#ft. milan

[lgcxnoeul]

starseekers

He couldn't recall the last time he had spontaneously invited @lgcmilan to hang out outside the company building. He had thought of inviting her to his studio, but fresh air and a late night snack seemed like a better deal. He wanted to be mindful of her rare free time. His own spare time was dwindling away, but he wanted to force himself out of his cave and prioritize other aspects of his life that he had admittedly dropped the ball. He felt like he was loitering while awaiting for her to step out of her dorm, glancing occasionally down at his phone to see if his directions were unclear.

He had borrowed his mother's car with the promise of taking it through the car wash and filling it up with gas before he returned it. He hoped that Milan enjoyed the detour around the city. He leans over when he spots her, waving at her from the passenger window. He lowers his mask to beam a smile at her, awkwardly opening the door for her without stepping out. "I got glared by a woman with a pomeranian because of you." He states with amusement glinting in his eyes, buckling his seatbelt when he leans back into the driver seat. "I swear she was going to ask if I was delivery driver, or a visitor... Do you think we'll be that grouchy when we get older?"

[lgcxnoeul]

embers glow

He had expected pushback from Milan when he had invited her on a spontaneous outing outside the city. He had asked her on a whim if she was free for the day and jumped on the opportunity when she had responded positively. It was rare for their schedules to overlap. She was beyond busy preparing for a comeback, but he was embarrassingly unemployed like his sister advertised to anyone within earshot. He was thankful that he could at least spend time with Milan without having to worry about a schedule, or people around them.

He borrowed his mother's car for the day with the intention of driving out to a campground that had too many amenities to say they were roughing it out for the day. However, the two of them had to stop along the way to gather groceries for their lunch and ended up at a farmer's market. "Do you ever go outside of the city and wish you could live like this every single day?" He asks his bestfriend, holding up a pristine apple that he swore he could see a reflection on it. "Is it wrong to already think about my retirement? What if I become a farmer? My green thumb is non-existent, but you can work on that, right?"

@lgcmilan

[lgcxnoeul]

moving forward

He was thankful that he could at least still roam the halls without having to worry about any restrictive access. After moving companies, he had been barred from visiting three of his friends, but he could still pester the rest of his friends whenever he wanted. Since he wanted those privileges to remain, it had been a few weeks since he had been near the practice rooms for the debuted idols. Today, he was on mission to find @lgcmilan and with her group's concert, he figures he could find her group rehearsing.

His timing seemed to have worked out in his favor. He could hear the music coming to an abrupt stop when he gets closer to the door, signifying a break was due and he wouldn't have to linger around until their rehearsal finished. He shuffles back, greeting the manager when Shinhye steps out of the practice room in a hurry. He uses his foot to stop the door from closing, peeking his head into the practice room. He tries to catch the attention of his friend, wrinkling his nose when the intern spots him first.

He closes the door by removing his foot, heading back to where he had left the present and his phone. He leans against the wall, opening up their last conversation to send her a quick message:

유미란 🌟 ❯

You're on break, right? Come out for a bit. It'll be quick. I promise.

[lgcxnoeul]

bated breath

A running joke in the Han household was that their mother had a sixth sense, but the correct term would be a mother's intuition. He had a special connection with her. A simple glance would make him fear for his life, or break down in tears. He had been teetering the line with her for the past several months. He couldn't hide it any longer, not even behind a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He had evaded questions about Milan, but there were no secrets between the two families. Something wasn't right between the two childhood friends. He wasn't capable of answering how she was, what she was up to, had she eaten... Was she existing in a daze like he was?

He couldn't articulate his emotions, only piecing phrases his therapist had suggested and despite it all he couldn't regurgitate back to anyone, not even the void around him. Simply parting his lips caused a sharp ache formed between his ribs, applying pressure on top of his chest if he dared to utter how he broken he felt. Perhaps, he had kept their communication short out of guilt and masqueraded the vile taste in his mouth with sweet hopeful messages. Instead of finding the courage to accept that their relationship had changed, he was still clinging to the self-soothed delusions his mind repeated when he was alone.

It hurt to breathe.

He had been pushed out of the door before he could protest with box wrapped in silk fabric and the keys to his father's car. His drive to Seosan was had been nothing more than a torturous self-led therapist session underneath the music blasting to calm his nerves. His fingers began trembling when he twisted the key to turn off the car's engine. He steps out of the car, gathering the box from the passenger seat. He approaches the front door, feeling thankful that the sleeves of his jeogori hid most of his hands.

@lgcmilan

[lgcxnoeul]

【✖】  LEGACY HALL BATTLE — S3E1

It was bittersweet to enter through the doors to shoot the first episode of his final season. Initially, he didn't have specific guests in mind when the producers asked him, but the more he thought of the simple request, wouldn't Milan be the perfect guest for his final season? Every season seemed like the wrong place, wrong time for the two of them. He hadn't been able to appear on her show and she had embarked on a special journey, which kept her from appearing last season. Still, he didn't think that her filming for his show would be possible despite not having any restrictions at the moment. Her group had barely debuted and exploded in popularity. Was it even worth it for her to participate in his show?

