💮 pairing: seonghwa x gn!reader
💮 genre: comfort, fluff, tid-bits of angst, strangers to lovers
💮 summary: following a serendipitous meeting with you, seonghwa blooms in love after heartbreak, and learns that "if you intend to love a single flower, you must love its generation and extinction, presence and absence." - Do Jonghwan
💮 wordcount: 2.6k
💮 warnings/tags: allusion to idol!hwa, heartbreak, recovering from heartbreak, flora, cherry blossom season, implied ideation of death, time, healing, overcoming hardships, rainy days, discussion of life and its meaning, reassurance, meaning of forever
💮 a/n: the sentimental mood, bittersweet reminiscence have not left me after listening to Seonghwa's cover of Angel Baby, so I hope you enjoy my expression of this <3 Thank you so much to Sky (@/legohwas) for reading and for helping with the name, forever grateful<33 Much love and any reblogs, comments, thoughts and notes welcome!
Love was pernicious when the soul was a snow-covered, sleeping tree - a notion that Seonghwa had been unfortunate enough to explore, and a terror to experience. In the flickering embers of what used to be a blazing passion, Seonghwa had remained intentionally oblivious to himself, and to the troubles that constructed a suffocating enclosure around him until catastrophe was imminent. When he had been at his lowest and needed precious love and unconditional support the most, he had been left to perish in the lonely silence, accompanied solely by the drumming of a biting cold winter rain. That day, his heart had joined the millions of droplets by shattering into a myriad of miniscule white flowers, only for their pure luminescence to be extinguished in the blink of an eye and blend with the wet concrete as sickly grey sludge.
As he watched the sun leave his life, the back of the one who had all his adoration and had promised him a forever turning into that of a total stranger, he ceased to believe in the feeling. If it was something so easily disposed of, equivalent to the passivity one experienced when discarding a plastic wrapper or an old, useless and broken toy, then he did not want any part in this farce. Evidently, he had been mistaken in his romanticisms, in his dreams and in his vision of soulmates, and thus, in his future.
Nights blended into days, remaining colourless as Seonghwa drifted in a melancholic somnolence. A hollow shell of a human being, he did what he had to do to be deemed functional enough, competent enough, acceptable enough for the rotating cogs of the societal machine. Seonghwa smiled, because his muscles were trained to do so. He refined his movements in a complex dance routine, because he could dissociate from his inner turbulence. But, in the darkness of his room where he had long ceased to turn on the light out of fear that he would see the ghosts of his history, he let himself collapse onto his bed and study the vapid monotony of his ceiling, so intently that he saw a reflection of his own heartache and misery in the off-white paint.
Amidst his endless search for some form of relief, the dark-haired man had taken to visiting the same bridge every rainy evening. The very bridge on which he had parted with the one who he had called the love of his life, physically metamorphosing into nothing but a black dot with every confident step away from him, but still having the ability to transform into a festering wound in his cranium. Seonghwa had nothing left to give, and yet he kept on hoping that one day everything could turn around, and the sun would shine once more. Alas, the rain had only gotten stronger, until the unforgiving element was a loyal spirit hovering above his lowered head.
Pulling the heavy weight of fate behind him, Seonghwa trudged to the bridge once more, turning in the direction of the flowing river and regarding the way in which large droplets collided with the surface, disturbing an otherwise innocent, serene mirror of the sky. Collapsing onto the stone guardrail, he peered at the waters below absent-mindedly and toyed with the idea of becoming a leaf, be it an oak or a maple; exist to gather energy, give, give and give some more only to break away from familiar territories and succumb to eternal rest on the current’s bubbling surface. A long, tranquil holiday. Away from all of this. Away from judgement, misinterpretation, anxiety that gnawed at his insides like a voracious dog. If only Seonghwa had known that it would turn out like this; then he would have never given into the silly risk that was now poisoning his thoughts, his feelings, and was rapidly approaching his actions.
And it was at that moment, in the desperate solitude, amidst a battle with himself that he met you, and the unforgiving downpour cowered in your radiance.
“Hey, you come here often?” The cheesy phrase pulled him out of his ruminations, and he spun his head around to register the source of sound, finally stumbling upon a figure wrapped up in a raincoat, face partially hidden by an umbrella. Out of politeness, he chose to respond to the mysterious passer-by, flabbergasted when the umbrella moved to reveal a megawatt grin and an adorable face. While you looked to be about his age, you possessed a fascinating contrast of wise eyes that gave the impression of having seen many lives, wonders and displeasures of the world, and the refreshed, youthful face with the faintest natural blush coating your cheeks. In his mind, you were the promise of spring after a detestable, incorrigibly brutal winter.
Love was assuaged grief when the soul was the bare branches of a cherry blossom tree, early buds only just beginning to peek out from their bundled cots, and revealing their youthful colours against the warm grey bark that was decorated with memories of past trials and tribulations; an ode to time itself. This was a notion which you had proposed to Seonghwa amidst your improvised performances - an attempt to elicit at least the ghost of a priceless smile. After the initial meeting, you had come to cross paths more and more often, until serendipitous grew into coincidental, grew into intentional. And for the first time, Seonghwa found his footsteps and his heart getting lighter, and the rain no longer provoked despondent rumination, leaving the cyclical, habitual aches that only time could heal.
The routine was simple. Every evening when the sleepless sky caressed the earth with millions of diamonds that connected to form thousands of threads, embellishing the heavens and tying the mortal and the timeless, you would meet. Same bridge. Same time. Same umbrella, decorated with ornate flowers. You had not asked Seonghwa for much, except to show up, and to bring you a story that brought him warmth. Even if the side effect of the otherwise happy and reassuring memory was a stray tear or two. Raindrops, condensation of the soul, you called them. Trickling reminders that he was able to feel and was capable of knowing when he was on cloud nine prior to entering his period of monsoons and thunderstorms.
Each rainy night, of which there were many, come early signs of the spring season, he recounted what love had meant for him before being subdued by a ruthless frost. How he had traversed each city believing that he finally understood the meaning of utopia and paradise, only for the rose glasses that he had unknowingly been given to be shattered, leaving him experientially blind. Suspended in his retrospections, Seonghwa ambled through his mind’s labyrinth as he divulged the stories of the many shops, cafes and quiet cobbled streets he had visited, with the memories now having transformed into bitter anguish.
The more he shared, the more despicable the prior fondness became. How dare this terror haunt him so? How dare the scenes appear before him in a warm sepia tone, when Seonghwa wanted nothing more but to let them go? He wanted to shed the dead leaves. Anything to submit to an unfeeling winter for a while, for the remnants of the prologue to his solitude to be frozen solid.
“You may wish to forget and say it never happened, it is only natural. But sooner or later, the ice and snow will melt and all that you had buried will be streaming down memory lane and back into your heart.”
“I suppose, but either way I will be thinking about it. So what does it matter if I think about it now, or later?”
“Acceptance, Seonghwa. Acceptance. With steady reflection and time dedicated to yourself rather than your demons comes acceptance. As you’re healing, the sun shines brighter, the days get longer, and the world awakens. It would be a shame to miss the spring, don’t you think?”
