#iland sungchul

[autisticlibrary]

Commemorative Training Camp Photos #3

[roseangelxfuma]

I might start writing about lun8 too, this blog was originally meant for all the iland boys honestly, but yeah.. I'm on the verge of ulting them ^^

[weuschoiceheart]

⋘I-Land / Enhypen⋙ Love, I-Land (special chapter)

Tagging: @mari-kigold @akira-star @affectionaterainoflove @enhypenthusiast @periwinkle-ink 

Genre: just very nostalgic :))

Word Count: 2k+

Jay knew something was up when he walked into a dead silent Hybe building.

Looking around, he frowned at the emptiness. Am I too early? Too late? Checking his watch, he realized that he was exactly on time. So where is everyone? 

Sitting down on the couch, he decided to wait for everyone in the lounge. Perhaps the other members were playing some trick on him, to scare him when he lets his guard down. None of the other Hybe artists were here today, since Bang PD had let everyone take the day off, so the silence felt disorienting. 

A beep from Jay’s phone startled him out of his thoughts, and he clicked on the notification. 

Location change: go back to where we started. See you at the reunion! 

“Go back to where we started…” Jay muttered, a smile spread across his face as he thought back to the old box in the woods.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Remember when we first came here?” Youngbin sighed as he, Jimin, and Sungchul walked through the forest. “It seems so long ago.”

“Yeah…” Jimin stretched his arms above his head, pointing at the familiar building coming into view. “And we’re here.”

“It still hasn’t changed,” Sungchul said in awe, watching as the black door slowly flipped open and the three of them walked in. “I can’t wait to see everyone again.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Wow...I can’t believe it’s been a year already,” K traced the sides of the egg gate. “Everything feels older.”

“No, it’s just you getting old,” Kyungmin teased, ducking behind Nicholas before K could smack him. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”

“Remember when we waited for you to come back from the dance unit test?” EJ asked. “You guys were so cool performing on stage.”

K smiled, thinking back to the old memories. The feeling of being on stage again, giving all he got to keep from getting eliminated. The cheers from the other boys, the smiles at the camera. He still recalled the nervous feeling of waiting for the results, and most of all, he vividly remembered the moment he, Jungwon, and Sunghoon got back to I-Land and hearing—

“Hello~”

As if on cue, the gate opened to present Enhypen crowding around the entrance, doing the exact same move K had created a year ago. Jaw dropping in shock, he heard the yells from the other boys as they tumbled out the egg and embraced the members they haven’t seen in months. Before he could fully comprehend everything, a wild blur of blonde hair suddenly launched himself onto him and Taki, wrapping his arms around them both.

“Taki! Hyung! You’re back!” K laughed as Niki jumped up and down, bursting with excitement to see his fellow Japanese brothers. Has he grown taller? K wondered, and he felt somehow proud and sad at the same time. Ruffling Niki’s hair, he watched as the younger hugged Taki, almost lifting him off his feet. “Let him breathe, Niki, we’re not going anywhere.”

“You’re finally here.” A familiar voice said, and K turned to see Seon making his way over. Grinning, he trapped K in another hug, and K feels like he’s finally back home.        

------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Did you actually framed the shirt?”

“Yes I did, do you want to come over to see it?” Jay boasted, trying to one up Nicholas. 

“He actually didn’t, he lost it when we moved into the dorms and this morning he panicked because he couldn’t wear it to the reunion,” Jake said, causing Nicholas to raise his eyebrows at Jay, who gave Jake a look of betrayal.

“You weren’t supposed to tell him that!”

“Well, it’s not like—ahhhhh!”

Before Jake could finish his sentence, a larger body wrapped his arms around him. He could sense the younger boy’s enormous smile before he could hear him. “It’s me, Jakey!”

“Daniel!” Jake tried to struggle out of Daniel’s embrace, though he was too busy laughing. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“He’s going around hugging everyone,” Jay explained, “Don’t be surprised if he actually gives you one next time.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ghost watched the boys crowding around the egg gate, a sad smile on his face. It’s been so long since he had any visitors, and seeing them back brought some light in his undead life. Literally. All the lights had been shut off since the boys left, and the ghost had to make his way around in perpetual darkness. Not that he needs any light to see, but it's nice to view the sun, even if it’s just for a little while. 

Turning around to look at the practice room he just came out of, the ghost could almost see the past images of the boys practicing there. The Fire team, organizing their formations. The Fake Love team with their hoods and shirts over their heads, trying to practice without laughing. The Flicker team, playing around with the curtains. It’s also the place where Seon first found him, and the first time the ghost ever revealed itself to anyone. 

There was the lounge connecting to it, where Niki had played the piano and Heeseung had sung. Where the infamous arm wrestling match had taken place and the boys had played with the video filters on the IPads. Where they had cried and comforted each other, and where Jay had written his heartfelt letters.

