#it's really scary to think about how this didn't have to be my life at all... i just feel so lucky because not everybody gets this

[reasonsforhope]

By the way, if you're coming up on graduating soon, whether from middle school or high school or college, there's a very good chance you're stressed and, if you're anything like me, potentially pretty scared about how it's going to go once you're out of the world you know.

So let me offer some words of reassurance:

Growing up is great. I know it's scary and sometimes it sucks, but big picture, I genuinely think growing up is great.

(I say this as someone who had a p Not Fun Time when I was younger, so btw, that's both my bias and also proof that you do NOT have to have had a good childhood/adolescence to enjoy growing up.)

Leaving middle school? Fantastic. One of the greatest blessings of life is no longer being in middle school. At least 95% of adults will agree with me on this. (translation: ages 11-14 in the US)

Leaving high school? A bigger jump, and adulthood has a lot of stuff to figure out, but honestly really nice! The vast majority of adults would also agree with me that "No longer being in high school" is one of the great blessings of life! You just get so much more autonomy, potentially in not having to go to school/do homework and/or just as a newly legal adult. Also, most jobs are both easier and more bullshit than high school, and college is at least way less strict/gives you so much more autonomy/treats you like an adult (translation: ages 14-18 in the US)

(And because I know some of you are like me and definitely wondering: No, you do not have to ask to go to the bathroom or to leave the class in college, and yes, it is glorious.)

Leaving college? A good thing! Next stage in your journey! Yeah, if your college experience didn't suck, you probably have some things you're really gonna be sad to lose, but that's not inherently a bad thing! And if your college experience did suck, then the prize is no longer being in college! And whatever the case, just like for high school, I promise that the vast majority of jobs are both less easier and more bs than being in school (translation: tertiary education, ages = adult, yes this explicitly includes community college and trade school)

Seriously. It might be hard, but there's a very, very good chance things will be easier than you fear. You've got this.

[lyricwritesprose]

Oh, I absolutely believe in Fireworlders, but here's the thing. They may not be malevolent—or not malevolent sometimes, anyway—but they're still scary as hell. You won't see them come, and you won't see them go.

Think about how the universe is set up. A lot of beings believe that there's some transcendent power or creator or other significant entity that created it—and while I'm not of a culture that particularly tries to communicate with that Power, I do see their point. The speed of light might as well be calculated to make it possible to trade and communicate—you can get to the next star in about a year, assuming you have a yellow or orange star and a normal planetary orbit—but it's still going to be a massive inconvenience for would-be conquerors. Hydrogen, the building block of life, is literally everywhere that there is matter. And, here's the big thing: we're more or less on the same time rate.

Listen to me, though: time rate is a function of chemistry.

You got molecules moving at a normal rate, you get animals and plants and others thinking and reacting and growing at a normal speed.

If you could somehow base life on something that was going a lot faster—like, molecules on a planet that's literally on fire—the life would move faster too.

Getting from system to system would take hundreds of their years, but I don't know, I think they've found a way to do it anyway. Normal solar sails would barely count as moving; they'd use something faster. Zip from place to place, barely registering on the fastest sensors, and then only as a blip. They would know about us—strange still beings, frozen in time from their perspective—but we wouldn't have the slightest way to detect them if they didn't deliberately leave messages where we could find them, and even then, what would their idea of a permanent message even look like?

They could even interact with a ship. See a disaster happening, swoop in, tighten exactly the right screws, swoop out—would you know? Or would you just think you'd gotten obscenely lucky? Or, on the other side of things, if they decided to obliterate a ship, it would appear, from our perspective, to just—spontaneously disintegrate. We wouldn't know. Space is dangerous. Things happen.

If we were really in trouble, they might tow a ship back to port at whatever unimaginable speeds they use. Or they might take it somewhere else. Somewhere you don't get back from.

Here's the thing. I think sometimes they've done all of those. Maybe different ones helping and hurting, maybe the same ones but for reasons we can't guess.

Yes, I do have my reasons to believe, but my trade data is a bit empty and my liquids are a bit low. Now, if you could see your way to buying me another one, so I don't have to tell this sober, then I'll happily go on talking…

Most life in the universe only evolves on much colder planets than earth. Most aliens have only ever encountered ice and consider it a mineral. Humans are widely considered a hoax by most biologists, a creature 60% made of molten rock? How absurd.

[mirai-e-jump]

Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger Character Book Final Ignition: Best Bakuage Graffiti Main Cast & Voice Actor Interviews (translations below, long post)

Publication: February 7, 2025

Iuchi Haruhi x Hayama Yuki

"Please tell us about your first impressions of each other, including how they've changed."

Hayama: When we met at the audition, Haruhi and I were seated next to each other, and I thought his voice was so quiet since I couldn't really understand what he was saying (laughs). At that time, the judges started talking to us about our outfits, and then we'd each take turns presenting our fashion points.

Iuchi: Yeah, that happened.

Hayama: When Haruhi was presenting, there was some dust on his left arm (laughs). I wasn't sure what to do, but I thought I'd make a good impression there if I brushed it off for him (laughs), so that's what I did. At the time, I had the impression that Haruhi was a very innocent kid, however…

Iuchi: However?

Hayama: My impression after passing the audition together and him filming as Taiya Hando for a year was that in his private life, he's the youngest who has a gentle, airheaded and healing personality, but once he entered the set and became Taiya, he was someone you could rely on. Throughout the year, I think I finally understood why Haruhi was picked to play the role of Taiya. I also think he's an actor who's careful about when to "switch on and off." I have nothing but respect for that. There are so many things that I've learned from Haruhi!

Iuchi: We had a really good time. I also remember the audition, and I had the impression that Yuki-kun was a "cool looking slender guy." I also felt that he maintained his personal space and seemed abit scary. During the audition, he was really good at playing a cool character, and I thought that was the kind of person he actually was, but…well, he turned out to be the complete opposite (laughs).

Hayama: In other words, you didn't have a good first impression of me, but then it gradually got better?

Iuchi: Yeah (laughs). What I gradually came to understand is that he's someone who loves his role, and would think about various different things he could do for it. Without any hesitation, he'll say, "I love Ishiro," which I think is a wonderful thing.

"Next, let's talk about your roles…generally speaking, both Taiya and Ishiro can be classified as cool types. Did you have meetings or share opinions with each other on how to differentiate between the two?"

Hayama: We never discussed how to make a difference like that.

Iuchi: We didn't. When we were acting on set, we'd talk about things like, "I want to do this scene like this, can we try it?," but we never talked about how to make sure our characters didn't resemble each other.

Hayama: At a glance, both Taiya and Ishiro look cool, but Taiya's the charismatic type who moves forward and says, "Follow me." Ishiro however isn't the type to try and lead the Boonboomger members by himself, but is the type to just pull along those who are behind him, he's instead more interested in supporting Taiya Hando, the person who fell in love with him. The coolness of being his right hand man, or rather, the quality of his coolness is different. I'm sorry for talking about Taiya like this for my own gain, but that's what I think.

"Taiya and Ishiro are a pair that have had alot of dialogue together, but which scenes in particular were most memorable?"

Iuchi: The flashback scene from when Taiya and Ishiro first met. There was a small one in Bakuage 2, with the proper one being depicted in Bakuage 29, but since they hadn't become friends yet at that time, I was conscious of my gaze and voice so that he wouldn't look like the usual Taiya. Ishiro also had eyes that didn't trust him at all. Aside from that scene, the only person Taiya sees before him is his friend Ishiro, so it felt pretty rare. In that sense, it left a lasting impression on me.

Hayama: It'd probably be the last scene in Bakuage 37, when we're on the rooftop. The exchange of, "As expected, the one I fell in love with never fails me," and "Cranked up, isn't it?" It was very fitting. Director Hayama's direction was stylish. The Director was grinning when he told us, "(whispering) Let's go in a sweet direction" (laughs). Also, I got goosebumps in this episode when Taiya was talking with the "fake Ishiro." He didn't make eye contact with him even once.

Iuchi: Yeah, they were completely out of sync.

Hayama: I was impressed by the detailed setup. When fake Ishiro touches the computer console to activate the system, Haruhi kept looking down. I thought, "He's angry~" (laughs). Still, when I looked at the footage, I could see that although he looks like Ishiro, he perceives him as a stranger, and I learned alot from the way he used those expressions. Also in Bakuage 37, there was something that Haruhi suggested to me. For the "I trust him (shinjiteru)" line between Taiya and Ishiro, we say it at the same time towards the end, but in the script it was originally "I trust in him (shinjiteiru)." It's not an unnatural word for these two to say, but I thought it'd be more appropriate if the "i" was left out, and since Haruhi thought the same thing, we decided to change it to "I trust him." That also left an impression on me. (*it's the same meaning, but the one they went with is casual while the original is formal speech)

"In Bakuage 43, Ishiro betrayed them, and in Bakuage 47, it was revealed that it was a plan to defeat Waruido Spindo. How did you feel about that kind of development happening towards the very end of the show?"

Iuchi: I thought it was interesting. It's good when the story advances without a hitch, but since Super Sentai is a team hero production, it's exciting when the story has the team fall apart atleast once, and then has them overcome their differences in order to strengthen the bonds between them. I thought it'd be exciting for the viewers to see that happen in the final stages of the story, and we were also excited to perform it.

"What were you mindful of with that development?"

Hayama: Before filming began, Director Nakazawa told me to "trust Taiya 100%," so I continued to perform with that same unchanging trust. No matter what words Ishiro uses, Taiya's able to fully grasp what he says, so I wasn't concerned about trying to include any hidden meanings.

Iuchi: What I was conscious of was to make sure that the viewers wouldn't figure it out. Taiya knows what Ishiro's trying to do, but if he doesn't go along with things, the enemy will find out. It was difficult trying to find the right balance there. One way of putting it is I had to trust my friend while simultaneously looking into the eyes of the enemy…I was curious to see how Ishiro would act since there were so many characters involved. Then, when I saw the footage during the recording session, I saw the expression on Ishiro's face and thought it was really good. Because of Bakuage 37's "I trust him" line, I thought, "It's alright, Ishiro won't betray us," but he had a really evil look on his face, so I started to have some concerns. After the truth was revealed in Bakuage 47, I wanted to rewatch Bakuage 43 to see the expression on Ishiro's face, and I hope that all the viewers do so as well.

"Are there any scenes that you'll never forget due to them being difficult or painful?"

Iuchi: In the very beginning, I had a hard time making Taiya look mature. The age of Taiya's character is older than I actually am, and even Director Nakazawa, who directed Bakuage 1-3, told me to be more mature. As the story progressed, it was Bakuage 45 and 46. It's right after Ishiro betrays him and Boonboom is taken out. I wondered how I would present Taiya, who's now totally different from before after unleashing his raw emotions, and how far I should let him "fall." He hasn't fallen to the dark side, but he's being consumed by dark feelings. Still, I thought that if I expressed things too negatively, it would stray too far from Taiya, and with such positive lines like, "I have no regrets" and "I trust him," I had to keep the passion burning. On set, there were some parts that required many takes, so it was still difficult.

Hayama: I had alot of trouble with Bakuage 14's aquarium episode. I remember it took me awhile to understand Ishiro's feelings during the first flashback scene, and the scene in the beginning where he's watching the sea lion show. I know I shouldn't be judgmental, but normal people don't cry when they see fish, right?

Iuchi: Well, yeah, that's true (laughs).

Hayama: At the time of Bakuage 14, Ishiro's foundation had yet to be completely solidified and was still being explored, and then the setting of him crying at the aquarium was added. I was confused with, "What do you mean by crying?"

"As a spy, Ishiro must've had a tough life up to that point, so much so that it'd be hard for those with normal perspectives to grasp it. In the flashback scene, he was covered with scars."

Hayama: Yeah, his body jolts from the slightest sounds. I felt pressure because I knew that I couldn't compromise this scene, as it would lead to the present day Ishiro. I was incredibly nervous right up until the start of filming. No, I wasn't nervous, I was scared. I felt that if things didn't go well here, it would affect the future of the show. He's usually cool, but feels relaxed when looking at fish, however, if he laughs too much, then that's not Ishiro. I had alot of trouble making adjustments. One more thing I'd like to mention is the scenes with Horibe Keisuke-san's Tokoyari Eiichiro, which started to increase around Bakuage 29. It was a valuable and rewarding experience for me to work with a veteran actor, but the pressure almost overwhelmed me. However, if I was overcome by Horibe-san's presence, the footage would look as if Ishiro was intimidated by Tokoyari. At the same time, it wouldn't be good if I were overly confident. Making those adjustments was also difficult.

"In this character book, the six Boonboomger members are divided into three pairs, and each pair will be asked to talk about another pair. We'd like to ask you about Suzuki Miu-san and Saito Ryu-san. It can be about your impressions of them in their private lives or as actors."

Hayama: I was impressed with how quick of a learner Ryu was with action. He practiced diligently, but he was able to handle it well from the very beginning. In his private life however, he's the youngest just like Haruhi, so his smile is absolutely adorable. There are all sorts of gaps with him. From the point of view of someone the same age, what do you think?

Iuchi: Him just being there brightened up the set. I'd talk when I had to, but there were also times where I'd just sit around without talking (laughs). With Ryu however, he'd always be talking with a smile on his face.

Hayama: He'd talk right up until the "get ready!" yell to start filming was heard. I'd occasionally get angry at him for that (laughs). But that's also one of Ryu's specialties, as it makes everyone around him feel at ease.

Iuchi: Miu-chan has…a broad perspective.

Hayama: She really does, doesn't she? She's always looking at her surroundings.

Iuchi: She tells us what she notices and will bring everyone together. Thanks to her, I feel that I've enjoyed my work.

Hayama: This is just my assumption, as she never said anything like this to us, but among the six Boonboomger cast members, she's the only female member. I think the five of us were able to consult with each other because we were all male, while on the opposite end, I'm sure that there may have been things that Miu-chan wanted to consult with us about but couldn't. However, she'd never show any signs like that and would always keep the set in harmony. She's a tolerant and incredible person. And, she's the same as Mira too, don't you think?

Iuchi: She really is.

Hayama: If you asked me, "Which part of her?," I'd say it's everything.

Iuchi: Ryu and Jou also have some parts that overlap between them, but Miu-chan seems to be Mira herself.

"You've been working with these friends to create this production, but what did you learn from your role throughout the year? In addition, how do you feel you've grown as actors?"

Hayama: I was tasked with a role that I would continue to play for a year, and it's an experience that I may not be able to replicate in the future, where I can take the time to develop my role. I was also able to perform action scenes and learned alot of things that can only be learned on a set like this, such as the unique way tokusatsu productions are filmed. More specifically, there's a Director, Cameraman, lighting crew, sound team, costume designers, makeup team, artists, and so on…I'm embarrassed to say that I now have a better understanding for the reason why these types of work are divided up. I want to continue to be an actor, and for that reason I learned some valuable basics. Honestly, I don't know if my acting has improved. That's for the people around me to judge. However, I have grown in the sense that I've learned the basics and gained a real feel for what acting is like.

Iuchi: Since this was my first time filming a drama, I didn't know how to ask questions or express my opinions even if I had questions or didn't understand something. To begin with, I thought anything I'd say would be wrong. However, the Director would ask me what I thought, and I learned that it was okay to look at all my costars and voice my opinion. I learned the basics of how to act on a set, and it was a fulfilling year for me.

"This book will be released before the final episode. What are some highlights of the final episode and your message to the fans who have supported the show for the past year?"

