#it’s more of me gushing about yibo as usual

[accio-victuuri]

This will be a short discussion of what I originally planned regarding yibo endorsing national / homegrown brands recently and what it all means when talking about the bigger picture. and by that I mean, the connection between celebrities in CHN & nationalism as well as the increasing tension between CHN and other countries. As much as we all wanna live in a bubble of fandom where it’s all pretty boys & happiness, real life isn’t going that way.

I think Yibo knows that too and it’s influencing his choices. He had a personal experience with this — the whole NIKE fiasco in 2020 definitely was a lesson to him and his team. The risk of endorsing big international brands as a Chinese celebrity is real. It happened before and it may ( or will ) happen again. You never know what issue is going to pop up and suddenly, it’s all gone. We have seen time and again how the CCP can quickly direct these celebrities to sing and dance in whatever tune they like.

Let’s start with the biggest one he signed on to right after the whole nike fiasco. ANTA. It’s on record that as soon as WYB dropped Nike, there was a bidding of sorts on who is the domestic brand that will get him. ANTA wasn’t the highest offer, but he chose them because they are a national brand.

Then the list just goes on. A couple of these are due for renewal this year but just to illustrate which brands he is working with since 2021:

(In no particular order)

Redmi, Lenovo, Youku, Pechoin, Chunzhen, Super X, Bananain, Master Kong Iced Tea, Kelly One, Linsy, Bottled Joy, IKIDE, Helen Keller Glasses, SKG, Stride, Tokit, Chando, Unicharm, Rotai

I could be missing 1 or 2 but it’s a lot. for someone who averages 25-30 brands in a year all holding his name as endorser, the number of domestic ones is a lot.

This trend became more evident when looking at his new endorsements this year (2023):

5 out of the 6 brands are domestic.

It’s the reason why I had the urge to make this post, especially with him being announced as YAYA’s chief spokesperson. Personally, the last domestic brand surge I remember was 2021 and there were a couple of articles written about that. This year, the domestic brands are at it again and tapping celebrities to get more attention. It says a lot that these brands picked Yibo to represent this growth. It’s easy to sign on to a well known brand with a string of high profile endorsers before you, so this is again, a testament to Yibo’s character. He is not afraid to lend his name and reputation to the Nameless/Unknown ( i had to reference it i’m sorry lol ). He takes into consideration not just his growth but also his people, these Chinese companies who are fighting with brand titans.

He is also the go-to choice because his good reputation and appeal to the younger generation.

I think Wang Yibo’s age is more in line with this social group. He is a very positive young man. Recently, Wang Yibo is in the process of transforming from an idol to a powerful actor. He is more in line with the youthfulness of our future brand. (quote from tailing’s president )

I have taken this screenshot from an article by jingdaily that is worth a read. another factor is the general population’s preference as well. whether this is something that yibo & his team is taking into consideration, we don’t know but with the choices they are making i guess the answer is obvious.

This year too, I have noticed a shift in c-ent with celebrities being courted by international brands who thinks it’s safe (for) now to be visible in the CHN market again. I have no beef with these celebrities, you gotta do what you gotta do. International brand deals are hella lucrative and some luxury ones are considered an honor to be a part of. I mean even Yibo is very visible in promoting Chanel.

I get the lure of big brand endorsements but that doesn’t take away the reality of what could happen and that planning ahead is important. Yibo is more capable than people give him credit for. I think a lot of people underestimate his ability to look at a situation and make decisions that will benefit his career in the long run. To put it simply, if and when things go south in the political side of things he is prepared and there won’t be much of a loss in the endorsement side of things. It’s a very smart business move and you can add patriotic points too so that makes it perfect.

Yibo is really the one who walks the talk. This saying really applies to him more than anyone cause that is his essence as a person — you will see the truth in him with what he does. His actions speaks volumes. He will take a stand on what he believes in even if everyone else is going the opposite direction. 🤍

DISCLAIMER: This post is very much about Yibo if you couldn’t already tell, and my observation as a fan. It’s not meant to compare him to other CHN celebrities cause I don’t have the time and interest in making a comparison study of who has the most domestic brand endorsements. If another stan finds this and is somehow offended in behalf of their fave, it’s not my fault. Feel free to make your own post talking about how great your fave is. Thank you!