Making his way up the staircase that the Grounder boys had also walked up to see I-Land, the ghost drifted along the common room. Here, all of them had sat while playing Truth or Dare, the hoodies spread out and “Made by Jay” was created, where they waited anxiously to perform. If he concentrates just enough, the ghost can almost imagine the I-Land boys filming their PR videos, and sheep Niki making Sunghoon laugh. 

There was the dining area, the place where the morning zombies had sat, Sunoo had said “I’m cuter,” where they munched on macaroons and ramen. The ghost can almost see the nine reading letters from their parents, talking and joking around the table. There was the kitchen area, where Sunghoon had screeched about the pork, Hanbin had found the broken banana, and Heeseung had ranted about the ramen. The fridge was empty of spoons, and no one did any side squats to get rid of bloating now.

Moving on to the bedrooms. He had always wondered how K managed to fit his long limbs on the bed, or if he could at all. The mist that Sunoo had sprayed all over his face, and that Jungwon had almost eaten, was gone from the drawer, leaving only the empty reflection of the room in the mirror. The annoying fly that Geonu had tried to catch was gone, the light that Jay had turned off dark (no, the dressing room light does not automatically turn off by itself), all the beds stripped of clothes and necessities. Why Nicholas was sleeping naked would remain a mystery, no more Jay yelling at everyone to wake up and Niki going back to sleep right after.

The washrooms were next. He had to admit, Jungwon’s and Jake’s pranks against Jay worked pretty well, coming from a ghost anyway. There were the sinks lining the wall where K and Taki washed up like father and son, where K and Jay hugged and promised that they’ll debut together, where Jay scolded everyone for leaving their laundry around. 

Out of the washroom now, the ghost lingered outside the room that used to contain the stage outfits and BTS phones. The traces of the boys can be felt, thinking back to the selfies and pictures they took together, to when they marveled at the clothes for their very first “Into the I-Land” stage. He peeked into the practice rooms where he can almost see the Pretty U team helping Sunghoon struggle through aegyo, and where the I Need U team played zombies with the eye massager.

Drifting down the stairs again, remembering how Youngbin carried Jungwon down the stairs to the practice when the younger boy was barefooted, the ghost moved on to the stage itself. He recalled every performance here clearly; the nerve-wracking audition stages, the dance and vocal units battle, the incredible “I&credible” stages, the moving “Calling” performance, and the iconic “Dive Into You” stage. Jigeum Buteo saying “Standby,” Jake’s “this hyung is crazy!” and the confused “Rival? Live?” echoed through the ghost’s ears. The memories of it all hit him like a truck (not that he would feel anything if he was hit by a truck, he’s a ghost after all, but you get the simile), causing him to choke up a little. He missed them so much. 

Strolling outside now, the ghost walked into Ground, and reminisced some more. Here was where Rain taught them “Fire” and hugged every one of the boys. He could picture Jay giving back massages to Kyungmin, telling him how they must work through the pain to get to I-Land. There was Hanbin comforting Jaebeom (it’s so weird calling him Echan now), and helping the other boys learn the dance. Sunoo and Sungchul practicing “Save Me,” Jaeho practicing with Nicholas and Niki, Taki making faces at the camera. A blurry image of all the boys comparing and measuring their heights, trying to see who’s taller. Really, I-Land seems like a magical paradise, but he would never forget the fun times the Grounders had, and the hard work they put in to achieve their dreams. 

Outside once again, he spied the matted grass on the ground and smiled wistfully. It’s strange, he thought, how it was still there after Jungwon filmed his PR video in his sheep costume. He remembered how adorable he was, how all of them were, showing off their personalities to get fans to vote for them. And now it’s getting dark, so the ghost moved on to the small light from a campfire in the distance.

Settling down on the ground, he watched as all the boys talked and joked with each other. They were sitting down in front of the large screen, where the final 11 had watched the fan videos, and pulled the benches around in a circle. Their smiles lit up their faces, their arms tangled in one another, Jimin’s head leaning against Geonu’s, Taeyong holding onto Echan’s hand. The scene filled the ghost with a feeling he can’t describe, and being a ghost with no heart, it was definitely a little strange, feeling something after a long time of emptiness.

“....and I just want to say thank you, to everyone for staying by my side on this journey,” Seon concluded, snapping the ghost out of his daze as the boy sat down. As if reading his thoughts, Seon’s eyes flickered over to where the ghost sat, and smiled.

Thank you for looking after us.

Being a ghost is lonely sometimes, floating in and out of places with no purpose. The smile, that one kind thought, ignited a flame in him. In a world filled with countless people, it’s hard to spot a lone spirit, invisible in a crowd. It’s even harder to make them feel at home, in a place where they’re recognized and wanted. Yet here he is, enveloped in a family who coaxed him out of his shell. No, I should be thanking you, Seon. 

Maybe this is what the fans felt, watching them run for their dreams. Every Friday charged with anticipation and excitement, of finding who would get eliminated and who would stay. Away from lives permeated with pain, loneliness, and uncertainty, they found solace within these 23 boys as they followed them on this journey to debut. Along the way, the fans found each other as well, and a community full of eggies and engenes was born.

