halfseoulco

[halfseoulco]

All My Love: A SEVENTEEN x Hogwarts AU

Published Wednesday, February 14th, 2023 — Happy Valentine's Day and, more importantly, happy Carat Day! Honestly, I really got attached to these versions of the SEVENTEEN members that I created for the Christmas AU, so I decided to continue their stories with what I hope is a cute series of events for our thirteen diamonds. ♡

As a refresher, here's some information before you start reading!

Word count: ~ 10,800

AU Ages:

Seventh years — Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Joshua, Junhui, Soonyoung

Sixth years — Wonwoo, Jihoon, Seokmin, Mingyu, Minghao

Fifth years — Seungkwan, Vernon, and Chan

AU Houses:

Gryffindor — Seungcheol, Soonyoung, Vernon, Chan

Ravenclaw — Wonwoo, Jihoon, Minghao

Hufflepuff — Junhui, Mingyu, Seokmin, Seungkwan

Slytherin — Jeonghan, Joshua

Description: It's Valentine's Day at Hogwarts and everyone has plans—or some things that go according to plan and some that don't. Romance is on the table for some, while others prefer to spend quality time with their friends—because all love is important. All you need to know is that you probably don't want to be Vernon.

Read “All My Love” on Ao3!

The Black Lake — February 14th (early evening)

"Hansol Vernon Chwe!"

The Gryffindor winced as his boyfriend's voice transcended octaves in his unbridled fury.

"You'd better have a good explanation for this!"

Gryffindor Fifth Year Boys' Dormitory — February 1st

"Vernon?"

The fifth year Gryffindor turned his head away from where he had been watching the rain fall outside the window to look at his oldest hyung over his shoulder.

"Oh, hey, hyung," he greeted him with a nod.

"Have you seen Seungkwan recently?" Seungcheol asked him, brow furrowed with concern.

"Um, not since last night," Vernon replied, face blank. "Why?"

The older Gryffindor sighed, sitting next to him on the bench seat in front of the window.

If not even his boyfriend had seen him recently, then maybe Seungkwan's situation was far more serious than anyone realized.

"I'm worried about him," Seungcheol admitted. "He doesn't really seem like himself. Not anywhere near a quarter as fussy as he normally is about everyone and everything." He glanced at Vernon out of the corner of his eye, noticing that he had gone back to facing the window. "You're usually attached at the hip, it's unusual that you haven't seen him at all today."

"Are you saying that I should know where my boyfriend is every minute of every day?" Vernon said tonelessly.

"No, that's not what I'm saying." Seungcheol tilted his head to one side, surveying him carefully. "I'm saying that as his best friend, you might know what's been going on with him."

The younger boy turned his head away.

"So you do know," Seungcheol said gently.

Vernon's shoulders tensed. He said nothing for a few moments, Seungcheol waiting patiently while he grappled with whether he should confide in the prefect or not.

Finally, his shoulders slumped.

"Last spring," he began, "one of Seungkwan's closest friends from home... passed away."

"I remember," Seungcheol said gravely. "That's why he was gone for a while."

"Yeah, he went back home to attend the funeral." Vernon sighed. "The friend... he was a Muggle... and obviously Seungkwan couldn't tell him that he was a wizard, so his friend thought that he had gotten a scholarship to attend some fancy boarding school in the UK. Seungkwan had been jumping through all kinds of hoops to stay in touch with him without giving himself away, getting letters sent by Muggle post... talking about classes that are taught at Muggle schools... They would hang out all summer when Seungkwan would go home after every end of term... but then..." Vernon rubbed at his nose furiously with the sleeve of his sweater, sniffling. "His friend was really unhappy and I think he missed Seungkwan a lot—"

"It's okay," Seungcheol stopped him. "You don't have to keep going."

Vernon nodded gratefully, wiping at his eyes.

"His birthday was last week," he said softly, "and Seungkwan hasn't been taking it very well. I feel like I should be doing something... more? Better? But he barely even talks to me, won't even look at me sometimes..." He finally looked up at Seungcheol, his eyes sparkling with tears. "Hyung, I don't know what to do. I feel like such a bad boyfriend."

Seungcheol inhaled deeply through his nose, his mind running through the memories he had of Seungkwan and Vernon, both back when they had been just friends and after they had gotten together. To anyone who didn't know the pair very well, it would seem like Seungkwan took care of Vernon in every way—because that was how his affection manifested itself—but their friends all knew that Vernon was Seungkwan's biggest supporter and that the Hufflepuff relied on his boyfriend more than anyone. At just fifteen, they had a connection deeper than most adults Seungcheol had met; and no one who saw them together could ever accuse Vernon of not being a good boyfriend.

Seungcheol exhaled heavily.

"You're not a bad boyfriend," he reassured Vernon. "The fact that you're worried about it this much is proof that you're not. All you need to do is let him know that you're here for him." He stood up, patting the younger on the shoulder. "Besides, Valentine's Day is coming up in a couple of weeks. Maybe come up with something that will really show him that he's not alone in this."

Astronomy Tower — February 14th (early afternoon)

"What took you so long?" Wonwoo asked, not taking his eyes off the book he was reading.

"I'm so sorry," Mingyu huffed, stuffing something into his school bag. "I got stopped by... Alice Pembroke... on my way up here." He dropped to the floor next to his best friend, chest heaving with exhaustion. Shoving his still-open bag away from him, he raked his fingers through his sweaty hair. "I didn't mean to be late."

"I know you didn't," the Ravenclaw said softly. "You have quite a lot of sweets in your bag," he observed, finally looking away from his book to peek inside the contents of Mingyu's school bag.

The Hufflepuff beater snorted.

"I would offer you some but after that one Gryffindor girl was sent Sugar Quills dipped in love potion, I've learned not to eat anything people give me on Valentine's Day," he muttered, zipping up his bag and leaning back against the wall, eyes closed. "It's all a bunch of nonsense anyway."

Wonwoo carefully folded the corner of the page he was reading before setting the book aside. He tried to remind himself that it wasn't because he felt inadequate and needed Mingyu to tell him that he was wrong about what he was going to say—he just wanted him to be happy. The possibility that his best friend was choosing to remain single so that he would always be able to hang out with him just didn't sit right with him, and he would make sure that Mingyu's love life no longer suffered, even if it meant he had to spend more time alone.

"You know, you don't have to keep turning down girls because of me," he said quietly.

Mingyu slowly straightened up, opening his eyes to stare at Wonwoo blankly. When he didn't say anything for a few moments, Wonwoo decided to elaborate.

"Every time I try to have this conversation with you, you refuse to talk about it," he pressed. "You like girls, or at least you liked the girls back home. I know that you want to fall in love—that you believe in love—but you've rejected every single girl that's been interested in you since we started at Hogwarts. It's okay, you know? I'm not going to become a recluse if you start going out with someone. I can take care of myself."

Mingyu continued to stare blankly at him, showing no sign that he was taking in anything that the Ravenclaw was saying. Irritated, Wonwoo waved his hand in his face.

"Is any of this getting across to you?" the usually laidback boy demanded.

Still not receiving an answer or any indication that Mingyu had processed anything he had just said, Wonwoo stood up and started gathering his things, trying not to be too aggressive about it. If Mingyu wanted to keep avoiding the subject, then he could do it by himself.

"Wha—wait, wait, wait!" Mingyu said hastily, lurching forward and tugging on his arm to stop him. "Don't leave! I... I'm not trying to be annoying on purpose, I just—" He cut himself off, exhaling through his teeth. "I don't really know how to explain it."

"Explain what?" Wonwoo asked, looking down at his best friend, who was still sitting on the floor.

"A lot of things," Mingyu replied, leaning back against the wall again, "but I promise you that I'm not turning down dates because I think that you can't function without me."

Now thoroughly embarrassed that he had even voiced that particular insecurity, Wonwoo hesitated for a moment before dropping his bag back on the floor and sitting back down next to him.

"I'm sorry I got upset," he murmured. "I just don't want to be the one holding you back from something that I know is important to you."

"You're right, it is important to me," Mingyu agreed, "but not right now." He tilted his head back, looking up at the ceiling of the Astronomy Tower. "It's funny... we're in our sixth year, we have one more year left after this before we have to go out into the world and decide what we want to do with our lives... and I still feel so... young."

"I mean... we are." Wonwoo looked up at the ceiling himself, eyes following the veins in the stone. "Sixteen is not old enough to really make any decisions, not even about girls."

"Right, so I don't really understand why everyone is trying to find their future spouses now. I know a lot of Pureblood families don't arrange their children's marriages anymore, but there are still a few Slytherins who are already bound to betrothal contracts! Betrothal contracts! In this day and age! Anyway..." Mingyu grabbed his bag and shook it, the contents rattling around inside. "This? It's all fake. These girls are only interested in me because they think I'm handsome."

"You are handsome, though," Wonwoo pointed out.

"Thanks, but my point is that they don't know me. They don't know anything about me," Mingyu said. "I'm nothing more than good looks to them—with bonus points for being a foreigner and adding to the intrigue."

"Well, how is anyone supposed to get to know you if you don't let anyone close enough?"

"I don't need anyone else!" the Hufflepuff insisted stubbornly. "I have a twelve-person friend group. For some people, that's more than enough. Plenty. A lot, even."

"Oh, you won't find any disagreements from me there," Wonwoo said, chuckling. "Sometimes I think our friend group is a little much at times, but they're very understanding about me time. Anyway, back to you, you're being very cynical. A lot of people our age date for fun. No one's telling you that it has to be that serious, it might just be nice to have someone to spend time with on Valentine's Day. That's all."

"Is that something you want?" Mingyu asked him.

"Someday," he answered. "Not today, though. Besides, no one's been asking me, but a lot of people have asked you. That's why I'm bringing it up. If you were less nice, the girls here might start calling you a heartbreaker. Even Cedric Diggory had a girlfriend, you know, before the Triwizard Tournament."

"They can say whatever they want about me, it doesn't matter," Mingyu said, shrugging. "We're graduating next year and I don't think I'm going to be looking for jobs here, so I don't have to play British wizarding politics by avoiding rejecting girls from good families. I value my time and I'm choosing to spend it with people whom I also value, which includes you. Like..." He scratched the back of his head, frowning. "I think you're the most important person in my life and I want to be with you forever, but like... in a... not romantic way? If that makes sense? Like, I think we could get a house together and split bills and go grocery shopping and I would find that just as fulfilling as doing all that stuff with a girlfriend. I mean, girls are nice, but they're not you."

"I think the word you're looking for is 'platonic'," the Ravenclaw supplied helpfully. "And for the record, I feel the same way. I think people whose friends stop existing for them once they get a significant other are terrible."

"Yeah, what is up with that?" Mingyu agreed. "Can you imagine Seungcheol and Jeonghan just dropping all of us? Or Seungkwan and Vernon?"

"Never." Wonwoo shook his head. "Our lives are all so wrapped up in each other's, the thirteen of us can never really be apart. We're going to be old and gray... and taking up an entire apartment complex building by ourselves."

"I think that would be fun, honestly. A huge high-rise in Seoul, paid for by Jeonghan hyung." Snickering, Mingyu dug through his bag, unearthing a couple of packages of kimbap wrapped in plastic from under the piles of candy and cards. "My mom sent these, by the way. She specifically told me that I could not eat your portion, so you are now legally obligated to eat it."

"Tell her I said thank you," Wonwoo said, gratefully accepting the kimbap and unwrapping the plastic. "Your mom always has really great timing, she just knows when to send food."

"See, now you have to be friends with me forever," Mingyu teased. "Otherwise, no kimbap for you."

Wonwoo punched the Hufflepuff's arm affectionately.

"I don't need kimbap for that," he promised. "We were always going to be friends forever."

"Is there something longer than forever?"

"Forever and a day."

"That's still forever."

"I know."

Hufflepuff Sixth Year Boys' Dormitories — February 14th (afternoon)

Seokmin shuffled through the pile of parchment in his hands as he trudged into the sixth year boys' dormitories, muttering to himself about moonstone properties and measurement conversions. Entirely preoccupied with trying to figure out where he might have made a mistake on his last quiz, he didn't notice that anything was amiss until a voice broke through his concentration.

"Whoa, what happened in here?"

Seokmin's head snapped up when his dorm mate walked into the room, the amazement in his tone catching his attention.

"Well, that's certainly something," he said, blinking at the grand display in front of him.

The curtains of his four-poster bed had been pulled back to reveal a large bouquet of red, pink, and white balloons floating in place with magic above his mattress. Also floating in the air was a single card in a plain white envelope with his name printed neatly on it, although it didn't look like anyone's handwriting that he recognized—especially since the person had written it in Korean and he knew what all of his friends' handwriting looked like when they wrote in Korean.

Seokmin crossed the room to his bed, dropping his bag on the floor and the parchment in his hands on his bedside table. He plucked the card out of the air, using a quick spell to break the wax seal on it without destroying the pretty heart shape. When he opened it, he saw that the person had tried to also write their message to him in Korean with the help of a translation spell; and while the words were a little clumsy, he immediately found himself touched by the effort.

"To the one and only Lee Seokmin,

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm sorry that I couldn't face you in person. I'm not ready to reveal myself to you yet, but I still want to tell you that you make me smile every single day because you deserve to know. Please accept this card and the balloons well, I worked really hard on the spells to make them work. Maybe someday I will be able to tell you how I feel face to face. Until then, please be happy and healthy, and tell some new jokes in class when you learn them. I promise I will laugh like I always do.

With love,

Your secret admirer"

Reaching the end of the card, Seokmin stared silently at the words on the cardstock paper, trying to think of people in his classes who maybe laughed a little too much at his jokes or paid him any kind of special attention. Truthfully, there were very few people who didn't find him funny, so he quickly gave up on trying to figure out his admirer's identity that way.

"Does the card say who the balloons are from?" his dorm mate asked him, breaking him out of his deep thought.

"No, secret," Seokmin replied absentmindedly.

"Oh, that's a shame. Well, good on you anyway, mate!" His fellow Hufflepuff clapped him on the shoulder. "At least there's someone out there who likes you a whole lot."

As the other boy left, Seokmin inspected the balloons with a critical eye. The card had said that his secret admirer had worked really hard on the spells to "make them work" and he was curious to see exactly what the balloons were meant to do. What could you even make balloons do with magic anyway?

Intrigued, he cautiously poked one at the front of the bunch and gasped as the shiny surface rippled, revealing the words "POP ME".

"But I'm easily startled," Seokmin muttered to himself.

Wand clutched in hand, he debated just leaving the balloons alone and enjoying the sight of them—but the thought of never finding out what kind of magic had been placed on them was too tempting for him to ignore.

Waving his wand, he then quickly braced himself for the loud pop, covering his ears. However, instead of a popping sound, a high-pitched voice chirped, "I hope your Valentine's Day is magical!"

The voice had been disguised, of course, but the realization that his secret admirer had charmed the balloons not to make sounds when he popped them because they knew he was easily startled had tears welling in the corners of his eyes. Wiping at his face with his sleeve, he eyed the remaining balloons, trying to decide which one to pop next so that he could hear a different message.

"Wow, who sent you those?" Junhui asked, peeking in the doorway on his way down the hall.

"No clue," Seokmin told him happily, "but they're pretty amazing. Look!"

The older Hufflepuff entered the room, approaching Seokmin's bed to get a closer look at the magic balloons. The sixth year tapped a random balloon, showing Junhui how the words "POP ME" appeared, then waved his wand, causing the balloon to pop.

"I must need Occlumency because I can't get you out of my head!" it trilled.

"That is some amazing charm work," Junhui praised, peering more closely at the balloons. "The person who sent them to you didn't leave a name?"

Seokmin passed him the card.

"Too shy," he informed him.

Junhui read over the contents of the card quickly then handed it back.

"Hmm, would've been nice to know so that you could thank them for their effort, but the gesture is thoughtful," he said, shrugging. "They even made it so the balloons wouldn't make noise when popped. They must have enough classes with you to know you're a big ole scaredy cat."

"Yah!" Seokmin huffed, even though it was true.

Junhui chuckled, ruffling his hair affectionately.

"I'm happy for you, Seokmin-ah," he said, his tone genuine. "I'll see you later, meeting up with Minghao."

"What else is new?" Seokmin called after him as he left. "Now, back to these balloons..."

The Whomping Willow — February 14th (early evening)

"Who do you think it is?" Junhui asked his best friend, having just finished telling him about the charmed balloons Seokmin had received from his secret admirer.

Minghao didn't look up as he answered, his focus on washing the tea leaves in preparation to brew tea for the two of them.

"Your guess is as good as mine. A lot of people think Seokmin is funny, I'm sure he has no shortage of admirers."

"Honestly, I kind of want to know just so that I can ask them how they came up with the spell," Junhui said thoughtfully. "It was really very impressive. Whoever did it must like Seokmin a lot."

Minghao hummed in agreement, still concentrating on the task at hand.

The pair had chosen a nice spot not too close to the tree to set up a small, low-rise table so that they could sit and drink their tea together. Minghao often held these tea ceremonies alone, something that he did purely for his own joy and relaxation. The activity required singular focus, which took his busy mind off of other things for a while. It's not that the others were never invited, but they understood that it was something he needed to do for himself; and he had an unparalleled collection of different teas for a sixteen-year-old living away from home.

Junhui stretched his arms over his head, looking up at the Whomping Willow looming deceptively calmly above them.

"Do you ever wonder about what it would be like to settle down with someone?" he mused. "Even if they really like you, they still might not understand certain aspects of your personality or what's really important to you. What if they don't appreciate your tea ceremonies?"

"I haven't really thought about it," Minghao replied, tone even. "I know that I'd like to settle down eventually, but that seems pretty far off. There are still so many things I want to do first—like graduate from this school that we worked so hard to get into. I'm not enduring racism and xenophobia from narrow-minded Brits to worry about whether some witch from the English countryside appreciates my tea ceremonies. Besides, I do the tea ceremonies for myself, not for other people."

"You're preparing a tea ceremony for me now," Junhui pointed out.

"Yeah, well, that's you."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning you're not on the same level as everyone else," Minghao elaborated. "You're my best friend, and I know you do appreciate my tea ceremonies."

Not even remotely satisfied by the reassurance his best friend was giving him, the Hufflepuff pressed further.

"Will you miss me after I graduate?" Junhui's eyes left the Whomping Willow, dropping back down to observe Minghao's hands as he started to steep the tea leaves in hot water. "Tell me honestly."

"Don't be stupid," Minghao told him flatly and without missing a beat.

"Hey! I was just asking—"

"And I'm telling you again: don't be stupid." Minghao didn't take his eyes off the tea leaves, even as he spoke. "No offense to our friends but you know I'd miss you the most. I can't believe I even have to tell you that."

"It wouldn't hurt you to tell me sometimes! I like the reassurance."

"All of our friends are already talking about how I'm going to try and sneak you into the Ravenclaw dorms every weekend next year. If they know it, then so do you. Now drink your tea."

His tone was not unkind, simply matter-of-fact, the way it often was. Junhui knew that Minghao was nice in his own way, and he definitely cared about him—he just communicated it a little differently.

Having already poured the freshly brewed tea, Minghao carefully slid a teacup across the table towards the Hufflepuff. Junhui simply stared at the cup for a moment, admiring the detail and craftsmanship of the emerald green and gold accent pattern. Tendrils of steam wafted up gently but Junhui knew it would be the perfect temperature. It always was.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, finally picking up his tea and bringing it to his lips.

Minghao hummed in response, picking up his own tea. The fragrance coming from the perfectly steeped jasmine tea leaves filled the chilly February air around them, almost as if they were in their own bubble.

Most days they really were.

Junhui knew that he was really lucky that Minghao had come to Hogwarts at the same time as him, even though they were a year apart. It had been a long and difficult process to get accepted as a second year; and if Headmistress McGonagall had been a less generous woman, he never would've met Minghao—or any of the others. They had been made fun of and harassed from the moment they had arrived, but now—almost at the end of his time at the illustrious school—he wouldn't have done things any differently.

Now, if he could only be as certain about what laid ahead.

"Do you think falling in love is as big of a deal as everyone makes it out to be?" Junhui asked, setting his cup down.

"You're full of existential questions today." Minghao also set his cup down. "I think... that it's probably really nice in its own way... but that it's not the only kind of love that's important. Love comes in all forms and they're all equally necessary and fulfilling. People put all of their eggs in the romantic love basket and then wonder why they're still unhappy when they ditched all their friends for a new relationship."

"So you don't think it's lame that you're having tea with your best friend on Valentine's Day?"

"Of course not." Minghao snorted. "There's nothing else I'd rather be doing. Anyway, do you think it's lame for Mingyu and Wonwoo to be hanging out in the Astronomy Tower of all places doing who knows what when Mingyu has the entire female student population after him?"

"No, not at all," Junhui replied quickly. "They are each other's most important person."

"Exactly." Minghao smiled at his best friend over the rim of his teacup. "Aren't I your most important person?"

"Yes. Always yes," Junhui assured him.

"And you're mine, so don't worry about it anymore," Minghao said, reaching across the table to pat Junhui's shoulder fondly.

"Why do I feel like you're the older one instead of me?"

"Because it's my duty to impart wisdom upon you from time to time," the Ravenclaw informed him matter-of-factly. "It comes with the house."

Junhui rolled his eyes.

"In other news, my mother wrote to me this morning letting me know that one of the girls with whom I attended primary school told her parents that I'm going to a private school in the UK, and so they contacted my parents asking if they had any prospective fiancées in mind for me," Minghao told him. "My pretend pedigreed education is apparently an attractive quality."

"Ah, they're Muggles," Junhui concluded. "Your parents don't have a problem with that, do they?"

"No, definitely not." Minghao shook his head. "I just think it's much more difficult to try and be in relationships with non-magic folk. You have to hide so much, not even just because you think they can't be trusted but because you never know how they're going to take the news. It's a lot of information for most people to handle."

"I don't know, I think my father took it pretty well," Junhui said, thinking back to the story his parents had told him about how his mother had broken the news to her then-boyfriend that she was a witch. "But he is a little odd himself, so I think he was just relieved that she wasn't as normal as he thought she was."

"Your parents are a pretty strange pair," Minghao admitted, "but I like them. They're very nice."

"And your parents are hilarious," Junhui returned, remembering when they had come to the pick-up point at Hogsmeade to take a Portkey back to China for the summer just last year. "You really take after them."

Minghao shrugged.

"Superior genetics."

Junhui snorted into his teacup, blowing bubbles across the surface of the still-hot liquid.

"Don't scoff," Minghao pretended to scold him. "You have the very best best friend you could possibly ask for. You should be grateful."

Still holding the teacup to his face to hide his smile, Junhui nodded in agreement.

"Oh, I am. I always am."

The Library — February 14th (early evening)

"I knew I'd find you here!" Soonyoung exclaimed happily, weaving through the aisles as he skipped towards the study tables.

Jihoon looked up at the Gryffindor, frowning. The table that he was sitting at was covered entirely in books and parchment, a stark contrast to the other empty tables. In fact, his was the only occupied table in the entire library. Madame Pince wasn't even lurking in the shadows as usual, considering that Soonyoung was speaking at louder than an inside voice and she hadn't come over to reprimand him.

"I'm usually here," he deadpanned, looking back down at his work, "the same of which cannot be said for you."

Soonyoung didn't look the least bit offended by Jihoon's words, long since used to his particular form of communication. Undeterred, he looked down at all of the materials spread out on the table, trying to figure out what Jihoon was working on even though it was upside down for him.

"You have to be the only person in the entire school who's studying today!" he pouted, pawing at the parchment nearest to him. "It's Valentine's Day! A day for love! What are you even working on?"

"Getting ahead," Jihoon said shortly, yanking the parchment back from him. "Love can wait."

"Jihoon-ah, you'll work yourself to death," Soonyoung chided him, pulling out the chair opposite the Ravenclaw. "I think you should take a break."

"That's how I like it," Jihoon grumbled, "and I have nothing pressing to attend to tonight, so there's no point in taking a break."

"I came all the way up here, to the library—where I never am, as you correctly pointed out—to find you and you won't pull yourself away from your books to hang out with me?"

Jihoon's quill paused mid-scratch, the only indication that he had heard the seventh year's question, before he continued writing.

"You don't usually ask me to hang out," he said, his tone bordering on indifferent.

"It's not for lack of wanting to. I always want to," Soonyoung admitted. "And I always think you're going to say no, so I never ask."

He thought he could see a faint pink blush on Jihoon's cheeks but it was hard to tell from this angle.

"That's not very Gryffindor of you," Jihoon commented, scribbling away.

"It's the one thing in which I lack courage," Soonyoung huffed. "But to be fair, you're very intimidating, even though you're the cutest person I know."

Jihoon accidentally pressed down on the parchment too hard with his quill, creating an ink blot over the words he was writing. Swearing under his breath, the tips of his ears red, he waved his wand at the offending spot.

"Stop talking nonsense," he hissed, the red flush spreading from his ears to the rest of his face.

"I'm not!" Soonyoung insisted. "I think you're the cutest person in the whole school!"

"Shut up!"

Jihoon wasn't even trying to focus on his work anymore, intent on getting Soonyoung to stop talking before he had a coronary. Not that it was possible. The seventh year was actually very shy—but you would never know it by the way his mouth ran a million miles when he was around his friends. He seemed determined to say his piece and nothing was going to get in the way of him saying it.

"You're always so strict and I think it's because you like it when people listen to you, but you're always doing nice things for people while pretending that you had nothing to do with it," the Gryffindor continued, oblivious to the fact that Jihoon was now bypassing red and heading into scarlet. "Like that time you jinxed those people who had been making fun of Junhui and Minghao when they first arrived. It was so impressive, I remember thinking that you were such a cool and dependable person even back then."

"That's enough!"

"And you're so buff for such a small and cute person." Soonyoung rested his chin on one hand. "You could probably knock me out if you really wanted to. Honestly, please do it, it would be the greatest honor of my life. Anyway, it makes no sense... and yet it makes perfect sense. Everything about you is just... so fascinating."

The Ravenclaw jumped up from his chair, hurling the quill he had been using at Soonyoung, who turned and ducked just in time to watch it sail over his head.

"Whoa! What was that for?"

"Why are you saying all this?" Jihoon demanded. "Did you come up here just to embarrass me?"

Realizing that he and the sixth year were not on the same page in spite of the way he had just gushed about him, Soonyoung shook his head.

Apparently he had not been clear enough.

"Accio quill," he murmured, holding a hand out for the quill Jihoon had thrown at him before offering it back to him. "I'm not trying to embarrass you, although I am sorry if that's how you feel. I'm just trying to tell you how I feel, which is that you scare me but I like it—I like you."

Jihoon snatched his quill back, face still impossibly red.

"You have a funny way of showing it," he snapped. "You have mere months left before you graduate, your timing is nothing if not grossly impeccable."

"I know, I haven't been very brave," Soonyoung said, shrugging, not even the least bit put off by Jihoon's criticism. "I really didn't want to ruin our dynamic or make things weird for the others, but if we hadn't agreed to the no dates rule for the Yule Ball, I would've asked you."

"You said you weren't interested in anyone when Minghao asked you," Jihoon pointed out, narrowing his eyes at him.

"So I lied." Soonyoung started gathering the parchment on the table into a pile. "I haven't exactly told anyone that I've been harboring this secret crush on you for three years. I'm no good at keeping secrets but I was very good at keeping this one. And stop being so pragmatic about this, I'm trying to be romantic."

"I really don't know what you want me to say to all of this," Jihoon said snippily. "You're the last person I expected to confess to having a years-long crush on me."

"How about you say what you want to say?" Soonyoung suggested, a hopeful expression on his face.

Jihoon, having just noticed that the seventh year had compiled all his parchment into a neat stack, slid the pile away from him and across the table, putting everything into his school bag. He then waved his wand, sending his books flying back onto the shelves in their rightful places. When he had stalled enough, he sighed and turned to face the Gryffindor.

"I know we've been friends for my entire time at Hogwarts thus far," he began finally. "I know that I can trust you, that you're telling the truth—that you wouldn't confess just to yank the rug out from under me, as I believe the expression goes. I know all of that, logically, but considering that—as you said—people find me intimidating, it's hard to imagine someone being so earnest about their feelings for me. Most people think I'm too... domineering."

His hands came up to his throat, loosening his blue and bronze tie from around his neck.

"I can't even really say if I like you as more than a friend or not," he said, sounding apologetic. "I didn't think it was a possibility, so I never considered you in that way."

Soonyoung leaned over the table between them, reaching for the Ravenclaw's school bag and hoisting the strap over one shoulder. He maintained eye contact the entire time, willing Jihoon to believe him but also wanting to fluster him just a little bit more.

"But as you said, you know that you can trust me," he pointed out. "Plus, if you think about it, you're a strict taskmaster and I'm a glutton for punishment—we're perfect for each other."

Jihoon tried to wrestle his school bag back from the taller boy, his pale face gaining back the red that had just begun to fade.

"You can't just say things like that!" he hissed.

Soonyoung simply tugged the bag out of his grasp and just out of his reach, smiling cheekily.

"I've waited three years to confess," he reminded him. "Now that the secret's out, I have all sorts of things that I kept to myself that I'm going to say—including how adorable I think you are. Walk with me?"

