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[lgcyichen]

"what reason would i have to poison him?" yichen sighed, the frustration evident in his voice. honestly, he had no motive and couldn't fathom why the more protective one assumed he did. sure, they were in a pocket realm where danger was unpredictable but unless there was some prize for being the last man standing, he had no desire to waste his qi on someone else. "if it helps, my sect isn't exactly known for assassins or thieves and there's no bounty on you."

reaching into his bag, yichen pulled out a glass bottle, uncapped it and tilted it to reveal a round, brown pill the size of a coin. "i got this from a healer. it's for pain relief." he moved cautiously toward @lgcxmax, sensing the skepticism. "if it looks suspicious, i totally get it. that was my first thought too. but it worked for me." he extended the pill towards max. "whether you want to take it or not is your choice."

[ ☺ ]

with the adrenaline wearing off, max began to realize what kind of toll the fight had taken on him. whereas he saw himself in no dire need of immediate attention, the pain did render him seated, leaning onto his weapon for support while holding a protective hand of her gash on his side the monster had managed to create.

it is though when the stranger introduces himself to be from the same realm his sister seemed to be from that max casts a hopeful, yet disbelieving glance towards @lgcminkyu. "minkyu... you think-," the statement is left aloft, yichen's assessment quite accurate and as much as he feels like there is something he keeps hidden from the two, he'd much rather have this conversation without the struggle to breathe easy.

"lets trust him. I'd like to have this conversation without the nasty reminder that my combat skills have become far too rusty."

[lgcyichen]

minkyu’s wariness was understandable. they were in a realm where not only cultivators, but creatures, could cast illusions on unsuspecting travelers. if yichen were injured in a foreign place like this, he’d be on guard too—especially for someone traveling alone. who knew when danger might lurk?

"xue yichen," he replied, bowing gracefully to the two strangers with one arm behind his back. even outside his own sect, he carried the same elegance that had been drilled into him at the sanctum since childhood. "in case you're wondering, i’m from the enchanted waves sanctum," he added, his voice calm and measured. the last thing he needed was to provoke the more protective-looking one into a fight.

yichen glanced upward, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand. for a moment, silence stretched between them, broken only by the distant chirping of birds and the gentle rustling of leaves in the breeze. if this place weren’t filled with man-eating beasts, he might have considered taking a nap here. "like i said, i’m just passing through," he repeated, keeping his response vague. after all, why would he tell strangers that he was actually helping his cousin search for his brother?

his eyes flicked briefly to the injured @lgcxmax before returning to the other. "believe it or not, that’s up to you. i’m just saying, your friend looks like he could use some help."

Before the strike can come, Max feels the movement of wind before he sees him, both surprised and relieved at the arrival of the sword wielder. it takes him a second to recognize the shine of the blade but especially when the other turns to address him is he left with certainty. he made that blade. how ironic that the very blade he made ended up saving his life.

max sighs, letting himself lean back and relax after the intense battle. his sword beside him he leans back onto his elbow, a smile on his lips. before he can answer however, a new person enters the scene and he finds himself looking at them before back to @lgcminkyu who seemed ready to continue and protect him should the newcomer pose a thread.

"yeah that's... that actually sounds great," he ends up agreeing thus, judging that the other seems to be from the very same region his sister seemed to come from. perhaps he could inquire him about her.

[lgcyichen]

if yichen ever found himself ripping his pants in the middle of filming, he'd rather preserve the last shred of his dignity than continue the game. from past experience, he knows that fans and the audience wouldn’t let such an incident go easily. he'd be forever remembered as 'the guy who ripped his pants' throughout the rest of his idol career. and if something like that happened during a performance… he doesn’t even want to think about it.

"if you say so…" yichen replies, still hesitant. if haneul is fine with it, then continuing the filming shouldn’t be a problem. he watched as his groupmate calmly took off his shirt and wrapped it around his waist, handling the situation with a level of professionalism that yichen knew he needed to learn. minor setbacks like this shouldn’t distract him from the main goal. "i think you’re the first one to rip your pants so far," he says with a laugh. "were your pants made of rice paper? how did they tear so easily?" it was a question that he had been wondering. unless the pants were old and worn out, they shouldn’t have ripped that easily.

Realizing that it indeed is what he feared, Haneul bursts out laughing. It's not like this never happened before, but it is many levels of embarrassing and legendary to have it happen while they're filming. However, Haneul also supposes if he's going down, he might as well go down in style. Besides, it's just a pair of ripped pants. He'll live. Besides, he is not going down without a fight. Not even a pair of ripped pants can stop him.

