☆

— YEON SIEUN

𓍯𓂃 Bumping into your ex while on a date with your boyfriend.

YOU'RE WHAT NOW?

The library was quiet, perhaps a little too quiet. You sat besides your boyfriend, who'd been completely engulfed in his book for almost an hour now, leaving you to sit by yourself, bored to no end. Don't get it wrong, you loved yourself some quiet time from times to times—but what you loved even more was your boyfriend, who'd been ignoring you for some stupid pages for way too long now.

You'd tried everything—sighing loudly, coughing obnoxiously and even 'accidentally' bumping into him a few times—nothing worked. Your boyfriend was lost in his own world, and it showed.

Finally giving up the subtle act, you took the book from your boyfriend and watched as he slowly looked up to you, confusion written all over his face.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his eyes going from his book, to your seemingly angry finger tapping, to your deadpan face.

"Are you seriousy asking?" You groaned quietly—remembering yourself you still were in a library, and a crowded one at that.

Sieun looked away for a second, as if thinking about it. You shook your head at that in mild annoyance and grabbed his hand instead.

"Forget it." You muttered. "Let's just go."

Your boyfriend followed as you hastily left, holding his wrist with one hand and his book in the other. Once out of the library, you turned to your boyfriend—who was still pretty out of it—, grinning widely.

"What do you wanna do?" You smiled. "We can go see a movie. Oh or I heard there's a new restaurant opening nearby! I mean if you're hungry? Cause I am."

Sieun only stood there, looking at you with his seemingly dead look that wasn't actually one once you got to know him, quiet for a moment.

"You could have just told me you wanted to get out instead of dragging me around." He murmured under his breath, as if not actually planning for you to hear it.

"I've given you many signs baby." You retorted, rolling your eyes. "We need to work on your emotionnal capacity of reading subtle signs. Like when tall, mean-looking guys with dumb smirks ask you to follow them—don't."

Sieun gave you a look at that but only sighed as you gave it back.

"Movie sounds good." He finally said, pulling out his phone. "We can get food there too."

You smiled at that, nodding once before grabbing his hand again and taking him along with you. The both of you were though stopped when a voice behind you called out your name. You stopped in your tracks and turned around with a small, confused frow on your face when you saw the face of the girl running up to you, a wide grin on her face.

"Seo-ah?" You asked, dumbfounded. "What are you doing here?"

"Was gonna borrow a book." The girl smiled, pointing to the library the two of you were still standing in front of. "It's been so long!"

You nodded, observing her for a moment, mouth slightly open before regaining your senses and turning to Sieun.

"Oh, right—Seo-ah, that's Sieun, my boyfriend. Sieun, this is Seo-ah, my.. ex."

Seo-ah turned to Sieun, smiling widely.

"Hi!" She grinned, grabbing his hand and vividly shaking it before letting go as fast as she took it. "Nice to meet you, I'm the crazy ex."

You rolled your eyes as Seo-ah laughed, turning back to you.

"Well, I gotta go, but maybe we can meet up sometimes?" She continued. "I mean if that's okay." She quickly added turning to Sieun. "I have a new girlfriend just so you know, she's very cool. Not that yours isn't—"

You laughed and nodded, smiling at the girl.

"It's fine, we get it. You should go, you seem in a hurry. But we'll see you around."

Seo-ah smirked and nodded once, waving goodbye and leaving running as she came. Sieun stood in silence besides you for a second before speaking up.

"She's.. very lively."

You chuckled, your eyes following her figure in the crowd.

"She is. She's an angel but I couldn't keep up with her energy, that's why we broke up. Pretty much." You looked back at your boyfriend, smiling. "Now I annoy you."

Sieun rolled his eyes but didn't say another word for a second.

"I didn't think you'd have an ex."

You smirked, turning to him.

"What? Didn't think I could seduce girls too?"

"No, I'm just surprised anyone managed to put up with you before me."

"Hey—!"

— AHN SUHO

𓍯𓂃 Playing truth or dare gone wrong (or right?).

YOU'RE WHAT NOW?

You and Suho had been waiting all week to see each other—thanks to his overworked ass. Thankfully enough, today was the day you'd be released from your boyfriend's absence, hence you two had agreed to meet at your house in the afternoon.

That's how you sat on your couch, your mind too distracted by the boy that should be here already to do anything but sit and wait. You let out a long sigh as the minutes passed by, letting your head fall backwards—he really should have arrived by now. You were desperately pushing any dark 'what if' thoughts away—like what if he got into an accident and you'd never see him again?—when your apartment's door opened suddenly, your boyfriend's grunting being heard from the other side of the place.

You quickly got up to greet him, and maybe scold him just a little for the lateness, when the reason he had taken so long became clear to your eyes as you noticed the three large bags he held in one hand—and smelling awfully good. Suho looked up to you, grinning at the sight as he came closer to take you in his arms, exhaustion written all over his face.

"Baby, I missed you..." He muttered quietly in your ear, trying to hug you but really just leaning all of his weight onto you, making you stumble before you steadied him with your arms around his waist.

"Suho, did you buy food again?" You groaned against him, not in anger—you could never be mad at him—but more in exasperation. "You're gonna ruin yourself if you keep going, I told you I have food in my fridge—"

"And let you eat some reheated junk food? Not on my watch."

You rolled your eyes at that despite the grin forming on your lips—even exhausted, your boyfriend really didn't ever change. Grabbing the few bags he was seconds away from letting fall onto your clean floor, you walked to the kitchen, trying your best to balance the food you really shouldn't spill and your boyfriend's weight who just refused to let go of your waist.

After a lot of muffled complaints from your boyfriend as you wandered the house trying to prepare the food for the two of you, you finally let yourself fall onto your couch—Suho still tightly gripping your waist and nuzzling his face inside your neck. Your food was now steaming before the two of you and your stomach rumbled at the thought only of tasting it.

"Suho, you should at least eat before you fall asleep." You nudged him, weakly trying to get him off you.

"'m not gonna sleep." The boy protested, his words all slurred. "Came here to see my beautiful girlfriend."

You chuckled at that, pretending to agree when you knew for sure he wouldn't last an hour before snoring loudly on your couch.

"Fine then." You grinned, taking a big mouthful of noodles before speaking up again. "Let's play a game to keep you awake."

"You're on." You boyfriend grinned in return, grabbing his food and taking a bite—because no amount of exhaustion, or of anything really, was gonna stop this man from eating. "I choose Truth or Dare."

"Truth or Dare?" You frowned, holding back from bursting out laughing. "That's a terrifying game but sure, go for it."

Suho rolled his eyes at your words, exhaustion slowly wearing off his face as he regained energy from eating.

"Okay." He smirked. "You start."

"Truth or Dare?" You sighed, pretending annoyance when you couldn't even stop grinning at your boyfriend's growing excitement.

"Dare." Suho confidently answered, watching you with sparkling eyes.

You thought for a second before grinning.

"I dare you to give your girlfriend a kiss."

Suho smirked at that and started looking around, feigning confusion.

"My girlfriend? I don't see her here—"

You swat at his head with a grin and your boyfriend dramatically whined at the hit, making you laugh.

"My girlfriend hits me and I have to kiss her.. what a cruel world we live in."

You couldn't help but laugh at that as your boyfriend finally leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on your lips. When he pulled back, his eyes were even brighter than before.

