#gwangju challenger

[stateofsport211]

Gwangju Ch F: Lloyd Harris [5] def. Yunchaokete Bu [4] 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 Match Stats

📸 ATP official website

L. Harris initially had a commanding start to the match as he controlled the flow from his forehand, but B. Yunchaokete improved his aggression that overwhelmed the former, forced him to adapt along the way. The Chinese fourth seed initially had his moments when he broke midway the third set, but L. Harris' patience (and instinct) in his point construction, which appeared similar between both players, bore fruit as it also helped him to hold a crucial service game near the end until breaking for the match. As such, L. Harris generated 10 break points, converted 50% of them thanks to his pacing than B. Yunchaokete's 40% break point conversion rate out of his 5 break points (half of L. Harris').

Interestingly, there was not much difference in both players' service games. L. Harris blasted 14 aces than B. Yunchaokete's 5, which helped him navigating some of the troubles he faced midway to stand out through his first served by 5% with a 68% percentage despite fading from 94% count from the first set, likely due to the adjustments necessary as a result of the second set chaos. This did not come with a risk as his 2 double faults slightly waned his second serve winning percentage to 50%, 2% fewer than B. Yunchaokete throughout the match.

This marked L. Harris' first Challenger title since the Lanceston Challenger 2019, winning him just his fourth Challenger title of his career to bring him back inside the Top 150 for the first time next week, right at 149. The Asian Challenger swing will then continue in Shenzhen (Luohu) Challenger as L. Harris will face Dane Sweeny in the first round, while B. Yunchaokete will face alternate Alibek Kachmazov in the first round. Should be another interesting sets of journeys to follow!

[a-tiny-thing]

"ATEEZ as POKÉMON GYM LEADERS"

song playing: ATEEZ - New World

I've been playing Pokemon Scarlet on my brother's Nintendo Switch this Christmas break and I wanted to share my ideas if ATEEZ became Pokémon Gym Leaders and what type will they be ^_^

In Aurora Region, there are 8 cities that you'll have to go to and challenge the gym leaders there. You, determined to be the Pokémon League champion, have to go through them and collect all 8 gym badges in order for you to join the Pokémon League.

PS: don't come at me for the names of the cities mentioned here, I know it's not remotely close to being a city or geographically accurate but I just used them because they're somewhat related to birthplaces of ATEEZ and I can't think of any names for cities ;-;

JONGHO (Normal-type Gym Leader 🌫)

The Normal Guy

• You'll see him chilling under a tree when you first go into his city.

• "Hi, I'm Jongho and welcome to Ilsan city" and you'll think he's just a random person there.

• He will also ask you if you came there to challenge the gym leader, and you say yes then he will say "good luck" to you before leaving to somewhere important.

• When he left, you went straight to the Gym center to go challenge the gym leader there.

• The Gym center receptionist will register as a gym challenger and says that he will put through a gym test first before the gym battle.

• Gym Test: Catch 30 apples falling from a tree within a time limit 💀 (don't worry, you'll pass!)

• After that, you can now go back and battle the gym leader.

• As the receptionist led you to the battle court, you were surprised to see Jongho. The person you first met, he is the gym leader of the Normal-Type gym!

• He smiled at your reaction. "I bet you didn't expect a normal guy like me to be the gym leader here in our area"

• "Don't think that Normal-type Pokémons are weak! They're effective to any type and can easily beat you"

• You both battle as he brings out Eevee, Staravia, Sawsbuck and Usaring (Teralized form) in that order.

• "Huh...didn't expect you to be THAT good" he says after you defeat him and you receive the gym badge.

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YEOSANG (Fairy-type Gym Leader)

The Mad Hatter

• As you travel to the next city for the next gym battle, you'll come across a man having a garden tea party with his Fairy-type Pokémons.

• "Oh, you must be Y/N. Jongho talked about you before, you must be here for a gym battle. Let me introduce myself then, my name is Yeosang, and I'm the gym leader of the Fairy-type gym here in Pohang City"

• He will lead you to the Pokémon Gym Center so you both can start the battle.

• But before that, he decided to put you through a gym test first!

• Gym Test: Find the missing Clefairy! (you'll have to find Clefairy three times around the city)

• After you passed the test, you can now challenge Yeosang in a gym battle.

• "Don't let these cute Pokémons fool you!" he says as he brings out Jigglypuff, Sylveon, Azumarill and Florges (Teralized Form).

• "I thought their cuteness will bring me to victory" he sulks after you defeated him, and he gives you the gym badge.

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YUNHO (Water-type Gym Leader)

The Gwangju Lifeguard

• When entering the next city, you were amazed by the ocean view there.

• You went straight to the direction of the Pokémon gym center of Gwangju City.

• When you arrived there, you thought you entered the wrong place because of the large indoor swimming pool in the middle.

• "Welcome to Gwangju Swimming School! Are you here to sign up for some swimming classes?" A lifeguard asked, using a megaphone to speak to you clearly since he's from the other side of the swimming pool and up into his high seat.

• When you said you're actually there to challenge the gym leader, he put down his megaphone and made his way towards you.

• "Oh, another gym challenger I see! Well, my name is Yunho, a lifeguard, swimming teacher and the Water-type gym leader of Gwangju City gym! May I know the name of the challenger who wants to face me?"

• You two conversed a little about how he started his own swimming school when suddenly, he thought of an idea of a gym test he'll put through.

• Gym Test: Win a swimming race against Yunho!

• When you won, the swimming pool suddenly turned into a battle court, but it's still a pool because he has water-type Pokémons, while you get a floatie for your non-water type Pokémons.

• "Hakuna Matata!" Yunho shouted before bringing out Vaporeon, Wartortle, Golduck and Samurott (Teralized Form)

• "Not only you're a great swimmer, but a great Pokémon trainer too!" he says with a smile as he gives you your gym badge for beating him.

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WOOYOUNG (Dark-type Gym Leader)

The Scary Powerful

• For some reason, you arrived in the next city at night time, you suddenly feel the chills going down your spine at how creepy the city looks.

• There are not much people living there, and the Pokémon Gym center looks old and abandoned, but you knew that it's not because your professor said that that's just how it looks like.

• When you entered the Gym center, the interior looks nothing like the past gym centers you've been to, it's spooky like it's still Halloween season.

• "Hello, are you here to face the Gym leader?" The receptionist asked, they look tired as hell like they didn't get any sleep.

• "Don't be scared, this place is just surrounded by Ghost Pokémons who love to pull pranks on people like us, that's why I don't get any sleep. Also, the interior design of this place was decorated by the gym leader Wooyoung because he wants to be scary" the receptionist added as a random person hiding behind the counter pops out.

• "You didn't have to expose me like that!" the random person said, you assumed it to be Wooyoung.

• "Anyway, I'm Wooyoung, the Dark-type gym leader here in Gyeonggi City. However, your gym challenge request against me has been denied since you haven't tried to pass the gym test yet" He said with his arms crossed and smirks when he reveals your gym test.

• Gym Test: Try to escape the "Haunted Escape Room" within a limited time (you were told that it's the most difficult test you have yet to pass in your journey, some gym challengers were stuck there and couldn't find their way out, you soon encounter them inside there and they challenge you to a Pokémon battle)

• When you escaped and beat the time limit, he was already there on front of you. "Huh? How is that possible? Hmm...well done I guess. I think it's now time for your harder test!" Wooyoung said as he now accepts your gym battle.

• He brings out Skuntank, Umbreon, Absol and Gengar (Teralized Form)

• "Aww, I guess I'm not that scary powerful gym leader I told myself I am" Wooyoung sighed as he gives me my gym badge after you defeated him.

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MINGI (Steel-type Gym Leader)

The Hard-Headed

• Soon you arrived to Incheon City, you immediately walked towards the Pokémon gym center to face the gym leader. You walked towards the gym center receptionist to register you as a challenger.

• "Okay, I now registered you as the next challenger against Mingi, the Steel-type gym leader of Incheon city Pokémon gym! But uhhh, I might need you to wait for a while until he comes back hehe..." The receptionist said as he rubs his neck in embarrassment.

• Of course, you asked where Mingi went and why he couldn't be there at his city to face his upcoming gym challengers.

• "Well you see, Mingi is like his Pokémons, hard-headed. He couldn't stay in one place and wants to roam around the cities in this whole region. The challengers who came here without Mingi have to move on forward to challenge other gym leaders and come back another time when Mingi's finally present. But since you asked where he went, I heard he went to a tea party" The receptionist said.

• Tea party? hmm ah! Yeosang's garden tea party! "I guess you could make that as a gym test instead..." The receptionist added.

• Gym Test: Find Mingi.

• So you traveled all the way back to Pohang City to see Mingi. And there he is. Chatting with Yeosang while having some tea.

• "uhh, who are you?" Mingi asked when he saw you.

• "Oh, that's Y/N! Y/N's here to challenge you in a gym battle, Mingi. You were not in the Incheon city when they arrived so Y/N went to go find you" Yeosang explained.

• "Ahh, I see. Well then, I think this tea party is over because I have an important business to attend to" Mingi said as he stood up from his seat and led you back to Incheon city Pokémon gym center.

• "Since you came looking for me, consider that gym test to be done. Now, prepare yourself for a hard battle against me!" Mingi exclaimed as he brings out Pawniard, Scizor, Bronzong and Steelix (Teralized Form).

• "Ah, you are too good. Someone finally broke through my hard shell" He says as he handed you the gym badge. Also, you actually never noticed that there's a Glaceon beside him.

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SAN (Fighting-type Gym Leader)

The Taekwondo Master

• Time has passed and you're 3 gyms away from entering that Pokémon League. Namhae City is your next stop.

• Namhae Pokémon gym center isn't exactly far away, with just 6 six blinks of your eyes. You're finally there.

• "Hello, I'm Y/N, I would like to register as a gym challenger please" You said to the receptionist.

• When they're done with it, they told you that San, the Fighting-type gym leader, is currently at his own Taekwondo class in another building. The receptionist led you to it.

• "Focus everyone!" A man shouted in the center of the room as you entered the Taekwondo School. Young students in white uniforms and belts continue to kick up the air with loud grunts escaping their mouths.

