BLUE HOUR.

First of all, I totally didn’t intend to create this cute little trend we have going on the dash, but honestly, I’m so pleased that everyone’s so open to discussions and compromises ! I made my original post because I didn’t want to be in “competition” with anyone for certain spots because I know that that can be a little toxic at times, and like, it warms my heart to see that our group of typists has come together like the little family we are to make sure everyone’s taken care of !!! With that said, after talking to a few people in IM’s, I’ve solidified which position(s) I’ll be aiming for as far as Rioh is concerned. That, and I’d also like to announce that I’ll be keeping his FC the same because Yang Jeongin ( I.N ) has been the perfect fit for him so far ! Below are the spots I’ll be looking at reserving when the time comes tomorrow, but if you really want one or any of them for your muse as a first choice, please message me !!! I’m always up for discussions !

Hi, friends !! As we all have seen, the group is getting a restructuring and it all looks / seems so exciting! I think I’ve found a position for Rioh, but wanted to make a post to ensure that I won’t be stepping on any toes in case muses / muns who’ve been in the group longer than he and I wanted the same / similar roles. That being said, what I’ve come up for him is: MAIN DANCER, LEAD VOCAL, & MAKNAE OF CLOUD as i’d love for him to remain in the ‘01 / ‘02 range of age. This isn’t me stamping a claim on this as I know that other muses share similar positions, but I just want things to be fair when reserving comes around and thought I’d let this be known in case someone else has a similar idea and wants the same position(s)! I’m all for discussing it and coming up with what’ll work best for everyone! Either way, I’m excited to keep writing with all of you who’ll be along for the ride as Famed sees its new chapter! ♡

( * )  UPDATE,  As it’s been made clear to me that another member / muse who’s been in the group longer than Rioh and I have is interested in the same position listed above, I have decided to list some plan B options just in case! I cross-referenced with everyone’s posts so far, but here are other spots I can see working for Rioh! Note: What’s most important to me is that he remains a maknae as... I just feel that works best for him in lots of ways.

suwei is still very much a child. at just 20 years old she still felt unable to handle everything real life had to throw at her. she isn’t ready to be an adult. she wishes sometimes that she was back in taiwan. but in truth she’s all alone in a sense. she has her friends. but sometimes all she wants is for her mother to wrap her arms around her and tell her it’ll be all right. or her dad to pat her on the back and tell her how proud he is of her. she doesn’t have that comfort anymore. she wasn’t ready to be an adult. but she knew that she couldn’t hide from it forever. no matter how much she ran she would never run fast enough. she was doing her best navigating her new normal. moving to seoul all those years ago was big step. she likes to think she did the best she could do. but she knew she still had a lot of growing to do.

when she met rioh things seemed to fall in place. they seemed to fit in a way that she’s never experience before. it was special. they’ve supported each other. he’s been her rock. and she knows she loves him. she just didn’t know that he could never reciprocate her feelings.

growing up suwei never questioned her sexuality. but recently she’s been left questioning her feelings. she’s always been attracted to males. that she’s never questioned. it was her attraction to females that she’s been questioning. she downer know when she started to question it. or why? it just sort of happened. it left her in a tizzy. she knows what it’s like to be at odds with something that should come so naturally. but for her she isn’t truly sure. and she doesn’t want to hurt anyone in the process. her mixed-up emotions should be her problem.

《 💌 ⇢ rioby 》 good. i was thinking we could go out but i like your idea better.

《 💌 ⇢ rioby 》 my place or yours?

《 💌 ⇢ rioby 》 and you get to choose what we’re having.

she sends the last message before she boards the bus home.

Rioh’s legs bounce restlessly ( anxiously ) in place as he waits for Suwei’s response, and even though it doesn’t take her a long time to do so, it feels like an eternity—one spent deep within the caverns of his mind. What the hell’s he going to tell her? Should he be honest and trust her with this secret of his that he’s held onto for so long? Should he make something up that has to do with his newly discovered participation in an upcoming competition show? He has no clue—but all he knows is that he doesn’t want to be harsh about it. No, she needs to be let down as easily as possible. After their months spent together, he’s learned how captivatingly ethereal she is; how her heart beats for love, and acceptance, and sweetness above all else. The thought of him being the person that possibly breaks her spirits upsets him immensely, but he knows that he can’t lie to himself anymore, and in being more honest, he can’t lie to her either. His mother raised him better than that, after all, and throughout his thought process, he can hear her voice resonating in his ears reminding him to be strong, brave, and candid; to do the right thing.

When his phone chimes, he immediately looks at the screen and reads her incoming messages, and the instant he notices how cheerful she seems to be, he gets even more nervous. How’s he going to do this? Rioh knows the anticipation is only making things worse, so he hopes that the two of them can meet up sooner rather than later.

RIOH → SUWEI  ●  how’s our fav restaurant and your place? RIOH → SUWEI  ●  it’s on the way to your place and it’s my treat. RIOH → SUWEI  ●  do you want your usual or something different?