"My turn." He spoke with a grin that promised trouble. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." You instantly answered, not really in the mood for whatever action Suho, out of anyone, could ask of you right now.

The boy groaned at that but kept quiet for a moment, thinking deeply before giving you a look. You braced yourself as he opened his mouth.

"Do you have an ex?"

The question caught you off guard but it was a rather easy one—you weren't one to hide anything from your partner.

"Yes."

You smirked as a look of pure bewilderment came across your boyfriend's face—his eyes tinted with curiosity.

"Wait really?" Suho asked, very interested all of a sudden. "Is he from our school? Wait—how long have you been together? Do you still talk to him?"

You chuckled to the avalanche of words your boyfriend was pouring at you.

"Calm down," you grinned. "It's supposed to be my turn."

But the look Suho gave you clearly told he didn't care about the game anymore.

"We've been together for five months." You finally answer with a grin. "And no, I don't really talk to her anymore. I mean even if we ended on pretty good terms—we just grew apart you know?"

"That's crazy." Your boyfriend grinned. "I never would have thought—"

The boy suddenly stopped himself, a frown coming on his face as your words replayed in his mind. Wait a second—

"Wait did you say her?"

You couldn't stop the grin tugging at your lips before your boyfriend's wide eyes.

"I may have."

Suho looked at you, confused for a second—the quiet almost scaring you coming from him—, before he visibly managed to find the words.

"So you like girls?" He asked, his hand coming to dramatically clutch at his shirt as his voice turned whiny. "Have you been only pretending with me this whole time?"

You burst out laughing at his antics, smiling widely as you answered.

"Absolutely, I was totally faking our whole relationship." You replied, sarcasm dripping out from your tone. "Any more stupid questions dumbass?"

"Calling me a dumbass too, did I actually never meant anything to you?" Your boyfriend kept whining, feigning to wipe tears out of his eyes. "You're so cold..."

You rolled your eyes and elbowed him in the ribs to make him shut up. Suho pretended to be hurt for a second before his eyes went wide again, turning to meet yours.

"Wait. I think i'm bi too."

You frowned at him, holding in a laugh.

"Oh are you now? Suddenly loving men?"

You grinned as your boyfriend kept his theatrics.

"Oh my—am I coming out? Is this how freedom feels like?"

You laughed loudly at him, throwing a pillow at his head before following and scooting over in your boyfriend's arms.

"Yes, congrats—you're half queer too now. Together we make a whole gay person."

Suho burst out laughing at that, wrapping his arms around you and squeezing you against him, grinning. You hadn't been afraid of telling him, and you wouldn't ever be.

There wasn't any place for insecurities when you dated Ahn Suho.

— OH BEOMSEOK

𓍯𓂃 Where deep conversations take you.

YOU'RE WHAT NOW?

The gentle evening breeze carressed your face and you closed your eyes, quietly enjoying the feeling. You and Beomseok had agreed to meet at the top of this small hill nearby your house tonight—as a date. You knew better than anyone how harsh and abusive his life at home could be, and were glad to take him away from it whenever you could. From there, you could see the city and if you believed it hard enough—it felt like you were on top of the world. For a moment at least.

You opened you eyelids back at the soft sound of clothes rustling near you, indicating your boyfriend's arrival. The latter sat next to you, smiling as he met your gentle gaze.

"Hey baby." You muttered, leaning in to offer him a kiss on the cheek.

Beomseok's cheeks flushed a soft pink at the contact—something you guessed would never change no matter how many times you gave him physical affection.

"Hey." The boy quietly replied, smiling at you. "I'm happy to see you."

You smiled genntly, nodding in agreement.

"Me too." You breathed.

A comfortable silence settled between the two of you—the kind that didn't need words because it was a whole confession of feelings in itself. The kind of comfortable you could only truly reach with your one and only soulmate. The kind that could never be replicated.

"I love you so much."

You looked up at your boyfriend's sudden confession, his words so low you thought you dreamt them. But his eyes told you you hadn't. So, smiling, you answered.

"I love you more."

"Have you ever loved anyone else before?"

The question caught you off guard—to say the very least—but still, after a few seconds, you answered.

"I did. But never as much as you."

You were genuine. And Beomseok could feel it.

"Who?" He still asked, curiosity—or jealousy—winning over.

You shrugged at his word.

"Just a girl." You replied, eyes lost in the sight before you. "Her name was Ha-yoon."

"A girl?"

You turned to your boyfriend only to meet his eyes already on you, full of surprise. You couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"Yes." You smiled.

Beomseok kept quiet at that before looking away again.

"I didn't know you liked girls." He muittered, almost to himself, making you laugh.

"Well now you do."

The boy nodded, quiet for a second.

"Does anyone else know?"

You shook your head no—and your boyfriend only nodded. None of you worded it, but you knew he liked knowing things about you no one else did.

You were his, after all.

— PARK HUMIN

𓍯𓂃 Genuine feelings meets the village idiot.

YOU'RE WHAT NOW?

The atmosphere in the restaurant couldn't have been more enjoyable—which was a rare sight. You were seated at one of the tables of 'Baku Chicken', your boyfriend's father shop. Well, that wasn't actually the name of the place, but you liked to call it that—also you couldn't remember the real name to save your life.

Why was the atmosphere usually far from enjoyable? Baku's father. And why was it actually today? The latter was absent. And despite your growing incertainity at your boyfriend's capacity of frying chicken—since he disappeared in the kitchen for a little too long now—, you gladly came to enjoy some food in his company.

"Are you okay?" You called out, leaning forward to try and get a peek at the kitchen from your seat. "Do you need any help?"

"No!" Baku's loud and lively voice replied. "Your perfect chef of a boyfriend is coming to you!"

You held back a laugh, leaning back in your seat as your boyfriend walked towards you with a grin from ear to ear, dramatically placing a plate before you revealing.. slightly overcooked chicken. You almost died trying to keep the laughter inside, coughing instead and nodding as Bakyu stood before you, watching you with wide eyes as he expected your praises.

"It looks.. delicious." You grinned, biting your lower lip as you picked up a clearly burnt piece of chicken.

Your boyfriend seemed pretty blind to it though, as he burst out loud and waved his hands dismissively at you, puffing his chest.

"No no, enough of the compliments." The boy smiled. "I know I'm a great cook, I've been told."

You couldn't hold in a small scoff as you recalled the very vivid memory of Gotak, so long as two days ago, practically begging you to never eat anything Baku could make for you—for your own wellbeing. But you weren't gonna tell him that.

"I'm sure." You agreed instead. "Sit down, let's eat."

You didn't need to tell him twice—still grinning like a child, Baku basically flew in the seat across from you and grabbed the first piece of chicken, almost swallowing it whole. You chuckled and started eating as well, reminding yourself to later tell Gotak that his bestfriend wasn't that bad of a cook, at least when it came to chicken. Which he technically really should have mastered thanks to his dad but you decided to ignore that.

As the evening went on, animated by your boyfriend's usual theatrics and your laughter that never failed to follow, the plate successfully emptied and Baku grinned at you like you were about to award him a medal—or that you should at least. You didn't mention he ate most of it and sighed instead, though the smile wouldn't leave your lips.

"It was really good, Baku." You grinned, praising him. And you were sincere. "Thanks for the food."

Your boyfriend, once again, was unable to react normally to the praise. Throwing his arms in the air and waving them in your face, he looked away and puffed his chest, the slightest hint of pink coverng his cheeks.

