#pikurin

[triptychexe]

EXHIBIT A - TRIPTYCH FIRST EP [2016]

After promoting as three individual units for a little over a year, co-ed kpop group Triptych finally comes together as a nine-piece with their first extended play, EXHIBIT A, released on April 2nd, 2016. The EP features 5 new songs as well as each sub units debut song. 

△ TRACK BY TRACK.

1 ] LA LA LA 

The leading title track of this album and also the first song they had ever made as OT9. The song is light-hearted and easy to dance to with no super deep meaning! 

Triptych wanted their first single as nine to represent their vibe as a generation, and this upbeat song with slightly goofy lyrics makes a perfect statement to them as artists and individuals.

Written by members Teo, Nia, Yen, and Ura. 

2 ]  TURN UP

After that fun-loving title track, Triptych brings in their more identifiable ‘edgy’ energy back with this hip-hop influenced track with the roster being made up of Triptych’s rappers (members Zim, Eli, Asa, Cal, Van and Ura.)

Turn Up is a hype song meant to excite listeners. Much like LA LA LA, the supergroup stayed away from deep topics this era.

Written by Zim, Eli, Asa, Cal, Van and Ura.

3 ] SO GOOD

The third track on this EP has claimed the throne as the ultimate self-hype song. With the intent to empower their listeners, Triptych’s vocalists take to the mic to deliver a song that will make listeners feel unstoppable. 

The members that participated in this track are Nia, Yen, Zim, Teo, Ura and Van made an appearance at the bridge.

Written by  Teo, Nia, Zim, Ura and Van

4 ] TRUE

This is the first song on the EP that has actual sentimental meaning. This song is dedicated to Triptych’s supporters, Artych, who have shown so much support over the last year and have brought the co-ed group to great heights.

All 9 members feature on this track to bring a sentimental twist to the track list.

Written by Teo, Eli, Van and Nia

5 ] FULL MOON

The last new song on the EP is also sentimental, as it talks about how the nine members of Triptych will always stick together, no matter what happens. Even though Triptych’s lineup is always expanding, this song promises not to loose sight of what matters to them the most: their friendship.

Written by Teo, Van, and Eli

△ THIS ERA.

This era was really fun to experience if you were an Artych. It was so weird for them to see all 9 members promoting and performing together, but it also felt like Gen 1 was finally complete. 

LA LA LA, their title track, won them 5 consecutive wins on MCountdown, Inkigayo and The Show, breaking their record of having 3 consecutive wins (S.O.T debut)

EXHIBIT A charted on Billboard World Albums chart at number 40.

EXHIBIT A charted number 13 on Gaon Album Chart.

LA LA LA was number one on Melon for two weeks.

LA LA LA was also nominated for song of the year due to the popularity of the song but unfortunately did not win.

Triptych won the new artist of the year award at the 2016 Gaon Music Awards next to Blackpink and NCT127.

They also got to perform at MAMA 2016 as OT9.

Exhibit A was released around the time of NCT’s debut and almost instantly fans started drawing comparisons between Triptych and NCT. 

Triptych tried their best to show support to NCT when they could, because they understood how damaging comparison could be. This sort of sparked the “Triptych and NCT are cousins” inside joke that NCTzens and Artychs seemed to share. 

And this joke kinda wasn’t just for giggles? NCT and Triptych had a LOT of interactions this era. Eli and Taeyong became close this era and Yen started being more expressive with her friendship with NCT’s Yuta, Doyoung, and WinWin. 

The Tribong was released this comeback as well! The lightstick is a really basic design (a three-sided pyramid in a clear dome with a black or white base). Fans were kinda like “wtf is this” because there were so many unique fan-made designs and the official design was just... ugly. 

△ FANDOM BEHAVIORS.

Artychs were kinda going crazy this era and their size nearly doubled.

Triptych hit instant success with this EP and it was starting to become really popular, which kind of went to Artychs head a little bit. 

At the very start of the era, Artychs and NCTzens had a bit of beef due to the groups similarities.

However, these interactions became much friendlier after Triptych and NCT were seen being all friendly with one another.

A new wave of asayen moments were delivered so for the first time the phrase ‘asayen’ started TRENDING ON TWITTER. THE EMBARRASSMENT, LUV.

Except they weren’t totally delusional lmao. 

[cherr-e]

𝒯𝐻𝑅𝐸𝐸 𝒜.𝑀

darkness was often associated with melancholy nights, cloudy minds and the tiring loop of life. but at three a.m, two people enjoyed the company of one another. all their worries melting away as they spent their nights with laughter and music - two friends who savour each other in the devil’s supposed hour, their feelings soft and of the brightest of colours. they were just friends who enjoyed the company of one and another.

oliver’s profile. 

playlists that aid the picture: one and two

⟶ the prelude 

❛  one, the desire to be perfect. ❜ ❛  two, who do you love? ❜ ❛  three, it’s okay to give up. ❜

more to come. 

[viceprints]

VICE 7TH MINI ALBUM - COVEN [2013]

Vice makes their biggest comeback yet with their 7th Mini Album and last “Coven” installment; Coven: Sorcerer. The third and final ritual begins. The last step is to act upon your reflections. They are now more powerful than ever before.

𝓣𝓡𝓐𝓒𝓚 𝓛𝓘𝓢𝓣

1. Sorcerer  2. Higher 3. K.O. 4. Black Out 5. Bring It

𝓟𝓛𝓞𝓣

The teaser shows a slow motion clip of the seven Vice boys walking down a hallway in their house in slow motion, all looking very serious. Each member has a colorful aura surrounding them. M.H is surrounded by dark purple, Geonwu has a grey blue glow to him, Woodie is glowing maroon, Cyth is surrounded by a forest green glow, Seokyu is glowing gold, Ji is emitting a dark pink color, and Kane has an orange glow. When they get closer to the camera, their auras become so bright that it’s blinding. The screen goes white, a snippet of Sorcerer starts playing. The release date is displayed. 

The video is focused on the final showdown between Vice and the evil spirit. Vice are clearly stronger than they were when they first started the series. All seven boys carry themselves in a more dignified and self-assured way. They make their way to a field where the spirit is waiting, dark energy curling up from the apparition like smoke. The scene keeps switching from the dance routine - taking place in the same field - and the battle between Vice and the spirit. The dark spirit breaks into 7 parts, each one taunting a Vice member. Throughout the fight, Vice relies on each other heavily to help defeat the seven spirits. A lot of action scenes are over-dramatized for entertainment purposes, but the special effects budget definitely was upped for this video, which may be why the video itself takes place in one location and only has two alternating scenes. 

Eventually, the spirits are all defeated when Vice links arms and makes a blasting motion, which parallels with the dance routine. Once the spirit is defeated, the filter on the video is changed to a brighter one, and the field looks greener. The twenty seconds of the video are purely dance-focused. 

𝓢𝓨𝓜𝓑𝓞𝓛𝓘𝓢𝓜 & 𝓓𝓘𝓢𝓒𝓤𝓢𝓢𝓘𝓞𝓝

This whole era has been a bit more light-hearted than Darkness Era, therefore the symbolism isn’t as deep. However, the members did offer some insight on the wrap up of this era: 

“This era may seem really similar to the first era, Darkness.” Minho, better known as M.H, shares. “It still follows the theme of self-discovery and self-love. I think the reason why we revisited this underlying theme is because progress is never linear. We get better, then get worse again, and then get better again. We want Virtues to know that whatever they are going through, don’t be discouraged. Keep trying your best.” 

“Relying on others is what got us through this plot line.” Seokyu reflects. “In the last era, the original members kind of worked separately and the fall out was sufficient, but it wasn’t as powerful as this one. I think this once again proves that Vice is stronger together.”

“You already have unlimited power within you.” Woodie insists. “The members just had to put a little bit of effort in. Once we did that, we had as much power as we needed to defeat our demons. If there’s one thing you take away from this era, it’s don’t doubt yourself and never give up.” 

𝓔𝓡𝓐 𝓝𝓞𝓣𝓔𝓢

They finally got their first win this era! Yes!!! Sorcerer gave Vice 5 Music Show wins!

Virtues like to think it’s because they spammed “Stream Sorcerer” under every single tweet, post, and youtube video. Virtues RAN twitter during Sorcerer era.

This album did so well that it got an all-kill on Melon unexpectedly. Literally no one saw this coming.

The boys went out to celebrate their first ever all-kill by taking themselves, some friends, and the company staff out for drinks in Hongdae. Geonwu gets a little too drunk and throws up in the streets, which is shown all over social media within the next 48 hours.

This video sort of gave Vice a little bit of a controversy, since a lot of people were criticizing Geonwu for drinking. It blew over pretty quickly once Geonwu made a public apology on VLive and stressed the importance of safe drinking (he really had to force those words out). 

This era Virtues stopped being a neutral fanbase and started to beef with other fanbases. Mostly ARMYs and EXO-Ls, despite EXO-Ls being friendly with Virtues up until then.

The official lightstick was released this era: The Poison Apple! (a green poison apple with a bite taken out of it surrounded by a clear plastic dome.) It was designed by Kane and fans treasure it because of that.

Vice also went on their first world tour this era! They visited America and got to see Minho’s city: Boston. 

Woodam also started hooking up with Saehyun, who you might remember as the Super Junior fan who saved them at the airport in 2011. Saehyun is now Vice’s professional photographer for their tour and while on tour... Woodam ends up sleeping with her on multiple occasions. 

[hbhtrainees]

SUMMARY: Songgye makes friends with someone he never thought he’d talk to: Hoyong.  SERIES: NEW DECADE [HBHT20] GENRE: Blooming friendship, some emotional stuff too. PAIRING: Platonic!Songgye + Hoyong WORD COUNT: 1.5k WARNINGS: none? if you can spot anything that might be triggering, let me know!

A/N: this one’s a long one. I just really wanted to build up Songgye and Hoyong’s characters & got carried away. Enjoy!

Songgye wondered if his patience had melted as he gained years or if these kids were extra annoying. 

“If you angle your head like that, I’m not going to be able to get a clear shot!” Kyungchul, who was supposed to be the leader of their practice, whined to his friend Hoyong. 

“Dude, what do you wanna do? Hold my cheeks?” Hoyong rolled his eyes. “You can make it, just use your lungs to propel the air.” 

“Alright... You can’t yell at me if I get water on your shirt though.” Kyungchul prefaced before bringing his water bottle up to his mouth, tipping his head back. Once his cheeks were filled with water, Hoyong opened his mouth wide, squatting a little bit. Then Kyungchul did the grossest thing Songgye has ever witnessed. Kyungchul spit the water out from his mouth in a fountain-like curve, the water splattering into Hoyong’s mouth. 

Daisuke let out a low ‘ooh’ of amazement, his cellphone recording the whole thing. Longwei chuckled and stopped stretching to watch the horrific act. Was Songgye the only one deeply disturbed right now? 

Jaehwa cleared his throat, causing Kyungchul to stop abruptly, spilling some water down his chin.  “Kyungchul, maybe we should resume practice.” Jaehwa advised. Kyungchul wiped the water from his chin and swallowed whatever water was left over.  “Right.” Kyungchul clapped his hands together and rubbed them anxiously, just now realizing that the attention on him carried a different weight now that the show was over. “Let’s uh... Let’s do Mirotic again.”  “Good idea.” Jaehwa smiled. Jaehwa moved towards his position and everyone else followed in suit. 

After running through the routine for Mirotic several more times, putting emphasis on the parts they struggled with the most, Jaehwa finally suggested to Kyungchul that they end for the night. Kyungchul then dismissed everyone. 

Songgye, on the other hand, was not going to go back to the dorms with everyone else. He wasn’t able to focus when all of them were practicing together. There was just too much going on. He wanted some alone time to really get the moves down.

When the other boys left, Songgye started the music up again, breaking down one step at a time. He was about an hour into practice when the door opened. Surprised, Songgye jumped back, halting his movements. In the doorway was a messy-haired Hoyong. 

