triptychexe

[triptychexe]

episode 2: 𝙛𝙡𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠

with this week being fully on the leaders shoulders the tensions are high amongst the angels. after hours of practice and buckets of sweat will they be able to impress the judges? will their performances have you on cloud 9?

* note that indented + italic text like this means it is confessional footage *

- - VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE FLOCK [ HERE ! ]

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episode 1: 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜

with their first official challenge on 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇 complete the angels group up to compete in 2 groups. after hours of practice and fighting for the spotlight will their groups be enough to impress the judges? will they soar high or fall from grace ?

* note that indented + italic text like this means it is confessional footage *

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SUPPORT AME'S JOURNEY ON SERAPH BY VOTING FOR HER PERFORMANCE HERE !!

[triptychexe]

REFLECTION is the sixth mini-album released by South Korean idol-group, Empyrean Moon. The album was released alongside the MV for the title track “Mirror” on March 24th. “Mirror” was described to be a song that confronts the negative feelings that surrounds one’s own reflection, more so focusing on the internal issues that become apparent to someone whenever they see themselves, rather than any physical problems. 

The album returns back to Empyrean’s signature concept, drifting away from the sound of their special summer mini-album Salty Kisses. The entire album once again puts a heavy emphasis on their vocals alongside an orchestral feel to the background music and production. “Mirror” was written by Triptych’s Teo ( @triptychexe​ ), which resulted in a lot of praise from fans due to his ability in managing to seamlessly write a song that stayed true to Empyrean’s concept, while still managed to reinvent their sound keeping them fresh. 

“Mirror” managed to hit the top 10 of all the charts at the time of the release, with the general public and fans loving Empyrean’s “refreshing” sound in contrast to the style of music prominent in the fourth generation boy-groups, but still maintaining the sound that the public loves them for. The track broke into the top 3 of several charts after promotions started as well, showing the group’s ever-growing popularity. 

THE TRACKS: 

ERA STYLING: 

ERA HIGHLIGHTS:

unlike their previous summer comeback, this comeback brought back the same type of success the group had become used to with garnering numerous wins throughout their promotional period!

it was probably due to the large gap between their last comeback and this one 

their international fandom grew slighter, and although their korean fanbase is significantly larger than their international one, i-shining knights managed to insert empyrean somehow underneath every viral tweet to try and promote them which got them a lot of attention

although the boys usually do at least one vlive a week to interact with their fans regularly, throughout their promotional period they decided to try and do daily vlives to connect with their fans more!

it was the first time the boys had written songs for an album! deoksu had produced and written some b-sides, but it was an experience for the rest of the members 

shining knights loving mirror so much that they tried to trend #teotrumpstaehui on twt (since taehui usually writes for empyrean) but there wasn’t enough international fans so they gave up midway

however, yeonjin also hyped on the teo hype train by grabbing the mic from deoksu mid-speech after their first win to thank him and praise him while fighting off the other members from the mic

the sub-unit tracks had their own respective stages the first day of live promotions to give a chance for the boys to shine in their own light! 

when the boys started to promote “first stop” as the b-side in their final week of promotions, they teased and hinted that there was a reason for the song being promoted and for fans not to miss them too much!

yeonjin got back onto his variety show gigs, with him usually being the most popular member on these shows due to his sense of humor!

deoksu finally made it onto the masked singer, and was one round away from winning, but was proud of himself regardless!

chan and eunjae started a v-live series where they hired a chef to teach the two of them how to cook (even if that resulted in them almost causing several fires)

basically, all of empyrean stated that this was the start of many surprises they have in store for their fans in 2021!

[triptychexe]

you said it was fin’s bday not long ago could you make a post on what they posted for eachother like you did with heesung ! thanks ❤️

[ posted on sora’s private insta @so_9802. on 4 feb 2021 ]

caption — “ happy birthday my sexy little noodle. 🎉i’m so obsessed with you and your cute lil face. thank you for being the best person to ever exist and making me disgustingly happy. <3 i love you and your giraffe neck so much hyunki happy birthdayyyyyy <3 ”

[ posted on fin’s private insta @hyun_98_. on 21 feb 2021 ]

caption — “ happy 23rd birthday to my angel.❤️🎉 here’s to another year of you being unapologetically yourself. i’m so thankful that you’re alive and i’m lucky enough to get to love you.💓 you make me a better person everyday. you are my heart and soul. i love you to the moon and back sora , i always will. hbd. ❤️🥳 ”

find hyunki/fin here @triptychexe

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audience voting is officially [ OPEN ]

that’s a wrap! we are no longer accepting audition tapes! if you did not submit your audition tape, you are unfortunately no longer eligible for our audience voting.

below is a link to our audience voting to determine our top 12 angels! out of all our wonderful contestants, only the top 12 will move on to the competition.

voting will close this friday !

