#kim tae rae imagine

[ohdudedhesflirting]

The lady in the green dress

Pairing : Prince!TaeRae x fem!reader

Request n*2

Synopsis : Prince!TaeRae is teased by his friends due to his girl phobia. Forced by his friends he has to actually talk to a girl.

Warning : quick mention of death blink and you will miss it, champagne is mentionned. English is not my first language.

Word count : 3,2k

Notes : My dear Nina, thank you so much for supporting me to write, without you I would have never started to write again, I hope you will enjoy it <3

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Slowly exhaling prince Tae Rae tried to keep his calm after his fellow friends, or nuisance depending on the day, were making fun of him.

He was swearing that he was trying his best to stay calm but when 5 hyper-energetic boys were jumping around everywhere and making fun of him altogether it was not easy to stay composed and worthy of his title.

At first it had started as a normal, drink party with friends. Duke Matthew, Archiduke Ricky, Count Jiwoong accompanied by fellow count Gyuvin. As well as the aide of the prince, Gunwook.

Simping on his drink, the man was watching, wordless, all of his fellow friends making fun of him.

Maybe inviting Matthew had been the mistake he should have not committed.

Matthew and Tae Rae had known each other for years, their familys being close. As they had grown up together, Matthew knew almost everything about his life. At a point which was somewhat insulting. The problem with Matthew and them having grown up together, were not the growing up part that was annoying for Tae Rae, but the fact that Matthew had absolutely no filter in what he was saying.

One could believe that as a member of nobility he would somehow have a bit of fliter into what he was saying, he had not.

And thats how it happened, the disaster.

All the boys were jokingly kidding together, giving each other the news and gossips of their own territories, in the kingdom and neighbouring kingdoms.

One of the most important news was that King Zhang Hao of the neighbouring kindgom was coming to pay a visit to Tae Rae’s kindgom and a ball would be hosted in his honor, inviting every royal house of the country and of King Zhang Hao’s country.

At this point everything had been fine, until Matthew dropped, intentionnnaly the bomb. "Maybe this way Tae Rae will finally talk to a girl"

Gasps had been heard around the room and all the boys had turned their heads around the prince. Questionning him.

"Finally talk to …? Does that mean you never talked to a girl ? A prince never talked to a girl ? We knew of your loser prince reputation but still… You turned 21 this year and you neveer talked to a girl in your life ?"

Once his little troublemakers friends had started it was impossible to stop them, the man was not even able to answer all of their questions as Matthew took on that part.

"No Tae Rae never talked to a girl in his life. The only girls he had been talking to were maids, his nanny, cousins and that was it. He in fact had turned 21 without ever talking to much girls in his life. Yes he is a loser."

Ever since then the room had been filled with laughter and teasing.

All of them really loved Tae Rae of course, but they loved to tease him even more.

After approximately 20 minutes of chaos, all the boys in the room had calmed down and were back onto their respective seats.

As the eldest Jiwoong was the first one to ,seriously this time, start talking "Tae Rae we all have been friends since mutliple years and its true that we had never even saw you once talking to a girl, but you never ever talked to one ?"

Slowly putting himself deeper onto his seat, Tae Rae just wanted to dissapear to never come back.

"What Matthew said was the truth, the only times I tried to talk to girls I always made a fool of myself"

All the boys were now slowly nodding their heads at each other, the residing flirt of the group was the next one to start talking "What happens exactly when you try to talk to a girl ?"

"I just blurts whatever is inside my head, I stutter, my hands get all wet, I absoluty can’t maintain eye contact, I become completely red all over"

Tae Rae was only feeling embarassed explaining to his friends, it was something he had always struggled with. He could not remember the day it had exactly started but he would forever remember the day he noticed it.

It was at his first real ball he was attending as the crown prince, he was introduced to the whole kingdom as the next king in line. He had been sixteen at the time and the King had wanted him to make friends, be social, show himself. Everything had been alright, he had chatted with people he knew (his troublemakers) and had made small chats with ministers and people in situation of power.

Resting at the buffet, a girl had approached him. She was a very pretty girl with big bubbly eyes. Tae Rae could not even remembered what he had said but all he could remember was seeing the girl with a disgusted look as she was looking at him and quickly excusing herself before him. He had never seen the pretty girl with big eyes after it happened.

Ever since that traumatizig event, every time he was trying to talk to a girl, he would get sweaty, red, uncomfortable, without being able to form even one correct sentence.

"You have a girl trauma"

All the boys turned around to look at Gunwook, he was the youngest but also the most clever of them all reunited.

" I saw you at balls, and meetings with girls, you just run away from them, you must have had a traumatic event and since then you developped a kind of phobia or trauma surrounding girls"

All the boys, including Tae Rae were nodding their heads, it  was making sense.

"Do you recall a particular moment with a girl which could have created a trauma for you ?"

Completely lying Tae Rae said he had no idea and could not remember a special event. He was mad enough at himself for making the girl so unconfortable she had to excuse herself, he would not have been able to stand the disgust of his closet friends upon learning what he did.

All the members were lost deep in thoughts, clever Gunwook was not buying what Tae Rae had said but as a good friend, he could not push him to tell him what happened if he wasn’t ready for it.

"There is only one solution, you have to be exposed to what you fear"

Jiwoong asked him what he meant exactly "Well if you do not want to be scared of something anymore you have to be exposed to it until you do not fear it anymore, so you will have to talk to girls until you are not scared of them anymore"

"Sorry, what ?!"

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

Tae Rae loved his friends, he really did, but having them by his side this way truly felt ridiculous.

The day of the ball in the honor of King Zhang Hao had come and now all of the boys together were waiting eagerly in the ballroom for the festivities to start.

All of them had made a deal : Tae Rae would have to talk to girls to get rid of his trauma, for that to happens he would have to talk to the first girl with a green dress that he would see.

Gunwook had been the one making the strategy, at each gathering they would pick a different dress color and Tae Rae would have to speak to the girl wearing it. Slowly exposing him to his fear should be effective after some time.

All the boys were looking at him with stress and anxiety, this whole treatment and fear of Tae Rae had started as a joke but the implications and consequences were quite evident.

As the crown prince, he had duties to follow. As he had turned 21 and his father was getting older and his health was declining, soon would come the time he would have to ascend the throne. And soon he would have to be married.

As a child, and an adolescent, Tae Rae knew of the pressure that was resting onto his shoulders, mainting the family line, being a good king, being a good husband. It was easier said than done.

The King kept on urging him to take a wife, to introduce a lady to him as the future queen. Before being a King, he was a father and he wanted his son to be happy, to be safe. He knew his time was reducing and soon he would have to leave Tae Rae. His mother had passed away a few years prior to a pneumonia, and as a father, the King had only one worry in mind : his son. He did not wanted him to be left all alone between the palace walls. He knew that he had great friends, but they all had their own duties, soon they would have their own families. How could he as a father leave bethind him a lonely son ?

Tae Rae was fidgeting with his outfit, it had been years since he had been feeling that anxious. At a distance he was looking at the dress of each lady coming inside the room,  there was every single color imaginable except one : green.

His friends were, too, getting fidgety next to him, they knew that if Tae Rae had too much time to think he could perfectly give up and just hide behind his affairs and duty as the crown prince and only talk to the aide, secretaries and ministers.

That was when she entered : the girl with the green dress.

Magnificent, head straight, long black hair tied in her back, a crown on her forehead, the top of her dress being black and the other half being green, elegant and gracious, she entered the room.

Seeing her all the boys nudged Tae Rae who was looking at her. It was her, the girl he would have to talk to. Feeling nervous all over, his mouth started to be dry again. Without leaving him the time to speak, all the boys pushed him towards the lady.

The girl in the green dress was making her way trhough the ballroom with quite difficulties, people were not letting her pass trough them and she had to struggle to just find her way up at the buffet.

Slowly, almost trying to dissapear she was looking at the amount of food in front of her.

A few meters away from her was a struggling Tae Rae who was trying to find the strength to introduce himself. He knew that it was not proper to not be introduced by someone else, so he would have to be clever about it and pretend that he bumped into her.

Yes he could make it, it wasn’t as if his whole reputation of crown prince could change right at this moment, and it wasn’t as if all of his friends were going to watch the interaction. Yes he would be fine.

Slowly he pretented to lose his balance, and he slowly bumped into the apparent shoulder of the lady at the green dress. Startled she turned her head over to look at him.

Tae Rae was looking at the speechless face he had in front of him. Big round eyes, plump lips, a beauty mark on her collarbone.

It was her.

The girl.

The girl he made run away 5 years ago.

Looking at him with big round eyes, the girl seemed to recognize him and before she could even say a word, Tae Rae deeply apologized before running away to his friends.

All of the boys welcomed him completely startled, he made the hardest step why would he back away now ?

"What happened ? It was going alright !"

Ashamed the man could not even explains himself, what happened years ago kept going back into his head, how she looked at him like she just had wished he could dissapear, the way she ran away from him. It was truly a nightmare, his worst nightmare.

"It’s for your own good, go back !"

"I can’t, please guys trust me when I say that I absolutely can not talk to this girl ever agin"

In his head Gunwook was trying to find a solution, as the only member with a working braincell he had been observing the situation but most importatnly he had been looking at the girl in green that had been left with a confused expression on her face and still looking over Tae Rae and his group. That girl was the solution to Tae Rae girl phobia he was sure of it.

"Listen, we will make a bet. If you can get this lady in green to dance with you tonight, Matthew will become your personnal maid for a month and do everything you want, deal ?"

"Wait, why me"

Tae Rae looked over at Matthew side, the man was laughing to himself, the close bond uniting them made them so close but also easier for them to bicker. If Matthew had not opened his mouth then none of this would have happened. In a pure spirit of petiness Tae Rae accepted.

Without even leaving him the time to say anything more, Gunwook urged him to go on the balcony to make himself ready to talk to the girl. Quickly obeying his friend order, the prince went on the balcony.

Arriving on the balconly, the prince felt the fresh air on his face, slowly approaching the terrace rail, he rested his champagne glass on it. Tae Rae had been scared of this moment for years.

Seeing the girl with whom everything started.

He did not know what he had done wrong, he never understood. Going back into the conversation in his head, he had only introduced himself and had asked about her name and if she was having a good time.. Why had she been so disgusted by him she had to run away ?

"Excuse me.. Your royal highness .. ?"

Slowly turning back after being called, Tae Rae looked at at the girl that just came onto the balcony, having as well a champagne glass in her hands.

Looking at her this way she was shining, he could see perfectly her features. She was a pretty lady and had just gotten prettier over the years.

"Your friends told me you wanted to talk to me .. ?"

Questionning her with his eyes, Tae Rae had not made such a request. Quickly he walked toward the lady in green, and after her, trying to open the doors of the balcony. Both were closed.

Slowly gulping, the man realised what his friends had done, they trapped them together in a short place.

The lady in green looked at him, and looked behind him and her too, understood the situation. She slolwly laughed at the ridiculous of the situation.

Looking down at his hands Tae Rae started "I think my friends locked us, I am very sorry for their behavior"

Slowly laughing at his reactions, the lady looked at him. She too had not forgotten about him.

"It is quite alright, I should have known when they approached me that something was weird, but since I wanted to talk to you I guess I was quite imprudent"

Tae Rae looked at her with questions in his eyes, she wanted to talk to him ? Quickly realising that he was directly looking at her he went back to looking at his hands.

Finding him endearing she laughed slowly at his reactions.

"You probably do not remember but we met years ago, in this very ballroom.."

Hearing her, Tae Rae affirmed that he in fact, remembered their first encounter.

"I have been wanting to apologise for years, but I have not been able to come visit your country since it happened, so you can understand it had been quite complicated"

"You wanted to apologise… ?"

Now it was Tae Rae turn to be perplexed, why would, she, in her right mind, want to apologise to him ? He was the one that had made her uncomfortable all those years ago.

"When we met, I ran away before even telling you my name and you must have found my behavior quite rude, she bowed to him, I present to you all of my most sincre apologises your royal highness"

Feeling a sudden sprout of braveness, Tae Rae approached her and made her stand up again.

"I should be the one apologizing, I ignore what I have said all those years ago that made you so uncomfortable you had to leave but for that I apologise"

It was his turn to bow before her, before, she, too pulled him up.

"It was not your fault your highness, my brother was behind you and he was the one that made me so uncomfortable that I had to leave"

"Your brother.. ?"

"Yes King Zhang Hao, I am his sister, Zhang YN, even if at that time he was not the king yet."

What YN was not telling him, was that her, so dear brother, was the one that had pushed her towards him. Knowing how shy her sister was as well as her little crush on prince Tae Rae after having seen his portrait. And then, seeing them interact he had been mimicking kisses.

"So I did not make you uncomfortable ?"

"No you did not your royal highness, it was the opposite, I thought that you were actually very kind and polite"

She also thought he was very pretty, and that his dimples were to die for. She had been dreaming about those for years, hoping to one day seeing them again.

Finally exhaling, Tae Rae passed a hand through his hair and realised how dumb he had been. It had been years he was mad at himself for making an honest lady uncomfortable when it had never ever been his fault to begin with. How naive he had been…

Abruptly the doors opened on the two young adults, revealing King Zhang Hao and one of his aide, Sung Hanbin. Hurriedly the King went to his sister side and went to verify everything was alright with her.

"I was worried"

"Sorry Hao"

Giving her a nudge on the shoulder, he looked over to see Tae Rae that was showing to him his dimples, trying to make a good impression. The King looked over at his sister and repressing a smile introduced himself. Catching a clue he also apologised for disturbing them.

Tae Rae assured him that it was quite alright.

Not wanting his sister to make a fool out of herself, the King started to pull her away.

From the corner of his eye, Tae Rae saw his friends urging him to not leave her side, forcing himself to be brave the man spoke up.

"Actually, if you’d allow me I would like to make myself forgiven, and ask YN to a dance ?"

The lady in green looked over at her brother which accepted and gave him the gloved hand of his sister.

Watching the two young persons leaving the balcony, Gunwook was satisfied with himself. Not even needing to talk to Tae Rae he knew that his phobia would be quickly forgotten.

Request- Taglist

Taglist : @jiaant11 @seok02

[jebewonmorelike]

One Man's Loss Is Another Man's Gain

wc: 4k warnings: none; a little angsty, very fluffy ending; some swears; the other guy in this is a bit of a meanie bo beanie and won't leave you alone pronouns: none used; n/a summary: when a popular boy keeps begging reader for a second chance, bestfriend!taerae pretends to be their boyfriend to finally get rid of him; university au ~masterlist~ ♡ ~kofi (no pressure at all)~ Guys. Tae Rae and I have the same birthday (but a different year). I think I also have a very bright smile that is endearingly too large for my face. Must be a 7/14 birthday thing :) Kim Taerae I adore u, u perfect angel u

“Oh my god, ew!” You squeal. “Absolutely not.”

Noah rolls her eyes. “Really? He’s standing right there.”

You look to your left at your best friend Taerae, who is biting his lip quietly. “Sorry, Tae. Obviously I don’t mean that you’re gross. But you are gross to me.”

He nods. “No, yeah. I get it.”

Noah smacks your shoulder. “Come on, (Y/N). This is brilliant. You fake-date Taerae for a couple weeks and everyone stops bothering you. And then you can ‘break up’ and go right back to normal,” she urges. “Simple.”

“Taerae does not want to do that,” you reply, waiting for him to agree. The silence you’re met with is concerning. “Right, Taerae?”

Your friend is still chewing on his lip in contemplation when your eyes meet his again. “I don’t want people bothering you anymore. Especially that asshole…”

Brandon. President of the university honor society. Captain of the basketball team. Your assigned desk partner in Latin American History.

You'd sat next to him all semester, starry-eyed as you silently willed him to talk to you before finally being assigned to a project together on La Nueva Canción-- Chilean revolutionary music. Taerae had pouted for days when you were assigned the only topic relating to music.

The truth was, you didn't really care what topic you were assigned. The only thing that mattered to you was that after your topic had been assigned by your professor, Brandon turned to you for the first time all year and said, "Sounds kind of cool."

You nodded far too enthusiastically.

For a week, you met with Brandon in the library after his basketball practice to research La Nueva Canción and construct a compelling slideshow presentation for class. As far as you were concerned, spending your nights in the library was absolute bliss. Brandon smiled at you (sometimes), joked with you (twice), and even complimented you on your font choice for the presentation...

Then one night, a group of guys approached your table in the library. Brandon audibly sighed before putting on a smile to greet them. You recognized some of them as other guys on the basketball and football teams.

"You going out tonight?" One of them asked, resting his hand on Brandon's shoulder.

Brandon shook his head. "I'm tired."

Another guy rolled his eyes. "No, you're not. You just don't want to go out without Melanie."

Brandon shrugged. "I didn't say that."

"Yeah, but we all know it. Come on, man. Go ahead and get back out there. You can pull anyone you want!" The first guy insisted.

"I--..." Brandon stuttered before his head turned quickly to look at you, eyes lighting up. "I already did."

You blinked back at him wordlessly, unsure of what was going on. Brandon reached across the table, resting his large hand on top of yours.

"We're going out," Brandon announced. "Tonight."

The group of boys looked at you, seemingly having not even noticed you before Brandon's acknowledgement. Their brows furrowed confusedly, looking back and forth between each other to see if their eyes deceived them.

"But that's--," one of the guys started to say, but Brandon cut them off.

"Awesome, right? I thank you for being so supportive of me. We need to wrap up this project fast though if we want to make it to our dinner reservation on time! See you guys tomorrow," Brandon said quickly, waving at the guys until they gave up and left.

When it was just the two of you again, Brandon's head fell to his hands as he laughed in relief. He looked back up at you after a moment. "Sorry about that."

You were sure your eyes were absolutely bugging out of their sockets.

"Can I make it up to you by... buying you dinner or something?" Brandon offered with a lop-sided smile.

Your ability to suppress the scream that had built in your throat was an impressive display of restraint. "Really?"

Brandon shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Why not?"

You nodded. "Okay."

"Wanna meet at the cafe down the street in an hour? I just want to drop my stuff off in my room and change," he suggested, picking up his bag and throwing his laptop and loose papers in.

You nodded again. "Okay."

Brandon exhaled a laugh, before making his way to the doors. "Okay."

You spent the next forty-five minutes racing back to your dorm and getting ready for your date with Brandon. Changing into something presentable, applying an ample amount of moisturizer to your face, and fixing your hair before rushing back out the door and strolling happily down the street to the cafe across from campus.

It was about 10:30 P.M. when you arrived and, once inside, you sat down at a table with cushioned chairs by the window. A waitress came to grab your order and, after a few minutes, brought you your drink.

"You look so lovely," she complimented, placing the drink down on your table. "Are you waiting for someone?"

You smiled shyly and nodded.

"Whoever it is is very lucky!" She remarked sweetly and returned to her post.

You took out your phone, scrolling mindlessly through Instagram while you waited for Brandon to arrive. You kept one eye glued to the door as the minutes passed, your heart beating so fast you considered the possibility of needing an ambulance.

But after ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes...

An hour later, you finally texted Noah.

Noah, you will NOT guess what happened... :)) Okay, I'll tell you! Brandon asked me out and now I'm waiting for him at the cafe across from campus!!

She responded quickly.

