Ara agrees to a “light workout” with Changbin and quickly learns that his definition of beginner-friendly is a lie.
This is not proofread, please don’t point out my dyslexic spelling errors I’ll cry ;-;
Ara’s first warning sign should’ve been the way Changbin said it. Not the words, no, those were innocent enough.
“Let’s go to the gym together, noona!”
It was the tone. The absolute conviction. The sparkling, dangerous enthusiasm. The look in his eyes like he’d just been handed the keys to a tank and told it was legally his now.
Ara paused in the dorm hallway with her strawberry lemonade halfway to her lips. “Together?”
Changbin nodded so hard his entire body agreed. “Together.”
“Like…for fun?”
“Fun,” he confirmed with the same voice as someone promising they would “just peek” into a haunted house.
Seungmin, sitting on the couch scrolling through his phone, didn’t even look up. “Don’t do it, noona.”
Ara blinked. “What?”
“I said don’t do it.” Seungmin finally glanced up, expression flat. “He thinks ‘warm-up’ means ‘pre-workout.’”
Changbin whipped his head around. “Yah! Why are you slandering me?”
“Because I love her and I’m trying to save her life,” Seungmin said calmly. “This is an intervention.”
Jeongin, chewing something suspiciously sounding like her favorite granola, leaned over the back of the couch. “Noona, if you go, can I have your snacks?”
Felix appeared from nowhere like a sunshine ghost. “Wait, you’re going to the gym with Changbin?” His eyes got huge with both awe and fear. “Ara…you’re brave.”
Ara stared at them. “Why is everyone acting like Changbin is about to feed me to the barbell?”
Changbin clapped once, loud enough that Felix flinched and Jeongin choked on his (stolen) granola. “Because they are dramatic and weak.”
Seungmin raised one eyebrow. “No, we are traumatized.”
Jeongin nodded solemnly. “I saw him do push-ups while talking. Like…conversation push-ups.”
Felix shuddered. “He does squats when waiting for the microwave.”
Changbin frowned. “That’s called efficiency.”
Ara laughed, but it came out a little uncertain. Changbin wasn’t wrong. He was the kind of person who treated “rest” like a rumor.
Still—this was Changbin. Her boy. Her loud, affectionate, relentlessly supportive Binnie Bear. She loved spending time with him, and she knew he’d been wanting more one-on-one bonding lately, especially with how busy schedules had been.
And…if she was being honest?
Ara had been feeling a little restless. A little out of her body. A little like she’d been pouring herself into everyone else and forgetting to refill her own battery.
Maybe the gym wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe it would be fun. Maybe—
Changbin grinned like he’d read her mind. “I’ll make it easy for you.”
Seungmin’s eyes narrowed. “Liar.”
Changbin pointed at him. “I’m not lying. I mean it. Beginner-friendly. Light workout.”
Ara tilted her head. “Light?”
Changbin placed his hand over his heart like he was swearing an oath. “Light. Like a feather. Like a cloud. Like…Felix’s personality.”
Felix gasped. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.” He said, wiping a faux tear.
Jeongin stared at Ara. “He’s totally lying.”
Changbin swung his gym bag onto his shoulder with such confidence it should’ve been illegal. “Ara, I will take care of you. I will teach you proper form. I will make you strong.”
Ara took a sip of her lemonade like it would protect her. “I’m already strong.”
Changbin’s eyes softened instantly. “I know. But I mean strong in the ‘you can carry six grocery bags at once’ way.”
Ara laughed again, and this time it was real. “You could’ve just offered to help me with groceries.”
“Too late,” Changbin said brightly. “We go to the gym.”
Seungmin sighed like he was watching a tragedy unfold in real time. “I’ll start preparing the funeral arrangements.”
Ara pointed at him. “Stop it, puppy.”
Seungmin pointed back at her. “Remember I warned you.”
Felix grabbed her hand gently. “If you don’t make it back, I’ll water Kevin the Second for you.”
Ara snorted. “Thanks, Lixie-Pixie.”
Jeongin leaned forward. “Can I have your hoodie that Chan-hyung gave you if you die?”
Ara flicked his forehead, smiling at his giggles. “Get out of my face.”
Changbin practically vibrated with joy. “Let’s gooooo!”
And because Ara loved her boys more than life itself and sometimes made decisions based on affection rather than survival instinct, she agreed to the gym peer pressure..
Ara stood in her and Chan’s closet ten minutes later staring into her closet like it had personally betrayed her.
She wasn’t NOT a gym person. She walked. She danced. She stayed active. She had stamina. She was an idol for god’s sake.
But Changbin-gym was different. Changbin-gym was…a lifestyle. A religion.
A place where people willingly lifted heavy objects repeatedly and then smiled about it like they’d just had a lovely cup of tea.
Ara pulled out a cute matching set—soft pastel, flattering, comfortable—and immediately pictured Changbin saying, “Cute! Now do fifteen burpees.”
She put it back with a whisper of fear.
Then she considered sweatpants and an oversized hoodie. Safe. Modest. Comfy.
But she could already hear Changbin: “You need mobility. You need breath. You need freedom for your limbs.” Like she was about to fight in a medieval war.
She ended up choosing black leggings, a loose shirt of Hyunjins that she turned into a cut up crop top, and a comfy pair of sneakers. Practical. Neutral. Not too cute, yet not too sloppy.
She tied her hair up into a ponytail, stared at her reflection, and pointed at herself sternly.
“This is fine,” she told herself. “It’s gonna be light.”
As she made it back to the living room, Changbin was already stretching like he was preparing for battle.
Ara watched him touch his toes with ease and then casually crack his neck.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Changbin beamed. “I’m amazing.”
“Are you always…like this before the gym?”
“Before the gym, during the gym, after the gym,” he said. “The gym is inside me.”
Ara blinked. “That sounds like a cult, Binnie.”
Changbin laughed, then noticed her outfit and gave her a thumbs-up. “You look ready.”
“Do I?” Ara asked cautiously.
Changbin nodded. “Yes. You look like you’ll survive.”
Ara narrowed her eyes. “Survive.”
Changbin patted her shoulder. “You’ll be okay, noona. Light workout, remember.”
Seungmin, passing by with a bowl of cereal, muttered without stopping, “Liar.”
Changbin yelled after him, “STOP SAYING THAT!”
Seungmin lifted his spoon in farewell. “Good luck, noona.”
Ara mouthed, ‘help me’.
Seungmin mouthed back, ‘you chose this’.
Felix called from the couch, “Ara! Remember to drink water!”
Ara pointed at him. “Thank you. Someone in this house loves me.”
Felix smiled sweetly. “I do love you!”
Jeongin, mouth now full of Seungmin’s cereal, added, “I love you too. Please leave your snacks where I can find them.”
Ara laughed and ruffled his hair, grabbed her water bottle, and followed Changbin out.
Changbin drove them to the gym like a man on a mission, music up, one hand tapping the steering wheel with enthusiasm.
Ara sat in the passenger seat like she was preparing mentally for a trial.
“I just want to clarify,” she said. “When you say light workout, what does that mean?”
Changbin glanced at her, sincere. “It means we don’t go too heavy.”
Ara nodded slowly. “Okay. And what is ‘too heavy’ for you?”
Changbin paused, thoughtful.
Ara waited.
Changbin said, “We’ll figure it out.”
Ara stared at him. “That’s not an answer.”
Changbin smiled like sunshine. “It’s flexible.”
“It’s a trap, is what it is.” Ara muttered.
Changbin pulled into the parking lot and reached into his gym bag. “Here.”
He held out a small bottle like it was a sacred offering.
Ara squinted. “What is that?”
Changbin said, proud, “Pre-workout.”
Ara recoiled. “Absolutely not.”
Changbin laughed. “It’s not scary.”
Ara eyed the bottle like it might bite her. “Isn’t that the thing that makes your heart feel like it’s running from the police?”
Changbin’s smile widened. “It gives you energy.”
“I already have energy.” She argued.
Changbin tilted his head. “Do you?”
Ara opened her mouth to retort, then closed it.
Changbin leaned closer with puppy eyes. “Just a little.”
Ara pointed at him. “Hey! You are not allowed to weaponize your cuteness.”
Changbin pouted. “Noonaaaaaa.”
Ara sighed. “Fine. A sip.”
Changbin practically sparkled. He opened it, shook it, handed it to her.
Ara took the smallest sip imaginable. It tasted like sour candy, electricity, and regret.
Ara coughed. “Why does it taste like a battery?”
Changbin grinned. “Good, right?”
Ara stared at the container. “This is what people drink willingly?”
“Yes!”
Ara handed it back like it was radioactive. “If I start vibrating, I’m suing you.”
Changbin laughed. “Come on. Let’s go.”
They stepped into the gym and Ara immediately became aware of…everything.
The smell of rubber mats. The clank of weights. The low hum of treadmills. The mirrors. The people.
The people who looked like they practically lived here.
Ara kept her face calm, because she was an idol and she had dignity (and training), but internally she felt like a small animal in a very loud zoo.
Changbin, however, looked like he’d just arrived home after a long trip.
“Okay,” he said, already in trainer mode. “First we warm up.”
Ara nodded. “Okay. Warm up.”
Changbin pointed toward the treadmills.
Ara followed him, still optimistic.
Five minutes later, she realized that optimism is for fools.
Ara walked at a gentle pace, thinking, ‘Okay. This is fine. This is normal.’
Changbin walked beside her at a pace that suggested he was power-walking away from any of his problems.
Then he increased his incline.
Ara stared. “Why did you do that.”
Changbin blinked innocently. “Warm up.”
Ara glanced at her treadmill. “My incline is zero.”
Changbin looked genuinely confused. “Why?”
“Because,” Ara said slowly, “I am warming up.”
Changbin frowned like she was speaking a foreign language. “But you’re not…sweating.”
Ara leaned toward him. “Changbin. If I sweat during the warm-up, I will die during the workout.”
Changbin’s face brightened with inspiration. “Okay. Then we make you sweat during warm-up a little.”
Ara’s eyes widened. “No—”
Changbin reached over and pressed buttons.
Ara’s treadmill incline rose.
Ara’s treadmill speed rose.
Ara’s soul left her body.
“Changbin!” she yelped.
Changbin held up both hands. “It’s still light! Just a little!”
Ara began power-walking against gravity like she was hiking up a mountain in flip-flops.
“Why am I climbing Everest?” she demanded.
Changbin jogged beside her easily, breathing normally. “You’re doing great!”
Ara stared at him with betrayal in her eyes. “You’re not even sweating.”
Changbin blinked. “I don’t sweat until later.”
Ara wheezed. “I’m sweating now.”
Changbin’s smile softened. “Okay, okay. After warm-up, we stretch.”
Ara gasped out, “Thank God.”
Changbin nodded. “Then we do legs.”
Ara froze. “…Legs?”
Changbin’s grin returned. “Yeah.”
Ara stared at him like he’d just said he was going to throw her into the sun.
“You said light workout,” she reminded him.
“This is light,” Changbin said confidently. “Legs are essential.”
Ara narrowed her eyes. “Why are you trying to ruin my ability to walk?”
Changbin laughed, delighted. “Ara, trust me. You will feel strong.”
Ara muttered, “I already feel regret.”
