betting everything

James (Joohyun) Lee, June 9th, 1988, Royal Pirates. "Be kind. Everyone has their own battles. Don't litter. If you have to fight, hit first and hit hard. Dance with your mother and father."

[complexjames-blog]

» The Difference Between ‘Oppa’ and ‘Appa’ [Yeeun&James]

[complexyeeun-deactivated2015072]

Taking a long breath, Yeeun gazed around her room, feeling tired, yet proud, after finishing unpacking. There was hardly anything to unpack, really though since there was only a majority of things you could bring into the complex. Her side of the room was decorated the way she wanted it to be, with stuffed animals and small stickers spread out variously matched with small, bright motivational poster - such as a cat on a branch with the words, “Hang In There!” under it. Those things did help her, for whenever she woke up and felt lazy, she saw the posters and stickers and that helped her get up and get moving and working. Her rose-colored lips formed into a smile as sat down on her twin bed, starting to ponder on what she should do next. After a few moments or so, she decided to check out the gym, to just explore and so Yeeun stood up again and walked to the front door, tucking her home key in her back pocket. Just as she tapped the “up” button for the elevator, her phone made a ding! sound and she replied back, the corners of her lips turned up into a smile.

[✉ → 제임스-oppa] heyo, just finished making the new place comfier :u: [✉ → 제임스-oppa] mhm, yeah i’m so glad I can take this small break [✉ → 제임스-oppa] no, not yet… but I will, don’t worry!!

Her eyes looked up at the floor countdown on the elevator as she smiled wider. She was glad Royal Pirates had met her leadernim, causing the two groups to become closer. It was like she had three new older brothers, alongside her Cube sunbaenims and her unnies. However, as much as she was close to all of them, she could say she was the closest to James, even though they were a decade apart really. He checks in on her like her resident father in the industry and Yeeun respects him dearly. Even sometimes, she would ever to him as her ‘appa’ rather than 'oppa’, given the care and age gap.

The elevator let out the ding! sound again, to initiate the doors opening, and the number ’1’ on the screen above the doors, saying it was on the first floor. Yeeun sighed, letting her hand weave through her golden hair and took a step forward just as the doors opened, but stopping in her place, her mouth in the shape of an “o”. “Oppa?!”

[complexjames-blog]

The familiar beeping sound his phone made when he received a message came sooner than James had expected, since most of his idol friends usually replied hours later, once they were finally finished with their schedules for the day, and he had grown so accustomed to late replies that he was almost startled by this quick one, but that pleasant surprise only made him happier, a warm smile instantly spreading across his face as he imagined his treasured dongsaeng speaking the words he was currently reading. It was not hard to visualize her face at all, as familiar as it was for him by now.

His long fingers were already swiftly typing up a reply when the doors of the elevators slid open, revealing a person he certainly had not expected seeing around here anytime soon, if at all. For a few moments, he blinked to make sure it was not just his mind playing tricks on him , for he had been thinking of her just now after all, but she was still there when his vision cleared again, her expression mirroring the surprise he was feeling. Without hesitation, he took a step towards her and pulled her into a loose embrace. “Yeeun-ah, what are you doing here?” Once he pulled back again to get a better look at her, he raised a curious brow. “Did you come by to visit?” No, wait, that’s not possible, he reminded himself, because he had not yet had the chance to tell her that he had joined the cast of this show and no other Cube artist had joined either, as far as he was informed.

Realization dawned upon him slowly but surely and his eyes widened slightly as he spoke up again: “Wait, this is where you moved?” So far, James had assumed CLC had just moved into a new dorm, now that they had established a fanbase for themselves, but the thought that one of them could join him at the complex had not even occurred to him yet – until just now, that was. A bright smile instantly lit up his features, turning his eyes into tiny slits as crinkles formed around them. “Welcome to the complex, dearest Yeeun.” His smile made way for a tiny pout a few seconds later as he looked down at her with an apologetic look in his eyes. “If I had known. I’d have helped you carry your things and everything. I hope you didn’t bring anything too heavy.” Although he realized he was talking a little too much at that moment, his excitement got the better of him and he added one more thing: “How about I give you a tour of the building? Or did someone show you around already?”