He lowered his head in silent musing, letting your words echo in his head before turning to survey the landscape. This was his first venture in the park near the bridge, despite him passing by it countless times. It had been a setting, a backdrop for his chilling thoughts, so deeply entrenched in periphery that he had never even considered stopping and admiring it. And now, with you, he felt that it was right that he did - without you walking by his side, finally having let him take a hold of your umbrella and hold it above your heads, he doubted he would find this collection of bare trees, murky ponds and meandering cement paths as miraculous as he did now. You pointed out the buds, so young they were a pale turquoise, and the fresh grass, thin lines of green among the wilted greys and browns.
Perhaps this was what you envisioned when you talked of love. The nightfall turning into sunset as the clocks chimed the same hour. The same tree, adorned with the promise of a stunning canopy. The same memories, but with each passing day, growing brighter and lighter, until they turned into white clouds floating across the skies of sweet daydreams, serving as nothing more than a signifier of a past that had paved the way towards a marvellous present. If this was what you envisioned, then, certainly, this was what Seonghwa wanted to learn to feel.
Love was harmonious when the soul was the flurry of cherry blossom petals dancing in the wind, enveloping the beholder in the spring embrace and decorating the world in a snowlike carpet and in baby pink. While the tree did not bloom for long, reaching its most beautiful peak and burning out at times in a matter of days, the fleeting, divine glory that it achieved was what you and Seonghwa would consider an eternity. If anything, the growth, the blossoming, the fall were reflections of every living organism in the expanse of space and time; a slow inhale, and a level, measured out exhale all in the hopes of a next cycle.
“You know, Seonghwa, I think that every single person is like a cherry blossom tree. Grand, ever-expanding, unique… bare. However, our identity, our interests, our friends and family… fans, they are all blossoms, leaves, the curvature in the bark that decorates the magnificent branches.”
Your musings were Seonghwa’s favourite pastime and focus, the words forming philosophical symphonies as he let himself be guided from one piece to the next. He had found comfort in sharing his troubles with you, and as soon as the weather had gotten warm enough for you to be able to do so, sitting side by side under the awakening flora to ponder their meaning into a fuzzy abstraction. The conversation had stemmed from your observation of the falling flowers, appearing to be shed as soon as they blossomed. Taking note of the lack of regal white robes on some of the branches, Seonghwa had pointed out that they might have been stolen away by the heavy rain last night, thus falling into a moment of melancholy as he recollected the circumstances of your first meeting.
Gently, you placed a hand over his in an expression of reassurance and a reminder that you, indeed, were here with him, and were not striving for impermanence. Turning his own hand so the palm was facing upwards, he intertwined your fingers together, comfortable with the sweet affection, since the throngs of observers hungry for photographs of the blossoms at their most splendid had long whittled down to lazy stragglers. They still retained a sliver of a chance to capture the grandeur of the remaining veterans before they too would join the fallen white raindrop, preferred to amble past, enraptured by their own routines, their own growth, their own blossoms.
“Flora has its life cycles. The same goes for everything in life. Some things and people appear and disappear in a single season, with only pictures or a passing thought to retain them in your psyche, whilst others, either on their own accord or by joining forces with like minded souls become a continuous presence. You see, even those who you had to say goodbye to were precious. Because they are irreversibly a part of you. Anything you do, anyone you meet is an addition to that beautiful blossoming tree, just like you are to theirs.”
Seonghwa shifted his gaze towards you, taking in your serenity as you basked in the April sun. Leaving behind the flowery umbrella and with it the rainy days, he was caught in a silent bliss, eagerly waiting for each tomorrow, all while living vicariously through every today. He found himself reconnecting with passion, with art. No longer was he functioning for the sake of appearances, but was well and truly living. After having assumed he had to love only beauty and solely seek perfection - the exact notion which had resulted in his near demise, it was a breath of fresh, resurrecting air to discover that to truly love, meant to love the silence, the obsoletion and the absence. Now, as one season changed into another, and as gorgeous blossoms fell to turn into colourful water streams he was able to sit back and quietly observe the metamorphosis instead of mourning it. Because he knew that this meant there would be a future, with new colours, new leaves, new blossoms.
“Life does not stand still…” he murmured, squeezing your hand ever so slightly, a warmth spreading in his chest as your eyes met his and your lips curled into a soft, adorable gleam.
“And what do you think about that?” you held your breath, your heart swelling with pride as you urged Seonghwa to go on.
“I find it to be… like love itself. Even in the quietude of the branches left bare, the fondness and awareness of knowing they had once been home to thousands of petals makes it worth it. And, as such, they never leave, turning into a transformative forever.”
The heavens sighed, a strong breeze washing over the park, your two forms settled on the wooden bench, the shedding canopies of white. Blossoms erupted in a visual catharsis, and scattered across the earth as far as the eye could see. The final flickers of this beautiful season’s embers. And yet, it did not feel like a dismal, all-encompassing finale, but rather the end of the beginning. While Seonghwa did not know what this renaissance would bring, and what florescence shall be his future guide, he was confident that in his newfound tranquillity, you were the reason why loving was easy. Why love was like being brought back to life.
“It is easy to believe in ‘the end’. And takes an infinite, intrinsic love, transcending time and seasons to believe in ‘forever’.” you agreed, and gazed at the scene before you. The glimmering waters of a pond - the sky’s mirror, dotted with brilliant ethereal cotton, soothed by the wind’s caresses. You and Seonghwa watched on as the floral dancers cascaded down in their closing act, elegantly waving their farewells before settling on lapping foam.
Slowly, he was learning the intricacies, the little things that formed a delicate equilibrium that was adoration, devotion, enamourment. Equanimous, Seonghwa wanted nothing more than to live in this ever-changing present, and, with you, love the beauty and the silence after it had fallen.
🎮pairing: yunho x game developer!reader
🎮genre: fluff, slice of life, opposites attract, serendipity, humour
summary: a bulletpoint-style wordstream of what it would be like if yunho was stanning you
🎮wordcount: 2.6k
🎮warnings/tags: language, reader is a developer, coding and gaming is life, wooyoung knows, yunho as a gaming enthusiast, reader is a serious introvert, business friend playing wingwoman, flirting in chat, reader is oblivious, yunho wants to be noticed, possible gaming dates, ateez have potential as twitch streamers, let me know if anything else
🎮a/n: Hello everyone! This is a wave I had in relation to 'Your fan,___', now for Yunho! Thank you everyone for your likes, comments and reblogs <3
You were a game developer, who started out quite early with simple arcade style games, and progressed to more complex rpgs story-focused fps games, which had given you recognition and helped you rise to where you were today.
And where were you now? Well, you were your own boss, a developer self-started Cogent Studio, in the heart of Seoul, working with some of your closest friends.
When you had the time and energy, you would attend cons, do interviews here and there, or join your gamer friends' streams to either play together if the game was multiplayer, or merely enjoy a peaceful couple of hours together, talking about the greatest love of your life - games and computer science
Other than that, you never really chased the limelight, nor felt the need to. So long as you could keep on doing what you did, you were happy.
