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blizzardfluffykpop · 11 months ago

Text

Lover Boy

Summary: The two times you kissed Hui before you knew who he was, and the few that followed.

Oneshot

Word Count: 4,782

Fluff, Non-idol au, College au, Strangers to Lovers, & Older Brother’s Best Friend au

TW: Drinking, Food Mentions

Hoetaek (Hui) X Reader

[Features! ��Hui’s Younger Brother! Joo” Otherwise known as: (Y/n)’s best friend and roommate]

[A/n: In reality, Hui is the younger brother, and I don’t actually know Hui’s brother’s name. And yes, his name is Joo because the first Lee I thought of was Jooheon. Not based on Jooheon at all though. Inspired by: ‘Whui Is Me’ Concept #3 & #4 was originally inspired by Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy by Queen, but nothing came about from it.]

------

The first time you laid eyes on him, you were at a disco-themed club. He had a silver suit on and a large collared shirt. His strawberry-cream hair stood out to you in the midst of the crowd. You couldn’t see anyone else as he glided around the LED squares. He caught you staring and winked. And for the first time in a long time, you were flabbergasted.

Maybe it was the amount of liquid confidence you drank. But you danced up to him and asked if he'd like to dance with you. He smiled, and soon you were in each other’s arms and spinning around to the songs together. It took another song before you asked if you could kiss him, and he nodded. When you pulled away, you both were blushing red, but he initiated the second kiss as you two slowly rocked back and forth.

When the night ended, and you parted ways, you realized you never caught his name, too caught up in the feeling of having his lips on yours. You sighed as you got into bed, and your roommate, who was still up, asked, “So, how was the disco?” You shook your head, “It was magical. Yet, I never learned his name.” He laughs, “Damn, you should have.” He looks at the time, “Shit, how long did you make out with him?” You look at the time and see it’s three in the morning, “I thought you were going to be home at one!” You laugh, “Did you base your sleep schedule on when I returned?” He huffs, “Yes, usually you have two drinks and come home.” You shake your head, “Yeah, but that was before I saw him.” He sighs, “Did you at least get his number?” You pout, “No.” He shakes his head at you, “And you say I’m hopeless.” You sigh, “You have me there.”

You throw yourself onto your bed, and he follows suit, throwing himself on his own, “Did you end up going on a date today?” He nods, “Yeah, it was successful.” You pout, “Fucker.” He laughs, “But I didn’t make any bases.” You do a little fist bump in the air, “I win!” He rolls his eyes, “At least I know her name.” You shrug, get under the covers, and go, “Whatever, good night, Joo.” “Good night, (Y/n).”

---

The second time you met him, you still didn’t know he was your best friend’s older brother. You watch as his band performs at your college’s packed bar. His strawberry-cream hair still drawing you to him. But hearing his singing voice and watching as his fingers glide across the fretboard of his guitar had you enraptured. You just had to know more.

When his band leaves the stage, you return to drinking and conversing with the people around you. You're asking for a second drink. When someone asks sweetly, “Is this seat taken?” You turn your head to see him again and shake your head no, and he sits beside you. You still can't believe he came up to you, but come up with, “I didn’t know you could sing?” He grins, “It’s my major!” You laugh, and he finally tells you his name, “I forgot to introduce myself the last time we were with each other, but I’m Hoetaek, but almost everyone calls me Hui.” You grin and introduce yourself, and he says, “That’s a beautiful name.” You blush and thank him.

You talked more than you had kissed, but you still couldn’t get enough of him. He left you starstruck. You wanted to know everything and more about him, like what his favorite songs were and his favorite kind of weather. You went back home, and your best friend was already fast asleep, having learned his lesson from last time. His name should have rang a bell, but you still couldn’t place where you’d heard his name before as you fell asleep.

You didn’t register it until you were brushing your teeth in the morning. You gasped as you brushed your teeth, “Hoetaek?” You rushed to your roommate’s photo frames, toothbrush still in your mouth. And there they stood at the beach together. Your best friend was disgruntled in the photo while Hui was smiling wildly. You clutch your shirt, not believing the coincidence. You drag your feet back and finish brushing your teeth. “No fucking way.” You had always heard about his older brother, the absolute dork, and here you were, making out with the said dork. For a dork, he certainly knew how to kiss. You went to class and shook off the thought. He probably didn’t even know you were best friends with his little brother. Just like how you didn’t realize he was your best friend's older brother.

---

The next time you saw him, you were sitting with Joo on a blanket, studying on the campus grounds, when he came up. “Hey, did you get mom’s text?” Joo blinked at him before quickly grabbing his phone and looking, “Oh, she wants us this home this weekend?” He nods, “Yeah.” Joo asks, “Are you going to go?” Hui shrugs, “I have band practice.” You tune them out, fantasizing about what it would be like to kiss him again. You shook your head at those thoughts because he's supposed to be Joo's dorky older brother. But you couldn't help it.

Joo interrupts your thoughts, “Oh, (Y/n).” You look at him, and he says, “I never introduced you to Hoetaek. Hui this (Y/n), and (Y/n), this is Hui.” His cheeks were red as he smiled at you and shook your hand, “It’s nice to meet you again.” You blushed as you shook his, “Yeah. I didn’t realize you were Joo’s older brother.” He laughs, “I didn’t realize you were his best friend.” Joo goes, “Ahem,” and you both immediately detach. Joo crosses his arms, “How do you two know each other?” You scramble to find an answer, and Hui says, “We met at the disco club two weeks ago.” Joo nods, “You could have told me you two knew each other.” You shake your head, “We didn’t realize who the other was.” He nods, and Hui gets up from the blanket, “I have to walk to class now, but I’ll pick you up on Friday night.” Joo nods, and when he is far enough away. Joo goes, “Tell me everything.”

You blushed, “I um, I didn’t realize he was your dorky older brother. Firstly, he was an amazing dancer. And I… may have ended up exchanging a few kisses with him.” He groans, “Ew… He was the whole reason your night was magical?” You nod, and he squints, “Nothing further?” You shake your head, “Unless you consider that we met at his gig a week ago, too…” His jaw drops, “Holy fuck. You two left out a major detail…” You blush and hide your head in your hands, “I know.” He shakes his head, “I’ve always thought of you as my sibling, but you didn’t have to make it official.” You whine, “I know.” And he goes, “Again, you know he’s not cool unless he's in his element.” You pull your hands away, “You’ve said that, but I’ve met him in his element, and god he’s…” He deadpans, “I do not need to know.” You smirk and tease, “Are you sure? I thought you loved hearing the details?” He rolls his eyes, “Yes, I’m sure. I do not need to know whether or not he’s a good kisser.” You smirk, “He is.” He sighs, shaking his head, “Anyways… Do you like him?” You look down at your hands, “I think so.” He smiles, “Well, when are you gonna make a move?” You blush, “Joo...” And he goes, “Well, now that I have the opportunity for you to become my sibling officially. I want this process to speed up a little faster.” You roll your eyes and go back to studying.

As you’re finishing your homework, you hear Joo say, “Hey, Mom!” You hear her sweet voice over the phone, “Oh, honey, I was wondering when you would get my text!” You look at him to see the smirk gracing his lips, “I was wondering, (Y/n) has nowhere to go this weekend… Can they come too?” You glare at him. And you hear her go, “Oh, of course, we love having (Y/n) over!” He tells her sweetly, “Thanks, mom!” And she asks, “Anything else, honey?” “No, we'll see you this weekend. Love you.” “Love you more!” When he hangs up, “You little-!” You tackle him immediately, and he cackles as you tickle him, “You brat!” He laughs even harder, “You’ll thank me later.” You roll off of him and finish your homework, refusing to talk to him. “I thought you loved my parents?” He asks with a pout, “I love them. You, however? Not so much.” He shakes his head, “If you say so.” You sigh, and you both walk back to your dorm room together.

---

You don’t see him again until Joo opens the door and lets you in behind him. You kick off your shoes and turn to look towards the living room to see him sitting there playing guitar. If you didn't have no way back to the college, you would have taken your belongings and ran for the hills. Why is he already here? You thought you'd at least have an hour before you had to face the music. Your brain is unraveling fast, and you do everything to lie low.

But with Joo talking to you in the hall, it was enough to be spotted by him. You gulp as he stops strumming and waves to you, and you wave back. Joo turns at that, and he smiles, “Hui! You’re home!” He grins at his brother as he gets up and hugs him. Joo whines about his hug but accepts it anyway, “I thought you were going to be late because of your band practice?” Hui shakes his head, “No, I told them I was heading home for the weekend.” Joo hums and tries to wiggle out of the hug, and Hui whines, “I thought you were happy to see me!” And Joo goes, “I was!” And he mutters, “Until you kept hugging me.” Hui laughs before he lets him go, and you both awkwardly smile at each other before he goes back to his guitar.

You both give a quick hello to his parents before dragging your bags up the stairs to Joo’s room. As you walk to his door, you can’t get the sight of Hui out of your head. The memories of kissing him play in the back of your mind, ruining your resolve of a peaceful weekend. Joo and you take time to set up your air mattress, and he giggles, “You sure you want to sleep in my room?” You gasp, “It is my best friend privilege!” He smirks, “Yeah, but don’t you wish to sleep next to your crush?” You squint, “Oh, so that's how it is.” He smirks, “I’m teasing you forever for falling for my brother.” You groan, “I should have never told you!” He smirks, “But you couldn’t keep a secret like that from your best friend and roommate, could you?” You groan again, “I’d try.” He continues smirking, “I’d find out anyway.” You sigh, “I’m starting to see how you’re the little brother.” He pouts, “Hey, that was mean.” You roll your eyes, and with the mattress finally filled, you cap it as he unplugs the blower, and you both head downstairs.

When you reach the kitchen, their dad looks away from the pot he's stirring, “Oh, (Y/n)! Have you ever met our eldest, Hui?” Hui, who is currently wearing an apron and cracking eggs, causing your heart to burst into a million pieces. You smile, scrubbing the heart-melting moment from your mind, “Yeah, we’ve met.” Hui turns around and smiles at you. His dad grins, “How did you two meet? I know how you met Joo. You both are roommates.” You turn red as his dad flips the vegetables in the pan, and Joo nudges you to say something. And you go, “We met at a disco night.” His dad gasps, “You know disco?” You laugh as you nod, “Yeah, I love it.” He sighs in relief, “Ahh good, you can move in forever if you’d like.” You cackle, and Joo goes, “Where’s Ma?” And Hui says, “Back in the garden.” Joo grins, “Okay, later!”

He exits the kitchen, and you’re still standing in front of the island. Hui asks, “You’re not joining him?” You shake your head, “I know better than to leave when food is about to be served.” Hui laughs, and his dad asks, “Can you get the plates out?” You nod, walk around the island, open the first cabinet, and pull out five plates. You set them out, head to the silverware drawer, and grab utensils for everyone. They finish what they’re making as you get a seat for yourself as you do. Their dad comes over, “I’m sorry I would have gotten that out sooner! I forgot you were coming.” You shrug, “It’s okay, Mr. Lee. It’s just a chair.” He pouts, “But you’re our guest.” You shake your head, “It’s okay.” And he sighs, “Okay.”

Hui comes over, and you ask, “When did you get here?” He looks at the clock, “About an hour and a half before you two.” You nod, and he places his dish in the middle while his dad calls for the other two to come in for dinner. Your heart is hammering out of your chest, but you try to be cool about it. He opens his mouth to say something. And before he can get a syllable out, the rest of his family returns. Joo sits beside you, and Hui sits across from both of you. You speak minimally throughout the dinner, just focused on eating and trying not to think about the man across from you.

---

While Joo snores peacefully on his bed, all cuddled up, you can’t help but roll to your side again. Even after begging to whatever’s up there, you’ll fall asleep. You can’t. You sigh as you get up, deciding to get a glass of water. You fill up your glass, drink a few sips, and head back towards Joo’s room. You hear music coming from the basement with nothing better to do. You decide to investigate. You shut the door behind you and start walking down the steps.

And that’s where you see him again. He’s playing guitar along to the radio and humming the tune. He hears your footsteps as you come down the creaky old wood and looks back at you, and you ask, “Do you mind if I join you?” He shakes his head no, and you come in further, and he goes, “I come down here when everyone’s sleeping, so I don’t wake them up.” You nod, and he gestures for you to sit beside him, “Can’t sleep?” You softly tell him no as you sit down next to him. It felt awkward to be alone with him again. Because the last time you were perfect strangers making out in a bar. And now you were in an odd dynamic of him being the older brother to your best friend. Not knowing what to say, you sit there and listen to him play along to the radio.

As the next song starts, he grins, “I haven’t heard this since I was in high school.” He starts playing along effortlessly, and you smile, “It’s Led Zeppelin.” He smiles, “Dazed and Confused.” As the song nears its end, he asks, “Did Joo invite you?” You scrunch your nose, “No, rather, he asked his mom to let me come over in front of me.” He hums, “He’s always been an odd one.” You laugh, “What about you? You never skip band practice.” He smiles, “I finally had a reason too.” You blink at him, and he says, “I heard you were staying here.” You blush, and he asks, “Do you always stay here on breaks?” You nod, “Yeah, ever since I’ve become best friends with Joo.” He nods, “Interesting.” After a moment, you ask, “Do you remember the first time we met?” He smiles, “I couldn’t forget it.” You blush, “Me neither.” He asks softly, “Is that why you can’t sleep?” You hum, “Something along those lines.”

He stops playing and puts his guitar on its stand. He turns towards you, “Is it because my brother is your best friend?” You tilt your head, “Well, no.” He waits for you to continue, “It’s more so the fact that we’re under the same roof.” He holds his hand out to you, and you carefully take it in yours, and you ask, “Is it weird because I’m your little brother’s best friend?” He shakes his head, “No. But maybe it's a little awkward that we’re in my parent's house, though.” You laugh, “Yeah.” He smiles and squeezes your hand, “It kinda reminds me of being a teenager again.” And the two of you laugh.

The radio starts playing a slow song by Smokey Robison, “Would you like to dance with me?” You smile, “I’d love to.” He pulls you up, and you both sway to the music, but instead of kissing, you talk. You ask, “Is it true that you’re out of your element outside of music?” He blushes, “Yeah. If you met me in the florist shop I work at, I would have shriveled up and asked Hyunggu to run the cash register.” You laugh as you softly tell him, “I would have still found you dreamy.” His cheeks are red as he asks, “Really?” You smile, “Yeah.”

He twists you under the recessed lightning, and you two giggle as you spin around. You can’t help but get lost in his eyes and wonder what it would be like to kiss him again. You ask softly, “Would it be bad to say I really want to kiss you right now?” He giggles as he says, “No, I want to kiss you too.” You tangle your fingers in his hair as you place your lips on his, and he reciprocates. You both slowly sway to the song as you kiss. When you both pull away, he leans his forehead on yours, and you play with his pink locks. He looks into your eyes and asks, “Would you want to get breakfast with me tomorrow? Like as a date?” You can’t help but grin as you tell him, “Yes.” He kisses you again, and you both giggle into it.

When the song ends, you sit back on the couch closer than before. You both stay up the whole night talking. As the clock reaches five in the morning, you yawn. And he smiles, “You should probably head upstairs to bed.” You yawn again and agree, “Yeah.” You get up off the couch before looking at him again, “I can’t wait for our date.” He smiles, “I can’t wait either.” You hear him yawn as you round the couch to the stairs, “Good night, Hui.” He smiles, “Good night, (Y/n).” You head upstairs, open the door, walk to the kitchen, clean your empty glass, and head to bed. When you finally rest your head on your pillow, you fall asleep.

You wake up to Joo loudly stretching, “Dude. You’re so loud.” He rolls his eyes before he stares at you, “You weren’t here when I rolled over at one in the morning.” You look at everything but him, “I got a glass of water.” He hums, “Is that why you weren’t back until 5 am?” You sigh, “Nothing can get past you, can it?” He laughs before he asks, “So?” You sigh, “I just wanted to investigate where the music was coming from.” He leans his chin on his hand, “Yeah?” You blush, “And then we danced and talked until then.” He tilts his head, “Did you not confess?” You smile as you move the blanket away, “Something better.”

He gasps in horror, “Not underneath my roof!!” You shake your head, “No! That’s not what I meant! And this is your parent’s roof!” He cackles, “So, what is it?” You smile, “We kissed a few times throughout the night, and he asked me to go to breakfast with him.” He gasps, “Omg?! We have to get you dressed nicely!” He pulls you up fast, and you both dig through your travel bag and find something nice to wear. “Okay, go to the bathroom! If he comes up before you’re ready. I’ll distract him.” You laugh and high-five him, “Thanks, Joo!” You rush into the bathroom and freshen up, and you hear outside Hui coming up the stairs.

Joo asks, “So, was it you or (Y/n) that asked first?” Hui blushes as he rubs the back of his neck, “Well, we were dancing in my room, and they asked if it was bad if they wanted to kiss me. And I told them ‘No,’ that I wanted to kiss them too.” And Joo goes, “And?” Hui turns bright red as he says, “They kissed me first.” Joo smirks, “That’s my best friend!” Hui laughs, “Then I asked them to go to breakfast with me.” Joo claps his hand on his shoulder, “You know, for being a musical nerd, I didn’t know you had it in you. But man, I can’t be prouder.” Hui wrinkles his nose, “Ouch. But thanks. So, how did your date last week go?” Joo nods before telling him.

The two talk for a few more minutes before you return from the bathroom. Joo leaves you two to head downstairs to the kitchen and sits at the table as his parents make coffee. His mom asks, “Are (Y/n) and Hui joining us?” He shakes his head no, “You’ll see.” They both draw their attention to the stairs, waiting for the two of you to appear.

In the quiet hallway, you tell him softly, “I like your black and white striped sweater.” He grins as he tells you that he likes your outfit. After another beat of silence, Hui asks if you’d like to hold hands on the way cause the diner is just a block away, and you smile as you agree. You walk down the stairs hand in hand, and his parents gasp as Joo grins. They whisper and ask him, “Oh, they’re going on a date?” He nods, “Yeah!” You walk over, and both bid them goodbye, and Hui tells them where you’re going before leaving.

---

His dad smiles, “So, do you have all the details?” And Joo grins as if shining an apple on his shirt. He blows his hand and wipes it on his shirt, “Of course I do. They’re my brother and best friend couple.” He tells them how you two met at his gig, and his dad says, “We knew that, though.” He smirks, “Did you know the two kissed?” His parents gasped, “No, did they know each other then?” He shakes his head, “They didn’t know until after they met at his gig.” He shares a few more details before his mom asks, “How did they end up going on a date then if neither of them confessed to their feelings?” He smirks as he gets to rat them out, “They were in his room last night, and they danced to classic rock songs. And Hui finally confessed.” His mom grins, “Oh, that’s so sweet.”

