lgcmilan

[lgcmilan]

milan lets out a soft gasp of admiration. "you asked for his number? you're so cool" her eyes sparkle with admiration. it's a paradox that milan doesn't mind asking strangers for their numbers, but just thinking about approaching someone who makes her heart flutter first (a face comes in mind that she quickly banishes) makes her want to die right here and there. "he sounds like he's your..." she pauses for a second. "what's the opposite of kryptonite?" she chuckles.

"why not?" she asks when minnie mentions about not going as far as becoming a couple. milan is the first one to be aware that heart matters aren't easy. however, everything minnie has mentioned so far seems to point in the right direction. at least, tat's what her naive and inexperienced self believes. "let's say he asks you out, would you say yes?"

milan explodes in laughter at minyoung's words. "me?" she shakes her head and declares: "no chance. you can join me the nunnery if things don't pan out like you want!" she prefers to laugh about it than dwell on it. she wasted so much hope and too many tears on this. she bothered too many people when she hit rock bottom. so she'd rather laugh and set a defensive line than speak the words that rang through her mind for months; if not even the person who knows me the most could ever love me like that, who would?

it makes minnie feel a sense of pride that milan agreed that he was good for understanding her. though minnie was wholly aware that if milan knew who it was she'd probably feel differently. he had a reputation, after all. everyone knew about him for a specific reason. she doesn't doubt that milan does too, especially because they were both idols.

"it's nice. i think that's what started everything. it drew us together. we understood one another," minnie says with a soft, reminiscent smile. it started as an innocent enough interaction and then— "i ended up asking for his number right then and there. sometimes i don't know why i feel more bold around him!"

minnie couldn't help but laugh at milan's excitement. "it is?" when she thinks of it, it makes sense. he asks to see her face, her practise outfits... sometimes she sends him one just to see his reaction. "losers— hey! that's not true! i don't even think we could go that far to be a couple.... he seems like he's comfortable with where we are right now..."

she sighs dramatically. "i guess we're destined to be losers forever, huh?" she looks over at milan, wiggling her brows. "unless you get a beau of your own."

[lgcmilan]

a veil of sadness falls on her face as minyoung mentions her mother. as much as she knows about minyoung's feelings and family situation, she couldn't fully understand this reality herself. if she could take away the hurt that minyoung felt, she would. if she could convince her parents to adopt minyoung, she could. but all these years they've been friends, she felt powerless and useless. all she could do was listen and be there. so it's a bittersweet thing for to know that her best friend has found someone who can understand her. some part guilt for not being like this person, some part envy for them to share something she'll never have with minyoung, but above all, relief that the younger girl found someone like this. "it sounds like a good friend to have, at the very least." she says softly. more points for mysterious man (yes, she's starting a tally 'worthy or not' sheet in her head)

her mood clears up as minyoung innocently drops a bomb. "he always asks for selcas?" she hit her friend's shoulder "minnie! that's totally a sign that he's into you!" she releases a 'iiiii' out of pure excitement at the whole ordeal. "you should go for it! bring honor back on us and get a boyfriend so we don't stay loser besties forever" she chuckles

minnie hadn't even considered it being sseom. her time with... well, she can't even say his name to herself. it felt like admitting to something. but it was still early. or, at least, minnie imagined it to be "too early" to tell. what made it special beyond her brain making it seem as much?

a nice tint of red coated her cheeks as milan continued to pepper her with questions. "i mean... yeah. he immediately understood when i said something negative about my mother and didn't tell me to be the bigger person or anything. it was nice to hear." minnie refuses to divulge the fact that he understood from his own experiences because it felt like betraying his trust.

"other signs? like what?" the question leaves minyoung bewildered. no, there hadn't been signs, right? he wasn't the type of man to be tied down! besides, what if nothing comes of it? "i guess we message each other often. like.. really often. and he always asks for selcas.... but that isn't a sign.... is it?"

