#just saying that HYBE doesn't even want to take that chance

[starryjkoo]

Overly cynical thought of the day, but the current situation with Jimin and MUSE just continues to make me wonder if HYBE wants to keep the BTS members reliant on ARMYs for the success of their solo careers because that’s more beneficial to the company. That way the members careers are still dependent on keeping the BTS brand alive, which is obviously crucial to HYBE’s own survival. Why would HYBE want to help the BTS members become self sufficient when the company is still so overly dependent on BTS staying together and active as a group? They want them to be successful but not too successful. It would explain why they do such an abysmal job marketing most of the members as soloists outside of the ARMY bubble. (They don't want a BP situation).

The one solo career they noticeably put any effort into was the one that was a collaboration with HYBE America and was used to make the company look better by showing off the merit of their A&R system. And idk, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried to convince JK that if he wanted another Seven level hit that he would need to keep working with that set of producers and the same team responsible for Golden. That would still keep him reliant on HYBE regardless of the group. Plus if he’s satisfied he wouldn’t leave anyways.

Which leads me to -- it’s becoming incredibly apparent that HYBE/BH are not moving for these solo projects unless they have a vested interest in them. And based off of MHJ's words (which I take with a grain of salt) I also believe that BSH doesn't care for a project to become too successful unless he has his hands on it.

I’ll just cut my thoughts here for now before this gets too long, but if any of this turns out to be true I can’t even begin to describe how disgusted I am with HYBE and BSH lately.

It's more important than ever for the members to develop strong solo fandoms, and by that I mean fans who show up for their solo work because they’re genuinely interested in them as soloists and not just because they’re members of BTS. I don't even mean actual solos, it can include ARMYs, just genuine fans of their solo work, not fans who are forcing themselves to show up only out of obligation. That kind of support WILL fade and it's just way too conditional to be sustainable. That's why HYBE doing such a crummy job helping them with this feels extra sinister to me, idk.

Maybe it's not malice but incompetence, but that's also not really a good excuse when we've seen that they can be competent when they want to be.

[boydepartment]

Enhypen as Sad Songs

MASTERLIST

a/n: as per usual the song comes with a scenario ❤️

warnings- angst

JUNGWON- all i want- kodaline

you and jungwon were best friends for years. when highschool hit and he had to go away to become an idol you knew that was pretty much it for you two. there wouldn’t be anymore late night sleepovers, no more junk food at 3am together, no giggling while sneaking out, no nothing. or at least that’s what you thought. jungwon always planning to make time for you he always thought about how he could go on more adventures with you when he debuted. jungwon would have the money to take you anywhere you’d want. you didn’t know about any of his plans, so when you cut him off with a final goodbye he’s just left in confusion as to why you left him if you loved him.

HEESEUNG- your sister was right- wilbur soot

heeseung started out as your tutor for your english 101 class. you were struggling and needed help, heeseung would help you in more ways than english. he’d take you out on dates, give you stuff, you’d practically act like you were dating. all your friends hated the fact heeseung was this close to you. he had a reputation for using people, of course, it wasn’t true in the slightest. it had just been a rumour. hearing what your friends had to say about him made him so frustrated. heeseung never did anything to hurt you, but if that’s all anyone is ever going to see him as. then fine- he’d treat you exactly like they said he would. your friends were right.

JAY- how to never stop being sad- dandelion hands

you had always struggled working on anything. it was hard to do anything at all actually. from getting up, to trying to go get coffee every morning. jay hated seeing someone he loved so much drown out every single one of their feelings. he watched someone who he loved so much break themselves down. jay was close to you a few months go, you used to order coffee from him and it sprung up a tight friendship... until now. he didn’t know how to help, and telling you he was in love with you made it worse. it made it so much worse. you shut him out completely, because you felt your life was shit and you deserved it.

JAKE- single- the neighborhood

jake was your coworker who you had to style. you were previously his makeup artist and things quickly bloomed into more. you noticed how he would look at you differently every time you had to do his lip makeup. one time he finally took his chance. your relationship together was healthy, stable, and helped you enjoy your career. hybe didn't agree with it though and so you were both forced to separate. you were lucky that they just switched you to a makeup artist for another hybe group. you both only pass each other during award shows or filming. jake doesn't think either of you should be around each other, he's still got a crush and its obvious.

SUNGHOON- i was all over her- salvia palth

heeseung was your older brother, he came home for the summer. when both your parents were out he had a party with all his old and new friends. the party was big which surprised you, what surprised you even more was the fact one of the guys at this party started chatting you up. you found out his name was park sunghoon, he didn't really bother to ask your name. sunghoon was just all over you, not in a way of physically intimacy, just talking to you and not letting you give your attention to anyone else. getting this attention from a stranger made your naïve heart full, for him though, every stranger just made him feel safer. he had no intention being close to you after this party.

SUNOO- falling behind- laufey

sunoo watched all the couples around him, even jake had someone, which shocked him. no offense but the big goofball didn't even deserve you. sunoo watched as you joked with every one of his friends. sunoo didn't understand why jake was irritating him so much, he should be happy his best friend was happy. he didn't understand the reason why he was falling behind was because he was in love with you. he held hope that maybe you would catch on to his longing looks towards you. he wanted to call you his, sunoo wanted to have your shoulder be the one he can finally cry on. it got to the point where even riki found someone, everyone was falling in love but sunoo was falling behind.

RIKI- wasted summers- juju<3

riki was completely infatuated with you, he wanted to be around you 24/7. summer was the perfect time to be around you too, he got a small break from work and you didn't have school. riki missed going to school with you, however, this was his life now. he cherished every moment with you, from watching scary movies and holding your hand even if it was just for a split second. you'd always pull your hand away quickly though, whenever riki got closer to you, you'd pull away. but then you would call him and beg him to come over when the summer thunderstorms were too loud to deal with. while you slept soundly, riki cried next to you. he knew you didn't reciprocate his feelings, he didn't have to confess to you and get rejected to know that. riki knew that once his break was over he wasted like half of his summer trying to hold on your hand.

[chim-chim1310]

Thoughts on jk's house leaked video

This video is interesting and since there's no jimin content to talk about I'm gonna talk about latest tea.

Okay so.......I think there are chances that the video could be real. But it's the timing that's kinda off to me.

Right after 3D. This is like super weird.

This leak could lead to two conclusions :

1) that it was to sabotage the new song.

Okay makes sense. But i don't understand that jk being a celebrity, if he wanted to get cozy cozy with his gf why tf would he leave the curtains open, windows showing the whole view with lights full on?

Like it doesn't make sense. He even goes on live with curtains closed.

So to me it's super weird. Which leads me to the second conclusion.

2) it's a PR move.

Okay now I'm not saying that jk doesn't have a gf. The girl in the video could very well be his gf but that's not my point here.

I heard someone say that scooter and bangpd is using all the US PR strategies. Like the whole songs with f*'ckboy image, then smoking thing which was clearly intentional and now this whole gf thing.

I mean it could be a possibility that it is a PR move???

It's just the possibilities that I can think about.

Because this is so off.

If this is real then I must say that it's a highly f*cked up thing to record someone at their homes.

ANOTHER POINT

Okay so from the video the girl clearly looks prego??? (Correct me if I'm wrong)

I mean what??? Jk is a father now?? 🤣🤣

I think this point completely changes the whole narrative because it's so much different than taennie situation.

Taennie was pretty clear that they are dating. The Paris walk was clear too.

But here in jk's case...... The girl he's supposedly dating is prego. And now it's leaked. If this is really jk in the video then it's a huge f*cking deal.

The girl is pregnant, if we assume that it's jk in the video then it just got revealed that jk is a father. 🤯

It's a pretty big deal so is hybe not gonna address it?

I mean the girl is literally pregnant that's a whole different situation than taennie which is why the video is fishy.

If the girl was not pregnant I would for sure believe that it's jk in the video in an instant.

There's a whole ass pregnancy involved here which goes far beyond just dating or fooling around. And I think it's big deal enough for hybe to clear things up immediately.

I mean before seven jk looked like a single fratboy living in a shitty apartment looking very much free and just resting and drinking at home. But all this while he had a pregnant gf to take care of?! Lol I find it hard to believe because he doesn't shy away from showing his personal space and he honestly looked single to me.

But I could be wrong and maybe he's just very good at hiding his private life.

And this is why my theory of PR move doesn't fit right either because if it was a PR move then they for sure would've made him date a hot celebrity or show him fooling around with female celebrities left and right to you know go along with the f*ckboy image that they're going for.

But a whole ass pregnancy is just gonna affect him negatively which is why It's maybe not a PR move.

So yeah this whole video is fishy. And I'm quite not sure if I believe it or not.

Anyways....

What I noticed today is that some jikookers are oddly fine with the video. I mean since chapter 2 they were kinda moving like a cult like taekookers but they're surprisingly calm after this video and some even believe that the video might be true.

With the way they were going since seven release I thought they're gonna act like taekookers during taennie scandal. But surprisingly they are taking it well.

I mean I'm shocked but it's a god thing.

SInce I'm an ex-jikooker I'm still in jikook spaces just because I'm curious and want to know what they are talking about. And they seem cool with the video.

But I've never been in taekook spaces. I wonder how they are taking the whole news lol.

[nightswithkookmin]

Hey Goldy!