[triptychexe]

for @seraphsurvival​ ! 

The idol gave a thumbs up and an appreciative smile to a staff member in the corner before turning around and taking a deep breath. She’s gone through so many auditions of her own, so why was her heart beating out of her chest? 

Ame shook her anxieties out of the way when the music came on, blasting Triptych’s all-women subunit song “NO”. When she was finished and nearly out of breath, she took a deep bow towards the camera.

“Hello! My name is Love, better known as Triptych’s Ame.” She introduces herself, waving both her hands and tipping her head to one side. She straightens up and points a finger in the air. “You know, it is getting really warm out these days. I have a punch recipe I’d like to share with you all for when the weather gets warmer, inspired by yours truly.” The Thai singer cupped her chin with her hands and wiggled her fingers.

A staff member rolled a beverage cart into frame. Ame held up a pitcher with pink liquid in it.

“Pink lemonade, for how sweet I am.” Ame poured some of the liquid into a cup, careful not to spill. She reached for a small dish containing what looked like chopped fruit. “Strawberries, for how fresh and lively I am.” Ame winked at the camera before spooning a few pieces of the red fruit into her glass. 

“And last but not least, some club soda,” Ame moves on swiftly, picking up a can from the cart. “To represent how bubbly and energetic I am!” 

Unexpectedly, Love shook the can. Before anyone registered what was going on, Love opened the can, letting out a bubbling stream of club soda. The drink soaked Love’s sleeves, but the idol was giggling as she topped off her drink. She picked up the glass and took a sip, letting out a satisfied sigh at the end.

“I hope you will follow this recipe and my journey on Seraph this season! Stay hydrated, my friends!” 

[triptychexe]

ZIM’s AUDITION TAPE

for @seraphsurvival !

Once the camera started rolling, Zim clapped her hands together. The moment she had been mentally preparing herself for had finally arrived.

 “Alright, lets get it!” She enthusiastically said to herself as she turned around and waited for the music to start. A few staff members awkwardly clapped in response to her outburst. Zim looked over her shoulder and winked playfully before turning back around in time for Triptych’s first hit LA LA LA to start playing. 

Once she finished, Zim waved her hands to the camera and gave a short bow. “Yoo~, I’m Triptych’s coolest rapper, Zim!” She greeted. She feigned surprised as she raised her eyebrows. “Surprised I am a rapper after seeing me sing too, right?” Zim silently prayed to herself that the audience would agree, despite her vocals not being nearly as strong as she was hyping them up to be. She gave a chuckle, trying to dissipate the tight feeling in her chest. She was gonna need to buck up if she was gonna pull off the corny one-liners she had planned for the audience. 

“There’s so many more sides to me, and I hope you’ll be willing to follow the staircase to Heaven with me.” Zim winked, trying to swallow down her internal desire to cringe. “I’ll be the twinkle in your eye and an angel from the sky!” Zim said confidently. For a split second, she held her confidence, but the desire to cringe was too much. She dropped her charismatic demeanor and pressed her palm to her forehead, laughing silently with her eyes screwed shut. 

“What the hell am I doing?” She chuckled to herself in English. “Like what was that, bro?” 

She pulled herself together, straightening up her posture, an apologetic smile still on her face. “If you vote for me to stay on Seraph, I promise I will never do that again.” She giggles, clasping her hands together in a pleading gesture. “Please try to look past that and decide to support me on Seraph!” 

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gklqakldd omg are you back???

AHH okay so umm “back” isn’t the term i’d personally use lmaooo 

i would say i’m like semi-inactive. i open tumblr and check moots stuff out when i can and i think i’m gonna try to post every now and then!! i’m just extremely busy and don’t really have a lot of down time anymore, so the production of content has kinda come to a standstill. 

i’m definitely not gone from the community though!! and i hope to work on some content when i can!! :)) 

[triptychexe]

Triptych’s second co-ed trio, Triplex brings a bubblegum pop twist to Triptych’s usual mature EDM sound with their debut mini album, The Heart, which was released on March 18th, 2018. Made up of three of the youngest members, the album focuses on a young love story, starting with their debut track, “Oh!”. 

