#fan reference

Episode Blush References

The Twin Tapes

At the high school competition, Min-Gi gives Ryan the Chicken Choice Judy shirt. He immediately puts it on in front of Min, says “amazing”, and hugs Min-Gi. He goes in for a hug from the front, but tilts to make it a diagonal hug. Pausing his hug-lunge at around 3:22 certainly makes it seem as if he's going to kiss Min-Gi, though he doesn't. Min-Gi immediately blushes when Ryan hugs him and seems startled.

Evaluation:

Min-Gi starts blushing the instant Ryan touches him. He seems startled. His blushing is likely one or a combination of the following explanations: * He doesn't want to be hugged because he's uncomfortable with open, strong praise: Ryan praised him strongly (“amazing”) and even followed that up with a hug. * He doesn't like hugs. * He considers it embarrassing for Ryan to be so affectionate to him. This may have been amplified by the time period and setting of Powell Lake, British Columbia, Canada, in the 1980s. (Gay marriage became legal in British Columbia only in 2003.)

The Old West Car

Ryan blushes when Judge Morpho is emerging from her chrysalis, but in the next shot, he’s not blushing any more. Though blushing, he is looking on with a panicked (wide-eyes, small pupils) expression.

Evaluation:

Ryan’s eyes being so wide with small pupils suggests he doesn’t find the sequence or Judge Morpho to be hot. The most likely explanation is that he’s blushing out of fear.

The Party Car

Min-Gi blushes when one of Kez’s friends asks which of them is the “bad boy”, saying “I don’t think either---” while Ryan says, “me!”, pointing to himself confidently.

Evaluation:

Min-Gi is nervous, flustered or embarrassed. Min-Gi cared about doing things in a respectable, proper way that would make his parents happy: he planned to go to university to study finance, despite hating finance, because of his parents’ pressure or expectations for him to have a stable career path. A “bad boy”, as defined by Wikipedia, is “a male who behaves badly, especially within societal norms.” This is far from Min-Gi’s behavior thus far.

The Party Car

Beehive: "You need anything special for your set?" Ryan: "Just permission to shred with my main man Min and his mini-synth!" [Emulates playing a guitar] [Min-Gi: Smiles nervously, holds Ryan's guitar-motioning hand, and laughs nervously while blushing]

Evaluation:

Min-Gi is trying his best to keep up a certain impression among others at this party, and Ryan is hindering that impression through his exuberance. (Ryan reminds him later they’ll never see those people again, so the “pressure couldn’t be more off”) Min-Gi is holding Ryan’s hand to gently get him to stop doing that embarrassing thing.

The Mega Maze Car (Example 1)

At 10:39, Min-Gi and Ryan encourage Kez to make it into the castle before the drawbridge closes. Kez slips through and zooms in at high speed, evidently fast enough to knock Ryan over like a dodgeball thrown at him. In the next shot, Ryan’s face is flushed/blushing over the cheeks, he’s sweating, he seems uncomfortable and he makes an exhausted groaning noise.

Evaluation:

Ryan’s blushing is technically “flushing”: his face reddening from exertion, like he ran a marathon.

The Mega Maze Car (Example 2)

Ryan: "Looks like somebody's been listening to My Oeuvre." Min-Gi: "[Exasperated sigh] My family got the promo cassette you sent, if that's what you mean." Ryan (at ~2:42): "Yeah, My Ouevre..." [turns around to show off the sticker] "Working... title for my first album." (Blushes and looks away and down)

Evaluation:

Ryan is embarrassed from one of or some combination of the following:

He made a spelling mistake for “Oeuvre” on the sticker (which is very obvious)

It is only a “working title”. (“Oeuvre” means: “the works of a painter, composer, or author regarded collectively.”, from Oxford Language’s definition, so it’s somewhat basic.)

It’s for his first album: though he’s been on the road and performing for months, he hasn’t even made his first album yet.

In the first episode, “The Twin Tapes”, he performs at an nursing/retirement home...and his sparse audience is all asleep. He later sadly, sarcastically alludes to his solo career being “so successful” (that is, not successful). It’s therefore likely his blushing relates in some way to his shame at his lack of success at a solo musician.

The Mega Maze Car (Example 3)

Kez: "But I brought my new friends, Ryan and Min. [quietly, out of the side of her mouth] Act cool."

Min-Gi puts on his hands on his hips, and blushes profusely, over both his cheeks and forehead. He also quickly starts sweating. He’s still blushing in the next shot, for several seconds. He says, “You said the person in the photo was Morgan, your roommate" and then then he stops blushing.

Evaluation: Min-Gi doesn’t know how to act cool, so when explicitly instructed to act cool, he has neither experience nor a frame of reference and seems really anxious and embarrassed.

The Castle Car

At ~4:13, when Min-Gi gets his exit, Min-Gi says: "We either both leave, or neither of us do." Ryan blushes, and it doesn't seem out of discomfort. It's very brief, and fades in the same shot.

Evaluation: Ryan seems flattered, not uncomfortable, when he blushes. This is the one instance of blushing that can strongly support the Ryan x Min-Gi (“Rymin”) ship.

Circumstances Where They Could Have Blushed But Didn’t

The following is not intended to be as exhaustive as the blush record, but nonetheless may provide context for how the characters express themselves.

General/Multi-Episode

Kez often acts flirtatious, up to the point of kissing them on the cheek, but neither Min-Gi nor Ryan ever blush in response to Kez’s flirtatiousness.

The Twin Tapes

~1:03: Min-Gi, while performing for a family gathering, seems shy, but he doesn't blush. Ryan spins the microphone, but drops it. He very briefly seems startled. He grins nervously and briefly sweats, but he looks at Min-Gi and immediately seems more confident.

The Party Car

In “The Party Car”, there are multiple instances where either one of them could have blushed, but didn’t. Namely: • When Ryan takes out his Chicken Choice Judy shirt from the box the Steward left behind. • When Ryan immediately starts stripping, Min-Gi doesn’t blush, and seems startled, even frozen • When Ryan leans over on Min-Gi and says, "we're the band" (~3:11) • When Min-Gi says, "We haven't played in a bit...a long time, actually…" • When Ryan says “I’m not the only one who needs to get to zero. Wink.” While very close to Min-Gi and pulling at his earlobe • When Ryan reassures Min-Gi at 5:54 with “Dude, relax. The pressure couldn't be more off." • When Ryan gently punches Min-Gi in the chest, he doesn't blush.

The Mega Maze Car

Kez says: "Don't sweat your pretty little brows." Technically, a woman is calling them “pretty”, but neither of them blush (either from the compliment or the fact “pretty” is generally exclusive to women).

Min-Gi: "Dude...I still live with my parents. And my job? [Bitter brief laugh] I mean...you said it. I'm up for assistant manager at a Humpty Dumpty-themed restaurant. And you were right. It's pathetic." Though he seems nervous, and is talking about how pathetic he is, he doesn’t blush.

The Train to Nowhere

Min-Gi: "It's been long enough. I'm coming in. ...Don't be naked."

Ryan sweats, his eyes going wide, when he slowly pats Kez on the head.