vbrwrites

[vbrwrites]

₂ 𝘼𝙎𝙎𝙄𝙎𝙏𝙀𝘿

Sunoo.

EJ.

Sungchul.

Taki.

Haneul.

The four distraught boys walk out of I-Land with their heads hanging low. They trudge through a soggy path with Haneul at the front of the sorry pack. The boy closest to him is Sunoo, who drags his feet along with him, despair radiating from his usually bright person. Even with a crowded mind, Haneul knows rightly that the scowl marring Sunoo's face does not belong. So he tries to banish.

"Looks a bit like a prison, no?"

Sunoo doesn't laugh, not that Haneul expected his humdrum joke to garner much of a reaction, but the corners of his lips curl into that pretty smile and Haneul considers his efforts fruitful.

Quietly they all file into the Ground, reconciling with the members that had been initially voted out during the first stage. The Ground is not much: just a plain practice room with some chairs and tables hidden behind a floppy divider. Thinking back to the creaky windows and broken door handles of his home, Haneul thinks the Ground is alright. Nonetheless, he understands the miserable moans of the other boys. After they were shown I-Land, the Ground is unacceptable. Yet that did not seem enough for the creators of the show. As if to further spite them, they were also made to wear a dull black uniform — so they look more pitiful on TV when shown side-by-side with the I-Landers, Haneul guesses.

To no small extent, it infuriates him but Haneul begrudgingly bites his tongue. The boys are depressed enough as it is. A more productive use of his mental capacity would be figuring out a way to lighten up the dreary mood. He struggles to find a solution, and the boys mop around the room, taking turns to go to the bathroom and change into their black uniforms. It is only when the dingy little screen on the wall starts briefing them about the mission, that the boys perk up for the first time.

When they're given a whole page, and a single device with a recording of the choreography (without even the option to slow down the footage) to work from, the motivation that had begun to bubble simmers down. Haneul decides to step in at that moment – before the boys' spirit could plummet too low.

"I'm pretty good with choreography," He says. "Maybe I can learn it and teach it to you guys. I think that will be faster than taking turns with the IPad."

Confidence has never been something Haneul lacked, but he is especially prideful in his dancing ability. Perhaps it's his growth within the field (how he transformed from an awkward and clumsy kid to a kid with fluid and power-laden moves) or the diversity he is able to portray with dance (from popping, locking, breakdance, and, to an extent, ballet), but Haneul holds his dancing skills to high regards relative to his other assets. Thus, when he finds himself desperate to assist in this situation, choreography is what comes to mind.

Taking the device one boy politely hands him, Haneul plops down onto the ground and zeros his focus onto the footage. He becomes unaware of the boys that hover around him, leaning over his shoulder and sitting close to look at the video with him — or those who choose to peer at him instead.

Once the video comes to an end, Haneul allows his thoughts to diverge and develop. The dance looks simple enough. The only obstacle he suspects they might run into is the power some movement call for. Haneul files that concern to the back of his mind for later reference and replays the video, this time laying the device on his lap and imitating some of the hand movements as they come. After five or six replays, Haneul stands up and walks to the front of the room, gesturing for the others to follow him. When they're all standing behind him, Haneul starts demonstrating the dance. He knows he isn't the best teacher, but he hopes his endless patience, constant smile, and creative use of onomatopoeia make up for it. The boys don't complain, in fact they praise him heavily, so Haneul figures he is doing a good job.

When the Grounders seem somewhat comfortable with the overall structure of the dance (ie being able to clumsily execute the main points of the choreography — regardless of the little, but important, details), Haneul moves on to instructing each member individually. For some of the boys, he just offers a few remarks, afraid to offend them by judging them harshly when they hadn't requested it. For others, they ask for his criticisms so Haneul doesn't filter his words — but he does sugarcoat them somewhat, out of habit more than anything else.

"That's great!" Haneul exclaims, brandishing a tight smile and a thumbs up to Sunoo's expectant gaze. The boy watched him with wide eyes, a soft smile, and shuddering shoulders as he tries to catch his breath after showing him what little of the dance he had mastered. "It's just that you're supposed to stomp your right leg — not the left one. Also, when you raise your hand, your fingers should all be separated, and..."

For the first two, Sunoo takes the criticism well, his hair bouncing along with the erratic nodding of his head. Then, the more they start to pile up, the more his shoulders slump. Soon enough, he is stomping his foot like a child, and tugging on Haneul's arms. "It's so hard, Hyung!" He whines loudly, hitting his head against Haneul's hard arm.

Haneul chuckles, ruffling the younger boy's black hair. It has only been five hours since they walked into the Grounder together, but getting close to Sunoo had been devastatingly easy. Sunoo is the embodiment of sunshine (so much so that Haneul had spent nearly ten minutes racking his embarrassingly small English reservoir to recall the word, only so he could appoint it as Sunoo's official nickname). He did not shy away from physical touch and even scolded him when Haneul went out of his way to avoid touching him. They had met only hours ago, so Haneul assumed, justifiably he thinks, that the boy wouldn't be comfortable with him grabbing his arm, and legs to go through the choreography with him —especially when it seemed so unnecessary. But no, much to his surprise, Sunoo had insisted on it.

"You're doing so well, though," Haneul says, giving the boy's shoulder a quick squeeze.

Before Sunoo could complain further, which Haneul was sure he would because, even though he is literal sunshine, Sunoo is also a child. He throws cute little tantrums (which are only cute because they're filled with empty complaints that proceed persistence and hard work), whines constantly, and gets overly excited over the smallest things. He doesn't get to do any of that though, or at least Haneul does not get to witness it when Taki pulls him away from Sunoo and to another corner of the room.

Taki is nearly half of Haneul's height, and maybe that is why Haneul finds him so adorable. He certainly doesn't try to be cute, nor does he possess the cute mannerism that Sunoo boosts. Taki, instead, has a lovely sort of charm that comes with his young age. During their short time together, Haneul identifies Tak as a quiet kid prone to sudden outbursts and loud laughter. He tries to act serious, biting his lip in front of the mirror and furrowing his bows in what Haneul guesses is his version of the typical "sexy" look, but it always backfires and results in a roaring crowd of Grounders. He never seems embarrassed by it: he laughs along with them and so Haneul doesn't feel as bad for the ache in his stomach nor the tears gathering in the corner of his eyes.

Now he stands behind Taki, watching as he performs the routine. When the boy is done, Haneul howlers loudly and with genuine pride. Taki is one of the first to memorize the entire choreography and Haneul does not hesitate to tell him just that. He praises him graciously, lifting him off the ground and twirling him around as he does.

Taki guffaws hideously, throwing his hands back and enjoying the impromptu ride. Eventually, when the room starts to spin a little too fast to be fun, Haneul sets Taki down, ushering him away to practice some more and drifting off by himself to start memorizing the lyrics.

The paper, filled to the brim with compact lyrics, is intimidating even to him, so Haneul feels concerned for the non-Korean Grounders. Since no one approaches him, Haneul figures they are doing well and that his worry is unfounded. He slinks down near the corner of the room, holding the paper in his hand, and starts mumbling the words.

Not even fifteen minutes into his individual practice time, Haneul spits out the water he had been downing. Hanbin's "let's cut off our hands!" had garnered many reactions similar to his own. The boys tried to correct Hanbin's pronunciation, but they were laughing too hard for their efforts to be illegible. Seeing this, Haneul steps up (stifling his own laugher) and offers to help the boy one-on-one.

"So, I'll sing the line and you can repeat after me. Cool?" Hanbin nods hurriedly.

They begin joint vocal practice like that. Taki joins them somewhere along the line and Haneul finds himself surrounded by the entire foreigner line of the Ground. The boys are bright and determined — though they make sure to stop practice long enough to compliment his voice, thank him, and express their gratitude and luck for having a Hyung like him — much to Haneul's bashful joy.

By the end of the first day, all the Grounders have the basic structure of the dance down and even have the lyrics memorized, for the most part. Their performance is nowhere near polished, and that fact keeps Haneul anxiously and restlessly rolling in his bed. He only gets to sleep for four hours that night. He rises before the sun, and without much thought, Haneul washes his face, changes his clothes, and makes his way to the practice room.

By the time the other boys file into the Ground, Haneul's performance had reached a satisfactory level. His smile is bright and his voice loud but he thinks the darkness framing his eye is somewhat disconcerting to the other members.

Sunoo is the first person to come up to him. He ambles to him, wrapping his hands around his shoulders and slumping onto him. "Since when were you here?" He asks, nuzzling into his shoulders and ignoring Haneul's 'Get off. I'm so sweaty' comments.

"I got the choreography down, so what do you think about doing an hour dance practice and then half an hour for the lyrics and the vocals..." Haneul proposes, waddling to the side with Sunoo still attached to him. Choruses of agreement echoed through the room, and the boys lined up in front of the mirror, keenly watching Haneul and waiting on his instructions.

Three days later. Haneul's body, from teaching everyone and then practicing on his own, is unable to stand on its own and it lifelessly collapses on the ground. While laying there, with his limbs splayed out, he tries to rehearse the lyrics, but his brain throbs, and the words that manage to leave his lips are nothing but jumbled, murmured, gibberish. Too exhausted to even focus his mind, he lets his attention wander to where it pleases. It falls onto Sunghoon and Jay.

