#this guy is keeping DOZENS of insane secrets and has never uttered a word about them

[kadextra]

q!Bagi’s analysis of q!Bad’s ability to keep secrets

THANK YOU BAGI. YET AGAIN SHE UNDERSTANDS!!!

[razberryyum]

TGCF donghua Special Episode Thoughts (SPOILERS for episode & novel!)

Favorite moment:

Of COURSE that amazing ending sequence, which is the mirror of Dianxia's backstory at the end of the first episode, except this time from Hua Cheng's point of view. Speaking of, holy mother of YUM, dear gods, Hua Cheng:

Look at this "hideous" man. I am DROOLING.

Funny thing is, I didn't even know his appearance was supposed to be a secret, that we technically hadn't seen his face yet all this time. I remember we had a super quick glimpse of him in the Banyue pit and I thought that was his reveal, that that'll be all we'll get for now and I was fine with that...that is, until this ending sequence happened and we actually see him in his entirety. My eyes will forever never be the same. What was I even thinking??? The flashes in the pit were absolutely inferior to the real thing. No comparison. He is so gorgeous; I can't WAIT for Xie Lian to meet him next season.

Second favorite moment:

What I love about this scene is first of all it features some of my favorite lines from the novel, "If you don't know what to live for, then just live for me. If you don't know the meaning of life, then take me as the meaning your life." Even though Dianxia was playing it up for dramatic effect, I loved how he crawled towards San Lang and then uttered the lines with such conviction. I LOVED the way the music reached a cresendo during his words--hell, I love the music in this entire episode, this entire show, period. I also love how bittersweet this scene is: here Dianxia is so embarrassed by his own words that he even laughs about them, dismisses them, not know just how much of an effect they had on the person he said them to, how they really did serve to motivate that person to live on, to exist, utterly for him. Not knowing at all that that person he said what he now thinks were silly words to is right in front of him. The irony!

I'm still making my way through the book so I haven't gotten to the part where all is revealed to Xie Lian yet, but I can only imagine how shocking and emotional this particular revelation would be. It'll probably be ten years before we get to see all that in the donghua, if we ever do, but I'm gonna keep on crossing my fingers and hoping.

"I swear, whether in Heaven or or on Earth, you cannot find someone more sincere than me". The subs left out the Heaven or Earth part but it's still such a good line. Love also how San Lang precedes that by trying to reach out to touch Dianxia but is like too afraid to. The donghua really captured his feelings of...I guess I'd call it timid inferiority...so well.

I have a strong suspicion what that ring is (irl, I've seen companies advertising turning ashes into diamonds as a keepsake of your loved ones...never tried it so I don't know if it's the real deal or some kind of scam) and I cannot wait to get to that revelation as well. Putting aside the potential significance of this momento, the fact that Hua Cheng left Dianxia a ring to wear around his neck is already a beautiful gesture on its own.

I already miss seeing how San Lang looks adoringly at Xie Lian. In fact, I think I'm going to miss San Lang for quite a while since next season I think we'll be mostly spending time with Hua Cheng. Not complaining at all since Hua Cheng will no doubt look at Dianxia just as adoringly, but I will miss this cute guy.

Also already missing the cuteness that is Dianxia. I love all his expressions...the way he said "San Lang" just made my heart explode. How can he be this adorable??? Really, bravo to Jiang Guangtao-laoshi, his voice actor, for such an endearing voice performance. I actually started listening to the Qiang Jin Jiu audio drama because I've become a fan. Imagine Xie Lian being super seductive all the time. That's the ear candy I'm enjoying now, even though I only understand like less than half of the plot due to my shoddy Chinese comprehension.

Proud of how San Lang didn't just lose it when Dianxia cradled his face like that. This man really has unbelievable self control.

I loved that they were chatting in bed like an old married couple. I'm sure this is a glimpse into their future married life. 😁

Besides SanLian, I know Banyue was in this episode as well, I still think she's adorable and love her voice, and I'm glad she gets to enjoy a torture-free life now (I am assuming she does).

