⋆.˚ ☾⭒.˚

rose’s grin only widened at junseo’s admission, the energy between them already shifting into something easier, more natural. “wow, junseo, you really did your homework,” he said with an impressed laugh, leaning back in his chair just enough to take the other man in. “i should’ve known better than to expect anything less from hiraeth’s leader.” there was a warmth in his tone, a genuine appreciation for the effort junseo had put in, even if rose himself had rolled in blind.

he turned slightly toward the camera, his usual charisma flaring to life as he gestured between them. “for everyone watching, i’m rose—origin’s golden maknae. and this is junseo, hiraeth’s leader and, apparently, the king of pre-show prep.” he winked at the camera before glancing back at junseo, his expression softening just a touch. “and don’t worry, hoobae, i’ll look after you. promise.”

as their filming begins, he puts his idol mask on and keeps up with the high tension the senior idol brings on the table, wanting to match up and keep the mood as vibrant as the other man has created the atmosphere to be. when introduced, he makes an effect of waving at the camera with a laugh that follows with his newly earned title of being 'king of pre-show prep'. it's rather reassuring really when someone of a moodmaker is his partner where all junseo had to do was keep up with equal commentary when he's reeled into responding. he keeps the playful vibe going on, palm pressing against his torso while he makes an upright bow as one would out of respect, "i'll be under your care then, sunbaenim!"

he's most appreciative that rose seem to be a natural in leading the conversation despite how impromptu this had been for him, something he's rather envious about when the hiraeth member would usually review scripts and study beforehand, though if anyone were to psychoanalyze him, it might have been for the fact it was a trait rooted to the time where he was an overachieving student who sticks to information or play by the books safely.

"i'm not confident with hiding my expression but i am determined to win," junseo finds himself supplying when the first pop is introduced. he picks up the car ear headband that's attached to some sort of sensor, putting it on his head and flashing a cat paw pose at the camera as a sort of fanservice to any haven that would be watching this video upon its time of release.

finally recovering the postcard — one of junseo’s face, might he add — he unearths the item from his bag and lets it breathe, allowing the other boy to witness it in all its glory. hyeongyu pauses when he hears his name tumble out of junseo’s lips though, blinking a few times as if to confirm he is still in the same realm of reality as is. “you know who i am?” hyeongyu questions, slowly drawling out every syllable, like he’s struggling to confirm what he’s hearing. “y-yes!” he nods after the surprise has worn off. “that’s me. i’m hyeongyu — or hyeon — from wonder.”

who would have thought the man he watched on tv would recognize him? “wow… i can’t believe you actually know me.” perhaps hyeongyu should have more confidence in himself after all. he’s making a name for himself, little-by-little. hard work pays off and whatnot.

“oh, right — my postcard!” hyeongyu reminds himself, he shouldn’t be dilly-dallying and wasting junseo’s precious time like this. he grabs a marker that he used for the autograph wall earlier, then hands both the postcard and the marker to junseo. “could i bother you for an autograph? and… if you allow special requests… can you write down your infamous winning speech?”

the reaction junseo earns from just knowing the man's name earns a laugh of endearment from him. sure in comparison to other people, he might not be the most sociable but given his history of being a music show mc and generally as someone who has been in the industry for a while, the least he could is keep up with group names and members names of uprising idol groups out there.

when hyeongyu mentions his rather infamous winning speech, it being forgotten and buried deep after years of popularizing other eventful situations as memes, he could only laugh when it's brought up again. if he was in his earlier years of debut, trust that junseo would be as red as a tomato with his ears and neck all red from embarrassment and not to mention how it had turn into a running joke between members and by the staff in using it as an sns meme subtext when hiraeth was still rookies. the years settled in easily and so did his past speech. even then, it still amazes him really that the other man had known them for that long if anything.