Thank you for the memories, I-Land.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Thank you to all the eggies for welcoming me into this wonderful family. Whether you were a predebut stan or just started stanning Enhypen, thank you for supporting our boys. I-Land is over now, but our journey with the boys will live on. 

[hoonieluvs]

sunghoon x reader

prompt: “no no, i must protect your hand at all cost, this includes holding it at all times.”

you were sitting by the bleachers waiting for your best friend to finish his practice for ice skating.

you and sunghoon decided to go on a “date” because it’s been so long since you guys have gone out. it’s also because he’s busy practicing for his competition next month.

you watch as he approach you with a smile on his face. you can’t help but mirror him.

“how long have you been waiting for me?”, he asked as he put away his shoes in his dufflebag.

you stood up and said, “long enough to see you getting scolded by your coach again.”

“hey, to be fair doing a triple axel jump is hard”, he slung his dufflebag over his shoulder and held his hand out for you to hold. “let’s go.”

ofc, you also held his hand. even though you’ve been friends with him for a long time, and you know how much he likes holding hands, yet you’re still not used to it.

people would often assume that you guys are dating but ofc you always feel the need to correct them because it isn’t true. although sometimes you wish you guys were dating.

you don’t know when you started thinking of your best friend in that way. was it that one time when he cried over facetime because you were out of town for a week and said he misses you? or was it the time when he said “i love you” but it felt like he said it not in a platonic way? or were you just being delusional.

“earth to y/n? hello?”, he snapped his fingers infront of your face and you looked around your surroundings and both of you were already in the parking lot. were you that deep in your thoughts?

“oh...sorry”, you opened the car door and sat on the driver’s seat. “you know, you should really learn how to drive now”, you continued as he rolled his eyes.

“why would i learn when i have you?”, he put on his seatbelt and you checked your mirrors and started driving.

“because you never know when i might leave again”, even though you didn’t intend to but it came out as a whisper anyway.

you heard a clicking sound from his seatbelt and you tried not to look at him but you can see him looking at you from your peripheral vision.

“what did you say? because i don’t think i heard you right”, he nervously chuckled as you drove.

“it’s nothing”

“sure”

the whole ride was a complete silence but thanks to the music in the radio to fill it in. you on the other hand, felt like your heart beat will be heard by him because of how fast it is beating right now.

you tried glancing at him a few times when there’s a stop sign and you see him texting on his phone.

“we’re here”, you unbuckled your seatbelt and open your car door to setep out and he did the same thing.

you didn’t know you were walking really fast until he grabbed your arm.

“hey, why are you walking so fast?”, he ofcourse intertwined his hand with yours again, as always.

“oh, my bad”, you stared at both your intertwined hands again and wonder if it’s just his habit or something more.

again, it was silence as you guys reach your spot. the park was a lot fuller than you’d expected because it’s a saturday. there’s also a lot of kids running around and playing. you and sunghoon walked a little further to a more secluded area where a giant tree is at.

“you know, you don’t have to hold my hand the whole time. it’s not like i will go anywhere.”, you begin placing the blanket on the grass and spread it out.

“no no, i must protect your hand at all cost, this includes holding it at all times”, he placed the picnic basket on the blanket. after he was done he lay down on the blanket and closes his eyes.

“you’re being dramatic now”, you grab the freshly sliced fruits from the basket and ate some strawberries.

he shook his head still his eyes are closed. “do you ever wonder what if we ended up together? because i’ve been thinking about that lately.” he opens his eyes and looked at you.

you choked on your strawberries and he sat down and offer you some water. you thanked him and he chuckled.

“well, i wouldn’t say i’ve never because i have of course”, he grab your hands that was resting on our thighs and played with them caressing them.

“continue”

“right, i’ve thought about that a lot before. when i went away for a week.” i still do right now who am i kidding.

“i honestly expected your answer that day completely tho. i’ll always be here waiting whenever you change your mind”

ok so, what happened in that one week you left you ask? so he may have confessed his feelings for you the same day you were leaving but since you were too shock you ran away. he understood why you did what you did.

you like him too, yes. you still like him-in fact love him, that’s also a yes. he feels the same way towards you, yes. but commitment? that’s a no no.

you ran away like you always have from your problems. you didn’t know what to do and that’s the first thing that came into your mind. you were and still is scared of commitment. you don’t know why but you are. so now your chances with sunghoon are slim because of your stupid commitment issues. you know sunghoon and he would never do that to you, but you think he deserves better than to be with you.

“yea...i know”, you look anywhere but him.

—

that was three years ago.

thinking about it now is kind of stupid. but you do regret it a little bit.

you and sunghoon are still friends but not as close as before. he’s traveling the world being the olympic athlete that he is, while you moved to the big city and got a 9-5 job.

you found out through an article that sunghoon has been rumored to be dating with a fellow skater. it honestly did not surprised you. you knew one way or another that it would happened. and you’re hapoy for him even if it’s just a rumor.

what you didn’t know is that sunghoon is in fact still in love with you. he’s still waiting for you to say the words but it’s been three years so who is he fooling. he still hoped even if it’s just a tiny bit. but you thought that he gave up already...

is it right person, wrong timing or is it just your commitment issues?

