#welcome to hao's class

[cxffecoupx]

you could scream into a pillow right now.

In fact, you did scream into the pillow for a couple of minutes, but it never seemed to be enough. you might need to go to a cliff in order to release all that rage in you because it still hadn't lessened.

your colleague (fuck you, minwoo), had misplaced an important document needed for the project you had to submit. which ended up in your department head lashing out at you.

"who the hell does he think he is!?" you scream, now beginning to pull on the ends of the cushion.

minghao sat next to you, half in concern and half in fear. in all these years you two had been together, he had never seen you like this... like you could tear apart your whole office if you could. to say he was concerned was... putting it lightly.

he gently took the cushion from your hands. he took great care of it; he couldn't even think of it being ripped apart. placing it aside, he pats you on your back a few times.

"you know what? i'll go make some tea real quick, while you take a few deeeep breaths to calm a bit dow-"

"but he's at the wrong!" you butt in.

"I know, I know," he says as he places a hand on your cheek, "lemme just make the tea and we can put on some diss tracks and talk trash about him, okay?"

even though you were seething right now, you couldn't help but smile. hao had never been one to talk bad about someone, but you know that he's ever ready to put aside his meditated mind and join you, if that means you'll feel better (and that his cushion will remain safe).

[mymegrokosmos]

a little soft bf minghao brainrot bc i felt like it. super era shoulder injury hao.

you set your bags down on the counter, dropping your keys by the front door and going to put your things away. by the time you've shrugged out of your jacket, hung it up in the front closet and put your purse in its usual spot on the credenza table in the hallway you're ready to melt into the sofa but there's still more to do before you can relax.

when you get to the kitchen, halfway through tying your hair up out of your face, you find yourself smiling. the familiar sight of your boyfriend's back, clad in his usual leisure attire of grey sleeveless top that leaves just a hint of his shoulders visible, peeks out of the fridge. he's already started putting the groceries away before anything gets too warm. just when you think your fondness for him can’t melt your heart any more than it already has he leans back to look at you from around the door and his soft smile has your heart in shambles.

if it’s possible to become one with the floor you're doing it. you've become a puddle. his shaggy mullet is in disarray, fluffy from where he's run his hands through it, and his face is bare. his usually sharp eyes are framed by big round glasses, softening his gaze as he closes the fridge in favour of coming over to press a kiss to your forehead.

"hi darling, welcome home. how was your day?"

you'd think after all this time you'd be used to how tall he was but it was still always a bit of a surprise just how much he towered over you up close. you sighed, letting him pull you into a hug and sliding your arms around his slim waist.

"hi. it was okay, very long."

he chuckles and you close your eyes, head resting against his chest. you're careful to lay it against the side of his good shoulder, nuzzling against the soft cotton of his shirt as his hand comes up to rest against the back of your head.

"i'm glad to finally be home. what did you get up to today handsome?"

the hand on your waist squeezes lightly and he holds you close for a minute before stepping back with another kiss to the top of your head.

"physio this morning again and then practice, even though I can't do a lot of the choreo yet they still need me for blocking when I can make it. mingyu came by earlier and dropped off some hotpot. why don't you go get into something more comfortable and we can talk about it over dinner?"

sometimes there was nothing better than coming home to everything already being taken care of. you know he misses being at work but being home more means minghao needs things to do. his physiotherapist also says that getting some movement in is good for his progress, so he's been taking care of household chores and spending a lot more time meditating lately to keep himself busy.

the members have been helping when they can. mingyu comes by or gets your boyfriend out of the house at least three times a week now. jun's often over in his free time to run lines with hao or catch up on the latest cdrama you're watching together. you think joshua has even dragged him out to a pottery class or two in their spare time. it's been good for him and the rest is doing him good, even if it makes him a little bit restless sometimes.

you nod. "i'll be right back. do you need me to help with anything?"

"no, just relax and leave the day at the office jagiya."

easier said than done but minghao always made you feel less guilty about sticking by work life balance and keeping them mostly separate. it's also been fun spending more time cooking together, he's good in the kitchen just a little impatient and you're enjoying getting to try out some of his mother's recipes. she's often on video call when you get home, minghao pouting about something while she scolds him playfully or they catch up on their weeks with each other. it's sweet and you love that their relationship only seems to get stronger as time goes on.

"you're still coming to the company dinner next week with me, right?"

another soft smile as he nods. "I'll be there darling. I didn't pick us out matching outfits just to not show up. now stop worrying and go change. you're hovering again."

you are, just a little bit. it's a habit you're still trying to work your way out of. you were a little traumatized when you got the call that hao was in the hospital at first and, though you both know he's fine and capable now, the instinct to make sure he's okay still lingers a little bit.

you sigh and make a face at him. "okay, okay. I'm going."

he just chuckles as you head towards your shared bedroom. makeup and weight of the day finally removed it's time to slip into one of hao's oversized tshirts and the matching cotton pyjama pants he bought for you last christmas. it feels like a cozy day so you take the time to find your slippers too before shuffling back towards the kitchen.

you find minghao stirring a pot of what seems to be mingyu's latest attempt at comfort food and slip your arms around his waist from behind, face pressed lightly against his warm back.

"smells good."

he hums in agreement, hand patting yours where it rests on his stomach. "I think he made enough to feed about seven more people than we currently have in the apartment."

you laugh and lean around him to peek at the food over his arm. "gyu probably plans to use it as an excuse to come over for lunch tomorrow or something. oh no guess you need someone else to help you eat it all."

that makes your boyfriend scoff. "why would he do that when he can just say he wants to come over? he knows where we live."

you kiss his bicep and move to get down some bowls for you both. "because he's kim mingyu and you're you myungho."

your boyfriend stops to look at you, blinking as he pauses his stirring. "I'm still not seeing your point love."

"you know how you don't like when people get too presumptuous about you?" you smile softly. "I wouldn't say he's intimidated because gyu knows you love him but... sometimes he's a little insecure and sometimes you can be a little cold."

he considers this. "he's never let that stop him before."

you smile and let him guide you, one hand on your hip as you slide between him and the pot on the stove to fill your bowls.

"and he won't, I don't think, because at the end of the day he knows that it isn't that you don't like his affection you just don't always know what to do with it and it needs time to process. but I think, and maybe this is just my take, he sometimes worries a little about intruding too much. especially now that you have a relationship outside of just your family and the members and your other friends."

it's quiet for a minute as he takes that in. you dish up hot pot for both of you and take the bowls over to your small dining table. minghao slowly follows behind, face impassive. you'd worry that you upset him but you know that expression. it's not anger or annoyance, he's just lost in thought. you take his hand, press a kiss to the back of it, and watch as he blinks back into the present.

"think about it all you need but let's eat first. like I said, maybe I'm just reading too much into it. maybe he has other reasons. we can finish that new drama and call him later if you want."

your boyfriend nods and joins you at the table, filling you in on his day. you can tell he's only half present but that's okay. by the time you finish and wash up he seems to have come to a decision.

"love?"

"yes myungho?"

he scrunches his nose. "try again please darling."

you laugh but the arms he crosses over his chest tell you he's serious. you smile softly, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek.

"yes, seo myungho great love of my life and most wondrous of boyfriends?"

he snorts. "closer but still not correct."

"baobei?"

he blinks. "close enough."

you laugh and brush a hand over his cheek, melting a little when he leans into the touch and takes your hand in his.

"you know I'm only teasing you, right?"

he nods. "I do."

you lace your fingers and press a kiss to the back of his hand. "what did you want to say honey?"

"do you mind if mingyu comes over tomorrow? I know it's your day off."

"babe, this is your apartment too."

minghao sighs. you know that look. the exasperated 'are you being serious right now?' stare. you smile.

"no, I don't mind if gyu comes over. just maybe warn me beforehand so I can make sure I have pants and a bra on this time."

that makes him smile, just a little, even as he rolls his eyes at you.

"come help me with my skincare?"

"only if you let me use the good stuff."

"mm we can even wear those matching headbands you like."

"lead the way love."

sometimes all you need after a long day is xu minghao ready with a hot meal, a long hug and a silly fuzzy frog headband keeping the bangs out of his face as he applies 6 layers of different creams to your face.

[kkongdakz]

“ WE'RE SO CLICHÉ. ” ft. ot9

in which : i associate love tropes with members.

ot9 x gn!reader, genre : mostly fluff, warning : alcohol consumption in jiwoong's, bullying in hao's, swearing and blood in gunwook's, a little bit of jealousy in yujin's, word count : 3,164

kim jiwoong ♡⃗ exes to lovers

i feel like you and jiwoong had a little love story when you were younger, at the beginning of high school for example

so when you finished your high school studies, you lost touch and kind of.. break up

to meet up again later by chance, through a mutual friend you had and organized a "school memories" party where all former students gathered

and coming face to face with jiwoong brought back old feelings — he still looks the same, but in a more manly and mature way

and your heart suddenly raced, because seeing the love of your youth has made you all things again

and vice versa

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀« oh y/n ! i'm happy you're here ! » says your childhood friend as she welcomes you into her home with open arms. a smile on your lips, you embraced her, checking on her, recalling fond memories of the past. but as your eyes drifted over the other people in the room, they focused on one particular figure : your ex-boyfriend from highschool. apologizing to her, you walked away to gently approach jiwoong, who in turn laid eyes on you. he was always the same, but taller, more masculine, more mature, but always with the same deep gaze and prince charming smile. grabbing two glasses of champagne, he finally approached you, handing you one with a smirk that caused your heart to miss a beat. « hi y/n, it's been a long time.. » you nodded gently, watching him for a long minute, trying to understand why your heart was suddenly racing so fast. old memories resurfaced in your head as the evening progressed, until it was time to leave, finding the two of you in the entrance to the building. and when he placed a warm kiss on your cheek, innocently slipping a piece of paper into the palm of your hand, you thought that maybe, just maybe, the flame of your love wasn't totally extinguished.

other members under the cut !

zhang hao ♡⃗ rivals to lovers

listen, he's number one in everything he do

he's so so so so so competitive

so of course, when you're as good as him in everything, he understands he has competition

and oh boy, he is so determined to destroy you and so are you

so for many years, your relationship is based on arguments and repeated bickering — a competition the whole school knows about, even forming “team hao” and “team y/n”

but one thing's for sure : hao is the only one who can compete with you and make fun of your grades. so when someone decides to attack you, right in front of his eyes, he's the first to defend you

which surprises everyone

and create a new sensation in your heart

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀« who do you think you are, talking to them like that? » hao said suddenly, drawing the attention of the other students in the class. your eyes opened wide, observing his silhouette with his back to you, who had just slid in front of you — as if to protect you. the girl who had been trying to belittle you earlier suddenly found herself caught in the middle, with only one way out : to runaway. as she slipped away with a sigh, the other students around you commented in low voices, which didn't stop hao from turning to you, gently knocking the top of your skull. « don't let people put you down, okay? you know what you're worth. » — coming from the person who beats you all day long, it meant a lot. so you simply nodded, trying to ignore your heart pounding in your chest, but his hand grabbed your wrist, forcing you to get up and leave the classroom with him. which led you to end up in the library, studying in the company of the man you consider your rival. but well.. a cute one.

sung hanbin ♡⃗ soulmate

the invisible red string between you and hanbin is so real

ever since you were little, you've always felt that the love of your life, your soulmate, was not far from you

you pushed away every person who approached you in a loving way, to wait for the precise moment when you would meet the only one person who would be number one in your heart

and one day, as you entered the new cute and cosy café near your house

you saw it in the eyes of the pretty barista — the little spark that appeared when your eyes meet each other's for the first time

and instantly, your heart knew it, he knew hanbin (you still had the time to read his name on the nametag hanging on his apron) was the love of your life

your one and only soulmate

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀you were frozen, facing the cash register, your eyes completely hypnotized and stuck on the boy in front of you. he was pretty, handsome, he looked as soft as cotton, radiant as the sun, cute as a puppy. and he was watching you in exactly the same way : as if two wires had touched in your heads and you'd short-circuited. his eyes seemed like two deep wells, into which you suddenly lost yourself — your heart was pounding as you suddenly found yourself at a loss for words. this boy seemed to be the one you'd been waiting for all your life. but you were snapped out of your trance when the person behind you suddenly cleared his throat, leaving the cute barista to finally speak. « uh, mh, hi- welcome. i'm hanbin, what can we do for you? » after coming to your senses, looking everywhere but into his eyes, you gave him your order, paid, and waited patiently on the side. you couldn't help but observe him, the slightest of his delicate gestures and the smile that clung to his lips over and over again. until you received your order, and noticed a phone number on your cup. “ i'm hanbin, call me when you want :)xx ”

seok matthew ♡⃗ boy next door

he's the perfect cliché of the cute-hot boy who's just moved in next door to you

look at him, his smile, almost every morning when you're out to pick up your mails

and you just.. freeze, looking at him and his honey voice when he told you “hello neighbor”

and you just runaway — slightly embarrassed at having remained frozen in place without saying anything

and after that, every time you hear a noise near your door, you sneak a peek to catch a glimpse of him, watching him taking care of the plants around your shared balcony

until one day, when you suddenly need a carton of milk, and you have no choice but to ask your beloved next-door neighbor for help

..ending up cooking pancakes with him

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀you didn't know what to say, when he was standing in front of you, and you didn't look at all presentable. flour on your apron, and a spatula in your hands, you'd suddenly forgotten that you needed milk to make pancakes. « need help, neighbor? » he said suddenly, a chuckle escaping his lips, which brought you back down to earth. « hey, sorry, do you have milk? i want to make pancakes but i forgot the milk. » — nodding positively, he walked away for a few moments before returning with a carton of milk. but as you reached out to retrieve it, he gently pushed you as he closed the door to his apartment, pulling you into yours. « i'll help you, you seem to be having a hard time. » he announced, with a drop-dead smile that you didn't dare to refuse. following him to the kitchen, he helped you prepare the recipe, even taking the time to get to know you and make you laugh. finally, something interesting was happening between you.

kim taerae ♡⃗ first love

listen. taerae is so first love coded and you can't change my mind

he's the boy everyone secretly dreams about

the one you watch dreamily in class and who never fails to make your heart skip a beat every time he smiles

and when you finally get to date him, oh boi- you're in heaven

he's literally so sweet : always here for you, fingers that never miss an opportunity to tuck a lock of your hair behind your ear, take you home after school, help you study, ect ect..

he's the one who makes you discover love : the butterflies in your stomach, the scenarios in your head that become real, the sweetness of a first kiss, the soft warmth that settles in your chest when he tells you you're beautiful

a smile and you're won over. taerae is and will always be your first love

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀it was a pretty warm afternoon, cherry blossom petals dancing in the air and the sun streaming through the classroom windows. you watched the clouds sail across the sky, tapping your fingers against the wood of your school table, when he entered the room. a gentle smile tugging at his lips as he caught sight of you, dreaming in your corner. then he moved towards you, settling into the chair opposite you before placing a light kiss on your cheek to bring you out of your reverie. taken aback by his action, millions of butterflies flew into your stomach, while your stunned eyes finally found the face of taerae. « i was looking for you, » he says, placing a carton of chocolate milk in front of you, « would you like to go for a walk with me after school? » — of course, you weren't going to turn down the chance to spend a special moment with the boy who was introducing you to all the emotions of first love. with your heart pounding in your chest, you nodded positively at the same time as his fingers clasped yours.

shen ricky ♡⃗ forbidden love

honestly i was thinking about a secretly rich trope but i feel like ricky really likes to tell people he actually is rich.. so naur

so my other option is. i can imagine him as a fake bad boy.

like he hates everyone but you..

so when you noticed him at school, he had already noticed you — but he played the unapproachable guy until you needed a hand with another guy who was getting a little too close to you

and suddenly you saw him from a different angle, and that menacing yet nonchalant look he had on his face made your heart miss a beat — pushing you closer and closer to the forbidden

obviously, the people around you don't approve of your relationship with him at all

but it's not like you care

he may be mean to others, but he's always been upright, courteous and gentle to you

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀midnight had just passed, as the clock on your bedroom wall told you, and yet you were still working on your homework for the next day. a sigh left your lips as you rubbed your eyes, and suddenly your peace was disturbed by a few almost inaudible knocks against your bedroom window. frowning, you approached it, hesitantly shifting your curtain to finally catch a glimpse of ricky's face. hurrying to open your window, the young boy entered your room in no time, before hooking his arms around your hips to press you against him. « what are you doing here? » you asked, whispering so as not to alert your parents about the intruder who was currently in your room at such a late hour. slipping your arms around your neck, ricky simply smiled, « i missed you. » he affirmed, placing a kiss on your cheek before deviating to your lips. even if you loved the fact that he'd show up at any hours just because he missed you, you still had to be careful and make sure you could continue to see him despite your parents' prohibition. « you know my parents are here? » — ricky shook his head, shrugged his shoulders and lifted you off the ground, kissing you passionately while telling you how much he didn't care.

kim gyuvin ♡⃗ fake dating

he can't be serious but trust me, he's the most perfect fake boyfriend you could ask for

just imagine that you've promised to bring someone to your sister's wedding — but unfortunately you are completely alone

your only option is to ask someone you trust to take on this role for the duration of a ceremony : and that's where gyuvin comes in

and he's perfect : his hand on your hip and his eyes attentive to your every word, having fun with your younger cousins and talking to your parents about anything and everything

he's charming, polite and gallant — the perfect son-in-law according to your mother and the hot jackpot according to your sister

and when you finally have a little moment alone together, and you're about to thank him for the perfect fulfillment of his role, you meet the gleam in his eyes and that silly little smile that hangs on his lips

and suddenly nothing exists around you anymore — all that's left is him, you, and the sun shining on his caramel skin.