Jihoon stared up at him for a few moments, expression unreadable. If he thought at all about refusing him, the thought didn't last. Tucking his hands into his pockets, he nodded towards the front of the library.

"Well, after you then."

Slytherin Common Room — February 14th (dusk)

"Hong!"

Joshua didn't even so much as raise his head, instead making an indifferent "mmm" sound in acknowledgement.

He didn't need to look to see who it was—the voice alone was clue enough.

William Bennington the third was an awful homage to the Pureblood Slytherins of old. With generations of English aristocratic breeding to support his claim to everything he wanted in life, he was disliked even within his own house and by many of the portraits in the dungeons; and after seven long years sharing a dormitory with him, he still said "Hong" with a certain sneer that was clearly affected by poorly concealed racism.

At this point, Joshua had been living in the UK long enough to let things roll off his back, but William could've given Draco Malfoy a run for his money with the way he paraded about the school as if he owned it.

"Pretty prince doesn't have a date tonight?" William asked him, dropping down onto the sofa across from him, his tone mocking.

"Not that I'm aware of," Joshua replied pleasantly, still not looking up from his book.

"Hey, it just goes to show you that looks aren't everything in life," the other boy commented snidely. "The girls here won't go after some foreigner with no title. And aren't you a Half-Blood?" he added as an afterthought. "Yeah, that won't do at all."

Joshua turned the page, letting William carry on the conversation by himself. The golden-haired heir to a Potions empire (or so he claimed, Joshua had never bothered to verify this) had been harassing him from the moment he had set foot in the common room first year; and he had long since learned that it was best to let him converse with himself to get everything out of his system before he was satisfied. Not only did William take issue with his race and his blood status, he seemed oddly offended by his appearance as well, referring to him as "pretty" with his tone suggesting that he did not mean it in a positive way.

"Nothing to say?" William asked him softly, noticing that his tirade was falling on deaf ears. "Truth hurts, does it?"

"If you say so." Joshua barely shrugged his shoulders.

Apparently it was the wrong thing to say.

"You think you're better than me?" William demanded, suddenly shooting up from his seat. "That you can sit there like you're royalty and I'm some sort of commoner? I'm far more important than you will ever be!"

Joshua sighed, recognizing that his night would be a lost cause if he didn't address this particular problem promptly, and slipped a tasseled bookmark in between the pages of his book before closing it and looking up at his aggressor for the first time during their previously one-sided confrontation.

"I get that certain things matter to you," he said carefully, "but they don't matter to me—and they don't matter to a lot of people anymore, not even the Slytherins here. I didn't realize that me being dateless on Valentine's Day was of such great significance to you, especially when it's of no significance to me and my evening. Maybe you should be more worried about the fact that you care so much about what I'm doing with my time, alone or otherwise."

William's upper lip curled into a sneer, his eyes narrowing.

"Listen, you filthy—"

"Oh, shut it, Bennington," snapped a voice from behind Joshua.

Joshua turned to look over his shoulder, noticing that Mira Nott had just come from the girls' dormitories and was standing just behind the sofa he was sitting on.

According to Jeonghan—who seemed to always know the latest gossip amongst the various wizarding families—Theodore Nott had settled down with a Pureblood witch from Bulgaria who had graduated from Durmstrang. They had met while Theo had been taking some time away from England and had returned together shortly after their wedding.

While she had been a cute girl when she had first arrived, Mira had grown into an exceptionally pretty young woman by the age of seventeen. Taller than most of the other girls in the school, the first thing that Joshua had noticed about her was that she had perfectly straight posture that adjusted minutely according to her movements. With long, dark curls framing her face, a warm complexion, and high cheekbones, she had the best features of both of her parents—except that she had one brown and one blue eye, both of which were cunning yet also surprisingly kind. Top of the class in at least every class Joshua shared with her, she was also the Slytherin Seeker; and he loved to watch her fly against Seungcheol during matches. Her intellect and athleticism made her a formidable opponent, and their matches were always close ones.

All that being said, Mira was obviously highly sought after—even by William Bennington the third.

"Don't mind him. Joshua," she said to him, a beautiful, wicked smile on her face as she made direct eye contact with William. "If betrothal contracts were still common practice, I would've already asked my father to request a meeting with your parents to discuss one."

Joshua resisted the urge to grin broadly at the way William's face had gone absolutely scarlet, a purple vein starting to make its appearance at his temple.

"You flatter me, Mira," he said to her instead, laying it on a little thick for the benefit of their audience, even as he ignored him. "I don't think I would be opposed to such a meeting. There's still time to write to your parents and mine."

Standing up, he offered her his arm.

"Walk with me?" he asked, every bit the perfect gentleman.

"Of course," she replied, walking around the sofa and linking arms with him.

Triggered by the events taking place right in front of him, their forgotten peer leapt up from his seat, positively quivering with entitled rage.

"Mira! You cannot possibly be thinking about entering a betrothal contract with that Half-Blood foreigner! My father—"

William's deranged bellows were cut off abruptly as the door swung shut behind them.

"I wonder what his father would have to say if he knew that the daughter of a Sacred Twenty-Eight family had filed a complaint with the school governors about the shady little deals William conducts in the prefects' bathroom," Mira said innocently.

Joshua smiled at her, completely enamored. Was there any other witch at this school more perfect than the one looking at him right now?

"You are so ruthless, I love it," he told her.

She tossed her hair over one shoulder, smiling back at him.

"Tell me more."

Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch — February 14th (evening)

"Yoo-hoo! Channie!"

Chan squinted down at the figure waving up at him, figuring out who it was based on the gleaming head of hair.

Camille Archambault, which she had told him meant "bold master"—the girl from the Yule Ball.

It had been almost two months since Christmas and he had met up with the stunning beauty from Beauxbatons a handful of times—a Hogsmeade outing here, a walk on the grounds there. They were what some people might call dating, if a little intensely for something that was supposed to be casual. Translation spells helped bridge the language barrier; and she was sweet, funny, and charming. She was quite good at spells, and she had told him that if she had been a student during the time of the Triwizard Tournament, she would have entered. She liked picnics by the greenhouses and broom rides with her arms wrapped around his waist, coffee with milk poured in delicate swirls and the feeling of his hand intertwined with hers, primrose perfume and the way he got red right before he kissed her.

Sometimes he found himself thinking that he should be a little more cautious with his heart—that he should be waiting for the other foot to drop—but so far he was having fun, and he supposed that was what mattered.

He was surprised that she could tell it was him considering how high up he was, but he did catch her staring at him from the Ravenclaw table quite often. She never looked embarrassed at having been caught—in fact, it only emboldened her and he ended up having to be the one to look away.

"That girl never gets tired of looking at you," Jeonghan had told him once, the disdain in his voice more like that of a disapproving parent rather than an overprotective friend. "I wonder how she manages to concentrate on her studies when she's staring at you all the time. I suppose she'd at least get an Outstanding in Lee Chan."

"Let them be, Hannie," Seungcheol had admonished him gently.

Secretly, Chan wondered what Camille saw in him, exactly. She had been the one to ask him to dance at the Yule Ball and the one to lead him out to the gardens that night. She had also initiated all of their dates so far, as well as most of their shows of affection, which he still hadn't quite gotten used to. After their time together at the ball, he hadn't expected to hear from her again, yet she kept seeking him out. She seemed to have memorized his schedule to account for all the classes she didn't share with him—she always knew where to find him, even when he didn't tell anyone where he was going.

It was flattering, he had to admit.

At the ball, she had asked him how to pronounce his name correctly, repeating it multiple times even after he had told her that she had down—and then proceeded to only refer to him as Channie, saying that it was her cute name for him. One of the other Beauxbatons girls, having only heard Camille call him Channie, tried to use the nickname one morning and the next time he saw her, she was missing her eyebrows.

"Why doesn't she just grow them back?" Mingyu had asked, perplexed.

"If she would, she could," Chan had replied, shrugging. "Camille's really good at spells, the other girl probably can't figure out how to reverse it."

"Wow, you'd better make sure she never gets mad at you."

Privately, he agreed.

That being said, he wondered if she felt like she had to teach him everything—where to put his hands, when to kiss her, what he should say. He had made his lack of experience known that night in the gardens, but she hadn't seemed to mind. She had simply directed him and he took direction well.

And yet... he couldn't help but think it was as though they were caught up in a race in which only she knew where the finish line was—and the thought made him more than a little sweaty-palmed.

Coming back to his senses, he Summoned the Quaffle he had been practicing with and tucked it under one arm. Although he wasn't on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Chan still liked to fly. It brought him peace and helped clear his mind, and on an evening when he figured he had no plans, it was the perfect way to spend his time.

I guess I have plans now, he thought to himself.

He circled the goalposts on the far right side of the pitch, making a nose dive and pulling up straight just as his toes skimmed the grass. He dismounted smoothly, giving Camille a friendly smile as he approached her, Nimbus 3000 broom in one hand and Quaffle in the other.

"Hi, Camille," he greeted her. "What can I do for you this evening?"

"Bon soir, Channie," she returned, smiling prettily at him. "I admit, I am a little disappointed that you did not come looking for me today. I was hoping that we could spend some time together."

"Ah, I wasn't aware that that was what you wanted," he told her sheepishly. "It's Valentine's Day and we're not, you know, official, so I didn't think you would want to do anything."

"Channie, Channie, Channie." Camille shook her golden blonde head. He caught sight of delicate pearl strand earrings dangling from her ears, a matching set with the string of pearls around her neck. "I am going back to France at the end of term, do you think I want to waste time going slow?"

"I wouldn't think it was a waste of time," he protested, cheeks growing pink. "I just... haven't really hung out with a lot of girls. You move kind of fast."

"Oh, I know, mon chéri, it is what makes you one of the good boys," she said, touching his cheek, her expression fond. "I always enjoy our time together, and I think it would be silly to not make the most of the time we have left, non?"

Chan dropped the Quaffle on the grass and placed his own hand over her hand on his face.

Being with Camille was like one ongoing surprise party. Sure, it was fun, but it also kind of gave him a heart attack. Even though he always did his best to try and read her mind before she actually executed any of her plans, he more often than not found himself unprepared. It was a little jarring to be caught unawares as many times as he had been since they had started seeing each other, but he knew that he had to enjoy the ride while it lasted.

She was, after all, leaving at the end of term.

"Let me shower first?" he asked her.

She tilted her head to the side to press her lips to his other cheek.

"Meet me at the entrance to the grounds in half an hour," she murmured in his ear. "I'll be waiting."

The Gilded Phoenix (Private Room) — February 14th (night)

"You know I really didn't need all of this," Jeonghan said, taking a sip from the glass of elf wine he was holding daintily in one hand. "We could have stayed at school and I would have been just as happy."

"I know, but it's our last year at Hogwarts. Maybe it sounds kind of childish... but I just wanted to do something to commemorate our last year as kids," Seungcheol told his boyfriend honestly, shrugging. "Life is going to change pretty dramatically once we graduate. I feel like we're never going to have this kind of peace again."

"So you wanted to live in this bubble of youthful innocence one last time," Jeonghan guessed.

"Exactly."

"We're still going to be kids when we graduate," Jeonghan said thoughtfully. "The Wizarding World in the UK moves so fast, it's amazing how anyone manages to find something stable so soon after graduation."

"Are you planning on going home?" Seungcheol asked him.

"Yes, for a while. My parents will want to see me—and they'll want to see you as well."

"I think I'll go home for a little while, too." Seungcheol ran a finger around the rim of his wine glass absentmindedly. "There's this famous producer based in London whom I'm trying to get an internship with, though. I'll need to find a job so that I can get a flat nearby if I get accepted."

"Darling, you know that you don't have to work if you don't want to," the Slytherin reminded him. "I don't have to work if I don't want to, and I'm more than capable of taking care of both of us. Besides, my family loves you. We'd be married as soon as we landed on Korean soil if it were up to them."

"Spoiled rich kid," Seungcheol teased.

"You love me," Jeonghan flirted back.

"Always." Seungcheol took Jeonghan's hand, his thumb skimming the tops of his knuckles affectionately. "Look, I appreciate you offering to support me financially, but I want to be able to do things on my own, whatever I choose to pursue."

"Your music has always been important to you. You're an artist. You could... simply think of me as your patron," Jeonghan suggested.

"Hannie—"

"I mean it," Jeonghan insisted. "You would be focusing on making music without worrying about your finances. It's not like I would be paying for you to stay idle. I'm sure I could also come up with work for you."

"I really can't accept," Seungcheol said firmly, "so please don't ask me to."

Jeonghan set down his wine glass with a huff.

"You never let me do anything for you!" the Slytherin exclaimed, eyes narrowed dangerously. "I always indulge this little... complex you seem to have about being perceived as the provider, but you know that that concept is extremely outdated. There is no hunter-gatherer dynamic in the twenty-first century."

"You think this is about my masculinity?" Seungcheol asked incredulously.

"Yes, I do!" Jeonghan snapped. "I let you open jars for me and move my furniture around because I know it makes you feel useful. The least you could let me do is use the resources I have to help you!"

The Gryffindor leaned back in his chair, staring at his boyfriend in disbelief.

"So that's how you really see me," he said flatly.

Jeonghan sighed, deflating at once.

"Cheollie, it's not that I see you as some sort of caveman," he said sadly. "You help me all the time. I just want to be able to help you for once."

Seungcheol's expression softened. He knew that Jeonghan just wanted to help—he was generous to a fault, and throwing his money at problems was his way of trying to make things better. There was some truth to what he was saying, though—his ego wouldn't let him allow his boyfriend to pay all the bills while he tried to make it as an artist.

"You do help me," he murmured, taking both of Jeonghan's hands in his. "You help me every day just by existing. I'm already taking advantage of the fact that you wake up every morning still wanting to be with me."

"You're stupid," Jeonghan huffed, eyes watery. "You big, stupid man. You're not taking advantage of anything. Sometimes I wish you would!"

"Alright, point taken." Seungcheol chuckled, gently smacking the palm of one of Jeonghan's hands. "I mean it, though. Do you know how coveted you are by most of the student body?"

"Of course everyone wants me," the Slytherin scoffed. "As they should. It doesn't mean that they can have me. I'm yours, and I always will be."

Seungcheol smiled at him.

"I know."

"So will you let me bankroll your endeavors in music?" Jeonghan asked hopefully.

Seungcheol stared at him for a moment, considering.

"I'll think about it," he said finally.

"I suppose that's the best offer I'm going to get." Jeonghan sighed dramatically, picking his wine glass back up. "Life doesn't have to be so hard, you know. If there's an easy way, you should take it, never mind your moral qualms regarding classism and the way the one percent uses their wealth to get ahead in life."

"Hannie, you're the one percent," Seungcheol pointed out dryly.

"And what about it?" he sassed back.

"Nothing, you're the most benevolent benefactor in all the land," the Gryffindor said primly.

Jeonghan reached across the table and tugged his boyfriend forward by his black tie, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"Only for you."

The Black Lake — February 14th (early evening)

Vernon paced back and forth anxiously on the far shore of the Black Lake. He had tasked a pair of what he hoped were reliable second-year Hufflepuffs to locate Seungkwan and bring him to the Black Lake, where he would get in a boat that he had charmed to row itself across the water. He had spent more of half of the time between the day he had talked to Seungcheol and Valentine's Day panicking over what to do, then spent the remaining time trying to get everything together, including practicing the spell to make the boat row itself for several days. That morning, he had packed a picnic basket full of all of his boyfriend's favorite things, as well as a blanket, and he hoped that his sincerity would come across.

Before they had started a relationship, Vernon and Seungkwan had been friends, and even then they had done something small and quiet for previous Valentine's Days, just because there was no one else they'd rather have spent that time with—and because Vernon had spent his first five years at Hogwarts avoiding any girls who even looked at him longer than necessary. So really, he didn't need to worry. Seungkwan just happened to be his boyfriend now—it wasn't as though he needed to be impressed further.

Vernon looked down at the picnic basket sitting on the rather cliché red and gold patterned blanket and wondered if it was enough.

Maybe I should have gotten flowers? he fretted.

It wasn't so much about the fact that it was Valentine's Day than it was about how much Vernon had been worrying about Seungkwan since his late friend's birthday.

Every time the Gryffindor had tried to approach his boyfriend to try and get him to open up, Seungkwan had always come up with excuses for why he couldn't talk and would busy himself with something else. It was frustrating, of course, but it was more anxiety-inducing than anything—and more than once Vernon wondered if he was just a really bad significant other who didn't know how to talk to his partner just right in order to get him to confide in him.

"Agh!"

Startled out of his own self-wallowing, Vernon looked up to see the boat that he had charmed to carry Seungkwan across the lake rocking back and forth wildly—with Seungkwan in it.

Privately, Vernon was relieved that the boat was already pretty close to shore, but he didn't think that his boyfriend would see it that way—and definitely not after the boat tipped to one side, dumping Seungkwan into the lake that was surely still freezing.

"Oh, no," Vernon muttered, covering his face with his hands. "He's going to kill me. He's going to kill me then bring me back so that he can kill me again."

Peeking through the gaps in his fingers, he watched as Seungkwan swam the remaining distance from where the boat had tipped over to the shore, weighed down by his school robes. A fairly decent swimmer from his years spent growing up on an island, Seungkwan was letting his fury propel him forward with surprising strength. Dripping wet and looking absolutely furious, he stomped up the bank towards Vernon, who silently sent prayers heavenward and hoped someone heard him.

"Hansol Vernon Chwe!" The Hufflepuff tore through his full name. "You'd better have a good explanation for this!"

Not my government name, Vernon grimaced.

Lowering his hands from his face, he said uncertainly, "Happy... Valentine's Day?"

Seeing that Seungkwan was opening his mouth to deliver what would probably be the human equivalent of a Howler message on a Monday morning in front of the entire Great Hall, Vernon interrupted.

"Look, I didn't mean for you to get dumped into the lake!" he blurted out. "I've been planning everything since the beginning of the month and with everything else, I didn't have that much time to practice the spell on the boat. It was just supposed to bring you across the lake without you having to do anything, I swear!"

Seungkwan held up an index finger, cutting him off. Vernon shut his mouth abruptly, anxious, as his boyfriend leaned his body to one side and peered over his shoulder at the blanket laid out behind him with the picnic basket.

"Kwannie," Vernon began.

Seungkwan made a noise, his index finger still raised. He inhaled deeply—dramatically—then lowered his finger.

"You planned all of this?" he asked.

Vernon nodded rapidly.

Seungkwan exhaled.

"Okay, walk me through your vision." The Hufflepuff gestured with his hands for his boyfriend to proceed. "Tell me what was going through your mind when you came up with all this. I want to know."

"Well, it's our first Valentine's Day together as a couple." Vernon scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "And I know that you've been really sad since Binnie's birthday..." When he noticed Seungkwan had stiffened at the mention of his friend, he said defensively, "I tried to talk to you about it so many times but you wouldn't talk to me! I thought that maybe I was doing something wrong, or that you felt like you couldn't trust me to open up... so I talked to Seungcheol hyung."

"And he told you to drown your boyfriend in the Black Lake?" Seungkwan deadpanned.

"He told me that I should use Valentine's Day as an opportunity to show you that you're not alone," Vernon corrected him gently.

Seungkwan huffed, wringing the water out of his robes as he avoided looking at the Gryffindor. Vernon watched him for several minutes while he fussed over his water-logged clothes before he finally straightened up and took a few steps closer to him.

Vernon held his breath.

He's going to break up with me, he chanted in his head. He's realized how bad I am at this whole relationship thing and he is going to break up with me.

"I'm only going to say this once, so you'd better listen," Seungkwan told him sternly, holding his face securely between wet hands. "Well, not only once, because I will always tell you good things about yourself so that you're aware of your own worth, but regardless! Me not talking to you about Binnie has nothing to do with how good of a boyfriend—or even how good of a friend—you are. You are doing wonderfully, I promise. Do you understand? Nod for yes, shake for no."

Vernon nodded, face still trapped between Seungkwan's hands.

"It's very difficult for bossy people like me to let go," the Hufflepuff continued, trying to sound flippant. "We need to be taken care of just like everyone else, but we're not very good at letting other people take care of us. And it shows in our dynamic, even after we got together," he added, using one hand to gesture between Vernon and himself. "So me avoiding talking to you every time you tried to talk to me about Binnie is not because you're not good at being supportive, because you are—it's because I'm not good at being vulnerable. Understand? Nod for yes, shake for no."

Vernon nodded again.

"I appreciate the effort you put into this." Seungkwan smiled at him, the effect only slightly diminished by his bangs still dripping water onto his face. "I appreciate the effort you put into us, all the time; and I'm sorry that I made you feel as though I didn't."

"I know how hard it is for you to say sorry first," Vernon teased, his voice muffled by the squishing of his cheeks. "So I appreciate it."

"Yah!" Seungkwan pinched his cheeks gently. "But you're right, and I really am sorry. You're an amazing boyfriend and I love you." Vernon jumped, not expecting the sudden declaration when neither of them had never said those words before. Noticing this thanks to his grip on his face, Seungkwan only held on more firmly. "Do you understand? Nod for yes, shake for no."

Unable to do anything else, Vernon nodded.

"Good."

Seungkwan loosened his grasp and stroked the apples of Vernon's cheeks with his thumbs affectionately.

"Because I do. Love you, I mean. Since first year, when you told those boys off in class for bullying me," he clarified unnecessarily. "I knew then and there that you were someone I could count on, and you've proven time and time again how right I was—although, of course, I've never been wrong in my life. So I'll tell you that I love you all the time, because you need to hear it. I want you to hear it and know that I mean it, because I've never meant anything more in my entire existence on this wretched planet."

Vernon swallowed.

"Kwannie, I—"

Seungkwan stopped him, putting a hand over his mouth.

"Tell me when you're ready," he said. "I'll still love you then, even if you make me wait for a long time. But don't make me wait too long, okay? Nod for yes, shake for no."

Vernon nodded.

#GeniusLabStorytime #SEVENTEEN #SEVENTEEN x Hogwarts #TW: mentions of Moonbin from ASTRO #VerKwan is the main attraction #MinWon but like... platonically #Seokmin's admirer is secret because they're too shy to reveal themselves #JunHao but like... also platonically? #Joshua has an admirer because of course he does #Chan is still having dalliances with the Beauxbatons girl from the Christmas AU #JeongCheol #And a new pairing that wasn't established in the Christmas AU... SoonHoon! #There's all kinds of tension but everyone is happy in the end #It was so much easier to write the Christmas AU because they were more grouped together #I had to come up with something for each of them to do whether as a pair or on their own with an original character #Carat Day #Valentine's Day

[halfseoulco]

Yule Be Home for Christmas: A SEVENTEEN x Hogwarts AU

Published Monday, December 25th, 2023 — Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone! I haven't posted anything on here in a long time, and I thought that this would be a nice gift for my followers, and fellow Carats and Potterheads.

Here's some information before you start reading!

Word count: ~ 10,500

AU Ages:

Seventh years — Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Joshua, Junhui, Soonyoung

Sixth years — Wonwoo, Jihoon, Seokmin, Mingyu, Minghao

Fifth years — Seungkwan, Vernon, and Chan

AU Houses:

Gryffindor — Seungcheol, Soonyoung, Vernon, Chan

Ravenclaw — Wonwoo, Jihoon, Minghao

Hufflepuff — Junhui, Mingyu, Seokmin, Seungkwan

Slytherin — Jeonghan, Joshua

Description: The thirteen members of SEVENTEEN decide to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas and attend the Yule Ball as one large group because they are each other's family for the holidays (and forever). The Hufflepuffs are sent to gather everyone. Firewhisky is involved. Feelings are confessed. Chan gets the best Christmas gift any fifth year boy could ever dream of. The SEVENTEEN x Hogwarts Christmas AU that nobody asked for but that I delivered anyway.

Read "Yule Be Home for Christmas" on Ao3!

Gryffindor Fifth Year Boys' Dormitory

"Hold still! I'm trying to fix your tie!"

Vernon just huffed a little gust of air between his lips as Seungkwan fussed over his tie, muttering to himself about always having to look after him even though the shorter Hufflepuff was only about a month older than him.

"Who even let you in here?" he asked absently, eyeing his hair in the mirror over Seungkwan's shoulder.

"Seungcheol." With one last tug that was far too aggressive for Vernon's liking, Seungkwan stepped back, nodding in approval. "Much better."

At that moment, Vernon remembered meeting an eleven-year-old Boo Seungkwan on the Hogwarts Express. Already dressed in his robes with his black tie perfectly pressed, he had walked in on Vernon sitting in a compartment by himself, staring out the window at the changing scenery. Undeterred by his stoic expression, Seungkwan had simply pulled a handful of sweets out of his pockets and dumped them on the seat next to him. The charismatic future Hufflepuff had helped him fix his tie before they had gotten off the train. He had even said the same thing: "Much better." They had gotten into the same boat to cross the Black Lake to the castle and then stood together in line waiting to be Sorted; and being in different houses hadn't done anything to separate them one bit—even though Vernon's dorm mates constantly complained that Seungkwan never stayed in his own dormitory.

"Who are we trying to impress again?" Vernon grumbled, adjusting the cuffs of his blazer. Although most of the school would be wearing dress robes, he opted for Muggle attire instead, choosing a striking black blazer over a more muted black silk dress shirt, crisp black trousers, and a blazing scarlet tie—which Seungkwan had graciously fixed for him.

"I know it doesn't seem important now, but the wizarding community in Great Britain is rather small compared to other countries," Seungkwan sniffed, fixing his hair with delicate movements. "All these people will remember you in five years' time and bring it up when you run into them at Diagon Alley while you're shopping for new quills."

"No one's going to remember you because of the way you look, Kwannie," Soonyoung teased, poking his head in the doorway to the fifth year boys' dormitory. "What they're going to remember is that attitude of yours."

Without even looking in his direction, the younger boy plucked one of Vernon's pillows from his bed and hurled it at the seventh year Gryffindor, hitting him in the face. He then returned to primping in the mirror, his upper body wrapped in tailored topaz yellow dress robes that were cropped over narrow-legged black trousers with yellow sun motifs embroidered around the ankles.

"I don't know why everyone thinks you're so nice," Soonyoung complained. "I should tell them all what kind of person you are."

"You can try."

Vernon snorted to himself, although neither of them heard him. The truth was that Seungkwan was the kind of person he was because he had been picked on all his life—and coming to Hogwarts hadn't changed that. He frowned, remembering the time in Transfiguration right at the beginning of first year when some of the other Gryffindor boys had been making fun of the way Seungkwan talked. His parents had gotten him an English tutor for the summer right before he came to Hogwarts, but his Jeju accent lingered—and people noticed.

"Why don't you just go to Mahoutokoro where you belong?" they had taunted him, referring to the wizarding school in Japan.

Vernon, having grown up in wizarding society in the UK despite his father being Korean—and completely unwilling to let his housemates bully his new friend—slammed his Transfiguration textbook shut and snapped, "Because he's Korean and Japan tried to wipe out Koreans completely in the early 1950s, you absolute tosspots. Honestly, have you ever read a single history book in your life?"

The boys, having not even noticed that Vernon had been sitting nearby, looked startled, and had promptly shut up. Seungkwan had smiled at Vernon gratefully, and the moment had only further sealed the deal on their friendship. The Hufflepuff was friends with everyone under the sun now, thanks to his outgoing and affable personality, but those experiences stayed with him; and his inner circle remained small.

"I know people think you don't talk very much," Seungkwan had said to him once, "but you speak up when it matters, and that's why I know I can always count on you. That's true bravery."

Returning to the present, Vernon realized that Soonyoung and Seungkwan were still arguing, although Seungkwan was more preoccupied with fixing his appearance in the mirror than paying attention to the Gryffindor's ramblings.

"And you didn't even bring any snacks," the older boy continued as if he had not heard the younger. "What's the point of living by the kitchens if you don't spread the wealth?"

"We're literally going to a feast."

"Your point is?"

"Alright, children, settle down," Seungcheol chided, patting Soonyoung on the shoulder as he walked by. "Vernon, you look great! I didn't think of wearing Muggle clothes instead."

Vernon shrugged. "There was no rule against wearing them, and I don't fancy wearing dress robes."

Seungcheol hummed in response—the seventh year Gryffindor Quidditch captain and prefect looking rather impressive himself in a set of fiery red satin dress robes belted with a black sash studded with ruby flowers—then pulled out his pocket watch to check the time.

A third year who had just made the Gryffindor Quidditch team as their new Seeker when Vernon had arrived at Hogwarts, Seungcheol had been the model big brother from the moment they had met. The oldest out of their entire group by only two months, he was a big brother to everyone, really—except Jeonghan, with whom he had a different kind of relationship. Although he never to sought to impose his will on others, people naturally followed him, attracted to his quiet strength and fair judgement. It was Seungcheol who had really encouraged Vernon and Chan to make and maintain friendships outside of their house their first year, especially since they were all in the minority within the student population.

"We need to stick together as much as we can, and it's always nice to see someone who looks familiar, even if we've never met them before," he had told them.

