♡♡♡ hi hi hi! i’m ria (she/her 21+), and i’m excited to have somewhere to bring my baby choi moonsik to life once again. he’s a studio delta wannabe, soundcloud rapper, and the host of everyone’s favourite supernatural podcast. i’ll throw a few more details under the cut but please give this a ♡ if you’d like to plot and i’ll hop into your dms asap.
(please don’t hesitate to ask for my discord i’m much more active there!)
stats | about | wanted plots
mini thread tracker !
@beyun (replied)
@eunaebe (my turn)
@bejihun (replied)
@bexsoyi (replied)
@bexstevie (my turn)
moonsik’s father walked out before he was even born. his mother never wanted him and spent his childhood reminding him that every chance that she had.
moonsik was raised in poverty, even after his mother remarried. ironic, considering his biological father is insanely rich.
he enlisted in the army right out of high school despite being accepted to his dream school because he couldn’t afford it and it gave him a way to escape from his mother.
after completing his military service, moonsik enrolled at snu and he is doing a degree in composition.
moonsik runs a successful podcast about the supernatural (new episodes every wednesday!)
releases self-produced music on soundcloud and youtube
yun makes a face of disbelief at the stranger. he must be out of his mind to be trying to act cute now all of a sudden, even if it does admittedly cause yun to let his guard down (just a little bit).
“are you like…a treasure hunter then or something? for abandoned buildings? a dumpster diver?” he frowns as he speculates, crossing his arms. he supposes a ‘ghost hunter’ might’ve been more accurate when the other continues on, but he might as well admit to watching children’s cartoons at that point.
“i don’t not believe in ghosts,” he huffs with a shake of his head. “but it’s not exactly something i’ll say i believe in until i see it for myself— not that i really want to.” with an awkward shuffle in place, yun looks around the dark room again for any sign of an explanation, but there’s nothing to be found (or seen) as expected. “i hope you know you sound like you’re going to offer me mushrooms.”
and while he would most definitely turn any psychedelics down, he is admittedly feeling reckless tonight. reckless, and beyond curious about this stranger’s business. “…you first, then,” he jerks his head towards the door. “i’ll follow behind…maybe.”
for a moment, moonsik almost looks offended. “a dumpster diver? is that really what i look like? i’m a paranormal investigator. much more refined of a title, if you ask me.” he scoffed, shaking his head as he wandered off towards the ominous looking doorway, path lit by the flashlight that he held. “i really hope that you don’t plan on going and insulting them like you do me. i wouldn’t want to get caught in the middle of that.”
he let out a hearty laugh, tugging the squeaky door open and gesturing into the darkness with his flashlight. “well them, mister non-believer. if you don’t think that they’re real then why don’t you lead the way. there’s nothing to be scared of and i can absolutely promise you that i will not be offering any psychedelics of any sort. even if i did have them, isn’t that the kind of thing that’s too expensive to offer to share with a stranger?”
he grinned wide as he waited, glancing between yun and the open door. “i can promise that i’ll make sure that you believe by the time we get out of this place. it’s not my first time here, you know. i’m doing a series on this place. there’s tons of activity.”
jihun knew all too well the sinking feeling that he’d get in his stomach whenever his mom called him unexpectedly, but all he could do was shoot you a look of pity. as much as he wanted to give you an impromptu speech full of inspiration, he was completely blanking on what to say. he liked to consider himself to be a pretty brave person, or at the very least, he could be brazen. but whenever either of their mothers were involved, he instantly shut down. all he could do was stand there with his head hanging low and his eyes glued to the ground. why couldn’t you have issues with some random guy from down the road? then jihun would gladly use some good old fashioned violence to solve your problems.
