[yujinlgc]

THANKS.

[taekjoarchived-blog]

idjingyi‌: 

he broke out of a trance, fingers lacing together on his stomach as he cracked a gentle smile at nothing in particular. he was used to apologizing for everything, he never realized how annoying it could become to someone who wasn’t used to it. “alright, alright you got it. i’ll stop.” placing his hands up in surrender before returning them to their previous position. deciding to rest his eyes while he was here, that was his main goal after all. “thank you, i appreciate your kind words. i’m not the best dancer so acing that choreography was hard.” his words were soft, almost too soft as he tried to distract himself with the small talk that they picked up on. “hm, i’m tired i guess.” it was a lie. he wasn’t sure what this emotion was, it couldn’t be sadness; right? 

His parents had been taken away from him all too soon. Gone, but never forgotten, and he tried each and everyday to put forth a great effort to make them proud of him. He did his best to be a good person. He kept his head on straight (or tried to) and he didn’t get into any trouble. He was kind and sweet to everyone he came across, almost to a fault, although that was changing as he got older. He was finally learning that, in all aspects of life, not everyone deserved his kindness. There were some people who didn’t deserve the time of day from him, let alone for him to exude any energy upon them. He was coming into his own. After twenty six years on the planet, eighteen years without his parents, he was finally turning into the person that he wanted to be. Someone who was strong and resilient, and who knew what he wanted and went for it. He just hoped that wherever they were, they were smiling down on him and that they saw his efforts and thought the best of them. He wanted more than anything in the world to make his parents proud of him. At the end of the day, wasn’t that what everyone wanted? 

Or at least everyone who was close to their parents. 

“Good.” He definitely did not want Jingyi to continue apologizing for something that he had already accepted his apology for. For one thing, it would only keep reminding Taekjo of the anger he had held onto when he had yelled at him just a few moments earlier, anger that he didn’t want to have any part of anymore. He just wanted to move on from the whole situation. It was the past, and the past was best left behind him. And another thing was the fact that Jingyi consistently apologizing reminded him of himself. He had been the person who was constantly apologizing for something that wasn’t his fault. He knew what if felt like to try to shoulder all of the blame for something, and he didn’t want the rookie idol to feel that way. “Constantly apologizing for something that you don’t have to apologize for is a bad habit.. Trust me, I know that all too well. It’s not a habit that you want to fall into, because after a while, it’ll become difficult for you to get out of it.” He didn’t think that Jingyi needed to hear his advice, but as someone who was a little bit older (he figured he was a little bit older), he wanted to offer it. “You’re definitely a better dancer than me.. Although that’s not really saying much.” He chuckled, before sobering up a little bit, his expression becoming more serious. “Tired, hmm?” His tone of voice gave away the fact that he didn’t believe him.

[idaroon]

for you.

[taekjoarchived-blog]

idaroon‌:

“i will keep watching and cheering for you.” he says, and it’s the truth. once you go through a lot with someone it’s difficult to not root for them. “maybe now that i’m gone you’ll become more popular,” aroon smirks, tilting his head to look at his hyung. “you know, being the second most good looking male contestant and everything.” and if before he wouldn’t have said this, now it is easy. taekjo makes it so.

“Isn’t it worth it in the end though?” Taekjo would have rather been in Aroon’s shoes. The fact that he was finally being allowed to debut and had a spot in a group that he knew for sure would be there for him at the end of the day. Taekjo would rather have that over not knowing whether or not he would make ti to the next episode of Produce Project. It was nerve wracking having his fate placed in the hands of a bunch of people who were easily swayed by a pretty face and aegyo. Time and time again he had seen people who didn’t deserve to debut get picked up over people who did because they were pretty and could bat their eyelashes. Aroon, fortunately, didn’t fall under that category. He actually earned his spot in his group, and Taekjo was happy for him. He just wanted what he had. But then again, wasn’t that something that every trainee could relate to? 

“I don’t think anyone with a brain would miss that Nayana song.” Just the fact that he would probably be forced to sing it again and again and again if he were placed in the final lineup just made his skin crawl. He couldn’t stand how desperate and needy it sounded. Begging people for votes, begging them to let him through the rounds so he could make it to the end. As much as he hated that song, every time they were forced to perform it, he did it with a smile on his face and he did it to the best of his ability. He didn’t want to give anyone a reason to think that he didn’t deserve his spot on the show. “At the rate I’m going though, it seems like I’ll be singing that song for quite some time.” 

He was glad that the two of them were still able to have a decent rapport between each other, and that the awkwardness they once held had faded away into a good friendship. Of course Taekjo’s eyes still wandered from time to time, but he knew that Aroon’s did as well. He had seen them wander over his form, and it was flattering to say the least. Although he knew nothing would really come from it, not when he was still so confused as to what he wanted. 

“Second most good looking? I’ve always been number one in visuals, we both know that. Nice try though,” he joked, a laugh leaving his lips as he shook his head. “Thank you for the support though.” He would need it through the last few weeks of the show. He didn’t know what would happy between kcon and then, but he hoped that only good things were in store for him. “You better be voting for me every episode.”

