the rigidity that laced wonpil’s tone ignited a similar flame within himself, but gunwoo was adamant not to let his naturally hot — headed disposition get the better of him. the pair of them were friends, after all, & he didn’t ever want to set fire to the bond that they’d constructed with bare hands & platonic adoration. the older male had been a fantastic comrade & confidant whenever the main vocalist of UNITY needed one, so instead of displaying heaps of backtalk & a spoiled attitude, he let his own emotions take a backseat in order to appease his cohort. that was the least he could do after being asked to model for him. ❝ sheesh ! let us all know how you REALLY feel, won — hyung. i didn’t know that you thought i was the one & only eyesore of my group. ❞ he chuckled, shrugging his shoulders as he softened his overall appearance as instructed. ❝ you know, with how many times you’ve let me fuck you, i was convinced that you actually found me to be quite dapper, but who knows ?? maybe i was wrong ! ❞ his tongue reached out to dampen the softness of his roseate petals ; his hands stretching up to fiddle about with his locks of raven black so they didn’t look too coiffed. whenever the lens of a camera focused in on him, he felt extremely comfortable, & he hoped that his ease in visuals & movement were showcasing well in front of the photographer. never would he ever want to seem too unprofessional in a photoshoot, but the close nature of his & wonpil’s friendship got the better of him earlier. after a few more snapshots of him were taken, he grinned ; eying in on the slightly smaller gent parallel to him. ❝ this is gonna sound so fuckin’ lewd, but when are you gonna let me get back at that booty, huh ?? i’ve missed it. i mostly just like bein’ close to you though, so i hope you don’t think i’m PERVERTED or anythin’… even though i totally am. ❞

     Just as he was to become familiar with the city of Seoul when younger and new, Wonpil did as well. The difference between the two, however, was that Wonpil would have a guide, while Blue was left on his own to navigate the crowded streets of its nightlife. He appreciated the company of his dear friend, and he took any opportunity he could to spend time with him. Soon, the two would be promoting, and he had to snatch a day for the two to hang out before both were separated with busy schedules. Blue was never one to celebrate his birthday, for he never had the opportunity to do so when younger, but since acquiring more friends and becoming more comfortable in his novel lifestyle, he has accepted the notion of celebrating your day of birth. He was especially fond of celebrating a friend’s birthday, and that is why he was more than willing to make Wonpil’s birthday a gathering. That’s how dear the other male is to him. 

     “But, I want to.” Blue raised a finger to pause the other, a smile being worn as he entered the location already scanning the equipment in displays nearby. “Now stop worrying, and look around!’ He gave Wonpil’s shoulders a light shove, a chuckle tickling the back of his throat. “Go on— I know you want to.” He walks onward, finding himself distracted by the gadgets all around. Curious he was like a child. “I have no idea what any of these things are, to be honest.”

He wasn’t really sure where he would have been if it wasn’t for Blue. If it wasn’t for Blue, he wouldn’t have learned about Seoul and all the best places to be. If it hadn’t been for Blue, he wouldn’t have been in the place he was when he had first been scouted by that modeling agency all those years ago. He liked to think that he was lucky enough to have met a friend that was as good to him as Blue was, but he knew that it had more to do with fate than anything else. Wonpil wouldn’t consider himself a really religious kind of guy, but he did believe in fate and that everything happened for a reason. He might have ended up becoming an idol even without having Blue show him around the city and helping him find his footing, but it wouldn’t have happened the way it did, and he was almost one hundred percent certain that he wouldn’t have ended up in MARS with a group of guys that he loved as if they were his own family. 

maybe a part of it was how well wonpil wore his older behaviour so well. jaewon knew damn well he was often accused of acting like a father, especially when it came to unity but he would always vehemently protest against such claims, waving them off like they were complete nonsense. wonpil didn’t he owned up to his nagging and being considered ‘boring’ by a large part of their peers. “wow, consider me heartbroken, joining the exclusive old men knitting club was a dream of mine. i guess i’ll have to find a new aspiration in life.” he deadpanned before taking a sip of his own drink. “sounds awesome, shangri-la was one of your best title tracks if you ask me so it will be cool to see you guys continue going in that direction.” he said, nodding thoughtfully.

