bedanu

[bedanu]

danu was bad at almost every sport. except skateboarding. it was the one thing that he felt like he was modestly good at. he didn't think that it was anything to write home about but he had worked hard to get to where he was. and there was something rewarding about failing a trick so many times until you suddenly started getting it right.

his mother had never really liked the skate parks but danu had begged her to take him to them so that he could work on his skills and eventually she had given in. now in seoul he didn't have as much time to polish his tricks so he felt like he was getting rusty, at least until he had started practicing by the han river in the early mornings.

it hadn't escaped his notice that someone else was down by the han river in the mornings doing the same thing. even in the freezing cold. but danu had admittedly been a little too shy to approach the other skater. he'd just watched him quietly from a distance before going back to what he was doing.

but apparently he wasn't the only one who had noticed the company because the other skater approached danu instead of just nodding in greeting like they normally would. "hi" danu replied quietly. "no, it's okay. i think you were here before me anyway..." he always struggled a little bit with making new friends he already felt like he was talking too much and they hadn't really even done much yet. "oh, i don't know if i'm that good but i can try to help?"

🛹 Kick, Push, Coast | { ft. @bedanu }

the han river bike paths are different before sunrise. Quieter, more forgiving for someone still trying to perfect their ollies without an audience. taejun has his morning routine down to a military precision: board check (trucks still good, wheels rotating smoothly), safety gear secured (his grandma would kill him if he didn't), and route mapped to avoid the early morning cyclists.

he's been noticing another early riser lately who seems to share his appreciation for dawn practice sessions. He gives Taejun a familiar feeling of his friends back home when he watches him skate. not that taejun's watching too closely, he just appreciates having someone else who understands the appeal of empty paths and the morning quiet.

the morning light is just starting to touch the river when he spots the familiar figure (@bedanu) ahead, and taejun finds himself adjusting his path slightly. maybe it's time to actually introduce himself properly, instead of just exchanging those quiet nods of mutual understanding they've been sharing for weeks. after all, his grandma always says good manners matter most in the quiet moments. he guides his board in the guys direction.

"hey," he calls out softly, trying not to break the morning peace. his Chicago accent softens his Korean slightly as he continues, "i've seen you out here before. i promise i'm not trying to steal your practice spot or anything." he gestures to his board with a small, apologetic smile. "I, uh, noticed you tend to land a lot of the same tricks I'm working on. maybe… maybe you could share some tips?"

[bedanu]

danu was pleased to hear that shouta had been skating before. so at least one of them knew what they were doing. danu was sure they could have asked for lessons if they needed to but it was much nicer to have at least one person who kind of had an idea what was going on so they wouldn't have to reschedule anything. "i'm sure you'll be great!" danu said encouragingly. "you at least won't be any worse than me."

danu stood up testing his skates to make sure they were tied correctly. he wasn't sure if that was a crucial step but he remembered the employee telling him that he shouldn't feel like he was pain when he stood up but he also should feel like his ankles weren't wobbly or unstable. luckily he could see that shouta was doing roughly the same so he knew he wasn't totally off the mark.

"don't lean forward too much." danu repeated nodding. keeping his center of gravity was a bit tough already but the longer he was in the skates the more he was somewhat figuring out what worked for him and what didn't.

"yes! that'll be fun!" danu agreed enthusiastically. "hopefully i won't fall too much while we're out there."

shouta's relieved, and so, so glad that he gets along well with danu. upon moving into their dorm, he was nervous that he wouldn't be able to form any kind of bond with his roommate, but since day one, the two of them have maintained an exceptionally sweet friendship. they share many of the same interests, they're involved in the same major, and though their personalities are quite different, they balance one another out a lot; making it easy to teach each other things, too.

in a way, he feels really lucky to have made such a good friend so quickly, as he knows that not everyone has great experiences with their peers, much less the people they live with. his older siblings have shared some of their own lived horror stories regarding bunkmates with him, so he's glad to have dodged that bullet.