I read your interesting take on why there seems to me sm Jikookery in official ot7 content and I have to say I agree. They are magnets and can't seem to be able to be away from eo or avoid looking at eo for 2 minutes

Must do whatever this was

Satellite Jikook magnets

Must give piggy back rides

So I feel like even the editors have come to the conclusion that if they were to cut Jikookery, Jimin and JK simply wouldn't make it onto official content. 🤔

Not only will there be no JM JK content in official ot7 contents, there wouldn't be any content AT ALL

Cos a lot of the time the behind scenes are just members staring at jikook while they do their thang

Suga always rides solo in the back of contents every chance he gets with his phone texting min Holly or whomever he be texting

At this point I'm just gonna say he be watching porn in between takes cos aint no way anything is more interesting than the clowns he works with

Hobi laughs too much for anyone to take him seriously

This one is too quirky with the dad jokes

Too brainy

Funny dude but I swear this one has nothing to say to us😭😭😭

And it does take him a while to get it up😆

He the type of guy who would just fuck you each time you open your mouth to say something- baby I- bam wam take it take it

Dady I- do you want ice cream? I can make you a sandwich. Okay pack your bags we going to Disneyland 😭😭😭😭😭😭

When all you wanted to say to him was he has a bug in his hair 😭😭😭😭😭

Seriously though, I remember feeling some type of way whenever Suga would say X member is the funniest of late. Jimin. Or Tae or even JK.

And I remember feeling so frustrated when JM said he hated feeling like an entertainer rather than a singer or musician.

Ppl don't realize the toll the roles they're assigned has on them.

And while we are on the subject, I want to say Fuck you to those who dragged me for saying JK learning English is his way of providing support for Namjoon to take some of the pressure off.

Even though he had explicitly said so himself, people like to dismiss everything as over analysis or obsessions or us thinking too much about things

But years later and here we are with Namjoon complaining about how tiring his role as leader was being the spokesman for his mates

Jimin sang sick and tired but I don't wanna mess up. Why is that?? He's always trying to be there for others, to give them strength and motivation and encouragement and ideas.

These people shoulder a lot of responsibilities in their bid to bring us quality content.

And while it's easy for some people to just carve a space on set for themselves like Suga jumping on his phone and unwinding, jikook can't get such privilege because the camera crew will legit find them. Doesn't matter if they are at the back of a track chilling in between takes and taking personal selfcas, or are on a couch smooching, or are just behind a monitor observing the commercial they just shot.

They never catch a break.

Even when they wanna hold hands they gotta make sure they aren't being filmed. They are forced into a constant alert mode lest the cameras pick on something they don't want to share with the world. It's exhausting.

So yea, I dare hybe to cut Jikook out of contents.

Let's see Memories flourish without them

[dearweirdme]

https://www.tumblr.com/dearweirdme/727362861289144320/httpswwwtumblrcomdearweirdme7272030984461680?source=share and this is why I keep saying that hybe truly doesn't care about tae's image and wellbeing, it's all about closeting, silencing him and punishment for his boldness, the tn thing is obviously a pr stunt I saw ppl who believed it bc of gh pics doubting it after the Paris walk , like it was so obviously staged and everything following by jn own staff was made to maximize the rumor not to kill it, that's textbook definition of pr ( and yes offense to that anon: you should buy a brain if you think those badly edited pictures are real and that a company and an artist would just simply allow to have their real private lives violated for a year without doing anything at all and if you think any company would allow such a bad roll out for a real relationship, that would only harm their own partners and make ppl not to take them and their relationship seriously, it only makes sense when you look it through the lens of blantly keeping the speculation by not confirming nor denying bc that's what maximizes the attention, literally mediaplay) but Tae has too many ppl that already hated him in a very organized way way before those rumors (jokers created and still fed by the company) and they will always want to think the worst about him to pay attention and apply common sense, and the company knows that and they still didn't care, they didn't care about the negative repercussions he'll have to deal with and they haven't made any strategy to deal with that, they keep feeding jokers bc their priority is protecting jk from his real gay rumors now that he is under scooter wing ( no one takes jikook seriously besides their own shippers and there's nothing to dig up there, it's your typical kpop fs ship with lots of company content ) and also protecting him from pjms and jokers who would turn of him for being more successful than jm by giving them content and showing them as close (they were already doing that and pjms are still furious), jk is the member they have invested the most and his relationship with Tae has always been a risky thing that could make their investments go to hell, I do think there must be something on it for Tae for him to accept too ( I believe a lot of coercion too) but ultimately this serves many purposes and shutting Tae up must be one of the upsides for hybe and they'll keep it like that bc they don't care and have never cared about Tae being hated massively and having his image tarnished, he isn't the priority, their money is.

Hi anon!

I don’t really agree about the company protecting Jk more by playing into Jkk. There has not actually been much Jkk-ing this year I think. Jkkrs themselves were in scrambles because they got so little, some even jumping ship because of it. I think there has actually been more real Tkk moments than real Jkk moments since solo era started.

But I do think your mention of Jkkrs is an interesting one, because Jkkrs do play a part in the whole Taennie rumor mill. They keep the rumors going and they emphasize those every chance they get. I wonder if the company took that into account when this pr-stunt was concocted. They ofcourse took into account Tkkrs, and Army as a whole.. but would they have considered Jkkrs? Possibly not. Maybe things did get out of hand a bit and that’s why Tae seemed to leave ship after Paris so fast.

Companies are all about money, but the money is where the artist is. If Tae does well the company does well. Though Tae gets hate, I think for the most part he is very loved. If they keep the Taennie moments away (by backlisting questions, no linking them, no sightings, maybe some shade by Tae himself) things should settle soon enough. Right now things seem a bit more tense, because there is anticipation. I think we’ll get a taste of what it’s going to be like real soon. Jennie won’t be a topic. Maybe she’ll be linked to someone new soon, and than it’s going to be over.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

hello i came across your page and found you super interesting and a good source to go to when in need of some not sugarcoated opinions

im an army, been an army for a bit more than four years and just a few months ago i got super into enhypen and now well im obsessed

ive given other groups a chance… no one and when i say no one did it for me like enha i can’t believe they managed to turn the scale with bts for me im obsessed with both of them and now i have 14 babies

enha are really captivating and theres smth abt them thst idk its just special HOWEVER lets be real they are not doing so good with streams and charting and it pisses me off like crazy bc god do they deserve a lot more and i keep thinking what is it that they lack?

so i wanted to ask you do you think enha would make it big (armys pls dont come for me at the comparsion) but do u think they would make it big like bts? and secondly what are they lacking as a group in terms of everything (music, style, personalities, personas… etc)

***

Let's get the obvious out of the way lol. Unless it's a group from Big3, it's going to be near impossible for any currently active group to become as big as BTS this decade. For Big3 + HYBE groups, it's possible but difficult. Enhypen surprisingly doesn't follow BTS's playbook as closely as some other groups do. The three boy groups most closely following BTS's playbook right now, are:

RIIZE - in their whole concept being a coming of age odyssey with a rap-spin;

Stray Kids - practically everything about Stray Kids is BTS-inspired (and it's something I've talked about before);

Ateez - it's in their lore-heavy branding and performance focus, also utilizing rappers.

The key thing lacking for those three groups in reference to following BTS's playbook, in my opinion, is the music. Other things too, but it's the music that's the key limiting factor here. This doesn't kill their momentum and I'm not exactly saying the music bad, just that going by my taste, there's a lot of room for improvement.

ENHYPEN doesn't lack at all in the music department. I'm probably biased but it's also true many of their songs are produced by BigHit's team of producers who made the music that got BTS this big and who generally make stuff I like. So, Enha's got great songs, but like I've said before, currently, they're not a rap-focused or even rap-present group, and it's unusual for vocal-centered boy groups to become massively popular unless they're from SM, and even then, rap groups still outperform... I mean, we've seen that movie before.

But to follow BTS's playbook, they'll have to mitigate this lack of rappers - Bang PD/Belift has to push for more involvement from ENHYPEN into their song-making process. Having members with writing credits helps to show a more direct connection between the members and the song. It adds to a sense of ownership and legitimacy for a lot of fans (whether or not it actually reflects it). So far, in ENHYPEN Jake and Jay have contributed to songwriting and it's been very good. Ni-ki also takes part in making choreography. But for Enhypen to grow massively, the members need to be seen having more direct and consistent input into the creative process, whatever form that takes. Also, if I were them I'd lean even more into their choral, hiphop sound. Nobody does it like them and it's pure magic.

Also, ENHYPEN's lore is somewhat clumsily tacked into their MVs, making it difficult for people to understand the group's identity. Enha is a 'concept group'. Their concept trailers are beautifully shot, frankly a work of high cinema, something beyond the quality of most MVs. But then, all that complexity and subtext kinda disappears in their main MVs. Maybe it's because I've never been a theorist, but the presentation of lore symbolism in their MVs can be confusing and difficult to parse even with reading the WEBTOON. Ateez's lore by comparison is in a sense, 'simpler'. People might struggle to understand what ENHYPEN is and connect with them, when as a concept-heavy group, their lore is difficult to understand. It's up to Engenes to better compile and present the narratives around the group, to get more people to connect with them.

ENHYPEN are easily some of the best performers in their generation, but because of their style of music (vocal-heavy, limited rap/chanting verses paired with intricate choreography and floor-work), live concert performances can be very challenging. They pull it off amazingly well, but I worry for them tbh. Here, Ateez has figured out a formula that works to keep their performance energy consistently high: rely on simple rap/chant verses, focus on open, simple choreography that travels across the stage, and utilize props to add to drama.

Like I said earlier, Enha's music-scape and choreos add a layer of difficulty that make it harder to replicate BTS in terms of performance, as they currently are. Enha's vocals would need to improve, as will their stamina, to bridge the gap. But they are well on their way to getting there. If thing's continue to improve like it has so far, within a year or so they'll be seen as beasts. They're already incredible, but if they keep growing it will become more apparent to more people the unique mix of talent that exists in Enhypen.

