#neos mentioned: taeyong johnny yuta doyoung winwin mark lucas kun jaemin | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

neo-shitty · 3 years

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kill steal — l.jn

description. in which you find your name on the kill list of a notorious group of maniac killers and lee jeno is your only ticket out alive. | for @kpopscape’s ‘the 21st purge’ event

pairings. lee jeno x gender-neutral reader (+ mentions of other members)

genre. thriller, suspense, purge!au

warnings. swearing. mention of being suicidal (reader is not suicidal but it was used just for comparison once). mentions and usage of guns and knives. mentions of blood, death and murder. graphic descriptions of violence and death. major character death. bonus, !! tattooed neos !! and leather jacket jeno.

word count. 8k

playlist. #0321

notes.

the OGs — taeil, johnny, taeyong, yuta, kun, ten, doyoung, jaehyun, winwin the Faculty Wipe Out recruits — jungwoo, lucas, mark, xiaojun, hendery the 00-line — renjun, jeno, haechan, jaemin, yangyang, shotaro

— in this au, sungchan, chenle and jisung are recruited into the neos but not mentioned because of the perspective this story is told. and all of these notes will make sense later, just sit tight. aight?

It all started that day at the library.

You were the librarian’s assistant for extra credit, you saw it as a more viable way to waste time instead of wasting away at your apartment. Home was far away and you were bored of rereading the same books on your bookshelves. Itching for paper etched with thousands of words, you offered to work at the school library. At first, you were doing it for free in your spare time just so you could get access to a wide-range of books with minimal cost and effort. Until the librarian offered that she’d take you in as an assistant for additional credit.

On Fridays, you worked overtime just so the old lady could get off earlier and get some rest. Besides, you still had the weekend to catch up with your school work and you’d rather be anywhere than at those Friday night parties everyone was going to.

Like most Fridays, the library was empty save for the few introverted regulars who you’ve begun to recognize through the weeks you’ve been here. They usually left right around closing so you had some sort of human company until you began closing up.

At 10 minutes to 10pm, you finished returning the last of the books that the students left behind on the tables. Then you made your way to the furthest ends of the library where the wall with the enormous windows were.

When you were younger, you always marvelled at how people managed to close them. You thought it required superhuman strength. Now that you were doing the job, the deed lost it’s magic. Your fingers found the ropes that were hooked unto the window’s handles and gave it a quick tug. The massive windows weren’t as heavy as you initially expected them to be. They looked like they weighed a ton, but they closed without much effort. The only challenge was getting both flaps to close together without one overlapping the other. You’ve mastered that now.

Once you’ve closed all 3 windows at the back, you rounded the hall one last time, checking if there were any other things you missed. By the time you finished checking every aisle, it was a little past 10. You sighed in relief as you made your way back to the front of the building to time out and lock up.

But you saw someone standing by the librarian’s desk. On instinct, you blinked twice, thinking it was just your mind playing tricks on you again. But the figure didn’t disappear.

The person was still hunched over the desk, flipping pages on the registry and just tinkering with about anything they could get their hands on.

“Hi, excuse me,” you called out from across the room, “we’re already closed. I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”

You’ve grown accustomed to saying the line to procrastinators who arrived at closing time, thinking that the library was open 24/7. They’d mutter curses and rush off elsewhere. You’d feel bad sometimes, knowing the feeling of having nowhere else to go during such a crisis. You always tried guessing what they were here for, which exams they needed to study for and what not. You usually made small talk with them, figuring out what they were procrastinating with and leaving a suggestion as to where they could go besides the campus library.

Tonight, your visitor came empty-handed but his hand wasn’t exactly empty at all. Your words fall short on your lips as you walked closer, finally getting a better glimpse of the tattoo on the back of his hand. Neos, you thought and you stagger backwards at the sight of their symbol.

“But,” you dragged the word on as you checked the time on your wristwatch, “I think I have time to spare tonight.” Actually, you couldn’t wait to get home but if spending at least another hour in the library meant you’ll live to see another year after this year’s Purge, you’d take it. “I can wait for you to finish what you’re doing and I’ll lock up after you leave.”

You tried your best not to make your voice sound shaky even when you were terrified beyond belief. You let out a shaky breath before you turned the other way, finding something to distract yourself with until the boy was done with his business.

“_____?”

You froze.

It wasn’t the first time you’ve crossed paths with the Neos, but it was definitely the first time one of them spoke to you directly. Having a few of them in your classes, you ran into them quite a lot. Thankfully, you’ve been lucky enough not to be paired or grouped with them during class activities. Like a pack of wolves, they often grouped together regardless of what the professor said—as if those poor adults had a say in anything anymore after the Faculty Wipe Out three Purges ago.

Despite being in close proximity to them sometimes, you’ve remained invisible in their eyes for the majority of your stay in the university. Freshmen were taught to avoid getting on their bad side during orientations. The group was notorious for numerous gang-related activities both within the university and all over the city. Above all the things they’ve achieved, the highest honor was being labelled the so-called Purge Kings—boasting the highest kill count average back-to-back for every year for the past six years. Bottomline, anyone who dared to oppose them didn’t make it past the 21st of March. They all died trying.

You figured that the best way to never be on their bad side was by not being in their radar entirely. It wasn’t much of a tedious task for you. Besides the classroom, you were almost never in the same breathing space as they were. For the past 3 years it worked flawlessly. Or at least you assumed.

You hoped you hadn’t taken too long to answer. You turned on your heel, answering in the same cheerful tone you used when entertaining anyone who came and went. “Yes?”

Lee Jeno shut the register logbook before finding the nearest table. “I need to talk to you,” he said as he pulled a wooden chair back so he could take a seat.

“Right now?” You blurt the question out loud before you could think twice.

His eyes landed on yours when he looked up. You expected to see an unreadable expression on his face, like what he usually wore whenever he was with the Neos. But all you saw were knitted eyebrows and a boy struggling not to laugh at you.

For a split-second, he looked harmless with his eyes disappearing into concaves as he analyzed the way you stared back at him. Without the other boys around, he looked like any other university student you might find around. Gone with his smile was every rumor you heard about the Neos being nothing but emotionless psychopaths. They were never proven to be true anyway—or no one ever lived long enough to testify. You never had any firsthand experience with how ruthless they could be and the Neo before you didn’t seem too bad at all, unlike what the stories said.

Jeno straightened his stance to reach the chair adjacent to his, pushing it back before gesturing for you to sit on it. You took it, feeling yourself ease a little the more time you spent in the same space.

“I get why you’re scared to talk with me,” he whispered before he pursed his lips, probably thinking of the same thing you were thinking, “especially with the timing.”

He was right. Part of the reason why you didn’t seem to be all welcoming with him was the convenience of the date. A member of the Neos appearing out of nowhere, a week before the Purge, just seemed too impossible to be a mere coincidence.

“Here’s some reassurance that I’m not here to harm you.” Jeno balled his tattooed hand into a fist and rested it on the wooden table. Up close, the tattoo only made your skin crawl even more. The spider only had six legs, three on either side of its body, and on its back were two zeros inked in red.

The first time you saw the spider sigil was outside the campus’ main gates three years ago when nearly half of the university’s staff was reported missing the morning after the Purge. You remembered getting too close to the spray painting of the spider just to count exactly how many legs it had (12, you recalled, 6 on either side) and immediately feeling queasy because of the strong scent of paint thinner. It took a lot of it to remove such an enormous spider with four too many legs.

The Neos shared the spider tattoo as a symbol of their brotherhood. The number of spider’s legs varied across subsections within the organization. You’ve seen the same tattoo Jeno had imprinted on at least two other hands. Compared to theirs, Jeno’s was a lot darker. Not because a different ink was used, but because the skin where the tattoo was badly burnt.

“You came here to show me your tattoo?” Again, you wanted to slap yourself for letting such a comment slip off your mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound sarcastic. It was a genuine question,” you mumbled.

Jeno shook his head, “It’s fine, I get it. And you don’t have much reason to be scared of me anymore. I quit the group after last year’s Purge.”

Your eyes catch the burned tattoo again. If the intention of burning it was removal, it wasn’t very effective. If anything, the charred skin looked more prominent now than it was before.

Noticing how your attention was fully fixated on the tattoo now, Jeno pulled his hand off the table. “But that’s not what I came here for.”

Of course your hunch was right. There was no way a Neo—ex-Neo, anyway—took the time to come all the way here for nothing.

“I don’t know how but your name,” Jeno uttered cautiously with his eyes keeping watch of the surroundings as he spoke, “it’s on the list this year.”

“What list?”

“The Neos’ Kill List.”

Your heart dropped to your stomach, feeling the room grow colder as your mind slowly registered what he just said. “But why?”

“That’s the thing. Everyone else on the list deserved to be there one way or another. Previous fights, members of other gangs. I knew everyone else on the list and I came across them at least once, all except you. Until I heard your name called in class during the few times I attended anyway.”

Everything he said didn’t answer your question so you let it enter one ear and out the other. You finally turned to him, “Why are you telling me this? It’s like putting a bounty on your own head.”

A pained expression crosses his face for a moment as if your words implied that someone like him was incapable of feeling any emotions. But then again, that was what the Neos were always known for. “Innocent people should be left out of it.”

You stared back at him in disbelief, as if the words that left his lips were too unrealistic to hear firsthand.

“I’ll go ahead. This conversation never happened but I warned you. At least, I tried to.” Jeno pushed the seat back into the table after he stood up and stepped away. “Stay safe on Purge Night,” he said.

“Stay safe on Purge Night,” you replied, staring dumbfounded at empty space.

The sound of his footsteps faded as he walked further and further away. In the dead of the night, you were once again enveloped in silence but the thoughts in your head were at their loudest.

You had no one else to blame but your stubborn, cynic self.

Since that night at the library, you had more than a week’s time to formulate some form of escape plan from certain death. Yet you didn’t do anything, thinking Jeno’s appearance was just some elaborate prank the Neos were pulling to make you look stupid for their entertainment. Shrugging his warning off, you went on with your week like nothing had changed.