Hayama: There's the final battle with the Hashiriyan boss, Waruido Spindo…or rather, that's the main thing, as the battle scenes are a bigger highlight, but I think you'll enjoy it even more if you pay attention to how each character spends the final episode, or rather, how they're portrayed. And! There's also some highlights for BoonBlue, played by myself and Suit Actor Yoneoka Takahiro-san, so I hope that you'll pay attention to that.

Iuchi: Thank you for loving Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger and all of us in the cast. The Super Sentai series will continue into the future, so I hope you'll enjoy that as well. I also hope that you'll be interested in the actors of Boonboomger's cast and continue to support us. I'd be grateful if you'd keep an eye on us and see how we progress. _

Suzuki Miu x Saito Ryu

"What were your first impressions of each other?"

Suzuki: Ryu-kun was sitting near me during the final audition…I think Haruhi-kun, Yuki-kun and Satorun were also there, right?

Saito: Yeah

Suzuki: Out of everyone, Ryu-kun in particular left an impression on me. This is because I had fun doing our performance together. We played the roles of Mira and Jou respectively, but Ryu-kun was beyond perfect for a role like Jou. My first impression was that this person would without a doubt be selected. In addition, he talked about how confident he was in his muscles at the audition, and someone had to stop him when he suddenly said, "Can I take my clothes off?!" (laughs). I was also impressed by his eager attitude, which still hasn't changed.

Saito: The only impression I had of Miu-chan was ramen (laughs). When the topic of liking ramen came up during the audition, Miu-chan told the Producer that she "likes well arranged and beautiful looking ramen," but the Producer, who liked hearty ramen with tons of ingredients, replied to her with, "That doesn't sit well with me" (laughs). Still, I thought she had good communication skills, as she was able to skillfully respond to them and their conversation went on naturally. After that, when we were both selected to appear and were set to meet for the first time, Miu-chan arrived alittle late.

Suzuki: Yeah, I was.

Saito: All four of us guys were there, and as we were all thinking, "I wonder who this last person is?," Miu-chan arrived and I was like, "It's the ramen person!" (laughs).

Suzuki: That's how you remembered me? (laughs).

Saito: I think this happened after that, during costume fitting. Miu-chan came to our dressing room and asked, "Should we go out for a meal together?" Up to that point, us four guys hadn't been communicating well, as we had just been glancing at each other to see things would play out, but thanks to Miu-chan, we all started talking to each other. People tend to say that the Boonboomger cast get along well with each other, and I believe it's thanks to Miu-chan.

Suzuki: That makes me happy!

"It may be similar to her relationships depicted in the show. Mira treats everyone equally and doesn't distance herself from any of the other members."

Suzuki: I don't think that Mira and myself are as similar as people say, but after listening to what Ryu-kun said, I guess I might be abit like Mira. I definitely thought that I approached everyone pretty aggressively (laughs).

Saito: Still, I was really grateful for that personally. Haruhi's the same age as me, so I felt somewhat at ease with him. Satoru-kun's eight years older than me, while Yuki-kun's three years older than me, so I wasn't sure how I should treat them. Well, as you can see, we're now talking to each other on a first name basis.

"Soma-san and Miyazawa-san said that they were constantly teased by the younger members."

Suzuki: It's because of the tolerance those two have. It was helpful.

Saito: I went to Satoru-kun's place yesterday and ate some oden.

"Didn't you visit him just the other day?"

Saito: At that time, I did muscle training at my place and then went to Satoru-kun's place for a meal. He had asked me, "I've got some extra food, do you want to come over?" I don't have to worry about who I'm with now that I've gotten along so well with everyone.

"Both Mira and Jou are neither wealthy nor aliens, they're both ordinary people who share a common perspective, but did you ever feel that your characters were similar to each other?"

Saito: They're similar in that they both have an honest way of thinking. Another similarity would be that they don't know anything (laughs). They both didn't know the secrets that everyone else shared or sensed.

Suzuki: Neither of them ever made deductions (laughs). Also, they're similar in the way they expressed their feelings in a straightforward manner. However, since Jou's a police officer, I think he had a greater sense of responsibility as a member of society compared to Mira, and I think he's a character who had the belief of "I'm a police officer" at his core.

"Because of that, his decision to quit being a police officer in Bakuage 46 carried alot of weight."

Suzuki: He said, "If I can't help those who are screaming, then I'll quit being a police officer." Since the viewers saw how things unfolded up to that point, they know what he did wasn't a reckless decision.

Saito: Quitting being a police officer is a big decision for Jou, so I consulted with Director Hayama and thought about it as I performed. But then there was the line, "I don't have to be a police officer to protect those who need protecting." It's true, being a police officer is just a profession, and you can quit and still protect citizens. I felt like that line represented Jou's growth.

"Can you tell us what you think is great about each other as actors?"

Suzuki: Ryu-kun's honesty and pureness overlaps with Jou's passion, which is very emotionally appealing. The episodes with scenes of Jou being emotionally charged are all excellent. I thought the Keytarou episode (Bakuage 15) in particular was a divine episode. I cried.

Saito: What I admire about Miu-chan is her ability to instantly change the atmosphere of the scene. In the scene where Boon-chan talks about his past at the Deliverer's garage, and the scene where everyone talks after Boon-chan is defeated by Spindo, the atmosphere instantly changed when Mira said her lines. When Miu-chan spoke, it tugged at my heartstrings. The atmosphere changing also made it easier for me to perform.

Suzuki: I'm glad. Alright, here's one more wonderful thing about Ryu-kun. Expressing your emotions is naturally important, but since this is a hero production, I think it's important to look like a hero in the footage and to learn how to use your body for that purpose. In the beginning, Suit Actor and Action Director Jun-san taught me how to stand like a hero, and told me to learn how to use my body throughout the year. People have said that my movements look stiff (bitter smile), but Ryu-kun uses his body well, and his movements are sharp and cool. When you look at the footage, he's able to do movements that'll make you think, "Ah, he's a hero!" without even realizing it. That's why I consulted with Ryu-kun when I was set to get up from a crawling position after being attacked by an enemy. I'd ask him how I should angle my legs so that they don't look awkward, and how to stand up so that I look like a hero. He's like my nearby Action Director.

Saito: It's not that big of a deal, but I've loved heroes since I was little and used to play pretend. It may be ingrained in my body.

Suzuki: You've been practicing alot of action moves lately. You even did a forward somersault.

Saito: I practiced under the teachings of all the Action Team members, but they were good at giving me compliments. They'd give advice like, "That was good! But, you could do it abit more like this." I felt motivated by their encouragement.

Suzuki: His motivation is amazing! It doesn't matter what it's for. I know he's probably thinking that it could be useful in the future, but he practices action all the time, even after filming finishes, so I respect him for that.

Saito: Miu-chan would ask the Director detailed questions during postrecording. Things like, "What kind of CG effects will be used?" and, "What kind of attack will be shown that knocks me down?" As a professional, she never left out any details. I tended to act based on whatever came to my imagination, but Miu-chan listened to what the Director said, and she thoroughly incorporated it into her work as set tasks.

Suzuki: That makes me happy. I wish we could hold these kinds of "mutual praise meetings" atleast once a month (laughs).

Saito: They'd really increase our motivation! (laughs).

"Please list some memorable scenes of each other's character. We got the impression that Mira and Jou were often together at the Deliverer's garage. When Boonboom Marine and Boonboom Safari were activated in Bakuage 13, Mira said, "Let's see who can get the approval first," to which Jou agreed."

Suzuki: There were definitely alot of scenes like that.

Saito: We were given alot of freedom, as the Director's instructions were sometimes as simple as, "They're both really excited" (laughs). Then we'd talk about what we were going to do and act it out.

Suzuki: The beginning of Bakuage 25 left an impression on me. After Jou said, "The firework festival is finally tonight" we were instructed to "make it look like they're both having fun," so we did some cheering and went, "Boom boom" (laughs).

Saito: Another memorable scene was when Mira's tears fell onto Nicola's pendant in the warehouse during Bakuage 45. I couldn't see Miu-chan's face from where I was standing, but I knew that she was crying the moment she started speaking. And, when they got the take, I saw that she had real tears in her eyes. I had a really hard time trying to cry during the Keytarou episode. Miu-chan however was able to cry immediately.

Suzuki: No, it was because we shot that scene atleast 3 times. The first time we shot it, I still hadn't sorted out my emotions, so I thought that I wouldn't cry, but the instant they got the final take, Ryu-kun turned to me to check my face (laughs). I felt that Ryu-kun was acting pretty childish (laughs).

Saito: I'm sorry. I was just so curious.

Suzuki: At that time, Mira was looking at Taiya, but due to the angle, Taiya wasn't in frame, so the scene was just of me. Haruhi-kun was still there performing with me, and he gave me some great facial expressions. Without him there, I'm sure that I wouldn't have been able to cry.

"In this book, we'll also have you talk about the pairs featured in the other interviews. We'd like to ask you about your impressions of Soma Satoru-san and Miyazawa Yu-san as actors, along with some behind the scenes stories about filming. First, please start with Soma-san."

Suzuki: Satorun positioned himself as the silly one, making us laugh with his ridiculous jokes, but when we'd borrow his scripts to check his lines, he wrote detailed notes on every page, stuff like, "I think this is what Genba's feeling at this moment." During the time he took on the appearance of Genbard in Bakuage 27, he was watching the monitor closely as Suit Actor Ono-san performed as BoonOrange after transforming. He was trying to get into character as Ono-san did his role so that they'd overlap. An attitude like that is something I want to emulate as an actor.

Saito: Well then, I'll tell you about his private life. His room is very clean (laughs). He doesn't have much stuff. He's a good cook, and he has his own particular way of thinking, which he's uncompromising and thorough about. I think that comes out in his acting. That being said, he's usually calm and kind.

Suzuki: He's in the top three of kindest people I've ever met in my life.

"What about Miyazawa-san?"

Suzuki: I guess you could say that Zawa-kun's a level headed person. He treats both his superiors and those younger than him with the same attitude. When we'd go out for a meal after filming finished, he'd give us advice like, "For that scene, it would've been good if it was done like this, don't you think?"

Saito: He's a big bro you can count on. When I was alone with Zawa-nii, he'd never tell me what he thought of my performance, but when I requested it by saying, "Tell me what you thought," he'd give his opinion with, "That part was good, but I think this part could've been better…" I can tell that he's doing this job because he loves acting, as what he says is always precise.

Suzuki: It's easily understandable, isn't it?

Saito: It's like he's "Google" Sensei (laughs). He's able to teach me anything. Also, he's really good at making keema curry (laughs).

Suzuki: I can't imagine him doing detailed work like that (laughs).

Saito: That's why I had jokingly said to him, "You can't make meals that look like this" (laughs).

"And now finally, please tell us about the highlights of Bakuage 48's final episode, as well as a message to the fans who have supported you for the past year."

Saito: The part in Bakuage 47 where they stop Mira and Spindo's wedding deeply moved me. The scene is like a homage to Bakuage 1, but in Bakuage 1, only Taiya showed up at the wedding hall, in Bakuage 47 however, all of her friends rush in. I think it once again depicted how the Boonboomgers have grown over the past year and what kind of team they've become. From there, the final episode will be about how they'll defeat Spindo. I think many people are wondering what'll happen to the Sanseaters, and of course what'll happen to the Boonboomgers, so I hope that you'll watch and see where each and everyone one of them ends up. It's meant to be the next episode after Mira's wedding was stopped…but even though it's the final episode, I think of it as the second episode, or the beginning of a season 2.

Suzuki: I have a message for all the fans. Thank you so much for your support over the past year. When I first heard the title Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger, I thought it'd be a happy, cheerful, and energetic Super Sentai, and it definitely was just that. But that's not all, as I think that the viewers enjoyed things such as what each character had been carrying on their backs and the type of justice they wanted to uphold, as well as the depiction of the human drama, one which you wouldn't expect based off the show's title. And…(she turns to Saito), is there anything else you'd like to say?

Saito: Tons of people came to the events, and it became a hot topic on SNS, with words related to Boonboomger trending after each broadcast, so there were alot of people who liked it. I'm glad that I was able to be apart of such a production. Or rather, that's what Miu-chan wanted to say (laughs).

Suzuki: (laughs). I'm happy that this production was so well loved. _

Soma Satoru x Miyazawa Yu

"What were your first impressions of each other?"

Soma: That he was "the most intimidating guy" (laughs). His appearance left an impression on me, and I think the other members felt that way too, but still, I thought he looked scary.

Miyazawa: Did you think I was gonna yell at you? (laughs).

Soma: However, my impression changed when I actually got to know him, as he was overflowing with kindness and consideration for others.

Miyazawa: Thank you (laughs). When I first met Satoru, I thought he was a "fluffy" person. My first impression of him was that he "seemed kind and had some soft vibes," and that still hasn't changed. It's like he's Buddha. He's always smiling.

Soma: Thank you.

"You two are the oldest out of the main cast members, so did you take on the role of being their big brothers on set?"

Miyazawa: They knew we were the oldest, and yet they mistreated us, isn't that right?

Soma: (he immediately takes over) That's right. I think we were the top two when it came to being teased. Well, I do think it's good that the younger cast members were able to be so carefree.

"If it's just between the two of you, who's the funny guy and who's the straight man?"

Miyazawa: I'm totally the funny guy, right? (laughs).

Soma: It's either hit or miss with you (laughs).

Miyazawa: The two of us are together quite often, wouldn't you say? We go to bathhouses together. We're easy going people. On days when we finished filming in the morning and had free time in the afternoon, we'd go to an onsen and enjoy the ganbanyoku.

"Now then, we'd like to ask about your impressions of each other as actors."

Soma: When it was time to screw around, Zawa-kun would screw around. When it was time to perform, he was completely focused. There was a clear contrast between the two, which made me feel like I had to act the same. He has alot of experience, is passionate about acting, and has a wide range of skills, so there was much to learn from him. When I saw Zawa-kun's performance, I thought, "I see, so that's how he expresses it. If that's the case, then I'll do it like this," and from there, I begin to think about things more thoroughly.

Miyazawa: The atmosphere changed tremendously when it was revealed that Genba was an alien and left Boonboomger in Bakuage 27. What I felt most at that time was that Satoru was thinking deeply about the role of Genba Bureki, and how to convey the character of Genba to the viewers. He would discuss things with the Director, including how to express himself, and wrote alot of notes in the script. Those around him were inspired by that, and it caused them to bring out the best in their own performance, so I'm very grateful to him for that. Being able to work together with him made me happy.

"We got the impression that Genba had alot of scenes with Sakito during his withdrawal, but when filming scenes with just the two of you, would you discuss things beforehand?"

Miyazawa: We'd talk about what we were going to say, but we didn't want to force it. We didn't talk about specifics like, "I want to take it in this direction, so here's what I'm going to do," but rather, how I would respond to the Genba that Satoru had in mind. I wondered what kind of expressions he'd use and how I'd respond to them.

Soma: That kind of attitude was very important to me. When I spoke my lines, I'd carefully watch how Zawa-kun responded to them, and if he responded to them in "this way," then I'd "go with this." We made it a point to express exactly what we were feeling while acting.

Miyazawa: Our characters didn't exactly have a close relationship with each other, so I think we had to explore them even more.

"When it comes to memorable scenes involving Genba and Sakito…"

Miyazawa: It's the sumo match during Bakuage 32.

