#speaking of which amazing experience all around a joy to work with thank you sm!! ^^

[noxious-fennec]

He lends very well to dramatic lighting

Comm for @cannibal-crxw :D info here

[yuta-nakamots]

Groove - k.ji

Pairing - Idol!Jongin x Choreographer!Reader

Genre - Fluff

Warnings - None

Summary - You are a choreographer chosen to work with Jongin for his upcoming solo album. He’s an idol and you’re not, it’s as simple as that until you find yourselves dancing between the lines of business and something more intimate.

Word Count - 6k

A/N - This is the reworked version of ‘a dance to remember’ which I wrote when I was about 15 years old. That piece itself is based on a dream I had about EXO. This essentially is a fic written about a fic written about a dream so I’m sorry if it seems kinda disjointed.

When you were younger, you had discovered that you had an immense passion for dance and you had begged your parents to let you join the small dance studio near your school. Even if it was just an average dance school it wasn’t uncommon for the bigger entertainment companies to recruit backup dancers or choreographers from studios like yours, which is how you had met a handful of idols before. Each month, you had to go in and perform a short piece that you created in order to keep track of your progress. Normally, the room these progress videos were shot in are empty aside from you, the company director, and a couple of cameras set up to catch multiple angles.

However, this time around, there was a man standing next to your director. As you entered, you quickly greeted and bowed to your director and did the same to the guest. He was wearing a chocolate brown hoodie and light blue jeans along with a pair of rounded glasses and a face mask. He was quite tall and looked almost intimidating until you met his eyes that were warm and inviting but awfully familiar. Not wanting to be weird, you quickly turned around and made your way to the stereo equipment to plug in your phone and start the music. You finish your recording quickly and respectfully thank your director before leaving the studio to head home, your thoughts still preoccupied with the stranger who you were confident you had met somewhere before.

A week later, you received an email from the director: Good evening Y/n, From your video we recorded earlier this week, you’ve been recruited to work with EXO member Kai as a choreographer for his upcoming solo album. Congratulations on this achievement! We are looking forward to what you will create this time around. I will give you more details on this after your regularly scheduled class today.

The warm brown eyes that were all too familiar flashed inside your mind as you thought about all of his performances that you had watched before, wanting to learn from him and his style. The eyes of the stranger that had stood next to your director the day you recorded your video. No, it couldn’t have been him, you thought to yourself, there’s no way an idol would come to our dance studio. You shook your head to break yourself out of your imagination as you got ready to head over to the studio and teach your class.

You were going through your text message as you entered the room your class was in and walked right into your director. You immediately back up and profusely apologize, freezing once you recognize the person he was previously talking to. “Oh, y/n, this is Kai from EXO! I was just telling him how he should stay to watch you teach this class so he can get a taste of what your style is like.”

Kai looked from your director to you, offering you one of his signature smiles that have been known to melt hearts. “I’d love to” was all he had to say to make your stomach drop to the floor and your hands start sweating.

As you taught your class, you felt an intense stare on you the entire time, glancing over at Kai only a few times, finding him looking right back at you, causing you to suddenly jerk your head away only to hear Kai let out a quiet giggle from the corner he was sitting in. Eventually, you learn to ignore his presence and you continue teaching your class and wrapping up as you normally would. As your students begin filing out the door, Kai eagerly gets up and strides over to you. “Hey, y/n, I really liked the energy of that class and the genre of the piece you taught, I’m looking forward to working with you!” he said, the edges of his eyes crinkling as he smiled at you, “if you don’t mind, I’d like to get your number so we can talk more about the album” and he offered you his phone, already open to a blank contact page.

You quickly wipe your hands on your shirt before grabbing his phone, entering your number and handing it back to him with a shy “thank you, I look forward to working with you too”.

Later that night, you got a text from an unknown number.

Unknown > y/n 10:15pm: hi y/n, this is Jongin! ^^

You type a simple greeting back to him as you add him to your contact list and slip into bed. He immediately responds and starts asking questions about you, which you brushed off as him just being friendly. Your conversation continues for another half hour, consisting of mostly him asking about you and your interests accompanied by various cute emoticons until you finally grow tired of it.

y/n > EXO Kai 10:49pm: Why do you keep asking about me? What if I want to hear more about you?

EXO Kai > y/n 10:51pm: because I want to get to know you better （⌒_⌒）

10:51pm: I like to have a connection with the people I’m working with. even more so now, since this solo album is something new and special to me

10:52pm: besides, you can hear about me all the time from the fansites and media 

His response makes you pause and set your phone down for a bit as you realize that there’s more depth to Kai and his personality than you thought. Wow, not only is he an amazing performer, he has a kind heart and values his relationships, even if they’re only for work purposes. You were shocked, to say the least. From your experience working with idols, yes, you did get to know each other but they didn’t ask you about your hobbies or favorite foods like how Kai did. This just added to your list of reasons why this man is out of your league. No, he is not out of my league. We are not even in the same sport. He is an idol, he will not date you, stop it, you thought as you reprimanded yourself. However, you picked up your phone to message him back and continue your conversation, even though you dozed off not even five minutes later, failing to see the new texts you received from Kai.

EXO Kai > y/n 11:03pm: y/nnnnnn 

11:03pm: where did you gooooo >.<

11:04pm: ah, you must have fallen asleep

11:04pm: rest well y/n, goodnight (￣ε￣)

The rest of your week passes by uneventfully with you going to university and teaching your classes as usual. The only new addition to your schedule was a sort of ‘date’ with Kai on Thursday afternoon, your free day during the week, and also the day you were scheduled to meet with the other staff working on his album to get a sense of what kind of image they wanted. He had texted you asking if he could treat you to lunch at the SM Cafe after your meeting which you agreed to.

By the time Thursday comes around, you’re already feeling worn out from school, barely even able to put together an outfit and settling for a simple black t-shirt and jeans. You took the bus to the company building since you didn’t know where to park and you figured it would save gas anyways. The meeting was a nice refresher, as you were interested in the ideas the staff was putting out and you left the meeting feeling reenergized with tons of ideas flying through your head. You met Kai at the cafe as you had promised, finding him easily due to his large frame.  “You look nice, y/n” he commented, as you sat down opposite to him. You said a shy ‘thank you’ back while turning and looking out the window, hoping he didn’t notice the blush that had begun to show up on your cheeks. 