“yeah, i get it.” he murmurs, crossing his arms. what else could he say? maybe it was best to take your advice and just drop it. “what’re you talking about? bideum’s in her prime! last night i even gave her some leftover tteokbokki and she’s never looked better!” clearly defensive about the state of his cat, he gestures in her direction. bideum had a way of melting his heart no matter what she was doing. and despite the fact that she was just sitting on the ground, watching the two of them, he couldn’t help but grin as he waved at her. “does anyone actually enjoy salmon? i mean, besides the people who just pretend to like it so that they seem healthy and hip. if you want me to give it to her, then you should have to eat it too!”
he squints his eyes in your direction as he slowly stands up. “bideum’s gonna live forever. she’s already the perfect little angel.” he slides his feet against the hardwood floor until he ends up next to the couch. staring down at you, he extends his arm in order to deliver a quick flick to your forehead. “you always call all the fun plans bad ideas. you’re just— too boring!”
the thing that moonsik appreciated most about jihun was how easily he allowed moonsik to brush off topics like their mothers. most people would nag at moon about how keeping his emotions bottled up wasn’t healthy, but not jihun. maybe that’s why the pair of them got along so well. they could simply pretend that everything in life was okay no matter how much was crashing down around them in reality.
he raised his eyebrows, eyes following the direction of jihun’s gesture as he looked over the all-white cat. or rather, the cat that should be all-white. he couldn’t help but to let out a snort as he looked her over. “yeah, i can tell. it seems like she enjoyed her tteokbokki. she’s got leftovers on her chin that she must be saving for later.” he rolls his eyes, the traces of a smile forming on his mouth as he pet the cat. “next time that i come for a visit i’ll bring her some salmon and then you’ll see just how much she likes it. i already know that she will. and then she’ll love me more than you and i’ll have to take her home.”
he scrunched his forehead, not giving jihun the satisfaction of whining about the flick. “you know you’re going to be heartbroken when she’s gone. cats don’t live forever, as much as we would like them to.” he frowned, pausing to give bideum a quick pet. “it’s really not fair that they have minimal time while we’re stuck with people like my mother for decades on end.”
she rolls her eyes as he lets her in on why ghosts actually don’t like the rain and tries to face her body as far away from him as she can. eunae didn’t understand why strangers wanted to chit chat seemingly just because they occupied the same space. “mhm, funny” she says sarcastically looking out at the rain, wishing it would stop so she could continue on her way.
however, the other’s harsh words came at a shock to eunae. her prickly behavior and unwillingness to entertain him seems to have gotten under the stranger’s skin. she back to give the man a harsh glare and size him up. “excuse me?’ she asks bewildered.
“just because i’m already wet,” she points animatedly at her clothes, “doesn’t give you the excuse to come in here and get more water on me,” eunae huffs. “it’s bold of you to claim that this isn’t my personal space when you came in here and started yapping, as if i wanted to speak to you in the first place.”
perhaps it was the cold that he could feel in his bones making him miserable. or maybe it was simply that moonsik had already decided that he was not fond of his company. either way, the whole situation was making him miserable and he was going to drag the already miserable stranger down with him. after all, if she had nothing nice to say to him then why should he pretend to be nice to her.
his eyebrows raise, an obvious smugness on his face at the shock that appeared on eunae’s face. moonsik was proud. she seemed to be the type of person that needed someone to talk down to her so that she would be knocked down a few notches. at least, that’s the impression he got from her in the mere few minutes that they had interacted. “yeah, you heard me.”
he made a point of dramatically shaking any remaining water off of himself just to get her riled up even more before he moved closer, seating himself on the bench quite near to her. “if you’re that offended by my presence you’re more than welcome to wait over there. there’s tons of free space that could be all yours.” he gestured to outside of the bus shelter where the rain continued to pour down. “if not, i guess you’re just going to have to deal with sharing public space just like everyone else, princess.”
moonsik is running on maybe half an hour of sleep as he stumbles into the coffee shop. he’s probably a sight to be seen, dress shirt mixed with sweat pants (since he had once again pushed off doing his laundry), and red dye staining his forehead from the late night touchup he hadn’t been very careful while doing. at least moonsik was too tired to actually care about his appearance, the only thought in his mind was about the two americanos he was going to down faster than the poor employees could make them for him.
