( txt → worst matchmaker evr do not hire🚫 ) o p p a HLELO??? hi ( txt → worst matchmaker evr do not hire🚫 ) listen. this an emergencsy ( txt → worst matchmaker evr do not hire🚫 ) can u drive me to mcdongasld’s ?? ji joon’s gone. sucha party 💩er > i want NUGGETS ( txt → worst matchmaker evr do not hire🚫 ) an actual port trait of him: 💩💩💩 akaMY MASTERPIECE THE NXT AVN GOGH ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
send ⁇ for a worried text
( txt → taejoon ) what’s wrong? did something happen today at work? ( txt → taejoon ) turn that frown :( upside down :) !!
send ♣ for a text not meant for you + send ✿ for a suggestive text
2014( txt → taejoon ) this dior dress is pretty but it’s not the only pretty thing i’m wearing 😇( txt → taejoon )……omg ( txt → taejoon ) i’m gonna die. that text wasn’t for you i’m so sorry( txt → taejoon ) just pretend you never saw this pls 😅
send √ for a long-winded confession text + send ✘ for a text that should never have been sent
( txt → taejoon ) i can’t believe him!! the nerve he has!! do you know how bad this will look?! & i’ve been looking forward to this event for so long 😭😭😭 i just…. sometimes i want to STRANGLE HIM ( txt → taejoon ) i swear no one can get on my nerves like he does. i can’t with him. tl;dr sungjoon won’t change his ugly tie to match my dress 😤 THAT JERK. aesthetic = ruined ( txt → taejoon ) so oppa pls put on your scary!boss face when you see him next time. give him extra work. he deserves it
send ☼ for a congratulatory text
( txt → taejoon ) CONGRATS !! you’re taking complex to the next level! 💪( txt → taejoon ) 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏( txt → taejoon ) ^ me clapping so loud even ppl in busan can hear me
( KKT—Park Taejoon ) Stop( KKT—Park Taejoon ) Playing( KKT—Park Taejoon ) That song ( KKT—Park Taejoon ) Everyone is looking like they just lost their mother and it’s killing the mood
send ⁇ for a worried text
( KKT—Park Taejoon ) She lost all the files( KKT—Park Taejoon ) Fuck.
send ♣ for a text not meant for you
( KKT—Park Taejoon ) Mom told me to check up on you this week, whether you like it or not. What time is therapy? ( KKT—Park Taejoon ) Oh shoot, wrong person. Sorry.
send ✿ for a suggestive text / send ✺ for a sassy text
( KKT—Park Taejoon ) Damn, keep doing it like that and you’re going to drive everyone else crazy. Seriously. ( KKT—Park Taejoon ) 🙄
send √ for a long-winded confession text
( KKT—Park Taejoon ) It’s not my place to say it, but just for your consideration( KKT—Park Taejoon ) It's always better to let it out I think. Be it through crying or talking it through. In a sober state though.( KKT—Park Taejoon ) With the way you’re going right now, it’s going to make things worse( KKT—Park Taejoon ) Just a thought.( KKT—Park Taejoon ) Oh, by the way, the drafts’ll be finalized by Monday, as promised. Have a good weekend, chief.
send ☠ for a misguided advice text
( KKT—Park Taejoon ) Just put it off for now. How much worse could it get?
send ☢ for a desperate text
( KKT—Park Taejoon ) ETA 5 min OMW
send ☼ for a congratulatory text
( KKT—Park Taejoon ) You made it hyung( KKT—Park Taejoon ) Complex got Magazine of the Year!
send ✘ for a text that should never have been sent
( KKT—Park Taejoon ) I think you should play some Coldplay instead
remember: eyes in half crescents and lavender; always lavender.
it’s strange how associations change. she’s told him that as a fun fact once, something about the senses linking up with events and something about it being the human body’s way of remembering; all he remembers though, are bright smiles and that faint scent of lavender she always carries with her. on hindsight, perhaps that’s what she’s talking about back then.
ten years later, he’s sitting alone in his car, bouquet of lavender in the passenger seat filling the space with what he’s hoped would be reminiscence, warmth, comfort. ( a selfish act for some semblance of familiarity; as though she’s never left, perhaps. ) disappointingly, the scent churns a sickly feeling at the pit of his gut instead, and for once he hates how right she was.
( what would you have done? if you were me? )
there are no words yet, just the urge to speak swelling in his chest with strings of half-formed thoughts. it’s a series of languidness that follows –– dazed eyes watch as cars come and go, muted anguish, crowds of monochrome blending into one another and before long, the sun’s beginning to set. he works on the button on his jacket, only to pause briefly at the cruel irony of how this suit is initially prepared for an occasion of an entirely different purpose ( re: wedding, reunion –– anything but this ).
the background fades into white noise, sparing him from having to listen to the perfunctory words of condolences, whispered with a solemn dip of the head and a cup of soju. the line moves, and he moves with it involuntarily, gaze avoiding the altar as he nears it.
this is all it takes: a familiar pair of hands, a familiar voice. it's more of a drone that matches the general tone of his incoherent thoughts. he stands there, cup filled and heavy and chest hollowed out. he parts his lips, but the name doesn’t come easily.