“Jesus,” Songgye placed a hand over his heart. “You scared me.”  “Sorry! I’ll practice next door! Sorry!” Hoyong bowed several times as he backed out of the practice room, closing the door behind him. Songgye shook his head, but resumed his practice.

Only thirty minutes had passed when Hoyong stuck his head into the practice room again, a sheepish smile on his face.

“Hey, hyung...?” Hoyong called out from the doorway. Songgye sighed, stopping his movements again.  “Yes?” “Can I practice in here with you?” Hoyong asked, his voice a little higher pitched than normal. “What’s wrong with the other room?” Songgye asked, only realizing how rude his tone was after the words left his mouth.  “Nothing! I just... It’s late and being alone in that big practice room... The lights sometimes get a little wonky, you know?” Hoyong hesitated. Songgye let out another huff of air. Unfortunately he knows exactly what Hoyong was talking about. The practice room next door was lit a little dimmer and always seemed a little gloomy at night. 

“Yeah, I know.” Songgye nodded. “Come on in.”  Hoyong exhaled deeply, like he was holding his breath this whole time. The younger boy scurried in, closing the door behind him. He placed his stuff on the opposite end of the wall from Songgye’s belongings. Then he took over the other side of the dance room, focusing on his own routine.

Another hour or so passed. Songgye had practiced not only the HBHT20B routine, but the two other routines he had to know for HBHT936 and HBHT1314. Exhausted and sweaty, Songgye waved goodnight to Hoyong, who was still practicing, before heading to the showers. 

Songgye sighed contently as the warm water hit his sore muscles. He started humming the tune to Mirotic, having it be stuck in his head after listening to it all day.  “Jogeum dachyeodo neon, kwaenchanha Oh,” Songgye sang, lathering shampoo into his hair. “Neon nareul wonhae, neon naege ppajyeo,” Another voice sang along with his own. Songgye froze, his blood turning cold with shock. He slowly peeled back the curtain. Sitting on the sink, kicking his feet and still singing along, was Hoyong.

“Hoyong.” Songgye frowned, arching an eyebrow. Hoyong stopped singing, his legs still swinging back and forth. “Yes, hyung?” “What are you doing?” “Waiting for you...” Hoyong gave a weak smile. “Why?” Songgye asked bluntly. Hoyong sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “I’m hungry and I want to go get something to eat at a convince store, but I’m afraid of the dark. And it’s not like there’s anything good at the dorm because Taehyung went shopping this week and he only buys whole grain things. If I wasn’t afraid of the dark I would already be at the convince store by now but I’m terrified and you’re like, six feet tall and strong so you feel safe to walk with at night because I don’t think anyone would mess with you. Me on the other hand...” Hoyong finally looked back at Songgye. “I have a perm.”

Songgye bit his lip. After a speech like that, he couldn’t turn the kid down.  “Fine. Give me five seconds to wash my hair.” Songgye offered. “Sure. I’ll wait here.” Hoyong resumed his leg kicking, humming TVXQ under his breath.

Songgye has never seen anyone inhale tteokbokki so fast in his life. He was convinced he was going to have to reach across the picnic table and give Hoyong the Heimlich maneuver any second now. But Hoyong seemed to be very skilled in shoveling rice cakes into his mouth. He didn’t even cough once. In about five minutes, the empty cup of tteokbokki was placed down on the table with a dull thud.

“Woo!” Hoyong grinned. “That was so good. You should have gotten some, hyung.”  “Nah, I’m fine.” Songgye pursed his lips. In all honesty, he just wanted to go home so he could get some shut eye before practice in six hours. “Whatever you say.” Hoyong shrugged, standing up from the picnic bench. “I know I’ve been really annoying tonight. You were really nice to me though. Thank you.”  “Yeah, it’s nothing.” Songgye shook his head, standing up as well. Hoyong tilted his head at the older trainee, his eyes scanning over the facial features that were illuminated by the street lights above them. “What?” Songgye asked. “You seem sad.”  “Just tired.” Songgye insisted. “No, like... You have that look on your face all the time.” Hoyong frowned. “Like, even when you’re hanging around Jaehwa and Saito.” Songgye hesitated. Suddenly the younger boy seemed a little bit more intimidating now that he was analyzing him. He shifted his weight, debating on whether he should just start walking home or not.

Then Hoyong exhaled. “Sometimes I feel like that too. Like, grey.”  “Grey.” Songgye repeated the word. He had a hard time believing that this little ball of light ever felt dulled, especially compared to his previous actions of the day. “Yeah. Like you feel like you sink into the background, like no one sees you, or cares, or understands.” Hoyong shrugged, looking at the ground. “You just gotta remember that loneliness is a choice. Someone’s always going to listen. You just have to, like, find them.” Songgye let the sudden dump of emotion sit there for a moment, unsure what to do with it. He’s never been good at comforting or conversing about ones emotions. Hoyong snapped himself out of it, straightening up instantly. “We should head back. I’m getting sleepy. I’m sure you’re even more tired than I am.” 

The two finally made it home safe and sound. Hoyong was right, no one did mess with Songgye, except for maybe Hoyong himself. Besides the jumbled mess the younger had left Songgye’s brain in after psycho analyzing him outside the convince store, Hoyong had tried to make Songgye laugh the whole way home. 

When they reached the dorms, it was almost four in the morning. They had to wake up for practice in about four hours.  “Do you want me to walk with you to your room or can you handle going down the dark hallway?” Songgye asked, not intending for the question to come out as condescending as it did. Thankfully, Hoyong didn’t notice. “I can do it. Thanks though.” Hoyong whispered with a grin. “I’ll see you in the morning, or uh, in a few hours.”  “Good night, Hoyong.” Songgye whispered. Just as he turned on his heel, he heard Hoyong hiss his name again.  “Hyung?” “Yeah, Hoyong?”  “I may be younger and act childish, but I can handle a lot.” Hoyong spoke into the darkness. “I’m good at being a friend.” Songgye’s eyes widened and he was once again at a loss of words. He swallowed thickly and nodded his head before realizing that Hoyong couldn’t see him in the dark. “Thank you, Hoyong. I’ll keep that in mind. Goodnight.”  “Goodnight.”  

[triptychexe]

TRIVIUM - PART 3 - DEBUT MINI ALBUM [2016]

TRIVIUM is the third and final unit to debut from Triptych’s first generation with their debut mini album PART 3. With a significantly more hip-hop and rap-focused sound in comparison to the two previous Triptych units, TRIVIUM brings a new layer of talent and meaning to the super group. Covering hard-to-swallow topics like gender roles and societal double standards, TRIVIUM hits hard and makes waves.

△ TRACK BY TRACK. 

1] BERLIN 

The decision to make BERLIN their debut song was a power move. Not only does the song have a very distinct and recognizable sound that drags listeners in, but it sets the vibe for TRIVIUM’s energy.

All three members had a hand in writing this song.

The line distribution can be found here

2] SAVAGES

In this hiphop-influenced track, TRIVIUM has a back and forth debate between rappers Van and Cal over if human nature is inherently good or evil, giving examples of highs and lows in society.

Doubled with a strong chorus, thought-provoking versus, and irony twisted into more than a half the lines, this song can be seen as an ironic commentary on what people see as ‘right’ and ‘wrong’.

Written by all three members.

3] WHO I AM

Trivium talks about their past and how it had shaped them into who they are today. This song is like the last goodbye to their old selves, ready to let go of the past and move on.

This track also acknowledges that admitting ignorance isn’t something that you should be ashamed of, as you can only change as long as you’re willing. 

Written by all three members

 4] BACK OFF

 Ura, the only woman in this subunit, took it upon herself to write a feminist anthem for their album. It’s basically a response to all the times Ura has had a man be patronizing towards her. Van and Cal act on the track as supporters, but the song is mostly Ura focused. 

The first song on the album where you actually hear Ura rap and get to see her lyricism play out. One of Ura’s lines mentioned snapping kneecaps. Everyone’s afraid of her now. 

Written by Ura

5] BITE

This song is all about wanting someone that’s not good for you, but you keep coming back. 

The non-gender specific pronouns in the song show that this song can be about any type of relationship, regardless of gender or if it is a romantic or platonic relationship. 

Written by Van and Cal

6] MEN/WOMEN

All about gender roles and how they’ve hurt them as they’ve grown up. Since they are the first co-ed unit from Triptych, they took it upon themselves to address double standards/gender roles.

This one caused a bit of a discussion, especially since it directly calls out the double standards in the kpop industry.

Written by all members. 

△ THIS ERA.

So... Trivium easily got the most attention out of Gen 1.

Mostly because they’re a co-ed duo that covers topics that aren’t discussed super openly.

But also because they’re really good rappers. Like, all of them. And their stage presence is really intense. 

Ura doesn’t rap as much as she would have liked to this era, as they needed her on vocals to break up the tracks a little since neither Van or Cal can sing very well.

Trivium were given the title ‘un-idols’ - which is both a term of endearment as well as a critique, depending on who uses it - because of their unwillingness to play up the role of a significant other at fan signs as well as their general aura.

Idols are supposed to be like... ‘perfect’ at all times, and Trivium just doesn’t do that? Like they wear the worst outfits to the airport, fansites have pictures of them waiting in line for street food (and then chowing down on said street food), and the way they talk to fans is so casual? 

This attitude turned off some fans, but it brought in a whole new wave of support, especially from international fans who felt like Trivium were relatable. 

The most popular member this comeback was easily Ura. Not only was she the only girl, so she visually stood out, but she was the one that often went viral for fan-zoning fans who asked her to be romantic with them.

She also received the most criticisms, but she really didn’t care. She wasn’t going to make herself uncomfortable for the sake of others. 

Cal got a good amount of attention too because of his accent and his looks. Cal has a very slight British accent when he says certain Korean words and people just... lost it over that.

Van kinda sunk to the background this era, but he doesn’t really mind. He just wanted the kids to have fun and have their time to shine. :) 

As far as numbers go, Trivium breaks records for Triptych by gaining 10 million music video views in the first 24 hours as well as having BERLIN chart on Melon upon release. 

△ ERA FASHION. 

I promise this is the last era that Triptych wears color-coded outfits. I promise. The company was trying to see how the color-coded concept would work and gen 1 was the guinea pigs. 

When Artychs saw how lacking Trivium’s debut outfits were.... they almost rioted at HBH. They already were accusing HBH of picking favorites and not giving Trivium equal treatment. 

But the truth is... Trivium picked their debut stage outfits. Yes, they’re bland, but Trivium wanted their debut to feel like friends were finally meeting up for the first time, hence the casual clothes.

The button up shirt fits tho.... that made a few bitches go feral. That was an exquisite serve. 

The award show fits were nice too! Ura stunned bitches pulling up with her short blazer dress and fishnets. Van had really cool dress pants with designs on them and Cal wore a color that wasn’t black! It was monumental!

As far as hair goes, Ura had short black hair with wispy bangs. 

Van had black hair and almost always wore a wide headband on his hairline.

Cal’s hair was usually just styled into tousled brown curls and called a day. 

△ FANDOM BEHAVIORS.

I’ve explained triptych stan culture before (basically the fandom is kinda divided? like some fans only support certain subunits, others support all of them, etc.) but I think Trivium was what really made that divide clear. 

Trivum just sounds different than S.O.T and Tromme, there was gonna be people who didn’t vibe with their style. But that’s kinda the point of Triptych, to like.. get different sounds involved in their discography.

And some gross fans didn’t like that Trivium made it clear that they don’t want to be sexualized by fans, so they just decided to ignore them and focus on S.O.T and Tromme, who hasn’t spoken out about being sexualized by strangers online. 

People also started calling Van a ‘smol bean uwu’ (hello 2016) and started like... infantalizing him?? even though he’s a grown ass man??? does he LOOK like dan OR phil to any of you???????? 

Fans also started calling Cal a fuckboy and played him up as this big meme just because he’s goofy. I will never forgive y’all for that.

Pick Mes hated Ura because if anyone’s ‘one of the boys’, it’s Ura and they were jealous. But she literally has to be one of the boys. It’s apart of her job. 