He wasn't shocked to find out her schedule couldn't accommodate for her to be able to take a day off to shoot an episode. The staff had promised to search for another guest and not worry about it, but he arrived on set and was informed that the guest was running late. He didn't understand the need for mystery, or the dramatics for the reveal. Was he being pranked? Or, was the guest a flake? He tried his hardest to not be visibly annoyed, glancing at the camera when he received the instructions in his ear to start.

Let's take this opportunity to test the cameras, yeah? His producer voices out in a cheery voice, too eerily similar to when he had something up his sleeve. He should have seen it coming, but he was too preoccupied by the staff behind the camera staring intently at him, waiting for him to start.

"Oh, have you been there all this time?" He begins with a toothy smile, stepping closer to the camera with his typical friendly disposition. "Are you prepared to be entertained? I'd say grab a snack, but no, I need you standing and dancing along with me and my special guest..." His voice trails off, focusing on the cue-cards suddenly presented by an intern. "Today will work differently for you and I. Our special guest has finally arrived to the building. Will you help me guess our guest's identity?"

Huh.

At this rate, Kim Hyuncheol's appearance was more believable than his bestfriend.

@lgcmilan

[lgcxnoeul]

re:connect

For him, Noeul could always benefit from more time, but unfortunately, he didn't have the powers to bend reality in his favor. Days had been short for him during the past years with training, working, and taking a full course-load of classes. Since he had removed two factors, he had been slowly spiraling, unable to know what to do with himself. He had flirted with the idea of signing up for a Master's program, or even returning to work. It felt wrong to have downtime like he was living life in slo-motion and not entirely certain what he was living for.

Throughout this period, he had missed Milan's presence in his life. She had always been his anchor when he felt like this, encouraging him to continue roaming or settle down for a bit when he needed it. He wondered how time felt for her during the competition. He had barely spoken to her and only caught edited glimpses of what she had been up to in the show. The silence did have him questioning if she had been bottling things up to keep from him worrying about her, but it never felt like the right time to ask. It had been his one regret these past few months so he wasted no time to head to her parents' home when he heard she was back.

"Are we celebrating, or pivoting?" Noeul asks her when he meets her gaze, fondness brimming in his eyes. He bites down on the inside of his cheek, lifting the box of cupcakes decorated as bears and bunnies. He doesn't waste time and embraces his bestfriend around the shoulders, lifting her feet off the floor with a secure squeeze. "Did you get taller? We can still stuff our faces with cupcakes regardless, right?"

@lgcmilan

[lgcxnoeul]

mid-break reunion

It felt odd to return home and catch up with his parents and siblings. It wasn't like he didn't communicate often with them, but he had barely spent face-to-face time with them during the past year. He could see the lines on his parents' face deepen, the new addition of gray strands of hair on his father's head, and the way his mother's eyes view each of her children with excessive tenderness, nostalgia, and at times, sadness. Still, his brother was annoyingly even more perfect and was attached to the hip with his new girlfriend. His sister had not matured one bit since graduating in the winter, and had become a stronger force that he couldn't shake off when she decided to pay attention to him.

His saving grace for the afternoon was Milan agreeing to come see him before she had to return to the mysterious world that Future Dreams had to offer. His mother had been delighted to hear that her god-daughter was coming over, and Gaeul was set on stealing her away from him. So, he spent the past half hour in the living room waiting for when the doorbell rang and despite being the first one to stand, his sister hurriedly ran past him in a blur to swing the door open and embrace the older girl.

"Why don't you sign up for track and field, hm?" Noeul mumbles with a soft huff, peeling his sister away from Milan and allowing for his mother to properly greet her. "I have something to show Milan, but we'll be out in a bit." He interrupts the sweet reunion, gently curling his fingers around her wrist to lead her towards his bedroom. "How were the celebrations? I'm surprised your parents allowed you to return and not drop you off a minute before you had to go back to the dorms."

@lgcmilan

[lgcxnoeul]

an early morning détente

He couldn't recall the last time he had an argument with ( @lgcmilan ) that didn't end up being resolved between the two of them in a matter of minutes. It was the only reason why their friendship had lasted for more than two decades. Sure, their mothers had played a big factor in their relationship, but the two could have severed ties years ago when hormones exacerbated his immaturity and Milan found her group of friends.

Regardless, no one know him better than Milan after his family. The majority of their arguments had been petty and not worth being dwelled upon by the two of them. If it had been serious, their mothers would intervene and force the two to apologize. Unsurprisingly, Noeul was usually in the wrong and the current tension between the two of them was not an exception. He had agreed to meeting up with her before returning to the dorms, but he had lost track of time and didn't bother to notify her that he wouldn't be able to see her.

Yes, he was in the wrong and he had tried to apologize several times (albeit poorly and none of the apologies had been face-to-face). His wrongdoing hadn't been forgiven so easily this time and Milan seemed like she was trying to actively avoid him. If it hadn't been for the early meeting that was scheduled for the trainees, he wouldn't have been able to corner her near the meeting room. He had arrived early, hoping to see her either before or after the meeting.

"Yu Milan." His voice is stern, extending his arm to block her from turning into the hallway. It would have appeared like a lover's quarrel if anyone came across the scene, but this was a vital part of their relationship that made them, well them. "Are you going to continue ignoring me? I need a signed notice at least if you're thinking of not being my friend anymore."