Thinking of his friends now, Vernon was glad that they had taken Seungcheol's advice. It was like having their own piece of home away from home for many of them, and their solidarity had made being away from their families for most of the year much more bearable. Vernon had only had Seungkwan at the beginning, but through Chan, he had soon met the others; and with Seungcheol vouching for him, he found himself with eleven more new friends in no time.

"Fifteen minutes till we meet the others just outside the Hufflepuff dormitories," Seungcheol reminded them, putting his pocket watch away. "Soonyoung, you're not even dressed! Get a move on!"

Despite being in the same year, Soonyoung looked properly scolded, then ducked his head and scurried out of the room obediently, already shrugging off his school robes.

"Sorry, Chan!" they heard him holler down the hall.

The boy in question walked into the dormitory soon after, rubbing his shoulder with a frown on his face, having undoubtedly been the unfortunate target of Soonyoung's high-energy impact on his way back to his own dormitory.

"Aw, Channie, you look so handsome!" Seungkwan cooed, reaching out to pinch his cheek.

The youngest by mere weeks, Chan resented being treated like the baby, but with so many habits lingering from their culture, he couldn't escape the treatment that came with the title. Instead, he simply swerved backwards to avoid Seungkwan's fingers, smoothing the front of his dress robes, which were split right down the middle into red and gold with a golden lion medallion looped around his waist.

"Sticking to a theme is really hard," he complained. "I don't know why we all agreed to wear our house colors instead of just wearing whatever we wanted."

"Hyung only said that our outfits had to include our house colors, he didn't specify how much," Vernon said, picking a stray thread from the lapel of his blazer. "Hence the all black outfit save for the red tie."

"Ugh, I should've done that," Chan groaned. "I feel ridiculous."

"No, you look really great," Seungkwan complimented him sincerely. "It's very unique, no one else at the ball will be wearing anything like that."

Chan, used to everyone taking the mickey out of him, looked understandably skeptical at the Hufflepuff's comment, but whatever he was about to say in response was interrupted by Soonyoung sliding into the room in an all-gold suit, accented by a cream-colored dress shirt under his jacket and a bright red pocket square.

"What are you wearing?" Seungkwan demanded, looking so offended that Vernon couldn't help but snicker.

"You like it?" Soonyoung asked excitedly, mistaking his question for genuine interest and turning around to show them the matching gold half-cape with red trim hanging from his shoulders. "I had to have the cape added but it was totally worth it."

Satisfied with his attire, he dashed out of the room, cape fluttering behind him.

"I did not come all the way from Jeju Island for this," Seungkwan muttered to himself.

"I definitely feel a lot better about my outfit now," Chan whispered to Vernon, who was doubled over with laughter.

Slytherin Seventh Year Boys' Dormitory

If he was being honest, Seokmin didn't like the Slytherin dormitories very much. Even though it had now been fourteen years since the Battle of Hogwarts, nothing had been done to give the other houses any reason to believe that Slytherins weren't still the school villains when their dormitories remained in the dungeons and needed to have all the fireplaces going all hours of the day so that the students wouldn't freeze in their beds.

"Professor Malfoy said he's been arguing with the school governors to approve measures that would support renovations that would relocate Slytherin House from the dungeons to somewhere else in the castle," Joshua had told them once, "but a lot of them seem to think that this is an appropriate punishment for the role Slytherin House has played in the two previous wizarding wars."

"That's ridiculous," Jihoon had said, rolling his eyes. "Those wizarding wars only happened because the British wizarding community allowed themselves to be divided based on traits that have little bearing on whether you're a good or a bad person. Besides, the Slytherins of today shouldn't be paying the price for the choices past Slytherins made."

"You mean past Slytherins like Professor Malfoy?" Soonyoung had asked. "I heard he was a Death Eater, and he is kind of intimidating."

"Sure, but he obviously learned from his mistakes and has been working to better himself and the image of the Malfoy name. He's married to Professor Granger, and everyone knows she's Muggleborn," Seungkwan had pointed out.

In spite of Professor Malfoy's efforts, the Slytherins remained in the dungeons; and for this reason, if any configuration of members of their friend group included Slytherins, they preferred to not hang out in the Slytherin common room. At present, however, Seokmin had been tasked to round up their two snakes—who were currently whispering to each other with their heads so close together that all his prefect senses were immediately set on high alert.

"You two look like you're up to something," he announced dramatically, narrowing his eyes with mock suspicion.

Jeonghan and Joshua both turned their heads to look at the Hufflepuff at the same time.

"Aren't we always," Jeonghan replied airily, tucking something inside his dress robes smoothly before Seokmin could see what it was.

Dressed to the nines like the Slytherin prince he was, the seventh year prefect—who was told sternly by his head of house, Professor Malfoy, that the only reason why he wasn't Head Boy was because he would get drunk off the power—Jeonghan was wearing the most expensive-looking dress robes that Seokmin—or anyone else at the school, for that matter—had ever seen. Emerald green in color and glittering like the gems they resembled, they cinched his frame beautifully thanks to the tasseled belt at his waist. If you looked closely, you could see black beaded butterflies sewn into the material; and he wore his medium-length black hair in a short ponytail, a silver butterfly ornament pinned to hold it in place.

If anyone was aesthetically the human embodiment of all the values Slytherins held dear, it was Yoon Jeonghan. Clever, resourceful, and with the carriage of someone who was born to wealth—even though that wasn't the case—he bore all the admiration of his peers and professors, although the other houses knew to be wary of him thanks to the numerous pranks he had executed that made Fred and George Weasley look like amateurs. He made sure that everyone was always aware of exactly what he was capable of, but only his friends knew that he was one of the kindest and most affectionate people you could have the privilege of befriending. His humility stemmed from watching his parents work hard for what they had; and despite the neighborhood criticisms about how the Yoons were nouveau riche, Jeonghan always walked with his head held high. Moreover, as one of the first families to stand up for Korean wizards' rights to attend Hogwarts instead of Mahoutokoro, the Yoons had successfully gained an ally in the form of the Chosen One by making friends with his wife; and as Jeonghan had photos of his family shaking hands with Harry and Ginny Potter, no one dared to cross him.

"Harry Potter told me personally that the Sorting Hat wanted to put him in Slytherin," Jeonghan had whispered to them one night while they had been eating dinner at the Hufflepuff table. "I have never been more proud in my life."

Sitting next to him on his bed with his long legs stretched out in front of him was Joshua, dressed simply yet elegantly in a well-fitted black suit, a Slytherin green dress shirt, and black tie. His hair was neatly parted, combed away from his face to highlight his perfect features. Initially dismissed by the rest of his house as just a pretty boy with a heavy pocketbook, Joshua had come to be known as the more dangerous one of the two Slytherins in their friend group because of his ability to charm others. He was a true gentleman—but a wronged Joshua was someone to be feared. Not even his own friends wanted to get on his bad side; he was entertaining at his best and unhinged at his worst—but he could get even Madame Hooch to crack a smile.

"You look nice, Seokmin-ah," he said, tilting his head at the Hufflepuff. "A custom piece?"

Seokmin looked down at his butter yellow dress robes, layered with pale yellow at the neck, sleeves, and waist. There was the barest hint of black peeking out from under the collar and at the hem.

"Oh, that's not even the best part," he told them, grinning broadly. "Look!"

He turned around, revealing a giant black and white badger embroidered on the back, paws raised and mouth open. He looked at the pair of Slytherins over his shoulder to see their reactions, which were mirrors of each other: One raised eyebrow.

"That's... definitely something," Jeonghan said finally.

"We certainly won't lose you at the ball," Joshua agreed.

Seokmin chuckled, unaffected by their less-than-enthusiastic responses to his choice of attire. He had taken their commitment to house colors very seriously—and if nothing else, it was good for a laugh or two, which was all that mattered to him.

If people thought the wizarding community in Great Britain was small, the wizarding community in Korea was even smaller in the sense that everyone knew everyone regardless of where they lived or went to primary school. Seokmin had known most of the others since they were children, save for Minghao and Junhui—who had come to Hogwarts from China when it had been announced that wizards from Asia could now attend—and Joshua and Vernon, who had both been residing in the UK for some time. Although they hadn't been friends back then, they had formed a close-knit community upon arriving at Hogwarts, grateful to see familiar faces in a sea of strangers; and even Vernon and Joshua were relieved to find other Koreans at school regardless of their integration into British wizarding society.

Seokmin knew that these twelve boys would be his best friends for the rest of his life, and he just wanted them all to be happy. If that meant making himself look ridiculous so that he could make them laugh, he would wear a great ruddy badger on his back for everyone to see.

"Now," he said, turning back around to face them. "What are you two up to?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, Seokmin-ah," Jeonghan answered smoothly, patting the back of his head to make sure his butterfly was still in place. "Just a bit of fun. Besides, Seungcheol approved it."

"Whenever you tell me not to worry, I worry." Seokmin sighed, shaking his head. "Well, I guess it can't be that bad if Seungcheol said it was okay."

Even Jeonghan had his limits—and his was Choi Seungcheol.

The Slytherins rose to their feet with fluid grace, each of them moving to stand on either side of Seokmin and looping their arms with his as they started to guide him down the hall to the common room.

"Oh, Seokmin, you'll find out soon enough," Joshua assured him, patting his arm gently. "Now, let's get back to your dormitory so that we can meet up with the others."

Ravenclaw Common Room

"Why do you two always look like Disney princes?" Jihoon marveled, eyeing Wonwoo and Mingyu with both disgust and admiration—which was a feat in itself.

"How do you know what a Disney prince is?" Wonwoo asked him curiously, knowing that he came from a pureblood family.

"I'm taking Advanced Muggle Studies," the shorter boy replied, clicking his tongue softly. "We're going over fairy tales right now and how modern society has turned them into tools of capitalism to influence young women."

Wonwoo and Mingyu looked at each other and shrugged.

Jihoon's assessment was not incorrect. The Hufflepuff Beater was wearing a beautiful uniform-style piece in a stunning midnight black, his shoulders capped with gold epaulettes, two columns of gold buttons running down the coat, and gold detailing around the collar and the lower half of the pant legs, as well as a pair of pristine white gloves. Wonwoo was dressed to match—except his uniform was a deep royal blue accented with dark bronze epaulettes, buttons, and detailing. Both tall and handsome, the best friends did indeed look like fairy tale Prince Charming types, although Wonwoo had left his hair more relaxed than Mingyu's carefully styled coif.

Both Mingyu and Wonwoo had been very popular with girls back home in Korea; and now that they were older, even the British girls giggled into their hands when they walked past. Mingyu in particular had never been short of attention from others, something that he took in great stride even though it bothered him when people overlooked his best friend when he was standing next to him. Wonwoo, preferring the company of few and often found in the library or in his bed with a book, insisted that he didn't mind—but the school's biggest heartthrob remained unattached, choosing to prioritize his friendships over pursuing anything more with someone he'd still have to see in classes every day if the relationship were to end badly.

"I overheard some seventh years saying that Mingyu's the most handsome guy to roam the halls of Hogwarts since Cedric Diggory," Junhui had told them one night while they were all sitting at the Ravenclaw table for dinner, their rotation for mealtime spots landing them with the eagles for the evening.

"I don't think I like that comparison," Mingyu had said, frowning. "Cedric Diggory was murdered by one of Voldemort's followers, wasn't he?"

"Don't worry, Mingyu. Some bigoted dark wizard isn't going to kill you for being handsome," Seungkwan had laughed, patting him on the back.

"Yeah, you're more likely to die because you did something clumsy," Soonyoung had chimed in.

Jihoon, greatly admired but also intimidating to many, was clothed in lovely powder blue dress robes, the billowy sleeves of which were pinned up to the front of the forearm to reveal delicate, more fitted white lace sleeves underneath. There were darker blue accents around the collar and waist, with dark blue swirls embroidered into the hem of the robes. His long, dark hair was pulled back in a half up, half down style, gently framing his face. Turning to squint at the ornate bronze clock on the wall, he then glanced towards the staircase to the dormitories.

"What is taking them so long?" he murmured.

"You know them, they can't stand being away from each other, even though they're in different houses," Mingyu said. "Sometimes I wonder what Minghao's going to do when Junhui graduates, but then I remember that they're them and Minghao's probably going to be sneaking Junhui into the dorms every weekend. They're always inventing opportunities to spend time together, it's kind of impressive, actually."

"Not unlike you two," Jihoon pointed out dryly.

"Hey! We're nowhere near as bad as them!" Mingyu protested in mock outrage.

"As bad as who?"

The three of them turned around to see Minghao and Junhui coming down the stairs. The pair were dressed complementarily, the Hufflepuff dressed in floor-length silk dress robes of pale yellow with black trim and great, flowing sleeves, a white silk shirt tucked underneath; and the Ravenclaw in navy blue with sky blue accents. Both were adorned with beautiful black and white cranes on the back, wings spread in preparation for flight.

"We're going to be late!" Jihoon snipped at them.

"It's not like they're going to start the fun without us," Minghao sassed back. "Or are prefects even allowed to have fun?"

Jihoon glared at him and the latter bit his lip, fighting back a smile as he tried to look appropriately chastised. Although the former was short in stature, he possessed a commanding aura, keeping Ravenclaw free of trouble that could be traced back to them with his strict discipline style. His upper body was also surprisingly built, and the Quidditch captain had spent the past two years begging him to join the team as a Beater. He refused to join, citing the fact that Quidditch overlapped with choir—which he participated in with Seokmin, Seungkwan, and Chan—and his prefect duties. A Chaser himself, Minghao had tried once to convince him and then had promptly given up, deciding it was easier to convince Junhui to join the Hufflepuff team instead so that they could practice together. Now Hufflepuff's star Chaser, Junhui was grateful for another activity that he could participate in with his best friend—even if they were sometimes competing against each other.

Although the two had come from different regions in China and the Hufflepuff was actually one year older than the Ravenclaw, Junhui and Minghao had met beforehand at an orientation meeting for foreign students, especially those coming from Asia following the decision to open Hogwarts' doors to those who would have otherwise gone to Mahoutokoro—which had been organized by Professor Granger, whose reforms for transitioning Muggleborn Hogwarts students to wizarding society had been approved a few years prior and then expanded to include foreign students. Junhui had already spent what would have been his first year in a Muggle school when the law had passed but had begged his parents to let him apply to enter Hogwarts as a second year. Although skeptical at first that they would even reply, let alone agree since students only ever came into Hogwarts as first years, they had eventually relented—and he had spent hours drafting the perfect, most compelling proposal. In response to his application, Headmistress McGonagall had personally sent him all the reading that he needed to catch up to his peers and he had studied diligently, not wanting to be left behind. His letter from Professor Granger regarding the orientation had come shortly after.

Delighted to have met someone from their home country, the two had then consequently been devastated at their first Welcome Feast when they had been Sorted into different houses; and had immediately resolved to make time to hang out together as much as possible outside of classes.

It had taken them longer to warm up to anyone outside of each other during their first several years. Their closeness and the fact that they had both come from China had earned them the nickname "the Siamese twins"; and although they had tried many times to explain that the term was entirely inaccurate as Siam, or present-day Thailand, was not China, the name had stuck—until the people who had come up with it in the first place were seen heading to the hospital wing with their faces magically transformed into maps of Asia with China and Thailand clearly marked. Wonwoo later admitted to them that Jihoon had done it but hadn't wanted them to know, as he had received detention from his head of house for the spell work.

"He also got fifty points because his magic was so impressive, so don't feel bad," Wonwoo had reassured them. "Professor King just doesn't believe in public humiliation as a teaching tool."

To this day, their gratitude remained unsaid but lingered in their every interaction following Jihoon's show of support; and although Minghao loved to sass him every chance he got, he also valued the prefect's friendship. It was his trust in Jihoon that had convinced them both to join what became their large friend group, even though Junhui had still had doubts. Now, going home during the breaks was almost as unbearable as it had been to leave home in the first place, as they hated being separated from the friends that they had come to know as family while at Hogwarts.

"We should get going," Junhui suggested in a show of diplomacy, noticing the way the Ravenclaw prefect's eye was twitching slightly. "After you, Jihoon-ah."

Jihoon huffed but obliged, heading towards the door while the others trailed behind him.

"I wonder why we're meeting in the Hufflepuff dorms of all places," Mingyu wondered out loud. "Seems like a random choice."

"Well," Wonwoo said, "I guess we're about to find out."

Hufflepuff Common Room

As a group, the thirteen of them refrained from meeting in any of the dormitories, not wanting to impose on anyone by filling their common rooms with people not from their own house—so choosing to meet in the Hufflepuff common room was, understandably, a strange choice on Seungcheol's part.

Hogwarts had come a long way since the Battle of Hogwarts when it came to friendships between the houses—in the sense that the new generation of students was more willing to go out of their way to make friends with people outside of their own houses. The school itself did nothing to encourage this, although they seemed to have no problem inviting schools from throughout Europe to visit them. However, since Harry Potter's victory and Cedric Diggory's death in the Triwizard Tournament, the schools had agreed that the tournament should be done away with and had opted for more of a cultural exchange program—which included the Yule Ball.

Once the dust had settled and life had started to return to some semblance of normalcy in the months following the war, the Golden Trio had quickly utilized their social and political capital to start effecting change throughout the wizarding community in Great Britain.

Hermione, after making quick work of her post-Hogwarts studies, returned to the school as the new Arithmancy professor—but not until she had managed to strongarm the governors into agreeing to her proposed educational measures, which—aside from the programs for helping Muggleborn students transition to wizarding life and foreign students to life at Hogwarts—were responsible for the house elves receiving wages that they set themselves, a special committee to thoroughly vet professors (the string of Defense Against the Dark Arts professors in particular stood out in her mind), and a host of other stipulations that she presented in her quest for fair and equitable treatment of all living beings. In fact, after Harry and Ginny had listened to the Yoons' reasons for wanting to send Jeonghan to Hogwarts instead of Mahoutokoro, the Chosen One had recounted their story to the brightest witch of her age and set her on a quest to make it possible for Jeonghan and his friends to attend Hogwarts—and it was Hermione who had researched translation spells so that the wizards from Asia and the professors could understand each other at all times.

Instead of becoming an Auror like he had dreamed as a student, Harry Potter went into politics. While he wanted no part of the corruption that ran rampant in the Wizengamot, he accepted that he needed a place on the council in order to have a say in the kind of change that was to be brought about in Great Britain after Voldemort's defeat. Hermione helped him study for law school, and he emerged three years later ready to take on the incumbents at the Ministry. Citing his own personal experiences fighting in the war and his parents' sacrifice so that he could play his part in ending Voldemort's reign, Harry fought not only against the pureblood agenda but the wizarding community at large, pushing the need for a better, deeper understanding of Muggles so that there were no opportunities for future antagonists to exploit divisions between people. When Ginny had returned from an extensive Quidditch training camp in South Korea, she told him all about how she had met the Yoons—and how she had invited them to visit her and Harry in Great Britain. Knowing how closely blood purity and imperialism ran parallel to each other, it had only taken him the one meeting to take the Yoons' case to Hermione.

Ron, shockingly the most accepting of Hermione's relationship with Draco Malfoy of all people, took it upon himself to act as the bridge between old pureblood families with ties to Voldemort and pureblood and mixed blood families who had fought for the Order in order to foster new, stronger relationships with the goal of a unified wizarding community. Through his friendships with Harry and Hermione, he expanded his own learning of Muggles and drew upon his status as a pureblood himself to help ease the transition into a new era.

Although Jeonghan was the only one who had met the Potters prior to attending Hogwarts, the thirteen of them had all received letters from Harry, Ron, and Hermione welcoming them to Great Britain and wishing them a successful academic career. Things eventually got easier, and people certainly backed off after Minghao pulled out his letter from the Golden Trio and waved it about, demanding, "Did you get a letter from the Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger welcoming you to Hogwarts? I didn't think so!"

Now, with some of them in their final year, they felt like it had all been worth it—like they could go home and proudly tell their friends and family that they had graduated from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Why did we agree to no dates again?" Chan asked, staring wistfully at the group of Hufflepuff girls heading past them towards the portrait door.

"Yeah, actually, why did we agree to that?" Soonyoung wondered, scrunching his nose. "I mean, not that I'm complaining. There's no date that would be better than going with you guys."

"Ugh—"

"Soonyoung, gross!"

"Speak for yourself, Mingyu was asked to the ball by all the girls at Beauxbatons and he had to say no to every single one of them," Seokmin revealed.

"Those poor girls," Junhui said sadly, laying a hand over his heart dramatically.

"Even the Slytherin girls like Mingyu, and they're notoriously picky," Joshua added.

"And the Ravenclaw girls," Wonwoo chimed in.

"And the Gryffindor girls," Soonyoung sang.

"Let's not forget about the Hufflepuff girls," Seungkwan reminded them.

"Alright, enough about me! I don't need a date anyway!" Mingyu said hastily, waving his hands in the air.

"Hey, settle down," Seungcheol said firmly, getting the group's attention. "We're all staying at Hogwarts for Christmas this year instead of going home to our families, so we're going to celebrate together—because we're family."

"Cheesy!" Joshua called out, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Hyung, that's easy for you to say! The person who would've been your date is in this group!" Chan grumbled.

Trying to be subtle—and failing—Seungcheol glanced at Jeonghan out of the corner of his eye, a small smile on his face. Noticing his attention, the Slytherin winked at him playfully. Unnecessarily mortified at having been caught considering their relationship, Seungcheol cleared his throat and looked away at once.

"Aw, Channie, don't be sad," Jeonghan crooned at their youngest. "You can still dance with girls at the ball. Not everyone will stay with their dates the whole night."

"Oh, Vernon, didn't that sixth year in my Herbology class ask you to the ball?" Seokmin remembered suddenly.

Seungkwan, who had been leaning back in one of the plush sofas by the fireplace, straightened up immediately at this revelation. "Who?" he demanded, looking back and forth between Seokmin and Vernon.

The Gryffindor shrugged, not meeting the Hufflepuff's eyes. Although the girl was older than him, she had sought him out one day while he had been sitting by the lake with Seokmin. Encouraged by his friendship with someone she knew from her own house, she had asked him if he would attend the Yule Ball with her and he had said—very politely—no thank you, not bothering to explain that he and his friends had agreed to not take dates and all go together instead.

He had noticed that she had started avoiding him every time they came close to interacting, but chose not to worry about it. He wouldn't have said yes to her even if they hadn't agreed to not take dates anyway.

"I don't know why she asked me," he muttered. "I only know her because she has classes with Seokmin, and we've never really had any meaningful conversation where I could've given her the impression that I was interested in some way."

Seungkwan frowned but said nothing, leaning back against the sofa as he processed this information. Vernon, now noticeably uncomfortable, turned his upper body to avoid looking at the Hufflepuff entirely.

"Okay, well, we're here for one reason and one reason only." Jeonghan paused, then pulled out a silver flask from inside his dress robes and shook it. "Ogden's, the best I could get from my parents' firewhisky collection before leaving home for start of term."

"How did you even know to bring it?" Junhui asked him.

"My parents are friends with the Potters," Jeonghan replied matter-of-factly, shrugging. "I know everything."

"Ahem, there are prefects present," Minghao said primly, looking around the room in an exaggerated fashion.

Jihoon rolled his eyes, reaching out to thump him on the back.

"We'll look the other way just this once," Seungcheol chuckled. "Besides, Hufflepuffs are the least likely to rat someone out if we get caught, which is why I decided that we should meet here to do this. Let's get in a circle and pass it clockwise. Jeonghan can go first, since he brought it for us."

Beaming at him adoringly, Jeonghan unscrewed the cap on the flask and took a healthy sip before passing it to Joshua, who was standing next to him. The flask was passed from person to person quickly, none of them wanting to risk getting caught by one of the more strict Hufflepuff prefects even if the prefects within their own group were willing to make an exception.

"Small sip," Seungkwan threatened as he handed the flask to Soonyoung, "you lightweight."

"I take great offense to that—"

"The last time we went to The Three Broomsticks, we had to wait for you to sober up before heading back because you were sobbing into Mingyu's chest," Jihoon reminded him flatly. "He had to have his robes specially cleaned."

"I fail to see how that makes me—"

"You had two butterbeers," Mingyu said, holding up two fingers for emphasis. "Two."

"Even soju is stronger than butterbeer," Seokmin pointed out.

"Soonyoung, just take a small sip, please," Seungcheol advised him, his voice gentle. "Your crying will give us all away."

Pouting, the Gryffindor took a small sip from the flask and passed it to Jihoon, who passed it to Junhui without drinking any. When the last person—Seungcheol—had taken a sip, Jeonghan screwed the cap back on the flask and tucked it away inside his dress robes.

"Alright, loves, it's time to show these people what a party really looks like!" he cheered.

The Great Hall

Having never really been to a formal party of this scale before and slightly buzzing from the firewhisky earlier, the thirteen of them gaped at the way the Great Hall had been transformed for the Yule Ball. Used to the usual twelve Christmas trees that Hagrid put up for the holidays, the sheer grandness and opulence of the decorations—right down to the giant chess set made entirely out of ice—were almost breathtaking.

Headmistress McGonagall took the time to say a few words, reminding them to behave themselves and have fun before the tables became laden with food.

Dinner was much nicer than usual, the house elves having taken it upon themselves to not only provide the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students with fare from their home countries but to also include Korean and Chinese dishes—which they had never done before. The boys had all been having food delivered from home by owl post to satisfy their cravings for their native cuisines, something that their dorm mates complained about constantly because "it smelled" until one day Jeonghan had had enough and started casting Bubblehead Charms on anyone who dared to complain—except that his Bubblehead Charms started slowly running out of air until the person passed out. Professor Malfoy had given him a stern warning about suffocating his dorm mates, then asked him what he was eating. Jeonghan had shared his mother's spicy beef soup with him and the professor had been hooked ever since.

Needless to say, they were all thrilled to see the familiar dishes in front of them.

"British food's just not very good, you know?" Joshua said, dipping a spoon into his portion of beef rib and Napa cabbage soup. "I like breakfast, because everyone likes eggs and bacon and whatnot, but everything else could use a little work."

Everyone agreed wholeheartedly.

"What do you think would be a sufficient bribe for the house elves to make this regularly?" Seungkwan muttered to Vernon, chewing happily on his braised short ribs.

Vernon laughed. The food was excellent, and he wondered where the house elves had learned to make Korean food when they had never served it before.

Magic, he thought, helping himself to more pork belly.

There was no assigned seating for dinner, since there were no Triwizard Tournament champions to take into consideration, so the thirteen of them had taken over a section of tables and sat together. It did not go unnoticed by them that they were the only ones eating the food from their home countries—except for Professor Malfoy, who was digging in enthusiastically and explaining every dish to Professor Granger sitting beside him.

"That white man really likes Korean food," Soonyoung observed, absolutely delighted by the way the head of Slytherin house was shoveling pickled vegetables into his mouth.

"My mom sends food for him when she sends food for me," Jeonghan told them. "He loves it. I think he and Professor Granger are planning to take a trip to Korea soon, so he's been asking me a lot of questions."

"How is it that you manage to collect all these important people even though you absolutely detest the concept of networking?" Jihoon asked him.

The Slytherin shrugged.

"Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline," he sang.

"What does that even mean—"

After dinner, the professors all waved their wands, clearing away all the larger dining tables to make space for the large dance floor that was now occupying most of the Great Hall. Smaller tables appeared on the periphery so that people could still sit, and one large banquet table was left set up for drinks.

"I hope they got someone cool to play for this," Chan commented as the band started taking out their instruments and getting ready to play.

"Oh, those are the Weird Sisters," Vernon said, recognizing them from some magazines he had seen.

"Is that... bad?" Mingyu asked tentatively.

"It's..." Vernon paused, trying to think of the right word for the situation. "Interesting," he decided. "They're very interesting."

"They're... not women?" Seungkwan frowned, scanning the members.

"Oh, this is like... rock music?" Wonwoo realized as the band began to play. "I... I can't decide if I like it or not. I think I'm just very confused by what's happening right now."

"'Can you dance like a hippogriff'? What even are these lyrics?" Jihoon scoffed.

"Hey, let's secure a table," Seungcheol suggested, waving them over. "Over here."

They ended up with a large table that was just several tables pushed together, having chosen the space for its strategic location between the drinks table, the dance floor, and the bathrooms. Soonyoung, Chan, Seokmin, and Mingyu left immediately for the dance floor, eager to show off some moves and have fun. Seungkwan left to go socialize, and the rest remained at the table.

"How much trouble do you think I'll get in for asking McGonagall for a dance?" Joshua whispered to Vernon.

Vernon snorted into his goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Honestly, she might be a little flattered, even if she tries to scold you for it," he muttered.

"I'm going to do it," Joshua announced, getting up and gliding across the dance floor towards the professors' table.

"What's he doing?" Wonwoo asked, having just noticed the Slytherin's departure.

"He's going to ask McGonagall for a dance," Vernon replied, taking a sip from his goblet.

Wonwoo chuckled quietly.

"I bet she thought that life at Hogwarts would be quiet after the Weasley twins left," he mused, "and then she got Jeonghan and Joshua."

"Hey Wonwoo, looks like Mingyu's still getting asked for dates even though the ball's been going on for a while," Minghao snickered, nudging his fellow Ravenclaw with his elbow.