Lunch goes smoothly as he allows you to ask him questions this time around and he tells you about his hobby of playing with legos and putting elaborate things together to give to his nieces and nephews or how he has given up learning how to bake. You don’t miss the way his hands brush yours when you pass him a napkin after some of the coffee he was drinking spills out the side of this mouth or when both of you reach for your phone before it falls off the table. Maybe it’s because of all the times you’ve daydreamed about him after learning one of the dances he’s done, but to you, this ‘casual lunch’ is beginning to feel more and more like a date. Luckily, you two finish eating quickly and he asks if you’d be willing to show him some of the ideas you have so far. You eagerly told him yes along with a few details from the meeting and how you’re really excited to further refine them. 

Once both of you are in a practice room upstairs, you and Kai decide to sit in the middle of the room and talk about possible concepts and stories that could be portrayed, however, the conversation quickly strays off-topic due to Kai and his seemingly never-ending curiosity when it comes to you. “What do you do besides dancing and teaching your own classes?” he asks, looking more like a troublesome toddler than the idol you were supposed to be working with. 

You push that thought aside before responding, “I’m currently in university, majoring in business since I’m set to take over the dance school from the director.”

Kai keeps his eyes glued to you while you speak, the only movement coming from his fidgeting hands. After you finish speaking, he looks down in his lap before shyly speaking, “sometimes I like to think about what I’d be doing if I wasn’t an idol, you know? Would I have joined a dance studio like yours? Would I be in college right now? Would I have a girlfriend? Would I maybe even have a child?” He paused for a bit and ran a hand through his hair while moving to lie down. “I genuinely think that if I weren’t an idol, I’d still be in school. Being with animals and kids gives me so much joy, I’ve often thought about being a veterinarian or an elementary school teacher. Though they are drastically different, I find both of them to be so appealing” he said, letting out a sigh at the end of his sentence.

“Do you ever think that you’d be happier doing those things rather than where you are now?”

Kai looked over at you, not noticing you had laid down next to him as if both of you were outside looking at clouds. “Maybe...however, I’m still satisfied with the path my life took. Yes, there are drawbacks to being a public figure but I’m happy with all the experiences it has given me.” Sensing how the mood has become a little too serious for his liking, Kai decides to ask you another question. “Who’s your favorite member in my group?”

You let out a laugh, dumbfounded by his sudden question. “I’m not saying this just because you’re here, but it’s you and has been for a while now” you said sheepishly, keeping your eyes locked on the ceiling to keep yourself from looking at Kai and showing him your now pink-tinted cheeks.

“For a while now?” he asked, quoting your words. “How long have you been a fan of us?”

“Since your debut,” you said, throwing your hands on your face to hide your embarrassment before exclaiming, “ah, this is so awkward, I can’t believe I’m telling you this.” Fortunately, your embarrassment didn’t last long thanks to your roommate who had just sent you a text. You gladly moved away from Kai to check your phone, inwardly thanking your roommate for saving you from what could have become a shameful memory. Oh shit it’s already past 10? you thought to yourself, shocked at how quickly time passed while you were with Kai. “My roommate was just asking where I was since it’s getting kinda late,” you told him, “normally I don’t stay out this late since I have class tomorrow morning so I should probably get going now, especially since I have to catch the last bus which comes in a bit, I think.”

You stood up, but before you could so much as take a step towards the door, Kai stopped you. “I can drive you home” he offered, to which you vehemently refused, “you’re my choreographer and I’d hate for anything to happen to you when you haven’t even taught me the dance to my own song yet” he said, giving you the puppy eyes you’ve seen countless times through videos of him.

You can tell that he’s being sincere so eventually you accept his offer, but something about his words doesn’t sit quite right. You had told each other so much about yourselves and shown such an embarrassing side of yourself to him, yet he only regarded you as his choreographer. Because that’s what I am, you thought, trying to shove those thoughts out of your head, I’m nothing more than just his choreographer, a work acquaintance. This is simply a relationship based on our work together. He is an idol and I am his choreographer. Nothing more, nothing less. You internally slapped yourself for getting riled up over his words when he was only trying to be nice.

Once you were in his car, you told him your address as you put your seatbelt on. The ride home is mostly silent aside from little side comments made between the two of you, like when he tells you about how he and the members once went to the samgyeopsal restaurant you passed earlier and how Chanyeol proceeded to get absolutely wasted to the point where the members played rock paper scissors to decide who would be taking care of him for the night.

Time, again, seemed to pass a little faster than normal when you were talking to Kai and laughing with him. When he pulled up in front of your apartment building, you unbuckle your seatbelt and began to thank him, “Kai-”

“Why do you keep calling me that?”

“Calling you what?”

“Kai.”

“...Because it’s your name?” At this point, you were beyond confused as to what Kai was getting at.

“It’s one of my names, but it’s not MY name. My name is Jongin. Yes, Kai is my name as well but that’s who I am on stage...please, just call me Jongin from now on” he let out, sitting further back into his seat once he realized how aggressive he sounded.

“O-oh, okay. Goodnight Jongin.” Though you were used to saying that name while talking to your friends about his dancing or when they showed you pictures of him, this time it sounded foreign. Almost even forced, as if you shouldn’t be saying it.

Once you unlock the door and walk into your apartment, you receive a text from him.

EXO Kai > y/n 10:36pm: I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped like that, it’s just that being called Kai all the time makes me feel disconnected from people, you know? It’s like people see me only as Kai the idol and not Jongin, a regular person.

10:37pm: Kai is the side the fans and the media see and want while Jongin is just the sad guy behind the mask

10:37pm: Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said that either. I’m just making this worse aren’t I?

You see the bubble pop up again, showing you that he was typing but before he can send you another message, you text him back.

y/n > EXO Kai 10:38pm: Jongin, it’s fine. I may not be an idol but I get what you mean

10:39pm: I didn’t know that even something like your stage name could have such a restraining feeling for you, and I’m sorry about that. But thank you for opening up to me

You see that he read your message but you don’t see him typing a response so you lock your phone and start your night routine, eventually forgetting to check your phone.

