taking it slow | xu minghao

angst | 1.1k words | warnings: y/n gets a panic attack

an: and if i told you this was based off a dream i had a whole year ago?

These past few months had been an absolute mess for you. Missed deadlines, cracked phone, broken bag straps; you thought the world had already thrown its all at you. Clearly, you didn’t take into account your soulmate throwing himself at you too.

Ever since the day you bumped into Minghao at the train station– ever since the moment the offending red string materialised on your pinkies– it was like he was following you everywhere. The cafe? He was in line behind you. The grocery store? Minghao’s in the baking aisle, checking out a new brand of flour. In every encounter, he would try to approach you. The florist you work at? He was buying flowers for his mom (your heart melted a little at this- he was buying them just because). And in every encounter, you would try to run away.

Which was why you’re frustrated as to how he’s managed to corner you here: in an art gallery, in the middle of an exhibition. You were caged against the wall by Minghao as you were walking, hidden right behind a pair of potted plants.

(You find out later that he worked there. And that it was his exhibition that you were walking through. Of course, he works at the art gallery, you think.)

“Y/n, look at me.” Minghao’s hands grasped you by your shoulders. Head tilted, he tried to make eye contact, but your lowered head wasn’t doing much for him. He sighed. “Y/n, stop running away. You know you’ll have to face me sooner or later. Come on.”

You couldn’t. Looking at him meant you were accepting the fate that was destined for both of you. Soulmates?! The very thought of the universe forcing two strangers together for the rest of their lives made you feel queasy. Your commitment issues or lack thereof were quaking in their boots.

“Y/n,” his voice was softer this time. Gently, Minghao’s fingers cupped your chin in the warm embrace of his hand, his thumb caressing the soft curve beneath. With a tender touch, he lifted your chin, guiding your gaze upward. Your eyes met, yours already brimming with tears threatening to roll down anytime. It was a gesture so intimate and reassuring, as if he held not just your chin but also a delicate moment suspended in time.

He sighed as his thumb delicately swiped across your cheek. His touch, so warm and comforting that you had to fight the urge to lean into his palm. “Y/n,” he started once more.

“You’re important to me. I need you to know that.”

“You don’t even know me, Xu Minghao.”

“I know you like vanilla lattes. I know you prefer cats over dogs, and how you like lily of the valleys because they’re your birth flower.” The deadpan look on your face despite the dried streaks of tears elicited a small laugh from him. “I’ll take all the time in the world to get to know you. Please, Y/n. Can’t you see the red string on our hands?”

As if doused by cold water, you tore yourself away from his touch. Your eyes drifted down to where Minghao was referring to. Yes, that stupid red string was still connected to your hands. It had never disappeared, ever since you had first met Minghao all those months ago.

Of course, everyone has a soulmate; it wasn’t rare for people to meet their destined partner at all. However, that didn’t mean that all relationships the red string had helped to bind were happy ones. You’ve seen your fair share of people perpetually had their trust in their red strings of fate torn apart and broken. You didn’t want to put your all in a ‘destined’ relationship only for it to fall apart and ruin your life, just like all of theirs.

Anxiety gripped you like a relentless tide, each wave threatening to pull you under. Your breaths quickened, shallow and erratic, and your chest tightened with an overwhelming sense of dread. The world around you blurred as a suffocating sense of panic took hold.

“Hey, hey…” you didn’t notice when Minghao approached you again, but this time you let yourself melt in the comfort of his arms. His protective grip around you tightened as you felt yourself let go, slumping into his chest as sobs shook through your whole body. He continued holding you firmly, palms rubbing slow circles on your back as he whispered words of comfort in your ears.

Your fists clenched up against his chest, tears staining his carefully pressed shirt. Not that it mattered to him- comforting you was his top priority now. Minghao, ever loving, patted your hair, gentle whispers of “I’m right here,” and “it’s going to be okay,” every once in a while. It took you a while, but eventually, your sobs subsided into little hiccups and pants. Minghao looks down at you, using his sleeves to wipe away any more tears on your face. He couldn’t help himself; he chuckled a little upon seeing your pout. Even during a mental breakdown, you’re still the most precious thing in his eyes.

“S-sorry… I didn’t mean to…” Your hands betrayed your inner turmoil, fingers restlessly intertwining and then pulling away as if unable to find solace in each other's company. Minghao took it upon himself to separate them by intertwining his slender fingers with yours. “It’s okay. You’re fine. I’m right here.”

His thumb traced gentle circles on the back of your hand, a silent language of comfort and connection. Each gentle brush carried a whisper of comfort that was beyond words. The world outside vanished in that little instant, and the simple, tender gesture spoke volumes about the unspoken bond you clearly shared.

Minghao cleared his throat, catching your attention once again. “I’m aware… that you don’t like the whole idea of soulmates. I’m still interested in you, and I’d love to get to know you more. As friends! We don’t have to date if you don’t want to.

“I’m glad the red string brought you to me. I don’t think I’ll be able to live with myself if I let you go.” He chuckled, a pained expression despite the loving smile on his face. “What I’m trying to say is: I’ll take responsibility for everything. Please, Y/n. Trust me. Give me a chance. Don’t just push me away like this.”

Your silence was deafening to him. Still, Minghao waited patiently for you, rubbing slow circles on the back of your hands. You couldn’t phantom how someone could have so much love for a person they barely knew, yet Xu Minghao exceeded your expectations over and over again. You sighed, finally giving in to his puppy-dog eyes.

“Okay,” you breathed. “Friends first.”

He heaved a sigh of relief, heart already swelling with affection for you. He nodded.

“Friends first.”

hey, im blue-aiyu-ice!

› aiyu | not a minor | she/her/he/him (no preference) | istp › primarily boys planet + related (ggang team 4eva), but also a tdpa, mk1, and fe blog! › i am a huge fan of fire emblem too and love reblogging fanart of that! › i don't tolerate bp contestant hate.

writing + where to find my works!

› i do NOT write x reader fics. i'm on @zumblrnet! › i primarily write jeongjian (lee jeonghyeon x chen jianyu) › mostly write ggang team fics › mostly write AU centric works

my longfics/multichap works (in order of completion/release)

my oneshots (in order of release)

E, N, O, P, S, X, Z for vrains? 👀

Gosh thank you nonny for all these!!! ^^ let's goooooooooo vrains

E — Have you added anything cracky/ hilarious to your fandom? If so, what?

Hmmm other than my tags where I spazz out? There's that one fic where Ai poses as a writing A.I and writes smutty pm fics /wheeze and then a few more crack fics I haven't published dm for access :p (I am kidding tho do come talk to me if you wish)

N — Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

1. Silly Ryoken I love silly Ryoken give me more please!

2. Fem!aiyu

3. Textpost memes I don't care if there's a billion vrains textpost memes I love them so much give me more please!

O — Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?

I hit shuffle and better off this way by a day to remember came up

In general: Ryoken

In delusion: I can make this song be about s3 Ai @ Yu I can!!!

P — Invent a random AU for any fandom

Invent a random au huh . . . I'm not that creative but I have been thinking about a potential dark fairy tale aiyu au so let's start there

Hmmm how about an au involving dreams and parallel dimensions? I've recently played through dream mirrors lore in MD solo mode and I'm lowkey obsessed with them (as I was when they first came out) and a Yusaku who rules over a kingdom of light (maybe not rules over but close enough) dreams about a kingdom cloaked in shadow and darkness and for some reason the ruler of the darkness seems very interested in him . . . Eventually coming to a point where Yusaku can't tell where he's supposed to belong in the shadows with ai? Or in the light with kusanagi? (Damn I just realized this probably isn't as dark as I wanted it to be but oh well I'm uncreative anyways ^^)

S — Show us an example of your personal headcon

Oh! I answered this already but eh have another one

I like to think that Yusaku has a drive to be heroic but to be interested in people (boys) they gotta save him in some shape way or form and also have a similar background as him (similar enough to understand his pain)

X — A trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom.

I am such a sucker for someone who's willing to go to extremes for their beloved ones just a character who's extremely loyal to those they love I love that trope so much you have no idea qkdksjd

Z — Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go!

I've been thinking about how to me decode talker and firewall dragon look better when paired with yusaku instead of playmaker but their "evolved" forms darkfluid and accesscode talker match playmaker much better mostly because of darkfluids green on black design and accesscodes yellow on black sharp design (oh look there's purple on there too it seems like pm can't escape being paired with purple I wonder why . . . )

Also on the topic of monster cards I think it's neat how salamangreat is written in kanji just like how flames name is written!! It's very cute and if my memory serves me right there's just not a lot of vrains archetypes which do that (of course I could be wrong but I'll have to rewatch vrains to be certain) also fun fact "true" salamangreat monsters have kanji but salamangreat of fire is written purely in katakana possibly as a nod to its origins as an @ignister monster

Wait I just realized if this is what the question is asking? Oh well accept it please I love the card game as much as the anime so it's certainly fan-related 😂😂😂

💘tag game !!💘

my darlings @yoitssimonsnow and @jasonfunderberkerthefrogexists both tagged me in slightly different versions of this so i combined them!! (hope thats okay hehe) 

three ships: 

snowbaz (who could have guessed. honestly who.) 