△ TRACK BY TRACK.

1] OH!

Seasoned Artychs might have been thrown for a loop upon hearing “Oh!” for the first time. The bubblegum-meets-synth pop track is catchy, memorable, and stands out among Triptych’s discography as a whole.

None of the members can be credited for the writing of this song, but member and subgroup leader, One, had helped with the choreography.

2] COFFEE 3] FIRST DATE 4] KISSES 5] L-O-V-E 6] HOLD MY HAND

△ THIS ERA. 

This comeback was actually pushed forward because of the stalking scandal involving Jin of Triptych’s Trois. The company was hoping to distract fans (and the general public) by throwing three shiny new members in their faces.

And it actually worked. Triplex’s debut was controversial among fans and casual listeners, especially with the stark difference in concept & sound. 

Some older Artychs criticized HBH for being sell outs and trying to cater to younger audiences with Triplex.

But despite the few disapproving fans, Triplex was actually very popular domestically and became one of the most popular sub-groups of Triptych in Korea. 

Their title track, Oh!, went viral because of the chorus’s choreography, which was created by One herself. Oh! became a popular choice for dance covers online as well as by idols on variety shows.

However, Triplex had to be very careful this era. Usually, HBH is pretty lenient on what their idols do in the public eye, but after what happened with Soojin... They didn’t want to risk anyone getting hurt or involved in anymore drama. 

So the members of Triplex had to sneak around if they wanted to form any sort of relationships outside of Triptych... which lead to the trio frequently escaping their dorms to go hang out with their new friends that they’ve made during promotions.

But in general the era was very successful and boosted the morale. 

△ FANDOM BEHAVIORS.

One of the biggest reasons behind the surge of fans this era was because Sun and One were previously contestants on Produce 101, finishing at ranks 14 and 19 respectively. 

People who hadn’t heard from One or Sun since their run on the survival show took interest in where they ended up. The phrase “Kang Sunhee” started trending on twitter upon her debut announcement. 

Fans generally had a positive response to the kiddos and were really excited to welcome their new maknaes...

But fans of Trois weren’t too impressed, especially because they knew that HBH was just throwing Triplex out there to cover up the fact that they haven’t found Jin’s stalker yet. 

[triptychexe]

TITLE: Start SUMMARY: The start of Teo and Kim Taehui’s love story. WORD COUNT: 3.5k GENRE: fluff! PAIRING: Teo x Kim Taehui  WARNINGS: none! other than it being poorly edited. A/N: Please find Kim Taehui and the other Neostar Entertainment artists mentioned at @neostar-entertainment! Thank you David for proof reading + editing and making this collaboration so fun :(( !! 

“Ugh, mine tastes weird.” Taehui made a face, recoiling himself at the taste of his coffee. He offered the straw to Teo, who sat next to him stiffly. Teo just gave a short shake of his head. He wasn’t sure if he could stomach anything right now. 

Taehui gave the other man a questioning look. Teo rarely declined Taehui’s coffee offers. “Injung, what’s up?”  Injung gave a little huff. If you told him a month ago that he’d be on a first-name basis with one of his favorite singers, Teo would have laughed in your face. Now he was sitting in Taehui’s home, watching as the artists of Neostar Entertainment conversed among themselves while they waited for Taehui to present his album. 

Injung was used to having his work be put in the hot seat, but he didn’t know what kind of reactions the artists of Neostar would have. Would they be blunt about their opinions? Sugar coat their reactions? Sit with a poker face? 

“I just... Don’t know what to expect. That’s all.” Injung said, rolling up the cuffs of his button down shirt anxiously. Taehui hummed in understanding.  “Don’t worry too much. The kids are all softies.” The CEO grinned fondly. “And I think the album will be a pleasant surprise for them.” 

Injung gave a short chuckle, remembering the day that Hak Bonghwa called him to his office for a 'pleasant surprise' that ended up changing his life. 

Teo can still remember how hard his hands shook, causing his coffee to teeter over the lip of the cup as he sat across from his boss. Hak Bonghwa was reasonable for the most part, but Teo never really knew when it came to the older man. To Injung, a pleasant surprise would be getting an Edible Arrangement. To Bonghwa, a pleasant surprise could be military enlistment with a friend of his choosing.