( summer; bunk beds in a musky room filled with hot blooded young men. the lights are out and taejoon’s in the bottom bunk across. they're barely twenty and his simple question only raises more questions for sungjoon; he’s on his side, back to the younger, hands balled into loose fists, brows knitted and heart pounding, pounding, pounding––
“hyung, do you like sooyoung noona?”
————
“i guess you’ll be alright.”
here’s the thing: his logic back then makes sense to himself –– he thinks he might’ve been okay with the ambiguity and the idea of them being friends forever. but apparently forever isn’t long enough for them in this lifetime and ambiguity becomes a double-edged sword lodged firmly in his chest by himself, twisting, taking things apart. )
“taejoon-ah...” eventually he speaks, voice unused and quiet.
( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) ik it’s early but apparently it’s too early for coffee smith to start serving bagels ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) whatever that even means 😪
send ♔ for an angry text
( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) my favourite ‘saeng( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) did you knock over my coffee beans jar again???( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) it’s the third time wyd ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) stop being so absentminded or istg i’m locking it away or you out of the room
send ♠ for a drunk text
( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) wasnt going to brjng this up..( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) but if you lived me ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) if yu LOVE ME. park taejoin( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) yu wouldve at lessdt given moana a chncr( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) honestl( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) so good movie very( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) ugh hfh fuck i cant find the a key( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) SOMEONE ATE IT WA THHU FUCC( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) oh( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) aasssaaASAAAAA( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) therei t is ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) ok fals alarm
send ☏ for a vague text
( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) it is what it is, don’t worry about it
send ⁇ for a worried text
( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) you literally looked like you haven’t slept for days, taejoon ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) there’s a lot more at stake here and i’m not just talking about your health ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) take the night off at least
send ♣ for a text not meant for you
( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) we gotta go over for dinner, i’ll pick you up along the way ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) is that a no or…
( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) wait omg no wonder she didn’t reply ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) you could’ve read and told me you lil’
send ✺ for a sassy text
( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) not that i asked but sure, tell me about this great masterplan of yours ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) i’m sacrificing tea break for this, it’d better be That Good
send ✿ for a suggestive text
( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) this would be a good time to mention what a piece of work your long legs are ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) so put those heckin’ long legs to good use( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) and get here asap ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) dinner’s on you btw
send √ for a long-winded confession text
( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) that’s the thing, i never would’ve seen you guys coming, but even if i had the choice, i still wouldn’t have this otherwise. ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) i don’t know, i guess it’ll be different, and i probably would be a different me, y’know? ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) maybe things are the way they are for a reason, aside from torturing us occasionally. i still think of her sometimes, and then i get stuck in this cycle of thoughts that just goes on and on, mainly the what-ifs… but i think she wouldn’t have wanted this. it doesn’t make things any better, but it makes it a little easier to breathe and i think we all need that reminder every now and then.
send ☠ for a misguided advice text
( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) if you see a shark’s fin, swim towards it to establish dominance ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) tell me if it doesn’t work
send ☢ for a desperate text
( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) HEY where are you @ ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) nvm not important ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) so listen ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) it’s just bad luck that the coffee machine chose today to malfunction ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) long story short i need to borrow pants ( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) i know it’s your favourite pair, but you’ll get it back clean and ironed by the end of this week ‘kay
send ☼ for a congratulatory text
( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) the latest issue crossed another milestone, let’s go for drinks later ✌🏻
send ✘ for a text that should never have been sent
2012
( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) taejoon-ah!! (& jisoo-ah!!) i’m so sorry, i tried to rush through the assignments but it got brought forward so now everyone’s strung tight, and that tyrant of a boss would never approve any leave through the next two weeks. i’ll see you guys another time ‘kay, i’ll send my blessings in a package for now. 😌( kkt ⇢ 태준이 ) ah and, say hello to soo for me.
( sms: 큰 보스 ) good morning, sajangnim( sms: 큰 보스 ) what was the second track that you played in the office yesterday?( sms: 큰 보스 ) the one that went dum-da-da-dum-da-dum( sms: 큰 보스 ) i’d like to listen to it again( sms: 큰 보스 ) preferably not through your office door this time
send ♣ for a text not meant for you
( sms: 큰 보스 ) yes eomma i’m eating i promise ( sms: 큰 보스 ) img( sms: 큰 보스 ) see?( sms: 큰 보스 ) ..( sms: 큰 보스 ) i’ll go get your americano ( sms: 큰 보스 ) please don’t save this picture
The stereo speakers are right overhead but the clarity is barely there, “Love on the Brain” sounding as though it’s miles behind him—and in some ways it is. He stares down the glass in a flushed daze, eyes missing the pool of melting ice as his mind stretches itself thin for something more solid to hold onto. He hasn’t reached cloud nine just yet—a few more shots and the warmth will come through in full force—but with whiskey breath on the tip of his tongue and his senses all a blur, he swears he’s already there. The only saving grace here: this state of inebriation isn’t his alone. A sway to the left, and it’s Taejoon in the accompanying bar stool, drink in hand.
“Hyung…” He leans in a little too close for comfort, hand to heart. The laugh that follows is too slippery, too easy, to show any signs of him possibly sobering up anytime soon. “I...I, have something to tell you.”