Sure enough, Mingyu, having been accosted on the way back from the dance floor while stopping for a drink, was trying to excuse himself from what looked like a painfully awkward conversation with a seventh year Gryffindor girl who seemed as though she was going to latch onto his arm at any moment and pull him away herself.

Wonwoo shrugged, looking amused.

"I keep telling him that he can dance with people if he wants to, he just chooses to keep rejecting everyone who asks him. He took the whole 'no dates' rule very seriously."

"Well, I would say no to that girl, too. She looks like she's trying to cut off the blood circulation to his arm."

"I was just having an absolutely fascinating conversation with Horace Slughorn," Seungkwan announced, emerging from the crowd on the dance floor. "And by that, I mean it was an absolute waste of my time. He's already retired twice and he still acts like he's going to swoop in and take his job back from Professor Malfoy any day now." He sank into the chair next to Vernon, reaching for the Gryffindor's goblet. "I also just saw Joshua waltzing with Professor McGonagall, so I think I've seen everything."

"Did you see them?" Soonyoung asked him, coming back from dancing since the Weird Sisters had changed to a slow song. He tilted his head towards where Seungcheol and Jeonghan were moving in circles, the latter in the former's arms as he leaned his head against his chest. "Couldn't be any of us."

Whatever restraint he had been employing up until that point seemed to leave Chan at that moment. Squaring his shoulders, he drained the rest of his goblet in a single gulp then set it down firmly as he stood up.

"I can't take this anymore!" he declared, stalking into the middle of the dance floor and disappearing from view.

The others laughed at Chan's earnestness, endeared as they always were. The youngest seemed to be the only one affected by their agreement to not bring dates; the rest of them were far too preoccupied with other matters to really care.

"Who would you even have asked if we'd been able to bring dates?" Minghao asked Soonyoung.

The Gryffindor shrugged.

"Honestly, I have no clue," he admitted. "I'm not really interested in anyone like that. But if someone had asked me and they seemed cool, I might have said yes."

"I already have all of you to deal with, why would I spend time getting to know anyone else well enough to want to take them to a ball?" Jihoon griped.

They all laughed, and the night went on.

Cheeks flushed and eyes bright, the friends made their rotations, traveling from the dance floor to the drinks and back to their own table. Chan, oddly enough, never returned; and the others figured that he would turn up eventually.

"He's such a sweet boy, some devious enchantress might try to corrupt him," Jeonghan whined to Seungcheol when they had stopped by the table to check on everyone.

"I'm sure he's fine," Seungcheol reassured him.

Joshua, triumphant from his successful mission, returned to the table later to regale them all with the details extremely pleased with himself.

"And then McGonagall thanked me for the lovely dance—"

"Um, excuse me?"

All chatter ceased at once, everyone sitting at the table—Joshua, Junhui, Wonwoo, Minghao, Seungkwan, and Vernon—looking up in unison at the girl standing awkwardly before them. She was pretty, with long, dark hair that was partly pulled away from her face in a braid crown while the rest hung down her back; and she was dressed in petal pink dress robes with puffed sleeves and a lace petticoat. Junhui and Seungkwan recognized her at once, as she was in their own house—but they had never really spoken to her, even though Junhui was in her year and even shared classes with her.

She didn't acknowledge either of them, looking straight at Vernon instead.

"Hi, Vernon," she said quietly.

"Hi, Kayla," he returned her greeting politely.

"I thought you weren't coming," she said, "because, you know... um... but I was wondering if... you maybe wanted to dance?"

Next to Vernon, Seungkwan stiffened, putting two and two together. Kayla was the girl from Seokmin's Herbology class who had asked Vernon to the ball, and when he had told her no, she had assumed it was because he had been planning on not attending. However, now that she had seen him, she was trying again—and he did not like it one bit.

The Gryffindor shifted in his seat uncomfortably, scratching the back of his neck. He sifted through the options in his head for what he should say in response, then decided once more to not offer an explanation for his refusal.

"Um, no thanks," he said, hoping he sounded sincerely apologetic—which was more apologetic than he felt. "Sorry."

"Oh, okay," Kayla said, cheeks turning red. "Um, I'll see you around then."

Her mortification apparent, she quickly turned around and headed straight for the dance floor, swallowed up at once by the energetic crowd that was now jumping up and down to a song with a fast tempo.

"Damn," Minghao whistled through his teeth. "She's got more guts than a Gryffindor. I can't believe she asked you to dance right in front of—"

"Can we just forget about it?" Vernon whined, sliding down in his chair. "I don't know why she decided to ask me to dance after I turned her down the first time."

Seungkwan, who had been chatting nonstop since he had sat down at the table after making his rounds, had become both deathly still and quiet following Kayla's appearance. Even after the conversation picked back up, he continued to stay silent, not even acknowledging Vernon when he offered to get him a drink—and everyone noticed.

"What's wrong with Seungkwan?" Seokmin whispered to Junhui as they both helped themselves to refills of pumpkin juice at the drinks table.

"Kayla came to our table earlier and asked Vernon to dance," Junhui whispered back.

"Ohhhhhh," Seokmin said knowingly. "Vernon didn't go, did he?"

"No, but Seungkwan's still brooding."

"They're so silly." Seokmin glanced over his shoulder back at their table, shaking his head. "I wonder how long it's going to take both of them to realize what's going on."

"Oh, Minghao and I have a pool," Junhui replied. "You want in?"

"Absolutely."

Hufflepuff Fifth Year Boys' Dormitory

"I don't understand," Seungkwan mumbled, one arm looped around Vernon's neck as the Gryffindor supported him up the stairs to the fifth year boys' dormitory.

It was still relatively early, all things considered, and most of the school was still at the ball—but the universe had other plans for Seungkwan, it seemed.

"You don't understand what?" Vernon huffed, focusing on getting them both up the stairs instead of on whatever crisis his best friend was currently having in his inebriated state.

"Why you don't like me. I'm great, you know. I'm not very tall, but I have other positive qualities. I'm smart and organized, always presentable... Lots of people like me. I'm very likable."

Vernon stared at the Hufflepuff out of the corner of his eye, trying to decide how to handle this particular situation.

It turned out that Jeonghan's silver flask full of firewhisky was enchanted to refill itself when it was empty—such an impressive bit of charm work that even Jihoon had been impressed—and after joining the Slytherin, along with Soonyoung and Seokmin, in a secluded corner of the Great Hall, Seungkwan had returned to the table rosy-cheeked and yanked an unsuspecting Vernon to his feet.

"We're dancing," he had told him loudly, dragging him towards the dance floor.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Vernon had said, shooting the others a look as they tried not to laugh.

They had danced for a few songs before Vernon had convinced Seungkwan to return to the table with him and then forced him to drink as many goblets of water as he could before his friend had slapped his hands away.

It was an unusual reversal of roles—although he was one of the youngest, Seungkwan had always been one of the ones who had taken on a more responsible role, caring for his friends like they were his children instead of his peers—especially Vernon. The Gryffindor had never even seen his friend drink so much as a sip before tonight, let alone get so sloshed that he couldn't walk upright by himself.

He had a feeling he knew why Seungkwan had drunk so much, though.

In their five years of friendship, Vernon and Seungkwan had never really talked about girls, or even guys—not like that. Their friend group in general was pretty open about who they found attractive, especially with Seungcheol and Jeonghan having been together since their fourth year, but they were all so wrapped up in each other that few people outside their circle could hold their interest for long. Mingyu, of course, had always been a hit with girls, but tonight had been the first time Seungkwan had realized that girls were interested in Vernon, even though they had been expressing interest in him for quite some time. The Gryffindor had just been keeping it to himself because he disliked the attention and didn't want to upset Seungkwan. It had taken him until this past year to realize that their mutual lack of interest in relationships with other people and his perceived need to keep the knowledge of his admirers from his best friend was because they were only interested in each other.

Whether Seungkwan realized that or not was an entirely different matter.

Vernon knew that they probably needed to have a conversation about it someday but it never came up, so they left things as they were—until Kayla had come along and awakened something in Seungkwan that Vernon had never seen before.

"What are you talking about?" he said carefully, adopting what he hoped was a lighthearted, teasing tone of voice. "I do like you. We're friends. Best friends, even, some would say."

"Not like that," Seungkwan whined as Vernon lowered him gently onto his bed.

Vernon looked around the dormitory, noticing that none of Seungkwan's dorm mates had returned from the Yule Ball. Hufflepuffs were notorious party animals after all, and he wasn't the least bit surprised—but he was also grateful for the privacy it afforded him in this moment. Bending down slightly, he started taking Seungkwan's shoes off his feet, dropping them on the floor by his bed. Noticing that his friend was sprawled on his bed like a starfish, he sighed, pointing his wand at the empty glass on the bedside table.

"Aguamenti."

He looked down at Seungkwan, debating whether he should try and make him sleep under the blankets when he shifted, turning so that his back was towards him.

"I didn't like that Kayla asked you to the ball." Seungkwan yawned. "I didn't like that she asked you to dance either, in front of all of us. I mean, the audacity of that girl!"

Vernon grinned at the drunken outrage in his voice, pleased by his jealousy. Seungkwan would probably be embarrassed about it in the morning, but for now, he would enjoy it.

"I was glad that you said no," the Hufflepuff continued, "but it doesn't mean anything that you said no."

"Seungkwan, what are you talking about?" Vernon sat down on the bed next to him, looking straight ahead at the wall. "Of course it means something. I told her no, twice, for a reason."

"You don't like me," Seungkwan insisted.

Vernon sighed.

"I already said that I do—"

"You don't like me as more than a friend," the Hufflepuff clarified.

Vernon frowned at the wall as though it had personally offended him. Had he not been obvious enough about his feelings towards Seungkwan? It's not like he let anyone else drag him to dance floors crowded with too many people for his liking or parade him around so that people could admire his Muggle suit like he was arm candy. He let Seungkwan get away with so much, surely he could see that Vernon made exceptions for him because his feelings were reciprocated?

"Who told you that?"

"No one had to tell me," Seungkwan grumbled. "I just know."

"You're so silly sometimes," Vernon said, turning to speak to his friend's back. "Really. That's—"

"I'm not," he protested, sounding like he was on the verge of tears, his shoulders hunched as he curved in on himself. "I overheard Kayla with her friends earlier on my way back from the bathroom. They were saying that she shouldn't have asked you to the ball and then again to dance when it was so obvious that you were already taken and she said, 'Already taken? By whom, Seungkwan? Please, if Vernon hasn't noticed that that boy has feelings for him, he never will.'"

Vernon scoffed loudly, annoyed that Seungkwan would believe Kayla and not him. The wretched sixth year had shattered his best friend's confidence in one night—and he was none too happy about it.

Curse that girl, he grumbled internally.

"We should have this conversation again tomorrow when you're not approximately 86% firewhisky," he said out loud, "but I've known for a while that you felt that way. I've just been waiting for your brain to catch up."

"What does that even mean?" Seungkwan huffed, fighting back another yawn.

"It means we'll talk tomorrow," Vernon replied gently. He patted the Hufflepuff on the shoulder. "Sleep well, Seungkwan-ah. I'll see you in the morning."

"Sure, sure. I'll believe it when I see it," Seungkwan mumbled.

"Drink the water I left you!" Vernon called over his shoulder as he headed down the stairs.

The Great Hall

"Seungkwan! Over here!"

Soonyoung waved at the younger boy excitedly, already splendidly recovered from his night of drinking thanks to the huge plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of him.

Seungkwan hesitated, seeing Vernon sitting at the table next to Seungcheol. They were sitting at the Gryffindor table, and his best friend smiled encouragingly at him, twisting his body around and reaching out to tug him forward.

Embarrassed beyond words when he remembered the conversation they'd had last night while Seungkwan had been sloshed out of his mind, the Hufflepuff had rushed up to Gryffindor Tower and begged the Fat Lady to let him in so that he could apologize profusely to Vernon and ask him to forget the whole thing.

Hearing that Seungkwan was trying to get into the Gryffindor common room, Vernon had gone downstairs and opened the portrait door himself to let him in.

"Hi," Seungkwan had said, slightly breathless.

"Hi," Vernon had returned. "How do you feel?"

"How do I—? Oh, you mean because of the firewhisky." Seungkwan had laughed nervously. "Um, I'm okay. Junhui left a hangover potion on my bedside table, which helped a lot."

"That's good." Vernon had turned towards the stairs up to the boys' dormitories. "Come up with me?"

"Oh, well... okay."

Seungkwan had followed Vernon up the stairs to his dorm and then to his bed, where the Gryffindor had promptly drawn the curtains hanging around his four-poster bed and cast a Muffliato so that they wouldn't be overheard.

"I came because I want to apologize," Seungkwan had blurted out once the spell had been cast. "I said a lot of things while I was drunk and I understand if I made you feel uncomfortable in any way. I'm so, so, so very sorry and I would prefer if we pretend like it never happened so that I can recover from my mistakes and go about my life as planned."

"Which is how, exactly?" Vernon had asked him, one eyebrow raised.

"You know, pass my O.W.L.s and then my N.E.W.T.s so that I can start a successful career in politics as the Korean ambassador to the Ministry of Magic here in Great Britain. Stuff like that," he had rambled, fidgeting with his hands.

"And where do I factor in in all of this?"

"I—what? I mean, you'll be doing your own thing... and we'll keep in touch—"

"Boo Seungkwan, with the utmost respect, please shut up."

"I beg your pardon—!"

"I think we both know that we like each other," Vernon had cut him off. "We just haven't done anything about it because we didn't feel like we had to, but Kayla asking me to dance with her in front of you made you realize that there could be someone else if you didn't make a move. Which is ridiculous, by the way," he had added, seeing the expression on Seungkwan's face. "I've never looked at anyone else."

"Oh... Well... This was entirely unexpected," Seungkwan had murmured in response, wringing his hands. "I had been prepared for things to be very awkward between us, but... you... like me?"

"Yes, very much, actually," Vernon had confirmed, smiling at him. "We don't have to make a huge production out of it, but if it's exclusivity you need from me, you've always had it."

"I—Thank you?"

Vernon had laughed, releasing the Muffliato spell and pulling the curtains back open.

"You're welcome. Now, let's go get breakfast."

"I... can't," Seungkwan had said, a sheepish expression on his face. "I, um, I didn't even change out of my dress robes last night... And I came straight here when I woke up."

Vernon had simply looked down at his yellow dress robes mussed with wrinkles and then smiled at him, looking completely endeared.

"I'll see you at the Gryffindor table then."

Fast forward to the present and the Hufflepuff allowed himself to be manhandled into sitting next to his best friend turned significant other.

"I can't believe you're not dead," he commented, sitting down on Vernon's other side and pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"I really didn't drink that much," Soonyoung said, shoveling a forkful of eggs into his mouth. "I was just having a really good time."

"That's because you don't have to drink that much to have a good time, hyung," Chan said, sitting down next to the older Gryffindor. "You're such a lightweight."

"Again with the lightweight comments—"

"If we keep saying it, it's because it's true," Jeonghan cut in, taking the other seat next to Seungcheol and pecking his cheek. "Happy Boxing Day, darlings. Hope you all had a fantastic night."

Seungkwan shrugged, taking a bite of toast to avoid saying much. He could feel Vernon's arm brushing against his as he cut into his breakfast sausages. They weren't really keeping their newfound relationship a secret, but for now, he wanted to keep this between the two of them—something just for them to treasure for a little while.

"What about you, Channie?" Seungcheol asked. "I checked on everyone before going to bed and I didn't see you in your dorm even though Vernon was already back."

"Oh." Chan looked extremely pleased with himself. "That's because I was—"

"Bon matin, Channie."

Everyone's jaws dropped as they noticed the stunning golden blonde-haired girl pausing on her way to the Ravenclaw table where all the Beauxbatons students sat.

Chan grinned.

"'Morning, Camille," he greeted her.

Camille waved flirtatiously at him then continued on her way to the Ravenclaw table, making sure to choose a spot so that she was still facing him from where she sat.

"I told you some devious enchantress might try to corrupt him," Jeonghan hissed at Seungcheol, reaching up to grab him by the ear and yank him down to his level. "Our precious baby boy was out cavorting with a Beauxbatons girl! You!" he added suddenly, leaning forward to fix his attention on Chan and looking absolutely scandalized at this turn of events. "Spill."

Chan leaned back, arms folded over his chest, his expression far too smug for a fifteen-year-old boy. He looked around at the others, who were also leaning in like Jeonghan, eager for the details.

He would leave them wondering.

"Let's just say that the French know a thing or two about a thing or two," he replied nonchalantly.

#GeniusLabStorytime #SEVENTEEN #SEVENTEEN x Hogwarts #Merry Christmas everyone! #Not their cannon age obviously #pls don't come for me about their houses! #or any of the other decisions i made here! #if you think that some of their outfits were based on hanbok or hanfu they absolutely were #Jeongcheol #VerKwan #A LOT of VerKwan actually #A little bit of JunHao if you squint #And some MinWon #not so subtle DRAMIONE because I am Dramione TRASH

[halfseoulco]

"3D", KPOP in the West, & Artist Obligations

Published Wednesday, October 18th, 2023 — As global superstars BTS take further steps into what they've dubbed the Chapter 2 of their careers, it's been both interesting and rewarding to see each member put so much of themselves into their respective solo releases—especially since the vocal line, aside from OSTs, covers, and singles, had not yet released their own official solo projects (or mixtapes, as they had been called, since RM [2015], mono. [2018], Hope World [2018], Agust D [2015], and D-2 [2020] were released for free). j-hope's Jack in the Box (2022) came as a significant surprise after the bright, colorful experience that was Hope World, but otherwise, each member's solo album has turned out to be what was expected of them based on what is known in regards to their personalities, preferred musical styles, and personal tastes in music.

But what might arguably be considered the most anticipated solo debut was Jungkook's, as ARMYs were eager to see who the youngest of the seven-member group is without the rest of his bandmates. Of the seven, Jungkook has perhaps gone through the most obvious changes—the famous lip piercing (although the eyebrow piercing is sorely missed), the various tattoos, and other mostly physical changes to his image. His promotions with Calvin Klein broke the Internet and his debut solo single, "Seven (feat. Latto)", showed off a new, more mature side of the Golden Maknae that elicited mixed reactions from ARMYs and also laid the groundwork for his next single, "3D", which features Jack Harlow.

Shedding the "Baby" Persona & "Seven"

I think in some ways that being Jeon Jungkook must feel like being a Disney Channel star or any other artist who became big for something that they spend the rest of their life trying to get away from (e.g. Daniel Radcliffe and his desire to be known for something other than being Harry Potter). Combined with the tendency for Western society to infantilize Asian people and the Korean cultural norms for the youngest of any group to be doted upon and always seen as the baby, the most shocking part about Jungkook's solo releases so far is that it really shouldn't be shocking at all.

Having just turned 26 in September, Jungkook has probably been ready for quite some time to leave the image of BTS's maknae behind him. The man certainly doesn't look like a baby and even if he does look young for his age, the fact of the matter is that he is a grown adult. The nature of the KPOP industry makes it difficult for idols to talk about dating or sex—let alone actually date or have sex, at least in a public capacity—and because of the artist-fan relationship, it has been in idols' best interests to act like those things don't exist for them. "Seven" was the beginning of Jungkook not pretending that he's not thinking about or doesn't want those things—because it's not inherently bad or shameful to want them. Regardless of his maknae status in his group, he's still a fully grown man with his own agency, so if Jeon Jungkook wants to make music about having sex seven days a week, he can do that.

Unreasonable fans aside, if the basis for the counterargument is that there is already so much hypersexualization in Western music and media that we don't want to see it in KPOP, I think that's valid. The draw for many KPOP fans is that overall, KPOP presents such a stark contrast to Western music with its variety of concepts and differences in cultural norms. However, I don't even necessarily think that "Seven" is as raunchy as some people have made it out to be. Latto's feature is a little nasty (nasty in the good way, not nasty in the bad way) and Jungkook does say "fucking" in the explicit version of the song, but I think that compared to some of the songs that come out of the Western music industry, it's not even really what anyone could consider inappropriate. It's not demeaning, it's not aggressive, and he's not singing about women in a misogynistic way. In fact, I would go so far as to say that "Seven" is kind of cute; and if Jungkook wants to say "fuck"—or even if he wants to actually fuck—then he can.

This is something I will talk about more later on in this piece but as an additional point, we already know that BTS has become bigger than the KPOP industry and they've already crossed into the Western market with "Dynamite" (2020), "Butter" (2021), and "Permission to Dance" (2021). Whether you like it or not—and personally, I don't really care for this particular move as a business tactic but I really like "Permission to Dance"—the groundwork has already been laid for them to continue to grow their presence in the U.S. especially. If Jungkook and Big Hit Music want to put out a little something something for the locals, that's their prerogative.

"3D (feat. Jack Harlow)"

Strictly speaking, I don't listen to the radio anymore, not unless I'm in the car with someone who listens to the radio. I have little awareness as to what's going on in Western music in terms of new releases unless I hear it on social media—but one of the things about living in the age of the Internet is that you still hear things even if you're not actively searching for that information.

I have definitely heard some things about Jack Harlow. I've never listened to his music but I know that he has a certain reputation. When Big Hit Music announced the release of "3D", I tried not to have any expectations about his feature; and when the song came out, I didn't listen to it right away because my group chat had nothing good to say about his lines. Honestly, I was a little terrified.

I ended up listening to both the original and the alternate version the next day and I think you only need one guess as to which version made it onto my main playlist.

Whenever BTS collaborates with Western artists, there are ARMYs who always say that we're here to support BTS first, so even if we don't like the feature that much, we should still purchase and stream as much as we can to support BTS. I agree to a certain extent; I don't like Charlie Puth (or Charles, as my friends and I like to call him), but I like "Left And Right" (2022) well enough and I like Jungkook, so I tried my best to support it when it came out. Based on streaming rules and all that, I believe only purchases and streams of the original song featuring Jack Harlow count for charting, which is unfortunate but that's just how the game works.

I offer up all my apologies to Jungkook but there is nothing anyone can do to make me listen to anything other than the alternate version of "3D" from here on out.

Having watched the music video for "3D" a few times now via my favorite reaction channel on YouTube, my disgust from my initial listen-through of the song has only continued to compound. Considering that Namjoon had admitted in an interview with Nightline in 2021 that as part of their efforts to promote gender equality in their music he had a women's studies professor review his lyrics following criticism regarding misogyny in BTS's earlier years, I'm extremely shocked that Big Hit Music gave Jack Harlow's feature the green light. Regardless of the quality of the lyricism or how it played with the flow of the music, the actual content leaves much to be desired and is offensive on multiple fronts. I want to emphasize that this is not because of the song's sexuality, which, as I expressed earlier in the section about "Seven", is within Jungkook's right to express as an artist and as an adult. But knowing how much BTS has worked towards promoting equality for people of all genders, races, and orientations, the blatant misogyny and racism (via the "ABG" stereotype) has no place in the kind of music they've worked so hard to put out.

When I expressed my opinions regarding Jack Harlow's participation in "3D" to a friend who doesn't listen to KPOP, their response was, "Well, yeah, it's Jack Harlow", which not only made me feel justified in my response to the song but also confirmed for me that his lyrics in "3D" are not unusual for him; and while I looked into his background a little bit and saw that he is known for making donations to various charitable organizations and worthy causes and speaking up about his white privilege and how he approaches his music with that in mind, there is nothing that can convince me that someone who took all those actions publicly can also write the lyrics that are in "3D" in good conscience.

I don't want anyone to take this as me placing the blame on Jungkook for his collaboration with Jack Harlow but this particular conversation is a little tricky. On the one hand, I don't think that Big Hit Music has complete control over every little thing its artists do (and note that I say Big Hit Music and not HYBE, since the former operates independently), but at the same time, I think that the more likely situation is that the artists have some say but not all the say. If it wasn't Jungkook's choice to work with Jack Harlow in the first place, then we could say that this was a bad move on the company's part and that someone should have taken the time to go over his proposed lyrics before they recorded and released the song. Another possibility is that Big Hit Music knew exactly what they were doing and knew that there would be backlash so they released the alternate version without Jack Harlow's feature—because, as you know, there is no version of "Seven" without Latto. If that's the case, well, color me disappointed but not surprised.

KPOP in the Western Market

Personally, as a Korean American, I am and have been over the KPOP industry's need for validation from the Western music industry. While I am here to support my favorite artists' endeavors to make it onto Billboard charts and win Grammys, I wish that they would free themselves of the idea that they need to achieve certain things in the Western market in order to be considered successful and stop caring about them because that is just colonization in its modern form. The Western music industry will never truly see KPOP as a valid form of music or artform—hence the various awards that they make up specifically for KPOP groups instead of placing them in the same category as other mainstream artists—so why play a game that's been set up for their failure from the start? Plus, these awards shows know that KPOP, while still not being considered mainstream, is a popular niche genre; and they're not above using these industry leaders for views even though they have no intention of giving them an award—as seen at the 2022 Grammy awards when they placed BTS at the end of the show so that ARMYs would watch the whole show and increase their viewership and then didn't give them anything.

I don't think that KPOP groups necessarily need to break into the Western market in order to be successful. KPOP fans are already on the lookout for content and potential tours in their home states or cities; and I think that KPOP groups benefit the most from targeting their existing fans rather than trying to entice the locals because even those locals are more likely to get into KPOP based on the recommendation of their friends than through songs that are only in English. And of course I'm not in any way trying to discount any fans who discovered their favorite group after seeing them perform Korean songs on Jimmy Fallon or other U.S. based shows, but those people are probably already more open-minded to begin with. There is so much xenophobia in the U.S. and other Western countries that even though they notice the popularity of KPOP, aside from using them for views and/or financial gain, you will never really be able to convince the general public that you can indeed appreciate music that's sung in a language you don't speak.

There is still a very large U.S. presence in South Korea today that has a certain amount of influence on how Koreans in general may feel about needing to adhere to specific standards that are distinctly American or Western in nature, which is something I discussed in my think piece regarding BTS's enlistment and the history of Korean conscription. There is some pressure to play nice, as the U.S. "helped" prevent the North Koreans and Communist China from taking over the entire country, but as South Korea starts to come into their own, there may come a time in the future when they realize that they don't want or need the U.S. within their borders any longer—and maybe then KPOP artists will stop caring about Billboard charts and fake awards.

Until that day, the reality is that any Korean entertainment company—yes, even our dear, beloved HYBE—is a business, and their biggest concern is making money. There is, of course, discourse as to which companies are "good" and which ones are "bad" but at the end of the day, they're all running a business to make money using artists as their capital. The Western market, particularly in the U.S., is huge. You can fit five South Koreas in California alone, physically, and the potential for increased sales and streams is alluring. KPOP agencies have been making partnerships with American record labels left and right over the past few years, giving birth to both iconic collaborations and some that leave something to be desired. Because the push is to make music that will become popular on social media and start TikTok challenges that people can easily participate in, this catering to the general public runs the risk of alienating fans who have been loyal for years; and the influx of remixes featuring Western artists that are released on single CDs and heavily promoted have taken away some of the enjoyment of being a KPOP fan. That's not to say that some of these collabs are not good—some of them are great. But are they ever my favorite songs on the album? No, not really. I appreciate the range of artists, though.

At the risk of sounding like I'm enabling a certain "pick me" attitude that some people have about being KPOP fans (in the sense that they think of themselves as better than other people because they listen to music in Korean, which is a kind of fetishization that people don't like to acknowledge), as I mentioned earlier, the draw of KPOP isn't that it sounds like Western pop music. The appeal comes from how different it is; and if KPOP keeps trying to make itself palatable for the Western ear, then it's going to lose that appeal—and that's speaking purely from a practical, business perspective. I also want to emphasize that I am not necessarily lumping in groups' English tracks in this statement. I'm not the biggest fan of them but I don't think that a group is lesser than for releasing them. It takes a lot of courage to put out music in a language you don't speak fluently, and many groups' English tracks have brought fans a lot of happiness.

On that note, however, the other trend that I personally find problematic is the idea of "global" KPOP groups. Please note that this is not about gatekeeping KPOP, because KPOP is free to be enjoyed by anyone regardless of who they are. However, as I mentioned previously, South Korea is currently still occupied by the U.S., and while it has been skillfully covered up by mainstream media, South Koreans would actually very much like for the U.S. to be out of their country. It's true that U.S. presence has introduced many genres that are popular in Western music to South Korea (including genres that were created by black musicians), which allowed KPOP to build an industry that is known for blending genres and creating new sounds, but at its core, KPOP is something so distinctly and uniquely Korean; and most Koreans are very proud of the impact that Korean pop culture has had on the rest of the world because of KPOP. Talent can be sourced from many places but the practice of bringing non-Korean or non-Asian artists into a KPOP group reeks of colonization. If you think about it, colonization has happened more or less the same way in every instance: a larger world power takes notice of a smaller, less developed country with resources from which they can profit and then they take over to exploit those resources for their own benefit. In the same way, everyone wants a piece of the KPOP pie and when Korean or even Asian members are the minority in the group, it's no longer a KPOP group and more of a group that's doing KPOP. There are some people who would argue that what makes it KPOP is that it's sung in Korean but that's not exactly true. KPOP is a wholly comprehensive experience that includes the music, the choreography, the styling, the concepts, and the storytelling, as well as other elements that are inherently specific to Korean culture. There are some things that non-Koreans will never be able to fully grasp, no matter how much they study the language or the culture or how much time they spend living in Korea.