[setsailroyalpirates]

[complexjames-blog]

Honestly, James felt like a stalker, sitting in the rec room, his head buried in some kind of sports magazine he was not actually focusing on, since it only served one purpose: making him seem busy (whilst keeping him occupied to some extent, so he would not die from boredom) until someone would come along that he could perform his task on. The sound of the door opening and closing again was his cue to get up and greet whoever it was with aegyo and a camera aimed at their face - finally. When he saw Minkyung, he almost went back on his plan, though, for he was not quite sure if they were on the level of trust necessary to completely make a fool of oneself in front of the other, but then his competitive side kicked in, reminding him that giving up without even trying was not what he did, ever. “Minkyung-ssi,” he spoke in as much of a high voice as he could (seriously, metal screams were easier than imitating a child), a pout forming on his lips as he puffed out his cheeks. This acting like a kid thing did not exactly work all that well, though, while towering more than 20cm over the other, and so James opted to kneel down to make his act more believable – that way he was closer to the ground he so desperately wanted to disappear into too. “Bbuing bbuing,” was his immediate follow up attempt at being cute, accompanied by him awkwardly wiggling one fist next to his cheek while the other was still holding the camera that was currently capturing one of the most embarrassing moments of the 27 years of his life.

[complexjames-blog]

» The Difference Between ‘Oppa’ and ‘Appa’ [Yeeun&James]

It was a lazy day for James, one on which he had no schedules whatsoever, since he was still in the recovery phase and not yet allowed to play the bass or guitar at the moment, which left him with a lot of time to read, watch dramas his fans had recommended, or listen to songs he had been meaning to listen to for a long time but had been too busy to among practice and album preparations. That was only fun for so long, though, because as much as he liked lazing around every once in a while, he needed his dose of fresh air right about now, so he pushed himself up from his bed and walked outside, towards the elevator that would take him to the ground floor in no time. His phone remained in his hands, but he made sure to look up in regular intervals in order to avoid any awkward encounters that bumping into someone would bring.

As he went back to scrolling through his fans’ suggestions what he should listen to or watch, a smile spread across his cheeks, for the comment that caught his eye next asked him whether he had listened to CLC’s latest mini album already. What his fans were not aware of, however, was that the two groups had become friends ever since leader Seunghee had appeared on SuKiRa along with regular guests Royal Pirates. In the Korean entertainment industry, Royal Pirates were still considered rookies themselves with their 2013 debut, but if one counted the time they had made music in the States, they each had over 10 years of experience under their belts, which had prompted them to offer their junior group CLC their support, because everything was a lot harder in the beginning. In all honesty, another reason was that they were so young, especially their maknae. 10 years separated her from James, and he had told himself that he could almost be her father, which was not entirely true, but it was just another reason for him to want to take care of the younger – a father would too, after all.

The sound of the elevator doors sliding shut was accompanied by the soft tapping noise his fingers made as they wandered along the screen, typing a couple of messages to the girl he would adopt if he could.

[✉→예은이] Hey! How are you holding up? [✉→예은이] Are you guys still busy with schedules? [✉→예은이] Have you already eaten today? ^^

[complexjames-blog]

» Midnight Snack [Jiyong&James]

[complexgdragon-deactivated20151]

