he looks back at yeongshik, âbut i know a place where we can take him. of course! if you want to, you donât have to, but you look just as concerned as i am, so if you want, you can tag along? itâs not too far away from here, actually.âÂ
Yeongshik was incredibly thankful that the idol wasn't entirely offended by his lack of knowledge. The relief showed in his face as his expression relaxed and his smile grew a little more warm and less guarded. The name of the idol's group wasn't entirely unfamiliar, but he genuinely could not name a song off of the top of his head. His expression turned apologetic again and he offered a small polite but nondescript "ah," in response.
The firm handshake came as a surprise as most of his encounters were fish-like with their handshakes. The corners of his lips curled up again and his shoulders seemed to broaden a little more. He logged the Korean name away into his memory.
"Bae Hyukjae. Nice t'meetchuh." He politely bowed his head though a bit more casually the second time. "Ssam?" He repeated, unable to quite get the English pronunciation and instead settled on the next closest thing: the Korean word for meat. "Hyukjae." He decided aloud with a nod and a soft chuckle. "Sorry. I'm not even good with m'own stagename."Â
He looked down at the dog in Hyukjae's arms and also noticed that the collar was missing. The immediate assumption that the ownwer didn't have one left the young man a little uncertain. "Or he slipped outtuv it. Do they even make collars in his size? He looks likeuh pup." He asked as he reached a large hand out to give the quivering pup a scratch behind the ears. The pup recoiled deeper into Hyukjae's chest and tried to squirm out of his grasp, but there was little hope for such a small creature.Â
For a moment, Yeongshik was sent back to his small-town upbringing where strays were common or friends would lose their dogs due to a lack of proper training. Not many families were able to retreive their lost dogs, and it had become a small soft spot in Yeongshik's otherwise cold exterior. He was never able to have a dog growing up, given as a fisherman's lifestyle wasn't exactly suited for most dogs.
He wondered what fate would hold for the small little thing. Would Hyukjae take it home? Could he take it home? He somehow doubted that Haneul's dog would appreciate having competition-- so that wasn't an option. However, Hyukjae's voice brightened as he mentioned a place where they could take the dog.
"Really? Sure! I don't know'ov any places like that." He bobbed his head and gestured for the idol to lead the way. "How did'y'find out about it?"
 âwait, donât i know you? i think⌠yeah, you.. iâm positive iâve seen you before!â and heâs quick to end his questioning as he remembers the scared dog in his arms, âbut anyway, is he yours?âÂ
Everything in Yeongshikâs body told him not to watch as theoncoming car approached the dog, but a greater part of him kept his eyestrained on the small helpless creature as it bolted across. Another car cameand the guitarist felt as though his heart was going to leap right out of histhroat. He felt the colour drain from his face and as he scrambled to righthimself. When the cars passed he couldnât spot the dog right away, but as hiseyes bounced across the sidewalk he caught sight of a body that was beginningto walk his way and with the small dog quivering in his grasp.
His shoulders fell slack and the tightness in his chestlessoned as his body finally allowed him to breathe again. He genuinely wasnâtsure what he would do if the poor animal had been hit. He didnât have to thinkabout it though- that much was for sure. He pulled on the chord that held hisearbuds together and unceremoniously stuffed them into his pocket as the otheryoung man came forward.
âIs he yours?â The stranger had asked.
âNah.â Yeongshik replied, his voice cracked a little withrelief. âJusâsaw him runninâ across thâroad.â
He pried his eyes away from the small animal to look at hisrescuer. Yeongshikâs eyebrows frowned on his forehead for a brief moment andthen shot up at the sudden recognition of the idolâs face, though he couldnâtquite place a name nor the group. His voice drew out in a low tone when theyoung man asked if they knew each other.
âUh, maybe?â His expression squinted as he tried to sift throughhis memories for at least the name of the band this guy could have been in.However, Yeongshikâs knowledge of idol groups was incredibly limited as he hadlittle interest in them before being contractually obligated to become onehimself.
âMy name is Lee Yeongshik. Or, uh, King.â His tone droppedat the mention of his stage name. He didnât care for it, but the company hadinsisted. âIâm thâmain vocalist anârhythm guitarist for XLNC.â
He gave a polite bow of his head and extended his arm for apolite handshake.
âIâm sorry, but if weâve met bâfore I donât remember.â Heoffered a lopsided apologetic smile. âI aienât so good with idol names.â
they disinfect his skin and ask doyoon what he would do ifhe actually met lee yeongshik, and doyoon doesnât really know what heâd do, orif he would do anything at all. he doesnât answer until the artist pulls away âthe first of many.
âi wouldbe too nervous to do anything, really.â
A soft buzz in his hand signaled Yeongshik of an incomingnotification. He rose his free arm and scrolled through the comments until oneusername in particular popped up. The English words caused him a moment ofpause. His eyes narrowed into a painful looking squint as if altering hisvision would somehow translate the English words to Korean. He tried mouthingthe words to himself, but the only word he could understand was âboy.â His darkbrown eyes flowed to the clapping emoticons and decided that it was a positivecomment that was meant to be encouraging.
His mind struggled to think of an appropriate response.Should he reply in English? He trudged through his English lexicon and came tothe conclusion that outside of âthank youâ he knew nothing else. He tried totype it, but after typing âtâ he froze, unable to remember the rest of thespelling. He felt the wheels roughly clacking in his mind as he struggled tothink of a different response. His brows pulled tightly together in the centerof his face and his chest felt as though it might burst from the overwhelmingconcentra---
âYeongshik-shii, are you okay?â His tattooist asked. âYousuddenly stopped breathing.â
âAh,â he grunted in shock.
âDo we need to take a break?â
The guitarist drew in a deep breath and exhaled through hisnose as his body reminded him of the much needed oxygen to keep his brain (andthe rest of his body) functioning.
âNo, itâs fine. Jusâgawt lost in thought.â He rolled hisshoulders a moment and made himself comfortable again. The tattoo artist wentimmediately forgotten as he brought his cellphone back up to his face andswitched his keyboard back to Korean.
