#carats have spoken

[svt-luna]

hi lovely, i hope you are having/had a good day! i woke up this morning to svt winning another daesang (as they should) and the speech had me sobbing 😭

so i was wondering if you’re comfortable, could you possibly write something from lunas pov during the speech and her saying her own heartwarming speech? also maybe writing about their celebration dinner(?) afterwards where they facetimed jun and hannie? (and maybe squeeze in a little jeongna moment if you can 👀) this is my first time making a request so i’m sorry if this doesn’t make sense, i’m a little nervous.

if you don’t want to write it or don’t feel comfortable writing it, that is totally fine. i love your writing btw 🫶🏾

𝜗℘ BIRDS OF A FEATHER

❛ 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘪 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪'𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪'𝘮 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺, 𝘪'𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 '𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪 𝘥𝘪𝘦, '𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪 𝘥𝘪𝘦. '𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴, '𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘦. ❜

timeline: 2024

synopsis: Amid the rush of the MAMA Awards and the whirlwind of victories, Luna and Jeonghan share quiet moments of love and reflection, as their hearts connect through wins, speeches, and emotions that speak louder than words.

warnings: short but sweet, cursing, fluff, slight angst?, crying, long speeches, established relationship, slight flirting, tooth-rotting fluff

hi, my love!! please don’t be nervous and feel free to request more because this is a great request, i just had to write it real quick. and do not worry, you aren’t the only one who sobbed. i ugly sobbed watching the show, they deserve everything in the world. my heart is full for the guys 🥹🤍

╰ ౨ৎ LUNA-VERSE MASTERLIST ╰ ౨ৎ writings masterlist

Luna can still remember their first-ever award show.

The sound of applause echoed around the massive venue, filling every corner of the arena with an energy that Luna could still feel, even years later.

She remembered that night as vividly as if it had just happened, though it was now a memory softened by time and sweetened by the hard-earned successes that followed.

Their first awards show as SEVENTEEN wasn’t glamorous, nor was it triumphant in the conventional sense.

They hadn’t won any awards that night; they were merely performers in a lineup of seasoned artists who had long since carved their names into the fabric of the industry.

Yet, for Luna, that night held a special kind of magic— one that was tinged with equal parts intimidation and exhilaration.

The air backstage had been charged with nervous energy. SEVENTEEN had been a fresh, wide-eyed group at the time, their faces still bright with the unfiltered enthusiasm of newcomers.

Luna remembered her own nerves most distinctly. She had fidgeted with the hem of her stage outfit, her heart pounding as the reality of performing at such a grand event settled over her.

It wasn’t just the thought of performing in front of their fans— Carats, as they would later come to call them— but also the knowledge that the audience was filled with some of the most respected artists in the industry.

Icons.

Legends.

People whose music Luna had grown up listening to, whose names were spoken with reverence in both casual conversation and industry circles.

It was overwhelming.

The stage had felt enormous beneath her feet, its scale almost swallowing them whole. Bright lights illuminated every corner of the arena, rendering the faces of the audience a blur beyond the glare.

Yet, when the music started, something shifted.

The nerves, the apprehension, the sheer weight of the moment— all of it melted away in the rhythm of their choreography and the familiar beats of their song.

They weren’t only a group of rookies anymore; they were SEVENTEEN, standing shoulder to shoulder and filling that stage with their energy and passion.

The applause that followed wasn’t deafening, nor was it as sustained as some of the others they would hear that night. But it was enough to leave a mark, enough to affirm that they had been seen, even if only as one of many acts in a star-studded lineup.

Luna remembered sitting among the audience after their performance, her breath still uneven from exertion but her eyes wide with wonder. They watched as other artists— seasoned veterans with decades of experience, and rising stars who were rapidly ascending the industry ladder— took the stage.

Every performance seemed like a masterclass in artistry, leaving Luna in awe. There was so much to learn from the way they commanded the stage, from the way they carried themselves with a confidence born of years in the spotlight.

When the awards segment began, the awe only deepened.

Category after category, artists stepped up to the stage to receive their trophies, their names etched in gold on placards that would later be photographed, shared, and celebrated.

Luna had clapped until her palms stung, genuinely thrilled for the winners even though a small, quiet voice in her heart whispered that one day, she wanted to be where they were.

The grand prizes were the highlight of the night.

They weren’t just awards; they were accolades that symbolized unparalleled achievement, the kind of recognition that marked an artist as the best of the best.

Luna remembered how the winners’ names were called, the way the room seemed to hold its collective breath before erupting in applause. She watched as these titans of the industry ascended the stage, some with practiced poise, others with teary humility.

Their speeches, though varied in tone and content, all carried the weight of their journey— the sacrifices, the triumphs, the sheer determination it took to reach that pinnacle.

It was both inspiring and humbling.

As the night progressed, Luna felt the spark of something igniting within her. She could sense it in the others too.

Seungcheol’s clenched fists as he silently vowed to lead them to greater heights, Woozi’s laser-focused gaze that already seemed to be dissecting how they could improve, and the way Hoshi had leaned over to murmur something to Joshua, his expression a mix of determination and quiet pride.

They all felt it— that drive to grow, to push themselves harder, to ensure that one day, they would no longer be the rookies sitting in awe of others.

They wanted to be the artists who stood on that stage, holding those trophies, delivering those speeches. To be artists whose music has grown to have an impact on their fans.

Luna carried that moment with her for years.

It became a cornerstone of her resolve, a memory she often revisited on the nights when exhaustion threatened to pull her under. She would remind herself of the awe she had felt, the respect she had for those artists, and the fire it had lit within her.

It wasn’t about proving anyone wrong or chasing fame for its own sake. It was about reaching the level of artistry that deserved to stand among the greats.

And that night, surrounded by her members, Luna had felt the first stirrings of a shared dream. They hadn’t spoken it aloud then— it didn’t need to be said. It was in the way they clapped for the winners, in the way they exchanged glances full of unspoken promises.

One day, they would be the ones to take the stage not just as performers, but as artists recognized for their craft. They would work until their names weren’t just part of the lineup but were written in gold on those placards.

And so they had.

The memory of that night in 2023 glimmered in Luna’s mind, warm and vivid, like a beacon guiding her back to one of the most profound moments of her life.

Almost nine years into their career, SEVENTEEN had already achieved so much.

They had performed on some of the most prestigious stages, sold out arenas worldwide, broken records they hadn’t dared to dream about and won countless awards that decorated their journey.

Each trophy, no matter the category or scale, was a testament to their relentless hard work and the unshakable bond they shared— not just with one another but with the fans who had stood by them every step of the way.

Yet nothing— absolutely nothing— compared to the moment they won their first Grand Prize.

The 2023 MAMA Awards were already a night to remember.

It was one of those moments where Luna found herself marveling at how far they had come. She had stepped onto that stage alongside her thirteen members, the lights glinting off their meticulously designed outfits, the roar of Carats shaking the very foundation of the venue.

The familiarity of it all— the stage, the adrenaline, the chants of their name— felt comforting, like a second skin they had worn for nearly a decade.

But when the announcement came, when their album ‘FML’ was called for Album of the Year, the world seemed to tilt on its axis.

Luna had felt the breath leave her lungs, her vision blurring as the words echoed through the arena. It was as though time had slowed, each second stretching into eternity as the realization sank in.

They had done it.

After years of climbing, years of pushing themselves past limits they didn’t even know existed, they had reached a summit they had only ever dreamed about.

The fourteen of them had risen to their feet as one, an unspoken unity carrying them toward the stage.

The journey to the microphone felt surreal, like walking through a dream they were afraid to wake from.

Luna remembered catching glimpses of the members’ faces through her tears— Woozi’s eyes already glistening, Seungkwan biting his trembling lip, Mingyu’s hand clenched tightly over his chest as though physically restraining the emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

The applause around them was deafening, but Luna could only hear the pounding of her heart, the rush of blood in her ears. By the time they reached the stage, she was trembling.

Standing there, under the brilliant lights, holding the golden trophy that bore their name, Luna felt a strange, overwhelming mix of emotions.

Pride, of course, swelled in her chest, nearly bursting through her ribcage. But beneath it was something deeper— something raw and healing.

It was as though the girl she had been nearly a decade ago, the one who had sat in awe watching other artists take home awards like this, was standing beside her now.

For a brief, fleeting moment, Luna felt that teenage girl’s insecurities and doubts dissolve into the air, replaced by the quiet, undeniable truth that they had earned this.

All fourteen of them crowded around the microphone, a chaotic, beautiful tangle of limbs and emotions.

The trophy, heavier than she had imagined, was passed from hand to hand, each member clutching it as though it might disappear if they let go.

Luna remembered how it felt in her grasp— solid, warm, alive with the energy of their shared victory.

The speeches began, one by one.

Some members could barely get their words out through their tears, their voices cracking as they expressed gratitude that could never fully be captured in words. Others spoke with surprising composure, their emotions shining through in the weight of their pauses and the tremor in their voices.

Every single one of them spoke from the heart, their words a love letter to Carats, to the people who had supported them from the very beginning.

Luna herself had cried— not the graceful, restrained tears one might expect at such a moment, but the kind of sobs that left her shaking.

She cried for the rookie she had been, for the years of hard work and sacrifice, for the moments of doubt when this dream had felt impossibly out of reach. She cried for the fans who had believed in them even when they hadn’t fully believed in themselves, for the members who had become her family, and for the journey that had led them to this stage.

It was as though the moment had cracked something open inside all of them, releasing years of pent-up longing, frustration, and hope. For that brief time, standing together with tears streaming down their faces, they weren’t the polished, professional idols the world saw them as.

They were kids again— wide-eyed, hopeful, and impossibly grateful.

It felt like healing.

The roar of the crowd, the flashing cameras, the dazzling lights— it all blurred together into a kaleidoscope of sensations, but Luna would never forget the way she felt at that moment. It was as though they had stepped back in time, becoming the teenagers who had once dreamed of this very moment.

Winning their first Grand Prize wasn’t just an achievement; it was a culmination of every step they had taken to get there, every challenge they had faced, and every dream they had dared to dream.

And as they stood there, holding their trophy with trembling hands and tearful smiles, it felt like they were rookies all over again.

The present moment felt surreal as well, but Luna couldn’t stop the memories from flooding her mind as she walked alongside her members toward the stage.

The 2024 MAMA Awards were taking place in Japan, and yet the experience felt oddly familiar. She had been here before, in some capacity— another city, another year, but always surrounded by the same faces.

It was the same sequence of events: the glittering red carpet, the dizzying flashes of cameras, the hum of anticipation in the air. They had arrived in sleek, custom-tailored outfits, every detail meticulously planned to exude elegance and confidence. As always, the fans greeted them with deafening cheers, their voices rising above the chaos, a reminder of the love and support that had carried them through the years.

The award show itself had unfolded like so many others before it. They had taken their seats among a sea of familiar faces— some peers, some icons they still admired from afar despite sharing the same industry. They had watched the performances with genuine awe, clapping enthusiastically for their fellow artists, basking in the shared celebration of music and artistry.

These moments were always a highlight for Luna, a chance to witness the diversity and passion of their craft.

Throughout the evening, SEVENTEEN had already won two awards— Fan’s Choice, Super Stage, and Album of the Year which they had won the year prior as well. Each win had been met with cheers and applause, their names called out with the same warmth and pride as every time before.

Luna had stood with the members as they accepted the awards, their speeches heartfelt and grateful, their joy spilling over as they thanked their fans and the people who had helped them get here. The weight of each trophy was a reminder of their hard work, a tangible acknowledgment of the bond they had built with their fans.

But it wasn’t just about those awards.

After their performance— an electrifying stage that showcased a medley of their newer songs— the night took a turn no one had dared to predict.

They had barely returned to their seats, adrenaline still coursing through their veins, when the announcement came. The words seemed to echo in the cavernous arena, sinking into the stunned silence that followed.

SEVENTEEN had won the Grand Prize for Artist of the Year.

The gravity of those words hit Luna like a tidal wave, her heart hammering in her chest as they were ushered to their feet.

Winning Album of the Year two years in a row felt monumental, like breaking through a glass ceiling they had been reaching toward for years.

But this year— this was something else entirely.

Artist of the Year.

The pinnacle of recognition.

A title that declared them not just successful but iconic, a force to be reckoned with.

Luna’s legs felt shaky as she followed the others, the twelve of them making their way toward the stage. Her heels clicked against the polished floor, each step heavy with the weight of everything that moment symbolized.

It wasn’t just another trophy; it was a testament to nearly a decade of unwavering determination, sleepless nights, and sacrifices none of them spoke about openly.

Yet, as monumental as the achievement was, Luna couldn’t stop the pang of sadness that accompanied it.

They were twelve tonight.

Jeonghan was doing his alternative military service, his absence a constant ache in their dynamic, and Jun was in China, pursuing his acting career with the same passion he had always brought to the group.

The two of them were irreplaceable, and though SEVENTEEN had adapted, though they had pressed on with their tour and their schedules, it never stopped feeling incomplete.

Luna’s throat tightened as the thought crossed her mind.

Performing with twelve of them felt empty in a way she couldn’t describe. It was like a song missing its harmonies, a painting with two crucial strokes left undone. Standing here now, walking toward a microphone that should have had fourteen voices ready to speak, that emptiness felt magnified.

The joy of the moment was undeniable, but so was the absence of Jeonghan’s playful smirk and Jun’s calming presence.

They had made it to the stage by now, the bright lights shining down on them, the cheers of the audience deafening in their ears.

Luna blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the wave of emotion threatening to overwhelm her. She knew she wasn’t alone in feeling this way. She could see it in the way the members carried themselves, their smiles tinged with bittersweet undertones, their gazes flickering to the empty spaces beside them.

Even as the trophy was placed in their hands, even as the reality of the win began to sink in, Luna couldn’t shake the weight of it all.

This was a first for them— Artist of the Year.

It was the kind of award that solidified a legacy, that spoke to the impact they had made not just in one year but across their entire career. And yet, it felt wrong to be accepting it without all of them present.

The tears Luna had been holding back pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

Not yet.

Instead, she focused on the moment, on the twelve of them standing shoulder to shoulder, a united front despite the gaps between them. They had worked too hard for this, sacrificed too much, to let the moment pass them by.

Still, as they approached the microphone and prepared to speak, Luna couldn’t help but wish that Jeonghan and Jun were there. The weight of the trophy in her hands felt both comforting and heavy, a symbol of everything they had achieved and everything they still wanted to be.

The stage was awash in golden light, illuminating the twelve figures standing before an audience whose cheers swelled like a tide.

Luna stood slightly behind the others, her fingers playing with her rings that were glittering as she tried to focus on the moment. She caught Seungcheol stepping forward, his calm and steady presence a source of comfort even now. He raised the microphone, his voice strong despite the visible emotion etched into his features.

“Say the name…” he began, the words resonating through the arena.

“SEVENTEEN!” the members chorused, their hands moving in perfect synchronization to their signature gesture before bowing deeply in unison. “Hello, we are SEVENTEEN.”

The arena erupted in cheers, the kind that echoed endlessly, an overwhelming wave of love and celebration that swept over them all. Luna straightened, her chest swelling with pride as her gaze flickered across the fans who were crying, laughing, and cheering with unrestrained joy.

Hoshi stepped forward next, his energy as bright and infectious as ever. “THANK YOU TO CARATS WHO MADE US ARTIST OF THE YEAR!!” he shouted into the microphone, his voice carrying an uncontainable enthusiasm that filled every corner of the venue.

Luna couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face, her heart warming at the sight of Hoshi’s genuine excitement. He continued, his tone softening but still infused with his usual passion. “We really didn’t know we’d be able to receive two big awards at MAMA like this,” he said, pausing as if to collect his thoughts. “But I think our first big award we received after eight years last year gave us the meaning that if we don’t give up, anything is possible. So with the two big awards this time, it gave us the meaning that we will continue forward like SEVENTEEN! We’ll really work hard. Thank you!!”

As he stepped back, the audience roared in approval, their cheers blending with the claps and nods of the other members. Luna turned slightly to glance at the members beside her. Some were wiping away the beginnings of tears, their expressions a mix of disbelief and gratitude.

Dino took the mic next, his youthful presence commanding attention even amidst the grandeur of the moment. Luna watched him closely, noticing the determination shining in his eyes. “Actually, when we received our Daesang last year, I was the only one who couldn’t share my thoughts,” Dino began, his voice steady yet laced with a hint of vulnerability. “But I got to do a bit today.” He paused, a small, almost sheepish smile crossing his face before he continued.

“Ever since our debut, my dream was to be an artist that would remain in history,” he said, his words quiet but powerful, as though he were confiding in every person in the room. “And receiving the Artist of the Year award felt like something new too. In the future, we won’t lose the feelings that made us worthy to receive this award and the feelings we had from the start as we go forward. We will go forward together with Carats. Thank you, and I love you!”

The cheers that erupted then were deafening, the sound wrapping around them like a warm embrace. Dino stepped back into the line of members, his expression softened but proud as the audience responded with unbridled enthusiasm.

It was Dokyeom’s turn next. Luna’s gaze shifted toward him as he stepped up, a bright smile tugging at his lips despite the sheen of emotion glistening in his eyes. His voice was warm and affectionate, as though speaking directly to their fans.

“Carats!! I love you!” he began, his tone as vibrant as his personality. “We got to receive two Daesangs at MAMA like this, and I’m so thankful for that. The reason we’re able to receive such a big award like this is thanks to our Carats. If it weren’t for the love from our Carats, we wouldn’t be able to receive an award this big, so I think today there’s no way for us to be anything but happy.” He paused for a moment, his voice thickening slightly as his words slowed. “You made such a happy day for us today…”

As Dokyeom’s voice trailed off, he turned his head, his eyes meeting Seungcheol, who stood slightly apart from the others. The leader’s back was to the audience, his head tilted downward as his shoulders shook faintly.

The atmosphere shifted, a hush falling over the members as they realized what was happening.

Luna’s breath caught in her throat as Seungcheol turned partially, his head still lowered. Before anyone could react, he leaned toward her, resting his forehead on her shoulder.

Luna froze for a moment, her heart clenching as she felt the subtle tremor of his body against hers. Her hand moved instinctively, intertwining their fingers in a comforting grip as she whispered, “Please don’t cry, Cheollie.” Her own tears threatened to fall, her voice trembling as she tried to keep them at bay.

Luna hated seeing people cry, especially her members. She had always had a soft heart, one that couldn’t bear the sight of the people she loved in pain, and Seungcheol was no exception.

“Are you crying?” Dokyeom’s voice broke through the moment, playful yet tinged with concern as he addressed the mic once more. “Our leader hyung is crying… don’t cry! Don’t cry!” he chanted, his enthusiasm infectious as the fans immediately joined in, their voices echoing throughout the arena.

“Yes, Coups hyung, say a word,” Dokyeom said, his tone encouraging as he gestured toward their leade

Seungcheol inhaled deeply as he moved toward the microphone, his fingers tightly intertwined with Luna’s. Her hands enveloped his trembling one, holding it securely as though anchoring him in the moment. Not once did she loosen her grip, and he drew strength from her silent support. His free hand reached up briefly to wipe his tear-streaked face, but the tears continued to fall unabated.

He couldn’t stop them, and he didn’t try to anymore.

Standing before the mic, Seungcheol’s voice broke as he began to speak, his raw emotions lacing every word. “The thing I want to say the most,” he said, his tone heavy with longing, “is I miss Jeonghan and Jun so much…” His voice faltered momentarily, the weight of his feelings almost overwhelming him, but he pushed through. “It would’ve been better if all fourteen of us received it together, but I’ll keep these feelings well and relay it to them. Thank you.”

The arena erupted into a mixture of cheers and sobs, Carats’ voices merging into one wave of love and encouragement. Seungcheol nodded once, as though solidifying his promise, and returned to his place in line, still clutching Luna’s hand as if letting go would cause him to crumble.

Luna stood quietly, her expression strained as the mention of Jeonghan and Jun hit her like a wave.

Bittersweet emotions surged through her, tugging at her already fragile composure. She lowered her head, her hair falling like a curtain to shield her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying desperately not to let her tears fall because she knew herself too well.

Once Luna started crying, she wouldn’t be able to stop, and tonight she didn’t want that.

But the ache in her chest only grew. The man who could always comfort her, who knew exactly how to make her laugh even on her darkest days, wasn’t here.

Jeonghan wasn’t here.

Seungcheol glanced at her, noticing the way her shoulders trembled as she fought to maintain control. Without hesitation, he draped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. Luna turned into him instinctively, burying her face in his chest. Her arms wrapped around his torso, holding on tightly as if seeking solace in his steady heartbeat.

The crowd roared again, their love a balm for the open wounds in their hearts, but the bittersweet air lingered around the group like a fog.

Seungkwan, ever the light in their darkest moments, stepped forward to the microphone. His voice carried a bright energy as he called out, “Woozi hyung! Say a word too.”

He turned to where Woozi stood slightly apart, clutching the trophy tightly in his hands. “Woozi hyung was so nervous just now he was talking to himself. In our team, he’s like a mother who feels full just by watching us eat,” Seungkwan continued, a gentle smile playing on his lips. “He’s really a hyung who always gives generously without holding back, so I want to hear hyung’s thoughts.”

The members turned toward Woozi, whose small frame seemed even smaller as he stood there, crying silently. His shoulders shook as Seungkwan approached and handed him the trophy, offering a reassuring pat on his arm.

Woozi wiped at his tears, but they fell faster than he could brush them away. He exhaled a shaky breath before stepping up to the microphone, his voice breaking as he began to speak.

“Ah, really! Please! Why?!” Woozi cried out, his words breaking into a soft whine. He turned to the other members briefly, his expression equal parts frustration and helplessness as the tears kept coming. “Why is it always like this when receiving awards?”

The members chuckled through their tears, their affection for him evident in their soft smiles and knowing nods.

“I don’t know why our emotions are bursting…” Woozi continued, his voice trembling. “What’s so sorrowful, really…” He trailed off, his gaze dropping to the trophy in his hands before he tightened his grip on it.

His voice steadied slightly as he continued, though the raw emotion remained palpable. “SEVENTEEN got a big award for two years in a row at MAMA, and we got two this year. This was something that really could’ve never been for us. Imagining is free, but that was something we couldn’t even imagine.”

The weight of his words hung in the air, the other members nodding solemnly as they listened. Tears glistened in their eyes, some freely streaming down their faces as they watched Woozi pour his heart out.

“I’m sorry,” Woozi said, his voice breaking again. “I’m not really someone who speaks this much.” He let out a soft, self-deprecating laugh before adding, “Yesterday was actually my birthday, but because it’s burdensome, I don’t like receiving birthday wishes.”

The crowd erupted into affectionate cheers and cries of but Woozi shook his head with a watery laugh, continuing without pause.

“But receiving an award this good as a birthday gift… there’s no way I can’t like it.” His lips trembled as he smiled faintly, his tears falling faster now. “While making music for the past ten years, I can’t take pride in how I have never once been negligent or careless in studying it. I will continue repaying you until the end of my life.”

Woozi paused, glancing down briefly as though gathering the strength to finish. “It’s a very obvious thing, but I think an idol’s best way of repaying people is with good albums. I will never change, and the fourteen of us will continue steadfastly. Thank you, I love you.”

The crowd erupted into cheers and cries once more, their voices blending into a powerful symphony of love and support. Woozi clutched the trophy tighter, his tears flowing freely now.

Seungkwan, standing beside him, reached out and patted his back gently, offering silent comfort. The rest of the members watched with tear-filled eyes, their expressions a mix of pride and understanding as they absorbed Woozi’s heartfelt words.

Seungcheol’s arm stayed secure around Luna as he gently stroked her hair, his touch tender, grounding her. His other hand lightly patted her arm, still wrapped firmly around his, offering her the silent reassurance she needed. Luna’s head remained pressed against his chest as she absorbed the warmth of his presence.

Before Luna could lose herself completely in her thoughts, they both heard Seungkwan’s voice over the mic.

“Noona… do you want to say anything?”

The question drew their attention, and Luna felt Seungcheol gently gesture her forward with his free hand, urging her to speak. She hesitated, the emotions swirling within her still too raw, but the encouraging look on Seungcheol’s face gave her the push she needed.

“Aigo… she’s also crying,” Seungkwan joked, his lighthearted comment drawing soft laughter from the audience and the members. The playful tease made Luna chuckle through her tears, and she reluctantly detached herself from Seungcheol’s comforting hold, stepping forward with a small smile on her face.

As she reached the mic, Woozi handed her the trophy, his face red and tear-streaked but glowing with pride. Luna accepted it with both hands, her expression softening as she glanced at the members behind her. Her voice, however, carried a playful lilt as she turned to the audience and joked, “I’m not crying. Do I look like I’m crying?”

The crowd erupted into laughter at the irony, given her glistening red eyes and flushed cheeks. Her attempt at humor broke the emotional tension for a brief moment, drawing laughter from the members as well. She smiled wider, shaking her head before adding, “I’m not gonna cry today because I want to be cool.”

The lighthearted remark earned more laughter, and Luna couldn’t help but laugh along with them. Her shoulders relaxed as the weight of the moment started to settle into something manageable.

But as she continued, her tone turned earnest, “I just want to make you guys laugh. Carats, I can see some of you crying. Please don’t cry. Today is a happy day. A very happy day.”

She paused, stepping back slightly from the mic, her gaze sweeping over the faces of her members. Her smile softened into something radiant and beautiful, a reflection of the love she held for the people standing beside her. Her eyes met each of theirs, and the warmth in their expressions mirrored her own.

“I’m proud of us,” she said softly, her voice steady despite the tremble in her hands.

The crowd erupted into loud cheers, the sound wrapping around her like a warm embrace.

Luna laughed lightly, her eyes welling up again despite her earlier resolve. “I’m proud of us. I’m proud of myself. I’m proud of Cheollie, Joshie, Soonie, Woo, Jihoonie, Hao, Gyu-gyu, Kyeomie, Kwanie, Nonie, Channie, and of course Hannie and Junnie.”

Her voice cracked as she mentioned Jeonghan and Jun, and a single tear slid down her cheek. She tried to brush it away quickly, chuckling through the emotion that threatened to overwhelm her.

“I’m not crying, I promise,” she joked again, though her voice wavered as she choked back a sob. Her attempt to lighten the mood made the fans and members laugh, but their own eyes glistened as they watched her fight through her emotions.

She took a deep breath and continued, “As we stand here right now, accepting this award, only one thing comes to mind. It’s that right now we aren’t the SEVENTEEN who are in their late twenties and are in their ninth year. It’s as if right now we are the timid teens who could only dream about receiving an award like this.”

Tears began to fall freely now, each word bringing a fresh wave of emotion that she couldn’t hold back. She turned to the members, her face streaked with tears, and asked in a small voice, “What do I do?”

Her question was met with immediate action. Mingyu and Seungcheol moved to either side of her, their hands patting her back gently as they offered quiet comfort. The rest of the members quickly surrounded her from behind, forming a protective circle as if shielding her from the overwhelming emotions of the moment.

“I still remember when we were at our first award show where we didn’t win anything, we were just happy to be invited, and now we are here, almost ten years later, receiving two Daesangs in one night… I’m proud of us, really.”

Luna’s voice broke again as she spoke, and she paused to collect herself, her gaze drifting over the crowd before settling on the members around her.

“I am also proud of our Carats who have been keeping us steady through the hard times this year. This year hasn’t been easy. A lot of bad and a lot of good. My only wish is that next year will be a little bit kinder to everyone. We promise to work harder for you guys and for Hannie and Jun, who I know are watching right now… I love and miss you two so much. Thank you.”

She bowed deeply, her form trembling as she fought to regain control of her emotions. As she moved away from the mic, she quickly wiped at her tears with the back of her hand, but before she could fully compose herself, Dokyeom stepped forward.

“Come here,” he said softly, his warm smile a balm to her raw emotions as he gently wiped her tears with his hands. Wonwoo followed, patting her head affectionately while Seungcheol and Mingyu remained on either side of her, their presence steady and grounding.

Wonwoo adjusted the mic slightly, leaning in as his calm voice rang out, “Thank you!” His words were simple but carried the weight of his sincerity, and the crowd erupted into applause.

Seungkwan then added, “Thank you so much, really. In the future, we’ll work hard!” He offered a small smile, his genuine demeanor only emphasizing the heartfelt nature of his words.

Then, Seungcheol, ever the leader, took the mic with steady hands, his voice firm yet warm. “It’s been SEVENTEEN. Say the name…”

The members immediately joined in, their voices strong as they performed their signature hand gesture and shouted in unison, “SEVENTEEN!” They bowed deeply toward the crowd before finishing together, “Thank you!”

“Thank you so much to our staff,” Seungkwan spoke again, a gesture echoed by the rest of the group.

“Carats, I love you,” Mingyu added, his voice filled with emotion as he followed. His face broke into a radiant smile as he glanced toward the fans, his love for them evident in every word.

The members closed in tighter, forming a huddle as Luna slipped her arms around Seungcheol and Mingyu’s waists. Their collective warmth was a tangible reminder of their bond, a silent promise that they would continue to lean on one another no matter what came next.

As the members remained in their tight huddle, the crowd cheered louder, their love and pride for SEVENTEEN filling the venue. The crowd’s cheers reached a deafening roar, a wave of love and pride that wrapped around them like a warm embrace. They stood together, united as one, soaking in the moment before ending the night.

The cheers and music of the 2024 MAMA Awards faded into the background as the show came to a close. SEVENTEEN stood united onstage for one last bow before they retreated, their hearts brimming with pride and emotions still raw from the night’s triumphs.

As they stepped backstage, a whirlwind of activity greeted them. Their staff and team members erupted in cheers and applause, filling the air with congratulatory shouts and infectious energy. The members were immediately engulfed in hugs, pats on the back, and words of praise.

Their production team followed close behind, cameras rolling to capture every moment for future content, whether for YouTube or official documentary-style footage. Photographers clicked away, immortalizing the members holding their trophies, their eyes sparkling despite the exhaustion settling in.

In the dressing room, the energy remained electric.

The members posed for group photos, laughing and playfully adjusting each other’s outfits. Luna, with a grin that stretched ear to ear, stood at the center of one photo, cradling a trophy. She switched between group shots and solo moments with the trophies, her genuine joy lighting up each frame.

Hoshi and Seungkwan joked about how she was still the prettiest despite sobbing her makeup off, prompting her to laugh before finally setting the trophy down.

Once the formalities wound down, Luna’s attention immediately darted to her phone. She picked it up and stepped to the side, her fingers swiftly tapping the screen to initiate a video call.

It barely rang once before the familiar face of Jeonghan appeared on the screen, his smile lazy yet warm, as if he had been waiting for her call all night.

The sight of him caused Luna’s heart to skip a beat. The chaotic energy surrounding her melted away, and she immediately felt lighter, her exhaustion replaced by a soothing sense of calm.

“How’s my Artist of the Year?” Jeonghan asked, his voice carrying that familiar teasing lilt as he smirked knowingly.

Luna chuckled, shaking her head as she plopped into a makeup chair. “I feel amazing, my Artist of the Year,” she quipped back, the warmth in her tone matching his.

Jeonghan’s smirk softened into a smile, and his quiet chuckle carried through the phone. “We’re quite the pair, aren’t we?”

Luna propped her phone against the mirror, angling it carefully so she could talk to him while undoing her hair. She began removing the pins, placing them methodically on the counter. “The best pair,” she agreed, shooting him a small smile as her fingers worked through her hair.

Jeonghan’s sharp eyes didn’t miss a thing. His gaze softened as he noticed her smudged eye makeup from crying earlier. “You cried so hard,” he pointed out gently, his voice dropping to a soft coo as he watched her before he teased. “You’re so emotional lately, angel.”

Luna rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress her smile. “I tried my hardest not to cry! But you know how it is… The moment I started it just hit me and I couldn’t stop.”

Jeonghan nodded in understanding, his tone patient. “I know, baby. But you’re so cute when you cry. I wish I could’ve been there to wipe your tears.”

Luna paused briefly to give him a mock glare, pulling out the last pin from her hair. “That’s not helping,” she muttered, though the fondness in her voice betrayed her words.

Jeonghan chuckled again, his voice warm. “Sorry, sorry. You did so well, though. I was watching the whole time. You were incredible up there. I’m so proud of you.”

His words made Luna’s cheeks warm, and she busied herself by slipping the rings off her fingers, setting them beside the pins. The only ones left were their team pinky ring and her engagement ring, which she twisted absently as she glanced at him.

“Thank you, Han,” she murmured, her voice soft. “I did my best.”

Jeonghan nodded, his eyes following her every movement as she began removing her makeup. “That speech, though. It was perfect. You always know how to say the right things.”

She paused, smiling slightly as she wiped away the remnants of her eyeliner. “You think so?”

“I know so,” Jeonghan replied, his voice unwavering. “You’re amazing, my moon. Every single day, you amaze me.”

“And you say I have a way with words.” Luna shook her head lightly, her laugh soft as she focused on cleaning her face.

Behind her, Hoshi suddenly popped into view, waving enthusiastically at Jeonghan.

“Hyung! Did you see me tonight?” Hoshi asked loudly, grinning.

Jeonghan smirked, tilting his head slightly. “You mean your hip thrust during ‘Ash’? Of course, I did.”

Hoshi preened under the compliment before Luna shooed him off with a laugh. “Okay, okay, go change already!”

“Fine, fine! Hi and bye, hyung!” Hoshi waved dramatically before disappearing again.

The interruptions didn’t stop there. Dokyeom appeared next, leaning over Luna’s shoulder to wave at Jeonghan. “Hyung, we need to hang out! Just the two of us.”

Jeonghan raised a brow. “You miss me that much?”

“Of course,” Dokyeom grinned before Luna nudged him away.

“Go change, Kyeomie!” she scolded playfully with a pout, laughing as Dokyeom wandered off.

As the room quieted down again, Luna sighed, leaning closer to the mirror to check her reflection. Jeonghan’s voice pulled her attention back. “You’re glowing,” he said softly, his tone sincere.

She glanced at him through the screen, her smile returning. “You always know what to say,” she murmured.

Jeonghan’s smile widened slightly, his voice gentle. “And I’ll keep saying it, as long as it makes you smile.”

The rest of the room began to hum with activity again as the members busied themselves changing and tidying up, but Luna and Jeonghan remained in their own little bubble, their connection unwavering despite the distance between them.

The conversation between the two flowed naturally, carrying a comforting sense of ease and intimacy that only came with years of being together. Even as Luna shifted in her seat, preparing to step away to change into more casual clothes, she hesitated. “I should go change,” she murmured reluctantly, glancing at Jeonghan through the phone screen.

Jeonghan’s eyes softened, his smile reassuring. “Take the phone with you,” he said casually, leaning back in his chair. “Just close the camera if you want. I’ll wait.”

Luna laughed softly, shaking her head. “You don’t have to stay on the call while I’m changing, Hannie.”

“I want to,” he replied easily, his voice steady and comforting. “I don’t want to hang up yet.”

Her heart swelled at his words, and she felt a familiar warmth settle over her. “Alright,” she relented with a small smile. “Don’t go anywhere.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Nana-ya,” Jeonghan promised, his tone light but sincere.

Luna propped the phone on the nearby counter, angling it so Jeonghan wouldn’t see anything as she began to change. She could still hear his voice through the speaker as he filled the quiet with soft humming and the occasional playful comment.

“Is it weird that I find your breathing as you struggle to unzip your dress attractive?” he teased lightly.

Luna chuckled as she slipped out of her dress, reaching for her more comfortable clothes, not at all shocked that Jeonghan knew what she was doing just by the sound of her breathing. “Not weird,” she said. “Just proves you’ve been paying attention all these years.”

“You’re unforgettable,” he said smoothly, the grin evident in his voice.

Luna rolled her eyes fondly as she pulled on her hoodie. “You’re impossible,” she shot back, her tone lighthearted.

Jeonghan laughed, and the sound was a balm to her exhaustion. “Yet you love me.”

“Unfortunately,” Luna quipped, zipping up her jacket before finally picking up the phone again.

She settled back into the makeup chair, her expression softer now. “Okay, your turn to entertain me while I wait for the others to finish changing.”

Jeonghan tilted his head, pretending to think. “What do you want to hear, baby? Should I tell you how perfect you looked on stage? Or maybe how your speech almost made me tear up, but I held it together because I’m supposed to be the composed one out of the two of us?”

Luna laughed, leaning her chin on her hand. “All of the above sounds good. Go on.”

The members began filtering back into the room, grabbing their things and preparing to leave, but Luna remained in her little world with Jeonghan.

Even as they made their way to the car, he stayed on the line.

“Don’t hang up,” she said quietly, slipping into the vehicle and settling into the corner seat.

“I wasn’t planning to,” Jeonghan reassured her, his voice soft as ever.

The call remained active as the car pulled away, and Luna sighed, leaning her head against the window. The night’s events were finally catching up to her, and a wave of exhaustion hit. Her eyes fluttered shut, the phone still balanced in her lap.

Jeonghan didn’t say anything, watching her quietly through the screen. His expression softened at the sight of her, the light on her face, her hair still slightly tousled from the rush of the evening. The sound of her breathing, even and calm, was enough to bring a small, contented smile to his lips.

The car hit a gentle turn, and Luna’s eyes blinked open. She glanced at the phone screen and caught Jeonghan watching her. Her gaze, tired but full of affection, locked with his. “I miss you,” she murmured softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jeonghan’s smile grew, and his tone turned even gentler as if speaking to a child. “I know, baby,” he cooed, his voice low and soothing. “I miss you, too. But it’s okay. We’ll see each other tomorrow, hmm?”