[dangermousie]

Hello! I just wanted to say I really appreciate how much you're onboard the Baili Hongyi x Liu Ran ship. It's a breath of fresh air to read your perspective amidst all the hate Liu Ran seems to be getting instead (especially w/ events of the recent episode). Every time a they have a scene together I've honestly been looking forward to seeing you gush about it, so thanks :D

Awwww, thank you! Luoyang is a gorgeous, twisty drama but I confess that they are consistently the highlight of it for me (once a shipper, always a shipper, I guess. But joking aside, I usually ship hardest when it's not a ship-centric drama and there are other things going on as well.)

As to people disliking Liu Ran, I tend to hang out in my tumblr and not venture elsewhere much outside of my mutuals, but while liking a character is subjective, and I am sure some people just don't go for that type of narrative/just view it differently than I do/have valid reasons (even if ones I don't share), I think at least some of vitriol towards her is influenced by (a) people being tougher on female characters than male ones - honestly, I had zero issue with her coming to the meeting place; with all the information she had it was reasonable. If he wanted her not to to muck up his plans, perhaps Hongyi (and I adore him) should have talked to her so she's not out of the loop, (b) a certain subset of fandom consistently looking down on female characters who are not fighting BAMFs but whose strengths are coded as "traditional female virtues,” (c ) some people just not wanting ships in their mystery thriller - even in my limited excursions out I've seen people bitching about the GBZ x Siyue ship as being tacked on blahblah, let alone Hongyi x Liu Ran that has more screen-time in terms of shipping, (d) Wang Yibo has a huge fandom; by definition if only a small percentage of anyone's fandom is nuts, if the fandom is huge, the sheer number of the nuts will be larger even if percentage is the same as for a smaller fandom; I still remember the insanity that was ZLY versus WYB fandoms in Fei. And unlike ZLY, Song Yi does not have a huge fandom.

But oh well, I plan to fangirl them until a bitter end!

[khaotungsfirst]

Even if you're not familiar with norse myths I'd say that the Gaiman book is still really enjoyable 😊It's not too heavy and a lot of the stories he chooses are the more well known ones. It's only about 300 pages, so it's not too long either. I think you can get a preview of a few pages through google, so that might be a good way to see if it's something you'd like or not. - CC 🦊

A lot of the Doctor Who books feel like they could be their own little episode, which is nice. It's been a few years since I read them but I remember enjoying The Stone Rose, The Stealers of Dreams, Invaders from Mars and The Glamour Chase. There's also a huge range of audiobooks where the actors have returned to their old roles. Recently this year it was announced that Christopher Eccleston was coming back to work on some Ninth Doctor audiobooks 😱- CC 🦊

Also, if you're interested in any of the older Doctors, I'd highly suggest looking into Eighth Doctor audiobooks! The actor sadly only got one really odd 90's movie and a short for the 50th to act the role on film, so the audiobooks really let the character shine and give him a chance. And some sci-fi I can recommend are Aurora Rising, There Will Come Soft Rains, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. There's also Jurassic Park but is it sci-fi? Is it horror? Either way there's dinosaurs! - CC 🦊

Omg no but I totally get how you feel with horror! I'm really fussy with the genre myself since I often get bored or annoyed with it if it's not done right 🤣I usually read before bed so that's probably not a good decision on my part either! Were there any books you've read this year that you've enjoyed a lot? Any potential new favourites? ❤️- CC 🦊

I would absolutely love to buddy watch and/or read TGCF with you! That sounds like it would be awesome ❤️We could yell at each other as we follow it that way! And omg, Brooklyn 99 and Queer Eye are amazing! I love Jonathan Van Ness, he's always so happy and positive all the time. A lot of my favourite / comfort shows right now are The Dragon Prince, The Mandalorian, RuPaul's Drag Race, New Legends of Monkey and His Dark Materials. - CC 🦊

I'll stop spamming your inbox after this, but since I haven't asked you an MDZS related question for a little while I figured I'd ask you one today! I think I can guess who your favourite member of the cast might be, but what is it about it them that you admire? Always love an opportunity to see people's excitement over their favs! 😊- CC 🦊

I looked at the preview for Norse Mythology and it actually sounds so interesting!! But I fear that I will imagine the characters as they are in the Marvel Universe 😅 Aaahhh it’s always nice to get some more Ninth Doctor!! I should probably check out the audiobooks if the actors are reprising their roles for them but I gotta check where I can download English audiobooks. And can you believe I never watched the original Jurrassic Park movies? 😬 I should probably get around to that... 

