#hwi locks

[navramanan]

hate it when a short sighted ass fool puts their nose into shady business thinking theyre helping anybody meanwhile they fuck everything upppppppppp UGH

[prbni]

"Had she initiated a peck, he would have turned it into an intense lip lock" pairings in KDramas

Ku San Young(Kim Tae Ri) and Lee Hong Sae(Hong Kyung) in Revenant

Cha Se Eum(Kim Young Ae) and Yoo Jeong Jae(Lee Moon Sang) in Maestra: Strings of Truth

Lee Gang Hyeon( Park Ji Hyun) and Jin Yi Soo(Ahn Bo Hyun) in Flex x Cop

Lim Jukyung(Moon Gayoung) and Han Seojun(Hwang Inyeop) in True Beauty

Oh In Joo (Kim Go Eun) and Choi Do il(Wi Ha Joon) in Little Women(2022)

Kang Nam Soon (Lee Yoomi) and Ryu Shi Oh (Byun Woo Seok) in Strong Woman Kang Nam Soon

Kang Sol A(Ryu Hye Young) and Han Joon Hwi(Kim Bum) in Law School

Bonus: Japanese Drama Couple

Didn't get a better GIF for them

Kokuryu Kirika(Mio Imada) and Tennoji Haru (Meguro Ren) in Trillion Game

[lvcky0ne]

Royal Flush is the 2nd full studio album by Lucky under Prismatic Entertainment. It was released on Oct 7, 2024, the group's 10th anniversary. The album features 10 tracks, including 4 solo songs, one for each member, BOOM! as the title track, and Stellar as a promoted b-side. It is available both physically and digitally.

Lucky promoted the album for a total of 6 weeks. BOOM! peaked at 6 on the Circle Chart and won 3 music show awards. Stellar exploded in popularity, rising to 1 on the Circle Chart and peaking at 12 on the Billboard Hot 200. Stellar won the group 6 music show awards.

｡:°ஐ i. the tracklist !

✧ . Take Off produced by HWI and Hiro

✧ . BOOM! ( title track ) produced by Angel, Hiro, and HWI

✧ . Stellar ( promoted b-side ) produced by Hiro, Han, and ROZE

✧ . Eat Ur Man ( sunnie solo ) produced by Sunnie and HWI

✧ . Lemonade ( angel solo ) produced by Angel

✧ . JAM ( hiro solo ) produced by Hiro and KOHH

✧ . Hot Hot ( han solo ) produced by Han

✧ . SourSweet produced by Kaori and Sunnie

✧ . Check Yourself produced by HWI and Angel

✧ . Atmosphere produced by Hiro and Sunnie

find Kaori at @sug4rsweet !!

｡:°ஐ ii. the styling !!

✧ . this era was heavily accentuated with lots of leather and chrome, blunt angles, and lots of layering and belts

✧ . lucky's stylist was quoted saying her biggest inspiration were pieces that would be found in a futuristic alien casino

✧ . hiro rocked a mid-length shaggy silver cut, han with grown out black locks, angel had an undercut bleach job, and sunnie kept her classic long black hair with blunt bangs

｡:°ஐ iii. the reception !!

｡:°ஐ iv. the highlights !!

✧ . as described by thousands of 4luvs online this era served many things, but most importantly: cunt

✧ . a perfect transition from brat summer, playing on a heavy edm sound that is rather new to the group

✧ . when asked about the more experimental songs on the album, sunnie said that with the creative control they're given, the group is always looking for ways to challenge themselves and push the bounds of typical kpop

✧ . lucky has always been known for pushing boundaries in the industry, and their second full album is no exception

✧ . while each member was dressed in relatively racy outfits, especially for BOOM! stages, one of hiro's Stellar outfits took the internet by storm, wearing a tight cut-out top that revealed some under-boob

✧ . it was a source of many arguments online in both 4luv and non-fan spaces, debating whether it was appropriate or even safe to be wearing while dancing on stage

✧ . hiro later posted a selfie in the top from a low angle on her instagram story writing "holding it down," some taking it as a taunt while many fans argue that she was simply assuring that the top was more secure than it seemed

✧ . in between music show appearances, members of the group would make appearances at clubs around seoul for mini performances including hiro and sunnie doing their own dj sets

✧ . these appearances sparked rumors that one or more members would be doing a set at nyc's infamous boiler room, but nothing ever came of it... yet !

✧ . these performances were never advertised, leading fans to do some serious digging and speculating on what clubs to visit on what weekends

✧ . it seems lucky has fully embraced their party reputation with this album, not unexpected by fans but still widely scrutinized by knetz

✧ . even han had something to say about it on live which surprised many 4luvs as he was usually the least outspoken member, saying "we're all adults. we have been for most of our career and we're not scared to shy away from it. we never have. i don't know why it's such a problem all of a sudden."

✧ . Stellar got much more popular than anticipated as a promoted b-side rather than a title track

✧ . the song was only supposed to promote for 2 weeks after BOOM!'s 3 week promotional period, but another week was added after its rise in popularity

✧ . hiro told W Korea that she thought Stellar should have been the title track, but she was outvoted by the production team and that a new remix of the song is in the works

✧ . when asked what songs on the album were their favorites, sunnie chose SourSweet, angel chose JAM, hiro chose Take Off, and han chose Stellar

✧ . kaori went live to give bonbons a sneak peak of her newest album when she was asked about working on SourSweet saying "it was great getting to produce a song for lucky and work with them a bit! i haven’t done much producing since touring and working on a new album back to back, so it was great to get back to it, especially with them! the song is amazing, i promise."

✧ . when asked what Lemonade is about in a q&a on his instagram story, angel answered in video form saying "so, basically, i'm telling the haters they can suck on this--" the video cut off before he could finish the sentence

✧ . overall, Royal Flush has taken its place among the competitors for lucky's most iconic era !

[simply-whump]

The Uncanny Counter 2: Counter Punch (경이로운 소문2: 카운터 펀치) - Whump List

Main Whumpee : So moon played by Cho Byeongkyu, Ga Motak played by Yoo Joonsang and Na Jeokbong played by Yoo In Soo

Synopsis : Evil spirits from the afterlife arrive on Earth in search of an immortal existence. The story follows a group of counters who are tasked with catching these malevolent entities. (MDL)

Genres : Action, Mystery, Comedy, Supernatural

Warning! Possible spoilers below!

So Moon

Ep 1 : None

Ep 2 : Sparring, hair pulled, screaming (comedic) — Fighting

Ep 3 : Using a lot of power, struggling a bit, shaking, sweating, collapses, nosebleed, concern for him — Sore, wincing in pain, knuckles scratched (after training too much on his own) — Sparring against all the other counters

Ep 4 : Difficult fight, bruised, bleeding a bit, pressed a against a wall by strong telekinesis power, groaning in pain — Still pressed against the wall, struggling, chocked, screaming in pain, manages to free himself after lots of shouting, shot in the arm while protecting someone, concern for him, bleeding (healed offscreen…) (Gif Set)

Ep 5 :  inhaled some gaz, coughing, collapsed

Ep 6 : Fighting, thrown and pinned against a wall

Ep 7 : Difficult fight, thrown around, choked, punched repeatedly in the face, emotional, bruised and bleeding, worried for someone

Ep 8 : Crying — Sparring, punched — Fighting, thrown around, bleeding, pinned o a wall, bleeding — Choked, fighting — Memory erased, collapses, passes out, concern for him (Gif Set)

Ep 9 : (Replay of previous scene) Unconscious, choked — Unconscious, friends try to heal him, lots of concern for him — In a coma, concern for him, looked after, locked inside his own mind, doesn’t want to wake up — (inside his mind) Seems lost and terrified, heavy breathing, thinks all of his friends are dead, devastated, crying, wakes up 

Ep 10 : Fighting, pinned to the ground

Ep 11 : Enters the enemy’s “mind”, choked, concern for him, wakes up, heavy breathing — Punched by Motak, emotional, teary-eyed — Crying — Fighting, hit, thrown around — Stays behind in a place that’s about to self destruct, concern for him, choked, slammed to the ground, choked (Gif Set), saved

