#ficnetfairy

"Hurts my heart that we had to leave Bleu at home," Evelyn pouts her lips a bit as she clings to Mingyu's arm from the slight chill in the air, "Knowing her, she'll be sitting in the windowsill staring down at the street watching for us."

"We're gonna have to get her a harness and bring her out with us," Mingyu wraps an arm around her to bring her in closer, "Or one of those backpacks with the bubble on the back."

"We are not putting her in one of those. She barely likes being in her carrier when she has to go to the vet." Evelyn snorts thinking about the time all of the animals had vet appointments for a checkup and how they were very late because Bleu wouldn't come out from underneath the couch the second she heard the carrier zipper.

"She'll be just like an astronaut," Mingy's face scrunches up playfully at the thought, "Bleu the little space cat."

The pair found their way to a metal bench just off the pathway and settled down onto it. Within no time, the two dogs came barreling over towards them and Winnie used her momentum to push herself up onto her hind legs and press her front paws to Evelyn's knees.

"I know what you want," Her hand rubs behind Winnie's right ear with her other hand digging around in her bag to retrieve the desired object. Any trip to the dog park required one thing to come with: a ball.

Setting her bag off to the side, Evelyn stood up briefly to wind her arm back and launched the ball forward out into the field. In an instant, both dogs took off after it as fast as their little legs could take them. It didn't take long for them to get distracted and start playing and rolling each other in the grass.

"It'll be bath time for everyone when we get home," Evelyn snorts as she settles back down onto the bench.

"Ooo bath time with you. My favorite part of the night," Mingyu leans a bit closer to her, pressing kisses to the side of her head, "We can relax -kiss- I can wash your hair -kiss- maybe splash some water around."

"My tub isn't that big," Evelyn giggles, bringing her hand up to cup his cheek and pressing her lips to his. His hand found its way to her waist and gripped the clothed skin as he deepened the kiss further. A small sound left her throat as his tongue gently prodded at her lips asking for permission. He tugged her a bit closer as his tongue entered her mouth, his other hand tilting her head up by her chin.

It wasn't long before two tiny paws pressed into Evelyn's leg that had the paired pulling away from each other. She giggled down at Winnie, the wet and slobbery ball ending up on her lap. Winnie's tongue was hanging out of her mouth lopsided and her tail was wagging a mile a minute.

"Thank you little mood killers," Mingyu playfully rolled his eyes leaning over to pat Henry on his head, grabbing the ball off of Evelyn's lap and chucking it further out into the field.

~

"You know-," He traced his thumb over the back of her knuckles in absentminded comforting circles, lips forming a slight pout with what was pondering on his mind, "I got my letter the other day."

Evelyn's smile faultered slightly knowing what he was referring to, "I know…I saw it on the counter the other day. It's coming up real soon right?."

"Yeah, yeah it is…" Mingyu nodded his head even though she wasn't looking at him. He leaned down and grabbed the ball Winnie had dropped at their feet, reeling his arm back and chucking it out into the open field, watching fondly as the two dogs took after it.

"What am I gonna do without you?" She half joked, pressing her back firmly into the bench seat. She didn't want to admit it directly but the thought of him going away to the military tugged immensely at her heart, "Your side of the bed is going to be cold."

"You'll have the dogs and Bleu," Mingyu nudged her shoulder with his, a subtle grin tugging at his lips, "They'll keep the bed all cozy warm at night."

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Her voice came out a little more forceful than she would've liked. It was like the air surrounding them had stopped in an instant and the world fell entirely silent.

"It's been…hard," Evelyn's bottom lip juts out, her gaze falling down to their hands clasped together. Her hand grips his a bit more firmly as she sniffles to keep the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes from falling down her flushed cheeks, "Watching everyone leave. I mean, we're all doing the best we can…but it's just-."

It had felt like a ton of bricks fell onto her chest all at once. For the first time since Jeonghan enlisted two years prior, had she let go of all the pent up hardship she had been feeling. Her usual happy go-lucky self was starting to crumble at the seams. It had been rough the last few months on not just her, but for the group as a whole. From filling in empty spots during choreography to covering vocal parts in songs; it has been exhausting on their bodies both physically and mentally. But it was inevitably going to happen whether they all liked it or not.

"There's so many what ifs that could happen during that time," She sniffled a bit louder this time, using her free hand to wipe at her wet face, "I just….don't want you to leave."

"Jagi-," Mingyu's voice was filled with the utmost sadness, pulling her closer to his body. He pressed his chin to the top of her head as she practically crumbled into his side, quiet sobs racking her body.

"I've gotten so use to you being a part of my life-," Evelyn's voice had quieted down a bit, her bottom lip pouting out a bit as she kept herself from having another breakdown, "- that it's going to be hard not having you in it for a while. It's hard enough now without some of the others."

He sighed heavily, his thumb rubbing against her arm as he held onto her. Her words hung heavy in the air around them and her sadness sent daggers straight to his heart, "Everything will be okay Evie."

"I know it will but…it's just-."

"What's really on your mind, baby?"

"I'm scared things will change between us being apart," Evelyn confessed, biting the inside of her cheek, "m'scared of being alone."

A stray tear made it's way down her cheek and dripped onto her hand, the bead falling down the crease of her finger. She sniffled loudly, wiping her face with the back of her hand before pulling away from him. This wasn't how she had expected their early morning dog walk to go nor did she expect to have a full on breakdown.

Mingyu smiled despite the tugging in his heart because deep down he had the same feelings. The first time since meeting each other were they going to be apart for a long extended period of time. The future was a scary sight. But as much as it pained him, he had to be the strong rock to be there for her. His hand reached down and clasped with hers, squeezing it tightly.

"I want you to know that I'm going no where when it comes to us," Mingyu cleared his throat to speak properly, "I'll get some vacation days after a while of being there and every single one is going to be used to come visit you. I won't have my phone for a bit but please know deep down, I'll always be thinking about you. And once I do get it back, you already know I'll be texting and calling as much as I can."

"It won't be the same," She sniffled, pouting her lips as her head met his shoulder, "And having to watch you leave every single time will hurt more than the last visit."

Mingyu turned his gaze out towards the field where the dogs had settled down into the grass, panting from their bursts of energy. He glanced up at the night sky, the moon was just barely peaking from behind some clouds. A small smile tugged at his lips, "You know, any time you'll be missing me, just have a look up at the moon. We'll be seeing the same moon and stars at night."

Evelyn looked up to the sky as the moon was coming out from behind the clouds now thanks to the slight breeze. The sky was littered with millions of little tiny glowing specks. She forced herself to sniffle back another onslaught of tears and a smile founds its way to her mouth.

The two of them were brought back when Winnie threw her ball at their feet, Henry barking at them with his hoarse voice. Evelyn picked her head up from his shoulder and pulled her phone out of the pocket of her bag. It was a bit past the dogs dinner time.

"Are you little puppies hungry?" Evelyn wiped at her face again as Winnie pressed her front paws to her knees and continued to bark. Mingyu reached down and gathered up Henry into his arms, the older dog licking profusely at his neck causing the man to let out a handful of giggles.

"Let's get these puppies home before they wither away."

~

"We need to plan a few days to drive down to see your family," Evelyn spoke over her shoulder as she wiped her hands on her apron after adding the required spices to the pot, "I miss your parents and I was talking to your sister the other day and she whined that she missed the animals."

"That sounds like her," Mingyu barked out a laugh, sweeping up the stray clumps of dog hair around the floor with the broom into the dustpan. The vacuum was out of the question for the dogs saw it as the worst monster they'd ever seen and saw it as their personal duty to protect the house and attack it.