Luna let out a small hum of acknowledgment, her eyelids drooping again. “I want you here,” she admitted, the vulnerability in her tone tugging at Jeonghan’s heart.

“I know, my pretty moon,” he said, his voice wrapping around her like a warm blanket. “But tomorrow, you’ll be back in Korea, and I’ll be waiting for you. You know I’ll always be here.”

Her lips curled into a faint smile at his words, and she let out a quiet sigh. “Promise?”

“Promise,” Jeonghan said firmly, his voice unwavering. “And since I have the weekend off, we’ll do whatever you want. Just you and me, okay?”

Luna nodded slowly, her eyes closing once more. “Okay,” she whispered.

Jeonghan stayed on the line, his voice a steady presence as he hummed softly, occasionally murmuring words of reassurance.

Even miles apart, his love for her was palpable, filling the quiet space between them. Luna didn’t have to say anything; his presence, even through a phone screen, was enough.

Soon, Luna found herself with the rest of the members in the restaurant for their dinner.

The restaurant was bustling with the faint hum of conversation and clinking utensils when SEVENTEEN and Luna entered. Their reserved room at the back provided a quieter space for the group to unwind after the overwhelming evening.

Luna, still clutching her phone tightly, smiled at Jeonghan’s face on the screen as they settled into their seats. She propped the phone against the water glass in front of her so he could see her clearly.

Jeonghan raised an eyebrow at her stubbornness. “Nana-ya,” he said softly, amusement lacing his tone, “you’re going to eat, right? Not stare at me the entire time?”

Luna leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm as she gave him a sleepy smile. “I can do both,” she teased. “You’re not hanging up, Hannie. Don’t even try.”

“You’re really going to keep me here while you eat?” he asked, pretending to be exasperated, though the corners of his lips twitched upward.

“I don’t want to hang up,” Luna said, her voice soft but firm. “I want you here, and this is the next best thing.”

Her honesty, tinged with drowsiness, made Jeonghan chuckle. “Alright, alright. But I don’t want you to feel distracted. Focus on your food, okay?”

“I will.” She nodded, glancing briefly at the menu the waiter placed before her.

Across the table, the members were glancing at her phone with knowing smiles but chose not to interfere.

They were used to Luna’s clinginess, especially when she was tired, and if it meant she got to keep Jeonghan close, even virtually, they weren’t about to stop her.

As the waiter took their orders, Luna kept Jeonghan in the loop. “Hannie, I’m getting the spicy stew. Should I get something for you?” she joked, her lips quirking up.

Jeonghan rolled his eyes, amused. “Sure, send it over with a side of your award-winning speech,” he quipped, his voice warm and teasing.

Luna giggled, shaking her head. “I’d do it if I could.”

While waiting for the food, the members engaged in casual chatter. Hoshi was animatedly recounting a moment from the award show, and Seungkwan chimed in with his signature wit.

Luna added her comments here and there, but her focus remained on the phone, occasionally glancing down at the screen to find Jeonghan watching her with fond amusement.

“You’re making me hungry just watching you eat,” Jeonghan teased when the food arrived, and Luna dug into her stew with gusto.

“Then grab yourself something,” she shot back without missing a beat, her tone playful.

“I would, but I’m busy being held hostage on this call,” he said, the smirk on his face betraying his amusement.

Luna rolled her eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips. “You’re not going anywhere, so you might as well sit there and watch me enjoy my meal.”

Jeonghan chuckled softly, shaking his head. “You’re something else, you know that? I love you so much.”

“I love you the most.” Luna replied.

The members chimed in with their own conversations, the room filled with laughter and light-hearted teasing. Luna participated occasionally, but her focus remained divided between her food and Jeonghan, whose steady presence on the screen made the night feel less lonely.

When the meal was finished, and everyone was relaxing with their drinks or dessert, Seungkwan clapped his hands together. “Guys, before we leave, let’s take a group photo. We’ve got to commemorate tonight.”

Luna perked up at the suggestion, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten. She glanced at Jeonghan on the screen. “You’re already here, so you’re joining us for this.”

Jeonghan raised an eyebrow, amused. “Oh, am I? How exactly are we pulling that off?”

“You sound like a fossil,” Luna said mischievously, picking up her phone.

The members decided to loop in Jun, hoping he wasn’t too busy. After a few rings, Jun’s face appeared on Joshua’s phone, his expression lighting up at the sight of his friends. “Hey, everyone! Congratulations to us! What’s going on?”

A chorus of greetings erupted, their voices overlapping as they filled him in on their dinner plans. Jun’s smile widened. “Wish I could be there with you guys. How’s everything?”

“Good,” Mingyu said, grinning. “We’re just about to take a group photo. You’re joining us.”

Jun laughed. “Of course. Let me get ready.”

The staff moved to position the camera, and everyone quickly returned to their seats. Luna held her phone up, angling it so Jeonghan’s face was visible. Across from her, Joshua did the same with Jun.

The room buzzed with warmth as the group settled in, some leaning closer to the phones to make sure everyone could be seen.

For a brief moment, everything felt whole.

All fourteen of them were present, even if it wasn’t physical.

Luna glanced at Jeonghan on her screen, her heart swelling with gratitude. Despite the distance, they always found a way to come together.

As the camera clicked, capturing the moment, Luna couldn’t help but think about the day’s victories— their awards, the laughter, and the love that tied them all together.

Fourteen hearts, fourteen stories, intertwined in a way that nothing could break.

Even when apart, they were never truly separated.

This was their strength, their bond, their forever.

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[nininikki]

divorced-ish — n. kento

content warnings: ex-husband!nanami, delusional!nanami (he’s cute tho)

author’s note: sigh i need him

ex-husband!nanami who just couldn’t stay away from you if he tried

ex-husband!nanami who you’d originally separated from on account of his work seeming to hold more priority over you, and then your newborn daughter.

ex-husband!nanami who still keeps a photo of you and the baby on his desk at his job (which, ironically, was the thing that ultimately led to his marriage failing). when asked by his nosey secretary why he still kept the photo, he only responded, “it’s my family. why wouldn’t i?”

ex-husband!nanami who had yet to actually finalize the divorce. but really, it wasn’t his fault. he just hadn’t gotten around to sending the papers over (or having them printed up at all), what with all those crazy shifts at work. oh, well, it didn’t matter. he would do it at some point.

ex-husband!nanami who had left you virtually everything in the not-so-finalized-divorce. the four bedroom, four bathroom house, your diamond 6 carat engagement ring, your wedding china, the aston martin db9 he had gifted you for your birthday, the park avenue apartment, the country house in monaco—all of it.

ex-husband!nanami who you had never been able to turn down whenever he stayed over just a little later after dropping the baby back off with you. the two of you would sit on the couch and catch up over a glass of wine. then one glass turned to two, then two to three. and for a minute it would almost feel as if you were still married.

nanami never ended up leaving until the late hours of the night. by which point you began to wonder where he’d gotten all the free time he couldn’t seem to find when you were actually married.

ex-husband!nanami who internally scoffed whenever you mentioned going on a date with another man.

“do you think you could watch her on saturday? i’ve got a date i really don’t wanna miss.” you’d asked at the tail end of an already too long (thirty minute) phone call.

nanami breathed a recognizable, pensive sigh on the other end, chewing through what he’d earlier told you was tempura, but considering how long it was taking him to answer, it may as well have been your nerves.

“you know i will, but, uh,” you heard him swallow. “a date?”

although your ex-husband didn’t exactly sound like he was joking, you couldn’t help the giggle that vibrated through your body. glancing at the clock on your nightstand that read eight-thirty and the baby sleeping soundly in the crib next to your bed, you propped the house phone between your ear and shoulder. what was the harm in killing another thirty minutes?

“yes, kento, a date. his name is scott. he’s an art dealer. i think you’d like him.”

“does scott know you’re still married?”

“separated,” you corrected him. “and no, he doesn’t. do you tell every woman who asks you out that you’re married?”

nanami hesitated for a second before answering, “yes, i do.”

ex-husband!nanami who came to your house with flowers and a store bought pumpkin pie for thanksgiving. more than you’d like to admit, you liked having him around for the holidays. he was so good with the baby, and so attentive to everything else. cleaning up all the leftovers and stray baby toys as the night came to an end.

it was nearing ten o’clock when he had successfully put the baby to sleep, and then came down to help you tidy up the downstairs. “y’know you didn’t have to buy a pie, right?” you told him after you’d discovered it hidden amongst the array of leftover pots and aluminum pans. “i know it’s your favorite. i’d have made you some.”

nanami brought his task at hand (loading the dishwasher) to a stiff halt and joined you at the island countertop. “but hey,” you added, tearing the lid off the pie. “we could see if it’s as good as the real thing.”

your ex-husband, usually the most well-spoken man you knew, could only stiffly nod in your direction while you retrieved a pair of shiny silver forks, still in the drawer they’d always been in. “and i got some whipped cream if you want.” you added as you gave him a fork, now taken aback by his sudden lack of speech. seriously, he hadn’t spoken this little since the year leading up to your separation.

what you didn’t know was that nanami couldn’t speak if he wanted to. he needed this. the three of you hadn’t had a real holiday together since last halloween, and even that was admittedly very bleak. “i miss you,” nanami blurted.

and he did. he missed your desserts for every holiday—savory pumpkin pie for thanksgiving, sweet apple pie for christmas, strawberry eclairs for valentine’s day. he missed opening his eyes every morning to the sight of your face smushed into a pillow, or a bit of drool gathering at the corner of your mouth. he missed coming home from work to the sight of you and the baby sound asleep on the couch. he missed being your husband, and even more knowing you were his wife.

ex-husband!nanami who spent the night fucking his ex-wife into the couch as though they were still married. wrapping you in his strong arms, while murmuring promises of change and betterment. “i’ll never go to work again, swear,” he said, shuddering between deep thrusts. “please just take me back, baby.”

[svt-rosalie]

*person one* can’t stop watching *person two* with a fond smile on their face even though ( hint Rosie & Coups 🤭 )

. . . ♡ ROSIE ! ? 🍒 DRABBLE ★ ﾟ๑

ׁ ׅ ୨ ❪ requested, fluff! ❫ ୧ ⊹ ࣪

© 2024 , svt-rosalie rosalie masterlist!

content warning / this sucks, fluffy seungcheol and rosalie, rosie gets upset, bad grammar, angel you requested this so long ago and i had no ideas until now :’( sorry

let's become the same light, the same shadow

in whatever place, i'll hold you

shadow, seventeen

The stadium was filled, to the brim. If you were to walk to out on the stage you couldn’t even hear your own footsteps that’s how loud it was. Carats from around the world had come to see this 2 nights only event were buzzing with anticipation.

It made Rosalie anxious — the girl was holding a solo concert/showcase in Seoul, South Korea in promotion of her new full album ‘Seoul Searching’. She has never performed by herself for such a large amount of people.

“Ugh, I can’t get my hands to stop shaking Unnie. I’m so nervous.” The young girl spoke to her makeup artist, Minji. You could clearly hear how upset and nervous the poor girl was based on her tone of voice. . . and the pout on her face.

Minji slightly chuckled only pushing Rosie to pout even more, “First of all, stop pouting you’re going to ruin your makeup. Second of all, there’s nothing to be nervous about — you’ve performed for this amount of people how many times? You are going to do amazing.” The older girl stated in a firm but reassuring voice.

The pout did disappear from Rosie’s face but not in her tone.

“Yeah, but I’ve never performed without 13 other people on stage and apparently all of them have schedules so they can’t come tonight.” She sighed clearly upset, and if she wasn’t getting her final touches of makeup she would’ve started crying at this point.

Minji finished putting a shimmer of eyeshadow on Rosalie’s eyelids and stepped back.

“That’s more of a reason for you to do your absolute best tonight. Your brothers aren’t here to see you perform but you and I both know that they will be watching clips and videos taken by the managers and fans so you have to show them everything that you’ve been working so hard on.” Minji pulled the younger girl into a tender yet loving hug, being careful not to ruin her makeup and hair, “Show the world who Rosalie is.”

Said girl smiled brightly and nodded her head. Even though her favorite people couldn’t be here for her showcase for support she would work extra hard to make sure they saw the best version of her.

An hour and half later Rosalie is having the time of her life on stage, her nerves she once couldn’t shake are now no where to be found and she’s smiling from ear to ear.

Somehow she hadn’t notice her eldest member watching her from the 2 level of the arena as she performed her song ‘New Dance’ and apparently Carats’s didn’t notice either, way to invested on capturing every moment of the concert, which is kinda of surprising seeing as how he was decked out in pastel colored clothing (as all the other petals were), was screaming the fan chants and everything in between.

The moment they noticed was when the camera man decided to finally out the man on the big screen and show Seungcheol smiling proudly at the youngest member. Carats started to scream even louder and point to the leader to show Rosalie that he was here. (She had spoken in her earlier ment that she was upset that the boys couldn’t be here due to schedules but knew they were cheering her on from afar).

The loud screams gained Rosalie’s attention as she turned to the big screen and saw the best surprise in the world.

“OH MY GOSH!” was screamed into the mic by Rosalie on accident. She couldn’t contain herself but remembered that she was in the middle of a song and continued to singing, though she contained to sing as she ran to the side of the stage Seungcheol was on, waving and sending hearts his way.

Cheol sent hearts her way back, while mouthing that he was proud of her. He didn’t know if she could make out what he was saying or not but either way, he couldn’t have been happier that he could see her perform on stage.

He was so going to brag to the other members tonight when he got home.

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[aventurine83]

The Two Gentlemen Of Verona

William James Moriarty x Reader

"You guys need to find new hobbies besides reading all day." Sherlock rolled his eyes as he pulled himself up on the cobbled ledge just a few inches higher than the street they had disposed of themselves to walk on, azure eyes transfixed on a certain blonde haired man within view of him, as well as you, who had your arm locked with William's.

"Atleast we do not make it a hobby of ours to sit by a window and gaze out of it with a melancholy stupor thrice a day with not much motive as its accomplice." you shot back, feeling a sense of satisfaction well up in your heart as you noted the change in expression you had inspired in the great detective.

"Tch. You're always such a smartass, aren't ya?" Sherlock groaned, a hand running through his now much longer raven hair, as he pulled it up into a ponytail yet again.

"I suppose the shop spoken of by you must be the one there." William turned his gaze to a small shop, furnished by brisk wood, flowers protruding from the doorway with an almost elegant look about it, if one surmised to glance at it charitably enough.

"Thats the one." Sherlock gave a brief nod. "Jewellery is real cheap there. And looks good too. Though I'll warn you, they only deal in silver and an amalgam of it with copper or brass to imitate gold. There's none of the pure deal when it comes to gold, not even a 20 carat, given how it is affordable and quite in the sorts when it comes to such a common part of Lewes."

"We would not want anything excepting that which is 'quite in the sorts', I assure you." William replied with a chuckle. "We have quite tired of the frivolity of the exemptions. We only wish for something to fulfill our desires for cherishing, and not much else. There is no need for a lavish expense for such a simple task."

"Aye, as simple as how none of Proteus' wealthy affections could win over Valentine's earnest love." you chuckled. William quite liked your statement, for he gave out a little laugh.

"Would you guys stop with the inner Shakespeare jokes?!" Sherlock groaned. "You're different from John and Mary, thats for sure. Their gifts to each other are nothing less than extravagant."

Once inside the shop, you and William picked out some beautiful jewellery for each other, paying for it in a manner of all due propriety before returning to your house in Brighton by the dusk, Sherlock as company.

By the time you had had dinner and settled down, and Sherlock bade leave to his own house after a hearty meal at yours, you slipped into your nightclothes and made yourself comfortable to the idea of sleeping with William cradling you in his arms. That was when you felt something cool slip onto your neck. The silver necklace that William had bought you today, with small charms of roses and birds hanging on to its slender body. You turned your head to the back to meet with scarlet eyes gazing into your irises, a wide smirk decorating the lips of the man you loved as he ran his hand gently up your spine before it came to rest on the nape of your neck, your bare skin humbled by the warm touch of his rough, calloused palm.

"At first I did adore a twinkling star." William recited, his finger tracing the necklace woven around your neck gently. "But now, I worship a celestial sun." His finger brushed your lips, tilting your head upwards as the sweet bitterness of his own lips locked with yours, throwing you into disarray as you longed for breath that you could not afford as your husband kissed you deeper still, his arm steady around your waist as he kissed you gently, his warm chest pressing against your back. "That was quite witty of you, to make a reference you knew Sherly would not be able to comprehend. The Two Gentlemen of Verona." he mused.

"Someone had to bring him down a peg or two." you grinned as you turned around to face William and pressed a kiss to his chest, an action that caused him to blush and smile. "Your words are bonds, your oaths are oracles, your love sincere, your thoughts immaculate, your tears pure messengers sent from your heart, your heart as far from fraud as heaven from earth." you said softly, tracing a line from his chest to his exposed collarbone with your fingers. You felt the man shiver beneath your touch, his heartbeat picking up pace as he surrendered himself to your unyielding desire for him.

"Love." William whispered quietly with all the manner of a dark blush evident on his face. "Do spare me from the teasing. I find it hard to find strength in myself to even stand upright."

"Then you are a man of small resistance." you teased, pulling William closer and kissing his chest passionately, drawing a low whimper from the man. You pressed a kiss next to his collarbone, leading him to instinctively grip you tighter and pull you in closer.

"Only for you, madam." William blushed. "And never would I be a fool enough so as to choose any Silvia over you, nay, you are far greater than even Silvia and Julia combined, my dearest love, (Y/N)."

[jarondont]

[HERMES, spoken]

Now everybody knows that walls have ears

[TELEMACHUS]

Is it true?

[SOULS]

Is it true?

[HADES, spoken]

What's that noise?

[HERMES, spoken]

And the walls had heard what the boy was saying

[TELEMACHUS]

Is it true?

[SOULS]

Is it true?

[HADES, spoken]

It's the boy!

[HERMES, sang]

A million tons of stone and steel...

[TELEMACHUS]

Is it true?

[SOULS]

Is it true?

[HERMES]

Echoed his refrain

[SOULS]

Low, keep your head, keep your head low

Oh, you gotta keep your head low

If you wanna keep your head

Oh, you gotta keep your head low

Keep your head, keep your head low

Oh, you gotta keep your head low

If you wanna keep your head

Oh, you gotta-

[ANDROMACHE & HELENUS]

Why do we turn away when our brother is bleeding?

[SOULS]

Oh, keep your head-

[POLITES & EURYLOCHUS]

Why do we build the wall and then call it freedom?

[SOULS]

Oh, keep your head-

[ACHILLES + PERIMEDES]

If we're free!

[PATROCLUS + ELPENOR]

Tell me why!

[HECTOR & CASSANDRA & PARIS]

I can't look in my brother's eye?

[SOULS]

Keep your head-

[HADES]

Young man

Got to hand it to you

Guess you don't scare easy, do ya?

Are you brave or stupid, son?

Doesn't matter which one

'Cause it seems your song made quite a strong impression on my wife

But it takes more than singin' songs to keep a woman in your arms

Take it from a man no longer young

If you want to hold a woman, son

Hang a chain around her throat

Made of many carat gold

Shackle her from wrist to wrist

With sterling silver bracelets

Fill her pockets full of stones

Precious ones, diamonds

Bind her with a golden band

Take it from an old man

[SOULS]

Ooohhh

[TELEMACHUS]

If I raise my voice-

[WORKERS, one-by-one]

If I raise my voice

If I raise my voice

If I raise my-

[THE FATES and COMPANY]

Keep your head low

[NAUSICAA]

If I raise my head-

[WORKERS]

If I raise my head

If I raise my head

If I raise my-

[THE FATES and SOULS]

Keep your head low

[NAUSICAA]

Could I change my fate?

[THE FATES and COMPANY]

Could I change-

Could I change-

Could I change my fate? Oh, you gotta keep your head low

[TELEMACHUS]

If I raise my voice could I-

[SOULS]

Keep your head low!

[TELEMACHUS and NAUSICAA]

Could I change the way it is?

[SOULS]

Why do we turn away instead of standing with him?

Oh, keep your head-

Why are we digging our own graves for a living?

Oh, keep your head-

If we're free

Tell me why

We can't even stand upright?

If we're free

Tell me when

We can stand with our fellow man

Keep your head-

[HADES]

Young man, I was young once too

Sang a song of love like you

Son, I too, was left behind

Turned on one too many times

Now I sing a different song

One I can depend upon

A simple tune, a steady beat

The music of machinery

You hear that heavy metal sound?

The symphony of Hadestown

And in this symphony of mine

Of power cords and power lines

Young man, you can strum your lyre

I have strung the world in wire

Young man, you can sing your ditty

I CONDUCT THE ELECTRIC CITY!

I'll tell you what, young man

Since my wife is such a fan

And since I'm going to count to three

And put you out of your misery

One!-- give me one more song

One more song before I send you

Two!-- to the great beyond

Where nobody can hear you singing

Three!--sing a song for me

Make me laugh, make me weep

Make the king feel young again

Sing for an old man!

OHHH THIS IS SO GOOD! THE OTHER CHARACTERS COMING IN YESSSS

[userminghao]

[241212] Billboard Music Awards Twitter Update:

The CARATs have spoken! 💎 @pledis_17 is the Top K-Pop Touring Artist! #BBMAs 

[everyoneswoo]

[241212] Billboard Music Awards Twitter Update:

The CARATs have spoken! 💎 @pledis_17 is the Top K-Pop Touring Artist! #BBMAs 

[lily-blue]

13 reasons why | reason no.10: they are enthusiastic about the holiday seasons

☆ characters: interim manager!soonyoung & rival!you (Eunseo - ‘97 liner) ☆ genre: coffee shop au, humour ☆ summary: you have always liked a good enemies to lovers story, but once your own y/n moments come knocking on your door, you come to realise that having a handsome rival is actually more tiring than it appears to be on paper ☆ words: 11,2k ☆ taglist: @dat-town​, @soobin-chois​

➼ chapter index

Even though working at your grandparents’ small bubble tea and coffee shop had started as a convenient part-time job beside your studies, the youthful atmosphere of the place and the freedom you had with the menu had grown on you through the years. Hence, when you had eventually graduated and gotten rejected by eight IT companies within a single month, you had decided to take on more responsibility in the family business. Your grandfather was nearing eighty-two after all, and your grandmother had always had a hard time not pampering him when he showed the tiniest signs of discomfort. With your chronic back pain that seemed to run in the family, you had never blamed the woman for spoiling the old man. Some days you wished you had someone who drew you hot baths and gave you amazing massages in the tub, too. Not that you wanted to picture your grandparents in a similar scenario.

Shaking your head with a carefree laugh, you placed the freshly made biscuits on a porcelain plate and carried the sweet dessert to the only occupied table in the shop. It was already past nine, which meant you were off the clock for the day, but as the granddaughter of the owners and the person who had spent almost every day behind the counter in the past six months, no one had the right to tell you that you weren’t allowed to have your friend over for some tea and biscuits while you were making the usual inventory rounds.

‘I was about to make some chocolate-banana biscuits this time, you know, nothing too crazy, but then I saw the caramel candies in the jar on the counter and I couldn’t help myself,’ you explained what had inspired your latest experiment with your desserts, pointing at the jar somewhere behind your back with your thumb from above your shoulder. ‘Feel free to say they taste like shit if they’re bad,’ you added with a sheepish smile like you always did when Hoyeon was about to have the first bite of your biscuits you couldn’t have taste-tested first. Unfortunately, your acne prone skin hated chocolate, so you tried to minimise your intake to zero.

‘Next time I’ll make sure to introduce you to Mingyu’s girlfriend. She’s a food critic and a really good one. I’m sure she would give you better feedback than I could ever do,’ the older girl said, even though she didn’t hesitate to take a huge bite from the biscuit. She was a huge supporter of your baking from day one, but because of her mild addiction to said dessert and the fact that she didn’t have a single rude bone in her body, she tended to compliment your biscuits even when they were too bitter due to the amount of cocoa powder you had used.

Still, you appreciated her gentle insights each and every time. You also liked watching her eat with such enthusiasm. Her facial expressions and exaggerated hums never failed to make you smile.

‘Oh? His granny finally found someone he actually likes?’ You inquired on your way back to the counter where you started to make a list of those ingredients you should have ordered some more of in the morning. You might not have known Mingyu super well - you could have counted on one hand how many times the two of you had spoken since Seungcheol had opened Coffee Carat -, but you were pretty up to date with the everyday happenings at the coffee shop on other side of the park because of your friendship with the owner’s fiancée.

Hoyeon liked talking about the guys like they were either her annoying older brothers or her precious babies. She was such a mom friend.

‘Nah, she’s the one who wrote that harsh criticism about our cupcakes. He took it a bit too seriously when he decided to change her mind about his baking skills,’ Hoyeon said, the amusement in her voice too obvious to miss. You had faintly remembered the day when your friend had told you about the article that had caused a temporary drop in the number of their customers, but since she hadn’t mentioned it ever since, you had assumed that the situation had been the exemplary case of “every storm runs out of rain”.

The thought that the tall baker had managed not only to score a date with the critic who had called his cupcakes average, but to successfully make it official with her in such a short period of time made you smile to yourself. You had always loved a good enemies to lovers story, so theirs only made you feel more certain that your Y/N moments were also waiting for you somewhere out there. Maybe, you should have gotten out more often.

Speaking of which….

‘Are you excited about Saturday?’ You asked your friend, stealing a quick glance at her from behind the counter. The closer the official date came, the more anxious you felt because of the biscuits you had promised to bake for their wedding, but to your surprise, Hoyeon rarely spoke about the big day recently. If you hadn’t known better, you would have thought that she had completely forgotten she would get married in three days.

‘I am, but not as much as I expected to be,’ she confessed as she shoved another piece of food into her mouth. She looked unbothered. Hell, she sounded pretty unbothered, too. You could have never. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I’m not happy or that I love Seungcheol any less, it’s just…’ she tried to put her thoughts into words that you could understand, so you didn’t push. Instead, you gave her as much time as she needed while you checked the storage room. You would need to order more recycled plastic cups from Rina and twelve bags of tapioca pearls, too. ‘We’re already living together. It doesn’t feel like such a big step.’

You nodded with a low hum in the back of your throat. What she said made perfect sense, actually.

‘You really are like a married couple, hah?’ You teased, relieved that their relationship with Seungcheol was as good as ever, hence you had been worried for no reason. You didn’t particularly like being wrong, but situations like this were obviously exceptions.

While you were talking about when you should have arrived at the venue on Saturday with all those sweets you planned to bake for them, you started to pack the unsold pastries into plastic containers. You were at the third box, a little bummed that you had so many cupcakes left that no one had wanted to buy, when Hoyeon made a light-hearted comment on how you might have also found someone at their wedding as her fiancé still had handsome yet single friends despite many of them getting in a serious relationship since the coffee shop had opened two years ago. Her silly way of advertising her boys plastered a small smile on your face.

‘I heard Joshua is off the market again,’ you chirped in, putting the full containers aside and turning towards the machines you had to scrub clean. ‘Too bad, I could picture myself going home from the party with him,’ you admitted, finding it almost amusing that usually, by the time you heard about Joshua’s break-up, he was already with another girl. It was like some higher power didn’t want you to shoot your shot with him at all, although the guy matched your ideal type nicely. He was attentive, always made sure to compliment you when you met and hadn’t belittled your effort when he had accidentally gotten to know that you had failed as a web developer before you could have started your career.

‘Argh, let’s not talk about those two, Seungcheol is already out of the game and if they don’t break up until the day after our wedding, Jeonghan can boss us around for a whole week. The both of us,’ Hoyeon complained, her mood getting sour only momentarily, until she shoved another chocolate-banana and caramel candy biscuit into her mouth.

You shook your head with a smile.

‘You should really stop making these bets. They just aren’t worth it,’ you advised, unsure whom you should have felt more sorry for. It might have been Joshua’s inevitable heartbreak on the line, but regardless of your conflicted feelings about the morality of these games, you were aware that whoever was the subject of them, they also knew about the competition. On the other hand, was it really worth risking giving so much power to Yoon Jeonghan for the mere possibility of controlling his life for a week? Highly unlikely.

Yet, they did it each and every time.

‘But they are,’ Hoyeon argued, telling you about that one time early into their relationship when Seungcheol had still lived with Jeonghan and Joshua and he had won the right to send the boys away from home without giving them any explanation. She claimed those had been the most peaceful movie night dates they had before her fiancé had found a nice apartment for them and Kkuma.

Once the biscuits were gone, Hoyeon offered to help you with cleaning the customer area and you accepted her help with a grateful smile. She didn’t have to, you would have gladly kept her entertained while closing the shop, but she did every time, the sweetheart she was.

Right on time, about an hour after Coffee Carat had closed its doors as well, Seungcheol knocked on the door of Freefall to pick up his fiancée. Before leaving, he asked you whether you needed any help with your old machines or if you had any boxes or sacks that were too heavy for you to carry from one place to another, but you just waved him off with a smile.

‘Eyes on the road!’ You said them goodbye, asking Seungcheol to make sure they both got home in one piece despite the late night traffic.

Closing the shop, you headed home ten minutes later. The small studio apartment you rented two corners from Freefall greeted you with silence and a sweet smell you couldn’t have described in any other way than home.

The traditional wedding ceremony didn’t last longer than an hour, and while both Seungcheol and Hoyeon (and their parents) looked amazing in their hanbok, you were grateful for it. As much as you loved reading about love, you had always had a hard time sitting still for a longer period of time. You would have hated it if they had thought you didn’t enjoy their big day - because you did! - just because you had your own shortcomings and more frequently than not, you felt antsy when you didn’t have anything productive to do.

Munching on your lower lip, you leaned closer to the myriad of desserts that were placed on one side of the venue, so that you could read their funny descriptions that had been written by Hoyeon and smell-test them before choosing which ones you would have liked to try.

‘You should try those! They might not look as fancy as the shortcakes, but those biscuits are fantastic. I’m telling you, I’ve already eaten like,’ the boy in the elegant, white shirt and deep orange dress pants claimed, counting on his fingers slowly with his eyes focusing on nothing in particular. ‘Six or seven. And I keep coming back for more!’

You took a moment to observe his features: the bright, genuine-looking smile on his face, his almond-shaped eyes that were barely visible due to how excited and happy he appeared to be and his fluffy black hair; a few stubborn strands were covering a part of his forehead. He looked handsome in an adorable way you had never before considered manly. Until now.

‘Aren’t you afraid I’ll eat all of them if they are really that good?’ You teased, paying close attention to his reaction. Despite assuming the best - you doubted either of the newlyweds would have invited douchebags for their wedding unless they were family -, you didn’t know him. And you didn’t feel like engaging in anything but a short conversation with someone who got offended easily. Your jokes could get pretty controversial after three tequila shots.

For a couple of seconds, the two of you were staring at each other with intent. Then, the boy shrugged nonchalantly and reached for a cinnamon biscuit that was one of the most basic flavours you had prepared for today. Initially, you had intended to bake your most special creations for the party after the ceremony, but on Thursday morning Seungcheol had dropped a sly comment on how obsessed Hoyeon was with this particular flavour and you couldn’t not have made five dozen of them when they were the bride’s recent favourite.

‘I don’t mind sharing, especially with someone so beautiful,’ he said, and instead of lifting the sweets in front of his mouth with his bare hand, you were surprised to realise that he was using a textile napkin to hand it to you.

‘Smooth, aren’t you?’ You asked, but accepted the baked good with a soft smile on your face, biting off a huge piece of it, not shying away just because it wasn’t too lady-like. If the boy couldn’t have handled this much, he wouldn’t have survived seeing you munching on burgers or pizza happily.

Gosh, were you already thinking about spending some time with him in different settings? Well, he had indeed passed the vibe check so far, but it wasn’t like you had known him for longer than two minutes. It must have been the wedding’s doing; it was messing with your head, making you borderline desperate.

Luckily, the boy couldn’t read your mind.

‘With so many couples around, you kind of have to be,’ he explained with a smile as he took a banana-chocolate and caramel candy biscuit in his hand. ‘You know, so that you could play it safe and say you didn’t mean that way when the other person’s partner shows up to punch you in the face out of freaking nowhere,’ he added, coaxing an amused scoff out of you with those exaggerated hand gestures he was making.

‘That’s alarmingly specific,’ you joked, wondering if he had accidentally hit on someone with a girlfriend or a boyfriend in the past few hours or if he was talking about a past incident. For some reason, maybe because of the soft, rose-tinted patches on his neck, the possibility that he was talking about someone else or making the scenario up didn’t even cross your mind.

The boy’s embarrassed chuckle was adorable. 

You reached for a caramel-apple shortcake next.

‘So… you didn’t mean it that way?’ You inquired after the first bite, the flavours dancing in your mouth, making it impossible to suppress the pleased moan that scratched your throat. It escaped the same moment you started your question, turning your cheeks the same colour as the boy’s neck was dressed in.

‘I mean, you’re drop dead gorgeous, so if you, by any chance, happen to be single, then I was definitely flirting with you, yeah,’ he admitted, ears burning by the time he stumbled over the last couple of words. So awkward. So endearing.

‘Good to know,’ you said with a hint of a smile in the corner of your lips before you took another bite from the shortcake and finished it by shoving the third in your mouth. Delicious. Should you have tried another flavour, too?

As you were contemplating which one you should go for, the mango-orange or the last piece of strawberry-crackers, you could feel the boy’s piercing eyes on you, but it wasn’t creepy or unpleasant. You did put more effort into your posture, though, straightening your back and tilting your head sideways just enough to give him a better view for the crook of your neck, but that was your business and no one else’s.

‘You didn’t like them?’ It was a half-question, half-statement, and you needed a few seconds to understand what he was talking about, but when you shifted your gaze from the table to his face and saw how fixated he was on the biscuits, it became crystal clear.

You shook your head, careful to not mess up your elegant, loose bun with the sudden motion.

‘I had more than enough of them while I was perfecting the recipe,’ you explained before you added as a clarification: ‘I made them.’

You didn’t mean to brag. In fact, you were determined to keep your voice nonchalant as if it hadn’t been a big deal, because you had already known he liked them enough to praise them in front of a stranger. You didn’t want him to think that you were full of yourself and found joy in deceiving him, even if only temporarily. However, the way the boy’s eyes lit up after your claim indicated anything but.

‘Really? Thank God Mingyu isn’t single anymore!’ He exclaimed, a relieved sigh escaping from his lips as he made a show out of wiping the nonexistent sweat off his forehead. He was so dramatic, but more entertaining than annoying.

‘Why? Afraid of a little competition?’ You teased, the thought that you should have gone easy on him and admitted that you weren’t interested in the baker anyway crossing your mind for a split second. But then again, where was the fun in that? It wasn’t like you were hurting his feelings on purpose. You didn’t even try to make him jealous, to be fair.

Whether it was your raised eyebrow or the tension in the air that grew with every second you spent in silence after your playful question, but the boy’s eventual reaction was everything a good comedian needed: wide eyes, parted lips and big hand gestures.

‘Hah! Not a chance! I love a good competition,’ he claimed with pride in every single word, fist tapping his chest multiple times in a manner that reminded you of gorillas from that one Disney movie about a kid who had grown up amongst them. Tarzan. The resemblance really cracked you up. Especially when he caught himself and let his hand fall back beside him with a pout. ‘Is there a competition, though?’

‘Why? Would you like to win me over?’ You pushed, just a little more, while you lifted the strawberry-cracker shortcake without whipped cream on the top in front of your lips.

‘I mean, this whole conversation already makes me feel like a winner, but…’

His unfinished sentence and the smug curve of his lips made you smile like a Cheshire cat, but you felt like he deserved to see your amusement on display after all that teasing, so you made no attempt at hiding your happiness from him. Coming to a wedding without a plus one was indeed a whole different experience. And not in the lonely, lowkey depressing way you had previously expected based on the number of couples who had been sat at the same table your name tag was on.

Speaking of name tags…

‘You could start with telling me your name,’ you suggested instead of calling him out on his lame pick-up line or whatever his comment had been supposed to be. You weren’t sure what it said about your personality and preferences or maybe, about your sense of humour, but you didn’t find his flirting too cringe just yet. 

‘Soonyoung,’ he introduced himself eagerly and you told him your name in exchange with a less wide but equally genuine smile.

‘Well, Soonyoung, let’s drink some and hit up the dance floor,’ you suggested, grabbing one last shortcake from the table (the mango-orange one, obviously) before you led him towards the bar at the end of the food section. You hadn’t drunk more than a glass of champagne so far, but you were determined to catch up with the rest of the guests before you embarrassed yourself in front of everyone dear to Hoyeon and Seungcheol. You see, you loved dancing, you always had fun moving your hips and limbs for mainstream, upbeat music, however, you wouldn’t have called yourself particularly talented.

Still, you loved dancing. No one could keep you off the dance floor when the opportunity to shake your booty presented itself. Your friends’ wedding couldn’t have been the exception. You just needed a shot or two first.

‘You should be careful with this one. Our Hoshi is a lightweight. Like, light. His drunk face is literally in the dictionary, check it out when you hit up “feather”,’ Yoon Jeonghan warned you as soon as you reached the bar with Soonyoung; the name Hoshi vaguely familiar from your friend’s stories.

‘I am not,’ Soonyoung insisted and you shifted your gaze from the blacked-haired boy to the blondie before you decided to not care too much about which one of them was right and asked for eight tequila shots from the bartender - two from each, silver and gold, for the two of you.