It wasn’t until after around 4AM on March 22nd that you understood the gravity of your situation when the realization finally dawns on you that ignoring the warnings might as well equate with being suicidal. If staying alive was your top priority, disregarding the warning from a Neo himself might’ve been the worst mistake you’ve made so far. Not everyone on the Kill List was blessed with any form of heads up on their impending doom. Or maybe they were, but like you, they chose not to take it seriously until the Neos were right outside their doorsteps.

You awoke to the sound of your phone ringing on your side table. Initially, you thought the sound had been your alarm which confused you when you woke up with not a single ray of sunlight seeped in through your curtains yet. Thinking you only set the alarm a bit too early, you reached for your phone. But there were no buttons on the screen to snooze it. Instead there was an unknown number and the buttons for answering and declining the call. You didn’t think twice about declining it.

But the call comes again, and again, and again. Same number over and over, as if the person on the other end redialled as soon as you declined the call.

A few failed attempts later, you finally gave in and you swipe the green button before pressing the phone against your ear.

“This better be urgent,” you uttered with a hoarse voice.

You only remembered the date when you heard the exchange of gunfire in the background of the person on the other end of the line. Purge Night, you thought. Your plans to sleep right through it were disrupted once again.

“It’s Jeno. They’re out to get you. Hide. Now.”

“What?” Jeno could hear the confusion in your tone which made him groan at the other end of the line. “Who’s,” you trailed off before reforming your statement. “What do you mean hide?”

Jeno was exasperated. “Hide. Just fucking hide. Anywhere, just so it’ll take them longer to find you. They have the entire block around your apartment building surrounded. But I’m close too, here’s to hoping that I’ll arrive before them.”

You were about to speak into the phone but the line was already dead. You redial twice and on both times, it goes straight to voicemail. You leap off your bed and peak through the curtains. Truly enough a van with the spider sigil was outside.

Your mind spins into panic when you hear someone banging on your front door. You had less time than you thought. You look around, searching for any type of hiding place. You find the nearest cabinet and slip inside. You weren’t fond of the dark but staying in a dark enclosed space rather than being in the bare open with the possibility of a maniac killer bursting into the room any second was worse than staying in the dark.

You try to level your breathing when you hear the banging grow louder. They continued to try the door knob but to no avail. Your fingers unconsciously dial Jeno again. Still no answer. You hear a gun fire once, then twice, then you hear the door bang against the wall as if someone had kicked it open, then the sound of heavy footfalls.

Then you hear your name being called. But it’s muffled by the ringing sound in your ear. You didn’t want to die yet. You weren’t ready to die yet.

They found your room easily, of course. It wasn’t like you had the biggest apartment. There were only two other rooms the intruders could have ventured into; the kitchen and then the bathroom. The last door led to your bedroom. They tried the doorknob several times before they resorted to the same strategy they did with the other door that got in the way.

Inside the closet you willed yourself to be as silent as possible. You hadn’t noticed you started holding your breath until you started feeling suffocated inside the close space. You willed your body no to move, any minor adjustment could make the wood around you creak and draw the intruder’s attention to your closet when there were still other places to search. You hear the footsteps draw closer, passing right by the closet.

Then your phone rings.

The closet doors are drawn open and you find yourself staring at a man who had his face covered in a white kabuki mask.

“Found you!” The boy said. “Don’t need this anymore,” he said, snagging your phone away from your hands before throwing it aside.

The boy reached out his hand to grab yours but you slap it away on instinct. Your hand grazes his mask and it falls off his face. He moves back and his face comes into light. The Japanese transfer student, you thought as you recalled registering him up on the librarian’s records. Shotaro was barely two semesters in yet he already carried the tattoo of the spider on his neck, earning more respect than those who stayed in the university longer. Might’ve been his first Purge in this city but with the way he yanked you out of the closet with ease told you it wasn’t his first time taking anyone hostage.

Your body slams on to the cold floor. The boy doesn’t waste any time in pinning you down. He kept his leg on your back, pressing you down on the floor to render you immobile. You squirm beneath him but to no avail.

“Somebody told you we were coming, huh? Is that why you were hiding?”

Jeno’s voice echoes in your head telling you that the conversation with him never happened. He risked his life enough just to warn you about your name being on the list. You didn’t answer him, instead you just shook your head.

“Or were you trying to escape out your window?” he said, gesturing at the open window.

You blinked, feeling a gust of wind sweep the room. The wind from this high up was always chilly, which was why you never left your window open.

Why was it open?

The answer comes in the form of a masked figure that moved faster than Shotaro could calculate. In the figure’s hand was a thick book, probably one they picked off your shelf. Without thinking twice, they slammed it onto the back of the other boy’s head. For a moment, Shotaro was stunned and when he prioritized his balance over keeping you pinned down, you took the opportunity and escape. You pushed yourself up and rolled away from him.

Shotaro was about to grab hold of your leg when he seized, pausing mid-act as the other person pressed the barrel of their gun against the back of the former’s head.

“Don’t even try it,” you heard the voice uttered. Jeno, you recognized. You watched as he pressed the metal harder whenever Shotaro moved so much an inch. He then turned to you, “Out the window, now.”

You moved mindlessly, following his order without putting much thought into it. Struggling to comprehend everything, you found it hard to believe that it hasn’t even been ten minutes since you got up.

You were halfway out the window when Shotaro attempted to swipe the gun out of Jeno’s hand. But the latter’s grip wasn’t weak—he never let go of his weapon even as he was striked on reflexes that should’ve made him loosen his grip even for a bit. A shot was fired, barely missing you but you managed to make it out the window unscathed.

Jeno slammed the grip of the gun against Shotaro’s head, sending the younger boy into a daze again—this time long enough for Jeno to make a getaway. The bedroom door slams open as 2 other Neos came in after hearing the gunshot. Jeno fired another shot, barely missing the hand of the Neo who held the door open. They took the warning and stood down, lowering their own guns as Jeno backed away towards the window. He glared at them one last time before he ducked down the pane to meet you outside.

For a moment, he was worried that another Neo got to you before he did. But he saw you sitting a few steps down, hand clutching the railing and staying out of the street’s view as much as you could.

He trotted down, offering a hand when he reached you, “Come on.” It doesn’t take long for him to realize that you still haven’t recovered from the shock, but he didn’t have the time to wait around for you to come to your senses. He made the move to grab your hand, instantly capturing your attention. Your blank eyes slowly found their way to his.

“I’ll keep you safe from them, I promise,” Jeno uttered. “Without me, you’re defenseless. At least when I’m around, you have a fighting chance. Now, let’s go.”

Keeping both your heads ducked down, you sped down the emergency ladder. Thankfully, the Neos haven’t followed you out yet—maybe out of pity, you thought, but you were just grateful you didn’t have armed men raining bullets on you as you ran.

Even in the darkness of the shadow of your apartment complex, your eyes could see him clearly. Somewhere along the way, he managed to get rid of the black cloth mask he had draped over his head to conceal his identity. His hair was a mess but he paid no attention to it. But you did. That was when you noticed the tattoo on the back of his neck. A snake head, you thought, and the rest disappeared beneath his sweater—probably in line with his spine.

Jeno hadn’t let go of your hand yet. He kept his attention forward, dragging you down the steps with no regard whether you slipped or fell. Maybe his coming to your rescue was nothing but an act of pity as well. Now, you just felt more pathetic.

You owned the room closest to the corner of the building. Your window had a built-in emergency exit staircase that led down into an alley by the side of the apartment complex. Completely obscured from the view from the front but only if you were careful. It doesn’t take long for the both of you to reach the end of the staircase.

Jeno kicks down the ladder to the first floor until the final rung touches the cemented pathway below. He turned, probably to check if you were being followed, then his eyes met yours again.

“After you,” he said, gesturing at the ladder.

You looked over the edge, swallowing the lump in your throat as you saw just how far the ground was. Your palms began to sweat and you wondered how much it would hurt if your grip slipped and you fell head first.

“I know it’s still a bit high up but don’t get ahead of yourself,” Jeno said as if he read exactly what you were thinking. “You can do it. Just one step after the other.”

You took one deep breath in before you began your climb down. It wasn’t as bad as you initially thought, so long as you never looked at the ground too long. Soon enough, you reached the bottom just as you heard another gunshot ring through the air.

You automatically glanced up. The stairs rattled and shook as a group of men started running down. You couldn’t make out what they were saying, but they were shouting at one another and pointing at the ground—pointing at you. You hide behind the ladder just in time before another gunshot barely misses you. Thankfully, where you stood was a blindspot. Unless they climbed down the ladder, then you were screwed.

Jeno gripped both poles of the ladder with gloved hands, sliding down the ladder the way you’ve seen firemen do in the movies. In a second, he was standing next to you and sending the ladder back up. At the very least, it would stall those who were chasing after you.

You watched as the ladder rattled on its way up, creating a loud bang as it clashed with the metal plate of the ramp. Jeno grabbed hold of your hand again and you were running, this time to the back of the apartment complex where the parking lot was.

“There,” Jeno pointed at a black Hyundai Accent, parked conveniently at the middle of the lot and one turn away from the exit.

You dash for the car, hopping into the passenger seat as Jeno slipped into the driver’s seat. He started the car up with the flick of his wrist and turned a few knobs to light up the driveway. At the end of the lot stood five masked men—one with the Kabuki mask that you recognized.

Jeno clicked his tongue and frowned. But it didn’t stop him from flooring it. The car jolted forward, speeding in the direction where the men stood.

“Jeno,” you croaked, grabbing hold onto one of the handles on the car ceiling.

He wasn’t startled one bit, switching gears and going faster. One of the boys aimed a gun straight at you, shooting as you got closer and closer. You flinched every time he fired the gun, but the bullets ricocheted off the car’s hood every time as if he was purposely missing the windshield.

Jeno barely misses them when he passes by, making the turn towards the parking lot exit. The boys jump out of the car’s path at the last second before tumbling onto the cemented ground. A smirk tugged at the corner of Jeno’s mouth as he watched them through the side mirror. Then he drove into the highway away from them. Out of sight, out of mind.

The streets were almost empty tonight and unlike most nights downtown most, if not all, shops were closed. You barely saw an establishment that didn’t have thick garage doors down. As if the metal doors were enough to waver anyone determined enough to loot them.