he leans against the wall while he waits for his coffee, taking the opportunity to enjoy a two minute power-nap that would have to be enough to get him through the day of classes. he quickly shakes the tiredness of once his drinks are ready, taking one in each hand and quickly turning to march off to his next destination. his plans are quickly thwarted when he makes it maybe four steps before tripping, sending both of his drinks tumbling to the ground.
jihun was almost completely used to your presence by now. but then again, having spent more time with you than his own brother would probably do that. while he could count the most recent interactions with his older brother on one hand, the amount of times that he had seen you was probably some number that mathematicians hadn’t even discovered yet. whenever he came home from work, he’d have a quick look around the place to make sure that you weren’t lurking somewhere. it wasn’t that he would mind your company, but he’d rather have some sort of a jumpscare warning before going about his evening.
the emptiness of his own bowl made yours very appealing, but jihun figured that for once, he should listen to his heart over his stomach. he cared for you to much to eat seconds when you clearly had something on your mind. even so, he reaches out to pull the full container closer to himself while keeping his eyes on you. “you’re not that hungry because something’s wrong.” he grumbles, squinting his eyes. why were you keeping things from him? what were you afraid of? it wasn’t like jihun had a hoard of friend’s that he was going to tell all your secrets to.
“is it your mom? did she call you?” he asks sternly before staring down at the room temperature ramen. while jihun didn’t have the best relationship with his own mother, she was at least easier to tolerate than yours. knowing that he had brought up a touchy subject, he lets out a quick sigh. no matter what you were dealing with, he didn’t want you to feel alone. but maybe he had been too forward. so it was the perfect time for a diversion. “what’re you talking about? bideum’s had ramen before. i just have to make sure to cut up the noodles a bit for her. have you ever seen a cat choke on a ramen noodle? it’s hilarious until it’s not.”
moonsik waves his hand absently, quickly busying himself with stirring the now cold noodle around in his bowl. “no, it’s fine. well. yeah. she did. out of nowhere last night. but it doesn’t matter and i’d rather not talk about it. nothing is going to make it better anyway.” he shrugs as he shoves a mouthful of ramen into his mouth, using it as an excuse to end the babbling he would no doubt end up doing in an attempt to change the topic. at least it was only jihun. he had years of experience with moonsik’s mother which meant that he would at least understand moonsiks reasoning in not wanting to talk about her anymore.
setting his utensils aside he got up, taking his dish to the sink so he could clean it. “you should be careful, i really doubt it’s healthy for bideum to eat ramen. maybe stick to some salmon instead. she’d probably enjoy that more, anyway.” he rinsed the bowl before going to flop over on jihun’s couch, quickly making himself comfortable. “you’ll think it’s funny until she chokes and dies. then you’re probably going to regret not listening to me when i said it’s a bad idea. same as with most other things that i try to tell you.”
you know from the moment you wake up that morning that something is wrong. first of all, it’s much harder to wake up than usual. you’re tired, your body aches, and all you want to do is curl up under the covers and sleep for a very long time. but still, you have things to do, so you force yourself out of bed and into the bathroom to start getting ready for the day.
that said, the longer you try to stay upright, the worse you feel. after finding and using your thermometer, you quickly learn that you’re dealing with a fever. uh oh. that certainly puts a kink in today’s plans.
one urgent trip to the doctor’s office later, and you’ve been diagnosed with influenza. the doctor was sympathetic, though there’s not much that they can do for you. they send you home with over the counter medications to help ease the symptoms and with a note excusing you from school or work until that fever breaks; the doctor explains that it should be a week or two until you’re back on your feet.
illness is never fun, but the flu is particularly brutal. way worse than the average cold, all you can do is sleep and try to find the energy to get fluids down for the first week. by the second week, you’re starting to feel better, but the fever is stubborn and refuses to go away completely until the end of the second week. finally, you can get back to normalcy.
however, two weeks is a long time to be down. in that time, you really didn’t have the energy to practice any performance skills, and getting back into the swing of things is a slow and laborious process. you don’t quite realize how quickly you lose your skills until you’ve been away from them for two weeks.
it’s only a temporary setback, but hopefully you stay healthier in the future.
