eu / phoria.

meme: idk honestly.status: accepting.

     “okay, black swan isn’t that hard of a dance to learn but— i’ll teach you the very beginning part, okay? then we can stop until where yoongi hyung starts to rap because then we’ll be here for days,” jeongguk lets out a laugh, before he tilts his head back to take a long sip out of his chilled water bottle, setting it down on the stereo in the corner of the practice room. he taps on his phone a few times before heading to the center, facing the mirror and smiling at the idol beside him.

     “so, before we start, black swan is a contemporary dance… it’s more of jimin hyung’s forte and he’s better at explaining than i am but it’s about grace and less power, kind of like swans. there are parts where we’ll be forceful and jerky but other than that, you want to be light on your feet,” he, then, gestures to his bare feet and hers. “it’s easier to dance without shoes on..~.” he laughs again before bending into the first position, explaining as he moves. “we’ll bend ninety-degrees, head barely over your knees, then one arm is extended fully out and the other is bent at the elbow up above, kind of like we’re suspended in air by strings — like a puppet. the knee aligned with your bent arm is also bent just a bit and the other leg is stretched out, just like this. keep your balance steady, okay?” they stand like that for at least three beats of the music, drifting and echoing within the rectangular - shaped room, his arms doing a graceful wave, then he immediately switches up and stands upwards, arms above his head yet still bent, palms curved into a praying position. 

     “okay, second stance. are you catching up, yena-ya?” a cheshire-like grin appears and curves onto his tanned features as he spots her eyes in the mirror, laughing at the look she tosses his way. “so, immediately after the wave,” demonstrating it again, he then stands up with his arms up and palms facing inwards. “we stand and hold our hands up as if we’re praying. the second after this, we’ll twist our wrists slowly go back to the second stance.” the music then picks up again, one beat, two beats, and the third beat audible to their ears. “on the third beat, we’re going to flick our wrists as if to gently get water off our hands and then… slowly, bring your elbows down to your chest, and —  spin!” 

     the taller idol moves to the middle, quickly, feet planting themselves on the polished floor, then the lyrics begin to waft through the air, his own voice sounding foreign to him. body moves on it’s own, swaying to the right and then the left as his arms slide down and then jump up to clap directly on beat. “after i say ‘do your thang’, we’ll clap in that moment, and then do a half-dab position with your arm and the other one will be palm up, and gently… uh, chopping? thrice, but you have to move fast. arms up, jazz hands, and —  bring the hands down into a fist.” he glances over his shoulder to take a look at yena, silently observing how she’s doing and deeming her good enough to keep going. with a smile, proud and somewhat teacherly, he quickly brings his arms up to his torso and pops a little, making an ‘x’ with his arms, jumping, and then spreading his arms apart to jump into a half-squat position. 

     “you’re doing good, yena!” applauds the younger girl with a humongous smile, one that threatens to split his entire face in two, then returns to his position, hands up to his chest. “it’s a little easier here. we’re going to roll our upper body with our arms— so, roll at … with me now, do your thang,” quietly, he sings the lyrics, breathlessly, sweaty, and zigzags his entire body three times to lean to the right. “and now, we clap and lean back as our arms spread; make a wave, reach for your right, push them back and pull yourself out. two steps back to the middle, shuffle —  one, two, half-squat.”

     a loud exhale elicits himself from his lips as he stands upright with a little hop in his feet, a gentle thump! sound coming from the floor when he lands, grabbing two bottles and handing the other to the female beside him. after taking a few sips with a breath in between, he faces her with an inquisitive stare. “so, what did you think?”

“how cute,” he says, voice a soft croon—reaches up and pinches pink into jeongguk’s cheeks. amusement hides in the gleam of his eyes, the corners of his mouth, and jimin’s so fond. “but it’ll take more than this, jeon-ah.” 

       a scrunch of the nose, one large hand swatting away a much smaller one from his rosy cheeks before he laughs, the noise a bit bashful. “i think you’re beginning to grow a tolerance to my cuteness, hyung.” his lips purse, pretty pink and lightly glossy, as he makes the sound again & again. “chu chu?”

( 김유겸 !  ── )   it was an instant reaction to scrunch his nose, face turning into one of disgust at the mention of brocolli. yugyeom was known to be someone who prefered greasy food than the latter. if he could pick someone to eat forever, it would definitely be pizza, or even hamburgers. still, there were some foods the had to admit that were still good outside of the greasy category. head nodding, his eyes followed as his friend moved from the living room over to the kitchen to only come back with a container. his head shaking now, hands raised up into an ‘x’ formation infront of himself. “i’m not insulting it! i just …. bro, that stuff is just too spicy for me sometimes. you know i can’t eat spicy food so well.” pouting his lips, he reached out to gently slap at his friends hand, almost backing away from him in the process. “don’t tell me you already forgot? what kind of friend are you …. all these years, and you forget what your friend likes. tsk … are we really best friends now, jeongguk-ah?”

