“   POUND IT INTO THE MARROW OF YOUR BONES  .    ”

rkkangjoon​: 

how envious to have someone watching him to throw the first ball. even if there was a chance for him to do the same in some future, things would be actually never the same for kang joon. there was no father who could see him doing well in his career and the thought alone made him miserable. not that he wanted to disturb anyone’s good mood with it, when it was such an exciting day today. and that’s probably one of the reasons to play it off and to make the best out of a bad job.

“is that so?” he asks, blinking away his own train of thoughts. cackling a little at the other’s reaction and the way he froze at kang joon’s suggestion, the older man shrugged his shoulders. it should be obvious that he was joking as usual, but that was their daily game of dog and cat. “dunno, don’t you think it would be nice to have some kind of ritual or tradition to follow before stages? spices things up a little.” their new life as idols was different from the chapters of training, and yet he couldn’t say there was more freedom to it. in fact it was on the contrary. teasing and not taking things too seriously was one of the few ways out. at least from kang joon’s point of view.

shrugging his shoulders again, he crossed his arms behind his head, wandering off a little, before coming back to joong. “well, yeah. you did, but who knows if you might not be opposed to the idea of getting a little kisses from me, when i ask you every time.” he laughs a little, when the other member wondered about the timing of his suggestion. “i just felt like it. you look so cool and handsome today, so i just went with the flow~”

as much as hongjoong may skirt around it, he noticed the flash of jealousy in kangjoon’s eyes.  maybe it’s because of their talk from before, that night when his nightmare had kangjoon jolting awake in a cold sweat and even startling hongjoong when he awoke.  but he figures he should tread carefully now, so as not to upset him.  that’s the last thing he’d want to do, especially for something like this.

so it’s with ease that hongjoong eases past the topic of conversation, instead focusing on kangjoon’s  -  once again  -  ridiculous suggestion.  it’s with a little bit of guilt in his heart that he does so, because he wants to be happy to show off in front of his father but bringing that up in front of kangjoon feels a little bit like betrayal.  in this case, he’d rather not cause more harm than good, and keeps a smile wide on his face.  enough for kangjoon not to notice his train of thought.  “ we can have some kind of ritual that doesn’t involve you kissing me.” he snorts, shaking his head.  it seems that kangjoon will never learn.

he too, settles back as kangjoon does, his eyes staring out at the field.  “ i think you’re imagining things that you shouldn’t be.” hongjoong drawls, rolling his eyes with a heavy sigh.  “ i know i’m pretty and you must be in love with me and everything, but i’m pretty sure there’s something else that we could do that’s a little more tame.”

rkkangjoon​: 

the steps that are about to lead him out of the room, out of the darkness of the nigh, are heavy, heavier than usually were. there was no way to tell how hongjoong would react to his explanation, to his story and part of him felt like running away. back then, it’s been revealed to the public through an interview during the mgas, but he doubted anyone remembered it. it’s a story that was both tragic and traumatizing to him and yet he didn’t wanted to personify a sad boy. something he didn’t actually wanted to burden his members with, but then again he guessed it was better if at least one of them knew the reason of why he possibly act out of it.

silently he follows the younger man, not replying to joong’s observation. what was he even supposed to answer? it was not like anyone could help him get over his past. it would always haunt him, would always remain a scar on his soul. kang joon looks from watching his steps in the dark and musters the other’s back. it was a sight he didn’t liked to much, as it remembered him of being left behind. far too often he had gone through this feeling and the nightmare had just served as reminder of what he feared the most. now that he finally had gotten back on track and had successfully made a big step towards his dreams, he could also feel it slip away from his hands. what if he would be abandoned and thrown out of de:code someday, what if royal decided that he was just too old and not talented enough to stay in the current line up? what if he would be alone all over again?

he picks up his keys and his purse, before stepping out of their front door. as they are greeted by a fresh night breeze, kang joon breathes in deeply. "hey, let’s get some soju. i need some right now.” amber-coloured eyes look over to the younger man and he let his gaze linger for a moment, as he points to a nearby streetfood stall. “and i think i owe you an explanation.”