Of all the scandals in the world to come from the show, of all the toes to step on and people to offend.. a mere pizza employee being sued wasn’t anything Jiyong had ever expected. Then again, there was probably someone in the world out there who actually would. It would make a hell of an interesting publicity stunt. He only chuckled, brows again raising in surprise at the other’s friendliness; most conversations so far had been awkward ones, with people worried (a little too much) about slipping up or their words taken out of context. ‘Anyone watching at home is probably gonna up at two in the morning eating a lot more junk food than pizza,’ he thought to himself. But, forget all that for now. All earlier hesitation in partaking in some late night snacking was forgotten the minute the pizza box opened and he realized maybe the earlier commotion did bring good after all. He would have reached for a slice then and there if not for the sudden bow from the other and Jyong’s temporary panic when he the action caused him to move suddenly closer to the pizza. However, all was well. “Wow– oh?.. Oh yeah, I’ve heard actually. Haven’t seen the full video though.. The pirate guys. Unique name.” While he didn’t know much about the band, he did enjoy seeing other’s takes on the music he and his own group put out, so he had a habit of looking up popular covers floating around the internet when he had the chance. “James from the Royal Pirates,” he mused, “Sounds English.” There was the temptation to make a joke about 'Sir James’, but he held back. “But Jiyong’s fine. Feels weird to take that back,” he muttered afterwards. Honestly it would feel elitist. It would be like saying: oh, since I discovered I’ve been in the business longer, don’t call me by my name. Nevermind. I’m above that. You’re now far below me. But give me your food still. Whether or not that logic would be picked up by viewers remained to be seen, and Jiyong only glanced at one of the bright red recording lights in the hall before taking a step back and pointing towards his apartment. “I could get plates though? Or napkins at least.” He paused, suddenly feeling a little ridiculous and much more conscious of the cameras. Instead of G-Dragon nodding and effortlessly moving onto an interesting topic of conversation, Jiyong was on the brink of chuckling nervously realizing he might have inadvertently invited himself to more than one piece of pizza even though it wasn’t his intention. “Or, yeah. You know what it’s cool. I didn’t even mean it like that. Whatever’s fine.”

[complexjames-blog]

A hearty laugh erupted from James’ throat when the other commented on the name of their band and he was quick to nod his agreement. “Heard that before, yeah,” he spoke, remembering a time when he himself had been a bit skeptical about the name – especially because the other two had not yet come up with a cool explanation as to why they had called themselves that back then, apart from Sooyoon liked the word ‘royal’ and I liked the word ‘pirates’, and so it had not yet had any meaning at all when James had joined. “I was hoping people would remember it more easily because it’s unique, but it’s apparently too long.” Another chuckle passed through his lips, although it was actually rather sad when even close friends of theirs sometimes forgot the name of their band, but James, ever the optimist, believed that that would get better in time, when people got used to it.

“It is English, actually.” A certain wistfulness automatically took over his features as he was reminded of home and how long it had been since he had last been able to visit. “I’m from Los  Angeles. We all started our music careers over there too and all that.” Fond memories washed over him along with the nostalgy and a warm smile quickly spread across his cheeks again, naturally reaching his eyes and turning them into tiny slits. “Oh, but my Korean name is Joohyun if that’s easier for you. I listen to both.” A shrug of his shoulders indicated his indifference towards the matter. Although being called Joohyun still felt a bit odd to him because he had not yet gotten used to it, it was like one of those old nicknames to him that one was given in their youth – one might forget about them over time, but when they hear it again, they turn their head right away. “Okay, cool, yeah, Jiyong it is. Since we’re around the same age, it should be okay.” Honestly, James was glad the other did not insist on the formalities, for he knew he would slip up sooner or later anyway, simply because such things did not exist where he had grown up, and he was sure the relief showed on his face too.

Standing there having a pleasant conversation certainly was nice and all, but the bassist’s stomach was starting to rebel even more now that the delicious smell of pizza filled the air, and in his opinion, enough time had already been wasted on arguing with the delivery guy, which was why he wanted to get to the eating part of their meeting as soon as possible. Despite what the other had said earlier about taking only one slice, James had already planned on offering him more, so he did not even think twice before replying: “I think plates would be good. I volunteer to wash them later on too, as a way of compensating the time you lost dealing with a confused delivery boy.” An amused grin curving his lips, he used his head to point in the direction of his own room as he spoke up again. “I’d invite you in, but I don’t want to risk waking my roommate. I guess the hallway will have to do.”