          while they had many things in common , the one shared thing was their hatred for broccoli and anything that had to do with vegetables ( fermented kimchi was an exception in jeongguk’s book ) ; the maknae laughed , head tilting backwards when his hand got slapped , genuinity dripping from the sound. tantalizing almost , he scooted closer with the container that could most likely be smelt from miles away. ‘ hey , no , i knew !! i’m just teasing you , how could you accuse me like this , gyeom. ’ now , it was the latter’s turn to pout , albeit playful , putting the container back with a final laugh , body shaking from the slight aftershocks. then , he turned , grin cheeky and visible on his round features , mirth shining bright in his brown eyes. ‘ hey , so , what about ... kimchi fries or kimchi pizza ? would you still eat it ?? i mean , i would ... that sounds delicious ... ’ a snort , before he made his way back to his friend , sitting beside him with two bowls of his infamous ramyun with a poached egg dipped in the middle and decorated with finely chopped green onions. ‘ here ya go , bro. wanna play games after ? or maybe we can go hit up the arcade or the pc cafe ? ’

meme: studio ghibli starters.status: accepting.

          sweat droplets slide down the side of his face , flushed with the praise he’s gotten from his sunbaenim ( the very same , from the group he’s looked up to since he was little ). a deep bow now , hands planting themselves firmly against his thighs : ‘ oh , i – thank you onew sunbaenim ! ’ hesitation is visible in the way the younger fidgets with his fingers a bit , plays with the hem of his shirt , coming down from the high of performing the choreography of one of shinee’s songs. he smiles , good - naturedly , albeit shaky from exhilaration. ‘ i’m … i’m really glad you think that – i’m … pretty shy and awkward when it comes to talking to people i’ve followed after for so long. ’ ah. did he really just say that out loud ?? jeongguk groans internally , an embarrassed flush rising to his cheeks soon after. 

          ‘ i - i mean , well , you’re really cool , sunbaenim. i’m just happy you thought it was good enough to be considered a ‘ good first impression ’ , you know ? ’ smooth , indeed , jeon jeongguk. 

meme: studio ghibli starters.status: accepting.

          ‘ asking the wrong person , dude. ’ it’s with a laugh , stiff , that he murmurs it , a hand gingerly peeling off the soaked sheet mask he had on , the left - over substance from the mask itself clinging to his visage. cheeks rosy as the sunset that they could see from the window in his apartment and eyes gleaming with what could be labeled as genuine happiness to be able to spend some time with his friend like this ; jeongguk lets out another laugh , a bit gentler this time. ‘ you seriously have a point , gyeom , ’ he taps his chin , thinking hard about it. ‘ i never liked steamed brocolli at all but my mom always made me have them and said they were good for you. ’ scrunching his nose and then tapping on the other idol’s kneecap , he finds himself standing now , shuffling over to the kitchen to pull out a refrigerated container full of kimchi. a grin takes over his entire face , waving it around. 

          ‘ besides , are you insulting kimchi ?! ’ 

meme: one word prompts. ( my  muse  coming  to  your  muses  aid  when  they  awake  from  a  nightmare. )status: accepting.

          with sunlight streaming through beige , translucent curtains & a book in hand , jeongguk had fallen asleep ; it wasn’t something unnatural for the male , if anything , what with the intense schedules he had returned from ( though , it wasn’t the last of it ) & the lack of sleep he had. his head bobbed a little , long fringe falling in front of his closed eyes , peaceful in the way he seemed to look. though , the peacefulness didn’t seem to last when a furrow in his brow disrupted all sense of ease on the vocalist’s visage. 

          behind his closed lids was darkness , eternal darkness and not a light to be seen in the sea before him ; he was alone , no one beside him. the darkness was quick to consume him , starting from his toes and working up – jeongguk tried to scream , hoping someone would hear him but it didn’t work. the darkness crawled up his spine & before it could reach his face , his eyelids snapped open , eyes wide. 

          a trembling hand came up to wipe the sweat away from his forehead , chest restricted with a suffocating feeling. chocolate hues , tinged with specks of gold , flick around before they settled on the younger female before him , staring at him with concerned , even wider eyes. 

          ah … right , his lids slip closed again , relief seeping out of him in waves. it was just a dream. 

meme: flowers in the attic.status: accepting.

          considering where they were currently ( in a haunted house – it’s important to know that the idea wasn’t jeongguk’s , though he had no problem in going to a haunted house ) , it wasn’t necessarily his fault for thinking that the noise he heard could have belonged to a ghost – maybe not a real one but. you got his point. 

          he let out a sheepish laugh , rubbing at his arms slowly ; the noise had caught him off - guard and he immediately bumped into soojung , startling. she had turned to him , begun to make fun of him ( he did deserve it , after being so high & mighty about not being afraid & he wasn’t !! he wasn’t afraid , not at all. he just didn’t expect an owl to be a part of the exhibit ) , feminine laughter ringing through the darkened courtyard , only a few lampposts on , yet the light kept flickering on and off. 

          it was the perfect ambiance for a haunted house , jeongguk was colored impressed. 

          the embarrassed flush that settled on the tops of his cheeks and the tips of his ears had died down , a breeze tickling at the nape of his neck ; jeongguk let out a laugh of his own , shrugging a little. ‘ it could’ve been , ’ he retorted , trying to gain back what little pride he had stored inside of his chest. ‘ you don’t know that – ah , do you not believe in ghosts , noona ? ’