reach for the skies✧

he’s been adjusting back to idol life fast after the holidays. even though his dinner date had ended up to be an overly indulgent three-day stayover, haneul couldn’t say he disliked the companionship. in fact, the visit had been extremely fruitful, and considering how both of them are on the same line when it came to relationships - aka having none of the strings attached - it was an arrangement haneul could deal with.

plus, it was a comfortable stay.

haneul rotated his neck in a series of slwo stretching exercises, crossing his legs. he could already hum the tune of their comeback, and he’s gotten the korean lyrics down. it’s the mandarin one that he’s struggling with, though it’s a matter of braving the pronunciations. 

he doesn’t have much lines to begin with, and as it turned out, it was working somewhat in his favor when he had to perform in a foreign tongue. it doesn’t mean haneul wasn’t putting any effort in it, however. 

as per usual, he would never allowed himself to be less than perfect.

or in other words, he would only be as close to perfection as possible.

they’re also halfway through the choreography, but until they recorded the song, haneul’s not in a hurry. choreos changed one too many times, and haneul knew that it wouldn’t be finalized till closer to date, but they’ve been following along with whatever has been covered, and rehearsing every day without a bat of an eye.

slender fingers rapped on the flooring, and haneul glanced at the phone when the screen lighted up. a small grin lit up his face, before it disappeared quickly as he picked it up.

it is midnight, and it’s time to catch a break before things got a tad too busy. but regardless, he knew that meeting was probably out of the question till the comeback was officially over, or so he expected. 

maybe. 

( he’d see. but he’s not going to go running so quickly. after all, isn’t the chase a good part of the fun? 

he hadn’t even had a proper holiday since he signed his official debut contract. haneul could vague remember the last time he went home, only to return in three hours, a hand print on his face hidden by a mask as he waited for hyunbin at the station.

eunho watched haneul as he waited for a response, but the response he got made him both relieved and concerned at the same time. eunho had some mandarin in high school but decided not to take that extra class if he did not have any use for it, how he regretted that now. they did have chinese trainee’s but they knew korean or at least english to some degree, so he had never struggled to communicate, but now he had to learn.

as a leader, he should be able to introduce and speak some mandarin, maybe he was putting pressure on himself but in his eyes. it was his responsibility to be ahead so he could support his members. even if he did not have to, eunho wanted to do what he could as a leader. the word still feels surreal to him, but he needed to get used to it.

“ i have not studied it before; this would be a first, ” he nods slowly, he wasn’t sure where to start because he wanted to be somewhat prepared for the workshops.

“well then...we’re in the same boat, hyung!” haneul chuckled, moods lifted. honestly, if eunho knew the language, it would be great because haneul could have someone to run to. but starting off on the same spot in square zero wasn’t a bad thing either. in this case, they’ll be able to progress on matching pacing, and hopefully help each other get through the class.

“i heard that the chinese characters may look like hanja, but they might have very different meanings and pronunciations,” haneul hummed, thinking back about some of the discussion points he’s had with other trainees and members previously, “not that i was great in hanja, but you know.” the male smiled, one arm slung around the other’s shoulders. 

▷ Event: V&A (VERSUS & AGITO) Mission ▷ What: Language Workshops (Mandarin) ▷ a closed starter for @lgcxhaneul

lgcalex​:

there’s a bit of panic both in alex’s expression and also heard in his tone as he looks at haneul, eyes widened when the question is being asked about the difference in the two sounds, quick to look back down at his own notes as he stares at the two written out on the piece of paper in front of him. “wait, there’s a difference??” he frantically asks the other in a hushed tone as he stares blankly at the words. this was one of the reasons why he never bothered taking on other languages, at least not all at once like he was currently doing, because despite him having actually gone to collage languages were the most confusing to him even when he did try his hardest.

he slowly lets out a small sigh as he shakes his head finally in response. “i don’t even know anymore… i’m pretty sure if we get graded on all of this, i’ll fail miserably.” he half jokes as he responds to the other male. alex begins chewing on his bottom lip, squinting just slightly as if the words written out will just magically make their way into his memory somehow, though that would be too easy. wouldn’t it? it’s only when he hears haneul speaking once again that he finally returns his attention to the younger male. “i think it would be best if i didn’t… i’ll give you the honors this time, you know, since you’re technically my ‘sunbae’ and all…”

was he pulling that card right now? yes, he was.

he blinked dumbly, before a silent laugh left his lips at alex’s frantic expression. learning languages has always been a difficult thing. it’s not like a math subject, with theories and formulas. at least, to haneul, there’s a lot more rules to remember, and the only way to ace it was more practice. the male let out an inward sigh, making a mental note to start recording and revise his work before going to bed every night - maybe even start listening to more mandarin pop too. 