lamen (always always always) 

cecilos (i am back on my wtnv bullshit bc me and my sister have a long commute to work/school in the morning so i got them hooked on it AND i got us tickets to the live show in may since my sisters bday is coming up!!! <3 im SO excited) 

first ship: CaptainSwan 😭(i was such a major once upon a time stan like. embarrassingly so jhabskfhdskjfh. colin o’donoghue in eyeliner STILL lives rent free in my brain smh) 

last movie: the train to busan sequel peninsula !! it totally rocked my world i fucking loved it ughghghjh

currently reading: Wolfsong by TJ Klune (fuck u @oyabun-draws it’s literally so good its rotting me from the inside out) and im reading No Flying In The House by Betty Brock to my preschoolers :)

currently watching: scrubs, kingdom, and dragula !! (i cannot fucking wait for the dragula season 4 tour in april im literally peeing my pants in excitement over it kjadhgdfj) 

currently consuming: silver ice pure zero rockstar (its grapefruit flavored bc grapefruit FUCKS) 

currently craving: peach punch bubble tea with salted cheese foam, boba, and aiyu jelly from one of my fave boba shops 😫 and also honey bbq chicken wings

fav color: slutty blue/green combos so like turquoise, aquamarine, teal, mint u know the deal

last song i listened to: fuck the world by brent faiyaz 

sweet, savory, or spicy: SWEET SWEET SWEET MMMMMMMMMM YUMMMMMM SUGARRRRRRRRR

working on: my dragonborn simon fic that u can read a snippet for here, a little thing for one of @shemakesmeforget’s artworks thats currently driving me crazy, a bunch of niche anime fics that infest the dark corners of my google docs, and a snowbaz toothpaste fic i started writing in my head like an hour ago

anyways i havent done a tag game in FOREVERRRRR and i literally just wanted to share useless information abt myself SO bad i guess. this was literally so fun im just gonna tag a bunch of ppl below !!! <3

tagging: @lifeasafail @bazypitchandsimonsnow @oyabun-draws @lovebread69 @adamarks @wunder-kin @motherscarf @sunorii @lotus-of-light @the-lincyclopedia @makedonsgriva @bahumdrum @dreamingkc @charleswatford @fight-surrender @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @otherpeoplesheartachept-2 @bazzybelle @mostlymaudlin @satsukii @the-onions-were-tomatos @dragoneggo @early-sxnsets @shemakesmeforget @tectonicduck  @pacey-bunce-loves-joey and LITERALLY anyone who lays eyes on this post. anyone im so serious i am so fucking serious if u want to play this super epic swag game than u should please do it and tag me❣️❣️

Winter Begonia episode 33 recap

The episode start with Lin Danqiu talking about finding what he thought was his family, wanting to turn his life around, but his crippling gambling debt prevented him from doing so. Aiyu told him everything would be alright, she would sell their ancestor’s estate and pay off his debts.  At that moment, he decided/realized that he was a Zeng, that Aiyu and him were blood sibling, as he received such a huge favor from the family he never knew.  That gave him motivation to protect his ‘sister’, to carry on the ancestral line and repay their kindness.  That is all fine and dandy, but that is not your family.  You are not blood, Rui Rui is.  He slaps himself upon the realization that he got his sister to debase herself for his sake, telling Rui Rui he is sorry.  

Er Ye arrives at the station looking for his bae.  He spots Zeng Aiyu and asks her if she saw Shang Lao Ban. She tells him that he went for a chat with her gege. She then tells him that Rui Rui told her about Fengyi’s situation.  She seems interesting in hearing about her daughter, but CFT tells her that he is raising the child, not to worry.  She tells him she is not worried, just curious. He tells her that he knows about her prejudice towards opera performers but the troupe would not neglect the baby, will raise her well, and that she will not always live there.  Probably wants to raise the baby with his wife until irresponsible baby Fan Lian grows up.  I vote for keeping the baby with her biological uncle since she is Rui Rui only link to his blood sibling.  OK, Er Ye pulls a picture of his wifey holding his niece and WHY THE FUCK DOES A STRAIGHT DUDE HAVE A PICTURE OF HIS SO-CALLED BROTHER IN HIS POCKET? Give me an explanation show!? He gives it to Aiyu as a keepsake to remind the baby by, and perhaps give her a keepsake of her real brother.  I don’t know, this is still a salient point for me.  The fact that Rui Rui and Danqiu look nothing alike, the fact that she can’t even recognize who her real brother is, bothers me. She looks at her daughter, half sad, half happy, calling the baby My Fengyi.  Sigh. I wish she could raise the child, but single moms back then were a huge no no.  Gone would have been her marriage prospect, her future.  Er Ye asks if she has a picture of herself so that he could show Fengyi that her mother was a beautiful woman. She grabs her purse and pulls a picture.  

Meanwhile, her two brothers comes out, looking disheveled. She asks what happened, looking angrily at Rui Rui asking if he hurt her fake brother.  Lin Danqiu tells her that he was clumsy and fell down the stairs. It’s a little white lie that has a lot of weight; it allows Zeng Aiyu to not leave with rancor in her heart for her real brother. She believes the lie, while Er Ye realizes the sacrifice his bae did in allowing Lin Danqiu to take his place as the eldest Zeng.  Lin Danqiu bids his adieu and they leave for the train.  Lin Danqiu pauses and gives a deep bow, probably of gratitude that he gets to have a life he never thought possible, due to Rui Rui’s sacrifice. Rui Rui calls out to his sister and tells her to take care of herself.  She smiles at him, oblivious of the emotion behind such a simple sentence.  My heart is in pain.  I can’t.  I just want Rui Rui to be happy, to be with his family. WELP. 

In the car, Er Ye tells Rui Rui he really thought his bae would beat Lin Danqiu to death.  Rui Rui replies it is against the law to beat him to death, it’s not worth it.  LOL, wait, since when do you care about such thing?!  He adds that besides, it wouldn’t be punishment enough. Er Ye asks how did he punish him, but Rui Rui remains mum. Er Ye pulls Zeng Aiyu’s picture and gives him to Rui Rui. Awwww, so he actually got the picture for his bae! He tells Rui Rui if he doesn’t tell him how he punished Lin Danqiu he won’t give him the picture. Yooo, you know your Rui Rui can be a bit kooky, don’t play with him.  As expected, Rui Rui tries to grab the picture and covers his eyes while the man is driving.  LOL, I told you Er Ye.  Rui Rui takes the picture while Er Ye is like, you might not care about your life, but I do!  Awww Rui Rui is happy to have a picture of his meimei. LOL, they settle back into their married routine as Rui Rui tells him he is hungry and Er Ye obliges, asking him what does he want to eat. :Cough: I have some ideas... Oh wait, Rui Rui is talking about real food! He wants pan fried pork dumpling.  Hmmm that is also delicious. Er Ye says okay and after that we are going to have a movie date. 

Meanwhile, in the train, Lin Danqiu holds Rui Rui’s pendant. I have to say, this breaks my heart.  Sigh, I am not happy, but I get it, still I am not happy. This would effectively close the possibility of Zeng Aiyu realizing her mistake, since for her the pendant will act as proof that Lin Danqiu is her real brother.  I get why Rui Rui did it and it is a huge sacrifice to make.  Our Rui Rui is growing up.  We see in a flashback that Rui Rui gives him the pendant as he effectively accept that Lin Danqiu is the person his meimei recognizes as her brother and the punishment he has incurred upon Lin Danqiu is to take care and cherish her for his entire life, and for his sake (Rui Rui’s). If he finds out he tricked her or made her suffer, he will kill him.  See, how mature our Rui Rui has become? She sees the pendant and jubilates that her gege has found his lost pendant. He lies and tells her that he suddenly found it while doing his luggage.

Alright, we leave the sadness behind for some ChengShang gushing moment. So, they are discussing the movie they have just watched.  Wait, how late did they stay up?????? Our opera addict Rui Rui comments on the actress acting skills, finding it lowly because all she did is straightened her eyebrow and stare at her costars eyes.  LOL, oh Rui Rui, you would have a tough time watching half of the TV dramas’ actors and actress, some who are so wooden you wonder how they got their part or fame. He compares her to his acting skills, especially her posture and voice, along with the lyrics she sang. He finds it too simplistic. LOL. He adds that Du Qi would have had a fit if he heard that.  I doubt it, since Du Qi lived abroad, therefore as a better knowledge of cinema. Er Ye tells him he thought it was good because it relieves boredom and doesn’t require too much thinking. True, unlike a play, Broadway show or opera, which demands more attention, movies are simple entertainment that can be mindless fun. He says that unlike movies, watching operas can take 3 days for the entire opera to finish. GEEZUS. Yeah, I cannot, sorry Rui Rui. Not only that but you have to know the right time when to shout bravo, when to sing praises, so many freaking rules. If you don’t know the rules, you get ridiculed and called an amateur by an useless sperm donor.  It might be too demanding on the audience. Rui Rui asks what does Er Ye like to watch.  Er Ye tells him he used to watch movies, but now he prefers watching opera, specifically Shang Lao Ban’s operas more.  He tells him that whatever role you play, you bring it to life.  It is like he is inhabited by many souls. Whenever he puts on makeup and costume, the soul will borrow his body and come alive while he is on stage. Once he leaves the stage, the soul departs but the story stays alive in him. Rui Rui tells him his writing sounds just as good as Du Qi and is flattered by the compliment, asking for more. LOL, greedy queen. 

Er Ye is like, who asks for compliments like that, beside you got so many people praising you already, you don’t need me. Rui Rui tells hubby that his words means more to him than others. Er Ye is like fine, I’ll shower you in compliments. Guys, you better get your salt vapors because the next line might make you faint and ask how the fuck did this get past censors. Ok, so I am directly quoting here: “Shang Lao Ban is like a flower, or a fire that only cares about blooming for itself, flaming in a blaze.  For those who likes watching you, you will do your best to show it to them. For those that don’t like watching you, you won’t try to appeal to them by changing yourself and go against your own will. You are such a popular ju’er, but you can still live so freely. This is truly extraordinary. Very rare! It’s true innocence. Everyone says someone like Shang Lao Ban who is so talented can only be looked from afar.  Others do not dare to walk shoulder to shoulder with him. Except for me, Cheng Fengtai, who is willing to go into the fire and stay by your side.” I WANT MY CHENG FENGTAI.  WHO DO I NEED TO GOAD TO HAVE ONE?????? Rui Rui is so taken aback that he stops walking to look at his hubby.  

