jaerk

[jaerk]

RKSPEAKUP!PROJECT PLOT CALL 🔊

                 ━  0529 .

ACTIVITY 1 - OPENING SPEECH ( 01 ) + 

ACTIVITY 2 - SINGING FOR BEGINNERS ( 01  ) + 

ACTIVITY 3 - FREESTYLE HIP-HOP WORKSHOP ( 01 ) + 

                 ━  0530 .

ACTIVITY 1 - DRINKS FOR VOCAL CORDS ( 01  ) + 

ACTIVITY 2 - THE BASICS OF CREATIVE WRITING ( 01  ) + 

ACTIVITY 3 - SONGWRITING WORKSHOP ( 01  ) +

                 ━  0531 .

ACTIVITY 1 - PIANO FOR BEGINNERS ( 01 / 02 ) + 

ACTIVITY 2 - SELF-DEFENSE ( 01 / 02 ) + 

if you’d like to plot for the event, please reply or like this post, tysm !

[jaerk]

naeun‌.

everything happened rather fast, one moment she was in her own world on her way to the nearest florist to buy flowers ( one of her friends were celebrating their birthday and she thought it would be a nice gesture ), then the next moment she feels her arm getting tugged as she is moved out of the way of something happening to her, she wasn’t entirely sure. 

another thing she wasn’t sure of was why she found herself in this position, leaned against a strangers chest and for a couple of seconds her heart skips a beat, it felt nice though a small faint peach color graces her checks, his voice was calming, there was something familiar about it though and she couldn’t put her finger on it– until she looks up and the previous butterflies were gone in the blink of an eye.

“…,” her brows furrow together, clearly displeased to see the oh too familiar face, he wasn’t someone she wanted to see, not now and not in a million years.

“you think i’d be walking this street if i knew you’d be here?” when his arms drop she quickly moves away from him, frustrated with herself that she had actually thought the feeling was nice, that his voice was comfortable, “ahhh,” she exclaims ruffling her hair out of frustration, ‘what a waste of a pretty face,’ she thinks to herself, turning her head to glare at the boy.

it’s one of the nth times he’s met this girl. her name is a bit of a toss up  --  he had never been good with them, but he recognizes her face in an instant. and it’s starting to make him feel delirious. things like this didn’t happen in real life did they? it felt like one of those dramas his aunt was obsessed with. girl meets boy once, boy runs into girl a dozen of times after and then falls in love with her because of the constant occurrence. or at least that’s what jaemin took from them.

and then the confusion hits.

the displeasure in his voice hits him like a punch to the gut -- did he do something? hadn’t he just saved her from getting drenched in plant water? wasn’t she supposed to thank him politely? the good ol’ knight in shining armor thing? not that that was why jaemin did this, but wasn’t this how this was supposed to go?

“i’m sorry?” he blinks, hand immediately dropping from the other’s waist -- rising upwards in surrender, as if burned.

jaemin blinks again, now dumbfounded by the way she was acting. had he offended her in some way? if anything, isn’t this the part in the story where it was supposed to be a laughable moment? so why was she acting like he had been the one who had poured the water all over her?

“uh ...” he pauses, “you okay?” he steps back, “did i do something to you?” jaemin tries to rack his head over anything that could have been the reason for this but he comes up blank. 

fall from grace

[jaerk]

naeun‌.

out of all of the scenarios naeun had imagined, this was not one of them– why you might wonder? well first, she didn’t like group dates and this time her friends had tricked her into joining one, it was tiresome being the bait they used to trick boys to these things because naeun knew that was her role, the bait– she was allowed to leave whenever she just had to show up but this time was different, the boys that had joined were new faces and naeun could feel their gazes her… all of the gazes except one.

when she had entered the room almost an hour ago, she had immediately noticed him– the boy that had rejected her over two years ago. when she was a pure-hearted high school girl, at she had first laid her eyes on him and one thing lead to another… she was rejected by the very same boy that now was sitting across from her and naeun couldn’t help but glare at him from time to time.

meanwhile, the males on his side were eager to get her contact information or her instagram handle, he was sitting there smug as ever– smiling at girls. nothing frustrated naeun more, he didn’t even seem to recognize her and that had hurt her pride just a little.