"I have some exciting news." Hak Bonghwa had said, a proud smile on his face. "You've been requested." 

Injung arched his eyebrow at the vague explanation. 

"Requested for what? A birthday party? A wedding?" Teo wondered.

Hak Bonghwa chuckled. "Not quite." He crossed one of his legs over the other in a dignified way. "Kim Taehui from Neostar Entertainment is looking for new writers on his upcoming album... He requested you to be one of them." 

Injung's brain melted. Kim Taehui, one of his favorite musical artists, wanted him to write for his album? Kim Taehui knew who he was? The concept was mind boggling. Teo placed his coffee cup down before he dropped it in shock. 

"Wait, hold on... Let me get this straight." Injung licked his lower lip and stretched his hands out in front of him, ready to animate his thoughts. "Kim Taehui contacted you? Did you respond?" 

"Oh, yes, right away." Hak Bonghwa nodded importantly. "I told him you'd be delighted. You're scheduled for a meeting tomorrow at one at Neostar Entertainment's building." 

"You-" Injung thought he was going to pass out from all the information he was being given. "You said yes? Before asking me?"

Hak Bonghwa frowned, giving Injung a pointed look. "This is good for you, Injung. You need to start thinking of your future. You're too talented to not pursue lyric writing after you retire. Being credited for songs other than your own makes you look more professional."

Injung opened his mouth to argue that he wasn't sure if his abilities were good enough for Kim Taehui, but Hak Bonghwa cut him off.

"Just be ready for tomorrow. I'd bring sample writing if I was you, just to give an example of what you can do. And wear blue. Blue is your color." Hak Bonghwa smiled. 

Teo drummed his fingers on the outside of the bag sitting on his lap. The Neostar Entertainment building was really nice and clean, with it’s sleek white walls and high ceilings. The receptionist at the front desk seemed pleased to meet him too. She even shook his hand. Injung wasn't sure if Seongja, the elderly woman who worked as HBH's receptionist, ever shook anyone's hand. This place was so different from HBH Entertainment, and maybe that’s why Teo was so nervous. He felt out of place already, like he wasn’t supposed to be in here, despite the visitors badge pinned to his blue sweater. 

"Park Injung?" A smooth voice bounced off the sleek walls. Teo sat upright, his brain kicking into high gear as he realized who addressed him. 

Standing tall in a crisp suit was Kim Taehui. A kind smile painted on the man's face as he extended his hand. Teo's brain was a few seconds behind, trying to comprehend his current reality. 

Teo rose hastily to bow, accidentally knocking his bag over in the process. Hundreds of papers flew out from folders, scattering across the pristine lobby floor. Teo’s cheeks burned in mortification. So much for making a good impression. 

"I'm sorry!" Injung apologized quickly, scurrying to pick up his work. He shook his head at the floor, forcing out a mirthless chuckle. "I brought samples of writing for you to look at..."

Teo looked up from his mess to see, in horror, that Taehui was reading one of his notes carefully. A small smile curled up on the CEO's lips as his eyes scanned further and further down the page. 

Taehui held up the paper with a smile. "If this is just a sample, I might have to raise your pay." The CEO chuckled before angling his head towards the elevators. "Let's get started, shall we?" 

Injung thought his hand was going to fall off. For the past four hours, he's been slaving over this one song for Taehui. He dropped his pen and took a wary glance at the clock on his desk. It was nearing four in the morning. Thank God Triptych was on hiatus, otherwise he'd have to get up in three hours for practice, and this piece wasn't even finished. 

If it was a Triptych song, he would have gone to bed hours ago. If it wasn't completed, he knew he could rely on other members the next morning to help him work out the kinks. But for this song, he wanted it to be absolutely perfect. 

At one in the morning, Teo had convinced himself that he was working this hard because it was for another person, and he wanted to create something that would satisfy them.

At three in the morning, Teo reasoned that it was because he was writing for Kim Taehui, and that's why it was justifiable to skip on a few hours of sleep. 

Now, at four, Teo realized just why he was breaking his back over Taehui.