Because that's what you saw that made you write this:

"a few months ago i got super into enhypen and now well im obsessed

ive given other groups a chance… no one and when i say no one did it for me like enha i can’t believe they managed to turn the scale with bts for me im obsessed with both of them and now i have 14 babies"

All seven of them are naturally, incredibly charismatic, and they seem to be very decent and talented people. That's why you're obsessed. Lol. In my view, Enhypen at their core is a high-performing hiphop team that does 'haunting and dramatic' contemporary pieces extremely well. Their performances are insanely intricate, and it frustrates me to no end that it's usually near impossible to translate all of what's happening in the practice to a stage performance.

Take for example their MMA2023 dance break:

It's been a source of fiery debate in my group chat since it dropped and I'm not even kidding. The amount of floor work, the precision, Heeseung, Ni-ki, Jungwon, Jay, Sunghoon's dance styles show best in krump breaks like this. Ni-Ki and Sunghoon trained in ballet and as a figure skater, respectively, and you can see it in how they move. Jungwon is a powerhouse, and Heeseung and Jay embody the sort of dual charisma that one can only be born with. You either have it, or you don't. They're all special and this is a performance that is just that good. But with the camerawork of the main show, the clashing outfits with the backup dancers, the poor lighting, means so much of this performance can be missed. The boys still did amazing. But when you see the practice and see what it's supposed to look like, it hits you just how limited they are by their intricate performances not captured better on stage. Engenes can work around this by hyping up good fancams, and dance practices that capture their effort.

The final thing I want to say in where ENHYPEN is lacking, is one in which it physically pains me because this is easy to fix: American roadshows/interviews. BTS had only one barely fluent English-speaker but he was also the person often most involved in making the music, and so he could better respond to questions about it. The rest of the group also made up for not being fluent English-speakers by doing comedic antics while remaining as engaged as possible in the interview. The person who usually contributes to Enhypen's American interviews is Jake for obvious reasons, sometimes Jay, but each time I've watched Jake speak he seems worse than unprepared. To be blunt. It's not enough for a group to show up on Western talk shows, they also have to effectively communicate who they are and why they're special. Enhypen does this so much better in variety content like this:

this too:

But in situations like this interview below, it's clear Jake sometimes struggles to explain some things, but he recovers quickly later in the interview.

Jungwon answers questions very well but speaks in Korean. It's fine, but working on his English can only be a positive in this scenario. For Jake too.

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

I didn't want to immediately think of baby monster as a copy of blackpink, both bc that's lazy of yg and bc so many people were already so ready to think that that I was afraid of being primed into thinking that too, but their new song is bp 2.0 in a disappointing way. Don't get me wrong, I think the chorus is catchy. The rappers especially are clearly Lisa and Jennie-coded, and the way they call themselves 'boss baby' after hearing bp call themselves 'boss bitch' so many times, it just is what it is. Coupled with it being unclear whether bp is renewing their contract the intention is obvious, and of course yg wants to copy its success. I don't think it'll be easy to really step into bp's shoes, bc part of the reason they grew so popular so quickly is bc the girl crush lane was pretty open, and it's not anymore. Meanwhile nj has been so successful bc they had a fresher concept that the gp was craving (and they're reportedly already planning to evolve it further in the vein of 'cool with you' - seemingly more low-fi contemporary). That being said, there are a lot of companies to make the west's new kpop(-esque) gg - hybe with katseye, jyp with vcha and yg with babymonster, and the west probably will only support one, so maybe there is a need for a bp successor. What gg concepts do you think have a chance of really breaking through in the west beyond what's happened so far with nj?

(p.s. sm made an interesting, possibly really smart, choice to focus on making a European boy group. Maybe this is a reach, but I think the greater interest in making a new western-oriented gg rather than a bg says something about how these companies are viewing bts' prospective popularity over the next couple years. I think most people assume that the west would really only support one big bg, so focusing on ggs may suggest that other companies expect bts to maintain their same level of popularity for a long time)

They honestly didn't remind me too much of BP, though there were many similarities. No offense to the girls, but the BP members are beautiful and always dressed in expensive clothes. I don't remember their debut song, but I don't think they were fresh-faced teenagers either. I noticed that the members had Western-style vocals, (they seemed like competent singers), like Jennie and Rosé, and one of them reminded me of Lisa. The Jennie/Lisa similarities were there for other members (unrelated, but one of the girls really reminded me of Alexa, actually). There was a scene where one of the girls wore a glamorous red dress, and she reminded me of Jisoo. Regardless, the overall product is way worse than anything I've heard from BP, and I'm not even their fan. The girls just don't have star power yet and the song isn't very catchy, nor trendy, and the visuals aren't there either.

YG really mustn't understand the current industry. This sound is the same sound many ggs have these days. To me, it was like BP mixed with XG, Alexa, and other lesser known groups. The MV was super low budget, their styling was awful, the dancing wasn't memorable (but the girls were good), the rapping was terrible (much harder to take than when it's Lisa and Jennie, since the posturing was a lot more obvious).

I can't imagine this group being successful like this, although they already are? It just feels like YG is stuck in the past. I think only Hybe is putting out stuff that doesn't feel dated or that has been done by their group before.

The West doesn't care about "concepts" the way kpop does. It's all about music and image. NJ don't have a badass image but they don't have a cutesy one either, and their music works for people because it's trendy, easy listening, and doesn't sound too kpop. What works in the West is stuff that isn't so kpop you can't enjoy it. Before I got into kpop, I listened to BP and immediately understood why they were popular and why the other groups couldn't touch them. They were the only gg I could listen to because they sounded Western and didn't have cringe cute concepts (I liked KTL, but I honestly didn't watch their MVs or anything). At first, BP, Mamamoo, G(I)-dle, RV, EXID, were the only groups I could like because they didn't have cutesy concepts.

Still, cringe fake badass concepts like this one won't work at all either. The girls can't pull it off. I think a strong image is important, because girls who look fragile and like they're acting innocent may turn men on, but certainly turn women off, and won't be taken seriously at all, yet, other than that, I think music's the biggest factor - maybe that's innocent of me. I don't believe NJ will ever be like BP. They lipsync all their stages and don't seem particularly exciting to me. Imo BP aren't great performers, but they engage the audience and sing live, so they give out a lot more energy and are more powerful and charismatic. I don't believe any group who lipsyncs all their stages will make it in the West. Naive? Maybe. But I think there's a reason why BTS and BP are where they are, and why SKZ have such impact. Maybe I'm biased. I certainly don't know the industry well.

I can't comment on the SM group, but I think it's going to be a long time before these international groups actually do well. Again, maybe I'm wrong. I don't understand what people like that well.

Oh, forgot to say that I liked the instrumental in the beginning a lot before the song got progressively worse. I liked the party outro too. I think the rapping ruined the song more than anything else.

Thanks for the ask!

[finallydelight]

i feel so greedy for asking for ming and mark so much but i love to see them together, could we see their first kiss soon, or just them hanging out like at the movies, their dorm, arcade (idk i never leave my house). also, if you want of course, ming getting the talk like about boys from scoups or jeonghan or whoever, i think it would be quite funny.

don't feel greedy, many people ask for them, so don't feel bad about that! i really enjoyed writing this one, the ending is a bit rushed tho, cause i didn't know how to properly end it :( hope you enjoy it and your thoughts and feedback are always welcome <3

Down By the River | Ming Chapter

August 3, 2022

''Hey, you.'' Mark greets her, his smile covered by a mask and head covered by his hoodie. 

Yerim grabs his arm and urges him to start walking away from the HYBE building, where they had agreed to meet up after her dance practice with the members. ''I told some of the members I was meeting up with Soomin, so let's go before they see you.'' She takes this also as an oppurtunity to link her arm with Mark's. She had been smart and had texted Soomin saying that if any of her members asked her if Yerim was with her, she should say "yes". 

He laughs at her lack of greetings, but goes along with her anyway. When he notices she doesn't let go of his arm, a blush appears on his cheeks and ears. "Let's go then." 

"I thought we could go to Han River and admire the view, there's also a convenience store close by, so maybe we can get some food as well." Mark suggests, hoping she likes the idea. He had asked some of his older members for advice, wanting their first 'official' date to go well. Johnny had recommended going to the river at night, since it has a nice atmosphere when it's dark and it would also be less easy for the two idols to be recognised. 

"I really like that, I haven't been there in a while." Yerim tells him, excitement evident in her voice. Mark let out a smile on his face, happy and relieved she liked the idea. 

"Do you go there a lot?" He asks her out of curiosity. "Uhm, when I was a trainee I used to go there often with my friends." 

Yerim thinks of an old memory and laughs to herself, making Mark confused. "What is it?" She shakes her head. "When me and Chan were younger we used to sneak out of the dorms sometimes and go to the Han River," she tells him, "we always thought we were being super sneaky, but the other members knew, but they saw how much fun we always had while doing it, so they pretended they didn't know." Telling Mark this story gives her a nice feeling, she misses those days when she and Chan were still teenagers. 

Mark laughs while she tells the story. "That's actually very nice of your members, to let you guys keep the fun of it." 

She nods. "How about you? Do you go there often?" She asks him in return. 

"Kind of the same as you, but we're busy these days, so I haven't had the chance to go." He answers her, looking at his feet. 

"I have a lot of respect for you, you know. I have to do promotions for just 1 group and we have a lot of members, so sometimes I don't really have much extra schedules. But you have to promote with 2 groups, you must be exhausted, Minhyung–ah." She tells him. Yerim hopes their date can relax him, even if it's not much. 

Mark rubs her arm. "Don't worry about it, Yerim. I wouldn't do it if I didn't love it." He reassures her. 

The pair makes it to the convenience store nearby the river. They walk into the small store and pick out some things they can eat. 

"I think I'm just going to get shin ramyeon, I've been craving it all day." She takes the package from the rack. 