Haneul hadn't seen them since he was sent to the Ground. He hadn't even had the time or the spare mental resources to think of them. Now, unable to reel his thoughts, Haneul remembers their tendency to overwork. With Jay's overambitious personality, and Sunghoon's habit of taking on more than he can handle — the two created a volatile pair that, during their time as a trio, Haneul had barely been able to manage.

Haneul assumes Heesung (the boy Jake had been so astonished to see enter) would have taken on the position of leader, and the reasons the boy, from what little he knew of him, would be able to handle them. But, for some reason, his worry persists.

-ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ-

I just want to say that this story will be updated weekly, on Saturdays. I also want to ask what you think of it so far. Are you enjoying it? What are your thoughts? I'm eager to hear from the readers!

[vbrwrites]

₁ 𝘼𝘿𝘿𝙄𝘾𝙏𝙀𝘿

“Come on Hannie, we’re almost there.”

Kang Haneul, a young singer with messy brown hair and endearingly large ears, looks up at the person who calls out his name. His gaze is sharp, his brown eyes filled with enough conviction to shake a lesser man to his core. Alas, the boy who calls out to him merely laughs at his expression, his eyes scrunching up as he remarks on how “adorable” Haneul looks.

Haneul sighs heavily, easily giving in. “I’m almost there, Sunghoon-hyung.”

Sunghoon’s smile widens involuntarily. He is perched on top of a bump in the trail that Haneul is struggling to reach. He has the decency to attempt to hide his smile when Haneul wails at the difficulty of the task, but the blatant joy glimmering in his eyes renders his efforts meaningless

“You can at least pretend to be sympathetic.” Another boy comments, taking the space next to Sunghoon and peering down at Haneul. Despite his words, Jay appeared no less pleased with their predicament. He too watched over Haneul with glee.

“You both suck,” Haneul decides when he’s finally in front of them.

“I’m sorry. Want me to carry you the rest of the way, princess?” Jay asks, furrowing his brows and pouting ever so slightly in satire of concern. Haneul huffs and bumps their shoulders roughly when he barrels through the chuckling boys.

Still laughing, Jay and Sunghoon follow after Haneul. The trio continue their trek through the greenery surrounding their destination, soon arriving at a clearing that housed the I-Land building. They awed and ooed, keenly aware of the camera watching them from the top of the trees. The large black door tilts, and they shuffle in.

Guided by the narrow hallways, the trio makes their way through a smaller entrance, stumbling into a room with glowing floors and around 20 other boys their age. The other contestants quiet down at their appearance, unabashedly judging them. Sunghoon and Jay appear unfazed, but Haneul nervously hobbles in his spot and makes no attempt at hiding it. Instead, he lets his bright dimpled grin overshadow his shaking knees and sweaty palms.

When they’re all on the glowing platform, it starts to move until it attaches to the one the other contestants are on. Haneul easily hops on, looking back in awe when the platform he had been on recedes. Turning back to the seating area, Haneul scans it with squinted eyes. The only continuous three seats available were near the corner of the room, isolated from everyone else. With the desire to interact with the other contestants so potent within him, Haneul figures it would be fine to momentarily split up their trio. So, he shoots his teammates a quick smile and plops down on a chair beside a handsome boy with a long face and sharp features.

Sunghoon and Jay, apparently, do not share his mindset. They come to sit beside Haneul — Jay even asking one of the boys already there if he could move aside (causing a chain reaction simply so that he could sit near his teammates).

“No way,” the boy beside him mutters in a foreign language, drawing Haneul’s attention away from his teammates. The boy must be referring to the contestant entering the room (he is well known, at least Haneul guesses he is from the avid reactions everyone gives at his appearance). Yet, Haneul finds himself more caught up in the boy’s words than on the person they were directed at. Even with his severely limited linguistic skills, Haneul easily recognizes the language and even guesses the dialect heavily coating it.

“You’ve been to Australia?”

The boy turned to him abruptly, taking a moment to process his words, and when they seem to have registered in his mind, he nods hurriedly.

“I’m Australian. How did you know?”

“The ‘naur’ gave it away.”

That makes the boy laugh. He seems nice enough, Haneul thinks. But that is the extent of their conversation. They are both forced to look up as screens flash with bright lights and a voice resounds through the room.

“Applicants will now perform.”

.

.

.

Their team is the second to head onto the stage. Standing with Sunghoon and Jay under the blistering stage lights, what Haneul feels is indescribable.

It is all so visceral. His heart stutters along with each step he takes towards the main stage, seemingly stopping for prolonged periods before accelerating at a pace that causes his ribcage to quake. His blood races through his veins, so fast that it thrums loudly in his ears. His fingers tremble and his toes curl. The lights that once seemed dim now nearly blind him and Haneul is compelled to check if his previously light sweater is actually made of led. The strangest thing though was that Haneul found himself loving it.

The moment the music begins and he starts dancing for the small audience, only one thing registers clearly in his mind.

It was all a little too addicting.

He lives fully in the moment, feeling present for the first time in a while. He lets his body take over for the performance, but his mind does not once stray away from it. Instead, he appreciates the moment as it unfolds, taking in the astonished expressions in the crowd and the voices of the people he happily shares the stage with.

When it ends, Haneul is still reminiscing on the performance and rewinding the moment. He dully takes note of the voting that happens after their performance. When the voice from the speaker calls his name and announces he would be staying, Hansel can only bow dazedly and thank — well he wasn’t sure who he is supposed to thank so he directs his gratitude towards everyone within his field of vision.

When Jay throws his arm around his shoulder and leads him off stage, Haneul feels strangely reluctant to leave the glowing platform. Nonetheless, he walks with his teammates, wishing the next contestant good luck as they pass each other.

.

.

.

For the rest of the day, Haneul can only think of his performance. He is unresponsive to his newly made Australian friend, Jake, who glances at him often while the other contestants perform. Haneul’s desire to get to know the other contestants still persists (it’s his first time being around people with the same ambition and amount of drive as him, after all) but the high he felt after his first legitimate performance (not the boring evaluations he was subjected to numerous times each month — where only a few staff members and nosy trainees got to see his performance before he was sent out and told to prepare for the next one) is greater than he had accounted for.

He is forced to file it to the back of his mind when the performance aspect of the day is concluded and the contestants are directed to leave the room. Letting himself be tugged along by Sunghoon (and pushed gently from his shoulders by Jay) Haneul tries to occupy his mind with the scenery. Yet, the hallway is a little too blank to capture his attention.

The elevator they are all pushed into is enough to fascinate him though. “It’s an egg,” he whispers to himself, but Jay catches it and barks out with laughter. Beside him, Jake also chuckles along, prompted by Jay’s outburst.

“What’s so funny?” A boy asks shyly. Haneul’s attention is immediately captured by the boy’s adorable smile. The boy nudges Jake when he asks the question, and Haneul reckons they were on the same team.

“I have no idea, I just said the elevator looks like an egg and they started laughing.” He explains, the boy’s eyes fly up to him and widen, obviously not having expected him to respond to his question. He nods soon enough, his wide eyes melting into a softer look.

“It really does though,” Sunoo agrees — or at least Haneul assumes his name is Sunoo, guessing from the name Jake whines as he pushes the boy away.

The boys all file out of the egg-shaped elevator when the doors open. They find themselves in a spacious sitting area, with a few chunky white chairs circling the egg-shaped elevator they had just left. Curious, Haneul detaches himself from Sunghoon and Jay, going over to the grey stand near the chairs. It held their name plaques, and pride floods him as Haneul finds his name engraved into one of them.

“Our names!” A boy exclaims, coming behind Haneul and excitedly pointing at the white plaques. He nearly towers over Haneul but with the way he jumps up so excitedly, Haneul is inclined to think he is younger.

Another boy, tall and lanky with doe eyes, walks over to them, pulling the jumping boy away from the name plaques just as the screens decorating the walls on either side of the egg-shaped elevator flash bright white. “Daniel it is starting!”

.

.

.

It all felt a bit cruel. They were all shown around the I-Land building, introduced to every extravagant room, and comfortable setting. They sat on the soft bed, and playfully fought over the best rooms (though there wasn’t much distinction). Then, heartlessly, they were told that these facilities cannot possibly host more than 12 boys (a number they exceeded). As if to add to further spite them, the boys were pitted against each other and directly instructed to harshly judge one another.

“You will vote for the 12 members you think can form the best team.” Is what the announcer said, but all Haneul heard was “Vote 4 boys out.”

Haneul feels sick. Not only did he not want to vote any of the other earnest boys off of I-land, but he also hadn’t given each performance as much attention as he should’ve (having been too preoccupied with his post-performance high). So whatever judgment he makes wouldn’t be fair.

With so much weighing on his mind, Haneul finds himself unable to enjoy the luxurious I-Land facilities. He mindlessly drifts through the different rooms, unaware of the eyes that watch him, and the people that nervously contemplate approaching him.

When he finds himself in a dark room, peering down at the list of contestants he was supposed to choose a dropout from, he finds that in the entirety of the two hours he had spent contemplating the issue he could still not comfortably settle on a name he could justify eliminating. With a heavy heart, he chooses the only path he knows he can fairly make, and Haneul clicks on his own photo.