"Ah! I know I know, I'm the best and you've never met better cook than me."

You tilted your head at that, frowning a little.

"..I wouldn't exactly say that."

Baku turned to you, eyes so wide you swore they could just pop out and his hand on his heart—where you'd just struck him by the way, how could you.

"You're saying.. you know a better cook?" Your boyfriend loudly protested. "Than me?? Impossible! Who? And don't say Sieun he doesn't count!"

You burst out laughing but quickly stifled your mirth when you saw your boyfriend's face.

"Well, my ex cooked very well—"

"YOUR EX??"

The poor boy seemed so shocked, his jaw could have fallen on the floor right here and then. He held onto the chair as if it was his last hold onto sanity and you just couldnt take him seriously when he looked like that.

"I swear—" You defended yourself between laughters. "I'm not saying it in a mean way—"

"OF COURSE IT'S MEAN IT'S YOUR EX!!"

You were nearly crying at this point, holding onto your painful stomach as even your boyfriend, who was supposed to be scandalized, seemed seconds away from joining you. When you finally managed to catch your breath, at least enough to form a word, you spoke again.

"I'm just saying—she was kind of a better cook than you."

Baku scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Indinity."

"Do you mean indignity?"

"Whatever! That's how I learn you have an ex..."

You grinned at him as he kept mumbling to himself. Just a few more seconds and... Baku gasped—yep, he got it.

"WAIT DID YOU SAY SHE?"

You nodded, biting back yet another laugh.

"Yes I did." You smiled. "My ex was a girl, I'm bisexual. Surprise."

Baku opened widely his mouth, closed it, opened it again and then proceeded to think very hardly for a few seconds.

"Wait you're what?"

"Bisexual." You repeated.

"What's that?"

"It means I like both girls and guys."

"Both?"

"Both."

The boy kept thinking for a moment.

"I mean who doesn't like girls right?"

You burst out laughing once again as your boyfriend gave you a smirk.

He might not understand everything that being bisexual could imply just yet, but he sure knew that he loved you.

— GO HYUNTAK

𓍯𓂃 When your ex contacts you again.

YOU'RE WHAT NOW?

"What's taking you so long?"

"Can't you wait for five goddamn minutes?"

You groaned, letting your head fall back onto the couch. You were sitting up on the floor, back leaning against your boyfriend's couch as you were waiting for him to come out of the shower. Or he might as well be dead since he'd been giving you no signs of life—because his voice could absolutely be a recording. Dramatic much? Maybe. But he still couldn't possibly be dirty enough to drain all of your hot water supply.

Lost in your own thoughts, you opened your eyes again at the sound of the bathroom door finally opening on your shirtless boyfriend. Though the sight of the water droplets running down his toned body surely did not leave you unaffected, you decided to pout and pretend otherwise—frowning at the boy as he scrambled around the room to find his shirt.

"You're so mean, leaving me alone like that." You grumbled, watching your boyfriend finally find his shirt and put it back on.

"Sure, sue me, I'm the worst boyfriend." Gotak grinned, finally turning to you and crouching before you, a playful smirk on his lips. "Why don't you tell me how you liked the match instead of whining hm? Wasn't I so good?"

You pressed your lips together, crossing your arms over your chest as you refused to give in just yet.

"You were alright." You mumbled, earning wide eyes and a scoff from your partner.

"Alright? That's all I get after scoring half the points?" Your boyfriend, grinned, leaning in. "Also, I'm pretty sure I heard you scream my name about five times in a row during the play, don't act all impassive now."

It was your turn to scoff and roll your eyes at his words, averting your gaze from his as you kept on your whiny play. Your banter was interrupted by the repetitive buzzing of your phone on the couch.

Looking up, Gotak grabbed it for you and looked at the name on the screen, frowning.

"Who's Jin-wa?"

All possible play-pretend from you was instantly whipped from your face at the mention of that name, grabbing your phone to check it yourself. It really was her.

"You alright?" Gotak frowned, looking up at your suddenly thoughtful expression as you didn't reply to the call, eyes stuck on the screen. "Love who's that?"

You kept quiet for a few seconds, definetly turning the confusion on your boyfriend's face to worry. Between the two fo you, your phone kept buzzing in your hands.

"..my ex."

There was a small silence at that—until your boyriend finally registered the words.

"Your.. ex?"

You nodded once and soon enough, silence fell over the two of you as the phone between your hands turned off. Gotak's eyes were bearing into yours, full of confusion and maybe the tiniest tad of jealousy. But he quickly pushed the latter down, because he knew that wasn't what mattered right now.

"Are you okay?" He finally asked after a few seconds, voice soft. "You seemed really.. scared all of a sudden."

He didn't name it, but your boyfriend's mind was already imagining all the possible reasons as to why you'd be scared of only seeing your ex's name—he didn't like any of them.

"No, no I'm fine." You quickly assured him, grabbing his hand and forcing a small smile. "I just.. didn't expect her to call now. Or you know.. ever at all."

You let out a bitter laugh, falling quiet for a second.

"I didn't even know I still had her number saved." You muttered to yourself, looking down on your phone.

Seeing that look in your eyes—one of guilt, shadowed with pain you'd tried so hard to keep buried, Gotak couldn't take it.

"Hey, no." He muttered, gently grabbing your phone and putting it away, leaning in so his face was close enough for you to only see him. "That doesn't matter okay? I don't care how she called you, I just want you to tell me—"

Gotak cut himself off. No—that's what he wanted, not what you needed.

"I just want you to feel safe. "He corrected himself, smiling softly in reassurance.

You held your boyfriend's gaze for a second only to see genuine sincerity and care. A small smile escaped you as you nodded.

Not really knowing what else to say, Gotak slowly opened his arms, offering a hug without ever pressuring you into it—but you only fell into them instantly, burying yourself in his warmth and scent without a word. Gotak held you gently, softly rubbing your back after a while, and never letting go unless you initiated it.

"Thank you." You finally muttered into his neck after a few minutes. "Sorry I didn't tell you anything before, I just don't really like talking about it."

"It's okay." Your boyfriend instantly replied. "Don't apologize, you did nothing wrong."

There were another small silence.

"Just you know, tell me if I need to be mean. Even to a girl."

You chuckled quietly at that, nodding in his shoulder as your boyfriend held you like you were the most precious person he'd ever held.

And believe it, you really were.

— SEO JUNTAE

𓍯𓂃 Learning about each other.

YOU'RE WHAT NOW?

The funfair was filled with the sound of laughter and the smell of cotton candy. Distant kid's screams could be heard as the rollercoaster went doing loopings again, couples were holding hands and sharing a straw, old people watched the place buzzing with activity with a glint in their eyes that seemed to say they felt nostalgic. And among all of these different people, different lives—they were you two.

Juntae wasn't one of thrill rides or anything too fast and too sudden—and honestly, so were you. Instead, your boyfriend held your cotton candy as you played the shooting game—taking out one, then two, and finally three targets. A yelp of joy escaped you as you won a prize and you chose the small bat plushie that had kind of a lopsided smile. Turning around, you were met with your sparkling boyfriend's eyes, cheering you on.

"That was amazing!" The boy praised you, grinning from ear to ear.

You chuckled, mimicking a bow at him before offering him the plushie.

"Here," you smirked smugly. "I won it for you."