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀the sun passing through the leaves gently settles on gyuvin's face, who looks at you in the most tender way possible. his hand is naturally hooked on yours — which suddenly makes you realize that he doesn't have to put on an act when it's just the two of you. « you can stop pretending, you know? » you say softly, but his pupils don't move from yours. on the contrary, his free hand moves towards your face, grazing your skin, touching your cheeks with his fingertips, as if there were only the two of you left on earth. you thought your heart was going to escape from your chest, because he was no longer pretending — his hand gently tugged on yours, pulling you closer to him, spinning slowly to the rhythm of the background music. « i think we should be careful and always act like a couple so as not to arouse suspicion, don't you think? » he whispered in your ear, and you just love the way he makes you feel at that very moment. as if you two weren't just fake.

park gunwook ♡⃗ enemies to lovers

okay this is from a personal experience because my boys planet' story with gunwook is enemies to lovers

since you met him, your relationship with gunwook has been very complicated — he don't really like you, and you don't really like him either

he tends to play the big guy to show off his superiority and that's what annoyed you about him in the first place

so ever since, you've despised him and given him death glares at every opportunity — and he can't help but prank or scare you at every opportunity

until the day you get paired together for a school project.

and, even though you'd have liked to do the job yourself from start to finish, your teacher didn't agree with you at all, which forced you to tolerate him a little

and introduced you to a new side of gunwook that you'd never seen before — a cute and silly kitty

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀sitting on the floor of your living room, your work books covering every nook and cranny of the coffee table, not a word had left your lips or gunwook's since the start of the afternoon. but the atmosphere seemed heavy, this silence more distressing than relaxing, in the end. sighing as you got up to go to the kitchen, you tiptoed over to grab a glass from the top of the cupboard. but not everything went according to plan : and the next thing you know, the glass was on the floor, broken, and your finger was bleeding. « shit. » you say, running to the sink to put your wounded finger under the water, juggling from one foot to the other while holding back from swearing at how much it hurt. and suddenly gunwook was at your side, one hand on your shoulder and his eyes riveted on your wound, « do you have a first aid kit somewhere? » — nodding as you indicated where it was, you watched him grab the object and return to you, wrapping your finger in a clean cloth before guiding you into the living room. here, gunwook tended to your wound delicately, meticulously, asking you repeatedly if you weren't in pain. he was much gentler than most people you knew — he who tended to act tough in front of others, was actually an adorable kitten. with a smile on his lips, he lifted your hand and placed a magic kiss on top of the bandage he'd made, and that's probably when your heart decided to make room for him inside.

han yujin ♡⃗ childhood friends to lovers

he's still a child okay

so i can easily imagine yujin as a childhood friend

playing cards and video games as kids, right up to entering high school hand in hand

nevertheless, i imagine that you have different groups of friends, even if you remain each other's number one

and you meet up every day after class to go home together and tell each other about your day

obviously, you don't notice it, but yujin always keeps an eye on you — without showing the slight jealousy growing in his heart every time he sees you getting a little too close to your other friends

he's never shy about reminding you that he's right there and that he's still your favorite

just imagine ... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀waiting patiently in front of the school gate, yujin kicked a pebble before suddenly hearing your voice ring out. looking away from the road to observe you, he watched you walk up to him after you had greeted your new friends. as you reached your best friend, you planted yourself in front of him, a grandiose smile hanging on your lips, creating a slight reddish tinge at the tip of yujin's ears. squinting as you started to move forward, you hurried over to him and slipped your hands around his arm, pulling him closer to you, « yah. you walk too fast with your long legs. » — slowing down to walk at the same speed as you, he was content to listen attentively as you told him about your day, nodding from time to time and speaking up when necessary. but you could see that something was on his mind, so you stopped walking, forcing him to stop and turn to face you with a questioning expression. « what's on your mind, han yujin? » you say, your sun-filled eyes dazzling his. clearing his throat while looking away, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, you tilted your head slightly to one side, watching yujin with a small smile on your lips. « i'm still your favorite, mh? » he asked, daring to look deep into your eyes, « because you'll always be mine. » — you couldn't explain, but it was like in the romance books, with butterflies in your stomach and your heart beating wildly.

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[teaxeee]

Zhang Hao is so my tutor kind of person so HIM Trying to tutor you chinese or violin but then ur attitude kind off posses him out so (brat taming) he makes u cockwarm him/uses a vibrator to tease you till you get what he's teaching right

Can I be 🐣 anonymous???

Or course! Welcome 🐣 anon~

Anyways: Zhang Hao being your tutor for Chinese because you're barely passing Chinese class and had no other option than to find him! Let's say he was in another class, but when you asked for his help he was happy to help! The first few times went so smoothly, studying at the library, him explaining every single detail to you and making sure you understand the material! Until...you have an exam in a week, your mood has been kind of shitty since so many assignments that you couldn't even catch up on Chinese as much as you wanted to.

This time? You studied at his place, he was explaining everything to you, helping you revise. Every single time you kept replying in a rude tone whenever he asked if you understood or if you needed some part thoroughly explained, it was making him pissed off and a little mad. When he finally realized you were acting bratty...he snapped. Within minutes you were on his lap, his cock inside you and him holding a vibrator against your clit as you squirmed and whined from how good it felt. You finally felt relief, the one you've been craving for all week, but when you tried to ride him? He stopped you and told you "If you get everything from the material right then I'll let you ride me."

That's how you ended up suffering being stuffed full and having to deal with a vibrator while also trying your best to understand the material just so that you could get rewarded :(

[xinganhao]

is this something i should've included in my 2024 wrapped? probably. but i'm still doing it to close off the year! (´◡`)

incredibly grateful to have gotten so much love in the past three months. i'm not able to respond to everything, but trust that i see every comment— whether in the replies, reblogs, or in my inbox.

if anything, let this be a reminder to support your favorite writers/creators. in an algorithm that thrives on likes, reblogs with comments in the tags/replies/asks make a world of difference. if you liked someone's work, let them know.

here are some of your words that have stuck with me. 🫶

"#i heart tumblr user xinganhao #no one is doing it like them #the amount of depth in their work #THE EFFORT IS ALMOST TANGIBLE #not to participate in idol worship but …. #a role model for the fic writing community #hashtag proud to be born in the same timeline as tumblr user xinganhao" — g4minelvr re: fake dating!seungkwan

"i always look forward to vernon's slides because I CAN HEAR HIM!!!! its wild like all the replies???? his voice is in my head. but i also realized i can imagine/hear hoshi's so easily too!!! and a lot of his are so funny and witty. anyway ive been so entertained the past few days cos of kae's writing" — maplegyu re: svt reacts to 'i used to have a little bit of a crush on you'

"#so cute !! #“to love is to be burdened; but to not think of it that way.” #HELLOOO #thats such a fire line to drop ???? #sigh these alignments are all accurate but i really need hao to take caee of me :((" — planetkiimchi-rbs re: svt reacts to your drunk texts

"I bet your uni entry essay kicked ass. Youre so creative its mind blowing😭" — bambispostsblog re: sociology major!junhui x reader

"#welcome back dramateen😭😭😭" — dcrlingyou re: svt when idol!reader releases a breakup song

"#i think someone's already said this but #the writing under the texts is like a little treat that i somehow always forget about #its so fun #i read the texts and im like “aww thats so cute i love this blog so muchhhh” #and then i scroll #AND THERES MORE #its like the best thing ever" — forever-atiny re: svt reacts to your drunk texts

"This is DEVASTATING 😭😭😭😭😭 your writing is beautiful but DAMN did it rip my heart and throw it into the ocean" — sasalalista re: svt (taylor's version), heartbreak edition

"#okay maybe I'll allow myself to be this delusional only for this smau bc it's adorable 🥹" — stay-in-district9 re: chan x fansite!reader

"#kae did u know i have a whole maladaptive dream world abt this pairing #it’s like u looked directly into my brain #but like it’s just so perfect for wonwoo #and i just love how pathetic u made him" — pochaccoups re: wonwoo x streamer!reader

"#did i ever mention i am literally your biggest fan #ALL your works i am eating them up 🙏 #and this one was just oh my god #the way you narrate is always too good #with your little details abt the screenplay and all #i aspire to write like you- it's like mixed media but in writing #i loved loved loved this exes to lovers suits gyu so muchhhh" — simpxxstan re: film major!mingyu x reader

"#user xinganhao the way you EAT EVERY SINGLE TIME #COOKED WITH GAS AND FIRE AND DEVOURED #permanently sat for ur posts i fear #can’t get up won’t get up" — ahuiahoe re: seungcheol x fanbase!reader

"the fact that you do complete research into each and every one of the topics and write them well is just pure dedication and hats off to you!!" — choco-scoups re: biology major!vernon x reader

"i'm so in love with the way you design your extra content/headcanons under the photos!! the soccer team and notes app got me down bad, but i really adore the text visually fitting the concept in all of your works!! always excited to get a notification from you. thank you for sharing your creativity with the world!!" — purple-eustoma

"I hope you know your works always hit the spot just right. not even kidding I was in class for two hours and then I see this in my notifications the way i INSTANTLY SMILED?! how do you manage to make my day better😔🫶" — cxffecoupx re: operation dispatch (chan x idol!reader)

"Honestly I know most of your svt burner account fics are meant to be open end, and I really love that. It is just that your writing makes me keep wanting to know more of the story, it is soo well written. I want to dive into the world a little more every time🌸" — anon

"#THIS IS SO CREATIVE WTF #the genius interview and the whole song… kae ur BRAINNNNNN #this is so good omfg im rooting for them so hard #living vicariously thru simp cheol tweets pretending i am the fanbase 😔 he wants me guys trust #i love love love all the little bonus stuff you do for these literally most creative and fun smau writer ur changing the game" — junhui-recs re: seungcheol x fanbase!reader

"these keep coming up on my dash and i will never skip an smau made by the greatest smau creator on this silly little tumby app" — hachireads re: dead poets society!hhu x reader

"im so srs rn. pls never stop writing" — wonuloves re: vernon dates rockstar!reader (4)

"woozi loves silently, consistently, and sincerely. these are not the adjectives anyone would typically match with the concept of love. and yet, it fits. i first felt the depth of his love with vocal unit songs. and i never looked back. thank you for writing this. thank you for understanding seventeen so well. you deserve everything good in life." — chugging-antiseptic-dye re: jihoon x poetry account!reader

how lucky am i to get to say that this is a mere fraction of all the kindness i've been afforded. again: i see all the nice words directed my way, and it motivates me to stay on this godforsaken site (lol) for at least one more day. thank you, thank you, thank you.

if i can love well, it's because i've been loved well. please let me repay all your kindness in 2025 and for however much longer that i can (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ if you got this far: happy new year! i wish you clarity, courage, and compassion at every turn. xo

— kae

[seokmthw]

oh shit, are we in love? | zhang hao

⇢ pairing: zhang hao x reader

⇢ warnings: fluff, a smidge of angst, brief mentions of a toxic relationship

⇢ word count: 1.5k

prompt #5 "you don't have to be so brave with me"

prompt #12 "let's kiss and see where it takes us"

⇢ note: i realized i'm severely lacking zhang hao on my main masterlist and saw this request sitting in my inbox and just had to write it. i went a little crazy with the word count, but hao is so easy for me to write for so it came naturally to me. i hope you all enjoy!

JOIN MY TAGLIST!

you sniffled, hand coming up to wipe the stinging hot tears away from your eyes, which were focused on the screen of your phone, an image of you and your now ex-boyfriend on full display for you to see. you’d been managing your breakup a lot worse than you anticipated, and when the photo had shown up in your memories, it caused something within you to snap and you cried harder than you have over the past several months since your breakup. maybe it was how happy you looked while he appeared to be losing his love for you, or maybe it was because you longed so badly for something like that again, but you just couldn’t stop the flow of your tears once they started.

throughout your mourning process, you relied very heavily on zhang hao, a boy you met in your music class a couple of semesters ago. he was always there for you when you needed him and made time for you even when he was busy with something. he was the type of person whose presence alone was comforting and you were grateful to have someone like him in your life.

you'd grown almost a little too fond of zhang hao. every little brush of his hand against yours or the hug he gave you when you needed it the most shouldn't have been making the butterflies in your belly flutter around, but they did, and you weren't sure what to make of it. part of you wondered if it was too soon, or if he might be the person you dreamed of being with all along, but you didn't want to ruin what you currently had and decided to keep your lips sealed.

during your most recent state of hysteria, you texted him something almost incoherent about not wanting to be alone and needing him by your side more than ever, but now that you had calmed down a little bit, you tried taking back your words and apologizing to him. but hao was stubborn, and despite being in the middle of his violin practice, he responded quickly and told you he was packing his things up and would be on his way soon.

you felt a little guilty, sure, but the bigger majority of your brain was just ecstatic he would be there, and you'd be able to vent and be in his presence. almost as if on a queue, the sound of his knuckles rapping lightly against your door was echoing throughout your room, mingling with a sniffle as you rose from your nest of blankets on your bed and shuffled to the door.

pulling the heavy, wooden object toward you, hao greeted you with gentlest and softest smile you think you'd ever seen from him. you stepped aside, allowing him entry into your room - which was a disaster, but he never really cared - and watched as he set his belongings down on the floor at the foot of your bed. you shut the door, turning around to be greeted with his arms outstretched, welcoming you to melt into him whenever you were ready.

it didn't take long, because within mere seconds you had your arms secured around his waist and your cheek resting on his chest. hao's arms wrapped around your shoulders, enveloping you in a warmth you didn't know you needed, and he rested his chin atop your head.

you sighed, new tears springing into your eyes and dripping onto your cheeks, and inevitably soaking through the fabric of his sweatshirt. you squeezed him slightly, desperate to get him as physically close to you as possible while mumbling, “thank you for coming here, i’m sorry i interrupted your violin practice.”

“hey now, you don't have to be sorry,” his voice was soft as he spoke, “besides, the instructor often wonders why i even show up because he thinks i’m a musical genius. when i told him i needed to go, he barely even let me finish my sentence and was practically pushing me out of the door.”

“well still, you didn't have to come at all. it's just me being a little ridiculous anyway,” you replied, finally pulling away from him and motioning for him to join you in snuggling down under your blankets.

he crawled into the bed beside you, allowing you to settle down into his side, your head resting gently on his shoulder as he pulled the thick comforter over the two of you. hao glanced down at you, parting his lips to speak, “emotions you feel are never ridiculous you know. you can talk about whatever it is you want and i will never judge you or think you're being silly.”

you nodded, hesitant to even say anything at all, so instead you just allowed your eyes to flutter shut, letting your words die in your throat so you didn't mess up and say the wrong thing.

hao was quick to notice, even though you felt you were hiding it pretty well. he brushed a strand of hair out of your face, concern evident in his expression as he said, “you don't have to be so brave with me. what��s on your mind?”

you shifted slightly, anxious to even think about beginning to tell him anything, but your mouth worked quicker than you mind, “it's just, throughout this whole breakup process, i think i’ve realized i have feelings for someone and it feels so soon but so right and i don't know what to do.”

“you're a human being, it's only natural you have feelings for people. besides, it's been months since your breakup and you're allowed to move on if you want to,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“i’m just scared it'll ruin everything,” you replied, averting your gaze from his to find interest in your chipping nail polish instead.