Er Ye asks what is it. Really Er Ye, after saying such words, you ask him why he is stopping in his track?! Awww shit, trouble is brewing as we heard voices from an alleyway. Rui Rui follows the voices and runs up to the alleyway, followed by Er Ye.  A woman is fighting off two lecherous dudes. Rui Rui is pissed, probably thinking of his sister if she were in this situation.  He kicks one of them and threatens the lecherous men. One of them tells the woman she should have told them she had a lover. Man GTFO with that shit.  The woman recognizes him as he asks if she is okay.  Er Ye is like, goddmammit, another fan trying to take away my bae’s precious time.  LOL, Rui Rui is like, awww shit, yeah, grabbing his hubby so he wouldn’t have to deal with the fangirl.  She blocks their path and tells Rui Rui she’s been looking for them. He is like, que? Who are you? She seems to struggle to say.

We see a man wearing a cast with a bottle of booze. Oh My GOD, it’s my bae Chen Renxiang!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO. Rui Rui asks what happened to Chen Lao Ban to be in such a state.  It turns out the woman is the talkative prostitute from Nanjing who had taken Chen Lao Ban away before meeting Liu Hanyun.  She had sought her freedom from the brothel and come to him in Shanghai.  Upon her arrival, he was already in such disheveled state.  Rui Rui asks his bae and the ex-prostitute to leave the room so he can have a heart-to-heart with Chen Renxiang.  Rui Rui believes Chen Lao Ban put himself in such a state because he lost the competition.  He tells him if he had been the one to lose, he would have done everything to better himself so he could fight him out once more.  He had been impressed by how he had defended him against his uncle, seeing him as a hero so how did he become such a coward? Chen Lao Ban still remains quiet as Rui Rui lambast him, saying unlike the ex-prostitute he would have left him to die since he doesn’t seem to care about his own well-being. He sets out to leave when our sad ju’er finally speaks.  He tells Rui Rui that he is indeed a coward and that the girl doesn’t care that he lives or die.  Rui Rui yells at him that he is ungrateful dog for ignoring all the effort to girl has made to seek Rui Rui out and beg him to help Chen Renxiang out.  Xiang Xiang replies that he is not talking about the ex-prostitute named Yueling, but his Shanghai girlfriend he had mentioned when they were on their way to Shanghai after the Liyuan Association incident.  Apparently her parents did not approve of their relationship, thus the lovers decided to elope, however, they were caught by goons hired by her family.  They broke his leg and dump him barren fields while taking her back home.  He asks Rui Rui if he wasn’t a coward, what would he be? Rui Rui is like, yes, you are a coward since his girlfriend probably as no idea that he is injured and hiding out getting drunk off his ass. How would she know he is alright or care whether he is alive or dead if she doesn’t know where he is.  That makes him an ungrateful dog, which Xiang Xiang tries to deny, but Rui Rui interrupts him telling him he thought of an idea for him to help him reach out to his girlfriend. Get his leg treated, so he can perform opera with Rui Rui, like this everyone in China will be talking about it, thus his girlfriend will be able to find him. Isn’t it better than him being a drunken stupor? This seems to bring a bit of hope to Xiang Xiang until he remembers the conditions of their bet.  Rui Rui laughs at that, telling him he wasn’t serious about not letting him perform for a year.  He tells him he will find a doctor to help set his leg back and that he needs to clean up and stop drinking. Xiang Xiang thank him for being his savior, but Rui Rui doesn’t want to hear his gratitude, he just wants him to perform well on stage as a thank you. Btw, even disheveled Tan Jian Ci is one sexy bish.

It takes everyone to help calm Xiang Xiang down while the doctor tries to set his leg.  LOL, Rui Rui tells him that a girl is looking at him while he screams like one.  The doctor gives Yueling some after-care directives. Rui Rui asks the doctor if his leg will get better, but the doctor is slightly optimistic. Sugar daddy and husband of the over eager penguin asks to speak to the doctor away from the sensitive ju’ers. Xiang Xiang senses something is wrong as he repeats it is destine disaster, then laughs.  Rui Rui thinks he’s cray cray, but Xiang Xiang tells him he is laughing at his uncle Jiang Rongshou for having a useless son who he cannot impart his skills to, which kept him from teaching his fairy steps to anyone, until he finally taught it to Xiang Xiang, but now he is crippled, the Jiang Family fairy steps will be lost forever.  Xiang Xiang tells Rui Rui that he got his revenge against the elder Jiang, but Rui Rui does not seem to gleeful at the prospect, which even gets Xiang Xiang attention. Rui Rui is like, yeah, I am on bad term with the old fart, but I have nothing against the Fairy Steps. In fact, it would hurt him to see such a superb skill get lost. WHY ARE YOU SO PRECIOUS???? I cannot, he is to sweet, my baby boy!!! Xiang Xiang bemoans the fact that he learned the skill so late in his career, having little time to master the essence of the skill.  If he had learned it since he was a kid and hone the skills for years, he probably wouldn’t have lost against Rui Rui, who agrees.  AGAIN WHY ARE YOU SO PRECIOUS? Xiang Xiang reveals that when he returned to Shanghai, an Italian fan asked to film his fairy steps and show them in Italy (damn, they were that popular!!!), but they didn’t agree on the price and he worried about his uncle’s objections, so it didn’t work out.  He also regrets not taking any disciples to impart of his skills, and now he ponders who would remember his performances.  STOP IT, OMG, I CANNOT ANYMORE.  My Xiang Xiang is so depressed!! Rui Rui gets philosophical and replies the current situation is too precarious, especially for performers who may not have time to pass down their skills on time.  What would be left for future generations to appreciate.  Xiang Xiang replies that life and death go hand in hand, and that ups and downs are inevitable.  This sounds like a man who has given up.  I am balling. Rui Rui tries to comfort him, telling him to stop spitting such depressing things like life and death.  How can he be dead when he met him.  LOL, oh Rui Rui.  He advises him to just live his life and that his girlfriend still waits for him. Xiang Xiang is like, you are right, I must live well and wipes his tears away. 

Alone, he dreams about that fateful day when him and his girlfriend were running away from the goons employed by her family.  Out of breath and tired of running, Renxiang decides to send her to hide while he deals with the goons, but unfortunately, she is taken away.  As he asks the goons where she is, one of them taunts him, talking about his fairy steps and how it mesmerized the first miss (his girlfriend). Wait, what? DIdn’t he have this girlfriend prior to learning the Fairy Steps?  I am confused. The man tells him he must break his legs so this filthy actor would not seduce any more young ladies from other good families.  DAFUQ.  I am tired at how everyone is looking down at opera actors.  Even servants act uppity towards them.  They are good enough to sleep with and be toys for the rich, but they can’t have meaningful relationship with them? That is fucked up. He wakes, all sweaty while Yueling comes in to bring the medicine.  Then we switch to him doing some physical therapy with the crotches. The doctor tells him he is recovering well and Xiang Xiang presses him to find out when he could go back to the stage so he can reach out to his girlfriend.  Yueling is like, no way, you are still recovering! It is clear that she loves him, but he is too enamored with his little rich miss. The doctor agrees with her, but Rui Rui is like, who cares about your legs, your voice is not harmed, so we’ll perform a literary piece and he will take of him on stage. Er Ye just stands there, smiling at his smol husband, and I can’t fault him for that. Xiang Xiang seems encouraged by Rui Rui’s pep talk, but Yueling is not happy. 

That paper boy is busy af with Rui Rui selling newspapers like hotcakes. He announces the joint performance of Chen Lao Ban and Shang Lao Ban. Oh my Xiang Xiang looks good!! Oh wait, his twin Rui Rui, also wearing a white gown.  Xiang Xiang is anxious while Rui Rui tells him to get ready for their performance.  Apparently Xiang Xiang is waiting for someone, perhaps someone who had news of his girlfriend or his girlfriend herself. Rui Rui replies that he has been waiting for days and there has been no news.  Maybe he told her about his family and she may have gone to Beiping to find him. Right at that moment, someone asks for him.  He delivers a letter for him.  

We see him looking at picture.  Behind it are words written: “ We are not destined to be together in this lifetime.  Hope we’ll each live well separately.” OH NO, it’s the girlfriend!  I cannot figure out Xiang Xiang mood at this moment.  It is kind of indescribable.  Then, as he rubs the foundation in between his palms, a tear falls on the back of his.  Oh my poor baby looks defeated, yet, a strange smile is on his face. He talks to himself as he stares at the mirror asking why he looks like a ghost.  He tells himself that he looks ugly and depressed. I CAN’T CONTINUE, I AM CRYING TOO MUCH.  I have a bad feeling about this guys, I just...sigh. He continue saying that he no longer wants to see himself anymore.  Tears are forming in my eyes, everything is blurry.  