[incorrectiland]

sunoo: okay but what if Cinderella did baking instead of cleaning? does it make her Mozzarella?

sungchul: don't ever speak to me again.

[ilandsnippets]

I-Land opinion 3

The show lacks light-hearted moments. It makes me feel very heavy and strained. It also lives up to that narrative that says ‘K-pop trainee life is hard and if you want to become one, then this is what it takes’ which is not completely true. Yes, trainees do work hard but if you go looking on YouTube there are some fans who have uploaded unseen I-cam clips that are not seen by almost everyone who watches the full episode because when the audience watches a one hour long episode they think that they are filled in with everything and don’t go looking for extra stuff on YouTube. I-Cams reveal that these trainees do so much more than just practice and plot against each other, like how the show wants us to believe. They hang out with each other, while away their time idly, laugh, run around, workout, pretend to workout, take naps, stuff their mouth with food and so much more. This is what it lacks relatability, these trainees, before trainees they are human and do everything and feel everything that normal people do.

The show makes it look like they practice 18 hours a day, which they do but in between they have their own fun. They are not robots, they are young and want to enjoy life.

There are very few jovial, happy moments thrown into the episodes or the official Mnet Kpop YouTube channel that shows us some back stage glimpses. One of the most entertaining was the ghost part and some playful moments in between Jake and Sunghoon and Jay. These happy, stupid moments is what makes them slightly more likable.

However, I want to stress on the point about how biased they are with a few trainees. They seem to be very picky with showing the good sides of only a handful of trainees. Like the other don't matter. Only Jake, Jay, Heesung and Sunghoon [and a few permanent I-Landers] seem to be bathing in the pretty soft pink light of the show [Please, note that I have nothing against them. In fact some of these people are my picks as well] They will put up behind the scenes videos, even go out of the way to edit a video to make a particular trainee look more likable in the eyes of the audience. [Not to mention, they also go an extra mile of editing to make a particular trainee look bad, but I’ll talk about that later] 

You’ll see them showing these moments only with a selected few contestants who seem to be Mnet or BigHits favorites [said it before but want to say it again] They painted trainees in the way they want the audience to perceive them. Irrespective of if they are really like that or not.

They made Ni-Ki look like an arrogant person, a bad unloyal friend, someone who bickers and disagrees with everyone, who back stabs and an inconsiderate person. It was when I came across a fan made video of Ni-Ki that showed him being as normal as everyone else[Yes, he can be hard at times], that's when I saw him from a different angle. For half a second the editing was successful in making me not like Ni-Ki. They made EJ look bad too. Don't you think that Jake, Sunghoon, Jay, Heesung, Jongwon and other I-Landers [ As much as I/we like them] have never spoken about another trainee? Maybe they didn't but maybe they did and if they have then we will never get to see it because the editing won't ever let us. All of us at some point have spoken about another person when the person was not present [I don’t justify them speaking behind each other but it is more normal than we think it is]. 

They showed Sunoo and Sunghoon talking about Jake and Sunghoon calling Jake 'cute' and Sunoo replying with 'but i'm cuter'. Why don't we ever get to hear Sungchul or Jimin or Hanbin saying something like that? A nice conversation? A funny moment? Cause the truth is that even if they have said something nice or playful it's edited out and not shown to us. It probably might hurt those trainees so much when they see how badly they were portrayed by the show.

Coming back to the playful cute videos that Mnet lets us see, we never got any such moments from the underrated trainees like Jimin, Jaeho, Taeyong, Sungchul [we didn’t get to see anything of Sungchul, literally nothing].

I also want to mention that I have nothing against Heesung, Jake, Jay, Jongwon, Sunghoon. I was just trying to put my opinion out there and there was no other way than having to use their names. I whole heartedly support them.

[tearsofparting]

Sungchul, Jungwon and Taeyoung layouts

like/reblog if you save or use

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[theilandghost]

jake: it's not gay if i want to date sunghoon, but like, as a pal, right?

sungchul: i'm not an expert but that sounds pretty gay to me.

jimin: i'm an expert. that's gay.

[iland-debutation]

he's the babiest babie in the world ohmy🥺🥺

[enhypen-info]

[autisticlibrary]

Self-indulgent I-LAND Contestants Group Picture Photos.

[starry-seongmin]

a/n: I wrote this in a span of 5 minutes because I got burst of inspiration and because I miss him :((

He couldn't keep his eyes off you. Whenever he looked at you, his heartbeat would increase and his mind would go blank. But whenever you talked to him...oh boy..

He would freeze. His heart would be pounding in his ears loudly to the point he'd be sure you can hear it. He would have the softest dazed smile and all his attention would be on you. And you only.

Sungchul's friends would tease him but nonetheless support him. They would help him and build up his confidence by giving various ideas which would range from socially acceptable ones to those which will lead him to change his identity and move to Antarctica.