the mention of unity’s soon to be crammed schedule had jaewon rolling his neck, sighing contently at the noise produced at the crack. “with the hours we are making in practice room these days i’d be surprised if were anything short of ready.” which maybe, was a little bit more his own doing than he let on, unity knew damn well no one left dance practice until jaewon was content with how the choreography looked, there was no chance anyone would be a beat off by the time promotions started. “i mean promoting with soo was- incredible. the entire process was great, i mean we got so much creative freedom writing and producing our own music, promoting with just the two of us was amazing as well much more-” intimate, swallowing the word back down last second, with the two of them now dating in secret jaewon found himself much more mindful about what he said and didn’t say, illogically worrying that maybe their hidden relationship wasn’t all that well hidden after all. “and it’s not that i feel bad about having gotten the opportunity it was just the timing that bothered me, after unity had been inactive for so long, i’m their leader, it’s my job to put the group before my own career you know?”

when people made fun of his old man, or ahjussi habits as they called it, they even made fun of the way he drank alcohol. more precisely, the alcohol that he drank. he didn’t go for the flashy, complicated drinks that most of his peer group seemed to go for. he kept his drink order straight and simple, something he was used to and knew how it would affect him. he took a gulp from his glass, swallowing the burning liquid before allowing himself to let out a chuckle. “you should really work on your sarcasm, little kid. it’s not palpable enough.” and just to add insult to injury, he reached out to ruffle his hair, messing up the styled strands. “thank you, i’m glad that you enjoyed shangri-la. it was honestly one of my favorite releases too, along with chained up. hopefully everyone feels the same way as you do about this comeback.” 

wonpil felt more sympathetic and empathetic towards jaewon than envious. comebacks and promotional periods were great in a lot of ways. he always loved to perform and get on stage for their fans. but having comebacks back to back? that sucked all the fun out of performing. mars had been subjected to that a few times over the years, and while he wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially a friend, wonpil was happy that he wasn’t in jaewon’s shoes. “that’s the kind of confidence you need to have. you all worked very hard, you’re all ready.” he knew how serious jaewon took practicing choreography and he respected that about him. he took good care of his group, that was for sure. the older male raised an eyebrow when his junior cut himself off, stopping himself mid sentence. he was curious as to what he was going to say, but his words obviously weren’t meant for wonpil’s ears at that moment, so he decided to let it go. “have you ever thought that it was a good thing that you did the solo thing first? that way you could gain new fans and lead those fans to finding out about unity and becoming angels. technically, you were helping the group.”

it wasn’t normal that haeyeon would find herself sitting alone at home on a saturday. “normal” would be at a bar with friends, going a bit to crazy and waking up the next morning regretting every time she said, “this will be my last drink, i swear.” that night, though, she found herself sitting alone on her couch with a collection of snacks, bags of fried chicken, and a few unopened bottles of beer next to her. haeyeon sometimes found herself wanting to be a bit of a homebody when it felt like too much of a bother to go out and make small talk to friends of cousins of friends’ exes. there were times that all she wanted to do was relax at home with her best friend, daeun, who she shared the apartment with.

but she was by herself that night, feeling almost completely content to sit and watch whatever random movies on netflix that grabbed her attention. the only thing was that she didn’t really want to be alone. haeyeon found herself feeling a bit in her head, a gross and uncomfortable feeling that made her crave wanting to see someone, anyone, just so she didn’t feel so alone. she paused the b-list supposed romantic comedy that she had chosen at random to grab her phone off of the charger plugged into the wall before lounging back onto the couch.

[???] : hey i know you’re probably out doing something tonight [???] : but what would you say to a movie marathon to keep my company [???] : i already got food so don’t worry about bringing anything [???] : i just really don’t want to be alone 

because of mars’ recent promotional period for scentist, wonpil found himself busier than he had been in about a year’s time. he was so used to being able to spend his days however he wanted, which usually consisted of him lounging around mars’ dorm in a pair of sweatpants and fiddling around with his camera or watching some kind of documentary or another. he had always been a homebody, even when he was a young kid, something that he had picked up from his parents. his parents had welcomed him into the world when they were both pretty up there in age, which meant that they didn’t have the energy to run around and play with him like younger parents could. luckily he didn’t mind, even when he was a boy. he was more than content with just lounging around with them and reading or letting his parents teach him how to do something like sew or something of the sort. 

which was why on that saturday night, with no schedules until the following day, wonpil was sitting on the couch in mars’ dorm, doing absolutely nothing. his phone buzzing broke his attention away from the television screen, and he opened the messages without looking at the contact. his eyebrows raised when he saw who it was, but he didn’t think much of it. he understood how it felt to not want to be alone, so he nodded to himself while he typed out his response.

