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[wonhuihonwuiii]

shades of gray – xu minghao

I was an aspiring artist, criticized by folks for the neutral shades that tinted my canvas.

My vision was rendered useless because it only saw the dark gray clouds that filled up the sky in the afternoons of July. 

It was an image that could be painted even in my deepest slumber. An image that triggered an eerie feeling for most but a tranquilizing one for myself.

But could it have been helped? 

For art is a mere expression of man’s emotion. 

For art varies in the eyes of the beholder. 

It was always an analysis of how my creative vision is represented by gray.

Never a synthesis of the combinations of colors that stained my canvas with various shades of gray.

The focal point, always being on the canvas. Never in the process, never the inspiration. 

So it came as a shock when a man, seeming to be the embodiment of artistry, halted in front of the empty space filled only by myself and my piece. 

For once, my entirety seemed to be subject to questioning – the idea, the experience, the emotion.

“I see no black or white. Why?” He spoke with a gaze that mirrored my soul, with a tone as warm as the morning breeze but as cold as the evening wind.

Caught off guard, I awaited his response to my vague one.

“An artist like yourself would have her life story aligned with such a creative masterpiece” He spoke softly, with an eyebrow raised as he examined the imagery on the canvas. 

“On second thought, I’d like to answer my own question,” he continued, his gaze lingering on the canvas. “Neither white nor black can encapsulate the entirety of human existence. Life is a spectrum of colors, a blend that unifies shades to produce gray.”

“With each stroke, you’ve captured not just an image, but the shared complexities of the essence of humanity. Your art doesn’t seek perfection. It seeks to find beauty in imperfection and vulnerability. You aren’t expressing sadness nor fear but a balance between the whiteness and blackness of life.” He ended, as if certain of his statement.

In awe, I realized that all it took for him was a glance at the art and myself to understand the grayness that filled the canvas.

He saw my art beyond the sadness labeled by my peers. 

I was grateful for the lack of pity or fear in his eyes. They were almost empty, and I was glad. 

I was glad because I sought not to be saved.

“How are you so certain?” I questioned.

But he need not respond, for in a similar manner that I sought not to be saved but to be understood, I finally understood. 

That he too, was a shade of gray. 

[wonhuihonwuiii]

lantern night — yoon jeonghan

SYNOPSIS: On a night festive with lanterns, Jeonghan and Emeiko felt the pull of flickering lights and intertwining hearts. How will their encounter unfold under the mesmerizing spell of the lantern-lit night?

PAIRING: yoon jeonghan x oc au

WORD COUNT: 1.6k

The moment we set foot on the open grounds, my friends released breaths of amazement. 

“It’s so beautiful,” Vernon spoke softly.

“Wait until the lanterns are lit up later,” I replied with a soft smile on my face.

No other words were exchanged between us, as my friends breathlessly took in the view.

“Should we go buy our lanterns now?” Seungkwan broke the silence.

We all nodded and headed in the direction of the store. 

As someone who had grown relatively familiar with the lantern festival, I let my friends buy their respective lanterns first, making me the last in line. 

However, I failed to take notice of the growing flock just beside me. The next thing I knew, I was alone, separated from my friends.

I took out my phone and attempted to make a call but as expected, there was no signal in such a hidden place. 

So I had to resort to bringing my friends back together only through my wandering eyes and booming voice. 

Suddenly, I was on a venture, admiring the lanterns everyone seemed to have held dearly.

As if entranced by the harmonious aura, the task of finding my friends had been long forgotten. Instead, I made my way around the swarm of people, gripping my light source tightly.

It seemed to have been an effective tactic. 

Not until I felt a tug, urging me to halt.

Not until I caught sight of the strings of my lantern entangled with that of another. 

I pulled, expecting the small action to do the job of untangling my strings with the stranger. 

Yet I was faced with a slight force in my direction. I finally faced the man who I had been pulling strings with.

To my surprise, he was already looking at me.

The man, who could easily be described as good-looking, seemed to embody what I would imagine an angel to resemble. 