• "Oh, a new student!" The man said when he saw you walk towards them. "Are you going to join my Taekwondo classes?" He asked, but you shook your head no.

• "Huh? Why- ohh I see...you're here to challenge me". You nodded at his words. "In a Taekwondo match?" San suddenly asked and you quickly shook your no.

• "No! I'm here for the Pokémon gym badge!" You said to him. "I know, I'm just messing with you" He smiles, and you can't even see his eyes anymore.

• Since you're already registered, San told you the gym test right away.

• Gym Test: Participate in San's Taekwondo class (and so you did, you trained hard to perfect your kicks and impress him and he was. When the class is over, he considered your gym test to be done and you passed)

• "You did well today Y/N. Now let me give you that gym battle that you always wanted. Care to watch us battle, students?" San asks his students and they all said yes.

• Soon, you all are back in the Pokémon Gym Center, the battle court has a similar interior with his Taekwondo School.

• "I always go easy on people who are first-timers in Taekwondo. But not when it comes to gym challengers" He brought out his Pokémons which are Makuhita, Hitmonlee, Pangoro, and Blaziken (Teralized Form).

• "It seems like I went too easy on you, huh?" He jokes, as he handed you the gym badge.

• "Oh and before you go, I want to know if you would care to battle me again. This time, I'm using my Flareon!" He asked you and you nodded at him.

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HONGJOONG (Electric-type Gym Leader)

The Electrifying Rockstar

• San actually decided to accompany you and guide you to Anyang City where the next gym leader is located. He told you everything you have to know about Hongjoong, the "Electrifying Rockstar of Anyang City"

• "He's some sort of a magician, he can make his Pokémons attack just by playing some certain rhythms on his electric guitar"

• As soon as you two arrived there, people suddenly started screaming in excitement and rushed towards the direction of the Pokémon gym center.

• San asked one of the passerbys what's going on, "Hongjoong is having a concert right now! We need to go!" The passerby said as he ran off.

• You both eventually get there soon to see him, the arena was huge and the seats were filled with people, they're waving up their hands to get noticed by him.

• "Now, for my next song, I want to do something a little special today!" The performer, or Hongjoong, said to the mic, glancing at people who were waiting for him to talk more.

• "Times like this, you have to go look for his manager to register you as his challenger" San whispered to you and so you both go look for them, and you find them soon.

• "As the Electrifying gym leader of Anyang City, I would like to offer a gym battle to any of you brave enough to step right up to me– oh, they found one already" Hongjoong says as he glances down at you as his manager presented you to him.

• "Forget about the gym tests, let's see if you have what it takes to face me!" He shouted before he brings out Jolteon, Luxray, Magnevire, and Magnezone (Teralized Form)

• It's one of the hardest battles you'll go through but you can manage it.

• "That was....electrifying!" Hongjoong said, as his audience celebrated your victory against him.

• You didn't get to receive your gym badge mid-performance, but you patiently waited for his concert to end.

• "You did so well in that battle earlier. I'm hoping I can battle with you again soon, oh and...here's your gym badge" Hongjoong smiles at you as he hands you your gym badge.

• "Oh and I heard the next gym will be your final stop before entering the Pokémon League championship. I just want you to know that I'm rooting for you"

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SEONGHWA (Psychic-type Gym Leader)

The Mysterious Botanist

• San has to say goodbye to you since he still has to teach Taekwondo to his students. You're left alone now but you still managed tk find your way towards the Jinju City.

• Of course, you make your way towards the Pokémon gym center to face the gym leader there.

• The receptionist registered you as a gym challenger, before nodding at you and moving away towards a certain painting on the wall. They suddenly removed it and revealed a button, then pressed.

• The interior suddenly morphs into a garden, no— a greenhouse!

• Bug and Grass-type Pokémons are seen flying and hanging around the plants. Flowers beginning to bloom.

• "Y/N right?" You heard someone asked as you turned around to see who it is. Nonetheless, you nodded at his question.

• He must be the gym leader.

• "Yup. you're right. I'm Seonghwa, the Psychic-type gym leader of Jinju City" He said as he puts his hands inside the pockets of his pants.

• "I've heard so many good things about you, hopefully, there were right about you..." Seonghwa as he went to other side of the greenhouse, facing you.

• "Before we start this battle, how about we go through our little tradition first, shall we?"

• Gym Test: Mr. Mime Charades! (you have what Mr. Mimes was mimicking, don't worry, Seonghwa can give clues if it gets too difficult for you)

• After you're done passing the test, Seonghwa will congratulate you for passing it.

• "I'm impressed, now let's see if you can also impress me in a gym battle" Seonghwa smirks as he brings out Farigiraf, Espeon, Gardevoir and Alakazam (Teralized Form)

• "This is your last gym badge, so I won't make it easy for you"

• Another hardest battle you have to win, and of course you win.

• "Ah, I supposed they were correct about you after all" Seonghwa smiles at you and brought out the last gym badge to give it to you.

• "Good luck on your journey defeating the Elite Four and the last year's Pokémon League Champion, my friends and I will be there to celebrate your victory"

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When you're finally the new Pokémon League champion, the Aurora region gym leaders decided to plan a tea party celebration for you. They all congratulated you for your victory.

"So what's next for you, Y/N?" Hongjoong asked as he sips his tea. The rest of the group looks at you, waiting for an answer.

[hisunshiine]

—i kiss your waist and ease your mind [6/7]

Part 6 of 7 of the Seven Days Series ↣ series masterlist

🗓️pairing: nurse!jungkook x teacher!reader 🗓️au/genre: non-idol au, brother’s friend au, fwb, age-gap(reader is older), f2l, fluff, angst, smut 🗓️rating: M 🗓️wc: 6,323 + text message 🗓️warnings: angst, mentions of Gwangju Uprising, casualties from the Uprising, hospitals, argument, hurt feelings, minor character death, grief explicit sexual content: unprotected sex, creampie, grief/comfort sex?   🗓️an 0.5: WELL, THE POST WAS ACCIDENTALLY DELETED AND ONLY SHOWS IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS, SO I HAD TO RE-UPLOAD. 🗓️an: well, well, well…back again for some pain, are you? I would apologize for how this ends, but it’s necessary for the set up of the final day of the week, and truly, I think it makes the final day that much more better if we have to hurt a little bit more, right? Thank you for reading, and again, I appreciate my beta readers for all of their help!   🗓️summary: “i kiss your waist and ease your mind.” The only thing that could make you feel better is the same thing that made you feel worse. You and Jungkook are both confused with your emotions, but two different stories help you both see a bit more clearly. The only problem is that when the two of you get around each other, clarity goes bye-bye. don’t let these soft lyrics fool you; make up sex doesn’t actually solve any issues if sex is the only communication that happens.  

Taglist: @sizzlingfestpeach @mochminnie @jungkooksmytype @kookslastbutton @taebangtanbabe @bbtsficrecs @jk97bam it’s not letting me tag you (if joining the taglist, please think about reblogging with tags/leaving feedback!)

Last night could not have been any worse for Jungkook—well, he’s sure it could have—but luckily the worst that could’ve been, had not come to be. Today, however, is proving itself to be a challenge in its own right. Jungkook knew he had to work early in the morning, but was alright with going out last night because he was with you. 

Last night honestly had been turning into a great night—the way you had silently laid your claim to him at the club, possessive of him in a healthy way—Jungkook thought things were progressing in the right direction. And clearly, you did, too. Hell, he knew he was all over you last night. Knew that he was taking a huge risk in advancing the relationship past friends with benefits when he threw all caution out the window to kiss you like that in front of your friends, but at the time, Jungkook didn’t care. 

And now? Well, that would be a different story, seeing as now that several people know that you’re the one he’s been fucking every night, they might all think something more should come from this situation. Jungkook doesn’t know what to tell them if they ask, and he’s been avoiding Jimin every chance he gets during his shift so far, because he doesn’t really know what to say. He walks to the nurses station to grab his oversized water bottle, drinking several large gulps before being interrupted. 

“Jeon, we have a case that’s just moved over to us, can you help?” Park Soo-hyun, the head nurse for the shift, asks him. As he lowers the semi-transparent canister, he takes in her cotton candy pink hair, which is mussed in a few places; the corners of her eyes are pinched with stress.

“Yeah, no problem.” Jungkook sets the bottle back on the shelf, and follows the shorter Nurse Park down the hallway to the right of the nurses station and watches as she pauses at the elevators to press the call button. Jungkook slows his walk and raises an eyebrow at his fellow nurse. 

“Sorry, we need the help on another unit,” she shrugs, elbow extending her arm to pass Jungkook a slim tablet with the patient's info pulled up. 

“Honestly, that’s perfect.” Escaping to a different floor means almost zero percent chance of Jungkook running into Jimin, so he strolls into the elevator with no regrets. 

Jungkook scrolls past the general information to see just exactly what he’s dealing with as the metal carriage rises. 

His heart breaks a little when he sees that this case is a hospice care one—a focus on the quality of life at the end of it. He follows Nurse Park, barely noticing as he puts one foot after the other, approaching the room. There are several acronyms listed in bold to the left of the door. This clues him into the fact that the goal has shifted from treatment care to comfort. 

Jungkook sees a sleeping, elderly woman in the hospital bed closest to the window, her grey hair pulled away from her face in a short ponytail. Next to her side is a similarly (he assumes) aged man, holding her wrinkled hand in his own. It is a sight that tugs at Jungkook’s heart; he doesn’t usually struggle with the elderly, just small children who end up in this unit, but with how he’s currently feeling about you, he thinks it's impacting him more than he’s used to. 

“Mr. Kim? This is Nurse Jeon. He’ll be with you and your wife for most of today,” Soo-Hyun says kindly as she pats Jungkook’s back in a motherly nature. “Please let him know if you need anything, okay?” She passes Jungkook a small phone, which he pockets, and leaves him in the sunlit room. He steps closer, pulling up the doctor’s chair to sit; a small, rolling, cushioned stool in hospital green. He glances at their names on the whiteboard. Patient: Jung Min-Ji, Spouse: Kim Tae-Woo.

“Hi, Mr. Kim,” Jungkook starts, voice gentle and quiet so as not to disturb the sleeping woman.

