#the light hits * siwoo

[beseira]

my face

dropping so much in ranks had scared seira a bit. she’d made it to top five, just to drop to the very bottom, she was lucky she hadn’t been eliminated. it feared her a bit, felt like since her rank was so low, she was closer to elimination. she didn’t want to be eliminated, this show had suddenly become so important to her, this was a second chance, if she didn’t make it, then what? did she need to give up the idol dream forever? she refused that, she would prove she deserved to be here. she came in early, stayed late, continued her practicing at home even.

seira has never had much confidence when it comes to dance, but she’s figured, if she wants to stay in the show, then she has to begin having confidence in the things she does. she decides to help a fellow member on her team with the dance, it’ll hopefully grow her confidence in dance, and maybe it’ll give her some leader skills. “hmmm, for that part, it looks like you’re not moving your arms fast enough? you’re having great facial expressions though, and you fit the vibe well, i might have you help me with facial expressions” she shows the other a smile.

sending it to... @besiwoo

[beseira]

besiwoo

siwoo laughs, if someone had told him months ago that he'd be spending a summer day with seira, a friend he'd made from next gen – an idol survival show of all place – he would've laughed in their faces. simply because the idea of him even partaking in one was unfathomable. and yet, here he was – walking through the streets as he led seira to the ice cream store, the both of them now looking at the list of flavours. "it's the best, i promise," he says. and while siwoo didn't have much of a sweet tooth, he wasn't going to downplay good food. "they do, their vanilla is really good," he nods his head, before he decides fuck it. he's here to cheer seira up after all, so why not indulge her a little bit. "you know what? i'll get you both. you deserve it. and it's my treat," he pats her head before he heads to the cashier and orders a vanilla and coconut cone for her, and a simple mango one for himself. when they're served the ice cream he hands seira her two cones. "try it," he says, gesturing to the sweet treat. "let me know which one you like more!"

while an idol, seira had seen those survival shows and had been happy she would never need to join one, she’d already debuted, was already an idol. and then she ended up joining one, and it was honestly quite unbelievable, seira had never seen herself join such show, and then she had ended up joining such show. it was over now though, and seira could go back to wishing she’d never join one (again).

“eh! you’re the best” she shows a big smile to siwoo, excited to get her ice cream. and the big smile continues staying on her lips as siwoo hands her the ice cream. she takes the little spoon and scoops up a bite, letting the sweet flavour hit her mouth. “worth it! so worth it! i’d walk kilometres for this place” she’s quick to get another bite. “and how is yours? are you enjoying it?”.

[elevatormusic]

my first reactions with zero context: love class 2 ep 8

mans just glossed over that

oh he just went right in god damn

man what kind of pranks do you fuckers do

how’d they get there tho and why

siwoo? never knew this mf’s name

ha swerved again

what tf is this man even talking about? for what?

he could’ve just like walked back inside tho like?? who tf was gonna know he was up there with him?

how high is that jump anyway? shouldn’t he be head?

dog what do you mean why does he want to live? 😭

i’m still so confused what this has to do with hyun lmao why was this a thing in this show

sir he was trying to do that in the first place

fair

oh god no not crying *i don’t know how to deal with ppl crying*

can they please stop walking with lights behind them

he’s not moving

wrinkled ass towels

oh they’re actually kissing? that was awkward

why’d he just pretend to be asleep😭

just a smol boy

they woke up with different clothes on 👀

did he tell him sara was a fake girlfriend yet? bc sir?

stop swinging your arms like that

minwoo’s adorable

not maru hitting him😭

why were they even late? something kept them up last night huh

EVERYTHING???

hyun does not give a shit what y’all do lmao stop he been knew

mans said thank god i’m tired of y’all being like this

drunk hyun is adorable

their faces lmao

why are you covering his mouth you literally are

please move that chair for them oh my god

[minhomp]

super m | mh + ang

because the s can also go for "stupid" with @mpxangela

Minho knew it wasn't exactly the smartest of ideas, but Siwoo had made a comment asking if he could fly. And ever since mentioning it, the young boy had been relentless in asking for a demonstration. And well, Minho was actually loathe in disappointing the boy. The young fireman wondered if all Siwoo needed to do was blink those soulful eyes of his and he would calmly get what he want. Safe to say, Minho was suckered. Plus, it wasn't as if he didn't want to show off. Technically he could fly. Just that he had never gotten far or too high for it to be impressive.

Well he was certainly on his way to proving himself wrong. The look on concentration was replaced with a rather smug grin, bolstered also by the whoops of delight he heard from Siwoo as Minho gradually rose, going higher and higher until he was over the tree tops. The wind currents were actually helping him manage his weight, and with his abilities, he could feel the air currents swirl around him like a light blanket.

All for a good 30 seconds.

A particular strong gust of wind slammed into him with the force of a truck, and Minho fell like tripping over something, flailing about in the sky. As if time was suspended, he was airbone for a few more beats, before he dropped, like a rug being pulled from under his feet.

He fell, fell, fell, crashing into the trees, torso hitting some more ferocious branches, breaking his fall and other things.

Oh shit.

[404fmdhaon]

creative claims — artist

summary: goofing around with his pal siwoo (npc), and this song comes as a collab of some sorts. warnings:  wc: 1236

bc’s never felt like home, not then. not now. nine years strapped inside the riptide of a company that soothes itself as suffocating than the oxygen he craves, it’s times when he’s trapped inside some half-basement apartment with an old friend that suddenly, life no longer bears and burdens but instead relieves itself as an escape.

an escape from home, this becomes a taste of oasis.

the bpm yanked high, on overdrive. he’s set the basis of the upbeat funk that comes from skewed filters and the off-beat set of the snares that become the upbeat emphasis of a beat. no moody colors, it’s bright, nearly orange the way the room’s lit with a disco ball flare and the drunken laughter that fills the void between them.

“this sounds like a track to nintendo, fuck.” gyujeong barely musters out in between the short breaths of his chuckles. siwoo’s already on the keys, an electronic brand touch signature to his style — it all mixes into an off-put disoriented mix of elevator music and groove, tinged with hints of jazz.

“if we add a layer of saxophones, you think anyone would listen to this fuckin mess?” the good vibes are infectious, a bellowing burst of half-drunk laughter that slaps back at him.

“i don’t know, try it.” gyujeong juts his chin forward, hands reaching for a flask that hinges on empty. what he gets out, is the last swift gulp of bitter soju — a flask of soju, hapless in how the divide in their lifestyles match up after all these years. 

the room fills with a hit of saxophones, harmonious in how siwoo manages to blend it together right on beat in line with the rest. a jangled image now comes clear, sharpens itself into something poppy, jazzy. a contradiction that poises itself as manageable — maybe, it’s just the alcohol talking. 

“add a spin to it, a retro drive. you know? one of those things that distorts the beat into a shift for when you have a change into another verse. a build up, before you draw it back to the chorus.” hands pressed behind his head, inspiration dawns when his spine eases into his chair, and when he’s no longer fixated and held against a wall with a knife that bc wields together.

the beat’s enough to get him off his seat, bouncing on the soles of his feet — there’s a bend in his knees as he swipes away a pair of shit sunglasses hung on the wall. it’s the effect of siwoo, not just any company. a musical soulmate enticing the two when they were nothing more than two kids sharing the same cup of ramen inside the corner seven eleven. and now goes, where one of them remains in the same basement apartment while he’s left to sell out inside the luxury of hannam. 

“you look fucking stupid, you know that?” siwoo’s voice is bright despite the pricked edges of his words and dismissive shakes of his head, but the grin perched across his face gives otherwise. “you know — let’s just record this shit? lyrics about artistry, being artist.”

“you add saxophone on one song and you think you’re picasso or some shit?” 

“yeah because we are, we are, we artist baby.”

the phrase has a ring, and the grittiness of gyujeong’s own voice echoes it loud. but they work in sync, like clockwork the way siwoo already manages to hit red to record the spews of drunken slurs. 

a person who is bored and about to die, a man that never is a man. who dares to shave only to make a rash? people who are going to shatter very much, oh yes

it’s rapid fire, a makeshift freestyle that skips past logical ties. instead, he pins it down to ease — the blurbs of words mangled. carefree, weightless. it’s how music should be, he thinks. the feeling of bouncing, a skip in his feet. the shattered disillusions of struggles fled from his shoulders, rounded about in how he carries the world by storm. invincibility comes when he’s one cup too deep in soju, floating to the ripples of slipshod beats hoping to make a subtle move.

and it sees it easy — the art of no longer giving a fuck. no longer tied and beaten, or drowning the woes of misery no longer there. the thoughts no longer clouding his head in a moment of invincibility, there’s a new world he crafts together painting the boundaries. it’s a house of mirrors, no boundaries — eternity that spans the dangerous taste of feeling limitless.

don’t think about it too much, you hold the brush you have the best feeling in front of his house mirror

“life is short, art is long — we are, we artist babey” siwoo’s voice yells past the blaring speakers. the reaction of laughter is instantaneous in how gyu hugs his stomach, crouching over at the melodious ring the notion has. artist, sellout — life is short, art is long. irony makes him laugh and he’s been in the game far too long to dispose this as a trash take of something headed straight towards the bin of beats done and gone. 

by the time he’s back on his two feet, laughter subsided, gyu’s back onto the chair that swallows his body, reeling it back in. the mic out and yanked in front of his face, it’s a silent gesture that spurs his own hand reaching for the headset on the desk. 

he clears his voice, a grumble of his throat loosening for the lyrics siwoo’s managed to type up. incoherent spellings, yet it’s enough to get the gist — the surface level that memory takes over when he hears the clicks of the metronome cue. prep. set him in place for the reel in to seriousness that seizes the formalities of creating something useable. 

“be the pretentious dick i know you are.” instructions call out from the production seat, siwoo’s dictation he knows far too well. “you know? the whole what the fuck mood — i want you to rap it like that.”

a nod of his head, and he goes through the first verse. there’s a lightness, a nonchalance to his diction. the deadly stares of high above you tides humanizing itself into his voice, latching on to each and every syllable of the dynamic tone. no longer a grittiness, instead the chest heavy voice pulls into the lines spoken — a billowing open voice loud enough to seep to the family living a floor above. 

gyujeong continues, lets what comes natural. innate take over — no second guessing, or over analysis in caution of how others perceive. it’s freedom floating letting the facets of his persona uncovered with no expectations as to who’s to witness it. here, there are no victims, only witnesses to the chung gyujeong he’s sealed and kept away. 

but this stays in the confines of siwoo’s place, and gyu would be damned if a solo came across the horizon anytime soon — wishful thinking, and he’s abandoned that shit a long time ago.

instead, this becomes the flashback into his taste of what drew him into the scene. the taste of love when he feels the beat hit a notch into a special place he’s pocketed in his mind — music stripped away as an occupation, and what remains is the highs of music as a hobby. a first love.

“fuck man, i forgot what it feels to make music like this.” an afterthought that escapes without thought, and tonight becomes the first instance where he’s found the novel feeling again. bursts of honesty and creativity, jams upon smashed notes and bashed heads — fuck it if bc doesn’t care, it’s a line he draws for himself. one as a personal saving win.