The day has finally come for Rioh to color his hair, and though he knew this was likely to happen throughout his career as an idol, he hoped that he could hold onto his natural hue for longer—at least through the first few comebacks. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure how he’d feel about having a head full of damaged hair. Sure, it may look beautiful after the process is completed, but the thought of running his fingers through straw-like strands completely abhors him. In truth, he just doesn’t understand how anyone could enjoy having a parched heap of ( often brittle ) whorls on their head, but now, he gets to have a massive sampling of just that, and he’s totally nervous. What if he looks in the mirror and doesn’t recognize his reflection? What if he can’t even look in the mirror because he despises his own appearance that much? So far, all of the possibilities that he’s created in his mind have negative outcomes, but he tries his hardest to heed his dad’s advice: always look on the bright-side, especially in the darkest situations. While this “situation” isn’t necessarily dark in matter or tone, to him, it’s definitely not the most welcome change—and he made that known to the company to no avail. He signed a contract, after all.

Taejoo almost wanted to deny it again. He wasn’t cool, let alone the coolest. He was just himself. Just trying to flounder his way through life. The confidence that Rioh seemed to have in him certainly wasn’t unwelcome but Taejoo wished he had even half that same confidence. Rather than respond to the first part Taejoo just smiled and responded to the latter question. “Yeah that sounds good to me.”

-

The walk back to Gold Star was much like the walk to the gym. Companionable and easy. Rioh and Taejoo easily found subjects to talk about. Conversation between them had always flowed naturally, Taejoo never felt pressured to fill the silences between them. However, the closer they got to Gold Star the more Taejoo felt nervous. He knew that Rioh wouldn’t judge him but the idea of showing him the choreography weighed heavily on his mind. There was part of him that wanted to impress Rioh, that part that wanted to earn that “coolest” superlative that Rioh had attached to him.

When they found an open practice room Rioh was quick to jump on the sound system, obviously eager to begin. Taejoo had to agree that Rioh was probably the perfect guy for this. He had seen what his friend was capable of through Vive’s choreography. It was safe to say that of the two of them Rioh was the far better dancer. And he made it look easy, in a way that Taejoo himself just couldn’t replicate. “I think you’re perfect for this too.” Taejoo agreed as he pulled out his own phone.

“Yeah, I have a video on my phone of the routine.” He said scrolling through his gallery until he found the video that he was looking for. There were two routines to learn but the one that caused Taejoo more troubles was the one set to Cardi B’s Lick. Primarily because he started in the center of that choreography. He passed his phone to the younger male his phone so he could see the choreography as performed by the choreographers.

Rioh has a tendency to almost over-compliment people, and while that’s a totally sweet thing to do in his mind, to others, it may be a bit overwhelming. In truth, he’s 169 centimeters of love—a being who showers all of his beloved friends and family in adoration. It could be said that he’s simply following the golden rule of “treat others how you wish to be treated” and is hoping that others will give him the same overdose of affection, but in his heart of hearts, he just wants the individuals he’s close to, to know that he thinks highly of them and likely always will. Taejoo just so happens to be someone that he views in rose-hued glasses—so naturally, everything about him causes the younger to feel marveled and awestruck. He can’t help but feel compelled to let him know that he thinks he’s the coolest guy on the planet, even if he can come on a little bit strong at times. All he can hope is that the other doesn’t mind because he probably won’t stop unless it’s made clear to him that it’s becoming too much.

That being said, he still can’t help but gaze ( almost longingly ) over to the taller of them as they stand in the dance space; beaming at every little thing that he does and feeling flustered by his appearance all at once. Being around such a handsome person always gives Rioh butterflies, but in this case, he views Taejoo as more than just a physically attractive someone, so reactions carry more depth—more weight—and when it’s agreed that the smaller is the perfect somebody to offer assistance with dancing, he blushes a vivid scarlet; an unintended giggle erupting from his mouth. He can’t control himself when it comes to matters such as this, but he does his best to regain composure; aiming to keep his emotions at bay as much as humanly possible.

“Aw, well, thank you!” He chirps, stepping closer to him so he could gently lean his head on his senior’s broad shoulder; nuzzling against him for a few seconds before pulling away. “I promise that you’ll leave here feeling much more confident in the choreography! Sometimes we just have to let our bodies and muscle memory do most of the heavy lifting. Whenever we get caught up in our minds about the movements and formations, things can get a little sloppy!” He explains, nodding his head along. When he’s showed the video, he concentrates hard; grinning at how powerful it is and already trying to mimic the arm movements with one of his own. When the small clip is over, he turns to Taejoo and smiles; effervescence on high.

“Okay, that’s a super sexy choreography and there’s lots of waacking, which is cool! Honestly? I think you’re gonna look so hot!” Rioh adds, moving to restart and slow down the video. “Before we continue, do you have, like, any specific worries about it? And do you have a particular like, style that you like to dance in?” Not wanting to interview him too much, he wants to get to the bottom of things quickly so they can focus on increasing his confidence levels as they practice.