"I'm good. I've got this," Haneul says to Yichen with a determined nod. He doesn't want the schedule to be pushed even further behind. "The show must go on," Haneul says in between laughs. Without breaking from his semi-split position, he takes off the button-up shirt he's wearing and ties it around his waist. He thanks his past self for thinking to wear a tank top underneath. At least he's not completing the rest of the game shirtless. Besides, he supposes it could be fan service for those kinds of fans. Turning to the staff, Haneul playfully asks, "Have any of you ever ripped a pair of pants while playing this? Or is it just me?" Turning to Yichen. "How about you, Yichen hyung?"

[lgcyichen]

【 SIDE EVENT 021 / CHUSEOK 】             ✎... 266 words

the koreans and chinese each celebrate the mid-autumn harvest festival in their unique ways. while koreans exchange gifts, play folk games and pay respects to their ancestors, the chinese tradition involves carrying lanterns, eating mooncakes and worshipping the moon.

when yichen celebrated his first chuseok as a young teenager, he was in for a surprise. there were no mooncakes or lanterns. instead, he had to wake up early, dress in a hanbok and visit ancestral sites to pay his respects. afterward, he would spend the afternoon with his grandmother and cousins. however, as the day drew to a close, his parents would give him mooncakes to honor his cultural heritage.

this year's chuseok was much like the previous ones but something felt different to yichen. the day before, he returned home and spent time with his parents as usual. the next morning, he got up early, dressed in his hanbok and paid his respects before heading off to visit his grandmother. in the car, he buzzed with excitement; not just because it was chuseok, but because he would see max again. since max became a member of v&a, he had to move out of the dorms and their interactions became sporadic due to their busy schedules. the last time they had properly spent time together was the day before max relocated to v&a's dorms.

when yichen spotted max at their grandmother’s house, his eyes lit up. it was a rare opportunity to spend time with his idol cousin and yichen made sure they caught up on each other’s lives before work got in the way again.

[lgcyichen]

@LGCENT just posted a photo!

thanks to you, i'll make sure to take lots of rest so i can come back stronger!

#lgctrainees #lgcent #xueyichen

[lgcyichen]

【 LGC 5TH ANNIVERSARY / THE HARP'S OWNER 】             ✎... 262 words

mention: war, slavery

the war had claimed countless lives, leaving devastation in its wake. those fortunate enough to survive were often forced into slavery, their freedom stripped away.

an army seized yet another small village in the central plains. before departing back to the capital to celebrate their victory, a soldier noticed movement beneath the rubble. upon investigation, he discovered an injured woman. she was destined to join the other captured women but her fate changed when the general caught sight of her. captivated by something in her, he took her as his second wife and she later bore him a son.

this young boy was unlike his two older brothers. the eldest was rough and brutish, while the second was cunning and manipulative. with his delicate features, petite frame and the stigma of his mother's lowly status, yichen was quickly labeled an outcast. both he and his mother were shunned by the family, particularly by the general's first wife and her sons. one harsh winter, when the general was away at war, yichen and his mother were cast into the coldest part of the manor, abandoned to fend for themselves without the aid of servants.

the prolonged exposure to the freezing conditions took a severe toll on his mother's health. witnessing her decline, along with enduring relentless bullying from his siblings, yichen decided to take control of his fate. his determination led him to the enchanted waves sanctum, where his delicate appearance allowed him to become a performer. through relentless effort, yichen became one of the select disciples granted entry to the pocket realm.

[lgcyichen]

yichen was simply wandering, letting his feet choose his path, when a sudden commotion caught his attention. curiosity piqued, he found himself pushing through waist-high grass as he was drawn toward the noise. before him stood a man, seemingly resigned to his fate as a beast prepared to strike. in a flash, the sound of a sword cutting through the air was followed by the beast's hideous scream of agony. it was dead within seconds.

yichen held his breath as he observed the two figures. their attire suggested they were from the immortal blade palace. for a moment, he considered slipping away unnoticed, but after witnessing the second man's swift and deadly strike, he realized having someone with such skill nearby might be his best chance at survival.

with that thought, yichen stepped out from his hiding spot, cautiously approaching the duo. "i was just passing by when i heard the commotion," he admitted, raising both hands to show he meant no harm. his gaze shifted to @lgcxmax, who had several injuries from the fight. "i have some ointment with me. it looks like you could use it."