“eyyy hyung,” he whispered back in a volume just low enough for them both, but not looking up as he searched his pencil case for a highlighter, “i’m sure we’d be fine. it’s all about speaking up, i suppose. i’m sure they won’t fault us that harshly since we’re complete beginners.” there’s a lot of optimism in his tone, a little too much as he had to convince himself first and foremost.

─ ✦∘₊ camera lights, dazzling lights *.☽        ❝ a debonair gentleman                             at your ( service ). ❞                                            * ✦ gifs cr.

things are getting busy again, and haneul welcomed the change of pace. even as his emcee gig at mucore was coming to an end, there’s more in december to look out for. gayo stages lineup has been announced, and even though haneul was doubtful of type zero clinching any awards this year, they were still invited for the event. singles were to be dropped, and this - being in a photoshoot wearing sponsored outfits and swarovski accessories - solo gig were all hopeful signs that things were changing for the better as new year comes around.

at least, haneul hoped.

lgcmia​:

For some reason, Mia was finding that hard to believe. Josh will perhaps be Mia’s most memorable love. Not only was he her first love, but he was her first everything. He held such a strong place in her heart that she never thought she’d get over him. Their relationship ended long ago but there were times where Mia still caught herself thinking about him and their past.

She nodded with a soft smile. ❛ Correct! Not as exciting as being an idol but it’s fun, ❜ she giggled. Mia knew Shinha through Mirae. Her best friend was his older sister and both girls bonded over their brother complexes. Seeing the way Haneul spoke about Shinha made Mia feel happy. It was clear how much love Haneul had for his best friend and from what she’s heard from Mirae, she can see why. ❛ That’s true. ❜

She nodded as she listened to him. The one thing Mia worried the most about her brother becoming an idol was not only that he was looking after himself, but that he was happy and healthy. She’d always worry about it. That came with being an older sister. ❛ Well I’m glad to hear he’s doing well. Future Dreams wasn’t always easy to watch, ❜ she chuckled. ❛ Alex has always had a way with performing. He is oddly charismatic which is something you wouldn’t think if you spoke with him. I love watching him perform. ❜ She grinned brightly.

haneul took another sip of his drink. was being an idol exciting? perhaps there was that novelty of debuting and the adrenaline pump back then, but more than excitement, haneul felt a deeper sense of responsibility to uphold. surely, he’s not the leader, but it didn’t change the fact how ‘type zero’ was important to him. perhaps it’s because he’s been there since future dreams, so the name in itself held a certain meaning. 

“acting is equally as exciting, i’m sure. i always thought being able to live different lives through movies is a really cool thing,” he nodded earnestly. he had thoughts of venturing into acting some day, though he’s got a lot more on his plate right now. pausing, he looked around. “ah, it’s not to say being an idol is boring. it definitely has a different kind of fun,” he chuckled.

he could kind of get what mia was saying. even as a participant himself, watching future dreams where his peers are fighting for a debut chance was rough. looking at the shine in mia’s eyes when talking about her brother, haneul smiled. he too wished that his family was as supportive, but alas he’s gotten used to the reality. “future dreams can be really rough, no doubt. but it really did offer interesting opportunities.” haneul hummed in agreement, “you must be really proud to see how he made it through the finals.”

things had been...busy. in between re-recording their old songs, learning the new walking points of their choreography with the new members, some of the side projects such as co-hosting on music core, and going for workshops and lessons in between when time allowed, his schedule was packed.

