Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“The public’s Yoo Joonghyuk” is a marketing concept that has been inordinately and inexplicably successful. Case in point:

a) His fans—or SupSubs, short for “Supreme Subjects”—have this core belief that Yoo Joonghyuk is the epitome of ideal boyfriend material. They’re nothing if not dedicated to the cause, spending hours online arguing with those who claim otherwise, and fantasizing about him in a way that would make Dokja blush had he not been exposed to it for years at this point.

b) His fans believe that Yoo Joonghyuk always wanted to be an idol since his childhood. The official story is that Yoo Joonghyuk saw an unnamed idol on a music show broadcast and decided to make it his future career at the fresh old age of seven. It’s quite a common origin story, but one that the fans seem to eat up like a gourmet meal.

c) His fans wholeheartedly believe that Yoo Joonghyuk has no interest in the opposite sex. Numerous video compilations of Yoo Joonghyuk “hating women”, featuring his tendency to maintain a meter’s distance from any female idols or broadcasters and his general snark towards women, serve as more than enough evidence of that for fans.

“The public’s Yoo Joonghyuk” is also a complete scam, as most marketing concepts are. Carefully crafted from the ground up, it’s all a public persona that Yoo Joonghyuk grudgingly puts on at ungodly hours in the morning and maintains throughout the day with military-grade precision.

As the idol’s childhood-friend-turned-manager, he knows all too well what the fans want to see, and is privy to everything that the fans don’t see. Particularly that:

a) Yoo Joonghyuk is an irredeemable asshole when there are no cameras or people around. He’s gotten good at hiding that part of him over the years, but he’s certainly not ideal boyfriend material, no matter how good he is at cooking and doing household chores. As for his physical appearance…well, Dokja can at least agree with the fans on that front. Objectively speaking, of course.

b) Yoo Joonghyuk hates being an idol with every fiber of his being, so much so that Dokja has to remind him every day that if he quits then both of them will be out of a job. To which Yoo Joonghyuk’s most frequent response is that while Dokja will be permanently out of a job, due to the fact that he’s only valuable for the work he does with Yoo Joonghyuk, he himself can simply get a job elsewhere in the entertainment industry, due to his handsome face. It is an infuriatingly true fact, but thankfully Yoo Joonghyuk has some twisted form of affection for him and hasn’t quit yet.

c) While his fans are correct about him having no interest in the opposite sex, it’s not because he is some monk, pure blushing virgin, or raging misogynist. As is industry standard, he’s been trained on how to avoid romantic scandals, but Yoo Joonghyuk complies with the training rather maliciously for somewhat opaque reasons, which comes off as being completely uninterested in women.

Now, Dokja, being the well-trained Yoo Joonghyuk manager that he is, is sufficiently equipped to deal with points a) and b). After all, they became friends in spite of, not because of, Yoo Joonghyuk’s personality. As for his job security, he’s pretty sure they’re both trauma bonded to the entertainment industry beyond saving.

It’s point c) that’s the problem. Yoo Joonghyuk, with his dense and emotionally repressed brain, probably doesn’t question why he follows his training so rigorously. However, Dokja has a better point of view, being the closest person to him that isn’t blinded by hubris.

His running theory is that the man is so far in the closet that he appears straight to the untrained eye. After all, any man with even an ounce of interest in women would have folded by now, surrounded by the unparalleled beauties raised in the entertainment industry’s greenhouse—not to mention all the female fans that would throw themselves at his front doorstep given the slightest chance.

All things considered, his theory hasn’t been put to the test yet. 

Yet being the key term. Maybe today is the day he has to figure out Yoo Joonghyuk’s preferences once and for all.

“Hey,” he mumbles, looking at the trending page. “Hey, Joonghyuk, what did you do? You’re trending online.”

No response. Figures. He’s probably in the middle of destressing by demolishing teenagers online. Sighing, he opens the fan forum to find out for himself.

A quick scroll through the top trending posts on the fan forum paints enough of a picture for him, and the implications are horrifying.

“Yoo Joonghyuk!” he yells, kicking his door open. “Come here, we need to talk.”

Yoo Joonghyuk barely spares him a glance, mashing the buttons on his game controller with frightening speed. “I’m in a game,” he grunts, pulling his headphones halfway off. “What do you want?”

This is the real Yoo Joonghyuk, the very person behind all the glitz and glamor. Still wearing the suit jacket from earlier, painstakingly styled hair already in disarray, hunched over in his gaming chair in a room that’s completely dark save for the screen casting light over his perfectly sculpted face. His fans would curse if they knew they were supporting this handsome loser.

“What did you say in your live yesterday?”

“Nothing much,” he says, shifting over slightly so that Dokja can perch himself on the armrest. “Regular nonsense.”

“Yeah, sure. ‘Regular nonsense’, huh? What’s this about ‘life and death companions’?”

Yoo Joonghyuk’s hands still for a moment, then go back to maneuvering the joystick. “I don’t remember saying that.”

Dokja grabs his face, turning his head so he’s forced to look at him. “Hey, this is serious.”

He can hear the tinny sound of Yoo Joonghyuk’s character dying, emitting from the headphones as they slip off his head. Yoo Joonghyuk peers up at him, frowning in a way that comes off murderous to most but as mild irritation to Dokja, who’s more than used to the look after being on the receiving end for the majority of his life. “What?”

“Who were you talking about in your live yesterday?” he asks, smoothing Yoo Joonghyuk’s bangs back and off his forehead. “Your fans are freaking out.”

He leans into his touch much like a disgruntled cat would. “Doesn’t matter.”

“No, seriously, who were you talking about? Do I know them?”

Yoo Joonghyuk regards him with half-lidded eyes, sighing. “Maybe,” he acknowledges. “It won’t affect anything. Just do your job.”

“Then stop saying stupid shit on live,” Dokja quips, letting go of Yoo Joonghyuk and standing back up. “Han Sooyoung’s gonna chew me out for deploying damage control again. Maybe she’ll ban you from doing live streams.”

Yoo Joonghyuk scoffs. “As if. She’s milking me for everything I’m worth.”

“I’m telling you, just don’t say anything stupid online while we deal with it. Got it?”

“Whatever,” he grumbles, slipping his headphones back on with a practiced motion. “Don’t get takeout. I’ll make dinner later.”

“Sunfish bastard,” Dokja mutters under his breath as he retreats from said bastard’s gaming den. “I’ll get takeout if I want to.”

At least it doesn’t seem like Yoo Joonghyuk has some secret girlfriend he’s been keeping under wraps. He’d be surprised if he did, considering that they spend most of their waking hours together and Yoo Joonghyuk’s probably gay.

Still, that wording, “life and death companions”…why do the fans think Yoo Joonghyuk was talking about him? As if that would be possible. After all, he’s nothing but a friend and manager.

[we need to talk about what YJH said in his latest live…] 4h ago

@yjhyukies

last night’s livestream, starting at 19:04

please don’t tell me i’m overthinking when i say his wording is ambiguous. i mean, “life and death companions”? “the only person who understands me”? “when i was at my worst they were there”? am i the only one who thinks there’s something romantic there?

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @yjhyukies

sorry but you’re overthinking. it just sounds like a good friend of his

@supsub8391 > [OP] @yjhyukies

agreed…look at my recent post on this. there’s fs something up here, glad i’m not going insane

[YJH has a secret lover? Analysis] 6h ago

@supsub8391

i know normally my analyses are jokey and all, but this one is the real deal. strap in for the ride, as always all my sources are cited throughout the post

Inciting Incident:

In his live last night (which can be found here) Yoo Joonghyuk (henceforth referred to as YJH) answered a question posed by @dljofire, who asked the question: how would you describe the person you consider closest to you? YJH’s descriptions of his closest person include:

-life and death companions

-the only person who understands me

-someone I can’t live without

-a person who’s always there by my side

-self-sacrificing idiot

and much more that I can’t fit here without a full transcript. However, YJH didn’t explicitly state who this person was. This got me thinking; if this person is so important to YJH, what role do they play in his life and is it possible that we, as SupSubs, have seen them before?

Analysis:

The easiest criterion to tackle is that YJH calls this person “the only person who understands [him]”. YJH isn’t one to talk much in his videos and lives, but one person that he seems to talk to often is his manager. In this video, this video, and this video, we see that he doesn’t talk to any of the other people who are working on his makeup or the set—most of whom regularly work with him, but he doesn’t seem to be all that comfortable with them. But the one person he talks to on set? His manager. They seem to have a good relationship—YJH’s body language is comfortable and he doesn’t seem to get offended when his manager teases him. 

But supsub8391, you say, this doesn’t mean that YJH’s manager understands him enough to qualify as his special person!

To that, I would say you’re right…

That is, until you look at this clip from this live. YJH’s manager seems to know so much that even YJH is embarrassed at being exposed on camera, but he doesn’t lash out. At the very least, we can’t deny that YJH’s manager has some level of understanding that most people don’t have, and YJH tolerates this enough for his manager to be a viable candidate for YJH’s special person.

Now, for the possibility that YJH’s special person is not someone we’ve ever seen on camera. This possibility can actually be ruled out almost completely by the statement that they’re “always there by [his] side”. As shown in this video of YJH’s daily idol routine, he has so many practices and recording sessions that he can hardly sit down to drink water or text people on his phone (see where this is going?). If YJH’s special person wasn’t someone who meets him on a daily basis, they wouldn’t qualify as being “always there by [his] side” (NOTE: we’re making the assumption that all of YJH’s statements can be taken at face value, i.e. literally, which is NOT an invalid assumption because multiple acquaintances of his have shared anecdotes that confirm he’s not the type to say things metaphorically or hyperbolically. See: various actors’ comments on the struggles of working with him.) Therefore, we can conclude that someone who fits this criteria would have to be someone we’ve seen in a video before.

As for why I believe that YJH’s “special person” is his secret lover, well…would any sane person use “life and death companions” to describe a friendship? Come on.

i’m running out of time since i have to catch a flight but basically my conclusion is that YJH has a secret lover and that secret lover is his manager, who has never revealed his face or name on camera and was probably instructed not to do so by YJH himself to keep their relationship safe.

@yjhyukies > [OP] @supsub8391

well written analysis as always. supsub8391 you are the backbone of the supsub fandom i fear

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @yjhyukies

i couldn’t not write this analysis…the yjh x manager brain rot is consuming me as we speak

@dljofire > [OP] @supsub8391

omg what did i do ><

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @dljofire

MOTHER HERSELF??? ON MY POST???

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @supsub8391

wtf you’re crossing the line… yjh doesn’t need you rabid fans dissecting his every word and looking to start shit. plus he’s straight

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

ok i was with you until the last sentence

 

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @supsub8391

fucking rps scum. go kys

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

bro it’s not that deep. go touch some grass and realize yjh won’t let you suck his dick just bc you’re defending his honor online

“Kim Dokja.”

“Han Sooyoung.”

She slams her hands on her desk, standing up to her full height. It’d be intimidating if she wasn’t a measly 158 centimeters tall.

“What the fuck is happening on the internet?”

He frowns. “Nothing at all. I took care of the whole livestream debacle already. Han Donghoon managed to get the main posts taken down, and he’s suppressing the topic on the front page.”

“The livestream deba—?” She sighs. “Is that why the tabloids are posting about your hidden romance with that guy?”

“Yep, that’s exactly—what???”

She covers her face and screeches at the top of her lungs. Dokja, politely, plugs his ears and waits for her to get it together. 

“Kim Dokja,” she says, ever the image of mental wellness, “I’m going to kill you. I’m going to wrap my hands around that skinny neck of yours and wring you like a towel.”

“I’d like to see you try and reach my neck.”

The tissue box on Han Sooyoung’s desk makes a direct beeline to the middle of his forehead. 

“I’m paying you,” she seethes, “to do your job properly. Not to sit around looking pretty and flirting with that gamer housewife of yours.”

“He’s not my wife,” he protests, wincing as he rubs his forehead. “I did see that people on the forum thought Joonghyuk was talking about me, but I guarantee he wasn’t. Otherwise, he would’ve told me. And I would’ve known.”

“Holy shit,” she moans, banging her head against her desk, “I hired a bunch of fucking morons.”

“Takes one to know one.”

“I fucking heard that!”  

Thankfully, he manages to dodge the paper weight she shot puts at him, which flies into the coffee table behind him and shatters with a sound that he can only describe as extremely appropriate to the situation at hand.

“Hey, listen to me.” She sits back down, exhaling. “Imagine you’re a fan.”

“Okay.” That’s not too hard to imagine, when it comes to Yoo Joonghyuk. Han Sooyoung must be feeling generous for once.

“You’re just joking around about your favorite idol on the internet, but then your jokes get deleted for no good reason. What are you going to think?”

“I’m about to get served a defamation suit,” he responds as if it’s been programmed into him. It might as well be, considering how many times he’s seen that exact scenario in the industry. 

“Close enough,” she grumbles. “Kim Dokja, the fans think their speculations about you and Yoo Joonghyuk are getting deleted because they’re true. Did you even think about that angle before asking Han Donghoon to delete that post?”

She holds up her hand. “Don’t answer that. I’m running out of things to throw at you.”

[lowkey…] 7h ago

@yjhsssss

thought we were just being silly about yjh x manager-nim… but damn why did that analysis post actually get removed??? mods explain yourselves

@supsub8391 > [OP] @yjhsssss

glad that someone appreciated the vision. clearly the mods don’t :(

[MOD] @yjhsleftnut > [OP] @yjhsssss

Tagging @supsub8391 here as well so people will stop blowing up modmail. None of the moderation team has any problem with analyses, provided they are not invasive towards Yoo Joonghyuk and his management. As everyone has been saying, supsub8391’s analysis did not explicitly violate any forum rules; however, we removed it due to the sensitive nature of the subject matter. In the future, please refrain from excessive speculation.

 

@j00nghyuks > [MOD] @yjhsleftnut

finally some sanity on this hellsite. good job mods

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

ooh you want to suck a dick so bad

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

FUCK OFF STOP FOLLOWING ME AROUND

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

oh so you WANT want me…i see…

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

[removed]

 

[MOD] @yjhsleftnut > @j00nghyuks

Removed for language. This is your first warning.

 

[OP] @yjhsssss > [MOD] @yjhsleftnut

thank you mod team for removing a polite post with appropriate evidence and absolutely no speculation, and not doing shit about the spammer claiming yjh hooked up with a fan after last week’s concert. 

 

[MOD] @yjhsleftnut > [OP] @yjhsssss

Our moderation team has been overwhelmed recently. Direct us to these spam posts you’re talking about and we’ll deal with them appropriately.

 

@ssestan > [MOD] @yjhsleftnut

bruh who let someone called yjhsleftnut become mod

 

[MOD] @yjhsleftnut > @ssestan

My user is not reflective of my ability to moderate.

[SSE is silencing me? Analysis] 2h ago

@supsub8391

so originally i wasn’t going to comment on the whole “mod team deleted my analysis” situation, because whatever, i have a life and they don’t, boo fucking hoo. but some of the wording in their statements set off my analysis alarms, so now i’m going to make this and they’re going to delete it if they want me to become a problem.

Inciting Incident:

I made an analysis post (which I would link had they not DELETED the original post) where I posited that YJH may be in a romantic relationship with his manager. Within hours, it blew up on the SupSub forum, and became a hot topic outside the fandom. Then, a day later, the post was mysteriously deleted. I had no part in the deletion, and received no notice or warnings from the moderation team. I woke up to hundreds of messages asking why my post was deleted, and no idea of why.

Analysis:

The key to understanding why my analysis post was deleted comes from this series of replies from mod @yjhsleftnut. They cite the “sensitive nature of the subject matter” as reason for deletion. This sounds fairly reasonable, except for one complication that anyone who’s been on here for long enough can remember.

The Lee Seolhwa speculation post.