But the artychs that do stan Trivium are probably some of the chillest people ever. They are literally just vibing. Trivium stans are dubbed as the ‘stoners’ of the fandom as a joke.

And OT9 stans overpower solo stans by a LONG SHOT, so don’t worry! Trivium received more love than hate from artychs. There were just a few bad eggs that ruined shit. 

[cherr-e]

⇀ poem (for you). [160320]

tw:- mentions of suicide, sexuality questioning and suicide note.

❛ je voulais que nous marchions ensemble, mais la nuit est venue tôt. ❜ 

trans of prelude. 

❛ i wanted us to walk together,  but the night came early .❜

eunhye says this in the beginning before her voice rings out to sing poem, the song is written by her during a dark time in her indefinite hiatus from the limelight. during that month of numbness, she fell into a sort of relapse where the young woman remembered all the people who’ve died from suicide in her life. especially her childhood best-friend, Leo - he was only seventeen when he unfortunately took his own life just a year after her debut with red velvet. leo was a young boy who had many aspirations and dreams, and often spoke to eunhye about his struggles within society and socially. 

he felt out of place, especially since he was introverted and liked boys. at the time, society was harsh to the one who loved just like everybody else and in his suicide note: he addressed eunhye with a hand-written poem, thanking her for all the love and warmth she brought to his life. 

eunhye released this song in remembrance of our lost loved ones, a topic everyone tries to stray away from. we all have a loved one that’s passed and we miss dearly, we often think of where their beautiful souls are in the universe, can they hear us? are they in peace or still in turmoil? all these questions ran through eunhye’s mind while writing this song, but she stuck to one theme: 

poem would be a song about the love we hold for a lost loved one as well as the memories and happiness they brought to our lives. 

[viceprints]

Title: Old Friend Summary: Vice’s 2013 World Tour kicks off in Osaka, Japan. Saehyun keeps her distance, but Woodam can’t help but try to strike up conversation.

Genre: Friendship?? Idk? Some fluff? Pairing: Woodam x Saehyun Word Count: 0.7k Warnings: None A/N: We’re jumping back in time to 2013! Hopefully this isn’t too confusing! It may be beneficial for you to read this first just to understand who Saehyun actually is but it’s not mandatory. 

Summer 2013

Sweaty and tired, the five members of Vice let out a collective sigh of relief when their managers called break. During the actual show, this would be when their special, pre-recorded videos play while the boys take a quick breather. During this rehearsal, however, the kpop group will be taking their lunch break.

“Ji, for future reference, when we move from the chorus to the second verse, make your steps a little wider so Seokyu can move in front.” Minho critiqued as the seven men traveled off stage. Joongji, still breathing a little heavy, nodded in understanding. “Thanks, hyung. I’ll mind that.” Minho gripped his younger member’s shoulder, giving it a brotherly squeeze just as they rounded the corner. In a spare dressing room, the staff has set up plates of food buffet style on some fold-out tables, piling high with fresh salads, fruits, and hot meals. 

As each of the members helped themselves to something to eat, Minho kept rambling off different ideas for improvement for tonight’s concert. Woodie was following along for the first few minutes, but he soon realized that Minho had started one of those rambles where he keeps talking and talking. Woodam quickly found himself zoning out. 

His eyes traveled around the room before landing on a specific staff member. Saehyun was helping herself to some food, reaching around other staff members who were blocking the buffet. Woodam felt a little guilty. He’s overheard many staff members complaining about her to one another. It’s not that they don’t like her, it’s just that they think she’s a little too inexperienced to be handling such a large job. And Woodam can see why. 

Saehyun’s a good worker and focuses on the task at hand when need be, but she’s also not used to working in a climate like this. Everything is super fast-paced and Saehyun seems to be one step behind everyone else. Everyone’s been working around her rather than with her. 

Saehyun took her plate and sat down on a fold out chair alone while her peers ate around her in clusters. She seemed a little glum as she stabbed the leafy greens with her fork. 

“Hey, I’ll be right back.” Woodam excused himself once Minho took a breathing break.

“Yeah, sure just uh,” Minho caught Woodam’s arm before he could get out of his reach. The leader looked between Saehyun and Woodam, knowing that Woodam was about to go converse with their old friend. “Make it professional, you know?” 

Woodam nodded before continuing his path towards the photographer. He sat in the fold-out chair next to her, grinning at her. She didn’t return the smile. “What are you doing?” She asked quietly, looking around to see if any of the other staff members noticed them. “You looked lonely, that’s all.” Woodam responded simply. “Are you ready for tonight?”  Saehyun sighed, tapping her fork against her bowl. “I kind of have to be, even if I don’t feel like I am.”  Woodam nodded in agreement, understanding the feeling. He shoveled some food into his mouth, trying to think of something to say to the photographer. He gestured to the camera bag on the floor next to Saehyun’s foot. “Did you take any shots during rehearsal?” “Yes.” Saehyun responded shortly. “Well, let’s see them!” Woodie grinned. Saehyun placed her fork down and gave Woodie a stubborn glare. Woodam wiggled his eyebrows and widened his smile. The cute actions influenced Saehyun to reach down to pick up her camera. She showed him the previews of the shots she took on the monitor.  “Wow... You’re really talented...” Woodam complimented, observing each shot. “Yeah, well...” Saehyun shrugged, not accepting the compliment.  “No, really, you made Ji look cool for once. That’s hard to do.” Woodam teased. Saehyun bit her lip, as if she was fighting back a chuckle.

Before Woodie could try to coax that laughter out of her, their manager called for lunch to be over. The staff members hurried to throw their trash away and the boy group members started hooking up their mics again. Before Saehyun could slip away into the madness, Woodie touched her elbow lightly. “Hey, you take great shots, but this time around... Don’t be afraid to focus on me more.” Woodie grinned. Saehyun’s cheeks flushed a little, but she nodded her head, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

[hbhtrainees]

NEW_DECADE [EP_9]

SUMMARY: Erii, Saito, Daisuke and Kotori model for an online Japanese clothing store. Saito and Erii discuss dating scandals among HBHT20 members. 

PAIRING: Platonic! Japanese Line

Erii placed her chin on Saito’s shoulder, angling her neck upward and parting her lips slightly. Another flash of light. Erii blinked the dots away from her vision before changing up the position.

“How about you wrap your arm around her shoulder?” The photographer suggested. “And give us some laughter.”  Saito’s eyes connected with Erii’s, and two identical smiles stretched on their faces. Saito slipped an arm over Erii’s shoulder and Erii couldn’t help but burst out laughing. There was nothing funny at all, he hadn’t even said anything to prompt the laughter. But when you’ve been friends with someone for a very long time, eventually you just have random laughing fits for no reason. 

Saito, forcing back laughter, spread his arms in confusion. “What did I do?”

“Sorry, sorry!” Erii apologized, shaking her head and holding a hand out to the photographer. “I’m not sure why I’m laughing, I’m sorry.”  “No worries, that pose is actually cute. Saito, keep your arms out. Erii, try tilting your head back to the ceiling a little. Don’t be afraid to let out some genuine laughter!” The photographer responded enthusiastically. 

After a few more shots, the photographer called in Daisuke and Kotori. The younger kids stepped forward. Kotori and Daisuke were dressed in the same style as the other two, except Kotori was sporting a purple color scheme white Daisuke was in green. Erii was very thankful that they dressed Kotori in something age-appropriate. Her hidden mom mode was always turned on when she was around the younger Japanese girl. 

“Aw, lil Koko.” Saito grinned, patting the top of Kotori’s head fondly. Kotori wrinkled her nose and dodged his touch, sending the crew into a chorus of laughs at the sass that the tall girl was exhibiting. 

The four of them had a very fun shoot. There were shots involving them group hugging, which resulted in Kotori getting sandwiched between all of them. There was one where Erii and Saito were playing ‘tug of war’ with the sleeves of Kotori’s sweater while Daisuke appeared to be shocked in the background. They also had shots where Kotori  and Daisuke were getting pushed around in shopping carts, looking like they were about to collide.

When they were finally finished with group shots, the trio was able to view the previews. They huddled around a monitor with some other staff members, looking at an array of pictures that were taken.  “This one looks like a family portrait.” Erii commented, pointing to one where Saito and Erii were standing next to each other while Kotori and Daisuke sat on stools in front of them. Erii’s hand was on Kotori’s shoulder, smiling brightly. 

“Baby Koko!~” Saito teased, reaching over to give Kotori’s cheek a pinch. Kotori moved away, sticking her tongue out. Erii chuckled, watching Saito pretend to be disgusted with Kotori. Saito rounded to give Daisuke some love, but Daisuke swiftly stepped backward, avoiding any personal touch.

After confirming that they were satisfied with the shoot, the three Japanese trainees were released. They thanked the staff before heading to their manager’s car. 

Once inside the car, Erii checked her cellphone for the first time since the shoot started. The group chat with all her trainee friends in it was blowing up. 

“Jesus, I should have muted them.” Erii complained, showing Saito how many messages were popping up on her phone.  “What’s going on with them?” Saito asked out of curiosity.  “Who knows. Probably boy drama... Jiah’s been a little restless lately.” Erii shook her head, already feeling a headache coming on thinking about Jiah’s recent decisions.  “Yeah... Longwei might have mentioned a thing or two about her.” Saito shared.

Erii shook her head again, this time in disappointment. She’s been a trainee for a long time and she’s seen a lot of wild shit. None of it ever ended well. Her friend, Soyeon from Promise, slept around when she was a trainee and all that was exposed a couple years after her debut thanks to an ex-trainee that never liked her. Jiah isn’t exactly the most likable person at HBH. If she isn’t careful, someone would do the same to her. 

“I think you and I are the only two trainees from HBHT15 who haven’t let our hormones get the best of us.” Saito joked.  “Haeun hasn’t slept around, has she?” Erii asked. Saito shrugged, furrowing his eyebrows. “Why would I know that? I’m not a gossiper like you, Erii.” The man teased.  “I’m not a gossiper! Right, kids?” Erii looked over her shoulder to get the opinion of the younger trainees sitting behind her. Kotori and Daisuke both had earphones in, scrolling through their cellphones without even looking up. “Nevermind.” Erii shook her head, knowing better than to disrupt the 02 liners and their screen time.

Saito chuckled. “But no, can we just talk about how many of our friends are fucking right now?” He asked. “I thought you said you didn’t gossip?” Erii teased. “I’m also a liar. C’mon, you know me.” Saito shrugged. “Anyways, I cannot believe that Jiah is fucking not only Hanjae and Longwei, but I’m pretty sure she’s gonna start messing with Sanghoon too.”  “Sanghoon? He seems too innocent and nice to have a friends with benefits situation going on.” Erii contemplated.  “Think again. He’s nice but he wants to get his dick wet just like any other boy his age.” Saito rolled his eyes. 

“Like Yeetai?” Erii’s grin quirked.  Saito hesitated, a smile forming on his face. “Wait what do you know?”  “Nothing confirmed but... Have you seen him and Seolhee interact lately?” Erii asked. “They’re like in that stage where they don’t get along but they clearly like each other, you know? Kinda like how elementary kids flirt.”  “Oh man.” Saito ran a hand over his face. “I told these fuckers when the season started: ‘don’t mess around with other trainees, it always ends bad’. Now I find out that my own son, the one I raised from when he was a wee baby, is going down the same path as other trainees before him.”  “Tragic, I know.” Erii sympathized with her friends dramatic distraught.  

“At least our maknaes are still pure.” Saito angled his head towards Kotori and Daisuke.

“Actually...” Kotori suddenly spoke up, taking an earbud out. “Kijung has a huge crush on Suwei.”  “It’s true. He’s whipped.” Daisuke sighed. “Mother-” Saito burried his head in his hands. Erii cackled, leaning forward as the laughter rolled through her body. 

“This is gonna be a looong season.” Saito’s words were muffled by his palms. 