(Y/N)... Is that true? I don't know how to tell you this, but Brandon's at this party I'm at. And... I'm so sorry. I'll just show you.

You clicked on the video that Noah sent you, a bit blurry at first before zooming in on two people intensely making out. Your previously rapidly beating heart ceased all of its thumping as it sunk to the bottom of your stomach.

As they pulled apart, people around them cheered and shouted. Looking around the room with the biggest grin on his face was Brandon, his ex-girlfriend Melanie clinging to his chest.

Your eyes began to water involuntarily, wondering how you could've been so stupid. Wiping them quickly, you placed some cash on your table for the nice waitress and exited the cafe. You had been so distracted by the upsetting news that you hadn't even noticed it had started to downpour.

Mud and giant puddles lining the street, there was no chance you were making it safely back to your dorm by walking. Standing under the awning, heavy rain hitting the pavement and bouncing up to soak your clothes, you weren't sure if the water under your eyes was tears from the sky or tears from you.

Headlights bathing you in sickeningly bright light caused you to break momentarily from your crying spell. A car door opened and closed as a figure holding an umbrella made their way up to you.

"You look like a wet rat," the familiar, honey-like voice joked as he stepped under the awning with you.

"Taerae?" You wondered if your teary eyes deceived you. "How did you know I was here?"

He laughed that gorgeous baritone laugh. "You know Noah can't keep her mouth shut for anything."

You wanted to laugh, but you just couldn't. Instead, you wrapped your arms around Taerae and clung on for dear life. He was a bit surprised at first, seeing as your physical affection towards him usually manifested in the form of a punch or smack. But after a moment, his arms tightened around you, one hand gently caressing the back of your head.

"It's okay," he soothed. "It's gonna be okay. You deserve so much better than him."

You just squeezed him tighter.

"He's gonna regret treating you like this."

~

Brandon and Melanie broke up again before the clock had struck midnight.

And the next day, rumors started swirling that Brandon had stood up the Chancellor's kid at the cafe across from campus.

That was apparently when Brandon first learned that the University Chancellor was your dad.

He had shown up at your dorm, knocking on the door frantically. You opened it, shocked to see the boy you had such a devastatingly huge crush on in front of you.

"(Y/N), I'm so sorry," he said, his tone a bit frantic. "I'm so sorry that I stood you up Friday night. That was absolutely horrible of me. I was so tired, I just knocked out and--."

"And sleepwalked into a party and down Melanie's throat?"

His face fell as he realized he was caught in a lie. He sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry. I wish I could go back and change it, but I can't."

You nodded. "Okay."

"If you give me one more chance, I swear I'll make it up to you," he said, hopefully.

You couldn't lie-- your heart fluttered at his words. But after that night, crying as Taerae drove you back to your dorm, you knew you couldn't agree right away. "I'll think about it."

"Awesome!" Brandon says with a grin before lowering his voice and scratching his arm awkwardly. "I, uh... I didn't know the Chancellor was your dad."

"Oh. Yeah," you replied, brow furrowing a bit suspiciously. Why did that matter to him? Why was he bringing that up now?

"You're not gonna, like... say anything to him right? About me?"

"Why would I say something to him about you?" You asked, genuinely confused as to what his thought process was.

Brandon sighed with relief. "Oh, that's so good to hear. I want to keep playing basketball, you know?"

He laughed as you stared at him disappointedly, finally understanding why he was really here. Brandon was on a sports scholarship... and he was trying to make sure you wouldn't cause him to lose it.

"I'm not gonna snitch on you," you said, nodding as the truth sunk in. "So you didn't need to come here and pretend you were sorry."

His eyes widen, panic re-setting in. "No! Oh god, no, that's not what I was doing. I really am--."

You shut the door in his face.

And you've shut the door in his face for five days now. Every day, he'd knock on your door and beg you to go out with him and, when you refused, begged you to not tell your dad what an asshole he was.

Not to mention, you couldn't enter the student union or the dining hall without hearing people whisper around you. What had become apparent to you quickly was that Brandon wasn't going to stop any time soon and neither were the rumors flying around you.

So standing outside in the courtyard with Noah and Taerae now, you consider your best friend's sentiment.

"If it'll make him stop bothering you, I'll do it," Taerae says decisively, picking at a leaf on the tree he's leaning on.

You swallow hard. "Okay."

Noah screeches. "OH MY GOD! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? YOU'RE REALLY GONNA DATE TAERAE!?"

You stare at her incredulously. "You literally told me to!"

She huffs. "I didn't think you'd actually do it."

"Well," you say, looking at Taerae who is still doing everything he possibly can not to meet your gaze. "I think it's probably the best plan we've got."

Taerae hums. "So, when do we start?"

"Huh?" You ask, tilting your head to the side.

"When do we start dating?" He asks, finally looking at you with an awkward, dimpled smile. "Now?"

"Oh shit," Noah says, biting her lip to keep from smiling. "I think he's asking you out."

You smack her quickly, shooting her a look before turning back to Taerae. "Yeah. I guess... now."

He nods, the brightest grin spreading across his face. "Okay, let's go!"

Grabbing your hand in his, he begins dragging you across the courtyard. "Go where!?"

"On a date," he says, looking back at you. "Duh."

"Oh," you manage to reply, trying your best to keep up with his incredibly fast pace. Taerae was normally a pretty leisurely walker and you would often have to yell at him to keep up.

"People need to see us, right? Let's go to the cafe," he suggests, slowing down a bit when you both reach the sidewalk. He squeezes your hand as you make your way to the cafe across from campus-- the cafe where you were stood up only a week ago.

You stop in your tracks, a flood of worry crashing over you. Is this a good idea? What if people know we're just pretending? What if Brandon is there?

Taerae turns around when he realizes he can't pull you forward anymore. He sees it immediately-- the look in your eyes as you ponder every possible negative outcome. Placing his hands on your shoulders, he smiles at you reassuringly.

"We've got this, right? We just have to sell it," he encourages, squeezing your shoulders a couple of times to pump you up. "You think you can pretend I'm not gross for an hour?"

You laugh, shaking your head. "You're not gross, Tae. I just..."

You look at the cafe sadly, remembering how hard you had sobbed into Taerae's chest as the rain poured down around you.

"Hey," your best friend says, taking a finger and placing it below your chin; tipping it up to keep your head held high. "There's no need to be sad. I'd never stand you up."

With that, you let Taerae drag you through the doors of the cafe and into a seat at one of the tables. Right away, you can hear the whispers begin to rumble throughout the cafe. Taerae sits down across from you comfortably, just smiling back at you as if he doesn't hear a sound. You can't help but notice he hasn't really stopped smiling ever since you agreed to this silly plan.

"Oh, hi!" The waitress that had been working Friday night greets, rushing over to you. When she stops in front of your table, she stares directly at Taerae and frowns. "Don't tell me this is the guy who stood you up."

Looking around anxiously and realizing all eyes in the restaurant are on you and Taerae, you both shake your heads furiously. "No, no," you correct. "This is... This is my--."

"Boyfriend," Taerae finishes.

Both yours and the waitress's eyes widen in surprise-- the other students in the cafe now dead silent as they strain to overhear your conversation.

"You were... going on a date with someone that wasn't your boyfriend?" She asks, suspiciously.

"I wasn't at the time," Taerae clarifies quickly, before smiling at you quite cutely. "But one man's loss is another man's gain."

The sun is shining directly on Taerae through the window of the cafe, his dark eyes sparkling as they lock on yours. His brown hair appears almost golden from the warm light as it rests across his forehead-- deep smile lines in his cheeks even more charming than usual.

You shake your head quickly to clear these thoughts from your mind, looking back up at the waitress sheepishly.

"Wow," she says, nodding. "I like him. I mean, just look at the way he's looking you."

Taerae's lips part slightly as she states her observation and he looks down for a moment at his lap, his cheeks sporting a tint of crimson. He had been putting on a pretty convincing performance so far and you wonder if it's starting to get embarrassing for him...

If he's starting to regret saying yes to this.

"It's hard not to admire someone so beautiful," Taerae says softly, looking back up at you; his bottom lip tucked between his teeth.

"Okay, you have to keep him," the waitress decides with a laugh. "Now, what are you both having?"

~

The next day, Taerae took you to dinner at the Mexican restaurant near campus that you loved. The day after that, you got ice cream and sat on the swings at the public park. And the next day, you both went to the art museum with Noah to look at the new interactive Monet exhibit (Noah was pretending to try not to gag the whole time).

Each day that week, Taerae had brought you on some little adventure with him and you weren't really complaining. You adored your best friend; spending time with him was already one of your favorite things. Actually, since the start of this semester, you hadn't seen Taerae as often as you normally would after he was elected secretary of the honor society. It made you happy to have an excuse to see him so much.

Tonight, Taerae had convinced you to see a movie with him. Some action extravaganza with no plot, but he bought you a big popcorn with extra butter and a cherry icee so you didn't mind.

"Why are we seeing this movie, though?" You asked, plopping down in the theatre seat. "There's a 45th anniversary showing of Grease literally playing in the next theatre."

"Because," Taerae starts, before shoveling a handful of popcorn into his mouth, swallowing it down with his Sprite. "Brandon and his stupid friends would never go see an anniversary showing of Grease."

"Yeah, but we would," you reply, before realizing what he had just said. "Wait, what!?"

He shrugs. "If he doesn't want people to know where he's going, he shouldn't talk about it so loudly at honor society meetings."

Just then, you hear familiar, unsettlingly male laughter sounding from the entrance of the theatre. Brandon turns the corner with his friends, eyes widening in surprise when he sees you staring back at him.

Your eye contact is broken, however, when Taerae reaches over and turns your face towards him. "Open up," he says, popping a piece of popcorn in your mouth in the most sickeningly adorable way possible. "Is it good?"

You chew, completely stunned by the affectionate action, eventually swallowing and nodding back at him slowly.

"So cute," he coos, loud enough for Brandon to hear. You watch as Brandon and his friends study you curiously-- the captain himself appearing quite angry. They soon take their seats as the trailers start, but throughout the movie you notice Brandon glaring up at you and Taerae every so often.

As the credits roll, you and Taerae grab your garbage and make your way out of the theatre. Still finishing your cherry icee, Taerae takes your free hand in his and you head off together towards the doors.

"(Y/N)!" You hear someone call behind you, turning around to see Brandon running to catch up with you.

"Oh," you say as the tall boy stops in front of you. "Hey, Brandon."

"Hey, uh..." Brandon looks at Taerae, then back at you. "I keep hearing something about you dating some guy."

Suddenly, Taerae leans in and kisses you. You momentarily forget how to breathe before he pulls back and turns to Brandon. "Huh. That's so weird."

"You--," Brandon strokes his chin, smiling and shaking his head like he's in disbelief of something. "You must think you're pretty clever, huh?"

You look at Taerae confusedly, wondering what Brandon was insinuating of your friend.

Taerae just shakes his head. "No. I think that I'm not going to let anyone treat my best friend so rudely ever again."

Brandon nods, huffing a sarcastic laugh. "Yeah. I'm sure you'd never lie about anything to get your way. Right, Kim?"

"Can you please leave me alone now?" You ask finally. "Taerae's my... boyfriend now. I'm not going to tell my dad about what happened. You're not going to lose your scholarship. Let's just present our project together tomorrow and never speak to each other again."

Brandon chews his cheek, replying annoyedly, "Fine."

With that, Taerae drags you out the door and into the open air.

~

It's the fourteenth and last day of your fake relationship with Taerae. He'd set up a picnic in the courtyard with your favorite sandwiches from the deli down the street and a bunch of different snacks and salads. He held out a strawberry for you, smiling as you bit into it happily.

No one is looking at you anymore. They hadn't been for some time now. You could've called this off a few days ago, but Noah had insisted with a smirk that you "play it safe".

"This hasn't been half-bad," you say, grinning at Taerae. "I got to spend two whole weeks with my very busy best friend. Everyone stopped gossiping about me. My former crush stopped... stalking me, I guess?"

Taerae laughs. "Yeah, he was definitely stalking you," he agrees before a frown forms on his face. "I'm really sorry that happened."

You shrug. "Thanks for helping to stop it."

He sighs and you're surprised by how sad it sounds. "Well, it's--... It's the least I could do... When I'm the one who started it."

Your eyebrows furrow in confusion. "What? What do you mean you started it?"

"I--... I might've been the one that let it slip to Brandon that the Chancellor was your dad," Taerae admits, hanging his head in shame. "I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. And I'm so sorry that it created such a nuisance for you-- that Brandon would bother you like that. That you'd have to pretend to date me. But he needed to feel bad for what he did... and we both know he wasn't going to unless it could mean trouble for him."

You just smile. "A bunch of people knew about my dad, Taerae. He would've found out eventually, anyway. You just... sped up the process, I guess," you forgive with a laugh. "So that's what you meant, huh? When you said he'd regret it?"

"Wow, not to sound like a vigilante or anything," Taerae snorts, shaking his head hearing his own words recounted to him. "But seriously, who could be so stupid as to get the chance to go out with you and completely waste it? I would never--."

He cuts himself off, seemingly considering whether or not he should continue.

"You would never what?" You prompt curiously.

Taerae swallows. "I would never stop going out with you," he says softly. "If I could."

You're frozen as he speaks, only waiting for him to say more.

"If you didn't think I was gross and if this wasn't just some plan to shut up the actual guy you liked..." He nods, meeting your gaze. "I would want to keep going out with you."

Your stomach flips as your best friend since childhood says these words to you. It's not a joke. It's not part of this plan you'd concocted. It's not even a dream.

"I like you," Taerae says earnestly, hugging his knees closer to his chest as the sun starts to set. "And I'm sorry if that ruins everything."

You're not immediately sure what the right thing to say is. You lean back on your hands, fingers gripping the grass as you stare up at the sky turning pink. If you thought about it, you'd spent more time with Taerae throughout your life than almost anybody else. Your introverted, intelligent, annoying-as-all-hell best friend; one of the greatest loves of your life, alongside all of your pets and your mom. A bit of an awkward kid, he had grown up quite handsomely. Was that wrong to say? How could you think that about Taerae?

But why was your heart still racing? Surely the actual anxiety of the confession had warn off by now. But the booming thud in your chest betrays you. You had dated Taerae this whole week and not even once had you actually wished it would stop. He was cute with you, always paid for your food; he never once stood you up-- he even kissed you that one time, even if it was to show off in front of Brandon. And you never hated any of it.

Moreover, you liked it.

Had you been dating Taerae for real this whole time?

Suddenly, your phone buzzes in your pocket. You pull it out, seeing a message from your dad lighting up the screen:

What is this I hear about you and Kim Taerae dating? The kid that used to run around our house with snot hanging out his nose? Is this true?

You look over at Taerae who is now mirroring you, leaning back with his hands in the grass and gazing up at the sunset beside you. When he notices you staring, he turns to you with a shy smile that causes your heart to gently flutter.

You can't help but smile back at him, bottom lip tucked between your teeth before quickly typing a reply to your dad:

Yeah. It is. :)

[solitaryandwandering]

A Ramble: Love in the Big City Eps 1-2

I just watched episode 2 of Love in the Big City and I am... reeling. Cried when Kim Nam Gyu died, when Yeong and Mi Rae sang together at the wedding, cried at the crushing ending line. I loved the direction in these two episodes; one of the reasons I was super excited to watch this was because they're switching up the directors for each part. Such a cool way to signal transitions in Yeong's life. Now that I've seen the caliber Son Tae Gyum operated at I'm intrigued to see how direction will affect the next parts. Maybe I'll write up a thing about that in the end, but I'm hopeful others will as well! I am chomping at the bit to read the book, seriously!!

I have to mention first what a BALLSY move it was for them to open on Yeong's tryst with a man who was cheating on someone currently in the military. And he walks in the door, STILL IN UNIFORM. What a fucking slap in the face to hegemonic masculinity!!

After this first part what I am really lingering on are two things: queer loneliness and heteronormativity's relationship to misogyny. I'm just gonna put down my half-baked thoughts, I don't have the time or spoons to formulate coherent sentences haha

Though I saw Nam Gyu's death coming just based on vibes in the first episode, its impact wasn't lessened. Its significance didn't really hit me until I saw how empty his funeral was. Loneliness shaped his life - repression, liberation in meeting another gay man, falling in love with him way too fast, forming a dependent attachment, his desperation/obsessiveness in losing it so abruptly. He expressed his queerness in his photography, voyeuristic and seeking closeness with his subjects in the only way he felt was available to him. He had no friends, no relationships outside of his with Yeong. When Yeong breaks up with him and when he visits him drunk in ep 2, he says "falling in love is not a sin." To me, this shows just how removed from a loving community he has been, how nascent his queerness. He's still processing homophobia, it still influences every move he makes, everything he thinks. Clearly he has not had close relationships with other queers, where he may feel free to unburden himself. He falls back on heteronormative performance of romance, searching the best places for dates, not having anyone to ask. Knowing he's older makes this hurt more.

His story brought to mind the futility of AIDS-related deaths in the U.S., to be honest. I lost my gay uncle before I even knew him, and I know no one from his life. I know it's not a perfect parallel, but that funeral... this emptiness carries beyond one queer person's death. And Yeong's journey in these two episodes is about queer loneliness, of course. But his story is not as tragic as Nam Gyu's. He has (amazing) queer friends, and at one point had Mi Rae. He is much more connected to the queer community than Nam Gyu ever was. Despite his immaturity, Yeong is also much more familiar and comfortable with his queerness. I imagine this thread of self-actualization in the face of loneliness will continue in the rest of the show.

@twig-tea and @poetry-protest-pornography also wrote about queer loneliness in this show: here and here

And then we have Mi Rae, a vitally important relationship in Yeong's life, the love this part of the story is about. I met my best friend in college as well, so this part of the story was bringing up a lot of feelings too. To me, their friendship was as much about navigating heteronormativity as anything else, reflected in Yeong's reflection that "she learned that being a gay man sucks, and I learned that being a woman sucks just as much." Mi Rae is impacted by misogyny in every step of her character's journey: male classmates labeling her a slut and claiming her body for theirs, being groped, her challenges obtaining an abortion and mistreatment by a male doctor (where she literally claims her uterus back), her conflict with her parents (I'm assuming her mother had very rigid ideas of what a woman should be, based on her behavior at the wedding), hiding her past from her boyfriend, forced to defend herself when he questions why she lives with a man, shutting herself off from her relationship with Yeong (and thus rejecting her past) after the wedding. I looked up the status of abortion in Korea (a legal gray zone) and was reminded of how badly women there have it, which provided more context for her behavior.

Yeong must also traverse heteronormativity, which is what ultimately drives a wedge between the two and ends their friendship. In the beginning, their mutual rejection of heteronormative scriptures is what brings them together. He stands up for her against those male classmates, in an interaction steeped with assumptions of his heterosexuality. In rejecting her objectification he made himself a pariah for refusing to participate in normative masculinity. And their relationship continues thus, with her promising never to out him. She betrays him in a moment where she feels her participation in normative heterosexuality is threatened (and, indeed, it is a legitimately precarious position to be put in as a woman). Their brief reconciliation mainly consists of Yeong participating in a heterosexual ritual - he has no access to marriage in Korea. Her singing with him and letting go of her inhibitions for one last time was her goodbye to him and her ultimate acceptance of a more heteronormative life. One he can't participate in.