kangjoon is definitely having a rough night, aside from the nightmare.  hongjoong can tell in the way that he follows him quietly  -  how he isn’t close and in his personal space.  it’s a big warning sign, that something is really wrong and that kangjoon is having a lot more trouble than he’d probably let onto.  it’s not something that hongjoong wants to press either, preferring instead to let the older man confess his worries as he saw fit.  if he wanted to talk about it, he would.  if he didn’t, he was still allowed to keep it to himself.

he shuffles around and looks for his phone and his keys before slipping on a pair of slides to head out into the night air.  it’s still warm enough that he won’t feel chilled by his tee and his shorts, so he keeps his pace slow and waits for kangjoon to either catch up to him or follow as he pleases.

hongjoong stays quiet as he shuffles along.  he’s the first out of the door, yawning loudly and rubbing at his eye as he looks up at the sky.  he’s not sure what time it is, but it’s not like hongjoong usually has a lot of sleep to function on anyway.  tomorrow will actually be rather normal.  he stumbles on at a leisurely pace, at least until he hears kangjoon speak up.  turning his head, he sees him pointing somewhere and hongjoong’s eyes catch a food stall.  “ sure.  we can’t drink a lot though, we have schedules in the morning.” he pats kangjoon’s shoulder.  “ and you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.”

there are times when hongjoong just likes to chill in the quiet of the dorm room when his roommates are out doing their own thing.  it’s comforting, because most of the time privacy is a thing hard earned when it comes to a dorm shared by eight other people.  it’s not that he minds living in the dorms because of that  -  and truthfullly, hongjoong has lived in a house with a lot of other family members before.  it’s just that sometimes, he just wants some peace and quiet to think his own thoughts.

that’s why he’s laying face down in his bed, his own music playing loud through the headphones that are on his head.  it’s comforting, it makes him feel cradled and comforted and sometimes, in moments like these where he wants the peace and quiet but still misses a place that feels a little more like home, it makes him feel a little better.

he almost misses the hesitant knock that comes at the door because it’s just so faint.  shy, even  -  nervous.  it’s not like seonho’s usual bright and bubbly energy at all.

pulling the headphones from his head, he waits a moment for the knock to come again but instead hears seonho’s voice through the door.  swinging his legs from the bed and slipping his feet onto the cool floor, he makes his way over to pull it open with a tilt of his head.  “ you called me?” he asks, raising a brow  -  but upon seeing the same hesitance, the same anxiety that sounded with seonho’s knock written on his expression, hongjoong frowns.  “ is everything okay?”

nightly blues

@rkhongjoong

it’s the day before their weekly idol schedule and seonho has been on his toes all day. something about the schedule was making his nerves dance and the teen hadn’t been able to settle once. even extra practice that evening hadn’t helped. he was still walking about the dorm room, trying to burn off excess energy brought on by his nerves. he really didn’t want this to end up being another night where he struggles to sleep. after all, it would be important for him to be awake and ready tomorrow–he wouldn’t want to embarrass the group or even ruin their image by messing up. 

his chest felt tight as he paced from the kitchen area to his room for roughly the seventh time in the last hour. for a moment he considered going to talk to baekhyun but the leader has enough to worry about as it is and seonho didn’t want to add to that by coming to him with his silly anxieties. 

his roommates were spending time together watching something, and again he hadn’t wanted to bother them. it was kind of coming down to the fact his own nerves were making him revert back to being unable to reach out–which he knows isn’t good. 

no.. no he would need to suck it up and go to one of his hyungs. 

it’s how the teen found himself hovering almost pitifully in the doorway to the oldest trio’s room. his hands wringing together in front of him as he debated on how to start. should he knock? announce himself formally?  “hongjoong hyung…?” he ends up almost whispering before realizing he was being too quiet and tried again in a bit more confident level. 

he’s practically glowing when they get back to the dorms.

the pitch was a success, and the minute that the game ended, he got a text from his dad raving about his pitch.  it’s something that hongjoong always wanted to hear; to be the apple of his father’s eye at least once.  he keeps his phone glued to his hand as he’s texting his dad, talking about decode’s performance and how his father was telling anyone who would listen that his son threw the first pitch and nailed it.