Even with the tired glint in his eyes, no one could deny the beauty he possessed. 

I was snapped out of my trance when a voice spoke. “Do you want to?” He said while motioning to our tangled strings.

No other words were needed because we both knew that it took effort from both of us to set free of our lanterns. 

So we did.

Amid the crowd, there stood 2 strangers, untying unintentionally made knots in complete silence. 

After what felt like hours, the task was finally done. It was just in time for releasing the lanterns.

I was about to give my thank you but the loud bell overpowered my small voice. 

Midnight.

I unknowingly had a smile on my face but just when I was about to set my lantern free, its strings snapped before I could even light it. 

I released a small breath of disappointment, thinking about how nothing seemed to be going right tonight. 

Not only did I lose my friends in the crowd but I no longer had time to even go back in store for a new lantern.

I may have not been doing a good job of hiding my disappointment because I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder.

It was the stranger next to me, who had previously entangled his lantern strings with mine. 

He motioned to his own as if he were offering the now-lit lantern to me. 

I gave him a raised eyebrow, to which he responded with a slight nod. 

“Are you sure?” I asked softly and he nodded back.

So I took the lantern from his hold, looking at the light source in admiration. 

No longer wanting to waste any more time, I pulled the strings of the lantern, releasing it into the night sky. 

We were yet again faced with utter silence, both of us admiring the now-bright sky.

Similar to the previous years, I was having the time of my life. Everyone was. Or I at least thought so. 

If only I had not looked in the direction of my companion tonight at that exact moment, I would have missed the sad glint in his eyes.

It was gone as soon as it arrived.

It made me wonder what made him appear so gloomy on such a festive night.

I wanted to ask however before I could even find my voice to speak, he beat me to it.

“I proposed to my girlfriend of 3 years tonight. You could only guess what her response was.” He laughed bitterly. 

I had no words to say so I was glad when he spoke again. “It was a dream we both had to attend the Lantern Festival together. Every year we would try but something would always get in the way. 3 years later, we’re finally here.”

“You could quit pretending, you know?” I spoke softly.

He seemed taken aback by my words, “Excuse me?”

“Never been rejected nor have I turned a proposal down so I might not know exactly what you’re going through but I’m sure it hurts like hell.” Despite looking at the lanterns above, I could feel his eyes flicker in my direction with what I assumed to be filled with amusement.

“You don’t have to keep smiling to show that you’re okay when you aren’t,” I concluded. 

From my peripheral, I could see him shake his head lightly, as he looked at the sky too. “Wouldn’t that be unfair though? Everyone here waited months for this beautiful experience. Seeing someone sad would ruin the moment for them.”

I released a sigh. “Doesn’t that make things unfair for you as well? You were rejected by someone who you envisioned the future with yet you couldn’t even express how you truly feel.”

It was silent for what almost felt like forever until I heard his soft voice again.

“I was about to take my leave though.”

“Hmm?” I asked, my eyes still stuck to the lanterns. 

He spoke. “I was rushing because I no longer wanted to be here by midnight. It felt wrong for sadness to fill up my heart when everyone here is having the time of their lives.”

He kept going. “There’s just something so romantic about being in a lantern festival, you know? From having to personally pick out your lanterns together to lighting and eventually releasing our flickers of hope into the night sky. 

And then, you watch it join the countless others, dancing in light and shadow. It may sound selfish but I refuse to go through that alone when my intention for even being here was to tie strings with her. 

The experience just sounds so magical that pushing through with it today seems inappropriate. Its glow is a reminder of the love that once illuminated our lives.” He said so softly that I could quite literally hear both the love and sadness laced in his voice. 

“I beg to differ,” I responded, making brief eye contact with a slight smile.

“What?” He asked, with a raised brow.

I diverted my attention back to the lanterns before speaking again. “I see why one can easily attribute the Lantern Festival to a sense of union between two lovers but it isn’t all about that. 

Its gentle glow brings comfort and solace to the loneliest souls. It’s a reminder that a flicker of warmth can always be found, even in the coldest of nights. 

