Realistic or Modern &nbsp; 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙞-𝙡𝙖

location

interactions

jun, jae-ho

tags

Greenlights

krewella

The sound of tingling bells filled Juno’s ears, waking her from a much needed deep sleep. She laid motionless on her bed for a few moments before sitting bolt upright. Where were those bells coming from? Was there an intruder in her house? But then she realized it was coming from her phone and was the alarm she’d set earlier. Wait, why did she set her alarm?

Grabbing her phone from the nightstand, she saw the calendar notification about the Shangri-La meeting. Ah, right. That. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t excited, because she was. She hadn’t been back for nearly six years and missed the place and the people terribly. It was just… something felt weird. The last time she was there, she was about to turn nineteen and still a teenager, still a kid. They all knew her as teenage Juno and now she was twenty-four year old idol Juno. What if they expected her to be like the girl from five years ago and didn’t like the new one? No, Chung-Ho wasn’t like that.

At least she knew she’d have Jun by her side tonight. But what she didn’t know was whether or not it would just be the two of them or if there would be other bar patrons. Would Chung-Ho want to see them together or catch up with each of them individually? But, considering hers and Jun’s invites were for the same time, it was probably together. And she was flattered that he knew about her and Jun and wanted to see them again.

To: Jun
took a nap and prob overslept. will meet you at shangri-la, text me when you get there !!

Tossing her phone somewhere on the bed, she actually got out of her little sheet cocoon and headed into the bathroom to shower and get ready. As she went through the motions of getting ready that were required for a girl, Juno realized just how nice it was to have a break. Though she absolutely loved the girls and wouldn’t trade the idol life in for the world, it was exhausting. They’d been on the go nonstop practically since debut without ever really receiving a proper break. Having just completed a world tour, the head producer/CEO decided to give them a several month break and she couldn’t have been more thankful.

Before she knew it, she was finished getting ready. Makeup? Yep, but it probably sucked without being done by her makeup person. Hair done? Again, yes, but it wasn’t done by the hair person and would probably just get wet from the rain and ruined. Whatever. Grabbing her keys, purse and a rain jacket, she exited her apartment and headed towards the Apgujeong subway station.

In no time, Juno found herself standing in front of Shangri-La, the familiar neon sign casting its pink reflection down onto the street below. And wow, she didn’t realize just how much she missed this. She reached into her purse for her wallet in order to pull out her ID, but the bouncer just nodded in greeting and let her through. Whether he recognized her as an idol or remembered her from all those years ago, she didn’t know, but she wasn’t going to stick around and find out. Swallowing down any apprehension, she pushed open the doors.

Before she could spend any time marveling at how it hadn’t changed in nearly six years, she’d caught the eye of Jae-Ho who somehow had already been looking in the direction of the door. Grinning widely, she made a beeline towards the bar just as her favorite bartender exited the bar and started making his way over to her. The second they embraced, Juno let out an uncharacteristic squeal (if anyone ever brought up her making that sound, she’d outright deny it). ”Hi, Jaeho-oppa, missed you.”

”Missed you too, Alaska.” And Juno just grinned, remembering he was the one who first gave her that nickname nearly a decade ago. Damn, time flies.

As they let go, she felt something brush across her back that normally wasn’t there. Curious, she looked down and noticed the ring on his left ring finger. Without hesitating a single second, she snatched his hand and held it up so she could better see it. ”What the heck is this?”

”Engagement ring.” Which, duh.

”Obviously it’s an engagement ring! When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me?”

”It happened a while ago, and I didn’t tell you because you were in the middle of promoting ‘Black.rose’ and I didn’t want to bother you.”

Juno frowned slightly at this. Though she was flattered that he kept up with MYST.eria and their promotions, she was saddened to hear that he didn’t feel comfortable reaching out to her. ”Know you can always reach out to me regardless of what I’m doing. You have my Instagram.”

They continued to chat until Juno heard her phone ding in her purse. Knowing that Jun was here, she excused herself. ”I’ll be right back. Think you can have a Paloma ready for me when I get back?”

”I— Since when did you start drinking?”

”I’m not a teenager anymore, oppa!” And then she walked back outside to go meet Jun so they could walk in together.

♡coded by uxie♡

neon reverie · Sep 26, 2021

jun-young.

.
.
.
.

mood

say what now-
outfit

boom boom pow
location

shangri la
interactions

jaeho & juno [ dreamglow ]

" hi hyung..."

jun-young did not know why he came here whenever his emotions were at war with each other, with his tall shadow towering over a sun that left that day. perhaps it was because this was the only past who could no longer talk back to him, its whispers buried in earth's soil. who would have thought jun's only conversations with his brother would come to be when alone and staring down a name engraved in stone. jun-young knew he could not mourn what was never there, their past being one of fingers dancing down trails of broken memories, but it was hard for a man like him, carrying stars of dreams, to not have the mind chase the what-ifs of what could have been.

what if those old days were not spent fighting for a love so frail, so fleeting?

what if jaehyung poured out those words now slowly fading from paper?

what if he could be here, right now, and give his younger brother advice on a fated day like this?

the invitation burned in his pockets, the calendar marking on his phone bright and inescapable. jun-young had accepted it without a thought, his heart still filled with a debt he could not come to repay in this lifetime. chungho park was the first person who dared to embrace a flawed teen like him, his love and care a light vivid and endless. he was the first one who taught jun family did not have to be one of blood, and that worth could be something found in the gardens of your own dreams. chungho park was, and always will be, the one he was most grateful for. it is why he could not turn the other cheek to this invite ― even when it takes him back to that place.

shangri la.

the bar where memories beautiful and broken began. the years of that past slipped through like a snapshot of time, its colours staining his present with dazzling violets, melancholic blues, and flushing scarlets. the chapters of those years are ones jun-young now reads back with tears in his eyes and intricate love in his heart. the threads they once built from the sunlight between their laced fingers had become so tangled, it was better for the soul to leave it be than to try and unravel it again. strings once so precious and eternal were cut in the aftermath of those years, and jun-young was afraid to follow them to the end, afraid what might await him... or what might not.

not all from that time had been tainted, though. there were still friendships sparkling just as they did back in the day, not to mention the blossoming of other unexpected relationships. his phone emitted a familiar notification sound, pulling his focus away from his wandering thoughts. a smile tugged at the edges of his lips as his eyes surveyed the words of one dear in his heart. his fingers quickly typed a response back;

to: Juno
disappointed but not surprised. jk. i'll meet you there ; )

his eyes travelled back to the gravestone, and a small sigh escaped him.

"i guess it will be okay to stay here for a little while more.."

◆:*:◇:*:◆:*:◇:*:◆

to: Juno
I just got here. want to come meet me before I challenge the bouncer to a dance off, win, and get barred from entering?

yeah, humor was his way of handling this situation. it was the only way he could handle this situation without letting the anxiety swallow him whole. hands in his pockets, jun-young paced before the entrance of the bar he once called home. it was an odd sensation, to feel so nervous being at a place so familiar to him. the neon lights that once delighted and emboldened him now glared at him like an adversary would. god, what were these nerves? jun-young expelled another deep breathe before the pretty figure of his girlfriend walked out of the bar.

"juno" a bright smile appeared on his visage. "my favourite person in the whole world--" his gaze flickered over to the entrance. "-- did you see anyone else there, or are we the first?"

juno shook her head. "nope, didn't see anyone -- besides jaeho that is."

jun-young nodded, or tried to nod, somewhat casually, but there was an intense wave of relief upon hearing so. he was glad to hear he wasn't there, nor her -- though, that could still change.

juno, as usual, could see right through the mask he donned. he could see it in the way her features morphed into that of concern and sympathy, her eyebrows dipping slightly as she gazed into his eyes.

"hey," came her voice, softer than usual. "you can do this, okay?" her hand squeezed his. " we can do this."

his gaze dropped down to their hands, before nodding. she was right; possibly meeting up with ghosts of the past was not something that should haunt him this much. he'd braved worse things before. whatever might come to pass this evening, his sun would burn brighter than the darkness of those shadows. he was jun-young after all. squeezing back, he smiled back at juno.

"you're right. let's go."

◆:*:◇:*:◆:*:◇:*:◆

the colours of shangri la were still as vibrant as back then, its sleek interior serving a scenery he visited ever so often back in his library of memories. it was quite easy to catch the sight of the mixologist, his sole figure being at the same spot jun could find him those years ago too.

"jaeho hyung!" he called out as they neared the bar, snatching the attention of the older man with lightning speed. jaeho's expression brightened significantly and the mixologist quickly made his way around the bar to deliver his greeting with a strong hug.

"park jun-young." jaeho whistled, grinning. " and here i thought yejun had grown up, but look at you: our gold medal winner."

and just like that, the dazzling colours around him started to seep away into monochrome shadows. the memories that burned so bright turned to ash, and the golden thread hoped to be left alone, started to fray.

jun-young's heart stopped.

"yejun..?"

false confidence

noah kahan

♡coded by uxie♡

Uxie · Sep 29, 2021

hee-yeon

filler

home (filler tab)
mood

ooh wow bury me whole ooh

filler
outfit
click

filler
location

shangri-la

filler
interactions

yejun, jun, juno

filler
tags

sox dreamglow neon reverie

filler
home (filler tab)

loco, hwasa

don't

she'd taken the day off. the smartest move hee-yeon could've possibly thought up to brace herself for whatever shitfest was sure to come that night, and it was lounging around her apartment pretending like nothing was wrong. drew up a new design, made her own meals, for once, and even found it in her to consider texting yejun (she hadn't, because she decided she didn't quite care if he'd be there or not). and the hours ticked by, fast in spite of all of her attempts to drag it on.

there's nothing at all to be excited about there, as she applied her lipstick with practised ease. the opposite of the happy reunion uncle chungho is holding out for, as her hands rested comfortably on the steering wheel, debating if the costs of repairing her car might be worth crashing it into the nearest lamppost to avoid attending.

surely, no one would fault her if she'd been hospitalised. though, really, it might be a reach to demand they even find news of why she was absent. as far as most of them were concerned, yang hee-yeon was still running around the states.

but you still came. as she hovered in front of the door, the muffled sounds of music and conversation adding to her dread. you can still leave, you know. hee-yeon glanced down the alleyway she'd come from, then back to the door. a sigh slipped from her lips as her hand reached for the handle.

shangri-la was busy, a comforting amount of people that hee-yeon felt suitably shielded making her way to the bar. jaeho's familiar face behind the bar, speaking to figures she couldn't discern through the crowd. she took extra care that her step didn't falter as she approached, side-stepping the pair hovering near the bar and catching jaeho's eye before she'd even managed to say a word. "hee-yeon..." the surprise that flitted across his face re-affirmed her light suspicions that none had been expecting her, though its gentle sting was quickly soothed by the smile that spread across his lips. "you made it."

it was her turn to be surprised when he enveloped her in a light hug.

