#bc mentioned

minjun isn’t my first muse of the year, but he is the one i’ve grown incredibly attached to, with connections i never imagined he’d have. i missed the halfway point of the year, i meant to post this on his birthday, july 10th, but better late than never, right? this also serves as a thank you to everyone who plotted with minjun—he continues to develop as a character because of you all, both he and i can’t thank you enough !

PERSONALITY

not a lot has changed in terms of his personality, he continues to be a person eager to please, an overachiever at times, to the point where he’d push himself a little too far. he’s learning to overcome this flaw, to let others take care of him, listen when he’s being told that he’s working too hard. to give himself a break when he needs it. he’s opening his arms to different types of people, more than happy to accommodate all types of personalities if it meant building friendships. at the end of the day, he still has a lot of love to give.

CAREER

the beginning of it all—the valentines event drew out minjun’s infamous aegyo, which went viral within the blink of an eye. it may not be as significant as what follows, but it’s still an event that brings a smile to his face.

fear accompanied him when he auditioned for project origin, but the experience made him realise something important—what matters is that he stayed true to himself as he performs, gives it very best with every little stomp and twist, pour all he can with each move. and eventually, he’ll be rewarded.

type zero chipped away at his confidence, the pressures of being a replacement were heavy on his shoulders. gradually, he learns that he doesn’t have to deal with it on his own—after all, type zero is a group first and foremost, lifting one another up. it’s fine to be himself, he doesn’t need to pretend to be someone else.

being a part of project origin and legacy boys gave him opportunities he wouldn’t dare imagine even in his wildest dreams. the tour opened his eyes to new heights, brought him out of his shell, introduced him to a greater stage, one he had the privilege to perform on, including a solo performance. boarding a plane hadn’t been easy, minjun never ventured so far before. it’s a terrifying experience, but one he wouldn’t erase.

RELATIONSHIPS a recap of minjun’s connections thus far, from his point of view.

minjun finds himself facing pages of the past when he reunites with ( @lgcinsoo ), a fellow dancer from his old days that he used to admire. to his surprise, the reunion was far from awkward, ending with a promise to hang out whenever they find the time. though they’re walking different paths now, minjun will always be rooting for insoo. he hopes the time they hang out again will come soon.

( @lgcjiho ) had been another plushie collector, and was the person who managed to draw out minjun’s aegyo, causing him to go viral. in a way, minjun owes jiho his thanks, even more so for always seeming so eager to join him in his little tea parties. he believes project origin drew the two even closer, what with their shared fear for airplanes. they comforted one another like friends would, minjun won’t forget that day.

not all has been smooth sailing, he hit stormy waves when he went overboard with ( @lgchunji ). he’s not sure what he had done wrong specifically, but he knows it had to do with his desire to extend his hand even though he had been warned against it. minjun wants to fix things, tape back the string of friendship that he had broken. however, that isn’t his decision to make. either way, he can only hope hunji is thriving with whatever it is he’s doing. hunji helped him realise that there is merit to sticking to his own lane, to not shove himself into situations that doesn’t concern him.

he tried again to help someone else, ( @lgceunji ) this time. seeing her in a seemingly bad state after the prank worried him, and he did what he can do. offer a silent comfort and company, then gifting her one of his prized possessions, a small bear plushie. he intends to check up on her every now and then, even if he’s busy with the tour. he thinks of her as a little sister he wants to protect.

although it took a few days to adjust, he found friends among the type zero members. his worries were eased after his conversation with ( @lgcxking ), and minjun isn’t shy to admit that he admires the other for his determination and strong will. king’s bravery shown throughout the tour, like when king invited him to bungee jump, but also when king challenged himself to take part in babysitting services. he has a lot of respect for king.

among the project origin members, he finds himself adoring ( @lgcharu ), someone he can’t help but feel like he wants to take care of. discussing their characters aided minjun in figuring out how to ease himself into musical acting, something he had never done before. he had a lot of fun with haru throughout the tour as well, spending a part of their chuseok holidays together.

his encounter with ( @lgcemil ) had been one he hadn’t expected, meeting the other in the practice room when he intended to practice into the late night. he can’t hide his concern for emil, and although he doesn’t want to overstep his boundaries, he wants to become a friend that emil can count on whenever he’s feeling a little down.