“Where are we going?” you asked as he drove further and further away from your apartment building and into the supposedly busier—now, dead—part of the city.

Jeno kept his eyes on the road when he answered, “My place. I need to pick up a few things and we’re moving again.”

A veil of silence fell over the both of you. It made you hesitate but you could only stay silent for so long with the thoughts racing through your head. “Those masked men,” you began, “who were they?”

“0-0-6-0-0,” Jeno replied.

You turned to Jeno, “Six hundred?”

“No,” he said as he shook his head. He peeled the glove off of his right hand. “You see this? They’re our age and since we were admitted into the Neos at the same time, we decided to make 00600 our unit name. 00 for the birth year, 6 because there’s 6 of us.”

You nod as you let the information sink in. “No wonder they didn’t shoot you back in the apartment.”

“I doubt they even recognized me back there. But they sure did at the parking lot.”

“You mentioned units,” you continued, only this time you were no longer facing Jeno. Instead, you were staring outside, watching the sidewalk blur past you. “How many are there?”

“3 as far as I know,” he answered. “We’re lucky tonight.” he said.

“Your definition of lucky appalls me.”

Jeno chuckled, “Relatively lucky. If the OGs got there first, I doubt we’d make it out of the building alive.”

You arched your eyebrow in confusion, “OGs?”

“The original 9 members of the Neos.” He went on to elaborate how the group was formed back in 2016. The Neos were merely a group of men who wanted to purge for the night with one single objective and a mastermind who planned everything out. “Taeyong was selective in picking the people he wanted to recruit in his killing team but he included seniors down to freshmen. He was a junior at the time but damn, did he have a long kill list. That year, they unintentionally scored the highest kill count in the city and were labelled the Kings of the Purge in Seoul. Guess they have no plans of giving that title away now.”

Jeno explained how the spider symbol once represented the original 8 members—one leg for each one—and one head for the mastermind. “But Taeyong wanted to do something grand after he left the university. He couldn’t do it with only 9 people so he went and recruited sophomores and freshmen..”

“That something grand was the Faculty Wipe Out three years ago, wasn’t it?” you asked and Jeno nodded. “So when did you come in?”

“The year after the Faculty Wipe Out. As the years passed, it was getting harder and harder to remain on top of the Purge list. Taeyong thought a bunch of fearless millennium babies who weren’t scared of anything would make a good addition to the team.” Of course, the older boy was right. Jeno went on to tell you the ruthlessness of the 00s that you’re surprised they purposely left you both of earlier.

Jeno then continued, “During the Purge, we’re tasked to kill anyone on sight. But that starts to get boring when you’re halfway through the night when no one’s usually out anymore, especially when the Neos are roving around. So they decided to make the Kill List—a list of specific targets for the night we’re supposed to kill. It’s usually those who already made enemies with us,” he backtracks to correct himself, “them, or people who’re difficult to coax out for the challenge.”

You remained silent as you remembered the reason why you were riding beside him in the first place. “So, it’s for the Neo’s entertainment alone,” you trailed off.

“Basically. As far as I know the three groups are the 00s, the one’s recruited during the Faculty Wipe Out and OGs behind us,” he said, glimpsing up at the rearview mirror before shifting to the highest gear.

Now, you understood why Jeno was driving so fast on an empty highway. The roar of revved motor engines echoed in the night as the enormous bikes sped up—catching up to you at an alarming rate. The car has reached its limit, but the bikes still managed to pass you by with ease. Beside you, Jeno spat a curse.

At a distance, you see the bikers parking their motorcycles directly on the path of the car. Their riders leaned idly against their rides, armed with guns that were raised and pointed straight at the car windshield. Your breath hitches on your throat at the sight.

Jeno takes his foot off the accelerator and slams it on to the brake. The car wheels hissed beneath you as the car staggered to a halt a few feet away from the men blocking the way. The glass that separated you and those outside wasn’t tinted. You thought the amused grins on the faces of the men outside was because of the fear in your expressions, but you see them gesture toward Jeno before they share a laugh. The boy beside you looked away.

“What now?” you asked.

Behind you an armored vehicle rolls into view, parking meters away from the Accent you were in. You could make out a masked man walking to the front of the car. His mask was illuminated by neon lights forming two Xs over his eyes and a sewn in smile where his mouth should’ve been. He pressed a phone against his ear.

The built-in screen of the car radio lights up, illuminating both your faces. An unknown number shows up on the screen. Jeno swiped right to receive it.

“Lee Jeno!” the voice said. You would’ve mistaken it as a warm welcome if you didn’t know the circumstances behind it. “How has the Purge been for you?”

“Fine,” Jeno answered coldly. “I would like it better if you and your crew left us alone for the rest of the night, though.”

You rolled your eyes, as if the Neos ever spared sympathy for anyone. It was as long shot, but you applauded Jeno for trying.

A laugh rumbled through the car speakers but it was only met with silence. “But you do know you hold our tie-breaker captive.”

Jeno’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, “Find a way to win the game with only the 18 others on the list. Isn’t that more than enough?”

“You know how competitive each unit gets when it’s Purge night. You don’t think we haven’t come to a draw yet?”

“Stop bluffing. The others on the list are still alive.”

Taeyong hummed on the other side of the line. “You still have your sources.” He paused, as if a thought came to mind but he doesn’t elaborate it further. “It’s a neck-on-neck fight and I know it will all come down to that person in the passenger seat.”

You quivered, trying to keep a straight face as you hear the foreshadowing of your own fate at the end of the night.

“But since we have other things to do tonight, we’ll let you off. Losing the Kill List game is the least of my worries.” You both exhale in relief and realize you’ve been holding your breaths as you had your fates decided.

Taeyong gestured at the two riders and they began to clear the way for the car to pass through. Then he spoke into his phone speaker again.

“And Jeno, before I go,” he uttered in a low tone, “my offer still stands if you ever change your mind.”

Jeno taps the red end call button before he floors it again, racing down the highway without looking back.

You manage to make it to his house before the car starts rumbling before eventually stopping before Jeno has the chance to turn it off. The battery was still running but the car didn’t respond to the pedals anymore. Jeno tried the key again, the engine revved for a moment but it didn't start. The glass behind his steering wheel was illuminated by a blinking sign—signalling that the tank was empty.

Jeno pulled out the car keys before turning to you. “Get off, we can’t use this anymore.”

You followed, hopping out of the car before shutting the car door behind you. The cold air nips at your skin and you shiver. The sky was no longer inky black in color. It was a dark tint of violet but it

Jeno appears next to you, noticing the way you kept your arms close so you could warm yourself up. “Let’s go. I’ll get you some clothes inside. You look ridiculous running around with your pajamas.”

You followed him as he walked around the car and up to their front porch. Jeno’s place sat right by the edge of the city in a subdivision which stood in strong contrast against the tall glass-paned skyscrapers of the downtown area. At the end of the road was a bridge that crossed the Han river and on the other side were more skyscrapers. Overhead, the sky was no longer the midnight black it was an hour ago. Somehow you could tell that the sun was already rising somewhere.

Jeno walks up to the front door, unlocks it and slips inside. He rushes through the living room and disappears behind a wooden door. When he came back he threw a sweater in your direction, relying on your reflexes to catch it.

“Can’t we just wait out the next hour here?” you asked as you draped the sweater over your head. Judging from the way the sky was lit up now, it might’ve been nearly 6AM.

Jeno was rummaging through the cabinets as he spoke, “What makes you think they aren’t here yet?”

Before you manage to answer a fire blazes outside, lighting up the street where you both passed. A loud boom similar to a bomb’s echoes outside, blasting pressure strong enough that it shatters the front window. The car burst into flames. Thankfully, you were still standing by the door and the pressure was barely felt where you stood.

Jeno stood stunned but in a moment he was already grabbing your hand as what seemed to be a can of spray paint rolled on to the floor.

“Flash bang!” he shouted, grabbing hold of your hand and tugging you to the room he disappeared into. The bomb detonates, lighting up the living room behind you and emitting an ear-deafening noise that sends you out of balance. Your ears began to ring and you struggle to get on your feet again.

Jeno recovered before you, wincing at the sound before dragging you up. “Come on, come on.”

Even through the ringing, you could hear the sound of the front door being kicked open followed by the sound of heavy footsteps on the floor outside. Jeno dashed for the window, sliding the pane upward before slipping out. For the second time that night, you exit out the window and roll onto the garden of their house where grass cushioned your fall.

Your head spun as you dashed across the neighborhood. It wouldn’t take long before your pursuants would discover that the both of you were no longer in the house they were searching. You tried your best to run faster.

“I feel dizzy,” you uttered when you couldn’t take it anymore.

Your hand slips off Jeno’s as you slowed down. You were hunched over with your hands on your knees as you tried to catch your breath. Running breathless with spinning vision didn’t necessarily help your chances of survival. But neither did slowing down.

Jeno took your hand in his, “No, no, no. We have to go, we’re going to die here.” When you didn’t look up, he leaned down to meet your eye, “_____, stay with me.”

“We can’t run for the next hour,” you said, shaking your hand off his grip as you sat down on the wet pavement. Your pajamas were soaked but you couldn’t care less anymore. “Just leave me to die.”

Jeno looked at the horizon where the sun was slowly rising, “One last hour and you won’t have to worry about this again.”

You scoffed, “You think they’ll let me live to tell the tale?”

“If you die now, you’ll never know.” Maybe you didn’t want to know. But you didn’t want to die this way either. You were on the brink of giving up but you couldn’t let all of Jeno’s efforts come to waste now when there was one hour left.

You took his hand again.

“Come on. I have a plan.”

Parc1 Tower was a 72-storey building sitting on the other end of the Mapo bridge and it was a mile away. Without a car and with the city’s most infamous killers chasing you, something so close seemed to be too far. But the tower was your last shot at outrunning the Neos, at least until the Purge was over. You were running down the bridge at top speed with your thighs burning and feet aching.

It was a relief when you finally barged in through the double doors of the tower.

“Get in,” Jeno said, gesturing for the elevator. You climbed on as quick as you can as he fired bullets at the other elevator’s control panel.

