#look at jy and tell me that he's not the type to keep his friend's weapon and give it later to someone who reminds him of that friend

[wentian]

*preaching* it is his sword, yanqing is using yingxing's old sword. it probably was reforged to suit yanqing but they're too similar in design to not be sisters. no i do not accept criticism, i'm right, it's blade's old s...

[notthatiwilleverwriteit]

1/2 I do think that he tian approached jian because he was lonely and because he knew of his father. But I also think ox made he tian seem interested in jian to make us root for zhan more it that makes sense? Because he tian called jian a puppy(104) just like he said about mo. and he garbed jian nack(121) like he does to mo. And called him handsome(108) just like he called mo. so he did those things to jian but then to mo someone he really is interested in. I dont think he had interest in him

Hello, dear anon!

Here are my earlier thoughts on JY and HT’s relationship in the beginning:

JY & HT (and ZZX & MGS)

It kind of sounds to me like you’ve already checked out that post but I’ll link it anyway in case someone is interested.

“I also think ox made he tian seem interested in jian to make us root for zhan more”

When HT was starting to become a permanent fixture in the story, I remember being annoyed by him because - as you said - it looked to me like he was interested in JY. I was rooting for Zhanyi and was not looking forward to any kind of love triangle situation or the pace of Zhanyi’s development to slow down even more. So, in a way, I was rooting for Zhanyi more because of HT. However, in retrospect, my interpretations of HT’s early conduct changed. Instead of being romantically interested in JY, I think HT was both keeping an eye on him and also trying to be his friend in his own “HT way”.

Ultimately, OX is the only one who knows what their “purpose” for HT’s character was in the beginning. Maybe they wanted to introduce a new character as a potential love triangle? Maybe they intended HT as a friend instead? It could even be OX’s plans for his character changed somewhere along the way. Our privilege as readers is to make interpretations, and those rarely have anything to do with the author.

So, I can’t really tell “why” OX made HT act the way he did around JY. But you mentioned some things comparing the similarities of how HT treated JY to how he now treats MGS. From what I understood from your question, you brought them up because those details were OX trying to make it look like HT was pursuing JY. I think I see where you’re coming from with them but still found I had read them a bit differently. Also, the instances you brought up are very far away from each other chapter-wise, so I don’t know how accurately you can really compare them.

“he tian called jian a puppy(104) just like he said about mo”

HT has compared JY to a golden retriever and called MGS a puppy. Even though they’re both dog-related remarks, I think their contexts are different which gives them different meanings in my eyes.

This was JY as golden retriever (ch. 104):

HT used JY passing by as a convenient opportunity to joke around and mess with him. JY was “fetching” or “retrieving” a pile of papers on what seems like a task assigned to him by a teacher. In that situation, JY kind of looks like an obedient dog.

Compared to that, HT calling MGS a puppy is different (ch. 241):

MGS is very much the “mad dog” character type - a hostile delinquent with a short fuse and bad reputation. This wasn’t the first time the dog-discourse is connected to MGS (for example, when HT promised to give him dog treats for his hard work). He barks and growls at people, and everyone steers clear of him. To HT, on the other hand, he’s more like an adorable puppy. MGS might have a short temper, but he’s still fluffy and soft in HT’s eyes.

So, yes, HT compared both JY and MGS to dogs, but I didn’t really take them in a similar “romantic interest” way because their contexts are different. To me, HT was messing with JY whereas with MGS, his tone was more endearing.

“he garbed jian nack(121) like he does to mo”

Overall, I would say HT is a rather physical character. He doesn’t have much regard for other’s personal space (pointed out by JY). He likes to physically cling to people and mess with them in general. It’s also a way for him to assert himself and dominate others.

When he grabbed JY’s neck, I see HT just messing with him in his usual manner (ch. 121):

He saw an opportunity to bully him a little and was quick to seize it as always. JY hadn’t wanted to take a shower, so what a better reason to pinch him by the neck and give him one. Especially, when the water out of the hose is probably cold. When JY stopped resisting because it actually felt good, HT lost interest.

The interesting question one might ask at this point is why doesn’t HT mess with ZZX physically like that. I don’t think we’ve ever seen HT directly bully ZZX the same way he does JY and MGS. Whenever the boys are horsing around, someone is usually “between” them. ZZX is involved in the battles by JY and usually ends up with the short end of the stick - or the bottom of the pile. HT messing with ZZX would probably look so weird...I wonder how ZZX would react. (I’ve briefly talked about ZZX and HT in one of my previous answers. For the most part, their relationship is a bit of a mystery to me.) I think JY is just the type that kind of invites HT’s type of people to mess with them a little.

Either way, compared to when HT has grabbed MGS’s neck, I think it’s different than with JY (ch. 200, 210, 282, 301, 318):

HT uses his strength to bully MGS and be frisky with him for sure, but I would say the occasions HT has grabbed MGS’s neck (or otherwise controlled him by touching his neck) are vastly different from when HT bullied JY. In the beginning of their relationship, it was mainly about HT dominating and overpowering MGS. He needed to occasionally remind MGS of who he was to listen. It was a bit crude but it got the message across. MGS’s neck seems to also be essential when HT is demonstrating his strong possessive streak. Lately, HT touching MGS’s neck has also gained endearing and protective vibes. It’s a way for him to show affection and give comfort.

I would say when HT grabbed JY’s neck in the beginning, it lacked those kinds of nuances. Again, the act itself was the same but the contexts were different.

I purposefully excluded all the countless panels of HT hooking his arm around both JY and MGS’s neck. I think that is just how HT is around people whether they are friends or someone he’s romantically interested in. Physically, it’s a really dominating hold and effectively keeps people from escaping him. Well, keeps MGS from escaping him.

“called him handsome(108) just like he called mo”

It’s true that HT complimented JY’s looks and I don’t see why he couldn’t think JY is handsome in his own way. However, I think he had his own agenda when he called JY handsome in that situation (ch. 108):

I would say HT flattered him and leaned closer to him like that to distract JY from HT slipping the note in his pants. Again, HT’s behavior easily comes across as him being interested in JY - and I’m not trying to deny that since I think it’s open to interpretations - but there’s also a strong possibility he was just messing with JY.

However, when HT was calling MGS handsome, I don’t think there was really much room for interpretation as to how he meant by it (ch. 293):

As usual, HT wasn’t shying away from teasing MGS but he also genuinely finds MGS is cute and good-looking. As in “I have a crush on you” rather than “huh, now that I look closer, you’re actually not that bad”. With MGS, people don’t see what HT sees. MGS is always frowning and overall scaring people off with his crude words and hostile behavior. HT, on the other hand, knows the softness and “good” that is buried in MGS if you just give it a chance to come out.