Mark also takes a package. "I'm just gonna take some chicken noodles, I saw that they had fried chicken at the checkout, you want some?" He asks her, pointing at the checkout. "Oh, yeah, that sounds good." Despite having a huge appetite, she can't help but get some pieces of fried chicken. 

"Minhyung-ah, what do you want to drink? I'll grab it for you." She asks him, making her way to the fridge. "Uhm, a coke is good." Yerim nods and grabs two cans of coke, one for herself and one for Mark. 

All of a sudden, her phone goes off, but her hands are full so she can't grab it. Mark appears in front of her. "Here, give it to me, I'll go pay then." 

"I'm not gonna let you pay for all that." Yerim refuses, still holding onto her food and drinks. "Come on, Yerim. I asked you on a date, so I should be the one to pay." She hesitates, but gives her stuff to Mark. "Alright, but next time, you let me pay." She sighs. He raises his eyebrow. "Next time, huh?" Even though his mask covers his face, she knows he's smirking. "Go pay." She gives him a little nudge, he laughs and makes his way to the checkout. 

Her phone had stopped ringing, but she grabbed it anyway, wanting to know who called her. She opens her phone and sees Mingyu's contact name on her screen. She's about to call him back, but he beats her to it and calls her for the second time. She picks up. "Hello?" 

"Hey, where are you?" He asks her. 

She furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm with Soomin, I told you during practice." She literally told him an hour ago. 

"Oh yeah.. I forgot." He laughs, although his tone suggests that he didn't forget. 

Yerim didn't buy it, but she wanted to quickly continue her date with Mark. "That's okay, but I'm gonna go no-" 

"You're not with Minhyung, right?" Mingyu interrupts her, his voice turning serious, contrasting his normal teasing one. 

Yerim is taken aback by the question, but quickly recovers. "No, I'm with Soomin, now can I go back to hanging out with my best friend or are you gonna keep calling me?" She asks him, she saw Mark was done paying, so she just wanted to join him. 

"Alright, I know you wouldn't lie to me, Yerim-ie. Have fun with Soomin!" She had a feeling he knew she wasn't with Soomin, but she just played along. "Bye!" She quickly hangs up and approaches Mark, who had already begun making their food. 

"Hey, sorry, that took longer than I thought." She apologises to him and takes the bag from him with their drinks and fried chicken. 

He shakes his head. "That's alright, everything okay?" He asks her. 

"Yeah, just Mingyu being Mingyu." She doesn't want Mark to worry about her members, they've tortured him enough in her opinion. 

He nods. ''Aah~ he's friends with Jaehyun-hyung, he's told me about him.'' Mark says, remembering the time Jaehyun talked about his friend group. ''Probably no good things.'' She laughs. ''Just something about him being clumsy, I guess.'' He tells her, laughing along with her. ''Yes, that's Mingyu.'' 

''I think the food's done.'' Mark says. ''Here, you can put it on here, so it's easier to carry.'' Yerim had grabbed a piece of a carton, so Mark could put their hot food on there. He put the two steaming containers on the carton and took it from Yerim. ''I'll carry it.'' She quickly grabs some napkins and extra chopsticks and puts them on the piece of carton. 

They make their way outside and start looking for a nice place to sit. The pair noticed it's a bit windy outside. ''By the time we've found a place, our food is gonna be cold.'' Yerim comments, not too excited about eating cold ramen. ''Yeah, earlier there wasn't any wind.'' Mark says. 

''Look at the river, though.'' He looks at Han River, admiring the way it shines with the city lights. ''It's beautiful, and with some good food, it's gonna be nice.'' While Yerim looks at the view, she doesn't notice Mark's eyes on her. ''Yeah, beautiful.'' He agrees, little did she know he was talking about another view. 

''How about this spot? We can sit against the tree that way.'' She points to the spot and looks at Mark, he nods. ''Yeah, great.'' They make their way over to the tree. 

Yerim's about to sit down against it, but Mark stops her. ''Wait, I have a blanket in my bag.'' He puts the carton with their food and utensils down and opens his bag. He takes out a folded blanket and when he unfolds it, Yerim sees it's a minion blanket. ''Nice one, Minhyung.'' Her comment results in nervous laughter from Mark. He spreads it out on the ground and motions for her to go sit on it. 

''Let's eat!'' She says excitedly, while taking out their drinks. Mark sits down next to her and hands her the container of ramen. ''Thank you.'' They both take off their masks, so they can properly eat. 

''It's still a bit warm.'' He says, happy it hadn't gone completely cold from the wind. Yerim takes her first bite. ''Oooh~ it's good!'' She says, quickly taking another one. Mark smiles, enjoying her reaction. ''Yeah, it's really good.'' 

It doesn't take her to finish her food. She sees Mark watching her, his container still having some noodles left. ''I had schedules the entire day, so I haven't had the chance to eat much.'' She explains to him. ''Aah~'' He comments, taking a sip from his drink. 

''You must be tired, Yerim-ah.'' Mark says, realising she must be tired if she had schedules the entire day. ''It's fine, it was just an event I had to attend and some rehearsals for the tour.'' She was a bit tired, but nothing out of the ordinary. 

''How was your birthday?'' She asks him. ''Great, our manager gave me that watermelon cake that I sent you, I had to like, break it with this little hammer, it was quite entertaining.'' Mark mimics breaking the cake with the hammer. 

''The cake looked great, I love that it was a watermelon.'' She laughs, thinking back about the pictures Mark had sent her the day before.  ''I love watermelon.'' He says matter-of-factly. 

''You want some fried chicken?'' Yerim asks him, taking a piece out of the bag. He nods his head and she gives him the piece, taking one out for herself afterwards. They both enjoy the silence while they're eating. 

Mark is done first with his piece. ''It's really beautiful here at night, I should come here more often.'' He says, wiping the crumbs of his hands and resting his head against the tree. 

Yerim nods her head. ''It really is, good idea of you to come here.'' She compliments him, giving him a smile. ''Thanks, I mean, it wasn't really my idea, it was Johnny's, my member.'' He reveals, shyly looking from her to the river in front of them. ''Aah~ I see.'' She nods, she moves herself backwards, so her back is against the tree and her arm is against Mark's. Both of them look at the river. 

''I just wanted it to go very well and I had asked my members for some places we could go to. Johnny had recommended coming here at night.'' He explains. 

Yerim turns her head away and looks at Mark. ''You wanted it to go well?'' She asks him, trying to hide the big smile forming on her face. 

He looks down smiling. ''Of course, I want you to have a great time.'' His flustered state makes her blush. She grabs his hand and intertwines their fingers. ''Well, lucky for you I'm really enjoying myself so far.'' 

''That makes me happy.'' He shifts his eyes to their intertwined hands. ''You, uhm, you want to know something?'' He asks her, making eye contact with her. She nods her head. ''Yes?'' 

He scratches his voice. ''Remember when we were both doing archery at ISAC? When our teams had to go against each other?'' He tries to remind her. Yerim's eyes widened. ''Oh my god, that's right, I totally forgot about that.'' She says, the memory of the 2019 ISAC archery finale being brought back. 

''I remember you broke the camera on one of your first tries and you appeared on the big screen. I sat there watching everything and I just remember thinking that you looked super beautiful. I mean, I always thought you were pretty, you know. But I don't know, you just looked so… wow! I don't know how to better describe it and when it was done, we had to shake hands and I don't know if you noticed, but I just couldn't stop staring at you and I wanted to say something, but you just looked so beautiful that I didn't knew what to say.'' Mark rambles on. 

Yerim watches him while he talks, a soft smile covering her face. ''I think since then, and I don't know if this is weird to say or not, I kinda had this crush on you, you know?'' 

That takes her out of her trance. ''But that was like 3 years ago?'' She says with a puzzled look on her face. Mark doesn't say anything, but just nods at her. ''You've liked me for 3 years?'' Yerim says, full of disbelief. ''Minhyung, you should've said something!'' She jokingly scolds him. 

''What should I have said? I didn't think you even knew who I was.'' He defends himself. 

Yerim gasps. ''Of course I knew who you were! I thought you were cute!'' She exclaims, finding it unbelievable that Mark thought she didn't know who he was before. 

''Well, then you should've said something if you thought I was cute!'' He copies her tone, finding this little 'argument' absolutely adorable. 

Yerim shakes her head, smiling from ear to ear. ''Whatever, we're here now, aren't we?'' Her gaze moved from Mark back to the river in front of them. They enjoyed the comfortable silence that fell upon them, just relaxing in each other's presence. 

''Didn't I promise you something the last time I saw you?'' Mark says, all of a sudden, looking back at Yerim. 

It didn't click for her immediately, hearing his words. ''What do you mean?'' She asks him with furrowed eyebrows. 

''When I left your dorm last time, what did I tell you?'' He asks back, trying to get her to remember what he told her. 

Her eyes slightly widened, she remembered. Before he left their dorm the last time they saw each other, he had told her he wanted to give her a kiss, but because her members were watching them he told her he would keep it for the next time they saw each other. ''Aah~ that.'' Now, it was Yerim's turn to be in a flustered state, looking down at their intertwined hands. 

''Yes, that.'' He says, a small smirk present on his face. He was quite proud of himself for making her flustered. 

''I mean, you did make a promise and you haven't fulfilled it so far…'' She dragged her words, not daring to make eye contact with him. 

Mark's hand gently brushed her cheek, turning her head so her gaze was on him. He looks deep into her eyes, searching for anything that would tell him she didn't want this. Fortunately, he didn't. 

She gives him a small nod, giving him the permission he's looking for. A small finds a way onto his face, before finally moving closer to her and putting his lips against hers. In that moment, they were just two young people sharing a delicate and intimate moment with each other. 