“They’re here!” you blurted out as you saw the Neo’s closing in. Jeno stumbled to your side just in time, shutting the elevator doors right as the Neos walked in.

You slumped down onto the elevator floor, exhausted. The ride up was silent, save for the elevator music and the sound of the both of you catching your own breaths. A million thoughts race through your head as you struggled to process the events of the last four hours. You didn’t notice that your arms were stained with blood until you took a good look at it now. You weren’t even sure if it was your own, Jeno’s or someone else’s.

When the elevator reached the top floor, you climbed another staircase to reach the helipad. You made sure to bar the one-way entrance to the roof deck. The wooden cross on the handles weren’t too strong, but you prayed they were tough enough to last the next few minutes as the clock ticked closer to 7AM.

You never thought that you’d make it this far alive.

The sun has long risen from the horizon and the entire city was now basked in sunlight, exposing the remnants of last night’s purge. From the rooftop of the building you were both perched on, you could make out the streets you speed through a few hours ago. They were empty then but they were littered with lifeless bodies now with significant amounts of blood splattered on the pavement and on the walls that they could still be visible this high up.

Your head throbbed, both from fatigue and from the dwindling adrenaline rush that kept you upright throughout the night. In the past four hours, you learned not to underestimate the human body’s instinct to survive in the most grave situations. You ran at speeds you thought you’d never reach and did stunts that would rival any gymnast.

Your head falls unto the shoulder of the boy sitting next to you, slowly giving into the exhaustion from running around. Jeno leaned his own head against yours, equally exhausted as you were (or maybe a lot more). His breathing was heavy and it fogged up the air before him as he exhaled.

“You okay?” he asked, shifting his head so he could turn and catch a glimpse of your face.

Blood rushes to your cheeks as you suddenly felt conscious of your appearance. You were sure you looked like a mess now with dust, dirt and blood forming a disgusting mixture on your skin and clothes.

But Jeno noticed your hesitance and it amused him. You watch as his eyes disappeared into semi-concave lines right as a chuckle escapes his lips. You feel the familiar sting of wounds re-opening on your chapped lips as you broke into a smile yourself. That was the only moment of tranquility you’ve had in the past few hours you’ve been running around.

Where you would’ve been if your knight in shining leather jacket didn’t drop by to save you last midnight, you couldn’t imagine it.

“Let me tell you something,” he uttered, turning sideways to face you.

You mirror him, sitting with your legs crossed before you and leaning in to whatever he had to say.

Jeno leaded forward until his face was close enough that his breath would fan your ear. “You’re not making it off this roof deck alive.”

Your smile turned into a frown. His words don’t fully sink in yet with your mind being in a state of denial that there was no way that the same person who kept you alive up until this point was the very same person foretelling your tragic fate now. You wanted to pull away but your body was too exhausted to even move a muscle. If you managed to stand, where would you go? Down the stairwell where the rest of the Neos waited for you?

“I promised to keep you safe from them,” Jeno muttered, running the back of his hand down the side of your face. “But not from me.”

The knife Jeno had been keeping tucked in his pocket was sharp and it sliced through the skin of your neck neatly. Your blood spurts out of the slash, spraying onto his chest before dripping down your neck. Now you realized why he wore black even when it meant absorbing all the heat. It absorbed the color of blood pretty well too.

Your hand reached up to grab your throat, attempting to block the blood source with your shaky fingers but to no avail. Breathing was painful, gulping down your own saliva was even worse. Eventually, blood started spilling out your mouth.

“Did you know I never quit?” Jeno said. “They kicked me out because I nearly killed a Neo. The only way I could get back was if my unit vouched for my return. The only way to do that was by helping in this year’s games.”

You listened to him, even when you didn’t want to. But in the last moments of your life, you couldn’t wish for anything more but an explanation as to why it had to end this way.

“Of course, I couldn’t have the rest of the Neos knowing that I was still a part of the game or that Taeyong offered me a spot back in. I had to do what I needed to,” he continued.

He then grabbed your shoulders to push you off of him. You thought he’d push you right off the building, but he only propped you up so he could have a good look at your face.

“Thank you,” he uttered.

You saw him smile as your eyes fluttered shut, not having the strength to pry them open anymore. He lets you fall back into place—on his chest, caged in the arms of your own murderer. He gives you a squeeze and you choke up more blood again, staining the back of his leather jacket.

The rumors were right, they were nothing but cold blooded killers.

“Lee Jeno, you crazy fuck!” You heard a voice say as soon as the roofdeck door swung open. “You promised that we’ll win this year! You should’ve run me over when you had the chance earlier because I feel like I could kill you right now.” Donghyuck shouted, stomping all the way from the entrance to where you both sat.

Jaemin hits Donghyuck’s chest with the back of his palm as he pointed out that the scene wasn’t something straight out of a cheesy television series. It was enough to shut the latter up.

Jeno cleared his throat. “How many did you manage to tick off the kill list?” Jeno asked, stroking your back as if to comfort you. You’ve started to feel numb moments ago that you could barely feel his touch.

“6,” Yangyang answered, half-listening to the conversation and half-engulfed in the view on top of the skyscraper.

“There were only 19 names on the list this year. Taeyong said every team worked hard this year, I’m assuming it’s all a tie now and the 19th one is sitting right here.” he said, patting your head the way a parent would pat the head of a baby to help them fall asleep.

“Classic Lee Jeno,” Renjun remarked. “You really tricked Taeyong and you had him chasing you around, offering you to come back.”

You could hear the laughter bubble in his chest, “What did you want me to do? Tell them I was secretly working with you so y’all would lose?”

They all shared an amused laugh. It echoes in your head like a broken record, a reminder of the series of bad decisions that led you up to that very moment. How stupid of you to believe that you could’ve made it out alive even when you knew no one ever managed to do so. Jeno did a really good job of convincing you that you had a chance.

Your heart aches at the betrayal.

“Welcome back to the Neos, Lee Jeno.”

You pictured the taunting tattoos of the 6-legged spider on the back of each of their hands. Their triumphant laughter was one of the last things you heard before you slipped into darkness again, cradled in your own killer’s arms.

The clock struck 7 and the sirens down below began to wail again. The Purge was over and they won the game again.

#21stpurgescape #kpopscape #neo-the-stars-net #kwritersworldnet #neowritingsnet #nct x reader #nct fics #jeno x reader #jeno fics #toff.writes

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wh6res · 3 years

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WHO IN THE NEO BOYS WOULD KEEP THE TOILET SEAT UP OR DOWN?

tw mentions of urine

✰ — is a gentleman and will always keep it down for you. would use the bidet or shower head to get rid of itty bitty puddles in the lid that don't exactly get into the toilet bowl. will also probably use the bathroom rug to clean the wet tiles so it will be nice and dry for the next person to use. oh you know being an absolute angel.

TAEYONG : kun : TAEIL : xiaojun

✰ — he doesn't normally do it. he needs to be told first either face to face or through message that it'd be nice if he puts the toilet seat down after he uses it. you only need to tell him once, and from then on he'll always do it. probably won't take initiative in cleaning up a wet bathroom though but oh well its aight.

renjun : JENO : shotaro : WINWIN : DOYOUNG

✰ — okay so you tell it to him once and he does it and its great until he takes his next piss and forget to put the lid back down again :(( so you have to tell him once more if it'd be nice he put the lid down. its inconsistent. sometimes he does it. sometimes he won't.

MARK : hendery : sungchan : TEN : jaemin : jisung : jungwoo

✰ — maybe he'll do it once to shut you up but thats it. you try talking to him the next time but hell nah bitch. he probably won't leave pea puddles on the lid though, he still has some manners ig and will use the shower head to clean it. but he still won't put the seat down and will not wipe the mess of wet tiles from the shower head water omfg whatta nightmare

johnny : yuta : JAEHYUN : lucas : haechan : yangyang : chenle

#oh u know just getting inspired from my own frustrations #i had so much fun making this 🤣#nct #nct dream #nct 127 #wayv #nct ot23 #nct headcanons #wayv headcanons #nct imagines #wayv imagines #nct 127 imagines #nct dream imagines #nct x y/n #nct x reader #nct x you

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tell-tale-taeil · 3 years

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Hi… i hope I’m not bothering you but i see you’re a fan of NCT and I’m recently trying to learn more about them, and get into them, and i was wondering if you could maybe tell me about them? If not then that’s okay 😊

Hello there! I suggest you strap in, we’re going for a ride.

When you think of Neo Culture Technology aka NCT, you need to think of infinity. Endless members, never-ending content, countless music styles. You also need to think strong rap lines, angelic vocals, all in perfect harmony. The leader of this massive and still ongoing project is Lee Taeyong and it currently consists of 23 members, out of which 13 are actually foreigners! You might feel a little bit overwhelmed when you look at NCT as a whole, but don’t worry, I have the perfect cure for this. Introducing --- NCT sub-units!

NCT 127

-> Taeil, Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, Mark, Haechan (plus WinWin, but he is currently inactive) -> Think hard beats, fire rap, vocals shattering all the nearby glass, so be careful -> They debuted in 2016 with the song Fire Truck (whoop whoop whoop whoop!) which is pretty dope, if you ask me. I guarantee you that you’ve never heard anything like it in kpop before, but if it feels too much, try Limitless or Cherry Bomb, your ears will be blessed, your mind chilled. Their latest track is Save on which they collaborated with Amoeba Culture. They’re releasing their third studio album in September, so stay tuned!

NCT Dream

-> Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle, Jisung. Wait, did you say Mark? And Haechan? I sure did! Both of them are in NCT Dream and NCT 127, because they’re just that good. -> Think cute, think mischievous, young, hot, BOOM! Prepare to be blown away. -> This sub-unit debuted in 2016 as well, but their average age is lower than 127’s and they debuted as tiny teenagers, so keep that in mind, when you watch Ch-ch-ch-ch-chewing gum (that song will fill your entire brain in a matter of seconds). Also My First and My Last is the dopest song ever and it has the cutest choreography. Dreamies’ most recent album is Hello Future (which is a repackage of Hot Sauce). Go check it out, more than 2 milion copies were sold, so it’s definitely worth to give it a try!