---

You walk hand in hand down the block, swinging your arms, talking about various things. You open the door for you two, and you both walk in and sit down across from each other at a table for two behind the interior wall. You look at Hui, admiring him as you wait for your waiter, his black beret making him look even cuter than before. You smirk, “Loverboy? Is that true?” He blushes as he remembers the branding on his hat, “For you, yeah.” You blush and look down, “Hui…” He grins, his cheeks red as he lifts your chin and winks, “You’re cute when you’re blushing.” You shake your head, “You’re cuter.” He pulls his finger away as the waiter comes over, hands you each a menu, and asks what you'd like to drink. You tell him, and he comes back shortly with the drinks and gives you time to figure out what you want for breakfast.

He returns and gets your orders before putting them in the kitchen. Hui puts his left hand up on the table, and you smile as you catch onto what he means and place your left hand against his before interlocking your fingers. He grins and moves your hands back and forth happily, and you can’t help but grin and squeeze his hand in yours. He asks you questions about yourself, and you ask them back after answering. You smile as you realize you’re learning more about Hoetaek, the kind and silly, than Hui, the older musical nerd in the family. And you can’t help but feel endeared.

The waiter brings your food, and your hands part to eat. He makes you laugh as whipped cream coats his lips, and he laughs as you get some on your nose. He licks his lips, and before you wipe the whipped cream from your nose, he grabs his napkin and swipes his napkin over your nose. “All better.” You shake your head and smile, and he’s grinning right back.

You finish up your breakfast, and before he has a chance to pay, you do. And he pouts, “But I asked you out on this date. I should have paid.” You wink, “There’s always next time.” He gasps before he grins, “You’re right.” He wraps his arm around your waist, and you smile as you do the same, wrapping your arm around his. You grin, and as you walk through town, he softly hums along to the songs playing, and you can’t help but smile and do the same. You both walk-in time at each other’s pace, strolling around before heading back to his house.

When you reach the front door, he asks, “So, when we head back tomorrow. Will you attend my gig as my special guest?” You grin, “I’d love to.” He smiles and kisses your cheek before unlocking the door and letting you in first. Joo sits on the couch, watching TV. He looks at you two, “So how was it?” You blush, “It was nice.” And Hui goes, “I’m glad I got the courage to ask.” Hui asks, “You don’t mind if we’re together for the rest of the day?” Joo shakes his head, “Nah, I hang out with you two too much. I need some alone time, too.” You cackle, “As if you aren't texting people twenty-four-seven in there.” He rolls his eyes, “Yeah, but it’s hard to text people when someone is talking about how handsome my brother is.” You gasp, “Mean!”

He cackles, “Yeah.” Before he shoos you two away, “Go have fun. You can tell me all about your date later!” You both smile, and he leads you to the basement door, “What do you say to me, you, and my favorite records?” You grin, “Well, considering your taste in music… Hell yeah.” He smiles, and you both walk down the stairs. And you dance and talk until its dinner time.

“We organized it so it’s more comfortable for us to eat!” His dad says all cheerily, and he has you sit at the end of the table while Hui is on one side and Joo is on the other, and he happily sits across from his wife. You immediately say, “You didn’t have to.” And he shakes his head, “I was going to do this the other day, but I didn’t get time to.” The five of you laugh, and underneath the table, Hui holds your hand, rubbing his thumb against the back of your hand, and you can’t help but smile as you eat.

Joo talks about all the shenanigans he was getting up to in sports and English studies. And the dates he's recently been on, while Hui talks about his music and band. And you tell them about your field of study. Their parents talk about their jobs and their neighbors. You can’t help but feel at home in the Lee’s house with your boyfriend, your best friend, and their parents. And yeah, you did end up thanking Joo for inviting you to his parent's house after finding out you liked Hui.

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yunhohours · 2 years ago

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texting bf!pentagon - “would you still love me if i was a worm?”

request: How do u think ptg members would respond to “would you still love me if I was a worm” texts

#th: pentagon #th: ptg #pentagon reactions #pentagon fluff #ptg reactions #ptg fluff #pentagon texts #kpop texts

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jae-bummer · 1 year ago

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My Idol 3: Part Five

My Idol From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My Idol is a South Korean competitive reality dating game show. It currently airs on Saturday nights on Jae-bummer’s blog. First broadcast in 2016, the show offers the opportunity for a lucky fan to go on seven blind dates with seven idols. The idol plans the date with the show throwing in a specific mission to complete during the day. At the end of the initial dates, the show opens up an audience vote to decide what four idols will move on to the second date.

My Idol 3: The Series

**TW: Mention of break-in/pet death (it was a fish.)**

"And do you know anyone who might want to act maliciously against you?" the police officer asked, his gaze solely focused on you.

"I-I don't," you stuttered, completely overwhelmed. How did they expect you to answer all of their questions when your world was crashing down around you?

"Can we have a minute?" Hongseok asked, tucking you further into his side.

"We need to-" the officer began but immediately halted their words as Hongseok leveled them with a glare.

"I'm asking for a minute," he insisted. "Not the whole night. Let them calm down."

The officer sighed before flipping his notebook closed and motioning for the two of you to stand off to the side. You finally looked up from your shoes and to your apartment door that was now marked as a crime scene.

"Hongseok-" you croaked, shaking your head.

"Shhh," he hummed. You were positive that if he could pull you any closer he would. "I know. Let's have a sit."

Bringing you toward the staircase, he held the bulk of your weight as your slumped toward the carpet. Taking a deep breath as soon as you were seated, you allowed Hongseok to position you to lean against him. For a moment, you were frozen with dismay. Were you being dramatic? Was your reaction too over the top? You knew they were just things...but they were your things.

After Hongseok informed the production crew as to what was going on, you had gone numb. You wanted so badly to get into your apartment, but he was right. The best thing to do was to wait until the police arrived. Once they did, the area was secured and you were allowed to do a quick walk-through of the place you called your home.

It didn't feel like home anymore. What was left could only be described as a shell of what you once knew. Everything had been either destroyed or stolen. Every nook and corner were somehow haunted, the memories of your happiest moments cycling against one another in an attempt to cover up the reality of what was happening.

Whoever had broken in had stolen the most important things, your comfort and security. Aside from that, your furniture was trashed, stabbed, and sprayed down with paint. Vulgar messages were scrawled across the walls in English AND Korean. Your laptop was missing, as was your tablet and several other electronics. The staff had instantly begun tasking you in trying to recall anything that was taken and could be used as blackmail. Luckily, you didn't think you had any. Living in a day and age where things were so easy to be hacked, you tended to avoid keeping anything scandalous lying around. Plus, they employed excellent social media trainers when this whole thing started and you had done a grand deletion of anything questionable then.

The heaviest blow though, had to have been Jinki.

You knew he was just a goldfish, but he didn't deserve to be strung up in your living room as if his life never mattered.

And yes, you had named your goldfish after a member of Shinee, what of it?

"Drink," Hongseok said quietly, handing you a bottle of water that had seemingly materialized out of no where.

You looked at him moodily. "Jinki will never drink again."

"Jinki would want you to be hydrated," he encouraged, pressing the drink into your hands. "And he didn't drink water, he breathed it."

"This is just so messed up," you muttered, humoring him and doing as he said.

"Who would do this?" he whispered, rubbing his forehead. "I understand there are sasaengs, but to go to this level?"

Judging by the words written across your walls, it was definitely a "fan" that was responsible for the crime.

"The online hate was one thing," you said quietly. "I expected it to a certain degree, but I didn't think it would escalate."

"K-pop is such a global and attainable thing now," Hongseok nodded. "There are more fans than ever. I know it's silly not to think any of our supporters capable of this, but..."

"Has the lineup been announced publicly at all?" you asked, tilting your head. The dates were meant to be a surprise for you, but you knew details were commonly leaked online.

"Not that I know of," he sighed. "I mean, of course there's been rumors in the industry of what groups would be participating, but is that really enough to make someone snap?"

"I don't think it takes much to make any given person snap," you muttered. "We could try to reconcile it all day, but really, it's just senseless."

"We can't continue the show," Hongseok said slowly, side-eying you. "Your safety is more important than this."

You hadn't had time to give it much thought, but you figured he was right. The sensible part of you agreed that it was time to shut it all down, but the obstinate part of you pushed in the other direction. You didn't want to give up. You couldn't let the people who did this run you off, but how were you supposed to move forward?

First your apartment...what was next? When would a fan show up at filming and do something even more drastic?

How were you supposed to feel safe ever again?

Picking up the pieces of your broken life was one of the hardest things you had ever done.

After the police had finished up at your place, you salvaged what you could and packed it up in a few boxes before the My Idol crew whisked you away to the nearest hotel. To their credit, it was a very nice one that you could never have afforded yourself, but it didn't lessen the sting of the cause for your visit.

And for Hongseok's part, he didn't leave your side until the staff had forced him...into a hotel room down the hall.

To both your delight and horror, the entire show's operation was locking down. You would still be going off the premises for dates (with heavily increased security) but any time a contestant appeared, they would be shipped off to the safety of what had become the My Idol compound.

There was no shutting down production under any circumstances.

You had signed a contract after all, with no escape clauses for this type of situation.

Sighing to yourself, you pulled on an oversized sweatshirt and a pair of shorts. Grabbing the ice bucket, you shuffled to your door and gave three knocks. That was the "code" if you needed to leave.

Instantly, you heard the click of your lock (that you weren't allowed the key to) and the door swung toward you. Smiling in the hall was the security officer for the night shift, Insu. "Going somewhere?"

"Ice," you sighed, smiling sadly up at him. Although you had known this man for less than 24 hours, he was already a comforting presence. Standing at least a foot taller, and broad enough to take over half the door way, he was a force to be reckoned with.

And it may not have mattered, but it was worth mentioning...of course he was good looking.

"Optimal time for a late night stroll," he grinned, motioning at you to step into the hall. Walking past him, you tried not to look too long, but it was difficult. While his face was generally unmarred, a long scar was evident from the corner of his left eye, all the way to his jaw. It didn't make him any less handsome, obviously, but added a certain amount of character you weren't expecting. You weren't rude enough to stare or ask, but you were curious of the backstory.

"How's your day going?" you tried, ambling in the direction of the small room that held vending machines and the like.

"Great," he answered calmly, nodding at another security officer stationed by a different hotel room door. You wondered to yourself if Hongseok or Jungkook were locked inside. "I would ask how your day is, but I have a sneaking suspicion I already know the answer."

You felt your lips tug up at this. "It's going better than it was a few hours ago. I think I'm still in shock, honestly."

"That's understandable," he agreed. "Even before today, this world was new to you."

You hummed in response. He was right. Since this show had started, you were trying to navigate new ground, but today had completely upended everything you thought you knew. "How long have you been in security?"

"I did similar work in the military," he acknowledged. "Once I got out, this is what made sense."

"So that means..." you trailed.

"Seven years," he chuckled. "Including the two while I served."

"No way," you gasped, pausing to turn toward him. "How old are you then?"

This startled another laugh from him. "Twenty five."

"Oh," you said quietly before beginning to walk again. "So you joined right after high school then?"

"I did," he confirmed. "I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life and I thought it would be nice to have another two years to consider it."

"Sorry if I'm prying," you winced, worried that you were pestering him while he was just trying to do his job.

"That's not necessary," Insu said. You weren't going to look over your shoulder, but you were certain their was a smile hidden in his deep tone. "It's important that you know who is protecting you."

Turning into the room with the ice machine, you placed your container in the appropriate area and waited. After some loud crunching and getting ice nearly everywhere around your feet, it was time to head back.

"Let me," he insisted, taking the small bucket from your hands.

"It's not heavy," you laughed, glancing up at him.

"Did I say it was?" he hummed, a spark of something playful in his expression.

"Just being a gentleman then, got it," you hummed, allowing him to fall behind you again.

"It's quite literally my job to make this a little easier for you," he affirmed. "But I'll take the compliment."

Walking back down the hall, he turned the conversation your way. After answering a series of questions about schooling and your career, it wasn't long before you were at your door again.

You weren't expecting to feel so...disappointed.

"Get settled in for the night," Insu advised, handing the bucket back over to you. "Hyuk will be taking over in the morning."

"Right," you nodded. "Goodnight then."

"Sleep well."

Closing the door between you felt much louder than it should have. Shaking your head, you tried to clear your thoughts. It had been a long day. It was natural to try to find comfort in anyone that had crossed your path.

"Of course," you whispered to yourself. That's exactly what it was.

Hyuk was not nearly as graceful as Insu.

"Sorry," he grumbled, shouldering open the stairway door. He wasn't much taller than you and was likely old enough to be your father. "This building must be old."

"Right," you laughed nervously, stepping around him and toward the lobby area.

Being in one central location wasn't so bad, but you weren't sure how transportation would work.

"He's already at the destination," Hyuk said, as if reading your thoughts. You nodded absently at him as you saw the My Idol SUV already parked outside. Admittedly, you were exhausted. After the day and night you had, it was nearly impossible to fall asleep. The PD's you worked most closely with tried to push today's date out a few times, but scheduling simply wouldn't allow it.

Climbing into the vehicle, you plopped into the backseat, your eyes quickly catching on what was going on outside of the vehicle. Across the street, barricades had already been set up to contain the fans who had evidently found out what hotel you were staying in.

"What?" you hissed, angling yourself to look more closely.

"We've got the situation handled," Hyuk reassured. "They're being kept as far from the building as possible."

"Across the road is as far away as possible?" you whispered, your stomach dangerously close to vomiting what little contents you had in it. "How did they find out?"

"In this city, if you want to know something bad enough," he grumbled. "You can usually find someone willing to give it to you for the right price."

Turning toward him, you knew he saw shock plain on your face.

"Welcome to celebrity life, Mx. Y/N," he sighed.

After a quiet car ride that only took about ten minutes, you felt anxiety begin to crawl up your spine as your driver pulled into a large parking lot. Looking out of your window again, you saw the location for today, the Han River.

"Isn't this too open?" you asked, trying to tap down your panic. "So many people are around."

"We have a specific area cleared out," Hyuk said, his voice more gentle than it had been before. "We will keep you safe."

You swallowed hard and gave a curt nod. If you were going to do this, you had to trust the people around you no matter how difficult it was proving to be.

"Don't let them win," you whispered. Maybe if you repeated the mantra, it would make this whole thing easier.

Hyuk looked at you with a lifted brow. "Good call."

Easing out of the car behind him, you were disheartened. The usual rush of butterflies and anxiety that came before a date were a bit dampened. Of course, it was understandable given the situation, but it also wasn't fair to your date. Or yourself.

Taking a deep breath, you set your feet on the pavement and looked up at the grassy knoll beyond. Surrounded by security and the camera crew, a man stood before a small pop-up tent. Holding a slim box in front of his face, you only assumed it was a man by his build. Broad and muscular, he was dressed in dark, ripped jeans and a black t-shirt. As you drew closer, you narrowed your eyes at what he was holding.

"What's this?" you mused, shaking your head in disbelief.

Your date pulled the box away from his face and gave you a large smile. "Hi, I'm Ateez's San, and this, is a gift from me to you."

Pushing the item away from himself and into your hands, you looked down and chuckled softly. "A new laptop?"

"I heard you've had a rough few days," he hummed, securing his hands behind his back. You glanced up at him, his handsome face wearing an easy smile. "And lost a lot more than anyone deserves to."

"San-," you whispered, on the verge of crying. The gift was expensive, there was no way you could accept it, especially from someone you had only just met. "I can't-"

"Nope," he said, cutting you off immediately. "Getting back to normalcy in a time that's anything but normal is hard. You gotta start somewhere, right?"

"I swear if this starts a chain of dates bringing me household appliances," you teased, looking at him with gratitude.

"Then we'll all be taking our turns making life a little easier on you," he grinned. "One step at a time."

In Loving Memory:

Sea Jin Ki (2022 - 2023)

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adachicuto · 2 years ago

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last date before wedding with ptg

warning(s): food and wine mentions

↳ jinho: helping him with a cover of a song for youtube and it’d be a pretty romantic song maybe ed sheeran thinking out loud or john legend or maybe something else like eyes, nose, lips and you wouldn’t realize that he got you singing. i don't think he'd post it and just want to save it for the two of you to rewatch. it wouldn’t matter to him if you were an amazing singer or not, just being able to share that moment with you would be enough for him. so, it would probably become a tradition where you'd rewatch the cover for every wedding anniversary, and maybe you would cover more songs together each time as a little segment on his youtube channel and the members would text him and tease him about it every time lol

↳ hui: i get the feeling that he would bring you to a really nice yet underrated restaurant where smooth jazz is played and people are allowed to go onstage and perform a song. both of you would have the biggest smiles on your faces because the date would be reminiscent of your first one. you'd end the date off with really good wine and of course, hui would go onstage and sing (he'd claim it as practice for your big day) and would leave the audience stunned by his amazing vocals. on the drive home, his hand would never leave yours and he'd probably fidget with your engagement ring with a huge smile on his face.

↳ hongseok: your "date" would be so sweet and domestic because hongseok just gives me homey vibes. like, you'd both go to the grocery store to get ingredients for dinner and a dessert you both like. idk it would be the cutest thing and then you'd head back home and he'd start cooking while you worked on the dessert and you'd definitely catch him staring at you every few minutes with a goofy smile on his face and he'd wiggle his eyebrows playfully. you'd step away for a second to back-hug him and hongseok would smile to himself before he'd turn around to kiss you and he'd pull away to say something really cheesy but it would still put a smile on your face.

↳ yeo one: i think changgu would plan the cutest little picnic in the park for both of you. he'd pack some of your favorite foods and snacks and would even get you flowers or something. it would be the cutest thing and he'd take a flower and put it behind your ear and you'd do the same to him and then you'd go back and forth about who's the prettiest lol then the two of you would lie down and cloud gaze. idk i can see a really adorable dog running over to the two of you and it would really like changgu and it would be such a cute moment that would lead you to discuss the possibility of adopting a dog after the wedding. once the sun would start to settle below the horizon, you'd head home and would probably spend the rest of the day watching a show or movie.