He scrolled through the emoticon listâthe entire listâlookingfor an appropriate response. He didnât actually understand the message, asidefrom it being (presumably) positive. He hummed low in his chest and skimmed throughall of the faces. None of them felt ambiguous enough for an appropriate answer.However, after his second round through the small pictures, he found a thumbsup. He tapped them three timesâeach a little too aggressively for what wasnecessary and quickly hit the send button.
âAlmost done,â The tattoo artist hummed aloud.
âOh. Really?â He rolled his head over his shoulder to watchthe artist and sure enough he only had a couple of centimeters more to go. Hisbrows rose high up his brow. He didnât expect the whole process to be as quickas it was. Though the design wasnât particularly difficult. He did come to aprofessional place, too.
Sure enough, in less than an hour Yeongshik was permanentlypigmented with his new tattoo. With the artistsâ help he took a picture withthe fresh ink while it was still crisp and clear. The artist moisturized andwrapped the tattoo in cellophane wrapping and quickly mumbled his way throughthe aftercare script that he had memorized, but Yeongshik was too busy staringat his arm to hear the entirety of it. He was ushered to the front desk tofinish his payment and purchased the companyâs specialized soaps andmoisturizing agent without much thought to the price.
Not quite ready to return to his dorm, the young manshuffled to the sitting area and updated his Instagram story with the new photoof his tattoo, immediately followed by a picture of it wrapped up. Comments,criticisms and well wishes suddenly started to overwhelm his notifications.Rather than addressing them individually, he flipped on his phone to start alivestream.
âOppa! Why did you do this?!â
âItâs so ugly, wtf kkkâ
âPlease get better soon!â
âCan you even play guitar like this? Kkkâ
He cleared his throat and made a small wave into the camera.
âHello everyone. Iâm here in YM Tatoo. I just finished. Youcan see here.â He brought his arm up to the screen and the comments andemoticons began to overflow.
âIt hurt a little, but Iâm fine. It looks good so Iâm happy.â
One comment, however, had his eyes squinting and his handcovered the camera a moment as he scrolled back up to read the comment.
âIsnât that Poisnâs Duke behind you?â
âOmg did you go together?â
âWhat is this!?â
Yeongshik turned and craned is neck to try and get a betterview. The studio was primarily open concept save for certain special rooms orscreens that were pulled aside to segregate specific artistsâ workspaces. Evenwith Yeongshikâs limited experience and knowledge of the idol industry, even hewas aware of the members of Poisn, and sure enough it was unmistakably Doyoon whowas in the middle of getting his tattoo.
âI think yer right.â He whispered into the camera. âPoisnâsDuke-seombaenim.â His eyes widened with shock. âThis'z a coincidence really. ShouldI introduce m'self? I dunno if itâs rude.â He chuckled softly into thecamera.
For: @doyoonidâ
Word Count: 1000
Plot: Two online mutuals meeting for the first time in a tattoo parlour
Yeongshikâs mind was a cluster and burst of emotion. XLNCâs recent popularity within their small indie label had been exactly what the small town boy had dreamed of. The small stages but intimate crowds all singing along to their songs. It brought a wave of warmth that validated all of his past struggles and self-doubts. However, their recent success (as miniscule as it was in the eyes of larger industries) came a little too late. The label lacked the funding and resources to keep the band afloat but then offered them the opportunity to sign with KJH.
The guitarist aggressively rolled his shoulders to shake off the chill that ran down his back at the thought of the company. His history with KJH was no secret from his coworkers or anyone that was still within that company. The aspiring singer had left on less than ideal terms and it had left a very dark mark on his reputation as a professional. The fact that the idol company had willingly reached out to XLNC, knowing that he was still in it, had felt like someone slipped a dog collar around his neck, and with each pull he made against the company it constricted around his neck even tighter.
Expressing this to his bandmates did not go well, no thanks to the country-boyâs frankness and general lack of sensitivity to others (according to his bandmates). He had wanted to protect them, to warn them; but the prospect of shiny new equipment, unlimited access to studios and vocal training was too thick of a dangling carrot for his bandmates to resist. If Yeongshik wanted to continue his musical journey with the group he had grown with, he had no other choice but to stay⌠and KJH knew it. Now, with his relationship with his bandmates marred and the company working towards rebranding and marketing their group, Yeongshik decided he would use his last remaining moments of freedom to permanently remind him of that brief moment of victory he had with his group.
The guitarist reached for the cellphone that had been tucked away into the back pocket of his jeans and slowed his gait to a more leisurely walk as he scrolled through his SNS notifications. His Instagram and Youtube account was flooded with comments about the new company acquisition. Some fans were claiming that they were selling out, others thought it was a great new opportunity. Old antiâs from his trainee days were beginning to resurface and he found a couple of familiar usernames beginning to dredge up old rumours but painting them in a new colour for new fans to see and sink their teeth into. He had almost thought about deleting his account, but there were a few fans that he had grown close to over the last couple of years, and he couldnât bring himself to sever those connections, as they were quite literally all he had right now.
He held his cellphone up and flipped the camera so that he could take a selfie. He raised it so that only his winking eyes and ballcap were visible in the shot and that the sign for the building he was about to enter was in the center.
âYM TATOOâ
As he stepped through the threshold of the door, and after a moment of deciding between two different black and white filters, Yeongshik uploaded the picture onto his Instagram story with no text or any other context. By the time the company saw it, it would be too late for them to stop him.
He bowed his head and grumbled a greeting as he moved to the front desk to sign in for his appointment. He filled out a couple of papers and then took a seat. He looked around, impressed with the overall aesthetic of the interior of the building. It was very lofty with high ceilings and concrete walls that were left unpolished. It left a cold feeling, but the staff and dĂŠcor brightened the space and made it a lot more inviting than he had initially thought.
He looked down at his phone and a small grin curled on the corner of his lips as the notifications began pouring in beginning him not to do it, others asking what he was going to get, more confirming that this was a childish act of him rebelling against the company. He snorted softly. Â They werenât wrong.