[triptychexe]

TITLE: But How SUMMARY: Ura meets NCT’s Qian Kun at Yen’s birthday party.  PAIRING: Ura + Kun (NCT/WayV)  GENRE: Building relationship?  WORD COUNT: 1.2k A/N: i’m a wee bit unsatisfied with this so like... i might be changing some things later but i just wanted it out of my drafts jdfshg 

SUMMER 2016

“Chiayu, seriously, just go talk to him.” Van said sharply under his breath, nudging his friend with his elbow. “You’re going to burn holes into the side of his head and ruin his perfect side profile.” 

Ura nudged her leader back, rolling her eyes and turning her body away from Qian Kun and the two other NCT members he was with. When Yen said she was inviting some members of NCT to her birthday party, she didn’t think Yen would invite the cute one. How was Chiayu going to shoot her shot while wearing a feather boa? 

Yen had rented out a small club in Hongdae for the evening and invited almost every idol she has ever spoken to, and told them to bring some of their friends along too. There was an open bar, which was taken advantage of about thirty minutes into the party, and almost everyone was drunk. Except for Qian Kun and Ura. Chiyau doesn’t think the cup in his hand has reached his lips once since being here. 

“I can’t go talk to him. He’s sober and I’m not drunk enough.” Ura shook her head.  Van’s eyebrows furrowed. “That’s not a healthy mindset.”  Ura sighed, stealing another glance at Kun, who was clearly struggling to keep up with the conversation around him, laughing a beat behind everyone else. The rookie finally brought the plastic cup in his hands to his lips, wincing slightly at the taste. 

“God, he looks miserable.” Ura sympathized, understanding what Kun was experiencing. It was hard to follow conversation in such a busy setting when you’re still learning the language that was being spoken. 

“Then go save him! Be his night in shining armor! Sweep him off his feet!” Van encouraged, his eyes twinkling in the pink and purple light that cast around the club.  Ura inhaled deeply, knocking back the rest of her drink. She handed the empty cup to Van and started making her way over to Kun. 

Ura approached the group of NCT members, praying that her confidence would last long enough to start a conversation with the vocalist.  “Hey, Ura! Nice seeing you!” Johnny yelled over the music.  “You too! Enjoying your night?” Ura responded cordially. Kun was leaning in closer, his eyebrows furrowed as he strained to understand her over the music. “Yeah, Yen really knows how to celebrate.” Taeyong nodded.  “Are you enjoying yourself?” Ura asked Kun in Mandarin. Kun blinked a few times, the shock of being able to understand someone clearly catching him off guard. “Yeah, I’m having a lot of fun.” Kun smiled. Ura felt her stomach flutter at the sight. She smiled back, nodding her head. “Good, I’m glad to hear it.” She said sincerely. Johnny tapped Ura’s shoulder, bringing Ura’s attention back to the group.

“Hey, we’re gonna run to the restroom, does anyone else need to go?” Johnny offered. Taeyong furrowed his eyebrows. ”I don’t need to-” Taeyong started. Johnny gave Taeyong a look that clearly was telling him to be quiet. ”Anybody?” Johnny asked again. “Do you need to use the restroom?” Ura relayed to Kun, knowing that it was hard to hear over the music.  “No thank you.” Kun said in Korean. Johnny nodded before dragging Taeyong away, leaving the two of them alone.

“I wasn’t expecting you to know Mandarin.” Kun admitted.  “It’s one of my party tricks.” Ura said sarcastically. Kun chuckled, bringing his cup back up to his lips, taking a sip. His eye twitched a little.

“Here,” Ura gestured to the bar. “I’ll get you something that doesn’t taste like battery acid. It’s kinda painful watching you try to gulp whatever that is down.”  The pair of them made their way to the bar. Ura requested two cocktails for them. She handed the colorful liquid to Kun, who looked at the glass a little apprehensively.  “Isn’t this a little... I don’t know... Feminine?” He arched an eyebrow.  Ura arched an eyebrow in response. “Does that matter?”  “Nope.” Kun affirmed, quickly taking a sip of the drink. He blinked a few times, surprised at how good that tasted.  “This doesn’t even taste like alcohol.” Kun said, observing the drink in amazement.  “See?” Ura smirked, feeling accomplished. “But be careful, feminine things pack a punch.”

“Yeah, I don’t doubt that.” Kun said honestly, giving Ura a slightly weary look, as if she’d punch him herself if he said anything she didn’t approve of. Ura couldn’t help but grin a little. She always found it amusing when people found her intimidating.

Kun took another sip, his eyes scanning the dance floor. He swallowed his drink and gazed at Ura with a sheepish look on his face.  “You don’t dance, do you?” Kun asked. “Not really.” Ura admitted. “Do you?”  “No. I mean, professionally, yeah. But I don’t really do...” Kun’s gaze darted over to the dance floor, where Asa was jokingly grinding on a mortified Doyoung while Yuta and Yen laughed their asses off. “Whatever that is.”  “Me either.” Ura laughed, observing the scene with a twinge of sympathy. “I almost feel bad for Doyoung.”  “He’ll be fine.” Kun shook his head. “He’ll just cringe every now and then when he thinks about it.” 

Ura and Kun both chuckled, an awkward silence starting to fall over the two of them. Ura could feel herself losing whatever confidence she originally had. How was she going to carry on conversation? What do they talk about? She didn’t really think this far. 

Kun looked like he was getting restless with every passing millisecond of silence. Ura felt bad. It was almost like he was back at square one, except he probably would have been more comfortable with his group mates. She noticed that Kun kept stealing glances at the dance floor, despite his claim that he wasn’t interested. Ura wondered if he only said that because she said she didn’t dance like that either. 

“Hey,” Ura nudged his arm. “We should go dance anyways.”  Kun’s eyebrows shot up. “You think?”  Ura chuckled. “Yeah. I mean, everyone around us is drunk anyways. Who cares if we look ridiculous? Compared to them,” She nudged her head at their friends. “We’ll look spectacular.” 

Kun couldn’t find an objective, so he let Ura lead the way to the dance floor, weaving her way into the center of the dance floor, nudging past her drunken group mates and friends.

Even though they had an awkward start, by the end of the night, they were shouting the lyrics to the songs at the top of their lungs together, spinning each other around, and letting loose. Ura couldn’t remember the last time she felt so carefree. It was refreshing and exciting. It felt like the two of them had entered their own little world, shroud in multicolored lights. 

The illusion was popped when Doyoung’s hand landed on Kun’s shoulder.  “We gotta start heading back.” Doyoung yelled over the music to Ura, looking sorry. “Our manager just called us.”

 Kun nodded sadly, giving Ura an apologetic look as Doyoung started to tug him away by the arm.

“Wait,” Kun called out as he backed away. “Stay in touch, okay?”  “I- Yeah!” Ura called, caught off guard by the sudden end of their time together. 

Kun gave her a small smile before disappearing into the crowd, being dragged away by Doyoung. Too late, Ura realized she didn’t have any of Kun’s contact information. Her heart sank a little, the reality of them meeting again suddenly becoming very slim.

“...But how?” Ura mumbled to herself. 

[triptychexe]

TITLE: Initiation  SUMMARY: The Trivium members receive ‘initiation’ by S.O.T and Tromme and complete three tasks in one night.

GENRE: Friendship, humor ig PAIRING: OT9, R3D OT3, BLU3 OT3, Y3LLOW OT3. WORD COUNT: 3.k WARNINGS: Swearing, initiation process (but no one gets hurt) A/N: this is the longest thing i’ve written for triptych lmao. i was thinking of breaking it up into parts but whatever. if you read the whole thing, thank you!! i hope you enjoy!

“I am not participating.” Ura frowned, crossing her arms defiantly. “I just won’t show up. If they want me there, they’re going to have to pry me from by bed.”

Van gave Ura a pout. “C’mon, they can’t do anything too bad. They’re our friends, they just want to have some fun to celebrate our debut.”  “We all know that the only reason why they’re doing this to us is because Cal is annoying and they want an excuse to bully him.” Ura rolled her eyes. 

“Hey,” Cal frowned.

Ura scoffed, ignoring Cal’s protesting whine. “It’s a little childish, don’t you think?”  “I think you’re being a little... adultish.” Cal fumbled the fake work, his eyebrows knitting together for a second of confusion before continuing. “Plus if they’re going to roll me in honey and feathers, don’t you wanna be there to point and laugh at me?” 

Ura sighed, unraveling her crossed arms. The two older groups invited them to an ‘initiation’ night at the boy’s dorm this evening after Trivium got back from their last activities for promotion. Ura thought it was bullshit, especially when she knows that neither S.O.T or Tromme have ever gone through initiation themselves. However, Van and Cal seemed to think of this as a great team bonding opportunity. Even though she didn’t want to be made a fool of in front of her new members, she also wanted to be there in case she needed to intervene to save her friends from bodily harm. 

“Fine." Ura grunted. “I’ll go.” 

Teo lit the last candle, shaking out the match. Around the boy’s living room were dozens of candles. The other six members sat in a semi circle in front of Trivium, all with blankets draped over their heads and shoulders. 

Ura shifted uncomfortably, watching as Teo took his seat on the edge of the semi-circle, right next to Asa. 

“Trivium,” Eli spoke, raising his hands. “You have completed your debut promotions successfully, ringing in new fans and opportunities for the group and the company. Even though these are great and appreciated accomplishments, you still have to pass initiation in order to be accepted by us, the founders.”

“The founders? We’re just as much of ‘founders’ as you are.” Ura arched a skeptical eyebrow. Eli lowered his hands slightly, not expecting the opposition to his statement.

Zim pushed her blanket away from her eyes. “Just go with it, Ura. We’re aiming for dramatic, not accurate.” 

Ura rolled her eyes. ‘Dramatic not accurate’ might as well have been Triptych’s whole concept. 

Eli continued, raising his hands back to their original height.  “We have called upon the Kpop Gods to help us find the proper trials. First, you will do The Crawl to judge your strength. Then we will do The Beam of Balance, to test your agility. Then we will preform The Heist as a group, to test our compatibility.” 

“Do you accept your challenge?” Yen asked, a grin under her hood.

The Crawl was kind of stupid, if you ask Ura. 

The members had gathered their electronic wires and shoe laces and taped the ends of them to the walls in the hallway. You had to crawl on your stomach under the wires and string and get to the other side. The obstacle? The other members of Triptych were standing in the doorways of bedrooms with handfuls of flour, ready to pelt you with the white powder as soon as you got close enough. 

The first trial was over and done with after about ten minutes. Van took the shortest amount of time, only taking about a minute to get through. Ura took about three, because she kept stopping to blink flour from her eyes. Cal took roughly six minutes because he managed to wrap a cable around his neck and needed Teo to unravel it for him. 

Covered in flour and dust from the floor, the second trial began. The members had brought up two boxes and one wooden plank (that Asa said they found behind the company building after practice). The goal was to see how many ‘original’ members you could knock off the balance beam using brooms to throw their balance off.

Ura actually enjoyed this round. She was easily the one to beat out of all of Trivium. Van let Yen knock him over in the first round, earning him a collective boo for refusing to play rough with a girl. Cal was decent until Nia got on the beam and knocked him over with one good shove. Ura managed to knock down almost everyone, except for Eli, who was the last person she had to face. 

The nine members collected themselves, shaking hands and resolving faux arguments about the fairness of the game. When they all calmed down, it was time to start the final round: The Heist. 

Ura thought it would be another game, but she was gravely mistaken. When Triptych said a heist, they really meant it. 

“We’re all going to split up into our designated color teams and sneak into the company to find some sacred HBH objects. Yellow team,” Eli announced, looking at Zim and Van. “The three of us will be stealing... Hak Bonghwa’s travel mug.”  “The one with the frogs on it?” Zim clarified.  “That’s the one.” Eli confirmed.  “Easy.” Zim nodded.

“Blue team,” Eli turned to Asa, Yen, and Cal. “You will be stealing... HBH producer LeeBoi’s Supreme sweatshirt!”  Asa, Yen, and Cal wrapped their arms around each other’s shoulders, uniting as a team.

“Red team,” Eli addressed, turning to Nia, Teo, and Ura. “You’ll be stealing... Vice’s First Win trophy.”