Soma: Yeah. I'm sure some of the viewers watching may have been thinking, "Why sumo here?" (laughs). It was hot during that shoot, and we had to use every muscle in our body when performing, so it was difficult, but it also brought out more emotion in us, which made it easier to get into it.

Miyazawa: We got so into it that we ended up getting brain fog (laughs).

Soma: We were like, "What do we do next again?" (laughs).

Miyazawa: We were both sweating so much, that we could squeeze out the sweat that had soaked into our clothes. It was really hot, in part because we were standing on concrete. Still, even after Genba left Boonboomger, Sakito would often show up in front of him just to mess with him, so that sumo match left a strong impression on me due to the fact that it was the only time they both seriously discussed their feelings with each other. Up to that point, Sakito had been saying some nuanced things in order to get him to return to Boonboomger, but Genba wouldn't listen. Then, Nijino Akira appeared and they decided to wrestle, and he was finally able to express his true feelings in a straightforward way.

Soma: It's because Sakito kept digging into him that Genba was also able to vent his frustrations. He left Boonboomger to not get them involved in his plans for revenge, and even though he wanted to go back, he couldn't let himself do it. But when Sakito, whose sense of distance is different compared to the other four told him, "Quit being stubborn and just go back to them," he was able to once again validate his feelings. I think it was a big deal for Genba, as he was able to do it once he truly spoke his mind.

"Speaking of, Soma-san was told from the beginning that Genba was an alien, right?"

Soma: Yeah. Still, all they said to me was, "We want you to be aware of it, but we don't want to make it obvious, so we may make small mentions of it in future lines." In the beginning, they apparently hadn't decided on the development of his withdrawal, and I wasn't informed of his Burekiian form until shortly before it was set to happen. Then he was removed from the opening credits…

Miyazawa: Seems like it was pretty intricate.

"Another time the two of you were featured together was in Bakuage 41's soccer episode."

Miyazawa: We were very grateful for that. I was happy that there was an episode where the two of us were the main characters. Since we're both experienced soccer players, we were invited to participate in a collaboration event with Shimizu S-Pulse in September 2024. After that, Producer Kuji-san said to us, "We can probably include a soccer episode somewhere."

Soma: I had the opportunity to meet head character designer Shimamoto-san, and at that time I told him how I'd "like to do a soccer episode." At that time, I was just talking about my desires, but then it became a reality.

Miyazawa: During filming, we had our first experience with napalm explosions in the scene where flames rise up from behind us while we were dribbling the ball. We kicked the ball in the shoes of the Boonboomger suit, which are usually worn by the Suit Actors.

Soma: It was hard to kick with them (laughs).

Miyazawa: The top of the shoes are large, which made it difficult to catch the ball. However, as expected of Satoru, he was able to do "keepy uppies."

Soma: No, no, it was still difficult with the napalm.

Miyazawa: The path also had quite abit of gravel.

Soma: I was worried that the ball would bounce and that our dribbling would become out of sync, but we managed to pull it off somehow. If I was going to be involved in a tokusatsu production, I wanted to experience napalm, so it was a good experience for me.

"What's the most memorable scene that doesn't involve Genba and Sakito together?"

Soma: In Bakuage 18, when Taiya says, "I can hear Sakito's screams" Sakito responds with, "I hate it. Guys like you who sugarcoat crap." Him being able to express his true feelings left an impression on me. I love that scene. I'll often rewatch it just to see Sakito's expression.

Miyazawa: I liked the scene in Bakuage 33, where Genba goes to the Deliverer's garage while everyone else is away and stares at the Champion Jacket that Shirabe-san hands him. But, the best scene was the last scene in Bakuage 26, where he confronts Disrace and jumps at him. Genba exploded with the emotions that he had kept bottled up, and it left a huge impact on me, as the impression I had of his character changed all at once in that scene. The atmosphere Satoru created was completely different from the previous scenes.

"When you feel that kind of change, the atmosphere of the cast members around you also changes, right?"

Miyazawa: Yes. What I thought was amazing about everyone is that when it came to scenes that were important to someone else, or scenes that depicted strong emotions, they'd think about the actor who would be performing in those scenes.

Soma: We all create an atmosphere where we could concentrate, right?

Miyazawa: It was a truly wonderful set.

"We'd like to ask you about your role in the scene where you jump at Disrace."

Soma: Genba had never really shown his emotions up until that point, but after hearing about the appearance of Disrace, his destined rival, I wanted to show a contrast in his personality. This is why I was conscious of having more fun performing in the episodes that had comedic elements, such as in Bakuage 21, in which he calls himself the "candy detective."

"Were there any scenes that were difficult for you to perform, or that you felt helped you grasp your role better?"

Miyazawa: Sakito's a character who tends to be loud and childish, but he's also quite sensitive, so I found those parts of my role as a good challenge. However, I think that how he understood people's emotions and how he expressed what he was feeling was a theme I struggled with until the very end. Like in the scenes that involved Genba, or towards the end of the show, when everyone was in shock over Ishiro's betrayal, only Sakito expressed his anger. I tried to be conscious of that when performing.

Soma: I wasn't able to express my emotions until about halfway through the show, so I sometimes wondered whether it'd be better to suppress my expressions "here" or not, but if I suppressed them too much, nothing would be conveyed, so I guess you could say I struggled with that. However, after separating from his friends and coming back, I changed it to show alittle more emotion. The turning point of the story also became a switch to change up my performance.

Miyazawa: Can I add one more thing? Rather than myself, there's a scene where I felt that Sakito had grown. It's the scene in episode 45, where he's harshly critical towards the citizens. When Bundorio was defeated and everyone looked down on the Boonboomgers as the enemies of Earth, he shouts, "Didn't the Boonboomgers save you?" and, "I won't tolerate you guys calling them villains!" If it had been Sakito from around Bakuage 18, he would've never said that. He left Earth once, but now he loves his Boonboomger friends who he met on Earth, which is the reason why he spoke so sharply against the citizens. That was really passionate.

"Since you've brought up the topic of character growth, do you feel that you yourself have grown over the past year?"

Soma: I feel that I have. It's not often that you get to work on the same production for a whole year, so it was great to be able to experience that. In the past, I was often led by my seniors, but in this production, I was working with people who were younger than me, so I felt that I had to be more reliable, and I think I've grown in that I've become more aware of the need to lead others.

Miyazawa: I learned alot in the very beginning, such as how to behave towards cast members on set, and I think it'll definitely be to my advantage on the next set I participate in. As for my performance, I only joined midway through, but even so, it was a rare experience to play the same role for more than half a year, so I felt that I've gained alot from it, and that I'll make use of it in my next job.

"This book will feature interviews between three pairs. We'd like you to talk about the changes you've seen in the Iuchi Haruhi-san and Hayama Yuki-san pair over the past year. What do you think?"

Soma: First, Haruhi became more responsible as Red as the show progressed, and he consulted with the Director more frequently about his performance, so I could tell that his confidence was improving. In the beginning, I had the impression that he was timid, but in a good way, he started insisting on doing things his own way, and in the latter half of the show, the number of times he asked for advice increased, which made me happy.

Miyazawa: Well then, I'll talk about Blue's Yuki. He was always thinking about the role of Ishiro Meita, and he would perfectly embody that role on set. He made us realize just what kind of person Ishiro is. That's what I like about him. On the other hand, in private, he's got abit of a junior like quality to him, which makes me want to look after him (laughs). Still, he's got his own opinions, and could say what he needed to say to his seniors. That's the kind of thing that helped us out too. I'm confident that he'll continue to absorb alot of things from now on and become a wonderful actor.

"This book will be released just before the final episode airs. What are some highlights of the final episode and your message to the fans who have supported you over the past year?"

Miyazawa: The highlight will be the final battle of course, but also what'll happen with the Big Bang Grand Prix, which Taiya and the others have been aiming for, and what'll happen to Sakito. All I can say is that it's gonna be hot! I think it's because he became friends with the Boonboomgers and spent time with everyone that this is what happens. I hope you'll look forward to it.

Soma: Yes, that's exactly right (laughs). Now that all the highlights have been said, I have a message. Tons of people have watched the show and visited our events over the past year. Multiple people commented on SNS, which made me realize every day that this show was loved by so many people, and I can only be grateful for the happiness I felt. After the final episode airs, I hope you'll be immersed in a sense of Boonboomger loss…although, it's strange to wish for loss (laughs).

Hashiyasume Atsuko

"There's only one episode left in the story, but please tell us again what your impressions were when it was decided that you'd play the role of Saibu Shirabe, as well as some of the things you discussed with the Directors and Producers about your character's image."

Hashiyasume: I don't think there were many requests for me to "do things like this." When I first received the script and read it, the impression I got was that she seemed cool and cold, but as I read further, I learned about her interesting parts and unexpected side, and realized that she was a woman with an incredible gap in her personality. I had a feeling she'd become more involved with all the Boonboomgers in the future, so I decided to keep her cool image during the beginning, but as the story progressed, I played the role with the hope that she'd slowly warm up to everyone and that tensions would gradually melt away like ice.

"That kind of gap was wonderful for Shirabe, don't you think? How did you decide to act out the cute part of her that radiates love for Boonboom?"

Hashiyasume: Every time I'd go to the set, I had my own image in mind of what I wanted to do, but when I actually did it, the Director would give me advice like, "Wouldn't it be cuter if you did it alittle more like this?" (laughs). I think this part is where I got the most advice on my performance.

"Can you give us some examples of the advice you received?"

Hashiyasume: The Director himself gave form to these ideas by saying things like, "I think you should act more head over heels with Boon-sama" or, "Move your body more like this!" (laughs). The direction was that it was "fine to make it more exaggerated" than what I had in mind. The Director also suggested the scene where I become excited with Boon-sama and spin around while saying, "Alright!," and so, Boon-sama and Shirabe spun around in circles together (laughs). This was how new ideas like that were created on set.

"Was there anything memorable regarding your performance with Boonboom?"

Hashiyasume: In the film "Promise the Circuit," there's a scene where Shirabe's leaning against Boon-sama underneath the shade of a tree, but I think I wanted to be embraced by him more softly…(laughs). No, he was naturally embracing me with his gentle heart!

"Hashiyasume-san, have your feelings toward Boonboom changed over the year?"

Hashiyasume: Shirabe was smitten with Boon-sama from the moment they met, so I personally didn't stop loving him throughout the year. Of course, it was Boon-sama who was on my phone background, Boon-sama who I talked to the most, and I was even jealous of Belora (laughs). From beginning to end, I've always loved Boon-sama, and my feelings haven't changed for the past year!

"This is Hashiyasume-san's first time taking on the challenge of working on a tokusatsu production. We guess you haven't had much opportunity to get involved with tokusatsu up until now…"

Hashiyasume: I naturally knew about the Super Sentai series, but I never thought I'd be cast for it, so I was very surprised.

"But since this was your first time participating in a tokusatsu production, we're sure you must've been surprised by tons of things, no?"

Hashiyasume: That's true. I was surprised to see more CG than I was expecting. In Bakuage 39, there's a scene where Shirabe gets into the Boonboom Car by herself to deliver the Changer to Taiya, and it was only then that I finally learned that the back of the Boonboom Cars were CG (laughs). Shirabe was often at the ISA headquarters or Taiya's house, so I'd often find out when something irregular was done, and there were many moments when I thought, "This was CG too! Modern technology is amazing!"

"It seems like you noticed something every time you filmed."

Hashiyasume: Everything felt fresh. This is exactly why I was so surprised when I learned of the existence of Suit Actors, because at first, I really thought it was the actors themselves who were fighting. I have no doubt that this was obvious to all the fans, but there were so many things that I didn't know about. I had no idea that so many people were involved in the making of this, so I was deeply moved by each and every one of them.

"How was the response from those around you when your appearance in the Super Sentai series was announced?"

Hashiyasume: I received many comments from those I worked with on variety programs saying, "I'll watch Boonboomger." I've had comedians, artists, actors, and so many others mention Boonboomger to me. In addition, people who were accompanied by their children would often say things like, "My son's watching Boonboomger. Look, it's Shirabe!" (laughs). Through Boonboomger, I realized that I had made myself known to a wide variety of people. When I appeared on variety shows, people not only responded to me as "Former BiSH member Hashiyasume," but they'd also say on SNS, "Shirabe-san's appearing on a variety show!," so it was very refreshing for me that people knew me from my role. I realized that I was receiving support from a new demographic of people, and I was again surprised by the power Boonboomger's show had.

"When people actually called out to you, it must've also given off a real sensation of "this child is watching me," huh?"

Hashiyasume: It did. Even during filming of the movie, small children would call out to us during the middle of filming with, "Wow! It's the Boonboomgers!" Unlike live performances, you don't know what kind of response you'll get from video work until it airs, so I would sometimes wonder if it would be properly received by the viewers…When I got to meet viewers like that, it made me happy knowing that there really was a wide age range of people watching.

"Once again, if you had to pick the most memorable scene you appeared in among the ones that have aired so far, which episode would it be from?"

Hashiyasume: The scene that I knew would receive alot of feedback was the one in Bakuage 39, where Shirabe rushes to the scene in the Boonboom Car without wearing a Boonboom suit. From the moment I read the script, I had a feeling that this would be a very important episode for Shirabe. I thought I had been recognized as a member of Boonboomger…it may be an exaggeration to say that, but I thought it was a scene where I had become one with everyone. Actually, after the broadcast, I received very warm words, and I felt as if Shirabe was recognized, which personally gave me a boost of confidence. This episode once again made me feel very happy to have been able to appear in Boonboomger.

"We became overwhelmed with emotion the moment Shirabe rushed to the Boonboomers without any hesitation. We also got the impression that Taiya and the others were surprised and happy to see her."

Hashiyasume: That's right. In the scene where Taiya catches Shirabe after collapsing, we talked alot about how I should fall over. We discussed it with, "How do people collapse when they lose their strength?," and then went into filming.

"The progression of Shirabe becoming the Boonboomger's friend is also a highlight, and one of the reasons for this is Bakuage 39."

Hashiyasume: That's true. Up to that point, Sakito would call her "Shirabe-chan," but after Bakuage 39 it became "Nee-san." It was as if the way they looked at Shirabe changed, or rather, everyone's consciousness changed from thinking she was "that ISA person," to "Shirabe-san (ISA)." While the Boonboomgers and ISA are two different entities, Bakuage 39 was like Saibu Shirabe had become a member of Boonboomger.

"As an ISA member who was there to investigate and monitor their situation, we're sure Shirabe herself must've felt conflicted about it, no?"

Hashiyasume: With her gradually becoming more suspicious of the ISA, Shirabe was always thinking about what she could do in the moment. Even with her position at the ISA, I think she was able to maintain a good balance while dealing with various conflicts. Her first priority was to protect the peace for the sake of Earth. And, I believe that she had thought, "Someday, I'll fight together with the Boobboomgers."

"In Bakuage 46, there was a line where she said, "I'm also a member of Boonboomger." It was a very moving line."

Hashiyasume: That scene was the moment when Shirabe made a big decision, and I said it with the thought of, "This might be the last time…" From the time I read the script, I knew it would take alot of commitment to say that one statement. Uttering those words in the midst of the Boonboomger's critical situation, all while each and every event that had happened so far flashed before her eyes, made me put all the feelings that Shirabe had felt up to that point into it.

"When you think back on past days, were there any parts that made you think, "That really happened"?"

Hashiyasume: It'd be something from the beginning, like when I started things off by grabbing Jou by his chin~ (laughs). Her role at the ISA was to eliminate the Boonboomgers, so that was the kind of determination she had. Looking back to the beginning, things have really changed.

