#alexchr

— closed starter for @alexchr​​​​; present days, at the zoo.

Summer is the best weather for the zoo: there are much more visitors, most of the animals are out under the sunlight to enjoy the warmth after months trying* to avoid the chilly weathers, and the schools have planned field trips where they take their kids for a little educational tours around the place, while a worker introduces them to some of the animals. And most of the time, Haneul likes to offer to be the one leading one of the groups through the many different locations.

Despite saying he’s not good with kids, he becomes quite popular among them — he tries to be fun, makes little jokes, anything to entertain the kids and make them laugh, and he manages to do it every time. It’s actually pretty cute to see how he brightens up every time he’s able to teach something important to the kids, like the importance to take care of nature and every little animal that lives in it. 

He always comes back from those educational tours feeling refreshed and satisfied, as if he had completed his life mission. But not this time.

Instead, he feels like his mission isn’t finished yet; in fact, he feels like it has just started when he sees his friend’s face staring at him as he waits for Haneul at the reptiles’ habitat. His smile widens when he approaches the other man, and pats him on the shoulder when he speaks.

Good grief. Changmin thought to himself as he got out of his car, thinking he was free from...all of this. He had been attending similar events ever since he could remember breathing. Ever since his father passed, he had stopped going to formal events that required social interaction where half of the people were strangers to him. All he knew was they were filrthy stinking rich, just like he was.

But tonight was different, for the current head of their law firm had basically required him to attend. He hands his keys to the valet, fixng his collar before entering the hall, flashing his invitation to the stranger at the entrance. This was a charity event, it seems. Charity. Another thing he hated about these events. A place where all the rich people gather to show off how rich they are, all while trying to disprove their greed. It reeked of hypocrisy, how they didn’t even care about the beneficiaries. Didn’t even care to know who they were donating to.

He wanted to leave as early as possible.

Changmin didn’t feel the need to greet anyone, but for the sake of pretenses, he smiled at everyone despite not really knowing who they were. He was headed straight towards the waiter offering flutes of champagne and glasses of wine. Alcohol was one of the things that helped him endure nights like these. He was about to take a sip out of his drink when he sees an all too familiar face, if he were being honest, a face he hadn’t seen in a fairly long time. He looks equally as bored as he was, and almost instantly, he was reminded of how he came to know said person in the first place. He takes another drink from the waiter; one for himself and one for his favorite companion during these events, making his way towards him. He doesn’t even make his presence known in a normal greeting, attempting to startle him by slinging an arm over his shoulders, looking far off to where he was looking as well.

haneul doesn’t really know how they became friends, but he’s happy they did. alex has always been so different from him, and haneul never imagined that a cool guy would want to be friends with a nerdy guy, and yet their friendship has been alive for years after their graduation — and by alive, i mean breathing with difficulty... but haneul is willing to get it back together.

haneul keeps memories from high school, and the drawings of him made by alex are a few of them. that was probably the first time someone put so much effort into making something about haneul ( before his wife, of course ), the first time someone made art out of his image. he really appreciates all the work alex put into those drawings, so he keeps them to this day.

"if i could relive one day..."

he pauses for a little. "just one day~" haekyun soon sings, smiling like a dope before cracking his knuckles and tapping his chin with his fingers. "i can't, though, can i?" he knows he's being complicated right now, but that's a luxury you can afford when you don't have anything currently happening that makes you wish you were anywhere but here. you can relive happy things just for the heck of it, too, he reminds himself. putting every difficult thing aside, pure contentment washes over his face with this memory:

“kfc grandfather?!”

hearing that silly nickname from someone much younger this time, the man laughs, giving a thumbs up and motioning at haekyun to come closer. haekyun hands his baseball glove and cheer gear off to his father without looking back at him, immediately drawn to kerry’s side and forgetting everything about being a shy kid. 

it’s like taking pictures with santa claus, literally, but obviously better.

haekyun and kerry grin wide at mom’s camera together, their fists pressed into one another in one photo, the two making peace signs in another. after what feels like a thousand shots, kerry pats haekyun on the back. “this your first game?”

he shakes his head, bowing his head as he retreats to haewon’s side and takes back his things. to the best of his ability, he tries to make sense, saying, “first time seeing you.” haekyun smiles, and kerry sticks his hand out for a handshake and smiles back.

“hopefully not the last!”

the ridiculous pomp and circumstance that deluges these charity receptions makes her want to do nothing more but gauge her eyes out with the silver plated cutlery. it’s nothing but cultured showboating under the guise of philanthropy, putting on airs to maintain a sense of hierarchy within the society. it feels like even she is on display for all to see ⏤ the beauty of jung chulsoo’s only daughter, the one that finally got her life together after all those years. it feels like she’s only an extension of the family’s many successes at these events; never an independent being aside from the actions that stained her adolescence. in simpler terms: she hates it here. hates everything about it and everyone involved in it. and despite the fact that she’s trying her hardest to remain in her father’s good graces, pretending to belong was not something she was willing to do. nabi played along well up into a certain point, adorning the dress that he bought for her, thinking it was en vogue ( sure dad, maybe in the 1960s or something ) and actually showing up, but her own sense of generosity was drying up as the event went on.

she’s seated in one of the far off tables near a corner of the ballroom, chewing upon whatever finger foods the staff offered to her at the moment, expression exuding nothing but irritation and boredom. naturally she finds herself alone and she would prefer to keep it that way, dark hues constantly glancing at the screen of her phone, counting the hours until her father releases her from this cage where she could be doing something more productive and fulfilling with her time. her father seems to take notice of her sedentary nature and before she comes to realize it he’s swooping her on to her feet, gliding her over to one of his colleague’s sister’s mother’s cousin’s dog’s close family friend twice removed ⏤ she doesn’t really know, doesn’t bother pay attention. nabi gives a smile and bow as a courtesy, but there’s a itchy feeling of awareness that pricks at her when she gazes at the son. long legged and attractive, sure, but it isn’t until there’s a mention of hannam between the two older men that there’s the ah, we went to school together. of course.

“choosing to live with my dad’s new family and sticking through that decision for a few years instead of living with my mom right away.” it was the first thing that came to my mind because it was the greatest sacrifice of her otherwise privileged life. “it was hell living with him and the family that he loves so much but i chose to do that because i know having some time to herself was something that my mom desperately needed. thank goodness i never have to do it ever again, though. just one time was too much time.”