OOC:
thank you for redeeming your chance token! your muse now has 0 chance tokens remaining.
please post this prompt (even without a response) within a week of receiving it. the point changes from the prompt must be applied to your points sheet even if you do not write a response.
INSTRUCTIONS:
respond to this prompt with a solo of any length about your muse coping with illness and unable to practice their skills (temporarily).
no form is necessary to submit to the points verification blog, but please publish this submission and link to this post on your points sheet.
please tag this post and your solo (if posted separately) with #be:takeachance.
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note that skills points cannot go below zero; if you have less than 5 points in the category, please set it to 0.
when moonsik thought of his future, the first thing that came to mind was very seldom the idea of being an idol. a composer? maybe. a producer? absolutely. but idol wasn't something that ever really crossed his mind, despite the amount of his life he had already devoted to the entertainment industry (though, nowhere near on the same level as being an idol). and yet, he still finds himself staring at the business card, turning it over again and again in his hands even though he had returned home from the festival hours ago. eventually, he loses the courage and tosses it aside onto the coffee table where it laid forgotten for several days.
it's much too early in the morning when the card catches his attention, the white a stark contrast against the dark wood grain of the table as if it were a beam calling to moonsik's sleep deprived self to notice it. and really, what did he have to lose? it wasn't as if there was anything spectacular about his life that one audition could change. and, before he has a chance to even think about it, he's shooting a message off to ahn yunsook to finesse the details of having an actual audition with the company.
moonsik shows up early. he might not be prepared or know what to expect, but at least he can be on time. he's wearing a plain black shirt, paired with plain jeans at the recommendation of the talent scout that had arranged the audition for him. he had even opted to temporarily remove the numerous piercings from his ears, thinking that perhaps the judges would be looking for some sort of clean cut look (not that the piercing removal would be very visible with his ears covered by his mop of fire engine red hair). though, he's a nervous wreck while he waits. a few glares were shot his way as he tried his best to pace through the crowed waiting room. it had always been one of the ways that he calmed his nerves. he does his best to fill out the form that is passed his way (though he ends up guessing on some of the questions. god knows what his height is. or his weight).
once the initial forms are done, moonsik almost debates running away and pretending that he had never even thought about going to the audition. he's just about ready to run out the door when the group with his number is called into the next room. taking a deep breath, he decides to follow, tagging along at the very back of the group. the pictures are a nightmare. moonsik isn't sure the last time he's actually taken a photo of himself, let alone let someone else take one. he tries his best to put on a nice smile, appearing as a strange grimace on his face as the camera goes off. good enough, he thinks to himself. it's not like he has big plans to live an idol life. he's just there to have fun.
moonsik is unable to keep still as the judges make their way down the line of young hopeful. shifting from foot to foot he finds himself staring at the judges, watching their reactions to the other auditions carefully. moonsik never thought he was the type to have bad nerves but it felt as if he could throw up any second. he quickly pushes the feeling aside as he realizes his turn has come around all too quickly. shuffling forward, he bows deeply to the panel of judges.
"hello. my name is choi moonsik. they gave me the number 31. thank you?"
background music hadn't been a thought that had crossed moonsik's mind in his preparations. he would have to do without. he figured that would be fine. after all, maybe his ability to stay on beat without some sort of backtrack would be something that could impress the judges. maybe? he hoped, at least. clearing his throat, he quickly jumped into the section of rap that he had oh so carefully selected to perform, concentration on his face as he bounced on his toes, hands moving in front of himself as he lost himself to the words that were spilling out of his mouth. trailing off at the end of the section he had prepared. he gives the judges an awkward smile, letting his hands come to rest in from of him before he gave a quick, awkward bow. he quickly finds his place back in the lineup, letting out a sigh of relief since the hardest part was over. or so he thought. he had not prepared himself for the questions that followed.
"well... i guess i want to join sr media for the experience? it's different. but i think it could be fun. and i'm a hard worker!"