it’s like this that he doesn’t notice minho as he’s coming out of the shower, too engrossed in his phone and the conversation to recognize that it’s almost his turn to wash away the sweat and the grime from the day.  he only lifts his head when he hears a vague question, brows knitted together.  scary?

minho’s cheeks turn a bright pink, and hongjoong’s lips immediately curve into a teasing smile.  “ you’re cute when you blush, reno -yah ~~” he sings, putting his phone down for a minute.  “ i don’t think it was that bad.  there was some pressure, and ... i wanted to make my dad proud, but i think it was a lot of fun.  why, do you want to try a pitch next time?”

mindless,

@rkhongjoong

the baseball game schedule had been exciting, something new to add to their repertoire of appearances in the first year of their debut. while minho doesn’t really enjoy sports, he did enjoy himself during their time there. the performances were fine, if not a bit awkward, and hongjoong’s pitch was pretty cool. it looked a little daunting from where they were watching, a bit too much for minho ever to try– but hongjoong looked like he was enjoying himself. minho’s just left the shower, and he’s rubbing the towel on the ends of his hair, watching the blue tone to it slowly begin to fade out with each wash. stepping out of the hallway and into the open room, he glances over and sees one of the other boys. he pauses, recognition settling. “oh, hyung,” he calls out, and before he can give any context to his question he blurts out. “was it scary?” the question is abrupt, and minho’s quick to blush immediately after. clearing his throat, he looks away and rubs the towel into the side of his neck sheepishly. “i. uh, mean– the pitch, at the game. was it…ah…it just looked like a lot…” he mumbles, thoroughly embarrassed at himself.

펜타곤 (PENTAGON) - 감이 오지 (Can You Feel It)

rkhyun​: 

Hyun’s smile immediately gets wider when he sees his best friend come into view, rather glad at he’s able to steal him away from the mundane passage of time that occurs in music show waiting rooms before recording happens. To be honest, it also saves himself from the similar bore of doing … not much, really. Sometimes games can be had in the CONVEX space, but if they can’t sleep, what is the point?

“Aaah~ Sorry~ The portal through to here from Dream World had a bit of traffic and my winged horse broke down so I’m a bit late~” Jonghyun explains casually, glancing around to make sure they’re not in the way of anyone while they’re standing in the hallway here, chatting. He then turns his gaze properly to Hongjoong, taking in his outfit and styling for tonight’s performance. The choices are bold, and give off a bit of a sultry, mature vibe. Hyun is envious.

“You look so sexy for today’s performance, Joong~ I kind of wish we had your stylists. You get to wear such bold stuff.” He looks down at his own outfit today, which is mainly a white shirt and dark slacks; he has to try to not spill anything on his shirt between now and performance time. “Are you allowed to eat? Lemme buy you a sandwich~”

hyun’s appearance is timely.  he’s been getting less sleep than usual these days, especially with the exhaustion of promotions and the near daily long days that usually don’t end with him slumping into bed but rather, waiting up for others to take a shower or being too wound up to sleep.  if he dozed off, he would have been in trouble.  thankfully, hyun saved him from that scolding.

“ who do you think you’re talking to?” hongjoong snorts, waving him off.  “ you can knock it off with the god hyun act, i think you’ve forgotten i know what you look like when you haven’t taken a bath in three days.” hongjoong pauses when hyun gives him the once over, looking down at his own clothes.  “ my clothes wouldn’t suit you ..” he mumbles, lifting his gaze to grin back at hyun.  “ they’re made for me ~~ besides, convex doesn’t have this kind of concept.  you’re fresh and bright, remember?”

he looks around the crowded hall, and nods his head.  “ yeah, i’m allowed.  we can’t go anywhere, though  -”  but then, realization dawns.  “ ... you’re not going to put anything weird in my food, are you?”

     ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━        M!COUNTDOWN, ENDING STAGE  .        ━━━

it’s oddly not that difficult to train his eyes to catch the camera.  

at this point, hongjoong knows all too well that de:code won’t be getting their first win with can you feel it.  it doesn’t really hurt his feelings; they managed to come far and place second on a music show and for him, that’s growth.  the ending stages of music shows still hold meaning  -  just because they aren’t in the limelight while the top contenders for the win are announced, doesn’t mean that the cameras aren’t on them.  today, hongjoong’s expression is just for the fans  -  at least, until he hears that convex has had their third win with don’t wanna cry.

his attention immediately turns to the group and he can’t help the smile that radiates from his expression.  hyun looks baffled this time, and hongjoong has to hold a snort back.  at this point, it should be expected  -  convex is rather popular, and don’t wanna cry is an amazing song.  what it must feel like to win.  

as the song begins to play, marking the beginning of convex’s encore, hongjoong makes a move to follow the rest of de:code off the stage.  he isn’t expecting, though, the tug on his arm and he almost trips over his own feet when he looks at hyun incredulously.  hongjoong knows he probably shouldn’t ask him what the hell he’s doing, but being dragged back to the stage is more than a little confusing.

he decides to go with it.

after all, they finally got to a point in both of their careers that they can actually stand on the same stage together  -  even if it’s not as part of the same group.  they can both have a little fun, can’t they? hongjoong doesn’t think there’s any harm in it.

when the note marking the point dance sounds, he falls in line with hyun to dance along to their choreography.  he’s been fascinated by the complicated motions and the way they stay in sync, and he’s even more surprised that he’s actually keeping up with the others in spite of never practicing with them to begin with.  hyun looks surprised  -  probably an act, considering he knows hongjoong’s dancing history.  he sticks his tongue out and bites down on it gently, as if he’s the winner of this little challenge.

part of him wonders if he should stay, but hyun doesn’t let him leave, even when they’re no longer dancing.  he keeps his arm locked tight around hongjoong’s shoulders, and hongjoong just sways in time with hyun’s beat.  this is what they’ve been working towards.  this is how far they’ve come.

it makes his heart swell.

                    ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━        FIRST PITCH  .        ━━━

there’s more riding on this pitch than just potential embarrassment in front of his fans.

when he heard about the opportunity, the first thing he did was text his father to check on his schedule.  he didn’t let on about his opportunity, wanting his dad instead to be surprised when he realized it was his son throwing the first pitch of the evening.  hongjoong wanted him to be proud that he was popular enough to even make it there, he wanted him to be proud when he saw him pitch and perform and announce his own son’s name at the game.

it’s not just his pride as an idol on the line, riding on this pitch.  it’s his pride as a son, too.

thankfully, hongjoong doesn’t find himself too nervous.  after all, his father basically made him hold a baseball the minute he could even grip his hand around one and although the sport wasn’t really his thing  -  throwing the ball was something he got pretty good at.  especially because it was a way for him to spend time with his dad, when he was often working with his older sister instead.

today, he just wants to make him proud.  today, he wants to know that his father is sitting in the commentator’s box with his voice swelling with pride for the son he saw on the field.  hongjoong isn’t exactly blind.  he knows that his father would have wanted at least one of his kids to play baseball.

it’s something that he always felt bad about.

when he’s on the mound, he stares down the line at the umpire and the catcher, eyes narrowed in concentration.  from this point, the distance seems long but hongjoong has at least a little bit of confidence in himself.  he’s his father’s son, after all.  he always said his dad was the best at baseball  -  for a minute, he can be, too.  at least enough to throw a pitch.

with that thought, he winds up with a deep breath.  the posture seems familiar and as the ball releases from his fingers, he wills it to reach the catcher’s mitt.  the crack of the leather tells him that he’s done it, and his eyes immediately find the commentator’s box above the stands.

it’s a wide smile that he greets his father with.  be proud of me too, dad.

