liah

hearing the back-to-back nicknames made your heart flutter. even after exactly four years of dating, he never failed to make you giddy. young and in love? yes, you were.

“yeah, i’m almost ready!” you called back, leaning toward your bathroom mirror to put the finishing touches on your outfit. you’d spent two weeks planning how you’d look, down to every freckle you carefully dotted across your cheeks and nose. your anniversaries with heeseung were always so special, and you wanted to look perfect for him.

“where are you?” heeseung laughed after searching for half a minute, waddling into your room.

you shoved the back to your earring on quickly, checking both ears to see how the arrangement you made finally looked together. it really was perfect.

“sorry, sorry. i was putting my earrings on,” you replied, an amused grin spreading across your face. you stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to your bed, grabbing your small handbag. digging through your nightstand drawer, you almost didn’t notice heeseung standing behind you. why?

he was frozen.

his heart pounded at the sight of you.

even without facing him fully, you had him completely mesmerized.

you wore a dusty light blue dress, the fabric hanging down in soft strips like jellyfish tentacles that floated with every movement you made. sparkles from the waist up shimmered under the golden light from your window.

you looked ethereal, and heeseung had no other words to describe it.

“y/n…” his voice was barely a whisper.

“hm?” you hummed, quickly closing the drawer, wallet in hand. you turned to face him, and heeseung just about had a heart attack.

it was the way your hair flipped over your shoulder, your bangs framing your face perfectly. the white bow tied at the back of your half-up ponytail, the soft curls at the ends of your hair bouncing with each movement. your eyes—big and mesmerizing. the gloss coating your lips, making them too pretty to kiss and ruin. except, that was all he wanted to do.

“you look—” heeseung’s voice caught, his hand quickly coming up over his mouth.

well, shit. he looked just as good.

his hair was styled, a middle part with the slight mullet in the back resting against his neck. his eyes were soft but drawing, a touch of makeup making them even more striking. the chapstick you gifted him—just a hint of red tint—pulled everything together. he decided to pamper himself, and wow, did it work well.

your eyebrows lifted as he stayed quiet, his gaze raking over you. you started giggling after a moment, and that’s what got him. your pretty teeth, the way your eyes lit up.

heeseung let out a breath, finally dropping his hand to his side. he walked up to you slowly, his hands reaching to settle at your waist protectively just like always.

“you’re staring,” you teased as your hands rested on his biceps, giving them a loving squeeze.

“damn right i am,” he muttered proudly, turning you from side to side to take you in from every angle. you laughed, letting him admire you, before swatting his chest lightly. heeseung chuckled, his eyes finally meeting yours.

“well?” you wanted to hear him say it, even if his reaction had already told you everything.

“you are the prettiest girl in the whole world,” he said slowly, pulling you close.

“thank you,” you murmured, voice small. tilting your head slightly, you let out a little hum, making his smile widen. heeseung expected you to brush it off like you usually did, but your shyness told him you still didn’t fully believe him.

“no, seriously,” he said firmly, his expression shifting into something deeper, something in love. “you are so beautiful, i’m being blinded.”

“‘blinded,’ hee?” you teased, raising an eyebrow.

“yeah,” he replied confidently with a scoff, dreamy-eyed. he pulled you in by your waist again and you instantly wrapped your arms around his neck. and when he leaned down and pressed his mouth against yours, you knew he was ruining your glossy, too-pretty-to-kiss lips.

you pulled back with a big smile, your cheeks pink and round. he reached up and poked your dimple, earning a laugh from both of you.

“wow, you really are gorgeous,” he repeated suddenly, breathless. his gaze traced over every inch of your face, the corners of his lips curling up more and more with each second. the love in his eyes made your heart thump wildly in your chest. he groaned softly and leaned back for a moment, his eyebrows lifting with an almost overwhelmed expression. “god, i love you, baby.”

he pulled you in for another kiss, and you just laughed, already knowing what was coming.

“i love you too, hee,” you murmured, welcoming his kiss.

then his arms tightened around your waist, and he began to press soft kisses along your jaw, under your ear, and down your neck. he mumbled sweet, endless things about how pretty you were and how much he loved you.

but suddenly, he paused, pulling back to meet your eyes. there was something playful in his expression as he bit his lip, eyebrows quirking up.