For the uninitiated, the Lee Seolhwa speculation post, also known as Seolhyukgate, was a post by user @babyseol. I’ve cited the fanwiki page, since the original post has since been deleted. Essentially, babyseol claimed that YJH had “knocked up” Lee Seolhwa, his costar in SSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor, and cited that as the reason why Lee Seolhwa’s costuming became looser over the course of the drama. The forum was, in general, outraged by babyseol’s baseless claims, and bombarded the moderation team with requests to take the post down. For what reason? For the “sensitive nature of the subject matter”, i.e. speculations on romantic relationships between YJH and other people in his life.

Sound familiar?

But babyseol’s post was never taken down by the moderation team. In fact, the moderation team vehemently defended babyseol, touting “free speech” as their reason for keeping the post up. Up until babyseol deleted their post themselves when proven wrong, the moderation team continued to claim they had no right to delete a post that wasn’t directly harming anyone.

And who should have been the most devout defender of babyseol, if not for moderator yjhsleftnut (lol)?

I rest my case. 

Here’s where it gets weird. If the moderation team, as they themselves have shown through their actions, has no actual problem with speculation on YJH’s romantic involvements, then why was my post deleted?

I could think of only one possible reason: outside involvement. 

Who would have the motivation and means to force the moderation team’s hand?

YJH’s management company, SSE.

I’m not going to say it out loud, but I think anyone with a functioning brain can connect the dots. If this post goes down, it’ll just confirm my suspicions. Your move, SSE.

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @supsub8391

you’re actually sick in the head. yjh is an idol and doesn’t owe us anything about his personal life. idk what you’re trying to prove by calling him gay and crying about being “silenced”, but it’s fans like you that make fan spaces insufferable

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

how does it feel to be MY biggest fan

 

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @supsub8391

fuck off. also you’re weird as hell for criticizing babyseol and doing the exact same thing. hypocrite much

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

holy shit finally a proper argument from j00nghyuks…give me a sec to recover

I get what you’re trying to say but surely you can tell the difference between babyseol’s messy and unfounded speculation and my properly formatted and analytically sound argument with sources and citations. unless you’re 13 and fresh from the womb with 0 reading comprehension

 

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @supsub8391

so? just because you have a phd doesn’t make you morally better

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

…did you seriously stalk my profile?

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

kys. btw i’m only two years younger than you so stop infantilizing me you freak

@seolhwas > [OP] @supsub8391

what the hellllll he had the prettiest woman on the planet and fumbled her for his musty manager bro? absolute L man, fucking gay people

 

@prettywoman > @seolhwas

hey so this is highkey homophobic! maybe the manager is a rlly cute twink :3

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @prettywoman  

this comment chain just gave me the most insane whiplash. congrats to you both

@yjhyjh > [OP] @supsub8391

hyukkie would never date anyone, he’s said that he’s solely devoted to his fans!

 

@j00nghyuks > @yjhyjh

that’s a grown man you’re calling hyukkie. when will parasocialism stop holding you people hostage

@lifeanddeathcompanio > [OP] @supsub8391

the crack ship is becoming a little too real i fear

 

@life_death_companion > @lifeanddeathcompanio

we have to start a gc for this and call it life and death companions

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @life_death_companion

shut up IM SO MAD??? how did i not think of shortening it in my user auuUGHHHH

“So, that’s why I’m asking you to get on live and fix things.”

Yoo Joonghyuk rolls his eyes, adjusting the heat under the steamer. “I don’t have a live scheduled tonight.”

“You don’t even have a live schedule,” Dokja points out. “Besides, I can just make an announcement right now. You’re popular enough—we’ll get enough viewership to get the point across.”

“Kim Dokja,” Yoo Joonghyuk warns, but he’s already whipping his phone out. “I’m not clarifying anything.”

“Then go tell Han Sooyoung how you’re planning to deal with the fact that the internet thinks we’re dating.”

“Do you care?”

“About fans thinking I’m your secret lover? No, not really.” He exhales. “About the fact that you’re about to get your idol career canceled? Well, yes, considering that’s also going to cancel my career.”

“We have enough money.”

Dokja raises an eyebrow. “To do what? And who’s we?” He starts typing out the live stream announcement, leaning his elbows on the table. “Last I checked, I barely had enough money in my account to pay rent. I don’t know how it is for you, but I would personally like to continue being gainfully employed.”

Yoo Joonghyuk sets the steamer down on the table, passing Dokja a pair of chopsticks and a plate. “Then stop being a fool and move in.”

“While your entire fanbase thinks we’re in a relationship?” he grumbles through a mouthful of Murim dumpling. “Yeah, great idea, genius. Give them something to really talk about. Does this look good?”

Yoo Joonghyuk glances at his phone screen, clearly not reading a single word on it as he turns his glare onto him. “I’m not doing it.”

“It costs you absolutely nothing to do this,” he coaxes. “Come on, Joonghyuk-ah. Do it for my job security. Do it for me, your friend, your best friend, your alleged ‘life and death companion’.”

“Who gives a damn about your job security?” Yoo Joonghyuk seethes, but he still deposits another dumpling onto his plate with his chopsticks. “Schedule it for tomorrow.”

And this is the reason why Han Sooyoung still employs him. He grins, reaching over to pat him on the head. “Thanks, Joonghyuk-ah.”

Yoo Joonghyuk whacks his hand away, raking his fingers through his hair as he averts his eyes. “Shut up and eat.”

He huffs out a laugh, picking his chopsticks back up. “Alright, alright.” It’s cute how Yoo Joonghyuk always lets him get his way, even if he pretends he won’t.

[LMAO yesterday’s live] 4h ago

@lifeanddeathcompanio

livestream clip

did yjh just accidentally confirm the rumors…oh i’m ctfu this man has NO media training

@yjhyukies > [OP] @lifeanddeathcompanio

at first i loled. and then i serioused what the fuck is this simp behavior yjh

 

@supsub8391 > @yjhyukies

this man really waxed poetic about his manager on live and thought we wouldn’t clock him

 

@yjhyukies > @supsub8391

I KNOW like…omg yjh do you not realize you’re digging yourself deeper into the hole

 

@supsub8391 > @yjhyukies

no thoughts inside that head of his…that’s our sunfish right there

@supsub8391 > [OP] @lifeanddeathcompanio

also for unrelated reasons @j00nghyuks i am very curious to know how you’ll spin this one

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

can’t a man say positive things about another man without gay accusations? it’s 20XX, wake up and stop being such a bigot

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

you are…oddly correct? but also very deep in the closet

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

no

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

ok j00nghyuks…whatever you say babe…

 

[OP] @lifeanddeathcompanio > @supsub8391

i’ve been seeing you guys everywhere,,, do you two know each other irl?

 

@supsub8391 > [OP] @lifeanddeathcompanio

oh god no

 

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @lifeanddeathcompanio

FUCK NO

 

@dljofire > [OP] @lifeanddeathcompanio

one of us! one of us! check DMs ^^

 

[OP] @lifeanddeathcompanio > @dljofire

wow…they were not lying when they said you were mother in this fandom. this is so meta tysm for the invite!

 

@supsub8391 > [OP] @lifeanddeathcompanio

??? i feel like i know what’s happening and i don’t like it

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

what

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

ㅗ

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

FUCK YOU TOO

[i’m literally crying HYUKKIE WHYYYYY] 3h ago

@yjhyjh

i never thought that hyukkie would date anyone ;;; he’s so sweet and pure and shy and he’s always been the most devoted to his fanbase. does anyone know how i can send fanmail? i want to send him something, i need to let him know i don’t believe all the rumors about him and his manager

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @yjhyjh

are we talking about the same idol? yjh is a grown 184 cm tall man with muscles for days who curses on camera so often that no one bothers to make compilations of it anymore

 

[OP] @yjhyjh > @j00nghyuks

you don’t know him like i do!!!

 

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @yjhyjh

this is a forum dedicated to yjh, filled with people who have consumed every bit of yjh content for the last ten years. i’m fairly certain most of us know him as well as any fan can

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

why are you so polite when arguing with other people??? what, no kindness for supsub8391???

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

shut up

 

[OP] @yjhyjh > @j00nghyuks

i met him at a fanmeet and he held my hand. i know for a fact he loves me and we’re meant to be together

 

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @yjhyjh

respectfully what the fuck are you on. damn sasaeng

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

aaaaand there we go. that’s my pookie right there

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

whatever. i have my defense tomorrow morning i can’t be bothered to deal with you

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

like a phd defense???

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

yeah

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

i must say i’m shocked. good luck though, i can’t hate on the grind

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

whatever. thanks

“Yoo Joonghyuk.”

The man in question squints at him through sleep addled eyes, groaning at the sight of him hovering at his bedside like his personalized sleep paralysis demon. “What.”

“Are you a fucking idiot?”

“Kim Dokja,” he growls, “it is 3 AM.”

“And how would you know that?”

Yoo Joonghyuk screws his eyes shut, dragging a hand down his face as he sighs like the world is depending on him and his unfairly muscled biceps to save it. “Because I just fell asleep.”

“After doing a whole lot of making things worse,” Dokja mutters. “You have to be kidding me, Joonghyuk. I told you to clarify the situation, not double down and confirm the rumors. Why the hell did you talk about me on stream?”

“You asked me to go on live and talk.”

“About how people misunderstood your wording! Not about me and how my driving skills suck!”

“Whatever,” he grumbles. “I thought you left already.”

“I came back,” Dokja says, eye twitching, “because management called me in the middle of the night to chew me out. I can’t even write off the taxi as a business expense because all of our budget is going to keeping your bullshit off the hot search.”

“Just block them, fool.”

“I would if I could! ” He stands there, trembling from the exertion of it all, and wonders if he’s going insane. “Just…fuck, this is so stupid. Why’d I even come over? Because Han Sooyoung told me so? I don’t even like this job. You don’t even like this job. What the hell are we doing, Joonghyuk?”

Yoo Joonghyuk’s fingers wrap around his wrist, hanging limply by his side. “You’re crying.”

He glares at Yoo Joonghyuk, who’s still spread out in the sheets looking like the male lead off the cover of a dark romance novel. “And whose fault is that? You’re pissing me off.”

He hears him exhale. Then, with a harsh tug, he pulls him onto the bed, Dokja draping haphazardly across his body. “Go to sleep.”

“I’m still wearing my jacket,” Dokja sulks. “And my pants. And my socks, and my—”

Yoo Joonghyuk shoves him off and onto the left side of the bed, ignoring his undignified squawk of surprise. “Then take them off.”

“You’re so annoying,” he complains, following his direction despite his sheer hatred for him at the moment. “Why’d you even get such a big bed for one person? It’s not like you need all this sp—”

He’s instantly silenced by Yoo Joonghyuk’s arm, now slung across his body. “Shut up,” he hears him mumble.

“I—Fine,” he whispers, strange lump forming in his throat. “You still suck, you bastard.”

[YJH + MANAGER SPOTTING] 5h ago

@0803yjh

[removed]

@lifeanddeathcompanio > [OP] @0803yjh

losing it. losing it RIGHT NOW. the height difference oh my god. and so many photos too this is truly a feast

@yjhyukies > [OP] @0803yjh

why is manager-nim’s face so blurry in every single shot? is it on purpose or is your camera just broken

@yjhsssss > [OP] @0803yjh

damn how tall is manager-nim? he looks really tall in some photos but still shorter than yjh in the other photos?

 

@heightbot > @yjhsssss

Using the dimensions of the doorway and the railing, and accounting for camera warp, he should be 176 centimeters tall.

 

@yjhsssss > @heightbot

you know something has made it into the mainstream when heightbot is lurking on the post. but wow his proportions are crazy if he looks like that at 176 cm. are we sure manager-nim isn’t an idol himself? or maybe a former idol trainee?

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @0803yjh

i’m gonna actually explode. these are so obviously sasaeng photos. can we please be sensible and let yjh have a private life

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

this is so “the worst person i know just made a good point” of you

but for once i agree. @0803yjh this is crossing the line 

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

not even going to say anything…

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

i truly cannot believe you of all people are a phd candidate

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

it’s doctor to you

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

what’d you even do your thesis on? being a hater?

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

[deleted]

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

… NO WAY I MET YOU IRL SAY IT AINT SO

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

?

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

did you, by any chance, drop your laser pointer halfway through your defense and have to crawl under the podium to pick it up? and you have a keychain from the 1864 album on your backpack?

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

WTF HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

holy fucking shit

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

[deleted]

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

STOP DOXXING ME IM REPORTING YOU

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

shit sorry i didn’t mean to put that in public DON’T REPORT ME

[MOD] @yjhsleftnut > [OP] @0803yjh

Post removed for violating forum rules. 

 

@ssestan > [MOD] @yjhsleftnut

why are you always at the scene of the crime

 

[MOD] @yjhsleftnut > @ssestan

I’m a moderator. This is my job.

 

@ssestan > [MOD] @yjhsleftnut

dawg there’s like 5 other mods. are you really this jobless

If this were a spy movie, Han Sooyoung would be the evil dealer with a deck of cards and poker chips spread out on the casino table in front of her. Unfortunately, this is not a spy movie, so Han Sooyoung is his boss who has a whole stack of photos in her hands and potato chip crumbs scattered on the brand new coffee table.

“Kim Dokja.”

He stays silent. He hates his job, but it’s still mortifying to be faced with his own failure. 

“Ninety-one photos. Ninety-one.” She throws the stack at him, letting them cascade out onto the table.

“You were the one who wanted me to go to Joonghyuk’s apartment in the middle of the night,” he says, somehow finding his voice.

“Are you implying this is somehow my fault?”

He goes quiet again, and she sighs. “Listen, Kim Dokja. You do an undeniably great job with Yoo Joonghyuk. I don’t think any other person could deal with that asshole—as great as his face is for business, he’s not cut out for this industry, and it shows. I don’t know why he still insists on staying, but all I’m asking is for him to behave himself, as he’s proven to be capable of doing from the ten incident-free years he’s been an idol.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him,” he grouses. “He won’t tell me anything.”

“Of course he won’t,” she says, “because…”

He looks at that ugly mug of hers. “Because?” he prompts.

She scoffs, lighting a cigarette. “Forget it. I guess he’ll keep being difficult until he gets what he wants. Damn son of a bitch wants to get all lover boy on me...”

“Joonghyuk is in love?” he asks, finally slotting the pieces together.

“Took you long enough to realize.” She takes a drag, blowing out a cloud of smoke. “Considering you two are basically conjoined, you should’ve found out soo—”

“He’s using me as a cover for his real relationship,” he concludes, snapping his fingers. “That explains why he won’t clarify anything.”

“You…” Han Sooyoung gapes at him, cigarette tipping out of her hands and onto the floor. 

It all makes sense now. Yoo Joonghyuk saying all of those sappy words on his live stream, refusing to tell Dokja who he was referring to, and saying all those things about Dokja on live even though he’s always told him to stay off camera and hide his identity. He’s his scapegoat.

“You should clean that up,” he tells Han Sooyoung, gesturing at the carpet that’s starting to smolder. 

She seems to snap to at that, slamming her foot down on the spot with enough force to make the floor shake. “You should clean your face up,” she mutters, digging the toe of her shoe in as she frowns. “No, seriously, you don’t…I don’t think you…” She takes a deep breath, fixing her eyes on him. “Do you even know who he’s in love with?”

“Obviously not.”

“Oh my god.” She hits her forehead with the heel of her palm. “Am I being filmed? Kim Dokja, please tell me you’re acting and I’ll debut you as Korea’s next biggest sensation, I promise you.”

“I can’t believe you knew before I figured it out.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I’m his manager,” he stresses, “and I’ve known him for over a decade. I should be the first to know if anything’s wrong with him. How’d he even find the time to get a boyfriend? I thought all he cared about was—”

“You”—she squints at him—”know he’s interested in men.” Logically, it should be a question, but she spits it out like an accusation, hands clutching the edge of the table so hard he’s afraid she’s going to break it for the second time and deduct it from his salary.

He shrugs. “I thought it was obvious. He’d be dating a woman already if he was interested in them at all.”

She sighs, leaning back on the couch. “That’s not how that works, and that doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know why I even bother trying to understand your thought process.” 

“No, it does,” he insists. “Look at him—with that face, if he was interested in any of the women around him, he could have them. Wouldn’t you go for him if he expressed interest in you?”