Ep 12 : Fighting, blasted by an explosion, more difficult fighting, goes into the enemy’s mind, fighting, choked, punched a lot, choked until he almost passes out — Struggling to summon the enemy, screaming, heavy breathing, crying — Wakes up

Ga Motak

Ep 1 : None

Ep 2 : Difficult fight, lots of punching and being thrown around

Ep 3 : Sparring

Ep 4-7 : None

Ep 8 : Fighting, handcuffed himself to the bad guy, choked, bleeding from the mouth, screaming in pain, wrist bleeding, concern for him — groaning in pain, wrist healed with magic — Sparring, being blasted around — Fighting

Ep 9 : Thrown around

Ep 10 : Thrown around — Teary-eyed

Ep 11 : Fighting, cut, knife at his throat, worried for someone, sees someone he cares about die in front of him, punches So Moon, emotional, teary-eyed — Find out his friend is alive, extremely relieved

Ep 12 : Fighting, blasted by an explosion, more difficult fighting, thrown around, choked, losing consciousness 

Na Jeokbong

Ep 1 : None

Ep 2 : Hit by a bus, at the hospital, in a coma — Wakes up

Ep 3 : Sparring — Throws up

Ep 4 : Kicked, falls to the ground, nose bleeding — Blaming himself, feeling useless — Beaten , chocked, beaten with a shovel while protecting someone, hit in the face, nosebleed

Ep 5 : Inhaled some gaz, coughing, collapsed, half conscious, out of it (semi-comedic)

Ep 6-7 : None

Ep 8 : Fighting

EP 9 : Thrown around, choked — Crying — Fighting (more like beaten up)

Ep 10 : None

Ep 11 : Throwing up — Choked, shelf falls on him

Ep 12 : Fighting, blasted by an explosion, concern for him, thrown around, choked, losing consciousness 

Bonus Whumpee : Park Do Hwi (on the right) played by Seo Byuk Joon

Ep 7 : choked, thrown to the ground, stabbed, collapses on his knees, concern for him, bleeding

Ep 8 : Unconscious on the ground, stabbed a second time, bleeding, concern for him — Unconscious, healed with magic, wakes up, weak, memories erased (such a sad scene)

>> More Whump Lists

[rhaenys-queenofkhyrulzz]

seonhwi headcannon

I honestly believe post canon/canon divergent seon-ho (who's got a whole lot of self worth issues) and hwi (who wants to prevent seon-ho from getting so low he'd ever try to kill himself again) would benefit from locking themselves in a room in Ihwaru with mirrors running all across the length of one wall so that they can have some nice healing mirror sex with a side of body worship. Let my beautiful boy have a cathartic crying sesh while Hwi thrusts into him, his whole body rocking against the floor as Hwi cups his cheek, gently keeping his neck turned so that he's forced to look at how beautiful he is in Hwi's eyes as he falls apart beneath him, all the while, Hwi telling him all the reasons he loves him and needs him and is worth more than the world (both to him and in general).

============

Seon-ho would have his head turned away in an attempt to hide. "After serving Bang-won all these years, what do you think of me?"

Hwi kisses his eyelids and his forehead. "I think you are strong. A bit hard-headed at times perhaps...but with fervent desire to protect what's precious to you. I'm yours and you are mine, Seon-ho-ya. Let me show you just how I worship what's mine."

[idrilka]

in which i'm telling everyone to go watch my country: the new age

so if you've been here or on my twitter at all during these past few weeks, you might have noticed my unhinged yelling about my country: the new age (and woo dohwan's beautiful, talented face). i finished the drama two weeks ago (immediately started rewatching from the beginning), and i honestly still haven't recovered. it flattened me like a pancake and left me just like that.

it's been a while since i got so invested in a piece of media (the last time was 2ha, and then i went on to write nearly 300k of ranwan fic, so this bodes well), and it took me completely by surprise. you know how sometimes you come across a piece of media that, completely out of the blue, rearranges you on the molecular level and you just know you'll never be the same afterwards? this is what this drama did to me, and i'm not exaggerating. i honestly went into it with zero expectations, thinking i was just going to watch it for woo dohwan's beautiful face, but, regrettably, it's just really fucking good all around. it might be my favorite kdrama i've ever watched?

*stefon voice* this drama has everything. do you want olympic level gay yearning? incredible antagonists? interesting plot and themes? fantastic fight choreography? an outrageously talented cast with excellent performances across the board and a host of fascinating supporting characters? a clever fucker with a fan? two protagonists who are absolutely unhinged about each other and love each other so much even as they practice stabbing as a form of foreplay? a searingly hot older woman with the richest voice you've heard? complex (if underutilized) female characters? costumes and styling so pretty it makes you want to chew on your arm? do you like to be made to feel all emotions known to man in a single moment? do you want to stay in a fetal position for two days after watching the last episode? do you want to think of nothing else for the rest of the week/month/year? WELL, THIS DRAMA IS FOR YOU THEN.

it's a historical court intrigue drama set against the backdrop of the fall of the goryeo kingdom and the rise of the joseon dynasty (~14th century), following two friends, seo hwi and nam seonho, who find themselves on the opposing sides of a political conflict. i can't even begin to express how good the central relationship of this drama is. it's a love story, and they fucking know it. the chemistry is sizzling. the knives are exquisite. there are so many layers to this relationship, and the lead actors do a phenomenal job with that. yang sejong gives a wonderfully understated yet extremely emotional performance as hwi, and the transformation hwi goes through is incredible to watch. woo dohwan as seonho is superb - intense, tragic, horribly misguided. the way this man acts makes me want to chew concrete.

and then!!! i usually don't gravitate towards antagonists/villains, but holy fuck, jang hyuk's performance as bangwon is such a tour de force. he is phenomenal, and he brings such nuance and complexity to bangwon that you literally can't tear your eyes away. (he also has a fan.) all three of them are absolute chemistry machines. all three could probably generate chemistry with a brick wall if needed, and this 100% shines through on screen. the strange, intense dynamic they're locked into is beyond delicious. the chemistry between bangwon and hwi is truly beyond. the "in love, divorced but still fucking" energy that seonho and hwi give off is everything. the parallels between seonho and bangwon are delectable. the complex nets of interpersonal dynamics make me want to weep with joy at how wonderfully nuanced they are.

and as if that were not enough, there's a whole cast of truly multidimensional supporting characters! (park chido, my beloved!!! munbok! jeong beom! sungrok! madam seol! hwawol, my baby!!!) honestly, there's not one weak performance across this entire cast - everyone gives it their all. this drama features also the worst father in the history of fiction, and i'm including shi mei's dad and jin guangshan in that. nam jeon is the worst is so, so many different, despicable ways, but his actor sells it so, so well. i loved every minute of absolutely loathing him.

the weakest point of the drama is, in my opinion, the obligatory but ultimately pretty secondary attempt at a romantic plot, which would be much better served by focusing on the other aspects of hwi and huijae's dynamic, because there's a lot of crunchy stuff to dig into, and i love huijae otherwise and wouldn't want to see her cut from the story in the slightest. her conflicting loyalties are so compelling, and that's where i feel like the character shines the most. the romantic plot also falls flat when confronted with whatever the fuck seonho and hwi have going on at any given point in time, but i think the drama knows that, too, and isn't trying to fight it particularly seriously (or at all).

(i also didn't love all the music choices in this, but that i can still live with.)

and, to close this giant wall of yelling, this drama is just so pretty. the cinematography is beautiful, the costumes (which i admit i besmirched a little after the first episode) get progressively more and more stunning as we go on, and i would like to personally thank whoever did seonho's wig/extensions, because that's one of the best examples of hair work i've seen in a while, and also to congratulate the makeup artists on the excellent sculpting job they did on seonho - he gets progressively more snatched the older he gets and this is very good for me, personally.

oh, and if, after all this, you're still wondering what it's like to watch woo dohwan act, then thank you, tumblr user @jekkies, for providing this excellent quote, because it's exactly like that (except there's nothing to steal here because yang sejong is also stellar):

thank you for your attention, and please, go watch this drama. i will love you forever.