[besiwoo]

it's been a while since siwoo's been to a party like this. between next gen, becoming a trainee and not wanting his grades to completely tank, siwoo had more or less turned down every invitation that was given his way. but he doesn't want to completely cut off his social life, knows better than to keep saying 'no' at every turn, and after some convincing ( e.g. a friend begging him to come just this once, please siwoo, it's been forever since you've hung out with us ) – he's decided to make an appearance.

it starts off like it usually does, siwoo making pleasant conversation with a smile, flirtatious glances thrown here and there but siwoo doesn't reciprocate. if anything the noise and crowd is starting to annoy him. had it been that long? he'd almost forgotten how loud these parties could get, how high pitched laughter could sound grating to his ears.

siwoo realizes then that he needs to fucking breathe. the smell of alcohol is strong, and his tolerance for college aged students like himself smushing their bodies in a heated game of 'will they-wont they' is boring and unamusing.

he escapes to the balcony, and rummages through his pocket for a pack of cigarettes. a terrible habit, he knows, but one that he can't seem to escape. he lights a cigarette up, and sighs – "fucking terrible," he mumbles to himself, as the burning sensation hits his throat. but all at the same time, it's soothing.

it's quiet for a bit, and siwoo relishes in the momentary calm, until he hears a familiar voice. he turns around, and he's greeted by vinn. he raises his eyebrows; while the both of them somehow run in the same circle, it wasn't as though they got along very well, personalities clashing and heads butting.

but siwoo isn't going to turn him down, not when he knows how fucking head-splitting it must be inside there. "didn't know you were a smoker," siwoo says, but he hands vinn his pack, and lighter. "it's a fucking terrible habit, you know?" he continues, but his tone is light as he takes another drag. "is it too loud inside for you too? if i see one more person trying to come up with an excuse to play spin the bottle, i think i'll lose my mind."

for tonight starter for @besiwoo tw: smoking

vinn is definitely not your typical partygoer. gatherings like these usually require some semblance of social skills and an extroverted personality—qualities he utterly lacks. sure, he was a troublemaker in his teenage years, but those days are long behind him. now, he prefers the silence of his room, scars of any other soul except his own. he’s quiet by nature, with barely any friends—not due to an inability to make them, but because he'd rather be alone than deal with the effort of maintaining a solid friendship. it’s not that he doesn’t crave connections; he just barely has time for himself, let alone for others.

most of his days slip away at his aunt’s convenience store, and his free time is spent chasing his dreams. mingling with people his age, let alone befriending them, is a luxury he can't afford. yet, occasionally, vinn gets dragged into gatherings by those who might consider him a friend (though he’s still unsure why or how such people exist). that’s how he’s ended up here, at some kind of party-slash-friend gathering. he tried to decline twice but ultimately got convinced to show up anyway, and vinn is a man of his word, so here he is.

the party is in full swing, but it’s crowded and noisy. the air inside the house feels a bit suffocating. he’s sitting on the couch with a few other guys, who are deep in conversation about… something—vinn hasn't really been paying attention. deciding he needs a break, he stands up and lets the guys know before stumbling toward the open balcony door.

when he steps outside, he realizes he’s not the only one seeking a break. siwoo is already there, smoking a cigarette. for once, vinn doesn’t feel the urge to turn around and avoid him. they are vastly different individuals, but they also have a lot in common—vinn just hasn’t decided if he likes or hates the guy. either way, he approaches siwoo. at least he knows the other won’t chat his ears off like everyone else inside.

“mind sharing?” vinn asks once he’s right beside siwoo, nodding toward the pack of cigarettes. it’s a habit he knows he should have kicked long ago, but the temptation in times of stress is undeniable. though he smokes sparingly now, today feels like a day to indulge.

[jaehyun-eclipsed]

Before I Met You | Six

Updates: Sundays, 8 PM EST

Pairing: NCT (Jaehyun, Lucas…) X Reader/OC

Genre: Romance, Angst, Coming of Age

Summary: Four. There were four people before I fell in love with you… Here are their stories.

Warnings: Contains some swearing

Before I Met You Masterlist

Prev | Next

After several weeks of constant stress and endless studying, high school was finally coming to an end. I was never one to take many photos, but I knew there were people that I’d likely never see again. So on the last day of class, I decided to ask some of them to take a picture. My first and only class with Lucas was biology.

“Hey,” I say to Lucas, Seulgi, and Yang Yang. “Take a picture with me.”

“Okay!” Lucas responds.

“Oh, so you’ll take a picture for Y/N but not for me?” Seulgi snaps.

Oh shit.

Lucas doesn’t say anything, but I decide to put my foot in my mouth. “I’m just special,” I say with a smile.

Seulgi doesn’t respond, her face attempting to smile in order to hide the bitterness she actually felt.

Oh my God, Y/N. You’re such an idiot.

“Let’s take the picture!” Lucas says. “Yang Yang, you take it!”

Graduation came and went. It was weird. It hadn’t really hit me yet that I had graduated from high school. The ceremony was rather uneventful. Doyoung, Taeyeon, Hyojin, Hana, and I were all being honored as part of the top twenty in our class. This meant that we were set to walk the stage first and then after that, we sat in the audience, glancing back at the crowd every so often to see how many more rows of students had to walk. Quite honestly, we were bored.

The ceremonial cap tossing was followed by many hugs, selfies, and promises to hang out during the summer before truly needing to say goodbye to those who would be leaving for college. For a moment, it felt like time stopped. Bright lights shone down on everyone, providing a spotlight as if it was our last moment on stage.

“Y/N! We’re done!” Lucas shouts as he runs towards me, picking me up and spinning me around as confetti falls around us.

“Congratulations, Lucas!”

His eyes are sparkling when he sets me down, his hands still holding onto my arms. We smile at each other for a moment before he realizes he’s still holding me.

“Oh!” he remarks, dropping his hands and nervously rubbing one of them behind his neck. “Good luck at Berkeley, Y/N. Make sure you come back and visit.”

“Thank you, I definitely will.”

“Maybe we can hang out this summer?”

My heart jumps at the suggestion and the naïve thought of a first date and first kiss during my last summer before college. The fantasy was a heartbreaking cliché with the word ‘BAD’ written all over it in capital letters. There was something so appealing about it. The summer fling with the boy from high school; falling in love too fast after a passionate kiss at the beach; an emotional goodbye and shattering heartbreak as one had to leave because real life got in the way. This kind of situation never ends well. It’s indulging in the forbidden fruit only to realize it was poisoned from the very beginning.

“Yeah.” I smile. “I’d like that.”

I was quick to learn of Lucas’s new job at a clothing store at the mall. He was notorious for posting every little thing he did on social media and had a poor habit of posting on Snapchat while he was driving. It made it easy to figure out where he was all the time. Plus, the store he worked at was a place I often shopped at already.

“When did you start working here?”

Lucas folds a shirt, placing it on the shelf before turning around to face me. “Right after school got out. I like the clothes here.”

“Yeah, I do too.”

“If you want anything, just let me know. They give me forty percent off everything except clearance,” he says. “I’ll buy it for you and you can pay me back. Like, I just bought a bunch of jewelry for Sooyoung.”

Well that’s nice of him.

“Thanks!” I hold up a beige scarf. “I think I’m going to buy this, but it’s on clearance.”

He smiles. “It looks nice. Let me know when you’re ready to check out!”

“Oh, I’m ready now. This is all I’m getting today.”

He nods and leads me over to the cash register. I hand him the scarf and he begins to palm through it to look for any security tags.

“Hey, so we should hang out.” He keeps his gaze on the scarf. “Maybe grab lunch or something?”

The temptation to take a bite into the fruit returns. Yes, we were just getting lunch, but it was still something. He wants to hang out one-on-one. Who says this can’t turn into something more after that?

“Yeah! That would be great!” I say with a wide grin.

He taps several keys on the register before telling me to swipe my card. “Okay, you can just text me and we’ll hang out!”

An alarm sounds off in my head. It’s brief, but nevertheless, it’s still there. Why do I have to text you if you want to go? Maybe this is an open-ended thing so that I can ask him if I actually want to go and it’s not a full blown rejection if he asks and I say ‘no’.

I force a smile before my perplexed feeling can be expressed on my face. “Okay… Maybe next week because I’m supposed to go to orientation for school this weekend.”

“Yeah! That sounds good!”

I look up at the clock tower as my orientation group walks by. Wouldn’t it be nice for Lucas to come visit me and we could take walks around campus? The sun is about to set, glowing a blazing gold and orange over the horizon. A new beginning. This is where I’m going to spend the next four years of my life, supposedly making new friends and memories to last a lifetime.

“It’s going to be completely different.”

“You’re going to have so much fun.”

“You’re going to meet so many smart and interesting people!”

“You’re going to meet someone much better than Lucas.”

“You’re going to love it!”

This was the collage of phrases I’d heard over the past few months since I had chosen a school. I had good faith it would be true. I liked the people I had met in my orientation group; we all had the same goal and everyone was relatively nice with the exception of one of my roommates for the night. She was tall and blonde and seemed to be rather arrogant. From the way she looked at me, I took it that she just thought I was a typical nerd. Fortunately, I didn’t have to spend much time with her since she wasn’t in my orientation group. If I wasn’t with my group, I was exploring on my own.

“Hey! Let’s all take a picture on the steps!”

But being here… actually being here… terrified me to no end. Aside from coming here to tour the campus and make some initial contacts, we were supposed to meet with college counselors and select our first semester classes.

I discovered that selecting the classes you needed to take wasn’t even the hard part; it was signing up for the classes that was a challenge. My orientation date was in the middle, so by the time I was able to sign up, the sections I had wanted were already full.

I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing. Prior to arriving, we were instructed to fill out a questionnaire to determine what classes we would need to take for our intended majors. You didn’t have to declare a major until sophomore year, but you at least had to start working towards it so that you could graduate on time. It’s a terrible system. At eighteen, you’re expected to have an idea of what you supposedly want to commit to for the rest of your life. The system even lets you determine that you’re responsible enough to make a decision that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

And now, even while taking a commemorative photo with the sun suggesting a brighter future, all I wanted to do was cry. I’m not ready for college. I’m not ready to leave home. I’m just not ready. And suddenly, I’m left wondering if this whole time, my perceived independence and confidence, was just me pretending…

After returning from orientation, I was trying to find ways to distract myself from my inevitable future that I wasn’t ready for. I had made attempts to find things I enjoyed as I realized this may be the only summer for the next several years that would be completely free of responsibility. No summer homework, no internship – I was free to be self-indulgent. So I spent a lot of my time doing things I didn’t allow myself to have time for while in high school. I’d read, watch movies, and take walks at the mall. I’d even go to parties held by my former high school classmates. But of course, I also spent a lot of that time thinking about Lucas.

Maybe I’ll ask him today. It’s been a week since I’ve seen him… That seems like enough time.

Me to Lucas [4:15 PM] Hey! You busy tomorrow? Wanna get lunch?

I place my phone down, twiddling with my thumbs and waiting for my phone screen to light up.

He’s definitely going to want to go. And then we’ll get to have lunch and maybe we can hang out some more before I have to leave! And maybe… just maybe, he’ll tell me he likes me!

I smile at the thought. It’s a last hurrah before having to leave everything. I’d get my happy, sad summer ending.

But of course, that thought quickly drifts out of reach again as time creeps by. Fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, an hour…

It was my birthday and biology all over again. When Hana invited him to go to my birthday dinner, he took hours to respond, never directly saying he couldn’t come, just that he was preoccupied. He did the same thing with our biology project, never directly saying he hadn’t finished it, just that he was busy with something else that apparently took precedent.

Lucas [5:45 PM] I have work tomorrow

I roll my eyes. He’s lying again. And you just had so much hope that you would get your chance even though you knew. I only had one word for him.

Me [6:00 PM] Okay.

This is a pattern.

This is a trait.

And I was dumb enough to fall for it three times.  

Later that night, while festering in my annoyance, I receive a text from Siwoo.

Siwoo [8:09 PM] I overheard Lucas talking about you

My eyes widen. Lucas was talking about me?

Me [8:15 PM] What? Where?

Siwoo [8:17 PM] At the mall. Sicheng and Yang Yang were waiting for him to get off work and I was in the store looking at something

Me [8:18 PM] What did they say?

Siwoo [8:21 PM] Sicheng asked Lucas if he was still thinking about asking you out and Lucas didn’t say anything. So Sicheng guessed that Lucas already did and Lucas was like “I asked her to get lunch but I have to work tomorrow.” Then Sicheng was like “I thought you said you didn’t have to go to work tomorrow? You should just go with Y/N. Who cares about Seulgi?”

Wow, so he was lying. And he has absolutely no idea that I have people looking out for me to give me confirmation about these things.

It definitely pays to have friends in all circles. I can have eyes everywhere.

Me [8:22 PM] So he was lying! Wtf. What does Seulgi have to do with this?

Me [8:23 PM] What did they say after that?

Siwoo [8:24 PM] Lying? About what?

Me [8:26 PM] I asked him to get lunch tomorrow and he just said he had to work. No rescheduling, no nothing

Siwoo [8:27 PM] Jackass. I guess Seulgi doesn’t want Lucas dating you

Siwoo [8:29 PM] Yang Yang said that Seulgi would get really pissed and then asked if he really wanted to go. Lucas said he did but also was afraid because Seulgi would get mad because she’s jealous of you and he’s been friends with her longer

Seulgi… always getting in the way.

Me [8:32 PM] Jfc. She won’t date him and when he wants to go after someone else, she gets mad. What does she want??

Siwoo [8:34 PM] Idk... that’s all I heard

One of my favorite things to do is have late night chats. There’s something so intoxicating about the night – it brings out honesty despite its purpose of making everything dark… hidden… mysterious. The comfort of the night allows us to reveal our deepest secrets in confidence. It gives a false sense of safety. You trade your ability to hide your body language, thinking that’s what you need to keep secret when voluntarily speaking words you’d thought you’d never say aloud.

The night is an oxymoron.

Yet, it is when I thrive. My best thinking is done at night. My best conversations occur at night.