↳ shinwon: both of you would agree on going to a spa and maybe a little shopping. i could definitely see him goofing around with you while in the sauna by making weird faces and telling you funny stories. then, he'd have you rest your head on his shoulder and he'd smile to himself. then, he'd tell you about how he was so nervous to propose to you. after a few minutes he'd realize that you weren't talking only to find you asleep. so, he'd make sure that you would be comfortable and would relax too. i think he'd love to spoil his s/o so he'd really enjoy going to the spa with you and it'd be a nice break from all of the wedding prep. on the way home, you'd both decide on ordering in bc neither of you would want to cook after being at the spa.

↳ yanan: he'd wake up extra early to get your favorite breakfast foods and coffee. when he'd make it back to your apartment he'd be met with you half asleep on the couch and would quickly put everything down to cuddle with you for a few minutes and then you'd eat breakfast together. afterward, the two of you would get ready to go and yanan wouldn't tell you but it would all make sense later. so, the two of you would go to multiple places throughout the city and you were thankful that they wouldn't be too far and at each stop, you and yanan would talk about what happened at each, like, one place was where he took you for your first date and another would be where you both said you loved each other for the first time. looking back on all of the memories would make both of your hearts feel so full.

↳ yuto: i think you'd go to an aquarium or botanical garden and it would be on a day when it wouldn't be so busy and the two of you could goof around and take funny pictures of each other imitating the animals. throughout the date, you'd both feel like little kids on a field trip again. both of you would stop every few minutes to stare at something you'd find interesting and the look on your faces at that moment would be so adorable and you'd have to capture the moments. after that, you would go get something to eat and then walk back to your apartment. on the walk, you'd both reminisce about how you met, your first date, and how he proposed to you.

↳ kino: i feel like hyunggu would go all out but it would still be a pretty laid-back date idk if that makes sense but he'd sign you up for a couples' dancing class where you'd learn how to tango and it would be so romantic and fun, even if you're not much of a dancer. after that, you'd go back home to shower and then he'd take you out to a really nice restaurant for dinner. the two of you would be so impressed with your meals but the highlight of your would be getting ice cream or your favorite dessert from your favorite place but then on your way back home it'd start raining and you'd have to wait it out inside a nearby cafe with steaming cups of tea. the whole situation would be pretty funny to both of you and it'd make for a nice moment to look back on.

↳ wooseok: being the youngest, i don't think he'd plan everything out and would just go with the flow. so, i think wooseok would also enjoy a night in with you as your date, especially if it would be a rainy day. he'd go and get your favorite snacks and drinks the day before and would surprise you with everything. the two of you would spend the day watching movies, playing video games, and just enjoying the calm before your wedding day. somehow, you'd end up talking about some of your embarrassing moments early on in your relationship and neither of you would be able to stop laughing and maybe you'd each go through your camera roll and it'd be a really cute moment for both of you.

#this was so cute to write 🥺 sorry if some of them are similar. i tried to make them as different as i could but could only do so much when i #have writer’s block #pentagon #pentagon scenarios #pentagon fluff #ptg #ptg fluff #ptg imagines #ptg scenarios #pentagon imagines #hui x reader #jinho x reader #hongseok x reader #shinwon x reader #yeo one x reader #yanan x reader #yuto x reader #kino x reader #wooseok x reader

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unifox · 1 year ago

Note

If you're still doing the little prompt game maybe Hongseok or Jaeyoon and baking cookies? 🍪

“Cookie Monster”

~Pairing: Hongseok x gn!reader

~Genre: Rotten Fluff. Established relationship

~Words: 0,8K

~Warnings: mention of food, pet names, one little (and very subtle) suggestive thought- Sorry if there are any mistakes!!

a/n: Hi Anon! Thank you so much for the request! Sorry for the wait, I hope you like it. I ended up writing about Hongseok because of his love for Cookie Monster lol. Plus, I missed writing about Pentagon!!

~Foxy🦊

>Request your scenario here<

~Masterlist~

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Hongseok likes your cookies.

Ok, maybe 'like' was an understatement. He LOVES your cookies.

He loves them so much, that even on a strict diet, he'd ask you to bake him the most diet-like cookies you've ever seen. You weren't sure if oats and bananas mixed together counted as a cookie.

He would brag to the other members that your cookies were the best in the world, but at the same time, he wanted to gatekeep, eating all of them before the members could get a taste. This was why you called him your cookie monster.

y/n 💕- Hey cookie, could you pick up a bag of chocolate chips on your way home pls?

hong 🍪- Sure honey. I'm on my way

y/n 💕- Thanks, you're the best 🫶

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When Hongseok reached home, you had already put all the ingredients in a bowl and had the oven on for preheating. Coming from behind and wrapping his arms around your waist he announced "I'm home. With your choco chips"

You spun around and wrapped your arms around his neck, pecking him on the lips. "You're a lifesaver, thanks babe. Now put those muscular arms for good use and help me hand mix these, please." You both chuckled as he moved to the toilet to wash his hands.

This wasn't the first time you baked together, but for Hongseok it always felt like it was. The domestic scene of you preparing trays with a baking sheet while he hand-mixed the cookies made his heart swell. He hoped that things would stay like this in the future.

When he was done you moved to get two ice cream scoopers so you both could scoop the dough into balls. Looking at the dough it was tempting to eat a little, but Hong refrained from it, remembering about the flour and raw eggs. When one of the trays was full, you moved it to the oven, while Hong kept on scooping the rest into the other tray until the dough ended.

With all the cookies in the oven, you're able to finally give attention to your boyfriend

"How was your day handsome?" You said handing him a cup of lemonade and sitting by his side on the sofa

"It was good. Went to the gym, had a shower there, and then I went to my mom's house. She wanted help with building a new cupboard she bought. The manual was really confusing..." You let him ramble about how his day went, but couldn't help but daydream about him. He was the perfect boyfriend. Caring and sweet, he liked pets, he helped his mom a lot... He even helped elderly people! You once saw him helping the old lady from the floor above you, by carrying her groceries from her car to the elevator.

"You're not listening to me"

"I am baby" you responded quickly

"Yeah sure, what was I talking about?" he smirked

"Oh well! let me check the cookies!!"

He laughed at your antics as you sprinted to the kitchen.

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When the cookies were done he helped you put them over a grid to cool down. You pulled out a pretty paper box and covered the bottom with a cute paper towel.

Hong extended his hand to grab a cookie but you were faster, grabbing his wrist

"Babe, these are not for you" You said while trying to contain your smile

"What!? Are you kidding me, sweetie?" He said incredulous

"These," You began sorting them out while checking if any of them were damaged "are for Shinwon! You bragged so much about my cookies that he asked a box of them for his birthday!" You said with enthusiasm even though your boyfriend glared at you.

"Really? Shinwon? Can't believe my baby tricked me into baking cookies for Shinwon" he said sulking

"Oh come on Hong! We made them together! I bet they taste amazing with all the love we poured into it!"

"Whatever... You're lucky I love you. Tricking me like this..."

"Let me make it up to you" You said wrapping your arms around his waist, which he quickly reciprocated by wrapping his own arms around your shoulders.

"Yeah? What will you do about it?" he said smirking, which received a light smack from you

"You dirty. Let me cook for you. Dinner's on me tonight"

"Ok sweetie, I'll be expecting a full-course meal! And cookies"

"Don't worry my sweet cookie monster, It'll be the best you've ever had!"

And even though you promised to make dinner, as the sweet gentleman he is, helped you prepare the food. Indeed the best thing that ever happened to you was Hongseok.

Extra: Shinwon liked the cookies so much that he talked about them for a whole two weeks, making all the Pentagon members crave them. All of them asked you to bake them some cookies (without Hongseok knowing since he would steal them), and even Yanan made you promise to bake him some when he came back to Korea

#pentagon #pentagon scenario #pentagon imagines #pentagon scenarios #pentagon fluff #pentagon x reader #hongseok x reader #hongseok imagine #hongseok scenario #hongseok fanfic #hongseok

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littlestardescendants · 8 months ago

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So I'm finally doing my Attacker Cards and like-

LOVE THIS MOMENT!

But also yall didn't tell me Satan had you guys flee on a high scale chase! It was so insane I was laughing while reading it cause Satan really don't care!

And aw I love how the first part ends... I really would just hug Satan all over cause he's so cute 💖❤️💞

#what in hell is bad #whb #what in hell is bad satan #whb satan #what in hell is bad attacker cards #whb attacker cards #I was so happy reading his Satan just makes me so happy #it had a love pentagon a chase and some cute lil fluff #i love him-

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neomujinjja · 5 months ago

Text

Take you to a place we've never seen

"Keep your eyes closed" your lover chided as they pushed you forward. You laughed because you already had your eyes screwed shut with one hand placed on top.

"Maybe you should have blind-folded me then," you sassed back to them. "Besides where are we going anyways?" you questioned, huffing under your breath as you almost tripped.

"Surprise." You got no other answer as they instead focused on tapping your leg to avoid the both of you tumbling down the concert stairs. Your partner shuffled you forward some more before finally stopping and settling the both of you on a bench. "Ready?" they asked, their voice showing the excitement they had for this.

"Since I was told to close my eyes." They mocked laughed at your response, unbeknownst to you with a small roll of their eyes.

"Alright, open them" they said, watching you closely. Wanting to see every minute change caused by your reaction. Upon uncovering, the sky with a enchanting orange hue was revealed to you. While it wasn't your first time experiencing the seemingly painted horizon; you were never this high up and around nature like this.

"Wow~ it's so breathtaking," you spoke, your words coming out like it was true. Your other half voiced their agreement, sounding similarly in awe to you. You were none the wiser that they had been looking at you at that moment.

(And if one day, in the future, they'd mention this juncture as the point where they knew you were the one then..)

Seunghan & Eunseok of RIIZE, Wow & Donghyun of A.C.E, Taeyong & Renjun of NCT, Younghoon & Sangyeon of The Boyz, Matthew of ZeroBaseOne, Park Jihoon, Vernon, Mingyu & Jeonghan of Seventeen, Kim Jaehwan, Hui & Yanan of Pentagon, Yoon Hyunsuk of Cix, Leehan of BoyNextDoor, Yeosang, Mingi & San of Ateez, Seungmin of Stray Kids, Seulgi of Red Velvet

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multiphandomunnies · 9 months ago

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boy groups

ateez

day6

got7

pentagon

seventeen

nct

shinee

monsta x

ikon

stray kids

exo

bts

suju

wanna one

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blizzardfluffykpop · 1 year ago

Text

By My Side

Summary: Your journey to the top and the man who supported you the whole way.

Long Fic (Oneshot)

Fluff, Angst? (Mainly Racing Anxiety), Slight Suggestive Parts, Strangers to Lovers au, Opposites attract au?, Idol au

Word Count: 19,000

Idol!Hyunggu (Kino) X Racecar Driver!Reader

[Features: The rest of OT9]

[Long A/n: There is the barest of information about entries vs starting in Formula 1. The only information I was able to gain about it was researching women who’ve raced in the sport. Only two of the five ever got to race (vv sad news), so for entries vs starting it will be speculation but based off of the real races! Also Pentagon’s scheduling is going to be a little off, but it’s so it works for the story tbh.]

------

You’ve known since you were five that you wanted to be a Formula One racer. And when you were eight, your parents started taking you karting with them. It didn’t take long before you started taking karting lessons. You even taught classes to younger kids before gaining entry into Formula Three. As you practiced day in and day out, you knew there were no guarantees of getting into Formula One. But you never gave up, and maybe with some help from Kang Hyunggu, you finally obtained your FIA super license.

You were twenty-three when you first met Kang Hyunggu by chance. And for some reason, the two of you hit it off instantly. It didn’t make sense because you were from two very different worlds. With him being an idol singer and you being a racecar driver, you were polar opposites. But you both shared the same love for coffee and flowers and had the same music taste. It started from there, with small meets at a coffee shop. At first, both of your managers managed your meetups. Something else you both had in common. But after a year of meeting each other and getting to know one another. Your managers had let up after they ensured you both knew the consequences if the public were to find out. But at the time, what would it matter to the world? You were just friends getting to know each other with what little time you had.

You guys were lying on your bed in your apartment when he asked, “Do you think we’ll ever get our first win?” And you smiled, “Of course. Maybe it’s from a Universe's perspective at this point, but I feel that come this time next year, you’ll have gained one.” He smiled and thanked you, and you asked, “Do you think I’ll ever make it out of Formula Three?” He nodded, “With your talent, there’s no doubt.” You pouted, "How would you know?" And he continued, “What do you say if I come to one of your races, manager approved, of course, and I see for myself?” You smiled, “It’d be nice to have someone other than my crew cheering me on.”

After you both received approval, he was able to watch you race. It was slightly nerve-wracking having the guy you had a crush on watch one of your races, but you took it in stride. He walked you to your racecar, encouraging you the whole way. When you arrived at the garage, he said, “If you win, I have something important to tell you.” You raise your eyebrow at him, “And if I don’t?” He shrugs, “I guess you’ll never know.”

For your past two seasons, your top place was fifth, and even that was an incredible feat for you. But with a good qualifying round, you gained pole position, earning you an advantage. You gulped as you watched the lights go and gunned it. Maybe it was because you wanted to know what he was going to tell you. Or perhaps it was sheer dumb luck. But somehow, you had not only won that race. You had also won it by a large margin, something you had been trying to do since you started racing.

You raced your victory lap and came back to the starting position. You gasped as you realized you only had one more criterion left to meet to gain a super license. You hopped out of your car to see your team readily congratulating you. And you cheered with them as they lifted you into the air. When you came down and hopped over the fence, you saw Hyunggu holding a flower bouquet. You blushed as he handed it to you, “What did you want to tell me?” You asked as you thanked him for the flowers and brought him into a hug. He smiled, “That you look cute in your outfit.” You shook your head as you blushed. Before you could ask him if that’s really what he wanted to tell you. They rushed you into an interview room, “Are you going to do your last requirement to gain your super license, Mx. (L/n)?” You nodded, “Yes, I’m going to go onwards and complete the safety regulations test at the end of this season.” They nod, satisfied with your answer. Before they could ask you more questions, your manager came in and took you out to treat everyone to a nice dinner.

As you sat around the table, everyone chatting, the engineer turned to you. He smiled and announced to the table, “You’ve grown so much as a racer over the past two years I’ve gotten to know you. Are you ready for the big leagues, kid?” You looked at your plate, “I believe so.” The table laughed, “You’ll do fine!” And they were right. After years of studying up on the quiz, you passed it with flying colors. And Hyunggu was right there to congratulate you, holding another bouquet.

You accepted the flowers as he pulled you into a hug. You held him tightly against you, your emotions getting to you as you shook with tears. And he went, “You did it. I knew you could.” You thanked him, and he said, “Let’s celebrate.” You nodded, and he took you both out to a little diner. After you order your meals, he tells you, “I think it’s time I tell you the important thing I wanted to tell you.” You pout, “So you didn’t think I was cute in my outfit.” He shook his head with a laugh, “I thought you were the cutest. But that wasn’t all I wanted to tell you.” You nodded for him to go on, “I like you a lot. And not just in a friendly type of way.” You pinched yourself as you said, “This has to be a dream.” And he shook his head, “No.” And you smiled as you grabbed his hand and interlocked your fingers, “I like you a lot, too. Do you want to consider this our first date?” He smiled, “I’d like that.”

You finished up the racing season and relaxed a bit. But you didn’t know how much you were really up against. After all, no one ever mentions the people who don’t qualify for Formula One. It’s only about those who do. And when you put your name down and saw the list of other candidates. Who were just as hungry as you to be on the track.... It dawned on you that this may be harder than you believed. You told Hyunggu of your worries, and he held you close as he eased your mind. He assured you that you were just as capable as the other racers behind the wheel, if not more. It soothed your nerves and made you practice more for it. Whenever he wasn’t at practice, he was watching you in the stands, getting your time lower and lower. You just had to be a quarter of a second faster than your competitors. And you were doing everything to make that happen.

You finished after eight hours of practice to see Hyunggu racing down the stands to greet you. His binoculars were hanging around his neck, and you giggled, “How long have you been watching?” He smiles, “A few hours.” You smiled as you pecked his cheek, “Thanks.” He shrugs, “You’re doing fantastic out there. You got this.” You shrugged, “I’m not so sure, but I’ll continue at it until I am.” He nods before asking, “Do you wanna watch me practice?” You agree, and he leads you by the hand to his car, “It’s weird to be in a slow-moving vehicle after eight hours.” He looks over at you with wide eyes, “You’ve been out here since six a.m.?” You nod, “I couldn’t stand to be away. You’re the same way when you practice.” He laughs, “Yeah, I guess we have that in common too.” You shake your head at him as he shifts out of park and drives to the company.

He has you grab lunch in the cafeteria before leading you to the practice room. “(Y/n)! It’s so good to see you again!” Hongseok greets you cheerily, leading the rest of them into an uproar. You laugh as you greet them and walk over to the bench seat. “I’m just here to watch and eat my lunch~” Shinwon laughs, “You sure it’s not just to watch Kino?” You laugh, “You caught me.” Hyunggu winks at you through the mirror, and they start practicing some of their older songs. As you finish up your meal and throw away the trash, their choreographer comes in. “Hey guys! I’ve finalized some new moves for your new title and wanted to go over them with you guys.” You hold back your gasp as you realize you’re an outsider and fan getting to watch part of the demo for the first time.

Hyunggu comes over to grab a drink of water before they start, and you ask, “Should I cover my eyes? I don’t want to offend or worry the choreographer.” He shakes his head, “Baby, I watch you practice new tricks on the track all the time. It’s okay.” You nod, and he kisses the top of your head before walking back. The choreographer reviews what they’ve learned and the new moves he is implementing. And you watch in awe as they move around the room. When they’ve finished the initial learning, they take a quick break. Then, the choreographer calls, “Let’s put this to music, guys!”

He clicks a button on a remote, and they all start dancing as he oversees. As the music filters through the room, you can’t believe your ears. It sounds so delightful, and the dance seemed to encapsulate the melancholy feeling of letting someone go. As they started correcting things, you couldn’t help but wonder what inspired them to write it. When they finally finish up, you give a round of applause. The choreographer thanked you as he walked out of the room.

Hyunggu slides down the wall beside your seat and asks, “So, what do you think?” “Well, the song is heartbreakingly beautiful, and the dance so far? It’s amazing! I can’t wait to see the finalized version.” The others laugh, and Hui lays on the floor and cheers, “You and me both!” You smile as you ask, “Who wrote it?” And he answers again, “Wooseok, Nathan, and me.” You nod and wish to ask him why, but feeling how heart-wrenching it was. You decide it was better to guess. You look at the clock to see it’s six and yawn, “Do you guys want to get dinner?” That seemed to bring their spirits up as they cheered and got ready.