“well, if they're someone who truly cares about you, then they wouldn't let it ruin anything,” unbeknownst to you, he never looked away from you, “maybe you could tell them, the worst that could happen is that they say no.”

you sighed, “that's thing, i did just tell him.”

looking up, you caught the shocked expression of hao. the corners of your mouth twitched up ever so slightly, voice barely above a whisper as you said, “it's you, hao.”

the look on his face was incredibly difficult for you to read. you could feel panic beginning to settle in, knowing you had more than likely screwed everything up, and you couldn't help the tears that began to fall again. the only thing you could manage to say was “i’m sorry” in between your little cries, trying to put as much distance between the two of you as you could.

hao caught you off guard, pulling you back to him, hands cupping your face gently. he wiped the tears away with his thumbs, asking, “now why on earth are you sorry?”

“because i can tell you don't feel the same and that i just made everything so awkward,” you refused to make eye contact with him as you answered his question.

you heard a small chuckle slip past his lips, “y/n, you're not making anything awkward. i’m just surprised you return my feelings at all. why do you think i’ve always been so eager to spend time with you, even when i’m occupied with other things?”

now it was your turn to adorn a baffled look, jaw slightly agape as you processed his words. hao was the first to say something again, this time keeping your overall well-being in mind, “this doesn't have to move fast, it can be at whatever pace you want. it honestly could just not happen at all. tell me what you want and i’ll give it to you, i promise.”

“i-” you started, opening and closing your mouth like a fish out of water, desperate to find the right words. finally, you settled on, “let’s kiss and see where it takes us?”

you felt extremely shy asking, almost shrinking into yourself at such an absurd request, but hao wouldn't let you, because within mere seconds he was closing the distance between the two of you and molding his lips with yours. you gripped onto the front of his sweatshirt ever so slightly, eyes fluttering closed and the feeling of pure euphoria filling up every inch of your body.

you hadn't felt so seen or appreciated in a long time, and finally getting to kiss the boy you'd dreamed of for so long was almost surreal. you became putty in his hands, allowing him to pull you closer to his body, a string of kisses following suit.

you finally pulled away for air, your grin reflecting hao’s as you said, “i think i like where this is going.

“good,” he beamed, giving you another kiss in between his words, “because i do too.”

[hao-and-yoh]

Shaman King “Fractured Duality” - Alternative Universe

Continued from here.

Episode Ten (2)

Hao looked intensely at the blank screen of the bright yellow oracle pager in his hand. He could see his own eyes reflecting back at him in the darkened glass of the broken device. He noticed how he was midway through buckling the straps to his forearm, and for a moment - he froze.

“What?”

He lifted his head from the screen and observed the furnishings in the guest bedroom around him. He turned around to view his bed and immediately noticed the crumpled sheets. He took a step towards the bedside and began to straighten them before he looked down at himself - surprised to see he was fully dressed in his tracksuit, shoes and all.

Why could he not remember waking up that morning?

Hao slowly turned around to observe himself in the large mirror on the wall.

“Anything to declare?”

Hao’s eyes drifted from his own image on the grey pixelated security monitor and met the friendly face of the smartly dressed lady looking directly at him waiting for a response.

“Pardon?” muttered Hao, blinking back at the woman.

“In your party’s luggage, sir. Anything to declare?” repeated the Beijing airport check-in desk staff member.

“Actually yeah.” came the friendly voice of his twin. Yoh suddenly appeared by his side. “I’m transporting two antique collectible relics, one is a katana blade. They are properly packaged, Ma’am.”

The twins watched as the check-in lady began typing the information into her computer and then she printed out a label and attached it to the bags on the conveyor belt. She then handed two Japanese passports and two boarding passes to Yoh.

“All done. Have a great flight. Next please!”

Yoh nodded his head at the staff member and then put his arm around Hao’s waist. He began to push Hao along with him and out of the way of the other travellers in the busy Chinese airport check-in lobby.

“Nii-chan, are you okay? You seem a bit… not yourself today.” worriedly asked Yoh.

“Uh…” mumbled Hao. Before he could formulate an answer, Hao saw the faces of the others come into view. His eyes immediately locked onto Ren and Jeanne, who both looked back at the twins as they waited patiently for them to finish their check-in.

“Oh so, you both decided to… come along after all?” quietly muttered Hao, keeping his gaze firmly on the couple when he and Yoh reached their side.

Ren raised an eyebrow at the fire shaman’s question.

“I did not exactly get a say in the matter. You’re welcome, by the way.” scoffed Ren, crossing his arms and looking away from Hao’s blank expression.

“Excuse me?” muttered Hao.

“For the First Class upgrade - you ungrateful piece of sh -”

“- should we get moving through security so we have time to browse the duty-free stores?” interrupted Jeanne - shoving Ren along and away from the twins and towards the large moving escalator stair case in front of them. Manta and HoroHoro shared a nervous look with one another before they both looked at Hao’s perplexed expression.

Hao found himself intensely examining the faces of his two friends for any signs of something being off with them. His mind fell back on the revelations about his past from the previous night - and for some reason he was finding it difficult to shake the worrying feeling that perhaps they may be afraid of him now. Was that what he could see in their eyes? Fear?

“Are you okay dude? You seem off today.” asked HoroHoro, worriedly.

“Yeah.” agreed Manta.

“That’s what I said.” added Yoh, he raised his arm from Hao’s waist and began to reassuringly rub his brother’s shoulders. “Don’t let Ren get to you, Nii-chan. He’ll come around, you’ll see.”

“I’m fine.” firmly replied Hao. His eyes drifted towards the direction the other two from their party had gone - and without saying another word to the others - he began to follow in the same direction as well.

Yoh, Manta and HoroHoro all exchanged the same concerned look with one another before hurriedly following after him.

Stepping off the escalator, Hao began to notice how the bustling noise of the airport crowd began to sound like a badly tuned static radio. The noise momentarily affected his ability to concentrate - and he began to forget where he was and what he was doing. His eyes drifted towards the airport walls as he searched for a sign to tell him which way to go - then, feeling somewhat helpless, he cemented himself to the spot and froze.

As he laid eyes on his twin at the top of the moving staircase, Yoh noticed how his big brother seemed a bit lost. He calmly approached him and reached for his hand, gripping Hao’s fingers tightly in his.

“Come on. Let’s stick together. We’ll find our way.” softly said Yoh, tugging his twin by the arm and in the direction of airport security.

Hao’s eyes drifted to their interlocked hands and he briefly observed Yoh’s oracle pager. Then suddenly - something occurred to him. He lifted his own left arm and immediately realised that his pager was gone.

“Yoh, I - I’ve lost my pager!”

Yoh turned his head and looked at Hao’s bare forearm and then met his big brother’s alarmed eyes.

“I know, you left it back at Ren’s by mistake. Remember?” sighed Yoh with a slight pained smile.

“What? No - I - I distinctly remember putting it on!” argued Hao.

“Don’t worry. If we make it to the Village, then, I’m sure the Patch can get you a new one. It’s not like we needed it, or anything.” went on Yoh as he began to snake them both through the airport barricades to join the long security line.

“I know but… it was mine.” sadly whispered Hao.

Hao remained silent as he stuck close to his twin’s side in the busy crowd of travellers. He could not understand why he was feeling so anxious. He was certain he had his pager. Why would he leave it behind? Why could he not remember travelling to Beijing? Had he been feeling so spaced out that he dissociated completely from their reality for a while?

Before Hao could find the words to voice his concerns, he found himself moving effortlessly through the security checkpoint and emerging in the busy shopping district on the other side. He caught a glimpse of a short boy with a distinct pointy hairstyle walking along behind a delighted young woman as they entered an accessories store. Without giving his younger brother a second thought, he began to immediately make his way towards them.

Unfortunately, Yoh had forgotten to remove his headphones before he stepped through the metal detector and was finding himself getting the full security treatment from the guards. He watched on helplessly as his twin once again disappeared into the crowd.

Hao found himself wandering into the store and he hastily looked around for the warrior shaman. Then, something caught his eye. He lifted his hand towards an earring display and carefully caressed a large silver pair of star shaped earrings. As he admired them in his hand, they began to reflect the light into his eyes.

Hao’s hearing was suddenly overwhelmed by the recognisable white noise of a moving airplane. He blinked at his own reflection in the bathroom cubicle and froze. The mirrors. His reflection! That was the cause of this strange phenomenon! He quickly lowered his gaze and stared at the floor, moving slowly backwards and out of the cubicle, closing the door quickly as he did so. His mind became frantic as he began to consider the odd question - how many reflective surfaces could there be on an airplane??

“God dammit! Shit!”

Realising he had no idea where his seat was - Hao hesitantly began to make his way towards the front of the plane. As he shuffled down the cramped aisle with his head lowered, he examined each of his fellow traveller’s footwear as he did so. He considered summoning his Spirit Ally to act as a guide but reconsidered that option immediately. He had no idea why this strange experience was happening to him and he did not want to bring any unwanted attention to himself from any other potential shaman traveller.

Hao finally recognised a pair of large black ski boot sneakers and lifted his head.

“HoroHoro I - !” loudly began Hao, but cut off his words when he saw how HoroHoro was snoring quietly with his mouth gaped wide open. That was when he noticed the darkened night sky through the porthole window. How long had they been flying?

Confused and alarmed, the fire shaman noticed out of the corner of his eye a glint of something orange peeking over the seat infront of the ice shaman. Hao lowered his head once more and shuffled to the next aisle, relieved to see his little brother curled up in his large comfortable First Class beige-leather plane seat, sleeping safe and sound. Hao considered waking him, but instead, his instincts kicked in and he reached for the blanket that had fallen to the floor and wrapped it around his twin. He then carefully shuffled his way to the empty window seat beside him, relieved to see the porthole window was already closed and the small television screen on the back of the passenger seat in front of him had already been covered.

He decided to tell Yoh everything in the morning. As long as he didn’t look in any more mirrors, everything will be okay.

That’s what Hao told himself as he closed his eyes and drifted back into a deep, blissful, comfortable sleep.

Continue here.

Enter “Alt Universe” here.

Read “Fractured Duality” in full here.

[jaemified]

SNOWED IN ! [ep. i] | first time

“eyes on a certain someone.. whats his name?”

a barista xu minghao x receptionist reader smau

‘welcome to first class resort’

previous | MASTERLIST | next

updates ; every saturday or sunday !

synopsis ; trying the cafe in the hotel you work at for the first time, you realize the baristas are quite literally as hot (maybe even more) then your friend had described. yet a certain barista in particular manages to pique your interest the most.

🏷️; @minhui896 @minghaossv @snowcake666 @kissesfrmwonwoo @kokoiinuts @wonqr

couldnt tag ; @/heelariousx

read below the cut !

“hi, i can help you over here?” one of the guys spoke from the counter, y/n not realizing someone was already waiting for her.

“oh hi, sorry. you guys have boba as a topping right?”

“yeah, we do. so, what would you like to drink?” he asked patiently as he finished setting up the ipad to put in your order.

“right. could i get a large caramel latte with boba? extra whip, light ice, and aloe.”

the guy rose a brow in surprise. “caramel latte with.. boba?” he asked for reassurance.

“yeah. sorry is that weird? cause if it is i could just do a strawberry milk tea-” “-no no not at all. just a bit taken aback. your total is ₩10,000.”

“thank you,” you spoke as he handed you your receipt which read ‘order number 32’.

“oh and what was your name again?” you quickly asked as he was about to hand the order to one of the other baristas.

“chwe hansol, but you can call me vernon.” he smiled. “do you, by any chance, work here? like at the hotel, not here here.”

“yeah, im assistant manager at the front desk. did my uniform give it away?” you chuckled.

“maybe. sorry, i gotta keep the line moving. have a good one though.” hansol smiled before handing the order over to the other barista behind him.

damn. and you thought hansol was cute. not that he wasnt, but this guy was really cute.

“woo, look at this shit.” the person who was responsible for making your order whispered. “who orders a caramel latte with boba??”

wonwoo turned around and saw you sitting in a corner on your phone, grimacing as he didn’t think you were actually serious about your order.

“its a receptionist thing, hao. you wouldnt get it.”

“im a barista not a clerk. and just cause you dated one for a few months doesn’t mean you have the experience of one.” minghao rolled his eyes before reaching over to grab a new cup.

as he got your drink started, you couldn’t help but notice how cute the black haired boy was. his facial features really were something you couldn’t take your eyes off of. you could tell he was experienced as he didn’t even need to read the recipes before pouring in all the right measurements.

he jerked his head backwards as he read the bottom for extra info not realizing he missed it earlier, “aloe? who the hell puts aloe in a caramel latte.”

“you seem really fixed on her drink preferences.” joshua murmured as he reached over minghao for a napkin to clean the spill he made after knocking over the chocolate sauce.

“its just weird. like yeah they’re all good by themselves but altogether? its like vanilla mixed with cotton candy.”

“vanilla goes with everything.”

“he thinks he’s an expert on tea ‘cause his cousin’s boyfriend made him the manager at a tea house in china.” seungcheol scoffed.

“whatever.”

minghao finished up your order and went to the desk to call out your number before he thought of something that really bothered him.

he grabbed a post it near the register, quickly scribbling down something before sticking it on your drink and calling for you.

“who ordered the latte with boba?” he called our halfmindedly as hansol handed him the next order, not realizing he unprofessionally forgot to call you by the order number instead.

“hi, that’d be me.” you spoke as you walked up to the counter quickly, putting on your customer service face so it isn’t so obvious you find him attractive.

you didn’t even notice how his face twisted as your black heels clicked against the wooden floorboards.

“yeah okay, have a good one or whatever.. yoon.. y/n?” he mumbled as he skimmed over your name tag.

“yeah thanks.” you smiled while grabbing a straw and some napkins from the organizer next to him, your hand briefly grazing his as he set your cup down.

“you’re a receptionist?” minghao asked, crossing his arms as he watched you take an experimental sip.

“yeah, why?”

“then how come i never see you here for lunch?”

“i go to the restaurant instead of the cafe. less crowded and i have more friends up there.”

“such as?” “why does it matter?”

“i cant ask my co worker who her friends are?”

“we are hardly that close.” you tilted your head in confusion.

“yeah whatever. and stop fake smiling when you’re not helping customers. it’s annoying.” he whispered into your ear before you got the chance to walk away.

you rolled your eyes in faux annoyance, trying to hide your excitement at the fact you just talked to a really cute guy.

‘he’s lowkey more attractive when he’s mad. its.. kinda hot?’ you thought to yourself before pulling out your phone to text soyeon.

note ; hear me out bc a caramel latte w boba is my favorite 😭😭

[catch-me-hello]

Debut’s Plan – Episode 6:  New Characters Emerge

It’s a good thing I don’t work in K-pop.  My picks rarely make it into the final group.  My favorites on this show aren’t doing well.  A survival show run by me would have to be called Debut Duds, and the band name would be No Future.  I’d probably have to fit an ampersand in there somewhere, but you get the point.

So with that cheerful intro, welcome to Episode Six!  Our trainees will be doing Plan 4 today, which will be Expression.  We’re going to see a lot of acting in this episode.  Let’s do this.

We start with our trainees gathering at the main dome, where they find a classroom setup. 

Our Starnouncer appears on the dome to greet them.  It welcomes back Park Seong Hyeon, who missed Plans 2 and 3 due to illness.  He’s recovered and says he is determined to be in the Top 7 this time.

Our trainees learn that Plan 4 is about Expression, and they are now in acting school.  One of my picks, Park Won Bin, is actually an art major in college who studies acting, so he’s got an advantage.  He’s not the only one.  Baek Jun Hyuk was a child actor.  And an incredibly adorable one at that.

Our acting teacher for today is popular Korean actor Eum Moon Seok.  Right away, I’m enjoying this class.  Our teacher makes the point that K-pop idols are at a disadvantage, having to express emotion in a 3-minute song that K-drama actors have several onscreen hours to express.  Plus, actors don’t also have to concentrate on singing and dancing.

Our trainees watch clips from famous Korean movies and K-dramas.  These are the clips they will be performing.  I’m fascinated with Eum Moon Seok’s teaching techniques.  He shows them how to unleash the full power of their voices, find the context of each scene, and get into the characters’ heads.  I would pay to take acting classes from this guy.

The trainees start performing their scenes.  Jang Yong Hoon, Wu Hao, and Lee Woo Ju give impressive monologues.  I may not understand the language or know the original scenes, but I can feel the emotion through the computer screen.

They also do a great improvisation exercise when a prop phone doesn’t ring when it’s supposed to, so our trainees have to keep their monologue going until it finally rings.  As there survival shows for aspiring K-drama actors?  I’d love to watch one of those.

I’d be fine with the class going on for the rest of the episode, but Eum Moon Seok has a gift for the trainees before he leaves.  It’s a script for a K-drama written for this show.  It’s called Imperfect Game.  The trainees are going to audition for the roles and film it.

