haunted heart;

HAN TAEHWI ever wondered why you always feel that ache in your chest, following you like a shadow at the edge of your vision? you don't want to carry that weight, but it still finds you.

[painthaunts]

now joining the infinite k-tour is HAN TAEHWI ! the 23 year old is onboard as the LEAD VOCALIST of the group, PHOENIX. he is known to be very SENTIMENTAL but secretly WITHDRAWN. also, doesn’t he kind of look like KANG YEOSANG ?

      PROFILE !

hello hello! i'm orion (he/him, est, 21+) and this is han taehwi! leave a like and i'll come and find ya, otherwise, here's a little introduction to him. ♡

     BACKGROUND

── taehwi's gotten used to keeping things to himself. ever since he was younger, he always kept it quiet how much he enjoyed books and art. his parents wanted more for him, a more 'honorable' career like a doctor or a dentist or something to make a name for himself and their family.

── it's not something he ever envisioned himself doing. he would wander off without his older brother, taegyeom, four years his senior, and find himself singing by the river, quiet, under his breath.

── he studied well, he did well in school, like what was expected of him, but the whole time, he always knew he wanted to be somewhere else, doing something else. in the back of his backpack behind all of the textbooks, he kept a secret journel where he drew when he knew he was alone.

── taegyeom studied business, intending on being a ceo of his own company someday, and his parents became consumed with his journey while leaving taehwi on his own. in high school, he secretly audtioned to become a trainee, making the trips by himself to and from school underneath the guise of study groups.

── when he was fifteen, his younger sister tae-eun was born. he wonders sometimes if it's because it's then when his parents started giving up on him, if they wanted to put their faith in another child because they had failed on him.

── inbetween school and training, taehwi had barely any time for anything else, but when he would come home, sometimes he would sit by tae-eun, and watch the way she curiously viewed the world through new eyes. he had never been able to get close to taegyeom, but with tae-eun, there seemed to be some sort of quiet understanding.

── he graduates high school, and it's then that he tells his parents he intends to continue with his idol training he had been hiding the whole time. he had been working at his grandfather's record shop for money on the weekends, and he had cherished that time with his grandfather, even bringing tae-eun there and having her listen to all of his favorite records.

── they don't take it well. they cease all further contact with him, and with taegyeom off in college already, they turn all of their attention to tae-eun. taehwi manages to find accomdations with the company, and keeps in contact with his grandfather in secret.

── he misses tae-eun the most. his parents don't let him contact her, but he manages to be able to talk to her sometimes on the phone through his grandfather, as he debuts in phoenix in 2017 after training for four years.

── taehwi keeps going for her. he wonders if she'll ever get to see him or if his parents don't even let her watch, but he holds the hope in his heart. he turns to art in the meantime, able to collect and indulge in his artistic habits without having to hide it from his parents. if he's not drawing, he's reading, usually somewhere by himself.

── he's always wearing a gold bracelet with a flower petal that tae-eun had picked encased in clear acrylic. he never takes it off.

── he skateboards sometimes, and he likes going to movie theatres in complete disguises and jumping from movie to movie all day if he has the time.

── taehwi usually doesn't like showing off his art, and singing is the one thing that he does allow others to see.

── he's always so sleepy, always nodding off in the middle of things. if he doesn't keep up with himself, he usually shows up with paint somewhere on his body that he didn't catch, charcoal on his hands, a stray colored pencil in his pocket.

     PLOTS

── someone he's found that he can sit quietly with and either listen to music, draw or read and the silence is comfortable.

── someone to skateboard/escape for a little while with!

── he's more of a listener, and he tries his best to offer advice, more so in the ways of all of the poetry and books he reads then more realistic solutions.

── someone who would sneak away with him to go and watch the sunset. taehwi does like structure, but he also doesn't mind breaking the rules. no one suspects him anyways.

── he's usually not overly competative, but there's something about your muse that makes him want to sing a little louder, dance a little harder. they've both been feeding off the energy for years, and he's grateful for the shove it usually gives him when he's feeling more down.

── your muse stumbled upon him painting once, and now that your muse has seen it, taehwi doesn't mind showing them every now and again what he's made since the last time. it takes a lot of trust to keep doing it, so it feels like something special to share.

[painthaunts]

kiyeon !