He might have lost his chance to stay in I-Land but he walks out of that room much lighter than when he entered. When the announcement finally comes and he finds himself among the members that will be sent to the Ground, Haneul holds no regrets.

Instead, he bravely hugs Jay and Sunghoon (whose cries rung through the room the moment his departure was announced) with dry eyes and a bright smile. “I’ll be back soon,” he says, not knowing the comfort his words held — and not only to Jay and Sunghoon.

[vbrwrites]

So how would you feel about an I-Land x male Oc fic? It'd be indulgent and fluffy -- with angst during the angsty parts of the show...would you read?

[vbrwrites]

BLACKPINK x Reader Drabble [Mafia AU]

Pairings: BLACKPINK x Reader. Rose x Reader. Jennie x Reader. Lisa x Reader. Jisoo x Reader.

Warning: This piece will contain mentions and descriptions of physical abuse, and implications of alcohol/drug addiction.

-

So many times you were told you are sick in the head. Though, considering the people that usually spat it out were either mentally insane of plain horrible human beings, you took their words (rightfully so) with a grain of salt. Yet, at times, even you would admit that something wasn’t quite right up there. Though you suspected the numerous tragedies in your life gave you some layaway in that regard.

Poverty, you sourly thought, is the least of the tragedies in your life. Physical abuse, you discern, is most likely what messed with your mind.

Your father was a horrible man. Most times of the day he is drunk and even more often he is high off some kind of drug. He curses so freely that you would imagine it would make even a sailor blush. He hits you as well, hard. His palm unfolds and collides with the back of your head, or with the side of your face. Before, when it first started happening, he would immediately back away his eyes wide as if he hadn’t realized what he had done. Back then you’d be quick to crawl after him and reassure him you were fine, desperate to find the kind father that never existed within him.

But then, he stopped being surprised. His opened palms turned into clenches fists. By the time you got your first major injury from him, you stopped caring as well. The day you twisted your ankle running away from him was the day you started praying he would die.

And he did.

Or more accurately, he was killed. Frankly, you felt relieved. Though a part of you (perhaps the part that still yearned for a normal relationship with the man) felt guilt for that relief, so you decided “investigate” the matter. That investigation only really went as far as watching the briefing of the case on the news. Amidst the announcers careful presentation of the case, the name BlackPink stood out to you.

An all female mafia group? Oddly enough, you felt indebted to them. For killing your father, that is, but also, you know, female empowerment.

That gratitude soon transcended into borderline obsession.

The obsession, as it would turn out, lead you no where. It wasn’t as if you were looking for information on an idol group: a Google search did not cut it. You tried to visit the library, thinking back to the many movies you’ve watched, but you quickly trashed that idea. If the internet did not hold the answer, an archaic library surely did not. Then you thought about asking around, but that left a very visibly trace that lead to defenseless little you. What if BLACKPINK heard you were looking for them? You doubt they’d willing to meet a fan.

With no other options seemingly available to you, you silently thanked the women of BLACKPINK and resolved to continue your life.

Little did you know at the time, BLACKPINK would very much be willing to meet a fan.

-

Author's note: if I notice that this drabble garners a lot of attention I might expand on it and make a series. This applies to all my other drabbles and short writing pieces as well, unless stated otherwise.

[vbrwrites]

Kpop Soloist Oc [KANG AE-RI]: First Look

I have been dwelling on a female Kpop soloist character for quite some time. This particular variation happens to be fairly recent. Her name is Kang Ae-ri. She is fully Korean and talented. Plot twist? She is currently not associated with any entertainment agency.

Kang Ae-ri is a self-producing Kpop singer who was rejected by every entertainment agency she auditioned for -- well that's not exactly true but we'll look into that later on.

Ae-ri is a singer, songwriter, composer and all-around music creator. She is known for her powerful voice and wide vocal range. Her instrumentals and beats are never revolutionary but have always been noted to cleverly compliment her voice.

Another important aspect of her character is her tendency to fangirl over different Korean artists. Over the years, and in an effort to improve her own music, Ae-ri has submerged herself in the Kpop scene and has been swayed into certain behaviors by the fans she inadvertently surrounded herself with (online, of course). She is, thusly, a huge fan of many groups and belongs to many different fandoms. Due to this she is often known to "unintentionally end fan wars" and to freak out (in a very relatable fashion) whenever she is around some of the artists she admires -- which happens frequently. Additionally, Ae-ri has a history of referencing different artists in her songs and even paying homages to them in her music videos and live performances.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a quick overview of Kang Ae-ri. Perhaps I'll make a segment for the more technical (boring) details of her character in a later post. For now though, I would love to hear your thoughts! Do you have any questions about, or for, Kang Ae-ri?

[vbrwrites]

𝟏.𝟓 𝐁𝐎𝐒𝐒: ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴜꜱʜ

𝙐𝙋𝙊𝙉 𝙍𝙀𝘾𝙀𝙄𝙑𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 𝙊𝙁 𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝘿𝙀𝘽𝙐𝙏,  Han-gyeol smiled and cheered softly along with Jungwoo and Lucas. He didn't celebrate as passionately as Lucas nor were his emotions potent enough to garner tears like with Jungwoo.

He experienced no rush, no satisfaction: nothing. That wasn't completely accurate – disappointment was prevalent.

He worked so hard to hear those words, and in his mind, they motivated him endlessly. When spoken into reality, however, they lost their magic.

He soldiered through nonetheless, walking towards the only clear path made available to him. And he is so glad he did.

The moment he stepped on stage, the instant he took center position and truly listened to the thousands of people screaming his name, he knew he made the right decision. The rush he felt was indescribable – a notion he'd have to learn after numerous failed attempts made in an effort to relive it. It felt like a cacophony of praise: yelling and shouting all the louder as if attempting to nurse his old wounds and bruises with sweet words. Like being submerged in an ocean of almost aggressive but oh so addicting warmth. Similar to waves of admiration so genuine they almost felt undeserved. Try as he may though, each of the prior flowery expressions, among many more, failed to properly portray the feeling.

So, he resolved to give up the endeavor and devote his efforts to honing his skills and investing time into producing meaningful music – composing beats of his own and writing lyrics that crowds would sing along to. He craved the rush selfishly, and he thought of it constantly and it motivated him all the more to produce his own original work – he assured himself that the rush would be all the more visceral if the crowd was echoing his words, empathizing, and relating to his own emotions.

Nonetheless, he enjoyed it tremendously even when the fans sang along to the essentially meaningless and repetitive choruses of the hit songs the NCT music production team sought to make.

Additionally, he suspected part of the reason he felt so unweighed on stage could be attributed to the people that he shared the stage with. The members of NCT, while he didn't know them well, were good people. People whom motivated him to grow, just like the thousands that cheered his name.

And he would.

[vbrwrites]

[𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋].𝟏.𝟏 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄: ʙʟᴏᴏᴅʏ ʀɪʙꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴛ ᴄʜᴏᴄᴏʟᴀᴛᴇ

-ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ-

I know myself well enough to predict that eventually, I will get bored of this story. In order to account for that, I came up with the idea of specials –alternative universes that have different plots but feature the same character– to offer at least a sense of continuity.

-

5nd of February

He stumbled through the alley, limping towards the unsightly fluorescent streetlights. The moment he stepped outside of the cramped alley, a brute body crashed into him. He snarled at the man, his temper flaring, but he could only duck his head and keep walking, pushing aside his ego for the sake of nursing his oozing wound. On his ribcage, a bloody wound exists. His crinkled coat did well to hide the splashes of red blooming across the shreds that remained of his shirt.

With a fuzzy mind and blurry vision, Jisung seeks out safety within the plethora of grimy buildings lining this part of town. A homely cafe catches his attention, and he lets his nose and rumbling stomach lead him past the closed sign and through the door.

Within the walls of the cramped cafe, Jisung sinks into its darkness. There is a glass case across from him, displaying a line-up of, undoubtedly stale, but mouth-watering sweets. He contemplated moving towards them, but the excruciating pain torturing his side caused him to sink into the stiff wooden chair beside him instead.

The room seems darker now, its corners blurred.

A deep gasp and the squeak of sneakers against the tiling rung through the room, but by the time they reach his ears, Jisung had already succumbed to the alluring call of slumber.

.

.

.

When he wakes up, Jisung is no longer sprawled on the wooden chair, his long limbs hanging off of the edges awkwardly. Instead, he is laying on a bed. His shirt had also been changed, bandages peaking through the buttons of the sleek blouse he now dons. His skin is no longer caked with blood, and surprisingly, even the older bruises and smaller cuts marrying his knuckles were cared for.

The light hanging above his head is turned off, the only light source a dim lamp sitting on the nightstand beside where he slept --a fact his stinging eyes were thankful for. A glass of water was there as well, and Jisung chugs it down hurriedly. He leaves the pill beside it untouched. Whoever took him in had cared for him graciously.

As if on cue, a knock sounded against the wooden door. Instinctively, his hand sink under the pillow, only briefly panicking when he is only met the soft linen of the bedding. He breathed deeply, curling his fingers into a fist, and softly calling in for the person to enter.