[setsailroyalpirates]

[15.07.03] Stylist 누나가 챙겨온 도시락… 감동이야 @eun0551 누나.. :’) *The lunchbox our stylist nuna brought me… I’m touched eun0551-nuna..:’)

[complexjames-blog]

» Midnight Snack [Jiyong&James]

[complexgdragon-deactivated20151]

He really had no idea how to answer the person’s first question, already having been on the brink of arguing with the delivery boy who thought it was much too late for this ‘joke’, so it was an immense relief when the other tentant again spoke up and claimed the food as his own. Admittedly he grew irritated as soon as the employee chuckled sheepishly and their incessant “sir I don’t have time for this” turned into a flood of apologies. As the final transaction occurred, Jiyong merely crossed his arms and spared no dirty looks in the direction of the pizza boy, his dull glare following him up until he had backed himself into the elevator and disappeared behind the doors. Honestly. The least they could have done was actually be courteous through the whole thing. However, his attention was turned back to the actual pizza-orderer when he spoke again, Jiyong this time scoffing softly in amusement at the sudden word change. “Yeah.” Now with the situation resolved he sighed out and rubbed a hand over his face. “It’s all good. I couldn’t really sleep anyway. Hopefully that ass didn’t wake up my roommate though or half the floor,” he added partially under his breath– though it was meant to be heard, definitely. He has wanted to use a different word but had instead toned down his language the last second. Before he could continue to grumble on about the person, the offer of pizza reached his ears and he looked to the other male with an eyebrow raised. “Really shouldn’t. It’s already late.” What could one slice do? “Shouldn’t,” he emphasized, hesitantly taking a small step closer even though he had already decided he might as well eat a bit after that fiasco. “Where have I seen you?” Once he stopped moving, Jiyong had taken better note of the other but couldn’t really place where they stood in terms of seniority. Clearly they were both at the complex because they were entertainers. Same age range to be on the same floor. But his mind was nothing but that stupid delivery kid and pizza sounds great right now, so that was about as far as it went. Remembering his manners, he quickly bowed his head with a chuckle. “Jiyong, by the way.”

[complexjames-blog]

For a moment, James could not help but wonder whatever had occurred between the pizza delivery boy and this neighbor of his for the latter to seem this irritated at the other, but he figured that it probably had something to do with not wanting to accept that this person was not the one who had placed the order – and truthfully, it was really dumb of the delivery guy not to check the number next to the door again until someone else came along and claimed the food was his, so James could understand his neighbor’s frustration, which made him feel all the more sorry to have caused it, if indirectly. The longer he stood there, the less serious the situation seemed to him, though, especially because the unfortunate soul who had just spent a few minutes arguing with a confused delivery boy did not seem all that angry either – at least not at him.

“I think he’ll get sued by a couple entertainment companies if he actually woke up half the floor… which would be a shame, because the pizza he delivers is really good.” Crinkles formed around James’ eyes as he smiled widely, a shrug his only response to being reminded that it was actually too late for pizza. “Neither should I. Or you people out there.” With his index finger raised in a scolding manner, he turned towards one of the cameras he had spotted right when he had moved in, an amused expression on his features, before turning his attention back to the person he was currently engaged in conversation with. “But I’m sure you worked hard today and all, so a bit of pizza won’t hurt, right?” Instead of using more words to convince the other, James simply opened the box then, revealing the glorious sin that was probably his favorite food.

In all the commotion, he had completely forgotten about introductions, so he was completely taken aback by his senior’s question, and instantly bowed as deeply as he could without smashing his face into the pizza. “Wow, sorry. The name’s James, I’m a member of the band Royal Pirates.” His brows furrowed in concentration as he tried to remember whether or not they had crossed paths before, but he was drawing a blank. “Not sure where you’ve seen me before, but we covered your song ‘Bae Bae’, so maybe you heard of that? Or maybe you saw me in a CF or something. We do appear on TV from time to time.” A chuckle passed through his lips as he shrugged, but then another thought crossed his mind. “Is just Jiyong alright? Or should I go with the sunbaenim?” Born and raised in the US, James still had not quite gotten used to all the formalities, so he just wanted to make sure he would not get caught up in some scandal about being disrespectful anytime soon.