âLee Yeongshik-sshi?â A soft, female voice asked from his side. He almost didnât hear her. The two shared an awkward exchange of greetings as they made their way to her space within the studio. She timidly confessed to being a fan of his group. The thought of a fan giving him his first tattoo brought a genuine smile to his face and he expressed his thanks through a series of unintelligible mumbles and grumbles of gratitude.
âSo what would you like to have done today?â she asked as she gestured for him to sit.
âI havâuh screencap of a soundwave that Iâd like here.â He gestured to the inside of his triceps on his left arm.
She seemed to wince a little, but tried to mask it with a smile. âJust so you are aware, this area is very sensitive and can be quite painful.â
âThatâs fine.â He bobbed his head. âIâm ready.â
She asked him for the image file and prepared the transfer. They spent a couple of minutes deciding on the size and the placement, and before he knew it, he was lying down on his back in the chair, his arm extended and was aggressively struggling not to flex too much as the small needle bobbed in and out of his skin. It reminded him of when a fishhook had latched itself to the back of his hand and had accidentally been tugged against his skin. The feeling was like a small, sharp, deep cut. Painful, but not unbearable. The sentiment behind his tattoo made the entire experience worth it. Â
For: @idhyukjaeâ
Word Count: 600
Plot: Yeongshik and Hyukjae have an unlikely first meeting rescuing a dog.
Dark clouds coated the early morning sky in Seoul, carrying heavy moisture with the undeniable promise of rain that would be coming later this afternoon. Yeongshik checked his cellphone for the time and verified his prediction. It was four in the morning. The sun had yet to rise and by the looks of the dark clouds, it wouldnât be seen for the rest of the day. The fisherman drew in a deep breath through his nose as he stepped outside of the KJH dorm building and gave a more thorough examination of the clouds. He estimated he might have an hour before it would rain. It should be enough time to get him through his usual run routine, though a light shower wouldnât be such a bad thing on such a hot and humid morning run.
The guitarist reached his arm behind him and pulled at the back of his foot to stretch his leg muscles. His free hand thumbed through his cellphone and pulled up his workout playlist. The energizing blast of an electric guitar rang in his ears and immediately set fire to the blood in his veins. He swung his arms in a brief impatient stretch and then threw one foot in front of the other in a slow gait that gradually grew into a run.
His steps fell in time with the music as he maneuvered his way down the familiar streets of his neighbourhood. The streets were bare save for the late-night workers returning to their homes, or the early birds on their way to work. His body twisted around the corner to turn onto the next block. Just as he rounded a corner, a dark shape bolted out from under his feet. The young man felt a lurching sensation in his stomach as he nearly lost his footing, but in a brief moment of luck he managed to regain it and grabbed onto a light post to steady himself.
With his balance restored he ripped his earbuds from his ears and whipped his head in the direction in which the dark shape had gone. He spotted a small dog, a toy poodle to be exact, curiously sniffing at a storefront sign. After a moment it rose its hind leg and relieved itself before continuing down the street.
Worry shook the guitarist and he frantically looked around for any sign of an owner.
âHello?â He shouted into the empty street. The dogâs ears perked up and it scampered across the road and down the other side of the street. Â âThereâzâuh dog out here!â He shouted again, but there was no one around to hear him. Yeongshikâs fists clenched in frustration and he quickly bolted across the street to pursue the stray.
There was no use in trying to call the dog to him as he had already spooked it with his voice. Instead he slowed his pace to a walk and crouched down as he approached. He clicked his tongue to get the dogâs attention but the dog showed no interest.
Thunder rolled overhead and Yeongshik could immediately feel and smell the cold front as it rolled into the city. It was going to rain any moment, and the morning traffic was beginning to pick up. Yeongshik groaned impatiently and tried to crawl closer to the dog. Just when he was certain he would be able to reach the dog, it shot out of his grasp and bolted across the road.
âWatch out!â his voice boomed across the seemingly empty street. An oncoming car narrowly missed the creature as it bolted across the two-lane road.
Hi everyone! Jae here reintroducing the ever obtuse Lee Yeongshik, AKA King from XLNC. Not much has changed with King aside from one major plot point: instead of being a former trainee of 99 Ent, he was a former trainee at KJH before being picked up by an indie label with most of the other members of XLNC. Please feel free to take a look under the cut to see more information about King and some ideas I have for plots! If you would like to talk about any ideas you may have, feel free to shoot me a DM here or hit me up on discord JaeKing#6153.
Here is a link to Kingâs Bio and Plots pages! Here is his old profile page that still needs to be updated. Most of the information is still relevant though!
Things to know about KING:
Pohang-born fishermanâs boy who speaks in a Northern Gyungsan-do dialect.
Spent a lot of time busking in Pohang and later in Hongdae
Was a trainee in KJH from 2014-2015 but left/was kicked out for not taking his idol training seriously
Was picked up by an indie company with most of the XLNC members
Rumour says he threatened to leave XLNC if they agreed to sign with KJH
He runs a very active Youtube channel where he tries to do rock/ballad covers of songs. He wants to feature more idols as guests on his channel.
Heâs very dense, tactless (though usually with well-intentions) and generally unobservant- or is observant about very useless/irrelevant things
He prefers to spend time outside and will literally jump out a window to avoid being stuck inside all day. He enjoys spending late nights outside with his guitar.
Heâs burned a lot of bridges over the years with his attitude and selfishness and has been slowly trying to work on it. Itâs very much a work in progress.
He is incredibly jaded against KJH and will never say anything good about the company (or the idol industry in general)
He doesnât do any kind of drugs, though he is always up for drinking. It takes *a lot* to get this fish drunk.
Some RP ideas
Feature on his Youtube channel! He generally does rock or ballad covers.
Make appearances on his instagram lives; either in the video or in the chats!
Former KJH trainees (2014-2015) may want to strangle this kid. Come get your justice!