lgcarin​:

something about dark rooms such as this one made arin feel like she had to be more cautious, despite having someone such as haneul with her. she didn’t really like horror themes and with darkness came possible jump scares. it’s true that arin did love halloween because she got to dress up in different costumes each year, though that was about the only thing about the holiday that she cared for, knowing very well that others like to have moments where they would try and scare people because it was ‘fun’.

she slowly makes her way in behind haneul, keeping very close to the male just in case something, or rather someone, decided to come out and make some sort of attempt to frighten them. she can only nod slightly when he warns her to be careful, feeling her own heart pounding within her chest as her gaze darts back and forth in some sort of attempt to keep a close watch just in case something did happen. “i….i’m okay.” it’s a quick and simple response to the question.

even while they’re standing at the table in the room, arin makes sure she sticks to the older male, trying her best to pay attention to him even when she takes a seat. “uh… i’ll go with the choco pie…” her tone is shaky as she speaks, fidgeting with her own fingers as she does her best to smile sincerely at the other. “do you think this will take long? are the questions hard?” she questions, the hint of nervousness being heard within her voice as she even looks over at haneul.

see, haneul had never been superstitious. growing up, he himself was a free-thinker, and he never believed in ghosts and the such as he’s never encountered them. thus, haneul had never been concerned about all the creepy designs and potential pranks during halloween. surprised, maybe, but never scared. 

at least, so far.

“choco pie?” haneul repeated, already opening the bos as he handed two packets to arin. he’s almost sure that something’s going to pop up eventually, and it was a matter of time. looking at the poor girl, he tried giving an encouraging smile. compared to the other female trainees, haneul had seen arin around from time to time, making small chat and all, so he’s always felt that she’s a little soft. now, she just looked a bit unnerved. “i don’t think so! we just need three questions, but we can start snacking too. let’s see...” the male picked a random, fun question, “what is one superpower you would like to have, and why-”

he didn’t get to finish his question fully as the lights flickered, and from the corner of his eyes, he could see a ‘figure’ gliding from behind him. 

lgchyoseop​:

         hyoseop isn’t the type to let things get on his nerves, and even less with people. hyoseop handles his anger surprisingly well, and he is barely ever angered by anything. however, annoyed? too often. there was close to zero anger in hyoseop, but irritation there surely was, he could quite more often than never get irritated by things. however luckily enough hyoseop was also quite good at handling his irritation and barely ever let it be shown. but then here it comes, something he most surely didn’t expect, he gets hit in the head, by what? no other than an alien head, yes, an alien head. not once of course, but twice, right after each other.

hyoseop stands there, open mouth, baffled, what happened, why did it happen? hyoseop looks at the costume, people surely are getting creative this year. hyoseop doesn’t remember his old company’s halloween parties ever being this interesting. costumes weren’t that fancy, not that hyoseop contributed into making cool costumes for the parties, he wore the same costume every year. here in legacy nobody knew that of course, they had never seen his woody costume he had worn for the past many years. “it’s me, sheriff” he points at his star “be careful before you’re arrested” he laughs shortly. “yes i’m woody, and you are? trying to knock me out?” he jokes, another short laugh leaving his mouth.

hands raised, haneul reached behind his own head to steady the bobbing costume. it’s all fun and games when he tried it on earlier on, but considering the trouble he’s been causing, it really was becoming more of a nuisance. at least, everyone seemed relatively chill about it.

( if haneul would add, he’d like to say that lee shinhae sunbaenim looked very amused by it, which was a very big plus. )

“please don’t arrest us!” he raised his hands, laughing softly. eyes following the direction where hyoseop pointed at, he scratched the sides of his cheek. “this little green boy is a little aggressive- i mean, excited. he’s never seen this many humans before,” he patted the green head again, shifting weight of his foot from one to the other. “we mean no harm,” the vocalist added quickly.

@lgcarin

“woah...” stepping into the room, holding the door open till his partner walked in, haneul took the chance to take a good look at the surroundings. it’s not his first halloween party at legacy, and definitely not the first time he’s got a tingling sense of something that’s about to go down.

after all, if legacy can remove an entire wall to show a live audience of over 100 people while they sleep, then anything could happen. just the thought of that made him felt like the whipped cream two years back was simply a piece of cake. the door shut, and haneul made his way to the center table, nearly tripping in the dark. “opps, you gotta be careful arin,” he added, lightly adjusting his inflatable costume, “it’s quite dim in here. you alright?”