“naeun ah~,” one of the older males wanted her attention and she stopped glaring at the male ( she didn’t even know his name to be frank, never learned it– she had never gotten that far before he rejected her ), an awkward smile was directed at the male as he attempted to pour her another drink but she covered the top of her glass with her hand, “no thank you.”

fingers tap against the glass, listening idly to the conversations going at his side. there wasn’t much to contribute and he wasn’t much of the talker-type when it came to these situations. if he gave too much, jaemin could only imagine the consequence and as somehow who very much did not like coming to these types of events, he did not want to enter any type of difficulty. not when he was this close to leaving. he was beyond ready to go home and just relax.

having girls in front of him, vying for his attention, while flattering -- was also uncomfortable. especially when he was attracted nor was willing to find any personal connection between them. he didn’t want to lead them on -- he didn’t want to be that guy. if anything, he was just there to pass the time. 

“are you dating anyone, jaemin-ah?”  he can hear the over-familiarity in the girl’s voice -- was it hyesung? hyejung? her name was suddenly lost on him -- and it wasn’t one that he could deny. it was just one girl, by tomorrow, she’d be long forgotten and this night something he wouldn’t remember, probably. 

he shakes his head, a small smile rises politely. “no, i’m not dating anyone right now.” and he leaves it at that. the smile that he receives after his answer is one he was expecting -- but it was also one he did not feel comfortable entertaining. 

and while most of the time was supposed to be peaceful, just wading time until it was time for him to leave -- he didn’t think he’d feel any animosity. especially not in a place like this that was just begging for love and connection. but the sight of the girl across from him -- glaring at him has him confused. enough that it ripples through his face, head tilting to the side at her expression. 

when she had covered her glass with her hand, jaemin couldn’t help but snicker at his friend. it was a low blow -- especially when it had been kyungwon who had arranged this whole thing in hope of finally nabbing a girl. but of course, being kyungwon -- it was obvious he wasn’t about to let one rejection get him down.

“ah, c’mon naeun-ah. just one more drink. it’s the weekend!” 

restless

[jaerk]

chanyeol.

“hey, hidden waterfalls are cool,” he says with an air of offense, even if he has none, though, to be fair, he really does think it would be pretty cool to find one, but if a tourist is on his way to it, does it really count as a hidden waterfall? if he ever discovered one, he thinks he’d keep that information to himself and a handful of his very closest friends only. that way, the secrecy would be preserved.

but that was neither here nor there at the moment. suddenly, the attention is turned to him and the items he holds in his hands, and he’d probably be caught off guard if he didn’t find the situation so hilarious. his loud and boisterous laughter bursts from his lips, and the inevitable attention it gathers does nothing to quiet it, though a razor sharp glare from a nearby seller has him snickering at a more tolerable level.

“it’s not mine,” he says, but then whose would it be? his mother would never wear something like that, and it doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you’d randomly buy for a friend. he’s searching his mind for excuses when it dawns on him that he doesn’t even have a reason to hide such a thing from jaemin, not when they’re friends, not when they’re not anywhere near trc grounds. he chuckles to himself at his own cautiousness, but can’t really blame himself for it. there’s a lot on the line if trc did find out, but the secret should be safe with jaemin.

“it’s for jisoo,” he says decisively, nodding his head, knowing full well jaemin doesn’t know who she is, but doesn’t bother clarifying anyway, a mischeivous twinkle in his eye that very well may give him away. “but i definitely could pull it off if i wanted to.”

his hands immediately raise in surrender. “okay, okay they’re cool but is this the look i’m trying to go for? maybe if i went to jeju or actually went on a search for a waterfall, it’d be the thing but ... school, daily life ... eh,” he says, the bit of skepticism leaking into his voice before he turns back to the racks. “my aunt already says i dress like a hobo, i guess a tourist dad would be an upgrade.”

jaemin guesses, anything would be an upgrade at this point. he was pretty desperate and he had the cash to burn, anyways.

his head tilts, having not understood the reason why chanyeol was laughing. but he cracks a smile anyways, there had always been something about chanyeol’s laugh  --  it was infectious, if anything. but as the reason was unbeknownst to him, he felt the smile become more bemused as he waited for chanyeol’s answer, if the elder would allot him one. 

he blinks, the gears in his head beginning the motions of work. huh...

