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cloudbersoo · 1 year

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easy for you to say｜sung hanbin

synopsis: what happens when bloom dance academy's golden boy sung hanbin needs a new duet partner and y/n is the only one available?

or; will y/n be able to fall in love with dance again? perhaps they'll fall for someone in the process.

tags: sung hanbin x gn!reader, dancer au, fluff, attempt at angst, insecure reader, miscommunication, happy ending, featuring: zb1 matthew and jiwoong, twice momo, exo kai, itzy yeji, ryujin and chaeryeong!!

word count: 5.4k

a/n: this whole fic was inspired by the ‘i like that’ dance hanbin recreated on weekly idol. i’ve never been more attracted to a man in my life, so here is a very self indulgent fic i wrote!! also this is barely proofread, so sorry for any grammar mistakes! hihi enjoy

my playlist while writing: easy for you to say & bleach by 5sos, sugarcoat (natty solo) by kiss of life, thanks to by woodz, blooming day by exo-cbx, anywhere but home by seulgi

i. that’s not good

every dancer has their bad days. but when those bad days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months, suddenly your entire dance season has been nothing but awful. that’s how your previous season went, and this year hasn’t been any different either. you weren’t chosen for any of the small groups this year for any competition. you didn’t even dare to dream of a solo, even when you had one just a few years ago.

you used to be at the top, one of the coaches favourites. you’ve danced at bloom dance academy since you were three, and had gained a good reputation at the studio over the years. though, now that seems so far in the past. you were in a deep slump, one that you couldn’t get out of no matter how much you practiced. you think you’d do anything to love dancing again the way you used to.

you were currently at the studio, waiting for the full group rehearsal to start, while one of the small groups was going over their dance with coach momo. you were sitting in a corner alone, while others were socialising or going through other dances on their own. your eyes were completely fixated on one particular dancer, one that probably made you more insecure than any other – sung hanbin.

hanbin was basically your complete opposite. he only started dancing in middle school, and joined bloom dance academy only last season. everyone around him loved him, and rightfully so, as hanbin was truly amazing. his body control and facial expressions were something you could only dream of right now. his skills didn’t come out of nowhere though, everyone knew how hard he worked. and unlike you, his hard work paid off.

looking at hanbin made you feel horrible about yourself, but you couldn’t look away. he was so mesmerising to you, the way he carried himself through choreography, and how he helped those around him. you were in too deep thought to notice a couple of your teammates approaching you. it took for one of them to speak for you to finally notice your friends. “y/n, did you hear about yeji?” your teammate matthew asked you as he sat down next to you.

“no i haven’t, did something happen?” you responded, finally taking your eyes off of hanbin. you noticed besides matthew, chaeryeong and ryujin had approached you. “she injured her knee really badly at practice yesterday, she’s still at the doctors, they’re trying to figure out what’s wrong” chaeryeong opened up, clearly worried for her friend. injuries at this point of the season were the worst, but they happen every time. last year jiwoong dislocated his elbow a week before competition and all formations had to be redone.

“that doesn’t sound too good” you said, taking a sip from your water bottle. yeji won’t recover in time for the competition in four weeks, you assumed. not only will you have to redo all the formations for the full group performance and for her small group, your team will need a new female soloist and a duet partner for hanbin as well. “yeah, she’s out” ryujin confirmed your suspicions. “momo asked me for the solo, but i don’t think i can do it” she continued, brushing her hand through her hair.

“i feel so bad for yeji, but at least there's a little more time than last year” matthew said in an attempt to lighten the mood. his comment did get a few chuckles out of you.

after a moment of silence, ryujin spoke once again. “how about you y/n? could you do the solo?” ryujin asked a question that almost made you laugh. “coach would never even consider me, and… i don’t even have anything ready” you replied lowering your head in shame. it was true though, you were probably the last person momo would consider as yeji’s replacement for anything.

“okay guys! let’s start going over the new formations!” your coach declared, clapping her hands to get the whole room's attention.

ii. y/n coming to the rescue!

you were exhausted, just like everyone else in the room. your coach had said “one more time” at least ten times tonight, but finally practice had officially come to an end. today’s rehearsal had gladly eased most people's minds from yeji’s injury. however, you could only worry about your own performance, as today’s practice had barely helped you improve at all. you were packing your stuff, as you heard your coach calling your name. “hey y/n, could i talk to you for a second?” momo asked.

your mind could only think of the worst. momo was going to tell you that you’re cut from the full group completely, because you can’t get your shit together. it made sense, today’s new formations were going to look better with one less dancer, and obviously you were the first in line to go. you tried to hide your nervousness, answering her with a hum. you stuffed the last of your things into your bag and walked to your coach. “yeah, is this about the full group?” you went straight to the point.

“actually no” she started, sitting down on a chair. you were relieved, but only partly, as you had no idea where the conversation was going. “it’s about yeji’s and hanbin’s duet” momo continued, your coach visibly stressed. you could only imagine what had been going through her head the past 24 hours since yeji’s injury. she let out a loud sigh. “y/n i know you’ve had quite rough year, but i think it could be a great challenge for you”

“what do you mean? sorry coach, i’m not following” you questioned. she couldn't possibly be offering you a spot in a duet, let alone one with hanbin.

“you should do the duet with hanbin, i think you could handle it” momo said hopefully. she took your hands into hers, looking at you with pleading eyes. it was almost working, but something in you couldn't agree to it. you couldn’t possibly handle the duet, not when someone else could do a much better job than you. “i don’t know momo…” you responded.

“hanbin! please convince her to do the duet with you” momo suddenly said, her eyes leaving yours. while your talk with the coach, you had failed to notice the presence of hanbin behind you. you freed yourself from momo’s hold as you turned around to see the boy. “i just think someone else would be a much better match for the duet, i’ve seen it myself” you tried to reason.

“no! i think you’d be perfect!” hanbin said, which felt like an exaggeration to you. truthfully, you’d love to do a duet with someone so amazing as hanbin, you would be dumb not to, but your insecurities were holding you back. the duet was difficult, and with the little time you had, you weren’t sure if you could pick it up. few years ago it would’ve been easy, but now you weren’t so sure. “c’mon y/n, i need you” he begged.