Changbin, oblivious to her spiritual crisis, checked his watch. “Okay! Warm-up done. Stretch time.”
Ara stepped off the treadmill and immediately felt her calves complain. Not in pain. Not yet. But complained like they were filing paperwork.
Changbin guided her to the mats and dropped into a deep stretch with the ease of someone who had never been betrayed by their own muscles.
Ara lowered into a stretch and immediately realized her body and Changbin’s body were operating under different laws of physics.
Changbin watched her carefully. “Don’t force it.”
Ara nodded, grateful. “Thank you.”
Changbin gently adjusted her posture with light pressure on her shoulder, a quiet correction at her hip, respectful and focused.
Ara appreciated it…until he said casually,
“Okay. Now do it deeper.”
Ara blinked. “Deeper.”
Changbin nodded. “Yeah. You can do it.”
Ara stared at him. “You’re actually trying to break me.”
Changbin laughed. “No! I’m trying to improve you.”
“I was fine,” Ara said, stretching like her hamstrings were strings about to snap. “I was a complete person before this. Now I’m shattered.”
Changbin clapped once. “Okay! Now we do squats.”
Ara inhaled. “Okay. Squats. I can do squats.”
Changbin’s face lit up. “Yes, you can! That’s the spirit.”
Ara held onto that confidence like a life raft. They walked to the squat rack. Ara looked at the bar. The bar looked back. The bar looked… heavy.
Ara swallowed. “That’s…the bar.”
Changbin nodded. “Yes. That’s the bar.”
Ara pointed at it. “Isn’t that too heavy?”
Changbin blinked again, innocent. “It’s just the bar.”
Ara stared at him. “That is legally a weapon.”
Changbin laughed. “Ara. It’s okay. We’ll start with no weight.”
Changbin’s trainer voice got gentle, encouraging. “Good. Now sit back like you’re sitting into a chair.”
Ara lowered into a squat.
Changbin watched with proud eyes. “Yes! Perfect.”
Ara rose again, feeling smug for exactly one second.
Changbin said, “Okay. Now do it ten more times.”
Ara’s smugness died.
“Ten?”
Changbin nodded. “Ten. Easy.”
Ara started counting aloud.
“One…two…three…”
By “five,” she was beginning to regret ever being born.
Changbin, meanwhile, looked like he was watching a baby animal take its first steps.
“Ara,” he said softly, almost reverent. “Your form is good.”
Ara panted. “Thank you.”
Changbin smiled. “Okay. Now we add the bar.”
Ara stopped breathing. “…Add the bar.”
Changbin nodded as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “Just the bar.”
Ara stared at him like she was seeing him for the first time.
“This,” she said slowly, “is not beginner-friendly.”
Changbin leaned forward, serious for a moment. “Ara, I promise. You can do it. I will spot you.”
Ara didn’t know why, but something about his sincerity made her chest warm.
Changbin might be a force to be reckoned with in the gym, but he wasn’t cruel. Especially not to her. He genuinely believed in her. He genuinely wanted her to feel strong.
Ara sighed dramatically. “Fine.”
Changbin’s smile returned immediately. “Yes!”
He loaded the bar into position and guided her beneath it carefully, hands hovering near her shoulders, ready to help without overstepping.
Changbin noticed instantly and softened his voice as he held her waist. “It’s okay. It’s just a bar. Your body is stronger than you think.”
Ara swallowed. “I feel it in my bones.”
Changbin chuckled. “One rep.”
“One,” Ara echoed. “Just one.”
Changbin nodded. “Just one.”
Ara bent her knees and lowered carefully. Her thighs immediately screamed at her.
Changbin leaned closer. “Good. Good. Now push up.”
Ara pushed.
Her legs shook.
Changbin’s hands held her waist. “I’ve got you. Push.”
Ara’s jaw clenched. She pushed harder.
She rose back up.
She did it.
She stood there, panting, eyes wide with shock.
Changbin lit up like she’d won an Olympic medal. “YES! Ara! That was good!”
Ara blinked. “I did it.”
Changbin laughed. “You did it!”
Ara, albeit against her will, felt proud. Just a little.
Then Changbin said the sentence that changed everything. “Okay. Again.”
Ara stared at him.
Changbin smiled.
Ara whispered, “No.”
Changbin’s smile didn’t falter. “Just one more.”
Ara’s soul left her body again. And that was when Ara realized: The gym wasn’t going to be a cute bonding activity. It was going to be a disaster.
A hilarious, humiliating, potentially character-building disaster. And Changbin—sweet, supportive, terrifying Changbin—was only getting started.
Ara realized she was in trouble when the gym started getting…noisier.
Not louder, exactly, it had always been loud, but sharper. Every sound felt like it was being piped directly into her head and amplified. The clank of weights became metallic and sudden. The whirr of treadmills buzzed like static. Someone dropped a dumbbell across the room and the thud made her flinch before she could stop herself.
She straightened immediately, slightly embarrassed, hoping Changbin hadn’t noticed.
He had.
“Hey,” he said gently, stepping closer. “You okay?”
Ara nodded too fast. “Yeah. Totally. I’m good.”
Changbin studied her for half a second longer than she deemed necessary, then smiled. “See? You’re doing great.”
She smiled back, because that was easier than explaining that her chest felt tight in a way that wasn’t physical, that her skin felt too aware of everything touching it—the bar, the mat, the sweat, the noise, the mirrors.
She told herself to breathe. She could do this.
Changbin turned back toward the rack, already talking. “Okay, we’ll do one more set, then we switch machines.”
Ara’s smile didn’t falter.
‘One more set’, she told herself. ‘You can do one more set.’
She stepped back under the bar again, positioning herself carefully. Changbin guided her with soft instructions, his voice calm and encouraging.
“Feet here. Good. Core tight. Breathe.”
She breathed and lowered. Her legs protested immediately, muscles trembling in a way that was new and uncomfortable. The bar felt heavier than it had a minute ago. Her heartbeat thudded in her ears, loud and fast.
“Good,” Changbin said. “Push up.”
Ara pushed.
Her vision blurred for half a second, not dangerously, just enough to make her heart spike. She made it up, locked her knees, and exhaled shakily.
Changbin beamed. “That’s it! One more.”
Ara nodded, even though her legs felt like jelly. She didn’t want to disappoint him.
Changbin wasn’t being mean. He wasn’t pushing her cruelly. He genuinely believed she could handle this, and that belief meant something to her. She’d always admired how seriously he took things, how passionate he was, how deeply he cared.
So she stayed quiet as she squatted again. Halfway down, her knees wobbled.
Changbin noticed immediately, hands holding her waist a bit tighter this time. “It’s okay. Slow.”
Ara nodded, jaw tight. She pushed back up, but this time her breath hitched, chest tightening in a way that made her pause.
She stood there longer than necessary, hands gripping the bar, trying to ground herself.
Changbin noticed that too.
“Hey,” he said softly, moving a bit to step into her line of sight. “You don’t have to rush.”
Ara forced a small laugh. “I’m fine. Just…catching my breath.”
Relief washed through her so fast it made her dizzy.
He helped her rerack the bar and stepped back, clapping once. “Good job.”
Ara smiled, but it felt stiff on her face.
They moved away from the squat rack, Changbin already talking about the next exercise.
“Okay, we’ll do something lighter now,” he said. “Machines are easier.”
Ara nodded again, her movements automatic.
The gym felt brighter suddenly. Too bright. The lights overhead reflected harshly in the mirrors, and seeing herself multiplied from every angle made her skin prickle.
She focused on Changbin’s voice. Anchored herself to it. He guided her to a leg press machine and demonstrated with exaggerated clarity, making sure she understood.
“This one’s nice,” he said. “You sit. Push with your legs. We’ll keep it light.”
Ara sat, adjusting the seat. The vinyl was too cold against her skin. Changbin loaded a very reasonable amount of weight. To him.
Ara stared at the plates. “That’s…light?”
Changbin laughed. “It’s okay. Trust me.”
She did. She trusted him immensely. She placed her feet, hands gripping the sides.
Changbin stepped back. “Okay. Push.”
Ara pushed.
The resistance hit her immediately, thighs burning in a way that made her gasp softly. She pushed it back up, heart racing.
Changbin smiled. “Yes! Good! Again!”
Ara swallowed and did it again.
By the fourth rep, her breath was shallow. By the seventh, her hands were trembling slightly where they gripped the seat.
Changbin didn’t notice at first, he was watching her legs, her form, the machine.
“You’re doing so well,” he said warmly. “Almost there.”
Ara nodded, vision tunneling just a bit. The noise around her felt like it was pressing in from all sides now—overlapping conversations, weights hitting the floor, music pounding faintly overhead.
She finished the set and sat there, frozen, staring at her knees like they might run away.
Changbin clapped again. “Okay! Rest.”
Ara didn’t move.
Changbin frowned slightly. “Ara?”
She blinked, snapping out of it. “Yeah. Sorry.”
She stood, legs shaky, and immediately had to steady herself by gripping the machine.
Changbin was there in an instant.
“Hey—” He reached out, not grabbing, just hovering close. “Sit. Sit down.”
Ara shook her head quickly. “I’m okay. Really.”
Changbin searched her face now, concern flickering across his features. “You sure?”
She nodded again, more forcefully this time. “I don’t want to stop. I can keep going.”
Changbin hesitated.
This was the moment.
The moment he could have pushed her, the moment she was afraid of disappointing him, and she braced herself for it.
Instead, Changbin sighed softly.
“Okay,” he said, but his voice had changed. Softer. Slower. “But we slow it down.”
Ara’s shoulders loosened just a fraction.
They moved over to the benches, taking a break. He stayed seated beside her instead of standing over her, watching her closely.
They sat in silence for a bit.
The gym still felt loud, but sitting helped. Being lower to the ground helped. Changbin’s presence beside her—solid, calm, nonjudgmental—helped the most.
She focused on her breathing. In through her nose. Out through her mouth.
Changbin spoke quietly. “You don’t have to prove anything to me, you know.”
Ara’s fingers curled into the bench.
“I know,” she said quickly.
Changbin glanced at her. “Do you?”
She didn’t answer right away. She couldn’t. The truth sat heavy in her chest. She wanted to be capable. She wanted to be strong. She wanted to be the person everyone relied on without needing to stop.
And she wanted Changbin, her intense, earnest Changbin, to be proud of her.
“I just…” she said finally, voice soft. “I didn’t want to quit.”
Changbin’s expression softened completely.
“You’re not quitting,” he said gently. “You’re listening to your body. That’s strength too.”
Ara swallowed, throat tight. “You’re not disappointed?”
Changbin looked genuinely startled. “Ara.” He said, honorifics dropping as his tone took a serious shift.
He turned toward her fully now, voice firm but kind. “I’m proud of you. You showed up. You tried. That’s already more than enough.”
Something in her chest cracked, not painfully, just enough to let air back in. She let herself lean back against the wall, eyes closing for a second.
“Okay,” she murmured.
Changbin smiled. “Okay.”
They sat there for a moment longer, just breathing.
Then Changbin’s phone buzzed.
He glanced at it and groaned. “Oh no.”
Ara opened one eye. “What?”
Changbin showed her the screen, his messages open on their group chat.
Felix: Did she survive or should we call emergency services?
Jeongin: Is mom alive????