“jisoo ....” he parrots slowly, trying to rack up just who this jisoo was. he blinks, as if question marks were suddenly popping up around his head. it was common for jisoo to be quite the unisex name, so with another tilt of his head, unsure of the words to come next, he asks again, innocently enough. “guy or girl?” he supposes a slim guy could squeeze into the dress he had in hand. the face he makes becomes the obvious ripple of him trying to imagine such a scenario, it almost has him cracking a smile. 

wear to tear

[jaerk]

xiao‌.

the whole thing happens in seconds, yet to cheng xiao, it feels like it’s happening in slow motion. she can’t help but cringe into her coat as the dog goes barrelling toward the boy, and she opens her mouth to yell and get his attention, tell him to look out, but it’s way too late and he ends up on the floor anyway. she runs down the road toward them both, aided by the rest of the dogs happily dragging her along, pulling on the leashes and harnesses.

the first thing she notices is that the boy is struggling to catch his breath, though she thinks that may have something to do with the 25kg ball of fluff that has situated himself on the boy’s chest. she grabs his leash and then pulls him off the boy, thanking god that years of gymnastics training has given her enough muscle to lift him.

“oh my god. i’m so sorry, are you okay?” her hands flutter nervously, she doesn’t want to touch him, what if he’s broken something. “can you breathe? oh my god, he hasn’t broke your ribs or anything, right?”

he’s easily winded. laying on his back, he feels the ache suddenly begin to surge against his backside. oh man, that is going to bruise like crazy tomorrow. if the pain was anything to go by  --  it was passable, and surely he didn’t feel like anything was broken. once the dog is removed from his chest, he breathes in and out haphazardly, slowly trying to fill his lungs of the air that had been sucker-punched out of them. 

he sits up almost immediately when she nears before wincing at the pain he feels at the sudden 

“uh -- yeah, i’m ..” he coughs as he tries to breathe in and out, again. “i’m fine. no worries.” he coughs again. “no worries, just a little ..” he breathes out, heavily. 

jaemin tries laughing ; trying to play off the incident. it wasn’t like it had happened on purpose and he supposes he isn’t all too annoyed by it all. as long as nothing was broken -- it wasn’t a big deal. sure, like he thought, there would be a bruise -- if the ache was any indication to it the moment he rubs his hand over his back -- but those fade, anyways. “is the dog okay?”

faux pas.

[jaerk]

yeonjun‌.

yeonjun was never a greedy person, at least in a serious sense anyway. growing up under a roof with his brother, he never really had the opportunity to be bad because his parents would always scold him for not even doing anything. if anything, he learned from his brother’s mistakes that gave him punishments and it was a way to know what was right and what was wrong. it’s why he tries his best to be selfless in all situations no matter what. think about other people’s feelings, yeonjun, he can hear in his head every single day. “you won’t get by life if you’re selfish all the time.” 

in his mind, he thinks he’s doing the right thing. what he had was basically a treasure to rock fans and as much as he liked naeol, he knows that there are other people that would’ve probably liked them better than he did. and it’s natural for him to assume that the guy in front of him might’ve been one of those people. maybe he’s wrong and he’s just jumping to his own conclusions. but either way, it was better to be safe than sorry. 

he can’t help but smile at the other as he asks him again for confirmation. “no, i don’t mind,” he assures the other. he wasn’t expecting anything more than that. if he knows that he made a guy’s day just by getting a limited edition record, then it’d make him feel good in the end. 

and that’s why it confuses him when the other says that he could keep it because yeonjun wasn’t really expecting that response. it’s not like he didn’t want it because he did. there’s a reason why he picked it up in the first place. but the fact that the other changed his mind and wanted him to keep it? the polite gesture was touching to him. 