[dreamingkdrama]

Who would I date?

A week ago, I made a poll about the MCTNA main trio and I didn't expect that so many people will actualy vote. 141 people voted and here you can see the results:

_______________________

________________________

So, we have a winner and it's Seon-Ho. I am not surprised at all and it's well deserved victory 🖤

My answer for the question "with who would I want to spend a day doing whatever I want" is... Bang Won.

Look... I know there is no chance to have a longterm relationship with Bang Won, but I have a deep respect for him. He is incredible fighter, strategist, ruthless leader, but he cares for his people, he is very inteligent, handsome and I am sure he can be interesting and entertaining companion. If I am looking just for one day affair, I think he is the best choice. It would be fun, intensive and wild 😁 Also I suppose that one day in not enough time for him to decide to kill me 😁

For a real dating, I am not sure who would I pick. I can't decide betweet Hwi and Seon-Ho. After watching MCTNA for the forst time, I was thinkink that Hwinis the best choice. He is kind and good person, he is more emotionaly open and overall he has a lot of qualities. But then I realized that he is not that different from Seon-Ho. They both have their traumas and they are driven by their hate as well as their wish to protect the ones they love. They have different approaches, Hwi remained more or less open to other people, but Seon-Ho totally closed his heart and become very pragmatic. But I believe that they both have locked their sorrows and wounds inside and they both would need a lot of support to deal with them and become happy again.

In real life, there would be a lot of red flags that would probably discourage me from startin a serious relationship with someone like that, but in this case I would propably choose Seon-Ho. It's almost even, but no one can beat Woo Do Hwan, that' just fact :)

[fcble]

In which Byeonghwi reaches the point of no return. FEATURING: Lim Byeonghwi, Kim Gicheol, Fable ensemble WORD COUNT: 2.8k SETTING: November 2023 WARNINGS: Homophobia. Use of the f slur.

Crowds outside of Zenith Entertainment aren’t uncommon. Fable does alright for themselves, and it no longer surprises Byeonghwi that fans wait for a glimpse of them. Then there was Mingeun’s scandal a few years ago that drew a crowd that has yet to be rivaled. Today can’t be about them. Byeonghwi is late for practice, and so he assumes everyone else is there already. Taein hasn’t yet given his blessing to Andrew’s latest album, but he and Jaeseop are already acting like it’s been confirmed as their next release. There’s even a demo version of the title track recorded by five of them—everyone except Jaeseop, because he’s expected to enlist in the coming months.

As Byeonghwi gets closer, he sees three people standing close together on the sidewalk, locked in some discussion. They’re watched by a similar unit of managers and bodyguards and stylists and other people of similar professions. Closest to Byeonghwi is Jaesun. He breaks from the group for a second to smile and wave at the small assembled crowd spilling over into the street. It’s cheesy, but Byeonghwi can’t quite blame him. He’d do the same. When Jaesun moves, he catches a glimpse of the person standing across from him: slouched posture, hands tucked into his pockets, high cheekbones above hollow cheeks.

Byeonghwi’s heart stops then skips a beat. His breath catches in his throat, and he breaks into a run. No one pays him any mind, probably because these are Jaesun’s fans, and they don’t know who he is.

He skids to a stop, then trips over his words, just like he always does. Only one syllable comes out clearly: “Cheol!”

He can’t recall the name of the other guy, but he knows he’s one of Gicheol’s groupmates. Gicheol’s face shifts from shock to confusion to a placid expression in a few seconds.

"Hwi," Gicheol says, cool and impersonal. 

“You know him?” Jaesun says, grabbing Byeonghwi’s wrist and pulling him closer. He looks harried and overwhelmed and out of control, not like himself at all. “Great. Get out of here.” He pushes Byeonghwi until he stumbles to a halt, a mere handful of centimeters in front of Gicheol.

The person in front of Byeonghwi is a stranger. Outside of his characteristic slouch, there’s nothing that resembles the Gicheol he used to know. But something is going on with Jaesun, and Byeonghwi isn’t going to make a scene in front of a crowd. He wishes Gicheol would turn around and leave. Then he starts thinking about how each passing minute makes him later and later to Fable’s scheduled practice. 

“Let’s go,” he says, leading Gicheol away. He turns around only once to make sure he’s being followed.

The walk is silent. Byeonghwi knows there are people who have photos of them now, who will post them on social media and find out who they are, and then infer their relationship before framing it in some newsworthy way. He isn’t sure why friendships between idols are considered news, but he can picture the headlines and the captions. Fable’s Byeonghwi and Field Day’s Gicheol, Plus, Five Other Idol Pairs You Had No Idea Were Besties.

He also realizes, outside of Fable’s practice room, that they don’t really know who Gicheol is. Byeonghwi’s never mentioned it by name. He’s compartmentalized his life so well, split who he was before he became a trainee from who he is as an idol, that Eunsu would be proud. It was a somewhat conscious decision. He never mentioned Gicheol, never called him anything other than his friend, because that would lead to questions and assumptions. If Byeonghwi ever started talking about him, he doesn’t think he could stop.

He opens the door anyway.

“You’re late.” Jaeseop.

“Who’s that?” Haksu.

"Give him a break. He probably had to get through the crowd outside." Andrew.

“Field Day.” Mingeun. A brief pause. “Dart?”

Gicheol smiles a half smile, straightening his posture only slightly. "Guilty as charged."

It's a side of him Byeonghwi hasn't seen in person in ages, ever since that fateful day in middle school. The side of him that steps into a room and immediately commands it with his presence.

“You know him?” Haksu asks.

“Not personally,” Mingeun says. He somehow stares Byeonghwi down with a piercing glare from his cross-legged position on the ground. “Byeonghwi does.”

Put on the spot, Byeonghwi doesn’t know how to react. The slight head tilt and questioning look from Gicheol ask why no one recognizes his name.

Byeonghwi can't stand to look at him, so he looks at Mingeun instead. "We grew up together," he says. The explanation is short and unsatisfying and true.

In his peripheral vision, he sees Gicheol smile and nod along.

"Hwi, you never—" Haksu starts, before Andrew jabs him in the side, hard enough to make him shut up.

Byeonghwi completes the sentence in his head. Never mentioned it. Never spoke about home. Never brought it up.

"Yundam invited me to film something," Gicheol says, inadvertently saving Byeonghwi from the embarrassment of explaining himself. "We got here, and then I learned I wasn't invited after all." The hurt flashes briefly in his eyes. Byeonghwi doesn't think anyone except him picks up on it.

"My manager is driving them," he continues. "Looks like I'm stuck here until they're done."

A silent exchange of looks flashes through the group. It starts with Mingeun, his body language making it obvious that he's restless and their schedule is even more delayed. He's shifty and so clearly itching to stand up and do something, until Haksu reaches over and rests his elbow on Mingeun's knee. Jaeseop matches Mingeun's sentiments in the slightest tilt of his head and furrow of his brow. Singularly opposed to them is Andrew, always too nice for his own good.The stern glare in his eyes tells Jaeseop and Mingeun they shouldn't even consider kicking Gicheol to the wolves outside.

Intak is so still and quiet and uninvolved Byeonghwi almost forgets he's in the room with them.

In the middle of this standoff, Byeonghwi feels trapped, between his friend and his group, between his past and his present. He's paralyzed, still frozen next to Gicheol. 

Jaeseop speaks diplomatically, rising to his feet. "It's nice to meet you. I know you’re Byeonghwi’s friend, but we’re working with unreleased music." He doesn't outright say he wants Gicheol to leave, but the subtext is obvious.

Gicheol holds his hands up in mock protest. "I won't leak anything. Scout's honor."

He was never a scout, but no one except Byeonghwi knows that. Somehow, that’s enough to let him stay.

The focus of their practice turns out not to be the title track of Andrew's next album, or any sort of preparation for their upcoming tour, but rather the unnamed song Andrew insists will be a pre-release single. It has a retro sound Byeonghwi—and almost everyone else—fell in love with from the first listen. The only person who remains opposed to Andrew's creative control is Intak, who had frowned and said it didn't sound like music they should be making. Andrew couldn't care less about what he should be doing, and that's how they all end up following his direction.