Waiting for the drinks, you listened to Jeonghan’s stories about their bi-monthly dude nights with the guys and tried not to let your confusion show when he yet again warned you about Soonyoung’s drunk antics: some sort of tiger agenda, whatever that meant.

‘Okay, now how about I tell some stories to Yoohyeon noona about your sappy ass whenever you hit your limit, hah?’ Soonyoung threatened, but before he could have spilled the beans to the blonde girl who sat beside Jeonghan, your shots were served and you pulled on his sleeve to gain his attention.

‘I’m pretty sure she knows about his sappy side,’ you tried to keep the peace as you handed the first shot to Soonyoung and poured a bit of salt on his empty hand.

You both managed to drink three shots in a row before they hit, so you gave the remaining two to the couple and pulled Soonyoung towards the small crowd in front of the DJ booth. To say he was an amazing dancer would have been an understatement. He moved his body like he was made of liquid - and not the way your body was also 60% of water - and did it so effortlessly, you started to wonder whether you were the one who couldn’t hold her alcohol instead. Why did your arms move so awkwardly compared to his?

Whatever. The music was exhilarating, the crowd wasn’t suffocating and Soonyoung didn’t show any interest in anyone else around while he was with you, encouraging you and even joining you when you started to perform silly disco moves from the last century. It was easily one of the best days of your life.

‘Food break?’ The boy asked you before you noticed that you were actually out of breath and you nodded, letting him wrap his pretty, long fingers around your wrist before he elbowed his way through the mass. How could someone’s hold be so firm but gentle at the same time? Should you have asked him whether he had visited a nail technician before the wedding? He had such pretty hands!

‘Drinks, too,’ you shouted, so that he could hear it despite the music and based on how he shot you a smile from above his shoulder and squeezed your wrist simultaneously, you were pretty sure you had succeeded.

You ended up at one of the tables where the guests could comfortably eat and converse, far enough from the dance floor to protect your voice from the aftereffects of constant screaming, and ate some real food while you shared funny stories of your lives with each other and how the two of you had gotten to know the newlyweds. Of course, as the afternoon turned into early evening then midnight, the two of you talked a few words with almost everyone from the guest list, but you spent most of your time on the dance floor, in each others’ arms, as you blended into the crowd after each necessary break.

If you had been a more chaotic drunk, you might have shed a few tears of joy because of how freaking comfortable your high heels were.

‘Afterparty at mine?’ Soonyoung asked between two upbeat songs, his warm breath fanning over your neck, making you shiver because of the thin layer of sweat that coated your skin.

You looked around to check your surroundings; you weren’t sure why you felt the need, but it came naturally as though you had been seventeen again, hesitant to leave your friends behind because of a pair of pretty eyes and a smile that turned them into tiny crescends. It wasn’t like you were responsible for anyone in the building other than yourself nor had you come with another person. Not to mention that Soonyoung wasn’t a complete stranger, either. As it had turned out during the party, he was actually close friends with many of your own friends and acquaintances.

You could see Joshua sitting with Jeonghan and Seungcheol by the bar with only the latter two having their girlfriends close. They were drinking and laughing at something that made Joshua pout. If you had been less drunk, you might have been able to put the puzzle pieces together, but with your mushy brain, the only conclusion you could come to was that they looked lost in their own world. You didn’t want to disturb them.

‘Let’s go,’ so you said, not registering how utterly rude it was that you didn’t say goodbye to anyone whom you didn’t bump into on your way out or that you wouldn’t be able to apologise to the newlyweds in person for two weeks - they would leave for their honeymoon in Thailand and Laos early afternoon, which meant meeting up with you would be the last thing on their priority list. That, and you would most probably be sleeping out your hangover somewhere. Preferably, at home.

Or maybe, at Soonyoung’s place as you were heading there for the promised afterparty with a pleased smile on your face and feather-like kisses on your bare shoulder in the backseat of a cab you didn’t remember calling.

Did you have expectations? Maybe. Did the two of you lick into each other’s mouth as soon as the front door closed shut behind your back? Absolutely.

Yet, once you reached Soonyoung’s bedroom and you fell onto his bed, you knew having sex with the boy was off the table. If it hadn’t been, he would have hovered over you and kept kissing you instead of laying down by your side.

‘Can we not take a shower right now? I’m sooo tired,’ the boy mumbled against your upper arm, his nose nuzzling the edge of your shoulder. You couldn’t see his face from this angle, but you were sure his eyes were already closed.

‘I mean, sure, I guess,’ you whispered back, feeling the tiredness creeping in slowly. Maybe, it was for the better. Having a one night stand with one of Hoyeon’s boys wouldn’t have been the wisest decision of your life even though a part of you still craved Soonyoung’s touch despite how heavy your eyelids were.

‘Yey!’ Soonyoung’s arm knocked the air out of your lungs as it swung over your chest, his excitement absolutely beyond you. Still, it would have been a lie to say that you didn’t enjoy the way he hugged you close like you were his human-sized teddy bear. ‘You’re the best! The coolest person,’ he exclaimed happily, coaxing an airy chuckle out of you with his child-like behaviour. He was so ridiculous.

That night, you fell asleep in your sweaty clothes, atop of the softest blankets that would have felt like heaven over you, listening to Soonyoung’s endless chatter about how much he loved his mom, but how she would have forced him to take a shower immediately. At that point, it was lost on you why the woman refused to appear in your dreams. Certainly, you knew more details about her habits than you knew about your own parents’.

In the morning, you regretted not insisting on taking a shower before falling asleep. You also felt like you were about to get sick. Not because of how gross you felt or how bad both of you smelled, but because your throat was sore. Your body had definitely missed the warmth of a blanket over the night.

Was your head hurting because of the blinding light that came through the windows or was it your hangover? With your luck, it could be both.

Letting out a groan, you carefully lifted the boy’s arm off your middle and sat up, looking for your balance and the will to move. It would have been so easy to just lay back and stare out of your head. You could have even gone for a morning quicky with…

Yeah, it would have been wiser if you had just left.

Taking one last glance at the sleeping boy, you bit back an amused chuckle at the sight of his drooling face. Gross, but in some weird way, cute as well. Could you have developed a crush on someone so different from all the boyfriends you had ever had? Of course, it had to be one of Hoyeon’s boys.

Shaking your head, you pushed yourself up into a standing position, then left the flat without leaving as much as a note behind. If he wanted to see you again, he knew where to find you. It wasn’t like you were running away from him. But he had never asked for your kkt ID, either, or any of your other contact information through the night.

You refused to believe wanting some reassurance that the boy planned to stay in touch with you was a bitch move. You had every right to keep your walls up regardless of what you had done or hadn’t done a couple of hours ago.

What you hadn’t expected, though, was Soonyoung storming into Freefall three days later, before your grandparents’ bubble tea and coffee shop would have opened for the customers, accusing you of playing dirty. As you furrowed your eyebrows, confusion clearly written on your face, your fingers turned white around the orange white board marker in your hand. The door should have had the CLOSED sign on. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been standing on a ladder, finishing up the decoration for the Halloween season instead of standing behind the cash register in your uniform.

With your back to the front door, you took a deep breath and let your hand fall by your side; then you took hold of the ladder, so that you could climb down without breaking a bone. As you turned around and raised a challenging brow at the boy, you wondered how you could have missed the crazy glint in his eyes last time. Because as you were staring daggers at him, it was clear as day that he was nuts as hell.

‘Playing dirty? How so?’ You asked, linking your arms in front of your chest to show him he did not intimidate you, although your stiff posture might have looked defensive on second thought. Whatever. You simply raised your chin higher.

‘Carved pumpkins instead of fake pumpkins?’ He pointed at the scary-looking decoration you had put out the day before, the scoff that escaped his mouth mocking. ‘POPcorn maze in the customer area?’ He huffed, stomping his feet. ‘Pumpkin latte?’

You rolled your eyes at the last addition. Did he really think he had any right to call dibs on serving pumpkin latte in October? And since when had he worked in a coffee shop to begin with? Wasn’t he a choreographer at his bestie’s workplace or what?

‘What does any of these have to do with you?’ You inquired, scolding yourself mentally for assuming that he had been hinting at your night together (and the way you had left) when he had walked into the shop. Clearly, it was all about your handmade decoration that had been inspired by the moodboards you had seen on Pinterest.

As far as you were concerned, he had no idea who he was screaming at like a child.

‘I’m the manager at Coffee Carat until the owner is on his honeymoon. You know, the coffee shop you’re stealing your ideas from,’ he accused you, his stupid index finger pointing at you like he knew no manners. Based on his complaints about his nagging mother, you would have thought she had raised a decent son. What a waste of looks!

‘Not that I owe you any explanation, but I found these ideas on the internet. Also, thinking that pumpkin latte is something you owe is really entitled of you,’ you said. The longer he was staring at you with those vengeful eyes, the more frustrated you felt. ‘There’s still half an hour until the shop opens, by the way. So, as the manager of this shop, I need to ask you to take your baseless accusations somewhere else, Kwon Soonyoung!’

Even from the generous distance that separated the two of you, you could see it in the boy’s eyes when the realisation hit him: those chocolate orbs became twice as big as their usual size and it seemed he had momentarily forgotten how to blink.

‘You…’ he mumbled, his gaze sliding to the displays on your left and the boards above your head you still had to finish. ‘The biscuits…’

It was hard not to find the situation ridiculous, but you refused to acknowledge the comedy in his taken aback features that slowly morphed into something indecipherable. Was he happy to see you again? Was he mortified that he had accused you of stealing ideas that weren’t even his to begin with? Did he feel regret for acting so rude?

If any of these cases was true, he didn’t admit it. Instead, he let out a puff of air and linked his arms, checking you out from the top of your head to your torso - the last part of your body he could see from where he was standing.

‘If you think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re pretty and fun and smell like candies, you’re dead wrong,’ the boy said with his chin held high, making you scoff with his claim. You genuinely didn’t get what his deal was. Why did he take his time to come over to your shop to scream at you when he was only an interim manager and your coffee shops weren’t even competitors. Freefall mostly lived off on its bubble teas and biscuits while Coffee Carat served more quality coffees and amazing pastries.

Not to mention that you were close friends with Hoyeon, hence with Seungcheol as well. Had he not put two and two together considering that the two of you had met at their wedding? Or did he seriously believe that you were the kind of person who would have used their absence to your advantage and undermined their business? With what? Halloween themed decoration? It made no freaking sense.

You were about to tell Soonyoung that there was something seriously wrong with him when he spun on his heels and turned his back to you. He walked out the door without a proper goodbye - you couldn’t help but wonder whether it was his way of showing you how it felt to be on the receiving end of such an unpleasant exit -, the echo of the door sliding back into its frame filling the quiet atmosphere.

It took you longer than you would have ever admitted aloud to put yourself together once the silence sat on your chest. However, the time was ticking and you still had things to do before you opened the shop, so you willed your limbs to move.

You knew you had done nothing wrong or malicious when you had decided to change up the interior design of Freefall to suit the holiday season. You refused to let Soonyoung convince you of anything that suggested otherwise.

The following dawn, as you were walking to your grandparents’ bubble tea and coffee shop from your flat, you took a detour. You didn’t mean to spy on your rival, but last night you had been too tired to check out what Soonyoung had been so upset about and you would have much preferred knowing what you were up against. After all, that grown ass child had acted like he was about to march into war. It was both scary and ridiculous.

You considered yourself a laid back, chill person in your whole life. You weren’t one who got easily intimidated, either. You hadn’t broken down and thought that your life had been about to end when you couldn’t have secured a nice office job with your degree. Yet, you felt a tad bit jittery when you put the edges of your palms on the window of Coffee Carat and peeked into the building.

‘What the…’ you breathed, barely able to comprehend all the changes the interior design had gone through since the wedding. Instead of the usual, light brown and beige colours, the shop was dominated by dark grey and orange. There were (hopefully) fake spiderwebs around the windows and the coffee machines. The boards had the same skeleton and pumpkin drawings you had finished the day before just before opening and there was a POPcorn maze on one side of the customer area, the kpop version of it just like in Freefall.

Ever since Seungcheol had opened the shop, you had never seen Coffee Carat looking this… this during any of the Western holiday seasons.

‘A-ha! I knew it!’ You heard a familiar voice from behind you and your entire body tensed as you had thought you still had time. Why was he here so early in the morning when even the place’s owner preferred to show up later, a mere hour and a half before opening?

You should have still had time.

‘What? I didn’t do anything,’ you protested, mentally cursing yourself for sounding so lame. Because really, hearing these cheap lines, even you wouldn’t have believed yourself despite knowing more than anyone that this wasn’t what it looked like.

To make it worse, you spun around with the speed of lightning, like touching the window had burnt you: like you had been caught red-handed, when you hadn’t been. You had never stolen a single thing in your life, stealing stupid decoration ideas would have been the last thing you would have started your criminal career with.

Soonyoung narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the right. Fists balled up, you wished you could have wiped that stupid frown off his face.

‘I’m off to work,’ you claimed, hating the feeling of powerlessness and the palpable tension in the chilly, morning air. You craved to be in control.

So you bid your goodbye with mocking respect and turned your back to the boy, determined to get to the pedestrian crossing before the lights turned red again. Obviously, it was too far for you to succeed, but at least Soonyoung didn’t follow you. He seemed to be more than content with the reaction he had coaxed out of you.

That and with those smug accusations he screamed after you.

‘If you weren’t guilty, you wouldn’t run away. You’ve just proved I was right all along.’

You hated him for his confidence when it was clear to you that he was wrong and you hated yourself even more for giving Soonyoung fake evidence that only fueled his desire to destroy you in this ridiculous, coffee-centric Battle royal you had no intention to play.

The first week while Hoyeon and Seungcheol were away was both heaven and hell. On one hand, your childish competition with Soonyoung helped your creativity: you came up with new recipes every other day, you went as far as carving little skeleton bones from the jellies you put into your bubble teas and you managed to organise a daily lottery in which the more receipts a customer had, the bigger chance they got to win themselves a handmade keychain or bracelet and other boba-themed prices. Due to your immense effort, there were more people in the shop during the past days than in the previous months combined and that was huge. It was freaking awesome!

On the other hand, you hadn’t felt so emotionally and physically drained since your uni days. It was hard to have a new, original idea every day; not to mention the extra hours you needed to spend on turning each one of them into reality. Because those cute keychains and bracelets didn’t create themselves. The jelly didn’t become bone-shaped overnight on its own. Not to mention how tiring it was to banter with Soonyoung each morning before opening just for him to shop up after closing as well, bragging about their sales.

Of course, you could have locked him out, but as much as you didn’t want to admit, the boy’s extremes inspired you when you let your last remaining brain cell spread its wings in his company. Usually, you were carving jellies by the time he closed the shop on the opposite side of the park, so it wasn’t like you had to stand or move your stiff limbs around too much. You just sat still, like you did at that moment, humming along his endless chatters with your gaze fixed on the fruity goods.

‘It’s a Korean-Italian fusion Mingyu came up with. It was sold out in an hour,’ he claimed with his whole chest, sliding a familiar food container towards you with two slices of creamy cakes in it. At first glance, they looked like classic tiramisu, but they were orange-coloured and smelled like vanilla and pumpkin instead of freshly brewed coffee.

‘I thought it’s sold out,’ you commented with a brow raised in challenge before you turned back to your jellies. Based on the sales of the last two days, you needed to carve at least one more kilo of these and it was already nearing eleven. You genuinely wondered whether the holiday season was really worth the hype.

‘Yeah, but then Mingyu made some more. Obviously,’ he replied, pushing the container closer to you, urging you to have a bite. And honestly, they looked mouth-watering.

‘Obviously,’ you hummed, putting aside your work for a moment, so that you could fish out the metal dessert fork from beside the cake and have a bite from the baker’s new creation.

You didn’t expect Soonyoung to stand up and walk towards the counter for a pair of plastic gloves, but you were grateful for it deep down. Even if you watched him with hawk eyes as he tried his best to turn your regular jellies into Halloween-themed ones for God knew why. Shouldn’t he have been happy that you allowed him to steal some of your time? Should you have been more wary of his skills?

‘What are you doing?’ You asked suspiciously, taking another, bigger bite from the creamy cake that melted in your mouth. It tasted like a pumpkin pie, but it was lighter like you were cutting bites from a sweetened cloud with distinct vanilla flavour. Genius.

‘Making sure you get in bed before midnight,’ he retorted and you scoffed without malice when his smile became bigger at the sight of his own work. He looked so proud of himself, you decided to let him have this moment and enjoy the sweet treat instead.

Once the dessert was gone, you got up from your seat and stretched your body. Then, you walked up to the counter and poured some tea for the both of you into porcelain mugs, but with lots of tapioca pearls.

‘Here,’ you said when you slid the brown mug closer to him and took a seat from across him with your own bowl of jellies in front of you.

You intended to work in complete silence, so that you could have finished for the day as soon as possible, but Soonyoung had different plans. Between two sips, he chatted your ears off about his best friend and the guy’s girlfriend who apparently worked for the same company the two of them did. He told you about this new project Jihye was working on on her own - the very first mini album she composed without Jihoon -, then made you promise that you wouldn’t talk about this top secret comeback to anyone you knew. As if he hadn’t been the one who couldn’t have kept his mouth shut! The audacity.

You rolled your eyes and refused to swear secrecy.

‘Do your grandparents know you work so late?’ He asked at the end, breaking the momentary silence and making you look at him with indecipherable feelings in your eyes.

You didn’t understand why he asked. Admittedly, you didn’t understand why he stayed after he had rubbed their new dessert’s success into your wounds; your pumpkin-chocolate biscuit had been a huge failure that day. In hindsight, you should have gone for a combination you could have actually taste-tested yourself. A lesson that had been relearned the hard way.

You missed Hoyeon so much.

‘No, they don’t. But it’s only because of the stupid war you started, so they don’t have to know,’ you said, intending to keep your messed up sleep schedule from your grandparents as long as possible. Normally, you didn’t like lying. It made you antsy because you were bad at remembering those details that made your semi-truths believable and often got caught at the worst moments possible. However, you told yourself no October lasted forever. Making them worried because of a couple of extra hours of work would have been useless. ‘It’s temporary.’

Based on your history with Soonyoung - short but impactful -, you expected him to push you a bit, maybe call you out on lying and neglecting your health. In response to these, you would have kindly told him that you had been through worse in university and once again reminded him that it was all his fault. But he remained silent and with that… with that, you had no idea what to do.

You glanced at him a little worried and seeing the pout on his lips, you kept staring, trying to figure out what could have been going on in his head.

You were aware that you weren’t subtle about where your focus lay, but it still took you off guard when Soonyoung noticed and he masked his emotions immediately. Within seconds, his almost sad pout turned into a smug grin and his eyes disappeared because of his fake happiness. You might not have been friends, more like frenemies, really, but for some reason, you didn’t like that he felt he couldn’t be himself around you.

‘Like what you see?’ He teased you, the pick-up line as old as time and twice as cringe, but you just shook your head and turned back to your jellies.

‘Just keep carving those jellies and sipping on your drink. You said you wanted me in bed by midnight,’ you reminded him with a small, hidden smile in the corner of your mouth. His red cheeks and slightly parted lips were enough to bring your mood back up. In fact! While he was trying to come up with a cool, sassy comeback, you mapped out whole ass dialogues in your head, entertaining yourself with your own hypothetical remarks that aimed at turning the boy redder.

Sure, their desserts sold better, their coffee tasted better, but at the end of the day, at least he couldn’t beat you in your own game. Flirting shamelessly while you were switching between acting coy and as though you were down to anything was your element. You thrived off his amused scoffs and unconscious stutters.

That day, only your endless banters were longer than the night itself. However, you managed to finish the rest of the jellies almost twenty minutes before midnight, which gave you plenty of time to get home before the clock hit 12 AM. You might have refused to let the boy walk you home once he figured out you lived close and failed to get under the sheets before the new day officially began, but you did text Soonyoung when your head hit the pillow. You fell asleep not long after, for the unmistakable sound of an incoming message wishing you sweet dreams.

During the second week, some days were spent in a good mood regardless of your sales, some days were horrible and you wished you had been able to act like you were the bigger person and never engaged with a lunatic (affectionate?) like Kwon Soonyoung. Because the dude had difficulties sensing your boundaries and you snapped easier when you were running on four hours of sleep.

The worst part was the immense amount of guilt that overwhelmed your sense whenever the silence embraced you after you raised your voice at the boy. It made you feel like you were one of those people you had never gotten along with because of your harsh humour: people who took every joke personally. Self-loathing didn’t match well with your usual vibe. On the other hand, it generously contributed to your sour mood hidden behind your customer service smiles.

A teeny tiny voice in your head told you that you should have told Soonyoung to stop with this nonsense. He must have already figured it out that you had never intended to copy their decoration and their damned pumpkin latte that he had never had an ownership over. So what was the point of fighting?

As you called for the customer who had ordered a large Cantaloupe milk tea and handed over the drink with a smile, the same voice, with a pinch of mockery to it, called you out mentally on how playful banters and late night snacks shared over personal anecdotes didn’t count as fighting. You frowned, knowing more than anyone that if you had wanted to shut the boy out of your life, you could have easily locked the door after the last customer left Freefall. Yet, you never did.

The realisation that you wanted the holiday season to end as much as you didn’t want the boy to go back to working as a full-time choreographer left a bitter taste in your mouth. What kind of insane person developed a crush on someone so impossible? Soonyoung had been making your life four times harder since your lives had crossed paths. You let out a dramatic sigh. You had never pegged yourself as a masochist before.

Taking a new plastic cup into your hand, you reached for the metal ladle that you used for the tapioca pearls and poured a generous amount into the empty container to prepare the next drink: a medium sized Matcha milk tea.

‘Hey,’ you heard a faintly familiar voice from the other side of the counter. You stole a glance at the customer from above your shoulder and acknowledged his presence with a small nod before you turned back towards the tea you were making.

‘I’ll be there in a moment,’ you promised with your back to Soonyoung, silently wondering what he was doing at your shop so early. Even if it had been him who had opened the coffee shop this morning and Wonwoo had been the one who closed it, it was only 1 PM. He knew you didn’t sell anything at Freefall that could have been considered a nutritious, filling lunch.

Did he have his food container with him or something? It was true that you couldn’t have seen it from where you were standing.

Once the cup sealing machine did its magic, you called for the customer who had paid for the Macha milk tea, then turned towards Soonyoung with your palms on the countertop.

‘What can I get for you?’ You asked, your head tilted to the right, left eyebrow raised slightly. What you really wanted to ask was what he was doing here in the middle of the day when he had never once been at the shop when it was open for customers. You couldn’t help but feel alarmed due to the sudden change.

‘I’m sorry,’ he blurted out, his gaze weirdly fixated on the biscuit display and those colourful, plastic straws that were stuffed in a cylinder-shaped container next to the cash register. Your right eyebrow caught up with the other one, wrinkling your forehead in the process.

‘For what?’ You asked, his reasons genuinely lost on you. Sure, he had done many things in your short acquaintanceship that rubbed you the wrong way, but you were fairly certain that you had pissed him off just as many times in return with your snarky remarks. Neither of you had ever said sorry at those moments, but neither of you had been affected by the incidents afterwards, either.

If you wanted to be completely honest, his sudden urge to apologise was unnerving. It had a feel of finality to it as though he wanted to clear the air before disappearing on you. 

‘For this whole thing. I got too excited about being the best manager and… I’ve never wanted to stress you out,’ he explained and honestly, it was too easy to admit that you missed the big hand gestures that usually accompanied his rambles.

‘Where’s this coming from?’ You asked, trying to keep your cool instead of overthinking what could have possibly been going on in his mind. With Soonyoung, it had never been easy to see the logic behind the word vomits that left his mouth. But you loved the challenge and had learned with time that all you needed to do was ask. He was chaotic by nature, but he had the patience to explain almost anything to you in detail two or three times in a row while you were willing to listen. Hell. You just had to ask! ‘If it’s because I screamed at you yesterday, it’s fine. I came in sooner today and made enough tapioca pearls for the day, no biggie. I was just tired,’ you reassured him with a pseudo-nonchalant wave of your hand.

In hindsight, you could see that you must have crossed a line last night when Soonyoung had accidentally dropped a 10 litre cooking pot’s worth of tapioca pearls on the floor while he had been holding the ladder for you behind the counter, meaning you not only needed to clean up the mess, but also remake the whole thing. (Not to mention the waste of ingredients.) Still, at that moment your frustration had felt justified, so you didn’t intend to apologise. However, saying that you two were fine was something you could do with your chest.

‘Actually, hyung said I should come over and apologise for my actions on my own if I don’t want him to drag me over here by my ear,’ Soonyoung admitted after the momentary silence, somehow turning it even deeper with his confession. For a second, you were seriously at a loss for words.

But then, you failed to contain your laughter. How was someone like him real?

‘So now you’re sorry or not?’ You asked, half-amused, half-bewildered due to the unexpected turn of events. You had already had a hard time keeping up with the apology, but finding out that it hadn’t even been his idea to begin with was seriously messing with your head. It gave you a whiplash. Should you have been angry with him that he had come here to give you an insincere apology? Should you have felt relieved that seemingly he hadn’t meant to change your dynamic?

‘Well, if I really stressed you out, then yes. Otherwise, not really,’ he said and lacking a better reaction, you let out a scoff-like chuckle. At least, he was honest till the end; it provided you some familiarity you could hold onto. It pulled you out from your messy thoughts and helped you get back in the game. 

‘I mean, you can be a bit too much sometimes and you clearly have no idea when not to push someone…’ you teased because it was your thing from the get-go and it would have been such a shame to waste the perfect opportunity to shift things back to normal. ‘But I wasn’t too nice all the time, either, so I guess it’s fine. I enjoy our late night snacks more than I’d like to admit,’ you added with a tight lipped smile.

You weren’t proud of your mistakes, but you could admit it when you were in the wrong.

‘Me too!’ He exclaimed happily, drawing some of your customers’ attention at himself with his loud voice before he sheepishly lifted his hand to his nape and started to scratch it. ‘Though, I got fired an hour ago.’

You furrowed your brows and Soonyoung dived into the story without further interrogation. Lips ridiculously kissable and pouty, the boy explained that now that Seungcheol was back, his hyung didn’t need extra help at the coffee shop and that when he had been joking around, asking his friend what he would do without such a capable manager in the future, the older man had kindly declined his help and let him know that the mental health of his employees would always be more important to him than their profit.

‘It turns out, Mingyu was complaining about me to them throughout their entire honeymoon. Can you believe it?’ He whined, the flicker of hurt in his eyes faint but visible. It urged you to wrap him up in your hands and pull his chin atop of your shoulder, so that you could pat his head and comfort him with your closeness.

But there were already new customers waiting for their turn behind his back, hence you had to set your priorities as the owner’s granddaughter straight.

‘Go wait at that table,’ you pointed at one of the empty spots in the temporary POPcorn maze where people could enjoy good music and check out numerous different kpop albums’ photo books courtesy of your cousin. You had offered free drinks for her and two of her friends for a whole month in exchange for her collection, but Eunhye said she was happy to help. She had also said these albums only collected dust in her bedroom, so it was nice that she could share them with your customers. She was such an angel! ‘I’ll be there after I serve the customers.’

The promise earned a sweet smile from Soonyoung and it warmed your heart, but you had a job to do, so you quickly schooled your facial expressions and put on your customer service smile that was equally genuine, but in a different way.

As soon as the boy walked away from the counter, you turned towards the couple who took a step forward and took their order. You prepared them a medium iced tea and a large milk tea, then repeated the same process with four more people. You worked efficiently, hence it didn’t take that long. And you loved your job, so no matter how much you wanted to comfort Soonyoung at that moment, making sure that each and every customer got the best service you could offer didn’t feel like a bother at all.

It was Freefall’s policy that customers had to pick up their order at the counter. It was a must because your shop didn’t have any waitresses who could have walked around the customer area without the counter being left unsupervised. However, once you prepared a surprise Taro milk tea with bone-shaped jellies and tapioca pearls for Soonyoung, you decided to make an exception for him.

He had just gotten fired. Despite knowing from the beginning that it was a temporary job, he deserved some pampering. He loved being a manager at Coffee Carat.

‘Just so you know, you’re always welcomed here. Even after closing time. Even if you’re not a crazy, Halloween season-obsessed manager anymore,’ you teased when you placed the cup in front of him on the table.

He looked at the drink with wide eyes then shifted his gaze to you with an amused glint in those brown sugar orbs.

‘I was never!’ He linked his arms in front of his chest, pseudo-offended, but untied them soon, so that he could take the milk tea in his hand. Such a weirdo!

‘Sure, you were,’ you indulged him and patted his shoulder once, twice, three times before you walked back to the counter.

You tried not to stare at him while you were waiting for new customers, but regardless of your efforts, you saw the smile on his face when he took the first sip and that smug grin, too, that he shot in your direction when he left the bubble tea shop. He seemed happier.

He hadn’t visited you that night, but he came back to Freefall after closing time frequently in the following weeks. Without the illogical rivalry between you, there were less banters and more meaningful conversations passed around that filled the tranquil, past-sunset atmosphere while you were cleaning the shop. You got to know how close his relationship was with his family members and in exchange you explained to him why you had felt the need to move out from home despite staying in the same city where your parents and grandparents lived.

Your values were similar in many aspects, although you had your fair share of differences. For one, he couldn’t shut up while you were watching movies together and it got increasingly worse when it was something he had already seen. When he was around, it was impossible to not hear a spoiler every ten minutes, which meant that after the third time his rambles had gotten you frustrated, you had needed to come up with creative ways to soothe your urge to strangle him in a spoonful of water. Chips and popcorn were a must on those nights. He needed his mouth to be full to stay quiet.

You realised you were hopelessly gone for him nevertheless when your gossip sessions with Hoyeon started to involve your detailed reports about your not-date dates with the boy. You liked complaining about him in an endeared way to the older girl (mostly because she knew him personally, hence she considered both of your sides when she expressed her opinion) and listening to the older girl’s predictions about where your relationship was heading.

‘When’s your next day off?’ Soonyoung’s question reached your ears, pulling you back to the present. You looked up at him from the coffee machine, wondering when he could have arrived and just how deep you could have been in your thoughts that you hadn’t heard the bells above the front door.

‘Hm…’ you pondered, thinking through your schedule. You had promised your grandfather to supervise the restocking on Monday, but you were supposed to be free in the afternoon. ‘On Monday. Why?’

You put back the clean water container into the machine and wiped off the stray droplets from the counter.

‘Seungkwan, Chan and their girlfriends are going to an escape room date on Sunday. Was wondering whether we could join them, but it’s fine. Maybe, some other time,’ he said and took the mop in his hands with practised ease, getting to work immediately.

You let out a hum, chewing on your cheek from the inside as you were contemplating. The escape room date sounded fun and there were still three days until Sunday. Maybe, you could have made it work.

‘I’ll speak with grandpa. I might be able to make it work, but no promises,’ you said, earning a happy squeal from the boy. Seeing his obvious excitement, you linked your arms in front of your chest and shook your head. ‘Soonyoung, I said no promises,’ you reminded him in case he had misheard you, not wanting to put him into an uncomfortable position by cancelling the program at the last minute. It was better to be safe than sorry.

‘I know,’ he claimed, turning back to his work and breaking the silence within the next ten or so seconds.

As always, time flew quickly while you were filling the silence with mindless conversations. You asked him about the new choreo he was admittedly struggling with and you let him taste-test the new biscuit recipe you had a hard time perfecting. There was nothing unusual in your interactions: they were borderline shameless, flirty and light-hearted.

No wonder you were taken aback when Soonyoung hugged you from behind when you were about to grab your padded jacket and turn off the lights.

‘I really like you, you know?’ He murmured into the crook of your neck, his weight on your shoulders not too heavy, but slightly unpleasant after hours of working behind the counter. You couldn’t wait to stand under the shower head and let the warm water work its magic on the knots around your blade bones.

‘I had a feeling, but it’s always nice to hear,’ you teased, your answer playful and lacking any malice. You were confident that he knew you weren’t disregarding his feelings. You felt the same way.

The palm that slid over your tummy sent a pleasant shiver down your spine.

‘Can I kiss you? I’d like to kiss you,’ Soonyoung inquired and you furrowed your brows due to his unexpected straightforwardness. It wasn’t like you had never kissed before, but neither of you had initiated anything more than reenergizing hugs and coy hand-holdings since your friends’ wedding.

You turned around in his arms, so that you could see his eyes.

‘Is everything okay?’ You asked, worry lacing your voice, and he shook his head, blushing. You raised an eyebrow to dare him to refuse to give you an honest answer.

‘Jeonghan hyung said you are out of my league. That I better shoot my shot before someone steals you away from me,’ the boy whispered, clearly embarrassed. If he hadn’t looked so vulnerable, you would have teased him how easy it was to manipulate him, to influence his decisions. Like when he had apologised to you because Seungcheol had told him so even though he hadn’t been sorry.

However, Soonyoung was clearly in a fragile state of mind, so you brushed aside the memory and cupped his cheeks gently.

‘And since when is Yoon Jeonghan a qualified relationship expert?’ You asked, shaking your head in disapproval. ‘Of course, you can kiss me,’ you gave him permission and a bit of extra push as well when he didn’t act on desires right away.

Soonyoung’s lips were fluffy albeit a little chapped. The press against your mouth light as a feather until he finally overcame his shock and reciprocated the kiss.

A part of you - a tiny voice suspiciously akin to Hoyeon’s - wanted to ask him about labels as soon as you came up for air, but then he leaned in again and your thoughts became scrambled like a poorly made omelett. The night didn’t stay on the path you would have preferred it to take, but ended up being just as delicious.

When you arrived at your place half an hour later, you weren’t just sleeping in your bed and unlike you, he didn’t leave in the morning. Instead, he took you on a breakfast date.

➼ next reason

[februaryflowers]

a touch of maple

order up: (matcha) strawberry popping pearls for vernon + @woozisnoots​ !​

coffeeshop au meet cute fluff

check out the (now closed) carat writers club summer fair event!

warnings: none

just cute fluff meetings, 646 words, vernon x reader

Life was boring, to say the least. It was becoming a cycle of waking up, getting ready for work, doing your office job, coming home, having dinner, and going to bed. There was so much more you wanted from it, yet there wasn’t enough time in the day to find it. 

So to avoid the monotony, you’d started to order the same drink as the person in front of you in line at the cafe every morning before work. You’d have a new beverage every day and be able to expand your palette. What could go wrong?

Well, a lot more people than you realized had…questionable taste, to say the least. You remember a little too well the time the person in front of you ordered a coffee that was so rancid you swore off all caffeinated beverages for the next week. 

Despite your efforts to branch out, that beverage was just so disgusting that you’ve been avoiding ordering a new drink and have simply been sticking to your usual coffee. But there’s just something in the air today that urges you to try again.

The bells tinkle above the door as you push it open, letting the warm scent fill your nose. The line is a little longer than you’d like, but at least your favorite cafe is finally getting the business it deserves.

Pulling out your phone, you scroll aimlessly through your emails as you wait. It’s all the usual, unremarkable: requests from coworkers and bosses for files and help, advertisements, whatever other tasks that you had been assigned to do.

With a sigh, you place it back in your pocket, watching the shrinking line from the corner of your eye.

You’ve definitely seen the guy in front of you before. Perhaps it was here, since the barista at the counter recognizes him and gives him friendly small talk before he orders.

“I’ll take a hot chocolate with maple, please,” he finally says, his boyish and casual tone ringing a bell. 

The employee puts in the order and takes his cash as he moves to the side.

Then you’re hit with the “Hi, how can I help you?”

“I’ll get what he got,” you reply, pointing at the previous customer.

“Maple syrup hot chocolate?” he repeats, to which you nod before he rings you up. 

As the barista prepares your order, you step to the side, finding yourself right next to the mystery man. Side-eyeing him, you swear you’ve seen him here before, maybe jamming out to something on the headphones that sit around his neck. Something about him is just so…familiar, even if you haven’t spoken yet. 

“I usually find the chocolate here a little bitter,” he pipes up, catching your eyes and sliding his headset to his neck. “So I always get something sweet like maple syrup or whipped cream with it.”

“Oh?” You turn to him, blinking. He’s…really talking to you right now? About your random copycat drink order? “I’ve never had the hot chocolate here,” you admit.

“Well you’ll have to let me know how it tastes,” he quips. 

“Vernon and y/n,” the barista calls, placing your steaming cups on the counter. 

“Nice to meet you, Vernon,” you say, smiling as you watch him pull his sweatshirt sleeves over his hands to hold the hot drink.

He grins in return, standing patiently and staring at you, as if to beckon you to try the chocolate. 

Rolling your eyes playfully, you bring the lid to your lips, deep, creamy chocolate meeting your tongue topped off by the rich maple syrup mixed in.

“It’s…delicious…” you gasp, wiping the small mustache it left above your mouth with a napkin. 

Watching as you immediately bring it in for another sip, he smiles, a silly one that comes over his face and causes his eyes to crinkle. “Well, I’d say you have good taste.”