“you don’t have any other dances besides the full group, so you’ll have enough time to rehearse” momo added. you looked at both of them, the two of them looking at you hopefully. while you still didn't quite understand why they were so determined to get you to do the duet, you were beginning to yield to them.

“well, when would we start then?” you asked carefully. your words made both of them squeal out of joy. hanbin wrapped his hands around you and squished you into a hug. “thank you thank you thank you” he rejoiced, spinning you around in the air. you weren’t sure if this was going to work, but having people who believed in you definitely helped.

iii. cries and confessions

the duet was not going well, at least not as well as it should be at this point. you had rehearsed for almost a week with hanbin, and while you had picked up some of the choreography, most of it was still not clicking for you. hanbin had been more than patient with you, but his patience wasn’t getting you that far.

you groaned out of frustration for the thirtieth time in the past hour. you were having difficulty with your footwork for a fast part in the choreography, and no matter how many times hanbin went slowly over it, you were not getting the timing right. “y/n it’s okay, you’ll get it eventually” he tried comforting you once again. you sighed, wiping the sweat off your forehead. “no hanbin, i’m not getting it” you snapped back, your words coming out much harsher than you intended. “i’m sorry, i just- i hate that i can’t seem to get anything right” you apologised, covering your face with your hands out of embarrassment.

“do you wanna talk about it?” he asked carefully. you’ve been asked this question many times over the past two years. your teammates, momo, your parents, even the studio head, jongin had asked you if you needed to talk about whatever mental block you were going through. but you never did, because there wasn’t anything to talk about, at least that’s how you felt, and you told hanbin that. “you sure? i mean there’s clearly something going on… i get it if you don’t want to talk to me about it, but i’m here for you if you need me” he responded to you.

“what would you even know? you joined the studio after my good days” you mumbled, choosing to sit down onto the dance floor, not expecting hanbin to hear you. the boy sat down next to you, sitting close to you, your shoulders almost touching. the close proximity shouldn’t have made your heart race the way it did, at least not after dancing so close to each other for hours to an end for the past week.

“i saw your solo couple years ago at a competition, and i thought you were amazing” he confessed. hanbin was looking at you delicately, his words filled with sincerity. you never thought someone so skilled and awesome dancer like hanbin would ever say something like that to you. “you’re pretty much the reason i'm here, at bloom” he continued, his words making you speechless. “i mean, if the studio had someone as cool as you, the teachers must be something too” hanbin kept rambling, getting slightly shy over his confession, his cheeks flushed.

hanbin’s confession made you feel appreciated and sad at the same time. your eyesight was getting blurry from the tears that were about to break through. “well, that was me few years ago” you started, trying your hardest not to start crying in front of him. you locked eyes with him and he was looking at you with sorrowness. “and this is me now, someone that can barely keep up with everyone” your voice cracked, tears finally sliding down your cheeks.

hanbin didn’t say anything after that. he wrapped his hand around shoulders, lowering your head to rest on his chest. he just held you as you sobbed. it was slightly uncomfortable, the two of you were still sweaty from practice, but you couldn’t care about that for now. you were starting to calm down as hanbin stroked your arm up and down. you brought your hands to wipe out your tears, apologising to the boy for drenching his shirt even more. “i’m just wasting our time by crying like this” you said.

“it’s okay y/n, you know, sometimes letting your emotions out can help you to move on” hanbin claimed, smiling softly at you. letting go of your shoulder, he brushed some of your hair behind your ear. “should we end practice for today? i could drive you home if you’d like” the boy suggested.

“i think i’d rather walk and cool down a little, but thanks” you gave hanbin a weak smile and started getting up. he seemed to take your word, as he got up as well and started cleaning up the practice room with you. the room was filled with comfortable silence, and you were glad you had someone like hanbin to rely on.

iv. nothing happened!

after your heart to heart with hanbin, rehearsals had started to go much smoother. some days were better than others, but at least you weren’t pouring out your frustration onto him. aside from a few lifts, you two had finished the whole choreography, and you felt good about it. even momo was pleased with your work, after you had shown her your progress. while the duet was still far from perfect, you and hanbin were confident you could do well at the competition.

hanbin had also become more friendly with you over the past few weeks. he always greeted you with a hug, asked how you were doing, and kept insisting on driving you home after you were done, which was something you could no longer deny. he’d come up to you during practice if he ever noticed you frustrated, cheering you up and giving you much needed advice, while also offering to refill your water bottle. thanks to hanbin, you were slowly starting to enjoy dance again, and you think you’ll be forever grateful to him for that.

it was late friday night, only you and hanbin were left at the studio. hanbin had convinced you to stay for another hour to practice one of the lifts for your duet. while you thought it would be safer to practice with momo around, hanbin assured you he wouldn’t let you get hurt. so there you were, forty minutes later, probably at your hundred attempt of the lift. you had never been the best at any tricks or lifts, and at this point you didn’t think you'd ever quite get them.

however, hanbin was determined to get the lift right before you went home. “it’s not that hard y/n” he said, his hands on both sides of your hips. there was no hint of impatience in his voice, while he looked at you with such care. “easy for you to say, mr. i’m perfect at everything” you teased, getting a laugh out of him.

“hey! none of that!” he scolded you with a pout. “just trust me, i’m gonna catch you no matter what, okay?” he continued, squeezing your hips for reassurance. you only nodded, and on the count of three, hanbin lifted you in the air again. everything was going well, until you felt one of your hands slip, and the next moment you were laying on top of habin on the floor.

his hands were tightly wrapped around your body, and you could feel his heart beating fast into his chest. hanbin’s face was mere centimetres away from yours. “oh my god! are you okay?” you worried, trying to get off of him, but his grip only tightened. the act made you stop in your tracks, your cheeks warming up. “h-hanbin” you stuttered, now worried the boy had hit his head or something.

“see? i said i wasn’t going to let you hit the floor” he only laughed. sighing out of relief, you brushed his bangs out of the way of his eyes. hanbin looked beautiful, even when he was all worn out from the hours of practice. you’ve always thought so, but now seeing it up close you were certain about it. he smiled at you, showing off his famous whisker dimples. you smiled back, as your hands laid against his chest. you noticed his eyes travelling down your face, to your lips, and at that moment you couldn’t stop yourself from hesitantly leaning into him.