“what…?” you asked, your voice pitching higher, suspicion in your tone. you squinted at him as he turned you gently, his hands moving to the back of your dress.

“will i be able to take this off you tonight?” he asked, and you scoffed in surprise.

“heeseung!” you tried to turn to face him, but he held you in place, fingers trailing teasingly along the top hem.

“what?” he whined, pretending to be innocent. “i just don’t wanna ruin your pretty dress trying to get to your even prettier body.”

he finally let you turn, eyes glimmering with mischief as he searched your face for a reaction. you sent him a glare, but he only grinned wider, giggling at your flustered expression.

you glared harder. “try to touch the zipper and you’ll lose a finger.”

he gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. “so violent! but also… kinda hot?”

you rolled your eyes, trying to hold back a smile as he pulled you closer again, his hands wandering a little too innocently.

“you’re seriously not gonna let this go, are you?” you asked with an annoyed expression, half amused, half exasperated.

“not until i see what’s under that dress,” he whispered, lips brushing your cheek.

you put your hand on his chest, trying to push him away lightly. “we have a dinner reservation to get to, just a reminder.” you both knew that if he started with you, he wouldn’t be able to stop.

“oh, we’ll get to the reservation,” he murmured, his lips already finding yours again, his hands anything but innocent.

jay never tried to sound like a know-it-all. Its just that his day-to-day mindset consists of thinking that humans are stupid, and that they should be educated instead of dense and oblivious. living life as if everything will work out perfectly is not jay’s cup of tea. he doesn’t even like tea.

he tried going on a tinder date once during his third year of college. god, was that a disaster. 

the girl was nice and suggested going to kbbq, and jay was actually sort of enjoying himself. he had begun to share his struggles of being a blockhead after saying something that slightly offended her when the grill flared up. shockingly, everyone had to evacuate the restaurant. talk about clearing the air. 

yeah, no relationships for this guy. he’s never had any luck with love. that was the one and only time jay took something as a “sign.” afterwards, he swore he’d never again.

regardless of him being 25 years into his lifespan with having almost zero friends and definitely no relationships, jay was comfortable. he had a reliable job that was actually kind of tolerable, was settled into a nice apartment right smack in the center of seoul alone, and could keep his own peace on a daily basis by avoiding any type of human interaction besides when he’s bartending. 

speaking of. 

it was late. much later than jay normally stayed while clocked in. he would work until close but he wasn’t used to actually closing. he generally doesn’t work thursday nights, but his coworker insisted on swapping shifts because she found out her sister was in the hospital. it would make sense if she was dying or something, but she had just broken her wrist badly. to him, it seemed like maybe a fit enough reason. almost. 

he was still thinking about the last cocktail he poured five or ten minutes ago, thoughts mixed in with the alcohol and hands mindlessly rolling silverware next to the POS.

shit. did i forget the mint leaf? 

it was bothering him, more than it should. with furrowed eyebrows, his head snapped up and he glanced down the bar towards the woman he poured it for. his eyes squinted as he analyzed the drink. it was practically gone. up and down, left to right, his gaze moved, scanning every millimeter. 

It was buried under the ice. 

as he saw the tiny blob of green through the glass, he let out a small sigh he didn’t realize was in him, turning back to the silverware in front of him. 

of course, he fucked it up…and that’s what he gets for multitasking while he’s this tired.

he pulled the utensils off of the napkin and laid it back out properly, just like he had done millions of times before. you’d think he’d be able to do it successfully without looking, but maybe not.

“I could toootally do that.”

the voice dragged out like the words were heavy, vowels stretching oddly. it came from somewhere in front of the counter, too loud against the quiet hum of the bar to go unnoticed. 

jay paused mid-fold, knife slipping slightly against the fabric. 