When you woke up the next morning, you saw that Kai, no, Jongin, you reminded yourself, texted you around midnight but you didn’t open his message until lunch when you were done with most of your classes for the day.

Jongin > y/n 12:16am: Goodnight y/n. I’m sorry I’m not the idol you always looked up to, but thank you for listening to me and respecting me as a person. Thank you, see you next week. I can’t wait to see what you have choreographed for me (⌒ω⌒)

And there it was again, the way he speaks so fondly towards you yet he still brings it back to work. You had to remind yourself that the relationship between the two of you is only because of work and that no matter what, you cannot develop feelings for him. It’s not like he’d have time for me anyways, I’m nothing special compared to those other girls he’s dated, you thought to yourself.

You spend the rest of the week doing your usual activities along with choreographing for the title track of Jongin’s album. Though the company sent you just the demo of the track, you could already tell that this sort of song was definitely his style. Sexy yet sweet. Hot but undeniably cool.

A month had passed since Jongin first confided in you about his idol dilemma. After teaching Jongin and the rest of the dancers the choreo you made for the title track, you were no longer needed quite as often in the practice room, which resulted in you seeing Jongin less as his preparations started to stack up in his schedule. He still made it a point to take you out for lunch or dinner, which surprised you since he didn’t necessarily need to keep up a relationship with you now that your part in the album production was over. It was at those times when you were reminded of the instance when he was dropping you off, that he’s human and has friends he hangs out with, you just might have gotten lucky and become one of them.

Your text message chat with him went back and forth between you two talking about the choreo and the comeback to deep late-night conversations like how Sehun saw a cockroach in the shower one night and ran out butt-naked, screaming. Just like your chat, your relationship with Jongin became more confusing as the line between business and friendship blurred even further. Jongin texts you late on a Wednesday night to come to the ‘cloud’ room, which you had mistakenly called it once after watching one too many of the old SM dance practice videos, tomorrow around noon. Similar to when the incident with his name occurred, his message didn’t have the cute emoticons you were used to him sending. You wondered if something in the choreo needed to be changed last minute and sent him a simple thumbs up to let him know you’d be there.

You spent the rest of your Wednesday night reanalyzing the choreo you made, trying to find any flaws that would have resulted in Jongin texting you so seriously and asking you to come in person instead of sending a video along with his questions as usual. By Thursday afternoon, you had a few things in mind that you could easily smooth over and your mind was flooded with different combos and formations to use as you walked through the building to the practice room you told Jongin you’d meet him at.

You entered without knocking since usually the whole team is at work and you don’t want to disrupt whatever they’re working on, so you quietly stepped in and closed the door but you yelped when you heard a loud bang from the area near the sound equipment. Glancing over, you spot Jongin with his balled-up fists on the table and realized the rest of the team wasn’t here. It was just you and him, which led to you being even more confused as to why he had asked you to come in. After hearing the noise you made, Jongin’s head perked up and found you, “oh, y/n, you came.” His tense features immediately relaxing into a loose half-smile where you could see just how tired he was. “I need help on the main part of the chorus. No matter how many times I do it, there just isn’t the right feeling with it and I don’t get it” he said, almost whining.

You sat against the mirror, watching him do it a few times until you got up and stood next to him, facing the mirror. “Jongin you’re treating it way too strictly. This is the chorus, not a dance break, just groove with it, have fun with it, you know?” You danced the part to further show your point.

“Groove with it? What do you mean ‘groove with it?’” He asked, confusion clearly evident on his face and in his voice.

“Relax and think about the song itself. Think about the meaning, the style of it, not the choreography” you responded. He did as you showed him and looked at you for approval. “Good, but keep that same intensity in your eyes from earlier.” He did it again, staring straight into your eyes through your reflection in the mirror, almost sending shivers down your body. You smiled to acknowledge that you liked it and Jongin’s face lit up, seeing as he finally perfected what he deemed to be the ‘killing point’ of the dance, as he had said when you first showed it to him.

After another hour, you and Jongin had gone over the entire dance and worked out any remaining questions he had for you. Just as the two of you were getting ready to leave and head over to the cafe, Jongin called out your name, coming to stand next to where you were packing up your bag.

“Hey Y/N...I-uh-wanted to tell you that I-um-I think-” he began, before you interrupted him, not wanting to hear him stuttering anymore.

“Jongin, do you want to go over something again? Is that what’s bothering you?”

“N-no, it’s just that I think, uh, I think I really like you...r dance...yeah...I really like your dance, the one you made for me in my album, uh haha yeah thank you.” His cheeks and ears started turning pink as he quickly turned around to go gather his things.

Did he just say what I thought he said, you asked yourself, no, he couldn’t have. There’s no way he’d say that. All it would do is hurt his career anyway, he wouldn’t do that. You silenced your thoughts and left the practice room with him to get dinner.

You ate with him at the cafe but your conversation didn’t seem to flow as naturally as it normally did. He kept looking at you like he wanted to say something but never did. The normal playful touches you usually shared weren’t there either and you hated yourself for noticing these things. This was probably just his way of nicely ending our relationship since he probably won’t be working with me again in the future.

As you both made your way down to your cars in the parking lot, Jongin stepped in front of you right after exiting the elevator, looking down at his feet like a little kid would when they’re being scolded.

“Y/N I’d like to thank you for working with me for my solo debut, it really means a lot to me,” this is where you think he’s going to just thank you and say goodnight, but he doesn’t, “I’d like to ask you if you’d come to the first broadcast next week Monday. I know you have class but I won’t be going on until later. You don’t have to if you don’t want to because I know you’re really busy being a student and all but-”

“Jongin, please, I would love to.” You said, saving the both of you from his endless ramblings.

When he finally meets your eyes he gives you a look full of cuteness and adoration be exclaiming, “Really?!”

“Yes, really.”

“Promise?!”

“Yes, Jongin. I promise I will be there.” He hugged you so tight you thought you were going to suffocate but before you could, he released you and skipped off in the direction of his car while happily giggling to himself, “goodnight y/n” he yelled, “see you on Monday.”