"I want to take your mom and sister out for a girls day and you and your dad can go and hang out. We can take your parents out for dinner one night," Evelyn rambled on as she read off the next instruction on the recipe card.

Mingyu dumped the dustpan into the trash bin, hanging it and the broom back on the side of the cabinet. He approached behind Evelyn and wrapped his arms loosely around her waist and settled his chin on top of her head, "Sounds like a plan to me, baby."

"Mhm, I just want to do something nice for them since they're always doing nice things for us," She smiled to herself as she leaned back into him slightly. She tilted her head up and puckered her lips to which he responded immediately, "Can you clear off the table, this is almost ready. And if you could, just take that pile of clothes to the bedroom and I can sort them later."

Mingyu kissed her lips a few more times before he let her go, "Of course baby."

His footprints echoed down the hallway and a smile came to Evelyn's lips at the tiny patter of paws against the floor. Wherever the two of them went, the dogs followed right behind like little ducks in a row.

While waiting for the pot to come to a rolling boil, Evelyn glanced to the side at the cat tower at Bleu sprawled out on the highest perch, staring directly at Evelyn and flicking the tip of her tail gently. She knows the cat is annoyed at them for taking so long to feed her.

"Eomma is sorry missing your dinner," Evelyn spoke to the cat in her baby voice she used for all the animals, "I'll give you as many cuddles as you want after dinner." A few moments pass and Bleu turning her head to look out the window before looking back and slow blinking.

"I knew you'd cave to some cuddles," Evelyn giggled as she turned back towards the stove, stirring the pot. She dipped a spoon into the stew, blowing on it a bit before taking a bite, humming in satisfaction at the taste. Just like her grandmother used to make.

"Did you get the table cleared? Why are you quiet all of a sudden-," Evelyn's eyebrows were pinched together at the sudden silence of the apartment. She turned the stove off and moved the pan off the burner, turning on her heel to look behind her, "Mingyu-?"

Her heart jumped up into her throat and she had to grip the counter to steady herself on what she was looking at in front of her, her eyes darting around the figure as he was standing before her fiddling with his hands. Mingyu was changed from his sweatpants into Evelyn's favorite sweater that he owned, a pair of black slacks, and his hair was styled nicely; an entire different outfit. Evelyn swallowed the thick lump in her throat, her heart hammering against her chest as he began to speak.

"I -I don't know how to do this but-," Mingyu's voice shook a bit, a slight nervous laugh leaving his mouth. He hadn't gained the confidence to look up at her yet and chose to keep his gaze planted firmly on the floor of the kitchen. Evelyn had opened her mouth to speak but was seemingly stopped when Mingyu had knelt down onto the floor before her.

"Looking towards the future, whether its ten years from now, five years from now, hell even if it's five minutes from now; I want you to be there. To be there with me," By the time he managed to look up at her from where he was with one knee pressing firmly into the wood, his eyes had glossed over with his own onslaught of fresh tears, "I wasn't certain what my life would be like or where my life would be now all those years ago, but what I'm sure of now is that I want to live the rest of my life with you there."

It took a minute of him fumbling around in his pocket before he pulled out a square velvet box, fingers working to open it towards her showcasing an elegant silver ring with a beautiful diamond in the center of it.

"Park Eunji, will you marry me?"

"Mingyu I-" She hadn't even realised she was crying until a few tears dripped down her cheeks.

"I-It's okay if you say no. I just..had to. I wanted to. I-I can't picture any other person-."

Evelyn cut his words off before he could finish his sentence, her own voice laced with emotion and her eyes watery to the point she could barely see, "-yes."

"H-huh?"

She choked out a wet laugh, shuffling her feet over towards him until she collapsed onto the floor in front of him. It didn't take long before she leaned forward and cradled his face between her hands, "Yes yes, a million times yes."

He moved to sit fully on the floor, Evelyn falling in between in his legs as she closed the gap between the two of them in a slow and soft kiss, pulling apart and pressing their foreheads together. His fingers grabbed the ring from the box carefully, bringing up her hand and slipping the ring onto her left hand's ring finger.

"It's so beautiful." Evelyn brought it up closer to her face and smoothed over the diamond with the thumb of her other hand, sniffling back her now happy tears.

"I didn't plan on it turning out like this. I had a whole day planned just to do this properly but-," Mingyu wiped at his eyes with the pad of his thumb, "Earlier today you were just so sad about us, about the future that I-…I mean it when I say I'm yours until our very last days on earth, and even after that I'm yours forever."

~

some visual aid for the chapter: the ring

originally  created  for  the  angels  of  asia  only,  the  project  eventually  expanded  as  its  success  skyrocketed,  even  leading  to  the  group's  main  vocalist  earning  their  first  prestigious  award  without  ever  formally  debuting  as  a  solo  artist.  as  ævenue  grew,  it  opened  up  to  other  artists  from  their  company  modern  marie,  allowing  them  to  release  and  perform  unreleased  songs  through  the  channel  as  well.  despite  this  wider  involvement,  hiraeth  remains  at  the  heart  of  the  project,  continuing  as  the  original  creators,  main  producers,  and  the  driving  force  behind  its  unique  identity. 

ævenue  serves  as  a  music  archive  for  hiraeth,  broadcasting  short  and  entertaining  games,  exclusive  music  showcases,  and  live  performances  with  a  full  band.  unlike  traditional  releases,  many  of  these  performances  are  never  officially  archived  or  reuploaded  (though  exceptions  have  been  made  before),  making  the  channel  station  notorious  for  its  lost  media  status.  while  some  footage  resurfaces  through  fan  recordings  and  illegal  leaks,  much  of  what  airs  remains  a  mystery  and  a  lost  treasure  to  many,  with  their  management  quick  to  copyright  anything  shared  without  authorization.

the  project  is  currently  divided  into  seven  seasons,  starting  the  year  after  their  debut  and  continuing  to  this  day.  each  broadcast  is  carefully  crafted,  with  the  angels  participating  as  hosts  and  bringing  a  distinct  aesthetic  to  every  episode.  it  airs  once  a  year  on  channel  777,  the  angel  network,  aligning  with  the  rise  of  the  black  moon.  this  unique  schedule  has  cemented  its  status  as  an  ultra-exclusive,  almost  hidden  event,  resembling  the  likes  of  the  concept  of  the  black  moon.  

the  show  has  only  grown  in  popularity  over  the  years,  drawing  a  strong  viewership  and  building  a  loyal  fanbase  through  the  years  (are  we  sure  isn’t  it  just  people’s  fomo,  though?).  airing  just  once  a  year,  each  episode  runs  about  an  hour  and  a  half,  sometimes  even  a  little  longer,  delivering  breathtaking  live  performances  and  striking  stage  designs.  every  detail,  from  the  lighting  to  the  set  pieces,  is  meticulously  designed  to  match  that  year’s  theme,  creating  an  immersive  experience  for  both  the  fans  and  the  artists  themselves.  fans  look  forward  to  these  rare  broadcasts  every  year,  knowing  that  once  it  airs,  it  may  never  be  seen  again.

████     ★    073119.   SEASON19,  EPISODE00

highlights.    first  broadcast  of  ævenue  777,  regarded  as  one,  if  not  the  most  elusive  episode  of  the  show,  as  music  videos  and  exclusive  content  during  trainee  and  pre-debut  era  were  shown.  first  peek  at  their  lightstick,  the  halo  touch  or  the  aebong,  designed  by  naoko  takeuchi—  later  released  on  the  first  anniversary  of  their  debut.  yvan’s  generation  becoming  a  fan  favorite,  leading  a  music  video  to  be  released  under  the  channel  caraluna.  it  earned  them  three  wins  and  two  year-end  awards,  becoming  the  first  hiraeth  member  to  ever  win  a  prestigious  award  on  their  own.  kaia  entirely  missing  her  high  note  during  virtual  angel  and  earning  the  nastiest  side  glance  from  yvan.  at  least  that’s  what  their  akgaes  say.

