#s(phere)

[rkdoyoung]

♕ ✦ —  hands all over.

@rkvok

they say sharing is caring and doyoung has never had a problem with sharing, sometimes to the point of over sharing, some would say, but he’s never had a problem with that, either. doesn’t over sharing mean over caring, then, anyway? and there’s no such thing as caring too much.

so no matter which way he looks at it, standing in the middle of the shared room between he and his teammates with an open tin of sore muscle balm and an offer to give everyone a massage is an act of good will, and anyone who hadn’t spoken up about receiving one or straight up refused his services was just too shy to ask, which absolutely meant that moonbok, who was sitting quietly and minding his own business, definitely wanted in on the action. it’s just plain polite to make sure he’s taken care of as well, and so doyoung makes his way over to his fellow trainee and plops down behind him, dipping his fingers into the balm and immediately began pressing it into the skin around the base of his neck.

“wah!! you’ve got so many knots, moonbok ssi!” he exclaims as if moonbok asked for this, pressing down on said knots to try and work out the kinks. “are you stressed, by any chance? i don’t blame you. it’d be hard not to be stressed working in a place like this.”

[rkdoyoung]

♕ ✦ —  salvation.

@chrxsrk

to say that it’s been a long day would be an understatement.

as much as he loves to dance, spending all day doing just that feels like overkill, giving him flashbacks to his very first evaluation, having to busk for the better part of the day. he didn’t think he’d be doing anything similar so soon, and it seems like his body agrees with the sentiment, aching all over, even in places he doesn’t think he’s even been using. the worst of it, however, is in his knee, bringing up even more memories of an even worse time, before he found a new passion and moved back to seoul.

for this reason, he’s exceedingly glad when the day is over and they’re allowed to return back to their rooms for the day, throwing himself onto his bed with a groan of both satisfaction and pain. without getting up from his bed, he reaches over for his bag, pulling it toward him and shuffling through it until he’s found the magic he’s looking for. with a grin, he pulls out the tin of sore muscle salve and begins applying it, sounds of relief and satisfaction leaving his throat as he applies it.

with his hand still rubbing the ointment into his skin, he turns his head to grin at one of his roommates for the three days they’re at the camp, wiggling his brows. “hey chris, care for a massage?”

after all, sharing is caring.

[rkdoyoung]

♕ ✦ —  in plain sight.

@rktaeyxng

it’s been a good two months now since he’s been signed to sphere, and he’s slowly made a home of the entertainment company, finding spaces where he can be alone if he needs to, becoming friendly with some of the staff, growing closer to his fellow trainees. despite the schedules being similar to how his work schedule was at the hospital, it had been quite the adjustment, and now he’s starting to feel like he’s truly integrating.

the strange part about all this is the fact that one one of his friends has yet to notice his presence within the company, and he’s one hundred percent certain they’ve been in the same room at least once or twice.

perhaps part of that is his own fault. he’s sort of been playing this game on his own, trying to see how long it would take taeyong to see and notice him, knowing full well how oblivious his friend can be; he just didn’t think it would last so long. at this point, he’s growing a bit bored of waiting around, so he decides to raise the stakes, and a direct interaction is the best way to do that.

it takes a while for an opportunity to present itself when convex has been promoting for the past few weeks, but he finally gets his chance one cold january day. with a steely resolve, he makes his way over to his sunbae, filled with confidence and curiosity. his eyes are cast to the ground, bowing at a full ninety degrees like any good hoobae should do. “hello, sunbae,” he greets, emphasizing the honorific. “nice to finally see you.”

[rkdoyoung]

♕ ✦ —  weekenders.

@rkxminhee

he’s all but assimilated into trainee life now, becoming used to the schedule, of the days ins and outs, of the building, knowing where to go, getting to know the staff. the hardest part about it all, and perhaps something he hasn’t quite gotten used to yet, is working on the weekends. before he had signed his life away to sphere for two whole years, he’d often have the weekends off, free to do whatever he pleased on saturdays and sunday, but now that he’s a trainee, even those days are filled with a full shift (even if at times he doesn’t even consider it work at all, not when he’s able to do music during those hours).

despite the added work days, however, the weekends are still his favorites of the week due to the fact that they are released five hours early. that, paired with the fact that they get in four hours later means he feels refreshed enough once they’re let out that he often still has the urge to go out. and while calling someone to see where they’re out seems well and fine, he thinks now would be a good time to get to know one of his fellow trainees, so he flags down the first person he sees, hand in the air as he waves, smile plastered on his face. “minhee sunbae!” he calls out, recalling her name from practice---at least, he hopes he’s remembering her name correctly. “wait up! where are you headed now? are you free?”

[rkdoyoung]

♕ ✦ —  misinformed.