“No,” Han Sooyoung says, face screwing up in a way that makes her look uniquely witch-like, “because I’m about as interested in him as I am in shoveling hot shit into my mouth. That is, not at all. Don’t project your Yoo Joonghyuk obsession onto me.”

“I’m not obsessed,” he protests, but she clicks her tongue, pulling out a replacement for the cigarette that nearly sent the entire building up in flames mere moments ago.

“I almost feel bad for him,” she mutters, placing her freshly lit cigarette between her lips as she graces him with a pitying look. “Almost. Hey, Kim Dokja. Answer something for me.”

He fervently hopes she’ll choke on the smoke and set herself on fire. “Sure.”

“What is Yoo Joonghyuk to you?”

“A friend,” he replies, “of course.” 

“And?”

“And the idol I manage.” In crueler words, he’s his meal ticket, but Yoo Joonghyuk’s been humoring that for the last decade.

“And?”

“And?” He racks his brain for something else he can say about Yoo Joonghyuk. “What else is there?”

She takes a long drag, laughing in a burst of smoke. “This would be funny,” she breathes, “if it wasn’t so fucking annoying. Get out of my office.”

“What are you—”

“I said get out. And take the photos with you, will ya? Maybe you can pin them up. Or gift them to Yoo Joonghyuk—I’m sure he’ll like them.”

“What are these?”

“Sasaeng photos,” Dokja replies, watching him flinch at the term, “of us outside your apartment. I counted—it’s really ninety-one photos, just as Han Sooyoung said.”

Yoo Joonghyuk gets into the back seat, slamming the door behind him. “From this morning?”

He hums in the affirmative, and puts the car into reverse. Yoo Joonghyuk is thumbing through the stack of photos when he turns to check his distance from the curb. “You can keep them,” Dokja mutters, tearing his eyes away from the sight to look through the back window. “Han Sooyoung said you’d like them, funnily enough.”

“As if,” he grumbles, setting them back down on the empty seat. “They didn’t get your face.”

Dokja snorts. “I didn’t even notice. You should tell that to Han Sooyoung so she’ll get off my back for once.”

Putting the car into drive, he pulls out onto the busy road.

“By the way,” he comments, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel while waiting for the light to change, “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you’re in love with someone.”

He can hear Yoo Joonghyuk sigh, all heavy in that way he gets when he’s dealing with a particularly long and inescapable event. Glancing at him through the dirty rearview window gives him a slightly foggy view of Yoo Joonghyuk’s ugliest scowl—the one he’s forbidden from doing in front of anyone but Dokja himself, to protect his public image.

“You’re ridiculous,” Yoo Joonghyuk tells him, crossing his arms as he looks out the window.

“I think I’m being perfectly reasonable,” Dokja retorts. “Come on, Joonghyuk. We’re friends; why did I have to hear of it from my boss?”

“That woman is a damn…” He rakes a hand through his hair, still messy from his earlier dance practice, and groans, throwing his head back. “Ignore her. It’s not important.”

Dokja slams on the brake pedal, hearing Yoo Joonghyuk grunt at the jerking motion as he whips his head around to stare at him.

“If it’s so ‘unimportant’,” he says, with the air quotes implied, “then stop using me as your cover.”

He turns back to the road, ignoring the indignation of the drivers behind him as he accelerates through the intersection. 

“You’re not a cover.”

He has to roll his eyes at that, even as he swerves into the next lane to avoid crashing into a line of parked cars. “For the record, Joonghyuk, I don’t care about your love life. I don’t. But just be honest with me, will you? Then, at the very least, I’ll be prepared to hide it for you so Han Sooyoung doesn’t lose what’s left of her mind.”

After a long silence, Yoo Joonghyuk bites out a, “Whatever.” In Yoo Joonghyuk language, that’s as good as an agreement.

“So, are you going to tell me who it is?”

He can feel the exasperation radiating off Yoo Joonghyuk without even taking a look, the murderous aura tangible in the air. If he were anyone else, he wouldn’t be able to believe that this was the same man who, just yesterday, was shooting finger hearts at a camera for a promotional photocard. And not even an album photocard at that—an instant ramyun pack photocard. The promotional man of the hour would rather lose an arm and a leg rather than consume the stuff himself. Unfortunately, the irony is completely lost on everyone involved, proving once again that Dokja is working in the wrong industry.

“I guess that’s a no,” he huffs. “At least tell me if it’s another person in the industry, so I won’t be surprised when DokkaebiPatch exposes your relationship next year.”

“...Possibly.”

Dokja grins. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“Kim Dokja.”

“Fine, fine.” He laughs, but it comes out wrong with the ache in his chest, throbbing in time with his heartbeat. Rubbing absently at the base of his throat, he wonders…

Who could it be?

[i think i just discovered manager-nim…] 8h ago

@yjhyukies

i know most people are familiar with this old recording of yjh gaming with his friend. and everyone says his friend in this video is an unnamed trainee that didn’t debut, but…i think his friend kind of sounds like manager-nim? i know they’re both teens in this video, so maybe their voices changed since, but what do you guys think?

@supsub8391 > [OP] @yjhyukies

wait yjhyukies you might be cooking here... for anyone else who wants to check for themselves, here’s a compilation of yjh and manager-nim interactions. i think it’s a really good match, accounting for the fact that game boy would have grown up since then. his voice might have changed a little since then, but since yjh and game boy seem to be the same age (no honorifics in sight) and young yjh’s voice isn’t too terribly different from his current voice, game boy’s voice probably hasn’t changed in any significant way. 

@ssestan > [OP] @yjhyukies

dude the trainee theory was debunked way long ago. when yjh was a trainee, sse only had 4 other trainees, and 3 of them were female (stan eden!!!). ik everyone says it’s the male trainee (stan lee hyunsung!!!) but imo he doesn’t look anything like this guy. like bruhhh lhs is built like a double door fridge there’s no way he was ever this twinky

 

@supsub8391 > @ssestan

adding onto this, yjh and lhs don’t seem to be very close. they literally ignored each other at last week’s award show even though they were right next to each other on the red carpet. do you see how affectionate yjh is to his friend in this video? there’s no way that’s lhs. in fact, i’ll eat my keyboard if game boy isn’t manager-nim, i’m that convinced by the evidence

@lifeanddeathcompanio > [OP] @yjhyukies

OMGGG how have i never seen this video??? and his friend is pretty asf i need to know his name asap

@prettywoman > [OP] @yjhyukies

i don’t even go here but oh my lanta they’re so cute. anyone have any fanfic recs?

 

@dljofire > @prettywoman

Link

Link

Link  

enjoy!!! >v<

 

@prettywoman > @dljofire

thx queen

[honestly i’m obsessed] 3h ago

@18649990

i cannot be the only one who thinks yjh’s friend / “game boy” / potential baby manager-nim is super cute right? like hello??? those eyes? that smile? THE EYELASHES??? he’s giving me cuteness aggression i wanna squish him through the screen

@supsub8391 > [OP] @18649990

said it before and i’ll say it again. yjh is definitely the type to gatekeep his pretty friends

@lifeanddeathcompanio > [OP] @18649990

girllll you’re not alone i wanna know his name SO BAD im scratching at the walls

 

@life_death_companion > @lifeanddeathcompanio

yellow wallpaper reference???

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @life_death_companion

that story traumatized me so bad but YES i feel like her when i think of yjh…and his pretty friend…im starting to hear voices telling me to write a fanfic

 

@dljofire > @lifeanddeathcompanio

do it!

 

@life_death_companion > @dljofire

MOTHER

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @dljofire

MOTHERRR

can i dm you for advice? i’ve never written a fanfic before

 

@dljofire > @lifeanddeathcompanio

of course! ^-^

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @dljofire

girl you are a literal angel i could kiss you rn

Chapter Text

(Yoo Joonghyuk is standing in his kitchen, holding half an onion and a knife.

“Do horizontal cuts. The more cuts, the finer the dice.”

He makes the necessary cuts, then pauses, eyes scanning back and forth, clearly reading the comments on his phone screen.

“What onions to use? Not red. Anything but red.”

His focus goes back to the onion, making fast and precise cuts with his knife. Halfway through, he looks back up at his phone, continuing with his knifework.

“Cut it vertically, like this. Then you can cut it the other…”

His eyes linger for a moment more on his phone. He frowns.

“‘We want to hear more about your manager’? I’m not going to talk about my manager again. He got mad at me last time.”

He keeps staring at his phone, frown deepening with every second that passes. His knife slips.

“Shit…” 

Holding his hand up, blood drips from a long cut down his index finger. He glances at his phone again.

“I’m not revealing his name. Stop asking.”

Blood is pouring down his hand now. His focus is still on his phone, face twisting as he keeps reading.

“‘Can you show us a selca of you and Manager-nim?’ No. He doesn’t like it when people take photos of him.”

“‘Is Manager-nim there?’ No, he’s not here. Stop asking about him.”

“‘Can you talk about your friend from your old gaming videos? Is he your manager?’”

A shade of confusion flickers across his face.

“What friend? I don’t remember—”

His eyes widen, and he slams the knife down hard on the cutting board, scowling as he leans closer to the camera. 

“Fuck off. Stop prying into my personal life.”

He moves off camera to throw away the bloodied onion, returning with a rapidly reddening paper towel wrapped around his finger.

“I’m ending the stream.”

He grabs his phone with his uninjured hand. An ugly expression, something halfway between disgust and hatred, crosses his face.

“I’m warning you. I don’t care if you’re my fanbase—this is none of your business. Stop asking about my manager, or you’ll regret it.”)

[fuck…] 1w ago

@yjhxxxfan

Livestream clip

@yjhyukies > [OP] @yjhxxxfan

did a supsub on here really read my post and decide to ask yjh about it DIRECTLY ON LIVE??? insane behavior. this is not how i wanted to become famous

@yjhsssss > [OP] @yjhxxxfan

holy shit i’ve never seen yjh so pissed before

[MOD] @yjhsleftnut > [OP] @yjhxxxfan

Not sure how to feel about this as a moderator. Technically, no forum rules were broken, but it’s evidently our fault and the situation has spiraled out of our control. 

 

[OP] @yjhxxxfan > [MOD] @yjhsleftnut

wait i’m curious how’s the mod team doing

 

[MOD] @yjhsleftnut > [OP] @yjhxxxfan

I can’t say much about the others, but I’ve already been approached by a news outlet to comment about the situation. We might lock the forum if the situation gets any worse.

 

[OP] @yjhxxxfan > [MOD] @yjhsleftnut

damn fr? guess we’re cooked

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @yjhxxxfan

are you guys happy? was this what you guys wanted to happen? the k-fandom will eat him alive for this reaction and you have no one to blame but yourselves. fuck

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

oh wow, it’s been a while since i saw you in the comments

is this a callout of me specifically? because you should just tag me in that case

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

what the hell is wrong with you? you’re genuinely the most callous and unrepentant person i’ve ever met. you’re so horrible you make me sick i can’t stand you

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

??? i was trying to joke with you. what’s with the personal attack?

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

you’re unbelievable. you may have singlehandedly ruined yoo joonghyuk’s career and you don’t even give a shit. fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

For someone who always criticizes other people for being parasocially attached, you seem unexpectedly affected by this situation. I mean this as genuinely as I can, j00nghyuks, but maybe you should take some time away from the fandom. For the record, I’m just as concerned about the situation as you are, but think what you want. If you want to blame me for everything, go ahead. I don’t care. But don’t come in here acting like some paragon of appropriate fan-idol relationships when you can’t even stop yourself from having a full blown meltdown in a public fan forum. I’ve put up with you because you were fun to mess around with, but that doesn’t give you the right to act this way.

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @supsub8391

holy shit,,, can’t believe i just witnessed a ship sinking in real time

 

@supsub8391 > @lifeanddeathcompanio

Respectfully, can you please stop? It’s alright to ship what you want in private, but j00nghyuks and I know each other offline so it’s extremely offputting to have you publicly insinuating things about our relationship.

 

[deleted] > @supsub8391

Hypocrite.

[Posting schedule?] 3h ago

@insert_generic_name

I’m pretty new to the fandom, but I’m just wondering if Yoo Joonghyuk regularly does lives and posts on his social media. I thought he did, but his accounts have been dead for the last week. Did something happen recently?

@ssestan > [OP] @insert_generic_name

ban

 

[OP] @insert_generic_name > @ssestan

What do you mean? Can you elaborate?

 

@ssestan > [OP] @insert_generic_name

sse loves social media bans 

 

[OP] @insert_generic_name > @ssestan

I see. 

Sorry if I sound like I’m living under a rock, but why would they ban him from social media?

 

@ssestan > [OP] @insert_generic_name

tldr dating scandal with his manager, and yjh threatened fans that tried to ask him about his history with his manager

 

[OP] @insert_generic_name > @ssestan

Isn’t his manager a guy?

 

@ssestan > [OP] @insert_generic_name

didn’t stop it from becoming a scandal lol. bet sse hq is a warzone rn, they should have issued an apology 5 business days ago

 

@yjhsssss > [OP] @insert_generic_name

it’s 20XX we can have mlm dating scandals now

 

[OP] @insert_generic_name > @yjhsssss

Sorry if you misunderstood me. I’m not being homophobic.

It’s just that, to my knowledge, I’ve never heard of a same sex dating scandal, let alone one between an idol and their manager. Is that common?

 

@supsub8391 > [OP] @insert_generic_name

not yjhsssss but i’ll try and answer your question

for scandals, yes, most of them are between two idols or an idol and a regular non-celebrity, and of course all hetero because that’s how our society is built. but that’s mostly due to what’s actually worth reporting as a scandal.

for example, anyone who’s deep into eden knows that they’re essentially a lesbian polycule that figured out how to market themselves. but that’s not scandal-worthy because that’s just how they’ve been since debut. and there’s plenty of actors who ended up marrying their managers, but that’s also not a scandal because, well…they’re getting married and publicizing it anyways. 

so to answer your question: a same sex dating scandal between an idol and their manager is indeed unique because of how the probability works out, but each of those factors separately isn’t all that uncommon.

 

[OP] @insert_generic_name > @supsub8391

Thanks for the detailed answer. Since you seem to know what you’re talking about, does this scandal actually have any weight to it, or is it baseless? I’d be a little concerned about Yoo Joonghyuk’s well-being if his company is banning him from social media for a baseless rumor.

 

@supsub8391 > [OP] @insert_generic_name

i can be a little biased (which irritates certain people on here rip) but my honest opinion is that the social media ban is because of his behavior on live, and not because of the dating rumor. yjh has had a number of baseless accusations about his dating life in the past (as any popular idol would), and sse has never reacted this way. however, i think yjh’s actions on live are pretty telling of what’s going on behind the scenes, but that’s pure speculation on my part.

either way, all we can do is support him. sse is a mostly fair company and they’ve treated him decently for his entire career, so i don’t think we have to worry about him too much.

Yoo Joonghyuk, ever so dedicated to his permanent brooding male lead role, doesn’t even flinch as Han Sooyoung starts yet another tirade. It would be almost impressive had he not been privy to the fact that to Yoo Joonghyuk, it’s the equivalent of listening to the yapping of a teacup puppy. 

“Are you kidding me, Yoo Joonghyuk? Do you even want your career anymore?”

To Dokja’s raised hand in her periphery, she whips her head around and snarls a, “What the hell do you want?”

“Do I really have to be here to hear this? It’s the fourth time this week.”

She ignores him, going back to reaming Yoo Joonghyuk like her life depends on it. It likely does, considering that 51% of the company’s revenue comes from Yoo Joonghyuk alone. If his career tanks, so does Dokja’s, and Han Sooyoung’s, and…well, those of everyone at Star Stream Entertainment. So it makes sense that she’s mad.

As for why Han Sooyoung’s losing it? Normally, she loses her temper at every single inane detail—that’s why she’s a crotchety executive at the tender age of 26—but this time, she may have a point. 

“You cannot be so selfish,” she fumes, “to let everyone work this hard for an uncooperative son of a bitch like you. Yoo Joonghyuk, do you even hear yourself? I’m telling you, if we don’t act now, it’ll be too late to salvage anything.”