Additionally, KPOP is so lucrative that instead of becoming artists in their own countries, many people come to Korea hoping to get accepted as trainees so that they can debut in a KPOP group and maybe one day find success. Not only does this then take away from the Koreanness of the art form but it also takes away talented artists from the entertainment industries in other countries that could benefit from having that star power. Survival shows like JYP Entertainment's A2K and HYBE x Geffen's Dream Academy mean well, I'm sure, and those girls are all very talented and deserving of a bright future in music and entertainment—but being a non-Korean or non-Asian in a KPOP group is not like being a person of a non-Caucasian race or ethnicity in the Western music industry where the mainstream music is predominantly sung in English because Korean is not a universally spoken language. While the inclusivity and diversity is well-intentioned, you have to take into consideration what diversity looks like for each population. South Korea has been largely homogeneous for almost its entire life as a nation, and regardless of their close ties with the U.S., the makeup of the population is nothing close to the melting pot that exists in America. And no matter what anyone tells you about how much global groups will receive a lot of support because of all the different countries represented, a majority of the KPOP audience does not want to see foreigners in KPOP groups. I personally would much rather see a wider acceptance of idols from throughout the Korean diaspora and mixed Koreans as a show of the diversity that could be possible in popular Korean media than willingly allow the rest of the world to invade Korea again in a more nuanced way. What would be diverse for South Korea would be to see more black Koreans, more Hispanic/Latinx Koreans, and other non-Caucasian Koreans in KPOP in order for them to acknowledge the growing population of mixed Koreans while still maintaining its status as a Korean artform.

If there is such a demand for global groups, then the better route to take would be to follow in XG's footsteps: create a group of Asian (in their case, Japanese) artists who were trained in the KPOP system, release music exclusively in English, and promote all over the world. (I will say that their continued attendance at Korean music shows is a little baffling, considering that none of their music is in Korean. I know they're all learning how to speak Korean, though, so I'm hoping that they start releasing music in Korean—and in Japanese—so that they can really show that they are a global group.)

Are Artists Obligated to "Use Their Platform for Good"?

Plenty of celebrities have received the criticism that they should be "using their platform" to raise awareness about specific issues and topics and are often attacked for remaining silent. While it is true that they have so much social capital and public influence that it would be nice to see them use it to do something good for others, is it really fair to expect people to be constantly championing causes when they are also burdened with other responsibilities that we may be unaware of and/or unable to understand?

A lot of parents like to say that some celebrities need to carry themselves better and think about what they say and do because they have a lot of children and young people who look up to them. Again, this is true, but are we as everyday adults thinking about whether or not we're conducting ourselves in a way that would be appropriate for any children who may be observing us? Unlikely, unless you have your own children or other children in your family. Celebrities have very different lives and they have privileges that most of us will never know, but at the end of the day, they're also people and it must be exhausting to have to be "on" anytime you could be seen by someone, let alone for children that are, for them, only existing in the abstract and not in reality. Many celebrities don't become celebrities in order to have so much sway over such a large population of people—they simply pursued something they were passionate about and became wealthy and famous in the process. They're sometimes seen as these "other-worldly" figures but they're really no different from the rest of us when it comes to bare bones.

So are artists responsible for how the content they put out into the world affects others? Yes and no. For example, I don't think BTS should be held accountable for how the rest of the world views KPOP or Koreans just because they're one of the most popular figures in Korean entertainment. Should they be mindful about the kind of music they make given the diversity of their audience? Absolutely—but they don't have to. They can make whatever kind of music they want and how the fans receive it will send a message to them. They can choose to listen or not, and that is their right. It just so happens that they have chosen time and time again to put the fans first and that has played a huge part in their success.

Should Jungkook be responsible for protecting the ears of innocent children from the sexually explicit lyrics in his music? No, of course not, their parents should be keeping that music out of their rotation. But should Big Hit Music be responsible for vetting collaborations before releasing music that is racist and misogynistic? I'd really like to say yes, because that's something that would happen at the company level and not the artist level. If they really cared about Jungkook's image outside of the sexual themes of his solo music, then Jack Harlow would've never gotten the go ahead. Something like this is disappointing because prior to the creation of HYBE, Big Hit Entertainment had set the standard for being a company that valued their artists. It was really hard to not be a "company stan" at the beginning, but at the end of the day, companies will always value profits over people and even Big Hit Music is no exception.

Conclusion

There are some things that we as KPOP fans should consider. One, KPOP has the potential to become even bigger or crumble, depending on the actions that Korean entertainment companies take in the upcoming years. KPOP is really what put South Korea on the map and though they would benefit more from staying true to what has made the genre so beloved by many fans around the world, the shift in direction towards trying to appeal to Western tastes has been continuing; and this move has the potential to lose the interest of long-time KPOP fans who will see it as no longer being different from other genres and therefore no longer appealing.

Two, allowing access to the idol system for everyone isn't the solution people want to believe it is. Even with the backing of large companies, so-called global groups have a bigger chance of being snubbed by lifelong KPOP fans; and people shouldn't be trying to take something away from a population for whom their economy, society, and lives in general have been shaped by that one thing. Modern colonization exists and this is it.

Three, KPOP artists, while they don't grow in the same way as everyday people, do still grow; and they should be allowed the space to grow, whether that means being free to express their sexuality or their personality changing. Especially if you've been a KPOP fan for a long time, we are literally growing up with these artists. I myself am the same age as many third generation KPOP idols, and knowing how much my style has changed, how much my personality has changed, I don't expect that those things will never change for an idol. People who expected TWICE to do the cute, girly thing forever actually want them to look and act like little girls forever, and they are grown women. They're allowed to change because they are changing. People are not free for consumption in any way we want, and we need to get past this idea of demanding that idols need to stay the same.

Which brings us to four, artists and celebrities are people. Making art for a living is tricky, as it often is when you're doing what you love and being paid for it. While most people would say that that's the dream, it can also be a burden; and public figures can never truly be themselves because someone is always watching. And though we should never excuse someone's poor behavior, it's important to have some compassion for other people's situations. In a world where corporations hold most of the power and even the most famous artists are still chained to certain responsibilities and expectations, we should recognize that we cannot impose our own values and morals on others. If your favorite artist disappoints you, it can be very devastating, but it is also a testament to how much we place certain people on pedestals when we should all be treated equally as human beings.

Maybe this is all a huge overreaction to "3D" and maybe it's not. It's a very long-winded way of saying that I don't like the song but like most things, it's connected to other things and it's important to understand the context of all those things. Anyway, please pre-order GOLDEN by Jungkook if you can and I'll see you all on November 3rd!

#GeniusLabThinks #GeniusLabListens #KPOP #Jungkook #BTS Jungkook #BTS #Song Review #Think Piece #I have a lot of mixed feelings about all of this but I think it's important to address every side of each topic. #I know some people are going to be upset about some of the things I say here but some things are more important than what people want.

[halfseoulco]

Everything is Our: An essay on Korean Culture

Published Friday, October 13th, 2023 — In Charlotte Cho’s The Little Book of Jeong, she shares an anecdote I’ve thought about often since I first read it: “A few months earlier, during the 2010 Winter Olympics, Kim Yuna, known as ‘the nation’s daughter’, had executed a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination, a triple, and a double axel for the short program, which not only won her the gold medal, it broke records. […] At that time, my jeong for Korea was still growing, but theirs was overflowing. Tears streamed down their faces, and they held their breaths in anticipation and awe, as every movement was executed to perfection.”

I don’t know how to explain to non-Korean people the connection that we as Koreans feel to our culture. To me, that short passage from Cho’s second publication strikes me in the same place that I imagine it would strike in other Koreans—a place where community, pride, and love intersect tightly, so tightly that the slightest tremble would cause the entire thing to tip over and pour out. From the soft underbellies of our souls to the sturdy ribcages of our psyches, I think that all Koreans carry within them something that only Koreans truly understand. The foundation of Korean culture is a war-riddled history as a tiny country surrounded by enemies, but it is also layers of jeong—strong, intimate relationships—and a stone well brimming with han—a complex cocktail of deeply rooted emotions such as grief and resentment.

But above all, the strongest pillar of Korean culture is the unabashedly overflowing love that Koreans have for Korea and other Koreans.

As Korea has grown into a thriving tourist destination and a point of interest around the globe, it’s easy to pick out what other people think is Korean culture. Of course, the cornerstones of any culture are often the things we can most easily identify: the food, the historic buildings, the art, the lifestyle. But I think the most defining element of Korean culture is the unyielding defense of our—our country, our people—not my but our—and the shared responsibility to uphold this defense connects one Korean to another like a silken golden thread that only we can see. And because everything is our, that means everything is shared: joy, anger, sorrow, pride. Everything that can be shared is shared in the clink of two glasses after long hours at the office, in the heat of the overhead lights of Seoul Olympic Stadium, and in the salted air of the sea between Incheon and Jeju where the MV Sewol sank in 2014.

Korean culture is being able to trace your roots backwards through generations and finding everyone’s places in time via designated syllables in given names—always being aware of who came before you, who will come after you, and who is walking the same path with you now but also being aware of your own significance as told through the name your parents picked for you. It’s a language that knows no gender but instead knows your elders from your peers and more than one way to say thank you and sorry. It’s a society where everyone gives what they can without expecting anything in return, where people fight to be the one who pays the check at the end of the night, and where birthdays are opportunities for giving gifts as much as they are for receiving them.

But Korean culture is also the way I always leave the ends of the soondae for my mother because that’s the part she likes the most, the norigae hanging in my room to bring me good fortune, my order of rice cake soup every new year from the nearby Korean restaurant if the holiday falls on a weekday and I can’t go home to my parents. It's the way I cry when I see KPOP artists perform versions of their songs with traditional Korean instruments while wearing hanboks in front of significant historic landmarks like Gyeongbok or Kyunghee Palace; or when I watched ATEEZ perform “Wonderland” in Sungnyemun for Korea’s 77th Liberation Day on stage last year. It’s the way I only watch the World Cup when Korea plays while wearing my red tiger T-shirt from Korelimited, the water I pour into my parents’ drinking glasses before my own, the pendant with my Korean name around my neck, and the ink on my skin. It’s all of our dogs having Korean names as well as English names, and my mother writing all of them down in a notebook like it’s our very own jokbo for our pets—a genealogy book recorded through the generations—and it’s all of our dogs understanding Korean as well as English. It’s speaking to another Korean person in Korean and them wanting to help me immediately and the oftentimes long conversation that follows. It’s always choosing Pepero over Pocky—always—and it’s knowing that Korean food is and always will be the best-tasting food, the food I always want to eat because it tastes like home. It’s learning the fan dance and the mask dance and playing traditional Korean buk drums in elementary school, it’s the jar of yuzu tea in my fridge, it’s taking the black-and-white photo of my halmeoni that sat on the mantel above the fireplace in my childhood home—my halmeoni who survived a Japan-occupied Korea and then raised four children by herself post-liberation—and connecting it with my memory of her on her deathbed when I went to Korea in 1998. It’s proudly giving a presentation in my college Korean class about my most famous ancestor, Empress Min Myeongseong, and being upset that I never got to see the musical about her called The Last Empress.

It’s a profound longing for Korea after having not gone back for twenty-five years.

Moving from place to place, the comforting hand of our culture remains on my shoulder. It waves at me with sincerity and warmth wherever I put down roots, winks at me from the flag painted in red, blue, white, and black in its place by my bedroom door. It makes me pause whenever I pass the white silken scroll with my Korean name in hanja, adorned with ink paintings of a palace, a rabbit, and a crane that my parents had done for me in Korea when we last visited. I taste it in the meat my parents marinate for me before packing it up and sending it home with me. I see it in the shot-on-film photograph of my first birthday, my parents holding me between them, me dressed in a fuchsia and green hanbok, having just picked the money during my dol ceremony. I hear it when my parents sing “our Youkyung” when they sing “happy birthday” to me in Korean; or when we sing “our appa” or “our eomma” when it’s my stepfather’s birthday or my mother’s birthday. Not my but our.

My joy is our joy, my grief is our grief, my triumph is our triumph. Everything is our and hibiscus petals line the way to our home from wherever we are in the world.

#GeniusLabThinks #GeniusLabKCulture #Korean Culture #I originally wrote this for the Talk Talk Korea K-Culture contest but they decided to pick all drawing/painting submissions so... #Literally the best thing I've ever written and for what #I'm kinda salty if you couldn't tell

[halfseoulco]

Celebrating Mixed Asian Day: A reflection

Published Saturday, September 16th, 2023 — In 2020, the U.S. census recorded 33.8 million people who identify as multiracial, accounting for 10.2% of the population. With this number having more than tripled from what was documented in 2010, it has quickly become clear that more than ever, we need spaces where multiracial people can connect with others like them and celebrate both their own uniqueness and the uniqueness of their experiences.

While many "official" months have been established as periods during which certain groups are acknowledged and celebrated, there are still groups who have unequal access to certain spaces or are being left out of spaces altogether. With so many people existing in the in-between, we've long outgrown the binary approach to race; and the need for more literature on multiraciality and more representation for multiracial people is growing as quickly as the population itself.

Mixed Asian Day

Today, while the main event is being hosted in New York, Mixed Asian Media is inviting people who identify as mixed Asian to celebrate their diverse heritage and bring their own perspectives to our collective narrative, regardless of their ability to attend the event in conjunction with their third annual Mixed Asian Media Fest or their location.

It brings me more joy and comfort than I can express to know that MAM is using their platform to provide a space so that mixed Asians can have a voice in the cultural and racial landscape of the world we live in. The more that we can make ourselves seen and heard, the more representation we can secure for those growing up who have never seen anyone in media who looks like them.

Growing Up Mixed Asian

I think that a lot of the work that has gone into becoming secure in my own identity has happened within the last two or three years. Growing up was not without its own handful of uncomfortable experiences and feelings that I wasn't emotionally mature enough to articulate, but I had a very different view of myself until around the time the COVID-19 pandemic hit; and it forced me to reevaluate what I thought I knew about myself and how the information I had had shaped my identity.

My parents divorced when I was very young so I have no idea if they even had a plan for how they were going to raise a biracial child; as it happened, I only saw my dad on weekends, so my mom had the most opportunity to raise me with Korean culture, traditions, and values. It's not that I forgot that I was also Nicaraguan, it's more that I had no point of reference for what it even meant to be Nicaraguan. My dad rarely ever spoke about Nicaragua—and he never spoke to me in Spanish, although he spoke Spanish in front of me. With knowledge of my heritage but no idea of how I was supposed to go about my life with that knowledge in hand, I simply spent a lot of time being frustrated about how people treated me and not knowing how to process any of it in a healthy, productive way. I tried existing without having to explain myself to anyone, which worked for a little while. The other kids in my classes all throughout elementary school never said anything to me, at least not to my face, maybe because my mom was a teacher at the school—had been their teacher in kindergarten. But as I got older and other people around me got older and they started piecing together what they knew about race and appearances, it became more difficult to get away with simply existing.

I think this is largely due to the fact that most monoracial people don't realize the privilege they have in their monoraciality, and it shows in the way they speak to multiracial people. On our bingo cards, we have wonderful little squares that are cornerstones of the multiracial experience, including everyone's favorite question, "What are you?" or "Where are you from?", backhanded compliments ("That's why you're so pretty!"), and everyone's second favorite question, "Which half do you identify more with?" Sometimes you don't even realize that the backhanded compliments were backhanded compliments and then, like me, you end up being angry about something someone said to you several years ago. (I also ended up being angry about a lot of terminology that didn't bother me before, like "exotic"; and I stopped referring to myself as "half Korean and half Nicaraguan" in favor of the term "biracial". There are other terms that are embraced by other mixed race communities but I never really latched onto any of them. "Halfie", quite frankly, feels derogatory and "hapa" in its original context doesn't apply.)

Most of the time, though, you're just really angry because it's none of anyone else's business what your ethnicity pie chart looks like. It's your pie, after all. Why should anyone else care what it looks like?

Needless to say, I had a lot of things to sort through as I got older, including how I felt about Asian people and how I felt about Hispanic people. Having grown up in predominantly Asian neighborhoods, I always felt welcomed there, but because the Korean genetics won out in terms of my appearance, I had no shortage of experiences in other environments that were racist at worst and ignorant at best.

As a kid going to school in downtown LA where the student population was incredibly diverse, there were times when I wanted to tell the Hispanic kids making fun of me on the shared playground that I was one of them just so that they would stop—but kids aren't usually having conversations about race and appearances. They're just being kids, but the memories stuck, as they often do; and as I continued to exist in predominantly Asian spaces, I subconsciously distanced myself from my Hispanic heritage and any possibility of having a community with other Hispanic people—something I've only recently been able to acknowledge.

My dad was worried that I hated Hispanic people, or maybe even that I hated being Hispanic—something that I should've realized when I got what's called a magic straight perm, a semi-permanent hair straightening solution, for the second time when I was nineteen. Honestly, while it was much easier to run a brush through my hair during that time, sitting at the salon for four hours was not fun. I have what some people might call an overabundance of hair, and it's very thick, which meant that the Korean lady who had been doing my hair for almost my entire life had to treat my hair twice with the straightening product in order to get it to take. The magic perm was supposed to last six to eight months but maybe my curls were too powerful because I had to constantly straighten my ends in order to maintain it; and I ended up damaging so much of my hair that after about a year, I cut it short and got a perm to bring my curls back. My hair was so dry and undefined for ages that when I finally brought it back to life, I decided that I would never straighten my hair again—until I got my hair cut at a Vietnamese hair salon in 2020 and they straightened my hair before cutting it. I was so angry that I refused to go back there, even though they had done an excellent job with my haircut.

The hair has been a touchy subject for a while, partly because people always want to touch it but also because it's the one thing that throws everyone off when they look at me and try to reconcile what they know about Asians and their appearances. It took almost frying my entire head of hair for me to appreciate it, even though my mom has been perming her hair almost my entire life so that she could have hair like me.

The other main catalyst for my shift in perspective was a recent set of updated results from AncestryDNA. When I was young, my mom had told me the story of how my grandfather, who came from a long line of "pureblooded" Spaniards, married my grandmother, who is Nicaraguan, Italian, and indigenous, and upset his entire family. I spent most of my life thinking that my Italian heritage was about an eighth of my makeup—until my AncestryDNA results updated for the sixth or seventh time and came back showing that Italian only accounted for 2% while Nicaraguan and Spanish accounted for 19% and 17%, respectively. The change in percentage for my Spanish DNA really threw me for a loop because, you know, colonization; and that was something else I had to wrap my head around because Nicaraguans themselves are the result of the Spanish mixing with the indigenous people in what is now known as Nicaragua.

It's all rather crazy.

I'll admit that I don't know much about Nicaraguan culture, mostly because my dad says there's not much to know every time I ask him, but I have a huge affection and appreciation for Hispanic and Latin American cultures in a very general sense. I still don't speak Spanish, even though I can read it and understand it on a very basic level; and the food has always been what makes me feel the most connected. I think I've had tamales made in so many different ways by people from different countries and I really, really love Peruvian food. I also find meaningful connection through art—music in particular—and I watched Encanto at least once or twice a week every week for about a year following its release, just because I saw so much of my own family in the Madrigals, including my own role represented by Isabela and Luisa. But just because I've embraced my Hispanic culture more doesn't mean that I still don't feel out of place when my dad leaves me by myself in the middle of the produce section at Northgate market or when the owner of a clothing store in downtown LA thought I was a family friend instead of my dad's daughter. I've had people at parties that were thrown at my dad's house talk about me in Spanish right in front of me as if I wasn't there—which I understood perfectly, even if I couldn't snap back. Whenever I go out with my dad. his wife, and my half-sister—who is full Hispanic since her mom is Colombian—I also feel like they're looking at me or that they think I'm adopted. Honestly, it makes me feel pretty terrible.

It's something I haven't been able to move on from completely but I'm actively trying to put those negative experiences aside so that I can focus on how very proud I am of being Nicaraguan and Korean rather than in spite of being Korean.

On the opposite end, I actually discovered later in my twenties that Asian people also have some not-so-nice opinions where mixed Asians are concerned, which didn't make me feel great either; and Koreans especially still look at biracial Koreans as foreigners instead of Koreans, although my experience has probably been more favorable since I speak Korean fluently. I'd had so much self-confidence about my Koreanness up to that point, thinking that I had checked enough boxes that no one would doubt me but it turns out that I have to field questions in that regard as well—which then led to a doubling down on self-education and cultural immersion to prove that I am Korean enough. And maybe I have expended more effort into proving that I'm Korean enough instead of trying to prove that I'm Nicaraguan enough because I believed the latter to be a lost cause—but the reality is that I shouldn't have been trying so hard to prove either because regardless of how much I know, I can't rewrite my own DNA any more than anyone else can.

After that, I can now just be.

Conclusion

One of the biggest ways in which I've always gotten in my own way is that I was so utterly convinced that being biracial was the only thing people were ever going to notice about me—that it would become my default identifier. People wouldn't remember me as a great writer or musician; instead, I would always be known as the mixed person because that would be the most memorable thing about me. I also thought I was alone; I can count the number of mixed Asians I know or have known personally on just over one hand and I wasn't close enough to most of them to try to build a tiny community for just us so that we would have someone to talk to about our shared experiences.

What I want most for myself and for other people who identify as mixed Asian is that by having more spaces like Mixed Asian Day where we can fully embrace our identities, we can stop feeling like we have to prove ourselves to others—that we are Asian enough—that we are enough. More than that, it allows us to see that we have a community of people with similar experiences, people who look like us, people with whom we can relate; and it shows us that we are capable of anything and everything, just as much as anyone else. We are just as multi-faceted, just as diverse, just as unpredictable and full of possibilities.

Happy Mixed Asian Day, you beautiful people. This day is ours.

#GeniusLabThinks #Mixed Asian Day #Mixed Asian Media #Mixed Asian #Mixed Race #Biracial #Multiracial #AAPINH

[halfseoulco]

Inside Genius Lab USA:

⭐ GENIUS LAB USA — California

Please don't repost! ♡

#GeniusLabPersonal #KPOP merch #KPOP collection #KPOP room #I don't normally post personal stuff on here but I thought I'd give you a visual for where the magic happens. #Follow me on Instagram @halfseoul.co if you're on collectorgram!

[halfseoulco]

The university analogy: Finding what makes KPOP groups unique

Published Saturday, July 22nd, 2023 — With as many groups as there are currently active within the KPOP industry, even with the population of fans growing globally, the reality is that the market for KPOP is oversaturated. It seems like new groups are debuting every week and fandoms are ready to defend their favorite artists at a moment’s notice. There are many ways in which you could possibly insult somebody else’s favorite group—if you were that kind of person—but no attack is more pointed than one that targets their talents as artists.

The University Analogy

What is the university analogy? The university analogy is something that I came up with because I thought it was the best way to explain the current KPOP market to a friend who knows next to nothing about KPOP.

When I was applying for colleges in 2011 as a junior, I was warned by everyone from my mother to my guidance counselor that having good grades and a good SAT score would simply not be enough. I ended my high school career ranked tenth out of a graduating class of several hundred students, a well-above average SAT score, honors and AP classes stacked up to my nose, four years of band as my extracurricular activity, and several awards—and I only got into two out of the six schools I applied to.

I imagine it’s much more difficult for today’s students to get accepted to the college of their dreams. College prep culture and the business of helping students study and prepare for applying to college are now so prevalent that an above 4.0 GPA means little to admissions boards these days. Institutions of higher education are more interested in what a student has to offer aside from their ability to study, memorize information, and pass tests for good grades. What makes them special? What do they do outside of school? What are their passions? Who do they want to be in the future?

The KPOP industry is much the same.

With the popularity of Korean media and especially KPOP booming around the world, it’s not enough to these Korean entertainment agencies that an individual is talented. There are definitely other factors they take into consideration, which means that there is one thing that every KPOP idol who has passed through a trainee program at one of those entertainment agencies and debuted as a group possesses—something that warring fandoms refuse to acknowledge about their adversaries: talent.

The KPOP Model

As much as some people might be irked by the fact that I’m calling it a model, there is a model that Korean entertainment agencies follow when trying to build a successful group. It’s basically the whole premise of JYP Entertainment’s A2K project, in which J.Y. Park’s goal is to find talented individuals in America and put them through the KPOP training system to show that it can be applied successfully to an international group. In partnership with Republic Records, JYP Entertainment is striving to create a girl group with global appeal through this reality competition.*

Trainees hoping to debut are put through grueling schedules where they practice singing, dancing, and rapping and are evaluated regularly. Some trainees don’t get to debut at all—some get sent home and some simply quit. There are some trainees who stay trainees for years; and by the time they get to debut, their relief and exhaustion are almost tangible.

While there are a few groups who don’t have fixed positions, the makeup of a KPOP group is pretty typical. There are designated vocalists, rappers, and dancers, with other positions dubbing them as main vocalist, center, visual, leader, etc. (Personally, I think that not having fixed positions is more of an indication of well-rounded talent, but people should remember that having fixed positions is also perfectly fine. Everyone is good at something—and conversely, everyone is also not as good at something.) Companies are competing for market share in sales and attention from fans so of course they’re only looking for the most talented individuals they can find; therefore it is a given at this point that every group who is currently active within the industry is talented. There might have been a time when groups could escape notice if someone was, say, only scouted for their visuals but today’s fans have discerning eyes and ears—and they want to see and hear something amazing.

If all KPOP groups are more or less going through the same training system and all the idols are talented, what sets one group apart from any other group? What does one group have that another group doesn’t?

The answer lies in the same thing that makes any piece of art extraordinary: people.

What KPOP Audiences Want

When I was on my way to see TOMORROW X TOGETHER in LA at the end of May, my Uber driver, who was a middle-aged Korean man with a love for IVE, told me something that I knew already but that I want to share with all of you, slightly paraphrased as I remember it:

If KPOP agencies were only looking for good-looking people who can sing and dance, they could find them in Korea. They scout in America and other countries because those people are influenced by different things, especially music, and have different perspectives and beliefs—which is particularly true for those who are a part of the Korean diaspora.

And, of course, representation matters—fans are always excited about seeing idols from their hometowns or home countries; and KPOP artists are seen as some of the biggest forms of positive representation for Koreans and Asians as a whole. In his documentary, SUGA: Road to D-Day, SUGA of BTS is shown being stopped by other Koreans while in Las Vegas thanking him for making Korea proud, so the emotional connection between artists and their fans definitely plays a significant role in the group’s success.

Even if fans don’t see themselves represented in the individual members of a group, they can still find elements in the music and styling that are familiar to them. Korea is a largely homogeneous country, although tourism and the globalization of Korean pop culture have led to an increase in foreigners and expatriates. KPOP is not longer meant to only appeal to Koreans; in order to appeal to audiences around the world, they have to find elements that those audiences will respond well to. This is why companies scout or accept as trainees Koreans born and/or raised in America, Canada, or Australia, for example; in addition to those from Japan, China, Thailand, and other Asian countries. How else could LE SSERAFIM have a Japanese ballerina and a Korean-American opera singer in the same group? How else could KARD have a Korean-American rapper who grew up speaking Spanish and Portuguese, which has had a significant influence on their sound from the beginning and contributes to their popularity in Latin America? In the same way that colleges want to see what makes students unique, Korean entertainment agencies and fans alike want to see what makes a KPOP group unique. Talent is a great starting point... but what else is there?

The most important thing to remember is that talent is not any one specific thing. Talents are varied and diverse and can therefore be highlighted in just as many ways. That is why one of the things that I find the most fascinating about KPOP is how many different shows there are to showcase the various talents of artists, especially when they’re having a comeback.

Aside from the regularly scheduled programming (SHOW CHAMPION, Mnet Countdown, THE SHOW, THE SHOW CHOICE, Music Bank, Show! MusicCore, and Inkigayo), and other miscellaneous shows such as Arirang’s SIMPLY K-POP CON-TOUR, there are shows dedicated to highlighting specific areas of talent in groups or individuals. While the aforementioned shows are by no means a lesser example of a group’s skills (as being a charismatic performer is still an important aspect of being a KPOP idol), these shows are not necessarily the best indicators of a group’s talents, as the use of backing tracks are common. Most of the channels that provide artists with opportunities to show off their best skills are solely online rather than broadcasted via a public network—but there is definitely demand for the kind of more niche content that these channels specialize in.