there are a few special mentions. ( @lgceunho ) bonded with him when they were locked in a practice room, and although minjun would rather not get himself in such a situation ever again, he’s glad he had been stuck with eunho, who is a fun person to be around. panicking with ( @lgcxminseok ) over the april fools prank and playing with the animals in the shelter was a delightful time. during the project origin tour, he had a blast with king, ( @lgcyonghwa ) and ( @lgcmax ). yonghwa seems like a reliable older brother that minjun can count on. max’s bursts of energy draws out his own, there’s never a boring time with max. he didn’t know ( @lgcjueun ) before babysitting services, but as it turns out, taking care of kids together is another good way to bond.

YOON SHINHA ——— forever you are my star

( @lgcshinha ) appeared to him like a storm, wrecking his world in the best way possible. he encountered the enigma that is yoon shinha when he reached out towards the same cat plushie that the other did. it’s an out of the blue suggestion when he said they should share the plushie instead, but he wouldn’t have it any other day. that was the beginning of something beautiful—an encounter with an impact that will last a lifetime.

it’s a little funny when it turns out they ended up as roommates, but that makes it easier for them to take care of their little family. looking back, minjun isn’t sure when exactly things started to change between the two of them, where they drew the line between friendship and something else. it’s hard for minjun not to fall for shinha though, not when shinha took care of him like no one else ever had. the illusion of having a family with the other felt more real as days go by, to the point where minjun is afraid that he’d eventually do what he does best: overstep and ruin everything.

he had never, for the life of him, thought that shinha would feel the same way. and yet, after a long night of rigorous practice and a shared night in their dorm with no one else around, they laid their feelings out on the table. it all happened too fast, but it still felt like it was yesterday. minjun recalled the beating of his heart picking up pace, too quick for him to keep up. he remembers the tears that were in the corner of his eyes, ever the emotional person he was. but they left things up in the air, until...

july 10th, minjun’s birthday and the day the stars aligned. shinha keeps proving himself as someone minjun can’t help but think he doesn’t deserve sometimes. the gifts shinha bestowed upon him that day is enough to make his heart swell, he remembers feeling as if he’ll burst. a mix of emotions coursed through him that day, but overall he can say that he’s elated, he’s in love. that is further confirmed when shinha asked him out, and the tears he usually would try so hard to hide flowed almost endlessly. they became one that day, but minjun feels as if they were always one.

with project origin taking most of his time, he wasn’t granted enough time to spend with his beloved, but he can’t complain—not out loud, at the very least. the tour had been an experience minjun wouldn’t trade for the world, yet he finds himself thinking about shinha whenever he’s alone with his thoughts. texts and video calls weren’t nearly enough, he missed shinha’s presence by his side most of all. it was torture, but he believes in shinha, in their relationship, in them. minjun knows they can go through whatever hardships may come.

seeing shinha again during kcon backstage brought forth the longing he had been feeling the past month. but they’re strong, if they can survive a tour, then they’ll be able to handle worse.

a new trimester begins, and future dreams is knocking on their doors. minjun doesn’t wish for much, but if he could wish for one thing—he wants the both of them to debut, together.

THE ROAD AHEAD

above all, minjun intends to debut. he knows he’s meant to be on stage, and he wants to prove that he’s worth it. he doesn’t know what future dreams will bring, but he’s eager to show off what hwang minjun can do.

there are a lot of people he still wants to befriend, particularly those who will be participating in future dreams. there may be a competitive element, however friendly rivalry isn’t a bad thing.

he’s eager to brush up on his language skills, particularly japanese. with the workshop, that may be achievable. there seems to be a strong market in japan, so he wants to try it out.

Not only was he still struggling with Korean, but he had to explain how to cook an entire dish, which was something that he had little experience in. He had cooked a few times, but never really for others outside his family and close friends. This was going to be something different and Tee only hoped he had chosen the right dish for this vlive.