Seungmin: I told you she wouldn’t live through it.
Ara snorted before she could stop herself.
Changbin laughed too, relief obvious. “See? Even they had doubts.”
Ara wiped at her eyes, smiling now, truly smiling. “You’re telling them everything, aren’t you.”
Changbin grinned. “Only the embarrassing parts.”
Ara sighed. “Of course.”
Changbin stood and looked down at her. “Okay. New plan.”
She smiled up at him, looking every bit of tired she felt.
“We’re done for today.”
Ara blinked. “Really?”
Changbin nodded. “Really. We’ll go eat. My treat.”
Ara laughed softly. “As an apology?”
Changbin pretended to think. “Yes. For lying about ‘light workout.’”
Ara rolled her eyes playfully. “You’re lucky I like you.”
Changbin grinned and nodded. “Very lucky.”
Ara realized how bad it was the moment she stood up from the bench.
Her legs said no. Not a polite no. Not a negotiable no. A firm, unionized, legally binding no. She froze mid-stand, hands gripping the edge of the bench, brain doing frantic calculations.
Changbin, tying his shoes with suspicious ease, glanced over. “You good?”
Ara smiled. It was a lie. “Yeah.”
She took another step. Her knees buckled like they’d just remembered every bad thing she’d ever done. Ara made a noise somewhere between a squeak and a whimper.
Changbin’s head snapped up. “Ara—”
“I’M FINE,” she said quickly, waving one hand while clinging to the bench with the other. “My legs are just…buffering.”
Changbin stared at her.
Ara attempted to walk again.
She moved exactly three inches before her legs gave up entirely and she plopped back down onto the bench with a defeated thump.
Changbin’s face went through several emotions in rapid succession: Concern, guilt, panic and suppressed laughter. He failed at the fourth.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, covering his mouth while laughing helplessly. “I—I didn’t think—”
Ara glared at him. “You did this to me.”
Changbin nodded immediately. “I did this to you.”
Ara crossed her arms. “I trusted you.”
Changbin bowed his head. “I betrayed that trust.”
Ara sighed dramatically and leaned back. “I will never walk again.”
Changbin crouched in front of her, still smiling but clearly remorseful. “Okay. Don’t move.”
Changbin stood, hands already sliding under her knees and behind her back with practiced ease.
Ara yelped softly. “Binnie!”
“Relax,” he said gently. “I got you.”
She froze for half a second, then sighed and let herself relax into his hold.
“…You owe me so much food,” she muttered.
Changbin laughed. “Anything you want.”
They got a few odd looks on the way out of the gym, Changbin carrying Ara like she weighed nothing, Ara hiding her face in his shoulder out of embarrassment.
“I hate this,” she mumbled.
Changbin grinned. “I think it’s cute.”
“I will hurt you,” she warned.
Changbin adjusted his grip carefully. “Worth it.”
_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
Changbin chose a convenience store first, insisting she needed “recovery fuel.”
Ara sat in the car while Changbin returned with an alarming amount of items.
He set them down on the middle console one by one like offerings.
“Protein shake.”
Ara squinted. “That’s the one that tastes like chalk.”
Changbin nodded. “But it builds muscle.”
Ara pushed it away. “I will simply perish instead.”
Changbin laughed and slid it aside. “Okay. Chocolate milk.”
“Better.”
“Banana.” He said next.
Ara stared. “I’m not an athlete.”
Changbin smiled. “You were today.”
Ara sighed, then took the banana. “You’re lucky you’re so charming.”
Changbin leaned back in the drivers seat. “I really am sorry.”
She glanced at him. “I know.”
He hesitated. “I didn’t realize how intense it would be for you. I can get…carried away.”
Ara smiled softly. “You’re passionate. That’s not a bad thing.”
Changbin looked relieved. “You didn’t disappoint me. Not even a little.”
She leaned over and kissed his cheek, smile growing at his smile. “Good. Because I almost cried at the leg press.”
Changbin winced. “I’ll never forgive that machine.”
They laughed together, the tension fully gone now.
_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
The moment they walked into the dorm, chaos greeted them.
Felix was the first to see them.
He gasped. “SHE’S ALIVE.”
Jeongin, Hyunjin and Han ran over excitedly. “Noona!”
Seungmin and Minho looked up from the couch. “Oh. You survived.” Seungmin said.
Ara attempted to walk. Attempted and failed. Changbin caught her immediately.
Minho blinked. “…What happened.”
Ara pointed weakly at Changbin. “Crimes.”
Felix rushed over. “Are you hurt?!”
“No,” Ara said quickly. “Just…extremely sore.”
Chan appeared from the hallway, having been napping, eyes sharp and concerned. “What happened?”
Changbin straightened instantly. “I pushed her a little too hard.”
Chan stared at him and Changbin stared back. Changbin looked away first as he bowed deeply. “I’m sorry.”
Ara waved a hand. “It’s fine. He stopped when I needed to.”
Chan studied her face, then nodded. “Okay.”
Seungmin crossed his arms. “I warned you.”
Ara sighed. “You did.”
Jeongin peered at her legs, crouched down. “Can I poke them?”
“No.”
He poked them anyway.
Ara shrieked. “YANG JEONGIN!”
Felix laughed nervously. “So…gym was fun?”
Ara deadpanned. “I saw every god imaginable.”
Changbin snorted.
Ara lay stretched out on the couch, wrapped in blankets like a burrito.
Changbin hovered nearby like an anxious mother hen, handing her water, adjusting pillows, apologizing again.
“You don’t need to babysit me,” she murmured.
Changbin frowned. “I absolutely do.”
She smiled. “You’re too sweet.”
He flushed. “Don’t tell anyone.”
Seungmin walked by and tossed her a heating pad. “For your suffering.”
Ara caught it gratefully. “Thank you.”
Felix knelt beside her, his cheek resting on her chest as he looked at her. “You were really brave today.”
Ara laughed softly and instinctively ran her fingers through his hair. “I don’t know about that.”
Felix smiled. “You tried something scary. That’s brave.”
Her chest warmed.
Changbin sat on the floor beside the couch, leaning back against it. “Next time,” he said quietly, “we do something less intense.”
Ara leaves the dorm for one afternoon, unaware that her maknaes were capable of committing plant murder.
Kevin was dying.
Not in a tragic or dramatic way, no, Kevin had been dying for at least six years in the same stubborn, scraggly, wilted posture. He had two leaves left, a bend in his stem, and the vague aura of a plant who had long accepted his fate but stayed alive purely out of spite.
And Ara loved him more than she loved ninety-seven percent of the human population.
So when Chan peered over her shoulder as she spritzed Kevin lovingly before leaving for the studio and said, “Starlight, I think he’s officially compost,” Ara gasped so loudly that Felix, who was passing by, got startled.
“He is thriving,” she declared, cupping Kevin’s crusty ceramic pot with unusual tenderness. “He feels judged, Christopher.”
Chan stared. Kevin, if he had a soul, stared too.
“Right,” Chan said, kissing her cheek. “We’ll, uh…try not to touch him, then.”
He sounded sincere. He should not have been.
_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
The moment Ara and 3RACHA left for the studio, and Hyunjin and Minho left for the practice room, the dorm practically became a lawless wasteland.
Jeongin opened the fridge door like it was his sworn enemy far too many times needed. Felix immediately lay face-down on the couch like he was respawning in a video game (really he just missed Ara) and Seungmin pulled out his phone and sighed dramatically a few times for no reason.
And then Felix sat up suddenly. “Guys, you ever think about if Kevin gets lonely?”
Jeongin blinked. “Who?”
Seungmin didn’t even look up. “The plant Ara cares about more than she cares for your emotional stability.”
“Ohhhhh Kevin,” Jeongin said, nodding.
They all stared at the plant in the corner. He stared back. Kevin had a presence, almost like the aura of a retired warrior.
“Let’s move him,” Felix decided. “Bring him closer to the sun.”
“Or closer to the trash,” Seungmin muttered.
Felix slapped his arm. “Yah! Don’t disrespect Kevin! He’s older than all of us combined.”
“That’s literally not—” Seungmin went to say, but Jeongin was already picking up the pot.
“Be careful!” Felix yelped.
Jeongin puffed up proudly. “Relax. I’m strong. I got this.” He did, in fact, not have this. The moment he lifted the pot, the bottom fell off.
Not cracked. Not chipped. FELL. OFF.
Kevin dropped an entire six inches and did a dramatic face-plant onto the hardwood floor like a fainting lady.
“NOOOO!” Felix screamed.
“YANG JEONGIN.” Seungmin said his name like he was casting a curse, his eyes wider than anyone had ever seen.
“It wasn’t me!” Jeongin cried, shaking his hands like they were cursed artifacts. “His pot was already loose!”
And there Kevin lay, on his side, his one good leaf bent at a heartbreaking angle. Truly pitiful.
“Okay okay okay,” Felix said, pacing, his hands tugging at his hair in stress. “It’s fine. We can fix it. Maybe she won’t even notice.”
Kevin’s stem, snapped in half like a tragic toothpick, begged to differ.
Seungmin crouched, staring at the plant with dead eyes. “Really? You think the woman who makes sure he gets his ‘daily showers’ isn’t gonna notice her favorite plant fucking dead? …She’s going to bury you, Innie.”
“Why me!?” Jeongin wailed.
“You touched him,” Seungmin said simply with a shrug, “Your fingerprints are on the crime scene.”
“This isn’t Law And Order: Plant Victims Unit!” Jeongin yelled, pacing back and forth.
Felix grabbed both their shirts. “Okay, okay! Enough freaking out. We need a plan.”
_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
Ten minutes later, they had a broken pot, a snapped plant, dirt on Hyunjin’s new living room rug, a deep existential fear and absolutely no plan.
The three of them sat on the couch, all of them staring at the lifeless body of their mother figures favorite child.
Jeongin was the first to whisper into the silence, “What if we glue him back together?”
“Kevin is not a puzzle, Innie. He’s a plant.” Seungmin snapped.
Felix moved to kneel by the carnage and held Kevin up gently. “He looks so fragile…like a sad ramen noodle.” They stared in silence. A long, dramatic, tired silence.
“We have to tell Chan-hyung,” Seungmin finally said.
Jeongin gasped like that was the most outrageous of decisions. “NO! Absolutely not!! He’ll tell Ara!”
“That is kinda the point,” Seungmin deadpanned.
Felix clutched Kevin. “We can’t let her be the one to find him. She might actually cry. Which will make us cry.”
Jeongin swallowed hard. Suddenly, this was a mission. A dangerous, noble, maknae-line mission. Operation: Attempt To Save Kevin began.
_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
Meanwhile, at the studio, Ara was simply vibing.
She sat between Chan and Changbin as they worked on the album. Han was trying to beat her score in Superstar: JYP with one hand and eating chips with the other. Chan kept pressing kisses on her shoulder between takes. Everything was peaceful.
“Kevin looked really good this morning, right? I think he’s finally turning out lively!” Ara said proudly.
Chan nearly choked on air. Changbin side-eyed Chan. Han froze mid-crunch, ignoring the quickly lost song he was playing on his phone.
“Oh yeah,” Han said, voice three octaves higher. “Kevin. Healthy. Robust. Strong king.”