so touching, in fact, that he feels a little guilty. “are you sure?” he asks again. “i mean- i know it’s like, super rare to get it. so i don’t mind if you take it. really!” he says with a nervous smile. “i really don’t mind if you have it instead.” 

it was time to let go. 

jaemin knew he couldn’t -- shouldn’t -- be bothered by these worldly possessions. ( they won’t bring them back, he can hear his aunt telling him ) 

not that it was because they were ‘ worldly possessions ’ that his aunt was worried about but he can already hear her words in his ear -- singing her disappointment. and he wouldn’t blame her for it but jaemin could only contend to one lecture at a time. after all, hadn’t she already given him grief over his wardrobe? if he came home with more things for her to nag about, it was something he’d rather not think about. 

“nah, it’s cool.” he says, this time, with definite assurance. it was time. and he knows, the moment he crosses the threshold of his home and his aunt laid eyes on the album, there would be nothing but chaos that ensued.  

“i’m sure it’s safer in your hands, anyways.” he laughs, lightly. “my aunt would kill me if i came home with that.” and it was the truth. not that he would get any severe consequences, jaemin would rather save himself both the lecture and time, he shakes his head with affirmative action. he had to do this. if jaemin didn’t do it now, it would continue to haunt him. it was a small step, with multiple meanings but it was one he needed to choose. 

he glances one more time at the album cover and taps at the price tag placed decoratively along the plastic. “and for this price, dude, you should get it. doubt you’ll ever get anything as good as this deal.”

enjoy the hustle

[jaerk]

bad reputation

                                                                                  ━      ♘  ┊  @rkchoijisu      、

jaemin isn’t a ladies man, per say.

in his year alone, he thinks he’s not an odd one out but he’s heard the rumors and they’re none too kind to him, his friends have told him enough. it also did not help that despite the rumors, his friends still continue to insist he attend their matchmaking parties, if only to fill in the seats ( and to keep the girls from leaving ) ; but jaemin tries not to stay bothered. it wasn’t like the rumors would follow him outside of school, right? ( at least, this is what he hoped )

the problem with these rumors, though, despite the looks and the jeers -- it does make it hard to find people to group with when it comes to projects. when the professor had announced for one  --  jaemin could immediately feel the sense of panic. rather than his usual ease, unlike his other classes, his sociology class had none of his friends in it. he’s sat in the back, with people he knew no better than a day or two a week ; as the news makes it way throughout the class, he can already feel the looks from the girls in the row ahead of him and feels himself shrink. he didn’t want anymore rumors  --  and he wasn’t looking to start trouble.

he guesses, the only way to beat the problem -- is to find a solution. so he turns to the first person sitting beside him and quickly interjects himself,

“do you want to be my partner?”

[jaerk]

flyaway

                                                                                  ━      ♘  ┊  RKOPENSTARTER      、

some could say that jaemin was a bit listless ; he counter that he was nonchalant  --  not that that was any better than being ‘ listless ’  but jaemin concurred that anything was better than being told he took things too lightly. and sure, any of those were perfect definitions of how he was ; it couldn’t be helped that it as much easier to go with the flow than to ride against the tide. this is how he gets recruited into a club he has no interest in  --  making copies for the upcoming school fair at the library. it’s no difficult task ; more boring than anything but jaemin wasn’t one to kick up a fuss. it wasn’t like he had anything better to do. it was either this or going to another matchmaking party his friend would drag him to ( not that this really go him out of that either, knowing kyungwon he’d probably still show up at jaemin’s house later to drag him to one ) ; but at least it gave him a few hours of breathable peace before his day got turned upside down.

the only thing he sees as a possible obstacle ( as he begins to pull the fliers into his hands, depositing the payment on the counter ) is just how the hell was he going to get all this shit back to the club room in one piece. the haphazard box the staff had given him was pretty shoddy, at best, and he was sure he didn’t do a good job at sealing it. jaemin could only hope that he didn’t drop it  --  who knows what he’d do if all this went flying.

but fate has other plans, as always.

right when the thought flies through his head  --  while he’s walking down the street back towards the classroom, he feels the tell-tale brush of his shoulder against another’s ; and while it’s not at all subtle, jaemin somehow manages to catch his balance only to stumble in the seconds after, falling forward  --  the seal of the box ripping open and allowing the papers inside to go flying out.

ah fuck.

