𖥔 Head full of ideas 𖥔

If you ask me now that we've had all the anniversary chats, [which you can check them out here as someone's been logging them faster than me], I can tell you that I undoubtedly feel like this is SE Saeran. This is too dry to be GE Saeran. He's sweet, no doubt, but only with us. Most of his replies are short, blunt, and to the point. GE Saeran doesn't talk like that, either. He talks... a lot. He doesn't hold back because he's had a chance to be validated much sooner than Unknown.

There's a reason why SE Saeran is apathetic, after all. Being with him isn't like being with GE Saeran. Two extra years of torment absolutely make a difference to his psyche. Yet, I can't say this is meant to be SE Saeran entirely because they've sprinkled in elements in there as cute easter eggs to tie back to Another Story. At the end of the day, this is an event that asks you to celebrate without overcomplicating things.

That's so hard for someone like me who loves to take it seriously and point out what I see and how it makes sense in the universe. I want it to make sense, Cheritz. I like it when people go the extra mile to make sure it's a wonderful event, even if it's as simple as remembering all of their typing quirks. Those embellishments are what make people very happy with the final product.

The English translation has had a lot of "haha" and "hehe" sprinkled into every character's dialogue, and it's a little off-putting. I haven't checked the Korean version, but I wonder how the original text aligns with what we've been shown. Since they coded the event wrong, I can't go back to check at the moment, but I believe it'll be added to the seasonal gallery and event soon. More or less, the RFA has been in character, but I have noticed it's a little rusty around the edges.

They've lost most of the original writing teams, though. That makes sense. Jumin and Jihyun felt the strongest to me. I figure since they used Jumin in the SSUM, the team at the least has the run-down on him. V, by extension, of course, because he and Rika were thrown into the mix, too. Though don't get me started on that. There's a part of me that wants to rewrite June's story to make it make sense. All you had to do was reveal that his witch of a mother hid his younger half-brother from him; it's not that complicated.

I digress, y'all are here for Saeran.

Take it with a grain of salt, but in terms of characterization, this is far closer to how I write SE Saeran than it is to how I write GE Saeran. It's short, sweet, and to the point. The only chatroom that felt close to GE Saeran was the final chatroom, but even then, the simplicity in his reply just screamed SE Saeran. A Saeran who has recovered from what Mint Eye did to him, but still keeps what he shares with others at arm's length.

He's flustered, but not shy. There's a moment in these chats where you can tell him to put on a sweater, and while he grumbles, it's sweet. You can tell he's putting on his jacket, but he's going to make sure you know that he bristled. You can get him tongue-tied without too much trouble. That's what's sweet about him. You wouldn't know he was responding to your concern or compliments over text unless you have learned how to read him visually. If Saeran opens the door, you'll know his heart.

If he doesn't, good luck guessing.

Did you know that this was a deep cut? Saeran mentioned wanting to do an escape room before. It was in a profile text, which most of those usually get glossed over when it comes to people posting them online. Except for the silliest ones. I see the Jaehee lifting up furniture to beat someone up one all the time. But I LOVED seeing that. I loved seeing a call-back to something that Saeran mentioned.

It's not Ray's picnic, but it's distinctly something that matters to him. An adventure for someone who wants to play a puzzle. It's kind of nice to think about it. He no longer fears being trapped in rooms. He wants to solve every locked door so that others can escape, too. He even goes on to play this game with Saeyoung!

See, this is the kind of dynamic you expect in the Secret Ending. Saeran is keeping Saeyoung at arm's length, but not pushing him away. He doesn't mind being around his brother, but he isn't about to praise him the way he did when they were children. He'll still throw him a bone now and again because he understands that Saeyoung likes to feel like he's important.

He likes knowing that he's important to Saeran, even if it's not the same as before. I love Zen teasing him, too. I wish we had more moments that explored how Saeran's relationship is with the rest of the RFA. His bond with the others matters to me, even if it's limited contact!

(SE Saeran, in my mind, has little to nothing to do with the RFA. GE Saeran, however, is up to date with everyone, even if he's a bit awkward around them. You won't see SE Saeran play buddy-buddy unless you're playing Saeyoung's dream sequence in his after ending.)

The chatroom below is a reference to the anniversary image from last year. I also love that it's an homage to the Unknown title screen from, I wanna say, 2019. The split screen where he and Saeyoung are both on different sides of the city watching the stars at the same time. This is the chatroom where you can prod him about wearing his jacket, but I clicked this option first just to see how he would react, and yeah, that's SE Saeran for you!

"Me? Soft? Pfft. Hardly."

I'm going to bite him.

Any time the twins get to talk about the stars, it makes me happy. This may be short, simple, and to the point, but seeing V support the two of them always makes me smile. He's my third favorite character, believe it or not, and even with all his faults, I want better for him. I want him to be able to be there for the twins and to work on himself so he doesn't hate the person he sees in the mirror.

I suspend my disbelief briefly for a world where V gets to be there for Saeran and Saeyoung in a positive light. That doesn't even exist in the VAE, mind you. There's a big arm's length happening there even if you can't see it.

I wish I could've watched the stars with Saeran, too. Saeyoung, you're teasing me from the other side of the universe!

I LOST MY MARBLES IN THE LAST CHAT BECAUSE YOU GET TO SEND HIM A HEART OF YOUR OWN. Why wouldn't I enjoy that? It's why so many people have designed their own custom hearts to use! Fun fact: the heart color I use for Unknown and SE Saeran is based on the old marketing colors they used for Unknown. It's a very soft, muted purple. My personal heart is lilac, and it's only a few shades lighter than his. (I'll gladly share those if you guys want to see them; I just hit the image limit in this post.)

I imagined spamming him with my heart in a world where he's the one trying to romance me in an Otome game, and him smiling because my favorite color is so close to his.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm grateful to have known Saeran Choi. I've written countless essays over the years about him, and I'm in no way ready to stop doing that. I am grateful for our ten years, and I'm grateful to know there are more years to come.