Sunghee’s life is a constant exercise of self-awareness. From when they were a child up until now, Sunghee’s always supposed to think things through a dozen times before doing them. They are not necessarily impulsive by nature — Sunghee just naturally functions in the rhythm that works best for them, the rhythm their brains are attuned to, but that doesn’t necessarily make them a naturally thoughtless person who will jump head first into things without thinking about the consequences. If anything, whenever Sunghee isn’t practicing the skills they had to learn in order to navigate social life more easily, they just… Exist. Lost in their own head, in their own thoughts, keeping quiet and humming under their breath. They know it’s something that has the potential of weirding others out, but they don’t think it’s a bad way of existing. When there are social relations and interactions to account for, however, Sunghee has to bring themselves to real life, train their brain to think the way other people do in order for them to reach a middle ground. 

Assumptions are a terrible thing for someone like Sunghee to make. Missing some social cues and context as easily as they do, it means Sunghee works three times as hard to truly grasp what other people are feeling. They don’t have the support of body language or even facial expressions, so they have to take everything at face value, trust others’ words. It’s a bold move for them to kiss Rioh since there’s not much there for them to latch onto, not in a language that their brain is fluent in, at the very least. It’s just wishful thinking that had them crossing the distance, that had them pressing their lips together. And when they break apart and it’s useless for them to so much as hope to know what Rioh was thinking just by looking at him, Sunghee quickly feels their stomach sinking. 

“I’m sorry,” they shake their head, rushing to stand up. Their palms are sweating and they have to wipe them against their shorts, before flapping their hands. Sunghee doesn’t bother to keep it in, not knowing that any attempt of suppressing their natural reaction is not going to bode well for them in the long run. “I should’ve asked, I shouldn’t have kissed you without permission. That was wrong of me, I’m sorry.” The thing about every single advance of theirs in the past is that they had always included spoken words, not merely actions, at least not in situations when Sunghee hadn’t already been made aware that those were welcome. This is not one of them. “I should go. I’m sorry.”

Despite the confusion, Rioh can still feel Sunghee’s lips against his own after they broke apart. It’s a warmth that’s totally foreign to him, but one that he wants to lean into more. Honestly, his mouth felt as if it was buzzing somehow, and that alone prompted him to rub over his lips with his fingertips; wondering why they felt hot and almost numb. Swallowing hard, he was about to speak before Sunghee interjected; apologizing for what had just occurred between them. In a flash, his confusion grew even larger. Why would they have anything to be sorry about? Though, after it’s explained a little further, the younger of them realizes how the other may have felt, but in truth, he feels as though no wrongdoing was committed. In fact, he was glad that he wasn’t crazy in feeling nervous ( or excited ) at the sudden sensuality occurring between them. The older’s reaction only confirmed that he wasn’t the only one feeling some type of way about it.

“N—No, you really don’t have to be sorry!” He begins, trying to actually think over his words before speaking. Rioh’s never been the best at that, but he doesn’t want to say something he doesn’t mean or something that doesn’t make sense, especially not in this situation. “Yeah, I... wasn’t expecting it to happen, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it.” He smiles, reaching a hand out to rest on Sunghee’s shoulder; giving it a tender squeeze. “You just acted on instincts and I don’t think that was wrong of you. If anything, I think that it’s pretty sweet.” Hoping that he’s bringing the mood back to a normal and more relaxed place, Rioh gets a little closer to his senior and gives them a peck on the cheek. “You didn’t hurt me or anything—I promise!”

Honestly, it’s surprising that he’s handling himself so well. Typically, he’d be freaking out... but for some reason, he feels a sense of calm around him. Maybe it’s because he’s taking the time to put his mind to work. Maybe it’s because he’s taking to care of Sunghee first and foremost.

Taejoo understood where Rioh was coming from. He supposed if he wasn’t a trainee he wouldn’t get it. That complaining about busy schedules and being so popular would sound spoiled to him. He’s never experienced the second part but he knows how jam-packed Rioh’s schedule has to be, how many hours the younger has to be working in order to be there at every single schedule prepared to perform.

“Your hard work shows.” Taejoo said gently. “But if you ever need to complain I’ll listen to you. No judgement included.” He didn’t mind letting Rioh unload his feelings a little. He’d been something of a confidante in their younger days as well. Though, that had been largely about subjects that were a bit lighter in nature. Listening to Rioh’s worries just felt natural to him. He smiled as Rioh nudged him, his face warming a little bit at the news that Rioh was glad he had Taejoo.

He looked at his feet. “Change isn’t easy for anyone. But if you weren’t good at adapting you wouldn’t be here right now, y’know?” Taejoo was afraid that his own adjustment period was going to be much more difficult. He’d been a trainee for so long he wasn’t sure he’d know what to do when he officially became an idol. He didn’t know what sort of reception they’d get either. Part of him was afraid to know. Gold Star had already proved they didn’t mind ripping a\n underperforming group apart and starting from scratch.