The synopsis is this: 

Once aiming to win the national high school baseball tournament, the Woojoo High Baseball Team dreamed of winning the Phoenix Flag.  But after a scandal scattered its members, the team is on the brink of disbanding.  A new transfer student appears, hoping to restore the glory of Woojoo High, and begins gathering the team members again.  What will be the fate of the Woojoo High Baseball Team?

If this show came up on my Netflix suggestion list, I would totally watch it.

Seven of the 21 trainees will be cast in lead roles.  The others will be supporting role characters and extras.  The trainees will have five days to rehearse for the lead role auditions.  This will be especially hard for the Japanese and Chinese members, who will have to read, memorize, and deliver lines in Korean. 

Let’s pause for a quick tangent.  Park Won Bin is wearing an eye patch in this episode. 

I’ve seen trainees wearing eye patches in almost all of these survival shows, and I thought it must be a popular fashion statement in Korea, because not all of them could be getting that many eye injuries.  But then I did some checking.  Yes, sometimes it is a fashion statement.  But most of the time, they really are getting eye infections.  Idols wear makeup and colored contacts so often, their eyes are prone to irritation and infections.  Idols may also wear eye patches when recovering from double eyelid surgery.  Ah, the perils of staying beautiful.

Back to our show.  The scene that everyone wants to do is one with a fight scene in it, and the trainees doing that one really seem to enjoy rehearsals.  A lot of aggression is being worked out here.  I hope no one gets hurt.  Park Jun Hwan, the trainee who originally wanted to be a baseball player, is really connecting with his character.  The whole rehearsal process is mesmerizing to watch. 

Meanwhile, the foreign trainees struggle to read their lines.  We get a great moment when 14 year-old Lee Woo Ju has to explain the Korean word for “agony” to his Japanese scene partner Haru.  He says, “Imagine you got eliminated from this show.”  That’s all he needs to say.  Haru immediately gets it.  Lee Woo Ju turns out to be a great acting coach for both his non-Korean scene partners and should probably try that as a career if K-pop doesn’t work out for him.

During rehearsal week, the Starnouncer calls them back to the main dome.  Another acting coach is coming in to help.  He strolls in, casually dressed in sandals and shorts, which throws everyone off a bit.  This is acting coach Kim Si Hoon.

The only person I can find online with that name is a Korean baseball player with the NC Dinos, so I don’t think this Mr. Kim is a celebrity, other than being on this show.  Still, he has an impressive resume.  He has a Master’s in Acting from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.  And this man is not fooling around.  “You need to think of yourselves as actors, and I will treat you like actors,” he tells our trainees.  “Not being good at acting isn’t the issue.  But doing it half-heartedly is a problem.”  The trainees all stand up a bit straighter and look more alert.

Our trainees are told to remove their socks and go barefoot.  I really hope that floor has been scrubbed.  We already have one trainee with an eye infection.

The trainees walk around barefoot and are told to pay attention to their feelings.  “What are you feeling?” Kim Si Hoon demands in a booming voice.  “My feet hurt,” mutters Lee Woo Ju. 

This acting coach is like a drill instructor, clapping a specific number of times for each instruction.  He has them do exercises like pairing up, standing close together, and not breaking eye contact for several minutes.  As an introvert, this looks like total hell to me.  But then something very interesting happens.  After having them stare into each other’s eyes, Kim Si Hoon claps three times and tells them to start saying their lines.  When they do, they are fully immersed in their characters in a way they weren’t before.  They’ve been transformed.

They go on to do exercises in movement, voice work, and imagination, and I am really enjoying this.  I’m getting acting classes from experts for just the cost of my Viki subscription.

Before we know it, D-Day is here.  It’s Audition Day for the lead roles in Imperfect Game.  Our board members and judges gather to watch them through a video feed.  The choreographers are not with them this time.  Instead, Kim Si Hoon is joining them.

One by one, the teams take the stage and perform their scenes.  First up is the fight scene, which takes place in a classroom.

I am so caught up in these performances and don’t want to pause to take notes.  The trainees are immersed in their characters, and I’m immersed in the performances.

I am curious about one thing.  This classroom scene begins with a student walking in to see another student asleep at his desk.  The light is shining on the sleeping student’s face, so the first student sits in front of him and uses his hand to block the light.  This is a scene I remember vividly from TAN’s “Walking on the Moon” video.  Taehoon is the student asleep at his desk, and Jooan walks in, sees the light on his face, and closes the curtains to block the light.

When I first saw the TAN video, I just thought this was just a romantic scene.  But now I’m wondering if it’s based on a famous scene in a Korean movie or K-drama.  This scene, used in this music video and again on this survival show, is way too specific to just be a coincidence.  If any of my readers know, please speak up in the comments.  If it is a trope, I’d love to see the original source.

Next up is another confrontation/argument scene, where we learn that one of the baseball players had suffered an injury that may be related to the scandal that pulled the team apart.

Jang Yong Hoon’s performance brings me to tears.  He has trouble with expression when he sings, but as an actor, he shines.  Same with Seok June, who gives a powerful, believable performance.

I’ve been waiting anxiously for Hanu’s turn.  He’s been working so hard with the Korean language and trying to sound like a native Korean speaker while at the same time giving the scene the emotion it demands. 

He’s amazing.  The coaches love it.  They ask him to do it again in his native language, and it’s fascinating to see how he physically relaxes into the role when he’s more comfortable with the language.  When he’s done, one of the coaches asks, “Should we change the script to Japanese?”  Something tells me Haru just won a lead role.

Fellow Japanese trainee Kaira is up next, and he faces the same challenges.  He’s always shown great expression in his performances, so I’m really looking forward to this.

It’s a small part, but the coaches say he speaks like a native Korean.  He overcomes the language barrier to impress the coaches with just a few lines.

Park Won Bin has the hindrance of the eye patch, but he shows so much passion in his monologue.  The coaches can’t take their eyes off him.

Now we come crashing down with a very uncomfortable sequence of events, which we get in a flashback.  Trainee Kim Min Jae has a real struggle with Plan 4.  He’s just not good at acting, and since he’s a perfectionist, he wants to give up since he can’t do it perfectly.   Remember when we first met our acting coach Kim Si Hoon, and he said, “Not being good at acting isn’t the issue.  But doing it half-heartedly is a problem”?  Well, Kim Min Jae’s rehearsal in front of the class is worse than half-hearted.  He’s barely trying.  And Kim Si Hoon is NOT happy about it.

In front of the entire class, the teacher makes Kim Min Jae bend over, stick his tongue out, and say his lines loudly enough for everyone to hear.  I’m dying a million deaths for him.

As horrifying as this is to watch, it does seem to work.  When Kim Min Jae stands back up, he looks completely broken, but he’s able to say the lines with expression.

Then he breaks down in tears in front of everyone.  For several agonizing minutes, everyone just watches him sob.  This is so hard to watch.  Finally, everyone gets up to hug him, and I think we’re supposed to see this as a healing and heartwarming ending.  I’m emotionally exhausted at this point.  This has been an intense episode.

The flashback ends, and we see him do his final audition on D-Day.  He looks drained  The coaches applaud his effort but say he was too low-energy.  All I can think is, leave him alone.  Lord knows how many hours he’s going to spend in therapy because of this.

The auditions are over.  Now the board and the coaches need to assign the Top 7 roles so we can film this thing and see who makes up our new Top 7.  They are:

Park Won Bin, Chu Yoo Chan, Jang Yong Hoon

Baek Jun Hyuk, Haru

(A special note about Haru:  He did so well that his character, who is supposed to be from America, is changed to Japanese instead.  The coaches loved his performance that much.)

And finally,

Jang Jyu Hyun and Seok June

We end with some clips from the resulting K-drama.  The clips are not translated, so I don’t know what’s going on.  But thankfully, Park Won Bin’s eye seems to have healed.

We get a reminder to vote for our two favorite NewKids (I really don’t like that name) at newkids.co.kr.  Can we write in a vote to change the name?  Starship, you came up with badass group names like Monsta X and Cravity, and now you show up limping to the party with the name NewKids?  I can come up with better names using the online K-pop Group Name Generator.  Even The Eye Patch Crew would be a better name.

Whatever.  I need sleep.  From the previews, it looks like next week, we’re going on a road trip.  See you then!

Road Trippers.  Even THAT would be a better name than NewKids.  Geez.

[pixelbytesquad]

Unity AU: Some lore

Welcome to my "least bakugan-like" Bakugan AU

Okay, this AU is kind of removed from what bakugan was originally (marbles becoming into beasts + the  fight for Vestroia), this is basically importing the bakugan characters into personal lore I made for an old story of mine (The “Funkinverse”, which initially started as an FNF multiverse but slowly drifted into something original-ish) and creating something different.

The basics of this AU

Bakugans are classed as “monsters”

There’s no Vestroia, so bakugans live on Earth, Vestal, Neathia and Gundalia. Bakugans are “core-beings” that always have a monster-like appearance and are tied to one element. While being classed as monsters, not all bakugans are ferocious beasts ready to strike, most of them can be great friends and companions to other “core-beings” (these being humans, vestals, neathians and gundalians).

However, the conflict on earth is started when the current “Order of Bakugans” tries to take over Earth and the humans.

Orders

Orders are like, the deities, the leaders of a universe. Earth has 2, Neathia and Gundalia each got 1, meanwhile Vestal has none. Since in my lore, Orders can’t be humans or humanoids,  that means in this, only Bakugans can be Orders.

Orders aren’t immortal, however, they do have extended life spans compared to ordinary bakugans.

Cores

Cores are heart shaped magic vials. Almost everyone possesses a core. Anyone who has a core can use magic, however, magic isn’t something easy to learn for everyone, for example, humans have a harder time learning it, and aren’t capable of performing complex abilities, like altering their own bodies.

A core keeps a person alive. If a person dies of old  age, sickness or any other method, the core breaks. However, it is possible to die due to core/magic complications as well. When a core breaks, a spirit emerges from it, this spirit has the same color as the core, and the spirit also takes the appearance of the deceased person.

Encores are cores that went through change due to magic. There isn’t one single way to get one. The main common one is to master magic. However, sometimes even just using a magic  ability once can trigger this change. If you have an encore, that means you’ll have a higher boost of magic energy inside you, you’ll be able to use magic more easily and also be able to use more advance magic abilities, but there may still be limits depending on what you are (humans can still not do things like altering their bodies drastically). When an encore happens, the person may have a different feeling, like they’re getting stronger suddenly or that they’re about to die.

Magic/Elements

This one will be fun, since I plan to split magic abilities/elements based on the 6 attributes from bakugan (Pyrus, Aquos, Ventus, Subterra, Haos and Darkus). 

Each Bakugan is tied to 1 attribute, meaning they can only perform magic from said attribute (For example, a Pyrus bakugan can’t cast a Haos ability). There are exceptions, when a bakugan is dual attribute or has the ability to switch to attributes.

In the case of being able to switch abilities, they’ll only be able to access the abilities of the attribute they switched to, the prior attribute’s abilities being locked until they return to said attribute.

Bakugans are also creatures that have higher magical matter than physical matter, meaning they can easily perform complicated abilities, as well as getting energy from other sources other than sleeping/eating. (For example, the sunlight for Haos bakugans)

Humans have a high physical matter and low magical matter. They can still perform magic due to having a core, but it’s much harder to learn. Humans nowadays don’t really bother with magic, not even telling the next generations about it, because it’s not something easy to do.

Vestals on the other hand, while on the surface they look closer to humans, you’d assume it would be the same story. Vestals have a higher magical matter than physical, meaning they’re more easily equipped to handle magic. In fact, vestals are ‘built’ in a way that they require to get their energy through the ‘magic’ way. However, due to the royal family trying to break the bond between vestals and bakugans, they also try to break the bond with magic. Vestals quickly became technologically advanced, but there’s still some issues. If a human is usually asleep for 8-9, that’s how much a Vestal is awake, they also require more food. This is not enough to keep their bodies working. Surprisingly, children seem to not have this issue, as they still have plenty of energy, however, as they grow, they start to lose that energy.

I still need to think of something for  Gundalians and Neathians, but I don’t really have anything in mind for now.

Fragmentation

This AU is more or less a small multiverse system. It started with 1 universe, which eventually splits into two. These two universes split further into two universes. In the first split, each universe got 2 Orders. However, in the second split,  only one of the new pairs got an even split of Orders (1 per universe, these being Gundalia and Neathia), meanwhile, the second pair, one universe got 2 while the other got none.

The Orders on Neathia and Gundalia aren’t really tasked with a specific role, they just watch the universes and try to protect the inhabitants.

Meanwhile, on Earth, since there are 2 Orders, one is tasked to handle the humans, while the other is tasked with handling the bakugans.

These are just some bits of information, I still need to work on the story proper (I mainly think about the Vestal portion, and while I need to write that down, I also need to start to properly work on the Earth portion and then the Neathian-Gundalian portion).

Also a funny bit- a funny overlap since I'm importing "Orders" in here, and Bakugan in canon has a group called "The 12 Orders"... honestly I think it would be funny if I kept that name, Barodius and co thinking they're gods lol

So this is all for now. I will eventually do posts about certain characters (I plan to do one for Mirage and the Resistance soon, but then I’ll try to get the Brawlers themselves doone too), but for now, this is just some starter info.

[bamtorri]

Check Out

·········

・ Synopsis. Literature sucks when your professor can’t teach right. Your best friend Mingyu tags along with you to study at the university’s library to see if their resources could be of any help. That is until you cross paths with Minghao, the library’s volunteer who turns out to be a literature enthusiast. Your library trips become more frequent, but less about the words on the page.

・ Pairing. minghao x reader (f)

・ Word Count. 10.7k (could've been worse tbh)

・ Genre/Warnings. nsfw (18+), strangers to lovers, college enviornment, attentive hao, nerdyyy hao but starts to become less nerdy when he gets closer to reader, poor attempts at comedy, mingyu being a menace/class clown, swearing, pet names (love, darling, princess), soft sex, the knee thing (ifykyk) hao having family troubles, again he's superrr attentive, and last but not least mention of cigarettes and divorce.

・ Note. HI GUYS!! back with another read. this is dedicated to hao's no.1 fan, but also his other ones who might stumble upon this. this was barely proofread LOL so don't get put off if you find something grammatically wrong. anyways, one of my proudest works yet (it was rushed, yes) but hope it makes u love it just as much as i do.

・ Disclaimer. This is a work of fiction, and isn’t intended to be representations of the Seventeen members. ♡

Welcome to English Literature, where the thing more ridiculous than the sleepless nights of reading and writing is the professor’s absurd teaching style.

Unreasonable expectations to score the highest marks on assignments, there was little to no resources provided to the students and to top it all off, a professor that had a bad reputation set even before you were enrolled in the course.

Something about the way the professor led the course made you want to believe that he took pleasure in seeing his students slowly lose their minds. He was getting paid to teach regardless of passing or failing students. There was nothing you could do but sit through his lectures, watching the minutes pass by on the clock that hung above the classroom's door. It was torture. Nonstop rambles about literary theories mixed with the panicked scribbling of students just as lost as you are in the room.

The fluorescent lights that hung above your heads added onto the stressful environment as if to annoy you more than the professor's monotone voice. Cold calling was you and your peers' constant source of anxiety. When the professor's eyes searched the room, the room would fall silent. All eyes on the helpless student who'd been put on the spot as they struggled to search for a coherent answer. The cold calling was consistent for every day you wasted inside that classroom.

This academic purgatory would've already killed you mentally if it wasn't for your best buddy Mingyu who made class a tad bit tolerable.

"Is it too late to drop this course?" Mingyu, who now had his seat scooted closer to yours was now in better earshot. He poorly attempts to not make it obvious that he's having a side conversation with you, while Mr. Hawthorne has his back faced towards the crowd. "Come to think of it, I don't think I need this for my major."

"I do though." You finish up a thought on your page not even halfway filled with notes. You do a quick scan of the room before leaning in to add to the conversation. "Can I see your notes- oh."

You blankly stare at Mingyu's illegible handwritten notes that covered two thirds of the page. Being a lefty, his pencil danced in his left hand as Mr. Hawthorne read a chunk of text in the most flattest way possible. Before he could turn to catch your lips moving, you spoke again, "Can you even read your own notes?"

"You think I know what I'm writing down when he's talking about a whole bunch of nothing?" A sudden cough from the front of the room made you and Mingyu exchange a glance and create distance between yourselves.

Mr. Hawthorne's eyes sliced right through you like a laser that exposed you. You feel a shiver run down your spine as Mr. Hawthorne announces your name and Mingyu's to the class which leads into a tangent. "You're in college for crying out loud. Seperate or act accordingly." He threatens in a stern tone with pursed lips. His patience ran thin while he awaited for an answer.