[taekjoarchived-blog]

✽ ⟶ bad influence

[taekjoarchived-blog]

idsanha‌:

    he cant say he’d never put taekjo at risk, never put him in harm’s way—even when he wants to avoid it all, it seems like he can’t. but, sanha would do everything he could to dig taekjo out of any hole he fell into (whether he fell in because of sanha or not).

Taekjo knew that Produce Project would be a big deal, but he had no idea that people would have made it as big of a deal as they have. It was overwhelming the kind of response they had gotten from the public - that he had gotten from the public. It seemed like overnight, Taekjo had gone from a trainee that nobody knew to a Produce Project contestant that many people knew. Even if they didn’t like him, they knew who he was because he was so high up in ranks amongst other people. Even if he wasn’t anyone’s ultimate favorite, they still knew him. He was arguably one of the best vocalists on the show (in his eyes, he was the best), and that had earned him a bit of buzz. Although he wasn’t as buzz worthy as the others. In the life of an idol, it wasn’t good enough that you were a good singer, you had to be eye catching as well. 

He had worked too damn hard to let anything put him at risk of failure now. If Sanha got him caught going places in the venue that he wasn’t supposed to go, Taekjo was almost certain that he would be booted from the show. Or at least he would be given quite a severe punishment. The former was definitely worse than the latter. At least if he just suffered from a punishment, he would be able to bounce back from it. If he had been kicked from the show, it would mean back to 99 Entertainment’s basement for him. He’d already spent seven years down there, he had no intention of going back anytime soon. He hoped that by the time promotions ended for Pro. J’s group, 99 would be willing to debut him. Finally. 

He returned the playful punch that was placed on his shoulder, although his punch held a little bit more power behind it. It was difficult to hold back when he hit someone, but he did his best not to really harm the small male. “I know a lot,” he rebutted, rolling his eyes, but continued to follow him towards the room. When they stepped inside he took a moment to glance around, taking in his surroundings  It looked like the room was in the process of being emptied out, which made Taekjo feel a little bit better about being in it. He didn’t move when the other placed his hands on his shoulders, eyebrows raising at his words. “I didn’t know you held so much power at Pro. J,” he murmured, before smiling back at him. “If you do get me in trouble, just know that I’m going to kick your ass.”

[taekjoarchived-blog]

✽ ⟶ unwind.

[taekjoarchived-blog]

idjiho‌:

It was the reason he so casually leaned onto the muscular pillow that was his friend’s arm and hummed, reaching for the remote while thinking over the questions posed to him. He supposed him accepting control of the television answered the first question but the second made him pause. He was watching his weight very closely, especially now with so many eyes on him. He wasn’t like Taekjo who worked out a lot so he was always wary. “Ah, hyung you can pick. I don’t eat much anyway.” He considers that done with a flick of his free hand and flips aimlessly through channels. He was behind in all the dramas he watched and he figures forcing the other to sit through the cartoons he still enjoys wouldn’t be fair. So he instead settles on whatever came on next which happens to be a new crime show. It works for him.

Being on the show was a lot easier when there was someone else there that you could relate to. It was easier when there was someone else there that you were close with and trusted. Sure, Taekjo had Myungeun there with him on the show, and the two of them were good friends after spending so many years training, and he had even formed a friendship with his so-called rival, Paris. The younger male had actually turned out to be great company, and would be the only person he would be okay with losing to (not really, but he would be the one he had the least hard feelings towards.. for the most part). But neither of the two of them were as close to him as he was to Jiho. Despite their age difference, they had somehow formed a tight knit bond with one another. 

In a lot of ways, Jiho was like a younger brother to him. Taekjo was older, more experienced, and had a lot of wisdom and skill to depart upon on his younger counterpart, something that he did quite often. Their conversations weren’t always heavy though. For the most part, they kept their interactions lighthearted, because with as much stress as they were being put through, sometimes they just needed to ignore it all for their own sanity. 

He felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth when the younger male rested his head on his arm as he reached for the remote. It was little things such as actions like those that reminded him so much of the time that he used to spend with his younger sibling when they were kids. Before they had been forced to part ways. That was a big part of the reason why he had clung so much to Jiho. Not only did he care about younger male, but he helped filled that empty void in the middle of his chest that his own sibling used to fill. He was by no means trying to use him or have him act as a backup sibling, but it was still nice all the same to have him there.

“Are you sure?” He didn’t want to be the one making all of the decisions, but if he had to, then he certainly would. Taekjo had no problem with picking out certain dishes to eat, because eating was something that he took great pleasure in. “We can get some japchae and order some bulgogi and chicken feet to go with it. You don’t mind spicy foods, right?” He wasn’t sure if the younger male liked hot foods or not, and he wanted to check to make sure. “I’ll order some fried rice too, just in case. We can save that for later if we get hungry again. How does that sound?” It wouldn’t be surprising if they did get hungry again. They were in the dorm after all and not really allowed to leave. 