"oh wow," he laughs softly being reminded. "it's actually been a while that someone told me to write that, or even reminded me of it actually..." he mumbles softly though with amusement laced to his voice while focusing on signing the postcard while writing in the request of having his name (and a added heart at the back of it) alongside making a sort of witty remark of using his speech into the well mean advice. there is a small remark along the lines of 'keep being wonderful on stage' which serves as a sort of wordplay but junseo only ends up laughing to himself if it was really corny for him.

listening to junseo's thoughts pour out has chaeri slightly grimacing, understanding exactly how he feels and relating a bit too much. truthfully, when she was first named i:ris' leader, she had wondered if they just gave her the role because she was the oldest and had been in the company for a while - but part of her also figured that her being so willing to do what they told her to do most likely played a part too. so while in hindsight she knew it made sense for her to be leader considering those factors, at the time, she felt unprepared and worried if she could lead well. even now, there are days when chaeri doesn't know if she's being a good leader or not but since it's something she takes seriously, she' won't half-ass it and will face it sincerely even if she fumbles and makes mistakes along the way.

when she feels a decent pause in junseo's words, she lets out a hum and mulls over her own thoughts. "it's not easy being a leader, right?" chaeri starts off with first, agreeing with what he said having shared many of the same concerns herself. "communicating with others is already challenging enough as it is but when you're the leader, there's a whole new added layer to consider... and more responsibilities," she throws in a light joke, chuckling a bit to herself as she says it.

"if i can be honest..." chaeri's tone grows a bit more serious, pausing to take a quick glance at junseo's expression before continuing, "it's possible they might not trust you... but it's also possible that they just believe they can handle things on their own or don't want to burden you with them." her gaze lingers on him, watching his face as she speaks. "if they're stubborn, it'll take even more time for them to want to open up but i think if you show them you care and are there to help them if they want it, then they may take that hand one day. and if not, i don't think that makes you less of a leader-- they're just not ready to ask for help and there's only so much we can do if the other person doesn't want to try too, you know?"

he takes in all the advice that has been offered so graciously by chaeri and digesting the comforting words. part of him knows that he should not be too harsh on himself particularly and that trust is earned over time with time and communication. if anyone knew better, it's the voices in his head that pours doubt all over his soul and just overall, junseo tends to overthink of the concerns he has for others more. there's a sort of underlaying layer in his relationships with the members but none that can't be fostered into a proper direction if given time.

"you're right, they might just be... unready to share things out." and he really does when the man himself isn't one to share his concerns out, thinking he could shoulder everything on his own. feeling a slight sense of burdened being lifted off his shoulder, he offers back a rather sincere smile for once in comparison to his dull and worrisome expression from before.

to make it easy, this plot call is applicable for both my muses junseo ( hiraeth's leader & allrounder ) & yubin ( i:ris' lead vocalist & lead dancer ) unless stated otherwise!

lynkcon pt2

when: ⭑ ー thread one: pre-lynkcon performance date or d-day soundcheck rehearsal! ⭑ ー thread two: lynkcon saturday performance date ⭑ ー thread three: lynkcon sunday performance date who: ⭑ ー thread one: fellow members OR any artist performing on saturday ⭑ ー thread two: any artist performing on saturday ⭑ ー thread three: fellow members OR artists performing on sunday (priority) what could happens: ⭑ ー observation of rehearsal - could be positive, neutral or negative interactions ⭑ ー fan moment - caught jamming to other group songs during rehearsal/day two performance or reenactment of knowing the group's choreography while in the private artist area ⭑ ー scheduling conflicts - chaos with rehearsal being busy, everyone's tired and nothing goes right / overhearing other group fighting/bickering with each other. ⭑ ー private artist area - first time meeting's / feeding into fan's delusions by offering fanservice / exchanging of contacts and networking slots: ⭑ ー thread one (rehearsal): 0/1 junseo ╱ 1/1 yubin ⭑ ー thread two (day 1): 0/1 junseo ╱ 0/1 yubin ⭑ ー thread three (day 2): 0/1 junseo ╱ 1/1 yubin

lynkcon pt1

mix & match with yubin: pending/1 - for any adagio or dsn artist.