"hello, jaeho-oppa. didn't know you missed me this much."

she quipped, though her voice betrayed her delight. they'd never really been close enough to warrant such a reaction, at least that was what she thought, but the show of affection was much appreciated nonetheless. he was a welcome sight, and he didn't look like he'd aged a day.

"it'd be unfair if i didn't give you one when i'd been so generous with the rest of them, yeah?"

the rest? hee-yeon glanced around, finally taking stock of the figures he'd been entertaining. yejun first, already nursing a drink at the bar and watching with an expression she couldn't quite read, and next to her...

ah.

a familiar face, one that drew her unwilling gaze in. regarding features she'd only most recently seen through a screen but had once beheld as if they were as precious as diamonds. he looked the same, or perhaps that was her mind telling her so, because she could not quite recall an image to draw a comparison. a tug in her chest that she couldn't discern if it was guilt or whatever crumbled leftovers that remained of their long-ended relationship— emphasis on long-ended.

her eyes flitted down to his hands, intertwined with the girl stood next to him. juno, who looked like she was ready to rip her hair out. that was new, or maybe it wasn't. she was in no place to judge, not while her coat hung in yejun's closet. hee-yeon forced a smile, shifting her gaze back to jaeho. ignore, ignore. she slid into the stool next to yejun.

"anyways, how could i've not made time for this?"

"i didn't even know you were back in korea, ms. vogue," she grimaced at the nickname, "but you made time, huh? you're all grown up too."

she studied him briefly, her eyes catching the glint of metal on his finger.

"so have you, oppa. order your suit from me, i'll give you a discount."

"ah," he let out a surprised laugh, "your eyes have gotten keener. but only a discount?"

"i'll throw in something for her too if you get me a drink~"

a humorous sigh, then his familiar smirk. "what will it be?"

"a mo—"

hee-yeon paused. would a mocktail get her through the night? probably not. worst-case scenario; leave her car here and get a taxi home.

"a mojito, please."

jaeho acknowledged it with a wink, retreating behind the bar. the elephant in the room was begging to be addressed at this point, but hee-yeon toyed with the idea that the one time she had lain eyes on it was enough. it wasn't, of course, if she was to continue with her little facade, and thus; cross her legs, clasp her hands, give them just that slight little smile.

"it's nice to see you all again."

she said, her tone forcibly light, followed by just the slightest fraction of hesitation before she added,

"late congratulations on the new album and the gold medal."

♡coded by uxie♡

Stardust Galaxy · Sep 29, 2021

The email and the scheduled day on her calendar were just a reminder of the event from that day, she started to think that maybe if she didn't see it or just ignore the notification on her phone it would go away and that was enough of reason to not attend. Who would have thought that the caring and sweet Bit-Na would even consider not going? Even after the owner was the one to invite them she couldn't let down the old man, not after the place was such an important part of her life where beautiful memories blossomed, but also the times that she thought were like the end of the world, but now they were just the reminiscent of the past.

Maybe she could skip it this time, call it in sick, or say that she was too tired after work and would come to visit any other day to catch up with the owner, but all of those were excuses; because she didn't want to face the people that could be there. Maybe finding about Yejun and Hee-Yeon's "relationship" caused more hurt in her heart than it was necessary, it wasn't the fact that they were together or whatever status they labeled their meetings.

It was more the fact that Yejun the person that Bit-Na saw as an older brother, hide from her that Hee-Yeon was back; even if their relationship wasn't as tight as in high school she would have loved to reconnect and even if they couldn't go back to where they were at least she still had the hope that they could be again in each other's lives, but it seemed that Hee-Yeon didn't think the same since she also kept quiet of her arrival. Once again, Bit-Na gave more than she should and she was excluded or was never enough, but she should be used to that. After all, she wasn't as strong-willed as Yejun, smart as Hee-Yeon, talented as Juno, athletic as Jun, or kindhearted as Na-Mu, she was just a filler in everyone's life, and maybe she needed them more in her life than she needed Bit-Na in theirs and starting to realize that was not easy at all.

With a lot of doubt and overthinking she finally arrived at the location, the place was still the same as how she remembered it, she took a deep breath, maybe everything was all on her head and Yejun and Hee-Yeon wouldn't be there, after all, she was sure that both of them believed that they were better than everyone else so they wouldn't show together in a place like this, so she could spend it with Juno and Jun and just third wheel until Na-Mu showed up or they left because they wanted to whatever thing couples do.

But she was wrong as she made her way towards the bar, she spotted four people that she recognized as her friends this was the worst scenario possible now Bit-Na was stuck like a child of a divorce marriage having to decide if they wanted to live with their mom or their father, but now she had to choose into sitting next to Juno and Jun or sitting towards the side of Hee-Yeon and Yejun. Was it too late to go back and pretend she was never there?

"You can do this"

she thought to herself as she walked towards the bar, she took a sit between the two pairs at least she could somehow still be the bridge of peace if something ever happened, she slid into the stool as she heard Hee-Yeon congratulate Jun and Juno for their achievements "I wasn't expecting to see all of you here! I guess it's been so long since the last time we were all together, but I guess that's understandable since all of us are so busy, but I'm happy that you are back Hee-Yeon! I would really love to know what you have been up to since you came back and the same goes for everyone I want to know what you have been up to although I have to admit I may have been more up to date to Juno's career; MYST.eria last comeback is still on repeat on my playlist" She said in her usual happy tone in another situation Bit-Na wouldn't have acted this way but right now she was still angry at her and Yejun for hiding stuff from her after all Bit-Na was pretty sure the only one that yelled at two CEO's at the same time and that kind of felt good.

"My favorite chef just made it" Jae-Ho said as happy and surprised to see her

"Hello, Jaeho-oppa it's nice to see my favorite bartender again"

she replied with a small chuckle as she took notice of the ring around his finger

"Is that...an engagement ring!? Congrats! I'm really happy for you! Listen I might not be the owner of a catering service, but I can really help you come up with a menu for the big day!"

She added full of joy "I'll really take your word for that then. In the meantime what can I get to you, you can't be the only one not having a drink"

"A sangria please"

She said as Jae-Ho left to prepare her drink

"Okay, so who is going to be the first one to start with the catching up? Also, does anyone knows if Na-Mu is going to come?"

Location: shangri la | Mood: this is fine
Outift: Here | Interactions:

dreamglow

Yoo Bit-Na

Code by Stardust Galaxy

MoxxyMoxx · Oct 5, 2021

park na-mu

the teacher

mood

lots of feelings

location

daycare to shangri-la

interaction

almost everyone!

outfit

"Now we are going to sit here together until your mother shows up."

Na-mu loved his work. Sure these times where he had to talk down to the little ones weren't the best. It hurt him to have to berate young children and made him question the idea of him becoming a father but lessons had to be learned and he needed to learn from it. These toddlers even though they could be rambunctious, messy, noisy or downright awful, they were still his to take care of and he had to treat them as they were his own. He took good care of them no matter what their families were like and made sure they were safe at the Little Tiger Daycare Center. But staying behind after hours because a troubled kid was being mean to others wasn't something he has gotten used to. Either way it gave him the chance to think. He'd been a busy man and this had upset him. His own uncle emailing him telling him to come and visit broke him. It made Na-mu feel like a piece of shit. How long had he been neglecting his closest family members? Either way he had to wrap up here at the daycare so he could take the subway to Shangri-la. He wasn't gonna be a bad kid anymore to his uncle unlike this little kid who seemed to only get worse. Eventually the kid's snobbish mother turned up and before Na-mu could even explain the situation to her she stormed off with her son in tow. Na-mu sighed. Every person was just as bad as the next. Age clearly didn't matter. He helped lock up the daycare center before saying goodbye to one of his fellow colleagues. He had only one thought. Home.

Down the subway he went and as Na-mu walked he reminisced. The teacher loved his uncle. He would always go see him. Na-mu did let work overpower him and he was sorry for that but he just wanted to be the best he could at what he loved. Working at the daycare part-time and his full-time teaching gig took up all his days. Na-mu also had been keeping up with hobbies such as reading and drawing. Album collection has been on the back burner as he keeps researching other styles of teaching. Still, relationships were important to him and letting them fall to the wayside wasn't a good thing. He needed to be better and continue to improve as a human being so lateness wasn't a good look. He hoped his family could forgive him for his youthful mistakes.

The train rolled up and both sets of doors opened as a flood of commuters entered the tight subway. Na-mu squeezed himself through the tight gaps onto the train and stood holding a pole while thinking about who else could be there. Of course his beloved auntie would greet him. She was a wonderful lady and he missed the food they would make together. Perhaps, some waitresses from other local buisnesses would be around. Na-mu remembers the suggestions and jokes that his uncle would make to them about his favorite nephew being in the army and how snapping up a handsome soldier boy would make a women's parents very happy. Na-mu cared not for these comments and never felt any feelings towards the waitresses of the neighborhood. He knew his uncle was happy when Na-mu was happy and if one of those women could make his nephew smile then he would be . There was no doubt his good old hyung Jaeho would be there. One of the best bartenders he'd ever seen. Na-mu always cared and supported Jaeho and appreciated him working for his Uncle for so long. Despite all this, Na-mu had no idea what else would be happening at Shangri-la tonight.

However if there was anyone he'd want to be there, it would be his old friends. Na-mu needed to get better at prioritising his relationships. Of course Ye-jun and him have always had a rocky relationship. They simply were too dissimilar despite efforts to connect. He did enjoy his company back then but Ye-jun and Jun's big falling out caused Na-mu to side with the latter for numerous reasons. Jun was one of Na-mu's closest friends. They played games and enjoyed each others company. Na-mu has spent the last few years trying to convince Jun to go to the army but he is very focused on getting that hard to reach for athletic immunity. As for the girls, he's always been good with them. Juno and Hee-yeon were kind of similar; awesome women who he could easily get hammered with. The differences are key however. Na-mu is very well aware of Juno's idol status and doesn't want to mess anything up for her. Their relationship is a lot more refined than the Hee-yeon and Na-mu dynamic. He feels as if he messed up with Hee-yeon somewhere but they've hardly talked about personal stuff ever. When he went for his military service they became more estranged and he doesn't know why. He regrets this greatly and hopes for them to be closer eventually but they're both very busy people. Finally, his adorable Bit-na; well - not his obviously. But they were very close and Na-mu always felt a protective instinct with her. Even when she was sending him off for his military service, Na-mu worried about leaving her knowing how soft hearted and perfect she was. Truly one of his closest friends ever and he could never replace her for anyone. Smiling, Na-mu hoped the event would run smoothly, even with conflicting personalities and worrisome bonds.