“Wait, why do we get the most difficult one?” Teo complained.  “Just admit you’re scared of Vice and don’t want to upset them.” Asa teased. “I am not-” Teo started to protest.

“The items have been chosen from the Kpop Gods. We cannot change them.” Eli said dramatically. “The first team to collect their item and bring it back here wins!” 

The corporate floor was eerily quiet at night. Van has only been called up here a few times. Once to go over his trainee contract and the other to sign his idol contract with Hak Bonghwa. 

Moonlight filtered through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long shadows of the three idol’s figures as they inched closer and closer to Bonghwa’s office. 

“What are the chances that he left it unlocked?” Van asked. “High. He trusts all his workers a little too much.” Zim responded in a hushed tone.

They reached the office, which was completely dark except for the light emitting from the city lights outside. Eli reached for the door handle with his sweatshirt over his fingers, careful not to leave any finger prints. Just as they suspected, the door opened.

“Alright.” Eli straightened up. “We just got to grab the mug and we’re out of here. He probably has it in his mini fridge under his desk.”  Van furrowed his eyebrows. “How’d you know that?”  “He always makes himself an coffee before he goes home. He chills it over night in his minifridge so he has a coffee first thing when he gets to the office.” Eli shrugged. “He told me all about it when I was early for practice last week.” 

The three idols made their way to Hak Bonghwa’s desk where the minifridge was concealed. When they ducked down to open the fridge, they were met by a small round face peering up at them.

“AH! CHILD!” Zim yelled, jumping backwards.  “Shh!” The child pressed a finger to his lips. “Who the hell are you?” Eli asked, his eyes wide.  “Hak Donghyun.” The boy responded matter-of-factly. “Who the hell are you?”  “Language.” Eli stuck an accusing finger out to the child. “Aren’t you Hak Bonghwa’s kid?” Van asked, crouching down to the child’s level. From under the desk, Van could see that the kid set up a small campsite of blankets, video games, and mini snacks from the vending machines.  “Yup.” Donghyun grinned. “You’re not supposed to be here.”  “Neither are you.” Zim reminded him. “How did you get in here?”  Donghyun pointed to the ceiling. The trio looked up to see a vent with the grate pushed aside.  “I know all the vents. It’s helpful. You should learn them too.” Donghyun shrugged. “Anyways, my dad’s travel mug is in the fridge. Don’t touch my Gatorade supply or I’ll tell on you.” 

The three idols looked between each other in disbelief, but were careful not to touch the kid’s Gatorade as they removed the frog-print travel mug from the minifridge.  “Thanks, Donghyun.” Van said to the kid, who was now engrossed in a video game.  “I want a signed album, though.” Donghyun looked up from his video game. “If I don’t get one by tomorrow, I’ll tell everyone you broke in and that you swore at me.”  “I didn’t swear-” Eli’s eyebrows furrowed. “Deal.” Van cut his friend off. “We’ll see you tomorrow Donghyun. Have a fun night.”  “Thanks. You too.” Donghyun grinned, resuming his game as the three idols left his father’s office. 

“Where the fuck is it?” Yen hissed, checking behind the studio’s sofa. “Don’t tell me his musty ass finally decided to take it home to clean it.” 

“Hey, Mi, relax, there’s no way LeeBoi would do laundry, that’s way too out of character.” Asa soothed his friend, coming out of the recording booth empty handed. “If it’s not in here, it’s gotta be in a locker somewhere.” 

“A locker? There’s hundreds of lockers in this damn building!” Yen complained. 

“We can split up?” Cal suggested. Both Yen and Asa frowned at him.  “No, we should stay together. The whole point of this exercise is to build bonds with each other.” Asa reasoned.  “I think the ‘whole point’ has changed to who can come in first place.” Yen disagreed, crossing her arms. "I don’t want to split up, but I also don’t want to lose to Eli. He’ll brag about it for ages.” 

“Alright, so how do you wanna go about this?” Asa questioned.  “I mean, isn’t the trainee floor off limits to anyone without a trainee ID?” Cal wondered. “So LeeBoi’s sweatshirt must be in a locker on the main practice room floor.” 

“And knowing him, he’d probably want to take the least amount of time getting from The Dungeons to the locker. So he’s probably stored it somewhere on the third floor.” Yen hypothesized.  “And LeeBoi is a pretty predicable person.” Asa nodded in agreement. “Alright, to the third floor we go.” 

The trio entered the boys locker room and started opening up all the unlocked lockers. No sign of the producer’s sweatshirt. Yen was starting to get frustrated now. She flopped herself down on one of the benches and rubbed her temples.

“I can’t believe we’re going to lose to everyone. We’re even losing to Nia... Moon Yerin! This is the worst day of my life.” Yen complained melodramatically. Asa sat next to her and tried to make her feel better by cracking dumb jokes and rubbing her shoulder. Cal felt like he was intruding on a personal moment, as he felt every time Asa and Yen drifted off in their own little world like this. Feeling awkward just standing there, he took one last walk around the lockers. 

Suddenly, something very strong hit his nostrils. The obnoxious cologne scent wafted into his lungs, making him gag a little. He back tracked his steps and breathed deeply. Coming from a locked locker was the unmistakable smell of LeeBoi. 

“No way... Guys!” Cal exclaimed over his shoulder at the pair. “I think it’s in this locker... come smell it!” 

Asa and Yen came over, pressing their noses against the metal grates in the locker door.  “Holy shit, that’s gotta be it.” Yen’s eyes widened, her waterline tearing up from the stench.   “But how are we gonna open the lock?” Asa questioned.

Cal’s eyes fluttered to Yen’s hairstyle; a high-risen slicked back ponytail. Yen backed away.  “We’re not using my head as a battering ram.” She said sternly. “What?” Cal furrowed his eyebrows. “Bro, no. Do you have a bobby pin?” 

The two gave Cal space as he worked on the lock with Micha’s bobby pin. After about three minutes, the lock finally popped open.  “Dude, that was kinda hot.” Asa said under his breath in amazement.  “How did you learn to do that?” Yen asked as Cal removed the lock. “I lived in London.” Cal simply shrugged. “That’s a little cryptic, but okay.” Yen blinked, opting out on asking more questions. 

Inside the locker was the Supreme sweatshirt they’ve been searching for in all it’s smelly glory. Cal took it out with two pinched fingers, holding it away from him. 

“Alright, let’s dip. I don’t wanna hold this sweatshirt for longer than necessary.” Cal suggested. The trio silently agreed and fled the locker room, barreling towards the elevators. 

“We’re dead, we’re dead,” Teo muttered under his breath like a mantra. Ura gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to tell her group mate to be quiet. Thankfully, she didn’t have to. “Injung, chill. We’re just going to run in and then out.” Nia said, trying to sound calm. 

Ura wasn’t really sure why her teammates were so worked up about breaking into Cyth’s recording studio. After looking around the trophy case in the main hall and realizing that Vice’s First Win was not there, they knew there was no where else it could be besides Cyth’s studio in the basement.

Ura let them lead the way, knowing that both of them wanted control over this situation. She didn’t mind going with the flow. There was nothing to worry about anyways-

“What are you three doing?” 

The three Triptych members turned around. Walking towards them was Cyth, a coffee in his hand. He arched an eyebrow at them, taking the straw of his coffee into his mouth. “Not trying to break in, are you?” 

Teo let out an anxious chuckle, instantly straightening himself up. “Haha, what? No. We wouldn’t do that.”  Cyth looked between the three of them, taking a gulp of his drink. Then he let out a sigh and shook his head in disappointment. “I can’t believe it. I’m the worst senior ever. I never taught you guys how to properly sneak around the company after hours.” Cyth gestured to Nia with his coffee.  “Your whole form was completely off. Your body was so tense, it gave the guilt away.” The rapper turned to Teo. “And you... what was that pained laugh, bro? I thought you only reserved that for the unfunny jokes Minho tells at company gatherings. That hurt.”  Teo looked guilty, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

“The only one who didn’t look guilty was Chiayu.” Cyth gestured to the youngest member. “What are you guys trying to swipe?” 

“Your First Win Trophy.” Ura responded.  “Ura, don’t tell him that-” Teo started to scold. “Take it.” Cyth shrugged, walking past them to open his studio door for them. The pair followed him inside, watching as he reached up and brought down the first place trophy from a shelf above his set up. 

“How long are you guys going to need it?” Cyth asked, handing it to Ura.  “Only for the night. We’ll return it tomorrow.” Ura responded. “Can I ask what for?” Cyth wondered.  “We’re doing initiation for Trivium.” Ura answered, ignoring Nia and Teo’s warning glances.

Cyth chuckled. “Damn, you guys are really doing the most. In that case, tell them Ura had to sneak into the studio while you guys distracted me.” Cyth said to Teo and Nia. “Make your maknae look good in front of the others.” 

Ura grinned at her two members, who looked a little awestruck. She couldn’t enjoy the satisfying moment, however, because her eye caught the clock hanging above Cyth’s door.  “Shit, it’s almost two! We gotta get back to the dorm.” She swore. Ura turned to her senior one more time.  “Thanks for helping.” Ura nodded. “Hey, no worries, it’s all in a day’s work, being the best senior and all.” Cyth winked.

“The Kpop Gods have spoken... and the winners are...” Eli motioned for the rest of the members to create a drum roll. Everyone banged their hands against the floor.

“Team Red!” Eli cheered. Nia, Teo, and Ura wrapped their arms around each other, a victorious smile on their faces.

“No fair, we would have won if Ura didn’t side check me in the hallway!” Yen complained, showing the rug burn on her kneecap. “Isn’t that a violation of the rules?”  “We never said no to inflicting rug burns.” Nia grinned smuggly. “We won, fair and square.” 

“What do we win?” Ura asked curiously. 

“You win...” Eli motioned for another round of drum rolls.  “A free from chores coupon! You won’t have to do chores in your dorms for the next month!” Eli cheered, holding up three post-it notes with “FREE FROM CHORES - ONE MONTH - ONE TIME USE” written on them. He handed them to each member of Team Red. 

“Well, this was exciting.” Nia smiled, standing up from her spot on the ground. “But we also have practice at 10am and it’s almost four now. I suggest we all get some sleep before practice.” 

The members all groaned, but they rose to their feet as well. Everyone exchanged hugs and good nights before the girls left the boys dorm, heading across the hall to their own dorm. 

Ura and Yen entered their shared bedroom, preparing for bed. While they were changing, Ura cleared her throat.  “Hey, I’m sorry about shoving you.” She apologized. Yen grinned, shaking her head. “Don’t be. It made the game spicy.”  “Spicy?” Ura frowned, not understanding her friend’s use of slang. Yen shook her head. “Give it a couple of weeks and you’ll be talking like me too.” Yen promised. “All my friends do eventually.” 

With the promise of finally belonging, Ura was able to drift off peacefully that night, thanking herself for agreeing to partake in initiation after all. 

[cherr-e]

EUNHYE [이런 엔딩] → 𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄

[m/v description] 

the music video starts off with eunhye (of red velvet) playing with an old camcorder she had when she was in a relationship

she decides to switch it on and the song begins

herself and actor kim sohyun play the characters of two lovers, starting off with a cute scene of their first date together

soon different clips start to show their life as a couple, and taking inspiration from actual movies. most of them being disney, considering eunhye’s perspective of how she wished love would be like

the infamous tangled scene with the lanterns except its fairy lights scattered across the room with polaroid pictures of the two - that scene is where they share their first kiss

another scene is them dancing in a large kitchen, all smiles and giggles - the comical side of the relationship 

soon they are arguing and the relationship begins to tumble

the end of the music video is of eunhye smiling thankfully, symbolising herself getting over an old relationship.

she leaves the camcorder on the park bench, collects her things and gets out of camera shot

the last scene symbolises how getting over a relationship that was so dear to you will come. whether it was a friendship or a romantic endeavour - the time will come where you will heal.