I hope that made any lick of sense. So looking forward to watching the next week. I am holding myself back from watching the next episodes right now. So hard.

[theadusa]

Everything I watch in Jan 2024

I was going to post my annual everything I watched in 2023 post but I feel like I missed my opportunity, so here is my everything I watched in January 2024... (Be Warned there are some spoilers, I do try to mark them throughout the review)

My Lovely Boxer (2023, Kim Min-joo)

Main leads: Lee Sang-yeob, Kim So-hye, Park Ji-hwan, Kim Hyung-mook, Kim Jin-woo, Ha Seung-ri, Chae Won-bin

Country: S. Korea

Run: August 21 to Oct 2, 2023 (KBS2, Monday and Tuesday @21:45 (KST))

Episodes: 12, 70 min

Thoughts: Lee Kwon-sook (Kim So-hye) is a boxer who is forcibly thrown back into the world boxing that she has retired from by a sports agent Kim Tae-young (Lee Sang-yeob). I really liked how they balanced the characters. Lee Kwon-sook is a cheerful girl who is constantly haunted by her past. And she is allowed agency to do what she can do, despite the efforts of others. And the relationship between Lee Kwon-sook and Kim Tae-young, though slightly toxic, works in an odd way. I did have problems with how they reconnected her with her father.I personally wouldn’t have forgiven him. However, I loved the relationship with Han Ah-reum, and just how that story ends. I thought it was done very well. Overall I have really enjoyed this drama. Rating: 

Unlock My Boss (2022-2023, Kim Hyung-min)

Main leads: Chae Jong-hyeop, Seo Eun-soo, Park Sung-woong

Country: S. Korea

Run: Dec 7, 2022 to Jan 12, 2023 (ENA, Wednesday and Thursday @21:00 (KST))

Episodes: 12, 60 min

Thoughts: Oh wow, this is more enjoyable than I imagined. Chase Jong-hyeop as Park In-seong is so fun. He is adorable, down to earth but capable. Jun Se-yeon (Seo Eun-soo) was amazing and I loved her complexities as a character. And the trio of Kim Seon-joo (Park Sung-woong), Park In-seong, and Jun Se-yeon, was so fun and I loved the little family they formed. I literally cried so much during this show for no reason. Like the zoom into the phone literally made me sob each time for no reason. Rating: Who knew electronics can have that much range?

Night Has Come (2023, Kang Min-Ji)

Main leads: Lee Jae-In, Kim Woo-Seok, Choi Ye-Bin, Cha Woo-Min, Ahn Ji-Ho, Jung So-Ri

Country: S. Korea

Run: Dec 4,, 2023 ( U+mobiletv)

Episodes: 12, 35 to 40 min

Thoughts: This started off really good. A class gets thrust into a mafia game to the death. You along with the characters are wondering who is the mafia among the students and who is forcing this game. It is really interesting, but the episodes follow the same pattern. The end you find everything out, and it's kind of stupied. They had a classmate who committed sucide due to a badly edited image of herself on a skimply clad woman’s body. Which is yeah bad. Then her parents take revenge on the whole class. They are placed in this mafia simulator to repeat the game over and over again. It ends with Lee Yoon-seo able to remember everything, but still trapped in the simulator. Like where their parents are. People must be concerned right. Rating: Sisphyus boulder, I guess…

The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract (2023-2024, Go Nam-jeong)

Main leads: Lee Se-young, Bae In-hyuk, Joo Hyun-young, Yoo Seon-ho, Jo Bok-rae

Country: S. Korea

Run: Nov 24, 2023 to Jan 6, 2024 (MBC TV Friday and Saturday @21:50 (KST))

Episodes: 12, 70 min

Thoughts: This was a cute drama. It starts off with a cute romance between a progressive woman in Joseon and a sick scholar. However, it quickly becomes a tragedy and she is sent to the year 2023 with her hand maid Sa-wol (Joo Hyun-young). It quickly becomes a fish out of water for Park Yeon-woo (Lee Se-young), but luckly she meets the recacrante of her late husband Kang Tae-ha (Bae In-hyuk) and they make a deal. It is a cute drama and I loved the cast of characters. Yeon-woo is easy to root for. Sa-wol is adorable, and adapts quickly. Kang Tae-ha is prickly but has a heart of gold. It's dramatic and fun. It's nothing special, but oh is it so good. My favorite part is Yeon-woo and Sa-wol’s relationship. Literally there is a scene with those two that reflects a romantic scene in Perfect Marriage Revenage (2023) which I can’t stop thinking about. Overall I just really enjoyed my time. Rating: butterflies everytime I think about you…

Joseon Attorney: A Morality (2023,Choi Jin-young)

Main leads: Woo Do-hwan, Bona, Cha Hak-yeon

Country: S. Korea

Run: March 31 to May 5, 2023 (MBC TV Friday and Saturday @21:50 (KST))

Episodes: 16, 70 min

Thoughts:  This was a lot like Taxi Driver. In the way you have an episodic feel with a charismatic male lead seeking revenge and helping people. I had a lot of fun with this show, and I don’t use the comparison lightly either. I really had fun with it. The romance was okay, but I liked the different stories, and the main revenge plot was easy to follow along with. Woo Do-hwan is a great actor and meant to be a leading man. It's definitely  not my favorite and there are a few things that needed changing but it was fun overall! Rating: Who do you call?... Joseon Attorney!!!

KBS Drama Special 14 (2023, Choi Ja-won, Yun Tae-woo, Cho Il-yeon, Choi Yi-kyung, Wi Jae-hwa, Kwon Oh-joo,Park Eun-seo, Jo Soo-yeong, Kim Ik-hyun)

Main leads: Lee Jae-won, Choi Seong-won, and Kim Kang-hyeon,  Kim Won-hae, Min Ji-ah, Ahn Se-bin and Park Ji-ah, Lee Min-jae, Kim Hyun-soo, and Kang Na-eon,  Moon Woo-jin, Park Seo-kyung, Park Ha-sun, Kim Joo-heon, Kim Do-hoon, Chae Won-bin, Kim Dong-hwi, Jo A-ram, Shim Yi-young, Joo Seok-tae,  Ren, Park Sang-nam, Hong Seung-hee, Hahm Eun-jung,  Kim Kang-min, Yoon San-ha, Baek Sung-hyun

Country: S. Korea

Run: OCT 14 to Dec 16, 2023 (KBS, Saturday 21:50 to 22:50 (KST))

Episodes: 10, 60 to 80 min

Thoughts: This is a yearly anthogolgy series that follows various characters in various time periods with various goals. I thought a lot of them were really cool and interesting. “Love Attack” was by far one of my favorites, but I also really liked “The True Love of Madam” which was shocking for me.  It was also hard to find any subs for “Overlap, Knife, Knife” so I had to rely on visual cues and the small amount of Korean I know. But I thought this was a fun anthrologie series, and the stories are fun and fresh. Rating: I love getting short and quick stories like this, its the reason I love short films so much.

A Good Day to Be a Dog (2023-2024, Baek In-ah)

Main leads: Park Gyu-young, Cha Eun-woo, Lee Hyun-woo

Country: S. Korea

Run: Oct 11, 2023 to Jan 10, 2024 (MBC, Wednesday 21:00 (KST))

Episodes: 14, 70 min

Thoughts: Apparently it is very different from the webtoon ( which I have never read), but I found it entertaining. It is cute and lighthearted. I always like when its past lives, I think it adds a fun element to romances. Though I do think the schedule of the show hindered my enjoyment, because it would be so long between episodes. They also lost me at the end, I can not lie. Rating/Spoiler: Also I would be so angery if I found out my family curse passed down for generations was over a misunderstanding. I would want an apology, reparations, and revenge. On another note, I would also be so pissed if I killed myself to save my servant's baby; then my boyfriend finished off the dying father, then cursed the child and its offspring. I would be pissed, like my scarfice was for not. Go off mountain spirit I guess…

My 20th Twenty (2023, N/A)

Main leads: Choi Yu Ju , Jung Su Bin

Country: S. Korea

Run: April 21 to may 27, 2023 (Wavve, Friday and Saturday)

Episodes: 12, 15 min

Thoughts: This show was good for what it was. It has the vibe of a college student film with a mix of those youtube series made by middle schoolers back in 2009. And I mean that with the highest praise. The sound mixing was off, they had limited cast (background actors is what you are looking for), no interesting lighting (but very well light- i.e the student film vibes), and the actors new to the scene. I loved every motherfucking moment. It was so cheesy, the script was bad, and nothing made sense. But I knew that it was made with passion. Rating: It would be horrifying being 20 forever

Taxi Driver Season 2 (2023, Oh Sang-ho)

Main leads: Lee Je-hoon, Kim Eui-sung, Pyo Ye-jin, Jang Hyuk-jin, Bae Yoo-ram, Shin Jae-ha

Country: S. Korea

Run: Feb 17 to April 15, 2023 (SBS, TV Friday and Saturday @22:00 (KST))

Episodes: 16, 70 min

Thoughts: Back in action the second season is so much fun and entertaining. I actually like it better than the first. And I said this once and I’ll say it again Lee Je-hoon is made to be an action star. He’s as great as Kim Do-gi. I also liked that Ahn Go-eun (Pyo Ye-jin)  had a larger role this season. I also just love the friendship in the Rainbow Taxi service. Just so fun. Rating: imagine being taken down by a taxi service…

Taxi Driver Special (2023, SBS)

Main leads:  Lee Je-hoon, Kim Eui-sung, Pyo Ye-jin, Jang Hyuk-jin, Bae Yoo-ram, Shin Jae-ha

Country: S. Korea

Run: Feb 16 to March 4, 2023 ( KBS)

Episodes: 2, 60 -120 min

Thoughts: This was fun seeing the cast reflect on the episodes and their characters. Its also cool just seeing a reply of everything that happened. You could tell how much Lee Je-hoon loves playing Kim Do-gi. Rating: I am excited for the 3rd season…

Brain Works (2023, Park Kyung-seon)

Main leads: Jung Yong-hwa, Cha Tae-hyun, Kwak Sun-young, Ye Ji-won

Country: S. Korea

Run: Jan 2 to Fe 28, 2023 (KBS2 Monday and Tuesday @21:50 (KST))

Episodes: 16, 75 min

Thoughts:This show is weird. I think most cop shows are weird but this one especially. I did like the bromance in this, between Shin Ha-ru (Jung Yong-hwa) and Geum Myung-se (Ch Tae-hyun). I did think neuroscience was weird and defies logic. The only good thing about it was when they didn’t completely vilify Pyschopaths, because it tends to be more complicated than the mainstream likes to show. It still left a lot to be desired but it was there. Also when he lowkey kidnapped and torture that kid, oh my god, like he was a little punk and deserved to go to trail but my god. Rating: This is lowkey giving Minority Report tbh…

My Cuteness is about to expire!? (2022,  Tanabe Shigenori)

Main leads: Yamada Ryosuke, Yoshine Kyoko 

Country: Japan 

Run: April 16 to June 11, 2022 (TV Asahi, Saturday 23:30)

Episodes: 9, 23 to 47 min

Thoughts: Maruya is your typical male narcissist who works in sales. He uses his cuteness to stake by in life, to make up for his average skills. One day he is visited by his future self, whom he deems ugly, tells him that his cuteness is going to expire. He decides, after relizing his crush, the only way to prevent this is to date Sanada, a robotic newbie to the sales team. It is cute and Maruya and Sanada are fun as a couple, plus if you have the time you could watch this in a day. Rating: I’m Ichinose calling every single person every 10 seconds sobbing…

My Dearest Pt 1 (2023, Hwang Jin-young)

Main leads: Namkoong Min, Ahn Eun-jin, Lee Hak-joo, Lee Da-in, Kim Yoon-woo, Lee Chung-ah

Country: S. Korea

Run: August 4 to Sept 2, 2023 (MBC TV, Friday and Saturday 21:50 (KST))

Episodes: 10, 60 to 90 min

Thoughts:  I was not expecting to like this more than I did. The angst in every episode is so insane. Episode 10 was actually unbearable. I also want to take a moment and appreciate Yoo Gil-chae (Ahn Eun-jin), she is such a complicated  character. She would do anything for her friends, she is willing to do the things that no other women (noble) are willing to do even during times of war. She will stab the man assualting her friend and cover it up. She would cut the amicable cord, she would stab the mother’s hand. She isn’t pure of heart, she neveer claimed to be. I love her so much. And her relationship with Lee Jang-hyun. The ending of episode 10. I was sobbing. Rating: I am trying to hype myself up to watch the next 11 episodes, people had to wait inbetween…

The Escape of the Seven (2023, Kim Soon-ok)

Main leads: Um Ki-joon, Hwang Jung-eum, Lee Joon, Lee Yu-bi, Shin Eun-kyung, Yoon Jong-hoon, Jo Yoon-hee, Jo Jae-yoon

Country: S. Korea

Run: Sept 15 to Nov 17, 2023 (SBS TV Friday and Saturday 22:00 (KST))

Episodes: 17, 70 to 80 min

Thoughts: This was an insane ride. Literally no one in this likeable except for a few, like I didn’t think Min Do-hyuk (Lee Joon) was as bad as the others but oh lordy. It is so melodramatic, which took me off graud for some reason. Going into it I thought it was going to be a serious thriller, but oh boy was I wrong. It was Makjang. Which is fine, and also coming back in style apparently. I’m sat for season 2, but not with much hope. Rating: I actually don’t know the timeline of any of these events, does it expand years months, idk…

My Demon (2023-2024, Choi Ah-il)

Main leads: Kim Yoo-jung, Song Kang, Lee Sang-yi, Kim Hae-sook

Country: S. Korea

Run: Nov 24, 2023 to Jan 20, 2024 (SBS TV,  Friday and Saturday @22:00 (KST))

Episodes: 16, 70 min

Thoughts: I was excited for this drama. I really liked Doom at Your Service which promised to have a similar vibe. Which it did to an extent. I actually hate Song Kang in romances and only really like him in nonromance shows. However I think he did really well as Jeong Gu-won. I liked the overall Romance in the show. But I did think the revenge plot got uninteresting and confusing after a while. I do like the ending, I was pretty satisfied with where everyone ended up, which has been a long time since I’ve been this satisfied. 

Welcome to Samdal-ri (2023-2024, Kwon Hye-joo)

Main leads: Ji Chang-wook, Shin Hye-sun

Country: S. Korea

Run: Dec 2, 2023 ti Jan 21, 2024 (JTBC, Saturday and Sunday 22:30 (KST))

Episodes: 16, 70 min

Thoughts: This was cute and was far above my expectations. I am always uneasy with Ji Chang Wook, I can’t forgive him for the Melting My Heart drama a few years back, but I would do anything for Shin Hye-sun. So I gave this drama a go, and I liked it. I loved the vibes, and I didn’t mind that revenge wasn’t the main plot. It's like the one line “my enemies will take themselves out before you get a chance to swing.” It was heartwarming and I’m glad that Cho Sam-dal was able to find peace in her hometown. I loved the feel of community. I loved all the Friendships. It was very lovely. And I’m happy at the ending. I will also give my entire heart to Cho Hae-dal and Cha Ha-yul. I loved their mother-daughter relationship. I wanted more screen time for both. Rating: I’m glad there is a little piece of heaven…

 Game of Witches ( 2022-2023, Lee Do-Hyun)

Main leads: Jang Seo-Hee, Kim Kyu-Seon, Lee Hyun-Seok, Oh Chang-Suk. Han Ji-Wan, Ban Hyo-Jung

Country: S. Korea

Run: Oct 11, 2022 to April 14, 2023 (MBC, Monday to Friday 19:15 (KST))

Episodes: 119, 25 to 28 min

Thoughts: *Major Spoilers+ Rant ahead.* This show makes me unneccsarly angery. It is a daily drama and a Makjang to boot, so literally put any and all expectations in the gutter. Everything is nonsensical, and drawn out to reach the 119 mark. Storylines get dropped or move way too fast. It has a strange family tree and for a moment every single person was supposbly related. They have so much evidence agsaint the scheming Kang Ji-ho (Oh Chang-suk) and Joo Se-young (Han Ji-wan) but it goes nowhere. Speaking of Kang Ji-ho, he was just straight up dispicable. I would say more than Se-ypung of Ma Hyun-Deok (Ban Hyo-Jung). He was a terrible partner and father from the start. He literally tossed his entire family out the door for Se-young and eventual power. He only paid attention to his daughter Kang Han-Byeol (Kwon Dan-A) when she was able to benefit him. He was at best neglectful and at worst abusive towards her. Han-byeol was the true victim. Hye-soo (Kim Kyu-Seon) actually had a motive in the beginning. She was just pathetic and weak but once she returned they weirdly sidelined her. Also I don’t know why Kang Ji-ho never got prosecuted for trying to kill Hye-soo. Like I find that to be one of his more egregious crimes. Like that is the mother of your child. You gave your child so much trauma, for what? Power? Like when they tried to redeem him at the end I was just fed up. You can’t make hime out to be the big bad guy for 118 episodes, and then have him do one good thing. He is a bad father, and when Han Byeol grows up she will resent him. Rating: Fuck this show, like actually.

 My Dearest Part 2(2023, Hwang Jin-young)

Main leads: Namkoong Min, Ahn Eun-jin, Lee Hak-joo, Lee Da-in, Kim Yoon-woo, Lee Chung-ah

Country: S. Korea

Run: Oct 13 to Nov 18, 2023 (MBC TV, Friday and Saturday 21:50 (KST))

Episodes: 11, 60 to 90 min

Thoughts: More devastating than the first part. Gil-chae is probably my favorite character I have watched. Her journey in this part is absolutely devastating but she survives. I enjoyed the refutement from blame, that people who experienced the worst horrors known are somehow blamed. Gil Chae pushes back on this sentiment herself. This entire time I just wanted Jang-hyun and Gil Chea together. Which took the entire part for them to finally be happy. I do think the ending was kind of wobbly, and they only really needed 10  episodes not the 11. But who am I to say? Anyways I enjoyed the show overall. Rating: My Dear Husband… 

Kokdu: Season of Diety (2023, Kang Yi-heon, Heo Jun-woo)

Main leads: Kim Jung-hyun, Im Soo-hyang, Kim Da-som, Ahn Woo-yeon, Kim In-kwon, Cha Chung-hwa

Country: S. Korea

Run: Jan 27 to March 24, 2023 (MBC TV Fridays and Saturdays @21:50 (KST))

Episodes: 16, 70 min

Thoughts: You must be wondering why did you watch this? It only has bad reviews- which is a lie, it is actually a polarizing show. And I can understand. If you go into this show with the lowest expectations imaginable and it might be fun. The scenery is pretty and they make decent use of it. Main Romance is actually not good, I felt no chemistry between Kim Jung-Hyun and Im Soo-hyang. I did like the romance between Tae Jeong-won (Kim Da-som) and Han Cheol (Ahn Woo-yeon) other than that The show overall fell flat. I did like the scenery and the setting. I thought it was fun. Also episode 16 was the most enjoyable episode, which is good for an ending. Rating: I would skip…

I am currently watching:

Marry My Husband

Doctor Slump

Because of Love

Do You Like Brahms?

The Real Has Come!

If you have any kdrama recommendations, please let me know!