[k1tschs]

( * paper hearts. )

[taekjoarchived-blog]

idyujin‌:

“i’ll ask you about produce project, but maybe you already got sick of talking or thinking about it by now, so how does it feel like to be here? to perform at kcon?” her tone is a bit chirpy this time around, and she genuinely wants to know about how he feels to be here. it is something she asks to everyone she meets here, despite knowing what their response is, still she would like to hear them talk about it themselves. she doesn’t want to seem so excited, yet she’s sure her facial expression is showing the exact opposite. “is this your first time in los angeles?” 

“I know what group you’re apart of. I was listening to your stuff when you guys used to be called Her.oine.” Being the girl group enthusiast that he was, Taekjo tended to keep up with the majority of the girl groups that were out promoting. It was hard not to love most of them because they all put out great music that, in Taekjo’s eyes, never got old and that he could consistently listen to on a daily basis without getting tired of it. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t partial to boy groups either, and his playlist consisted of equal songs from both sides of the spectrum, but he did have a soft spot for girl groups. He wasn’t sure if it was just a personal preference or the fact that he was a man, but the latter seemed to be more accurate, especially when looking at the other male fans when it came to girl groups.

It was always nice to hear that he was recognized by people, even a few people. It meant that he was making an impact on the show and with how quickly he had moved up in the rankings of the show during his time there, he was sure that he was only going to get more and more well known. It was what he had asked for when he first got on the show and he was finally getting it. He wasn’t sure what he was more happy about - the reassurance that he was memorable, or the fact that he was almost certain he was going to debut when the whole show was over. “It’s really nice to hear that you remember me from the show. I appreciate that.” He gave her one of his signature smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I’ll make sure to continue performing in ways that stay memorable.” 

The sarcasm in her voice was easy to pick up on. He himself was used to using sarcasm so much in his own daily life that it was sort of like he had a special detector for it all. His smile widened and he let out an amused chuckle. “You sound so thrilled to be here.” He could understand why she wouldn’t be enjoying her time there or why she would have been bored. It was something she had experienced time and time again, so it wasn’t like those kinds of parties and events were exciting for her. Taekjo on the other hand had never been to a high profile party such as this, with a lot of idols and important movers and shakers in the industry. It was exciting for him, although he kept his excitement under wraps. He’d be able to express it to his friends later though. “I’m having a good time, actually. It’s my first time at one of these things, so it’s a little exciting if I’m being honest.” 

Taekjo shook his head, the fingers of his free hand coming up to stroke through his hair slowly. “I don’t mind answering questions about Produce.” He kind of did, but he couldn’t exactly say that, especially when Produce Project had been the thing that gave him his platform and put his name out there for everyone to see. “It feels great. We only performed one song, of course, but I really loved it. It was really exhilarating being onstage and performing in front of an audience that size. It makes me even more eager to debut.” He brought his drink back to his lips, taking a sip from it. “This is my first time outside of South Korea, actually. I never got the chance to go anywhere else growing up. Is this your first time here in Los Angeles?” 

[taekjoarchived-blog]

✽ ⟶ first encounters

[taekjoarchived-blog]

idchoa‌:

the thought hadn’t crossed her mind, taekjo’s suggestion making her eyes snap somewhere to the side as her lips gently pursed to think it over. it proved itself to be harder than expected given the alcohol she had consumed. “i mean, i feel like you get roasted more than we do.. everyone feels entitled to be your judge. it’s a bit harsh when you think about it. i hope it does help you adjust later.” a firm nod and her eyes are watching him again, taking in the man’s movement. “at least doing all other things you mentioned don’t have as many rules… don’t see anyone, look proper, dress your nicest to the airport for a flight to la… what if i just want to dress comfortably and rest during the flight without worrying that my make up will melt off and i will look terrible in airport pictures. which will just make the manager mad, then the company… ah, whatever.” the rant is a little ridiculous but very close to the truth that choa ends up waving off with one of her hands lightly. it feels like she’s being too negative. “ ah, nevermind… how about you tell me how was the kpop experience like for you and the rest of the contestants?”

Having so many eyes focused on you at once would be nerve wracking for anyone, Taekjo included. He would be lying if he tried to say that he wasn’t the slightest bit affected by all the negative comments he had gotten from the panel of mentors or all of the negative comments he had read that had been left behind by netizens who, without fail, took to their keyboards right after every performance was aired on their televisions at home. The hate comments ranged from degrading and downgrading his singing ability, taking jabs at his age and appearance and even the way he spoke. He still hadn’t gotten rid of his Busan accent even after years spent in Seoul. The majority of the hateful comments he had had the misfortune of having slung at him were focused on his dancing ability - or lack thereof. 

It was obvious to Taekjo, and he was sure that it was obvious to just about everyone else in their immediate vicinity, that Choa was quite intoxicated, which was a little funny and amusing to him. He didn’t know how much she had had to drink, but it was obviously more than she could handle. Or at least it was pushing her limit. Which wasn’t all that surprising, considering the fact that she was quite slender, which meant that the alcohol would have affected her faster and a lot harsher than it would affect him. “Believing in yourself only gets you so far.” He shrugged his shoulders. That was the truth. You could have a lot of faith in yourself, all the faith in the world actually, and you still wouldn’t be able to get far. Taekjo would be the first to admit that faith and hard work didn’t always play out in your favor. Sometimes you just had to get lucky, or you had to be pretty enough. Taekjo had seen plenty of pretty people make it far in the industry without having that much talent. 