Juntae's eyes widened at the same time your grin did and you couldn't resist kissing your boyfriend's cheek as he accepted the gift with a fond smile. Taking a bit from the cotton candy, you turned around to choose which ride to go on next when your eyes widened.

"Juntae!" You excitedly called out, pointing at the ferris wheel with pleading eyes.

Your boyfriend hesitated at the sight of the gigantic ride, clearly a little scared. But as you assured him he'd be fine, that you woudn't let go of his hand the whole time, he smiled and nodded, following you to the attraction.

You kept your promise, holding your boyfriend's hand the whole time as the ferris wheel slowly got higher and higher in the air. His fingers, laced with yours, squeezed once when the cabin got into ovement but quickly relaxed at the slowness, a small relieved smile seating on his lips.

"Thank you for today."

Juntae turned to you, startled as you only smiled sincerely.

"I really wanted to come here, and I know you were hesitant at first because this place's a little scary sometimes. So I wanted to thank you for coming anyway."

The boy was at a loss of words for a few seconds, eyes sparkling with affection and love towards you—and only you.

"You don't need to thank me." He muttered, his cheeks a soft pink. "I'm really happy to be there for you. Everything feels.. less scary with you. Like I can overcome anyhing with you by my side."

You could feel your heart racing at the confession. Juntae met your gaze again, smile as soft as ever.

"I hope you feel the same way with me."

Your throat was dry all of a sudden, as if all the moisture in your body had rushed up to your eyes—so you simply nodded with a smile, squeezing his hand. After a few seconds, you managed to find your voice again.

"I do." You muttered. "I always feel safer with you, safer than with anyone else."

Juntae nodded but you weren't done. You swallowed, trying to force the words out.

"I've been wanting to tell you something. I didn't before that because there were some poeple in my life that didn't accept me for who I am and left me once I told them, so I was kinda scared."

You chuckled through the tears as your boyfriend's gaze turned concerned.

"But I trust you." Yuo smiled finally. "That's why I'm telling you.. I'm bisexual."

You searched your boyfriend's eyes for disgust, rejection, fear even—but found none of it. His gaze was full of love, understanding, the same exact one he'd give you without knowing. You didn't realize you were crying until Juntae wiped your tear.

"Thank you for trusting me with this." His voice was low, calm and soothing. "I'm glad and grateful that you told me, and I'm so sorry people were so cruel with you before. I want you to know this doesn't change in anyway how I see or feel about you."

You were sobbing now, your boyfriend's hands cupping your cheeks like you were the most precious being. His smile was soft and loving despite the tears in his eyes at the thought of the pain you must have been through.

"I love you." Juntae muttered again. "Nothing will ever change that."

And as the ferris wheel reached its peak, offering a sight people paid to see, Juntae only leaned in to kiss you gently, holding you close like you were all that mattered to him. Because you were.

And there were no sight like you.

— NA BAEKJIN

𓍯𓂃 Finally convincing him to attend a party.

YOU'RE WHAT NOW?

You swore you could beg on your knees at this point. You'd been talking of this party you wanted to attend two weeks in advance, more than enough time to convince any other boyfriend to tag along, but not yours apparently. The single mention of it gained you a glare and a firm no from Baekjin—and that everyday for two whole weeks. 'I have work to do', 'I need to manage the Union'—you heard it all but an actually valuable reason not to come. You were this close to believe he just hated humans, you included.

"Baekjinn!" You called out with a whiny voice, entering his office—a pout already seated on your lips.

"No." Your boyfriend instantly cut you off, not even deigning to look up from his usual papers.

Of course he knew. You walked to his desk in two long strides, kneeling before it and clasping your hands together in a prayer as you gave him the biggest puppy eyes you could manage.

"Baby, the party is tonight." You started. "Please, you have to come. I promise we won't stay long, I'll never ask anything of you again, please just this once—"

"It's no." Baekjin stated firmly again, making you want to dissect him just to make sure he actually had a heart behind his attractive torso.

Dramatically falling back in pure desesperation, you looked at the ceiling for a second before another idea crossed your mind. There was one thing you hadn't tried. Sighing loudly, you got up and, very slowly, walked to the door.

"Fine then, I'll go alone. Surrounded by strangers, scared to death, vulnerable to any attacks from other gangs and completely abandonned by my very own boyfriend—"

The sharp sound of Baekjin clicking his tongue made you grin widely—you knew you'd won.

"Thank you baby!" You exclaimed, turning to him and running to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I knew you loved me! See you tonight!"

Your boyfriend sighed heavily as you skipped out of the bowling alley, happier than ever. Tonight was gonna be something.

The satured sound blasting from speakers all around the room and the blinding lights would have been enough for Baekjin to turn around and go back instantly—but your firm hold on his wrist and your stupidly cute smile forced him to follow around.

The night passed by slow for your boyfriend, but he didn't once open his mouth to complain. After all, he came with you, and whenever he saw that smile on your face—he made sure no one, including himself, ever took it away. As for you, you were moving around and dancing happily, clearly having the time of your life. From times to times you turned around, just enough to meet your boyfriend's gaze—far enough not to be squished by strangers but close enough that he could intervene if anything happened, his gaze never leaving you in the crowd. You smiled at him, and was grateful he came.

A gentle but sudden hand on your shoulder made you turn around, your wide smile falling off instantly at the sight of the girl before you. Even in this place, where recognizing anyone should be rewarded with a medal, her touch only was enough for you to know who you were dealing with.

"Hey." The girl leaned in suddenly, close enough so you could hear her voice above the deafening surroundings. "Been a while uh?"

You were almost frozen, your brain desperately trying to make sense of the situation at hand. Why was she here? Why did she came up to you? It's not like you guys were friends. The girl chuckled at your lack of response and the sound only made the unease in your stomach grow. You opened your mouth to excuse yourself, insult her—just do anything really, when you suddenly felt someone looming from behind.

Baekjin stood there, eyeing the girl with an emotionless stance. He hadn't seen her from afar but, as if owning a radar a sixth sense, your boyfriend had somehow sensed your discomfort. He didn't talk, simply moved his gaze from the girl to you, examining your face. And one look at it was enough for him.

Grabbing your hand, you saw your boyfriend's lips move despite being unable to hear anything as he started dragging you away from the girl and the crowd, his grip gentle on you. Once the two of you were out of the club, Baekjin turned around again.

"Are you okay?"

His voice was calm, steady, like nothing was worth panicking for. You didn't answer instantly, breathing still slightly labored before you nodded.

"Yeah—yeah I'm.. fine."

"Did she hurt you?"

Not who she was, what she wanted—only what she had done. Because if Baekjin cared about one thing, it was you and your safety. And the look he'd seen on your face in that crowd was anything but feeling safe. You stood quiet for a few seconds, before slowly shaking your head.

"No, not—"

You cut yourself off, unable to finish the sentence. Finally, your voice lowered, you spoke.

"She did.. a while ago. When we were together, she just..."

Your voice faded by the end, unable to speak up just now about what she'd done to you. Baekjin didn't need to hear it.

He nodded, once, then grabbed your hand and pulled you into the softest hug he ever gave you. Eyes wide and teary, you answered to it gently, arms wrapping back around him.

He didn't mention anything about her gender, didn't seem shocked or disgusted that you'd been with a girl before. That didn't matter to him, you only did. And if that girl hurt you, he'd make sure she paid.

"Com'on." He muttered gently after a while, grabbing your hand. "Let's go."