[jaerk]

no more dream

                                                                                    ━      ♘  ┊  @rkxrm      、

there are days jaemin thinks it’s useless. living as blindly as he does, he, much like everyone else, wants meaning in his life. the problem with it -- at least for jaemin -- was going out and finding it. he’s lived his life without it, well much of it, at least. so, now, to be looking for something that wouldn’t eventually find him  --  or be given, it was something he’s never had to do before. all his life, he’s been given more than enough, too much that he never needed to really ask for it. 

it’s why, when he decides to put a direction to his life, it feels weird.

it feels ... wrong?

after years of living how he does, doing something out of the norm feels off. even is aunt had shown concern by how he’s been acting. trying new things, making things happen, it wasn’t like the jaemin she knew considering all he really ever did was live day by day, taking it whatever life gave him and making the most out of it. fingers tap against the side of his glass, condensation licking at the tips of his fingers. “hey,” he softly calls after the other ; eyes blindly looking away from one end of the room and to the other who sat beside him. “when did you realize you had a dream?” if namjoon had been going at it with his company for years  --  that must mean he has one, right? a dream, that is.

[jaerk]

myself

                                                                                               ━      ♞  ┊  @hyunark​      、

TW / DEATH

for as long as jaemin can remember, he’s had a strong sense of self. he knew who he was, he knew where he came from and was through on through proud of each and every aspect of his life that made him him. but there are days, certain days -- specific days -- that jaemin wished he was anyone but himself. these were the days he much liked to spend alone. one day in particular was among those that could coax this certain reaction from him. and unlike himself, jaemin finds himself by the by, on the side of the road with no one to turn to.

( of course, he had people to turn to but today of all days was among those days that he’d rather not be with those people --

he’d rather be saved from the pitiful looks and the sympathetic gazes as they all tell him they’re sorry for his loss and that today is just another day he should be grateful but it’s certain that jaemin is anything but grateful. 

in fact, today -- he’s the opposite )

he’s had the bouquet in his hand for hours, stuck at the bus stop  --  urging his sense of self to be strong and to make his travel to the mausoleum quick before it begins to rain. somehow, it always rains on this day.

but he sits there for a while, continues to do so even after the rain begins to fall and the tips of his sneakers begin to dampen ; the flowers laid on the side of the bench next to him. not a inch moved, because truth be told, jaemin couldn’t do it. he couldn’t bear to see them all by himself. this is what prompts him to get up, steps taken away from the shelter of the bus stop and into the rain, slowly leaving behind the bouquet of flowers and his promise to see his parents that day. 

[jaerk]

naeun‌.

in the middle of summer, approaching the bushes– naeun was keeping a secret from her family. a secret she had managed to keep since the first time she visited the apple tree garden, it was big– from the end, she could barely see her house but that was the best thing the only thing she had her eyes on was the bushes and what she knew was on the other side.

it was with an excited smile she pushed the pushes aside and stepped inside– this was their spot, it had become their spot since their first meeting. it was a difficult feeling to describe for her– but this was by far the highlight of her summer and as she sat there, waiting for the male she remembered the first time they had met. a rustle in the bushes had caught her attention, then she had looked inside and there was a face staring back at her. a face she had never seen and she had gotten startled and tripped ( yes she had fallen into the bush ), she had made a yelp which had caught the attention of her father who was nearby but once inside. one thing had lead to another, the male, whose name shed later name was jaemin– had a finger covering his mouth as if he didn’t want her to make a sound.

from that moment everything had changed, the way they had sat so close, listening to her father’s footsteps outside the bushes and naeun holding her breath so she wouldn’t be heard and eyes glimpsing up at the male, her heart thumping against her chest. 

naeun remembered that feeling, now that she was sitting there waiting for him– this was no accident. now her heart was beating with excitement as she waited for him to arrive. the boy that had caught her attention and had made her breathless and continued to excite her with each meeting.

what was this feeling?

