wonder, boy.

i know i’ve went around to say my goodbyes to those that have spent time making connections with him and thank you so much, again for plotting with him. his life was a full one, but it was unfair to him and myself, and perhaps to you guys too that i brought him around for an unfair ride again. 

honestly - doing that personality quiz was the nail in the coffin, if i’m being frank. i realized that at the end of the day, he’s legitimately the same boy, no matter how i twist or spin it. 

and to those who reminded me that rp is for fun, and a hobby that shouldn’t be causing me stress and anxiety, that’s right. and thank YOU for making my experience on Hyunjin here great. see you from my other muses :-) 

he hears his friend sputter on his drink, perking up from his aimless staring to raise a concerned brow as he straightens in his seat. “oh shit- sorry. you okay?” more concerned about his pal than receiving an answer, he couldn’t help but shrink back into himself as hyunjin seemed composed once more. at least as composed as he could be after the random question. belatedly he realized he could very well have meant hyunjin as well. even if that thought made his face flush in embarrassment, his feelings were definitely a 100% platonic towards his longtime friend.

thankfully hyunjin seems to understand where he’s coming from and launches into a reply that max tries to apply to his situation. his brows furrowing in focus, he can’t help but wonder- is that how he sees wookjin? but he wants the best for all his friends. at the inquiry max decides to take a sip of his own drink first before he leaps into his own response. “I’m… not sure. love is a wild concept to me? like- I thought I was straight the whole time- you know this. but even if I’m not now it doesn’t really change that I just…. I just love ‘love’. we’ve been over this where I realized that I always liked the concept of love more than actually being in love with people. I just… I don’t know man, I just feel lost.”

“yea i think for outsiders, it might always be easier for us to see rather than for yourself personally to deal with that first off, you thought you were straight, and that’s one obstacle ‘out of the way’,” hyunjin says with quotation marks, because it’s not meant to sound like an awful hurdle. it’s not. it’s good that max has figured this out, because it’s so important. “that’s a big thing to understand about yourself, and to apply to how you feel within a possible relationship or crush, or... love.” hyunjin nods slowly, letting it sink in further. he’s trying to peel apart the onion layers and being delicate at the same time, while trying to actually give a proper answer. max is important to him. whatever relationship he may want, is important to him because that’s his friend right there. he wants nothing but the best for him. 

professionals at work.

 when  hyunjin  concedes  far  quicker  than  she  anticipated,  a  wave  of  unanticipated  surprise  sweeps  across  woohee’s  facial  features.  her  fingers  instantly  fall  off  of  his  shirt,  and  she  breaks  into  a  broad  smile  that  lifts  her  cheeks  and  softens  the  corners  of  her  eyes.  “ i’m  delighted  to  hear  that.  really. ”  a  quiet  thank  you  lingers  in  the  middle  of  her  phrase,  but  it  can  only  be  noticed  in  the  way  she  looks  at  him.  she  is  truly  grateful  to  have  this  experience  with  him  without  any  difficulties.  “ it’s  usually  a  good  idea  to  come  up  with  poses  in  advance  so  the  photographer  has  something  to  work  with. ”  she  tells  him  and  picks  up  one  of  the  portable  fans  they  are  advertising.  “ let’s  come  up  with  some  ideas  together.  teamwork  time. ”  she  hands  him  the  blue  one  while  she’s  holding  the  pink  version  of  the  item,  still  grinning.

so hot.

     rieon feels like a common re-occurrence that keeps popping up since joining legacy agency officially is the kind of training they assign them. more focus on acting and modelling lessons seemed the most likely, maybe even more classes on interviews or public relations stuff or something like that. but he can’t say he ever expected to be put through workshops and classes on how to be a mascot performer, for example, yet here he is, dressed as a big fluffy bear in the sweltering august heat, wondering if this is really what he wanted to do. so while he understands the reason behind this learning experience, he couldn’t ignore the fact that he was dying from heat.

     when he’s told he can take his hourly break, rieon pulls off the head in mere seconds, desperate to breathe in the air and drink some water. he ends up wandering to the room where they’re allowed to rest and slumps into a seat that just so happens to be next to hyunjin and lets out a relieved sigh. “god, i have never felt more thankful for a/c and sitting than i am now,” he groans out, finally feeling his muscles and limbs relax. turning his head slightly to look at the other male, there’s a faint smile on his face as he takes another gulp of water. “how are you holding up? i still can’t believe they made us do this.”