"Shirabe has a cool side, but when she's in front of Boonboom, she shows her cute side, causing this gap to make her a memorable character. Still, we gradually got a glimpse of her passionate side, which made us think that she was a wonderful person."

Hashiyasume: We were just talking about progression, but when I played the role of Shirabe, I imagined that she would gradually become a member of Boonboomger, so in the beginning, I didn't try to get to know the other Boonboomger performers that well. I thought that'd be a better relationship to perform in. I thought it'd be wrong to get too friendly with everyone from the beginning, so just like the ISA and Boonboomgers, I kept a certain distance from them. As the story progressed, I felt that Shirabe and the Boonboomgers had gradually become one, so the seven of us would go out to eat together. From that point on, I was able to perform with the feeling that I really fit in as a member of Boonboomger.

"What are your impressions of the actors playing the Boonboomgers, and what was the atmosphere like when you interacted with them?"

Hashiyasume: From the very beginning, the impression I got was that they were really close. The five, and eventually six of them, always looked like they were having fun while talking. They were so close all the time, that you'd think they were siblings, and the things they'd discuss were things that young boys tend to talk about (laughs), it was so cute.

"What would they talk to Hashiyasume-san about?"

Hashiyasume: An example would be with Mira-chan, who consulted with me for advice by saying, "Isn't it difficult doing variety shows?," and we also talked about work. Jou-kun once suddenly asked me, "Wanna play a card game?" (laughs). In his role, he's a mature and dependable older brother! Behind the scenes however, I often got to see the boyish side of him. All of the fans would say, "The Boonboomgers are so cool!" and, "They're heroes of justice!" but in reality, they're all quite cute……sorry for thinking out loud (laughs).

"Hashiyasume-san's birthday was also celebrated on set."

Hashiyasume: It was a great celebration! I was very happy and thought, "When you end up doing this for a year, these kinds of things happen~"

"It must've been a rare experience to play the same role for a year, so looking back, what were your days like?"

Hashiyasume: Shirabe was a character that didn't appear every week, so there were times when I wouldn't film for about a month. When the time did come, I had to remind myself what kind of voice I used when performing. Shirabe's tone is slightly lower than my natural voice, so trying to fine tune it for filming was difficult. It was the same for my appearance too, as before we started filming, we always had to do things like adjust the length of my bangs and the shape of my eyebrows in order to make it to "Shirabe's specifications." It was only after being prepared by the makeup artist did I think, "My eyebrows weren't Shirabe's until now!" (laughs). After a month had passed, my eyebrows would go back to their natural shape. It was a strange year for me, as I returned to being Shirabe every time I went to filming. It's been a really long year…is what I want to say, but it went by so quickly that I thought, "Huh? It's over already?" When I heard about the end date, I couldn't help but say, "I thought we had atleast another 6 months!" It all happened so quickly.

"And now we're approaching the final episode. Finally, please give a message to the fans who have supported you over the past year."

Hashiyasume: First off, I'd like to thank you for your support of Boonboomger over the past year. In the beginning, some of you may have had a bad impression of Shirabe, or thought she was terrible. It was the Boonboomgers and Boon-sama who softened Shirabe's harsh side. More than anything, it's because of all the little and big friends out there who've supported Shirabe up to this point and shown her so much love that she's been able to become this kind. I don't think things would've changed this much if it was just Shirabe on her own. I'm sure we can win if everyone supports us, so I hope you'll support us to the very end. And, please don't forget about the Boonboomgers or the ISA's Shirabe. I'll also fight until the very end, with the feeling that I was the seventh Boonboomger member. _

Suwabe Junichi x Mizuki Nana x Morohoshi Sumire

"Everyone, this was your first regular appearance in a Super Sentai series. Please tell us how you felt when you were chosen to appear."

Suwabe: Before I received an official offer, Screenwriter Tomioka Atsuhiro-san told me something like, "I've been asked to work on Super Sentai, but I have a role I want you to play." I had voiced minor characters in past series, but I had never been cast as a regular, so I immediately said, "Absolutely!" I've been familiar with the Super Sentai series since I was a child, so I have a strong emotional attachment to it. I was very happy that what I wanted to do most became a reality.

Mizuki: I had previously been involved as minor characters, but I had dreamed of one day being a regular, so I was very happy. I'm secretly into cars (laughs), and many of my fans who support me are also motor sports enthusiasts, with some of them even coming to my live venues in their own decorated cars. Furthermore, I have a cat, so I personally felt that it was fate to play a character named Itasha with a cat motif (laughs).

Morohoshi: I was also very happy when I was first requested to play the role. I was also informed that I'd be playing something of a bad guy or enemy, and since I didn't have much experience playing roles of characters on that side, I thought it'd be a new and fresh challenge for me. My family lineage is female oriented, or in other words, I haven't had much of an opportunity to experience the Super Sentai series being mainly surrounded by girls, but a few years ago, my cousin gave birth to a boy. I was excited in many ways, as I was hoping to enjoy it together with him. The other day, I brought a Boonboom Killer Robo toy to my cousin's child to play with, and he seemed to be into it.

"How much was explained to you about the characters you'd be playing once you were chosen for the role? Please also tell us your thoughts when you were shown their designs."

Suwabe: The initial description of the Sanseaters was, "They're bad guys who aren't the capable type. They're the antagonists of the main characters, but they're a pitiful group that you just can't hate" (laughs). We saw the character designs in the documents we were given when we received our formal offers. They were more rough looking than I was expecting, but I was excited once I learned that they were designed by Shimamoto Kazuhiko-san.

Mizuki: At the time I was approached for the role, they told me the general setup they were aiming for were "enemies you can't hate, and to make them charming villains who, even if they fail, will spin their wheels with all their might." When I was shown the design drawings at the time, I thought they were "cute," and as I read through the script, I found them to be even more adorable (laughs). I was excited about the fact that there was alot of freedom in how we could portray these characters, and that we'd be able to try out alot of different things.

Morohoshi: When I saw the design drawings, I was told, "His voice should give off the impression of being babyish, and he's normally small enough for the other two to hold in their hands." I had almost no experience playing villains, so I wondered how I'd play the role, but I remember thinking that I could do it. After that, they contacted me and said, "We want you to send us some samples of your intimidating voice." They said, "We'd like a voice for if Yarucar is taken over by a bad guy named Madrex. Madrex is a rough man and head commander, so that's the kind of voice we want." I wondered what was going on (laughs).

Suwabe: This setting doesn't appear in the show.

Morohoshi: Yeah. I recorded multiple patterns and sent it to them, and they decided on the direction to take by saying, "Please use the most intimidating voice you can make." At that stage, I couldn't imagine what kind of character I was going to become, but on the flip side, I was still looking forward to it.

"When Yarucar inhaled Gyahsoline and entered into his reckless state, his voice becomes intimidating. So, with the take over setting being removed, it was used here instead? Does that mean you had trouble doing that voice every episode…?"

Morohoshi: No. It was a voice I don't normally make, and I was surprised at how frequently I went into that mode once recording began, but I wouldn't consider it something I struggled with. I had fun.

"Did Suwabe-san and Mizuki-san also receive instructions to be more intimidating?"

Suwabe: According to what Tomioka-san had told me beforehand, Decotrade was a character with pretentious vibes, but when I read the script that I received for Bakuage 1, he was totally different (laughs). I also took the impression his appearance gave off into account as I adjusted the direction I'd go in. I was glad that the performance plan I prepared was able to get an OK from the production side so easily.

Mizuki: Itasha always takes her job seriously, but things don't always go smoothly. Even if she made a cool entrance, her true colors would immediately be found out, and her distinct personality would be revealed (laughs). I was hoping that I could bring out that kind of funny contrast. It seems that my image and the Directors image matched up, as I remember that they immediately gave me the OK.

"We'd like to know if you had been influenced in any way from each other's performance."

Mizuki: Every time we'd watch the footage at the recording set, we'd see Decotrade's Suit Actor Ogura-san and Itasha's Miyazawa-san doing moves that weren't in the script…

Suwabe: They really did, huh? (laughs)

Mizuki: We'd check it out in surprise, thinking, "What is this scene?!," and then we'd do our actual performance immediately after the test, so our reflexes were tested every time. Suwabe-san would take the lead every time, and then Itasha and Yarucar…

Morohoshi: Would interrupt him (laughs).

Mizuki: That was the kind of balance they had. In Bakuage 38, it was revealed that Decotrade had asked Itasha and Yarucar if they "wanted to run together," and pulled them along, but it was also us actors who were being pulled along by Suwabe-san (laughs).

Morohoshi: We'd just sorta followed him (laughs).

Suwabe: No, no (laughs). I was always inspired by the characters that you both played so wonderfully. Well, I thought it was my role to throw in some comedic adlibs (laughs).

Mizuki: He even included puns that weren't in the script (laughs). I thought he was way too good at coming up with ideas after just one look at the footage!

Suwabe: When we'd watch the footage at the recording set, it wasn't uncommon to see people doing things differently from the scripts we were given in advance (laughs). They were more interesting, adorable, and lively in their movements. We thought this was a challenge from the Suit Actors, and so we, the Voice Actors, did our best to bring out the appeal of our characters.

"The "Ka-click" part in "Ka-click, Ignition" when Itasha inserts a key to create a Kurumaju was also a line that wasn't in the script, right?"

Mizuki: That's right. There was a short pause before I said, "Ignition." I thought that music and sound effects would be added for the broadcast, but I also thought that these were the type of guys to say the sound effects themselves (laughs). So when I added the "Ka-click!" and it was accepted, it then became standard.

"Moving on now, we'd like to know who your favorite characters are."

Suwabe: Mine are the Sanseaters. I naturally like Decotrade himself, but I'd like to support the Sanseaters as a set. I was moved to tears when Yarucar abandoned the road to becoming a super elite and returned to Itasha and Decotrade.

Mizuki: In that episode, the scene where Decotrade and Itasha declare that the "Sanseaters are disbanding" really hit me. I could really feel how much they cared about each other.

"Who was Mizuki-san's favorite?"

Mizuki: I also like the Sanseaters. I had the impression that we spent the year raising them, so I have a strong emotional attachment to them. All three of them were always positive. Even when things didn't go their way, they never gave up. Even though they're villains, they had cores similar to heroes. They cherish their bonds. I love them…I really do.

"Will Morohoshi-san also choose the Sanseaters?"

Morohoshi: That's right. They're villains, but you just can't hate them, and that's not all, as watching them made me feel energized, and I loved how positive and honest they all were. I also liked how direct they were in expressing their beliefs. The fact that they understood each other and balanced each other out well was wonderful, and I can feel the bond between them. Also, I really liked Ita-san's motherly side (laughs). I felt that she was very patient with Yaru-chan. And above all else, she's a young lady, so she's cute.

Mizuki: That makes me happy.

Morohoshi: Deco-san was also a very passionate man. He made alot of mistakes (laughs), but at his core, he had more passion and stronger feelings than anyone else, which I respect. Other than the Sanseaters, I was interested in Weiwei Yarucar, who appeared in Bakuage 38. I was surprised that he and Yaru-chan were of the same race, and I wanted to see the other Yarucars. He was a character I would've liked to have seen explored alittle deeper.

"Including Bakuage 38, which episode left the strongest impression on you?"

Suwabe: I'll mention one that's not connected to the Sanseaters, that being Bakuage 15. That episode between Jou and Kaseki Grumer made me cry. It was incredibly sad and memorable.

"What about Mizuki-san? As a viewer, Bakuage 42 left a strong impression on us."

Mizuki: I didn't expect to sing in such a serious way either (laughs). I was informed beforehand that, "There's going to come a time when Itasha will be in the spotlight, and it'll be like a musical," but I thought I'd just adlib and do some humming. But then I was surprised to find out that Itasha's singing part was fairly long.

Suwabe: Basically, when we'd record, we only watched footage of scenes where our own characters appeared. I wasn't able to record that episode with Mizuki-san, so I was surprised when I saw the broadcast. I didn't expect it to be a real musical (laughs).

Morohoshi: It was sung properly, don't you think?

Mizuki: Yes. My lines were recorded at the usual record, while the singing part was recorded in a recording studio, but just like in regular recording sessions, they placed a screen in front of me and I sang along with the actors movements. I was also impressed by the scene depicting the three's love for Madrex-sama. Madrex-sama became a star in Bakuage 33, and while the three of them don't know this, they decide to carry out what Madrex-sama left unfinished. That scene was sad and made me teary eyed. I could also feel Madrex-sama's manliness in the fact that he was about to self destruct, but flew into space alone, and I realized that this is why the three of them adored him so much.

"What impressed Morohoshi-san the most?"

Morohoshi: It has to be Bakuage 38. Yaru-chan's emotions were intense, and I felt like I was able to play a more profound role than I had ever played before. For the scene where he decides to take on the challenge of becoming an elite and is driving on the highway, but then remembers the past and hesitates, they adjusted the length of the footage on the spot. It's a scene that was recorded carefully and over a long period of time to make it easier to perform so that Yaru-chan's feelings would be conveyed more clearly. I was able to put so much emotion into it, that tears ran down my face as I performed, so it's stayed with me ever since. I also like the sports episodes (laughs).

Suwabe: Bakuage 23's baseball episode and Bakuage 41's soccer episode, right?

Morohoshi: That chaotic feeling, or rather, the feeling that anything was possible and went beyond your imagination was typical in Boonboomger. I laughed during the baseball episode, like when Yaru-chan drove recklessly (laughs).

"And now finally…Morohoshi-san, please give us your thoughts on the past year. It seems that you were confused by your first villain role."

Morohoshi: Looking back on it now, I don't have the impression that I had a hard time because I enjoyed every recording. Whenever I was shown the footage at the recording, it always exceeded my imagination. It was inspiring to see all the cast members and Suit Actors doing their best to match up with the others acting and movements, and being able to experience Suwabe-san and Mizuki-san's acting up close made me feel increasingly excited both as a viewer and as a fan of the Sanseaters. I'm really sad to see it come to an end, but I'm happy to have been apart of a production that never stalled and kept going at a high speed until the very end.

"Mizuki-san, what are the highlights of the final episode?"

Mizuki: I can't talk about specifics if we wanna avoid spoilers…(laughs). The conclusion for both the Boonboomgers and Sanseaters will be a hot development. The final lap of show, including the final episode, was full of many serious developments that included a variety of complicated speculation, such as the collusion between the Hashiriyans and those on Earth's side, and while it felt exciting to see the foreshadowing resolved, it's not aimed at being some kind of warning for modern society, but it wasn't just a refreshing story either. It wasn't just passionate and fun, as I think that this is what made it unique to Boonboomger, and will remain in the hearts of everyone who enjoyed it over the past year, especially children. Your children may not understand everything now, but someday when they look back, even if they have a passion for something, it can be difficult to do it alone, so it's important to keep running and not give up, and to find friends you can trust to help you do it. I hope that people will be able to rediscover the message we wanted to convey through this show. Make sure that even after you've become an adult, you'll rewatch it through discs or a streaming service (laughs).

"Suwabe-san please give a message to the fans who have supported you over the past year."