WayV

-> Kun, Ten, WinWin, Lucas, XiaoJun, Hendery, YangYang -> Think… thots. Think hip thrusts, dark magic, some intense gazing into your soul, but in Chinese. -> WayV debuted in 2019 with Regular, but that doesn’t count, so let’s say they debuted with Take Off. My personal favourite are Moonwalk and Action Figure from their most recent album Kick Back.

Okay, so that’s it? Definitely not, there’s more!

NCT U

To keep us hooked forever, SM shuffles the members' name tags once in a while, and create a new formation, a new combination, something that we call NCT U. It's cool, cause we see members that don't meet so often interacting with each other and it's always something new musicaly-wise. Some of the planet favourites are 7th sense or Boss.

Alright, I get it. So there are units and then every once in a while, some of the members meet and form a temporary unit. Basically, yes! Sometimes, though, all 23 of them gather and release a joint album! -> This happened in 2018, when SM introduced new members and released an album called Empathy. By that time, there were only 18 members. -> The most recent joint project happened just last year, in 2020, when NCT released an album called Resonance and introduced the two newest members, Sungchan and Shotaro. Wait, you haven't mentioned these names before! That's right, that's because they're not in a fixed sub-unit, yet! Let's hope SM will employ them soon. In the meantime, go check out their 90's Love or Make a Wish. -> We should be getting another NCT 2021 project this year, according to SM, even though I'm not sure how and where they're going to find time for that :D

Alright, that's about it, I think! The basics. If you'd like to, don't hesitate to ask me to describe the unit or member or album you're interested in more specifically, I was trying to keep this as short as possible (I failed). <3

I'll end this with one of my favourite NCT live performance, I'm a sucker for vocals, so here you go: From Home from 2020's MAMA.

Hope this was hopefull! Much love ^^

#hahaha I'm a clown :))))#asks #NCT #NCT U #NCT 127 #NCT Dream #WayV #surely i forgot someone or something but I mean I TRIED don't hate me pls

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yuminsung · 4 years

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NCT 2020: SYNERGY (my wishes for an album)

I was positive we were getting an NCT 2020 comeback at the start of the year, however now I have realised I am a clown. So, instead, I have spent longer than I should’ve creating an album filled with stuff that I would like to see.

I want to preface this with the fact that I have no qualifications in anything related to music / album design / production or anything like that, this is just based on my opinions as a fan of music and NCT.

I’m gonna split this into 4 sections to kinda separate my thoughts, and so it’s easier to navigate.

1. TITLE

NCT 2018s album is titled EMPATHY, the definition of this being “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another”. I think SM chose this to reflect how NCT 2018 was an amalgamation of 127, DREAM, and U. I wanted to try and keep this theme for NCT 2020, though expand on it due to the addition of WAYV.

SYNERGY is defined as “the combined power of a group when they are working together, that is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately”. To be honest, I think the word ‘synergy’ perfectly sums up NCT’s concept of sub-units, so it would be a good choice for NCT 2020s album’s title due to its meaning as well as its similarity to ‘empathy’ sound-wise.

2. ALBUM COVER

The album cover for EMPATHY was very bright, like all the colours of the rainbow, but still very minimalistic and kinda futuristic? The NCT vibe. I think their second album would suit a slightly more mature design, and as I have no talent in design, I’m going to use existing album covers to give an idea of what i think would work well.

If SM was to go down the route of a similar album cover, I think the best example is the 1975′s newest album:

It still has the text elements that were prominent on EMPATHY’s cover, while being more minimalistic in colour (aside from the yellow side panel which would theoretically be bright neobong green).

If they were to go along a different route to EMPATHY, I think this album cover by Paris Jones could work well for NCT 2020:

If the background surface was black, a polaroid of all 21 members could be a simple but effective album cover.

In terms of promotional photos, this scene from the WAYV ‘Regular’ MV is my first thought:

Photos taken on a set like this, with all the members dotted about the room and maybe the album title + members’ names repeated across the screens could work well to give off the futuristic NCT vibe.

3. TITLE TRACK / CONCEPT

I can’t create a whole album’s worth of songs, so for the next two sections all the songs mentioned are going to be from existing artists. I’m not trying in anyway to suggest that “NCT would do it better” or that NCT should release the exact songs mentioned - I’m just using these songs to represent the styles I would like to see NCT explore.

Title Track: GETTING CLOSER - SEVENTEEN

I think SVT are a really good example of having a lot of members that all have the opportunity to shine. Getting Closer is that bitch, like the line distribution is spot-on and the choreography is one of my all-time favourites.

Black on Black was mainly instrumental to highlight the performance ability of NCT 2018. Getting Closer is reminiscent of BoB in its powerful nature, but would be able to show NCT 2018′s growth into NCT 2020, with further vocal / rap capabilities showcased alongside the previously established performance talent.

The concepts of BoB and Getting Closer are already similar, so this wouldn’t be anything out of NCT’s / SM’s comfort zone, and would also work towards establishing a dark & powerful ‘brand’ for when all sub-units perform together as one.

Special Stage: UH-OH - (G)-IDLE

I would like to see NCT 2020 do something a little bit different than ‘powerful’ for the special stage. Uh-Oh has a really chilled kinda west-coast vibe that I think NCT are yet to fully explore in any sub-unit but could absolutely pull off. It would be a stage where they could genuinely have fun performing all together.

I imagine the stage being done in a way similar to Growl by EXO in that certain groups of members come onto the stage for different verses, then all come on together for the final chorus.

The styling for Uh-Oh is kinda summer streetwear. The best equivalent I’ve found for a boy group in this style is ATEEZ Wave era.

This shows kinda how I think the styling for this stage should be, in particular Jongho, Yunho, and Mingi. Just think lots of colour, street brands, and denim.

Getting Closer and Uh-Oh are the only songs on the album where I’ve put all 21 members on the same track.

4. TRACKLIST

I have no talent when it comes to album design / composition or anything like that, but I tried to create a sort of theme / flow between the songs I picked for the album. NCT songs I’d liken the overall theme to are ‘Love Song’ from Neo Zone, ‘Love Again’ from Reload, and ‘YESTODAY’ from Empathy.

I’ve used an intro, interlude, and outro to show progression of NCT 2020 through the album, with these 3 songs getting more upbeat one by one. Though extremely cringey, I guess I was trying to emulate them growing happier through being together as a group.

Aside from the two tracks mentioned above that feature all members, the rest of the songs are split into sub-units, whether it be pre-existing unofficial units within NCT or a selection of members I think suit the style of a certain song. I have not included any official NCT sub-units on this album, as that was done in EMPATHY. I’d like this to be one big NCT U album, where we get the members in combinations we’d otherwise never get to hear performing together.

The Tracklist:

INTRO: The Unknown Guest (DEAN)

Members: Xiaojun

Xiaojun is a beyond amazing singer (he is my joint favourite vocalist in NCT). This song has an old feel, it’s almost haunting, and I really think Xiaojun’s voice would suit such a song perfectly. Xiaojun performing an intro of this style alone would open the album well and give him the time to shine he deserves !

Track 1: Getting Closer (SVT)

Members: All

(Explained above)

Track 2: CHILLI (SVT)

Members: Rap Line (Taeyong, Johnny*, WinWin*, Lucas, Mark, Hendery, Jaemin, YangYang, Jeno, Jisung*)

I might have completely forgotten some songs but I don’t think NCT have ever released a rap-heavy song of this style. I would love to see them do a rap song with this sort of relaxed vibe - it would show off diversity in their rapping abilities and would be a fun concept to see.

*I know Johnny, WinWin, and Jisung are in both the vocal and rap lines, but I’ve chosen to include them on the rap line track rather than the vocal line track as I think they suit the vibe of this track better than the vocal track. Plus, it would give the three of them more lines (god knows they need them) if they were on this track rather than with the vocal line :)

Track 3: Uh Oh (G-IDLE)

Members: All

(Explained above)

Track 4: The Truth Untold (BTS)

Members: Vocal Line (Taeil, Yuta, Doyoung, Kun, Ten, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, Xiaojun, Renjun, Haechan, Chenle)

Although NCT has released ballads before, I would love to hear members from different subunits singing together. Like, imagine Renjun, Xiaojun, and Jungwoo on the SAME track - the power. Taeil and Chenle harmonising? Iconic.

Track 5: Spotlight (1the9)

Members: Foreign Swaggers / English-Speaking Line (Johnny, Ten, Jaehyun, Hendery, Xiaojun, Mark, YangYang)

I know Xiaojun, Hendery, and YangYang aren’t technically in the Foreign Swaggers, but I feel like spiritually they are. I wanna see 6 of them causing havoc while Jaehyun spectates (https://youtu.be/acsjfk4cz1U). A song with a playful vibe, not necessarily in English, would suit these members well.

INTERLUDE: Dayfly (DEAN)

Members: Taeil, Taeyong, Kun, Doyoung, Jungwoo

I don’t have any reasoning for why I’ve chosen these specific members for this song other than the fact I think the style suits them well. I think the 5 of them together on an interlude with a relaxed feel would just be a really calming break in the album.

Track 6: Vibe (1Team)

Members: Taeyong, Yuta, Jungwoo, Jeno, Jaemin, Haechan, Jisung

This is quite a broad range of members in terms of age but I don’t think that matters as each of their styles would suit a song like this. A relaxed style and structure similar to the one this song has would allow each of them to shine, as it’s nearly an equal split of rappers to vocalists.

Track 7: Retro Future (Triple H)

Members: Johnny, Ten

Baby Don’t Stop 2.0. I can just imagine these two singing a song like this and having so much fun. A JohnTen duet track is giving the gays (read @incorrectnct ) not only what they want, but what they deserve.

Track 8: Base Line (J-HOPE)

Members: 99 Line (Lucas, Mark, Hendery, Xiaojun)

The 99 line is 3/4 rappers so a song that is rap-heavy in style would best showcase their ability. We’ve heard Mark and Lucas together during EMPATHY era, and Lucas with Hendery and Xiaojun in WAYV, so I have no doubts the 4 would work together. Plus, rapper Xiaojun could be something that we don’t yet have but definitely need.