        it was no secret to most that knew gunwoo that he made an extremely capable model ; his height, his proportions, & his naturally elegant visage only adding to how much the lens of an hd camera loved him. having been working in print work & ad campaigns since he was nineteen years old, he’s had a few years of experience under his belt, so being recorded in any capacity didn’t startle him one bit. as a matter of fact, he reveled in it ; adoring the attention. so, knowing which angles best accentuated the strength of his jawline, or how to pose in order to expose the true power of his physique came so easily, but he couldn’t help but feel the need to tease the photographer that beckoned him for yet another shoot. slouching & making peculiar facial expressions at wonpil as he stood in the SPRINGTIME air soon became aggravating, & once his hyung told him to take this seriously, he playfully rolled his russet rondures & erected his posture. ❝ fine, fine, fine… ❞ he moaned, a gleeful chortle fluttering from between his petals shortly thereafter. ❝ you never let me have any fun, wonpil — hyung. don’t you think taking stupid pictures would be cool, too ?? i mean, i know i’m sexy ‘n all, but… ❞ he teased, a cocky smile tugging at the corners of his full pout as he positioned himself in the fashion that his beholder instructed. ❝ what if what i was doing before was me in my most NATURAL state, hmm ?? ❞ the heir jabbed once more before falling into his tried & true techniques ; his face appearing moody & masculine, his body only adding to the potent virility that exuded from his aura. ❝ is this alright, or should i appear more soft ?? i don’t wanna fuck this up for you, babe. ❞

     IT WAS A HABIT SISTER would scold him for. finding taisei with his back pressed against the mattress, smears of lead across his hand from sketching with pencil. her petite hands tugging at taisei’s baggy clothing in order to coax him to leaving the isolation of an artist’s mind to share a meal with her. to feed his body. his lack of time dedicated to eating was a concern originally for the members of MARS, the boys having to verify taisei was around for every meal and not lingering about elsewhere. over time he has become more infatuated with food; therefore, less time skipping on meals, for he was now excited to sit down and share a meal with friends and group mates. asking for seconds at times, which was odd the first time he asked. “arigatou!” he exclaimed in his native tongue, accepting the napkin and food given by his hyung. “and of course it is special, wonpil-hyung. anything from you is special.” always speaking fondly of all his group mates, a wide smile plastered across thin lips. when assigned second best, he mocked a pout, the smile gone right away. “and here i thought i was your number one. you are going to make me cry, wonpil-hyung.” he was only teasing, adding to his act assigned long ago when contracted by dimensions to debut with the group. he was to be the cute one—-the master of aegyo. till this day, he fosters the same role. chopsticks moving his food about the plate, he giggles to dissolve the pout. “at least i am your second. that is still meaningful.”

LOCATION: Namdaemun Market 

DATE: 16 April 2018

STATUS: Closed with @fmdwonpil

     Minutes have passed since the two stepped off the subway in order to arrive to the one location Blue wanted to bring Wonpil to. Since meeting long ago before either were idols and Wonpil was new to South Korea, Unity’s vocalist has learned that the opposite male has a passion for photography. The two have spent time with one another messing around with the art, Blue having to adopt the role of a model in order to help his friend. The two finding new sites around the city, the two joking about becoming models together in the future. The two standing side by side for a cover of a magazine. Since three days before was Wonpil’s birthday, he wanted to bring his friend to a place where he could buy a gift that would account for more than just a random purchase of a sweater. A gear that would advance his skills of photography would be more meaningful as well as useful. 

     “Whatever you want, it’s on me.” He had a small allowance due to his work, and he still had money saved from the many years dedicated to working three different jobs before at the same time. A majority of his income went to purchasing his former childhood home, but that did not account for much due to the state the home was. A good deal on the home left him with money in his pockets. Enough to buy his friend a nice gift. “I’m being one hundred with you. Anything you want, I got it.”  

Wonpil wasn’t exactly sure where Blue was going to be taking him, but he was excited. He didn’t particularly like celebrating his birthday, he never had ever since his father passed away when he was a young boy, but he would try to suppress those feelings if only for the day so that he wouldn’t bring down Blue’s mood. He was obviously excited to bring Wonpil out, and he didn’t want to seems as though he was unappreciative of everything that his best friend was doing for him. Ever since the two of them had met all those years ago, Blue had been a good friend to him, and he appreciated him in more ways than anyone could really know. He was the one who had taught him about South Korea, brought him to all the hotspots and showed him what the city life was like in Seoul, and he really appreciated that. It was funny that the two of them had gone from two kids hanging out on the street to two idols who graced the covers of magazines and were known throughout the world. 

