggling both their academics and ready for the big games ahead. He preferred to catch some shut eye, and in all honesty, I could not blame him.

After what seemed like an eternity, I had finally received a text from him, asking if I wanted to study with him and without hesitation, I replied with a “Yes!” and I felt my spirit brighten at the thought. Indeed, when one had a friend who brought a drop of happiness to one’s life all the time, it was a little difficult when they were not around anymore, even if it was just temporary.

So here we were, seeking refuge in a traditional korean fast food restaurant, flipping through the brightly coloured menu to see what they offered. I looked up, and noticed that Seongwoo was clearly ogling at all the pictures that the owners had so strategically placed. It made one’s mouth water with the sight of tangsooyook, wholesome doshiraks and golden chicken tenders, and it was clear to see why this was a popular food chain amongst all the high school students of Seoul.

“Good evening sir and welcome to our restaurant! Could I start you off with anything?” A chirpy waitress with the brightest smile greeted.

“Actually… We are ready to order.”

“Oh, of course, what would you like to have then? I can assure you that we only serve top-quality products and if you would like some recommendations, I would not mind to give the both of you some suggestions as well.”

Hearing that, he rattled on his order and I was a little surprised to hear how much he could eat, and most importantly, the price of the items he had ordered. They were not expensive individually, no, but with the seemingly endless list, it was hard to tell how much it would cost in total.

“So that will be 1 serving of tangsooyook, 2 servings of premium doshiraks, 1 serving of mixed mandoo, 1 serving of kimchi jjigae, 2 bottles of Chinsung Cider and finally, to end it all off, an Oreo bingsoo with chocolate and vanilla ice cream?”

He nodded and I was already fumbling for my wallet in my bag, but I was way too slow to possibly go dutch, especially when he had already handed in his debit card before she could even tell us what the price was. He smiled at me when he did so, eyes turning into two crescent moons and whipped out his phone to scroll through his Instagram and Twitter feed.

“Hey… Uh.. How much is it? It’s only right if I pay you back —“

“No, no. It’s my treat. Don’t worry about it. You deserve it, especially after working so hard for those stellar results.”

“T-thanks Ong but it was all thanks to you really. Without you, who knows where I would have been at this point?”

“Sure, I would like to take some credit for your great success,” he said proudly, but reverted back to his soft and gentle tone, “but at the end of the day, you were the one sitting for the papers anyway. Until now, I’m still proud of you and it’s good to know that you’re doing well now.”

And that was when I looked to see a beautiful smile that just made him even more handsome than he already was. Despite knowing him for so long, I still felt a familiar warmth spreading through my cheeks and ears and I cleared my throat awkwardly. My heart started to palpitate against my chest and I leaned back against the booth, attempting to calm myself down.

“Hi! Here’s your food and enjoy your meal!” The waitress was back again, holding onto a huge circular tray of food probably fit for a king. She arranged the food gently and nicely, but she was quick and said before running back to her station, “Here you go, picture worthy, don’t you think? Anyway, have a great night and if you need anything, just give me a call!”

It was amazing how she was still so enthusiastic, even if she was just simply serving customers and taking down their orders, without even stopping to rest for a bit and catch a breather. How I wish I was like that when I attended school too.

“Here, eat up.” Seongwoo said, proceeding to stack my side plate with two serving spoons full of tangsooyook and I thanked him for his kind gesture, “Like I said, you deserve it anyway.”

And that was how our sumptuous meal had gone as we spent time relishing in the taste of the food and caught up with each other at the same time. I knew of the fact that his team had attained a gold medal at the recent interschool games, but it was a whole different story hearing it from the player itself. He opened up about his highest moments, as well as his lowest, and told me hilarious anecdotes throughout the course of the dinner.

As for me, there was nothing much to say, especially when I was only a member of the school’s editorial club, publishing magazines containing updates of the school as well as taking photographs for the magazine itself. Hence, I resorted to spending most of my time actively listening to Seongwoo’s stories initially, before opening up about my recent experiences in the editorial team. In fact, I had also mentioned that the copies were well on its way, showing him a picture that a friend of mine had managed to catch from his volleyball finals.

“Oh wow, could you take pictures like that too?” He asked, after the photograph had piqued his interest, with a curious tone.

“I… can try, I guess? I’m still new to the whole photography notion, but I suppose I could try it sometime.”

“Could I be your model then?”

I chuckled and rolled my eyes, nodding, and once again, he exuded the vibes of a boy who had just gotten his very first christmas present. It was clear he was excited, chewing on his food happily with a wide smile on his face.

In the end, we ended up spending more time in the restaurant than we should have, surprised to find out that they were about to close for the night, as well as the fact that we had sat in the restaurant for quite a long while too. After an enthusiastic goodbye from the waitresses, we took our leave and made our way to the train station to get home.

We were in a state of comfortable silence as we walked, taking in deep breaths of the cool spring air and feeling the gentle wind against our faces. The city lights had also attracted our attention, and hence, we spent a little bit of time admiring the sights around us in silent awe. Furthermore, I had never been to this area of Seoul, hence all these sights seemed to give a different vibe, even if they could be selling the same things at the end of the day.

Now, it was the time to part ways, simply because we were going in two directions now. I was heading towards Myeongdong and beyond, while he was heading off to Apgujeong. Thankfully, our trains were not arriving so soon, and we took a seat right in the middle of the vast and relatively empty train station.

“Thanks for the dinner today.” I said, breaking the silence, and he smiled in response, “I’m glad you enjoyed it Y/N. Let’s… come back again, shall we?”

And I nodded, before hearing the sudden familiar whirring of the train tracks, signalling that my train was going to come any minute now. I stood up, but I only felt a tug on my wrist and turned around, only to be faced with an endearing gaze from Seongwoo. Strangely, I could sense a tinge of shyness, which was unlikely from a boy that confident.

“B-before you go,” he stammered, “I j-just wanted to tell you to be safe, get home as quick as you can and… uhh… text me once you’re home. If anything happens, j-just g-give me a call.”

“Sure,” I replied, and started to move away as he loosened his grip, “Don’t worry Ong, I’ll be home before you know it and I’ll be sure to get home in one piece. Be safe on your way home too and I’ll… see you tomorrow?”

He nodded with a small smile, finally realising that he needed to let me go so that I could get onto the train. Nevertheless, I faced the station anyway and noticed that he had made a heart shape with his arms as the train took its leave. Hence, I reciprocated the gesture shyly and gave a final wave, before heading back home to retreat for the night.