@lgcminkyu ; @lgcyichen

his sword is raised, heavy in his hands with his shoulders tense. with rapt attention he traces the movement of the beast before him, recognizing the clear disadvantage his heavy weapon gave him in comparison to the agile creature.

while he was very much capable of wielding the zweihänder, it was just the split second of a lack of reaction that left him expose to a frontal attack, leaving him in a conundrum of either dropping his weapon and dodge or taking the hit and hoping the retaliation strike would be strong enough to fell the beast.

he strengthened his resilience, his reflexes choosing the latter option. preparing for the hit to land the male squinted his eyes closed, awaiting a blow that never came.

[lgcyichen]

【 RAMEN DELIVERY 】              ✎... starter for @lgcheejin

tw: diet

as the group's debut approached, yichen became increasingly self-conscious. working out had never been his thing, but noticing his lack of stamina compared to the other boys made it clear that something needed to change. he knew the company would expect him to keep up when dance routines become more demanding in the future. so yichen reluctantly started joining the other trainees at the gym, hoping to improve his fitness and maybe even build some muscle.

the key to bulking up was to cut carbs and load up on protein. yichen committed to a diet of chicken breasts and lettuce. for the first week, he pushed himself while keeping a fit-looking body as his goal. as the days went on, it got tougher, especially when hunger struck after eight in the evening. finally, he caved with the excuse that he had worked hard for a week and deserved a cheat day. pulling out his phone, he quickly tapped out a message. "hey heejin, i heard you're out right now. could i ask you to grab something from the convenience store?"

[lgcyichen]

@LGCENT just posted a photo!

when you try to combine cool and cute poses in one picture

#lgctrainees #lgcent #xueyichen

[lgcyichen]

【 NEWKIDS NEWDREAMS 003 / JUST U 】             ✎... 214 words

yichen never imagined he’d be selected for a solo performance during the guerilla stage. it was a huge honor, especially for someone who initially aimed to become a model before joining the company. determined to make this debut solo performance unforgettable, yichen knew he had to pick a song that highlighted his unique vocal tone and image. he wanted something that felt natural, allowing him to focus on delivering an impactful performance without the pressure of hitting challenging notes.

after spending hours shuffling through a variety of songs by previous legacy artists and considering suggestions from his coaches and seniors, yichen finally settled on “just u” by haru’s joshua. after a staff told him about the positive feedback from the audience after covering shin's "bambi" a few years back, yichen thought another cover would help him impress even more people this time around.

though he’s not particularly drawn to songs about romance, the concept resonated with him. the song’s emphasis on vocals over dance also aligned perfectly with his strengths, making it the ideal choice for his solo performance. someone once told him that conveying emotions in a song could bridge the gap between the singer and the audience. hence, his focus now would be on delivering those feelings of love to his listeners.

[lgcyichen]

when it was haneul's turn to do the split, a ripping sound echoed, clearly audible from where he was standing. at first, he didn’t realize it came from a fabric tear, thinking it was someone zipping loudly behind the camera. he turned to look around the camera crew, wondering who interrupted their filming session. but everyone’s eyes were on haneul. some with surprised expressions, others giggling. "what’s going o-" the truth dawned on him when he saw the other male's embarrassed expression.

"hold on, don’t move," he whispered loudly enough for haneul to hear then looked at their manager. "should we stop filming this?" he asked with a nervous laugh. when he didn’t get an immediate response, he turned back to his group mate. "do you want to pause filming? we can continue once you change into something… less airy." although this is supposed to be competitive, yichen's more concerned for haneul than winning.

This all started as a joke that ended up being one of their collective better ideas. Now, Haneul is determined to win to avoid whatever nonsense Yichen has in mind for him and make Yichen do what he has prepared instead. After all, this guerilla concert is his first appearance with his name and face out there and not just as another nameless trainee. To do that, Haneul must first conquer this game of rock, paper, scissors, splits. He laughs as he takes a step back to let Yichen do the splits. "We have the same leg length, babe," Haneul says between giggles.

"Rock, paper, scissors, splits!" He throws scissors this time, and he dramatically screams in defeat (he has to make this as funny as possible for the ones watching) as he has to do the splits this time. He's flexible so it's not a problem. He hasn't lost the game yet. However, on his way down, he hears a ripping sound. Staring at Yichen in a mix of both amusement and horror, he silently prays to all his ancestors that this isn't what he thinks it is.

[lgcyichen]

【 SPLIT AND SPLITS 】              ✎... starter for @lgchxneul

"rock, paper, scissors, splits!" yichen held out a balled fist, only to let out a sound of disappointment as he lost the round. one of his legs had to slide across the ground to touch the tip of haneul's shoe. this intense gymnastics game was part of promoting the guerilla concert, and whoever lost had to do something silly in public. as usual, yichen would not pass up the challenge.