Yeah, some horror books sound really intriguing but then I look at my massive TBR/wishlist and think to myself... well I rather spend my money on this other book that I’ve wanted for 3 months now so 🤷🏻‍♀️ Honestly, this year wasn’t as good of a reading year as I’d hoped it would be. But some books I enjoyed were The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James (YA Sci-Fi), The Sinclair’s Mysteries Series (Middlegrade Historical Mystery), Eight Detectives (Adult Mystery) and Call Down The Hawk (YA Urban Fantasy). What about your reading year?

YES! omg let’s do it!! But let’s wait until you can reveal yourself so we can scream at each other in DMs 😅 JVN is a national treasure, I love him!! But tbh I love all of them! 💕 I just googled New Legend of Monkey bc I’ve never heard of it and the fact it’s a Aussie/NZ production based on a Japanese show which in turn is based on a Chinese novel.. love it! And it even is on german netflix!

Hahaha yeah I guess my love for Yibo is not a secret 😂  But I do love the other cast members as well!! (Fun fact: before I started watching cql I thought wwx was more attractive but I quickly learned my lesson and fell HARD for lwj and in turn yibo askdjgffdk) Yibo is just.... aaaaaahhhhhhhh I just love him so much, your honor!! He’s a classic case of do I want to marry you or be you?? Like his gender presentation??? HELLOOOO??? I want that!! And when he wears earrings and has slightly longer hair (and ideally wears makeup but that’s optional he looks fantastic without it as well) I! WANT! TO! DIEEEEEE!!! Then there’s the fact he’s a lil gremlin boy and he basically hates us askdjgksdfghkdf like I feel like he’s so done with the entertainment industry/the fanservice that’s expected of him and honestly, that’s valid and relatable. I also don’t want to do the things I’m supposed to do for work even though I chose this job 😂 Like that live where he was supposed to talk to his fans for an hour and he was just like uuugghhh how do ppl talk for an hour, this is exhausting askdjghkdf SAME!! And I feel like this makes him seem more grounded (though obv I don’t know him so who knows what he’s really like) He isn’t forcing a smile for the cameras because he is supposed to. If he doesn’t want to smile he won’t and I gotta respect that! Then there’s the fact that he’s so multitalented! Like is there anything he CAN’T do????? Act, dance, sing, motorcycle, skate, etc. the list goes on! And he’s such an amazing dancer, and I dance hiphop myself so I’m very !!!!!! about it all. I REALLY want to get dance lessons from him like he’d probably scream at me to do better and I’d thank him for it aksdhgdkfjg omg I gushed way too much about yibo ok I’m gonna go now. Who’s your fave, CC?

[gg-astrology]

🥺😔☀️💓❤️💓

a rambly all-over-the-place personal note! Incase you just want to hear from me and talk to me!! I know i’ve been gone for a while so if any followers old/new wants to hear what I actually say when Im not answering posts, here it is! 💓❤️💓 

the main point so you don’t have to see any of the mess: any asks that talks to me like im google will be deleted! 

note: the main part of this isn’t even about the above so if u’re looking for drama or me angsting you may not find it here!! i think i sound more like im fatigued and on my last brain cells.. talking about everything and being v sappy and mellow.. so!!! 💓❤️💓 no drama. not here! not today! 

ok now, consider:

what do u guys think about me just taking it easy... i dont know if you’ve been here for a while or for long.. but I usually do pretty detailed research posts?? about topics like moon phase in astrology, basics on essential dignitaries, etc. 