Yoo Joonghyuk crosses his arms and looks into the distance in that specific way that’s a portent for him preparing to spew something absolutely ridiculous. And that portent holds true, because the next words out of his mouth are, “Fine. I quit.”

He thinks he hears his own jaw crack from the sheer downward force. Han Sooyoung stands there, mouth opening and closing like a nutcracker, except she’s the one getting her metaphorical balls busted.

“Joonghyuk-ah,” Dokja manages to get out, “you—”

“Say that again,” Han Sooyoung breathes, stabbing a finger at his chest, right between those perfectly sculpted pecs of his, “and I’ll make it happen. I swear to fucking god, Yoo Joonghyuk, I’ll do it, but you’d better be prepared to pay the price. Don’t think I don’t know the terms in your contract. Do you think anyone other than Star Stream has the power to do what you need done?”

For some reason, Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyes flit over to him. Dokja tilts his head at him in response, frowning. 

Yoo Joonghyuk scowls, pinching the bridge of his nose as he turns back to Han Sooyoung. “What do you want me to do?”

“Not quitting anymore?” she snarks, as she casts a glance in Dokja’s direction. 

What? Why is everyone looking at him today?

Yoo Joonghyuk and Han Sooyoung sigh in unison, turning back to each other as if he doesn’t exist. Ah, the torrid life of an NPC.

“An official statement,” she proposes, putting a hand on her hip. “We’ll apologize, say you two have a friendly professional relationship and nothing more, tell them to respect our manager’s privacy. We have plausible deniability on our side, but that might not be enough to satisfy the fans—we’ve waited too long to act, and opinion is turning on us, no thanks to you being bitchy to your fans on live. The alternative…”

“We can wait more,” Yoo Joonghyuk bites out, clearly at the end of his borderline microscopic rope. “I don’t see the problem.”

Han Sooyoung grabs fistfuls of her own hair, throwing her head back. “I told you, that’s not going to cut it! Holy shit, it’s like someone took an apple corer to your brain—”

Dokja cuts in. “Han Sooyoung, what’s the other option?”

She glares at him like it’s all his fault, but responds anyways. “Fake a dating scandal with a female idol. We’ll have to pay off her company for the hassle, but she’ll get publicity, and it’ll take the heat off of us, so it’s the superior—”

“I’m not doing it.”

“Yeah? I bet there’s someone you’d love to be doing instead, if you could just get your head out of your ass and tell him—”

“Han Sooyoung.” Yoo Joonghyuk looks close to throttling her with his bare hands, tension coiling in the tight twist of his mouth. 

“You spent ten years doing nothing,” she hisses, “absolutely nothing, Yoo Joonghyuk, so don’t act like you’ll shit yourself if you don’t get it out of your system. Why’d you have to make everything so public, and now of all times? All you had to do was wait. Why would you—”

“Because he’s a fool.” Yoo Joonghyuk runs a hand through his hair, sexily distressed in a way that makes Dokja want to snap a photo of him up close and make it his lock screen, like one of those sasaengs he hates with an unrivaled passion. “Just wait for the fans to move on.”

Han Sooyoung lets out a string of supposed curses, muffled into incoherence by her dragging her hands down her face. “The board is going to have my fucking head if I don’t act,” she snaps. “Kim Dokja, tell him he has to apologize or go on a date with Lee Seolhwa.”

“Joonghyuk-ah, you have to apologize or go on a date with”—he blinks—”really, Lee Seolhwa? He already had a scandal with her. I thought you were more creative than this, Han Sooyoung.”

“She’s the only one who makes any sense,” she sneers, gesturing at Yoo Joonghyuk. “You think anyone’s gonna believe that guy’s dating a woman he can’t even stand to look at, also known as ninety-nine percent of women in the industry?”

He glances at Yoo Joonghyuk’s active bitch face, then at Han Sooyoung’s hideous despair. “Shit. You’re right. Lee Seolhwa is the only option.”

“The only option,” Yoo Joonghyuk grits out, “is to not do anything.”

“You son of a bitch, you have no say!” Han Sooyoung shrieks, grabbing him by the shoulders and attempting to shake him. Yoo Joonghyuk stares down at her with pure murderous intent, not moving a muscle. She lets go of him and throws herself down on the couch, groaning and mumbling to herself like it’ll resolve the fact that Yoo Joonghyuk is equally, if not more, insane than she is.

“Joonghyuk-ah”—he has to raise his voice because it’s being drowned out by Han Sooyoung’s veritable mental breakdown—”if you don’t want to fake a relationship with Lee Seolhwa, then you should let the company post an official apology for you. You don’t have to do anything, and it’ll be faster than waiting for the situation to blow over.”

“I don’t have anything to apologize for.” Yoo Joonghyuk pauses. “Idiot. I’m doing this for you.”

Dokja sighs. “I don’t care if they know a little more about me. It was always you who wanted me to stay out of the spotlight.”

Yoo Joonghyuk scowls. “Because you don’t like it.”

He shrugs. “Well, yeah, I’d like it if they didn’t know my name or face, but you don’t have to threaten your fans on live for that. It’s not like I’m very interesting—they’ll forget about me soon. They’re only trying to figure it out because you keep making a big deal of it.” He frowns. “And Han Sooyoung is right, you know. If you’ve been in love with this guy for ten years and still aren’t in a relationship with him, you should keep it that way, because he probably knows and just doesn’t like you in that way.”

Silence. Yoo Joonghyuk tilts his head back, and groans with an exasperation that sends warmth shooting straight through his veins. He thinks he hears Han Sooyoung stifle a giggle. What is he missing here? He’s only telling the truth.

“Forget it,” Yoo Joonghyuk grumbles. “Do what you want.”

[Official statement from SSE regarding recent events] 8h ago

[MOD] @zeroyjh

Official statement

“Hello, this is Star Stream Entertainment.

Regarding the recent events involving our artist, Yoo Joonghyuk:

1. We sincerely apologize for any distress caused to fans by Yoo Joonghyuk’s recent speech. He has since considered his actions and felt deeply sorry to the fans he has hurt.
2. We support friendly workplace relationships between our artists and managers. As such, it is common for our artists and managers to be seen together outside of typical working hours. Yoo Joonghyuk has a comfortable working relationship with his manager, which is normal for artists under our management.
3. Our company values the individual rights of our employees. We ask that everyone respect the privacy of our artists and staff.

Thank you for your understanding, and please continue to support us.”

[YJH’s response to recent events] 7h ago

[MOD] @zeroyjh

YJH’s handwritten statement

“Hello, this is Yoo Joonghyuk.

I sincerely apologize for any distress I caused to fans with my recent speech. I have since considered my actions and feel deeply sorry to the fans I have hurt. 

I ask that my fans respect the privacy of my staff and I. I hope the importance of this is conveyed well.

Thank you for your understanding and support.”

@yjhyjh > [OP] [MOD] @zeroyjh

awwww hyukkie is so sincere. i knew he didn’t really mean those words, he was just hurting because he cut himself. so cute ahhhh!!!

@life_death_companion > [OP] [MOD] @zeroyjh

tbh… don’t really know what he’s apologizing for… i thought it was sweet of him to protect manager-nim’s identity

@ssestan > [OP] [MOD] @zeroyjh

isn’t this lowkey copy paste from the official company apology lmao

 

@yjhsssss > @ssestan

now that you say it i can’t unsee it. was he held at gunpoint to write this pfft

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @ssestan

he didn’t say anything about his relationship with his manager though. is this a sign

 

@supsub8391 > @lifeanddeathcompanio

maybe lay off the speculations for a bit until things calm down

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @supsub8391

aren’t you one of the founding members of yjh x manager-nim? i thought you’d get it

 

@supsub8391 > @lifeanddeathcompanio

well yeah but there’s a lot of tension rn. let’s not make things worse than they already are by reading too much into things

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @supsub8391

is this about j00nghyuks? don’t be sad

 

@supsub8391 > @lifeanddeathcompanio

why would it be about j00nghyuks???

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @supsub8391

????? ok defensive

 

@supsub8391 > @lifeanddeathcompanio

??????????????

“You know,” he muses, “if you’re in love with Lee Hyunsung, I think you’re fucked.”

He’s in the middle of a particularly gratuitous fanservice scene when his phone disappears out of his hands. He blinks, craning his head to look at the vaguely humanoid shape blotting out the light like an eclipse.

“Why the hell would you think that?” Yoo Joonghyuk grits out, his phone dangling from his fingertips.

Dokja pouts. “I was reading. Come on, give it back.” He makes grabby hands up at his phone, intending to disgust Yoo Joonghyuk into dropping it, but the man just looks torn between the urge to laugh and the urge to punch him.

“No. You’ve been looking at your screen for too long. We’re going out.”

“You’ve been looking at your computer screen for the past four hours,” he points out, but Yoo Joonghyuk just scoffs at that.

“It’s different,” he says. He’d be right if he was doing anything important, but he knows he’s just been playing that new game he bought himself in a fit of rage after his outburst on livestream. To think this is an idol pushing thirty years of age, with a comeback album in two months…

“No, it’s not.” Dokja sighs, lying back down. “And we can’t go out. We have to lay low until your comeback at least.”

“That’s bullshit,” Yoo Joonghyuk informs him, grabbing his arm and hauling him bodily off the couch.

“If we get photographed again,” he grouses, clinging to Yoo Joonghyuk’s shoulders for stability, “I’m telling everyone you took poor little me hostage and planned to flee the country. The board wants me fired as is; if I mess up one more time, I’m done for.”

“They can’t fire you.”

“Sure,” Dokja grumbles, “that might be true for you, but not for me. There’s plenty of people who’d kill to be my replacement—despite the fact your personality is trash, mind you—”

“Kim Dokja.”

He looks up.

“Trust me,” Yoo Joonghyuk murmurs, with a strange intensity gleaming in those dark eyes. “They can’t replace you.”

Dokja laughs, shoving him off. “You say that like you’d notice the difference. You’d just move on to terrorizing my replacement.”

There’s the fleeting heat of Yoo Joonghyuk’s fingers at the base of his throat, and in the next moment, he finds himself flat on the couch, wheezing at the impact. He smooths his fingers over his now wrinkled collar, breathlessly cackling at the ceiling. “Although,” he concedes, obnoxiously batting his lashes when he meets Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyes, “I don’t think my replacement would last a month if you treat him as roughly as you do me, hm?”

At that, Yoo Joonghyuk coughs, and he can’t help the smirk that spreads across his face. “Oh? Joonghyuk-ah, don’t tell me—”

His vision goes dark. Peeling Yoo Joonghyuk’s jacket off his face, he catches the sight of his broad back as he stalks towards the door. “Shut up,” he thinks he hears him mutter from between the peals of his own laughter. “Put that on. It’s cold out.”

“How tsun,” he quips under his breath, shrugging it on. “You haven’t even been outside all day. How would you know if it’s cold out?”

Yoo Joonghyuk glances at him, and without missing a beat, hooks his finger on the hood and pulls it over his eyes. “Fool,” he calls him, and maybe he’s a little delusional, to think it’s fond when he can’t even see his expression.

[YJH SPOTTING AT XXX] 9h ago

@0803yjh

[removed]

@yjhyukies > [OP] @0803yjh

does yjh have his arm around the person in the hoodie???

 

[OP] @0803yjh > @yjhyukies

Seems so. They came in together and seemed to be close.

 

@yjhyukies > [OP] @0803yjh

interesting… your camera seems to still be broken btw his companion’s face is blurry.

 

[OP] @0803yjh > @yjhyukies

Yes, that reminds me. The camera is fine. I checked. The effect is not intended. I took many photos to try and get a clear image, but couldn’t.

 

@yjhyukies > [OP] @0803yjh

??? that’s insane does everyone around yjh just have a natural censor on their face? first manager-nim and now hoodie-nim

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @yjhyukies

how do you know it isn’t manager-nim in these photos?

 

@yjhyukies > @lifeanddeathcompanio

galaxy brain holy shit

@supsub8391 > [OP] @0803yjh

@yjhsleftnut mods get their sasaeng ass

 

@ssestan > @supsub8391

lol @ tagging @yjhsleftnut by default because they’re most chronically online mod

 

[MOD] @yjhsleftnut > @ssestan

Once again, I’m just doing my job as a moderator.

 

@ssestan > [MOD] @yjhsleftnut

you’re not helping your case man

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @supsub8391

it’s missing j00nghyuks hours huh

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @lifeanddeathcompanio

what the helly they blocked me,,, 

[MOD] @yjhsleftnut > [OP] @0803yjh

Removed for violating forum rules. This is your second strike. Further violations will lead to an account ban.

[boyfriend hoodie?] 2h ago

@yjhyukies

i hate sasaengs as much as the next person but i couldn’t help but notice after lifeanddeathcompanio’s comment…the hoodie that yjh’s friend was wearing in the sasaeng pics from this morning looks awfully like the hoodie that yjh was wearing at the airport a few months ago. anyways no speculation just an observation don’t come at me PLEASE

@lifeanddeathcompanio > [OP] @yjhyukies

ohoho…the pieces are coming together…manager-nim + boyfriend hoodie + yjh’s arm around him + shopping cart = domestic boyfriends arc

 

@dljofire > @lifeanddeathcompanio

you already know it ^v^ check the gc

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @dljofire

mother is just, mother is fair, mother is faster than light through air

@yjhyjh > [OP] @yjhyukies

that doesn’t mean anything! i have that exact hoodie too. it’s pretty cheap hehe

 

[OP] @yjhyukies > @yjhyjh

ok but also you’re one of the most obsessive supsubs on here so that doesn’t surprise me. you’re exactly the kind of fan i’d expect to own yjh’s entire wardrobe

 

@yjhyjh > [OP] @yjhyukies

i’m just devoted to hyukkie, you other fake fans wouldn’t understand! and i didn’t buy this one on purpose, i just happened to match with him. as expected we’re connected by fate <3

 

[OP] @yjhyukies > @yjhyjh

…hold on i have to post something

[happy one week of missing j00nghyuks] 1h ago

@yjhyukies

unironically i think j00nghyuks was a key part of the supsub ecosystem. j00nghyuks was an apex predator that kept the population of weird supsubs in check, and now that j00nghyuks is gone, no one has the utter audacity to call them out anymore. we kill all the wolves and wonder why there’s so many sheep. anyways j00nghyuks we (supsub8391) miss you baby mwah end post

@lifeanddeathcompanio > [OP] @yjhyukies

ok i liked the dynamic between supsub8391 and j00nghyuks but wasn’t j00nghyuks a massive asshole? and homophobic to boot lol

 

@prettywoman > @lifeanddeathcompanio

ahaha so true i’m just a casual on here but i always saw j00nghyuks (i think?) hating on anyone who suggested yjh might like dick

 

@supsub8391 > @lifeanddeathcompanio

j00nghyuks isn’t homophobic. don’t spread baseless rumors

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @supsub8391

did you really unblock me just to defend j00nghyuks? that is SO romantic gahhhh

and j00nghyuks hates rps and freaks out at the idea of yjh being gay. that’s textbook homophobia

 

@supsub8391 > @lifeanddeathcompanio

i didn’t want to have to say this, but as someone who’s talked to j00nghyuks extensively both online and irl, i can vouch for them not being homophobic. they’re just easily misunderstood

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @supsub8391

“they’re just easily misunderstood” bestie i’m gonna hold your hand when i tell you this

 

@yjhsssss > @supsub8391

the sexual tension between me and the train hurtling towards me at 999 km/h

 

@18649990 > @yjhsssss

^^^ seconded

 

@dljofire > @18649990

^^^ thirded!

 

[OP] @yjhyukies > @dljofire

well pack it up everyone mother has spoken

[MOD] @zeroyjh > [OP] @yjhyukies

Locked. Discussion is not relevant to the forum topic.

“What are you doing?”

“Hm? Joonghyuk? Is that you?” 

His footsteps approach from behind, heavy with the weight of all the metal accessories characteristic of his stage persona. 

“Oh, Master!” Lee Jihye chimes in greeting, jabbing him extra hard in the eye socket with her eyeshadow brush. “Are you done?”