p3 schedules

⭑ ー la scandal arc with junseo ╱ 0/1 - anyone from wonder/kismet/riiot/katze thought it'd be fun maybe if junseo got himself into a dating scandal rumors for crossing path with another idol during kcon la '26? and his first dating scandal at that in his entire idol life so far. and i guess the arc following it becomes the group's break so it makes an interesting complication to follow up with? we can discuss possibility one whether there were any romantic possibilities or just one of those baseless rumors! or the fun take: tamon-inspired where i was thinking of letting junseo have a flip-side image (except junseo is already at his self depreciating arc) ⭑ ー extended break arc with junseo ╱ 1/1 - taken not sure how i intended for this to work, as of now i don't have any 'best friend' role for junseo yet (hmu if you think our muses could somehow work a nice friendship out!) but i think it'd be nice for said muses to just have a normal ish life? a casual thread where maybe they dress casually (but in disguise or just the regular hat-mask combo) and just being able to do non idol things. alternatively, they don't have to be close but rather just two people who coincidentally meet one another and decide to just ball it and take amusement rides together

he shoots back a reply and shoves his phone into his pocket as he gets on the elevator, but his brain is still cycling through the moment's preoccupations, and he doesn't even notice it's junseo he's sharing the space with until he's spoken to.

"ah, junseo," he replies in passive recognition. it feels like he rarely sees hiraeth's leader, despite the many years they've been under the same company. it's strange; hyukjae spends plenty of time at the adagio building, even if that time has decreased in recent years as axis's comebacks have grown further apart, and he likes to think he makes an effort to get to know his labelmates. junseo seems to make himself scarce, though, and hyukjae's not really sure why.

"axis has practice later. gotta whip ourselves back into shape for lynkcon." their many years together have given axis an implicit understanding of each other on stage, but after months without being in the practice room together as a group, even their finely-oiled machine needs tuning. "i'm sure you and hiraeth are busy, too. a new comeback, right?"

he is however still appreciative though that the senior idol remembers and mentions the comeback to him, which means he paid more attention to the group than what junseo thinks. it's funny really, that he had thought of it otherwise and he wouldn't really fault hyukjae either if it wasn't ever pointed out when the older man has a lot on his own plate as well.

rose practically bounced into the studio, his energy barely contained despite the dark circles under his eyes betraying a night spent burning the candle at both ends. he’d been running on fumes since yesterday, but the thrill of the unknown had him wide awake. he hadn’t even had time to glance at the pairing list, so this was all a delightful surprise.

his eyes landed on junseo, and his grin widened. he strided over with the confidence of someone meeting an old friend, extending a hand for a firm shake. “junseo-ssi, right?” he said, his voice warm. “rose. or janghyuk, if we’re being formal.” he gestured to the chair across from him with a sweep of his free hand. “come on, take a seat. let’s get comfortable.”

he reaches out to mirror the firm handshake that was offered, stating "please, feel free to call as just 'junseo'." a polite smile follows his words as he then takes a seat that faces in opposite to the other man.

"the list came out in advanced so i had to check and do my research up-" the man laughs sheepishly, admitting into his habits of learning someone or a group and looking into their content before interacting out with them. there's a couple of things junseo had learned: he's older than rose but he did debut much later than he is, he's also acted in a few dramas that junseo has watched in his free time or when he needs entertainment while eating and right now he learns that this man is really friendly.