I mean, if you forget about HT trying to prank JY, those two situations are a bit like you can compliment someone’s looks without necessarily being romantically interested in them.

Again, it’s impossible for us to tell for sure if those occasions were HT being romantically interested in JY or just being a friend who likes to prank and mess with others. Or if OX made it look like HT was romantically pursuing JY on purpose. Or even if HT’s character’s objectives changed at some point for OX. But if you compared those occasions with JY to their MGS “counterparts”, I don’t know if they’re entirely comparable. Especially, if you keep them in their respective contexts.

Thank you for your question, dear anon! I hope I answered what you were asking about.

[sadviper]

2020 Creator Wrap: Favorite Works

Rules: It’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Succumbing to peer pressure, haha, thank you @rain-hat, @smylealong, @ibelongtomousse, @macgyver-sheriff, @avauntus for tagging me~

It seems the common refrain is that this was the year everyone exploded into massive creative productivity after years of nothing, which is the exact same story for myself. I had read all the strategies of course: write 5 min a day, 1 sketch a day, don’t think about quality, do *something* just to keep the spark alive, etc etc, but it just got worse and worse. Honestly, I had been feeling so dire about it that I had made up my mind to stop trying anymore, because it was so depressing to try and fail so many times that it was much better to not hope at all.

Buuuuut.....then quarantine and telework happened, and woooah, guess what, all I needed was LOTS of time and space to myself where I’m not wasting it in an office checking emails and doing random training to fill all the downtime!!!

Much thanks to the serendipity that had me stumbling into @rain-hat , reading her early JY/KSR fics, and her encouraging me to go ahead and write that office yearly budget oneshot for TKEM (who writes BUDGET fics?? Who reads them???? lol). That’s not in my list here because it was very new and awkward, it was definitely the ball that got everything rolling.

Cut for super long-winded rambling:

1) Before There Was Zero (TKEM)

This was my first big fanfic in my life, and my most popular, and it absolutely gushed out of me in this massive torrent of *I MUST WRITE* where I would walk around at lunchtime giggling to myself, and type on my phone as I went, or wake up at 1am to scrawl something in a notebook in the dark because I couldn’t stop the words from coming. (How I miss that feeling now! ;__;) Actually, it also is the 2nd fully complete long-form story I had ever completed as well, so...lots of milestones here.

Looking back, it clearly was the product of my years of bottled up silence, where I stewed and dragged myself to the office every day wondering if I was going to calcify in a bureaucracy for the rest of my life (yes). But even as an office drone, I learned a lot of valuable lessons in how to manage, what leadership actually is at the worker bee level, the types of games white-collar workers play, and how to be a decent co-worker (and by extension, a decent human being--I don’t believe it’s possible to separate work life and private life. All your personas are you). It wasn’t all a waste after all!

Somehow I connected my day-to-day to the faceless, long-suffering Royal guardsmen in TKEM, headed by the utterly gorgeous, devastating, thoroughly underutilized, comedic prop military action star Jo Yeong, and thought--yeah! :D

2) Nil Desperandum (TKEM)

My biggest fic by far, full novel length at this point, massive in scope, I don’t even know how I came up with it based on the 10 collective seconds of screen time that Jeong Tae-ra and tyrant Jin got as a joke, but I was clearly still on that dam-gushing-pent-up-creative-high because this idea was fighting me when I was in the middle of writing “Before There Was Zero”.

I actually figured out the title while watching “Call the Midwives” where one of the peppy, indefatigable British nurses said to never despair, and I thought, yes, that’s it. All the horrible things I put my tyrantverse characters through, it was only so that when I save them at the end, it will be completely worth it. It’s a bit more violent (nothing beyond My Country levels tho) and quite emotionally dark, but I also tried to inject a lot of friendship, humor, and love into it as well, because there must always be hope.

For My Country fandom friends who didn’t realize, the tyrant!Yeong in this fic is essentially modernAU!Seon-ho, and I lifted Sung-rok entirely from My Country to be tyrant!Yeong’s second-in-command and loyal-superstar-extraordinaire. Writing them in this modern AU, and seeing the positive reception to Sung-rok’s grouchy, dogged devotion was the start of my love spiral for Sung-rok. <3 <3

3) The Veritable Records of King Taejo (My Country)

Going to cheat and lump 3 fics (soon to be 4) into one link. I rested a little bit after “Nil Desperandum” because I had completely emptied myself out at that point, just a husk of an author shell. Then I started poking out oneshots! Each one got progressively harder to write, lol, the creative gas tank was running out of juice, so I had to really start figuring out new strategies as a writer to keep going. One magic tool was coercing recruiting @rain-hat to beta for me, and WOW, THE BEST???? Who would’ve thought it’d be FUN to be edited!!! <3 Due to her efforts, I could avoid the “no beta we die like Liaodong” tag, hahaha.

I grew up watching cop shows, lawyer shows, monster-of-the-day shows, endless procedurals-- so I was super miffed that the drama would imply that Seon-ho spent YEARS just single-mindedly chasing private armies??! No! I want more family and friends development for this sad, dramatic whump child! I want him to be smarter than the show, inherently brilliant despite the stupid he descends into, and be recognized as such by the people who do recognize his value! And I want them all to be happy with no pointless death!

Also, the 4th WIP is now a Sung-rok lovefest written as an ode to his awesomeness, has stretched to 47K+ words, and is being an absolute royal pain to finish. ;__; All the ease and creative fervor from earlier? GONE. I’m a lone salmon flopping upstream on a ladder. I might get eaten before I finish laying my eggs. Any one have tips to get over this?

4) First Translation of Woo Do Hwan Japanese Interviews

More firsts! So much thanks to @ibelongtomousse to inspiring and encouraging me to do some real translating after talking to her about her sublime TKEM fics and translations thereof, and @staidwaters from emerging from the Internet depths to boost/correct my neophyte efforts! I’m now chomping at the bit to do more, even though I may ultimately discover that these interviews have absolutely nothing interesting to say, lol. But my first priority is simply to get better at the language, and 2nd priority is to soak in the words (and photos) of Woo Do Hwan, hahahah. Also, as far as I can tell, no one is filling this niche, so I guess I’ll keep going??

5) Fanart!