He hears him exhale, loud enough that he’s probably right in front of him. “What have you done to him?”

He can almost visualize the pout on Lee Jihye’s face. “Well, you took a long time. I figured it’d be fun to draw on—I mean, practice my skills—on Ahjussi while we were waiting for you.”

Translation: She’d essentially manhandled him into the makeup chair, stolen his phone out of his hands, and proceeded to blab about the latest idol gossip while beating the protest out of him with a beauty blender. It would have been a bigger hit to his ego, had he not first met her as a stunt double on the set of SSSSS-grade Infinite Regressor. Back then, she shot plenty of scenes with Yoo Joonghyuk, most of which would leave him scowling and bruised even through all the padding in his costume. Every time, he’d pull her aside after the scene and very bluntly remind her to fix her technique, to which she’d always nod and gaze at him like he’d just gifted her sagely advice. Rinse and repeat. The fact that she’s now doing her destruction through the medium of powder puffs and sharply angled eyeliner brushes, instead of through an attack combo worthy of being featured in a fighter game, is a small mercy to the world and to the well-being of actors everywhere.

“Lee Jihye.”

“I mean,” Lee Jihye babbles, clearly a little nervous if the slight shake in her voice is anything to go by, “it was a joke at first. I thought I’d get sick of it after doing a little, but then Ahjussi started looking shockingly good? Like, his skin was actually pretty nice, and his lashes were super long—I mean, seriously, what does he need those for? I got a little jealous, and I really had to resist the urge to hit him at that moment, but whatever—and I got carried away. I swear!”

“Lee Jihye, you—”

“I wasn’t messing around,” she mumbles. “See, I did his makeup to match yours. Doesn’t it look good?”

Silence. Then:

“You should go take a break,” Yoo Joonghyuk tells her. “They have coffee outside.”

“Oh! Is that what you wanted to say? You should’ve said it earlier, Master.”

With that, there’s the clatter of the palette on the table, and the slam of the door behind her.  

Dokja clears his throat. “You should be clearer next time, you know?”

A pause. “Why did you let her…”

“Put makeup on me?” He laughs. “What, does it not look good?”

He opens his eyes. The lights framing the vanity border on flashbang-grade, so it takes him blinking the tears and sensitivity out of his eyes to realize Yoo Joonghyuk is frozen there, wide-eyed like he morphed into a squid in the span of the last three seconds.

“Joonghyuk?” he calls, scrunching his nose at the lack of response. “Yoo Joonghyuk?”

He’s still staring, those bottomless eyes of his turned a honeyed brown from the harsh lighting, roving up and down his face like he doesn’t quite know what to look at. His lips are parted, ever so slightly red from the remnants of the lipstick Lee Jihye applied to him earlier in the morning. After all these years, he forgets that Yoo Joonghyuk is capable of making expressions he isn’t all that familiar with. This is certainly one of them, except he’s seen it before in passing yet still doesn’t know what it means. At their high school graduation, right before Yoo Joonghyuk told him the news of his upcoming debut and offered him the management job. Outside the convenience store after Yoo Joonghyuk’s first concert, still riding the high of the night over a rickety table and a couple of beers. That one time on a long plane ride, waking up to find his head rested on Yoo Joonghyuk’s shoulder and Yoo Joonghyuk looking down at him like that. Yoo Joonghyuk is mostly predictable, but it’s the times he isn’t that sends Dokja scrambling to find the loose thread in the understanding he’s painstakingly woven over the years.

“Do I really look that bad?” Dokja grumbles under his breath, turning to face the mirror.

What looks back at him is some pretty, porcelain-looking thing. He blinks, and the much more attractive version of Kim Dokja blinks right back, with seductively smoky eyes that imitate those from all of Yoo Joonghyuk’s classic stage looks. His lips are some glossy, cherry-red affair, like something straight out of a lipstick commercial—the ones that feature Lee Seolhwa in sensual film noir style, and sell out products in minutes.

“Damn,” he whistles, leaning closer. “Lee Jihye is good at this. I look way better with makeup on.”

“You don’t need it,” Yoo Joonghyuk concludes, finally breaking his silence. “It’s not like you’re trying to debut.”

“Aw, Joonghyuk-ah,” he coaxes, turning to tug on his sleeve. “Don’t you think I look pretty?”

“Shut up.” Strangled, like he’s resisting the urge to punch him. It’s funny how much Yoo Joonghyuk hates it when he asks him these questions.

“Is that a yes?”

Yoo Joonghyuk glances back down at him. In return, he smirks at him, fluttering his eyelashes in some grotesque imitation of flirtation. 

“...Sure.”

“What?”

“I said,” Yoo Joonghyuk grits out, “sure. You look…” He makes a frustrated noise deep in his throat. “Damn it. You’re making fun of me.”

Dokja blinks. There’s a flush gathering at the tips of Yoo Joonghyuk’s ears, clear as it can be. Maybe it’s warm in here? It certainly feels that way.

“Thanks,” he responds warily, letting go of his sleeve. “I, uh… Well…” He coughs. “You look good too, but of course you know that. You don’t need to hear it from me.”

Yoo Joonghyuk nods, but he keeps staring. It’s disconcerting. It’s disconcerting, so maybe that’s why his heart is pounding so hard.

“Okay, so let me get this straight.” Dokja exhales. “None of the background cast showed up? That’s impossible; we had them booked to arrive this afternoon.”

The director nods, flipping through something on their tablet. “I can film the heavier scenes later in the week, but I need the primary background actress today so we can determine the feel of the music video. If you can—”

“I’ll call the company to check,” he promises, making a beeline to the nearest empty corner of the set.

One torturously long phone call with Han Sooyoung later, all he has to share is bad news, worse news, and devastating news.

“Apparently there was a mistake,” he explains, wringing his hands. “The company we hired most of the background cast from double-booked us and a movie set for the same actors, so all their actors are fully booked for the month. We should be able to book a new set of actors and have them by the day after tomorrow at the latest, but I’m sorry about the delay.”

“And the main actress?” the director prompts.

He can feel his mouth go dry. “As for her…the one we booked got into a traffic accident and couldn’t get in contact until just now. She’s mostly fine, but apparently she sprained her neck and is stuck in a neck brace for at least the next two weeks.”

The director sighs, pinching the bridge of their nose. “What about replacements?”

“It would be difficult,” he says, parroting the exact words Han Sooyoung used minus all the crude expletives, “considering Joonghyuk’s vision for the music video. Of course, I can always discuss this with him, but—”

“What’s wrong?”

Dokja opens his mouth to explain, but the director beats him to it. “None of the background cast showed up. Now explain to me, Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi, why you’re so picky about the main actress.”

Yoo Joonghyuk’s mouth opens and closes, evidently at a loss. 

“Well?”

“...I didn’t know.”

“What?” the director asks, leaning in. “Say that again, I couldn’t hear you.”

He takes a deep breath. “I didn’t know there was a—”

“Aaand so sorry to interrupt, director-nim, but do you mind if I talk to him for a second? Great! Joonghyuk, let’s go chat.” With that exact arrangement of word vomit, he whisks Yoo Joonghyuk away, pushing him into their designated room.

“Kim Dokja.”

“Listen,” Dokja begins, after making sure the door is securely shut behind his back. “I know what you’re about to say. And ask. Yes, we hired an actress to feature in your music video. Yes, everyone at the company knows how much you’re against it. No, no one thought it was a good idea to tell you beforehand. Now that I’ve said my piece, proceed.”

Yoo Joonghyuk scowls. “Was this Han Sooyoung’s doing?”

He exhales. “No, actually. I recommended it to her.” He presses the palm of his hand against Yoo Joonghyuk’s shoulder. “Before you hit me, let me explain.”

He still looks equally if not more murderous than before, but doesn’t make a move to interrupt. Keeping in mind the high risk that he’ll change his mind about being agreeable if he makes a blunder here, Dokja starts speaking.

“Han Sooyoung let slip that your contract expiration is this year, pretty much right after the promotion period for this album. I figured you wouldn’t re-sign, so this would be your last music video. I decided you should get a happy ending.” Seeing Yoo Joonghyuk’s brow furrow, he hastens to add, “In the music video lore, okay? Your character has suffered enough under Han Sooyoung’s writing. I told her that your character should finally be happy with a proper love interest, and she agreed.”

“She…agreed?” Yoo Joonghyuk rasps out, bracing himself against the door with an arm.

Dokja shrugs. “Well, she laughed in my face for five minutes straight, but ultimately said she’d set something up. But I guess it fell through last minute.” He hums in thought. “Really, though, I haven’t heard of any actresses getting into car accidents recently. Maybe she hired a D-lister to save some money. I wouldn’t put it past her.”

“Kim Dokja.”

“Hm?”

It’s at this moment that their proximity hits him. Yoo Joonghyuk is beautiful at a distance, but downright lethal close up. Every angle of his face is textbook to a tenth of a degree, nearly inhuman in its perfection. His brows are flawless, and his eyes are darkly fixed on him, some inescapable emotion swirling in them. Everyone else only gets to see him through a screen or in some fleeting moment that’s nothing in the grand scheme of things. To have the real thing staring at him, mere centimeters from his own face, is…disarming, to say the least.

“You,” Yoo Joonghyuk says, a rare smile blooming on his face, “are going to be the love interest.”

“I,” Dokja echoes, “am going to…?”

“Is that what you want?”

Yoo Joonghyuk nods. From behind him, Dokja glares at the director and wishes all kinds of plague upon them and their descendants for the next five hundred years. That is, if their descendants live to even exist five hundred years later. That won’t be the case if he gets what he wants.

Right now, he is not getting what he wants.

The director studies him with a critical eye. “Did the makeup artist already do his makeup? I see it’s similar to yours.”

“She was just practicing on me,” Dokja offers weakly. “I’m not trained for this. I’m just his manager.”

“He’ll be fine,” Yoo Joonghyuk, being the traitor he is, says. “If not, I’ll teach him. It shouldn’t take long.”

The director claps their hands together. “Then it’s settled. He’s quite pretty, and matches your planned concept well. You two will look good on camera together.”

Has everyone gone blind? Since when was he even close to attractive enough to be on screen with the unequivocal Adonis of the Korean entertainment industry?

“No, wait.” He keeps protesting, even as Lee Jihye rushes over to touch up his makeup. “I really don’t think this is a good idea. I’m camera shy, I’m kind of ugly, I’m not good at acting, and I”—his voice jumps an octave when she almost takes his eye out with a mascara wand—”did I mention I’m ugly?”

The director looks at him. “Don’t talk to me about being ugly,” they deadpan, “when you look like that. It makes me want to hit you.”

Mouth agape, he can only let Lee Jihye apply another layer of gloss onto his lips.

“Why would you even suggest that?” he hisses at Yoo Joonghyuk during their water break. “You know I don’t like showing my face!”

“It’s your fault,” Yoo Joonghyuk responds, tilting his water bottle back in such a way that it doesn’t disturb the product on his lips. “I’m not going to act alongside someone else, so you have to fix it. Besides, you have makeup on. You’ll be fine.”

Dokja squints at him. “You do realize,” he says, “that you have, in the past, filmed a whole fucking movie alongside multiple costars. Some of which were women. One of which you had a full blown premarital pregnancy scandal with.”

He takes another sip of water. “It’s my music video,” he points out, all placid like it doesn’t even matter to him that he’s about to break the internet by starring a man as his love interest. A man, as the music video love interest of one of the biggest Korean idols of his generation. The backlash could be career-endingly awful just for that, but…

“Okay, fine, the makeup does make me practically unrecognizable. But still…” His grip tightens on the still capped bottle in his hands. “What if they figure out who I am?” he whispers.

“How would…” Yoo Joonghyuk seems to pick up on his allusion from whatever expression he’s letting leak through, posture stiffening. “That won’t happen.”

“You can’t—”

“Dokja.” The grip on his collar is soberingly tight. “What you’re scared of…it won’t happen. I’m sure of it.” Yoo Joonghyuk’s gaze is hotly tense, so controlled it loops back around to being terrifying. “Don’t ask me how I know. Just trust me.”

“I—” Dokja swallows. “Okay. Yeah. I can trust you. I can do that much.”

“Good.” Yoo Joonghyuk clicks his tongue, letting go of him. “I need to discuss the next scene with the director. Stay here.”

“What am I, a dog?”

“Kim Dokja.”

“Fine! Have it your way. Petty bastard.”

For whatever reason, he doesn’t get any direction for the next scene. The director’s response when he asks is, “Just follow Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi’s lead.” The advice is wholly unhelpful, considering he has no idea what kind of role he’s playing. So far, he’s been little more than a glorified prop—all he really has to do is stand or sit at his designated position, and maybe give a wistful or melancholic look to the camera on command, which is easy enough. It’s strange. He can’t tell what kind of concept Han Sooyoung intended for Yoo Joonghyuk’s supposed final music video.

His final music video filming. The thought of it is jarring, considering he’s been hard at work for the last ten years. Yoo Joonghyuk is infamous in the industry for having never taken a break, for always having a regularly scheduled comeback, for tackling music show appearances and world tours with deadly purpose and brimming passion. But behind all that, Yoo Joonghyuk hates the fast-pacedness of it all, the loud jam-packed arenas and adoring fans and the packaged falsehoods. He’ll never say it out loud, but he can tell. The tension that bleeds out of his shoulders in the backseat of the company car after every recording session, concert, and public appearance—that is something he can never fake. It’s odd, that someone who has no interest in fame—and severe tone-deafness to boot—would willingly sell their soul to the entertainment industry and become an idol. But Yoo Joonghyuk has his own reasons, and he won’t pry. He’s never offered to share, and what right does Dokja have to know? At the end of it all, he’s just his manager and maybe his friend on a good day.

“Action!”

He resists the urge to flinch at the jarring noise of the clapperboard. At least from what he can tell of the set design, he’s supposed to act the part of a hospital patient. It’s a familiar enough setting, with him in the bed and Yoo Joonghyuk at the bedside. Whatever the scene is meant to be, it’ll be even easier to finish if he doesn’t interfere with Yoo Joonghyuk’s already excellent performance, so he keeps his eyes closed.

At first, there’s nothing but yawning silence. Then, there’s Yoo Joonghyuk’s hand, pressing hot against the back of his. His fingers wrap around, engulfing his hand as his thumb swipes a long, trembling line along his knuckles. The fingertips of his other hand land on his jaw, guiding. He lets him tilt his head in his direction, even though it’s likely turning his face out of the camera’s view. Maybe he’s doing it on purpose, in a very Yoo Joonghyuk-like apology for being so overbearing today. But still, while filming? That’ll just make it so they have to do extra takes, and he’d really just like to get home as soon as possible and pretend the entirety of today didn’t happen.

He can hear the gentle whir of the cameras, still rolling in the background. Yoo Joonghyuk is still there, the only existence he can pinpoint, seemingly stopped in time. If he opens his eyes now, it would likely ruin the scene, but he’d at least be able to see what expression Yoo Joonghyuk is making. It’s the only way he can know anything, by reading Yoo Joonghyuk. Thirteen years of reading, and he doesn’t know what the hell he’s about to—

The clatter of his chair. A shaky breath. The press of lips against his, warm and barely there. It’s a mere shadow of a real kiss, and it means nothing. He knows it means nothing, so why does it feel so real? 

There’s the tap of a finger against his cheekbone, just out of sight of the camera. He takes that as his signal, and lets his eyelids flutter open, adding a touch of pressure on his end to make the kiss less wooden.

Apparently, it’s not enough for Yoo Joonghyuk, the damn perfectionist. His tongue flicks out to lap at his lower lip, and his brain blanks so hard he nearly misses the director yelling, “Cut!”

Blinking his wits—and soul—back into his body, he pushes Yoo Joonghyuk off him and back into his chair, clambering out of the hospital bed and making his way over to the director. “How is it, director-nim?”

“Hm.” The director frowns. “It’s not what I envisioned, but… Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi, what do you think?”

Yoo Joonghyuk, who somehow snuck up on him, peers over his shoulder. “...It’s good.”