This was why you were grateful that one of your friends was terrifically social media savvy, and could start a trend out of nothing if they wanted to.
They were normally the ones do give you nudges as reminders that "it was time to do some publicity"
This was exactly how you had stumbled upon a livestream which ended up changing your life for even better
It was a couple days after the official release of your studio's latest, rather ambitious project, Aenigmata.
This fever dream had, from initial character sketches to final implementation and server testing and the sort had taken a grand total of five years, with you repeatedly reworking one part after another as your skills improved and you found other experts to mentor you along the way.
On top of this being a career challenge, you wanted to be extra evil and create countless riddles and adapting puzzles, making them the way to have the highest chances to succeed in the more "action-packed" parts of the game.
So bent on wanting to create the perfect intellectual challenge, in fact, that you had dabbled in the implementation of machine learning into the game, to make the World of Aenigmata feed on your mistakes and challenges (to a limit, of course)
This strategy/shooter/rpg crossed with a science experiment had already done some rounds among enthusiasts and critics, being very well received, and commended for its "disruptive nature" compared to the current market.
You were not too bothered by the sales, seeing as your less multifaceted projects were doing well enough (unlike your distributors), but they appeared to be as stable as a game of such a style would allow.
Your extra sleepless nights dedicated to ensuring there were both single player and small party multiplayer paid off too - Youtubers and Twitch streamers were starting to get in on the fun and publicise the game you had made with your very own hands.
And on this particular day there was one livestream in particular that had caught the attention of your friend and marketing guru.
A certain 'Jeong duo' from an idol group by the name of ATEEZ were live on YouTube, actually had been for almost an hour, and lo and behold, were playing your game.
"Can you imagine, Y/N? THE Wooyoung and Yunho from ATEEZ, playing Aenigmata. This is like, gold for us. Can you believe how many potential buyers we could be hitting right now? Come on, take a look here-"
"Do they like it?" You deadpanned, not wanting to take your eyes off the code you were currently debugging.
Your friend wiggled her phone right in front of your face. "Y/N, this is IMPORTANT!!! This could bring us the BIG FIGURES if we use it right!"
Back at it again with the business-speak... you were glad that this was not your task to take care of. So to satisfy your now pouting marketing chief, you switched attention and repositioned the phone to take a closer look.
Oh no, they were handsome. Here lied your rationality. No, Y/N, we must stay focused, brothers, we must stay focused.
You actually bit the inside of your cheek to remind yourself that it, in fact, was not simp o'clock, and you had hot two-dimensional characters to design. Okay that brought you back down a few notches. Now for the...
Wait, they were pretty good! You took note of what stage of the game they were at, and called out for your friend who was texting on her other phone (yes, she was that type of boss lady)
"You said they were idols, right?" After receiving an enthusiastic confirmation, you rubbed your chin, pensive. "Okay you know what they are cool, I respect them. And look at that set up sheesh flexing that alienware..." you trailed of, seeing as your friend began to lose you after the first sentence.
"Then how about you say it?"
"Didn't I... just do that?"
Your friend pinched the bridge of her nose.
"No, you dufus. IN CHAT."
"Oh."
After a couple more minutes of pointless back and forth, you were convinced. One could even say you were excited. Normally you would only make appearances in streams of people who you knew personally (even in chat) so this was a first. Even though you were going to be sending a message through the studio's account, it felt personal.
Here went nothing.
<cogent_studio> Happy to see you enjoying Aenigmata! Thank you so much Wooyoung and Yunho, ATEEZ hwaiting!
At first everything was quiet - honestly you were a little disappointed.
Well, it turned out to be lag, because after giving it a few more seconds, chat exploded, @ing you and the two members, saying that this was the world's most ambitious crossover in history.
This fanbase was wonderful, you decided.
"Wait... wait... DID THE STUDIO WRITE TO US IN CHAT?" The louder of the two exclaimed.
"Let me check... Oh my, Woo, yes they did, HELLO!!!" the one who you now knew to be Yunho waved at the camera.
He was about to leap into the air and never come down. His fans knew that he was pretty good at certain games, though still often attributed the title of gaming king to Yeosang, but what they did not know was that your work was especially meaningful to him, and your drive and wit made him look beyond the products. He was your loyal fan, and was not ashamed to admit it.
Of course, it was the studio account that had written in chat, meaning it could be anyone with permissions (as far as he could remember you had entrusted three people with rights to spreading culturally significant memes) but he could not help but hope that of all the staff it was you who had noticed him. So he tried his best to be ever so gallant and attractive, much to Wooyoung's amusement. His friend was well aware of Yunho not so subtly being starstruck by you, but so far was not wrecking havoc.
Your friend looked particularly smug when she saw a grin spreading across your face. And not while you were amidst work... well kind of related, but still, much further away from the centrepoint of your comfort zone.
What sealed the deal for you and kicked you over the edge and into checking ATEEZ out was when Yunho, allowing Wooyoung to take over the gameplay for some time, decided to try directly interacting with you.
Patiently waiting for every message from you. Asking questions. Gushing about your other projects.
Finally, Yunho thought, it was his geek side's time to shine. The more challenging part was not keeping up the conversation that was getting progressively more technical, but to stop himself from over sharing.
And that was HARD when he had your mains in various games down pat, memorized the funniest moments from streams where you were hanging out with your friends and had read up on the theories and conspiracies attempting to connect the various games you had released over the years.
He had found out about you through a group of game connoisseurs back in high school, and had not looked back since then. Mingi knew the best about all the ins and outs of Yunho's stanning (though it spread rapidly enough - not that anyone minded, it was cute; besides, you had expert and exclusive knowledge on such a grand variety of things in the industry, that sometimes a member would even Yunho in watching bits of press or streams)
Being your fan was a way for him to keep himself grounded and and connected to other parts of life when he was a trainee, when he had events back to back and was sometimes struggling to function.
Just seeing you, of similar age to him, out there, going through your own battles and coming out on top, continuing to hone your craft whilst ignoring any hate spat in your direction... that had motivated Yunho to go on.
To put it simply, it was had for Yunho to contain his inner fanboy. So he switched it up and instead acted like a gentleman.
At one point your friend even half-whispered "is this... a date?" To which you countered
"How would it be anything except business? He is talking to the studio, and I am merely a rep."
"Uhhh.... what did he say just now?"
Yunho had suddenly grown quiet, stumbling over his words a couple times - some observant fans had pointed out that his ears were growing pink. Why was he so cute and bashful all of a sudden?
Your friend leaned into the screen peering at the two ATEEZ members and the chat like a scientist into a microscope - "What is happening, I lost the plot"
Luckily for you, Wooyoung had found Yunho's behaviour and inaudible question entertaining, so he paused the game and placing a hand on the taller man's shoulder, smirked right at his audience.
"Yunho, I think you might actually be Sherlock Holmes with your deductions. Let's try it out. Who do we have the pleasure of talking to, could it be the Y/N herself?"