"this is unfair! my legs are clearly shorter," he grumbled as his feet slid forward again. "can i get at least some help? maybe a bottle to make up for the height difference?" he pulled back his hand as the next round started. this time, he won and regained his balance. "oh, finally!" he cried out in happiness as his legs finally got a break.

[lgcyichen]

【 NEWKIDS NEWDREAMS 003 / GIRLS, LOVE BOYS, LOVE GIRLS 】             ✎... 333 words

when yichen first heard the song, it was so catchy that his little round head immediately started bopping to the beat. he felt confident he could deliver the song well and pass the evaluations, but for the sake of perfection, he practiced singing it anyway. everything went smoothly... until the chorus. although yichen speaks english, he wasn’t confident or fluent in it, leading to some difficulty with the first chorus.

"girls, love boys, love bo- ahh, no, that's not it!" yichen let out an exhausted groan, leaning back and covering his face with the lyric sheet. fifteen minutes had passed since he started trying to perfect the chorus. there were quite a few english words in the first chorus, and worse yet, the chorus repeated twice. he had to ensure he didn't fumble during the evaluation.

"it's 'girls, love boys, love girls.' g-i-r-l-s. girls. even if english isn't your strongest language, it isn't that difficult to pronounce," the coach scolded, letting out a loud sigh and stuffing both hands into his jacket pockets. of course, it wasn't difficult for a coach who had probably done it more than a hundred times.

"girls… love boys… love girls." yichen tried again, this time slower to grasp the rhythm and perfect his pronunciation. after repeating the sentence thrice, he increased the speed. once he could speak the sentence clearly, he adjusted to the tempo of the chorus. "girls, love boys, love girls. 'love' at the same intensity. too hot, too shine. 'love' at the same pace." he tapped his feet, finding the same rhythm to stay on beat. "good job!" the coach applauded softly. "now you just have to repeat this twice for the first chorus. but for the second round, you'll add three more words at the front: 'i love the girls, the boys, the girls.'"

yichen inhaled deeply, lips pressed into a thin line as he forced a smile. daehyun and hyunbin sunbaes were indeed geniuses for coming up with such a catchy song.

[lgcyichen]

the moment bk dropped the dumbbell on the ground, yichen had to shut his eyes and press his lips together to stop himself from laughing. he wasn't sure if his hands were trembling from holding back the laughter, but he hoped the phone's stabilizing option was turned on.

he hated to burst bk's bubble, but firstly, the company wouldn't allow him to release songs anytime soon. secondly, nobody said he couldn't bring a keyboard into the gym, but he decided to keep his mouth shut to avoid giving his group mate even more crazy ideas.

he found himself moving the phone every so often to find the best angle for the other male. ugh, why did he have to lie down? a part of him wanted to give up and take the video from the top, but he knew darn well that wasn't the most flattering angle. in the end, he settled for a slightly diagonal angle between bk's side and top view. "next question, please spill your gym routine."

"Talent? Don't you mean what's one of my many tale - " He's a quarter way through a single rep with his dumbbell when he realizes he's taken the bit a little too far. He drops it on the ground, trying his best to speak over the heavy thud and clang that has a number of other gymgoers eying them suspiciously.

"Aha - Yeah, my talent. Definitely rapping," he grins, rocking back up onto his feet. He starts to perform a few of his lines from 'Doom Du Doom' - with a few on the spot lyric modifications ( only a slight spoiler, if you asked him ). "I like songwriting and producing a lot too. Maybe you'll be streaming some of my songs real soon," he adds with a wink.

He can almost feel Yichen cringing from where he stood. He finally takes off his glasses - no need to have any more footage of him falling in public - and starts to wander to another part of the gym. He'd already set up a yoga mat and a water bottle for a quick nap stretch session. He flops onto it, letting his legs sprawl this way and that. "Oh, did I mention I play piano too? Too bad it's frowned upon to bring a keyboard to the gym..."

[lgcyichen]

【 INTIMATE NOTE (SPRING 2024) / DEAR NOEUL... 】             ✎... 250 words

yichen wasn't the most expressive person when it came to giving compliments. he preferred showing his appreciation through small actions, like purposely ordering a lot of food and leaving the 'leftovers' untouched for his hardworking friends. so, when he had to write a letter to noeul, he took his time to pour his sincerity onto the paper.

"dear noeul,

even though we've never sat down for a proper conversation before, i'm so glad that the person i have to do this show with is you. at first, i thought you were just another chaotic guy in our future group, but after going through this experience, i realize there's more to you than i thought. besides teasing me (which i hope you enjoyed), i can't help but notice a certain level of maturity in you. when given a chance to draw on my face, i expected something silly or ugly, but instead, i got two little hearts.

i feel this show is doing a great job at bringing two people closer because i have a more positive impression of you now than before. since we'll be seeing more of each other in the future, i hope we can cast aside the awkwardness and hang out more often. i look forward to the fun times we'll be sharing together as a group.

yichen."

after writing the letter, yichen decided to decorate it with tiny doodles of his own. hopefully, these drawings would tone down the seriousness and add a hint of playfulness.