"Like you and your wife, huh? Clock it." Mingyu doesn't even bother to think twice and anger gets the better out of him. There wasn't even an oppurtunity to stop him. You bit your inner cheek, hanging your head low as to not draw attention to yourself. The room filled with subtle laughter after Mingyu's insult, but perished within a heartbeat when Mr. Hawthorne clears his throat once more.

"Let me make one thing clear," His footsteps sound closer and closer to where you're situated and your eyes flicker to the professor who now stood in front of you. "You're not some priviliged prince who can get away with crap like this. Shape up or I'll ship you out, do I make myself clear?"

"Can't handle the truth can you? Are you trying to assert your authority because you feel threatened? News flash! It's not working." You hear the scraping of Mingyu's chair as he rises to his feet and gathers his belongings in a hurry while cursing underneath his breath. "I'll ship myself out, I don't need to shape up who I am for this damned course." And with a final defiant look at the professor, he walks out of the classroom leaving an awkward silence to linger in the room before Mr. Hawthorne turns to you.

"And you," He shoves his hands in his pockets then groans seeing your horrid notes. "Take better notes and maybe you'll score higher marks. I don't want to see you sitting next to him for the rest of this semester." All you can do is nod your head, being paralyzed and unable to find your words in the heated moment.

Mr Hawthorne walks back to the front of the room to resume his lecture, but you could still feel eyes on you. It felt like a crime to even move or breathe.

It's not like Mingyu had anything else better to do anyway, like actual homework or something.

·········

"That dude reeks of cigarettes, fuck- do I smell like cigarettes?!" Mingyu tugs at his shirt from his shoulder and gives it a sniff. You had made your way outside of the building where Mingyu texted you to meet him after you suffered a painfully long lecture by yourself. You're still packing up your belongings from the lecture, having nearly sprinted out of the room when class was dismissed. Your emotions ran high, the entire scene played in your head over and over again.

You hum at Mingyu's question and zip your bag up. "I don't smell anything so that's a relief."

"Oh thank gosh."

"Anyway, I was thinking," You sling your bag over your shoulders, and glance over at Mingyu who has a curious expression. "This professor doesn't give us anything to work with. So I was thinking about checking out the campus library. Wanna tag along?"

Mingyu nods in agreement, his mind already made up not wanting to waste another second. "Do you even have to ask? Let's go." He starts to walk in the direction of the destination and you fall into step beside him.

The walk wasn't that far from Mr. Hawthorne's room, a seven-minute walk minimum. On the way there, you and Mingyu continue your conversation about the incident. You take in the familiar sights of the campus, the tall trees that provided shade, familiar faces and unfamiliar faces heading to their destinations. With such a pretty campus with breathtaking views, you didn't expect to be taught by an unprofessional instructor.

Upon entering the library, the cold air hits you like a splash of cold water to the face. The air conditioner was most likely on longer than it should've been, cranked to its limit. You and Mingyu occupy a vacant table and take out your personal effects.

You rub your arms, trying to warm yourself up and get used to the change of temperature. The library is quiet, but it's a peaceful quiet that contrasts Mr. Hawthorne's rather deadly quiet room. You can hear the sound of a printing machine just down the array of bookcases to the side of your table.

As a student walks by, the smell of a rich scent of caffeine emits a savory aroma. "Now that made me want some coffee all of a sudden."

Mingyu perks his head up at you after viewing something on his laptop. "I can go grab us a cup, the cafe is just upstairs."

"Really? I'll give you money."

"Consider it my treat." Mingyu flashes you a grin before taking off. You watch him go as he slowly disappears from your field of vision.

Your inner voice speaks to you, 'I should probably go ask the librarian for some resources for English Literature'. You do a quick glance at your table to make sure you don't leave behind anything important to be stolen. You push your chair back and walk away from your table to seek help from the librarian.

When you turn the corner to more bookcases, you spot a college student on a ladder, supporting him as he places new books on a high shelf. His hands move with precision. When he gets a hold a new book to store, he takes a moment to look at its cover before propping it onto the shelf.

There is a plastic storage unit beside the ladder with a big label on its side facing you that says 'Nonfiction.' He looks too young to be the librarian, perhaps he was a student worker. You don't know why you stopped in your tracks to watch him store books, but you come back to your senses when he steps down from the ladder, catching your eye.

Your eyes meet with his. He's now facing you, giving you a chance to take in his appearance. The first thing you notice about him is his glasses, perched on the end of his nose, the frames were a bit big. Then you see his outfit, earth tones. He's wearing a white button up that is neatly tucked into his deep brown curduroy pants, with a fitted cardigan in the shade of olive green. Then you notice his scuffed brown loafers that were likely worn out. There is a few button pins on his cardigan, you can't make out what they have on them, but one stood out to you and it was a frog on a lilypad.

He looks like the stereotypical bookworm, causing you to smile at his endearingly nerdy appearance, which you don't even notice yourself doing.

He flashes you a friendly smile before kindly asking, "Hi there, can I help you find something?" Your eyes flutter awake and you straighten up your posture.

"Actually, yes, I'm looking for some resources on English Literaure." You do your best to sound confident, instead it comes out awkward. "Do you think you can lead me in the right direction?"

His face lights up with enthusiasm with the mention of English Literature. "Yes we do! We've got a great collection of books, resources and documents on it." He motions you to follow him to which you do. He leads you into a section of the library filled with books and books of English Literature. "Alright here we are. Lets see...what specific area of English Lit are you trying to find?"

He scans the shelves as if to find inspiration. There's a moment of silence from your hesitation, unsure of how to narrow down the entire subject into an area. You then admit, "I actually don't know. I'm just trying to get a better understanding of it as a whole. My professor doesn't exactly have the best ways of teaching."

"Sounds like Mr. Hawthorne." He reads your mind like a book.

"Wait! You have him too?"

"Had him. He's definitely known for his...enthusiasm when it comes to English Lit." His eyes revert themselves to you as he leans in slightly closer. "He can be a bit overwhelming, I'm not a big fan of his teaching style either." The library volunteer admits, making sure no one was in sight to overhear.

You nod to him, sharing a look of agreement and understanding, you feel a sense of solidarity with him. "Sorry, let me go back to helping you." His cheeks flush a faint red with a slightly embarrased expression on his face. You have the urge to tell him to keep rambling but nothing comes out of your mouth.

His fingers trail on the spines of the books resting on the shelves as he nitpicks, and pulls out three different books. "These are a few of the best books on English Lit," he starts to transfer the books over you to carefully, while continuing to give you information. "This one is a great one, a brief analysis on Shakespeare's plays. This one is a collection of essays from the nineteenth century, and this one is unique, it looks at the historical context of a handful of the most famous English novels."

You take the books from him gratefully, and the corners of your lips curl into a soft smile. "Thank you so much, I really do appreciate your help."

He smiles back at you, feeling proud of himself. "Always happy to help! I'm Minghao by the way."

"Minghao." You repeat to him, instead of giving your own name. Then you quickly find your words, "I'm Y/N."

Minghao lags, an awkward pause emerges from the conversation before he speaks again. He doesn't think his name has been said to him in such a sweet tone like yours. "I hope these books are useful to you, come find me if you need anything else." Minghao pushes his glasses up higher on his nose bridge with his index finger before walking away from where you stood.

You take a look at the books given to you and run your fingers over the covers. You feel a sense of determination that you have been trying to rekindle ever since Mr. Hawthorne had been giving you a hard time. You've got new and reliable resources to dissect.

With the books clutched tightly in your hands, you find your path back to the table with you and Mingyu's personal items. Mingyu had been fidgeting with the corner of his notebook's page in your absence. Two cups of freshly brewed coffee laid on the table, one for Mingyu and the other untouched, waiting for you. You plopped yourself down onto your seat and excitingly placed the books onto the table.

"There you are," Mingyu lets out a sigh of relief as he picks up his cup of coffee. "I thought you got lost in the shelves. That's besides the point though, did you find everything okay?"

"Yes, and thank you for the coffee."

"Of course."

"The library's volunteer helped me before I could find her. He gave me these three to look at."

"The library's volunteer, huh?" He says out of pure curiousity. "What's he like?"

"Mingyu we're here to study." You pull out your own sticky notes from your bag and place them next to your notebook.

Mingyu sneers, "Right, right, that's totally my bad. So, what book first?"

·········

It's just you at the table, after a good study session with Mingyu. He had to leave early because he realized no one was home to feed his dog, leaving you alone. You got so lost in studying that you don't even realize the time, it's six. You pack your belongings, and take a long look at your table to make sure you didn't leave anything behind. As you walk deeper into the shelves to make your way out, you catch a glimpse of Minghao at the circulation desk, typing away on the library's computer.

You make an approach to the desk, catching Minghao's attention. "Oh, hi again!" He stands up from the chair while you set the three books on the counter. "Did these manage to help you out?" Minghao picks up the scanner and starts to scan the three books.

You find yourself smiling to yourself again before being able to answer his question. "Yes, a whole lot, actually. Thank you again." You hand Minghao your ID to scan, and finish the process of checking out the books to you. "I'll be back tomorrow."

Minghao nods and hands you the books with a heartfelt smile. You accidentally brush your hand up against Minghao's while taking the books, feeling his soft skin on the tips of your fingers. "Looking forward to seeing you again." His eyes twinkle with sparkles behind his glasses. "Have a great night, and happy reading!" He then says to you as you both wave goodbye.

Having left the library, you feel your cheeks heat up. Your stupid brain does that replay thing in your mind and you remember the way you touched his hand, his soft skin and the way he smiled at you. Your cheeks only burn brighter, blushing at the shared moment.

'What's wrong with me?'

·········

And you kept your word, you were back at the library the next day after your classes ended. Except without Mingyu, who had other matters to tend to. You aren't sure why, but you feel relieved Mingyu couldn't make it since you wanted to spend more time with the bookworm you met yesterday.

Instead of finding a table to claim, you roam the endless bookcases of the library. Your fingertips glided across various books, ones with plastic covers, ones with hard covers and ones that weren't either of those. It intrigued you, made you ponder, what was it like to be like Minghao? Being surrounded with countless books and tending to the needs of those like yourself, while having a tranquil space to do so.

Speaking of the devil, Minghao passed you, carrying a plastic storage unit like yesterday, perhaps he didn't recognize you. You made a weak attempt at playing it cool, searching the shelves as if you knew what you were looking for. While doing so, a bright red colored book stuck out to you.

The book was out of your reach, being a shelf above the shelf you could just barely reach, even on your tippy toes. It left you stretching your body, and even resorting to jumping to get a hold of the book.

Moments before you were thinking about giving up, you feel a presence behind you. Before you are able to whirl around and unmask the mysterious person, a hand reaches above your head, and the person effortlessly pulls the book out.

The hand falls to the persons side as you turn around, startled, finding yourself face to face with Minghao. He has a cheery smile on his face, while holding the book in front of his chest. He's dressed in a similar outfit from yesterday, but in a v neck sweater that made his collarbones peek out. "Could've just asked for help." He jokes, raising a brow at the book he helped you retrieve from the shelf.

You murmur a low thank you to him, being frozen in complete shock. "It's not a problem," He flips through the pages of the book and meets your gaze. "Fahrenheit 451? Do you need this for English Lit?"

You admit, "No..." While Minghao continues to skim the pages of the book, you take the time collect yourself.

"It just caught my eye."

"You should give it a read, it's an amazing novel." He hands the book to you, and crosses his arms. "So, what brings you here today? Need more resources for English Literature?"

Your heart flutters when you take the book from his hands and feel his hand touch yours like the day before. You're quick to break the eye contact and look down at Fahrenheit 451 in your hands. "Well, I'm just trying to get a head start on my reading list for next semester." Your lie is so obvious, it just makes you sound like a bigger nerd than Minghao is.

"I see, that's really proactive of you!" You can't tell if he picked up on your lie or if he's genuinely oblivious to it. "Is that everything you need?"

You nod timidly, and Minghao backs away from you and nods back to you. His smile remains on his face as he starts to turn the corner of the bookcase, while still talking to you, "I'm here if you need anything."

"Wait!" Your whisper shout, and trail behind him. He halts, then turns around to focus on you, adjusting his glasses to get a clearer look at your face. "Could you actually help me with the work Mr. Hawthorne assigned? You've taken his course. This sounds selfish, especially when you're here working and-"

Minghao's expression softens, "It's not selfish at all," he reassures you and gestures you to follow him. "I blend in with the rest of the students here, I can spare some of my time for you."

A small smile forms on your face from Minghao's thoughtful words as you follow behind him. You follow Minghao to a table in the corner of the library and he pulls up a chair to sit beside you. "So, what's giving you trouble?"

You pull out the work assigned you to, and place it on the table for Minghao to see. You explain your struggles with the work, and he listens intently, scanning the papers himself. As he begins to offer you guidance, you can't help but smile at the way he beams about the subject. His passion for literature is infectious.

Minghao's arm brushes against yours as he's covering a guided reading question. It makes it difficult for you to concentrate on the task at hand, but you can't help but to sneak little glances at him. Your heart only beats faster when his eyes land on yours, and before you know it, you've been talking for hours.

·········

"I should probably get going, the library closes soon." Realizing the hour, you stand up abruptly from your seat, but Minghao's voice stops you from taking your belongings. "Hang on, you might want to wait for a bit." He's glancing outside the glass panel, taking in the sight of raindrops hitting the glass and cascading down slowly. "It's coming down pretty heavily out there."

There's a pause. Your decision hanging in the air as the rain grows louder against the glass. Your mind seperates into two parts, one wants to take Minghao's advice and the other is eager to get home and process the events of what happened today. You stand there indecisive, till Minghao speaks up.

"I can go check if the librarian has an umbrella lying around," Minghao slides the chair back and adjusts his sweater. "I won't take long, I promise." You give Minghao a nod, and he's off to fetch an umbrella. You watch as he strikes up a conversation with the supposed librarian, the only other person working at the circulation desk, and then there's a nod, and Minghao disappears into the back room.

You come closer to the glass panel after packing your things, watching students begin to get drenched in the rain, and the trees begin to sway a little to their sides. As you wait, your mind begins to wander. It's impossible to ignore, but you can't stop thinking about how nice it is to have Minghao's company. Though you've only just met him, there's something about him that puts you at ease and you can't quite place a finger on what it is.

Who was he outside of the library? What interests did he have other than English Literature?

The direction of your thoughts makes you feel bashful, it's a bit silly, getting so caught up in speculation about someone you've just met the day before. Though he's a nerd, and probably spends his free hours playing video games, or reading some sort of science fiction novels, but you knew there was definitely something more to him. There was something that set him apart from the usual population of 'nerds' or 'geeks'.

As you're lost in thought, you hear footsteps approaching you from behind. "Success!" Minghao chirps, returning with a colorful umbrella in hand. You grin at him, shyly, having been caught up in your ditzy cloud of thoughts swarming your head. "I seriously don't know what to say other than thank you, you're too kind." You accept the umbrella and fidget with the handle.

"You're welcome," Minghao says, his voice laced with gentleness. "Besides, it's not every day I get to help someone with something other than books."

You laugh, feeling more at ease now that he's in your presence again. "But what about you? How will you get home with this kind of weather?"

His smile falters for a moment, "Oh I'll be fine," you can tell he's lying, "I've got my trusty backpack to keep me dry." He gives his backpack a pat that's now slung over his shoulder, but it's not exactly waterproof.

"No, this won't do..." Unsatisfied with his response, a thought occurs to you. "Well, how about we walk together?" You try to sound casual, but it comes out as if you've been meaning to ask him this entire time. "I don't live far from campus, besides it'll keep us both dry." You look up at Minghao, hoping he'll accept your offer.

You think you've overstepped, by the way he's standing there in complete shock. But then, a small smile spreads across his face, and he nods, "I'd like that, actually."

There's a rush of excitement that consumes your body hearing those words. "Great!" You say, butterflies trapped in your stomach. "I'll show you the way."

Then with those words, you both step out of the library. A gust of wind hits you, causing you to stumble backwards a bit, but Minghao steadies you by gently placing his hand on your back. "Are you okay?"

You can feel his touch's warmth through your jacket, he's standing so close to you, it feels like a moment that would've happened in a movie. "Yeah- I'm fine." Despite the fluttering in your chest, you manage to smile.

MInghao's attentive eyes scan your face, to see if you're really okay, and when he finds that nothing seems to be making you uneasy, he smiles back at you and removes his hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to grab you like that."

"No worries, thank you for checking on me." You acknowledge his help.

"May I have the umbrella?" Minghao asks politely.

You hand the umbrella over to him, your fingers making contact with his as you make the exchange. "Here you go." Your feel your heart beating faster.

He nods in thanks and opens it, holding it above your heads as you begin to walk in the rain to your home.