“oh you know, living the life.” hyunjin smiles, appreciating the fact that he’s not hooded right now under the big mascot helmet, and actually able to evoke emotions through more than the swing of a leg or his arms. yea, he likes being human a lot. surprisingly. he’d already had his turn, so he knows exactly what rieon is going through. “i hope they don’t make us do another round, because i am exhausted. it’s definitely feeling like punishment, considering all my friends who stayed as training for idols get to travel. why didn’t they tell us that before i signed the contract? i could’ve faked wanting to sing if i got to go to japan or LA for a month, please.”

OPEN EVENT 005 : PERSONALITY ANALYSIS 

[ ISTJ ] Logisticians pride themselves on their integrity. People with this personality type mean what they say, and when they commit to doing something, they make sure to follow through. People with this personality type believe that there is a right way to proceed in any situation – and that anyone who pretends otherwise is probably trying to bend the rules to suit their own purposes. Logisticians have a deep respect for structure and tradition, and they are often drawn to organizations, workplaces, and educational settings that offer clear hierarchies and expectations.

that after three long years ( happy three years as of a few weeks from now, since he was basically bore from the birth of lgc, even though he was gone for a year... hyunjin’s mbti remains the exact SAME!? shocked does not begin to describe mun’s feelings. it’s been difficult to grasp with him because he was so hardworking & he reached his goals, then chose to prioritize one goal (graduating) and now regrets that he could not have done both. but we are happy that he’s graduated university, it was one of the things that bothered him to all hell & back in the day, but now he’s not accomplished yet and he doesn’t know if he will quite be able to reach the standards that he’s set for himself ( aka being an actor, wanting to get good roles, so he just keeps blabbing about how he doesn’t care, how he will be fine being the extra, it’s going to be alright, i didn’t want it anyway. but it’s his way of shielding himself from the reality that he is afraid that he will never reach the end goal that he wants. to do something he finds worthy of his own standards and expectations. ) he’s always been hard on himself, and he has very high expectations, and he wants to succeed at it all. hyunjin doesn’t like any shortcuts, he’s a hard worker, and honestly, his dream job is probably still being an actuary at a firm. that hasn’t changed since august of 2019. 

⏤ move that body !

the only thought that went through byungho’s mind was a simple “ewwwww” he said with a disgusted face. they were friends but regardless of how close he was with someone byungho does not want to touch sweat with them. it was just disgusting to think about. “maybe I want to wear it first now. and get it all sweaty for you.” oh goodness, hyunjin just brought another nightmare. just imagining all the people that have to share a single costume he with cried in horror.

“five nights at freddy’s?” he repeated with shock eyes. “isn’t that the creepy bear?” nothing even remotely similar to his mr teddy back in his room. no teddy bear should be made to look that scary. “i’m betting it’s…cute this isn’t legacy halloween party.” highly doubt it would be cute. maybe if he didn’t have to wear the costume than it would had been cute. “interactive too??” god how he was dreading this. “how ami suppose to be happy and running around interacting with people when alli can think is ‘yuck yuck yuck’” byungho would hope that these mascot are brand new with tags.

byungho jaw dropped “you have a good point. if beauty and the beast musical was happening I will opt to be belle” but they both know there was no way he would ever get that part. “maybe they want help with gesture? if you think about it mascot have to be big with their gesture on stage because they can’t speak.” which could make sense because this is how he would have to be on stage during the musical. “or maybe, they just want us to make a fool of ourselves. and be like hey it’s okay to be silly and embarrassed yourself.”

"dibs, dibs! wait, i can’t believe i’d be running to be first in line for this task, wait-” the reverse psychology he’d put byungho and himself in was quite funny. from not wanting to do this, now he wanted to do this first. wow, maybe the staff would be very impressed. “they wouldn’t give us one right? that’s not sanitary... gross....”