“Hello,” Mr. Kim replies, voice weathered with time and wisdom. “We’re okay, son, you don’t need to sit with this old man.”

Jungkook is no stranger to the phrases the older generation tend to say when in this position. The feelings of being a burden on the hospital staff, guilt for brief thoughts blaming their loved one for being in this position, grief that they could possibly lose their loved one—they’re all valid emotions, and a lot for a person to bear. Especially an elderly man who appears to be carrying this weight alone. Instead of responding to his statement, Jungkook changes the topic. “How did the two of you meet?”

The man’s eyes sparkle to life as he looks at Jungkook’s eager face. “Oh, we’ve known each other since we were kids. She was the most beautiful girl in the village, and I was just some dumb kid who followed her around like a puppy. She’s older than me, you see, and I was the annoying little brother of her best friend.” He smiles fondly at her sleeping form, and Jungkook feels his chest grow tight. “She used to hate my guts. My friends and I would terrorize her and her friends, pull their ponytails, leave frogs in their backpacks, all the terrible things thirteen-year-old boys would do to pretty girls they were afraid to talk to.”

“No wonder she hated you, Mr. Kim!” Jungkook laughs. “I’m guessing you finally stopped tormenting her if she ended up married to you?” Jungkook points out.

“Yes, yes.” The man chortles fondly as he reminisces. “I finally grew up, and realized that treating her badly was not the way to her heart. A little too late, though. She ended up married to some other punk in the neighborhood. He wisened up a little faster than I did, told her how he felt one winter, and they were married by the time the cherry blossoms bloomed.” He sighs, and Jungkook tilts his head, questioning. “Oh, I was distraught. I couldn’t do anything about it, though, I realized that I missed my chance, busy playing games. I ended up married to one of her friends, and well, we spent the next fifteen years circling each other.”

“Wow, that must’ve been hard to deal with.” Jungkook can’t imagine being in his shoes. Or well, he can, but he doesn’t want to imagine that future for himself. Doesn’t want to see a future where he stands in suit and tie to take wedding photos, and it’s not you next to him in them.

“Oh, I loved her enough, my ex-wife, but I think she always knew deep down that she wasn’t…she wasn’t Min-Ji.” Jungkook can see his hand tighten imperceptibly around his wife’s frail one. “We never had kids, and when I came home from work one day to find her waiting with her things packed...I think I always knew that day would come.”

“So, how did you end up winning over Min-Ji?” Jungkook is intrigued by the man’s story. He doesn’t know what he would do in this situation.

“Oh, I wouldn’t call it that. She was thirty-two with a new-born daughter, and left a widow after the Gwangju Uprising. Her husband was one of the many lost that summer. I was freshly twenty-eight, newly single, with an empty house, and still in love with her. I stepped up as her friend, offering her and her daughter a place to live and slowly we became a family. I asked her to marry me a couple years later and she said yes.” Kim Tae-Woo’s eyes water, and even in the dimly lit room, Jungkook can see the love he has for the woman in front of him. 

“That’s an amazing story, Mr. Kim. I’m glad you found each other.”

“Oh, me too. She’s given me everything I never knew I wanted. Three children and the best forty-three years of my life. She’s my everything.” He turns back to Jungkook, a look on his face that he can’t read. “Do you have someone, Nurse Jeon? Someone you love more than your own life?”

The question throws Jungkook for a loop, because the whole time his patient’s spouse was telling their story, there was only one person who crossed his mind. You. He hesitates to answer, but Mr. Kim was honest with him, and Jungkook is sure that he can be vulnerable with this man, too. 

“Yeah, I think I do.”

—————

“Stop staring at your phone and moping, oh my god.” Yoongi rolls his eyes at your mood, whispering to Leah about how you’re the rain cloud following them around, ready to ruin the wedding tomorrow. 

You glance at the message one last time before locking your phone and stuffing it into your hoodie’s front pocket. 

You hate that you and Jungkook ended the night like you did, even more that he didn’t text you his usual morning text. The thumbs-up emoji haunted your dreams last night, and you barely slept, waking up throughout the night. The bags under your eyes reflect the nightmares, a fact your annoying little brother enjoyed pointing out when they picked you up at 10 AM.

-10 am flashback

“Shush Yoongi!” Leah berated him gently, “need I remind you how you looked after our almost break-up?”

“Hey! I thought we promised never to bring that up again!” Yoongi pouted the whole trip to the wedding venue for the final review of the plans. 

-end

You sit back in the chair, your head facing away from the floor-to-ceiling window of the wedding venue, wishing not for the first (or even second) time that things had gone down differently last night. Sorting through all of your feelings is a lot harder than you thought it would be. Especially with your brother’s looming nuptials while seated in a decorated wedding hall. 

“I’m not moping, jackass.” You pick at non-existent lint on the sleeve of your hoodie before tilting your head back and allowing the hood to fall off. “I just don’t know what to do with myself.”

“We’re almost done. Leah is just dropping off the last of the checks for the vendors, and we are running through the ‘Day-Of’ itinerary one last time with the planner. Then we can grab some lunch, and you can fill us in on the troubles running through that head of yours.”

“Sushi?” You make your eyes big and pout your bottom lip as you turn your head to look your brother in the face. He looks good; his hair is freshly done with an undercut cropped close to his head and the top layers falling in organized, chaotic layers. He has a healthy glow about him that screams ‘happy and in love’, that makes you feel wisps of green envy. His face breaks out into a smile, eyes disappearing in delight. 

“Of course, princess. Whatever you want, if it means you’ll be in a better mood.”

Hearing Yoongi call you ‘princess’ reminds you of Jungkook, and you turn away again, hiding your crestfallen look as Leah walks back into the room with the wedding planner. Yoongi leaves you to join his soon-to-be wife’s side, shaking hands with the wedding planner as they bid her goodbye and motion for you to meet them at the exit. 

Finally supplied with sustenance, you feel a little better as you chew and swallow the tempura-fried shrimp drizzled in spicy aioli sauce. Though that feeling dissipates a bit when Yoongi sets a deliberate gaze on you. 

“Spill it. I know you're moping about Jungkook, but what happened? Do I have to kill him?” he attempts to make you smile, but the joke falls flat with you today. 

“To be honest, it all happened really fast. One second we were good, really good. And then he just kind of shut down and called me a taxi and kicked me out at like 2 AM.”

“Wait, that dickhead kicked you out at 2 AM? I should fucking kill him! What if something had happened to you?” Yoongi’s ears are red and his eyes glint in anger. Leah reaches out a hand to soothe him as you speak quickly to do the same.

“Nothing happened to me. I’m a big girl, Yoongi. I’m pretty sure I said some hurtful things to him, and if the situation was reversed, I would’ve asked him to leave, too. If I had been a little more sober, I probably would’ve left on my own volition instead of getting into an argument.”

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Leah cuts in tentatively, “you do like Jungkook, right? Like not just as a friend?”

Your face says everything your mouth won’t as you shift in your seat. Leah nods knowingly, and Yoongi takes a deep breath. 

“Okay. You’ve already told Mom and Dad that you’re dating him or whatever, so what’s holding you back from taking that step with him if you like him so much?”

It takes everything in you to not cut your eyes at him. You see Leah cover her mouth; the mirth there doesn’t match the situation, but she can’t help but feel like her very smart and emotionally aware fiance is missing some important social factors. You don’t blame her for the smile, in fact, you welcome it, knowing full well that she gets it.

“What’s holding me back? Maybe that conversation with Mom earlier this week, where she nagged at me for being single and not giving her grandkids, and then when I told her I was seeing someone, she ridiculed Jungkook’s age? Or how about the fact that the stupid goth art teacher talked shit about how young Jungkook was?” You shake your head, defeated. “Everyone judges the relationship between me and Jungkook, before it’s even a relationship. So what happens when it is real?”

“What changed?” Leah’s brows are furrowed, and you can see her mind sorting through the information you’ve given, or lack thereof. “Something must have happened to make what you had going no longer work for either of you, right?”

You decide to trust them both and tell the truth of what happened.

“So after we left the club, we went back to his place since it was late. Taehyung, Jimin, and Hoseok are now fully aware that there’s something between me and Jungkook because he wasn’t exactly subtle. To be fair, I didn’t stop him either, so I guess if I’m being honest, we weren’t exactly subtle. We get back to his place, and it’s business as usual.” Yoongi grimaces as he reaches for his whiskey, downing the entire thing as you skim most of the sex, though a memory surfaces as you let the night replay in your mind. 

“Oh god!” You slap your hands to your face, covering your mouth. “I just remembered…I kind of let slip that I loved him while having sex,” you mumble into your hands, head dropping down in embarrassment. “And then right afterwards he’s receiving a ‘you up?’ text from SoHee—with a fucking topless picture!—and I just lost it. There was an argument, which I honestly can barely remember what was said. We were both so mad, you know?”

“Wow, no wonder you were mad. I’m guessing he didn’t say anything about your confession,” Leah questions, validating your feelings in a way that warms your heart. You definitely think you and your new sister-in-law (as of tomorrow) will get along great.

“No, he didn’t. And it’s not even that he has to say it back or anything, I didn’t say it for that reason, but the fact that we just had—”

“Please don’t say it again!” Yoongi interrupts.

“I wasn’t! Anyways, the fact that we just had such an intimate moment happen, and here comes SoHee texting Jungkook her perky tits asking if he’s awake? I know a booty call text when I see one.” 

“Wait, but you just said SoHee texted it to Jungkook, right?” Yoongi sits back, a quizzical look on his face. “So, he got a text from SoHee and you got jealous. But I’m gonna be that person right now and point out to you that technically, you and Jungkook aren’t together.”

“Yeah, thanks for stating the obvious,” you say with a roll of your eyes. “Anyways, we were in the bathroom,” you think back through the specifics. “His phone went off, and he set it down to dry my hair, and then it went off again. The message lit up his phone, so I saw the text from SoHee.”

“Sis, you know I love you, but I think you’re jumping to conclusions. It sounds like Jungkook was just the recipient of the messages, not necessarily the instigator. Guys can receive unsolicited tit pics just as much as women get dick pics. People just think all men are horny 24/7, but we also can feel uncomfortable in these situations. If we’re at work or start dating someone new, and an old flame sends us a ‘you up’ text or sends nudes? Not to mention, sometimes we just aren’t attracted to the people sending us stuff. It causes issues no one asked for.” 