[mykpopwire]

media release: ZEROBASEONE Is Predicted to Name Itself as a Million-Seller for the Consecutive Time… Announcing Powerful Charisma with the New Title Track “CRUSH ”!

ZEROBASEONE is ready to melt ZEROSE’s hearts with ‘100% pure’ immersion and fervent passion.

ZEROBASEONE (SUNG HAN BIN, KIM JI WOONG, ZHANG HAO, SEOK MATTHEW, KIM TAE RAE, RICKY, KIM GYU VIN, PARK GUN WOOK, HAN YU JIN) releases their second mini album ‘MELTING POINT’ on November 6th, through various streaming sites.

KIM JI WOONG (left), SEOK MATTHEW (right)

The title track, “CRUSH,” is a powerful track that layers ZEROBASEONE’s versatile emotions on top of Drum & Bass and Jersey Club rhythms. Its lyrics convey the determination of 9 members, who bloomed radiant dreams with the love of their fans, in becoming a stronger being for ZEROSE and protecting them until the end. The group will share an intense thrill with ZEROBASEONE’s powerful performance that represents their determined oath.

KIM GYU VIN (left), RICKY (right)

In the music video that will be revealed to the public along with the track, 9 members who are in love express a courageous promise to protect ‘you’ who saved ‘me’ with dynamic camera moves. The music video creates unique visuals with interchanging scenes of the members of real life in school look and the members in uniforms that resemble those of knights. ZEROBASEONE’s energetic, charismatic group choreography completes various CG effects between real life and imagination.

PARK GUN WOOK (left), SUNG HAN BIN (right)

In addition to the title track, the album includes “MELTING POINT” a song following the title of the album and capturing the process of a heart frozen by love melting away, “Take My Hand” which conveys the determination to leap into a new world hand in hand, “Kidz Zone” celebrating a world where we sing and dance together, and ZEROBASEONE's signature lullaby “Good Night” that comforts a hard day and night, making a total of five tracks spanning diverse genres.

KIM TAE RAE (left), ZHANG HAO (right)

In this 2nd mini-album, ZEROBASEONE intends to resonate with listeners through music that tells their unique story. While their debut album 'YOUTH IN THE SHADE' focused on the dazzling yet unstable side of youth, 'MELTING POINT,' reached through ZEROSE's faith, depicts a more proactive stance rooted in self-confidence.

HAN YU JIN

Just like highly pure ice melts at 0 degrees, 9 members will expand to the new world with music and performance that carries ‘100% pure’ immersion and fervent passion and melts listeners’ hearts once again while armed with radiant visuals. After naming themselves as a million-seller just one day after the release of the debut album ‘YOUTH IN THE SHADE,’ ZEROBASEONE already recorded 1.7 million pre-orders with this new release and is predicted to name themselves as a million-second for the consecutive time, continuing to carry their name as the ‘5th generation icon.’

Watch ZEROBASEONE 'CRUSH (가시)' MV here!

*photos courtesy of WAKEONE Entertainment

Don’t forget to like, follow and subscribe to MY K-POP WIRE for more K-Pop interview, debut, comeback and event updates!

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[maplecornia]

chapter 25

𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱: 2.19K

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: idk about you, but i really like this chapter, i think it's super FLUFFY

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

"You're an idiot."

"How was I supposed to know it was that high?! You're lucky I didn't drop your cake."

You smile, you can't help it. Spending the day with him wasn’t as bad as you thought it was. The time at the cafe was enjoyable, even when he decided it was a smart idea to try and climb on top of a wall, you found yourself content and happy.

It was definitely better than being alone.

"If you did, you wouldn't be standing." You mutter, trying to keep your voice smooth and calm. He lets out a soft gasp, turning to you in mock fear.

"You're scary."

"Maybe." You purse your lips, but can't keep the sly grin from spreading on your face.

When he asked you to spend time with him, you didn't imagine that it would be this fun. He took you to a cafe, and as soon as you started talking it was as though the two of you had known each other for years. Glancing over at him, you study his features just like you did the first time you saw him across the hall.

He's the type of person you feel comfortable with, someone you can rely on.

"You know what I just realized?" he says, pausing in the middle of the sidewalk. You turn to him, raising your brow.

"What?" You ponder when he doesn't finish his thought right away.

"We never introduced ourselves." You chuckle as he runs up to you before holding out his hand. Looking at it with a skeptical look, you hesitate before taking it.

"My name is Hwang Sunoh, it's a pleasure to meet you, madam."

You smirk, shaking your head at his overdramatized accent.

"I'm Yen Lin...well I suppose here you'd call it like, Lin Yen." You respond and can't help but smile at his giddy grin.

"It's nice to meet you."

Hwang Sunoh.

It's surprising how just yesterday, he was someone who had dampened your day. Now, he's able to bring a smile on your face without hardly lifting a finger. You can't help but feel a bit free. When you're around people like him, things just seem so easy. It's hard for you to remember that there was a time when you didn't feel this way.

It's hard for you to realize that the world can be cold.

Releasing him, you turn to start on your path home but freeze.

Your heart begins pounding, your palms turning cold as you notice the figure standing in front of your apartment complex. Shocked, you step back a bit, trying to make out his facial features, but his back is to you.

"It can't be..." You murmur under your breath.

There's no chance it can be him, can it?

Memories of the day on the bridge. The moments where he held your hand. That faint crinkle to the sides of his eyes when he smiled...The body is the same, the hair has the same curl, his jawline holds the same flawless curve.

Sunoh looks from you to the stranger with curiosity.

"Do you know him?" he questions, peering into your face, but you don't answer. You can't answer. Your throat has gone dry and you find that it's hard for you to breathe.

What if it is him? What would you do then?

You never thought you'd see him again, but what happens if he found you?

Swallowing hard, you walk forward, but the figure turns around and you balk, freezing once more.

It's not him, but someone else.

Someone even more surprising.

"Tae?"

Once he catches sight of you, he rushes forward, pocketing his phone.

But why? Why is he here?

As he draws closer, you can see that his eyes are locked on you, that he doesn't pay much attention to anything else. His eyes are full of worry, and his brow is furrowed with resolution. For a moment, you forget about Sunoh standing next to you, you forget about everything else. Once more, it's only you and him.

His feet pounding as he reaches a stop next to you, he takes you by the shoulders and lowers his face so that he's eye to eye with you. Eyes wide, you blink at him, forgetting to breathe for a moment.

"Are you okay?!" Confused, you don't answer him at first. Taking that as a bad sign, he begins to examine you, looking up and down for any injury, any scar, anything to show that you had been hurt in some way. Pressing his hand to your forehead to check for a fever, he growls a bit in frustration. "You weren't answering your phone, do you know how worried I was?!"

Taehyung?

Worried about you?

Someone tell me I'm dreaming.

Stunned, all you can do is look at him, unable to move an inch. Sunoh, extremely confused, looks between you and Taehyung, trying to piece two and two together. For one, why is an idol fussing over you as though you were a lost kitten? For another, how did you know a member from the most renowned and respected group in Korea?

Smiling a bit to himself, he can't help but chuckle.

Yen, you're more impressive than I thought.

That small sound catches Taehyung's attention.

As soon as he realizes the two of you have company, he pulls away, his grip tightening on you almost protectively. He turns to Sunoh, his brow furrowing with foreign hostility. At the reaction, Sunoh steps back a little, chuckling nervously.

"Ah...hello?" he mumbles, but all Tae does is raise his eyebrow, unamused.

"Who is this?" he asks you, and you finally wake up, turning to your new friend. Eyes wide, Sunoh looks to you as though you are the only one who can save him.

"Oh, he's my friend." You answer for him, edging a bit closer to him so that Taehyung doesn't attack. Nodding to him, he smiles nervously and holds out his hand once more, introducing himself.

"I'm Hwang Sunoh, nice to meet you."

Taehyung doesn't say a thing, doesn't even take his hand. He looks at it as though it were a thing he found in the trash and regards Sunoh with an icy glare. Apprehensive, Sunoh chuckles weakly, and pulls back from him, rubbing his neck.

"Uhm...Sunoh, why don't you go on ahead? I'll get my things later, okay?" You say, offering him an escape and he takes it gratefully. Stepping back a bit, he bows to Taehyung before making a break for the complex. You chuckle a bit at his frantic flee before turning back to Taehyung.

He's not really looking at you, his gaze distant and almost respondent. Confused, you squirm underneath the uncomfortable silence, wondering what exactly he needs. Why he's here. Biting your bottom lip, you try to catch his eye, but he avoids it.

"What was that about?"

At your voice, he looks up, his eyes dark and unreadable. For a moment, you wonder if he's upset, and it makes you a bit frustrated. What is there to be upset about?

"Who is he?" he asks again, his voice deep and demanding. Biting the inside of your cheek in annoyance, you cross your arms. Just because he's having a bad day doesn't mean that he has to take it out on you.

"He's my neighbor..." Once you realize you're giving in to his tantrum, you shake your head. "Why does it matter? What's wrong?"

He looks at you with those eyes, causing you to lose your cool and almost squirm under his gaze. But you don't look away, what is there to be ashamed of? You didn't do anything wrong. Rolling your eyes, you shake your head and brush past him.

If he's not going to say anything then there is no reason for you to stay.

Taehyung rolls his eyes at your stubbornness and grabs you by the arm, turning you around. You open your mouth, ready to say an angry retort, but with one fierce look, he shuts you up. Taking your hand, he pulls you behind him. You try to pull away, only managing to when he stops.

"Kim Taehyung, what the hell do you think you're doing?" You demand, but all he does is offer you a sideways glance before turning to the sunset.

"Look." He murmurs, and you narrow your eyes at him before obliging.

You let out a small gasp, finding it hard to breathe. How can you when met with beauty such as this? He smiles at your expression, his eyes tender and affectionate.

"I wanted to show you." He explains, even though he knows that you can hardly hear him.

He has taken you to the small overlook in front of your complex. It offers the two of you a beautiful scene of the sun setting on the Han River. It's almost as if the sea is swallowing it, melting it into a palette of oranges and reds almost as if it were the mere paints dripping from a canvas. Smiling, you step forward until you reach the bar that protects you from falling over the edge.

Turning to him, you regard him with curious eyes.

"You came here just to show me this?"

Blinking, he doesn't answer you at first. He doesn't know what to say. If he were to say the truth, that his mind was clouded and he needed to find a way to clear it. If he said that he wanted to see you because you were the only one who could free him from the voices that continue to tell him he's not enough. If he said that he came to remove you from his mind...

What would you do then? Would you still look at him the same? Or would he lose you all over again?

Clearing his throat, he tears his eyes away from you. Perhaps this way, it will be easier to lie.

"No, I came because I was worried." He mumbles. Noticing your confused expression, he sighs, running his hands through his wind-kept hair. "You weren't answering your phone."

For a moment, as the sun catches his face, you're distracted from the beauty nature has to offer you. Instead, you focus on him. A beauty that is impossible to describe in mere words. A beauty that is impossible to touch, impossible to keep, for fear that it would be lost as soon as you touched it. It's like the light. Though you may try to hold it in your fingertips, after a while, it slips away. It always slips away, it never stays.

He will never stay.

Swallowing the growing lump in your throat, you turn away. It hurts too much. In some ways, this is worse than when he was a country away. When he didn't know you existed. At least then, you knew that you had no chance of losing yourself to someone you'll never meet. But now...

Now he's so close, but he feels so far away.

Will it always be this way?

Will you always have that impenetrable wall between the two of you?

Where he will always be the idol, and you will always be the fan?

In the distance, you can spy the same bridge that you met him on. The same bridge where your world was changed. Turning to the man beside you now, you entertain the thought that he's the real man in the mask. Smiling at the notion, you chastise yourself. It can't be him.

After all, the universe can't be that kind.

"Taehyung?" you murmur, hoping he doesn't catch the thickness in your voice, or the lump threatening to break.

"Hm?" he responds absentmindedly, and you close your eyes at the sound of his voice behind you. If you wish hard enough, will the two of you be able to stand side by side as equals?

Or will he forever be that far?

"Why did you give me your number?"

The question catches him off guard, and he opens his eyes, turning to look at you. Though your back is to him, it's wracked with tension and unspoken words. Almost as though you were preparing to be let down.

Again.

He bites his bottom lip, trying to choose the best words to say to you. When he notices the way you clench and unclench your hands at the sound of silence, he smiles softly before stepping forward.

Standing close, mere inches away from you, he takes your hand gently in his fingertips. Before you have a chance to pull away, he brushes his lips lightly across your knuckles. Speechless, you find your heart constricting with unimaginable longing.

After a moment, he raises his eyes to yours, his lips still pressed against your skin. A sultry look, you find your breath shortening, your heartbeat fluttering an unheard tune. He smiles at your wide, innocent eyes before lowering your hand and using his to brush back your hair.

"Well, we're friends. Aren't we?" he responds, his hand resting on your cheek for a moment before he releases you and steps away.

Always a considerable distance apart.

From the moon and the star.

𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔢: you know even though love alarm was the worst thing since tomatoes, i still couldn't help putting the characters in the story ;-;

chapter 26 here

check the Infinite Stars masterlist for more chapters

check my BTS masterlist for other BTS content

check out my masterlist for other kpop fanfics

[dangermousie]

So, I binged the first five episodes of the 2004 mega hit Love Story in Harvard, starring Kim Rae Won and Kim Tae Hee. 

The English is all over the place and understanding of how American law school works is nonexistent, but probably better than if Americans made a show set in Korea. And it’s pretty entertaining to see USA as the exotic weird other.

The romance is OUT OF THIS WORLD. I've forgotten how non-flashy older kdramas were. There aren’t cutesy music cues or wacky plot hijinks or high concepts or filters or slickness. But what it does have in spades, and it’s something newer kdramas often lack, is the feeling that you are peeking at real people. Much better looking than you and all that, but you can imagine knowing someone like the protagonists. Even the good looks feel much less airbrushed. There is no disputing that Kim Tae Hee and Kim Rae Won are both gorgeous people - the latter has an obligatory shower scene 9 minutes into the first ep - must be some sort of a record:

But you can actually see their pores or skin flaws or w/e. I mean, I can imagine seeing someone like 2004 KRW or KTH on the street and thinking they are mega gorgeous. 2019 KRW and KTH look like another species entirely, a much prettier one, but one I can’t imagine passing on the street :)

The other thing about LSiH is that at least so far, it may be the healthiest and most realistic OTP I have seen in a kdrama in a long time. I mean - I am having flashbacks to my own college days. They have misunderstandings and promptly apologize, they flirt and laugh and are too busy to date and have such a warm vibe together. I mean - I know people like those two. They are two smart, strong-willed, sane grad students in love. 

The secondaries, as is the case with all early 00s dramas, are annoying as hell but that is what ff button is for. 

I remember at one point she gets a serious illness so I am sure melo will kick in at some point, and that’s fine, but at this point, I am just swooning and nostalgic.

[olivierdemangeon]

  En sommeil depuis 1903, un volcan entre en éruption sur la mythique et majestueuse montagne de Baekdu, mettant toute la péninsule coréenne en danger…

    “Baekdusan” (백두산), ou “Ashfall” pour la distribution internationale, est un film d’action sud-coréen datant de 2019 dirigé par Lee Hae-jun et Kim Byung-seo. Les acteurs principaux sont Lee Byung-hun, qu’on a pu voir dans “The Fortress” (2017), Ha Jung-woo, qu’on a pu voir dans “1987: When the Day Comes” (2017), Ma Dong-seok, qu’on a pu voir dans “The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil” (2019), Bae Su-ji, qu’on a pu voir dans “Real” (2017), Jeon Hye-jin, qu’on a pu voir dans “RV: Resurrected Victims” (2017), et Lee Sang-won, qu’on a pu voir dans “The Spy Gone North” (2018). Ce métrage est également connu sous le titre de “Mount Paektu” et il est paru le 19 décembre 2019 en Corée.

L’histoire proposée par “Ashfall” nous invite à suivre Jo In-chang (Ha Jung-woo), chef d’une unité de démineurs de l’armée, à quelques jours de la retraite, et futur papa. Alors qu’il se rend à l’hôpital pour accompagner son épouse, Ji-young (Bae Suzy) pour une échographie de contrôle, un tremblement de terre de forte magnitude vient ébranler le cœur de Séoul, détruisant les infrastructures et effondrant des buildings. Le mont Paektu, un volcan situé sur la frontière entre la Chine et la Corée du Nord vient de rentrer en éruption. In-chang va être réquisitionné par les hautes autorités pour participer à une mission spéciale. Sous l’initiative du professeur Kang Bong-rae (Ma Dong-seok), il va être tenté de faire exploser une charge nucléaire dans l’une des galeries d’une mine désaffectée située en Corée du Nord. Pour se faire, un commando va devoir s’infiltrer au Nord, pour libérer, Lee Joon-pyeong (Lee Byung-hun), un agent double, qui connaît l’emplacement des bombes nucléaires. Les choses vont terriblement se compliquer lorsque des mafieux chinois et des militaires américains vont interférer avec la mission sud-coréenne, afin de récupérer le matériel nucléaire…

Après avoir visionné le film, une fois que l’on met le nez dans les éléments techniques pour rédiger cette critique, le premier élément qui interpelle, c’est le décalage entre la qualité plutôt moyenne du scénario et le nombre de mains qui se sont activées pour l’écrire. En effet, le script concocté par Kim Byeong-seo, Kim Tae-yoon, Kwak Jeong-deok, Lee Hae-joon, et Lim Joon-hyung, est plutôt simpliste. Un volcan menace d’entrer en éruption et de détruire toute la péninsule coréenne. Pour éviter la catastrophe, les sudistes imaginent qu’en faisant exploser une charge nucléaire en un point bien précis, la pression sur le volcan va être réduite au point d’empêcher la catastrophe. La Corée du Sud n’ayant pas la puissance de feu nécessaire, il est préconisé d’aller piquer les dernières charges nucléaires aux voisins nordistes et de les faire péter au plus près du volcan, c’est-à-dire à la frontière sino-coréenne.

Sauf que quoi ? Sauf que les ricains qui supervisent le démantèlement nucléaire nord-coréen n’apprécient guère l’initiative sud-coréenne. Ils voient d’un mauvais œil que leur colonie s’amuse à envoyer des hommes en territoire ennemi. Ils voient d’un mauvais œil que les sudistes fassent mumuse avec une charge nucléaire, et ils voient d’un mauvais œil qu’on envisage de faire exploser la chose. Un commando est donc chargé de mettre bon ordre à tout cela, quitte à canarder tout le monde sans discernement, et dans une attitude très arrogante et très symptomatique du comportement américain. Pour corser l’ensemble, on ajoute quelques mafieux chinois venus, eux aussi, récupérer le matériel nucléaire. Le tout dans la plus pure indifférence pour les citoyens nord-coréens dont le pays n’est plus qu’un champ de ruines après le tremblement de terre.

Après une petite introduction destinée à nous présenter celui qui sera le personnage principal de l’histoire, arrive la scène la plus spectaculaire du film, le tremblement de terre. C’est spectaculaire et digne des meilleurs films catastrophe tel que “San Andreas” (2015) de Brad Peyton qui voyait Dwayne Johnson se démener comme un beau diable face aux effets dévastateurs qui frappaient Los Angeles et San Francisco alors que la fameuse faille de San Andreas s’ouvrait. Le gros souci, c’est qu’une fois passée cette séquence, tout aussi impressionnante soit-elle, le soufflé retombe quelque peu à plat. On bascule dans quelque chose d’assez basique. La présence de Lee Byung-hun et de Ma Dong-seok au casting n’y change d’ailleurs pas grand-chose.