so, when danu invited him to go ice skating, he was quick to say yes. he remembers the times he'd go with his mother as a kid, and how she was honestly really good at it. he knows now that it was once a dream of her's to pursue it further, but circumstances never allowed that to happen. trying not to get overly nostalgic and wistful, he's grateful for when danu breaks their silence; a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "yeah, i have!" he exclaims, nodding. "it's been kind of awhile, honestly, but i used to be pretty good. i just hope i still remember what i'm doing..."

lacing up his skates, he hums in response to his friend's lack of experience; knowing that he'll have to keep an eye on him so he doesn't hurt himself. "well, i'm glad we're here then! it's not as hard as it seems, don't worry; i'll help you!" with that, he ensures that his skates are tight enough by standing up and moving around some; happy with where they're at. "my main piece of advice is, don't lean forward much. the more weight you put on the tips of your skates, the more likely you are to fly forward."

he would hate to see danu fall flat on his face. crashing into the ice would not be fun. "afterwards, we should get some hot cocoa! it'll be the perfect way to warm up."

[bedanu]

jamsil, free ice skating rink w. hinata shouta

danu had never been ice skating before in his life. but it had always looked so fun to him. it was one of those things that he always wanted to try. his parents had been reluctant to take him though as neither of them could ice skate either. so of course when he heard about the free ice skating he had been excited to go and try it.

danu wasn't exactly the most athletic. he wasn't entirely a disaster either but he had only played second string on most of the sports he'd been involved in over the years. so he figured that going alone probably wouldn't be the smartest idea. so of course he had invited shouta to come with him. and luckily his roommate had easily agreed to come along with him.

"have you been ice skating before?" danu asked as he pulled on the ice skates that he'd been lent by the ice rink. they felt heavy and a little bit unwieldy and he couldn't imagine how he was supposed to get on the ice but he was sure that he'd figure it out. he tightened the laces like he'd been told to and switched his focus to the other skate. "i've always wanted to but i never had the chance before." he added. "so i'm really excited!"

[bedanu]

hello there! i'm rae (any/all pronouns, 21+, cst). if you think i seem familiar it's probably bc i am. i'm excited to bring you my son, danu. if you'd like to plot with him feel free to reach out over im or if you prefer discord dm just ask for the username. anyway under the cut is everything you need to know about danu. i'll be sure to add plots later, i work in retail so this week has been a killer.

so danu here is the son of a hoh mother and a deaf father, his dad was born deaf and his mother progressively lost her hearing, meaning that danu grew up using almost exclusively korean sign language, he didn't really start speaking regularly until his parents had to start taking him to daycare where most of the kids didn't know ksl

he still doesn't tend to speak a lot, very much a guy who prefers to sit back and listen rather than talk a lot. sometimes he'll even reply in ksl when he's feeling lazy and/or forgets that his current company may not understand him

he's wanted to be an idol for as long as he can remember, and that's mostly because his mother was a HUGE B.Y.L fan and whenever she went to a concert or fanmeeting etc when danu was young she'd bring him along for the ride

danu even went viral as the byl baby in the early days of youtube because there was so much accidental footage of him as a baby at various byl schedules

anyway long story short is danu and his mother used byl to bond with each other and even now danu knows all the lyrics to their songs by heart and can even dance most of the choreography and this awakened in him a need to be on stage and perform

the problem being that both his parents were very protective of danu, and they weren't exactly thrilled about the idea of their minor son being an idol. eventually they managed to cut a deal with danu that he could do a couple auditions as long as his grades stayed good and he made sure to sit for college entrance exams so he could have a back-up plan in case the entertainment career didn't work out

danu being the stubborn dreamy little thing he is easily agreed to those terms. so far it's been no dice for him but he's not at all ready to give up, danu's very much convinced that he was meant to be an idol

whether or not other people agree with him is a bit up in the air lol, he's a decent-ish rapper and a pretty face but whenever the judges ask him to show his dance or vocal skill he almost always gets lectured on how being an idol isn't all about being pretty...but honestly even the harshest critiques can't break this kid's endless optimism

he's currently attending korea university studying to be a sign language interpreter, but he's still convinced that he won't have to rely on that job because he's definitely gonna be an idol and he will tell anyone who will listen about this

in general he's a sweetheart who doesn't really struggle too much making friends as long as they don't mind him not adding much to the conversation at times

[bedanu]

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