You slapped yourself for blushing at his cute outburst. He’s an idol, you’re not supposed to feel this warmth in your heart that yearned for him to hug you again, yet your mind constantly wandered to him during your whole drive back to your apartment.

As you were lying in bed, just about falling asleep, you got a text from Jongin.

Jongin > y/n 9:08pm: SHE SAID YES! (＠＾◡＾)

9:08pm: oh shit

9:08pm: sorry, that was meant for Baekhyun hyung

9:09pm: we were talking about a special girl (＃＞＜)

Your heart immediately dropped. It’s probably another girl he’s dating, seeing as how he’s dated other girl idols before. You knew that you shouldn’t be upset but you just were. It was at that moment that you realized your feelings towards Jongin. You quickly sent a simple ‘haha okay’ back, but his message left you wondering about the lucky girl he was talking about, hurt that you didn’t know who it was. He has no obligation to tell me anything, I’m only his choreographer, you told yourself, probably for the millionth time now.

Ever since that night, you hadn’t initiated a conversation with him though he still texted you occasionally. Sometimes it would be a goodnight message, other times it was just his late-night thoughts about how dogs would wear pants or what kind of sounds a koala makes. You didn’t want to admit it but that one text bothered you for the rest of the week, and as it got closer and closer to his first performance, the more you didn’t want to go. Almost as if Jongin was reading your mind, you received a text message from him.

Jongin > y/n 7:45pm: y/nnnnnn I can’t wait to see you tomorrow -\\3\\-

You were going to send another thumbs up again, but opted for a more cheerful ‘good luck!’ since you knew how much this meant to him and how hard he worked for this and you didn’t want to let your own feelings get in the way of his achievements. It’s not like you were going to be involved in his work much longer once his promotions ended. Maybe it was for the best if you just kept your feelings to yourself so he could go back to being just Kai, the idol, to you, and not the sweet and playful Jongin you had gotten to know and the one you had, unfortunately, fell for. Going to sleep that night was a huge struggle for you, constantly asking yourself if you were going to see him tomorrow or not. Eventually, you fell asleep before reaching a clear answer but knowing you’d have to decide tomorrow anyways

The next morning, you woke up to the sight of sunlight already filling your room, which was not a good sing. You quickly checked your phone and saw that you were already half an hour late to your first class along with noticing Jongin had sent you another message around 6AM though you didn’t read it since your first priority was to get to school. You turned your phone to Do Not Disturb mode and rushed through your morning routine, getting to school just as your second class was starting. After running in five minutes late and profusely apologizing to your professor, you took your normal seat in the back of the room, letting out a sigh of exhaustion.

Your lecture ended faster than you expected and as you waited in the line at the cafeteria you finally pulled out your phone to go through your notifications and saw that Jongin had sent you two more messages.

Jongin > y/n 6:13am: I’m so excited, i could barely even sleep! Good morning y/n, today’s the day! ＼(≧▽≦)／

Jongin > y/n 10:20am: We’re in the cafe ordering sandwiches to eat at the recording studio later. What do you want to drink? I can’t remember if it was the honey lemon tea or the honeydew milk tea (>_<)  

10:25am: y/nnnnn please answer meeeeee (╥_╥)

You couldn’t resist his cuteness and texted him back.

y/n > Jongin 10:27am: honey lemon :)

As soon as you hit send, you froze, realizing you had dug yourself into a hole, ultimately forcing yourself into going to the studio he would be performing at later. You were brought out of your dazed state when the person in the back of you cleared their throat loudly and you noticed it was your turn to order.

After you had ordered and received your food, you sat down and ate your lunch quickly, wanting to go to class and get your mind off of Jongin who was walking around up there as if he owned it.

The rest of your day went by quickly and as you got into your car, you let out a long sigh, not wanting to believe that you’d be going to the recording studio to support the man who not only held your heart in his hands but also unknowingly crushed it.

Once inside the studio, it was quite easy to find Jongin’s room, seeing all the staff rushing around with their SM lanyards on, similar to the one you had on. You walked into his room, expecting to be greeted by a loud Jongin, but instead, you were met with the blank stares of his fellow members, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and Sehun. Baekhyun was the only one who acknowledged you while the other two simply looked back down at their phones, thinking you were another staff member. “Ah, so you must be the wonderful y/n that our Jonginnie is always talking about! That idiot is always telling us about you, we were just wondering when we’d be able to meet him. He may fall in love quickly but he does have good judgment if you know what I mean.”

Both of the other members immediately perked up upon realizing who you were as your cheeks turned a bright shade of pink after hearing Baekhyun’s words. “J-Jongin talks about me?”

Baekhyun let out one of his big laughs before responding, “All the time! I can’t believe it took him this long to ask you out.”

If it was even humanly possible, you swear you turned even more pink. “Oh, we’re not dating. I think you’ve got me confused with another girl.” Your mind flew back to the text Jongin had accidentally sent you and all your emotions were about to come flooding back to you.

At that moment, Jongin entered the room and walked right into you. Baekhyun caught you, preventing you from what would’ve been an embarrassing fall, however, he only took it as an opportunity to push you right back into Jongin’s arms while yelling, “Ya! Kim Jongin, you idiot! I didn’t raise you to be such a coward, just ask her out already!” He then proceeded to bulldoze both of you out of the room and close the door while Chanyeol and Sehun only laughed while recording the whole thing, probably to send in their group chat later for the others to see.

Once both of you processed what just happened, you and Jongin looked at each other and he immediately released you from his hold and looked at the ground. You took this moment to appreciate his stylists for doing such a good job. He was wearing a full navy blue suit, similar to the legendary red one he wore in the Love Shot music video, further accentuating the light brown contacts he had in his eyes. He brought his hands to your shoulders before taking a deep breath and meeting your eyes.

“Y/n-”

“Jongin-” you both said, at the same time.

“Oh, sorry, you go first.” You blurted out, your heart already racing.  

He lightly squeezed your shoulders before saying, “I don’t know how much they told you in there but I suppose you probably already know that I...like you.”

The look on your face told him otherwise. “Weren’t you texting Baekhyun about another girl? A ‘special girl?’ That text you accidentally sent me instead of Baekhyun...” You trailed off at the end, thinking about how stupid you must look.