Tracks screeched and the doors opened. Na-mu was so late now. He pulled on his backpack straps and made sure his charmander tote bag full of his student's work books was protected from harm before booking it to the subway exit, up the stairs and down the back alleys. The moment Na-mu finally arrived at Shangri-la he was completely dead but didn't want to show it. He took a few deep breaths and made sure he could lower his heart rate before entering his familiar abode.

"So many people," he beamed. "Auntie! How are you? I missed you so much!"
The older lady responded with a heart full of love, "Oh our baby, always so polite and loving." However that smile soon turned to a frown, "What took you so long to visit huh? Surely those little kids don't need that much attention."
Na-mu looked down, "I'm sorry. They are so messy and ask way too many questions but they're adorable. I wouldn't have it any other way."
She softened her gaze and speech. The adorable boy has grown into a man any old lady would want to marry off. "You need to answer your phone, Park Na-mu."
"I'm sorry, Auntie."

The teacher turned to face a familiar hyung. "Jaeho," he exclaimed and they bumped fists. "I heard from Uncle Chungmo. Congrats."
The young man grinned, "Ah thanks. Means a lot coming from the dude who's been practically a little brother to me. What can I get you? The usual?"
"If by the usual you mean the finest Jaeho-made cocktail then yes!"

He smiled wide and sipped his drink before turning his attention to his friends. They'd all shown up... It was strange seeing them all in one place. It simply hadn't happened for too long. Despite various differences and complications in their friendships, he cared for all these people. Maybe with them finally being back together, things could improve. Still, there was a definite tension in the air and even oblivious Na-mu could feel it. He however was not smart enough to shut his mouth when he needed to.

"Hey come on people! We got the band back together. Why the long faces? Let's have fun!" Except Na-mu knew why a certain someone was upset. Ye-jun and Jun-young have a complicated history. Maybe tonight wasn't the night to pick a side. "Ladies, how are you feeling? It's been a hot minute huh? I wanna know everything!" Not normally the outlandish one, tonight was perhaps the correct night to take on that role.

coded by weldherwings.

sox · Oct 10, 2021

"yejun...?"

the businessman's eyes shot open, the familiar timbre of the voice cutting through the noise of the bar like a hot knife through butter. it had been years— years— since he'd last heard his name called like that, and with it came a tidal wave of surging anxieties and regrets he'd buried underneath the gargantuan mountain of work that made up his day-to-day life.

he'd had the thought, for sure, that the others would have been invited to this event. it only made sense that chungho would reach out to all his kids, especially the ones that hadn't left korea. but to come face-to-face with the reality that maybe... all the bridges he'd had to set on fire weren't yet ash but still stood there, burning, waiting for him to turn around and douse their flames. the notion sent a wave of dizziness across his vision, and he belatedly thought that he should have been more prepared for this possibility.

but yejun wasn't one to be fazed by confrontation, so he turned his head towards the direction of the voice down the bar and locked eyes with jun-young.

the younger man was taller now and more well-kept than he remembered, having fully matured into his features and developed a passable fashion sense (no thanks to yejun's years of nagging him, he noted spitefully). he looked exactly as he remembered, yet disorientingly different, and it made his gut twist painfully with a feeling he couldn't quite pinpoint. there was so much he wanted to tell him— how sincerely he missed him; how he wished he'd been able to carry his burdens for him but he was only 20 at the time and the world was cruel to them; how he felt like a failure of a hyung after that day for years; how proud he was of him despite all of that— but he couldn't right now. maybe ever, if he was being honest.

if the sound of his own erratic heartbeat banged deafeningly in his ears, yejun didn't let it show.

"jun," he acknowledged, voice low and grounded, just barely above a murmur but solid in the way that a businessman's has to be. "you've really grown up." he wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning either as he scanned the younger man's troubled expression. despite all the hurt and pain they'd dealt each other with their last interactions, he couldn't help the fondness in his gaze. jun-young had been like a younger brother to him— still was, to an extent, if his search history checking up on jun's athletic feats throughout the years was any indication.

before he could get another word in, the rest of their old circle filed into the bar, each uncomfortable expression popping into view one after another as they situated themselves at the bar and exchanged pleasantries. juno, his first best friend from back when they could barely touch their toes to the floor from the bar stools; hee-yeon, the menace who terrorized his life at her own leisure yet found warmth in his bed on the coldest nights; bitna, the only person who had bothered to hear him out when the others had turned their backs; and na-mu, a humble man yejun couldn't bear to hold a conversation with yet was quietly grateful to have grown up alongside.

the small talk was, as one would expect, horribly, painfully awkward, but they didn't have to endure it long, as a familiar shining face appeared behind the bar.

"look at this! all my babies are scary adults now, and they've forgotten all about me," bemoaned a smitten park sooyoung, the wrinkles around her eyes only accentuating her beautiful smile.

yejun's eyes widened in surprise, nearly getting emotional at the sight of the woman who'd been more present in his life than his own mother. "auntie," he called fondly, reaching out to hold her hand.

"aigoo," sooyoung cooed, giving his hand a squeeze before facing the entire group once again. "i'm so happy everyone made it. a cause for celebration, really, though i called you all here for a more troublesome reason, unfortunately. chungho asked me to send you his greetings as well, since he couldn't make it out tonight.

"he's in the hospital right now, getting treated for leukemia, and he— he's fighting with everything he's got. i know he is. he's always been so strong for us. i've been trying to run everything myself in his absence, but i'm not as young as i used to be, you know? it's getting hard to keep things afloat, and i've been thinking for a while now that maybe i should close this bar to pay for his treatment." sooyoung glanced sharply at a couple of the faces in front of her, namely juno and yejun, before they could say anything. "and no, he forbade me from taking donations from his kids, so don't even suggest that. seriously. he'll never be able to rest in peace.

"i know he's going to make it, but just in case things don't go well, or something happens..." she took a deep, uneven breath, keeping herself composed. "he wants to see you happy; all of you. he's never stopped praying for you kids, after all these years." tears welled up in her eyes, but she averted her gaze and clapped her hands together before they could escape. "so i know you're all busy, but please— can you hang around for a little while? for him, and for me?"

silence hung in the air for a moment before yejun breathed a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck in defeat as a fond, pained smile bloomed on his lips. the businessman's heart ached at the situation, and when she put it like that, there was simply no room for argument. it was sooyoung and chungho, after all; they couldn't leave them behind even if they wanted to.

the big shot

yejun.

filler tab!
outfit

xxx

tags

dreamglow
neon reverie
Uxie
Stardust Galaxy
MoxxyMoxx

♡coded by uxie♡

dreamglow · Oct 12, 2021

scroll

the idol

juno

mood

too bad someone didn't take me out on my way here

outfit

location

interactions

every single one of them + soo-young

tags

One Day

Monsta X

The second the word “Ye-Jun” left Jae-Ho’s lips, the happy expression instantly dropped from Juno’s face. Because, what? Ye-Jun was here? Why? He made it evident that he didn’t care about any of them, so she had no idea why he even bothered to show up. Though, to be honest, she hadn’t given him much of a second thought in years after he never gave her the courtesy of responding to her texts. But she was well aware of how he treated Jun.

Feeling like the world’s biggest dildo, she turned to Jun, holding his hand in a death grip. ”I didn’t know he was here, I’m sorry.” Even now she still didn’t see him, so there was no way she could have known before. But she still felt bad about it all. When Jae-Ho began conversing with other customers, she began speaking to Jun again. ”You don’t have to talk to him, you-“ But before she could finish that sentence, Ye-Jun’s head suddenly appeared, followed by his voice. Fantastic. The entire time he spoke, Juno held Jun’s hand in a death grip, eyes narrowed into slits and staring daggers at Ye-Jun.

But then she caught the tail end of Jae-Ho saying ‘Hee-Yeon’ and her head whipped around so fast at that, she was very surprised she didn’t snap her neck. Yep, there was Hee-Yeon in the flesh. As if this situation couldn’t get any fucking worse. Because while she was familiar with the Jun-Yejun situation, she was painfully aware of the Jun-Heeyeon situation, having spent most of her teenage years happily third-wheeling the two. Back then, she’d been super close with both of them, but that was no longer the case.

”Uh,” Juno stupidly said, looking for something, anything, to use as a filler or a way to get out of this incredibly awkward moment. She didn’t want to look at Jun, too afraid to see what the look on his face would be, so her eyes landed on the fancy display of liquor bottles behind the bar. ”I wonder if they have that indigo gin?” Again, stupid. But she didn’t know how to get out of this. Honestly, Juno was hoping that Hee-Yeon would ignore them like she’d been doing and Juno could drag Jun away, but luck wasn’t on her side.

It was clear by the tone used and the word choice that no, it wasn’t nice to see them all again, but she didn’t feel like pointing that out right now. Not knowing what to say, she just hummed in response. ”Er…. thanks.” And bless the sweet heavens above because at that moment, Bit-Na flitted over, effectively ending this conversation. Oh Bit-Na, Juno’s saving grace. ”You already know what I’ve been up to, unnie,” she started, plopping down in the seat next to Bit-Na, still holding tightly to Jun’s hand. ”I saw you last week when I brought the girls to your restaurant. But I’m honored that you still like ‘Black.rose’.”

Juno was about to answer Bit-Na’s question about Na-Mu’s arrival when the man himself appeared next to them. Oh yeah, the band was indeed back together. More like in pieces but all physically present. She didn’t even need to answer the question about the “long faces”, instead fixing Na-Mu with a look that said it all. Fun was not on the table tonight. Remembering she had a drink in her hand, she brought the Paloma to her lips and downed almost all of it.

“Look at this! all my babies are scary adults now.”