I started drawing again! As a procrastination tactic from writing oneshots, but it still was really nice to see that I hadn’t lost the touch entirely. I feel like I’ve mentioned this here and there, but writing wasn’t my first interest--drawing was. Animals first, then people once I discovered anime/manga. I went all into drawing comics, only to face the hard reality that I didn’t know how to tell a story end-to-end. Hence how I started trying to write. Along the way, things happened--I got RSI and had to stop drawing/writing for awhile. I discovered that pictures are NOT worth a thousand words, esp when it comes to long-form comics; my preferred tools of trade (dip pens) ended up exacerbating my RSI problems; then once I got a handle on my RSI, I found I could type faster than I can ever draw, and so here I am. I saw what @convenientalias was doing with their My Country werewolf fic though, so I am excited to try that for my Sung-rok WIP? :D

I think I’m the last hold out among artist/writer friends in answering this wrap-up, hope you enjoyed reading!

[tdystmr]

college student! jackson x sugar daddy! mark // sugar daddy x baby socmed au

b a c k g r o u n d i n f o 🍓

jackson is THE popular kid despite him having his own set of financial problems. he lives with a foster family because his parents died in a car accident when he was 11, but still grew up to be a well-mannered, cheerful boy

mature 21 year old who knows his strenghts and weaknesses. very motivated and hard working, but tends to fall for the bad type rather than good influences. is also too nice and sweet to point out other’s mistakes and flaws so he usually goes along with whatever his friends do. has always wanted to move out because as much as he loves his foster family, he knows that they struggle with their own swt of problems as well and feels like a burden now that college fees are piling up

mark is a millionaire, successful bachelor at the fine age of 29. recognised for his success in starting and building his own business at 22, took him only 7 years to reach his current success of a multi-million enterprise in Seoul trading and exporting goods.

is a very mysterious figure to the press because he is extremely private about his life outside of work. lives alone, has no known dating history, only known family is his family in USA ands seems to be completely disinterested in relationships under than a tight-knit group of friends. the press would love to get some dirt on this successful businessman.

jjp are mark’s close friends and a power couple of Korea ( lgbtq+ rs are supported in korea in this au ) and have always wanted him to look for a partner. yugyeom, mark’s other close friend, also wants him to not be so lonely anymore since he’s pushing 30 already.

meanwhile, youngjae + bambam are jackson’s best friends. youngjae’s fam is jackson’s foster fam while the three of them all attend Seoul University tgt. they’re close friends because they all share an interest in music and just enjoy each other’s company. they’re the same age in this au, so they met at the usual freshmen orientation drinking session and bambam almost puked on jackson’s crotch. ever since then, they’ve been inseparable.

youngbam are also well known in the school - youngjae for performing on stage every year at the annual talent show while bambam is known for his cool style and being the vice president of the dance club.

p l o t 🍓

jackbamjae are joking arnd in their gc abt life after college when jackson finally tells them his plan to move out of his foster home after they finish their second year of college. yj ofc objects because he doesn’t see js as a burden, but respects jackson’s decision because js insists.

bambam suggests a sugar daddy website to get money. ofc, both of the other two question him on how he got to know such a site existed. he tells them that ten ( pres of the dance club ) got to know his bf through this site. bam tells them that it isn’t super shady or wtv and the men aren’t so bad at all

js says wtv and gives it a go, so he signs up with the help of bamjae. he has a basketball friendly match, so he rushes off after that

at the same time, mark’s bday is approaching. jjgyeom are planning a surprise for him and hopefully, it’ll include some sort of a date that mark will agree to go on. yugyeom had also come across the sugar daddy website by simply lurking on the nsfw side of the internet and jjp have learnt not to question him too much on what he does in his free time.

he found js’s profile and knowing mark’s type, immediately suggested the idea to jjp. jb, who’s been mark’s longest friend, says that mark might not completely be opposed to it because he knows that mark has been stressed lately and a way to let out that frustration would be good. jy, on the other hand, cautions that mark might not like the idea because mark is the kind of guy to value genuine relationships over meaningless hookups, not to mention paying someone for sex and whatnot. despite that, the three arrive at mark’s place on the night of his bday to surprise him

yg suggests the idea to mark after they’ve all had some dinner and mark obv gets mad at first. he says exactly what jy had said, but calms down after jjgyeom explain that they’ve all been worried about how he’s coping and don’t want him to be alone and stressed anymore. mark sees that his friends have good intentions and decides to give it a go, starting the convo with jackson over the website that night after all his friends have left

after about a week of weird dms and some actually good interactions over the site, jackson is about to give up because he hasn’t found anyone truly interested in talking and not just sex. then, he gets mark’s dm

the two hit it off immediately and they end up texting till 3am. they exchanged socmed accounts before they went to bed as well, and js decides to tell bamjae in the morning abt it.

they obv know who the hell mark tuan is and are freaking out over this. jackson rmbs that mark had told him not to spread this and realises that’s the reason why. he warns bamjae not to tell anyone, even their other close friends. bamjae suggest for him to keep texting and to even meet mark on the weekend.

they meet and it goes well and stuff, them slowly establishing their own sort of relationship. they’re more platonic than sexual most of the time, but they do look for each other when they’re horny and in need of release

one day, the press captures mark waiting for js after school at seoul uni + js getting into his car. they post an article with a caption insinuating that mark has a secret relationship, which he fires down with an instagram post about invading his privacy and posting false rumours. he does this because he’s scared that js might be affected.

js is affected, because he realises that he doesn’t mind being in a genuine relationship with mark at all. he tells bamjae ofc, and they help him to realise that he might have developed feelings for the older man. he freaks out because that isn’t part of the deal of being a sugar baby but he doesn’t want to cut mark off either

it’ll end happily, definitely, but the angst will come right after this and i hope it’ll be good :<

e x t r a c t f r o m f i r s t c o n v o 🍓

Yien_duan_

Hey, is this Wangpuppy825?

Wangpuppy825

that’s me! you can call me jackson ☺️

Yien_duan_

Oh, okay sure. I’m Mark. How old are you again?

Wangpuppy825

i’m 21 this year 🤩 wbu?

Yien_duan_

I’ve just turned 30

What’s your major in college?

Wangpuppy825

just? when’s your birthday? 🧐

i major in Sports science studies at SNU

Yien_duan_

4 september

Woah, you sound like a pretty smart kid

Wangpuppy825

oh, belated birthday mark hyung 🥳🥳

i can call you that, right 🥺

also, i’m not that smart hahah i just study hard 😌

Yien_duan_

Yeah, hyung is fine

Thank you, by the way :)

Wangpuppy825

no prob, hyung ☺️

quick qn though, do you look really old?

Yien_duan_

Ummm.....no?