Gicheol fits in so easily, sprawled out on the floor like he belongs there, absorbed in his phone screen and oblivious to the people around him. Byeonghwi tries not to think about him. He fails.

It's impossible to listen to Andrew or his music. They're working on dividing up the lines. He has no idea why they go through this song and dance every time, when it almost always ends up with the same structure: Haksu does the intro, he and Andrew trade off the pre-chorus and the chorus, Intak has a verse, and the rest of them are left with the scraps. 

Mingeun fights, tooth and nail, on every single song. This one is no exception. 

Byeonghwi thinks he's a good singer. Andrew doesn't seem to share the sentiment.

He watches Mingeun sing a line, followed by the back and forth of Andrew frowning and hunching over his computer and his printed lyrics before he gives Mingeun some more direction, and Mingeun tries the line again. This continues until Jaeseop intervenes and suggests they try a different line, or let someone else do it.

Byeonghwi steals glances at Gicheol when he can. He marvels at the fact that Gicheol is there in the room with him. Then he tells himself he shouldn't do that, because it's been years and he really should stop.

"Can you try this line, Hwi?" Andrew asks. Mingeun must have given up, or been told his singing isn't good enough. Judging from his scowl, Byeonghwi assumes it's the latter.

"The first one of the chorus," Andrew prompts, and Byeonghwi scans the triple-spaced text on the paper in front of him.

It's clearly labeled as the chorus, so he takes a breath and sings, staring at the paper.

"Try it again," Andrew says. He pauses, as if to think of the rest of his feedback. "A little more anguished. And sit up straighter."

So Byeonghwi fixes his posture, thinks of Gicheol, and does the line again.

Andrew appraises him like he's seeing him in a different light. "Not bad. Try the next one too."

"What the fuck," Byeonghwi hears Mingeun say softly under his breath.

Eventually, during a break a couple of hours in, Gicheol asks, "Can we talk?"

There's nowhere private on this floor, and the combination of the rooftop and Gicheol holds too many bad memories, so he leads the way down the hall to the men's bathroom. Everything in it comes in pairs: two urinals, two stalls, two sinks, Byeonghwi and Gicheol.

Byeonghwi leans against the door so no one else can open it and interrupt them.

Neither of them speak. Gicheol tucks his hands into his pockets and slumps down into his usual posture. 

When the silence becomes unbearable, Byeonghwi says, "Please leave."

Gicheol whistles a low note, leaning back against one of the sinks. “Really? That’s what you have to say to me?”

"You wanted to talk to me," Byeonghwi says childishly. He never could have predicted the turn of events that would lead to Gicheol sitting in on a Fable practice. Beyond that, he was the one who ended their friendship in the first place, a memory Byeonghwi is still trying to forget. It keeps him awake at night, sometimes, still wondering where he went wrong and what he could have said to make Gicheol stay. They've seen each other here and there, because the industry is small, and pretended the other person didn't exist, passing each other at music shows and festivals without so much as a shared glance. Seeing him like that, or even in Fable's practice room, is one thing. Talking to him again is something completely different.

“Why is Mingeun-ssi the only person who knows who I am?” Gicheol asks.

The question is so unexpected Byeonghwi almost laughs. It’s simple and childish and has nothing to do with the bigger problems between the two of them. How can it be, that after all this time, that’s all Gicheol has to say?

“Mingeun-hyung knows who everyone is,” Byeonghwi says. “He could name everyone in Field Day if you asked him. He could even point them all out from a picture.”

He doesn’t address the other, unsaid part of the question. No one in Fable knows who Gicheol is because Byeonghwi has never told them.

“Does Field Day know who I am?” he asks, almost afraid of the answer.

“Of course they do,” Gicheol says. “Why wouldn’t they? You were my best friend.”

The past tense isn't lost on him. He wishes they could go back. Back to when they were best friends, before they grew up and apart and away. Then they wouldn’t be having this conversation at all.

For the first time, he regrets running after Gicheol. He should have been content to be his fan, content to pursue a path of his own without constantly thinking about the person who was his best friend. He could have balanced on that thin line. He could have seen Gicheol for who he is as a person as his friend, and then seen Gicheol as an idol from the perspective of his most dedicated fan. Then it wouldn’t matter that Byeonghwi was always suffocating, crushed by his unrequited crush, because that’s the very relationship between an idol and his fan.

He can’t quite put all his feelings into words, or explain what sets the two of them apart in how they think of their relationship. So he says, “I don’t know. You always talked about how you would move to Seoul and leave us all behind.”

“I never said that.” Gicheol retrieves a square box from his back pocket, and Byeonghwi is about to tell him off from smoking in such a small enclosed space—and then say he doesn’t want one—when he realizes it isn’t a cigarette box but a pack of gum. Gicheol watches him stare, and then says, “I’m trying to quit smoking.”

“Oh,” is all Byeonghwi can think of to say. He does distinctly remember sitting in the cafeteria at lunch time, listening to and admiring all of Gicheol’s bravado, because even when they were thirteen, he was someone who knew what he wanted and how he could get it. Byeonghwi’s never been like that. He’s seen so much of it: Gicheol, Mingeun, Andrew, Haksu. The more he witnesses drive and ambition in other people, the more he realizes he could never do it himself. He became an idol out of happenstance, because he chased Gicheol and Gicheol's dream, and something about him—his appearance, most likely—impressed Taein.

He wonders if time has warped his memories. Standing here and watching Gicheol chew his gum, jaw working furiously over and over in the same repetitive motion, he has difficulty seeing the same person he saw when he was thirteen and eighteen. He's twenty-two now. He knows he shouldn't pine for his first crush for the rest of his life.

“Say something,” Gicheol says, but there’s nothing for Byeonghwi to say. His voice and his words escalate in pitch and something like anger or desperation. “Anything. I don’t care what it is. Say you still love me because you’re still fucking obsessed with me. Like a fucking faggot." 

In an instant, his rose-tinted glasses shatter. Byeonghwi wishes he could say he didn't expect this slip-up. Ever since his confession and Gicheol's frosty response, he's known that his friend was now disliked with his very existence. It’s always been lurking just beneath the surface, hiding below his idol veneer, a concept Byeonghwi now sees right through. He wonders how much more it would piss off Gicheol if he told him about the time he spent trying to be with other men instead, men who reminded him of Gicheol, but weren’t him, men who were tall and thin, dancers and smokers and skateboarders. None of his attempted relationships ever lasted very long, because he thought about Gicheol the entire time. He decides he shouldn’t risk it.

Almost immediately, it seems like Gicheol regrets it. “Deny it,” he pleads, softer this time. “Tell me it’s not true, Hwi. You were mistaken. We were kids.”

The Gicheol Byeonghwi knew would never say that. The Gicheol in his head would have told him he loved him back all those years ago, and now they’d be more than friends, not having this terrible conversation in the bathroom of his entertainment company. The Gicheol in front of him did neither of those things.

"Get out. Leave right fucking now.” Byeonghwi’s voice shakes. He stands up straight and watches Gicheol nearly fold into himself with his usual slouch.

He turns his back on Gicheol and pulls the door open, briefly locking eyes with an obviously not eavesdropping Haksu. Propping the door open with his foot, he looks back at Gicheol.

Gicheol doesn’t look back at him. He just leans over the trash can, spits out his gum, and walks out into the hall.

Byeonghwi waits until he disappears down the stairwell before he turns to Haksu.

"I have to use the bathroom. I heard him call you a—" Haksu says, and then stops, clearly uncomfortable with the word. "You aren't, right?"

He asks the question with such certainty, like he already knows what the answer is going to be. Byeonghwi can't disappoint him. He steels himself for what he has to say, doing his best to ignore the pit forming in his stomach. He can't take too long to respond, or Haksu will be suspicious and know something is wrong.

Haksu gives him an imploring look.

"I'm not," Byeonghwi says. He knows they both know he's lying.

