#planetsorbits

julius knows that the bad days far out number the good. that's why the good days, few as they are, become more precious. he thinks about the part of his service that isn't all bad, like when he gets to sit down and play a game of blackjack with the crew in between shifts of deck observation, everyone groaning with outrage whenever julius got a flush. julius stops peeling the potatoes, placing the utensil on the cutting board before turning to look at charlie's face, worried what he may find there. "where'd this come from? your family getting onto you again? everything matters. except all the things they tell you matter." he puts a palm on the back of charlie's neck, fingers idly carding through his hair in a calming gesture. surprisingly, korea wasn't much different from america in a sense. your elders always had some one-size fits all philosophy for how you should live your life, otherwise you'll stray off the beaten path. "everyone is always assumin' if it worked for them, it'll work for you, without considering the fact that your life is your own and that you've got to live it to find out what works." you can't force a size 9 foot into a size 12 shoe. those are big boots to fill, and you'll only hurt yourself in the process. julius huffs a sympathetic noise, looking down at charlie through his lashes. he understands all too well. "my brother means well, but whenever we talk, i can tell nothing i say clicks in his brain. he's got a girl back home and now he's convinced if i do the same, it'll sort me out." that was a double-edged sword, julius found. trying to discern whether people genuinely cared about you or just wanted to fix you. he knows he's blessed to have family left regardless, but he can't swallow his pride and let someone else dictate what he ought or ought not to do.

teddy can't help but roll his eyes at this, though it's lacking in heat and he's too buzzed to take it with any grain of sincerity. charlie has always had a dark sense of humor that teddy enjoyed, because something about acknowledging uncomfortable truths out loud, no gossamer or pretty veneer — felt cathartic and was almost enough to take the sting out of it. this laidback outing suited him more than their previous schedule, primly buttoned up to the collar until they reached the han with their cans of hite and cass beer clanging together in a plastic convenience store bag. "aish, you're full of it. you're cryptic because you don't want your words cherry-picked to appear in an article for a narrative you don't agree with, and you're machiavellian because you have to be," teddy surmises, thinking of all the time he'd wanted to lead with emotion in their family disputes, but that's a losing game. they want the reaction, to make you look like you're incapable of handling your emotions, the weak link. teddy doesn't even have to lay it all out like that for charlie to get it, and he supposes that's why their mutual licking of wounds has become a comfort as well as a habit. teddy hums, taking another deep pull of his beer before running his fingertips over the condensation of the aluminum in thought, a conceited little smile tugging at his lips. "so you care about me, is what you're trying to say," he muses, because the opportunity to tease charlie and break up the serious mood surrounding them is too good to pass up. it's an easy segue, a fun game teddy likes to play when he wants to see charlie prickle and curl in on himself with that unwavering ego of his. yet it was a healthy amount of ego, and teddy can attest to what's a good amount of self-esteem versus clinical undiagnosed narcissism. "you're so sweet and loyal underneath all that unattractive snark. how have the halmonis not set you up with anyone successfully yet?" teddy tilts his head, coy and unassuming — except that they both know why such arrangements have failed, but coaxing charlie into being blunt about it was another win and feather in his cap if it proved successful. they're used to the psychological warfare, teddy trusts that charlie knows he's well equipped enough to play the game but not so far gone without a conscience to hold anything personal like sexuality against a man. it's a common, knee-jerk question that is often parroted at teddy himself. why would a successful man with the world at his fingertips, prioritizing male and fatherly validation continue to be a bachelor?wonders never cease.

when taeha has been glued to his macbook for eight consecutive hours failing to be productive to meet a deadline, he likes to go for runs at the night in the park. he tries to make time to exercise during the day too, but he likes the way the frigid night air hits his skin when he runs, it clears his head in a different way. taeha is pretty sure he's seen strange movements in the trees, and the sound of it was like several raccoons, possibly adorned in a trenchcoat, jumping from branch to branch. taeha is mildly started when he has to stop in his tracks when someone jumps in front of him, his eyes widening and jaw going slack. taeha swallows, taking a moment to glimpse the pouty lips hiding a menacing pair of fangs, a hint of mischief in their gaze. "what? i know it's close to halloween and all, but it's not cool to play these pranks," he chides, his pulse quickening, because if this guy was roleplaying he seemed really into it. taeha pauses, recalibrates as his brows knit together and he glances at yanjun's mouth again. "where's your scene partner?"