Track 9: Focus on Me (JUS2)

Members: 97 Line (Jaehyun, WinWin)

These two are made for a sexy concept like the style of this song, and their voices complement each-others’ so well. I always felt Jaehyun was one of the members of 127 WinWin was most comfortable around, so their existing chemistry would make a track together even better.

Track 10: Second Life (SVT)

Members: China Line (Kun, WinWin, Lucas, Hendery, Xiaojun, Renjun, YangYang, Chenle)

They have the range.

Track 11: New Rules (TXT)

Members: 00 Line (Haechan, Renjun, YangYang, Jaemin, Jeno)

A song with a fun feel to it like this is the only way to go for the 00 line. They are almost an even split of rappers and vocalists, so a song like this would allow each member to shine. I know any song with these 5 together would make me smile while listening to it.

OUTRO: Blue Side (J-HOPE)*

Members: Yuta

Imagine if SM gave Yuta his own solo track,, just kidding,,, unless? But for real, Yuta has managed to prove how talented an artist he is despite SM only giving him 2 lines and 8 seconds of screen time each comeback, so imagine how amazing a whole song by him would be.

*Song will be in Japanese.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I tried to split the members evenly between tracks, which I know is unrealistic but is what we want to see (SM please let Mark, Taeyong, and Haechan rest). I’m not sure if we’ll ever get another full group album, I’ve heard some people saying it will be NCT 2021 for 21 members, like the 18 members for NCT 2018. Regardless, making this made me feel happy thinking about the possible interactions and the songs that could come from it.

If you’ve made it this far thank you for sticking with my jumbled thought process. Please message me if you have any thoughts about anything in this post or just about NCT ot21 in general :)

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neo-culture-mafia · 5 years

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Glory of Neo Culture

What was this all for? Saying goodbye to your family...for this? Drowning away college days for motorcycles and guns? Throwing away any chance of having a future; not to mention a future with a significant other. You had 21 brothers who were your ride or die, leaving you hopeless with the possibility of running away for they had a team on every continent ready to look out for you, but never leave you alone.

Life was uneasy and it was a daily hassle to get up and go to training -- but you were still there laying people on their asses. You needed a release from something and it never came as a clear answer. It was always hidden within one of the boys.

When you had a hard time looking over a small group of students, Taeyong was there to show you how to make yourself known. He was your all-time role model and it made you happy that he gave a damn about people, compared to some of the other mafia leaders of this world. “Make yourself bigger than you really are and get mad. They’re not gonna listen to a little pip-squeak with a small voice who is always nice.” He said lightly flicking your forehead. You nodded and waited for his next direction. He went over and sat leisurely at the edge of his desk. “Alright, now get angry.”

With Taeil, you never had a frowning moment -- even when you thought you were alone. When you had a secret relationship with a boy on the outside he knew about it. He also knew when it fell through and you were crushed but never let anyone inside your bubble. He was there with a cup of tea and a shoulder to cry on, without letting your secret get to any of the other boys. You didn’t even know he was sitting inside your closet. You just heard a thud and a curse before Taeil popped out with 2 cups of tea in hand and a package of your favorite cookies. He sighed as he set them down; grabbing a bunch of tissues from your dresser. He shook his head as he came over and wiped your tears. “Men are pigs.”

Johnny looked at you as a younger sibling. He always played around with you on the daily. He made you fight for yourself, even when you thought you couldn’t do it on your own. When the tin roof of the bomb shed was blown off, Taeyong sent you two to go fix it. Johnny put you in charge of lifting the roof off the ground; the jagged metal posing a threat to your soft palms of flesh. He watched you struggle and groan at the tough task; denying you any help even when you were pleading. Finally, his denial pissed you off and you managed to lift the whole roof onto the side of the shed. He was standing right there, ready to give you a hug. He was a man with ways of teaching lessons. “You don’t know how strong you are till you need to be. Then you just have to find the things that make you ten times stronger.”

Yuta never came around much from Japan to be lovey-dovey towards you, yet you knew he still cared. When you choked during a mission and everyone was mad at you on return, he was the first one to call you just to make sure you were alright. “Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.” You said ripping your jacket off and throwing it on the ground in frustration. You were throwing a temper tantrum behind the privacy of closed doors, even though you were in the mood where you didn’t care if anyone else saw. “I’m so fucking stupid. I just had to fucking pull a damn stupid trigger.” You said punching your bed over and over again. The intercom buzzed on your wall next to the door. You groaned loudly and marched over, accepting the call. “Hello?!” You asked after a couple seconds of silence. “Hey. It’s Yuta.” He said and you just froze, crumpling into a ball underneath the intercom. “Listen...I know everyone is probably pissed at you...but I just wanted to say that I am super proud of you.” He said and you could feel the tears pool in your eyes. “Thank you.” You mumbled, bringing your knees to your chest. “Just know that everyone makes mistakes. It will be okay...You did good, kid.”

Kun was like a dad. Whether it was in person while he was in Korea, or when it was over Skype when he was in China; he always talked to you and made sure you had enough to eat at dinner and you drank enough water when you woke up every morning. He also made sure you had someone to go to for anything: cuts, bruises, or maybe just ranting about the most random topics till 2 in the morning. “So I told Jess, you use the sniper for long range instead of an automatic.” You shook your head. He shook his head too, throwing his hands into the air. “Unbelievable.” He scoffed. “I know right! It’s common sense!” You exclaimed and he laughed at your cute expression to your story. “I swear, I’m in training with a bunch of morons.” You shook your head, grabbing your drink Kun had made for you. “You couldn’t have said it more perfect.” He said grabbing his drink and clinking it with yours.

Every single Thursday, you met Doyoung for your usual gossip session. You would both walk to the same coffee shop about 2 blocks away, and make the afternoon free for each other. “Did you hear about the 2 new students in tier 6?” You asked as your drinks were delivered. He sat back in the chair, sipping his cold coffee. “Spill the tea.” He said as you began. “They were caught making out in the locker rooms after training. Mark was pissed, even though Jaemin found them smooching on each other.” You said and he grew a disgusted face while you nodded, confirming the story. “They both got toilet duty for 2 weeks and permanently moved dorms.” You said and he rolled his eyes. “That’s super disgusting. But you know what’s more disgusting? The outfit that Taeyong wore to the Asiatic Leaders meeting last week, like, all he has to do is ask for my help.”

Ten and you were like besties who never separated from each other. He always confided in you about some of the students he taught. You always went him to learn new ways to take the boys down when they were annoying you. So, when he was told he was being relocated to China; you were the first person he told. You both were a mess as you both held each other the night before his plane left with Kun and Lucas where they would join Winwin’s team. “This isn’t fair.” You cried as you hugged him tighter. “I know, nothing is fair anymore.” He sighed, rubbing your back. “Who am I going to go shopping with? Who am I supposed to go see the new romance movie with? We...we...that was our thing...we would sit there and laugh the who-whole time at the stu-stupid couples.” You cried and he just held you more. “I know. I’m not dying. I’m just, moving.” He said and you just groaned. “You still aren’t here.” You countered back. He just sighed but held you tighter if that was any way possible. “I am, you just have to look real hard. I’m always here.”

Jaehyun was like your dumb older brother even though he was highly intelligent. He would be the type to use you as an armrest, and ‘lose’ his balance, making you both tumble to the ground. He was still very protective like a usual older brother. You were on the way to the usual gossip session where Doyoung was already waiting. You walked through the lobby to the main gate and Jaehyun was walking through, eating some cereal. “Woah woah woah. Where do you think you are going, dressed like that?” He asked, motioning to your outfit with his spoon. “Going to meet Doyoung?” You questioned looking at your own outfit. It was what you usually wore. “Well, you should dress like it.” He said as he set his food down, taking his flannel off and throwing it on you. “Now...just button it...all the way to the top. And...wear a hat-” “Jae, it’s July.”

You and Winwin had a good relationship even though you were both stationed in 2 different countries. He would help with anything he could, whether it was with homework or it was figuring out how to fix your laptop over the phone. “Okay, just one more question.” You said and he hummed in agreement. “A bullet is shot from 15 feet away and reaches the target in 2.6 seconds. What type of gun is it?” You asked and you thought to yourself. All you heard was a loud bang from the other side of the phone. “Winwin?!” You called, your worry coming over. “Well, I can tell you for certain that it isn’t a Glock.” He said and you groaned. “You’re not supposed to shoot your men!” You said from your side of the phone. “Hey! I was helping you with your homework!”

Jungwoo makes your sides hurt whenever you see him. Always making you laugh and forget about the situations that made you want to curl up and sleep the day away. You were sitting on your bed, playing with your fingers because you just couldn’t fathom being by yourself. Your thoughts always got the best of you when you were alone. Your door busted open and you jumped. There stood what you presumed to be Jungwoo. His whole arms were filled with blankets and snacks. “We just got Easy A on DVD, and I need a movie buddy.” He mumbled behind the fluffy blankets in front of his face. You chuckled as you ran over and helped him drop the stuff neatly onto the floor. You both spent the whole night chilling and watching romantic comedies while complaining about your single lives.

You never had a dull moment with Lucas. He was just there in the background to make you laugh. You were all sitting in a serious meeting where you were negotiating with a Japanese triad that was looking for land in Korea. You sat next to Lucas with more members lining both sides of you. The curtain was dropped and you were all met with more men on the other side of the room. You all did greetings and then sat back down. Yet, Lucas kept rubbing his teeth with his finger. You kept bumping him with your elbow, telling him to knock it off and he was being rude. “That thing.” He mumbled, picking at his front tooth, staring at the other mafia boss. You concentrated on the boss and realized he had a piece of seaweed on his front tooth. You had to cough a little to suppress your small giggle. Lucas kept rubbing his teeth, making it harder for you to keep your composure. You both lost it when the leader laughed and the food flew onto the table in front of him. Lucas maintained a horrified expression as he began to point at the piece of food. You grabbed his hand and put it back down as he couldn’t help but stare at it more. You both got in trouble for being ‘rude’.