Chan slowly sat up. “Yeah… haha… sure, bunny.”
Ara blinked, giving them odd looks. “Why are you all acting weird?”
“Us?” Chan asked.
“Who?” Changbin asked, turning his head around to look for who she’s talking about.
“We’re not weird, you’re weird?” Han said, completely ignoring the deadpan looks Chan and Changbin gave him.
Ara narrowed her eyes but decided to let it go. For now.
_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
Hyunjin and Minho were the first to arrive back home. Minho sighed with his hands on his hips, looking at what their maknaes had done. Hyunjin, being no help at all, cackled so hard he got dizzy.
“Yeah, she’s actually gonna cry.” Minho determined, chuckling at the very dramatic screams and wails the kids did. He put his hands up in a surrender, “I’m not telling her but I also want no part of this.” He firmly stated, dragging a still laughing Hyunjin out of the living room to shower.
Before the three culprits could even try to think of anything else to do or say, the front door opened again.
When the four walked into the dorm, they were met with: three panicked maknaes, dirt on the rug (that Hyunjin was too busy laughing to notice—thank god), Felix holding Kevin like a broken child, Jeongin absolutely sweating and Seungmin looking ready to change his name and flee the country.
Ara gasped, the saddest of looks falling upon her pretty face. “My baby!”
Felix held Kevin out with both hands like he was a begging orphan child. “He…uh…had an accident?”
“ENOUGH.” Chan clapped loudly like a stressed father. “You three. Sit.” He said, pointing at the couch.
They sat. Instantly.
Changbin was the one who stepped over to the rug and pointed at the broken pot. “Explain.”
Felix tried first. “I…thought maybe he wanted more sun.”
Jeongin added, “I was moving him gently! I promise!”
Seungmin then threw in, “They are both incompetent.”
“YAH!” the other two shouted, causing Han to snort from where he leaned against the doorway, content with watching the trainwreck.
Ara knelt beside Kevin, gently cradling him.
Her face fell even more when she saw the snapped stem.
“…Oh, sweetheart,” she whimpered.
The boys fell silent immediately. Not even Seungmin had anything witty to say as they all watched their sweet girl mourn her plant.
Chan walked over and knelt next to her, putting a warm hand on her back, rubbing softly. “You okay, love?”
Ara nodded, eyes extremely sad but soft. “I’m not angry. It was an accident.”
Jeongin could have teared up. “You’re not mad at me?”
“No, baby.” Ara said with a sweet smile, “You didn’t mean to.”
Seungmin melted in relief. “Thank god.”
Felix sniffled dramatically. “I thought we were going to be exiled.”
Chan crossed his arms. “Not exiled. You are grounded, though.”
All three of them sat straighter, “WHAT?!”
Chan pointed. “One week. No gaming past 10 PM. Clean the dorm every day. No arguing. And apologize to her properly.”
“But—” Seungmin tried.
“No.” Chan said.
“But—” Jeongin tried.
“No.” Chan said.
“But—” Jeongin tried again.
“Jeongin-ah, if you ‘but’ me one more time—” Chan said, hands on his hip.
“Yes, appa,” Jeongin mumbled, a pout already formed on his lips.
Ara laughed softly. “It’s okay, honey. Really. I’m not upset at them.”
“No,” Chan said firmly. “They committed plant homicide. Therefore they get consequences.”
_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
Later that night, after she tearfully cleaned up and disposed of Kevin’s corpse, Minho and Felix in the kitchen cooking dinner, Ara was sitting on the couch, looking at Kevin’s broken stem held in her hand with a sigh.
Seungmin appeared beside her quietly, sitting close enough that their thighs were touching. “I got you something,” he said.
She looked up. In his hands a tiny new plant in a soft white ceramic pot. A healthy one. Green and bright and alive.
“I know it’s not Kevin,” Seungmin mumbled, mentally denying the warmth on his ears. “But…maybe he can be Kevin II?”
Ara smiled so warmly Seungmin’s ears turned bright red.
“You’re the absolute sweetest, Puppy,” she whispered, gently kissing his cheek. “Thank you.”
He looked away quickly. “…Don’t tell the others.”
She laughed. “Your secret is safe.”
He moved and placed Kevin II beside Kevin’s now empty and cleaned pot.
“Rest in peace, old man,” Seungmin whispered.
Ara smiled and nodded. “He lived a long, dramatic life.”
Felix peeked in from the kitchen. “Is this…a funeral?”
Jeongin spawned behind him with Hyunjin. “…Should we sing?”
Chan walked by, carrying his and Ara’s laundry basket. “Absolutely not.”
Han voice carried from the bathroom: “LET THEM SING!”
Changbin and Minho’s voice echoed simultaneously, “NO SINGING.”
Ara cuddled Kevin II and leaned into Seungmin’s shoulder as the home erupted into chaos again.
Kevin was gone, sadly. But their ridiculous, loud, loving family? Absolutely thriving.
- She was the first person to meet him in the company and he genuinely looks at her with stars in his eyes at all times.
- Stay refer to them as JeongRa or SmileRacha
- Jeongin tries to act cool around Ara, but the moment she praises him, he grins so wide his eyes disappear.
- When Ara cooks, Jeongin hovers behind her like a hungry baby bird, commenting on everything: “Is it done yet?”, “What’s that?”, “Are you sure it’s not done yet?”
- Ara calls him “baby chick” when he’s being dramatic.
Jeongin: “I’m a MAN.”
Ara: “You are a fluffy cinnamon roll.”
Jeongin: “……stop.”
- He purposely uses informal speech with her to annoy her. She bonks his forehead every time.
- Ara packs extra snacks for Jeongin because she knows he forgets to eat when he gets too absorbed in something.
- Ara helps Jeongin put in his contacts when his hands are shaking. He trusts her completely.
- Ara is one of the only people Jeongin cries in front of. When he does, he hides his face in her shoulder like a kid.
- Jeongin sits on the floor by Ara and Chan’s loveseat during movie nights because he likes when they play with his hair.
- Jeongin trusts her to read his expression instantly. If she asks “You okay, love?” he answers honestly every time.
- Ara genuinely cried when he got his braces removed. She loved them and in her mind that meant he was truly growing up and she couldn’t handle that.
- Jeongin once asked Ara to rate his muscles. She replied, “11/10.” He bragged about it for the next three hours.
- Ara gives Jeongin random forehead kisses when he’s being especially cute. He turns bright red and pretends to whine about it but gets sad if she goes a day without doing so.
- Jeongin clings to her arm when he wants something. Ara calls it his “koala mode.”
- Ara is his safe place, not because she shelters him from everything, but because she lets him grow at his own pace.
- When Ara doubts herself, Jeongin always tells her, “If you could see yourself the way we see you… you’d never question it again.”
- During their 2 Kids Room, he told her, “You’re not truly my mom, but if I got to choose a second one, I’d make sure it was you.” She cried about it to Chan later.
- Jeongin tells her “Thank you for today” after long practices without fail.
- When Ara compliments him even casually, Jeongin giggles uncontrollably.
- Jeongin always asks her to judge his outfits. He twirls for her dramatically. She can’t dress herself but she does great when it comes to them.
- Ara once gave Jeongin a baby carrot and told him to “be healthy.” during a broadcast. He ate it angrily.
- Jeongin copies Ara’s scolding voice so accurately that even Chan once turned around in fear.
- Ara adjusts his scarf, hoodie, or jacket every time it falls off his shoulders. He never stops her, he just whispers, “Thanks, noona.”
- Jeongin goes straight to Ara after finishing an English interview. She hugs him so tightly, saying, “You did so well, baby.”
- Ara always checks his water bottle and refills it without being asked. He calls her the “hydration police.”
- Jeongin once tried to prove he wasn’t Ara’s “baby chick” anymore. He deepened his voice so much he choked mid-sentence.
- Jeongin always says the phrase “Ara Noona’s House Rules” whenever she scolds them.
- When Ara uses mom-voice, Jeongin immediately stands up straighter. The boys have called this a phenomenon.
- Jeongin’s ringtone on Ara’s phone is him laughing hysterically. She says it “keeps her in a good mood.”
- Every time Jeongin gets a little too confident, Ara whispers, “Sweetie, sit down.” He deflates instantly.
- Jeongin convinced Ara to film a TikTok dance with him. She messed up the timing, and he dramatically fell to the floor like she’d betrayed him.
- Ara once tried to teach him a breathing technique. He exhaled so hard he made himself dizzy. She banned him from “advanced breathing.”
- Jeongin will absolutely jump on Ara’s back without warning to “keep you on your toes, Noona!” She always, always catches him.
- They attempted a trust fall once. Jeongin fell backward too fast and knocked Ara over. They laid on the floor laughing for 5 minutes.
- Jeongin scares Ara by putting dramatic captions on her candid photos. Examples include: “Mom of 8 loses will to live” and “Local Woman Regrets Choices.”
- Jeongin always sits just a little closer to Ara than necessary. Nobody mentions it, and Ara pretends not to notice for his sake, but she always leans a little closer too.
- Jeongin gives her update throughout his day like :“Just ate.” or “Finished practice.” or “Drank water.” She teases him, but secretly loves that he wants her attention.
- Jeongin loves when Ara clips his hair back before she does his makeup. He sits ridiculously still so she can do it properly.
- Ara whispers “proud of you” after every good practice. Jeongin beams for the rest of the day.
- At the beginning of their relationship, Jeongin once shyly asked her for a hug after a stressful conversation with Chan. Ara wrapped him up so warmly he didn’t let go for a full minute.
- After every concert, Jeongin finds Ara first and hugs her tightly. She whispers, “You did so well today, Innie.” He always holds her a little tighter for just a bit longer at those words.
- Seungmin teases Ara more than anyone else. If she says “I’m fine,” he replies, “Define ‘fine.’ Use examples and footnotes.”
- Stay refer to them as KangMin or PupRacha
- She calls him Puppy any chance she gets.
- She let it slip in an interview that he was her bias. He was smug. Chan was betrayed.
- Seungmin once replaced Ara’s phone wallpaper with a cursed picture of a dog in sunglasses. She didn’t notice for six hours.
- Ara thinks Seungmin’s laugh is one of the cutest things in the world.
- Ara claps proudly whenever Seungmin sings a high note perfectly. He secretly waits for her reaction.
- Seungmin sends Ara calm acoustic songs when she’s stressed. No words, just music.
- Seungmin’s voice always softens a little when he speaks directly to Ara. He doesn’t realize he does it.
- Ara is extremely gentle with Seungmin’s sensitive feelings. She knows he hides them behind sarcasm.
- Seungmin texts her “Did you eat?” at the exact same time every day. He claims it’s coincidence. It is not. He hasn’t alarm for it.
- Seungmin once told Ara, “I tease you because you’re someone I really trust.” It was the most honest thing he’d said all week.
- Ara is one of the few people Seungmin actually lets see when he’s had a bad day.
- one of his favorite times is early in the morning, he’ll join her and Chan in their bed and lay his head on her chest while Chan rubs his knuckles over his hair. He’ll fall back to sleep to her nails gently running up and down his back.
- Seungmin genuinely loves when Ara sings quietly around the dorm. He pretends he’s not listening, but he always is.
- Ara kisses Seungmin’s nose when he’s being too serious. He pretends he hates it. He absolutely loves it.