She revelled in his warmth, she was aware of every move he made. His hand on her cheek, his other hand still holding hers, like it would disappear if he let go. Meanwhile, Mark felt overwhelmed by the euphoric state he was in. Her hand in his, the smell of her perfume and her soft lips brushing against his. 

Once they parted, the pair couldn't help but giggle at each other's flustered states, blushed cheeks and red ears. 

''Uhm, it's quite late.'' Mark says, looking at his watch. His flushed state made him stutter his words a bit. 

''Yeah, maybe we should get going.''

Taglist: @lunarxsun @cosmicwintr @mythicalamphitrite @billboard-singer @stopeatread @still-astray @sakuurra @multiplums @giverosespls

[hyunsuks-beanie]

Music

Pairing: Idol! Yeonjun x idol! gn. reader

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 1k words

Based on: This TikTok video (credits to @yedammi for sending me the video xoxo)

Mellow speaks: I'm just so soft for all things Yeonjun, so I hope everyone likes this lmao. Thank you to the anon who had requested it!!

Tagging: @ivyvesisi @yogurteume @sweethyuka

His hands feel clammy. He knows he shouldn't be like this, fully aware that he's a world-class idol who dances on and off-stage every single day. But still, he just can't help being nervous this time around, his gaze faltering every time he so much as glances at your form, standing next to you.

He's had a crush on you for as long as he can remember now, having had spent the last few years of his life watching you from afar, a lovesick smile on his face as he watched your form retreat down the corridor of the company. He can't even fathom how many times he has thanked the heavens that you decided to join the same company as him, making it easier for him to see you grow.

You had stepped into HYBE just as he was gearing up for his debut, and the second he had laid his eyes on you, he had felt his heart leave him. As the years have gone by, he has watched you transform from the timid, wide-eyed trainee to the national crush you are now, and as proud as he is of you having had come so far, he's prouder of the fact that he's liked you even longer.

Over time, he has grown closer to you, forging a friendship with you that he can happily say is stronger and runs deeper than your average junior-senior relationship. But the feelings haven't gone away, instead having become even stronger the more he has gotten to know you.

So it's no wonder that he finds his heart beating faster and faster as the moment of truth draws near, his ears ringing just a little as he lifts his head up to look at you. You look beautiful as always, ethereal even, and he seems to be unable to peel his eyes away from your form, his heart skipping a beat when you grace him with the a smile, the prettiest he's ever see.

As if on cue, the music comes on, the familiar tunes filtering out of the speaker as he takes a step closer to you. Reaching his hand out for you to take, he heaves a nervous sigh, giving you a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. But that's until you place your palm in his, your voice like honey as you tell him that you're "Gonna rock the stage."

And much to your, and his, surprise, that's all the encouragement he needs to feel like himself again, his body moving to the rhythm as he strives to show you just what he's made of. Now is his chance to impress you in every way possible, the weeks that the two of you have put into perfecting the performance on the verge of paying off. Yeonjun is determined to live up to the title of being the "4th Gen It Boy," but this time, it's because he wants to shine even brighter in your eyes.

So there's only one thing left to do really, let himself become one with the music as his hands play with yours, his face contorting into all sorts of emotions as he cups your cheeks. In that moment, he feels himself fall even harder, completely awestruck by the way you express the sheer despair and sadness that the choreography requires.

You continue to move in perfect sync, your forms becoming one as he loses himself in the dance, finding his home ground again, with you. Pulling away, you come crashing back, collapsing into each other's arms as he tries to make you happy. It doesn't work though, your anger making its presence felt as he feels his heart break at how beautiful a picture you're painting.

He opens his arms wide, imagining you slip away when you really do, taking his breath along. But then magic happens, your heart beating against his as you hug him, even if it's just for a minute. You smile at last, causing him to almost break character and smile even wider, because he could swear that's the prettiest you've ever looked. But that smile soon fades away, making way for an even sadder expression as you link your elbows onto his shoulders, feeling yourself fly when he lifts you up.

Yeonjun keeps trying to win you over, internally shedding a tear or two every time you leave him again. This is the most heart-wrenching dance he's ever danced, and he still can't believe it's you he's dancing with. The music is barely over two minutes long, but to him, it feels like an eternity he doesn't want to end.

But like all good things, he knows he needs to let this go too, his feet coming to rest but his consciousness still celebrating the art that you just created with him. Opening his eyes, he's met with what he thinks will become his favorite sight ever, your cheeks just a little flustered and your eyes teary as you bite your lip to keep from smiling.

It's nothing less than a breeze after that, his mind hardly registering the compliments and the applause, his focus solely on your form, standing a little ways from the wings with your groupmates as they hug and congratulate you. It's time to say goodbye again, and Yeonjun knows he'd be lying to himself if he said it didn't hurt watching you walk away from him again.

But then you look his way, nodding softly as a gentle giggle slips past your lips, your feet turning around as you get ready to leave. Call it cliché, but before he knows it, he's walking over to you, his hand gripping your wrist and making you stop dead in your tracks.

Now it's your turn to feel your heart beat fast, your eyes silently signaling for your members to go on ahead. And they do, laughing and smirking among themselves as they leave you to deal with your mess. "What is it, Jun?," you ask, your voice sounding even better than the music from your routine to Yeonjun's ears as they get heated upon hearing the nickname you gave him.

Taking his second deep breath of the evening, he says something he didn't think he'd be able to say, his chest feeling tight as the words, "Go out with me?" escape his lips.

The silence that follows the question is deafening to say the least, but in the end, everything is worth it when you crack a smile.

[choibinn3]

GET IT TOGETHER, JUNGWON!!

[ nine. hehe ]

series masterlist

⋆·˚ ༘ * in which jungwon had meant for that love letter to go to yeri, and not you—her bff. for some reason though, he finds that with each moment he spends together with you he's closer and closer to forgetting all about that damn letter.

no song for this chapter!

WRITTEN PORTION. 2.1k

also partially unedited, sorry if some things don't make sense or are confusing T_T

—

The bell rang.

You made eye contact with Jungwon across the room, and yet his brown pools nervously flitted towards Yeri's direction instead. They were President and Vice President though, so you didn't question much. She was packing up her bag, and had sent you a small smile.

"I'll see you next class, ok?" she said, "Make sure you eat a full meal before work."

You grinned at her. "Got it! I hope you have a good time with whatever you said you were doing, sorry I couldn't eat with you today."

Being the only two people in your friend group with the same lunch period, you usually sat with her for it. Talking about classes, chatting mindlessly, idly looking around the cafeteria for people you knew was fun only when it was with her.

"It's fine," she replied, waving off your apology and placing her notebooks away. "It's your first day with a boyfriend, I want you to be happy."

You appreciated her genuine gladness for your own happiness so much, you could barely hold it in. You wrapped your arms around her, sending her stumbling a bit with your weight. "Woah, YN!"

Having someone so positive, so supportive, and so authentic as Yeri around you for so long had definitely brightened your outlook on life. Such a friend was a one in a lifetime chance, and yet you lucked out. You just hoped she thought the same of you too.

"Thank you! I love you so much!" you exclaimed into her shoulder.

She released a giggle, patting your back with one hand as if to ease you down. "It's the bare minimum of friendship, YN. I just hope that Jungwon doesn't hurt you."

The tone in which she said it felt more serious than it usually was, which was a bit odd. You understood her concern though, of course your friend wouldn't want you to be hurt! And yet, everyone and their mother knew that flower boy Yang Jungwon would be the least likely person to do such a thing.

You loosened your arms a bit, tilting your head at her confusedly. "Why would Jungwon hurt me..? You know he's too nice for that!"

You knew that Jungwon and Yeri had definitely gotten closer to each other since the Student Council elections, but your faith in Yeri had outshined any insecurities or suspicions that could've ever formed. She had definitely talked frequently to him, especially with all those times they've had to stay after school for paperwork, so you would've thought that she'd know Jungwon's personality by now.

She took ahold of your arms, smiling at you before wrapping her own limbs around your form. Gahh, hugs from Yeri! You giggled into her shoulder again, from where your face had buried itself into. "I know, I know. I'm just being worried, I think."

You nodded. "I get it, thank you."

Yeri and the rest had always been like this. Even though Niki would act disgusted towards your displays of affection, he loved it when you made time for him. Heeseung too, actually. Yeri and Heeseung were both equally protective of Niki and you, even though Yeri was your age.

Since the day you had became friends she was the one looking out for you. Not to say you were irresponsible, but because she was just naturally a protective person. It was a quality you and many others admired about her—her loyalty to her friends.

"Remember that guy that was obsessed with you? Back in middle school?" she muttered.

You hit her arm playfully, and she let you go. "He wasn't obssessed!" you insisted, "I thought the snacks were cute!"

Yeri laughed. "Ok, whatever you say, but he was always buying you stuff. Can't believe you turned him down, though."

Your eyes glanced towards Jungwon, who was waiting by the door with his hands in his pant pockets. The large mass of students filtering out of the opening had covered his figure at times, blocking your view when they did, and yet you knew you could point him out in any large crowd. He stood out in a way that had you nervous all over again.

"Yeah well," you started, looking away and instead down towards your shoes bashfully, "I told him I liked someone else, and now we're just buddies."

You slung your bag over your shoulder as Yeri decided to nudge it. "Wonder who that could've been," she teased, and you let out a indignant whine.

"You don't have to wonder!"

She pinched your cheek, and you pretended to attempt to bite at her finger playfully. As the both of you exited the doorway, you sent a smile towards Jungwon.

The brief eye contact made him look away again, for whatever reason, you didn't know. "I'll see you in the cafeteria, right?" you asked, a bit hopefully. Yeri stopped beside you.