Yoongi’s eyes show no malice as he speaks a truth you’re upset with yourself for not realizing in that drunken stupor, or even in the light of today. “Jungkook’s hot, you know? He could’ve just been the recipient of unsolicited nudes. He might actually get quite a few that he ignores, because that man is high-key in love with you.” 

“Honestly, I’ve seen you and Jungkook together, and I agree. Who cares what other people think, especially the ones who don’t know either of you well enough and shouldn’t matter enough to sway your happiness with each other.” Leah looks at Yoongi, and he takes her hand gently. “This wedding tomorrow will not be my first one, but it’s the one that matters the most to me. Your brother loves me on a level that I never knew was possible, thanks to my ex, and though our age gap isn’t as big as yours with Jungkook, I’m still older than him. Both of these are things your mom took issue with, but you know your brother.” She looks over to him with a fondness you understand. It’s how you look at Jungkook. “The only thing that matters is what you and Jungkook want. I know it’s not easy, but it’s infinitely worth it.”

By the time Jungkook finishes a sponge-bath and documents the care Min-Ji received during this time, he realizes it’s past the typical lunch time and that the husband has yet to eat. The three children he mentioned live on the other side of the country, but are traveling now to be with their parents. He had hoped they would arrive earlier with the promised food Mr. Kim is waiting for, but Jungkook insists he get something to hold the man over for the time being. He reminds him of which buttons to press to contact the phone in Jungkook’s pocket, then heads to the canteen.

The employees share the cafeteria area with the visiting families of patients, and it is bustling quite a bit as Jungkook exits the elevators straight into the lobby of the cafe. To the left, the room extends into a seating area once past the cashier lines, and Jungkook sees the moment SoHee spots him through the crowd. 

He’s tired of hiding from people—tired of hiding from his feelings, really—so he decides not to run away this time. If SoHee decides to talk about the messages she sent last night, he will address it and let her down easily. They’re still friends, in Jungkook’s mind, so he smiles at her as she approaches him, soft pink scrubs swishing lightly from her quick steps.

“I am so excited about the wedding tomorrow!”

Jungkook can tell; her smile is glowing. Once upon a time, he might’ve been enthralled by it, it’s still a beautiful smile, and it sucks to know that he might be the reason it fades in a few moments.

“Yeah, me too. I actually wanted to talk to you about it.”

“Yes, that’s why I came over here, in fact, so we could finish coordinating and—”

“SoHee, wait.” Jungkook knows he’s being rude, cutting her off, but the longer she stands there, grinning up at him like that, the more his chest feels tight. “I can’t be your date for the wedding.”

As he predicted, the rosy apples of SoHee’s cheeks lower along with her smile as she processes his words.

“I don’t think I understand?” She's polite as she speaks, head quirked to the side as if showcasing her confusion, but Jungkook is no fool to the glint of a woman’s eye as she braces for battle. 

“I know that it took me a lot longer than I promised to get back to you about this, but I’ve only just figured things out myself, and I just don’t want to string you along.”

“What have you been doing then, if not stringing me along?” SoHee crosses her arms across her chest, stance shifting to one of defensiveness. “I’m not trying to be a bitch, Jungkook, but from my point of view, it kind of seems like you’ve been doing exactly what you claim you don’t want to do.”

Jungkook sighs, restraining himself from rolling his eyes at her words and tone. He can’t help but feel that SoHee is being a bit dramatic—it’s not like he was the one who started all this wedding date talk, and he never even agreed to be her date! He did put off turning her down, but she’s the one who texted him to say he didn’t need to feel obligated to take her. And then she sends nudes and a booty-call text message at the worst possible moment last night and wants to get mad at him?

“Look, SoHee, I know that you probably feel like I’m the bad guy in this, but—”

“You’re an asshole, Jungkook.” SoHee’s voice carries a little too well, and other nurses standing nearby tune into the conversation. He really hates public confrontation like this, especially when he didn’t do anything wrong, and yet, here he is dealing with this bullshit.

Jungkook doesn’t mean the words he says in the way that they come out, but he feels cornered. “What do you want me to say, SoHee? ‘I’m sorry that I like somebody else’? Or possibly, I’m sorry that you sending me nudes I never asked for at 2 AM fucked up my relationship?” He probably could’ve said it with a little less attitude, probably should’ve held back from the second example, especially when he sees the way SoHee’s eyes begin to fill with tears as she looks at all of the gawking bystanders. One of the other nurses walks over and places an arm around SoHee’s shoulder, glaring daggers at Jungkook as if willing him to keel over on the glossy linoleum. 

“You really are an asshole, Jeon. Why would you say that to someone, in front of a crowd? You have no tact.” 

Jungkook is about to fire back at the other woman, but a hand on his shoulder reigns him back in despite his blood continuing to boil.

“Janice, why don’t you escort SoHee to the employee lounge for a bit? I’ll have a chat with Jungkook here.”

Frozen eyes sending a final chilling glare, the women disappear as Jungkook finally moves through the cafe line to the cashier, Jin following quietly. He continues to shadow Jungkook as he makes his way back to the palliative care and hospice unit to deliver the food. As he rounds the doorway, he sees that the patient’s adult children have arrived, a few grandchildren as well. 

To his surprise, Min-Ji is awake, but this only makes him worry about what’s to come. He sets the food to the side, greeting the members of Min-Ji’s family as he does a quick check of Min-Ji’s breathing. The pattern appears abnormal—though normal for someone approaching the end of life. He’s glad her family made it in time to see her; he knows that before the day is out, possibly even before his shift ends, she’ll quietly cross the veil.

Jungkook slips back out of the room to give the family some privacy, and to meet with Jin, who he knows is waiting for him. The two men walk to a nearby empty nurses’ desk, and Jungkook waits expectantly for Jin to speak. 

“Well, that went swimmingly.”

“All thanks to you, my friend,” Jungkook responds snidely, “not only is SoHee mad at me, I’m also not talking to You-Know-Who right now because of a pretty serious fight we had last night.”

“Calm down, she’s not Voldemort,” Seokjin snorts out. “But you two fought about something serious?”

“Yeah…She was at my place last night and saw a series of messages from SoHee that included a nude. She kind of went spastic on me, accusing me of requesting the nudes from SoHee after having sex with her because I’m ‘too young’ to behave any differently. I honestly was so angry, I called her a taxi and sent her home.” 

Seokjin blinks at Jungkook dumbfoundedly before speaking. “Maybe if you’d already told our dear friend you’re banging his sister, and then told her that you want to date her, none of this would have even been able to happen.”

“This advice would’ve been better than encouraging SoHee’s imagination,” Jungkook grumbles out, though his voice takes a softer tone when he says your name as he continues, “if she had wanted to date her brother’s youngest friend, I think she would’ve said something by now.”  The condescension towards the age gap is laced through every word. Seokjin ponders his words before speaking his point of view.

“You know, I think that maybe the two of you put too much weight on this age gap. Even now, you’re taking on this submissive role, waiting for her to tell you or make the first move. But let me tell you a little something about women. No matter their age, they want someone who isn’t afraid to want them back. And you, my friend, are shaking in your scrubs.”  

“I’m not scared,” Jungkook instantly defends, but even he can hear the lie whistle through his teeth.

“Then why are you waiting for her to make all the decisions? Why haven’t you had an adult conversation, sat her down, and told her what you wanted for a change?”

“Because I—” Jungkook pauses, unsure of how to answer. In all realness, he is scared. He enjoys what the two of you have going on, and he worries that if he speaks up for what he wants, if he asks you to change the friends-with-benefits status to something real…being incinerated by the sun after being lit on fire by jet engine fuel would hurt less than the hypothetical rejection he fears. 

Seokjin just gives him a knowing look, his eyes soft with empathy for his younger friend's dilemma. “Just talk to her. Show her you want her, and not just in a friends-with-benefits way.” He once again gives Jungkook that knowing look. “Tomorrow is the perfect opportunity to clear the air. Everyone loves a good wedding.”

“Except SoHee is also going to be there.”

Seokjin curses lowly under his breath and is about to say more when Jungkook’s phone begins to emit a shrill tone for attention. The two men silently make their way back to Min-Ji’s room, knowing that if the phone is ringing, it’s not for any good reason.

It’s been a long day full of revelations. The long talk with your brother and his soon-to-be wife has left you feeling drained and empty. Sitting on your couch, you open up the app to order food from your favorite takeout place barely a block away. Carelessly, you reorder the last meal you placed before slumping backwards into the plush cushions. 

Now that you’ve ordered, you really wish you had chosen delivery, like the lazy ass you want to be, but it’s not that far from your place. You close your eyes for what feels like a moment, but an alert jerks you out of the light slumber you’d slipped into. Your food is ready to be picked up. Sighing, you rock back then forward to lift yourself from the sunken spot on your comfortable couch and shrug on Jungkook’s hoodie for the trek. 

The weather teases a light rainfall, the petrichor scent enveloping you as you quicken your steps through the glass door of the establishment. Approaching the counter, the cashier recognizes you and pulls your order—two plastic bags with a brown paper bag inside each full of steaming hot food.

Checking the receipt stapled to the first bag, you see that you’ve accidentally ordered twice as much food; your last placed order was a meal for two, and the extra food? Jungkook’s favorite dishes from here. With resignation, you grab both bags, attempting to balance them on each forearm and use your foot to push open the door, but the door swings open as a man with an umbrella steps through. 

Jungkook says your name as if it's a curse and a prayer, sidestepping back onto the sidewalk to hold the door for you to exit. You thank him, fully intending to keep walking past him, but he follows you instinctively. 

“Let me help,” he says, his hand reaching out to grab one of the bags, and like muscle memory, you allow it, both of you walking in tandem until you reach your place. Unlocking the front door, he follows you in if only to set down the bag, but you stop him with a hand to his wrist before he can leave. 

“I, uh, accidentally ordered your favorites when I rushed my last reorder. You can have it, if you want. I can’t eat all of this.”