"... i haven't really thought about why i'm here? i guess... i want to be somebody. i think that there's more to this life for me than being a sad nobody. and this could be the chance that's needed to have that opportunity."
he waits patiently as the judges finish asking their questions, and listens carefully to the instructions that the group is given after they're escorted from the room. once moonsik finally steps outside of the building, he breathes in a sigh of relief. it felt as if the past few hours had been a dream and he was simply waking instead of exiting a building. at least he tried though. it's not like he had anything better to be up to on that particular morning.
yun frowns, taking this moment to recollect himself. yeah. the stranger is probably right to laugh at him. what was he expecting to be in this building? something actually supernatural or scary? no, of course not. it’s just a goddamn dude. of course.
“oh, yeah right. what kind of work are you doing in…” he waves his hand, gesturing at the building around them. “—here? likely story.” his eyes are then assaulted with a flood of bright light, and he winces. “none of your business why i’m here, though. i doubt either of us have the right to be trespassing.”
but he raises his eyebrow at the stranger’s next words, a tingle of familiarity in the back of his head. “yeah? next you’re gonna tell me ghosts are real?” the confidence in his voice wavers. “what do you mean scarier things..?” he really should be more well-versed in the whole ‘stranger-danger’ thing, but his curiousity begs him to agree. the guy didn’t seem too dangerous…yun could probably take him if he ended up being some maniac. totally. “do i wanna come where, though?”
moonsik sulked much too cutely for a boy who was creepily wandering around an abandoned building. “are you saying that you don’t believe me? buildings like these are the reason i can pay my bills.” he reached out to pat a nearby chair, murmuring a quiet ‘thank you’ to the building under his breath.
he raised his eyebrows, tilting his head as he looked the other boy over once more. sure, he towered over moonsik. but moon was sure that the confidence his small stature had in his posture made him much less susceptible to ghosts than that of the taller boy. “you don’t believe in ghosts? well, i suppose you’ve come to the right place then. i’m going to change your life.”
he flipped the flashlight back on, using it to gesture to a door on the far side of the room. “if you want to know what i mean then i guess you’re going to have to follow me.” moonsik was all too aware of just how creepy he sounded, but what fun was the fun in not teasing the boy who had intruded on his podcast recording just the tiniest bit.
one of her favorite past times, was simply hanging out in hongdae. it was run in the morning but soyi felt like it came alive at night. and she was apart of the party, having performed a set with her friends earlier, she grabbed a round at the nearest bar and headed back in the crowds to stop and watch various performances. and the fun plus the drinks, had her feeling a little more loose.
“oh? you rap?” soyi titled her head, her eyes zeroing in on the person she was currently speaking too. “me too, i don’t have youtube, not for rapping at least but for my dancing but i do have soundcloud.” an outlet in which she could release her talent or whatever. it gave her a place to promote her music and connect with other artist. “what’s the name of yours? i’ll check it out.”
the club wasn’t moonsik’s usual hang out place. but, he also had a hard time saying no to people. that’s how he found himself hanging around at the edge of the crowd, clinging to his drink as he tried to keep up with the conversation that his friends were throwing around in front of him.
he quickly snapped himself out of the daydream that he had lost himself in as he realized that he was being spoken to after his friend oh so graciously pointed out that moonsik also rapped. “me? oh, yeah. i rap!” he quickly fumbled around in his pockets before pulling out his phone. “i’m mostly on soundcloud but i’ve been branching into youtube.” he held his phone out to soyi, open to his soundcloud page. “this is me. feel free to follow yourself on it.”
as you’re picking up the trash around the park, a woman with warm eyes and a bright smile approaches you. she first asks if you need any help, and picks up a few pieces of litter before straightening up and silently asking for you to do the same and give her your attention.
