heavy is the head that wears the crown.

*  ◟  ―  🍓cl - clang !! hello , it’s so nice to meet you all - my name is jada , but you can just call me 𝐎𝐇 𝐇𝐀𝐄𝐈𝐋’s mun !! i’m super excited to be here , and hopefully you guys take to me and phoenix’s leader , haeil ! he has a semi - sad vibe , but don’t be fooled, he’s a pretty cool guy ! below you’ll find trivia as well as general connections while i work on te real plots page ! and as always, please like if you’d like to plot alongside me and my boy !! lets go !

     𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄 .  //  𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃.  //  𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓. //

It still felt odd to appear on a variety show without the entire group. He had a tendency to sit in the back and speak only when necessary. After all, the advantage of being part of a large group was that silence barely had any room to materialize. However, “After Mom Is Asleep” rewarded silence and having less members to share expensive beef with was something he could relish. He had situated himself next to Haeil, happily following the instructions given to him with (somewhat) restrained energy. 

While he had felt optimistic at the beginning of the recording, his luck had ran out as soon as the utensils were needed. The box was full of unnecessary utensils that were bound to make noise when he rummaged through it. He had held his breath throughout the task, pushing the metal tongs to the side and raising the noise decibels when it clunked against the box. He releases a soft noise of shock when he heard the actor speak, suppressing a chuckle with the collar of his shirt. 

He lifted out the pairs of chopsticks wrapped together and handed it over to Haeil before reaching under the table for his penalty. He threw on the unruly red wig reminiscent of Chucky, pressing his lips together to keep himself from laughing. The wig paired wonderfully with his previous penalty of bright red blush that he smeared over his cheeks. He lifted a hand to smooth down the wig, turning to capture the attention of his leader. “Am I pretty yet, hyung?”

𝐒𝐎 . . . 𝐇𝐀𝐄𝐈𝐋 𝐈𝐒𝐍'𝐓 the best at variety shows. he probably could be if he wanted to , but . . . it’s easier if he isn’t. because whenever phoenix gets to star on a show , he has a wide array of tasks to complete in the background of it all. check up on quieter members to make sure they’re heard , gently remind the more chaotic members when they should settle down , and of course , ensure no one slipped up and said something that could get them in trouble. because of these tasks which have nearly become second nature , he has little time to ensure what he has to contribute will be thumbnail - worthy.

but today . . . he can’t stop laughing. because next to him sits his self-proclaimed baby , even if ash would groan if he heard him say it. he’s glad to be paired with him , as ash brings out a light in haeil not many can. everybody - and he means everybody - in phoenix had their special thing that made them special amongst the boys in haeil’s eyes. perhaps unsurprisingly , ash was held dear to his heart by the paradoxical bond they shared as maknae and leader.  so when he looks over to see ash , red wig and all , he lets out the most raw , genuine laughter of amusement , only to immediately regret his volume.

mere seconds later , his meticulously combed hair is turned wild as he stuffs a sunflower hat on his head. “ i’m sorry , but with the wig , and the utensils , and makeup - you looked like ariel from the little mermaid , ash ! ” the man’s explanation now comes off as a just barely audible whisper , trying to suppress the many tiny giggles threatening to come out. he might have the cool and collected exterior , but on the inside , he’d always be an immature boy.

. . . kiha knocks on the foor out of courtesy more than anything else, knows that haeil has probably heard him coming all the way from his room anyway. “haeil hyung?” kiha opens the door just enough so he can slip his head in. “i can’t sleep.” he whines softly, can’t help the small pout on his lips when he speaks, not adding anything more because the question of if he can come in, if he can join haeil is quietly there in between the lines.

𝐎𝐊𝐀𝐘, 𝐒𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐁𝐄 haeil is a little easier on kiha than the other boys sometimes. but in everything haeil does he intends to be fair , so with great power comes great responsibility. in this way , haeil leans on kiha for support in phoenix more than he allows himself to with most the other boys, for fear of looking weak or unreliable. but whether it was for his naturally kind aura , similarly nurturing demeanor, or maybe the friendship that had so naturally blossomed between the two , kiha just held a special place in haeil’s spot that made it harder for him to say no.

so that’s why when kiha finds his way in front of his door , haeil doesn’t even think of complaining in fact , he doesn’t even flinch , as it’s become nearly routine for them to be night owls , talking until their eyelids finally grow heavy. haeil’s eyes , puffy with lack of sleep , peer at kiha’s. his  familiar , dimpled smile makes his way onto his cheeks as he wordlessly motions kiha to come in - but not before a big hug. “ hey , that’s what i’m here for ! we can hang out for as long as you need , okay ? my body’s sleepy , but my mind is still up , so it won’t let myself go to sleep. i get it. ” tossing and turning was doing haeil no good either , and he figured it’d be a much smarter investment of time to just talk the restlessness away , rather than try to force himself to sleep for another few hours.