The director nods. “Alright. As long as you’re satisfied. It’s an excellent shot regardless, and the writer did say to leave this part up to the artist’s discretion.”

“Was that—that’s it?”

“Yep, that’s the last scene for today.”

“Great,” Dokja says, breathless. “Okay, great. And Joonghyuk is—he’s done too?”

The director nods. Ignoring Yoo Joonghyuk’s scowl—seriously, why is he upset again?—he shoos him away under the pretense of hashing out details about tomorrow’s filming with the director. He does just that, apologizing again for the ridiculousness with the background actors, but it’s mostly to cover for what he truly wants to ask.

“One more thing, director-nim.” He leans over, flashing his sharpest smile. “Would you mind leaving my name off the credits?”

[YOO JOONGHYUK - ‘EPILOGUE’ MV] 19h ago

[MOD] @zeroyjh

Video

@supsub8391 > [OP] [MOD] @zeroyjh

YJH THE MAN THAT YOU AREEEEEEEE

oh my god the bridge part where he’s in space and he’s banging on the subway window begging to be let in…there’s so much analysis potential i’m foaming at the mouth to start writing my next post

also…whoever the actor playing alongside yjh in that scene is…well i have much to say on this but i will say he is very very veryyyy pretty

@lifeanddeathcompanio > [OP] [MOD] @zeroyjh

AHHHHHHHHH this song is actually so good going straight to my playlist! reminder to stream guys!

@yjhyukies > [OP] [MOD] @zeroyjh

holy shit yjh absolutely outdid himself this time. the vocals? served. the acting? 12 course meal. the visuals? slapped everyone in the industry in the face 1864 times. yjh is truly the best idol we could ever be gifted with. ntm the progressiveness of having a man as your implied love interest? iconic.

@j00nghyuks > [OP] [MOD] @zeroyjh

i thought nothing would top Salvation for me, but this is a pretty good contender

 

@18649990 > @j00nghyuks

oh wow a wild j00nghyuks was summoned by yjh’s comeback? welcome back

 

@j00nghyuks > @18649990

? who are you

[EPILOGUE MV Lore Analysis] 9h ago

@supsub8391

i promised myself i’d wait until the weekend to write an analysis. note the past tense

as is obvious, i have failed in my endeavors. my self-control is absolute shit

anyways please enjoy. my research project may be suffering but at least i’ll achieve a good grade in supsubism

Analysis:

To start, this MV centers around his trademark core motifs: the subway train and stars/outer space. Pairing this with the title of “Epilogue”, it seems like a bit of a contradiction. The word “epilogue” implies the end of something, but outer space is widely perceived to be endless, and the subway train (while technically having endpoints) always loops back on itself. However, I think the MV understands this contradiction and plays on it quite a bit. 

YJH’s overall MV lore so far (from previous analyses done by myself and others) has established that he’s been living the same life over and over again, and searching for something. More directly, I think the incongruity of the title and motifs is meant to signify that despite the loop-like quality of his multiple lives, he’s finally escaping and reaching an “end” he could never reach before.

Now, onto the MV itself. First off, my previous guess from my SALVATION MV Analysis turned out to be correct—Epilogue is a direct continuation from Salvation. This deviates from the typical formula of YJH’s MVs, where the MVs are technically separate but form the larger narrative of YJH’s turns. Epilogue opens with the scene that ended Salvation—YJH leaves the subway train, and the doors close behind him. Already, this tells us that we’re still in the same turn—1864—that Salvation was set in. This also supports what I said above, about him reaching an ending to his loop.

The entire prologue, before the start of the music, is just Yoo Joonghyuk being presented with this utopia and the idea of a happily-ever-after. However, we can sense he’s potentially dissatisfied with this happiness. When presented with the two painted doors that symbolize his two choices of either accepting utopia or going back to the loop, he wanders off in his own direction, seemingly choosing an unknown third option.

The rest of it is pretty cut and dry, so I’ll get to the point. This MV is, at its core, the culmination of Yoo Joonghyuk’s search.

Yoo Joonghyuk’s MVs all center around his desire to find something, which persists through each of his lives. It’s never been clarified exactly what he’s been searching for, but in the 0th Turn MV it was heavily implied he was searching for a person. Of course, some of his later MVs contradict that so it was previously up for debate, but the Epilogue MV 100% confirms he was searching for a person.

Why do I say that? Let me present to you my favorite element of this MV: the “dead wife” energy. This entire latter half of this MV feels like one of those movie flashbacks when the protagonist reminisces about his dead wife in sepia-toned mundanity. Yoo Joonghyuk’s beloved “dead wife” in question? Well, we don’t find that out until the absolutely beautiful scene with the subway car floating in space. It’s the man he finds sleeping inside the subway car, who, by the way, was curiously absent from any of the credits. Trust me, I checked. A little unusual, but moving on…

The fact that he finds his “dead wife” in the subway could signify that they were actually with him during all of his lives, just out of his reach. But Yoo Joonghyuk seems unsurprised to find the man there, indicating that—at least to me—he knew all along. That recontextualizes basically most, if not all, of his previous MVs. Previously, we believed he was being forced by some upper power to relive the same life over and over again, but the new information from Epilogue tells us that Yoo Joonghyuk chose, of his own volition, seemingly endless suffering for the slim chance he’d reach the end and find him there.

Of course, there are other things I could talk about in regards to this MV, like the after credits scene, but…there’s not much to analyze there. It’s a really nice scene, though. Respect to Yoo Joonghyuk for doing something unexpected to finish his story.

Now…

I know no one wants to hear this, but in my opinion, this MV reeks heavily of retirement. The title “Epilogue” could be a direct reference to the end of his actual story as an idol, and this is one of only two MVs where he’s not implied to have died at the end (the other one being Salvation), which means that future MVs are either going to have to continue breaking the mold, or he’s going to pivot to a new concept. Add to that the fact that YJH’s contract is rumored to be coming to an end this year, and it doesn’t look very promising for us.

anyways that’s my analysis. it’s a really depressingly hopeful mv and it’s some of his best work imho

@yjhxxxfan > [OP] @supsub8391

ayo where did they say his contract’s expiring? i thought he still had a few years

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @yjhxxxfan

tbh sse is pretty hush about the details of yjh’s contract, it’s mostly speculation

 

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @supsub8391

“mostly speculation” lmao. they spread this rumor every single year because no one knows  shit about his contract and when he last re-signed

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

…true. it’s about time though, he’s been active for 10 years as of this year

 

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @supsub8391

sure, you’d be right if it was a 10 year contract, but it’s basically guaranteed he re-signed at some point. no way he signed an initial contract stipulating >7

 

@ssestan > @j00nghyuks

popping in to say sse contracts tend to be on the longer side. uriel of eden mentioned before that their initial contract was 9 years and it ended up being negotiated down to the industry standard 7 after gabriel threatened to not sign

also wow j00nghyuks is back. not that i’m invested or anything but i’m totally not dying to know what they think about the queerbaity tone of this mv lmao

 

@j00nghyuks > @ssestan

it’s not queerbait. the entire message of yjh’s lore is about finding truth and salvation. the fact that truth and salvation happens to be personified as a man does not imply queerness

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

insanely based take. so proud of you darling. but i’m guessing you didn’t watch the mv all the way to the end? not to say your interpretation is invalid, but it might change your opinion lol

 

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @supsub8391

? no. wdym

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

GIF

 

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @supsub8391

fuck you. are you serious rn. tell me that’s edited

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

watch the mv yourself babe. when have i ever lied to you?

and don’t crash out about this. i’d hate for you to disappear again <3

@18649990 > [OP] @supsub8391

shhhhhh we don’t talk about r*tirement

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @18649990

ah yes my sincerest apologies

@yjhyukies > [OP] @supsub8391

really really beautiful analysis. i felt the same way about the dead wife thing but i just could not pinpoint what it was until you said it. anyways yjh ended up being the universe’s most intense yearner who knew

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @yjhyukies

yjh is actually a professional yearner fr. doing all of that just to get his man back…when is it my turn for a love like that

 

@yjhyukies > [OP] @supsub8391

wait actually idk if this would interest you…i kinda took a closer look at the guy playing the love interest and he looked super familiar but i just couldn’t figure out where i’d seen him before. does he look familiar to you too?

 

[OP] @supsub8391 > @yjhyukies

now that you mention it, he DOES look familiar. but i’m pretty sure if it were anyone actively in the industry, they’d be credited. it’s a big deal to be able to collab w someone like yjh, and they’d want to milk it for their own popularity

 

@yjhyukies > [OP] @supsub8391

true true. lmk or post if you ever figure out who it is, i’m soooo curious why he looks familiar

Chapter Text

[they’re using AI to try and find dead wife?] 11h ago

@18649990

Video link

i can’t blame them but wow

@life_death_companion > [OP] @18649990

i’ve been offline for a while, who’s dead wife?

 

[OP] @18649990 > @life_death_companion

the guy in the video. the insanely pretty one from epilogue mv

 

@life_death_companion > [OP] @18649990

gotcha thanks!

@supsub8391 > [OP] @18649990

back in the day we had to use google image search for things like this. developments in tech are crazy

 

[OP] @18649990 > @supsub8391

i mean if you watch the vid they don’t end up finding a match. it’s like he doesn’t exist

 

@supsub8391 > [OP] @18649990

in this day and age? wow. he might actually be a non-celeb then

 

[OP] @18649990 > @supsub8391

why? kinda curious what made you think that, i was thinking he could be a really obscure foreign model or smth

 

@supsub8391 > [OP] @18649990

professional actors and models would have headshots on their agency site. debuted idols would have plenty of photos online. any sort of influencer, same thing. due to his age, it’s unlikely he’s a trainee, and i don’t think he’s vying to break into the industry, since his name doesn’t appear in the mv credits. so that leaves one option, in my mind: he’s a civilian.

the only thing that kinda confuses me is that the average civilian would still have photos online, from work or personal accounts. if the AI they used was trained and used properly (which is not my area of expertise, but whatever), then he must have an unusually clean online presence. very interesting indeed…

[for anyone curious about how k-fans are reacting to epilogue…] 8h ago

@inyoos

[enter-talk] I DON’T LIKE THE ENDING TO YOO JOONGHYUK’S NEW MV

i think the title says everything

@yjhyjh > [OP] @inyoos

ahhhh this is exactly what i’ve been saying. it’s just unnecessary! i didn’t think hyukkie was the type to pander to all those weird fans :(( i wish he didn’t add that scene, it’s just making people act weird about him! i don’t want him to be associated with that nonsense

@insert_generic_name > [OP] @inyoos

> “i hate it when idols use these things to appeal to overseas fans. so tacky”

Why do they think Yoo Joonghyuk did it to “appeal” to a certain group of fans? From what I can tell, he doesn’t have any need to pull stunts like that, so he clearly chose to do that scene because he wanted to. I really liked how unique it was, and it wasn’t tacky at all, unlike what these so-called “fans” are saying. I hope they don’t make him apologize again, because I don’t think he did anything wrong and he should stand by his decision to film that scene. Yoo Joonghyuk, fighting! 

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @inyoos

don’t post panncroft slop on here

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

agreed. panncroft is known to clickbait and only translate biased opinions. plus the admin doesn’t like yjh much

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

understatement of the fucking year. panncroft admin has a raging hate boner for yjh

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

lmao i thought i’d be a little kinder but yes that’s what i meant

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @supsub8391

you two have been real friendly since j00nghyuks came back…

 

@supsub8391 > @lifeanddeathcompanio

what? i can’t be nice to a fellow forum user?

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @supsub8391

well no! but you two are acting real sus. j00nghyuks came back out of nowhere and you didn’t even comment on that. before you would have snarked them to hell and back, but now? you’re agreeing w each other. it’s unnatural. i know what you are /hj

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @lifeanddeathcompanio

not again,,,they hated him because he spoke the truth

 

@j00nghyuks > @lifeanddeathcompanio

weirdo

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @j00nghyuks

the closet is glass and you’re throwing stones

“What’s up with that guy?”

“What, Joonghyuk?” Dokja shrugs. “He’s just fine, actually. I mean, a little irritable, sure, but he gets that way. You know, it’s his…masculine time of the month or something.”

Han Sooyoung groans, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes. “Don’t say that combination of words ever again. He’s obviously not fine. Every time I’ve met him recently, he looked like he wanted to kill me and then himself.”

“He always looks like that.”

“Not like”—she makes a pissed off face—”but like”—she shifts the expression a little, drawing her brows the tiniest bit more, dropping the corners of her mouth, and infusing a little bit more je ne sais quoi into the eyes. “You know what I mean, right?”

Unfortunately, he does know what she means. It’s a startlingly accurate depiction of how Joonghyuk has been the entire month. “Yeah, okay. I have noticed that, but you’re asking the wrong person. He’s probably just stressed from preparing for promotions.”

“Kim Dokja.” She takes a deep breath. “How long has he been off?”

“Since, uh, around a month ago?”

“What else did he do a month ago?”

He begins counting them off on his fingers. “Uh, music video filming, dance and vocal prac—”

“So you know that much,” she mutters. “That’s enough. What happened during the music video filming?”

He shifts on his feet. “Can I leave? I don’t think this conversation is going anywhere—”

“—Kim Dokja—-”

“—and, oh, perfect, I was going to ask you this. Am I going to get sacked if that bastard doesn’t re-sign his contract? Because—”

“—you, are you seriously—”

“—I have to start job hunting if that’s the case, and I don’t really have any savings to tide me over, so can I get, I don’t know, a two weeks notice? Or you could re-assign me; I’m not picky. I’d even be willing to be Kim Namwoon’s manager, if you’re actually going to debut him and not terminate his—”

“Just shut up.” Han Sooyoung’s expression is shockingly distressed, brows knitted like she’s seriously contemplating a promotion to arsonist as her next career advancement. “Just—I don’t get it. I really don’t get it. He kissed you, didn’t he?”

“That was for the music video.” Of course it was. Why else would someone like Yoo Joonghyuk ever kiss him? “You know, like artistic expression.”

“You think,” she says, all slow, “that he kissed you for…artistic expression?”

“Actors do it all the time for movies,” he points out. “And besides, didn’t you write that scene in?”

She shakes her head, fast enough that she seems to start blurring out of this accursed plane of existence. “No, no, no. This can’t be happening. Kim Dokja, I didn’t write that scene. I swear I didn’t write that scene. Yoo Joonghyuk did it of his own volition. He wanted to kiss you.”

“For the lore.”

“No, not for the lore!” she shrieks, making an indescribable noise with her mouth. “He—he—” She deflates at his lack of reaction, staring at him with undisguised disappointment. “Okay, fine, let’s start from the beginning. You think he’s—ugh—handsome, right?”

“I—Yeah, sure, but that’s a given—”

“Not that. Do you think he’s attractive?”

Oddly, the moment that pops into his head at that question is that of Yoo Joonghyuk pressing him against the door of his dressing room, smiling at him with those slightly wetted lips that… “I—” 

In his time of need, he chokes on his own spit, hacking his lungs out like some diseased Victorian damsel.

“Exactly!” She points a shaking finger at him. “Okay, good. We’re getting somewhere. Now, what if he asked you to date him?”

“There’s a flaw in your—in your scenario,” he half-chokes, half-gasps out as he sinks to the floor, “because he wouldn’t do that.”

She taps her temple. “Imagine,” she stresses, lip curling. “Would you say yes?”

“...No.”

She jumps to her feet with the force of that whispered word, leaning across her desk to peer down at his hunched-over, shaking figure. “No?” she echoes, so unbearably soft he wishes she’d just yell at him, or throw that familiar paperweight at him to put him out of his misery. “You don’t like him?”

“It’s not about liking,” he mutters hoarsely into his knees, choosing to accept his pathetic fate of sitting on the floor while his suddenly sympathetic chihuahua of a boss towers over him. “I just—it’s Yoo Joonghyuk, you know? I couldn’t…”

“Aren’t you the one who kept insisting anyone would date Yoo Joonghyuk if asked? Yet you wouldn’t even consider it?”