[complexjames-blog]

By the time James reached the third floor, he had almost entirely given up on his tough, manly rocker image since he believed it was beyond salvation by now anyway. Therefore he hesitated for but a split second before raising his camera so it would capture the scene and then barraging the unsuspecting Sulli with aegyo – or whatever it was that he did that was once supposed to be aegyo. Seriously, he had a lot more respect for the people who made it look so effortlessly easy now that he had tried multiple times and failed all of them. “I hope you’re having a wonderful day, Sulli-ssi!”, he cooed in his best baby voice which maybe, just maybe, was more reminiscent of a horror movie than even remotely cute, but he continued nevertheless, his free hand forming a ‘V’ sign that he aimlessly moved around next to his face and occasionally over it too. Was that not how people did it?

[complexjames-blog]

Aegyo. Out of all the things to do for this mission, of course he had had to get stuck with aegyo, his biggest weakness – or maybe it was a tie between dancing and aegyo, but one thing was for sure: he had no aegyo. None whatsoever. Luckily, he thought in his never ending optimism, that could help him get his targets to laugh, which would earn him points as well. With his camera already in hand, he got into the elevator with no real destination in mind, simply in search of someone he could assault with his failed attempts at aegyo, and Lady Luck just so happened to be on his side that day, for he was met with a familiar face when the doors to the elevator opened: Mark of Got7. Truthfully, James was better acquainted with Jackson, but he did know who Mark was and that he probably would not judge him too harshly for what he was about to do – or at least he hoped so. For a few short moments, he remained unmoving and silent as he mentally prepared himself, but then he cleared his throat, which was the only warning he gave before turning towards the other and lifting both hands, placing one on his cheek in an imitation of the ‘eomeona’ pose from one of Got7’s dances - as much of a cute one as he could muster -, while he held up the camera with the other. In all honesty, he probably looked more like he was imitating the famous painting ‘The Scream’, but he was trying. That had to count for something.

[complexjames-blog]

It was a ridiculous task, using aegyo on as many people as he could to get them to smile, but it actually was not all that bad compared to what it could have been. Making people smile was something that never failed to boost his mood as well, and so he was fairly enthusiastic when he stepped out into the hallway with the camera he had been given to film himself during some of his most embarrassing moments in life – maybe he was exaggerating, but that was what it felt like. Perfect timing, he thought to himself when he spotted Jay Park, an acquaintance of his who happened to room on the same floor of the building, down the hallway. “Hey, Jay Park, do you have a moment?”, James called out, naturally switching to English without consciously noticing it because it was still a lot more comfortable for him and he knew the other would understand what he was saying either way. “I was thinking of an aegyo battle,” he stated then, the camera in his hands probably making it obvious that this was not some spontaneous idea for a fun reunion, but he continued with the act nevertheless, winking at the other while using his free hand to shoot a so-called love gun at him – which was actually just pointing one’s index finger at someone all of a sudden, but maybe James was just clueless about the art of aegyo.

[complexjames-blog]

» Indestructible [Kiko&James]

Exercising, to James, was an important part of his life, taking up almost as much time as writing music did. In fact, there were days on which he did little else but working out and various activities related to music. It was a way for him to let loose, release pent up emotions and just get his mind off of things, but it was also what had greatly boosted his self-confidence when he had been lacking in that area, allowing him to keep his head held up high, his eyes that had previously been downcast frequently now meeting those of the people he was passing in the streets. It also made it possible for him to eat as much as he wanted, which was a definite plus.

Exercising, to James, was an important part of his life, hence he had been overjoyed to find that there was a gym included in the idol complex as well, where he could go when he was too lazy or tired to drive to the one he usually went to. Over the course of his time spent at the gym, he had found someone who appeared to take quite good care of their body as well, if how often he ran into them there was anything to go by, and the bassist had to admit that he was always happy when he spotted her now familiar frame among the sports equipment.