He wanted recognition. Kim Taehui was someone Teo looked up to, and after spending the day with him that afternoon, Injung only developed a deeper idolization of the CEO. Everything Taehui did was admirable. From the way he casually interacted with his artists to the way he put so much work into running a business that was true to his values. Taehui was caring, funny, and ambitious. Teo wasn't sure he'd ever met someone so lovely in his life. And that's why he wanted Taehui to approve of him. He wanted the seal of approval from someone lovely.

With the thought of Taehui in mind, Teo finished the song at around six in the morning. Once he placed the pen down for the last time, exhaustion fell over him. He was crawling into bed just as he heard Van's alarm go off from next door. Even with Van's clunking around, Teo had no problem drifting off into a deep sleep.

It felt like only moments had passed when Teo was being shaken awake. Teo blinked the sleep out of his eyes to see Van leaning over him. 

"Injung, it's noon." Van said feverently.

"So?" Injung asked in a groggy groan, his brain still fuzzy from his sleep.

"You have a meeting at Neostar in thirty." Van reminded him. 

Teo's body felt like it had been dunked in cold water. He sat up quickly, instantly reaching for his phone. Sure enough, it was 12:02 pm. He already should have left for Neostar Entertainment. He was going to be late.

Teo flung himself out of bed, pulling on a sweater over the clothes he wore and slept in the night before. He was moving so fast that Van only had time to stuff a granola bar in his back pocket before he flew out the door.

He arrived at Neostar at 12:40pm, ten minutes late. Teo was panting heavily when Taehui opened his office door. Taehui looked Teo up and down in concern.

"Everything okay, Injung?" 

"Just..." Teo took a deep inhale, trying to steady out his own breathing. "Just got here... Sorry... Running... Running late." 

Taehui nodded in understanding. He gestured with his hands for Teo to relax. "No worries," The CEO stepped aside. "Come in." 

Injung sat at one of the couches in the office, placing his overstuffed folders and notes on the coffee table for Taehui to see. Now that he caught his breath, excitement for Taehui's reaction was setting in. He couldn't wait for the older man to read what he had come up with last night. 

"I worked on this all night!" Injung exclaimed, opening one of the folders to show a finished lyric write up. He shook his head in amazement at himself as he organized his papers. “Injung,” Taehui furrowed his eyebrows at the statement.   “Okay, maybe not all night. But I must have worked like, nearly eight hours on these." Injung shrugged, pulling out some of his lyrics excitedly. “I think you'll like them though.” 

"Injung," Taehui said softly, sitting across from the idol. Teo looked up, a smile still on his face, anticipating any praise that might come out of Taehui’s mouth next.

"You can't do this anymore, okay?" Taehui said seriously. "I appreciate the hard work, but losing sleep over some songs..." 

"Well, I don't mind." Injung shook his head, trying to change the course that this conversation had taken. He didn’t mean to raise any concern. "It only took so long because I was having trouble with the beats.” 

"Yeah but... We have other lyricists on the team who could have filled in the blanks for you." Taehui reminded him gently. Teo's expression faltered, embarrassment falling over him. How could he forget that Taehui had a whole team of writers backing him? Teo got so caught up in the excitement of this project that he forgot that it wasn't just something exclusively for Taehui and him to work on. 

"Oh. Right." Teo blushed. "Yeah, that's... that's what writers do, right?" 

"Right." Taehui affirmed. He looked at all the papers in front of him, running his fingertips over the handwritten lyrics. "How about you leave these here and go back home? Get some sleep." 

Injung's heart dropped like he'd been insulted. He had been looking forward to coming to Neostar since he left yesterday. He couldn't just turn around and leave now. Plus, Taehui’s presence was magnetic. He wanted to spend just a little bit more time with him. 

"I want to stay." Injung said stubbornly. 

"That's really not necessary." Taehui shook his head. 

"After all I've done, I don't want to just be turned away." Injung stood his ground. "How do I know you won't just throw my papers out once I leave?" 

Taehui furrowed his eyebrows at the younger idol, a crease forming between them. "I'd never do that." 

Teo leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "These songs are my babies. At least let me stay to see you record the demos." 

Taehui lost the argument. The two of them claimed a recording booth and got to work. Teo's energy only lasted through the demo recording. Once Taehui and he started working on the composition of the song, the vocalist finally hit the wall. 

Injung's eyes started to involuntarily get heavier and heavier. He rubbed his eyes impatiently as a loud yawn forced itself from his chest. Injung tried to cover it up by angling his head downward towards the desk, pretending to focus on the notes he had written down during the recording.