[rubyreduji]

ugh your post about people misrepresenting woozi and his emotions was TOO REAL. you get it. i feel people do that with Vernon a lot as well - they make him sound like a complete and utter meme bro with minimum thoughts and no observational or critical thinking skills.

a big problem a lot of kpop stans have is judging the idols on their interactions with fans/their behavior as idols as their actual personalities when they are just doing their job

with seventeen at least, the way they interact with carats is very different then how they interact with each other and even that can be a bit played up due to being on camera

idols aren't characters, they're real people, and the thing about real people is that they are very complex. we aren't defined by just one interest or one personality trait and a lot of fans seem to forget that and then try to put idols in the boxes they've created

if we're taking vernon as an example, he can be a silly little guy but he's also very caring and playful towards his mentors, he's a fucking beast in the music industry, and he is very well spoken and has really good analysis skills (just listen to him talk abt movies like)

[svt-luna]

ʚིᵋ ⋆ GAME CATERERS X SVT ࣪ ! ˓ ౨ৎ ࣪˖ ─── episode 2-1.

Game Caterers x SEVENTEEN

synopsis: Episode 2-1! After failing to eat because of the character quiz, the members of SEVENTEEN are given a chance to win prizes from PD Na’s ‘Super’ Store, they just have to answer more quizzes… and eat lemons (?)

hope this makes you guys smile even a little bit after the announcement of Jeonghan’s official enlistment date 🤍 everything will be fine, he’ll be back in no time!!!

╰ ౨ৎ LUNA-VERSE MASTERLIST

╰౨ৎ fan reactions ╰ ౨ৎ game caterers masterlist

[added captions are in brackets] ღ

bold dialogues are spoken in english ღ

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm golden light over the open field where the members of SEVENTEEN were taking their break. Some of them had retreated to the cool shade inside the green room, while others preferred to stretch their legs outside, taking in the fresh air. The quiet hum of conversation and the occasional burst of laughter filled the atmosphere, a stark contrast to the intense competition and energy of their earlier activities.

Near the basketball court, Mingyu, Wonwoo, Jeonghan, Luna, Mingaho, and S.Coups strolled leisurely, the rhythmic bounce of a basketball punctuating their casual banter. Mingyu dribbled the ball skillfully, tossing it back and forth with Jeonghan, while the rest watched with amused smiles, occasionally chiming in with playful remarks.

[SEVENTEEN is taking a break]

Not far away, Vernon, Joshua, and Hoshi lingered near PD Na and his team, who were busy setting up a new challenge. Their curious eyes followed every movement as the staff arranged a variety of items— a table, shelves filled with prizes of all kinds, from snacks and toys to more substantial rewards like food packages. The three members exchanged intrigued glances, trying to guess what the upcoming game might involve.

[Wild SEVENTEEN wanders around]

PD Na, the writers, and the rest of the production crew were focused on the task at hand, setting up the elaborate display. The scene was bustling with activity, yet there was an undercurrent of anticipation in the air, as if everyone, from the staff to the members, knew that something exciting was about to unfold.

[CARAT's enemies are doing something suspicious]

Suddenly, the familiar crackle of a megaphone broke through the quiet hum of the surroundings. From his place behind the makeshift prize table, PD Na’s voice rang out, amplified and clear. “SEVENTEEN, do you hear me?”

“Yes!” Vernon, Hoshi, and Joshua, who were already lingering near the table, replied in unison, their voices carrying across the field.

“The store is open for ten minutes. If you need anything, run and get what you need,” PD Na announced with a mischievous grin, knowing the chaos he was about to unleash.

“Yes!” the trio echoed once more, their excitement palpable.

On the other side of the field, Mingyu, Wonwoo, Minghao, S.Coups, Luna, and Jeonghan, who had been slowly making their way towards the action, exchanged knowing glances. The pace of their steps quickened as they anticipated what was coming next.

“It’s first come, first serve,” PD Na added, the challenge now fully set.

The second those words left his mouth, Hoshi, Vernon, and Joshua, who had been hovering near the front, bolted forward, pushing their way to the prize table with a newfound urgency— Vernon placing first, Hoshi placing second, while Joshua was third.

[Somehow they placed 1st and 2nd and 3rd]

Their sudden sprint caught the attention of Dokyeom, who finally made his appearance on the field, his eyes widening as he realized what was happening before placing himself behind Joshua. Meanwhile, Mingyu remained calm, his tall frame allowing him to maintain a leisurely stride as he continued typing on his phone. The benefits of being the tallest in the group meant that he could easily cover the distance in just a few strides.

Behind him, Luna, ever the playful one, decided to take matters into her own hands. With a burst of energy, she jogged up behind Wonwoo, who was just ahead of her, and leaped onto his back. Wonwoo, more than accustomed to her antics, didn’t miss a beat. He grabbed onto her legs, securing her as he broke into a run, his laughter mixing with hers.

“What?” S.Coups asked, already running.

“First come, first server.” PD Na repeated.

Jeonghan and Minghao, not ones to be left behind, also picked up their pace, running toward the prize table, determined to snag the best items before the others. All the while, Mingyu remained unhurried, his attention split between his phone and the scene unfolding before him. His relaxed demeanor was a stark contrast to the frantic energy of the others before he placed himself behind Minghao.

[11 people arrived in no time]

One by one, the rest of the group started trickling in, each one more eager than the last to see what was happening. Seungkwan, who had just emerged from the green room, immediately sensed the buzz in the air. His eyes widened in excitement and slight panic as he hurriedly jogged over to the gathering crowd. "What's going on? Carbo Buldak? What?" he asked, his voice laced with urgency as he tried to get the inside scoop while still catching up.

[All 14 including Dino are here]

Dino, right on Seungkwan’s heels, placed himself at the very end of the line. As he surveyed the lineup in front of him, he asked, “Am I last?”

“I think so,” Seungkwan confirmed, his tone resigned yet still full of curiosity about what awaited them.

['Super' Store opens]

The members have now lined up in front of PD Na’s table in this order: Vernon, Hoshi, Joshua, Dokyeom, Jun, Wonwoo, Luna, S.Coups, Jeonghan, Minghao, Mingyu, Woozi, Seungkwan, and Dino. The line stretched across the field, each member craning their neck to get a better look at what was in store for them.

In front of them, PD Na stood behind a table labeled ‘Super Store,’ his expression one of playful authority. On the table sat a large container filled with folded papers, clearly the key to whatever missions they would face. Next to it, a bowl filled with slices of lemons gleamed ominously in the sunlight. Beside the table were shelves packed with various prizes, ranging from snacks and food to more luxurious appliances and toys, all meticulously arranged to entice the members.

[Starting with general items from the department store]

“We prepared various stuff. If you don’t need anything, you can go rest. If there’s anything you want, pick one mission and succeed in it,” PD Na explained, his voice carrying over the members’ heads as they all leaned in, listening intently.

The members at the back of the line peeked out from their positions, trying to catch a glimpse of the setup. A collective “Ooooh” of excitement rippled through the group as they began to understand the challenge before them.

“Vernon, what would you like?” PD Na asked, starting with the member at the front of the line.

“The luxury tea set,” Vernon answered, gesturing toward the pristine set displayed on the shelf.

“That’s three stars. That’s the price. If you fail, it’s three pieces of lemon,” PD Na explained, finally revealing the purpose of the lemon slices, which had been a source of mystery and apprehension among the members.

[If they fail the mission, they need to pay]

[Have as many lemons as the # of stars on the item you chose]

As realization dawned, the group reacted with a mix of dread and amusement. “It’s one piece of lemon for each star,” Hoshi explained to those at the back of the line, his voice carrying a slight hint of amusement.

[Items in various prices are available]

“But I can’t eat any lemons,” S.Coups groaned, already imagining the sour torture that might await him.

“I can eat lemons no problem,” Jun chimed in confidently, a smirk playing on his lips.

“I love lemons,” Luna declared from her spot behind Wonwoo. She had finally dismounted from his back, now standing on her own two feet but still surrounded by her best friends. S.Coups, who was directly behind her, casually wrapped his arms around her neck, leaning in close, his face right next to hers.

“That’s right. What makes you like it? I can’t— just thinking about it makes my mouth water,” S.Coups confessed, his voice low and close to Luna’s ear.

“It tastes clean,” Luna deadpanned, her tone serious despite the oddity of her statement.

[What?]

S.Coups burst into laughter, unable to contain himself. “What are you talking about?”

“Like air fresheners… you know… clean?” Luna giggled as she tried to explain, her logic making perfect sense in her head even if it sounded absurd out loud.

S.Coups, still laughing, nudged the side of her face with his forehead, his amusement clear. “Have you tasted air fresheners?” he asked, genuinely concerned.

“No. But the smell… it’s clean and lemony,” Luna insisted, bringing her hands up to gesture as she spoke, her eyes wide with sincerity.

[Effects of not eating lunch]

S.Coups just shook his head, still chuckling. “Alright,” he said, letting it go but clearly entertained by the entire exchange.

As the excitement around the ‘Super’ Store grew, PD Na addressed the gathered members with a broad grin, “Is there anything you want?”

“Yes!” they chorused, voices overlapping in eagerness as the members in the back shifted to the sides, trying to get a closer look at the prizes. Their collective enthusiasm was palpable, each member already eyeing what they might want to claim.

“Joshua, what do you want?” PD Na asked, directing his attention to Joshua, who stood near the front of the line.

“I want the Dyson hair dryer,” Joshua responded confidently, his eyes gleaming at the prospect of getting his hands on such a coveted item.

Before Joshua’s words had fully settled, both Luna and Seungkwan exclaimed in unison, “That’s mine!”

“I was eyeing it too,” Hoshi added, his tone a mix of playful rivalry and genuine desire.

PD Na, sensing the brewing competition, chuckled and added fuel to the fire. “You might want the same item. The person who takes it first gets to keep it.”

“It’s first come, first serve,” Dokyeom reiterated, the rules sinking in as Luna pouted, her chances of snagging the hair dryer seemingly dwindling with every second. She knew that with her position in the middle of the line, one of the members at the front would likely snatch it up before she had a chance.

“What do you want?” Minghao asked him, his curiosity piqued by Mingyu’s interest.

“The golf club,” Mingyu said without hesitation, his eyes locking onto the sleek set displayed prominently.

“I’m taking it,” Wonwoo interjected, a hint of challenge in his voice.

“Aigo,” Luna teased Mingyu, giggling to herself. The playful exchange between the members was as much a part of the game as the prizes themselves. She couldn’t resist poking fun at Mingyu, her laughter light and infectious.

Mingyu turned to give her a look— a mix of mock annoyance and amusement that only deepened her giggles. She playfully avoided eye contact, her gaze darting around the field as if suddenly interested in anything but him. The act was enough to draw laughter from Wonwoo, who pointed at Luna, enjoying the little moment as much as S.Coups and Jeonghan, who were both chuckling along.

Woozi, ever the practical one, casually stepped away from his spot in the line and settled into one of the chairs set up to the side. He crossed his arms and leaned back, a small smirk playing on his lips as he observed the lively scene before him. “I should watch first,” he said, his voice calm and unhurried.

PD Na, noticing Woozi’s retreat, called out with a hint of curiosity, “Woozi, are you giving up?”

Woozi shook his head, still relaxed in his seat. “I’m not materialistic. I’m going to watch first,” he explained with a nonchalant wave of his hand, signaling that he was content to sit back and let the others scramble.

“You want to watch first and join later?” PD Na pressed, intrigued by Woozi’s strategy.

“Yes,” Woozi confirmed, giving a slight nod. The way he said it, so matter-of-factly, drew a few chuckles from the staff nearby.

As Woozi declared his lack of materialism, the rest of the members were anything but. They were all busy eyeing the prizes, their heads bent together as they muttered among themselves, assessing their options and plotting their next moves.

[Some members are more materialistic than others]

PD Na turned his attention to Dino, who was at the end of the line, seemingly less intense in his desire for a prize. “Dino, do you want the razors?” PD Na asked a playful edge in his voice.

Dino glanced at the razor set and then back at PD Na, a confident grin spreading across his face. “I think no one’s going to take it. That’s mine for sure,” he said, the certainty in his tone making the others laugh.

“How many blades?” Seungkwan asked, his curiosity getting the better of him as he moved over to inspect the razors, Dino following close behind. “This is bad. It’s three blades,” Seungkwan reported with mock seriousness, his brow furrowing as he considered the implications.

“Then he won’t take it,” Jeonghan teased from his spot in line, a knowing smile on his face.

“He uses five blades or more,” Seungkwan added the mock concern in his voice causing another wave of laughter to ripple through the group.

“He’ll choose the alcohol instead. Watch.” Luna said, brushing the hair that was flying on her face because of the wind.

“Then I’ll take Chamisul,” Dino decided with a shrug, his choice of alcohol over razors eliciting even more laughter from his members.

[He's firm]

“See?” Luna said.

[And she’s right]

“All he needs is alcohol and a razor,” Wonwoo quipped, shaking his head in amusement at Dino’s simple yet perfectly logical desires.

[Dino's going through adolescence]

As the members continued to debate and joke about their prize choices, Minghao took a deep breath, his eyes sweeping over the clear blue sky. “It’s nice weather. This is what you call a gift,” he commented, his voice reflective as he enjoyed the cool breeze that had settled over the field.

Jeonghan, hearing Minghao’s philosophical take on the situation, scoffed out a laugh, finding the whole moment— filled with both lighthearted banter and genuine appreciation— hilarious and somehow quintessentially very on-brand.

[‘Super' Store's first customer is Vernon]

Vernon, who stood first in line, stared at the array of folded papers on the table in front of him. Among the mostly white slips, a lone pink paper caught his eye. His curiosity piqued, and with a small furrow in his brow, he asked, “There’s only one pink. Is that a special mission?”

PD Na leaned over the table, arms crossed, his face betraying nothing. “You never know,” he said cryptically, “You have to see it for yourself.”

S.Coups, standing further back in the line, craned his neck to peek over Vernon’s shoulder, instantly egging him on. “Vernon, choose pink!” His encouragement sparked a ripple effect, and soon the other members joined in, playfully urging Vernon to take the mysterious pink slip.

Luna, however, scrunched her nose in doubt. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she muttered, her tone wary but still lighthearted.

Vernon’s lips twitched into a curious smile. “I’m curious,” he admitted, his hand hovering above the papers for a moment before decisively picking the pink one. He handed it over to PD Na with a mix of excitement and apprehension.

[He picks the one and only pink mission]

PD Na unfolded the paper slowly, teasing out the suspense, before revealing its contents. He raised an eyebrow and announced, “Vernon’s special item... it's a dud.”

Vernon’s eyes widened in shock as PD Na showed him the slip, confirming his misfortune. The nearest members— Hoshi and Joshua— burst into laughter at his defeat, their teasing louder than the rest.

“That was so obvious,” PD Na teased, shaking his head. “Go to the end of the line.”

Vernon, still processing what had just happened, walked to the back of the line in disbelief. “What did you do?” Jeonghan asked with a chuckle, watching Vernon as he passed.

[He didn't do anything]

“It’s just a dud,” Vernon answered, his voice dazed as he fell into place at the end of the line.

“Told you,” Luna muttered, leaning against Wonwoo and absentmindedly tapping his back like a drum, her smug expression barely contained.

Next up was Hoshi. With a determined gleam in his eye, he confidently selected his mission paper and breezed through the quiz, securing his prize— the coveted Dyson hair dryer. His victory crushed both Luna and Seungkwan’s chances, the two of them deflating in mock despair.

“But that’s mine!” Seungkwan groaned, his eyes following the sleek dryer as it moved out of reach.

Joshua, however, fared just as well as Hoshi. He nailed his mission with ease and chose a box of alcohol as his prize, earning cheers from the others.

[Joshua who also lost the Dyson, purchases a box of Chamisul to get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth]

Next up was Dokyeom, whose usual sunny disposition remained intact as he picked his mission. To everyone’s delight, he passed with flying colors and beamed as he reached for his chosen prize— a bunny plushie from ‘Earth Arcade’.

[Next customer is Jun]

As Jun approached the table, he confidently selected his prize— bathroom slippers— without a second thought.

PD Na, looking somewhat surprised, commented, "I mean, this isn’t what I expected at all." He chuckled, realizing that three members had successfully claimed prizes consecutively.

Jun, unbothered, shrugged. "I'm not good at games," he admitted, though his face showed determination.

PD Na unfolded the mission paper and asked, "Do you think you can do this?"

“What?” Jun blinked, unsure of what the task was until PD Na revealed the slip, reading aloud, "Lift the soccer ball more than ten times."

Immediately, the reactions from the members came flooding in. Wonwoo burst out laughing, while Jeonghan exclaimed, "Wow," and Luna, with a laugh of her own, said, "It’s too windy."

And she wasn’t wrong. The wind had picked up considerably, making their hair whip around wildly. Jun’s hoodie flapped in the breeze as S.Coups, standing behind Luna, found himself getting a faceful of her hair. Chuckling, he gently patted her hair down, trying to tame it.

"He can never do it." Woozi declared from his seat, shaking his head.

“You’re guaranteed to get a lemon,” Dokyeom teased, while Woozi added, "You can bet all the prizes."

Jun’s expression shifted into something more comical as he started practicing different movements. “What do I do?” he asked aloud, testing whether to use his knee or foot to lift the ball. His exaggerated movements had the group in stitches.

"He’s really bad with a ball," Dokyeom commented, half-laughing, half-groaning.

[Do all you can to kick it 10 times]

"As long as you don’t use your hands," Mingyu explained, grinning, as Jun gingerly picked up the soccer ball. But instead of following through with the proper kick-up technique, Jun placed the ball on his hoodie and began bouncing it like it was a trampoline.

[What are you doing?]

“That’s not going to work,” PD Na remarked, grinning.

[You got the wrong place]

“This isn’t ‘Going Seventeen’,” Jeonghan chuckled knowing that they had more freedom to cheat in any way they desired in their own show.

[Translation: That's what they do on 'Going Seventeen’]

Wonwoo joined in, laughing. "If this were ‘Going Seventeen’, we would have done that."

“Try it like this. Believe in yourself.” Seungkwan chimed from the side.

“It’s okay even if you can’t do it.” Jeonghan said.

“Fighting!” Luna said.

[The world thinks SEVENTEEN is athletic]

[But that's not true]

Jun finally readied himself, positioning the ball correctly. The members watched closely, all eyes on him as they began counting aloud, “1…”

But before anyone could even get to two, the ball rolled off Jun’s foot, falling to the ground immediately. The group exploded into laughter as Vernon clapped enthusiastically from the back.

[Failed just as expected]

“You’re terrible,” Mingyu teased, unable to hide his grin.

Jun, laughing at his own failure, shrugged and walked over to the other side where PD Na stood waiting with the inevitable lemons. “You like lemons.” S.Coups teased, still amused.

[The 1st customer to eat the lemon]

Jun laughed as he accepted his fate, preparing to eat the lemons as he sat down next to Woozi as the game went on.

[Next is Wonwoo]

Wonwoo stepped up next, his eyes set on the shelf. “I want the golf club,” he said firmly.

[The big spender]

PD Na looked intrigued and gestured towards it. “Why don’t you try it out first?”

Wonwoo smiled but clarified, “It’s not for me. My dad just started playing golf.”

As he made his way toward the golf club and lifted it, Luna let out a soft, “Cute.”

“He’s a good son,” S.Coups added, watching with an approving smile.

[He plans to give it to his father if he succeeds]

Mingyu examined the club from a distance and nodded, “It’s a nice club.”

“My dad started playing,” Wonwoo repeated proudly, clearly thinking of giving it to him.

PD Na then asked, “Anyone else here play golf?”

Immediately, S.Coups and Mingyu raised their hands, while Luna playfully pointed at Jeonghan, who had his hands tucked in his pockets behind her. Wonwoo and Minghao also gestured to the three, highlighting their golfing experience.

PD Na, noticing the others, chuckled and told Wonwoo. “People in the back are glaring at you.”

Mingyu, always quick to tease, grinned, “Have four pieces of lemon.”

Before Wonwoo could respond, Luna shot back at Mingyu, grinning, “Leave him alone. Buy your own golf club.”

Mingyu pouted at her remark, while the others— Jeonghan, S.Coups, Wonwoo, and even PD Na— laughed, amused at Luna’s quick wit.

Wonwoo, having eyed the prizes with a steely determination, finally turned his attention to the folded papers. With a steady hand, he picked one and handed it over to PD Na, who unfurled it with a sly smile.

[Will he get to be a good son?]

"It's the Forehead Quiz," PD Na announced, holding up the slip for everyone to see.

Immediately, Mingyu perked up with curiosity. "Is it new?" he asked.

"It's new," PD Na confirmed, glancing around at the group. "You’ll have to identify your members by just their foreheads. Guess whose it is."

The members let out a collective sound of surprise and amusement. "I might have a chance," S.Coups said, cracking a grin.

Luna, always ready with a playful quip, peeked over Wonwoo’s shoulder, her chin barely resting on him. "It’ll be easy if you get me," she teased, her laughter bubbling up.

[Only female member]

Wonwoo chuckled softly, "That's true."

But Luna wasn't done. With a mischievous twinkle in her eye, she whispered to him, "I don’t think he’ll give you me, though. That’d be too easy."

Despite her playful demeanor, Wonwoo seemed uncertain. "I'm not great at remembering appearances," he admitted with a shrug.

Beside PD Na, one of the writers began preparing four slices of lemon into a cup, just in case Wonwoo failed. Jeonghan couldn’t resist laughing at the sight. "There are four already," he teased, his voice light with amusement.

"Alright," PD Na interjected, ready to start the game. "Guess who it is among your members."

Wonwoo steeled himself for the challenge as PD Na reached beneath the table to reveal the first picture.

"Don’t tell him." PD Na warned the rest of the members, who were now gathered around Wonwoo, their eyes wide with curiosity.

“No one's going to tell him.” S.Coups declared, a grin pulling at his lips. "We all want the golf club."

As S.Coups said this, Jeonghan silently gestured toward Luna, who was still close to Wonwoo, her proximity implying she could easily help him out. She didn’t care about the golf club, after all.

[Spotted their target]

Before Luna could take advantage of the moment, S.Coups gently wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her toward him with a soft tug. She shot him a look, just about to protest, but Jeonghan was quicker. He covered her mouth with his hand, stifling any attempt she might make to give Wonwoo the answer. Luna turned her head and glared playfully at the notorious game cheater, knowing she'd been defeated this time. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she accepted her fate, her gaze bouncing between Jeonghan and S.Coups.

[Cheaters vs. Cheaters]

PD Na finally held up the photo, which is a close-up of a forehead. "1, 2, 3," he counted down counted down.

[Handsome forehead]

"Mingyu," Wonwoo answered immediately, without a moment of hesitation.

They all went silent for a split second, the shock palpable. Even Mingyu blinked in surprise, “Wow. That’s me.” he said in disbelief.

Luna, still holding Jeonghan’s hand to her mouth, managed to pull it down but continued to grip it, eyes still on the photo. "He’s right," she confirmed, her voice laced with disbelief. She turned toward Wonwoo, impressed. "You got it."

PD Na’s voice rang through the air as he announced, "Correct!" The simple word echoed, followed by a brief pause before the group erupted. Wonwoo, not one for wild celebrations, still raised both his hands in victory, grinning broadly as he said, “Yay!” His subtle but satisfied response only made the situation more amusing, while the rest of the group marveled at his surprising success.

Dokyeom joined in with his usual animated energy, gesturing toward the photo. "That looks like S.Coups," he said, still convinced it wasn't Mingyu’s forehead after all.

Jeonghan, always keen on stirring the pot, quickly backed up Dokyeom’s observation. "I thought that was S.Coups too."

But Luna shook her head, determined as ever. "No. It's totally Mingyu," she argued, standing her ground.

[Seventeen can recognize each other just from seeing the forehead]

As Wonwoo stood there processing his correct guess, he offered an explanation, voice calm but amused. "I thought that was either S.Coups or Mingyu."

"I thought it was S.Coups from the eyebrows," Jeonghan added, his usual sharp tone now laced with a hint of curiosity.

PD Na, still processing the unexpected turn of events, pulled out the full picture for the final reveal. He unfolded it slowly, drawing out the suspense before finally showing the entire face, confirming that it was, indeed, Mingyu.

Wonwoo, still stunned by his successful guess, clapped his hands together. "Wow. How did I get it?" he asked, half-joking but genuinely shocked by his good fortune.

Jeonghan and Luna, standing nearby, simultaneously congratulated him, both saying, “Congratulations!” in unison. Their shared response, so perfectly timed, made them laugh, as it often happened between the two of them.

Without wasting another second, Wonwoo made his way toward the prize table. His eyes lit up with satisfaction as he reached for the golf club— the very item he’d had his sights set on from the start. The moment his hand wrapped around the handle, Mingyu couldn’t resist adding his own brand of commentary.

[Wonwoo wins the golf club]

“He’s handsome. He’s good-looking,” Mingyu said, his tone dripping with playful self-praise as he pointed to the photo of his forehead. His compliments earned a hearty laugh from PD Na, who shook his head at the shamelessness of it all.

As the rest of the members watched Wonwoo stand there with the golf club, Mingyu’s teasing voice cut through the murmurs of amusement. "That's not durable enough for your father," he said, feigning concern but with a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

The moment Mingyu said it, Jeonghan and S.Coups immediately jumped in with synchronized agreement. “He can’t play with that,” they both chimed in, gesturing toward Wonwoo and the club. Their antics were met with laughter, their playful gestures signaling for Wonwoo to put the club back.

Luna, standing to the side, shook her head at their constant teasing, chuckling softly. "Ya, you guys are something else," she said, voice light with amusement, a smile tugging at her lips.

[Sympathetic bunny]

In his usual calm and unbothered manner, Wonwoo merely shrugged, offering an innocent response. “I’ll let him decide,” he said, his genuine tone making the group laugh again.

[He really cares about his father]

Wonwoo, seemingly unaffected by all the teasing, made his way toward the winners’ area and took a seat next to Woozi, who glanced at the golf club before offering some advice. "If your father doesn’t like it, sell it to them," Woozi said, a mischievous glint in his eye as he gestured toward Jeonghan, Mingyu, and S.Coups.

A thoughtful expression crossed Wonwoo’s face before he nodded. “That’s a good idea,” he agreed.

[The next customer is bunny no. 1]

It was finally Luna’s turn, and she stepped forward with a determined look, her eyes sweeping over the prizes on display. Almost immediately, her gaze landed on the three boxes of Lego sets displayed in all their intricate glory. Her eyes twinkled with excitement; it was no secret to her members that she had an obsession with Legos, and one particular set caught her eye. She pointed toward the box she wanted, the Disney Castle, its grandeur sparking an obvious desire.

“I want the Lego— the Disney Castle,” Luna declared, her voice brimming with a mix of excitement and longing.

[Another big spender]

From behind S.Coups, Jeonghan leaned forward, an amused grin spreading across his face as he took in her choice. “You don’t have that one yet,” he acknowledged, his teasing tone light but sincere, watching her with a knowing smile.

Luna hummed in confirmation, giving him a small nod as she swirled her hand around the bucket of folded papers. Her fingers danced over each one before she selected a slip, pulling it out with anticipation. Handing it to PD Na, she awaited her fate. PD Na opened the slip, quickly scanning the words before turning to Luna, mock sympathy playing across his features. “Aigoo, can you do this?” he asked, his tone laced with exaggerated concern.

Luna blinked, confusion knitting her brows together. “What?” she asked, slightly wary.

“Times table,” PD Na announced, holding up the paper for everyone to see. The words seemed to hang in the air, and Luna’s jaw dropped slightly as she stared at it, the realization dawning on her.

The members around her exploded in various reactions— some shocked, others cheering her on. S.Coups and Dokyeom laughed while Wonwoo nodded in encouragement. Hoshi could barely contain his amusement, clapping his hands as he rocked back and forth.

“You can do it,” Jeonghan encouraged from his spot, his voice soft but supportive.

Luna raised an eyebrow in disbelief, shaking her head slightly as she deadpanned, “Wow. They got fun little quizzes and games, and once it got to me, it’s math all of a sudden.” Her tone was dry and unimpressed, her sarcastic remark making the entire group laugh heartily, even PD Na couldn’t hide his chuckle.

[She hates math the absolute most]

“You can do it. You’re good at math,” Wonwoo commented from his seat, offering his usual calm reassurance.

PD Na smiled at her before picking up a card from the writer beside him. “Alright. I’ll give you a question, and you must answer within three seconds,” he explained, his voice taking on the serious tone of a quizmaster.

“Are you ready?” he asked, locking eyes with her.

“Yes,” Luna said, taking a deep breath, her face focused as she prepared herself.

PD Na barely glanced at the card before he announced, “17 x 17.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Luna answered confidently, “289,” without hesitation, her voice cutting through the silence like a sharp knife.

A stunned silence followed, everyone too shocked to react immediately. Even PD Na looked momentarily taken aback before finally finding his voice. “Correct!” he exclaimed, raising his hand to applaud her quick thinking.

[She is somehow good at the thing she hates]

The members erupted into cheers, all in amazement at her swift and accurate answer. Their reactions were a mixture of awe and admiration, as compliments echoed through the group.

“She’s smart!” S.Coups exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Wow, she’s amazing,” Hoshi added, his voice filled with respect as he clapped excitedly.

Jeonghan, standing close by, decided to make it official. “Clap!” he announced dramatically, waving his hand toward the others as if commanding them to celebrate her victory properly. The entire group burst into a round of enthusiastic applause, their hands coming together in a loud, appreciative chorus.

Luna’s face lit up with a smile, her confidence shining through as she skipped her way over to the prize table. Her eyes locked on the box of Lego she had chosen earlier— the Disney Castle. She pulled it toward her, wrapping her arms around it in a tight hug, grinning widely as the excitement bubbled up inside her.

[Wins a prize on her first try]

“Yay!” she cheered, her voice sweet and triumphant as she made her way toward the right side of the area, where the winners were sitting and watching with their prizes. The massive box was almost comically large against her petite frame, but Luna didn’t seem to mind one bit. She had gotten exactly what she wanted, and the smile on her face told everyone that this small victory was enough to make her day.

After Luna had made her triumphant skip back to her seat with her coveted Lego set, the focus shifted to the next contestant— S.Coups. His eyes scanned over the prizes, a thoughtful expression crossing his face as he sized up the options. After a moment of deliberation, he made his choice, eyes locking onto one of the more understated prizes.

"I’ll take the golf balls," S.Coups declared, pointing at the sleek box on display.

Jeonghan, who was still watching the proceedings closely, commented with an appreciative nod. “I like how they have all our logos on them,” he said, inspecting the design from a distance. His tone had that casual admiration that often came when something caught his eye.

[There are logos from every album]

S.Coups grinned, clearly satisfied with his choice. “I can’t use them anyway,” he admitted with a laugh, glancing over his shoulder at the other members. “I’m going to put them on display at home.”

PD Na, who had been rifling through his question cards, interrupted their banter with a slightly ominous tone. “It’s another 4-star question,” he said, emphasizing the difficulty level, making a few members wince in sympathy.

S.Coups shifted nervously, rubbing his hands together. “I can’t eat lemons, what do I do?” he muttered, half to himself.

Without missing a beat, Mingyu chimed in from his spot in line, “Just eat the lemons,” his teasing tone prompting light laughter from the members.

PD Na unfolded the paper that S.Coups had handed him and, with an enthusiastic flourish, announced, “It’s the Capital Quiz!”

The disbelief on S.Coups’ face was immediate and palpable. “Oh, I don’t know anything,” he said, his voice tinged with panic.

“You’re out,” Mingyu teased, peeking out from his spot with a mischievous grin.

Woozi joined in, shaking his head. “He can never get it,” he said with confidence.

“He can never do it,” Joshua added, his eyes gleaming with playful anticipation.

Dokyeom, laughing from beside Luna, added his own cheeky input, “Enjoy the lemon.”

PD Na, looking like he was thoroughly enjoying himself, turned to the rest of the group. “Do you all know each other's weaknesses?” he asked, clearly already knowing the answer.

“Oh, of course,” they replied in unison, nodding with mock solemnity.

PD Na chuckled, then turned back to S.Coups with a pitying look. “I’ll make it easy for you,” he said, his voice full of exaggerated empathy as he readied the question. “What’s the capital city of Indonesia?”

Without thinking, S.Coups blurted out, “Kuala Lumpur.”

There was a beat of silence before Jeonghan, standing behind him, gently shoved him in disbelief. “Jakarta!” he scolded, his voice brimming with disappointment.

Mingyu shook his head, equally exasperated. “You’ve been there so many times before. We had a concert tour there!” he added his tone a mix of amusement and disappointment.

From where she sat, Luna, her head leaning comfortably on Dokyeom’s shoulder, chimed in, her voice laced with dry amusement, “He gave him an easy one.” Dokyeom, unable to contain his laughter, doubled over, his whole body shaking with mirth.

“Jakartan CARATs are going to cry,” Dokyeom said, shaking his head at S.Coups.

Hoshi, who had been thinking aloud, turned to the others. “Wasn’t Jakarta the last stop for ‘Be The Sun’?” he asked, glancing at Wonwoo, who nodded in confirmation.

“Indonesian CARATs…” Seungkwan trailed off before being cut off by Mingyu.

Mingyu nudged S.Coups in the arm, pointing toward the camera. “You need to apologize.”

With a resigned sigh, S.Coups turned toward the camera, looking genuinely remorseful. “Dear Jakartan CARATs, I’m sorry,” he said with a small wave of his hand.

As he headed over to the seats with his cup of lemons, S.Coups muttered under his breath, “Gosh, I can’t eat any lemon,” already dreading the sourness. He picked one up hesitantly, eyeing it as if it were his mortal enemy, and finally bit into it. The reaction was immediate. His face scrunched up in distaste, and he flinched at the overwhelming sourness. “I’m crying,” he exclaimed, his voice filled with exaggerated misery.

Watching him struggle, Luna’s expression softened. She extended her hand toward him, offering a bit of comfort. “We’ll share it,” she said with a gentle smile.

S.Coups looked at her in disbelief. “Really?” he asked, his voice tinged with hope.

Luna simply nodded, still holding out her hand. With no hesitation, S.Coups handed her one of the lemon slices from his cup. “Give me two,” she said with a grin. “You can have the last two.”

[Bunny no. 1 hates math but loves lemons]

He handed her another slice, chuckling despite himself. “I love you,” he said in mock sincerity, clearly grateful for the gesture.

Luna chuckled as well, easily biting into the lemon without flinching. “Love you too,” she muttered, her attention already drifting back to the game as she continued to watch the rest of the members with amusement.

With S.Coups recovering from the tart aftermath of the lemons, it was Jeonghan’s turn next. He stepped forward, surveying the prizes, his sharp gaze settling on the golf ball set that had been catching the attention of many. "I'll try the golf ball set," he said decisively, pointing toward it.

PD Na looked up with a hint of curiosity. "The golf balls?" he asked, seeking confirmation.

"Yes," Jeonghan responded with a nod. But as he prepared to commit to his choice, a flicker of longing crossed his face as remembered the Dyson, a prize he had been eyeing earlier. His usual mischievous glint returned as he swept his long hair back with a practiced flick of his hand. "Gosh, Dyson. I'm so jealous," he mused aloud, almost wistfully.

This moment of honesty didn’t escape Mingyu, who, ever the opportunist, saw it as his chance for some playful negotiation. "Can I steal Dyson for eight pieces of lemon?" he asked PD Na with a grin, making the entire group laugh, including PD Na.

[What a brilliant idea]

While everyone enjoyed Mingyu’s antics, his attention was suddenly drawn elsewhere. Turning toward the left, Mingyu’s eyes lit up, and with genuine awe in his voice, he commented, "Wow, you two look so cool." His words immediately piqued the curiosity of the others, and one by one, the members shifted their gaze in the same direction. Their playful exclamations of amazement followed as they saw both Luna and Hoshi seated comfortably on the clean, trimmed grass. With their prizes neatly arranged in front of them, the two were a picture of relaxation and quiet contentment, watching the proceedings from a distance.

[Jealous] [The winners are laid back]

"It's awesome," Hoshi chimed in playfully, squinting up at the sun before dramatically lifting his head toward the sky. The way he soaked in the sun made Luna burst out laughing, her head tipping back as she joined in on the silliness.

[Joshua joins them with Chamisul]

Not to be left out of the peaceful scene, Joshua strolled over, the box of alcohol he had won still in hand. Without a word, he placed the box down, using it as an impromptu seat as he settled beside them. Hoshi, embracing the lazy atmosphere, laid his head on top of the Dyson he had proudly won.

Luna, ever playful, followed suit, lying down as well, but in her own style. With a teasing smile, she positioned herself so her head rested on Hoshi's stomach, closing her eyes for added comfort. The group marveled at how serene the three of them looked.

“I’ve never won anything like this before,” Joshua admitted, his tone light but with a hint of amazement as he glanced at the prizes.

“Me too,” Luna and Hoshi echoed in unison, their voices harmonizing as they basked in the feeling of victory.

"Dyson is nice," Hoshi added, his voice laced with satisfaction.

As the playful banter from Hoshi, Luna, and Joshua echoed softly in the background, Jeonghan stood up from his spot, walking confidently toward the table. His eyes scanned the bucket of folded paper slips for a moment, and with a swift motion, he plucked one from the pile.

With the slip in hand, he approached PD Na and handed it over, his casual demeanor only adding to the anticipation. PD Na opened the paper, a mischievous smile creeping onto his face before he made the announcement. "It's Commercial Relay," he declared, raising an eyebrow.

Jeonghan’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Commercial Relay?" he repeated, more to himself, his tone shocked and uncertain.

From the back, Seungkwan, ever the playful commentator, called out with no hesitation, “He can never do it!” His words sent ripples of laughter through the group.