I had a habit of keeping my dad up at late hours into the night, pitching my ideas, revealing my thoughts, running through an endless list of scenarios. I could’ve chosen any other time of day to do this, but night was always my preferred time. That’s when I was the best at being honest to myself about Lucas. There were fewer distractions and I could kick more sense into myself when the temptation was unusually strong.

“How come he said he wanted to hang out and then when I ask him, he lies and says he has to work?” I ask angrily, pacing in my dad’s room.

“I don’t know. Maybe he’s scared,” my dad responds. “But you know, he appears to have a habit of doing this.”

“So he’s just flakey,” I say, making more of a statement than asking a question.

“Yes.”

“He didn’t even say ‘no’! He just said he had to work and didn’t say anything about rescheduling.” I frown. “Does that mean he doesn’t actually want to go?”

“You mentioned earlier that Siwoo overheard him talking about Seulgi?”

“Yeah?”

“I do think Seulgi is jealous of you.”

I stop pacing and huff, putting my hands on my hips. “That’s ridiculous! She has all of these guys all over her! She gets way more attention than I do! Why would she ever be jealous of me?!”

“People don’t like it when others do better than they do,” he says. “I’m sure she thinks you’re a lot smarter than her. And even if she doesn’t think you’re prettier than she is, she can’t deny that you’re not attractive.”

Gnawing on my bottom lip, I contemplate what he tells me. It is possible, but I can’t imagine anyone feeling that way about me. I’m the quiet one that no one pays attention to except when they want answers on their homework. That’s not entirely true, but I honestly thought that no one really cared about what I did. I just did my schoolwork and minded my own business. The most people would ever really talk to me about was college. Long story short, my conclusion was that everyone thought I was boring. Granted, Siwoo did mention all of those other comments from Ara and Yunji. I guess I had more confirmation of some of these statements than I would have liked to admit or was able to believe.

“So if I go to the mall and see him again, he’s probably going to bring up hanging out again.” My face sours, disgusted at how easily Lucas could say things he doesn’t mean over and over again. “What should I say to him?”

“What you should do, is next time you see him, make him pick the time and date. Just tell him, ‘If you’re so busy, then why don’t you pick the time and the date? Then let me know.’ Flip it back onto him.”

Even though I knew any attempts to hang out with Lucas were probably nonexistent – and definitely nonexistent if I flipped the decision back onto him – I didn’t want to give up like that. But the rational part of me knew this would be the best thing to do. Summer was more than half gone already. What could we possibly do in that time even if we did hang out once or twice? I was onto bigger and better things with completely different people. Who cares about some idiot from high school?

This shirt looks nice. I pull the hanger from the rack, admiring the red, sleeveless blouse. It would be nicely paired with some blue denim shorts.

“Hey!”

When I hear Lucas’s voice, something kicks in… likely my rationality because suddenly, I’m angry.

I glance over my shoulder, seeing him leaning against a wall next to me. “Hey.”

“So school starts soon, huh?”

I continue admiring the blouse, holding it up to my body to estimate the fit. “Yeah, I’m leaving in a few weeks.”

“Oh! We should hang out before then!”

Here we go…

I internally roll my eyes, completely exasperated as I had mentally prepared myself for this moment. I was not going to give in again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, I’m an idiot. Fool me four times? Yeah, not going to happen.

“I think you tried to hit me up, right?” he continues, crossing one foot over the other and pulling his phone out. “But I think I was busy that week.”

Yeah, you were “working”.

“Yeah, well, since you’re so busy,” I say. “How about you decide?” I cross my arms. “Pick the date, pick the time, let me know.”

He keeps his gaze on his phone, scrolling with his thumb, probably pretending to filter through his “completely booked” calendar.

“Okay,” he agrees. “So just text you?”

I can feel the sharpness of my tongue as I respond, “Yep.”

“When are you leaving?”

“On the fifteenth.”

He smiles at me, uncrossing his legs and placing his phone back in his pocket. “All right, well, my shift is over so I’ll hit you up later.”

Right… I’m sure you will.

A couple days later, I opted to go to a coffee shop that my high school classmates would frequent after class. I had brought a book along with me and was going to spend the next hour or so reading while sipping on a lavender latte before going to meet Hana for dinner.

“Y/N?”

I lift my head from my book and turn in the direction of the voice.

“Oh, hey Sicheng!”

Sicheng and I weren’t really friends, but we could always have conversations. We were acquaintances at best, but he was best friends with Lucas and Kibum. And all throughout high school, he was always kind and respectful towards me. Despite him becoming ‘one of the guys’ when he was around his friends, he was one of the nicer ones of the group and he knew how to flip off that switch when he would talk to anyone else outside of his posse.

He smiles at me and walks over to my table. “Just reading?”

“Yeah, I thought I’d get a lavender latte before meeting Hana for dinner.”

“Oh nice.”

I look at his hand that’s gripping onto the backpack slung over his shoulder. “Are you here to work on something?”

“Hm?” He follows my gaze to his backpack. “Oh, yeah, I have some scholarship essays I need to work on. When are you leaving for school?”

“In a couple weeks.”

“Congratulations, Y/N! That’s really exciting!”

“Thanks! I’m excited… though, I’m quite nervous too.”

“Yeah, I bet…” he trails off.

He looks down at my book, continuing to linger at my table. His mouth opens slightly and he smiles, like he’s contemplating on saying something. I raise an eyebrow up at him, silently asking what’s on his mind.

Suddenly, he says something that’s somewhat out of left field. “Hey, do you talk to Lucas?”

My eyes narrow. “I see him at the mall sometimes,” I say. “I buy a lot of my clothes at the store he works at. Why?”

“Oh, uh, I was just wondering if you guys hang out…”

What are you fishing for?

“Did he say something?”

“No… no, not really.” Sicheng presses his lips together. “Did he ask you out?”

Well that was forward.

I swallow and narrow my eyes again, wondering what on earth Sicheng could be getting at. “Like, on a date?”

“Yeah.”

“No, he did ask me to hang out though…” I shake my head, trying to dismiss all of the fluff. Sicheng just needs to get to the point. “Why are you asking?”

He sighs in frustration. “Okay, to tell you the truth, he likes you.”

I raise an eyebrow, questioning both the truth of the statement and his reasons for telling me. “Really…” I say skeptically. “It doesn’t seem like it.”

“He wants to go out with you, Y/N.”

“What?” I ask, incredulity lacing my tone. “I – I don’t understand. Why are you even telling me this?”

He clicks his tongue. “Look, I –” He sighs again, shifting his gaze to a far corner of the room before turning to look back at me. “Lucas is my best friend and I’m just tryin’ to help him out because – as much as I like Seulgi, she’s being a bitch.”

Of all the things for Sicheng to do, I never thought he would do this. He’s always been nice, but why would he ever confess that Lucas likes me? Why would he out his best friend?

My expression is perplexed, confused at his confession. I don’t say anything and let him continue.

“She knows Lucas likes you, but she doesn’t even like, want him to talk to you.” His face turns sour. “So, I’m just – I’m just seeing how you feel because he’s my friend and Seulgi’s just being…” he trails off, waving his hand in dismissal.

I shrug, making a gesture with my hands to express frustration. At this point, telling him the truth doesn’t really seem to make any difference. “Well, I’d go out with him if he asked, but –”

“Yeah, I know…” he interjects, offering me a small smile. “I know you’re leaving soon, but I don’t know… I just thought I’d see what’s up with you and try to help Lucas out before then.”

This was a strange revelation. I never expected Sicheng to do this. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel all giddy inside having confirmation that Lucas did like me. Unfortunately, my opinion of Seulgi had deteriorated even further and gave me confirmation that what she did at Winter Ball was, in fact, on purpose. She couldn’t stand having a different girl having (in her eyes, steal) Lucas’s attention. That was too great of a hit to her ego. On the other hand, all this told me was that Lucas had little to no backbone. He was easily influenced by someone that wasn’t good for him and would never fully return his affections. Yet, he couldn’t stand not having her in his life even if all she would end up doing is crushing him. I guess we both have something else in common – at least for the next few weeks.

I was a fool. The temptation to bite into the forbidden fruit was too great and the truth of the matter was that I didn’t even get to bite into it. It was always within reach, on a branch that was just a smidge too high. But then a gust of wind blew and the fruit fell and hit me in the head.

Lucas never did text me.

And I never heard from him after that.

Perhaps the first dance really was the last.

Prev | Next

Before I Met You Masterlist Masterlist  

[yhsujin]

come out and play

@yhseojun

the practice for today somehow ended earlier than usual, and that gives the june girls plenty of time to spend for the rest of the day. it’s not often they are spared some free time like this, so it’s normal for them to do their own things and have their own plans with other people for once. although it seems like a better idea to just stay inside and get some rest, sujin feels like she’s wasting a golden opportunity if she doesn’t go out and hang out with someone right now. the question is: who should she meet?

swiping the screen to unlock her phone, she notices that there’s a message from seojun not too long ago, probably sent to her when she’s in the middle of practice. ah, how long has it been since they last saw each other anyways? it’s always a blessing to have the boy around, even if he seems a little too bright to be hanging around someone like sujin. their first meeting had been both hilarious and embarrassing, but it’s a memory she keeps close to her heart. it never fails to make her smile whenever she thinks about it — how could she not smile at the thought of min seojun singing and dancing to june songs in an attempt to cheer her up? sure, she’s seen fans do that before, but this one hits different, especially when she’s in need of a little comfort.

he visits the june girls quite often at work, sometimes showing up with milk teas and snacks for them after practice. it’s a simple gesture, but sujin appreciates every little thing he does to make people around him happy. she finds him endearing, wonders if this is how it feels to have a younger sibling. certainly not what her sister would feel about her, and she knows it too, given how difficult she could be at times. but she has a soft spot for seojun, loves how much light he brings into her life when she needs it.

maybe it’s something to do with him being a min. just like soyeon, and siwoo. they all seem to have the same effect on her. that same feeling of reassurance, like how easily she finds solace in their presence, like how easily they break down her walls and make her think it’s okay to be a little vulnerable around them. and while sujin doesn’t need any cheering up at the moment, it’s always nice to have a good company around when she goes out. after all it’s a perfect time for a brunch date, so she texts seojun: hey, come over if you’re done with work! i haven’t eaten anything yet, so we’re getting food. with a heart emoji at the end, before she presses send. she could only hope it doesn’t take long for seojun to reply now, it’s really hard to stay patient on an empty stomach.

[yhsiwoo]

— helpline.

@yhjeongmin trigger warnings: drug abuse

familiarity — it’s a feeling ever so foreign to siwoo. there’s not a lot of things he feels familiar with, besides the usual, art, animals, his family and well, jeongmin. you could classify him under “family” too, for the longest time now, so long that he can’t even remember when it started, siwoo stopped regarding jeongmin as just a same-aged friend his parents forced him to play with when they were kids, or a neighbour who lives just down the street. jeongmin is all of that, but more — he is a best friend, a brother, and a lifeline.

what would siwoo do without jeongmin? don’t ever ask him that. he never allows himself to come anywhere close to imagining a reality like that, let alone churn out an answer to a question so petrifying. tantamount to his fear of losing his family, the mere idea of losing jeongmin terrifies him, a fear so chilling that he feels it deep in his bones. this is a reason why he struggles with opening up to people, or getting unnecessarily attached — jeongmin only proved how unhealthily dependent he gets towards the people he loves and trust. 

siwoo likes spending time alone but like everything else related to jeongmin, he makes an exception. usually, if his classes got cancelled, he’d head right home without a second thought. after all, there’s no better way to spend his evening than to spend it alone, painting on the balcony and watching colour drain out of the sky as night befalls the hill. but not today, not when he knows jeongmin hasn’t been feeling his best in awhile. the evident fatigue in his eyes that he manages to hide from everyone else, everyone but siwoo, or the way his shoulders slumped like it carried the world on them, and it probably did — there’s no way jeongmin could hide those things from siwoo, not when he grew to read him like the back of his hand.

as tempting as alone time felt right then, there’s something more important he had to do — to be there for his friend, with a little spur of encouragement in the form of a surprise visit and cheesy tteokbokki from omma’s wok, their favourite snack ever since the kims opened for business. tteokbokki probably wouldn’t do much for jeongmin, whose burdens are so heavy they practically crush his shoulders at this point but he hopes that it would at least serve as a form of comfort, though temporary, but still enough to warm his tummy, and maybe, just maybe, the warmth would reach his heart too. 

his fingers head straight for the number keypad, keying in the passcode to jeongmin’s apartment, of which he knows by heart now. like how jeongmin is like his second family, his apartment too, is siwoo’s second home. if he wasn’t back at home, or at the university, he would be at jeongmin’s place. he liked the peace and quiet here, it usually made him feel comfortable and at ease, but today, it didn’t feel the same. the apartment was dark, ladened with an ominous tenor that felt suffocating and heavy, an unsettling feeling he just couldn’t ignore.

he follows the only source of light coming from jeongmin’s bedroom, the air getting more stale as he approaches the quiet room. was he sleeping? is that why he didn’t switch on the lights? he expected to find his friend deep in slumber, but instead, he found him sprawled out on the floor with bloodshot eyes. panic shoots through siwoo at this unfamiliar sight and then it hits him, right when his gaze lands on the prescription pills on the ground next to jeongmin. there’s a pang in his chest as he realises that he was wrong all this time, that there were indeed things he didn’t know about jeongmin, things he wished the other could’ve entrusted him with earlier.