. .  . “Do you want to try something else? Hey! Why don’t you let me treat you today? Let’s order some food too. And I know, I know, you’re prepping for a comeback, but just consider it a cheat day,” Dae shoots him a wink before reaching for the menu at their side. As if on cue, a server appears to wipe down a neighboring table, actively avoiding Dae’s eyes. Without hesitation, he tugs at the server’s elbow, speaking casually. “You gonna take our orders or what?”

*  ◟ —  𝐀 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐗. oh haeil swears that dae is a living, breathing paradox. because for every moment he stares at the male , almost jealous of the cool exterior he exudes, something leaves his mouth that makes haeil’s perception of him take ten steps backwards. who is he ? haeil’s still in a state of shock from his mere existence. because despite not knowing too much about him , everything he does know has him in a dazed sense of confusion. but the second dae starts revealing information about he and harin’s relationship with each other, he leans so far forward he swears he’s about to fall out of his chair. this was it. something had to be going on , after all . . . right ? all he needed was verbal confirmation , and he’d give dae the most cliché older brother threat of his life.

“ i knew it ! i knew you were - wait , friends ? ” haeil can’t hind his shock as wide eyes peer across the table to dae, who ( unfortunately ) doesn’t seem too phased by haeil’s “ tough guy ” act. all haeil can do is stare , mouth agape , hoping he hasn’t made an irreversible fool out of himself. despite wanting to be mad , there’s a certain charm the other has which ends up making haeil feel more docile than hostile.

 “ . . . so - so there’s nothing going on ? really ? ” he’s both stressed and relieved, and prays to god that word won’t get to harin about him being overprotective . . . yet again. haeil’s seemed to literally deflate as he realizes the whole day has been an absolute waste - unless , maybe it wasn’t. free food ? despite the embarrassment he was facing right now, his declining bank account balance and growling stomach wasn’t going to argue with that.

⎯⎯ what’s your favorite way to spend the day off ?  ( also asked by @wsyohan ! )

— what is your most embarrassing moment?

answered here !

— what is your perfect idea of success?

( also asked by @ws-fabrice ! )

— what has been the highlight of your time with your group?

( also asked by @seoyulws ! )

*  ◟ — " 𝐓𝐇𝐄 . . . 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 . . . 𝐁𝐎𝐗. ”  with the aid of his glasses , the male slowly reads the english sign that sits atop a square building , a modern cafe of sorts , with new customers floating in and our. in the middle of them stood oh haeil and seo eunbyul. the typically stable man is clearly self conscious, seemingly becoming smaller as he scratches his neck , turning in her direction. “ that’s how it’s pronounced . . . right ? ” 

haeil was , in most things, fairly comfortable in his own skills. but english was . . . a whole other playing field. a field he didn’t even want to particularly be on , but knew there was no stepping off of , given his membership in a group which was expected to tour internationally. whether he liked it or not , he needed to learn english. and today ? he was forcing himself onto first base. haeil is smart , but the kind of smart that was constantly affirmed into thinking he was so , until he no longer had a desire to learn things of difficulty for himself. english was . . . everything he dreaded , the sort of skill that couldn’t just be naturally acquired. the type that would have to be practiced , practiced , practiced.

but here he was , in a place where he’d have to face his fears for once and for all. eunbyul has been his honorary english tutor for a bit , and until now , things have been going pretty smooth. after all , it's always easier to learn a language from a friend rather than books. but today was a whole new level - a language exchange cafe that both foreigners and koreans frequented , hoping to get better at speaking in their second languages. pulling up his mask , he turns to the familiar girl. “ you don’t think they’ll recognize us , right ? the last thing i want is a ruby recognizing me and talking about how much i suck at speaking english. ”

— who is your inspiration ?

— what is your most embarrassing moment? ( also asked by @wsjordan & @seoljiws ! )

— if you had anything to say to your ceo , what would it be ?