Luna, still lying comfortably across Hoshi’s stomach, her fingers lazily tracing shapes in the air, tilted her head up just slightly and chimed in. “That’s your major, Han,” she reminded him with a small smile.

Seungkwan suddenly turned towards Luna, a look of realization dawning on his face as he pointed at her dramatically. "He majored in commercial production," he exclaimed as if he had just remembered something important, the excitement of his discovery clear in his voice.

PD Na, who had been caught off guard by this little revelation, turned to Jeonghan with a questioning look. "Is that your major?" he asked, eyes narrowing slightly in curiosity.

Jeonghan, ever the smooth talker, nodded. “I majored in commercial production," he confirmed, though a mischievous smirk soon followed. "But I don’t watch TV, so…” he trailed off with a chuckle, shrugging nonchalantly.

There was a brief pause, the group hanging on PD Na’s next words as he prepared the cue card, clearly enjoying this back-and-forth. “Alright, finish the phrase," PD Na instructed, ready to test Jeonghan’s knowledge. "'Everyone…'"

Without missing a beat, Jeonghan threw his arms up in mock enthusiasm and shouted brightly, “‘Hello!’” His exaggerated confidence and the completely wrong answer sent the entire group into fits of laughter.

From the back, Seungkwan let out an exaggerated groan, “What?” he scolded playfully, his disappointment palpable as the rest of them continued to laugh.

PD Na grinned widely, shaking his head. “Wrong!” he declared with glee, enjoying the light-hearted atmosphere.

S.Coups, still reeling from the effects of eating a lemon was the first to chime in. “Isn’t it ‘Watch out for cold’?” he guessed, his brows furrowed in thought.

Seungkwan, ever the knowledgeable one, shook his head confidently. “It’s ‘Hope you become rich,’” he stated, clearly pleased with himself for knowing the correct answer.

[Only Seungkwan got it]

Jeonghan, still chuckling at his own mistake, looked around at the members, completely unbothered by his blunder. "Is it not ‘Hello’?" he asked with a laugh, repeating his cheerful action one more time for emphasis.

[Jeonghan's too polite] [Take your lemon]

As PD Na handed Jeonghan his inevitable cup of lemons, Luna, still lounging on Hoshi, couldn’t help but comment. “You’re cute,” she said with a small smile, watching him with an affectionate glint in her eye.

In response, Jeonghan sent her a quick, playful wink before moving to sit down beside Woozi and S.Coups, the cup of lemons in hand. Looking over at S.Coups, Jeonghan leaned in and asked with curiosity, “S.Coups, did you finish yours?” referring to the dreaded lemons.

S.Coups, still struggling with the remnants of his own lemon punishment, looked up at Jeonghan and sighed dramatically. “I had one so far,” he admitted, though his expression turned fond as he added, “Jiyeonie ate two of mine.”

[He had 1 out of 4]

The atmosphere on the trimmed grass was light and relaxed as Luna, Joshua, and Hoshi continued to bask in their small victories. They had comfortably claimed a corner, their winnings neatly arranged in front of them, the warm sunlight gently enveloping them. A staff member, watching their contentment, approached the group and encouraged them, “You should try again.”

Joshua, ever the considerate one, glanced back at the line where several members stood empty-handed and replied, “A lot of them still have nothing.”

Jeonghan, having joined the others, turned to PD Na, his brow furrowed. "Do I have to finish this before I try again?" he asked, holding up his cup of lemons.

PD Na nodded with a grin. “If you finish it, you can try again,” he confirmed, clearly enjoying the challenge.

Luna, who had been casually watching from the grass, perked up. “Can we try again?” she asked one of the nearby staff members, and after a nod of approval, she smiled.

“Then I should try again,” Joshua said, stretching as he stood up. He glanced at Luna and Hoshi, who were still seated comfortably. “Do you want to go for it again?”

Without a word, both Luna and Hoshi stood in unison, a silent agreement passing between them as they walked back to the line, joining the other members still waiting their turn.

[They never said no]

Jeonghan, watching them, caught Hoshi’s eye. “Hoshi,” he called, holding up his cup, “can you help me with one?” He was referring to his lemons, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“Sure,” Hoshi gladly accepted, popping one of the sour fruits into his mouth with ease.

[Sharing the penalty]

With Hoshi’s help, Jeonghan managed to finish his punishment. Relieved, he dusted off his hands and quickly moved to join the back of the line, positioning himself behind Luna as they waited for another chance to win a prize. The breeze carried with it a sense of ease, the mood growing softer with the afternoon sun.

Without a word, Jeonghan slowly reached out, his arms wrapping around Luna’s waist from behind, the soft material of his cardigan brushing against her. Instinctively, Luna leaned back into him, her hands rising to gently caress the fluffy sleeves of his sweater. The fabric felt comforting beneath her fingertips as she absentmindedly stroked the texture.

Jeonghan, playfully ducking his head down, nestled his face into the crook of her neck. His breath tickled her skin, causing Luna to smile faintly, her hand lifting to rake gently through his long, flowing hair. Their connection, quiet and intimate, went unnoticed by most — but for the cameras, it was a different story.

To the casual observer, and likely the cameras capturing the moment, it appeared to be nothing more than a sweet back hug shared between friends. Their long hair, tousled by the wind, cascaded around them, providing a veil of privacy. But hidden beneath that curtain of hair, Jeonghan was stealing quiet kisses on the sensitive skin of Luna’s neck, his lips brushing softly against her in a secret exchange only the two were aware of. The world around them seemed to pause, the rest of the members laughing and chatting while they remained in their quiet little world, waiting patiently for their turn again in the game, unaware of the silent intensity brewing between them.

[Next is Mingyu]

As the next round started, it was finally Mingyu’s turn to face the challenge. His face lit up with anticipation as PD Na drew out his mission slip and announced, “It’s a quiz on common sense.” Immediately, a wave of playful mockery erupted from the other members.

“He’s out! Wrong!” Seungkwan teased from behind, causing the others to chuckle.

“He’s out!” S.Coups added in mock seriousness, shaking his head as if Mingyu had already failed before the question had even been asked.

PD Na, recalling a past ‘HYBE’ special where Mingyu had been notoriously unlucky, laughed at the thought. “Yes, that’s right,” Seungkwan confirmed with a mischievous grin.

Mingyu nodded knowingly. “I went around four times in front of twenty to thirty ‘HYBE’ artists.”

[Taking his lemon in advance]

Seeing the mounting pressure, PD Na decided to give him a bit of a break. “Alright, I’ll give you an easy one. It’s a sample question,” he said, his tone lightening. The other members grew quiet as they waited for the question. “Name three symbols of ‘HYBE’.”

Mingyu answered confidently, “BTS, SEVENTEEN…” but before he could finish, PD Na interrupted.

“Wrong!” PD Na declared, cutting through Mingyu’s sentence.

Mingyu, accepting his fate with grace, simply shrugged and moved to the back of the line, his cup of lemons clutched in one hand.

“You should’ve said Bang Sihyuk and Han Sungsu,” Woozi commented with a knowing look, referring to the key figures who were instrumental in the creation of ‘HYBE’.

Jeonghan, now thoroughly confused, leaned over as Mingyu reached the back. “Why is it wrong?” he asked with a slight frown.

Seungkwan, ever the expert in clarifications, stepped in. “He probably meant what ‘HYBE’ stands for,” he said, watching Mingyu’s expression shift from understanding to exasperation.

Jeonghan’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is there a meaning?” he asked, shocked at the thought.

Mingyu scratched the back of his head and tried to remember. “It’s like… encounter, exchange, and music or something.”

S.Coups chimed in, sounding uncertain. “The exchange of music or something.”

The group fell silent for a moment, digesting the idea, when Hoshi, curious as ever, turned to Jeonghan. “What are three symbols of ‘HYBE’?”

“I don’t know,” Jeonghan replied, his brow furrowed in thought as he shook his head.

Luna, who had been listening quietly from beside Jeonghan, added her own guess, “Isn’t it ‘We believe in music’ or something?”

PD Na, smiling at the members’ collective confusion, finally revealed the correct answer. “It’s connection, expansion, and relationships,” he said with authority.

A wave of realization swept over the group, as they all nodded, murmuring in agreement. “Ahhh…” the members said, drawing out their reaction in unison as they finally understood.

“Keep that in mind,” PD Na advised them with a chuckle, his eyes twinkling with amusement at their struggle.

Seungkwan, ever the comedian, turned to Mingyu with a playful grin. “We connected, expanded, and established a relationship,” he quipped, making the others burst into laughter as Mingyu shook his head, trying to hold back a smile.

[It's okay. Producer Na doesn't know the symbol of Full moon]

It was Seungkwan's turn, and he stepped up with the usual dramatic flair. His sharp eyes darted toward the prizes, particularly the $100 Shinsegae gift certificate, still unclaimed by anyone. He pointed at it with conviction, voice brimming with incredulity. “I don’t get why no one’s taking the $100 Shinsegae gift certificate. That’s the real deal.”

PD Na, who was already chuckling at Seungkwan’s enthusiasm, couldn't help but agree. “Yes, that’s the good stuff,” he said, smiling widely at Seungkwan's sensible yet overlooked choice.

Seungkwan, confident in his choice of prize, reached for the next slip of paper and handed it over to PD Na.

“A dud,” Jeonghan teased from the back, his arms still wrapped comfortably around Luna, who giggled as she swayed side to side with him. The relaxed and affectionate sway of their bodies mirrored the playful mood around them.

“A dud!” Dokyeom joined in, laughing as well, causing Seungkwan to shake his head, trying to stave off their playful taunts.

“No way, stop lying,” Seungkwan said, disbelief written across his face. His voice carried a mix of denial and slight nervousness, the anticipation of his result catching up with him.

PD Na smiled and flipped the paper over for Seungkwan to see, announcing, “It’s the sample bar exam question.”

Luna, always quick to hear, burst into laughter, her voice ringing clearly across the group. “It might as well be a dud!” she quipped, her words sending a ripple of laughter through the members.

Seungkwan stared at the paper in disbelief, still processing the difficulty of his challenge. Jeonghan, leaning more into Luna’s back, shook his head sympathetically. “That’s so hard,” he muttered, genuinely surprised.

“I got the easy one,” Hoshi chimed in with a grin, proud of his earlier luck.

“You have good luck, you get easy questions,” Luna nodded in agreement, her eyes still twinkling with amusement at Seungkwan’s misfortune.

“The lemons are ready,” Jun added, his comment aimed at reminding Seungkwan of the inevitable punishment awaiting him.

“Just eat it,” Woozi said dryly, gesturing toward the waiting cup of lemons, clearly enjoying the banter.

Accepting his fate, Seungkwan picked up the lemons and gave in with a sigh. “I’ll go as I eat it,” he said, already popping the first piece into his mouth as he braced himself for the inevitable failure. His exaggerated grimace as the sourness hit made the others laugh even harder.

PD Na, holding back his own laughter, decided to move on with the question. “Try listening,” he instructed, as he began reading aloud from the card. “The purpose of this law is to protect the stability of housing. It applies to the lease of all or part of residential buildings.”

S.Coups, trying to be helpful, added, “The answer is right there,” though his tone carried a note of userstanding.

PD Na continued, “It is also applied when the house on lease is used for a purpose other than residence. What is the name of this law? It’s eight syllables. The answer was in the question.”

Seungkwan, caught off guard by the complexity of the question, groaned. “The national lease… Geez,” he managed to say before trailing off in defeat. He slumped to the back of the line, his groan prompting another round of laughter from the members.

[Walking away]

“Wrong,” PD Na said, his tone light and teasing.

Mingyu, ever curious, asked, “What’s the answer?”

“Housing Lease Protection Act,” PD Na revealed, the answer clearly difficult for everyone.

[Next is Dino]

It was Dino’s turn, and he stepped up, eyes scanning the prize table for a moment before settling on what he wanted. “I’ll go for the razor,” he announced confidently, pointing at the shiny grooming kit on display.

[The perfect prize for him]

His choice earned a hearty laugh from PD Na, clearly amused by the practicality. “A good choice,” PD Na said, still smiling.

“I’m going to accept it,” Dino said with determination as PD Na opened the slip of paper he had chosen.

“It’s Word Relay,” PD Na announced, explaining the task to Dino. To help warm him up, he gave a sample question. “Name five dishes in a Chinese restaurant in five seconds.”

Dino barely hesitated before rattling off his list. “Black bean sauce noodles, spicy seafood noodles, sweet and sour pork, warm noodles, black bean sauce rice.”

“That's how you play,” PD Na said, impressed by how quickly Dino responded.

[That's what he should to do win the prize]

Seungkwan, however, had a nostalgic glint in his eye. “Your grandma used to run a Chinese restaurant,” he said.

Dino smiled, preparing himself for the challenge ahead. “Yeah, I lived in my grandma’s Chinese restaurant for eight years,” he confirmed, the pride in his voice evident.

PD Na moved things forward. “Alright, here we go. Name five celebrities with a four-syllable stage name.”

Dino's expression turned serious as he focused, searching his mind for answers. “S.Coups…” he started, but as he tried to think of the next name, his words trailed off.

From behind him, Jeonghan tried to help, shouting, “Huening Kai,” as a suggestion. Luna quickly followed with another, “Kang Daniel,” But Dino, too locked in his thoughts, didn’t register any of the assistance.

Time ran out, and PD Na’s voice came in swiftly. “Wrong!” he declared with a playful grin as the buzzer sounded. Dino let out a groan of defeat as he realized how close he had come.

“Oh, I’m good at this,” Seungkwan whined from the side, clearly disappointed he hadn’t gotten a shot at the challenge.

PD Na, trying to console Dino, said, “You know a lot of colleagues,” referring to the many names that Dino could have potentially listed. Still accepting his fate, Dino was handed his cup of lemons, and without hesitation, he began eating them, his face scrunching up in reaction to the sourness.

Wonwoo stepped up again, this time still holding the golf club he had won earlier, determined to secure another prize. He turned towards the staff, his calm voice cutting through the playful chatter. “I’ll try the golf ball set for my father.”

Laughter erupted from the other members. Mingyu, standing at the back, groaned in mock irritation. “Why are you muddying the water?”

“Ya! Leave him alone,” Luna chuckled as she scolded him gently, her eyes glinting with amusement.

“You’re such a good son,” Hoshi chimed in.

Mingyu, still grumbling, rolled his eyes. “You’re muddying the water. I bet your father has golf balls already.”

“No, he just started recently,” Wonwoo said, his expression earnest, despite the teasing around him.

“He wants to get it for his dad. Don’t be so mean,” Dino added, scolding Mingyu with a mouthful of lemons, which sent another wave of laughter through the group.

[The youngest points out the brutal fact]

“He’s right,” Minghao whispered to Mingyu, who looked utterly defeated by now.

Jeonghan, always ready to pile on, gave Mingyu a teasing smile. “Don’t be so materialistic.”

Luna giggled as she pointed at Mingyu’s pout, clearly entertained by the teasing.

[His shoulders are getting smaller]

Shaking his head with a small smile, Wonwoo picked up a paper and handed it to PD Na. The director glanced at the paper, grinning. “If you take the golf balls too, you’ll be a real good son.”

“Right! A real good son,” Dokyeom agreed enthusiastically from the back, which sent everyone laughing again.

PD Na cleared his throat and read aloud. “Commercial Relay.”

Seungkwan groaned dramatically. “Oh, that’s what I wanted! How did I get the bar exam? That’s ridiculous! I can’t believe I picked the bar exam.”

“I’m not good at this,” Wonwoo said quietly, already anticipating the difficulty ahead.

“You'll get it. I’m not going easy on you; you picked this yourself,” PD Na warned playfully.

“It’s easy,” Woozi commented dryly, ever the pragmatist.

With that, PD Na gave the line Wonwoo needed to complete. “‘The soup is...’”

“‘Awesome,’” Wonwoo answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“You got it!” PD Na confirmed, his voice filled with surprise and approval as the members collectively gasped and exclaimed in amazement.

[He becomes a good son]

Wonwoo, never one to be overly dramatic, raised his arms in mock victory. “Dad, enjoy golf,” he said, smiling softly.

[He wins the prize and the good son title]

“He’s so lucky,” Minghao added, shaking his head in disbelief.

“He got an easy one,” Luna observed as she fidgeted with her hair, trying to pull a strand off her lips that had stuck to her lip gloss. Jeonghan, ever-attentive, nodded and hummed, carefully reaching over to move the errant strand away for her. Luna smiled in appreciation as they both returned their attention to the game.

“Right? Mine was hard,” Jeonghan pouted slightly, playing along.

PD Na, not missing a beat, pointed toward Mingyu and commented, “Petty people in the back tried to stop him from being a good son.”

Mingyu, playing along, looked around dramatically, pretending not to understand who the comment was directed toward, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

[In the back?]

It was Dokyeom’s turn, and he stepped up confidently, ready to take his shot at winning another prize. The excitement among the group built up again as he chose a paper from the pile and handed it over to PD Na. The atmosphere felt charged with anticipation, everyone curious to see what challenges lay ahead.

PD Na unfolded the slip of paper, glanced at it with a slight smile, and revealed, “Neologism Quiz.”

“He’s good at neologisms,” Wonwoo commented from the side, arms crossed as if he were making a serious observation.

Mingyu, always curious, leaned forward. “Dokyeom, what did you pick for the prize?”

Dokyeom grinned, “The bulk snacks.”

[He carefully chose the 1-star prize]

Mingyu shook his head with a chuckle. “That’s so like you.”

PD Na asked with a teasing smile, “You know what a neologism is, right?”

S.Coups jumped in, throwing out an example with a mischievous smile, “‘OYONW.’”

“What’s that?” Woozi asked, his brow furrowing.

Without missing a beat, Wonwoo replied, “‘On your own, neatly and witty.’”

[Here's the question]

“Here’s your question. What does ‘QCA’ mean?” PD Na asked.

“‘QCA’?” Dokyeom repeated, his expression immediately showing confusion. His eyes darted from one member to another as if hoping someone would throw out a clue.

“1, 2, 3,” PD Na counted down.

Dokyeom stood there, his brow furrowed, but it was clear from his silence that he had no idea.

“Think about it,” PD Na encouraged him with a grin.

PD Na repeated his countdown, “1, 2, 3.”

Dokyeom’s lips quirked as he repeated again, “‘QCA’?” Still stumped. “‘Quick leave,’” he guessed with a laugh, clearly just throwing something out there.

PD Na, amused by the attempt, gestured toward the exit, playfully signaling Dokyeom to leave since his answer was wrong.

[Yes, leave]

The group exploded into laughter as Dokyeom, ever the entertainer, dramatically threw his arms up and strutted off, accepting his defeat with a massive smile.

[Bye, DK] [Going home after work is fun]

“Leave quickly with your lemon,” PD Na said, barely containing his laughter.

Dokyeom turned back to grab his cup of lemons, joining in on the joke, his smile never fading. As he started eating, PD Na revealed the correct answer, “‘Quick change in attitude’.”

A chorus of understanding went through the group as they all went, “Ahhh,” the moment of clarity sinking in.

It was Joshua’s turn now, stepping up confidently to the table as the members around him buzzed with commentary. He had already won one prize earlier but clearly had his eyes set on another.

“I’ll go for the Korean beef combo,” Joshua told PD Na with a calm, collected voice as if picking the juiciest prize out of a grocery store aisle.

[Since I have soju, let me get Korean beef]

“I didn’t know there was Korean beef,” Hoshi said, eyes widening in surprise, causing a ripple of laughter to spread among the members.

PD Na opened the slip Joshua had chosen and smiled. “SEVENTEEN Quiz.”

“That’s harder,” Mingyu immediately commented from his place in the line.

Jeonghan threw in his two cents, “I can never answer anything like this.”

“He’ll never get it. He’s guaranteed to miss it,” Woozi added, his sharp tone laced with a playful smirk, which made Wonwoo chuckle beside him.

Seungkwan, always vocal, let out a soft whine. “That’s exactly what I need!”

PD Na turned to Joshua with a small grin. “You need to answer this.”

Joshua, ever the gentleman, nodded with assurance. “Of course.”

[If he gets it wrong,things will get awkward with SEVENTEEN]

“A lot of CARATs are watching this. I believe SEVENTEEN has a very strong bond,” PD Na remarked, the atmosphere thickening with both anticipation and tension.

“Eyy, PD-nim, stop pressuring Shua!” Luna’s voice suddenly piped up from the back. Her petite frame peeked out from behind the tall figures of the other members in front of her, her head popping out to the side, making PD Na and the other members laugh at her playful intrusion.

[Peekaboo]

“I guess it’s a really hard question,” Vernon chuckled, shaking his head.

“To bring him down all at once,” Mingyu joked with a grin.

“No, I think two-thirds of you can get it. So, if you can’t answer it, you’ll feel so bad,” PD Na teased, sparking more laughter from the members.

Joshua, his smile unwavering, waited patiently as PD Na finally revealed the question.

“DK, who just left quickly, placed 2nd in ‘King of Mask Singer’. What was the name of DK’s mask?” PD Na asked.

“Oh, that’s hard,” Jun gasped, his eyes going wide.

“He wouldn’t know,” Minghao added, shaking his head with a slight laugh.

Luna and Jeonghan spoke up at the same time, confidently saying in unison, “That’s easy.”

[There are people who know]

“‘Baby Goblin’?” Joshua said, squinting slightly as he guessed, unsure of his answer.

“What?” PD Na asked, a little thrown off by the answer.

“‘Goblin’?” Joshua repeated, as if trying to double-check if he was close.

“Oh, he got it!” Dokyeom gasped from the side, surprised but excited by Joshua’s guess.

[Did he really get it?] [The production crew is stirred]

Luna, ever the helpful soul, leaned forward slightly, “There’s more before that, Shua.”

Joshua raised his eyebrows at her, turning slightly in her direction as she nodded encouragingly, urging him to keep going.

“That’s right, there’s more,” Seungkwan added, jumping on board to help.

“There are six more syllables before ‘Baby Goblin’,” PD Na confirmed, heightening the pressure.

“Six syllables?” Joshua asked, now clearly confused, as the rest of the members also expressed their surprise and confusion.

PD Na began the countdown again. “Here we go. 1,2,3.”

Joshua, with no real hope left, blurted out, “‘Fly Black Tea Baby Goblin’. Oh, I don’t know,” throwing his hands up in defeat as he reached for his cup of lemons, resigned to his fate.

“Isn’t it ‘Give Me Gold’?” Seungkwan asked, glancing around as if testing his own memory.

“‘Give Me Gold Baby Goblin’,” PD Na confirmed, revealing the correct answer.

“I still got ‘Baby Goblin,’” Joshua said with a sheepish smile, clearly proud of the small part he did remember.

“You got that part,” Dokyeom agreed, nodding his head in appreciation of Joshua’s effort.

“Did someone tell him? Did he get it on his own?” Seungkwan asked, looking suspiciously between the members.

“He answered it on his own,” Dokyeom confirmed.

“Thank you, Joshua,” Dokyeom said sincerely, grateful that Joshua had at least remembered part of his ‘King of Mask Singer’ persona.

PD Na smiled and turned to the writers. “Remove two lemons. I could count that as an answer.”

[2 lemons are removing for answering half]

“No,” Jeonghan quickly interjected, shaking his hand at PD Na with a teasing glint in his eyes.

“Hang on.” Mingyu moved forward with a mischievous smile, peering into Joshua’s cup. “Two more,” he declared, deliberately adding back the two lemons that had just been removed.

[Their friendship is so durable] [SEVENTEEN takes care of each other so much]

PD Na stared at Mingyu in surprise as one of the writers laughed in the background at Mingyu’s antics.

“Right. Have more. It’s still a game. We should play fair,” Jeonghan said, backing up Mingyu with a nod, making Luna scoff out a laugh at their pettiness.

“You guys are something else,” Luna muttered with amusement, only to be poked in the waist by Jeonghan, who was still holding onto her from behind.

“I got ‘Baby Goblin’ to be honest,” Joshua said, trying to plead his case one last time.

“I think that counts, but your colleagues…” PD Na trailed off, gesturing toward the other members who were adamant about their lemon rule.

“Ya, don’t be obnoxious. Hurry up and leave,” Jeonghan said, slowly pushing Joshua toward the chairs, urging him to start eating his lemons as the rest of the members began to agree with the playful shove.

[Starting with the general leader everyone agrees very fast]

Luna, still laughing, couldn’t get over how competitive and petty they were all being.

“I still appreciate that you tried,” Joshua told PD Na before he sat down, defeated but still in good spirits, Luna watched him carefully, her smile softening into something a little more sympathetic.

“Josh,” she called softly, her English accent slipping out naturally as he called out his name.

Joshua turned to her, his eyes meeting hers with curiosity. Luna, still smiling, nodded toward him and reached out her hand, subtly gesturing for him to hand over a lemon. She then held up two fingers, signaling that she wanted two lemons, clearly offering to halve his punishment with him.

Joshua chuckled, grateful for her support, and passed her two lemons with a quiet “Thank you.”

[The lemon-eating bunny healper]

Before Luna could even take a bite, Mingyu reached over, attempting to snatch the lemons back out of her hand. “Let him eat all of it,” he teased, a playful smirk spreading across his face.

Luna, quick on her feet, turned her body, positioning herself so that she was now facing Jeonghan’s chest, who was still holding her. She hid the lemons between them and shot Mingyu a defiant look. “Why? What’s it to you if I help him? I like lemons,” she said confidently, popping one of the lemon slices into her mouth without hesitation.

Mingyu, seeing that he had lost, pouted in defeat while Jeonghan watched the whole scene unfold, clearly amused by Luna’s antics and Mingyu’s failed attempt to intervene.

[The next customer is holding a Dyson]

Hoshi stood at the front, cradling his newly won Dyson box with pride. His grin was wide as he examined the selection of prizes again, eyes gleaming with anticipation. Despite already having a fantastic win under his belt, Hoshi was not yet satisfied.

“I’ll go for something big. The Korean beef combo,” he declared confidently, handing PD Na his chosen slip of paper.

[Taking a big risk again]

As PD Na opened the paper, a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Rock, paper, scissors,” he read aloud, barely holding back a chuckle.

[Producer Na isn't good at rock-paper-scissors]

“Your luck is insane today,” Luna remarked from behind him, her voice filled with both admiration and disbelief.

[Hoshi is lucky]

“You have a high chance of winning,” Jeonghan added with a knowing grin.

Hoshi, unable to contain his excitement, started jumping up and down, fists clenched in victory even before the game had started. “Let’s go!” he shouted, pumping himself up.

“I’m not good at rock-paper-scissors,” PD Na confessed with a slight chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck in faux nervousness.

[Mr. Game isn't confident]

PD Na, standing with a hand on his hip, took a deep breath. “Alright… Rock, paper, scissors!”

Hoshi, still buzzing with excitement, threw out his hand with scissors. PD Na, true to his earlier statement, fumbled with his decision and threw paper. A chorus of cheers exploded from SEVENTEEN, the members clapping and shouting with excitement as they rushed toward Hoshi to congratulate him. His scissors had cut right through PD Na’s paper, securing his victory.

“There’s a flow!” Dokyeom announced with pride, as if he’d coached Hoshi through the whole thing.

S.Coups, never one to miss a chance to stir the pot, called out, “Let’s take everything.”

“Take only the expensive stuff,” Dino added with a laugh as they all watched Hoshi eagerly walk over to grab the prized box of Korean beef.

As Hoshi held the box up like a trophy, Mingyu’s voice cut through the celebrations. “Isn’t it just one bag? Does he get to take everything?” he asked, a teasing grin creeping onto his face.

Jeonghan, ever the troublemaker, leaned in toward PD Na and whispered conspiratorially, “Let’s say it’s one bag per game.” His eyes twinkled with mischief, not wanting Hoshi to make off with the entire prize. He glanced at Luna, who elbowed him playfully, shaking her head in disagreement. “One bag per game,” Jeonghan repeated, trying to sound serious as he covered his smile.

Mingyu, fully backing Jeonghan’s plan, nodded in agreement. “Come on, Yung Suk. One bag at a time. It’s $50 per bag!” he said, emphasizing the value with a laugh.

PD Na, sensing the tension and the joke behind it, decided to address the group. “SEVENTEEN goes by the majority. Will it be one bag at a time or the whole thing?” He looked around, letting the group decide.

“Isn’t it one bag at a time?” Seungkwan chimed in, siding with Jeonghan and Mingyu.

Jeonghan, always the smooth talker, clapped a hand on Hoshi’s shoulder. “You can only take one bag,” he said with a grin like it was the most reasonable thing in the world.

Hoshi, his earlier victory still fresh, blinked in confusion. “I can only take one?”

Seungkwan, already at his side, began inspecting each bag as if making sure there wasn’t a trick. “You can only take one of them,” he confirmed.

[This is SEVENTEEN's teamwork]

S.Coups stepped forward, adding to the chaos. “Yeah, you can only take one of them. Which part do you want?” he asked, gesturing toward the different cuts of meat.

“What is wrong with you guys?” Joshua groaned, laughing as the pettiness of the situation finally dawned on him.

Hoshi, finally catching on to the teasing, held his ground. “It’s clearly a combo,” he argued, unwilling to back down after his win.

“No, you can only take one of them,” S.Coups pointed out again, his expression deadpan as if this was a serious rule.

“You look so petty,” Woozi remarked from the sidelines, shaking his head as the group burst into laughter.

Hoshi, feeling defeated but still in good spirits, sighed dramatically. “Fine, since got the Dyson,” he said, pretending to surrender as he started to return the Korean beef.

Before he could fully commit to giving it up, both Jeonghan and Vernon jumped in, their attitudes flipping in an instant. “No, take them all!” they said almost in unison, surprising Hoshi with their sudden change of heart.

Hoshi froze mid-step, his eyes wide as he turned back to look at them. “What?”

“S.Coups, don’t be so cheap and divide that by parts,” Jeonghan scolded, acting as though the entire argument hadn’t been his idea in the first place.

“That was you!” Joshua pointed out, unable to hold back his laughter.

[That was you 7 seconds ago]

Jeonghan, realizing he had been caught, laughed along with the others. “Take them all,” he insisted as if he was doing Hoshi a favor now.

PD Na, watching the whole scene unfold with amusement, couldn’t help but add, “Jeonghan gets to look nice.”

“Hoshi must be flustered,” Jeongan said.

[Bunny no. 1 is next once again]

Luna stood at the front again, having already won her first prize earlier, feeling the excitement bubbling within her. Her gaze was fixated on the two remaining Lego sets, her eyes drifting over the vibrant box of the Harry Potter Lego. Before she could make her decision, a familiar voice murmured close to her ear, just loud enough for only her to hear.

"Ferrari Lego, please." Jeonghan’s words came as a soft suggestion, and Luna felt his presence right next to her, his voice carrying a weight she couldn’t resist.

Without hesitation, Luna turned to PD Na, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I’ll go for the Ferrari Lego,” she said confidently, knowing Jeonghan wanted it and was more than willing to win it for him.

[Bunny no. 1 cannot resist bunny no. 2]

Jeonghan, satisfied with her choice, tapped her waist gently three times— a silent yet intimate gesture. Luna’s smile grew wider; she knew what those three taps meant, only the two of them did. The gesture was subtle enough not to draw attention, but to her, it spoke volumes.

“You’re a big spender as well,” PD Na remarked as Luna confidently chose a slip of paper, handing it to him with a grin.

[Big spenders have all won]

He opened the paper and read it out loud, “Word relay.”

Luna nodded, focusing. “Okay,” she said, her expression determined as she prepared herself for whatever challenge lay ahead.

“Name five countries that start with the letter ‘M’ in five seconds,” PD Na announced, watching her closely.

Without missing a beat, Luna lifted her hand to count on her fingers. “Mexico, Monaco, Malaysia, Malta, Moldova,” she rattled off quickly, the words rolling effortlessly off her tongue.

[Big spenders tend to win twice in a row]

“You got it!” PD Na confirmed, sounding impressed as the rest of the members fell silent, staring at her in awe.

Jeonghan’s hand shot up for a high-five, which Luna enthusiastically met. “Good job!” he praised, his smile wide and genuine.

“Yay!” Luna exclaimed as she skipped forward, her excitement clear as she grabbed the Ferrari Lego set. She hugged the box to her chest, the satisfaction of her win radiating through her, then returned to pick up the Disney Lego set she had won earlier.

A chorus of amazement filled the room, the members voicing their disbelief at how quickly and smoothly she had won. “Wow!” “How did she know all that?” “Why is she so fast?”

“You see how Yoon Jeonghan is not complaining like earlier,” Hoshi pointed out with a knowing look, gesturing toward Jeonghan, who stood smugly.

[Tiger Hoshi noticed something]

This shifted everyone’s attention to Jeonghan, who simply smirked. “It’s because he knows he’s getting that Lego set later,” Hoshi added, his teasing tone making the group erupt into laughter.

“You’re right!” Mingyu agreed, pointing at Hoshi as if to back up the claim.

“I thought she was gonna pick the Harry Potter Lego,” Dokyeom added, surprised at Luna’s decision.

“Since when were you interested in cars?” Woozi asked Luna with a raised brow, making her laugh even harder.

[They know each other so well]

Before Luna could answer, Mingyu held up his hands, motioning for everyone to listen. “Wait, did you hear what he said to Jiyeonie earlier before she chose?” Mingyu asked, pointing at both Jeonghan and Luna, his mischievous grin betraying the secret.

“What? What?” S.Coups leaned in, eager to hear.

“‘Ferrari Lego, please’,” Mingyu mimicked Jeonghan’s earlier whisper, earning a round of laughter from everyone as they playfully scolded the two.

“Ya! Bae Jiyeon! Yoon Jeonghan!” Seungkwan called out, pretending to scold Luna, though his grin gave him away.

“Those two are really shameless,” S.Coups said.

[Bunnies got caught]

Luna, still laughing, didn’t deny anything, while Jeonghan stood next in line, smirking at the whole situation, his confidence unwavering.

[Not denying]

“Why are you even in line? You won already,” Mingyu teased, playfully pushing Jeonghan toward Luna’s prize knowing it was already his.

Jeonghan gave Mingyu a lazy smirk, clearly amused by the teasing. His long hair fell gracefully over his face as he casually combed it back with one hand, exuding a calm confidence. "What about it?" he retorted, his voice smooth and laid-back, "What's it to you?"

The subtle cockiness in his tone, paired with his effortless gesture, made the rest of the members chuckle, knowing all too well that this was classic Jeonghan — cool, unbothered, and always one step ahead when it came to witty comebacks.

Vernon stood in front of the table, tapping his fingers lightly on its surface as he glanced over at the remaining prizes. "I'll go for the tea set," he announced, his tone casual, as he handed PD Na the slip of paper he had chosen.

"The tea set?" PD Na repeated, gesturing to Minghao. "The8 just checked it."

"I didn't know there was tea," Minghao remarked, looking at the set with slight curiosity.

Vernon smiled. "I was eyeing it from the start."

"This isn’t easy," PD Na said, as he read what was written on the slip.

Vernon raised an eyebrow and leaned forward to glance at the note. "Look at the pictures and arrange them by order," he read aloud, shrugging. "How can that be hard?"

Without a word, PD Na reached behind him and pulled out a stack of papers, careful to keep them hidden from Vernon's view. "You should be able to get it," he said with a grin that hinted at the challenge ahead.

[Genre: Arrange Jeonghan's pictures by order]

[Arrange 4 pictures in order] [They're all from different periods] [Remember he never ages]

Luna, sitting with Jeonghan on the chairs, caught sight of the pictures and immediately started laughing. "That’s hard," she commented, as she and Jeonghan moved closer to the table to get a better look.

“You should be able to get it.” PD Na told Vernon.

The rest of the members began to murmur and exclaim in unison. "Ahhh…" they said, their curiosity piqued as PD Na revealed the challenge.

"Arrange it by order," PD Na instructed, laying out four pictures of Jeonghan from different eras of their career.

Vernon blinked, staring at the photos in slight confusion. "What is this?" he muttered under his breath, clearly thrown off by the task.

Seungkwan let out a whine as he hovered near the table. "I’m so good at this! That’s my field of expertise!" His voice was a mix of genuine annoyance and playful boasting.

Dino, Jun, and Hoshi immediately mimicked Seungkwan’s tone, their exaggerated impressions sending the members into a fit of laughter. Seungkwan joined in the laughter but remained adamant. "I’m good at it!" he repeated.

Vernon began carefully arranging the photos on the table, the rest of the members crowding around him to observe. His brow furrowed as he tried to differentiate between the images.

[He carefully arranges the pictures]

"They’re all the same," Luna chuckled, glancing at Jeonghan, whose face remained consistently youthful in all the pictures.

Even Jeonghan joined in, shaking his head. "Even I can’t do it," he said, a chuckle escaping as he leaned closer to get a better look at the photos. PD Na began counting down the seconds, adding more pressure.

"They all look just the same," S.Coups added, echoing the sentiment as Vernon rearranged them for what felt like the hundredth time.

Jeonghan erupted into laughter. "He has no idea," he teased, making the rest of the group chuckle again.

Vernon glanced at the photos, his confusion evident. "I mean, don’t they all look the same? It looks like you from the other day," he said as he pointed at Jeonghan.

[Just different hair style]

"Focus on the hair color, Vernon," Luna suggested gently from behind, offering a helpful tip as she moved closer.

"Are you done?" PD Na asked, glancing at the clock to remind him that time was running out.

Vernon sighed and turned back to the pictures. "Do I get a chance to change it?" he asked, hoping for a lifeline.

"You have one last chance," PD Na confirmed, watching him intently.