Groups known for their exceptional dance skills and impressive stage presence are often invited to STUDIO CHOOM, 1theK’s 1theKILLPO, or DGG’s COLOR DANCE. I definitely look forward to sessions from these channels as there is something so incredibly satisfying from seeing cleanly executed choreography and flawless synchronization between members. KPOP groups will also release performance versions of their music videos and dance practice videos themselves, showing off the efforts of their dedication and hard work to fans—so it’s not lost on me or anyone else that having skilled dancers is essential when forming a KPOP group. However, compared to singing, dancing is a skill that can be more easily honed through practice and repetition.** A person’s voice is unique to them; aside from technique refinement and improved musicality, a voice cannot get better if there was no talent to begin with. Vocalists go through training in order to work on the more technical aspects of singing, find their singing style, and become stronger singers. There are good singers—singers who have never had a vocal lesson but can sing in the right key and sound pretty while singing in the shower or at church, but the competitive nature of the KPOP industry doesn’t demand good singers—it doesn’t even demand great singers.

It demands extraordinary singers.

If a group has one or two star vocalists, they get invited to Lee Mujin Service, where they perform prepared pieces live in front of Lee Mujin, who is a talented singer himself, and his crew. If they’re lucky enough to have a whole group of well-rounded vocalists, they get invited to it’s Live to sing with a live band, where groups can perform to the fullest of their vocal abilities unhindered by having to perform choreography; or, one of my favorites, Dingo Music’s Killing Voice. There are also popular radio shows where groups can sing live, such as BTOB’s Kiss the Radio, COOL LIVE, STATION Z, and more, all streamed via KBS CoolFM. Whether it’s something that you personally look for or not, live vocals matter quite a lot to most fans; and even people who don’t know much about music can recognize when the mixed and mastered version of an artist’s voice is a huge departure from their original raw vocals. Vocal teachers or professional singers of other genres who react to KPOP groups for fun prefer to watch live performances as opposed to “produced” ones, as it is easier to get a truer sense of an idol’s vocal abilities when there’s no mixing and mastering involved. Live performances also give some vocalists the opportunity to share their real voice without any auto tune or other effects that producers add for stylistic reasons.

The holy grail of all shows, in my opinion, the KBS show Immortal Songs is a program where groups are invited to perform their own renditions of legendary songs by older, well-established artists who are highly respected and revered in the industry. Oh, and by the way, they’re not allowed to lip sync.

In June of this year, ATEEZ set a new record as the first group to win on Immortal Songs four separate times (and they’ve been on the show six times). Often dismissed by the Korean KPOP audience and by the rest of the industry for coming from a small company and for their unconventional style, they are mostly praised for their incredible performances and unmatched stage presence; and their live vocals tend to be overlooked. However, winning four times on a show where lip syncing is not allowed is no small feat and should be recognized for the achievement that it is; and I think that there are groups within the KPOP industry who would really benefit from participating in Immortal Songs so that they can receive the credit they deserve for their abilities.

Personally, the groups that I find the most talented are the ones who consistently sing well live. It’s rare that anyone will go through a session in the recording booth and not have to have their voice tweaked for the final product that then gets released; and there should be no expectation that an artist will sound the way they did on the album while they are also performing intense choreography. A skilled vocalist who knows their limits knows when to sing live and when to let the backing track fill in the gaps. Singing live while dancing, especially during concerts and world tours, requires a high level of strength, endurance, and stamina that can be achieved through consistent training; and there is a consensus of deep admiration for groups whose voices remain stable even as they are running up and down from the main stage to the extended catwalk and back. However, there have been some notable examples over the past few years of groups who have been caught lip syncing for the entire duration of the performance—or worse, caught lip syncing while sitting for the performance. The criticism and backlash for those offenses were not light by any means, and it is likely that fans are not going to forget them anytime soon.

Now, lip syncing is not a crime; rather, it is a necessity, especially if the artist is going to be performing for a greater length of time. Lip syncing during a moment of complicated choreography is totally acceptable. As aerobic activities, singing and dancing both require significant amounts of oxygen; and vocalists are more likely to choose to allocate their oxygen to dancing over singing. This is also why rappers tend to not have too much choreography during their verses, as they have to focus on articulating more syllables at a faster speed; or why main vocalists will stop moving right before they belt or sustain a long or high note. No artist should sacrifice their health or physical well-being for the sake of proving that they can sing live all the time—and no one should expect them to—but I do favor groups who prioritize being able to maintain vocal stability while singing live over those who seem content to only sing live some of the time.***

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it’s not possible to be totally objective about talent. Everyone’s personal preferences, including mine****, play a part in whether they perceive someone as being “good”. But what all KPOP fans should consider when putting down another group for being untalented is that not liking said group for things such as genre, style, or concept does not equate to a lack of talent. Additionally, a company’s failure to promote their artists properly or provide them with opportunities to truly showcase their abilities is also not an indication of a lack of talent but poor management. Members of a group are selected for the talents they possess. They may not possess all the skills demanded by industry standards by themselves but that is why, if the company is smart, they put together groups consisting of members with different talents so that they achieve a cohesive, well-balanced performance team. This is usually the goal but it is, of course, more impressive to have members who can do it all. Aces and all-rounders in KPOP are so highly sought after and heavily praised for this reason—audiences only ever want to see the best of the best; and with the number of active groups continuing to climb, everyone is feeling the pressure to step up their game and seek out the most talented individuals around the world. It’s uncertain what this fierce level of competition will mean for the future of KPOP but what we can all do is continue to be respectful and give artists the credit they deserve for their skills.

*Please note that I did not watch the A2K series aside from the official announcement, which provided a detailed explanation of the purpose of the project.

**This is not meant to be taken as saying that anyone can dance if they work hard enough at it or to demean the natural skill and talent of professional dancers. You definitely cannot dance well if you don’t already have a knack for it but it’s easier to teach a person who’s never danced before to dance than it is to teach someone who is tone deaf how to sing.

***Please make sure to watch the live version of ONEUS’s dance practice for “ERASE ME”, as it is a great example of artists who choose to sing live even though there is no expectation for them to be singing live in that particular situation.

****Please also note that while I am expressing my opinions here, some of the insight I am providing is based on my own knowledge and background in music in general, as well as in singing and dancing.

#GeniusLabThinks #KPOP #Korean Music #This is not meant to offend anyone. This is just some food for thought. #But also! Stop calling groups untalented just because their music isn't your favorite.

[halfseoulco]

THE WORLD EP.2 : OUTLAW — ATEEZ: A review

Published Friday, June 16th, 2023 — It’s not exactly a secret that ATEEZ has been very busy these days. Between launching a new website and online platform, KCON Japan, a collaboration with AlphaCrewz, and additional tour announcements, their schedules have been packed to the brim—and they seem to be showing no signs of stopping.

Introduction

As someone who only recently tried to start making sense of ATEEZ’s lore as told over the span of their discography, it’s been a great deal of fun attempting to piece everything together. The more music they release, the clearer the story becomes, even though the members themselves have said that there is still so much more left to be revealed. Having completed the TREASURE and FEVER series, which Hongjoong has explained was Timeline A, we have started to move deeper into Timeline Z—and things will only get more and more interesting as we progress.

Setting the Stage

KQ Entertainment expertly laid the foundation for a highly anticipated comeback, making the official announcement on May 13th with a teaser image showing all the members’ faces on WANTED posters, followed by a second teaser image similar in style except with the words “WELCOME TO THE OUTLAW”. The individual character posters were dropped on the 14th and 15th, then the title poster for their title track “BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS)”, and the trailer poster on the 17th.

The trailer itself is, as usual, a work of art. It played a significant role in helping establish the tone for THE WORLD EP.2 : OUTLAW, opening with the words “진입 작전을 위해 대기한 지 벌써 6개월째“, meaning that [in the timeline of the story] that ATEEZ were on standby for six months while taking on a certain operation. Then the black screen shifts to a nighttime setting, rich with especially blues and sprinklings of red as we see someone get on a motor bike with the words “Blue Bird Delivery” printed on the back of their jacket. The blue bird has been a slowly recurring symbol in the group’s music since first introduced in “HALAZIA”, so it was a notable little item to keep track of. The next line is “우리는 각자 구석구석에 숨어 때를 기다리고 있다”, which means “Each of us has been waiting in separate hideouts”, although the word “구석” means “corner” and is used twice in succession, which demonstrates a higher level of stealth and sneakiness than just hiding out. Hongjoong and Mingi spy the delivery person pulling up, watching as they knock on the door of a van housing San and Wooyoung before moving on to an auto body shop where Yunho and Jongho are hard at work. They make a drop-off with Hongjoong and Mingi, the former of whom opens up the takeout box and pulls out a vibrant green chili pepper, which are very common in Korea and eaten as a side dish. The peppers all contain rolled up paper, which when unfurled reveals the message “Let’s bounce!” The third line says, “때가 된 것 같아”, translating to “Looks like it’s time”. The delivery person then pulls up to a gang of bikers spearheaded by Seonghwa; and is then revealed to be Yeosang when he removes his bandana and helmet. Seonghwa tosses Yeosang his jacket, which he then uses to replace the Blue Bird Delivery jacket he was wearing up till that point. The biker gang takes off into the night, ending the trailer.

Following the trailer, KQ released preview posters and short video clips to help the audience choose their outlaw partner, with San and Wooyoung’s dropping on the 21st, Yunho and Jongho’s on the 22nd, Seonghwa and Yeosang’s on the 23rd, and Hongjoong and Mingi’s on the 24th. A clip titled “OPERATION : ‘DJANGO’ (ATEEZ on Undercover)”, in reference to the song of the same name, was released on the 25th, along with the track list. The first round of concept photos was released from May 28th through June 1st; and the announcement for the the group’s comeback showcase event was announced on May 30th. The second round of concept photos was released from June 4th through the 6th; the third round was released from June 7th through the 8th; and the fourth was released from June 11th through the 12th.

“BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS)”

The anticipation for the title track couldn’t have been greater. With teasers dropping on June 12th and June 13th, an opening sequence clip released on the 14th, and an MV poster on the 15th, promotions of the EP and “BOUNCY” leading up to comeback day pointed towards a neo-Western theme—a cross between the old West and a pseudo-modern dystopia. ATEEZ have long since departed the conventional approach to their pirate concept; and as they have been traveling across timelines throughout their journey, it makes sense that they would end up tackling the cowboy archetype at some point, since cowboys are remembered as great adventurers and heroes of the common man—not unlike pirates.

In terms of style and sound, “BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS)” reminds me more of “Don’t Stop” than the group’s previous two title tracks, “HALAZIA” and “Guerrilla”—an energetic and dynamic track that plays with different sonic layers and tempo shifts to keep the listener on their toes. The song overall is more than a little suggestive; and while riddled with innuendoes, in relation to the storyline of the ATEEZ universe, “BOUNCY” also conveys a different kind of seduction, one that tries to coax the opposing forces into backing off and conceding defeat. In the context of that greater story, the eight members are fighting against a dystopian government that has been controlling the people by suppressing human emotion—and they have, of course, been putting up a hell of a fight. With lyrics like “Sit back and relax, man” and “Slow it down, make it bouncy”, ATEEZ’s message to the government is clear: “Aren’t you tired of fighting us? Why don’t you let us handle things from here?”

ATEEZ lore aside, looking closely at the lyrics, “BOUNCY” is the musical equivalent of a declaration. People can agree to disagree but ATEEZ has always been an outsider in the KPOP industry, having come from a small company rather than the four main ones that usually dominate when it comes to industry politics; and their musical style and concepts are also unconventional and don’t follow industry trends. Yet despite the roadblocks, they have grown their global fandom exponentially and continue to set and subsequently surpass their own standards for performance—especially live performance—by staying true to themselves and their vision. “Nothing stands in our way,” they sing. “Try to stop us." Throughout “BOUNCY”, you can hear an acknowledgment of their own uniqueness compared to others (“a different kind of spicy”), a promise to let their ambition take them higher and higher (”We’re still hungry because we’re young. Move aside ‘cause we need some air.”), and an invitation to join them (”If you wanna know how, I can show you right now”).

Taking objectivity out of the equation, nothing pleases me more than seeing Seonghwa’s return to the rap line following a brief stint during their Japanese single “Dreamers” (2021) and “바다 보러 갈래?” (2021) with Kim Jong Kook, as well as his covering various rap parts during Mingi’s hiatus. ATINYs know that Seonghwa originally auditioned for KQ as a rapper and while it was decided at the time that he was better suited as a vocalist, it is clear to anyone who watches him rap that he is just as suited for it. It’s not uncommon for groups to play around with member positions despite official designations, especially as certain members develop skills in other areas of performance that the company wants to showcase. Hopefully KQ takes note of the positive reaction to Seonghwa’s rapping and continues to allow him to utilize the skill more often.

Breaking Down THE WORLD EP.2 : OUTLAW

Consisting of six tracks, “This World” provides the EP with a powerful opening that helps tie it back to THE WORLD EP.1 : MOVEMENT (2022). If you read my review of MOVEMENT and deep, deep analysis, you’ll know that I have a working theory of what was taking place within the context of the album’s story—that ATEEZ had a cause that they were committed to and during the process of rallying support and fighting against those they deemed the oppressors, the seeds of doubt were sown and there was some question as to whether they were fighting for the right reasons. “This World” is the answer to those doubts, addressing them head-on and bringing forth a renewed conviction in their cause. Right before the last iteration of the chorus, Hongjoong and Mingi share the bridge, delivering their lines as if they were addressing a large crowd from a podium. At this point, they are still trying to encourage more people to join them. Although sacrifices must be made and effecting change will be difficult, Jongho’s powerful “I can’t take it no more” rings clear as the final straw. The sound is also wonderfully nostalgic in a way, reminiscent of the Stranger Things opening theme in all its spookiness. The opening instrumentals deceive the listener into thinking it will be a fast song before slowing down into a steady and driving pace, indicating that ATEEZ are gearing up for the fight ahead.

“Dune” starts to pick up the speed of the EP, painting a picture of needless suffering during dark times as a way to show the audience that the despair they are describing is what they are trying to save people from. The little “HALA HALA” at the beginning is a nice little Easter egg, as the other versions of the ATEEZ members are referred to as HALATEEZ and “HALA HALA (Hearts Awakened, Live Alive)” is where they were first properly introduced without the other versions of themselves. The harmonies in “Dune” are also exceptionally satisfying to the ear.

“BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS)” definitely carries a different vibe compared to the first two tracks, the tone more confident—at times bordering on aggressive, sensual, and cocky—and if you take the events of the music video into consideration, it makes sense. After six months of hiding and waiting, they are finally able to take action—which involved blowing up a giant chandelier sequestered in its own alcove on a balcony in a pristine, pure white hall. The energy is infectious and it burns fast and bright before simmering into the next song.

“Django” presents a tone that I would describe as teasing, a cat-and-mouse game in song form. Following the victory of “BOUNCY”, the outlaws are confident that they have the upper hand in what Mingi describes as a chess game; and the self-assurance is so obvious that it translates into the kind of reckless, loose-limbed abandon that comes with the mindset of solely living for the present. Furthermore, Django is a well-known fictional character who appeared in over thirty different Spaghetti Western films and has inspired other works, including Quentin Tarantino’s award-winning movie Django Unchained (2012). An infamous outlaw known for manipulating both sides of a dangerous fight, the influence of his story is clear in the lyrics of ATEEZ’s “Django”.

“최면 (Wake Up)” is the manifestation of all the times ATEEZ has ever said “wake up” prior to this EP. Composed of sonic elements previously heard in “Guerrilla”, it feels like a final phase of a grand master plan, enticing the audience to give in and follow them. It carries the same kind of seductive quality as the first half of the record but the driving beat hammers home the sensation of being almost there, wherever that may be.

The conclusion to this epic EP, “Outlaw” draws from the five songs before it and produces a new take that shows a new side of an already existing version of ATEEZ. From pirates to time travelers to vigilantes, “Outlaw” is the proof that after fighting from the shadows, the eight young men have now made themselves known to their enemies; and after causing as much chaos as possible, they know that they can’t go back to the way things were before and must now live their new lives on the run. However, the twist is that they’re not afraid of being outlaws; in fact, their enemies are the ones who should watch their backs because ATEEZ is capable of so much more than what they’ve already done. In my review of the MOVEMENT album, I described “Sector One” as the first phase of a plan; in “Outlaw”, they say, “This is my Sector One”, which could be interpreted to mean that as much action as they have already taken, it was all just phase one of a multi-phase plan to take down those who seek to suppress human emotion. However, based on the lyrics “another me is about to come out” and “don’t wake me up, the monster in me”, another interpretation is that after all the pain and suffering that they’ve undergone, a more ruthless version of ATEEZ is about to emerge. The thought is rather intriguing, as ATEEZ have been portrayed more as explorers and adventurers rather than fighters prior to maybe “Don’t Stop”; and the conflict lies as much within themselves as it does with the external forces they are fighting against. Things are not as black and white as they seem and all of the doubt-riddled questions exist in the grey.

Musically speaking, “HALAZIA” was more of an interruption that takes place between the two THE WORLD releases (the EP was called a “spin-off”, after all) and OUTLAW is almost like a mated pair to MOVEMENT, featuring the same kind of seductive instrumentals powered by hypnotizing synths and gritty basslines paired with a more heavy-handed electronic dance influence than previous albums. The layers within each track are so expertly crafted and placed, creating a well-balanced and blended soundtrack for the ear. One thing I will also note is that while Jongho’s vocals are still the most dominant, there is definitely more distribution in parts and the other members’ vocal colors shine through more easily. Thematically, OUTLAW leans more on the side of positivity than MOVEMENT, as there were many times in the latter where not only did it seem like things were not going well but it seemed as though ATEEZ themselves were unsure as to whether they were doing the right thing in trying to free the people from their oppressors.

Currently, the songs are all sitting at the same rank for me, although I am leaning the most towards “Dune” as my favorite. Overall, I am so, so, so satisfied with this comeback—although I am never not satisfied with an ATEEZ release—and OUTLAW is a solid, well-made EP where each track was given equal attention during the creative process. It is also very clear that the members are maturing and their sound is maturing with them, which is always an important aspect of a group’s career. With everything that they have achieved so far, I’m looking forward to seeing the stages that they’ve prepared for ATINY and to follow along during their promotional period.

Genius Lab USA Rating: A different kind of spicy, Cheongyang chili pepper vibe.

THE WORLD EP.2 : OUTLAW Track List:

This World

Dune

BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILLI PEPPERS)

DJANGO

최면 (Wake Up)

Outlaw

*All dates referred to in this review are in accordance with Pacific Standard Time (PST) unless otherwise specified.

#GeniusLabListens #ATEEZ #THE WORLD EP.2 : OUTLAW #Korean Music #KPOP #Album Review

[halfseoulco]

I’m falling towards you: A SEVENTEEN AU

Published Friday, May 19th, 2023 — I watched him join the other guys in the groom's party, all of them dressed in crisp black suits accented with brilliant white. In a rare moment of being able to get away from the demands of his career, we were attending his friend's wedding together—a friend whom he hadn't seen in quite some time because he wasn't part of the industry, just a normal, everyday guy with whom he had gone to school together before becoming a trainee.

It was nice to see him so happy with his friends outside of work.

The huge hall was decorated in blooms of pale pink, rosy peach, pure white, and sunny yellow, lending a soft, romantic ambiance to the overall feel of the entire occasion. But I wasn't really looking at the flowers—not when he was more beautiful than anyone or anything in the vicinity.

It was obvious to anyone watching him that he had a lot of experience posing for cameras, based on the way he changed stances and facial expressions seamlessly to give the photographer a variety of options—even though he was among a bunch of guys who at most probably only took a selca from time to time.

Finally satisfied with the shots they had gotten, the photographer dismissed them. I watched as he excused himself from the groom and other groomsmen and started walking towards me.

"Like what you see?" he teased, hands shoved casually into his trouser pockets.

"Always," I replied playfully, tugging gently on his bowtie.

"I'm so happy for him," he said, his smile changing from teasing to something softer. "It feels like only yesterday we were grubby kids playing soccer together on the field at school."

"Good thing you're not a grubby kid anymore," I told him cheekily.

"Oh, and you were never a grubby kid?" he challenged.

"Never, my mom wouldn't let me be seen looking anything less than perfect," I said, rolling my eyes. “I never played in the mud or ate glue—”

“Who eats glue?” he interrupted.

“I don’t know, some kids do, I guess?” I shrugged before changing the subject. “It was so funny watching you pose for those pictures. Your friend is probably hoping for just some decently acceptable wedding photos that he can show to people and there you are posing like you’re modeling for Vogue Korea.”

“Listen,” he started protesting.

“I know, I know, you can’t help it,” I said, patting his cheek. “It’s just going to be really obvious once they see the photos who is always in front of the camera for a living and who isn’t.”

He huffed, taking one of his hands out of his pockets and looping an arm around my waist to pull me close.

“If you can’t accept my lifestyle for what it is then I’m not sure I see this working out,” he drawled. “You’re the one who wanted to get involved with such a public figure.”

“Are you sure it was me who wanted to get involved? I distinctly remember getting a bunch of DMs after a certain concert,” I said, pinching the arm that was around my waist.

“Don’t act like you’re not looking at me and picturing me at our wedding right now,” he pinched my waist in return.

I froze.

Uh-oh. Busted.

As I stood there unmoving while I tried to think of something to say in response to his casual quip, he realized the underlying meaning of what he had said.

“Hey.”

Using the arm that was around my waist, he spun me around so that he was facing me. Bending down slightly, he took my face in his hands, the expression on his face abruptly serious.

“I was just joking around, okay? I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable,” he apologized, stroking my cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

I felt my cheeks warm beneath his palms, realizing that he had completely misinterpreted my reaction. Part of me wanted to let him keep believing that the thought of us getting married was what was making me feel uncomfortable but part of me also wanted to risk the absolute mortification of admitting that his initial comment was one hundred percent on the mark.

I took a deep breath.

“You didn’t make me feel uncomfortable,” I said quietly. “I really was picturing you at our wedding.”

I watched as the expression on his face cycled through a brief moment of relief—a moment so brief I thought that I had imagined it—before settling on a neutral mask.

“Is that something you want?” he asked me.

“Is that something you want?” I shot back.

“I—I didn’t know you wanted that,” he said, running a hand through his hair as he exhaled heavily.

“Does that change anything?”

“Well, yeah—but not in the way you’re thinking,” he added quickly, seeing the look on my face. “When I met you, you seemed to have such a cynical outlook on marriage, I didn’t think it was something you would ever want. I kind of... accepted that it wasn’t something that would happen for us.”

“I mean, so did I but for entirely different reasons,” I joked weakly. “No one really expects to attend a wedding with the person they used to simp for from afar because said person is too famous to notice them.”

“You still simp for me,” he pointed out.

“Semantics,” I dismissed, waving a hand airily. “Besides, you’re just as big of a simp as I am, if not more so.”

“Semantics,” he parroted.

I reached up, smacking the backs of his hands that were currently still cradling my face gently.

“We don’t have to talk about this now,” I said, lacing my fingers with his and bringing both our hands down to our sides. “I’m just saying that it doesn’t hurt that you look really good in your suit.”

He grinned at me.

“Noted.”

“If you don’t let us perform at your wedding, I’m telling Manager that you’re not allowed to get married!”

I held the phone away from my ear, the Performance Team leader’s excitable voice ringing through the tiny speaker. We had just broken the news to everyone at the company at a dinner the previous night and texts and calls were still flooding in, offering us congratulations—or, in this case, blatant threats.

“I’ll do it!” he continued. “You know I will! That’s a whole member of the group that’s now unavailable. I could make a very convincing argument that you guys getting married would significantly affect our ability to keep the fans’ interest.”

“Well, you’re obviously performing so there’s no need for that,” I said flatly.

"I knew you would see reason,” he said, his tone of voice unnecessarily smug. “I’ll text you a list of songs I think would be appropriate.”

“You already know which ones I want,” I said, looking up and seeing the human embodiment of my forever standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame. “And I want a piano version of ‘To you’ for my grand entrance.”

“You got it, boss. I’ll let the others know. Talk to you later!”

He hung up before I could say bye and I looked down at my phone, amused, as I shook my head.

“He’s very excited.”

I laughed at that.

“They all are,” he went on, pushing himself off the door frame and sitting down on the bed next to me. “Some of them are a little more... vocal about it but they’re all excited in their own way.”

“You’re going to have to perform at your own wedding, you know,” I told him. “I will settle for nothing less than a full-scale performance of ‘Rock with you’ with all thirteen of you.”

“Of course,” he agreed easily. “I know how much that song means to you.”

“The color scheme will be Rose Quartz and Serenity Blue.”

“I can think of nothing better.”

“The floral arrangements will actually be flower-shaped diamonds.”

“I’ll make it happen.”

“Each of the other twelve members are going to make their own speeches.”

“Absolu—oh, absolutely not,” he corrected himself quickly, realizing what I had said. “We’ll be there all night, especially if they’re all hammered. Some of them will cry, some of them won’t be able to form coherent sentences... Let’s just... not.”

I giggled, leaning my head against his shoulder.

“You know that if they all really wanted to make their own speeches, you wouldn’t stop them,” I said. “You love them too much. Plus, you’re the second youngest. They’re not going to listen to you anyway.”

“Ugh,” he grumbled, pretending to be annoyed. “You’re probably right.”

“You love it,” I teased him. “You’re going to love all of it, even if you say you don’t.”

“Yes,” he admitted, “but none of that is what I’m looking forward to the most.”

“What is it then?”

He leaned sideways so that his head was resting on top of mine. He was only a few inches taller than me but he always made me feel so safe, his presence a kind of comfort that only he could provide. I couldn’t see his face but with his cheek resting against my forehead, I could feel him smiling.

“Getting to be the spring to your winter for the rest of my life.”

#GeniusLabStorytime #Shamelessly inspired by the FML Carat version concept photos... #I blame Pledis for this delulu drivel #If they didn't want Carats thinking about weddings they shouldn't have chosen this concept #This is even worse than the BTS Galaxy Buds ad where it looked like they were all proposing #Bonus points to anyone who knows which song the title comes from and which song the last line comes from

[halfseoulco]

SUGA | Agust D World Tour in Los Angeles: An experience

Published Thursday, May 11th, 2023 — Sitting in my Uber on the way back home to the OC from LA earlier this morning, I could feel the tears well up in the corners of my eyes. I was thinking about Yoongi’s Road to D-DAY documentary, which I had recently watched just this past weekend. Having seen everything he had gone through in order to reach the point where he was able to confidently release D-DAY and go on this epic solo world tour without his six other band mates made last night’s events one-of-a-kind and absolutely unforgettable; and this attempt to put into words what took place is just that—an attempt—because as many words as I use on a daily basis, there are few ways to describe the kind of life-changing, soul-shaping experience that I had at the Kia Forum in Inglewood on May 10th, 2023.

I booked a room for two nights at a modest motel located about ten minutes away from the Forum. The day of the concert, I woke up just before 7:00 AM to log on for work. Because of the kind of job I have, even though I work from home and it is mostly flexible, I can’t really take time off during the first half of the month so I negotiated with my boss to let me start working early and take my lunch at the end of the day so that I could log off at 3:00 PM. I already knew that I wouldn’t be getting a very ideal spot in line—people had been camping overnight at the venue for the chance to get one of the first wristbands for VIP General Admission floor, even though the Forum had stated that they wouldn’t be handing them out until 9:00 AM the day of. I got there around 3:30 PM and ended up with #2798, part of the tail end of those lucky enough to get to witness Yoongi’s soundcheck. The venue staff tried their best to get us organized single file by numerical order and by 5:45 PM, I was heading down the stairs to the floor.

Although I’ve seen groups perform at the Forum before, I was honestly stunned by the sheer size of the stage, especially the length, which gave Yoongi plenty of space to move around while performing. Determined to not be caught behind too many tall people, I bypassed the center of the floor and tried to find a better spot on the right side of the stage. I still ended up behind tall people but by positioning myself in between them, I was able to see Yoongi, who was dressed casually for the experience. Staff didn’t warn us to put away our phones and everyone took photos and videos freely. He performed “해금 (Haegeum)”, “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″, and “SDL” before leaving the stage with a sultry “I’ll see you tonight”.

As people left to go to the bathroom or concessions, I made my way further around the edges of the crowd and found a spot against the gate going around the right side of the stage. Since this was my first time doing General Admission for a concert, I was a little wary because I had heard so many stories of how people were really rude and even violent because of their desire to be at the barricade—so I was both relieved and very grateful that everyone was really nice. We all sat or stood while we waited for the concert to start, since we had roughly two hours to kill, and no one tried to push their way up to the front or take other people’s spots. There was plenty of space to move freely without feeling packed in and staff went around passing out VIP lanyards to those who hadn’t gotten theirs yet. I ended up making conversation with two girls on either side of me who had also come to the show alone; and we bonded over being older ARMYs who enjoy a different kind of concert experience.

For those who have already attended earlier stops of the tour or who have their dates coming up, I don’t want to talk too much about the actual performances, but what I will say is that I went in and came out of the Forum a different person. The show felt incredibly intimate, even in such a big venue; his acoustic version of “Trivia 轉 : Seesaw” with him playing the guitar and his playing the piano for “Life Goes On” and “Snooze” really added an extra layer of closeness and comfortability between him and the audience; and he did his best to travel back and forth between the two sides of the stage so that he could look at as many people as possible. Oftentimes it felt like he was looking right at me, as if he could really, really see me and see how grateful and happy I was to be there. I hope he did—I hope he could feel how proud I am of him and how much I love him.