 As far as heknows the new band donât dance so itâs a surprise to see the artist now knownas King wandering these halls. Surprising enough to prompt concern. âWhat areyou doing here? Is everything okay?â
The dancerâs nod gave Yeongshik the approval to enter. Theguitaristâs hand lingered on the door handle for a moment as a moment ofnervousness and embarrassment manifested in his body. Was he really about towaste his seniorâs time with his petty problem? For once, Yeongshik actuallyfelt concerned about his image as an idol. Would this scenario come back tobite him later? The guitarist already had a poor reputation within the idolcommunity for his poor attendance for things that didnât pertain exactly to hismusical talents, and it was only now after he had debuted that he was beginningto realize the value of them and the shame of not having realized theimportance sooner.
His stubborn resolve was what moved his weighted handagainst the door handle and slowly pushed the door open. The weight of the soundproofmaterial shocked him at first, but after a moment he regained his strength and movedinto the room with a bowed head and bent back as he repeatedly greeted hissenior. The rookie didnât spend much time with other idols, and even thoughthey were both from the same company, it was difficult to catch each other withconflicting schedules. He realized how lucky he was to have this moment of timewith someone as revered as Nitroâs Taewoo.
âIâm sorry fer disturbinâ you, seombaenim.â He said withanother bow. He wasnât comfortable enough with the dancer to refer to him byany other title. He felt his stomach churn a little with the nervousness thathad immobilized him before. Would this senior understand his NorthernGyeongsang-do dialect? His thoughts were brought to another standstill whenTaewoo apologized. Kingâs hands flew up and he waved them a little too hard whileshaking his head. His eyes grew wide, as though shocked at the very idea ofdancing.
âN-No! I donât uh, XLNC doesnât reallyââ his hands gesturedvaguely at his colleague but then stopped with a firm swipe of his hand, asthough cutting his nervous rambling in half. He cleared his throat, gave hishead a firm shake and tried again.
âI wuz jusâwonderinâ if I could take a minnut ov yer time tâaskfer some advice.â His full lips curled into a bit of an awkward half-smile. âSpeakinâfrankly, seombaenim, I have no fuckinâ idea what Iâm doinâ.â
A large, calloused and scarred hand moved to rub the back ofhis neck. For the last few nights his neck and shoulders had grown tense withanxiety. The skin around his eyes was darker than usual and his usual confidentposture was wilted and withered with stress. He brought his hands together andwrung his fingers around each other. Some knuckles inadvertently cracked andpopped, but it went unnoticed by the younger idol.
âI wuz jusâ here fer thâmusic. Producinâ, performinâ⌠butthese fanmeets anâ havinâ to watch what I say anâ how I say it. I canât sleepat night, itâs like learninâ a new language.â His hands moved to press againstthe sides of his head. âHow dâyâdeal with it all?â
 âHave you enjoyed your time in Chile, King oppa?â she asked. âGotten to see the sights and everything?âÂ
His stomach felt warm as the alcohol started to settle andrun its course through his body. He slurped one of the strawberries that werefloating in his drink. The taste was so refreshing he found himself hummingaloud with delight. His attention returned to the young woman in front of himas her hand gestures started to become a bit more pronounced than usual. Heleaned a little further back against the bar so as not to get in her way.
Yeongshikâs mind began to wander as he thought of his ownhome. He often missed the smell of the ocean before sunrise and the routine ofworking out at sea during the weekends and holidays from school. The kind olderladies that worked in the fishing market would often spoil him with treats orwould trade his familyâs goods for some of their own. There was alwayscompetition for who could sell the best product but there was an undeniablecamaraderie amongst them all, as they all shared the same strife and victoriesin such a competitive and depreciated industry. Being the son of a fishermanhad put a fairly large target on Yeongshikâs back las a point of ridicule andshame. For Yeongshik, however, he had always been proud of his familyâs work.
ââŚI mean, make some for you and XLNC.â
His eyes widened a little at the mention of his bandâs name.The Nightmare member seemed to look at him as though she was expecting somekind of an answer. As his mind tried to focus on what she had been talkingabout, his eyes shifted to the left, then to his drink, then back to her again.With no given clues as to what she had been talking about, he decided it wasbest to agree than to disagree.
âYeah, sure. That would be great.â He smiled and quicklybrought the glass to his mouth to stop himself from saying anything more,though as he tipped the glass back he found that it was empty.
âChile? Itâs nice. Havenât had much time tâsee much.â Hecommented with a bob of his head. âJinhwan-ah and I went to a convenience storeafter arrivinâ. Itâs all really different.â
He moved his arm over her to set his drink on the bar behindher. He bowed his head to the barkeep and then moved his hands into hispockets.
âWell, I have some studyinâ that I haveâtâdo. Japanesepromotions anâall.â
For: @taewooid
Word Count: 586
Plot: Flashback to XLNCâs first week of promotions. King is overwhelmed by the responsibilities and expectations of the idol lifestyle and is struggling to keep up. He turns to his senior, Taewoo of Nitro, for guidance.
King wasnât entirely sure what he had expected what his life would be like once he had officially debuted as an idol. He had assumed that he would get to perform, follow schedules and that would be it. He didnât realize the severity of maintaining an image not only on stage but also during fan meets. The persona in which the company had painted for him was not too far gone from his actual personality, save for being more tactful with memorized responses to certain fan or media questions. Even still, the entire experience left the 23 year old feeling as though his entire world had been ripped out from under him and he was barely struggling to keep his face above water.
He assumed most idols would turn to their fellow members and managers for support, but King did not have that luxury right now. Nearly a week before their official debut date, King had threatened to leave the company. Koala T. Music had promised him that he would be able to make and perform rock music, but had suddenly decided to push the group to perform pop-rock music instead. Yeongshik had deliberated for weeks about what he would do, but in the end it had all costed him the trust of his band mates and the company. His fellow guitarist, Jinhwan had given Yeongshik a very thorough talk that had not only put Yeongshik back into his place as an idol but also put the entire situation into perspective. He had not only jeopardized his own career, but the career of everyone in XLNC. The wound from that conversation was still very fresh and the rest of the group would hardly acknowledge him, never mind trying to speak with him.