Mingyu, ever the playful instigator, leaned in close to Vernon, whispering like a devil on his shoulder, "Don’t change it. Don’t. There’s a reason why he’s telling you to change it."

Vernon considered his words, a smirk playing on his lips. "Is it a high degree of mind game?" he mused before turning back to the photos. After a moment of contemplation, he made his final decision. "I’ll go with this."

Luna giggled as she moved closer to Jeonghan again, back-hugging him as her chin rested on his shoulder. She peeked over, knowing Vernon had made a mistake. "Aigo…"

"Vernon, should I say you're firm?" PD Na began, smiling as he prepared to reveal the result. "Here’s the answer."

He pointed to the first picture. "Number one is correct."

A brief moment of triumph spread across Vernon’s face until PD Na moved on to the rest of the photos.

"Here’s number two," PD Na said, shifting to the second photo, "here comes number four… and number three is last."

Luna, still perched behind Jeonghan, grinned. "You only got one right."

Vernon sighed, pointing at the first picture. "That’s ‘Don’t Wanna Cry.’"

[They recognize it by his hair] [’Don't Wanna Cry', May 2017]

Mingyu pointed at the second picture, laughing. "That’s ‘CLAP.’"

"Is it?" Jeonghan asked, equally puzzled by his own face.

"Isn’t that ‘THANKS’?" Vernon added, still trying to make sense of it all.

"I had pink hair for ‘CLAP,’" Jeonghan interjected, trying to sort through the visual timeline of his hairstyles.

PD Na chuckled at Jeonghan’s confusion, "I’m sorry, but aren’t these your pictures?"

Jeonghan couldn’t help but laugh along. "I can’t tell either. This is so hard."

"That was so hard," Seungkwan chimed in, shaking his head in disbelief. "It’s hard because you never age," He added as he turned to Jeonghan, teasing him. "You’re always so consistent."

"They were all the same," Vernon grumbled playfully as he accepted his defeat and began to eat his lemons.

Mingyu, still determined to claim victory after his earlier failure, stood with a renewed sense of purpose. His competitive spirit was palpable as he approached PD Na, his brows furrowed with focus. "I'll try for golf balls," he declared, handing over the slip of paper he had chosen. "I’d rather pick the Character Quiz." He pouted, half-joking, trying to mask his nervousness.

[Mingyu returns for golf balls]

PD Na unfolded the paper and glanced at what was written. "SEVENTEEN Quiz," he read out loud, grinning. "This won’t be easy."

Mingyu straightened, ready for the challenge, though the uncertainty was clear in his eyes.

PD Na looked him squarely in the face before delivering the question. "When’s S.Coups' birthday?"

Mingyu’s face lit up with surprise, not expecting such a simple query. "August 8," he answered without hesitation, his voice laced with disbelief at the ease of the question.

"Ya, that’s too easy," Luna piped up from her seat, shaking her head with a laugh.

PD Na chuckled, equally shocked at how simple it had been. "You got it. Good job," he congratulated Mingyu, though his tone revealed how anticlimactic the moment felt.

"We all know each other’s birthdays," Seungkwan chimed in, turning to PD Na with an almost proud expression.

"I know their birthdays," Mingyu said, his chest puffed out in confidence as he absorbed the victory.

PD Na raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Do you remember each other's birthdays?" he asked, his voice rising with playful skepticism.

A chorus of "Yes" and "Of course" echoed across the room as the members responded in unison, their voices overlapping with laughter and confidence.

"Really?" PD Na pressed, still amused by how naturally they remembered.

Luna giggled at the disbelief in his tone. "Why is that so shocking?"

"It was so easy. I was like, ‘August 8?’" Mingyu repeated, still bewildered that the question had been such a breeze.

Joshua leaned forward from his chair, nodding thoughtfully. "We get very disappointed if we don’t remember it."

Luna nodded in agreement, her tone softer as she added, "We’ve known each other for years. It’d be weird if we didn’t know."

Mingyu, still basking in his small victory, broke into a playful tune. "The golf balls," he sang lightly as he approached the table to collect his prize, a wide grin stretching across his face.

PD Na shook his head with a laugh, clearly amused by the whole interaction. "I worked with Hyo Jung for twenty years, but I don’t know her birthday," he admitted, pointing at the other producer standing beside him.

The members roared with laughter, the room filling with their amusement. Joshua’s sharp wit cut through the noise as he teasingly remarked, "She’s disappointed."

PD Na shook his head again, this time with a mock sigh. "You don’t know my birthday either," he told Hyo Jung, his nod full of playful accusation.

"She can’t complain," S.Coups chimed in.

It was finally Minghao's turn, and he eyed the prize he had wanted from the start— the delicate tea set that sat neatly on the prize table. With a small, determined smile, he turned to PD Na. "I want the tea set," he said, his voice clear but calm. He handed over the slip of paper with his mission written on it, fully prepared for whatever challenge lay ahead.

"Word Relay," PD Na announced, holding up the paper for Minghao to see. A ripple of laughter went through the group as Minghao tilted his head in confusion.

"How can a word have a relay?" Minghao asked, his innocent question making the other members burst into laughter.

PD Na chuckled, shaking his head lightly. "Here’s what you’re going to do," he began, speaking slowly for clarity. "You know body parts, right?"

"Yes," Minghao nodded.

"Okay. What’s this?" PD Na pointed at his own ear.

"Ear," Minghao answered confidently.

"Right. Now, just like an ear, say five one-syllable body parts," PD Na explained, giving him the mission.

Without missing a beat, Minghao slowly fired off his answers. "Liver, ear, mouth, nose, eye. Wahh!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up in victory as he walked back to his place, grinning as the others clapped and cheered for him.

"Good job! Good job, Hao!" Luna shouted, standing from her seat and clapping with a huge smile on her face, as though she were a proud parent.

But Seungkwan, ever the perfectionist, raised an eyebrow. "Does the liver count?" he asked, glancing around.

"Of course it does," Luna quickly answered.

"Of course. It’s still in your body," Minghao added matter-of-factly, his innocent tone causing more laughter to erupt among the group.

"It counts. It’s a body part," PD Na confirmed with a grin, amused by the dynamic.

Minghao turned to Seungkwan with a playful, slightly confused look. "Isn’t a liver part of your body? You don’t know how to play this," he said, his genuine innocence adding to his adorable charm.

"That wasn’t so easy," PD Na acknowledged, giving Minghao a nod of approval.

But Minghao, beaming with pride, hugged his newly won tea set close to his chest. "It works if you try," he said, giggling softly at his own success.

[Happy]

"You did it," PD Na said, smiling at the satisfaction on Minghao’s face.

"Thank you," Minghao replied, still holding onto his prize.

"You love tea. This is great," Dino clapped for him, happy to see Minghao with a prize that fit him so perfectly.

Minghao chuckled as he moved back into line, admiring his prize closely. "This is really pretty," he said softly, almost to himself.

"Yes, it’s pretty," Mingyu agreed, leaning over to get a closer look at the tea set.

Meanwhile, Luna, who had returned to her seat next to Jeonghan, covered her mouth with her hand, giggling at the scene in front of her. She glanced at Jeonghan, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"Why?" Jeonghan asked, smiling warmly at her.

"Minghao is so cute," Luna pouted dramatically, placing both hands over her chest as though it pained her how adorable Minghao was. Her exaggerated reaction made Jeonghan chuckle softly at her.

It was Dino’s turn once more, and determination flashed in his eyes. He had his sights set on one thing: the razor set.

"I'll try for razors again," Dino said confidently as he stepped forward.

[The regular customer who's only after the razors]

From the back of the line, Wonwoo couldn’t help but giggle. "Dino wants the razor set," he teased.

"I've got to get it," Dino muttered to himself, clenching his fists in focus as he handed the slip of paper he’d chosen over to PD Na.

[I'll get it this time]

PD Na unfolded the paper, and before he could even fold it back, Mingyu, standing in the middle of the line, caught sight of what was written. He burst into laughter, clapping his hands.

"But it’s so windy!" Mingyu exclaimed, his voice betraying the mischief in his mind.

"Did you see it, Mingyu?" PD Na asked, amused by Mingyu’s sudden outburst.

Mingyu laughed harder, doubling over and falling onto the ground in exaggerated glee. "You can read others’ misfortune very fast," PD Na commented, shaking his head while the rest of the group looked on in confusion.

"What was it?" Dino asked, his brow furrowed, feeling a sense of impending doom.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Mingyu said, clapping excitedly.

Finally, PD Na revealed the mission, "Light the match at once."

[Oh, poor Dino]

The group erupted into laughter. With how windy it was— hair flying everywhere, whether long or short— it was near impossible.

"Oh no," Luna chuckled, shaking her head sympathetically at Dino.

"That’s impossible," Dokyeom chimed in.

"Light the match in five seconds upon receiving it," PD Na repeated, sending the group into further hysterics.

Dino, rolling up the sleeves of his hoodie, prepared for the challenge. "Wait," he said, trying to mentally brace himself.

"And after lighting it, the match has to stay lit for 3 seconds," PD Na added, causing another burst of laughter. PD Na placed a box of matches in front of Dino, his face barely holding back a smile. "Go," he instructed.

Quickly, Dino grabbed the box of matches, his fingers fumbling slightly as adrenaline coursed through him. The rest of the members abandoned their seats and positions in the line, crowding around Dino as if this were a grand spectacle. PD Na began the countdown as everyone tried to offer their help.

"Block the wind with your body," Mingyu suggested, leaning in.

"Like that, hunch over like that," Luna said from the side, her voice filled with encouragement as Dino bent over, shielding his hands from the relentless wind.

"Go easy. No need to use your strength," Jeonghan advised, his calm voice contrasting with the chaos around him.

[With other members' help and advice]

Dino struck the match, his hands working quickly— but as soon as it lit, the flame flickered and died almost instantly.

[Snap] [Gone]

The group exploded into laughter. "Why did you die, buddy?" Dino whined dramatically to the match, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"It went off right away!" Dokyeom said, shaking his head in sympathy. "That’s horrible."

[It died] [In 0.01 seconds]

PD Na chuckled at Dino's failed attempt, "You didn’t ask for something big. All you wanted was razors."

"How many lemons has he eaten now?" S.Coups asked, pointing at Dino with a grin, knowing that Dino had already consumed six sour lemons in his quest for the razors.

[6 lemons while trying to get razors]

"Dino the lemon," Hoshi teased, flashing a mischievous smile.

"Dino the lemon," Joshua echoed, chuckling along with the rest of the group, as Dino sat there eating his lemons, half-amused, half-frustrated at his misfortune.

It was Jun’s turn once again, his eyes gleamed with determination. "I want the Harry Potter Lego," he declared confidently, handing the paper to PD Na.

[He chose the last Lego]

PD Na opened the slip of paper and squinted slightly as he read the challenge aloud. "This will be tough... Make me laugh in ten seconds," he said, trying to hold back a smile. The group erupted in laughter once more.

"Think out of the box, Jun!" Luna called out encouragingly, while Jeonghan gently dragged her by the wrist as they moved to the back of the line together, trying their luck once more.

"Who knows? You might be able to do it," Woozi said, adding his support, although his smirk suggested he wasn’t sure if Jun could pull it off.

PD Na slowly began counting down from ten. "Ten... nine..."

[The countdown begins]

Jun blinked, suddenly realizing the countdown had started. "Has it started?" he asked, eyes widening in a mild panic.

[He doesn't know what to do]

"Seven... six..."

Jun thought for a moment, staring at PD Na, his mind racing. Desperation crept in, and as the seconds ticked away, he quickly scrunched up his face into the goofiest expression he could think of.

[He first tries to frown his face] [Ta-da]

However, PD Na remained stone-faced, not even a hint of a smile crossing his features.

[He's too handsome to be funny]

"Five... four..." The tension built as Jun began to sweat.

"Hurry!" Minghao shouted from the back, egging Jun on.

With only three seconds left, Jun’s mind went blank, but then, an idea struck him. "What about tickling?" he said out loud. Before anyone could stop him, Jun lunged forward and started tickling PD Na’s sides.

[As soon as he started tickling, Producer Na laughed]

The suddenness of it caught PD Na completely off guard. His composure crumbled instantly as laughter burst from him, his face twisting in both amusement and shock. He hadn't expected this tactic at all. PD Na laughed, but his surprised smile didn’t fade. He stared at Jun, still reeling from the unexpected assault of tickles.

Jun celebrated wildly, jumping up and down as the members cheered him on.

"You’re a genius!" Dokyeom clapped Jun on the back, clearly impressed.

[In a way that no one expected]

"I’ve never thought about that!" PD Na said, still recovering. He shook his head in disbelief. "But you did it," he added, a begrudging smile on his face.

With a victorious grin, Jun bounded toward the prize table and grabbed the last Harry Potter Lego set, a bounce in his step as if he’d just conquered the world.

"I would’ve never thought about tickling," Joshua said, shaking his head in amusement as he watched Jun cradle the box like a trophy.

It was S.Coups' turn next, and with a calm, confident stride, he handed the paper he had chosen over to PD Na.

“S.Coups, born on August 8,” PD Na teased, playfully emphasizing the detail, causing a few chuckles among the members.

S.Coups pointed directly at the gift certificate, eyeing it like a prized possession. “I want the gift certificate,” he said decisively.

From the sidelines, Seungkwan let out a mock whine, his voice rising comically. “That’s mine!” Seungkwan exclaimed, earning amused glances from the other members.

PD Na mirrored Seungkwan’s whining tone, further adding to the playful tension in the room. “What’s going on?” PD Na asked dramatically before focusing back on the paper. He laughed as he noticed yet another easy mission. “Okay, SEVENTEEN Quiz,” he announced.

“The social media manager,” Wonwoo teased, referencing S.Coups’ well-known position as the unofficial information hub of the group.

“Most informative,” Dokyeom added with a knowing smirk, poking fun at the ease of the quiz missions.

PD Na glanced at the remaining papers in the bowl. “So many people have picked SEVENTEEN Quiz. There are only easy ones left now.” He paused for effect before reading the question aloud. “How do you spell PLEDIS?”

S.Coups didn’t hesitate for even a second. “P, L, E, D, I, S,” he answered with a slight grin as if the question was too simple for his level.

“You got it,” PD Na confirmed with a slight nod of acknowledgment.

Without missing a beat, S.Coups moved away from the line, making a beeline for the gift certificate. His fellow members couldn’t help but react.

“That’s too easy,” Luna commented with a soft laugh, shaking her head.

“That’s so easy,” Vernon echoed, equally amused by the simplicity of the question.

It was Dokyeom’s turn once again, and he stepped forward confidently to grab a paper from the bucket. As he did so, he tried to spell PLEDIS aloud, “P, L, E, I, D, S,” nodding to himself, completely unaware of his mistake.

PD Na, noticing the error, quickly grabbed the bucket out of Dokyeom’s reach, chuckling, “What did you just say?”

Dokyeom blinked in surprise and then burst into laughter, realizing his mistake. “Can I just pick one?” he asked, still giggling at his blunder.

[He must be from a different agency]

“People get confused sometimes!” Dokyeom defended, still laughing as he finally pulled a paper from the bucket and handed it to PD Na. “I’ll try for the bulk snack,” he said with a hopeful grin.

PD Na opened the paper, reading the mission aloud, “Object Quiz.” He turned around and reached for a picture, revealing it to Dokyeom, who stared at it, completely baffled. The image was of some random object, but Dokyeom looked at it with wide eyes, clearly at a loss for words.

“Beating?” Dokyeom said, blurting out nonsense in an attempt to answer, but PD Na shook his head, “Wrong.”

Dokyeom let out a defeated sigh and grabbed his cup of lemons, moving back to the seating area to eat as the members chuckled at his answer.

“What even is that?” S.Coups asked, puzzled, as Dokyeom sat down.

[The good son appears again]

Next in line was Wonwoo, who still clutched the golf club and golf balls he had won earlier. He eyed the sack of dog food sitting on the prize table, clearly planning to win it for his father. “My dad has a dog,” he commented casually, a determined glint in his eye.

“Is that your theme? Being a good son?” PD Na teased as Wonwoo handed him the paper he had picked.

[Golf club for his father] [Golf balls for his father]

PD Na read the next quiz question aloud, “What’s Newton’s full name?”

Wonwoo froze, completely at a loss for the answer. The silence hung in the air as PD Na started his countdown, but Wonwoo didn’t say a word.

“Jimmy Newton,” Dokyeom muttered from his seat, trying to be helpful but only making things worse, as S.Coups and Woozi doubled over in laughter.

“Isaac Newton,” Luna and Vernon said in unison from the back, their voices overlapping as they both got the answer right.

“You two got it,” PD Na acknowledged with a nod, though it wasn’t their question.

Wonwoo shrugged as he left the line, missing out on the dog food, but his poker face never faltered, earning a few more chuckles from the group as the game continued.

[The real rich appears] [Korean beef combo] [Dyson]

Hoshi stepped forward once again, a box of Dyson appliances in one hand and a Korean beef set tucked under his arm, looking rather content with his winnings so far. PD Na, noticing Hoshi's abundance of prizes, pointed at him with a grin and then at Wonwoo, who was standing to the side with only his golf club and golf balls. "I’m sorry, but he’s not that rich,” PD Na said, gesturing to Wonwoo, making everyone burst into laughter.

Hoshi nodded, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he pulled another paper from the bucket and handed it to PD Na.

PD Na opened it and read aloud, “Old abbreviation quiz.”

“Old abbreviations?” Vernon repeated, his brow furrowing as he glanced at Hoshi, who looked equally confused.

“Yes,” PD Na warned as he consulted his cue cards. “What does ‘WWKSB’ mean?”

Hoshi blinked, completely lost.

"What?" Luna murmured from her place in the middle of the line, eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"’Why don't we...?’" Hoshi started, but he trailed off, unable to think of the rest of the phrase. He looked desperate for inspiration, but before he could come up with anything, PD Na’s countdown ended.

"Wrong!" PD Na declared, shaking his head.

"Isn’t it ‘Why don’t we kiss since we’re bored’?” S.Coups chimed in casually, earning shocked looks from a few members.

“Really?” Hoshi turned to S.Coups, disbelief written all over his face.

PD Na laughed and nodded. “Yes— ‘Why don’t we kiss since we’re bored?’”

Luna stood in line, her arms crossed over her chest, her face calm and unreadable as she processed the answer. But beside her, Jeonghan turned to her the instant PD Na gave the answer, his eyes glinting with mischief and knowing. His gaze seemed to imply a teasing suggestion as if he were echoing what the answer had just revealed.

Luna could feel the weight of Jeonghan’s stare on her face, the amusement radiating off him, but she kept her face forward, refusing to give him the reaction he was clearly baiting for— especially with cameras rolling. Yet, the intensity of his stare was relentless, and despite her composure, she knew he wouldn’t let up.

After a few more moments, still feeling the intensity of his gaze and the smirk undoubtedly playing on his lips, Luna subtly shifted her eyes upward, locking her gaze with his without turning her head. She raised her eyebrow ever so slightly, silently challenging him. Jeonghan’s lazy smirk only widened, his long black hair framing his face as he stared at her, utterly entertained. His tongue flicked over his lips briefly, making her grin at his persistence before she turned her attention back in front, letting the moment dissolve without a word exchanged between them.

“‘WWKSB?’” Vernon echoed, nodding as if learning something entirely new about the past.

“I guess people were more open-minded back in the day,” Hoshi deadpanned, his expression comically serious. PD Na and the rest of the crew couldn’t contain their laughter.

Hoshi, unbothered, moved away from the line with a resigned shrug, grabbing his cup of lemons as he prepared to take a seat. “Why would you kiss when you’re bored?”

Seungkwan, who had been quietly processing the absurdity of it all, mimicked the abbreviation. “WWKSB?” he said in a teasing tone, nudging Dino.

“Why don’t you stop?” Dino responded with the same tone, and the two dissolved into laughter.

Vernon stepped up for his third attempt, visibly more determined but equally unsure, having yet to claim any prizes so far. His eyes darted to the bucket of papers, scanning for any that could give him an advantage, but luck was hard to read.

[3rd visit] [Vernon still hasn't won anything yet]

He drew a slip and handed it to PD Na, who glanced at it and read aloud, “Proverb Relay.”

At that, Vernon let out a visible groan and physically cringed. “Proverbs... ah,” he mumbled, already anticipating his failure.

“That’s what I’m good at,” Wonwoo chimed in confidently from his seat at the side.

“You have to answer immediately,” PD Na instructed, putting Vernon on the spot with a serious tone, giving him no time to overthink. “‘One man sows—?’”

Vernon’s brows furrowed in concentration, but then, in a total shot in the dark, he answered, “‘The fox reaps’?”

“Wrong,” PD Na declared with a smirk, much to the amusement of the others.

“What is it?” Vernon asked, confused but chuckling at his wild guess.

“It’s ‘One man sows, another man reaps,’” PD Na clarified.

Next in line was Mingyu, stepping forward for another chance at redemption. Mingyu grabbed his paper and, with a quick glance at PD Na, handed it over. Woozi, seeing Mingyu’s confident stance, teased from the back, “Mingyu won’t get it.”

Mingyu turned slightly, not one to let the joke go unnoticed. “Why would you say that? I still got one prize!” he defended as he showed off his golf balls.

Unbothered, PD Na read the paper. “It’s a Logo Quiz.”

“That’s easy,” Minghao called out from behind, encouraging Mingyu with his usual calm tone.

PD Na pulled out a picture, held it up in front of Mingyu, and immediately started counting down. “One, two, three—?”

Without hesitating, Mingyu blurted, “Simyang!”

“That’s Korea Music Copyright Association,” Woozi said, his sharp eyes always catching such details.

“That’s right— Korea Music Copyright Association,” PD Na confirmed, a satisfied nod directed at Woozi.

“I got it,” Woozi said, proud of his keen observation

[It was so easy for the producer]

“Woozi is the only one who got it right,” PD Na added for emphasis, as the rest of the group chuckled.

“He’s basically a permanent employee,” S.Coups added, pointing at Woozi like he’d already earned a spot in the association’s hierarchy.

“I even have their app,” Woozi boasted, laughing as PD Na handed him the photo again, testing him.

“Woozi, what’s this?” PD Na asked, showing the picture once more.

“Korea Music Copyright Association,” Woozi replied effortlessly, proving his point again.

[Woozi has the copyright for 147 songs]

“This is crazy... It’s so embarrassing,” Mingyu muttered as he moved to grab his cup of lemons.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” PD Na said with a comforting grin. “Just have some lemons.”

“You’re right,” Mingyu conceded, playfully surrendering as he left the line, still shaking his head in disbelief.

Minghao stepped up for his next attempt, eyes glancing at the bucket of papers before settling on one. He plucked it out with ease and handed it to PD Na, his expression calm and collected as always. "I want the slippers," he stated, pointing at the prize he had his sights set on.

Jeonghan, standing to the side, chimed in, “You might have a lot of guests at home,” teasing Minghao in his usual soft-spoken but playful tone.

PD Na opened the slip and read aloud, “It’s a Korean movie title.”

Jun, who stood nearby, gave his teammate a reassuring nod. “That could be easy. You’ve watched a lot of movies,” he said, trying to encourage Minghao, though everyone knew this wasn’t going to be as simple as it seemed.

PD Na raised his eyebrows at Minghao and announced, “You have five seconds.”

Minghao’s expression shifted into one of mild disbelief. “Five seconds? That’s too short,” he said, then added with a clever smirk, “I’m The8. Give me eight seconds.”

The group burst into laughter at his quick-witted response. “That makes sense,” Luna quipped, joining in on the joke.

PD Na chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re the one who said eye, nose, mouth, and liver earlier. I’ll give you seven seconds.”

With that, PD Na showed the card with the initials ‘DTL’ on it. “It’s a Korean movie,” PD Na said, starting to count down.

Minghao’s brow furrowed as he stared at the letters on the card, trying to piece together the title. His focus was intense, but the seconds ticked away too quickly. 

“That’s so easy!” Seungkwan whined from the back, watching with eager anticipation.

“What is it?” Jeonghan and Luna muttered to each other, both squinting at the letters, equally stumped.

But before Minghao could answer his time ran out, PD Na announced, “Wrong!”

Immediately, Minghao turned to Seungkwan, pretending to be offended. “I got it wrong because of you!” he playfully scolded, causing a ripple of laughter to echo through the group.

Seungkwan pouted, “You couldn’t get it anyway. It’s ‘Decision to Leave’.”

The members collectively groaned in realization, a chorus of “Ahhh” filling the air as they pieced it together.

As the challenge drew closer to its end, PD Na glanced at the remaining members still standing in line and announced, "I'll be closing soon. Only those who haven't won anything should line up."

With that, Luna and the other members who had already won prizes took their seats off to the side. Some settled on chairs while others sat cross-legged on the ground, all watching the final contestants. Jeonghan, Vernon, Seungkwan, and Dino were the last ones standing in line.

[Next customer is Jeonghan]

[Rummage] [What's he doing?]

Jeonghan, a known game cheater from their ‘Going Seventeen’ antics, was already up to his usual tricks. He rummaged through the remaining papers, eyes squinting as he tried to read the questions through the faint marker lines that had bled through the back of the paper.

"You can’t go through the questions," one of the writers said, eyeing Jeonghan suspiciously.

Jeonghan simply chuckled, casually continuing his sneaky mission. PD Na, watching from a distance, stared at Jeonghan in confusion. “I’m sorry, but you can’t go through them,” PD Na repeated, a bit more firmly this time.

Feigning innocence, Jeonghan smiled and chose his prize. “I’ll go for the glove— I’ll mix them,” he said, before pretending to mix the papers up. However, his fingers were already gripping onto one specific paper, clearly hoping for an easier question.

“I’m sorry, but you held onto it when you shook them up,” PD Na pointed out, calling Jeonghan out on his cheeky tactics. The observation earned PD Na a laugh from Jeonghan, who finally picked a different paper and handed it over.

“It’s Four-character Idiom Relay,” PD Na announced, causing a wave of groans and laughter from the group as Jeonghan’s face fell into a look of mock defeat.

“You can do it,” Luna encouraged, clapping lightly from the side, followed by several other voices.

“We should make a new idiom for today,” Mingyu joked from the sidelines.

"You got this," Jun said, backing Jeonghan with playful confidence.

With a sigh, Jeonghan straightened up. “No pain, no gain,” he declared confidently.

PD Na blinked, confused. “I haven’t started yet,” he said, which sent the group into a fit of laughter. 

“You have to say it right away,” PD Na reminded him before reading the first part of the idiom. “Ome?”

“Ga-3,” Jeonghan answered without hesitation, a cheeky grin on his face.

[What?]

The room erupted into loud laughter as PD Na announced, “Wrong!”

[Omega-3: fatty acid needed for normal growth and health]

"It’s omebulmang," Seungkwan chimed in through his own laughter, shaking his head at Jeonghan’s hilariously absurd answer.

Luna toppled over, leaning on Dokyeom as she laughed uncontrollably. "That was amazing," she wheezed, tears forming in the corners of her eyes from laughing so hard.

“That was a good one,” Joshua agreed, nodding approvingly at Jeonghan’s absurd creativity.

[Nice wrong answer]

From the side, Dokyeom couldn’t help but add, “From now on, it’s Omega-3.”

“I’m jealous that he was funny,” Seungkwan pouted, still giggling at the chaos.

“Omega-3 was brilliant,” Dokyeom repeated, shaking his head in amusement as Jeonghan, grinning, stepped back to rejoin the group after his bold attempt.

It was Dino's turn, and the determined maknae stepped up confidently. "I'll take the razors again," he said, handing PD Na the paper he had chosen. 

PD Na glanced at the paper, then looked up with a sly smile. "It's Proverb Relay."

Instantly, the members reacted. “He’s out,” S.Coups said, shaking his head with a knowing smile. 

“Aigo, I’ll just buy you razors, Dino-ah,” Luna chuckled, amused at Dino’s previous failed attempts. 

“I’m good at it,” Dino told her, his face filled with mock determination.

[No, you're not]

"Ah, really?" Luna asked, her concerned tone causing S.Coups to laugh and point at her for having such little faith in Dino. "Alright"

“Make it funny, Dino,” Mingyu teased, leaning back with a smirk. 

“He’s guaranteed to be out,” Dokyeom chimed in, causing Dino to sigh dramatically.

“I told you. Everyone except for noona makes me negative and hopeless,” Dino said, feigning offense, causing laughter to ripple through the group.

[Proving that it's true]

“In the back, he said ‘One man sows, and walls have ears,’” Wonwoo joked, causing PD Na to clap and laugh at Dino’s famously incorrect previous answers.

“You should at least be funny,” Joshua encouraged, chuckling at Dino’s struggle.

“You’re a funny kid,” Mingyu added, his teasing tone light-hearted.

“If you play seriously, you’ll be funny,” Woozi assured him.

[No one expects him to get it]

“I hope you get it,” Seungkwan said encouragingly, standing behind Dino.

“I will get it,” Dino said firmly, taking a deep breath. He looked determined, ready to prove them all wrong.

“Here we go,” PD Na said, holding up the paper. He paused for dramatic effect before reading the first part of the proverb. “‘Bamboo basket...’”

Without missing a beat, Dino confidently responded, “‘Is a shame.’”

PD Na blinked before declaring, “Wrong!”

The group burst into laughter. Dino clutched his sides, joining the members as they doubled over at his very wrong, but hilarious answer.

“‘It can’t carry water,’” S.Coups said between laughs, finally giving the correct answer.

“It is a shame, though,” Woozi said, still chuckling, as PD Na handed Dino his cup of lemons once again.

[It's also a shame] [Having 9 lemons for the razor]

Dino sighed dramatically as he received the lemons, but he couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of his answer. 

It was Seungkwan’s turn next. He approached the table with determined strides, picking up a paper and handing it over to PD Na. “I’ll go for the bulk snack,” he said confidently.

PD Na opened the paper, and a smirk crossed his face as he announced, “Seungkwan, it’s the Common Sense Quiz.���

Seungkwan’s face lit up with joy, his excitement palpable. 

“You think you’re smart, huh?” Mingyu teased from the side.

“You look smart, but you’re not smart,” Dokyeom added with a playful grin.

Joshua joined in, asking innocently, “Does he look smart?”

“Do you have no intention to root for me?” Seungkwan asked, his voice dripping with mock hurt. The room filled with laughter as the members teased him further.

“Wooo! Boo Seungkwan!” Luna cheered softly from the side, breaking the silence. The sweetness of her voice made everyone laugh even harder.

“Thanks, noona,” Seungkwan said, grateful for at least one supporter.

“Seungkwan, let’s start,” PD Na said, pulling everyone back into focus. “Here’s the question: We have names for like-minded people. What do you call people who want to be financially independent so that they can retire soon?”

As PD Na started counting down, Seungkwan’s face scrunched up in thought. “Elf,” Jeonghan whispered mischievously to him.

“Hot,” Joshua murmured under his breath, causing even more distraction.

Seungkwan, getting flustered, shouted, “Get me something hot!” as if it would save him from the pressure. He glanced around in desperation before realizinghe wasn't making any sense.

“Wrong,” PD Na said, shaking his head.

Seungkwan whined, “What’s the answer?”

“It’s fire,” PD Na explained.

"Fire? He's right, then," Luna said, playfully backing up Seungkwan.

"Right! You got it. It’s fire!" S.Coups chimed in, causing the whole group to laugh at the funny coincidence between Seungkwan’s ‘hot’ and the actual answer.

[Fire= hot]

“It is hot trotter,” Wonwoo added, making everyone burst into laughter again as they exclaimed at the revelation.

“Hot!” Seungkwan yelled, turning to PD Na in one last attempt to argue his case, shocking the PD enough that he stood up from his seat.

[Producer Na is shocked]

“We love Korean. Hot!” Seungkwan continued dramatically, trying to convince PD Na with his antics.

“That just gave me goosebumps,” PD Na said, his voice full of amusement.

“Is it hot?” Seungkwan asked, looking to the rest of the members who eagerly backed Seungkwan up. Everyone began chiming in at once, urging PD Na to accept Seungkwan’s creative answer.

[Will it count as an answer?] [In times like this, all 14 people team up]

“But ‘fire’ here means like firing someone,” PD Na tried to explain, still bewildered by how the situation had spiraled into chaos.

“It’s the same spelling,” Mingyu pointed out, looking to Luna for confirmation who nodded.

Finally, PD Na gave in with a laugh. “You got it,” he said, waving his hand.

[Approved] [He won the bulk snack]

Seungkwan let out an excited shout of victory, rushing to grab the massive bags of bulk snacks. He held them up triumphantly, his face lit up with satisfaction. “Thank you. This will go perfectly with alcohol,” Seungkwan said, clutching his prize with pride.

[Jeonghan is the last customer of the day]

As Jeonghan stepped forward for his final turn, the last customer left to close out the segment, he carefully picked a paper and handed it over to PD Na with a smirk, fully aware that this was his last chance to win something for himself. The atmosphere was light, with the members watching in anticipation of what trick or witty response Jeonghan might pull.

PD Na opened the folded slip of paper, scanned it briefly, and then raised his voice with a hint of amusement, “It’s a dud.”

[Neat finish]

The members burst into laughter, clapping in delight at the anticlimactic ending, while Jeonghan raised his hands in mock celebration, chuckling along with them. “Of course, it started and ended with a dud,” Luna quipped, smiling warmly at Jeonghan’s playful shrug. 

['Super' Store ends]

The segment ended with applause from everyone, and the group clapped, bowing to the staff and offering their thanks for the fun experience. They gathered their prizes, preparing to head back to the green room for a well-deserved break before the next segment began. 

[The customers seem happy]

As they moved around, PD Na approached Jeonghan with a small, familiar item in hand— a baseball that had been one of the prizes. "This is for you," PD Na said, handing over the ball as Jeonghan smiled, tucking it under his arm.

[It may be closed, but there are prizes for people who were funny]

Around them, the members had started spreading out— some still lingering in the open field, tearing into Seungkwan’s bulk snack bags and laughing, while others drifted toward the break area. 

[It’s closed. Please leave.]

[Post-credits scene]

[Here's what happened during the break]

Jeonghan and Luna were the first to arrive in the green room, their footsteps quiet as they entered the familiar space. The air was cool, a stark contrast to the warmth of the field outside.

[Jeonghan and Luna are the first people here to take a rest]

Without saying a word, Jeonghan lowered himself to the floor and sat with his legs out elongated in front of him, his back resting against the wall. Luna, without hesitation, settled down beside him, placing her head on his lap as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Both pulled out their phones, enjoying the peaceful silence that enveloped them. The room, for a moment, was theirs alone.

[Low battery mode]

“You two got here so fast,” Wonwoo’s voice broke the quiet as he strolled in a few minutes later, raising an eyebrow at their relaxed posture. Luna smiled up from Jeonghan’s lap, but neither moved, the easy comfort between them tangible.

Slowly, the rest of the members began trickling in. Mingyu, entering with his usual boundless energy, spotted Luna’s legs stretched out comfortably on the floor. Without warning, he scooped up her legs in one fluid motion, sat down beside her, and gently placed her legs back down on his lap. Luna chuckled but didn’t resist, knowing that this was typical of Mingyu.

“Why is there chroma key?” Mingyu asked, glancing around at the green walls that framed the room.

“I guess we’re doing something here later,” Dokyeom chimed in, scanning the room with a curious look.

“There are cameras everywhere,” S.Coups observed, noticing the subtle placements of hidden cameras tucked into various corners.

“You’re right,” Wonwoo said with a nod. “The unseen hide-and-seek. It’s gotta be something like that.”

[This is just Producer Na's habit]

Luna closed her phone and grinned. “Doesn’t this remind you guys of something?” The members glanced at her, waiting for the punchline. Her grin widened. “Melona Prison.”

The room erupted into laughter. The memory of their trainee days hit everyone at once— Melona Prison, the room where they spent countless hours training, named for the bright green walls and the never-ending surveillance cameras. It was their prison, their home, and the source of both fond and difficult memories.

“Ah, it really does feel like that place,” Mingyu agreed, chuckling as he absentmindedly ran his fingers on Luna’s legs.

Seungkwan, ever the playful one, suddenly tossed a blanket over Jeonghan, Luna, and Mingyu, covering them in a soft cocoon.

“Seungkwan, why are you suddenly being so nice and got us a blanket?” Jeonghan asked, his eyes narrowing in mock suspicion.

S.Coups, ever the leader with a teasing smile, cut in, “It’s because there are cameras.”

Seungkwan huffed. “What are you talking about? I’m always nice.”

The members settled into casual conversation, the easy flow of banter filling the room. Jeonghan, leaning back lazily, turned to the group and mused, “Not eating is the best way to prevent aging.”

“Really?” Dokyeom asked, his tone genuinely curious.

Jeonghan nodded sagely. “Yes.”

Luna looked up at him from his lap, her brow furrowing. “What nonsense is that?” she asked, half-joking, but her concern for him was clear in her voice.

With a soft sigh, Luna sat up and leaned her back against the wall, positioning herself between Jeonghan and Mingyu. The blanket remained draped over her, warm and cozy, as two pairs of hands— Jeonghan’s and Mingyu’s— rested lightly on her thigh, their touch gentle and absentminded.

[When they're talking about detoxing, the snack arrives]

A staff member entered, placing a bowl of snacks on the table next to them. Hoshi eyed the bowl, perking up. “Snack?”

Jeonghan, however, shook his head and gestured toward the snacks. “That’s all toxic.”