“oh sorry, didn’t know you guys were still here” you heard a voice coming from the door. being snapped back to reality, hanbin finally let go of you. you standed up and helped hanbin to do the same, the two of you now recognizing the person that had entered the room as jiwoong. “did i interrupt something?” his voice was filled with amusement.

“no not at all, we were just about to finish” hanbin’s whole face and neck hued the colour pink, as he spitted out the biggest lie of his life.

v. flirting 101

you couldn’t stop thinking about hanbin all weekend, how the two of you almost kissed if only jiwoong hadn’t interrupted you. when did you even start liking him?

while you could’ve just texted him, you never found the right thing to send. what were you supposed to say to him? you thought about asking for advice from some of your teammates but eventually decided against it, knowing they wouldn’t have anything smart to say. you could almost hear chaeryeong’s teasing words just thinking about it.

you had yet to find time to rehearse your duet together, as hanbin needed time to practice his solo. you had tried to talk to him multiple times, but snitched out last second each time, claiming that it was only because you couldn’t bother him at the moment. in reality, you felt nervous around him. you don’t remember the last time you’ve felt this way towards someone, let alone almost kissed someone.

you had stayed at the studio after practice to help momo with your team’s costumes for the competition. it seemed that you struggled with saying no when someone asks for your help. it was late again, the studio nearly empty, when you were finally ready to go home. walking towards the exit, you noticed one of the practice rooms was still in use. curiosity getting the best of you, you decided to take a look at who was still practicing at the late hour. in the room was hanbin, rehearsing alone again.

hanbin was fully focused on the music, his body hitting every beat of the song. the way he moved was captivating to you, like he was putting some type of spell on you. it wasn’t that surprising that you fell for him so easily. you thought hanbin was the most beautiful when he was in his element, when he danced.

he was too concentrated to notice you at the door. as the song came to an end, he was completely out of breath. you couldn’t help but to clap, finally revealing yourself to the boy. the act made hanbin burst out of his own bubble, seeing you in the mirror first, giving you a tired smile before turning around. “that was amazing” you praised the boy as you fully stepped into the room.

“thank you” hanbin shyly responded, walking towards his stuff and taking a towel to wipe the sweat out of his face. you went up to him and offered him his water bottle. he smiled at you before speaking up again, “what are you still doing here this late?” his voice was filled with worry, but he was still glad to see you regardless.

“you should worry about yourself” you replied, your comment getting a small chuckle out of him. hanbin seemed tired, his eyes sleepy and hair all over the place. he must’ve had a lot of pressure on him, when so many people were counting on him to do well. you took a step closer to the boy, reaching up to fix his hair. “you’re doing great hanbin” you felt the need to reassure him, his face finally relaxing from your touch. after a while of playing with his hair, you lowered your hand to his cheek, wiping the last of sweat that was left.

“i didn’t take you for a touchy person” hanbin said teasingly, making you quickly retreat your hand from his face. your cheeks started to warm up from embarrassment. was this how you acted when you liked someone? you made an attempt at hiding by turning your face away. the boy in front of you just giggled, mumbling about how cute you were being.

“do you have time tomorrow? to practice our duet i mean” you asked, trying to change the subject.

“hmm, let me think about that” hanbin pretended to think about your question for a while. “yes! but only on one condition” he said with a mischievous smile. his behaviour made you suspicious, you had yet to get used to hanbin’s playful side. hanbin took your confused face as a sign to continue, “when we win with our duet, i can take you on a date”

his straightfulness caught you off guard, but you couldn’t hold back the smile that broke into your face. knowing there were mutual feelings between the two of you gave you butterflies in your stomach. there was a hint of nervousness in hanbin, so you didn’t want to keep him waiting for an answer for too long. “if we win” you said, emphasising the word if.

“so it’s a date?” his wide smile matched yours. you nodded as confirmation, and before you knew it, hanbin quickly embraced you in his arms. you laughed how gross and sweaty he was, as he leaned back to look at you, with a pout on his lips.

“let’s go home then, i’ll drive you.”

vi. heartbreaks

your heart dropped the moment you saw yeji walk into the studio, her knee seemingly fine. everyone was shocked to see her going into jongin’s office. it was one week before the competition, and no one knew what yeji’s return could mean for the team. were jongin and momo going to let her dance? what could that mean for you and hanbin’s duet? you couldn’t hear their conversation where you were, and the suspense was killing you.

deciding you could no longer sit around waiting, you went over to the office door to eavesdrop. “we finally got the formation to work for the full group! we can’t just go and change them all over again for you!” momo’s voice said, notably worked up by yeji’s sudden appearance. yeji kept on pleading for the two to let her come, as she didn’t want to miss the competition, “then at least let me do the rest!”

“i don’t think it’d be fair for the others, ryujin has worked hard on the solo” jongin tried to explain.

“i already talked with everyone! ryujin, hanbin, they’re all okay with it!” yeji claimed.

hearing hanbin’s name mentioned made you freeze on your spot. your insecurities were starting to creep in again, your mind filled up with questions. did hanbin rather do the duet yeji instead? when did they even talk about it together? it hadn’t even been twelve hours since you last saw him.

maybe hanbin was relieved after hearing that yeji was okay. he had a much bigger chance to win with her than with you. maybe this whole time you’ve just been one big project to him, while he waited for yeji to get better.

you thought you were already over all this, being the second choice – but no, you weren’t even an option at this point. the past weeks have been the first time in years when you’ve felt great when you danced. you felt like you had finally improved, able to move on from your slump. you must’ve been just a joke to him, to everyone. tears were falling down your cheeks, your chest feeling too tight to breathe.

“there you are y/n!” you heard a very familiar voice calling you, but you couldn’t even move to see him. hanbin sounded out of breath as he finally approached you. “i was looking for you, there’s something i need to tell you” he continued, putting his hand on your shoulder. his touch finally made you shift, as you moved out of the boy's touch, you saw his concerned face. you could only watch him for a second, before you knew you had to get out of there.