The musicianâs feet dragged against the tiled floors of Koala M. Tâs halls, moving his body at the pace of an undead creature struggling to keep himself upright. His eyes struggled to keep open under the brim of the black ball cap he had pulled low on his head. Yeongshikâs destination was unknown, but the sound of a familiar pop song had drawn him further down the hall and towards the dance studios. This part of the company building carried an awkward weight of unfamiliarity and the very distinct pangs of imposition. XLNC never needed to come down here and King especially had no business here. The last time he had been in a dance studio was during his last days in 99 Entertainment before he had quit-- or was kicked out-- whichever version of the story one preferred-- and yet, here he was.
The guitarist found himself standing outside of the door of one of the smaller dancing studios. He peered into the window, though not too close to the door to avoid appearing too deliberate in his snooping. He recognized the pop song but honestly could not put his finger on the title. The artist, however, became very clear as the idol inside of the room was none other than Nitroâs dancer, Lee Taewoo. Yeongshik didnât know much about dancing but watching the older idolâs movements had put him into a trance. How in the world did he move with such fluidity? King was lucky to have mastered the step-ball-change move without stepping on his own feet.
When the music finally came to an end, Yeongshik knocked on the glass and gave a timid wave  while pointing to the door handle, silently asking if it was okay for him to come inside.
the fear of being stuck kicked in then, jinhwanâs stomach turning unpleasantly at the thought of being labelled as an idol band forever, but he pressed it down adamantly. âwe can try, though,â he added hastily, more to himself than yeongshik but a reply nonetheless. âi donât know how well itâll work, but fuck, hyung, iâm not gonna be stuck like this. i donât know about you, but iâm gonna make the music i want or die trying.â
Yeongshik watched the fire in Jinhwanâs eyes dim though notentirely extinguish. Whatever bridge that had connected the two musicians hadbeen severely burned and perhaps even severed. Yeongshik had never been one tomake strong connections with people, but Jinhwan had been one of the firsttrainees he had ever felt a genuine connection with. That connection he hadtaken for granted and now Yeongshik was beginning to feel the panic of thatloss.
He watched the measured breaths the younger member took andthe way the muscles and veins tensed and for the first time in a really longtime Yeongshik felt sick to his stomach. His lips parted as though he wanted tospeak but his panic had a death grip on his throat that silenced him and threatenedhim not to make the situation worse. His breath only returned to his lungs whenJinhwan relaxed his posture and slouched against the door. The crease betweenYeongshikâs eyebrows grew deeper and he shifted his stance a little to get abetter look at his dongsaengâs eyes as he gave his answer.
Another slow exhale released through his nose as he forcedhis lips into a tight line. King didnât like his answer. Of course they allwanted to make good music. They all wanted to play their instruments and theyall wanted to do the best they could do. The pride that came with King made itdifficult to bend the knee to anything other than the music he felt he was bornand bred to do. His large arms rose up and crossed over his chest revealing thesoundwave tattoo he had gotten during his first weeks in Seoul, the permanentproof of his dedication to his craft. At the same time, Jinhwan alsostraightened and announced his own resolve and defense of breakup songs. Onecorner of Kingâs lips curled up and his chin lifted a little.
âIâd love tâhear âem.â His brows rose to soften his image.He looked as though he was laughing at his fellow musician, but he genuinelywanted to hear what he had produced. However, after this conversation King wasbeginning to realize he may never get that chance.
The smirk faded with Jinhwanâs assumption of what thecompany would do to his creative control within the group. The thought hadnâtdawned on him and Jinhwan could undoubtedly see the shocking realization ofthat fact as his eyes widened and his shoulders slacked. Silence lapsed betweenthe two again and one of the knuckles in Yeongshikâs fingers cracked under thepure force in which he was clenching his hands under his arms. His mind felt asthough it was melting. The dream that had been within his grasp was suddenly beingripped out from under him and â ironically â it was himself who had pulled itout from under his feet.
Jinhwanâs voice, tight and determined, rang through theimpending panic attack like a bell breaking a deep sleep. âWe can try, though.â
Yeongshikâs arms fell to his sides and it was at that momenthe had heard the answer he wanted. He felt his heart clench like a vice in hischest. He saw that burnt bridge and imagined that despite the connection beingsevered, he wondered if it would be possible to rebuild something bigger andbetter⌠assuming Jinhwan was willing.
The overwhelming wave of emotion washed over the guitaristin a way he hadnât expected and he felt the all too familiar stinging sensationripping through his sinuses and threatening to wet his eyes.
âI love thâsound of that,â his voice cracked. âIâm willinâ tâfightwith yuh.â He extended his hand to his fellow guitarist. âI know I fucked upâŚbut Iâll fight tâmake the music we want tâmake too.â
SoâŚI was at Chile. Iâll be upfront, Iâm an XL-ENT. I went there to shoot some pictures. In doing saw, I managed to find an uncharacteristically intimate moment between the boys. They were all group hugging together after their performance on stage ă ă King even had tears in his eyesâŚthey were sparkling with such warmthâŚyou could really just feel how much love they have for their fans and for each other.
I really wish that more people would come out to support XLNCâŚtheyâve worked so hard to get where they are now and I just want to see them succeeding happilyâŚTheyâre all so talented too! Really, you can look up some of their Japan performances where they can play their instruments live, itâs so impressive. Please check them out!!!
POST RESPONSE | [ + 60 ] [ - 4 ]
1. [ ă ă ] I study abroad in Japan right now, and XLNC are actually pretty popular among the students? I went to one of their shows with a friend and they were su~per fun!
2. [ 기ííš ] Our KingâŚIâll follow you until the ends of timeâŚahâŚ.Iâm tearing up now. What a kind heartâŚ
3. [ ă ă ] Me too, OP. I really just want to see them succeeding. XLNC, please grow and bloom beautifully together. Letâs walk the flower path~
She nodded along and managed to smile at him. âDo you cook a lot of fish? I have never had much of a chance to cook.âÂ
The geunine attention that Jia gave to him as he exploitedhis knowledge of fish only further spurred the young man on to talk more. Mostpeople never bothered to ask him for his advice or claimed he was too pickywhen they went grocery shopping. He felt like he ought to go into details aboutthe best ways to fish and where to find properly captured fish but when helooked over his glass at Jia her eyes were wide and for a moment he wondered ifhe had perhaps overwhelmed her with his wealth of information.