“i mean–seriously,” the stranger continued, a soft thud following as if they leaned too hard against something. “you’re jus’ foldin’ some shit right now…like, reaally…how hard could it be?”

it was quiet for a moment, the stranger’s patience lingering in the air. jay could hear it, he could feel it. in his chest, on the back of his neck. 

on any other day, jay would have simply ignored the customer. he would keep thinking about what to eat when he got home, which clothes he would wear to bed, or what to hit at the gym the next morning…but for some reason, he felt drawn to the conversation.

for the first time in his life, he felt like he had to respond. he felt like if he didn’t reply, he would surely, weirdly…regret it later. 

clearly, this guy behind him is drunk out of his mind, but that made no difference for jay. not this time. not right now. though, he wasn’t exactly sure why.

jay didn’t look up right away. he couldn’t. instead, he adjusted the napkin again, smoothing out a wrinkle that didn’t exist to buy himself a second. the strangers opening lines echoed in his head another time, and he couldn’t help but purse his lips to hold back a smile.

he finally glanced over his shoulder towards the voice, their eyes locking. objectively, only a second passed. subjectively, it wasn’t even close. 

the boy slumped against the corner of the counter looked about his age–maybe a bit younger, but it was hard to tell under the flush of alcohol. his hoodie sat crookedly on his shoulders, his blonde hair was a mess, and his grip on the edge of the bar looked like it was the only thing connecting him to gravity. 

there it was again. the fighting urge to respond. jay didnt know if it was the look in the boys eyes, the softness in his cheeks, or the shine on his lips. it could’ve been the way his bangs kept slipping into his eyes, only for him to blink them away like it was a losing battle he wasn’t interested in winning. whatever it was, jay couldn’t resist it.

he clicked his tongue softly and looked away first, just for a moment, like that alone could undo it–whatever it was. the pull. the curiosity. the…something.

finally, jay raised a brow. “yeah?” his gaze quickly found its way back to him.

“yeah,” the boy nodded, a little too quickly. “gimmie one…i’ll show you.” jay let that sit in the air. there were hundreds of responses he could’ve gone with. 

no.

absolutely not. 

please dont touch anything. 

you’re drunk and out of your mind, leave me alone.

or…jay could give in to what his heart was telling him and let the guy fold one. but did he really want to do that? 

he found himself reaching for a second napkin and set of utensils before he could stop himself. “you ever worked at a bar before?”

the boy squinted at him like the question was offensive. “i have…watched people work at a bar.”

“right,” jay muttered. he set the things on the counter in front of the stranger. “knock yourself out.”

this is a bad idea.

jay thought it the second he handed the utensils over, watching as the guy fumbled with them like coordination was optional and balance was a suggestion at best. and the napkin didn't stand a chance.

he laid it out on the counter carefully, though it still ended up crooked. he picked up one corner, dragging it across to the opposite side. he stared at it for a moment before shaking his head and flattening it back out. 

“nice technique,” jay murmured with arms crossed, his hip settling against the side of the counter. 

the boy huffed and sent jay a weak, flustered glare. he quickly glanced back at the napkin and smoothed it with both hands, overly focused, like if he stared at it hard enough it would behave. “i’m doing my best,” he replied, voice low and words slurred. he picked the fork up and set it down on the napkin.

jay’s eye twitched. 

“you’re doing it wrong.”

“i literally just started.”

“yeah, and you’re already doing it wrong.”

“okay—wait,” the boy mumbled, squinting down at it. he picked up the knife next and looked at it closely, turning it around slowly up in front of his face. “this is…this is harder than it looks.” 

shocker. 

jay observed closely. 

there were so many things he could’ve criticized about what the guy was doing–the placement, the angles, how he kept readjusting like he couldn’t remember what he’d just done or even begin to think about what to do next. and still, jay didn’t say anything.

he just…watched.

then, like something clicked, the boy suddenly pushed the fork off the napkin with surprising confidence and set the knife down at a very specific angle. it couldn’t have been more incorrect.

jay let out a quiet scoff, amusement slipping through despite himself. “what are you doing?”

“geometry.”

“geometry?”

“ok, stop—you’re…you’re like, pressuring me right now,” the boy said, waving a hand vaguely between them.

jay tilted his head, shoulders raised. “i’m not pressuring–”

“nooo, no…you are.”

“i’m not!”