As you release your lantern into the night sky, it feels like letting fragments of yourself free, releasing your worries, fears, and doubts into the vast expanse above.” I ended, just when our lanterns were no longer within birds-eye view.

He chuckled a bit. “That’s quite a unique perspective to have, considering how we’re mostly surrounded by couples.”

“Are we? Or is it because you’ve only made yourself aware of the couples around and not the lost souls?” I asked finally making eye contact with the stranger while motioning to the many solo goers around us. 

I released another sigh. “Look, I don’t want to seem like I’m intruding considering how you got your heart broken minutes ago but my only point is that it’s okay to be a lonely lost soul. Do you know why the festival begins at midnight? Because people see it as some sort of time reset. An opportunity to start anew.”

It was silent for a few minutes until he spoke again. “I can’t. It’s too early for that. I gave you my lantern not just because yours broke but because I’m not ready to let mine go.”

That’s when it hit me. He didn’t release any lanterns tonight. 

I looked him in the eye again. “Then keep coming back. Until you’re ready to cast your lantern – whether it be with a significant other or alone. But for now, think of tonight as a starting point for your healing journey from the things you choose not to talk about.”

How are you so certain that there are things I hide about myself?” He asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“You just don’t seem like the sharing type.” I shrugged.

“How are you sure? You don’t know me.” He spoke defensively.

“I don’t but your eyes speak a thousand emotions.” I said finally making eye contact again

“You don’t have to worry. What was shared tonight stays here. It isn’t like we’ll cross paths ever again, right? It was nice talking to you, stranger.” I gave him a warm smile and proceeded to make my leave, finally catching sight of my friends.

“Wait! What’s your name?” He shouted.

I looked at his curious gaze and gave a small shrug before proceeding to walk away.

What a night.

[wonhuihonwuiii]

jun + jeonghan pairing (junhan)

As mentioned in my juncheol analysis, I've STILL been seeing ppl talk bad about jun's relationship with the members so here's a quick analysis to show his dynamic with each, specifically junhan!

I feel like this pairing isn’t a rare sight to see because they actually often sit close to one another (whether intentional or not) so interactions are kinda inevitable.

BUT even so, I feel like this isn’t a popular ship because most of their interactions (similar to nearly all jun pairings) are very lowkey.

Ok so now to start, I feel the need to point out that while Jeonghan is one of the members close to EVERYONE, there’s still something so refreshing about this duo. It isn’t as chaotic as the typical seventeen pairing you’d probably expect but instead, they’re both very soft for each other!

For example, Jeonghan is SO supportive of Jun, hyping him up every chance he gets. (Insert clips of jh saying “baksu” everytime jun says or does literally ANYTHING HUHU cuties) 

Jeonghan is also naturally clingy but I still find it so adorable when he clings onto Jun. (It’s usually jh grabbing jun’s arm or leaning on his shoulders) Mostly because I feel like Jun tends to get awkward with physical touch NOT initiated by him so the fact that he lets Jeonghan be that clingy is so cute. It also seems like he doesn’t mind, showing how it’s a natural and regular occurrence.

Observing their other interactions, I also noticed how Jun would often go to Jeonghan when he’s curious about something. You would always catch them whispering whether in the background of some gose episodes or even in random concert clips. The fact that this is a recurring thing means that he trusts Jeonghan enough to respond well to whatever he has to say.

Jun also seems like the type to hesitate to ask for favors so when he asked Jeonghan to buy him a blanket in one of their content (either gose or in the soop sorry I don't remember) I WENT SOFT ON MY KNEES! It was just so nice seeing Jun ask Jeonghan with a soft voice and the latter responding the same way!

NOTE: I think it’s undeniable that Jeonghan is naturally reliable but I find it so wholesome when more quiet members like Jun express their gratitude because of how caring Jeonghan is. I find it so touching how Jun takes note of the little things and Jeonghan gets appreciated for being the members’ emotional support system.