████     ★    081920.   SEASON20,  EPISODE01

highlights.    fans  mad  as  fuck  because  boombayah  is  both  an  unreleased  song  and  music  video  (it  was  for  the  best,  yvan  said.  they  hate  it!).  yvan  making  everything  awkward  by  side  eyeing  the  camera  (and  you)  after  kaia  and  poppy’s  miniskirt  performance,  almost  as  if  they  were  shaming  you!  morningbrew  producing  the  final  track  of  mock  orange’s  summer  project,  the  summer  ██  disappeared,  with  the  story  moving  backward  and  told  from  the  perspective  of  the  eggtart  boys:  hinting  at  mock  orange’s  disappearance  in  the  future.  the  boys’  desire  to  break  the  egg  almost  mirrors  the  angels’  cryptic  messages.  it  is  something  no  one  fully  understands  but  someone  must  uncover.

████     ★    141021.   SEASON21,  EPISODE02

highlights.   poppy’s  first  written  song,  which  was  co-written  with  kaia,  you  know?,  gaining  them  the  famous  title  #ChristianGirlsMakeBabyMakingMusic!  hiraeth’s  cover  of  christina  aguilera's  ven  conmigo,  with  yvan  reading  the  phonetics  off  their  phone  mid-performance.  poppy  choking  herself  in  the  background,  oblivious  to  the  fact  that  she  was  still  in  screen,  while  kaia  talked  about  how  ah-maaaaazing  it  was  to  work  with  their  genius  producer  ███.  yvan  complaining  at  the  lack  of  redbulls  backstage,  then  being  forced  to  host  an  instagram  live  the  next  day  and  tell  angels  to  stop  because  the  company  mailbox  was  flooding  with  redbulls.

████     ★    043022.   SEASON22,  EPISODE03

highlights.    the  very  friendly  uno  game  (poppy  and  yvan  were  forced  into  a  get-along  shirt  after  it).  yvan  holding  a  help  me  sign  during  touch  my  body  (they  said  they  hate  it.  they  couldn’t  give  anyone  another  valid  reason  other  than  pure  despise  despite  their  good  performance).  kaia’s  self-written  through  the  night  bringing  everyone  to  tears,  including  herself  during  the  end  of  the  final  chorus,  though  she  immediately  stuck  her  tongue  out  and  threw  up  a  peace  sign  the  second  the  camera  landed  on  her.  kaia  not  only  telling  staff  to  cut  cameras,  but  yelling  out  random  brand  names  when  yvan  started  mentioning  the  idols  who  couldn’t  hold  a  note  for  their  life  and  yes,  she  actually  got  away  with  it  and  to  this  day,  no  one  knows  who  they  mentioned.

████     ★    051923.   SEASON23,  EPISODE04

highlights.    the  angels’  performance  of  black  magic  becoming  one  of  the  most  sought-after  leaks.  angels  and  fans  annoying  poppy  so  much  about  her  song  know  better  that  she  ended  up  telling  management  to  post  it  somewhere  so  they  could  finally  leave  her  alone.  the  song  earned  her  her  first  pak,  many  edits,  and  people  being  even  more  annoying  about  who  the  song  was  actually  about.  yvan  singlehandedly  causing  the  most  awkward  silence  by  telling  kaia  she’s  got  something  far  more  sinister  going  on  than  just  girly  whimsy.  poppy  casually  mentioning  that  she  produced  a  soon-to-be  hit  pop  song,  then  refusing  to  elaborate. 

████     ★    123024.   SEASON24,  EPISODE05

highlights.   yvan’s  performance  of  good  luck,  babe!  spreading  like  wildfire,  solidifying  it  as  one  of  the  most  iconic  performances  from  the  project  and  perhaps  the  one  song  management  wasn’t  that  strict  when  it  came  to  copyrighting.  poppy  starting  off  their  performance  of  cry  for  me  by  bluntly  saying,  "i’m  sick  of  healing."  yvan  admitting  they  cried  when  justin  bieber  got  married  during  a  truth  or  dare  game.  poppy  completely  spacing  out  in  the  middle  of  their  dolls  performance,  becoming  kaia’s  number  one  enemy  of  the  night  (and  yvan  recreating  the  fighting  parents  wolf  meme  at  some  point).

████     ★    082325.   SEASON25,  EPISODE06

highlights.    kaia’s  performance  of  bam  yang  yang,  which  was  supposed  to  be  part  of  her  debut  album,  lucky  me,  but  wasn’t  included  because,  in  her  words,  she  could  already  picture  the  tomatoes  being  thrown  at  her.  yvan  promoting  poppy’s  newest  gentle  monster  prescribed  line  glasses  by  accidentally  breaking  them  in  half  during  disconnected—  ended  up  being  scolded  by  poppy  because  “i  needed  them,  asshole!”  during  kaia’s  solo.  yvan  casually  showing  off  their  oscar  during  the  performance  of  their  newest,  unreleased  song  successful.  kaia  teasing  that  they  may  or  may  not  be  working  on  a  new  comeback,  though  many  joke  that  yvan’s  oscar  looked  more  excited  than  poppy  herself.

████     ★    000000.   NOTES

CHECK  777  COLLECTION  HERE.

idk  why  spotify  isn’t  letting  me  do  the  embed  thingy  so  this  will  do  yea 

this  just  an  excuse  for  me  to  have  them  perform  /  own  songs  /  make  covers  that  don’t  exactly  fit  their  official  discography,  both  as  a  group  and  as  solo  artists  😁

also  a  chance  to  bring  in  those  silly  songs  that  never  got  to  be  part  of  their  past  albums  

i  was  going  to  do  a  whole  thing  of  including  which  songs  were  performed  in  each  episode  but  yea  no  im  not  doing  that  😸  #LAZY

when  they  disband  they  will  milk  the  hell  out  of  this  thing

mentioned  ocs:  @caputince's  mock  orange  :)  ty  oomfie 

୨♡୧ . 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 !

(+998, -23) honey finally in her healthy hair era !! THANK GOD <3

(+768, -25) i think YG saw all the shit blinks was saying IJBOL

(+705, -17) of course honey name is first cuz the MAKNAE EATS FIRST GIRL!

(+620, -68) okurr promotions,, where have you been for the last 9 years??

(+566, -0) pretty lady next to pretty lady next to pretty lady next to pretty lady next to pretty lady,, SHOCKER !!