“The public loves pretty much everything you girls do, so you don’t have any fears there. I think all of your songs have been hits, if I’m being honest.” He couldn’t think of one of Wink’s songs that hadn’t been a hit, especially their songs Heart Attack and Good Luck. As it turned out, Bingle Bangle was on its way to being that big too, which was understandable. It was catchy and addictive and a total ear worm. The public was eating it up. “Have you seen any dance covers yet?” He knew that international fans loved to post dance covers on social media and on YouTube. It was interesting hearing all the things that her company had planned for her group, almost like he was getting an insider’s scoop on it, although it wasn’t much of a scoop. There had been a lot of rumors circulating that they would aim for more sexier concepts in the future, but hearing her say it was more like a confirmation than anything. “Whatever you guys do, it’ll be accepted, trust me. You have a loyal fanbase.” 

Taekjo couldn’t help but disagree with her on that. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. We get criticized a lot, sure, but not as much as you do. At the end of the day, our platform isn’t nearly as large as yours is. You have international fans as well as Korean fans, which means you have international haters as well as haters right here at home. It’s not the same, but it is good preparation for what’s to come for us when we finally do debut.” Which would be soon, if he thought things were going in the direction they were. He had gotten better with his dancing, and by better he meant less stiff and awkward onstage. He had moved up in ranks and he was now in the top rankings for the boy contestants on the show. Things were starting to look good for him. “We still have those rules. Although don’t see anyone is more like don’t even look in the opposite sex’s direction. I have to admit that again, you guys have it worse off than we do for the most part.” He hummed. “I don’t know about the others, but it was a good experience for me. Being able to perform at kcon was definitely something I didn’t think I would be able to do this soon.”

[taekjoarchived-blog]

✽ ⟶ pick me up

[taekjoarchived-blog]

idmyungeun‌:

“i’m really excited to see how many show up – i wasn’t expecting all of the cheering that we got, so who knows,” she fixed a few pieces of hair, unsticking them from the back of her neck. “i think people had to pay for meet and greets, right? it’s weird to think that people are already paying money to see us, even if it is just a few.”

“Jealousy is such a nasty disease. You should really get that checked out, Myungeun.” Taekjo tsked, shaking his head as he gave her a mock look of disapproval. “I would be offended by the way you’re acting, but I know that it’s only out of jealousy, so I’ll let it slide for now. I won’t be too lenient in the future though.” The chances of him ever wearing a dress, let alone wearing a dress in public, were drastically slim to none. It wasn’t like he had a problem with it, he was more than comfortable with who he was and his masculinity, but it was just something that he wasn’t interested in doing. He knew that at some point in time in his career, he’d end up doing it. It was sort of a rite of passage for male idols to dress up in female idols’ stage costumes and perform one of their songs. He’d seen it happen plenty of times before in the past. “I’m offended that you think I’d ever dare to wear a skirt without safety shorts underneath. I’ll have you know that I’m a lady.” He pressed a hand against his chest as though he were offended by her words. He was glad that there was someone there that he could joke and fool around with comfortably. He hadn’t gotten the chance to know the other contestants all that well apart from a select few including Paris. 

“I’m not sure what I like more.. On the other hand, freeform screaming is good, but on the other hand I would like to hear the audience screaming my name and the song lyrics as a fan chant. Well, my name and the names of my other group members, but you get what I’m trying to say.” He had always wanted to know what it felt like to be on the receiving end of fan chants, and hopefully one day soon he would be able to experience it. 

“I’m trying not to get my hopes up too much because I don’t want to risk the disappointment, but I kind of hope that more than just a few show up. There are a lot of other groups here for them to see, but I hope some of them like us enough to at least stop by for a little while. It’ll be nice to see how many international supporters we have here at kcon.” He wouldn’t have been disappointed per se if they didn’t have a huge turn out but.. Yeah, he would have been disappointed. 

[idaroon]

for you.

[taekjoarchived-blog]

idaroon‌:

“now that i’m gone who will teach you to dance?” he asks, a playful smile on his lips. it’s easy to tease taekjo like this, as a hyung, when he ignores taekjo’s appearance, or tries to because those arms are very hard to be ignored. “don’t miss me too much, alright?” aroon asks, leans against the wall and looks at taekjo. hopefully he will make the final group, maybe they will meet each other again now both as debuted idols. maybe.

Taekjo couldn’t really help the flirtatious comments and innuendoes that left his lips. It was just the kind of guy that he was. He was sweet and kindhearted, but he was definitely what some people would call a casanova when it came to his romantic endeavors. He’d always been a sweet talker, even when he was a kid. He remembered giving girls in his preschool and elementary school classes his snacks at lunch time, or drawing pictures for them or even trying to hold their hands. He had always been one to lay on compliments thick too. His technique had only gotten better as the years went on and he got older and learned what worked with most women and what didn’t. 