The door opens, and a male steps in. He is taller than Jisung, but only by a few inches. His hair is a deep brown, a direct contrast to his pale hazel eyes. His skin is fair and glossy, but Jisung spots the dark circles painting the space under his bright eyes. He couldn't sleep, Jisung observes. Though, he supposes he doesn't look much better.

"I'm glad you're awake," The man begins, the richness of his voice taking Jisung aback. "You were so unresponsive that I was starting to get worried."

Frankly, Jisung would have thought the man started worrying the moment he noticed a half-dead boy in his workplace.

"Did you call the cops?"

He hadn't, Jisung knew. Yet, it was the only thing he could say in a situation such as this.

The man shook his head, "I thought you wouldn't want that. People in this area tend to dislike the cops. I can call them if you'd like though..."

This time, Jisung shook his head.

"I stitched up your wound --it is not infected but you should still get it checked out. For now, though, you'll be fine. You can stay for as long as you'd like," The man says. "Just eat before you go."

He sets down a platter on Jisung's lap. It was riddled with a mixture of breakfast foods, and a few cakes and desserts. He then smiles at him, before turning around and leaving the room.

Jisung watches him leave, his eyes staring at the door long after the man had left his field of vision.

He is aware of Jisung's situation, and he trod softly, his words vague and cryptic, due to it.

Jisung didn't like it.

The thought was filed for a later time though, and he dug into the food in front of him, cleaning off every crumb. He takes a few moments after, letting the food in his stomach settle, acknowledging the distant burn of his bandaged wound, and taking in the pleasant aroma of the room.

Then he stands up, shoving his numb legs off the edge of the bed, and trudging through the front door. He wanders around, before coming across and traversing a fleet of stairs. There he finds the man who had cared for him.

Silently, the man hands him a thick coat, a cup filled with a warm liquid, and gestures towards the front door.

Jisung leaves.

2rd of March

It's a month later and Jisung finds himself in front of that coffee shop. In his uninjured state, he can better take in the small building. It's slotted in between two large buildings with peeling paint, and spots of moss growing out of cracks. The cafe itself was quaint and homely. Its walls were a bright offwhite, its large window overflowing with fragrant plants, and in front of the wooden door was a fluffy doormat.

He only planned to look, really, that was the extent of Jisung's intention. But then, he catches a glimpse of his savior from behind the window, and he decided to look for a little longer. Long enough for the subject of his fascination to take note of his presence, apparently.

The man's eyes widen, and slowly, he walks towards him. The idea of running away never crosses Jisung's mind and he stays glued to his spot, patiently waiting for the man to come to him.

The door opens, and the man steps forward, a soft smile playing on his lips.

"You look great." He says, and Jisung's face flushes.

They stare at each other silently for a moment. The longer the silence existed, the dimmer the man's smile became.

"Do you -- do you need help?" He asks, glancing around anxiously.

Jisung is quick to shake his head erratically, his hair bouncing around turbulent movement. The man definitely thought he was a gangster, or running from a gangster, Jisung realized. One was certainly true, but he didn't want the man to know that.

The man seems unperturbed though, and instead steps aside and gestures for Jisung to enter. No other thought occupies his mind when Jisung obediently trails after the older male. He doesn't regret it either when, soon enough, he and the other man (who Jisung learns is named "Han-gyeol") are sitting together and chatting over cheesecake and bitter coffee (that Han-gyeol was quick to notice his distaste for and replace with a hot chocolate – much to Jisung's embarrassment).

Lost in a conversation about his favorite games (an exchange held with someone who had never played video games but still served as an interested listener), the almost overbearing sweet of his drink, and the company of a man he hardly knew, Jisung forgot about the reason behind their meeting –the core reason behind the new addition to his many wound.

And, when he realizes this hours later, he loved it.

-

[vbrwrites]

𝟏.𝟒 𝐁𝐎𝐒𝐒: ᴍᴠ ꜰɪʟᴍɪɴɢ

-

𝙄𝙏'𝙎 𝙊𝙉𝙇𝙔 𝘽𝙀𝙀𝙉 𝘼 𝙈𝙊𝙉𝙏𝙃, but Han-gyeol has already found his place among the members.

For one, he proved to be reliable. Jungwoo is a nervous person; his default state, to Doyoung, is timid and anxious. He was only fully comfortable around Han-gyeol. It was on a day he had left the dorm, coming back to find the room he shared with Han-gyeol occupied by Han-gyeol and Jungwoo, with laughter ricocheting off the walls. It was loud joyous laughter that Doyoung would have never associated with the timid chuckles he had heard from Jungwoo before, had he not been a direct witness of it.

Even Lucas seemed to heavily depend on Han-gyeol, running towards the younger male whenever he encountered a word he didn't understand or a phrase he didn't fully recall. At times he seemed a permanent fixture to Han-gyeol, hanging off his shoulders for long periods of time.

Heck, even the older members were starting to depend on Han-gyeol.

Mark is always eager to show off his guitar skills to the younger male, pulling him to lounge and practice on the couch after a post-dance practice shower. They would be exhausted physically, but Mark lit up as he guided Han-gyeol's finger's along the strings of his guitar.

Jaehyun found himself a music morning buddy. They were constantly exchanging playlists, and at some point making playlists for each other. Doyoung suspected that they did other stuff during their shared time in the morning, but frankly, he wasn't curious enough to wake at five in the morning.

Si-Cheng was a bit awkward in his interactions with Han-gyeol. He seemed genuinely interested in him if the constant staring was any indication, but he just didn't know how to approach him. As far as Doyoung knew, the closest they had been to a conversation was one that included three other people.

Taeyong only wanted to coddle Han-gyeol. Han-gyeol was the first person he asked when deciding what to order and despite their short time knowing each other, Taeyong is already calling the younger male a cacophony of creative pet names, and insisted he called him "Hyung." After Taeyong discovered the blonde's love for ice cream, he would buy a bunch every day. He tried to disguise his favoritism, Doyoung would give him that, by buying enough for everyone. However, since always let Han-gyeol pick first, and he quickly memorized his icecream favorite brand and started buying exclusively from them, despite the other members' different tastes, it was still painfully obvious.

Doyoung couldn't blame him though; Han-gyeol is extremely adorable. Doyoung didn't have a hulking stature, but even he could comfortable engulf Han-gyeol in his arms — or he guessed he would be able to do so, they hadn't really hugged before.

Nevertheless, Doyoung really enjoyed having Han-gyeol as a roommate. The boy was polite, conscious, clean, and quiet. He was also extremely considerate of the people around him. Doyoung hadn't discovered until weeks into their rooming arrangement, and thanks to a passing comment made by Jaehyun, but Han-gyeol always took his morning work to the living room, despite the headphones he wore, in order to not disturb his slumber.

Han-gyeol was always smiling as well. Not a fake, routine smile, but a bright one, even if it seemed dimmer at times, he still wore it stubbornly. Doyoung hadn't realized it at first, but when for the nth time during particularly taxing dance practice, he craned his neck at an uncomfortable angle to catch a glimpse of Han-gyeol and stared at his smile for a few seconds too long for it to be appropriate, he realized he found comfort in its constancy.

And over the weeks, he would grow increasingly more grateful for the rooming arragments he had initially only been indifferent about.

One of the most prominent reasons, Doyoung happily contemplates this morning, are Han-gyeol's wake-up calls. Doyoung's ears aren't ringing from Taeil's vocal practice/wake-up call, nor is his shoulder sore from Johnny's well-meaning but painful bro-shoulder-punches. Instead, Han-gyeol calls out from somewhere in the room, whether it be from his own bed, or from the door –never spookily hovering above him like Taeyong tends to do. He'd call out his name, with his deep soft voice, repeatedly, never getting tired and stopping only when Doyoung lets out a grunt or a noise signaling he is awake.

It is a pleasant way to wake up and is the exact way he woke up today. After which he joined Han-gyeol and the rest of the members in the kitchen for a quick breakfast –one many skipped since their schedule for the day was the music video filming.

Han-gyeol like every other day, wore all black, standing out among the other clothes worn by the other members are they trailed out of the dorms and made their way to the cars that would transport them to the first filming location for their music video, where the staff was already waiting for their arrival.

The original members shuffle into the car first, prioritizing the comfort of the newer members above their own by squeezing into the two back seats –no small feat considering the fact their stance on the matter only a month ago. Pecurarily enough, Ace's comfort, as a new member, was not considered, and he was promptly pulled into the back seats as well.

Where three people should sit, four did. Taeyong, Jaehyun, and Doyoung all managed to cramp themselves into the tight space. Unfortunately, the tightly-packed row of men left no seating space for Ace. Just as the blonde had mentally resolved to stand for the trip, two arms looped around his waist and dragged him down. He plopped down onto the lap he was pulled onto. A surprised glance over his shoulder revealed a grinning Doyoung.

"Just sit down."

And Ace accepted it.

Half an hour into the ride though, Doyoung started fidgeting in his spot. He tried hard to hide it, successfully staving off any and all signs of irritation from his features. However, the crack in his demeanor lay in his constant fidgeting. Notably, Ace was not the only one to notice.

Before Ace could do much to reconcile Doyoung's undoubtedly prickling legs, he was dragged from the lap he sat on and onto a new one. This time, Jaehyun's face slotted onto the dip on his shoulder, his breath washing over the little bit of skin exposed.