[fan’s reactions]

many fans were shocked at the intimate scenes between actor kim sohyun and eunhye as red velvet were only a 3-year old group at the time

they were also shocked at the guest appearance by kim sohyun, later on in an interview eunhye said that he personally reached out to her after one of her good friend’s jieun (iu) pushed him to star in the music video

after the music video release, a lot of romance rumours were floating around but the agencies both denied there were any romantic feelings between the two

albeit, some sohye shippers still exist till now and are always trying to find minimum crumbs to satisfy themselves hehe

despite all the positive reception from the majority of reveluvs, a lot of ot5 stans came about and began to hate eunhye for being the first to branch out solo, believing she’s selfish and ruining the group’s image with the romantic scenes she shared with sohyun. 

however, surprisingly, netizens payed no mind to those scenes and even praised eunhye’s album - the charts speak for themselves. 

You can find Eunhye’s first solo mini-album ‘𝐏𝐎𝐄𝐓’ here. 

[triptychexe]

TITLE: The Parks

SUMMARY: Teo spends time with his grandmother and mom for the first time since he debuted. 

GENRE: Soft, wholesome, some light comedy  PAIRING: None WORD COUNT: 1.2k WARNINGS: His grandmother makes a comment about him looking too thin/questions him about his diet. Injung’s mom lectures him on drug use at one point too. At the end Asa makes a suggestive comment about Teo’s mom because he’s a whore.

SPRING 2015

“You’re too thin!” Teo’s grandmother scolded the minute he walked down the front steps of his dorm building. 

“Do they have you on one of those diets?” Grandma Park shook her head, taking her grandson into her arms for a hug. “So thin…”

“Grandma, I’m okay. Really. No starvation diets are allowed at HBH.” Injung reminded his grandmother, pecking her on the cheek. “We’re both just worried about you.” Injung’s mother smiled, her eyes crinkling with the curve of her lips. “I missed you, honey.”

Teo let his mom hug him tightly, patting the back of his head. He personally thought his family was being a little dramatic. They hadn’t seen each other in a few months, but it wasn’t like Teo had enlisted or anything. “So, where are the other boys? Are they doing okay?” Teo’s mother pulled away, looking behind Teo at the looming dorm building. 

“You’re asking for my group mates? Mom, I’m right here.” Teo extended his arms, mocking offense. Injung’s mom swatted at her son’s arm, making a tisking noise. 

“Daehyun and Asahiko are my extended sons. You can’t blame me for worrying about them too.” She reasoned. “Plus, they may want to join us for lunch.” “Not when I’m paying.” Teo reminded them, giving his mom a wink. “I got my second paycheck last week. Lunch is on me.” 

The restaurant that Teo decided to take his family to had outdoor seating that looked over the city of Seoul. The weather was just right from on top of the building. Minimal wind and sunny skies. “Injung, help your grandmother work this phone!” Injung’s grandmother complained, the smartphone that Injung bought her last month held in her hands, her eyes squinting at the screen. She was trying to take a picture of her grandson and daughter, but her inexperience with technology was making the task difficult. “Grandma, it’s the white circle at the bottom of the screen.” Injung responded patiently, trying to hold his smile in place while his grandmother figured out her new phone.

“Okay, ready… one, two, three!” His grandmother grinned, finally snapping a picture of Teo and his mother. “Oh, so precious.” Teo looked at the photo and smiled. He missed being with his family and it showed. The smile on his face was so genuine, it warmed his own heart.

“Can you post that on instagram?” His mother asked curiously. “I’ve been looking at all the pictures you boys have been taking. You looked like an adult in those teaser photos!” 

Teo felt his cheeks flush red. Sometimes he forgets that people actually look at the super-dramatic photos that he is in. “Yeah, I can post these on Instagram. I think my fans will appreciate them.” Injung grinned, thinking of all the comments he will receive later when he posts the picture. 

The three of them put away their phones to listen to Injung updating him on his life. They beamed with pride when Injung explained the rush of adrenaline that he receives every time he finishes a live performance. 

“It’s crazy… It’s like some sort of drug has been injected straight into my veins.” Injung shook his head in amazement, still not believing his own reality. 

His mother arched her eyebrow, placing the iced tea in her hand down on the table. “You’re not into that scene, are you? If I find out that my son is shooting up or snorting something I swear on all that is holy...” 

Teo raised his hands in surrender. “Woah, mom, calm down. I’m not doing drugs. My company does not allow that.” 

Injung’s mother didn’t look convinced, her eyebrow still raised. “And I’m not interested. I have other ways of coping.” Injung assured. His mother gave a satisfied huff before taking a sip of her tea. Grandma Park rolled her eyes. “Injung’s a smart boy. He’s not going to waste his time with drugs.” The elderly woman shook her head. “Besides, he wouldn’t want to look like a druggie in front of all those beautiful people that he works with.” His grandmother leaned forward, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

“Have you met anyone special?” His grandmother asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Teo nearly spit his drink out. “Grandma!” He exclaimed through coughs, trying to clear his airway from the beverage he was drinking. Why was it that his grandmother cared more about his love life than his actual career? 

“You’re surrounded by attractive individuals all the time! If I was you, I’d be going after a nice vocalist. You two would make very talented babies.” His grandmother teased, chuckling to herself as she watched her grandson cover his flushed cheeks with his hands. Injung’s mother laughed at how pink her son had gotten.

“No, grandma, I have not met anyone yet.” Injung responded. “Yet.” His mother nodded. “You’ll meet someone when the time is right.” “Yes, you can’t force a connection. I tried to force something with your mess of a grandfather, look where that ended.” Grandma rolled her eyes. “I didn’t even get that much money out of the divorce.” 

“Mom,” Injung’s mother warned. Grandma Park waved away the comment with her hand. “Anyways, let’s get some wine for the table, shall we?” 

After a few empty glasses and plates full of expensive food, the Park clan made their way back to HBH to drop Injung off. 

“You guys can come visit any time, you know.” Injung reminded them. “I’m busy, but I’m not too busy for you.” 

Injung’s mother cupped her son’s cheek, a proud smile on her face. “You’re doing such a good job, honey. We couldn’t be more proud of you.” “Yes, we’re very proud.” Injung’s grandmother affirmed, coming forward to pet her grandson’s hair. “We love you very much, Injung.” 

Injung felt his throat tighten, and he was sure that his eyes were watering. “Oh, don’t tear up.” His grandmother chuckled. “You’re a Park. Park’s don’t cry over little things like this.” 

Injung took a deep breath, steadying himself. “You’re right. I just missed you.” “We missed you too, baby.” Injung’s mom smiled. “We’ll visit you more frequently from now on, okay?” “Okay.” Injung responded.

“Alright. This was a fun afternoon but I have a doctor’s appointment in an hour.” Injung’s grandmother clapped her hands together. “I wonder how they’ll react when they test my blood and pick up all the alcohol I just consumed with my lunch.” 

Injung laughed, his sadness melting away. “Just tell them you were partying with Triptych’s Teo.” He teased. “Oooh, good idea.” Grandma Park pointed at her grandson with a smile on her face. 

He watched as his family got into the car and pulled away from HBH’s headquarters. He waited until their car was out of sight before entering the building, feeling a little empty inside with the absence of his family. 

In the lobby, Asa was leaning against the secretary’s desk, chatting to the unamused elderly secretary, Son Youngja. 

“Hey, was that your mom?” Asa asked, thrusting a thumb towards the door. 

“Yeah.” Teo nodded.

“I haven’t seen her in so long.” “Me either.” Teo dryly chuckled. “She’s still hot, though.” Asa grinned. Teo made a gagging noise before shoving his friend. Youngja gave Asa her trademark look of disgust, Asa let out a barking laugh. “Youngja, I’m just kidding!” Asahiko insisted. “And you wonder why I never gave you my granddaughter’s number. So disrespectful.” Youngja shook her head in disapproval. This launched Asahiko and Youngja into a debate about Asa’s manners.

Teo couldn’t help but grin. His biological family may not always be around, but his family here was just as familiar. 

[triptychexe]

TITLE: Cheater Cheater Best Friend Stealer

SUMMARY: Asa’s having a guys day with Changkyun at the Triptych boys dorms. Yen invites herself over to flirt with the Monsta X rapper. 

GENRE: Comedy, slight romance, very slight angst PAIRING: Platonic!Asa + Yen, Yen x Changkyun (Monsta X) WORD COUNT: 1.1k WARNINGS: None.

WINTER 2015

It was refreshing talking to someone who wasn’t a member of Triptych for once. Asahiko loved his members, but spending all day and all night with the same 9 people really messes with your brain. When Changkyun accepted Asahiko’s invite to come over to the Triptych dorms, the happy chemicals in the Japanese man’s brain fizzled and popped. He was going to make this hang out the most relaxing, most well-deserved hang out ever.He ordered chicken for the two of them, hooked up his Wii, and made sure that the other boys would be busy while he spent some personal with Changkyun. 

 Apparently, Asahiko forgot one more thing to make sure of: that Yen didn’t find out that Changkyun was coming over at all. 

Halfway through their Mario Kart round, the front door of their apartment unlocked. Materializing in the doorway of the living room, with a bag of takeout in her hand and a smile on her face, was Yen.

Asa almost dropped his Wii controller. Changkyun did a double take. Yen smiled at the rapper, tucking a strand of her hair behind her shoulder and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. Asa frowned. He knew that look. It was Yen’s smolder. A look she reserved for photoshoots and cute boys only. 

“Hey,” She held up the takeout bag. “Brought you guys some food.”  “We have some already.” Asa responded shortly, focusing his attention back on the game. Asa noticed that on the bottom half of the television screen, Changkyun’s cart wasn’t moving. He looked to his friend and realized that he was still googling at Yen. Unbelievable. 

Asa paused the game and heaved himself up off the couch. Changkyun started to get up too, but Asahiko motioned for him to sit down. “I’ll get you a plate, bro. No worries.” Asahiko gave a strained smile before exiting the living room, dragging Yen with him by her shoulders. 

“Hey!” Yen whisper-yelled, wiggling herself free once the pair were concealed by the kitchen wall. “Why are you trying to kick me out?” “Why are you trying to steal my friend?!” Asahiko responded, crossing his arms. “Can’t I just have one thing to myself?” “You’re being selfish, Koko.” Yen frowned. “You know how much I like I.M... Can I please stay for like, ten minutes?” “How did you even know he was here?” Asa interrogated. Yen licked her lower lip hesitantly.  “Eli said something, didn’t he?” “He might have let something slip, yes.” Yen affirmed.  Asahiko felt like screaming. Yen was his best friend, but he just wanted to have a life separate from his group mates. Was that too much to ask for? Clearly. He grabbed a plate from the cupboard and started shoveling takeout noodles onto the plate silently, taking his annoyance out on the lo mien. 

Yen clicked her tongue, puncturing the silence. “So, can I stay or...”  “Fine! Fine, you can stay!” Asahiko threw his head back in exasperation, letting his chopsticks fall against the plate. “But only ten minutes, okay?”  “Promise. You’re the best, Koko.” Yen grinned, hugging her friend tightly.  “Yeah, yeah." Asahiko fought off the blush that threatened to bubble to the surface of his skin as the two exited the kitchen carrying plates of food. 

He should have known that ten minutes in Asa time was completely different than ten minutes Yen time. They were nearing the forty five minute mark and Yen was still sitting on the couch in between the two boys, chatting up Changkyun. 

“Hey, you want a try?” Changkyun asked, holding out the controller for Yen.  “She doesn’t really play-” Asahiko started. “I’d love to!” Yen accepted the remote, giving Asa a deadly glare. “I’m just not very good...”  “No worries, I’ll help you if you need it.” Changkyun offered, a small grin on his face. Yen giggled. Asa gagged. 

Yen was trying to select her character, but her hand was shaky. Asa knew she was doing this on purpose to look cute or whatever. He was tempted to grab the remote out of her hands and select the player for her, but Changkyun beat him to it. His hand came out to cover hers, guiding her hand to the character she wanted.  Asahiko felt his stomach twist painfully, and it wasn’t from the greasy food. He knew this feeling. It’s only applied to Yen once, when she suggested that Cal be her first kiss instead of him. 

Jealousy.