Suwabe: The Super Sentai series is a "path" that many Japanese children walk across…I personally believe it should be a required school subject. The time I spent as Decotrade was a wonderful memory that'll stay with me for life. The recurring phrase that appeared in this show was to "take control of your own wheel." In the current age of being overwhelmed with information and being easily influenced by others, I think it's a very important saying. I hope that the Boonboomger's passionate message has left a lasting impression on you that'll enrich your life for years to come. Unless Earth is destroyed, the Super Sentai series will continue to be available for viewing in some form or another. The characters will live on in these productions. The Sanseaters will also keep running towards the top that they're aiming for. That said, I'd like to ask for your continued support of Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger. And once again, thank you so very much for your support over the past year. Thanks for watching, and good work Sanseaters!!

[lazylittledragon]

i keep trying to think of funny/poetic ways to talk about all the things i'm feeling right now but i honestly can't so. i'm really sad about what happened with my partner. i know he was an inconsiderate prick about it and that i didn't do anything wrong and i couldn't have prevented it but i'm just really fucking sad.

[coquelicoq]

good morning can i show you guys the christmas card my little sister wrote me in french (she does not know any french)

joyeux Noël, j'espère que vous comprenez ce que je dis compte tenu de la fiabilité de Google Translate. Jespère qu'à l'avenir nous voir plus de deux fois par an. Je ne sais pas vraiment quoi dire d'autre, alors joyeux Noël et j'espère que papa t'a offert. Profitez également des autres choses que je mets sur la carte au lieu de vous ècrire un essai complet.

and then she wrote me a little crossword and a "connect the language to its way of saying 'merry christmas'" game 😭

[nexus-nebulae]

so. for A Long While now we've considered officially pursuing converting to judaism. and we've finally really started the whole research process and getting familiarized with the religion and everything and. does anyone have tips on how to feel comfortable in a new religion when you've been so harmed by specific religious groups in the past (especially when the religion you have bad history with is so close to the one you're converting to, like being another abrahamic religion)

[icewindandboringhorror]

Recent images I suppose ~

[taraxacum-vulpes]

why is everyone pretending like cyberpunk edgerunners is good. the writing is so bad i hate it

[shirogane-oushirou]

no promises anymoooooreeeee i'll appear online when i appear online 😭 every time i say "ooh i think life is almost done being overwhelming!" it. becomes even more overwhelming in the dumbest ways. all i can manage rn when i'm not stressing myself into a shut-down state is staring at the wall while listening to youtube essays + mindlessly crocheting.

i might queue up ppls art and fics w/o commentary in the tags... i want other ppl to see what all of my cool friends have made, but i genuinely can't think right now with this monstrous brain fog. i'm really sorry, just. yeah. maybe i'll think of some way to make it up later!!! once the dust has settled!!!! but until then i wuv u and miss u. smiles.

[venting in tags including familial manipulation and ableism. i. didn't mean to write all of that, thiss was originally going to be a main blog post but. aaaaaAAAAAA!!!!!

also no need for replies or anything, i'd turn them off for just the one post if i could kjsndkn, i just needed to get things out and go eep jsjndsfdn ok bye bye bye bye!!!!]

[rowenabean]

had a hard day today and all i can think of is after my grandfather died and i fell to pieces at work a bit (first year doctor) sitting down with my supervisor, a very awkward very high standards nearly-retirement physician, and him saying very bluntly "did you expect to be ok?"

it helps, actually. it's normal to be a bit lonely a few months after you've moved - even if it's a moving home your relationships have changed and haven't had time to settle out yet. really, did i expect to be ok

[lilacerull0]

crying in my bed like I MADE IT!!!! I'M SO GLAD I MADE IT THIS FAR!!!!!

[girlivealwaysbean]

.

vent

[killerpancakeburger]

Thinking about a Reader who ends up having Scary Dog Privileges with Ghost without meaning to. It just happened.

Then they have to deal with the fact that this comes with duties too.

Tags: civilian!reader, gn!reader, mostly fluff, a bit suggestive, smug!Ghost, smooth!Ghost. 800 words.

Part 2. Part 3.

When Ghost is reluctant to getting sutured in Medical after accidentally opening his stitches, grumbling he can do it himself, who does the nurse call for? Yeah, you.

She could stand her ground, after all she's used to dealing with big, whiny men, but it's much more fun to knock on your door and smile at your bewildered gaze and gaping mouth when she explains the situation in two sentences.

"Ghost's being difficult, mind taking over?" "I'm sorry, what the hell does this have to do with me?" "C'm'on, everyone on base knows he's got a soft spot for you. Don't you want to make my job easier?"

You roll your eyes and slam your hands on your desk as you get up. Groaning as you walk past her— "I'm doing this for you, nothing else, got it?"

Mumbling to yourself "you've got to be kidding me" as you barge into the sick bay. Ghost is coolly seated at the end of a bed, large as life, casual clothes as black as his mask and— oh. You weren't told the wound was on his thigh— you weren't warned that he didn’t have pants on. You can’t help it, your eyes go down, down, your lingering gaze and your flustered silence forming a confession louder than words.

A noise — a scoff or a grunt, you’re not sure — emanates from him, breaks your trance, makes you look up. The amusement in his gaze tells you he noticed your oggling— of course he did. Nothing gets past the Ghost, and you've been remarkably unsubtle. Despite the mask, you swear you can make out the smug smirk on his lips. His cockiness reignites your irritation. Annoyance making you bolder than you really are, you charge at him, crossing the distance between you two in a stride, stopping close— too close. He doesn't back off.

"What's wrong with you?" you snarl. "Nothin'," he retorts, imperturbable.

It's actually the first time you’re overlooking him. You may be enjoying it a bit too much. Nevermind the fact that you've had to wedge yourself between his parted legs to get there.

You frown, unconvinced by his answer.

“Did Soap contaminate you?”

Bargaining to be cleared out earlier was the Scotsman's trademark.

“Johnny throws a fit cos he hates feeling useless. That's not what I'm doing.”

A smirk stretches your lips.

“Oh, no? I'm sure your reasons are much more noble.”

“Doesn't matter. Got what I wanted anyway.”

He's way too self-satisfied for a man in his underwear.

You throw an unequivocal look in the direction of his injury.

“What you wanted? A still open wound?”

“You.”

He replied without missing a beat, as confident as usual. It is both alluring and aggravating.

“And your idea of wooing me is making me upset?”

You don't add “because if it is, that's really fucking stupid” out loud, but you’re sure he got the message through your tone.

“Nah. But you're more honest when you’re angry. Gutsier.”

You only realize he slipped his index and middle fingers in your trouser loops when he sharply tugs at them. Off balance, you steady yourself by catching his shoulders.

Taking advantage of the strip of bare skin between your shirt and bottoms, the pads of his thumbs idly stroke your hip bones. The contact sends electricity through you, shivers of pleasure running down your sides.

“Ghost,” you start, severe, trying not to let the effect his touch has on you show in your voice.

“Simon,” he counters, surly. “Told ya it's Simon when we're alone, didn't I?”

He did, but you didn’t think he was serious. If that's what it takes to get him to listen… you’ll play by his rules.

“Simon. What's the rest of your brilliant plan? I'm here, but I can’t stitch you up.”

“How ‘bout a deal. I'll stop resisting… for a price.”

You raise an amused eyebrow.

“What kind of price?”

“A kiss.”

You snort. You didn’t believe him capable of something so… puerile.

“With the mask on?”

He doesn't move a muscle to get rid of it.

“Take it off.”

You usually wouldn’t obey what sounds like an order so easily, but it's the first time you get to touch the skull. Slipping two fingers between skin and cloth, you slowly roll up the mask all the way under his nose.

You gently trace the scars surrounding his lips. Then, the second you feel him relax, grip on your hips slackening and intensity of his gaze waning, you grab the bottom of his mask and drag it back down vigorously, making the holes for the eyes land way too low for him to see anything.

“If you thought you'd get a reward for acting out, you've got another think coming.”

[snekdood]

any time ive been scared or paranoid about something and ppl dismissed me bc of my past but i ended up being right- those ppl owe me 100 dollars.

[devotion-disorder]

it ok yall i caved and bought the game moments after i made my last post and im living out my blissful love life now

this screenshot out of context is taking me out lol hes like you are.🫵 dumbass?😄 you🫵 illiterate🫵😄

Ive got through most of the game and boy i have some THOUGHTS... spoilers under the cut!!

I didn't expect to like the game so much cause im not actually that much of a horror fan (<- squeamish) , and like i said in the last post I wasn't sure how fun a game all about decrypting the dialogue will be (<- dumbass). But in the end I think the game mechanics is exactly the source of all the charm!! And come to think of it, it's a very unique mechanic too. The word-guessing makes the game exciting and scary (and sometimes is the key to avoiding certain death), but there's also just something about overcoming "broken" language to express your thoughts that is inherently really sweet to me. Maybe this is a wild comparison but its like that greentext thats like "bad times friend ahead...i go away but we are two of soul, i will return".

The game is also just pretty player-friendly, and the characters are all (well, mostly) really chill, so it wasnt very hard to guess most of the words too. But i will say that sometimes, you can kind of tell the nuance of the language-translation makes more sense as Japanese, so maybe that gave me a slight edge.

After playing the demo I thought this would be a really short game (like around 2-3 hrs), but I clocked in a solid 6 hours today LOL...and im still missing a few endings. Big spoiler but when MC "kills" Mr. crawling it genuinely upset me like GIRL WHAT IN THE FRESH HELL..........😭😭😭 but thank god he was fine :DD the scene where he shut himself in a closet crying because he thought the MC abandoned him 😭😭😭😭 IM SORRYYY but also like omg...😭😭😭😭 he ouppy............😭😭😭😭

ouppy 🥹🥹🥹🥹🫳🫳🫳🫳🫳👐👐👐👐😭😭😭😭😭😭

But in contrast to those heavy moments there are also points where i think the game doesn't take itself very seriously LOL so by like 3 hours in it just kind of became a really chill game :)) I love how the MC is just so ridiculously forward being like "Do you have a crush on me or something 🥺👉👈" and most of them were just like "whats that lmfao"

[ikeuverse]

opposites | pjs

pairing: ceo!jay x fem!reader genres: fluff, smut, a little angst wc: 12.1k+

꒰ 𝅄 warnings ꒱ : swearing, drinking, slightly drunk, a brief argument. kissing, foreplay, (almost) dry sex. lmk if i've forgotten anything.

꒰ 𝅄 synopsis ꒱ : jay was the most serious ceo anyone could meet and remember, but not when you were around. while he had a difficult smile, you captivated anyone with your cheerful and relaxed manner. one night, he decided to take you into his world, the business dinner, but you didn't know if it was a good idea.

꒰ 𝅄 notes ꒱ : a little treat i wrote for my little sweetheart @bluej4ym <3 to thank you for all your care and for always being here for me. you deserve more stories (which i'll write later, spoiler yeah) and what's more, you deserve only good things bc you're like that, full of good things. thanks for your friendship, i love you very much. and i hope you enjoy the story as much as i do.

꒰ 𝅄 masterlist ꒱

Working in a multinational company has two aspects that you can't avoid. First was the growth of shares and partners, dealing with people at the top, and seeing the numbers rise as you closed really important deals. Secondly, there was the gossip that went around the corridors of the company, even more so if you were the CEO.

Jongseong could boast of having a major multinational, being a billionaire, and having shares rising by the second. He took the trouble to congratulate all the employees for their hard work and dedication while they were in that building, giving their all so that the numbers would rise even higher. But Jongseong couldn't control what they said here and there, especially about him.

Not that it was something he needed to care about, like hearing that he was a really serious and scary boss… Well, he could take that title with ease. Jongseong wasn't one for easy smiles and small talk, saying only what was necessary to his employees and being strictly professional and polite. Greeting passers-by regardless of whether they were having a good day or not. But his facade was cold and methodical, as you'd usually hear.

What Jongseong didn't like to deal with was the gossip that arose after he met you. Introducing you as a romantic partner was something he didn't want publicly at the beginning of the relationship, private life being exclusively for the two of you. As well as keeping you out of the eyes of employees he knew would be the talk of the town, Jongseong also liked to have all the time in the world for you. But the town was too small, he had thought when he heard one of the employees say, the next day when he met the two of you in a restaurant.

“The boss is dating a very beautiful woman” he'd boast, having good taste, having heard how beautiful you were and the compliments the young man made on your appearance, although he was a little annoyed that he'd looked at you so much to find out about your physical characteristics.

“Does he really have a heart? I mean, how is he supposed to treat this girl when he's so serious all the time?” well, Jongseong wasn't expecting that comment.

That's what had been hammering at him for so long, not denying any gossip that involved you and him specifically. Since your employees knew, there was no hiding it. This led him to take the liberty of asking you to come to the company a few days a week. Walking hand in hand with you down the corridors or holding your shoulder to guide you, or with his hand on your waist talking about how the evening would go at home and what he was planning for the two of you to have for dinner.

He didn't need any kind of validation from anyone, but he also didn't know how to explain how annoyed he was at the thought of people thinking he didn't pay enough attention to you. Just like you, the woman who stole his heart just by the simple way she treated him. You were unlike anyone he had ever met, and Jongseong would spend hours talking about you and how much you meant to him if it were possible. He would replace the weekly stock meeting just to talk about you.

“Mr. Park?” the voice interrupted him slightly as he rambled on about you and how he felt about you. His eyes left the computer that was open on the stock spreadsheets and quickly went to the door. Jongseong's secretary stared at him with a small smile without showing her teeth, politely and discreetly “I have some papers for you to sign, can I take them?”

“Of course, come in” he settled into his chair, waiting for the secretary to walk towards him and place the papers on the table. Jongseong rolled his eyes at the small mountain of sheets she had placed there and his eyes quickly went to the corner of the desk. A small picture frame was turned towards him, without anyone being able to make out what was there. A photo of you. The first picture he took on the analog camera you had at home. Jongseong hadn't tinkered with these things for a long time, ever since his camera had broken and, with the hustle and bustle of life and work, he'd never thought to fix it. But you had one, and it was in perfect condition. Capturing it was no effort when you were graceful to the extreme and your beauty had been captured without any problem.

He smiled so openly at the photo that he didn't notice that the secretary was still standing in front of his desk. Her gaze followed where he was looking and, curiously, she tried not to bend down to notice the photo, although she had a slight notion that it might be a picture of him or someone he loved very much.

“Do you need anything else, Mr. Park?” she asked shyly, and he noticed the astonishment on her face when he connected the dots… Jongseong had smiled openly for the first time in front of someone other than you or his parents.

“No…” he huffed, picking up one of the sheets from the pile of papers and looking at the written lines to try and disguise how fervently his cheeks were burning “You can go now, miss. Thank you.”

Just as she entered, greeting Jongseong on her way out, the door closed and left the man alone in the room again. It wasn't a big deal to smile like that in front of someone else, but he found it strange and felt that he had let his guard down for an employee he only had a professional relationship with. Jongseong thought he only had to show that side to everyone he worked with, he had no reason to be affectionate like that.

Apart from you, the only person who broke this kind of protocol was someone he knew would be coming into his office in the next few minutes. And without thinking to wait for a call or a message, or even a sign that he was coming in, the door was flung open.

The playful smile on Jaeyun's lips indicated that he had heard something in the corridors of the company.

“What's up, Mr. wide smile?” he hummed after closing the door, his hands in the pockets of his dress pants as he walked slowly over to Jongseong's desk.

“Are they commenting yet?” he snorted, throwing the paper on the table and stretching back in his chair.

“She said you have a beautiful smile” Jaeyun bit his lower lip to stop himself from laughing at his best friend's pained expression as he walked over to the table and sat down in the armchair right in front of his best friend and company owner “I think you should smile more, you know?”