"You looked tired Doyoung, I can take Ace."

Frankly, Ace was beginning to feel a little patronized.

"When will it be my turn to carry Ace?" Taeyong whined, his grin revealing rows of pearly white teeth.

Yup, they were definitely patronizing him.

-

-ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ-

Not going to lie, I hate this. I just wanted to publish and then be able to build on it in the next chapter. That way I won't hate it as much...hopefully.

[vbrwrites]

𝟏.𝟑 𝐁𝐎𝐒𝐒: ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ ᴘʟᴀʏʟɪꜱᴛ

𝙅𝘼𝙀𝙃𝙔𝙐𝙉 𝙃𝘼𝙎 𝙉𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍 𝘽𝙀𝙀𝙉 𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙏𝙊 𝙁𝙊𝘾𝙐𝙎 too much on a person's appearance. He holds the position of being one of the only members that don't fawn over Taeyong's good looks or Jeno's eyes-smile on interviews. Not because he didn't see their appeal or that he didn't appreciate their beauty, but because such things never stood out to him.

But with Han-gyeol, his beauty seemed too obvious to dismiss. It wasn't as if the young male was sculpted by the gods. It wasn't the kind of good looks you would expect to see plastered on billboards nationwide. It was more of a unique kind of pretty. His eyes were so light that they twinkled brilliantly in the light. His lips so full and pink that they sat in a natural pout whenever he wasn't smiling. And his dimples -well, they enlightened Jaehyun on the root of everyone's infatuation with his own dimples.

Given his usual lack of interest in appearance, Jaehyun attributed his keen notice of Han-gyeol's looks to his personality. For some reason, his tame confidence and understated professionalism added to his attractiveness. For someone who boasted proficiency in a double-digit list of instruments, Han-gyeol seemed more willing to talk about Mark's talent with the guitar.

But that was it, Jaehyun thought Han-gyeol was good-looking and humble. Those were the extent of his feelings for the male. They hadn't engaged in any conversation, and so far their interactions were limited to their indirect replies to elaborations of the others' opinions in conversations that included more people, and even that had barely lasted ten minutes.

Taeyong and Mark already seemed smitten with the boy. They held a fondness for the male which they all too readily displayed in a despairingly blatant display of disappointment when they found out they would have no say in rooming arrangements.

Taeyong and Jungwoo would be put together. A wise choice since Taeyong would be the best person to guide Jungwoo through the process of a comeback. Additionally, considering their unfamiliarity with one another, he could help Jungwoo out of his shell.

Mark and Lucas: the managers probably put them together because they thought they would get along well given their similar ages. That didn't seem too far-fetched though, from what little he had seen of Lucas, Jaehyun was fairly confident he'd be a good match for Mark in terms of a roommate. Mark was too sweet to make any trouble anyway, so it must have not been a hard decision for the managers.

Jaehyun and Winwin; Jaehyun certainly didn't mind this arrangement, Si-Cheng is one of the more chill members and, in that sense, they are very similar.

Han-gyeol and Doyoung -now that was a confusing pairing. Jahyun figured it was more of a lets-just-put-whoever-is-left-together kind of decision. Doyoung seemed happy enough with the decision and Jaehyun knew, no matter how childish he could act at times, Doyoung was mature enough to handle any issues that may arise. Additionally, Jaehyun doubted Han-gyeol would be the kind to cause any issues.

On the first day, Jaehyun wakes up early, much like he had yesterday. He's always been a morning person, and he tries to wake at the peak of dawn even with his hectic schedule. Jaehyun enjoys the slowness and serenity of the morning; it is a welcomed contrast to the daily chaos.

Today, however, he isn't the first or the only one to greet the sun.

He is made privy to the presence of another being by the subtle clicking of a keyboard. He follows the sound, slightly confused. Eventually, he stumbles upon the sight of Han-gyeol (easily recognizable by the back due to his blonde hair) sitting cross-legged on the living room floor, his laptop in front of him and his wrist resting at the edge of his notebook as he jots messy notes onto the paper. He's wearing headphones, and perhaps that is why he remains oblivious to Jaehyun's entrance.

Han-gyeol's phone is beside him, and past the busted screen, Jaehyun could see the familiar single cover for Jhené Aiko's "Eternal Sunshine," one of his favorite songs, as it happened to be. It was paused though, not even halfway through the song.

Jaehyun doesn't know what compels him to do it, but he comes to stand in front of Han-gyeol, plopping down before the boy, who now peers up at him through thick lashes.

"What are you doing?"

"I wanted to get some work done, on a new beat. Before we went to practice..."

"Can I hear it?"

"It's not really a beat yet, just an idea, but when it is, you'll be the first to hear it."

And that promise, as easy as it had evidently been for Han-gyeol to make, caused Jaehyun's heart to warm.

"Want some coffee?" Jaehyun asks.

Han-gyeol is surprised, but eventually, a smile breaks through and he nods.

By the time the other members wake up, a mere half-hour before they're set to leave for dance practice, they would walk into the sight of Jaehyun and Han-gyeol lounging on the couch of their dorm, deeply engaged in a painfully slow and languid conversation; sharing their respective playlists, and fun anecdotes to go along with them.

They continue this conversation even in the car, only taking a short break to head to their rooms and get changed. Han-gyeol ensemble, much like when they first met, was black and baggy. It must be his favorite color, Jaehyun notes.

When they enter the practice room, Han-gyeol is promptly whisked away by Jungwoo. The male is still nervous and cautious around the members, and he seems to heavily depend on Han-gyeol, so Jaehyun doesn't remark.

Jaehyun hadn't ripped his eyes away from Han-gyeol since they walked into the room. He watches as Ace listens to Jungwoo's erratic whispers. He observes the way he looks around, searching for something. Their eyes meet, and something in Han-gyeol lights up. Puzzled, and perhaps a bit bashful at being caught staring, Jaehyun offered a smile.

Han-gyeol returned his smile. He then turned to glance behind him, concern evident across his features. Then he turns to him once again, his eyes unsure. Jaehyun widens his smile, trying to reassure him through the curl of his lips.

That seems to do it, and with one last glance at Jungwoo, Han-gyeol spoke up.

"So, Jaehyun. You lived in America for four years?"

-ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ-

Another chapter done. Next chapter is most likely filming.

[vbrwrites]

𝟏.𝟐 𝐁𝐎𝐒𝐒: ʜᴏᴍᴇ

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝘾𝙊𝙍𝘿𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙎𝙏𝙐𝘿𝙄𝙊, while cramped and gloomy, is a place Taeyong seeks comfort from. He knows this place better than most. Aside from on stage, the studio is where he really shines. It's where he can be as liberal as he wants, under the guise of creativity.

Thus, he thought his excitement about introducing the new members of NCT to the studio justified. He wants to be the person to take them under his wing and teach them the ropes. Taeyong never had someone to intimately guide him through every step of the process, but he is more than willing to be that someone for the new members.

Especially, Han-gyeol. The boy, small and pretty, proved to be one of the sweetest people Taeyong has ever known. In a devastatingly short amount of time (a few days in fact), the boy won Taeyong over with an even shorter list of words. From the way he stuck by Jungwoo, who seemed painfully shy, and comforted him silently, to his tolerance of Lucas'overwhelming enthusiasm, Han-gyeol seems perfect. Additionally, Taeyong has always had a soft spot for adorable sights, and with his pouty pink lips and large doe eyes, Han-gyeol is easily the cutest person in most rooms.

However, when they step into the studio, Taeyong discovers a new side to Han-gyeol.

Han-gyeol never appeared timid or meek but when he walked through the doors of the recording studio, the shift in his demeanor was almost tangible. His chest puffed out ever so slightly, and his eyes lit up. He walked in after Jaehyun, and instead of bowing to the producer as Jungwoo and Lucas did, he only waved brightly.

"Welcome to the studio Han-gyeol!" Their producer says, his lips pulled into a toothy smile. He then turns to Jungwoo and Lucas and gives them a nod and a greeting — which is polite and pleasant, but nowhere near as warm as the one he gave Han-gyeol. Even the greetings they receive from him (a man they've worked with many times before) seem lackluster in comparison.

"You know Inhyuck PD?" Doyoung asks, turning to Han-gyeol. The younger male nods, but offers no further elaboration. It's Inhyuck himself who pips in.

"You should really be calling him PD Han-gyeol." The male says lightly, the wrinkles at the edges of his eyes crinkling with the force of his smile. "He composed the beat for this song."

It brought Taeyong some comfort to know he wasn't the only shocked member —if the gasps and wide-eyes were anything to go by.

Han-gyeol is smiling brightly, wearing a grin vastly different than the one he showed them during their first meeting. Somehow he remains oblivious to the incredulous looks pinned to him. The producer, Inhyuck, continues to compliment him, and Han-gyeol preens under the praise, unabashedly enjoying the credit.

Had he not been so caught up in the adorable sight, Taeyong would have dwelled more on Han-gyeol's astounding talent, especially at his young age. But he was all too bewitched by the sight. He could only silently watch, smiling softly at the sight of the male before him, inwardly excited to know him more.