I'm glad we got this special episode to really close out the season, but I'm still kinda confused as to why we didn't get it at the actual end of the season but rather as an odd stand alone episode like this. Obviously it picked up right where the 11th episode left off, so it would've slotted in perfectly well. I was hoping the reason they held on to it was because they were going to attach a teaser PV for the next season, but alas that wasn't the case. I wonder if they just needed more time to finish the episode. I still don't quite understand how the Chinese donghua industry works: for something seemingly as popular as TGCF, you would think they'd have good enough budget and resources to finish episodes in time and to make more than just 12 episodes. There are other donghua shows I've seen on Bilibili that have blown way past 12 episodes, so I don't understand why they have to stubbornly stick to a dozen only for something like TGCF. Or is it a danmei thing, I wonder. They just don't want to devote the time and resources to danmei shows beyond just 12 episodes? So weird. Again, VERY GRATEFUL we're getting a second season. SINCERELY praying that we get many more seasons after so that eventually they'll finish out the book. God I hope I finish reading before the donghua team finishes putting out the show.

And that brings me to: Current Reading Progress...chapter 160. Look, I'm gonna be honest, I'm just not a fan of the whole jinx demon concept or the Brocade Immortal. I know all mysteries of the week lead back to the gods and their backstory, but as CONCEPTS, I was just NOT into them so I constantly got distracted. I know MXTX-laoshi was under a LOT of pressure from both censorship and just ridiculous deadlines (I was told she had to produce a chapter a day, which is INSANE), so I feel like a douchebag for even thinking anything negative about the book...not to mention I'm only on Book 3 still so maybe all of this will be wrapped up nicely at the end. But for now, yeah, those two as ideas are a bit underwhelming and almost silly (especially the Brocade Immortal) and maybe I don't need the backstory of ALL the gods. Anyway, before anyone yells at me, there's always a chance I might change my mind about all this by the end...which I hope to get to soon. Didn't finish the book in time for this special episode which was my goal, so readjusting the goalpost back a little further...hopefully just a tad...like a few weeks, because I DO want to get to the unrelenting pain soon so that I can get through the suffering and finally to the HuaLian happily ever after ending.

[xheartsigh]

prelude

(noun)  an action or event serving as an introduction to something more important or  an introductory piece of music

sugakookie oneshot, music producer!yoongi and idol solo singer!jungkook who is a total fanboy because i live for flustered kookie and teasing yoongi

written for @yoonkookweek​‘s Day 5 -  Your fav Yoonkook AU

For someone who sold out the Gymnastics Arena (twice) even before he turned 20, lost counting his music show wins (after his first hit title song won 17 awards) and has an insanely growing fan base, Jeon Jungkook is embarrassingly nervous. His jumpiness is quite visible in the way he tenses when the elevator’s door opens and a few people burst in pressing him closer to the walls. Plus, he’s sweating so hard, drops of sweat appears on his forehead. Though, nobody could really blame him: it’s not like any other meeting with another producer. He’s going to meet his idol. Finally.

There are a few really important people without whom he couldn’t be here now: his parents and their constant support, his agency that provided his training, his staff that helps him produce good songs and make him stage-worthy at every live performance, his manager, Seokjin who constantly bears with his sometimes brattish behaviour and of course, his loyal fans. They are those whom he constantly thanks for in every winning speech. But he is grateful for more people: one of them is G-Dragon actually because he started singing because of him and the other one is Min Suga whose lyrics helped him keep going when he wanted to give up. And now, he’s going to meet him.

The mysterious producer who never revealed his face in public but has more than a hundred songs under his name, dozens of them became hits and won prestigious awards in the field of Korean music industry. Jungkook doesn’t know what to expect. He has been in business long enough to know that being musically talented doesn’t mean nice automatically so he doesn’t dare to get his hopes up high. Also, he’s not good at meeting with new people and it certainly doesn’t help that Seokjin saw an old acquaintance as soon as they stepped into the agency’s building and send him ahead to catch up quickly with this Namjoon guy in the meantime. The young singer wasn’t ready to face his new producer alone but tried to act like a mature adult and that’s how he ended up nervously biting his lower lip in the elevator’s corner.

People go in and out, some whisper about him being here and others stare. He feels relieved when the small space empties out but his happiness doesn't last too long because a pale hand stops the doors before closing and a grey figure steps into the elevator to invade his space. The new arrival is a few inches shorter than him, has messy black hair, thick framed glasses and a coffee cup in his hands. The smell of americano fills the air and awkward silence settles in. The only noise is Jungkook's feet tapping on the floor and it doesn't go unnoticed by the other guy.