“jeongmin,” he whispers shakily, “are you ok?” he swallows as he crouches over his friend, attempting to swallow the despair lumping in his throat. “talk to me, please.”

[lgcmanager]

SEASON 001, PART 001

The word is out; starting from OCTOBER 31ST, tvM will be airing LEGACY PROJECT: FUTURE DREAMS, a nine-week survival show based around Legacy Entertainment’s trainees.

                                   PARTICIPANTS LIST && READ MORE HERE

Early morning, on OCTOBER 7TH, trainees who signed up for the show are picked up at the the dorms to head to the hair salon. After getting their hair and makeup done, they are taken to a CJ ENM studio. Before they can head to the main studio, the staff has set up three rooms where trainees are taken individually and asked to introduce themselves and talk about their feelings towards taking on this new adventure. They are then instructed to either go in on their own or in small groups (same gender only). 

Once they enter the main studio, they can see that not one but TWO PYRAMIDS of chairs facing each other await the trainees –– one with blue lighting for the boys, and one with pink lighting for the girls. Unlike the produce series, trainees learn, upon entering the room, that legacy has already assigned them a number. They are tasked to find their place and initial ranking for the beginning of the show. 

Once all trainees are seated, Bae Siwoo makes his grand entrance. He takes the time to engage with the trainees to make them laugh and relax a little bit before before going back to his script. His first announcement is that, this season, the show is not a survival but a competition for a SOLO TRACK. Although this doesn't guarantee a solo career under Legacy, the winners will both, one guy and one girl, receive a solo song. Participation in this season also doesn’t mean an official debut; contestants will still be considered trainees at the end of it.

The second announcement is that, in addition to this, they will have to prepare for the 'trademark songs' of the Legacy trainees –– their own versions of ‘Pick Me' songs.

The last announcement is revealed after a short pause in order to keep the suspense going during the broadcast; training groups will also all receive their own song. Even though each training group will receive a song, they are tasked to also learn the two others in case of any group switches. 

LEGACY BOYS 

Main song: Hit (Produced by guest producers) 

Senior Group: Movie Star (Produced by Yang Joshua) 

Junior Day Group: Side Effects (Produced by guest producers) 

Junior Evening Group: Boom (Produced by Choi Daehyun) 

Solo: TBD (Produced by Kim Hyunbin)

LEGACY GIRLS 

Main song: Adios (Produced by guest producers)

Senior Group: Latata (Produced by guest producers) 

Junior Day Group: Bim Bam Bum (Produced by guest producers) 

Junior Evening Group: Dalla Dalla (Produced by Seo Haneul) 

Solo: TBD (Produced by Kim Youngim) 

Trainees are then introduced to the guest coaches who will be in charge of them for the next two months. Filming for the day ends on that note and, after another comment session where trainees are asked about how they feel about their current ranking and the mission, they are sent back to the dorms. They will not be returning to the studio before November 18 when parts will be officially distributed and winners of the solos will be revealed. Until then, they will go back to training at Legacy Entertainment's main building, although on a different floor, in more modern and bigger training rooms. 

Their official working hours are from Monday to Friday, from 2PM until 10PM. Cameras will roll from 12PM to 12AM on those days. They are paid weekly 500,000 won. When coaches are around, usually, the first 3.5 hours are dedicated to dancing and the last 3.5 hours are dedicated to singing with a one hour break. 

WEEK 1: Main song 

WEEK 2: Assigned training group song 

WEEK 3: Other training group songs 

WEEK 4: Free practice 

WEEK 5: Free practice

Throughout week 5, trainees will be reviewed individually by the coaches for the main song, assigned training group song and solo performance. On NOVEMBER 10, trainees must submit a video of them, alone, performing their main song, assigned training group song and the solo song they will have prepared.

While the event will last for a period of THREE MONTHS, a second part will be posted on NOVEMBER 17TH. Line distributions, solo winners, official recording schedules (expect last weeks of November), MV filming schedules (expect first weeks of December) and more will be revealed at that time.

There are a total of FIVE REQUIREMENTS for this event, three of which will be revealed tonight. Mandatory requirements are marked by stars (**). Except for one requirement in PART 002, fulfilling a requirement equals to appearing in 2 episodes. Therefore, by meeting all 5 requirements, a trainee will have appeared in all 9 episodes of this season. Use the hashtag lgc:futuredreams for everything related to this event.

IMPORTANT: in order for your requirements to be valid, for each first post/solo posted, a READ MORE with a small INTERVIEW must be added. the interview can be just one question/answer, most likely about the thoughts or feelings of the trainee at that moment. For a thread, the interview section can also be done just once. This part has no minimum word requirement, but the number of words written in this part isn’t counted with the rest of your post (i.e; if you write a 300 words solo + 125 words for the interview, we only count 300 words)

REQUIREMENTS DUE FOR NOVEMBER 10, 11:59EST:

**TRAINEE ENTRANCE AND RANKING: Write a 300+ words solo or a 4 replies (minimum 8 lines) thread with another same gender trainee about your muse’s entrance in the main filming room and finding their assigned chair/number. ** we know that people will be added in, or even erased, but keep in mind that ranks won’t change that much (more or less 5 at most). Example of interview questions: How are you feeling about being here? What worries you the most coming here? How did you feel about the rank the company gave you? Which rank do you think you should’ve been? REWARD: +5 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE ANYWHERE, +4 NOTORIETY !

**SOLO PERFORMANCE: Write a 300 words solo about the solo performance your muse has prepared. This performance will be recorded and submitted to the company and will determine who will receive the solo songs. Trainees are instructed to pick a song that represents them or the type of music they would like to do. Mistakes and bad choices will be cost the muse the solo, so stakes are high. You may safely pick any song of 2017 and older. If you wish to use a more recent song, please ask the staff, just in case a song is planned to be used in the future! REWARD: +5 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE ANYWHERE, +4 NOTORIETY !

REQUIREMENT DUE FOR DECEMBER 29, 11:59EST:

PREPARATION PROCESS: Write a 300+ words solo or a 4 replies (minimum 8 lines) thread with another same gender trainee about a moment that could’ve been caught on camera during those 5 first weeks. REWARD:  +5 POINTS TO DISTRIBUTE ANYWHERE, +4 NOTORIETY !

to validate your skill points and collect your notoriety points, please submit the following form ONCE on the points blog following previously mentioned due dates.

TITLE: MUSE NAME ∙ FUTURE DREAMS PART 1

- ENTRANCE/RANKING: +5 ( skill points distribution ) + 4 notoriety [ LINK ] - PERFORMANCE SOLO: +5 ( skill points distribution ) + 4 notoriety [ LINK ] - PREPARATION PROCESS: +5 ( skill points distribution ) + 4 notoriety [ LINK ] ** can be submitted with part 2

[beseira]

besiwoo

siwoo nods, listening to seira. they've met in previous rounds, and by now he's familiar with her and the way she worked with others. it's refreshing, really. "i think so too," siwoo says – thinking back to puzzle. to the compliments and the criticisms they both got. still, it was clearly thanks to puzzle that siwoo's come to the realization that he's taking this survival show a lot more seriously than he'd initially intended. "it suits you," he says, a little for the cameras, but more so for seira. it's his genuine opinion. "ah, i get what you mean. they told me i've been relying on my face too much," he tries to lighten up the atmosphere. "so i've been working hard on... other parts too," he confesses. "this song is good though. it's pretty rap heavy. i think we can win again this round," he smiles, lifting his hand up to give seira a high five.

seira is quite excited to rap, it’s the skill she’s most confident in, yet she feels like she hasn’t had much of a chance to show it. sure she can dance and sing a bit, but her real passion his rap. it saddens seira a bit she hasn’t had more chances to show her rap, something in her feels like if she’d had the chance to show her rap more, maybe she wouldn’t be stuck in the bottom. but here she finally is, with the chance to show off her rap.

“thank you” she smiles a bit “i’m happy to hear that” ideally seira wishes any concept would suit her, but for now, it’s still not every concept she can do perfectly. “you have a pretty face” , “but i also think you have more to show than your face” she sends a smile the other’s way. “i don’t think you came this far just from being pretty”. she shows a smile “i’m quite happy to be showing off my rap”.

[lgcyonghwa]

LEGACY: FUTURE DREAMS SEASON ONE: PREP PT. 2

Yonghwa thought he had the system figured out. The first name called was Jun’s and he didn’t think the younger trainee would be the winner of the solo purely because the first answer was rarely the correct one in multiple-choice answer tests. People had a tendency of wanting to hide the real answer, or at least that was what high school taught him. Following that train of thought, whether or not it was truly logical, Yonghwa thought the winner would be Jaesun. 

In fact, he already started preparing himself for the congratulatory speech he was about to feed the senior trainee. Of course, he would show some disappointment first, as it would be appropriate for someone who had just suffered a loss. He won’t let himself frown or scowl and will instead, put on a smile. The sadness, he shall allow to leech slowly from his eyes and contrast against the brightness that was tucked at the corner of his lips. Yonghwa won’t lie, he practiced that expression in front of the mirror many times, just to get it perfect. This was an opportunity to gain favor, even through a defeat. If cards were played right, he could soft his audience’s hearts and make them remember his name. 

Kang Yonghwa.

He turned towards Jaesun, only to find the senior trainee looking back at him. How strange, he thought, slightly bemused. It only took him a second then to realize Jaesun wasn’t the only one staring at him.

His head snapped towards Bae Siwoo, eyes wide with shock. It wasn’t like he didn’t practice a victory smile, just in case for some reason he was declared the solo winner. At that moment, however, all of his preparation went out of the window. All Yonghwa could hear was his heart, pounding in his ribcage and feeling his blood rush through his veins. There was a lump in his throat and he was sure his eyes were turning red at the rims. He was one step away from actually crying tears of joy and it took more effort than some people might imagine for Yonghwa, ordinarily king of composure, to pull it all back. He smiled, innocently genuine - he could have not imagined a more pleasant surprise. 

The glow lasted until the end of the night. After all the congratulations, all the affectionate claps on his back and that delightfully envious glare from his sole enemy. As the joy faded, his mind regained the ability to plan. Yonghwa knew he needed to work on his vocals, perfect his expressions, he was going to hit it out of the goddamn park for this solo while also making sure he didn’t slip on the other songs. The kind words of validation spoken tonight shall fuel his confidence and strengthen his determination. Most importantly, this result meant seniority didn’t necessarily equal priority and that he, as well as other junior trainees of Legacy, had everything to play for. 

In this complex city, even strong wind cannot stop me.  I want to fly higher and higher, follow the blue light just like a star. 

Are you nervous about the solo?

“A little,” he laughed. “Alright, I won’t lie, a lot. I just really want to do well and am extremely grateful for this opportunity to showcase my skills.” Performing with other trainees meant less attention but it also meant less scrutiny. This time, there would be no one else to take the spotlight but also no one to take the blame. Good or bad, the outcome of this song would be on him alone. That, well, it was a lot of pressure. 

What do you feel like you need to work on the most?

“Singing, definitely.” The choreography wasn’t difficult and the song was perfectly within his vocal range. However, Yonghwa had always been a better dancer than he was a singer and for solo performances, vocal prowess was of grave importance. “Bird is a sweet song, very hopeful and optimistic. I want to be able to convey that cheerful feeling and make those who are listening feel loved as well as treasured.” In other words, he had to perform like it was effortless. “I am going to be pestering my vocal trainer endlessly before the concert. I am sure she will be sick of me soon.” He made a heart with his arms. “I love you, trainer noona~”

[svtskneecaps]

halloween hijinks

yeah the title’s p bad i made it up for posting and nothing but

uhh i was bored so i wrote a kim jisung x kim jihun semi unrequited story? like love’s not really the main focus bc it’s mostly two idiot friends doing dumb shit yknow

Group: TRCNG (look at ya girl stepping out of her comfort zone)

Warnings: Ouija boards, mentioned flying erasers, two kids being dumb, scented candles, probably language (i don’t remember for sure but knowing me), ooc things (let me emphasize this, OOC THINGS), and poor writing. i did my best

Words: a commentary’s worth (1725)

best gif i could find in 5 minutes of searching my dudes i take what i can get and don’t throw a fit cr to bapwoo the owner as shown above. i’m not a giffer just a bad writer

“We should not be doing this.”