“my name is ahn yunsook,” she hands you a business card as she speaks, the purple logo of sr media standing out on the crisp white paper. “i’m a talent scout for sr media. you know, we’re really looking for trainees with good character these days. the public likes a face that they feel like they can trust, and i think you really fit the bill. have you ever thought about being a celebrity?”
her smile is still kind as she gives you a moment to think and respond, obviously letting you take your time to process this interaction. she seems to understand that no one would expect to talk to an entertainment industry scout while picking up trash at a music festival.
“if you can’t sing or dance, that’s okay, just do your best. we’ll teach you if our judges think you have potential. you’re good looking, so you already have an advantage. we’re having private auditions in a couple of weeks and it’d be great if you could show up. it looks good for me if i bring in the right people,” she laughs and winks, obviously thinking that you’ll make her look good to her superiors.
“anyway, if you’re interested, send me a message. i can send you all of the details.”
OOC:
please post this section under a read more with the rest of the submission.
congratulations! your muse has been invited to audition for sr media! auditions will take place on saturday, august 13th at a dance studio rented out by the company for the day. your muse will be instructed that check-in begins at 7am and no auditionees will be allowed in after it closes promptly at 8am. the check-in process involves filling out a form on an ipad which is essentially a performance resume, asking about any previous experience, training, or special skills along with basic information such as name, date of birth, email, address, phone number, height, and weight. each auditionee will also be assigned a number at check-in.
while not a public audition, the waiting room will be full of other teens and young adults who were recruited by sr media talent scouts. ten hopefuls will be lead into the evaluation room at a time, with the next ten lined up by the door waiting for their turn. it can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes for the next group to be escorted into the room.
the first room the auditionees are taken to is a makeshift photography studio with a plain white backdrop. each hopeful will be given a quick camera test, a few profile shots snapped from different angles. the cameraman will direct your muse to smile, but not to pull any serious or crazy expressions.
both the photos and the forms that were filled out during check-in will be sent to the evaluators, who will meet the group of ten in the next room over.
once in front of the evaluators, each auditionee will have 60 seconds to impress the judges with a performance of their own choice. please note that background music will have to be prepared in advance; a staff member will ask for a USB or CD with the backtrack as you enter the room. if you did not prepare any, you’ll have to perform a capella. there is a video camera in the room recording every audition.
each auditionee will be expected to step forward and introduce themselves by name and number once its their turn. the judges may let you perform the entire 60 seconds or may cut you off early. after everyone in the room has performed, the evaluators may ask a few basic questions: why are you here? why do you want to be part of sr media? can you explain or show this other talent you listed on your form? what do you think your greatest strength is? your greatest weakness?
once the evaluators are done with the group, they’ll be dismissed through a different door than the one they entered into. they’ll be thanked for coming by a staff member and told that the judges will consider their auditions carefully and they’ll be in touch once a decision is made. the auditionees will be escorted out of the building.
TASK:
please write a 300+ word solo about your muse’s audition. while you’re welcome to write about the entire process, please be sure to include what specifically your muse performed for the judges in their allotted 60 seconds. you can choose if they were cut off or allowed to perform it all.
please submit a link to your solo to the event blog once it’s complete. all solos are due no later than 11:59pm on saturday, august 20th.
this was boring. nature was boring. why did people willingly spend time outside like this? it was all too— natural. where was the buzzing of florescent lighting or the cooling effect of an air conditioner? jihun would rather be stuck indoors and comforted by the electronic and artificial pleasures of life. but still, here he was, moping about the festival while sweating profusely. his eyes were glued to the ground in the hopes of finding something to cool himself off with. he’d even be happy with a discarded piece of paper to fan himself off with. but, given the nature of the event, there wasn’t exactly much litter.
how come people had to care so much about the environment? someone couldn’t be thoughtful enough to drop a flyer for him? what was the world coming to? dragging his feet as he walks aimlessly throughout the aisles of booths set up, he only gets more frustrated as it all starts to feel like some sort of maze. all he wanted to do was find his way out.