For the second time that night, Juno’s head snapped around, coming face to face with Soo-Young. Though she was a welcome presence, her appearance over Chung-Ho’s was slightly suspicious. The man had invited them all here, but why wasn’t he? Then Soo-Young launched into explanation and Juno’s body filled with dread. Hospital. Leukemia. Cancer. Treatment. The words swirled around her head like a tornado, each more painful than the next. Then closing the bar to help pay for it all was brought up.

Before she could help it, Juno glanced towards Ye-Jun, asking the unspoken question: why don’t the two of us pay for the treatment? They both easily could. Then she realized what she was doing and quickly looked down at her drink in time to hear Soo-Young say no donations. Well, direct donations might be off the table but they’d find another way to pay for his treatments and keep the bar open. Maybe MYST.eria could do a concert with all or most of the ticket sales going towards treatment?

She’d never been more thankful for a break because there was no way she could go against Soo-Young’s words. Whatever differences they now had, whatever issues had sprung up between the six of them would have to be put aside for the foreseeable future. It would be a tall ask, especially for a select few, but they’d have to do it. As it was, they owed their all to Chung-Ho and Soo-Young.

♡coded by uxie♡

neon reverie · Oct 15, 2021

jun-young.

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mood

DO IT FOR HIM
outfit

boom boom pow
location

shangri la
interactions

everyone [ dreamglow Uxie sox Stardust Galaxy MoxxyMoxx ]

"you've really grown up."

the words of a brother lost but alive rang through his head, its timbre reverberating alongside the tremble of his heart. there were no smiles, no hands patting him on the back like a reunion between old friends should be ― only dull hearts, numb hands, and splintered emotions. memories of a time serendipituous fell from the frayed thread, its golden tint waning as the life lived in between reality and fantasy crumbled. jun remembers it all; the advice and brotherhood from a boy stiff yet caring, the words harsh and abandoning,, a departure precipituous ― his heart did not forget, the feeling of expectations unmet. the hurt of losing not one but two brothers.

his throat was dry, the syllables of any coherent sentence lost in the wildfire of his mind. there was too many things to say and, at the same time, too little. how could one vocalize the hurricane inside, soul whirling with golden moments, black memories and blue hours. what does one say, when seeing a ghost? one who could talk back to him and burn words like that into his skin. 'you've grown up ' yeah, but without you.. he wanted to respond, but couldn't. instead, he could only offer a nod in return, paired with an awkward

"yeah . . ."

then, the voice of jaeho popped up, and, for a moment, he was relieved to believe a new person had arrived to save him from this painfully awkward interaction. but then, he caught it. the name. her name. jun should've expected it, should've known that with yejun's encounter, the other end of those cut threads would come to him. he could catch it in the way juno's eyes dared to look anywhere but him, could feel it in the way his heart cracked. jun's gaze travelled despite his heart telling me not to,, and that's when he saw her. . .

【 words spoken in cherry red, gazes beloved by wild feelings, a figure draped in shangri la's neons. a small crumble dances on her skin, close to the edges of her lips. his fingers move before his mind does, gently sweeping it away. her eyes widen slightly, surprised and a tad flustered. the tips of his ears burn too, because there is being jun bold and this kind of bold. a little embarrassed and a little afraid, he forms an apology,, only to be interrupted by a soft laugh. it flutters into his heart, and it blossoms then, creating a smile brighter than a thousand suns. 】

fragments abandoned but not forgotten sweep across his mind upon catching hee-yeon's face. jun remembered those days; when ignorance was entertained, confusion embraced, and love treasured. how different it was now... jun would lie if he said to not feel anything when seeing her now; their past was too intertwined with one another to completely disregard ― but, just like yejun, those memories, while too precious to be thrown, were too heavy to be held. maybe in another universe, there would be versions of themselves who have chosen to break the silence that created a graveyard. maybe there, they would have chosen to be content instead of stubborn and hurt.

alas, in this present, his heart was a tapestry and she a thread no longer fitting.

and all jun could do was smile a smile fake and respond: "thank you. you too, with FFate" while tightly clasping Juno's hand, afraid she might slip away even when she wouldn't.

bitna's arrival was a warm welcome, her soft disposition and sweet words bringing a warmth jun had missed. not a moment later, na-mu's figure lit up the room, gracing jun with another wave of relief. if anything, he could just discuss game strategies with him somewhere in the corner, far away from yejun and hee-yeon. nevertheless, the hope of surviving this reunion brightened just a tad with juno by his side and na-mu and bitna close.

then came soo-young's appearance, the elderly woman bringing affections but also concerning news. the second the words leukemia and chung-ho were whispered into existence, a new kind of fear seeped into jun's being. it was safe to say that he considered both soo-young and chungho more as family than his own, and the thought of losing another family member chilled him to the bone. he could still remember the warmth of chungho's comforting hand on his shoulders, could recall the fine lines and crinkles of his smile that could soothe the unruliest worries. chungho had created a place of safety for him, a haven where his voice could be heard ― it was only fair to protect this place in his stead right?

so, despite this gathering of souls, collision of twisted pasts and all, all jun could do was nod solemnly, before speaking up:

"i'll stay...for you... and chungho."

false confidence

noah kahan

♡coded by uxie♡

Uxie · Oct 17, 2021

hee-yeon

filler

home (filler tab)
mood

no time 2 be a little bitch!

filler
outfit
click

filler
location

shangri-la

filler
interactions

everyone

filler
tags

sox , neon reverie , MoxxyMoxx , dreamglow , Stardust Galaxy

filler
home (filler tab)

loco, hwasa

don't

"thank you. you too, with ffate." he and juno's stiff responses were to be expected, though she hadn't realised how inexplicably troubling it would be to hear his voice again. its gentle timbre, tinged with ill-disguised tension, caused a rise in her chest that felt as much nostalgic affection as it was regrettable shame. hee-yeon glanced away wordlessly, the awkward not-conversation thankfully ended by bitna and na-mu's swift appearances.

the latter she'd never been particularly friendly with but his excitement added a dash of much-needed energy into the otherwise heavy atmosphere, and the former... she was glad bit-na was at least keeping up the appearance of a reunion, even if their actual reunion had been abruptly brought forward. she felt a twinge of shame at bit-na's words, offering a cool

"nice seeing you too, bit-na,"

in response to what was definitely a jab towards her unannounced return.

"can't wait to hear all about whatever new recipes you've been cooking up!"

she should've called, probably, but her foresight was stronger only than her courage, or miserly lack thereof, to hold a needle to the ragged state of her friendships.

jaeho heralded auntie sooyoung's arrival with her much-needed drink, and she felt a smile slip onto her lips at the sight of the old lady. still as kind-eyed as she had been a few years ago but clearly aged, with a few more creases lining her face— more than hee-yeon thought five-or-so years might do to her. and then she spoke, and the accelerated effects of time made sense. she let out a small, unwitting gasp, quickly glossed over by a purposeful sip from her glass. leukemia, cancer. his absence had been telling, but certainly not this.

"it's getting hard to keep things afloat, and i've been thinking for a while now that maybe i should close this bar to pay for his treatment." her fingers crept towards her phone, halting in their tracks as soo-young said her next words, as if chiding her before she had time to even consider the option. there was probably a way to do it without them realising until it was too late; the thought was filed for later as auntie continued to speak.

"so i know you're all busy, but please— can you hang around for a little while? for him, and for me?"

her brows furrowed, and hee-yeon cast a quick, cautious glance around the group. of course, there was nothing much to gain from this, save for the ugly swell of memories sure to surface from being in such close proximity with the subjects of what must be most of her regrets; she'd gotten so used to disappearing and disappointing, what was one more time? but guilt seized her heart as she stared into her drink, searching for an answer in the reflection of the bar's neon lights despite an unspoken one already laying on the tip of her tongue.

just an hour or two. enough to make auntie happy.

she took a long sip from her glass before adjusting her bag, resting it against her body like it might act as an anchor to weigh her down in her seat.

"we're doing well, auntie,"

somewhat,

"and it's thanks to you and uncle, so how could i not stay when you ask so sweetly? i've missed this place, anyways."

to a degree.

hee-yeon flashed a hesitant smile, as if it might do anything to soothe the uneasiness in her gut.

♡coded by uxie♡

Stardust Galaxy · Oct 25, 2021

It was pretty obvious that the vibe around the so-called group of friends was everything except comfortable. On one side, you had Jun and Yejun with their unresolved problems from the past. Juno, who for sure knew about what happened between her boyfriend and Hee-Yeon. And then there was Bit-Na that knew about the little agreement between Hee-Yeon; the girl she once considered a best friend and like the sister she never had, and Ye-Jun the guy that after all those years became someone close to her heart and that believed that their relationship didn’t hold any secrets.

But now they were just a group of strangers that were just connected because of a place from the past that may or may have not been an important part of their life while growing up. Life really worked in mysterious ways. Because Bit-Na would have never thought that she would be in this kind of situation; with people that once made her heart warm and full of happiness, but things have happened and those memories were a thing from the past and now everyone had made their own way and had moved on from what they were and maybe Bit-Na wasn’t ready to accept that fact.

Where was Na-Mu when she needed him the most? The boy would have made everything more bearable, or at least for Bit-Na, with his sweet and protective demeanor that would have filled Bit-Na’s heart with warmth and would have made her believe things would get better. And almost as if he could read her mind, he arrived as she greeted him with a big smile. Don’t get her wrong, Bit-Na was excited to see everyone despite the strained relationships, but maybe she was a bit more excited to see Na-Mu. After all, he was the closest friend she had after all those years.

But when a familiar voice sounded, Bit-Na felt nostalgic at the sight of the old lady, who almost saw them grow together and seemed happy to see them again altogether. If only she knew the status of their relationship; For sure, it would break her sweet heart. “Of course, we wouldn’t forget you auntie and how could we not come when you were the ones that invited us.” Bit-Na said with a smile that slowly disappeared from her face as Sooyoung started explaining the reason behind the invitation.

Bit-Na’s heart felt heavy with the sudden feelings at the news of Chungho being sick with leukemia. It almost broke her heart knowing that there was nothing she could do more than hope for the best and keep the old man in her thoughts. She turned to Na-Mu, not knowing how he would react or if he even knew already. Was this a surprise to him, just like it was to everyone else?

“Did you know about this?”

She asked him, feeling worried.

With the news of the bar closing, it hit a familiar spot as Bit-Na remembered how the restaurant her grandparents worked so hard for was gone too. But even if she wanted them to stop them; There was nothing she could do. She didn’t have a following like Juno or Jun, or even less a bank account with more money than necessary, like Ye-Jun or Hee-Yeon. Feeling useless, Bit-Na just contemplated the glass of her sangria as if it was the most magnificent thing in the world as she cursed herself once again for not being enough to do something.