( ... ) 

yet kiyeon walks in anyway. the flashlight beam is strong, but he doesn’t think it’s strong enough to reach the end of the cave, because it just illuminates complete darkness. heart pounding in his throat, he takes another step in, and then– his flashlight beam lands on something. someone? kiyeon gasps, the sound echoing sharply against the rocks, quickly drowned out by the much louder, nearly thunderous crack of his flashlight slipping out of his hand and hitting the ground.

taehwi had come across the cave by chance. he had come to the bonfire a little earlier, ended up wandering down the shore, watching the waves crash back and forth along the sand as the sun settled further down in the sky. by the time he makes it to the mouth of it it’s dark out, and all he’s got is his phone cradled in his hand, measly camera light only illuminating the space in front of him. 

and he couldn’t really answer why he went inside. maybe it was for the way the sounds seemed to echo, and that even in the unending darkness, there was something that pulled him forward. maybe he wants to make shapes out of that nothingness, something that spoke to him like paint did, sometimes, all of that waiting and wondering what it would turn into. 

when he was younger, he remembers reaching out for taegyeom, hand curling around his arm, when it got dark out. he remembers being scared of what all of that darkness meant, and he remembers, before the world got to them both, when he would let him continue to hold on. and when he stopped. when he started pulling away. 

so taehwi can wander into this darkness on his own, yes, but it’s with those remnants in his chest that he’s had to build an armor around himself, equipped with all of those memories, that ache in his chest that feels a lot like a haunting of everything he never got to have, everything he never got to be. a younger brother, an older brother. he makes his way deeper into the cave and pushes it from his mind, like if he’ll keep pressing forward, he’ll get answers from that unknown. 

skin prickling, he can hear the distant sounds of water, dripping, echoes, his own footsteps. maybe there’s a coldness in his hands that makes him drop his phone, flashlight shutting off into the process and tossing him into that inky dark. 

he’d never considered this. a darkness that’s consuming, for a moment, all he can focus on is the thudding of his heart in his chest, that sheer spike of adrenaline, throat tight, as he freezes, unsure of what to do. doesn’t even have the time to chastise himself for the stupidity, when he swears he hears other footsteps, and maybe he’ll just have to feel his way out and hope to god nothing ends up dragging him deeper into this darkness, whatever horrors his mind wants to play out for him like a film reel. 

then, suddenly, there’s light illuminating his form. he feels like a deer in headlights, because what are the fucking odds, an uncontained noise that borderlines on a inhale of air and a squeak as the light pinwheels and skitters off across the floor of the cave. the sound of it is loud, but taehwi can only blink and try to catch his breath. 

“─ hello?” he tries out tentatively into the darkness. taehwi’s not even sure how to start, if this is someone from the bonfire or a local or a resourceful vampire with a flashlight, he doesn’t even know, but he does know he’s about to start rambling like a fool out of his fear if he doesn’t stop there, still unable to move from the spot that he’s rooted in. 

[painthaunts]

dohyun !

it was well into the night when dohyun wandered away from the main attraction and preoccupied himself with writing in the sand. he had just enough time to spell out ‘infinite’ before a wave rolled in and washed it away. he frowns thinking there was probably something metaphorical to be said but he was too drunk to put too much thought into it. “can’t believe we’re onto the next stop of tour already,” he hums to whoever’s near him. maybe if life were the sea, time was the letters in the sand.

taehwi’s a few drinks in, but he still recognizes the outline of dohyun’s face even though it’s darker closer to the ocean, farther away from the bonfire’s light. he can already feel the heat of it leaving him as he had been walking along the shore, letting things sink in. he’d caught the wave brushing away whatever dohyun had carved in the sand, but not his words out loud. “you’re telling me. i feel like it was just yesterday, we were in your studio back in seoul, recording that song.” 

he has his shoes in his other hand, jeans rolled up so that he was able to walk through the water as he pleased. “what’re you writing?” 

[painthaunts]

jaemin !

☆°•.

a smile lights up his face, pleased with the decided draw between them. it probably wasn’t even a big deal but you couldn’t tell that to too tipsy jaemin. though his thoughts wouldn’t slow down enough to really dwell on the matter, not when there was so much going on around them. but he didn’t mind it too much as long as he had a familiar face nearby, the one in front of him wasn’t but jaemin deemed him alright.

that’s exactly why he perks up at the mention of the pool. “yes! it looks like fun, do you think it’s heated?” he asks, eyes growing wide. “i kinda wanna go in, but what if it’s cold?” jaemin figures there’s many downsides that come with jumping in but, how many times would they get to be able to go in japan’s biggest club’s pool?

jaemin instantly follows after the other, now excited about the bendy straws. why not bring some bendy straws as one of his souvenirs? not very notable but it’s something. “does it come with a drink or do you think we can just snag some?” he grins as they approach the bar, leaning forward against it.