Mark was actually the one who needed you. He deemed himself as an outcast to some of the new students. He would come to you in embarrassment just to have you tell him there was nothing to be afraid of. You were making yourself a quick snack in the Junior Forces dorm. You grabbed the knife to cut the sandwich when you felt a hand on your shoulder. The hand was pulled so your grip with the knife was next to the person's neck. Yet, your weapon hand was grabbed and pinned behind your back, while the other person’s arm held your back to their chest so you couldn’t move. You looked up, seeing the familiar deep brown eyes. “Oh...uh...hi.” You said as he let you go. He put distance between the two of you. “Hey...I need help.” He said as he scratched the back of his neck. “With...?” You asked and he sighed. “How do I talk to the new students? They’re all so young and cool and I’m -” “Old?” You cut him off and he furrowed his eyebrows. “I was gonna say boring...but gee...thanks.”

You were in China because Taeyong thought you were at high-risk as you were the only girl in the main unit. A huge rival gang that was known for doing things to young girls were going around and following you. So, to throw them off, Taeyong sent you to stay with Winwin and Kun for a while. You were welcomed with open arms from everyone...except the boy from the end of the hall that always had his nose crammed in a book or in his computer. Everyone tried to tell you Xiaojun was an awesome person to be around, you just had to be in the right place at the right time. So when it was during your midnight snack run, it was a shock that was a good one. You walked into the dimly lit kitchen as you were greeted with the fridge and cupboards. You poured yourself a glass of milk and sat with the Oreo package at the island as you texted everyone back home in Seoul. “You’re quite oblivious of your surroundings, you know that right?” A new voice made you jump. “Hello?” You questioned looking around in the darkness. The lights flicked on above your head and you were greeted with Xiaojun who had been standing across from you the whole time. You both stared at each other, trying to figure out what the other was going to say first. “You have good taste in late night snacks though. I’m impressed.” He chuckled motioning to your snack. You looked over to his and saw the exact same thing was in front of him. You smiled a little. “Well, I guess great minds think alike.”

Hendery kept you on your feet. Whether it was having random dance breaks in between training sessions, or even in the middle of mission run-throughs. You both got each other when everyone else thought you were weird. He was also the only one who could deal with your sass on a daily basis. “Hendery, donkey looking, pink-loving headass.” You said coming behind him and hitting him upside the head. “Yo. Not cool.” He flicked your forehead. You both started pushing each other, alarming the other members. “Hey! Break it up!” Ten said pushing you two away from each other. “You gonna make me go crazy.” You said, puffing your chest out. “Come at me, short stack.” He said and you both ducked under Ten’s arms. People yelled and tried to grab both of you, but it was too late. What was about to come next was never expected by anyone. You both laid down on your stomachs and got into an intense session of rock, paper, scissors. You were victorious and got up to parade around the room while he laid their defeated.

You found quality and peace in Renjun’s silence. You both would sit there and do something so domestic, yet you both understood it was needed. You both sat there and sketched your respective drawings, sometimes showing the other to gain feedback. The other boys would try and crash the peace; especially Chenle and Jisung. “Y/N, do you hear something?” he would ask after so many minutes of the 2 children trying to get both of your attention. You listened to the whines and pleas for the 2 boys to answer them. You shook your head, looking at the smirking Renjun. “No, I don’t hear anything. Must be the wind?” You questioned and he nodded, both of you returning to previous activities. The said pests eventually gave up and left. Renjun scooted closer and gave you a fist bump. He chuckled and shook his head. “No one has played along in the past 2 weeks.”

Jeno was the main man you would go to when you had problems with another student or member. Ever since he became a full member of the 127 Unit, he took up some classes so he could teach his practice to aspiring students of the Neo Culture compound. “Jeno.” You said, walking into his empty classroom. He stood, writing something on the chalkboard as various glasses and beakers boiled behind him. “Hello, Miss. Thang.” He winked as he set his book down. You rolled your eyes as you walked behind his desk. “I’ve been having trouble with one of your students.” You sighed, crossing your arms. “And...what would you like me to do about it?” He asked as he flipped through the pages of his textbook. “Talk to him or something. Just, do something.” You grew frustrated. “Woah, calm down. What’s up?” He asked, putting his hand on your waist. It didn’t mean anything, he did it to most people. You saw a flash and looked over to the doorway where the student stood there with their cell phone out and pointed towards you. “That!” You yelled pointing to the kid who began to run down the hall. Jeno wasted no time in running after him out of the door in his classroom. He cut the kid off and grabbed the collar of the boy’s shirt. You followed out as Jeno grabbed the phone of the boy. “Unlock it. Now.” Jeno said. “It’s my phon-” “Wrong, we provided you with this phone. Unlock it. Now. I don’t repeat myself.” Jeno said and the boy quickly unlocked it. The camera roll was filled with pictures of you with various members. Yet, the photos were edited to make it look like it something it wasn’t. “Did you have her permission to capture these?” Was all Jeno asked. The boy slowly shook his head ‘no’. “Maybe you’ll learn some respect after this.” He said with a wicked smile and the phone was thrown onto the concrete where it shattered into what seemed like a million little pieces. “Let’s go.” Jeno guided you back to his classroom while the boy cried on the ground where his phone now laid, broken beyond repair.

He was an older brother figure that was always overprotective much like the others. He just knew how to take it to the next level though. You walked into the class you would be teaching. You would be teaching new students about the subject of disguise makeup. You worked alongside Donghyuck, where he would teach the students how to act on decoy missions and creating a real backstory on the spot and what to do when missions go wrong, while you teach them about meltable prosthetics and hideable wigs and makeup, along with concealing weapons. It was the first day and you barely got past your introduction before the door opened to Donghyuck in a pair of sunglasses and a floppy hat; his neck adorned in a feathery scarf. “Hello. Sorry I am late for the first day.” He spoke in a high voice, trying to sit in an empty seat. “Yah, get out. I’m trying to teach.” You chuckled along with the class as he put his purse on the desk, pulling out a compact. “Excuse you, but you do not know me. Don’t use informalities.” He said in a posh voice, throwing his scarf over his shoulder more. The class laughed, but you were getting more impatient. “Yes, I do know you. You’re Mr. Lee who teaches next door. Next door, where you’re supposed to be. Not in my classroom where I currently have a class.” You said and he sighed. “How are you so sure it’s me?” He asked, forgetting to use his girly voice. “Well, 1) You must’ve hit puberty rather quickly because you voice dropped in a record time and 2) Your member tattoo is showing.” You motioned to his forearm where a tattoo sleeve was not hidden. He cursed under his breath and took off his ‘disguise’. “Alright, you got me.” He said standing up and putting his regular glasses on. “I just wanted to make sure to come and help introduce you properly.” He said coming over and putting an arm around your shoulder. “I also wanted to mention that if any of your students misbehave, I have some gym socks that need some hand washing.” He said and everyone pulled their chair in closer, sitting up more straight. “Thank you...now get out.”

Your late night rendezvous with Jaemin always surprised you. Whether it was burning down an old barn to sitting in his bed and listening to some music, some nights were reserved especially for him. You both laid in the bed of his truck, random music playing over the radio. You both had been driving around the whole night where you talked about the things you couldn’t say to other members. “Listen...I want to say something and I don’t want you to get weird about it.” He sighed and you just looked at him. You knew he didn’t want to look at you in fear of something. You turned your head back to the night sky. “Shoot.” You said and he sighed. “I really...appreciate you? I’m not good with feelings and especially the concept of family...but you just make everything easier. I don’t need to be completely self-destructive when I’m with you. You just...get me and it-it makes me feel like I’m not alone anymore.” You looked over and saw his eyes closed, yet they shook as the fluid built up behind them. You didn’t say anything and just hugged him as that’s all you could do. It seemed like the only logical thing at the moment. You weren’t good with feelings either, and he understood that. You both just needed to be here at the moment.

Yangyang was one of those special cases where you both hated each other until you realized you were both stronger together. You both competed in China while you were staying. You both spoke many languages so you tried to confuse each other by speaking some that the other couldn’t understand. You both were super active and hyper, making you and him race each other at training. It wouldn’t start as a race, but it would turn into who could finish warm-up first. But one night, he heard you get emotional behind your bedroom door. He wanted so badly to open the door and tease you for crying until he learned the context. “What-what do you mean I can’t come back?” You whined and he felt your pain. He moved around as a kid and all he wanted to do was go ‘home’...but he didn’t know where ‘home’ was exactly. Now it was him and the guys. “But I’ve been here for so long.” You sighed, and he could hear the desperation in your voice. “Ok. Fine. It’s whatever. I’ll talk to you later, Tae.” He heard a couple sniffles and the door opened to your puffy eyes and face. You both just stood there and looked at each other for a couple seconds. “What?” You asked and he just shrugged. You walked past him, and usually, he would push you into the wall playfully, but now he knew that you needed someone. He followed you to the bathroom like a lost puppy while you threw cold water on your face. You patted your face and looked at him. “What do you want, Yang?” You asked looking at him, not really in the mood to play around. Yang yang looked down at his 2 ice cream sandwiches that he was going to eat in front of Xiaojun to make him angry. “Here.” He said pushing one of the desserts into your hands. “I know what it’s like to want to go home. And I know the feeling of not being able to. Just...find me if you need to talk...” He said and you just nodded, smiling to yourself. “Also, I’m sorry for being a jerk. I just wanted to tease you a bit...but I let it get out of hand.” he said. You forgave him. He smiled at you before running back to his room like the nervous dork he usually was.

The darkest days could be turned upside down by your favorite dolphin companion, Chenle. You both were the pranksters in the compound. You filled Jaemin’s hair dryer with flour and replaced Jeno’s favorite cat socks with baby socks to freak him out. You both sat outside of Jaehyun’s bathroom. The water turned off and it wasn’t long before you both were met with the screams of your older. You both snuck back down the hall where you both erupted in laughter. He stormed down the hallways, purple hair dye running down the back of his neck. He totally missed you and Chenle as he marched into Taeyong’s office, where he was already waiting for his grape headed co-worker. In fact, it was Taeyong’s idea...but you and Chenle carried it out. Some students gathered to see Jaehyun look red as a tomato in the face and purple as a grape in his hair. You and Chenle high-five each other as you both ran to the post office to mail a box of fruit to Ten in China.