And just like she was filling her mind with all those thoughts, the words of Soo-Young brought her back to reality “So I know you’re all busy, but please — can you hang around for a little while? For him, and for me?” The words almost felt like a plead and saying no was out of the equation. She couldn’t do anything that would end up hurting her loved ones, even if all of them weren’t exactly the best friends in the world, like how they used to be.

“We will try our best to spend as much time together, don’t worry about it.”

Location: shangri la | Mood: this is not fine
Outift: Here | Interactions:

dreamglow

MoxxyMoxx

Yoo Bit-Na

Code by Stardust Galaxy

sox · Nov 10, 2021

with the uncomfortable young adults in disgruntled agreement, sooyoung lips broke into a pained smile and she bowed her head deeply in gratitude. "you kids grew up so well. stay and chat as late as you want; drinks are on the house tonight!"

sooyoung disappeared into the crowd of regulars to make her rounds, leaving the six of them to process the information she'd just dealt them. it was obvious that they all felt quite out of place—not in the bar, but in each other's company—and any one of them may make a break for the exit at a moment's notice, but they won't.

of course, they won't, yejun remarked pensively. they were adults now, no longer the awkward, lanky kids who had plunged right into life, their feet yet to find purchase. they may have issues with each other—pent-up aggression, hurt, betrayal, hatred—but more than that, a deep longing for closure to the memories they'd sealed away with each passing day. there had been a point in time where they'd loved each other, found comfort in the banter and the quarrels, slept peacefully knowing there were people rooting for them. but when the time came to test those bonds and face the storm together, their house of twigs was blown to bits.

and so, having lost faith in their little community, they built new ones, this time separate, less sturdy structures made hastily in a desperate attempt to shelter themselves in isolation. but now another cyclone barreled towards them in the form of an incurable ailment, and they found themselves here, together in this moment, wounds still open and raw yet unable to move in the face of their pain.

yejun stared down into his glass with an unreadable expression, the slight tremor in his hands betraying the blizzard thrashing about in his heart. for the first time in years, he found himself unsure of how to start a conversation, knowing full well that anything he put forth would be met with the same panel of scornful gazes he'd been welcomed with just moments earlier.

it didn't feel fair—the unbridled judgment simmering in juno's piercing eyes—but unfairness was a sentiment he was used to in the business world. as such, yejun decided against taking the lead for the night, a far cry from how he used to instigate their meaningless debates as a teen.

instead, he turned to hee-yeon seated beside him, putting on a tense smile despite the ridiculousness of their situation. "you look like you're gonna shit yourself, love," yejun murmured in english, soft despite the deep tone to his voice. his eyes flit over her features analytically before landing back on his drink, swirled anxiously between his fingers. "not that i blame you. this fucking sucks and i'm sober."

he nudged her stool with his boot, usually a playful gesture, though right now he meant it as a gentle reminder that he was there, present by her side should the night take a turn for the worse. he'd long outgrown the individualist period of his life, when he cared only about his own goals, quotas, and deadlines. hee-yeon had undoubtedly played a factor in that evolution; simple companionship was the least he owed her at this point.

the big shot

yejun.

filler tab!
outfit

xxx

tags

dreamglow (mentioned)
Uxie

♡coded by uxie♡

dreamglow · Nov 17, 2021

scroll

the idol

juno

mood

maknae on top

outfit

location

interactions

ye-jun & jun but mentions all

tags

the older you get the less you cry

LANY

The ice at the bottom of a glass had never been more fascinating to Juno than it was right now. The way it slowly melted due to the warm temperatures surrounding it, sort of like how their friend group melted with each of them being tugged in a different direction, not really bothering to keep in touch. She’d barely had time to process the fact that the reason she could even see the ice at the bottom of the glass was because she’d finished her drink before another was set down in front of her. Sending a grateful look to Jae-Ho, Juno picked up the Paloma and took a sip.

What was once an evening that promised happiness and laughter now was one full of iciness and closure. None of the warmth that nostalgia could potentially bring. Everything had turned south so quickly and she wanted nothing more than to just grab Jun and run away from it all. But she couldn’t. Not when she already made a promise.

“I’ve missed this place, anyways.”

Sure you did, thought Juno, managing to catch the tail-end of Hee-Yeon’s little sentence. She probably hasn’t thought about it even once these past few years. With a bitter chuckle, she brought her drink to her lips and took a sip.

When Soo-Young disappeared, Juno allowed her mind to continue to wander, not bothering to stop it as it reeled off ideas. Like she thought of before, MYST.eria could do a benefit concert with ticket gross going towards a treatment fund. Bit-Na could hold a fundraiser night at her restaurant with 50% of the evenings proceeds going towards treatment. Jun could auction off one-on-one fencing lessons or even tickets to a match, again with sales money going towards Chung-Ho’s treatment. Ye-Jun could host some benefit/charity gala or dinner, Na-Mu could have a bake sale or something at school. Hee-Yeon… well, she wasn’t really sure what Hee-Yeon could do with clothes but maybe there was something.

If they were going to help, they’d need to get a move on pretty quickly. Ideally, she’d want to talk to them as a group about this but considering how the evening has unfolded, that probably wasn’t a good idea. So she’d have to talk to them each individually first. Her first target? Ye-Jun. Why? Because Soo-Young had looked directly at the two of them, knowing they’d be the first to try and pay for it. Somehow, she knew he’d probably be the easiest to convince. And why was she, the youngest, seeming to be the only one taking charge? Whatever. As they say, maknae on top.

So with that thought in mind, she released Jun’s hand and hopped off her stool. ”I’ll be right back.” she said to him, sending Bit-Na a look that clearly said to watch out for him until she returned, and then walked in Ye-Jun’s direction. A lot of things were running through her mind on that short walk, primarily being how in the world was she going to get through this little conversation without bringing up these past five years.

It could wait, it all could wait. They could easily overlook the elephant in the room and try to talk solely about this treatment but she had a feeling that wouldn’t happen. Somehow the past would be brought up and she had a feeling she would be the cause. Because Why did you ignore me these past five years? What the hell happened to the guy who helped out my brother when he couldn’t speak a lick of Korean, the guy who Griffin absolutely idolized? Damn am I glad he’s not here to see you like this.

Juno should be really glad she didn’t hear Ye-Jun call Hee-Yeon ‘love’, or else she probably would’ve vomited the Paloma right onto the floor. But she did manage to hear the last of what he said and gave a sarcastic smile to his back. ”Well I hope you stay sober a little longer,” she began when she finally reached where he was sitting, also speaking english, "because I need to talk to you. Alone.” Though she didn’t look at Hee-Yeon, the alone was clearly directed at her. Juno folded her arms across her chest while she waited for a response, expression blank and almost guarded, refusing to give away anything.

♡coded by uxie♡

neon reverie · Nov 23, 2021

jun-young.

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mood

hmmm food
outfit

boom boom pow
location

shangri la
interactions

juno and bit-na [ dreamglow Stardust Galaxy ]

the silence between the group was like a dark cloud, harboring a heaviness that no one wanted to touch, for it could release something each of them wanted to escape. a moment that was supposed to dart between space and time on nostalgia's wings had become stained with a reality they once deemed improbable. stars of memories had died, its brightest twinkling eclipsed by shades of hurt and betrayal.

jun could not help but feel a bit guilty, knowing juno would have not ill-regarded yejun and hee-yeon so if it wasn't for his fall-out with the both of them. friendship can be fickle like that; a scornful flame burning others to keep the ones you hold dear the most warm. in order to fill the cracks and holes in , others had to be broken. don't get him wrong, juno's support was one he'd come to treasure and cling to, one his heart ached for after the abandonment of one too many before, but he still wondered. wondered how this reunion of fake smiles and plastic hearts would look like if he hadn't let so much spill through.

this reunion was supposed to be one spent in the underworld of time, coaxing and stirring memories of friendships innocent, powerful and pure.

yet here they were,

trying to bend and bury the arcs of their history.

jun let out a shaky breathe, emotions thrashing around despite the mental pull to keep it all together. he had tried to resolve it all on his own, to make peace with the past to not have war in the future. and with each season, the weight of everything did become lighter ― but while memories became easier, they were not easy. jun's happiness, that bright golden light he'd crafted for himself out of his own blood, sweat and tears, remained as fleeting as daylight. regardless how much he'd convince himself otherwise.

emotions betray and eyes fleet, back to the faces once looking back at him with love and care.

yejun and hee-yeon.

it was difficult to describe the turmoil inside whenever those names seeped into his mind, let alone their presence tonight. on one hand, jun was tired of being prisoner to the hurt of the past, its chains cutting his skin and bruising his heart. on the other hand, he had no idea how to break free without touching those prismic fractures again. would a confrontation even solve things? or would it only create more ruptures in the already torn foundation? was this even the time, when chungho and soo-young needed their support?

too many questions, too little certainty.

perhaps some relationships were meant to die now now they had grown up enough to have bonds broken down.

it was okay, jun silently told himself. at the very least, he had juno and na-mu.

"I’ll be right back"

a cold seeped in as juno's hand departed from his, a rise of panic swelling up in his throat at her figure approaching yejun.

"wait-" he muttered, his words living and dying in the open air. a wave of anxiety rushed in, his gaze straight set on catching what interaction his girlfriend had planned to have. with juno, you never quite knew if she just wanted to have a talk or dump her drink on you. it could go either and both ways, but luckily, no Paloma was spilled yet. jun was debating whether or not to monitor further, but ultimately decided against it, not wanting to seem like he sent her over.

so, the athlete turned his head, eyes catching the friendly face of Bit-na, and a true smile curved his face.

"bit-na, it's good seeing you again! how are you doing?? i heard through the grapevine that the restaurant has been doing better. i can't wait to visit again, it's been too long."

i don't know you anymore

eric nam

♡coded by uxie♡

Stardust Galaxy · Nov 25, 2021

The room was filling up with the voices that proclaimed a better relationship between them, but behind those prosperous messages, the reality was completely different. They were just empty promises just to give a piece a moment of peace to the old lady. If only it was that easy to leave behind their problems and misunderstandings aside; and just grant the wish of the old couple that saw them grow. But the threads that once connected them; were already shattered into pieces and now, they were just distant memories of what they were once.