♡

“if it’s heated, i think i’d be even more tempted to jump into it. though it doesn’t help you much once you’re out, i think that’s what stopping me the most. and possibly leaving like, a wet trail everywhere i go, since i don’t have a towel, either.” taehwi rambles a bit, as he’d definitely been giving it quite a bit of thought, weighing the pros and the cons. 

he’s tilting his head a bit in more thought, the question more to himself even if he’s projecting it out loud─ “or maybe they do have towels. who would bring their own towel to a club?” he’s weaving in between people as he casts the words back, making sure jaemin can follow along. he finds that it’s pretty easy to get split up like this, just the nature of such a large crowd of people drunkenly finding their places through the dark. 

at the bar, it’s crowded, though he can see some people with glasses and the straws leaning against the side. he’s looking around, trying to figure out how to get some. “i’m not really sure. i saw some people with them and just kind of made it my mission before i went back to the hotel.” he’s leaning forward even if the counter is a little sticky, trying his best to make eye contact with a bartender. 

“maybe if i ask nicely enough, they’ll just give them to us with a water.” 

[painthaunts]

SEONHWA !  ──

Seonhwa wasn’t a person who could easily talk about her feelings, and explaining why Gotta Go was important to her would lead her to a place in her mind she usually blocked. “No reason. I just like it a lot.” The boy was cute, too sweet-looking, and she almost felt bad for not being honest. But, if she couldn’t be honest to herself, then how could she even entertain the idea of telling somebody else? “That’s exactly what I have always wanted. I want people to listen to my songs and feel like they can dance and sing to their hearts’ content without caring about anything else. I’m glad that’s how you feel.”

“It was a lot of fun. Your show is great and you guys are really funny together. I also noticed how much your fans enjoyed it.” Part of her had been curious, wondering how it would be like to share the stage with other people, if she were in a group. To be completely honest, Seonhwa wouldn’t say her concerts are fun, not really. Groups played games and ran around, they were messy and entertaining. All she did was talk to her fans in between sets. Seonhwa wasn’t one to doubt herself, she knew how talented she was, but she wondered if there was something she could do to make her concerts more enjoyable.

Perhaps she shouldn’t ask, but she was curious and couldn’t help it. “What’s that?” Her hand reached out to tap on his sketchbook gently with one finger. It looked like he had been using it quite a lot, which meant it was important to him. Smiling, she pulled her own journal out of her bag. “This is where I write down all the lyrics or any song ideas I have. I take it everywhere with me.”

♡

he can only smile when she tells him it’s exactly what she intended for her music. he thinks the same of phoenix, only hoping that all of their fans can garner the same emotions that they try to put into the lyrics and the melodies of their songs to convey to them. every single time he hears it or sees it from a fan it never makes him grow tired. he thinks, instead, it only makes him want to create more. “you certainly succeeded.” is what he says, head ducking for just a moment as he admits it, smile warm on his face. 

thinking back to the shows that they’ve performed so far, taehwi can only think of more happiness. between being able to sing to so many fans, to being up there with his members, he couldn’t think of anything that was much better about his job then these sorts of events. hearing her words makes him beam in a way that only talking about his group and his fans do, peering through that usual fog in his eyes that are usually clouded with thought. 

“i’m really glad if it comes across, how much fun we’re having. and if the fans have fun too. i think that’s the most important part.” he says, and he sort of wishes he had had more time to hide the sketchbook, as she reaches over to tap at it. but she does something he doesn’t really expect─ she pulls out a journal of her own. it makes him relax quite a bit, to see that she might have something similar, and if there was any alarm in his eyes previously, it dissipates quickly. 

he’s still playing with the edges of the pages as she explains, still unsure if he should open the pages to show her the contents. it’s something he rarely does. growing up with it being something he had to hide made it become a habit where he never really showed it off, kept it to himself like always. 