Oh. So apparently the style of your responses was enough for Yunho to figure out it was YOU?
More than enough, actually. He had seen you chat enough times to know your style.
You wanted to run and hide. Or more specifically, to lie and say "unfortunately not, this is her friend. But at the studio we are pretty much a hivemind so you could say you are talking to Y/N!"
You were about to send those exact words when your friend SLAMMED the back space and literally hissed at you
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, YOU FOOL???????? CAN'T YOU SEE?????? THIS IS CRITICAL!!!!!!!!!"
"Okay bro chill"
<cogent_studio> yes, indeed it is! No wonder you are acing Aenigmata
After that, Yunho's behaviour had noticeably changed. So did his body language.
He had adjusted his posture to be somehow even more proper, you swore his voice got slightly deeper, and he got more... competitive? With his own team mate?
It was almost as though upon finding out that it was YOU he was talking to he felt it to be his mission to impress you with his skills... at playing your own game.
Wooyoung had an unreadable yet sly expression, giving Yunho the occasional jab on the shoulder or giggling to himself.
As a wise man once said "this is kinda sus"
And that was pretty much how the next two hours passed. You had transferred the stream to one of your monitors, and during intervals when the guys were in hardcore focus mode managed to finish your debugging duties. This sort of contact was not as bad as you thought.
Once the livestream ended, with Yunho shining like a thousand suns when he saw a final message from you thanking them and hoping to stay in touch, you deflated.
Who was this social person and what did they do to Y/N? You desperately needed to lock yourself in your gaming lair and play some mind-numbing simulator. Just as you were about to clock out you caught the devious winks from your business friend who started this whole thing.
"Hello hello, I see you are free again, how are you feeling, darling?"
"Drained, tired, overwhelmed, was about to go hermit mode for the rest of the day."
"Ah brilliant, then I caught you at the right time. You have a call with ATEEZ's management at two fifteen in the afternoon tomorrow, don't worry I'll be handling the details there you just have to look pretty and do your big brain things. But if all goes well there, you will be having a gaming session organised with ATEEZ to promote their activities and your game."
Oh what the hell did you get yourself into?
Surprise surprise, everything did go well and you were to have an official scheduled activity with a major idol group.
You did not want to admit it, but inside you were shaking. This live would have an astonishing number of people compared to what you were used to, or at least a totally different type of crowd. Maybe there would be some of your diehard supporters here and there, but without a doubt 99% would be ATINY.
On the day you had met two new additions to the gamer squad, in the form of Yeosang and Mingi, wit the former recognising the brand of your gaming chair and complimenting it. Needless to say, you had labelled him as a homie straight away.
Just because they were apparently famous did not mean you went easy on them, oh no, they were with a person who had deliberated going pro into esports at one point.
And your good-humoured and well-balanced competitiveness paired with a genuine passion for the craft and activity had resulted in a record number of views - two disparate fanbases coming together, confused but enjoying the show nonetheless.
One of the most popular highlights from the stream ended up being you and Yunho's genius sabotage in Among Us, where literally everyone was clueless of who was impostor until you got to steal the victory. And another, that had gained more likes upon being turned into an edit was one from the couple of Overwatch 2 rounds you had played. Specifically, it was after you had solo carried your team to victory after their elimination and got MVP.
The edit was simple, and all it really showed was the MVP reel and Yunho's face cam. The caption did all the work:
"Get you a man who looks at you the way Yunho looks at Y/N getting MVP"
You rewatched that edit an embarrassing number of times. Fooling yourself into thinking that it was because it was just that funny (no, fam, no)
A couple of days after and your routine had gone back to normal, aside from a considerable increase in sales of Aenigmata, as well as your older games, and being mutuals with ATEEZ on Twitter.
But one night, marking nearly a week since the scheduled gaming session, when you booted up Steam again to pick your way to unwind, someone sent you a chat. Like they had been waiting for the your little status icon to turn green, all this time.
When you opened up chat, you did a double take. The username was of none other than Yunho, asking if you were free to play.
And thus began your story as an unbeatable duo.
You had finally gotten yourself a new gaming companion, while Yunho started falling for you, far beyond what was previously just being a fan. Now, he was getting to know the real you, and you could not be more attractive.
👘 pairing: hongjoong x fashion designer!reader
👘 genre: romance, fluff, mutual pining
👘 summary: a bulletpoint-style wordstream of what it would be like if hongjoong was stanning you
👘 wordcount: 5.5k (help)
👘 warnings/tags: language, radio shows, reader is goth, goth subculture, a bit of mutual pining, seonghwa aries rage, san is sus, jealousy, DRAMA(rama), hongjoong is starstruck, reader has her own fashion house/brand, photoshoots, brand collabs, demon line boutta act up
👘 a/n: Hello fabulous people <3 Here we have, the one, the only, the legendary, Hongjoong next in the Your Fan, ___ series! Thank you so much for your love and support, reblogs, likes, asks and comments all welcome
"So alongside your brilliant songs, you are also well known for having breathtaking performances, with an edge that only ATEEZ can do. Could you elaborate on what exactly goes into creating your unique aesthetic?"
Hongjoong looked around the studio. Him and Yunho, being the resident radio DJs, had been invited onto a show to promote their newest comeback, and talk all things creative arts.
There had been a number of guests before them who he looked up to, from others in the music industry, to visual artists, writers, and designers. This was the way in which he had discovered new changemakers, and got to know those stars he had deemed 'unreachable'. Breathtaking, but there to be admired from a distance.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the amazing designers and stylists that we work with. Really, without them none of this would be possible and ATEEZ would not be the same."
"Definitely, with each stage and comeback, it seems that there is no end to just how much they, and you, can wow the world. Now, there is a particular fashion house that ATEEZ has been collaborating with recently, could you tell us more about that?"
Now that was an interesting direction to steer into. This was very new on the horizon for ATEEZ, and few media had covered this so far. Hongjoong perked up, forgetting the tranquility that he had to normally adopt for such shows, instead letting himself bask in the rays of his passions.
More specifically, your brand. He had known of its existence, thanks to a serendipitous selection by his stylist, before he had even figured out who the brain behind the art was. He discovered the connection entirely by accident - through this radio show.
You had come in for an interview, much like Hongjoong and Yunho, and sat in one of these seats, telling your story. This same man who was asking them questions, had conversed with you. This appearance was like Hongjoong's little moment to connect with his unreachable star.
You were notoriously elusive, so public appearances were few and far between, and this explained why he had initially not even associated you and the brand together. But as it turned out, that had been the point. The lore was strong in this one.
You had explained during the show that you felt no need for your personal image to be connected to the brand itself, as the garments and those who wore them were the real imagemakers. You had also shown a deep understanding of the subcultures from which you took inspiration and, yourself, followed, diving into legends who had pioneered their popularisation over the decades. In all honestly, that had him hooked, and left him wanting to learn more about how your mind worked.