Jisung had been saying that for probably the last day and a half straight. One would think he’d have stopped by now, since the boy creeping around ahead of him with a Ouija board tucked under his arm still hadn’t listened.

“Yes we should, because who else is going to?” Jihun checked around the corner, looking like someone from a parody of a spy movie.

“The teachers probably, I don’t know! We shouldn’t be messing with this stuff.”

“Look, I did research. It’ll be fine.” (Jisung noticed he knocked on wood as he said that)

“You did less than a day’s worth. We’re messing in the occult here, what if we summon something?”

“Yeah, like what? The spirit of an angry old woman who flicks your forehead when you cuss?” Jihun crouched down, checking around a hallway intersection.

“Like a demon! This is serio- what are you doing?”

“I’m being stealthy.” Jihun laid flat on his belly, worming his way through the intersection.

“You- okay.” He was going to say you look ridiculous, but thinking about it this wasn’t the strangest thing he’d seen. Now crouching on the other side, Jihun waved for him to join. Checking both ways for any security or custodians, he crossed the intersection.

But not on his belly, because he kind of wanted to keep that last shred of dignity, thank you.

“You’re gonna get us caught,” Jihun hissed.

“I’m gonna get us caught?” Jisung asked, but the other boy was already moving, crouched in front of a classroom door and fiddling with the knob.

“Got it.” He pulled the door open. “Come on.”

The classroom was eerie in the dead of night. Even the cheery posters with cheesy motivational sayings seemed creepy. And the model skeleton their teacher had dressed up for Halloween really didn’t help the atmosphere any.

“You know what today is?” Jihun asked as he pulled the shades down over the windows.

“Halloween?” Jisung cleared a spot on one of the lab tables at the back of the room.

“No, that ended a couple hours ago.” He pulled the last shade down and moved over to Jisung, beginning to set up the Ouija board. “Today is the Day of the Dead. I read about it on Wikipedia.”

“You think that’s a trusted source?”

“Well I wouldn’t cite it on an essay but it’s pretty accurate a lot of the time.” Jihun pulled a stack of website printouts from of the box, setting them next to the board. Jisung squinted. “Anyway, Wikipedia says spirits come to visit the living world on November first, which is the second day of the festivities, and coincidentally,” he checked his watch, “it’s been November first for about an hour.”

“I thought it was the day of the dead,” Jisung emphasized. “Singular.”

“Me too. But we were wrong.”

“And anyway, what does that have to do with what we’re doing?”

“Halloween, which is the mainstream spooky ghost day, has just ended. According to the Mexican tradition, the spirits have just begun to walk among us. I figured now would be the best time to contact the ghost and ask it to stop throwing erasers at me.”

Jisung felt his jaw drop. “That’s why we broke into school in the dead of night? I told you, it’s probably Siwoo or Hyunwoo or one of the other back row kids!”

“I’ve been watching, it’s not,” Jihun insisted, setting the triangular planchette beside the board.

Jisung sighed. “Fine. So how do we do this safely?” “Well first we’re supposed to light candles.” Jihun took a couple out of the box and set them on the lab table, pulling a lighter from his pocket. “I could only find two at my house. They’re scented.”

“You’re sure they’re not going to set the fire alarms off and get us busted?” Jisung asked doubtfully, picking up one of the candles and breathing in the scent absently (it was vanilla).

“They’re tuned for heat, not smoke. We’re in a science lab, there’s going to be smoke sometimes.” Jinhun flicked the lighter, the flame finally catching on the fourth or fifth try. Jisung caught himself staring too closely and quickly asked a question to distract himself.

“What’s that one scented?”

“Apple cinnamon, I think.”

The distraction didn’t work. He needed a new plan. As Jihun turned to light the other candle, he lifted the first and checked the label. “Yeah. It’s apple cinnamon.”

Jihun finished lighting the candles and looked back up at him, then laughed. “Why are you glaring at the candle? Do you not like that scent?”

Embarrassed, he set the candle down, trying to think of an excuse. “No, I’m just tired.”

“Do you want me to hurry then?” Jihun shoved the lighter back in his pocket and placing the candles on opposite sides of the board.

“Please do.”

Jihun hopped up on the lab table, sitting cross legged and pulling the board onto his lap. “It said we’re supposed to balance the board on our knees, preferably touching.”

It didn’t sound that close until he experienced it in action. Hunched over the board, their heads were almost touching. Despite its purpose being to contact a ghost, it felt intimate.

“Okay, now we warm up the planchette and then we get started.”

“How do you warm up the planchette? Do we hold it over the candle flame?”

“No we just move it around on the board.”

“Sounds easy enough.” They moved it around in a circle. Well, it was mostly Jihun controlling it. “How do we make sure to get the classroom ghost and not a passing other spirit, or something evil?”

“We specify.” Apparently deeming the planchette sufficiently warmed up, Jihun stopped moving it. “And it said only one person should ask questions formally to the board, to avoid confusing the spirit.”

“So you’ll be asking the questions?”

“Yeah. And the other person just tries to keep their mind clear, because the mixing energies could break the connection.” Jihun glanced at him. “So don’t freak out or anything, and don’t take your hand off the planchette. If anything goes wrong, I’ll end the session. Okay?”

“Okay,” he said simply. “I trust you.”

Jihun flashed a smile. Jisung ignored the fluttering in his chest. They leaned over the board, and Jihun opened the session. “We ask of you no negativity and no profanity, only positivity, and we ask you to only communicate with us through the board and only the board, and that anybody here or near to us is not affected by anything negative.”

“Did you memorize that?” Jisung asked, eyes flicking up.

“Yeah.” Jihun slid the planchette over to the greeting in the corner. “Hello!”

“Hello,” Jisung echoed.

“Is there anyone who’d like to speak with us?”

They waited.

“It might take a couple minutes,” Jihun said.

“So do we have to wait in awkward silence until then?”

“I don’t know.”

They tried it. Time stretched on. Jisung wished he’d thought to grab his watch on the way out. Jihun’s was hidden by his sleeve, and the clock on the wall was never trustworthy. The planchette inched towards the U, but he was pretty sure that was gravity and not a spirit.

“Is there anyone in this room who wants to talk to us?” Jihun tried again, a little louder. Jisung winced at his volume, sure that someone was going to hear and come running, but his concerns were quickly forgotten as the planchette began to move, halting over the yes.

“That’s so cool.” The words came out breathless as he stared at the unassuming piece of wood.

“Do you haunt this room?” Jihun asked. It circled around and came back to yes. “Do you throw things?” It moved to no. Jisung resisted the urge to say, I told you so. “Do you know who’s been throwing things?” It moved to yes, then slid across the board, pausing over each letter. They leaned over the board, reading each letter out loud.

“Kangmin?” Jihun asked incredulously. He straightened up abruptly and hit Jisung’s forehead with his skull. It took an inhuman amount of willpower to keep his hands on the planchette. “Shoot- sorry Jisung.”

“No it’s fine.” He shook his head. “Did you get all the answers you wanted?”

“Yeah.” Jihun turned back to the board. “Thank you for your help, spirit. Do you mind if we say goodbye now?”

The planchette slid to no, and then to goodbye.

“Thanks again, goodbye~” Jihun sang. Jisung echoed him. “Okay, we can take our hands off now.”

“Guess you really did know what you were doing.” Jisung rubbed his forehead as he spoke.

“Yeah. Is your head okay?” Jihun leaned in, setting the board aside. “I really knocked it.”

“It’s fine, just hurts a little.”

“How does one check for a concussion?”

“Hyung really, I’m not gonna get a concussion because you sat up too fast.”

“You’re sure?”

Their faces were so close. Jisung wondered if the other noticed. “Yeah I’m sure.”

“Okay.” Jihun sat back, and the tension cleared from Jisung’s chest, although it was quickly replaced by some kind of empty longing sensation. What was up with him?

“I don’t mean to be overbearing or anything,” Jihun said, hopping off the lab table and starting to pack up. “I just worry about you.”

“Yeah, I get it.” Jisung hopped down and stacked up the papers, setting them in the bottom of the box. Jihun handed him a candle, and with a quick huff they blew them out at the same time. They returned the room to its original state and snuck back out of the school, heading for home.

“Do you ever want to do that again?” Jihun asked.

“What, use a Ouija board?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe.” Jisung’s eyes trailed over the jack o lanterns littering the sidewalk. Taking a chance, he said what he’d been thinking, “If I was doing it with you, yeah.”

Maybe it was the excitement of using a Ouija board and not dying, maybe it was that he’d basically been asleep for the past ten steps, but he didn’t remember who reached out first. All he knew was they were holding hands all of a sudden, and Jihun was smiling at him.

And maybe he hated it but he knew he’d do it a million times over if it all led to this.

i probably did shit but hey i tried my sins are atoned for i have contributed to the trcng scenarios tag happy spooky day

[ouxvrx]

“[choked up] I thought I lost you.” ( hear me out... siwoo getting a call that yongmin might be in trouble and just )

protective sentence starters

Beep. Beep. Beep. Yongmin’s brows furrowed at the consistent annoying sound that seemed to ring through his head. He blinked his eyes open slowly, groaning as the too bright florescent lights stung his still overly dilated pupils. As his eyes began to adjust, the barista glanced around the unfamiliar room as he tried to get his bearings straight until it hit him.

Shit. He was in the hospital.

A small sigh emitted past Yongmin’s plush lips as he slowly struggled to sit up, body freezing at the sudden call of his name. The last time he’d ended up in the hospital, he was dumped for being ‘too sad’ and called far too many names that were more than inappropriate. He could only imagine what would happen this time. Nibbling on his lower lip, the barista turned his head to face his boyfriend slowly, a small frown tugging at his lips at the sight of tears brimming in Siwoo’s eyes.

“I thought I lost you,” The younger choked out, hands reaching for Yongmin’s cheeks. He could feel his heart clench at the gentle touch and tone, something he wasn’t used to receiving. He must’ve looked like a deer in headlights; wide eyed and unsure of what to do next.

“I-” He started, swallowing thickly as a lump began to form in the back of his throat. “…I didn’t think…you would care..” He managed to mutter out, eyes darting away from Siwoo’s saddened expression.

“You what?” Another choked sob echoed through the room and tore at Yongmin’s heart. This was it. He really fucked this up. Siwoo would probably walk out of here and never speak to him again. Or worse; he’d berate Yongmin and then never speak to him again. His jaw clenched as he fought off the tears- he didn’t deserve to cry, this was his fault- as he felt his lovers hands grasping ever so slightly tighter at his cheeks.

“Are you stupid? I wouldn’t know what to do without you. If you died, I-” Siwoo paused, taking in a shaky breath, voice breaking on the next word. “Nothing would be okay. I wouldn’t be okay. Everything would feel empty and dull and….a-and…” Siwoo was breaking at this point, collapsing onto Yongmin’s chest as his arms snaked around the barista’s neck tightly. “Please don’t do this again. I love you, I can’t lose you..” Siwoo muttered between sobs.

Yongmin was shocked to say the least- he hadn’t expected such a reaction in the slightest. His arms hesitantly wrapped around his boyfriends sobbing figure, gently caressing his back. “I…I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t- I just–” He cut himself off, not knowing what else to say. That was until he heard the muffled confession, his heart swelling as tears of his own formed in his eyes. He tipped his head, pressing multiple little kisses to the top of Siwoo’s head as the tears flowed down his cheeks. “I…I love you, too. I’m so sorry. I won’t leave you, I promise, baby. I love you so much.”

[jaehyun-eclipsed]

Before I Met You | Three

Updates: Sundays and Thursdays, 8 PM EST

Pairing: NCT (Jaehyun, Lucas…) X Reader/OC

Genre: Romance, Angst, Coming of Age

Summary: Four. There were four people before I fell in love with you… Here are their stories.

Warnings: Some swearing

Before I Met You Masterlist

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Winter Ball seemed like a dream. In a matter of a few hours, my expectations for how life could occur were shattered. How often is it that you have a fantasy about a guy you like that actually comes true? Lucas inadvertently raised my bar for how my love life was going to go for the rest of my life. He proved to me that the things in the movies really can happen. And unfortunately, I don’t think that’s the best way to go about life because it presents too many opportunities to end up disappointed.