Astrology ‘topics’... stuff like ‘what is x chart what does it mean’ or ‘what is x concept how does it work’ -- not about placements usually!!! 💓❤️💓Asks about placements I just answer for fun from my inbox.. but posts I actually make.. those are the type of things!!! 💓❤️💓

And well.. I just came back.. not in the mindset right now.. so i was thinking.. would u be ok/interested if i take a break from those posts and maybe post more idol astrology stuff?? nothing serious, I just want to have fun and talk about placements and gush over people who may have similar placements to us and how good they are + how we can learn from them... 

Its just fun stuff?? very light-hearted (dont talk to me about crying through them sometimes, bc theyre so good even when i see harsh aspects/them going through manifestation of that throughout their careers) -- idk!! I just want to maybe talk about girls for a while and like, ask people to love girls and support/appreciate girl groups and asian soloists and artists... 

idk!! just a thought.. like.. i’ll still answer astro stuff and maybe i’ll slip astro posts in there as well.. 90% of my blog is still main astro stuff.. just that 10% maybe i’ll do more idol readings.. it lifts my spirits and i like talking about them!! i know its a niche in tumblr, esp the kpop gg astro stuff.. but like... girls...!!! and seventeen members (im nearly done oh my god theres 3 more left!!!)

I know i put a lot of effort into the bangtan readings bc theyre like-- the semi between my usual intense stuff and the light-hearted ones so im-- probably not gonna touch them yet (for now)  -- I always have high expectations for them because they have to be a certain Standard. There’s alot of great bangtan astro posts out there -- part of that is also v pressuring. But another part is that I want to contribute to something in the community as well! That is like, new and welcomed and good and Not Bad... so... I’m holding off bc I have to have like, a week to actually write, edit, re-edit, check myself before I (usually) publish them.. so... this is ur warning my bts inner readings wont be coming out soon!! 

im just talking about gg stuff -- or other idols, thinking about twice and gfriend and oh my god.... girl groups...

I rmb I used to do it to promote solo artists that might not have gotten alot of attention as well.. I still have drafts about Bolb4.. now consider: younha... also consider: xiao zhan, wang yibo... oh my god... but what if-- idk!!! idk!!!!!!

Anyways I just want to let u know whats been on my mind!!! I honestly dont really know? I posted the bangtan answer today (with a warning beforehand) and AS SOON AS I PUBLISHED 4 people left -- to be honest its pretty funny,,, its kinda funny right?? i think its funny,,, like kpop repellent,, but also i Get it!!! its not for u its ok dont take this social media thing so seriously... its fine i do it all the time too, dont feel guilty over blocking or unfollowing someone - do it as soon as you feel uncomfy tbh its a safe place for u make it ur safe spot!!

But!! Yeah!! 💓❤️💓 Idol things, thoughts? 💓❤️💓 

And this is not related but I was looking at old questions/asks in my inbox (some that ive alrdy answered but its still there -- like 6 asks? so thats... 6 out of the current 122 asks oof) and people are So Nice and So Polite to me!!!! amazing!!! fortunate!!!! One lucky bitch!!!!! Thats me!!!! Im the lucky bitch, who?? people are just so courteous towards when they request or asks for something?? wow---

Its only like, half way in the middle of my old asks that I realize once its more mainstream astro ppl start sending asks in like im google search... rip anyone who does that i deleted the ask bc i have a faq.. my only rule is that be nice.. not playing by the rules!!!!! 

Its also a little introspective to think about it now.. how back then when I didn’t realize it was happening I carried through and answered them anyways bc like... atleast people were asking?? they’re curious?? right?? keep the public fed! there’s people out there who does enjoy my actual answer than the ask itself...but like... now that i’m back and Refreshen: any asks that talks to me like im google will be deleted. I’ll quote this and put it up before the read more so thats the main meat of this long rant!! 💓❤️💓

basically what im saying about all this is: don’t let people treat you that way, or anyway you don’t feel absolutely positively happy about. I’m still keeping some asks that I do want to answer/I think can be turned into great points. But marie-kondo yourself, you don’t deserve to be treated like someone’s encyclopedia, dictionary or google!!!!!

they don’t really care, and it doesn’t really matter if you answer or not -- bc they can just type in the same thing to other astrologer out there and mayb someone will hit it and answer for them. So!!!! dont compromise, delete anything that doesn’t treat u like human. Bc u’re not a bot!!!! Do better!!! This is from future nita to past nita!!! Do better!!! This is why u burnt out and went awol for like a month!!!!!!!! Dont let this happen again or get into the habit, cry to ur friends!!! Ask ur beta for help!!!!!!! Add some people in as ur admin so they can clearly tell u what is right and whats wrong!!!!! dummie you’re too soft and kind!!!!! stop making excuses for others!!!!!!! do better in 2020!!!!!