âSorry,â he chuckled between sips.
Most of the members of XLNC had no issues abandoning him inmid conversation or telling him to stop (or more accurately: shut up) when theyhad enough. Grocery shopping with him â in their words â had become somethingas a nightmare. They would do the majority of the shopping while he talked withthe butchers and the fish peddlers in the shop to find the best quality fishfor the best price. The other boys had called it embarrassing, but toYeongshik, it was a part of his everyday life. In the end, the others nevercomplained about the meat. That was all that mattered to him.
Her question regarding his cooking, however, had him stoppingin mid sip and he very nearly choked on a strawberry that had tried to sneak itsway into his mouth.
âCook? Me?â He dabbed the back of his hand against hismouth. âSometimes. If itâs fish, I like tâgrill it. Jusâ simple stuff thatenhances the flavour. But I aienât that good ova cook.â He rubbed the back ofhis neck with his free hand. Cooking was not his specialty in the least. Evenwhen he was living alone he rarely cooked. He felt himself withdraw back intohimself as he found less and less to contribute to the conversation. Hestruggled for a moment until finally something came to mind.
âDo you cook?â
He didnât put the ability past her, but a part of him wasgenuinely curious. Between her awkward demeanor and general lack of coordination(as far as he had seen), he wondered if she actually was good at it, or if itwas something the members of Nightmare would even allow her to do.
jinhwan hummed, thinking, scuffing his feet along the sidewalk. âiâve been to thailand for vacation, a few times,â he listed casually, trying to remember his travels from when he was younger. âindonesia, i think twice? and vietnam once, when i was nine. but never anywhere this far.â jinhwan shrugged, then paused once he realized that they had reached something that seemed like a convenience store. âthis it, hyung?â
Yeongshik caught his bandmateâs unimpressed stare. Fatigue and hunger had destroyed whatever remainder of social etiquette the guitarist had and he felt his eyes uncontrollably roll to the back of his head. He rolled his head against his shoulders a little as though it might hide the fact that he felt exasperated by Jinhwanâs nagging, but at this point he didnât really care.
âI know.â He huffed through his face mask. However, the point his fellow guitarist had made of Korea being a bust had King stopping in his tracks. He reached for Jinhwanâs shoulder to stop him. âHey. South Korea isnât a bust. We jusâneed more time. Weâre jusâtryinâ our luck witha country thatâs more open tâour style of music, right?â His eyes attempted to stare into his companionâs, though he struggled between the bags that weighed them down and the bright sun that managed to shine into his vision despite his hat. âWeâll make it. We jusâneed more time.â
He gave Jinhwanâs shoulder a light squeeze and resumed walking further down the street until Jinhwan once again broke the silence with more insistent advice. King shoved his hands into his pockets and tilted his head a little towards Jinhwan.
âTrusâme. If it wusnât for tâfact that Iâm starvinâ, Iâd be sleepinâ.â he chuckled. âI appreciate thâadvice though.â He cleared his throat a bit. Even in his sleep-deprived state, he could tell that Jinhwan was not at all entertained by their circumstances. ââBout the airplane thing, yer right. Iâll try tâbe more prepared next time.â He knew that the flight between Korea and Japan would be considerably shorter than trips to North and South America, but the stress was all the same for the sea-born musician. He looked over his shoulder at the fansites that had followed from Korea, China, Japan and even locally. He noticed a couple had gestured in their general direction and King felt a small shiver roll up his spine. They didnât seem to follow, so Yeongshik assumed they were in the clear.
He took in the different architecture as they crossed the street. He followed the street and spotted a short building with a large red sign. The general appearance resembled a variety store. He could only hope that it actually was. Jinhwanâs perspective on visiting new places caused a small smile to curl behind the black face mask he wore. He bobbed his head in agreement and rubbed a little bit of sun and sleep out of his eyes.
âYâcan say that again.â He didnât take any offense to the comment. Jinhwan certainly wasnât wrong. Traveling had been something Yeongshik had always been mildly interested in, but the time and opportunity rarely presented itself. âIt must be nice tâbe able tâvisit so many places.â He hummed. For a brief moment he thought about asking Jinhwan if his parents worked in some sort of foreign affairs trade, but they had already come to a stop at the red building that Yeongshik had spotted earlier.
âThink so,â he answered and nudged the door open to step inside. The interior was a lot bigger than he had expected. There were shelves of different produce and products, almost none of which looked familiar to him. He had hoped it would have been similar to a seven eleven with pre-made meals that he could buy to go.
âLetâs explore!â He urged and gestured down the far end of the store. He grabbed a small basket and proceeded down the aisle.
The door rang and slam shut behind them and a few others came inside, but Yeongshik was far too fascinated by the things in the store to notice the hushed female Spanish voices that were lurking a fair distance behind them.
A large hand reached for an apple and brought it to his nose. It was so fresh that Yeongshik nearly drooled behind his mask. âJinhwan-ah, dâyâwant one? Iâm gonna grab one for everyone.â He grabbed a small plastic bag and began to fill it with apples. One for each member.
âWonder if theyâve got any cookies or somethinâ.â
Interview Prompt: 3/3 (completed 9 questions)
Word Count: 1977 words
Points: +6 EXP
Studying Japanese had always been a struggle for the musician. He had learned a little during high school, but his attention had been focused on creating music rather than passing his classes. The only reason he had maintained his knowledge of the language was because of his interest in Japanese rock music. He could read basic hiragana and katakana, but his ability to recognize and write Kanji was entirely out of the question. He could speak survival level Japanese and with Jinhwanâs help he was beginning to fix his accent. But otherwise, the guitaristâs brain felt as though it was going to melt right out of his ears as their preparation for their Japanese promotions were just around the corner. The pressure to be able to speak during interviews and to be able to read and memorize scripts for performances had been occupying his mind for months.
As with any kind of information gathering, there was only so much he could retain in a day before the words on the page began to melt into blurred lines with little to no meaning. It was time for a break.