In relation to this, the last point I’d like to make is when Jeonghan acts like a younger brother to Jun! This is particularly important to me because as we all know, Jun was like Seventeen’s “mother” before Jeonghan came so it’s nice to see Jun take care of the former for a change! Here are specific moments:

Do you remember that vlive where Jeonghan shared a story about jokingly (?) asking Jun to buy him a lego set? Jh wasn’t really expecting anything since it was a bit expensive, but Jun still bought it for him the next day because his hyung wanted it.

There’s also a part in the dingo drinking video where Jun reminded Jeonghan to slow down/calm down a bit because his arm injury wasn’t fully healed at the time.

Jeonghan also shared that Jun would NOT move an inch if you lay on his lap no matter how uncomfortable he may feel.

Idk about you but these give such big brother energy AND I LIVE FOR IT!

Overall, I love how even though they’re both known as the pranksters of svt, their relationship is actually very soft and they get along really well!

[wonhuihonwuiii]

jun and cheol pairing (juncheol)

I've STILL been seeing ppl talk bad about jun's relationship with the members so here's a quick analysis to show his dynamic with each, starting off with juncheol!

I feel like the first thought would be: are they even aware of each other’s existence? HAHA 

BUT then again, as the leader, Cheol does such a wonderful job of maintaining a close relationship with ALL members.

I think Cheol sees Jun as a younger brother whom he guides every once in a while but is generally independent (does this make sense)

In interviews for example, Cheol pays extra attention to Jun’s screen time by stopping members from talking every time Jun attempts to speak. He literally goes “shhh mode” to everyone to make sure that the attention is on Jun.

There is this particular clip of them that I absolutely love! I think it was Jun talking about his struggles as a foreigner and how he eventually saw a silver lining overtime. Then beside him, there was Cheol with the PROUDEST SMILE EVER. It’s just so touching to know that Cheol must be aware of what Jun had to endure and how much he has grown over the past couple of years. I feel like he makes his presence known for Jun through the little things because they both prefer keeping it that way. They’re close enough to be considered friends but then again, it is known to us that they aren’t each other’s first choice because we have jeonghan, joshua, mingyu for cheol and minghao, wonwoo, and joshua for jun and it’s completely NORMAL to have closer friends especially in a bigger group like Seventeen. 

I think instead, Jun respects Cheol A LOT as their leader. With that certain level of respect, you’d expect them to be a bit distant with each other but no! At the end of the day, they DO have interactions every once in a while and I’d say that while it’s lowkey, you never feel any tension or awkwardness. It’s just straight up WHOLESOME.

For example, there’s this clip of them wrestling and giggling in one of their GOSE episodes. It was funny because they weren’t even sure if they had any cameras on them, showing how natural the interaction was. Then in BETS Manila Day 1 and 2, they both gave each other piggyback rides during aju nice. Again, it doesn’t seem forced at all and kind of like a “spur of the moment” kind of interaction.

On the other hand, I also noticed that sometimes, Cheol does something silly and Jun just kinda lets him. I feel like in most cases, Jun would AT LEAST slap back but he tolerates it more if it’s their leader. (Insert clip of Cheol pouring water on Jun’s head and instead of seeking revenge, he just turns to the camera with a smile) 

Aside from their playful side, I also recently saw a clip of Jun comforting Cheol during caratland 2023 and the former also helping Cheol down the stairs as he was limping during follow again to Incheon. I don’t know about you but i love seeing the members take care of cheol for a change because it shows how their dynamic truly is. Just because Cheol is the oldest and their leader, doesn’t mean no one should look out for him. I just admire Jun’s subtle caring side regardless of how playful he is.

The last thing I’d like to mention would be the skinship between the two of them. Cheol is naturally clingy to the members so obviously Jun is no exception! It’s just super cute when they hug or when Cheol rests his hands on Jun’s legs. This is mostly because they seem like such an unlikely pair to engage in skinship but they do! Similar to most of their interactions, it also comes so naturally that Jun just lets Cheol because there are times that the former would restrain any form of physical contact with the members. (NOTE: compilation videos of Cheol grabbing Jun’s waist during world is my ABSOLUTE WEAKNESS)

Overall, I love their soft chaotic energy!