Wangpuppy825

do you mind sending a pic 😖

i’m sorry if this sounds weird it’s just i’ve gotten lots of dms from 50 year olds posing as 20-30 year olds and it’s creepy 😳

Yien_duan_

Okay but you can’t tell anyone about this, okay?

Wangpuppy825

why? is it embarrassing for you 😮

Yien_duan_

[image attached]

It’s not really about being embarrassed, I guess

Wangpuppy825

omg

Yien_duan_

Why?

Wangpuppy825

you look so hot wtf 🥵

and you look so young????? you look my age 😳😳

god is unfair for making you so pretty 😤

Yien_duan_

Oh

You mean you...

Wangpuppy825

i...???

Yien_duan_

Oh, nothing hahah

I’m just surprised you think I look good because well...

You’re really cute, Jackson :<

Wangpuppy825

wow okay you have no idea how different it feels to hear that from a hot person rather than just my friends hyping me up 😳😳😳

Yien_Tuan

Your friends? Did they persuade you to do this?

Y’know, my friends actually set me up with you as sort of a birthday present

Wangpuppy825

oh? then i guess i should thank them 😳

and yes, my friends did persuade me to do this hhahaha

Yien_Duan_

Thank my friends? What for?

Your friends did a good job with the basketball pictures. I think those were what made my friend Yugyeom choose you

Wangpuppy825

thank them for setting me up with such a hottie 🥵

oh! you play?

Yien_Duan_

Ahh, you’re making me embarrassed... 😳

Yeah, I played when I was in college in USA

Wangpuppy825

omg you used an emoji for the first time 🥰

usa? you’re a foreigner too?

Yien_Duan_

Hahah, I don’t really use emojis because I’m used to texting formally at work 😅

Wow, it feels like we’ve got a lot in common huh

Wangpuppy825

use them more 🥺

it does! you’re probably the most interesting person i’ve met on this site the whole week 😌😌

Yien_Duan_

Then I’m honoured I got your attention first :)

Tell me more about yourself? Unless you’ve got to go to bed already

Wangpuppy825

oh, no no hahah

i usually sleep way past midnight so this is fine 🤩

anyway, who would be crazy enough to turn down a conversation with someone like you 😖😖

Yien_Duan_

Flirtatious, are we?

Wangpuppy825

only because you’re adorable 🥰

t a g s 🍓

sugar daddy x sugar baby au

social media au

possessive mark

switch jackson

dominant mark

sexting / nudes

fluff / angst / smut

college student! jackson

friends with benefits-ish to lovers

[only1jinyoung-blog]

Grazia, September 2017 Issue

[Interview Cut]

Congratulations. On Hanteo’s Weekly chart, you ranked first. JB: Honestly, because it’s a unit that’s returning in 5 years, I paid a lot of attention to it. Rather than the results that are visible to the eyes, I am prouder to hear things like, “my heart is crying”, “the lyrics are good,” when people listen to the songs.

In this album, you’ve participated in the composition and/or lyric making of all tracks. JB: At first, it was merely the mindset that I/we have to work hard. But when we got down to actually doing it, the greed of “gotta make a good album” grew and as we went along preparations, I think we paid more attention to it. JY: There are many fans waiting for GOT7′s album but instead if we were to return with weird songs for a unit album, I would be apologetic. As GOT7′s representatives, we worked hard in order to make an album that does not cause harm or embarrass (the members). All these while, we’ve not participated in either the composition or the lyrics making of our title songs but in wanting to show that actually we are ‘people who can tell our own stories’, we worked together.

We met Mark last month and he strongly recommended JJ Project’s song. JB: Mark is currently JJ Project’s promoting king (laughs)

Listening to the album, I can feel that you’ve grown. I’m sure there has been a lot of changes in these 5 years? JB: I think I’ve been able to accept reality positively. In the past, I would insist on doing things my way but now I’ve been able to compromise to a certain extent?

You’ve become an adult.  JB: I’ve come to realize that not only my thoughts are the right ones. JY: I’ve become quieter compared to 5 years ago. Back then I spoke a lot but now I feel that it’s not necessary to talk a lot.

Is there any special reason behind that change? JY: Through various stuff, I’ve learn that ‘silence is the best medicine’. And unlike hyung, I’ve developed my own opinions. Back then, with an amateur mind, I was the type to accept others’ opinion but now I’ve realized the need to express my opinions too. As I developed my skills, slowly I began developing thing/traits of my own.

When do you feel ‘I’ve aged’? JB: Lately, as we head to music shows, there are many new (rookie) friends. When we look at their staged and we don’t go ‘wah so sauve’ but instead say ‘it’s really refreshing’. that’s when I realized I’ve grown older.

The trait that is unique to rookies is the overflowing passion, isn’t it? JB: I see that now. We too work hard when we stand on stage but I think the feeling is a little different. I thought that I did it with ease/in a relaxed manner when I was a rookie but to anyone else, that look alone was ‘Why is that kid doing it with so much force?” (laughs) JY: It’s the same for me too. When I see rookies stand on stage with their extremely bright selves, I feel the same way but on the other hand, I think ‘Ah these friends are going to regret this in 5 years.”

Why would they regret it (laughs) JY: After 5 years, those things will, in a way, be their shameful past*. No matter what you do, it looks a little overboard. Just like what we feel. *Shameful past meaning things that you would be embarrassed of when you look back on your past. 

At the same time of the album release, you opened an exhibition of the same name with the photos you took and the words you wrote. JB: I’ve always like reading and taking photos and when the company suggested it, I thought let’s try doing it. But still, I feel pressured. My skills are still not of a level adequate enough to be opening an exhibition.

Out of the captions that each of you wrote for the exhibition, is there any that left an impression? JY: There is one that hyung wrote that sounded like he was having a conversation with me; “Time passes really quickly huh, Jinyoung-ah?’. I got real shocked seeing that. I thought, ‘Hyung with this type of tone?” Haha.  JB: I was shocked seeing that caption too. It’s true that it is something I wrote but it was revised slightly. The original was “A time of 5 years have passed. Time passes by quickly Jinyoung-ah.”

The original is pretty open/direct. JY: Yes. But it transformed into a really sweet feel. JB: I too thought, “It’s the same meaning but why does this sound so sweet?” Because I decided to write (the captions) for the exhibition calmly. JY: The concept of this exhibition is ‘8th grade syndrome’*. So that everything can be taken lightly and enjoyably. JB: But I became a sweet guy overnight. Of course it means the same thing but there is a subtle (difference) in the nuance. *8th grade syndrome is the puberty stage where adolescents act out.