Once he saw the red light flicker on, Tee gave the camera a small smile. He waved softly at the lens as he greeted the camera. ❛ Hello, swadeekrap. I’m Tee and today I’ll be sharing my favourite fall recipe. It’s a Thai dish and something Arin and I love to eat. It’s called Lemongrass roasted pork. Hopefully, it isn’t too hard for you to follow. I haven’t had to teach this dish in some time so please forgive me if I teach it badly. ❜ He let out a slight chuckle. ❛ Shall we begin? ❜

The rapper looked at the ingredients and tried explaining as best he could each one and how they worked together to add to the flavour of the dish. He then began explaining the dish step by step. He tried to explain things clearly and tried to use as much Korean as he could but there were still moments where he needed to ask the staff or he just explained in Thai. As he bustled about the kitchen, he would talk about his family.

❛ Arin and I would often eat this when we had family gatherings or whenever there were important events. It’s a dish that holds a lot of memories and cherished moments within our family. ❜ He smiled. ❛ This is something I’ve always wanted to eat with p’Isa. He moved when we were young and I don’t have many memories of him. ❜ He let out a soft sigh before he smiled again. ❛ At least we have the future, right everyone? There are plenty of chances to eat this with our families and friends. ❜

the first time auditions came around, he can’t say he remembers any of it that clearly, as if the end of the last year and the beginning of the new year was too overwhelming at once. then again, returning back to the trainee cycle, being a few months into it, part of him didn’t think he should be so frivolous to think he could. the process was fun, he remembers that much, joking around with his partner, and hoping the best more so for them than for himself. hell, he’d been ecstatic that chanyeol got it. 

there’s moments he doesn’t tell his own friend that the chances he got? he thinks chanyeol wouldn’t have squandered them like he did, that the los angeles native has a helluva lot more resolution than he does, more decisiveness. to this day, he thinks the most confident decisions he’s made since uprooting his entire life to move to seoul once he was legal is pursuing naeun. maybe doing the mgas too but even that came with its ups and downs. 

thinking back on it now, he can laugh but, back then, it was never-ending. that gut-wrenching feeling of pending elimination or, worse, the idea that he was being kept on for views only. the win convinced him they worked hard and deserved it. everyone did in the end. it brings him back to this moment, to knowing that he should continue to strive, to make up his damn mind, and go after everything he wants without shame. 

the thought of debut, of whether or not he can again, consumed him til now, til he decides he just wants to enjoy the opportunities given to him, from assisting in a class to auditions. back when he moved to seoul, that thrill was one of the best and it’s only fitting that he continues to do auditions when it comes to trc, isn’t it? his first official audition in seoul. 

different segments and scripts are given and he can’t help thinking it’d be crazier if they had to improv it all but this is probably how most variety goes, right? a script that the audience is unaware of, despite the cards held in idols’ hands at times. it’s an image he falls for too but, that all aside, he likes the casual moments the most, the impromptu ones, the reactions of the idols and the mcs in reaction to them the most. it gives that feeling of friendship and genuine camaraderie that he thrives off of so before they head in, he’s talking to his partner, trying to hype him up, and the excitement is electrifying by the time they’re called in. he wants to hold onto that feeling for as long as he can and he looks to his partner with a sly grin right when they’re told to start. 

when it’s his turn to introduce himself, he’s too proud of his joke, too proud to say “hey, what’s up everyone, it’s your favorite mc, mason choi.” the ‘m’ emphasized as he draws it out, pointing to himself and clapping his hands together with a bright laugh. “we’ve got plenty of sweet treats up our sleeve. honey, are you still guessing?” his partner’s laugh is infectious and minho pretends just as he’s meant to, scratching the back of his head for good measure. “ah, yes, it’s in the video’s title after all. aren’t you all a bunch of smarti— ah, can we say a candy name here?” snickering, he holds up the script, gesturing towards the camera with a smile. “park doha’s candy. whoo!” he claps once again, giving a small wave of his body as he sings again, “girl i’m your candy.” 

their chemistry is better than he could’ve expected and relief is only one word to describe how he feels as they continue through one script to the next segment. with added props for games, minho can’t help getting distracted at first, enthusiastically shaking his head. 

he leaves the explanation of the game to his partner for the most part because, thankfully, he took the other part and truth be told he’s not sure how the game works but he’s more than ready to go all out. it’s the obvious loss that gets him in the end and it’s his luck that he’s meant to act exasperated, genuinely feeling so once the headband is free of his head and he holds up the slinky-headband combo with a heavy sigh. “as expected, our guest is the best,” he alludes to one of their released song tracks— though pretending someone is there as a guest is odd after pretending to play a game with them too, one he still doesn’t understand.