"Ah yes, more than happy! ARNURI is a brand that we only recently started working with, and could not be more happy. The brand has a world view and prides itself on destroying boundaries in fashion. There is no gender, no size, no limit to what can be achieved. It actually takes inspiration from the variety that is within goth subculture and totally redefines what is meant by luxury. I mean, their slogan is 'lead by antithesis' after all."
He had paraphrased your introductory speech from one of your first exhibitions after you had your big break at one of the Fashion Weeks. It had been a solo show, organised outside of any specific season, every detail paying homeage to what had been advertised as 'embracing the darkness of nature'. For this show, you had scouted models among your friends, among the myriad of citizens of Seoul, and used those same city streets as your catwalk.
Maybe the reason why that particular event had spoken to Hongjoong was because it reminded him of the street busking he had done in his early days. The days of when one risked it all for a future that was not guaranteed, simply because they had hope.
Hongjoong could go on, but Yunho's shift to balancing his head on his hand as he rested his eyes on the captain, and batted his eyelids like a Disney princess made him stop abruptly.
Not that the host had noticed.
"Ah yes! And isn't the name, ARNURI, a play on "Our World?"
"Uh, yeah!" caught off-guard by the follow-up since he was trying to telepathically communicated to Yunho to cut whatever he was trying to do out, he stumbled over his words a little. But it was easy enough to settle back in once he thought of the moment KQ management had shared the official communications between the two companies with him.
"So it was quite funny when the brand approached us for this, they actually quoted our song 'New World'. Really if it were up to me I wouldn't even ask for a portfolio at that point."
"Of course you wouldn't..." Yunho whispered, leaning away from the mic so it barely caught, serving like background noise more than anything.
Hongjoong's head snapped in the other member's direction, but he was met with legendary nonchalance. Truly, the epitome of 'it's not awkward unless you make it awkward'. The guy even raised an eyebrow back at him as though Hongjoong was acting out of line.
"That is magnificent, it was meant to be! Maybe there are some ATINY in the company!"
"Oh we wish!" Yunho interjected, a chuckle escaping him as he glanced in Hongjoong's direction.
"Well, we are very much looking forward to seeing more of these fantastic designs, and the photoshoot that ATEEZ will be doing with ARNURI! Maybe you will be able to create some items together? Can ATINY hope for a new line in the future?"
"Hah, I do enjoy altering clothing and really letting creativity run free, but I am looking forward to the learning-".
"Oh yeah, Hongjoong has been a fan of the brand for quite some time, so finding out that we are now working together is a dream come true!"
Hongjoong lowered his eyes and let his fingers flitter across the table in front of him. There went his opportunity to be all slick and cool. Or was he over-reacting? Again, Yunho was unreadable.
The host then quickly rounded off that segment of the discussion, and cut to an ATEEZ song break, in honour of the guests.
Confirming that the mics were indeed off and he wasn't about to cuss out the entire nation, Hongjoong turned to his 6'1'' headache and hissed:
"Let's keep this about ATEEZ, shall we?"
"Why so serious, bro? Don't you like ARNURI?"
That, he did. The problem was that it was no longer just ARNURI he liked. To borrow some fandom-speak, he had abandoned the 'casual fan' territory, and had found himself quite a few clothing items and accessories-deep, and with a bias.
And since he would rather have Yeosang feeding him sour candy than revealing that he liked ARNURI more than he probably should, any joke in that direction was like an arrow that he felt the desperate need to dodge.
"Yeah, of course I do. I mean, we are working with them right?"
"Riiiight. And you are wearing their jacket. That you literally do not let anyone touch."
"What? I like clothes."
"And you keep said jacket in a plastic bag from the dry cleaner's because suddenly you are Seonghwa two point oh."
"Is that not... normal?"
"Rich to ask for a person who spray paints shoes in the living room at three in the morning."
"Hey I ventilate."
"BY TURNING ON THE EXHAUST VENT IN THE KITCHEN?"
"Shh, Yunho, we good. We can discuss this later-"
"Oh no I like your discomfort shawty talk to me."
Hongjoong pinched the bridge of his nose. This kid with his surprise attacks. Before he could think of a way to get himself out of the hole he dug, the host was suddenly showing that they had thirty seconds before going live. So he settled for:
"We'll continue this conversation later."
"And I chose Seonghwa over you."
"Choosing violence... I swear to-"
"And we are back! I hope you, dear listeners, enjoyed the wonderful-"
You paused the podcast. So, your personal assistant was not kidding when she ran into your office, waving her phone side to side as though she was at a concert, saying that Kim Hongjoong knew a lot more about ARNURI than you assumed.
Really sometimes you thought you hired her not for her abilities as a PA, but because she made you feel a tiny bit more sane. But at the same time, you were one in the same - who was listening to the recorded radio broadcast right after she left your office, reduced to a fit of giggles, sitting in total solitude? You.
Quite the contrast to how you normally were - zoned out due to exhaustion, brutal because that was how your business worked, or totally unreachable because 'the vibe was right and you were in a creative flow state'.
But this was how you got that bread. And had taken ARNURI to new heights. You continuously sacrificed yourself for the art.
There had never been another option for you - ever since you were a kid there was only one thing you were interested in, and that was fashion. You were that one kid who shamelessly stole (and wore) her parents' and siblings' clothing, modifying it so that it looked more like you.
You had 're-designed' your school uniform which had nearly led to your suspension. To this day you were confident you had done the right thing remaking the outfit to being pitch black - it was not your fault that the school had no sense of taste and had chosen such a horrid shade of grey.
And aside from becoming the 'adopted child' of some goth clubs in the city, you had crashed fashion show after fashion show to just see how the legends did it. You were taken by the stark contrast between what was classically accepted and popular on the runways versus the enchanting amalgamation of Victorian era dress, New Romantic, punk and new wave.
You had sworn to yourself that if there was one thing you were going to do, it was be one of the designers to fuse the worlds together. So you gave all you had to this dream. You had completed fashion school, worked in Finland to immerse yourself in the nation's vibrant, borderline mainstream goth scene, and had participated in many art exhibitions and avante garde fashion shows to make yourself known.
This was your calling. Your everything. So when you finally managed to get your brand up and running, bringing your vision to South Korea, you were shamelessly promoting it as best you could. Sending samples, contacting influencers, knocking on all the doors until SOMEONE answered.
And that someone turned out to be a stylist at KQ Entertainment, working with a group called ATEEZ. After a few exchanges on Instagram, they had agreed to use a couple of items, and let the media do the promotional magic.
You were desperate, having not had much success in the country due to difficulty in finding early adopters of the brand, so you agreed.
Turned out it was a much better investment than you had initially thought. A few members had sported ARNURI wear for a fansign, and pictures from the event FLEW around the internet. Eventually, the clothing was discovered, and your site started getting more and more hits.
You assumed it was just a fluke, but that fluke turned into one of the members, who you learned to be Kim Hongjoong, starting to make regular appearances in ARNURI, especially when it was evident that he had the final say in what to wear - airport looks, more casual events... black-clad, supporting you more than he could imagine.
Inadvertently, he had turned into a motivation for you. He had given you the hope that you could reach the stars if you so desired, and so you began to build up.