Taejoo’s smile came back at the mention of being the coolest person that Rioh knew. “Cool?” He laughed. “I don’t feel like I’m very cool.” He felt like a loser these days. He’d been training for 6 years and had nothing to really show for that time except the promise of a debut behind super popular group that was also a boy group. He felt like that was a recipe for Quicksilver to get over-shadowed.

“I’d like to meet up if you can find the time.” Taejoo wasn’t entirely sure how much time Rioh would have let alone himself. But being in a foreign country with at least one friendly face was a nice thought. Not that his groupmates weren’t friendly but he didn’t know where he stood with them really.

Rioh’s excitement about helping him was nearly contagious. The nervous feeling in Taejoo’s chest loosened a bit. If nothing else Rioh wouldn’t judge him. Taejoo often felt a bit nervous to ask for help from his groupmates. He felt like he was notably behind the other three, in reality he wasn’t probably that far behind but it felt like he was. “I definitely would be grateful for your help.”

He’s not going to lie to himself, hearing Taejoo’s reassurance and comforting words tugs at his heartstrings, and if he didn’t have a fairly strong grip on his emotions right now, he’d probably become overwhelmed and start to cry. In truth, he sometimes feels like he doesn’t have many people he can talk to. While he has tons of friends ( both old and new ) around him, he knows that they’re busy and have their own stresses, and naturally, he would never want to unload all of his troubles on top of their shoulders, too. So, it’s incredibly sweet that the older of them is offering wisdom during his time of need. If anything, this moment is only further convincing Rioh that the taller of them is a great match for him.

Despite his newfound confusion regarding his longtime comrade, he’s slowly but surely figuring out that they may be pretty perfect for one another, and while he doesn’t want to rush into any conclusions, he can’t help but feel like all is right in the world when they’re together. That, and he’s been tempted ( multiple times, actually ) to reach over and just grab Taejoo’s hand during their outing; craving so much closeness and physicality, but he isn’t sure if the other would want all of that, too. For now, he just imagines what it would be like to be closer to him, and wonders if these roseate reveries will blossom into a blissful reality sometime soon. You know, whenever he’s finished weighing out the pros and cons of taking things further with someone he considers a best friend. It seems like such a romantic concept, but he doesn’t want to ruin the relationship they’ve spent so long building up by pushing boundaries.

“Thank you, Taejoo...” He begins, stepping closer to him. “See? What did I tell you? You really are the coolest person ever—you always know exactly what to say!” A large smile tugs at the corners of his lips, his effervescence still as infectious as ever. “How about this? We go do some dancing and make plans for the USA! I think it’ll be like working out, right? We’ll still be exercising and getting our blood pumping!” Without even waiting for the go ahead, he decides then and there to start heading back to the company, and as he’s a few paces ahead of Taejoo, he looks back and smiles. “You coming?”

—

closed starter for @fmdrioh | suwei was young and still very inexperienced when it came to matters of the heart. she still had yet to find the person who set her stomach a flutter and her heart pounding out of her chest. but that was until she met rioh. a trainee under gold star. with her friendly nature it wasn’t hard to for her to form a friendship with him. they met through a mutual friend. in the dorms of a friend she was visiting. the connection at least for her was instant. it wasn’t even necessarily a romantic one. she just felt free drawn to him. it was hard to explain. a month or two later and they made it official.

it’s been a few months and she likes where they’re at. even with their different schedules they’re making things work. it was hard but totally worth it. she couldn’t say with certainty if it was love. but for now though it was what she wanted. maybe even what she needed. he was her support system during the long hours of practice and the endless cycle of prep and promote. he was good for her. and in turn she tried to be a pillar for him. she just hoped he could say the same about her.

she was walking out of the dance studio when she pulls out her phone. she pulls him up on her contacts and sends him a message.

are you busy tonight?

i want to see you.

i miss you.

she continues to walk out of the company as she waits for him to reply.

Adolescence is a confusing time for everyone. There’s a constant influx of new hormones racing through the body that influence both mental and physical changes, and sadly, Rioh hasn’t quite learned how best to navigate all of it. There are many times where he wishes he was a kid again—even though others would argue that he’s still very much a kid even now. He misses the lack of responsibility; the carefree nature that he once had. Now, it seems like all of these adult-level problems are thrust upon him and he has absolutely no idea how to even process them, much less solve them in a graceful fashion. He’s very much still a work-in-progress, and he tries his hardest not to step on any toes or hurt anyone, but there comes a moment in life where every person hurts someone else... and sadly, today’s going to be the day that he lets someone down—and what’s worse is that he really cares for this individual and never wants to see them upset.

They’ve spent so much time together and she’s been a rock for him throughout his many ups and downs as a trainee in this dog-eat-dog industry, and he’s grown to really love and appreciate her... just not in the way that he’s expected to.

All of this started when his brother raised a question to him regarding his sexuality. While his family has been supportive of his decision to come out to them and live his truth, one of his siblings asked how he knew if he was gay if he’d never tried to date girls before... and that caused a lot of confusion. So, in an attempt to figure things out, he asked Suwei to be his girlfriend after the two got to know one another more, and the last few months of have been great... but he now knows for sure that his orientation is confirmed to be homosexual, and he thinks it’s best she knows. So, when he receives a text message from her, he takes a deep breath; nerves causing his stomach to turn as he types out his response.