Exercising, to James, was an important part of his life, but so were social connections, and he was immensely glad to have found someone he could share this hobby with. Although they did not make appointments to meet, it happened regularly that he and Kiko would work out together, and at some point he even found himself looking forward to it. That day was no different – he walked into the gym, a bag with his things loosely slung over his shoulder, to find her already there. A warm smile instantly lit up his face and he did not hesitate for even a second before quick steps took him over to her. His free hand was swiftly extended towards her so he could get her attention by lightly tapping her shoulder. “Hey. Are you up for a challenge today?”

[complexjames-blog]

» Hot Summer [Soojung&James]

[complexsoojung-blog]

with spring gone and summer right around the corner, soojung could easily feel its effects on her body. even with her air conditioning on, there was nothing else she wanted but to find something to cool her off. she had already tried face masks, iced drinks, but really––they seemed to do no good to her. groaning at such a sad moment, soojung prays that the day would pass and somehow, she’d be able to survive it without using the bathroom for the third time today. she finds herself rolling out of her bed, walking over to the living room with her hands in her hair, moving to tie it up in a small bun. it was messy but she didn’t seem to care, no one seemed to be around to see her. sure, there were the cameras, but they did want to see how natural they could all be. a glass of orange juice was calling for her. she had made one for herself in a small water bottle, one enough to keep her hydrated even for a little bit. 

as she was about to take a sip, she hears a knock on the door which startles her. it almost has her cursing though she manages to hold back. instead, she clears her throat and would soon walk towards the door. she wasn’t exactly sure who it was. maybe it had been one of the staff members who had seen the pain that she was going through. maybe they brought her ice, she wasn’t too sure about that. however, as she opens the door, it startles her even more to see a familiar face standing before her. “oppa!” she exclaims, taking a step back as she adjusts her grip on the bottle. “what the hell are you doing here?”

[complexjames-blog]

“Hello to you too.” A bright smile immediately spreads across his face when the door opens to reveal a startled Soojung, but he does his best to hide it for a little longer in order to keep up the serious act. “I live here,” he states dryly, but then he quickly breaks into an amused grin, crinkles forming around his eyes in an instant. “If you mean what I’m doing here, at your door,” he says and gestures at the opened door to underline the meaning his words – not that it was necessary, but he thinks it will add to the intended comedic effect, “It’s hot.” Then he pauses, as if that was explanation enough, shifting his weight from one foot to the other while his gaze rests on her small frame for a moment, noticing the way her hair is tied up in a less than orderly fashion as well as the bottle in her hands, which are both signs that she is feeling the heat as much as he is. “I figured jumping into the pool would be very refreshing, so I’m on my way there and I was hoping you’d accompany me.”

Although his acting experience allows him to speak the words in feigned but rather convincing seriousness, his eyes hold a glimmer of amusement as they look down at the younger. “Since you failed to greet me in all these days that I’ve been here already and I am deeply hurt, this is your chance to make it up to me.” A nod is added to emphasize his sincerity, but his lips quiver from how hard he is trying to refrain from grinning. Of course he is not actually going to force her into anything and he knows that she should be aware of that too - or at least he hopes she is, but allows his expression to soften nevertheless, just to be sure. “So, are you in?”

[complexjames-blog]

» Midnight Snack [Jiyong&James]

[complexgdragon-deactivated20151]

Jiyong’s days either ended late, or ended incredibly early the next day. Today he was opting for the first: a long day of recordings and practices leaving him wanting little more than to watch some television and then sleep. His roommate was home for once, but had left for bed after a bit of conversation which meant Jiyong had the living room to himself and sighed as he flipped through the basic channels. Nothing was on, as always. Even the drama reruns playing late offered no escape from boredum as he had already seen them or plain disliked the plot. In fact he was about to head in, before a sudden knock at the door caused him to jump and look towards the front of the apartment. This late? He could only imagine it was a staff member coming with news, so he quickly got up before they knocked louder and woke half of the floor. “What?”