It was different and a little weird finding himself using certain tones of voice and phrases that he only used to reserve especially for women on another male. His back and forth banter with Aroon was something that he usually only did with females, but for some reason it felt comfortable for him to do it with another male too. That comfortability also put on him edge as well. He didn’t know what was going on with him and why he was suddenly having certain kinds of feelings towards men, but he didn’t want to think too much of it. He knew that dwelling on it would only open up a can of worms that he didn’t want to deal with. A can or worms that he didn’t have the time to deal with, especially with how hard he had been focusing on Produce Project. So he ignored it and just went with what felt right. 

“Really?” If Taekjo were being honest, he wasn’t sure if he would miss any of it. He wouldn’t miss the competitiveness or the way that other contestants were so ready to throw another under the busy if it meant they were going to be given a chance to debut. He didn’t like how cutthroat the whole ordeal was, and if he had the opportunity to just bypass all of that and debut, even if it meant debuting as a soloist, he would have chosen to do so. “I’m not too sure if I would agree with that,” he murmured, letting out a sigh. 

He rolled his eyes at his question, a snort falling past his lips. “I’m sure I’ll be able to find someone who can help me. You’re not the only dancer I know, you know?” He gently punched the other on the arm - or as gently as he could. “I’m not sure how my heart will take such a tragic loss, but I’ll do my best to continue living as best as I can.” 

[taekjoarchived-blog]

✽ ⟶ bad influence

[taekjoarchived-blog]

idsanha‌:

    rolling his eyes, with a small smile, he shakes the thought from his head, reaching back to grasp at taekjo’s wrist, pulling harder—always, always. “what are they going to do, hyung? put out a missing person’s report?” he shoots a raised brow over his shoulder, daring taekjo to turn back around and ditch him. “we’ll just say i needed you for something, can’t say no to a sunbae, can you?” sanha asks, grinning wide, the title always bringing him immense pleasure.

He had known Sanha for quite a long time, dating all the way back to when he was just a skinny, scrawny kid from Busan who spoke with a heavy Busan dialect. He wasn’t quite sure how the two of them had grown to become such good friends, them being two years apart in age and in different grades at school, but somehow they had found each other and clung to one another. He didn’t mind in the end though, because Sanha’s friendship had helped him out quite a lot through his childhood and adolescence. He had spent night after night at Sanha’s house, sometimes for a week or two at a time just because he had to get away from his adoptive parents. Luckily for him, his friend and his friend’s parents were understanding of his situation and they were more than willing to work with him and help him out. 

Maybe that was why he was always so willing to do whatever Sanha asked? In some ways, he felt like he was indebted to him. He had done so much to help him out when they were younger, so why couldn’t Taekjo return the favor and do a few things for him? If Sanha hadn’t allowed him refuge and salvation in his house all those years ago, Taekjo wasn’t sure where he would be. His adoptive parents might have killed any hopes and dreams he had of becoming a performer later on in life, so he was forever grateful towards the younger male for being a shining beacon amiss a lot of darkness. He saved him from falling into the trap that his adoptive parents tried to force him into, and it was a good thing he had before it was too late. 

That being said, Sanha wasn’t really the best person for Taekjo to spend time with, especially at such a touchy and delicate time in his life. He was trying to keep himself clean of anything that might give the Produce Project producers or 99 Entertainment any reason to punish him, and going sneaking around with Sanha was definitely not going to keep him clean of mischief. Wherever the shorter male went, mischief was sure to follow and ensue, Taekjo was more than aware of that. He had been on the receiving end of such a thing plenty of times, and had suffered the consequences of his actions. Or, more accurately, suffered the consequences of Sanha’s actions that he didn’t try hard enough to stop. 

“No, but they could kick me off of Produce Project or ship me back to South Korea before the party happens tonight.” The latter wasn’t really something he was worried about. There would be plenty of parties for him to attend in the future, there was no question about it, but the former was something he did fear. He didn’t work so hard to just have everything tossed out the window over a small hiccup. “Call yourself sunbae all you want, I still know your deep, dark childhood secrets, so your title doesn’t matter to me, Sanha.”

[ilitws]

「 ⚡ dancing queen.

[taekjoarchived-blog]

idxuedong‌:

     at once, recognition lights up his features. mouth shaped into a little ❛ o ❜ as his brows threaten to merge with his hairline, xuedong gasps, ❝ you’re taekjo ! paris’s rival ! ❞ it isn’t the best way to define the other. ❛ skilled vocalist ❜ might have been a better moniker. just … something other than defining him by his relation to another contestant. xuedong winces at his own ineptitude. ❝ sorry, i didn’t mean that, i just … recognized you from pro.j. ❞ and i am ( supposed to be ) a huge fan of the person you’re in direct competition with, so does this mean i’m actually associating with the enemy ? there’s some sort of boundary crossed, more than just a company - wide one. likely the fact that xuedong had just walked in on him ( attempting ? ) to dance, which was something he admittedly grimaced at throughout the show out of something akin to pity. it was almost too easy for him, a young man whose flexibility was almost superhuman, to judge.