“Are you sure you’re not tired from your long day?” Hyunggu says, looking at the time. And you shake your head, “I gained my energy back while watching you dance.” You tell him, finishing off your sentence with a yawn. And he shakes his head, “Says the one who’s yawning. You can nap in my car.” You laugh and place your head on his shoulder, catching a few milliseconds of sleep as the rest rush around. You both walk out to his car, gaining a few passengers as you do. Knowing that if you weren’t fast from past experiences, you’d end up in the back, so you shout, “Shotgun!” And the other three groan, and you smirk, “I knew it.” And the tall ones groan as they file into his car. Yuto mumbles, “It’s always more cramped in the back!” And Wooseok grumbles in the middle, “My long legs have no room to go!” This causes Shinwon to whine, “Quit bumping into me!” You laugh and tease, “I have so much legroom up here~” And the three roll their eyes as he takes off to the restaurant.

You relax and enjoy your meal as they talk about their upcoming comeback that’ll happen in a few months. When the scheduler is about to drop, and how they’re excited to release another album. “It feels a little bittersweet to release one without Jinho.” You nod, and they talk about their worries and wonder if they’ll be able to gain a win off of this one or not. You cheer them up by telling them they’ve got their fans behind them every step of the way. And how Universes will do everything they can to make a win for them. They agree with you, and you finish up the meal happily.

—---

When Hyunggu told you he was an idol, it took you a long time to check out his stuff. Mostly because you were busy but partly because you knew you’d fall even deeper for him. It was about three months into your friendship when you listened to ‘Shine’ for the first time. And before you could even blink, you fell into the world of being a Universe. It felt so exciting. While you had been fans of groups and bands before. This time felt different. As you got to know them and their 'idol-like selves,' it was hard to spot the differences. Yes, there were times when they had worn fake smiles and done scripted things. But you found they were just as genuine on-screen as they were off. Knowing that your crush had a wonderful friend group and a sweeter fanbase endeared you even more.

It didn’t take long for you to start collecting their things. Hyunggu shook his head as he visited your room after you started collecting to see their albums on your shelves. “I could have gotten these to you for free. You know?” But you shook your head at him, wanting to give him at least a cent for his hard work. When you finally started dating, you had just finished collecting their albums. You happily showed him, and he just smiled and kissed the top of your head, “You’re cute, you know that?” But this time, when this comeback goes up for sale. It’ll be the first Pentagon album you’ll get to pre-order, and you’re so excited. As he drives you home, you tell him how excited you are, and he smiles and tells you he’s excited too. He doesn’t elaborate further, considering you’ve already heard his hopes for it at dinner.

You still had a few weeks until you had to compete to start. And with every practice run on the track, your confidence grew. You spent less time with Hyunggu and more time there. It was funny how your heart wished to be with him instead. Before meeting him, all your heart ever wanted was to race. To feel the engine roar and tires burn down the track. But when you’d spot Hyunggu in the stands, you almost wished to stop the car and run to him. So instead, you raced faster to see him quicker. It surprised you how quickly he grew in your heart, but it was delightful, nonetheless.

On the big day, you wake up with a start. Rushing around and gathering up all the things that you had prepared the night before for today. You heard a knock on your door as you were throwing on your shoes. And there he was, standing waiting with a bag of donuts and a coffee for each of you. You wrapped your arms around him, thanking him, and took your coffee from him and sipped on it. He led you to your car, and you drove up to the track. “You nervous?” “A little.” He nodded and placed his hand over yours. “I know, whatever the outcome is, you’ll do your best. And that’s all that matters.” You nodded and pulled in to see the lot filling up fast. “Are these all the racers for today?” He hums and goes, “Maybe some of them are crews?” You let that ease your mind as you parked as close as possible. You pull out your donuts and eat them before exiting the car. You lock it up, and he places his hand in yours. You squeeze it tight and walk up, drinking your coffee. “You know, I knew there would be at least twenty racers… But I wasn’t expecting a whole army of them.” He nods and squeezes your hand, “It’ll be okay.” It takes a little while to meet up with your crew. He lets go of your hand so you can get coached and change into your suit. You look at him for as long as possible before entering race mode.

This is going to be the hardest race of your life, while yes, there have been races that were hard to go through. But this one, you had to prove not only that you're an excellent racer. But that you are better than the other eighty-some racers out here today. And that thought alone made you nervous. You listened to each of your crew member's advice and how to navigate the turns and when best to get around others. You’d get two laps to train on this new track before they started qualifying. The track owner came up and started greeting everyone before the races began. He was polite and wished everyone well, as far as you could hear. You head to your car to see Hyunggu talking to a few of your members. He saw them all look over at you before he turned around with a big grin. “You ready?” You nodded, “As I’ll ever be.” He smiled, pulling you into his arms, “Go get ‘em, baby.” He ruffled your hair before you put your helmet on and waited for their final instructions.

You lifted your helmet one last time and said, “I’ll do my best!” The crew nodded and wished you luck, and Hyunggu smiled, “You always do. You got this! I’ll be watching from the inside!” When it was your turn to practice, you pulled out of the pit before driving onto the track. You snaked across the pavement, getting your tires used to the new pavement. The first turn came fast, and you memorized how the straightaways met the curves as you sped around. Mentally marking all the spots your crew said were good to cut around others. And you made plans as you made it back from your first lap. You did your last lap and felt your confidence go up. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as you feared. But as you remembered, some racers here had been waiting for their big chance too. And some had done this track a hundred times compared to you. It made your nerves spike back up, but you shook them off as you pitted.

You popped your helmet off, and your race engineer came over, “What do you think?” You gulped, “It’s way more than I’m used to.” He nodded, “You are racing the Grand Prix now.” You nodded as he asked, “Did you see the spots we mentioned?” “Yeah, I made the plans on how to maneuver too.” He smiled, “Good. Now, I’ll let you talk to your lover boy over there. He was sweetly cheering you on in front of the screens. He’s a good guy.” You smile, “He’s the sweetest. Thanks.” He exits, and Hyunggu swoops in, “So, whaddaya think?” You nodded and told him all about it. He listened and asked some quick questions, and you answered with ease. He tells you, “I was watching you from the screen. You always look like you're in your element out there.” You smiled, and he kissed your forehead. He backed up as they announced the final racer had finished their practice run. “I’ll be watching.” “Like a guardian angel or private eye?” He laughed, “The former.” And you smiled at him as you nodded.

They had you set up by your best time. So you would be racing with the 40s-60s. You placed forty-three, making you third in your set. Somehow, you would have to make it into this year's top twenty-two. When the first twenty finish their races, some of their times seem unreal. You gulp as you remind yourself that you only have to beat out fifty-eight racers to secure spot twenty-two. You pull your vehicles out to race next, and you hear the race official cheer, “Alright, I want a nice clean race. Remember your FIA rules. This is a no-contact sport. You will be disqualified if you do something intentionally. Do your best out there, and racers, start your engines!!” Your heart comes to life as you hear everyone’s engine roar as you press your engine on. Each racer starts at their own time. You stay for a moment, wanting the track to clear out a bit so you can get your head in the game. You only need to set your personal best. And once you lay your foot on that pedal, you better hit the metal.

And so you do. You slam it down, easily make it around the curves, and even pass two people as you drive. Your engineer calls out for you to avoid hitting the guy coming up fast behind you. And you agree, but still try to go quicker. But they're slick as they slip past you and race ahead of others. You make it past two more racers on your first lap, coming out at '2:32.80.' You swear you were getting better times on your home track. You were getting to the 1:00s with no problem. You gasp into the mic, and your engineer goes, “Don’t lose your head. Just do this lap faster.” You do as you're told, getting out of your head, you speed around even faster, trying to set a personal best. And when you make it around, your time reads '1:59.343'. Every millisecond counts, and you look at your name to see it at the very bottom of the top twenty-two. You could live with that. All you needed was to stay in that spot, and you’d be okay.

You come back and pit after pitting twice, once for refueling and once for tires. You pull off your helmet and cross all your appendages. Hoping and praying that somehow that time would be able to make it in. You jump out of your car before joining everyone in the garage and watch on, keeping your fingers crossed. The last twenty were up, each racing at their own pace. All it would take was one good time to beat you out. You knew it, and it terrified you, and as you sat there shaking, you felt someone place their hand on your knee. And you looked up from your internal plunder to see Hyunggu. “At least you can say you made it to the billboard, even if you don’t stay there.” You nod, and it calms you down for a moment.

You watch as the racers return from their first lap and see their times start showing up on the board. Three racers placed in the top ten, officially sealing the deal for them. That meant you were out of the race. You hold back your tears as the rest of the racers finish up their laps. You don’t even notice you're crying until you are being pulled into multiple arms. One hands you a handkerchief, and you hold it to your face as you cry into it. It breaks your heart worse as you feel the others around you shake with their own tears.

After fifteen minutes, you guys learn who’s in pole position. And the owner comes around to congratulate the winners. You successfully wipe your eyes and head out to congratulate them as well. Hyunggu stays behind you the whole time. His tears still streaking as you finish talking to others who have lost this year's race. One goes, “Better luck next time, huh?” The group of you laugh, “Yeah! We’ll get ‘em next time! And if we don’t. Well, we’ll just keep trying!” You laugh and wipe your eyes with your wet handkerchief.

You head back to the garage and see everyone cleaning up. “Are you guys mad at me?” They shake their heads, and your manager answers for them, “No, honey, we’re proud of you for making it this far. Hell, you even made it on the chart for a moment.” Your engineer goes, “We’ll just have to keep training.” You nod, and they pat your shoulder as they exit, “We’ll see you again in a few months to start training.” You agree, and you walk back to your everyday car. Hyunggu has you sit in the passenger seat. And you finally crumble. It wasn’t your proudest moment. But you became inconsolable with tears and muttering. You could only put on that brave facade for so long.

He turns on the radio and puts on your favorite sad songs. He tells you softly, “Come here,” after moving his seat backward to accommodate you. He pulls you over the console as you shake with tears. He holds you against him, and he can’t help but cry himself. It hurts him to see you so upset. He pulls out some napkins and wipes your cheeks, telling you kind and soft words. He rocks you in his arms as you mumble incoherent words. And he hums to them all.

It takes a while for your cries to become sniffles. And for your tears to completely dry out, even though you wish to cry more. Hyunggu keeps you close through it all as you whisper little fears. He runs his hands through your hair, matching your worries with assurances. Reminding you about how loved you were, not only by him but by so many others. He lifts your chin and goes, “You know, I’ve never seen someone look so beautiful when they cry.” You sniffle, “Really?” He nods, “You’re beautiful all the time. It’s unsurprising to me that now would be any different.” You laugh, and he places a kiss on your nose. And then he kisses your cheek, your forehead, your chin, your neck, and everywhere he can reach before finally kissing your lips, making you giggle. He brings you out of your pool of sadness before setting you back onto your seat and buckling you in. “What do you say to wine and movies?” You smile softly, “I’d like that.”

He drives you back to your apartment and pulls out the wine he stored in your larder. He lets it aerate as you talk about all that could have gone better. And he nods but counters it before you can get too far deep into the rabbit hole. You do your best to hear him out, and he scoops two bowl fulls of ice cream before leading you to the couch. He brings the wine over and pours it into two glasses. He has you swirl it as he hands it to you.

He puts on your favorite movie, and as your favorite scene comes on. Your tears have replenished, and you sob, which causes him to wrap you up in his arms as he quickly puts everything in your guy's hands down. “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay.” He keeps repeating to you as you watch on, and you cry, “How can they get a happy ending?” He puts his head into your collarbone, “Well, maybe this isn’t your ending?” That shocks you enough to cause a hiccup of tears, “Wh-What?” He smiles, “You’re in the middle of the movie. You have to have your Disney heartbreak before you get your Disney ending.” You blink at him, your tears slowing to stop, and he grins, “I know it doesn’t seem like it. But this isn’t the end. This is just the beginning.” He wipes your tears as he sheds a few himself. And you quickly wipe them from his eyes. He puts his forehead against yours, “I promise. You’re okay. You’ll reach the finish line and make a faster time. I’m sure of it.” You hum, and he pulls away, “Do you still wanna continue watching this movie?” You nod, and he rewinds the movie a bit.

He tucks you into bed before climbing in, “I thought you had to be at the dorms?” He shakes his head, “You’re more important. I already texted Hui that you need me more.” You blink at him, “But you can’t miss practice!” He shakes his head, “No need to worry! I’ll be doing a late practice and taking you with me.” “Oh.” He laughs, kisses your forehead, and turns off the light, “Have sweet dreams.” You whisper, “You too.”

Your dreams remind you of your loss, and you wake up crying. You scooted over and pushed yourself into Hyunggu's arms. He opens an eye and wraps himself around you, “You okay?” You shake your head ‘no,’ and he puts his hand on your head, “Do you want to tell me about it?” You whisper, “It was about losing the race…” “Oh…” You nod, pushing your head deeper into his chest as he holds you closer. “It’s just a reflection of reality. You’ll get them next time, I promise.” You nod, and it doesn’t take long for you to drift back to sleep cuddled into him. You dream of laying next to Hyunggu in a field of daisies, with nothing to worry or wonder about, just the two of you laughing and talking about everything.

You wake up later in the day to find him waiting for you to wake up, “Do you want to get lunch with me?” You gasp, “Is it that late?” “It’s one in the afternoon.” “Oh, that’s fine. Let’s go.” You both get dressed and during lunch, you two cheesily drink a milkshake together, “Isn’t it like... fifty percent backwash by now?” He laughs, “I guess, but I don’t mind yours.” You laugh, reach over the milkshake, and kiss him. “Ah yeah, it’s better that way.” He giggles, “I agree.” He kisses you again, and your food comes a moment later. After lunch, he takes you to practice with him.

You cheer him and the rest of them on, and they head to the studio later, wanting to finalize a few more things on the album itself. Hyunggu sits on your lap as they all try to fit in the tiny little studio. You laugh as the boys cry about how he was never this affectionate with him, and you stick your tongue out at them. As Hyunggu turns into Kino in the recording area, Yanan and Hongseok surround you. Hongseok speaks up first, “Hey, we heard about yesterday. Are you okay?” You look down at your hands, “I suppose so? I’m definitely not as okay as I wish to be right now.” Yanan asks, “But you did your best, right?” You nod, the two smile, and he continues, “That just means your best will get better.” You smile, and Hongseok says, “You’ll get ‘em next time. And then, when you win, we’ll do our best to attend your races.” You laugh, “Okay.” Changgu comes over, “For free, right?” You laugh even harder, “Yeah, of course, you guys are practically my boyfriend’s family.” The whole group cheered, except Hyunggu, who couldn’t hear anything behind the glass.

You listen to his stunning voice, and he finishes quickly, joining you again, “How did I sound?” You smile, “Beautiful as always.” He grins and kisses your nose, which causes Shinwon to whine, “Cooties.” You smirk and kiss Hyunggu, “What do you call that for cooties?” Shinwon cries, ‘gross’ louder, and both of you giggle at him. And as you wait, the one and only Jinho comes in, and you jokingly salute him. And he stands at attention to do so, and you both laugh, “Good to see the soldier. Is this your goodbye track?” He nods, “Yeah, the kids complained that they’ll miss me worse if I don’t.” You smile, “As a Universe, I would too.” He laughs, “Yeah,” he turns to Hui and says, “I only have a few lines to fix, then I have to go back to base.” Hui nods, and Yuto exits the studio and joins the rest of you on the cramped couch.

The seven of you happily listen to Jinho’s voice. Hui smiles, “I never tire of hearing his voice.” And the rest of you hum in agreement, and you cry a little as the song continues to play. Hyunggu immediately wipes your eyes, “Oh, you haven’t heard it that much…” You shake your head, “I knew it would be a goodbye song, but…” They all coo at you, and as Jinho opens the door, “Oh, I didn’t mean to make you cry!” You shake your head, “I just um… Wow, I know we get to see you a bit. But Unis, in comparison, I just, wow.” He pats your head, “You’ll be okay, kid.” You nod, and he lets the boys hug him as he leaves for base camp. “How do you guys do this with no tears?” Hui shakes his head, “I know you saw Spring Snow + Shine, so…” You sigh, “Yeah… I guess it’s a little easier now?” They nod, and Yuto says, “But we can’t help but miss him even when he’s here.” They all agree, and Jinho returns, “I forgot my hat!” And the eight of you cry, “Jinho!” And he looks at all of you, “What?” He sighs as he realizes he’ll have to do a round of hugs again. You give him one before you all give him a group hug. He mutters, “I’m going to be so late,” as he hugs back just as tightly, “Only fourteen months before we’re all back together.” You all nod and let him go this time, and he rushes to his bus.

After a few more tweaks to the songs, you head out to your cars, and when you part from Hyunggu, he asks, “You’ll be okay, right?” You nod, “If I’m not, I’ll head to the dorms.” He nods, “Okay. I’ll miss you.” You give him a soft smile as you open your car door, “I’ll miss you too. I’ll see you in two days?” He agrees and hops into the van while you head home.

From that day forward, you take your time off seriously, working out, researching, and watching all the races to see what they did differently than you had. But that didn’t mean you weren’t spending time with the boys. Rather, that was how you spent the majority of your time. If it wasn’t night or early morning, you were following their schedules with them. It was exciting to see the finishing touches make the dance and song come to life. It went from disarray to a perfect ensemble. And you couldn’t help but clap after each practice. And before you knew it, Daisy was coming out. And you couldn’t be more excited.

You cheered as you looked at his painting for the first time and asked him how he did it, and he happily told you his whole process. Explaining what brush stroke created, you couldn’t help but admire him as he did. “You know, you’re more beautiful than your painting.” He pouts, “What are you saying?” And you kiss his temple, “I’m saying that you made the most beautiful painting of a daisy that I’ve ever seen. But you, handsome, are more beautiful when you explain something you’ve created or are passionate about.” He blushes, “Well, I guess when you put it that way…” You shake your head, cup his face in your hands, and bring him in for a kiss. He kisses back just as feverishly. You pull away and squish his cheeks, “Yeah, you’re the finest artwork out there.” He pouts, and you giggle, “It’s even cuter when your cheeks are squished.” He gently pulls your hand away and captures you into another kiss. He pulls back to whisper, “I can’t get enough of you.” You blush, “Did anyone ever tell you that you look hot with silver hair?” He hums, “Just you so far.” You smirk as you kiss him again and pull him into your arms.