Et justement, du côté des personnages. Il y a quelques critiques de cela, pour “The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos” (2019), je disais que Ma Dong-seok devenait la caricature de lui-même. Le voilà dans un rôle à contre-emploi, soit un scientifique qui s’est spécialisé dans l’étude du volcan Paektu, et semble détenir la solution pour éviter la destruction de toute la région. Un personnage, qui, sans que l’on sache clairement pourquoi, semble vouloir cacher son identité coréenne, préférant faire croire qu’il est américain. Le personnage incarné par Lee Byung-hun est plus intéressant. Agent secret nord-coréen ayant fourni des informations aux Américains, il est indispensable à la réussite de la mission. Toutefois, il est en proie à des conflits internes, culpabilisant de ne pas avoir pleinement assumé son rôle de père, il cherche à retrouver son enfant dans le chaos. Le côté mélodramatique est mal ajusté pour qu’on adhère pleinement à sa détresse. Reste donc le “héros” de l’histoire interprété par Ha Jung-woo. Le type se retrouve embringué dans cette histoire un peu malgré lui alors qu’il aspire à être près de son épouse qui attend leur premier enfant. Maladroit, peu aguerri à l’action, il fait de son mieux pour mener à bien ce qui ressemble de plus en plus à une mission-suicide.

Les valeurs de production concernant “Ashfall” sont d’un très haut niveau. La photographie Kim Jee-yong est totalement excellente. Les effets spéciaux sont spectaculaires, d’ailleurs, Andras Ikladi sera récompensé d’un Grand Bell Award pour son travail sur ce métrage. Les décors sont chaotiques à souhait et le contraste entre les deux Corée est tout à fait réaliste. Les fusillades sont impressionnantes et l’ensemble des effets pyrotechniques sont impressionnants. La bande originale signée Bang Joon-seok vient très bien appuyer les différentes ambiances du film et le montage offre un film de 128 minutes bien équilibrées qui aurait pu gagner en dynamisme en synthétisant quelques scènes. On notera que Lee Byung-hun a été gratifié du Grand Bell Award du Meilleur Acteur pour ce film, bien que personnellement, il ne m’ait pas spécialement impressionné dans ce film.

En conclusion, “Ashfall” est un bon film d’action disposant d’une histoire simple, d’une intrigue captivante et d’un développement classique. Le rythme est plutôt équilibré, le récit est fluide et la narration est linéaire. La photographie est bonne et les effets spéciaux sont spectaculaires. Les scènes d’action, les fusillades et les explosions sont très bien orchestrées. La distribution offre de bonnes prestations dans l’ensemble. Les fans de Lee Byung-hun seront comblés même si je lui ai préféré Ha Jung-woo. Bien que ce métrage soit largement au-dessus de la moyenne, il est quelque peu décevant par rapport à l’engouement qu’il a suscité et sans parler des péripéties que nous avons rencontrées afin de pouvoir le visionner…

      Retrouvez-nous sur notre groupe de discussion Facebook !

    ASHFALL (2019) ★★★✭☆ En sommeil depuis 1903, un volcan entre en éruption sur la mythique et majestueuse montagne de Baekdu, mettant toute la péninsule coréenne en danger...

[silverlightqueen]

daisies - Roses Mixtape Pt II

here’s another playlist to reflect the songs on Roses Mixtape Pt II, enjoy x

a/n: I’ve also linked both YouTube and Spotify x

tracklist

1. Intro: Sounds - Seokjin, Jimin, Taehyung, Jungkook & y/n (ft. Rosé & Jisoo) = Wild Thoughts - DJ Khaled, Rihanna & Bryson Tiller

The sexy upbeat vibe and guitar riffs from Maria Maria would go perfectly in a song for vocal line like I can just imagine their voices sounding amazing. Sounds would be very similar to Wild Thoughts with message and topic as well as the actual sound of the song itself, lots of sexy summery vibes. I also put Rosé and Jisoo on this song because a) gang shit and b) vocals.

2. Aphrodite - Jimin & y/n = Acquainted - The Weeknd

The Weeknd’s beautiful harmonies and big notes in this song would be perfect for Jimin and y/n, and the focus of Aphrodite would be the same as Acquainted; sex, lmao. It would basically be Jimin singing about how y/n is his Aphrodite but they both get the feeling that the relationship won’t work out and its foundations are the physicality they share.

3. Shots - Yoongi, Hoseok & Namjoon ft. Jennie = Or Nah - Ty Dolla Sign ft. The Weeknd, Wiz Khalifa & DJ Mustard

Shots is straight up about sex. Like no metaphors or wordplays here, they straight up talk about sex in the song, just like in Or Nah. It’s got the same sexy dark vibe with fire bars, and this song also give Jennie the opportunity to show that she’s not this good little girl that YG make her out to be; she’s a grown woman and she ain’t afraid to show it.

4. Lingerie - Hoseok, Taehyung & y/n = Sin Pijama - Becky G & Natti Natasha 

Lingerie is very much similar to Sin Pijama; just as sexy, just as fire, just as fun and upbeat. I felt like Tae and Hobi would definitely suit this kind of song and they would definitely be speaking in Spanish too, as well as y/n. It’d also be about the same thing, but I think a lot less explicit than Sin Pijama.

5. Mi Amor - Yoongi & Jimin = Suit & Tie - Justin Timberlake & Jay-Z

The word that comes to mind when I think about what Mi Amor would sound like is slick, and Suit & Tie is nothing if not slick. The old-school RnB vibes would suit Jimin and Yoongi so well and the whole message of the song just suits them both so well too like the suit and tie, the subtle dominance over their other half, the smart, slick retro vibes; the song just scream Jimin and Yoongi to me. I also put these two on a song together because they’re both singing to the same girl so it made it easier when they were writing because they were more on the same page than Jimin realised sksks.

6. On Lock - y/n ft. Rosé = Low Key - Mabel

The old-school RnB vibes from this song makes me think of y/n too, and I thought it’d be unusual to have as her solo song dedicated to Jimin as its message isn’t what you’d expect, but it also screams y/n to me. Rosé would also bring in some pretty harmonies and adlibs in the background so that the song for y/n herself is quite simple and doesn’t put too much pressure or strain on her for high notes, giving the song quite a chill and relaxing vibe.

7. Promise - Jimin = Say It - Tory Lanez

Again, I thought this song would be very unusual to have as Jimin’s solo song dedicated to y/n, but it appealed to me a lot because the whole vibe makes me think of Jimin. He’d be fantastic on an RnB song like this, and the pretty notes and harmonies would suit his voice so well. I think it also reflects Jimin’s mindset at times; he has his walls up quite high and so questions people’s true intentions a lot due to a lack of trust, asking y/n to make a promise to him about her love for him, which is the exact feeling I get from Say It.

8. Lights - Seokjin, Namjoon & Taehyung ft. Jisoo & Jennie = Love Galore - SZA ft. Travis Scott

I really feel like Seokjin, Namjoon and Taehyung’s solo music (Awake, Mono and Stigma/Singularity) combined would produce this kind of vibe. The sad reminiscent vibe of Seokjin’s, the gentle bars from Namjoon’s and the RnB sound from Taehyung’s really makes me think that, together, it’d produce the Alt RnB sound that Love Galore has. And Jisoo and Jennie had to be on this song because we stan Kim siblings.

9. 24 - Jimin & y/n = Side to Side - Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj

Basically, y/n and Jimin like to have sex. A lot. And Side to Side is about sex. A lot of it. That’s it. That’s literally it. Okay, no, it’s not. So the strong pop vibes from Side to Side wouldn’t exactly suit y/n and Jimin as well as RnB or ballads do, but it would show off their versatility and also the fun side of their relationship. Combine Acquainted and Side to Side together, and you’ve literally got y/n and Jimin’s relationship.

10. Vibes - Hoseok, Jimin, Jungkook & y/n ft. Lisa = Confident - Justin Bieber ft. Chance The Rapper

If you don’t think Confident would suit dance line, you’re a liar. The song Confident, whilst being about a confident girl, radiates confidence from the singer themselves, and dance line themselves radiate confidence onstage. They’d be something to watch performing Vibes onstage. The mix of genres between RnB and hip-hop would be perfect for dance line, and Lisa is on the song because have you seen that girl dance? Like, imagine them all performing it together. 

11. Babygirl - Seokjin & Jungkook ft. Jisoo = Her Way - PARTYNEXTDOOR

I know it’s a very unpopular opinion but I think RnB suits Jin and Jungkook really well, and this song is pure RnB. Jisoo would do the adlibs and harmonies (along with Jungkook because that boy can’t breathe without making it an adlib or harmony) and it’d just have a super sexy and beautiful vibe. Partynextdoor’s voice also really reminds me of Jungkook’s when he goes high so I can just imagine him on this song, and Jin’s confidence and cockiness would go so well with this song.

12. Outro: Good - Namjoon, Jimin & y/n = Sativa - Jhene Aiko ft. Rae Sremmurd

y/n=Jhene Aiko, Jimin=Swae Lee and Namjoon=SlimJxmmi. Listen to the song and tell me you disagree, and I’ll tell you you’re wrong. This song is one of my favourites of all time and y/n, Jimin and Namjoon on this song together would be pure perfection. Good talks about the sex and drinking and drugs just like Sativa, and definitely has the same RnB vibes. Jimin’s voice would be so subtle and gentle in this, a lot closer to the choruses of Serendipity than to anything else in the sense that it doesn't demand much, just as it is with y/n except for the harmonies during the chorus (not that they’re particularly difficult or straining either). Namjoon’s rap would fit into this song just to make that bit less relaxed and chill, and more lit and hype, giving it that perfect balance that RnB songs have. But the overall gentle and calm vibe of the song makes it the perfect outro and also sums up y/n and Jimin’s relationship really well.

taglist💕: @khaoticamour @rjsmochii @minniestudies @oodlespadoodle @shay-the-turtle @yasbts705 @goldenchemistry @arvbellas @anothershorthuman @golden-pixie-dust-200 @onlinewhale @maknaeroni @sweetchocolategoblin @conslack @missbowkimjinju @pocketfullofsuga @booklover240 @dimple-jungkook @squishyshit @sakurauchiha2018 @keylowmonie @untainted-memories @babybluebisexual @dearbangtan07 @joyful-jimin

[lubdubsworld]

Something’s Gotta Give. ( Taehyung/Oc)

Chapter 3

“Tae?” I said groggily, lightly reaching out to prod the prone figure on the carpet, still wearing his jacket and suit and curled on the floor , sleeping fitfully. I tried again and he didn’t move. I picked up the two bottles of vodka and grimaced. He was going to feel like hell when he got up. 

Sighing, i moved to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water before setting the kettle to boil. Taehyung had the tolerance of a fifteen year old. I could imagine how he would feel when he woke up. I scratched at the linoleum surface of the counter, trying to dredge up some anger , some annoyance. 

But I was drained. 

I didn’t hate him. I  couldn’t  hate him. Yes, he did something awful. Yes, he betrayed me. But, he was still Taehyung.

 my  Taehyung.  I couldn’t hate him.

But i wasn’t an idiot. I would move out. My studio apartment from when i was in college was in Gangnam. Jung Kook crashed there when he wanted some time to himself but i knew he was staying with Yoongi at his penthouse. I would give him a call and then move there , hopefully later in the day. I couldn’t got to my brother or my parents. 

They wouldn’t understand. 

I grabbed some fennel seeds, sliced up a small ginger root and minced it, before adding a little thyme into the water as well. I let the tea diffuse and sat down on the table, staring into the wall. 

“My mariage is over.” I said softly. 

The words were oddly loud in the peaceful kitchen. 

“Kim Taehyung and i are over. “  I said a bit louder. 

It didn’t feel anymore realer. But then, over the past few months, one part of me had known that I was going to end up like this, right? I knew it. Taehyung had been distant, indifferent and hurtful. He had been falling out of love with me. 

But falling out of love is ... okay. I could deal with it. 

 Falling in love with another woman? 

Not so much.

“Rae Mi?” His voice startled me badly, and I nearly knocked the glass of water over as I jumped. He was standing in the doorway, looking like hell. I gripped the table to stop myself from rushing over and supporting his swaying frame. The need to touch him was so strong that i wanted to cry. Taehyung had been the most physically affectionate person in the world and as his wife I had been the recipient of nearly 90 % of that affection : the cuddles, the hugs, the impromptu bridal-carries, the inpomptu piggy backing. 

“ Sit down. i made tea,.” I said dully. 

He groaned and moved to the chair opposite me, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palms. I stared at him, fondness and sadness and disappointment blooming inside me like a poisonous weed. 

 What a waste. We could have had it all. We could have been forever. What an utter waste of so many years of love. 

“Rae, please... Can we just...” He began, reaching out, but i pulled my hand away. 

“I just... Why?” I said softly. I didn’t want to yell. 

He gave me a long, miserable look.

“I ... don’t know.” He whispered finally. 

I stared at him, feeling frustrated and confused. 

“Rae mi, I’ve been so tired these few months , i signed that stupid contract which meant that I couldn’t even come home when i wanted to , and I couldn’t talk to the hyungdeul or even you because i was just so busy! “

I fought the urge to whimper. 

“Okay. That’s fine. But Tae, why didn’t you just talk to me? If you wanted out, i would have given you a divorce ! i would have moved out!” I said miserably. 

His eyes went wide at that,

“No! That’s not.. That’s not what i want. I don’t want you to leave Rae mi! “ 

“Of course you don’t. But then, I’m not the one who left, remember? You left... last night when i begged you to stay. And a countless more times before that. “ I pointed out. 

He bit his lips. 

“Give me one chance. I swear I’ll make...” 

“Don’t say it. Don’t you dare say you’ll make it up to me , because there is nothing in the world you can do to make it up to me!” I felt the first sting of tears and tried to get my self under control. 

“I’m sorry.” He said and I stood up slowly, grabbing the fine-bone china cps. We’d bought it on our trip to Macau, in a quaint little antique shop, right outside our hotel room. i traced the pretty pink and blue patters on the rim and sighed. 

“Stop being sorry. You don’t have to be sorry .” I said finally. “ I mean, yes, you should be sorry for chaeting on me but I won’t blame you for wanting her. She’s ... well she’s Lalisa Manoban. How could I ever compete?” I said dejectedly, pouring the tea into the cup carefully. 

Taehyung made a noise of distress and stood up, swaying a bit as he came closer, holding a hand out. 

“She doesn’t mean anything to me. She’s just... i don’t even know what she is. i don’t even care... Rae Mi, i know I messed up real bad, but please... please don’t throw this away... Don’t throw away what we have, baby...” 

I stared at him in disbelief.

“You  did  the throwing away. “ I snapped. “ I’m not the one who..” 

“I begged you to come with me! I asked you to come with me to Hong kong!!” He shouted. 

I froze. 

“What?! Are you insane.... Your fans hate me! Every single one of them hates me , you know that!” I hissed. “ Why would i come there ?!”

“See! That’s it,... You care so much about what the fans feel but you don’t care what i feel... i was so fucking lonely and depressed and i just... i just wanted to be able to hold you at the end of the day! And you straight up refused to come with me. You didn’t even ask why. you didn’t even ask me what was bothering me!” He hissed.

I felt myself choke on my own disbelief. 

“Are you fucking kidding me! Anytime I did, you kept telling me not to worry and that this was your job !! You did it so many times that i gave up!” 

“So, you admit it , then.. You gave up on us, before i cheated on you...” 

“Oh, my God, Taehyung are you listening to yourself, right now?!” 

“I’m sorry okay?! i fucked up with Lisa.. i don’t.. I don’t even know how that happened... She called me to have a drink and we were talking about the movie and just... i got drunk . I don’t even remember touching her. i don’t even know if something happened or not! But I  do  know thatyou’ve been pushing me away...” 

“I’m pushing you away? When did i ever..You , you were the one who brought her to our home! And then you left with her! You left me at home and went with her!! .”

“Because i found those pills in the bathroom counter!! ” He yelled. 

i froze. 

“Taehyung...”

“i found those fucking birth control pills in your bathroom , yesterday okay?? That was why i had to get out of the house!! that was why i fucking went with that woman and got fucking drunk because i found out that my wife is on birth control, while here i am, praying every second of everyday that god would just grant me one miracle.... That i’d be able to hold my baby...!! How long have you been on those, huh? ! when were you even planning to tell me about those!!” He whispered. 

I felt my entire body go ice cold. Oh God, i had left them on the counter.  Shit. Shit. Shit. 

“I... I just... “

“How long..? Just telkl me how long, that’s all i want to hear”

i took a deep breath

“Two years.” I said finally. 

He laughed. 

“Great. That’s just so fucking great...” 

i felt my entire body seize up in protest. 

“But I stopped three months ago!!! Taehyung, we’d been trying for six years and i was just so frustrated!! i was so scared and i just wanted to  .”

I bit my lips, not sure how to explain it. 

TAehyung growled low. 

“ Wanted to what? Take away even the little chance that we did have?!! Yeah, we’ve been trying for years....So what? I don’t mind trying for another decade! I .. Want us to have a kid. I want a child and i know, deep down that we’re meant to have one! I just don’t know why you decided to just stop trying without even talking to me about it. That isn’t a breach of trust?! Do you have any idea how i felt, seeing those damn pills!” He shouted. 

“So you went out an banged the first girl you met! That makes sense! That makes it all okay!! Doesn’t it?? ” 

“I went out because i was afraid , i would fucking lose it! That i’d yel;l at you or God forbid break something! i left because i wanted to get my head on straight.. But you know what’s funny? even when i was leaving, i saw you standing there looking so lost and I wanted to make it better....” He shook his head. 

I bit my lips. 

“I... Ever since you started doing that movie, you’ve been distant. You were attarcted to her, don’t deny it!” 

“Are you insane? If i was attractyed to her and if i wanted her, why would i ask you to come along with me? And i did! ... I asked you to come with me. I hoped that we could talk it out. That we could at least consider adoption. But all you kept saying was ‘ your career is important. You need to concentrate on your work.’....”

“Because, I  knew  how important it was to you!! You worked so hard on that movie, i didn’t want you to be stressed out because of me as well!”

“And who the hell are you to decide that, huh? You get to choose when I should come to you? You get to decide when I should stay away?! It doesn’t matter what i want?”

I clenched my fists. 

“Don’t try to turn this on me.” I whispered. 

“Turn what? The blame? I’m not. I’m not saying that i cheated because of what you did. I’m saying that, I felt cheated on as well, when i saw those pills. “

I laughed in disbelief. 

“Are you saying it’s the same thing? Me taking pills and you cheating on me ?!” 

“No! I’m saying that at least i didn’t know what i was doing. I didn’t mean to have one to many drinks yesterday. i fully meant to come back home to you. But i hadn’t slept in eighteen fucking hours and I was so fucking tired. And then i saw those damn pils and i made a mistake? I should have had my head on staright but i was hurt and I was lonely and  she was there..  she was just there ... when i needed someone...” 

I stared at him, feeling miserable. 