Luna shot him a sharp glare, not liking how casually he was talking about not eating. Her silent disapproval was palpable, and Jeonghan, noticing her expression, immediately leaned over, pressing his face against her shoulder in a small gesture of apology. He placed a quick, soft kiss on her shoulder as if that would make her relent. 

Just then, another staff member entered the room, balancing a tray of iced Americanos. As she moved toward the table, her grip faltered, and the tray slipped. The cups tumbled over, and coffee spilled across the floor, eliciting gasps of shock from the members. They all stood up in an instant, rushing over to help her.

“Are you okay?” Luna asked, concern etched on her face as she crouched down to assist.

Jeonghan, however, had other thoughts. “Is this a prank?” he asked, his eyes scanning the room suspiciously.

“Ya!” Luna scolded him, elbowing him lightly. “Don’t be ridiculous. Are you hurt?” she asked again, her attention back on the staff member.

“Are you okay?” Jeonghan finally asked.

“Is this a test? To see if we’ll help?” Dokyeom chimed in, a curious look on his face.

[They watched too much YouTube]

“Are you okay?” Hoshi asked the staff as he helped clean the floor, throwing away the coffee cups. 

The members all pitched in, cleaning up the mess without a second thought. Dokyeom moved the tray out of the room, shaking his head as he glanced back at Jeonghan, chuckling. “You think this is a prank? You’re unbelievable.”

Wonwoo chuckled softly, finding the whole situation amusing. “We all thought it was a prank right away.”

“It’s because there are cameras in the room,” Luna pointed out, gathering the blankets on the floor.

“Jeonghan, you’re unbelievable,” Hoshi echoed, still chuckling.

“S.Coups keeps cleaning.” Seungkwan pointed out.

“I know. Why are you working so hard?” Dokyeom asked.

S.Coups, ever diligent, kept wiping the floor, working harder than anyone else. “I was the first to get up.” he announced.

[That's what it takes to be the leader of SEVENTEEN]

As the room settled back into calm after the brief commotion, the members exchanged glances and laughs. The day had been chaotic, but this was just a brief pause before the next round of madness. With their energy recharged, they prepared for whatever the next segment had in store.

[This is what SEVENTEEN does on their break]

[To be continued in Clip 2-2]

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[joe9cool]

Collide-Justin Herbert-32

A/N This is fanfiction, I do not know or associate with anyone on the Chargers. You do not have permission to steal my work

Sara couldn't say anything. This went from 0-100 faster than a Tesla accelerating. Her gaze was on the ring, not wanting to look at Harry's face.

If this was 2020 she would have said yes before he even could have finished his proposal. But in the almost three years since a lot of shit went down. After their breakup, she dreamed of this moment, she would have wanted nothing more than to stomp on his heart. To get revenge,

Before she could respond, Erika came around the corner. "Look who passed his vet check." Harry jumped up, wide eyed while Sara stood up from the couch. Both of them hoped Erika didn't see anything. It looked like she didn't "What's up? What's going on?" She was carrying Eugene in his carrier. Looking confused from Sara to Harry, who jumped up quickly when she announced her arrival.

He wiped his hands on his pants. "Nothing! Just having lunch. A matter of fact Kit called, I have to be in the studio soon."

Erika smiled. "You're working on another album?" Harry was confused before he opened his mouth, she cut him off. "Of course you are! You're dedicated! Congrats on the Grammys by the way." He nodded in thanks and turned towards Sara. "We need to do this again, and maybe actually plan the event." He joked. Sara could only nod, still white as a ghost, still in shock from what happened and confusion on how he could be normal after that. He hugged her and whispered in her ear. "Please think about it." And pulled away. He hugged Erika, and with one final wave he left.

Erika waited until the door closed. Taking Eugene out of the cat enclosure he held on to him. "Okay what the hell just happened. You're white and he is just…. well not himself."

Sara ran her hands through her hair. "Erika, I don't even know how to explain what just went down." She shook her head. "Everything was normal and fine, and then…. He asked about my relationship and then he got down on one knee."

Erika's already big eyes widened. Almost cartoon-like. "What the fuck? Like he had a ring?" Sara nodded and looked down. The open box was on the floor, the ring sparkling. He must have dropped it when he was Startled. She picked it up and showed Erika, who grabbed it. "Holy shit! That's a rock! He must be serious."

"The size of the diamond doesn't matter, Erika. I don't give a fuck about a carat size. Sara stood up pacing. "Are you going to say yes?" Sara stopped and looked at her friend like she was the stupidest person alive. "What? No! We are not even together! We just hung out a couple of times and he comes out of left field? Not even 'give me another chance?' Just goes right into a marriage proposal?"

"What If he wanted to get back together? Would you say yes?" Sara couldn't answer that one. Yes Harry did hurt her, yes she hated his guts for a while, but now things were different. She wanted him back into her life. Just friends, but who knows if he was serious about changing. "I don't know." She admitted. "I'm still hung up about Justin."

Erika rolled her eyes and it made Sara think about something Harry said earlier. "Hey Erika?"

"Yes?" She was in the kitchen, still holding Eugene looking for a treat for the cat. Her back was to the Brunette

"Have you been talking to Harry behind my back?" Sara watched as Erika paused.  "What are you talking about?" She still hadn't faced her.

All of the sudden Sara's phone buzzed again. It had been buzzing the entire time Harry was talking to her before launching his proposal. She hadn't thought about it, she was too occupied, plus it was probably Heidi or Alex, or her agent.

Wanting to get rid of the annoyance before confronting Erika she went into the bedroom and saw it was Brittany.

Weird, since they haven't spoken since their fight in January. Sara felt bad, because of what her mom said.

She picked up the phone, and she wished she didn't. "Hello?"

"Sara you need to come home." Katie sounded like she had been crying. There was screaming all around. "Wait what happened?"

"Dad had a heart attack at work. His secretary found him unresponsive and they rushed him to the hospital right She paused and she let out sobs…."It doesn't look good. " —---------------------------------------------------------------

Justin was on the road.

He was going faster than usual. He had spent the night trying to figure out what to say to her. He had written a speech, but it sounded awkward and unnatural. He fell asleep around 1am and woke up at 7am. Later than he would have liked, but it was 1pm. He was almost out of Oregon. He should have taken the plane, but he wasn't in his right mind.

He was cringing, replaying the fight they had. Her cries pierced through his heart, knowing he was the cause. Justin hoped it wasn't too late, he'd do anything to make it right.

Something else was going on in his head. The fight that he had with Bosa in Vegas. When Joey said he was a two timer.

This was going to be awkward, but he had to know. Dialing Bosas number in his car he was shocked when he picked up. "What do you want?"

Justin just went straight to the point. "What did you mean when you called me a two timer? Is that supposed to imply I was cheating?"

Joey was silent and Justin thought he had hung up on him. "Hello?"

"Fuck, I'm not supposed to even tell you this. Annie told me that while she was going to confront you for standing her up at the fashion show. She ran into Taylor, who told her that you guys were still together behind her back. Apparently she had photos and tweets that you guys were spotted all around town."

Justin was seeing red. "What proof? She cornered me at the grocery store in October. I broke up with her and I haven't seen her since!" He made a mental note to cuss the blonde out. "Joey, I swear to God I never saw Taylor behind her back."

"She claims you visited her apartment after your injury. You two had sex, she tried to shove you off but you were persistent."

Justin couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had to pull over. "Joey, I did go over there. She kissed me and I ran out, I swear to God! I never did anything!"

There was another pause. "Nothing happened?" Justin shook his head. "I swear, I love Sara and I may be a lot of things but I'm not a cheater. I'm on my way home to see her. I'm sorry I flew off the handle at you."

Joey sighed. "Look man I get it, I shouldn't have said the things I did, but dude. You got to prove that what Taylor said wasn't true. You got that on top of what an ass you were, and ditching her fashion show."

Justin was exasperated. "I didn't! When I went to click on the ticket it said it was revoked and I couldn't get it!"

"Annie said you accepted it and then didn't show up."

He got back on the road, driving faster than usual. He needed to get back to Sara's. "Who said that?"

"I think it was Sara's assistant, she handles all of that shit."

At the mention of her it was like Voldemort. Justin's hands gripped the wheel even harder. "Anything else?" He spoke through gritted teeth.

"According to AnnSophie, Taylor said some really nasty things to Sara. Saying she was stupid for thinking you'd want something serious with her. Was basically implying in a rude way that she wasn't your type based on appearance. Also said she should go after Pickett since he plays for the Steelers."

Justin was trying to wrap his head around everything. "Oh my god. Joey I swear nothing happened with Taylor. Is AnnSophie with you?"

"No."

"If you see her please explain everything, that nothing she said was true?"

"What about the photos.?" Justin was still confused on that one. "I'll see if Ashley can pull them up. But I need to get back to Los Angeles as soon as possible. I still have like 6 hours left." Part of him wanted to do something irrational and access a private jet. Though he didn't know how to get access to one despite money and status.

When he and Joey hung up. He called Ashley. "What's up?"

"I need you to scope social media and find any pictures of me with Taylor or a blonde or anyone fitting that description."

"I can try, but I don't think there's anything."

"Try as hard as you can." He merged on another freeway that was a long haul but it entered California.

Justin wasn't a mushy guy, being told by past girls that he needed to be more romantic and thoughtful. He did some stuff in high school with his then girlfriend but everything else was flings and girls he didn't care about

Sara… well this was a territory that he never crossed into. His dad spoke to him about fear about falling and he thought about the times he was a total ass to Sara and the fear he felt. He had never fallen so hard and fast. As Justin hit the California traffic he wished he took the flight.  He ran through all of the possibilities of what he should even say to her. This wasn't a simple "I'm sorry.". Patrick had been right in saying this was buying a private jet fuck up.

Sara wasn't a materialistic person. Yeah she enjoyed nice things and bought them sometimes. But when it came to love she wanted the feeling of knowing when someone loved her through acts. Justin felt the tears come down his face as he thought of all of the times he made her feel like she wasn't loved. The conversation they had at his home in Oregon when she spoke of them being on unstable ground replayed in his head. All of the times he made her feel that way. Yes at that moment he was sorry. He tried to be a good person, and he didn't want to hurt anyone purposely. He broke a lot of hearts in college and beyond when he would tell girls he didn't want anything serious.

But sitting here now and truly realizing her pain and he was the cause of it. It was one of the most painful feelings he felt. Fuck this was being in love felt like right? Like truly in love where your heart was beating fast at the thought of that person.

He managed to take some resting breaks, and by the time he got to Sara's house it was 7pm. Justin didn't even stop at his place, he didn't want to waste any time.

His car went right through the gate, he entered his personal code and was grateful she didn't have it removed from the guest list. He drove up to her house and got out. He was nervous, not exactly knowing what to say after not speaking for almost three months.

Justin didn't see her car in the driveway, but it probably was in the garage. He saw Erika's though, and the thought of her being there to witness him groveling had a sour taste in his mouth. He would have to find some way to get Sara alone and explain the fashion show ticket knowledge. If she handled everything she must have told Sara he accepted it and then revoked it. Bitch.

He went up to the door, and after a quick pep talk he knocked on her door. Justin was holding his breath as he heard shuffling. The door opened, and he was faced with Erika. The redhead had a sour look on her face. "Can I help you?"

"Hi Erika." He scratched the back of his head with his good hand. Before he could open his mouth Erika cut in. "Hope your recovery is going well."

So she was keeping up with him. Weird considering she told Sara she wasn't into football and never paid attention. "Is Sara here? I need to talk to her."

She crossed her arms. "No she isn't. Aren't you supposed to be with a reporter right now?"

He narrowed his eyebrows. "I know what Taylor said, and it's a lie."

"You are so full of shit." She went to close the door. "Just like you were with the tickets to the fashion show. You were in charge of those weren't you?"

Erika paused. He got her.

"I don't know what you're talking about. She didn't want you there I was only following her orders"

She had no idea that AnnSophie was connected to Bosa. "That wasn't what I heard."

"You can believe whatever you want. But you need to know this. Sara is with Harry, and they agreed to get back together after the fashion show.

Justin felt a pang in his chest. "I don't believe that."

"There's photos of them together." He knew that. That shit tormented him when he saw them. "That doesn't mean anything though."

Erika smiled and did the Wait motion before she disappeared. She came back holding a small box. "Harry asked me to pick this up for him. Sara doesn't know, but he is going to give this to her." She opened the box, and Justin was blindsided by the sparkle of the huge diamond ring. It took him a second to recognize what it meant, but when he did he wanted to be sick. Erika shook her head. "Justin, you're too late. Sara moved on, shes happy, our group is happy, and Harry fits in better than you ever could. I suggest you move on as well. Go back to Taylor, she.will probably give you another chance

This time she slammed the door in his face. —-------------------------------------------------------------

The last time Sara was on her way to see her family there was excitement, even though it didn't end on a good note she was glad to have seen her nieces and nephew's.

This time around was totally different. Britt was a mess explaining the whole family was a mess. Alyssa was on her way with the kids. Once she hung up she filled Erika in while she was throwing clothes in a suitcase, her friend making plans for a private jet to Pittsburgh. "The plane is set at LAX. Come on, I'll drop you off. Also the car will be there to take your house." Sara nodded, still on autopilot.

Erika drove recklessly through LA traffic, and before she knew it she was LAX. She hugged her friend. "Tell everyone I said hi. I'll look after Eugene. Call me when you land. I'm praying for you." Sara nodded, tears down her face as the reality of the situation set in. Her dad, who she hasn't spoken to, and left on a bad note, was in the hospital fighting for his life. What if he was dead? What if he died while she was in the air? She couldn't wrap her head around anything. The whole flight she was nervous, pacing back and forth. She realized she forgot one of her rings to play with.

She should have just called when her mom told her about her dad during their conversation in Paris. Why did she put that off? Her dad wasn't this young man. He was in his upper 60s, having their last child in their 40s, Sara should have known that her parents couldn't live forever.

Before she knew it, a flight attendant came over to try to calm her down. She was on the verge of a panic attack.

It was 10pm Pittsburgh time when she landed. As Erika said, there was a car waiting to take her to her home. She wanted to stay with her parents. But with her sisters and the kids being there it was probably packed. The Wozniak's family home was huge, but seven kids under the age of seven. No thanks.

She texted Katie who replied that they would be over As soon as possible. Within fifteen minutes, Sara opened the door and collapsed in all of her sisters arms. After a bit and a good cry she pulled away. Sniffling, she asked. "Where's mom?"

Katie answered. "She's spending the night at the hospital. The nurses tried to kick her out but she wouldn't budge, and they figured out quickly not to argue with her." Sara laughed but then got serious. "What happened?"

Alyssa stepped in. "Mom went to visit him, take him lunch. The secretary tried to go into his office to let him know she was there but it was locked. He was working on someone's portfolio. They kept knocking, and they called security who broke down the door. He was slumped over his desk. They had to do a few rounds of CPR on him to get a weak pulse. He's hooked up to all these machines, and he's even on a ventilator. They don't know the damage when or if he wakes up."

"He will wake up." Katia cut in. "This is dad we are talking about. He's going to wake up."

Sara took everything in. She wiped her eyes and tried to make a joke. "Maybe we should talk to him about the stock market. He will wake up for that."

"Mom was already ahead of you, she was playing Live footage of wall street on her phone." The girls shared a small laugh over that. "You guys are welcome to spend the night. I'm surprised you came over this late."

They shook their heads. "We'd love to, but the kids. Theo was already freaking out about being away from Brent and he was inconsolable when I left. We just wanted to update you in person." Sara nodded. "I'll meet you guys at the hospital tomorrow."

"Visiting hours start at 9am. He's at the University of Pittsburgh." They were known for their heart issues. It would be about a thirty five minute drive. They hugged before Sara saw them leave. She set her security alarms as well as made sure her doors were locked.

She hated being alone, she should have packed up Erika and Eugene and had them come with. Maybe she should have stayed in the family home. As Sara got into her bed, she finally let exhaustion from the busy day take over.

Please God, let him be okay. She thought as sleep over took her.

—-------------------------------------------------------------

Justin was in a funk.

After his confrontation with Erika, he went home. Sitting on the couch, he wished he had some Alcohol. Going through his empty fridge and somewhat empty cabinets, he found the blueberry wine that Sara loved. Figuring it would do, he broke it open and poured himself a glass. Before he drank it he remembered he was on pain medication and that it wasn't a good idea. "Fuck." He muttered As he poured it out.

He thought about the redheads words. "Harry and Sara got back together after the fashion show

He shook his head. So his attempt was worthless. She was happy and moved on. Serves him right, he guessed. But when he thought about it. Erika said that everyone in their circle knew, so AnnSophie must have known, and since she and Joey were… well whatever they were doing… wouldn't he know as well?

So Bosa fucked him over as revenge for their fight.

The more he thought about it, the more angry he became. He understood that while he hadn't been the greatest friend, it was still a lousy thing to set him up for the humiliation. In fact, Erika was probably on the phone with AnnSophie right after he left to laugh at how stupid he looked on their doorstep.

He grabbed his keys and ran to his car. Determined to go after his teammate again.

He drove fast to Bosa's house, and he thanked his lucky stars that he hadn't managed to get a speeding ticket. Approaching Bosa's door. He knocked hard, and after ten seconds he went even harder, his anger not registering the force of his knuckles against the wooden door.

The door opened and there was Bosa, shirtless and his long hair wet from the shower most likely. "Hey Justin."

"You fucking prick." With his good hand, he shoved Bosa hard to make him stumble. Confused Joey's eyes narrowed. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"Joseph who is it?" They looked to see AnnSophie Bouncing down the stairs in one of Joey's St. Thomas's shirts, hair wet as well. She looked at Joey's confused face and Justin's angry one. "Hey what's going on?"

Justin walked past Joey and went over to the blonde, towering over her. "You think you're funny setting me up like this huh? You-"

Joey was next to him in a flash. "You say one more word and I'll make sure you need surgery on your good arm I don't give a fuck if you're my quarterback." Joey was glaring at him hard

AnnSophie put her hand on his chest. Knowing her friend was a hot head. "Joey back off." He looked over at her and took a few steps back but still kept his eye on Justin. Her attention turned back to him. "What on earth are you talking about?"

He shook his head. "Sara and Harry are back together and you didn't think to tell me that important information before I showed up at her doorstep?"

AnnSophie shook her head. "Justin, you saw the photos of them at lunch. It was just friendly. Sara swore she would never take him back."

"Really? Then why did Harry pick up an engagement ring for her?"

Joey's eyes widened. "Wait what?" He looked at AnnSophie. "Did you know this?"

AnnSophie shook her head. "No, but she would have told me this? Did she tell you herself?"

Justin shook his head. "No, but Erika did. He had her pick up the ring. She showed me everything."

At the mention of her name, AnnSophie sucked in a deep breath. "She told you that?" It was her turn to get mad. She held up her finger. "One moment please." She went back upstairs.

Justin, feeling awkward, sat down on the sofa, Joey followed suit and sat on the other side. After a few moments of silence Justin spoke. "Hey man I'm sorry I keep assaulting you."

Joey huffed. "I think I'm just shocked. I didn't know you had it in you." Justin smiled at that. "I guess I'm rubbing off on you." He looked up to find his older teammate smiling. "Yeah I guess."

"You really love her don't you?" Justin nodded. "I do, I can't live without her. I hate myself for even trying to get a second chance. But I can't let her go without a fight." Joey nodded. "You just have to show her you're worthy." Justin smiled sadly. "I'm afraid I'm a little too late for that."

"I knew it! The lying bitch!" They both got up to see AnnSophie running down the stairs, holding her phone in her hand. "I just got off the phone with Erika. I just asked her if she and Harry were back together, and she said no. However, Sara told her that Harry was over and told her he loved her and asked her to marry him. Sara was too stunned to say anything, but she told Erika she thought about getting back together with him."

Justin let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding. "Why would Erika tell me that?"

"She probably hates your guts and thinks you don't have anyone on your side." Justin looked at AnnSophie. "Are you on my side?"

She sighed. "I wasn't, I thought you were the biggest scum of the earth. Joseph told me about your conversation while you were on your way back here."

Justin had some hope. "And?"

"I don't know what to think. I understand that you felt your privacy was violated, but hers was too. And yet you still thought she wasn't innocent in this. If you had just given her a chance to explain yourself you wouldn't be in this damn mess."

He nodded. "I know."

"Another thing, you want her back, but that comes with fame. You got to accept all of her and what comes with this. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Whether you like it or not there are times you're going to be front page. People will disrespect your relationship, have an opinion on what you should and shouldn't do. People will tell lies for a chicken wing to these blogs. Do you understand?"

Justin didn't even hesitate. "I should have just let it play out." He admitted. "Do you know where she is?"

AnnSophie sighed once again. "That's another thing. She's on her way to Pittsburgh, her dad had a bad heart attack, and she's there with family. She will probably be gone a while before Filming starts in late May."

He didn't want to wait. He needed to go see her. " I have to go see her." He got up. But Joey stopped him. "Dude i dont think that's a good idea. ."

"I'll get you on a private jet in the afternoon tomorrow." The guys looked at the blonde and she smiled. "You're lucky you know an international supermodel Herb. I'll get you on a plane as soon as one becomes available."

"Thank you." Justin breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to waste any time. She needed to hear him out, she needed to know how sorry he was. It couldn't wait til May.

They all sat there for a little while, before Justin took in the couple's appearance. "Was I interrupting something?" He smirked

Joey rolled his eyes. "I liked you better when you were quiet." He laughed and AnnSophie giggled. "No, we went for a run, then we showered in different bathrooms. Justin looked at Joey while her back was turned and he nodded sadly to confirm her story. "We're just friends" She stated. That looked like a punch to Bosa's gut.

—--------------------------------------------------------------

Sara hated hospitals.

There were more bad experiences than good for her family. Her dad's parents died in the hospital.  She was hospitalized for her suicidal thoughts, which resulted in being forced to go to a therapist approved by said hospital, and force of taking pills. Then she was hospitalized for passing out in college. Simple dehydration and low blood sugar. When she was a teen, she fell down the long staircase and broke her wrist, along with a nice concussion.

But there were good moments, each one of her nieces and nephew's were born in the hospital. She remembered flying out to Chicago where Brent played at the time to see baby Theo, then in St. Louis last summer to see Kenzie and so on and so on.

But being in the Intensive Care Unit, it was a whole different monster. There were only three visitors allowed. So they each took turns. Cathy didn't leave her husband's side, so it was Katie and Brittney, then Alyssa and Sara. The husband's (except Brent) were back at the home with the kids.

Sara met her sisters for breakfast before heading up to the hospital. They needed food and no one liked hospital food. As they all spoke Sara noticed that Brittney was being quiet, only speaking if Katie or Alyssa spoke directly to her. She knew they didn't end on a good note, but Jeez, this was bigger than any fight they have had. Growing up Sara and her sisters had gotten into many fights, sometimes being physical, but they always worked out because well, they are sisters.

It wasn't until they departed to their cars that Brittney pulled Sara aside in the parking lot "Can we talk?" They looked over to see the other girls' cars turn out of the parking lot on the busy street. "Sure."

They walked by Sara's car, and just like her, Brittney played with her wedding rings as her hands rested on her pregnant bump. "Mom told me what you talked about while you were in France." Sara groaned. "Damn it mom"

"I'm glad she told me. Because I just wanted to apologize. In fact I should have when you came from the hospital after you alm-" Brittney sniffled. "All of us have taken you for granted, and I just.. mom was right, you are braver than all of us. The article, what you went through so publicly with Harry and now this."

Sara nodded. "Thank you."

"You don't have to answer this, but mom told us a little bit of what's going on… Justin thought you purposely put out the rumor?" Sara nodded. "Yep."

"He's an ass. I understood why you didn't say anything, but I think we all knew the way Alyssa said you spoke about him at Thanksgiving. You were crazy about him." She nodded. "I still love him, I know how much pain he caused.. but I think of all of the good times you know?" Brittney nodded. After a few more minutes of chatting, they got in their cars and made the half an hour drive to Pittsburgh's best hospital. Sara had on a baseball cap, sunglasses and her mask. While Gibsonia was a small town where everyone respected privacy, Pittsburgh was a whole different realm. She was well known and someone would question seeing her outside of the hospital.

When they entered through the main entrance, Katie walked up to them. "Uncle George and Aunt Willa are here." Of fucking course. They had to come, Sara should have expected it, but still. Why couldn't it be anyone on her moms side? Of course, they were in Philadelphia, no sense in coming over, they didn't have the money as the Wozniak's did. They were also stubborn and refused handouts.

They went to the hospital waiting area where Willa and George were. George was in a suit, and his wife looked ridiculous in a black business dress donned with expensive pearls. "Hello Sara, surprised you made since you don't seem to care about this family."

She wanted to start an argument, but Sara wasn't going to allow it. "Hi Aunt Willa, Uncle George. Thank you so much for coming. Family is really needed at this time." George nodded while Willa scowled, not expecting the cordial response. Since Cathy was up in Mike's hospital room George and Willa went first, the girls hoping that there was no drama In the room since Cathy and Willa didn't get along, especially after Thanksgiving.

Sara was on her phone while passing the time. She should have packed a hospital bag, as she found herself looking for a snack. Deciding to scope out the vending machines, she asked her sisters if they wanted anything. She had never been so grateful that they started accepting debit cards.

She didn't realize while she was vending the snacks, her mask had been pulled down, and that there were two people staring at her. "Excuse me?" Sara looked over and saw two girls who were about her age smiling. "I'm so sorry, but we just noticed you and we are such big fans. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!" Sara smiled, she really didn't want to reject them, but they asked for a photo. "If I let you take a photo will you not say that I'm in the hospital? I'm visiting a family member and I want to keep their privacy."

They nodded enthusiastically, and she hoped that they were staying true to their word. They took the selfie, and once they walked away she put her mask back up. Heading towards her sisters, she handed out the snacks, and Alyssa said that it was their turn to go up. She took a deep breath and they went on the elevator, this was the first time that she would be seeing her father this way.

Nothing could prepare her for this as she walked into the room. She broke down as she saw her dad lying in the bed, tubes and wires hooked up to him. He looked pale, as if he was already deceased. Sara couldn't register what was happening before her mother wrapped her arms around her. "I should have just called." She sobbed into the older woman's arms. "Oh honey it's not your fault."

"What If dad doesn't wake up? What if he-?"

"Sara Christine, we are not thinking that way. Only positive thoughts." Sara was sure her mom was trying to convince herself more than anyone. Truth be told Mike wasn't living the healthiest of lifestyles. He loved Cigars, worked himself to death, and was constantly under stress. She knew her family didn't want to admit it, but they were all surprised that this didn't happen sooner. She could remember the countless arguments growing up. At one point her mom threatened to leave, but it never happened. When Sara was in high school she asked her mom why she never followed through. All she could say was

"You will understand when you're in love."

And that's what happened with Justin, she did more for him than he ever did for her. Sara broke from her thoughts, now was not the time to think about him. She was sure he never thought about her —-----------------------‐—-------------------------------

"Mom, you need to go home, get some rest. You've been here since dad arrived." Cathy shook her head, she came down to the lobby to get some food. Her daughters wouldn't allow her to go back up. "I need to be here. What if something happens?"

"Then keep your phone up, and if they call we will be up here first thing." Katie reasoned. Sara chimed in. "Mom, you need a bed. If you want, you can stay by me. I'm closer." It was only by a few miles but it gave her mother and them a piece of mind.

They went back and forth for ten minutes before Cathy agreed to stay with Sara for the night. Brittney was going to pack an overnight bag for her. It was around 9pm when they left the hospital. It was pouring rain and visibility was shit. So Sara was driving slow with Cathy. After some silence Cathy broke it. "Thank you for offering your place. I didn't want to go home with all of the kids."

Sara smiled. "I figured. I love those rascals, but wow seven kids is a hassle. Thanksgiving was a nightmare."

Cathy sighed. "I'm sorry for leaving you out of things. For thinking that because you're single you're a babysitter."

Sara reached over and grabbed her moms hand. Squeezing it, she said. "Let's not dwell on the past. Let's just focus on dad."

Cathy nodded. The pulled up outside the family home where Brittney ran outside. Handing over the bag. "The kids know you're here." Sara looked and saw the little faces peeking through her old bedroom window. "Charlie wants to come with you. He's begging Katie."

As much as she wanted to see them. "Let's have mom have her peace. I'll see them tomorrow. I'll stop by." Brittney nodded before running back, already soaked from the downpour.

Sara turned on the radio on the way back to her home. "Sara, be careful, you need to focus in this weather."

She rolled her eyes. "Mom I've been driving for ten years. I drove through the blizzard, remember?"

"I could still kill you for that. I don't understand why you felt like you needed to go into the city for that concert."

"First of all it was Panic at the Disco, second the weather wasn't like that when I left. Third, there were no hotels at that time of day. Sara turned the radio to an old station and it was at the end of "It's now or ever by Elvis Presley. Coincidentally it was her dad's favorite artist. "Remember for his 60th we went to Graceland?" Cathy smiled.

Sara turned down her street, seeing  the familiar cul de sac that her house was on in the distance. It looked like there was a figure in her driveway but she couldn't see.

It's now or never Come hold me tight Kiss me my darling Be mine tonight Tomorrow will be too late It's now or never My love won't wait.

Sara looked over to see her mom crying. "Oh mom. It will be alright, dad will be okay." She reached in her middle console for a tissue, taking her eyes off the side street as she was preparing to turn into her driveway

It's now or never My love won't wait

"SARA WATCH OUT!" Cathy screamed as Sara slammed on her brakes. Right infront of the lights of the car was a male figure, the same one she saw in the distance. She squinted trying to see him and she gasped, her mouth opened and frozen in shock

Standing in front of her headlights was the last person she thought she would see.

Tall, thin, and soaked

It was Justin.

MY LOVE WON'T WAIT

A/N: Reunited at last btw. The last scene was inspired by this scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH5AOrKAHhE  Just a beautiful scene with the music. Enjoy everyone! and thank you for reading!

[fy-wonwoo]

[230809] Your friendly neighborhood GAM3 BO1 is here

WONWOO and SEVENTEEN show what makes gaming truly fun

As he progressed through Sue’s Cooking Game on a May 6 stream, Weverse Live viewers saw an awkward, almost embarrassed smile take over WONWOO’s face. “How did you know I like washing dishes?” It was an unexpected response from the SEVENTEEN member to the game over message (“Just wash the dishes”) after he failed the goal of clicking around the screen to cook ramyeon within the time limit. WONWOO isn’t terribly familiar with such simple games—he’s much more versed in games like League of Legends and PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS that demand a combination of skilled reflexes and strategy, as his fans know. And his line about the dishes drew an affectionate laugh from them. “If you don’t know [the game], you can look at my face,” he joked (but there’s no joking about how seriously handsome he is). And his sincerity was evident when he brushed off a loss with a simple, “That’s unfortunate,” only to give it another go—all spoken in the same calm voice, and with his same signature upright posture, that he maintains as he talks through the games. And that’s how WONWOO’s GAM3 BO1 series got its start.

WONWOO’s always been a gamer. “When I was a trainee, gaming was my only hobby,” he said. Three years ago, he could be seen streaming his PUBG gameplay on the Chinese site Huya Live. When he played Crazy Arcade in the “GSVT E-Triathlon Championship 2022” episode of the group’s original series GOING SEVENTEEN last year, “you could tell he’s a real pro based on the username he chose and the way he plays,” according to Yi Yunju, leader of the PLEDIS New Media Part. WONWOO’s gaming caught the attention of not only fans but the wider public as well. When he played Stray, a game set in a dystopian future where the player takes control of a cat, he was quick to understand the overall structure of the game, immediately distinguishing those quests he felt were required to progress versus those that weren’t very important and skipping over the latter. He also made sure to show off to viewers how cute the feline protagonist could be.

The first episode of GAM3 BO1 was born out of WONWOO’s longstanding interest in and opinions on gaming. “WONWOO spoke up about wanting to start doing Lives about gaming,” lead professional Yeom Ji Been, with the HYBE Artist Content 4 Studio, said, “so we ended up putting together a team to get all the equipment ready and help film the videos.” The name of the series derives from the SEVENTEEN song “GAM3 BO1”—a hip hop unit song that features WONWOO—and was only decided in the middle of the first episode. In the two months since and up to July 28, seven episodes have been broadcast live, averaging a whopping 3.3 hours each. Yeom said it was also WONWOO who came up with the ultimate format for the show, starting with the second episode where he opened with a simple Flash game similar to Sue’s Cooking Game and warmed up with the League of Legends map Howling Abyss for ARAM play (“all random, all mid,” one of League’s gameplay modes) before moving onto the main game of the episode. “Fans were really into seeing Flash games like the Sue series,” Yeom added. Flash games were popular in the early 2000s and mainly provided through web portals, where it was easy for kids to come across and play them. These games stir up old memories for CARAT and also encourage communication between them and WONWOO as they give him tips in the chat. Viewers looking for a more complex gaming experience get to enjoy WONWOO warming up as he plays League’s Howling Abyss, followed by the main game of each broadcast, which lasts longer than the other segments. Between the games’ engaging visuals and stories, and the process involved in completing different quests, the streams become totally immersive for those watching, with no previous knowledge of the games necessary. It’s like a gift basket of goodies whether you’re into gaming or not. When WONWOO plays live, hashtags about him start trending on Twitter. He’s even brought other members of SEVENTEEN on to play with him. In all aspects, he’s just like any pro streamer.

Keep reading!

[abookishdreamer]

Character Intro: Pseudologos (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- The False God, The Dark Deceit by the people of Olympius

Father by Dolos

Sue by Elpis

Grandfather by Pheme

Age- 70 (immortal)

Location- Olympia, Olympius

Personality- He's very observant with a strong attention to the most minute of details. He's also narcissistic, highly manipulative, selfish, uneasily fooled, as well as egomaniacal. There's only a few beings he genuinely cares about. He has many girlfriends.

He has the standard abilities of a god. As the god of lies his other powers/abilities include truth sense, vocal mimicry, lie proficiency, criminology mastery, telepathy (is able to read minds), fraud inducement (can manipulate others to lie), shapeshifting (his skill is on par with Empusa), being able to create a variety of auditory, visual, & sensory illusions, as well as being able to communicate with/shapeshift into animals associated with trickery- like rats, wolves, snakes, jackals, hyenas, weasels, foxes, coyotes, monkeys, crocodiles, etc...

Pseudologos' primary abode is his cliffside mansion in the state of Olympia. The mansion is built out of adamantine glass, white marble, & black onyx. There are a lot of streakless windows and glittering chandeliers while the flooring is white marble with Imperial Gold accents. The interior design is cool, modern, & sleek with a variety of artwork, photography, and sculptural pieces with leather furniture, & metal, lucite, Imperial Gold, jade, and obsidian furniture pieces. He has a LARGE garage that houses his collection of luxurious sports cars. Pseudologos also owns a beach house on Shimmering Tail Island and an apartment at Bolt Towers, located in the Skyline neighborhood of New Olympus. He also owns a yacht called Olympian.

He has an animal companion- a dragon named Nyroxion. He's the second oldest & fourth largest dragon in all the realms, widely known as "The Black Beast." After Xuvra, Nyroxion is the most fiercest and aggressive. He's primarily covered in black scales while his belly scales & spinal plates are a dark blood red. The dragon has black horns, claws, and crests with dark red eyes & black wings with dark red wing membranes. Nyroxion is usually Pseudologos' mode of transportation. Dragon and rider have an unbreakable bond.

He's fluent in all the languages spoken in Olympius.

Members of Pseudologos' immediate family includes his younger brother Logos (god of stories), his son Dolos (god of deception & treachery), his niece Eikono (goddess of iconography & literature), his daughter-in-law Elpis (goddess of hope), and his granddaughter Pheme (goddess of fame).

His breakfast is usually prepared & cooked by his personal chef- a mountainous centaur named Montague (called Monty for short). Some of Pseudologos' favorites includes almond poppy seed belgian waffles topped with peach compote, cinnamon & cardamom crêpes topped with powdered sugar, baked florentine egg white omelets, and tropical fruit sorbets.

His favorite "snacks" are smoking cigarettes & cigars. Pseudologos treats himself with buying a few of the most expensive cigars at Ygró Veloúdo- the wine bar/premier smoking room owned by Agathodaemon (Daemon) (god of vineyards, grainfields, & luck). At 1.3 million drachmas a pop, the cigar is meticulously filled with rare tobacco sourced from the Underworld infused with a prestigious black pomegrante cognac, wrapped gracefully with a gold leaf, and is secured by a band with dazzling diamonds totaling 5 carats. He also partakes in weed & lotus dust.

He's proficient at forging signatures.

Pseudologos takes great pride in his appearance. In spite of his advanced age, he lives an active lifestyle and is in peak physical shape. His silver gray hair is neatly trimmed, his clothes expertly pressed, & his shoes perfectly polished. Pseudologos is a firm believer of quality over quantity when it comes to his belongings.

A go-to drink for him is a dirty martini. He also likes champagne, red wine, manhattans, whiskey sours, scotch on the rocks, mojitos, negronis, and vesper cocktails. A usual from The Roasted Bean is an olympian sized iced americano.

He doesn't have a close relationship with his brother. Pseudologos hates his younger brother's "greater-than-thou" attitude towards his lifestyle and firmly believes that the moniker of "Olympius' Grandpa" has gotten to Logos' head. He only sees him when there are monthly family dinners hosted by Elpis.

The accumulation of Pseudologos' wealth is one of the best kept secrets in all the realms. There are whispers about his dealings in the black market, but nothing definitive.