- Ara once convinced Seungmin that a vacuum was haunted. He believed her for a full hour.
- Seungmin likes to poke Ara’s cheek when she’s zoning out.
- Seungmin replies “No :)” to 80% of Ara’s requests. Then he’ll do them anyway.
- Ara never pushes him to talk. she just sits beside him, knees touching, letting him open up naturally.
- Seungmin instinctively stands between Ara and the door whenever someone knocks unexpectedly.
- When Ara sneezes, Seungmin says “Bless you” in the softest voice possible.
- Ara puts her hand in front of Seungmin’s forehead before he bumps into low door frames or when he kneels too close to a cabinet.
- Seungmin tells her, “Don’t do anything dumb.” every time she leaves the dorm. It’s his version of “take care, I love you.”
- Seungmin always makes sure Ara gets the seat with better lighting because she likes taking aesthetic pictures.
- Ara is the first person Seungmin unconsciously looks for when he’s nervous. Her presence helps ground him.
- Seungmin once replaced Ara’s phone alarm with him saying, “Get up, you disaster.” She screamed when she heard it.
- When Ara tries to scold him, Seungmin replies with: “Yes, mother,” in the driest tone possible.
- Seungmin sits on any chair Ara was about to sit on just to annoy her then offers her his lap as a joke. She flicks his forehead but easily sits on his offered lap.
- Ara once got stuck in her hoodie while trying to take it off. Seungmin helped her WITHOUT laughing. Then laughed for the next 15 minutes.
- Ara has a habit of brushing Seungmin’s bangs away from his eyes when he looks tired.
- Ara traces little patterns on the back of Seungmin’s hand when he’s anxious.
- Ara will allow Seungmin to re-record his already perfect lines a total of 4 separate times. Anything more she makes sure to remind him that he is a vocalist for a reason, and that she’s proud of his voice any time she hears it. He rolls his eyes but blushes all the same.
- Seungmin has a deep love for their warm up ritual of humming cheek-to-cheek. It has been recorded many times and he loves seeing it on TikTok or YouTube.
- Seungmin has a secret folder of terrible pictures of Ara. She discovered it. She made one of them HIS contact photo.
- Seungmin steals Ara’s snacks and claims he’s “quality checking them for poison.”
- Stays have noticed that when she teases him, Ara’s tone softens a lot when she calls, “Seungie~.”
- Seungmin once fell asleep on her shoulder. Ara didn’t move for 45 minutes because she “didn’t want to disturb the puppy.”
- When Seungmin sneezes, Ara says “Bless you!” He responds with, “You’re welcome,” every single time.
- Seungmin insists he’s “not cute,” so Ara loudly calls him “THE CUTEST PUPPY ALIVE” whenever he contradicts her.
- When Ara says, “Puppy~ guess what?” Seungmin immediately responds, “No.” But turn his full attention on her.
- Ara always tries to discreetly photobomb Seungmin’s selfies. He always catches her reflection and drags her into the picture anyway.
- When she’s tired, Ara rests her head on Seungmin’s shoulder or chest. He adjusts his posture to support her better without saying a word.
- Whenever Ara laughs really hard, Seungmin smiles softly before teasing her. He likes seeing her happy even more than he lets on.
- Seungmin will tug on her hair gently when he wants her to look at him. She finds it very cute and turns to him with the sweetest of smiles.
- He doesn’t tell anyone but he loves when she gives him forehead or cheek kisses. He preens like a kid that just won a gold medal.
- Felix met Ara through Chan. She instantly became a safe space for him. They’re constantly with eachother.
- Stay refer to them as LixRa or FairyRacha.
- Felix has a habit of copying Ara’s facial expressions mid-conversation. She makes a pout? He pouts harder. It’s adorable and hilarious.
- they are each-others baking buddies. Constantly pulling the other to the kitchen to bake a treat.
- Felix gasps dramatically every time Ara drops something. She gasps dramatically every time he gasps. It never ends.
- Felix once tried to help Ara reorganize her desk. He accidentally sorted everything by color instead of purpose. She kept it anyway because it looked cute.
- Ara instinctively smooths Felix’s hair when it gets messy. He leans into it like a content puppy.
- She LOVES when he does his silly high pitched voices. They make her laugh a lot.
- Ara calls Felix “sunbeam.” Felix calls Ara “moon drop.”
- Felix insists on taking selcas with her in the best lighting possible. Ara ends up looking ethereal; Felix always looks like a glowing fairy prince.
- Ara knows exactly when Felix needs comforting, even if he’s smiling. She always asks, “Be honest to me, Sunbeam. How’s your heart today?”
- Felix once told Ara, “You remind me of home but not a place, just a feeling.” She cried. So he cried. It was an emotional time for FairyRacha.
- Ara calls Felix “Lixie Pixie” just to watch him blush.
- Felix will hold her sleeve when he wants her attention. If she can’t provide it immediately, she rests her hand over his so he knows she sees him.
- Felix sends her voice notes of him singing softly when she’s having a hard day.
- Ara always gives Felix forehead kisses when he does something especially sweet. He melts every time.
- Felix remembers all her favorite scents like lavender, vanilla, soft florals, and surprises her with candles or lotions.
- Ara always makes sure to compliment Felix’s freckles, knowing how insecure he used to be of them.
- Felix is a clinger. He loops his arms through Ara’s, holds her sleeves, rests his head on her shoulder. All affection, all soft.
- Felix often cuddles with Ara and Chan when he’s homesick. She listens to them talk about Australia, family, beaches, and childhood memories until Felix feels grounded again.
- Felix writes her letters. Real handwritten ones. He never gives them directly, he leaves them in her bag or on her pillow.
- When Ara doubts herself, Felix reminds her of specific things she’s done for them. He’ll remind her of the ways she’s loved them, helped them, and encouraged them. He remembers it all.
- Ara wholeheartedly believes Felix has one of the kindest hearts she’s ever known, and she tells him so often that he sometimes tears up from gratitude.
- Felix and Ara have a secret handshake that changes every month. Right now it includes finger hearts, a spin, and a fake explosion.
- His deep voice tends to make her face warm and her knees weak. He’s aware. He abuses is.
- Ara fixes Felix’s shoelaces for him because he ALWAYS steps on them. Felix does a little twirl every time she finishes, like a fairy dance.
- Felix sends Ara selfies with captions like: “Guess what I’m eating (hint: it’s chocolate)” She always guesses wrong on purpose because he’ll send the cutest selfies of him smiling or him mid-laugh afterwards.
- Felix once made Ara a friendship bracelet with charms shaped like tiny cookies and stars. She wears it all the time.
- When he got eliminated in the survival show, Ara held him while they cried, he specifically remembers her telling him, “I’m proud of you, Sunbeam. You did everything you could and more, and that may not be enough for them but it’s enough for me.”
- Ara smooths Felix’s eyebrows with her thumb when he frowns. He instantly relaxes.
- Felix gently holds Ara’s face with both hands when he wants her to really hear him. His thumbs stroke her cheeks unconsciously. It’s been caught on camera few times and it’s the softest thing ever.
- When Ara feels insecure, Felix cups the back of her neck to make her look in his eyes and says, “Look at me. You’re more than enough.”
- Felix once told Ara that his freckles “multiply when she compliments him.” She complimented him ten times in a row “to test the theory.”
- Felix randomly breaks into his TINY soft giggle when Ara says something mildly funny. Once he giggled so hard he snorted, and Ara almost cried laughing.
- They once tried to reenact a dramatic K-drama scene. Felix got too into it and fake fainted into her arms. She accidentally dropped him.
- When Ara ties her hair up, Felix always compliments her with a little gasp like it’s a magical transformation.
- They take cute selcas where Felix squishes his cheek against Ara’s.
- Ara puts little heart-shaped sticky notes on Felix’s mirror when he’s having a rough week. He keeps every single one.
- When Ara compliments Seungmin’s singing, he gets quiet for a moment as if storing the compliment carefully.
- Ara laughs harder at Seungmin’s jokes than anyone else even when they’re dry or sarcastic. He secretly loves that she “gets” him.
- Ara never swats Seungmin’s hand away when he pokes her cheek. She always grins instead.
- Seungmin nudges Ara’s shoulder with his own when she looks sad, giving her a tiny smile. No words, just gentle reassurance.
- Seungmin holds Ara’s wrist lightly when guiding her through crowds.
- Seungmin sends Ara pictures of sunsets because she once said they make her feel peaceful. He sends them even when he’s busy.
- Seungmin calls Ara “problematic” whenever she suggests anything even mildly risky. Then he participates anyway.
- Chan introduced him to her and for a solid three months he was like the Lego movie meme of “Blah Blah Blah, proper name, place name, backstory stuff.”
- Stay refer to them as AraSung or HoneyRacha.
- Han copies everything Ara does when he’s hyper. She stretches? He stretches. She sips water? He sips water, but dramatically. She finds it adorable.
- Han clings to Ara when he’s scared in horror movies. She pretends she’s not flattered. Her heart is melting each time he does it.
- Han always sends Ara his unfinished songs for validation. Her “ooooh that’s pretty” means more to him than any praise. Even JYP’s.
- Han always calls Ara “Noona~” in the cutest voice when he wants her attention.
- Ara ruffles Han’s hair and calls him a “good boy” constantly. He pretends it ruins his image. It absolutely does not.
- Ara can calm Han down from a spiral faster than anyone else. She uses a quiet voice and says “Jisung-ah, breathe with me, sweet boy.”
- Han tells her when he writes lyrics inspired by her. She always gets emotional.
- Han gets more touchy than usual when he’s sleepy. He’ll play with her fingers, kiss her shoulder, nuzzle into her neck. She lets him, no questions asked.
- One of his favorite things is to be carried around by her. Ara is unofficially part of AbsRacha for a reason.
- Ara tells Han, “I’m proud of you,” more than anyone else. And he absolutely lives for it.
- Ara put up with a lot of his cocky pre-debut attitude and he makes it a point to tell her how much he appreciates her because of it.
- Han once said in a half-joking but half-serious voice during an interview, “If Ara wasn’t here, this group would feel a lot less like home.”
- Ara calls Han out when he’s too hard on himself. He listens to her more than he listens to anyone else.
- Chan once said that if ANY of the boys were Ara and his actual son it would be Han.
- Whenever Ara says “Sungie, don’t,” he immediately does. It’s a Pavlov response.
- They have a running inside joke where they send each other photos zoomed in 500% on random objects and try to guess what it is.
- Han panics when Ara says his full name. He immediately apologizes even though she hasn’t said anything yet.
- When talking in English, Han refers to Ara as his Pretty Girl. It flusters her immensely.
- They exchange stickers like kindergarten kids. Han’s favorite ones are the sparkly fruit.
- Ara gently wipes Han’s smudged eyeliner during performances. He closes his eyes like a puppy.
- They take the world’s blurriest selfies together and cherish them like treasures.
- Ara rubs his tummy over his hoodies to help him warm up. He says it “activates the cozy.”
- Han naturally reaches for Ara’s hand when he’s nervous in crowded places. She always gives his knuckles a soft kiss.
- Ara is Han’s emotional anchor. She helps him breathe through stress and always reminds him he’s doing his best.
