he raises an eyebrow, a little surprised with the question he received. he didn’t think that inquiring about his family would be one of the top five questions that his fans would want answered. youngmin doesn’t exactly have anything to hide about his family though, besides this may be the perfect opportunity to gush to his fans about a certain cousin of his.

“i think they contributed quite a lot—doesn’t everyone’s family? it always starts with family. for one, i wanted to entertain my parents, who always seemed so tired whenever they came back home. so i started performing, doing little skits to cheer them up. and now, i’m pursuing acting.” he never actually spoke about this before, never actually managed to talk about the whys and the hows. now is as good a time as any.

@LGCENT just posted a photo!

happy holidays! 😚❄️☃️

it was obvious that everyone was giving it their all with rehearsals and the japanese lessons. the nerves were still there for sure, even with good and laidback runs, but it was a relief that hyunbin seemed to be adjusting well with the others -- maybe even better than she did when she first came to the company. charlie didn't have much time to think of anything else, she convinced herself that she could worry about other things later on. the band comes first for now more than anything, especially now.

they had busy weeks ahead with the upcoming tour, just thinking about it made the butterflies in her stomach go haywire. never in her wildest dream did she think she would be able to do something like that, not even the performance in paris. and to do be able to do it with seojin, insoo, isa, and now, hyunbin, felt like a dream. everything was going just as she had imagined, even when she had to contemplate about their 'backup plan'. it was not mihi's exact words, but the pessismist in charlie just can't help but think that's what it is.

yohan would never admit to it, but he had spent a fair amount of time his last year of high school daydreaming about what life would be like after he graduated. he blames the dramas his grandmother would goad him into watching with her. he pictured traveling to the big city, getting a job for a few months before an agency would snap him up and he would be an idol in no time.

but life doesn’t work like dramas. and whatever kind of life he pictured living in seoul, it didn’t include  working at starbucks. he pictured maybe a cute cafe, or a bookstore, anything but a starbucks. but he can’t and shouldn’t complain, it pays the bills and keeps him busy as he fills up the rest of his time with practice.

it’s sunday and the cafe is slow. it’s been a few hours since their last rush and yohan feels himself practically falling asleep behind the counter. he plays with the ties of his green apron as he fights the urge to slump over the espresso machine. his coworker had disappeared at least a half an hour ago and yohan’s pretty sure he’s found a quiet place to hide with his phone and yohan has never been as jealous as he has in this moment.

rather than going to look for him though, yohan pushes himself up with a big yawn and settles on making another americano, hoping this one will keep him awake. he’s cleaning the espresso machine off for the second time when he hears the sound of the front door opening, shoulders tensing with nerves at the thought of attempting conversation with another new customer. but as he peeks around the machine, towel in hand, he sees a familiar face looking up at the menu. the tension in his shoulders instantly dropping as he throws the towel over his shoulder and steps up to the register with a small smile on his face.

yohan’s always been pretty awkward and shy with new people which had making friends as a kid almost impossible. it takes a while for him to warm up, to open up and let people in. but he’s been slowly getting better about it, has been pushing himself out of his comfort zone by making it a point to greet their regulars with a smile and a conversation. personally yohan wouldn’t choose to frequent the starbucks if he didn’t work there but he’s always glad to see insoo when he decides to visit. “hi there,” he starts off a bit quietly. “what can i get started for you today?”

                                               in the purple room with @lgcinsoo

woohoo, a tour of the new place /sarcasm.

no really, miso has better things to do than explore the new building. she understands that the old building looks like a shed next to the new one, and that great things await legacy entertainment, but she would've been able to find her way around with the floor details at the entrance just fine. all she wants to do is whip out her phone and check her instagram feed. anything to make this visit feel shorter than it actually is. the higher they go, the closer she gets to see the light. this slight inconvinience in her day is about to end and she'll be able to get back to learning her script. 

it wouldn’t the first time he joined a band, nor was it the first time he performed with one. still, something about how this band is part of a proper label—that he is part of a proper label—makes him feel a little tingly inside. hyunbin can’t help but look up to his older bandmates, happy to have them and always eager to follow their guidance. @lgcinsoo is no exception, hyunbin finds the older cool, especially when he’s playing the drums. he doesn’t shy away from the visible sparkles in his own eyes, showing his interest and eagerness to learn more.

“hyung, you’re so cool!” he says, genuine clear in the way he’s almost squeaking. “you know, i wanted to pick up the drums at one point, but i didn’t have a good teacher. and i always thought i need to perfect one thing before jumping onto the next—but, well, i kind of regret it now, looking back.” he lets out a short huff, arms crossed. “i don’t know whether you’ll have time to teach me since we’re on tour, but maybe in the future? pretty please?”

@lgcinsoo

His aunt was on the verge of passing away. They had a video conversation with his uncle and he said it was likely going to be tonight. Everyone was devastated,  especially Daehyung’s mother. He held her like any good son, rubbing her back soothingly and whispering gentle words of comfort. Eventually, she calmed down and that was when he decided to go for a walk.

Their family was the efficient type and if auntie Kim was going tonight, then the funeral would be held potentially later this week. Since she had treated everyone with kindness and love, they’ll all be expected to bawl their eyes out.

This, unfortunately, would be a problem for Daehyung because he really wasn’t the caring crying type.

Daehyung found a nice place by the river bank. It was a quiet day - perfect for doing a nice practice session. He googled ‘crying due to loss of family’ and pulled up a video. Three times he viewed it with ear buds in, eyes narrowing in focus as he attempted to take in all of the minor details. Then, finally, it was time for him to try.

Putting away his phone and ear buds, he took a deep breathe in. He laced his fingers together, touched his forehead down to their joint surface and squeezed his eyes shut. Pain. Imagine pain. Daehyung sucked in a sharp breath, the way he would if he’d accidentally cut himself with a knife. The one in the video did it just like this before she launched into tears. Shoulders shook, not too harshly at first, only gentle tremors to express his agony. He unlaced his fingers and clutched down at his knees, letting his nails dig through his jeans into his flesh. Suffering, but trying his best to hold back.

Seojin was certain none of the trainees who signed up for charity at a farm would entail waking up well before 5 am and traveling well outside Seoul for the rest of the day. Night already approached quickly, sun setting over the horizon. It chose two livestock sheds to settle down between. To some of the trainees, the entire experience might have been harrowing on them physically and mentally. To Seojin, he found it enjoyable. Perhaps even as beautiful as the coming sunset.

They gathered into an older building with traditional architecture ㅡ walls filled with stories to tell. Everything reeked of the old days, especially the food that they would be served. It was different from the small meal during lunch. With enthusiasm in his eyes, he scurried over to the entrance of the kitchen to assist one of the farmers in carrying out one of the larger bowls of stew. "Is there anything else I can help with, sir?"

The elderly man smiled at him, baring what he could only assume to be dentures from behind his sun chapped lips. Next, he placed a calloused hand rough from decades of work on his forearm to gently pry the place of food from Seojin’s grip. “You were one of the hardest workers out there today, son. Go have a good meal.”

Seojin managed to return a toothless smile out of courtesy. He beyond appreciated the elder’s compliment for his diligence but there was no doubt that the others worked just as hard. “Sir?” The man turned, eyebrow cocked. “I know dinner isn’t set yet, but my friend is real hungry, so can I bring him a bun while everything is being arranged. I ㅡ“

Wordlessly, the old man placed a small pork bun into Seojin’s hand, and the young man was off in a hurry to make his way over to Insoo sitting at one of the tables. He slid into the seat next to him and quietly handed over the bun with a lopsided grin.

“I got this for you since you’re prolly really hungry right now.”