-

The order of members going into the booth was decided by such means: Jungwoo wanted to go after the older members of NCT, saying he'd be able to do better after witnessing the more experienced members do their thing. Han-gyeol volunteered to go after Jungwoo, an announcement Taeyong didn't fail to notice Jungwoo's relief at hearing (Han-gyeol going after Jungwoo meant that Jungwoo wouldn't have to worry about leaving the studio alone, Taeyong deduced). Lucas didn't really care when he went.

Taeyong is the first to enter the recording booth. He goes inside, feeling more aware of the eyes watching his performance this time around. He gives it his all and is able to wrap up his part swiftly. Taeyong leaves the booth soon after he enters, giving Jaehyun a quick "good luck" in their short meeting at the door.

Normally, Taeyong would leave as soon as his part is done. It is, after all, horrendously early in the morning, and usually, on days they were set to record in the studio, they had no other commitments and could go back to bed after their appointment at the studio. This time, however, Taeyong sits back, flopping down on a bean chair near the couch seat Han-gyeol occupies. The younger male is already engaged in a conversation with Mark, the enthusiastic Canadian having seemingly lost his initial trepidation about meeting new people.

"You composed the entire beat yourself? Dude, how many instruments do you play?"

"A bunch," Han-gyeol replies, amused by Mark's shocked expression. "But a lot of the stuff you're hearing are sounds I made on the computer, so they're not actual instruments — it's just synth."

"What instruments do you play?" Taeyong asks. Han-gyeol turns to look at him, and perhaps, pinned under his glistening eyes, Taeyong's heart stalled for longer than it should have. He chooses not to dwell on it.

"Umm, well, I play the piano, drums, cello, harmonica...um the flute, and clarinet...I also play the....the violin" He trails off, his eyes flitting all over the room as he tries to recall the full, extremely impressive list. With every instrument Han-gyeol lists, Mark, Taeyong, and Doyoung's (who leaned into the conversation somewhere during Han-gyeol's list) eyes widened further. Jungwoo and Lucas were too busy studying Jaehyun's performance inside the booth to pay the conversation any mind. "But I think that's it. I heard you could play the guitar though."

Mark nods bashfully, still struggling to process the exhaustive list. Han-gyeol, on the other hand, has already moved past his list, and now gives Mark his full attention. "I've always wanted to learn how to play the guitar. I've just never gotten to it, I guess."

Taeyong hums in agreement, smiling when Han-gyeol turned him and got excited over the commonality they shared. Taeyong's mind is still reeling at everything he is learning about the immensely interesting younger male, but he is determined to keep up with their current conversation. Later he would spend the night dwelling extensively over every single detail he has come to learn about Han-gyeol. But for now, he would focus on the present.

Their four-way conversations, diverse and always riveting, only came to a conclusion when it was Han-gyeol's turn to enter the studio.

He jumped off his seat and walked into the both with confidence. Taeyong sat up, noting dully that he wasn't the only one to stay behind, leaning forward and watching Han-gyeol through the screen of the booth with interest.

To say that Han-gyeol was in his element would be an understatement. His strides, long and confident, brought him to stand directly behind the microphone. He put the headphones to the side, pushing back his long hair and tucking a few strands behind his ear (god, Taeyong thoughts trailed, he looked even prettier). He picks up the paper displaying lyrics with slender pale fingers.

Taeyong saw those papers a few hours ago and subconsciously memorized the parts written under Han-gyeol's name. Now, he mouthed the lyrics, anticipating Han-gyeol rendition.

"Where do you want me to start?"

"Let's do the chorus first."

"Got it."

And then, with a quick adjustment to his headphones, Han-gyeol was singing the lyrics of BOSS' chorus. He would first say a line solely reserved for him, "Don't you know I'm a," with sharp dictation and a heavy emphasis on tone and vocal clarity instead of melody. Then he'd switch into a higher register and sing along with the other members for the remaining segment of the chorus.

"Great! Let's move on to the rap verse, then. Okay?"

"Sounds good."

For his rap, Han-gyeol settled into an even deeper key, letting the richness of his voice truly shine. Every once in a while, he'd switch to a higher pitch to add texture, something that the producer hadn't instructed him to do but seemed pleased with nonetheless. A few lines Han-gyeol sang seemed particularly familiar to him, but Taeyong couldn't bring himself to focus on anything except for the man himself.

Ah, Taeyong realizes, the studio isn't his home alone. It is Han-gyeol's home as well.

Han-gyeol session ends (all too quickly). Han-gyeol is out of the booth soon enough, thanking the producer for his comments and assistance. When he turns his head in their direction, he seems slightly surprised to see them all waiting, staring at him.

"You waited." He notes, his smile in place.

God, it really is such a pretty smile.

"Should we leave together?"

-ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ-

I would just like to insert a little disclaimer here: I know NOTHING about the music-making process. I'm just trying to piece together a somewhat coherent process for this story going off of NCT studio recordings and Google. Do not trust anything music-related in this story —it's literally just me making up stuff and hoping it sounds legit. I don't even know what it means! Hope you enjoyed the chapter though!

[vbrwrites]

𝟏.𝟏 𝐁𝐎𝐒𝐒: ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴍᴇᴇᴛɪɴɢ

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘾𝘼𝙍 𝙄𝙎 𝘾𝙍𝘼𝙈𝙋𝙀𝘿: his thin frame squished between Jaehyun and Doyoung. There are another set of seats in the black van (a row behind), but all five stubborn men insisted on sitting in the front.

Si-Cheng felt strangely wronged in this situation. He would readily admit to his own lanky form if it meant avoiding the crushing weight of Jaehyung's much larger, and harder, frame.

Mark didn't seem too comfortable either, Si-Cheng noted. Nonetheless, the younger boy dutifully accepted all three inches of space provided to him and kept silent. Si-Cheng decides not to voice his own complaints.

'Today is an important day,' for the nth time that phrase echoed in his mind —a sort of motivating mantra. They would be meeting the new members of NCT U soon, and Si-Cheng would rather not walk into the room with a scowl etched onto his face.

"What do you think they're like? You know, the new members."

"They're probably nice enough," Taeyong replied, patting Mark's thigh in a comforting manner. "It will be nice to see Jungwoo again, as well."

"Definitely," Mark agreed and Si-Cheng was left to wonder who Jungwoo is to them. "But I don't know anything about the other two members."

"Isn't one of them named Lucas? You'll probably get along well with him."

"Hyung," Mark whined. "That's just his stage name."

Oh, Lucas is Wong Yuk-hei. Si-Cheng is most excited to meet him. He would never admit it to his members, but at times he felt somewhat ostracized in a group of Koreans. They would never do it intentionally, Si-Cheng knew, but he couldn't expect him to always speak in the simplest form of their language. If nothing else, another Chinese member would at least be able to empathize with him on the issue.

"What about the other one," Doyoung ask, putting down his phone as he joined the conversation.

"He also has an English stage name," Jaehyun pipped in. "Ace, I think."

And that was it. Unlike with the other two aforementioned names, no one had any information to add about "Ace."

He had an interesting stage name, that was sure. Even with his limited English fluency, Si-Cheng was somewhat confident of his understanding of the name; it refers to someone who is the best at what they do. Perhaps that was telling of the person they would soon meet.

-

They arrived at the SM building soon enough. In true SM fashion, the members were not given a day off to familiarize themselves with each other. Instead, they would meet, spend an hour together, and then promptly move into the studio to record a demo for the new song. Si-Cheng already felt dread pooling his stomach, he could barely imagine the anxiety the newer members are undoubtedly facing.

At the moment, Si-Cheng, Mark, Jaehyun, Taeyong, and Doyoung (as well as members of staff) occupied a lounge area. While on the smaller side, the room didn't enforce as tight of a squeeze as the car had. The members were spread out across the room, happily enjoying their newly regained personal space. Though, Si-Cheng noticed with fondness, Mark choose to sit close to Taeyong. He was fidgeting with this hands as well, obviously nervous about meeting the new members. He thought about pipping in to comfort the younger boy, but by the time he had articulated a proper Korean sentence, the doors of the room were being opened.

Si-Cheng's body tenses and his heart accelerates in a manner he wasn't expecting.

The first face to appear behind the door is the familiar one of one of the NCT managers. Behind him, though, three unfamiliar faces appear. They all file into the room, lining up beside the manager.

"Okay," the manager starts, glancing between the seated NCT members that had sprung to their feet, and the three males beside him. "Ahm, maybe we should start with introductions?"

For a moment, no one stepped forward. Si-Cheng took this time to observe them, curiously absorbing as much as he could from their appearance.

The one on the far side seemed the most nervous. He is big in frame, but the way he hunched his shoulders made him look much smaller. His features are soft and his hair dark. He is trying to discreetly hide behind the male beside —a fruitless endeavor given his larger frame.

The other male is pretty, and that was the first thing Si-Cheng registered, much to his embarrassment. But he is really pretty. He has large eyes that were the lightest shade of brown Si-Cheng has ever seen. His skin is pale, glistening under the fluorescent lights with such a pretty sparkle that Si-Cheng got distracted in his search for a blemish. His lips, and Si-Cheng flushed upon noting how he focused on them more than what he should've, are pink and plush and look so pretty pulled into that soft polite smile. His hair is long and choppy, some of the longer strawberry blonde strands tickling his shoulders. He was decked out in full black, from his loose pants and baggy shirt to his sneakers.