RIOH → SUWEI  ●  hey! no, i’m not busy. RIOH → SUWEI  ●  i’ve been missing you, too. 💙 RIOH → SUWEI  ●  do you wanna grab dinner? RIOH → SUWEI  ●  we can get takeout or go wherever you want!

after almost a decade of his life being spent in seoul, in the walls of gold star entertainment and the dorms he lived in, and far away from home, kyubok had long since adjusted to the distance away from his parents and the place he had been raised in. though it was still strange to be countries and oceans away from the country he had spent every day of his life in prior to the past few months. while he wasn’t necessarily homesick, kyubok still would much rather be back in south korea, where he was fully comfortable with everything, and could read every sign he saw in the area. 

after getting cleaned up from the activities of the day, which mostly included a nice, long, warm shower and fresh pajamas, kyubok had curled up in the hotel bed with his lap top sat on the mattress next to him as he hunted around to see what he wanted to watch before his body finally decided it was time to let him rest and sleep before the members of vive and their team would be heading back home for who knows how long. he had settled on a random gaming video for the time being, something simple and easy to watch as he relaxed. honestly kyubok had mostly blanked out as he viewed thee game play until he felt his phone buzzing from where it was tucked under his hip. after pulling the device out and reading who had messaged him, he typed out a short reply.

( 12:07 AM PST ) KYUBOK → RIOH: i’m awake  ( 12:07 AM PST ) KYUBOK → RIOH: what’s up?

honestly romance and kyubok had never seemed to mesh well together. his one long-term relationship would only be described as having been a bit of a disaster with their communication issues and their constant on-again off-again way of being together. sure there had been others in between but still, he had always found himself tugged back to his former partner. of course, up until he had vanished from gold star, returned after a competition show, only for them to no longer be on speaking terms after another case of their communication difficulties struck. most of the time, kyubok didn’t like think about liking another person anymore, currently in the mood to just try to get through the first few months of his whole debuted idol thing he was in.

There’s only a minute that passes before Kyubok text messages him back, but in those sixty seconds, Rioh’s had a lot to mull over. Although it’s pitch-black darkness all around him, he stares up at the ceiling, hands tucked behind his head for added support as he lounges; his mind racing a mile per millisecond about his life and his future, and what ( or who ) that future might include. A contract renewal is still up-in-the-air for Vive, so he has no honest idea if he and the rest of his members will continue on as a group once it gets close to expiration, and thinking about that worries him. So far, he’s really gotten to know his group-mates, and their bonds have become a lot stronger over time, so having to kiss all of that goodbye is a painful imagining. Then, his thoughts wander over to his current ( confusing ) relationship with one of his long-time friends... and whether or not he feels a shift in his feelings for him. When he and Taejoo were kids, no rosy wonderings stained their time spent together, but nowadays, Rioh can’t help but feel as though his heart beats in a different pattern when he’s with him... and when they’re far apart, he misses him more than he ever has before, and frankly, it hurts.

Then, the instant he begins to think about Kyubok and how they’ve grown closer over the last few weeks, he hears his phone chime; distracting him from his train of thought. He grins at the message and eagerly types back—happy to know he’s not the only one awake right now.

( 12:08 AM PST )  RIOH → KYUBOK  ●  yay! 💗 ( 12:08 AM PST )  RIOH → KYUBOK  ●  can i come see you? 🙈

it wouldn’t be the first time that yul had experienced something like this. unity had been around for long enough to make a name for themselves in the industry and, at this point, they were one of dimensions’ greatest assets. so, it wasn’t surprising that newer idols would be in awe whenever they saw him - after all, he had been kind of the same when he’d first debuted and came to interact with the idol generation before him. yul laughed at the other’s clearly dumbfounded reaction. it was always amusing to see how even other idols could forget that he was just like them, even though he was extremely pretty and talented if you asked him. it was easier to let the other simply ramble and get everything out and so that was what he did, offering a kind and professional smile whilst nodding at everything the other said. 

“of course i know your name,” yul replied with a slight shrug, “i was curious who would end up in the group so i kept watching.” it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone at how yul’s smile grew even wider at rioh’s compliments. it only served to feed his ego, because not only was he being called a good dancer, but the best? well, how could yul not be happy about that? “i came to get myself a soda but who knew it came with a side order of compliments too! thanks though, it’s always nice to hear people recognising your talent.” he nodded. “don’t worry though, i’ve heard far more obscene and wild things during my time. this is nothing.” with a wave of his hand, he shrugged dismissively before speaking once again. “it’s a good thing we didn’t meet during the show, honestly. that group was a mess, it’s for the best.” that was a time that yul really didn’t want to be reminded of. “how could i forget about the festival?” he sighed, “i’m glad you enjoyed watching us perform though. are you excited to perform this time now that some time has passed since your debut?” 