“oh─ this is my sketchbook. i’ve always enjoyed making art since i was younger, so this comes everywhere with me, too.” he laughs a little, shifting a bit where he sits. “i’ve never really been good at showing it to people, though. do you write all of your songs in there, or do you get new ones once you run out of space?” 

[painthaunts]

MIKA ! ──

( ... )

the dancer stretches her limbs some more to warm up for more sharper movements, the cool air dawning on her skin but it did nothing for the adrenaline running through her. “that’s alright. i think as long as you like the dances you’re doing then you’ll have more passion for your movements,” mika shrugs but she feels a beam of pride hearing how nyx’s own choreo seemed to have made an impact on him. “do you have a favorite?” she wonders with a grin.

as soon as answer blares through the speakers, she starts to go through the steps along with the music. mika lets herself feel the sonf in her movements as her eyes occasionally flick over to him to see him in sync with her. when she first saw the dance to answer, she remembers herself just needing to learn every move with how cool it looked.

so when the song ends, she lets out a deep exhale and moves to grab her water bottle. “how was that?“ she asks with a hesitant smile before she takes a swig of water.

he smiles softly, a nod of assent with his head. “i know they will.” he says, and it’s something that he hasn’t doubted for awhile now, for as long as they’d been a group. 

“yeah, i agree. i think i always get excited for the ones i like singing, too, i think it adds to it when i’m learning the dances at first, as well.” taehwi tilts his head to the side as he thinks, trying to go over all of the choreographies in his head. “maybe peek a boo? it’s just as fun as the song is, which is probably why i like it.” 

his words fade out as they start to dance, and as with one of their choreographies, as usual, everything tends to fade as he slips into the familiar movements. while they make their way through, he’s impressed and unsurprised at the fact that mika is following along, and he can only grin when the song finishes, taking the last note to let himself down onto the floor to rest. 

leaning back on his hands, he’s trying to catch his breath. “you were great. honestly, i don’t even think there’s anything i can tell you to improve on.” taehwi laughs, head falling back with it as he wills all of the cool air in the room to wash over him. “maybe even better then me.” 

[painthaunts]

jaemin ! 

☆°•.

his very, very tipsy brain hoped he wouldn’t be reported or something to his company; he wasn’t sure if bumping into another idol and just grappling onto them is against the rules but this idol seemed nice enough not to do that. at least, he was sure he was; about 90%.

jaemin couldn’t help but laugh a bit at them both wanting to take the blame, his whole mind feeling bubbly. even though jaemin knew he was also at fault, he wasn’t sure if it was worth it to argue with someone in the middle of the dance floor. “oh — can we call it a draw then?” he asked, tilting his head. “i don’t really want to lose this debate but it’s starting to make me more dizzy,” he babbled.

he took a brief pause to think before he lit up. “bendy straws? damn, this place has everything i swear,” jaemin gasped loudly. he grinned, “that’s a pretty cool gift, how can i not accept?”

♡

at his proposition taehwi laughs, but he’s nodding, a little relief flooding through his features, if anything. “of course it can be a draw. no dizzy debates for us, especially when this place is for fun.” he says, and in between all of the lights and the way the room turns around him, he’s not sure he could even keep his mind on topic long enough. 

“yeah, it feels like they do. did you see there was a pool?” he says, and he’d been by it enough to really be considering it, at this point. but then he thinks about getting into a taxi with wet clothes, dripping back all of the way to the hotel, and it only makes his eyebrows furrow. 

it fades as soon as the thought happens, eyes cast back towards the bar. “c’mon, it’s this way, i think.” taehwi says, and he nods in the direction of it before he turns and starts heading that way, hoping that he’ll follow along. 

[painthaunts]

seonhwa ! 

It certainly looked inviting, and if she were a bit more intoxicated, she might have done it. But Seonhwa couldn’t deny her nature, and even when she had been drinking and she wasn’t really that alert, she still felt that sense of responsibility she simply couldn’t let go of.

“That’s good.” It was nice to know people were enjoying this night out after working so hard. The tour was just starting and it would get even more demanding, she knew that so well by experience. The others were so full of energy and excitement right now, Seonhwa would hate to see that light extinguishing because the workload became too much.

Seonhwa laughed and took a sip of her water. “Yeah, sort of. I’m not used to going out like this. I don’t remember the last time I got to drink and relax.” It wasn’t been bad, just weird. It made her feel like she was doing something wrong for not focusing on work and being there instead. But she was excited to have some time to explore the city before they left, and decided that a break wasn’t such a bad thing. “Do you have any exciting plans for tomorrow?”