But how long would this facade last? They could pretend all they want in front of the old couple but the reality was completely different; they didn’t want to be in each other’s company. The hurtful memories and the unsaid words were heavier than all the moments they once spent laughing and just being happy together. All of them had decided, and they closed their heart to the other with a lock and throw the key in an unknown place just to protect themselves, although the feelings of hurt were pretty much present.

The air around them felt heavy, and Bit-Na almost feel suffocated. Who would be the first to talk? Or had all decided that the silence was the best of all answers they could give? A storm of emotions was taking control over her; pain, confusion, sorrow, to name a few. Everything felt surreal, and she started hoping that this was just a dream; that her alarm would ring at any moment and she would wake up from a bad dream. But as much as she wanted to believe that it was the real-life, they were there together after all those years, Chung-ho had leukemia and the place that once was an important part of their youth was going to be gone just like their friendship.

Maybe she was too much into her own thoughts that it caught her by surprise when Juno's words broke the silence. “I’ll be right back.” the idol said and Bit-Na took a glance at Jun, who seemed like a fish out of the water after his girlfriend left. Perhaps he was feeling as overwhelmed with everything as she was. Buth the sudden start in conversation and that cheerful smile felt like a light of sunray going through the fog of darkness that they were in that moment.

“Bit-na, it’s good seeing you again! How are you doing?? I heard through the grapevine that the restaurant has been doing better. I can’t wait to visit again, it’s been too long.” Jun said making everything feel lighter, it was nice to talk with someone that she still had some kind of relationship

“I’m happy to see you too it’s been a while since we last saw each other. And yes, the restaurant has been doing better, not like when my grandparents used to own it can’t say I’m completely happy with how things are being managed, but I guess it’s an upgrade.”

Bit-Na replied with a shrug.

"But let’s not talk about my problems! It’s not a big deal, I guess, so I don’t want to worry you. Instead, why don’t you tell me about your last competition? Not going to lie, I was glued to the tv watching it and was thrilled when you won that gold medal.”

She said with a slight smile.

“Now that I think about it, it’s really been a while since I attended one of your competitions, probably since high school. Time really flies away. I’ll go to cheer you up next time you have one just like the old times.”

She said with a chuckle that ended up being an awkward sigh.

After she said those words, she started feeling mixed emotions she took a quick glance at Hee-Yeon and noticed the girl alone as Yejun and Juno were nowhere to be found, and if Bit-na was honest, it pained her seeing her that way. Despite the downfall of their friendship and the secrets that both Yejun and she kept from Bit-Na. Hee-Yeon was still an important part of her life; she was once her best friend, the person who Bit-na cherished almost like a sister, and now acting as if they were strangers, it was like a punch in her stomach every time. Maybe it wasn’t just a case of this being Bit-Na’s fault or Hee-Yeon’s fault. Perhaps both were at fault for growing up apart.

But in a world where she tried to keep updated on what her former best friend was up to and seeing how successful she was becoming it only made Bit-Na realize the gap that was between them and her insecurities of never being able to catch up to her friends, just made the breach even wider. Because deep down, Bit-Na believed that Hee-Yeon deserved a better friend than she was once.

Bit-Na took a sip of her sangria and she was debating on whether she should ask Jaeho if he could add more wine to her drink because she needed the alcohol to make it through the night and the turmoil of emotions that was her inside. But with the constant reminder of the past, Bit-Na almost found ironic the situation she was in. As once again, she was with Jun and Hee-Yeon, and the memories of the three together in the same place were vivid images on her mind from times when everything was easier; it was almost hilarious how back then she thought how her world was ending because Jun, the guy he was crushing on, started dating Hee-Yeon. But now everything was different. Her best friend was now a stranger to her, Jun and Hee-Yeon’s downfall, and she had moved on from Jun for good.

Bit-Na let out a sigh, not knowing if what she was about to do was the right thing. Probably Jun would end up having a crisis, and Juno would come back and realize what she did and would probably go crazy over interacting with the devil; because Bit-Na was pretty sure Juno thought that way of Hee-Yeon.

“Why don’t you tell us too what you have been up to? I might not be as knowledgeable as you in fashion, but I’ll love to know what stories you have to tell. I’m sure life in the united states has to be more interesting than here in Seoul, but either way, I’m happy that you are back. I really mean it”

Location: shangri la | Mood: this is not fine
Outift: Here | Interactions:

denim jacket, white tee, black jeans and white vans

Yoo Bit-Na

Code by Stardust Galaxy

Uxie · Nov 26, 2021

hee-yeon

filler

home (filler tab)
mood

ah.... :////

filler
outfit
click

filler
location

shangri-la

filler
interactions

everyone (yejun, juno, bit-na)

filler
tags

sox , neon reverie , MoxxyMoxx , dreamglow , Stardust Galaxy

filler
home (filler tab)

loco, hwasa

don't

the silence that befell the little group as soon as auntie soo-young slipped off was... tangible. so thick hee-yeon felt like she might be able to reach out and grab it, weaving it into a suit of confidence that might spur her to speak first, if only she had words to say. there was nothing on her part that wouldn't come off shameless, flagrant, and though she had become accustomed to sharp words and sharper gazes over the years, hee-yeon's shield was not built to withstand such treatment from those who had formerly been the center of her universe.

she was relieved the others had chosen to sit somewhat further away. or just, one person, in particular, alongside his new beau. hee-yeon was still trying to hastily avoid eye contact while staring intently at the displays of alcohol behind the bar when a voice sounded beside her, in quiet, articulate english: "you look like you're gonna shit yourself, love," she glanced at him quizzically, though her sub-conscious knew yejun's eyes would see through any of her fronts. "not that i blame you. this fucking sucks and i'm sober."

hee-yeon felt the gentle nudge on her stool in what must have been an attempt on the other's part to provide reassurance, and she let out a quiet laugh into her drink. her one ally. it was a bemusing observation— him, of all people— that allowed the hint of a true smile to form on her lips. heart-to-hearts had never been their thing, not in the least, but there was a strange kinship between them. a silent understanding that cracks were there, regardless of how deep they ran or how they had come to be. she opened her mouth to speak, but was a breath too late.

"well, i hope you stay sober a little longer, because i need to speak to you." more english, this time in a significantly more hostile tone. hee-yeon didn't even have to turn to know it was juno, though she did anyways. it didn't matter, because the younger girl seemed preferable to pretending she was invisible. "alone."

that was her cue, she supposed.

"hope you don't shit yourself without me."

she murmured softly to yejun, though her half-hearted smile as she stood was offered to both. she eyed them for another brief moment before displacing herself obligingly, and thus, she was: half-empty drink in hand and aimless in her wander. her gaze flicked to the rest of her old friends, just a few steps away from a hopeful reunion, if only she would, though could was perhaps a better word for it.

maybe bit-na had read her expression, or simply noticed her staring (embarrassingly), because the other girl's attention seemed to turn towards her. hee-yeon could see her mouth moving, though most of her words were lost to the ambience of the crowded bar. "...what you've been... life in the united states..." she took a step forward in hopes of deciphering more, but caught only the tail-end of her sentence. "...happy that you're back. i really mean it."

hee-yeon felt her chest grow warm. after their less-than-pleasant reunion, facing bit-na with confidence had been nothing short of difficult— the ghosting probably added onto already terrible circumstances— but she could see the sincerity in her eyes. the classic little wrinkle around bit-na's eyes that she had come to associate with her joy. her heart leapt, almost unnoticeably, and hee-yeon cracked a smile despite herself.

"missed you too, bit-kkul."

her eyes flicked to jun in a brief moment, a nearly imperceptible motion that was quickly covered up as she added,

"what else did you say? i didn't catch it."

"how have you been, hee-yeon? how was your time in the states?"

hee-yeon's eyes widened very slightly, her mind immediately drifting to all of the stories she could never share. had they seen the rumours? the articles that would flit by every once in a while on the worst of tabloids before falling into obscurity; it was a small chance, but a chance nonetheless. she forced her smile wider. they wouldn't. never.

"ah... i've been okay. good, even. met a lot of cool people and did a lot of things. i'm really happy with where ffate has gotten. a little busy, but rewarding, you know?"

she paused, averting her gaze just slightly to prevent it from drifting to the one she truly had too much to say to, and added,

"what about you? you're working... in a restaurant now, right?"

♡coded by uxie♡

dreamglow · Dec 5, 2021

scroll

the teacher

kogun

mood

happy but very confused

outfit

location

interactions

jae-ho but mentions all

tags

Stardust Galaxy

FACE TIME

SINCE, GIRIBOY, pH-1, Gaeko

The Shangri La reminder was on Ko-Geon’s phone. He knew it was; said it all aloud as he entered it into his calendar, hoping that it would help engrain it into his mind. Even saw the reminder pop up on his lock screen two hours ago. But it was all for nothing.

He’d gotten behind on this weeks grading and told himself he’d only work on it for a few hours before jumping in the shower and getting ready. However, grading math homework turned into English which turned into grading history into geography and he got lost in it all. Next time he checked the time, it was well past the time he should have left his apartment.

”Shit, shit, shit,” he cursed, dropping his pen and sprinting to the shower. He spent less than two minutes in there, toweled off and then bolted to his closet and threw on the first of everything he could find. There was no time to do anything with his hair besides run his hands through his bangs a few times to try and push it out of his eyes, ignoring the water droplets that dripped down his face. And then he was off.

Ko-Goen was nothing but a blur on the streets as he raced towards the train station to take him into the heart of Seoul. On the train he was a ball of anxiety mixed with tapping feet. He had no reason to be anxious as this was typical behavior—no one, including himself, had ever seen him show up somewhere earlier than one hour past the start time. As it was, he was already 30 minutes late and wouldn’t get there for another 15. He really hoped he didn’t miss too much.

As he walked the streets of Seoul, en-route to the bar, he wondered who all would be there. There was no way this invite was sent just to him. He hardly ever talked to Chung-Ho one-on-one back then and doubted the older man would want to now. He figured all of the old crew would have been invited but didn’t know which of the other five would be there. For all he knew, he might be one of the only ones in Korea right now.

Pausing after walking through the threshold, Koko took a moment to survey the room. To his left, Bit-Na, Jun and Hee-Yeon all sat next to each other talking. There was no sign of Ye-Jun or Juno, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t here, just not in his line of sight. Feeling slightly bashful about his tardiness, he moved forward and that’s when he caught sight of their body language. Stiff, awkward and forced. As if none of them wanted to talk to one another but were forcing themselves to.