Despite having debuted, the fan-boy within Rioh’s soul will live on forever... and in truth, he has yet to figure out if that’s a good or a bad thing. While he knows that being professional matters in situations such as this, his reactions toward his favorite idols are almost out of his control. It’s not easy for him to put a lid over his mouth either, so most of the time, his blatant adoration just spills out reckless abandon, and in this instance, it seems that Yul isn’t getting showered with a downpour of compliments, but rather being pummeled by a raging waterfall of them. Hopefully he doesn’t mind it much, especially because paired with the onslaught of love is a puppy-faced boy who’s floored that he’s being noticed by one of his favorites.

When the older of them explains that he kept up with Hot Topic ( K ) and commented on how messy the group the coached was, Rioh wasn’t sure whether to laugh or apologize, but why would he have anything to be sorry about? He’s just glad that he ended up in a different set entirely. Never would he ever want Yul to regard him as someone that completely botched a Unity song even after being instructed on how to perform it well. “Wow, you really continued watching the show?” The younger was surprised because most all idols he’s interacted with didn’t really have the time to tune in, but it also made him nervous, too. What if his senior thought of him to be annoying or untalented in some fashion? He does his best not to let his inner saboteur get the better of him, so he focuses on keeping the conservation going.

“If compliments are what you want, I can keep going... but I don’t want it to seem like I’m just suckin’ up to you or something! I really do think you’re, like, the best of the best right now!” As a dancer himself, Rioh tends to favor others who have a strong dance skill, too, and he’s actually spent hours studying Yul’s movements and presence; learning a lot in the process. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad I wasn’t in the group you taught. I heard that it was a pretty tense vibe... if I were you, though, I’d have been disappointed, too. Not to talk badly about them because they all have strengths, too, but I don’t think they understood how the song is meant to be done.”

What would he know, though? He’s definitely not the expert.

Twenty. Sunghee only vaguely remembers being twenty. Not because it’s been that long of a time, as Sunghee is only twenty-four now, but because existing as an idol skews your perception of time a little bit. At twenty, Sunghee was already an idol for a little under a year, and there has been so many new experiences ever since, so much hard work and sleepless nights, that it genuinely feels like it all happened a decade ago. Sunghee has aged ten years in half as much time, or at least that’s how they feel most days, when they think back on their debut days and how innocent and small they had been back then. They like to believe they’ve matured too, a lot, in the way they relate to other people, in the way they feel about themselves, in the way they make themselves understood to others. Four years has been enough time for Sunghee to become a slightly different person, one who can handle this type of conversation more easily than they would’ve been able to back then. 

Four years is also enough time for them to have realised that it’s okay for them to feel things for people, and for them to know the difference between the types of feelings. They are… still in the process of knowing what to do about that, to the point where Sunghee can’t help envying their friends who are much more comfortable handling those situations than they are. What would Jeonghwa do in their place? Or Jaeyoon? Jaeyeol? Every decision that has brought them close to someone has been a spur of the moment decision, an impulsive decision that, ultimately, Sunghee didn’t regret much, or at all even. Worst case scenario, they get a rejection, right? And Sunghee can’t hope to try to figure out what people are thinking before they say something, so. 

“Twenty-four,” Sunghee says, taking a deep breath. They smile when Rioh mentions his birthday. Twenty. He’s so young. But isn’t Sunghee as well? “My birthday was in March. I guess our birthdays are close.” Sunghee considers asking for Rioh’s zodiac sign, but if they continue speaking they are going to lose the last nerve they have so Sunghee looks around, makes sure to check that they are truly alone before they turn to Rioh. “I hope I’m not reading this wrong.” Sunghee reaches out, taking hold of Rioh’s face. They pause for a moment, eyes scanning his face before pressing their lips together. 

It’s short lived as the sound of the doors of the gym opening has Sunghee quickly letting go of Rioh and drawing back, head bent down as they pretend to check their watch when they are in fact just attempting at hiding the slight flush of their cheeks. The people who had come in walk past the weights room towards the treadmills in the next room, and it’s only when their voices are distant enough that Sunghee looks up. “I-.”

Honestly speaking, the predicament that Rioh’s fallen into is one that he never, ever expected to be involved in—especially at the gym of all places. Typically when he works out, he’s all alone; isolating himself from everyone else in an attempt to conceal his identity. Now that he decided to try and connect with a person he recognized, he’s treading into foreign waters whose tides aren’t relaxed, but rapid—causing a flurry of varied emotions to stir up inside of him. Over the last while, his sights have spent ample time admiring Sunghee’s physique, their conversation’s  flowed in a rather easy fashion, and the other’s questions seemed to come from a place of true intrigue as opposed to just being simple niceties, and all of which are making the younger male feel curious; making him feel heard. Even though he’s enjoying himself, he’s slowly able to pick up on the blatantly obvious tension between them—one that seems to have grown massively in just a short amount of time. In truth, it’s giving him a little bit of whiplash, and he’s not sure if he likes how it feels... and what’s more is that he has no time to stop and think about it.