“shhhh,” the stranger shushed, holding up a finger to his mouth and almost missing. “this—this is a performance.”

jay pursed his lips together. “...a performance.”

the boy rolled his eyes with a dramatic sigh, shooting jay another feeble glare. “stop—stop repeating everything i say.”

jay lifted his hands in brief surrender, nodding once.

as the boy continued to try and fold the napkin, his tongue poked out of his mouth slightly in concentration, brows furrowed like this actually mattered. and truthfully, it shouldn’t have caught jay’s attention. 

but it did. 

“i’m jay.” 

what?

why is he blurting his name out right now?

to jay, telling someone your name means you want them to remember you. your face, your words, the impression you leave behind, no matter how small. 

and this…this wasn’t that kind of moment.

right?

it’s fine. its just my name. people share their names all the time. normal people do that.

sure, jay. 

normal people say their names, but not him. in fact, he couldn’t even care less about the names of the people he sees almost everyday. not once has he spared a glance at the apron of the barista that serves him his iced americano every morning, nor has he asked the name of the guy that goes to the gym at the same time as him every monday and wednesday night. 

so why did he just introduce himself like that?

no one asked, and he was certain that this drunk guy in front of him couldn’t give a shit either. there was no reason for it, no set up, no relevance. he just…he just said it, like it was a necessary step for what comes next.  

jay doesn’t do that. doesn’t hand out his name like it means nothing, like it doesn’t give someone somewhere to put him. names stick. that’s the problem. 

it’s fine. he’s drunk. he won’t remember this tomorrow. 

then tell us, jay.

why does it feel like it matters anyways?

this is what happens when he’s tired. exactly! right, he just needs some sleep…that’s just it. 

definitely.

his brain is just sloppy. that leads to loose decisions, unnecessary engagement…he should’ve ignored him. that was the correct move. that’s always the correct move. 

instead, he’s introducing himself to strangers now. 

fantastic. 

the boy didn’t react immediately, his hands slowly coming to a stop. 

“jay…” he repeated, lips blowing the bangs out of his eyes. his pupils rolled slightly, cheeks flushing more than before as he went back to messing with the fork. “yeaaah, i’m gonna forget that by tomorrow.” 

jay’s stomach felt queasy hearing that.

“then…let me put it in your phone so you don't." 

oh, so it was word vomit.

you dumbass.

didn’t he just say this wasn’t that kind of moment?

the boy stared at him for a second like he was trying to decide if that was a joke, his hands stilling once more. 

“…you’re serious?” he asked, words slower now as if they had to travel farther to get out.

jay didn’t answer right away. that was probably answer enough.

the boy snorted softly with a small grin, shaking his head as he fumbled for his phone, nearly dropping it onto the floor before catching it against the counter. 

“this–this is…a terrible idea,” he muttered, but he unlocked it anyway and slid it across. 

jay hesitated for half a second, a heavy gulp sounding from his throat as he reached for the phone.

“...and why is that?” he asked, already opening the contacts app. 

the stranger squinted at him. apparently, this question took effort to process. 

his lips parted slightly before a quiet laugh slipped between them. “mmm, ‘cause,” he started, dragging the sentence as he began to toy with the napkin again, “i make bad decisions.” 

he leaned heavier against the bar, his cheek almost pressing against the marble as he looked up at the other.

“...and you seem like one.” 

jay's thumbs froze mid-type, intrigue flickering over his face as he glanced up at the boy.

for a second, neither of them looked away. the air between them tightened, something unspoken passing back and forth. it was almost like a silent dare, like whoever broke first would lose something either of them named yet.

“yeah?” jay finally murmured, looking back down at the phone in defeat. “you always this honest when you’re drunk?”

the boy hummed as his smile grew, eyes half lidded as he watched him. “only when it matters.”

what game is he trying to play?

jay exhaled quietly through his nose, choosing not to chase that thought. instead, he continued to type.

Jay (Bar)

“there,” he said, voice lighter than he expected. he handed the phone back to the stranger. “text me something.”

“wow, official,” the boy said as he read the screen. he huffed softly, pushing himself up off the counter, “...and so bossy.” he grabbed the phone back slowly, fingers brushing against jay’s for just a second longer than necessary.

jay watched as the other tapped his screen an aggressive amount of times, his own phone buzzing in his pocket a moment later. he pulled it out, looking at the notification. 