teddy knows it's a bit of an imposition, but it's not like kangdae won't benefit from this arrangement either. he wants to snap back instinctively, insist that it was his house too even if it never quite felt like it. these feelings don't come from a place from entitlement either, teddy thinks, but from a lifetime of busting your ass behind the scenes only to be handed a participation prize because his eldest hyung knows how to play the game better. it's fine, teddy wants to say. he hadn't wanted it anyway, except that his initial efforts and loyalty that was expected of him since birth had made him sincere about succeeding and he had in fact begun to want it. for some kind of acknowledgement, some kind of recognition that he'd tried to be a filial son even if he'd left boxes unchecked elsewhere. kangdae looks how teddy expected — that is to say, riddled with dark circles that teddy suspects have been there before his 3 AM arrival and messy bed hair that resembles a bird's nest. teddy himself looks relatively put together, in slacks and a white dress shirt but a rigidness to his gait, lips pinched into a moue. "it's my house too, you know. or it was. he can have it, the company and the russian nesting doll of corruption that comes along with it," teddy mutters under his breath, holding kangdae's gaze with a worried furrow between his brows before he crosses the threshold with one precariously packed bag after toeing off his shoes. teddy sets it down by one of the tables in the kitchen, glancing back over at kangdae, lip worried between his teeth. for reasons beyond his control, teddy feels like an asshole. "did i wake you? you can go back to sleep, i'm not a very high maintenance house guest," he insists primly, certain he can find his way around the kitchen well enough to at least brew them a cup of tea. although teddy thinks it'll need some organizing for the long term benefit of their mutual cohabitation. teddy clears his throat, gaze flitting over kangdae's frazzled and fatigued form, the words he wants to say to kangdae caught in his throat when he feels he's swallowed so much of his pride already. "thank you. for, uh, letting me in. i know it's earlier than we talked about, but i got into another disagreement." something kangdae could've put together himself with context clues, he's sure, but teddy feels it's important to clarify that he respects kangdae's time — even if that's a sentiment that often goes unacknowledged to him unless in a corporate setting. "initially talks of how the company should be managed going forward, and then it devolved into personal attacks. like my brother's mistresses, the embezzling, or my own proclivities. the usual," teddy blathers on, honest and as fatigued as kangdae. he dishes out candor with not much intention to dwell on the bitterness of it all, as he's been there, done that and got the tee-shirt. teddy wants to make both of their lives a little easier, and he licks his lips, fingers anxiously twitching at his sides. "want me to make you a cup of tea?"

taeha would like to think that he's a patient person, even if he's normally quick to rile or anger in other situations. or maybe it's that for certain people, charlie specifically — that he's more understanding and hesitant to unleash the sharpness of his tongue. charlie seems to know this too, offering him a resigned smile as his brows knit together and he takes another drag of his cigarette, gaze flitting over charlie's styled hair and fitted suit. he'd made a similar amount of effort, to prove a point or just to be respectful — taeha isn't sure, adorned in a pinstriped navy suit with fringe carelessly covering his brows. he feels like a fucking politician like this, and with the mind of one as well because he has to speak diplomatically or they'll undoubtedly start to fight. taeha takes a few steps back, cigarette pinched between broad fingers and there's a tightly drawn grin on his face. "are you sure you want that? what are you expecting me to say? i could try to congratulate you sincerely, but i'd like to think my wedding gift compensates for my lack of sincerity," he drawls, empty words that barely conceal the weight of his hurt — and charlie always follows the money anyway. it's an unfair, petty and resentful thought. taeha thinks he's allowed this, because he was the foolish one for thinking that their bond and memories from the most formative years of their life would last forever, that they'd have the freedom and courage to walk their own path. but as much as he resents charlie, taeha is equally cowardly, concerned about how he'd be viewed if his sexuality was public information. yet he was willing to try. taeha tries to convince himself it's because charlie had more to lose, because his ego won't allow him to think he's the only one who spent sleepless nights thinking about charlie wondering what it'd take for them to get their heads straight. "you broke my heart and sent me an invitation to your wedding. at least give me the reassurance of knowing that i broke yours too," he spits, frustration boiling over as he closes the distance between them and stamps out the cigarette he'd been holding beneath his heel. it's calloused and calculated, not the kind of move the charlie he knows would make — but perhaps charlie song would. taeha's always been more physically imposing than charlie even with an equal amount of muscle mass, and he's weaponizing that now so charlie can feel the brunt of his anger, a hand pinched around the bend of charlie's wrist. he wets his lips, pitching his voice into a whisper and sighs. "i feel like i don't know you anymore. you're really — fucking with my head." it'd have been easier to ignore the invitation, to let them have a clean break and charlie could go skipping off into the sunset with his bride-to-be, obscured from taeha's vision and incessant worrying. but he's too easy to rile, too stubborn to stop caring even when it hurts.