♡

taehwi scrunches his nose a bit as he thinks, and he can’t recall the last time he relaxed like this either. sure, there were the times where they had days off and he tended to sneak a bottle of alcohol off somewhere quiet, just him and a book, or a few new paints. it wasn’t often, really, that he got the opportunity. 

and this was nice too. he didn’t really mind socializing, either, even if he tended to stick more towards the outskirts of all of the people who were attending the venue. “i’m not too used to it either. it’s not that i’d really say no, but it’s just that i don’t really get the chance to, in between everything.” he remarks, and he straightens just to rest his hip against what he’d previously been leaning his elbows against. 

“i think just practicing? though after everything i’ve had tonight, i’m not sure how waking up early for that is going to look.” he laughs, and finishes off the drink in his hand. he taps it gently against the rail, casting his eyes back inside. there’s so many people in between him and the bar. “do you have any, yourself?” 

[painthaunts]

@yuiisms !

the first time he had seen her drawing, it was because he left his coat in his makeup chair. or at least─ that’s where he thinks is the last time he’d seen it, making the long walk down the hallway trying to retrace his steps. his jacket’s there, but he stumbles upon one of the makeup artists reclining in a chair and drawing on what looks to be an ipad. 

he doesn’t say anything that first time, ducking in and out with his lost jacket─ for him, at least, when it comes to his art, he’s not so good at sharing it with others. it’s more personal, more of something he’s always kept to himself, always had to and the habit stuck. 

but he’s still curious. he loves witnessing art in any form, and had always admired the digital aspect of it, even though he always remained with more traditional mediums. and when taehwi happens to find himself in the styling area, again, it’s because he swears he left one of his favorite pens, and maybe they got confused with the eyeliner─ and she’s there again.

drawing quite peacefully, he almost doesn’t want to disturb her. but his curiosity wins out, that innate wonder when it came to art that he always found himself walking towards. the pen, indeed, had been among some of the eyeliner sticks, and he flips it between his fingers as he lingers near. 

“hi. i’m taehwi, from phoenix? i’ve noticed you drawing, before, and i was wondering if i could see, if you didn’t mind? i draw, too, just never digitally. i’ve always thought it was really cool, but i’ve never really had the time to look into it myself.” he offers a small laugh, shifting back and forth where he stands. “and i might like paint a little too much.” 

[painthaunts]

SEONHWA !  ──

( ... ) 

“You know, Gotta Go is one of my favorite songs,” she admitted, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging her legs. Vulnerability always made her feel exposed and awkward, she was trying to physically protect herself although there was no need. “I’m happy to know it made you feel confident. That means a lot to me.” Because her music spoke to others, because some people out there didn’t see her as another pretty face, but focused on her songs and felt something. That was was the biggest compliment she had ever received.

At the question, she wondered if she should just tell him. Seonhwa supposed it didn’t matter much. “I went to one of your concerts once. I had a lot of fun.” And she had seen their comeback stages, she even had their albums. Seonhwa was a fan, but she didn’t think it was too much of a big deal if she liked a group or two. “To tell you a secret, one of the reasons why I thought that joining this tour wouldn’t be such a bad idea was that Phoenix would be here, too. Listen, I have a few of your albums. And when I say a few, I mean all.”

   

he sits up a little, eyebrows raising at the statement that she provides him with. “i didn’t know that it was your favorite. is there a reason?” taehwi asks, his head slightly tilting to the side as he provides a slow smile, nodding along. “i think a lot of your music makes me feel that way, which is why i wanted to make covers of it.” 

taehwi finds himself even more shocked at the next revelation- he never expected her to attend one of their concerts. if anything, he had always wanted to go to one of hers to witness her singing live, and when he had found out they were going on the same tour together, he had been excited that he would maybe finally have the opportunity. “wait- really?” he finds himself smiling, a warm beam, proud that maybe his members and him had made a good impression. 

“i’m glad to hear if you had a good time, and honored that you came to see us. you should have come and visited us, after, i’m sure everyone would have thought it was really nice of you to come and watch us perform.” he continues, unable to hold back the soft smile curved over his lips. 

his hands are fiddling with his sketchbook in his hands, gently ruffling through the edges, and he ducks his head a bit. “i thought the lineup sounded really amazing when i first heard it, it’s really cool─ everyone who got to go on this tour, and that we were included as well.”  

he’s sitting up a little straighter again when she mentions that she has all of their albums, excitement fluttering over his features. “thank you─ i think it’s really cool that you enjoy our music, too. i have a few of your albums as well, i have a shelf of some of my favorite artists back at the dorm.” 