However, no matter how his confidence boosted, just a smile of yours aimed towards him will have him weak in the knees and leave him a stuttering mess. The day you said that he looks cute when shy, Jimin was pretty sure he saw Sungchul's soul leave his body.

The day you casually brought up the topic of comparing hand sizes followed by you holding up his hand and pressing yours against it, laughing at the difference and how cute it looked with both of your hands against each others...Kyungmin almost called the ambulance.

Sungchul knew he was young and that he would experience love and relationships in the future because nothing was ever permanent except for rare cases. But he was sure. Surer than the fact that night is followed by day. Surer than the brightness of the Sun...that whatever happens between you two, if anything happens in the first place...you'll always be his first love.

[weuschoiceheart]

🔑 Keiys to Your Heart - Romeo and Juliet (2)

Taglist: @mysticpenguincreation @soft-black-teabag @dusk-carnival @raftel-is-waiting @bluejayjay @lifeisamuffin @sparkling-nights @thenoceurgirl @affectionaterainoflove (send an ask if you want to be tagged!)

(This part is pretty long, probably the longest fic I’ve written so far, you have been warned).

Genre: fluff, mostly CrAcK, pining, Pining, PINING, theater!au, Seon playing matchmaker with Jaeho as his sidekick, K x female!reader

Warning: cursing, prepare yourself for cringe 

Summary: In which Seon is sick of seeing K and Y/n pine for each other, so when the school play started up, he forced the K to audition, hoping he’ll get the main role while Y/N (typical theater student) gets Juliet. To his shock, however, another student snatches Juliet’s role and Seon is forced to rethink his plan.

Part 2/? : <— Previous      Next —>

————— ————— ————— ————— —————

“Stop pacing, it’s making my head spin.”

Ignoring his friend, Seon continued pacing. Jaeho was only here for the food anyway. Well, food and maybe to lent some extra braincells (not that he had any, for that matter).

“What are you thinking about?” Jaeho asked, popping another potato chip into his mouth. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”

“I have to find some way to convince him to audition....” Seon swung around in a u-turn, bumping into the coffee table. Jaeho let out a yelp as he just barely stopped the snack bowl from tipping over.

“Ok, what is it? What are you so agitated—”

Seon’s phone rang from the couch, and Seon instinctively went to grab it. Seeing the caller ID, he raised his eyebrows at Jaeho, who only frowned at him, confused. “Who is it?” he mumbled through a mouthful of gummies.

Seon answered the call and put it on speaker, K’s loud voice instantly spilling through the phone.

“Seon, this is all your fault!”

“Huh?” Jaeho turned to Seon, now more puzzled than ever. A slow smile spread over Seon’s face, having an inkling of what K was talking about.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, K.”

He heard his friend take a deep breath over the phone, and there was a pause, before he finally forced the words out. “I told her that I would audition for the play.”

“Wait, what?” Jaeho sat up quickly, the snacks in his hands flying everywhere. “You’re going to try out for Romeo and Juliet?”

“Yes...” K’s voice sounded almost mournful. “I’m going to try out and fail miserably in front of my crush.”

“Oh, don’t say it like that,” Seon responded gleefully. Well, that’s the first part done. “Just practice your lines, and you’ll make it. Now go start writing out your confession, lover boy.”

“What—I don’t—” K spluttered upon hearing Seon’s words. “What do you mean, confession?!”

Too late, Seon had already hung up.

K threw the phone onto his bed and flopped onto his stomach. Grabbing a pillow, he screamed into it.

Seon put down his phone and clapped his hands together. “Well, let’s get to work.”

“I don’t even know what we’re working on,” Jaeho sighed as he picked up the chips on the floor with a napkin. He pouted slightly. Poor snacks.

“We’re gonna make sure K confesses soon, and since Y/N is also auditioning, well, let’s just say her Romeo will finally express his undying love for his Juliet,” Seon answered. “And to do that, I’ll need your help.”

Jaeho flicked a piece of chip at Seon. “Why are you so invested in his love life when you can’t even handle yours with Artz-”

Seon grabbed a gummy bear from the snack bowl and threw it at Jaeho, who caught it in his mouth, effectively shutting him up. “Look, we knew that idiot has been in love with Y/N for years already, and if we don’t do something, he’ll probably regret it later after he graduates and never sees her again. Now here’s his chance. So grab whatever braincells you have and help me.”

———————————————————————————

You were not ready to face an angry mama dragon.

Well, your day was already ruined already, so you’d prefer hearing Giulia nagging at you for not bringing an umbrella than having to face another day at school.

And the auditions for the play too.

You mentally screamed as you dashed across the courtyard and ducked under the school awning, finally out of the rainstorm. With sleep deprivation at its peak, school projects, and exams, you had barely squeezed in time to practice for the play.

Great, now you’ll try out and fail miserably in front of your crush.

Letting out a yell in frustration, you stamped your feet, accidentally stepping in a puddle. Lovely, this is absolutely lovely. You tried to shake the water out of your shoes and looking up, you saw nearby students cast you weird glances. Ducking your head in embarrassment, you sighed and decided to drag your sodden body inside.