He pulls back, “Let me put this away before we continue.” You sigh, “You’re a great killer of the mood.” He laughs, “Maybe, but I’ll bring it back up.” You raise your eyebrow, “You sure?” He smirks as he finishes putting his painting back into its spot, “Oh, I’m positive, baby.” He whisks you into his arms and kisses you deeply again. “That work?” You smirk, “I don’t know yet. I’m not entirely convinced~” He grins, “Well, I guess I’ll just have to spend all night convincing you~”

—---

While you had already heard the song a handful of times and saw how they prepared for and filmed the music video, to see the final cut and how it was compiled and edited would be different and magical. You stayed up the whole night, anticipating its release. Hyunggu stayed over at your place because it was closer to their first showcase. You had left the bed to watch it cause you didn’t want him to hear your reactions and wake up. As it drew to the last seconds and you refreshed the page, you grinned, it popped up, and clicked it.

You smiled, seeing Kino first, and as the song faded in. You gasped. The music video made the song feel fuller, as though it were finally complete. It felt more like a tragic movie than a simple music video, and you were captivated entirely. Watching him fall back into the water as if he were drowning without his person broke your heart. And then the ending paragraph came, and you quickly scanned through it. But the line that stuck out most to you was, “Sorrow lasts a second, but what we share in our universe is eternal.” It resonated with you. It felt like your relationship with Hyunggu, how sorrow lasts a moment. While you may have lost that race a while ago, he stayed by your side. He shares all his highs and lows with you as you do with him. Because what the two of you share is forever.

You couldn’t help but hum the melody as you retired to bed. When you return, you see Hyunggu waiting for you to return. He patted your side of the bed as he told you, “I felt you leave and waited for you to come back.” You shook your head at him, “Come here, you amazing musical man.” He grinned as he scooted into your arms, “Did you like the music video?” You wrap your arms around him, “I think like is an understatement!” He laughs, “I’m glad. What was your favorite part?” You smile, “Other than your parts? Probably the ending. Especially the ending words, ‘Sorrow lasts a second, but what we share in our universe is eternal.’ Those stuck with me.” He nods, and you tell him, “Let’s get some rest. You have a big day tomorrow.” He agrees, and you shut off the lamp and settle in for the night.

Hyunggu leaves for his rehearsals at the first stage, and you see your albums delivered. You happily opened the box and unboxed them, and to your luck, you pulled a ‘Kino’ bookmark and message card in one album. And a ‘Kino’ CD cover & photocard in the unseen version. Did you still find the Hongseok photocard and the Shinwon sticker cute? Yes, but would you be telling Hyunggu that? Not if you wanted to deal with a pouty baby. You sleeve the two cards, put the one in your binder, and replace your Universe: The Black Hall card with your newest We:th Kino card in the back of your phone. You smile and place the ‘old’ one into your Kino binder. You keep your unseen album out and head over to the showcase building.

As you walk to the building, you spot a person selling bouquets. You grin as you pick out a beautiful one, “These have kind meanings?” The florist nods, “Yes! The pink gardenias and zinnias mixed with the red roses mean an everlasting romantic love.” You thank them as you pay for them and continue on your way. You show your badge to the security presiding outside, and the one leads you in and into the dressing room. You thank him and greet the rest of the staff on the inside. “It’s already started.” The hairstylist tells you, and you pout, “I didn’t mean to be late…” She pats your head, “It’s okay. I heard they were shipping out albums today, and seeing as you have yours, I see why you were late!” You laugh, “Yeah, I had to open them before coming!” She nods, “Did you pull a lot of Kino?” You smile, “Quite a bit! I’m just missing a sticker of his! I’ll probably have to collect a few of his preorder cards if they’re cute!” She shakes her head, “You have the real deal, though…” The makeup artist shakes his head, “If my husband were in an idol group, I’d be collecting everything of his and more!” You laugh, “He gets it perfectly!” Your conversation dies down as they start performing again. And you’re entranced as you squeeze the flowers close to you.

When they finish the showcase and say their goodbyes, they come back to the dressing room. You greet them, and they smile, giving you small greetings, and when Hyunggu enters, you get up and present him flowers. “For you, my love.” He grins, “Thank you.” You smile and tell him, “You did well today. I’m so proud of you!” He grins and brings you in for a hug. From behind, you hear a cry of, “Where’s our hugs?!” You both laugh and part and hug them and congratulate each other for their performance. You sit back in your seat and wait for them all to collect themselves before asking, “Is there any way I can have you guys sign this lovely album?” They nod, taking turns signing it, and you thank each of them as they do.

You come back to Hyunggu with your pen, “Mr. Kino, may I have the honors?” He laughs and teases, “But you’ve already had so many others sign your album~ Shouldn’t you only want mine?” You blink at him, “I’d only want yours on a marriage certificate.” And the other boys snicker at him, and you watch his cheeks turn red as he asks, “You want to marry me someday?” You laugh as if the answer is obvious. As he finishes signing, you tell him, “Of course I do.” He blushes, “Me too.” It was your turn to blush, and you kissed the top of his head. As you sit beside him and place the album onto your lap, Wooseok sits beside you, “Where are you going to put our signatures?” You smile, “I have this standee waiting at home on my shelf for it~” He smiles, “Oh, that’s sweet.” You nod and continue talking to Wooseok. And feel Hyunggu’s hand rub against your own, and you link your hand to his.

When a break in the conversation happens, you sneak a smile at him. Yuto joins the conversation, and they talk about their upcoming promotions, and you listen intently and ask, “Are you guys up for an award?” They agree, “Every time we have a comeback, yeah.” You smile, “The Show, right?” They nod, and Changgu comes over, “We don’t expect anything, but we hope we gave Unis a good song.” You smile, “I think you guys did more than that.” He hums, “I guess only a universe would know~” You laugh and nod. At home, you put your album up on the shelf with pride, head to your phone, log into Star Pass, and vote continuously with the points you’ve garnered.

Time flies, and the day of ‘The Show’s’ showcase came faster than you expected. Maybe it was because of your constant voting and cheering that made time pass quicker. Or it was because you followed the same schedule as them. When they left to go somewhere, so did you, and with what little free time you had, you were voting. While, you would have voted for the beautiful song regardless if you weren’t dating a member. It felt more special because you thought you helped give him the gift he always wanted to achieve. Like how you could have gotten their albums for free, yet you still pre ordered them. You’d do anything to support him. It’s what made your guy’s relationship so special. Your endless support of each other’s dreams was unmatched. And you wouldn’t trade that devotion for the world.

Jinho came to the pre recording of ‘The Show,’ hearing that they were up for an award. It was fun to watch them all chat and get ready to perform. The nine of them combine after some bickering. They put their hands together and cheer, “Just do it. YO!” And you grin and wish them well. While they head up to the stage, you wait in the back with Jinho. The two of you start hoping and praying that somehow they would win. “Do you think it’s possible?” He nods, “I believe in them. I know we’ve been through a lot. And we've come close before. But I’m sure this time will be different. I feel it in my bones.” You smile, “Yeah, I know I haven’t been here long with you guys or as a Universe. But I did my very best to vote and hopefully ensure one. But I think you’re right.” He smiles and nods, the two of you intently watching the eight of them perform their hearts out on stage.

They return from the stage, and you two congratulate them on their performance. And Hyunggu rushes over, “Sweaty hug?!” You groan out, ‘No’ as he hugs you tightly. You sigh and hold him anyway, “You did well, baby.” He thanks you, and you ask, “Can I please get some Febreeze or something?” He whines but hands you some, and the staff moves around to fan and get them dry before they’re due on stage again. You hand the spray over to Jinho as he complains, “At least you only got one…” You laugh at him, “Eh, they’re happy, and that’s what matters.” He shakes his head and mumbles, “Kids…”

They’re called up to the stage about thirty minutes later when they’re all fresh and dry to accept the award. As the last performing member exits and the door closes, you tell them, “I got flowers in my car. I’m going to run to grab them while they make announcements.” They nod, and you speed out and show your tag to each security officer. And rush to your car, pulling out a big bouquet, hoping this one would be a celebration bouquet rather than one to cheer them up. You finally make it back in time to see the announcers getting ready for them to tally up the points.

You cross your fingers and all the appendages you can twist up in hope. You gasp as the views and preorder score pop up. Weki Meki’s and Weekly’s numbers don’t even come close to adding up to 5000. The pre-voting numbers make you slightly nervous. Weki Meki comes ahead of them by 890. But they’d have to pull off an impressive feat to beat Pentagon in the real-time voting category. You gasp as the last number and the totals come up: they won. Your eyes turn bleary as you cry, “They did it!” The two of you hug as you cheer them on from the inside. You smile as you watch them high-five and hug and listen to their speeches as tears run down your cheeks. You pat Jinho’s back, “I can’t believe they did it…” He nods, “Hyunggu told me to watch while I was away because they’d win, and they did.” You look to see his proud smile before returning your eyes to the TV screen.

The two of you giggle as they lift Hui into the air, and their little ‘thank you’s cause you to cry more, and you give up and grab the tissue box. You wipe your eyes as you watch them. They did it, they really did it. You watch Shinwon hand Hyunggu the award and whisper, “Oh no, he’s crying…” Jinho takes his turn and pats you on the back as you cry harder. You were so thankful Shinwon and Hui were up there to hold and take care of him. You laugh through your tears as Changgu laughs at him but still helps him walk it out. They gather him and help him to the back. And you do your best to wipe your tears away and dispose of your used tissues. Jinho whispers, “I’m so proud of them.” You grin back at him as you both stand there waiting for them, “Me too.”

When the door opens, you congratulate them all, and Hyunggu immediately wraps himself in your arms. He finally bursts into tears, and it breaks your heart into pieces. You whisper the phrases “You’ve made it,...” and “I’m so proud of you...” over and over into his ears. The boys come over to check on him every so often. And when Jinho comes over, you release him, and Jinho tells him, “You promised me, and look at you, you did it!” Which makes him start to hiccup as he finally regains his senses.

You go over and grab the ‘large bouquet,’ which were small bouquets individually wrapped inside a large parcel as you had asked for. You hand them out, congratulating each of them on their success. In the end, you face them all except for the two in the corner and tell them, “You boys did so well. I’m so proud of you. And I know for a fact Universes have been trying to give you a win, and I’m so glad they accomplished that feat for you guys.” They thank you, and you shake your head as you tell them, “No, thank you for giving us such an amazing album.” They laugh, and you head over and hand Hyunggu and Jinho their flowers last. As you move your hand away from Hyunggu’s he grabs your pinky in his and holds it the whole time as you tell them you're proud of them.

You leave to the couch so they can take photos, and once they change, they shout a vlive immediately, thanking all of Unis, and you couldn’t be happier as you watched both on screen and in person. The staff and you take the nine of them out on the company card and treat them to whatever they want. Hui clinks his glass and gives a huge cheer to his members, and you all clink your glasses and drink. You bring Hyunggu into you as he becomes soft and mushy about it again. And you can’t help but grin and kiss his forehead, “You’ve done wonderful, lovely. Eat the rest of your meal, okay?” He nods and does as you ask. You all have dessert and do one last hip-hip-hooray for the nine of them.

Your training started after their promotions ended. You were on that track: rain, snow, or shine. Well, you were inside karting when it snowed or rained. But regardless, you trained as often as you could. It would get pretty tiring if you weren’t in love with the sport. That every day you woke up excited to race. But today would be different. You were acting like you were heading out to race as Hyunggu showed up. “Hey, baby, are you going out today?” You tell him you are as you tie your last shoe, “Wait for me!” You grin as you watch your boyfriend scuttle around and gather his things to head out with you. You were planning a little karting date for the past week, making sure no other drivers would be there and it would be clear outside on your date.

You hold out your car keys to him, “Wanna drive?” He raises an eyebrow at you as you do and grins, “I wanna be the passenger this time.” He laughs and takes the car keys, “It’s not often you get to chauffeur a world-class driver.” You giggle and kiss his nose before heading to the car and opening the door, “My prince?” He grins and pops open your door as you get to the passenger's side, “Your ride awaits, your highness.” You laugh and get in, and he reaches over and clicks your seatbelt on around you. You grin as you thank him, and he pulls on his belt and takes you to the practice track.

You both get out, and you hold back your grin as you ask, “Do you want to try karting with me?” He furrowed his eyebrows, “I can?” You laugh, “Yeah, the smaller building houses karting while the larger is for Formula cars.” He asks, “Really? You’d want to do that with me?” You laugh, “Why wouldn’t I?” He shrugs, “I thought it was only big leagues allowed here.” You shake your head, “Well, when others are here, yeah.” He raises his eyebrow, “Are we gonna get caught?” You shake your head, “They already know.” He gasps, “You planned this?” You nod, “Yeah… For about a month now.” He smiles, and you continue, “Also, it’s not illegal. Just would be a little dangerous since you’re new, and the people here would run circles around you.” He pouts at that, and you shake your head, “I just mean they’re trained professionals.” He agrees, and you capture his hand in yours, “And lastly, I think it’d be fun to show you the ropes and everything I do. Like how you’ve shown me.” He smiles, bringing your hands up, and places a kiss on top of yours, “I’d love that.”

You get him outfitted into a helmet and mic, “This part kind of reminds me of my career.” You nod, “Well, if we wish to talk on the track, it’s a lot easier this way. And I’m not allowing you to race without safety.” He raises an eyebrow, “Have you raced without safety?” You shrug, “By myself, yes, once or twice when I’ve forgotten. With others, no, I don’t want a head injury.” His eyes go wide at that, “You mean?” You nod, “Yeah, it’s possible karting, but we won’t be doing anything risky, so no need for concerns.” He lets out a sigh of relief, “Good.” You ruffle his hair before he puts on his helmet. You ask, “Alright, lift your visor for me.” You grin, “I just wanted to see your pretty eyes.” He smiles and lifts yours, “Yours are pretty, too.” You blush and shake your head, “Okay, I’ll explain the rules and how to drive it. But follow me the first time around the track, and I promise you’ll get the hang of it from there.”

You explain it all to him before shutting your visors and showing him around the track, and he eventually gets the hang of the gas and brake. “You got it?” He holds his hand out and shakes it as if to say, ‘So-so’. You nod, “Wanna drive beside me?” He nods, “I’d like that.” You take him around the track with you. You whisper, “It’s kind of fun to be beside you like this.” And you hear him hum before he says, “I see why you love it. When I’m beside you, it’s a lot more fun.” You smile, “Karting with you is fun.” You go through the track together, and he has a better time handling it. You ask him if he wishes to race against you this time, and he agrees.

You two race around for a few rounds, with you coming in first with ease. This track has become etched in the back of your mind with how many times you’ve raced it. You speed around and giggle as you hear his laughter as he’s managed to get in front of you. You smile to yourself. Doing this for fun always reminds you of your zest for it. You cackled as you bumped into him again, “Hey! No excessive bumping! This isn’t bumper cars!!” You make an ‘L’ with your fingers at him and jeer, “Loooooseerrr!” And zoom past him and cross the finish line again. You wait for him to return and see the pouty baby, and you giggle and pull him into a small hug, “Aw, come here, you’re my favorite loser.” He whines at that as you pull away, “You have years on me in this!” You giggle and make a cute gesture, “I know, just like how you have years on me as a singer.” Seeing his window of opportunity, he hits the gas, “Catch me if you can~” You shake your head and let him have his five-second head start. You decide on taking it slow behind him, maybe a turn away from where he is. And he gets this determined look on his face as you grow nearer.

You grin, realizing he’s feeling the need for speed, and start to tail him, making him go around faster. He starts snaking so you can’t go around him, and you laugh. “You know that’s an illegal move~” “You didn’t say so until after we started, so it’s not a rule~” You shrug, “Fair enough.” You rev your kart behind him every time he slows down, which has him snake around faster. You slow down around a turn to see how quickly he’d make it to the finish line. And you grin as you see him speed to the checkered line. You speed up behind him, “You beat me!” You cheer, and he chuckles, “I did!” You ask, “You know what winners get?” “A kiss?” You nod, pull up next to him, and lift your helmet off to see he’s patiently waiting. You shake your head at him before pulling him in for a kiss. “One more round?” He nods, and you smile, “Let’s race together?” He nods, and you pull on your helmet again, and you make little vrooming noises in the mic, which causes him to laugh as the two of you take off again.

After finishing your last race together, you put your carts, helmets, and padding in their rightful spots. You head over to the lights and turn them off one by one. You whine, “I hate this part.” He laughs, “I can see why. It gives backroom vibes.” You groan, “Yeah, exactly.” You both rush to the big door, “Alright, time to lock up.” You turn off the last light and get out into the night air. You lock the door, and he wraps his arm around you, “This was a pleasant surprise.”

You smile and wrap your arm around his waist, “I was hoping you’d like it.” He nods, “It’s just as fun as watching you race.” “You think so?” “Seeing you have fun and live your dream is thrilling to me. But karting with you today gave me a taste of the dream you follow. And it’s wonderful.” You smile, and the two of you walk back to your car. And you drive you both back home, “Do your legs feel like jelly?” He laughs, “Very much so. Is this normal?” You grin, “Yeah, but you get used to it, especially because it doesn’t compare to the speeds of the cars I usually drive.” He nods, “Makes sense.”

—--

You continue your practice racing, but every once in a while, when all the drivers have left. And Hyunggu was the only one in the stands. After practicing, you’d head and do a few rounds of karting together. The joy of seeing him get his first ‘real’ win felt unbelievable, and you couldn’t believe he had beaten you. You could have chalked it up as being distracted because of his charms. But really, he had just learned your tricks from watching you every day. “I’m proud of you, baby!” He boasted about it on his social media, and you took photos of him being so triumphant. You couldn’t help but feel proud as you had taught him everything.

He asked while you were going home that day, “You know how you let me kart with you? Maybe someday I can get your vocals on an album?” You blushed, “You’d like my vocals on an album? But you’ve heard my voice…” He shakes his head, “I love your voice. I like hearing it when you sing softly along to our songs or the radio. It’s pleasant. Of course, you never have to if you don’t want to. But if you’d like and the opportunity comes, I’d love to have your voice on one of my tracks.” You nod and tell him, “Maybe someday… I’m glad we can share our careers with each other.” He smiles and places his hand over yours, “Me too.”

—---

It felt unbelievable to believe you were back here on this track again. Hyunggu holds your hand the whole way up to the garage. You had practiced the entire night, only going home when Hyunggu phoned you through the mic to go home. You were so nervous that you barely slept. You didn’t want a repeat of last year and worried throughout the night, even with him beside you. He pats the top of your hand, “You got this baby. I know you do, you’ve trained harder, and you know this track this time.” You gulp, “Are you sure?” He stops you halfway to your team and puts his hands on your shoulders, “I’ve never been more sure of something or someone than I am of you right now.” You lock eyes with him, “You mean it?” He nods, “With every fiber of my being.” You wrap your arms around him, “Thank you. I’m gonna win today.” He chuckles, “I know you will, baby.”