So this is my rambling over!!! Answered 42 asks in my queue, know that around 30 of them have already been posted. That’s 72 done today!! Not to mention the 30 yesterday -- I was v dumb and didn’t close the ask box, thus I had +10 asks in my inbox today but its ok!!!!!!! Let the people Speak!!!! I’ll post this PSA now and go I hope u enjoy hearing from me even if I’m just rambling -- love u!! take care of urself!!! i hope this helps or entertain anyone who’s looking to know me better or hear some words from me personally!!!! this is me, signing out!!! 

[weiamilikethis]

Chocolate Hearts

Genre: Pure Ass Fluff

Word Count: 3,316

Playing truth or dare is fun, right? WRONG. At least when it involves my crush and my best friends while having a sleepover. Xiao had invited us to his uncle’s house on the beach on Jeju and of course we all said yes. Kuhn and Jinhoo were practically ecstatic with anticipation while the others were just running around like school girls. Wooshin and Sunyoul were planning all the games and activities we would be doing, Bitto and Hwanhee took charge of bringing food, Kuhn and Jinhoo planned the sleeping arrangements. Xiao and I were left to make sure we had everything we needed.

And then there was Natasha. All of us met in middle school and ended up going to the same high school so we got to hangout more. She’s the sweetest girl I’ve ever met in my life, I sometimes wonder if she’s an angel. Her heart is as big as Wei’s, she cares for everyone, she will go out of her way to help others, just everything about her I love. Especially her laugh, it’s adorable, even though she says it’s incredibly unattractive.

I’ll be honest, when I first heard her laugh I wasn’t sure what to think initially but after hearing it once more I was hooked. She snorts when she laughs, especially when she thinks something is really funny. When I talked to her about this she said she sounded like a pig, to which I, along with Wei, told her she was wrong. We both think it’s cute and it shows her real side, it proves she has nothing to hide from anyone. Anyway, enough of me gushing about my crush on this adorable girl.

Today is the day we are heading to Jeju for a few days and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s not very often that all of us can get a weekend alone, considering our parents are all protective. We all met up at my house then went go to pick up Natasha, she lives the closest to Jeju. Kuhn drove his care while I took mine, splitting our group up to make the traveling easier.

“Alright, six of you come with me and the rest of you pile in with Kogyeol so that Natasha can be in his car.” “Shut up hyung.”

Kuhn laughed, lightly swatting at my arm. I knew he was just trying to be funny but they all know how I feel about her. Ever since the eighth grade I’ve had a crush on her, but she only ever saw me as a friend. I was always there to help her with the bad break ups, to listen to how great her dates were, everything that I wished I could be to her.

Nevertheless, they all listened to Kuhn: Hwanhee, Wooshin, Jinhoo, Bitto, and Sunyoul went with him. I got Wei, Xiao, and Gyujin, plus Natasha. Oh, this was going to be a hell of a ride five hours of being teased by the children wasn’t what I needed or wanted. I wasn’t going to complain though, I had Natasha who could always make my moon improve.

We set off toward her house, arriving around one in the afternoon. I got out of the car and walked up to her front door. When I got to it, I reached out my hand but paused: what was I doing? Wei saw me freeze at the door and decided to yell for her to come outside.

“HEY! NATASHA!!”

Within five seconds the door flew open to reveal a short girl with long hair that was dyed the same shade of red as mine once was. She was wearing her glasses, she always says she doesn’t look good in them, and a bright smile graced her lips. I smiled back and waited for her to grab her things, then I whipped my head around and glared at Wei. He just shrugged his shoulders and smiled innocently at me from the car.