For several days, concentrating in class was difficult, to say the least. My mind was constantly replaying the events from the weekend, trying to decipher whether or not I had a real chance with the guy. My next hope was to go to prom with him. I hadn’t had a date the year before and I really wanted to have that experience for my senior year. But in the back of my mind, I was afraid that I would have to ask him myself. I suppose that wasn’t a horrible idea, but since I had never asked anyone out and, like everyone else, I feared rejection and was terrified to do it. So for the next few weeks, in addition to preparing for May exams and waiting for college acceptances, I tried to increase my interactions with Lucas. I frequently texted him new songs to listen to, spent time in the senior parking lot with him, and talked to him more in our volunteer club.  

Valentine’s Day was on Saturday and various clubs had been advertising their Valentine-gram fundraisers to send to friends, significant others, and crushes. You had the option of sending messages with candy or flowers. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to receive one from Lucas after the dance, but I made sure I didn’t get my hopes up on the Friday before when all of the Valentines were being delivered during my physics class. It was a good thing because I ended up not receiving anything anyway. However, to my surprise, Doyoung texted me with news of a different experience.  

Doyoung [1:25 PM] I think Heejin likes me

My forehead creases in confusion. What is he talking about? I already knew that.

Me [1:26 PM] What do you mean?

A minute later, I receive a picture of the inside of a Valentine’s Day card filled with bubbly writing.  

Doyoung,

So I thought the card was kinda cute, but also kinda creepy but anyway Happy Valentine’s Day!

Thanks for dancing with me at Winter Ball and not letting my clumsy-self fall to my death!

Enjoy (or try to) the rest of senior year! Hope we get to hang out soon, don’t be a stranger. Call me up sometime, like maybe this weekend if you have nothing going on.

♥, Heejin (xxx-xxx-xxxx)

I cover my mouth in an effort to keep myself from laughing out loud. My physics teacher was currently going over a PowerPoint with the lights off. Laughing would have been inappropriate.

I told you!

Me [1:30 PM] I told you she did!

Doyoung [1:30 PM] When?!

Me [1:31 PM] A couple weeks ago, in the car after winter ball because she danced with you!

Doyoung [1:32 PM] No you didn’t!

Me [1:33 PM] Yes, I did! I even told you again when we were sitting in biology the following Monday!

Doyoung [1:34 PM] I don’t remember that

I roll my eyes. No one listens to me. I pause, a realization hitting me. Wait a second… If Heejin pulled Doyoung to dance and she likes Doyoung… Lucas pulled me to dance – does that mean…? That must mean Lucas likes me too!

Right?

Does the transitive property work here?

“Which room are you in?” Doyoung asks me.

“A3, I think. You?”

“Damn, A1.”

This evening, we were required to give a presentation in front of our classmates about the various service and volunteer hours we had been completing over the past two years. I was hoping that I would end up in the same room as Lucas, but students were assigned randomly and Lucas was in the same room as Doyoung.  

“Hey!”

I turn around to see Lucas running up to me.  

“Oh hey, Lucas.”

“What room are you in?” he asks.

“A3. You?”

“A1.”

“Where did you park?” I ask.

“On this side,” he says, pointing towards the back of the building.  

Idiot. Why did I park in the other lot on the opposite side?

“Oh, I parked on the other side.”

“Why did you park over there?” he asks, confusion marking his tone.

“I don’t know…”

I figured you were going to park where you usually park, but I forgot that you’re lazy. So that’s way too far to walk, obviously.

“Hey so, I listened to that song you sent me,” he says, walking along a row of lockers with me towards the other end of the building. “It was good.”

“Oh yeah? Good.” I smile. “Are you going to the reception afterwards?”

“Probably for a little bit. Where is it?”

“Library.”  

“All right, well I’ll see you later,” he says as we arrive at the other side of the building and part ways to our respective rooms.

“See ya.”

The next hour is torture as we sit in a classroom with ten other students and some of their parents, each droning on about their favorite and least favorite volunteer experiences. The interaction prior clouds my thoughts. It was nothing, but he wanted to talk to me. I mentally scold myself as my mind starts on its irrational train of thought, reading into everything that could possibly be another sign. The excitement from my thoughts appears to express itself during my presentation with too many smiles and an extraversion that was normally restricted to my inner circle.  

“I think I sounded more excited than usual, huh?” I whisper to Seungwan after finishing my presentation.

“Yes, you did.”

At least I’m self-aware.

When our presentation session ends, I walk to A1 to see if they had finished. The door is open and it is still filled with students. Seungwan waits with me briefly.

“I’m going to wait for Doyoung,” I lie. “You can go to the reception first; I’ll meet you.”

She walks off as I continue to pace in front of the room.  

Honestly, what are you doing? You are so desperate.

After a few minutes, I look up when I hear shuffling from the room and see Doyoung and another classmate walk out, engrossed in conversation such that he doesn’t he even see me. They quickly exit the building when Lucas walks out and pauses at the entrance when he locks eyes with me.

“Hey,” I greet.

“Hey.”

“You wanna go to the reception?” I ask.

I look over Lucas’s shoulder when Siwoo walks out of A1 and smirks at me. I ignore him and return my gaze to Lucas.

“Uh sure,” he hesitates. “Yeah, I’ll go for a little bit. Let’s go.”

I repress a grin and lead the way out of the building. We exchange brief small talk, but mostly walk to the library in silence. I pull out my phone to see a text from Siwoo.

Siwoo [6:02 PM] Get your prom date now!

I roll my eyes and quickly put my phone back in my pocket.

We enter the library and Lucas quickly walks over to Sicheng, Yang Yang, Seulgi, and several others.  

Well that was short lived.

I make my way over to the refreshments table and fill a cup with some juice and grab a cookie before joining Seungwan at a table with her parents. We chat about school and the presentation, giving an opportunity for Seungwan’s parents to scold her for not having officially submitted any of her volunteer hours.

I glance over at Lucas who is busy with the boys, Seulgi, and Sooyoung. Siwoo walks over to me and asks to discuss a history project. It doesn’t take long for the topic to switch over to Lucas.

“So do you have a prom date?” he asks with a grin.

I glare at him. “Of course not. We didn’t even really talk on our way here.”

“I’m pretty sure he likes you. He used to talk about you a lot in class last year.”

“Yeah, well, that was last year,” I say. “How are you and Mina?”

“Eh, we’re okay. You wanna go chat outside? I need to tell you something.”

I raise an eyebrow, wondering what could be so private that we need to discuss it away from everyone else. I shrug and follow him, stopping just outside the side entrance of the library when he turns to look at me, a concerned expression looming over his face.

“It’s been super awkward with Ara around. I think she’s jealous and it’s been putting a strain on Mina and me.”

Well no shit.

I let him talk, occasionally interjecting with a comment about Ara’s reactions to be expected in this situation. Let’s face it, if I were Ara and my ex started dating my best friend, I wouldn’t be too happy either. Siwoo is an interesting character – he is very loyal to me, but in my personal (and crass) opinion, his moral compass is fucked. How someone could be so careless the way he is, is beyond me, but I digress.

“Anyway, I think Seulgi is jealous of you…”

I grimace. “What does that have to do with Mina and Ara?”

“Nothing – well, not exactly nothing.”

“Now why would you say that?” I ask, incredulously. “She probably thinks she’s prettier than me and she has all of these guys fawning over her for validation of that.”

“But it’s not like you’re not pretty…” he says. “Plus you’re smarter than her. And, I mean, Ara and Mina are jealous of you.”

I think for a moment. I can understand why Ara was jealous – she thought I was trying to steal her boyfriend even though I wasn’t doing that at all and Siwoo was the one who couldn’t keep his feelings to himself. Given that Mina and Ara used to be best friends, Mina is probably aware of that situation and has the same reservations about Siwoo. But these are different issues compared to what we’re talking about.

My face sours. “What? But they’re not like Seulgi… they don’t run in the popular crowd and they don’t… have guys chasing after them left and right.”

“So?!” he exclaims. “You know that Yunji hates you, right?”

Yunji is another one our classmates. I didn’t speak to her much. We had several classes together and I sat next to her in Korean class. She seemed fine, though she was often overdramatic in her relationships.

“I’ll never love again!” she claimed one day, shortly after her boyfriend broke up with her during our second year.

I frown. “What did I do to her?”

“Nothing, I don’t think…” He pauses for a moment before shaking his head, deciding whatever he was thinking is no longer relevant. “She’s very fake. She saw me talking to you one time and after you left, she came up to me and said, ‘You know, I really hate Y/N.’ I asked her why and she said, ‘Because she’s too pretty.’”

I burst into laughter. “Are you serious?!”

“Yeah! I wouldn’t lie to you about that!”

“That’s why she hates me?” I ask in between laughter. “What a stupid reason to hate someone. What did you say?”

“I just said something to try to defend you, but we switched the subject.”

I’ll admit, I was flattered after that confession, but also disappointed. If you’re going to hate me, at least hate me for a legitimate reason.

“So anyway, that’s why I think Seulgi is jealous of you. Yeah, she’s pretty, but you’re pretty and smart; she probably thinks you’re better than she is. So she probably thinks you’re trying to steal Lucas.”

Just like how Ara – and now, probably Mina – think I’m trying to steal you.

How foolish of them.

On the other hand, Seulgi wouldn’t be wrong…

“You know,” he begins, “when Ara and I were dating, she said something weird because she hated you too.” 

I scoff. “Humor me.”

“We were waiting for the bus one day and she was watching you and she said, ‘I bet Y/N is really bad in bed because she’s so callous. Like she just lays there with no expression.’“ 

I start laughing again. “What kind of insults are these?! Weren’t we like fifteen?”

“Yeah.”

“All right.” I bite my lip, fighting a smile of amusement. “Whatever makes them feel better, I guess.” 

A cold breeze makes me shiver. “It’s cold. We should go back inside,” I say.

I turn my head and look through the open door at Lucas and the rest of the boys who are all sitting in chairs next to the entrance. As Siwoo and I walk through the doorway, all of the boys simultaneously turn their heads and stare at me. I momentarily freeze before regaining composure and head directly to a table on the opposite side of the library.  

“Did you see that?” I ask as Siwoo follows slightly behind.

“Yeah, they all looked at you.”

“Okay, just checking.”

The following week, my biology teacher announces a group project; we had to teach the class a chapter in the book. He begins assigning group members by numbering off the class from one to four. Doyoung and I groan in annoyance. Sitting next to each other meant that we would not be placed in a group together and were subjected to luck. I am placed in group three and Doyoung in group four. We turn around in our seats to see the rest of the numbering.  

“Two, three, four…”  

Lucas is assigned to group two.

“Wait, who’s two?” asks Lucas.

“Two,” Mr. Cho says as he points to the boy sitting next to Lucas. “Lucas, you’re three.”

I maintain an outward look of nonchalance. Now what are the odds of that? Internally, I’m surprised at the turn of events, wondering how this arrangement occurred so easily.

Lucas suddenly looks at me. “Y/N, what number are you?”

His face lights up when I hold up three fingers. “Hey we’re in the same group!”

I want to be excited since I now have an excuse to talk to him more, but I can’t help but remember my academic opinion of him: he selectively uses his brain, assuming he uses it at all. He’s not reliable when it comes to school work as he has a tendency to be overconfident in his abilities.  

“Okay, everyone, get into your groups to discuss what you’re going to do.”

Lucas, Seohyun, Kibum, and Sooyoung maneuver over to my side of the room, filling the recently vacated seats. Lucas jumps up to sit on a lab bench next to my desk.

“All right, group, what we need is bitches!” Lucas says jokingly.

He and Kibum chuckle at each other. My forehead creases, unimpressed by his immature joke. I force a small smile in an effort to go along with it, but when I was truly unimpressed, it was hard to mask that emotion. Fortunately, he pays no attention to me, exchanging several more jokes with Kibum.

“So what section does everyone want to do?” I ask, interrupting their conversation.

We were assigned a chapter on the kidney and were instructed to make a PowerPoint presentation.  

“I’ll do the intro,” Lucas chimes.

Of course – the easiest part.

Doyoung and I decide to watch How to Train Your Dragon during math class. My attention is pulled away when a girl walks up to Mr. Lee and hands him a stack of square, gold envelopes.

Prom invitations.

I stare at the envelope as it is placed in front of me, my name written in red capital letters next to a character from The Legend of Zelda on a label stuck to the front. I glance over at Hyojin who is engaged in a conversation with Sooyoung; a previous conversation flashes in my mind.

“Do you know if Doyoung is going with anyone?” Hyojin asked.

“I don’t know.”

“I really want to go with him…” she quietly admitted.