[painthaunts]

MIKA ! ──

( ... ) 

moving her bangs out of her face, she nodded with a shy grin. “they’re kinda more my style,” she informed him, stepping over to the laptop and pulling up phoenix’s track list. “please do, i need to know if i do them right anyway. what better than the source?” she replied, clicking on one of her favorites ; answer. she stepped back, jogging lightly over next to him.

“this is probably the first dance i’ve learned from you guys,” she said with a nervous giggle. it’s not everyday that she’s showing a phoenix member their own dance, she hoped she could do it justice in person.

   

“trade secret.” he says, smiling, and he does think that he’s gotten better at dancing over the years, definitely, but he thinks there’s something about the value that helps him with his nerves, too. “i think they might expect it at this point, but i don’t think it happens often enough to be too much of a problem.” 

he wanders over to make sure the air conditioning in the room is turned down further to make it cooler, looking pleasantly surprised as he wanders his way back. “really? i’m not sure if i have a favorite style out of everything, myself, but i’m glad if our choreo is fun to do. i feel the same way about nyx’s.” taehwi replies with thinly veiled laughter, perking up a bit when he hears the opening to answer. 

it’s second nature at this point, the way his body moves to it. “this one is really exciting to dance. it’s almost as fun as it is to sing.” he says, body falling into the movements with complete ease. he’s done it enough at this point that he doesn’t even have to think about it, singing quietly underneath his breath out of habit. 

[painthaunts]

dohyun !

“did you? i almost started doing our choreo out there out of instinct. thank god i didn’t embarrass myself like that” dohyun almost shudders at the thought of making a fool out of himself but gives off a small laugh. “lead the way.” he allows taehwi to drag him by the wrist through the crowd, his legs feeling heavy from the drinks and dancing. 

dohyun welcomes the cool air as it hits him all at once, blanketing his body and stinging his skin. he closes his eyes momentarily and takes a deep inhale. it’s enough to stop the dizziness but there’s still a dull ringing in his ears. “thank you.” he opens his eyes again and turns towards taehwi. “are you enjoying the party?” 

“you know, i’ve done that before and i got halfway through before i even realized it. that’s when i knew i needed to take a break.” he says with a laugh, and maybe it’s half the reason why when he made his way through a few more drinks, he was taking his time to lean against the wall and enjoy the music and atmosphere that way. 

his hand falls away from his wrist once they’re finally outside and they had cleared the majority of the crowds, having experienced too many accidental losing of friends in the groups of people and having to spend even more time locating each other once more. the cool air is nice, and taehwi drinks it gratefully in. “of course.” he hums, and nods along to his question. 

“it’s beautiful here, and i’m glad for a break. how about you? have you made your way around a majority of the place, or have you mostly been on the dance floor?” 

[painthaunts]

DOHYUN ! ──

( ... ) 

“yeah, of course,” dohyun nods as he quickly readjusts the sound settings to be hooked up to the speakers. “i made this song with the intention of it being played out loud.” a small smile appears on his lips, thinking about how it’d feel to go on a late night drive with this as the soundtrack. 

dohyun plays the song again, adjusting the speakers so the tune filled the room. he nodded along to the track and got out his phone to record the moment. maybe it’ll go into a behind the scenes video at some point or maybe it will stay lost in his photos library. but he wanted to capture this moment — the act of creating something special. 

“i wouldn’t dream of it. if i can help bring this track to life, then i want to sing for you.” he murmurs, and he just feels honored enough that he could fit perhaps the right vision that dohyun had when we was writing it, when it came to the vocal components. 

he waits patiently while dohyun sets up to play the song again, moving over so he has better access to his computer without taehwi leaning against the desk. “i think it’s perfect for that, honestly. it’s why i wanted to hear it like this, too.” taehwi says─ and it’s been awhile since he stretched his legs, so he ends up doing small, meandering circles around the small space of his studio, nodding his head along to the beat. 

when the vocal parts come around, he tries to sing out aloud, louder now, then under his breath, when it happened the first few times. the loudness of the music gives him that little bit more of confidence, and he wants to see just how his voice could sound along the arrangement, filling the air around them.

he doesn’t catch that dohyun has his phone out, a little too absorbed in the music and singing along, and the way that he moves around the room is to the beat of the song, light on his feet as he hums along. 