Jongin dropped his hands to your waist as he threw his head back in laughter before looking back at you. “No, you silly, we were talking about you. You told me you’d come to my first performance, remember?” Everything began to come together for you and you couldn’t believe that Jongin, the perfect man in front of you, had been talking about you to his members and that he likes you. Jongin saved you from further embarrassment when his hands trailed off your waist to find your own hands as he intertwined your fingers and pulled you closer “I’ve tried so many times to do this but I was always too scared of what would happen.” Your eyes locked with his gorgeous hazel masked ones that made it even harder to look away. “I really like you but I didn’t know if you liked me back which is why I never had the strength to ask you out. I was afraid of rejection, but at this point, I don’t think I have much else to lose with what Baekhyun hyung just did. It’s okay if you don’t like me back, I just want-”

As usual, you had to stop his endless rambling, but this time you did it with a quick kiss on his cheek. “I like you too, Jongin.”

Your eyes briefly met his before he enveloped you in a bone-crushing hug. His lips next to your ear, whispering the words he never thought he’d be able to say to you. “Will you be mine?”

“Only if you’ll be my boyfriend.”

He let you go only briefly so he could cup your cheeks and land a light kiss on your lips, both of your eyes fluttering closed, only to reopen suddenly at the sound of the other three members cheering from the doorway, all of them holding their phones up and recording the scene in front of them. You tried to pull away from Jongin but he only grabbed your waist and pulled you even closer.

“Jongin what are you-” you began, already having experienced enough embarrassment for a whole lifetime.

“Shhhh, just follow my lead,” he muttered before kissing you again “come on, just ‘groove’ with it” he said, between kisses, imitating your own words, igniting a fire in you as you remember teasing him with it during one of your most intimate practicing sessions together and you started kissing him back, moving your lips with his, much to the members’ disgust.

“Ewww” Sehun whined, right before Baekhyun and Chanyeol made simultaneous coughing and gagging sounds.

Hearing their reactions, Jongin’s lips finally left yours, a playful smile on his face before pulling you into another hug, this one full of warmth and affection. “Thank you y/n, thank you for giving me this chance. I’ll make you happy, I promise.”

You pulled back to face him, “thank you too, Jongin. Maybe it’s just our thing to ‘groove’ together” you said, bringing a finger up and playfully booping his nose.

He rolled his eyes at you before pushing your head back into his shoulder and letting you both enjoy the feeling of each other’s embrace, momentarily forgetting about the other three men standing in the doorway until they started making repulsive noises again.

A/N - This is the reworked version of ‘a dance to remember’ which I wrote when I was about 15 years old. That piece itself is based on a dream I had about EXO. This essentially is a fic written about a fic written about a dream so I’m sorry if it seems kinda disjointed. Any feedback at all is welcomed :)

[nctinfo]

[TRANS] Mark’s 2017 Year-End Evaluation and interview

24 hours, no 12 months was not enough. NCT Mark, 19 years of age, spent the year hotter than anyone else. I especially met Mark who was standing on the borderline just before he became an adult. At the end of the year, I asked Mark to evaluate his own activities from January to December. Out of 10 points, the points Mark gave himself are as follows. 

[End Of Year Evaluation] NCT Mark "'High School Rapper' I think this was the last chance for me" (Interview 1)

◆ January:  “Limitless” Comeback  — 7/10

“After a long time 'Limitless' album came out after NCT127's 'Firetruck', so we seriously practiced a lot, also because it was our first time appearing as nine members. So I guess I am more reluctant (to let go). I feel like I could not show the public how cool 'Limitless' was when our team members practiced it. We realized that we should show the coolness that we thought and imagined to the public and the fans, not to ourselves.

◆ February: “My First and Last” Promotions & 1st Win (since debut)  — 20/10

"'My First and Last' is really my favourite song, the dance was fun so I had good memories. Since it was our first time getting first place after our debut so I remember it more."

◆ March: “KCON 2017 Mexico” Performance  — 10/10

"I think that time was the first time I went to Mexico. I was very happy to perform first of all. So I gave performances and stages 10 points. I think the Mexico concert was by far the largest stage we've ever been on, so it was an even more meaningful experience. If I had to add a little bit more words, 'Ah, this is what a concert feels like', I had interesting imaginations of our NCT concert stage when I was on stage." 

◆ April:  “High School Rapper” Final  — 11/10

"To be honest I was really worried about 'High School Rapper', I was more worried about the people around me than myself. I think this kind of reaction became a great cheer for me. When everything ended and I thought about it, 'High School Rapper' wasn't just something I liked, it was something I real~ly, real~ly liked. Since I received a lot, even when the final performance finished, many lingering imagery were left behind. I thought it was the last chance for me. There isn't another chance for me to perform as a proper high school student."

 – Were you not scared? Surely there were situations when people looked at you with sunglasses because you are an idol. "Ah, of course, at first there was fear for survival. Manager hyung said to me 'you decide whether this is a crisis or a chance' I honestly had many worries. In the end I went with the mindset to learn. When the broadcasting all ended, 'Woah, I did this hard work! Now I won't shake anymore!' I thought so but there were a lot of things afterwards that made me shaking and nervous. Hehe. First of all, I am content that I was in a good rap class. After 'High School Rapper' ended, members said jokingly to me 'Now are you going to go on 'Show Me the Money'?'.. I don't really know. It's not, 'Definitely not!' this kind of mindset, but I think I can seriously think about it."

◆ May:  NCT 127 Comeback Preparation & MV Filming  — 10/10

"I debuted in April 2016, to be honest during that time for me I think there wasn't a time that I practiced properly. However, May was the most memorable time for me. I felt I needed time to practice and study, which is the process of finding me. In that sense, May was a meaningful month. 

◆ June:  NCT 127 1st Win with “Cherry Bomb”  — 20/10

"Since we had activities for 'Cherry Bomb', I think our members became a bit closer. When I first heard 'Cherry Bomb' I faced it with the mindset of 'Let's really properly do it this time'. Compared to 'Limitless' in January, I made a bigger pledge and I worked hard participating in the album work as well as Taeyong hyung. I was expecting that much. Personally, I love Choreographer Tony Tasta's choreography, and I was more proud to work together through 'Cherry Bomb'."