Jungkook just shrugs, and you finally notice how he looks. It’s not good—well, he always looks good; he can pull off anything. It’s more so that he doesn’t look well; his face is pale, eyes listless and devoid of any joy, parts of his face a bright red from being picked at. It’s one of his habits you’re well aware of, like when he bites his nails when nervous. Reaching into the bag, you lift out the container and pass it to him along with napkins and utensils. Taking the food from you, he steps into your living room, plopping down onto your couch as if muscle memory has taken over, he takes off the lid and begins the motions of eating the meal.

Your own thoughts are racing, unsure of what to do or say, so you just say nothing, instead pouring two glasses of water and delivering them to the coffee table before going back for your food. You end up sitting on the smaller couch, the corner closest to where he sits on the larger couch. The room fills with the sounds of you eating, an awkwardness that never used to be there lingering in the air. Your eyes flit from your food to Jungkook’s slow movements, so after you swallow your most recent bite, you take a sip of water before speaking.

“Is everything okay, Jungkook?” The urge to call him ‘baby’—to cuddle him to you and comfort him—is strong, but you resist.

His hand moves the food around a bit, and you watch him as he gathers himself to reply. It feels like hours, but he finally looks at you. “Yeah, I just had a really hard case today. It was a hospice patient, and I spent most of the day with her husband. Well, second husband—but the love of her life, I’m sure.” 

“Oh,” you don’t know what to say; you’re not really sure what made the case so hard, so you wait for Jungkook to elaborate.

“They, uh, knew each other for a long time, since they were kids, you know? But he was the younger brother of her best friend, and she married someone else before he worked up the courage to pursue her. He ended up married to one of her friends instead, but she left him. He said his first wife knew that no one could compete with the girl he actually loved. So when the first husband died in the Gwangju Uprising, leaving her a single mom with a small baby, he stepped in to provide them with a place to live and just help out, but they ended up together eventually and they have a big family.” Jungkook’s eyes look back at his food, a bit teary. “I met their kids and grandkids. They arrived right before she—” he clears his throat, but a small tear sneaks down his cheek.

You reach out for him, pulling the food from his hands and placing it on the table. You scoot closer to him, taking his hands into yours as he looks down at where the two of you connect. He sniffles, trying to stabilize his voice before he continues with his story.

“They arrived right before she passed. She’d been asleep the whole time I was there with her husband, but once everyone arrived, she woke up and was talking to them all, told them she loved them one last time, and then she just…slipped away. I don’t think I can ever forget the sound her husband made as he cried.”

“Oh, Jungkook…” unable to bear it, you join him on the same couch, holding him close to you as he cries. Your own eyes are wet; something about this couple’s story resonates with you after everything that you’ve experienced today.

“I can’t imagine going through that,” Jungkook says with a wobbly voice. “Losing the person that you love the most in the world? I mean, he almost avoided having to go through this, she married someone else! And the chance comes around for him to be with her and he takes it, but the way he cried when he lost her…I’m not sure it’s worth it in the end.” 

His words cut like a knife to your heart. You want to remind him of the good that he told in the story, how the couple had a large family, how the wife was surrounded by the evidence of their love when she died. How the man taking that second chance meant a single mom and her baby had a better life—that anguish he felt when he lost her was because they shared a love like no other. To you, it’s always worth it. 

Instead of saying what you want to say, you ask him what he needs. And those beautiful teary eyes look up at you and he whispers one word; “You,” and you’re unable to say no to him. Not when his lips meet yours with a desperation that you can’t begin to decipher, not when his hands pull you closer, and he clings to you like a lifeline, and definitely not when he sighs out your name against your lips, as if the simple utterance fills him with solace and relief of all that ails him.

His strong hands relieve you of your clothing as his lips remain fervently attached to yours. You relish in the feel of him as your naked form meets his own body, skin to skin, while he lays you back onto the couch. His kiss leaves you dazed; you have no idea how long it took for you both to end up naked, and by the time the question is flying through your mind, Jungkook is already nestled between your thighs, his cock hard and throbbing pressed against your lower stomach and your ankles crossed at his lower back.

When he pulls away slightly—reaching to line himself up with your slick opening—you bite his bottom lip where it was resting against your own, and the sensation causes him to surge his hips forward, fucking himself deep inside you. The intrusion is orgasmic, stretching you to a fullness you only experience when he doesn’t take time to prep you. Jungkook is needy, fraught with a raw emotion he can’t yet put words to, but his body can.

With each stroke, he finds comfort, the grip of your walls building the friction to a pleasurable high that he wants to drown in. Is there anything better to ease his mind than to be buried inside of you? He knows you're close, can feel the way you quicken—hurtling towards climax as you dig your nails into his back and cry out his name. Your body wrapped around him brings him a level of peacefulness that allows his mind to empty and his heavy cock to release thick spurts of cum until you're full and leaking around his softening member. 

You lay underneath him, holding him close as his chest rises and falls, and he peppers kisses along your shoulder. His movements are slow and you can feel the effects of the day taking over and pulling him into sleep. He slides his body so that the two of you are back to front, him curling around you as the big spoon. He grasps the blanket you keep across the top of the couch and attempts to cover you both, but you take over for him. 

He drops his arm around your waist, pulling you closer to his chest as he kisses the back of your head once more. 

“I’m sorry, Princess,” he mutters before he’s softly snoring, and you lay there in his embrace, contemplating what his apology could be for. 

Was he apologizing for sending you home last night? For that thumbs up he sent that ruined your day? Because he feels bad that he only made you cum once after using your body to make himself feel better?  It’s only when you’re about to drift off that you remember his words about his patient, and your mind wonders if his apology is telling you sorry because he can’t give you what you want the most. Himself.

stay tuned for “i’ll be loving you right, seven days a week” coming 9-?-2023!

↣all rights reserved © hisunshiine 2023. please do not repost. translations & modifications are not allowed.

[for-yoongi0309]

EVENTS (2015-2016)

2015

HYYH Epilogue Tour

Highlight mini US Tour

WAKE UP IN JAPAN Tour

150101 Countdown in Seoul

150124 Live Expo Tokyo

150128 4th Gaon Charts Awards

150212 Hi-touch in Tokyo

150224  Sungshin Women's College's entrance ceremony

150505 KBS Cool FM Super Juniors Kiss The Radio

150508 music bank

150515 SInchon Fansign

150517 Cheongnyangi fansign

150523 Dream Concert

150524 Myeongdong fansign

150525 Daegu fansign

150529 KBS1 concert at Gyeongbokgung Palace

150603 MWAVE Meet & Greet

150612 Star interview in Shanghai

150620 FOR YOU release event in Tokyo

150627 fanmeeting in Busan

150702 KBS Gwangju Summer Universiade

150703 KBS 'I Am Korea'

150704 Yeouido fansign

150807 Press Con in Thailand

150815 Summer Sonic in Osaka

150810 MBC ISAC

150818 Fanmeeting in Osaka

150905 iFun Music concert in Shanghai

150911 SH power house music festival in Jakarta

150913 Show Champion in Yokohama

150920 ALL FORCE ONE

151003 Gangwon Kpop festival

151009 ONE K concert

151011 Asia Song Festivial

151016 World Changing Quiz show

151023 Republic Of Korea share concert

151028 Seoul Brand launching event

151029 VLive Halloween party

151030 Kpop World Festival

151031 Asia Dream Concert

151104 Korea-China Song Festival

151107 MMA in Seoul

151202 MAMA in Hong Kong

151210 Gangnam fansign

151211 Sinchon fansign

151212 Super Seoul concert

151213 Gwanghwamun fansign

151216 ilsan fansign

151217 Gangnam Fansign

151218 music bank/Yeouido fansign

151219 Infinity Challenge Expo

151220 Incheon fansign

151221 Jongro fansign/Hallyu K-Road

151222 Gimpo Fansign

151229 SBS Awards Festival

151230 MBC Gayp Daejejeon

151231 MBC Gayo Daejejeon (D2)

2016

160109 TTV Red & White Festival in Taipei

160102 Myeongdong fansign

160114 Seoul Music Awards

160115 MBC Infinity Challenge Expo

160118  Idol Star Athletics Championships

160119 Gala Vietnam Top Hits

160121 Golden Disk Awards

160122 fanmeeting in Guangzhou

160217 Gaon Kpop awards

160307 WKBL Award Ceremony

160402 PUMA fansign

160424 Power Of K in japan

160512 Cultwo Radio show + Mokdong Fansgin

160625 KCON in NY

160721 BBQ 풀파티

160725 Ilsan summer festival

160731 KCON in LA

160810 Korea-China Martial Art Culture Exchange Festival

160903 Show Champion in Manila

160907 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Concert

160930 Kpop World Festival in Changwon

161008 DMC Korean Music Wave Festival

161013 Cultwo Radio show

161016 Mokdong fansign

161015 Bundang fansign

161017 Sinchon fansign

161018 KBS 1 Open concert

161020 Myeongdong fansign

161021 Hongdae fansign

161022 Myungdong fansign

161023 Busan fansign + Busan Asia One Festival

161027 m!countdown in Jeju

161028 Yeouido fansign

161029 Jongno fansign

161106 Gimpo fansign

161031 Omokgyo fansign

161116 Asia Artists Awards

161118 KBS Music Bank special 🔥!

161119 MMA in Seoul

161128 fanmeeting in Japan vol.3

161201 MAMA in Hong Kong

161202 MAMA (D2)

2016 not done

[praxismatters]

THE EVENS ARTS PRIZE 2023

Exploring the critical imaginaries of AI The Evens Arts Prize 2023 is dedicated to artistic practices that challenge prevailing systems of knowledge and experiments new alliances between living beings and machines. 

The Jury is composed of Daniel Blanga Gubbay, Artistic Co-Director, Kunstenfestivaldesarts; Nicolas Bourriaud, Artistic Director, 15th Gwangju Biennale; Elena Filipovic, Director and Curator, Kunsthalle Basel; Matteo Pasquinelli, Associate Professor in Philosophy of Science, Ca’ Foscari University; Gosia Plysa, Director, Unsound. The Jury Chair is André Wilkens, Director, European Cultural Foundation. Artistic Director:  Anne Davidian, curator.