“yea, the creepy bear and mechanical things! i don’t play games, but i did watch some YouTuber lets plays, and it was pretty freaky. but you’re right. maybe some cute mascot, or.. what about those creatures at Lotte World?” the company had collaborated with some of the LGC staff before. “we can offer to bring our own costumes, kidding. i don’t want more belongings to add to all the things at our dorm... it’s getting a bit... full.”

 the  same  tale  has  been  told  to  her  far  too  often,  and  while  she  tries  to  comprehend  hyunjin’s  alleged  relaxation  mode,  woohee  thinks  he  still  has  a  lot  of  untapped  potential  within  of  him  that  only  needs  the  perfect  trigger  or  little  prod.  “ you’ve  achieved  a  lot.  you  get  to  be  an  actor,  but  you  do  nothing  with  it,  yeah?  this  is  really  like  a  once  in  a  lifetime  chance.  why  don’t  you  attempt  to  apply  the  same  drive  you  had  for  school? ”  there  is  a  pause.  “ unless  you  genuinely  don’t  have  a  love  for  acting. ”

 while  he  may  be  deficient  in  his  job,  he  has  been  putting  his  best  to  the  process  of  furniture  assembly.  she  is  appreciative  of  his  help  and  tries  her  best  to  assist  him  whenever  he  needs  assistance.  it  leaves  woohee  with  a  few  scratches  on  her  fingertips  from  handling  the  wooden  furniture  or  handing  him  a  nail  while  accidently  cutting  herself.  “ i’ve  been  considering  pursuing  the  minimalistic  chic  path. ”  woohee  says,  attempting  not  to  appear  surprised  by  his  interest  in  her  apartment.  she  believed  that  he  was  doing  this  out  of  a  sense  of  responsibility  in  order  to  gain  favor  in  her  eyes.  suddenly  the  awareness  that  he  may  have  doing  so  much  for  her  because  he  wants  to  do  it  willingly  causes  her  heart  to  beat  slightly  faster  than  normal.

 “ i’m  not  interested  in  anything  overly  extravagant  or  showy. ”  she  continues  to  explain  while  offering  him  the  necessary  tools  as  needed.  “ i  want  it  to  kind  of  look  like  a  cozy  apartment  in  paris.  you  know.  a  few  plants.  comfortable  pillows.  fluffy  blankets,  all  kept  in  neutral  tones.  beige,  white,  soft  pink  shades.  lots  of  space  for  all  of  my  books. ”  eventually,  while  talking,  woohee  realizes  the  bed  is  complete.  “ oh  – ”  her  eyelids  flutter,  taking  one  additional  second  to  register  that  she  now  has  a  bed  to  sleep  on.  then,  in  less  than  a  second,  she  lays  down  on  the  mattress  with  her  arms  and  legs  spread  wide  and  a  gleeful  grin  on  her  face.  “ this  feels  so  wonderful!  come,  come,  you  must  give  it  a  try!  this  mattress  costed  me  a  lot,  but  it  was  worth  every  penny. ”

the words sink in, and hyunjin chooses to stay silent as he continues to work on some finishing touches. it’s eerie in a way, that she says things that stick to him, that make him feel open for the taking apart. he doesn’t have an answer that’s good. it’s good enough for him to say out loud to others in passing, because it didn’t matter. it’s good enough to say as if he doesn’t care. but if he didn’t care, would he be here? at least she’s willing to press on the fact that hyunjin did have a strong drive for school. that was true. he doesn’t choose to answer in the moment, a typical act of avoidance. it gets him to work faster, the evident elephant in the room, and he clears his throat. 