“Mom, I’m leaving now! See you in two days!” “Be safe!”

“Of course!”

She ran down the stairs to greet Wei, who was standing at the ready to help her put her gym bag in the car. I sighed heavily as I walked down the stairs and got in the driver’s seat. The two of them hopped in but this time Wei wasn’t sitting shot gun: Natasha was. I gulped hard as the realization hit me, I looked at him through the rear-view mirror with a piercing gaze. He only responded by shrugging his shoulders and expressing that I should have time with her 

“Gyeol? What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing. It’s really good to see you. You ready to go?”

“I’ve been ready for months now! Let’s go!”

I started the car once again and we drove off to Jeju. The car ride went better than I was expecting, none of the guys teased me the entire time. We all talked about life, caught up with some of the latest gossip in our families, and the one topic I hated to hear from her the most: boyfriends. After years of hearing her about her experiences I’d begun to feel like she would never learn. Now, as seniors in high school, she still hadn’t learned.

“So, Natasha, what’s this guy’s name?”

She turned to face Gyujin who was doing something on his phone, I couldn’t really tell what though.

“His name is Yibo, and oh my god he’s the sweetest.”

“Yibo?”

Wei’s head perked up at the sound of this: he knew something that she didn’t.

“You meant that tall gangly kid who’s a bad boy but is an ass to all the girls? Come on Nishi, I wish you would stop liking guys like that. They’re bad news and you know it.”

“Wow…I didn’t know you felt so strongly about him Wei. Kogyeol, what do you think?” 

Shit, she addressed me by my first name this time. I knew what she wanted to hear from me, but I didn’t know if I could bring myself to say it. She’s been through so much heartache in her life and I hated seeing her upset. Crying was the worst for her, that’s what I despise. When she cries, I feel like a part of my heart if being ripped out. I thought for a moment and decided to tell her what she wanted to hear. I don’t have a chance with her: never have and never will.

“I don’t know, I don’t talk to him. He seems nice enough, though I would use caution.”

“See Wei? Gyeol doesn’t think he’s a jerk.”

“I’m sure my hyung doesn’t but still, please be careful. He’s broken so many girl’s hearts, including your best friend’s.”

That got Natasha thinking hard, she had forgotten how badly Yibo had treated Iya during sophomore year. He broke her heart, ripped it out of her chest, threw it on the floor, and humiliated her in front of the whole class. From that day on Iya began to take up martial arts and now Yibo is terrified of the girl. Apparently, she beat his ass one day while he was hanging out with his friends in Hongdae.

Wei glanced at me through the mirror: Checkmate, now do something before she falls again. He was right of course but I didn’t want to ruin the friendship. No matter what I feel for her, our friendship means more to me than trying to convince her to accept my feelings. There’s nothing there in her heart for me other than brotherly love and I guess that’s good enough. Part of me dies a little bit but I can’t leave her alone, none of us can.

I cleared my throat and turned on the radio, things got too tense and I didn’t like it at all. The first song that played was ours: Catch Me. I made eye contact with Wei, Xiao, and Gyujin as we all broke out into huge smiles. The next thing I knew I was nudging Natasha to sing with us and we forgot about the previous incident.

“You guys are getting more popular and you’re still high school students.”

“Hey, that’s what comes from so much training. You should really stop by the practice room sometime to watch us.”

“We’re here guys. Everyone out!”

Xiao was the first to jump out, he had the keys anyway, and ran to the front door while the rest of us unloaded the car. Kuhn and the others showed up a few minutes later, Wei and I were finishing the last of our bags when Hwanhee came running towards us. A giant smile plastered to his face as he tackled us to the ground. Wooshin laughed at us while he grabbed his bag from the trunk.

“Hwanhee, come on, help us out.” “Okay.”

In an hour and a half all eleven of us were unpacked and ready to go spend some time on the beach. We changed into more appropriate clothing for a hot day and headed down to the beach. Xiao lead us the way he usually goes with his uncle, I walked behind with Natasha. She told me so many stories, some old and some new, and some that I had been waiting for her to tell me about.