Birthdays were nothing special in Jaemin’s head, they held no meaning, no substance simply because he had never celebrated them. His life turned out in a way where he had no one he could celebrate, not a single soul of which he was thankful for appearing in his life with an exception of the mother that he shared no blood with and the soul brother that appeared in his life like light way. That is, until 2014 rolled around and he suddenly had five people to care for and put before himself - a concept of which the man that grew up wandering streets of Seoul didn’t understand. He grew accustomed to the boys, connecting with ones deeper than the others and binding himself to them. That was when a birthday became a whole deal to him. In the end, Jaemin could not be more thankful that Wonpil existed and that winds of faith helped them cross paths. “Don’t be stupid, everyone likes gifts, it’s just a bit awkward to accept them,” the elder took the liberty of sitting down next to the one celebrated, placing the neatly wrapped gift that held a decent amount of weight on his lap. “Manager hyung helped me with this since there’s no way I could have kept it hidden from you in our room.” It was a whole oread planned, a secret collaboration with a few fansites directed by their manager, inquired by Jaemin. “Open it, come on.. It’s nothing fancy, you know I don’t do fancy, I wear our merch like half of the time,” a small intro followed by a small pause before continuing. “There are three photo albums there. One of us. It’s not specifically of you and me, more of all of us. The second one was prepared by one of your fansites, you might recognize the name on the back of it- I’m not sure.I think it mostly consists of airport looks and some notes they collected over the last year,” he pokes at the gifts, index finger hitting the hard cover of the albums and making a satisfyingly dull sound surround them “Oh um.. And the third one is empty. I thought maybe you’d want to have some physical proof of your photography. So it’s more of an invitation for you to do that.”

now at the age of twenty-four, or twenty-five if he was going by korean standards, wonpil found himself behaving more like an elderly man than someone that was actually his age. he didn’t like going out and partying, he didn’t like being the center of attention. he just wanted to sing and perform before going back to their dorm and going to sleep. the thought of their dorm caused a bittersweet to slip from his lips. in just a month’s time they would be forced to move out and find their own places to live, and wonpil didn’t think that he was ready for that. he didn’t want to live on his own, not when he had spent the last four years living with the same guys. he had gotten so used to not being alone that the thought of living by himself was a little scary and foreboding. he knew that he wouldn’t be able to avoid it. the day was coming sooner rather than later, and he hadn’t even finalized his the paperwork for the apartment that he was planning on moving into in a month’s time. he had made sure that it wasn’t too far away from the other member’s, especially jaemin. “i must not be everyone then,” he grumbled underneath his breath, his face flushing slightly. accepting gifts from other people had always made him feel uncomfortable, and he wasn’t exactly sure why. it just made him feel like he owed the person who had given it to him something, and he hated feeling that way. it wasn’t a nice feeling. he continued to pout slightly, but started unwrapping the heavy present on his lap, ripping away at the paper until the gifts were exposed to his eyes. “oh, wow..” he mumbled, flipping open the first album and going through the pictures slowly, a small smile on his lips as he took in each photo. “i love this.. all of it. thank you hyung.” he especially needed the last album. he didn’t have anywhere to put his own pictures, so it was perfect. “you outdid yourself.”

sometimes, people liked to claim they had an old soul and prior to meeting wonpil, jaewon had always written it off to be complete bullshit, just something people said to sound interesting. the taller boy had quickly changed his mind on that though (something he had a tendency to, like for example how jaewon had been very assured he absolutely hated wonpil for the first 2 or so years until the other proved just how wrong that assumption had been) jaewon knew no one that was an actual embodiement of and old man stuck in a young-adult’s body like wonpil was, you keep me young, he often joked to the older. “that’s true, i’m pretty sure you werejust born old.” any attempt to picture what his friend must have been like during his childhood failed miserably, it just seemed so impossible.

he tutted lightly at wonpil’s comment, shaking his head and using his chopstick to point in his direction as to make a statemnt. “see, that’s where you’re wrong. i got another 3 months of being 23 to enjoy before i join you and all the other old men in knitting club or whatever it is you guys do at this age.” as someone who constantly looked after his friends, there were little instances where jaewon could rightfully call someone else out for acting older than their age, which made wonpil an all the more enjoyable victim for his teasing. “any spoilers you can give me? i must admit, i’m pretty excited.” for wonpil and taisei at least, jaewon couln’t really care much for any of the group’s other members but he’d always be supportive of his friends no matter what. “yeah promoting beautiful liar wa sgreat fun, it was nice to be back out there but i got to admit i’ll be glad when it’s all of us on stage again, i couldn’t help but feel like it was unfair to the other’s that me and soo were the only ones promoting. we got our work cut out for us though, we will be promoting for 2 months with a like a 5 day break inbetween releases.”