We see him on the stage and the audience is asking why this third sister is carrying a sword.  This is not part of this opera, so they wonder if they changed the opera at the last minute. My Xiang Xiang looks beautiful while the other actors are asking the same question as the audience.  His character, Sister Yu is not supposed to have a sword. Even the orchestra is baffled.  Seriously, who allowed him to carry the sword? Isn’t there anyone to take care of the props? Where is Rui Rui? Xiang Xiang starts singing without the music when Rui Rui finally appears.  I guess he was still in his room getting ready.  One of the actors asks him what is going on.  I don’t think Rui Rui has any idea. He looks at the audience for their reactions and can see the confusion on their faces, but they remain quiet, no booing. The lyrics seemed to encapsulate his life, especially the moment that effectively broke his heart, destroyed his soul.  Oh my God, no amount of makeup is able to cover the sadness on his face.  GAAAH, and now this show has decided to rip out my heart and step on it, as Jiang Rongshou is seen, lounging on his chair, eyes closed.  NOOO, SHOW DON’T DO THIS TO ME!!! We can hear Renxiang singing while we see Jiang Rongshou reaching out for his tea cup, but knocking it down.  Oh, I know what that means in dramaspeak and I don’t want to see it.  NO SHOW, please, don’t do this!!  We see my lovely Xiang Xiang swinging the sword and cut his throat, much to the surprise of the actors, including Rui Rui. OH MY GOD I CAN’T.  Jiang Rongshou is feeling some malaise as his son comes to see what is wrong.  As Dengbao cleans up (despite my dislike of him, he is really a filial son).  Jiang Senior shakes his head and says he doesn’t know.  He’s been dozing off today and then asks if the young actors are still training.  Dengbao confirms, but Jiang senior seems dissatisfied by them and their progress.  They can’t seem to get the basic movements right, yet want to learn the fairy steps. He reminisce about Xiang Xiang and how he was able to learn 70-80 percent of the opera at their age.  Dengbao replies how can they compare to the very talented Xiang Xiang.  Dengbao tells his father to be patient for Xiang Xiang to make the Fairy Steps famous once he returns to the stage, but grumpy papa Jiang reproach Xiang Xiang for not writing to him since he went back to Shanghai.  WAIL, he has no idea of the state Xiang Xiang was! Dengbao is like, you know how Shanghai is, Renxiang is probably having the time of his life.  Why you do this to me show? Grumpy Jiang is like, yeah, when he is with me, he pretends to be filial, once he leave, he forgets all about me. Sigh, this show knows how to humanize these characters, even the ones you learn to hate.  I hate this show. Stop making me have so much feels right now, even for the Jiangs! Papa Jiang cares for Xiang Xiang, wanting to see how he has improved once he return to perform.  He dozes off again, and OH NO SHOW, STOOOOOPPPP.  Don’t do this, don’t have Xiang Xiang voice from beyond the grave call on his uncle, asking to look at him. Startled, Jiang papa calls out for Xiang’er, asking if that is him.  Jiang papa is taken aback and thinks its his old age causing his to have auditory hallucinations.  WELP

Back at casa de Er Ye, we see our Rui Rui sitting pensively as he stares at the window.  Er Ye opens the door and quietly enters the room.  In the most romantic gestures this show encapsulate (they have so many, especially post-baby drama), Er Ye uses his fingers to imitate a camera, wanting to capture his hubby form forever.  THE GAY IS EXPLODING IN MY FACE.  If you still have doubt that Er Ye is utterly in love with his bratty penguin, I don’t know what to tell you.  He walks up to him and sits in front of his beautiful wifey.  So damn domestic!  Oh my God is Er Ye really saying this right now? The sun has cast a pattern on your outfit.  It’s just like dressing with a golden robe? This is too poetic! I want a man like this.  Now I am crying again. He bemoans not bringing a camera to immortalize that moment.  He probably would have carried the picture in his pocket like he did the one he gave to Rui Rui sister.  He adds that if he went to get the camera, the moment would be lost since the sun would set. Rui Rui eyes are closed as he responds that yes, the moment would be gone, nothing stays.  I guess he is referring to Xiang Xiang and the whole Shanghai trip. Er Ye agrees that the good times don’t last long, and tells him to take it easy. Rui Rui tells Er Ye that Chen Renxiang died on stage, it’s also considered a worthy death.  Is it though? He didn’t with a happy heart, sacrificing himself for his art.  He died depressed, realizing that everything he held dear was gone. What saddens Rui Rui is that life is unpredictable.  Awww, our boy is learning about the realities of life and shedding a bit of his naivety. He bemoans what it entails to the legacy of the Fairy Steps since there is no one to showcase it on stage, and how an accident could also make his Goddess Dance along with the Shang Family Stick skill could disappear forever.  You got to be thankful we live in the modern era where cameras captured all the dances forever for future generation to learn and nurture.  Imagine the thousands of dances lost to us because there were no longer practitioners who cared to learn them or died without imparting their skills. This is indeed disheartening. Er Ye gets philosophical and says that God’s intention is hard to fathom and so is a person’s heart.  He adds that Rui Rui’s time in Shanghai has widened his understanding of the world, introducing him to foreign things outside of his Beiping environment. Some were nice and fun, and sheer temptations.  Even if life was an utopia, without birth, old age, diseases or deaths, it would be hard to guarantee that he would not succumbed to those temptations, wanting to throw away those things passed down by his ancestors (although Er Ye says ‘our’). Rui Rui says that he won’t, to which Er Ye replies that he might not, but can he guarantee that his apprentice won’t? That subsequent apprentices won’t?  You cannot predict the future, nor can he predict what people or God have in store. The only thing that could remedy this is to encapsulate it on film, so it can be passed down for a long time.  I agree with Er Ye on that point that movie is long lasting, but in a time of war, films can also be destroyed, either by fire or by enemies wanting to push their propaganda. Anyhoo, Rui Rui is not ready to agree to it, stating that a camera can only shoot the form of a person, there aren’t any details.  It is the degree of the expressions, measurement of the footwork, the precision of the hand movements, that can be captured accurately on film and be used as training tools by future generation.  He adds it is like drawing a tiger with a cat as a model, the kids would learn the wrong things. Er Ye replies that Rui Rui makes film sound useless, it is no wonder he is unwilling to make records. LOL, he practically called Rui Rui a technophobe. Rui Rui replies it is because he place too much importance on the audience reaction, he doesn’t dare to be careless about all those details aforementioned.  He lives for the audience, wanting to be sure they enjoy themselves.  Wait, honey, you seem to have no problem provoking them by changing the lyrics.  What gives with this talk of hesitation!? He states that he would rather be tired and take on more apprentices to teach them. Er Ye questions this, asking him how long it would take for him to meet an eager disciple like Xiao Zhouzi. How much effort will it take to turn on into Zhou Lao Ban.  Yeah, he lucked out with him because the boy was an innate talent.  How many out there have such capacity? Rui Rui replies that he will take his time and misses him home, and troupe. Er Ye sighs and says that he also misses his home.  Btw, they’ve been in Shanghai for more than a month (probably three at the time they are talking).  Ugh, I wasn’t expecting to see Er Nainai so quick.  She is still doing accounting, closing out the books for Shuiyin Lou.  LOL, she ended up doing the accounting for them after all.  Oh oh, she is thinking of Fengyi. That’s not a good thing.  

Oh shit, she comes to Shuyin the next day. What is she planning? She is greeted by one of the actors, who tells her they’ve been diligently training and improving upon the things she taught them.  Shit starter Shi Jiu does not seem to approve of this ass kissing, and I don’t blame her, especially since he throws his troupe leader under the bus or rickshaw. YOOOO, this maid is opening her mouth again? Shut her up.  She once again insults the performers saying their pitch is higher than her bird. SHUT YOUR MOUTH. I have it up to here with her arrogant ass. Shi Jiu is about to tongue lash this bish, but is stop her Rong Lan.  Er Nainai states that their boss can easily remove himself from an undesirable situation.  LOL, cannot blame him for you suddenly appearing and ordering him around his own house, sweetie. Not only that but you insulted him, looked down upon him, in his own house! Anyhoo, she adds that he left her a big mess that she had to take care of.  She had to set order in this house, give them some rules (gurl, they were fine without you).  

Best girl Xiao Lai brings her some tea while they sit in that same room where she insulted my baby.  Sigh, I really don’t want to talk about the maid, she leaves such a bitter taste in my mouth.  She is soiling Shuyin House with her presence.  She insults my Xiao Lai by looking down on the tea she has prepared for Er Nainai, saying they brought their own with such indignation, as if the tea was made with piss.  I don’t think I have ever hated a character for simply existing.  Good job on the actress for being so irritating. Wait, no, I have always hated the maids on C drama.  They are insufferable, act haughty af depending on their mistress status, and are the biggest bullies. Er Nainai is like, someone is missing.  The troupe responds that everyone is here and that little shit replies that no, people, Er Nainai is talking about the baby.  HOW THE FUCK WERE THEY SUPPOSED TO KNOW. Dasheng replies the baby is in the room away from your ugly face. No Rong Lan, don’t do it, let that little shit do some work instead of running her mouth! Rong Lan brings Fengyi to Er Nainai. Sigh, don’t that little shit get anywhere close to Rui Rui’s niece!  Well, at least Fengyi is softening Er Nainai who states the baby can catch a chill if not covered properly and tells her servants to take out the items she brought.  Lol, even Shi Jiu notices the change in behavior, claiming that Er Nainai went from Empress Dowager Cixi to a living Buddha. Rong Lan is like, well at least with Er Nainai growing closer to the little Goddess of Wealth, Er Ye would not have any problems bringing her home. Shi Jiu does not approve and agree with my shit starter. DAFUQ, is that little shit bossing the actors around. GTFO.  Who allowed her to speak. Fuck this.  Ugh, I don’t want to hear her voice anymore.  She tells her boss that she doesn’t understand why she cares so much for the baby since she has unknown origins. Seriously, GTFO.  Er Nainai replies the child should not be punish for the adults’ sins.  Wait, is that little shit still believe Er Ye is the father? Bish, go away, get out of my screen. I wished Fengyi would cry so hard to make her deaf. I hope Xiao Lai would disinfect the area when they leave.  Gotta get that stank ass out.