Focus of the Evens Arts Prize 2023 The widespread use of AI applications, particularly in the form of text-to-image generators and large language models, has sparked intense scrutiny and debate. These discussions, fueled by both excitement about their potential and concerns about their biases, bring to the forefront crucial questions about human subjectivity, autonomy, and agency.

Technical systems are deeply intertwined with social systems, shaping our lived experiences, aspirations, and politics. Together with artists, how can we better understand and address the impact of AI and the broader constellation of digital technologies and algorithmic politics? What new imaginaries and alliances can we cultivate between living beings and machines?

The new edition of the Evens Arts Prize seeks to highlight artistic projects that explore alternative cosmologies and epistemologies, question human exceptionalism, and shed light on issues such as surveillance, manipulation, extractivism, digital governance, justice, care, and responsibility in the age of machine intelligence. Of particular interest are practices that experiment with AI to challenge prevailing systems of knowledge and power asymmetries, mobilise technologies towards emancipatory community outcomes, and envision democratic futures.

The laureate is selected by an independent jury from a list of nominations put forward by representatives of major European cultural institutions.

The Nominators of the Evens Arts Prize 2023 Ramon Amaro, Senior Researcher in Digital Culture, Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam; Zdenka Badovinac, Director, Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb; Lars Bang Larsen, Head of Art & Research, Art Hub, Copenhagen; Leonardo Bigazzi, Curator, Foundation In Between Art Films, Rome; Mercedes Bunz, Professor Digital Culture & Humanities, King's College, London; Francesca Corona, Artistic Director, Festival d'Automne, Paris; Julia Eckhardt, Artistic Director, Q-02, Brussels; Silvia Fanti, Artistic Director, Live Arts Week /Xing, Bologna; iLiana Fokianaki, Founder, State of Concept, Athens; Cyrus Goberville, Head of Cultural Programming, Bourse de Commerce | Pinault Collection, Paris; Stefanie Hessler, Director, Swiss Institute, New York; Mathilde Henrot, Programmer, Locarno Film Festival; Nora N. Khan & Andrea Bellini, Artistic Directors, Biennale Image en Mouvement 2024, Geneva; Peter Kirn, Director, MusicMakers HackLab, CTM Festival, Berlin; Inga Lace, Curator, Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art, Riga; Andrea Lissoni, Director, Haus der Kunst, Munich; Frank Madlener, Director, IRCAM, Paris; Anna Manubens, Director, Hangar, Barcelona; Anne Hilde Neset, Director, Henie Onstad, Høvikodden; Nóra Ó Murchú, Artistic Director, transmediale, Berlin; Maria Ines Rodriguez, Director, Walter Leblanc Foundation, Brussels; Nadim Samman, Curator for the Digital Sphere, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; Andras Siebold, Artistic Director, Kampnagel, Hamburg; Caspar Sonnen, Head of New Media, International Documentary Film Festival (IDFA), Amsterdam; Marlies Wirth, Curator for Digital Arts, MAK, Vienna; Ben Vickers, Curator, Publisher, CTO, Serpentine Galleries, London.

The Evens Arts Prize The Evens Arts Prize honours artists who engage with contemporary challenges in Europe and shape inspirational visions for our common world. Far from reducing artistic practice to a function – whether a social balm or a political catalyst – the Evens Arts Prize supports aesthetically and intellectually powerful work that pushes the understanding of alterity, difference, and plurality in new directions, questions values and narratives, creates space for silenced or dissonant voices, and reflects on diverse forms of togetherness and belonging.

The biennial Prize is awarded to a European artist working in the fields of visual or performing arts, including cinema, theater, dance, music; it carries a sum of €15,000. The laureates are selected by an independent jury, from a list of internationally acclaimed artists, nominated by representatives of major European cultural institutions.

The 2011, 2019 and 2021 editions were curated by Anne Davidian and celebrated Marlene Monteiro Freitas, Eszter Salamon, and Sven Augustijnen as laureates of the main prize, while Eliane Radigue and Andrea Büttner received the Special Mention of the Jury.

More about the Prize

📷 from Atlas of Anomalous AI, edited by Ben Vickers and K Allado-McDowell, Ignota Books, 2020

[theartistisreading]

We're welcoming our new Dodd faculty members by setting up book displays with readings curated BY our new faculty :D

First up is a new addition to our awesome Sculpture faculty — Kimberly Lyle!

Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming by Anthony Dunne & Fiona Raby

Glitch Feminism: A Manifesto by Legacy Russell

Zeros + Ones by Sadie Plant

Participation by Claire Bishop

Translation by Sophie J. Williamson 

Information by Sarah Cook

Ways of Being: Animals, Plants, Machines... by James Bridle

Staying with the Trouble by Donna Haraway

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

To quote from her artist website:

Kimberly's research explores the implications of technology on our relationships with each other and the more than human world. Many of her projects challenge the social values historically embedded within these tools by misusing or subverting their conventional systems of language and logic. Moving fluidly between tangible and digital processes, her work aims to re-imagine what technology can be and who it is for. She has participated in exhibitions and symposiums at ISEA (Gwangju, Korea); Flux Factory (NYC); International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art (Berlin, Germany); Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction Conference (Tempe, AZ); the Symposium for Literature, Science, and the Arts (Irvine, CA); Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (Toluca, Mexico); Tucson Museum of Art; and the Phoenix Art Museum. She has been the recipient of fellowships and residencies at Sculpture Space, Mildred’s Lane, Elsewhere Museum, Signal Culture, and the Vermont Studio Center. She received an MFA in Intermedia from Arizona State University, a BA in Psychology from Stetson University, and completed post-baccalaureate studies in Sculpture and Expanded Media at Virginia Commonwealth University. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor of Sculpture & Technology at the University of Georgia.

[stacywaters]

Seeds of Hope (JHOPE) CH2 - Sunlight

My heart dropped. No, shattered. How could she say that? And in front of me? Doesn't she know by now that I'm a dancer?

"Well, I kinda like dancing... Maybe I could help you! Er-you know, if you want. Just as, like- to repay you for the seeds."

"I don't know... it's due tomorrow-"

"Stacy! Who was at the door?" A voice from inside called.

"Oh-uh, no one mom!" she responds.

Stacy... It's a nice name. A foreign one though, I wonder where she moved here from.

Her mom comes to the door anyway, and greets me with a warm smile.

"Hello! I'm Stacy's mom. And who might you be?"

"I'm a friend of Stacy. I was talking with her about her assignment in her dance class." I said.

"Oh really? I thought you said you didn't have any assignments due soon?"

✿

Stacy's perspective:

My mom turns to look at me. The seeds weren't his fault, but he's seriously ruining my day now. Why did he have to tell her that?

"I was just coming by to return something and ask if she wanted any help on it, since I'm a dancer."

"Oh wow! That would be great, right Stacy?"

I hum in response, but it is not okay. I don't know him and I don't need more people seeing my awful coordination.

"You can come in and practice in Stacy's room if you'd like. Thank you so much for helping her!" My mom continued enthusiastically.

She motioned him in. Without any time to clean up my messy room, here we both are. I anxiously clear my throat and he hovers near the door.

"So... what choreography is it? Do you have instructions or..." he trails off.

"Yeah we have a video. We're supposed to like... memorize it." I say as I open up my laptop and pull up the video. 

✿

He's actually a really good dancer. After watching the video just a couple times, he was able to do most of it. He helped me memorize the full choreography, spending more time on challenging parts. I thought it would be really awkward, but once we started dancing it got much easier to talk to him. 

After going through the entire choreography with no aid from the video for the last time, we both collapse onto my bedroom floor. 

As I catch my breath, I mumble, "we did it... we actually finished"

He's also out of breath, but on his face is a huge smile.

"That was a lot of fun. Great job us!"

"Yeah. Thank you for helping me, I might actually pass now." I laugh as I say.

"Are you kidding? You'll do great! You give yourself a hard time, but I think you did an amazing job." He encourages.

I feel myself blush a bit as he says it. I'm not used to people complimenting me, especially with something like my dancing. Shyly, I give a slight nod.

✿

We exit my room and are shocked to find it dark outside. We lost track of time.

"How did it go? You guys have been practicing for a long time." My eomma says.

"Shoot, don't you need to get home?" I ask him, a bit of panic in my tone.

"Actually, I live next door to you guys! Surprise~" He announces.

I can't even give a response, just a shocked expression before my mom speaks.

"That's crazy! In that case, why don't you ask your parents if you can stay for dinner?"

"Oh." He says. "Actually, it's just me."

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" My mom rapidly apologizes.

"No no no! They're not dead or anything!" He clarifies. "They live in Gwangju. I'm new to Seoul, I moved here because I'm training to be an idol!"

"Really? That must be a lot of work. And it's a big apartment to stay in, all alone..." She trails off in thought.

"We insist then. You must stay for dinner!" My eomma pressures.

[longgochu]

The hot corner of Kia is occupied by a key third baseman named "MVP" Kim Do-young.

If Wisdom joins Kia, it is highly likely that he will assume the first baseman position. This year, Kia has played 87 games (670 ⅓ innings), 53 games 다파벳우회주소(314 innings) by Byun Woo-hyuk, and 51 games (276 ⅔ innings) by Seo Geon-chang.

Lee Woo-sung, who was formerly a first baseman, will move to a corner outfielder, while Byun will be able to secure a chance to play as a backup at first and third 해외배팅사이트순위bases similar to this season. However, Seo's role, which was the third option at first base, is ambiguous. It is highly likely that Yoon will be the backup at second base. In addition, Kia has abundant backup fielder resources, both inside and outside the country.

Before applying for the first free agent, Seo had a challenging career in baseball. After graduating from Gwangju Jeil High School and joining the LG 메이저사이트Twins as a rookie player (currently Yook Sung), Seo was released after leaving the record of one out (one strikeout) in just one game in the first team in 2009. After finishing his mandatory military service, he wore the Nexen Heroes uniform in 2012 through tryouts.

[sdajgbhf159]

for Breaking Up Pure Bloodism

Since debuting at OK Savings Bank Brion Academy in 2021, Jung has joined the DePlus Kia Challengers ahead of the LCKCL Summer Games in 피나클가입 May this year after serving as the Gwangju Freex Challengers.