You followed him as he walked you away from the club, feeling safer than ever with his fingers wrapped around yours.

You weren't going back to a party anytime soon.

— GEUM SEONGJE

𓍯𓂃 Seeing old photos together in your phone.

YOU'RE WHAT NOW?

The endless sound of the keyboard and his mouse clicking could have drove you insane—it really should have. But you knew your boyfriend by now, and brought the only thing keeping you from losing it—your dear earplugs. Now, even when Seongje decided to be mean and basically ignore you for his games, you could still sit here in the same room as him, bored to no end, swipping through your gallery with evident disinterest.

This really should have been a normal, peaceful day, but that hope was ruined the second your phone was snatched away from your hands. You frowned and looked up, ready to fight whoever Union guy bothered you, only to find—not so surprinsingly—your boyfriend, standing there frowning at your screen like it was a personnal insult to his existence. Your eyes drifted to his empty game set and, for once, blamed your earplugs for not letting you know sooner that your boyfriend suddenly decided to change activities.

"Give it back." You sighed, extending your open hand as you demanded the device back.

Seongje barely spared you a glance, scoffing.

"Why would I?" The boy smirked, clearly proud of his childish behavior when he held your phone high enough to keep you from grabbing it. "I wanna know what you're doing."

You rolled your eyes, taking off your earplugs as your boyfriend scrolled through your phone as if he expected to find something scandalous. You let him do—you had nothing to hide.

Sitting back on your chair, you let out a long sigh Seongje obviously ignored, his thumb still swipping through your phone until his movement halted. You didn't notice at first, not until he called out to you.

"Who's that?"

You raised an eyebrow at the question, turning your gaze to the screen Seongje turned to you. On it, was a picture of you and another girl your age, sticking your tongues out at the camera, your cheeks glued together.

"I've never seen her." Your boyfriend said again, clearly offended you dared to be that close to a friend he didn't even know.

"That's Na-eun." You simply answered. "She's my ex."

For once, you saw suprise on Seongje's face—which was a rare sight.

"Ex?" He asked again, to which you just nodded. "You never told me you had an ex. I wouldn't have guessed given how inexperienced you clearly are in relationship."

You rolled your eyes and ignored his comment. "Well now you know. Can I have my phone back?"

But Seongje brought the screen close to his eyes again, as if examining the picture with a frown as you sighed loudly.

"She's kind of a baddie though."

Your eyes went wide at that, turning to him as you raised an eyebrow, defiant.

"How'd you pull her—?"

You didn't let him finish, up on your feet within a second and snatching your phone from his hands this time.

"Okay yeah well I'll just go back with her then." You cut him off, pretending to make a call.

Seongje scoffed at that but the only sight of him chasing after you to prevent you from calling someone—that you forgot the number of by the way—was enough to bring a wide grin to your lips.

Who could have thought that being poor would lead you to this?

You were a normal girl, really—but you couldn't really expect a normal life when you started running errands for a literal gang. But it was for the money, money you desperately needed, so it wasn't so bad, right? You just wanted to help your family.

Baekjin had never really worried about who was doing which missions or why. He always had something better to do, something better to think about. At least, that was before he heard about you. The rumors didn't have names at first, just a few whispers that Baekjin's ear caught here and there. Whispers about a member who always completed his missions as quickly and efficiently as possible. A member who smiled a little too much for the place they were in, who were a little too kind. A member who seemed much younger than what they claimed to be. Baekjin could have ignored it—he wasn't one to question how his members ended up in a gang. But this time, the rumor stuck in his mind. So much so, that he quickly asked Seongje to find and bring him this mysterious member.

You were on a job that day—nothing too complicated; you’d been asked to steal a bike from some poor delivery guy who was just doing his job. But then again, that was all you ever did, too. Once the bike was stolen, you’d bring it back to Daesung Motorcycles as always and hand it over to the people who would handle the rest. Normally, you would have just offered a smile that no one would return before rushing off to your next assignment, but today, someone was there. Someone you probably wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t called out to you.

“Hey.”

You stopped in your tracks and turned to see a tall guy walking toward you, looking bored with his hands in his pockets. You recognized him as Geum Seongje, Baekjin’s right-hand man—not exactly a leader of anyone in particular, yet still a cut above the rest. He was almost always absent, living life on his own terms—sometimes almost to the point of defying Baekjin. He was arguably the member who terrified the others the most: the type who would laugh while beating people up and ruin lives just for the fun of it. But there was a certain look in his eyes—something he kept hidden from everyone—suggesting he wasn’t just a heartless bully. You knew it; you’d seen it.

Almost instinctively, you gave a slight, respectful nod as the guy stopped in front of you; he raised an eyebrow at the gesture before a cold smirk played on his lips.

“You’re weird, no wonder Baekjin’s interested.” You frowned at that but couldn't say a word before Seongje placed his hand on your shoulder, turning you around and guiding you toward the warehouse exit. “Don’t ask questions, let’s just go—I have better things to do.”

Knowing the kind of person he was—and the firm grip he held over you—you kept your mouth shut and followed him without a word of protest.

You had never been in Baekjin’s office before; you had never done anything that would have brought you here. Except today, apparently, as you now stood in the room while Seongje was sprawled out on the couch and Baekjin sat at his desk, his head bent over papers he was filling out at lightning speed. The gang leader hadn’t spared you a glance—let alone a word—since your arrival, and anxiety began to rise within you amidst the heavy silence. Finally, Baekjin moved, leaning back in his chair and slowly lifting his head to look at you. You remained silent, unsure whether to meet his piercing gaze or look away.

“How old are you?”

The sudden question made you frown; was this really what all this was about? You stayed silent for a moment as you gathered your wits—the guy’s intense stare still fixed on you. You swallowed hard.

“Sevent—”

“Don’t lie to me.”

The boy’s cold tone made your mouth go dry; you stared at his desk, feeling like you were burning under the intensity of his gaze.

“I’ll ask you again, and I wanna hear the truth.” A pause. “How old are you?”

You kept your head down, feeling a bead of cold sweat trickle down your temple. You took a quiet breath before answering.

“..fourteen.”

Had it been just the two of you in the room, another silence would have followed—but you nearly jumped at the sudden laughter coming from your left. You had almost forgotten he was there.

“Fourteen?” Seongje cackled. “No wonder you’re like that. Did you mistake this place for daycare?”

You didn’t respond to the boy’s barbs; you remained silent, merely lifting your gaze to meet Baekjin’s. He, too, said nothing, while Seongje sighed, standing up and fiddling with a cigarette between his fingers.

“This is a waste of time, just send her back home—”

“No!”

The word slipped out before you could stop it, and you cursed yourself inwardly as silence settled back over the room. Exhaling softly to steady your nerves, you opened your eyes and spoke again—your gaze now fixed on Baekjin.

“Please,” you pleaded softly. “I need to keep working. I need the money.”

You heard Seongje scoff behind you.

“What for, candy?” He grumbled, bringing the cigarette to his lips. Baekjin simply held your gaze, his cold eyes searching your desperate ones.

“What do you need the money for?”

His voice hadn’t softened, but somehow, you felt your shoulders relax. He was willing to listen.

“My mom.” You answered quickly, swallowing hard. “She’s sick, and the treatment’s expensive—”

“What about your dad?”

You remained silent for a moment, uncomfortable with the subject but deciding to push through if it meant a chance of keeping the job.