Therefore, which of Jinyoung’s caption left an impression on you? JB: In the scene/photo where I’m walking while looking at my phone, he wrote “There is a reason even if he’s looking at the ground.” I wasn’t looking at the ground but I was looking at my phone. I remember it because it didn’t fit the picture. JY: I wrote it like that on purpose. When people at their phone, they go around with their heads down. (The caption) meant that (the lowering heads) did not mean that there are was no energy/strength but everything has a reason to it. JB: The other one would be a picture of the sky and a barley field. He wrote “Sjy and barley, ah I’m thirsty” randomly. It was so funny hahaha.

Looks like not everything was written with an intention/meaning. JY: If everything was serious then there would be no fun in it. JB: We included random captions here and there. We wanted to share it enjoyably with the fans.

The title song for this album, ‘Tomorrow, Today’ is a song that talks about youth’s concern. What kind of concerns are the two of you having lately? JB: On which path to take, on how to be my own self- I think it’s always the same things. I also think of what to eat every day. A very light concern (laughs)

Don’t you have food that you like? JB: Of course I do. But I don’t experience things like I have to definitely eat a certain food, or craving for a certain food.

Alright, let’s now confirm that with Jinyoung who is always by his side. JY: This really... (looking at JB) Hyung, can I talk about this? I’m going to be honest about this (laughs). When we’re ordering food, hyung definitely say that he’s not eating. But just in case, I’ll order 2 servings and then he’ll come over and go “Is there food?”. There’s nothing that he would specifically like to eat but if we order, he will eat. Even if he says he’s not hungry. JB: Even if I do want to order, there are so many varieties on the menu. I honestly can’t choose. Since there’s nothing that I specifically want to eat. JY: Hyung has got to see it in real life in order to choose. JB: I can’t think of a menu (to eat) so I’ll say that I won’t eat but if I smell food. I get hungry. So I creep up. JY: Then I was naturally take out (his share). (laughs).

Looking at how long you spend overseas, don’t you get desperate for Korean food even if you don’t usually like it? JB: I eat Korean food even when I’m overseas (laughs). I’m a real Korean food mania so I must always have soup and jjigae (stew).

So what is Jinyoung’s concern as of late? JY: Although this may sound funny, I try my best to prevent my voice from cracking. There are many instances where we do rehearsals in the morning when our throats have not even warmed up. There are many singers watching so my greatest concern is in getting through that without cracking my voice.

That seems like a definite concern for singers. JY: Hyung has a great tone and he sings well but I have a rather low tone and I tend to strain my throat when singing high (notes) so it’s hard every morning. But because I stress about not cracking my voice in front of other people, it’s even harder.

Have you not been able to find a resolution for that? JY: There’s something. When I’m singing a high note, I pull my mic away as far as I can and pretend to sing. Hahaha

Can we include this is the interview (laughs) JY: It’s something I do only during rehearsals. I do well during the actual performance. JB: My voice cracks from time to time too. Even yesterday’s rehearsal too.. (laughs) JY: Hyung, you were really amazing yesterday.

Did something happen at rehearsals yesterday? JB: I sang a part and my voice cracked each time I sang it. JY: Hyung was so taken aback that when we ended, he said “Hello” instead of “Thank you for the hard work”. JB: Honestly, to singers, our throats is our most important instrument but even if we did the exact same thing at the same time, even if we sleep the same, our condition always differ. Therefore there are days when my voice cracks and there are days when it doesn’t. I used to get really stressed about it but now I just laugh it off. What can I do about something that has already happened? I just tell myself to do better next time. Thankfully I did well during the actual performance yesterday.

Is Jinyoung blood type A by any chance? JB: I’m type A. Jinyoung is O.

That’s unexpected. JB: For type A, we are unexpectedly optimistic when a huge accident/incident happens. But we keep worrying about the small things. JY: Cracking you voice in front of people is no small matter. JB: If I made an embarrassing mistake, I keep looking at it until I get used to it. And once I get used to it, I don’t want to be reminded of it again. So I put in effort in order not to make the same mistake.

What if you were faced with a choice? Are you the type to not have any regrets on the choice you did not make? JB: It differs depending on situation. And I think the feeling of regret is dependent on how important it is. Rather than saying I barely have any regrets, if my choice turns to be a mistake, I will just look back and say “let’s not make this kind of mistake again.” JY: For me, I’m the type to push forward with my choice and then turn back to have a look later on.

You’re the type to focus on your current choice, huh? JY: Because it’s something I already committed myself to and the ending is something I have to do/create. After that, I’ll ponder as to why I did it the way I did.

Is there a choice that you did you not make that left you with a lingering feeling? JB: I do think I should have worked a little harder back then, that it would have been great if I had this mind-set back when I was younger. JY: I’m the opposite of hyung. During trainee period, I came to Seoul and I didn’t have any friends so I practiced so much. I was not relaxed at all. It would have been nice if I took it easier and met up with friends. Back then I had a lot of concerns and because of the pressure to succeed. I didn’t close to my trainee friends.

The two of you have a history of being joint winners for the trainee open auditions with the same song. After that, you’ve been together for 8 years, is this fate? JB: There’s also another (type of) fate apart from that. Actually we were supposed to audition separately but the last contest in which we perform as a team, it was the company that paired us up. Ever since then we’ve been continuously together. JY: I spend my trainee period with hyung (in trying to see) who’s better and who’s superior. Then we did a drama together, debuted together, did GOT7 together. That’s how we spend the last 7-8 years.

 And I think that made your existence different (from others) to each other. JY: There’s trust. JB: Since we know what the other likes and dislikes, we don’t really collide into one another. We have a consideration for each other. JY: For me, in a relationship between people, I think the most important thing is not doing what the other person dislikes, rather than doing what that person likes. Because we already know what the other dislikes, we are considerate of each other.

What was your first impression of each other? JB: What should I say? Jinyoung was like this really clear, clean, pure water.

Is there any of that image left in him (laughs) JY: People change, it’s been 8 years. JB: No matter how clear the water is... (laughs) Rather than changing for the worst, I think he’s become a little more adept in keeping that image as it is.

How about Jaebeom’s first impression? JY: Really in the best sense of the word, I think he was like a ‘player’*. If I’m to compare to that time, he’s living more fiercely now but in the beginning he had this ease to him. *It means he had time/ freedom/ease in his life.

When do you think that the both of you match each other best? JB: We definitely match well in our usual times but we match really well when we’re working too. When we’re doing something together regardless of what it is, it gets done cleanly and efficiently.

What is something about the other person that hasn’t changed despite time passing? JY: From the first time I met hyung up till now, he has always like music. I’m saying that it’s time for you to change now (laughs). JB: Jinyoung has that feel of a man who lives right. It’s not that he has to live right deliberately. I think he’s just born like that.