Okay, I am done bishing about that maid.  I seriously don’t know why the show had to aggrieve me with her presence.  Did I do something in my past life to suffer so much? Talking about suffering, why did you kill my Xiang Xiang, show??  I had expected a death similar to the ending of Farewell my Concubine, but I did not expect it would be him. However, in hindsight, his words spoken back in Nanjing revealed his mindset about life.  He had admonished Rui Rui for being solely focused on the opera with no outside distractions.  For him, his girlfriend offered the distraction he sought outside of the opera.  Without her, and without his ability to perform at 100 percent due to his injury, he was left to nothing.  The true coward in this depressing episode is Chen Renxiang’s girlfriend, who bowed to her family pressure and married a man she didn’t love.  Unlike Yu Qing who willingly left her family behind for an uncertain love, Chen Renxiang girlfriend gave up a willing love for her family.  The constant reminder of how people looked down upon performers acted like a shadow permeating this entire episode.  Even with the bookending scenes involving the maid, we see the indignation, the dislike towards the performers.  Despite their fame, they are look as trash, good enough to admire and even bed, but not good enough to truly respect.  It’s a constant theme we are shown throughout the show.  Even Rui Rui, who cares so much about the audience, can’t escape this reality.  Perhaps why we have that moment when Er Ye tells him he would walk through fire to stand by his side, because only Er Ye seems him as his equal, who respects him and only wants the best for him.  Hence the talk about capturing his skills and likeness on film.  Sigh, will Rui Rui give in and let him film him so the future generation can gain an appreciation for the art the same way he has?

Kansuke Yamamoto (In this Japanese name, the family name is Yamamoto; 30 March 1914 – 2 April 1987); photographer and poet. He was a prominent Japanese surrealist born in Nagoya, Japan. He often created works which indicated liberty, antiwar and anti-government in surrealistic ways.

Born in Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, the oldest son of Goro Yamamoto, founding member of Aiyu Photography Club. Goro ran a photo studio and a shop selling cameras in Nagoya.

He encountered surrealism and dadaism through the poetry magazine "cine´" published by Yamanaka Chiruu, who was promoting surrealism in Japan. In 1929, at 15, when he graduated from the Nagoya Second Commercial School, he started writing poetry. Before graduation, he left Meiji University School of Arts and letters in Tokyo, where he majored in French Literature and then went back to Nagoya. In 1931, at 17, he published his works in the Journal "Dokuritsu (Independent)", published by "Dokuritsu Shashin Kenkyu Kai (Independent Photography Research Association)".

The oldest of his existing works, "Aru Ningen no Shisou no Hatten... Moya to Shinshitsu (The Developing Thought of a Human... Mist and Bedroom)", was published in a magazine in 1932. In 1936, he changed his Chinese [sic] characters from 勘助 (Kansuke) to 悍右 (Kansuke). In 1938, he started a surrealist poetry magazine called "Yoru no Funsui (The Night's Fountain)". But the next year, the publication was forced to discontinue by the authoritative pressure due to the Peace Preservation Law.

In 1939, he formed a group called "Nagoya Photo Avant-Garde" with Tajima Tsugio, Minoru Sakata, Shimozato Yoshio, and Yamanaka Chiruu, etc. ....

From around 1965 to 1975, he coached the younger generation as an adviser of Chubu Photography Federation of Students.

He also donated his body to science via Nagoya University School of Medicine upon his death and no funeral was held, in accordance with his living will.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansuke_Yamamoto_(artist))

via: https://arthur.io/art/kansuke-yamamoto

Illusion research

Surrealism began in 1924 when French poet Andre Breton produces his Surrealist Manifesto in an attempt to popularise the surrealist way of thinking.  The surrealist aim were to overthrow the oppressive rules of modern society by demolishing its backbone of rational thought.

Surrealism, as defined by its founder Andre Breton as “Pure psychic automatism, by which one proposes to express, either verbally, in writing or by any other manner, the real functioning of thought.” Surrealist art aims to be not only an interesting piece to view but also to make the viewer think, as the artwork shown, by traditional means, is not possible to exist.

Some of the most well known surrealist photographers are Emmanuel Radnitzky, known as Man Ray. He made significant contributions to the surrealist movement through the means of both photography and painting. 

 Florence Henri was another photographer who played a part in the surrealist movement. Also using photography and painting to convey her surrealist ideas. She used a lot of mirrors in her self portraits as well as her surrealist images which allowed her to create which allow her to create pictures which have a strange familiarity but include reflections which distort the image.

Kansuke Yamaoto was a Japanese surrealist artist born in Nagoya, Japan. Born to a father who was a founding member of the Aiyu Photography Club and ran a photo studio and shop. Kansuke became a poet and photographer specialising in surrealism in both mediums. By including a lot of distorted human forms in his images, whether that be a change on the subjects face or by including a person in the background of a landscape creates the eerie surrealism he is famed for.

Second Meeting - shooting day

*Make sure to tag yourselfs and write how you thought today went.*

Video / Photo collection

We planned to meet up at 9:30 to capture out footage of ink dropping into water. We still had the idea of filming from the outside as well as from the inside as the GoPro we checked out is waterproof. As we were collecting out materials from the art store we noticed that we would need to spend more to get acrylic ink but noticed that there was also a pack of variation of colours for ink marbling on top of water. We decided that we would give this ago as we would have more options with colour exploration.

Before we used the big glass tank to record our footage we did some trial and error testing to see how the ink would behave and possible colour combinations we could make using the ink colours we had available to us. Below is a short video of some of the experimentation we conducted before moving on to the glass tank. After the video are pictures of the experimentation along with the final set up for the big tank as well as pictures of the water marbling transferred onto paper as we thought we could use these part of the final video or centre the video around them if we were dissatisfied with the video footage.

Kathrin :The footage collection in my opinion went rather well, it was messy however we had prepared everything prior to our meeting, booking the camera and tripod and planned out the materials to pick up on the day. We had a healthy approach with not setting out specific plans but rather goals and ways to achieve it so there was more room for creativity and ideas to take place as we went along. This prevented everything to feel locked in place and pre-decided. There was also a focus on letting the colours mix and move on their own to create unique shapes without a lot of influence to allow it to come across more fluid and natural which is what we want the people to feel and see when looking at the art or the video footage from within the dome. During the experimentation phase one of the members added a thick layer of ink which sparked the idea of filming from within the cup as the ink had formed bubbles as you swirled the top layer. It reminded me of a snow storm which would be perfect for winter. If the colours where then changed to autumn colours it could resemble leaves flying in the wind. Having a limited set of colours it was difficult to get a range of hues to create the colours we wanted for the different seasons and using multiple colours lead the ink to become murky so we limited the number of inks we used. We set our max colour choices to two, maximum three for an accent colour. We worked as a group to work smoothly having everyone stick to one job which was either, filming, transferring the marbling to paper or placing the ink into the tank. This allowed for fluid work and for us to work faster and produce more work than I thought we would achieve.

Raquel: On the day of filming, Kathrin and I were responsible for collecting the equipment and buying the materials, so we left early in search of things. We collected everything that was needed and found the other girls at the LRC to do the tests and start filming. The shooting day was clearly the most stressful but also fun. Not all of the ideas we had planned worked out, so we had to reinvent our ideas and come up with quick solutions. I was positively surprised by the speed with which we were able to work, in 3 hours we were able to do almost all the filming and create the images with the marbled paint. We ended the day with almost 50 minutes of footage and more than 10 images, so we have enough material to create and edit our 2-minute video.

Devaki: The footage filming went quite well. We met at 9:30 am. As we waited for everyone to arrive and for all the materials to get ready, we experimented with the inks by using a pipette to drop them into disposable cups filled with water. We had problems using the GoPro Hero 5 that we had booked from the Loanstore since we didn’t have the attachment necessary to attach it to the camera stand we had also booked. After setting up the glass tank and checking the lighting, however, I came up with the idea to place the GoPro at the bottom of the tank instead. I quickly double checked on the Internet to make sure that the camera was indeed waterproof, and then we got to work. We tried mixing different colours that represented the 4 seasons and even captured the colours onto paper for marbling just in case the footage didn’t turn out quite as we wanted it to. I thought about playing with the lighting a bit too but it wasn’t working as well as I’d have liked it to, so we stuck with just trying out different colours. For Spring, we primarily used Red and Green to represent the blooming of flowers and the growth of new leaves. For Summer, we went with Yellow, And Red. For Autumn we tried using a combination Blue, Black and Orange. For Winter we mainly used Green and Blue. I wished we had white to make Winter feel a litle more frosty and to perhaps sprinkle it in to represent snowflakes but it wasn’t available. All in all, the filming was quite fruitful. We ended up having quite a lot of interesting footage and a look of beautiful marbling, which was enough to edit for our 2-minute video.