“He left us months ago with all our savings.” You whispered, your fists clenching at the memory.

You expected a laugh or another sarcastic remark from Seongje, but instead you were met with silence enveloping all three of you. You didn't know how long you stood there, facing a gang leader you were ready to beg not to send you home, when Baekjin's voice filled the room again. 

“What's your name?”

Once again, the question caught you off guard. But you still answered under your breath, as if scared of breaking your last thread of hope. Baekjin remained silent for a moment before speaking in that same monotone.

“You can keep working here if you want to. Just don't get caught.”

And before you knew it—tears welled in your eyes. You lowered your head to hide them from the boy in front of you, bowing once more. Because for the first time in your life, you felt seen. Not loved, not yet. But understood.

For the first time, someone offered you hope.

— ✧ —

Becoming the Union’s protégé, by all means, didn’t happen overnight.

After your meeting with Baekjin, for the first few days, nothing changed. You were still going on missions, still giving smiles that no one returned, and were, in every sense, invisible. The first change you noticed was the sidelong glances the other members gave you when they thought you weren’t looking at them. And although you couldn’t quite put your finger on it, it wasn’t hostility they were giving off. After two weeks, the feeling of being constantly watched had stayed with you long enough for you to be sure it wasn’t paranoia. You wanted to talk about it, but quickly remembering that this kind of problem would never be taken seriously by the Union members, you swallowed your discomfort and continued your daily tasks without flinching. It was a month after your meeting with Baekjin that the big change came.

You were on a mission, as usual, one evening after school, grumbling as you wrestled for at least three minutes with the lock on the motorcycle you were supposed to steal. Lost in your thoughts, you didn't hear the footsteps approaching until a sudden grip on your shoulder yanked you with all its might, sending you crashing to the ground with a yelp of pain. You wonced but didn't have time to get up before the same hand grabbed you violently by the collar, pulling you up and forcing your hood open to see your face. You groaned in pain as the boy kneeling in front of you laughed, his eyes wide with a mixture of annoyance and disbelief.

“Fuck—that’s you who’ve been stealing my bikes? I expected some tall asshole—what the fuck’s wrong with you?” 

You didn't answer, grabbing the boy's wrist to try and free yourself from his grip, but he was much stronger, not budging an inch as he laughed at your futile attempt.

“Stop acting dumb and answer me.” The guy groaned, threatening you with his fist. “I don’t want to go that far, but I’ll punch you if you keep resisting like that.” 

You gritted your teeth and suddenly lowered your head to bite the boy's wrist until it bled. He cried out in pain and moved away from you as you struggled to your feet, running as fast as you could to escape. Without wasting a second, the boy was chasing after you, shouting insults at you through the sleeping streets, but you were deaf—the frantic pounding of your heart filling your eardrums. Before you could even realize it, you missed a step that had no business being there and crashed to the ground, groaning in pain. Clutching your rib, you tried to get up, but a sudden weight pushed you back down, making you groan as the boy kept his foot pressed against your back.

“Didn't I tell you...” He groaned between breaths. “To stop resisting?” 

You couldn't answer before a cry of pain escaped you as he pressed down on your already aching sides, driving them into the concrete. You clenched your fists in agony, trying to clear the fog of pain in your mind and think of a way out. You didn't have to think for long, though, because a voice interrupted the scene.

“Wow. Attacking a kid, aren't you ashamed?”

You could barely make out the voice before the weight holding you to the ground was lifted, accompanied by a groan of pain. You forced yourself to rise onto your elbows to catch a glimpse of your savior, standing before your assailant—Seongje. You frowned at the sight as the boy took a drag on his cigarette before kneeling beside your attacker with a wry smile as he studied your persecutor's face.

“And you’re old too, you really should know better.” 

You heard the scream that followed and didn't need to see it to imagine how Seongje had just stubbed out his cigarette. You closed your eyes, still catching your breath, when a hand grabbed your arm—surprisingly gentle. You only looked up to see Seongmok helping you to your feet, his expression grim even as he glanced at your injuries. You stood there, speechless, staring wide-eyed as he brushed the dust off your clothes.

“Seriously, why would Baekjin keep someone like you around if you’re only going to cause trouble?” 

The grunt came from a third person you easily identified—Dongha. You stared at him for a moment, unable to form a word as you tried to process the situation.

“You might have a broken rib.” Seongmok’s voice made you turn your head toward him, meeting his gaze for the first time. “It’ll hurt for a while, but you’re fine apart from that. Can you still walk?” 

You nodded slowly, still clutching your rib when Seongje arrived at your side, seemingly having finished playing, and placed his arm on your shoulders—making you wince in pain.

“Of course she can. If that asshole was enough to take her down, she’d have nothing to do with the Union. Though I do think you’re kind of weak.” He added, finally turning in your direction.

You didn’t respond to his barb and leaned slightly against him to stay upright, turning back to the others.

“I don’t get it.” You finally managed to put your thoughts into words. “What are you guys doing here?”

Seongje scoffed loudly at that, as if you’d just asked the stupidest question ever.

“What are we doing here? We’re saving a dumbass who can’t take care of herself to save her life." A beat. "..also Baekjin asked us to.” He mumbled the last sentence, so you barely heard him. 

You opened your mouth to retort, but considering the situation and the fact that they had, in fact, saved you—you closed it again without a word. Seongje smirked at that and, lighting another cigarette, started walking away while still holding onto you, pretending to use you as an armrest, but really you knew—he was holding you up more than the opposite.

As you walked silently beside them, returning to the Union's hideout, you thought back to the past few weeks and smiled to yourself. You remembered the feeling of being followed, the cookies they had pretended to have misplaced but that no one else dared touch, and the recognizable orange jacket that covered you and protected you from the chill of the bowling alley as you woke from a nap—a jacket that certainly hadn't been there before. You stopped yourself from giggling at the memories, looking up to see Seongje still holding you firmly, Dongha eyeing you every now and then, and Seongmok checking your path for anything that could endanger your safety. At this moment, you remembered your mother’s words and smiled to yourself.

Maybe being kind did make a difference after all.

JUST A FEW HEADCANONS...

— NA BAEKJIN | The commander of your security.

𓇼 OG protective older brother,

𓇼 The kind that scolds you if you even think of putting yourself in any kind of danger or if you're reckless (and will ground you),

𓇼 If anyone messes with you, threatens, or hurts you in any way he's not hiring anyone to do the job he'll go beat them to death himself happily,

𓇼 That also counts for you; if you feel bad about yourself he's the type to frown and give you lectures because that just makes no sense to him and he hates seeing you like that.

— GEUM SEONGJE | The hypocritical caretaker.

𓇼 That one annoying and endlessly teasing older brother,

𓇼 Would be the kind to tease you about everything and anything, sometimes to the point Baekjin has to intervene because he's going a little too far (definetly made you cry a few times),

𓇼 The one to teach you how to fight and laugh when he makes you fall down (wow such maturity seongje)—but helps you get back up everytime,

𓇼 You're incredibly safe with him, no one is approaching you (which can also be annoying when even your friends are too scared to get close whenever Seongje's around...).

— BAEK DONGHA | The quiet shadow.