He knew some of them weren’t as close as they used to be but he didn’t know it was this bad. He saw Bit-Na last night when she gave him leftovers of yesterday’s specials, face-timed with Hee-Yeon last week, had hung out with Jun recently after one of his matches, had a drink with Ye-Jun a month or so ago and went shopping with Juno two weeks ago. Since he kept up with each of them as regularly as possible, he didn’t think about whether or not they kept up with each other and now realizes he should have.

Honestly, Ko-Geon was debating on whether or not he should just leave when he heard a ”Koko!”. Looking up, he saw Jae-Ho approaching him with a grin. And damn, that wasn’t expected, but it definitely was good to see the other. ”Look at you, late as always. You haven’t changed a bit since high school.”

And Koko just huffed in mock annoyance. ”I’ve changed plenty, hyung. I’m a teacher now and my fourth graders love me.”

”Do they actually love you or are they sucking up to you in hopes for better grades?”

”Hey!”

”Sorry, had to. Come with me, I’ll make you a drink. Just one though, because if you truly haven’t changed since high school, you can’t hold your liquor for shit and I really don’t feel like cleaning vomit off of my floor.”

Rolling his eyes, Ko-Geon followed Jae-Ho to the bar and took a seat while the older man made him a surprise drink. It didn’t take long until it was slid in front of him and he cautiously raised his lips and took a sip. Ah, Makers and coke. Safe choice. ”So what happened while I wasn’t here?” he asked, glancing at the others. He wanted to talk to them but didn’t want to interrupt their conversation.

”A lot,” Jae-Ho answered, ”but I think it’s best if one of them tells you and not me.”

Koko nodded slowly and took another sip, desperately wanting to know but also knowing not to question his hyung. He was just going to have to wait until one of the others approached him. Trying to speed this process along, he caught Hee-Yeon's eye and gave her a big grin.

♡coded by uxie♡

neon reverie · Dec 27, 2021

jun-young.

.
.
.
.

mood

asking the important questions here.
outfit

boom boom pow
location

shangri la
interactions

bit-na, heeyeon, koko[ dreamglow Stardust Galaxy Uxie ]

it was easy for the words to fall between each other with bit-na, her sunshine personality warming the previous awkward cold in his bones. it had been a while since the two engaged in conversation, but time had yet to jade the colors their friendship were made of. they were more distant than before, but still lingering on the edges of each other's worlds, ready and present to be pulled closer should a need for support echo across their expanse. may it be helping with promotion for the restaurant or filling one's stomach with good food before competition, the two had each other's backs, and jun's smile was wide and bright as he listened to her.

"well, i am sure the restaurant will get their reputation back in no time, especially with your culinary skills kicking ass." he winked, bringing some humor as usual to keep the mood light. "if i didn't know better, i would be afraid by how well you handle all those knives." at the mention of his last competition, jun let out a chuckle, leaning back some more in his seat. he could still remember it vividly; the burst of a heart victorious and pause of time. it was the kind of euphoria he could still taste, a memory he could never forget, and a heaven he would still chase.

"yeah, i was happy no one could see my face because i was sweating buckets and possibly shitting my pants. don't tell anyone that, though. for all that my fans and the press know, i was as cool as a cucumber." the smile tightened slightly at the thought of his next competition. yeah, that was not going to be so easy... the recovery was going slower than he wanted it to be, the assigned rest period longer than he could bear. jun knew it was due to his own pushing, having ran his body too far and too deep into the ground, but that didn't make living the consequences any easier. he didn't want anyone to worry, though. wished for them to hold that perfect picture of top athlete a little while longer. so he merely nodded in response, light words on the lips;

"i'll hold you onto that. this does include your famous good luck cake, right?"

he could see her gaze then, slipping away, right to the lone figure wandering. a glimpse of the future flashed, because bit-na would always be bit-na; too kind to have anyone feel left out. a little reminder seeped into the mind too, detailing a friendship he'd be selfish for to ignore. jun could not blame her for pulling hee-yeon into their conversation, but he could not shake the discomfort with her presence either.

even now, his heart poured out somber melodies, its strings tugging and twisting as if tied to her palm. despite all these years, it seemed the ties tethering him to her were not truly severed. it still chased him; those emotions attached to a bejeweled love left to rust and die in the rain. jun's heart is still a mosaic of hurt and happiness, a reflection of past and present, and its difference feels like a knife in the gut.

sober thoughts clamoured, awash with miasma, sordid with memories.

fake it till you make it, they say.

but jun can never truly fake it, not around her.

so his gaze travelled across the room, searching for an excuse to step away from the conversation before it could turn back to him. a wave of relief washed over him as the figure of kogun entered his vision. "be right back, i'm gonna say hi to koko-" he said, more so to bit-na than hee-yeon, before standing up from his seat and moving away.

"koko, where were you man?" his greeting came with a big grin and arms spread to receive a hug. " let me guess, you were busy grading papers and lost track of time." he teased, knowing his tendencies and reasons for being late. taking a seat next to his teacher friend, he continued:

" how's the class doing? do they know the important stuff yet, like being fan of the one and only park jun-young?"

right now

gaho

♡coded by uxie♡

Stardust Galaxy · Dec 30, 2021

Talking to Jun was one of the easiest things to do that Bit-Na could have done that night. The guy almost made the tension go away with his usual humor and friendly demeanor; that it almost felt like a breath of fresh air in a closed room. It almost made all her worries disappear and give her a sense of relief that they could make it through the night despite their broken ties. But in reality, it was easier to say it than actually do it; as the person next to her was almost like a lost and lonely soul.

Bit-Na didn’t have any obligation to add Hee-Yeon to the conversation, right? After all, the girl decided and cut ties with her years ago. If Bit-Na wasn’t important to her back; then why would she care about her in the end? Despite that, she was trying so hard to follow that mindset in reality she didn’t have the heart to just leave Hee-yeon alone, she couldn’t be that petty at least for the night she could be cordial then they would go back to be strangers and move on with their lives.

“I’ll hold you onto that. This includes your famous good luck cake, right?” Jun said and Bit-Na almost didn’t catch the words of her friend as she was trying to see if Hee-Yeon would talk back to her.

“What? Oh yes! I’ll do it, chocolate cake with raspberry filling. How can I forget”

the girl hoping that Jun wouldn’t notice that Bit-Na had drifted out in the mess that was her feelings.

“Missed you too, bit-kkul.” The sound of the nickname felt like a pleasant surprise. It had been years since someone called her like that, making her almost forget about it, but it brought back an ocean of wonderful memories that warmed Bit-Na’s heart. “Be right back, I’m gonna say hi to koko.” The voice of Jun was heard as he excused himself, which caught Bit-Na out of guard.

“Oh, alright... Say hi to him from me, okay? And also scold him on my part for being late.”

The girl said playfully.

“Ah yes, I used to work as part of the cooking team in a resort in Busan but kind of got homesick and came back so now I’m working on the restaurant that my grandparents used to own I can’t say is as successful as is used to be but I’m working towards saving enough money to buy it from the actual owners. I guess not all of us can have an outstanding business.”

Bit-Na said with a shrug of her shoulders.

After the two former best friends were alone, it almost felt comical how in the past they could have talked for hours, but now it almost felt forced and uncomfortable. Bit-Na took a sip of her drink, not knowing what else to say.

“How long do you plan on staying in Seoul? I guess if you have time, you can always come to the restaurant. I’ll cook some jjampong for you, my treat, of course. Take it as a welcome gift.”

“Do you think those two are going to plan something to help Chungho? I guess it was quite shocking for everyone and it’s also kind of frustrating knowing there’s not much we can do other than try to fulfill their wishes of you know no murdering the other with the stare.”

Location: shangri la | Mood: let's have a talk
Outift: Here | Interactions:

denim jacket, white tee, black jeans and white vans

Yoo Bit-Na

Code by Stardust Galaxy

Uxie · Jan 2, 2022

hee-yeon

filler

home (filler tab)
mood

ah.... :////

filler
outfit
click

filler
location

shangri-la

filler
interactions

jun-young, kogun, bit-na

filler
tags

neon reverie Stardust Galaxy dreamglow

filler
home (filler tab)

loco, hwasa

don't

hee-yeon would've been oblivious if she didn't notice jun's discomfort, though she was thick-skinned enough to pretend it was so. to allow her gaze to skirt around him even as her stomach flipped once, twice; to let her eyes fix so stubbornly on bit-na instead while her fingers fidgeted against the fabric of her skirt. the least she could do, she supposed.

"koko!"

the call sounded distant, but the familiar nickname caught her attention regardless. hee-yeon turned out of curiosity, and thank god she did— seeing her old friend allowed immediate relief to flood through her being. a lucky re-connection and it seemed so characteristic, so normal for ko-geon to be late. her eyes flicked briefly to yejun and juno, watching with mild curiosity as they got to their feet, then back to ko-geon just in time to catch his grin. she flashed a smile in return, tilting her head ever so slightly in greeting.

what a sight for sore eyes.

and not just hers, it seemed. "be right back, i'm gonna go talk to koko-" she wasn't surprised, but being able to read the forecast doesn't often eliminate the ill feelings that accompanied plans thwarted by the weather— there was no escaping the mix of dismay, disappointment, and that slight sting of resentment in her chest. reconciliation was a silly thought, but you would allow her to cherish at least that fantasy. it would be her own fairytale.

she let her gaze follow jun for a few seconds as he slipped away and allowed her attention to be gratefully pulled back by bit-na as she began to speak. the other girl must still feel somewhat awkward, if hee-yeon's own feelings were anything to measure by, but it made her effort all the more meaningful. "i can’t say is as successful as is used to be but I’m working towards saving enough money to buy it from the actual owners. i guess not all of us can have an outstanding business."

it came off a little bitter— if she wasn't reading too much into it— and she noted how disheartening it was that even bit-na had been tampered by life in those past years. a complaint weaved with a compliment, though the latter fell flat without knowing its context. hee-yeon forced a smile, and took a sip from her drink. she would never know.

"i'm always here if you need advice, but i suppose you have yejunnie."

his nickname came out dripping with sarcasm, though she realised its taboo nature as soon as it slipped through her lips. she eyed bit-na warily, lifting her drink to her lips once more when her friend didn't pick on it.

“how long do you plan on staying in seoul? i guess if you have time, you can always come to the restaurant. i’ll cook some jjampong for you, my treat, of course. take it as a welcome gift.”