Half way through the walk she linked her arm with mine as she talked about her little cousin who had a crush on me. I wasn’t listening to that though, I was more focused on the fact that she was showing skin ship with me. The way her hands move as she spoke was cute, I got the feeling it was just out of habit now. She thinks so many of her habits are what make her unattractive but if I could tell her how I felt, I would tell her that she’s wrong 

When we got to the beach my breath was taken from my lungs, I couldn’t believe that Xiao had just taken us through the sketchiest looking path and brought us to paradise. Spending time here with these guys was going to be a lot of fun.

“LAST ONE IN IS A ROTTEN EGG!”

Hwanhee and Xiao yelled as they yanked off their shirt then made a mad dash for the crystal-clear water ahead. Kuhn and Wei followed in suit but in a manlier fashion, jogging to the water instead of sprinting like children. Natasha and I stayed on the sand to talk for a bit but soon we were walking through the water, having a few splash fights as we went. I told her about being an upcoming idol with the rest of the guys while she told me about her little sister who wanted to meet us again since it had been a few years.

I told her I would bring the guys over some time to hangout properly with her sister and maybe even give a private concert. She thanked me for offering to do such a thing but insisted that she would bring her sister over to the dorm. In the end we settled on an afternoon and evening with Up10tion for her little sister. I could see her eyes light up at the thought of when this day would come. Never have I seen someone’s eyes shine like Natasha’s.

Later, no one really wanted to head back to the house just yet so we sat on the beach in a circle to play some games. We played Truth or Dare Spin the Bottle and yes, that sounds as bad as you think it does. I sat between Wooshin and Gyujin, Natasha was with Kuhn and Jinhoo. The three of them like to gossip sometimes but it’s all rather funny when it comes back to the rest of us.

“Okay guys, you know the rules: if the bottle lands on you, then you can ask anyone of your choice to pick Truth or Dare.”

“Just spin the bottle Xiao.”

He let it go with a flick of his wrist and the bottle spun around until it landed on Sunyoul who looked about ready to jump into a whole. We all got excited as we started to build up the hype for Sunyoul’s Truth or Dare. Xiao raised an eyebrow with a mischievous grin on his lips. In that moment we all knew what was going to come out of the maknae’s mouth.

“Hyung, truth or dare?”

“Uh…truth…”

“Ah, you’re no fun but alright. Is it true that you have a crush on Hwanhee’s sister?”

“No. Now it’s my turn.” Sunyoul spun the bottle with such force that it moved three inches to the right in the sand. The bottle landed on Natasha who had no fear in her eyes as she silently dared him the bring it on. Suddenly a rather scary smirk crossed his face, I didn’t like that side of Sunyoul at all. He’s normally such a sweet guy but since they all know how I feel, things were about to get ugly. Normally we respect each other’s boundaries but when playing games they become ruthless.

“Nishi, let me ask you this first: you’re still willing to do anything right?”

“Sunyoul, is that a challenge?”

“I guess I have my answer. Then Truth or Dare?”

“Hit me with a dare.”

“Dude, you just asked to kill yourself.”

Wei placed a hand on her shoulder with a slightly concerned expression. She shook her head then turned back to Sunyoul who was whispering in Xiao’s ear. The younger nodded his head, that same mischievous smirk on his face. He grabbed his backpack from behind Gyujin, pulling out a small box with a ribbon on it. Sunyoul happily took the box, pulled off the ribbon, and took off the lid to show us what was in it.

Everyone screamed as they saw the heart shaped chocolates: they were decorated with small painted flowers and flecks of gold. Natasha didn’t squirm in her sat, rather she took the box from Sunyoul and asked what the dare was. Everyone was excited for this, that is: everyone except for me.

“Nishi, I dare you to feed Kogyeol hyung one of these.” “Easy enough, you gotta try ha—“ “Ah, I’m not finished yet. You have to feed him one of these with your mouth.”

“Now that’s a dare. Gyeol, come here.”

She patted the spot in front of her but I wasn’t moving. Some part of me gained some confidence and, possible snarkiness, shook my head. I pointed to the spot in front of me, I guess I had a pretty suggestive look on my face as everyone freaked out around me. Xiao grabbed onto Gyujin’s arm with anticipation and slight embarrassment. Sunyoul was on the verge of screaming and nothing had happened yet.