– Did you cry after getting first place? Ah, unfortunately, 'Cherry Bomb' didn't get first place on public television (t/n: iknigayo, musicbank or musiccore) . We should look out for the next chance. I didn't cry. When people are next to me, it is awkward and weird for me to cry. I don't think I've been crying a lot in front of the members since I came to Korea.

[End Of Year Evaluation] NCT Mark “Xiumin · Park Jaejung · Yoon Jongshin, Thank You for Lending a Hand” (Interview 2)

It’s time to get to know the real Mark starting from the second half of this year.There were a lot of colleagues who lent Mark a hand. While Mark was passionately promoting during the second half of the year, we were able to properly get to know his name and face.

◆ July: Snowball Project & Release of “Young & Free” with Xiumin & SMTOWN Live Performance  — 10/10 

“Firstly, I am forever grateful since there were so many people who lent me a hand.  If I think about it now, it wasn’t that I first went to and asked my manager-hyung “Hyung, am I allowed to grab onto this opportunity?” but instead, the opportunities came and found me first. So of course, I couldn’t do anything but work even harder. “Snowball Project” was a very good memory. I was really happy to first meet Parc Jae jung hyung, who’s like a friend, and being able to keep in step with Henry hyung and Yoon Jongshin seonsaengnim was great too. There wasn’t a script, and I was able to more comfortably show my image as it is.”

– You did a lot at the SMTOWN Performance too.  “Really, to be able to do the performance next to and together with great seniors?  At that time, EXO Baekhyun said “Oh, Mark’s busy today~” and I was thankful for that.  Of course, other seniors have a lot more fans, but seeing fans cheerfully enjoy our various stages was great.  Really, I think that the fans of our seniors have huge hearts, to even cheer us on…” 

◆ August: “We Young” Comeback & Mark’s Birthday  — 8/10  

“Since Haechan and I were preparing for DREAM while doing 127 promotions, there were a lot of lacking points. That’s why it’s 8 points. When the members completed finish learning the choreography, Haechan and I would go and practice it sepearately…  So of course, there were trials and errors. Although I did it with my all, it feels like I wasn’t able to see all of DREAM’s energy?  I gave “My First and Last” more points than to “We Young” promotions because it was really lacking.” 

– Is there a birthday gift that left you a great memory?  “EXO Xiumin hyung bought me expensive earphones.  Before my birthday, he sent me a KaKaoTalk message and asked me what I wanted, but I replied, “It’s okay~ [T/N: “There’s no need”].  But he said, “I’m not joking.”  I told him no again, that it’s okay, but he insisted and said “What kind of earphones do you wear?”  So I told him what I wear, and he bought me something muchhhh~ better.  At that time, Xiumin hyung said “Please understand that I couldn’t give it to you directly on your birthday and that my manager hyung delivered it,” but surprisingly, it came right on the day of my birthday. Ah, it was such a good thing. There’s even been times where I’ve stood/gone on stage wearing [the earphones] that he bought.  Xiumin hyung’s birthday is March 26th, right?  I’m not going to forget and will remember.”

– It seems like you have a special relationship with Xiumin hyung "When Xiumin hyung was debuting with 'MAMA', It was the time I came to Korea as an sm trainee. At that time, when the EXO hyungs would come to the practice room, they would give me a hat.. And when I came back from Canada they would say "Yah, did you get taller?".. I also wouldn't have thought that I would become close to Xiumin hyung, but a trainer hyung told Xiumin hyung  "There's this kid called Mark amongst the trainees" and that's how we have grown close. And this year, I was able to do an SM Station song together with Xuimin hyung. It was really amazing. When I was a trainee we just met in the practice room but now we were able to release a song together.

◆ September: 2017 Melody Forest Camp Attendance — 5/10

“Ah, I still feel very regretful about Melody Forest Camp so I can only give it a 5. I felt not comfortable because the audience was not only just our fans like it is during music broadcasts. There were a lot of people who didn't know me. Furthermore, I do not speak Korean well but I had to talk to the crowd alone. It was just 20 seconds but I didn't know how long those 20 seconds can actually be. Wah, it was really hard. This festival has given me a renewed sense of the precious value of our fans. Luckily, Parc Jae Jung hyung was there to help me.. Parc Jae Jung hyung even dances to 'Cherry Bomb' that time and Yoon Jongshin seonsaengnim (teacher) even rapped our song 'Mad City', I really enjoyed it. “

◆ October: Various Musical Events & Overseas Schedule  — 10/10

“I like both airplane flights and performances. At that time, I think I was the MC for Music Bank and the members made fun of me and said I was a "human Alphago" (t/n: something like a robot). Ah, it was really difficult to progress. We also visited the Philippines and Macau and as we performed on those stages, I have grown the desire to perform at big stages so much more.”

◆ November: NCT 127 1st Japan Solo Concert   — 10/10

“It was the promotional time that we announced that NCT 127 will debut in Japan next year. Since then, I have been studying Japanese with the members. It was an exciting experience to be able to release the Japanese version of 'Limitless'. As I told you before, I really like to perform onstage and I once again realized that "Ah, this is why I want to become an artist".

◆ December:  MAMA Attendance & Release of Carol Song “JOY”   — 9.5/10

“I thought after 'High School Rapper' there was nothing to feel nervous about anymore, but I was really nervous for MAMA. Especially because I was gonna perform with Dynamic Duo sunbaenim. Fortunately, we were allowed to rehearse a lot so I was able to feel more comfortable. I was on the stage for the opening stage, but it felt strange. All the other artists were all seated and the members cheering for me too. “ – You participated in writing the rap lyrics for the carol sing 'JOY'? “Originally I write each (lyric) very carefully, but this time I felt a bit regretful. My mom told me it was okay but I was not satisfied. I made some changes in the way I write lyrics. Of course, it's the way only I know how to do, but during the recording, it changed and I tried many different things.. well, it was just time of learning for me. I'll do better next time.” – In 2018, Mark will turn 20 years old. He will no longer be a minor. The ambitious Mark promises to be more active next year and to achieve better results. “Being busy is also an opportunity. I'm the type of person to feel joyful during busy times. I want to live diligently and (I feel like) being busy will improve me. There was something the members said during MAMA 'let's sit at the artists' table with a different mindset next year'. I hope we can go to the awards ceremony with greater results and hope for bigger prizes.” – On the day it was snowing during the interview, Mark gave a somewhat extraordinary answer when we asked about his plan for next year. “I'm really happy because there's snow. I hope it will be colder next year. I like the cold that's why I want to release a Winter Special album like the EXO-hyungs. The company is working hard on supporting us so we can only do our best right?”