𓇼 I feel like he wouldn't be around that much—is very busy with the Union and doesn't really engage in that older brother role often,

𓇼 When he does engage, he's really more of the silent observer—the one that'll watch over you from a distance, makes sure you don't get in any kind of trouble or that trouble doesn't find you,

𓇼 Sorry but he's really bad when it comes to comforting, if you cry or breakdown in front of him he'd just stand there quietly, maybe awkwardly pat your back while he quietly calls for Seongmok or literally anyone else,

𓇼 It's not that he doesn't care, but he's really detached to his emotions so he can't really show anything—will simply keep a quiet eye on you and if he sees something, or someone, being even remotely weird with you, they're gone the next day and nowhere to be found.

— DO SEONGMOK | The gentle guardian.

𓇼 BIGGEST SOFTIE!!

𓇼 Looks really tough and mean but the kind to take you in a silent hug when you've clearly had a long day or are on the verge of tears (and he'll only do that for you too because you're his baby sister🥺),

𓇼 Won't say a word because he's scared to say something wrong but his warmth and gentle touch as he reassuringly ruffles your hair is more than enough (not good with words but showing emotions ain't his strong either so he'll still have that closed look hugging you (you better cherish that one time you'll see him smile)),

𓇼 Will still go and beat up anyone who dared mess with you afterwards.

— YEON SIEUN

You must have been begging this man like crazy to get him to do this,

I mean standing in a crowd? With people screaming all around?? No escape whatsoever??? that's basically hell to him,

Thankfully the guy really loves you—and maybe also the band though he won't admit it,

He's not a huge music fan usually, but you've been playing on repeat for so long the same damn music from the same damn band—he knows all of them by heart now,

Sometimes even, when he misses you, he'd put on his earphones as usual and play their music low enough so Suho wouldn't notice—just because it makes him think of you.

CAUGHT ON KISS CAM! ⊹ ࣪ 𖹭

ᰔ Genuinely his worst nightmare,

ᰔ Believes they are pointless and stupid, claims he doesn't need to kiss you in front of everyone to prove he loves you—or that he doesn't have anything to prove at all,

ᰔ Won't do it until either you beg him really hard or the kiss cam keeps coming back to the both of you at least three times—then he's kissing you just to get it over with,

ᰔ Of course he loves you, but the concept of being peer pressured into kissing you feels really wrong to him.

— AHN SUHO

Absolutely loves the idea—but you'd have to pray he doesn't overwork himself beforehand,

He doesn't have much time to spend listening to music—but with you being such a fan, he's heard all the band's songs at least once,

Even if he doesn't like it that much, he'd still go with you because what matters most to him is spending quality time with you, especially since he's always so busy with his part-time jobs,

Probably acts like the biggest fan, jumping around and screaming the lyrics with you except he does not, in fact, know the lyrics,

You end up spending the whole concert crying laughing at his unintelligible screaming while people around you two are both judging and suffering—but Suho only couldn't care less because he only has eyes for you.

CAUGHT ON KISS CAM! ⊹ ࣪ 𖹭

ᰔ A smirk so smug you think of avoiding his kiss,

ᰔ Obviously you don't,

ᰔ Absolutely shameless too, it's almost like he takes it as a personal challenge and now he's devouring your lips for everyone to see,

ᰔ When he finally pulls apart the kiss cam has long moved on but his eyes stay on yours, genuine affection shining in them as he grins at you—loving the sight of your swollen lips.

— OH BEOMSEOK

Concerts aren't his thing—he never went to any but the idea in itself isn't something he's particularly excited about,

I mean due to the treatments he received all his life, you can't be too surprised when he feels uncomfortable in crowds or flinches at loud sounds—and that's all concerts are about,

But of course for you what wouldn't he do,

You told him about the band, but never enough to make him actually insecure, so he felt pretty happy to go with you—quality time with just the two of you means heaven to him,

Does not scream nor dance but will nod his head to the beat, smiling at you and laughing when you scream and jump in excitement, holding your hand as he makes sure not to lose his earplugs—something you offered him not because he doesn't like the music, but just to keep the sound low enough so it doesn't cause any panic to your lovely boyfriend.

CAUGHT ON KISS CAM! ⊹ ࣪ 𖹭

ᰔ Flustered at first, had never even thought he'd be on a kiss cam one day,

ᰔ I feel like he'd get so red and hyper aware of his looks because what do you mean thousands of people are watching him live,

ᰔ Forgets the whole point of the thing only for you to gently grab his chin and pull him in a soft kiss,

ᰔ His whole world shrinks to you as he finally relaxes, barely noticing the people around cheering.

— PARK HUMIN

Is SO excited for it, probably loves the band more than you,

Screams the whole time, sings and even carries you on his shoulder at one point—though he quickly puts you down when everyone behind got annoyed,

Never loses energy, dances the whole night and somehow manages to still scream even after two hours,

Confidently calls it the best night of his life—but really he's been calling that every night he got to spend with you,

Had a great time and still has enough energy to rant about the concert the whole way home while you barely stand on your feet.

CAUGHT ON KISS CAM! ⊹ ࣪ 𖹭

ᰔ Has been dreaming of this for YEARS, that only would have been enough to convince him to come,

ᰔ Quite literally screams and jump out of pure happiness before pouncing on you, trapping you in a bear hug as he peppers your whole face in kisses, making the whole stadium around cheer and laugh,

ᰔ You can barely catch your breath and have to physically push him away but he keeps his grin even then, his eyes shining like a kid who just met his idol,

ᰔ "Did you see me on screen?? I looked so cool! Uh? Oh yeah you too of course—"

— GO HYUNTAK

Really happy you offered him and no one else—even if that may sounds obvious since you're together, he just loves knowing he was the first person you thought of,

Accepts with joy and cannot wait for the concert,

Of course he's heard of that band, how couldn't he when you're his girlfriend, and though he didn't really like the music at first—he ended up warming up to them (mostly thanks to your pretty smile whenever you mentioned them),

During the concert, he's smiling and dancing with you the whole time, laughing and appreciating each second he gets with his girlfriend he loves so much,

Is absolutely exhausted after the concert, walking home with you on wobbly legs like two drunk idiots—but with grins so wide it could light up the whole city.

CAUGHT ON KISS CAM! ⊹ ࣪ 𖹭

ᰔ The type of guy to be distracted by something then only notice the camera when you or people around show him,

ᰔ Shakes his head and his hands sort of trying to be nonchalant but people start booing him and my guy takes it personally,

ᰔ Instantly turns to you and pull you in a big kiss—no making out because he's not as shameless as Baku but definitely making sure everyone knows he's not scared of a stupid camera,

ᰔ Do not tease him about it or he'll pout and give you the silent treatment for at least half an hour.

— SEO JUNTAE

Overjoyed to go with you,

Dresses really nice like he does everytime you two go out—even when you assure him it's fine, he just wants to look best for you,

You very much probably catch him revising the songs 'just in case' as if he didn't already know them from all the times he sang them with you at the karaoke,

Once there he has the time of his life, though he usually doesn't feel too comfortable in crowds—he can surpass that when he's with you, singing (or screaming) your favorite songs together,

Is grinning from ear to ear once the concert is over, and holding tightly your hand as he happily wishes to go back to another one of their concert with you.

CAUGHT ON KISS CAM! ⊹ ࣪ 𖹭

ᰔ Looks back and forth between you and the screen with wide eyes like "is that us? Oh that's really us—",

ᰔ Red as hell but also has the tiniest smile on his lips—he just really loves kissing you after all,

ᰔ Sweetest kiss ever, not too long, not too short—and when he pulled away he was just as flustered but his smile was even wider,

ᰔ You two had the whole crowd melting.