+82 (XXX) XXX XXXX: yoooooo

jay let out a quiet breath, something almost like a laugh threatening to surface before he pushed it down. when he looked back up, the boy was already watching him.

“what’s your name?” jay asked, thumb hovering over the screen as he opened a new contact.

“…mm,” the boy hummed, thinking way harder than the question required. he slouched over the counter once more. “you can just…put something random.”

“that’s not how this works.”

“sure it is.”

jay sighed softly. 

of course it is.

“just tell me,” he urged, his voice quieter. 

“i’ll tell you when i trust you.” 

oh, look at that, jay. he sounds like you. 

that careful distance. that stupid, deliberate withholding.

his tongue pressed against the inside of his cheek, gaze dropping for half a second as something tight twisted in his chest.

it’s like he’s being mirrored.

that’s not how this works.

he’s the one that’s cautious. he’s the one who hesitates.

not the other way around.

jay’s lips parted, words already forming though he didn’t know exactly which ones yet. 

“hey, i just–”

“bartender!”

jay’s head snapped toward the other end of the bar, jaw tightening for half a second before he forced it to relax. right. his job.

he glanced back at the stranger, like he could hold him there just by looking. “don’t move.”

the boy didn’t answer. just watched him, the same unreadable expression in his eyes. 

jay turned away anyway.

it didn’t take long. just a drink, a quick pour, a nod, a receipt shoved across the counter.

one or two minutes. maybe three.

but when jay looked back–

he was gone.

no hoodie slumped over the marble, no messy hair, no flushed cheeks, no lingering presence, like jay had imagined the whole thing. 

just the quiet hum of the bar again.

jay stood there for a second, eyes scanning the space like he’d missed something obvious. 

his phone buzzed in his pocket. 

+82 (XXX) XXX XXXX: how’d i do?

jay scratched his head, gaze darting around as if an explanation would be floating in the air. 

what’s he talking about?

and at the edge of the counter, right where the boy had stood, the silverware was there. 

perfectly folded.

hopefully, this comes as a wakeup call to all the engenes acting recklessly and on impulse. i personally expected this to be the reason for him leaving the group to pursue his solo activities, knowing enhypen's schedule is packed full with short breaks rarely. maybe in addition to this, theres something else going on but thats not my place to say or expect. i'm just glad theres been no statement saying hee is injured/struggling health wise. before i saw this, i thought maybe because of his health, he couldn't do both at once. however, i'm grateful knowing he's ok (as far as we know) and that the main reason for his departure was simply because he just does not have enough time to do both.

to come back to what you said specifically, i completely agree. i was so lost as to why engenes comparing to other groups made any sense. i said this in my original statement post but heeseung is heeseung and enhypen is enhypen. they arent anyone else, and just because other idols have had fulfilling solo careers within their group activities doesn't mean just anyone can. every engene saying, "i don't get why he cant go solo while in the group, everyone else does!" heeseung is not everyone else. in fact, no one is anyone else. just like you mentioned, all of these situations are different. there is no one idol, group, or company that has had an exact situation to another i fear. theres always something different, whether we know it or not.

thank u for sharing all this info! im sure others will appreciate reading your ask and seeing how much ball you know. also thank u again for sending this.

now regardless, no one knows why heeseung is still involved in the merch, fancalls, or why he was weirdly removed from upcoming/happening schedules with the enhypen members. and like you mentioned, the en'o'clock episodes were going to be released but postponed due to heeseungs appearance them.

my key phrase here: no one knows why.

i definitely think its a little fishy, no matter how bad i want it to be a clean, drama free situation. thats not in my power, nor is it in any of the millions of fans that thought otherwise (lol). even so, it is still really weird, you're not wrong.

and queen u are funny LMAO "yes our ace whatever you want"

to that i say, i have no idea either. i honestly wouldnt past the company to treat him that way. this company x idol trope is giving situationship. toxicity but also bowing down at the same time, woof......

