#though! one of the names on my list of korean and english names that i thought up for a scottish girl i knew who married a korean guy

[svt-luna]

ʚིᵋ FACTS ABOUT LUNA ᵌɞྀ

synopsis: Get to know more about Luna from this list of facts exclusively about her.

╰ ౨ৎ LUNA-VERSE MASTERLIST

ೀ Luna’s full name is Bae Jiyeon (배지연) from Sino-Korean 智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" or 志 (ji) meaning "will, purpose, ambition" combined with 妍 (yeon) meaning "beautiful.”

ೀ Her English name Luna is Latin for “moon” because her mother who named her loves anything moon-related.

ೀ A list of Luna’s endorsements and brands she is an ambassador of: Miu Miu, Dior Beauty, YSL Beauty, Laura Mercier, Chaumet, Innisfree, Kirsh, Bvlgari, Cartier, SK Telecom, Gospheres, Hapa Kristin, EIDER, FRED, SJSJ, Amuse, rolarola, Kérastase

ೀ If she wasn’t an idol she would still be a ballerina or a psychologist.

ೀ From a young age, she has always been an observant person. She has picked up a habit of analyzing people and their behaviors which made her want to study to be a psychologist.

ೀ Luna is a Psychology major and has a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychology.

ೀ When asked why she pursued this major she answered: “I had three dreams growing up. One was to be an idol which I have already achieved. Second, was to be a ballerina— and despite not being able to fully continue to be a full-time ballerina, I still got to perform as one multiple times as a young girl and I can still perform as one now if given the opportunity. Lastly, I wanted to be a psychologist— getting a PhD is possible, sure, but I love performing… my place is on the stage, and studying for that long will take my time away from the stage. So I decided to get a bachelor's degree instead… so I guess you can say that all my dreams have come true.”

ೀ Luna is terrified of spiders. Terrified to the point just seeing a picture or a video makes her physically flinch. No matter what kind of spider, no matter the size or color she would lose her mind and start crying on the spot.

ೀ She is also claustrophobic. She doesn’t do well in crowded places. So whenever they are mobbed by fans, Luna would always be holding one of the members’ hands for comfort. She mentioned in an interview how she got stuck in an elevator once when she was younger which is probably where her phobia stems from. Because of this, she has a habit of staring at the floor whenever she is in an elevator— she claims: “Looking at the walls makes me want to claw my way out the door myself.” She also never rides an elevator alone and would rather take the stairs if needed.

ೀ She is allergic to mushrooms and almost went into anaphylactic shock when she was nine years old.

ೀ Her favorite flowers are tulips.

ೀ She hates math but for some reason is good at it.

ೀ She hates doing aegyo but unknowingly does it and is good at it.

ೀ She dislikes being called “noona” by literally anyone, most especially the youngest members of the group. She understands it’s polite and customary to do so but she wasn’t raised in Korea, so being called “noona” just makes her feel old. However, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino still call her that out of habit— mostly Dino. Meanwhile, Minghao, Mingyu, and Dokyeom who have no reason to call her “noona” whatsoever because they are all born in the same year, like to tease her by calling her “noona.” Luna has gotten used to it though after all these years… she has gotten used to filtering them out.

ೀ Luna loves bunnies. They are her favorite animals and she loves the fact that she is often compared to one. She always wanted one growing up, however, her mom is allergic to fur which is why she never got one.

ೀ Luna loves the cold. Winter is her favorite season not just for the ambiance but because of the temperature. Some fans call her “Elsa” not only because of her cold appearance but also for her love of the cold.

ೀ Her body naturally runs warm which is why you would often see her holding onto Jeonghan’s hands who is the complete opposite and gets cold often.

ೀ Luna has a Lego addiction and the fact that her best friend turned boyfriend Jeonghan has it too doesn't help.

ೀ Luna had the biggest crush on Draco Malfoy as a child and Loki as a teen. During a fan sign, a fan asked her about her crushes and asked her why she liked the bad boys who were littered with red flags. Luna simply smirked and answered: “Red is my favorite color. Plus I have red-tinted glasses… couldn’t see.”

ೀ It is well known that Luna used to train for YG Entertainment for a year before moving to PLEDIS. Because of this fans speculate that if she stayed in her previous company, there would have been a chance she would have debuted with Blackpink.

ೀ S.Coups said in an interview that Luna had the “YG vibe” when she first joined PLEDIS— they could easily tell what company she was in before just by the way she carried herself and how she dressed.

ೀ Some people are surprised that she can rap and does well when the unit teams switch songs, especially with the Hip Hop Team. Luna trained to rap at YG Entertainment not because she wanted to but because her trainers claimed that she would do well as both a vocalist and a rapper.

ೀ According to Hoshi, Luna is very flexible in terms of her talents and claims that she could easily be in all of the sub-units if she wanted to.

ೀ Luna has a high pain tolerance which she claims to be both a blessing and a curse.

ೀ She has a terrible habit of fidgeting when she's anxious or nervous. You would often see her twisting the rings in her fingers, playing with her necklace, or cracking her knuckles which Jeonghan always scolded her for.

ೀ Her habits and Jeonghan’s habits go hand in hand. Because of her fidgeting and Jeonghan’s desire to always have something in his hand for emotional support— you would often see the two holding hands. Luna’s hands are for Jeonghan’s emotional support whilst Jeonghan’s hands are to stop Luna from fidgeting.

ೀ Luna’s favorite colors are red and pink because according to her red looks good on her and pink is, according to her, “red’s little sister”… which also looks good on her. And that these colors make her happy… it doesn't change the fact that half of the clothes she owns and wears often are black but that's beside the point.

ೀ She hates loud noises. She’s good with scary movies and doesn’t get scared easily during their GoSe horror specials— however, it’s the sudden loud noises that get her. Which is why you would often see her covering her ears when she gets startled.

ೀ She is a shopaholic it’s borderline problematic. Luna is one of the Instagram addicts of the members and is one of the fashionistas in the group— wherever they may travel, she has to buy an item of clothing… emphasizing “has to”.

ೀ Luna is the queen of eye contact. Whenever she is talking to anyone, you’d often see her staring straight into their soul— this causes a few of the members and mostly people outside the group to be flustered. According to Luna: “My parents taught me to always look at a person's eye to eye when talking to them because it’s disrespectful not to. It’s actually a struggle for me to not maintain eye contact.”

ೀ She is part of the iron deficiency line.

ೀ She loves getting her nails done. Her nails are almost always freshly manicured.

ೀ Luna doesn’t drink often but when she does she is one of the members with the highest tolerance. However, despite her calm and quiet personality, she is a talkative drunk— she just rants about literally anything.

ೀ She is lowkey (highkey) obsessed with long, black-haired Jeonghan. Luna claims it’s his best hairstyle because it makes him look like a certain Marvel villain she had a huge crush on growing up… blonde Jeonghan is a close second for her… because… Draco Malfoy, duh (Luna acknowledges that she has a type.)

ೀ Luna is an amazing cook and likes cooking for the members, however she loves baking the absolute most.

ೀ She’s a huge One Direction fan.

ೀ Bows are her best friends. She always has a couple of bows lying around somewhere near her— cute little bows on her hair, tied to her bag, her outfits… the members’ stuff.

ೀ Luna absolutely hates it when someone leaves the door wide open. She cannot for the life of her wrap her head around the fact someone could open a door, walk into a room, and not close the door right back— every time someone does that, you’d see her eyes lingering on the door until someone notices and closes it.

ೀ If you want to piss her off and get cursed at in both English and Korean— wake her up, bonus points if you open the lights. Luna is a very disciplined and organized person. Whenever she needs to wake up early for shoots, performances, or for traveling purposes, she always sets an alarm— always. So she hates being woken up in her sleep for absolutely no reason.

ೀ And because of this, the members agreed that Luna is one of the scariest when angry.

ೀ Luna is quiet when angry. She’s naturally a quiet person but there is something about the silence when she’s angry— it’s different. It’s like you sense and feel her anger rather than see it.

ೀ Luna is an assertive person but completely deteriorates the second Jeonghan decides to baby her— she may act like it annoys her but both she and Jeonghan know… she loves being babied.

ೀ She’s not the jealous type… she’s the possessive type (Jeonghan’s ego is bigger than ever)

ೀ Her nicknames given by fans: “Ace”, “Elsa”, “Bunny”, “It Girl”, “Siren”, “Bubbles”, and “Baeby”

ೀ Her nicknames given by the members: “Jiyeonie”, “Lulu”, “Nie-Nie”, and “Princess” (whenever she’s being sassy or spoiled— she hates this nickname)

ೀ Her nicknames given by Jeonghan: “Nana”, “Angel”, “Angel-face”, “Pretty Angel”, “My Angel”, “My Moon”, “Baby Moon”, and “Pretty Girl” (Luna thinks that Jeonghan wants her dead cause he gets super creative with his nicknames for her)

ೃ⁀➷ comment or message me to be added to the tag list :)

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ SUBMIT A REQUEST AND ASK ME ANYTHING!

: ̗̀➛ requests are always open ♡ - lunaఌ

Taglist: @yeoberryx @minminghao @angie-x3 @jennwonwoo @k13endall @heeseungthel0ml @chisskaa @megumi2020 @yoonzzziino @lllucere @smh-anon @yveclipse @randomworker @bunnystrm @iamawkwardandshy @gratefulbunny1 @bmo-bri @syren-ash @megseungmin @multiplums @unlikelysublimekryptonite @night-storm7 @cookiearmy @seokqt @btskzfav @billboard-singer @junhuisworld @caturdayvibe @coralbatlampzonk @sof1eya @lyraea

[slytherinshua]

MEIN PRINZ

genre. fluff. warnings. petnames (babe, mein prinz, süßer). pairing. maki x reader. wc. 500. request. no. a/n. the author's block is so real i actually hate this fic but i'm posting it anyway... i wanna write smth better for maki soon :( also i don't know german but i am fluent in google translate 👍

Maki loved to tease you by calling you terms of endearment in different languages. Whether it was German, French, Japanese, Korean, English, or something else, he never seemed to run out despite dating you for months. He never failed to give you butterflies whenever he called you so sweetly with his honey-like voice.

Today, you wanted to get payback. He had been able to get you a flustered mess many times before, but you had never gotten the same reaction out of him. Of course he blushed when he confessed to you and on some dates, but you hadn’t seen the cute colour on his cheeks for a while.

He was muttering something about his plans for the next week as he typed a list into his phone, still a little sleepy from waking up recently. You weren’t sure how someone could look so pretty so early in the morning, but there were no other ways to describe Maki besides beautiful. You were noticing more and more how well he had grown into his features just over the past few months. You missed how cute he used to be, but his sharper more chiselled features definitely suited him the best.

“You used to have cheeks.” 

Maki glanced up from his phone at your comment, flashing a curious smile at you, “I still have cheeks, babe.” 

You shook your head, “But your cheeks used to be cute and chubby.” You leaned over, poking one of your fingers to his cheek, right where his dimple usually popped up, though it wasn’t visible at the moment.

He smiled again, his dimple forming right under your finger, “You like my cheekbones, though.”

“I do.” You sighed, turning your hand to cup his face instead, tracing a finger along his cheekbone. “Mein prinz*…” You mumbled, biting back a smile.

Maki turned to you, colour rushing to his cheeks in shock. You had rarely said anything in German without his coaching, and certainly never such an affectionate nickname. My prince.

Maki had always been the more romantic of you two; planning dates, initiating skinship, and dreaming about the future. Whenever you reciprocated that fondness back to him, it came as a surprise to him. He couldn’t help but get flustered. 

“Where did you… learn that?” He questioned, “I never taught you that.”

You shrugged, “I did some research in my free time, süßer**.” 

“Stop!” He laughed and hid his face behind his hands as your smile only grew from his reaction.

“Are you blushing?” You teased, trying to peek at his face by removing his hands. But he shrunk away more, evading your hands by curling up into a ball to hide just how red he had gotten. The swarm of butterflies in his stomach and the bubbling feeling in his chest accompanied by his racing heart seemed a little too excessive for just 2 pet names. But that was the effect you had on him. 

“Now you know how I felt before.” You grinned victoriously.

*mein prinz = my prince **süßer = sweetie/cutie pie

↳ &team taglist: @eternalgyu,, @kpoprhia,, @weird-bookworm,, @candewlsy,, @cyberpunksunwoo,, @chiiyuuvv

[rlaehrwks]

ENGLISH DUB SCRIPT FOR: OMNISCIENT READER’S VIEWPOINT

Annotated Edition

FADE IN: 

A subway with a nondescript man in a shabby suit reading on a cellphone. This man is DANIEL KIM. 

[The screen opens with a view of a cell phone, a scrolling list of chapters. Each chapter has 1 view.]

DANIEL KIM (narrating): It was a novel that no one seemed to read.

[The view pans over the screen scrolling over all those numbers.]

DANIEL KIM: I wondered why no one read it. It was a masterpiece.

[The screen pans over a list of statistics, that shall be skipped over for convenience.]

[The screen then transitions to DANIEL KIM dejectedly looking down at his phone.]

DANIEL KIM: Then again, who would read a novel with over 3,000 chapters?

I’m the only reader and it took me ten years to make it to the last chapter.

[The screen transitions to black.]

DANIEL KIM: Back then, I had no idea. 

[The screen flashes back to a scene of a horde of monsters pouncing on DANIEL KIM in a white coat.]

DANIEL KIM: On the day I finished the novel…

[A montage of scenes from later parts of the first Scenario can be seen.]

SCRIPTWRITER’S NOTES: They’re the same as in the Korean dub. Remember to censor the blood!

DANIEL KIM (in a different tone to indicate he’s in the scene): No way. I know… How this story goes. 

DANIEL KIM (narrating, in a calm tone): …The story I alone had been reading for the past ten years turned into reality…

[JOHNATHAN YORK can be seen clashing against DANIEL KIM.]

JOHNATHAN YORK: Who the hell are you!? 

DANIEL KIM (narrating): And I… became the only person to know the end of this world.

[Transition panel to a scene of DANIEL KIM’S COMPANY, looking up at the night sky. As the camera pans up, the following text appears.]

DUB 4 KIDS PRESENTS: 

OMV

FADE IN.

DANIEL KIM is sitting on a different subway, staring at his phone. His fingers are shaking over his phone screen. 

DANIEL KIM: Ah, I can’t believe it’s the Final Chapter…

I’m too nervous to even open it.

[The screen transitions to DANIEL KIM looking excitedly at his phone.]

DANIEL KIM: The ending…

[The phone text appears on his screen.]

PHONE TEXT DISPLAY:

There are three ways to survive in the apocalypse.

Everything is fading and becoming unclear now.

But one thing is certain.

If you’re reading this, you will survive.

[Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse - Final Episode]

tls123

DANIEL KIM: Huh…?

[DANIEL KIM begins frantically swiping on his phone, only for the screen to barely move.]

[DANIEL KIM looks up from his phone and at the camera.]

DANIEL KIM: I’m Daniel. Nine times out of ten, people make weird assumptions about my name. 

RANDOM SALARYMAN: Oh, you’re Danny, huh? Are you an only child? 

DANIEL KIM: The name’s Daniel. 

RANDOM SALARYMAN: Uh…

DANIEL KIM: Though I am an only child.

RANDOM SALARYMAN: Whoops, sorry to make assumptions.

DANIEL KIM: However, their assumptions weren’t wrong. I’ve been lonely my entire life.

DANIEL KIM: This is who I am in a nutshell.

[A screen of informational text appears on screen.]

Scriptwriter’s Notes: It’s the same as in the Webtoon so there’s no need to rephrase it, just change some names.

DANIEL KIM: My hobby is reading novels on the subway on my way home from work.

But today’s subway ride was unlike any other. 

[A young woman with light brown hair and a light brown suit appears. Her name is SARAH YOUNG.]

SARAH YOUNG" Oh, my. At this rate you might get sucked into your phone. 

[The camera pans up at SARAH YOUNG’s beautiful expression. DANIEL KIM appears to be enamoured with her.]

DANIEL KIM: It was Sarah Young.

DANIEL KIM: W-What are you doing here!?

SARAH YOUNG: Are you heading home?

DANIEL KIM: Yes, you too?

SARAH YOUNG: Yes, I got lucky. My team manager is away on a business trip.

[SARAH YOUNG’s hair flies by DANIEL KIM’s face. He blushes madly.]

DANIEL KIM: Do you usually take the subway home? 

DANIEL KIM (internal monologue): I bet there’s a line of men willing to take her own… Grubby jerks. 

SARAH YOUNG: No, someone stole my bicycle. 

DANIEL KIM: You bike to work?

SARAH YOUNG: Yes. I’ve been working a lot of overtime recently, so I thought I could use the exercise. And I have some personal reasons too…

[SARAH YOUNG smiles at DANIEL KIM, who blushes.]

DANIEL KIM (internal monologue): She’s really pretty up close…

DANIEL KIM (internal monologue): However, she’s out of my league. We live in two different worlds. And just so you know, Sarah wasn’t the reason why today’s subway ride was different.

SARAH YOUNG: ¿Puede Prestarme Dinero?

DANIEL KIM: Pardon?

SARAH YOUNG: It’s Spanish. It means, “Please lend me some money.”

DANIEL KIM (inner monologue): Studying on the subway… She’s really extraordinary. Where would you even use that?

DANIEL KIM: You’re studying hard.

SARAH YOUNG: What about you, Daniel? What are you reading? 

[DANIEL KIM holds his phone away from SARAH YOUNG, who is peering over his shoulder to look at it.]

SARAH YOUNG: Is it a novel?

DANIEL KIM: Yeah… I guess you could say I’m studying, haha…

SARAH YOUNG: Wow, I love novels! My favorites are Haruki Murakami, Raymond Carver, and…

DANIEL KIM (inner monologue): Of course.

SARAH YOUNG

Who’s your favorite author, Daniel? 

DANIEL KIM

You probably wouldn’t know, even if I told you… 

DANIEL KIM (inner monologue): Yes, my hobby is reading novels on the subway. The reason why today is unlike any other is because Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse, TWSA for short, which I’ve been reading for the past ten years…is ending today. 

DANIEL KIM (inner monologue): This novel is very special to me. I’ve been reading it since eighth grade.

I read it when I was bullied in school…

When I failed the entrance exams and ended up at a third-rate college…

And even now, as a contracted worker to a gaming company…

DANIEL KIM (inner monologue)" It’s bittersweet that the novel was coming to an end. Today is the day the epilogue of TWSA will be uploaded.

DANIEL KIM (inner monologue)

A serial of 3,149 chapters. A ten-year long epic journey that began in my teens and ended in my adulthood. 

I can’t believe the series went on for so long with an average view count of just one.

Scriptwriter’s Notes: The rest of the subway dialogue is omitted because it’s the same as the Korean dub, aside from name changes.

DANIEL KIM (inner monologue): If I were in a different genre…

[A brown grasshopper is onscreen.]

DANIEL KIM (inner monologue): If the genre of my life wasn’t nonfiction…

[A brown-haired boy with a bug tank is centered on by the camera. He is EUGENE LYON.]

DANIEL KIM (inner monologue): But fantasy… Could I have been the protagonist?

Scriptwriter’s Notes: The omitted section is essentially the same as the Korean dub, but with the names changed. 