“Sure, maybe,” he acknowledges, snorting, “but it wouldn’t work. He doesn’t like me like that.”

“You’d be surprised,” Han Sooyoung tells him, and her voice carries a faith-shaking sincerity, so oddly unlike her typical flippant self. “No, really, don’t sit there and smile that fucking corporate smile to yourself. Didn’t Yoo Joonghyuk specifically request you as his manager in his contract?”

“What?”

She blanches when he meets her eyes. “No, what…you don’t…? You didn’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Fuck…” She throws herself back into her chair, staring at the ceiling. “I knew there was something wrong. I knew it. You didn’t react at all when I brought it up, but I thought that was a bluff on your part. Shit, really, if you have no idea, then that bastard…”

“I’m still here,” he offers meekly, waving a hand above the desk. “Can I leave?”

“No,” she snaps. “I need to get to the bottom of this. So, even under the previous department head, you’ve never seen Yoo Joonghyuk’s artist contract?”

Dokja sighs. “Why would I need to see his contract? It’s legally binding for him, not me.”

“You do realize,” she says, squinting, “that most, if not all, managers are aware of the terms in their artists’ contracts. And that they’re the ones who typically present the artist with their contracts, both the initial document and any renewals. It’s actually very much your responsibility.”

“Joonghyuk always said the terms were favorable when he signed with the old manager. I never bothered to ask for more details.” Then, it occurs to him. “Wait. Has he never renewed since he first debuted?”

She gives him a look of utter horror, hand ghosting over the nearest object on her desk. “You don’t even know the length of his contract? What have you been doing all these years while I paid you?”

“No, wait”—he counts it mentally, then recounts it because there’s no way he did it right the first time, except he did—”his contract period is ten years???”

“Why are you shocked? Like I said, you should’ve—”

“Isn’t that illegal?” He doesn’t realize he’s standing until he’s looking down at Han Sooyoung, gripping the edge of her desk for stability. “Ten years. Ten years. That has to be illegal, right? It’s—”

“Yes,” she spits out, “but it wasn’t when your predecessor drafted his contract.”

At that, he shuts his mouth. He’s never even met the manager who supposedly signed Yoo Joonghyuk to Star Stream Entertainment. He has no idea who they are, or why they would impose such a long contract period on eighteen-year-old Yoo Joonghyuk, or why they would end up quitting right before his debut, but—

“Listen to me, Kim Dokja.” She stares straight at him, all coiled poise in that way she only ever adopts for meetings with the board of graying decrepit men running Star Stream. “I’ve read his contract. It’s unlike any other artist contract I’ve encountered. To say it’s unfair would be incorrect, but it is”—she bites her lip—”to say the least, not favorable to Yoo Joonghyuk himself.” She shakes her head in disbelief. “If you’re being honest, saying you have no idea what’s written in his contract, then…”

“Is it really that bad?” he asks, and her only response is to wince.

“If Yoo Joonghyuk ever lets you get your rat hands on it,” she says, “don’t do anything drastic. Promise me, Kim Dokja.”

His silence must not be reassuring enough, because she jabs him in the chest. “Promise me.”

“...Fine. Do you think he’ll let me read it if I ask nicely?”

“Doubt it.” She makes a face. “Well, maybe if it’s you asking. But really, if you can, you should…try getting a hold of it.” She pauses. “And, just checking, but…you’re sure you wouldn’t date Yoo Joonghyuk? Like, even if he got on his knees and groveled, or something? What if he was really desperate?”

“Like I said,” he sighs, “that’s unrealistic. I know he doesn’t like me like that.”

She barks out a laugh, short and sweet. “Holy shit. You and that fucker are a match made in hell.”

Being Yoo Joonghyuk’s so-called childhood friend, he’s known Yoo Joonghyuk for a long time. Thirteen years, in fact. As a result, he has a fairly good—maybe even encyclopedic—knowledge of Yoo Joonghyuk’s small collection of moods. 

Neutral Joonghyuk is the one that he defaults to—slightly frowning, but not particularly upset about anything. Neutral Joonghyuk is patient enough for you to mess up a few times, would probably acquiesce if asked to do slightly cringe poses for a photoshoot, and would scoff but ultimately accept a coffee from Dokja if offered it. Neutral Joonghyuk is the equivalent of being hand fed crumbs by a pretty face, so it’s a good thing Dokja never cared to learn self-respect.

The next most common variant is Brooding Joonghyuk, who is—to no one’s surprise—brooding, and a massive asshole. His frown is a little deeper, his fuse a little shorter, and he’s magnitudes more likely to give a petulant answer when asked what’s wrong. On Brooding Joonghyuk days, he has no bandwidth for most anyone, and keeps the barest tolerance for Dokja provided he acts within reason. Once, he’d felt particularly experimental—read, reckless—and had tried to climb into Brooding Joonghyuk’s lap just to see if the shock of it would snap him out of his funk. He chickened out halfway when Brooding Joonghyuk stared at him like he’d just been slapped in the face, and the brooding stayed for the next three days after that, so the jury’s out on whether or not that works.

Then, there’s the ultra rare Kind Joonghyuk, who comes out selectively—around his sister, for one, and when Dokja’s fucking something up, for another. Kind Joonghyuk is soft, and could be convinced to smile by something particularly funny. He’s a bit more touchy-feely in this mode, and vastly more charitable, hence the name. He’s, paradoxically, a little more quiet at times, and seems to like listening to other people talk for hours on end, which makes it Dokja’s favorite mood of Yoo Joonghyuk’s.

However, the problem is this: Yoo Joonghyuk, for the past month and change, has been none of these moods. To say he’s a little stumped would be an understatement. He’s foaming at the mouth, as the fans would say. Losing his goddamned mind.

At first, he thought it was Kind Joonghyuk. The days following the music video filming, Yoo Joonghyuk had been uncharacteristically nice to him. He didn’t complain when Dokja oversteeped his tea, drew perfectly shaped ketchup hearts on his omurice, and let him sleep in his bed without being an ass about it. He even asked him how he felt after filming with him the other day, to which Dokja had replied, somewhat distractedly as he mentally debated if he could beat the yellow light ahead, “I don’t know, it was kind of gross.” He didn’t end up making it through the intersection, and Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t ask him to elaborate like Kind Joonghyuk would have done, so he concluded he was probably wrong about that. It was a shame, because Dokja had a whole rant loaded about how he’d never realized how difficult it was to take off waterproof stage makeup. Thank god the store downstairs sold makeup remover, or he would’ve had to sleep with that disgusting mess smeared on his face overnight. He doesn’t know how Yoo Joonghyuk does it on the daily, really.

After that, some variant of Brooding Joonghyuk seemed to take the stage, only ten times worse than his typical brooding. He got to his apartment one morning, and found that he’d changed the door code and refused to tell him the new one. He touched him once, on the wrist, to remind him of something, and nearly had his head taken off by the backswing of Yoo Joonghyuk’s arm. It took a week before Yoo Joonghyuk would even respond to him in anything other than grunts and sighs and halfhearted shoves that never seemed to land. At that point, he’d hesitantly asked if he was upset about anything, to which Yoo Joonghyuk stared at him with a meaningful look in his dark eyes, then withered when he looked back in confusion.

And now? It’s something different. A little better than Brooding Joonghyuk, but not quite back to Neutral Joonghyuk. There’s a strange exhaustion to him, a quiet melancholy that is a good look on him but is distressing considering that Yoo Joonghyuk doesn’t do sad. Depressed? Sure, he’s seen Yoo Joonghyuk depressed, but it’s an angry, passionate sort of depression—the kind that’s fooled him, more than once, into thinking he’d become a terrorist just to forfeit the coil of idolatry. But sad? Sad in a way that gives him a faraway look in his eyes, as if he’s decided that all his life choices have led to a dead end, as if he’d rather be anywhere else but here? No, that’s not Yoo Joonghyuk. Or, it shouldn’t be, but it is these days.

The worst part is that Yoo Joonghyuk, as is habit, won’t tell him anything. But, with all the knowledge he has of Yoo Joonghyuk, he can guess; it must be that mystery guy who he’s in long-term, unrequited love with. 

If Yoo Joonghyuk would only confide in him, then he could help him with courting whoever this person is. It’d be awful and embarrassing, and would feel like giving his own family away to someone he’s pretty sure wouldn’t deserve Yoo Joonghyuk, but…he’d do it for him. He’d do it for Yoo Joonghyuk, who’s clumsily thoughtful and cares more than he’d willingly let on. Who is, despite everything his fans would like to think, deeply flawed and hateful and human, in a way that makes him so much more likable to the select few who get to witness it. Yoo Joonghyuk, who shines on the stage for a reason he may not ever know, but will always be grateful for.

He’d do it for Yoo Joonghyuk, because he was the one who saved him back then. It doesn’t matter that it’d change everything.

[yjh was a mess at constellation bank…] 7h ago

@sunfishstan

don’t get me wrong, i’m a massive yjh fan, but yesterday’s performance was just…yeah.

i stayed up late just to tune into constellation bank and see him perform Epilogue live, but he was visibly not at his best. he was breathy, out of tune, and all his facial expressions were tight. overall it just felt…dead. a massive letdown. it was so disappointing that i had to turn it off and cry while rewatching the mv. i’m probably going to get flamed for this post but idc. i can’t defend him. it was so bad you could’ve told me he was a rookie and i would’ve believed you

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @sunfishstan

give him some grace holy fuck he’s been delivering flawless performances for a decade straight. who knows what went down in his life before constellation bank

@yjhyukies > [OP] @sunfishstan

he looked stressed and tired imho. he was sweating even though it’s a slow-paced choreo by his standards, and you can kinda see his dark circles even through the stage makeup. i feel for him, he must be feeling awful if it’s gotten to the point that it’s bleeding into his performances

@ssestan > [OP] @sunfishstan

damn. i don’t keep up w music show performances but this is just depressing. sse is not that strict about music show appearances, and his manager should’ve noticed his condition and stopped him from getting on stage

@seolhwas > [OP] @sunfishstan

pfft as expected. you yjh shooters can’t defend this shitty performance, can you? deserved, for that gay shit he pulled in his mv. can’t even get a fandom with his skills so has to appeal to gross fujo hags and whore himself out to the public. so glad our queen seolhwa would never touch his diseased ass

 

@j00nghyuks > @seolhwas

shut the fuck up and take a look in the mirror, you shithead. your “queen” seolhwa would move away if you tried to sit next to her on the subway. “gross fujo hags” would rather watch two men eat each other’s faces than give you the time of day. and don’t talk about yjh “whoring himself out to the public” when you don’t even have anything worth whoring out. even the black market wouldn’t want your rotting organs, you utter piece of unrefined shit. yjh has more skill in his pinky nail than you do in your entire bloodline. speaking of your bloodline, before you go kill yourself, call your parents and tell them the child they worked so hard to raise goons to women who would refuse to hold his hand even if they were hanging off a cliff. i bet they wish they had a different child. you know what? i bet they wish yjh was their child instead of you. so crawl back into your dark little hole where you don’t have to confront your numerous moral failures, and rub one out to “queen” seolhwa because yjh got closer to her than your pathetic worm ass ever could.

and btw, it’s pretty gay to think so much about a man. pity that your tongue is only worthy of licking yjh’s boots

 

@yjhsssss > @j00nghyuks

…holy shit man you fuckin killed him

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > @j00nghyuks

wow. my apologies j00nghyuks, i was not aware of your game

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

in the time it took for my shitty product to finish centrifuging, j00nghyuks managed to deliver the worst L in the history of Ls to known gooner seolhwas. my product didn’t even separate out. idk if i should be mad or what

[petition to make j00nghyuks copypasta a real thing] 2h ago

@yjhxxxfan

screenshot

ts had me cackling into my pillow at 3am in the morning. if there’s one thing j00nghyuks knows how to do it’s how to have a proper crash out

@j00nghyuks > [OP] @yjhxxxfan

…i’m deleting my acc

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

noooo don’t delete yourself (again) you’re so sexy aha

 

@j00nghyuks > @supsub8391

kys

 

@supsub8391 > @j00nghyuks

thank you babe! mwah

[MOD] @yjhsleftnut > [OP] @yjhxxxfan

Under consideration. Will let everyone know the result once we finish deliberating.

 

@j00nghyuks > [MOD] @yjhsleftnut

oh fuck you yjhsleftnut

“I told you not to go on Constellation Bank.”

Nothing but soft breathing from the back seat. His grip tightens on the steering wheel.

“We could’ve canceled. We didn’t need the win. We had other music show appearances planned for later in the week.” He bites his lip, volume rising despite himself. “The makeup artist asked me, three times, if I really wanted you to go on stage. The sound check team had to confirm the backing track because they didn’t think you sounded right—and you didn’t. I had to convince them—” He slams on the breaks. “Fuck!” he snarls at the driver cutting into their lane, dealing them a proper dose of honking. “Seriously, hah… Yoo Joonghyuk, are you listening to me?”

A huff of air is all it takes for him to break. “You think this is funny?” He laughs, the sound brittle in the confined space. “Yoo Joonghyuk, you have no idea. You have no idea how hard it is to deal with you and your attitude these days. I tell you you’re in no condition to be performing, and you act like I just punched you and spat on your pride. You know that I try my best to manage you properly, even though I hate this job. Even though I only do it because you begged me to back then, even though I have no idea why either of us are here because you refuse to ever be honest with me! And”—his voice cracks—”and what? What do I get? I get jerked around by whatever mood you’re in, and I have to grit my teeth and bear it. I try my best to fix your reputation, to keep you scandal-free, but you throw it in my face, and still won’t tell me anything! Tell me, Joonghyuk, do you think it’s worth it? Do you think it’s worth it, to ruin yourself for some stupid ‘life and death companion’, whose name you have to hide like a dirty secret? In that case, you shouldn’t have asked me to be your manager! You shouldn’t have even become a fucking pop idol! You should’ve just fucked off into the sunset with whichever son of a bitch you’re so head over heels for, and—”

“Kim Dokja!”

The red light ahead casts a ghastly glow onto Yoo Joonghyuk’s face, half-obscured by the hood of his jacket. He watches him squeeze his eyes shut, head dipping as he exhales a shaky breath. “Drop it. Just drop it.”

“What’s wrong with you?” he whispers hoarsely, choking back the lump in his throat. “Come on, just tell me. I won’t be mad. I won’t tell the company. I just want to help you.”

Yoo Joonghyuk makes a low, guttural noise. Dokja presses down on the gas, and listens to the engine roar. The silence, punctuated by the soft tick of the turn signal, draws out long, as if the world is watching this moment with bated breath.

“...Did you mean it?”

“What?”

“Did you mean it,” Yoo Joonghyuk repeats, chokingly, “when you said you didn’t like it?”

Dokja exhales, shaky as the anger rushes out of him at Yoo Joonghyuk’s wretched tone. “What are—what are you talking about?”

“Kim Dokja.” Tired, tired, tired. “Don’t act stupid. You know.”

“Except I don’t,” he snaps, “because again, you don’t tell me anything. You just say things and expect me to know everything. I’m not omniscient, Joonghyuk. If you want me to know something, you have to say it clearly.”

Yoo Joonghyuk sighs, and the sound of his head hitting the window comes loud in the quiet. “Kim Dokja, you—”

“And while we’re on the topic of things you don’t tell me,” he says with all too much false cheer, “when were you going to tell me about the terms in your artist contract?”

At that, Yoo Joonghyuk goes stiff, grabbing onto the back of Dokja’s seat. “You—when did you—”

“We’re here.” He unbuckles his seat belt, dodges the hand that reaches for his shoulder, and slips out of the driver’s seat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to catch the last subway.”

“Kim Dokja.” Yoo Joonghyuk is shaking, shaking, eyes blown wide. “Stay.”

“Why should I? You’re just going to keep being difficult.”

“Dokja. Please.”

At that, he hesitates. Being imperfect. Being unsettled. Being desperate. These are things he’s never known Yoo Joonghyuk to be. Maybe this is his breaking point. Maybe Yoo Joonghyuk isn’t as strong as both of them would like to pretend.

The question is, does he care?