“good luck with that duet” you said before taking your leave.

vii. making up and making …out?

since getting cut off from the duet, you've been avoiding hanbin like plague all week. he had tried to talk to you multiple times, but you ran off each time. you’ve tried to distract yourself by practicing on your own, and offering to help chaeryeong, matthew and jiwoong with their trio. it only helped you for awhile, because most times hanbin would show up and try to explain himself. you don’t know how many times you’ve told him to just focus on the competition instead of running after you.

you weren’t really mad at him, it wasn’t his fault that yeji came back. deep down you knew he probably had an explanation for everything, he wouldn’t have tried to talk to you otherwise. after calming down you could no longer blame yeji for losing your duet either, you would’ve likely done the same thing if you were her. she worked hard too, even to the point of injuring herself. you were mostly just mad at yourself, embarrassed how you’ve handled the whole thing, and letting your insecurities get the best of you again.

it was the last day of competition, and you were sitting in the audience, as you didn’t have any dances left. there was a small break between the small group category and the solos. your team did well, however, you could tell something was off with hanbin as he danced. it wasn’t something the judges could notice, but you knew hanbin, and something was clearly off. you were worried, but you didn’t think it would be a good idea to talk to him right now, as he was somewhere probably getting ready for his solo.

“hi, can i sit with you?” you were surprised to see yeji out here in the audience, let alone approaching you of all people. you nodded as a response, and she sat down next to you. there was an awkward silence between the two of you. you thought about what you should say to her, if you were even supposed to. both of you sat stiff, looking everywhere but each other. “shouldn’t you be getting ready for your solo?” you tried testing the waters.

“i’m not doing it” she replied, her hands gripping the corners of her chair, as she looked down to her legs. it quickly got quiet again, neither of you saying anything. you wondered if yeji’s knee wasn’t as fine as she made it seem or if something else was going on. yeji didn’t let you think for long as she finally spoke again, “i couldn’t take it away from ryujin…”

“but you could take it from me?” your words coming out of your mouth more harshly than you intended. regretting what you said, you shook your head, telling yeji to forget what you just said.

“no y/n, i should’ve asked you first, i’m sorry” she interrupted you. “i just- i was so excited to dance again… too excited even, i failed to notice that hanbin would’ve much rather danced with you. but you know him, he’s too nice to say anything” yeji explained, the last bit making you both chuckle. you were glad yeji apologised to you, even when you were never angry with her in the first place.

“do you really think that? that he would’ve rather danced with me?” you asked, wanting to believe what she said, you just needed some more reassurance.

“obviously! i might not have been around when the two of you got closer but i’ve heard some stories from jiwoong and chaeryeong” she teased, nudging your shoulder. your cheeks blushed, as you figured yeji was referring to the night jiwoong had caught you two almost kissing at the studio. “i bet he’s already halfway through choreographing your duet for next season” she continued. yeji’s words made you feel shy and giddy, they gave you the sudden urge to see him, to talk to him.

“i think i should go find him” you stood up from your seat, looking around for the fastest route to your team’s dressing room. yeji gave you an encouraging push, telling you to hurry before he needs to go up on stage.

you ended up finding hanbin before you even got to the dressing room. you found him warming up close to the stage, already in his costume. he noticed you coming right away, giving you a small smile and a wave. saying your hello’s, you stopped awkwardly few steps away from him. “how are you feeling?” you asked carefully, not sure how he’d react to you suddenly showing up.

“i’m okay, just a little nervous” he answered quietly, continuing his stretching. you just stood there, awkwardly, not knowing what to say. you didn’t really plan ahead when you suddenly decided to find him. hanbin got up, now fully looking at you, but he didn’t say anything like you hoped he would. the two of you just stared at one another, neither knowing what to say. you could no longer bear the silence, so you finally spoke, “i’m sorry.”

“no, i’m sorry, i should’ve talked to you” hanbin took your hands to his, holding onto them like his life depended on it. his eyes were sorrowful, all this must have pained him the past week, and it was mostly your fault.

“i mean you tried to…” you reminded him, hoping that he would stop blaming himself. he let out an airy laugh, a smile finally breaking to his face. announcement could be heard in the background, telling everyone that the solo category would be starting in a few minutes, and you could see hanbin tense up.

“you’re going to kill it, don’t worry” you reassured him, deciding to embrace the boy in a hug. he wrapped his arms around in a second, squeezing you tight. “you think so?” he mumbled next to your ear.

“hanbin, let’s go!” you could hear jongin yell from a distance. you took a look at hanbin, not quite ready to let go yet. “yes, and i’ll be right here watching” you said, with one more thing in your mind that you thought would help him. you looked around your surroundings, hoping that jongin wouldn’t be looking, before doing something you should’ve done weeks ago. you leaned in and kissed the boy, wrapping your arms around his neck.

hanbin kissed you back after a moment of shock, and you could feel him smile against your lips. parting ways, the two of you now giggling like little kids. “I’ll be back” he let go of you, starting to walk towards jongin, who had an amused smile on his face.

to put it simply, hanbin had never danced as well as he did then, and he was sure it was all thanks to you.

viii. lets dance

“are your eyes closed?” hanbin asked you for the fifth time, as he was moving you towards his surprise. it had been a few days since the competition, and today hanbin had been acting really suspicious. you were informed by matthew that you should stay at the studio after practice, and he left without telling you why. your questions were finally answered, when hanbin started dragging you out of the dressing room, putting his hands in front of your eyes.

“yes, you’ve made sure of it” you answered, acting bothered by his antics. “okay okay, but no lurking!” he said excitingly, helping you to get over a higher threshold. you could tell you had entered one of the practice rooms, but you had no idea what hanbin had planned. you two stopped walking, and hanbin finally let you open your eyes, “you can open now!”

once you did open them, you wouldn't believe what laid in front your eyes. the entire room was decorated with fairy lights all over the room. the view was beautiful, and you were in complete awe. you never thought hanbin would do something like this. “hanbin…” you were completely speechless.

“shh, that’s not all” he said, as a familiar song started playing from the speakers. you turned to hanbin as you recognized the song, it was the song for your duet. he smiled at you, offering you his hand. “dance with me” he said quietly. you took his hand without hesitation, and he pulled you into the middle of the dance floor. you started dancing the choreography, the room filling up with laugh and giggles.

dancing with hanbin just felt right. it made you feel at ease, moves coming easily to you as the two of you spinned around the dance floor. you never wanted this moment to end, that’s how much you were enjoying it. for a long time you haven’t enjoyed dance as much as you did right now, with hanbin. and suddenly it hit you – you loved dancing again.