DANIEL KIM: I have to live my own life…

SARAH YOUNG: Your own life… You’re so inspiring, Daniel!

DANIEL KIM: Sorry?

SARAH YOUNG: I should also live my own life!

Scriptwriter’s Notes: The following portion has been omitted because it’s the same as in the Korean dub.

[The subway stops.]

PANICKED MAN: What’s going on!?

PANICKED WOMAN: Is it a terrorist attack!?

PANICKED CITIZENS: Ahhh!!!

[A creature with white fur smiles. This is BENJAMIN.]

DANIEL KIM: Sarah, are you okay?

SARAH YOUNG: Y-yes. What do you think’s happening?

DANIEL KIM: Don’t worry, it’s probably nothing.

SUBWAY ANNOUNCEMENT: Ladies and gentlemen, if you would. P-please evacuate—! (abruptly cut off)

[A small ball of red sparks manifests in the middle of the subway.]

SYSTEM DISPLAY MESSAGE: The free service of the 8612th planetary system has ended.

The main scenario will begin now. 

DANIEL KIM (inner monologue): That was the moment that the genre of my life changed.

RANDOM CIVLIAN: “I-it’s a goblin!” 

DANIEL KIM (inner monologue): No way, this is just like what happened in the novel… That can’t be. Subways stop all the time. 

SARAH YOUNG: A goblin? 

[DANIEL KIM turns to look at SARAH YOUNG.]

DANIEL KIM (inner monologue): There’s no way that this can be happening in real life. 

RANDOM CIVLIANS: What is that?

[BENJAMIN manifests in front of the subway car.]

BENJAMIN: *speaks in garbled nonsense*

TEENAGED GIRLS: What’s it saying?

SARAH YOUNG: I think it’s speaking in Spanish. I’ll try talking to it.

DANIEL KIM: You really want to ask it to lend you money!?

BENJAMIN: Testing, testing. Can anyone hear me? Gosh, the language pack was malfunctioning for a bit. Can everyone hear me now?

RUDE BOY: Hey, what do you think you’re doing?

BENJAMIN: Pardon?

RUDE BOY: I’ve got an audition to get to, so can you hurry up? 

BENJAMIN: An audition, huh. That sucks. They said we’d get the most customers if we put the paywall up right now…

BENJAMIN: Okay, everyone, listen up! I’ve got something very important to tell you all! 

AFFRONTED CITIZENS:

Hurry up and restart the train!

You can’t do this to us! 

I’m gonna be late for my appointment!

DANIEL KIM (inner monologue): No way. I know how this story goes. I’ve gotta stop them. 

BENJAMIN: I… Told you… To be QUIET! 

[The body of the rude boy from earlier suddenly turns black, and it falls to the ground. The blood splatters are recolored to be dark purple. The civilians nearby look on, horrified. More of the same happens to everyone that spoke earlier.]

BENJAMIN: We are not filming a movie. This isn’t a dream, or a novel. And it certainly isn’t the reality you’re familiar with! Do you understand? 

All of you had quite the cushy life until now, didn’t you?

You were able to live without paying the costs!

You’ve all been enjoying privileged lives!

[A man in a black-and-white striped suit appears in front of BENJAMIN. His name is MITCHELL HART.]

MITCHELL HART: Is it money that you want? I’ll give you as much money as you want if you let me leave. 

BENJAMIN: Money is good. It can be used in exchange for goods and services. 

[BENJAMIN turns the money to ash.]

BENJAMIN: Too bad it only works within the confines of your spacetime. 

Try a stunt like that again, and you’ll end up in the Darkness Realm, got it?

MITCHELL HART: Ugh…

BENJAMIN: Ugh, at this rate, it’ll be faster to let you figure it out by yourselves. 

SYSTEM DISPLAY MESSAGE:

Channel #BY-7623 has opened. 

The Constellations are now entering the channel.

[A bright blue window pops up in front of everyone in the subway. Some notable people include a boy with white hair, NATHAN COOK, and a muscular man, HADRIAN LANG. Then, it pops up in front of DANIEL KIM.]

SYSTEM WINDOW:

THE MAIN SCENARIO HAS ARRIVED.

[mint-yooxgi]

{2} - Written in the Stars - Yandere!Idol!Yeosang X Tall!Chubby!Reader

Soft Yandere AU & Idol AU

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor, Slow Burn

Pairing: Yeosang X Reader (ft. platonic Ateez ensemble)

Words: 16,875

Warnings: Slow burn. This story is going to be very self indulgent on my part, so please bear with the first few chapters. Mentions of Jonghyun. Fatshaming, name-calling (not done by any male idols), Wendy and Irene of RV are bitches towards OC, OC is a bit of a 'pick-me' girl but oh well. I think that's all. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: Shamelessly, this part is probably even more self indulgent that the first lmaooo I apologize in advance for that. Still, I do hope you enjoy it, as I had a really fun time writing this chapter out. I actually had to split it, as originally I was going to make all of chapter two both the rehearsal day and actual performance of the award's show.

Also, gentle reminder that I don’t do tag lists.

Disclaimer: The first little portion of this chapter when the OC is speaking is implied that the OC is speaking in English. It is not until OC arrives at the venue where the following takes effect:

"This represents a line spoken in Korean."

"Bolded represents a line spoken in English."

"Bolded and italics represents a line spoken in Japanese."

Mini Masterlist - Part One

“Hello, everyone!” Your smiling face stares back at you from the screen of your phone as you go live on instagram. “I’m just on my way to rehearsal right now.”

The low voice of your publisher in the front seat reaches your ears, telling you not to talk so loudly while in the car.

“Oops, my bad,” you chuckle, turning back to face the camera. “Anyways, I wanted to do a brief live like this since I’ll be busy for the rest of today and tomorrow. I won’t be able to have my biweekly live on Friday night tomorrow cause of my event.”

Your eyes scan the comments, a small quirk to your lips.

“What event you say?” Your eyes gleam with mischievousness. “Well, as a few of you may or may not know, I’m in South Korea right now. I’ve been asked to perform an original piece of writing at the award’s show tomorrow night.”

A giddy smile stretches across your features.

“I know! I’m so excited!” You cheer. “It’s such a high honour to have been asked to create and perform a piece of written work for the show.”

A comment catches your attention briefly.

“I mean, I’m not sure if I’ll be hanging around any idols, but we’re all there to do a job, so I wouldn’t want to disturb anyone if that’s the case.” You reply, eyes briefly looking out of the window at the passing scenery. “As to if Mark Lee will be there or not, I’m not sure. If NCT is set to perform, then probably. I only know of a few select artists that will be there.”

A flood of ‘who’s and ‘omg really’s appear in your comments, a few popping up in different languages such as Korean and Japanese. You remain speaking English for now, but the other comments still make you smile. You’d just rather surprise everyone that watches tomorrow with your language skills.

“Why, whoever’s on the website listings, of course!” You wink playfully, shoulders shaking in laughter. “Nah, even if I did know, I’m not at liberty to say.”

That grin never leaves your lips as you scan the comments once more.

“Let’s see…” your eyes flit back and forth as you pick a question to answer. There seems to be one popping up repeatedly, more so than the rest. “Is it true you were on the same flight as Ateez heading to Korea?”

Your eyebrows raise slightly, amusement dancing on your features.

“Was I?” You hum, the familiar sight of those heads peeking over their seats filling your vision for the briefest of moments. “I don’t recall.”

Though, with the wink you send the camera, your comments are flooded once again.

“Nah, I’m just playing.” A knowing grin stretches across your features. “They’re all really nice people. Friendly, too. They are people after all, which I feel like a lot of others tend to forget about their idols. I don’t know why it’s so hard in general to treat others with basic dignity and respect.”

Immediately, your defence squad rolls in, asking if you’re okay and if something happened.

“I’m fine, everyone! Really!” You smile at how enthusiastic they are in protecting you. “It was more of a general comment than anything.”

Of course you don’t really want to divulge the small incidents you’ve already incurred while being in the country. You know that South Korea has a very lookism centric society, but even when you’re prepared for it, you still cannot help the way certain interactions make you feel. The looks you receive from the older crowd, many of them muttering under their breaths while shaking their heads, sometimes do not go unnoticed.

You may be a popular author, but not everyone knows who you are. Nor is everyone willing to accept the way you look, unfortunately.

Then again, it would probably hurt less if you didn’t understand what some of them were saying. Though, you will never forget when you were in a café the other day, and two taller women came up to you who didn’t necessarily fit into those typical Korean beauty standards. They were a little thicker than those around them, and goodness, were they gorgeous. The fact that both of them were your fans, and thanked you for giving them more confidence with your writing, and just who you are in general, really made your day. You could never forget them, even if you tried.

Thinking back on it now, a small smile pulls at your features.

“What am I thinking about?” You hum, noticing a few comments, only for your eyes to go wide. “My Ateez bias?” You laugh, shaking your head in amusement. “I mean…” you tilt your head, teasing smile pulling at your lips. “Well, if you know, you know.” A wink. “But nah, I’m thinking of a really lovely interaction I had the other day with two women at a café. Saeyoung, Haesoo, if you’re watching, thank you for making my day!”

The two weeks leading up to this point in time have been fairly hectic for you. Between settling into your new apartment, getting used to the time difference, and writing for your new novel, you’ve barely had time to relax. Not to mention the hours you’ve spent practicing your performance for tomorrow. You’ve barely had time to visit your friends, yet.

On the other hand, you’ve been messaging quite a few people quite often lately. 

The first few days after exchanging contact information with Ateez were a little silent, but you just chalked that up to busy schedules on all of your parts. However, you weren’t expecting Hongjoong to message you in the middle of the night complaining about a song he just couldn’t get right.

Needless to say, he wasn’t expecting you to respond so quickly. In fact, he had been surprised that you had still been up at three in the morning. Only, when you explained the jet lag, and the fact that you had also been working on your writing, he understood. You’ve both sort of become night owl buddies now, messaging each other when you’re working on projects until the early hours of the morning. A hilarious fact, especially when you both start chastising the other for not getting enough sleep.

Then came the group chat.

You woke up one day to at least seventy-five Kaotalk messages from a new chat. Thinking it had been an emergency of some sort, your heart rate had skyrocketed. Only, you soon found out that it was just the guys speculating what you could be doing since you weren’t responding to any of them at two in the afternoon.

The moment you sent them a meme of a tired cat waking up with squinting eyes, and a message that only said, ‘wtf’, the real chaos began. 

Wooyoung is convinced that he’s your Ateez bias, immediately rubbing it in the other’s faces. At that, you promptly received selfies from Seonghwa, Mingi, and Yunho just ‘casually’ wanting your opinion on them before they posted them to their instagram and twitter accounts. You also received photos of what each of the guys were doing from Hongjoong, telling you that this was the chaos you incited by finally responding.

Yeosang would comment one liners here and there that would absolutely knock the shit right out of you. The way this man had near perfect timing still amazes you, laughing to yourself every time you think back on his responses.

Both Jongho and Wooyoung are the most talkative in the group chat, but Jongho tends to message you a lot outside of it, anyways. More so than Hongjoong now, considering his main thing was that he didn’t want to bother you at first with his thousand and one questions about your writing.

You found out later it was both Hongjoong and Yeosang keeping him in line.

Mingi and you share anime recommendations when you can, and you’ve even started planning a day where you’ll binge some of your favourite shows together. You heard that San may or may not tag along, but that’s yet to be decided.

Speaking of San, he’s one of the most quiet in the group chat. You assume it’s probably because out of all of them, he’s the one you spent the least amount of time talking to. You cannot fault him for that; you both hardly know each other.

Yunho likes to crack jokes every now and then, along with Seonghwa, but they’re both really level headed guys from what you’ve gathered so far. They like to flirt, but not nearly as much as Wooyoung does. Besides, with the two older members, you can tell it’s just friendly, so you have no problem teasing them back. Wooyoung, on the other hand, you can’t be too sure. Though, if it truly bothered you, you’d get him to stop.

“Anyways, we’re getting closer to the venue, so I’m sadly going to have to say goodbye for now.” A dramatic pout pulls at your lips. “I know! I promise to do another live soon, and I’ll answer some questions about my newest novel and upcoming works then.”

The way the chat immediately starts flooding with happy messages and people saying they’re looking forward to it makes your heart swell in your chest.

“Alright, lovelies,” you smile just as the car pulls into the parking lot. “Thanks for tuning in. See you next time!”

With a final wave at the camera, you’re ending the live.

Letting out a low sigh, you tuck your phone back into your side pocket. Grabbing your purse, you notice that you’ve pulled up to the side entrance of the venue. Both you and your publisher step out of the vehicle, thanking the driver all the while.

Immediately, you’re greeted by security who escorts you inside and to the backstage area. Your publisher talks lowly with the head of staff, ensuring all of the requirements are met and getting all of the details you may need for now. They’re really only here to drop you off and then head back out for the day. Besides, the event organizer and stage manager will look after you if need be.

You follow quietly behind, taking in the space of the venue as more staff mill about. A few recognize you as you walk passed, their eyes lighting up as you shoot them a polite smile in return. Some of them must be on break currently, for you can see snacks and drinks scattered around a few the deeper into the arena you get.

Finally, you reach backstage.

“So, all of the groups are currently occupying the green rooms, or milling about. That means, unfortunately, you won’t be getting one to yourself.” The head stage manager turns to you once you reach them, speaking in English for the moment. “You’re more than welcome to observe the soundcheck from the floor, or from the seats instead of staying back here the whole time, as well.”

“Please, don’t feel like you have to speak in English for my sake.” You say, noticing how you catch all of the staff off guard with your Korean. “I can speak and understand Korean. So please, let’s all speak comfortably. Thank you for hosting me and including me in such a monumental show.” You bow politely in their direction. “The room situation most certainly will not be a problem. I don’t mind at all. Just tell me where to go, and when, and I will do my best to stay out of everyone’s way.”

You can hear the familiar boom of music from the stage area reaching your ears, though it’s more of a background noise right now.

The stage manager nods approvingly in your direction, a smile pulling at their features. “I understand. Thank you for being so accommodating. I cannot stay and talk long, for I’m needed elsewhere, but help yourself to drinks and refreshments. If you need any help, Riley will be more than happy to assist you. She’s been assigned to be your personal assistant today.”

At their words, a girl with long, chestnut hair steps forward. A giddy smile rests on her features, and you can see her visibly shaking in excitement.

“Hello,” she bows, addressing you formally. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“It’s wonderful to meet you, too, Riley,” you smile, telling her to just call you by your first name to make things easier.

“Alright, well, I’ll be off. Itzy is supposed to be having soundcheck right now, but we’re a bit behind.” The stage manager rushes off after that, speaking quickly into their headset.

“You’re not scheduled until the very end, so you have plenty of time to lounge around and do whatever you’d like.” Riley informs you with a smile.

“Oh, sweet,” you grin back. “Thank you for taking care of me today.”

“Really, it’s no problem at all!” She’s quick to answer. “To be quite honest, I’m a big fan so I jumped at the opportunity to be able to assist you in any way I could.”

“That’s very sweet of you! I really appreciate it.” You nod, moving to stand off to the side so that you’re out of the way.

“Your books are incredible, and reading them gave my boyfriend so much confidence.” She comments, a faint blush beginning to dust her cheeks.

“Ah, really?” Your eyes light up. “That makes me so glad to hear! I’m so happy for the both of you.”

“I can’t wait to tell him that you can speak Korean!” She says, grabbing a water bottle off of the table closest to you and handing it to you. “As long as you’re okay I share that with him, of course.”

“Of course!” You confirm. “By tomorrow night, most people will know, anyways.”

“Oh, are you performing your written piece in Korean, then?” She asks, eyes sparkling as you thank her lowly for the water.

“It’ll be a little bit of a mix,” you tell her, a small smile pulling at your features. “Korean, and English. Though, I contemplated adding Japanese to the speech. I opted out at the last minute.”

“You can speak all three?” Her eyebrows raise, voice incredulous.

“Yes, I can.” You confirm with a nod. “I’m working to learn Mandarin next.”

“That’s incredible!” She praises, and you avert your gaze somewhat bashfully. “I’ve been learning Japanese, but I have a hard time practicing it. Lack of conversation partners, and all that with the way my schedule is.”

“Well, if you’d like to practice with me, I’d be more than happy to help!” You say. “I may not be the best for correcting your pronunciation, but I can most certainly help with conversation practice.”

“Really?” Her eyes flash with excitement. “That would be wonderful, thank you!”

“Would you like to start now, or hold off until later?” The way you ask her this in Japanese catches her slightly off guard.

A blink, and she’s setting her expression into one of determination. “Now would be a good start.”

“Wonderful!” You smile. “So, then, Riley, tell me about your favourite animal.”

“Well, I absolutely adore sharks. I just think they’re really neat, and it’s so sad that some of them get hunted for sport.” She begins, taking a moment to think of her next words carefully. “Half of the time, they’re hunted after attacking a human, but they don’t know any better. I watched a documentary once where it explained that because of their poor…” her brow furrows slightly, “Oh shoot, I can’t remember the word.”

“Eyesight?”You supply, to which she nods, eyes lighting up in recognition. 

“Yes, eyesight!” She replies enthusiastically. “Because of their poor eyesight, humans on top of surfboards look similar to dolphins and other aquatic mammals from below.”

“Oh, I know exactly what you’re talking about!” You nod along with her. “I literally could not agree more. It’s sad that they get hunted just for following their instincts. I understand some of the reasoning behind it, but at the end of the day, you’re right. Sharks are just living and hunting in the wild like they always do.”

“Yes, exactly!” Riley turns to grab another water bottle off of the table for herself. “I just wish more people would understand that.”

“Me too, honestly.” You agree.

“Anyways, enough about me.” She chuckles, somewhat bashfully. “What about you? What is your favourite animal?”

“Oh, that’s easy, it’s-“ the words get stuck in your throat as your own brow furrows this time. You blink, thinking hard. A slight chuckle escapes you, “Now I can’t remember the word.”

“Maybe I know it?” She offers, but at the way she shakes her head once you say the animal, you know she doesn’t know the term.

Luckily for you, someone just so happens to be walking passed you for the moment, and without thinking, you stop them.

“Excuse me, but what’s the word for turtle in Japanese?” You meet the male’s gaze, noticing how stunned he seems to be for the moment.

Blinking, he tells you the word.

Recognition flashes behind your eyes as you turn back to Riley. “Right! Turtles are my favourite animals. I just think they’re so cute.” In the next second, you turn back to the male. “Thank you so much! I couldn’t remember for the life of me.”

“No problem,” he nods, somewhat in shock, before walking away.

Only, when you turn back to Riley, she wears an expression of mild awe on her features.

“I can’t believe you just asked the Yuta of NCT that question so casually.” Her jaw drops, a giggle falling from her lips as you shrug sheepishly.

“He was the closest person around.” You laugh along with her. “Though, I feel like he was expecting me to start freaking out about who he was when I stopped him.”

“Yeah, sometimes the extra staff we hire to help out don’t always act professional around the artists.” Riley explains, a sort of grimace to her features.

“Really? I would have thought there’d be a screening process for that.” You comment, brow mildly furrowed.