“And I think you should fuck off—”

“Hey, is that how you talk to the vice president? How disrespectful” the other pretended to be offended, his posture mimicking Jongseong's in the chair, throwing all his weight on the back of the armchair while sighing heavily.

Sim Jaeyun had been Jongseong's best friend for as long as he could remember. Remembering Jaeyun running around at company parties when neither of them knew how to add two and two together. He had a tooth missing when he greeted Jongseong for the first time and asked him to play in the middle of a gigantic crystal fountain in a particularly large hall. When Jongseong and Jaeyun broke the statue and fell into the fountain, getting wet from head to toe, it was there that he knew for sure that this boy would be his best friend.

That's why he had asked him to be vice-president of the company because there was no one better than Jaeyun to help him with his business. He had always been by Jongseong's side and seen him through all the good and bad times, where Jongseong wasn't ashamed to be vulnerable around Jaeyun, let alone show the side of him that almost no one knew about.

That's why it was impossible to remain serious around his best friend, even in the workplace. Jongseong didn't like being in the same environment as Jaeyun for too long, especially in meetings, because he knew that at some point his best friend would say something that would make him crack up and laugh at the same time. That was one of the reasons why the two of them hardly had any meetings together, even if Jaeyun did manage to get them together once in a while to talk to some employees.

“Do you know what I was thinking?” Jaeyun asked.

“And you were thinking?” the other joked, receiving Jaeyun's middle finger affectionately and a grimace soon after, making him laugh jokingly.

“We have less than a week until the Swedish partner's welcome dinner” he sighed happily. Jaeyun liked dinners because the buffet was always very well served and he knew that someone always remembered to put out the appetizers he liked. Good champagne and he would judge people's clothes along with you because he knew Jongseong would take it. Jaeyun was sure of it, he made friends with you so easily that it was like a perfect fit that you had come into his best friend's life. Because Jongseong would never say anything about anyone else, even though she was completely underdressed. But Jaeyun knew that you would drop a comment and laugh at something he said because you and he were Jongseong's karma. In a good way.

“And what does that mean? We're going together as a couple again?” it was Jongseong's turn to ask, making his best friend roll his eyes.

“First of all— Ew” he pretended to shudder with disgust, but there were countless times that the two of them went to dinner together. One because neither of them had any thoughts of dating or anything like that, and two because it was cooler to be with his best friend “Secondly, I thought you'd take Y/n. You have to take her!”

“Why?” Jaeyun noticed that Jongseong hesitated a little. His posture shifted in his chair as he uttered his name in the middle of the conversation. He thought his best friend would be happy about the mention and how much Jaeyun liked you, practically a sister-in-law to him. But he saw the company owner's expression change a little.

“Because, well… she's your girlfriend?” it seemed obvious to say something like that, Jongseong wanted to slap himself for acting like that, even more so in front of Jaeyun “And because it's a company event, it's your chance to bring her closer to the gossips who say you treat her badly.”

Jongseong hated how oblivious and sincere his best friend was. The words came out of the other with no intention of hurting or offending, and he knew it. But he also knew how sincere the boy was being because although Jongseong had never been so open about his personal life, having you around where almost everyone – or everyone – from his company was, would be a good opportunity to at least show that he cared about you. Not as he would have liked because you were in public, but he would have tried.

“I don't know why I'm bothering with this, honestly” he put his hands over his face, his voice coming out muffled and he holding back the overwhelming urge to shout. Jongseong was sincere when he said it and he knew that his best friend understood, after all, he had known him almost all his life.

“Maybe it's because you really love her and can't stand the idea of people making things up about you dating her” was another naked truth coming out of the mouth of the world's most sincere best friend, whom Jongseong felt incredibly lucky to have. He took his hands away from his face, letting them rest on his lap as he looked at the boy in front of him.

That was completely true, and also because you were the first person who took him out of the CEO posture and saw him only as Park Jongseong. You saw him as someone other than a suit and tie, expensive clothes, and a closed face. You smiled so beautifully at him that it was then that Jongseong knew he should marry you.

“I hate you” was the only thing he managed to say to Jaeyun, hearing his best friend's laugh after a big thud on the table. He had slapped the thick wood a few times to celebrate that he was right.

“Now that I've convinced you to take Y/n to dinner, I'm going to send her a message” Jaeyun stood up.

“What? You're going to text my girlfriend and say what?” Jongseong narrowed his eyes at the boy.

“I want to ask if that best friend of hers is available… What's her name again?” Jongseong listened to Jaeyun speak several names until he guessed the name of his best friend, whom he had seen a few times when the two of you went out together somewhere more relaxed.

Jongseong genuinely laughed at this, Jaeyun's intentions always being serious, but with a comic undertone that took away all the weight of working hard all week. He watched his best friend walk out of the office humming something without saying another word, leaving him there with a smile on his lips and the thought of introducing you to a sea of people next week.

Jongseong had parked in front of your apartment countless times, waiting for you to come down and walk out the door as gracefully as ever. This time something seemed different and he knew he was too nervous – and unnecessarily so. It was just a dinner he was tired of being at, with boring people, although the subjects were really necessary. He was cordial and polite to partners and future investors, waving and greeting people who were as rich as he was just to make an average while sipping some expensive drink he didn't even care about.

Having you by his side that night would make things a little different. Jongseong didn't know if it had been a good idea to invite you to that dinner, he knew it was a world you weren't used to, although he never said he felt uncomfortable knowing how much he was part of it. Your life, completely opposite to his, was what gave grace and balance to the relationship between the two of you. While Jongseong was counting the company's millions in revenue, wearing a suit worth almost a hundred thousand and always with his hair combed with gel and straightened, you were the opposite. A baggy, comfortable suit soiled with some kind of paint or clay, your hair curled or tied up however, you could manage, inside a room full of art and paintings that you sold everywhere or gave lessons on how to make a good canvas painting. You made your money quietly and unhurriedly, while Jongseong needed figures and results the moment he opened a spreadsheet on his computer.

While he was serious and had no chance for a relaxed smile, you smiled at everyone and greeted anyone who passed in front of you. Your good mood was recognized by Jongseong the day you met, in the coffee shop you shared – in secret – because he knew it was the only quiet place, while you liked the aroma of the coffee and the few people who went there. He was in such a hurry the day he entered that establishment that he didn't see you and knocked over all the coffee you had just paid for.

There was no way he could have cursed you, after all, it was his fault because he didn't look where he was going. He didn't wait for you to pass and even made you waste your drink. Looking in your direction, you kept a smile on your face, even though your T-shirt was dirty with iced caramel coffee. Apologies wouldn't be enough for him to make up for what had happened, so buying you another coffee would be the least he could do. But as soon as he sat down at the table to wait for the compensation coffee, he was surprised by your good humor and smooth talk.

As if you weren't intimidated by him and how well-dressed he was in front of you. Nor did you care that your coffee was sticking to your shirt by now and the smell of caramel was invading the conversation you were both having. Jongseong never thought it would be so easy to talk to someone until he met you. Until he fell in love with you so naturally that he wanted to see you even more every day.

Jongseong sighed slowly, feeling nostalgic for the first day he laid eyes on you. How lucky he was that everything had turned out the way it had… He was overcome by that feeling until he stared at the entrance to your building. There you were. As beautiful as he remembered you to be. So perfect walking towards him while carefully holding the scarf that covered your shoulders to keep the wind from hitting you as the night went on. Although you were covered by his blazer by the end of the night, though.

“Hey” you said as soon as you got close enough, giving that smile that Jongseong was sure was his fuel for anything.

“Hey, darling” Jongseong said back, stretching out his hand enough to touch your waist over the dress. The silk making contact with his skin and the softness of the fabric made him smile. It hugged his body so perfectly that Jongseong was beginning to wonder if he should take you like that.

“Do you like it? Jake helped me choose, he said you'd like this color” your pout was soon broken by his lips, a quick kiss without much depth since you were both still out of the car. Jongseong took a good look again. The navy blue silk highlighted everything about you; from the color of your eyes, the tone of your hair, and even the tone of your skin. He certainly liked that color.

“He knows me on this” Jongseong kissed your lips once more, his other hand going to your face to caress your cheeks and feel the softness of your skin this time “You look stunning, baby.”

“I'm glad you liked it, love” you thanked him, and it was your turn to kiss him quickly to pull away and pull him into the car. You didn't know what time dinner would start on the dot, but you were sure that Jongseong couldn't be late, after all, he was the CEO. He would need to be there a little earlier as he had to welcome the guests and greet a world of important people.

He wasn't a difficult person for you to read, ever since you first met, so this evening it was easy for you to notice how nervous Jongseong seemed. From getting into the car and holding your thigh as his drove, to arriving at the dinner space and getting out of the car with you. Everything seemed to move in slow motion and every time you saw him look in your direction, his adam's apple would jiggle a little more, indicating that Jongseong was swallowing dry for some reason. A reason you couldn't think of. Perhaps asking Jaeyun would be a good idea since he was with Bonnie, your best friend. The two of them were relaxed with each other and would be your company while Jongseong went off to greet the first business partners of the evening.

“Do you two want something to drink?” Jaeyun asked when he found the table that the four of you would be sitting at for the rest of the evening, with only Jongseong left to join you.

“You can bring me whatever you're drinking” Bonnie smiled at Jaeyun, who smiled back.

“I think I'll take a water.”

“What?” Jaeyun's expression contorted, a grimace appearing as he wrinkled his forehead at you while sticking out his tongue “We have so many nice drinks and you're going to ask me for water? Please, Y/n.”

“That's right Y/n, how about the three of us have a drink together?” Bonnie tried to cheer you up with Jaeyun's help. If denying your best friend was a difficult task, having someone else do it made it even worse.

You weren't able to say anything else before Jaeyun left in search of a really good drink in addition to a glass of water. Meanwhile, the moment passed in complete silence between you and your best friend, because she knew you needed some time to yourself. That environment was something different for you and knowing that the stares you received were because you were known as the CEO's girlfriend. What would they think of you… that you were a gold-digger? Or did Jongseong's employees even know about the solid relationship you and he had?

It was clear that he acted strangely when it came to you and his working environment, and it was something you didn't question or care much about. Because you didn't meet Park Jongseong, the CEO. You met Jay, Jongie, the loving man who smiled at you no matter what situation he faced that day. The man with the warmest hugs and the best kiss you've ever tasted in your life.

Much of that dinner was a blur to you after Jaeyun brought some drinks and the three of you chatted about various things, with a little time left over to judge the outfits of people who swore they looked great in that space. But in fact, they were dressed so strangely. Like… Even you, who had never been to such a fancy dinner before, knew how to dress – although Jaeyun helped you with the choice because he knew what Jongseong liked – but that was no excuse! You looked much better than the people who were the talk of the table.

Jongseong had finally joined the table and the conversation between him and Bonnie was pleasant, making you feel good that your boyfriend got on well with your best friend. Just as you and Jaeyun had gotten along. Your boyfriend kept his hand on your thigh under the table, stroking your leg as the conversation between him and your best friend flowed smoothly. The tender touch of Jongseong's fingers, was a silent way of telling you that he was there for you, even though his perfume was everywhere. At least to you, who could tell exactly what he smelled like?

You looked at Jongseong's profile, his sharp jaw and plump lips making your heart race. The way his dimples appeared every time he smiled at something the other two at the table said made your heart leap a little more than usual in your boyfriend's presence. You got so lost in his face, in Jongseong's stunning beauty that you didn't notice when he abandoned his conversation with Jaeyun and Bonnie to look in your direction.

“Admiring?” Jongseong said, a low tone knowing that you would hear it anyway because of how close you had to each other.

“Feeling lucky, maybe” you shrugged, noticing him leaning towards you. His face a few centimeters away from yours, Jongseong's gaze lowered to your lips and then back to your eyes.

“Lucky for what?” he asked, shifting his gaze back and forth between your eyes and your mouth. The way he did it was so natural, yet it made you boil with shyness. Your cheeks would already be visibly flushed if it weren't for the make-up masking it and the amount of alcohol you'd drunk. You could blame it on Jaeyun and Bonnie.

“For having you with me” you finally replied, causing Jongseong's gallant exterior to crumble and giving way to the man with the silly smile and passionate gaze. He leaned in a little closer, his forehead touching yours and the tip of his nose brushing against yours.

Even if you knew that that intimate touch was the furthest the two of you had gone in front of everyone, you didn't know that practically all of his employees would be watching and commenting on it. Seeing how enamored Jongseong seemed to be with that simple touch.

“If I'm going to count myself lucky on this, then I'm the luckiest man on the planet” with a final whisper, he was ready to kiss your lips. Tasting the flavor of the drinks you'd had that night and how the fruity ones would have tasted on your tongue against his if it hadn't been for the mere interruption.

“Sorry to disturb you” Jongseong felt your breath quicken against your face, slowly pulling away so that he could straighten up and pay attention to whoever was calling him. And so he did. Sitting properly next to you as he had before, his hand still lingering on your leg as he looked at the middle-aged man standing behind Jaeyun's chair “I didn't mean to interrupt the guys, but I need you two with a so-called investor near the bar. Can you accompany me?”

A company dinner with business at a time that didn't need to happen. Jongseong and Jaeyun hated being president and vice president at this time.

“Will you wait for me for a few minutes?” he turned towards you, his eyes meeting yours effortlessly. The intense glare in your gaze made Jongseong unable to control himself even a little, so he leaned in and captured your lips without waiting for you to give anything away.

It was no lie to say that Jongseong had the best kiss in the world, even more so when he started caressing your lips with his cracked lips. The muscle of Jongseong's tongue came into contact with yours slowly and gradually, tasting the light fruitiness of the cocktail you'd had a while ago. He knew he would taste it, knew it would match the slow kiss you two shared. Unfortunately for both of you, the time had come to pull away and Jongseong did so with a small smile as he noticed the surprise on your face at having such a sudden kiss.

You held back the urge to laugh when Jaeyun came out and slapped Jongseong on the shoulder in excitement at the kiss that had just taken place. You caught a glimpse of the best friends pestering each other as, together, they walked to the bar where there were a few men much older than the two of them.

“I guess it's just you and me now, dear best friend” Bonnie moved between the chairs to sit next to you, facing the bar where the two boys had arrived a few minutes before. She slowly laid her head on your shoulder, feeling the weight of your head resting on hers straight away.

“How about some more cocktails? I loved what Jake brought us both.”

“That's how you say it. That's my Y/n!” she celebrated, raising her head and making you raise yours too. Bonnie's smile infected yours, along with her excitement at getting up from the table and going after another cocktail to face the rest of the night.

Jongseong's eyes were asking for help as he looked at Jaeyun and saw him order another glass of whiskey from the old man sitting between them. The deal had been made a long time ago, but the older man insisted on drinking a little more to celebrate. He didn't even want to celebrate more than he should have, one glass of whiskey was enough and Jongseong just wanted to go back to sitting at your table, be in your arms, and get out of that dinner.

Thinking about you and how much he missed you, he turned towards the table where you were supposed to be with Bonnie, expecting to see you talking to your best friend. But what Jongseong found was an empty table and nothing but the empty glasses that you all drank before leaving there.

He looked around, looking for some sign from you or Bonnie so he could have an excuse with which he could walk away, say that one of you two needed his help with something and get Jaeyun out of there too.

Jongseong was starting to get nervous without seeing you for more than two minutes, no sign of you anywhere. Then he looked at Jaeyun, as tired and bored as he was. Waving to his best friend as a silent request to leave, neither of them thought much other than to give a small excuse to the old man and walk away.