The slight annoyance that ebbed at his insides had been stamped down and pushed away to avoid him saying anything that he would have regretted saying. He hated being interrupted. When he got into the groove of practicing, whether it be singing or even dancing, he didn’t like to stop until he was satisfied with what he had accomplished or until he dropped from exhaustion. The former usually happened with singing, while the latter happened with dancing. He was by no means the best dancer in the world, not even the best dancer out of the trainees he had come into 99 Entertainment with back in 2011, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t practice his ass off trying to perfect and better the little dance skills he did have. When he first came into the label as a trainee, he had been completely hopeless when it came to dancing. He had two left feet and people never failed to remind him of that. 

That being said, he hated being interrupted, but he hated being rude even more. So he did his best to bite back any irritated comment that could have potentially bubbled up to the surface in favor of putting a smile on his face while he turned to look at the other male. Looking at the other male, the only thing he could think of to accurately describe him would be timid. He seemed to be extremely shy and introverted. That much he could tell just from the way that he wouldn’t make eye contact with him. Or maybe he was getting flustered because he wasn’t wearing a shirt? He hoped he wasn’t making him uncomfortable. “Are you alright? I hope I’m not making you feel uncomfortable. I can put my shirt on if you’d like?” He knew that some people, regardless of what their preferences were, weren’t really comfortable around half nude people. 

Janus? He was one of his seniors, one that he’d met plenty of times before due to inter company reasons, but he wasn’t extremely close to him. They had never gotten past the sunbaenim-hoobaenim relationship, and he wasn’t sure if they ever would considering the fact that Taekjo was still stuck in 99 Entertainment’s basement despite being there for deam near ten years. Seven wasn’t exactly ten, but it was close enough. “Right, my bad. Sorry, I don’t usually check the reservations list because this room is usually always empty. I use it a lot, so people tend not to book it.” He didn’t want to come across as sounding upset about having his time interrupted, so he kept his voice as light and friendly as possible. 

The more he studied the other’s face, the more recognizable he became until it finally hit him. He was in Galaxy, the same group as Paris. He hadn’t really realized who he was at first because of the lack of stage makeup and all that went into the image of being an idol. Not to say that he was ugly without all the glam. Taekjo could admit that he was very attractive, that was for sure. His eyebrows raised slightly. “I wouldn’t really call us rivals..” He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. He was a little intimidated by Paris, the only male contestant who he believed could hold a candle to him vocally. When it came down to it, he knew that the main vocal position in the group would be a battle of the best between him and Paris. He just hoped he came out on top. “It’s alright, it’s better to be recognized as someone’s rival than not at all, right?” He stretched his arms above his head, tilting his head from side to side. “Did you need me to leave?”

[taekjoarchived-blog]

✽ ⟶ we meet again

[taekjoarchived-blog]

idsuran‌:

she snaps her fingers, nods, “oh, yeah, “ she hums in acknowledgement, glances over him for a moment, gaze critical in a somehow amiable way. “the black is like, loads better. good move.” she half-praises, as if that matters (her opinion, etc). regardless, this new twist of conversation has her feeling surprisingly awkward, cheeks puffing out and her nose crinkling a little as she waves a hand vaguely, as if to bat his words out of the air. “it’s not a big deal, just, you know. payin’ it forward and that.” she half-explains, shrugs. it hadn’t been something she thought much of at the time. her toes wiggle in her shoes. “you likin’ the backstage life alright?” a masterful (read: atrocious) change of subject. “oh!” she adds, “i’m suran. nice to meet you, like, formally,” she tacks on. still awkward. 

He had never really been one to follow the rules and guidelines set out by the Produce Project team to a t. He still had a mind of his own, and he knew that a lot of their rules were fruitless and were more for the sake of saving face than actually enforcing said rules. Like the rule about female contestants not interacting with male contestants and vice versa. That was something that he couldn’t really get behind. Maybe it was because he was so used to having interactions with women whenever he damn well pleased, even as a trainee, but he didn’t think that it was a rule that was necessary. What was the point of it? Why couldn’t men and women interact with each other? Did they really think that they lacked that much self control that they would fall into less than platonic situations with the opposite sex just from being in the same room as each other for longer than five seconds? It was a slap in the face to the contestants, that was for sure. It was insulting, to say the least, that they couldn’t be trusted around the opposite sex. He wondered if Produce knew that, in some cases, they needed to be making sure the guys didn’t get too comfortable around each other and same for the girls. He’d seen plenty of male trainees and contestants benefit from that rule because of their own preferences, and he was sure many female trainees and contestants benefited from it as well. 

“Thanks.” He didn’t particularly agree with her opinion, but he appreciated the compliment nonetheless. He though that the blond suited him just as nicely as the black did. Then again, there weren’t many things that Taekjo didn’t think that he could pull off. He knew that he was an attractive man, and that attractive people could get away with pretty much anything appearance wise when it came to hair and clothes. He’d tested that theory out many times over the years and it always proved to be true time and time again. “I’m glad you like it,” he added as an afterthought, before moving on. “Sure, it’s not a big deal but I still wanted to thank you for it. I’m sure you remember how hard it was being a trainee, so you’d know that you really helped me out of a tough situation.” Not being able to pay for something, especially something as miscellaneous as a few snacks, was embarrassing to say the least. “It’s nice to meet you too.. Formally.” He couldn’t help but laugh at the slight awkwardness, before nodding. “It’s definitely better than backstage at the Produce set. A lot more spacious too. Is this your first time at kcon?”