“Nervous, huh?” he raises a brow, his voice raspy and flat.

“Uh… yeah, got a meeting,” the singer mutters, forcing himself to stay still and almost shies away when the shorter's eye bore into his.

“With?”

He gulps. “Min Suga PD-nim.”

For a moment, he panics and thinks he said something wrong because the guy in hoodie lets out a chuckle.

“Wow, I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes,” he muses and takes a sip of his coffee. His composure, looking almost homey, is the opposite of Jungkook's rigid one. The younger feels like a child in front of an adult who clearly knows something he doesn't.

“That bad?” He tucks his hair under his beanie anxiously. He feels fear creeping under his skin as the other leans forward whispering:

“You can still run.”

The guy is teasing him shamelessly and up this close Jungkook can see the playful glint in his eyes that he would find attractive if he wasn't on the verge of throwing up.

“No way, I’m a fan of his work,” he protests a little offended. He won't give up now if he came this far. It may be a once in a life-time opportunity.

The agency's employee nods, slightly impressed and pats him on the shoulder.

“Good luck, kid,” he says and steps out of the elevator when it stops on the 6th floor. Jungkook is so immersed in getting a grasp of his words that he almost forgets that he has to leave, too. He stumbles out quickly and immediately feels lost in the empty corridor.  He should find the conference room but he has no idea where to go. Lucky him, somebody shoves up and recognizes him.

“Mr. Jeon, it’s so good to see you. Let me take you to the meeting room,” greets him the smiley guy, Hoseok according to the employee's card hanging around his neck. “Did you come without your manager?”

“Oh, no. He's downstairs with Namjoon-ssi.”

“Ah, yes, they go way back,” Hoseok hums with a wide smile and puts a hand on his back. “Nevermind. Let's go. We've been waiting for you. They will catch up to us eventually.”

The conference room is clean and pretty, awards hanging on the wall, a table full of papers and biscuits. There's a woman introducing herself as the PR advisor and it turns out that Hoseok is CEO Bang's representative but there's no sign of Min Suga.

“Sorry. I hope we didn't miss anything,” Seokjin appears at the door followed by Namjoon after a few minutes of Hoseok's enthusiastic questions about his latest North-American tour.

“No, hyung hasn't arrived yet,” the representative says politely but informally to the newcomers and the moment it leaves his mouth, the door opens again.  “Oh and speak of the devil, he shall appear...”

Jungkook is in the middle of drinking a glass of water to calm himself down and almost spits it out when he sees the familiar face. Of course, the guy in sweatpants and hoodie with a hair like he just woke up, has to notice his sudden outburst of involuntary reaction and he dares to smirk at the sight.

“Jungkook-ssi, are you all right?” The PR woman asks worriedly and the singer coughs.

“Yeah, fine,” he tries to get his act together and be cool, but no, he's rather devastated. There's a guy in the room who knows about his inner fanboy for Min Suga and he looks like he enjoys his leverage a little too much. Jungkook can only hope he won't be a total jackass and expose him to Suga if he ever turns up.

“Are you sure, JK? You look a little red,” Seokjin furrows his eyebrows but thank god, he doesn't have to answer because hoodie guy casually gets comfortable in one of the leather chairs, bringing thick coffee scent with him.

“Let's start!” he claps impatiently motioning them to sit down and Jungkook can't help but feel disappointed.

“Uhm, shouldn't we wait for the producer?” he asks, ears red, throat tight and everybody takes a good look at him.

“Oh right, you don't know...” Hoseok lets out a forced laugh and gestures with grandiose movements, pointing at one specific person. “Jungkook-ssi, let me introduce you Min Suga,”

Jungkook's gaze drops on the man sitting on the other side of the table and his throat goes dry. The guy from the elevator just smiles playfully and shrugs but his eyes are not sorry. Jungkook's jaw drops, mouth hanging agape with a silent oh as it registers in his mind: Suga, the genius composer of many of his favourite songs is a young man who just tricked him into thinking he's not who he is. What makes it worse is that he's also handsome, painfully so.