"...?"

but the longer she waits, the more drawn out the silence becomes - and at this point, chaeri is more confused than ever. when she hears junseo say to forget it, she tilts her head, unsure of what just happened, then straightens up and slightly opens her mouth as if to say something before quickly closing it upon hearing his apology. "oh, no, it's--" she cuts herself off as she hears his manager calling for him, returning to a polite smile afterwards and nods her head. "don't worry about it, have a good performance," she smiles a bit more despite how unsettled she feels about how this first conversation had gone - if you could even call it that.

still, they were both busy so chaeri pushed the interaction out of her thoughts to focus on i:ris' upcoming performance instead and soon forgot it even happened until much later, when they had finished on stage and were heading back to grab their belongings. while bowing to the other artists and staff she passes by along the way, she spots junseo and their earlier meeting flooded into her mind instantly, causing her to slow down.

should she be the one to bother him this time?

logically, chaeri understood that she should just let him be; there was no good reason for her to get involved if he truly wanted her to forget it like he said so. but her thoughts circled back to wondering if he genuinely wanted advice or maybe someone to just talk to, and that was something she could understand having been in that position many times. when you're a leader, you very rarely have someone else to rely on within your own group when you're supposed to be the one looking after them so it seemed natural to go looking for help outside - and who better than another leader?

he's somewhat glad he still had makeup on; 'least it hides away the stress that eats part of his soul away and his reason of having nights where he stays awake almost pointlessly. he does however flinch briefly when he hears the unfamiliar voice that did not belong to his members or the manager and only when he turns around did he realise that it had been chaeri whom had approached him. he's thankful, of course since he had been debating whether or not if he should be approaching the former though another part of him felt apologetic that he has yet to concern someone else into his business.

they get interrupted for a moment when the newcomer settles in and the group lobs good-natured greetings at them. the table rearranges like a shifting tide, drinks shuffled to the side to make space. natsumi picks up her cards and orders them by value, and it's only another minute later that her attention returns to junseo.

once the deck is scattered out equally, he arranges them in his preferred format based on values depending on the game; though other times he would color code them if the values are nonexistent to the board.

if anything, junseo appreciates the small talks the older idol is initiating, in all consideration of the lacking of mutual interest aside from their shared interest in their game session, he isn't sure particularly if there were anything else they could really connect ( but that doesn't mean he isn't willing to learn. ) "it's fun," he gives a brief answer at first, eyes tracking into the cards and movement being played by others. "but it does get a little lonely since i'm usually with a few other members most of my life." which wasn't a lie ― there might be cracks that goes unseen in his dynamics with the members, some he was close with, others he seem a tad bit more distant but he overalls care for them. it's just harder to show it, not because he is emotionally unavailable, but rather, everyone seemed so secretive in what they do and sometimes it feels like he's stuck on a roadblock.

wooju can’t sleep. it’s hard to sleep during nights like these when his eyes shift uncomfortably under his lids whenever he attempts to close them. he’s stirring in bed despite the fact that hiraeth have a schedule the next day and he know this is going to kill him — that his inability to sleep is a bad idea.

it’s an idea he falls victim to nonetheless. what should’ve been ten minutes of stirring turns into thirty and then an hour, and then two. “shit,” he sighs, giving up. he’ll probably never fall asleep at this rate.

he finally decides to get off of his bed, and grabs his bottle of medication. enough hours have passed anyway, and wooju simply thought he’d be asleep by now. he tiptoes to the kitchen, careful not to wake anyone up in this dead of night.

he grabs a glass of water, fills it up, and then takes his medication. his brows furrow, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts that keep him awake. he wishes it would quiet down, even if just for a moment, so that he can finally remember what peace is like.

it doesn’t though, hasn’t for years.

when he’s done, he takes the cup and walks towards the living room, sitting there in silence as he fiddles with the bottle in his hand.

he does not bother trying to go back to sleep especially when junseo knows it doesn't come easy on him and not when he's rather sensitive with sound; enough to hear the skittish movements in the kitchen just as he ascends out of his room and was about to head out for a morning walk to not only clear his head but to also get a fresh breath of air that would help him be.. more awake, ironically.

walking over to the living room, he finds the youngest member of their group by himself. "hey." he calls out softly, as to not jumpscare the latter but verbal enough to make his presence known to wooju. the older member walks over to where he is seated, taking up the space next to him with a faint smile.