nabi: san-ssi, please can you demonstrate some of the choreo for us

the way everyone was standing staring at the camera like 🧍‍♂️😀 waiting for san

nabi turned around to find san staring at her fondly

the eyes were very much so hearts

this man wasn’t paying attention and yeosang had to nudge him 😭😭

clip two: mama 2023

this clip was taken during ateez’s performance when san took off his shirt

nabi immediately averted her gaze and took a sudden interest in the architecture of the venue, looking at the roof

sakura was laughing at her and nabi was even pointing at the ceiling, marvelling at the detail

the clip was posted by a nabi fansite after nasan was made public and the caption was “this explains her reaction”

clip three: eternal sunshine vs deja vu

they were both so giggly it was actually cute

and wooyoung was just there like 🧍🏻

we all know that nabi doesn’t care all that much for sexy concepts, so when san told her that eternal sunshine was a refreshing concept, she immediately chose it

but san had to remind her to listen to both songs

the entire time, he was staring at her with heart eyes

during hongjoong’s “okay cheese” line, she held up a peace sign

and san giggled

GIGGLED

by the last chorus she was dancing along to the choreography

and she voted eternal sunshine obvi but wooyoung forced her to watch deja vu

she stayed loyal to eternal sunshine bcs it was right up her alley

then san suddenly said he also really liked eternal sunshine

and wooyoung was just there like “that’s not what you were saying yesterday 🤨🤨 what made you change your mind? 😏😏🤭”

and san just blushed and mumbled cutely

then he told atinys to check out itzy’s comeback

but the entire video he was just staring at nabi and whenever they made eye contact, he’d smile a little

clip four: 1n2d itzy in namyangju part 2

it was during the random play dance and bouncy started playing

chaeryeong: nabi unnie knows this dance 🤭

yuna: she knows it really well 😏

and they all stepped back to let nabi dance to it by herself 😭😭😭

whole time she was just blushing

when the video got posted, fans didn’t really understand why the members were teasing her but they found out eventually

clip five: that’s so evie episode 13

this was peak nasan content tbh

for their episode they made scented candles (which has nothing to do with the comeback but name one person who cares🤨🤨🤨)

arguably the best moment was when san was picking his svent perfume for his candle and he said “this one smells like you” and then used that scent

yunho quickly jumped in to make it casual and said he would also choose one that smelled like the amazing host

and then san started sulking

san: you should do a different scent

yunho, trying to make sure no scandals occur: we. will. both. choose. scents. that. smell. like. her. 😁

and then at some point in the background of the video you could hear san say “biyah”

it’s honestly a bit surprising that nabi did a good job at pretending that her and san were nothing more than close friends

she even controlled her facial expressions for the first time in her life

give her a round if applause everyone

tagging: @seolboba // @ateezivy // @ateezjuliet // @cafemilk-tea // @smh-anon // @alixnsuperstxr // @cosmicwintr // @girlzwfun // @txt-yaomi // @vhsdolly [send as ask of dm to be added to or removed from the taglist]

A laugh bubbled out of Harin’s throat at her husband’s behaviour. “That’s not an option. I already told Tiffany and Yoona that I’d be at dinner, there’s no getting out of it now, not without a real and legitimate reason.” Dongwook sighed behind her, the action tickling her skin. “You’re acting like I’m leaving forever, I’ll be back by nine,” she pointed out, swapping the blush for mascara.

“I thought you guys were just going to dinner.” He raised an accusatory eyebrow. “If your reservation is for half-past six, then what’s taking you so long?”

“Have you forgotten that my members like to talk?” She asked, carefully running the wand through her eyelashes. One of Dongwook’s hands moved to rest on her stomach, and she placed her unoccupied hand on top of his. “Besides, don’t act like you don’t have a crazy night ahead of you,” she teased, grinning when he pinched the skin of her hip.

The ‘crazy night’ in question involved feeding Haesoo her dinner then taking her through her nighttime routine before putting her to bed. By the time Harin arrived back home, Haesoo would have been asleep for at least an hour, meaning Dongwook would have an hour to do whatever he felt like (he’ll probably clean). As if she knew she was being talked about, Haesoo called out from their room, demanding attention. Dongwook pressed one last kiss on Harin’s shoulder before popping out of their bathroom. If it weren’t for the fact that their dogs made it their mission to always be watching Haesoo, Harin would’ve kicked Dongwook out of the bathroom ages ago.

Harin tried, and failed, to suppress the smile that always, always grew on her face when hearing her husband and daughter have their silly little conversations. Haesoo mostly babbled but she made sure to sprinkle in a few words here and there. The fact that Haesoo was turning one in two weeks threw her for a loop. Last time she checked, Haesoo was still five months old, babbling on a FaceTime call because Harin missed her little girl whilst she was on tour.

The vibrating of her phone pulled her from her thoughts. She swapped the mascara for lipstick, swiping it along her lips. Picking up her phone, she opened her messages and brought out her jewellery box.

Tiffany Hwang [18:12] I’m here! 💗

Im Yoona [18:14] You’re there already?

Im Yoona [18:14] Why so early?

Tiffany Hwang [18:15] I finished my schedule earlier than expected

Tiffany Hwang [18:15] Now I’m just having a drink, celebrating

Im Yoona [18:15] Celebrating what?

Tiffany Hwang [18:15] My period ends today!!!

Im Yoona [18:16] It’s a good day today~~

Harin sent cheering emojis before turning her phone off. She put on a pair of gold earrings, wearing a matching necklace. Just as she was about to reach for her rings, she paused her movement, her mind racing a mile a minute. Tiffany’s period finished today, she thought. Her period finished today. When does mine end? Did mine start? My period… She picked her phone up and went to her period tracking app, seeing that she didn’t bleed in the month of August. It wasn’t the first time Harin missed her period, and it probably wouldn’t be the last, but she couldn’t ignore the nagging voice in the back of her mind that said that this time was different.

“You’re stressing over nothing, Harin,” she mumbled, putting her phone back down. But still… She picked her phone up and unlocked it, quickly going to a convenience store website and ordering a packet of pregnancy tests. The tests weren’t going to arrive before she left, so she’d have to wait until she came back to check for herself. Checking herself in the mirror, she decided she was good to go and left the bathroom.

Dongwook gasped dramatically, drawing Haesoo’s attention from her toys. Poppins and Cucumber raised their heads then went back to lying down. “Oh, look at eomma,” he told his daughter, who started clapping.

“Pretty!” She cheered, looking proud of herself for saying the word her dad taught her for this very reason: to compliment Harin. The woman quickly forgot about her previous stress when she saw how excited her daughter was to see her.

“Do you think I look pretty, my love?” Harin picked up her daughter from the bed and pressed kisses to her cheeks, her heart squeezing at Haesoo’s giggles. She pressed a final kiss to her forehead and held Haesoo at her hip. The young girl reached for the end of Harin’s hair, running her fingers through it. Ever since Harin cut her hair short, Haesoo enjoyed playing with it.

“Why don’t you react like that when I compliment you?” Dongwook questioned.

“You’re not an eleven month old,” Harin quipped, smirking at the annoyed grunt he let out. She walked out of the bedroom, Dongwook trailing behind her with her bag in one hand and her knee-high boots in the other, not surprised to not hear the pitter-patter of the dogs’ footsteps. They would only move if Haesoo wanted them to.

When they got downstairs, Harin placed Haesoo on the ground and took her shoes from Dongwook, pressing a kiss to his cheek in thanks. She put them on and shouldered her bag.

“Do I look okay?” She asked.

Dongwook titled his head, pretending to evaluate her outfit. His eyes trailed over her cream high-neck halter top and denim maxi skirt. He sighed, lowering down to a crouch and taking Haesoo in his arms. “I’m not sure,” he said. “How does eomma look?” He asked the toddler.

“Pretty!”

“I think the same,” he said, sending a wink Harin’s way. He stood up, holding Haesoo in his arms. “Say bye-bye,” he instructed.

Harin would be a liar if she said her heart didn’t squeeze at the frown Haesoo made at the realisation that she would be leaving. She watched her daughter wave at her and stepped forward, pressing a kiss to the young girl’s cheek.

“I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Mo’ning?” Haesoo asked.

“I’ll wake you up with a song,” she promised, and watched as Haesoo began to smile. “Goodnight, my princess.”

“And what about me?” Dongwook questioned. “Do I get a kiss?”

Harin hummed as if deciding. “I don’t know. Should I give appa a kiss?” She asked her daughter, who immediately nodded. Dongwook wrapped his free arm around her, pulling her close to him and pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was soft, tender, Dongwook’s arm pulling her impossibly closer as he pressed his lips firmer against hers. Haesoo let out a short giggle at her parents’ display of affection.