@rkchangyoon

it’s been almost a month now since he’s been signed, and he’s begun to fully integrate into all the scheduling and lifestyle. it had been difficult at first, going from his full time job at the hospital to being a full time trainee, but even though the hours are longer, he’s doing something he loves (not that he hated helping people at the hospital as a physical therapist, but doing music for a living has been his dream since high school).

but even as he’s begun to settle in and get used to everything, he finds that there are still some surprises he has yet to discover, and today’s happens to be in the shape of a familiar face. seeing him stops him in his tracks, and he’s so in shock that he has to stop and stare just to make sure he’s seeing who he thinks he’s seeing.

the last time he’d seen changyoon was when he’d randomly run into him on the street and invited him out for a meal. he vaguely remembers promising to be better at keeping in touch, but obviously that had fallen through. he’s only slightly embarrassed about the slip-up, but the fact that they’re crossing paths again here in the sphere building when he hadn’t even known he was a trainee just means he’s been given a chance to make good on his promise. so, heading toward him and waving his hand in the air to catch his attention, he calls out to him. “ay, changyoon! fance meeting you here~”

[rkdoyoung]

♕ ✦ —  keep you warm.

@danielxrk

there’s something very artificial about handing out heat packs to the general public while he’s forced to keep freezing in his simple stage outfit. it’s extremely reminiscent of the artificiality of the hospitality industry he grew up with in his uncle and aunt’s hotel, and while there are definitely people who are glad to just help in any way they can, there are probably an equal amount of those who often just grin and bear it. he’s not exactly sure on which end of the spectrum he falls, but when it’s a couple of hours past noon and he’s still no lost his stride, he personally thinks he falls closer to the former.

an unexpected challenge that comes with trying to keep it genuine in such a scripted facade is finding ways to make each experience unique. it’s all well and good to wish the passersby a nice day and to keep warm, he thinks variety is the spice of life and can make the difference between disinterest and a memorable interaction, which, ultimately, should be the goal.

there’s a brief respite between the throngs of people passing through the area, and doyoung figures he may as well make good use of it and practice a couple of greetings before using it on some unsuspecting stranger. seeing daniel closeby, he figures the younger is a good candidate to gauge reactions, so he saunters over, all confidence and no shame, hand in his pocket to pull out a heat pack to press lightly against daniel’s cheek.

“do you feel that? it’s the warmth i’m giving you from my heart to yours,” he says, an unwavering smile upon his lips and soft look in his eyes. “be careful not to catch a cold.”

[rkdoyoung]

♕ ✦ —  taking up space.

@rksuas

he’s never had a problem with doing things alone. shopping, busking, having a meal, going to the movies, all the typical things most people would prefer to have a friend or partner to come along, he’s never really minded doing on his own.

but there’s something strangely unnerving about standing with a tray of food in the cafeteria of the sphere building, not knowing where to go or sit when he’s surrounded by groups of people who have probably all known each other for years. he contemplates just sucking it up and inserting himself into one of the groups, but then he spots a table with just one person sitting there, and he figures two’s company, and it’s better than making himself an outsider to a crowd.

with a tentative smile, he makes his way over to the table, setting his tray down before even moving to take the seat in front of it. he introduces himself first, hand outstretched for a shake, an air of familiarity even though he’s pretty sure they’ve never even crossed paths once in their life.  “hey, i’m kim doyoung,” he greets her, smile still pasted on his face. “is this seat taken?”

[rkdoyoung]

♕ ✦ —  been a while.

@danielxrk

it’s always an experience changing up a routine. for years, ever since graduating from university, his routine had always been the same: long shifts at the hospital during the weekdays, busking on the weekends, always chasing after one dream.

now, the routine has changed, but signing on to be a trainee at one of the biggest entertainment companies in the country wasn’t that dream. he’d always imagined himself getting signed by some small independent label, free to make whatever music he wanted without all the super bright lights and concepts, rigorous training schedules, or impossibly strict rules. and yet, when the opportunity had presented itself, he’d hardly hesitated, signing his name on the dotted line, giving away two years of his life for just the hope of standing on a stage and sharing his love of music with a wider audience.

but before he could even get there, he’d have to work his ass off as a trainee, and he knows he’ll never get through it if he doesn’t make a few friends, and it’s always easier doing so with faces that are more familiar to you than not. that’s where daniel comes in.

they’ve never interacted before, doubts they’ve ever even glaced each other’s way, but he knows they’ve shared a similar journey, at least partly, because he’d seen him on the mgas, making it further than wonpil could even hope to achieve. so once he’s spotted him, a bit surprised since, to his recollection, he hadn’t been signed through the show but happy nonetheless, he makes his way over, hand raised in a wave meant to catch the other’s attention. once he’s within earshot, he grins before speaking.

“hey, man,” he greets as if they’ve known each other for years. “how’ve you been?”