When were you the most genuinely happy recently? JY: When JJ Project’s album were released. I received the album because I had to sign on them and the albums came out really well so I liked it. JB: Um... I’m not someone who feels great or happy well. Of course I felt great when the album were released though.

When what makes Jaebeom happy? JB: I don’t know. I just live life easily. I don’t live to feel happiness. I just think “Well life is just life”; I don’t think I’m someone who puts a huge meaning to it.

Again, we’ll need Jinyoung’s report. As someone who watches him by his side, when does Jaebeom seem happy? JY: When he’s watching funny videos on YouTube? Just yesterday he was laughing so much by himself; turns out he was watching videos of the rapper Desiigner and laughing so much. He sincerely looked happy at that time. 

Recently you asked GOT7 member Yugyeom for a one-liner comment on Verse 2. I’m asking the same question here. JB: A masterpiece. According to my standards, it is a masterpiece that was well produced. With the creation of every album, I work to make sure it turns out well but this album is a little more special. Compared to other albums, I participated a lot in this and as much as the hard work we put in, I like the track order and the album design as well. JY: I have no regrets. That feeling of putting my all in it. There was no relaxed (feeling) in making it together but it was a good time. I have no regrets. JB: Now when this (promotion) wraps up, we’ll have to work hard in making GOT7′s album too.

GGOONERR_ | haetbitmark

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 11/12/18

Chihayafuru, Vol. 12 | By Yuki Suetsugu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The Mizusawa karuta team returns to the national tournament and this time (so far), they do not have to forfeit on account of Chihaya falling ill. It’s a battle to keep her focused, however, since she’s convinced Arata is present (she’s right), but they end up prevailing in their first two matches. The first is against a team of Japanese-born foreigners who love the game as honestly as anyone, despite their looks, and the second is against a team of quiz-bowl champs who are ostensibly using karuta as a memory aid but who secretly love it, too. It may not be the most exciting volume out there, but it’s solid and takes us a little bit closer to a reunion with Arata. I look forward to volume thirteen! – Michelle Smith

Haikyu!!, Vol. 29 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – I realize that any sports manga is going to involve its protagonist getting better at their chosen sport, but with Haikyu!! that is somehow more rewarding than most. I think part of it is that, instead of acting on pure athletic instinct, Hinata is actually really thinking now and others are picking up on that, even critical people like Tsukishima and Kageyama. I loved that Hinata was able to mimic a particularly bothersome blocker he’d faced in the past as well as executive a passable emergency set and that he was really keen to have a chance to play defense, whereas before he was obsessed with scoring. I also nearly cried when Yamaguchi nailed a service ace. So, in short, I am a major sports manga fangirl and this volume was my jam. – Michelle Smith

Idol Dreams, Vol. 5 | By Arina Tanemura | Viz Media – Even if she’s not doing anything about the fact that she’s masquerading as a 15-year-old and having boys fall for her, Chikage still does quite a bit right in this volume. First of all, she helps Tokita to move on from her (even if she’s not aware he’s moving on) and reconcile with his girlfriend, whose own lack of self-worth in school has led to her making bad choices now that she’s blossomed into womanhood. I was impressed that the two worked it out, and really felt Chikage did a great job. On the idol front, she also wins by putting on the better “performance,” even if she’s not necessarily the better or more talented idol. Still expecting a train wreck, but at least it’s been put off a bit. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 5 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – There’s some great comedy here, involving things like telling fortunes, gutting a fish in class (in which Fujiwara shows she simply cannot avoid trying to help Shirogane, even as it goes as badly as she expects), and such. But for once, the best parts of Kaguya-sama are about the drama, as it’s summer vacation, and Kaguya’s strict father is not letting her go see the fireworks with her friends. The solution to this, and the emotional roller coaster that follows, is fantastic, even if Shirogane looks back on it later and is hideously embarrassed. More to the point, you realize that once these two idiots finally get together (which isn’t going to happen for a long time), they’ll be a terrific couple. – Sean Gaffney

Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 4 | By Afro | Yen Press – At long last, the entire group is camping together, including the club, Rin and Saitou, and their new teacher/advisor, who is the drunken camper we saw last time—and she takes the opportunity to get drunk again. There’s lots of interesting camping talk, including discussing Saitou’s expensive sleeping bag and the different kinds of grills that you can use. For the most part, though, this volume is about showing Rin that it can be just as fun to camp with friends as it can be to camp alone, and drag her out of her shell. It’s mind, to be fair, mostly as Rin is not solitary because of any trauma—she just likes being by herself. But honestly, if you’re going to hang with Nadeshiko, you’re going to have to get used to people. Cute as heck. – Sean Gaffney

Little Witch Academia, Vol. 2 | By Trigger, Yoh Yoshinari and Keisuke Sato | JY – This is an adaptation of a very cartoon-ish anime, and it’s appropriate that the art style is very cartoonish and exaggerated—my favorite example of which is when Akko charging ahead literally breaks Andrew’s word balloon warning her not to. Andrew is introduced here, speaking of which, and he’s your classic British boyfriend type, though given what I’ve heard about Akko and Diana, he may be out of luck here. For the most part we continue to watch Akko Potter trying to succeed at magic school, and she’s having a lot less luck than Harry did—her grades are so bad she can’t even attend the banquets. Will she turn things around? This is marketed to kids, but all ages should love it. – Sean Gaffney

Log Horizon: The West Wind Brigade, Vol. 10 | By Koyuki and Mamare Touno | Yen Press – Last time I wondered if this was the spinoff’s final arc, and it’s pretty clear that it is. It’s one big fight scene this time around, and things are going very badly for our heroes, though they’re trying their hardest. We continue to filter things through Soujirou—both why he loves gaming and doing what he does, and also why he has so many girls fall in love with him. The eventual solution they come up with, to seemingly drive the monster crazy by information overload, is a clever one, though it’s not clear whether or not it worked. This series started out as a somewhat lighthearted (sometimes TOO light hearted) comedy, but it’s gotten more action oriented at the climax. – Sean Gaffney

Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 2 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – The end of this volume features what seems to have been the pilot for the series, and I’m glad it was included, as it shows off how much it was improved to make it the sweet and amusing series it is today. Takagi’s eyes being “evil” makes her teasing seem more mean-spirited, especially given Nishikata is more of a schmuck here. Nishikata works best when he’s sort of that Charlie Brown “this time I’ll kick the football” sort of guy. Likewise, Takagi’s teasing works best because you absolutely get the love that she has for him, and that she does see him as a great guy—who’s simply really fun to tease and to watch reaction faces of. This series makes me feel warm and fuzzy. – Sean Gaffney