The feeling didn’t go away. Changkyun’s hand remained on Yen’s controller, his fingers just ghosting over her own, helping her control the cart throughout the whole round. 

He hated how they whispered to each other before throwing some sort of projectile at his kart, then laughed together like they were best friends. He hated how they would occasionally say the same thing at the same time and react like it was the funniest thing ever, like they were best friends.  He hated how Yen had no problem shoving Changkyun or physically interacting with him, and how Changkyun would retaliate. Like they were best friends. 

When it was time for Changkyun to head out, Asahiko eagerly lead him to the front door. The sooner he got Changkyun away from Yen, the better.  “You know, I should go too.” Yen stood up from the couch, following the two to the front door. “I’ll walk you out.” She offered to Changkyun. “Oh, thanks. That’s sweet of you.” Changkyun smiled, opening the door for her. He turned to Asahiko and patted his shoulder. “I’ll see you later, man. We gotta hang out more often.” “Yeah, I agree.” Asahiko smiled thinly. He raised a hand in farewell as the two headed down the hallway together towards the elevator. He closed the door as quickly as possible, as if the wooden door could block out the intrusive thoughts he was having. 

He was about to slip down the mental rabbit hole of what might happen if those two get in an elevator together when a bedroom door opened down the hall. Van and Teo poked their heads out of Van’s room curiously.  “How much did you hear?” Asa asked. “We could hear your fake smile through the door.” Teo stated bluntly, but his words seemed empathetic.  “You know how Yen gets, Asa,” Van said reassuringly. “Once Changkyun loses his excitement, Micha will dial it back. She wouldn’t do anything to jepordize your friendship.”  Asa gave a small smile, appreciating his friend’s comforting words. Unfortunately, no one knows Yen as well as he does. Yen wont stop until she gets what she wants, and she’s already halfway there. 

[cherr-e]

— disclaimer ➛ swearing maybe? trainee life?

genre ➛ angst and fluff

— title ➛ three a.m

summary ➛ It’s the final night as a trainee within the best K-pop company in the world. Oliver prepares to leave that life behind. Yet, one young boy has one last memory to create at three a.m.

AUTHOR’S NOTE:-  [mp3] when oliyong get to the window scene, make sure to listen to rosyln by bon iver (slowed would make it even prettier) [mp3] yeah it’s kinda shit but we move

masterlist

He turned left, the street he was used to for nine months greeting him. The black plastic bag rustling as it slowly swung backwards and forwards while Oliver sluggishly walked back to the accommodation his company had provided for him. It was nearing three a.m, the people who lived in this street were most likely huddled in their quaint homey places but also some were probably wide awake and alone - singular within their homes.

Oliver entered his apartment building he shared with other trainees, he ascended the first flight of stairs - the elevator was never on his favour. He only rode it once, the creaking wires and the flickering lights enough to make him prefer the stairs. Now, he was pressing the keypads - his mother’s birthday locked the dingy place up who he only shared with a frail boy named Taeyong. A trainee who only joined a few months back, Oliver found him cute - he was absolutely clueless when he first joined and those big puppy-like eyes made his heart warm up with love. Taeyong was like a younger brother he always wished for, and when he found out they lived together, he wanted to make sure that the young naive boy would adjust well. 

He taught him basic dance moves, a few chords on the guitar and rehearsed lightly with him. Oliver also made sure that his friend would eat, sometimes he would treat him out for some food with the little money he had from the monthly allowance his parents sent him. 

The machine let out a tune, and Oliver pushed the door open slowly - not wanting to wake up the only other person in the small space he lived in. When the older one first moved in nine months ago, there were other trainees who lived with him. Sammy and Jungwon, they had been with the company for years but realised they were not going to make their debut soon - so they packed their bags and left to their new lives, away from their dreams. For months, Oliver was always alone in this place, his passion for the stage beginning to slowly tumble but a new light had joined the house. They could both relate to each other, wanting to better themselves to debut or even debut in the same group. 

Taking off his worn-out trainers, he slipped into his black fluffy slippers and placed the bag on the countertop. “You’re here?” A high-pitched voice greeted Oliver and the boy nodded as he washed his hands. “Back from the convenience store, when did you come?” He asked as he took out the junk from the bag. “A few minutes ago...” Taeyong hesitated to speak, but it was Oliver’s last night with him. “It’s going to be weird without you.” 

Oliver let out a soft chuckle, “don’t miss me too much - you’ll find better ‘mentors’” He air quoted the last word and Taeyong was now giggling. The older popped the kettle on and pulled out his tattered cigarette box, “I never knew you smoked.” Taeyong arched a brow, curious on how Oli had gotten away with it considering the strict rules. 

“I only let it out when I’m frustrated or confused.” He replied, placing the lighter against the butt of the cigarette and shielded it for a few seconds before inhaling the nicotine and a cloud of grey left his mouth and nose. Taeyong coughed, suddenly feeling awkward and scrunched up his nose at the smell. “Sorry Taeyong, I’m filled with worries for the future.” The smoker cleared his throat and took another swig. 

“It’s okay, it’s not like you have to follow rules anymore.” The joke sounded monotone, or even depressing. The silence that followed made the situation at hand even more dark and gloomy than it already was - jokes beginning to tumble. Humour no longer able to protect reality. 

A boy who was confused with his identity, and what future he wanted to choose. Something he loved - music and dance - beginning to make him lose himself, and as well as that Oliver felt so lost with who he was and what he believed in. Continuing this life, would break him and hate the things he once loved. 

“Whether you’re signed underneath a strict label or not - you’re bound to break rules in this system.” He looked into Taeyong’s eyes, the kettle beginning to hiss but the frail boy wouldn’t look away. Oliver’s eyes were dark and mysterious, the person he was getting to know in the past few months seemed different from the one who stood there with his hands on either side of the table. He looked intimidating, scarier and just cold. 

“You seem different Oli.” The shorter one voiced his thoughts aloud, making the other one break out of his state through a cheeky smile wearing itself on his face. “Got a little philosophical there.” He spoke in a cheery tone, ripping open the cup ramen open as he picked up the kettle to pour into the snack. He folded the plastic lid back into place, letting nearby chopsticks hold the lid in place as the flavouring powder weaved its way in the starchy food. The cigarette still in between his lips, he looked real and tired. 

A sly smirk wore itself on Oliver Lee’s features, the end of the cigarette lighting up as he breathed in a new batch of nicotine into his lungs. A cloud of smoke left his lips again, Taeyong’s naive eyes still focusing on the stick in between his lips. Something so small was so addictive to many, that cigarette was a relief to many - like the man in front of him. Taeyong felt like Oliver was his cigarette, something he was irrationally addicted to, he didn’t know why. Moving away would be healthy for his best friend, and he should be happy for him but he was far from happy. Taeyong was upset, lost, confused and stupid. Nothing made sense in this world, he felt like a bullet soaring through the air, trying to reach something that he could penetrate and create home within. However, the bullet kept on flying. 

“Do you want some?” The older asked, pointing towards the cup ramen that had been spinning there for a few minutes. “Not really.” He replied, Oliver, nodding in acknowledgement - “let’s go sit in front of the window.” Taeyong suggested with a cute grin adorning his face, the idea making him all fuzzy inside. If he was confused with his feelings, he’d put that aside and fall for Oliver more - underneath the bright moonlight. 

Gosh, he really was entirely whipped. 

They got up and left the kitchen, taking a seat on the wooden floor which was often cold but they paid no mind to the temperature. The view they got with this place was beautiful, it was shocking as usually, companies housed their trainees in shitty dingy places with barely functioning necessities - which was true for the duo’s apartment. But the view made them forget of the worries they had, as well as the broken shower head. 

They stayed there while Oliver ate, finished smoking what he could of that cigarette. Being in the company of who he admired was enough for Taeyong, it was his last moment with him for a long time, the possibility of them re-uniting sparse and thin so he felt like he had every right to stay silent because it was better than useless small talk. “Why are you so quiet today?” Oliver asked, rubbing the butt of the cigarette on the top of the ramen plastic lid - he was now slightly liberated away from his thoughts. 

“Appreciating the lights I guess, it’s better than talking with no meaning.” His shoulders were slumped forward, eyes focused straight forward on the city lights as they switched on and off every few 10 minutes, reassuring him that three a.m made them feel restless. Just how he felt right now, heart quickening knowing that Oliver Lee was looking at him right now. 

“Your eyes sparkle a lot y’know.” He said, a light blush growing on Taeyong’s cheeks and turned towards the person who held his heart. “Don’t lie Oli.” “But they do, and there’s nothing wrong about it. They are actually quite pretty.” 

“Don’t say that,” Taeyong mumbled, palms beginning to sweat - he was slightly angry. “Say what?” Oliver was clueless, playing with his lighter in one hand as he looked into the city ahead of him. “You don’t say that to friends.” 

Oliver stopped with the lighter. The atmosphere turning tense, Taeyong felt like the only thing he could hear was his racing heart, beating quicker as every second turned into a different number. “You’re quite again,” Oliver spoke up, beginning to pull out the box of cigarettes for the second time. “Don’t smoke again, it hasn’t even been ten minutes since your last.” He wasn’t soft-spoken anymore, it was like all those months of annoyance at everything had been pointed at Oliver even though he didn’t mean too. 

The pressure to be perfect at his sparse talents, he didn’t know where to find them, the confusion towards having feelings you were supposed to have with a girl falling onto his best friend and roommate. His roommate not taking care of himself, harming and belittling himself. Taeyong knew Oliver felt like shit, it was so fucking obvious.

“Look at me Taeyong.” Oliver begun, waiting for a few seconds before heaving a sigh and repeating himself more sternly. He placed his rough calloused hands on the side of Taeyong’s neck, and the boy turned towards his touch. That place felt hot beneath his palm, itchy and the younger felt himself get sweatier. 

“What’s up?” 

He didn’t have words to explain himself, what would he even start with? Complaining about life, complaining about the greed he had for him? So, he pursed his lips in anger and stayed quiet and turned his head to look at his frantic hands. This led to Oliver getting closer, hand still situated on Taeyong’s neck, “speak Taeyong-ah.” 

With a swift movement, Taeyong leaned in closer and puckered his lips to meet Oliver’s. He felt hot and adrenaline had sought him out before his rational side had spoken, he pulled away slightly. At least he did it, at least he shared his first kiss with the person he admired. 

“I like you, Oliver. A lot, I don’t know how much but it is quite a la-” Amidst his ramble, the older one had placed his lips on Taeyong’s pouted ones. A habit he often had when he’d speak when worried or confused, Oliver placed his hands on the sides of Taeyong’s face as he kissed him harder, he parted his lips as the kiss got deeper. Lips on the other lips. Oliver tasted of cigarettes, his lips were soft and plush like Taeyong had always dreamed of. He had slipped a tongue in, both of them warming up with love and desire for one another.

He pulled back and had that stupid smirk Taeyong had fallen for. He didn’t know if he was mocking him or revelling in what had just happened, he wished it was the latter. 

Oliver pulled him in for one small kiss, and then they lay there below the moonlight shining through. The clock had just turned into four a.m, sleep enrapturing the both of them in each other’s warm arms - beneath a blanket Taeyong had strung along with him. They both wore their clothes, Taeyong felt safe in Oliver’s arms. 

Except it was short-lived, as he had now woken with sore muscles and an empty side. He slowly got up from his position, searching for traces of his love. But he was gone, and the only thing left was a note:

❛ I am glad to have been your first kiss and I am glad you were my friend in the last few months in Seoul. Focus on yourself now.  — Oliver Lee.❜

[triptychexe]

TITLE: Apology Udon SUMMARY: Teo finally gets under Asa’s skin. The InHiko Fight of 2k15 is finally explained. GENRE: Mild angst, hurt/comfort, apology, fluff PAIRING: TROMME OT3 WORD COUNT: 1.4k WARNINGS: Verbal fighting. If anything else could seem triggering, please let me know!

FALL 2015

Asahiko liked to think he could be patient.