“There is, but sometimes they still slip through.” She comments. “That, and some people say they’ll act one way, but then when it comes down to it, act another.”

“Oh, believe me,” you hum in acknowledgement. “That I do know.”

Around you, you can hear some whispers beginning to float around about your arrival. A fact which you find a bit odd, considering you’ve already been at the venue for at least a half hour or so. Out of the corner of your eyes, you notice some more idols beginning to linger about as well.

Just as you go to continue the conversation with Riley, you hear a shout in the background of someone’s name. You watch as her eyes go wide just as you feel a weight jump onto your back.

“Zhong Chenle, you get back here right now!” Whoever it is, they sound mad.

“You’re real! Holy shit!” A voice right by your ear sounds, and you blink in shock, hands naturally coming to support the body now clinging onto your back. “Mark hasn’t been making you up this whole time in some elaborate fever dream!”

“Zhong Chenle!” The angry voice finally caches up to you, and you turn to see Kun from NCT frowning at the younger male clinging like a koala to your back. His gaze softens as he meets your own. “I am so sorry for him. Once Yuta came back to say you had arrived, he darted out of the room to come see for himself.”

“It’s no problem, really,” you laugh, and you notice your response catches them both off guard. “Yes, I can speak Korean.”

Beside you, Riley giggles.

The sound of feet hitting the ground reaches your ears, and you see some more males rushing over to you.

“Way to go, Chenle,” Renjun deadpans. “Way to make a great first impression on Mark’s author friend.”

Softly, you set Chenle back onto his own two feet. A second later, and Kun is reaching over to drag the younger male over to him by his ear. Renjun shakes his head disapprovingly all the while.

“Ow! Kun, stop it! That hurts!” The younger complains, batting the elder’s hand away.

“Once again, I am so sorry for him.” Kun apologizes, and you notice the faintest hue of pink dusting his cheeks.

“Really, it’s no problem,” you assure him, noticing too many pairs of eyes on you now.

You shuffle in your spot, beginning to rub a hand over the side of your one arm nervously.

“If he bothers you again, just come find me and I’ll deal with him.” Kun replies, sending a small smile your way.

You nod. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

Wordlessly, Kun begins dragging off Chenle, Renjun in tow. 

A few more people step forward.

“Not even a ‘hello’ for your biggest fan?” Mark quirks a brow, walking up to you with both Johnny and Taeyong on either side of him.

Teasingly, you begin to look around the space. “Why? Did you see Jongho from Ateez around?”

Mark looks truly scandalized by your words, his eyebrows raising significantly as his voice almost cracks. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, hi, Mark.” You reply casually, hearing Johnny snort at the intonation you use.

“No, no, I see how it is,” an overdramatic pout pulls at his lips as he crosses his arms over his chest. “Spent all of three months convincing half the guys to read your books and this is the thanks I get once we meet.”

You lowly hear him muttering about how he is your biggest fan, not Jongho from Ateez.

“I don’t know, he was pretty excited when I met him on the plane.”You hum.

“So, you did meet Ateez on the plane ride over here.”Johnny observes, amusement dancing in his gaze.

“I did,” you nod in confirmation. “They’re all very nice.”

You notice Taeyong following along with the conversation, brow furrowed slightly as the music stops for the moment. “I think they just finished soundcheck. They should be back soon.”

“Then I’ll say ‘hello’ to them soon,” you reply, noticing the slight surprise that graces Taeyong’s features at your response. “If I happen to see them.”

“Anyways, it’s so nice to finally meet you!”Mark smiles, and you notice Johnny grinning smugly while nudging him not so subtly with his elbow. “Shut up!”

“What?” Your brow quirks, amusement dancing in your eyes.

“Well, are you going to ask her, or not?”Johnny teases the younger male beside him.

“I’m getting there!” Mark pushes the elder male back slightly.

“What can I do for you, Mark Lee of NCT?” The grin that pulls onto your features says it all.

“I- uh… um…” he stutters over his words, palms nervously rubbing over the thighs of his jeans for the moment.

“Where’s that confidence now, Markie boy?”Johnny laughs before turning to you, completely ignoring the glare the younger sends his way. “Mark wanted to know if you would be willing to give him a hug when you finally met.”

Mark looks about read to strangle Johnny, a bright red lighting up his features.

“Well, why didn’t you just say so!” You chuckle, extending your arms out to him. “Hugs are one my favourite things! As long as you ask first, or I’m offering, I usually don’t mind at all. Besides, I think Chenle technically already beat you to it.”

Mark immediately sinks into your embrace, wrapping his own arms around you and squeezing you tightly. You can feel the chuckle he lets out against your chest as he responds. “Yeah, sorry about that. Again.”

“Really, it’s no worries.” You tell him as he pulls away, holding you at arms length.

“Impromptu piggybacks are kind of his thing when he gets excited.” Taeyong sighs, shaking his head.

“No fair, I want a piggyback ride, too!” A loud voice draws your attention from the side.

Looking over, you see Wooyoung happily skipping over to you, the other members of Ateez in tow. It seems as if they’ve just finished their soundcheck.

“I’m sure it wasn’t a case of her offering,” Yunho chuckles, and you see the red-headed male pout.

“Hello boys, it’s nice to see you again.” You smile, tilting your head politely in acknowledgement.

“How come Hongjoong was the only one to know that you’d be in attendance today and tomorrow?” Jongho crosses his arms over his chest, a pout tugging at his features.

“You didn’t tell people?” Mark turns to you.

“I was told not to,” you shrug. “Privacy, and all.”

“Really? Cause Mark was more than happy to literally shout it out at practice when you told him.” Johnny blinks, a teasing grin pulling at his features.

“Which now makes sense why Chenle practically bulldozed me fifteen minutes ago.” You nod, turning your amused gaze towards the male standing beside you.

“You told Mark, but not us?” Mingi pouts, crossing his arms over his chest.

“To be fair, I’ve been chatting with Mark a lot longer than I’ve personally known all of you guys.” You say, a casual shrug to your shoulder. “Not my fault Hongjoong didn’t tell you.”

“Wait, but how come Hongjoong knew?” San’s brow furrows, turning to look at the aforementioned male.

“He’s not the only idol that should have been informed.” A slight frown tugs at your brow. “Speaking of, Riley, when’s the briefing meeting supposed to be?”

The woman, who had been silently standing to the side all this time observing the interactions straightens in her spot. “You’re set to meet with the idols you’ve requested to join you for your presentation just before we break for lunch. The rehearsal for your speech won’t be until the very end, though.”

“Requested?” Yeosang’s brow furrows.

“I’ve seen a few of them around, but I’ve yet to speak to the majority of them.” You comment.

“I’m still mad that you didn’t ask me to do it.” Mark crosses his arms over his chest. “Some friend you’re suppose to be.”

“I’m sorry!” You raise your hands in your defence, a hint of exasperation to your voice. “The organizers told me I could only ask so many people on such short notice. I only thought of the idea less than two weeks ago. I’m lucky to get even eight of them to agree!”

“As long as you haven’t forgotten about our bet.” He huffs, quirking an eyebrow at you.

“I most certainly have not forgotten about our bet.” You meet his gaze, eyes wide in exasperation. “You’re about to owe me ten meals, Mister. Anything that I want, too.”

“I sure hope you don’t mean him cooking for you.” Johnny snorts.

“Oh, god no.” You huff out a laugh. “Not after I saw the ‘egg incident’ of Resonance era.”

“Not the egg incident!” Johnny cackles right along with you, and you notice Taeyong grimacing as he remembers it as well.

Mark’s eyes are wide, a tight smile on his face showing just how exasperated he is. He almost looks as if he wants the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

“Bet?” This time, it’s Hongjoong that quirks a brow.

“Oh, you haven’t been told? She bet him that she could learn-“

Johnny gets cut off by Mark’s nervous laugh.

“Mark Lee, you told me that you didn’t tell anyone about our bet.” Slowly, you turn your head to look at him, a tense smile on your face.

“Oh, the ‘Seventh Sense’ bet?” Taeyong tilts his head slightly in inquiry. “The whole of our group knows of it. We all want to watch you, what’s the phrase? Wipe the floor with him.”

“Mark Lee!” Your jaw drops. “I told you how I feel about dancing in front of other people! Especially when they’re idols! Not to mention the original performers of the song!”

“I’m sorry! You still said you’d do it!” He replies, lifting his hands in front of himself in his own defence. “I just got too excited!”

“More like carried away,” Johnny chuckles.

Casually, Yunho leans into Johnny’s side. “What’s this bet they have going on?”

“Oh, they were talking about some of her favourite NCT dances one time, and she commented on how one of them was, ‘The Seventh Sense’.” Johnny explains. “She admitted to always wanting to learn it just to say she knew it, but never actually got that far, yet. Mark decided it would be a good idea to discourage her from learning it since it is pretty difficult, and she doesn’t usually dance like we do. Hence, a bet was made that she would prove him wrong.”

“Listen,” you sigh. “I may not be a dancer, but don’t tell me what I can or can’t do. I will prove you wrong. I just wasn’t expecting to have a crowd when doing it. I don’t really like dancing in front of other people all that much anymore.”

“Why not?” Yeosang’s brow furrows, a slight downturn to his lips.

You curl your arms over yourself, holding your elbows delicately in you hands. A small grimace crosses your features as you seemingly curl in on yourself. “Personal reasons.”

A hushed understanding settles over all of them. That is, until Mark is breaking it.

“Is this about Kite?”

“Don’t-“

“Isn’t Kite your significant other?” It’s Riley that asks, and you notice all eyes on you.

“My ex, yes.” You sigh.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize you weren’t together anymore.” She’s quick to bow to you, but you wave her off.

“It’s alright,” your expression falls, a grimace crossing your features. Out of the corner of your eyes, you see Yeosang take a half step towards you. Only, you don’t chalk it up to much, as so do Mark, Jongho, and Yunho. “I just don’t like talking about him anymore.”

“Sorry for bringing him up,” Mark pats you comfortingly on your arm. “Anyways, Ten says he has to watch you dance for the bet.”

“Not Ten!” The instant mortification is clear on our features. “Anybody but Ten.”

“And Doyoung, and Jaehyun.” Taeyong nods.

“It could be worse. It could be worse.” You begin to mumble to yourself, blinking at the ground a few times.

“Well, if you want to owe me ten meals, you can always back out.” Mark comments casually, a hum to his tone.

“No way in hell.” Your eyes narrow. “I have to prove you wrong.”

“Now, this I can’t wait to see.” Johnny chuckles, eyes crinkling as he smiles.

Just then, a voice from across the way draws your attention.

“Holy shit, is that who I think it is?” 

Looking across the backstage area reveals Vernon from Seventeen staring at you with wide eyes. Though, you notice that you’re not the only one who’s now staring at him in response.

Quickly, he bows, apologizing lowly before making his way across the backstage area. You note Mingyu, Seungcheol, Seokmin, and Jihoon all following behind him silently.

The crowd around you slowly begins to get bigger, and you notice some other idols lingering around the edges of the room, waiting to catch a glimpse of you. A fact of which that has a heat rising to your cheeks, shuffling once more in your spot.

Vernon stops on the edge of the circle you’re now apart of, smiling at you politely.

“I didn’t know you’d be here!” He inclines his head towards you in greeting, introducing himself and his group mates in succession. “It’s so nice to meet you. We’re all pretty big fans of your work.”

“Thank you so much,” you bow back to him politely. “It still boggles my mind knowing the idol groups I enjoy listening to know who I am. Not to mention read my writing.”

“You’re a fan?” Seungcheol blinks at you in shock.

“You can speak Korean?” Seokmin is equally as shocked, though there’s a hint of pleasantness to his tone.

“Yes, to both.” You chuckle, noticing how Jihoon shoots you a polite nod in acknowledgement. You smile back, leaning into Mark in the next second, “looks like Jihoon knows how to keep a secret.”

“Hey!” He whines, and you notice how most of the males around you look at the aforementioned one in confusion.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” he smiles.

“You as well,” you return the look. “Thank you for agreeing to be a part of my presentation on such short notice.”

“Wait, is that why you nearly collapsed at practice during break about two weeks ago after looking at your phone?” Mingyu’s brow furrows, turning to look at the shorter male beside him. The height difference in person nearly makes you chuckle.

The way the shorter male elbows the taller one in the side is all the answer you need.

“That’s nothing,” another voice draws your attention from the side. “You should have seen the panic Hyunjin went into when we got the call.”

Wordlessly, the members of Stray Kids now begin to crowd around you, and you notice a few giddy smiles sent your way. Though, what makes you laugh is seeing Hyunjin’s exasperated look that he sends towards Bang Chan after the words escape the elder’s mouth. The way you see some of the members greeting Ateez excitedly has your heart warming in your chest. To be able to see all of the friendly interactions between the different groups makes you extremely happy for the moment.

“Holy shit, you weren’t kidding when you said she was tall.” A voice from your left draws your attention, and you notice Changbin staring at you with an awe filled expression while standing beside Wooyoung.

“I told you.” Wooyoung replies, a smug grin tugging at his features.

“Speaking of height, Jaehyun and Jungwoo owe me twenty bucks.” Johnny hums, walking off back towards the green rooms with Taeyong in tow.

You turn to Mark, a questioning look on your features.

“They didn’t actually think you’d be taller than me.” Mark grumbles, averting his gaze.

“I take it you didn’t, either.” You chuckle, noticing how a few males shift closer in order to see just how tall you are compared to them.

“To be quite honest, I didn’t,” he chuckles, and at the way you quirk a brow, he’s quick to continue, “not that it’s a bad thing! I think you being tall is really cool!”

“Thank you!” You grin. “I do, too!”

“By the way, since Chan is too much of a scaredy cat to ask,”the deep voice of Felix draws your attention to the side, “would you mind taking some pictures with us later? We think the fans would love it.”

“First of all, your voice should come with a warning.” You notice him grin at your words, and you return the smile, eyes crinkling at the sides. “And sure! I’d love to.”

“Us, too!” Vernon is quick to jump in.

“Listen, if anyone is getting a photo first, it’s me!” Mark voices loudly.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you notice quite a few female idols looking your way. Some of them look on at you in awe, while others cannot hide their distaste seeing you surrounded by so many males. Even some other male idols begin whispering about your appearance quite openly, but you ignore them for now.

“Yeah, yeah,” you huff out a laugh, “and I’m pretty sure you mentioned how Yangyang wants to do karaoke at some point?”

“He just wants you to perform WAP with him.” Mark sigs, shaking his head disapprovingly.

Your eyes widen in amusement, a subtle heat rising once more to your cheeks. “Does he?”

“Oh, karaoke sounds fun!” Vernon nods enthusiastically.

You jaw parts in mild shock, pure mirth dancing in your gaze. “Did the Vernon of Seventeen just invite himself along to karaoke with me?”

Lowly, you register Hongjoong and Chan whispering to their groups in Korean.

“I’m coming, too!” Jongho nearly shouts, drawing almost all of the attention of everyone backstage.

“Right, you still need to serenade her,” Yunho nods, and instantly he’s running for his life as Jongho chases him with murderous intent around the backstage area.

You turn to Mingi, “you still up for shouting anime openings at the top of our lungs at some point?”

At this, the remaining members of Ateez turn to look at Mingi.

“Of course!” He grins widely, nodding enthusiastically.

“Sweet.” You mirror his grin, noticing a few other idols commenting on wanting to join in on the fun.

“No, I’m telling you Shotaro, she can speak Japanese.” A voice coming from off to your right says.

“Just because she asked you what one word is, doesn’t mean she can speak it.” Another voice replies, getting closer with each passing second.

“She immediately jumped right back into conversation with Riley about animals afterwards.” Yuta rounds the corner, Shotaro right beside him.

At the way both males see the group you’re currently surrounded by, they immediately freeze in their spots. Briefly, each male nods their head in acknowledgement, eyes flashing in recognition as they see Mark standing a little ways away from them.

“Mark, tell Shotaro that your author friend can speak Japanese.” Yuta meets the male’s gaze, stepping in closer with Shotaro in tow.

“Hi, Mark’s author friend here.” You lean forward slightly, waving a bit so you catch their attention. “I can speak Japanese.”

The way Shotaro stubs his toe on the table against the side wall in shock nearly has you laughing in response.

“See! I told you!” Yuta crosses his arms, turning to glare pointedly at Shotaro.

“You can speak Japanese?” Another voice from in front of you catches your attention, and you see Momo, Mina, and Sana from Twice making their way over towards you.

“That’s incredible!” Mina comments, her eyes wide as they join your little circle of idols.

“Thank you!” You smile widely at the three of them.

“By the way, these guys aren’t bugging you, are they?” Sana shoots you a knowing look. “You seem a little crowded.”

“No, no, not at all.” You shake your head. “I appreciate you checking in on me, though. That’s very kind of you.”

“We’re all really big fans of your work.” Mina adds, a light blush dusting her cheeks. “We overheard Riley saying how you gave her boyfriend confidence through your writing, and you’ve done that with a few of our members, too.”

“You’re really beautiful in person.” Momo compliments, a soft smile painting her features.

The way your hand comes up to cover your mouth is so natural, a vibrant heat rising to your cheeks.

“Thank you so much,” you cannot keep the awe from your voice. “I think you’re all very beautiful, too. Not to mention talented. I always have fun singing and dancing along with your songs, especially when I need a pick me up.”

All three of their eyes light up, excitement coursing through their veins as they grip each other giddily.

“You like our music?” Mina cannot keep the joy off of her features.

“Of course I do! I listen to a lot of the groups currently around me.” You admit. “I find a lot of inspiration from them.”

“Who’s your favourite?” Shotaro cuts in, noticing how both he and Yuta casually lean against the side table now.

You smile at him knowingly, a gleam to your eyes. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

The way he blinks back at you has you laughing lightly. Though, before you can say much more, the familiar music that begins to play from the stage area has you freezing in your spot.

“Mark Lee,” you turn to him with wide eyes, “how dare you not tell me.”

In the blink of an eye, you’re rushing towards the seating area to get a better view of the stage, quite a few of the idols blinking at you in shock. Riley seems to catch on quickly, following behind you as a few of the other idols do as well.

Pushing through the door, you step out onto the floor before the stage. You completely bypass the steps leading to the seats in favour of walking out onto the empty standing area where you can see some staff milling around. Some other idols seem to be watching the soundcheck, too. 

Out of the corner of your eyes, you notice another familiar idol shoot a friendly smile your way before she turns her head back to watch the four males on stage.

A small squeal of excitement escapes your lips as you watch SHINee do their soundcheck on stage. Each male even gets a portion during their set to perform a part of one of their solos, and you vaguely hear a staff member commenting on how there will be a SHINee special this year. Which explains why they’re getting the longest stage time out of all of the groups set to perform.

The moment SHINee finishes their soundcheck, you find yourself leaning back against the little guardrail leading up into the stands. You can feel your heart racing in your chest, and you blink, finally coming back to the reality around you.

“Surprise?” Mark chuckles from beside you.

“‘Surprise’ my ass!” You smack him lightly on the side of his arm. “You want to complain about being friends for so long, and you can’t even tell me my favourite group is performing at the award’s show I’m attending!”

A few chuckles are heard from around you from passing staff, as well as a few of the idols who followed you out.