“Taehyung, i don’t want to fight. i think.. We need a break. You and i... we need to get our head on straight before we just say stuff that’s going to make everything worse. ” 

He didn’t respond. 

“Let’s just take a break.” I said again. 

“You want to leave me then?” He said sulkily. 

“Not.. leave. I don’t know.. i just.. we’ve known each other and loved each other for eight years Taehyung !! After eight years it’s not that simple! i can’t just up and leave you and i can’t just forgive you either and i know that you’re hurt about the pills and i know that i shouldn’t have done that but.. I just... I wanted to stop being so disappointed , every monthh ... i wanted to move on and accept that maybe we weren’t meant to have kids and i was scared that you wouldn’t agree...”

“So you went and did it anyway...”

“Shut up and hear me out! I was scared and I was lonely and i made a mistake. and i’m going to ... give you the benefit of the doubt about what happened last night. But it still doesn’t change the fact that I’m hurt. I need time. And I think so do you. Let’s just take a break from each other.”

He sighed. 

“You’re right. Just.. I don’t want us to end like this.i don’t want us to end , period. i’m not ready for that. ” He said fists clenching. 

I softened. 

“we’re not ending. It’s just a phase. We’ll work it out. “ I said, the words fake and meaningless. 

“I’ll move out then...” He began

“No! i.. my studio is still free . I think i want to paint a bit more. I’d like to go back there.” I said. 

He sighed and nodded. 

“So, that’s it then?” 

“Let’s not make this more difficult. I’ll pack and be gone by the end of the day. if you could just... I don’t know.. go somewhere else...”

“Fine. Yeah, i understand. Okay. That’s fine. i’ll do that...” 

“Thank you. And the tea is getting cold. You should have some, for your hangover. I’ve left it on the top shelf. It’s ginger, thyme , fennel .” 

He smiled faintly. 

“I can’t believe I’m letting you walk out like this...” 

I ducked my head. 

“i’m really happy that you are. “ 

“i may change my mind and come drag you back home. Just fair warning.” He said softly and I relaxed a little, feeling oddly nostalgic at the friendly banter. 

We used to be best friends, I thought miserably. More than lovers, we were best friends. Our relationship was never about sex or romance or anything . it was about support and trust and just accepting each other the way we were. 

“You still are...” He said suddenly, as though reading my mind. 

“what?”

“My best friend. Always.” 

“ To the moon and back?? ” i whispered, the forgotten phrase slipping out. His gaze softened and he smiled faintly. 

“To the moon and back.” He moved closer and gave me a gentle hug . The scent of him was ... home.  

Taehyung would always be home. I pulled away and sighed, watching him as he carefully took a sip of the tea and then downed it in one shot. He then picked up his jacket, gave me one last look of regret and walked out. I sagged against the table after the door shut behind him. 

Home wasn’t home without Taehyung. So it wasn’t even difficult, packing my stuff and leaving our condo. 

AUTHOR’S NOTE : Maybe one day i’ll let my characters be happy for once.. Ugh. Sorry.. Let me know what you think though!!

[ohdudedhesflirting]

I want cuddles

Pairing : Kim Tae Rae x gender neutral reader

Synopsis : Park date with pouty Tae Rae

Genre : Fluff

Warnings : Y/N is acting cute. Cringy, YN doesn’t like Indiana Jones movies

Notes : Nina I didn’t know if you wanted to be tagged since it’s not a matthew fic. English is not my first language

— - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - —

“ Come ooon”

“ I don’t want to”

“Taerae seriously”

Looking at your boyfriend in front you, you wondered why was he being such a pouty baby.

You thought that it was a good day, sunny and not too hot but still warm enough to want to go to a park and take a stroll.

So that's what you did, you told him you had a surprise date for him and went to pick him up at work.

Sunglasses and sunscreen ready, you drove to a scenery park and not far from where you were living together. It was a great place. Many alleys, many plants, so many colors and smells.

You would be able to take a stroll nicely with your boyfriend and just enjoy the moment or at least that what you thought.

Understanding you weren't going home Taerae grew definitely pouty. And as you were both taking a walk together it truly seemed like he was bored and just wanted to go home.

Looking up from your shoulder you saw the brown haired boy walking slowly and without energy.

Without lasting one more second you went to him and put your hands on his back putting him close to you. This way you were able to fully take a close look at his face and see all of the details that was making you crazy for him.

“Tae tell me what is it ? Ever since we came out here you have been nothing but pouty... tell me what's wrong”

Just grumbling Tae Rae replied “it’s nothing really”

Pulling him even closer to you, leaving your faces just a few centimeters away from each other, you kept questioning him

“Tell me ! What is it a bad day at work ? Did the boys make you crazy ? Was it Gyuvin ? Did he break something again ?”

Just being even more pouty Tae Rae just denied it with his head

“Cooomee on tell me babe !”

Just mumbling he replied “I thought we were going home to cuddle”

Thinking you heard him wrong you replied slowly, looking at him completely confused “What”

“You said you a date planned that was really cozy and that would make me really happy us.. I thought we were going to go home and cuddle and just watch that Indiana Jones movie .. “

You couldn't even believe what you just heard and looked at your boyfriend with the biggest heart eyes that was possible. Quickly you put yourself on your toes and quickly joined your lips together.

God .. Kim Tae rae was such a cute man how could you resist him ?

“I’m sorry babe I didn't know you wanted some cuddles.. I want some cuddles too..”

This time it was Taerae turn to look at you with heart eyes. He loved it when you acted cute. He just wanted to have you cuddled up against him and slowly kissing your temple while watching a movie with you and that situation of taking a walk made him go crazy

“Listen.. we are going to leave but we'll play a game. The one that get the most different species of leaves can pick the movie”

Slowly pulling away from each other, you thought that the man of your life would just kiss you and accept but before you could understand you saw him run and starting to pick the leaves

“Hey !”

“I wanna watch the Indiana Jones movie and cuddle !”

Running after him, and picking leaves you yelled at him to wait for you.

You would have to watch Indiana Jones but being curdled up against your boyfriend would make up for it

[jebewonmorelike]

Dark Blue On You

wc: 7k (HAHAHA WHAT) pronouns: none used; n/a warnings: swearing, angsty with a happy ending but its funny/fluffy too, mentions of others drinking, mentions of hooking up; think pg-13 for this one; also taerae in that suit should be a warning in and of itself warnings for spicy cut scene: MINORS DNI!!!-- mature/suggestive/smut themes-- MINORS SKIP THIS CUT SCENE AND CONTINUE READING BELOW IT!!! (fic makes perfect sense without it) linked here and linked in fic for correct placement in story summary: bestfriend!reader is so excited when the star of the soccer team finally asks them to prom. but when losercore!taerae asks his lab partner to prom out of the blue, reader's sudden jealousy takes them by surprise... basically the prom-themed best friends to lovers of your dreams, okay? okay :) ~masterlist~ ♡ ~kofi (no pressure at all)~ GUYS! HI! it's been so long. i missed you! this was 7,000 words (plus the cut scene) so i'm sorry but that's why it took so long. was also feeling a bit rundown in terms of writing so i really needed to pace myself. but i saw those pictures of taerae in that suit and i swear to god i'm a different person now, so this is the fic you get from that brainrot. also not sure if the suit was actually blue, but that's how it looked in the pics so i ran with it. SO many fun things happening in the zb1 world in the past few days! let me know what you think of this one :) love you sm

“If you steal one more of my sweet potato fries (Y/N), I swear I’m gonna--.”

You pop the orange-colored french fry into your mouth, grinning at Taerae smugly. “You’re gonna what?”

Eyes narrowed at you through dorky, wire-framed glasses, your best friend pouts annoyedly. “One day you’ll fear my wrath.”

“Wouldn’t count on it,” you respond with a giggle. Despite his angry demeanor, Taerae turns his lunch tray so that the sweet potato fries are now facing you-- giving you easier access to one of your favorite snacks.

“You could just go back up and get your own, you know,” he persists with his performance even as he squeezes more ketchup onto his tray for you to dip the fries in. “What would you do without me?”

“Sarcastic answer: finally achieve a peaceful existence,” you joke, popping another fry into your mouth. “Serious answer... I’d be lost without you.”

You watch as Taerae’s glasses fog up a bit; the way they always did when he received a compliment or you were being a bit too sincere with him. He takes them off quickly, clearing his throat as he wipes the lenses with the hem of his polo shirt.

A pile of books slam down onto your lunch table as your friend Dohyun plops onto the bench beside you. “(Y/N)! Just the person I wanted to talk to.”

“Do you ever talk to anyone else?” You quip, earning a glare from the skinny boy.

“I talk to Taerae hyung, too,” he mumbles. You glance at your best friend, noticing how quiet he’s gotten all of a sudden. “And I like him better than you anyway.”

You shrug. “That makes two of us.”

“What I was going to ask you is,” Dohyun starts; pulling out his lunchbox from his backpack and opening it up. “Has Ryan asked you to prom yet?”

Taerae audibly gulps from across the table. You frown at him, wondering why he’s acting so weird.

“No,” you answer softly. “He hasn’t. And I definitely don’t think he’s going to anymore.”

“I don’t know what you saw in Ryan anyway,” Dohyun says, shaking his head disapprovingly. “He only wanted one thing from you.”

Taerae chokes on his apple juice suddenly and you take the carton from his hand-- placing it back on the table pointedly as he coughs into his elbow. 

“That’s enough, Dohyun,” you scold. “And for the record, I’m as pure as the day you met me.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” the younger boy laughs. “So… Are you gonna go to prom alone, or?”

“I don’t know,” you sigh. “I already bought my outfit. I had it altered to fit perfectly, so I don’t really think I can return it at this point.”

“I’m sorry, (Y/N),” Taerae says finally. “I know you were really looking forward to going with Ryan. He’s gonna regret not asking you. But um...”

Your brow furrows as you wait for Taerae to continue his sentence. He’s looking at you kind of funny now-- eyes wide and anxious.

“Well, if you already have an outfit and stuff, I was thinking that... Um...” You watch curiously as he bends over to his side and begins shuffling through his backpack. “Fuck, where is it?”

“Hey, (Y/N)!” Someone suddenly calls behind you. Your head whips around to find Ryan walking towards your lunch table, his signature charming smirk on his lips. He’s carrying a duffel bag over his shoulder for soccer practice as he lands in front of you.

“Hi Ryan,” you greet sweetly, brain turning to mush. You’d first met the star of the soccer team officially when your Math teacher assigned you to tutor him a few months ago. He’d been in serious jeopardy of being kicked off the team for his failing grades, but with an hour of tutoring every other day, you’d helped him climb back up to a solid C+. The afternoon he received his first unit test grade since you’d started tutoring him, he had been thrilled to see B- circled in red at the top of the page... 

So thrilled, in fact, that he’d kissed you at your back corner table in the library.

And he’d kept kissing you. For the rest of that tutoring session... And then the one after that... And the one after that... And the one after that until your meetings had become more of a hybrid tutoring-and-make-out session.

That had been the extent of your “relationship” though. He was always busy with soccer and his meathead friends and ogling popular girls at the library tables next to you when your faces weren’t connected.

But he was the first boy to ever pay attention to you like this-- and he was so handsome to boot. The attention and the fantasy muddied every intelligent and rational thought in your brain. Even if you were being used, you weren’t really ready for it to stop.

One day as you were approaching the library, you stopped in your tracks as you heard Ryan’s voice around the corner. He was talking to one of his jock friends and you held your breath as you attempted to hear their conversation.

“All of the cheerleaders already have dates, dude,” Ryan’s friend relays. “Why did you wait so long?”

Ryan was silent for a moment before responding, “Even Steph?”

“Even Steph,” his friend confirmed. “Injun asked her yesterday.”

“Damnit.”

“Well, you’ve gotta go with somebody,” his friend urged. “Tyler’s parents are letting us use their lake house for the after party, so... Who’re you gonna ask!?”

“I’ll... I’ll find somebody,” Ryan responded and you heard the door to the library begin to squeak open.

“Hopefully somebody that’s gonna put out,” his friend joked and Ryan laughed along.

It was from that moment that you’d gotten it in your head that there was a chance that Ryan might ask you to prom. You’d gone shopping with your mom to pick out the perfect outfit, booked an appointment to get your hair styled for the occasion, and called a florist to purchase a boutonniere to pin on Ryan’s suit that matched your outfit.

As you’d doodled your name next to Ryan’s in your journal and decorated it with hearts one evening last week, your best friend Taerae laid on your bed-- legs dangling off the side as he strummed his guitar.

“(Y/N)...” He sang suddenly in an improvised melody. “Put down your pen... It’s getting annoying... So please tell me when...”

You turned around and glared at him, but he continued.

“You’ll stop your obsession... With that asshole named Ryan... He hasn’t even asked you to prom yet, what if he doesn’t ask you, your heart is gonna break and I’m gonna have to pick up the pieces and glue them all together again and--.”

“None of that rhymed.”

“Lyrics don’t have to rhyme for them to hold meaning,” Taerae responded, arms flopping onto the bed in a T-position dramatically. “I’m worried about you. I think this guy might be taking advantage of you.”

“At least someone wants to,” you joked, but the levity didn’t quite reach your voice. Taerae sat up abruptly; eyes fixing on you for a long moment. Finally, he sighed and pulled his guitar strap over his head-- placing the instrument beside him. 

“A lot of people want to take advantage of you, (Y/N).”

Your jaw dropped as you watched Taerae realize what he just said. He’d already begun shaking his head and waving his arms about profusely by the time a smile crept onto your face.

“NOT WHAT I MEANT!” He shouted frantically and the sheer panic on his face was enough to make you burst out laughing. At the sound of your laughter, Taerae couldn’t help but grin and the appearance of his deep dimples was admittedly comforting to you. “You already knew that’s not what I meant but... I’m just trying to tell you he’s not the only guy that likes you.”

Your brow furrowed curiously. “Who else likes me?”

“Oh, uh,” Taerae stuttered nervously, averting your gaze. “Lots of guys. Other guys. Girls, too, probably. And nonbinary folk, I’m sure.”

You nodded, unconvinced. “Well all of those other people are gonna have to fight Ryan for my attention, I guess.”

Taerae gulped. “Right.”

“Now shut up, loser,” you said, spinning back around in your desk chair. “I’m trying to name me and Ryan’s fourth child.”

Now as Ryan stands in front of you, he glances at your only two friends that are also sitting at your lunch table. “Hey nerds.”

Taerae mumbles something under his breath but you aren’t paying him any attention. 

“I’ll pick you up at 7, yeah?” Ryan asks suddenly, nodding at you.

Your lips part slightly in confusion. “What?”

“Tomorrow,” he responds brusquely. “Prom.”

“You--... We--... Us? Prom?” You know that gibberish is falling out of your mouth, but your ability to form a coherent sentence has flown out the window.

Ryan gives you an impatient smile. Of course he has every right to be impatient, you think. I can’t even speak well enough to answer his question. “Yeah. Text me your address.”

“We were actually gonna take photos at (Y/N)’s house beforehand,” Dohyun interjects.

Ryan frowns. “Oh. Yeah, okay. I can do that.”

“Really? That’s so nice of you; you don’t have to if you don’t want to!” You say quickly, grinning up at the tall boy.

“Nah, that’s cool. I’ll be there. See you then,” Ryan says with a smile before taking off towards the other end of the cafeteria. His smile is enough to burst your heart-- but lucky for you (and your poor friends), you’re able to muster up enough strength to keep living.

Instead, you merely scream; keeping your mouth closed to muffle the sound. When you finally return to the world around you, you suddenly notice how silent your friends are. 

“What?” You ask, frowning at Dohyun. “Why aren’t you guys excited?”

You turn to Taerae, who is holding a large piece of folded up paper in his hands. “What’s that?”

Snatching it from his hands, Taerae immediately lunges across the table in a panic to grab it back from you. Dohyun also swoops in to steal the paper, but both of their efforts are in vain as you swivel around to face the opposite direction and open what appears to be a poster.

🌸🌺🌸 Will you go to prom with me? 🌸🌺🌸

“OH MY GOD!” You squeal, whipping back around to face your best friend. He rips the poster from your hands and begins folding it back up, cheeks turning red. “You’re asking someone to prom!? WHO!?”

“Oh thank god: you’re an idiot,” Dohyun mumbles, sinking back into his seat.

Your brow furrows confusedly. “Huh?”

“Nothing,” Taerae answers quickly. “No one said anything.”

“Taerae, if you don’t tell me who you’re asking to prom right now, I swear I’m gonna--.”

“MOLLY!” He shouts suddenly, eyes wide as he stares over your shoulder. You turn around to follow his gaze, spotting Taerae’s lab partner, Molly, a few tables behind you. She smiles when she hears Taerae call her name, getting up from her seat and walking over to your table.

“Hi Taerae,” she greets cheerfully, curly short hair bouncing with every step. The very smart, but sometimes obnoxious girl is blinking at your best friend nervously... Holy shit. Had Molly had a crush on Taerae this whole time and you hadn’t noticed?

More importantly... Had Taerae had a crush on her?

“Hi Molly, um... I was wondering,” he starts; his delivery of this promposal a little unprepared. That’s weird, you think. If Taerae was gonna ask someone out, I’m sure he would’ve rehearsed it in the mirror until he lost his voice…

“Dude,” Dohyun interrupts suddenly, eyes wide as he looks at Taerae.

Taerae just ignores him, clearing his throat and starting again; unfolding his poster onto the table once more. “I was wondering, actually, if you’d maybe like to possibly-- and no pressure or anything, maybe someone’s already asked you, but...”

“OH MY GOD! Of course I’ll go to prom with you,” Molly exclaims, throwing her arms around Taerae. You watch as he freezes, never one for accepting public affection from anyone he didn’t know well...

From anyone except you.

You frown at the bizarrely jealous thought. Taerae obviously liked this girl. Just last week, he’d been complaining about her chewing too loud in the computer lab, but maybe he was just trying to cover up his real feelings. Taerae deserved to be happy. 

Any boy that would make a whole poster just to ask someone to prom deserved to be happy. You sigh as you study the poster in front of you. I wish Ryan had made me a poster...

As Taerae starts to fold it back up, you notice some surrounding doodles that you had been too distracted to see before. All around the border of the poster are what appear to be light pink Royal Azaleas.

Your favorite flower. 

Had Taerae really used your favorite flower to decorate his promposal for someone else? How could he?

“Stop it!” You say out loud, earning a weird look from all three of the people surrounding you. You smile awkwardly, trying to laugh off your unintentional angry outburst at your own thoughts. “I mean... Stop being so cute you guys!”

Molly grins. “Text me where to meet you tomorrow! I can’t wait.”

Taerae nods quickly as Molly skips back to her own lunch table. As soon as she’s gone, he lets out a huge sigh and you hear the clamoring of his glasses as his head falls to the table.

“But this is amazing, Tae,” you say, staring at the top of Taerae’s head as his forehead rests on the surface of the lunch table. He lifts up for a second, folding his arms and laying his right cheek back down on top of them. His hair falls messily in his eyes, unkempt and fluffy as it usually is. But the sudden urge to brush it out of his face takes you by surprise. “I didn’t know you were going to ask Molly to prom today.”