[yujinlgc]

THANKS.

[taekjoarchived-blog]

idjingyi‌:

jingyi cleared his throat, finally breaking his trance and glancing over at the male. “i should be the one apologizing, not you. i really do apologize for this…i really didn’t mean any harm.” this was probably karma for trying to sleep on the job, sneak in a few minutes before his performance. it couldn’t hurt to get some kind of energy, coffee wasn’t his favorite drink at all and crashing from the toxic energy boost wasn’t too fun in his opinion. “i would’ve been upset if i was in your shoes. a complete stranger listening to your conversation, it was rude.” slowly turning his head so he didn’t mess up his hair or makeup that the stylist worked so hard on. the rapper actually wasn’t one to truly get upset, his anger was hidden and it took all the wrong pushes from one person to release such an emotion from him and thankfully nobody really tried to test it, there was no reason to do such a thing anyway. “oh, thank you. that means a lot….” giving him a sad smile.

The anger that Taekjo was feeling, no matter how justified it was, wasn’t something that he liked to indulge in. In fact, he found it damn near impossible to really stay angry at anyone for more than a few moments, unless they did something that really destroyed his trust in them. There was a large part of him that hated how forgiving he was of other people’s transgressions against him. He had always been the type who was too forgiving, too much of a pushover. He did things for other people without really thinking about it because he was a people pleaser. Holding onto anger towards another person wasn’t in his chemical makeup. He had tried so many times in the past to hold onto anger or remain bitter or hold a grudge, only to no avail. It was almost sad in a way, how soft hearted he was. It was one of his least favorite traits about himself. 

Although he couldn’t knock it too much. It was a trait that he had gotten from his parents, two very kindhearted and sweet people. All of his memories of them were good ones. They had done nothing to Taekjo but provide him with more love and affection than he could ever dream of getting, and that obviously rubbed off on him. It had been really bad when he was a child. He would give things away, like his food and toys, whenever someone asked him to. Whenever anyone questioned why he did it, he would just shrug and say that he liked to help other people in need. That soon developed into him doing things for other people, taking the blame for them, and even accepting scoldings and punishments in their place. That continued throughout his schooling years all the way up until he started training under 99 Entertainment. It took him a while, but he slowly but surely began to start shedding his pushover mentality. He was still really nice and sweet, but now that he was in his mid twenties, he knew now that he couldn’t continue putting everyone else ahead of himself. 

“I’m starting to think maybe I should take back my acceptance of your apology..” He murmured, although he was just joking. He was already forgiven (for the most part), and Taekjo didn’t want to dwell on it any longer. If he did, then he would end up getting angry all over again, only to lose the anger just as quickly as it returned. The back and forth was fruitless and unnecessary. “It’s fine man, stop apologizing before I really do get annoyed.” The words are said in jest, although there is an underlying current of seriousness to them. “You’re welcome. Shangri La is a really get song, I enjoy it a lot. The choreography is nice too.” Taekjo wasn’t much of a dancer, or a dancer at all, but he could definitely appreciate good choreography when he saw it, that was for sure. “You don’t sound so excited..” 

[wonhosoks]

[taekjoarchived-blog]

✽ ⟶ unwind.

✽ ⟶ @idjiho

Being a trainee for over seven years, Taekjo knew what it was like to be put into stressful situations and to have your patience and tolerance tested. It was a struggle being under a label and having to work so hard to prove yourself worthy of being debuted, only to be told no to your face time and time again. He had been passed up for debuting twice. The first time was with Poizn, which he could understand. He had only been a trainee for a few months and his skills were still underdeveloped. The second time around was when Imperial debuted. He was a little bit more upset with that one. He had been a trainee for over two years, and he thought he would have been able to make it in the group. The label didn’t think so. 

Now that he was pretty much a veteran amongst ninety five percent of the trainees, he knew that his time would be coming soon. He got discouraged sometimes, but he knew that if he just kept the faith, then things would turn around for him. Things ended up turning around faster than he thought when the execs at 99 told him that he would be able to participate on the Produce Project. It was a show that he had seen a few times here and there whenever he had free time. It wasn’t a show that he had really been interested in being apart of, but when he was given the opportunity, he jumped at it. Anything to get his name out there, right? 

As expected, it was a tough and grueling process. The endless practicing, being torn to shreds by not only the mentors but the online netizens as well. It was draining for Taekjo, much like it would be draining for anyone. When things got to be too much for him, too trying and exhausting, he reached out to someone that he could always trust to make him feel better - Jiho. Despite their age gap, Taekjo considered him to be one of his closest friends and he valued their friendship. Whether they went out to eat together or just hung around the trainee dorms, he enjoyed spending time with him. 

“Did you want to pick what we watch tonight?” Taekjo asked, holding the remote out towards the younger male with one hand while his other hand scrolled through the digital menu of one of their favorite restaurants. “And what are you feeling like eating tonight? Kimchi? Bulgogi? Japchae?” 