He had taken years of practice to debut, he’s taught himself Korean, he’s good with kids, his best friend is impulsive and feisty, the list goes on. But no one, absolutely no one tested his patience like the other members of Tromme. 

Maybe it was the hours that they have spent together and the stress that comes along with being a freshly debuted group, but Eli and Teo were starting to get under his skin lately. 

For the most of promotions, Teo has been treating Asa like a dog that he needed to train. Teo kept nagging Asahiko about everything from precisely what to say in interviews to when he could do his laundry. At first, Asa just thought that Teo was anxiously projecting, but then he realized that he didn’t treat Eli like that at all. It took almost all of promotions to realize that Teo didn’t trust Asa with anything. So, he decided to rebel. 

It was perfect. During their interview at SBS, Asa cut off Teo’s line to make a dumb innuendo about their song ‘Lips’. The interviewers and Eli thought it was funny, but it made Teo’s ears turn red with annoyance. Once the interview was over and they left the building, Teo approached Asa.

“What the hell was that about? Did you forget your lines?” Teo asked. Asa rolled his eyes. “No, dude, I was showing my personality. You know, the one that you forget I have?”  “I don’t forget you have a personality.” Teo said defensively, furrowing his eyebrows. “When have I ever said that?” “Oh, you don’t need to say it. The way you treat me like I’m a child explains it all.” Asa snapped. Okay, maybe that was a little out of pocket, but the adrenaline in his body from finally getting Teo into an argumentative mood inspired him. "Guys,” Eli tried to intervene. “Dude, don’t even try to defend him.” Asa looked over his shoulder at his leader. “You don’t always gotta take his side.” Eli raised his arms in defense. “Yo, I’m not trying to take anyone’s side.”  “What’s the deal with you today? You’re being so sensitive.” Teo snapped. “Sensitive or just fed up?” Asa arched an eyebrow.  “Whatever, man.” Teo shook his head. 

There was no more time to argue, the boys had reached the parking lot. Outside were a ton of fans and fansites, shouting encouraging things to the members. Asa waved politely, pulling a small smile for his fans. He had a feeling that any pictures that were taken of him would show his true feelings either way, but it was worth the effort to try to hide anything.

“So,” Eli pivoted in his car seat, looking between his two members. Asa opted to sitting in the far back of the car so he had enough room to glare angrily out the window in peace and quiet. Teo, who was listening to music and gesturing aggressively with his hands in a silent argument with the dialogue in his head, sat next to Eli. The whole car ride had been silent until this moment, the tension in the SUV was starting to suffocate Eli.

“Are we going to talk about this like adults or angrily think up comebacks to arguments in our head the whole way home?” Eli asked. 

“I didn’t do anything wrong.” Teo protested.  “Okay, well, that’s not what I was looking-” Eli started. “Of course you don’t think you’re doing anything wrong.” Asa chortled dryly. “You’re perfect.”  “I never said that.” Teo leaned forward, twisting his body around so he could glare at Asahiko behind him. “Stop playing a victim, you always do this.”  “How? How do I always do this? You treat me like shit compared to how you treat Eli, how do you want me to react? With gratitude?” Asahiko seethed, his eyebrows furrowed together. “Yo-”  Eli’s words were cut off again by a fuming Teo. “Maybe if you actually contributed something to the group instead of pulling whatever the fuck that was today, maybe I’d treat you with more respect!”  “Maybe if you trusted me enough with roles I would contribute more!” Asa shouted. “Maybe if you showed that you could handle more roles, we’d give them to you, but you’re just don’t have the skills yet!” Teo groaned. He realized the weight of his words when Asahiko’s expression turned stony.  “Dude.” Eli muttered under his breath, shaking his head and closing his eyes.   “I didn’t mean it like that.” Teo said quietly, the anger leaving his system instantly, as if a cool cloth was thrown across his neck. “Asahiko, you know I didn’t mean it like-”  “Whatever.” Asahiko shook his head, putting his headphones back in and pulling the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, tugging the strings. 

Teo and Asa didn’t talk for the rest of the day. Twice, Eli tried to coax Asa out of his room to come eat dinner with them. Both times, Asa cranked his music louder, drowning out the pleads from his leader. 

“Has he come out of his room since this afternoon?” Teo asked quietly as they passed his door, heading for bed. Eli shook his head. “Not that I know of.” Eli responded. “He hasn’t eaten yet?” Teo felt a pang of guilt. Eli shook his head, leaning against his own door. “He’s a big kid, he can feed himself.” Eli reminded Teo. “We’ll talk about this in the morning. Night, Injung.”  “Night.” Teo said quietly. Eli pursed his lips and closed his bedroom door, leaving Teo alone in the hallway. 

The singer looked at Asahiko’s door with a somber glance. How was it that Asahiko went from being the one person he wanted space from to being someone that Injung missed so much? All that was separating them was a wooden door, yet Asahiko seemed so far away.

A wooden door and your bitchy attitude. Injung said to himself. He sighed before hurrying back to the kitchen.

“Asa?” Teo whispered harshly, rasping his knuckles on the door.  “Sleeping.” Asahiko responded, clearly not asleep.  Teo hesitated. “I made you apology udon.”  "I don’t like apology udon.” Asahiko responded, his voice sounding closer to the door on the other side. Injung took in a deep breath. “Could you try it? For me? I’m sorry for what I said. You’re right, I should work with you to help build you up. You’re talented, Asahiko. Really, really talented. Without you, Tromme would be nothing. I mean that. I-” Injung inhaled. He’s never emotion dumped on Asahiko before. He wondered how he was receiving this apology. Based off the silence, Asahiko probably had moved away from the door, blocking out Injung’s ramble. “Look, just... The udon is getting cold and I don’t want you to be hungry tonight. I’m gonna leave it outside if you-” 

The door opened slowly, Asahiko poked his head out, eyeing Injung first, then the udon. He reached forward and took the noodle dish from his older member. “I’m sorry for exploding on you.” Asahiko looked down at his noddles rather than at Teo’s face. “I should have just been honest from the get-go.”  “It’s okay. I forgive you.” Teo nodded. Asahiko looked up at Injung, a small smile on his lips before picking up the chopsticks Injung put in the bowl. Asahiko lifted up a bunch of thick noodles, blowing on it gently before holding it up for Teo.

“Apology udon?” Asahiko grinned, inching the noodles closer. Injung smirked, leaning his head away from the noodles. “C’mon, man, accept my udon!” Asahiko chuckled, flying the noodles around like an airplane.  Finally, Injung gave in and slurped the noodles off the chopsticks.  “Good?” Asahiko asked. Teo nodded, giving him a thumbs up. “Great, I slaved over it all night.” Asahiko said sarcastically, helping himself to noodles.  “You-” Teo laughed, ready to banter with Asahiko. However, a bleary-eyed and half-asleep Daehyun appeared in his doorway. He looked between his members and then at the bowl of noodles in Asahiko’s hands.

“You guys are eating noodles without me?” Eli asked, rubbing his eyes. “Yeah...” Injung drew out.

Daehyun frowned before turning around and closing his door. “Rude.”

[triptychexe]

TITLE: 100 Hours

SUMMARY: The TROMME boys have exactly 100 hours to make their own self-directed b-side music video. Eli finds some old videos that strike up old feelings.

GENRE: nostalgia, very very subtle hurt/comfort if you squint. PAIRING: TROMME OT3, subtle OT6, mentions of Eli x Soyeon WORD COUNT: 0.8k WARNINGS: one joke about a creepy uncle who hits on younger women. other than that there may be some swearing? please let me know if you see anything else that might be triggering/worth warning. 

WINTER 2015

Eli counted his paces to the number five before turning around, giving the camera what was meant to be a cool and confident gaze. 

“Ew.” Asa commented from behind Teo, who was squatting on the sidewalk with the camera in his hands, the focus trained on Eli. Eli slumped his posture a little. “What’s ‘ew’?” 

“You looked at Teo like how my divorced uncle looks at nineteen year olds at bars.” Asahiko shared, shaking his head.

“Now that’s ‘ew’.” Eli wrinkled up his nose in distaste, but a laugh bubbled up in his chest at the crude joke.

“We’ll be cutting that part out.” Their manager, Hyunjung, stated to the professional camera man. Around the three boys was a small production crew, shooting footage for an episode of their reality VLive show, Triptych TV. They were given 100 hours by the company to make a music video for their b-side song, POLAROID. They were shooting solo shots now while the sun went down, as Teo decided that golden hour would look great in their video.

Teo pulled himself up to full height, replaying the footage that he just recorded. The other two gathered around, observing the shot. Eli didn’t think it was so bad, but Teo deleted it the moment it was finished.

“Yeah, Asa’s right. That was a little too seductive.” Teo critiqued. “I’m looking for more like… Wistful and reflective energy.” “Like… Like I’m in a drama?” Eli clarified. “Exactly. I want you to look effortlessly cool and sentimental.” Teo explained with excitement in his tone. Eli nodded, fighting back his own complaints. He wasn’t as excited about filming this video as Teo was, but he didn’t want to rain on his friend’s parade. There are very few things that Teo talks about non-sarcastically, and photography and videography were two of those things. In fact, if it was up to Eli, they wouldn’t be shooting their own music video at all.

While Teo was shooting footage, Eli looked off into the distance fondly, thinking of other episodes Triptych TV could have come up with. Like going indoor rock climbing, or zip-lining, or going to an amusement park. 

“Perfect!” Teo’s exclamation scared Eli out of his daydream. “That was exactly the look I was going for! Perfect!” The vocalist repeated, rewatching the footage with pride. 

“Alright, that’s a wrap here, then.” Asa clapped his hands together. “For the rest of the video, we just need to dig up some old videos from our trainee days, and we’re golden!”

The rest of the night, the boys searched through their old videos from when they were trainees. Eli scrolled through his camera roll, occasionally stopping to look at old photos of him and his trainee friends. 

One specific video caught his eye. He didn’t even need to click on the video to know which one it was. In the thumbnail was Soyeon, smiling up at the camera. It was the day they went to the beach with the other trainees. 

“Soyeon-ah,” Daehyun’s voice called out, walking over to the girl crouching next to a tidepool. Soyeon looked up, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight, a smile stretching over her face. “You look pretty right now.” Daehyun from the past complimented her. Soyeon wrinkled her nose and shook her head, a chuckle escaping her lips. “What about us, hyung! Do we look pretty?” A voice called from far away. The camera angled upward, revealing Calvin and Yeetai posing dramatically on top of some rocks. Daehyun’s laugh got cut off as the video ended. 

“Dude.” Asa’s voice critiqued from over Eli’s shoulder. The leader jumped, not expecting the younger boy to be directly behind him. The Japanese member shook his head sympathetically. “You’re still not over her, huh?” 

Daehyun exhaled, looking down at the paused video. Asa sighed too before gripping the elder’s shoulder in comfort. “Hey man, don’t force yourself to move on. It never works out, trust me.” Asa advised, the melancholy in his tone made the young man seem weathered. 

Daehyun let out a short chuckle. “What do you know about love, huh?” Asahiko rolled his eyes and shoved Daehyun’s shoulder playfully. “Hey, I’ve been around the block a few times.”  “You’re a virgin, Asahiko.” Teo called from the hallway. “You’re a bigger virgin!” Asahiko hollered back.  “You both are massive virgins.” Daehyun settled, shaking his head, laughing at his groupmates. 

The boys had finally put together a collection of videos that they felt were sentimental to them. Daehyun decided on keeping the video of Soyeon in. Nearly all of Teo’s videos included Nia and Zim, as they were basically attached to each other’s hips during their trainee days. Most of Asa’s included Saito and, to no one's surprise, Yen. 

They pieced together their new footage with the old footage, weaving their past and present together in one 3-minute music video. When the boys had finally completed editing, they uploaded it to YouTube, waiting for their fans to react to the surprise video.

While they watched the comments and likes roll in, Eli relaxed back in his chair, looking at both of the boys on either side of him. “You know, even though you guys drive me up the wall sometimes,” Eli grins. “We’ve come a long way.” The boys nodded in agreement, a sentimental air had settled over the group that no one wanted to puncture.