Season after season, you worked tirelessly, and eventually broke into Seoul Fashion Week. Your daring showcase of your 'ANTITHESIS' collection had gathered a large audience, and soon enough, you had to step into the spotlight, and reveal your identity.
You could remember it as clear as day, 'She Sells Sanctuary' by The Cult roaring in the background as you stepped out, every bit ARNURI, an overnight neo-goth sensation.
As your brand got bigger and bigger, and you were now leading a business of nearly 100 people strong, you had to become colder and more distant. It was a sort of self-preservation, since fashion was not an industry where one could escape criticism and blatant slander, especially when your primary goal was to be yourself.
But that one idol. The one who had agreed to wear your brand, and then continued to do so voluntarily, Kim Hongjoong, still remained special to you. He was your quiet encouragement.
So when you heard from your marketing and communications team that they had scouted out an opportunity to work with ATEEZ, you gave them the green light almost instantly, and much to their surprise, participated in crafting out the perfect proposal.
And when you received an agreement and contracts in response, you needed to excuse yourself and locked yourself in your studio, letting yourself squeal. Just a bit. And then walked back out - she is beauty she is grace.
The first stage of the collaboration was going to be a nice and simple photoshoot. You said simple but you were running around the building like a headless chicken making sure everything was ready.
It was going to be for a new line, 'PHANTASMOS', an ode to phantasmagoria, horror theatre and the portrayal of all things fantastic, strange and ghoulish. And who would be a better group of models than ATEEZ?
As the day approached, Hongjoong was becoming considerably more nervous, and that was only exacerbated by the announcement that you personally would be attending the shoot.
He did not want to come across as a fool of some sort, wanted to be a serious leader, really leave the impression that he meant business. To him, you were elegance itself, a tranquil beauty in black, and he wanted to match that to the best of his ability.
Which was exactly why he had turned his and Seonghwa's dorm into a fabric skip, with shirts, trousers, t-shirts... all of his prized possessions were strewn around the perimeter and occupied nearly every inch of the floor. Hell, even his customised Doc Martens were lying miserably on his bed.
Just as he was contemplating between a blazer with lines of safety pins as decal on the lapels or a classic leather jacket with more zippers than ways his children could annoy him, Seonghwa returned from his trip to the LEGO store.
Hongjoong had never seen every single stage of grief flash across a person's face in one second. But there it was. He gave the eldest member a sheepish grin, subconsciously cowering away closer to the windows - as far away from the evidently not too pleased Seonghwa.
"Kim. Hong. Joong. What kind of fuckery is this?"
"Oh. OH! Amy Winehouse! Yes, big fan, that's uh, that's Me & Mr. Jones right?"
"I will use you as a broom stick Joong."
"Look I just got carried-"
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU? PLEASE LET ME KEEP AT LEAST SOME OF MY NERVE CELLS!"
"What's happening- oh Joongie is in trouble~" Mingi poked his head in through the door, making it look as though it was the Teletubbies sun floating above Seonghwa's shoulder.
Hongjoong really wished he could laugh. He really did. But he was afraid he was about to be forced to eat the starship that his roommate bought.
So much for trying to be 'chic' and impressing you. Now he had the goal of making it to the shoot in one piece.
"Mingi. Exit. Now." Seonghwa commanded, jaw clenched, which made the younger member quite literally bolt, slamming the door so hard that the items that were hanging on the stuck-on hooks slid off and fell behind Seonghwa.
There was a mass meeting audible right outside of the room, and a very distinct seagull laugh penetrated the walls. Hongjoong cursed his bad timing. Had he only started early, maybe he would have had time to shove at least some of the items under the bunk so it didn't look too bad.
"Right. You know what. I am zen. I am the calmest of the calm. You take care of others, I take care of you. Right? Now. Wait, you know what I need to just-"
Seonghwa picked up a large pillow off one of the beds, eyed it, looked at Hongjoong once more, and then PUNCHED it with blinding rage, sending it flying right back into the bed.
"Okay now I am fine. Care to explain when you were planning to sort this shit out?"
There was another wave of mumbles outside, to which Seonghwa responded by making the door fly open and shouting out "we are having a VERY IMPORTANT CONVERSATION."
Before closing the door entirely, a quiet comment from Yeosang could be overheard: "they're getting divorced in there," leading to some giggles, and pitter-patter of footsteps away from the door. They probably just chose a slightly different location to camp and snoop.
Hongjoong decided to sink into one of the clothes piles, motioning for Seonghwa to take a seat next to him. He was in a dilemma, unsure of what sort of explanation would be the most effective for Seonghwa. So he just settled for the truth.
"You know the shoot that we are going to do?" he began, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yes, I do. What, is the aesthetic landfill-chic?" Seonghwa motioned at the explosion over the room.
"No, not at all! Don't even. You have seen the clothing, right?"
"Of course, I wore ARNURI before. Must say, very flattering. And fashionable. That one overcoat made me feel like a vampire prince."
Hongjoong raised an eyebrow, but chose not to comment on that. Seonghwa was Seonghwa, he had his own agenda and his own interpretations.
"Right, so... well, you know I have a lot of ARNURI stuff? It's not just that... I have um... sort of become a... fan? Of the designer? L/N Y/N? She is just... her vision... her style is just... yeah she is great."
"Oh my gosh my boy Kim Hongjoong actually wants to meet someone outside of ATEEZ, this is legendary, I should post this on Universe."
"What in the- hey I meet people! And don't you dare"
"When, mister 'I don't really have many friends' and literally getting jealous over me talking to Minho from Stray Kids?"
"Hey, being a best friend is a responsibility, and you are my best friend!"
"Oh wait... I get it... I don't think you are aiming for friendship here... isn't that right?" a grin started spreading over Seonghwa's face as he looked like he discovered a new planet.
"I am just a fan of hers! Don't twist this!"
"Sure... okay now I get... this," he gave a judgmental side eye to the pile of sweaters that had made their home right by his display cabinet. "You are like a middle schooler before a first date, I swear. This is definitely because she's going to be there, right?"
"You know what? Yes, yes it is. And I might not have had my growth spurt yet but I am not a middle schooler." Hongjoong said, standing up as straight as possible, putting his hands on his hips.
"That's exactly what an angsty middle schooler would say." Seonghwa looked him up and down, stifling a laugh.
"You are on a power trip aren't you?"
"Hell yeah I am, and I will be for the entire shoot and beyond."
"Park Seonghwa why you do this to ME?"
"If you don't want the others to get the details I have an offer."
This made Hongjoong stop on his tracks and retract his 'leader card'. He did not want to lose face in front of the 'teezer crew entirely, so keeping this information in confidence was enticing.
"Yes?"
"First off, clean your shit. And second, I get that spot on the dresser for the Imperial All Terrain Armoured Transport model I've been hunting down."
"First, deal. Second, say that one more fucking time dude I dare you."
"IMPERIAL ALL TERRAIN ARMOURED TRANSPORT, ALSO KNOWN AS THE AT-AT WALKER, IS A FOUR-LEGGED TRANSPORT AND COMBAT VEHICLE USED BY THE IMPERIAL GROUND FO-"
"Did you legit memorise Wikipedia or something?"