…and maybe you loved hanbin too.

- end

bonus:

“y/n, will you be my duet partner?”

“only if you’ll be my boyfriend as well”

“i like this deal”

#zb1 #zerobaseone #sung hanbin #zb1 x reader #zb1 sung hanbin #zb1 hanbin #sung hanbin x reader #sung hanbin fic #zb1 fluff #zb1 fics #zerobaseone hanbin #kpop #cloudbersoofic

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c3stlav1e · 3 months

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˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ LA VIE DOES... Trauma Candy Salad !

this is me btw. has posted a TikTok!

insp by @bluwavez !

tw: this trend is based on trauma dumping on the internet!! the following mentions topics such as abandonment, drugs, grooming, csa, homophobia, stalking, death threats, eating disorders, and domestic violence. please proceed with caution!!

The video begins with a woman leaning back in her chair, looking off-camera for a cue to start. When she looks back towards the camera, she smiles. "Hi, I'm Sol, the leader of La Vie, and when I was 4-"

"Say what candy!" another voice hisses off-screen and Sol's eyebrows widen in realization.

"Oh, right!" She seems to compose herself with a slow blink and then looks back to the camera with the same smile. "Hi there, I’m Sol and I brought gummy worms," the leader holds up a bag of sour gummy worms to show them off to the camera with a relaxed smile. "And when I was 4, my mom dropped me off at my grandparents’ house and never came back for me because she was addicted to drugs," she says this with a shrug before turning the bag of candy over the bowl. A stifled giggle can be heard in the background as the gummies hit the bowl with a thud.

˚₊·

"Hiii, I’m Anya," the girl gives a wave to the camera, a bright and professional smile painted on her lips. "I brought Maltesers," she holds up the red box as if pictured in an advertisement. "And I don't have any trauma, because my life is perfect," her grin is wide and dazzling.

"Booo!" someone jeers from off camera and she lets out a laugh.

"Ok fine, when some stalkers posted pictures of me and that EXO boy, I got death threats for months even though we only sort of dated for like 2 weeks. Someone even sent me a cute little letter with a razor in it!" her tone is cheery and commercial as she says this, earning a few giggles from off-camera. She pours the chocolate into the bowl with a clatter.

˚₊·

"Hi, I’m Tomiko, I brought these strawberry gummies," the bag of candy waves through the air as she talks with her hands. "When I was 15, I was in this really co-dependent relationship with a guy a little bit older than me, like, I thought he was my soulmate, and then he randomly moved to another country one day without telling me." Her tone is deadpan as she stares down the camera. "And then I moved back to the same country and accidentally became his coworker," she opens her mouth, looking like she wants to say more but then she glances off camera and shuts it again with a plastered smile, dumping the fruit-shaped candies into the bowl.

˚₊·

"Hi, it’s Seolah again," the ginger holds up another bag of sour gummy worms. "When I was in school, my choir director groomed me and it made everyone else in the choir hate me because I was getting," she holds up her fingers in air quotes, "favorite treatment." She still seems rather nonchalant as she says this, the candies joining the others in the bowl.

˚₊·

“I’m Sohee,” the next girl giggled, her cheeks already tinged pink. “And when I was 9– oh wait!” she held up a bag of candy with both hands. “I’m Sohee and I brought peach rings!” she quickly corrected, giggling again. “And, um, when I was 9 I joined this company and I was the youngest one there and one of the dance teachers who was this old middle-aged guy started making advances on me and made me have like weird private dance lessons with him and… other stuff, but when my parents found out the company threatened to sue us because of something in my contract and I had to stay there for 5 years until one day I went to go to practice and everything was gone, like the whole company disappeared,” she rambled, almost breathless by the end of her story. “Yeah,” she finished with a big gulp of air and a smile before dumping the gummies into the bowl.

˚₊·

“Hey, this is Star,” the bleach blonde waves a bag of cola gummies at the camera. “I brought cola bottles! And YG entertainment gave me an eating disorder at 13 and a stress fracture in my spine at 15 and then dropped me a few months before I was supposed to debut,” she holds up a finger gun. “Shoutout YG,” she adds playfully before dumping the candy into the bowl.

˚₊·

The eldest giggles as she appears on camera again, holding up a third bag of sour gummy worms.

“There’s going to be way too many gummy worms in here,” someone whines off camera and a chorus of laughs follow.

“Not her fault she’s so traumatized!” another voice argues, causing the girl on screen to let out a laugh of her own.

“These are my favorite,” Sol defends her choice, holding the bag closer to the camera. “Anyway! When I was 14, my closest friend in choir who was also being groomed by the director found out he was also abusing me, she got so jealous she started a rumor that I kissed her. I got basically blacklisted from the church and my grandparents made me go to confessional every single week even though I convinced them it was a lie. They still don’t know I actually do like girls,” she tells the story rather matter-of-factly, punctuating the end with the thud of the candy falling into the bowl.

˚₊·

The blushing girl returns on screen, still a bit pink, the ghost of a laugh still on her cheeks. "I'm Sohee, and I also brought lychee jellies!" she holds up the bag of candy proudly. "And a couple years ago, I was dating this guy who was older than me, and when I found out he had a wife and didn't tell me, he pushed me down a flight of stairs, hoping I would hit my head and forget about it," the corners of her lips turned down now. "It almost worked," she looked a little distant for a moment before snapping back to reality and pouring her candy into the bowl.

˚₊·

“I’m Tomi,” she holds up a bag of nerd clusters next to her face with a smirk. “I brought these things. And my best friend, well,” she pauses with a roll of her dark eyes. “Former. Decided she was more important than the career we built as a team and, again! Moved to a different country without fucking telling me.” Her voice holds a venomous bite as the candy rains into the bowl. The room is silent now, none of the snickering or chit chat can be heard in the background. Tomi opens her mouth again, “Fuck you, Ma-”

“OKAY!” a voice cuts her off before the video ends abruptly.