At that time, D-Plus Kia even called up "Vibble" Yoon Seol (currently D-Plus Kia's second-tier coach) who was in the second division due to the sluggishness 해외배팅사이트장단점 of "Kellyn" Kim Hyung-kyu (BNK Pierx).

Jung Jae-hoon was called up to the first team in the middle of LCK summer and immediately established himself as a main player, and helped the team become 메이저사이트 the third seed by defeating T1 by 3-2 in the regional selection match for the League of Legends World Championship (Lold Cup) held in September.

[kkeeu88990]

Heungkuk Life is crazy! After 6160 days, Pajuk has won 11 games in a row, and is his dream to win this season…

Heungkuk Life Insurance has won the opening 11 consecutive games for the first time since its foundation. 다파벳슬롯 Heungkuk Life, led by head coach Marcello Avondaga, won a set-score 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-18) in the second round of the Dodram 2024-25 V-League Women's Division at Pepper Stadium in Gwangju on the 1st. Heungkuk Life Insurance, which has won its first 11 consecutive games since its foundation, has won 11 straight games in 6,160 days since the 넥스트벳우회주소 KT&G (currently Jung Kwan-jang) match on Jan. 20, 2008. At that time, Heungkuk Life had won the most 13 consecutive games (Dec. 9, 2007 to Jan. 26, 2008). It is also the second time that it has won 11 straight games since the 2006-07 season (Jan. 14, 2007 to Feb. 19, 2007). Hyundai E&C holds the record for the most consecutive wins in the women's category. Hyundai E&C has won 15 consecutive games in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. On the same day, Yuzgenk (registered name Tutku), a Tutku bourgeoisie who returned to the starting lineup after recovering from knee pain, scored the most 20 points in both teams and displayed a 56.67 메이저사이트 percent attack success rate. Kim Yeon-koung scored 13 points, while Jeong Yoon-ju and Anilis Peach (registered name Peach) scored 9 points and 8 points, respectively. Pepper Savings Bank, which challenged its first three consecutive wins, failed to overcome Heungkuk Life's barrier. Taylor Lynn Fricano (registered name Taylor) struggled with 17 points, but Park Jung-ah scored 9 points and Lee Han-bi scored 6.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 11.3 (before 1960)

361 – Emperor Constantius II dies of a fever at Mopsuestia in Cilicia; on his deathbed he is baptised and declares his cousin Julian rightful successor. 1333 – The River Arno floods causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani. 1468 – Liège is sacked by Charles I of Burgundy's troops. 1492 – Peace of Etaples between Henry VII of England and Charles VIII of France. 1493 – Christopher Columbus first sights the island of Dominica in the Caribbean Sea. 1534 – English Parliament passes the first Act of Supremacy, making King Henry VIII head of the Anglican Church, supplanting the pope and the Roman Catholic Church. 1783 – The American Continental Army is disbanded. 1793 – French playwright, journalist and feminist Olympe de Gouges is guillotined. 1812 – Napoleon's armies are defeated at the Battle of Vyazma. 1817 – The Bank of Montreal, Canada's oldest chartered bank, opens in Montreal. 1838 – The Times of India, the world's largest circulated English language daily broadsheet newspaper is founded as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce. 1848 – A greatly revised Dutch constitution, which transfers much authority from the king to his parliament and ministers, is proclaimed. 1867 – Giuseppe Garibaldi and his followers are defeated in the Battle of Mentana and fail to end the Pope's Temporal power in Rome (it would be achieved three years later). 1868 – John Willis Menard (R-LA) was the first African American elected to the United States Congress. Because of an electoral challenge, he was never seated. 1881 – The Mapuche uprising of 1881 begins in Chile. 1898 – France withdraws its troops from Fashoda (now in Sudan), ending the Fashoda Incident. 1903 – With the encouragement of the United States, Panama separates from Colombia. 1908 – William Howard Taft is elected the 27th President of the United States. 1911 – Chevrolet officially enters the automobile market in competition with the Ford Model T. 1918 – The German Revolution of 1918–19 begins when 40,000 sailors take over the port in Kiel. 1920 – Russian Civil War: The Russian Army retreats to Crimea, after a successful offensive by the Red Army and Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine. 1929 – The Gwangju Student Independence Movement occurred. 1930 – Getúlio Vargas becomes Head of the Provisional Government in Brazil after a bloodless coup on October 24. 1932 – Panagis Tsaldaris becomes the 142nd Prime Minister of Greece. 1935 – George II of Greece regains his throne through a popular, though possibly fixed, plebiscite. 1936 – Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected the 32nd President of the United States. 1942 – World War II: The Koli Point action begins during the Guadalcanal Campaign and ends on November 12. 1943 – World War II: Five hundred aircraft of the U.S. 8th Air Force devastate Wilhelmshaven harbor in Germany. 1944 – World War II: Two supreme commanders of the Slovak National Uprising, Generals Ján Golian and Rudolf Viest, are captured, tortured and later executed by German forces. 1946 – The Constitution of Japan is adopted through Emperor's assent. 1949 – Chinese Civil War: The Battle of Dengbu Island occurs. 1950 – Air India Flight 245 crashes into Mont Blanc, while on approach to Geneva Airport, killing all 48 people on board. 1956 – Suez Crisis: The Khan Yunis killings by the Israel Defense Forces in Egyptian-controlled Gaza result in the deaths of 275 Palestinians. 1956 – Hungarian Revolution: A new Hungarian government is formed, in which many members of banned non-Communist parties participate. János Kádár and Ferenc Münnich form a counter-government in Moscow as Soviet troops prepare for the final assault. 1957 – Sputnik program: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2. On board is the first animal to enter orbit, a dog named Laika.

[stateofsport211]

📸 🎥 ATP official website

The third set became its own entertaining rollercoaster once both players got the hang of their point construction, but it came down to their execution to see how things played out. To start, B. Yunchaokete already had an effective forehand down-the-line finish to L. Harris' preceding shots in a defense-to-offense mechanism for his equalizer even if L. Harris held his serves to 1-0. This was continued through the fourth seed's cross-court forehand winner to hold his serves to 2-2 as he tried to be comfortable executing through his angles, which might have been one of the most important moments in this match.

Subsequently, the Chinese fourth seed came up with an intuitive volley poach while trying to neutralize L. Harris' possible pass to secure his one-point lead, but the latter managed to hold his serves to 3-2. Even though the former held his serves to 3-3, the latter produced a rare, successful drop shot to fumble one of his game points. A working volley from B. Yunchaokete to succeed L. Harris' forehand error then secured his break point before its conversion came due to another forehand error to 4-3.

The next game became another see-saw moment as B. Yunchaokete overcame a deficit through his forehand pass before L. Harris' forehand winner secured his one-point lead before the former's forehand mishit generated the latter's earlier break point. Even if the concerned break points were foiled (with the latest one causing a deuce with a working smash), L. Harris still produced another break point through his instinctive volley poach in response to B. Yunchaokete's forehand before breaking back to 4-4 a point after. While L. Harris was found struggling in keeping his range before he held to 5-4, it became a massive hold as the South African fifth seed became even more aggressive, securing his one-point lead through a timely forehand winner before turning out to have a match point. Although it was saved, a double fault from B. Yunchaokete created another one for L. Harris before it was converted thanks to the latter's backhand response to the former's drop shot, resulting in a shot fired too long for L. Harris' match point conversion, breaking for the third set 6-4 to secure his first Challenger title since 2019.

[hgono]

*A note on Jae Hwan Lim's introduction https://field-journal.com/issue-27/reciprocity-over-unilateralism-introduction-to-issue-27/

Grateful for Jae Hwan Lim's writing, practice, and the work of FIELD. Lim's invitation to develop a "reciprocal art field over artistic unilateralism" is a helpful guide in working within the arts.

Below the editorial for Field's Spring 2024 Issue by Grant Kester.

* * *

The artist is to see the situation of this land and this era. If this situation is filled with contradiction and corruption, it is the command of our conscience that tells us to direct a focused attention there…

Manifesto of the Association of Gwangju Freedom Artists (July 1979) [1]

I am pleased to introduce FIELD’s Spring 2024 issue, edited by Jae Hwan Lim, a member of the FIELD Editorial Collective. This issue is devoted to contemporary socially engaged art in South Korea. Jae has assembled a set of articles which examine both the complexities of activist art in South Korea, and the tensions that have emerged around cultural politics more generally in that country. The production of engaged art in South Korea today is conditioned by two significant historical factors. The first is the tradition of Minjung or “Peoples” art, which emerged in conjunction with the broader democratic movements against military authoritarianism that unfolded across South Korea beginning in the late 1970s. Drawing inspiration from the Mexican Mural movement, Buddhist folk art traditions and the Chinese woodcut movement, Minjung art was often developed as part of student protests and pro-democracy demonstrations. Groups such as the Association of Gwangju Freedom Artists and Reality and Utterance sought to challenge the formalist escapism of abstract, monochromatic painting (known as “Dansaekhwa”) that dominated the institutional artworld at the time. The second factor is the more recent emergence of South Korea, and Seoul in particular, as a major hub of the global art market. In 2022 South Korean galleries and auction houses generated over $750 million in sales, driven largely by wealthy young Korean millennials and Gen Z collectors. The intoxication of the market is exemplified by influencers such as “RM” (Kim Nam-joon), a 29-year-old “rapper” associated with the K-pop group BTS, who recently announced his purchase of Roni Horn’s cast glass sculpture Untitled for $1.2 million dollars on Instagram. In Horn’s account, the work “isn’t two things. It’s everything. It’s synthesis; not this and that. It’s a state of integration,” epitomizing the routinized evocation of categorical indeterminance that serves as the default aesthetic horizon of a vast swathe of contemporary, market-based art. Engaged art in South Korea today is, thus, poised between a radical, or at least oppositional, past and a present defined by the eager assimilation of art to the circuits of global cultural and economic power. What options exist for artists today who seek to contest this process? How might the legacy of Minjung be mobilized in the current neo-liberal moment? And what forms of resistance, organized or nascent, might provide a foundation for future practice? We are very grateful to Jae and his contributors for their work and dedication, and delighted to be able to share their important insights with our readers.