At least it’s warmer in here, you thought glumly. The bell hasn’t rung yet, so maybe you can go to a secluded area and practice your lines, that is, if you can just stop dripping water on the floor and hopefully don’t slip on the way to your locker—

“Y/N!”

You almost slipped when you heard the voice, shutting your eyes tight. Please not now, not him, he can’t see me in this mess, oh god, can this day get worse?

“Y/N.” K caught you before you can fall on your face and embarrass yourself further. The two of you stood there, staring at each other. You can see his face turning red at your touch, and you can feel yours heating up too. Clearing your throat awkwardly, you pulled away, much to his disappointment.

“Are you alright?” K felt dumb asking the question, since it was clear from your frazzled appearance that you were far from alright. Suddenly thinking of an idea, he put his bag down and rummaged through it. “Here,” he brought out the towel he always kept with him for track team. “Use this to dry yourself off.”

Blinking in surprise, you shook your head. “It’s fine, you need it—”

“I have another one in my dance bag, don’t worry.” Before you can refuse again, K started to dry your head and face, his hand brushing against your lips slightly, and you swear your heart was about to stop. “You need it more than I do right now, anyway.”

Never in your life did you expect to be standing at the entrance hall of your school, with your crush two inches away from you as he fixes your messy self. Never in your life did you think your heart will pound any faster. Or that you’ll ever get this opportunity again.

“Thank you,” you mumbled shyly as K stepped away, a gentle smile on his face as he studied you. Maybe this day isn’t so bad after all. “Sorry for wasting your time, my dumbass forgot to bring an umbrella to school today.”

“Yeah, um, no problem,” K stuttered out. Damn, how did I even have the courage to stand that close to her? “Wait, you don’t have an umbrella?”

“No, no, no, I’ll be ok,” you said, not wanting to trouble him further as he held out his umbrella to you. “I’ll share with my friends, I don’t want you to end up like me.”

“I’ll be fine, really,” he looped the handle of his umbrella onto your wrist. “I’ll just share with Jay. Besides, by the time track practice ends, it would stop raining anyway.”

“Oh...thanks,” you said, flustered by his kindness. “I don’t know how to repay you.”

He titled his head, confused. “You don’t ever have to repay me, Y/N. I’ll gladly do anything for you.”

At this point, you’re sure your heart was about to burst. K, realizing what he just said, turned a darker shade of red. The two of you stood there awkwardly, staring at anything but each other, and you were about to speak up again before another voice rang out from behind you.

“Hey! What are you two lovebirds up to?”

Artzyy strode up to you, looking between you and K. Noticing the tension in the air, xe grinned. “Oh, am I interrupting something?”

“No, nothing,” K hurriedly scrambled to grab his bag, his train of thought broken. “I have to meet up with Hanbin for dance practice, see you two later!” Sending you a wave, he walked away.

“So I did interrupt something,” Artzyy turned back to you, eyebrows raised. “Care to explain what happened?”

You barely registered what xe was saying, still staring at K’s back disappearing around the corner. A smile stretched across your face as you touched the spot where his hands met your lips, the warm feeling in your chest expanding. Noticing your dazed expression, Artzyy couldn’t help laughing. “You look like a lovestruck fool.”

“Maybe I am....or maybe this is a dream and I need to wake up...”

“Well, wake up you will because the bell should ring any minute now,” Artzyy snapped xyr fingers in front of your face, shaking you out of your reverie. “Gods, you really are more whipped than Moona.”

You shoved xyr side playfully, as you shouldered your bag. “Don’t compare me to Moona when you’re the same.”

Artzyy eyes widened at your statement. “I- I don’t know what you’re talking about, let’s just go.” Xe grabbed your arm and pulled you along, and you laughed to yourself. It’s so easy to embarrass xem.

“Mhm, sure. Like Choi Seon isn’t your phone wallpaper.”

“I’m who’s wallpaper?”

Artzyy whipped around upon hearing the voice, and you almost laughed out loud at xyr expression when xe noticed that Seon was walking behind you two. Deciding to spare xyr embarrassment, you calmly said. “Hey, Seon.”

“Do you know where K went? I need to talk to him about something.” You can feel Artzyy let out a breath behind you, relieved that Seon wasn’t going to interrogate xem. Huh, and you said my love life needs work.

“He went to the dance studio, to practice with Hanbin,” you answered, right as the bell rang. Seon nodded his thanks before turning to go. Artzyy slowly peeked out from behind your shoulder, then hid again when he faced you once more.

“Good luck at the auditions.” Flashing you a mischievous smile, he ran off. Frowning to yourself, you wonder what that look could mean, as Artzyy tugged at your arm to go. Following xem, you took a deep breath and grinned as your mind flashed back to your encounter with K.