Yeongshik reached for his cellphone and flipped it on itâs side and leaned it against his wall behind his fesk. He tapped his way to his instagram app. He kept his chin pressed on the table on top of his study notes as he waited for people to sign into the channel. It look a couple of minutes, especially considering the late hour in which he was streaming. However, there were always the handful of loyal XL-ENTs that had notifications on for his account. He saw a few familiar usernames pop up as the notifications began to roll in.
âOopa-ya, youâre so handsome!â
âWhat is this friend doing? Kkkkâ
âHELLO FROM BRAZILâ
Warmth washed over Yeongshik and a small smile curled on the corner of his lips as his eyes tired eyes skimmed the comments.
âHi everyone,â His voice cracked a little with fatigue. The comments suddenly exploded asking if he had been resting. âIâm fine. My voice izâgone âcause of preparinâ fer promotions.â he wiggled his eyebrows and chuckled. âI think yâall know âbout our upcominâ tour in Japan, right?â He sat up a little and cleared his throat. He paused a little longer to let the comments flood. Some were related to his topic, others werenât. Most he honestly couldnât even read.
âIâve been tryinâ tâstudy Japanese.â He lifted his head from the table and picked up his notebook. Though, as he tried to carefully remove the book from the desk, his phone slipped and fell onto the desk with a loud clack. âOh shi---ba inu!â He wheezed and chuckled awkwardly at his verbal save. His large hand consumed the majority of the camera for a short moment as he righted the phone back against the wall. He grabbed his eraser and used it as a stopper to hold the phone in place.
âYâheard that, right? Thaâssa new Japanese word. Shiba Inu. Not tâbe confused withâuh bad Korean word that I definitely wussn't gonna say.â he chuckled again. The comments rolled aggressively as fans started to spam the chat with the actual swear word he had nearly said. He needed to change the topic quickly.
âIâve been studyinâ for a few hours now anâ Iâm gettinâ tired. So I thought Iâd take some questions tâanswer.â His eyes scanned the comments. âNo, no. This aienât procrastination. This is productive, right? Maybe I can try tâanswer a question in Japanese. OH! Thereâs one!â
The camera shook as his hands reached for thr phone again he held his finger on the comment so it wouldn't disappear in the steady stream. He recognized the hiragana characters. He read them out loud slowly. âGe-n-ki de-su-ka? Oh! Genki desu!â he chuckled at himself. âAre you well? I'm well.â He translated back into Korean.
He hummed the chorus to their new single as he  set the phone back against the wall, but leaned in close to the phone to skim through the newer comments to read some other questions that he could answer.
âIs there something the public doesnât know about you?â
âThis is a good one!â he read out loud. âMany people know that I grew up in Pohang and that my family catches and sells fish. But what many people donât know is that Iâm super picky about the fish I eat. If itâs not fresh, I wonât eat it. It makes the members angry.â His mouth quirked in a way that was a mixed expression of amusement and mild embarrassment. âI can look atta fish anâ can tell you exactly what kind of fish it is anâif itâs good quality. Itâs a special talent. Iâm like an X-Man.â He smiled and nodded, though immediately felt his ears grow hot with embarrassment. He sputtered laughter and gently banged his forehead on the desk. âOkay, next question.â
âHas anything influenced the direction youâve taken either in music or achievements?â
Kingâs head bobbed up and down as he read the question and hummed aloud. âThereâve actually been many things anâmany people that've influenced me and my work; both in positive anânegative ways.â He sat up and leaned back in his chair and twirled his pencil between his fingers. âI think many people would try tâdiscredit the negative things⌠buor wanna ignore 'em, but I think itâs important tâexperience and embrace those things. Otherwise we wouldnât be the people we are today, right?â He hummed thoughtfully. His eyes stared at the wall as memories played in his vision.
âWhen I joined KMT I thought I was gonna be a rock star, but as y'all know, XLNCâs music is more pop. At first I didn't like it, and I thought I was really gonna quit. But thâmembers really urged me tâstay anâ try. I can say now that I honestly enjoy it, anâ cuz of these experiences Iâve been able tâgrow as a musician and as a person.â He twisted the pencil in his hand but it flipped out of his reach and landed with a loud clack against the phone. His eyes grew wide and his mouth formed a toothy grimace. Yeongshik's hands reached out to catch the cellphone before it could fall again. âSorry!â He chortled and returned the phone to its position and found another interesting question in the comments.
âIf you were given the chance, would you do it all again the same way?â
A long exhale huffed from his chest. âWow. That'sâa heavy question.â He folded his arms behind his head while his eyes looked up at the ceiling. âIf youâd asked me that question two years ago, I wouldâve said no.â He leaned back in his computer chair and twisted it back and forth a little. Â
âMeetinâ thâmembers of XLNC really opened my eyes tâmany things. I think if I didnât meet âem, I wouldnât be as strong as I am now.â He reached across his desk and pulled out a Dazed and Confused magazine and opened it to the page that had been bookmarked with a post-it-note. He opened it and held it up to the camera. There was a spread of some pictures of XLNC's King. The pictures were admitting awkward and in many of them, he wasn't even looking ay the camera.
âThree years ago I wouldnâtâve ever thoughtâov doinâ somethinâ like this, but âcuzâov Haneul-ahâs advice anâ thâ support of management at KMT, I was able tâhave this chance.â He set the book aside and drummed his fingers on it a moment. âSo tâanswer, I would say yes. Iâd do it all again.â
âWhere are the other members?â
He hummed and rolled his eyes up as though he was genuinely thinking about where they might be. A slow, dry smile that didnât quite reach his eyes spread across his lips. âTheyâre not here. Iâm alone in the dorm right now. Next!â
âIn what aspect have you changed the most since debut (if at all)?â
âI think my mind has opened a lot. There are many things that Iâve learned since becominâ an idol. The experiences I talked âbout beforeâve really changed me. Iâve also changed physically. Look here.â He held his hand up to the camera to show his hands.