[bourgeoning-archive]

have you seen SEOK SEOJEONG ? we've heard through the grapevine that they're INNOVATIVE but also CAVALIER . when you think of them , you think of RUMBLING  THUNDER  IN  THE  DISTANCE  ON  A  SUNNY  DAY ;  ENDLESS  STACKS  OF  PAPER ,  EACH  PAGE  FILLED  WITH  IMMACULATE  CALLIGRAPHY  AND  INK  PAINTINGS ;  A  WAIL  IN  THE  MIDDLE  OF  THE  NIGHT . people say they look a lot like jung eunchae .

BIRTH  NAME  seok  yeon  .  COURTESY  NAME  seojeong  .  ART  NAME  baekho  .  ETYMOLOGY  YEON  :  from  the  sino - korean  蓮 / 연꽃  연  (  yeonkkot yeon  )  "  lotus  ;  enlightenment  ;  paradise  .  "  SEOJEONG  :  from  the  sino - korean  西 / 서녘  서  (  seonyeok  seo  )  ,  "  west  ,  "  and  霆 / 천둥소리  정  (  cheondungsori  jeong  )  ,  "  a  sudden  peal  of  thunder  .  "  BAEKHO  :  from  the  sino - korean  白 /  흰  백  (  huin  baek  )  "  white  "  and  虎 / 범  호  (  beom  ho  )  "  tiger  .  "  NICKNAMES yeon-ah / yeon-ie  (  closest  friends  and  family  only  )  ,  seoye  .  OCCUPATION / TITLE  lady - in - waiting  to  empress  jihye  ,  lady  of  the  wolseong  seok  clan  ,  scholar  ,  poet  .  BIRTHDAY  &  AGE  september  10  (  35  )  .  GENDER  demi  woman  .  PRONOUNS  she / her  and  they / them  .  ORIENTATION  bisexual  biromantic  .  STATUS widowed . TRAITS  innovative  ,  cavalier  ,  witty  ,  fervent  ,  nosy  , reticent  ,  fretful  ,  volatile  .  INSPIRATION  lee hwi / dami / yeonseon  (  the  king's  affection  )  ,  andy / andromache  of  scythia  (  the  old  guard  )  ,  "  fineshrine  "  by  purity  ring  , 선비 ( seonbi ) .

HEADCANONS

has been writing since they were young , honing their skills as they grew older . they have many essays , theses , and analyses lying around , but they keep their poetry under lock and key . only a handful of people have the privilege to read their poetry drafts without seojeong snatching them away as soon as possible .

a  notable  poet  throughout  asia .  because  they  write  under  an  alias ,  though ,  few  people  connect  the  scholar  and  lady - in - waiting  of  the  empress  seojeong  to  the  enigmatic  poet  baekho — unless  someone  were  to  notice  the  link  between  their  courtesy  name  and  the  white  tiger  their  pen  name  is  based  on ,  that  is  . tl;dr:  baekho  ( the  creature ) ,  among  many  other  things ,  represents  west  and  autumn .  " west "  is  incorporated  into  seojeong's  courtesy  name ,  and  they  were  born  in  the  middle  of  chuseok ,  the  autumn  harvest  festival .

while learning to wield a weapon was part of her education , most of seojeong's training was focused on that which is easily - concealable , or else long - range . which isn't to say she can't use more standard weapons at all , but she's quite clumsy with them , and relied on her late husband for protection more often than not . but she's always kept a bisu , or poniard , on her person too .

her husband was a royal guard and colonel of joseon's army by the name of haedam . they met as teenagers , and were in love with each other long before they ever married . but seojeong's betrothal was the reason they finally came together . ( death mention tw ) he unfortunately passed in a border skirmish he was called to about a year and a half ago .

they have two children , both by their late husband : bi , who is 10 , and yul , who is 6 .

fairly unserious a lot of the time , not at all the calm , stern image of a career scholar of joseon . they've been a bit more gloomy the past couple of years , but seem to have come alive again while at versailles .

can  be  seen  in  both  men's  and  women's  hanbok ,  though  for  the  sake  of  being  easily  recognized  as  one  of  jihye's  ladies ,  seojeong  wears  the  typical  garb  of  a  lady - in - waiting  while  formally  attending  the  empress .  in  their  downtime ,  though ,  it  depends  on  their  mood .

WANTED CONNECTIONS

FAMILY seojeong and their mother seem to have always been at odds . seojeong's mother has threatened to disinherit seojeong a few times over the years , most recently when she learned that seojeong had broken their betrothal and married their late husband instead . though she's never followed through on her threat , the possibility of being cut off and replaced by one of their younger siblings still looms . haedam's family could also be interesting !

BROKEN BETROTHAL most likely to be another noble from joseon , but the seoks are both influential and wealthy , so it's possible she was going to be married to foreign nobility . seojeong did not like this arrangement at all , but she appreciates that it inspired her to marry the man she loves . so , in a strange way , she has a soft spot for this person , though the feeling may not be mutual .

LITERATI seojeong loves to read , to learn , and surround themself with like - minded people . this could go a number of different ways . maybe there could be someone who's , like , a student to them ? or a contemporary - slash - rival ? or someone who likes / dislikes their poetry but has no idea they're the author ?

NEW FLING in an attempt to move on from her husband's passing ( as she knows he'd want her to do ) , seojeong has started casually seeing someone at sometime after arriving in france . could potentially blossom into something more .

[curlyallie]

The Path Continues

I hereby gift this to @gigi-flash as a @dunefandomevents Secret Santa Gift Exchange!

"The Path Continues"

Inspired by and with text from "God Emperor of Dune" by Frank Herbert.

“Moneo!  The Duncan!”

“Yes, Lord.”

The majordomo pushed a button which was immediately followed by a whirring sound.  The blurred outline of a man descended from a glass tube and landed softly on his feet.  The majordomo opened the glass door, and the ghola stepped into the stone chamber.

“You!  My sworn enemy!  A curse be upon your house!”

“Who is this, Lord?” the majordomo asked, gesturing at the creature standing timidly before them.  Red wavy hair tumbled in layers, framing his face and resting softly on his shoulders.  He was not a large man, but his frame was lean, his shoulders firm.  The majordomo detected a slight curl in the ghola’s full lips, which if he was not so apprehensive, might have been taken for arrogance.    

“Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen!  His family nearly snuffed out my entire line!”  

“Good day, Lord,” the ghola said with a timid yet reverent bow of the head.  

“You will speak only when spoken to, you insolent boy!” shouted Leto.  

Moneo looked at Leto and rotated his arm horizontally, pantomiming the end that so many Duncans had faced because of the God Emperor’s wrath.  

“No, Moneo.”  Leto rolled his cart to the back wall of the chamber.  He gestured to Moneo, who followed him. 

“Lord, I implore you.  You have eradicated Duncans who have posed far less of a threat.”

“Don’t tell me what I already know, Moneo!”  

“At best, the Tleilaxu have been grossly negligent.  At worst, this could be a trap.”

“And what are we supposed to do, Moneo, declare war on the Tleilaxu?” asked Leto.  Moneo had nothing to say.  He was trapped.  They were trapped.  “He is an excellent fighter, in some ways superior to a Duncan.  As my father before me, I believe I must let this play out.”

“Lord?” asked Moneo.  

Leto rolled his cart closer to the ghola.

“Feyd?”

“Yes, Lord?”

“Have my Fish Speakers been good to you?”

“Oh, yes, Lord, very hospitable.”  Feyd’s light cheeks bloomed into a blush when he remembered the Fish Speakers bathing him the night before.

“I can see from your blushing that you speak the truth,” Leto said with a grin.  “Congratulations.  You are now commander-in-chief of the Fish Speaker army.  They are all at your disposal, in more ways than one.  You may enjoy yourself as you see fit with any woman who will have you.”

“Thank you, Lord.” 

“Except one,” Leto said sternly.  “Hwi Noree.  My betrothed.”

“Certainly, Lord.”  Feyd, newly awakened to consciousness, was not yet in control of natural emotions.  But he did his best to hide his disappointment before the intimidating monstrosity before him.  All of the women in the God Emperor’s employ were strong and beautiful.  But Hwi, made by Ixian engineers, was the most beautiful of all.  