His favorite frozen treats are rum raisin ice cream & champagne sorbet.

He has his own crew of stringers that gather intel and photos for the paparazzi. For fun it's rumored that Pseudologos will be in a shapeshifted form as a maintenance worker at the royal palace on Mt. Olympus to gather more information- which is then given to The Oracle Scoop, the tabloid magazine owned by Pheme.

Pseudologos has a few tattoos- a small dagger on the inside of his left wrist, the saying "trust no one" written in Old Greek on the inside of his right wrist, a black widow on his chest, and a bunch of nightshade flowers on his left thigh.

He quite likes his daughter-in-law Elpis. When she visits him, she always brings in a fresh bouquet of flowers. They'll go to the beach to surf & afterwards Pseudologos will enjoy Elpis' homemade smoothie bowl, the blueberry açaí one being his favorite. He doesn't mind the jokes she makes at his expense and thinks that she is too good for his son.

For lunch Monty will prepare Pseudologos' favorite- grilled snapper and asparagus with herb-caper vinaigrette. If he's with a date, he'll dine out, often at The Crown. From the menu he likes the steamed miso custard with mushrooms & soy dressing, herb crêpes with olives and spinach, & grilled garlic crusted oysters with beluga caviar.

Pseudologos' relationship with his son has always been tense. He honestly can't remember the last time he said "I love you" to Dolos or showed any sort of physical affection towards him. Pseudologos is proud of the fact that he taught his son about the harsh truths of the world. That for deities like them, their worth is made, not given. He also refuses to tell Dolos anything about his biological mother.

His all time favorite dessert is baked alaska.

Pseudologos loves buying gifts for his girlfriends, daughter-in-law, & granddaughter.

He has recently released his signature cologne called Mystique. The spicy fragrance has notes of violet leaf, cyclamen, amber, bitter orange blossom, orris, & narcissus. Another notable feature is the black obsidian bottle with purple jade accents. A 8.5 oz/250ml bottle sells for 1,300 drachmas. The release day for Mystique happened at a Pithos Department Store in the Skyline neighborhood.

Pseudologos adores his granddaughter- calling Pheme "My little diamond." They keep in touch through text all the time and they visit each other often. He was one of the financial backers involved in starting up her Diamond Ave. fashion brand. When they spend time together they'll go to the spa, go shopping, & dine at a restaurant. At times their relationship has been tested- due to Pseudologos' constant flirting with Pheme's friends. Lately, he's been trying to let up on that.

A guilty pleasure for him is a wagyu, foie gras, & black truffle burger that Monty makes.

He has quite the social media presence on Fatestagram.

Throughout his immortal life he's been married well over a hundred times! In the pantheon Pseudologos is infamously known as "The Collector of Wives." He's been engaged even more times. Pseudologos rejects the notion of true love, but understands the want and desire to have a warm body close to him at night. Now, he keeps things casual with many girlfriends of many creeds. His long-time girlfriend is Lycana (Titaness of lycanthropy).

Pseudologos has also propositioned Aisa (goddess of lot & fate) as well as Apate (goddess of fraud & deception). Aisa rejected the offer while Apate hasn't given him an answer yet. He does feel a little guilty about the latter- seeing how Apate is his friend's daughter and that she used to work closely with Dolos.

In the pantheon he's friends with Erebus (god of darkness), Astrape (goddess of lightning), Empusa (goddess of shapeshifting), Bronte (goddess of thunder), Hysminai (goddess of fighting & combat), Kydoimos (god of uproar & battlefield confusion), Clymene (Titaness of fame & renown), and Hyperion (Titan god of heavenly light).

Pseudologos was the official mentor to Aplistos (god of avarice).

He met Lycana's daughter Lykos (goddess of wolves) briefly a few weeks ago. Pseudologos doesn't have much of an opinion about her.

His carnal appetites rivals that of Zeus (god of the sky, thunder, & lightning). Pseudologos has a "little black book" filled with the names of all his conquests. He has slept with Empusa a few times and has even slept with Gaia (goddess of the earth). An upcoming "event" Pseudologos is looking forward to is a video he's shooting with Philotes (goddess of sex, friendship, & affection) for her adult website. He and Lycana got into a HUGE argument about it.

He broke his only cardinal rule when he said "I love you" to Lycana while they were having sex. When she tried bringing it up a few days later, Pseudologos said that he was high on lotus dust when it happened.

In his free time he enjoys lovemaking, golf, watching TV, tennis, sunbathing, clubbing, going to the casino, playing dominoes, going to the cinema, sky diving, billiards, poker, and going to the opera.

His favorite meal is lamb ravioli with champagne butter and sage.

"The perfect liar is one that no one suspects."

[realtasagartach]

Hadestown Chant (Reprise)

Got Hadestown brain rot and noticed how different each version of Chant (Reprise) is. Especially how the studio version doesn't have Persephone's part at all. So here's my version that combines three different iterations I like best:

[HERMES, spoken]

Now everybody knows the walls have ears

[ORPHEUS]

Is it true?

[COMPANY]

Is it true?

[HERMES, spoken]

And the walls had heard what the boy was saying

[ORPHEUS]

Is it true?

[COMPANY]

Is it true?

[HERMES]

A million tons of stone and steel

[ORPHEUS]

Is it true?

[COMPANY]

Is it true?

[HERMES]

Echoed his refrain.

[COMPANY]

Low, keep your head, keep your head low

Oh, you gotta keep your head low

If you wanna keep your head

Oh, you gotta keep your head low

Keep your head, keep your head low

Oh, you gotta keep your head low

If you wanna keep your head

Oh, you gotta keep your head—

[HADES]

Young man, got to hand it to you

Guess you don't scare easy, do ya?

Are you brave or stupid, Son?

Doesn't matter which one

‘Cause it seems your song made quite a strong impression on my wife

But it takes more than singin’ songs to keep a woman in your arms

Take it from a man no longer young

If you want to hold a woman, Son

Hang a chain around her throat

Made of many carat gold

Shackle her from wrist to wrist

With sterling silver bracelets

Fill her pockets full of stones

Precious ones, diamonds

Bind her with a golden band

Take it from an old man

[COMPANY]

Ooohhh

[ORPHEUS]

If I raise my voice

[THE FATES]

If I raise my voice

If I raise my voice

[COMPANY]

Keep your head low

[EURYDICE]

If I raise my head

[THE FATES]

If I raise my head

If I raise my head

[COMPANY]

Keep your head low

[EURYDICE]

Could I change my fate?

[THE FATES AND COMPANY]

Could I change

Could I change

Could I change my fate?

Oh, you gotta keep your head low

[ORPHEUS]

If I raise my voice could I

[COMPANY]

Keep your head low!

[ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE]

Could I change the way it is?

[COMPANY]

Oh, you gotta—

Why do we turn away when our

brother's bleeding?

Oh, keep your head—

Why do we build the wall and then call it freedom?

Oh, keep your head—

If we're free

Tell me why

I can't look in my brother's eye?

Keep your head-

[PERSEPHONE]

When I was a young girl like you

This old world was younger too

We set it spinning hand in hand

Me and a young man

Now you see what he’s become

Hades with his heart of stone

I forgot what true love was

And then I heard your Orpheus

Take it from a woman of my age

There is nothing love can’t change

Even when the bricks are stacked

Love is blooming through the cracks

Even when the light is gone

Love is reaching for the sun

It was love that spun the world

When I was a young girl

[COMPANY]

Ooohhh

[EURYDICE]

If it's not too late

[THE FATES]

If it's not too late

If it's not too late

[COMPANY]

Keep your head low

[EURYDICE]

If I still have time

[THE FATES]

If I still have time

If I still have time

[COMPANY]

Keep your head low

[EURYDICE]

Could I change my fate?

[THE FATES]

Could I change

Could I change

Could I change my fate?

[COMPANY]

Oh, you gotta keep your head low

[EURYDICE]

If it's not too late can I

[COMPANY]

Keep your head low!

[EURYDICE]

Change this fate of mine?

[COMPANY]

Why do we turn away instead of standing with him?

Oh, keep your head—

Why are we digging our own graves for a living?

Oh, keep your head—

If we're free

Tell me why

We can't even stand upright?

If we're free

Tell me when

We can stand with our fellow man

Keep your head—

[PERSEPHONE]

When I was a young girl like you

Sister, I was hungry too

Hungry for the Underworld

When I was a young girl

Now you know how it tastes

The fruit of Mr. Hades’ ways

Sister, it’s a bitter wine—

Spit it out while you still have time

Take it from a woman of my age

Love is not a gilded cage

All the wealth within these walls

Will never buy the thing called love

Love was when he came to me

Begging on his bended knees

To please have pity on his heart

And let him lay me in the dirt

I felt his arms around me then

We didn’t need a wedding bed

Dark seeds scattered on the ground

The wild birds were flying around

That’s when I became his wife

But that was in another life

That was in another world

When I was a young girl!

[COMPANY]

Low, keep your head, keep your head low

Oh, you gotta keep your head low

If you wanna keep your head

Oh, he said he’d shelter us

He said he’d harbor me

He said we’d soldier on

And then the wall would bring us peace

We’re gonna

Count to three and then we’ll raise our heads, singing

One, two, is it true?

Is it true, what he said?

[HADES]

Young man, I was young once too

Sang a song of love like you

Son, I too, was left behind

Turned on one too many times

Now I sing a different song

One I can depend upon

A simple tune, a steady beat

The music of machinery

You hear that heavy metal sound?

The symphony of Hadestown

And in this symphony of mine

Of power cords and power lines

Young man, you can strum your lyre

I have strung the world in wire

Young man, you can sing your ditty

I conduct the electric city!

I'll tell you what, young man

Since my wife is such a fan

And since I'm going to count to three

And put you out of your misery

One! Give me one more song

One more song before I send you

Two! To the great beyond

Where nobody can hear you singing

Three! Sing a song for me

Make me laugh, make me weep

Make the king feel young again

Sing for an old man!

[shingansoul]

Memories Treasured Like Juuru (Kiramager fic)

Summary: A collection of moments within the CARAT HQ between Juuru and the other kiramagers bonding and getting close one on one time with their little red leader.

To read on AO3, follow the link below or click the read more to read it here:

It wasn’t as if the others didn’t use and enjoy the couch and small living space set aside for them at CARAT, but compared to Juuru it was the difference between a breakroom and one’s own home.

Anytime outside of school hours and in the late evening, if any of the other kiramager’s happened by the area, Juuru could almost always be found there; smooshed into the corner of the couch drawing with fervor in his sketchbook, working on his homework sat on the floor at the table, or even taking a nap here or there when he was too exhausted between school and fighting with the others. He made himself quite comfortable there, and was a welcome addition to the routine, none alone in their lives overall. 

He was an awkward but kind kid, so small in many ways yet he seemed so utterly radiant at times with his excitement for even the simplest of things. He was both soft spoken and shy, yet when he had something to say his small gentle voice seemed to overtake everything else through sheer will and passion, as if he was using everything he had to imprint his words into whomever he deemed needed to hear them. Due to how he could be out on the field, they sometimes forgot in the spare moments of calm and casual company that he tended to be fairly quiet and was content to simply exist quietly next to the others as they did their own thing.

The crystalia siblings seemed the best at getting him to speak up, with Mabushiina’s gentle coaxing and warm laughter and then Takemichi’s innate older brother quality that invited their young leader to feel almost compelled to show him what he had made and tell him about his day whenever they found downtime together. It was cute really, like a small child showing their parents a new toy or sharing something they saw at school that day. It was almost exactly that actually, but nobody quite wanted to open up that line of thought as to why he wouldn’t then just go home and show his actual parents these things.

For every “Kiramaking!”, there was equally a day of a quiet little red boy sitting in the back or the corner out of the way happily just existing among the conversation and bustle of the other kiramagers. At this point, they’d be more likely to notice his absence than his presence with how regular a fixture he had become once he settled into the team. There were times though for each of them that they held above others as special moments with Juuru, their own little moments in time just for them getting to know and see their kiramai red’s attention directed just on or for them. And it was those moments they would hold most fondly.

Mabushiina was definitely the first to earn Juuru’s comfort, after all she was the one who scouted Juuru herself as well as having been the most interested in getting to see the person he was on his own terms and not just in comparison to his teammates. In the first few weeks after he was recruited, he would only stay at CARAT’s HQ if there was need for the team to be there all at once, but if the others were at work and he had time between school and their work, he started showing up here and there on his own.

“I’m back..,” he offered quietly one day, entering the room and looking around a bit nervously as if checking to see if he truly was the first one there. Mabushiina was quick to approach him, excitedly offering a smile and taking his hand in hers to pull him further in as if he would bolt if left too long.

“Welcome back, Juuru-san!” Her voice chimed with the soft sound of almost bell-like laughter Crystallians made as she was so giddy to see him. He had ducked his head but offered a smile in return, unsure what to do with the attention but not pushing away either.

“Since there’s no alerts right now, and the others aren’t here yet, is it okay if i just draw here? For a bit?” He sounded hopeful, and she nodded with gusto, releasing his hand and motioning to the parlor area and ghosting her free hand over Juuru’s shoulder as if to nudge him along.

“Of course! Like I said before, think of CARAT as another home whenever you need it! May I watch?”

He moved to place his things on the couch next to him and once he had gotten his art supplies out set on the table, he looked up at her and nodded with a smile. With permission acquired, she came over and sat down next to him, content to simply watch his imagination go across the page beside her. Today it seemed, his current muse was Sena, drawing her in charging forward like she always did in her Kiramai uniform. However, as he went, she noticed he had changed the extended collar of the uniform into flowing wings behind her and even adding smaller wings to her shoes as well.

It took her a few moments to place it before she exclaimed, “Like Hermes!”

He paused, tilting his head in confusion at her, and he seemed to stare at his own drawing trying to find something he was missing despite being the creator if it to begin with. She placed her hands against her cheeks, as if to hide a growing flush and she rushed out an apology.

“Ah, I am sorry! I shouldn’t have tried to guess your idea. Um-I just thought…well, Hermes is one of your world’s gods from myths and legends, and he had these winged shoes to help him fly and travel incredibly fast to be able to deliver messages for the other gods. If i remember correctly, that is..” She glanced at him, expecting some kind of admonishment or discomfort with being interrupted, but instead she found Juuru's eyes seeming to sparkle with interest and excitement. He hummed softly once she was done explaining, and she saw him move to continue working on his piece with renewed fervor.

“I think that’s a good idea…Sena-san is kinda like that too I think, except instead of messages she delivers justice and…um…and wakuwaku!”

 He smiled wide, his teeth pushing past his lips and he giggled to himself. His laugh was infectious and Mabushiina also joined in, clapping her hands and nodding in agreement. They sat there for almost an hour or so before anyone else started trickling in as various work and club schedules ran out and released the other Kiramagers from obligations of daily life. And though it wasn't long, the two made the best of it spending the rest of their time trying to place the other rangers into myths and legends of their own to match the initial artwork of Sena. It was before they became legends of their own right of course, but even so early and on earth, the kiramagers were already seen as legendary figures of incredible power, at least to Juuru.

Shiguru was an odd and eccentric man, in his own way, a mix of naturally very big gestures and a stoic “cool” facade overtop that he had developed through his career and the two often blended together for an inconsistent kind of personality. Talking with him would either garner the most humorous and silly of topics treated with utter sincerity, or with all the seriousness one could muster he would deadpan give his best attempt at jokes and the tone across both could be anywhere in between. He would whine and cry when forced into things he didn't like, yet if for the sake of looking cool, he could in an instant walk off immeasurable pain with a noble word or two to ease the worries of those around him. He had overly specific preferences and interests that did not often match the version of himself he put out most often, but if you got him talking he could go on for hours despite being a man of more action than words.

All that said, Juuru and he had ended up mastering the art of companionable silence as they could both be so deeply absorbed in their respective work, yet the presence of the other would always be felt and missed if gone. Many a day, Shiguru found himself reciting lines and testing deliveries for his various roles on the couch or at the side table, and Juuru would either be working on homework or curled around his sketchbook in a flurry just a few feet away. Today was no different.

Shiguru had made it first, without shooting that day he had taken the opportunity instead to do some research for his next role as it was an adaptation of a story he wasn’t quite familiar with. He made himself comfortable on the couch and aside from pausing for basic needs, he had been there the majority of the morning and early afternoon. So engrossed in his reading, he didn’t notice the gentle call of Juuru’s arrival (a now bright if not still quiet “I’m back!” that had been encouraged by Mabushiina that seemed to stick with him no matter who was present to hear now.). In fact, he didn't notice Juuru’s entering the room or his space until the teen suddenly sat himself on the floor between the couch and the table, bumping his shoulder blade against Shiguru’s crossed legs. 

He blinked in silent surprise, glancing down and out of assumed courtesy, he moved his legs a bit to the side so as not to bump into the boy and returned to his research. A few moments went by before the lack of any sounds really caught his attention; he wasn't expecting conversation but where was the sound of shuffled paper or clacking pencils that came with Juuru’s company? He tried to not be obvious in looking the other over, and after a few moments he noticed that Juuru kept awkwardly looking between Shiguru’s legs and the space they were once in, and he had remained half seated half curled in his mid settling he had apparently been interrupted in. Now curious and a bit amused, Shiguru feigned a natural adjusting in his seat and moved his legs back where they were, he wanted to test a theory.

He was quickly proven right, to his furthered amusement as only then did Juuru almost right away finish getting his homework supplies out and move to more comfortably sit, resting his own legs against the front of the couch and his back against Shiguru’s legs. Juuru was far from averse to touch but he didn't often go out of his way like this to get it, and the thought that he wanted to seek out Shiguru’s presence like this in that way made his chest feel warm. The older man was not one to forthright speak affections or praise too often, either it came off too vulnerable or he didn't think it necessary. But this…was doable, comfortable even. 

And so they stayed there for the next few hours, not commenting on the arrangement and only talking really when Juuru would on occasion shyly ask the older man for help with his literature homework (it just so happened Juuru’s class was also studying the story he was to play out in his next role). And when the story took a sad turn and Shiguru, despite himself, couldn't help the sniffles and tears beading his eyes, the boy huffed a soft laugh and patted Shiguru’s knee as a sign of comfort. It was nice, and Shiguru was happy to know he was just as wanted company for his leader as some of the younger more sociable members of their team. And if this small gesture was Juuru taking the lead, Shiguru was by no means one to turn down a role to fulfill to go along with it.

When Takemichi had made his wonder entrance to the team, he couldn’t shake the youngest of them no matter how hard he tried. If he fought, the other fought with him. If he went treasure hunting, more often than not Juuru would show up with his small tactical shovel (where did he even get such a thing?) full of a need to help even if he didn't know how or why. When Takemichi finally divulged his secret reason for all his desperate treasure hunting, Juuru had looked pained both for him and at keeping the secret but he still tried his best (even if his best at lying was quite frankly a bit pathetic). Now that they were on regular even terms though, no secrets and no walls, Takemichi was glad Juuru never gave up because he wouldn’t ever want to lose him now that he had him as one of his team members and little extended family. 

Now that said however, there was a difference between not wanting to lose his friend and his friend taking up residence unconscious in his lap; He had only closed his eyes a minute, he was sure, not even a nap at all just resting his eyes! And yet one moment it was just him on the couch with his siblings talking about various plans around the signal table, and the next he was blinking his eyes open in alertness with a sudden weight draped across his thighs.

“Hahaha, oi! Juuru? Juuru!” He awkwardly reached down, lightly shaking the boy’s shoulder: no dice. He shook a little harder, but that only earned him a soft grunt and his new resident curling his legs up further in against his chest but otherwise no change. Takemichi huffed, looking across the room to his brother almost pleadingly.

“Oi, Muryo, little help here? Kid’s out cold and I have places to be.”

His younger brother laughed and smiled fondly looking his way, and he made a noncommittal wave of his hand. “Nii-nii, I’m sure it can wait if you were comfortable taking a nap of your own just a moment ago. Besides, you didn't see him walk in, he was dead on his feet; he could really use a wonder nap I think honestly.”

Takemichi made a face that was definitely not a pout, but looking down at the sleeping teen once more broke his resolve and he sighed dramatically. He muttered just loud enough to be heard, “fine, fine, wonder nap it is then.” And with that, he accepted his fate and tried his best to get comfortable. He grabbed one of the various leftover scripts from some of Shiguru’s past works just to give him something to focus on and let himself sink into the words as his new charge slept on.

He got almost a quarter of the way in before getting a bit bored and letting his gaze wander down to his leader, practically motionless aside his chest rising and falling and the occasional scratch at his cheek or arm in his sleep. He didn't really snore at all so much as his breathing got a bit louder; the kid was a mouth breather in his sleep and the air passing his slightly crooked teeth made a bit of a sound, not quite a whistle but enough to say there was something there. He looked up and over to his siblings quickly, checking to make sure they were engrossed in their business and not staring at him, before looking down again.

 He often did have the time to get a good look at Juuru if he wanted to sure, but to be honest he was usually pretty distracted or rushing off to the next treasure hunt to take the time to really look the boy-leader over. He didn't think on it too often, but this close and feeling the weight of the other on him, he thought once more on just how small their leader was. Such small shoulders and thin arms were carrying quite a lot, and more than once they had seen this small body cave against their enemies even if his heart never wavered or gave up. That kiramentality of his really did push him beyond what anyone could ever expect, it took a step ahead a lot of his qualities that didn't quite make him a typical leader at all. He was tenacious though, that was for sure, even if he was a bit skittish outside of when the need arose.

Not putting much thought to it, Takemichi ran his fingers through the boy's hair once, not with intent so much as just something to do with his hand. He kept repeating the movement over and over as he tipped his head to rest on the back of the couch and just let his thoughts wander a bit in boredom. Another 5-10 minutes went by, he couldn't quite be sure, but then a soft grumble could be heard from Juuru as he slowly pushed himself up on his arms, still on the goggled man’s lap to his minor annoyance.

“Hey buddy, how’d you sleep?” Takemichi teased, flashing him a reassuring wonder smile. Juuru tiredly rubbed at his face, clearly not fully awake yet as he moved not to pull himself up, but rather to simply roll over now facing the back of the couch and burying his forehead against the older man’s hip.

“ ‘m cold…” he mumbled out, and as if to accentuate his statement, a small shudder went through his frame. 

Takemichi hummed in a tone that said, “Ah, is that so” and he glanced around, fumbling with the throw pillow to his right before he found the folded up throw blanket they tucked behind it. He shook it out to unfold it, and with a small flourish he threw it over top of the boy, making sure it covered up to his shoulders. In response, Juuru hummed softly in contentment grabbing at the blanket’s edge as if to hold it in place. As if Takemichi would dare or let anyone else for that matter.

“Enjoy your wonder nap, kiddo. I’ll wake you if we need you.” Takemichi offered softly, not really expecting the other to be awake enough anymore, if he ever was, to take it in. He returned his left hand to the boy's hair, boredly carding his hand through it with a bit more purpose hoping his charge found it at least somewhat pleasant. After a solid minute or two, Takemichi faintly heard Juuru mumble out a reply, and were it not for the words being spoken he might have missed it.

“....thank you, nii-nii….”

Takemichi’s jaw dropped in shock, but before he could retort anything Juuru was once more out cold in an instant. He looked up in exaggerated shock and appal at his siblings, the telltales of badly hidden laughter bleeding through across the rooms as Mabushiina’s chimelike laugh filtered through the air and Muryo’s hand covering his mouth was more than suspect to be hiding a smile and laughter.

Takemichi groaned, dramatically flopping his head back.

“Great, it’s spreading like an infection. Fine, Nii-nii it is because I guess I don't have a choice in anything anymore!”

Through the theatrics, he couldn't quite fight the edges of his mouth curling in a smile despite himself. A big brother again huh? Yeah, he could do that just fine.

Due to her youthful and excitable personality and small stature, Sena often was confused as being closer to Juuru’s age than the college student she really was. Even some of her team members were surprised to find that out as admittedly before Juuru, she wasn't the closest to the others quite yet. She was the first of the rangers to respect him as leader though, as his own passion and words spoke to her and she wanted to return that with dedication and understanding of her own too. That didn’t stop with just being a more proactive member of the team though or even just at being his friend, such as in moments his age and awkward personality were brought to the forefront of attention.

He had been leaning over the small vanity table when she entered, her practice moved to the morning and so with no other classes, she had come in quite early and it showed she wasn't expected when she saw Juuru startle a bit. She didn't take it personally, at this point she had learned that outside of being a ranger Juuru was actually a bit awkward and skittish even if he didn't mean to be, so she pushed on ahead and walked over to lean over his shoulder.

“Hey, Juuru-kun! What’cha up to?” She leaned her head to look at his face a bit better from this angle, her ponytail swishing to the side with the moment. He laughed a bit nervously, holding up a couple of bandaids.

“Trying to put these on….I don’t think the mirror is actually helping though.” She held out her hand wordlessly and with a sigh of defeat, he passed them over before sitting obediently in the chair and looking up at her. She hummed as she moved, easily placing the bandaids against the raised skin of the not quite cuts on the bottom of his jaw and chin. It wasn't bleeding, the skin hadn't broken, but it was inflamed and raised in a similar way to cat scratches. Once she was finished, she politely took a seat on a nearby stool that didn't sit too much higher than the vanity table chair and she looked at Juuru with a softer look, full of concern.

“Juuru-kun, can I ask what happened? That seems like a bit of an odd place to get hurt.”

He laughed awkwardly and scratched at his arm as he replied, not even attempting to look her in the face.

“Waka-san, he’s in my class, was trying to take my sketchbook while I was drawing. I didn't really notice he was there or moving anything until he suddenly snatched it, and the metal spirals on the top hit me and scratched my face a bit. Hehe, kinda silly that kiramai red can fight yodenheim soldiers, but gets hit by his own sketchbook…” he laughed nervously, looking up at Sena through his bangs for what seemed almost like approval.

Sena crossed her arms, and sternly huffed and turned her nose up at the aforementioned classmate despite him not being there.

“He sounds like a jerk to me! Did he even apologize? And what’s it his business to just take your things?” She looked at Juuru expectantly, and when she got a nervous shrug she stood up and started pacing, trying to physically walk out her temper flaring on her friends behalf.

It made more than good sense unfortunately that Juuru had bullies, he didn't exactly show his kiramaking attitude in his everyday with others, she’d had enough almost entirely silent days in CARAT to know that. But even so, what was the big deal with him just wanting to draw? He wasn't bothering anyone, yet everyone seemed to want to bother him? Admittedly, aside her childhood friend being a very specific exception, she didn't really ever get bullied much especially given her outgoing personality and her sports career making her tip closer to popularity if anything. But she knew how highschool could be, and how for as many good kids there were like Juuru, there were always bullies and jerks that thrived off making the former kids miserable.

She paced around the room for a good minute or two before it clicked that the boy she had gotten so worked up in honor of hadn’t added anything since she stood up, which made her stop and turn to check just to instantly feel guilty. Juuru had taken to just quietly sitting in the chair she had left him in, looking at the floor and holding his arms around his middle. She had made a big deal out of something he was already probably worried about if not upset by, she had steamrolled him into letting her have it out for his problem. She right away moved to sit on the edge of the seat the boy was sat in, garnering his attention to at least look up at her.

“Juuru-kun, I’m sorry. How about we do this differently.” She held her hand out to him, palm side up and she smiled at him. “Why don’t you tell me about the things you drew today, did you see or imagine anything exciting?”

He smiled at her then, meeting her eyes as he placed his hand into hers. He nodded with a soft hum, straightening up a bit before beginning to regale her all about his drawings of classmates and of all the amazing beasts and machines their partners turned into and possible new powers they could try out. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, happy to see him loosen up around her. Juuru being bullied to the level of being hurt was important, but blowing it up further didn't change the fact Juuru wasn't the type to be able to deal with it himself so telling him it was a problem was unfair to him. And as much as she wanted to have Juuru point out all the kids at school who hurt him or made him feel upset, he couldn't so she wouldn't, and she didn't want to be another person making Juuru uncomfortable and sad. Especially not here, where he was supposed to be able to relax and feel at home with the team. She would not cross the almost “sacred” boundaries that CARAT HQ offered, not after all the smiles and laughs that Juuru being there and everyone else had brought her after her own rough days in this place.

Sayo wasn’t the eldest of the kiramagers, far from it with Takemichi with them and his unique life he’s led, but due to her profession and the maturity she gave off, it seemed she struggled the most with finding equal footing with their little red ranger. It wasn’t that she looked down on him in any way so much as he placed her up above himself instead. It was something she noticed a few months into knowing each other that he did with all the other kiramagers, if not people in general but for her it was especially poignant since they didn't have much middle ground between them to meet at. She served as more a mother figure than a friend, which she didn't mind as he was a child, but she wanted him to be able to be more comfortable around her when it was just them outside of treating his wounds after missions.

She had found herself in one of those times; it was just them at CARAT again and thus thoughts of how to reach out were in mind as she sat at the vanity table, applying her regular makeup now that she was off work at the hospital. Juuru could be found sitting on the floor, foregoing the couch to simply kneel at the coffee table and stare at his sketchbook. She glanced at him every so often through the mirror as she got ready, noticing what appeared to be an art block of some sort as he kept frowning and didn't make any move to actually put pencil to paper. After a bit of this, he took to laying his head on the table in visible frustration, taking to simply watching her through the mirror instead. She chuckled, and between product applications he seemed to take his chance and called out.

“Sayo-san?”

“Yes, Juuru-kun?”

A pause before he pressed on. “Why do you not put on makeup before you get here?”

“I can’t wear it during surgery, there’s a chance of contamination as makeup tends to flake and dust off a residue as you both apply and wear it throughout the day. But once I'm here, I can wear whatever I like so I like to put it on here along with getting into the uniform.”

He made a soft sound of intrigue and went back to watching. However, this time he was much quicker to broach another question.

“Sayo-san?”

She chuckled softly in amusement. “Yes, Juuru-kun?”

“Is putting on makeup fun?”

She paused, an idea forming in her mind. She turned in her seat to properly face Juuru now, giving and now garnering mutual full attention. “Would you like to try it? I have all sorts of colors and different kinds with me, I keep my whole makeup bag here.”

In response he made a face of excitement followed by a quick frown and shake of the head. She waited and he shook his head again, crossing his arms in what seemed confusion.

“I don’t want it on my face, I don't like when things touch my face or I can't wipe them off. But I want to try putting it on.”

Ah, a simple solution then that worked for more than one problem. 

“Would you like to try putting makeup on me? You can do any style or colors you want, just be sure not to waste anything. I’d love to see what you can come up with.”

He immediately perked up again, nodding with enthusiasm as all but scrambled up to his feet to approach her. She laughed outright this time, taking out her makeup wipes to clean off the unfinished look she had started so he would have a “clean canvas.” Once she was sure her face was makeup free and another wipe down for good measure, she brought her makeup bag down with her to the floor so she would be at Juuru’s eye level.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded and offered a smile.

“I would only offer if I was sure.”

He nodded again and gave her a rather serious look that almost sent her into laughter from how intense Juuru was proving to be over this, but she was glad he was enthusiastic and that she could offer this. He asked her what all the products in the bag were for and how to apply them, and after he felt sure he knew his toolset, he went to work. He tried his best to be gentle as he tipped her face here and there for better angles and his brushstrokes were quite relaxing if she were to be honest. He made her promise not to keep track of the colors since he wanted to surprise her with something, and so unless needed for something she kept her eyes closed. She didn't dislike putting on her own makeup, but it was much more relaxing getting to just have it done for her she would admit.

She relaxed into it, almost nodding off towards the end before his sudden loud cheer of “Aaaaand done!” jolted her fully awake. He stood up with ease, and as she tried to rise to follow she found her legs had fallen asleep. She laughed as he scrambled forward to grab her so she didn't fall and he helped her walk the few steps back to the chair. Once she was seated, he stood behind her a good amount, quietly but very intensely staring at her to gauge her reaction. She was pleasantly surprised to see his choices when she looked at herself properly.

He had gone for a very bright shade of pink for the eyeshadow, a shade she wasn't too aware she owned in honesty and he had added a bit of silver glitter to the corner of her eyes. For the rest, he had mostly just went through her usual routine for foundation, contour, and the like, foregoing mascara since he was nervous he might hurt her or smear it. He had also gone for a glossy bright pink lip gloss as well, using a purple tinted brown lip liner that made it pop even more against her skin. It was much more attention grabbing than what she would normally go for, but it was quite cute she would say.

She glanced back at him and saw he was nervously fiddling with his hands, so she spun around in her chair and reached out, taking his hands in hers. He bashfully met her gaze, looking at her for approval.

“Is it okay?’

“It’s very lovely, Juuru-kun. You did a good job!”

He beamed at the praise, smiling wide.

“I couldn't really draw today, I felt stuck with my art and nothing felt right. But you gave me a different kind of art to try and it was challenging and fun, so I feel refreshed with my other art too! I got to learn about the art you do every day, thank you!”

‘What a good boy I have,’ she thought to herself with a hint of pride. She would wear this with pride for the rest of the day, and she even found herself excited to gauge reactions for when the others arrived later on. Maybe being a mother figure was just as good after all.

He was angry, not at his opponents or his teammates, but at himself in all honesty. That tournament should have been an easy team win, all he had to do was bring out the best in his team since everyone was playing to their best and it should have been a sure-win. But he hadn't done that, he had made a bad call, told his mid-laner to play jungler today so he could try a different position himself, and it had cost them. He was supposed to be a surprise to the opponents, only surprise there was that he thought it would work. He growled in aggravation, stalking his way down the hall to the door leading into the main room they all met in at CARAT. He thought maybe he could take some time to himself, cool off before anyone else got there so he didn't take it out on anyone just because he was upset. When he opened the door however, he could hear the muffled sounds of a video being played quietly from within; so much for peace and solitude.

He ran his fingers through his hair roughly, as if the smoothing motion would smooth out his temper. He looked around the table and saw nobody, not even Hakataminami-san was here due to the weekend schedule so he was only there if needed with any incidents in town. He scanned the room to find Juuru seated on the couch, a laptop in his lap and headphones in his ears. It wasn't too often that Juuru took to the internet for something to do, especially here at CARAT so it caught his attention well enough. Out of curiosity, he walked over, moving to stand aside the table to get a side glance at the screen, and what he saw instantly brought his temper back to boiling. He moved in quickly to slap the space bar, pausing the archived stream Juuru had pulled up.

“Just shut it off, nothing good happened today, who sent you that tournament stream anyway?” His tone was curt, trying not to make it a confrontation but also his frustration being brought back at Juuru just sitting there watching his failure just hours after it happened made his blood boil. 

Juuru blinked in surprise, taking a moment to glance up to meet Tametomo’s expectant gaze and he offered a small smile. 

“Tametomo-kun! Welcome back, how did it go?” 

“Don’t rub it in, damn it! You just saw, didn't you? I screwed everyone up out there because I wanted to play around.” Tametomo shot back, growling in frustration afterwards and shaking his head at his own failures once again.

“....Um, i dont ...i dont really know much about video games, and i really don't know a lot about competitive games like that one. It was kinda hard to follow, actually…I'm sorry it didn't go well, but i'm sure next time you-”

“If you don't get it, why bother watching it? And you should at least be able to tell if i'm losing, didn't you see me make an ass of myself? I yelled like an idiot out there.”

“You yell for a lot of reasons though! And since i didn't understand the game, i didn't know what kind of yelling it was. Sometimes you yell when you’re happy, or embarrassed, or worried, or when you’re sad or-”

Tametomo held up his hands, shaking them back and forth. “Yeah yeah, okay I scream and yell constantly, whatever. That still doesn't explain why you’d want to watch my tournament stream.” 

“I like seeing you play, it’s how you sparkle so I wanted to watch Tametomo-kun.” Juuru offered weakly, sounding almost a bit miffed why Tametomo would ask such a question. The kiramager in question quirked an eyebrow, “haaah??”

He stared Juuru down, waiting for anything else to explain himself or some kind of reaction, but Juuru just kept offering a shy smile and his gaze locked on in attention. Tametomo sighed, resting a hand on his hip and he dragged his other one down his face in exasperation. 

“Alright, sure. Why not just come to the tournaments then? I can get you tickets for free, and then there’s announcers to explain stuff and I can explain stuff if you want to see it so bad. Wouldn't that be easier?”

Juuru shook his head at that, looking down at his lap and fiddling with his shirt sleeve. When he answered after a few moments, his voice was quiet as if embarrassed or trying to hide something.

“ ‘s too loud and the lights are too bright…”

Tametomo stilled, putting two and two together and sighing, heat leaving him a bit. Of course Juuru wasn't trying to rub in his defeat and of course he did not avoid coming to support him on purpose, he just got too overstimulated actually showing up.

“Look, Juuru-”

The boy in question piped up again, a bit insistent, “I thought you would notice I was watching the way you do when you do solo streams and people send comments…Or I thought maybe someone else would hop in and explain stuff, but that…didn't happen..so…”

Tametomo raised his free hand to stop the other, sighing as he roughly let himself drop to the couch next to Juuru. He leaned forward and rewound the stream archive to the beginning, and hit play.

“Tametomo-kun?’

“I’ll explain it for you, so let’s just watch it. Maybe watching it back will show me how to do better next time anyway. And for the record, I guess for future tournaments if you want…i guess i can explain stuff then too.”

Juuru glanced at him in pleasant surprise, his expression open as he took in the offer before smiling a wide toothy grin and nodding.

“Okay!”

Coming to the CARAT HQ had helped him cool off a bit after all. Huh.