As fans of KPOP music, we all on some level feel a deep connection with our favorite artists; and because of the amount of communication that occurs between them and us, it’s easy to take these relationships and treasure them deeply. However, it’s not enough to say that Yoongi is my bias—that would be a really gross oversimplification. People who know me know that I wax poetic about him every chance I can get—because I have such profound respect and admiration for him as not only an artist but as a person. As a child, I didn’t have anyone, real or fictional, that I looked up to or thought of as a role model; and therefore no one who I really wanted to emulate in life. (This is probably because I was solely focused on school and extracurriculars and not very much on anything else but that’s beside the point.) It’s funny that life would take me to the age of twenty-three before I found someone who I would eventually start calling my hero—my biggest hero—and whom I would spend the following years trying my hardest to be like in order to live up to a legacy that sometimes seems too big for any one person to bear. Now, whenever I grow up, I want to grow up to be just like Min Yoongi—someone who started with nothing and suffered through things that no one should have to go through and became one of the biggest artists and influential figures in the world; someone who loves music and wants to make lasting, positive change; someone who defies conventions and stands up to hypocrisy, corruption, and injustice and uses their voice for others who have none. Most of all, I hope to be able to live up to the legacy of the Min family name, one that was already revered for its royal lineage but has since become golden because of everything that Yoongi is and does—and I hope to be even a fraction of the person that he is.

Even though I really hate close spaces and I prefer having a seat at concerts, I bought the VIP General Admission ticket because I would do a whole lot of crazy things that I don’t particularly enjoy for Yoongi; and it was also my birthday present to myself. I chose Day 1 of the LA stops because it happened the day after my 29th birthday and I couldn’t think of any better way to celebrate another year of life than to spend a night sharing the energy of the universe with the person who makes me want to be the best version of myself. Thank you for the most amazing experience of my life, Min Yoongi, and thank you for existing. You are the reason I’m still here and I will forever be in awe of who you are.

#GeniusLabThinks #BTS #BTS SUGA #Agust D #Min Yoongi #SUGA | Agust D World Tour #KPOP #Korean Music #Seeing Yoongi in this environment was a life-changing experience.

[halfseoulco]

FML — SEVENTEEN: A review

Published Monday, April 24th, 2023 — Coming off of the success of their 2022 fourth full-length album and subsequent repackage, Face The Sun and SECTOR 17, respectively; and their Be the Sun world tour, SEVENTEEN has returned with their 10th Mini Album, FML—now the record holder for most pre-orders in KPOP history with over 4.64 million pre-orders, wrestling away the title previously held by BTS’s MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 (2020). Known for their top-tier performances, super synchronized choreography, and widely diverse discography, the 13-member group has developed a musical identity that centers itself within the many layers and emotions associated with love and connections between people. SEVENTEEN has the ability to not only make the listener fall in love but to make them feel loved—but perhaps what is at the core of this EP is the often underestimated well of emotion known as empathy.

Laying the Framework for FML

On March 30th, PLEDIS Entertainment released the formal announcement for FML, followed by the Track List (Hidden Ver.) on April 2nd, the Promotion Scheduler on April 3rd, and three sets of concept photos—the first on April 11th, the second on April 12th, and the third on April 14th. The agency then dropped the Hidden Title Motion Poster revealing the title of the second title track, “손오공 (Super)” and the full track list on April 17th.

The concept photos provided some insight as to the overall themes presented in the EP, with one concept per physical album version. The first set of concept photos had the words “FALLEN, MISFIT, LOST” printed over two different images of the members, the first of which pictured them in various home settings while dressed in comfortable and largely understated clothing and the second with them pressed right up against what might be water—although only some of their reflections were marred by ripples while others were not. The second set of concept photos was one photo and one video of each member, with the words “FADED MONO LIFE” printed over the photo—in which they were wearing business attire—and a short black-and-white clip of them in various office settings, plus a group photo of all thirteen members in an open office floor plan. The third set of concept photos featured two images of each member with the words “FIGHT FOR MY LIFE” printed over them. Both photos pictured the individual members in a boxing gym while dressed in athletic clothing and boxing gear; and there was also a group photo in the same style. Based on these concept photos and the words paired with them—all of which can be shorthanded to the acronym F-M-L—FML’s messaging seemed to revolve around the feelings of isolation and loneliness, the struggle of being stuck in a dull 9 to 5 job where it feels like you’re just going through the motions every day, and the reality of having to fight for a better life than the one you are currently living—all things that young people facing the current condition of the world can relate to. With the members ranging in age from 24 to 27, FML was poised to be an album for a wide audience but especially young adults everywhere who find themselves feeling hopeless about everything from the state of the economy to their career paths, providing the space for understanding, companionship, and support.

On April 13th, a movie preview-esque clip called “F*ck My Life : Life in a minute” was released. Narrated by Vernon, it depicts a series of unfortunate situations ranging from a car crash to running from law enforcement. But there is a feeling of hope as the members run towards a boat beached on the shore with an upbeat melody (that we later learn is the first title track, “Fxck My Life”) to carry them closer to the sea. The video ends with the words “Inspired by everyone around the world”, further cementing the theory that FML was meant to be universal—something that everyone could find comfort in.

The group also released a highlight medley on April 19th, which helped set expectations for the various soundscapes that would make up the EP.

“How do you define the world that surrounds you? In the middle of this f*cking world, you’re not allowed to feel happy. But you deserve to be happy. So fight. Fight for your life. Be an explorer. Be spontaneous. Break free from the perfectly unhappy world. Where are we going? How’s it going to end?”  — SEVENTEEN F*ck My Life : Life in a minute trailer

“손오공 (Super)”

If there is only one thing that can be said about the music video for “손오공 (Super)”, it’s that it looks like a really simple music video—and therein lies the deception. Preceded by two official teasers released on April 22nd and April 23rd, the setting in terms of the formations created by SEVENTEEN and the dancers as well as the use of a singular backdrop and one outfit change is reminiscent of Jimin’s “Set Me Free Pt.2″ music video, which happened to be his pre-release single. Now, “손오공 (Super)” is actually one of two title tracks for FML; that they chose to lead with it instead of “Fxck My Life” is an interesting and most likely deliberate choice, as “손오공 (Super)” expresses a sincere and earnest gratitude for both SEVENTEEN as a team and for everyone who has supported them and made it possible for them to achieve great heights.

손오공 (Sonogong) is the Korean name for the Monkey King (Sun Wukong) in Chinese mythology (and the Dragon Ball character, Son Goku, who is based off of Sun Wukong). Sun Wukong, as told in the Chinese novel, Journey to the West, was a monkey born from stone whose dedication to Taoism resulted in him achieving supernatural powers. However, he was trapped under a mountain by the Buddha after rebelling against heaven and after 500 years, was released. He then accompanied a monk and two other disciples on a journey to get back Buddhist sutras from India, which is referred to as the West in the novel. Sun Wukong was said to have possessed many abilities, including super strength and super speed. Knowing that the Dragon Ball anime series has based several characters off of the original mythology of Sun Wukong, the English title “Super” makes sense, as “Super Saiyan” is a form that Goku achieves during the series. Both stories are reflected in the style of their chosen costumes, which blend both traditional and modern elements; as well as the soundscape, which features a traditional string instrument and synths; the lyrics (”This is the cartoon’s credits song”); and the choreography by way of certain gestures and moves that are typically associated with martial arts. The song also involves a large number of dancers, perhaps more than the 13-piece group has ever used in their career, for which there could be more than one possible interpretation: to represent the number of people who have supported them throughout the years or maybe even to represent all the monkeys who follow Sun Wukong as the Monkey King. Lyrically, the song is a powerful declaration and a testament of their perseverance as a group: “I looked at the ground and kept going to the top/And faced everything like I’m so proud/I always win/.../ A stance of being free of all time and space/If I give it my all and slip up/Don’t know how to give up, I’m running riot”. Drawing from the reference to Goku’s character, “손오공 (Super)” is also an expression of SEVENTEEN’s belief in themselves that they have “leveled up” from who they used to be.

Stand-out moments include S.COUPS’s rap verse, Jeonghan’s own pleasantly surprising rap lines at the beginning of the song (plus some appreciation for his hairstyle following the costume change), The 8′s moment during the second iteration of the chorus, and WOOZI’s overall presence and performance.

The Messages Contained in FML

While short due to its mini album status, FML manages to contain a tremendous amount of emotion and impactful messaging. Starting with the first title track, “Fxck My Life”, the EP opens with a raw honesty that reads almost like a diary entry. Taking hopelessness and chasing it with determination, the song presents both emotions that people can relate to and the inspiration to keep going in spite of how bleak the situation may seem. The pre-chorus lays out feelings of being lost and alone and a sadness so great that you want to be someone else just so that you don’t have to feel that way anymore (”Crying on the way home/I want to cry, keep crying, whoa-oh-oh, oh/My disappearing self, I just want to find it again/When I was young, the main character in the animation/If I can’t be myself, my heart is dark black/Is there anyone who can exchange hearts with me for just one day?”); and although the chorus refers to the main protagonist of the song, so to speak, as “a fool”, it also provides encouragement, saying “From now on, fight for my life. Fight for my life for me”. Moreover, “Fxck My Life” portrays singularity as both a good and bad thing—while you may have felt alone during all the bad times, you alone can fight for yourself because not only is no one else going to fight for you but you are the only one who can.

The Hip Hop Team’s contribution to the EP, “Fire”, pairs well with “손오공 (Super)”, which it follows. Similar to the latter in that it possesses the kind of confidence normally associated with bragging, “Fire” also calls out those who doubted or snubbed them, citing that they’re “touring domes now”, “stadium tours too”. One of the biggest fears for KPOP groups—and for artists in general—is the fear of peaking, of having short-lived success and never being able to maintain it. “Fire” is a promise that SEVENTEEN will not only keep going but that they will keep getting better because in addition to having the drive and passion to maintain their current trajectory, they also have the skills to keep making boundary-breaking music—as laid out in the second verse: “Passion is a bonus on the main dish, dessert is the goal/Creativity on the plate rises every year, the price tag rises”. Lined with an energetic and almost sensual beat that emulates a swagger, it makes for a great “when I walk into the room” song.

The Performance Team takes on a deeply personal message in “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U”, which refers to similar comments they have received during live streams where fans who don’t understand Korean said that they don’t understand what SEVENTEEN is saying but that they love them anyway. The message itself is profound, proving that the relationship between SEVENTEEN and CARATs is not only powerful in and of itself but that love transcends language and doesn’t necessitate understanding (”Different languages and different times/You don’t have to understand/.../You know there are more important things than words between us, right?”)—which is significant on its own, as unconditional love is often seen as something that doesn’t require reasons or comprehension for loving someone. That being said, “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U” is, for all intents and purposes, a declaration of love and an expression of gratitude for their devoted fans: “Even though I don’t understand, I can know you/The language barrier is just an illusion/You know that I also don’t believe myself/But you still believed in me/Only inside of you/I’m a blooming flower, spread the fire”. SEVENTEEN have written many love letters to CARATs via song but “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U” is more of a recognition of the global scale of their fandom and how they are grateful to have the love and support from so many people around the world who don’t speak or understand their native language. A slow-moving song, the electric guitar underlying the beat that drives steadily forward lends to the epic nature of this bold declaration.

If “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U” is FML’s love song, then—in a surprising turn of events—”먼지 (Dust)” is the Vocal Team’s spin on a song about heartbreak. However, more than just heartbreak, the song deals with the feeling of loss after being left behind (”the dust of stinging and bitter longing”) and the struggle of still being in love with someone who no longer even thinks or cares about you (“No matter how much I throw away/The memories along the flower road/They returned back like dust/And say I still love you”). While the song sounds cheerful thanks to the retro disco vibe, the lyrics tell a very different story (”I say the lie that deep memories are childish/I want to be deceived even though I know/The saying that time heals everything is a fake day after day/What words do I have to believe to make my heart feel better?”). But perhaps the reason for the stark contrast between the music and the lyrics is because of the very last line of the song, “사랑한다고요”, which is loosely translated to “I love you” but possesses an even deeper connotation of “Not only do I love you but I’m telling you that I love you”, which places the control back in the hands of the person who was left behind—because in spite of all the negative emotions associated with the relationship ending, they still love the other person; and even though that love isn’t reciprocated, they are making it their choice to let them know their feelings.

The perfect end to a perfect EP, “April shower” provides an encouraging conclusion to the positive and negative emotions explored in the other songs that come before it. Rain, whether in literature, film, or art, is often associated with more negative emotional states of being, such as sadness and depression. However, rain is also a necessary element for all living things, which the song illustrates in the pre-chorus: “When the April shower falls in late spring/Put down your umbrella and walk in the rain/We are like flowers that bloom in May/We go from waiting to beauty/We will go bloom more, more, more”. Regardless of whether rain in “April shower” is interpreted as a positive or a negative thing, the message of it is to take in everything, both the good and the bad, and become an even more amazing and beautiful being—because people are shaped by both their positive and negative experiences and they cannot grow fully without either. It is also a reinforcement of the theme of perseverance—including SEVENTEEN’s perseverance—that no matter what happens, we will always come out of it stronger and better than before.

Conclusion

Lyric contributions for FML come from the usual suspects, WOOZI and BUMZU, as well as S.COUPS and Vernon for “손오공 (Super)”, all four members of the hip hop team for “Fire”, and Hoshi and Dino for “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U”. Composition credits include WOOZI, BUMZU, Wonwoo, and Vernon and arrangements were done by BUMZU, with the help of some additional participants for both.

SEVENTEEN continues to defy genres and boundaries in music; and one of the testaments to their skills as a group is how much each member is not defined or limited by their designated team (as we can see with Jeonghan’s rapping even though he is a member of the Vocal Team). For those who are familiar with SEVENTEEN’s journey from their debut to the present, FML is a powerful, powerful series of messages that both reflect on the past and look ahead to the future; and in spite of all the hardships they have faced, they have emerged on the other side stronger than ever. It also shows how there are both positive and negative sides to certain feelings or situations; and that the balance of both is necessary for life. Even more importantly, it is not just the story of their journey but an expression of empathy for people everywhere. It’s true that idols live very different lives than other people their age but it is rather ignorant to believe that they don’t experience the same feelings as the everyday person because their lives seem to only consist of red carpet events, expensive clothes, and flawless appearances. Being an idol is still, at the risk of oversimplifying it, a job; and even extremely successful idols can become frustrated or disillusioned with their jobs. It’s only the situation that’s different, the experiences are still shared universally. If they can provide this empathy for us then we can also strive to provide empathy for them.

I know that CARATs are very proud of how far these thirteen young men have come but I hope that SEVENTEEN are also proud of themselves. FML is the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and effort, as well as emotional energy; and I for one am touched that they decided to share this EP with us. Personal favorites (and tear-inducing tracks) are “손오공 (Super)” and “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U”.

Genius Lab USA Rating: Ping and out comes fire. Energy, gather your strength and out comes power. Energy, one massive shot. Now let’s all aim our cries up to the sky.

SEVENTEEN 10th Mini Album ‘FML’ Track List

Fxck My Life

손오공 (Super)

Fire (Hip Hop Team)

I Don’t Understand But I Luv U (Performance Team)

먼지 (Dust) (Vocal Team)

April shower

Notes:

*All dates referred to in this review are in accordance with Pacific Standard Time (PST) unless otherwise specified.

#GeniusLabListens #SEVENTEEN #FML #Korean Music #KPOP #Album Review

[halfseoulco]

D-DAY — Agust D: A review

Published Friday, April 21st, 2023 — Perhaps one of the most conspicuous representations of alternate personas amongst the seven members, Agust D is Min Yoongi’s very own creation that grew into an icon of his own scale. First born in 2016 as a way for the then 23-year-old rapper to channel his anger and say the things he couldn’t say as SUGA of BTS, Agust D’s music resonates deeply with people—and, perhaps, resonates with the artist himself in ways he didn’t anticipate.

The Road to D-DAY

No one was really surprised when D-DAY was announced. With SUGA’s entire solo world tour completely sold out, ARMYs had been expecting new music to help fill up the setlist; and with j-hope, Jin, RM, and Jimin having already released their own solo works, the odds of guessing the next member correctly were high.

Prior to the official announcement, on March 30th, Big Hit Music released the mood teaser for SUGA: Road to D-DAY, a documentary detailing the artist’s travels spanning Korea, Japan, and the U.S. as he searched for inspiration. The teaser poster was then released on April 5th and the official trailer was released on April 6th. The trailer touched on key topics and themes that would make up the foundation of SUGA’s story as he traveled alone for the first time, including that of being in his thirties, wounds and scars, acceptance, liberation, people, dreams, and current. “The day I’m free from all the negative thoughts, I’ll set it as D-DAY and start all over again,” he says around the 37-second mark, clueing fans in to the meaning behind the anticipated album. The trailer also showed an aspect of his personal character that ARMYs especially love, which is his way with words—his ability to always say the right thing at the right time, even when what he is saying is as much for him as it is for others. The documentary’s main poster was revealed on April 11th and the rapper also did a series of promotions for the documentary with Disney+ Korea, releasing a greeting on April 5th and interviews on April 7th, April 9th, April 10th, April 16th, April 18th, and April 21st. Disney+ then released a second official trailer on April 21st. The second such documentary following j-hope’s IN THE BOX in February, Road to D-DAY premiered today on Weverse and Disney+.

“The day I’m free from all the negative thoughts, I’ll set it as D-DAY and start all over again.”  — SUGA, Road to D-DAY documentary

At the time of the documentary’s announcement, ARMYs suspected that D-DAY would be the new album’s title; and once the album was announced, the timing of content releases were perfectly coordinated, maximizing the campaign’s impact on an audience that was already hungry for new Agust D music.

The album itself was also widely promoted, with Big Hit Music first dropping the announcement on April 2nd, followed by a poster for the pre-release single “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2) (feat. IU)” on April 4th. The D-DAY promotion schedule was then released on April 8th, the track list was released on April 9th, a special D-DAY Glitch Film released on April 13th, a live clip of “사람 (People)” on April 14th, and concept photos that were released on April 16th and 17th. The Glitch Film in particular proved to be particularly insightful. A series of visuals over which SUGA himself narrated, the film included snippets of previous Agust D music videos woven in among other intentional imagery before ending with a stylized D-DAY; and the narration explores what has always been one of the most significant themes at the heart of his—and BTS’s—music: standing up for what you believe in even when the rest of the world looks down on you for being different and embracing those differences that then in turn become your biggest strengths. SUGA himself is no stranger to hardship, as many are familiar with his story about how he came to join Big Hit Music (formerly Big Hit Entertainment) after growing up poor in Daegu and wanting to pursue making music; and it has always been obvious that he defies the general public’s perception of KPOP idols, having always been quick with a sharp clapback aimed at those who would dare look down on him. Based on the promise from now HYBE Corporation chairman Bang Si-hyuk that he wouldn’t have to dance if he joined BTS, his thirteen-year career with the company illustrates the significant growth and change in his abilities and his overall character and demeanor—but even after all this time, he still chooses to celebrate the things that make him different and that is perhaps what makes his music so accessible to so many people.

“Small flaws, glitches, my new alterimage. Breaking down the wall between ‘what I want to say’ and ‘what I cannot say’. Not getting intimidated but rebelling and raising questions against what the world demands. The world’s fixed stereotype collides with my inner self and leaves trauma for a while, but this temporary glitch transforms into the driving force to create a new wavelength and becomes part of me.”  — SUGA, D-DAY Glitch Film

“사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2) (feat. IU)” & IU’s Palette

Having previously worked together on the singer-songwriter’s dreamy pop track, “eight”, SUGA reached out to the nation’s beloved daughter, IU, to feature on “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″, a song that he had written three years ago and a follow-up to the fan favorite “사람 (People)” off of his previous release, D-2. In fact, while appearing as a special guest on IU’s show, IU’s Palette, SUGA revealed that he had considered both fellow BTS member Jungkook and IU for the feature and ended up choosing the latter. The pair performed it together on the show, but based on a 60-second live clip of the song taken from the Road to D-DAY documentary, it’s not the only performance of “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″ that we can expect.

Although he would be hard-pressed to define the genre of the song, SUGA described “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″ as a song that he loves very much and had been saving for quite some time. IU’s parts were written in English so that fans would be able to easily sing along when performed for SUGA’s upcoming tour; and while the melody is easy on the ears and the vibe is gentle, the lyrics paint a picture of a person who craves relationships with others but being unable to pursue deeper connections due to fear and lingering hurt from the past. If “People” raises the questions "So what if people choose to live their lives in such ways? Who are we to judge them?”, then “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″, while not providing the answers, raises the question “What is love in relation to people?”—or, more specifically, “What is love in relation to the presence (or absence) of people?” But then again, perhaps the answer to that question lies at the end of the song in what is arguably the most striking lyric of all: “당신은 사랑받기에도 이미 충분한데”, which translates to “You’re already more than enough to be loved”. Based on one possible interpretation, the big takeaway of “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″ is that while you are influenced and changed by the relationships you form with others, those people don’t get to decide whether you deserve to be loved—you just do.

To set up an easy transition into their performance of “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″ towards the end of the episode, SUGA performed “사람 (People)”, prefacing it with an anecdote regarding how after not listening to his own music once it’s been released, the algorithm recently brought it up and he listened to it not as his own song but as someone else’s song. The comfort that fans had said that “사람 (People)” had brought them, which he had been unable to identify with at the time of release, finally resonated with him during a time of pain, and he confessed to crying a great deal. The experience led him to choosing the title “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″ for the beats that he had written in 2020, as “사람 (People)” had become a very special song to him and now he has come to cherish “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″ a lot as well.

Over the course of SUGA’s Palette episode, the two discussed what it was like to collaborate once again, the history of their relationship, and what the release of D-DAY might mean for Agust D as one of his alter egos (in addition to Gloss, SUGA, prod. by SUGA, and Min Yoongi).

“At first, I was so fed up back then,” the rapper told IU. “‘Why would people look down on me? Because I’m an idol?’ Normally as an idol, there are a lot of things I can’t say out loud. I needed a means to let my feelings out.” He also admitted to feeling like he couldn’t synchronize himself with Agust D anymore, which can be interpreted in one way as saying that he doesn’t feel the way he felt when he first created the character of Agust D. “Once Agust D’s trilogy comes to an end, it might be hard to see him again,” he added. His use of the word “might” makes it seem like he is still, for whatever reason, unwilling to completely let go of the character he created—but what is clear is that not even he knows for certain what the future will hold for Agust D.

“It takes a lot of guts to let go of something. I’m not courageous enough.” — SUGA, Road to D-DAY documentary

The fellow ‘93 liners also talked about D-DAY and what fans could expect in terms of the overall tone and theme of the album, as well as about specific songs, with it being established that IU had already listened to it prior to SUGA appearing on the show. They then rounded out the show with some conversation about how SUGA felt things had changed for him in the last ten years since debuting with BTS, followed by some light-hearted talk about his various hair colors throughout that time period, his ability to make predictions that come true, and how he believes the album will be received by the general public.

D-DAY: The End of an Era 

If you ask anyone who is a devoted fan of SUGA, one of the things they would say that they admire about him is his upfront nature, his ability to talk about the things most people want to forget exist—and his ability to be so incredibly vulnerable. His own individual journey to the top has been difficult in ways that run parallel to the hardships BTS faced within the KPOP industry, but like his fellow members, it has always been crucial to him that his music revolves around the heavy topics that affect people universally in order to create the space for empathy, community, and positive change—and making that kind of music requires a level of honesty that few people are willing to provide.

It has always been clear that SUGA has only ever wanted to make music since he was young—but that doesn’t mean that his love for the artform has always kept him in an optimistic headspace.

“I think of quitting music more than a hundred times a day,” the award-winning producer and rapper admitted in his documentary. “But when everyone comes together like this, I can do it because it makes me feel that making music is fun.”

The fifth member of BTS to release solo music during the group’s self-dubbed second chapter, SUGA returned as Agust D one last time to deliver the conclusion to his trilogy of releases, Agust D (2016), D-2 (2020), and now, D-DAY.

Having said on IU’s Palette that he finds himself getting less and less angry the older he gets, SUGA is at a point in his life where he maybe doesn’t need to rely on his Agust D persona to express his feelings. People have told him that he has mellowed out and it certainly seems to be reflected in the way he’s been carrying himself lately—and, naturally, in his music. Of course, D-DAY still has a little bit of that classic Agust D fighting spirit; and the first few tracks of the album are in line with what fans have come to expect from an Agust D song—with some softer melodies following close behind to demonstrate the shift in his personality and demeanor from his pre-debut years to the present.

“해금 (Haegeum)”

The title track, “해금 (Haegeum)”, is reminiscent of “대취타 (Daechwita)” in its use of traditional Korean instruments, as the two were written around the same time. In fact, the haegeum is itself a traditional Korean instrument but the word also refers to the forbidden—more specifically, forbidden things no longer being forbidden and thus experiencing freedom from holding yourself back from things that you told yourself you weren’t allowed to do, have, or be. “We have to free ourselves first,” SUGA said when talking about the song. “I feel that my life is restricted.”

The music video was preceded by an official teaser released on April 19th, which quickly established a similar setting and soundscape to “대취타 (Daechwita)”. There are also certainly loose threads from the universe of the previous album’s title track music video that connect the two. Looking back at “대취타 (Daechwita)”, there were two different versions of Agust D, so to speak—a mad king with long blond hair and a scar running from the top of his face, through an eyebrow, to his cheek; and a man with black hair, who was later captured and brought before the mad king, where the latter shot the former with a pistol that was given to him by a palace guard. In “해금 (Haegeum)”, there are again two versions of Agust D; and while both have black hair, one has the infamous scar on his face and the other one doesn’t. Based on visuals alone, there are many guesses to be had in regards to the story that has been unfolding since “Agust D” in 2016. It is possible that the mad king survived and started a new life as a police offer, going after the Agust D who attacked multiple people and then stole a very large amount of money—and it is possible that the Agust D who committed those crimes is the same Agust D who shot the mad king in  “대취타 (Daechwita)”; and the mad king decided that the easiest way to get revenge would be to become a police officer.

Lyrically, while paired with an almost aggressively driving tempo and the instrumentals of the haegeum, if “대취타 (Daechwita)” was more of a means to call people out, “해금 (Haegeum)” is more of an anthem. The chorus is repeated twice more after its first time as an introduction to the song, emphasizing the importance of what the song is meant to be interpreted as: “This song’s a haegeum./Get on board now./This lively rhythm/Perhaps, this could be a new kind of haegum”. The track goes on to distinguish between freedom and self-indulgence, as freedom of expression or speech can sometimes put people in dangerous situations; and they are often not equal from person to person. Moreover, it also criticizes society in the way that information is introduced, interpreted, and censored, saying that “Endless influx of information prohibits freedom of imagination and seeks conformity of thought.” At the heart of it all, maybe what Agust D seeks is the truth as to what is really holding him or anyone else in the world back, as those in power seek to control the masses by overwhelming them with so much information and stimuli so that they remain confused and unable to determine who are the ones truly responsible for holding their freedoms hostage. But he also admits that we may also have a part to play in forging our own shackles.

“Maybe we do it to ourselves. Slaves to capitalism, slaves to money, slaves to hatred and prejudice, slaves to YouTube, slaves to flexin’. Selfishness and greed have gone off the rails.”  — “해금 (Haegeum)”

In the end, even though the police officer manages to apprehend him, Agust D once again manages to shoot the scarred figure—and maybe he is dead for good this time. The young man, free from capture and from his past that continued to chase him, goes back to the noodle shop from the beginning of the video for a warm meal.

Unpacking D-DAY

While SUGA said that the album would be easy listening after the first three or four songs, the difference in mood and/or tempo doesn’t necessarily have a clear divide. It is true, however, that much of that notorious Agust D anger is contained in the first three songs, with Spotify granting two out of three an Explicit rating. The first track, titled “D-Day” after the album itself, signifies a day of rebirth—a day when the past version of one’s self is dead and only the present version exists. Both thematically and sonically, “D-Day” is both an introduction and a smooth transition into “해금 (Haegeum)” with lyrics such as “I’d die for real ‘til the D-Day” and “D-Day’s coming from forbidden things./As soon as you’re released, open your new chapter”. However, anger is not the only prevalent emotion underlying the song; rather, it is infused with a kind of aggressive optimism that is punctuated by the few swear words throughout. At the end, we are left with a sense of hope that something beautiful can still come out of all the ruin in the world, as SUGA raps, “Lotus flowers bloom again in a world covered with hatred”. The chorus, repeated often, is entirely an English, aligning with SUGA’s wish to have more songs that ARMYs can sing along to while attending his upcoming concerts.

Following “해금 (Haegeum)” is “HUH?!”, SUGA’s collaboration with fellow BTS member and rapper, j-hope. The song contains a familiar cockiness and swagger that ARMYs have long since come to associate with SUGA, calling out his success (i.e. his visit to the White House with the other members in May of last year) and his haters for talking negatively about him online while feigning innocence. At the end of his first verse, he even goes as far to say, “I pray that even you’ll do well”. j-hope’s verse provides a nice contrast for the ears thanks to the difference in vocal tones between the two rappers as well as the difference in rhythm and syncopation. His words are less aggressive, though no less confident; and the lyrics “My step is deep/So my comeback is easy” demonstrate a self-assuredness for the future regardless of what people may think or say.