- Han makes sure Ara never feels left out in group conversations. He notices when she’s quiet and brings her in gently.
- Ara sends Han encouraging texts before important schedules, making sure he feels supported. He screenshots them every time.
- Han loves when Ara kisses his head softly. it instantly calms him and helps him recenter.
- When Ara praises him in a gentle, sweet voice, Han gets quiet and smiley, almost like a puppy getting a head pat.
- Han pretends to faint whenever Ara compliments him too directly. She simply steps over him like it’s routine.
- They send each other gifs of raccoons doing stupid stuff at least three times a day.
- Ara mispronounces brand names just to make Han crack up. He falls for it every time and she looks at him with the fondest smiles.
- Han will normally crawl into bed with her and Chan. He is either in the middle of them or he’ll be lying on his stomach between her legs with his cheek on her tummy.
- Ara brushes Han’s bangs out of his eyes when he’s talking softly.He always blushes but pretends he didn’t notice.
- Ara always lets Han take the first bite of a dessert they share, even if it’s her favorite.
- When Han is sad, he curls up into Ara’s side quietly. She doesn’t ask questions. She just wraps her arms around him and waits.
- Han once told Ara, in a whisper so weak she almost missed it: “You’re the safest place in my whole brain.” She didn’t know what to say, so she hugged him with as much emotion as she could muster instead. He never forgot it.
- Hyunjin is dramatic about EVERYTHING around Ara. He drops a pen?
“ARA NOONA THE WORLD IS AGAINST ME.”
She just pats his shoulder and says “Pick it up, baby.”
- When Ara calls him “Hyunjinnie,” in her sweet high pitch, he immediately becomes 60% sillier. Instant baby mode activated.
- Stay refer to the two of them as HyunRa or PetalRacha
- They have a running inside joke where they pretend to be in a K-drama every time something minor happens.Spilled water?
Hyunjin: “Noona… why would fate separate us like this?”
Ara: “It’s water, Hyunjin. It separates all.”
- Hyunjin LOVES taking ugly photos of Ara. Ara retaliates by screenshotting his vlogs and his center shots at the worst possible freeze frame.
- Ara once told Hyunjin he had “male bird energy.” He spent 10 minutes cawing at her in protest.
- They cannot be trusted together in art stores. Last time they went in for one sketchbook. They left with 14 paintbrushes, three canvases, two decorative candles, and a ceramic frog.
- Hyunjin flinches dramatically whenever Ara tries to swat dust off him, not that she’d ever lay a malicious finger on any of them. She always laughs. He always blushes.
- Their duets in the dorm are either angelic or unhinged. There is no in-between.
- Hyunjin shows Ara every drawing he finishes — even the messy ones. Ara praises every single one like it’s museum-worthy.
- Ara ties Hyunjin’s hair for him before events. He sits on the floor in front of her like a little kid.
- Ara wipes food crumbs off Hyunjin’s lips without hesitation. He pretends to be embarrassed but secretly loves it.
- Hyunjin makes friendship bracelets for her every birthday. He acts like they’re cheesy, but he puts effort into choosing colors she likes.
- Ara calls him “pretty boy”. He calls her “muse.”
- They dance together for fun when no one’s watching. Hyunjin leads gently, Ara giggles the whole time.
- Hyunjin loves when Ara hums next to him while he draws. He says her voice “feels like warm light.”
- When Hyunjin cries, Ara wipes his cheeks with her thumbs and tells him, “It’s okay to feel things. I’m right here.”
- He always asks, “Noona, did you eat?” He sounds exactly like a worried son. It’s adorable.
- They have late-night talks where Hyunjin lies on the floor and Ara sits beside him, playing with his hair.
- Hyunjin is allowed to do the designs on Ara’s nails sometimes. He’s extremely proud of his work.
- Ara helped Hyunjin through a creative block once by sitting with him quietly for three hours. No pressure. No advice. Just her presence. It helped more than she knows.
- Ara is one of the main people who showed Hyunjin he’s more than just “the pretty one”. She praises his work ethic, growth, and leadership.
- Ara loves Hyunjin’s art so much that she displays it in her and Chan’s bedroom and has one of his sketches on her phone lockscreen (with his permission). He pretended not to care, but his ears turned bright red.
- When Hyunjin feels insecure, Ara reassures him with specific reasons why he’s talented—never generic phrases.
- Ara’s calmness sometimes triggers Hyunjin’s chaos mode.She sighs once? He sprints through the dorm yelling, “EVERYONE STAY CALM SHE’S HAVING A MOMENT.”
- Ara is the ONLY person Hyunjin lets record him dancing spontaneously. She abuses this privilege constantly
- Hyunjin once asked Ara to rate his painting. She said, “This looks like trauma.” He gasped so loud that Felix dropped his phone.
- Hyunjin had a gigantic crush on her during their survival show. Chan teases him about it immensely. Hyunjin knows it’s all good fun so he doesn’t mind.
-When Ara says “Jinnie, please,” in that sweet, soft pouty voice she has, he becomes a malfunctioning NPC. Just freezes and stares with wide eyes.
- Hyunjin once tried to flip his hair and hit Ara in the face. He apologized for 45 minutes.
- Ara ADORES his buzzed hair. She constantly runs her fingers through it.
- Hyunjin brings Ara little keychains whenever he sees something “that looks like her energy.” She keeps them on her bag.
- Ara curls Hyunjin’s hair when he’s bored. He becomes completely silent and still, like a cat being groomed.
- Ara knows his exact “time to feed Hyunjin or he becomes cranky” window. He denies this exists. It absolutely does exist.
- Hyunjin does little dances when Ara compliments him. No one sees them except her.
- Hyunjin will press kisses to her neck subconsciously. Not in a sexual or flirty way but in a way to calm him down. She doesn’t move, just smiles and rubs her nails over his scalp, scratching gently.
- Hyunjin listens very intently when Ara tells stories, eyes soft, chin in hand, like she’s the center of his universe.
- Changbin met Ara through rather unfortunate means. He caught her and Chan kissing. She found it hysterical. Chan was traumatized. Changbin was screaming.
- They formed their bond during the hardest parts of training. Two loud hearts that learned how to support each other.
- Stay refer to them as either AraBin or LoudRacha
- They hype each other up TOO loudly. If Changbin screams “LET’S GO!!!” Ara screams back “LETS GO WHERE???” even louder. He likes riling her up because her loud giggle is music to his ears.
- They tried being gym partners once. Ara fell off the treadmill. Changbin laughed so hard he dropped his protein shake.
- They communicate mostly in sound effects “Pew pew pew?” “Boom!” The boys don’t even try to understand.
- Changbin teaches her rap bars. Ara butchers them horribly. He still applauds her like she’s a prodigy.
- Changbin once tried to carry Ara bridal-style to prove he’s strong. He tripped on a shoe and dropped her. Ara never lets him forget it.
- Ara calls Changbin her “Binnie Bear.” He pretends to hate it. He absolutely loves it.
- Changbin wipes water bottles before handing them to Ara. Even though they’ve used the same cups/utensils before. She thinks it’s sweet. He says it’s “professional hydration courtesy.”
- Changbin lowers his voice around Ara when she looks tired.
- Ara always checks Changbin’s shoulders for tension and massages them lightly.
- Changbin naturally walks on the road side when they’re outside.
- Changbin opens up to Ara in ways he doesn’t with others. Not big speeches, just little truths that slip out.
- Ara checks his lyrics sometimes and gently tells him, “This one’s too harsh on yourself.” Changbin listens. All the time.
- He thinks Ara doesn’t realize how much she brightens his mood. She does. She just pretends she doesn’t.
- Minho banned them from standing next to each other during live streams because they “cause too much noise pollution.”
- Ara and Changbin have a rule: If one of them starts running, the other runs too with no questions asked.
- Staff made the mistake of putting them on the same team for charades once. They created a fictional language mid-game.
- Ara kisses Changbin’s cheeks when he looks tired. He pretends to hate it but he leans into her hand every time.
- Ara hums his rap lines absentmindedly when she’s in a good mood. Changbin gets soft every time she does.
- When Ara says his name gently, Changbin becomes instantly calm. The other boys call it “Ara’s Emergency Binnie Button.”
- Changbin loves making Ara do aegyo just so he can laugh. She forces him to do aegyo back as revenge. Everyone suffers.
- Ara teases Changbin by saying his muscles are “for decoration only.” Changbin flexes as a retort. Ara walks away unimpressed. He will follow her for a lot of minutes asking why she didn’t react.
- Ara is the first person Changbin looks for when something good happens — he wants to share the moment with her.
- When Ara is anxious, Changbin gently taps the back of her hand with his finger. It’s his version of saying “I’m here.”
- Ara once told Changbin, “You make people feel stronger just by being around.” He pretended he didn’t hear it but remembered every word.
- Changbin sees Ara as one of the constants in his life. She’s stable, warm, grounding.
- Ara admires Changbin’s work ethic deeply. She once said in their 2 Kids Room, “I look up to you more than you think.” Changbin turned bright red.
- When Changbin feels insecure, Ara is the first to notice. She always kisses his nose and says something simple like, “You did well, Binnie Bear.” and it fixes everything.
- Changbin is surprisingly protective of her, not loudly, but in small actions: standing a little closer, guiding her through crowds, watching her from across the room to make sure she’s okay.
- Ara once tried to copy Changbin’s gym routine. She lasted 11 minutes. Changbin carried her out bridal-style while she pretended to be dying.
- They have a handshake they keep adding steps to. Currently it’s 42 seconds long. No one else understands it. Even THEY forget parts sometimes.
- Whenever Ara drops something, Changbin drops something too “in solidarity.” It’s stupid. It’s friendship.
- Ara says “Binnie look!” like a child. Changbin ALWAYS looks, even when he regrets it. Last time she showed him a cursed meme. He nearly threw her phone.
- They have a shared playlist that swings wildly between: aggressive hype music, children’s songs, overly dramatic K-drama OSTs, one lonely Christmas track for some reason.
- Ara randomly sends Changbin pictures of raccoons. He responds with pictures of his biceps or abs. Neither explains.
- They have a tradition of making faces at each other across the room during serious meetings. Chan hates (loves) it. Jisung loves it.
- Whenever Ara says “I have an idea,” Changbin’s immediate response is: “NO. STOP. SIT DOWN. She never sits.
- Changbin has a special “Ara laugh detector.” He can hear her laughing from three rooms away and will yell, “WHAT’S SO FUNNY?? SHARE WITH THE CLASS.”
- When Ara gives Changbin a thumbs-up, he gives her an exaggerated bodybuilder flex in return. She cries laughing every single time.
- Ara photobombs Changbin’s selfies constantly. He photobombs hers even more. Their battle is eternal.
- They once spent 7 minutes debating if clouds are heavy. Neither was right. Both were passionate.
- Ara always cheers the loudest when Changbin finishes recording something difficult. Changbin pretends to be embarrassed but secretly waits for her reaction.
- Ara gently wipes sweat from Changbin’s forehead after dance practice. He stands perfectly still like a kid getting his bangs trimmed.
- Ara and Minho met by literally walking into eachother. Minho’s first thought of her was that she reminded him of a cat. Her first thought of him was that he was clumsy.
- Ara is a sensitive girlie. So Minho tends to tone down his banter and teasing so she can handle it.