[lgcmilan]

[ my pretty love minnie 🩷 ]

💬 i know i know! i'm just warning you 🤭 💬 what if... it was just this time? especially if a lot time passes? 💬 you know what's funny? the two of us don't really take pictures of ourselves unless it's for our fans haha 💬 but i'll give it a try 🫡

[ my lanie ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡ ]

┈➤ AHHH he’s not my boyfriend >.<

┈➤ not officially or anything …. sometimes i wonder if he likes me….

┈➤ yearning is half the battle! when you meet together it will be more special after the long time without seeing one another

┈➤ how long is “a while”?

┈➤ i will say sending pictures is fun too ~~ when you miss one another a picture gets you through it!

[lgcmilan]

[ kioppa ♡♡♡ ]

💬 hahaha he really seems like it! i've only met him for work :( 💬 omg no 💬 i'm really happy you met him actually! i think you'll get along! [ typing...] [ typing... ] [ typing... ]

❪ milan ʚĭɞ ❫ → he is, yeah. the rest of the group too! they have so much energy, it felt refreshing. → we did, i also got jh's. dude made me laugh so hard i almost cracked a rib. we might already be best friends. → but hey, i don't want it to be awkward or anything. say the word and i'm deleting the numbers. you're always my #1 😉 → couldn't help but tease you a little bit, please don't hate me 🙏

[lgcmilan]

[ my pretty love minnie 🩷 ]

💬 i'm fine with you having a boyfriend... but no other gf than me and kyoka ty!!!!! 💬 idk how to handle him sometimes lol he's too much for me! i didn't punch him but i might one day if he keeps at it hahaha 💬 idk TT next century maybe? our schedules don't match for a while 💬 i feel a bit sad about it... i also feel bad for feeling sad... i'm conflicted i guess...

[ my lanie ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡ ]

┈➤ nooo!! don’t say that!! you’re my one and only love

┈➤ oh my god!!! he’s so fresh >.<

┈➤ don’t tell me you did for real…. YAH !!! YU MILAN!!!

┈➤ it’s life changing. you think about it all day and the day afterwards

┈➤ eeeeeee that’s so perfect!!!

┈➤ when do you see him again?

[lgcmilan]

[ kioppa ♡♡♡ ]

💬 you're not funny... 💬 well... one of you is definitely lying here 🤪 💬 he's nice right? ^^ hehe 💬 did you exchange contacts?

[ kioppa ♡♡♡ ]

💬 why am i sensing a disruption in the force all of a sudden....... 💬 whatever he said is a lie. just so you know...........

[lgcmilan]

[ kioppa ♡♡♡ ]

💬 why am i sensing a disruption in the force all of a sudden....... 💬 whatever he said is a lie. just so you know...........

❪ 2 new messages sent to milan ʚĭɞ ❫ → i met someone interesting today → [ image.jpg ]

@lgcmilan

[lgcmilan]

( cloud note: please excuse me for being late on this, i got too tired to write this on milan’s actual birthday fksdjfhd )

–

as the days grew closer to the start of fabula’s us concert tour, eunhye began planning ahead presents that she wanted to give to some people. for milan, while the gift seemed small in size, eunhye hoped that the gift (or more like multiple smaller presents) would be something that milan could use whenever she felt like it.

after asking one of the fabula managers about nova’s schedules (or at least find out whether milan was in the dorm), she decided to make a quick visit and deliver her gift bag before heading, which contained what eunhye would describe as her version of the korean birthday meal set (miyeokguk, gyeranmari, and japchae), an envelope containing several personalized nail art stickers, and a handwritten note.