“What’s wrong, man?” Jaeyun whispered as the two of them walked away, looking at the table where the two of you should be and finding it empty “Oh, I see” then he started to search the place together with Jongseong.

“I think we can split up for a bit, maybe” he suggested as he started to get impatient. He had already walked through the long dining room and not a single solid spark from you or Bonnie. He sighed heavily, Jaeyun looking around before landing his eyes on his best friend.

“The second floor has some rooms from what the organization people said” he answered to Jongseong “Do you want to look there and I’ll go outside to see if the girls went out for some air?”

“Great idea, I’ll go up,” Jongseong said.

Climbing the stairs two at a time, he didn’t know he was capable of being as fast on a staircase as he was at that moment. The second floor was huge and he would spare no effort to open each door to get a signal. Maybe one of you two was drunk and needed some help and wouldn’t be able to speak. Jongseong thought he should have left someone from the company to keep an eye on you at least, so he would know where you were just by asking. But that annoying man rented his and Jaeyun’s time in such a long and tiring way that he didn’t even have time to think.

“Park Jongseong?” he didn’t want to see anyone right now other than you, but the call of his name made him turn towards the vast and empty corridor. Jongseong looked at the woman who was approaching, an eyebrow raised and a smile on her lips that made him wonder what was going on in her head.

“Yes, it’s me” he tried to sound as cordial as possible, as he did with everyone he talked to that night. The woman took a few more steps before stopping dangerously in front of Jongseong, her hand stopping halfway as she wondered whether or not she should raise it and touch him.

“I was looking for you.”

“Looking for me? What would be the reason?” he asked, a little confused when she took another step and Jongseong felt his back hit the wall furiously.

“I can breathe a sigh of relief because my husband finally closed a deal with you” her hand ran down his chest to the top button of his shirt, where she quickly unbuttoned it. Jongseong would have raised his hand to close it and push her away, but the woman was so close that any movement could make him touch some part of her body that he didn’t want to do at all. “That way I can go to your office often. Such a wonderful view…” she held his face between her hands, this time there was no way to think and Jongseong touched her hands to push her away, mentally cursing himself for touching the skin of another woman who wasn’t you.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think you understand” he tried not to sound as nervous as he was, breathing deeply so that his tone wouldn’t falter and remain serious. Jongseong looked at the woman who was trying to maintain an innocent look, which didn’t match what she wanted to do. “I closed a deal with your husband because the offer was great. And I have a girlfriend, so—”

“Oh, don’t be silly, Jongseong” she laughed. “That doesn’t work in the business world…”

He felt sorry for the man who had married her because if this was happening here, Jongseong couldn’t count how many times the woman in front of him had slept with her husband’s business partners. Did she think she would do that to him now? It made his stomach churn at the thought.

Jongseong looked ahead, looking for some sign that she was backing away so he could gently push her away and leave as quickly as possible. But again, the woman didn’t seem to give up and held his face tighter. Her perfectly painted and aligned nails dug into his skin strangely and painfully. Jongseong wanted to scream and tell all etiquette and manners to go to hell, he just wanted to get out of there. The woman stood on her tiptoes and leaned in to kiss him, but he was faster. His face turned in the opposite direction to hers to feel her lipsticked lips touching near the final line of his jaw.

This was something he would have to explain to you, the lipstick mark on your skin or any mark on your face that would have been left if you weren't at the end of the hallway. He felt his chest burn and his eyes widen when your figure was there, standing there and completely confused. Jongseong found some strength to push the woman in front of him without caring about any explanation. The only thing on his mind was to run towards you even though you were running in the opposite direction this time.

“Y/n, wait!” he shouted as loud as he could, running through the hallways until he came down the stairs after you. Jongseong didn’t know how you were so fast after a few cocktails, not even he was able to catch up to you.

The sea of ​​people flooded the hall and the entrance, coming in and out, walking in all directions. But he was focused on your figure heading outside, so that’s where he would head without thinking twice.

“Y/n, please listen to me” Jongseong shouted once more, his breath hitching as he continued running towards you until he saw that there was no escape for you anymore. The parking lot wall is the barrier to stop you from continuing to move away from him “Love, I—”

“Don’t call me that, please” by the tone of your voice he knew that you were holding back tears, and it hurt to know that it was because of him. Because of what you had seen. But what Jongseong wanted most was to explain to you everything that had happened.

“I call you because you’re my love” he continued, walking towards you even though you still had your back to him. Hearing each step of your boyfriend getting closer and closer until his warmth was against your back, “Can you turn around to face me, please?”

As much as he wanted to hold you, turn you around, and kiss you to get rid of any thoughts, he knew he had no right to do that at that moment. So he waited patiently until you turned around, finding your face blurred by tears and your eyes slightly red.

Jongseong hated himself so much at that moment. He hated himself more than anything in the world.

“Did you see everything that happened?” he asked, seeing you nod slowly, “Did you see that I tried to push her away—”

“Jongseong” he froze in place, it was his turn to widen his eyes because you never called him Jongseong. Even when you were mad at him, his name never left your lips. That hurt more than seeing you cry.

“Don’t call me that, you never call me Jongseong.”

“Jongseong” you repeated, your lower lip trembling and your eyes burning a little more. The nail marks on his cheek were still evident. You had seen everything from the beginning, since when that disgusting woman showed interest in your boyfriend thinking he would be another one she would sleep with. The shock had been so great that you hadn’t been able to scream to push her away or do anything, so it was only when your boyfriend walked away that your presence had been noticed in that hallway. You just wanted to find a bathroom to use, anyway, and ended up finding the worst scene that you wanted to forget now “If this happens at a dinner I've been invited to, I wonder what must have happened on the nights you were alone since we started dating.”

“What? Honey, no—”

Your broken sob was the last thing he heard before you walked away again. The desire he had at that moment was to go back to that hallway and make that woman tell him the whole truth about things. Jongseong had never been through a situation like that, the shock running through every fiber of his body as the vivid image of your face contorted in pain and sadness broke him more and more.

“Fuck” he threw his head back, wanting to scream as loud as he could until that horrible feeling passed. Even though he knew it wouldn’t.

Two weeks had passed, and Jaeyun counted on the calendar on his desk and his cell phone. Today was the end of two weeks exactly in which Jongseong had not left the office for anything. Meetings were postponed or only attended by Jaeyun. Calls were answered only by his secretary, with the answers to reschedule visits or that he was not available at the moment. And seeing him in the company hallways? No one did that. Jongseong would arrive an hour before everyone else arrived, only the security guards were able to find him wandering the hallways before entering the confines of his office and leaving an hour after work ended. He didn't want to be disturbed by anything.

"This is getting worrying" Jaeyun looked at his best friend's secretary. Yuna was a cool intern – and a gossip – but not in a bad way, she was the one who passed on all the information to him while Jongseong didn't participate in it. Jaeyun was a more relaxed boss, according to her.

“He postponed another meeting for next week” Yuna looked at the notes of all the interactions she had with the boss and owner of the company. Each message was written down with details and the times the contacts had happened, all so she could keep him informed later. “Do you think we should do something?”

“What if I go to his office?” Jaeyun asked her.

“Mr. Sim, you know that—” she hesitated a little, unsure of what to say, but when Jaeyun continued, Yuna knew she wasn’t that wrong.

“We won’t know without trying, right? And he can’t fight me for this, don’t worry” Jaeyun smiled at the girl and pushed herself off the counter of her desk, walking to Jongseong’s office. He missed the sigh of distress that Yuna gave, knowing the boss and owner of that entire building well. Jongseong would probably scold Jaeyun for bothering him like he did two days ago when Jaeyun insisted that he go out at least to eat something.

With a determined sigh, Jaeyun didn't even need to knock on the door and entered the room like he always did. This time just opening the door wide and walking in.

“I told you to get out of here, Jaeyun” the other didn't even need to take his eyes off the computer to know that, once again, his best friend was trying to interact.

“Since when do you call me Jaeyun, you shit?” he walked over to Jongseong's desk, looking around and noticing the mountain of trash and takeout food. His best friend wasn't like that, never had been. This was worrying him to an absurd level and he didn't know what to do.

Or he did know, he just wanted to test it a little and see how far he could go.

“Since when do you disobey my orders” Jongseong finally looked at him. Dark circles under his eyes and eyes almost screaming for a minute of rest where he could lay his head on the pillow and get some sleep. Jaeyun wondered how long his best friend slept each night to be like that. “Now, please, get out of my office.”

“No” he replied, making Jongseong’s eyes widen. “What? Did I stutter, Jongseong?” leaning on the table, his hands in front of his body and his head down, Jaeyun looked at him a little more seriously. Looking away across the table, Park Jongseong hated how much the boy in front of him knew him so well. He didn’t want to be like that and he also didn’t want anyone to see him like that.

“Jake, go to your office, please?”

“Only if you go home, take a shower, and get some sleep” he said. Jongseong gave a sad smile, really wanting things to be that simple. That he could get at least a little sleep, but every time he laid his head on the pillow, the image of your face came to his mind.

The first few nights, Jongseong could still see the sadness in your eyes and your last words to him before running away. Then he forced himself to think about the good times you shared during the time you were together. Your smile and your touch that he missed so much. The way you called him and told him your feelings in a melody so beautiful that it was the sound of your voice. Jongseong was lost without you.

“That’s not going to happen…”

“Either you go home, or I—”

“What?” he asked, interrupting Jaeyun in the same second.

He seemed to think for a moment, pondering whether to say what was on his mind or leave Jongseong on the edge of curiosity. He decided to go for the second option and pushed himself away from the table.

“You’re leaving this room today, wait for me” he said finally, walking through the room until he left without giving his friend a chance to answer.

It was all or nothing, he needed to do this even if it cost him something that Jaeyun didn’t even know what it was. But the sadness and worry of seeing his best friend like that was even greater than anything, so he would risk everything to make Jongseong leave that room that day.

“So?” Yuna asked curiously, looking at Jaeyun with expectation and excitement. She knew that the two were best friends and could get everything from each other.

“I couldn’t get him to leave there” he began saying, seeing that she was getting a little disappointed with what she was hearing. But as soon as Jaeyun took the cell phone in his hands, continuing to talk, Yuna smiled along with him, “But I know someone who can get everything from him.”

The sound of the computer keyboard combined with the traffic outside the building was the only sound Jongseong had heard for almost forty minutes. No interruptions from his best friend or his secretary. No one had contacted him through Yuna, much less asked to speak to him. It was incredibly peaceful, although his mind was in turmoil.

Jongseong was grateful for the amount of work that occupied his mind for most of the day, although he needed to review some documents since he got lost every time he looked at the photo on the table. Your face in it made him sigh and stop for a few minutes, messing up his hair and wondering what was going on. He wished he could go back in time and simply switch places with Jaeyun and go look for you and Bonnie downstairs. Or better yet, not accept the deal with that man and not have to deal with his freakish unfaithful wife.

Everything would be in perfect condition and Jongseong wouldn't have lost you like that. He felt incomplete and unhappy, just like he used to before he met you.

Jongseong's thoughts screamed self-deprecation. He would have continued doing this for the rest of the day if he hadn't been interrupted by a knock on the door. It wasn't Jaeyun, he was sure of that. His best friend never knocked on his door. It could only be Yuna, and she wasn't to blame for what was happening, so when he politely asked her to come in, Jongseong wasn't surprised to see her standing with the door open.

“Mr. Park, sorry to bother you” she began, almost as if it had been rehearsed during those two weeks when Jongseong had asked her not to be disturbed. He knew she was making an effort to keep him informed of everything even though he didn't want to be there.

“Do you need anything?” he asked her.

“There's an urgent visitor for you” Yuna pressed her lips together, a little hesitant. Jongseong frowned for a moment, not remembering anyone who was an urgent visitor for him.

“Is this another one of Jaeyun’s works? Because if it is…” when Yuna didn’t answer, Jongseong knew his best friend was involved in this. He sighed heavily, taking his hands away from the computer and throwing his head back. “Okay, send Jaeyun’s visitor in, then.”

The last time Jaeyun had mentioned an urgent visitor, he had taken Sunghoon and Heeseung into Jongseong’s office so they could drink bottles of soju since he couldn’t leave until he signed the last report of the week. He didn’t want to drink right now, no drop of alcohol would be able to take away what he was feeling. He appreciated his best friend’s attempts even if he didn’t know if it would work this time.

But Jongseong should also know that Jaeyun never messed around. Not when it came to getting what he wanted since the two had become friends since they were little. When he heard Jaeyun say that he would get out of that office at any cost, he didn't know that the boy would appeal and call for you. You were standing at the door of Jongseong's office now.

“Make yourself at home, Miss Y/n” Yuna’s voice brought Jongseong back to reality as soon as she said your name, waving in your direction and smiling widely as she left you there, closing the door to leave just you and him inside the room.

“Y/n? What are you doing here?” he almost stumbled over his own words, stuttering a little as he abruptly got up from the table, dropping some papers. Jongseong tried to fix some strands of his hair, which was certainly more disheveled than when he woke up.

“Jaeyun called me” as he heard your voice for the first time, almost like a song hypnotizing him, Jongseong walked around the table and approached you in slow steps. Looking your body up and down, your loose and casual clothes, just as he remembered, making you so beautiful that he swore he felt his heart swell even more. “Aren’t you eating, Jongseong?”

Now his heart could shrink in size when he heard you call him Jongseong again, falling back into the reality of the state you two were in at that moment. But he didn't care, he wanted to be close to you, so he stopped in front of you and let you look at him.

Apart from you, only Jaeyun was capable of that, of looking so closely. So he let you examine every particle of his face. From his unkempt skin to his tired eyes. His disheveled hair and his shirt looked like they hadn't been ironed or cared for in a few days as if Jongseong had just taken the same fabric and put it on in the rush of the moment.

“Sorry, I—” his adam's apple moved as he searched for the right words to answer you, feeling his eyes burn when he looked at you so closely “I don't want to leave the office, so…”

“So you're leaving now” you wanted to be firm at that moment, but you were as broken as he was.

When Jaeyun called you and asked for help, you had already been planning to see Jongseong for a few days. Your anger had already passed and you managed to cool your head about everything that had happened, talking to Bonnie and listening to the story Jaeyun told her about what had happened. It matched exactly what you saw from the beginning. Jongseong was not and never had been a cheater and a betrayer, you knew that. But your emotions were so intense that you could only think of the worst and wanted to push him away, although you didn't know that the result of that would be the man in front of you like that.

“What?” he asked.

“Let's go home” Jongseong almost moaned tearfully when your hand touched his face, letting a tear escape due to the sudden contact. Pulling his face close, you felt his forehead touch yours “You go take a shower, I'll cook something and then we can talk, okay?”

“As you wish” he replied, his voice choked and his breath mixed with yours due to the closeness you two were in.

You reluctantly walked away, looking around and sighing at the carelessness of the place Jongseong had left. You felt guilty for getting him into that state, all it took was one phone call for him to come and meet you and the two of you to sort things out. But you also knew that if you had done it earlier, it might not have been the right time and you both might not be able to talk. You preferred not to think about what could have been and just focus on what was happening now.

Jongseong approached the chair and grabbed his blazer, throwing it over his arm and turning off the computer screen. Spreadsheets and files were being saved automatically and he wouldn't have to worry about that, because he was finally leaving his office with you.