but then, like an answer from god himself, jihun spots the bright red hair of his closest friend. what were you doing at a place like this? you seemed like the type to sunburn way too easily. when was the last time that you had even been out during the day? at this point, he’d totally believe it if you were some sort of vampire. “hey, moonsik!” he calls out as he walks up behind you, trying to match your pace. there had to be a better way of getting your attention. so, lifting the now empty bottle of pop that he had spent way too much money on, he reaches out and bops you on the top of the head with it. “are you trying to run away from me?”
moonsik had been too hopeful about the ability to slip away unnoticed. had it been anyone else, he perhaps would have been able to do so successfully. but, jihun seemed to have some sort of moonsik detection software installed in his brain and was able to spot him from a mile away no matter how much he tried to blend in with his surroundings. oh well, perhaps it would be fun to have a friend to wander the festival with.
the sulk on moonsik’s face looked all too funny when paired along with the ridiculous paint that adorned his face. what kind of friend was jihun to greet him with a clonk on the head? that seemed more like something you would do to someone that you dislike, not one of your closest friends.
“well, maybe now i’m trying to run away from you for smacking me on the head. don’t you think there are better ways to greet an old friend?” grumbling under his breath, he crouched down to pick up the discarded can of soda. he knew jihun all too well and that meant that if moonsik didn’t take it upon himself to pick up his friends litter, it would most likely stay there.
moonsik had spent the better part of his day pacing nonstop between the variety of booth that had been set up throughout the park for the duration of the greenplugged event, usually with some sort of beverage glued to his hand. at this point, there was a strong possibility that the small redhead was made up of much more juice than he was actually person. but, that wasn’t something new for him. it wouldn’t be moonsik without some sort of juice-induced sugar rush that would make most parents cringe.
he had originally only planned on staying a few hours. he was going to pick up some trash, jam out to a few sets, and then scurry home to the comfort of the studio he had set up so nicely in his friends living room. however, he found his plans changing as he became immersed in the atmosphere of the festival.
next thing he knew, moonsik had somehow ended up with his face painted in various vivid colours, not caring at all about how ridiculous the entire getup made him look. after all, it wasn’t as if he had many friends that he would end up running into. his thoughts were quickly proven all too wrong as he running the corner, running almost completely into an all too familiar face.
there was something about jihun’s modest apartment that made it feel somewhat inhabitable. it wasn’t that the place was falling apart or that it was a complete mess, but still— something was off. maybe it was the walls that were still completely blank despite the fact that he had been living there for almost a year. there wasn’t any sense that it was a home rather than just a place for eating and sleeping. but of course, jihun didn’t seen any problems with the way that he lived. he had a bed, a couple of plates and sets of utensils, and the basic toiletries. what else did he really need?
besides, there couldn’t be that much wrong with his place if you kept agreeing to spend so much time there. it had even gotten to the point where, without hesitation, he had given you the code to the smart-lock on his door. it wasn’t like he had anything that you could really steal. well, there was bideum. but he had always instilled in you that if you took his cat, he’d be out for blood. he figured that you’d seen john wick before.
sitting across from you at the small dining table, he glances up from his bowl of instant ramen. “is it too spicy, or something? i thought you’d jump at the chance of eating some free food.” it didn’t seem like you to not instantly scarf down any kind of food that was placed in front of you. “if you don’t eat them soon, then i’ll just give them to bideum.”
the first time he had been over to visit, moonsik had found the lack of personal touch in jihun’s apartment strangely eery. there was nothing actually holding him back from having the place well decorated. jihun was simply a very strange person, which moonsik knew all too well after their many years of friendship. and besides, he couldn’t judge the boy’s decorating choices when he own home was a couch decorated with the singular blanket he wrapped himself in while he slept.
but, despite all of jihun’s strange quirks, moonsik found himself wandering into his apartment unannounced all too often. at this point it was his second home (and another couch to sleep on when he found himself desperate enough to need it). and bideum was an added bonus to the whole situation. there was nothing better than going home to bideum after a hard day. if moonsik weren’t so scared of the threats, the cat would’ve disappeared in moonsik’s backpack ages ago.