[lgcyichen]

having experience with herbal drinks since he was young gave yichen an advantage. even though the staff rejected his request, he had another trick up his sleeve to avoid tasting the bitterness. if he couldn't pinch his nose, he could hold his breath while downing the drink. technically, it's normal to do that while swallowing liquid, as the airway closes to prevent the drink from entering the lungs. yichen held his breath throughout, tilting his head back to let the drink flow down his throat until he had to breathe again. the strong bitterness in the aftertaste was enough to make him scrunch his face.

with that whole thing behind him, he felt a sense of relief as they moved on to the next segment. he looked at the board with options hidden, curious to know what lay behind the stickers. "to be fair, i think this is more about personal preference than showing how close we are. i mean, we're all different," he explained, watching noeul peel off the first sticker. "ohh, definitely sunset for me too," he replied, avoiding eye contact with noeul as he peeled off the next sticker. "summer or winter… i think i'm more of a summery person, but not one who particularly enjoys sitting under the sun for too long."

He visibly deflates when Yichen doesn't play along, lower lip jutting out into a fleeting pout. He shakes his head at the Yichen's optimistic perspective. His drink looked murky, but he did have a tendency of exaggerating anything. At this point, he was praying that drink went down smoothly. He tilts his head, foregoing pinching his nose after the staff rejected Yichen's request and downs the drink like a he was enjoying a cold bottle of water. Besides the unavoidable bitterness, he didn't think the herbal undertone was too bad. "Ugh." His nose scrunched in disgust, shoulders lifting when a shiver runs down his spine. "I better live at least another year longer after drinking it all. People don't drink that regularly, right? My sinuses do feel clearer..."

He desperately wanted a gallon of water to rid himself of the aftertaste, or ten pieces of mint gum, which he felt would have helped better. However, their next challenge was awaiting them and with no mention of another punishment, he felt his shoulders losing the tension. He helps the staff with positioning the placard, options hidden behind stickers the two of them would remove. "I feel like this might be either bring us closer, or show how truly different we are?" He states with a soft laugh, peeling the sticker for the first set of opposing choices. "Sunset or Sunrise?" He reads aloud, humming softly when he meets Yichen's gaze to respond along with the man. "Sunset!"

[lgcyichen]

"we don't have to drink it if—" yichen began, wanting to say they wouldn't have to drink whatever was given to them if they passed this round. but alas, the sound of the bell signaled their failure. "never mind." he tilted his head back, hands on his hips, and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. it was such a simple game, but they had lost, and now he had to drink some weird concoction created by the staff. a disgusted look was obvious on his face when someone served them the mysterious drink on a tray.

he took his glass and sniffed it, only to pull back with a gagging expression. yichen turned his back to the camera to save his remaining dignity from the ugly expression the drink had caused. "can i pinch my nose while drinking?" he pleaded with the staff, only for his request to be rejected. "i think we should drink this normally," he suggested to noeul, smiling through gritted teeth. he had been stepping out of his comfort zone and holding his groupmate's hand for what felt like an hour, only to lose the game and now face drinking something horrible as punishment. "this is a healthy drink. it's good for your body. you'll probably live another hundred years after this."

"About that drink— D-Do you want to drink mine?" He offered with peak comedic timing, staff barely catching up to notify them with the single bell sound that their third and final round ended in utter failure. He figures the penalty would be another way of forced bonding, but he was fearing Yichen's reaction. He was crossing his fingers that the drink wasn't too terrible. He wasn't so secret about his pickiness with food, but he refused to gag and embarrass himself in front of the camera. He had tried herbal drinks before and the key to finishing a shot was to not breathe. Just a few seconds and the two of them could quickly move on to the next challenge.

His eyes widen when the drink wasn't a shot, but rather a substantial amount. He had fucked up massively. He wrinkles his nose, avoiding Yichen's gaze to grab onto the glass. "Should we drink this like newlyweds?" He suggests, releasing an exhale of defeat. He steps closer to Yichen, offering his arm to link them together if he so wishes to play along his absurd request. He lifts the glass to his lips, eyes fluttering close for a brief moment to question his choices. "Here is to us living long healthy lives together, embracing our quirks and similarities, and best of all, thoroughly enjoying what we love most: music!"