The unnamed male glances around, seemingly contemplating something. He seems ready to step forward and introduce himself, but just as Si-Cheng leans forward, more excited to hear his voice and learn more about the new male than he was ready to admit, another male steps forward.

"Hello, I'm Lucas. Nice to meet you!"

The man was taller and had a muscular but lean frame —a note Si-Cheng makes after reluctantly tearing his eyes away from the other male. He is handsome, as well, but he doesn't hold a candle to the other male's pretty features, at least not in Si-Cheng's opinion. Lucas is undoubtedly attractive though, with warm-toned skin, large eyes, and sharp eyebrows.

The nervous male is the second person to introduce himself, much to Si-Cheng's chagrin. The darker-haired male stepped forward nervously, glancing behind him at the blonde male. He somehow manages to stutter out a proper introduction, his voice quiet and timid. The moment he finishes speaking, Jungwoo is behind the blonde once again.

It is finally his turn. Frankly, Si-Cheng is surprised and embarrassed about how eager he is to listen to the male introduce himself. He actually leans forward when the male opened his mouth.

"Hello." He begins, his words polite and curt but his smile soft and casual. His voice isn't the slightest what Si-Cheng had been expecting. It is deep and rich, contrasting his soft features. But it is nice and comforting, and, it drew Si-Cheng, though he would never admit it. It is the type of voice people fell asleep to, the kind of voice you could listen to for hours, even if it were saying complete gibberish.

"My name is Han-gyeol. I am a rapper --"

The manager that had walked in with them clears his throat sharply.

"Oh, sorry," Han-gyeol says, glancing back at his manager with a playful twinkle in his eyes.

"My name is Ace. It's nice to meet you!"

-ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ-

First meeting from Winwin's POV. I'm hoping to switch up the POV in this story quite a bit --just to give you a fair glimpse into everyone's feelings and thoughts. Do tell me what you think of the story so far, though.

Side note, I'll try to update consistently. There will be a new chapter every Saturday, hopefully.

[vbrwrites]

𝟎.𝟏 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩: ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢꜱ

𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙀𝙔𝙀𝙇𝙄𝘿𝙎 𝙁𝙇𝙐𝙏𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙀𝘿 𝙊𝙋𝙀𝙉, and the bleak grey of his dorm ceiling met vibrant brown eyes. His face, fair and indifferent, gave no inclination to the horde of horrendous noise flooding his ears at that very moment. His alarm clock sound, a customized orchestra of police sirens and school bells, is the only thing capable of rousing him from his sleep, and Han-gyeol suspected it would also be the thing to result in needing a hearing aid.

Rolling out of bed, the eighteen-year-old male ruffled his hair while looking over his empty dorm room. A small travel case was leaning against the left wall of the small bedroom, but it seemed to be the only thing out of place in the room. Otherwise, every compartment was empty, every surface clean, and every item in place.

It was sad really, Han-gyeol thought. The four walls that had housed him for so long, seemed so barren after a quick clean-up. They held no indication of the restless nights, the merry mornings, or the eventful days they witnessed. He would leave soon, and they would tell his story no longer.

The creaking of the door drew him out of his thoughts, and by the time Han-gyeol tore his eyes away from the wall, Jungwoo was sitting cross-legged on the floor, between his own spread legs.

The malle sat across from him, his blue-tinted hair falling over his does eyes in waves. "Hannie~" He called out sweetly. His tone was high-pitched and dramatic, his lips jutting out in a pout, but the beads of cold sweat running down his forehead, and his bitten lips were what caught Han-gyeol's attention.

"You don't have to be so nervous, Jungwoo."

But he was. Jungwoo was one of the most simultaneously socially-anxious and outgoing people Han-gyeol has met. To many, he was the shy boy who stayed at the back of the practice room with his shoulders hunched. Yet, to the few who knew him well (a group Han-gyeol considered himself lucky to be a part of), Jungwoo was an energetic puppy.

"What if they don't like me."

"They will." Was Han-gyeol's instinctual response, but he knew from experience such answers never quelled Jungwoo's insecurities. "Personally, I like you a lot."

The grin that tugged on Jungwoo's lips was all the reassurance Han-gyeol needed to know his distraction was successful. Hopefully, it would suffice until their first meeting with the NCT members later today.

For weeks, Jungwoo's thoughts revolved around NCT members only: it started when he first heard the news of his debut in NCT U and has persisted since then. The anxiety had lessened upon discovering he would be debuting alongside Han-gyeol. Yet, it wasn't completely erased.

"HAN-GYEOL!"

Han-gyeol and Jungwoo wouldn't be the only additions to NCT U though. Joining them was Lucas. A large, blubbering, handsome male who had just barged into Han-gyeol's dorm room. He stood at the door, glancing at Jungwoo briefly before refocusing his gaze onto Han-gyeol. Utter urgency painted his features, and for a moment, Han-gyeol was worried.

"I'm hungry. Can you order for me?"

Ah, but this is Lucas. There is no reason to worry, Han-gyeol reasoned.

Lucas' reaction to news of his debut was the opposite of Jungwoo's. He was more excited than anything else. He even told Han-gyeol he couldn't wait to meet his NCT Hyungs.

Frankly, Han-gyeol really likes Lucas. The Chinese male, only a year older, was a breath of fresh air. He is unabashedly confident in both his looks and talent, adorable and childish despite his appearance and a pure and genuine individual.

Knowing he would take his first step into the Kpop industry alongside people like Jungwoo and Lucas grounded Han-gyeol in the most comforting manner.

As his own feelings on the debut, Han-gyeol really hadn't dwelled on it much. His dream has always been to make music — never specifically to be an idol or a singer. He just wanted to compose beats, write music and watch as people consumed it. However, everyone he met pushes him towards the life of an idol.

'You can do both!' They told him, and he trusted them.

Right now, he was only an idol —or soon to be one— but Han-gyeol trusted that his time as a producer and music creator would come soon enough.

Though, he hoped he would be more excited than he is at the moment. For something he had worked so tirelessly towards, the climax seemed a bit disappointing.

"What do you want to eat, Lucas?"

"Jajangmyeon!"

"Does that sound good to you, Jungwoo?"

"Yes."

"Jajangmyeon it is."

-

-ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ-

I have really flushed Han-gyeol out as a character. I have so much interesting information about him that I would love to share with you, but I don't want to overwhelm you with it. I am planning to reveal a little about Han-gyeol in each chapter -- hopefully, it won't seem too much like an afterthought. Now that I think about it, you guys will be getting to know Han-gyeol alongside the rest of the NCT members.

The next chapter will be the meeting with the members of NCT most likely —not all of them, of course, just the lineup of BOSS. So you can look forward to that, it will probably be up soon.

[vbrwrites]

My Stories!

CENTER

Kang Haneul walks into I-Land holding hands with desperation and determination. Within the walls of I-Land, people reach out to him, and warm, soft embraces soon join those emotions that coldly cling to him.

Having hung everything on the line for the chance to debut, will Haneul risk it for the friends he meets on his journey? Will his bright and friendly disposition have to remain dormant in the cutthroat environment of a competition? Will Haneul even be able to make it?

There are fluff, intense, emotionally-driven scenes, and a plethora of genres packed into this book. So won't you join Hanuel during his time in I-Land (your favorite contestant will likely play some part in this story - since I'm planning to include pretty much the entire cast)?

CHAPTERS:

₁ 𝘼𝘿𝘿𝙄𝘾𝙏𝙀𝘿

₂ 𝘼𝙎𝙎𝙄𝙎𝙏𝙀𝘿

*More chapters currently on Wattpad.

.

.

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HEARTFELT

Along with Jungwoo and Lucas, Ace joined NCT with BOSS. He hasn't known them for long, but the members have already gained a special place in his heart.

The fondness Ace felt was certainly not one-sided. The members, as the fans often put it, "whipped for Ace." The coddled, obsessed over, and sincerely loved him.

[AKA 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 - interactions between Ace and his NCT harem. That's it.]

ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: Honestly, this is basically a book of fluff organized in a somewhat chronological manner. It's purely self-indulgent and REALLY cute

CHAPTERS:

𝟎.𝟏 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩: ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢꜱ

𝟏.𝟏 𝐁𝐎𝐒𝐒: ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴍᴇᴇᴛɪɴɢ

𝟏.𝟐 𝐁𝐎𝐒𝐒: ʜᴏᴍᴇ

𝟏.𝟑 𝐁𝐎𝐒𝐒: ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ ᴘʟᴀʏʟɪꜱᴛ

𝟏.𝟒 𝐁𝐎𝐒𝐒: ᴍᴠ ꜰɪʟᴍɪɴɢ

[𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋].𝟏.𝟏 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄: ʙʟᴏᴏᴅʏ ʀɪʙꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴛ ᴄʜᴏᴄᴏʟᴀᴛᴇ

𝟏.𝟓 𝐁𝐎𝐒𝐒: ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴜꜱʜ

[vbrwrites]

Ace is now the main character of Heartfelt. Read about his fluffy interaction with the NCT members on Wattpad!