Aiyu: We plan to meet at 9:30 and start shooting the video of the ink falling into the water. Before the video shooting, we went to the art shop to collect the materials. We plan to buy acrylic ink and drop it in the water to shoot the video of the ink sliding on the water. After we discussed decide to use blue, green, yellow, orange, red inks and mix different ink. Later we used Gopro for underwater shooting, of course we also have external shooting because we consider that shooting from two different angles will make the video richer and more complete.During the shooting, we tried two methods. First, we put Gopro into a large glass jar to record videos. We performed repeated experiments. We experimented with the speed of dripping ink, the amount of ink, and the color combinations that can be performed with different ink colors. The second time we put Gopro in a transparent plastic cup. Because the cup mouth of the plastic cup is round, the video visually presents a different effect.

haircut | choi seungcheol

fluff | 646 words | no warnings

an: he got a haircut T-T

The sound of the door unlocking and closing causes you to peek out of the kitchen. Closing your laptop, your chair screeches back as you get up from the dining table, moving to greet Seungcheol at the doorway. Sounds from your padded feet echo across the house as you make your way towards your lover, muffled by the soft carpet flooring.

“Hi Cheollie!” He grins up at you. He hangs up his coat, sitting on the nearby bench to remove his shoes. You had placed the bench in the entryway earlier when he first got injured so he would have an easier time with his shoes. His heart swells every time he sits on it, forever thankful for your thoughtfulness.

“Hi baby.“ You found yourself standing in between his thighs. Your waist automatically encircled by his hands, drawing you in closer. One hand is on his shoulder as you steady yourself, while the other gets entangled in his hair. You briefly recall Seungcheol informing you he was heading to the salon earlier in the morning. Fingers softly run through Seungcheol's hair, ruffling. His hair is shorter now, you note, but still barely covering his eyes. The now ebony strands tumbled and resettled, all fluffed up by your ministrations.

“It's shorter now,” you pout.

Seungcheol laughs aloud at your jutted lips, placing a kiss on the hand on his shoulder. “Yeah, it was getting in the way,” he leans into your touch. Like a puppy seeking warmth and reassurance. It was an instinctive response, an unspoken invitation for more of that comforting contact. He pats on his good knee, gesturing for you to sit on his lap. “You liked my long hair?”

You nod, humming in agreement. His lap makes for a sturdy seat, now eye level to him. “It’s nice like this too, I guess,” you push back his bangs. Examining his face once more. “It makes you look dashing.”

His eyes, still vibrant, held a touch of mischief as if testing the waters to see if your adorable pout could be softened by any resistance. “So you’re saying I wasn’t dashing before this?”

It's the way you let out such an exaggerated gasp that has him grinning from ear to ear. Lightly slapping at his chest, you stand up from his lap, making your way back into the kitchen.

“I hope you go bald,” the threat of your words hides behind the sweet smile you shoot his way. He chuckles at your retreating figure, finally removing his shoes before trailing you into the home.

“Oh, so that’s your type now?” he calls out.

“Mhmm. Hyungwon looks really handsome with his hair shaved.”

Now it's Seungcheol’s turn to be flabbergasted. He takes the opportunity to rewrap his arms around you as you go about setting aside your work on the dining table.

“...You and Jeonghan– You guys hang out too much, I swear.” His voice is muffled as he buries his face in your hair. You can feel his pout against your head, enticing a giggle out of you. Facing him in his arms, you loop your arms around his neck once again. In the warmth of each other's embrace, you tiptoe to peck Seungcheol on the lips.

“You need to use chapstick more,” you murmur against his lips. He smiles into the kiss, pressing you even closer to him.

“You need to kiss me more.” He bites down on your lip. The edge of the table presses into your back, causing you to arch into his touch. He prods with his tongue, and–

-his stomach grumbles. Seungcheol groans in annoyance as you pull away, laughing at the impeccable timing of his stomach. You start flitting around the kitchen again, this time pulling out pots and pans instead.

“C’mon,” you pull him towards the fridge. “Help me make dinner? You can pick.”

He sighs, defeated. “Fine, dinner first.”

China Clears Golden Globe Winner ‘La La Land’ for Release

China Clears @GoldenGlobe #Winner @LaLaLand #Distribution

Posted by Larry Gleeson By Fergus Ryan Although the details are still being worked out, the film, which won a record-breaking seven Golden Globes on Sunday, has been cleared to open in the world’s second-largest movie market this year. Fresh off its Golden Globes success, Damien Chazelle’s modern musical La La Land got some more good news with the announcement the film will get a release in…

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mornings with you | jeon wonwoo

fluff | 530 words + some change | no warnings

coups ver. | kwan ver

wonwoo thinks he’s woken up in heaven.

rays of sunlight filtering through gaps in the curtains envelop the room in a warm glow. the distant sounds of traffic outside the apartment are nothing more than a gentle lull, the siren’s call for sleep more tempting than ever. there's a sense of leisure in the air, as if the world seemed to pause momentarily around him

there’s you, still deep asleep in his arms, unconsciously burying yourself deeper into his chest to avoid the light. wonwoo peers down at you, sleepy eyes still blurry. they barely make out the way your hair sprawls behind you on your pillow. the soft rhythm of your breath, the gentle touch of his skin against yours– you surround him in the most pleasant ways possible.

soft snoring by his feet causes him to lift his head. ah, seol had somehow sneaked into the room and had squeezed herself onto the edge of the bed sometime in the night.

he cherishes moments like these, of quiet bliss and tenderness. your usually bold and energetic features softened by the embrace of sleep. he doesn’t understand why, but feeling your warmth against him filled his heart with a sudden sense of appreciation and content, cherishing the intimacy of the morning stillness.

and that’s exactly how he spends the next half an hour in bed: fingertips gently tracing your features, eyes committed to burning this exact moment into his memories. wonwoo rubs the faintest circles onto your skin, peppering the lightest kisses wherever he could while trying not to wake you up.

eventually, of course, your eyes flutter open. you’re a little surprised at the softness in his eyes, radiating sincerity and affection, quite literally the first thing in the morning. nonetheless, a lazy grin makes its way onto his face when wonwoo realises you’re finally awake.

“good morning, sleeping head.”

god, his husky voice in the morning was causing all kinds of short circuits in your brain.

embarrassed, you choose to bury your head bad in his chest. you choose instead to respond with a muffled reply.

“hmm? what did you say?” god damn, jeon wonwoo. teasing you first thing in the morning.

soon enough, you lifted your head enough for a coherent reply.

“ ‘mornin...”

“atta girl.” he plants a chaste kiss on your forehead. you squeeze him impossibly closer to you, but he merely chuckles and pries your arms away from his waist.

“c’mon. we gotta get up.”

“can’t we stay like this forever?”

he tries to drag you up but to no avail. “y/nnie, we have a lot of things to do today. grocery shopping, getting guy’s present, going to the gas station– did you forget?”

wonwoo moving around the room to get ready for your busy day ahead awakens seol, who in turn trots over to settle into the nook of your arm. you slump back down, eyes squinting from the glare of the sun shining through the window.

“you’re so productive it hurts,” you whine.

“too bad, now get up!”

“he’s so bossy in the morning, right seollie?”

the dog in question whimpers and tucks her head under her paws.

“what was that?”

“yeah, yeah. i’m getting up!”

for your convenience | kim mingyu

suggestive, fluff | 1281 words | alcohol mention, making out

mingyu’s got an unconventional solution to both your problems

“I still don’t understand how you’re still single, Gyu. My back is hurting from all the girls shooting lasers at me!” Yuju threw her head back in a laugh, bumping her shoulders into you playfully as she shouted over the loud music.

The man in question groaned in exasperation. “Not you too, Yuju. You’re starting to sound like my mom.”

“Oh my god, really?! I miss Auntie Kim!” Yuju squealed in joy. 

“I’m not kidding; she’s even set up blind dates for me!” Mingyu ran a hand over his face, whining. 

“Oh please. As soon as they find out about his golden retriever-ass personality, they’ll lose interest and make a run for it.” 

Next to her, Eunwoo smirked. He downed the drink in his hand in one go, wincing at the burn as he hooked an arm around Mingyu’s neck.

“You’re one to talk, Mr Dark-and-Mysterious.” Your cheeks are flushed bright red, evidence of the alcohol in your veins. You did a once-over of Eunwoo in his leather jacket, scoffing. “Remember when you cried because you stepped on a cicida?”

“One: I did not cry, my hair got into my eyes! And two: it was crunchy!” 

All you wanted to do tonight was get drunk, make out strangers and party hard with your friends. As soon as you entered Cherries, your little group had made a beeline for your usual table. Two cranberry vodkas into the night and you’ve found yourself twirling around your best friends on the dance floor, steps only a little wobbly as you bounced between Yuju, Eunwoo and Mingyu.

Actually, it was just you and Mingyu. Eunwoo had already retreated to the bar, and Yuju got lost on the crowded dance floor, probably grinding on the nearest hottie around her. Not that you minded one bit– you were the closest to Mingyu, anyway, so being alone with him wasn’t uncomfortable at all. 

Mingyu’s got a firm grip on your waist the whole time, ensuring your drunken self didn’t trip over your own feet. You were both mingling around, dancing along to the DJ and having the time of your life.

That was, until you spotted an unwelcomingly familiar figure by the bar, staring straight at you. The sudden chill that followed sobered you up in record time, halting you in your dance.

“Fuck, he’s here too?” 

Mingyu looked up to see where you were looking. “Is that Jaehyun? I thought you guys broke up months ago” 

“Apparently, he didn't get the memo,” you muttered.

You bit your lip, a nervous habit Mingyu noticed you formed a few years back. He couldn’t help but reach out, thumb caressing your lower lip to stop you from biting. He successfully managed to catch your attention; instead, you turned to look back at him.

“Y/n,” he gazed into your eyes, then towards the direction where your ex stood. “Do you trust me?” 

“Of course I do. Why did you a-”

Mingyu kissed you. 

He kissed you and now your brain is short-circuiting again, but for a completely different reason.