He was right. You knew the track, and you were more prepared. You spent your first practice run jogging your memory of each curve. And you felt more confident with each one you took. When your second practice run began, you did as if you were qualifying. As you return to the finish line, you see your clock, the time reads back ‘1:47.03’, and you hear your race engineer go, “You can shave that down. I know you can.” And you agree as you pull back into the pit. “You ready to show them who you are out there?” You nod at your race engineer, and he smiles, “I believe in you.” You smile, and Hyunggu comes over with a big grin, “You did so well, baby!!” You tease, “Maybe it’s because I had to finally challenge myself in karting~.” He laughs, “I don’t think so. But I love the thought, baby. Now, go out there and knock ‘em dead. Or drive faster than them, whatever works.” You laugh at that and blow him a kiss before he heads off.

Unlike the last race, you were in spot twenty-five to start, an incredible placement as opposed to last time. When they call for the twenties to thirties to race, you strap in and wait for the signal. You exit the pit and stop at the line momentarily before barreling down the track. You took the turns more sharply but just as safely as your coach called out the shots. You listened to them as if they were second nature, “Coming up on your left!” You nod and see the car catching up to you, and you shake your head, “Do I have leverage up on the right?” “Yeah! Gun it!” You gas and spin the wheel quickly to make a faster turn, leaving the competitor in the dust. You let out a huff and make it back to the line. The numbers read back to you, “1:38.34”. You scoff, catch your breath, and see your competitor come up beside you and quickly start their second race. You hold back for another moment, wanting a clear track for at least two curves.

“Ready, (Y/n)?” “As I’ll ever be.” And with that, you punch it, going faster than you last had, wanting desperately to make it and stay on the board. Unlike last year, there would only be twenty spots, and you were determined to be one of the twenty. You gulp as you reach the finish line and speed up even faster. “Come on, come on, come on!” You cry as you cross the finish line, and the numbers flash, “1:30.985.” You gasp. You shaved seventeen whole seconds off of your original time, and you can’t help but cheer as you pit. “I think I may have it this time!” The crew all cheers as you get out and wait. Hyunggu wraps you up in a hug and excitedly says, “Let’s watch!” You nod and watch the screens as everyone whizzes by. You hear, “Was it easier this time?” One of the members who changes tires asks. And you nod, “Yeah, knowing the track helped.” They pat your back, “I believe we’ll make it this time.” You smile and start silently praying that you will.

You get booted from the top ten and let it roll off your shoulders. One day, you’d make it into the top ten with ease. When the last racer finishes their laps, you gasp, “I’m still in…” It stuns you as you look at the screen in shock and hear everyone erupt into cheers, “You’re in spot sixteen!” They pick you up and lift you into the air, “We’re going to the Grand Prix!!” You can’t believe your ears, your biggest dream since you were little, and you were about to live it. You didn’t even realize you were crying until you were put back onto the cement again. You hear cheers of ‘We’re so proud of you!’ ‘We made it!’ and ‘That’s our racer!’ but all you see is Hyunggu. He picks you up and spins, “You’re going to be a Grand Prix racer! I’m so proud of you! I knew you could do it!” You wipe the tears from your eyes as you thank him.

You head and thank the other racers who didn’t make it to the Grand Prix for racing with you today. And some of them congratulate you because they met you last year. You head out to the racer’s circle, “You twenty are going to be racing the next twelve races together.” You gulp, and the track owner asks, “Is anyone new to the Grand Prix?” Although he wasn't trying to single anyone out. Alas, he does. And you wave your hand, “Our only newcomer this year! Well, you already know what it takes to get here. But please get to know your fellow racers and good luck!” You smile and get accustomed to the other nineteen. And they welcome you in, and the one goes, “I can’t guarantee we’ll be friendly out there to you. We’re all trying to win, after all. But we do fight fair.” “Welcome to the big leagues, kid!” You laugh, “Thanks, but isn’t that what they say in baseball?” He nods, “Yeah, but we say it here too.” You smile, get to know the racers, pose for the camera, and introduce your car.

And go about the mini-press meetings. One of the racers, Carlos, says, “This will get easier by the second race.” You sigh, “I hope so, 'cause I have a lot of nerves right now.” He pats your back, “I promise, their questions will pertain more to your car and racing capabilities the longer the races go on.” You nod, “That’ll be easier.” He nods, heads to his car, and chats more to the presses. You find your way back, “I don’t know how you deal with that constantly.” Hyunggu looks over to the crowd of mics and cameras, “We’re trained on how to talk to them early on. So, it’s not as hard.” You laugh, “I wish. I just did my best out there.” He smiles, “That’s all anyone can ask.” He kisses your forehead, “So, do you want to go out and celebrate?” You grin, “I’d love to.”

The crew was already out celebrating, seeing as they had more to prepare for the upcoming twelve races than you did. “When will you be back?” You look at the chart they sent you, “After March fifteenth... And to officially stay at home? Not until November.” He nods, “We’ll be away from each other for a long time…” You sigh, “But I’ll always be a phone call away, I promise.” He nods, “I’m going to miss your first race, aren’t I?…” You nod solemnly, “I know it’s okay… I think I’ll miss your performances, new album…” He sighs, “Yeah, that’s going to be hard.” You grasp his hands in yours, “It’s going to be okay. You can watch me on your TV race, and I can watch you on mine in the hotel perform your heart out.” He gives you a small smile, “I’ll try to make it to one of your races.” You squeeze his hands, “I’ll try to make it to one of your performances.”

As you pack your last things to head out onto the plane, Hyunggu comes over, “I’m going to miss you.” You sigh, “I’m going to miss you too.” He nods and helps you sort the last few of your things. You zip up your suitcase as you sit in front of him. He grabs your hands, “What’s wrong?” You sigh, “We won’t be able to be there for each other this time around.” He nods, “I’ve been thinking about that too…” You nod, “I know we have our staff and friends, but I don’t know… It’s just not going to be the same.” He nods, “You’re a constant presence in my life. It’ll be weird to be apart.” You interlock your hands, “I know we’ll be fine on our own. And that being apart is good for a healthy relationship to flourish. But I really wish to be by your side.” He squeezes your hands in his, “I wish we could stay like this for longer.” You sigh and look at his candy-floss pink hair, “I can’t believe you’re pink, and I’ll get to miss a majority of it…” He laughs, “I’ll be missing you in that uniform.” “Kang…” He smirks, “How long before you need to be at the airport?” You look at the clock before smirking, “A few hours.” And he captures your lips in his, “Let’s make the most of it, shall we?”

—---

You arrived in Melbourne and settled in for the next two days, seeing sights and getting used to the climate. As you were on your way to Australia, Pentagon dropped their new album, and you listened to it. You loved the whole album and told Hyunggu happily about each track when you landed. When the race drew closer, they allowed all the racers to start practicing on the track. The songs were so catchy that even with the roar of your engine, you could hear them as you whipped around curves and learned the road. It was good enough fuel to keep you racing.

Off the track, you spend the majority of your time watching their music videos, behind-the-scenes, and stages. Hyunggu texts you when he finishes his last interview of the day, and you call him up, “I miss you so much.” And he sighs out the same, “I feel like a piece of me is missing without you here.” You agree, and he asks you about your day, and you tell him about how the track feels and how fast your times were. He was proud of you for having good times, and you asked him to tell you about his day. And his day started at three in the morning and didn’t finish until six in the afternoon. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” He hums, “No, I’d rather talk to you.” You sigh, “I’d rather talk to you too… But baby, your sleep means more to me than that. So, go to bed, it’s okay. I’ll be here for you to talk to tomorrow.” You can almost hear the pout in his voice as he says, “Okay…” You smile, and you tell each other your goodbyes.

You slept restlessly, tossing and turning, knowing that tomorrow was the big day. And not having Hyunggu to calm you down drove you insane. Even the teddy bear he gave you wasn’t enough. You were so thankful for the morning to come as you got ready. Hyunggu called you up, “Today’s the big day!” You gulped, “Yeah…” He reapproaches that subject, “You nervous for today?” You softly agree, and he says, “I know you have numerous reasons to be nervous, but I’ll cheer you on no matter what happens. I know you’re an amazing racer. You just need to show them.” You smile, “You think so?” He chuckles, “Think? I know you are, dear. Do you want me to talk to you all the way there?” “Yeah, if you could… It would take my mind off of it. Tell me about everything.” He fills you in on everything from the stage lights to the eating habits of Hui’s dog, Happy. It keeps you calm as you're driven to the event.

“And then, because Wooseok was messing with Changgu, Yanan moved his chair slightly to the left!” “What?” “Yeah! And when he went to sit on the chair and slipped right out of it 'cause it wasn’t where it was!” You laugh, “You boys certainly get up to madness.” He laughs, “Oh, I have more stories if you have time!” You smile, “I have time for one more.” You leave the car and head to the garage where the rest of your crew is, politely greeting them while listening to Hyunggu tell you about everything happening in Dorm A. He finishes as you sit down, “I’m at the garage… I’ve loved listening to you…” “But you have to go?” You hum, and he says, “I love you, baby. Go get ‘em!” You smile, “I love you too, and I’ll do my best.” “That’s all I ask.” You say your last goodbyes and hang up.

You get suited up and get good coaching from your crew members. “You’ll do just fine. Just listen to the car and your engineer, okay?” You agree, and they pat you on the back before helping you into the car. They have you do two practice rounds before they start qualifying. You make it through the first round and make spot eighteen. It made your nerves itch. It was close to the end. But your team still cheered you as you returned, “It’ll be okay. It’s your first race in the Grand Prix. Hell, it’s our first race, too. So just do your best.” You agree, wait for them to call the racers, and do your best to calm your nerves. You calm down after qualifying and get into spot eighteen. When the race portion starts, the first thirty minutes fly by. You did everything to stay in your original position, but once you lost that position, you quickly lost the nineteenth.

They ate you alive out there… They were kind people off the track, but they weren’t kidding when they said they weren’t going easy on you just because you were new. You did everything right. Your car was in mint condition, and you sped around the curves, even with those two practice rounds. But it wasn’t enough. You came up short. For the longest time, you couldn't even see number nineteen, let alone its bumper. But at the end of the last five laps, you could see their bumper. You couldn't get around them even if you wanted to, and your engineer calmed you down from above, “You’re doing as good as you can. This is all new to you. It’s okay to come in last. Someone always has to. This time it’s you. Maybe next time it won’t be.” You agreed, and in the end, you ended up beside the car in front of you. At least you accomplished that small feat. You could only hope to grow better.

------

You call Shinwon up, knowing he’d be able to keep the secret of you being able to make it to one of their performances. “We’ll be performing on M Countdown on the first. You’d have to be in the back by 3 a.m. That’s when we’re going to be arriving.” You agree wholeheartedly, and he goes, “We watched you race, by the way.” “We?” He chuckles, “All of us did. We were cheering you on the whole time.” You don’t let any tears spill as you thank him, “You did well for your first race in the Grand Prix.” You sigh, “Last place?” He says, “Yeah, it means you got nowhere to go but up from here.” Your tears leave your eyes as you whisper, “I guess you’re right…”

“You want me to transfer you to Hyunggu?” You mumble a ‘yes’, and he shuffles on the other end as you do your best not to cry, “Console your lover, man.” You let out a light laugh as Hyunggu’s voice rings through, “You okay?” You shake your head and remember he can’t see it as you whisper, ‘No’. “Oh, baby, why are you crying?” You whisper, “Shinwon has some kind words…” He laughs, “Yeah, he can probably make a building cry with his kindness.” You sigh out a laugh and say, “Yeah…” “What did he say?” “That I got nowhere to go but up.” He smiles, “Well, he’s right. We watched you race, and you were driving well, but the other racers had you because you were new to their racing styles. All you have to do is adjust, and I promise you, you’ll have it.”

He was right, and at your next race in Sakhir, Bahrain, you proved you were a racer worthy of being up in the ranks of Formula One. You made it to seventeenth place. It took everything out of you. But you were so proud of yourself, and as you sat in a diner with the rest of the crew, Hyunggu congratulated you. And you heard the rest of the group in the background cheering for you, and it warmed your heart. Your handling was well. And you were getting used to the races, the racers, and everything. It’s exactly how you hoped. Maybe you weren’t winning, but you were driving in the Grand Prix, and that’s what you wanted.

The next morning, as you were finishing packing to head home for at least a few days, your manager reminded you, “Remember, by the tenth, you have to be ready to fly out to Shanghai.” You nod and thank them, “I’ll see you then.” They laugh, “You’ll see me on the eleventh. I’ll be in Shenzhen until then.” You smile, “That sounds wonderful, enjoy your time!” “You too!” You head to the airport, excited to go home. You sleep the whole way there on the plane and take a cab home, not wanting Hyunggu to know you were back yet. You pick up your packages from the mailbox and cheer, “My albums!” And quickly rush up the stairs before unpacking some souvenirs and other little items you got along the way.

You spend the next day resting and getting used to your apartment again. But when it strikes 2 a.m., you text Shinwon asking if he can ask their manager to sneak you in. And he texts back, “He said yeah.” And a half hour later, you were in the car, “So how’s your racing life?” You smile, “It’s getting better.” “I watched your recent race on and off again. You did well.” “Thank you.” “Where’s your closest race?” “Suzuka, Japan, on the seventeenth of September.” “Oh, that’s a long time from now.” You nod solemnly, “But my next race is Shanghai!” “Oh, where Yanan is from!” You smile, “Yeah!” He pulls into the parking space, “You got your badges, right?” You nod, “They’ll let you in with no problem. I already informed them.” “Thank you for everything.” He smiles, and you get out and wave goodbye.

You walk in, scan your security tag, and talk to a few people as they lead you to Pentagon’s dressing room. You thank them and see a few of the stylists, “I didn’t expect to see you so soon!” You laugh, “Surprise!” She laughs, “Here to surprise Kino and them?” You nod, “Well, all except Shinwon, he helped me organize this.” She smiles, “It’ll be a lovely surprise then.” You smile and order breakfast for everyone while you wait. It arrived fast, considering it was from the inner cafe, which was currently bustling with orders.

You wait for the door to open and wave to the incoming boys. When Hyungggu comes in, you open your arms wide for him, “(Y/n)?! What are you doing here?” Hyunggu rushes into your open arms. You giggle as you wrap your arms around him. “I wanted to surprise you.” He nuzzles his face into your collarbone, “Best surprise ever.” You smile as you reach up and run your hands through his pink hair. “I’m glad you like it.” You eventually pull away and thank Shinwon, who shrugs and says, “It’s the least I could do.” You smile and greet the rest of them. Ensuring they all have something on their stomach before getting their makeup applied.

“You know the best thing about having at least seven other members…” “Hmm?” He smiles, “I get more time to spend with you while I wait for an empty spot.” You laugh, “It is nice.” He leans his cheek against your arm, and you pull out your phone to watch videos together while you wait. He kisses you as he’s called to put his makeup on, and you put your phone down to watch them pretty him up. You make faces at him as they put lipstick on him, and he scrunches his nose up, trying his best not to laugh. And you grin as you make one last face, and he lets out a slight giggle as they move the brush away from him.

Yanan comes over with a smile, “I heard your next race is supposed to be in Shanghai…” You smile, “Yeah, I’m very excited about it. Do you have any suggestions of where I should visit there?” He lights up as he tells you about his hometown. You hang onto his every word and make mental notes on places to visit. As they’re called up to the stage, you tell him, “Feel free to text me more if we don’t get time to talk after this!” And he grins, “I will!” While they’re still in your head, you write some of the things he talked about. While you wished you could spend it with them, you knew the reality. And while you and Hyunggu had made it public to the media that you were together not too long ago. It still wouldn’t make the timing any better.

You cheered them on as you watched them perform, your heart enamored by the song, seeing it more in person than before. As you wait for them to return, you ask if they have anything after this. The staff shakes their heads, “Probably resting. They have to do this tomorrow, too.” You nod, and in come the boys. You grin as you tell them they all did a fantastic job as they wait around for the call-back to do the actual recording.

You hand Hyunggu tissues as he talks to you about your career. You shrug and tell him since you’re still starting out in the big leagues, it’s a lot to wrap your head around. And he pats your knee, “But you’ve gotten better. You just placed 17th not too long ago. That’s better than before!” You smile, “Yeah, I hope by the last race of the season, I'll be able to pull off a win.” He nods, “I know you’ll work hard until you do.” You smile, and he kisses your cheek and giggles. “You got a glossy mark on you now.” You flip your phone camera to see that he’s right. “You have to reapply your lipstick and gloss now…” He laughs, “Already had to.” You shake your head and wear it happily as he bounds into the chair.

When he finishes the live recording and changes into his regular clothes, you ask if he can go home with you. And the others agree you have the managers escort you back, dropping you two off first before they head to drop the rest of them off. Changgu asks as you get out, “When will we see you next?” You sadly smile, “As soon as I can make time, but the next few races are a little close for a break…” He nods, “We’ll take care of Hyunggu until you return.” You put your pinky out to him and ask, “Promise?” He smiles and wraps his pinky around yours as he promises to take care of Hyunggu. “You’ll take care of yourself out on that track too.” You nod as you promise to do that, too. And with that, the door closes, and the two of you head up to your apartment.

You ask on your way up, “Do you want to open albums with me?” He asks, “Which artist’s album did you buy?” “Yours.” He blushes, “Why?” You roll your eyes and sarcastically say, “Well, I want to be able to giggle over Yuto’s handsome pictures to someone…” Which immediately causes him to pout, and you push his arm, “I can’t wait to see how handsome you look, and I can’t wait to kiss you every time I find you handsome.” He grins and squeezes your hand as you open your apartment door, “I like that idea.” And you do just that, hiding the inclusions from yourself as you look through the photobook. You kiss his cheek every time you find him good-looking, “I never understood the appeal of someone blowing bubblegum bubbles until today!” He hides his face in your shoulder, “Baby…” You shrug, “It’s the truth! Remind me to get some bubblegum for you.” He groans, and you smirk, “Huh? Are we getting shy now?” He whines even more, and you pull him to face you, “You’re so beautiful, my love.”