Jisung just wanted someone to take him seriously. He wanted someone to have a decent conversation with without being brushed off as an annoying kid. He was wise beyond his years and you were the only to seem and get that. “So I was thinking, with the misso-” “Nah. Won’t work. Just go back to coloring or something.” One of the new members said, flicking Jisung’s notebook towards him. “Oh...okay.” Jisung nodded. The older boys got up, leaving Jisung alone and feeling embarrassed for even trying. You quickly got up, walking over and sitting down next to him. “I want to hear.” You said and his eyes lit up, but they were masked with the fear of rejection. “No. It’s okay. You probably have to get ready soo-” “Jisung. I want to see. Really.” You said and the look on his face was priceless and incomparable to anything you had ever seen before. He nodded, opening his notebook again to the diagram he drew up. “Okay, so the huge mission coming up...instead of doing an on-ground attack...how about an air-attack? We’d hit them in their weakest point. They’re already expecting something on the ground--so we should surprise them.” Jisung said you and you sat there, silently. The smile on his face slowly but visibly fell. His hands rubbed against his jeans as the fear of rejection began setting in. “But also, it’s a really dumb idea. I was just thi-” “That’s an amazing idea, Jisung. I’m just pissed that no one thought of it before.” And the smile was the widest you had ever seen on that boy’s face.

But if this is what you treasure and hold so close...why are you running? Why did you pack your bags in secret a month before you left? Why did you tell Jisung that you and he could go get ice cream next Sunday if you knew you wouldn’t be here? Why tell Jungwoo that you would go see the new romantic movie this Friday if you didn’t plan on staying here for the next 24 hours?

Why?

Out of all the love...all of it...why leave? You were safe. The boys would go through hell and back to get you what you needed because they understood you better than anyone could.

So as you packed your bag and grabbed your keys, you told Taeil that you were going to pick up more milk. Yet, they all knew your plans. They already had posts set up to bring you home if you wanted to. The boys understood you needed space, and time. You just needed an escape from reality. Yuta flew in men just to put up more post and protection. Kun and Winwin were on the edge of their seats, waiting for the call to say you left Korea and were on your way to China. Ten is in Thailand, just for the crazy chance you chose to run off to his homeland. Lucas is back in Hong Kong for the same reason Ten is in Thailand. Johnny left 3 hours ago for his plane back to Chicago. Mark left right after you did for his plane back to Canada. Renjun and Chenle are split up in China, just to make sure that if you got over -- you would be safe and looked after. Yangyang is in Germany again, covering Europe for the unlikely chance you run to Europe for a safe haven.

Taeil gulped down his water as he watched you roar your bike to life and looked back at the compound. Taeyong popped up next to him. “She’ll be back. It’ll be okay.” Taeil nodded to calm the buzzing anxiety of their leader.

You were running to Europe for a new start. You were now stuck in traffic and ready to get to the airport. Your earpiece beeped. You answered it, already knowing who it was. “Hey, Taeyong.” You sighed. “Hey.” He spoke quickly.

“Listen...” he started off and you knew he knew about your plan. “...I understand that you need to do what you need to do...but we have someone on every continent ready to bring you home if you’re ready or you need help.” He said and your throat got dry. “Yeah?” Your voice cracked. “Yeah...” He trailed off. “...we will always be looking over you. Just remember we’re all a plane ride away.” He said and you nodded, sniffling some emotion back. “...we all love you, y/n...” He trailed off and you couldn’t help but cry a little. “I love you all too.” You cracked into your mic.

“Just please remember we’re here...and we won’t forget about you.” Taeyong said and you nodded, humming in response. “Of course.” You mused. “Well it’s time for me to go.” you confessed and you heard a sharp intake of breath. “Of course, of course. Just remember to call regularly.” He said and you agreed. “Alright. See you later.” He said and you lost it. No one ever said ‘goodbye’ to each other in the unit because it meant forever.

“See you later.” You said and he hung up. You were still stuck in traffic as you approached a tunnel. A car horn beeped behind you. You turned around to see Haechan and Jeno in a car, waving you to go ahead of traffic.

You nodded and revved your engine as you quickly looked back at them. They looked like they were in pain as you nodded to them a ‘farewell’. They both jokingly blew you a kiss. You caught them and threw it in your pocket. You revved your engine and began swerving in and out of free spaces around cars.

This was it...your family wasn’t going to give up on you...it was the glory they held within eachother...the glory of neo culture

...this is it...

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diego-m2002-blog · 5 years

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: 🤯 NCT EXPLAINED :

안녕!! Hello everyone and welcome back to another blog!! In this blog, we are going to be explaining who NCT is a whole and subunits! NCT is an eighteen member boy group formed by SM Entertainment. Again, NCT officially has eighteen members, however, NCT is split into four sub-units, NCT U (most confusing out of all of them because they’re a rotational group), NCT 127, NCT Dream, and WayV.

above: NCT 2018 (members from left to right; First row: Jisung, Chenle Jaemin, Haechan, Jeno, Mark. Second row; Renjun, Lucas, Jungwoo, WinWin, Jaehyun. Last row; Ten, Doyoung, Kun, Yuta, Taeyong, Johnny, and Taeil.)

NCT stands for Neo culture Technology, which means the amount of members will be infinite and the group will keep growing. Taeyong says this on Weekly Idol,” NCT stands for Neo Culture Technology. It carried the meaning of openness and expansion with no restrictions. We are the kind of group that can advance to the world.”

NCT U debuted first on April 8, 2016 with ‘7th Sense’. Then NCT 127 debuted next on July 6, 2016 with ‘Firetruck’. Then NCT Dream debuted on August 24, 2016 with ‘Chewing Gum’. And lastly, WayV debuted on January 17, 2019 with their first EP, The Vision, with a Chinese version of NCT 127′s ‘Regular’ as the title track.

~EXPLAINING NCT U (please stay with me)~

So we know that NCT U debuted with ‘7th Sense’. In the M/V, you see the following members: Mark, Taeyong, Doyoung, Jaehyun, and Ten. One day after ‘7th Sense’ was released, they released another single called ‘Without You’. This song is only sung by 3 members from NCT U (the vocal lines): Jaehyun, Doyoung, and Taeil. (Taeil was absent from the ‘7th Sense’ M/V. He only sings in ‘Without You’.) They also released a Chinese version and had 4 members sing because one of NCT’s Chinese members, Kun, was added (but only to sing the Chinese version. It is unsure whether he is actually a part of NCT U.) NCT U had a comeback on February 18, 2018, with ‘BOSS’. As I mentioned before, NCT U is a rotational group, some members are absent during the comebacks, some remain the same. In the ‘BOSS’ M/V, the following members from NCT U are still present: Mark, Taeyong, Jaehyun, and Doyoung. (Ten and Taeil are absent). 3 new members are added to NCT U and are in the ’BOSS’ M/V: Lucas, WinWin, and Jungwoo. Lastly, on February 26, 2018, NCT U released a song called ‘Baby Don’t Stop’, with only two members: Taeyong and Ten. That’s it with NCT U!!! I hope you didn’t get lost. **They haven’t released a full album yet.**

~EXPLAINING NCT 127 (more simpler than NCT U)~

So we already know that NCT 127 debuted with ‘Firetruck’. In the M/V, we see the following members, and yes we will see some familiar faces from NCT U: Taeyong, Mark, Jaehyun, Taeil, WinWin, Yuta, and Haechan. On January 6, 2017, NCT 127 came back with the new track ‘Limitless’. All of the members from ‘Firetruck’ are present, and two new members are added to NCT 127: Johnny and Doyoung, making NCT 127 officially a 9 member group. On June 14 2017, they came back with another song ‘Cherry Bomb’. The members are still the same. On October 12, NCT 127 released their first full-length album, Regular-Irregular, with the lead single "Regular". With the addition of Jungwoo, the group's size was officially expanded to 10 members. On November 23, NCT 127 released the repackaged edition of Regular-Irregular, titled Regulate, along with the lead single "Simon Says". It was announced that Winwin would not be participating in the comeback activities in order to prepare for his debut with WayV. So currently, NCT 127 has released 3 mini albums, 1 single, and 1 full-length album!!

~EXPLAINING NCT DREAM (the easiest)~

NCT Dream debuted with ‘Chewing Gum’. NCT Dream is the cute, fresh, young concept group, consisting of 7 members: Mark, Haechan, Jisung, Renjun, Jeno, Jaemin, and Chenle. The group follows an admission-graduation system, where they graduate from the unit after reaching the Korean age of 20 (19 internationally). On February 8, 2017, NCT Dream released the M/V for ‘My First and Last’. One of the members, Jaemin, was unable to promote the song due health issues, specifically back problems, so the group continued without him as 6. On August 17, 2018, they released ‘We Young’, without Jaemin because he was still recovering. Jaemin is now fully recovered!!! On March 5, 2018, the released ‘GO’ with Jaemin! On September 3, 2018, they released ‘We Go Up’ with all of the members present. On December 27, 2018, they released their last single ‘Candle Light’ as a whole group because Mark graduates from NCT Dream at the start of the new year, which is sad. So currently, NCT Dream has released 2 mini albums and 2 singles!!

~EXPLAINING WAYV~

WayV is a China based unit. The unit consists of seven members: Kun, Ten, WinWin, Lucas, Xiaojun, Hendery, and Yangyang. Some members you might recognize from the other sub-units, but they added 3 to the group (the last ones listed). They debuted on January 17, 2019 with a Chinese version of NCT 127′s ‘Regular’ as the lead single. They have 1 mini album, The Vision !!

Wow! That was a lot of information on NCT 2018!!

Now, as of January 2019, the group consists of 21 members: Taeil, Johnny, Yuta, Kun, Doyoung, Ten, Jaehyun, WinWin, Jungwoo, Lucas, Mark, Xiaojun, Hendery, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, Yangyang, Chenle, and Jisung. The lineup is collectively known as NCT 2019!! This is crazy!! Well, if they release any new music, I’ll be writing about it a future blog!! Until next time!! 안녕!!