"long enough to get jjamppong from our resident world-class chef, for sure,"

she joked, her tone teasingly affectionate,

"but it'll be a while, i think,"

the words welled up at the bottom of her throat, so close to slipping out yet pulled down her lingering fears.

i was considering staying for good, but i don't know if i'll be welcome, or if i'll have anything to stay for.

"at least half a year, i'm thinking. and i'll have way too much free time, so we should—"

hee-yeon hesitated, her grip tightening around the stem of her glass as she gave bit-na an apprehensive smile,

"we should hang out more. if you're free."

♡coded by uxie♡

sox · Jan 5, 2022

"well I hope you stay sober a little longer, because i need to talk to you. alone."

the jarring sound of juno's interrupting voice nearly made yejun flinch, reminding the businessman of the countless times she'd snuck up behind him in school just to ambush him and startle the books out of his unsuspecting arms. they were better friends back then than his teenage pride would let him admit, but in retrospect it was painfully obvious how deeply he relied on juno's company whenever the stress of coming to age threatened to overtake and swallow him up whole.

"hope you don't shit yourself without me," hee-yeon's teasing voice landed softly on his ears as she took her leave, presumably to make conversation elsewhere and abandon him to suffer alone.

'so much hoping. whooole lot of hoping. i'm oh-so blessed.'

yejun turned around in his seat, gaze lingering on hee-yeon for a moment longer before settling on juno. short-tempered, aggressive, stubborn hye-joon who never let him breathe for even one moment under her suffocating style of tough love; and yet, her confident, energetic nature made sure he never particularly wanted to stray too far. unlike many others at school, she didn't discriminate when choosing who deserved her love, and once her piercing, watchful eyes had settled on yejun's unyielding self, there was simply no getting away from her at all.

his own shadowy eyes locked onto juno's warm brown ones, still radiant and beautiful despite her blatantly guarded expression and crossed arms. a pang ached through his chest as he wondered why she seemed to regard him with such deep loathing. they didn't leave off on particularly terrible terms—she hadn't even been this aggressive towards him after taking jun's side in their falling out—and yet it felt like one wrong step would result in a tequila-soaked fork through his palm.

yejun sighed, tabling that train of thought for now once he belatedly registered kogun joining the party and greeting each one of them with comfortable ease. that's right; he hadn't come out tonight to unpack his baggage in a makeshift group therapy session. there were far more pressing concerns, ones that troubled him far more than the lingering hostile sentiments of their past, and knowing hye-joon, she undoubtedly already had some sort of fundraising plan in mind.

in that forward-thinking aspect, they had always been far too alike, after all.

"of course, juno," he replied to her request with a practiced level of professional neutrality, though her idol stage name felt foreign enough on his tongue for him to immediately switch back to korean. "the rooftop is probably quieter."

without waiting for a response, yejun departed from his barstool and climbed the circular staircase, mourning how little effect the drinks he'd downed were having on his mental state as he settled on a relatively empty corner of the rooftop. chungho had evidently invested in the space more since their departure. beautiful, glowing string lights criss-crossed above mahogany picnic tables, countless standalone potted plants, and sleek black patio heaters combatting the nightly spring chill.

'who knew he was still romantic enough to make something like this,' he thought in quiet awe as he stared up at the stars beginning to dot the sky now that the sun had settled. as juno joined him, yejun ultimately settled with leaning back against an edge railing next to an empty table and heater, opting to stand and sip on his drink after having sat at the bar for so long. she could sit if she wanted to, but he wasn't planning on hanging around for much longer than necessary.

"since you wanted to talk alone, we're probably thinking the same thing." yejun broke the silence with the same neutral tone as earlier, though far softer now that he didn't have to shout over the chatter and music. his dark eyes narrowed as anxiety over the situation clouded his vision, and he couldn't have been more thankful for the dim lighting as a thin line of defense under juno's all-seeing gaze. "i'd love nothing more than to fund his treatment myself, but i'm not going to go behind their backs and disrespect their wishes. i know they have their own reasons."

a young couple sitting arm-in-arm across the rooftop briefly caught his attention, the sheer love in their smiles as they whispered each other's ears bringing yejun to clench his jaw with resolve. "but they put so much of themselves into this place. turned it into a home for a lot of people who needed it. i can't let it go so easily." yejun tore his eyes from the couple and met hye-joon's once again, gaze still unyielding yet brimming with an unresolved something. "so if you have a plan to raise money for them in some other way, i'm on board unconditionally. whatever i can help with, i will."

the big shot

yejun.

filler tab!
outfit

xxx

tags

dreamglow

♡coded by uxie♡

dreamglow · Jan 10, 2022

scroll

the teacher

kogun

mood

pls tell me

outfit

location

interactions

jun, hee-yeon

tags

Call Me

ROZES

The relief that Ko-Geon felt when Hee-Yeon returned his grin was immense. It wasn’t that he was worried she wouldn’t return it because she disliked him, rather, was more worried about not receiving one in return because everyone was mad about his tardiness. That, apparently, was not the case.

He looked back down at his drink and realized he’d already drank half of it without noticing. Knowing he’d be drunk in no time if he continued at this rate, he decided to hit the pause button for the time being. He even pushed the drink away from him slightly as if that would help in any sort of way.

“Koko, where were you man?"

He’d barely had time to think about what could distract him from drinking when Jun’s voice broke through his train of thought. Smiling sheepishly, Ko-Geon hopped off of his stool and turned to accept the hug, all but melting into it. ”You got me,” he started with a sigh, pulling back from the hug. ”Told myself I’d only grade for an hour but lost track of time and now look where we are.”

Well, that was kind of a dumb thing to say considering if one did actually look around, they’d see that they were in Shangri-La, a bar that was once the home of 6 teenagers from all different walks of life, all 6 of which were here tonight but were acting like strangers instead of the friends that they used to be.

Thinking about all of this made him remember the question he’d asked Jae-Ho just a few moments ago. Figuring he could ask Jun, he parted his lips to begin the questioning process but was interrupted before he could do so. To buy himself some time before answering, Koko sat back down and pulled his drink over, though was sure to not take a sip.

”Class is fine,” he began with a small smile, ”and most of them are fans of yours, actually.” Figuring he should elaborate on this, he continued, ”I keep that picture you, me, Juno and Bit-Na took backstage at one of Juno’s concerts last year on my desk,” He knew Jun knew which one he was talking about. ”After getting over their initial shock that I was friends with and knew both an idol and a professional athlete, they all started bombarding me with questions, asking when you’d come to school and hang out with them.”

Ko-Geon never actually said anything to the kids regarding that, not wanting to promise them that Jun would come visit if he couldn’t. He’d never been one for making empty promises that couldn’t be kept. Though, knowing his kids, they’d probably shit themselves if Jun just suddenly waltzed into the classroom one day.

But enough about his teaching career. There was obviously a very big elephant in the room and it was time they talked about it. ”So. . .” he said delicately, wanting to tread carefully here, ”what happened in the hour I missed?” The way it was phrased gave Jun an easy escape route of “nothing” so Koko rushed on, ”and please don’t say nothing happened. Jaeho-hyung all but said something massive happened and I can practically taste the tension in the air.”

♡coded by uxie♡

Stardust Galaxy · Jan 17, 2022

mood

let's not be awkward

outfit

here

location

shangri-la

interactions

hee-yeon

tags

yoo bit-na

The conversation with Hee-Yeon was going better than Bit-Na expected. Sure, she wasn’t expecting it would end up in a catastrophe; but she was sure everything would be full of awkward silences than their voices. If one thing was true, they were miles away to be like the old times, but at least there was some kind of progress from their first meeting.

“I’m always here if you need advice, but I suppose you have Yejunnie.” at Hee-Yeon’s words, a light smirk appeared on Bit-Na’s face but played it cool for the moment as she took notice of the wary gaze of the fashion designer.

“Thank you. I really appreciate it. I’ll come to you if I have any concerns.”

“Long enough to get jjamppong from our resident world-class chef, for sure.” After Hee-Yeon said that even if it was in a joking tone, Bit-Na felt a slight sense of pride. It wasn’t like she was an attention seeker that needed everyone's compliments to fulfill her vain aspirations. But just being recognized even the slightest was enough for her to continue persevering on her goals and maybe to still hope that one day she would feel like an equal next to her friends.

“At least half a year, I’m thinking. And I’ll have way too much free time, so we should — we should hang out more. If you’re free.” The last part from Hee-Yeon’s word took the chef by surprise. She was only expecting them to schedule a day from when she would go to the restaurant, maybe have a quick chat and they’ll continue with their lives without being someone recurrent in the other’s one life.

Bit-Na could say no. After all, Hee-Yeon cut out all the ties with all of them, saying nothing and just appear without saying a word either. But Bit-Na wasn’t that petty. She didn’t have the heart to let Hee-Yeon on her own, not when she even tried to add her to the conversation as if they were kids on their first day of school. She was sure that maybe they could never go back to who they were. They both have changed to good or for bad. They were not the same people from when they last saw each other. Perhaps for Bit-Na it was worth the chance to try it, to reconnect and if things didn’t go as she expected, then it would be the best way to accept that she shouldn’t hold on to her memories and just move on.

“Of course we can. I’ll have to check when it is my free day at the restaurant, but I don’t see the problem with it.”

Bit-Na replied with a slight smile before taking a small sip from her drink. She wasn’t sure what else could ask Hee-Yeon, but of course, there was one that was in her head for a long time most likely since the day she found out that she was back, when she found her on Yejun’s apartment.

“So... I have been wondering about this for a while... You know, since that day in Yejunnie’s apartment. I know you are not dating but... What you saw in him? I mean, sure he has the looks, and has a great job, but isn’t his personality more like the one of an annoying older brother? Don’t tell him I said that it was too rude.”

“But what I’m trying to say is that I wasn’t expecting that you would be interested in someone like him it didn’t seem like your type, but again the last time I saw about you being interested in someone was...”

Bit-Na said stopping mid-sentence realizing that she was probably going to add more tension to their conversation.

“Anyway, if it was me, I couldn’t see myself being interested in him. I guess there won’t be a way I could see him other than an older brother.”

“However, I can’t even remember the last time I went on a date. Perhaps I don’t even know anymore what my ideal type is.”

Bit-Na added, hopefully being smooth enough in the change of subject, but knowing that she was probably embarrassing herself.

“Maybe I’ll just shut up and continue drinking.”

Code by Stardust Galaxy

dreamglow · Jan 19, 2022

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the idol

juno

mood

chillin with the homie

outfit

location

interactions

ye-jun but mentions all

tags