“So, I guess it’s true that SHINee is your ult group, huh?” Vernon comments, a small quirk to his brow.

“Oh, most definitely.”You nod. “At least, one half of them.”

“Who’s the other half?” Felix asks, his eyes wide and hopeful.

“Oh, that’s easy,” you notice quite a few of them hanging on to your every word, “VIXX.”

“Damn, two tough groups to beat.”Vernon whistles lowly.

“By the way, you keep mentioning this performance you’re going to be having, but who did you all ask to be in it?” It’s Seonghwa who asks, looking between you and some of the idols around you.

“Well, it was short notice, so my publisher only managed to contact a few groups that we knew were going to be here,” you reply, a slight quirk to your lips upwards. “And a few that we did not, just in case.”

“I think you asked me first before our manager did,” Hongjoong laughs, arms crossed casually over his chest.

“Since my performance is going to be on the different forms of art, I wanted to showcase different idols who matched different art forms.” You explain, noticing how you draw in a few more people’s attention with every word. “I wasn’t expecting so many to agree to help.”

“Okay, so we know Joong is one. Jihoon, and Hyunjin are two others,” Mingi comments. “Who are the rest?”

“Well, I asked all of SHINee to be in it, and a few EXO members, but I never heard back from SM. Same with Seulgi of Red Velvet. The only confirmation I got that Ten, Renjun, and Taeyong all agreed to help, was from Mark, cause he wouldn’t stop complaining that I didn’t ask him to join. Twice’s Momo and Dahyun both agreed. Bang Chan, too.” You say, listing all of the idols off on your fingers. “I tried to have at least two per category, but it didn’t always work out that way. Plus, multiple could definitely fit in more than one.”

“Categories?” Yeosang asks, blinking at you curiously.

“Dancer, vocalist, rapper, fashion, visual art, composer, actor,” you list off. “Art takes many forms, and I wanted to emphasize that with their help.”

“We were told our respective categories when we got the call,” Hyunjin voices from above you, casually leaning over the railing of the stands and watching everyone with sharp eyes. “I don’t know about you guys, but I was asked if my art could be included in a video slide show thing to go along with it.”

“Oh, mine was, too!” A feminine voice cuts in from off to the side.

Turning your head, you see Seulgi join your little circle of idols. You smile at her, noticing how she nods her head politely at you just as she did during SHINee’s soundcheck.

“It’s so lovely to meet you, I’m a big fan of your books!” She leans in to grasp your hands lightly in her own, giving them a gentle squeeze. “As are Joy and Yeri, but they’re backstage for the moment. They’re going to be so jealous I’m meeting you right now.”

“I didn’t know you were going to be joining the presentation.” An awed look crosses your features, and you can feel your hands trembling slightly in her hold. She squeezes them once more. “Thank you so much for agreeing, I’m a huge fan of yours, too.”

“Then, I’m glad we could meet like this.” She replies. “I overheard that SHINee is set to join us for the briefing soon, too. Same with some of the EXO members.”

“Really?” You cannot prevent the way your eyes shine with excitement.

“So, then, who’s in which category?” Yeosang’s voice cuts through the crowd, his arms crossed over his chest. Though he leans against the side of the stands casually, he looks a bit tense.

Just as you go to answer, a call for you and your presentation team goes out for everyone to gather in front of the stage for the designated meeting. Lunch is called for everyone else, for now.

“Good luck,” Mark pats you on the side of the arm before heading out with some of the other idols in tow.

“Thanks, Mark.” At the intonation you use, you notice Vernon’s shoulders shaking in laughter this time as he walks backstage with some of the others.

Heading over to the stage area, you situate yourself right by where you see the stage director and event organizer appear. Seulgi, Chan, Hongjoong, Hyunjin, and Jihoon all follow you over, standing around you as the other idols that have agreed to help you gather.

A few minutes later, and you are surrounded by all of them. You notice that the artists practically group themselves by company.

“We’ll let you lead.” The stage manager says.

“Whenever you’re ready.” Says the event organizer.

Across from you stands Jihoon, Hongjoong, Ten, Taeyong, Renjun, Bang Chan, Hyunjin, Seulgi, Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, Minho, Key, Onew, Taemin, Momo, and Dahyun. They all arrange themselves in about three lines facing you.

“Thank you.” You nod once to them before turning to face all of the idols before you. Quickly, you introduce yourself, a sense of professionalism taking over quite quickly. “I understand that this was asked of all of you on short notice, and I would like to take the time now to thank each and every one of you for agreeing to aid me in my presentation. That being said, I was uninformed that some of you would actually be joining me for my speech until a short while ago, so I will have to adjust a few things.”

Nods of understanding are seen from most of them.

“You all should have been asked a few questions when you received the offer, confirming that it is okay for my video editor to either use clips from your music shows, dramas, behind the scenes footage, livestreams, songs, events, and, or, any type of artwork you have created.” You scan the small group of idols before you. “I want to confirm now that I have your express permission to do so. Otherwise, my editor and I will adjust the video clips to be shown along with the presentation.”

Nods greet you all around, a few in mild shock that you would ask them such a thing again.

“Good.” You smile. “Now, I believe you should have all received a copy of my speech, and instructions along with it as to which categories I would like you to be sorted under. Again, if you have any issues, let me know and I will adjust accordingly.”

At the silence that greets you, a few of them sending reassuring smiles your way, you feel a tension beginning to release from your shoulders.

“I understand that these categories might not be what you usually get sorted under. That being said, I want to focus on different aspects of art using familiar faces to the public that were already attending these ceremonies.” You explain. “The lines I would like a few of you to read are meant to showcase art as collaboration, as expression, and as our passions. Again, if you have any issues, let me know, and I can rearrange some things.”

The way they all wait for you to continue warms your heart.

“I want to thank all of you for helping to bring my vision to life.” You smile. “If you have any questions or concerns, please, do not hesitate to let me know.”

“Are we allowed to see the video before it’s finalized?” Dahyun asks, her eyes wide as she blinks excitedly at you.

“Of course!” You return her smile. “The finalized version will be edited and submitted tonight, along with the script. You’ll all receive a copy of that as well. There’s simply one more thing I need to confirm before then.”

“What is it you still need to confirm?” Kyungsoo asks you, meeting your gaze.

“Well, making sure I had all of your consent to use your own forms of art was one of them.” You say. “The other, I would like to speak with all four members of SHINee about. Privately, if that’s alright?”

All four members turn their attention to you, both Minho and Onew smiling kindly as they nod their heads. You notice Taemin blink a few times, caught off guard by the sudden request, while Key’s expression remains neutral.

“If you’ll all follow me for a moment.” You step off to the side a little ways away from everybody, even the stage manager and event organizer.

Luckily, all four members follow you quickly, and you notice the other idols beginning to chat amongst themselves to give you some more privacy.

Once you’re far enough away, you’re turning to all four of them. Nervously, your hand begins to fiddle with the strap of your purse still slung over your shoulder.

“There is an additional piece I would like to add to the end of my speech, but I wanted to discuss it with all of you first.” You begin, swallowing somewhat thickly. “As you may or may not know, I have always been a big fan of your group as a whole, and have found inspiration from all of you. The reason I am pulling you all aside to ask you this, is because I respect all of you, and I would never want to do something to offend you, or disgrace his memory.”

You notice Key’s one eyebrow twitch upwards slightly.

“I would like to end my speech both making reference to, and quoting Jonghyun and his artistic views. If you would like to read what I have penned for it, I have copies ready for you if you believe that will help influence your decision. If even one of you disagrees, or is uncomfortable with such a thing, I will not do so, and leave my speech the way it is now.” You tell them, feeling your heart about to beat right out of your chest as you take the time to meet each of their gazes. “I only felt it right to ask permission from you before doing so, as again, I do not wish to tarnish or disrespect any of you, or his name.”

A beat of silence passes over all of you as they consider your words. What makes it even more nerve wracking is how you cannot read any of their expressions.

The four of them briefly share a look before Jinki is turning towards you.

“May we see what you have written?” His voice is soft as he meets your gaze once more.

“Of course.” You nod, quickly opening your purse and pulling out a few slips of folded paper.

Gently, you soften the creases, separating the two sheets with the same ending portion of your speech on them. A moment later, and you hand one piece to Key while Minho takes the other.

The silence that stretches on around you as Taemin leans into Minho’s side to read, and Jinki into Key’s, is deafening. Sweat begins to form on your hands, which continue to nervously fiddle with the strap of your purse. You even go so far as to start rocking on your feet to dispel your energy, your eyes darting every which way as they read your writing over for themselves.

You notice a single tear begin to trail down the side of Minho’s cheek.

The four males share a brief look with one another before Jinki looks up in your direction. You notice that he blinks away tears of his own.

“We appreciate the consideration you have extended to both us and him,” he begins, voice catching in his throat. “Thank you for asking before wanting to honour his memory like this.”

You blink at him, breath catching in your throat as his words wash over you. Perhaps you heard him wrong, but is he saying what you think he’s saying?

Again, they all share a look, Minho straightening himself while wiping at his cheek.

“Please keep this as the ending to your speech.” He says. “It makes a great addition to what you already have.”

The familiar burn of happy tears begins to make itself apparent behind your eyes.

“I know we don’t know each other, but the fact that you went out of your way to ask us permission before doing this shows just what kind of person you are.” Key adds, a gentle smile being sent your way. “Thank you for considering our feelings on this matter.”

“I think we are all in agreement that we would like you to use this ending to your speech.” Taemin confirms, a soft nod to his head.

“Really?” You cannot hide the way your eyes shine, heart swelling in your chest.

At the four nods you receive from all of them, a large smile breaks out onto your face.

“Thank you so much.” You bow deeply to all of them, eyes fluttering shut as you do so.

“Thank you for asking.” Jinki smiles kindly at you once more.

“Of course,” you right yourself. “It was only the natural thing to do.”

“We appreciate it.” Minho smiles your way as you all begin to make your way back over to where the other idols are.

Seeing you approach with SHINee in tow catches all of their attention, hushed whispers dying out to a silence once more.

“Alright, so the way I’ve grouped you all off means there should be at least two of you per category,” you address them all. “I know I’m probably repeating myself here, but I want to focus on how we all have different outlets for our art. You’ve all been told the category you’ll be under, so if you can all just stand with your ‘buddies’ for the moment it would help me explain the next part.”

Again, nods greet you in understanding.

“Great!” Your eyes crinkle as you smile. “If I could get the composers over here.”

You point to your immediate left, seeing Bang Chan, and Jihoon both move to their new spot.

“Visual artists here,” you point beside the first group, a little ways to their right.

Hyunjin, Renjun, and Seulgi all stand together.

“Men of fashion, next.”

Both Hongjoong and Baekhyun stand side by side.

“Dancers, if you please.”

Ten, Taemin, and Momo form a small group.

“Then, the actors beside them.”

Kyungsoo and Minho stand together, nodding politely at each other in acknowledgment.

“The rappers.”

Both Taeyong and Dahyun move to the side, smiling at each other politely.

“And finally, the vocalists.”

Lastly, Key and Onew shuffle off to your right, completing the semi-circle around you.

“I will represent the author aspect to my speech, but I think that one is pretty self explanatory.” You chuckle, nothing how a few of them smile along with you. “Now, each of you were given a specific line to go along with your category. You may decide amongst yourselves who says it, or if you all wish to speak it in unison. However, for effect, it would be best if we all came to a decision on whether the lines will be spoken in unison by the groups, or individually. I really want to emphasize the collaboration between all of us artists with these lines.”

You notice each of the groups briefly talking amongst themselves before a few are nodding. A minute later, and you have all of their attention on you.

“Unison, or individual?” You quirk a brow.

“Individual might work best.” You see Baekhyun nod in your direction as he responds, the rest muttering their agreements.

“Great!” You smile, shifting to pull a small spiral bound notebook and a pen out of your purse. “Let me just write down who you’ve all agreed to speak each line between you all for reference. It also makes the technicians jobs a bit easier.”

A few minutes later, and you’ve written down the respective idols that will be saying each designated line.

“While each of you are speaking your lines, the category you represent will appear on the screen behind us along with visual aids showcasing you performing, demonstrating, or working on said topic.” You explain, and you see some of their eyes light up in awe. “There will be a strong emphasis on timing, especially on my part. A lot of what I say will be synced to the video behind me, as well as serve as audio cues for both you and the lighting techs.”

“You’ve put a lot of thought into this.” Key observes, clearly impressed.

“Well, I went to an arts high school, and I was also a theatre kid.” You cap your pen, smiling widely. “I do also have a flare for dramatics at times.”

“What type of arts high school?” Chan asks, tilting his head mildly in curiosity.

“It had quite a few different disciplines, but I was in for vocals.” You tell them.

“Not drama?” Minho’s eyebrows quirk, clearly surprised.

“No, but that would have been my second choice.” You close your notebook.

“Wait, you sing?” Momo’s lips part, an eager gleam to her eyes.

“I was trained operatically for over seven years.” Your words have clear shock pulling at all of their faces. “Don’t know how good I am now, it’s been quite a while since I last had a lesson.”

“I can’t wait to tell Jongho, he’s going to lose his shit.” Hongjoong mumbles.

“Wait until Seungmin hears this,” Hyunjin huffs out a laugh.

“Would you ever sing for us, sometime?” Seulgi asks, her whole face lighting up as she looks at you eagerly.

Your eyes nearly bulge right out of your head, heartbeat thundering in your ears.

“Uh,” you blink, attempting to wrap your head around the situation fully. One of your favourite female Korean singers has essentially just asked you to sing for her sometime.

“She’s already agreed to karaoke with some of us,” Hongjoong hums, a chuckle falling from his lips.

“Oh, I want to come, too!” Dahyun chimes in, smile wide as she meets your gaze.

“Is there a karaoke space big enough for everyone?” You put your notebook back into your purse, motioning to all of them that you’re done for now. “That’s all for now, by the way. Thank you again for agreeing to help on such short notice. We’ll practice the timing during the actual rehearsal portion designated for us at the end of the day.”

You notice the members of EXO and SHINee all nod their heads, heading off for lunch with one another after bowing to you politely in leave. You bow back, smiling faintly as they head off.

“I’m sure we can find one,” Jihoon says as the rest of you begin to head backstage as well.

“Damn, I’m gonna get to hear you sing and dance today?” Ten grins, stepping right up beside you for the moment. “I must be extra lucky.”

“What do you mean ‘dance’?” Seulgi tilts her head curiously.

“Oh, the ‘Seventh Sense’ bet she has with Mark.” Taeyong mentions casually.

“Oh!” Seulgi’s eyes widen, nodding in understanding. “That!”

“Does everybody at SM know of that bet?” You exhale an exaggerated puff of air.

“Only the people Mark told,” Renjun chimes in. “So, naturally, everybody knows. Man has a loud mouth at times.”

“At times?” Taeyong laughs.

“Do you know any other dances?” Momo asks, Dahyun nodding along with her as they walk side by side. “You mentioned that you enjoy singing and dancing to our songs earlier.”

“I know a few, but I usually don’t like dancing around other people.” You reply.

“How much is ‘a few’?” Ten quirks a grin, eyes tinkling mischievously.

“I have a few mixes my one friend made for me that I’ve learned.” You shrug. “Kind of like my own personalized random dance plays.”

“That’s pretty cool!” Dahyun comments, quite enthusiastically.

“Wait, how come you don’t like dancing around other people?” Renjun’s brow furrows, turning to look at you briefly.

By now, you’ve all made it backstage once more, and you notice many of the staff and other idols have dispersed for lunch. Only a few familiar faces linger around the space from earlier.

Again, it’s like you shrink into yourself. “Personal reasons.”

“Then, how are you going to win the bet you have with Mark?” Ten tilts his head curiously at you.

Out of the corner of your eye, you notice a few more Twice members, such as Jihyo, Jeongyeon, Mina, and Sana all join your group. Even some more NCT members are present, and you see Mark come to stand right beside you for the moment.

“You see, my need to prove him wrong is much stronger than anything else.” You reply, noticing how you see Yeosang watching you from the corner that the rest of the Ateez members are currently lingering around.

“Name the time and place.” He grins, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well, who knows when we’ll get another chance to do this,” you say, quirking a brow knowingly. “It’s going to have to be today, is it not?”

“Now would be an opportune time since the stage area is clear of most people,” Taeyong suggests. “Riley can help with the soundboard and play the song through the speakers. Everyone would probably think it’s just us getting in another round of practice again. Sometimes we do that before shows.”

“I’ll go get Doyoung and Jaehyun!” Ten rushes off before a word of protest can escape you.

“Would dancing with someone else make you feel better?” Momo offers.

You think about it for a moment before nodding. “Perhaps it might.”

“Oh my goodness, come dance with us, then!” Sana grabs your wrist, pulling you back out towards the stage area with some of the others in tow. “Now, where’s Riley?”

You notice the aforementioned female appear from down the hallway.

“Riley, soundboard for us for a bit!” Mina begins pushing the somewhat stunned female along with all of you and back to the stage.

“What?” Riley blinks. “Oh, okay!”

“I would love to dance with you!” Jihyo grins, walking alongside you as Sana continues to pull you along. “The other girls are eating lunch, but I hope us six will do!”

“You’re more than enough.” Comes your instant reply, a firm nod of your head. “Though, I warn you, I’m probably going to be the ‘standing guy’ emoji when the music starts.”

Jeongyeon lets out a boisterous laugh from your opposite side. “It’s okay, we’ve got you!”

“I’m about to dance with pretty girls,” you mumble, causing all of the girls around you to smile. “Someone pinch me, I must be dreaming.”

Instead, you receive teasing pokes to your upper back from Dahyun who currently stands behind you.

“What song would you like to start with?” Momo asks, the members all flanking you on stage as Riley sets up the soundboard from the middle of the floor.

“Uh…” your brain refuses to function for a moment as you process her words.

“Wait, you said you had some mixes your friend made you.” Dahyun recalls. “This might be presumptuous of me, but do you have any Twice mixes?”

You blink. “I do, actually.”

“Great! Why don’t we do that, and we’ll support you!” Sana grins, shaking your arm gently in excitement.

“You all really want to dance with me?” You ask, voice meek as your eyes shine with your emotions for the moment.

“Of course!” Jeongyeon’s reply is immediate. “Not only would we be getting a chance to dance with our favourite author, but we’ve got to show those guys how it’s done.”

The wink she sends your way makes your heart leap for joy in your chest. You cannot help the way a bashful smile pulls at your lips as you pull out your phone.

“If you want, we could even do our best to follow another of your mixes.” Mina offers. “It would be like a random dance play for us. Plus, I’m sure more people would join! It’s whatever makes you most comfortable.”

“We can start with the Twice mix, and go from there?” Even though you sound a bit unsure of yourself, you notice the girls all eagerly nodding around you.

Already, a small crowd of both idols and staff members begin to form around the stage. Some stand in the wings, while others look up from the ground around the stage. There’s a good mix of eager looks and curious ones, but the smiling faces of the six girls around you manage to distract you from the less than savoury ones right now.

“Alright,” you say, walking to the edge of the stage with your phone in hand. Crouching down, you hand it to Mark. “Mark Lee, I will personally shave your head, and dye all of your white shirts bright red if you fuck around with my phone. I will also never gift you spoilers to my books, or watermelon taffy again.”