[vbrwrites]

So...I'm thinking of making a Bridgerton story. Reverse harem kind of thing (cause this is me we're talking about) with a sophisticated, and dominating, older lady as the main character. What do you think?

[vbrwrites]

Hook Ch.1: Oh Reollie?

Summary:

They sang her lyrics, and danced to her music. They thanked her for her work, blushing and fidging as they struggled to convey their appreciation.

Meanwhile, she gazed upon them, wondering if they were really oblivious of their impact on the music she created. Each word was about them.

NCT (All Units) x Reader

Warning: slight “My First and Last” bashing. Nothing too serious though. I couldn’t bring myself to do it, realism be damned.

“I’ll swear upon the rest of my life. There won’t be another you, you’re my last”

You sang the words out experimentally, letting them linger in the stale air of your cramped apartment before scoffing. It was ridiculous really. The paper on your dinner table depicted a glamorized version of infatuation — a kind only seen in romance novels.

That line in particular is completely unrealistic but you wrote it down nonetheless. Because that is what you were tasked to do. Your job was to create a love song that painted relationships as hardship-free journeys of absolute happiness. A song that would be performed by incredibly adorable young boys, and would capture the hearts of all females — particularly the older ones.

And thus “My First and Last” was born.

You have always had a natural proclivity to words. You enjoyed the writing process the most, on average, when it came to making the song, though the difference is marginal. As a song creator, you took pride in your ability to translate abstract feelings into sentences and sounds.

That ability, however, was not very helpful when you weren’t familiar with the feelings you were trying to translate. As far as you were concerned, the affection you were capable of experiencing was not the kind that was appropriate for young boys to sing about.

Thus, you found yourself watching Disney movies; jotting down every cheesy line.

‘Was this really what people your age swooned over?’ You asked yourself, watching as a random Prince kissed the unconsenting sleeping woman. You had to pause the show when the woman woke up and thanked the prince.

Sighing, you leaned back on the plastic chair, relaxing your tense shoulders. Looking down at the paper in front of you, you find yourself stumped. You’ve barely written the chorus -- there is still so much to do, but the entire process felt so daunting. You felt so uninspired.

Knowing you wouldn’t be able to do much at the moment, you pick up your phone, going the browser, and typing in the name of the group you were writing the song for.

“NCT Dream”

Your screen was flooded with images of young boys with curly hair, huge smiles, and dressed in the most obnoxious colors on the spectrum. They were incredibly adorable though, you admitted.

Curiously, you inquired about their age, and the results that popped up called forth a gasp. The youngest member was six years younger than you and the oldest was 3 years younger than you. In terms of the mode, you were nearly 4 years older than most of the members. Only twenty years old, you thought you’d have many years to go before you started feeling old but if you did end up meeting the boys, that might happen sooner than you expected.

Though, all things considered, you might not even be meeting the boys. Instead, you might just be watching them performing your song on TV. If you ever finished it that is.

You shut your phone off, putting it, face down, on the table, and mentally scolding yourself. You really need to focus. This is the chance of a lifetime, you cannot waste it.

Really, getting this gig was nothing short of a miracle. While you viewed yourself to be proficient in what you enjoyed -- you lacked professional experience in song creation, plus you didn’t have any official education beyond high school (not yet at least, but you are planning to pursue one). SM was beyond what you would view as a possible employer.

However, a friend of yours had a relative who was working for SM as one of the managers of their newest group. Amazingly, he agreed to mention your name to the higher-ups in the team. One thing lead to another, and a few days later, you received the news from your elated friend.

YUNA HANGYEOL SAID THEY LOVED YOUR MUSIC!! HE SHOWED THEM THAT SONG YOU WROTE FOR THE SCHOOL DANCE TEAM THEY WANT YOU TO WRITE A SONG FRO NCT OMG YOURE GOING TO MEET MARK\1!!! FNUOWF TELL HIM I LOVE HIM1!!

You received that message exactly three days ago from today, and you had yet to Mark, so the message remained undelivered. However, since then, you have been working on “My First and Last” without any contact with the agency or anyone from the NCT Dream team.

Justifiably, you were starting to doubt the legitimacy of the situation.

Nonetheless, you poured your entire being into the incredibly cringe song. And in two days from now, it would be sent to the NCT Dream team through your friend’s cousin.

And now, the breakdown: - This is a various NCT members x Reader (Y/N) - There will not be one main pairing - I’ll be using female pronouns for the reader - The first couple of chapters will focus on NCT Dream, but eventually, the other units will be included. - No steamy content will be included in this story -- I’m a prude, leave me alone. - This will be extremely self-indulgent and fluffy. - Oh, there will also be slight soft femdom vibes coming from...well, you I guess. That’s all you really need to know for now.

Also, I didn’t edit this. I’m sorry.

This is the most impulsive publication I’ve done so far on the internet. We’ll see how it goes.

But seriously though, do tell me what you think! I’d love to hear your opinions and suggestions!

[vbrwrites]

Ace's Relationships with NCT Dream

Ace is the oldest member of the Dreamies. He's the leader of the group (sorry Mark). I already said this in the "𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭 (Ace Drabbles #3)" but Ace is the main rapper, lead dancer (I just realized that Ace is basically, Mark 2.0).

MARK LEE:

- Ace and Mark: "The Awkward Buddies." TM

- #1 reason for Mark's spontaneous bursts into laughter.

- Ace is only a few months older, but Mark still looks up to him as he does any of his other hyungs -- perhaps a bit more.

- Mark constantly asks for his opinion and advice.

- Mark really values Ace's opinion. He'd even consult him on the shoes he should wear that day.

- English buddies.

- Mark is teaching Ace how to play the guitar. It was Ace's idea, but one Mark was all too happy to fulfill.

HAECHAN:

- Ace is Haechan's #1 target for skinship.

- Ace grew up with a bunch of siblings skinship has always been something he is comfortable with. Thus, he never denies Haechan's physical gestures of affection.

- Ace is also constantly praising the Donghyuck (a habit he has for all the memebrs tbh), to the point where the members have warned him against it. "You'll just inflate his ego." They would say. With all fairness, he really was.

- Ace even started calling Donghyuck "cute." Specifically, because he noticed how much the younger seemed to enjoy it.

- "You did so well!" Ace had once exclaimed, congratulating his panting team member for his excellent performance.

- "Was I cute?" Was Donghyuck's reply, his face flushed and glistening with sweat, his eyes wide and expectant.

- "Cute?"

- "Tell me I looked cute!"

- "You were very cute Haechan."

- *glomp*

RENJUN:

- Ace gets Renjun's humor.

- They got really close when they shared a hotel room together for the first time. Renjun was in a bad place and broke down, Ace was there to listen and offer his guidance. Renjun has been attached to him since then.

- "I feel like Ace-hyung understands me."

- Although Renjun has Chenle to speak to it Chinese, snuggling up to a sleepy Ace in his bedroom and engaging him in a Chinese conversation his foggy mind could barely fathom always seemed more appealing to Renjun, for some inexplicable some reason.

- Ace is always overjoyed to see Renjun painting and drawing.

- Ace once said that Renjun's white and black hair (not the one in the photo, but the version where only the second layer of hair was white) is his favorite hair color. Renjun takes great pride in that.

- "Hah! Ace likes my hair the most!" Renjun bragged, his voice adopting a childish tone as he addressed the members gathered in a circle in front a plethora of cameras. They were shooting content for their promotion, taking turns reading out the questions from a stack of papers they were handed earlier.

- "Why are you so smug?" Haechan grumbled, crossing his arms and jutting out his bottom lip in a dramatic pout. "It's not like you dyed your own hair. You just had to sit there..."

- "Ace still likes it the best!" Renjun retorted, unbothered as he stuck his tongue out at his friend.

CHENLE:

- Like Renjun, Chenle finds great enjoyment in watching Ace struggle to articulate a coherent sentence in Mandarin.

- Acts like a serious brat (mischievous really) towards Ace, because he knows the other doesn't mind.

- Calls Ace cute CONSTANTLY. (The position of his son, though, is solely reserved for Mark. I cannot take that away from him.)

- Loves to laugh with Ace, and if the other is not laughing, no problem, he's content just laughing near Ace.

- Brags about how Ace still keeps that keychain he made for him on his bag.

JISUNG:

- Ace’s original ice cream buddy

- It started when Ace wanted to cheer Jisung up and help him clear his mind when he was under a lot of pressure due to a comeback. Ace and Jisung snuck out of the dorms and went to a nearby ice cream shop in secret. They sat in the empty shop for over an hour, dipping into each other's cups, and talking about cats and places they wanted to visit. While it may have seemed like an insignificant moment, it is one of Jisung's most precious and vivid memories. One that never fails to warm his entire being and motivate him.

- Ace's baby. Ace is the only member he doesn't mind getting babied by. Though, Ace has a peculiar method of babying that Jisung really doesn't mind.

- Always claims that he's Ace's favorite.

- Ace really supports him and constantly compliments his dancing. Ace has even done multiple challenges with Jisung, and learned numerous choreographies just to join and support Jisung in his covers and dance videos. Something Jisung is aware of and grateful for.

- Jisung always seeks Ace out whenever he doesn't understand something. At some point, Ace had even helped him with his classwork.