"May the force be with you, bitch. Now you clean, I will go chill outside so I don't have an aneurysm because of how you do it. And by the way, I'd pick the leather jacket if I were you. Classic, timeless and looks good."
"Thank you man, you are the best."
"I know, now impress me with how you can make this room spotless."
And with that, Seonghwa left Hongjoong alone in the room. From what he could hear, there was a circus outside, with the other members having gathered around, interrogating about what had just unfolded. but Seonghwa was keeping his word, for now at least. He knew that he did not have to try too hard, since Hongjoong would probably expose himself as soon as he were to see you anyways.
And Seonghwa was more than right. The next day, when ATEEZ arrived to the studio, Hongjoong was very jittery. Alert to any and all people and sounds, he was looking around as if he was expecting someone - well he definitely was. As soon as they stepped into the ARNURI office, he was convinced that you could be around any corner.
The other members were beginning to catch on that this hyung was acting odd, to the point where Yeosang commented on Hongjoong looking like he was playing Alien Isolation in real life. The reference flew right over the leader's head, but he tried his best to tone his Pink Panther-style snooping down.
And instead focus on the many photos that decorated the walls of your house of fashion. Memories of particularly memorable parts of a show, awards, red carpet events... club nights, themed evenings, collaborations... this was your life. Right there, immortalised in tasteful monochrome.
The boys were in awe of the refined interior - strictly monochromatic, any accents in the otherwise white rooms and corridors were done using the colour black. Although it was not a rule by any means (in fact, you encouraged being as daring as one wanted), the majority of ARNURI employees were clad in the colour, fitting right into the brand and the aesthetics.
They were led up a couple of flights of stairs, and as they were making their way down one corridor, Hongjoong began to catch snippets of lively conversation, the occasional staff gliding a clothing rack past them or across the hallway, and... shouts of 'yes ma'am'?
Initially he was confused, but as they were getting closer to the photo studio, it clicked in his head: you were in there. Who else could be referred to as ma'am?
"Hey, Hongjoong, I think we are -actually- meant to... walk in the hall to do the shoot." Jongho walked up behind the leader, fake whispering, causing a round of chuckles from the other members. The only member who was not as smiley (except Hongjoong himself, that is) was Seonghwa, and it was because Hongjoong not so little infatuation was old news to him, and the room had been cleaned to a very satisfying level, much to his surprise.
"Woah no way, Jongho, that's insane. I was sure that this was a new technique or something..." Yunho piped in, glancing at Hongjoong, lips curling up.
He had a couple of sneaking suspicions about Hongjoong's behaviour whenever ARNURI, or more specifically the founder and lead designer, were mentioned or he was given the chance to gush about it.
The radio appearance was the closest to a confirmation that he could get - Hongjoong getting shy over being a big fan... what a sight to see. But seeing the post-discussion silent conversations between the two eldest members, and some signal exchanges while they were driving up to the venue really sealed the deal. There was something really fun going on with Hongjoong, and Yunho needed the deets.
For research purposes. And who was he to pass up on a ship in the making?
Finally, their manager, after finishing up a conversation with some of the relationship management staff from ARNURI, who had greeted them, decided to speed up the process and usher the kids in.
To soothe his nerves, Hongjoong picked at a bracelet he had selected for completing his 'first meeting and first impression' look. He had worn it many times over, and had even taken it with him on tour before, so it was a little ball of positive energy for him.
But nothing could prepare or prevent the Error that Hongjoong.exe experienced as he finally saw you in your element.
There was something spellbinding about the way you looked. Head to toe in your own creations, you were wearing an onyx-hued Victorian era inspired suit, matched with military boots that had immaculate metal detailing.
He could not stop staring, even if it could be perceived as rude, or too forward. There you were.
"Oh, guys, man down, man down, our captain's overboard~" Wooyoung taunted, shouldering San and Yeosang who were on either side of him.
It really was a sight to behold. Hongjoong, entirely captivated as you stood in the middle of the photo studio, guiding the entire room like a conductor would lead an orchestra.
He ignored the youngers' attempts to get his attention, much to their utter disbelief and resulting giddiness. If there was a definition of starstruck. This was it.
You appeared to have a pulse on EVERYTHING, down to the tiniest details, pointing out that there was a very specific prop missing, adjusting accessories, exchanging one scarf for another. It was the most organised chaos that Hongjoong had ever seen, and he was amazed at how you could keep it under control.
The star he had deemed unreachable was right there. Right in front of him.
"Joongie, I think you can leave your drooling until after the shoot. You don't want your makeup ruined."
"Oh Hwa is this how it is?" he looked at his friend in disbelief.
"I think you exposed yourself enough, no?"
"Ew, Hongjoong come on don't traumatise your wife." Wooyoung was not giving up on his mission to annoy Hongjoong into early retirement.
"GUYS please don't embarrass me-"
"Oh so you admit it?" San questioned, smirking like the devil.
"Admit what?"
"That you are doing some shady shit."
"Where did this even come from, San."
"So the studio then, no wonder you come back from there at like four in the morning."
"You guys are making me lose brain cells that I need to get instructions from the photographer." Yeosang deadpanned, nodding towards the set.
"I don't even want to begin imagining what sort of things you are thinking about, but I can assure you I will annihilate you if you start kindergarten season here." Hongjoong threatened but it fell short as Mingi grinned and joined in the ambush:
"Say 'aye' if you think this minion is invested into this shoot." the way he said it almost sounded like an innuendo, making Hongjoong scowl.
The most deafening collection of 'ayes' resounded around Hongjoong, and caused you to shift your focus to the newly arrived group. He noticed your expression soften, shoulders roll a little further back as you ambled towards them, the thuds of your boots setting his heart's pace.
"Ah good morning to you all! It is such a pleasure to be working with you. Did I make you wait for long?"
"Not at all, the pleasure is all ours." Hongjoong forced out, pushing the snickering members out of his sphere of attention.
"Great, well it is wonderful to finally meet you, I am L/N Y/N, the mad scientist behind ARNURI!"
"Very much the same here, Miss-"
"We'll be working closely enough to be informal, no?" you interjected before Hongjoong could call you by your last name.
Your allure was more powerful than he had hypothesised, to the point where some of the other members, more specifically San and Seonghwa, could not look away from you either - it seemed that you had the energy for attracting demons. The way you carried yourself, poised and courteous, demanded nothing less than respect.
At the same time, there was nothing demure about you. If anything, you resembled a cat that was ready to pounce any moment. As though there was a coil within you, permanently tense and even slightly dangerous. But that was thrilling.
Hongjoong cleared his throat, and corrected himself, "Yes, of course, sorry, Y/N. Shall we do the official greeting or-"
"Let's keep things personal for now, and once my lovely colleagues are done with the final checks, we can get started with eight makes one team." you winked, and suggested, quoting the greeting.