Grant Kester

[1] Sohl Lee, Images of Reality/Ideals of Democracy: Contemporary Korean Art 1980s-2000s (Ph.D. dissertation, Program in Visual and Cultural Studies, University of Rochester, New York, 2014), p.64.

[br0000ken]

Muka di Permukaan by Mira Rizki /// 미라 리즈키의 수면 위의 얼굴

Curatorial Proposition: Mira Rizki is one of our artist-collaborators with work that connects Gwangju and other localities. In "Muka di Permukaan," Mira Rizki collects various sounds of alerts and notifications from Gwangju, Jakarta, and our shared but fragmented digital world. The work presents a composition of urgencies in sound to invite visitors to examine how it shapes our understanding and how it moves us.

큐레이터의 제안: 미라 리즈키는 광주와 다른 지역을 연결하는 작품을 가진 우리의 아티스트 협력자 중 한 명입니다. "무카 디 페르무카안"에서 미라 리즈키는 광주, 자카르타, 그리고 우리의 공유되지만 파편화된 디지털 세계에서 다양한 경보음과 알림음을 수집합니다. 이 작품은 소리로 구성된 긴급성을 통해 관람객들이 그것이 우리의 이해를 어떻게 형성하고 우리를 어떻게 움직이는지 살펴보도록 초대합니다.

Artist Statement: "Muka di Permukaan" (or "The Face on the Surface") is a sound installation that presents the noises of information through various media we encounter in our daily lives. The confusion becomes a challenge for us to create a holistic understanding of the world. The mediated information is only one layer, as there are other things beneath that happen systematically. This unrest-inducing noise may affect our belief in the scenarios unfolding before us.

If we manage to find deeper layers, will it make any change in society? Or would it just leave us disappointed and upset because everything is out of our reach? That fear kept looming over me, and I tried to keep my distance in observing it.

This work takes the form of a domestic cardboard tunnel containing two daily soundscapes commonly experienced by people today. The two soundscapes are differentiated based on the origin of the sounds: one from daily sounds in Indonesia, and one from daily sounds in South Korea. These two soundscapes are configured to be placed at certain points in the cardboard based on their sound context. Visitors can freely explore the composition they want to hear by exploring the listening space in the tunnel.

Photo Credit: Yudha Kusuma P.

작가의 말: "무카 디 페르무카안"(또는 "표면 위의 얼굴")은 우리가 일상 생활에서 접하는 다양한 매체를 통해 정보의 소음을 표현하는 사운드 설치 작품입니다. 이러한 혼란은 우리가 세상에 대한 총체적 이해를 만들어내는 데 있어 하나의 도전이 됩니다. 매개된 정보는 단지 한 층에 불과하며, 그 아래에는 체계적으로 일어나는 다른 것들이 있습니다. 이 불안을 유발하는 소음은 우리 앞에 펼쳐지는 시나리오에 대한 우리의 믿음에 영향을 미칠 수 있습니다.

만약 우리가 더 깊은 층을 찾아낸다면, 그것이 사회에 어떤 변화를 가져올까요? 아니면 모든 것이 우리의 손이 닿지 않는 곳에 있기 때문에 그저 실망하고 화만 나게 될까요? 그 두려움이 계속 나를 짓누르고 있었고, 나는 그것을 관찰하면서 거리를 유지하려고 노력했습니다.

이 작품은 오늘날 사람들이 일상적으로 경험하는 두 가지 소리 풍경을 담은 가정용 골판지 터널의 형태를 취합니다. 두 소리 풍경은 소리의 출처에 따라 구분됩니다: 하나는 인도네시아의 일상 소리이고, 다른 하나는 한국의 일상 소리입니다. 이 두 소리 풍경은 그들의 소리 맥락에 따라 골판지의 특정 지점에 배치되도록 구성되어 있습니다. 방문객들은 터널 내 청취 공간을 탐험하며 자유롭게 듣고 싶은 구성을 탐색할 수 있습니다.

사진 제공: 유다 쿠수마 P.

[scj-seouljames]

Shincheonji and Established Denominations Held a Bible Test "Stop Conflict and Check with the Bible"

Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, held a joint Bible test with an established denomination with the aim of stopping the old conflicts with the established denomination, to have them stop accusing Shincheonji Church of Jesus of being heretics, and to live a life of faith based on the Bible.

On the 24th, Shincheonji Church of Jesus invited pastors from established churches in 11 regions across the country, including Seoul, Suwon, Busan, Gwangju, Daegu, and Incheon, and gathered with instructors from Shincheonji Church of Jesus to hold a 'Bible Test Challenge'.

The Bible test was conducted at the proposal of Shincheonji Church of Jesus to resolve inter-denominational conflicts and have the right faith by checking ourselves to see whether we are practicing our faith based on the Bible before God and whether we are adding to or subtracting from the Revelation that we need to know today.

For fairness, the test questions were made by two people: the education director of Shincheonji Church of Jesus and a pastor belonging to the Presbyterian Church. There were a total of 10 questions, which contained prophecies of the New Testament and the book of Revelation. A total of 313 people took the exam. (312 instructors from Shincheonji Church of Jesus and one from the Full Gospel)

In order to hold the Bible test, Shincheonji Church of Jesus asked more than 30,000 pastors from established churches nationwide in person and by mail to attend this event. According to Shincheonji Church of Jesus, dozens of pastors said they would take the test, but among them, only one pastor, who has served as a Full Gospel pastor for 42 years, attended the test.

This pastor expressed happiness to participate but at the same time expressed disappointment over the remarkably low attendance rate of pastors. He said, "I can't say anything, but we have to work hard to gather. If they promised, they should have come; that's upsetting."

He added, "I plan to introduce [the test] to the pastors that I know [to encourage them to attend the test]."

A pastor from the Presbyterian Church who participated as an exam question writer expressed, "We prepared for this test with the hope that it would be a meaningful time to look back on our faith once more as [established churches and Shincheonji] contrasted with each other."

Shincheonji instructors who took the test also expressed regret and hoped to interact with pastors from established churches.

Son Yong-ho, an instructor at Daegu Church of Thaddeus Tribe, said, "There may be misunderstandings and prejudices about Shincheonji, but I would like to communicate, exchange the word, and find things to learn about each other with an objective perspective." Kim Soo-jin, an instructor at Pohang Church of the same tribe, said, "I hope that it becomes a path where we can hope for heaven in the same God, Jesus, and the Bible, and communicate, interact, and coexist together."

Kim Woo-nam, an instructor at Busan Church of Busan James Tribe, also said, "I think today will gradually increase the number of pastors who will take the test together," adding, "I think this start itself is also important."

An official of Shincheonji Church of Jesus said, "I don't think it would have been easy for the pastors to respond to the proposal for the Bible test. I understand that there were cases where they gave up taking the test due to the attention from people around them, and they had a lot of worries."

"The Bible test is not about identifying who did better, but the purpose is to lower ourselves in front of God and the word, to check ourselves and to have the right faith," he said. "We hope that from now on, we will become more active in the future. Let's become one and co-exist with the Bible."

[yeonjaeie]

Personal Narrative

Reclaiming the Memories of Gwangju

Gwangju was my first time in the world. Gwangju, where I was born and arrived, is enclosed by the foot of Mudeung Mountain, where alluring Mother Nature and the metropolis center harmonize. This city, which holds a special place in my heart, is my first home, a tapestry woven from childhood memories and familiar streets, but this visit was distinct. The familiar unknown city has left me with a faint longing for all those years, although the footsteps of childhood remain clear. Returning to Gwangju, as the world was still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, felt like a homecoming intertwined with the journey of rediscovery. Thus, I embarked on a journey of connecting the past and present for two months.

The landscape of Gwangju (Photo by Yeonjae Ha)

Gwangju in April is a sight to behold, with an abundance of vibrant spring flowers in full bloom, filling the air with their delightful fragrance. Despite the slight chill in the air, envious of the blooming flowers, the temperature was just right, providing a comfortable and pleasant atmosphere. Upon my arrival in Gwangju, I headed straight to my grandmother's house, conveniently located right in front of Chonnam National University, a renowned university in the Jeolla-do region. Taking a leisurely stroll on the university campus on a cool and breezy evening, I could sense the liveliness and energy emanating from the students and the bustling playground. It was a refreshing experience, symbolizing the rejuvenation and resilience of Gwangju after the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chonnam National University stands out as the pride of Gwangju, being recognized as the city's premier educational institution, while Chosun University holds its own as one of the top three private universities in the area. The College of Medicine and the Arts at Chosun University is particularly renowned, and the campus itself boasts a charming European architectural style that captivates onlookers with its beauty.

Spring Flower Festival (Photo by Yeonjae Ha)

As the warm May weather enveloped the city, the spring flowers of Chosun University are now blooming in all their glory. This led to the organization of a delightful spring flower festival a few days later, my grandmothers and relatives, gathered to admire the vibrant blooms that adorned the campus grounds. Among the various flowers on display, roses stood out as the most prevalent, creating a picturesque scene that harmonized perfectly with the university's exotic surroundings. As the day progressed and the temperature rose, I indulged in some refreshing shaved ice with my family, followed by a satisfying meal of spring greens, and seasonal delicacies. It was a day filled with culinary delights and heartwarming experiences that left me feeling content and grateful.

Entrance of Street of Arts, Chungjang-ro (Photo by Yeonjae Ha)

Law fish from Malbau Market (Photo by Yeonjae Ha)

Gwangju has always been known as a great place to experience the flavors of Korean cuisine. The mild climate allows for the production of high-quality agricultural products, including fruits and tea leaves. Additionally, the city's proximity to the sea ensures a wide variety of fresh seafood. This abundance of ingredients has led to the establishment of numerous Korean restaurants and bustling traditional markets. Among them, Malbau Market stands out as the largest and most popular. Situated between the university and downtown areas, it attracts people of all ages and genders. Every morning, the market receives a fresh supply of ingredients, resulting in exceptional dishes. While all the food at Malbau Market is delicious, the seasonal raw fish are particularly outstanding.

Starting the new semester meant saying goodbye to Gwangju after a two-month hiatus. Despite leaving, the deep connection to my hometown filled me with understanding and love, making this departure more than just a return home. These ties will forever bind me to my first city, a place that never ceases to amaze and motivate me even in a post-pandemic world.