Kim Mingyu, possibly the most eligible bachelor in Cherries, just kissed you. 

Correction: he’s still kissing you. 

His hands gripped on both sides of your face, firm but gentle. His thumb softly caressed the apples of your cheeks as he angled himself to deepen the kiss. Somehow, his other hand found its way to the nape of your neck; tilting your head upwards and burying his fingers into your locks. 

You let out a gasp as he ran his tongue along your lips. It happened too suddenly; your hands were left to find purchase on his jacket, gripping for dear life. You, however, found yourself drowning in his scent; his warm and woody scent engulfing you whole. Kissing him back with equal fervour was a no-brainer– he made you lose yourself in him, with him.

He’s really good at it too, you realised, until he reluctantly broke the kiss. Cocoa-colour eyes stared back at you intently as Mingyu leaned his forehead against yours. The ferocity of the kiss left you both panting, a bright rosy flush gracing both your cheeks. 

The thumping beats and flashing lights of Cherries came rushing back into your senses. All around you, bodies continued to sway in rhythm, laughter and chatter melding into a rush of excitement as strangers burst your private bubble with Mingyu.

“Do you think he saw that?” Even between pants, Mingyu managed to look arrogantly charming, smirking proudly to himself when he realised he’d managed to render you speechless.

You suddenly felt shy, eyes flitting anywhere else but back at him. You took a deep breath, before using what little strength you had left to push him away. 

“Uh, well… I think so, yeah. Thanks, I guess.”

From the corner of your eye, you spotted your ex slinking back onto the dance floor after witnessing your bold display of affection. 

You sighed in relief, slumping onto Mingyu’s tall frame. He chuckled at how comically you do it, an arm wrapping around your waist to support you against him. 

“No, really. Thank you. I think he’s been following me because he thought he still had a chance.” you shudder as you recall the terrifying past month you just had– a stalker ex following everywhere you went. 

Mingyu peppered soft kisses on your neck, making sure to look over your shoulder into the crowd behind you. For good measure, you reasoned to yourself. You balled up your fists on his lapels, anchoring yourself to him. “I might have a solution to both our problems, y/n.” He’s got a finger twirling a piece of your hair now.  “Go out with me. I’ll make him, and all your other problems gone.”

“Oh yeah?” Now it’s your turn to scoff. “Like what?”

“Rumour has it you’re looking for a new place?” Mingyu leaned forward, speaking into your ear. His breath tickled, eliciting a shiver that ran down your spine. The club’s music seemed to muffle his deep voice even more, straining to pick it up amid the constant noise.

He nuzzled deeper into your neck. “C’mon, Y/n-ie. We already get along great with each other. Most people already assume we’re dating anyway.” He took in a deep breath. “Help me stop my parents from sending me on those stupid blind dates. Won’t it be a win-win situation?”

“You want us to fake date?”

“I want us to real date.”

You bit your lip back again. Your voice dropped down to a whisper. “That’s not funny, Gyu. Be serious.”

His smile softens. For a moment, it reminded you of the goofy kid you first befriended in high school.

“Is falling in love with me that bad? I wouldn’t mind loving you, personally.”

You stared back at him hard. It’s hot and humid in Cherries, but Kim Mingyu pulls off the sweaty sexy look way too effortlessly. Brief flashbacks of your short-lived high school crush on your best friend reemerged in your head. Besides… He did help you chase off your ex tonight. Knowing how persistent your ex is though, maybe keeping Mingyu around wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

“Y/n-ie, baby.” You were aware that the both of you were only slightly drunk; sober enough to understand the consequences of your actions, but tipsy enough to act on your desires. Mingyu seemed to pout harder. “Date me, please? I’d rather be with you than anyone else.”

You pretend to ponder a little bit more before finally making a decision. “Fine.” You shook his warm hand in yours, ignoring how your heart fluttered at how his large hand almost engulfed yours. 

“You’ve got a deal, boyfriend.”

divider credit

secret superpower | choi seungcheol

fluff | 612 words | no warnings

an: your average cheol brainrot by yours truly

you truly don’t know how he knows.

you’re convinced choi seungcheol has a secret superpower – he always knows when you need him. always.

having a bad day? he’s already waiting to pick you up at your office’s lobby. starting to feel like you miss him? seungcheol’s caller id is ringing as you speak. feel sick? he’s stopping by with food and all the cuddles in the world. want to share good news with him? he’s asking you if you’re free for a dinner date tonight! it really does seem like no matter the occasion, seungcheol will always appear right when you need him.

case in point: seungcheol unexpectedly shows up at your door step tonight,– a box of your favourite cake in hand– right as you were just thinking of calling him.

(“i was walking by the bakery when i saw it on display and i thought of you!” the way he casually says it as he removes his coat and shoes at the door way makes your heart flutter.)

you can’t help but stare deeply at the brunet seated opposite you at the dining table as he slices the cake, gently passing you the piece with bigger strawberries. the way his brows furrow in concentration, how he absentmindedly pouts is so endearing to you. still, you can’t help but wonder, how does he always know?

“know what, baby?” he pauses mid-cut, finally looking back up at you.

ah. you’ve said your thoughts out loud.

you rest your chin on the hand that’s propped up on the table, tilting your head as you will your blush to go down. seungcheol notices your ears have gone as red as the strawberries on the shortcake, and stifles a giggle as your eyes widen in surprise.

he leans over the table, swiping cream on your nose with his finger. “what do i always know, baby?”

you scrunch up your face, attempting to lick the cream off your nose. your tongue was clearly too short so you opt to wipe it with your finger instead. then, staring deep into his eyes, you clarified:

“how do you always know when i need you?”

he smirks, leaning back in his seat. “what do you mean?”

“you always show up when i need you. whenever i start to miss you, it’s always like you’re one step ahead of me.” you pout. “it’s not fair. why are you so perfect?”

“ahh!” he laughs, whole body shaking in glee at your exasperation. “actually…” he leans over the table, voice dropping to a whisper as he cups his hands over, like telling a secret:

“i have a little y/n alarm. it lets me know whenever you need me! see?” seungcheol waves his finger in the air, like it’s receiving a signal. “ahah! it’s telling me you really want me right now!”

“you think you’re funny,” you whine, shooting him a deadpan look. he’s laughing even more now, even as his large hand reaches across the table to hold yours, completely enveloping them. his thumb runs repeatedly across your knuckles, a gesture he knows for certain would turn you into mush.

“i know i’m funny. maybe i should’ve been a comedian instead?” his other hand carefully picks up your fork, using it to feed you your slice. you groan at his reply, but your mouth opens automatically for him. you almost moan out loud in satisfaction; the sweet taste of strawberries and cream never fail you.

“don’t worry about it, okay? at least you’ll know that i’ll always be there for you, right?”

“mhmm. will you always bring cake too?”

“i’ll bring you whatever you need me to bring, all for you.”

picture perfect | choi seungcheol

fluff | 608 words | no warnings

an: it’s the way i ran to open a new doc the moment these were dropped for me 😮‍💨😕

“baby!”

seungcheol’s voice rings out from the living room. you don’t sense any emergency in the tone, but still you peek out from the study.

“yeah?”

“come here for a sec!” his voice is too giddy, you think. either you were going to get pranked, or he genuinely had something to tell you. taking the benefit of doubt, you patter out to where seungcheol was waiting for you.

click!

a bright flash… blinds you? you’re seeing stars in your vision as white light fades away. seungcheol’s laughing at you, and only laughs harder when your scowl (playfully) deepens.

you take a seat next to him on the couch, rubbing your eyes till the vision comes back. seungcheol reaches out with one hand, lowering your hands so you can take a better look at him. he’s got the gummy smile on, peering at you adoringly as he strokes his thumb over the back of your hand.

“you good?”

“could be better, you know, if i wasn’t blinded.”

“i’m just too shining of a guy.” the gummy smile appears once again, dimples and all.

“i’m going to puke all over you.” you scrunch your nose in faux disgust, and he laughs at you once again. you would’ve found it cute if it wasn’t for your curiosity over the small black square your boyfriend was fiddling with.

realisation dawns you as you register the new film camera in his hands. “oh! it finally came?”

he grins, aiming the lens at you once more. “it finally came. pretty neat right?”

you hum in agreement. it is pretty, you guess. it’s a model he’s been eyeing for a while now, and he looks so happy holding it and snapping pictures around the house.

your thoughts are interrupted once again by the camera’s flash. you shut your eyes in recoil, only slightly annoyed at your boyfriend’s antics.

rubbing your face with your hands once again, you shift closer to seungcheol to peek at the camera. however, he interprets your sudden movement towards him as you wanting to grab his camera. seungcheol childishly jumps up from his seat, circling round the coffee table instead, tiny “hey!” escaping you as you fell over his previously occupied seat.

“no touching my baby!” it’s comical, the way he cradles the camera in his hands close to his chest as if it was a real baby. you huff in disbelief, crossing your arms as you look up at him.

“i thought i was your baby?!”

kkuma, materialising from under the sofa, barks in agreement. seungcheol scoffs at the way his dog jumps up to join you on your lap, glaring him down at his bold statement.

there you sat, cross legged on the sofa with kkuma on your lap. you, clad in one of seungcheol’s oversized tees, hair slightly tousled. you, bare-faced only for him, arms protectively wrapped around his dog/daughter as you shoot twin stares down at him.

you, the love of his life, who he’s picturing the rest of his future with at this very moment.

he can’t resist it. nope. he absolutely has to. wordlessly, he raises the viewfinder to snap a picture of you. thank god he managed to shut off the flash, he thinks. he smiles down at the two of you, with the familiar lovestruck gummy smile making another signature appearance.

you simply tilt your head in confusion, no doubt wondering if your boyfriend had lost his mind. kkuma looks up at you, then at seungcheol, perfectly mimicking your tilt. seungcheol gasps and coos, snapping another picture before kkuma barks again.