“One hour,” he tells him. “That’s all you get. And pay for my taxi fare, you stingy bastard.”

“I didn’t know you kept soju in your fridge. I’ve never seen any in there.”

Yoo Joonghyuk shoots him a dirty look, pulling out two bottles. “I don’t normally.” With no further elaboration, he drops into one of the chairs at the table, popping open one of the bottles while keeping a wary eye on Dokja.

“So”—he checks the time on his phone—”like I said, one hour. And you shouldn’t have all of that—”

Yoo Joonghyuk glares at him before downing a quarter of the bottle in one go. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

“—because you have a schedule tomorrow morning, but okay, do whatever the hell you want.”

Yoo Joonghyuk slides the unopened bottle across the table. In response, Dokja shakes his head, putting it back in the fridge. “Ah, seriously, Joonghyuk. I didn’t come here to drink with you. Are you going to talk or not?”

“...You said it was gross,” Yoo Joonghyuk grouses, slumped over his bottle of soju like the ultimate heartbroken drama lead. “Why?”

“When did I—”

“You’re so stupid. Why?”

He can feel a vein pop in his temple. “Did you bring me here just to curse me out? I’m going to leave.” Saying that, he inches towards the door, pulling his jacket off the coat rack. “I’m being serious here, Joonghyuk. I’m leavi—!”

“Don’t leave.”

He’s about to celebrate his perfect victory of getting Yoo Joonghyuk right where he wants him, when warm arms snake around his waist. His eyes widen, hands snapping to cover the ones pressing hot against the panels of his stomach. No, this is not what he predicted, or wanted. Why is Yoo Joonghyuk…?

“Why do you always threaten to leave?” he hears him mumble, too close to his ear for comfort. “I know you hate this job. You hate me. You always—”

Dokja whips his head around. “Since when did I hate you?”

It’s only now, Yoo Joonghyuk’s eyes hazy and shaky with shock, that he realizes the indecency of this. Stood in the entryway, Yoo Joonghyuk’s arms wound tight around his waist, their bodies slotted flush against each other, with Yoo Joonghyuk’s criminally beautiful face a mess of emotion in front of his. One wrong move, and they’d be—

“I don’t hate you.” The words are torn from him, breathy as he reaches up, brushing Yoo Joonghyuk’s hair out of his eyes by cruel, cruel habit. “How could I hate you? You’re…”

“...You don’t like me.”

Dokja sighs. “You’re such a baby when you’re drunk,” he chastises, patting his cheek. “Do other people know you’re like this?”

“I’m not drunk,” he insists, which is what all drunk people do, naturally. “Do you like me?”

What?

“Do I have to answer that?” Dokja laughs, except it comes out a little panicked, strained from the way Yoo Joonghyuk’s arms are tightening like a vice grip. “Ah, wait, Joonghyuk-ah, let go—”

“Do you like me?”

“You—Ah, yes, yes, of course I like you!”

“Was the kiss gross?”

“I don’t—”

He shrieks at the tight pinch to his waist. “Ah, fine, I got it! You were upset about that! I didn’t know!”

“Then answer.”

“No, it wasn’t gross! It was nice! Now can you please—!”

He falls to the ground in an unceremonious heap, wheezing and clutching his abused waist. “Yoo Joonghyuk,” he gasps, “you bastard. That’s what you were obsessing over?” Of course he enjoyed it. Who would be so stupid to not enjoy a kiss from a man dubbed the nation’s boyfriend five years in a row? Certainly not him, even though he has his own objections about how well the criteria for being the nation’s boyfriend apply to Yoo Joonghyuk.

“Shut up.” Despite that, Yoo Joonghyuk’s ears are red-tipped. “I thought—”

“You thought?”

He exhales, pressing a palm to the lower half of his face. “It doesn’t matter,” he mumbles through the gaps of his fingers, turning to head back to the kitchen. “Come over here.”

“I, ah”—he reaches out and grabs his ankle before he slips out of range, grinning up at him with wicked remorselessness—”I can’t get up. Pick me up, will you, Joonghyuk-ah? You have to atone for your crimes.”

“What crimes?” he grumbles. Despite his lack of answer, he still obliges, slipping one arm under the crook of his knees and the other around his back. “You’re a fool. You’re ridiculous. Why can’t you see—?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Dokja grouses, hooking his wrists around Yoo Joonghyuk’s neck. “I’m stupid, I’m dumb, I’m a bad manager. I—”

“You’re fine. As a manager, that is.”

He sighs, tucking his head against the hollow of his throat. “Then why have you been so difficult lately? Is it really just because I said the kiss we did for the music video was gross?”

Yoo Joonghyuk is quiet at that, but at this proximity he can feel his muscles contract, hear him swallow as his grip tightens the slightest fraction.

“I thought it was obvious I was talking about something else,” Dokja complains. “You asked at a bad time. But, seriously, you don’t have to ask when you already know the answer. It’s not cute to fish for compliments, you know?”

“Kim Dokja.” Yoo Joonghyuk remains frighteningly still, holding him in his arms, and it’s disorienting that he can’t see his face from this angle when he sounds so earth-shatteringly serious. “Did you…have you read my contract?”

“No,” he admits. “I lied.” But now he’s curious—if both Han Sooyoung and Yoo Joonghyuk treat it like some dangerous secret, then he has to read it. How to obtain it is another question, considering that Yoo Joonghyuk seems to have a life-threatening allergy to letting him know what’s going on. “Can I see it?”

Yoo Joonghyuk mumbles something under his breath—probably another insult, if his track record says anything. “Have you…watched the music video yet?”

Why is he changing the subject? “The one for Epilogue?” he asks, to which Yoo Joonghyuk makes a noise of assent. “No. I was going to watch it on my own time. But, first, can we discuss the—”

“Then…” Yoo Joonghyuk begins moving towards the couch. “We should watch it now.”

“Right now? Are you serious?”

“Wow,” he breathes. “It was a really great story. Isn’t that right?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Yoo Joonghyuk nod, the light of the screen shifting over the sharp line of his jaw. He can still make out the redness at the tips of his ears, the tension taut in the lines of his body as he seemingly reclines against the couch like some handsome fictional bastard of a mafia boss.

Reeling back to reality at that thought, he mutters, “It was really great, but…why did you want to watch this all of a sudden?”

“Keep watching.”

“No, wait… We were having a serious discussion, and you completely distracted me by making me watch your music video. Sometimes, I forget you’re actually pretty smart—”

“Dokja.” He hears him exhale as he shoves him back into the cushions. “Keep watching.”

“Oh, what? Is there an after credits scene? Han Sooyoung really outdid herself, then.”

Then, the set comes up, and he leans forward to see. White-walled, with gauzy curtains and a familiar figure in the bed…

“Ah, is it—?”

Whatever happens next in that scene, he doesn’t know. There’s his gentle touch cradling his cheek. His breath, ghosting across his skin. His shadow blots out the light of the narrative, and he steals the question from his mouth, achingly soft in his want. 

“You—” he gasps, into the barely there space between them. “What was that for?” 

“...Was that bad?” Yoo Joonghyuk whispers, eyes half-lidded with something he’s afraid to put into words. 

“No,” he chokes out, “but—”

His fingers are tangling into his shirt before he can even think, lips parting under his. Yoo Joonghyuk crowds into his space like it’s an offense that there’s space between them at all, like he’s been waiting all his life for this opportunity. He makes a breathy noise of surprise as Yoo Joonghyuk lays him flat onto the couch, and feels his lips curve against his at that little sound. In retaliation, Dokja bites down on the bottom lip between his with a little too much pressure, and that sparks Yoo Joonghyuk to make a competition of seeing what other sounds he can draw out of him.

By the time they pull away from each other, leaving Dokja panting and red in the face, the screen has powered off, casting the room into darkness.

“Um.” His voice is embarrassingly hoarse, not helped by the fact that Yoo Joonghyuk’s entire body weight is pressing down on him. “Are you drunk?”

In response, Yoo Joonghyuk buries his head into the crook of his neck, breath tickling at the sensitive skin. “Can you stop saying stupid things,” he rasps, “for one second?”

“It’s a”—he licks his lips, grateful for how the darkness hides the way he flushes again—”it’s an honest question. You were drinking a lot. And—”

“Dokja.” The call of his name makes his blood burn hot in his veins. “I’m not drunk.”

“Okay.” He nods. “Thanks for the, ah, clarification. So, is this—?”

“Dokja.” A soft groan, barely above a whisper. “Dokja. Dokja. Dokja. Dokja.”

“If you wanted me to shut up, you could’ve just said s—”

“—I love you.”

The world seems to still at that declaration, so horrible in its quiet devastation. Dokja stares up, at the yawning darkness above, and mulls on that. Love. Yoo Joonghyuk’s love. Something so precious, and yet…

“Really?” he asks into that void, almost brokenly. “Me?”

Yoo Joonghyuk moves, finally. He presses a soft kiss to the underside of his jaw, unbearably tender as he murmurs:

“It’s been thirteen years. What do you think?”

[POLL: which of yjh's lore cryptids lives in your head rent free?] 1d ago

@yjhyukies

dead wife                                          51%

manager-nim                                   23%

life and death companion                12%

game boy                                          7%

hoodie-nim                                      7%

@yjhsssss > [OP] @yjhyukies

ts got me keeping up w the poll like it’s the newest season of mass production 101. if manager-nim doesn’t end up center i’m gonna kms btw so vote

 

[OP] @yjhyukies > @yjhsssss

have i got bad news for you…

 

@yjhsssss > [OP] @yjhyukies

NOOOOOOO not dead wife being the dark horse. he’s a dozen your honor, he only made it bc he kissed a man!!1!

 

@yjhsdeadwife > @yjhsssss

i won because i’m pretty ^v^

 

@yjhsssss > @yjhsdeadwife

holy SHIT we got dead wife rpers before GTA X. this fandom never ceases to amaze me

@18649990 > [OP] @yjhyukies

hello??? justice for game boy he didn’t smile so cutely at the camera for you to not vote him

 

@18649990 > @18649990

hold up…i went back to rewatch the video and the link doesn’t work? @yjhyukies is the vid still up?

 

[OP] @yjhyukies > @18649990

huh…weird. i checked and it’s broken for me too

@lifeanddeathcompanio > [OP] @yjhyukies

wow a 51 to 49 split between dead wife and manager-nim…is this the divorce arc for the fandom

 

[OP] @yjhyukies > @lifeanddeathcompanio

? please go back to school lifeanddeathcompanio i beg

 

@lifeanddeathcompanio > [OP] @yjhyukies

OMG no i meant like. if you add all the entries that we’ve theorized to be manager-nim together. i know basic addition i swear

 

[OP] @yjhyukies > @lifeanddeathcompanio

OHHHHH okay okay i see the vision. yeah i think the 2% lead for dead wife is just bc it’s recent (and bc they kissed but,,, yjh do not let this beautiful homewrecker get between you and manager-nim)

 

@supsub8391 > [OP] @yjhyukies

i’m sorry yjhyukies…i can’t stand for you labeling dead wife a homewrecker. yjh has two hands for a reason

 

[OP] @yjhyukies > @supsub8391

ykw? approved. 

why choose between 51 and 49 when you could have 100  - yjh, probably

@dljofire > [OP] @yjhyukies

oh this is so fun!

 

[OP] @yjhyukies > @dljofire

i was going to say you’d fs vote manager-nim, but you’ve literally written fic for all the options. where does your allegiance lie mother

 

@dljofire > [OP] @yjhyukies

you’ll just have to wait and see ^v^

[tbh i don’t get the “dead wife” hype] 3h ago

@deadwifeanti

isn’t he kinda ugly lmao…like yeah they put a diffusing filter and hella makeup on him but you can kinda tell his features are weirdly smudged and unclear. rlly don’t get why the fandom’s going feral over him

@supsub8391 > [OP] @deadwifeanti

keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth…

in all seriousness, that man is ethereally pretty in a way that few idols can even hope to match. sorry about your lack of taste

@18649990 > [OP] @deadwifeanti

oh…so you’re BLIND blind. fyi, this guy is super cute. and wdym smudged? you can literally see his individual eyelashes. hate to say it but you might just be hating for the sake of it

 

[OP] @deadwifeanti > @18649990

maybe you lot are the blind ones bc i genuinely don’t get it. he’s actually rlly ugly to me like not even just regular ugly but like botched ugly. his eyelid surgery is the stuff of nightmares

 

@18649990 > [OP] @deadwifeanti

Image Image Image

dude what are you even talking about??? can you see??? those are the eyes of someone who was born to be pretty

 

@yjhyukies > @18649990

face card instantly gagged them…dead wife you will always be famous

 

@yjhyukies > @yjhyukies

wait. hold up. hold the FUCKING phone.

[THIS IS NOT A DRILL] 41m ago

@yjhyukies

i just. here. take a look at the evidence. @supsub8391 please come to my aid

Image Image

@supsub8391 > [OP] @yjhyukies

no fucking way. NO FUCKING WAY

 

[OP] @yjhyukies > @supsub8391

i had to trawl through my camera roll for this evidence bc the gaming vids got taken down. but the resemblance is uncanny right?

 

@supsub8391 > [OP] @yjhyukies

so all along…manager-nim = l&d companion = game boy = hoodie guy = dead wife???

 

[OP] @yjhyukies > @supsub8391

holy shit i think we cracked the code. supsub8391 i think we’ve done it

 

@supsub8391 > [OP] @yjhyukies

why does this feel like a greater accomplishment than getting my phd??? this is insane. yoo joonghyuk, the absolute crazy bastard, hard launched his boyfriend under the noses of all supsubs and no one noticed a thing. all along the sole cryptid in yoo joonghyuk’s life was his fucking boyfriend. we spent months theorizing like mad men, and it finally bore fruit :’) holy shit

 

@dljofire > @supsub8391

^v^ congrats! ^v^

 

@supsub8391 > @dljofire

mother…what does this mean

 

@dljofire > @supsub8391

<3

[MOD] @zeroyjh > [OP] @yjhyukies

Removed. Discussion violates forum rules.

(“Did you really block my fucking number?”

“What do you want?”

“Ah, whatever…I was gonna give you a heads-up, that—”

“I know. He already tried to ask.”

“Tch, bastard… The warning would have come in time if you hadn’t blocked me!”

“Whatever.”

“...You should’ve told me that he didn’t know about it.”

“Hm.”

“...Are you cooking right now?”

“...Yes.”

“You…turn the stove off. We’re having a proper conversation.”

“I can multitask. Talk, or I’m hanging up on you.”

“Yeah, right. If you hang up, I’m mailing a copy of your contract to him.”

“...”

“Don’t be like that. Did you think you could keep it a secret for ten whole years? He’s your manager, for fuck’s sake. He should’ve found out years ago.”

“He didn’t know about it until you told him.”

“You—! That’s not the point! You know, I’ve been wanting to ask you this for years now, but your contract terms…did you seriously propose those yourself? I’ve heard about it from the previous director, but—”

“I needed to.”

“Are you…god, seriously, I hate you two so much. I shouldn’t have ever agreed to that promotion. You’re telling me that you wrote all those terms about him into your own artist contract, and then proceeded to not let him know about it?”

“...It was necessary.”

“Necessary my fucking ass! You know exactly how he is. He’s going to do something stupid once he finds out you did this all for him.”

“...Did you tell him?”

“No. I figured you’d want to do it on your own terms. Consider it a kindness, from me to the bastard who’s ruining our profit margins.”

“...”

“...Please tell me you’re planning to tell him.”

“...”

“Fucking hell. Yoo Joonghyuk, for once in your life, can you get yourself together and be honest with that damned rat? Just tell him that you became an idol for him, to protect him, or however you want to spin it. It’s not hard—even if you’re bad with words, you can just show him your contract and those predatory terms you fucked yourself with, and—”

“Kim Dokja?!”

“What are you so confused about? Of course I’m talking about Kim Dokja, you son of a bitch. Is your brain just for decoration like the rest of you, or—”

“Wait. I need to go.”

“What are you—hey, what’s going on?”

“I said, I need to go!”

“Oh, fuck. Don’t tell me—?!”)