––––       .  .  .    if he’s honest, subin’s noted something .. a little off about haneul since he saw him earlier, but without know what it was and also knowing that they had a performance and their happy charade to maintain, he hadn’t the chance to ask him about it.  he wasn’t even sure if they were considered close enough for him to ask, let alone note that something was a little weird.  but approaching him now doesn’t really help much, because they still have to be gracious to their fans.

subin huffs in his exertion, but is grateful for the quick respite that came with finding the other amongst the crowd.

and haneul never fails him.  taking the tissue gratefully, subin dabs at his temples and his forehead, not pulling away from the other’s side.  “ thanks.  you always come through.” he grins, balling up the tissue in his hand and sticking it in a pocket for later.  “ i didn’t expect it to be so hot.” he mumbles under his breath only for haneul to hear.  “ but i guess i should have known how many people were going to be here.”

after stretching quickly, subin slings his arm around haneul’s waist, nodding his head. “ lead on.  can’t keep them waiting too long.” he says with a quick grin, matching his stride with haneul’s as they approach the line of fans.  “ how much do you want to bet they’re going to ask for us to make a heart in a minute?”

there’s just too many people to share about the latest updates on their group with subin. it wasn’t the right time nor place, and what if the vibe he’s got wasn’t right as well? haneul wouldn’t know, he’s still in the midst of understanding and finding his footing in the team, as well as the team’s footing in the industry. he shook the thoughts away as quickly as they came upon him, and locked eyes on subin.

“ha, i know, right? and to think it’s october...but i can already feel the tee sticking to my back,” haneul chuckled, subtly adjusting his outfit with little tugs of clothes here and there. still, he made sure to keep his smile on throughout, in case there were cameras that were just facing his direction.

walking towards the group in a tow, haneul leaned towards him so that he could speak up without yelling, “i’d say...a dollar-” he hadn’t even finished his words when the girls in front of them started screaming, enough to make him hop back in surprise. he’d probably even trip, if he wasn’t holding onto subin in the first place. “woah, that surprised me,” he laughed in embarrassment, one hand on his chest. wide eyes glanced over at subin for a split second, then he made brief talk with the fans.

lgcjinseo​:

As much as Jinseo hates parties and huge crowds, he has to admit that being around people he used to train with is fun. It’s nice to catch up with everyone he hasn’t gotten to hang out with ever since he focused on modeling, and it’s nice to see everyone in something that isn’t their usual training clothes. 

Jinseo smiles when Haneul comes into view, the inflated bobbing alien head standing out from almost everyone else. “Indeed it has,” Jinseo says with a chuckle. “I feel like I haven’t seen you since before I left for Europe earlier this year.” It has been way too long since Jinseo saw his former roommate. “I’ve been busy with the brand and other things. How about you, Haneul? How is the debuted idol life suiting you?” 

At the mention of his costume, Jinseo gamely poses. “I went as Childe from Genshin Impact,” he says. “A few friends and I thought it would be fun to match each other and all… Besides, I had to come up with something that will top last year’s Disney Princess.” He chuckles to himself. “I see you have been abducted by an alien… Planning to feed the alien to let you go?” 

“it’s been more than a while, to be ‘accurate’,” haneul laughed, setting his plate down on the high counters around them. “right! i’ve heard that some of you are working on your own brands, how’s that going? sounds like fun.” the male hummed, head tilting to the side. he tried not to focus on the fact that type zero’s going through another lineup change, but couldn’t stop the smile from dimming slightly. “type zero’s been...on quite a ride lately,” he admitted, but held back the sigh. “we’re...going through a bit of changes so...crossing fingers on that, really.”

“but, debuting definitely marked a new beginning.” he grinned at the costume talk, leaning back so he can take a good look at jinseo’s cool outfit, “i think i’ve seen your character online before! on some ad.” chuckling as he recalled last year’s disney costumes, he nodded, “i say that’s a pretty successful change, though both are equally as memorable.”