Harin pulled back with a laugh. “I have to go now if I don’t want to be late,” she said, walking to the garage. “Have fun, my darlings.”

“You too, babe!”

Harin rolled her eyes at the joke Yoona made, a soft smile on her face. She took a sip of her soda, watching as Tiffany tried not to choke on her food, too busy laughing.

“Wait, wait,” she managed between a few coughs, holding up a hand. “Give me a second.” Once she regained her composure, she chewed her food and swallowed.

“Why didn’t you do that before?” Yoona teased before popping a roll of kimbap into her mouth.

“You were busy making me laugh!”

“Even when I leave home, I’m surrounded by children,” Harin groaned, picking up a leaf of lettuce and placing some beef inside.

“We’re more mature than Haesoo,” Yoona complained, her mouth still full of food.

Harin squinted her eyes at her member, showing her disbelief. “You guys even eat the same.” She shoved the wrap into her mouth.

“She doesn’t even know how to hold chopsticks!” Tiffany argued, her face going slightly red — whether that was from the alcohol or indignation was up for debate. “She doesn’t even know how to jump!”

Yoona nodded in agreement, having swallowed her food. “We know how to hold chopsticks,” she said in defense of her and Tiffany.

“And jump!” Tiffany added.

“But speaking of her, how is she?” Yoona asked. “Last time I saw her, she didn’t want to go near me until I gave her a toy,” she said, letting out a frustrated huff of air.

Harin felt her lips quirk up at the memory of Haesoo clinging to her, refusing to go to Yoona. “She probably just doesn’t remember you,” Harin had explained, trying not to laugh at how Yoona was sulking on the couch. “This is why you have to show her pictures and videos of me, so she doesn’t forget me,” she had whined in response.

“She’s fine. She’s recently been trying to sleep in the dog beds, which is lovely.”

Tiffany chuckled. “At least she's not eating the dog food?” She shrugged her shoulders. “Look at the bright side,” she encouraged.”

“I was talking about this with Sooyoung unnie,” Yoona began, “and we can’t believe she’s going to be one years old so soon. It feels like just yesterday you texted us that you gave birth.”

Harin felt the same way. She remembered the day she gave birth as if it were yesterday. It was almost midnight and she was so, so relieved to have given birth before the 22nd, as that was Hyoyeon’s birthday. That was the reason she held off on telling her friends and family that she had given birth. That and the fact that she was exhausted. On the 23rd, she sent a picture to every important person in her life, along with a short message: Lee Haesoo was born on the 21st of September at 23:51.

“Yeah. She walks and talks now.” Harin reached for her glass, taking a sip of the soda. “We’ve been singing Happy Birthday to her everyday for the past month to make sure that she doesn’t get startled when everyone starts singing for her.”

Tiffany and Yoona laughed at the visual. Haesoo’s birthday lunch was going to fall on her birthday, and Harin and Dongwook had invited friends and family to it. It wasn’t going to be a grand event by any means, just a lunch spread, a cake, and, finally, the doljabi.

“I’m so excited!” Yoona squealed. “I had so much fun shopping for her gift.”

“I’m sure you wanted to buy something for yourself as well,” Harin joked, smiling sweetly when Yoona pouted.

“I’m so sorry I’m missing it,” Tiffany apologised, not for the first time. “I’ve got practices and performances and–”

“I know,” Harin interrupted, placing her hand atop hers. Despite the indifference of her tone, her expression was sincere. “Doing a play’s a lot of work.” She shrugged. “This just means you have to be at all her other birthday parties,” she quipped, tapping Tiffany’s hand before pulling hers away.

Yoona laughed, throwing her head back at the face Tiffany made. “She looks so displeased.”

“But are you going to celebrate her birthday every year?” Tiffany asked hesitantly, trying to school her expression. “You don’t even celebrate your birthday every year,” she pointed out.

“Well, we’re not going to do a party every year, sometimes we’ll buy a cake and call it a day,” Harin said. “And then, when she’s older, if she says she wants a party every year, what choice will I have?”

“You’re a good mom,” Yoona commented, catching Harin by surprise.

“All of a sudden?”

“We all know it,” Tiffany said. “You’re amazing with Haesoo.”

“I know that,” Harin replied. If Tiffany and Yoona didn’t know her as well as they did, Harin would worry that they’d interpret her words to be cocky or arrogant, and not to be grateful. Of course she knew that she was a good mother, but she didn’t mind being told so every now and then. “Anyways, that’s enough talking about me.”

The conversation was then steered into Tiffany talking about her practice woes and how demanding the play was. As she gave Tiffany advice with how to deal with the exhaustion and body aches, she couldn’t help but feel lighter. As much as she loved spending her days at home with her husband and daughter, she also cherished the moments that led her outside with friends. This was just what she needed.

Harin put her hand on the doorknob, pushing the door open so she could walk inside. She didn’t turn on the light, instead letting the light from the hallway illuminate Haesoo’s room. Walking to the cot, Harin leaned over it and peaked inside, checking on Haesoo. The young girl was sleeping peacefully and would probably only wake up once during the night. Some days, she would sleep through the night, others she would wake up for a feeding.

Walking back to the door, Harin closed it, leaving it slightly ajar. She walked down the hallway to her room, pushing open the door.

“Hi, gorgeous,” Dongwook greeted, resting on the bed in his pyjamas. In his lap was a stack of papers, but he was scrolling through something on his phone.

Harin raised her eyebrow, her eyes zeroing in on the papers. “Is that work?”

Dongwook, to his credit, had the courtesy to look sheepish. As a couple, the two decided to not do anything work-related in their bedroom. Since they were both workaholics, they needed to establish boundaries between their work life and personal life. “I know, I know. But I just wanted to lay down and read my script.”

She placed her bag on the bench, pulling her socks off her feet. “It looks like you’re on your phone.”

“Well–” he rolled his eyes, scoffing– “I took a break.” His lips pulled up into a smile. “How was your evening?”

“Good,” she answered, moving through the bedroom to sit on one of the armchairs with a huff. “It’s always nice, seeing those rascals. How was your night?”

“A bit hard,” he sighed.

She began to take out her earrings. “Tantrum?”

Dongwook nodded. “She didn’t want to finish her food, and then she was upset that I took it away. It took me forever to calm her down.”

“Sorry, baby,” Harin apologised, removing her rings and bracelet. Whilst Haesoo was a relatively calm baby, she was still a baby, meaning she would get easily overwhelmed — by her environment and emotions — and cry. The fact that she wasn’t able to properly communicate what was wrong probably contributed to her frustration.

“It’s fine. She ate her dinner and she was fine after that.”

Harin nodded before standing up, collecting her jewellery in her hand. “Let me go change.” She disappeared into the bathroom, putting her jewellery in its respective cases. She retrieved her face wash and turned on the tap, lathing it onto her face so she could wash off her makeup. After she rinsed the soap off, she dried her face and applied her moisturiser.

“Oh, babe!” Dongwook called out.

Harin walked out the bathroom, standing by the bed as she fetched her pyjamas from behind her pillow. “Yeah?”

“A package you ordered came after you left,” he told her, pointing at her bedside table, where there was a small brown box.

Harin stared at the box, not recognising it. “Thanks.” She picked it up and started walking to the bathroom.

“Why don’t you change here?” Dongwook asked, putting his phone down.

Harin’s lips curled into a sly smirk as she looked at her husband. “I don’t want to distract you,” she teased, her eyes dipping down to look at the script across his lap. She laughed at the groan he let out, walking into the bathroom.

“I can multi-task!” He called out.