if he were being completely honest, wonpil didn’t really mind the jokes about him being an old man. he knew that on some level, or more likely all levels, that it was true. he really did behave like someone that was decades older than he was. he spent most of his time indoors. he stayed to himself for the most part. he was always there to offer people advice, and even when it sounded like he wasn’t making sense, he was making perfect sense at the same time. not to mention the length of time at which he could nap. his naps could put any senior citizen’s naps to shame, and that was saying a lot. even though he and jaewon were only a few months apart, he acted years older than the shorter male, which only added to the dynamic of their friendship. 

wonpil snorted at his words, shaking his head as he reached for his glass once more. “as if the other old men and i would even think of considering even letting you sit in on one of our knitting club meetings. you’ve got to earn that right, and you obviously haven’t.” he brought his glass back up to his lips, taking a few gulps of the strong liquid. “spoilers?” he echoed, setting the glass back down and furrowing his eyebrows. “hmm..” he racked his brain for something that he could tell him, before smiling. “it’s sort of like a sequel to shangri-la. the vibe of the song is really chill and relaxed, but it’s still something that you can move to.” that was about as much as he could give him. not only would he get in trouble for sharing too much, he wasn’t really sure what else he could share without giving away too much. “i’m excited for unity’s comebacks. two in a row, i hear. that’s going to be really intense, i hope you’re all ready for it.” and he meant that. he cared about jaewon and the rest of the members of unity, like they were all his family in some way, shape or form, and he wanted nothing but the best for all of them. he didn’t want dimensions overworking them. “you shouldn’t feel guilty. it’s not like you were leaving the group to go solo, you guys just had a little collaboration. there’s nothing wrong with that.”

         he listened to the other, nodding his head as he listened along to show that he heard every word the other spoke carefully. he proceeded with eating as he listened, chewing slowly, before he’d swallow. “ah, that’s awesome! do you do it as a hobby or anything? i really like seeing other people’s photos, see how they see the world around themselves, you know?” he said, nodding with another soft smile. he remembers meeting wonpil when the other was a model, considering they had worked together, and became friends sometime after that. it was nice to know how he really liked photography. he nods once more, “they really are! i really enjoy getting to see those type of things. i still really love to learn,” he giggled softly a bit.

changki can’t help but blush when wonpil compliments him. he hates how easily flustered wonpil manages to make him without even trying. changki acts like a schoolboy around the voaclist. the rapper flourishing undering any type of compliment from his crush. changki’s mind goes blank at the sudden compliment, “oh, i mean, thanks.” he stammers. his face feels hot and he hopes wonpil can’t see his face flush. without stopping himself, changki continues, “i just wanted to look nice for you is all.” changki wants to hit himself. he sounded so stupid. it would be a miracle if changki didn’t manage to combust by the end of tonight. 

changki tries to recover his composure. “a sleepover?” changki repeats, trying to change the subject. changki let’s his mind wander to a less innocent type of sleepover that involved wonpil. pulling himself out his thoughts changki nods, “maybe when we have a day off, we’ll have a  sleepover. you can sleep in my bed while i take a spot on the floor.” he offers without thinking. 

changki thinks about their options for dinner. “there’s that kimbap place by the university? does that sound good to you? if not, you pick! i’ll be happy to just have dinner with you.”

wonpil had a pretty bad habit of being just a little bit too friendly. he was naturally a flirtatious person, who laid on the compliments and kind words rather thick. the kind of flirt who didn’t resort to crude phrases or explicit innuendos. he usually tended to hit them where it would be most provoking. sweet words and soft smiles were his usual form of attack, although it had gotten to the point where he did it without really realizing it. he was naturally a nice person, it was easy for him to compliment others and want them to feel good about themselves. he didn’t realize that he had been doing it even more whenever he was in changki’s presence. 

“stop it.” he waved a large hand at him. “you always look nice. you don’t have to get all dressed up for me. i would be just as struck by your beauty as i am when you wear sweatpants and a hoodie,” he teased, smiling sweetly at him. “yeah, a sleepover!” his smile waned slightly at his words. “the floor? why would you sleep on the floor when we can just share a bed?” he had shared beds with his group mates plenty of times before, it shouldn’t be any different with changki, right?