Translation: Teddy, Sher, Esmee @ FY! NCT (NCTINFO) | Source: Sports Donga [1] [2]

Please take out with full credit!

[defenestrata]

Jiwon (the only enfp I will stan 👀) + all

you just want me dead. also if anyone is interested first thank u sm i love u ur my new best friend. and secondly here’s the pinterest with all my babes discussed so far on it !! brunner is erich, kim is hyeonjin and choi is jiwon. 

QUESTIONS FOR YOUR OCs

What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

like three seconds ? jiwon has the attention span of a goldfish and must be constantly entertained otherwise he’ll die

How easy is it for your character to laugh?

so, so, so easy ! my boy is a ray of sunshine. he’s laughing at his own goddamn joke before he even tells it.

How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)

listen ? whale songs and all that cutesy stuff ? for losers. if you’re a real alpha you surf youtube for eight hours till your eyes straight up don’t work anymore.

How easy is it to earn their trust?

surprisingly difficult. jiwon has a big circle of acquaintances that he’ll do a lot of things for but if you want to know the man’s deepest darkest insecurities you won’t get them very easily. he has only four or so friends that he would trust that shit to.

How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

again, not very easy. jiwon is not very good at cutting people out, and he tends to keep giving people second chances to sully his trust again and again. save this fool.

Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?

laws are generally there for a reason, and jiwon respects most of them. and the fact that they exist makes it all the more fun for him to try and break some of the lesser ones like speeding laws. on a scale of 0 meaning inflexible to 10 meaning ‘a light suggestion’, jiwon considers laws to be a 6. 

What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?

meeting younger people and generally being in environments previously visited may sometimes trigger a feeling of nostalgia in him. but this isn’t very frequent. he’s always thinking about the new, not the old. the rare times he does experience nostalgia, he can get kind of mournful about it — where did the good old days go.

What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child?

child jiwon was louder and more confrontational than adult jiwon. one story i am absolutely convinced happened was that he was painting in the first grade when the teacher came up to him, looked at his work and said ‘it’s wonderful but don’t you think it needs more colour?’ so my man jc dipped his fingers in paint and held her cheeks saying ‘you need more colour!’ so, yeah, he definitely was told to be nicer and more respectful.

Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word?

jiwon swears without abandon, but doesn’t have a natural inclination towards especially vulgar words. his first swear word was probably 년 ( equivalent of bitch ). likely directed at his sister.

What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them?

jiwon’s parents and sister are pretty liberal, and he’s managed to get his way without offending them too much. he’s only ever frequently lied to teachers about work and skipping classes, and occasionally to the house warden about why his window was open, and why so many stones were thrown at the finley hall down the street. no, it absolutely doesn’t haunt him; it’s too insignificant.

How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?

ask. ask like sixty questions. sometimes he’ll play devil’s advocate and poke holes in people’s knowledge. just as a test, you know.

How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?

you know how baloo in the jungle book rubs against a tree when his back itches. yeah. he tries to make it look natural. 

What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?

i mean, jiwon’s face and body ensures that he looks good in any colour. and he also believes he looks good in any colour. 

What animal do they fear most?

listen. jiwon doesn’t trust horses. back when he was 14 or so, he wanted to learn to ride and for some reason the horses didn’t take to his absolutely irresistible charm. the one called johnny knocked him off after less than ten seconds. other than that he’s also not a fan of rats and crows.

How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?

jiwon speaks with ease, he’s fluent in the language of flattery and charm. he hates to put too much thought it what he says, and can end up mumbling a lot if he’s distracted. 

What makes their stomach turn?

the idea that one day he’ll have to start wearing suits and talking to shareholders and live a normal, boring working life. oh, and rollercoasters and oysters. 

Are they easily embarrassed?

jiwon is near impossible to embarass. his confidence in himself mixed with a natural talent at shrugging what may even be serious things off as jokes enables him to take everything in his stride. compliment him ? he’s flattered. insult him ? he’s unbothered. upload a picture of him spongebob underpants on twitter ? he’ll retweet with 😍.

What embarrasses them?

the only thing that might embarass him to any degree is being reprimanded in public. he has an image as a good boy gone bad with a heart of gold that’s he’s cultivated in the years he’s been on social media. so interrupting that with a lecture about responsibility in public ? no thanks. 

What is their favorite number?

10. a perfect score, his birthday, just a nice number. 

If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?

jiwon doesn’t think about this much, but he doesn’t make a big difference between platonic and familial love. his best friends are family, and his sister is his best, best friend. he figures that romantic love and sexual attraction are correlated (which of course isn’t really true but). aka, if you wouldn’t mind banging them, you’re probably in romantic love.  

Why do they get up in the morning?

to upload a good morning ‘woke up like this’ selfie, duh. nah but on a more serious note — because each day is a day that he’s gonna have fun, right ? wrong.

How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)?

jealous jiwon is … messy. the last time jiwon got jealous was about his girlfriend in high school, and he made it a point to act extremely romantic and charming whenever rivals for her affection were around. that, and he was remarkably cruel with anyone he considered so. if he was ignored, he’d get mopey. 

How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)?

jiwon doesn’t feel envy one goddamn bit. life is so good, other people envy him. be a better bitch not a bitter bitch, is his motto. of course, it’s easier to be better when you’re the one with a hundred million wons to your name. 

Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom?

again, liberal family. jiwon has no trouble talking about sex. with his friend vicki from school, with hyeonjin (although he’d rather not hear), with anyone but family (for obvious reasons). he gets annoyed about the conservatism of society on the topic, especially among the elder generation. 

What are their thoughts on marriage?

marriage is — okay. he still feels way too young to be even thinking about marrying, but he’s not averse to the idea. 