The wide-eyed nod he gives you says it all, and with the added way he swallows thickly, you giggle lightly.

“It’s mix three,”  you say, handing him your phone.

Again, all you receive is a nod from him in response before he’s walking over to Riley and passing her your phone. A moment later, and she hooks it up to the soundboard, looking up at you in preparation to hit play. After doing a few light stretches with the girls, you straighten your back, cracking your neck all the while.

“The first song is ‘Fancy’, which leads into ‘Talk That Talk, and then ‘I Can’t Stop Me’ after that.” You tell them, seeing them all nod excitedly at you.

“Do you usually dance a specific part, or is it all just chorus stuff?” Momo asks, standing beside you to your right.

“When I learn a full song, I usually learn either my bias, my wrecker, or whoever ends up being easiest to follow. For the mixes, it’s mainly just chorus stuff, though.” The way you see them all nod along at your words has your heart warming in your chest. “There’s a small intro, and then the pre-chorus to ‘Fancy’, though, so you have time to get into position.”

“We’ll follow your lead!” Jihyo grins, a firm nod to her head.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Sana smiles at you.

Meeting gazes with Riley across the way, you smile, shooting her a small thumbs up. Immediately, the music starts blasting through the speakers, and you can feel the adrenaline beginning to pump through your veins.

“You know, if you would have told me I’d be dancing on a stage with Twice today, I would have never believed you.” You comment, a light chuckle to your voice as you get into position.

“Well, believe it, girly!” Mina laughs, lightly going over the pre-chorus part of the dance as you all get into position. “Cause guess what?”

The only thing you have time to do is blink at her in response as all six of them shout out a loud ‘We’ as the chorus hits.

A large smile breaks out onto your face, whole body heating as you begin to dance along with the six girls around you. Lowly, you all sing along to the lyrics, losing yourself to the music as it surrounds you. The way their eyes light up as they watch you dance along with them sets your heart racing even more so than usual, absolutely revelling in this euphoric feeling.

Cheers erupt from some of the staff and other idols standing around the area, and you can hear Mark exclaim a loud ‘holy shit’ from beside the soundboard.

“Damn girl!” Dahyun bumps hips with you playfully as the song switches. “You can really dance!”

“Really?” Your eyes shine as you meet her gaze, noticing the other five members encouraging you all the while. At the nods you receive, you smile bashfully, tears threatening to gather in the corners of your eyes. “Thank you.”

From the crowd, you hear Ten beginning to shout in Mark’s direction. “Damn, Mark, you didn’t tell us your author friend could dance!”

At the way Mark shakes his head, blinking in shock, you can just tell he calls back an ‘I didn’t know’ lowly in response.

“You are so going to lose that bet.” Doyoung laughs loud enough for both you and Mark to hear.

“Hey, Chan, do you think she knows any Stray Kids dances?” Changbin calls over to their leader as a few more of the members join the crowd.

“Back off, Bin! She’s dancing to Ateez, next!” Wooyoung shouts at his friend, and you notice Jongho standing there with his mouth hanging open beside him.

The moment you hit the drop with your leg extended in ‘I Can’t Stop Me’, more cheers erupt from the crowd, even more staff and idols coming to see what all the commotion is about. The way you can see some people’s jaws drop in awe makes you grin, getting more and more into the moves the more time passes. It makes it even better when Johnny and Ten start hooting and hollering encouraging things your way as you dance. Even Wooyoung and Changbin get in on the action, Felix cheering along with them.

The moment the mix ends, the six girls are crowding you, talking excitedly about how much fun that was, and that you should all do that again some time.

“Thank you so much for dancing with me,” you meet each of their gazes, noticing how they all look at you fondly.

“It was our pleasure,” Jihyo smiles widely at you, squeezing your arm gently.

“If there’s ever any dances you want to learn, let us know!” Dahyun grins, giggling all the while.

“Yeah! We’d be more than happy to teach you.” Momo nods enthusiastically.

“You kept up with us really well,” Sana adds. “Most trainees can’t even do that.”

“I may not be a dancer, but I do put a lot of effort in to everything I do.” You avert your gaze to the floor bashfully, tapping the tip of you foot lightly against the floor of the stage.

“It shows.” Mina reaches over to squeeze your arm this time, smiling kindly at you.

Slowly, a chant begins to build from the surrounding crowd.

“Seventh Sense. Seventh Sense. Seventh Sense.”

“I think you’re being asked for an encore.” Jeongyeon winks at you, and you chuckle along with her.

“After you’re done proving him wrong, we should do one of your mixes!” Dahyun eagerly says, excitement shining in her eyes. “I wanna see how many songs we can get.”

“Plus, like I said earlier, more people might join that way!” Mina repeats, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

“We’ll give you space now.” Jihyo says, beginning to usher the other girls away from you. “As long as you’re ready.”

“I’m ready.” You nod once firmly in confirmation.

“Good luck!” Momo cheers, shooting you an encouraging thumbs up as they make their way to the side of the stage.

Stepping towards the front of the stage, you get into position. Lifting your head, you make eye contact with Mark who still stands beside Riley, looking completely stunned for the moment.

“Be prepared to lose the bet, Markie Boy.”You grin, flicking your gaze towards Riley for the moment. “Hit it.”

An awed hush settles over the crowd as you wait for the music to start. Not even a moment later, the opening beats of “The Seventh Sense” can be heard through the speakers. 

Your body instantly begins to move, the dance having been ingrained into you with how often you practiced it since making this bet with Mark. Even your expression moulds to fit the theme of the song, and as soon at the lyrics begin, the crowd erupts into cheers.

You hit every beat, noticing how both Doyoung and Jaehyun wear expressions of complete and utter shock on their faces. Even Mark cannot keep his mouth from falling open as he watches you incredulously.

About halfway through the routine, you notice Taeyong hoist himself up onto the stage, joining in to dance with you for the remainder of the song. The way you sing along softly to the lyrics only becomes apparent when he gets closer, his eyes widening ever so slightly as his lips part in awe.

During Mark’s iconic line, you purposely look his way, shouting it at the top of your lungs with a wink sent in his direction. You notice he still wears that same expression of shock on his features, and even you can tell how red his face has gotten from your position on the stage.

The way you can keep up with Taeyong has even more cheers erupting from the crowd. Ten practically begins shaking Doyoung beside him, screaming about how you’re dancing his part right now, a giddy smile on his features. Hell, even half of Stray Kids and Ateez look about ready to fall over, their wide eyed stares encouraging you to continue.

The moment the song comes to an end, a roar erupts from the staff and idols around you. You hear some shouts from certain groups asking you to dance their songs next, and it makes you smile. Your chest heaves with every breath you take, and you turn to face Taeyong just as he turns to face you.

“You proved him wrong.” He smiles, extending his hand out to you for a high five. “You’re an incredible dancer.”

A large smile stretches across your features as you meet his hand halfway in the air. “Thank you so much!”

“Really, do you know any more dances?” His eyes are wide as he looks at you, an eager gleam shining within.

“From start to finish?” You tilt your head slightly.

“Yeah, or just in general.” He nods.

“Well, from start to finish, I know Red Velvet’s Psycho and Bad Boy, EXO’s Monster, BTS’ Fire, and GOT7’s If You Do.” You list off. “There’s a few more I know larger portions of, but the rest I just know from the mixes. I, uh, do also know a few duet dances, cause I used to dance them with my ex.”

Out of the corner of your eyes, you notice both Hyunjin and Wooyoung chatting with Riley, of whom looks a bit reluctant to be apart of the conversation.

“I owe you ten meals.”Mark comments, stepping up onto the stage. “You really did prove me wrong.”

“I told you I would!” You stick your tongue out at him playfully, wiping at the sweat forming at your brow.

“You’ve also really drawn a crowd.” He wiggles his eyebrows. “I don’t think anybody was expecting you to be able to dance like that.”

Out of the corner of your eyes, you see Jaehyun approaching you.

“You can really dance.” He comments, blinking at you a few times as his dimple appears.

“Thank you.”You incline your head in his direction, a warmth blooming on your cheeks.

“You mentioned knowing duet dances?” Taeyong inquires. “Which ones do you know?”

Your eyes widen slightly, noticing Wooyoung, Hyunjin, and Changbin now all making their way onto the stage towards you.

“Uh…” you chuckle nervously. “Well, I do know Baby Don’t Stop, Seulrene’s Monster, and, uh…” your voice drops into a mumble, “Troublemaker.”

“You know Troublemaker?” Changbin’s voice is full of awe. “Okay, we’re dancing that.”

“Get your own dance partner, Bin, I’m dancing Troublemaker with her first!” Wooyoung crosses his arms over his chest, huffing all the while.

“Oh, you all think I know Hyuna’s part, don’t you?” You glance at him with amusement dancing in your eyes.

Taeyong’s brow furrows. “You don’t?”

“Oh, I know some of it, but the only Hyuna dance I really know is Lip and Hip. I learned Hyunseung’s part.” You chuckle. “My best friend learned her part.”

“You dance often, then.” Hyunjin observes, calculating gaze fixed on you for the moment.

“I mean, I used to.” You shrug. “I’ve always enjoyed it, even though I’m not a dancer. It used to be my ex’s and my thing.”

“Is that why you don’t like performing in front of other people?” Changbin’s brow furrows.

“Kind of,” you mutter. “But that’s not a can of worms to get into today.”

“Okay, well, we need to plan a day where we have a dance party, clearly.” Wooyoung comments, slinging his arm around your waist as he pushes Mark out of the way.

“Dance another mix for us!” You hear Mina call out from the side where you see all of the other Twice members now standing.

At the way you hesitate, the crowd starts chanting for you to dance more.

“We tried convincing Riley to play another one anyways,” Hyunjin shrugs casually. “She wouldn’t budge unless you were comfortable with it.”

You chew on the skin of your bottom lip. “Well, I guess one more wouldn’t hurt.”

Wooyoung shakes you lightly in excitement as he laughs giddily. “Yay!”

“If you join, and I see any of you mocking girl groups, I will punt you off of this stage.” You threaten, pointing your finger threateningly at the males around you.

At the way they raise their hands mildly in their own defence, you know you have them.

“Alright, hang on,” you say, quickly hopping down the stairs at the side of the stage to make your way towards the soundboard where Riley is.

Along the way, some staff members and idols send compliments your way. A few of them are backhanded, but you brush those off for now. Besides, you feel as if nothing could bring you down.

Reaching Riley, you’re quick to unlock your phone for her once more.

“We’re gonna do another mix, but I figured my phone had shut off by now.” You chuckle, and you see her nod enthusiastically. “When I give the signal, play mix four.”

“Roger that!” She mock salutes you, and you giggle along with her.

Making your way back to the stage, you notice quite a few more idols having gathered around. Some eagerly talk amongst themselves, while more have moved to the front of the stage in order to get a better view of the dancing about to take place.

“Alright, you guys ready?” You quirk a brow as you stand back into position.

“Oh, hell yes!” Both Wooyoung and Changbin cheer.

“As a curtesy, the first song is The Eve.”You tell them. “This is my longest mix, so I might not do all of it.”

“Understandable.” Taeyong nods your way.

“Whatever makes you most comfortable.” You notice Momo has come back to join you, nodding all the while.

With a smile pulling at your lips, you send a nod Riley’s way. A moment later, and the familiar sound of music is playing through the speakers.

The more you dance, the more you notice that even some of the backup dancers join in on the fun. You cannot keep the joy from radiating off of you, a brilliant smile on your face as you move around the stage with the people around you. The way even Seulgi comes to join you for some of the Red Velvet songs that you have in the mix makes your heart swell, laughing along with the others gleefully.

The whole time, you can feel eyes on you. Whether they’re judgmental, or in awe, you no longer care, for you get lost in the way dancing like this makes you feel. You haven’t had this much fun in a while, and you’re not about to give it up now.

Once the mix has finished, another cheer rises up from the crowd. A few of the dancers even come up to you and start up a conversation about where you learned to move your body like that. A fact which makes you all the more bashful.

An intense feeling of eyes focussed on your back has you turning to face the crowd. Only, when you look in the direction you felt such a gaze coming from, all you see is Yeosang staring at you with an unreadable expression on his face. Mingi seems to be talking his ear off excitedly at the moment, the shorter male nodding along quite firmly to whatever is being said. However, you’re not even sure if he’s listening to what his group mate is saying, or not.

Smiling softly his way, you notice him blink suddenly, as if to clear his vision.

Mark catching your attention from beside you has you turning away from Yeosang for the moment. Only, you fail to see the way the male’s eyebrow twitches slightly, the corner of his lips tugging downwards.

A short while later, and you’ve cleared the stage area so rehearsals can continue as scheduled. Riley makes her way back over towards you with your phone in hand, passing it to you with awe still clear in her eyes.

“I didn’t know you could dance like that!” She exclaims, visibly shaking in her spot. “You’re incredible!”

You chuckle at her enthusiasm. “Thank you.”

Now, as you settle back into the backstage area, you notice quite a few more idols and staff around. The way their gazes dart over to you is obvious, whispers reaching your ears.

“Have you eaten, by the way?”It’s Mark that asks, handing you a fresh bottle of water as you lean against the wall.

“I ate a big breakfast before I came, so I’m not really hungry right now.”You reply. “But thanks for checking in.”

“He was just hoping to get a head start on those ten meals he owes you,” Johnny chuckles, joining your little circle.

You notice Hongjoong, Jongho, Yeosang, Wooyoung, and Changbin all join you as well.

“So, when are you coming over to learn more Stray Kids dances?” Changbin asks casually.

“Um, after she learns some Ateez dances, obviously.” Wooyoung answers for you, a roll to his eyes. A second later, and a smug grin is pulling at his features as he stands proud. “Her bias is gonna teach her everything he knows.”

“Wait, you’re her Ateez bias?” Changbin’s eyes nearly pop out of his head before turning to look at you. “Please tell me you have better taste in men than this idiot over here.”

“Hey!” Wooyoung whines.

“I never said Wooyoung was my Ateez bias,” you chuckle, and you notice how said male’s pout only deepens.

“Then, who is?” Hongjoong quirks a brow, a teasing smirk pulling at his lip.

Again, a knowing smile pulls at your features.

“You mean, you won’t tell them?” Mark frowns. “You had no probably telling me that Ten was your NCT bias.”

Johnny looks absolutely scandalized by Mark’s words, placing a hand over his heart as his jaw drops in shock. “And here I was thinking what we had was special.”

“I met you today, John.” You deadpan, blinking once.

Laughter erupts around you.

“Wait, Ten is your NCT bias?” Jongho looks at you, somewhat incredulously. “I would have thought it was Jaehyun with how often you reference him in your writing.”

You shrug casually. “Some things are the same, others are not. I mean, Ten’s not my only NCT bias.”

“You have more than one?” It’s Yeosang who asks this time, his brow quirked and gaze unreadable.

“Of course I have more than one, there’s over twenty-one members in counting, and multiple sub-units.” You reply, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “I’ve got a bias per unit.”

“Yet, none of them are me.” Mark pouts, crossing his arms over his chest.

“When I was first getting into NCT you were.” You remind him.

“It’s not the same.” He whines, shaking his head.

“So, you’ll tell him your biases when he asks, but not us?” Hongjoong quirks a brow, amusement dancing in his eyes. Though, at the way his jaw twitches, you can tell he’s slightly exasperated by this fact.

“Again, I’ve talked with him for much longer than I’ve personally known you.” You chuckle. “Plus, you’re not as persistent about it as some people.”

The way you shoot a playfully pointed look at Mark says it all.

“Oh, okay,” Wooyoung nods, a maniacal grin tugging at his features. “We’ve just got to annoy it out of you.”

“That’s one way to ensure I never tell you.” You huff out a laugh, a smirk dancing on your lips. “Though, I don’t know why you guys are so obsessed with knowing who my bias is. Really, you should be asking about my wreckers. Haven’t you ever heard the phrase that a person’s bias is most like them, but their wrecker is their ideal type?”

Without waiting for a response, you walk over to join Mina, Sana, Jihyo, and Jeongyeon, leaving all of the males stunned for the moment.

“Mark, who’s her NCT wrecker?” Johnny immediately turns to the aforementioned male, noticing the others do the same.

“I- uh…” he swallows thickly. “I don’t know.”

Your shoulders shake in laughter as you begin conversing with the girls. A few hours later, Joy from Red Velvet joins in on your little circle of friends, her introducing herself and expressing how big of a fan she is of your writing. Easily, she falls into conversation with all of you, and she even brings up the fact that she and the other members saw you dancing with Seulgi earlier.

Again, you feel eyes on your back, watching your every move closely. When you spare a quick glance over your shoulder, you see Yeosang watching you with a neutral expression on his face. His arms are crossed over his chest as he leans back against the wall, one leg propped up behind him so that his knee is bent slightly.

Unfortunately, you don’t have time to dwell on it for too long, for the girls are all asking to exchange contact information with you. Of course, you readily agree, the Twice members even going so far as to create a group chat with you and the few other members that danced with you earlier.

Loud whispering draws your attention to the right where you see Irene, Wendy, and Yeri all standing to the side. You send a polite smile their way, but the only one who somewhat smiles back is Yeri. On the other hand, both Irene and Wendy could not look more disinterested by you. In fact, you’d say they almost look annoyed that you looked their way.

The moment you see Seulgi hop over to them quite excitedly, overhearing your name being mentioned, scowls pull onto Wendy’s and Irene’s faces.

Pointedly, Wendy leans into Irene, whispering quite loudly as you turn back around.

“Can you believe they invited such filth to perform at these awards?” Wendy’s voice reaches your ears, and you cannot help the way your shoulders tense. “I hope they wash the stage after she’s been rolling around on it. I can’t believe we even have to breathe the same air as that thing.”

From the muffled laughter you can hear behind you, you know it’s not just Irene that finds these comments funny.

“Wendy, stop it, you’re being extremely rude.” Seulgi chastises, an immediate frown tugging at her features. “And I can’t believe you two would laugh along with her! She’s been nothing but kind to everyone this whole time.”

“Did you see her dancing earlier?” Irene snorts out a laugh. “You know we stopped doing charity events, right, Seulg?”

“You call that dancing?” Wendy cackles. “More like flailing. She looked like a fish out of water.” A pause. “Wait, let me describe it more accurately: a beached whale.”

Again, more laughter can be heard from around the room, the loudest emanating from that specific corner where they reside. Though, the sneers and smug looks from some of the idols and staff that you’ve felt judging you all throughout the day no longer can be ignored. You have a feeling that they’re all finally getting the vindication of hearing their negative thoughts and feelings towards you finally be said out loud.

Jeongyeon places a comforting hand onto your back, noticing how you visibly deflate at the harsh words being thrown your way. Jihyo, Mina, and Sana all look about ready to cut a bitch, and Joy just looks embarrassed, her eyes widening in shock.

“People like her make me sick.” Irene comments, somewhat casually.

“Watch. I’m gonna go over there and compliment her in English, and it’s going to make her day.” Wendy laughs, already moving to push herself off of the wall.

“Wendy,” Seulgi warns, grabbing the aforementioned female’s wrist and holding her in place. “You’re making a fool of yourself, disgracing our group, and embarrassing the rest of us. You know she can understand you, right?”