Natasha sighed heavily, but made her way over to me. She sat in front of me with her legs crossed, took out a heart, and put it between her lips. Sure, the confidence I had was still kind of there but some part of me also lost control. I grabbed her by the back of her neck and pulled her close. Wooshin basically shrieked while Kuhn and Jinhoo covered each other’s eyes. Sunyoul was kicking the air vigorously, Hwanhee looked like he’d just seen Medusa and froze, and Bitto squealed.

I looked into her eyes and what I saw was very different from the Natasha I’d always known. There was a shift in them, almost as though she melted slightly from being so close to me. I suddenly felt bad about this dare and I wasn’t really wanting to continue. I don’t like putting people in uncomfortable positions, ever, and this was a time where I wished I could take this back. My thoughts were interrupted by Xiao as he groaned loudly.

“Guys, it’s just a dare! Nishi, you said you would do this.”

“Yah! Who asked you to be like this?”

Wooshin lightly smacked his arm then gestured for us to continue the moment. I glanced back at Natasha, her eyes were half closed as he moved closer to me. At that moment courage came over me and I kissed her. What I thought she was going to do was open her eyes wide and smack me, but she didn’t. To my surprise she moved closer, placing her hands on my knees to keep herself from falling. The others started screaming out of joy or embarrassment, I don’t know but that didn’t matter to me.

At first I couldn’t fully believe what was happening, even though it was a dare, but slowly it settled in. I tasted the melted chocolate on her lips, and then I knew there was no going back. I melted into her touch as she ran her hands through my hair gently. By now, she had most certainly fed me the chocolate, yet she didn’t pull away from me like one would expect. We were in our own world: it was perfect.

Her lips were sweet like cherries, a hint of chocolate, and they were soft. I got a bit carried away and pulled her into my lap, completely forgetting that the guys were there with us. She hummed into the kiss, letting me take some control. I restrained myself though, this was after all Truth or Dare and I had to respect her boundaries.

We stayed like that for a good five minutes and when she pulled away her cheeks were a beautiful rosy pink. She hid her face with her hands as the guys all made cooing sounds and saying “aaawwwweeee”. I felt the embarrassment then but didn’t let go of her. I hugged her closer and whispered into her ear.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that for.”

That made her blush even more as she then buried her face in my chest, gripping my shirt tightly in her hand. Xiao was the first to speak up about what just happened.

“HYUNG! I CAN NEVER UNSEE THAT!!”

Sunyoul smacked his arm with a disapproving frown and turned back to me with a huge smile.

“I’m so proud of you! But…Nishi…What does this mean to you?”

Her response was muffled as she still refused to look at any of us in the eyes. I bent my head down to hear her better and that’s when I received my second shock of the day. What she said, I hoped she wasn’t joking about so I asked her to say it one more time for me. When I got confirmation, I looked back at all the guys. Their gazes intense and curious.

“Natasha, I’ll be honest, I really like you. Since we were middle schoolers I’ve always thought you were the sweetest and kindest girl I’ve ever met. Now, as teens I still believe this and so I have to ask…but…Would you accept my feelings for you? Will you make me the happiest man on earth?”

Finally, her head popped up with wide eyes as she gaped at me along with everyone else. None of them had been expecting me to confess right then and there but now it was the moment of truth. I waited calmly and watched as her shocked changed into happiness. She wrapped her arms around my neck with a big smile then whispered her response. 

“I accept. It took you long enough you big dummy.”

“BAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Right then and there Hwanhee and Xiao lost it, they rolled around on the floor holding their sides but nevertheless they were happy for me. They all were. Everyone cheered and screamed, some of them even began running around, hugging Natasha and I more than once. I sighed at the maknaes as they rolled around, I lightly smacked their butts as I tried to get them to calm down.

I’d finally done it though: I’d finally asked and she said yes. I guess in the end this trip was better than I thought it would be. Besides, I got something much better than a vacation for a few days. And this I would never give up for anything in the world: Natasha.

   - Admin A