He fidgeted a bit, nodding his head. "Yeah, I'll find you there."

You grinned at him, and went onto your tippy toes. Jungwon's large brown eyes widened, and he almost leaned back when you planted another chaste (burning) kiss onto his cheek. Again?! You're kidding!

Neither of you knew how relationships worked, but were you sure a kiss on the cheek could be considered the first step? He had to hold his breath, otherwise he would've made a noise.

"Ah—" Like the previous time, you moved away too quickly for him to have comprehended the situation fully—or to say anything.

Your bag slightly jostled as you promptly walked down the hallway. The figure of your back going further and further down, becoming smaller and smaller as he stood there once again. He held onto his cheek. The ghost of your lips were still there, faintly, but the touch was evidently still imprinted into his mind. He wasn't sure he'd ever be able to get used to that.

As you left, Yeri looked over towards him. Her smile was devoid, which was the first odd thing, and suddenly she grabbed his wrist—the one still tracing your kiss.

Jungwon looked after at her shocked, but she provided no explanation as she dragged him along with long, big strides. "What are you doing?"

"I said it'd be quick, you have to get to YN, right? Lunch with them?" She turned her head to the side, awaiting an answer.

"They told you?" he asked, but of course they told her. You were best friends. "I mean yeah, nevermind. I do."

He was going to tell you about the misplacement of the letter, too.

With how fast Yeri was rushing them both, they made it to the Student Council room much quicker than they would've if they had walked casually as they had done before. The windows of the Council room were open, the long curtains blowing with the passing wind.

The room was fairly old, not yet upgraded as the other classroom in the Hybe building were. They still had gray, cloth curtains connected to their windows, and Jungwon had found the curtains annoying when they decided to brush against his face while he was working.

Still, he found the sun and its brightness too pretty to try and close the windows. As he looked at them, Yeri had made a point to shut the door.

Jungwon glanced over in time to see her lock it, too. If he wasn't anxious before, he was now. "What did you want to talk about?" he inquired, placing his bag down.

No answer. He looked up, and blinked at her as she said nothing, just staring at him with her head tilted.

She took a step forward (he took one back, he had to), and another (his sneakers squeaked against the polished floor), and another, and another (Jungwon stumbled a bit, feet confused with his backwards direction), and more until—

Jungwon's back collided roughly with the wooden surface behind him, making an aching pain build upon the lower part of his body. Before he could even think about the spreading heat, Yeri had already slammed her hands on either side of the desk, shocking him into straightening back up.

She was close.

Not closer than you were, but close enough to where he was panicked on where to look. They had shared such a proximity before. Only once, but it was still near. He had leaned over to take a look at some paperwork on her desk, and her face was inches away.

He didn't notice her lashes though, nor her bright eyes like he did with you.

"I called you here today to speak to you," she began. Her voice was steady, calm, confident. Whatever she was planning to say, she had either rehearsed it or was steeled in her resolve.

"A-About what?" A stutter. Not good. He hadn't meant to stutter, so he just gulped down his next nervous words.

"About YN."

All of a sudden, Yeri had surged forward. Her stands of hair had flown with her, falling off her shoulders and hanging over Jungwon. Even though he was taller than her, he had to lean back to not come in contact with any part of her skin.

He held his breath again, like he did with you, but because he was terrified he'd accidentally breathe on her face.

Her eyes had narrowed. Yeri's eyes never narrowed. They had always been slightly curved from a smile, or fondly closed in thought, but never once had they even become close to those dangerous slits on her face.

Was this the same person he knew? What had initially drawn him to her was her sweetness, so how could she look so stone cold (read: terrifying) in this moment?

"Look, I know we're kind of close and all, but YN was my first friend and one of my only long-standing friendships since I was 9 years-old." Jungwon couldn't take her gaze, so he turned to look out the window as she spoke.

"They've been my rock ever since I started having trouble with my parents, and was always supportive of everything I did. YN is self-sacrificial and diligent in a way you'd only notice if you were friends with them, and observant to the small details, playful when you need them to be, and highly emotionally empathetic—"

She paused, as if finally noticing Jungwon's attempts to distract himself.

"—I'm talking to you here." His eyes snapped back towards her face at the harshness of the tone she used, and a bead of sweat formed at the back of his neck. Ok, never trying that again. "You're not a bad person, Jungwon. I know you're not the type to hurt someone like that, but I'm not taking that chance. YN is a very sensitive individual, ok?"

Yeri waited, long enough for the frightened boy in front of her to get the memo. Eventually, he nodded.

"Good. So don't you ever attempt to hurt them—actually, even if it was a mistake, I couldn't care less. I will make sure you won't live past the age of 30. You won't even be alive to see your grandchildren, Yang Jungwon."

To make her point clear, she turned her glare burning. He could feel it through his soul. Such a stare would generally leave his heart palpitating, and it was surely, but he'd be an idiot if he didn't know the difference between it beating in fear and from affection. Right then, it was fear.

As if she was finally satisfied, Yeri leaned back from the cornered Student Council President in front of her, and took several steps backwards.

"Take this as my blessing for your relationship," she offered, hand coming to give a small pat at his shoulder. It took every fibre of his being not to flinch. He did Taekwondo for God's sake, what was with him?

The words hadn't come out of her mouth, but it was silently spoken from one party to another. This wasn't just a blessing, this was a warning. A threat too, all in one.

Yeri took it upon herself to exit the room first, even making sure to close the door gently as to not disturb anyone around them, and Jungwon's legs took him to his Council President seat—because if he didn't take a seat, he was sure he'd faint somewhere along the way back.

Kim Yerim had just threatened him like an overprotective Mob Boss whose child had just gotten their first boyfriend. Kim Yerim, his crush, the girl he had been pining over since they had both been elected for Council positions, Kim Yerim—who he had apparently not known enough about.

Outside of the room, Yeri was making her way down the hallways, checking messages on her phone as she did so.

(10)! unread messages from Heeseung!

All with the same premise. What did you talk to Jungwon about? What did you say? Yeri? Where are you?

She should've known Jungwon would tell his other friends, it was only natural he would. I'll deal with that later.

She tucked her phone back into her skirt pocket, unaware of the frantic footfalls of someone running down the hallways in the opposite direction.

—

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TDLR: you kiss his cheek again, yeri drags jungwon to the stuco room, yeri will make sure jungwon wont live past the age of 30 :D

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i hope this was worth the wait you scoundrels

[alottamoney]

I genuinely believe pics are edited not only because they look like it but also because how silent it is everywhere. Imagine if their phones were hacked do you really think Taehyung would be unbothered? Him being chill means pictures are only edited and his privacy is intact.

I think people who know Taehyung are forgetting even though he is kinda a person who doesn't like to hide his relationship but he is also honorable and private. Being ok with some cheap leaked relationship pictures isn't really his style. Other thing is first leak happened before their official hiatus video. If he was keeping his relationship hidden all the time, you really think he is a novice in dating that he will use untinted windows and be ok with some random ass dude hacking his or his girlfriend's phone.

I genuinely think, Tae is silent because he couldn't care less for some edited pictures (no hacking, no privacy breached), media is covering it but it hasn't become a scandal as people are accepting it (note: koreaboo covered the pic editing article with tweets of that neon girl). So ultimately favourable publicity for all the parties involved. HYBE is in it, YGY (has partnership agreement with HYBE) is involved. If there were negative repercussions, company would have handled it. Also, no hate to that girl, but people are already discussing who is going to be the next relation for Jennie as she is known for dating idols. So nobody is taking it seriously, just indulging in fantasy of it.

If I look at this from taekook's POV, I think this rumour was much needed. The way SK is, people might ship other members but subconsciously they know they are not real (read K army's POVs) and that's why Taekook gets backlash because people might not ot want to identify their relationship but there is some kind of diff intimacy in their interactions which bothers many. So after going solo, I am sure there would have been a lot of silent scrutiny on boys. This gives them much needed cover to just be them in these uncertain times, what with upcoming Busan concert and pending military enlistment. I am not saying Jennie is Tae's bread or something. It's just a win-win situation for both of them and their companies.

You know how cleverly this ploy is working when people are so ready to accept Taennie's relationship only on the basis of poor quality pictures and bad edits. Even some taekookers are subconsciously believing it. People loves fantasy and this rumour gives them that. Don't even wanna comment on heteronormativity.

The more silent and unbothered Taehyung is the happy I am coz situation is under his control and that chances of relationship being real becomes less.

I think you've summarized a lot of what the previous anons have been saying. I personally don't feel like debunking or overanalyzing, because I've been there. I think we're giving too much credit to the companies, and their audience when we come up with these elaborate narratives. I also don't want to make conclusions now in case it backfires, it's not necessarily a gotcha moment-we can only interpret what is presented to us-but like I've said, I've been here before and it's a waste of energy to theorize about what Tae will and won't do because... I don't know him lol He did react pretty badly (depending on how you see it) when rumors about him and Joanna started doing the rounds. It's not like we can say it's a pattern. Besides, people will ignore even logical conclusions if they've made up their minds. Save energy, eat popcorn 🍿

[thetaekookcloset]

Ok so I have an opinion and I'll try to word it in the sense people won't dissect it and pull any distinct interpretation to what is intended.

I genuinely want to know how gay taekook will be proved by general public if they show them consoling each other. Is it very gay to console your friend or ask about his health? If yes, then I believe what Jungkook did on stage in 2018 when he hugged tae and stared at audience was INCREDIBLY BRAVE because company is hell bent on not showing these vulnerable moments. If for a change answer is no, then please I want to be enlightened why company cannot show taekook asking about their health or consoling them when they suffer an injury. Why is it only JIMIN who is shown? Again, before people come here to throw hate if they think I am doubting his sincerety, no I am not, anyone writing bad about him wouldn't make him any less of a person he is and half a blind person can see he is sincere atm. But anyone not doubting this is also shading other members. Think about it, does other BANGTAN do not care for each other. Why Jungkook needs medical care only one person is allowed and the other not (both the times)?