Just then, Sunghee breaks the brief silence with their answer, and at the revelation of their age, Rioh swallows; finding it almost unbelievable that someone who looks so youthful is a good bit older than he is. “O—Oh, that’s cool! I wonder if we’re both Pisces... but I’m technically a cusp, I think? Aquarius and Pisces or somethin’... a friend of mine looked up our charts once upon a time.” His ramblings continue to make it clear that he’s nervous, but that doesn’t seem to deter the elder of them at all. Instead, he’s interrupted by their sudden statement, and it’s then when his eyes grow wide—remaining open as his lips are kissed; those strong fingers clutching onto his chiseled jawline keeping him in place and creating more intimacy all at once. In that instant, he wonders if Sunghee can hear ( or feel ) his heart pummeling his chest—its rhythm relentless, erratic, and it only gets worse when the doors swing open and more people shuffle inside. It’s almost as if the world is standing perfectly still, and he has no idea if that’s a good thing given their location, their circumstance, and the overall randomness of it all.

Although it’s almost the end of Vive’s mini tour in the USA, Rioh can’t shake the feeling of wistful homesickness present in his stomach; his longing to be back in Seoul stronger now than before. Having spent multiple weeks away from his loved ones, all he wants to do is see them and give them the biggest hugs he can; realizing that the time he spends with them is more precious now than it ever has been in the past. Before he and his members boarded their flight to America, he was able to sneak in a quick home-cooked meal with his parents, and while the warmth of their home and the flavor of his mother’s cooking quelled his ( desperate ) need to be surrounded by them, their reunion was somehow still bittersweet. Not because he didn’t enjoy himself, no—but now, he has no idea when he’ll see them again, and reminiscing on their time together not only brings smiles to his face, but a heaviness to his heart; one that reminds him that those moments won’t happen as often as he may like them to. He does try to remind himself that, when they do happen, they’ll be all the more special because of the distance placed between them, but that thought sometimes doesn’t alleviate his blueness. Instead, it only adds to it.

—

It’s a little after midnight and he knows that he should be asleep, but like always, he’s never able to get rest whenever he’s supposed to. So for now, Rioh’s up and staring at the moon; allowing his thoughts to overtake him. A deep sigh falls from between his lips, his hands run through his freshly washed hair, and he peers over to his roommate; noticing the depth of their breaths and how comfortably they lay in bed—completely passed out. He’s glad at least one of them is able to sleep. Whenever a show wraps up, it takes him a few hours to come down from the high he gets from being on-stage, so most of the time, the adrenaline turns him into a child of the night—even when he really doesn’t want to be. In his lonesomeness, he gets an idea, though. Quiet, he lies on his bed and reaches over to grab onto his phone from the bedside table; unlocking it, then proceeding to send a text message to Kyubok. Of all his group-mates, he has a feeling that their leader will also be wide awake right now... well, at least he really, really hopes that he is.

( 12:06 AM PST )  RIOH → KYUBOK  ●  hey, are you awake? ( 12:06 AM PST )  RIOH → KYUBOK  ●  i hope this doesn’t wake you 🙈😓

being able to see unity’s fans without using as much energy as a full length concert was one of the reasons why yul loved performing at festivals. however, performing only a couple of songs meant what felt like an infinite amount of waiting around backstage for unity’s turn to go up on stage. it wasn’t like yul particularly minded that part either since most of the time there was at least a friend or two of his around to keep him company and, if not, he could always bug the other members of unity into entertaining him. 

sometimes, though, he liked to pass the time simply by going to find a vending machine or the food catering tables as an excuse to walk around and see what was going on or to hopefully bump into someone along the way. he’d seen a few staff members here and there and had stopped briefly to greet them, but they were all far too busy to deal with yul - so, when he did find someone to bother, he took his chances. “hey,” yul began, offering the rookie a smile, “rioh, right? i don’t think we met when i was on hot topick but congrats on your debut. is it your first time performing at a festival?”

If there’s one thing Rioh’s discovered from his time in the entertainment industry, it’s that it’s an occupation that requires people to “hurry up and wait.” There’s constant chaos and a whole lot of shuffling around from one place to the other at lightning speeds, but even though it’s a mad dash to get prepared for a stage, once everyone and everything is set, the previously erratic and wild atmosphere devolves into a waiting room full of immense talent; almost all restless people pacing back and forth waiting for their turn to perform, each one of them buzzing from the influx of powerful adrenaline coursing through their veins. Some of them are able to keep a cool head despite it all, but at this point in his career, Rioh’s not yet learned how to steady his nerves and ever-racing thoughts. Hopefully he adjusts with more time. So, now that he’s dressed up in his hand-selected outfit, and his hair is perfectly tousled, and his skin made over with just the right amount of makeup, he sits in aching anticipation—his limbs feeling as though they can’t remain still while he waits... and after awhile, he feels a desperate need to get up and move.