Dohyun snorts from beside you, now totally engrossed in the game he’s playing on his phone:

“Neither did he.”

~~~

“(Y/N), come down here! We need to take pictures before you leave,” your mother calls from downstairs. “We’re gonna head outside so please hurry up and join us!”

You’re staring at yourself in the mirror, anxiety building. Nearly everything about your appearance for tonight is perfect-- your hair, your skin, your outfit; even your shoes. Your friends and family are in your front yard waiting for you.

But all you can think about is how Ryan hasn’t shown up yet.

You’d texted him your address. Told him what time to come over. And now he’s already thirty minutes late. You’d have to leave soon to get to the school on time. 

“Where is he?” You whisper to yourself, grabbing your phone from your bed and checking your notifications again. Nothing.

“(Y/N), if you don’t get your ass down here right now!” The voice that’s calling you now is Taerae’s. His threat is angry enough that it makes you move-- opening the door to your room and walking to the top of the stairs. 

Taerae is furiously typing on his phone as you make your way down the stairs, his back turned to you. He’s wearing a dark blue suit-- slim-fitting and tailored to him perfectly. When you reach the second to last step, you clear your throat.

Your best friend looks up at you now, eyes wide as he takes in your appearance. His hair is pushed back, still fluffy but out of his face. You’re surprised to find yourself thinking that he looks very handsome. You blink away the thought as you continue to study Taerae-- eventually realizing that something is missing.

“No glasses?” You ask, waiting for him to respond. When he doesn’t, you prompt him again. “Taerae?”

“Oh, uh,” he begins to reply finally, shaking his head as if to clear his mind. “Yeah, just for tonight. My mom... thought it would look nice.”

“Your mom is right,” you say, smiling softly at him. “She usually is though.”

“You’re perfect,” Taerae says suddenly; eyebrows shooting up when he realizes what he just said. “I mean, you look perfectly ready to go and take pictures! And then go to prom. And stuff. You know? Like, you look perfect. Well--... You--... Um--...”

He’s rambling now and you don’t blame him. Your whole lives, you and Taerae had maintained a friendship without most pleasantries a normal friendship might have. Your affection towards each other usually came in the form of play-fighting, insults, sharing sweet potato fries at lunch, and other subtle acts of service. Only when one of you was having a particularly hard day would the other offer a hug or hand to hold or words of affirmation. You and Taerae were so close that normal affection usually seemed pretty arbitrary. 

So this compliment from Taerae, even if it was unintentional is... different.

You swallow hard, averting your best friend’s gaze. “So do you.”

Brushing past him, you open the front door and step out onto your porch-- Taerae following behind you after a moment. You check your phone again for any texts from Ryan.

“He’s a prick, (Y/N),” Taerae says softly, as you continue to stare at your phone screen-- willing your eyes not to water. “Don’t let him ruin this for you. This was all your idea. You wanted to go to prom. You wanted to take pictures beforehand. Why are you letting this guy totally fuck up your night?”

Your eyes meet Taerae’s. He’s right and you know it. Ryan couldn’t care less about you and it was evident in the way he’d asked you (or rather, told you that you were going with him) to prom-- and the way he hadn’t shown up on time to your house. In fact, the whole day you’d been consumed by two feelings: the first being obsession over whether or not Ryan would like your outfit, your hair, your parents, your house...

The second being that deep down, in the pit of your stomach, you were filled with regret about your fixation these past couple of months on the soccer star. Even Taerae had made a nice poster for Molly. Not that he’d even bothered to tell you that he was asking her. And not that you cared what Taerae did or didn’t do for people he liked.

Right?

“Tae, I--.”

“Taerae!” A chipper voice calls from around the corner. Molly appears at the bottom of the porch steps, motioning for your best friend to come down. “Come take pictures! You too, (Y/N). Just because your prom date’s a bust, doesn’t mean you can steal mine!”

Your jaw drops slightly in shock. “I wasn’t--... That’s not--...”

“Chop, chop!” Molly says, walking back over to where all of your parents are standing-- Dohyun in the middle of them, talking their ears off. 

Not wanting any more accusations being hurled at you on your own property, you give Taerae a quick shrug before following her out onto the lawn.

~

You’re sitting in the passenger seat of Ryan’s red sports car now as he parks in the school lot. He’d finally shown up two minutes before you were about to have to hop into Taerae’s car and ride in the backseat behind him and his date. Your mom, who was making no attempt to hide her displeasure, was able to snap a quick few photos of you before you left.

Ryan turns off the car, stuffing his keys in his right pocket before leaning back again into his seat. He’s staring at you and you’re not really sure how to respond. You reach for the door latch, but you feel his hand touch your left arm before you can open it.

You identify the look in his eyes right away-- he wants to kiss you. Come to think of it, you hadn’t kissed Ryan in over a week. You’d been busy with an essay and had to cancel your “tutoring sessions”. Usually, the idea would excite you. But tonight, it almost made your stomach turn.

A knock on your window startles you and you look over to find Taerae smiling at you-- more than a hint of annoyance in his eyes.

Ryan rolls down your window. “Dude, what are you--?”

“(Y/N) really wants to go to prom with you,” he replies, opening your door for you. You hop out immediately, grateful for the interference. “So you can save whatever you’re gonna do for later.”

You don’t look back at Ryan, walking as quickly as you can towards the front doors of the school. Eventually, Ryan, Taerae and Molly all catch up to you as you walk through the entranceway.

A beautiful balloon arch greets you as you enter the gym, fairy lights and vintage streamers lining every inch of the walls. It’s exactly as you’d imagined-- the prom of your dreams.

“JORDAN!” Ryan shouts suddenly from behind you, almost knocking you down as he runs to greet one of his stupid jock friends. 

You start to fall, but a pair of hands are already on your shoulders to keep you upright. “Thanks,” you mumble as Taerae pushes you through the balloon arch and towards the open floor.

“Where do you wanna sit, Taerae?” Molly asks, smiling at him expectantly. “I’m sure (Y/N) is gonna go sit with Ryan.”

You glance back to where Ryan had run off to, finding him completely surrounded by his many popular friends. You turn back to Molly and Taerae, forcing yourself to nod. 

“You should sit with us,” Taerae says, the pity in his eyes growing more embarrassing every minute. You aren’t going to ruin his night with Molly. You just couldn’t do that to your best friend.

Shaking your head, you try to smile reassuringly. “I’ll be fine.”

“(Y/N)...”

“You guys have fun! I’ll see you in a bit,” you call, wandering off to a table in the opposite corner. Once you take your seat, it’s as if you’ve been glued to it permanently.

You watch all of your peers rush to the dance floor, laugh together, embrace each other... Not once does Ryan ever come find you. But you know deep down that you sort of deserve it. How had you been so obsessed with one boy asking you to prom and ended up being the only person here having such a miserable time?

You should never have come. Or you should have come alone. Or with Taerae.

Taerae...

Your eyes rest on your best friend, who is sitting with Molly at their table. He’s leaning back comfortably in his chair; navy blue suit contrasting perfectly with his light olive skin. His smile is bright and pretty-- why the hell does he look so pretty tonight? 

Is he having fun with Molly? Is he thinking about me?

Almost as if he’s heard your thought, Taerae’s eyes meet yours. The smile on his face instantly fades to an expression of concern and you hate it. You want him to smile at you like he was just smiling at Molly. 

But why would he smile at you like that? He likes Molly.

Not you.

Your phone buzzes in your hand and you look at the screen to find a message from Taerae.

Are you okay??

You look back up at him, deciding to nod and give him a thumbs up-- hoping for that dimpled smile to return to his face. It doesn’t.

(Y/N), please just come over here You’re breaking my heart

Learning that you sitting alone in a corner is ruining Taerae’s prom experience is not what you needed to hear. Pressing your lips together awkwardly, you nod slowly at him; starting to stand up from your chair to go talk to him for a bit.

But you stop in your tracks when you watch Molly grab Taerae’s hand and pull him up out of his chair. She’s trying to tug him towards the dance floor-- his eyes widening in panic as they remain locked on you.

You wave him on, trying your best to smile at him. You feel your lip quiver and you hope he doesn’t notice from the other end of the gym. Taerae reluctantly stops resisting Molly and joins her on the dance floor after giving you another regretful look.

“Heyyyy (Y/N),” a voice slurs in your ear now, an arm wrapping around you from behind. You look up to find Ryan, smiling goofily back at you. He’s piss drunk, of course.

“Hi,” you say shortly, attempting to wiggle out of his hold but the alcohol hasn’t lessened his strength. “Can you let go, please?”

“Why would I do that?” He asks rhetorically, tequila coating his breath. “You’re my date.”

“Am I?” You spit, finally breaking free of his grip. “I couldn’t tell.”

He frowns. “What do you want? Do you want to dance or something? We can dance.”

“I want to go home,” you respond, glaring at him. “I don’t want to be here anymore.”

With that, you’re walking past Ryan and through the balloon arch out of the gym. It’s not until you’re standing in the hallway that you hear a set of footsteps following you.

You turn around to find Ryan standing behind you, a small silver flask in hand. “What are you doing?”

“Taking you home,” he answers, unscrewing the top off the flask and taking a sip. “You said you wanted to go home.”

“Are you kidding me?” You ask, eyes wide with shock. “You’re drunk. You’re not getting behind the wheel like this.”

He shrugs. “I’m really good at it! I do it all the time.”

“Holy shit,” you whisper, shaking your head at him in awe. “You fucking suck, you know that?”

His brow furrows in confusion. “What? What do you mean?”

“I mean,” you start, jaw setting in anger. “You’ve ignored me all night. You didn’t show up at my house on time to take pictures. You tried to skip prom to makeout with me in your car. Not to mention, you didn’t even ask me to prom. You told me yesterday that you would pick me up tonight. And now you want to drive me home and you can’t even stand up straight!?

Ryan stares at you for a long moment before the corner of his mouth turns up in a smirk. “Are you playing hard to get?”

You sigh exasperatedly. “You already got me! I was literally eating out of your palm for two whole months. I can’t believe I let myself be so stupid... Now I never want to see you ever again!”

He frowns. “It’s because of that Taeri kid, isn’t it?”

“What? No, no--...” It’s at that moment that you look back into the gym, spotting your best friend dancing with his date. He looks so stupid; he might even be the worst dancer you’ve ever met. So why does the sight of him make your heart swell? “His name’s Taerae. And he’s my best friend. That apparently likes someone else and never told me.”

You turn back to Ryan to find him staring back at you, wide-eyed. “Damn,” he says, shaking his head. “You’re in love with your weird friend.”

“I am not!” You protest, crossing your arms in front of your chest. “And he’s not weird, he’s just... Okay, yeah he’s weird. But the good kind of weird.”

“Wow. Denial much?” He says, laughing.

Your brow furrows curiously. “Why are you so okay with this? Weren’t you just asking me if I was playing hard to get?”

“It’s cool. You guys would probably make a better match anyway,” he responds with a shrug. “Plus I already hooked up with Steph in the bathroom, so I’m all set for the night if I have to be.”

You sigh, shaking your head in awe of the absolute dickhead standing in front of you. Turning on your heel and walking towards the exit doors, you mumble, “Goodnight, Ryan.”

“Goodnight, (Y/N),” he calls after you, far too cheerily. “Tell him! Or that girl’s gonna snatch him right up. Have you seen the way she’s been looking at him all night?”

Yeah. I have.

~

It had been a decent night for Taerae. Molly had turned out to be a good enough prom date. They talked about their science project most of the night, but he hadn’t really known what else to say. Besides, he was far too distracted to have any sort of real conversation when he’d been keeping at least one eye on you the whole night.

The pain he felt watching you sit alone at an empty table-- scrolling through your phone, tears rolling down your cheek periodically when you thought no one was watching you.

But Taerae was watching you. How could he not be when the most beautiful person in the room was his best friend?

Of course the one time he’d taken his eyes off you, you’d gone missing.

So far, he’d checked the buffet table, the photobooth, the hallway... He’d even knocked on the bathroom door (and received a very annoyed response from whoever was inside). But you were nowhere to be found.

That’s when he spots Ryan. The star of the soccer team is sitting down at the end of the bathroom hallway, back leaned against a locker. Taerae runs up to him frantically, smelling the liquor on his breath from six feet away.

“Where’s (Y/N)!?” Taerae shouts, shaking Ryan’s shoulders when he doesn’t answer.

The tall boy groans. “How should I know?”

“Because (Y/N)’s your date?  Don’t you have any idea where your fucking date is!?”

“Jesus, chill out. This is why I said you were weird,” Ryan mumbles, slurring his words. “(Y/N) went home already.”

“What?” Taerae asks, mind racing. “Did you say something? Did you do something? Did you put your hands on--?”

“Probably, yeah. I don’t remember,” he responds, pointing up at Taerae. “But I thought (Y/N) was gonna tell you. I said to tell you so that that girl... doesn’t...”

Before he can finish his entirely incoherent sentence, Ryan has slumped over onto his side and fallen asleep. 

“Tell me what?” Taerae asks; attempting to shake him awake. But it’s no use. “For christ’s sake...”

He turns around, about to run back towards the gym, but instead he comes face to face with his own prom date.

“Oh, Molly, I--,” he starts, but the girl in front of him cuts him off quickly.

“Go,” she says simply, the knowing smile on her face confirming to Taerae that she’s well aware of what’s going on. “Go get (Y/N).”

Taerae sighs. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. This is not cool of me at all.”

“No, it’s not,” Molly says with a laugh. “But I knew you liked (Y/N) the whole time. Once Dohyun opens his mouth, it’s hard to get him to shut it.”

Taerae smiles. “I always knew Dohyun would spill all my secrets one day.”

Molly shrugs. “It’s okay actually. Because tonight made me realize I kind of like Dohyun way more than you anyway. He’s more my type. He actually laughs at my chemistry jokes.”

“Oh, uh,” Taerae falters, eyebrows raising in shock. Dohyun? More her type? Taerae didn’t know that Dohyun was anyone’s type. Not that Taerae thought he was anyone’s type either. “Yeah, I guess I’m more of a biology guy.”

Molly hums. “Do you think you could put in a good word for me then?”

“Yeah,” he agrees, nodding absentmindedly. “Yeah, sure.”

“No hard feelings, then?” Molly asks, smiling up at him.

“No, none at all, I guess,” Taerae agrees-- though the entirely absurd thought of someone using him to get to Dohyun is still eating away at the back of his brain. “You’re okay if I leave now? Do you have a ride home?”

Molly nods happily. “I’ll see you on Monday! Don’t forget the Chapter 13 exam,” she says, walking back down the hallway towards the gym.

 “And tell me how it goes with (Y/N)!”

~

You’re face down on your bed, having flopped there in a puddle of tears as soon as you’d gotten home and changed into your pajamas. Your dad had picked you up and you’d driven home in uncomfortable silence apart from your quiet sniffling. You’re currently subsisting on an entirely separate plane of existence-- one with excessive tears and nothing else.

But a rattling at your window startles you, causing you to jump up to see what’s making the sound. You’re even more startled when you realize that the sound is actually that of Taerae fiddling with the latch on your window frame.

You run to the window, unlocking the latch and pushing it open. You whisper-shout at your idiotic best friend, “What the fuck are you doing!?”

“Remember when I used to do this when I lived next door? Before we moved?” He replies, completely out of breath and barely managing to hang onto the vines of ivy running down the side of your house. 

“Taerae, you moved when we were ten years old! You weighed at least 30 kilograms less than you do now. Are you crazy!?” Grabbing onto his arms and pulling him through the window, he lands with an ungracious thud on your bedroom floor.

“Huh,” he says, panting to catch his breath as he lies flat out on his back on your beige carpet. “I used to be in really good shape then. Maybe I should start working out.”

You sit down next to him, your back leaning against the side of your bed. You look at the right leg of his suit pants, finding a wet spot on the knee. He must’ve fallen before he successfully climbed up to your window.

He looks just as pretty lying here like this as he had all night-- only now, he looks a bit more like the Taerae you were used to. His hair had fallen into his eyes a bit more and he must’ve switched out his contact lenses for his glasses on his way here. Maybe your best friend had always been this beautiful... Maybe you’d just never taken the time to notice before.

Your eyes widen suddenly. “Taerae, what are you doing here? Where’s Molly?”

He sighs annoyedly. “Ask Dohyun.”

“What?” You ask, brow furrowing in confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Never mind,” he says, rolling his eyes. “It’s a long story.”

You frown. “Prom isn’t even over yet. Why did you leave?”

“Because Ryan told me you left,” he answers, finally sitting up to look at you. “I needed to make sure you were okay.”

“Well, you could’ve texted me,” you respond, looking around you for your phone.

Taerae points to your desk and you turn to see your phone sitting on the corner of it. “You weren’t answering.”

“Oh,” you say softly, eyes falling to your lap. “I guess I wasn’t.”

“Look at me,” Taerae requests suddenly and you reluctantly oblige. You know you must look absolutely insane. Hair out of place, eyes red and puffy and face blotchy from crying. He smiles at you sadly again, just like he had been the whole night. “I know you’re not okay. You can be upset. You know I won’t judge you.”

His words are all you need for the tears to start flowing again. In less than a second, Taerae’s arms have wrapped around you; holding you tightly in his embrace. It’s comforting, but at the same time it’s not. Not if he knew the real reason you’d been crying so much.

“He doesn’t deserve you, (Y/N),” he says, hand finding its way to the back of your head to pet your hair. “I’m so, so sorry that he treated you this way. He was never worth your time.”

You swallow back your tears, before pulling away from Taerae. Your arms still tangled up with his, you say finally, “I know.”

He stares at you for a moment before that sad smile returns. “You should know. I’m glad that you know. He doesn’t deserve any of your tears.”

“They’re not for him.” The truth falls from your lips before you can chicken out. You brace for the instant regret that should come with saying these words, but it doesn’t come. Instead, you feel the beginnings of relief.

Taerae’s head tilts to the side questioningly. “What--... What do you mean?”

Your bottom lip tucks between your teeth and you bite it hard to dissolve the anxiety in your chest. “I wasn’t crying over him.”

“Oh...” He says softly, utter confusion written all over his face. “So... You... Okay, no, I don’t get it.”

Of course Taerae didn’t get it. He had a wonderful night with the girl he likes. And the person who’d ruined it for him was you.

“Oh, I just remembered that Ryan said you wanted to tell me something?” Taerae says, brow furrowed curiously. “Or that he told you to tell me something? I dunno. He wasn’t making much sense right before he passed out.”

“I like someone else,” you blurt; the rush of adrenaline causing you to stand up and find something to busy yourself with before your nails dig holes into your palms. You walk over to your record player, turning it on and dropping the needle on whatever album is already loaded. When the sound flows from the speakers, you realize it’s an R&B album you picked up from a vintage thrift shop across town last week. 

Taerae stands up, too-- recognizing the tension in your voice. “You do?”

You nod, avoiding his gaze. “Mmhmm.”

“That’s... That’s great, (Y/N),” he encourages, but there’s a hint of reluctance in his voice. “I just hope whoever it is, they’re much nicer to you.”

“He’s really nice to me, actually,” you confirm, finally turning around to look at Taerae again. You catch a glimpse of sadness in his eyes before he shifts his focus  down to the floor.

It’s now or never.

“Even when I steal his sweet potato fries.”

There’s a lag in his response. It takes a full ten seconds for Taerae to look up at you and, when he does, his eyes are wide and his lips are parted in shock. He’s so silent that you’re suddenly sure you’ve made a terrible mistake.

You clear your throat awkwardly. “I’m really sorry; maybe I shouldn’t’ve said that. I know you like Molly and I’m sorry you left prom early to check on me and I know I’ve been so annoying these past couple months and maybe it’s not fair of me to say any of this but when you made that poster for her and it had those Royal Azaleas on it-- that’s my favorite flower, how could you do that, you insensitive piece of--.”