Oh. Instead of a producer or camera man, Jiyong was met with a very irritated-looking pizza delivery boy. ”.. Can I help you?“ There was a flicker of worry at being recognized, but it seemed the employee was much more worried about getting paid and getting out of the Complex. From what Jiyong gathered, there was quite the security check for outside people to come in, and the younger man was not happy about it having other pizza to deliver. Normally he would happily comply, but he had ordered nothing and didn’t want to pay for something he wouldn’t be eating– he was somewhat uneasy knowing it had to be someone’s. A bit of back-and-forth later and Jiyong was trying to hush the delivery boy from being too loud. "There’s people sleeping- really. It’s not mine! Try downstairs the elevator it’s just down the hall. You probably have the wrong floor,” he ushered, stepping out to point to it; however, his words halted as he saw someone’s head sticking out of the doorway a few doors down. ‘Great. Woke someone up,’ he figured. “I’m– sorry about that,” he called over. “Just a misunderstanding.”

[complexjames-blog]

The situation that presented itself to him when he took a peak outside was not quite what he had expected. Whereas there was indeed a pizza delivery boy, he was not standing in front of James’ door, as it would have been logical, but someone else’s, and apparently they were busy discussing something, which made the situation seem all the more confusing to the bassist, for he could not fathom why one would waste time debating with a delivery boy when they could already be digging into a wonderfully tasty pizza. A soft chuckle made his way past his lips when he was spoken to, accompanied by a casual shake of his head. “No worries. So you ordered pizza too, huh?”

Regret rushed over his features when he realized he had just raised his voice mere metres away from his sleeping roommate, which prompted him to step outside and carefully close the door behind himself. His lips already opened because he had just been about to ask if there was a problem and a way he could possibly help them solve it, he stopped in his tracks, lifting a hand to slap his forehead in disbelief about how long it had taken him to grasp what was really going on. “Wait, you— it’s mine, isn’t it?”, he asked as he went over to them in a few long strides after the realization had finally sunk in. The delivery boy, too, noticed his mistake now, nervously checking the room number he had scribbled down again and comparing it to the one next to the door he was currently standing in front of only to realize that they did not match up, then apologizing profusely as he retreated into the elevator as soon as James had paid him, and even then he continued bowing until the doors closed and hid him behind them.

Normally, James would have just laughed off the awkward situation, but normally things like this did not happen in the middle of the night and with someone he knew he should be all respectful around because they were his senior in the Korean entertainment industry. “Well, sh… ame.” The curse word was already halfway out of his mouth when he stopped himself, thinking better of it since they were being filmed after all and he did not exactly want his fans to start cursing frequently just because they had heard him do it. “I’m so sorry. I hope he didn’t wake you or anything.” An apologetic smile crossed his features as he held out the pizza box towards the other. “Want some?”

[muslimprivilege]

[complexjames-blog]

» Midnight Snack [Jiyong&James]

11:34pm. It was way past the time normal people ate, past the time people should eat, actually, but he had never been the type to care. Being addicted to working out certainly had its perks, not having to worry about diets being one of them - probably the most important one for pizza enthusiast James Lee. A loud grumble of his stomach that he could only pray no one but him had heard - for a brief moment he glanced over at his roommate from the corner of his eyes, then exhaled a quiet sigh of relief at her sleeping state - was all the convincing he needed to get up and go outside, his phone already on his ear. His favorite pizza delivery service in Korea was on speed dial, which spoke volumes about his healthy lifestyle, he noted with sarcasm as he waited for someone to pick up on the other end.