"Hey," Taehui dipped his head to catch Injung's eyes. "Are you tired?" 

"No." 

"Don't lie to me," Taehui smirked. "Your eyes are bloodshot." 

"Yeah, well..." Teo's argument faded as he rubbed at one of his eyes irritably. 

"Go sleep on the couch." Taehui suggested, nodding his head towards the couch pressed against the wall behind them.

Injung arched his eyebrows at Taehui. "I don't need a nap." 

"God, you're stubborn." Taehui shook his head, a small smile on his face. He turned his attention back to his production software. "Fine. I guess I'll just have to ask you to leave the building, then." 

"You can't do that." Injung spluttered.

"Oh, yes I can." Taehui chortled. "I own this building. I can kick whoever I want out.” 

"So, what? My options are take a nap on the couch that all your artists have sat on or be sent home?" Teo asked, his eyebrow arched in disbelief. 

"The choice is yours." Taehui shrugged, his back still to Teo as he focused on clipping audio and layering his demo track.

Teo shook his head in amazement. He pushed his chair back and made his way to the couch, flopping down on the leather cushions. 

"That's what I thought." Taehui teased, finally turning around in his seat to look at Teo. Something in Teo's chest bubbled, a smile forming on Injung's face.

"Shush." He responded, turning away from the CEO to face the back cushions. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the fluttering feeling in his chest whenever he heard Taehui hum along to the melody of their song. 

Teo was brought back to the present when Taehui suddenly stood from his seat on the couch. He clapped his hands together, getting the attention of his artists. Silence fell over the group of idols, all attention on Taehui. 

“I think it’s time we start the first listen of my newest album-”  A polite applause broke out among the artists with a few wolf whistles. Teo laughed and clapped along, including himself in the praise for the CEO. Taehui smiled appreciatively before continuing. 

“This album has been my most exciting project. I am so honored to have worked along side some of the best producers,” Taehui gestured to the group of older colleagues by the minibar, who raised their glasses in appreciation.  “Composers,” Taehui continued, gesturing to another group of people towards the back of the room, who gave a polite wave.  “And writers.” Taehui focused his attention on Teo. Injung felt his heart do flips as Taehui gave him the biggest smile before giving a subtle wink. 

“Without them, this album wouldn’t be anything worth sharing with you all. Now, please enjoy.” Taehui gave a short and polite bow before pulling a sleek remote out of his pocket. Through the speakers situated around the room, the first chords of the title track sang out. The artists all gathered in clumps, enjoying their food and talking in low tones so they could give the album a close listen.

“Hey,” A voice whispered. Teo looked over his shoulder. Yeonjin of Empyrean Moon had his arms placed on the back of the sofa Teo was sitting on, a huge smile stretched across his face. A hand extended to Teo.  “I’m Yeonjin. Nice to meet you.” Yeonjin said boldly, shaking the elder’s hand excitedly. “Big fan of your work.”

“Oh, thank you.” Teo accepted the compliment, a smile tugging at his lips. “I have a question for you.” Yeonjin asked, glancing quickly over his shoulder. Next to the fondue fountain was a group of boys, all looking over with a mixture of anxiety and amusement. Teo recognized them as the rest of Empyrean Moon. The singer could feel his nerves rising. What was Yeonjin about to ask him, exactly? 

“What’s between you and our CEO? Are you guys like, a thing?” Yeonjin asked with a head tilt. The question sounded so innocent and genuine, but Teo couldn’t help but feel defensive.  “What?” He asked. “No. The CEO and I are just good colleagues.” 

“Hm.” Yeonjin seemed unimpressed by the response. The younger’s eyes flickered up. Teo followed his gaze to see Taehui, sipping on golden champagne while making small talk with a guest. Taehui’s eyes fluttered over to where Teo and Yeonjin were, a small smirk quirking on his lips before giving Teo a second wink. Then his gaze returned to the guest he was supposed to be talking to, but even Teo could tell that Taehui was feigning interest. 

“Imagine getting two winks in one night.” Yeonjin said, almost wistfully. “Must feel nice being the center of Kim Taehui’s attention.”  Teo furrowed his eyebrows at the younger boy, not understanding. “Don’t make things up. There’s nothing going on between me and Taehui. We’re strictly business partners.”