For the last couple moments of your insane rambling, Taerae had been stepping towards you-- closing the gap between you and him quickly before finally cupping your face in his hands and connecting your lips in a particularly unskilled kiss.

When he pulls back, he’s blinking at you with innocent eyes; a blush heating his cheeks.

“Was that your first kiss?” You ask, a small smile turning up the corners of your lips. Taerae’s bottom lip has found its way between his teeth and he’s biting it hard to alleviate his nervous energy; hands dropping to his sides. He just nods in response.

Your right hand raises to his jaw now; left hand resting on his shoulder. Pulling him in to kiss you again, you say softly, “Just follow me for a second.”

When your lips are on Taerae’s again, you squeeze his shoulder gently to get him to relax. He responds to this, letting you lead until he feels confident enough to match you. And once he does...

You’re ready to kick yourself for not falling for him sooner.

“It was for you,” he says softly in between kisses. “I made it for you.”

You pull back to look at him. “What?”

“The poster. The promposal,” Taerae clarifies. “It had your favorite flowers on it, because it was for you.”

Your eyebrows raise as the truth sinks in. Taerae had been trying to ask you to prom yesterday; that’s why he was acting so weird. And Dohyun had obviously been enlisted to help.

“You wanted to go so badly,” he explains. “I know not with me, but I just wanted to try and make you happy anyway.”

A sad laugh escapes you. “Tell me honestly: why are you letting me confess to you right now? Do I really deserve it after all I must’ve put you through?”

Taerae shakes his head. “You definitely don’t,” he affirms before grinning at you. Finally those perfect dimples are on display just for you. “But I’m such a sucker for you. Those sweet potato fries only cost a dollar, you know?”

“I know,” you whisper, grabbing the collar of his navy suit jacket and pulling him in once more. You kiss him sweetly and his arms snake their way around your waist in response. “They just taste better coming from your tray.”

“I don’t even like them,” he says, kissing you again; a smirk on his lips. “I just get them so you’ll steal them from me.”

~

*** 🌶️ INSERT SPICY CUT SCENE HERE -- MINORS DNI -- CONTINUE READING BELOW FOR ENDING (and read below after finishing cut scene) 🌶️ ***

~

“(Y/N)?”

Your mother calling you from the other side of your door jolts you, sending you and Taerae scrambling off each other on your bed-- where you haven’t really let each other breathe for the past twenty minutes.

“If Taerae’s sleeping over, can you tell him to turn his headlights off, please?” That’s all your mom says before her footsteps travel back down the stairs; a hint of a smirk in her voice.

Taerae’s eyes widen, his hands searching his pockets for his keys. When he doesn’t find them, he smiles at you sheepishly. “Oops.”

“So stealthy of you,” you tease, hitting his chest lightly as you attempt to catch your breath. He grabs your hand, pulling you back into him and reattaching your lips. Before your mind goes blank again, you pull back. “Go turn your car off!”

“Fine,” he sighs, annoyedly. Pushing himself up off the bed with his hands, he finally stands up and walks towards the window. “Here I go. Just like you asked.”

You walk over to him, grabbing his shoulders from behind and turning him towards your bedroom door. “No more scaling buildings for tonight, King Kong.”

“Really? King Kong? Couldn’t have said something sexier like Spiderman or?”

Before he reaches for the doorknob, you turn him back to face you. Raising up on your toes cutely, you press one more kiss to his lips. “I just don’t really like spiders.”

“That’s right,” he says, palm cupping your cheek. “Giant gorilla it is, then.”

“Now go turn your car off so we can get back to what we were doing...”

Taerae’s hand flies to the doorknob; throwing the door open and running to the stairs as fast as he possibly can. 

Just before he disappears down the stairs, he turns back to you-- pounding his chest with his fists lightly like the cutest, lamest gorilla to ever exist.

“This idiot,” you whisper, shaking your head.

I must really love him.

[rennyrosie]

The Gallifrey High AU That No One Needed But Here It Is Anyway

SO JUST A DISCLAIMER I WAS HANGING OUT WITH @coordinatorromana AND THEY WERE WEARING A GALLIFREY ACADEMY SHIRT UNDER THEIR GALLIFREY ACADEMY JACKET AND THIS AU LITERALLY STARTED WITH ME SAYING THAT THEY LOOKED LIKE A VARSITY ATHLETE FOR GALLIFREY HIGH SO IT’S THEIR FAULT NOT MINE

The year is 2XXX. Korean society has evolved so far that our ID schematics have been condensed into chips taking the shape of normal contact lenses. These ID lenses are given to children and are changed according to their growth needs. When their eyes stop changing a permanent lens is fixed onto one of their eyes, thus making ID cards and numbers obsolete. However, a growing number of reports are surfacing of chips becoming scrambled or dislodged after injuries, accidents, and other incidents. What happened to Leela Sae’s eyes to make her unidentifiable? In this new technological age spurred by chaebol conglomerates, whose family will come out on top? Will Korea’s economy be torn asunder in the rumbling threat of an economic war?

I imagined 갈리프레이 고등학교, 갈고 for short (Gallifrey High School, “Galgo” or “Sharpening” for short) as a Special High School, a fancy private high school for students whose parents are affiliated with conglomerates, diplomats, politicians, all kinds of important people. So basically like an international school minus the white people and with only three years in high school: Korean high schools split the twelve grades 6-3-3 as opposed to 5-3-4 as is common in America. (Yes this does mean that I headcanon the entire cast as Korean in this AU). Usually in these private schools, students from lower income families with certain professions (lower level civil servants/bureaucrats, small business owners, etc.) have access to certain degrees of financial aid that depend on how well the student does in school. In some rare cases, a very low income and potentially first generation student can gain a full scholarship for exceptional talent.

This is how we first meet Leela (새리라, Leela Sae), a seventeen-year-old cast out into the world who uses a fake last name for Reasons. She’s always wanted to be free as a bird and bird in Korean is 새 so she chose it as a new last name. She gains admission to Gallifrey High by winning a taekwondo tournament hosted by the conglomerate owned by Romana’s family, the 나라 (Na-Ra, “Nation”) corporation. The tournament was meant to scout new muscle to work as guard staff for Na-Ra with the promise of job security and a scholarship to 갈고 for the youth division. Because Romana is the heir apparent of the corporation, she is of course present at the tournament and as the newly-elected student body president she welcomes Leela to the school. Leela transfers to Gallifrey High as a second year, the same year as Romana.

Romana (나루마, Ruma Na) is the sole child of the ruling Na family, making her heir apparent to the corporation from the age of fifteen. She excels in school, consistently ranking first in her class, but finds her true passions lie in leading the school to victory and prosperity in all aspects of student life. However, recent tensions between conglomerates and within her own family’s corporation have kicked off power struggles in the Korean market as well as in school. A separate faction led by Darkel, the heiress to Kim and Co., a competing conglomerate and the Na corporation’s closest rival and bitterest enemy.

Darkel (김다루, Daru Kim), another second year and the Student Body Vice President, has consistently scored just below Romana in rankings, but despite her sharp intellect her unpopularity and refusal to listen to her peers made her lose the opportunity to hold power over the entire school, an opportunity she thought should be rightfully hers. As such, she gathered all the students whose families worked with or for her and rallied them against Romana and the Na-Ra corporation. This started a kind of turf war in the high school as well as starting an economic meltdown of global proportions as Na-Ra and Kim and Co. slashed prices, salaries, everything to compete against each other, resulting in the near-total collapse of the Korean economy.

As the war rages on, Darkel seeks out Narvin, the Student Body Treasurer and lures him to her side of the fight, intending to bankrupt his family’s large pharmaceutical company later to monopolize more power over the school and the economy.

Narvin (빈나라, Nara Bin, play on words with “empty nation” and also yes matching to one of the conglomerates guess which) is the Treasurer and is very stingy with club budgets despite only being a second year, but that’s what he likes so much about that work: He could know and control the money flow of the entire school. Although he starts out working with Darkel, when he discovers Darkel’s plan, he crosses sides to join Romana, despite his reservations about her and the transfer student she always hung around. Now, he doesn’t care to admit it but he cares deeply about Romana and Leela in the aftermath of the Sul War. Narvin is a huge nerd who is on the math team and participates regularly in the physics Olympiad.

On the other hand, Brax (시보락, Borak Si) seeks to gain more power than his position as Secretary of the Student Body by aligning himself and his family’s company with Romana. As a third year, this year is his last chance to try for student body president and he is growing more desperate. Darkel considers him a prime threat as a key player in this war due to his parents’ microchip development and manufacturing company, Si Sees Ltd. This emphasis on technological advancement to tear the other side apart led to the coining of this economic war the Sul War, for “Kisul”, meaning “technology.”

Wynter (태위영, Wi-Young Tae) is an impressionable first year who looks up to Romana and considers her his 선배. His family is among the first to go bankrupt when the falling cost of iron makes his family’s ironworks company go under and he leaves the country to pay off his debt to loan sharks.

Andred (뢰안도, Ando Rae), a second year who took interest in Leela, the new transfer student, as he was also a recipient of financial aid as the son of a lower ranking bureaucrat. He found Leela’s blunt language and unconventional wisdom charming and they dated for a while until Leela saw that Andred was just like all the other spoiled asshole brats at this entitled school and left him. Soon afterward, Andred was expelled for beating another student into unconsciousness despite multiple suspensions and warnings from similar behavior.

Matthias (아마디, Madi A, first name means “words”), was a quiet second year student but his family seemed to be the only one really staying afloat as he kept to himself and was often ignored by the likes of Darkel and Romana. However, when he was noticed he was generally well liked and as the son of a high ranking politician he knew how the game worked even if he chose not to play. Until now. Sensing a weakness in both Romana and Darkel, Matthias seized an opportunity to make himself student body president with the support of weary and newly broke students and the promise of rebuilding Korea’s techno-economic infrastructure.

The Doctor (닥터, Doctor), is a truant. No one knows what year he’s in, only that he’s smart but he pops in and out as he pleases and the teachers can only sigh and shake their heads at him because heaven knows they’ve tried yelling, punishing, locking up, it didn’t seem to matter to him.

Valyes is taking his second year a second time because he failed out the year before. Despite knowing how the school works and how the political game is played he lacks the common sense and patience to use what he knows effectively. (Yes I realize I’m being way too nice but I’m trying to get something of a consistent tone here ;w; )

Other minor commanders and such are class reps in the student council.

I haven’t met Ace yet where I’m up to (haven’t started season 6 yet) but according to Alex’s description my version of Ace is a delinquent with constantly dyed hair who could use the nearest object to smash your head in but would rather shatter your kneecaps and let Leela finish you off.

[yysydyo]

Translation W Korea Interview : Kim Rae Won <A Serious Man>

Q: It's quite a lot of male fans that like you. Is there any reason why your popularity among male was quite strong in Korea even time past could it because of your image?

KRW: That's why I also curious about that too. Mens seems like me a lot. That's why.. that was nothing (laugh). Fortunately, after I done drama Doctors, I gained some female fans. That drama was really fun and was a good memory. That was the most comfortable character that I have done in my 20 years of acting.

Q: "Are you married? Do you have boyfriend? It's okay then" can a man do this script part in reality?

KRW: Even if you can do that part cool like in the drama, then you can frankly ask her "are you married or do you have boyfriend now?" that was more than enough to ask that woman.

Q: There's a lot of entertainers that mimics act as Kim Rae Won as their individual talents. That piece of god art that highlight part in movie "Sunflowers". More than that artistic ability, what do you feels about that part now?

KRW: I like it. Thank you.

Q: Do you know someone that was similar like you now?

KRW: Not long time ago, on Youtube I have watch one person who mimics <Ajushi> and I think that come out well and turn out to be my university junior who recently act in <Missing 9> Choi Tae Joon.

Q: So what you say is Choi Tae Joon was actors that copy the best?

KRW: He was one of hoobae that I cherish. We meet sometimes but TaeJoon never do that imitations of me in front of me, but he will do it when I'm not around. I heard he was quite good.

Q: Last year in your drama <Doctors> and Han Suk Kyu in <Romantic Doctors Kim Sabu> both of you wear a doctor gown, and in The Prison both of you wear prison dress. How it feel spend time with Han Suk Kyu?

KRW: Even though that this was our first project, when have known each other for 7 years. Our commons hobby was fishing. One day, I received a call from Han Suk Kyu manager and say "I heard Rae Won like fishing how about fishing together?" so because of that I meet with Sunbaenim. During our fishing, we have thought when will we get a chance to work together and though this movie we get a chance to work together. During fishing he was someone like neighborhood hyung but when filming he was someone that respectfully to see.

Q: Let say, you and Han Suk Kyu are fishing side by side. Suddenly the water splashed on your clothes who will first say "Oh come on!".

KRW: We said a word after an hour. (Laugh) Do you want to know what it is? "Raewon-i. Do you want to have a cup of coffee?" Or "Raewon-a, what do you think about love?" We also keep our distance to avoid interrupting each other, but if we cant catch any fish then we will sit side by side and talk again. As an actors' there's cycle of six months of doing his job and another six months was a break. So because of that you can go fishing for half of a year. I went fishing for 200 days in a year in one room with Han Sunbae. Thats why i am close to him. Sometimes, If I overslept, he will wake me up. "Hey, wakeup quickly!"

Q: What is the charm of fishing? A man whom enjoys fishing is somehow related to someone who has metaphorical figure.

KRW: Its not as better as drinking and partying. But I think it just good to be alone. Last year, at the end of the year, I was in a "southern island(?)" for two months. There are many types of fish. At there, they are fishing on the cliff and its dangerous. If you go there, you'll be stunned. Its not a suitable place for you to swim. u will die if u fall from the cliff . and I thought its not the right thing for me to do. Now I'm not going to do any thrilling fishing (dangerous).

Q: Do you think hands are important to male actors? Sometimes you need to act by using your hands and fingers.

KRW: No, hands are not really important. Its only important for those whom are still 20. The best male actor in our nation like Han Suk Kyu, Song Kang Ho and Choi Min-sik do their put hands as a goal? It's hard to imagine a young actor who can only talk about acting. I think I've come to the real standard as an actor now and this is all the beginning.

Q: Its a little surprising to hear that. You are more impress with the talent rather than young star.

KRW: When I was a child, I saw a script and try it really hard. And people liked it. I was so lucky to have this work. Since I start my career early so I already get use to life alone. One day I went home to see my mother and my sister, I naturally help my mom.

Q: Do you have any motivation to change your life?

KRW: I do not mean I have changed. From the beginning, I tried not to be too confident. But when I look back, when I was twenties, I gained so much fame and popularity and I was arrogant. It may be normal to a youth. hurmm. Did i just gave u a bad example? Well, do u want to know word that i dislike the most? "whats so great about them?" when I think i can really do it.

Q: What do you think when you look at ur past work?

KRW: During my earlier work, i miss and dont know lots of things. I do not have any ambition on that time. But because of it, i did it honestly with fresh mind. But when im getting better , the freshness is falling. There's will be some controlled between freshness and competence but still you can't help to do anything if people can't see it. I just need to put a lot of effort on that.

Q: Can u give us example what kind of effort u have done?

KRW: It is not easy to explain one by one about my life and if possible I don't want to talk about it. I just want to live with honesty. But when Im getting older, I keep thinking about my life. Beside, what I've veen going through is totally different from what people see.  If someone has reached my age, they will be able to talk well. However, I can't help thinking what I can't archive. At least person who choose to be a artist can honestly with their feelings and the condition of maintain to be yourself was something that need to protect.

Translation may contain accurateness.

Translate by : 썬샤안 , 한석규팬.

Do not take out this translation out, thank you. 

[ohdudedhesflirting]

Hold onto me

Pairing: gn!reader x Kim Tae Rae

Genre : angst and bittersweet

Warnings : fear of growing up, yn is anxious

Notes : This is just to show you all I am still alive. Life is not easy those days but I am trying lol. Take care of yourselves <3 (I have not forgotten the requests)

☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ ☁️

Today was one of those days when you didn't have the strength to do anything.

It was Saturday and it could have been a nice day to rest and just enjoy the moment but your day was preoccupied by everything but relaxing.

It was your last year at university and inevitably your mind was wandering off everywhere : what would happen to you ? Would you be accepted to do your upperstudies ? Where would you go ?

And what about your friends ? You knew that right now you were friends, having good moments together and being able to see each other daily because of your classes but what would happen when all of you would go your separate ways ?

Slowly grumbling and facing the TV your whole body was showing the bad state you were in.

Next to you was your boyfriend, Tae Rae, he could not ignore the state you were in. Normally you would be jumping around excitedly and proposing activities to do together, but today there was nothing. No sounds. No movements. Just grumbling and looking sad.

Not able to stand it anymore, the man shifted his attention to you and exerced a bit of pressure on your hand. Trying to get your attention.

"Babe ..?"

Looking up to your boyfriend you questioned him with your eyes

"I don't really know what is going on right now and if don't want to talk about it ots alright, just know that I am here for you, always."

Slowly nodding your head, you looked at his starry eyes.

You remembered the first time you had seen him and how dreamy he looked. Fluffy hair and glasses on. Each time he looked at you it seemed like all the stars in the whole world were in his eyes.

Getting closer to him, you rested your head on his shoulder.

"They are not happy stuff"

Leaving a little laugh out of his lips, Tae Rae held your hand even tighter in his, reassuring you he did not mind.

"I'm feeling overwhelmed. Soon it will be the end, university, our youth, time is just going so fast and I feel like I can't stop it."

"It is not because university will be over that our youth will be, we are still young. We still have time. Plenty of time"

"It doesn't feel like it. Soon all of us, my friends, your friends, will go their own way, and what if we don't see them anymore ? What if the day we can finally see them we realise that they are not the people we used to know and we can't be friends anymore"

Shifting his position to look down at you, Tae Rae slowly circled with his thumb on your hand, trying to appease you.

"It is not because people go their own way that it means they are going to be separated. We can keep up with each other and see each other during our free time. Loving someone is accepting to let them go sometimes."

"But I don't want to let them go"

"Then hold onto them. Your bond with each of your friends is unique and I am sure they treasure it as much as you do. You cannot control tomorrow but you can control today, and truly enjoy every second you have with them. Maybe you will stay friends, maybe you will not, but the memories you made with them will stay. Only the happy memories will"

Feeling even sadder, you engulfed yourself even more in his arms. Why did growing up meant letting go? You knew all that, treasuring every moment, every laugh but a part of you was still scared for tomorrow.

"Besides you don't only have them. You have me. Kim Tae Rae. I will be by your side, for a very long time and I will keep you safe, I will keep you happy so when times get hard just hold onto me. Hold onto me and never let me go, because I know that I won't let you go"

Looking up at you boyfriend starry eyes you wondered if what he said was the truth. You wanted to believe it, to believe him.

In your hard time he had always been there and he would keep being there. You just had to have faith and hold onto him.

Taglist : @jiaant11 + @haechan-nahceah