The walk is silent at first, the only source of sound was the rain and the commotion of the peers around you. After a few minutes, you chat with Minghao about everything and nothing. He seems easy to talk to. There's smiles and laughter as the minutes go by.

When you turn into your street, you have a realization that you're getting close to your home. There's a feeling of disappointment stuck in your chest that the walk is almost over, but you brush it aside. You're just happy to have spent time with Minghao today, and happy that he's accepted your brave offer.

·········

"He walked you home too?!" Mingyu's eyes widen, unable to process the story of events that happened yesterday.

"Not so loud!" You warn him with a slap on his shoulder. "I didn't want him to get soaked."

"Oh wow..." His words trail off in a teasing manner before he finds his words again. "Wait, what's his name again?"

"Minghao."

"Minghao, huh? Yeah, don't know him." Mingyu tosses the plastic cover of his sandwich into the garbage bin and digs in. "Are you gonna hit the library today?" He asks you after swallowing a bite.

You nod in response to Mingyu's question. "Yes, right now actually."

"How convinient."

"Shut up!"

He smirks, his eyes lit up with amusement to his own teasing. "Well, I won't keep you. I've got plans with Wonwoo and the boys tonight."

"Have fun tonight." You say to Mingyu, as you begin to walk away from him.

Mingyu nods, grinning, "I will. You too...maybe!" He says with a wink, before turning back to his sandwich.

You laugh and shake your head at Mingyu's endless teasing. You then feel a wave of excitement at the thought of running into Minghao again.

The library's doors swing open as you enter the familiar space once more, but this time without a reason to. It was less crowded than usual.

The bookcases become more and more familiar to you when you're walking by them. Genres of books begin to infiltrate your head when you read their labels on the sides of the bookcases. You continue to scan the rest of the library for a familiar face. Not even interested in anything in particular, you just keep holding onto the hope that you'll somehow run into him.

When you've checked every bookcase, you begin to search the study tables, searching for Minghao's earth tone outfit or his dark hair, his bright smile.

You make it to the second floor, where the cafe is located in an attempt to find the cute library volunteer, but he's not in sight. You start to think Minghao isn't here at all until you remember his mention of cleaning up the back room of the library during your walk in the rain.

Quickly, your feet lead you near the circulation desk, where you spot the librarian, engrossed in a novel. You hesitate, unsure if you should sneak past her and into the back room or seek permission.

When the librarian turns to a new page in her book, you seize the oppurtunity to slip around the desk and right into the back room. You can hear your own heart beat get faster as you carefully shut the door behind you, hoping you weren't caught red handed. There's a rush of adrenaline that pumps through your body as you go deeper into the corridor.

The lights are dimly light, and it smells like an antique store. As you turn the corner, you see Minghao working away at a large wooden table. He's surrounded by several stacks of paper, files and numerous books. He isn't wearing his glasses today, and his dark hair appears messy, as if he's ran his hand through it a million times.

He's wearing a long sleeve button up, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of jeans that have a belt cinched at his lower body. His jacket is hung on the back of a rolling chair, and on that same chair was his backpack.

You feel your heart skip a beat. He doesn't look like much of a nerd today, rather handsome. He's fully focused on sorting the papers and files into neat piles, and the books into certain storage units.

There's a feeling of guilt, sneaking up on him like this. But you're so caught up in watching him that you forget to announce that you're there.

Minghao suddenly looks up, feeling a gaze watching over him as he searches the room. His eyes sweep past you, and you think you've gone unnoticed. But then, his eyes find their way back over to you, causing you both to jump and reel back.

Embarrasment fills your body, you swiftly hide behind the wall, but you hear Minghao already making his way over to you. Then you look up, his eyes locking with yours with a hint of surprise. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Oh I uh-" Your mind is scattered everywhere, you can't seem to find an excuse to tell him why you're here. "A book! Yes, I was looking for a book."

Oh shit.

"A book?" He repeats back to you, raising a brow at your most obvious lie yet. "In the library's storage room?" He studies your expression, pausing for a moment too long. "You know, you're the first person I've met who gets lost in the library and ends up in the storage room."

If only you didn't linger a moment longer, you wouldn't have gotten yourself tangled in this mess. Your face is burning hot when it comes to your mind that Minghao isn't buying your excuse.

He takes another step towards you, "Let's try this again," his voice is low but gentle somehow. "What are you really doing here?"

"I was looking for you." You finally admit barely above a whisper. His expression doesn't change but you sense a shift in his demeanor.

"I figured." Is all he says before returning to his workspace, he sounds casual about it. You're still not sure how to react, but you enter the space and watch him finish his task at hand. "You're free to stay if you'd like, I could use the company."

His casual invitation puts your mind at ease, after what happened not even a minute ago. "Oh my bad, I'll move my bag so you can sit down." He takes his backpack and sets it under the table, then pats the back of the chair with his coat still resting on it.

"Thank you." You sit on the chair comfortably, running your hands over the fabric of Minghao's jacket. He watches you for a moment, a satisfied smile on his face before going back to work.

"Why aren't you wearing your glasses?" You ask out of pure interest.

Minghao's hands continue to move as he responds back to your question, "My contacts came in today, so I'm wearing them instead. The glasses make me look a bit nerdy."

"Nerdy? I think they suit you." Your compliment makes his cheeks flush up when he turns to look at you.

He flashes you a soft smile, and pauses his work to pull his phone out and his AirPods. "Wanna listen to some music while I work? I'll put on something we both like."

You nod enthusiastically, taking the AirPod from his hand reached out to you and placing it in your ear. He proceeds to scroll on his phone, and press play on a song that's familiar to you, and one that you like. "Told you I'd find something we both like."

As the music plays, Minghao goes back to busying himself with his task. You can sense his awareness of you. The way he occassionally glances up to meet your gaze, the way he's striking up small conversations to keep you from being bored. You offer to help him sort things as well.

After a while, you find yourself slumped back on the chair as Minghao starts to wrap things up. You let out a contented sigh, feeling the weight of your exhaustion take over you. Minghao is quick to notice and checks up on you. "Long day, right? You okay?"

You reply with a small, "Mhm", the fatigue slowly conquering you till Minghao wakes you up by approaching you, holding out his hand. "Here, let me help you up." He says sweetly, and you take his hand, feeling a jolt of energy and electricity as his fingers wrap around yours.

The both of your eyes meet once again, this time the tension is tense. For a moment, you stand there, staring at each other. There's a sense of closeness, maybe a hint of intimacy somewhere in there. His cologne thats powered with woody scents, and trails of grapevines urges you to move closer to him. Screw it.

Without hesitation, you press your lips against his, like you've wanted to the second you spotted him on your first trip to the library. His lips are warm and inviting, molded perfectly to yours. You feel him deepening the kiss, making you shiver at the fact that he wants you as much as you want him.

You feel your body pushing into his, as you grab onto his collar and fist at it. He doesn't make an attempt to touch you, which you're actually thankful about, showing his respect.

Then the sound of a door opening startles the both of you. You force yourself off Minghao and you both look at each other with panicked eyes. "Shit," he breathes out, still trying to catch his breath from the kiss. "Hide under the table."

In a matter of seconds, you scramble under the table. Your heart is racing with millions of emotions right now. You place your hand over your mouth, patiently waiting for the minutes to pass. Under the table, you can see Minghao's fists clenched into balls, his knuckles white. You can't help but quietly giggle at the sight, stopping seconds before the footsteps make it to the doorframe.

The librarian, Ms. Peacock peeks into the room, scanning it but missing you. "Ah, Minghao, all finished up here?" Her voice is delicate.

Minghao dusts off his top, and says with a smile, "Yes, just about done."

Ms. Peacock nods, and her eyes dart across the room again. You hold your breath, hoping she won't notice you're under the table.

"Alright my dear, there's a group of students out there that need help finding resources for their engineering class, if you would be so kind to assist them." Her words come out sweet like honey.

"I'm on it. Give me a second to wrap things up here." Minghao replies back, and Ms. Peacock heads out of the back room.

After waiting for a few moments, you hear Minghao let out a sigh of relief. He peers down at you, still hiding under the table and mouths "psst", motioning you to come out.

Slowly, you emerge from out of the table and back on your feet. "Close call." You say, the both of you chuckle.

"Well, you heard her, I got a job to do," He sighs, shaking his head in disappointment. "In the meantime, take this as a chance to escape. I'll meet you outside the library."

You come close to Minghao and cup his cheek, his eyes widen as you gently peck his lips. "Meet you outside." You say, making Minghao's cheeks turn into a bright tint of pink. He gives you a small nod, heading out of the storage room, leaving you to ponder in your own thoughts.

·········

You scan the cafeteria for your best friend, and spot him at your usual table you sit at. You quickly make your way over, plopping down on the seat right in front of him as he's sipping a cup of coffee.

Mingyu makes eye contact with you, setting his cup of coffee down on the table. "Couldn't bother to tell me on the phone?"

"I passed out as soon as I got home, anyways, you look- a bit mad?" You raise your eyebrow at Mingyu's expression.

"Yeah. I ran into Mr. Hawthorne not too long ago and he gave me the dirtiest look ever." Mingyu scoffed.

A laugh escapes your lips, finding it funny the way Mingyu said that. "What did you do?"

He scowls, narrowing his eyes. "I didn't do shit to piss him off! I was just making my way over here, and BOOM, he comes out like some super villan straight out of a movie, gives me this look like I'm fucking- I don't know, something hideous."

Mingyu is a tad bit dramatic, but you laugh at his exaggerated story anyway. "He won't let that divorce thing go, huh?"

"I know right? Oh please, I bet he's all pent up because his ex-wife is doing much better than him."

And he's spot on with that exaggeration.

"Anyways enough about that. What's up with you and Minghao?" His eyes revert back from being worked up.

With a deep breath, you fill Mingyu in on the events that happened yesterday, most importantly the kiss. Mingyu listens with full attention, his eyes getting wider with each detail, and his jaw dropping to the floor as you tell him more and more.

Then when you finish telling him all about it, he lets out a low whistle. "Thats- intense." He smirks, shaking his head. "So what's the next step?"

"I don't know, I need to talk to him to find out." You blush, thinking about the future. "Did I misread the situation?"

"Well, that's up to you to find out." Mingyu sips his coffee, shrugging. "I'll leave you to it."

And with those words, you and Mingyu finish up some last conversation topics and you're off on your seperate ways.

Once again, you're on the search for Minghao. Finally not having to come up with an excuse to be back at the library. You check the shelves, not here. The study tables, also not there. Then the upstairs cafe, not there either. That only leads you to one conclusion, the back room.

There's a line of students waiting to have their books checked out by Ms. Peacock as she occupies the circulation desk by herself. You feel extreme guilt from the way you snuck right into the storage room without her permission, so instead of slipping past her, you chose to approach her.

You stop in front of the circulation desk after the line of students clear, and greet Ms. Peacock. "Hi, excuse me, Ms. Peacock," Your tone is casual, and collected. "Have you seen Minghao today?"

She looks to you after clicking on something on the library's computer, there's a hint of surprise in her face to your question. "Oh, my dear, Minghao isn't volunteering here anymore." She says apologetically.

You reel back in utter confusion, "What? Why not?" Your voice quivers, but you try to keep your tone casual.

Ms. Peacock's expression turns sympathetic as she says to you, "I'm afraid that he just decided that this wasn't fit for him anymore. He turned in his volunteer badge to me yesterday afternoon."

You stood there, frozen, unable to process your emotions as it sinks in. Yesterday's afternoon...just after you kissed him. Chills run down your spine, you begin to wonder if there was ever a connection.

You thank Ms. Peacock for the information that she's given you, but just before you turn around to exit the library, you speak again. "Ms. Peacock?

"Yes, my dear?"

"Do you happen to have Minghao's contact information? Like his phone number?" You plead.

She sounds hesitant, "I'm not sure if I'm able to give you that information." She says, unsure.

"Please Ms. Peacock? It's really urgent, I really need to talk to him."

Ms. Peacock stares at you for what seems like an eternity, then nods slightly. "Let me check," she goes back onto her computer, and types away.

You grow impatient and anxious, fiddling with the sleeve of your shirt. Finally, Ms. Peacock slides you a piece of paper with Minghao's number on it.

"Here it is my dear," She says below a whisper, "But please, don't share this with anybody."

"Thank you, thank you so so much." You say with tears in your eyes, and you're quick to punch his digits into your phone. You're going to get to the bottom of this.

You step out of the library, phone in your shaky hands as you take a deep breath. With a swift motion, you shoot a text message to Minghao, hoping you'll get answers.

Today 2:21 PM

[ minghao, it's me. i talked to ms. peacock and she said that you quit volunteering? what's going on? >

You're about to stuff your phone back into your pocket, when it vibrates, and you swipe open a new message from Minghao.

< hey. yeah, i wanted to focus on some other things. i'm sorry i wasn't able to tell you in the moment, and about yesterday... ]

You read his text as you wipe the tears out of your eyes, waiting for him to finish typing up his next response.

< i'm really sorry if i made things weird. i'm terrible at this kind of stuff. ]

[ no, no. don't apologize. you didn't make anything weird. do you want to talk about this in person? >

< i would like to. ]

[ wanna come over to my place? i'll be home in a bit. >

< are you sure that's okay with you? i wouldn't want to impose. ]

[ of course it's okay. i want to help. come over when you're ready. >

< then i'll be there soon. i know my way there. ]

You shut off your phone, and continue to walk home. A smile spreads across your face, you can't wait to see Minghao and help him work through his struggles.

·········

There's a ring at your door, making you jump up from the couch and fix your hair as you go to answer it. Upon placing your hand on the doorknob, you take a deep breath to calm your nerves, then open it.

Minghao stands timidly in the doorway, you can tell he’s nervous by the way he’s fiddling with his fingers. He’s wearing a hoodie with a graphic design on it and similar jeans like the ones from yesterday. His hair is a mess, probably from walking in the wind.

“Hi.” You say in a soft voice, and gesture him to come into your space. “Come inside, it’s windy out there.”

Minghao steps into your space, nodding to you with a thanks. He closes your door for you, and takes a moment to scan the unfamiliar surroundings. "You have a cozy home." He looks a bit out of place standing inside your house.

"My parents are visiting my other family in the next town over," You say as you gesture Minghao into your living room, where you plop yourself down on your cozy sofa. You pat the seat next to you. "Have a seat."

There's hesitation in his steps, deciding if he should take the seat you offered him or keep his distance from you. Though, he ends up sitting by your side. You notice his expression relaxing a bit, but he still feels a bit out of place.

"Do you want something to drink? Eat?"

"No, no, I'm alright, thank you." He shakes his head. There's few seconds of silence before he speaks again. "It's quiet in here."

You nod, smiling. "Yeah, it's definetly peaceful."

There's a comfortable silence that lingers in the air for a few moments more. The only sound that can be heard is the sound of your clock ticking on the wall. Minghao breaks the silence.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this. I just feel like I'm failing at everything right now." His eyes are cast downward, and he speaks in a quiet, timid voice. He's fiddling with his fingers again.

You turn to him. "I'm here to listen, not judge. Tell me, what's going on?"

Minghao's eyes flicker over to yours. His eyes read to you as desperate, looking for someone to understand. His gaze drops again before he nods to you slightly. "It's just- my parents, they're disappointed in me," His voice breaks at the end of his sentence. "They want me to take over the family business, but how can I when I don't want to? I want to do something else, something that makes me happy."

You're quick to take his shaky hands into yours and enclose them. You give his trembling hands a few strokes as you reply back. "Then if books are what motivate you, don't let your parents stop you."

Minghao shakes his head and his shoulders tense up. "They just don't get it." He pauses to take a deep breath. "They say it's selfish of me, that I'm betraying them."

"Minghao," You move a hand up to his forearm and caress it. "That's not selfish of you at all. You're just trying to find your own path, that's all. Don't let your parents dictate your life."

He pulls his shaking hands away from your touch and runs his fingers through his dark hair, then buries his face into his hands. You wrap your arms around him, holding him close, reassuring him that he was safe with you.

As you hold him, it comes to thought that his struggles are more than just his parent's harsh expectations. He's struggling to find his own identity, to find his place in the world, and struggling to keep his composure right now.

"I'm really trying, but they don't see it." He removes his hands from his face and clutches the denim material of his jeans with a hand. "They don't see the times I've tried to make them proud, all the times I've sacrificed my own happiness for their sake," He breaks, his breathing becoming more unstable as he goes on.

"Every stupid decision I make based on what they'll think, what they'll approve of. I just want to be my own person, make my own choices," "Minghao." You try to get him to stop, but he keeps going.