âYâcan see calluses anâscars right? These are thâhands of a fishermanâs son. But recently theyâve become very soft.â He pulled his hand back to look at them himself and shook his head.
âFans asked me tâuse hand creams at signinâ events. I keep gettinâ them as gifts.â He leaned to the left in his chair and gestured to his shelf behind him and pointed towards a white shoe box. âThat box is fullâov different lotions anâcreams.â He leaned back into the camera and smiled a little. âRight now Iâm using Tonymoly Pikachu hand cream.â Yeongshik's hand reached across the desk again and brought out a bright yellow tube with the mouse pokemon on it. âItâs cute, right? It smells nice. The fan that gave this tâme said I looked like pikachu. I think I look like Bulbasaur.â
âIf yâhad to choose another profession what wouldja choose?â
âFishing?â he chuckled, âOh, you mean in the entertainment industry?â He frowned and puffed out his bottom lip. âIâm really notta good actor. Iâm still not good with cameras. Modeling is very difficult. I think Iâd like tâstick with music. Maybe producing full time or perhaps beinâ a guitar teacher.â He snorted softly. âI dunno if Iâd make a good teacher though. Iâm not very patient.â
Comments about his patience and fishing started to rapidly flood through the comments. He laughed aloud, his teeth showing and his infectious hiccuping laughter rang in the small room. âPatience with teaching anâ patience with fishing are two completely different things. Really. Okay! I've got time fer one more question before I need tâgo.â
âWho is the single most influence person to your career? Be it in a musical capacity or otherwise.â
Yeongshik hissed loudly as he read the question. It was so difficult to pin the needle on any one specific person. He groaned and rubbed his hands through his hair. âThis is a hard one! Ahh, I guess if I had to choose, Iâd say it was my parents. Does that count? Theyâreâa pair so itâs basically like one, right?â He snorted softly.
âReally though. They introduced me tâmusic. My father would sing at sea. My mother played music on the radio. I was always surrounded by music. If I didnât get that much exposure to it, maybe I wouldnâtâve cared.â He shrugged his shoulders. âMy parents were also thâones who helped me get my first guitar.â He jumped up from his seat and walked towards the foot of his bed. He picked up an incredibly worn acoustic guitar.
âAt thâtime they didnât have enough money tâget me a new one. So they saved up an'got me this used one from a man in thâcity. Thâfirst thing I ever saved up tâbuy were new strings.â He strummed a G major chord and slapped the strings silent with the palm of his hand. âAhh. Now I wanna play. Should I play a teaser for our Japanese single before I go?â
The hearts started to flood the chat. If there was one word he could read in almost any language, it was the word âYesâ.
King smiled a broad, toothy smile. âAlright. Iâll do a soft acoustic version of the chorus.â
His thumb graced over the six strings as he calmly played his own rendition of their new Japanese single. It was familiar enough to be recognized by those who had heard it already, but for those who hasn't may not recognize it. When the chorus came to an end he leaned into th camera and waved his farewell and turned off the stream
 Jia did not want to get drunk in front of King, but she doubted she could continue talking to him without some liquid courage. âYouâre pretty impressive too. I have never met anyone who knows so much about fish.â Fish. Really. She complimented his knowledge of fish? Not his talent vocally or instrumentally, but his fish knowledge. She really was an idiot.
King noticed the way her skin flushed when he had asked his question. He wasnât entirely sure why she would be embarrassed by it, though through his narrow upbringing he never had experienced encountering a foreigner before, unless they were tourists visiting the sights in Pohang. They had transfer students from Seoul or other parts of Korea and their accents were a little different, but that was it. Her lack of eye contact had him raising an eyebrow a moment, but this girl had always been awkward and shy. He internally shrugged a shoulder and leaned against the bar as she started to very quickly explain herself.
âThatâs cool,â he said with genuine interest. âI thought people in America only spoke English.â He hummed. He rolled against the wall onto his shoulder so that he could also watch the bartender add the finishing touches to their drinks. It looked incredibly sweet, but he was willing to try it. There was certainly no way he would be able to get a drink like this in South Korea.
When the drinks came forward he extended his hands politely towards her and lowered his head in thanks as he received the drink. His eyes grew wide and his lips formed an âoâ as he stared at the dark red drink. There were a large number of strawberries floating in the top, and he could smell the fresh sweetness from the strawberries. He held the glass carefully up to his nose and inhaled. He could smell the sugar and the strength of the red wine.
âItâs very preddy,â he complimented. âThank you.â
King waited for her to get her own drink. He held his glass to hers with a soft clink. His steady hands kept the drink from spilling over the shallow glass ledge. Some might compliment it and suggest it was related to his work as a fisherman, but the truth of the matter was that the boy drank like a fish and had many-a-times been scolded by his elders for spilling soju from a full cup.
He offered her a smile, âCheers.â
The first sip was a little shocking. Yeongshik rarely drank wine-- in fact, he couldnât remember the last time he drank it. The initial flavour was sweet, but the dry and bitter aftertaste of the wine settled heavily in his chest. It was earthy but sweet. A sound reverberated in his chest. It was contemplative and entirely neutral. He took another sip. His eyes stared intensely at the empty space in front of him as he tried to make sense of the sweetness of the strawberries and sugar, but the overall warm intensity of the wine. He smacked his lips together and drew in a deep breath through his nose before finally releasing his verdict.
âItâs delicious.â
Yeongshik continued to drink in contemplative silence when the word âfishâ suddenly popped into his ear. âHm?â He turned to look at her again, though this time it was over the rim of his glass as he was trying to catch a strawberry with his tongue.
âKnowing fish is like knowing music. With enough exposure you become a master.â His smile curled a little more at the edges and his shoulder briefly raised in a nonchalant shrug. âAnyone can point out the difference between a mackerel and a tuna fish. Itâs like telling a pug from a corgi. Anyone can do it. But the real trick is guessing the freshness and the age of the fish.â He twirled the drink in his glass a little. âFor example, if youâre shopping for fish, and the one youâre holding has a really strong fishy smell, donât touch it. Fish should only have a soft scent. The eyes should be bright and big and the gills should also be shiny.â