Another angry growling noise coming from his abdominal area was necessary to remind him that he still had not eaten after he had gotten so lost in Clash Of Clans that he had completely forgotten about the order he had placed earlier. In one lazy movement, he sat up on his bed to get a better look at the black and white clock on the wall opposite from the windows. A little over 45 minutes had already passed, which caused James to cock an eyebrow in dissatisfaction. Thank you for your order! It will be delivered to you in 30 minutes at the latest, the lady on the other end had said. And this is why I have trust issues, James thought to himself as he slowly shook his head. It was no big deal. There were a lot of possible reasons as to why there could have been a delay and it was not like he was actually starving or anything. Still, it would not hurt to be on the safe side and have a look outside, just in case he had been so caught up in his game that he had not heard the knock or something similarly frustrating, he thought to himself and consequently did just that.

[complexjames-blog]

» Hot Summer [Soojung&James]

The shirt that uncomfortably stuck to his toned chest due to the sweat that the heat had inevitably forced out of him was all the reason James needed to finally leave the haven of laziness his room had become - already, and it had not even been long since he had moved into the complex. Water was the first thing his mind wandered to, the wonderfully refreshing cool liquid that could certainly cool him off. The rooftop pool seemed like the ideal place to be on an excruciatingly hot day like the one they were having, with the sun incessantly shining down on them, not a single cloud in the sky that could provide shelter from it. It reminded him of home, California beaches and carefree time spent in the cool waves of the ocean he had grown up next to, but the pool seemed like a nice substitute, Seoul-style.

After taking a short but refreshing cold shower and getting changed into swimwear and a loose shirt he could easily toss aside later, he stepped into the hallways and made his way down the stairs to the third floor, where he had something to do before he could actually head for his destination. There was someone he was set on taking with him, and that someone was staying in room 302, as far as he had been informed, which was where he was heading with firm steps. If he was wrong, things could potentially get very embarrassing, but he entertained that thought for no more than a split second before brushing it aside, already lifting a fist to knock with vigor. “Miss Jung Soojung,” he spoke, disguising his voice as best as he possibly could while suppressing a grin - not that she could see it, but he did not want to risk letting her hear it. “Please open up. It’s important.”

[complexjames-blog]

» Eloquence Or Lack Thereof [Tiffany&James]

The sound of paper crumbling beneath tense fingers was the only noise that could be heard in the entrance area of the idol complex after the doors had shut behind James. An exasperated sigh escaped his thinned lips as he dared to look around for a moment, searching for help he could no longer deny he needed, but there was none to be found, as it had been two minutes prior when he had last lifted his gaze from the documents his manager had handed him before coldly leaving him to fend for himself in this unfamiliar environment.

Left with no other choice, he once again turned his attention back to the pieces of paper in his hands, smoothing the creases that had formed over time due to his less than gentle hold on them in quiet resignation. His index finger, large enough to cover a majority of the familiar letters, aligned to form easy-to-understand house rules as well as provide a beginner’s guide to the complex, wandered over the paper, moving along with every syllable he read as if that would help him comprehend the words better - but it did not. Easy-to-understand went for native speakers only, he supposed, or maybe his manager was right about how bad his Korean vocabulary was, despite how hard he worked to study whenever he had free time in order to be able to communicate with his domestic fans more easily.

“Inhibit”, his voice reverberated around the spacious room as he stumbled over the foreign word he did not know the English equivalent to. Saying it out loud did nothing to help him either, unfortunately, and he took a deep breath to fight the frustration bubbling up from deep within him before he continued reading, skipping over the passage he could make no sense of. “Superfluous?” Another word he could not recall ever having heard before appeared soon enough, confusion clearly written all over his face by now - although it had probably been that way from the start. His brows were furrowed in concentration, his eyes so focused on the words he was reading that everything else completely went out of focus, his mind visualizing what little information he was actually taking in to make sense of it, which worked for some things but failed miserably for most, for he had been standing there for an extended period of time already and he still had no idea where his room was located. “Penchant…” Yet another word that rung zero bells caused a light laugh to erupt from the bassist’s throat. “God, I’m hopeless,” he mumbled to himself, or perhaps the camera he knew to be capturing this embarrassing moment, secretly hoping that someone would take pity on him soon and send this clueless American help.