- Stay either refer to them as MinRa or BanterRacha
- She will bug him daily for pics of the cats.
- Ara is one of the few people Minho lets ruffle his hair without ducking away. She calls it “petting the gremlin.”
- Minho always brings Ara snacks he claims are “extras,” but everyone knows he bought them specifically because she likes them.
- Minho once tried to scare Ara by hiding behind a door. She scared him first by greeting him with: “Minho, I can hear your breathing.”
- If Ara says “I’m fine,” Minho deadpans, “She’s lying,” before she even finishes blinking.
- Ara once told Minho he had “NPC posture.” He couldn’t think of a comeback for 14 hours.
- Ara: “Can you hand me that?”
Minho: “No.” Hands it to her anyway.
- Minho isn’t great at verbal affection, but Ara has learned to read his small gestures: pushing her mug toward her first, waiting for her to enter the room before starting the movie, fixing things before she notices they’re broken.
- Minho secretly trusts her judgment more than his own; he never admits this aloud.
- When Ara is stressed, Minho casually appears with a playlist that “isn’t for you, but if you happen to like it, that’s your problem. Not mine.”
- When Ara laughs too hard, Minho watches with a look that makes the other boys whisper, “He’s doing the soft stare again.”
- Han once said: “Minho-hyung doesn’t have favorites…except Ara. She’s the favorite. We all know it.”
- Ara once stole Minho’s hoodie. He broke into her room with a laser pointer, aimed it at the hoodie, and said, “Give. It. Back.”
- Ara once dared Minho to drink a mystery smoothie she made. He downed it without blinking. It was actually delicious. She’s still mad about it.
- Minho automatically slows down his walking pace when Ara is next to him; she doesn’t notice, but the boys do.
- Ara is the only person Minho allows to warm her hands on his cheeks. He complains every time, but never moves away.
- Minho has a habit of tapping the top of her head gently when he passes by, as if checking that she’s still there.
- They both pretend they don’t look at each other first in group photos to make sure the other is smiling.
- Ara once fell asleep on the couch. Minho covered her with a blanket and sat on the floor beside her so she wouldn’t wake up alone.
- Minho trusts Ara with the things he doesn’t know how to verbalize. She trusts him with the things she’s afraid to admit.
- Minho thinks Ara is funnier than anyone else but would rather swallow nails than say so.
- He notices every tiny detail she changes: new hair clip, new scent, new mood. He says nothing, but he registers all of it.
- She can instantly tell when Minho is overstimulated; she becomes the “quiet buffer” he gravitates to.
- They once spent an entire car ride arguing about who would survive longer in a zombie apocalypse. Ara said Minho wouldn’t make it past day two. Minho said Ara would die tripping over her own compassion.
- They had a staring contest once that lasted 3 minutes before Han asked, “Are they… communicating through rage?”
- Ara once made Minho laugh so hard he had to leave the room to collect himself. He returned pretending nothing happened. The boys have video of it.
- Minho ties her shoelaces when they come undone. He complains while doing it, but he does it every time.
- Ara knows Minho’s coffee order better than he does. When a barista asks him what he wants, he looks at her first.
- Minho (and Chan but this ain’t about him) always waits for Ara to get into the van before he gets in every single time, no matter how hurried they are.
- Minho once tried to teach Ara how to wink seductively. She did it very wrong. He laughed for 5 minutes straight.
- Ara sends Minho TikToks at 2am. Minho responds with nothing but “blocked.” She is not blocked.
- Ara is one of the only people Minho trusts with advice — because she tells him the truth, even when it’s harsh. He respects her for it more than she knows.
- Ara once said to him, “You’re not hard to love, you know.” Minho didn’t answer, but his silence and his tears were soft instead of sharp.
- Their ‘arguments’ have levels. Level 1: playful insults. Level 2: fake threats. Level 3: “meet me outside”. Level 4: silence so intense Chan physically leaves the room. Level 5: laughter because one of them sneezed mid-stare-down
- Minho keeps a running list of Ara’s “Questionable Life Choices.” She keeps a running list of his. Both lists are long. They compare weekly.
- They have synchronized reactions when something goes wrong. The exact same gasp. The exact same “oh no.” The exact same “we can fix this, right?” even though they absolutely cannot.
- They send each other voice notes with zero context. Just one exact second of Minho yelling, “WHY.” Followed by Ara whispering, “Because I can.”
- Ara once bet Minho he couldn’t go a whole day without insulting her. He made it 37 minutes. She celebrated and he demanded a rematch.
- When the group gets scolded, they sit next to each other to whisper commentary. Quiet stuff like:
Ara: “He’s talking too long, I’m falling asleep.”
Minho: “Pretend to cry, maybe he’ll stop.”
- During SKZ Code games, Ara will purposely sabotage Minho just for the drama. Minho will purposely sabotage Ara because she sabotaged him first. The goal is chaos, not winning.
- Ara adjusts Minho’s collar or straightens his clothes without asking. He just stands still and lets her, like it’s the most normal thing in the world.
- Minho always gives Ara the bigger half of shared food. He claims he “wasn’t hungry anyway.” He absolutely was but he thinks the little happy food dance she does is worth it.
- When Ara laughs quietly, Minho always looks up. Always. It’s like her laugh is a sound his ears are tuned to.
- Ara notices Minho’s small victories. Like a clean run of choreography or nailing a high note. She always smiles proudly at him first. He always pretends not to notice… and always notices.
- Ara keeps a photo in her phone case of Minho with his cats. Minho acts annoyed but secretly hopes she never trades it out.
Content Warning: 18+!! There are talks of sex in this!! Chan and Ara were both underage the first time they had sex. DONT DO THAT!! Be responsible kids.
- They met in 2010, the year they both started training, but they didn’t become attached at the hip until 2011
- They argue about who confessed first. Chan says it was him. Ara says she did. Truth: they confessed at the exact same time. Loudly. Accidentally.
- Stay have two ship names for them: KangBang and ChrisRielle (mix of their English names)
- Chan rests his chin on her shoulder when he’s tired. She calls it his “low battery mode.”
- She can calm him down faster than anyone, just by saying his name softly.
- They share a secret playlist no one else has heard.
- Chan lets her sit on his lap when he mixes because she fidgets less that way.
- He writes producing notes with tiny hearts near her suggestions.
- When she cooks, he hugs her from behind the entire time.
- They trained together for so long that they speak in full conversations using only eye contact. The members call it “married telepathy” and swear it’s terrifying. Chan insists it’s just “efficient communication.” Ara calls it “years of shared trauma bonding.”
- They have a shared notebook of music ideas they’ve been writing in since they were teenagers. It’s messy, covered in doodles from predebut days, and filled with lyric scraps, dumb jokes, emotional venting, timestamps of the moment they met the boys. They guard it like it’s the crown jewels.
- When Chan’s confidence dips, he trusts Ara to see the parts of him he forgets. She has a handwritten letter on her phone notes titled “Read this when you forget who you are.” He pretends he never cries reading it. He absolutely cries.
- Ara is Chan’s unofficial physical therapist. Shoulder tight? She massages it Neck stiff? She stretches him. Back hurting? She tells every member: “Do NOT touch him today! I gotta fix him first.” Chan says it’s the closest thing to heaven.
- They have a little ritual before every performance. They rest their foreheads together, inhale and exhale twice, then say: “Together.” It started during their trainee days to calm nerves.
- Ara is one of the only people Chan actually trusts to hear unfinished songs. She’s brutally honest but always kind. If she says, “This line needs to be softer,” he changes it every time.
- They have been public about their relationship since the survival show. Chan proposed the idea of going public. Ara chose the timing. He wanted to protect her. She wanted to stand beside him openly. Their decision was mutual, steady, and full of trust.
- Chan visibly softens when she walks into a room. Like the tension noticeably leaves his shoulders. Their boys have a running joke: “Ara entered and Chan updated his firmware.”
- Their boys often say that their love feels gentle, steady, mature. The kind that grew quietly and strongly over years.
- Chan will be giving a heartfelt speech and Ara will whisper something stupid like:
“You missed a belt loop.”
“WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT RIGHT NOW?”
- Ara once thought about quitting after an injury. Chan walked her to her dorm every day until she recovered, terrified she’d disappear if he left her alone.
- They fought once, TRULY fought, during the survival show. They didn’t speak to each other for three entire days. Chan finally broke, showing up at her room crying, telling her, “I can’t do this without you. We can’t be Stray Kids without you.”
- They leave each other loving and encouraging notes EVERYWHERE. Han personally makes it a mission that he collects them like Pokémon cards.
- Ara is the only one allowed to organize Chan’s chaotic studio cables. Every time she does, he says: “This must be what true love feels like.”
- Ara has mastered the art of “soft scolding Chan.” She’ll say “Chris…” in a certain soft tone and he immediately becomes obedient.
- If Ara disappears from view for even a few minutes, Chan instinctively looks around to find her. It’s not possessive. It’s more habit. They spent so many years side by side that he feels weird when she’s not in his peripheral vision.
- Ara once joked that she’d marry him “when he stops losing his socks.” Chan has been suspiciously organized ever since.
- Chan can’t handle when Ara ties her hair up. He looks away, clears his throat, or suddenly “needs water.”
- Chan’s voice drops an octave when he talks only to her. Their boys have recordings. Stay have recordings. Staff have recordings.
- Chan bites his lip when Ara is performing. He tries not to. He fails.
- Ara once jokingly called him Daddy. Chan didn’t speak for a full 30 seconds.
- Ara loves teasing him by leaning close when she doesn’t need to. Chan’s revenge? Saying her name low and slow. She hates how well it works.
- They have a “three-second stare” that everyone fears. If they hold eye contact for longer than three seconds, the tension becomes explicitly illegal and someone has to intervene.
- Ara and Chan have a habit of talking with their foreheads almost touching. Private whispering. Soft laughter. The kind of closeness that looks like a kiss waiting for permission.
18+ Only!!
- Ara and Chan lost their virginities to eachother when they were both 16. In Chan’s studio. And they have not told a single person.
- Ara is very much the sub in their relationship but every now and then, usually on her birthday, he will let her have control.
- They have, and still continue to do so, invited their boys into their bed. They both have their favorites. Don’t tell the boys.
- Ara has exactly one weakness: Chan when he’s tired. If his voice gets low and raspy from overwork, she cannot function. She once dropped her phone because he said the word “yeah” too softly.
- Once during a ‘Channies Room’, Ara walked into their room, fresh from her shower, completely nude with no cares. She was hidden from camera but Chan went eerily silent and just watched her for an entire 4 minutes. Stay timed it.
- Ara has mastered the way to get Chan to fuck her harder. She’ll whimper “Channie..” in a whiny voice and it drives him feral every time.
- Chan found out accidentally that she likes when his chains dangle in her face. Now he makes it a point to wear them when he fucks her. He relishes in the fucked out look she has when the metal touches her mouth or tongue.
- Chan’s favorite way to tease her? Saying “Come here” with his delicious accent and a deep, low tone. The one that sounds like a command. The one she always, always listens to.
- They have a live that lasted fifteen minutes and allowed Stay to ask whatever question they wanted. No limits. Stay took full advantage and learned many things about their resident mom and dad. To this day NO social media has video proof it ever happened and the Stays that do have clips understand not to post it out of respect.