You hear Wendy scoff, “I doubt that.”

Tugging her wrist harshly out of Seulgi’s grip, Wendy continues to make her way over to you. The ominous presence you can sense that is her approaching makes you tense, your hands nervously wringing themselves together.

Just then, a squeal is heard from behind you.

“Oh my gosh! Aren’t you that really famous author? I love your work!” Wendy’s voice reaches your ears, causing you to turn around to face her.

The expression she wears is one of awe, but it doesn’t take an expert to know that it’s not genuine. You can see how her gaze not so subtly trails over your body, a brief look of disgust pulling at her features as her lips twitch downwards. Though, in the blink of an eye, that expression of ire disappears, replaced by that overtly friendly one she attempts to wear.

You don’t even have to say anything, for Mina, Sana, Jihyo, and Jeongyeon all step in front of you, shooting harsh looks her way. Even Joy shakes her head disapprovingly, crossing her arms over her chest at her group mate.

Wendy looks clearly taken aback, blinking a few times at the silence that stretches on around you.

“What’s that look for?”She chuckles, somewhat nervously. “I just wanted to come over and say that I saw you dancing earlier and it looked like so much fun!” She nearly chokes on her own words, blinking as if she cannot believe what she’s about to say. “You’re a really good dance-“

“Are you sure it wasn’t more like a fish out of water?” You meet her gaze, a blank look in your eyes as you tilt your head slightly to the side.

You can just tell that your words catch her completely off guard.

“What are you talking about? I only came over here to tell you how pretty I think you are.” Wendy blinks at you in shock.

“Do you expect me to thank you for insulting me not even two minutes ago?” You continue. “The only thing I hate more than dishonest people, is someone who thinks they can get away with being two-faced just because of who they are.”

“How dare you!” Wendy inhales sharply, anger pulling at her brow. “You bitch-“

“Did you eat a stone, Wendy?” Jihyo’s gaze is nothing short of furious as she stares the elder down.

“You should be ashamed of yourself.” Jeongyeon spits, brow furrowed in distaste. “You of all people, judging another person based solely on their looks.”

“Why are you defending her? Can she not speak for herself?” Wendy replies, incredulously. “And Joy, why are you wasting you time with filth like her?”

“Unlike you, I don’t judge a book by its cover.” Joy deadpans, blinking at the girl before her blankly.

“Are you that unhappy with you life that you have to bring down mine?” You ask her, tilting your head slightly to the side.

Wendy rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “Stop acting all high and mighty. You’re nothing, anyways.”

“I’m not the one that went out of their way to insult the other.” You reply, holding your elbows in your hands once more as your arms cross over your body for support.

You can see her getting more angry with every lack of reaction you give her.

“Yeah, well, you’re writing is mediocre, and you’re just a fat, ugly pig.” She spits, and it goes so silent that you can hear a pin drop around you. “No wonder your ex cheated on a bitch like you.”

Gasps are heard all around.

You wish you could prevent the way you inhale sharply from her words, but you do. What makes it worse is the way she grins after hearing you do so.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you see Mark needing to be held back by Johnny.

You blink, swallowing thickly and doing your best to maintain your composure. The familiar sting of tears burns behind your eyes, but you refuse to give her the satisfaction of seeing you break.

Taking a deep breath, you school your expression.

“Wow, Wendy, not many people know that fact. I only ever talked about it once or twice during my lives.” You comment. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you’re obsessed with me.”

A loud scoff leaves her lips as she turns away from you, rolling her eyes all the while.

“Whatever,” she mumbles, beginning to walk away. “You’re not worth my time.”

Your eyes widen significantly, appalled by her comment for the moment considering she was the one that approached you. Luckily, though, you don’t have time to dwell on it, for the girls surrounding you are immediately turning back to face you, asking if you’re okay.

“Yeah, yeah,” you shoot them all a tight smile that doesn’t quite reach your eyes. “I’m fine.”

“I am so sorry about her,” Joy looks the most distressed, her cheeks red in embarrassment. Instantly, she bows to you. “I know it’s no excuse, but I hope you will accept my apology for her instead.”

“It’s not your fault, Joy,” you say, stepping out of the circle of girls for the moment.

“Where are you going?” Mina asks lightly, concern clear on her features.

“I just need some fresh air. I promise I’ll be right back.” Again, another tense smile is sent their way that doesn’t quite meet your eyes.

Not even giving them time to respond, you’re quickly making your way back down the hallway that you first arrived in. Pushing open the side door, you make sure you can get back inside first before letting it fall shut. Luckily for you, no one stops you, nor bothers you for the time being. Doing a quick scan of the area, you ensure that you’re alone.

It takes a moment for you to be sliding down the side of the wall. Another for the movement to become synonymous with the first of your tears escaping your eyes.

You don’t care that Wendy insulted your writing. You recognize and understand that it’s not for everyone, nor is everyone going to like it. If people telling you they didn’t like your writing, or that you were a shitty writer stopped you from pursuing your passion, you wouldn’t be where you are today. Hell, you don’t even care that she insulted you. You’ve had people insult your appearance your entire life, so that’s nothing new.

No, what hurts you the most is the fact that she would use such a traumatic incident against you. How she even knew about it confuses you, for you only ever disclosed the information publicly once, and not even all of the details. The memories are still just too painful for you, even if they happened over six months ago.

You crouch against the wall for a good few minutes, your muffled sobs being your only accompaniment. That is, until you hear the side door creak open.

Quickly, you’re wiping away your tears and standing back to your feet. You figure it’s probably some staff members either needing some air themselves, or going for a smoke break. 

You’d rather not have anyone see you cry right now.

What you don’t expect, however, is to see Yeosang peeking out at you from the small opening. He says nothing as he meets your gaze, and you don’t know whether to thank him for that, or not. What he does offer you, though, is a tissue, wordlessly extending a small packet out to you with the top already open.

Silently, you take one from him, nodding your thanks. The smile you send him is small, and tense, but it’s something.

“Riley said that your rehearsal for your speech is on deck.” He says lowly. “I came to get you.”

“Oh, okay,” you swallow your remaining emotions for the moment. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

A nod is all you receive in response as you dab at your eyes while turning away from him for the moment. Scrunching your nose, you sniffle.

“Are you okay?” His tone is soft, and you notice how concerned his eyes look as you turn back to face him.

“I’ll be fine,” you nod assuringly at him, but he doesn’t look all that reassured. So, you divert the topic as you head back inside. “You said it’s time for my rehearsal?”

“Riley’s gathering the other idols with Joong as we speak.” Yeosang replies casually, clutching that little package of tissues in his hands still.

“I see.” You hum, bringing the back of your hand up to rub at the side of your cheek.

Wordlessly, he offers you another tissue.

“Thanks.” You say, grabbing another from him.

He nods, which is the only response from him that you get.

“Hey, do you mind watching my purse while I rehearse?” You spare a glance at him just as you breach the backstage area, ignoring the few other worried looks sent your way by familiar faces.

“Not Mark?” He quirks a brow, the corner of his lips twitching upwards faintly.

“I don’t trust him not to go snooping through my bag to search for spoilers to my next book.” You chuckle lowly. “Besides, I know Jongho won’t be able to convince you to let him sneak a peek, either.”

Yeosang cracks a small grin. “You’d be correct.”

“I may not have the best judge of character, but I can tell that you’re a decent guy, Yeosang.” You say, and you watch a faint blush begin to creep onto his cheeks. “Thank you for not prying.”

Sliding the strap of your purse off of your shoulder, you hand it to him. Not even a moment later, he grabs it from you, slinging the strap over his own.

“It’s not my place.” He replies, blinking lightly up at you.

A call of your name from the stage manager draws your attention to the front.

“Good luck.” He nods, to which you nod back, leaving him without another word.

Yeosang smiles faintly, still feeling the warmth that continues to dissipate from his cheeks as he looks down at his feet. Shifting the strap against his shoulder, he slides the pack of tissues into the side of your purse, just in case.

Stepping into the wings of the stage, he watches on as you practice your speech for tomorrow, going over the stage directions and lighting cues with the staff. What he truly cannot understand though, is why, when every time he looks at you, he can feel his heart now racing inside of his chest.

[moondaepuppy]

[Coming soon: Interview with TeSTAR! Idols answer their fan's questions!]

Click below to see a preview:

Interviewer: Oh, here's an interesting fan question! 'If you were to find a Death Note, what would you do?'

Keunse: ooh?? Death note?!

Eugene: That's the first anime I ever watched! My friend recommended it to me!

Chungwoo: hmm, is that where he has a book that can kill people?

Moondae: Yes, by writing down their names.

Keun: moondaemoondae, you like death note?

Moondae: Yes.

Eugene: Me too!!

Ahyeon: they... K- kill people by writing their names down in... In a book?

Eugene: *gives confusing summary of plot in a mix of Korean and English*

Ahyeon: oh... Erm... B-but how could killing someone be a good thing...?

Raebin: Clearly no one individual should have that amount of power over life and death, so if I found a death note I would give it to the authorities, or would try to destroy it.

Eugene: haha! That's boring! I'd kill everyone!

Raebin: *opens mouth, about to rant until keunse, sat behind him, leans forward and cover his mouth*

Chungwoo: I think I agree with Raebin, I'd try destroying it. It's better to focus on the good we can do.

Bae Sejin: cough! Erm! Yes!... Murder is wrong of course... *Gazes into the distance darkly* *muttering* But some people might deserve it...

Eugene: Exactly hyung!!

Bae: *startled*

Interviewer: Haha. Ah, moondae-ssi has been very quiet?

Moondae (who has been deep in thought) : Yes, I was planning my hit list.

Interviewer: laughs, thinking he's joking.

Keunse: laughs, knows he's not.

Interviewer: but if you were to keep it, who would make the best Light Yagami?

Park moondae: *deciding to mess with him* Lee Sejin.

Keun: ayy, moondae, you think I'd go on a murder spree?!

Moondae: If anything, he'd be better than Light Yagami.

Chungwoo: *smiling* hmm, Sejin is very smart.

Raebin: He's the best at tactical board games, and is skilled in bluffing and lying in order to win, so would likely be able to fool the police.

Ahyeon: *nodding*

Keuns: !!??!

Raebin: He is also level-headed, so wouldn't fall prey to the detective's plan in the beginning.

Eugene: Totally. (In English) Like, hyung, you would be a great psychopath!

Ahyeon: (In Korean) ps- psychopath?

Keunse: haha??!? Guys??!

Moondae: *grinning* Though he is also a very caring person. And would be too busy with his career to start a new world.

[wishing-stones]

What language kinks would the boys like? I read an a03 where Baggs spoke Russian to a human girl he had a soulmate to as a turn on, so I was wondering what ideas you would have for the rest of the boys. (including Baggs of course if you don't think Russian fits him.)

I'm sorry, he what?

Anon I'm gonna need a source for that one please and thank you

AHEM.

Most of them speak different languages, and will abuse this if given the chance. Especially if their partner likes it.

My general headcanon is that the skeles speak the language of their creators;

Killer speaks Arabic Dust... speaks Korean? I think? Axe speaks English, but knows bits and pieces of other languages. Cross, Nightmare, and Dream all speak Spanish (Dream and Nightmare speak the Castellano dialect, and Cross speaks the Columbian one) and Baggs speaks English, but absolutely knows a couple of other languages. Russian may well be on that list. German is, too-- if there was a text that came through the underground that he couldn't read, he learned how to read it. And, of course, Ink speaks French. Not sure about Blue, though. Probably just English.

ANYWAY.

They'll all abuse this if they know it's a turn-on. Spoken lowly and next to or into your ear, complete with pet names in their favored languages... It's curtains for you.

Learn to speak it back, and they'll both be delighted and turned on. It is fortunately a two-way street.

[byemambo]

Concert Diaries: ATEEZ - TOWARDS THE LIGHT : WILL TO POWER

Artist: ATEEZ

Tour: Towards the Light: Will to Power World Tour

Date: July 31, 2024

Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, GA

Tier: SRA/Gen Admission

Time(s) Seen: Fourth time

Favorite Songs (Title Track): Guerrilla, HALAZIA, Youth, Silver Light, MATZ, WORK, ARRIBA, DJANGO, BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS), Dreamy Day

Notable Moments (in depth reflection under the cut):

This is the second time I've been to Gas South, and it's a nice venue for the size that ATEEZ has been able to achieve all these years

The stage design was amazing, they really went all out to create an immersive experience for all of us: from props, to stage rigs, to even set props that enhanced the storytelling aspect of the concert rather than focusing on the performance alone

Totally missed Crazy Form and Say My Name because I left my house later than I needed to and I had to pee BADLY

The staff (I asked for his name after the concert was over and it's Howard!) helped me get to my seat because there were too many people within the row for us to tell whether or not my seat got snatched (which it didn't thank goodness) so I was very grateful

Even though the back seating area of the stage is farther than what I'd prefer, I personally think it's better than being on the floor and not seeing shit because everyone's phones are up in the air

I've always preferred to see the entire stage from a further distance to fully take everything in, but the camera directors were really something

In comparison to their past tours, we can see just how much more sensual and adult they've become over the years, which I think is an evolution appropriate for them now as men versus the young boys they once were

Their sensual appeal isn't uncomfortable or cringe: it's confident, it's sexy, it's just the right amount that doesn't become too explicit

Their profound confidence as a group has done them so well over the course of their careers thus far, which is something that I will always admit about them as my favorite group

They spent so much time speaking to us directly in English without using a translator to aid in expressing their thoughts, which made me surprised and I'm neither for or against (since I believe that idols are entitled to expressing themselves in the language most comfortable to them, whether that be Korean or English)

The concert set list was very performance intensive, but with a theatrical approach, which is one of my favorite things about ATEEZ: their performance is beyond knocking out a choreography well on the stage, there is story and motifs significant to them as a group

During certain parts of the ments, some of the members became shy when speaking in English with minor hiccups, and I always find that wholesome with a gentle reminder of them being ordinary people outside of their celebrity personas

The VCR was fairly interesting, highlighting their journey with their group identity within the industry and relying on their "light," whether it be to help confront their obstacles, highlight their confidence, or overcoming the darkness of failure and asking the audience to ignite their light and never be afraid. ATEEZ has fairly complex lore, but we're currently in the era of Strickland, the damnation and government ban of artistic expression and emotional awareness, targeting citizens who perform art, music, or dance. Because ATEEZ has paved a name for themselves for being one of the top groups in delivering performance, this becomes a key player in their story line as they lead an anarchic revolution for society to access their emotions and pave a name for themselves in this world.

There were various members who partook in dance solos, but the specific theatrical performance that caught my attention the most was the transformation Seonghwa undergoes, accompanied by Hongjoong and Yunho as they face the Strickland officers and capture. Once Hongjoong and Yunho were seized by the Strickland officers and leaving Seonghwa behind, their wings were ripped away from them, resulting in a loss in freedom and identity. Seonghwa attempts to free himself from the grasps of the officers, even putting up a strong fight despite being outnumbered. After suffering and struggling to resist, he finally endures the same fate, his wings being torn away from him as he cowers in a deep depression.

However, Yeosang appears behind the cage, entrapped but instead of black clothing, he wears white and seems to be dancing with hints and glimmers of hope. Rather than remaining entrapped in the cage that serves as his confinement, he makes attempts to escape the bars, eventually breaking free. This reminds me of the metaphor associated with a caged bird, only serving its life purpose as a spectacle, an example to be made out of, an example of simply existing to serve for others and sing. I resonate this concept with ATEEZ, a group that I've been a fan of predebut back in 2018, witnessing the ups and downs of their presence within the industry. Along with many moments of support and aspiration, they endured many moments of ridicule and doubt, to the point of discounting their credibility and achievements throughout their career. This never stopped or forced ATEEZ back into the cage the industry and culture wishes for them, as society has always treated such uniqueness and artistic expression with confinement and silence. Instead, it only fueled ATEEZ's passion further, finally tapping back into their own light that guided them down a more fortifying path that becomes their own, that becomes a journey less traveled.

I've followed ATEEZ since the beginning of their career, knowing about their existence as KQ Fellaz (which indirectly claimed Pick It Up as their debut anthem that still resonates with ATINYs today). This year will be six years since their debut in 2018, which makes me excited and proud to be a part of their growth and journey. Their first concert in Atlanta was at Center Stage, a venue I personally love due to its small size fit for intimate connection between artist and audience. This is the same venue that BTS performed at before they became the powerhouse they are today, which only provides more reason to believe ATEEZ's career is following a similar path that BTS had paved prior. A path and road less traveled and embarked, a path that is only possible to travel on as a group debuting under a smaller company, as the industry's prioritization of capitalistic gain creates a saturated market with inequitable opportunities for those who lack the resources. Some groups become fortunate starting their race at the official starting line: other groups start strides behind the starting line, which close minded stans and industry leaders choose to ignore and dismiss such a handicap. Throughout the course of ATEEZ's journey, I've witnessed it all: division within the fandom, demonization of key players within KQ Entertainment that the members themselves look up to and respect, the industry itself failing to protect ATEEZ and instead, make a poor example out of them through alienation and scapegoating, multiple occasions of being plagiarized and ripped off of without pretense for their own hard work and desire to bring more to the industry that has shown to despise them. However, as I align with a similar fate as ATEEZ in my own personal life: we all never chose to give up and allow the hatred and dismissal to consume us whole, but rather idealize ourselves as a burning fire that only continues to grow from being fed wooden logs. ATEEZ will always be known for their raw power and passion, moving not only those who have supported them at various eras of their career, but capturing the hearts of those outside of the community through their connecting in a shared language: music and artistic expression. The amount of pride I carry on my shoulders when speaking about ATEEZ has only grown as the years go on and ATEEZ continues to evolve in various ways, but have always remained with their roots: humble(ness) and kindness. They have given themselves the responsibility to be the mouthpiece for themselves and those around them, they have made courageous strides in modifying the culture, valuing the sheer power of using their voices for the greater good, to have no fear chasing after their dreams no matter what challenges await fro them. They have truly embodied the phrase: failure is the mother of success. That no matter what attempts to bring them down, they allow themselves to endure the falls while still having the strength to get back up and continue marching on. They have inspired many lives to ignite the light that's within all of us, and claiming our time to wake up.

Next Concert: KPOP Breakout Tour w/ TRENDZ, CRAXY, ICHILLIN' and U-CHAE

[smolwritingchick]

Would there be moments where the members hang out with Jennie’s family?

Yeah! I forgot to add this to the list of future chapters but I have a family cookout chapter featuring BTS going back to America with Jennie and spending time with her family in the summer. A family cookout with Jen's family is going to be so fun! I'll hook it up! And have more moments with the members and her family. I found the idea in my notes:

I can see Hobi having the time of his life, dancing around, surprising her family members. Bangtan have big appetites, so I can see the members getting a lot of plates since the soul food is good af. I also want the members to bring in some Korean food. Her family would think it’s really good and would want to learn more about their food, mispronouncing the names of the food they were eating. They'll teach them the right way and so on.

Lol watch all the Korean food be gone 😭 especially that Korean fried chicken. I want Jen to make the members feel as welcome and comfortable as possible. Give them some things to expect like waiting to eat until after they say grace 😩😩 I also would like some other family members (besides her parents and sisters) to surprise them with basic Korean when Jennie asks them to, months before. Sure they might not pronounce everything right but the members would appreciate their efforts.