Harin bit her lip, concealing her smile as she put her pyjamas and the box on the counter. She shook the box gently, hearing a soft thudding sound. She made quick work of opening it, letting out a soft “Ah!” when she pulled out another box that had pregnancy tests. Somehow, her dinner with her members made her completely forget about her suspicions.

She looked anxiously to her bedroom, where she could hear Dongwook reading his lines aloud to himself, muttering under his breath. She knew he probably didn’t have time to go through his script during the day and that was why he was doing it now, so she didn’t want to disturb him, but she also didn’t want to take the test by herself. She let out a huff of air, resting her hands on the counter as she began to worry on her bottom lip, her eyebrows furrowing.

Trying to get out of her head, she focused on the soft sound of Dongwook redoing his lines with different intonations and emphasis on certain words, and felt her nerves settle a bit. Before she could change her mind, she walked back into the bedroom.

“Did you rethink my offer?” Dongwook asked. When she stayed quiet, he looked up at her, noticing how she was biting her lip. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Harin said, inwardly cursing the slight quiver to her voice. At Dongwook’s concerned look, she sighed. “Nothing’s wrong,” she repeated, her voice more clear and confident. “Um… Before I left, Tiffany said something about her period ending and it made me realise that I didn’t bleed last month. And I knew it was probably nothing, but there was… something that made me buy pregnancy tests, but I left before they got here, but they’re here now so…” she trailed off, looking at him expectantly. “Would you like to go find out if I’m pregnant?”

Dongwook gaped at her, a smile growing on his face, his eyes sparkling. “Yeah, let’s go,” he said, throwing the script to the side as he jumped off the bed.

Harin’s shoulder sagged, the tension leaving her body. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He stood in front of her, taking her hand in his and pressing a kiss to it. “Let’s go.”

They walked into the bathroom together, and Dongwook opened the box of pregnancy tests. They decided to do three tests, just to be sure, and read the instructions. They followed the instructions as written, placing the caps on all three tests when they were done and setting a five minute timer.

“Do you know what you want it to say?” Dongwook asked from his position on the floor. He watched as Harin paced back and forth in their bathroom.

Harin shook her head. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll find out when I’m about to flip the test over.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, whatever it says,” he began, his voice making Harin stop her movement, “it’ll be okay and the world will not end, okay?”

“Okay,” she sighed, running a hand through her hair. “I’m probably worrying for nothing.”

“It’s okay to be nervous, baby,” he comforted, standing up with a groan. Harin’s lip twitched, a tease on the tip of her tongue. “But I’m here with you, you’re not alone.” He held his hand out, looking at her expectantly. She placed her hand in his, laughing when he pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her, beginning to sway in place.

“Do you know what you want it to say?” Harin asked softly; if it weren’t for the fact that her head was nestled into the juncture between his shoulder and his neck, he probably wouldn’t have heard her.

His chest rumbled slightly as he hummed. “I do.”

“Are you going to tell me?” Harin asked, when he offered no further answer.

Dongwook shook his head. “No.” He pulled back slightly, so Harin did the same. They looked each other in the eye, and Harin felt warmth spread in her chest at the sincerity she saw in Dongwook’s eyes. “I’m fine with anything, my beloved.”

Harin hummed in response. “Has it been five minutes yet?”

Dongwook laughed. “It’s been one and a half.”

“Fucking time,” she muttered. “You’ll have to entertain me until the timer’s up.”

“How would I even do that?” He complained, poking her side. She let out a yelp, scrambling to get out of his hold. “You have to keep quiet, baby,” he scolded, smirking at her, “Haesoo’s sleeping.”

“If you don’t tickle me, then I won’t make any loud noises,” she said, swatting his hands as he reached for her. She pointed to one side of the bathroom, swallowing a laugh when he obeyed. This damn man, she thought, and his need to distract me from my worries. How I love him.

A quiet settled in the bathroom, neither of them having anything to say. Harin continued to gnaw on her lip, tapping her foot incessantly and Dongwook checked the timer on his phone every five seconds.

“Do you want me to do a ten second countdown?” Dongwook asked, drawing Harin’s attention.

“Why would you do a ten second countdown?” Harin questioned.

Dongwook shrugged, still checking his phone. “To make it more exciting.” He didn’t wait for Harin to respond before he started counting backwards, until he got to zero.

Slowly, so slowly, Harin made her way to the bathroom counter. She took the tests out of the cup, wiping them with tissues. Bringing one close to her face she looked at the test window, a gasp leaving her mouth. She quickly checked the other two, seeing the same result. She felt Dongwook place a supportive hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles.

“What does it say?” He asked. Instead of speaking, she showed him the sticks, letting him check for himself. “What does that mean?”

“It’s positive,” she breathed out, feeling his body tense in shock. She looked at him through the mirror, seeing a slowly growing smile on his face.

“It’s positive?” He asked, meeting her gaze in the mirror.

She nodded, biting her lip – this time to conceal her smile, not as a nervous tick. “We’re having another baby,” she whispered, putting the sticks down. She turned around, his hands going to rest on her hips.

“You’re pregnant,” he said, still a bit shocked. He rubbed his thumbs back and forth on her body. “How do you feel about it?”

“I… I’m happy. And nervous. And a million other things.” She breathed out a sigh, a slight furrow working its way into her eyebrows. “You?”

“Same as you,” he answered and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips, swallowing the chuckle she let out. “Another baby,” he muttered against her lips before deepening their kiss.

Later, they would properly discuss everything they needed to — telling Haesoo, booking doctors appointments, rearranging their schedules — but for now, they wanted to do nothing more than bask in their happiness.

tagging: @lyskooluv

an: cat’s out the bag (FINALLY). the last time i was around a baby was three years ago, so i dont really know how they speak or anything like that. i hope you enjoyed!

“hi,  i’m  hero,  and  today  i’m  here  with  buzzfeed  to  read  your  thirst  tweets,”  he  waves  to  the  camera,  “now  i’ve  been  warned…  and  frankly,  i’m  scared  out  of  my  wits.  let’s  dive  into  this  pool  of  thirst!”  he  picks  up  the  first  tweet  from  the  pile,  dramatically  unfolding  it  like  a  top-secret  government  document.  

“i  actually  like  going  on  tiktok  to  look  for  my  edits  because  i  know  there’s  always  going  to  be  thirsty  fans  in  the  comments,”  hero  says,  laughing  as  he  explained,  “i  mean,  i  recently  found  one  edit  where  the  comments  were  just  off  the  wall.  first  time  i  saw  people  as  thirsty  as  that,  and  i’m  baffled.”

the  camera  zooms  on  his  face,  “are  you  guys  okay  out  there?”  

it  goes  back  to  normal  as  he  reads  out  the  first  tweet.  

'i  can’t  tell  if  hero  is  a  heavenly  angel  or  a  demonic  chaos  goblin,  but  either  way,  i’d  let  him  destroy  my  life.'

hero  immediately  starts  laughing,  almost  falling  back  in  his  chair.  “ah,  you  got  me!  i’m  actually  both.  a  chaotic  angel,  if  you  will.”  he  smirks  knowingly,  adjusting  his  imaginary  halo.  “but  don’t  blame  me  when  your  life  turns  into  a  k-drama.  i  can’t  control  what  happens  next.”  as  he  mimics  holding  a  halo  above  his  head,  he  suddenly  lets  it  'fall'  to  the  ground.

“oops,  there  goes  my  angelic  streak,”  he  says  with  a  monotone  voice.

he  picks  up  the  second  card  and  giggles,  “okay,  this  one  is  pretty  mild,  but  it  goes:  ‘hero  could  say  the  most  random  word,  and  i’d  melt  into  a  puddle  of  goo.  try  it.  say  potato,  i  dare  you.’”  taking  up  the  challenge,  he  smirks  mischievously,  leaning  closer  to  the  camera  as  it  zooms  on  his  face.  the  audio  quiets  down  as  he  whispers  'potato'  dramatically.  immediately  after,  he  bursts  into  laughter,  shaking  his  head.