When you pull away, he goes, “Thanks for the reminder…” You smile, and he wraps his arm around your waist as you pull out the photocards. Not one Kino. Which causes you to pout, “I thought you were supposed to make all my album pulls…” And he goes, “Maybe you pulled me as the poster?” And you nod as you pull away the cover to reveal Hui. “My favorite version, and I can’t pull my man… What luck…” He runs his fingers through your hair, “But you have the real deal.” You glance at him and mumble, “I guess,” which causes him to pout right back at you. You put the album aside before opening the sporty version and have better luck.

And you do! You pull his poster, and that’s it… You pout over at him again, and he kisses your pout away. Although you happily keep the ones you’ve pulled, at least until you can trade for Kino’s. With the mild version, you open it up full of hope. You groan, “You look good in suspenders…” He laughs, “I guess?” You nod, “You do.” He smiles, and you look to see your CD case, says Wooseok. And that your cover is Yeo One, but then you squeal as you check the photocards to see you pulled not one but two Kino’s! “I was hoping I’d pull one of your cards!” He grins, and you kiss him, “Now I got something new to put in my phone case!” He smiles as you switch out your we:th card for your favorite mild card. You give him one last kiss, “Thanks for packing this one at least!” He shrugs, “I didn’t, but I was hopeful you’d pull a card of me.” You smile, and he asks for you to take a photo with him as you start putting your albums back together.

“Why?” He smiles, “I want a new lock screen.” You laugh and pose with him cutely, and he kisses your cheek as you smile, and he goes, “Perfect.” He quickly sets it as his new photo, and you get up and put your albums and photocards away. “What do you say to some takeout?” You grin, “Good enough for me!”

—---

After a few days of relaxing, you were on the next flight out, but Hyunggu saw you off before you went. The media after you both like flies, but you didn’t bat an eye as you gave him a tight hug before checking into your flight. You saw as many sites as Yanan had listed and told him what you thought of each place. And he grinned as you sent him pictures, “It’s practically like being home.” You smiled and sent him some more before you were behind the wheel. You called Hyunggu on the way and talked to him about China and how lovely it was before strapping in and getting ready for the race. “You’ll only get better with time, I promise, my love.” You thank him for his advice as you hang up and hand your phone over. It was different not to have him walk you up and console you in person. But you supposed it would have to do. You put on your helmet and flicked it on before beginning the race and placing 18th, one placement lower than last. You sighed heavily as you got back to the pits, ashamed. They cheered you up, “You’re going to have good days and bad. Let’s pray that the next ones will be better.” And so you do. Even if it seemed silly, it still gave you some hope.

It took several races to break the mold of being in the teens. At your race in Spielberg, Austria, you cried as you crossed the finish line. Your whole crew started cheering for you over the mic, happily congratulating you as you did. You made 10th place for the first time, and you all celebrated with a good drink. And from there, you only did better, gaining 8th at the next. And while a minor accident had led to you being in 4th at the next race, you still couldn’t believe your eyes. You did worse in Italy with 6th place, but considering it was in the tens, you couldn’t be more proud. You called Hyunggu after every race, and he celebrated every single one of your victories, and you encouraged him to continue working hard. While you couldn’t be together physically, knowing you always had each other’s support made the difference.

The next race is like a whirlwind, in the closest race you’ve raced the whole season. You placed third in Singapore. You get cheers from all of your crew. You get to be in the winner’s circle for the first time. And you laugh as you watch your fellow racer get sprayed with champagne, and you hope one day you'll experience that as you head off the pitch. You’re on the line with all of Pentagon as they cheer you on. Yuto goes, “Jinho and Hui wish for you to know they’re very proud of you too!” You grin and thank them as Hyunggu takes over and tells you how much he loves you. And how he thinks you're the 'coolest racer in the world.' And how he can’t wait to see how you’ll place in the next race if this is anything to go by. You grin as you thank him and head home, smiling the whole way to bed.

—---

It’s seven a.m. in Suzuka, and the birds are chirping. It looks as beautiful as it sounds out there. You wonder if today will be your lucky day as you wipe your eyes. Maybe a peaceful morning would be the perfect way to spend it. After all, you have three hours before you need to be at the track. That’s until you get the call from your race engineer, “Hey, can you be out here early?” You sigh, the idea of a relaxing morning ripped away from you immediately, “Can I get a shower in before then?” He agrees, “Yeah, of course, but before nine.” You agree, groaning as you get off the call and fight your way out of the comfy bed. After a vicious battle with the blankets, you get prepared for the day.

You walk into the pit and see your race engineer who stops you, “I’m glad you could make it this early.” You nod, “What’s it all about?” He looks down at his shoes before looking at you, “Maybe you should head into the garage…” His face doesn’t give any clues, so you assume the worst. Your car’s engine has exploded, and they don’t have a spare, which sounds outlandish to your rational mind, but it’s the only idea popping up. So, when you walk through the side entrance to see it’s pitch black, you don't know what to think. You squint as you search for the light switch, “Why the hell did he turn it off…” You flick it on and see your boyfriend and friends all happily sitting there and waiting for you. You break out into sobs, and they immediately wrap you up into a group hug.

Hyunggu asks softly, “Oh, why are you crying?” Just for him to hiccup and cry, too, which causes the softer-hearted members to cry as they hold you closer. Well, the best that they can since it is seven people surrounding one. When they break away, your tears slowly stop. And they ruffle your hair. “I’m so happy to see you all…” They all say their various agreements, and Hyunggu kisses your forehead and wipes your cheeks of any remnants of tears. “How the hell did you guys get a day off…” Hongseok answers for them all, “We’re quite persuasive, and also, Hyunggu wouldn’t stop crying to them about you.” He pouts, “I was not crying.” The others laugh, “Yeah, sure... that’s not what you were doing.” You look into his eyes and ask, “You did this for me?” He nods, “Of course I would.” You push your head into his chest as you shake with more tears.

When you finally collect yourself, they ask you to teach them about the car. And so you do. You have them get in and try sitting in it. They do their best to get a feel for it, and you laugh as they tell you it’s uncomfortable to sit in, and you shrug, “It’s made for me. It’s not supposed to be comfortable for anyone else.” They nod, and you show them some background things and how it’s supposed to work. Your manager comes in, “Oh when he said there were a lot of people back here, I didn’t think he meant your friends.” You all laugh, and they say, “We got thirty minutes until qualifying.” You pout, “Really?” They nod, “Sorry.” You sigh, “Well, where are you guys sitting?” They tell you about the VIP rooms they secured, and you go, “You could have just asked me?” Hyunggu shakes his head, “Wouldn’t have been quite a surprise then?” You laugh, “I guess not.” The others wish you well, and before Hyunggu leaves, he kisses you before saying, “Do your best out there?” “Always. I love you.” He grins, “I love you more.” He races off to follow the others, and you get suited up for the race with ten minutes to spare.

As qualifying finishes, you place eleventh, which is a neutral position. Not giving you any indications of how it’ll end, but you don’t mind. You have your tires changed out for mediums as you return, “Yeah, I think for this track, it’d be better to get soft last.” You converse with them and see a colorful crew sitting in the back. You remember who’s there, and without a second thought, you fly out of the car, so excited to see them all again. “It’s wild to see you guys. I just can’t believe my eyes.” They laugh and sweep you up into another hug as you all converse.

You spend your time with them until you both have to leave. You get into race mode while they get into cheerleader mode. You nearly cry as they give you a “Just do it. Yo!” send-off. You settle back into your car, and if you were Lighting Mcqueen, you’d be giving yourself the ‘I am speed’ chant as you place your helmet on again. Rather, you’re humming the lyrics to ‘Just Do It Yo’ as you strap yourself into the seat. You get taps onto your helmet as well wishes.

Everyone brings themselves onto the track in their positions, and you sigh as you wait for them to signal you to start your engine again. You hear your engineer’s gentle encouragement as you look around at the other cars. You look up as best you can to see the stand your favorite people are in, and while you can’t see them, you can only imagine them fogging up the windows and watching. Maybe even eating the food from the stands below. You start your engine on cue and hear over your mic, “On your mark, get set, go!”

You waste no time snaking side to side, getting your tires into the feel of the road. It isn’t until you hit that first curve that everyone starts zooming, and you’re right alongside them. In no time, you make tenth, and you can’t help but pat yourself on the back. Each lap draws you closer to the next car you speed around and eventually end up in ninth. You don’t hold back, not that you did before, but now, you have a reason to win. Maybe it was an inner show-off thing. But with your friends and boyfriend watching. You couldn’t help wanting to win even more. “And when you make this turn, you’ll be able to secure spot seven.” You agree as you gas it even further and speed around the curve. If this were an average car, you’d flip over as both accelerations changed, but you don’t let it phase you as you spin around the curve and into seventh place.

You let out a sigh of relief. Still, another thirty laps to go, and you were making good timing. You can’t see the cars in front of you just yet, so you do your best to start catching up to them. You close the gap with twenty-three more laps to go. Behind sixth, with seventh place far behind you now. You listen to your engineer make moves for you and execute them without problems as you slip in between the sixth and the red-and-white striped line. It was a little daring, but if your engineer cleared it. It was fine. After that, you take your pit stop before returning to the track. Thankfully, in front of seventh.

You watch as the fifth is doing everything to keep in that spot as they cut the corners tighter and do their best to stay right in front of you. You glare, not seeing an opening. That opening doesn’t come for another four laps. And when your engineer sees it, he has you seize it. You have no thoughts except winning on your brain as you start gaining on fourth. It takes a whole lap to catch up with them, but when you do, you waste no time as you cross the line again and take the lead in front of them. The first three were close to encountering the twentieth car as you came up behind them.

You gulp, wanting this to go easier, and eventually, the car in the twentieth position manages to escape their grip. Making one last obstacle you’d have to encounter to become first place. It takes forever to sneak in between the third and second, and even then, she’s right on your tail. You finally lose her on lap forty, but you still have to beat second to be head-to-head with first. This would be your first-place win if only you can manage it.

Your engineer encourages you with every step before he goes, “Hey, (Y/n), you’re going to want to hear this, don’t worry if needed, I’ll transfer the lines back, but listen to this-” And you hear the line transfer over and hear Hyunggu cheering, “Look at them go! That’s my lover, that’s my everything!!” If your heart was a little bit more fragile, you’d cry. You make moves to pass the car in front of you as he cheers, “Yeah, cut around in front of them! You got this! I believe in you!” You grin and whisper, “I’ll see you at the finish line.” He gasps, “You could hear me?” You laugh and tell him you can, and he says, “I’ll see you when you win, baby.” And with that, it transfers to your race engineer, “One more car, and you’re in the lead!” You smirk, “I know. We’re going to win today.” You hear him chuckle, “Yes we are, now gas it, and give ‘em hell, kid.” And you follow along like it’s second nature, gaining on the Ferrari-Mercedes.

They take a tight right turn, cutting you off from speeding below him. You scoff as you follow behind them, looking for an opening, willing to take any risk if it means the big reward. And with it drawing down to the last three laps, you had to make your move, and now… You gulp as you hear, “Now!” Without a second thought, you nail it, pushing your car harder than before as you speed around them. It was terrifying. More so than the last because now you’re in the lead. If this were Mario Kart, there would be shells and hellfire raining on you right now. You sigh as your race engineer cheers you on, “Okay, just keep this up for…” As you pass the finish line again, he goes, “Two laps!” You hold back your smile, knowing if you start feeling giddy now, you'll blow the whole race.

You don’t hesitate gaping yourself from the rest of the racers. You end up behind the twentieth car again. Who’s told over their mic to let you pass, and you do, you feel a little bad about it. But if it meant another car between you and second, then you’d take it. You pass the line again, “Last lap!” you both cheer in unison as you race around the track, eventually seeing nineteenth as you take the final curve to the finish line. And you almost can’t believe your eyes as you see the checkered flag signaling your win. You fly through not believing your eyes. The rest of the cars finish the laps they’re on before you start your lap of victory. You engineer joining the boys in their air-conditioned room. You start hearing all their cheers. You grin as you finish your lap and park your car on the finish line, excitement riddling your bones. Today marks your first big win in Formula One. You get out of your racecar as a crowd of people starts gathering around you. You stand up on top of it, raise your arms above your head, and let out a victory cheer.

You pull off your helmet and place it on the roof, catching a puff of pink in the crowd. You grin as you see Hyunggu pushing through the crowd to get you. He makes the final push as you smile. He puts his arms out to catch you, and you hop right into them. When you’re at ear level, he whispers, “That’s my baby. I’m so proud of you!” You kiss his cheek, “You gave me that extra push to want to win.” He blushes, and the crowd starts absorbing the two of you, bombarding you with questions about the race. You thank them and answer as many as possible before your crew and staff pull you and Hyunggu away.

They take you alone to the winner’s circle, and you find Hyunggu off to the side. Your crew spills champagne over you, and you laugh as you close your eyes. And do your interviews after wiping your face with a towel. “What’s it like to win?” “Better than I imagined.” “What was the journey like getting to this point?” “Long but worth it.” They keep bombarding you, and you wait for one of them to catch their breath before you sneak out of the light. Wanting nothing more than to be out of your sticky champagne-ridden clothes.

When you escape the camera’s eye for the second time, you see Hyunggu being interviewed. And you listen in, “Oh, Mr. Kino! We heard you were dating the winner of today’s race, (Y/n).” He goes, “Yes?” And they ask, “What’s it like to date a racecar driver?” You can’t wipe the grin off your face as he goes, “The best feeling in the world.” You come over slowly, “I’d love to talk more about my feelings for (Y/n). But it’s their day, so please shine the light on them.” You grin, and they ask you a few questions before you’re on your way again. “Want a sticky hug?” He shakes his head, “I like these clothes.” You fakely pout, “Aw, okay,” before laughing and grabbing his hand, “I’m so excited to change.” He laughs and agrees.

And you make your way back to the pit and see your crew. They hand you fresh new clothes after you wash your hands off. You head to the bathroom and quickly shower, ridding yourself of all the sparkling wine residue. Once you're all cleaned up, you come out to big cheers, pizza, and a cake. You nearly cry as you watch them light it up all for you, “For (Y/n)’s a jolly good racer, for (Y/n)’s a jolly good racer, for (Y/n)’s a jolly good fellow, which nobody can deny!” You laugh as you blow out the candles and thank them all. Your engineer says, “Sorry, it’s not up to par. We ordered it at the last minute when we realized you may win today.” You shake your head, tears brimming in your eyes, “It’s perfect.” He pats your head, “Good job out there, kid. Now, let’s celebrate and eat good!” You cheer as they have you sit in the middle of the two long tables they put out.

All of you chat happily, celebrating your win. You cheer with your pop cans, “I owe it to all of you guys. If it wasn’t for you guys, I don’t know if I’d even be out on that track tonight!” They laugh, some disagree, and you take the time to thank every person seated with you. When you sit back down, Hyunggu wraps his arm around your waist as he eats his pizza happily. You finish your pizza before eventually cutting everyone a piece of cake, “A big slice for my engineer, who called all the shots.” “A big slice, for my loving boyfriend.” Your manager jokes, “It’s a big slice for everyone, isn’t it?” You smirk, “Yes, but I get the biggest!” They all laugh, and you finish cutting the cake and sit back down. And when the party ties down, you clean up after everyone, your crew leaving to enjoy the rest of the night.

With the help of your friends, you’re able to clean up. Lastly, you put your car into neutral and push it back into the garage before parking and leaving. As everyone heads to their cars, you ask, “What hotel are you guys staying at?” “The APA” You grin, “Me too!” Hyunggu hops into your car immediately, “I can’t even begin to explain the joy I felt seeing you this morning.” He smiles, “I’m so glad I could surprise you.” “Best surprise ever.” He squeezes your hand, and you drive back to your hotel. You meet back up with the guys and talk for a while in the lobby before you let out a yawn, which causes a chain reaction. As you guys start heading for your rooms, Yuto asks, “We’re going to make the trip over to Nagano, my hometown, tomorrow if you want to come with us?” You smile, “I’d love to.” Hyunggu makes no effort to follow the boys, “You’re all mine tonight?” He smirks, and as the elevator door closes, he goes, “Yeah, and I have just the idea on how to celebrate your win~”

—---

Your next races weren’t as successful as the Suzuka race, but you didn’t mind too much. After all, considering all the celebrating. The little trip you got to spend with the seven of them in Nagano while it wasn’t long. It made you feel refreshed, and nothing could change that. Your giddy feeling didn’t fade no matter your placement, even when you placed 11th in Brazil. You were proud you had made it either way. Maybe you weren’t winning a cup for your performance, but it was a wonderful feeling to say you won a race in the Grand Prix. Your last place in Abu Dhabi was 2nd, and you finished on a good note, too. And you couldn’t help but feel more accomplished as you returned home.

You get off the plane, excited to be back home. You make your way to the exit when you see someone holding a sign with your name. “Welcome home, (Y/n)!” You get up closer and see it’s their manager. He smiles as you reach him, “The boys sent me to get you.” You grin, ��Thanks,” He grabs your luggage and says, “Allow me to take that. The car is waiting for us.” You smile and thank him again as you make your way there. He opens the door for you, you get inside, and he quickly shuts it. You decide where to sit and look back to the backseat to see a grinning Hyunggu. You gasp, and he cheers, “Welcome home!” You waste no time getting into the furthest seat back and flinging your arms around him as the trunk pops and his manager puts away your luggage. Hyunggu giggles as the tailgate shuts, and you smile, “I’m so happy to be home.” He squints at you, “But you’re not at your apartment?” You smile and kiss his nose, “I’m in your arms. That’s home enough for me.” He laughs, “You cheese ball.”

His manager pops into the driver's seat, shuts the door, and you separate enough to put your seatbelt on. Still holding his hand, he goes, “Do you want to celebrate with the guys today or tomorrow?” You think, “Tomorrow, I’m kind of tired.” He nods, “I figured you would be. Tomorrow it is then.” His manager starts driving you back to your apartment, “So, tell me all about your past racing experiences.” You smile and lean your head on his shoulder as you try to recount everything back to him. He listens well, making sure you know with little hums of agreement when necessary. You continue until you’re almost back, “And that’s pretty much everything you’ve missed. What about the guys?” He laughs as he tells you about their laser tag adventures and how you should come along next time. As you hop out of the car, he gets your luggage, and you both thank his manager, who tells you guys to be safe. You both laugh as you remind him you will.