#c’est la vie ! ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ development ♡ .#WHEW!!#group therapy session next?#kpop idol oc #fictional kpop community #fictional kpop group #fictional kpop idol #oc kpop gg #oc kpop group #oc kpop idol #fake kpop group #fake kpop idol #fake kpop oc #fictional idol community #kpop oc #oc idol #idol oc #fictional idol group #fake kpop addition

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chimivx · 5 months

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hii plum! how r u? I'm back with the thoughts I had when I made the nmwid playlist… some songs are in portuguese so i tried to explain what they mean to me. (I hope you don’t mind but I got excited then it got bigger than I thought 😭

amy stroup - dark runs out

it’s comforting to start the reading. it was just her and soobin and the mission of getting the children ready for grandma’s house. could be their song or just her trying to be strong.

last christmas, wake me up before you go-go, I'm still standing, hotel california… I imagine all these songs playing at joy’s house

the one that got away - katy perry

THIS SONG IS THEM. EACH LINE. if I think too much, I’ll start to crying

doughnut - twice

just one of my favorite kpop christmas song. as you put twice names, I thought you could like this song too

back to the old house - the smiths

I think I don’t need to say much…they would love to go back to the old house.

como vai você - roberto carlos

it’s a song about a love that’s over. could be them asking each other how they are after years. basically, the first talk they had after 2 years. but if you want something deeper…

“that time can keep us both apart

don’t leave so much life for later“

and they are leaving the rest of their lives for later.

detalhes - roberto carlos

similar to the previous one, but this is more like beomgyu (he describes himself with long hair and bleached pants). I think the lyrics can be gyu talking in the past or the present.

“it’s no use even trying to forget me

I’ll be in your life a long time

such small details about us

they’re such big things to forget

and they’ll be there all the time…”

she can never forget him.

miracles in december - exo

christmas song and distressing.

sign of the times - harry styles

going to the end of nmwid, this could be them remembering all the story. probably the talk that they had in the middle of the night.

THE LYRICS…

“you look pretty good down here, but you ain’t really good” and “we don’t talk too much / we should open up / before it’s all too much” fits with taehyun. but all the song reminds me the end.

velha infância - tribalistas

one of my favorite brazilian love songs <3 not just in a romantic way but about friendship and childhood

oração ao tempo - maria gadu

just bc was the soundtrack of a soap opera that the main couple were step siblings

pansy - taemin

it’s sad and comforting. like the first, this goes to soobin (how lucky is her to have him…) I left it last because the last thing that happens is soobin comforting her after joy’s revelation. I don’t know what happened after this, but I’m sure that soobin does everything to kept his promise.

I hope you liked it, you can ask me if you need anything. 💗

This is so... amazing. I love you so much for taking the time to do this. The way I have literally listened to all of these multiple times and fully immersed myself in the story... Wow. Wow. Saving this for future, saving this for anyone who wants to see it. Tagging it so we can find it forever. I'm speechless, truly. You're phenomenal. Thank you. <3

#nmwid #cruel summer #sweeties #holy shit #are we joking??????????#i love you so bad

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forcebookish · 2 months

Text

thanks for the tag, @retiredficwriter!!

Make a poll with 5 of your favorite rarepairs/crackships. See which one is everyone's favorite!

PROPAGANDA UNDER THE CUT!

obviously, my favorite is kaibaek. i feel like i don't ship a lot of rarepairs so these were kind of hard to come up with after kaibaek and widowana fjdsljldg i might have forgotten a more obvious one, sorry!

tagging: @ariadnekurosaki @takeanumbrella @monwillica @sssneakiest and idk if it's my internet connection but tumblr isn't letting me tag anything else. if you wanna do it, do it and tag me! i wanna see your rarepairs :D

KAIBAEK

my exo otp and one of my ultimate OTPs. they had a bit of a rocky start and had a hard time getting close pre-debut, but once they did they now have a sincere trust for each other. they're caring and protective of one another: jongin (kai) running to baekhyun when he was injured, comforting each other when they cry (baekhyun following after jongin and holding his hand; jongin gently tugging at his ear), baekhyun leading jongin through the airport when he was sick, jongin drinking bitter juice for him in a batsu game (the reason i started shipping them), and so on. they've had to deal with a lot of similar situations wrt hate from fans (added to the group late, "overly" featured, dating scandals, etc.), as well as challenges with simply being in exo, superm, and sm in general. they admire each other, compliment and complement each other, and aspire to be as accomplished as each other; they support each other's solo careers and are always excited for each other. easily my favorite thing about them is why they're a rare pair in the first place, despite being in two groups together: their interactions, even the more affectionate ones, are rarely played up for fanservice. it's often little, private moments where they lean on each other or are affectionate in some other way. like THIS:

it's just so subtle and intimate? it's for no one but them. most of these kind of moments like the ones i've mentioned and others, can only be found on fancams! also they're really playful!!!!! i love them!!

WIDOWANA

my overwatch otp. friends (or lovers if you're delulu like me) to enemies to attempted killers. after thinking amélie (widowmaker) dead for a year, ana snipes her helmet on the battlefield, revealing who widowmaker actually is. once ana realizes it's her friend, she can't pull the trigger. ana, who never hesitates, hesitates for the first time, and widowmaker shoots her cybernetic eye out. they have an adversarial and competitive relationship now that they're both snipers on opposite ends of the war, trading barbs and pity for the other's situation. as the top two deadliest snipers in the world, they're kind of obsessed with one another and specifically outdoing each other. it provides a lot of tension and potential angst, especially of the "i know you're in there somewhere, come back to me" variety.

ISHINEMU

so rare even i don't talk about them (i tend to ship ishihime more, although even that is third after tatsuhime and ulquihime). SO much wasted potential! both of them have been wronged so acutely by mayuri and i think there are a lot of daddy issues to explore between the two of them. plus, uryuu seems to be literally the only person in the series who sees nemu as a person. shame their relationship, and mayuri medically torturing uryuu's grandfather AND the way he abuses nemu, was played for laughs later on lol good one, kubo :/

SHONEJING

jing is my name for him, he's a fusion of "force" who showed up in only boo! and that one guy in you fight, and i love (i'd use the nickname of what character from the novel he's supposed to be, but i couldn't find it lol). i have a fic in mind i wanna write for them and it would have been another entry into the hurt/comfort bingo, but it accidentally ended up too long. the headcanon is that jing is deeply closeted and shone is addicted to heartbreak.