“Well then, I believe we’re done here.  Rest well, ghola.  Security arrangements begin bright and early tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Lord,” Feyd said, bowing before approaching the glass tube that would return him to his chambers.

Moneo could not help but ask himself: what did the God Emperor have in store?

______________________________________________________________________________

Feyd held his palm over the palm lock and the door opened with a click.  He stepped into his chambers.  He stopped in his tracks with what he saw before him.

She was sitting elegantly in a plush chair, her fine brown skin glowing, her brown eyes bright, her long black braids slung over her left shoulder, her blue dress clinging to the perfect curves of her breasts and thighs.  Hwi Noree.  Lovely Hwi.  

“You shouldn’t be here.  Please leave,” pleaded Feyd.  

“We need to discuss our attractions for one another,” said Hwi, her rich voice sweet and seductive.

“What attractions?” asked Feyd.  

“Please, Feyd, you’re a terrible liar,” replied Hwi.  “I can see it.  And I feel the same.  I want to hurl myself into your arms and feel the love that I know is there.”

“No!  The Lord, he will kill us both!”

“He won’t, love.”

“I’ve been ordered never to touch you!” cried Feyd.

“If he knows it would hurt me, the Lord will not harm you.  And he will never harm me, no matter what I do,” said Hwi.  

“What if you conceive?” asked Feyd.

“If there’s to be a child, then there will be a child,” replied Hwi. 

She rose from the chair and stepped towards Feyd.  From a standing position, her blue dress clung to her goddess body even more beautifully.  Feyd could do nothing more but let her approach.  Hwi drew her arms around his firm waist and buried her face in his tunic.  He could smell the sweet musk from her hair and skin.  He lifted her chin.

“This is insane.”  He kissed her.  Then, he carried her to the bedroom.      

Hwi untied the drawstrings at the neck of Feyd’s tunic and kissed the soft skin there before peeling it off him altogether.  She drew her palms across his firm chest and shoulders.  She unzipped his trousers, and he removed them himself.  He needed her to assist, but Feyd removed Hwi’s blue dress.  They kneeled on the bed facing each other, Hwi’s arms atop Feyd’s shoulders.  He drew his thumb across her nipple, and she moaned before wrapping her arms around him and kissing him, her tongue slipping past his full lips.

“Wait, Hwi!”  

“Yes?”

“I’ve done wrong in this!”  Feyd could remember almost nothing about his life.  But as he again felt the kiss and touch of a beautiful woman, he saw flashes of past wrongdoings.  He could not piece them together.  But deep down, he was terrified of what he may have done.  Rape.  Murder.  Turning a blind eye as his uncle ravaged nearly every youth on Giedi Prime.

“Feyd, sweet Feyd,” Hwi said reassuringly.  “Do you remember?”

“No.”

“If you did remember, would you have remorse?”

“Yes.  I have remorse for what I do not remember.”

“Will you do wrong in this now?” she asked.

“Never!” he shouted.  He kissed her and lay her down on the bed.  Her pleasure would be his penance and his redemption.  He moved his tongue in circular motions upon her clit.  She moaned and quivered.  He held himself up above her and was about to enter.  

Then, there was a loud crash at the door.  The hinges broke.  The sound of turning wheels terrified Feyd.  He looked at the door.  Perched atop his cart was the God Emperor himself.  Feyd screamed and threw himself underneath the covers.  Hwi simply lay on her stomach, resting her chin in her hand and looking completely nonchalant.

“Hello, my love.”  She could feel the sheets beneath her trembling with Feyd’s terror.  

“Feyd!  What did I tell you?” shouted Leto.

“Mercy, Lord, I beg you, mercy!” Feyd pleaded from underneath the covers.  

“Do not insult me, you coward!  You think I couldn’t see this?”  There was a long, intentional silence.  Feyd awaited the crushing weight of Leto’s body.  Instead, Hwi alighted the bed and stood in perfect nudity before the God Emperor.  

“My love.”  She touched and kissed his cowled cheek.  Her tongue darted between her lips and tasted of the spice essence.  The worm moaned.  She squeezed a larger amount and kneaded the purple essence between her fingers.  Spreading her legs apart, she inserted the God Emperor’s essence.

“Come here, Feyd,” Hwi said sweetly.  Feyd shook his head and remained beneath the covers.

“Now, Feyd, or I will kill you!” shouted Leto.  Feyd reached for his trousers atop the sheets.  “No!  As you are!”  Feyd tiptoed next to Hwi.  There they were, two gorgeous, naked humans before an enormous worm deity.  Hwi sucked more essence from Leto’s face and kissed Feyd, transferring droplets onto his tongue.  Hwi took more essence with her hands and glided the slick substance up and down Feyd’s hard cock.        

“It is time,” said Leto.  Hwi took Feyd’s hand and guided him back to bed.  Now, he entered.  Hard and fast.  Their tongues and loins burned with the spice essence.  As their physical ecstasy was building, so were the ecstatic and frightening visions that accompanied the essence.  Hwi giggled with delight; she knew to let the visions flow through her like water.  But Feyd was terrified.  He could now see that Harkonnens used cruelty to cover up the fear that consumed them always, fear like that of an abandoned child.  He saw visions from his past more clearly.  Oh, shame!  He saw visions from a future that was either inevitable or possible.  Horrible wars.  Famine.  The near destruction of the human race.  He screamed.  Then he came.  Then, post-coital peace.  

Leto did not kill Hwi.  He did not kill Feyd.  He did not even rage.  He remained stationary atop his cart as the pair sighed with relaxed pleasure, and he grinned broadly.

“Through what has transpired today, the Golden Path shall continue.”  Leto began to wheel himself from the room, and Hwi and Feyd collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep in each other’s arms.   

Leto wheeled down the corridor in a state of complete satisfaction.  He played over some past memories.  He recalled the Reverend Mother’s rage at his father’s conception.  An Atreides daughter was supposed to mate with Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, ending the feud forever and passing on two sets of unstoppable genes.  

But what about the decadent Corrino Empire?  The violent Harkonnen fiefdom on Giedi Prime?  The oppression of the Fremen?  The perpetual exploitation of Arrakis?  The love between his mother and father?  His sister?  The Golden Path.  

Now, the galaxy had it all.  The end of violence.  The end of chaos.  Harkonnen genes without Harkonnen violence.  Harkonnen genes mingling with Atreides genes at this very moment.  And Hwi.  Lovely Hwi.  

And as Leto entered his chamber to retire for the evening, he couldn’t help but think:   

That Bene Gesserit breeding program has nothing on mine!

[theinfinitedivides]

right ok so maybe this place does have zero security after all. Man Hwi is inside the guesthouse while Woo Hyul and In Hae are outside on neighborhood patrol would anyone like to tell me how he got inside the guesthouse and why Woo Hyul's basement isn't locked

[rosenlily-aka-choconut]

The Sol that matters

“I never add a suffix to your name because you’re the Kang Sol who matters to me in a way I can't fully explain,” he murmurs, his fingers skimming the column of her neck. “Remember that.”

OR

The one where the conversation where they promise they’ll be rooting for each other doesn’t end at that.

You could check it out on AO3 at The Sol that matters or read it below.

******

“I’ll be rooting for you in your uncle’s place.”

Joon-Hwi is taken aback, but in a pleasant way. He’s never shied away from gazing blatantly at her, and something about today -  now  - feels different. So many times he has tried to tell her with his eyes, only to be left behind with his thoughts, with her  never  looking at him the way he looks at her. With her looking at him as no more than a good friend.

He’s used to pining for her in silence. He’s made it a routine to hold himself back, to lock up his heart, because she’s never going to hear what he’s trying to tell her without words.

But today, it feels like there’s something more to her words. It feels more than a friend offering another solace and encouragement.

It feels like—

He drops his gaze, then looks up, looking deep into those eyes that have even been visiting him in his dreams. When he smiles, something tugs at his heart, like it usually does whenever he yearns to be more than a friend. “I’ll do the same,” he murmurs.

Always, he adds in his mind, scared to say it out aloud.

A second passes. Then another. Then the third. Why is his frustration rising? Why is an inner voice demanding he bare his heart to her. That it’s today or it can never be.