the note says the following:

dear the (always) beautiful and adorable milan, happy birthday!! ❀ how does it feel to be 23 now?（＾ω＾） i didn’t have time to prepare something sweet but i hope you like the dishes i made! i’m not sure if you would be reading this letter before or after you see the envelope, but inside that are nail art sticker sheets made by yours truly! i was visiting my sister and she was telling me about her friend who is into nail art and how it’s possible to make customized nail art stickers! i tried it out at first and it didn’t work out… but i persevered and did it! (＾▽＾) i had too much fun making them that i’m giving you my best sticker sheets in hopes that you could use it for whenever you feel like doing some nail art! ♡ there is set that i call “milan loves nova” where i drew some cute caricatures that remind me of nova (you can have fun guessing which one reminds me of you as a nova member hehe). then the second one is called the “milan loves fabula” since i know you’re always supporting fabula and wanted to thank you for that… oh and also for the days when you feel like you want to be a baddie (pretty, little, risky baddie)! (≧▽≦) and lastly, the third set is called the “eunhye loves milan” where i did my best to draw simple but cute drawings of our adventures together! i’m not sure if you would use that one, but if you don’t, i’ll pretend you kept it as a souvenir and didn’t want to use them. ( ･ω･)ﾉ once again, happy birthday and may all of your wishes come true! ♡, oh eunhye

how does it feel to be 23 now?

for some reason, reading the words made her eyes sting. growing up never felt like an issue to milan. even to this day, it’s still not the fear of getting older that has changed her attitude towards her birthday.

“we aren’t kids anymore”

no, it’s the expectation of having to be ‘something’ just because she’s reached a new milestone. what used to be the culmination of a whole year and the celebration of how far she’s come since her previous birthday, now just feels like a deadline missed for what she hasn’t become yet. 

but eunhye doesn’t expect that from her, and perhaps this is why the letter and the gifts make her suddenly emotional; where she’s expected to be mature, eunhye still pampers her like when they first met over 5 years ago. she chokes a laugh, while sniffling, at the ending of the last paragraph, while she’s gently stroking one of ‘eunhye loves milan’ set’s nail. 

how does it feel to be 23? 

somehow better than it felt being 22... 

[lgcmilan]

[ my pretty love minnie 🩷 ]

💬 so you agree, you cheated on me before 😏 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 💬 aaaaaaaaaaackh 💬 it was both???? 💬 i gave him a cheek kiss 💬 he asked if that was it 🫠 💬 he was smirking too 🫠🫠 💬 🫠🫠🫠🫠 💬 my fight or flight response was triggered ㅋㅋㅋ 💬 soooooo if it had been just of me, i might be telling you how i punched my crush in the face? ㅋㅋㅋ 💬 but the thing is... ah... as soon as he leaned in, my mind short-circuited??? i don't remember everything clearly but at the same time i have vivid impressions. almost like in a dream?? 💬 so hmm he had a hand on my cheek and the other on my back. 💬 we kissed... for a while 🫣

[ my lanie ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡ ]

┈➤ ahhh that’s not fair 😔

┈➤ not sleeping after the first kiss… yeah ….

┈➤ i can’t believe it

┈➤ who leaned in first? was it passionate? did he hold your waist or your face as you kissed?

┈➤ …. don’t tell me YOU kissed HIM

┈➤ ahhh i’m so excited TYPE FASTER !!!!!

[lgcmilan]

[lgcmilan]

[ my pretty love minnie 🩷 ] 

💬 how many times have you cheated on me already?????  💬that was my first and only indiscretion 😭  💬 mhmm~ 💬 i think i almost died 😭 💬 barely slept because i kept thinking about it 🫠

[ my pretty love minnie 🩷 ] 

     ———— 2025 (년) 7 (월) 09 (일) ————

💬 5:07AM : kissing is…  

💬 5:08AM : wow…

[ my lanie ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡ ]

┈➤ KISSING???

┈➤ r u cheating on me

┈➤ i’m kidding BUT !!! AH !!! YOU KISSED?