TYLOKKA

idk i just like them. i think ty lee's crush on him is cute.

with a couple exceptions, i tend not to care about popular enemies to lovers ships but when it comes to rarepairs, apparently they're my preference? 🤔

#tag game #aaaand why not tag them?#kaibaek #widowana #ishinemu #shone #tylokka #my polls

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hidden-redrum · 7 months

Text

Giving K-pop songs to my favourite wrestlers

Once again I am procrastinating and have too much energy in my, so let me expose which k-pop songs I think that my favourite wrestlers would be is theme/entrance songs:

Pls feel free to disagree, recommend new songs, pls i am begging you-

50/50 of promoting my favs ehehehe

HOOK

Okay this is so freaking hard because "Chairman's Intent" it's so his song, I can't think of another one, I mean if someday he uses another team song I am going to bleach my eyebrows (hell no, I am very self conscious)

Song: Zico, Crush, Dean - Bermuda Triangle : K-Hip-hop/R&B BOP in capital letters, if you havent listened to it yet what are you expecting??? I am very unsure about this one because the lyrics scream tag team entrance song lmao

Killer Kelly

my fellow portuguese sis- okay I adore her

Song: Dreamcatcher - Scream : a powerful, scary bop to a powerful, talented, pretty and creepy lady. Come on this song screams her

Roman Reigns

another one that has a theme song that fits him like a glove

Song: EXO - MAMA : idk, i can't think of a hard beating song like his entrance one, and MAMA comes to my mind when I think about the bloodline, yes I don't agree with my own suggestion -

Kris Statlander

my cutie strong patootie, I love her so much uff

Song: ITZY - Born to Be : come on it has to be this strong women empowering anthem

MJF

at this point I must like to waist my time and make myself suffer, because come on I don't need to say anything about his theme song!!!!

Songs (yes plural because he is better-): 2NE1 - I Am The Best : I mean come on he would twerk his ass to it!!! / G-Dragon - Coup D'Etat : I can see him when he was the devil with this song! I can see it!

Rhea Ripley

No I am not going to repeat Dreamcatcher!

Song: ATEEZ - HALA HALA : Her song its HALA HALA and you can't say anything about it!!!!!

#aew #wwe #aew hook #730 hook #mjf #mjf aew #maxwell jacob friedman #killer kelly #tna impact #tna wrestling #tna knockouts #rhea ripley #roman reigns #kris statlander

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starjxsung · 5 months

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Ugh!

I am a firm believer of Stray Kids ending their contract with JYP and I will die on this hill. I don’t mean it in a mean way ofc, bc I love them so much, but I mean in a Fuck JYP way. What the fuck has JYP done for them besides put money in their pocket? All he has done is given them problems with their personal image (body, face), harsh restrictions as well as has gone out of his way to make not only himself look bad but his group. Why should SKZ continue to work with someone like him? I mean he has silenced them SO many times, like the Chan’s room situation where he made Chan APOLOGIZE for something other people took out of context. And don’t even get me started on when Hyunjin was forced to say that he was fine in Italy without any bodyguards when we all know as a fandom that you can.not.send.your.idols.anywhere.ALONE. Hyunjin is a very attractive and popular man and people are CRAZY, something could’ve happened to him there. JYP sucks and I hope that not only Stray Kids but the other groups see this as well. Personally, I would not want someone like him over me. I want Stray Kids to be an independent group because honestly a lot of kpop groups nowadays are just trash and untrustworthy, and I stand by that. JYP should not have a platform the way that he does and anyone can honestly fight me over it because I will rot on this hill!!!!!!! He’s not a good person AND he’s not a good manager whatever the fuck he is. Also fuck all the JYP staff idc I don’t like them either bc why is Minho dressed in the same white shirt, black tie combo every time for every fucking thing? A NYC Fashion student has more dress sense than they do sometimes. AND HOLY FUCK can they lay off the bleach for Felix’s hair, I’m not being a hater but DAMNN I just want to see his hair some other color and nobody can’t tell me he doesn’t want it either cos if I were him I’d grow so tired of being blonde. If he likes it then I’ll take it back but there’s no way he likes being blonde all the DAMN time.

But I’ll always be with skz until the very last step out. It’s a blessing and a curse, a blurse if you will. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

The “Ugh!” that prefaces this message is everything to me. I love you and I love this ted talk

I would be fascinated to see skz under an independent label as well. There’s been such a rise in cases of it happening likely since the CBX departure of EXO and I really appreciate all of the freedom and creative liberty that comes along with if. I honestly don’t think I know enough about JYPE to say that one decision would be better than another one, but I definitely understand the concern with the current state of things and the want for them to depart from the current label. I think aside from skz they also seem to be struggling a fair bit right now, stocks fell 11.52% within the last quarter at almost twice of what Hybe’s fell. Which is really saying something considering the sheer decline Hybe is currently facing

I think all your reasons are very valid and your concerns make total sense. And I would especially be interested to see Minho in something other than white shirt/black tie combo !!

(❤️🫶)

#anon <3 #ask

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dailyexo · 2 years

Text

[INTERVIEW] Kai - 230315 British GQ: “EXO's Kai on freeing himself from his legacy in new album Rover “

"Following 2020's self-titled debut and 2021s Peaches, EXO's main dancer and K-pop ace is back.

In the run-up to the release of his third album Rover, Kai released a set of promotional images dressed as an angel, complete with a pair of plump, white feathered wings. With signature abs on show in low-slung jeans, the 29-year-old's angular features are softened by frosted glitter and his dark hair is combed down over his forehead in a boyish mop. The next day, he dropped a second lot of pictures in the same ethereal garb, but with an altogether eerier vibe. Less youthful, his gelled hair, sunken eyes and bleached eyebrows gave the appearance of something unearthly, like a fallen angel haunted by his own demise.

“It’s not easy to show two sides of myself within one concept," Kai, whose real name is Kim Jongin, says over a video call from Seoul. It's typical of the softly-spoken star, whose eyes often get lost in the corners of the room as he answers questions, though ironic considering the concept of duality has followed him like a shadow for more than a decade. Since his debut as the lithe dancer of record-breaking group EXO in 2012, it’s a term that's been used to describe his ease in inhabiting a whole new personality on stage.

“I really like the image [of] the wings,” he reflects, adding that the core theme of the album is about being unburdened by pressure and seeking a freedom that “depends solely on those wings”. Rather than leaning back on the past, and all the ways that he has been split apart, Rover is a re-introduction of Kai as a multifaceted whole.