Your steps were slow in front of him as if you were waiting for him to catch up with you until you reached the door to his office. Looking over your shoulder, you gave a small smile when you saw him standing right behind you. Then your actions were almost automatic, reaching out your hand for Jongseong to hold. He intertwined his fingers with yours. Your soft, velvety skin contrasted with the roughness of his hand, sending a shiver through both of your bodies.

Your grip between his fingers was enough to make Jongseong smile a little, his heart almost jumping out of his mouth at your smile for him. With your free hand, you opened the door, going out first and taking Jongseong with you out of the room.

“Shit, I knew it” Jaeyun almost shouted along with Yuna when he saw you leave the room hand in hand with Jongseong. The two of them looked like teenagers watching a couple of friends make it work because Jaeyun and Yuna clapped their hands against each other in a funny celebration.

“Yuna?” Jongseong called for the secretary, causing her and Jaeyun’s celebration to be quickly interrupted. “Tomorrow I’m going to take the day off, rest… Can you pass my demands on to Jaeyun?”

“Sure, Mr. Park” she smiled at you and Jongseong. Jaeyun didn’t even care that he would have double the work to do. If that meant his best friend would be resting, then he would be fine.

“Thank you” Jaeyun hissed at you as Jongseong turned his back to head to the company elevators. You thanked him back, waving to Yuna as well and following Jongseong to the path he needed to take.

A lighter mood settled between the two of you and even spread to Jaeyun and Yuna. The boy was right when he said that you would be the one to get Jongseong out of that place. He should have bet with Yuna that this would happen because he would have won. But the only thing he got was extra work for an entire day.

But as Jaeyun thought, he wasn’t going to complain about that. His best friend’s rest, combined with the well-being of his relationship, was all the boy wanted to happen.

Vulnerability was something that wasn't part of Jongseong's vocabulary until he met you. Before, he was able to handle professional pressures well, finding some amusement when people in the business flirted with him or Jaeyun. Nothing had ever happened, they were both too professional for that, but it always ended up being a topic of conversation for Jongseong the next morning. He also didn't let the few breakups he had gotten him down, managing to settle down and focus on what was most important: his company with Jaeyun.

But as soon as he met you, a lot of things started to change. Jongseong couldn't find people's boldness funny anymore, although he preferred to keep his personal life very private. He didn't cut Jaeyun off when his best friend said that the future Mrs. Park would be waiting. No partner or investor knew your name, but they knew about you just by the way he talked about you.

Jongseong also didn't know if those two weeks had been a real breakup between you and him or if it was just time you needed to get your head together. The only thing he was sure of was that it had hurt him in a way he had never been able to feel before. The anguish and fear of losing you were overwhelming. Jongseong didn't know what to do or what to think, leaving almost all the time lost in thoughts about you and being guided by Jaeyun when he needed some direction in the middle of work for a few minutes.

But as soon as you showed up at his office, showing concern and that you were there, he was able to respond with relief. Driving home with you in the passenger seat, constantly hearing you ask if he was hungry and what he wanted to eat. That was the most distant dream he had ever imagined living with you. The little things – after such a difficult time – made the boy feel luckier and luckier.

He came out of the shower with damp hair after what seemed like an eternity between going to the market to buy what was missing – Jongseong ignored your scolding after he said he hadn't done any food shopping in those two weeks – and arriving carrying the groceries, leaving you in the kitchen to prepare everything. He wanted to go with you, to watch you cook what you two had agreed on. But he also didn't want to be a hypocrite and say he wasn't tired. All the adrenaline mixed with all the distressing feelings Jongseong felt during that time were replaced by the calm that your presence brought to him, so taking a long shower was the only thing he should be concerned about at that moment. Your words after he went upstairs to his room.

Now that everything was finished, he could go down and meet you in the kitchen, guided by the delicious smell of curry that couldn't be missing from that recipe. Jongseong tried not to make any noise as he came down and stopped at the kitchen door, watching you. The care with which you prepared, your quick smiles as you chopped up a spice or added another ingredient to the pan. That was more valuable than anything he could ever have in life.

“Jongseong, what a scare!” you said as soon as you noticed his presence, making his smile widen even more. Taking slow steps, he entered the kitchen and walked a little further until he stopped next to you. Leaning his forehead on your shoulder and inhaling your scent now. The scent he missed even more if he had to admit it. “Are you hungry?” you asked.

“A little” he wrapped his arms around your waist, resting his hands on your belly and breathing slowly. “Is it ready yet?”

“Yes, I promise” You smiled even though he wasn’t seeing it. Your speed in the kitchen was enviable, but he knew you did everything in the best way you could just so he could get out of the shower with the food already prepared, needing a real meal.

Between the moment he hugged you and the moment the meal was finally ready, everything passed like a blur for Jongseong. Eating in silence by your side, enjoying the good food and the glances and smiles at each other. He made sure to hold your hand between bites, stroking the back of your hand with his thumb and listening to you sigh beside him, everything so perfectly that if it had been Jongseong's delusion and he was still in the office, he wouldn't want to wake up.

“You—” he started to say, you were focused on putting the dishes in the sink and soon turned to him after the two of you finished eating “Do you mind spending the night here with me?”

He looked away after asking, afraid of any reaction from you. Jongseong took a step back to give you space in case you wanted to leave, but he was surprised when he heard you call him slowly.

“Do you want to go upstairs to rest now?” your question could already be a complete answer to him, Jongseong wouldn't even argue anymore. You would stay, he was sure of it.

Pulling you close to him by holding one of your hands, he was content to just guide you to the bedroom upstairs. Without saying a single word for fear he would ask you something and you would go back and leave him there alone. Jongseong wouldn't be able to face that house without you for so long. Even though you didn't live with him yet, at least before your visits were frequent, maybe even overnight stays. But for two weeks, you both lost that.

As soon as you both entered the bedroom, he went straight to the closet to look for something. You waited patiently, walking around the bed and going near the table where he usually got ready before going to work or going out. The smell of the mix of strong perfumes with Jongseong's after-shower scent was incredible. Everything in that room screamed his name and how the particularities of a serious man were completely guarded when he was with you.

“Here it is” he approached you, a piece of cloth in his hands that was only identified by your eyes when he stopped in front of you. It was one of the loose shirts he lent you to wear when you slept here.

No expensive pajamas or lace things, he knew that, your essence could not be bought. And he didn’t even want to. It was this difference between you and him that made the boy fall even more in love with you.

In silence, you began to undress, not caring about Jongseong’s eyes on your body or any corner he wanted to stare at. You, on the other hand, never took your eyes off his face. Wanting to catch every and any reaction as you took off your clothes, remaining only in your panties. Taking the shirt from his hand and easily pulling it over your head and letting the fabric fall on your body.

“Let’s lie down, you need it” you whispered to him, looking him up and down and seeing the small effect you began to have on him. Between the sweetness of the relationship between the two of you, you knew that you were the one who provoked Jongseong the most in this regard, and being away for so long was also making you miss him just as much as he missed you.

Feeling the soft fabric of his bed sheets and the blankets covering the two of you, Jongseong sighed. A sigh of relief as he wrapped one of his arms around your waist and pulled you close. His lips rested on your forehead before lowering his face and resting his forehead against yours this time.

“Do you want to listen to me now?” Jongseong asked you, trying to ignore the provocation from a few minutes ago and focus on something else. Maybe this conversation would be a good one.

“I… would love to” you pondered, but you knew he wanted to talk and that you had come there to talk too. So you let him tell you everything. Every little detail from the first word about how things happened.

You wouldn't hide from him that you had heard this from Jaehyun and Bonnie too, and how you had seen the scene from the beginning. But it happened like a shock and just like Jongseong, you had never experienced that kind of thing in a relationship. Not that you had many, but all the bad feelings invaded you, and dealing with it was something you couldn't do. So those two weeks had been frustrating, but at the same time necessary for you to think.

After all, your relationship with Jongseong was different from everything you and he had ever experienced before. The things that happened had to be dealt with between the two of you, so asking for his help or leaning on him on those occasions was the right thing to do.

“Thank you” he said after a while, his eyes flickering between your eyes and your lips, searching for any sign that you wanted to talk more or that you regretted talking to him. But the lightness in his expression said otherwise.

“For what, exactly?” you asked.

“For coming here and talking to me” Jongseong began speaking, his grip on your waist slowly softening and giving way to a caress with his fingertips as he lifted the fabric of your shirt to touch your skin. “For taking such good care of me” that innocent and sweet whisper went straight to your heart, but his hands against your skin were doing something else to you.

You had to act fast, not stay behind. The conversation between you had already happened and you needed to take care of him completely.

“But I didn’t take care of you enough” you whispered, feeling Jongseong’s affection stop quickly.

“What? What do you mean—” when your lips pressed against his, he knew what you were talking about.

Letting you kiss him now was the only thing he could handle. Your tongue slowly entered his mouth as Jongseong returned to caressing your waist, pulling your face closer, and pressing you against his chest. In that kiss, everything you two felt for each other during your relationship was transmitted, in addition to what you deprived each other of when you were apart.

Your hands slowly moved towards his chest, making their way slowly to tease him as you guided yourself to the drawstrings of the sweatpants he wore. Jongseong could only sigh and moan against your mouth, the feeling of your hand on his body sending electric shocks through every little fiber of his being.

In a slow but deliberate movement, Jongseong got between your legs and let you continue the path of your hand to his pants. Keeping up with your rhythm as his hands moved up the shirt you were wearing, revealing every part of your skin to him.

Jongseong ran his teeth over your lower lip, sucking on the fleshy flesh of your mouth when your hand finally found his cock still covered by his underwear. Moaning into your mouth had become a habit ever since you kissed him in bed. He made no effort to hide the sounds that were being caused by you. As soon as your hand grabbed the outline of his cock, Jongseong slowly ground his hips to force the length into your palm, so small and yet so strong against his throbbing cock.

“Fuck, Y/n” he moaned as he pulled away from your mouth, his chapped lips shiny with saliva sliding over your skin until they found their way to your neck. Placing small kisses on the area, going down to the particular spot between your neck and your earlobe, Jongseong left a small hickey. Smiling against your skin when you moaned in response, tightening your fingers around his cock.

“Jongseong, please” you asked hoarsely, right after your moan and trying not to falter in your tone. Knowing how impossible it was he teased you even more.

At your request, Jongseong lifted your shirt to below your breasts, enough so that the full view of your belly and panties were exposed to him. With his free hand, he took your hand off his dick and lowered his sweatshirt until he kicked it off his feet, leaving only the underwear and shirt he was still wearing.

“What do you want?” he asked, aligning the outline of his dick still covered by his underwear perfectly with the lips of your pussy covered by your wet and shiny panties. The shape was visible due to your arousal.

“I want—” you moaned loudly when the head of Jongseong’s dick hit your clit. It was sensitive and swollen, and you wanted nothing more than to be touched, but with that attitude, you knew your boyfriend had other plans.

“I asked…” Jongseong pressed his cock deeper into your clothed pussy, his slit covered in precum mixing with your essence as it made your panties even wetter along with his boxers. “What do you want?”

For lack of response, he knew the effect it had when he teased you like that. But Jongseong didn’t want things to end so quickly, so he lowered his boxers just enough to release his throbbing, aching cock. With the same hand, he traced the outline of your crotch where your panties were clinging, feeling the essence dripping from how wet you were.

He looked down for a moment, his fingers becoming almost transparent from how wet you were as he pulled your panties away. With his free hand, Jongseong ran his cock along the side of your panties, feeling the pressure of the fabric as he managed to place his length right above your clit.

“Fuck, you’re not going to— You’re not going to tease me like that” you whimpered a little too late because Jongseong began to thrust his hips slowly, making your pussy soak his entire length. With each touch of his cockhead to your clit, you wanted to cry out from the stimulation.

Jongseong swallowed a loud moan, the noise of excitement growing more intense as he soaked his entire cock in your pussy, his hips slowly moving enough.

“Why, hm?” he asked, his gaze lifting to yours as he picked up the pace. Your fucked out face could make Jongseong cum right there, without even having penetrated you yet. Your legs gripped tightly to his hips, following along as he moved back and forth, his cock stuck between your wet pussy and your panties that were starting to get stickier and stickier, almost transparent.

You pulled Jongseong by the neck, joining your lips to his as you felt him pick up the pace. The sound of his wet movements turned you on even more. His cock moved up and down your pussy as his pelvis reached its limit, only for you to soak his cock all over before his hips came back and did it all over again.

Your lungs screamed for air, but you didn't want to let his mouth go, so you kept it there just to feel Jongseong sharing the same air as you. Your brow furrowed as his pace became faster, more urgent. The shape of his mouth molding to yours, the side of his nose pressing against yours, and your foreheads still together as the two of you synchronized the movements of your hips.

Even though his cock wasn't inside you, Jongseong knew every sign your body had before he came. Every clench your pussy made around nothing and every slow spasm you indicated when you were close. Along with that, his shallow thrusts became erratic, and his nibbling on your lower lip became frantic.

“Jongie” you moaned, a request you didn’t know what it was. If it was for him to let you cum, if it was for him to not stop. You didn’t know, you could have a little bit of everything.

“Yeah, baby?” Jongseong kept his lips close to yours, his gaze never leaving yours because he wanted to look at you when you came.

“Don’t stop” you begged.

“I wasn’t intending to” he smiled with his mouth anchored to yours, his movements a little faster.

Jongseong’s thumb went to the base of his cock, making the completely wet glans ��� he couldn’t tell what was his pre-cum or his essence anymore – slide over your clit and down your pussy to your hole. He circled it once before penetrating you without any warning.

“Holy shit” you screamed at the sudden intrusion.

“Cum on my dick, baby” he begged, this time with a single strong thrust so that the head of his cock kissed your cervix, where he could reach.

The way your pussy tightened around his cock after so much stimulation and with just one thrust, you came like you had never done before. The trembling of your pussy walls was enough for Jongseong to cum in thick, strong jets inside you. The amount surprised him because he still came as he continued thrusting into you, hearing your whimpers knowing he was already overstimulating you.

Slowly he stopped moving his hips, the last drop of his cum inside you was released, and only then was Jongseong able to rest his body on yours, hugging you without pulling out of you yet.

“That was…”

“Intense” you finished his sentence, running your hands up your boyfriend’s strong arms until you held his face between your hands. The tender and calm look you gave him was nothing compared to what the two of you had shared seconds before.

“Can I ask you something?” he asked you, still panting as he struggled to pull out of your pussy. It was so warm and sheltering him so well, he didn’t want to leave anytime soon.

“Sure, whatever you want” you said.

He seemed to think about it for a moment, smiling slowly as he pulled out of you, careful not to overstimulate you. You both moaned together at the abandonment of your hips, but as soon as Jongseong’s body fell beside you, exhausted, you snuggled up to him and buried your face in the crook of his neck. His scent calmed you down a little more as your breathing became normal.

“Don’t ever call me Jongseong again” he said in a whisper, running the tip of his nose through your hair as his hands rested on your back.

You laughed softly but stopped when he slapped your ass and pulled you closer to him.

“I’m serious, it’s not nice and—”

“I know” your lips kissed him as you lifted your face, looking at him properly. “I won’t do it again. Only if you deserve it.”

“I promise, I won’t do anything to deserve it, love” Jongseong pouted, and you swore it was the most adorable thing in the world.

Because everyone knew Park Jongseong, and here, he was just your Jongie. Your boyfriend, and the man of your life.

© ikeuverse, 2024. do not copy, translate or steal my stories.