Yeah, maybe today isn’t going to be so bad after all.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

K fidgeted nervously in his seat, uncomfortable with the atmosphere in the room. If he had been smart and kept his mouth shut, he would’ve been practicing choreography with the rest of the dance team right now. But instead, he’s sitting in the auditorium, with the lights off and spotlighted on stage, waiting for an audition he wasn’t prepared for. Well, he tried his best to prepared for it (Hanbin, bless his kind heart, had volunteered to do Juliet’s lines so K can memorize Romeo’s, with Jay and Geonu laughing their asses off in the background), and he did, somehow, know the lines, but once he get up stage, he knew all of that would fly out the window.

“Didn’t expect to find you here, K.”

K turned at the familiar voice, seeing a tall girl sit down next to him. “Oh, hey.... Minsoo. Long time no see.” He hadn’t seen her for over a year, ever since they broke up last summer. He suddenly remembered that she was also a theater student, like you, and realized that she must be auditioning for the lead role as well.

The girl hummed in response, then gestured to the script in his hand. “You’re trying out for the play?”

“Oh, yeah...” K muttered awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

Minsoo tilted her head to the side, an amused expression on her face. “Really? When did you become so interested in theater?”

“Oh, uh-” K racked his mind for some excuse, and stuttered out, “I just decided to, I don’t know, try something new.” He shrugged, as if it was no big deal, and mentally cringed inside.

“Ah...” Minsoo, looking unconvinced, sat back in her chair. “Lead role, too?”

“Yeah.” K’s gaze became distracted as he saw you took center stage, and he leaned forward, curious to see your audition. Unlike previous years, you seem to be more nervous this time, tapping your feet anxiously, fiddling with your fingers. Across from you, K saw Youngbin, one of the vocal students and Jake’s friend, who seem to also be trying out for Romeo as well. The director, Ms. Jino, signaled for them to start.

Following K’s gaze, Minsoo snickered upon seeing his besotted expression as he watched you perform. So that’s why...

“I really hope she gets the role...” K murmured as your audition finished. He started fidgeting again as he waited for his name to be called. Any minute now.

“Well, there’s a lot of girls trying out for Juliet this year,” Minsoo remarked, “I’m actually surprised by the amount. Maybe they’re trying to get on Ms. Lee’s good side by auditioning.”

“Really?” K scanned the room, and found out that she was right. The auditorium was half full with people coming in for auditions, and more were coming in as well. Most of the girls look almost as nervous as he is, anxiously practicing their lines. Y/N would still get in though, I know she would.

Minsoo shrugged. “I’m sure Ms. Jino would find the perfect one for the role among the people who just do it for a grade.”

K quirked an eyebrow at her. “Are you sure you’re not doing this for the grade?” he teased.

“Hey, I’m offended,” Minsoo replied, pretending to sound affronted. “You know I’m not like that.”

“Sure you aren’t,” K playfully bounced back.

“At least I’m not doing it for a crush.”

“I’m- what?” K blinked in surprise. How did she know?

“Gotcha,” Minsoo laughed, “Oh, hey, there she is right now.”

You dragged yourself from backstage, head low and spirits even lower. Seriously, Y/N? Is this all you got? The audition went by pretty smoothly, except for some parts where you just blanked out and had to improvise on the spot. But you knew that you have to be better than this to get in, because judging by the mass number of girls auditioning, you knew that the teachers would analyze every part from the facial expressions to line delivery. Another failed audition, you thought to yourself, sighing as you closed the stage door, stopping at the sight in front of you.

You knew you shouldn’t feel this weird feeling in your chest, seeing K joking around with his ex-girlfriend, but you couldn’t help it. They only dated for a few months, and Minsoo has always been nothing but nice to everyone, so why do you have this terrible feeling of jealousy?

You really thought this day would get better just because your crush helped you out? Now you screwed up your audition and he probably likes someone else.

Pushing these thoughts out of your head, you swallowed a lump in your throat and rushed out of the auditorium. You can hear K calling your name behind you, but you ignored it and hurried on, afraid that if you turned back you’ll just burst into tears right there and then.

K deflated, eyebrows knit in worry as he slumped in his seat. “What happened? Why did she run off like that?”

Minsoo frowned in thought, looking at your retreating figure. Her eyes wandered to K and herself, then mentally face-palmed. “K, you’re a dumbass.”

“What?” Girls are so confusing. Right at that moment, he heard his name called, along with Minsoo’s, and he scrambled up, heart pounding. It’s time.

“When you’re done with this, make sure to go and talk to her, ok? So she doesn’t get the wrong idea,” Minsoo said as they climbed the stage steps. K nodded, casting another worried look at the auditorium’s doors, even though you were long gone.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Why the hell does he keep calling his lover Bambi?”

“It’s wordplay, Moona. “Bambi” in Korean means night shower, and he uses this imagery along with Disney references throughout the song, and the album itself, to enhance the music.”

“So he’s basically calling his lover a deer.”

“It’s a metaphor. Besides, the only deer you know is Heeseung, anyways.”

“Hey, there’s no need to attack me like—Y/N, are you ok?”