[painthaunts]

seungho !

“Ya think? I’ve always hated hide and seek. I don’t have the patience for it. Be grateful you have a handsome face. I don’t mind spending my time searching a crowd for it.” Seungho squints and purses his lips at the explanation he’s given, feigning incredulity. “Excuses, excuses.” he chuckles, waving it off. Didn’t matter anymore. “Perfect. What’re you having?” he peaks at the other’s drink. “Can I have some? The bar is so far away.” he whines. 

♡

taehwi lets out a laugh at his words, finding himself swaying just a bit where he stands, the colors of the lights mixing together into a blur behind his view of him. “i am very grateful, if it makes me easier to locate in a crowd.” he says, and looks down at the last little bit of his drink that remains in his cup. 

“it’s just a vodka soda.” he explains, and then he’s handing it over in the next moment, smiling. “you can have the rest of it, if you’d like. i can go and get another one in a little bit, when the bar clears up.” 

[painthaunts]

jaemin !

( ... )

only to bump into someone, spoke too soon. he gripped onto the nearest thing to steady him, just so happened to be the other’s arm, to not embarrass himself by falling on his ass in front of everyone. the thought was funny though. “i’m fine! no harm done,” he replied reassuringly. “it was probably my fault,” he shrugged as he looked up at the person finally. shit — he almost made a fool out of himself in front of a phoenix member. he quickly let go of taehwi’s arm, hoping he didn’t overstep “i’m so sorry though! definitely wasn’t looking at where i was going!”

♡

he’s relieved when the other person tells him that he’s alright, though he’s shaking his head a bit at the allocation of blame, hands falling back to his sides. “no, please, i definitely bumped into you.” taehwi says, noticing the quick movement of releasing his arm and trying to focus in on his features. he had seen him around the tour before, hadn’t he? 

a blurred mind doesn’t provide him with details easily, a slight furrow of his brows as he tries to think. it smoothes out a moment later when he comes up without an answer, his hands sliding into his pockets for something to do. “you really don’t have to apologize. no harm done, just like you said.” taehwi tilts his head towards the bar. 

“i was going to go and get some water, want to come with? i saw they had these glasses with bendy straws and i wanted to see if i could take one back to the hotel with me.” he manages to look a bit sheepish for a moment, a soft smile on his lips. “a sort-of consolation gift, for bumping into you.” 

[painthaunts]

seonhwa !

( ... )

“Are you having fun?” To be completely honest, Seo hadn’t been so sure about coming here tonight when they were told about it. Her original plan was to get some good food and stay at the hotel to work on the song that had been in her mind for weeks. But one thing had led to another, and Seonhwa had found herself having the most fun she’d had in a long while.

♡

“despite not wanting my own clothing to get wet, i did have a moment where i considered jumping in. i think they make the water look inviting on purpose.” he murmurs, hearing, coincidentally, another echoing splash from behind them. he supposes there were others that couldn’t deny the draw of the cerulean water, and he couldn’t blame them.

at her question, he tilts his head a bit, considering. he wasn’t a stranger to events like these, and while he did spend a majority of the time exploring, finding unoccupied walls to lean against and nurse his drink, it wasn’t like he hadn’t danced, hadn’t mingled with others. he just needed these moments inbetween. 

“i am, actually. it’s quite beautiful here, isn’t it?” taehwi hums, and takes another drag of his drink. “how about you? is the night air clearing your thoughts?” 

[painthaunts]

@uhjaemin !

he’s gotten a little lost on the dance floor. inbetween the lights and the music, time had passed both slowly and all too fast, and he had let himself move throughout, singing and dancing and wholly trying to just.. focus on the music. it’s not often that he lets it happen, but maybe it’s something about being on a world tour, something about being in tokyo, that lets him feel like he can let go a little bit. 

maybe just a bit too much. it happens in a split moment, when he bumps into someone, and he reaches out to make sure they don’t fall over from it, an alarmed look falling over his face. “oh─ shit, sorry. are you okay?” his hands hover to make sure the person is alright, eyebrows furrowed. “i really didn’t mean to bump into you!”