— NA BAEKJIN

Did not want to go,

"There's too much work with the Union"; "You can go with a friend"—but he folded when you told him you specifically wanted to go with your boyfriend,

Once you're there, he won't ruin your good time but won't pretend he enjoys the show either,

You try and get him to dance or sing but one glare is enough for you to understand the message and simply enjoy on your own,

Will make sure you get home safe—and is glad he came just for that.

CAUGHT ON KISS CAM! ⊹ ࣪ 𖹭

ᰔ Instant no,

ᰔ I'm so sorry but you cannot convince this man to do it,

ᰔ You dragged him there and that's more than enough for him,

ᰔ You'd need to get on your knees, and even then, you can't be sure of getting what you want.

— GEUM SEONGJE

What can you even expect from him at this point,

Tries and gives you any excuses not to go—"but I have this game I want to play"; "I'm too tired"; "I don't even like your stupid music" (yes you almost punch him at that),

Of course you drag him there anyway—and of course he just has to sigh the whole way,

When the two of you are finally there, he'll be even worse, but you're so used to his antics you just ignore him and keep enjoying your thing,

Ends up saying he tolerated the show—but really you saw him nodding his head along the beat halfway through the concert.

CAUGHT ON KISS CAM! ⊹ ࣪ 𖹭

ᰔ Would act nonchalant at first, then hear one guy not far from the two of you calling you hot and he's shameless,

ᰔ Full-on making out session, you better pray there's no children in this crowd,

ᰔ Only pulls out when you're seconds away from fainting due to the lack of air and smirks triumphantly,

ᰔ "Now everyone knows you're mine"—and indeed, no one doubted it.

— YEON SIEUN

This man could remember to the very last thing about you—like "you did that on august 23 2021" level—and then just forget he's born one day and needs to be celebrated for it,

Would never EVER forget your birthday but his?? Boy does he care,

Genuinely doesn't understand why you're surprised or that it might seem odd to you,

"everyone remembers their birthday! we're waiting for it all year long" vs "i don't"; this conversation can be very long,

I feel like his own parents would forget his birthday when he was young or not celebrate it because they're 'so busy' so he'd rather not do anything at all then celebrate it alone,

Slowly learns that it might be important to you and his friends, because you love him and want to celebrate him as he deserves to be,

— AHN SUHO

We've seen it in the show, couldn't care less about it,

He doesn't see the point nor wants any of you and his friends to make a big fuss out of it,

That "don't worry about it, I don't care" energy because he is SO used to taking care of everyone else that poor baby,

But it really means the world to him if you actually celebrate it, even if you can barely afford a cupcake and a smile he'll cherish it to his last days,

Would love anything as gifts but mostly those personal and meaningful gifts (handmade or not, the kind where you say "it makes me think of you" while offering it and he's over the moon),

If you're going out like at a karaoke or something, he'll puff his chest and just overall act so proud holding you close by the waist, that "that's my girlfriend" kinda energy (would love hearing you sing happy birthday idk why),

— OH BEOMSEOK

How can he remember his birthday with all the punches and kicks he took to the head (sorry),

Genuinely so surprised and even doubts you when you wish him because what do you mean it's actually today,

Still manages to make him smile whenever you remember something about him so this is not an exception,

Feels seen and loved, which he hasn't been much in life, so couldn't be any more touched by your sweet words and presence for the whole day (not that you don't give him any on any other day),

Spends the day by your side, smiling at you and insisting on buying you things on his birthday (or worse, buying his own birthday presents (you almost smack his head at the idea)),

Would love more than anything to be able to offer you a heartfelt confession by the end of the day to tell you how much he cares about you but the words are stuck in his throat so he just ends up wrapping you in a really big hug that squishes the air out of your lungs (and makes your eyes teary),

— PARK HUMIN

Absolute dramatic,

Would NOT forget his birthday but even if he did, you'd probably not get to be the first to wish him (gotak or even sieun probably beat you to it once at school),

But imagining he went to sleep at yours (or vice versa) and he wakes up besides you, wondering with that playful smile of his why you're grinning so vividly at ten in the morning—oh he's happy,

Spends the whole day grinning from ear to ear, nothing could beat his mood,

Wants to be the king and everyone to obey to his every wishes for the whole day (gotak is not playing along (you are (he requires a billionth kisses))),

Claims with his whole heart it's the best day of his life and probably cries when Sieun gets him a gift (would try and be slick by acting it's still his birthday the next day—no one falls for it),

— GO HYUNTAK

Absolutely forgets his birthday,

He just strikes me as the type to think of everyone and everything except himself all the time (suho 2.0),

Baku is also not helping because he barely remembers anything himself (forgets gotak's birthday more than once only to show up at his doorstep at eleven in the night with a birthday cake and a handmade gift claiming "it's not midnight it's still your birthday"),

Gotak secretly loved it,

So when you send him a text the day of his birthday the second you wake up he's kinda thrown off but deeply touched,

Wants to spend the day with the people he loves not having to worry about anything, and eventually you manage to make it come true for him (might take you in for a long hug in a quiet moment of the day and you know this just means so much for him, more than words can express),

— SEO JUNTAE

I'd so see him working really hard on a test (since he's trying so much, especially since sieun is at eunjang) and so completely forget his birthday, replaced by stress,

When you welcome him at the school gates with a wide smile and bright eyes, all stress from his grades is forgotten, replaced by sparkling eyes and joyful mood,

He wants to make his day perfect for you as well, making sure you, who makes him happy everyday, also get your shared part of celebrating (even more if you resist it),

I think he'd easily get flustered from all the attention, trying to turn it around on others/on you because he loves to exist within you and his friends—not being the main character of it all 24/7,

Could be the happiest with any gifts or no gifts at all—seems cliché but his greatest gift is to be with you and his friends, without having the constant worry and pressure of the Union or any problems/conflicts,

In the end is just happy to be with you, reminding himself daily—and even more during those special days—how lucky he is to have someone like you by his side,

— NA BAEKJIN

SO busy with the Union of course he'd forget,

Sadly no one from the Union knows/dares to wish him happy birthday (except maybe Seongje with that smug smirk),

Frowns when you show up at the bowling alley because he doesn't like the idea of you hanging there at all, only for his eyes to soften when you smile widely and pull out a small birthday cake,

You convince him to go back at your place for once and his eyes widen when he sees another, bigger birthday cake with decorations all over it for him,

Smiles softly and eventually let's himself relax in the inside of your warm home, following your lead and accepting his presents all the while you cover his face with kisses because you just missed him that much (you barely see him since he overworks himself so much),

Still makes sure one or two Union members (probably Dongha and Seongmok) stays outside your house so no one can disturb that rare moment of peace,

— GEUM SEONGJE

You'd think this guy wouldn't forget his birthday because he can be so full of himself—put him before a screen and he can't even remember to eat,

Genuinely turned you down when you invited him out because he needed to gain a better rank, you know how important it is...

Of course you didn't take his bullshit and still insisted on making his birthday something else than a screen and your presence he was barely aware of besides him,

Either you managed to take him out (hats off to you), or you're hanging out in either of your houses, hopefully keeping him away from whatever screens for a while,

Acts like he doesn't care and can't wait for the day to be over but you can see the faint smile tugging at his lips when you offer him his presents or give him his big birthday kiss,

Absolutely asks for more than a kiss afterwards