"And everytime I assert myself, I'm put right back in my original place. It's not even them, it's me as well. I'm constantly second-guessing myself, I don't even know if I'm making the right decisions for myself."

"Minghao, please." You shake his arm. "And I wanted to be honest with you yesterday. Wanted to hold you close to me. But I got so caught up with my struggles that you slipped out of my mind. I’m so stupid. I just wish I held onto that volunteering badge even if my parents found it and burnt it to a crisp. It's just so unfair to you-"

You take matters into your own hands, taking the fabric of his hoodie and tugging it towards you with a hand. Your other hand cups his cheek, heart pounding in your chest, leaning closer and closer to him before he can get another word out to you.

Minghao's eyes widen seemingly, and before he gets the chance to pull away from you, you push his face right into yours and kiss him. Hungry for his taste, but you were still aching for his pains. You waited for him to reciprocate the feelings back.

He's stuck in a state of shock, and pain. He's unable to make up his mind in the moment. Yet, when you begin to pull away thinking he wouldn't kiss you back, he pulls you right back in.

You gasp in surprise, when his tongue slips past your lips. His tongue dances with yours, yearning for more of your taste. His hands shyly roam their way over to your waist, and when he touches your skin, he doesn't' think about backing away this time.

You kiss until the both of you are left breathless, catching your breath. You hear the constant ringing of his phone, but Minghao ignores it. Minghao suddenly lifts you up from the couch and grabs hold of your waist once more, stealing another kiss from you. This one was more slow, and savory.

He poured his love into the kiss, pulling you closer. His hands find themselves to your curves, squeezing them slightly, which elicits a moan out of you, making you arch into him. Your hands sneak their way up his torso and onto his hoodie strings. The ringing of the phone in Minghao's pocket continues to ring, and you both grow annoyed of it.

Minghao pulls away from you abruptly, reaching for the phone in his pocket as he picks up the call. "What? What the hell do you want?" His hand is still on your waist as he's answering the call. "Yeah...mhm...whatever, I'll be on my way." He hangs up with a heavy sigh. "I am so sorry."

"No, it's okay, you can go." You reassure him, placing a hand on his arm.

Minghao's eyes flicker over to yours, and back to the phone. You can see the internal conflict he's dealing with, the need to answer the call, the family drama that has yet to be resolved versus the desire to stay with you. "I'm so sorry. Can i come back tomorrow?"

You nod to him, and with that he starts heading out the door. "I promise I'll make it up to you." He says, and there's one last look of love before you shut your door. He leaves your face boiling hot, but also concerned about his family matters. You can't shake off the feeling.

Before you can process what just happened, there's a knock at your door. You stand there in shock, but you approach your door to answer it, expecting a new guest. You open the door, wider this time.

"Oh- did you forget something?"

"I want to stay."

You blink multiple times in response to his sudden words. "What about your family? Aren't they going to be mad?"

Minghao's jaw clenches, as he makes his way back over to you. "Fuck them. I need you right now."

You're about to speak up but Minghao's lips crash down onto yours, silencing you. The kiss is passionate, his mouth claiming yours with a desperate intensity that's unmatched.

Your senses are spinning out of control, as Minghao pulls you in by the waist, and shutting your door as he does so, not breaking the kiss. In a swift motion, he pushes you against your front door.

You're melting into his embrace, his lips are fierce and demanding, his tongue is tangled with yours in a hot mess. You can't help but reciprocate the feelings back to him.

His hands are shy, not wanting to touch areas of you where you might feel uncomfortable with. But in the heat of the moment, you want him to. You're craving his touch.

Minghao puts the kiss to a stop, to catch his breath. "We don't have to do anything right now..." He huffs. "We can just be- together."

"But I want to." You tease, pulling the strings of his hoodie, and bringing him close to you again. Minghao senses your strong desire for him, and his eyes search yours to find uneasiness, but he finds nothing. "I want you." You say shyly, not thinking twice about what you're wishing for.

Your heart skips a beat by the way he's looking at you, longing for you. You're aware that you're taking a risk. A risk getting involved with Minghao and his family. But when he leans in and his lips graze the side of your ear, you can't help yourself. You're falling for him, hard.

His hot breath gives you tingles. "What do you want?" He pecks at your ear, and brings his knee to your aching core, and presses it against where you want him most. "Tell me." He tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, and your hands instinctevly find themselves onto his shoulders as he rubs his knee against you in a circular motion.

"You..." You gasp out, tightening your grip on his shoulders as he continues to tease you. He makes you feel so good, so loved. "I want you..."

The room around you starts to fade away, leaving just the two of you, relishing the moment. His lips smash into yours again, eager to please you. You're not just thinking about Minghao, you're thinking about what the future held for the both of you, and the way his knee is still grinding against you is driving you insane.

You whisper at the end of the kiss, "I want you to take me to bed." You let the words roll off your tongue as he picks you by your thighs effortlessly, while pecking delicate kisses on your neck. "Room to the left." You give directions to your room, as he walks the halls of your house and brings the both of you into your bedroom.

He sets you down on the end of your bed with a plop. Clothes come flying off within a matter of seconds and you find your hands on Minghao's belt buckle, undoing it.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Minghao asks before you can pull his pants down, and you nod, reassuring him this is what you want.

His pants come down with a pull, and then his boxers that reveal his aching cock for you. He looks at you, seeking for any hint of doubt and uncertainty, but he finds nothing but lust. "I'm sure." You whisper.

Your hand reaches out to touch him, your fingers brush against his toned abs. Who knew a bookworm would have a sleeper build. As your fingers make contact with his cock, it twiches in your hand. He inhales sharply as you start to pump him.

You maintain eye contact when you lean closer to lick his tip, then swirl it with your tongue. Minghao is only able to look at you for a few seconds before his head is tilted back. Then that's your cue to get to work, and you add your mouth to the mix, sucking and pumping him.

"Fuck-" He manages to gasp out, snaking a hand up to your hair and grabbing a handful. Minghao's body shutters as his erection ventures deeper into your mouth, taking in as much as you can. He can't believe he's here. In your house, in your bedroom, cozy and dimly lit, and you, sitting like a princess between his legs, so desperate to make him cum.

A soft moan escapes his lips, a sound different than anything you've heard from him before. It tempts you to please him more. You feel his cock reach the back of your throat as you gag, but you feel yourself getting wetter and wetter by the second. "Oh my god- please-" he whines, starting to thrust himself into you.

You gag again at the sudden added motion, but steady your pace as you swirl then suck. You can tell he's close by the way he's twitching, thrusting himself more eagerly into your mouth. His grip on your hair tightens as he pulls your head down to take in all of him. Your eyes widen impossibly, his cock sliding past the back of your throat and into you further.

Then, his eyes meet yours, through half-lidded eyes you can see the burning passion in his pupils. He pulls you back up and back down, and repeats the movement till he senses he's close. The sweet sounds he's making is making you drip, wanting him to reward you after you please him.

It's not even moments later till his cum pools in your mouth, and you swallow obediently. When he comes down from his high, his heavy breathing reverts back to it's original pace. His hand moves from your hair down to your soft lips, thumbing your bottom lip with his thumb. Then, his fingers come to your cheek, giving gentle strokes.

"I'm sorry for taking control at the end there," He chuckles and pinches your cheek.

"Oh but I wanted you to." You melt into his touch and gaze up at him with a satisfied smile.

"I love it when you're honest with me." He leans down and kisses your forehead. "Now, can I return the favor?"

You nod, grabbing at Minghao's bicep and throwing him on top of you. You readjust your positions on the bed and he places a hand on your hip. "You sure you're okay with this?" He asks as he plants a kiss onto the hollow of your neck. "I let it slide before, but I want you to tell me. Can you tell me if you're okay with this?"

There's nothing you want more than Minghao right now, but you're unable to convey your message over with your throat-fucked voice. "Yes, Minghao, I'm more than okay." You're surprised that your voice doesn't crack.

Minghao smiles at your words, and his shy hands begin to wander across your body. "You're gorgeous. So pretty..." He whispers into your ear as his kisses trail around your upper body. You blush, feeling his fingers at the apex of your thighs as he rubs a thumb on your clit.

Carefully, he slides a finger into you, curling it, making you fold. You feel your back lifting off the bed, by the way he's making you feel. Just when you think it doesn't get any better, Minghao adds another, and they slip in and out of you at a face pace.

His lips meet yours unexpectedly, and he parts your lips apart by pushing his tongue into your mouth. Your hands grip at the sides of his biceps, as he's kissing you oh so passionately. The sensation of his fingers inside of you only contribute to your orgasm, which you feel coming embarrassingly quick.

Time seems to slow down as you break the kiss, moaning his name over and over again, as your sweet essence flows out of you. "That's it, cum for me, love."

Love. Never would you have thought you'd be called that by Minghao, it's rewarding, almost. Minghao pecks at your lips, his face coming down to the mess you made, and licking you clean, making sure to not miss a single drop. His tongue is warm, and feels like heaven against your folds, sending you into orbit.

"Please- Minghao..." Your body shakes from the sensation.

"Please what?" Minghao looks up at you, then rises from tasting you. He takes his cock in his hand, and places it at your enterance.

"Need you-" You grind yourself against his cock, your body yearning for his wamrth. "Please?"

"Fuck, fuck, hold on darling." He stops you by placing his hand on your hip. "Condom?"

"Second drawer." You grow impatient, craving him more and more as the seconds slip by.

Minghao, now with the condom in hand, rips open the packet and rolls the plastic over his hard erection. The moment it's slipped on, his gaze meets yours. There's a sigh as he places his cock against you once more. "Do you want to keep going?"

You knew he would drop everything, even as hard as he is, if the words no slipped out of your mouth. With that adorable smile on his face, he would kiss you for hours and hours to distract you.

"Yes, please Minghao." Your hips move against his skin again, and he snickers. "So needy, aren't you?" He says to you, and before you're able to answer, he slips himself right into you, making you cry out in pleasure.

"Fuck!" You moan out, as he begins to move in and out of you, making sure you were okay as he occassionally looks up to check on you, while being glued to your skin. "You feel so fucking good..." He groans, the curve of his dick hits your sweet spot over and over again.

Minghao takes one of your nipples in his hand, palming at it while his mouth encloses another, swirling at it relentlessly. Everything feels so good, you think you're seeing stars. You're so desperate for more of Minghao, more of his inches inside you, more hands on you, more kisses and hickeys he's giving you. You want to live in this moment forever, but your bodies could only endure so much.

Your orgasm starts to possess you, as Minghao releases your nipples. He buries his face into your neck, whimpering into you as his thrusts become more and more uncoordinated. "Hao-" Your own moan cuts you off in an attempt to speak up.

"Yes, my love?" His voice is gentle, but trembling from the pleasure.

"I'm cumming- can I? Please- please- oh- fuck-!" In a moment that seemed inevitable, you cum for the second time that night and he lets you ride out your orgasm, while muffling his rough moans in your neck. Your legs shake and your grip on Minghao's biceps tightens as you approach the final moments of your orgasm. "I love you, princess." He manages to get out, and loosens himself up.

As your catching your breaths, Minghao occupies himself by kissing all around your collarbone. An elbow rests on the side of your head and his other hand is on your waist, caressing your skin. It's peaceful for some minutes, just the sound of your breathing trying to revert back to their normal pace after a steamy night.

Sometime later, Minghao stands up after planting a soft kiss on your nose and lets out a heavy sigh. "I'll clean you up," he says with a laugh, and starts to leave your room.

Minghao returns with two wet rags, using one to clean up the aftermath of your orgasm and he uses the other one to clean up your sweat.

Once you both finish cleaning yourselves up and cozy in your bed, you snuggle up against him, hearing his heart beating for you. It's more than enough to tell you that he loves you, but you want to hear the words anyway.

"I love you, Hao." You say, turning your face towards him, your eyes glistening with nothing but love.

"I love you too." He says, pressing his lips against yours for a quick kiss.

Hadn't you thought of walking into the library to find resources for English Literature. Where would you be now? Still suffering in the trenches of Mr. Hawthorne's class? You shudder at the thought. You might've still been struggling to dissect Shakespeare's sonnets or Dicken's novels. His class would've been more and more unbearable.

But instead, you found Minghao, and with him, a newfound love for English Literature. His passion and deep knowledge ignited a spark in you, a feeling of hope that you'll score higher marks. But without knowing, you scored a cute nerd who seems more than who he appears.

Just something to think about, you thought to yourself.

another note: hi again :3 just wanted to check on u. how wuzzit? lmk lmk

[starry-eyes-and-clear-skies]

Liu Jun x Hongxiu Headcanons

Rather than throwing away his ruined gloves, Hongxiu darns them with colorful thread. He loves looking down at his hands and seeing a bright reminder of her love.

With some encouragement from Qi Pa, Hongxiu starts to shower Liu Jun in terms of endearment such as "darling" or "sweetie". He becomes a flustered mess each time.

Liu Jun asks Hao Nan to keep an eye out for any new sweets popping up in town. That way he can arrange time off and surprise Hongxiu with a romantic walk in the city.

Liu Jun was incredibly nervous to meet Hongxiu's family, expecting them to be working class citizens wary of the viper bloodline. He was not expecting them to be the owners of a prominent gold mine in Beast Clan that would welcome him with open arms.

Hongxiu tries to enlist Qi Pa and Haitang's help in the art of seduction, hoping to learn one of their man capturing dances to woo Liu Jun. Her clumsiness causes her to instead fall into his arms in the middle of the dance. He was wooed regardless.

Hongxiu makes it a habit to always carry a mask with her just in case she can find an opportunity to kiss Liu Jun. Noticing this, Liu Jun buys her one to match each outfit she owns.

When drinking with Bai Ke and Hu Die, Liu Jun makes sure to limit his alcohol intake. He always ends the night carrying home a drunk Hongxiu and tucking her into bed.

[umichenginabroad]

Stockholm Week 15: Already Time for Austria! 

My time in Europe is running out and I am trying to make the most of it. 

Welcome to Jiwoo’s blog. This week’s main attraction is Vienna (or Wien), Austria! 

However, before leaving for Austria, I enjoyed a new experience in Stockholm.  

4/24 Wed: The ABBA Museum

Our Glued to the Screen: TV Film course voted on the location of our field study  last week. The winner was the ABBA museum! 

Did you know that ABBA, who sang hits like Dancing Queen, was a Swedish  supergroup? To be honest, I did not know until I came to Sweden. Surprisingly many companies and groups are Swedish and I had no clue! Top examples I can think of right now are Spotify, IKEA, H&M, ABBA, Roxette, and Ace of Base. 

I knew the museum was popular but it was on the more expensive side so I never visited before. This was a perfect excursion for me! 

There were various interactive activities and photo spots such as karaoke rooms, dance stages with ABBA members, and places with phone stands for selfies (very convenient)! 

I was the fifth member of ABBA for an hour   

The ABBA museum is in Djurgården, an island that is rather far from everywhere. Since I was there already, I made it a whole trip by checking out Rosendals garden as well! 

It has been on my places-to-visit list for a while due to its flower gardens and cafes. 

I saw a wide variety of beautiful flowers, which momentarily healed my soul. I strongly encourage the gift shops too! 

I wanted to live here

On the way to a meeting, I saw the cherry blossoms that were starting to bloom now. I’m planning on visiting them when I return from Austria! 

There weren’t in full bloom yet but I think they are now! 

My partner and I met at illycaffe to practice our Swedish oral exam. The cafe had a relaxing, studious atmosphere but the wifi was a bit janky so we had to move around in the cafe.     

4/26 Fri: First Day in Austria!

Finally, the day of our flight to Austria. As soon as I finished my last class of the day, I headed to the airport. 

After flying for two hours, we arrived in Vienna! The first view of Vienna from the airport was unexpectedly so green, which made me helplessly fall in love with Vienna. 

The sun was going down when we arrived; soon, darkness covered the sky.  

Airbnb was our first destination, then the city center for dinner and touristy things. We devoured dim sum for dinner at this really good Chinese restaurant called Hao Han. After we got satiated, we walked around the innere stadt. Even at night, the palaces and statues were beautiful. We walked around quite a bit until our legs failed us.

You can find a few stars in the photo too!

4/27 Sat: Schönbrunn Palace

We started the morning early by leaving at 9 am since we did not want to waste any time that could be used to travel. 

My roommate started her day extra early by leaving for Prague at 4 am. My friend and I, who stayed in Vienna, went to a flea market. I didn’t buy any clothes or accessories there, but I bought a small digital camera that I have been craving for a few months now! 

After a small pastry and lunch break, we traveled to The Schönbrunn Palace. The place was HUGE. My friend and I decided not to go into the palace due to time constraints; we were glad of this choice because just walking around the free gardens, fountains, and viewpoints took us over three hours. 