You plopped down on one of the seats outside the cafe, where you and your friends decided to meet up after school. The rain has cleared up earlier than expected, so you didn’t have to use the umbrella that K lent you, thankfully. Using it might just cause your emotions to spiral out of control again. I’l just return it tomorrow, you thought, forcing a smile on your face as you looked at your friends.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“Oh, stop lying, you’re not,” Star studied you carefully. “What’s wrong?”

Sighing, you buried your face in your hands. “I failed the auditions.”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t think like that,” Moona pushed a slice of cheesecake over to you. “You just did the audition, and they won’t announce the results until at least next week. Calm down and eat some cheesecake.”

“You should copyright that slogan and put it on a mug,” Star snickered. She pushed a cup into your hand. “Here’s your comfort drink, by the way. We know how stressed you get after auditions.”

You finally let a small smile settle on your face, taking a sip of the drink. Gosh, what would you do without your friends. “Thanks guys.”

“Nah, no need to thank us, we got you.” Taking a sip of her own drink, Moona said, “Hey, there’s Giulia now.”

“I’m so so sorry, I swear to god, if I have to hear that stupid customer yell at me one more time, I’ll scream,” Giulia plopped down next to you, then turned concerned at the look on your face. “Honey, you ok?”

“No,” you took a bite of cheesecake, savoring the sweet flavor in your mouth. You just wanted to distract yourself from this horrid day. “Wait, where’s Artzyy?” you asked, realizing that someone was missing.

“Xe had a group project with Seon,” Star grinned mischievously, wiggling her eyebrows. “So xe had to cancel today.”

“Oh.” On any other day, you would’ve joined in on teasing Artzyy, but xyr relationship with Seon just reminded you of how you ditched K back in the auditorium, and guilt started piling up inside you. Even if you were jealous, you shouldn’t have abandoned him like that, and he’s probably worried that he did something wrong. Which he didn’t. It’s just this crappy ass day of yours, and this dark cloud hanging over your head, shrouding your emotions, your thoughts, your stupid feelings—

“Alright,” Giulia clapped her hands together, interrupting your thoughts. “I know you always get stressed over auditions, but you’re not like this. What is wrong, Y/N? You can tell us, we’ll listen.”

You looked up to see Moona and Star also giving you similar troubled expressions, and you shook your head. “It’s just...a bad day. Nothing is going right.” Your voice cracked at the last syllable, and you will yourself to not cry. Everything felt too much, school, the play, your love life.

Your friends shared a look, before they scooted over to embrace you in a group hug. You relaxed against their arms, feeling comforted at last.

“Things will get better,” Giulia soothed. “Hang in there, ok? You’re stronger than all of this, Y/N.”

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“What’s the matter? You look like someone just rejected you.”

K glared at him, and Seon comprehended that maybe that wasn’t the right choice of words. He sighed and took a seat beside his friend on the bleachers. “What’s wrong?”

K flicked through his phone, before turning it off with a defeated sigh. “She’s not answering my calls, or my messages. She just dashed out after the auditions without even looking at me. Even though I called after her.”

Seon frowned, puzzled by K’s words. “Why?”

“I don’t know!” K threw his hands up in frustration, running a hand through his hair. “She just...ran away.”

Seon opened his mouth to say something, but K’s coach yelled for everyone to get on the field to start practicing again. Seon watched as K, with a broken expression, climbed down the bleachers and headed onto the tracks. Staring after him, Seon started to feel like everything was not going according to plan. At all. He took out his phone to text Jaeho about the latest development.

Seon: Something’s wrong….

Jaeho: Why? What happened now?

Seon: The couple dynamics are weird.

Jaeho: The only weird couple dynamic is you making kissy faces at Artzyy while she tries to avoid looking at you when you two were working on the project.

Seon: I was NOT making kissy faces! And this isn’t about Artzyy, I’m talking about K and Y/N.

Jaeho: Oh. So….change of plans?

Seon: No, not yet. Not until they announce the audition results. I just….have a bad feeling about this.

[hoonieluvs]

[12:52AM]

“i fall for the worst ones”, jay put his head down on the table and sighs dramatically.

“that’s because you’re looking at the wrong pond”, you say as he lifts his head to look at you.

“where should i be looking then?”, he asks.

“you’re looking at the right one right now”, sunoo answered bluntly as he took a sip of your boba.

you kicked his legs underneath the table. “what he’s trying to say here is that”, you paused. i’ve been here this whole time while you were looking for someone to be inlove with desperately. “you need to stop looking for someone and focus on copying the homework.”

“you’re right. but that did not help me at all.” he started writing down the answers for the homework.

“the thing about you is that, you fall for someone so easily jay...”, he stopped writing and took a deep breath.

“what am i supposed to do then?”, he asked genuinely.

“i honestly don’t know”

maybe if i had the balls to confess to you then it would’ve turned out way differently. but this friendship that you have with him is so precious that even loving him from afar is alright.

[banbananawho]

📸 Summer Training Camp of the 23 Applicants

This was conducted after the ILAND Part 1.

ctto.

[enhypenengene]