                                starter for  ━  ꕤ ┊ @jaerk  *:･.

summer was always a busy time at the estate  --  workers were a dime a plenty, plus the added on help, it seemed like the number of heads that frequented the homes was endless ; the more people, more of their produce was groomed for sale, too. it meant that the bustle of work was far more energetic than it is on the off months. the more people on the estate also meant it was easier to slip past his father’s eagle eye defenses when it came to meeting naeun for their daily venture around the area. she wasn’t from here and while jaemin usually never went out of his way to do so  --  something about showing her where he grew up and all the little things to love about it made him want her to love it, too.

( after all, she was only here for the summer )

it’s easier to ignore the dull aching he feels when he watches the days go by -- as july becomes august far too quickly but jaemin does what he does best and he ignores it for the greater good. because what good would it do to dull on the what ifs when reality was just a few feet away. it’s what pushes him into the bushes like all those weeks ago  --  ignoring the infrequent branches and leaves that brush against his arms as he makes his way through the hedge . navigating through them has become easier as the days go by, their meeting spot never once changing, always being smack dab in the middle of their properties ; jaemin isn’t the least bit surprised when he catches her by the wrist and pulls her from one side of the brush to his own ; indefinitely defying the property lines that divided their two homes. 

he doesn’t say much, saving all the more with a smile as he tugs her from the bushes and quickly makes his escape with her through the back of his yard. weaving through the gardens and the rows of apple trees that lined the end of their property line. “come on! i have something to show you,”

because like every other day, with haste, it seemed jaemin always had something new to show her. ( or something, he hoped, would keep her here longer )

━  ꕤ ┊destiny

[jaerk]

who are you really

                                                                                     ━      ♘  ┊  @rkjeno      、

while jaemin had never been one to frequent pc rooms  --  it was odd that he was friends with the owner of one; a friend of a friend who he’d known in high school --  it was a place where he and their small group of friends were able to get away from and hang out while the bustle of students and out of work folk came and congregated at the computers at the front of the shop. the back of the shop, however, was saved for them. decorated as infrequent and as maintenance as possible with just a cough and a few select games like an out of order arcade machine and a pool table ; the television that lay low on a buzz near the door was the only source of noise as jaemin came bounding through the door.

and to his surprise, he finds the person in the room somewhat of a ghostly presence. do his eyes deceive him or was this really his best friend in the flesh? “jeno?” the surprise in his tone is second to the smile that immediately rises to his face as he literally jumps beside the other on the couch. “where’ve you been, dude? feel like i haven’t see you in a while.” an arm slouches around the other’s shoulders as he holds him in a slight headlock, “don’t tell me you got a girlfriend and that’s why you’ve been avoiding this place.”

[jaerk]

look at me now

                                                                                      ━      ♘  ┊  @rkyoojimin      、

roped into another one of his aunt’s antics ; jaemin finds himself at a part-time job. not that he really needed one, his parent’s fund was enough to last him a millennia, but of course -- his aunt being his aunt -- had taught him not to rely on what his parents left him to live. so he guesses, this was another one of her life lessons. while the job wasn’t much, and it didn’t really take up much of his day, jaemin enjoyed the feel of the water ( that is whenever he got the chance to touch it ; little kids drowning wasn’t as frequent of an occurrence as he had originally thought ); in any case he enjoyed it, generally. 

with some downtime, just before the pool was set to close ; jaemin takes a seat at the edge of the pool. dunking his legs into the water was a nice feeling. despite the chilly weather, jaemin liked the feeling of the water on his skin. he couldn’t wait for summer and the beach trips that were probably in the making now, knowing his friends’ and their anti-school agenda it would probably be all they thought of until june rolled it’s summery head. they’d all have to get through cherry blossom season first, of course, but aside from that  --  jaemin guesses that this was good enough for now.

[jaerk]

dark-haired jaemin

[jaerk]

fancy, you!