Jen would keep a close eye on the members, making sure they were ok. I can see Yoongi playing basketball. Jimin is cute as always. Taehyung too, spoke in whatever English he could. Lol Hobi being the lightweight that he is still drinking even though Jen advised him to just drink a can of soda. People stared at Jin after he told his jokes before vibing and laughing at the joke, the members got comfortable and did some embarrassing things (in Jen’s eyes) but her family was amused and enjoyed it.

I’d like to write a rap battle! Some cousins asked Jen about her learning rap from Yoongi and asked the rap line “What they know about rap? Spit something.”

Jen would request them to bang on the table and drop a beat real quick. Hm…also some family members getting nosy about her dating Jungkook, some sitting JenKook down to give an educational talk about relationships, Jen becoming a bodyguard for the members when some female cousins attempt to shoot their shot 💀

Jen will quickly explain that some words may sound like the N word or something else and will make sure they don’t begin to freak out and get upset. She will firmly explain beforehand that some words may sound like something else. Another idea was one of Jennie's cousin's with a baby who is several months old and Taehyung offering to hold the baby. Once he gets to hold the baby, everyone would think it's cute how the baby loves him and would enjoy being held by him. I also see them doing well with hanging around the kids and dancing and playing with them.

[ugh-yoongi]

hiiii thank you so much for finally lifting my ban, ily <3 can i request jimin and wait from the prompt list you linked? ship of your choice. happy love day!

it's not finally lifted, just temporarily ✋

wait —

realizing the receiver is about to leave the room, the sender hastily reaches out and catches their wrist, preventing them from continuing their departure.

pairing: jimin x reader (no pronouns used)

genre: college au, friends to ???

warnings: jimin is hungover. ambiguous relationship. jungkook is mentioned. he & jimin are int'l students in the us. vaguely inspired by a.m. by one direction. unedited because i'm lazy!

wc: 848

(still) taking valentine's day drabble requests here ♡

The first time Jimin wakes up in your bed is an accident.

He hadn’t meant to stay over, but the two of you had decided to celebrate surviving finals the night before and no liquor store in your shit-tier college town sold soju, so you’d gone a little overboard once you got your hands on some. Two bottles each, green apple.

All things considered, Jimin feels surprisingly all right—not great, but at least he isn’t face-first in your toilet. Something sour still lingers in his mouth and he doesn’t trust the feeling in the hinges of his jaw, but he knows from experience that it’ll settle once he gets something in his stomach.

He’s still in his clothes from the night before. Jeans now loose around the hips and thighs from all his moving around, sweatshirt wrinkled to hell. All the jewelry he’d worn is now imprinted into his skin, red-pink indents around his neck, his wrists, his fingers. There’s roughly 10,000 kilometers separating them, but all Jimin can think about is how his mother would kill him if she saw him like this, all disheveled with drool crusting in the corners of his lips.

Thing is, he doesn’t know you all that well. You’d just spotted one another and decided to stick together because you were already friends with Jeongguk and there weren’t many people on this campus that spoke Korean. Jimin’s English is passable, had an older cousin teach him long before he came here, so he’s okay—he’s popular and charming and the girls all think his ear piercings are really hot—but Jeongguk always looks like he’s suffering. Goes by JK because he’s too embarrassed to correct them when people mispronounce his name and always sits in the back of his classes. Jimin isn’t sure if Jeongguk really talks to anyone aside from you and him and a handful of his teammates, but he likes Jeongguk so he’d figured you were alright, too.

So, yeah—he has to get out of here. He knows you as well as he can for only being four months into the semester, but you’re not at the hangover level of friendship. You’re not I’ll grab you a glass of water and hold back your hair as you puke into my toilet friends. The two of you have never even touched. Maybe on accident, but never purposely, so Jimin really needs to get out of here before he embarrasses himself—

“Jimin?” He swears, stubs his toe on the corner of your twin-sized dorm bed and swears again. Your voice is still thick with sleep when you say, “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I wasn’t scared.”

“Okay,” you say, and Jimin appreciates that; appreciates that you let him get away with shit he’d probably press anyone else on. “Wha’ time is it?”

Jimin checks his phone. Winces at the screen protector that’s shattered to hell, and answers, “Just after eight. You should go back to sl—”

You sit up, strands of hair stuck to your face even though most of it’s tied in a knot at the top of your head. You blink a few times, orient yourself, and repeat, “Just after eight? And you’re leaving?”

There’s something in the way you say it. Like it’s unnatural or wrong or something very, very undesirable. And maybe on any other day, on a day he’s not running on four hours of sleep and has oily hair and rumpled clothes that smell like the cheap laundry detergent because it’s all he can afford, Jimin would question it, hesitate, linger in the doorway for longer than he should just to get you to actually ask him to stay, but he feels greasy and his stomach is roiling and he just wants to be back in his own space, that’s all.

So he says, “Yeah, sorry, you should really go back to sleep,” and shoves his bare feet into last night’s shoes, writes his socks off as a casualty of a night spent drinking, and tries to find something he can shove over his head so he doesn’t have to walk back to his building looking like this.

You hum. Seem to think it over before you sit up, the duvet pooling around your waist. Still in last night’s clothes, just like Jimin, but you look less green around the edges. Immune to hangovers, Jimin remembers you saying last night, right before you downed half a bottle in one go. “I feel like shit. Let’s get breakfast.”

He really, really shouldn’t. He’s still in last night’s clothes, smells as bad as he looks, and the diner just off campus is going to make his hangover worse. So he offers you a smile that looks more like a wince, grabs a beanie off your desk he’ll have to replace later, and says, “No, no, it’s okay. I really should go.”

Sighing, you reach out and grab his wrist. “Just… stay? Please?”

It’s the first time you’ve ever purposely touched him, and he suddenly can’t remember why he was so hell-bent on leaving.

[general-illyrin]

Tag game: Tour my bookshelf!

@totally-not-one-of-the-fae, thank you for tagging me!

An estimate of how many physical books I own: I just counted, and I have 772 plus two boxes about 2' x 3' x 18" stuffed full that I didn't bother to drag out and count XD (And I'm pretty sure I have other books scattered throughout other boxes that I missed counting.) So I have over 800 books!

Favorite author: I definitely don't have one favorite author, but some of my favorites are J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Murray N. Rothbard, Socrates, Richard J. Maybury, and Chuck Black

A popular book I've never read and never intend to read: Mine is likely also the Harry Potter series, though I may re-read it at some point (if I have nothing else to read or do, which will likely be...never XD)

A popular book I thought was just meh: I don't really pay attention to the popularity of books, so I'm not sure what books I've read are popular, and I also don't remember the names of books that I think are neither good nor bad, so I can't really answer this question.

Longest book I own: Based purely on page number, which varies depending upon the size of the books and page thickness, the longest book I own is The MacArthur Study Bible at 2,247 pages. After comes another Bible and then The Complete Works of Shakespeare.

Longest series I own all the books to: Probably The Chronicles of Narnia

Prettiest book I own: The Barnes and Noble edition of The Prince by Niccoló Machiavelli; it is black, gold, and silver with gilded edges and I find it both beautiful and stately. Actually, here's photos of it:

A book or series I wish more people knew about: Oh, there are so many good ones! If we're sticking to fiction, I would probably say Ranger's Apprentice, The Knights of Arrethtrae, or The Silmarillion (though I'm not sure how well-known those are). They are really good books and series that I enjoy and are on my re-read list, which is carefully curated to only my absolute favorites. If we're discussing non-fiction, I would say Whatever Happened to Justice? by Richard J. Maybury (this is an interesting look at justice and the legal system in non-technical terms), The Amazing Dr. Ransom's Bestiary of Adorable Fallacies by Douglas Wilson & N. D. Wilson (a hilarious and informative book on the different kinds of informal logical fallacies), and Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt (an informative introduction to economics in non-technical terms).

Book I'm reading now: Most recently, The Silmarillion, though I am currently reading several books.

Book that's been on my TBR list for a while but I still haven't got around to it:

Again, there are so many on this list! However, the one I'm planning to read next is The Lord of the Rings.

Do you have any books in a language other than English: Yes, even though I can't read them...yet! From what I can remember, I own two books in German, two in Spanish, and one in Korean.

And lastly, paperback, hardcover or ebook? I generally prefer hardback because they are sturdier and from what I've seen are usually prettier; however they are also more expensive and heavier, so I only buy hardback books when the book is a favorite of mine and I'm planning on re-reading it.

No-pressure tagging @solarcola, @hirazuki, @dreamingthroughthenoise, @nutmegs-tired, @actual-bill-potts, @eilinelsghost, @erdariel, @backgroundelf, @mersilisk, @none-ofthisnonsense, @thelordofgifs, @invisiblewashboard, @sweetmaggie, @violecov, @quixoticanarchy, @milesasinmorales, @dicksoutformtl, @aureentuluva70, @curiouselleth, @warthoong, and anyone else who wants to join!

[trashlie]

My Year in Review (Webtoons)

Idk if Webtoon is going to give us a year in review this year or not, but I’m making my own! I don’t talk nearly enough about the other webtoons I’ve read/been reading, so I’m going to use this as an opportunity to at least name them all and talk about why I enjoy them. Who knows - maybe some of my followers/mutuals are also reading what I am and want to gush! 

Frankly, I cannot really rank things because I’m wishy washy and terrible at listing favorites, so this will be in no particular order. Read what I have to say about it, rather than where I ranked it, haha. 

I attempted to limit the number of webtoons I fastpassed on but... uh. I wasn’t good at it. Sometimes I just did it all in one go, sometimes it’s a steady, every single week deal. These such webtoons are denoted with an F. I’m not gonna say me fast passing means it’s a favorite, because sometimes I end up fast passing because I just REALLY want to see what happens next, so... don’t assume it means it’s the best of the best lol. 

Sometimes I get SO into a webtoon that when I hit all of what I can read in English, I’ll go look it up in Korean and try to read THAT lol. I’m not totally good at it yet but it serves as really good Korean practice so I’ll keep it up. These such webtoons are denoted with a K.

Let’s dive in!

I Love Yoo (F) Drama

I’m putting this first because that’s what a lot of people follow me for, and that’s where it deserves. I haven’t dedicated this much time and energy to many fandoms in the last 5 years, and ILY just reigns supreme there. Honestly, it’s exactly what I want out of a character-driven story that explores the complexities of our experiences. I understand why people want more out of it or aren’t fans of the slower pace, but that’s them, not me, and I LOVE it. Without fail, I fast pass this one so I can barf out all my thoughts on reddit and then yell some more over here. I love grey characters, I love complex characters, I love sad characters. Everyone does it for me, I stay winning! 

How to Become a Dragon (F) (K) Fantasy

Lol I say I try to read this one in Korean but lol this one is WAY  out of my league. Eon is a creator I already ADORED from Super Secret, so when HTBaD dropped, I was so excited. I’ve been reading it ever since and it’s been a steady Fast Pass for me. Bari is just... absolutely endearing and the whole of the story is fantastic. There’s a lot of hurt in the past to uncover, a lot of character development to witness, and so much fantastic lore. Admittedly the translations can sometimes be a little difficult, but that hasn’t been a very common occurrence. I say I don’t play favorites but if I did, this would be up there. Genre-wise it’s very much a fantasy, very light on the romance. PLEASE I beg of you guys, go read this and fall for Bari’s adorable Imoogi form! 

Seasons of Blossom (F) (K) Drama, Romance

You wanna know how much I absolutely love this one? I bough physical, Korean copies! Seasons of Blossom is separated into four stories (one for each season, beginning with spring) that all weave together through the characters involved. Spring is sweet and innocent and subverts a few tropes in a fun way. Summer is oppressive and overbearing and I sobbed so much. Full disclosure, summer follows two characters still dealing with the suicide of someone five years prior. Fall is, ironically, a time for starting over, for turning a new leaf, as a character who was bullied in her youth tries to get revenge. I haven’t started winter yet... I’m bad at endings and I’m sad that this will soon be over and I’ll probably binge and catch up on it really soon lol. I genuinely, ardently love this one SO much. Please! It’s beautiful, it’s wonderful, my heart ACHES so much. It’s perfect! 

Romance 101 (F) Romance

The only reason I haven’t read Romance 101 in Korean is because it’s complete and I need to pay to do that and I still haven’t figured out if there’s a way I can actually pay for it lol. It’s one I’ve been considering buying in Korean, though, so... yknow. Romance 101 is SO well done, and I’m obsessed with the art. All of the main characters are so wonderful and endearing, and Bareum makes a delightful main character, a university student who has never made room in her life for love and is thus sorely inexperienced and also sits on the cusp of true adulthood. There’s a love triangle that will tug at your heart, and so many WONDERFUL demonstrations of friendship! That’s something I appreciate a lot - a romance that isn’t about just the romance and acknowledges the importance of platonic love as well. 

See You in my 19th Life (F) (K) Drama, Romance [completed]

I can understand why people have been put off by the “age gap” in this story - when you’re a person who has remembered every single life you’ve lived, you are mature beyond anyone you’ll ever meet. But despite that, I was really, really sucked into this one and absolutely read ahead in the Korean version lol. There’s just something about Jieum that I love so much, and the way the story connects everyone, but most importantly, how much Seoha means to her. There’s also some fantastic family relationships, and character growth that’s fun to watch. Idk I love this one and I felt SO sad when it ended! The spin off stories were sweet additions, though! Everything tied up so nicely I’m not so much left wanting more as much as just knowing I will miss this ensemble cast for months to come. 

Act Like You Love Me (F) Romance 

God, this is one hell of a love song to tropes and cliches, and I say that in a really positive way and mean it! The writing absolutely knows it’s making use of many tropes and is just haven’t unabashed fun being what it is. There’s boss/employee, cohabitation, bouts of fake dating, a love triangle, a touch of fantasy ? Idk this one is so fun to me and I remember feeling really bummed when it had a short hiatus lol. I’m not currently fast passing but I know I will when I’m ready to binge. Like, look the premise is just SO fun - possessing a plushie you can use to make a famous actor do anything you want? Famous actor and normal person falling for each other? It’s just GOOD FUN! 

Odd Girl Out (F) Drama, Romance 

This is another one that I fast-pass off and on. Full disclosure, I much preferred the first season of this story to the current one, but mostly because the first had so much wonderful friendships between the girls. The second season has a lot more focus on Nari’s romances and love triangle and I just don’t currently feel compelled to fast pass but we’ll see when it changes. Don’t get me wrong, I love good romances, but I ALSO am a sucker for wonderful girl friendships. Regardless, it’s a cute coming of age story and the plucky lead is neither meek nor dull, and the running theme of people being drawn to her for the colorful, wonderful person she is continues throughout! 

Our Secret Alliance (F) (K) Romance 

God, this is my catnip. Childhood friends to almost strangers to lovers? Fake dating? Really cute art? Man this is IT! Is the story terribly deep? No. Are the characters wildly complex? Also no. But sometimes I just want to enjoy a sweet, saccharine story filled with really pretty art, and this scratches that exact itch. It feels like it’s coming to an end and I find myself more sad that I expected to be about it. It’s just so endearingly cute to me and I’m gong to miss it when it’s completed! 

She’s Hopeless (F) (K) Drama, Romance 

From the creator of Orange Marmalade comes this story about a high schooler hired to be a chaebol heiress’s secret bodyguard. The catch? Said heiress has a nasty, nasty temper, and it’s his job to try to get her to get along with her classmates and shed her prickly exterior. This is one that I read off and on, catch up on and binge when the mood strikes. I do enjoy me a terrible female character sometimes when her motives are good and her personality is complex and this one does it SO well. It has a nice touch of enemies to lovers lite and some forbidden romance for those who dig that lol. 

Wished You Were Dead (F) (K) Drama, Romance

Man a lot of people dislike this or find it too drawn out but idk I don’t share that sentiment with them. I guess it depends on your patience and what you enjoy lol. Arranged marriage where Emperor Karloi is betrothed to the daughter of his enemy and his Empress wife, Evonne, is actually the child who saved his life many years ago. But she can’t tell him that, because she’s forced to live a lie to keep her mother safe, and a magic spell prohibits her from even attempting to reveal her identity. As you can imagine, it’s created incredibly frustrating situations where poor Evonne, who is really Rue, endures hardship after hardship, while Karloi is unaware that the person who he is so cruel to is the person who sought out his whole life. HEAVY enemies to lovers, like I mean HEAVY. A lot of people are frustrated that Karloi hasn’t figured out Evonne’s identity despite him having nothing but a nagging sense that she reminds him of Rue. It’s one hell of a slow burn and I, for one, enjoy it (though honestly I’m like is this even gonna HAVE a happy ending or is this man gonna die miserable....) 

Rewriting the Villainess (F) (K) Drama, Romance 

I know isekai is really overdone but I never read them lol so this is fresh yet to me. Liza has returned from war only to find her one true love, her fiance, Illian has fallen for the princess of the very kingdom she went to war against. Hearbroken and anguished, she drowns her sorrows in alcohol only to wake up in the modern world, where she finds not only is she a character in an incomplete story written by Doeun, but she now occupies Doeun’s body. And even worse, she finds out she was not the protagonist of the story but, in fact, the villain. Angered by the way the writer planned to complete the story, she intends to ruin the author’s life as she lives it, until the day they can switch back to their respective places but... well, that doesn’t go according to plan. Honestly this one is SO fun and there’s a lot of mystery to unravel about Doeun and how they ended up in this place at all. There’s also some incredibly WONDERFUL exploration in different kinds of loves, and how familial love vs friendship love vs romantic love all differ from each other, which is something I’ve GREATLY enjoyed. The relationship between Liza and Illian is not a very healthy one, which is something she needs to learn for herself, and boy is she loving. It’s DELIGHTFUL, I’m having so much fun with this one! I tried not to fast pass it so I could save my coins but I couldn’t help myself ;~; 

Daytime Star 

Remember my love for saccharine little romances? This one fits the bill! It’s sweet and pretty and not terribly complex but I still find myself having fun and enjoying the story. The art is SOOOO pretty like WOW so pretty! There’s a part of me that wants to fast pass because I do enjoy it but I’m saving it for now! Besides the romance side of things, it’s just really fun watching Yura, a struggling actress, finally get noticed and start to make a name of herself in the acting world, and ngl that’s probably the thing that keeps this from being a story that fades into the nether. I don’t say that in a bad way, either! 

Beyond Virtual Drama Romance [Hiatus]

Full disclosure, this one has been on hiatus for most of the year and I DON’T KNOW WHEN IT’S COMING BACK. There’s not even a Korean version of this?! Even though it’s DEFINITELY a Korean webtoon?! PLEASE I need my fix! I really, really dig this one and I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I wound up! It takes place in a near distant future where the world has fallen into further ruin due to climate change and pollution, where people turned to VR to escape the misery of the real world. In VR they can see flowers where there are none, blue skies, animals that have gone extinct, and live the lavish lives they will never have in reality. They can also participate in events with virtual reality idols, who can beat out any human any day. Sora is one such high schooler who is content to live out her fantasies in VR and go on dates with her idol bias. Her best friend, though, has other ideas, and rejects the world of VR. He’d rather be a real human, in the real world. There’s actually lol a LOT of parallels in Beyond Virtual and I really love the story being woven, and the war against VR, the fight to turn to the real world and appreciate what is tangible and real. Okay, I ALSO enjoy the friends to lovers, so sue me! 