“you can always change it later. seasonally,” hyunjin offers a small smile, knowing his older sister used to change the decor in her room all the time while he kept his maintained but the same since childhood, aka boring. “but i do like minimalism. chic. totally your style,” he eyes woohee as the room slowly comes together. without her conversation, it would’ve been an utter time lag and bore, and he hopes that when he eventually moves out, woohee would be willing to join him, even if only to talk whilst he puts it all together. ( he has much less than her, for starters. not a dig, just a fact. )

the bed dips softly as hyunjin sits on the edge of it, the cushion thicker than a plain old mattress. the ones at the company dorms weren’t bad, but this was so cushy. “can’t replace good sleep, woohee. good choice.” he doesn’t fully lay down, gazing at her, deciding that now might as well be the time to answer the question he’d dreadfully avoided earlier. “woohee, i...” he closes his eyes. it sounds so dumb to vocalize it. there’s this resentment towards how his own life turned out, despite nothing truly being ‘wrong’ with it. he’s placed up so many back up plans, that failure is nearly meaningless. he’s graduated, but what now- hyunjin’s never sat to think about it fully, and that’s why nearly all his plans are half assed, and incomplete. “i don’t have any expectations right now. i don’t see myself being a main at anything, so why should i try? i don’t know if i truly want to do acting, it’s... sort of what i... thought i could settle for. does that sound bad? that sounds bad.” his tone is so despondent, entirely different from the everyday attitude he so proudly displays, and he hates being vulnerable. “granted, i don’t mind being an extra. i really don’t. but. it feels like it’s probably all i can get.” no expectations, no disappointment, right? but hyunjin’s basically at ground zero and already disappointed. 

suit up !

“once you find out the reason why LGC decided to torture us like this, be sure to let me know,” she says with another roll of her eyes. to be frank, seohyun didn’t care who saw her on her worst behavior. she was hot and bothered; irritated to no end! she can’t imagine how people show up to work and do this every day, only one hour in and she was already sick of it. 

she chugs the rest of her water quickly, thankful that the cold liquid quenched her thirst and cooled her down at the same time. “give up then,” seohyun says bluntly, easily crumpling the empty plastic bottle in her hands. she sets it on the table, reminding herself to throw it in the trash lest LGC subject her to another afternoon of picking up trash by the han river. 

“no one’s stopping you, plus if you leave there will be less competition,” a smirk crosses her lips. she wouldn’t miss him if he was gone, truthfully. she could count the number of close friendships she had on one finger, and hyunjin wasn’t included in that list. they tolerated each other, and that was about it. “if i was on future dreams all i would be doing is embarrassing myself on national television,” she wasn’t stupid and could acknowledge the areas in which she lacked. “at least with this, i’m embarrassing myself under the guise of a costume. no one knows it’s me,” or at least, she hopes no one will know it’s her underneath the mascot suit.

that’s one thing he appreciated about seohyun. everyone was too busy pretending to be your best friend, or trying to be friendly with one another even in scenarios where it was not possible. did everyone like each other even in preschool? no. and here she was, honest as the day a baby was born and not even joking at all. “thanks for the support. what are we even in competition for, female lead?” his eyes lilt in a near roll at her comments. “i’ll be sure to beat you there. don’t you worry about it.”

“if you’re worried about the competition, that probably means you weren’t good enough, sooo...” he trails off with a grin, “you don’t need me bowing out for that. i’m hardly competition. here for the ride. and the nice company dorm.” despite him being torn on wanting to move out or stay in, hyunjin is locked in for now and it is what it is. ( at least it didn’t cost money to stay there. ) 

professionals at work.

 the  eye  roll  that  follows  his  comment  is  almost  unavoidable.  “of  course  the  picture  will  turn  out  fine  with  me  in  it.”  she  retorts.  despite  the  arrogance  of  her  statement,  there’s  a  playful  twinkle  in  woohee’s  eyes  and  the  curve  of  her  bow-shaped  lips.  because  things  have  always  been  this  way,  with  hyunjin  giving  just  the  barest  minimum  in  his  line  of  work,  which  woohee  can  not  comprehend;  perhaps  as  a  result  of  her  experience  in  a  competitive  setting  and  her  desire  to  perform  at  the  top  positions  and  get  notoriety  and  recognition.  and  yet  they  complement  each  other  in  a  peculiar  way  no  one  can  truly  understand.  “i  want  you  to  give  it  your  all,”  she  continues  and  turns  to  face  him,  barely  having  to  bend  her  neck  to  look  into  his  eyes.  “because  this  is  our  first  time  appearing  in  a  commercial  together  and  i  want  it  to  be  flawless.”  a  pause,  with  the  bottom  lip  forming  a  faint  pout.  “can  you  do  that?  for  me?”  here  her  fingers  tug  at  his  shirt  a  little,  hoping  to  be  able  to  motivate  him  to  be  a  little  more  energetic.