You walk up to your apartment hand in hand. And Hyunggu finishes his stories before you reach the door. He asks, “You wanted ramen when you came home, right?” You go, “Yeah,” He nods, “Great, 'cause I ordered some.” You smile as you unlock the door and head inside. You put away your stuff, clean your luggage case, and throw your clothes into the dryer. Hyunggu pulls out the takeout and heats it as you clean up. Lastly, you pull out your trophy and smile at it. You didn’t come home a world champion trophy holder, but you came home with a Grand Prix race trophy, and you couldn’t be more proud to display it. You place fake daisies inside and shine the outside up before putting it into a glass cabinet.

Hyunggu comes up behind you and wraps his arms around your waist, “I’m so proud of you, baby.” You smile and lean into his hug, “Thank you.” You turn your head to kiss him, and he grins as he kisses you back, “We’ve made it.” He smiles, “I think so.” You hold one of his hands in yours and squeeze it, and he does it back, “Yes?” You smile, “I’m so glad I have you.” He kisses your nape and says, “I’m grateful I have you too.” You smile, and the two of you stand in front of your display case. Inside, sitting side by side is his replica of their ‘Show!’ award and your Suzuka triumph. Through the trials and tribulations, you both came out victorious together. And the rewards were just a mere show of that. The love you held for each other through it all was the true testament of it all.

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beautifulchris · 1 year ago

Text

O students

pairing: kim seungmin x gn!reader

wc: 3,4k

featuring: han jisung, loona’s chaewon, the boyz’s eric, pentagon’s shinwon, sf9’s chani

summary: for two years, you considered seungmin as a rival, until his best efforts to befriend you didn't go unnoticed anymore

genres: hogwarts!au, rivals to friends to lovers!au, ravenclaw!seungmin, ravenclaw!reader, fluff

tw: swearing, a kiss

notes: moodboard made by me, pictures found on the internet. reposting works from my old blog

order of writing: chan - jisung - minho - hyunjin - jeongin - seungmin - changbin - felix

networks: @kflixnet @k-labels @straykidsland @kwritersworld

tag list: @badwithten @soobin-chois @raethethey send ask/dm/cmment to be added!

It was common knowledge that Seungmin was an O student, and you weren’t so far behind. In the beginning of first year up until the end of second year, you were rivals. You were competitive and Seungmin was a pain. He wasn’t competitive as much, but he was better than you, and you couldn’t tolerate it. Fortunately, he asked if he could talk to you on the train to your third year and you’ve been a better person ever since; less competitive, more open and definitely more livable. Bonus, you became friends with him.

Your parents had pressured you into being the best student and it made you do and say things you regret, but Seungmin understood, which you were thankful for. They also wanted you to be a Slytherin, like them, but perhaps the Sorting Hat knew deep down who you really were.

Hogwarts had always been a second home to you. At all times, you felt cozy and relaxed despite the amount of noise and homework. Making peace with yourself made the whole experience ten times better.

The librarian came out of nowhere with an unpleasant look —the usual— and hissed to the whole library before storming out: “Pray that I won’t find out who damaged our copy of Important modern magic discoveries.”

You looked at Seungmin at the other side of the table and laughed quietly while he shook his head. You knew who it was, but you wouldn’t snitch on a fellow Ravenclaw. Especially not when he cost too much house points already.

Seungmin didn’t like studying in the Great Hall because it was too loud compared to the library, where the librarian never accepted any sound (whispers were worse than speaking out loud for her). The common room was okay, sometimes, but it was mostly a place to chill and read.

Moreover, he knew every inch of the library like the back of his hand, so he often helped restock and find books for other students if they looked lost. You found that admirable, knowing the librarian’s temperament. He didn’t seem to mind, though. In fact, she seemed to respect your friend, value even.

“I can’t believe Jisung’s scared of acromantulas,” you blurted out of the blue, the last class of defense against the dark arts still fresh on your mind.

“Me neither. He does have one fear, after all,” he shrugged. As desperate as he was, never would he use this fear to ‘tame’ his friend.

You nodded, refocusing on your task at hand, when a tired-looking Chaewon sat next to you with a light thud. She sighed, pinching her nose bridge in annoyance.

“What’s wrong?” you asked, your voice laced with worry.

“I just tutored Heejin for transfiguration but she’s not making any effort.”

“She asked the professor herself, though?”

“Exactly! Ugh, why did it have to be me?”

“Ask the professor to change tutor,” proposed Seungmin.

“Already did, but she said I was the second best choice, the first being Hyunjin, and he’s already tutoring a Gryffindor.”

“Wait. You don’t have to actually meet up, right?” You were not going to let your friend have a hard time for basically nothing.

“I guess not…”

“Then just don’t. I’m sure she doesn’t even need the help.”

“You’re right, she looked jealous over the person that genuinely needed it,” recalled Seungmin.

“I guess she likes Hyunjin or something,” Chaewon shrugged.

“Poor girl. He’s never going to see her that way,” you shook your head.

“Shhh!” hissed the librarian behind you, making you all flinch. No one saw her coming back and it put an end to your conversation.

A few days later, in history of magic class shared between Ravenclaws and Slytherins, the professor monotonously recited his 14th century’s witch hunt lesson while some classmates were playing exploding snap at the back. Seungmin was, as usual, immersed in the lecture while you were trying your best not to fall asleep. Chaewon was diligently writing down notes two rows back, next to Hyunjin who gave up on staying awake a long time ago. You’ve never spent time with the Slytherin girl, but she was close to Chaewon. You could hear mini explosions and laughter from behind you, and if you weren’t so drowsy right now, you would’ve gone to see how the game was going.

After the class, you went to the courtyard during recess with Seungmin.

“I just don’t get why flying carpets are illegal, you know? They look so much steadier than brooms,” you sighed, sitting on the low wall surrounding the courtyard, your friend following you.

“I’d tell you the reason, but you know it already.”

“Yes, they have been defined as a ‘muggle artifact’ by the registry of proscribed charmable objects, so now they’re banned. But so are brooms! I guess the ministry had to choose, and made a huge mistake.”

“Why don’t you send them an owl to make a change?” Seungmin proposed, amused by your beliefs.

“Are you out of your mind? My dad works at the ministry, I don’t fancy receiving a howler during breakfast for my ‘disrespect of the wizarding law’, thank you very much.”

You visibly shivered at the thought.

“Would be fun to—” Seungmin started, but your attention drifted off to a guy standing on the edge of the fountain.

“Anyone want to do my history homework? I can pay,” proposed a fourth year Gryffindor, Eric if you weren’t mistaken.

Seeing you were about to get up to walk in the direction of the guy, Seungmin stopped you by tugging on your robe. “You’re not seriously considering it?”

“Why not? If he pays well, I can buy some books at Fleury and Bott this weekend,” you shrugged.

“I’ll buy you every book you want but please. Don’t do it, you already have a lot on your plate.”

“Aww. Do I detect worry? You’re so cute. Every book I want, huh? You can’t back down now!”

Seungmin grimaced a bit as he watched you excitedly walking to your next class. He sighed tiredly before joining you, considering Eric’s offer for a brief moment to buy those books. That would’ve been hypocritical of him to do that, so he kept walking.

He never regretted it because he could spend more quality time with you. His wallet though, it was another story.

Out of the books you acquired, there was the ‘Quintessence: A Quest’ charm book destined for the sixth year students.

Back to Ravenclaw’s common room that Sunday, you browsed through it while Seungmin was, no big surprise, working on assignments. Chaewon was with you two for a few hours, then decided to go outside, quoting her: ‘to enjoy the first warm day of the year.’

As you were turning the pages, a spell caught your eye. It was the bubble-head charm.

“I can’t believe that spell is too advanced for me,” you whispered to yourself.

Seungmin took a quick look at your interest and shrugged, saying, “it never stopped me.”

“Me neither. I’m just saying that it’s a cool spell that we should’ve learned already! How cool would it be to swim in the black lake for hours, meet the merpeople and the giant squid?”

“Y/N, let me stop you right there,” he said seriously, bringing a hand up. “The black lake is forbidden, please don’t do anything stupid. Jisung is already a pain for losing house points daily,” he requested, his eyes pleading.

“Contrary to what you may think, I didn’t get sorted into Ravenclaw simply because I like the color blue. I know how to stay out of trouble.” Seungmin gave you an unimpressed look. “Okay. Okay, I won’t enter the black lake. Promise.”

“Thank you,” he let out a relieved sigh.

“I’m still learning that spell, though.”

“Y/N!”

(っ◔◡◔)っ ✿

“The library is like a second Ravenclaw common room at this point,” Chaewon pointed out, sitting next to you at a table attached to one of many narrow rows. “I’ve seen a majority of blue robes since I entered.”

“Can’t deny it,” you shrugged, amused, finishing a transfiguration assignment.

Your friend chuckled lightly, stopped abruptly when she heard a ‘shh’ from the end of the row —the librarian, no doubt— and sighed quietly. “I have five minutes to cry over my potions essay.”

“Already?”

Lunch time was about to end. Passing your own potions essay to your friend under her thanks, you packed up your things and waited for her to rectify a few facts on her parchment.

“I’m forever grateful,” the Ravenclaw girl said on your way to the dungeons, where you joined Seungmin and the Hufflepuffs.

“Come on Chae, we’re friends. I would lend you my essays anytime.”

“You’re the best Y/N!” Chaewon exclaimed, a pretty eye smile adorning her soft features, as she put her arms around one of yours.

Seungmin stood there, smiling to himself at the exchange, his eyes lingering on your face, which didn’t go unnoticed by Jisung. As you all entered the classroom, he nudged his friend.

“Is this a one-sided enemies to lovers au?”

He friendly slapped his shoulder and told him to shut up. Everyone around you both knew your past. It was quite the show.

“It’s so frustrating! He’s always ahead of me, no matter how hard I try to be the best,” you told your cousin.

It was about April of your second year. You had a cousin who was in his 7th year at that time. A Slytherin, too.

“You’re being too hard on yourself, Y/N,” he smiled as he put a hand on your shoulder.

Shinwon was always supportive and cheerful, despite your family motto (‘be the best in everything’). At seventeen, he already chose his path, his parents accepting it or not. Indeed, he wanted to become a healer at St Mungo’s and save lives. It was admirable, and you wished you were more like him.

“I know your parents are putting a lot of pressure on you, but you’re only twelve. Enjoy your school years, forge your own path, make friends and, more importantly, be happy.”

Those words actually helped you get through the end of your second year. Your cousin was now a healer at St Mungo’s as he dreamed of, and to honor his kind words, you were enjoying your school days as much as you could.

After potions, you got to herbology.

You’ve spent the two last classes learning the herbivicus charm, and Seungmin particularly loved it. All week, he practiced on the few plants in the common room, or the ones outside.

Herbology was one of your friend’s favorite subjects, he loved to take care of the plants, even outside of class. The professor let him water every plant in the greenhouses on weekends— to his request.

At lunch, you were eating with Seungmin, Chaewon, Jisung, his partner in crime and Chani. The latter looked around the table, stopped for a few seconds, then offered his hand over the table for Chaewon to shake. She confusedly did.

“Looks like we’re likely to end up together, this feels like a triple date.” Chaewon removed her hand from his under the protests and indignation of the five persons concerned. Chani put his hands up in fake surrender, “That was a joke, jeez.”

“Not very funny,” muttered Jisung before taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

“Don’t scare me like that again,” Chaewon glared at Chani, gently rubbing the hand that touched his own under the table.

He sent her an apologetic smile, and you were so immersed in their conversation that —you caught Chani’s red ears and how your friend’s features didn’t match her actions— you weren’t aware of Seungmin gazing at you, his brain going blank.

No thoughts, just your pretty eyes, cute smile and soft skin.

He snapped out of it when Jisung flicked his fingers in front of him. “You okay there, mate? Looks like you were daydreaming.”

Seungmin kicked him under the table —making him dramatically yelp in pain— and resumed eating his lunch in silence, trying his best to hide his embarrassment.

Actually, he had harbored feelings for you for quite some time, a few months before you talked out your rivalry. He never said anything, of course, by fear you would reject him or worse, end your friendship with him. He always did his best to hide his secret from everyone; that was until Jisung caught up.

During defense against the dark arts this afternoon, as Ravenclaws and Slytherins were practicing the twitchy-ears hex —and, therefore, the shield charm—, Jisung and his partner in crime were half-heartedly training, preferring taking their time to chat, glancing at Seungmin and you from time to time from the other side of the room. You were diligently practicing with Chaewon while Chani was with Seungmin.

The latter wasn’t fully concentrated though, often having the overwhelming feeling of eyes boring into him. He didn’t like that. It even made him mess up his shield charm, resulting in him feeling his ear twitch. He groaned, congratulated Chani and pointed his wand at his ear, whispering: “Finite.” Then, he hexed Jisung across the room when he wasn’t looking, his partner being confused because they wasn’t the one to hex him.

Meanwhile, Chaewon and you were pretty good at this so everytime one of you casted a spell, there was no difference. Both your shield charms were perfect.

“Almost would’ve liked to know how the hex feels,” Chaewon laughed during recess.

You were at the library, working on the herbology essay you got that morning, with Seungmin and Chaewon. Without a word, you put your wand out of your robe pocket, pointing it at your friend. She raised her hands to her ears, an unpleasant look on her face.

“I said almost! It’s quite irksome, actually.” You released her from the hex and she relaxed, quickly rubbing her ears, “Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

Seungmin was lost in thought, thinking about how smart and talented you were. He had a stupid smile on his face until he shook his head and realized Chaewon was staring at him suspiciously. He coughed and got back to his assignment, not being able to fully focus.

He was losing control of his emotions.

That night in the common room, as you three were still working —uh, boringgg— on your assignments before dinner, Chaewon decided she had enough and preferred reading a romance book on her bed. She packed her stuff and went to her dorm, leaving Seungmin and you in a comfortable silence. Until Jisung entered the room, sneakily walking behind your backs at a safe distance.

He pointed his wand at your sleeves —they were a few inches apart— and whispered: “Epoximise.” He then fled out of the room like he was never here, excitedly thinking how his plan was working perfectly.

You didn’t notice for like twenty seconds, but when you moved your hand to write on your parchment, Seungmin’s left arm followed. You looked at each other in disbelief, raising your arms to see what could’ve happened.

Seungmin’s robe sleeve somehow merged with yours.

The sudden proximity —your pinky fingers touched a few times— embarrassed you for some reason, while Seungmin was a blushing mess.

“We should probably do something about that,” you finally say, gesturing to your hands.

“Right.”

“You should do it.”

“Yeah,” he murmured as he took his wand, “finite.”

“I wonder who did this.”

“I have an idea.” Seungmin looked upset, but you didn’t pry. “I’ll be back,” he said, getting up and leaving the common room in a hurry.

You took this time alone —well, almost, there were other Ravenclaws around— to think about why your cheeks burned as much as they did when your hands were touching.

You didn’t like him like that, right?

He was just a good friend you disliked before, who’s been nothing but sweet and understanding. A truly smart guy who, despite his gigantic love for academics and books, could always make time to help others whenever they needed. You loved that in him— wait.

No, no, no.

While you tried to convince yourself it wasn’t ‘love’ you were feeling, Seungmin was out for Jisung’s head. He found him on the spiral staircase leading to their common room, walking up in his direction.

“Jisung,” he shouted from a few stairs above him, startling not only the concerned, but a few paintings too.

“Oh, Seung, hey, how’re you doing?” he asked as he stopped in his tracks.

“What were you THINKING?”

Slowly walking backwards, Jisung started sweating, his friend’s anger intimidating him a little. “It wasn’t—”

“I know it was you, don’t deny it. I’ve felt you staring at me for hours today, I knew you were planning something.”

“I was going to say that it wasn’t meant to hurt you in any way, more like bring you two closer with a little push. I’m sorry.”

“I should hex you right now,” Seungmin huffed.

“Didn’t you already do in dada?” he raised a brow, crossing his arms.

“True. I guess we’re even, then.”

Jisung let out a relieved breath, “how did it go?”

“It was awkward,” he explained as they came back to the common room together, “and I won’t discuss this matter further with you. You’ve done your part,” he stopped to give the eagle knocker an answer to his riddle, “please don’t do anything else.”

Jisung nodded as he saw you were alone at the table, your hands in your hair like you were having a crisis. He excused himself before going to his dorm, while Seungmin sat next to you. “You okay?”

You shot your head up, using your hands to fix your hair. “Of course. Yeah. Totally.”

It looked like you were freaking out, which worried Seungmin, but he kept his mouth shut, gazing at your face. You finally looked at him and it was weird, your heart was still beating fast but you felt at ease. You managed to smile, losing yourself in his soft brown eyes.

“You’re really beautiful,” he whispered to himself but you heard it.

You blushed, your smile growing wider. “You’re beautiful, too.”

His eyes widened, his ears got red as he hid his face behind his hands.

Giggling, you gently took his hands in yours and brought them down, leaning towards him. You looked in each other’s eyes with adoration.

He slowly closed the gap between you in a chaste kiss. It didn’t last long, but it was sweet and made you all fuzzy inside. The euphoria ended immediately after a couple Ravenclaws cheered for you, though, but it was a nice feeling.

At dinner, Seungmin, Chaewon, Jisung, his partner in crime, Chani and you were all eating together, and you two lovebirds were holding hands under the table.

Jisung raised his glass out of nowhere, “I’d like to make a toast.”

“We’re fourteen,” Chani interrupted.

“Shut up and raise your damn pumpkin juice,” he cursed in a whisper, before smiling at his friends raising their own glasses —reluctantly or not. “To the new couple I helped”—Seungmin scoffed—“make happen today,” he announced as he glanced at you two, “next is your turn, buddies,” he added to the attention of Chaewon and Chani, who blushed hard.

“Cheers,” his partner in crime jovially said, before drinking.

“And when’s your turn?” Seungmin asked Jisung, murmuring over the table so he’d be the only one hearing.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” he murmured back.

After dinner, Seungmin and you were walking around the courtyard, holding hands and making heart eyes at each other.

“Remember when I decided to learn the bubble-head charm?”

“I don’t think I like what you’re implying…” he softly answered, already feeling anxious about your next words.

“It’s not that bad, I promise,” you giggled, “I learned how to make blue sparks too.”

You put your wand out and pointed to the night sky. Making the right hand movement, jets of blue sparks came out of the tip of your wand, illuminating the sky. “Vermillious,” you enunciated, adding jets of red sparks into the mini fireworks, creating purple sparks in the process.

Seungmin was amazed, it was such a mesmerizing view. His eyes fell on your face, and, at that exact moment, intently watching as your eyes shone and your smile held pure gratification, he knew why he loved you.

You were full of life, always by his side, a good friend and so, so beautiful under the multicolored lights.

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed, please let me know <3 and here's the masterlist!

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