“Why don’t you ask him?”

“No way! Do you think you could ask him to see if he would even be interested?”

“Sure.”

I bite my lip. It’s almost comical at how often I seem to be running into this problem. Of course, I already know that Doyoung isn’t interested in going with Hyojin; but again, I have to play along. To put up the front, I knew he was more likely to go with Taeyeon since they were friends and she knows his secret. But I told Hyojin I’d ask, so I will keep my promise.

“Are you going to ask anyone to go?” I ask Doyoung.

“Probably.”

“Who do you think you’re going to ask?”

“I don’t know – probably Taeyeon.”

“How about Hyojin?” I ask innocently.

He presses his lips together, his facial expression clearly displaying a lack of appeal. “I don’t want to go with Hyojin.”

As expected.

“Yeah, I don’t know who else you could ask. Seungwan?” I suggest, giving additional alternatives to keep things casual.

“Nah.”

Well, I tried. Why do all of these girls like him and come to me asking for help trusting that I’m not going to tell him?

I shake my head in frustration and sigh.

Now the question is: how am I going to get my desired prom date? Speaking of which –  

My mind drifts back to the biology presentation. I pull out my phone to send a text.

Me to Kibum, Sooyoung, Lucas [10:15 AM] Do you guys think we should meet up this weekend?

Sooyoung [10:16 AM] Yeah that sounds like a good idea!

Kibum [10:16 AM] Do we really need to?

Me [10:18 AM] It might be a good idea for doing all of the organization. How about Saturday?  2pm?

Lucas [10:19 AM] Yea! I can do Saturday

Kibum [10:19 AM] Saturday is fine

Sooyoung [10:20 AM] I can do Saturday too

We didn’t really need to be meeting up in person to do a PowerPoint presentation. Quite frankly, I was just trying to create a better opportunity to get Lucas alone. Now that prom invitations had been handed out, I was hoping that he would ask me. But there was a thought lingering in the back of my mind that I might have to ask him myself if I wanted to have him as my date.  

I walk through the parking lot to my car during my free period at the end of the day to go home. Lucas’s car is parked in the space in front of me to the left; he’s already sitting at the driver’s seat. From my periphery, I can tell that he’s watching me as I open the back door of my car to throw my backpack in and change into a lighter jacket. I check my phone and respond to a text from my dad asking if I can stop by the grocery store before going home. Glancing over my left shoulder, I meet Lucas’s intense gaze as he continues to watch me, becoming increasingly self-conscious of my actions.  

Why is he just sitting there watching me like that? Y/N, it’s fine. He’s probably just thinking about where he wants to go.

But maybe, you can go up and talk to him about prom…

I close the door and turn my head to the right when I hear a car driving by; Lucas’s Honda Accord speeds through the parking lot.  

Dammit, he left. That was a bit odd though.

I sit with my dad in his office and start working on the biology presentation.  

“Do you think I’m going to have to ask Lucas to prom myself?” I ask.

“Probably.”

Crap.

“You could do it on Saturday,” he suggests. “Sort of wait for everyone else to leave and then ask him.”

“I feel like that’s not going to work; he’ll leave at the same time Kibum leaves.”

Maybe I can suggest we get frozen yogurt and then tell Lucas to go with me to the garage when we leave. Then I’ll ask him there.

Yeah, that’s stupid.

Saturday morning, I send a text to everyone to make sure they were coming.

Me to Kibum, Sooyoung, Lucas [11:28 AM] Everyone still good for 2pm today?

Kibum [11:30 AM] Yeah I’ll be there

Sooyoung [11:31 AM] Same

Seohyun was unavailable and had already finished her part of the project. Unlike the rest of the group, I trusted her with group projects.

Kibum and Sooyoung had confirmed they were going to come, but Lucas was taking an awfully long time to respond. It reminded me of my birthday dinner that Hana tried to plan a few months ago. She had asked him if he wanted to attend in person and he agreed, but when she tried to text him to see if he would be going, he said he had to babysit.  

Lucas [12:30 AM] I have to babysit

I stare at the text and sigh.

Of course you do. I like how you don’t explicitly say you can’t come. You just say you have to babysit. How convenient. I guess I don’t have to ask you to prom today either.

Kibum and Sooyoung arrive a short while later. After working for a couple hours, I suggest that we get frozen yogurt. Kibum declines; Sooyoung says she’ll meet me at the yogurt shop.  

As I’m driving, I think about how Lucas and Sooyoung run in the same circle.

Maybe I can somehow ask her about who Lucas is thinking about asking to prom.

Unfortunately, Sooyoung is known for running her mouth so if I were to bring up anything, I had to be ensure that I brought it up casually. Otherwise, everyone would find out and that was the last thing I really needed.

“I’m annoyed that Lucas decided he didn’t want to show up last minute like that,” I say as I eat another spoonful of my strawberry frozen yogurt.

“He tends to do that. It’s really annoying. He usually uses the excuse that he’s babysitting.”

“Does he even have anyone to babysit?”

She shrugs. “He does have two younger half-brothers, but I don’t think they’re that young.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m gonna kill him. I know Mr. Cho doesn’t really care, but we’re still being graded on this. I’m not letting him screw up my grade.”

“I know! I don’t know how Seulgi puts up with him.”

I suddenly recall that Sooyoung has a strong dislike towards Seulgi. This would be a good time to ask about both Lucas and Seulgi since she was “friends” with both of them – on the surface, at least.

“Does Seulgi still like Lucas?” I ask.

“I honestly don’t know. If I had to guess, she probably does,” she says, annoyance in her tone. “She acts like she hates boys, but she actually loves all of the attention she gets.”

“Mm, yeah, I’ve noticed.” I click my tongue and maintain an expression of indifference. “Does Lucas still like her?”

“Probably,” she says, rolling her eyes.

“Is he asking her to prom?”

“No, he already has a date.”

I freeze. What?

“Really? Who?” I ask, trying not to act surprised.

“His friend, Yuna – she doesn’t even go to our school.”

I believe in fate to a certain extent. I believe that some things happen for a reason. Perhaps that’s my optimism speaking for me because if I choose to believe that, then I can choose to believe that I’m supposed to reap some kind of lesson from the things that happen to me – that it’s not just some negative occurrence to set me back. Or maybe it’s to protect me from even more severe negative consequences. I don’t know, but I will say that it has allowed for me to retain my sanity.

I wonder if that was a coincidence that he didn’t come… It prevented me from asking him so I didn’t even have to make the risk of getting rejected because I absolutely would have been rejected.

“How does he know her?”

“I think they’re both into anime or something.” She shrugs. “They go to those anime conventions together.”

“Why on earth would he ask her?”

“I have no idea. I thought he was going to ask Seulgi.”

I hesitate for a moment, thinking back to Winter Ball and deciding I’ll make the risk with Sooyoung.

Maybe I can pass this off as a mere curiosity or confusion.

“So there’s something that I’ve been wondering about…” I begin. “At Winter Ball, Lucas came up to me and grabbed me to slow dance with him.”

“He did?!” She looks at me, wide-eyed and in disbelief. “That’s so weird! Why would he do that?!”

I shrug. “I don’t know. That’s why I’m wondering what in the world is going on with him because I always thought he liked Seulgi. Then he danced with me and now he’s going with whoever this Yuna girl is. Why would he do that?”

I notice Sooyoung’s forehead crease briefly. My heart jumps, realizing that she may have suspected that my curiosity in Lucas is more than just a passing interest.

“Hmm, yeah, I don’t know. His thing with Seulgi is really weird.” Her face becomes bitter. “I hate the way she treats him – it’s like he’s her slave.”

I return home, displeased with my newly learned information.  

“Lucas has a prom date already,” I say to my dad. “Maybe that’s why things didn’t work out today.”

“Maybe…” He tilts his head and shrugs. “Who knows, maybe it would have been worse if you had gone with him. This prevented that from happening.”

“I couldn’t ask him since he didn’t show up, which is good because I would’ve been rejected anyway.”

“Who’s he going with?”

“Some girl named Yuna. She doesn’t even go to our school.”

“How does he know her?”

“Sooyoung said they go to anime conventions together.”

“Do you know who Seulgi is going with?”

“I don’t think she has a date yet…”

“Huh,” he remarks. “I wonder why he wouldn’t ask her then.”  

I had no idea why Lucas didn’t ask Seulgi, but I was also wondering why he went out of his way to ask someone else who didn’t even attend our high school. To me, that’s the easiest way to avoid any kind of potential drama or judgement from anyone. If no one knows Yuna, no one can have any opinion. If he went with Seulgi, people probably wouldn’t be surprised. But on the other hand, if he went with me, that would surely become the subject of some major gossip. We didn’t run in the same circles and I surely wasn’t “popular.” I was just “the smart girl” that rejected “the smart guy” last year and I guess that makes me a bitch. 

Regardless, all I knew was that I wasn’t going to have a prom date, which was fine; I didn’t want to go with anyone else anyway. I also wouldn’t have to work up the courage to ask the boy myself anymore. It was a bit of a disappointment, but it saved me the anxiety.  

I continue working on the presentation and doing other homework until late into the night. Half past midnight, my phone screen lights up.

Lucas [12:30 AM] I’ll do my part tomorrow I was busy today

I roll my eyes.

I’m gonna kill him.

“So did you ask him?” Hana whispers to me during our physics class.

“He didn’t even show up. He said he was babysitting and would do his part of the project yesterday.”

“Babysitting?” She uses her hands to form air quotes. “Or babysitting?”

“My guess would be the latter.”

She frowns. “Did he at least do his part of the project?”

A look of displeasure washes over my face. “What do you think?”

She rolls her eyes and sighs. “Oh, Lucas…”

“We’re supposed to meet in the library today during seventh period to finish it before I have to go to Academic Olympics.”

“Hopefully he finishes the presentation.”

“Honestly, Hana, that’s all I want.”  

I pull out my phone and see that I have a text. Upon checking the single message, my jaw tightens and it takes me a bit of self-control not to throw my phone across the room.

Lucas [1:45 PM] Y/NN I have to go home to meet my mom. Can you text me pics of my topics?

“I’m actually going to kill him,” I say, pushing my phone onto Hana’s desk.

She deadpans. “Are you serious?” She looks at the message again. “What the – he even spelled your name wrong.”

“I’m gonna kill him! He doesn’t even know his topics?” I growl through my teeth as I pick up my phone to type in a quick response.

Me [1:46 PM] *Y/N

Lucas [1:47 PM] Auto correct

A picture follows his response; it’s a screenshot of our message thread, showing me that my name is spelled correctly in his contacts. I scoff and put my phone in my pocket right as the bell rings.  

“I’ll see you at A.O. later,” I say to Hana while tossing my backpack over my shoulder and making my way towards the parking lot to my car.  

I am parked next to Lucas and realize I would likely see him as he “went home to meet his mom.” Opening the trunk of my car to put my backpack in, I hear footsteps coming in my direction.

“Hey! Did you get my picture?”

I roll my eyes before glancing at him. The audacity…

“Yes.”

“It was autocorrect.”

“I know, I got it,” I say curtly.  

I pull out my biology notes to find the list of topics for the presentation. I make a point to slam down my belongings, ensuring that he would be aware of my annoyance.

“You said you needed pictures?” I ask.

“Oh! Yeah!”

I roll my eyes again. I wasn’t thrilled that the project was due in two days and the idiot didn’t even know what he was supposed to be presenting. He should’ve had the list already, but knowing him, he probably misplaced it. I just want him to do his part because I don’t want to do it myself. I’m not here to give him an A.

I point to the list. “It’s these four.”

He pulls out his phone to take several pictures.

“Oh okay. Thanks. But yeah, it was autocorrect.”

Jesus. If you keep saying that, I’m going to punch you.

“I know, I’m just giving you a hard time,” I reply, monotony filling my tone.

I suddenly feel an arm wrap around me and I’m sure that if it were possible, my irises would be replaced with flames.

Are you fucking serious, Lucas? You’re giving me a hug?

“Thanks for the pictures. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

Are you trying to kiss up to me?

“Okay,” I grumble.  

“QUIET! You’re just reading off the slides! This isn’t why I assigned the presentation! You guys need to actually learn this stuff because when the test comes in May, you’re not going to know anything! Do you know how many people in this class I’m not worried about!? Three – four of you, maybe!”

Doyoung and I exchange an annoyed glance at each other and sigh. The first group had presented and Mr. Cho was scolding the entire class on the single group’s unsatisfactory performance. Once he was finished, Lucas walks up to Kibum and me.

“Guys, I’m so glad I slacked because now we have to redo the whole presentation.”

What the fuck? No, we don’t.