jihun had a point. usually moonsik would do anything for even half a plate of free food. he had tried to go into their dinner with a smile plastered on his face to mask the harsh week that had been taking a toll on him both physically and mentally only to have his appetite give him away. he shrugged, pushing the bowl away from himself. “you’re welcome to them if you want, jihun. honestly, i’m not that hungry. and i don’t think that ramen would be good for bideum.”
his feet are frozen to the ground as the shadowy figure moves and slowly turns to face him. it’s much too dark to make out its identity, and he sure as hell wasn’t about to point his phone’s flashlight at what could very well be patient zero of some new unknown zombie virus ghost vampire thing person.
oh, he would be so be the person who dies first in a horror movie. no heroics for him, no moments of bravery and tact, only a bloody death to serve as a cheap jumpscare for the audience. this sucks.
a chill runs down his spine as the figure finally speaks, and it’s…a surprisingly normal voice, but that doesn’t stop yun from holding his breath. he hardly even processes what’s being said as he’s too focused on the gap between them, closing much too quickly for his liking.
his eyes are getting used to the darkness, though, and just as his brain finally processes the figure right in his face as human, they burst into laughter—which, in all fairness, still sounded creepy as hell echoing down the hallway behind him.
“what—” he finally uproots himself from the concrete floor and takes step back, face burning with shame. “you’re just a guy…what are you doing here all alone and creepy?”
the laughter spilling from moonsik quickly turned into cute, quiet giggles. if only the bullies in high school had reactions more like the one that the boy did. it would’ve made the better part of his teenage years so much easier. but, at least he was figuring out the best way to spook people now. it was better than never, he supposed.
“what am i doing here? what are you doing here would probably be a better question. i’m working. i’m pretty sure that’s not your excuse, or if it is this is the first time that i’m hearing of you.” he drops his backpack to the ground, kneeling to rummage around before pulling out a flashlight that takes a few good hits before it actually comes to life. he’s careful not to shine it directly in the other boy’s eyes, but still close enough to examine the intruder’s features.
“and by the way, i’m not creepy. you’re in for quite the surprise if you came in here on your own accord and i’m the spookiest thing that you’ve found so far.” he grinned slowly, turning the flashlight off again once he had taken in the sight of his newfound friend. “scarier things await. do you want to come?”
this is weird. is it weird? he’s pretty sure it is, considering everything. actually, maybe he’s overthinking. okay, he’s definitely overthinking but hey, that’s kind of his whole shtick, is it not?
teddy’s internal monologue flies a mile a second as he stands near the stage, fingers fiddling with his camera as he debates approaching the man he’d been taking pictures of for the last five minutes. it’s not that weird, he thinks — he’s spent the better part of the day taking pictures of everyone at the open mic, both before and after his own little set — but he’s yet to approach anyone to actually show them the pictures he’s taken.
chewing on his bottom lip, he continues to stare at moonsik as he tries to gain the confidence to approach the other. the pictures are good — he’s sure of it, as he’s stared at them for the better part of a half hour — but he’s still unsure of himself. letting out a sigh, he starts moving his feet before he can stop himself.
“sorry. um, lune, right? your set — it was really good.” teddy cringes at the sound of his own voice, his broken korean sounding so much worse than it usually does. “i, uh, took some pictures of you, if that’s okay? i can show them to you — and you can have them, if you want.”
moonsik is in his own little world, head bobbing along to the music. he finds that it’s easy to block the world out when there’s a tune to occupy his mind. maybe it’s a little too easy for him. perhaps it shouldn’t be so easy to lose track of his surroundings. if that were the case, perhaps he would have noticed the strange young boy who had spent much too long gazing over in his direction. honestly, the fact that he hadn’t felt the gaze on him for the better part of the past half hour was a little concerning.
he’s quickly drawn from his thoughts, jumping in fright at the sudden appearance of the boy in front of him. he’s all too used to dealing with the supernatural, but somehow this is the thing that spooks him. his eyebrows raise, genuine surprise showing on his face at the fact that he actually knows moonsik’s name (or, stage name at least). he gawks for a long moment, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish before he manages to get words to escape from it.