Operation True Love (F) (K) Romance, Drama

Listen. I started this like, last Friday. lmao I JUST started it and I’ve devoured it completely, which isn’t a surprise, but I’m also fast passing it AND have started to read it in Korean AND I’m already feeling itchy for more lol. Suae knows her boyfriend is scum, but she can’t help that she’s still into him. But everything in her life goes sideways when a pink Jellypop phone appears in her locker. It’s not just any phone - it can show the amount of love that anyone will receive in life as well as how much life they’ve already received. And Suae? She’s 0/0. She’s got to convince the creator that she’s not a bug in the system and that she can defy the rules and change her 0 into a 1. And look, if she has to do it by using her scummy boyfriend’s best friend, then so be it. After all, she’s already found out there’s a lot more going on with him and her adopted sister than she thought. AND LISTEN I LOVE IT. I love it SO much. The art is so good, it reminds me a little of I Love Yoo but also maybe a touch of Daytime Star? Suae is WONDERFUL and I absolutely LOVE her antics with Eunhyeok. Raim makes for a really complex, if not awful lol, antagonist and I’m really looking forward to seeing how things play out. Look I’m all caught up with this thing and the Korean version is only one!!!! episode ahead of the English FP what the heck am I to do?! (I translated it. lmao this is my Korean practice now, translating the Korean episode.) 

When the Day Comes Drama Romance [Complete]

The creator, OMOYO, is up there with eon in that when I first started using webtoon, I binged their webtoons. The Story of Those Around Us was fantastic and I really enjoyed OMOYO’s art a lot, so when I finally got started on When the Day Comes, I knew I would be utterly charmed. And I absolutely was! OMOYO has a wonderful kind of humor and even more importantly, presents stories in a really candid way. Ngl this one really tugged at my heart in MANY ways - like I found myself having a sweet little mournful cry one night lol. It’s just. Idk delightful, really well done. I look forward to whatever OMOYO works on next! 

Rumor Has It Romance Drama [Complete]

I don’t really like daily pass webtoons because I’m bad at keeping up with them. I can’t even remember how I started reading THIS one. Boredom and need to read something, probably? It’s very up there in saccharine, sweet little stories, and follows two exes who end up as neighbors as they enter college. It’s a really fluffy story, not incredibly deep, and is a generally fun read! 

No Longer a Heroine Drama Romance [Complete]

I don’t use the term guilty pleasure, but I guess if I did, this would probably be considered one. In some ways, this story is really makjang - it just goes OUT there and there are things in it that genuinely made me go “oh shit I didn’t see that coming”! It’s also very much up there with complex, unlikable female leads. I know the art isn’t very pretty, but if this was a drama, people would eat it up solely FOR the drama. I can’t say a lot without spoiling it but I genuinely like where they went with the romance, I didn’t expect it but it was exactly what I’d hoped for! 

Back to You Drama Romance [Complete] 

Full disclosure, this is now a daily pass and I have not finished this one lol. I can’t say why exactly - I guess I kind had a feeling of where the story is going? I think maybe I could have enjoyed it more WITHOUT the romance, actually? That’s the element I wasn’t here for. The idea of going back in time to change the past, to save a person you deeply cared about? Love that. The idea of messing with time and being messed up back? SO good. The irresistible urge to create big ripples and alter the entire timeline? YESSSSS. But meh @ all the romance that happened, I guess? lol Now that it’s a daily pass idk if I’ll ever finish it? I peeked at the ending when it completed, though! I think if this were a drama, I’d probably have quit it, too, because there were some things that were just too frustrating for me to deal with lol. But it may be someone else’s cup of tea! 

The Star Seekers

LMAO look I don’t expect most of my followers to read or take interest in it but as a fan of TXT lmaooo I am. It’s cute, it’s fun, I like fast passing it, Viken is an ADORABLE rendition of Beomgyu, I’m really into the Star Seekers universe and was hoping this would give me insight to the MV storylines. IT DOESN’T! But I’m still having fun lmaoooooooo 

Special shout out to Super Secret, which is now a daily pass, that I reread again because I will never tire of it. It’s so fluffy and sweet and I just love it. I also have already reread Beyond Virtual because it’s been SO LONG SINCE IT UPDATED PLEASE BRING IT BACK 

Everything else that follows is stuff I have begun but maybe haven’t gone back to or just go back every so often to catch up on! 

Honey Lemon My Reason to Die Maybe Meant to Be  Sunny and Rainy Our House Our Time Vampire Husband Unfamiliar Our Beloved Summer Your Letter  Heavenly Eats Your Smile is a Trap Seven Years Later Exchange Student Spring Once Again

And here are things I started and dropped!

To You Who Swallowed a Star (I cannot overstate how MUCH I could NOT stand this afljkafjkajkfkjafjkafkaljajkf) A Summer Night’s Dream  To Love Your Enemy I guess Back to You? Superstar Associate Manager There’s Love Hidden in Lies What if Feels to Date You Loaf App To Love and Be Loved

One day I will properly start Purple Hyacinth and maybe I’ll get into my TBR list (and probably drop some lol) 

[calicocritter]

thank you for the warning abt earthlings, I heard it was super disturbing but the heads up is good anyway!! here r some Korean recs that have similar vibes!

vegetarian by han kang (one of my all time favs oh my god SO GOOD!)

if I had your face by frances cha (4 povs, abt womanhood in contemporary seoul and the loneliness but also sisterhood of it all)

cursed bunny by bora chung (collection of short stories, many take place in seoul, magical realism)

and I'm currently reading flowers of mold by ha seong nam, good so far and kinda similar to cursed bunny :) it is much harder to find english translated Korean books then japanese though, but I've been seeing more and more so hopefully korean lit will become as readily available soon!!!

lmk if u like the korean book ur reading right now!

wow thank u! No one ik irl reads, so I LOVE receiving book recs & lately I've been trying to read more foreign books. & yeah I've noticed that there are WAY less translated Korean books than Japanese. The only other Korean book that I've read was Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo, which I quite liked!

The Vegetarian has been on my list for a while now, so I'm glad to hear that it's good. I recently read something talking about how poor the translation was though, did you see that? They said the translator, I forgot their name, didn't really honor the original style of the book.

I've never heard of any of the other books, so thank you again <3! When I visit the library in a few weeks, I'll look for them :-)

[obscurecharactershowdown]

Group B Round 1

[image ID: the first image is of the second volume of Heaven Official's Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, the first book in the English translation of the series that Yin Yu appears in. the cover does not depict Yin Yu, instead depicting the protagonist of the series, Xie Lian, in extravagant dress, holding a sword in one hand, and in the other, another character, a child named Hong'er. Hong'er is dressed in rags, and part of his face is covered in bandages. Yin Yu is described as having long black hair, as wearing a white, smiling mask, and black hanfu. the second image is of Jinwoo Shim, a Korean man with short black hair, wearing a yellow sweater. end ID]

Yin Yu

[no propaganda provided]

Jinwoo Shim

Jinwoo is a character in New Recruit, an animated web series by Studio Jangbbijju loosely based on Bbijju's time in the military. It follows the titular recruit, Minseok Park, and his superiors in the 2nd squad of his platoon as he experiences the trials and tribulations of army life. I chose Jinwoo because he's my favorite. Introduced at the point where his term of service was about to end, he rose to the rank of sergeant by being a total ace, but he thought he'd found a way to game the system rather than just doing a good job. Before his discharge in season 2, he left Minseok with some solid parting advice. The series touches on Jinwoo's civilian life a few times, and the prequel season partially focuses on his time as a private. New Recruit starts out comedic but gets serious, and it even got a live-action k-drama adaptation. Studio JBBJ seems to be pretty underrated outside of South Korea, though, which is a shame since they make a ton of cool and funny stuff. SEASON 1 PLAYLIST: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEMjGR-Q-aBOSkhHornzYq5JPAHT4rvVi  SEASON 2 PLAYLIST: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEMjGR-Q-aBPXSgDLI9vdH4L6EKCUe-7n  SEASON 0 PLAYLIST: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEMjGR-Q-aBPXw-N4vo532lszfnvh1qEv

[missguomeiyun]

INTJ life

Good evening, everyone~

Currently eating this orange & cranberry cake & drinking honey & pear Osulloc tea (to stick to the fruit theme). I don't like fruit teas but I like this one. It smells nice & taste is mild. It doesn't taste 'artificial' - shoutout to Amazon for carrying a small inventory of Osulloc products & not charging too much for it!

So while I'm eating & drinking, I'm also learning Thai.

I said on an earlier February post that I planned to make notes .. . so here it is:

It's a mix of Chinese (Canto & Mando) .. some English & some Korean lol

INTJ life is hard. I'm sure everyone has their own problems but .. . INTJs man.. . difficult to get a sense of accomplishment bcos there's always room for improvement lol! We're thirsty; we're ambitious; we have high expectations & ourselves is our biggest competitor.

My field of interests keeps growing & there's not enough time to do everything. Even though I'm in INTJ, I don't use a planner or anything of that sort (never got into the habit of it) but maybe I should - so that I can allot time to spend on each interest.

One of my closet hobbies is reading Korean food blogs. They come with nice pictures; I get to practice my Korean, & most importantly, add places to visit to my ongoing list. Some of these blogs are just ones I find on the Internet. Some are links to blogs via Kakaomap (basically Google maps but better). I've also read some from online magazines. I don't remember the names but I just read the articles. In any case, it got me thinking. .. are there translation jobs out there that's strictly online that I can do as a freelancer? hahaha There must be! :P I don't think I can do Korean -> English but I know I can handle Chinese <--> English. If you know any, esp food-related opportunities, pls HMU.

[puppys-rhythm-heaven]

i got bored and so out of adhd impulsiveness i compiled a list of random rhythm heaven facts that i think are neat but don't see anyone talk about so uh. enjoy i guess. :3

there's a few differences in cosmic dance between tengoku and megamix. most noticeable is the fact that in tengoku, the pause in the middle is a random length, while in megamix, it's always the same length (and also longer than on tengoku's ost for some reason), which is due to how the music's stored (that's all the wiki says-). less noticeable and also idk why the wiki deems this noteworthy is that in tengoku, cosmic girl's sitting animation has her facing forward, but in megamix, she faces to the left. riveting, i know. even more riveting is that in tengoku, during cosmic girl's posing(/turning i guess-) animation, her socks shorten in length. these are both still on the wiki by the way-

the color of the space dancers' hands is inconsistent and yes i know how weird of a sentence that is. in tengoku, they're consistently yellow in-game, including in the epilogues, with the same going for in space dance itself as well as the icon in megamix; however, elsewhere in megamix, including the art used in-game and the epilogues, they're white, with the same going for their official art from tengoku's website. given that this doesn't apply to the paddlers at all and they're consistently white for them i feel like they are meant to be white but idk. also for some reason this is on space dance's wiki page and not the space dancers' page and idk why.

i think the existence of voice tap is pretty common knowledge? but just to go over it anyways, in ds, there's unused songs called seqarc_tap1 and seqarc_tap2. idk how we got voice tap from those. but anyways, the cues from them are reused in several games' japanese audio, namely space soccer, board meeting, fever karate man 2, and pajama party. also in fever there's unused sprites for tap troupe that look like ds' art style so it's possible that this could somehow be related to tap troupe idk why they'd port the sprites to fever and then completely remake it tho tbh klsfdjsklfdsf-

most of the singers for ds' korean lyrical songs aren't known, due to rhythm sesang releasing after the cd with all the other languages' songs coming out. notice how i said "most." the korean singer for that's paradise is known. through like, THE most unconventional source: a youtube comment on a video with the korean version of airboarder. i'm not joking. this is hilarious to me-

okay rapidfire round of character names: the tap trial girl is named yuka, the pajama party girl is named mako, the vegetables in rhythm tweezers are hair vegetables and the onion specifically is harry onion, the catchy tune guys are alaline and plaline, the street (basketball court??? the rhythm item calls him a street so-) in fruit basket is named courtney, the tiny ghosts (in big rock finish) are named boo-boo (the player one), ecto (the green one) and spooky (the red one), i had to check but the sumo brothers are individually named toba kaido (the blue one) and tenno hondate (the red one), why is this the kind of knowledge ingrained in my mind-

side note but do you ever think about how the space dancers aren't ever actually referred to as that in english. like they'd definitely be called that but megamix never refers to them by name so. anyways.

though also speaking of that in the korean version of megamix, fruit basket 2's rhythm item description states that "There is a table tennis club belonging to the Space Dancers in the gym next door." i think that's neat but also fruit basket 2 is like way before space dance sfldjfdsklsfjdklfsd-

during the zoom-out in flock step, the planet from rhythm rally 2 that looks like a paddler head can be seen and megamix forgot to actually change it accordingly to cosmic rhythm rally's redesign. it's barely noticeable in gameplay though so who cares really-

in the japanese version of ds, in lockstep, during the second farthest zoom out, during the offbeats, there's a noticeable amount of missing pixels on the left side of the screen. like it's super noticeable how did they miss this- also also another lockstep fun fact: in ds, the last ten steps don't actually count, meaning you can miss them during a perfect and still get the perfect. megamix removed that though because they hate fun (/j i'm guessing it was a mistake in ds).

in the korean versions of the games, lots of things are redesigned due to association with japanese culture, such as the wandering samurai being redesigned, shrimp shuffle's prologue and epilogues being recolored, and other things. the most interesting of these is ninja bodyguard, though; in megamix, the ninjas are redesigned as you'd expect,,, but only in ninja bodyguard, and not in their cameo in freeze frame. i'm not sure if they just forgot to redesign them or if it's to keep it consistent with ds.

there's lots of neat facts relating to rhythm sesang/the korean versions of the games tbh. for example, rhythm sesang wii is inconsistent with what language it uses for audio; some games use english audio (screwbot factory, see-saw, air rally, catch of the day, launch party, bossa nova), some use japanese audio (donk-donk, cheer readers, mochi pounding), while most do have korean dubs. the songs are also all kept in english, though the lyric cards have korean translations.

in exhibition match, the city in the background during the zoom-out is a grayscale image of new york city pre-9/11. i have no idea why. rhythm heaven has new york real??? (not clickbait)

basically every rhythm heaven lyrical song has a full version, with the exceptions of karate rhythm (tengoku karate man's song), bon odori, bon dance, that's paradise, and sono hitotsubu no ōkina namida ni wa (machine remix's song), but of these, the only two to have english versions are thrilling! is this love? (in fan club 2) and i'm a lady now (since it's always being in english). wack.

also speaking of karate rhythm the literal only source for its name is, of all games, wizard's waltz's reading material, rhythm poem collection. megamix doesn't give it a name. and it also doesn't call tears of a dog ninja by name which annoys me to no end-

tengoku remix 1, 2 and 4 have unused full versions that aren't used in game. if you thought tengoku remix 1 was long, well lemme tell you, the full version is FIVE MINUTES LONG. could you imagine if it was the full length in-game- oh also i think it's fairly common knowledge but it's still neat to me: there's an unused version of tengoku remix 1 called dance lesson 1, which has tap trial instead of rhythm tweezers and is also longer than remix 1 is in-game. the name is presumably because the remixes' music was used to train the development team's sense of rhythm by having them dance to it. as you do-

yea i have brainrot-

[wet-leafs]

idk if anyone's said this before but

(Nona the Ninth spoilers below)

I feel like Nona's school friends aren't actually named what Nona says they're named.

Nona can understand like every language, and I sort of remember at one point she referred to one of her friends (Honesty, maybe?) and Pyrrha (i think) sort of went "huh? oh, right. 'Honesty'," even though she did comment on Hot Sauce having a dumb name.

So I kind of think that Nona is unconsciously "translating" these kids' names. She understands all of earth's languages, and BOE is ostensibly a descendant of the trillionaires, so it makes sense that she would understand.

So for example, lots of names mean "born in the morning". To name a few (just from masculine names alone!):

Anatolius (Greek) - "sunrise" (also the name of a Saint... I'm looking at you, Tamsyn.)

Asahi (Japanese) - "morning sun"

Duha (Arabic) - "morning"

Liwen (Indigenous American/Mapuche) - "morning"

Lucero (Spanish) - "morning star"

Ochieng (Eastern African/Luo) - "born when the sun shines"

Omondi (Eastern African/Luo) - "born early in the morning"

Rameses (Egyptian) - "born of Ra" (Ra being the sun God)

Seong-Ho (Korean) - "daybreak, bright"

Taner (Turkish) - "born at dawn"

Vihaan (Indian) - "dawn, morning"

And that's seriously just skimming through. There's hundreds, if not thousands, of names like that. However, Tamsuir being the deviously complex writer that she is, there are other possibilities I've thought of.

"Born" and "Morning" might be synonyms for other words, or similar in meaning. For example, the sun rises in the east, so perhaps "east" should be a keyword in looking at name meanings. So adding "east" gives even more names, like:

Dong (Chinese) - "east"

Easton (English) - "east town"

"Born" could be a stand in for any number of meanings: creation, God, child (of), etc. Subbing some of these alternate meanings gives even more:

Ansbert (Germanic) - "God, bright"

Chikere (Western African/Igbo) - "God created"

Christopher - "bearing Christ"

Elior (Hebrew) - "my God is light"

Godabert (Germanic) - "God, bright"

Huangdi (Chinese Mythology) - "yellow, god, emperor"

Orel (Hebrew) - "light of God"

Osbert (English) - "god, bright"

Sabah (Egyptian) - "born in the morning"

Sabah ad-Din (Arabic) - "morning of religion"

Uriel (Hebrew) - "God is my light"

A synonym of "born" is also "indigenous", and indigenous people and cultures are definitely a reoccurring theme in her naming conventions. So maybe instead of looking for different combinations of synonyms for "born" and "morning", I should instead be looking at indigenous names that mean "morning". Unfortunately I'm not sure where to find a reliable database for indigenous (particularly Maori) names and meanings, so I couldn't find any names that fit my keywords. :(

@ser-jebibbiga and @madame-ambamba-jombes i might need ur help with this next one <3

There's also, always, the Biblical names that have a suspiciously close meaning or story. These are, admittedly, a bit of a stretch. A very brief search (from a non-religious personal who is fairly clueless about scripture) only gave me Jonathan.

Jonathan (Hebrew, Old Testament) "Yahweh has given" (Yahweh being the Hebrew word for God)

Jonathan was the oldest son of Saul. Oldest -> earliest -> morning... born in the morning. Listen-- Jonathan's relationship to his father was strained due to his close relationship with his father's rival David. Born in the Morning's fathers are not, as far as I remember, big fans of Nona (conceptually, re:necromancers and Jod). I'm also fairly certain that Born in the Morning's eight(?) fathers could really help narrow down this search, but I'm not familiar enough with scripture to put it to much use.

So. That's just for Born in the Morning, and none of those lists are at all expansive. It's just passive research into it.

I kind of wanna do a similar deep dive into the others' names but it is currently 5:30pm and I am Hungry.

So yeah idk. Thoughts?