                                                                                      ━      ♘  ┊  @rksxna      、

jaemin isn’t one to pry  --  he really isn’t  --  but if all he can hear are whispers of a certain someone, even someone as nonchalant as him couldn’t help but grow curious as to why those whispers began in the first place. he’s not one gossip ; but it’s sickening how malicious those words were beginning to sound as they circled like vultures ready to strike their prey. not like he’s been faced with this type of dilemma before  --  sure people in his high school talked frequently about him, but never to this scale.

never enough to warrant any type of emotional rise from him.

so, jaemin sighs  -- casting one last glance at the group who continued to spout unreasonable nonsense ; he moves from where he had originally been standing to linger at the side of the girl who’s been at the attention of these gossips since the moment he had stepped into the shop. “hey -- sorry it took me so to get here, i got lost.” he leans in close, hoping the invasion of personal space isn’t one that alarms her ; voice dropping to a volume only she can hear, “hey -- just pretend you know me and let’s go, yeah?” 

“i hope we’re not late for our movie.”

[jaerk]

the clean up crew

                                                                                       ━      ♘  ┊  @jaeyoonrk      、

this was it.

this was going to be his first taste of freedom  ---  he could feel it in his bones, a better life awaited him. ( not that the life his aunt so selflessly provided wasn’t good -- it was! if not slightly suffocating ) leaving with his aunt had taught him plenty of life lessons  --  most of all, how much jaemin wished for his own space. of course, this ‘own space’ wasn’t really his own -- he did have a roommate closer to his age  --  it just meant no more of his aunt, hyesun, snooping around his room or nagging in his ear to get a life! ; sure, she meant well but jaemin could only take so much of her exaggerated exasperation on a daily basis. 

he didn’t really have much stuff and it wasn’t like he was going to bring everything along with him to his new place  --  but still, he enjoyed the help of jaeyoon as they began breaking ground in his new room ; boxes lay at their feet, torn and opened and ready to be fixed in the new place. hyesun had offered to help but jaemin already knew by the tears in her eyes as he woke up that morning, on the fateful moving day, that it would take much longer if she was in their presence. there was no stopping an emotional woman like her once she got the waterworks going. 

“hey  --” he passes a wave of acknowledgement to the older male as he rips another box open, “thanks for helping me move, again. you know how aunt hyesun can get ... i’d rather not have all that today.” any other day would have been fine, but jaemin also didn’t want to weird his new roommate out when she came back home to see a crying middle aged woman in her living room. 

[jaerk]

play it cool

                                                                                       ━      ♘  ┊  @rkjoohyvn      、

jaemin doesn’t get starstruck often  -- perks of having had a rockstar for a dad certainly cemented his lackluster shock value to a minimum. but he’s certain from the eyes that fell upon the girl just across the cafe ; she had to be somebody, right? more or less, jaemin probably would have steered clear of the situation ; it didn’t look like this was a time for an impromptu meet and greet scenario but leave it to him to get caught up in his friends’ schemes. when they saw a cute, probably famous girl, the lot of them were like a pack of puppies, waiting to be praised ; tails wagging in anticipation. while jaemin didn’t like to be one of them, he couldn’t help but grow curious as to who this famous person was.

“i think she’s from the kt girl group -- the one named after the moon or something.” jaemin furrows his eyebrows, not entirely sure who his friend was referencing. he wasn’t too keen in kpop -- sure they had notable jams here and there, but none that were thoroughly his style or anything. “dude! do you think you can get her autograph for me? i’m too nervous.” and suddenly a set of puppy dog eyes turn to him and it’s something jaemin can’t help but roll his eyes to. not only did he not want to do that  --  it looked like he had no choice, he knew his friend was determined, and it wouldn’t give up until jaemin did it ; unfortunately for jaemin, his friend was also a coward and that always got jaemin into sticky situations.

so, with a groan; he grabs the napkin his friend tosses to him and makes quick footwork towards the girl ; side-eyeing the surroundings as he excuses himself from the horde of fans who had just left her. hand coming up to scratch the back of his own neck out of nervousness -- heck, where did those nerves come from? was he starstruck or something? nah, he needed to play it cool. 

“um,” he blinks, sliding the napkin over to the girl. “do you think i could get an autograph please?”