- Minho and Chan have had a detailed discussion about Ara’s ass. On stage. She finds it hilarious. Stay we’re eating it up. Their publicists were fearing for their lives.
- Her Korean name was chosen by her Grandmother but her English name was chosen by her father.
- She can flawlessly imitate Chan and Felix’s Australian accent and does it just to play with them.
- She chews on her lip when deep in thought, much to Chan’s dismay.
- She can identify each member by their footsteps alone. She says “Hyunjin stomps around like a Victorian child a lot.”
- She developed her mom personality because she is very aware of what it feels like to be alone in this industry.
- She has a talent of doing harmonies on the spot, even while laughing.
- She is the quickest at writing lyrics. Changbin says her drafts folder is terrifying.
- When she’s stressed she “grooms” her members. Often straightening their hair or clothes or fixing their makeup.
- She can communicate with Chan entirely silently with just their eyes.
- The only person who has ever successfully pulled Chan away from working. Often bribes him with food, cuddles or sex.
- She will often “ground” the boys when they fight by taking their phones or telling them to come stand by their father (Chan)
- She remembers fans by oddly specific details, like “the stay that wore Christmas cat socks last May”
- She always sketches a tiny doe doodle on the albums she signs.
- Her warm up ritual is humming a scale while hugging her SKZOO plush.
- She apologizes to inanimate objects and thanks inanimate objects.
- Chan once said “I trust Ara wholeheartedly” and she unconsciously responded “Well that’s your first mistake.”
- Ara keeps every handwritten note and letter that her members and her fans have ever given her in separate little boxes.
- She prefers to produce at night because she says the quiet makes her “honest”
- During the survival show, JYP told her she wasn’t “built for this industry” and she pushed herself even harder to succeed out of spite to him.
- Ara will save screenshots of comments from Stay saying she inspires them, when she’s feeling unsure about herself she will scroll through them.
- When she produces for the boys, she adds tiny melodic details tailored to each member. She likes hearing her boys shining in their songs.
- Hers and Chan’s shared bedroom is littered with Polaroids of their boys and various paintings and drawings from Hyunjin, with some photos and drawings from Stay as well.
- She naturally has a soft tone but will become loud when excited. Fans and staff call it her “sudden volume jump”
- she is a very sensitive person and cries easily, especially when others cry. It’s her biggest weakness during emotional concert moments.
- she cannot relax if someone in the group is upset. She’ll check on them one by one.
- She never eats the last piece of food, she will offer it to her boys, staff or petracha before she eats it herself.
-she does not have a good relationship with her own family.
- she names all her plants. Her saddest and oldest plant is named ‘Kevin’.
- She is very touchy and affectionate with her boys. Touch is one of her biggest love languages.
- Growing up, she called every deer she saw “sister deer” because she thought they were elegant older sisters.
- Ara once said she tries her hardest to be the type of adult she needed as a child: patient, gentle, and safe.
- She has notoriously terrible fashion sense so her boys and staff are usually the ones to pick her outfits for the day.
- When a beat isn’t working the way she wants she calls it “having an attitude.”
- She has tons of nicknames, her favorite is Chan’s name for her: Starlight.
- She handwrites thank you notes for their backup dancers.
- She buys staff birthday and holiday gifts with her own money.
- she is very open and LOUD about her support of LGBTQIA+
- She is adored by a lot of their staff/bodyguards. They often refer to her as Little Leader.
- She has a hard time understanding sarcasm.
- She has a vendetta against vending machine. Every one she uses eats her money. Her boys call it the “Ara Curse”.
- Ara has fallen on stage more than once and somehow turned every fall into part of the choreography.
- Her favorite form of affection is bonking her head lightly on someone like a cat. There are MANY fan compilations on TikTok and YouTube of it.
- When stressed, she automatically starts braiding anything: cords, strings, Hyunjin’s hair, Chan’s hoodie strings.
- She talks to inanimate objects like they’re coworkers. (“Work with me, please. I’m begging.”)
- She’s the only trainee who ever asked Chan if he was okay. He decided then and there that she needed to be in his life.
- The boys banned her from reorganizing the fridge after she alphabetized the condiments. Chan opened it and said, “Why is Mayo in the M section like it’s a library?”
- Her survival instincts are nonexistent. She will be the one to say “Hello?” If she hears a sound in a dark room.
- She has a running tally of who steals her snacks the most. 1st: Han. 2nd: Seungmin. 3rd: “Chan, because he thinks I don’t notice.”
- She touches her own pulse when she’s overwhelmed. It grounds her.
- Ara has entered rooms, forgotten why she came, and said out loud, “Okay… someone tell me what my mission was.”
- She once tried to cook rice without washing it and when Chan scolded her, she said: “I like my rice with a little mystery, okay?”
- Ara once called a group meeting to announce she found a new type of bug in the dorm. She gave it a name.
Hyunjin: “Kill it.”
Ara: “He has rights.”
- When she mispronounces a word in English, she just says, “Dialect,” and moves on.
- She has a special face she makes when she lies. Unfortunately, it’s the same face she makes when she’s hungry, confused, or stressed…so the boys can’t tell anything apart.
- When Ara’s startled, she doesn’t scream. She does a little karate stance like she’s in a drama audition.
- She has a special forehead-kiss noise she makes to embarrass Jeongin. She doesn’t actually kiss him—just makes the sound. His soul leaves his body.
- She’s so proud of the boys that she’ll brag about them like a sports dad.
- She will physically adjust Chan’s posture when he’s producing.
- She ‘helps’ Seungmin warm up his voice by humming with him cheek-to-cheek.
- If a staff member snaps at her boys, Ara appears seemingly out of nowhere like: “No. We don’t talk to my kids like that.”
A is for … “Apparently I’m conceited ‘cause I read that as “you’re incredibly pretty”” *Said during her solo Live where an anti commented calling her petty*
B is for … “Bang Chan is my boyfriend. Yes. Do I use that power any chance I get? Absolutely.”
C is for … “Can’t help but notice you’re paying attention to people who aren’t me. What’s up with that?” *she said to her fansite who recorded Jeongin instead of her*
D is for … “Don’t touch my snacks, I know each of your fingerprints.”
E is for … “Elaborate later. I’m in my confused era right now.”
F is for … “First of all, stop being ungrateful.” *Said during a concert when a fan screamed during her ment that they could see her nipples*
G is for … “Good effort. You don’t have your facts straight. But it’s a good effort, nonetheless.”
H is for … “He’s definitely dead.” *said when checking Changbin’s pulse, unaware she was totally missing the area she was supposed to check*
I is for … “Interesting. Wrong, yet still interesting.” *said to an interviewer who asked if she slept her way into the group.”
J is for … “Jeongin, honey, please stop growing, you’re scaring me.”
K is for … “Keep my boys names out of your mouth unless it’s praise. Respectfully.”
L is for … “Let’s keep the vibes sweet. I brought snacks, not attitude.”
M is for … “Maybe try that again with less attitude and more respect.” *said to a rude interviewers question to Jeongin*
N is for … “Normalize being out of the loop, I never know what the fuck is actually going on.”
O is for … “Oh, honey…no. Chan is taken. Happily.” *Said to a rude fan who was uncomfortably flirting with Chan*
P is for … *pushes Felix’s face away from hers during a SKZ Code game* “Put those big beautiful eyes away, lovely, now is NOT the time. Mama needs to lock in.”
Q is for … “Quick question: who taught Hyunjin American slang? He sounds like a TikTok comment section.”
R is for … “Respect goes both ways, I don’t mind waiting until you find some.”
S is for … “Stop forgiving my crimes, I worked hard on those!” *said during the ONLY mafia game she was the mafia*
T is for … “The amount of chaos I manage should earn me a salary bonus.”
U is for … “Usually, interviews come with professionalism. Usually.”
V is for … “Very bold of you to insult someone that you can’t outwork.”
W is for … “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the feelings I try to avoid.” *Said during hers and Chan’s 2 Kids Room*
X is for … “Xylophones? No, Hannie is not allowed near any instrument that makes noise after 10 pm.”
Y is for … “Yes, he has committed atrocities, but have you considered that he’s my babygirl?” *said when a fan asked her about her adoration for Seungmin*
Z is for … “Zero thoughts, only regrets, mainly because I agreed to raise seven grown beautiful children.”
Nicknames: Starlight • Little Leader • Sunbeam • Moon Drop • Little Doe
Age: 28
Birthday: December 14th, 1997
Birthplace: Miami, Florida
Nationality: American • Korean
Languages: Korean (Native) • English (Fluent) • Japanese (Semi-Fluent) • German (Semi-Fluent)
Star Sign: Sagittarius (Western) • Ox (Chinese Zodiac)
MBTI: INFJ-T
Blood Type: O
Height: 170 cm • 5 foot 7 inches
Positions: Vocalist • Visual • Dancer
Representative Emoji: 🦌/🩰
Signature:
Physical:
Face Claim: Umji (Viviz/Gfriend)
Vocal Claim: Umji (Viviz/Gfriend)
Rap Claim: Yeji (Itzy)
Dance Claim: Umji (Viviz/Gfriend)
Tattoos: Ara has one of each of their SKZOO going up her left calf, her and Chan have matching tattoos of each others initials behind their right ears, hers C and his A, she has an expanding tattoo on her left ribcage where she adds a star for every Stay she learns has passed away.
Piercings: Ara has an unhealthy obsession with piercings. She has her tongue pierced, both her nipples pierced, her belly button is pierced, her and Mingi have three matching ear piercings (two on the left lobe and one on the right lobe.) She also has her industrials pierced on both ears.
Group Information:
Debut: first seen 2017 during the Stray Kids survival show • OFFICIAL debut is March 25, 2018 with their mini-album “I am NOT”
Kang Ara (강아라) is the fictional 9th member of the kpop group Stray Kids. She debuted officially with the group March 25th, 2018 and has been loving and caring for her boys and her fans ever since.
• I do not own ANYTHING or ANYONE but my OC Kang Ara. This is entirely fictional and meant to be silly fun.
: ̗̀➛ ABOUT
Profile / A to Z / Trivia / Ara & Chan / Ara & Minho / Ara & Changbin / Ara & Hyunjin / Ara & Han / Ara & Felix / Ara & Seungmin / Ara & Jeongin
: ̗̀➛ SKZ Code
Go! Poolside SKZ / Low Poolside SKZ / Snow Kids World / SKZ-ARY Town / SKZ Travel Log / SKZ Neighborhood Watch / Fall Field Day / Bedtime Bingo Hell / Know Know Camping / A New, Unforgettable Case / The Tortoise And The Hare / Suspicious Lab / 2024 SKZ Conference / SKZ Sauna
: ̗̀➛ 2 Kids Room
Ara & Chan / Ara & Minho / Ara & Changbin / Ara & Hyunjin / Ara & Han / Ara & Felix / Ara & Seungmin / Ara & Jeongin / One Kids Room : Ara
: ̗̀➛ Writings
Let’s talk about Kevin - Ara leaves the dorm for one afternoon, unaware that her maknaes were capable of committing plant murder.
The Time Ara Trusted A Gym Bro - Ara agrees to a “light workout” with Changbin and quickly learns that his definition of beginner-friendly is a lie.