Rising from his seat, he wanders through the holding area in search refreshment. A snack or a beverage might help quell his anxieties, and it also gives him something to do instead of over-think the choreography and melody of each song Vive’s performing. Being that he’s not really familiar with the venue they’re at, he has no idea where he’s going, but slowly, he finds where he’s headed and locates the catering table; sighing. “Phew...” He groans audibly, picking up a bottle of his coveted Pocari Sweat as he eyes the food items present. Though, before he’s able to make a decision, he’s surprised by a voice aimed directly at him—turning to find that it’s an individual that he’s spent months studying... as creepy as that sounds. Gobsmacked, his jaw hangs open and his eyes grow wide like full moons in an almost cartoonish fashion—especially when the other calls him by name. “W—Wait, you know what my name is?” He queries, then realizes that he rudely didn’t acknowledge anything else the older of them said. “I—I’m sorry!” He adds quickly, then folds over in a bow; pausing a few moments before lifting himself up.

“I guess I just wasn’t expecting to actually see you here, y’know, other than on-stage when you and Unity perform!” Rioh exclaims, stepping maybe a little too close without intending to. “I’m such a big fan of you, I’m sorry if it seems like I’m freaking out, but you’re like, the best dancer of your generation and I wanna, like, be like you... I hope that doesn’t sound weird, oh my god.” Hopefully his rambling doesn’t scare Yul away... he’d hate himself if he ruins this opportunity.

it seemed that the past week had consisted of nothing much outside of riding planes, performing and then going straight to bed. with the time difference between korea and new york siwoo had suffered severely from jetlag that was only just starting to calm down and it was already their third stop so far, so he couldn’t say he had got much of a chance to go out and see the area. which was actually kind of sad considering that last time he had been in america he hadn’t much time for sightseeing either. but he supposed that this was simply how circumstances were for a touring idol. he wasn’t special and he didn’t have any reason to complain about things. even so it was nice to finally get to spend a day out as they had arrived early in orlando and didn’t have the showcase until the next day. bags dropped off at the hotel, a stern reminder from their manager about public behaviour, and then he and rioh had gone off to paint the town red or whatever the saying went.

honestly siwoo himself couldn’t see why it was so special to sail around a lake in a swan boat – that was something they could just have done on the han river after all – but rioh’s excitement about it had been amusing and rather endearing to him, so who was he to say no? that was how they found themselves in their current situation with siwoo listening gleefully to the younger ramble on about everything and nothing at all. it was kind of nice he had to admit: sail around with not a care in the world as though time stood still, as though they didn’t have a ton of responsibilities and a busy schedule to upkeep. he would never have thought he would come to appreciate moments like this so quickly after debuting. a chuckle left him at rioh’s neverending suggestions as though they had all the time in the world. maybe it would be nice to indulge in that thought if only for a bit.

“oh yeah, true, i forgot this place had a disney world,” he admitted. “i’ve never been to one. my parents always had some agenda against france and refused to go there, and i always felt bad for asking my grandparents to spend that much money!” not that he had actually checked the price, only heard from hearsay how expensive it actually was to go. “it does sound fun, but i don’t want you to spend all your money either, rioh yah. we still have many places to go and i expect us to still be able to have fun at the end of this trip! but if you really insist, i won’t be one to say no, it does sound exciting~.”

Rioh knows he’s technically not a tourist that’s discovering all of the eccentricities that Orlando has to offer, but that doesn’t mean he can’t pretend to be—even if this moment is only fleeting. His family never made enough money to travel or go on vacations, so he’s only familiar with all that Korea has to offer. Sometimes they would take weekend getaways to Japan or Jeju, but in his nineteen years of life, he’s not once been out of East Asia... well, at least not until recently— but his vagabond ways have only been because of contractual obligations for work. There isn’t a whole lot of fun to be had when he and his members are being shuffled around all day long, performing, then immediately retiring into their hotel suites to catch up on sleep for the next show, but he hopes to change that whenever he has even the smallest fragments of free-time. There’s so much of the world to explore, so he wouldn’t ever want miss out on the opportunity to do just that—idol career or no idol career—and thankfully, he doesn’t have to do it alone.

“Sorry, I feel like I’m getting a little too hype for this, but... my mom never really let me near the water as a kid.” He admitted, shrugging his shoulders. “I got into a bit of an accident as a baby where I fell into some water, so she thinks that it’s bad luck for me or something...” Laughing at the circumstance, he hoped that it provided some sort of explanation for his excitement. “Now that she’s not physically here to yell at me, I feel like I can kinda live on the edge...” He mused teasingly, nudging the other’s arm with his elbow. “Though, if for some reason I fall in again, I will be totally embarrassed. Can you imagine? My mom won’t trust me to do anything...” The thought of that is both amusing and frightening, but he hopes that he’ll remain dry on land—or in the comfort of their boat—for the whole duration of their sailing excursion. “I also wanna like, thank you for agreeing to do all this with me again. I promise I won’t be super annoying...” He doesn’t know if that promise has already been broken, but it’s the thought that counts, right?