“don’t worry, you’ll both always be the princesses of my heart.”

gym crush | choi seungcheol

fluff | 1151 words | suggestive descriptions. i’m y/n’s just really thirsty

an: please take this as a formal invitation. requests are open! (whether i answer on time is another problem)

you don’t like the gym. absolutely not. it gets super hot and humid inside, it stinks of sweat, and the big machines always intimidate you.

what to do? you’re just a girl.

you usually wouldn’t even phantom the idea of stepping foot into the gym if it wasn’t for your best friend. really, the only reason why you’re even sitting in one right now was because you arrived too early for your meet up with him.

that’s how you ended up perched on a high stool, legs swinging as you patiently look around while soonyoung finishes up his last few sets of… pull-ups? you’re honestly not sure. how he’s still chatting with you while completing his sets – barely panting through it, too – is beyond you.

“so i was thinking,” soonyoung casually starts, lifting himself like he was made of paper. “we can get dinner at the new italian place downtown? i heard they’re having a opening promotion right now.”

“mmh, sounds good.” your eyes are flitting all around the gym, trying to find something interesting enough to catch your attention.

“right, i almost forgot! seokmin texted earlier; he said he’ll drive by to pick us up later too.”

“really? that’s great.” you sound enthusiastic but your hunched posture informs soonyoung otherwise. at this point, your best friend can tell that you’ve tuned out of the conversation. he huffs at the way your eyes zone into the far corner of the gym, where the weight benches are. soonyoung scoffs more when he realises your eyes are trained on a very specific person, watching intently at the way the muscles on his arms bulge every time he lifts a dumbbell.

“yeah, he also said he saw mingyu running into a tree earlier… even said a rat fell on him and started pulling at his hair and controlling him like a robot. do you think the rat would make a better chef than mingyu?”

“wow really? that’s great.” your replies get progressively monotonous as you keep your eyes trained at the corner. yeah, now he definitely knows your mind has completely left the conversation.

your breath hitched as you watched the mystery man run a hand through his faded red hair, baggy t-shirt sleeves hitched up to reveal more of his biceps? triceps? never have you ever wished you paid more attention to your biology lessons back in high school.

everything about this mystery man has you swooning. the thick veins on his hands running up his arms, the way his eyebrows furrow in concentration, how the sweat glistening on his forehead seemed to cast a heavenly glow all around him. you can’t forget the grunts he lets out with every movement, entrancing you with his deep voice. gosh, even his hands are perfect. an angel has descended to soothe all your gym-related problems, converting you into a devout worshipper of his physique.

you’ve never been more thankful for soonyoung’s suggestion to wait in the gym.

soonyoung’s arms may be burning from hanging on the pull-up bar for too long, but he just couldn’t believe his eyes; your mouth is hanging open and– wait, is that drool?! is his best friend really drooling over a man in the gym?!? a laugh of disbelief escapes him as he finishes the last of his rep. soonyoung mutters a quick prayer of thanks to god for gifting him prime blackmailing material. he drops back to the ground and swiftly snaps a picture of you, in all your thirsting glory, before he picks up the rest of his stuff.

“y/n,” he calls out. “i’m gonna hit the showers and then we can go. you good staying here on your own for a bit?”

“yeah, yeah! i’m not going anywhere, don’t worry.” you wave him off, not even bothering to turn towards your best friend. soonyoung lets out another tut as he turns towards the gym’s locker room. that is, before a brilliant idea comes into mind.

“hyung!”

the red-haired man turns towards soonyoung’s voice. “hoshi, you’re going already?”

your best friend nods his head, grinning at how your eyes seemed to pop out at the way he was casually talking to your new-found eye candy. “are you doing anything tonight? i’m meeting seokmin and the others for dinner later, wanna join?”

“kwon soonyoung!” you whisper-hiss. “what the hell are you doing? you guys know each other!?” is that blush creeping up your neck he sees? the tips of your ears tinge so pink soonyoung thinks he can almost feel the heat radiating from them.

“thanks, but i’ve already got plans.” the mystery stranger shoots you a gentle smile, flirty (flirty?!) wink (WINK?!?) towards you. still, you can’t hide your disappointment; you would’ve loved to get to know this new-found work of art more.. “maybe next time? you can properly introduce me to your pretty friend then too.”

soonyoung thinks he heard a strangled cry from you, coughing as you somehow manage to choke on your own saliva. he chuckles at your suffering. “sure, hyung. i think she’d like that too!”

soonyoung doesn’t know what to expect when he finally emerges from the locker room cleaned and refreshed, but it definitely wasn’t you raining attacks on his sore arms and shoulders. seungcheol (he had introduced himself to you while soonyoung was gone– in fact, the two of you managed a whole conversation while he was gone (no, you were so shy and embarrassed you were barely able to keep eye contact with him)) waves at the both of you as you leave the gym to wait for seokmin to arrive.

you’re convinced the blush on your cheeks is going to be a permanent feature of tonight. it doesn’t help that it becomes the main topic during dinner with seokmin and mingyu, the other two boys cracking up at soonyoung’s dramatic retelling of your new-found gym crush.

(it also doesn’t help that you had a balled up fist under the table all night, hiding the hastily written phone number on a piece of paper that seungcheol had managed to slip to you while you were leaving, mouthing the words ‘call me!’ behind soonyoung’s back.)

-

bonus!

“remember when you couldn’t keep your eyes off me when we first met?” seungcheol swings his arm around you, broad shoulders almost engulfing you whole.

you groan, choosing instead to bury your head into your boyfriend’s chest. soonyoung cackles from across the booth. you have to physically restrain yourself from clawing him alive.

“hyung it wasn’t just that; she was drooling over you!” he wiggles his eyebrows, ignoring the daggers you were staring his way. blush makes its way up your cheeks, dusting them pink.

seungcheol laughs, planting a kiss on the crown of your head.

“if it makes you feel better,” he whispers in your ear. “you were my gym crush too.”

soonyoung almost falls off his seat laughing when you blush even harder.

pretty kitty | lee minho

fluff | 707 words | no warnings

If hybrids exist in this world, you are convinced your boyfriend would most definitely be a cat.

Cats love Lee Minho, and he loves them just as much. Your affection for him increases tenfold whenever you see him tenderly caring for any feline within his sight. He’s the kind of person who would carry extra cat treats in his pocket even when he was only going on a walk around the neighbourhood. He prepares Soonie, Doongie and Dori’s food bowls with such immense attention to detail every mealtime, and the cats have made a habit of eagerly waiting for him to come home to the door every evening. And your personal favourite: how gentle he is with his cats, always talking to them in soft voices; that’s how much he loved and adored them.

Naturally, you’ve noticed that your boyfriend seems to have picked up on some of his fur children's habits. His jaw widens first when he yawns, eyes forming into the cutest crescent moons as he does so. He shies away from physical touch, but bumps his head on your shoulder when he craves your attention. His arms reach outwards whenever he stretches after waking up from sleep.

Even now, he slowly blinks to show you that he is actively listening to you, reminiscent of his feline counterparts. His concentration breaks briefly when he notices a cat sleeping on the park bench, stopping to bend over and pet the sleeping calico. You couldn’t help but giggle at how he tilts his head, confused as to why you started laughing mid-sentence.

“Pretty kitty.” You mumble, kneeling next to him. Minho watches as you reach over to scratch the cat’s chin. The cat lets out a subtle purr at your touch, eliciting a smile from you.

His signature vanilla scent enveloped you as his arm slings around your shoulder. Minho pulls you closer to him, causing you to practically fall into him.

“That’s not right,” he starts the exact moment you yelp in surprise. “I’m your pretty kitty.”

“Minnnn” you whine, “you’re gonna scare him.”

“Good.” He hugs you tighter, nuzzling his cheek into yours. “You should only pay attention to me.”

“Jeez, what’s gotten into you?” Laughing, you leaned into his chest. The cat must’ve gotten sick of the PDA happening right in front of him, choosing instead to disappear into the bushes behind. “Min, the cat ran away!” Oh, how difficult it was for him to resist pinching your cheeks.

Instead, he turns to plant a sloppy kiss on you. He throws his head back, whole body vibrating with laughter when you over-exaggerate wiping away his affections. “I miss this. It’s been a while since it’s been just the two of us.”

It’s true; the two of you had been so preoccupied with work lately, to the point that the only time you got to see each other was through brief video calls late at night. Today was the first proper date you had been able to go on in a month, and Minho was determined to keep you all to himself.

Humming in reply, you stood up, pulling your boyfriend up with you. His grip on your hand tightened as he stuffed your intertwined hands into his jacket pocket. As if transported into a romance drama, a gust of wind blows through the very park you stood in. Cherry blossom petals flutter about, with a few of them even getting caught in Minho’s fluffy hair. You reach up on your tippy toes to extend a free hand moving up to brush them away. Minho takes this chance to grab it by the wrist, tilting it to press another kiss on the inside of your palm.

“I’ve missed you too, my pretty kitty.”

His ears tinged as pink as the flower petals floating about. Half his face hidden by your hand, his shining eyes stare back at you with all the affection in the world. One day, he thinks. One day he’ll permanently make you his.

But for now, he notices how the chill of the wind causes you to shiver, prompting him to pull you even deeper into his chest. “There’s a cafe nearby that Jisung recommended. Shall we go?”

“Yeah, i’d like that.”