 it  is  a  pleasant  change  to  watch  him  flourish  at  least  a  bit  under  the  duty  she’s  given  him,  especially  considering  that  he  is  someone  who  offers  little  effort  and  passion  in  his  profession.  not  only  that,  but  he  is  still  as  chatty  as  she  remembers  him  to  be,  which  makes  it  easy  to  slide  back  into  the  way  they  used  to  engage  before  he  vanished  from  her  life  without  a  word;  it  makes  things  easy,  but  it  also  makes  things  difficult  at  the  same  time.  because  woohee  wants  to  harbor  her  frustration  at  him  for  a  little  while  longer,  or  at  least  she  tries  very  hard  to  convince  herself  that  this  is  what  she  wants.

 “you  weren’t  trying  to  be  frugal.  you  were  just  lazy.”  she  retorts,  but  her  tone  does  give  away  a  little  bit  of  cheekiness,  which  suggests  that  she  is  not  at  all  serious  about  what  she  is  saying.  she  takes  a  few  bites  out  of  the  meal  before  setting  her  chopsticks  down  and  propping  her  chin  up  on  the  palm  of  her  hand.  soon  a  sly  smile  begins  to  spread  over  petal-colored  lips  as  she  casts  her  gaze  over  his  face.  “oh,  i’d  totally  take  care  of  you.  take  you  to  the  hospital  and  instruct  the  nurse  to  give  you  the  biggest  shot  they  have,  of  course.”

 at  this  point,  her  eyes  are  twinkling  with  delight,  and  she  even  manages  to  sneak  a  giggle  into  her  voice.  “but  if  you  were  to  become  my  neighbor,  i  think  it’d  be  fun.  i  mean,  i  could  always  call  you  to  fix  anything  in  my  apartment.  or  carry  my  grocery  bags.”  she’s  about  to  pick  up  her  chopsticks  and  resume  eating  when  he  mentions  the  dessert,  and  she’s  quick  to  snatch  the  remaining  box  and  get  it  out  of  his  sight  by  hiding  it  behind  her  back.  “that’s  a  surprise!  for  when  we  get  the  bed  done  and  i  know  i’ll  be  able  to  sleep  safe  and  sound  tonight.  i  promise  the  reward  is  worth  all  the  hard  work.”  and  it’s  possible  that  she  has  something  more  up  her  sleeve  for  him  as  well.  maybe.  “shall  we  get  back  to  work?”  she’s  not  waiting  for  an  answer  when  she  abandons  the  food  and  stores  the  dessert  in  the  fridge,  eventually  making  her  way  to  the  unfinished  bedroom.

“you hit me where it hurts.” a strangled voice escapes his throat at the honesty of woohee’s statement directed at him, eyes widening and brows raised as hyunjin has to accept it because it’s the truth. there’s an inkling that she may know him too well, especially in his weak spots such as this - the otherwise smooth excuses that anyone else willingly takes as an answer, are thwarted by her call-out. “right.  maybe during this term, i’ll get my act together and look for a new place. i only have one roommate right now and he has quite a lot of belongings, more than i’m used to back in the trainee dorms...” hyunjin sighs, rubbing at his eyes. “i was hard working at one point. just... towards school. and now that that’s done, my entire being is in relaxation mode,” he nearly pouts, knowing it may come across as another excuse.