The parks were free to enter yet extremely well managed and decorated -- we talked about how we would come here every single day to stroll around or read a book under the sun if we had studied abroad here. 

We went thrifting for an hour after our excursion, but couldn’t find anything that caught our eye. Stockholm has better thrift stores in my opinion! 

We called it a day after getting dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. Our legs were about to fall off and we had work to do :( 

Unlike our original plan of going back to Airbnb and working on our projects and presentations right away, we took a nap for an hour before getting everything started.

4/28 Sun: Prater Amusement Park, Albertina Museum, Austrian National Library, St. Peter’s Church 

I couldn’t pass by a hotdog stand in Vienna, so I got a classical Vienna hotdog for breakfast. The sausage came wrapped in a carved baguette! The bread was softer than I thought it’d be and the sausage was better than I expected :)  

Since we ate breakfast, it was time for dessert. We met up with my roomie at Cafe Demel, a popular cafe known for authentic Austrian desserts.

After lining up for thirty minutes, we got in and ordered sachertorte (a dark chocolate cake with apricot jam and icing, served with whipped cream) and kaiserschmarrn (bite-sized caramelized scrambled pancake with powdered sugar served with sour apple sauce).

It was such a good combi, a rich dark chocolate cake paired with savory pancakes and sour apple jam.

The souvenir store downstairs was also cute but pricey. 

For lunch, I went to Prater amusement park to meet my high school friend who is currently studying abroad in Vienna. It was so funny because I am going to meet her again next week on a trip to Italy. We are meeting more often in Europe than in the United States, and that was funny to us. 

As risk-taking adults, we invested some money into claw machines. And the best part: WE ACTUALLY GOT ONE! High risk high return  ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ 

Talented pookies right here

And with that adrenaline, we decided to go on a ride with five loopy loops. Why? I’m not sure because the moment we got on the line we were shivering with fear. 

FIVE WHOLE 360s

As proper grown-ups, we came out in one whole piece without crying. With our jittery legs and spinning vision, we somehow managed to walk towards the archery game stop and popped some balloons too (I popped one out of five balloons!!!). I had to say goodbye to my friend after that because the museums closed early, but it was definitely a core memory. 

I was a busy gal that day! I speed-walked to the train station to go to the Albertina Museum. I was debating between the Belvedere museum (has Klimt’s Kiss), but decided that I wanted to see more of Monet’s paintings. I found other pieces of artwork that I cherished on top of Monet’s artworks. I call that a win! 

I discovered during my study abroad that I love impressionism and still art!!! My favorite is Monet so far if you couldn't tell 

The souvenir shop had an assorted collection of goods made out of popular artworks -- I ended up purchasing several coasters and postcards :) 

Buildings right outside the museum

Without delay, I moved on to State Hall in the Austrian National Library.

Unlike other libraries, it had an entrance fee of 7.50 euros (student price). However, it was worth it. It was a mix of museum and cathedral with a hint of palace. In short, it was stunning and breathtaking.

People for scale

There isn’t any place to study because there are no tables, but other parts of the library might have had study spots. 

The ceiling was the final blow for me -- I was awestruck

At last, we went to a famous restaurant with authentic Austrian food. We got there without reservation but they were kind enough to provide a table for us. We got Pork Schnitzel (~thin katsu), Beef Goulash (~beef stew), and potato salad. The combination of those three dishes was amazing - the potatoes surprisingly went well with both main dishes, allowing us to eat every little piece on the plates. 

Our final destination in Vienna was a string concert at St. Peter’s church. For a little over an hour, we heard a true harmony of Classic Ensemble Vienna playing a series of songs by Beethoven, Bach, Vivaldi, and Mozart. 

The concert sparked my desire to play the violin again!

Overall, my trip to Vienna was wonderful! The weather was perfect, the food was amazing, and the attractions were gorgeous. I would 10/10 recommend a weekend trip to Vienna for studying abroad students! 

Next week is when my Milan and Florence trip begins. Come back to see what I am up to in Italy! 

Danke, 

Jiwoo Kim

Chemical Engineering

DIS Study Abroad in Stockholm, Sweden

[ohhmydyosfics]

(Haobin) Disconnected

Teaching Assistant: Hello! Welcome to HIST 125! This is your Intro to World History class! I will be your TA for the semester, Sung Hanbin! Our first class will begin on Monday and we will be learning about early civilizations. Please remember to be in room 3021 at 3 pm! I hope to see you all there :)

Zhang Hao: what kinda calculator will i need for this class

Teaching Assistant: ?

Teaching Assistant: None ?

[hao-and-yoh]

Shaman King “Fractured Duality” - Alternative Universe

Continued from here.

Episode Ten (11)

Yoh nodded his head at the staff member and then put his arm around Hao’s waist. He began to push Hao along with him and out of the way of the other travellers in the busy Chinese airport check-in lobby.

“Nii-chan, are you okay? You seem a bit… not yourself today.” worriedly asked Yoh.

“Uh…” mumbled Hao. Before he could formulate an answer, Hao saw the faces of the others come into view.

His eyes immediately locked onto Ren and Jeanne, who both looked back at the twins as they waited patiently for them to finish their check-in.

“Tao Ren. Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. He is Yoh’s ally for a reason, after all. Maybe we could start over?”

“But then again, why would he want to be friends with someone like me?”

“Oh so, you both decided to… come along after all?” quietly muttered Hao, keeping his gaze firmly on the couple when he and Yoh reached their side.

Ren raised an eyebrow at the fire shaman’s question.

“I did not exactly get a say in the matter. You’re welcome, by the way.” scoffed Ren, crossing his arms and looking away from Hao’s blank expression.

“What? Did I miss something?”

“Probably.”

“Excuse me?” muttered Hao.

“For the First Class upgrade - you ungrateful piece of sh -”

“- should we get moving through security so we have time to browse the duty-free stores?” interrupted Jeanne - shoving Ren along and away from the twins and towards the large moving escalator stair case in front of them.

“First Class? He paid for my ticket? That was kind of him.”

“I thought he hated me.”

Manta and HoroHoro shared a nervous look with one another before they both looked at Hao’s perplexed expression.

Hao found himself intensely examining the faces of his two friends for any signs of something being off with them. His mind fell back on the revelations about his past from the previous night - and for some reason he was finding it difficult to shake the worrying feeling that perhaps they may be afraid of him now. Was that what he could see in their eyes? Fear?

“Shit – what do I say? Last night was so awkward. Do they think I’m dangerous too? Wait – were we even in Guizhou last night? How the hell did we get here? Just look at them – they can tell something’s wrong. Dammit. We should have just told them the truth from the start. Now look at the mess we’re in.” “And it’s all my fault.”

“Are you okay dude? You seem off today.” asked HoroHoro, worriedly.

“Yeah.” agreed Manta.

“That’s what I said.” added Yoh, he raised his arm from Hao’s waist and began to reassuringly rub his brother’s shoulders. “Don’t let Ren get to you, Nii-chan. He’ll come around, you’ll see.”

“I’m fine.” firmly replied Hao.

“Where did Ren and Jeanne go? Don’t they know they shouldn’t just walk off like that? Who knows what could happen. We have no idea what unknown dangers exist in this world...”

“…like me.”

His eyes drifted towards the direction the other two from their party had gone - and without saying another word to the others - he began to follow in the same direction as well.

Yoh, Manta and HoroHoro all exchanged the same concerned look with one another before hurriedly following after him.

Stepping off the escalator, Hao began to notice how the bustling noise of the airport crowd began to sound like a badly tuned static radio.

“I hate flying.” “My flight was cancelled – again?” “I can’t wait for this vacation. I need a break.” “I’m going to miss my flight!” “I hope I make it to the connecting airport on time.” “I shouldn’t have watched that movie about that plane crash last night.”

“Wait – which way is the security gate? I had better look for a sign…” “…or a mirror.”

The noise momentarily affected his ability to concentrate - and he began to forget where he was and what he was doing. His eyes drifted towards the airport walls as he searched for a sign to tell him which way to go - then, feeling somewhat helpless, he cemented himself to the spot and froze.

As he laid eyes on his twin at the top of the moving staircase, Yoh noticed how his big brother seemed a bit lost. He calmly approached him and reached for his hand, gripping Hao’s fingers tightly in his.

“Come on. Let’s stick together. We’ll find our way.” softly said Yoh, tugging his twin by the arm and in the direction of airport security.

“I shouldn’t have left Yoh behind – what was I thinking?! He always knows what to do.” “It’s such a shame that he has to put up with a brother like me.”

Hao’s eyes drifted to their interlocked hands and he briefly observed Yoh’s oracle pager. Then suddenly - something occurred to him. He lifted his own left arm and immediately realised that his pager was gone.

“Yoh, I - I’ve lost my pager!”

Yoh turned his head and looked at Hao’s bare forearm and then met his big brother’s alarmed eyes.

“I know, you left it back at Ren’s by mistake. Remember?” sighed Yoh with a slight pained smile.

“What? No - I - I distinctly remember putting it on!” argued Hao.

“Don’t worry. If we make it to the Village, then, I’m sure the Patch can get you a new one. It’s not like we needed it, or anything.” went on Yoh as he began to snake them both through the airport barricades to join the long security line.

“I know but… it was mine.” sadly whispered Hao.

Hao remained silent as he stuck close to his twin’s side in the busy crowd of travellers. He could not understand why he was feeling so anxious. He was certain he had his pager. Why would he leave it behind?

“How could I be so careless? That pager was mine. It meant a lot to me. Yoh and I worked hard to earn our pagers together. It’s like Yoh always says… we did it together. It might have been broken, but… I loved my pager.” “Although, yellow was a ridiculous colour choice.”

Why could he not remember travelling to Beijing? Had he been feeling so spaced out that he dissociated completely from their reality for a while?

“What the hell is going on? I should tell Yoh.”

Before Hao could find the words to voice his concerns, he found himself moving effortlessly through the security checkpoint and emerging in the busy shopping district on the other side. He caught a glimpse of a short boy with a distinct pointy hairstyle walking along behind a delighted young woman as they entered an accessories store.

“There they are!”

“Better follow them before we lose them again. Quickly!”

Without giving his younger brother a second thought, he began to immediately make his way towards them.

Unfortunately, Yoh had forgotten to remove his headphones before he stepped through the metal detector and was finding himself getting the full security treatment from the guards. He watched on helplessly as his twin once again disappeared into the crowd.

Hao found himself wandering into the store and he hastily looked around for the warrior shaman.

“Where did they go?”

“Hey – what’s that?”

Then, something caught his eye. He lifted his hand towards an earring display and carefully caressed a large silver pair of star shaped earrings. As he admired them in his hand, they began to reflect the light into his eyes.

Blinking at the sparkly costume jewellery in his hand, Zeke snatched them from the display and shoved them into his tracksuit pocket. He hastily made his way out of the store and began to search the faces of the airport crowd.

From across the bustling airport shopping mall  – the Asakura twins finally found each other once again.

“Hao…” breathed Yoh with a relieved sigh.

Continue here.

Enter “Alt Universe” here.

Read “Fractured Duality” in full here.

[destroy-some-evil]

I realized that History 4 might be another full stop on the apology tour for the sins of History 3: MODC.

Maybe I’m seeing this because I re-watched History 4 right after finishing all of History 3:MODC because I needed the comfort of History 4 and to rewatch Bo Xiang and Zhi Gang get married now that I actually know who they are and how they got together. But I couldn’t help but see the similarities, to a certain degree, in the main characters and the broad strokes of the storyline. Like Taiwan was like I’m sorry about MODC; here is something similar but with a happy ending and just a bit a lot more unhinged.

You got the lovely and loveable himbo Hao Ting in History 3, but in History 4, they took him from a 10/10 himbo to an 11/10 golden retriever himbo as Li Cheng. (As a side note, I wanted to send both Hao Ting and Li Cheng to a financial literacy class over their spending habits when making their other half happy, especially when buying/leasing housing outside the budget.)

We’ve got our ice prince smarty pants Xi Gu, but since History 4 is the apology, they took out the Tragic Backstory TM and made him a wine mom as Mu Ren and only tortured him a little bit.

And the first couple's storyline centers around the golden retriever Himbo realizing his love for ice-prince and winning him over. (like I said in broad strokes)

Then we’ve got our second couple but with extra sparkling on it. It is not just an age gap relationship but also a stepbrother relationship!

And so that it’s not just copy-paste; instead of being another himbo with golden retriever energy, they made Yong Jie (our Bo Xiang analog) into a wonderfully unhinged Doberman with Bad Plans. His plans were terrible. Book smart Yong Jie might be, but he’s such a dumb.

Xing Si is just as much of a cinnamon roll as Zhi Gang, only with an added brother complex that makes it 1000% impossible for him to say no to Yong Jie. Meanwhile, Zhi Gang only gives in about 98% of the time.

And for the second couple, after getting together, an important part of the storyline is also having and executing a plan for allowing the older person to come home to their parents and be welcomed back into the family.

Maybe it’s a stretch to add this to the apology tour, but it did make me feel better seeing these similarities and thinking of it that way. I watched History 4 as my first inroad to the History series and loved it for its own sake. But I think I love it even more now after rewatching it after History 3: MODC. It is like a remix that also happens to be in the same universe and which you might not see unless you watch both. Similar but definitely not the same. Enough to be comforting to me, at least as an added layer, along with being something I like on its own merits.

Hey petty so recently I told you that you’d single-handedly convinced me to watch the HIStory and I have been having a great goddamn time Taiwan my absolute my beloved my belle of the ball you give me everything I want baby, but…I’ve come to Make Our Days Count and I need some encouragement to start it. Because I KNOW how it ends I KNOW it’s gonna hurt me so I need someone to hype me up and talk me into it

Anon, I told you not to follow me down my trashy path!

I'm not trying to convince y'all to watch anything. Never. Not ever. I loved Hit Bit Love, but I will never recommend that to anyone because I know what it was.

So now you're asking me, the person who consistently tells you not to watch anything unless you want to and not based on my unabashed love for it, to convince you to watch the HIStory-that-shall-not-be-named?

Well, I can't because, as you very well know, it's gonna fucking hurt! That series was, on average, ranked around an 8.8 each episode by 20 faithful watchers on My Drama List until the final episode which is a 4.8 with double the raters (40). Not only did it bury the gay at the last possible second after jailing the gay mafia lead in the previous installment right when Taiwan legalized marriage equality, but half of the world was going into lockdown, and the other half was burying its head in the sand about it. Basically, the morale was so low in BL Land, hell had to make new layers because HIStory decided to be high art and kill someone.

And it would be another two years before we got the next installment, my beloved HIStory 4: Close to You.

Knowing what I know, I wouldn't even tell myself to watch the HIStory-that-shall-not-be-named? I don't want to remember watching it, so I definitely don't want to talk about it.

Instead I'm going to convince you of why it's important that I did watch it four years ago in retrospect:

The Apology Tour

Taiwan knows it fucked up.

Every year since that ill-fated series, we get Wayne and Huang playing in the final episode of other BLs which greatly relies on us knowing who they are and their HIStory because without it, the emotional impact is wasted.

2020 - Life: Love on the Line (Japan) - They played tourists seeing the Northern Lights which is something they mentioned in HIStory.

2021 - Be Loved in House: I Do - Wayne played a random guy the lead runs into and tells him to never let anyone take his love away, but the two actually played in HIStory together, so Wayne's character realizes this as the lead runs away.

2022 - Plus & Minus - They are guests at the leads' wedding who run into each other and feel an instant connection as if they have met in a previous life.

2023 - Kiseki: Dear to Me - They play gangstas from a rival squad, but some of y'all have not watched episode 8, so I'll shut up.

Oh, and the side pair also pop up places like HIStory 4: Close to You.

Basically, each time these guys show up somewhere, it's a spectacle. It's basically AU fanfic every year for us. If they couldn't be together in HIStory, they can be together in other ways, in other shows, and in other universes, so I'm excited to see where they will pop up in 2024, but the commoner who hasn't watched the HIStory-that-shall-not-be-named will not care as much.

Anon, do you want to feel those feelings?

Do you want Taiwan to continue apologizing for its grave misdeed? Do you want to be "in the know" each time you see these two appear on your screen? Do you want to believe that they are together in another universe? Do you want all of this?

Because if you do, you can't have it if you don't watch the series that caused this ripple effect. You are missing a foundational competent of their legacy if you skip out on the HIStory-that-shall-not-be-named.

However, I can't encourage you to watch this.

I watched nine glorious episodes, then got beat down in the finale, only to spend the last four years gleefully sitting front row to the apology tour, so ask yourself if you are comfortable making that deal as well?

You decide.