[softbunnywonho]

[idaroon]

for you.

[taekjoarchived-blog]

idaroon‌:

he blinks and realizes he has been caught staring. a feeling of deja vu takes over him and aroon smiles. he remembers their first interaction on that training room, being too unease with the weight of taekjo’s stare on him. now it somehow feels natural in a strange way. “hyung,” he greets taekjo. “did you watch my debut stage yesterday?” aroon asks, daring taekjo to say anything about his blatant staring. he will, aroon knows, because that’s how they roll. aroon is going to miss this, for sure.

Being able to perform somewhere outside of South Korea before he even had the chance to debut was something that not a lot of people got the chance to say they were able to do. As a trainee, you were barely afforded the opportunities to perform inside of Korea, let alone outside of the country. It was all a really overwhelming experience that he couldn’t wait to tell everyone else about when he got back to South Korea. He knew that his other trainee friends from 99 Entertainment would be dying to hear about the things they had been able to do. Although they hadn’t been able to do much. The trainees weren’t even allowed to see the first shows that took place on Saturday, but Taekjo had seen them anyway. Not in person, unfortunately, but he had seen them via the live stream for kcon that was posted on social media. 

There seemed to be a lot of withdrawals from the Produce Project lineup, which if Taekjo was being one hundred percent honest, he didn’t really mind. Less people, especially less male contestants, meant a better chance of him being added to the lineup of the final group that would get to debut at the end of the show. Finally debuting and getting able to be formally introduced to the public was the end all goal for Taekjo. He’d dedicated so much of his time and energy to the goal that he’d be damned if it all went to hell and he didn’t get the chance to debut like he wanted to. 

The lineup change that did raise a little bit of his attention was Aroon being pulled. He had heard that their performance of Nayana at kcon would be the last performance that the younger male would be taking part in. That wasn’t really all too surprising though. He had just debuted with a group, so of course his label probably didn’t want him to perform with his real group and then with the temporary group that would spin from Produce Project. It would be a little sad to see the younger go, even though they bickered a little bit during their time on the show together, he had grown to like his presence. And he would miss having his eyes on him, much like his eyes were always on him. 

It wasn’t like he had a crush or anything like that on Aroon, but he did enjoy his outward appearance and he wasn’t a horrible guy. And Taekjo couldn’t help but think that Aroon felt the same way, especially whenever he caught him staring at him like that. “I watched it through the live stream because the trainees weren’t allowed to watch the show in person..” He smiled slightly, crossing his arms over his chest. “Did you enjoy the show?” He asked teasingly, referring to how the younger had been staring at him earlier. 

[taekjoarchived-blog]

✽ ⟶ pick me up

[taekjoarchived-blog]

idmyungeun‌:

“right? there are more people than i thought who would watch the show,” and it seemed like a few of them genuinely liked the song. she’d give them a few more months, maybe they’d be tired of it by then. “do you think a lot are going to show up for the fanmeet?”

In Taekjo’s humble opinion, although he was the one who had performed the song and watched the girls perform their song countless times before, both of the songs were horrible. Cheesy, desperate and full of clichés. The entire point of both songs was to get people to vote for them, or to “pick them up”, which in and of itself was cringe worthy. There was nothing more sad or pathetic than desperately pleading with someone for their votes, when in the end those votes wouldn’t really matter anyway. The only thing that really mattered was popularity, which tended to lean in favor towards the more attractive contestants. Of course, being that they were idols, all of them were attractive, but there were a select few who were noticeably more attractive than others. There were a few contestants that Taekjo was surprised that they even made the cut, but then again he took another look at their visuals and that more than spoke for itself. 

He mirrored her bow towards the staff, before unscrewing the top from his water bottle and downing half of it in one go. Despite the air conditioning cranking cool air throughout the entire venue, being under those hot stage lights and dancing around onstage would be enough to skyrocket anyone’s body temperature. Taekjo was sure that he was going to die of heatstroke if he hadn’t gotten off that stage and taken off his blazer as soon as possible. “You’re just jealous that I would look better than you in a skirt. I have amazing legs.” He proudly patted his thigh with his hand. He could understand why she would want to trade uniforms though - some girls must hate having to wear skirts and dresses all the time when guys had the luxury of wearing pants and shorts that weren’t so short that they could basically pass as undergarments. 

“I like them both. The fanchants and the random screaming. The random screaming shows that they’re excited and passionate, while the fanchants show that they’re passionate and dedicated. A lot of fanchants aren’t that easy to learn, so having people willing to sit there and learn them and shout them out is really touching and heartwarming. Especially when people who don’t speak Korean take the time to learn the fanchants.” He’d heard a lot of Americans saying the Korean fanchants to a lot of the groups who had gone up to perform, and he thought it was endearing. 

“I hope so.” He would be happy with any amount of fans that showed up for their little fan signing, but he would be really touched if more than a dozen showed up. He wasn’t quite sure how popular they were internationally, so only time would tell. “We’ll just have to wait and see, but I hope we get a decent turnout.”