Yeonjin looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he shook his head. “Okay. Fine. Sorry for making you uncomfortable.” He looked over his shoulder at his friends, who were now dipping various snacks into the fondue machine with childlike interest. 

“Do you think you’ll be doing more business with Neostar in the future?” Yeonjin asked, his expression looking almost pleading. 

“Maybe. You’ll have to ask your CEO for that.” Injung said, bringing his cup to his lips. 

“I will. You’re really gifted and cool. I don’t want Taehui hogging all your talent.” Yeonjin said sweetly. “Plus, I’ve gotten used to seeing you in the Neostar cafeteria. I’ll miss you if you’re gone for too long.” 

Teo wasn’t sure how to respond to that sentimental confession, but thankfully he didn’t have to. Haeju, a member of Honey Moon, was waving her hands to get people’s attention over the music.

“I put the jello shots out, if anyone wants some!” She whisper-yelled. A swarm of Neostar artists flooded to the dining room, including the Empyrean members. 

“Gotta go.” Yeonjin said hurriedly. “Nice talking to you, Mr. Teo. I’ll see you!” 

Teo watched as he meshed in with the crowd, eventually disappearing from sight. 

The party ended on a slightly rowdier note than Teo was expecting for a first listen party. After the last song played, Taehui gave one last speech to his now-drunken artists, thanking Teo once again. Then the artists started filtering out in groups. Before long, it was only Teo and Taehui left over. 

Teo made himself useful and helped clean up the mess, despite Taehui insisting that he shouldn’t. The apartment turned into a party zone, every surface of the place littered with plastic cups of half-empty drinks. It didn’t feel right leaving Taehui to clean up the mess on the night of his own listening party. 

The two worked in silence, picking up discarded trays and plates and bringing them to the kitchen. Teo wanted to say something, but his conversation with Yeonjin was still replaying in his head, hours later. What made Yeonjin, and the rest of Empyrean Moon, think that Teo was the center of Taehui’s attention? Was there something there that Teo hadn’t noticed? His reevaluation of everything Taehui has said to him over the past month fueled his silent cleaning, taking his confusion out on the dirty hors d'oeuvres plate with a sponge. 

“I think this was a success,” Taehui said with a chuckle, entering the kitchen and sliding next to Teo by the sink. “Everyone seemed to like our album.”  Teo gave Taehui a small smile. “I think you mean your album.”  “Right.” Taehui let out a small laugh, reaching for his own sponge.

The two worked in silence for a moment. Teo bit his lip before sharing the moment that defined his night.

“Yeonjin said he wants me to do more business with Neostar.” Teo shared, giving Taehui a sideways glance. When Taehui’s eyes met his, he looked back down to his soapy hands in embarrassment. “He said he’d miss seeing me in the Neostar cafeteria.” 

Taehui chuckled, turning the faucet on to clean off his plate. “That’s a very Yeonjin thing to say.” He said fondly. “But I’d miss you too.” 

Teo looked back up at Taehui, this time not breaking eye contact. Taehui hesitated before continuing.

“I know that the album is finished now,” Taehui said. “And that means I’ll probably be seeing less and less of you from now on, but I want to keep in touch.” 

Injung felt a smile tug at his lips, his stomach doing excited somersaults. “I do too.”

“Wanna get some coffee next week?” Taehui asked.

Teo narrowed his eyes playfully. “This sounds like a date.”  “It can be, if you want it to?” Taehui said, sounding a little nervous.

Teo felt his heart stutter. It wasn’t until Taehui said it out loud that Teo finally realized exactly what he wanted from Taehui. It wasn’t recognition, it wasn’t approval. It was him. He just wanted Kim Taehui and all the loveliness he had.

“Yeah. I want it to be.” Injung confirmed.

“Great.” Taehui smiled more confidently, nodding his head. “A date it is.” 

[triptychexe]

hey friends!  i just realized that i won two bonsangs from the aeskocnet awards! tromme won ‘fave boy group album’ with ‘pressure’ & triptych won ‘fave coed group title’ with ‘la la la’. 

the aeskocnet awards was a very cute idea and it made me smile to see some triptych love from people :) thank you for voting and thank you @aeskocnet for making such a cute award show! 

[triptychexe]

it’s probably obvious bc i haven’t posted in almost two months but i’m taking a hiatus :)) i’ll be back probably sometime in december :))