yohan knows networking is essential to getting more opportunities, so he'd not protested at all when it came to attending the celebration of a judge he's never met retiring. retirement was a good thing, so yohan is in a happy and affable mood even if he doesn't personally know the guy, and charlie is helping him work his way around the room with short introductions and privately judgmental anecdotes. he's nursing a glass of pinot noir and levelling charlie with a kind but knowing look, eyebrows raising. he's enthralled listening to charlie talk, likeminded and feeling emboldened to speak without a filter. "and? were you a bit of a cunt? you never know, in this line of work i could interpret that as a compliment," he muses, a kittenish grin tugging at his lips. yohan has no doubts there was one reason or another that charlie provoked that kind of reaction, but he's curious if it was something related to a case or a difference in personality. he's come to learn that charlie can be petty at times, the type to keep score. yohan kind of likes the feistiness. he's tempted to prod for more details, but yohan's gaze flits towards the man of honor and then back to charlie. "what do you think he'll do now that he's retiring? what would you do? i think i could get really into bird watching, but i get freaked out whenever anything flies at my head. maybe tennis or horse racing," yohan admits, brows knitting as he takes a sip of his wine. his attention is fickle at the moment, but he knows charlie likes to stay fit. "actually, tennis is one of the healthiest sports in the world because you put on lean muscle but it also improves neuroplasticity. any sport with a racket, really. my dad has played for years and he's still as sharp as a tack." yohan would like to think he's similarly sharp, but he's not a very competitive or athletic person by nature, preferring to lay in bed to read. although the health benefits and possibility of preventing alzheimer's is enough incentive to have him try picking up a racket. "we should play sometime. i think you'd be good at it."

it's the fifth chemistry read yohan has done for this project in their search for the other male lead, and while the other performances weren't bad, they still left yohan feeling a little lukewarm. even if none of the other actors brought a particularly inspired interpretation of joon to the reads for this b-grade movie, yohan has to remind himself that he should adjust his expectations accordingly. he's a little green around the gills himself, anyway, he hasn't had any solid work within the past three years. which is why yohan shouldn't be too surprised to walk into the room to find a tall bespectacled man discretely screwing the cap back on an orange prescription bottle, but something in him prickles with intrigue, eyes widening in recognition. the expression on his face is sincere and curious, gaze unabashedly sweeping over his potential co-star's frame, not thinking too hard about the words that come out of his mouth next. "oh, you're dual wielding. the scripts," he points, to the bottle and then up to the frames of kangdae's glasses, a wry grin tugging at his lips. "me too. well, prescriptions and this script. my eyesight is okay," yohan offers, aware he might've overstepped a boundary right away. but if anything, he hopes it'll break the ice. he waits a beat for kangdae to process this onslaught of information, then gingerly reaches out an outstretched hand. yohan wasn't an overly tactile person, but it was better to ease their way into things organically, especially if this person had a real shot of being the opposite lead. they'd be kissing anyway. "i'm kim yohan. i'll be playing beau. sorry if i, uh, caught you by surprise."