It was beyond entertaining for Wooyoung to see just how putty-like Hongjoong had become in your presence. He was just playing by your rules at this point, without questioning them. But it was understandable, who wouldn't get weak when their type was right in front of them and said 'let's keep things personal'?
"Well then let me be proper, I am San!" whilst you were exchanging words with Hongjoong, the member had time to slip from where he originally stood, and was now almost right in front of you, beaming.
Hongjoong chortled, but at the same time wanted to kick his fellow member in the shins because of the interception. What was his game here exactly?
Ever so politely, you greeted San back, not giving away that you were interested in continuing your chat with Hongjoong. It was second nature to you to blend one interaction into another without revealing any preferences - otherwise you would have a lot more enemies in the industry.
Then you simply proceeded to greet each ATEEZ member separately, your attention shifting entirely each time. You had a way of making people feel like, for even if just a moment, they were your universe.
It came from your tendency of seeing people both as perfect canvases, and as living works of art. You enjoyed the challenge that working off a person gave you, and this was mainly why you wanted to give each ATEEZ member a final once over - to see whether what you had planned was even right.
Each member gave you a unique impression, ranging from mischievous to shy to strictly professional. Seeing as you had never actively followed their activities, aside from their leader's, you were fascinated by the dynamic they were displaying, taking note for who you wanted to see in the camera together, and maybe even matching in some accessories.
Hongjoong was nearly holding his breath as he saw you reading ATEEZ like an open book. You were scanning everyone in the way he had seen renowned critics do while inspecting models on the runway. A Mona Lisa smile, and conclusions no one would know except yourself.
When it was finally his turn, he said his name as brightly as possible, faltering only towards the end as your eyes locked. He swore his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. It did not last long though, as you glanced down, and appeared to be incredibly happy because of something you spotted.
San was taking a particular interest in this silent mental tango, intently following your every move, while Wooyoung cupped his hand around his friend's ear and whispered.
"The bracelet."
"Ah, yes, it's uhm, should I say yours?"
"I guess so! It is from the limited edition MEDUSA collection. It suits you well. And the condition is impeccable though it's been what, a couple of years?"
"It's very precious to me, I try to take good care of it."
Seonghwa pursed his lips, the chaos of their dorm room clouding his vision. He imagined that you probably would go ballistic if you were to ever see clothing being treated in that way. Though Hongjoong did have separate storage for accessories and jewelry - that much was true.
"That means a lot. Thank you-" you turned as someone called out for you, alerting that everything was ready to go, "it's time, gentlemen, let's get this party started!"
As you clasped your hands together and moved away to join the lead photographer, allowing stylists to guide the group away and begin working their magic, San peered at Hongjoong once more.
When he made sure everyone else was out of earshot, he placed a hand on the captain's shoulder, and muttered:
"If you don't ask her out, I will. No hierarchy on this battle field."
I freaking love this series. For ages I couldn’t remember the account it was on (my brain is like a sieve) and I’m so glad I’ve found it again so I can reread it
Hello! Thank you very much for letting me know. Tagging other writers affected: @songmingisthighs @haihoneys
In addition, I am linking the recognition and call-out post in response to this case, by SMT, here.
Dear all, please find all relevant information below about @user777h, and do consider blocking them and reporting posts.
I personally would prefer for this to be dealt with in a regulated and organised manner. I do not tolerate this behaviour, and would highly appreciate a positive resolution in the favour of supporting original content.
General announcement:
Plagiarism of any form is not to be taken lightly, and does have a number of repercussions, including legal. When a work is posted on Tumblr, the copyright generally belongs to the original poster as the creator, meaning they retain ownership of their intellectual property. Any reposting and unauthorised use of the original poster's content can therefore be investigated as a case of copyright infringement.
Considering that two of user777h's posts contain work from 'Literotica', regulations and actions taken on the authors' end there should also be considered.
Below please find more detailed information on user777h.
General information on user777h:
According to Tumblr Archive, this blog has existed only since late January, at least according to when the first post was shared. There appears to be no information on the owner of the blog aside from the plagiarised work which shall be explored later in the evidence section.
To avoid any further speculation 'General information' section shall remain open for the time being, however it is important to note that as two of the works are of a mature nature, so additional scrutiny is to be applied concerning the age of user777h.
The above communication has been sent to user777h on the 2nd of February, 2025, asking them to voluntarily delete the plagiarised content, as well as warning them about further actions, should the request not be followed. Unfortunately, this message was met with no response as of yet.
Evidence of plagiarism committed by user777h
Please see below the evidence showing instances of plagiarism committed by user777h. In all instances, the left item presented is the original work, while the right is what has been plagiarised by user777h.
Exhibit (A) - 23:13 PM by @/hwaightme. Theft of moodboard. Original post date: 17th November, 2024. Plagiarised on January 28th, 2025.
Exhibit (B) - Baby Baby by @/songmingisthighs. Theft of moodboard. Original post date: 12th September, 2024. Plagiarised on January 26th, 2025.
Exhibit (C) - Afternoon Delight by @/haihoneys. Theft of moodboard. Original post date: 19th January, 2025. Plagiarised on January 27th, 2025.
Exhibit (D) - When Sir Gets Home from Literotica (link)
Original posted on 17th August, 2023. Plagiarised on 26th January, 2025.
Exhibit (E) - A Wife's First Date Ch. 03 from Literotica (link)
Original posted on 24th January, 2025. Plagiarised on 27th January, 2025.
The evidence list can and will be updated if/when necessary.
In closing
Plagiarism is not tolerated in any form.
user777h has plagiarised moodboards and writing of multiple creators, as can be seen in the evidence collected above, and has not made a voluntary move to apologise, change their behaviour and delete this content.
To avoid any further troubles and resolve this situation peacefully, I kindly ask of anyone who can to please report and block user777h.
Hi, hope you’re doing well. Just wanted to let you know that one of your moodboards has been plagiarised by @/user777h
All of their moodboards have been plagiarised from these fics:
https://www.tumblr.com/hwaightme/767354218110664704/2313-pm?source=share
https://www.tumblr.com/songmingisthighs/761448747285807104/baby-baby
https://www.tumblr.com/haihoneys/773079231343247360/afternoon-delight
Two of their fics have been plagiarised from these ones:
https://www.literotica.com/s/when-sir-gets-home
https://www.literotica.com/s/a-wifes-first-date-ch-03
I was unable to find Yunho’s one but it is highly likely it’s also plagiarised. Sorry that your moodboard has been plagiarised.
thank you very much for letting me know. response post linked here.
hi there! i sorry to disturb you about this, i know its not your business to be some type of mail or something. but do you happen to know what happened to winnie, user shadowynn? i regularly visit her account to see if she's came back but theres nothing and it got me worried.
im sending u this ask bc she tagged you in her last post, but im aware its hard to know real life stuff about your moots/oomfs.
sorry again for disturbing you with this. have a great 2025!
no worries at all! unfortunately i do not have any info :(( sorry to not be of much help :((
dailybridgerton
areudirty
vaporwave
kaledo-art
yousharknotpass
dededos
janainaart
blakekathryn
snowghoul
annaxmalina