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, Vol. 2 | By Fujita | Kodansha Comics – Despite the subtitle of the series, I rather easily fell in love with the first omnibus volume of Wotakoi. The manga was funny and charming with adult characters who, to me, were immediately endearing. The second omnibus continues the trend of the first while introducing a new character, Ko, who manages to be both heartbreakingly and heartwarmingly socially awkward and anxious. Ko is paired with Naoya, but it remains to be seen whether their relationship will evolve into a romantic one. I suspect that at some point it may—after all, Wotakoi is at least in part a romantic comedy—but then again they could simply be destined to be close friends. The emphasis that Wotakoi places on friendship is actually one of the things about the series that I find particularly appealing. In fact, while arguably little romantic progress is made in the second omnibus, friendships are strengthened. – Ash Brown

By: Ash Brown

[notthatiwilleverwriteit]

Hi! I really loooove your analysis, I think it helps me enjoy the manhua better and gives me something to think about . So, I wanted to ask you about Zhanyi, this middle school plot is in the past and in the firsts panels xixi is violent, when he used to be soft. I think maybe he's guarded, since the dissappearence of jian yi he was probably hurt and lonely. What do you think about their relationship in the future? Are they going to be okay? I would really like your thoughts on this.

Good morning, dear nightia-san!

“I really loooove your analysis, I think it helps me enjoy the manhua better and gives me something to think about .”

I’m very glad and humbled to hear that. Thank you! It’s also a two-way street. People asking these questions give me something to think about and help me find new aspects in the comic as well. Overall, I think comparing notes is always desirable and valuable in fandoms, so I’m glad I have managed to contribute to that.

“in the firsts panels xixi is violent, when he used to be soft. I think maybe he’s guarded, since the dissappearence of jian yi he was probably hurt and lonely.”

For the purpose of this question, I will be using Mangago as a source when referencing chapters and their numbers. People use different sites and apps to read 19 Days but I think Mangago is the best and easiest to find all the chapters compared to other places.

It’s a bit unclear to me what do you mean by “first panels”. I don’t know if you were aware, but 19 Days debuted as a one shot (ch. 1) in a compilation publication called 19天. It featured 19 different artists including OldXian, and that’s where the title came from. For some reason, 19 Days also became the title of OX’s comic later on.

Do you mean that one shot as the first panels? Personally, I wouldn’t really count them as the beginning of the comic we’re reading these days. It was published years ago (according to Google, in 2013) and was originally meant as a one shot. To expect those exact versions of the characters to have much to do with the ones of the present day could be reaching too much.

Overall, it’s difficult to say anything concrete about the earliest chapters. A lot of them were respective illustrations or short gag chapters with only a couple of panels without much of an overarching plot. I would say the story officially begins in ch. 22 but even then the story is often interrupted by gag chapters that don’t have anything to do with the actual story. I actually think you could take the beginning even later than that, to ch. 43 in which Jian Yi shows up at Zhan Zheng Xi’s door beaten up and a bit later ZZX tells us how JY disappeared in high school.

Whatever your take happens to be, I think one thing is clear: continuity hasn’t really been 19 Days’ strongest suit from the beginning because of its nature as a publication. I think that’s very important to keep in mind when going back to the early chapters and trying to build overarching character development. You risk reading too much into things if you’re expecting all the details to be connected.

About the violence in general, though, I don’t think it’s that much different from what has always been typical to ZZX’s character, the Zhanyi dynamics and slapstick-type of humor of the comic. I guess it used to be a touch more “graphic” in the early chapters (ch. 1, 4-5, 9-13, 23-24, 29, 30-31, and 34):

However, I never saw those as ZZX being angry because JY left him and he was lonely, worried, and hurt. I get that feeling but personally think holding that kind of “grudge” or being guarded wouldn’t be typical to ZZX. He would be angry but that would be because of relief and because he had been so scared (ch. 198):

After that, he would go back to protecting JY even more fiercely and become closer to him.

The physical violence of the early chapters is very much comic relief in my eyes. Not to mention, many of those chapters were meant as little gags and not connected to the overall story. Even ZZX kicking JY in the very first chapter I don’t see from the perspective you suggested but mere humor very typical to 19 Days’ style.

“What do you think about their relationship in the future? Are they going to be okay?”

In short, I think they will be perfectly fine in the future. The kidnap will be a hiccup, but it’s obvious it won’t last forever and they will get over it.

I mean, let’s not forget we’re not completely in the dark about it. Not only the early chapters (prior to ch. 51) we have also gotten future-related specials and official illustrations just like with Tianshan. And ZZX and JY seem to be doing just fine in those. In fact, it seems ZZX keeps getting more and more comfortable with their new kind of relationship in the future (ch. 224 and 271):

Also, again, as you might notice those future-related chapters are quite different from the ones we got when the comic was just starting out. If I had to draw conclusions about their future, I would much rather base them on those two chapters more recent ones (and the hot springs specials) than the first chapters when I doubt the comic had as clear of a direction as it has these days. The only thing I would probably take from the early chapters is that JY spends a lot of time at ZZX’s place and he’s working hard to catch up to him. And if the early illustrations are anything to go by, their physical interaction is charged in a different way than just best friends.

As to having something in general to say about future Zhanyi… it’s a bit difficult. As a couple, they don’t tickle my headcanon bone quite the same way Tianshan does. But let’s see if I’ll get any nibbles:

JY is pretty much one of the students ZZX hangs out with. The only difference is, he’s in high school but he doesn’t spend time with his classmates.

JY’s classmates are jealous and envious that JY can go drinking and be around university students. And knowing JY, he can’t help but brag about it a little.

For once, JY is the cool kid in his class. He’s older and (I can’t believe I’m saying this) also more mature. He likes to give a lot of advice that he thinks the rascal youngsters need.

The girls in ZZX’s class adore JY, and it kind of bothers ZZX. He prays the day never comes when JY catches him being annoyed by it because he would definitely take advantage of it.

JY likes that to other people it looks like he and ZZX are living together. He’s in no rush to correct them, either.

ZZX still hasn’t initiated a kiss or much of the affection between them. He knows JY wants them to be more intimate but he’s not ready yet. Sometimes he feels bad for making JY wait, especially when he gets that look of rejection on his face.

JY doesn’t mind they’re making such slow progress. I mean, he minds but it’s also okay. He can feel secure and in peace because he knows ZZX loves him back. It’s not unrequited anymore, and he can be honest about his feelings.