I am seething. “Uh, no, we don’t. Just don’t read everything you write,” I spit back.

Lucas looks at me, his face expressionless. I feel myself returning a stern look, attempting to temper the fire behind my eyes.  

“I’ll meet you in the library today, Y/N.” Lucas says.

“Okay.”

“Is Lucas meeting you in the library?” Hana asks.

“He better be.”

I pull out my phone to send Lucas a text.

Me [1:30 PM] Are we meeting in the library after 6th?

Lucas [1:30 PM] We can

We can? What do you mean ‘we can’?

Me [1:31 PM] Okay, well, we are

Lucas [1:32 PM] Ok cya then! :3

“What the hell is this?” I growl, showing Hana the text.

She laughs. “He’s just trying to be cute.”

I couldn’t believe myself. Prior to Lucas sitting next to me in biology last year, he was never my favorite person. I always thought he was attractive, but largely thought he was a lazy and arrogant idiot. I changed my mind later on when we would work together, but I was starting to feel that my first impression had been, in fact, correct. Lucas was all talk. No action. No commitment. Yet, I was silly enough to fall for his good looks.  

I walk to the library after class and sit down at one of the computers. I sigh as I pull up the presentation; the only empty slides are Lucas’s. He only had to do the introduction – it should have been easy to complete in a short amount of time.

Glancing at the clock, it was ten minutes past the time class ended. Lucas’s last class was the same distance away from the library as mine was; he should have been here by now.

It’s fine. Calm down. Worst case, you do it yourself.

Suddenly, chatter between two boys can be heard from the main part of the library. I turn my head as Lucas and Yang Yang walk into the computer area.

“Hey, what’s up?” Lucas greets, resting his hand on the back of my chair.

“Hey, so here’s the presentation. You’ve got the first few slides.”

He turns around to reach for a chair at one of the nearby tables.

“You know, why don’t you sit here?” I interject, getting up from the chair in front of the computer.

He remains silent as he sits down. I decide to stand directly behind him, crossing my arms like a supervisor overseeing a terminated employee gather their personal belongings before leaving. I watch him as he slowly uses the biology textbook to copy down information to the slides and add accompanying photos from the internet.

So you were just going to copy and paste from the textbook and you thought we had to redo the whole presentation? And it takes you this long to get it done? Pathetic.

He asks me for my opinion on the miscellaneous photos he uses to supplement the text on his slides – making a point to emphasize how the GIFs he chose were of superior quality.

After forty-five minutes, he finishes his section.

“I think I’m done! It looks good, right?”

I click my tongue. “Yep.”

He stands up, overly pleased with his work and slings his backpack over his shoulder.

“All right, I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/N.”

I remain displeased, my tone monotonous. “See ya.”

I sit down in the previously vacated chair and save the presentation, quickly closing out and packing up my things to go home. I am indignant as I make the realization that I practically had to babysit him to get him to do his work. It wasn’t even like he really did any work considering he just copied and pasted from the textbook.

Great, he knows shit about the topic that we have to present on tomorrow. Fantastic.

And since he knew nothing, he was likely going to do exactly what Mr. Cho said not to do – i.e. read directly off the slides – because this is how he does everything else in school.

“Oh I barely studied for this test, but I’m really good at this subject,” Lucas would say right before we began an exam.

When the exam was returned, you could hear from the back of the classroom, “Shit! I got a C!”

I roll my eyes and push those thoughts away. Being angry sapped away my energy and quite frankly, I wanted to conserve it for something worthy.

I walk to the parking lot and see a shadow in my periphery as I near my car.

“Hey! Long time no see!” Lucas calls.

Please just shut up.

I don’t respond and keep my focus straight ahead. He jogs over to me and begins to match the pace of my gait as we walk to our respective cars.

“Are you going home?” he asks.

“Yeah, but I’m going to wait for the traffic to clear out before leaving.”

“Oh, me too.”

We reach our respective cars and put our backpacks in the backseat. He proceeds to sit in the driver’s seat of his car and starts browsing something on his phone, leaving the door open with one leg resting outside the car. It was another facet of his personality – he did always try to act like he was cool.

“Hey, you like scarves, right?” he calls from his car.

I furrow my brows. What a strange question. He keeps his gaze on his phone, continuing to scroll through Instagram when I appear next to him.

“Yeah, why?”

He shrugs and tilts his phone towards me, a picture of a young woman wearing a Burberry cashmere scarf on the screen. “Was just thinking about how you wear them a lot.”

But why?

I attempt to keep my expression neutral. “Oh, well, that one looks nice,” I say. “I have an imitation Burberry scarf.”

He continues to stare at the photo. “Yeah, I remember. It’s nice.”

I blink several times, shifting my gaze around the parking lot in confusion.

“I really like scarves too,” he says.

Uh okay, that’s cool…?

“I think you’d look nice in this one,” he says, tilting his phone towards me again.

The day of our presentation, Lucas is late to class again. Normally, I wouldn’t be concerned because Lucas could just present when it’s his turn, whether he’s late or not, but since he’s supposed to do the introduction, we have a little bit of a problem.

“Do you know if Lucas is coming today?” Kibum asks.

“Nope, but he better be here because he has to speak first.”

“Which group is presenting today?” asks Mr. Cho.

“Ours, but we’re waiting for Lucas.” I reply.

Mr. Cho sighs and walks out of the classroom. I take the opportunity to set up the presentation on his computer. I turn my head towards the door when I see Lucas walk in shortly afterwards. It takes some effort on my part not to roll my eyes into the back of my head when he arrives, announcing to the class that he had trouble finding something to wear that morning to explain his lack of punctuality. I shake my head in disapproval as I head towards the front of the classroom to stand by the projector screen; the rest of the group members follow my lead.  

“You guys ready?” Mr. Cho asks as he walks back into the room.

“Yeah, I think so.”

Lucas sits on a lab stool across from me and begins to describe the basic functions of the kidney. I widen my eyes in surprise.

Holy shit, he actually knows something.

I control the remote to transition to the next slide and Kibum starts explaining his portion of the project. I shift my gaze when I hear Lucas chuckling and making slight hand motions to someone in the class. Following his line of sight, Yang Yang was making faces and hand gestures at Lucas from the back of the classroom.

Typical.

Soon enough, it’s my turn to speak. I explain a diagram of the Loop of Henle, trying to recall the notes I had made the night before. In the midst of turning to make eye contact with the rest of my class, my head stops short when I meet Lucas’s gaze. He carefully watches me as I speak.

He’s probably just watching me because I’m speaking. The best way to assess this is to watch his behavior while everyone else is speaking.

Surprisingly, I’m fairly decent at presenting even if I’m thinking about other things. Every time I turn to look at the audience, I pause on him briefly to check that he’s still looking, quickly turning away every time to make sure the rest of the class doesn’t catch on to my blatant staring. Without fail, he continues to watch me throughout my section of the presentation. As the presentation transitions from me to Sooyoung and Seohyun, Lucas’s eyes wander around the classroom, a look of disinterest on his face. He was no longer making faces with Yang Yang, but he wasn’t paying attention to the presenters anymore either.  

“Congratulations, Y/N!” I look over my shoulder to see Sicheng shouting from across the parking lot.

I raise an eyebrow. What’s he congratulating me for?

“Thank you!” I call back as a formality.

Oh, maybe it’s about –

“Hey!” a voice shouts from behind me.

I pause to let Lucas catch up to me.

“Hey, what’s up?” I greet.

“Congratulations on getting into UCLA!”

Yep, it’s about that…

“Thank you!”

I was surprised both he and Sicheng knew about my acceptance, but realized that Kibum must have told both of them. Kibum, Hana, and Doyoung were the only people I told since I had received the news.  

“Where are you going?” he asks.

“I was going to the other parking lot to go to my car to leave. Why?”

“I wanna show you some music!”

“Oh, sure!”

It was stupid of me to give in so easily after his clear demonstration of laziness and irresponsibility. But for whatever reason, I never opposed more bonding time with him unless it was over something dumb, like babysitting him while he did his homework. And on the bright side, it appeared that he didn’t take my anger at him too personally if he still wanted to show me music.

He turns around and I follow him to Seulgi’s car where she has her trunk popped open. He sits on the edge of the car trunk next to Seulgi while she talks with some of her friends. I lean against the car next to him.

“So my friends and I are practicing this dance…” he says as he types something into YouTube.

“What for?”

“We’re gonna compete in a K-Pop dance competition.”

You’re gonna what? I didn’t realize you danced…

“Oh really? That’s cool. How’s it coming along?”

“It’s all right; BTS has choreography that’s really complicated.”

“I’m not really into BTS – not a huge fan of rap and hip hop.”

The music video for “Boy in Luv” by BTS began to play. I sit and watch silently. I wasn’t a huge fan of the song, but as always, their choreography was amazing.

“He’s cute,” I remark.

“That’s Jungkook. He’s my favorite too.”

He continued to show me videos for the remainder of the lunch hour and convinced me to stay during my free period instead of going home. We discussed school a bit and my acceptance to UCLA. I thought my prospects with him seemed to be increasing, but I knew it would never last. I was leaving in a few months to go to college in California and Lucas would likely be staying here. Aside from that, the whole presentation issue wasn’t a good sign for long-term commitment. And even though I knew having a crush on Lucas wasn’t really worth my time, I couldn’t help it. But in the back of my mind, I was constantly reminded of the fact that he was going to prom with someone else that didn’t even attend our school. And unless something crazy happened, I probably wouldn’t have my chance for another dance.

Prev | Next

Before I Met You Masterlist Masterlist  

[besiwoo]

NEXT GEN EP 4 ! siwoo performs – puzzlin ( line distribution & concept )

elegant and sexy.

siwoo's never personally thought of himself as someone that was sexy – just kidding. sort of. he can kind of tell why he's been placed into this concept. while he's never actually purposefully tried to carry himself with an air of elegance or sensuality, he can understand why he might seem like a fit. the concept isn't as daunting to him as it might be others. if anything... he's looking forward to it.

he's actually looking forward to a performance.

weird. the feeling of looking forward to a performance is a little foreign to him, so he doesn't allow himself to bask in it. he'll have to focus on not looking like a terrible dancer ( flashbacks to his dancing being called out replay in his head ) throughout practice.

still, the discussion of costumes, designs, does get siwoo a little excited. the concept itself is interesting – thieves and detectives. siwoo, given the role of a thief.

"i'll have to steal the judges and audiences hearts," he'd joked – but he isn't too worried about the latter. everyone likes a pretty face ( or so he thinks. but the worry that his 'pretty' face might not take him far enough is soon starting to catch up ).

practice is practice – and siwoo's come to the realization that he needs lots of it. he isn't a skilled dancer, not naturally gifted like the others, and his worry that he might blend into the background because of it starts to make it's head known.

he stays a little longer than usual, leaves when the night is well on it's way to turning into morning and focuses on nothing but practice. the last thing he'd want is to look like a complete fool.

he thinks back to previous performances, to being called out for his lack of skill, his rigidity. he stares at his reflection in the mirror and tells himself not again. fuck, his own reflection begins to piss him off.

"again," he repeats to himself, dissatisfied with what he's had to show so far.

PERFORMANCE DAY

the day of the performance comes and siwoo is clad in a suit of sorts, adorned in accessories that show off his calling card. a thief and detective concept. how fun and exciting.

the first time he'd heard the song, siwoo was instantly pulled into it. it's catchy and seductive, and siwoo quite honestly feels confident that he can pull this off. not only that, but that he might have a shot at pulling this off well.

he stretches his neck slightly, hands on his shoulder as the lights hit the stage. he'll do well. he has to.

they've set the stage up well, have put thought into the design and the story they want to tell. all siwoo has to do is pull this off – to be someone charming.

soon enough it's his turn, and while siwoo doesn't have a long list of lines, this is his part to shine – the part he's spent countless hours practicing: facial expressions, rhythm, vocalization. everything needs to appear as natural as possible.

he drops a large puzzle piece and smiles, eyes finding the camera. a smile that says – were you looking for me?

a laid out scenario put together all these twisted pieces on the collector’s shattered art piece i carefully touch the nine spots with my fingertips

he raps, ending it off with a wink at the camera before they fall into their next formation.

the chorus begins and this time, they're facing each other as they dance to it. siwoo focusing on trying to look at suave as possible, whilst still being able to hit the formations accurately.

his next line comes soon enough, and siwoo readies himself.

a meticulous alibi breaking your scenario

his gaze remains sharp as practiced.

as he continues with the performance, it soon enough comes to an end. perhaps a little quicker than siwoo would've thought ( hoped, even ). it's a performance he's thoroughly enjoyed. now he can only hope that his practice pulls through.