To know Kai now is to know Jongin, who, to anyone who was only aware of him as a performer (first in EXO, then later SuperM and as a solo star), might feel more like his alter-ego than the other way around. Where Kai can oscillate effortlessly between an intrinsic sensuality, Herculean power and threatening intensity, Jongin remains steadfast in his gentle demeanour. When we speak, his hair is dyed icy blonde and he sits in the meeting room of his record label, SM Entertainment, with the slightly curled-in posture of someone still not totally used to being alone in the hot seat. “I didn’t want to be too stubborn about a specific genre”, he says about the 6-track R&B album, adding, “I thought about portraying varying genres, performances and music through Kai.” He speaks of Kai less like the stage persona he’s inhabited since the age of 18, and more like a vessel, the ornamental shell that houses him as an artist.

Through the music video for the record’s eponymous, reggaeton-tinged lead single, he explores that idea literally. He acts out a spy-like scenario that sees him burn through fake IDs with false names and headshots of past eras, before landing on one in the here and now with the pseudonym Elliot Billy. It’s a pointed reference to the inspiration of his childhood ballerino ambitions, the first stepping stone in his lifelong love of movement. In a final set-piece, like some multiversal glitch, his backing dancers cut between balaclava-ed breakdancers and tutu-ed ballerinas, a glimpse of Jongin through Kai.

“I have always felt that, especially with a job like this, I do tend to pay attention to how other people see me, and to what they talk about," he says. "But even within that, I make an effort to find what I want to do and what I like. And doing this, I think, really is freedom." Letting go of preconceptions may not seem like a radical act, but in an industry as cutthroat as K-pop, forging your own path requires an enormous amount of self-belief.

“These days, through social media, it’s easy to look into people’s lives right?” he continues. “We keep doing that, and then one day, instead of focussing on what you truly treasure and like, you start worrying about how other people think and start following what others like. So I worked on this album with the hope that, by breaking away from such things, I would find true freedom. And I think I want to be like that [in real life] as well.”

What does freedom in real life look like to Kai? It starts, first and foremost, with being present. It’s dedicating time to the things he enjoys, and the mundanities that form his daily rituals. “Happiness can be considered trivial,” he says. “It’s just doing what you like. [But] I do think that feeling happiness within the smallest of things might be true happiness. But just to feel that little something, I think you need to put in a lot of effort.” He admits that the goalposts move each year in terms of what brings him joy, but right now, it’s simplicity. “These days I use public transport a lot, or I walk a lot. I try to just let time pass by.”

Over the last decade, Kai has become one of high-fashion’s biggest players, going from brand darling to official Gucci muse, complete with a 2021 capsule collection designed around his signature teddy bear motif, in just a few short years. Despite the osmosis of curation, however, he personally prefers to go with the flow. “I really change my style often according to my moods – my hair colour, my mood that day, or even just the order in which my clothes were hung [in the closet]. So even when I go out, I never plan my outfits beforehand,” he says. The closet he casually mentions is, conservatively, about the size of a small flat (as well as a separate wardrobe in his bedroom just for pyjama sets: “I also think that’s one of the best things I’ve done,” he chuckles proudly) and packed to the rafters with designer goods he refuses to take the tags off for fear he might need to sell them one day.

For Kai, the upcoming milestone of 11 years in the industry with EXO is momentous, considering so few of their early contemporaries have reached it. The unit is still one of the most successful groups in history, amassing an early and lasting fandom that is exceptional even in the current era, where standom reigns supreme. Still, 2012 looks a lot different to 2023, especially when that t spreads from early adulthood to the advent of your thirties. So would Kai, knowing what he does now, give his younger self any advice? “You’re doing a great job. So just keep doing what you’re doing”, he says after a moment of shy consideration. He takes the task seriously, speaking in hushed tones to be gentle with his former self. “This is what I want to tell him because I am quite satisfied with how things are now, and I feel like the past 10 years are what made the Kai of today.”

After a brief pause, he nods as if proud of being able to say it. “I really like the Jongin that I am right now.”

Rover is just the start of a busy 2023. Next comes a long-anticipated reunion with EXO. While the group have maintained a mercurial structure of sorts, this year offers a brief reprieve where none of the members are in the military. “All the members are gathering after a really long time, so we are really looking forward to the fact that we can put out another album too,” he says, revealing that prep work has already begun.

“We are not that worried about what the results of this comeback would bring, or what goal we need to achieve," he says. "I’m really looking forward to this year. I think that there will be more happy memories that will remain, so much so that we may even forget the older [happy] memories. I want the fans to know this as well.”

While EXO's return is at the forefront of his mind, he's got other adventures on his mind, too. “One of the biggest goals in my life is living in London for a year. It’s my main goal,” he says, echoing a statement he’s repeated for years now. “The weather is bad,” I tell him as I point to the gloomy view out my window in possibly the most glaring example of British pessimism I can inadvertently muster. But even before the translator can jump in he shakes his hands and says he doesn’t mind. What it is about the city that’s captured his fancy for so long is unclear. Maybe it’s the culture, steeped in musical history like his icon David Bowie, whose portrait hangs pride of place in his home. Or maybe it’s his beloved Chelsea FC, the football team he devotes his time to and, by his own admission, helps him understand the nature of his own fandom. “I believe that you’re a true fan when you’re supporting them even when they’re not doing well. I’ve learnt from how my fans have shown me love. So as a dear fan, I will cheer for Chelsea,” he says, sighing and downtrodden. He cradles his head in his hands to stifle an embarrassed giggle, a gesture instantly recognisable to anyone who has ever longed to be asked to talk about their obsessions but simultaneously dreaded that they might actually have to do it.

If the first 11 years of Kai as an artist have been about figuring out how much of himself to give the world, the release of Rover and beyond kick off a future where those boundaries hopefully hold less importance. Kai is happy for the world to know Kim Jongin, especially as that exterior softens over time. “My dream is to do all this as much as possible,” he says, his eyes fixed firmly on the camera like the rituals of a pact. “And for as long as I can.””

Credit: GQ.

#EXO #EXO K #Kai #230315 #t:interview #t:news #fs:gq #album:rover #comeback:Fight

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