Still, sometimes he pushes too much and too fast and he always feels bad about it afterwards. The last thing he wants is for ZZX to be disgusted by JY’s affections. At the same time, though, he’s still scared of that very thing and kind of wants to push ZZX to find out and not stress about it anymore. He knows ZZX loves him back, but still…

Does JY still have to deal with the underworld, Qiu and He Cheng? What about his father and mother? I have no idea.

Sometimes JY has nightmares, and they freak ZZX out a lot. Sometimes JY cries and talks in his sleep but ZZX can never make out what he’s saying.

ZZX is scared that the kidnapping and whatever happened during that time has caused JY traumas. Because sometimes he freaks out about things that didn’t use to bother him (loud sudden noises or waking up in the bed alone). JY’s story about how he spent the years being apart changes a little each time he talks about it.

Whenever JY is late from meeting up with him, ZZX gets a mini panic attack.

JY’s mother is abroad, and JY misses her a lot. She sends postcards and they’re always from different places. ZZX dreads the day when she says JY has to come with her.

I hope my answer gives you some food for thought. Thank you for your question!

[notthatiwilleverwriteit]

hey do u thingk he tian is jealous of brother qiu this chapter? like mo wants ride w/ qiu not go with he tian??

Good morning, anon-san! And congratulations! I believe you’re the first one who asked me “what do you think this and that meant in the previous chapter?” type of question. [Look, mom, I made it]

These are the panels you’re no doubt talking about (ch. 301):

“do u thingk he tian is jealous of brother qiu this chapter?”

No, I do not but I see where the readers who interpreted this as jealousy are coming from.

It seems the fandom is having the same kind of discussion we had not too long ago with ch. 282 when people debated about whether or not He Tian was jealous of She Li and demanded Mo Guan Shan wore the earrings because of that:

I talked about that chapter at length and came to the conclusion that even though HT’s objective with the earrings was to protect MGS, he went about it in his usual overbearing way which easily comes across as possessiveness. And it’s quite difficult to differentiate jealousy from possessiveness. I think HT had a need to show SL to whom MGS belongs in the sense that he’s under HT’s protection. But that’s still its own form of possessiveness even if it might have “pure” objectives.

I think the same can be applied to the situation with brother Qiu. Of whom would HT need to be jealous? Neither SH or Qiu are realistic love interests for MGS. Nor is MGS interested in either of them.

[At this point, I’d also like to point out I’m not going to feign utter bafflement by how people can even imagine pairing up Qiu who’s a grown man and MGS who’s barely out of middle school. It’s not that I have anything against age gap ships but I have a hard time believing that was really the point of many of the readers who saw jealousy in HT’s behavior.]

However, possessiveness works in a different direction. HT is a man of action rather than words, and he seems to have this habit of physically making his points across. He bodily interferes and drags MGS away from situations in which he doesn’t want him to get involved. That might come across as jealousy and overbearing but actually stems from his urge to protect MGS. Let’s not forget that even if HT doesn’t know everything Qiu and He Cheng are up to or what’s in store for Jian Yi, he still knows more about the overall underworld and how things work than MGS and JY.

And that is what I see in the latest chapter: HT interfering because he knows better than MGS. Of course, SH and Qiu aren’t the same, but HT needs to worry about both even though they represent different kinds of evils. Qiu (and HC) are there to keep an eye on JY but they’re also, before long, getting him (and his friends) involved in the kind of world and people with which HT wants them to have nothing do.

HT went as far as straight out telling HC to stay away from his friends (ch. 229):

He must be having this unpleasant foreboding that something is being planned, pieces on the board are moving, but not knowing what exactly. It makes him uneasy and on edge. [I talked about this in one of my earlier answers.] As much as I believe Qiu wouldn’t intentionally hurt the boys, he’s ultimately a part of those plans and his presence troubles and annoys HT. By associating with them and looking after them, he’s putting them in harm’s way.

Now, imagine if HT doesn’t want Qiu to go near JY that much, how much he must hate the idea of MGS being involved in any way. I’m sure seeing MGS getting on that bike with such oblivious enthusiasm spiked his worry-meter and those kinds of feelings often come across as annoyance. That’s why he glared at Qiu with such a gloomy face. That’s why he manhandled MGS off the bike and away from Qiu. Not because of jealousy, but because he was worried.

But like I said earlier, I don’t think we can completely exclude HT’s possessiveness in this case either which is where the bike comes along.

“like mo wants ride w/ qiu not go with he tian??”

I think the bike played some role in HT’s reaction even if I strongly doubt it was the main reason. This might sound like I’m going back on what I said earlier but the way MGS was blown away by the bike might have, in fact, made HT jealous. But not in the romantic sense.

HT has been surrounded by wealth his whole life, and I’m sure things and stuff have often been substitutes for [parental] love and affection in his childhood. If you had lot of money and physical posessions, you must be happy.

All the money and resources of his family represent something bad for HT. It’s dirty because it’s mostly likely earned by doing something illegal and hurting other people, and HT would rather have no part in any of it. But at the same time, it’s something he can’t really get away from; he’s a midle schooler and can’t support himself. As much as he probably despises it, he’s living off the money that makes him uncomfortable. Not to mention being dependent on his family’s money doesn’t really contribute to his efforts to distance himself from them and their world.

So, he’s doing the next best thing with it: he uses the money, resources, and connections to do something good. He helps MGS to get oddjobs and goes overboard with his gifts for MGS. The feeling he gets out of that must be pretty amazing. Spending money and recources on MGS is HT’s way of showing his affection and convince him of the sincerity of his feelings (whether they are romantic or platonic). Again, HT is a man of actions, not necessarily words (even though he certainly can confess his feelings verbally, too, but those tend to be rather grand as well).

So far, MGS has pretty much rejected HT’s gifts (not counting the earrings, of course) and favors that would make him owe HT. If MGS wants something, he’d rather earn it himself than allow HT to get it for him. Also, in his mind, HT is an idiot for spending money on stupid, expensive things.

We haven’t seen MGS react to anything the way he was drawn to Qiu’s bike with a childlike excitement. Nothing HT had offered to get MGS certainly hadn’t evoked such reactions. And because of that it’s very possible HT could have been jealous. He doesn’t want MGS to act like that with someone else, much less with Qiu of all people. If MGS is making that kind of face, it has to be because of something HT did.

But I want to stress this again: it’s not romantic per se. I think it was this kind of jealousy what people were referring to instead of shipping MGS and Qiu, and people who were against the idea were misunderstanding them somewhat on purpose.

It’s a bit complicated to explain how I see it in my head but I hope this gave you some kind of idea. Thank you for your question