“y’all  out  here  falling  for  that?  do  you  want  me  to  start  a  podcast  where  i  just  list  vegetables  and  fruits?  ‘cause  i’ll  do  it.”

the  following  tweet  comes  immediately  after,  and  hero  grasps  it  with  both  hands.

'every  time  hero  posts  a  new  photo,  my  standards  go  higher,  and  my  will  to  live  plummets.  is  that  what  they  call  balance?'

he  clutches  the  tweet  like  a  love  letter  to  his  chest,  looking  mockingly  emotional.

“wow,”  he  mutters,  “the  duality  of  this  tweet  is…  raising  your  standards  but  losing  your  will  to  live?  that’s  so  poetic.  i  might  put  this  in  my  next  album.”  turning  up  the  dramatics,  he  pretends  to  write  in  an  imaginary  notebook,  mouthing  the  words  'balance,  standard,  plummets.'

he  then  fake-nods  like  a  motivational  speaker.  “life  is  all  about  balance.  raise  your  standards,  but  don’t  forget  to  lower  your  expectations  for  me  in  real  life.  i’m  a  mess.”  he  says  the  last  sentence  as  he  throws  the  card  behind  him.

finally,  the  tweet  from  the  start  of  the  video  shows  up,  and  the  sentence  is  shown  again:  'hero  could  run  me  over  with  a  car,  and  i’d  thank  him  while  handing  over  my  life  savings…  just  saying!'

hero  stares  at  the  card,  blinking.  the  silence  is  loud  at  that  moment.  then  he  slowly  lowers  it,  looking  directly  into  the  camera.  “run  you  over?  with  a  car?  me?  do  i  give  off  those  vibes?”  his  voice  comes  out  genuinely  surprised,  and  he  tilts  his  head  to  the  side.  the  flashcard  he  was  given  slips  from  his  hand,  and  he  flinches  down  to  pick  it  up,  “oh  fu–”.  after  the  clip  cuts  off,  he  is  returned  to  his  seat,  clutching  his  chest.  “do  i  look  like  a  dangerous  person!?”

he  pauses  for  a  beat,  then  leans  conspiratorially,  “okay,  maybe  a  little.  but  only  if  the  car  is  a  tesla–  eco-friendly  death  only.”

'hero’s  smile  has  the  power  to  cure  depression.  i  want  it  injected  into  my  veins  immediately.'

at  the  tweet,  he  grins  wide,  exaggerating  the  brightness  of  his  smile.  “you  want  this?”  the  smile  stays  on  his  face,  yet  his  eyes  widen  a  little,  and  if  you  look  closely,  it  might  remind  you  of  the  movie  smile.  “injected,  really?  that’s  a  lot  of  pressure!”

he  suddenly  puts  on  a  serious,  doctor-like  expression  (pushing  his  imaginary  glasses  and  everything),  pretending  to  write  a  prescription.  “take  one  smile  thrice  daily,  but  beware  of  side  effects.  they  may  include  thirst,  obsession  and  uncontrollable  laughter.”

'hero,  please  step  on  me.  no  explanation  is  needed.  just  do  it,  king.'

his  eyes  widen,  and  he  physically  recoils  from  the  tweet,  letting  it  fall  on  the  floor.  “step  on  you!?  are  you…  okay?”  his  expression  shows  concern,  but  his  eyes  also  have  a  teasing  glint.  “do  you  need  water?  a  hug?  therapy,  maybe!?”

he  lifts  his  foot  slightly,  showing  off  the  chunky  bottom  and  playfully  pointing  at  it,  “listen,  i’ve  got  big  feet,  and  the  shoes  are  thick  today.  i’m  doing  this  for  your  safety.”  he  nervously  laughs.  “also,  this  is  why  i  don’t  read  my  dms.”

'i  could  watch  hero  breathe  for  hours  and  still  think  it’s  the  most  attractive  thing  i’ve  ever  seen.  like  he  could  inhale,  and  i’d  disintegrate  like  thanos  snapped  his  fingers.'  

he  does  an  exaggerated  breathing  demonstration,  snapping  his  fingers  as  he  says,  “is  it  working  for  you?  are  you  disintegrating,  or  do  i  need  to  do  it  again?”  he  rambles  at  this  point,  “goodbye,  half  of  my  fandom.  it’s  been  real.”  he  laughs,  shaking  his  head.

“maybe  i  should  start  a  podcast  for  that  too.  call  it  ‘sleeping  with  hero’.”  as  soon  as  he  said  that,  the  realisation  was  shown  on  his  face,  “actually,  no,  i  take  it  back!  don’t  you  dare  put  this  clip  in  the  video!”  he  panics,  grabbing  his  face,  and  the  words  ‘(we  did.)’  show  up  in  that  second.

'hero  is  the  human  embodiment  of  i  can  fix  him,  but  let’s  be  honest,  i’m  the  one  who  needs  fixing.'  he  immediately  points  at  the  camera,  “you’re  right,  i  am  unfixable.  but  i’m  available  for  emotional  support…  maybe.  only  if  there’s  food  involved–  not  in  that  way,  you  perverts!”  hero  quickly  blurts  out  as  there’s  laughing  behind  the  camera.  

'hero,  i  just  know  you  smell  good.  like  expensive  cologne  and  heartbreak.  drop  the  name  of  your  scent,  please!'

he  leans  back,  flipping  his  short  hair,  “expensive  cologne  and  heartbreak?  i’ll  take  it.  also,  my  scent  is  called  ‘mind  your  business  by  hero.’”  a  laugh  quickly  comes  out  of  him,  and  he  has  to  take  a  natural  breath  to  continue,  “but  for  real,  it’s  probably  just  my  laundry  detergent.  shout  out  to  my  washing  machine,”  he  clicks  his  fingers  and  winks  to  the  camera.

'if  hero  ever  stood  on  my  neck,  i’d  thank  him  for  the  honour  and  ask  for  an  encore.'

he  dramatically  gasps,  holding  his  neck  as  if  he  can  physically  feel  it.  “why  are  y’all  so  violent!?”  standing  up  from  his  chair,  his  arms  fly  around  as  he  gets  deep  into  the  tweet.  “standing  on  your  neck!?  what  did  your  neck  ever  do  to  you?”

he  pauses  and  sits  down,  squinting  at  the  camera,  “also,  what  does  an  encore  even  look  like  in  this  situation?  do  i  step  off  and  then  step  back  on?  i  need  answers.”  he’s  far  deep  now.

'i  don’t  want  hero  to  be  my  boyfriend.  i  want  him  to  be  my  enemy  so  we  can  have  dramatic  tension  and  eventually  fall  in  love  in  a  slow-burn  romance.'

hero  places  the  card  down  slowly,  giving  the  camera  an  impressed  look.  “i  mean,  i  mentioned  k-drama  moments  just  now,  but  this  takes  the  top.”  he  looks  down  at  the  tweet  again,  “whoever  wrote  this  has  been  watching  way  too  many  shows.  but  honestly?”  he  leans  towards  the  camera,  “you’ve  got  me  intrigued  now.  what’s  the  plot?  where’s  the  script?  i  need  a  sixteen-episode  outline  on  my  desk  by  tomorrow.”

“and  it  better  be  good,”  he  playfully  threatens.