“grocery shopping together, check,” and he prays that she isn’t the type to grocery shop the way she also shops for her attire, but he’s not going to voice that aloud if he knows what’s good for him. eyes lingering on the mystery dessert tempt him to try to grab for it but hyunjin will be glad there’s a reward for later when they’d surely be exhausted. “alright, alright if your majesty insists.” he keeps close to her, no longer famished and in much better spirits, as he stares at the materials for bed frame. “sometimes i think the fee for the installation would have been worthwhile but, i might as well make myself useful while i’m here.” and he’s going to be up for the challenge because again, she doesn’t have any back up plans for a room to sleep in right now, so if nothing else gets done tonight, the bedroom must be sorted out. 

dusty shelves ( summer '22 )

if there's one talent that hayun possesses its, getting people to do what she wants. hyunjin is no different in that sense, even if he would claim to be. like he's here, isn't he? well, he's actually standing a few feet away looking miserable in the boys love section of this used comic store where hayun likes to find a lot of cheap manga to buy in bulk.

hayun walks over, sets a few more books into the basket at his feet and gives him a small smirk. "stop looking so sad," she says picking up a copy of given and flipping through the pages. she puts it in her basket and walks back to where she was just looking. "i'll buy you boba, i promise. i just need someone to help me carry these. i don't have nice toned arms like you do." hayun grabs his bicep softly, pauses, and looks at him seriously. "nevermind."

"also," she says tugging the sleeve of his shirt. "you might like these better." hayun points toward the stereotypical manga for boys section, dragon ball z and such. "i mean, i think. i don't know your... preferences." she giggles a little at her own joke and picks up the basket to sit on the ground, scanning through to see titles she hasn't seen before or ones she's been on the look out for. "anyways, how's acting going? we haven't caught up in a while." she sighs and looks up at him with a grin. "even if you avoid me, i'll always miss you. you can't get rid of me, you know?"

he feels as if he’s done a lot of carrying of things lately. for himself. for his friends. it’s the unfortunate time of many people moving during the new term change at the company, and he’s a bit spent from it but he knows that after it’s all done, there wouldn’t be any more of these shenanigans in the next few months. ( or so he hopes. he honestly is already wondering if he will stay at the dorms or move out beyond a half year or so. ) hyunjin looks away from the spot at the wall he’d been staring at and looked at the basket that continues to get filled. “can’t you like, oh i don’t know... rent from the library?” not him sounding reasonable, someone send the police now. “i know, i know. but i... don’t know what any of all of this is. i think i’ve watched one animation. when i was a kid...” kind of embarrassing to admit, but it’s true.

“oh you overestimate my strength, but i will do my best. i had to put a bed frame together the other day and let’s just say that was.... a taxing day,” hyunjin chokes out a laugh, rubbing at his arms. “wait, are you saying i have noodles for arms?” he wonders aloud, at her abrupt comment.

jinyoung exhales a confused noise in response, tilting his head in wonder. even though it did make sense. “ah well I guess it’s the same for every freshly debuted meat then. I also barely had a schedule. some workshops and one variety gig for the whole trimester. things are kicking off for me now though so I’m sure you’ll also get plenty opportunities,” he encourages the other with a wide smile. 

“I know the musical will be keeping people busy till at least mid autumn but I reckon there should be another drama in the plans eventually. from what I heard they keep the actors pretty busy. until then I will gladly teach you a few things I learned even though you’ll just have to stand still and be handsome enough for a million pictures,” he responds with a laugh at hyunjin’s silly posing.

"look, now you’re the actor instead of me, when we could’ve been in the ensemble together,” and he whines, in that stupid tone that he only allows those close to him to hear. “make ‘em proud for me, okay. i will definitely catch that musical, even if i can’t participate so i can see you and the others who are in it.” hyunjin shifts his shoulders side to side at the thought of the musical being in full motion, and tries to pay attention back to the matter at hand. ah yes. modeling. his non-forte.

it feels like forever since she had spent any time with hyunjin, outside practicing - ever since she had officially become a model her schedules had picked up and she was busier. which was good and bad the same time, and even if she was on the more introverted side she did enjoy spending time with some people and it just so happen that hyunjin was one of those people that she didn’t mind. maybe because they knew each other well, or maybe because they used to date. whatever it was she was grateful for his friendship, “ you get to spend time with me and you think you are doing me a favor? “ she jabs back at him with a playful smile.

“ we can stay if it’s something you wanna do, i am sure it will be interesting, ” she knows that hyunjin would not take her to something that would bore her, she had that much faith in him, “ anything to get out of the company building at this point right? ” even if she wasn’t an idol, ahyeon had to spend time there honing her skills, which were fine - she thought she was doing well but she was getting tired of being there, so spending time away was good for both of them.

she doesn’t let the condition of the car bother her, she wasn’t that shallow, she was impressed that he had a car because not many trainee’s had one.