“I—” Sol blinks, probably realizing they’ve held their eye contact for a bit too long. Is she blushing? Is she searching her mind for something to say? That’s not the girl he knows. His friend is not the type to remain silent for more than a few seconds. Unless she’s asleep, that is. “I—um—” she goes again, then turns away. “I should get back to preparing—”

He grabs her wrist and pulls her back. “That day at the trial,” he says, his desperation to put her confusion to rest clawing at him. “When I was asked who I was looking out for—”

“I understand why you said that,” she softly acknowledges. “She’s had a crush on you since the start of our year. She’s been going through a lot and I can see why—” She tugs away her hand from his grasp. “I should really be going—”

She begins to flee, but he’s in no mood to let her go.

“Not before you hear me out,” he says, his fingers curling around her wrist again. “Sol-ah—”

“You want to look out for Kang Sol B. I get that. I—”

“I simply said Kang Sol,” he gently interrupts. “You assumed it was her.”

“You acknowledged it later,” she complains, referring to when he’d handed out a beverage to her and she’d told him to offer it to her roomie instead.

“I didn’t. I was merely teasing you, Sol-ah.” Expressing his feelings is always a challenge to him, so this is the closest he can get to the truth without a full-blown ‘I like you’ or an ‘I love you’ that always seems to lose its way before getting to his lips. “I've never felt anything more than friendship for Sol-B. We’re just study-mates.”

“Oh,” is the only thing she says.

Just oh? Disappointed, he tries to read her eyes. Is he reading too much into her taking offense to him watching out for her room-mate? But it can't be. That soft pink hue on her cheeks cannot be lying.

“Yah,” he bursts out, impatient, when she remains silent. “I just admitted something huge. Don’t I deserve a better response than just an  oh?”

“Well—” She halts. It appears as if she’s measuring her words. It’s unusual to see the talkative Kang Sol struggling with a conversation. It’s the first time she’s this flustered, and if he’s not awfully mistaken about her feelings, his months of endless pining would soon come to an end. “You’ve always looked out for your friends,” she says, erring on the side of caution. “You’ve always been there for me. It is because of you that I—”

She stops talking when he takes a step closer.

“Joon-Hwi—”

“I don’t want to just look out for you,” he whispers, his lips almost touching hers.

There’s so much he wants to tell her. He wants to stand by her, to hold her hand as she shines in her career. He wants to keep her safe. He wants to promise her the world. And he wants a chance to give it to her. He can draft out a long page to express all he wants to. Or he can simply say it in the sweetest three words a man can say to a woman.

Or—

Before his nerves can ruin this moment and chase it away, he kisses her.

This is the only way he can tell her properly. He allows himself to enjoy the taste of her lips, to feel her as her touch penetrates the remotest corners of his soul. All that has been tormenting him vanishes from his head. It’s just her and her alone, all his problems dismissed into oblivion. His heart speaks to hers. No longer secretly craving her, it skips away frantically with hers, their breaths coming together as their passions become one. This kiss is his longing coming to fruition. Whatever it was that was ignited in him in Yangcrates’ class that day, flares up, rising, wrapping them both in its fiery embrace. That example he’d come up with it: that was a deep desire that had to remain shut, locked up until now until he could finally act on it. It is the dream he’s been dreaming of, night after night.

“Joon-Hwi,” she sighs against his mouth, her arms tightening around him, her hands in his hair, fingertips brushing his neck.

“I never add a suffix to your name because you’re the Kang Sol who matters to me in a way I can't fully explain,” he murmurs, his fingers skimming the column of her neck. “Remember that.”

He tugs at her bun and sets her hair free. His fingers thread through the silky strands, and when he pulls her deeper into the kiss, she breaks into an urgent flutter against his lips, rousing, tempting him. She warms him; he aches even more for her. He crushes his mouth harder against hers, and she responds with a moan, her tongue delightfully caressing his as she devours him with her lust.

He can go on like this. This is life. This is bliss.

But footsteps at a distance interrupt, and they pull apart.

Her breathing’s unsteady. Her flushed lips press together. Her cheeks are the colour of the setting sun. “I should go now,” she whispers, conscious of the state she’s in.

This time Joon-Hwi doesn’t stop her. But as she leaves, he calls out, “Tonight, after dinner, on the grounds.” It’s just past noon, but he’s already looking forward to it. “You and I have a lot to talk about.”

She smiles and nods.

And Joon-Hwi is left gazing after her for long after she’s gone, unable to stop smiling.

[nubreed73]

MCTNA fic rec!

OMG?! Someone new is posting MCTNA fic on the tag and this one is Hwi POV and it's REALLY LOVELY- I consider this a present for me personally!!!

(Locked to AO3 users)

[rhaenys-queenofkhyrulzz]

song that reminds me of mctna

This song gives different vibes throughout so i'm gonna try my best to explain. It's called "Without You" by Ursine Vulpine & Annaca- Extended Version. Personally, this slowed version just makes everything seem more cinematic and powerful. On to the explanation (fair warning, I got a bit carried away).

In the first verse and pre-chorus, it seems as if Seon-ho is the one speaking to Hwi in the first 4 episodes.

If it's gonna get violent tonight Tell me you gonna be alright, you gonna be It's an eye for an eye and I don't know if I want you to fight Want you to fight I'm losing my mind Don't leave me behind We need a bit more time

The first line is Seon-ho's thoughts prior to the military exam while the 2nd is when he's lying helpless on the floor and trying to reach Hwi as he's getting beaten up for calling out the examiner. The rest of the verse takes me to the burning shack confrontation. Seon-ho trying to stop Hwi from fighting further and villanising himself so that Hwi abandons him. That's all he can do. There wasn't enough time to make things better.

The chorus changes the feels a bit though.

'Cause I don't want the world to turn without you And I don't want the sun to burn without you Yeah, I don't want the world to turn without you And I don't want the sun to burn without you

The first line, Seon-ho is still thinking about Hwi but in the second (in my mind at least), he's talking to bang-won (the 'sun' is Hwi obviously). This gives way to some messy ot3 feels where there's a lot of self loathing on Seon-ho's part for wanting both of them but feeling deserving of neither.

The 2nd verse switches pov.

You don't have to be the brave one every time I know you wanna make it right, you wanna make It's a lie for a lie and I'm getting tired on the other side On the other side

I feel like either hwi (canon) or bang-won (in an est. relationship scenario) could say the first 2 lines to Seon-ho. Hwi says the 3rd and 4th lines though. This would take place during the 4 year period in canon when the Nams were using Hwi. Seon-ho keeps on lying to and hiding things from Hwi and Hwi has had enough. For Seon-ho's lies, he now returns with his own: deceiving the Nams and teaming up with bang-won.

Pre-chorus but Hwi's thoughts:

I'm losing my mind Don't leave me behind We need a bit more time Can you hear my cry, an old lullaby drifting through the sky?

The distance between them is driving Hwi insane. What happened to that kind-hearted noble person Seon-ho used to be? Now he's too far away for Hwi to even reach, gone in all the ways that matter. Can Seon-ho even hear Hwi calling out to him? The familiarity they once shared is nothing more than a memory now; an old childhood lullaby, a bedtime story of fantasy that can only be whispered at night. It is a frail thing that, under the harsh light of reality, it will shrivel and burn.

When I tell you this bridge brOKE ME.

So won't you hold me now? Hold me like I've never did anything to hurt you Don't let go Give me another minute to play here in your echo

Major time skip in explanation but bear with me. This can have multiple povs.

The first is seonhwi in the last episode. Imagine them sitting together in the Northern Punitive Force Village trying to reconcile and agreeing to smile more only to flash to Seon-ho in Hwi's arms on the palace grounds. Hwi is holding him and looking down at him with that same devotion and loyalty Seon-ho spent half his life craving again. In that moment, nothing else matters. Hwi is crying because 'don't leave me Seon-ho-ya, not when I've only just gotten you back again'. As Hwi's eyes lock with Hui-jae's, he knows that leaving- moving on- isn't an option for him anymore. He will remain close to Seon-ho in death the way he couldn't in life. Hwi smiles, taking his last minute to hold Seon-ho's limp body- the last echo of him on this earth. He remembers the way Seon-ho's eyes used to crinkle back when they'd run together in the forest, back when he'd stay over with Hwi and Yeon and they'd talk about everything and nothing, drunk on laughter and naivety. He looks now at the peacefully closed eyelids and closes his own.