“Okay, moving on let's talk about the song…”

The meeting passes in a blur. Jungkook nods sometimes when Seokjin nudges his side but he's still in some kind of trance. It's mesmerizing how Suga talks about music, the way he forms the words, explains the lyrics, plays with melodies, just casually throws in ideas. Jungkook is in awe but before he could utter a word, any complement, the meeting reaches its end and everybody bids their goodbyes.

But he can’t let him leave just like this, he won’t. So he waits until the others are out (planning a dinner to get to know each other under not so formal circumstances) and he shuffles around the table a little too tong.

“Suga-ssi...” he blurts out lamely when the older steps closer to the door. The producer still, his eyes are on him in a blink.

“Call me Yoongi. Or hyung. Whatever. You can’t be that awkward if we’re going to work together,” he frowns and Jungkook suddenly doesn't know what to say now that he captured his role model’s undivided attention. He feels his neck heating up thinking about the familiarity those words imply.

“Uhm, I just wanted to thank you for not bringing up what I said in the elevator,” he mumbles shyly and even though he looks down he doesn't miss the way Yoongi’s lips twitch and his mouth transform into a mischievous grin.

“Jeon Jungkook, the nation's favourite idol gets anxious because of one single producer. It's cute,” he comments and chuckles at the redness painting the younger's cheeks. “And you're blushing, too.”

Get yourself together! The singer reminds himself because he knows it’s pitiful: getting so flustered in front of a merely stranger. Where did his pride and confidence go?

“I am not.” he objects at the mockery but it sounds more like an excuse. “I'm just… mad. You should have said something to me before I made a fool out of myself.”

Yoongi scoffs.

“It's not my fault you didn't recognize me.”

Well, partly it is because of his secretive personality but he doesn't argue with that. Instead, the next words are stumbling out of Jungkook’s mouth without his consent:

“I thought you would be older.”

In his mind, Min Suga was a middle aged man with a lot of experience behind his back, wise eyes that stare like they can see your soul and maybe a bald spot. He certainly didn't expect someone like Yoongi. He wasn't wrong about the eyes though.

“Yah, I’m still older than you, brat,” the producer hisses but sounds rather amused than anything. His eyes sparkle as if he finds the youngers sudden boldness endearing.

“I just imagined you differently,” the singer shrugs finally feeling a little at ease. It's not that hard to talk to Yoongi after all.

“You mean ugly?” he raises a brow, now, definitely teasing and at first, Jungkook flashes but hey, two can play this game, right?

“No! I… Well, I wondered why you never went to any award ceremonies...”

“Brat...” Yoongi shakes his head, the corners of his mouth still curling upwards. “Says you whose on and off-stage personalities are completely different.”

He only hums, it's a known fact. See Exhibit A: a confident almost-man with an angelic voice and devilish smirks, accidentally revealing his abs during a high-tempo dance and charms all the ladies. And now let's continue with Exhibit B: a boy so shy at first that he can't look you in the eye, but after some warming up he gifts you with the most adorable bunny smiles and giggles.

“Is it a bad thing?” he asks almost challenging. Right now, he feels comfortable enough around Yoongi to let his playful side show a little.

“No, just surprising,” the older muses and it’s Jungkooks time to scoff.

“Why? Did you expect some lovesick teenager who occasionally does sensual hip thrusts?”

Yoongi’s smile is cunning in every elegant curve of it.

“Maybe. Your fanservice is dangerous.”

“Did you do a research on me?” the younger is genuinely taken aback, surprised at the comment.

“I don't write songs for anyone,” Yoongi shrugs replying a little too fast as if he's already prepared with the explanation. The singer can't help but feel flattered even if it's true.

The moment stills and it’s drawn out as they don't do anything but stare at each other. It should be awkward or at least uncomfortable but pleasantly it isn't.

“Hey, I know you just found out you're soulmates or something but hurry up,” Hoseok comes back because they were away for probably too long but before they go Jungkook just wants to say one more thing, so he hurriedly adds:

“I'm looking forward working with you...” A pause. A sigh stuck in his throat. A warm smile urging him to go on. “hyung.”

And damn, Min Yoongi knows he's gone because that's just way too cute. Working together would be both a dream came true and a problem. A very quickly growing problem actually, he decides when Jungkook starts humming a familiar song on their way out. Not that he minds.