My problem is not JIMIN, my problem is why company wants to push the agenda that only one member cares mainly? It's about those camera angles, edits and clear instructions.

This time when Tae got hurt they show jimin asking if he is alright, we also see hobi enquiring but nothing on Jungkook. He is sitting beside him in a chair (remove staff). Not addressing his presence won't change his concern for Tae i know but only for someone who knows he is there coz you have to pause and see.

I think this one member caring is a double edged sword- For Jimin- huge added pressure to constantly be aware of camera and company expectations. (Again I am not saying he doesn't do on his own but like also mandatory service)

For others, well what to say didn't Taehyung get a lot of flack about Wings Tour. I am sure sometimes Jin can be the one to wipe tears, Namjoon can be the one to run and offer you his services.

My point is these people love each other and I get they have their own personality and role to fill but like what are the chance. We have seen Taehyung consoling Jimin we know he can do it. Jungkook got injured and the other time fainted, company told them to go outside Jimin was allowed, Jungkook cried during concert Hobi went to him. Tae could only look at the sidelines. This is why I think Jungkook consoling Tae in stage was a huge thing.

Again, not questioning genuinity of any member, I am sure they are very caring just that imposed company agenda makes me sick. Sorry for the rant.

No worries about the rant!  We’ve all been there, I’m sure.

I don’t feel I have a lot to add to this really.  Some of it I don’t have strong opinions on, but I understand why you and other people do, and I think you’ve also brought up a really interesting point about how Jimin often being shown as the nurturer could put extra pressure on him to keep up that appearance even when he may not feel up to it.

Ultimately I guess there’s no real way to know whether he feels pressure to do that or not, but it is an interesting thought.  Same thing with the other members not being shown taking up that role -- we don’t really know whether they do and it’s just not shown, or if it’s not something many of them think to do in a lot of cases, or what might be going on there.  We don’t know how much HYBE might edit content to slot each of the members into specific roles that they want filled, basically.

It does seem strange to me that HYBE has, at least in the past, edited and presented their content in such a way as to keep from showing Jungkook and Taehyung interacting when one or the other of them is hurt or sick.  Like you’ve pointed out, it’s not like it’s somehow non-straight to check in on your friends.  It’s possible that in those circumstances, they give themselves away a little more, since those are vulnerable moments.

In Memories 2021, we did see a couple clips of Jungkook’s concern for Tae when he was injured though, which is interesting.  At the very least, we saw him saying that rehearsing might make the injury worse, clearly advocating for Taehyung to sit down for the rehearsal because he didn’t want him getting more hurt than he already was, and there was another clip of him checking up on Tae, asking if he was feeling better.

Anyway, you’ve brought up some interesting ideas, so thank you for sharing your thoughts!

[maplecornia]

chapter 27

𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱: 1.39K

𝔤𝔢𝔫𝔯𝔢: romance | slice of life | fluff | angst | bts x female!reader | ot7

𝔰𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: You watched them from the sidelines ever since you were a young teenage girl. Now you’re grown up, they’ve returned after 2 long years and everything has changed. What happens when you pull back the mask and find the darkness within? What happens when you see that they’re broken?

𝔞/𝔫: so the continuous posting every day has now officially ended now that we have caught up in the story ^^ so be expecting updates every Saturday instead of every day lmao

𝔴𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰: cliffhangers | angst | fluff | slight mentions of self hatred | depression | mental health illness | self harm | occurs in the year 2024 | set in a timeline where BTS went to the military together | slight language

tags: @kookaine | @fangirl125reader | @kookiebbyxx | @taradevonne | @rae-bear |@mangminnie | @pixiekooo

The door opens before you have a chance to turn away.

You don't know why you're so scared, but you do know that being called in to meet the chairman of HYBE entertainment isn't necessarily a good thing. Especially when you haven't even started your first day yet.

Swallowing hard, you step forward, almost wanting to reach out and take Namjoon's hand. If you do, maybe then you have someone to lean on. Someone to help you not feel so afraid. However, his presence behind you offers you more than enough comfort and you take a breath, grateful that you have his moral support.

The door shutting tightly behind the two of you, you raise your eyes to find BangPD sitting at the head of the room, his chin resting on his hands. You pause in the doorway, waiting for his invitation to sit as he regards you with those small thoughtful eyes. Unable to stand the uncomfortable tension, you clear your throat.

"What's going on?" you murmur, your voice weak despite the attempt to strengthen it. BangPD smiles at your question and leans back in his chair, nodding slightly to Namjoon.

"Mrs. Lin, please take a seat." He requests, and Namjoon obliges, placing his hand on the small of your back to lead you to a small sofa set amid the massive office. As he sits you down, he takes your hand in his own before resting on the cushion next to you. Inwardly, you smile, feeling a bit of the fear ebbing away.

"Did I do something wrong?" You inquire, peering up at him as BangPD rests on the cool gray couch opposite of you.

"Of course not." He chuckles at your innocent question before leaning back in the chair and resting his face on his hand. As though he were measuring you up, making sure you fit his standards. You squirm a bit under his gaze, and Namjoon glares at him, his hold on your hand growing subconsciously tighter. "I simply wanted to ask you a question, a proposal if you will."

You bite your lip in nervous anticipation, regarding him with wary eyes. At your silence, his smile grows, and it makes you uncomfortable. Somehow, you know that you are not in control of the situation. Feeling that slip away, you don't know if you'll be able to conduct yourself properly.

After a moment, he leans forward and picks up a remote. He presses a button and a small speaker on the table crackles to life. There's a few moments of static before a voice fills the voice, and your heart pummels to your stomach.

Your voice.

Your blood turning cold, you look up at BangPD with wide eyes.

What is he going to do? Am I fired? Will Jaejin lose his job?

Turning to Namjoon, you try to read his expression, but he's focused solely on the chairman, his expression unreadable.

What does he think? Is he upset with me?

It's not even your first day, and already you're in deeper water than you signed up for.

"I--" you begin, but BangPD pauses the track and leans forward towards you, cutting you off.

"Is this you?" he murmurs. You wonder why he's asking a question, he already knows the answer to. Stunned, you don't answer him, and he smiles once more, leaning back. There's a moment of silence, as the two of you regard each other. One in confusion, the other in amusement.

Biting your bottom lip, you can't help but feel a bit indignant. Why is he playing with you? Is this some kind of game? You don't want to be a piece on his little chessboard.

Before you can open your mouth to respond, Namjoon brushes your cheek, gathering your attention. You flinch before turning to him, but he doesn't look fazed. Instead, his hand tightens around yours, and those solemn eyes bore into yours, calming you without so much as a second glance.

"Yen, you're talented. BangPD thinks so as well."

When he says those words, you can't help but feel a taste of bile rising in your throat. You bite your bottom lip, trying to keep yourself from hyperventilating, but when you see his face pass over Namjoon's kind eyes, it's hard not to. Your hand tightens, nails digging into your palm, as you try to calm yourself down, erase toxic memories that refuse to let you free.

"What?" you murmur, your voice hoarse and terrified.

"Ms. Lin, what I'm about to offer you is something that could drastically affect your life and the future of our company." Turning to the renowned chairman, you can hear the pounding of your heartbeat reverberating in your ears. You don’t notice the flash of remorse across Namjoon’s eyes, nor the way he tightens his jaw as soon as BangPD speaks. "So I want you to seriously consider before responding."

"What are you talking about?" you nearly snap, but he doesn't say anything more, just places a file on the table. He pushes it towards you, and though reluctantly, you draw your hand out of Namjoon's grip, pulling the file into your lap.

You regard BangPD with wary eyes before opening the file.

"What is this?" you murmur, squinting at the neatly printed Korean.

"A contract."

You balk, nearly dropping the papers in your lap as you look up at him. You can feel the fear growing tighter in the pit of your stomach, his voice coming back to haunt you once more. BangPD smiles at your silence, his eyes softening.

"Ms. Lin, I would like to sign you as a trainee. Underneath BigHit entertainment."

Your hand tightening around the document, you swallow hard.

"What?"

Not again, oh God please don't let it happen again.

"Yen, this is your dream isn't it?" Namjoon asks from beside you, his hand resting on your knee, an attempt to calm you down. Namjoon doesn’t know why he’s saying this, shouldn’t he be stopping you? Shouldn’t he be finding reasons so you could say no? But inwardly, he cannot stand to see your face change that way. He can’t stand to see you afraid. His heart aches every time he sees that look in your eyes.

BangPD catches the exchange, his eyes calculating and silent.

Interesting.

"You don't have to make a decision right now." He sighs resting his head on his hand once more. You look up at him, your eyes bare and vulnerable and he squints, intrigued. You may seem like an open book, but Bang Sihyuk can tell that there is more behind your innocence. He wonders if he wants to know what secrets they keep. "I'll give you a week to think it over."

Your mouth turning dry, you try not to show your relief. Maybe after a week, he'll forget. Maybe after a week, you won't be so interesting.

After all, it's not that hard to forget about me.

You try not to be bitter about the thought, but you can't help it. After all, Namjoon was right.

This is your dream.

Looking down at the contract, you grit your teeth as though that would make the lump in your throat disappear.

This was your dream.

So why did he have to ruin it?

After a moment, BangPD nods to Namjoon, and he stands. Tapping you softly on the shoulder, he pulls you up with him, your hands clinging onto the contract as though it were a lifeline. Concerned about your current condition, RM peers into your face. You look up at him with a blank gaze, as though something inside you had been fractured.