What is their preferred mode of transportation?

jiwon’s very glad you asked. in the spring of his 19th year, god aka his father got him a ducati panigale bike to celebrate his graduation. that baby is his goddamn pride and joy, and he zooms everywhere he can on it. the only problem is that it’s constantly on and off — every time his mother hears of a new motorcycle accident she forbids its use. 

What causes them to feel dread?

the future in general. realising that he’s going to have to buckle down after college. also, i don’t know about you, but have you noticed that hyeonjin’s acting really weird lately ? like, he barely talks on the phone anymore, looks exhausted, goes out to strange places at night. weird. hope he’s okay. 

Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth?

jiwon doesn’t like being lied to, period. hypocrite that he is, he has no trouble telling white lies to cover his ass. but, telling a lie to cover something unpleasant — he’d rather not. it’s him who’s going to deal with consequences if the truth comes out.  

Do they usually live up to their own ideals?

well, his ideal, so to speak, would be a legendary actor/musician with millions of adoring fans around the world. so no, he hasn’t really gotten to that point yet but he’s getting there, chill. 

Who do they most regret meeting? 

well, nobody. #noregrets. actually no there was this one bitch in 9th grade who used to keep calling him oppa even when he told her to quit —

Who are they the most glad to have met?

hyeonjin. best friends since they were like seven. haven’t ever had a major argument. plenty of minor ones, but what do you do. vicki, a closeted lesbian pal for whom jiwon was a beard for a couple of months. she’s amazing. 

Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke? 

at least six hundred. there was the time that he crashed his bike at his country club. another time that he almost died while on a glass bridge in the mountains in china. oh, how about that time that he was almost scouted for uh…. adult movies ? not exactly the talent range he was intending to go for.  

Could they be considered lazy?

if jiwon doesn’t want to do something, he won’t. and that’s the tea. he’ll get it done through a third party, or just let it die until he finishes it in a 2 am red bull panic. 

How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt?

obviously depends on the severity of the event, but in general — jiwon’s pretty good at moving on from things. he’s especially good at changing subject and throwing himself into something new, forgetting the past entirely. 

How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive?

ehhhhh a catch here. if you’re close to him, yes, he will try to be excited for you. but you can’t really force him to be excited about anything. if you start talking about how absolutely mindblowing axolotls are, he’ll nod and zone out. 

Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap?

seek out. life’s too short for anything else. 

Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)?

my man makes little jingles about everything. it’s honestly pretty annoying at this point. his magnum opus would have to be the english conjugation table rap. it was popular at his old school for months.

What memory do they revisit the most often?

memories are kind of fuzzy with him, he doesn’t remember the details of places as much as he does the feeling of them. some select memories are of dance nights at ketterbridge ( his english boarding school ) and holidays in jeju, kyoto, bangkok and hawaii. what can i say, he’s a big fan of beaches. 

How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people?

fairly easy. unless he’s being especially catty, which he certainly can be, people’s flaws don’t matter to him. he’ll make up for them. and if they share flaws ? too bad. the world will have to deal. 

How sensitive are they to their own flaws?

not much, no. i’d say his biggest flaw is detachment from reality and his sheltered lifestyle. he doesn’t know how to do anything on his own. if he was abandoned somewhere (not even like a deserted island, i’m talking apartment in seoul) he’d die. but because it’s unlikely he’ll ever have to be alone ( devil emoji at least that’s what he thinks ) he doesn’t really care about his own flaws.

How do they feel about children?

on surface level, jiwon looks amazing with kids. they’re funny, he’s funny, they’re reckless and silly, he’s reckless and silly. but jiwon would be an awful, awful father, and he knows it. handling a kid is too much work, he doesn’t like hanging with them, because it’s like hanging with slightly less capable clones. 

How badly do they want to reach their end goal?

here’s the thing. his end goal is to become a legendary actor/musician. the path he chooses to follow to get there is still really unclear in his head — he has an impression that it’ll just happen. 

If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so?

jiwon would just say he likes cute girls, and because all girls are cute, he likes all girls. i envision him as bisexual with a ginormous preference for women. he definitely express attraction to men, but brushes it off as bro stuff. basically, when hyeonjin confesses to him later in the plot, he’s going to be pretty confused emoji. like … he’s straight … but he would maybe date hyeonjin ? he doesn’t mind the idea ? what

QUESTIONS FOR CREATORS

A) Why are you excited about this character?

he’s a dumbass !!! also his attitude makes him so much fun to write. constant quips and jokes and not taking anything seriously. also, karma is gonna get him very soon for that sheltered, pampered life he’s been living :) 

B) What inspired you to create them?

uhhh nothing tbh ? i needed a lighthearted foil in hyeonjin’s story, that’s really it, and he evolved over time to be this monstrosity. 

C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story?

not for the first little arc. but after that, absolutely idk what’s gonna happen to my son.

D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look?

actually, jiwon was supposed to be relegated to the position of minor character in hyeonjin’s story, and was never part of the eight mcs of this particular idea. later, after i dropped one of the characters because she was getting a bit controversial, i plopped him in. so his physical appearance was only properly defined once he became an mc. and it hasn’t changed since. 

E) Are they someone you would get along with? Would they get along with you?

i’d be filled with immense intrigue and admiration and also deep hatred. like he’s a goddamn idiot but i know i’d love his silly sense of humour and his attitude. 

F) What do you feel when you think of your OC (pride, excitement, frustration, etc)?

just — happiness tbh ? i lov him. he’s my son. 

G) What trait of theirs bothers you the most?

that he doesn’t NOTICE ANYTHING. ffs jiwon TAKE INTEREST in your surroundings and maybe then you’d realise that your friend is STRUGGLING WITH ADDICTION AND BEING INVOLVED IN ORGANISED CRIME. 

H) What trait do you admire most?

he’s just. impossible to insult. that kind of self esteem. where can i buy it. how much is it. is there a warranty

I) Do you prefer to keep them in their canon universe?

yes. although he’d fit in awfully well anywhere tbh. 

J) Did you have to manipulate or exclude canon factors to allow them to create their character?

yes, sort of. again, it was mostly related to fleshing out his history, getting a better idea of his family dynamics and so forth.