The second pov is banghwi in the last 2 episodes. By killing Hwi's father, Bang-won doomed their relationship before it even began. And when Bang-won asks Hwi 'why aren't you asking me the reason why?' only to learn that Hwi has decided to disregard his actions all for Seon-ho's sake, he knows it to his core. Hwi will never be Bang-won's. But still, selfishly, he yearns. (<- first 2 lines) In the 3rd lines, Hwi pulls away from Bang-won for Seon-ho's sake and Bang-won can't stop it. In the last line, Bang-won is on the throne. "You did well." With the echo of Hwi's words ringing in his ears, he allows himself this last moment to mourn for Hwi, for losing him by his own hand.

I don't wanna live a life without you I will watch the world burn without you

The 2nd to last line can refer to any of the 3. Seon-ho pov- his life is worth nothing to himself anymore. If he can sacrifice it for Hwi's sake in the hopes that Hwi will live, he will do so in a heartbeat. Hwi pov- Seon-ho is gone and he can't go one without him anymore. Bang-won pov- never has he been one to put his wants before his ideals. He will carry on but will mourn Hwi in his heart, taking his memory with him to his grave.

The last line seems like a good choice in fic if either Hwi or Seon-ho survive and want revenge.

-----------------------------------

Well, that was my explanation. Hope it wasn't too much of me just going off on a tangent. I know it went into fic territory a couple times but hey, it was just more fun to explain like that.

[accidentallyadramablog]

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better

I was tagged by @somewhatavidreader

Three ships

how dare you limit me to three ships! I'm going to add more

OT3 Miw x Neo x Shin (3 Will Be Free)

Hong Ji Ah and Oh In Beom (Sell Your Haunted House)

Han Hong Nan and Song Yi Yeon (Please Come Back Mister)

Yoon Sae Bom and Jung Yi Hyun (TVN's Happiness)

Lee Hwi (Dam-I) and Jung Ji Woon (the King's Affection)

Xiao Lan Hua and Dong Fang Qing Cang (Love Between Fairy and Devil)

Dai Ou Wen and Li Ma Ke (Love is Science)

Phupha and Tian (A Tale of Thousand Stars)

Jung Geum Ja and Yoo Hee Jae (Hyena)

First ship

FitzChivalry Farseer and Beloved (Robin Hobb).

Last song

I just listened to the OST playlist from My School President on my commute home from work. I'm a few episodes behind due to night school, but I can listen to the songs while driving.

Last movie

I watched 20th Century Girl. I was disappointed.

Currently reading

Last month I finished all available books in the Locked Tomb Trilogy (Gideon, Harrow, and Nona) and I'm so excited for the 4th book.

Currently watching

I'm behind on currently airing shows. I'm currently watching Tree with Deep Roots, Crash Course in Romance, & My School President. I've paused Gap the Series and and Never Let Me Go before the halfway mark just because I was watching too many series. I will pick them back up after I finish the ones I'm on now. I really want to watch The Warp Effect and Our Blooming Youth. AND of the western media variety, I am watching Star Trek Strange New Worlds, Ghosts, and I really, really do plan to watch Yellowjackets.

Currently craving

Sleep. Actually Mountain Dew.

Tagging

If you want to play, go for it.

[dailyrugbytoday]

Junior Wallabies vs Argentina - Rugby Championship U20s

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The Daily Rugby

https://thedailyrugby.com/junior-wallabies-vs-argentina-rugby-u20/

Junior Wallabies vs Argentina - Rugby Championship U20s

Junior Wallabies vs Argentina Rugby Championship U20s have named their teams for Round 1 of the TRC U20. Nathan Grey has chosen a 23-man playing group to face Argentina in Thursday’s U20 Rugby Championship opener. Lock Toby Macpherson captains the team, with vice-captain Ronan Leahy playing inside center.

Jack Barrett, who recently made his Super Rugby Pacific debut, tops a front row that includes Bryn Edwards and Tevita Alatini, with Harvey Cordukes joining Macpherson in the engine room.

Aden Ekanayake, an Australian Sevens prospect, joins Reds flanker Joe Liddy and Brumbies number eight Jack Harley in the back row.

Junior Wallabies vs Argentina – Rugby Championship U20s

Australia will face Argentina on Thursday 2 May at Sunshine Coast Stadium (7pm kick off).

The Junior Wallabies vs Argentina U20 rugby match will be shown live and exclusive on Stan Sport.

Time Thu, May 2, 2024, 3:00 PM

Location Sunshine Coast Stadium

Junior Wallabies vs Argentina – Rugby Championship U20s Predictions

Australia performed admirably in the 2023 U20 Rugby World Cup, despite a difficult draw against England and Ireland. Argentina, on the other hand, had a more favorable draw, but faced inconsistent sides in Italy and South Africa.

It could be another tight finish, but I believe Australia will break away late in the game to win by ten or more points.

Australia finished seventh in the 2023 U20 Rugby World Cup.

Australia has won its last two matches, against New Zealand and Wales.

Argentina finished ninth in the 2023 U20 Rugby World Cup.

Argentina won the final two matches of the 2023 U20 Rugby World Cup.

Argentina Pumitas versus Australia:

CORREA , Diego (Club Atlético Estudiantes) 2. VIVAS, Juan Manuel (Los Tordos) 3. RAPETTI, Tomás (Alumni) 4. GARCÍA IANDOLINO, Álvaro (Los Tordos) 5. EFRAÍN, Elías (Jockey Club of Córdoba) 6. PENOUCOS, Juan (Belgrano Athletic) 7. FERNÁNDEZ DE OLIVEIRA, Santos (SIC) 8. BERNASCONI, Juan Pedro (La Plata RC) 9. DI BIASE, Tomás (Deportiva Francaise) 10. DI LUCCA, Santino (La Plata RC) 11. SOLER FILOTY, Valentín (Tala RC) 12. BOCCO, Tomás (Córdoba Athletic) 13. SÁNCHEZ VALAROLO, Faustino (Palermo Bajo) 14. ROSSETTO, Franco (Club Atlético Estudiantes) 15. ELIZALDE, Benjamín (Deportiva Francesa / Tigres RC)

Relacements:  16. CAMERLINCKX, Marcos (Bella Vista Regattas), 17. GARGALLO BAZÁN, Gonzalo (Córdoba Athletic), 18. GALVÁN, Gael (Pucará), 19. ASEVEDO, Luciano (Liceo RC), 20. ROSSI, Julián (RC High School), 21. PODESTÁ, Genaro (Marist RC), 22. FOSSATI, Mateo (Belgrano Athletic), 23. SILVA, Timothy (SIC)

Read more about U20 Rugby Championship Australia U20 vs Argentina U20

Australia U20 team versus Argentina:

1. Jack Barrett (Waratahs)

2. Bryn Edwards (Waratahs)

3. Tevita Alatini (Brumbies)

4. Toby Macpherson (Brumbies – captain)

5. Harvey Cordukes (Brumbies)

6. Aden Ekanayake (Waratahs)

7. Joe Liddy (Reds)

8. Jack Harley (Brumbies)

9. Doug Philipson (Force)

10. Joey Fowler (Rebels)

11. Xavier Rubens (Reds)

12. Ronan Leahy (Force – vice captain)

13. Jarrah McLeod (Brumbies)

14. Will McCulloch (Reds)

15. Shane Wilcox (Brumbies)

Replacements: 16. Nathaniel Tiitii (Waratahs), 17. Tavi Tuipulotu (Rebels), 18. Nick Bloomfield (Reds), 19. Ben Daniels (Reds), 20. Ben Di Staso (Waratahs), 21. Hwi Sharples (Waratahs), 22. Cullen Gray (Brumbies), 23. Angus Staniforth (Brumbies)