“ your phones taken away? what for? ” she asks him with curisosity? she had heard the rumors of punishments doing around, maybe they had talked to her about it as well but it had gone completely over her head, she didn’t feel like it had anything to do with her at all, “ that’s pretty controlling of them… what happened? ”

“okay, okay, i get it,” he throws his hands up in surrender, but his tone remains light-hearted and playful. hyunjin has a soft spot for ahyeon in the way where there aren’t any lingering feelings, but they’ve known each other well enough in his opinion where he’s happy they’ve moved past the awkward stage and actually moved into the let’s be friends, stage that didn’t need any formal announcing. the cool off period definitely assisted with this of course. “forgive me and i am thankful for you gracing me with your presence.” he’d bow if he could, but it’s not possible in his seat. the drive isn’t far but it’s nicer than walking around and getting all sweaty, especially whilst they were in nice attire. 

“i mean... if it’s not interesting to you at all, i can detour us to somewhere nicer like, oh, a themed cafe, or if there’s any musical festivals or evening events... i’m sure there’s something around. it’s the capital city after all, it shouldn’t be this boring,” hyunjin grumbles as he begins en route. and though he has a mid-level interest in the museum, it’s not the end all be all if they don’t go.

champagne problems

jiae hadn’t always hated the formalities of these events she accompanied her parents to. once upon a time, she loved dressing up in a pretty, sparkly dress and going out to these big, lavish events, mingling with the children of other famous, successful and wealthy people. nowadays, jiae found the glamour of it was beginning to wear off. she wasn’t entirely sure she understood the necessity of her attending with her parents, given her independence from them for some time. but she was available for the night, so was she really in a position to say no. she agreed. for old times sake, at least.

she is reminded of what her life would become if she didn’t take the initiative or make her own decisions. a life of pretend. jiae isn’t sure where her parents have gone, only recalling her mother disappeared to go reunite with a colleague from a film she was apart of ten or so years ago. jiae kept to the outside of the reception’s social circle. she scans the crowd anxiously, manicured nails gently tapping on the glass of her carbonated water, not looking for anyone in particular.

she purses her lips momentarily and swishes her dress, watching as it fans out a little around her. she was bored. she could be at the company right now practising, or at home or hanging out with hayun. just when she begins to think she had made herself invisible, she hears her name. she glances upwards in the direction of the voice and her brain and heart stall for a moment before her ability to function comes back to her. “hyunjin oppa.” she says with a coy smile. rehearsed. it was all rehearsed.

jiae had known hyunjin for what felt like forever. they went back before she had even considered joining legacy. he was okay. it was somewhat relieving to finally have a face she knew at these events (she wishes it wasn’t hyunjin’s face but she couldn’t be picky now, could she?). “thank you. you look very handsome.” jiae manages to say without gagging. “and yes. nice to see you here this evening. are you here out of uh… your own choosing?” she asks, eyebrow raised, her grasp on her glass tightening.

his smile falters slightly at the greeting, before coming back to his regular mask in full force. yes, the two have learned to do this oh so long ago, and it’s become a subconscious routine. she probably caught the slip too, which makes hyunjin clear his throat before diverting his sights away from jiae to look at the crowd. it’s vastly different from the scholarly bustles of people, and the bunches of trainees in hoards. and if put on the spot, he’s not sure which he prefers. ( he feels done all of it in a way, if he’s being dramatic. ) though he knows one thing for sure - he’s probably much more genuine at the company than here.

“we would be lucky if so, are we always here out of our own choice?” he repeats the question back in a tone that is evident even without honouring it with a proper response, but the implication is hard to miss. “i don’t think it’s coercion, but it’s a silent expectation that i attend when the schedule permits.” and alas, the ‘workshops’ this term for actors doesn’t busy him enough where he can use the excuse of a script or filming to get out of it. if this isn’t a fire lit under his ass to try harder than being an extra or ensemble cast member, nothing else would be appropriate fodder. “although i’m surprised you are here. not because of that reason but -”