[lgcmilan]

her mind's elsewhere. wandering around. caught somewhere between a late-night swim, eyes crinkling, sincere laughter, and a charming smile. there's a moment where she forgets to breathe entirely probable. gaze transfixed. it's likely had to tell if she's watching the performance or if her mind has left the premise entirely. spoiler, she is watching. so much so that she barely reacts to minseo's embrace. but her words totally confuse her when she finally speaks. first, it takes a moment for her mind to register that she is being talked too, second... why are we talking about zombie apocalypse? milan turns to glance at her friend, an expression that can only be interpreted as a giant question mark. "wait, what?"

but minseo as managed to bring her back to the present, and, if she has to guess, this was the whole point behind her actions. and since she has the mind of her a gold fish, she takes the bait. though, to give her some credit, she does make the choice to take the bait.

it's a true dilemma. something inside her doesn't even want to make the choice. neither would be better. she fights it. "bears!" she says, pointing at the small package. "when did you even have time to buy those?" she asks curiously. strangely enough, even spending what seems to be her entire time around the nova members, they all still manage to surprise her, do things without her knowledge... have their own secrets.

how sweet !

Unsurprisingly, the longer the group remained backstage, the more wacky the girl became. She had tried her best to remain from the view of the concertgoers, peeking her head out every so often when one of her favorite songs played in the setlist. She found herself enthralled by the energy that reverberated all in unison from the live band, the singers on stage, and the audience. She loosely embraces her friend, fighting the urge to pinch her cheeks. Rather than cute aggression, she kept complimenting @lgcmilan all day about her elegant visuals. Her friend's face stood out no matter the styling, and she shined even more on stage.

"I'd like to think that I have us covered if a zombie apocalypse occurs, but judging by my snacks in my backpack right now, I think we would only be getting cavities rather than sustenance." She rambles on, pulling away to grab her backpack from the chair. She unzips it halfway to grab an individual package of sour bears and chocolate biscuits in the shaped of a mushroom, holding it up triumphantly in the air. "Which one should we share?" She closes her backpack, hiding her snack hoarding tendencies from passerby. "Or, both?"

[lgcmilan]

she laughs knowingly. "yeah, that! also coming in when its dark and leaving when the sun rises! sometimes i can't tell which day we are and when's the last time i slept." she says lightly. the words would likely sound alarming to others, but this is the reality of idols, especially during promotion cycles. waking up at 3 to get their hair and makeup done, then film prerecording at 7am, go through a few more schedules during the day, only to come back later in the afternoon for the actual live show. if they are lucky, there are no other schedules like a fansign and they can head to the company early with hope to get off work before midnight. if they aren't, there are more schedules to film, and still work to be done back at the agency. those are the days when sleep is caught in fits and bits. one hour here, one hour there. one second you close your eyes while the makeup artists works on your eyes, the next, you're all dolled up because you doze off through the whole thing.

at jasper's question, she titls her head thoughtfully, trying to remember her feelings back then. the memory isn't far - she'll never forget her debut - but the actual feelings she had at that moment... it takes her a moment. "hmm kind of? but positive ones? like i was getting filled with love and immense happiness?" she smiles. "how was it for you?"

it still feels weird to be calling himself a leader a whole group. it seems like just yesterday he was still in full trainee mode, with the trainers moving to nitpick something else that he wasn't doing right(spoiler alert: it was a lot.) now, he wasn't really in the same building it felt like half the time. going from training in 12 hour days to promoting on music shows had to be some of the strongest whiplast he'd ever experienced.

and yet he wouldn't trade it for anything.

but he likes the feeling of normalcy like this, as he sees milan. someone who had been there since the beginning. he can't help the way his ears tint red when she calls him by the nickname and he shrugs, trying to seem casual. but working at usgen was anything but, really. "i wouldn't say that... i feel like i've memorized the walls at this point." he half-jokes, before he playfully nudges her. "uh... a bit nervewracking. did you get jolts when people screamed for you, too?"

[lgcmilan]

@STELLA_NOVA just posted a photo!

[ 🧚‍♀️] which one do you like better? i had a hard time picking, but in the end, stitch always wins 🤭

#nova #lgcent #yumilan

[lgcmilan]