it seems really random, but even if it was OR wasnt, it is what it is and we need to accept it the way its given to us. i agree that he has enough of a standing to demand what he wants if he really decided to be an asshole, but like i said, these are all things no one has conclusions to. maybe heeseung was really the bad guy here. anything could've happened.

whether its true or false, what we strictly know is that belift sat down the boys and talked to them about what they see in their future as enhypen. heeseungs was very different due to him wanting to pursue solo activites. somehow someway, they negotiated for god knows how long and out of the blue, they tell us heeseung left enhypen to be a soloist and their reasoning is because that way, it is overall more fufilling for him and for the current enhypen members that want to continue as a group.

that is literally all we know.

if i had to guess, that is probably like 3% of what actually happened. there is so much that goes on behind the scenes that none of us will never know or even begin to understand. i repeat, anything couldve happened.

the worst thing to do right now is make up tons of assumptions and yell at other engenes thinking we know everything. i dont know if you could tell, but the comments on my other post are very mixed. some of the engenes comment are proving my point, others are agreeing with me.

i stand by what i say and my whole goal is to let engenes know that we really dont know shit and we need to keep it that way. meddling is doing NOTHING. the petitions are doing NOTHING. spreading rumors is doing NOTHING.

we need to support heeseung and ot6 enhypen and be EXCITED FOR THEM.

that is what i think.

regardless of belifts, hybes, and hitman bangs shady behavior, it is so clear that heeseung did in fact have somewhat of a say in the final decision of his standing in the company. taking things like "as per the companys suggestion" and running with it DOES NOT MEAN WE KNOW EVERYTHING.

what do you guys know about running a kpop group? oh nothing? so WHY are we assuming whats BEST for heeseung and the enhypen members? why are we attacking belift and heeseung for this decision that has already happened??? why are we attacking when maybe this could all be a good thing instead?????

you’re not the ceo of hybe, are you? do you work under belift? how do you know that heeseung could go solo while still being in group activities? oh, haha you don’t, right. and people sending trucks and sharing pictures that are allegedly yuki and heeseung and other staff members, saying, "oh my god they've seen the trucks!" gang, there is like 10 of them outside. you think they cant see? OH MY GOD THEY HAVE EYES!!! WHATT?? this is just embarrassing. i can’t imagine how heeseung feels. and i'm sick and tired of the comparisons going on. heeseung is NOT MARK and hybe is NOT SM. heeseung is NOT YEONJUN and enhypen is NOT TXT. just because we've seen successful solo careers from other idols while still remaining in group activities DOES NOT mean that any idol from any company can achieve that.

it is THAT simple. comment sections, reels, tiktoks, twitter, facebook, tumblr, god i've even seen on ao3 everyone saying #bringheeseungback and all of this bullshit. how do you think heeseung feels??? one million+ signatures on the petition to PUT HIM BACK IN THE GROUP he isnt in anymore????

this is his SOLO CAREER WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. this is how he makes MONEY, this is his LIFE. god forbid a full grown adult artist wants to CHANGE UP HIS SOUND and chase a DIFFERENT DREAM. and you all need to forget the fact you do NOT personally know heeseung. “i just know he wouldve picked the boys over going solo” “this isnt like heeseung, the company definitely forced him."

all of this is exactly what parasocial behavior looks like.

and if heeseung chose this himself, then what would he think?? imagine millions of your fans not wanting you to go solo. heeseung is not your bestfriend, he is not your boyfriend, your husband, your cousin, sibling, mutual, he is NONE OF THAT. so stop acting like you know him like that. we've all seen the horrible secrets that idols can hold whilst the fans obliviously support them. none of us know REALLY know him. enhypen has been a group for almost 6 years and the way this has been handled just makes me so disappointed in so many engenes. i have barely seen engenes show their support to the other members, did everyone else just forget about them? about their possible feelings? YOU ALL NEED TO WAKE THE FUCK UP. this is not some lucid dream where YOU ALL get to decide what happens to our boys. this is fucking reality, you guys need to ACCEPT whats happened and support heeseung and the enhypen members by RESPECTING their decisions and looking forward to their promotions and future activities as a soloist and group moving forward. this is not about what YOU think feels right or wrong, this is about what’s actually going on and taking it at face level.