                   ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━        NOX SOLO VLIVE  .        ━━━

his vlive this time seems to be going well.  “ mm .. what?”  his eyes scan the comments quickly, tilting his head.  “ what do you mean there’s someone behind me?” hongjoong pretends to play along, eyes wide as he turns his head from one side to the other, but he gives away his lack of fear when he starts to laugh with a too - wide grin.  “ are you playing tricks on me? you know i don’t scare easily ...”  his smile turns mischievous and the comments are coming at a faster rate.  “ you’re going to have to try a little harder than that.”

playing around with the fans like this just because he has a little bit of spare time is exhilarating.  it’s nice to be able to just talk, to answer questions, to be the idol that they want him to be.  “ show you my nails?” his eyes pick up on a question, and he lifts up his pinkie.  that’s all he has painted for today, an orange that matches the colour of his hair.  “ what do you think -?”

the comments are all so rapid fire though, that hongjoong can’t realistically keep up with everything.  especially not when he wants to talk on his own, aside from picking out some fan requests and questions.  today, he puts on music and it just so happens that someone else asked him what he’s listening to lately.  “ i really like don’t wanna cry lately ~~” he hums along with the beat and at one particular part, he drops to his knees on the floor and does the complicated searching motion with his hands.  “ did you know? hyun told me that he calls this the ‘ searching for glasses’ move -” at this, hongjoong laughs, brushing his hand through his hair as he stands back up with a little hop.  “ oh.  yeah, hyun and i have been best friends for years -”

when the questions start taking a turn, hongjoong wags his finger.  “ hey, hey.  i can’t tell you all my secrets  -  let’s get to know each other slowly, okay?”

after all, de:code and their fans  -  they’re bound to be together for a long time.

he didn’t have a chance to look for his dad before the opening performance, and that disappointed him a little.  but there would be plenty of time to go and find him after the pitch, considering it was him that was commentating the game after all.  when hongjoong heard that he’d have a chance to pitch for the upcoming game, he immediately checked to see if his father would be the one commentating and sure enough  -  he was.  in this moment, he has one chance to make his father proud.

knowing that his dad used to play baseball when he was younger actually led to all of his kids getting some kind of baseball practice in as they were growing up  -  it was a kind of bonding thing.  hongjoong wasn’t really great at any aspect of baseball, but playing catch and throwing a ball as a pitch was at least something he was comfortable with.  he’s caught up in his thoughts and the past, so much so that he doesn’t even notice kangjoon’s staring.

at least, not until he nudges him.  hongjoong shakes his head and the nostalgia away, blinking up at the older member and frowning.  “ other than that, i have other things to think about ~” hongjoong hums, only to freeze when he hears kangjoon’s ... suggestion.  “ what do you mean tradition? i already told you not to kiss me anymore.” hongjoong’s tongue clicks and he gives kangjoon a look of reproach.  “ you didn’t ask me this before our comeback stage so why now?”

.pitcher

@rkhongjoong

how exciting. getting to attend a baseball match for their promotions. of course, kang joon was aware that they were there for work, but he couldn’t help but being excited about being a part of a sports game. at least entertainment wise. activity wise would have been a different story, though who knows if they might have a chance to be players in the future sometime. for the public eye they were to perform their new song “can you feel it?” as well as their debut song “gorilla” and while he was glad to finally be on stage again, his mind was drifting away.

squinting at hongjoong, he mustered the younger male for a moment, as they were preparing for the upcoming stage. the match didn’t start yet, but after hearing how nox would have the honor to throw the first pitch, he felt slightly envious. that was really cool and it somehow fit the other.

with a grin, he came up to his fellow group member and nudged his side slightly. “hey, here we are again, waiting for our stage, huh?” he came closer to whisper into the other man’s ear. “how about it? shall we make the thing a tradition before going onstage? does our lovely pitcher want a little smooch, before he throws the first ball?”