'the  way  hero’s  jawline  could  cut  through  steel…  sir,  are  you  aware  you’re  a  weapon  of  mass  destruction?'

he  touches  his  jaw  dramatically  at  the  question,  pretending  to  cut  himself  on  its  sharpness,  “a  weapon  of  mass  destruction?  so,  just  like  my  muscles?”  he  flexes  again,  but  it’s  not  noticeable  because  of  the  hoodie.

“don’t  worry,”  he  leans  in,  “i’m  only  dangerous  if  you’re…  weak.”  he  bursts  into  laughter,  waving  his  hands.  “i  can’t  even  say  that  with  a  straight  face!”

'hero’s  hands  look  like  they  belong  on  an  album  cover.  can  he  just  hold  my  entire  existence  instead?'

he  holds  up  his  hands,  wiggling  his  fingers,  “these  hands?  album-cover  hands?  i  mean,  thank  you,  but  also,  you really trust me with your existence?”  he  pauses,  staring  at  his  hands  thoughtfully,  “but  i’ll  consider  it  if  i  ever  release  a  ‘holding  your  existence’  concept  album.”

'if  hero  doesn’t  personally  ruin  my  life  by  2025,  i’ll  file  a  complaint  with  the  universe.'

he  snorts,  barely  containing  his  laughter,  “the  universe  has  a  complaints  department?  what’s  the  number?  i  need  to  call  them  about  my  life  too.”  he  mocks  a  serious  expression,  “also,  ruining  lives  is  a  big  responsibility.  can  i  start  small,  like  misplacing  your  phone  charger?  or  if  you  can  come  to  my  concert,  the  tickets  for  my  world  tour  will  go  live  soon,  then  i  will  ruin  your  life!”  he  shamelessly  promotes,  winking  to  the  camera.

'i  bet  hero’s  the  type  to  steal  your  hoodie  and  look  better  than  you  ever  could.  and  i’m  okay  with  that.'  

he  laughs,  nodding  with  the  tweet  as  he  pinches  at  the  shoulder  of  his  hoodie,  “okay,  first  of  all,  facts.  i  will  look  better  in  it.  second,  don’t  let  me  near  your  closet  because  i’m  not  just  stealing  hoodies–  i’m  taking  the  whole  wardrobe.”

'hero’s  thighs  could  crush  watermelons,  and  honestly,  i’m  volunteering  to  be  the  watermelon!'

hero  freezes,  face  in  his  hands,  as  he  tries  not  to  laugh.  “y’all?  a  watermelon!?  is  this  where  we  are  now?  i  don’t  even  work  out  that  much!”  ‘(that’s  a  lie.)’  is  shown  on  the  screen  as  he  stands  up,  pretending  to  flex  his  legs.  “but  thank  you  for  the  confidence  boost.  i’ll  be  thinking  about  this  every  leg  day  now.”

'hero  could  tell  me  my  haircut  looks  like  a  mop,  and  i’d  thank  him  for  noticing.'

he  reads  the  tweet  twice,  blinking  in  disbelief,  “first  of  all,  your  haircut  doesn’t  look  like  a  mop…  probably.  second,  why  are  y’all  thanking  me  for  hypothetical  insults?  should  i  just  start  roasting  everyone?”  he  pretends  to  scold  the  camera,  “your  socks  don’t  match.  you  look  tired;  you  drink  too  much  iced  coffee.”

satisfied,  he  leans  back  in  the  chair,  laughing,  “okay,  i’m  done.  you  are  wild.”

'i  want  hero  to  dropkick  me  into  the  sun,  and  i’ll  thank  him  for  the  free  vacation.'  

“dropkick  you  into  the  sun?  i  mean,  i  appreciate  the  faith  in  me.”  he  pretends  to  stretch  his  legs,  “also,  free  vacation?  you’re  not  coming  back  from  that,  bestie.  permanent  vacation.”

'if  hero  sneezed  in  my  direction,  i’d  frame  the  germs  and  hang  them  on  my  wall  like  art.'

at  the  tweet,  he  recoils  back,  holding  up  the  card  like  it’s  contaminated.  “what…  what  is  wrong  with  you!?  germs!?  framed!?”  his  eyes  widened,  and  people  behind  the  camera  laughed  at  the  horrified  expression  on  his  face.  it  takes  him  a  minute  to  calm  down,  and  he  quickly  blurts  a  joke,  “going  to  name  it  ‘the  microbial  series’.  limited  edition,  of  course.”  

he  buries  his  face  in  his  hands,  dying  of  laughter,  “i’m  actually  speechless.”

'i’d  let  hero  kick  me  down  the  stairs  if  it  meant  he’d  look  at  me  once.'

he  stands  up  dramatically  again.  “why  am  i  always  committing  crimes  in  these  tweets!?  kicking  you  down  the  stairs?  are  you  guys  okay!?”  he  pretends  to  look  guilty,  kneeling,  “i’m  sorry  for  what  i  haven’t  done.  please,  stay  away  from  stairs  if  i’m  around.”

'if  hero  ever  did  a  shirtless  photoshoot,  i’d  probably  lose  my  job  for  looking  at  it  during  work  hours,  but  it’d  be  worth  it.'

as  soon  as  he  read  the  tweet,  he  pretended  to  lift  his  hoodie,  showing  off  a  glimpse  of  his  slim  stomach  and  waist,  before  stopping  abruptly.  “nope,  not  today!”  he  lets  out  a  ‘tsk’,  playfully  shaking  his  head.  “you’re  keeping  that  job,  okay?  hustle  first,  thirst  later.”

“also,  who’s  leaking  these  imaginary  photoshoots?  i  need  answers.”  he  says  to  the  staff  behind  the  camera.

'the  way  hero  moves  his  hips  during  performances  should  be  illegal  in  at  least  twelve  countries.'

he  spins  in  his  chair  as  he  hums,  “twelve  countries!?  name  them,  i  need  to  know  where  i’m  banned–  wait,  but  can  that  happen  after  my  world  tour?  like,  this  is  my  first  one,  i  need  to  make  it  count,  if  you  know  what  i  mean.”  he  trails  off  but  quickly  snaps  back,  “but  hey,  can’t  say  i  didn’t  warn  you.  blame  the  choreography,  not  me.”

'i  want  him  to  take  that  belt  from  bless  my  heart  and  choke  me  with  it.'

“oh  woah,  woah  woah!  you’re  stepping  into  some  dangerous  territory!”  he  yelps  out,  looking  completely  baffled  at  the  tweet.  “wait,  who  is  this?  can  i  say  the  username?”  he  asks  the  staff  again,  and  with  their  confirmation,  he  reads  it.  “‘lesbian4hero’–  now  wait  a  minute…  i  remember  this  username!”  he  points  to  the  camera  like  he’s  phoenix  from  ace  attorney,  “yah! don’t  think  i  forgot  your  little  comment  on  tiktok,  and  yes,  i  do  remember  it.”

that  was  the  last  tweet  because  hero  grabbed  each  flash  card  and  threw  them  into  the  air  before  leaning  into  the  camera  with  wide  eyes  and  a  big  grin.  “you  know,  i  thought  i  was  prepared  for  chaos,  but  y’all  have  proven  me  wrong  on  every  level.  thank  you  for  breaking  me  and  making  me  question  all  my  life  choices.”

he  quickly  mutters,  “i  don’t  know  if  i  should  feel  flattered  or  file  a  restraining  order,  but  i  love  you  anyway.  keep  being  weird–  i  thrive  on  it.  but  drink  water  and  behave,  okay?”

he  flashes  one  last  cheeky  grin,  winks  at  the  camera  and  leans  back  in  his  chair  dramatically,  “buzzfeed,  thank  you  for  making  me  read  this  madness,  but  get  me  out  of  here  before  i  lose  my  own  mind.  bye,  everyone!”