His eyes are expectant, waiting for a sign that you won't break down. Smiling weakly, you nod to him, and he grins back before taking you by the arm and guiding you out of the office.

"I want you to know," BangPD calls after you just as Namjoon's hand rests on the doorknob. You turn back to him, confused. He looks up at you from his chair, his hand massaging his temple as he regards you with those small cold calculating eyes. "I believe you have a gift."

You swallow at the words, somehow feeling small and insignificant. At your demeanor, Sihyuk narrows his eyes before sighing and turning away, dismissing you with a final farewell.

"It would be a shame to waste it."

𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔢: what do you think she should do?

chapter 28 here

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check my BTS masterlist for other BTS content

check out my masterlist for other kpop fanfics

[timetraveltodystopia]

"He said the n word, still, the chance of what happened on the video blow-up of the proportions and many racist people exposed themselves."

EXACTLY the reason why i cant stan him + dislike and anti him. like even if he didn't say the n word (which in my honest opinion he did cos i deffo heard smth) the way his stans took this personal and handled the situation made it 1000x worse for me and im not even kidding when i say i antied enhypen for a good 9 months because of engenes and heeseung. but every time i try to say smth people dismiss me by saying im being sensitive and it just annoys me even more omfg.

sorry just wanted to rant a bit bc i saw that ask and it honestly annoys me so much whenever people say he didn't do anything wrong and ask why people hate him. (even tho i know they didnt say he wasnt problematic)

- nura !

PLEASEE ^^^ the fandom is toxic. A small proportion makes it so toxic and idols and not perfect and he screwed up, he could do it on purpose or because of ignorance, but the fandom didn't want to admit it. And also Hybe, c'mon makes a statement and clears the waters. The should make apologize Heesung, at the moment that it happened, idk if now maybe it could work too, about the n-word incident, and the same what happened with Jake (sorry to drag him)

I wanted to point out when I saw the live that Jake did after the incident with the Allah necklace, Engenes were calling him out. It wasn't like "please apologize", they were so rude. I just want to talk about this because he didn't choose the necklace, it was the staff and people called him out to him instead of Hybe. And Hybe, in the end, didn't let him apologize, he apologize through music and the word apple means sorry in Korean. Hybe for what I know didn't make a statement.

These are two separate situations but it shows that Hybe doesn't take care well of their artist, at least they don't make a statement to prove their ignorance in situations and that the fandom is pretty toxic to believe that idols are perfect and never make mistakes

[dearweirdme]

Nah, those anons just don’t like y’all saying he’s not gp friendly, which I don’t get where y’all even got that from, but alas…

It’s good to see tkkrs will be shooting for the company when bh gives him shit promo because he’s not “marketable”.

(Using Jinny’s kitchen as an example of promo from BH, as if the company had anything to do with it like they did with Suchwita… that’s a new low). Y’all can rest easy, no one’s expecting tkkrs to move for Tae, y’all too busy writing AUs and bringing up dating rumours every two business days (I don’t even like Jennie, but I hope he starts dating her publicly, so y’all can finally leave him tf alone).

Hi anon!

Well, you must've gotten up on the wrong side off the bed...

Saying something is not for the grand public, is not an insult. THere are many many MANY great artists who are not for the gp, and who are greatly admired by everyone. Jazz, is not for the gp. Tae knows this. He would not be insulted by that. People like you should start actually learning about how the industry works, that would make you a lot less prone to be insulted over nothing.

You have a nice way of twisting my words. I did not say Tae is not marketable. Tae is amongst the most marketable of BTS members. Look at how well he is doing. He's arguably the most popular member. That is proof that he is marketable. What I was saying is that what I expect his music to be like, is less marketable and they will take a different path than they will with Jk. There is no insult there, it's a realistic expectation. You don't sell bread the way you sell cake do you? Please use your brain more effectively.

What does it matter who arranged Jinny's Kitchen for Tae? I don't actually know if he's got a separate management team for his acting gigs (probably has), but it would still have been in negotiation with HYBE as well. In the end, what matters is visibility. Tae got the chance to do JK (Jennie’s Kitchen) it's great visibility for him, it introduced him to new audiences, who got a chance to actually see what he is like. It doesn't get much better than that promo wise. It even shows that Tae can do what he want's, that he has power of say in his career. If Hybe was set to cancel him, they wouldn't have allowed him to do these things, because they'd have written it in his contracts.

But sure... keep thinking the way you do.. I don't really care about you being wrong.

[lesbiancarat]

Book anon!! Seeing the boys be back feels so wild in a good way like suddenly we have so much happening from pics, video performances, future jun solo stuff again and hoshi solo!?! To speculate, the spider logo gives me Spiderman vibes so is this hoshi saying he is Peter Parker lol? Like I know I said I missed the boys but my gosh they don't have to dump EVERYTHING on us lol

To slightly still talk about the mingyu situation (which I hope its alright!) I found something annoying during all of this that you echoed and some anon's said and it was how QUICK some fans were dismiss OP1 with her experience and feelings, making it seem like mingyu is the one that had it worst. Now by all means, it is upsetting to know that yes this will follow mingyu and the rest of the boys till the end of time. Sadly we cannot change that, all we can do is correct people on the situation so I do kinda feel bad BUT to say mingyu is "completely innocent and not at fault" makes me confused because ??? He isn't, not fully. Do people forget that he ADMITS to saying jokes. Yes not towards OP but he still said such jokes and to me, that doesn't mean he is innocent. He admits his faults and takes accountability to that, I give kudos for ya know? Like yes he is my bias but my gosh I am not going to claim he didn't do wrong when well...he did. It frustrates me that fans suddenly forget that the main cause of chaos (at least internationally for fans) was of that horrible mistranslations. I'm sure kfans were also upset but seeing icarats demand pledis to S word OP1 when that isn't the right mindset. I had some hope fans would be smart, especially after the news we found out about mistranslations and all but looks like this fandom isn't safe from bad apples =/ this makes me confused like how do people just idk, not have their morals i guess, when it comes to their faves?

For me, where i stand with mingyu is im disappointed that mingyu said jokes but I'm willing to give him a chance so to speak, like I'm a bit more ok with say reblogging content a out him. For anons that I saw who said they need time, that is valid! It is ok to take a step back from the member, group or fandom! This fandom space should make you happy and comfy and with what has happened, things are rocky and your feelings are valid! Never doubt yourself for overthinking or saying you're a bad fan bc you are not. If you do decide to leave the fandom, I hope despite the dark cloud with what happened, you can remember the warm sunshine (aka happy moments) from the fandom and boys. Its ok to no longer be a fan, things change and we change as people. It is also ok to not be apart of the fandom while being a fan (how im sort of in with bts). It may seem like you're the only one feeling like this but you are not! Do what makes you comfy to my fellow carats! If you are ready to comeback, I am here with cookies. And if not, I am also here with cookies!

*clears throat* to move on a bit, for the hybe naming, ahh that makes more sense! Thanks for clearing that up, I guess I miss read the article I read. I saw you mentioned pledis might be moving and oof, that kinda hurts. I sort of thought they wouldn't due to it just being an investment but should have seen it coming. I will miss that green room

right? it kind of feels like they went from 0 to 100 with the content dhfkfj

and yeah i agree, it's frustrating that it seems like a lot of people can't see or understand the nuance of the situation. i think maybe some people are trying to overcompensate for the mistranslations which had such serious accusations, and i think others are just uncomfortable with the idea that celebrities can make mistakes and be forgiven (as in, they think the only way celebs can be "forgiven" is if they were completely innocent in the first place. otherwise they must be cancelled and since they don't want to cancel mg he must be 100% innocent!). but i don't think either of those, or any reason really, justifies the lack of compassion for any of the OPs. it's possible to have conflicts where no party is a villain, actually

i do think the correct response for carats as a whole is to start moving on. the conflict between OP1 and mingyu has been resolved between the two of them, and the other claims were proven false. if OP1 is satisfied, there's no need for carats or non carats to call for mg to be punished further. but on the other side of that, which as you mentioned is more of a problem currently, there's no reason to punish (ie sue) any of the OPs. as i said in my other post, the OPs are still victims even if mg wasn't the perpetrator of the other claims. if even an institution whose primary purpose is to make money (ie pledis) can look at the situation and be like 'hey, it wouldn't be right to try to prosecute these people so we're not going to' then i think that's a sign that to sue these people would be unjust

but also to clarify when I say carats as a whole should move on i mean there's no collective action we can or should take that would be helpful. i don't mean that every individual should force themselves to move on before they're ready. as I've said before and as you've said, i think any carat that needs more time to process and isn't ready to go back to doing normal fan stuff, or those who won't ever be and decide to leave the fandom are totally valid! i second everything you said in that regard, everyone should do what makes them most comfortable ^^

also you say it makes more sense but you may have been right in the first place OTL. i mean what i said before about there being 3 different entities is true. before there was Bighit co. ltd, Bighit labels, and bighit entertainment. We know Bighit co. ltd is being renamed to HYBE and we know that bighit entertainment is Not being renamed, but it's the Bighit labels that's where the confusion lies. i /thought/ bh labels wasn't being renamed but i watched their rebranding presentation since i answered your last ask and it sounds like it is being renamed to HYBE labels. they haven't changed the youtube channel name yet though which is kind of what I'm waiting for so i guess we'll see?

yeah people have been talking for ages about how all the artists are gonna be in the new building and i was always kind of skeptical. i thought it was more likely that pledis would just have a few offices in the bh building rather than relocating their Entire Company lmao but it looks like that's what's happening. it is a nice facility, but yeah it's a bit bittersweet to say goodbye to both of the pledis buildings since so many things happened there 😭