190730 x Illusion x Hongjoong

the fact that he gets to promote with hyun this time around is a surprise and a brilliant one at that.  when he first started seeing the promotions come out for don't wanna cry, knowing that soon he'd get to see hyun on a stage and standing beside him at the end of it made hongjoong feel something more than joy.  it's been so long since he's gotten to see his best friend last.  

it's the long break during inkigayo backstage hours, waiting for the show to air so that de:code can perform.  they've already gone around and greeted their seniors, so there's really nothing much more to do than wait until showtime.  it's boring  -  part of him wishes he could sleep, or escape.  maybe he'd even see hyun if he could.  that would be the dream.

it's not until he hears a familiar voice at the door of their waiting room that hongjoong perks up considerably.  he can see hyun's body through the crack and his smiling face peeking through, and hongjoong can't help but raise a brow when he says that they've made a promise.  after all, they've made no such thing but he's no stranger to hyun's little white lies and mischief  -  often, he's a key player in all of it.  when his manager turns to face him, hongjoong grins and puts his hands together in a pleading gesture.  " i won't get into any trouble.  promise, hyung!"  and with his permission, he slips out through the crack in the door to look up at his best friend.  

" took you long enough."

▲ just a sandwich, i promise

c l o s e d  s t a r t e r  for @rkhongjoong ; dated 09/13 SBS Inkigayo 

Overlapping promotions? Oh, yes, thank you Samsung managers– or would it be just the Royal and Sphere staff? A spiritual higher power? Fate? Either way, Hyun had been looking forward to be able to promote alongside Hongjoong and it was just another plus of the comeback this time around.

He had to admit, he was a bit envious of how ‘swaggy’ and powerful DE:CODE’s ‘Can You Feel It’ is; not to say that CONVEX doesn’t have some strong beats to their songs, but there was just a different vibe to DE:CODE’s song that Hyun wanted to try one day. It didn’t mean he would necessarily be able to pull it off, but it just seemed so … cool. All the more that it suited Hongjoong, though. In Hyun’s eyes, he’d always had that cool charisma that made it easy for people to fall for his charms.

“Hello~? Excuse me~?” Hyun says at the door of DE:CODE’s waiting room, politely greeting whoever has answered, as his eyes glance through the gap, trying to spot his friend. “Oh! Hello~ I’m Hyun~ From CONVEX~ Ah– Nice to meet you~ Is– By any chance is Hongjoong around~ I just want to treat him to lunch~ I promised him, you see~” Did he make a promise? Maybe, or maybe it’s a bit of a white lie; he’s hoping it makes it more convincing for him to steal Joong for a bit.

* // [ NEWS ] DE:CODE PERFORM ON BASEBALL GROUND AND NOX THROWS FIRST PITCH

Those watching baseball on September 13 were surprised by DE:CODE’s explosive performance of two of their songs including newest title track ’CAN YOU FEEL IT?’ and their debut song ’GORILLA’ before the game. The group’s lead rapper NOX had the honor to throw the ceremonial opening pitch. They’re currently promoting their second mini-album ‘ENIGMA’.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS HERE ! // *

♦  DE:CODE 디코드 ‘Can You Feel It? (감이 오지)’ M/V

royalTV Published on Sep 1, 2020 0:00 - 3:26

DE:CODE 디코드 'Can You Feel It? (감이 오지)’ M/V CODE:GO 2020.09.01 TUE 6PM (KST) Available on Spotify, iTunes, and Apple Music Copyrights 2020 ⓒ Royal Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

This video is uploaded to Royal Entertainment’s official YouTube page at 6PM on September 1st.

           [ ♦︎ ] DE:CODE (디코드)  “ENIGMA”  

                                        available in stores now! …                                                     the hotly anticipated second mini album!

                            ↱         track listing                                          ♦︎  01. New World                                          ♦︎  02. Can You Feel It? (감이 오지)                                          ♦︎  03. Engine                                          ♦︎  04. Organic Song (귀 좀 막아줘)                                          ♦︎  05. You Are                                          ↲ 

                Details:                 This edition comes with 1 random CD (out of 9), a 120-page                 photobook, 1 random photocard (out of 18) and 1 optional                 group poster (out of 1).

                                        Release Date: 2020-09-01                                         Language: Korean                                         Disc Format(s): CD                                         Publisher: Royal Entertainment

                                                                                                   …  buy yours today!

             <   /  code_nox    >           can you feel it ~~~? it was a surprise to see de:code              as number two next to some of our sunbaes ..! thank you to our fans who made              it happen and congratulations to berrygood sunbaenim! #decode #canyoufeelit              excited for the next stage! 👽🛸