“Honestly, back then, I was only full of anger. ‘I am going to succeed and take revenge!’ ‘I’m going to beat that group, this group!’ [...] Haters... haters will always be there. If I mention this, someone always says something about this.  [...] These days, I am at peace. I think I’m becoming grown up.” — SUGA, IU’s Palette 

After “HUH?!”, the album shifts emotionally and sonically, starting with “AMYGDALA”. Sitting in the coveted spot as SUGA’s most cherished song on the album, IU described “AMYGDALA” as “very honest” and “autobiographical”, as it contains personal stories going all the way back to the rapper’s childhood. The amygdala refers to the area of the brain that is mainly responsible for processing emotions and memory, especially those associated with trauma and fear. Originally intended for BTS, the song delves into what makes up the Min Yoongi who exists today as he discusses his mother’s heart surgery, his own accident which resulted in the shoulder injury for which he later got surgery in November 2020, and his father’s liver cancer. In the lyrics, you can see the ways in which he responds to these events, such as his claiming that he doesn’t remember certain information or the repeated lyrics “Let’s take them all out one by one”, “Let’s put it in one by one/Yes, one, two, yes, one two”, “Now, let’s erase them one by one, yes one by one”, and “My amygdala (my amygdala)/Come on, save me, come on, save me”. On a musical level, “AMYGDALA” walks a fine line between intense desperation and putting on a hardened mask. While it possesses none of the anger and aggression of the first three tracks, the slightly up-tempo beat drives it forward, keeping it just ahead of melancholy. “Bad experiences and negative emotions... Amygdala is how I process these stimuli,” SUGA says in his documentary. However, at the end of the second verse, he brings back the symbolism of the lotus flower, saying, “The never-ending trials weren’t able to kill me. And I bloom a lotus flower again”, referring to his own resilience and his ability to persevere in the face of his own hardships.

The album heads in a different direction after that. “SDL”, likely standing for “Somebody Does Love” as said in the chorus, provides an easy segue into “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)″, as it talks about the complexities of relationships and the unfortunate drifting apart as a result of differences too great to reconcile, but is is also reminiscent of SUGA’s solo song, “Trivia 轉 : Seesaw” off of BTS’s Love Yourself 結: Answer (2018). While the instrumentals, the chorus, and especially the tone of the backing vocals give the impression that it is more like an affectionate love song, “SDL” is in reality more about a failed relationship than a successful one; and while there may be some leftover affection, the million-dollar question is whether he really misses the person or the memories. It may be the closest to a love song in musical style that we will ever get from him, as he claims they’re not really what he tends to write, though, and the overall vibes make for comfortable, easy listening.

The album then shifts again in sound with “극야 (Polar Night)”, a powerful yet understated track delivered with a steady rhythm and reiterations of topics brought up in “해금 (Haegeum)”, such as hypocrisy, the manipulation of information, truth and lies, and the uncertainty of not knowing whether one is believing in the right thing, doing the right thing. After all, a polar night is something that only occurs in the northernmost and southernmost regions of the planet—where night lasts for more than 24 hours.

“Interlude : Dawn” helps set the tone for “Snooze”. Laden with an almost piercing sadness, the different instruments introduce and re-introduce that sadness, playing upon the same theme until the song’s completion. While there are no lyrics, the emotion is closely felt, putting the listener in the necessary headspace for the next track.

Featuring the late Ryuichi Sakamoto and Kim Woosung of the Korean rock band The Rose, “Snooze” is SUGA’s message to his friends whose dreams began after seeing how far he and BTS have come. Knowing that the KPOP industry is a competitive one and that there are those who are always seeking to hurt others in order to get ahead, SUGA raps, “It may be very difficult, this road I’ve walked on. It may have looked like a flower road, but enemies everywhere. Know that it was a thorny road before you start. I hope you never forget the one who scatters flowers on the road”. Presenting both the pros and cons of pursuing such a dream, “Snooze” represents SUGA’s desire for others such as his juniors or friends to come to him for help; and even as he warns them about how difficult the road ahead will be, he also says, “but the end may be great”. Towards the end, SUGA weaves in lyrics from “So far away” off of Agust D, another track for which there is a very special and deeply personal place in ARMYs’ hearts. In “So far away”, he talks about not having a dream and the resulting loneliness and other negative emotions that accompany having that particular item unfulfilled. However, in “Snooze”, he has moved on from not having a dream and instead wants to focus on helping others achieve their dreams, which, in some ways, one could interpret as being his new dream. The lyrics taken from “So far away” are “Dream/I will be there for your creation 'til the end of your life/Dream/Be generous, wherever you might be/Dream/You will fully bloom after all the hardships”—but he changes the last line. Compared to “Dream/Your beginnings will seem humble/So prosperous will your future be”, in “Snooze”, the last lines of the borrowed lyrics are “Dream/The beginning may be weak, but the end may be great”. Two different ways of saying the same thing but a nice, little Easter egg with a twist nevertheless. And while it is clear that the lyrics come from his own personal experiences as an idol, the message of “Snooze” is not only intended for those friends in the entertainment industry but also for those in their twenties and thirties who are struggling as a result of the current situation of the world. Where “even dreaming a dream is too much”, SUGA hopes to provide some comfort with this song.

ARMYs around the world remember a time before and after BTS’s “Life Goes On” when BE (2020) was released. Paired with a music video that tugged none too gently on the heartstrings and caused the well of emotions to overflow, it displayed an honest vulnerability and empathy and expressed an optimism for a future where even though many things had changed, some things—like the mutual love and respect between BTS and ARMY—would always stay the same. SUGA’s own kind of homage to his group’s creation, “Life Goes On” borrows some of the original melody and general message, especially in the introduction and first verse. “I will borrow this music and give it to you. People say the world has changed. Fortunately, our relationship hasn’t changed yet,” he raps, similarly to his verse in the original song, where he says, “Let me tell you with this song. People say the world has changed. But thankfully between you and me, nothing's changed”. In his IU’s Palette appearance, SUGA mentioned that he was unsure if people would listen to D-DAY in its entirety or even like it. By releasing his own version of “Life Goes On”, SUGA is expressing his own vulnerability in regards to his relationship with his fans and the desire to be reunited; and even as life goes on, he hopes that they will continue to look to him for comfort as they did before.

Conclusion

When viewing all of the Agust D releases as a whole and complete story and reviewing what SUGA himself has said about the character he created, the message truly comes together with a certain kind of clarity. There was a time when the rapper was always angry and he used Agust D as a vessel for that emotion. At the time of D-2′s release, which is when he wrote some of the songs for D-DAY, all the anger he had felt had not yet dissipated and he found that he still had some lingering frustration and rage, even after expressing it. Now, by releasing “해금 (Haegeum)” and D-DAY, he is able to let go of that version of himself who was only angry. In a live stream following D-2′s release, SUGA admitted that there is another name for black-haired Agust D; and I think it is safe to assume that black-haired Agust D is really SUGA—or even Min Yoongi—and that the scarred version was the angry person he had become in his earlier years as an idol. He had tried to kill him but he only came back again to hunt him down, as the past is often prone to doing. Having finally killed off that version of himself, he can leave the past behind and move forward towards a happier, brighter future.

“I don’t know if I’m fully grown up yet but if I’m going to be, I want to be a good one.”  — SUGA, IU’s Palette

As much as I live for the quintessential Agust D songs, my favorite tracks on D-DAY are “SDL,” “사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2)” and “Snooze”, especially since some of my favorite songs from SUGA as an artist are “So far away” and “사람 (People)”. Coming from a less objective and more personal perspective as a SUGA-biased ARMY, watching him go through this journey was both gratifying and encouraging. Seeing him come so far fills me with pride and I hope that during his upcoming tour, he can really feel how much he is loved by his fans and how much he has done for them by way of his music.

Genius Lab USA Rating: Perhaps this could be a new kind of haegeum.

D-DAY Track List

D-Day

해금 (Haegeum)

HUH?! (feat. j-hope)

AMYGDALA

SDL

사람 Pt.2 (People Pt.2) (feat. IU)

극야 (Geugya) (Polar Night)

Interlude : Dawn

Snooze (ft. Ryuichi Sakamoto, 김우성 (Kim Woosung) of The Rose)

Life Goes On

Notes:

*All dates referred to in this review are in accordance with Pacific Standard Time (PST) unless otherwise specified.

** I’ve chosen to refer to Yoongi as SUGA in this piece for ease of reading and consistency unless I am specifically referring to Agust D as the character that he created.

#GeniusLabListens #Agust D #BTS SUGA #BTS #KPOP #Korean Music #Album Review #Everything I do is for Yoongi

[halfseoulco]

Industry Babies: They’re not who you think they are

Published Saturday, April 8th, 2023 — When it comes to almost any industry, nepotism is something that the general public tends to look down upon. Whether it’s real estate, politics, or entertainment, there are the types of families in which children follow in their parents’ footsteps; and while that should in no way demean an individual person’s efforts, there is no denying that people who have a little help in the form of generational wealth and connections usually can go a little further than the average person.

Introduction: What is an industry baby?

Nepotism is defined by the Oxford dictionary as “the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives, friends, or associates, especially by giving them jobs”. It is still a common practice today but while the term “nepotism baby” exists, it’s not nearly as prevalent as the term “industry baby”.

So what is an industry baby?

An industry baby is, quite literally, a product of the industry, particularly the music industry. Any artist today who has parents with successful careers is considered an industry baby—and you would probably recognize most or all of them. Miley Cyrus. Blue Ivy Carter. Enrique Iglesias. Nancy Sinatra. Ziggy Marley. Lily Allen.

The list goes on and on for miles—but these are all relevant to the Western music industry. The question that this particular essay will strive to answer is whether or not the KPOP industry, which is different from the Western music industry in various ways, has these so-called industry babies.

KPOP, “The Big 3″, & Reputation: Pros vs. Cons

Candidly speaking, you’d be hard-pressed to find an industry baby in KPOP today but as is the case with nepotism, being a group debuting under a successful company has its advantages. Otherwise known as “The Big 3″, JYP Entertainment, SM Entertainment, and YG Entertainment are three of the biggest Korean music entertainment companies in the business.* Any group debuting under these three companies has a leg up when it comes to promotions thanks to industry connections, financial power, and general status and influence—let alone the public knowledge that certain companies have a history of paying for positive press, chart manipulation, and award rigging.

However, new groups debuting into the industry under those companies also have something else to contend with—and I use the term “contend” because what I’m about to discuss can be either a good thing or a bad thing—and that is the success of an older, more established group.

On the one hand, as mentioned previously, coming from a large company with a roster of already-successful artists has its perks. New groups that debut have the benefit of name recognition and the general public’s willingness to give them a chance based on the company and artists’ reputations alone—and this is not the case for only The Big 3. Other smaller yet still well-known companies also capitalize on this advantage. However, the downside is that people can and have discredited groups’ achievements as being due to the company or other artists’ popularity rather than their own talents; and downplayed the role that the groups themselves have played in their own success.

Korean culture revolves around a social hierarchy based on age and experience, which is where the terms sunbae/seonbae (선배) and hoobae/hubae (후배) come from. the former meaning “senior” and the latter meaning “junior”. Juniors go through their trainee days and every day of their careers thereafter looking up to and respecting their seniors and often cover their songs as a sign of their admiration. Companies sometimes also assign covers as challenges for trainees, who more likely than not go into their training periods already big fans of many well-established KPOP artists and should therefore be familiar with the lyrics and choreography. Why bring this up at all? The reason is that the current ongoing narrative is usually in favor of the seniors and the emerging trend of slandering juniors for who their seniors are has created a discourse that unfairly affects their abilities to build a genuine fanbase.

This, of course, disproportionately affects certain groups from certain companies more than others; and those being incorrectly labeled as “industry babies” are really anything but, which brings us to our next topic: Big Hit Music (formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment) and KQ Entertainment.

BTS & ATEEZ: A Tale of Two Companies

One cannot really discuss the misnamed industry babies without discussing their predecessors—so let’s talk about BTS and ATEEZ.

By now, everyone knows the story of how HYBE Corporation came to be. When now chairman Bang Si-hyuk founded Big Hit Entertainment in 2005, the small company had one three-member group called 8Eight; and when Kim Namjoon/RM was signed in 2010, a contract had just been signed with JYP Entertainment to jointly manage the boy group 2AM. BTS then debuted in 2013; and following a string of projects that didn’t quite pan out and financial struggle, Big Hit Entertainment began to experience immense success thanks to the septet. Together with CJ E&M (now known as CJ ENM Entertainment), they later founded the agency known as BELIFT LAB and debuted ENHYPEN in 2020 as a result of the survival show I-LAND. From there, Big Hit Entertainment began a series of acquisitions, including Source Music in 2019 and Pledis Entertainment and KOZ Entertainment in 2020; as well as a partnership with Universal Music Group’s flagship label Geffen Records in 2021. On March 31st, 2021, Big Hit Entertainment became HYBE Corporation, with Big Hit Music becoming its own label that functions independently and—most importantly—privately. All seven members of BTS were given significantly large shares in the company—millions of U.S. dollars’ worth, in fact; and HYBE itself has a long list of subsidiaries and joint projects running under its umbrella, including the label ADOR, which manages the girl group NEWJEANS.

Rags to riches story aside, BTS is widely credited for making all of this possible. It’s no secret that Big Hit Entertainment was previously on the brink of bankruptcy and while 8Eight enjoyed some success, BTS’s long and difficult road to fame is what propelled the company to such great heights. Without the influence of a Big 3 company to back them, the group was cut from broadcasts, insulted by variety show hosts, played free concerts, and shared one dorm room. These types of hardships have made ARMYs fiercely protective of the group; and to this day, the fanbase is still wary of anyone who may try to take advantage of their impact for their own gain.

In the meantime, while BTS was gaining traction, a new company emerged. KQ Entertainment, founded in 2016 by Kim Kyu Wook, was initially best known for the boy group Block B under their subsidiary Seven Seasons. The small company also has its own team of in-house producers, some of whom are also solo artists under its other subsidiary KQ Produce.

KQ Entertainment quickly proved to be extremely unique, starting with its training program. Trainees begin their time at the company in a pre-debut group called KQ Fellaz and then graduate from the program when they debut under a new name. The first group of trainees started in 2016 and debuted as ATEEZ in 2018. In what proved to be an extremely smart move on the company’s part, KQ Fellaz released a series of performance videos (I, II, and III) showcasing the group’s dance abilities as well as a solo performance video for Yunho, who has been well-established as ATEEZ’s main dancer, and a cover of EXO’s “으르렁(Growl)”. The group also had a reality show chronicling their time spent training in the United States, during which they had a ninth member who ended up not debuting with the rest of them; and they also released a music video for their song “From”, which they made for the show.

While most KPOP groups move from concept to concept throughout their career, ATEEZ debuted with an original ongoing concept that was introduced in their debut singles “Pirate King” and “Treasure”; and a complex storyline that, according to the members themselves, still has much left to be revealed, and involves multiple timelines.

ATEEZ have admitted that they are aware that they are more popular outside of Korea than they are within their home country. This, coupled with the fact that KQ Entertainment is still a relatively small player in the game, means that the group has been snubbed by the rest of the KPOP industry in many ways, especially at award shows, despite the quality of their performances and content and their high album sales. In fact, their EP TREASURE EPILOGUE : Action To Answer (2020) was the number one album on Gaon Chart until IZ*ONE’s Bloom*Iz and then BTS’s MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 were released not long after.

Despite their popularity overseas, KQ Entertainment still is not anywhere near The Big 3 or HYBE in terms of its financial resources. ATEEZ fans, called ATINYs, have complained about the number of fan sign/fan call events hosted by various stores and online distributors—and, by extension, the number of pre-order benefits—making it more difficult and more expensive for those who collect the group’s merchandise, particularly photocards. It’s not difficult to assume that the reasoning behind this is that the company needs the money from the sales. Prior to March 30th of this year, ATEEZ was KQ Entertainment’s only group, as Block B is no longer active. (Interestingly enough, though, member ZICO is currently enjoying his solo career under KOZ Entertainment, which was, as revealed earlier, acquired by HYBE.) However, there has been a noticeable increase in the production quality of ATEEZ’s most recent content. From having people visible in the background of their debut music videos to practically making movies with “Guerrilla” and “HALAZIA”, it’s clear that the money is being put to good use rather than being spent frivolously.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about all of this is that BTS and ATEEZ have traveled similar paths throughout their careers—born from small companies, dismissed by the rest of the industry, unique music and concepts, hugely responsible for putting their companies on the map—and yet ARMYs and ATINYs find themselves engaged in fan wars constantly. People who are fans of both groups are also shunned by both fanbases, which has led to many unwilling to publicly claim their love for one group or the other for fear of being ostracized. ATEEZ themselves are big fans of BTS and have great respect for them, especially Wooyoung, who was once upset about being unable to attend one of BTS’s concerts in Seoul because of his own group’s obligations; and BTS in turn have responded favorably to ATEEZ, particularly during their cover of “피 땀 눈물(Blood Sweat & Tears)” at the 2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA). Additionally, Wooyoung and Yeosang were trainees at Big Hit Music with the members of TXT before moving to KQ Entertainment and Wooyoung still maintains a close friendship with fellow 99 liner Yeonjun.

The Tale of TOMORROW X TOGETHER

On March 4th, 2019, Big Hit Music debuted their second [boy] group, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, also known by the acronym TXT. Their debut track, “어느 날 머리에서 뿔이 자랐다 (CROWN)”, was generally well-received and the five boys were praised as “monster rookies”. However, there was—and still is—a significant portion of the overarching KPOP fandom that sees TXT as a group who rose to fame on the coattails of their world-famous sunbaes, BTS.

It’s difficult to escape the shadow of someone as big as BTS; and while TXT has great love and respect for their seniors, it’s hard to not feel the pressure of such an enormous reputation. In fact, it wasn’t even known that the two groups shared such a close relationship until earlier this year when TXT started sharing that they had visited some of the BTS members’ homes. RM has even worked on TXT’s “0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)" and the members revealed that he was very influential while working on the title track.

As the five young men enter their fifth year as a group, looking back at “어느 날 머리에서 뿔이 자랐다 (CROWN)”, it’s easy to see that it was extremely well-polished and high-quality for a debut, not just in terms of the music video’s production but the complexity of the choreography and the refreshing nature of the concept. “어느 날 머리에서 뿔이 자랐다 (CROWN)” is, truthfully, less of a debut song and more of a second or third comeback song but people just easily accepted it as the group’s starting point—because they were expected to be that good from the beginning.

In an interview with Variety in 2019, Bang Si-hyuk said, “People may think that TXT got really lucky and have an easy path, but they have the burden of meeting expectations that have been set. Rookies have a chance to grow and shine when they are still rookies, but TXT started on a higher level so it’s harder to showcase growth.”

TXT have put out a dynamic and versatile discography over the past four years, experimenting with a wide variety of genres and styles to push the boundaries of music and showcase new sides of themselves and their abilities as artists. At Bang Si-hyuk’s encouragement, they also started participating more in songwriting; and objectively speaking, the quality of their performances have always and continue to set them apart from other groups who debuted around the same time, something that fans of other fourth generation groups are loathe to admit. In spite of the way that others have downplayed their achievements, TXT is currently enjoying their second world tour, ACT : SWEET MIRAGE following a short showcase tour in the U.S. in 2019 and their first world tour, ACT : LOVE SICK in 2022.

It’s clear to anyone with a discerning eye and ear that BTS and TXT are two distinct groups; and while TXT has paid homage to their seniors in the past with perfectly executed covers—including this epic rendition of “불타오르네 (Burning Up (Fire))” at the 2021 KBS Song Festival with ENHYPEN—the type of music that they make is unique to them.

So why slander TXT at all?

There are a few possible reasons. One, a lot of people—other entertainment agencies, fans of other groups—resent BTS and HYBE’s success and are counting down the days until BTS is no longer active. Everyone is desperately looking for “the next BTS” in order to replicate their global impact; and while the purpose of TXT is definitely not to fill that spot once their fellow artists eventually depart the scene, no one wants to believe that Big Hit Music is capable of producing more than one successful group, especially one with the same kind of universal appeal.

Two, the market for KPOP groups is severely over capacity. There was a time when no one wanted to schedule a comeback during the same time as BTS for fear of failing to grasp the public’s attention; and now with TXT really coming into their own, it is likely that other companies will take their comebacks into consideration when planning their own. New groups are debuting on a regular basis throughout the year, which means that too many artists are fighting for the public’s attention at any given time. Timing a debut or comeback incorrectly can cause major setbacks for groups trying to get their names out there; and many older groups are still recovering from years of BTS sweeping charts and award shows, let alone preparing for the possibility of a repeat with TXT.

Three, although BTS have taken a step back from making music together due to upcoming military enlistments and their own individual projects, TXT is starting to hit numbers that are making other companies nervous. Their most recent album, The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION, landed atop seven different Billboard Charts, becoming their first album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It also took the No. 1 spot on the Top Album Sales, Top Current Album Sales, and the World Albums charts; entered the Tastemaker Albums chart at No. 3; and had all its songs place in the top 15 of both the World Digital Song Sales and Hot Trending Songs charts. It also sent them back onto the Artist 100 at No. 1, making them the sixth KPOP act to ever top the chart.

Four, it is a goal for most, if not all, KPOP groups to break into the U.S. market. While PSY gained popularity abroad for “강남스타일 (Gangnam Style)” in 2012, BTS is largely credited with opening the doors for KPOP in the states, with more groups touring all over the country—and some returning to larger and larger venues every time. Now, on their second world tour in less than a year, TXT are making big moves that some older, more established groups can only dream of. Aside from racking up achievements at Korean award shows, the quintet has spent quite some time in the U.S., having performed “0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)” and “Good Boy Gone Bad” at Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve earlier this year. They were also invited back to The Late Late Show with James Corden to perform “Sugar Rush Ride” at the end of February after performing “Magic” in 2021; and now, after playing at Lollapalooza last summer along with labelmate j-hope, they are the first KPOP group ever to headline the festival.

At this point, I think it’s safe to say that TXT are not relying on BTS’s image for anything, having fully taken ownership of their own artistry and their own identities as leaders of fourth generation KPOP. Many of the same people who complained about the favoritism shown towards Big 3 artists are now complaining about the favoritism shown towards HYBE artists—which, in its own way, is completely unfounded. HYBE Corporation may be the biggest KPOP company in the industry but the fact of the matter is that they don’t sit at the same table as The Big 3 and never will, not because they don’t deserve to but because in spite of all they have achieved, The Big 3 will always see them as outsiders. BTS have never been able to shed that image either, so what advantages do TXT really even have that others don’t? Sure, money helps but in this case, it’s not being used to put TXT at a dishonest advantage. As Jin said at MAMA 2019, “There are methods of cheating but wouldn’t it be better to make music with more honest ways? I hope the time will come when everyone makes good music and listens to good music.”

Prior to heading off on their first world tour, TXT released their EP minisode 2: Thursday’s Child consisting of five songs, including “Trust Fund Baby”. The overall soundscape of the song is on the melancholy side and while the lyrics open themselves to be interpreted in more than one way, “Trust Fund Baby” smooths over pointed remarks directed at those who would accuse them of having been born with silver spoons in their mouths and hides them in plain sight under the disguise of a song about heartbreak. Moreover, trust fund babies are usually seen as children born to rich parents who have never had to work for anything they have but we already know that TXT has worked harder than anyone else to prove themselves. Truthfully, it’s hard to hear lyrics such as “The shining spoon to me is someone else's story” and “Yeah, I know, I know I'm not like them/It doesn't work even if you add and multiply” and not understand them as plainly as they are said: TXT will never be trust fund—or industry—babies.

xikers: A New Generation of KQ Fellaz

On March 30th, 2023, KQ Entertainment debuted their second [boy] group called xikers. Formerly known as KQ Fellaz 2, the ten trainees went through much of the same process as their sunbaes ATEEZ did before them. They released one performance video prior to debut, called “Iffy”, as well as a music video for “Geek”, which the group made for their reality show documenting their time training in the U.S. The video begins with the words “RESPECT TO ‘ATEEZ - FROM’” right underneath the title of the song as a sign of their admiration for their seniors and the acknowledgement of their having walked the same path before them.

KQ Entertainment, having learned from ATEEZ’s debut journey, did make some changes this time around; and took the opportunity of having an older, more experienced group to try something new. During their time as KQ Fellaz 2, the ten members also went out busking and accompanied ATEEZ on their most recent world tour, The Fellowship Tour: Break the Wall, where they opened for their sunbaes and gained some live concert performance experience. They also were invited as performers for KCON Japan and Thailand; and starred on The Player: KPOP Quest, a show on SBS Entertainment’s KPOP platform Inkigayo, where they competed against each other on missions as well as together in front of a panel of judges who provided feedback on their performances. Songs covered during the show included The Wonder Girls’ “Like this”, Kara’s “루팡 (Lupin)”, NCT DREAM’s “맛 (Hot Sauce)”, THE BOYZ’s “THRILL RIDE”, and ATEEZ’s “멋 (The Real)”, as well as their pre-debut single “도깨비집 (TRICKY HOUSE)” and a dance cover of Lil Nas X’s song with Jack Harlow, “Industry Baby”.

Now, the dance cover of “Industry Baby” is quite possibly the most interesting little tidbit about xikers’ pre-debut and debut. The song makes plenty of pointed references aimed at the Western music industry with lyrics like “You was never really rootin' for me anyway”, “Funny how you said it was the end, yeah”, and “They couldn't wait to just bash me”. Featured on Lil Nas X’s album, MONTERO (2021), “Industry Baby” was nominated for a large collection of awards, of which it won several. It is likely that xikers chose this particular song to cover not only for its popularity but as a way to indicate that they are aware of what people are saying about them and to respond by using irony—because they are maybe the furthest from being industry babies as one could possibly get. However, they’ve decided that if that’s what people are going to think of them, they might as well lean into it because there’s little they can do to change people’s minds. All they can do is continue to show their best efforts.

What this also goes to show is that people have been prepared to hate xikers before they’d even debuted, if for no other reason than the fact that they are their own unique kind of group, just like ATEEZ. They don’t follow the traditional models for KPOP, they don’t keep up with the trends, they’re making the music that they want to make and blurring the lines between genres along the way—and that kind of artistic freedom is something that makes others envious.

xikers debuted with their EP HOUSE OF TRICKY : Doorbell Ringing, which consists of seven tracks. KQ’s usual producing team worked their magic but it was a very pleasant surprise to see that after having a hand in his own group’s music, ATEEZ’s Hongjoong also participated in writing and producing all seven tracks. Their debut showcase was hosted and initially distributed by SBS Entertainment’s channel, THE K-POP, which also streams the show for which ATEEZ’s Yeosang has been an MC these past two years, THE SHOW and THE SHOW CHOICE! KQ Entertainment uploaded the showcase themselves two days later. Some people might misinterpret this possible use of industry connections as a way to further argue that xikers are taking advantage of a way in that others don’t have but if you look at well-established groups from larger companies, you’ll see that they don’t stream their showcases via Korean mainstream broadcasting channels. TXT and SEVENTEEN, for example, streamed their most recent comeback showcases via their own official YouTube channels and the HYBE LABELS YouTube channel; and SM Entertainment is known for hosting their annual SMTOWN events such as KWANGYA on their own channel. With the UNIVERSE platform having officially closed in February, which is where ATEEZ previously held their showcases prior to streaming them via Mnet’s digital studio channel, M2, xikers needed the viewership of SBS Entertainment’s channel to increase their chances of building a fanbase among the general public who may have no previous knowledge of them in connection to ATEEZ or KQ Entertainment.

xikers have officially been a group for just over a week. It’s a little early to really gauge how they are being received within the industry and amongst fans but they have been promoting pretty heavily, focusing on “도깨비집 (TRICKY HOUSE)” and “XIKEY” during their circuit of the various music shows as well as giving cute performances via 1theK’s GAP CRUSH, M2′s RELAY DANCE, and blip’s Harry Potter version of “도깨비집 (TRICKY HOUSE)”. They have also released a couple of videos via hello82′s channel, which has produced and continues to produce content with ATEEZ, including one where they interact with children and one where they try to make tortillas. Promotional period aside, the group is also making the rounds of the same distribution channels as ATEEZ for fan sign and fan call events, which means that KQ Entertainment is still counting on dedicated fans and collectors to participate for the pre-order benefits and for the chance to speak to their favorite idols.

Conclusion

In the history of KPOP as an industry, there is much to cover. From the first generation to the current generation, trends have evolved, concepts have changed, and companies are learning and trying new things with their groups all the time. However, in my opinion, the biggest takeaway from all of this information that I have compiled for the purposes of this essay is that big companies have a way of manipulating public perception and a tendency to abuse that ability. Redirecting attention towards a potential distraction is one way to keep fans invested in the things they want you to focus on; and if they can make their enemy your enemy, then that leaves very little work for them in terms of filtering out competition. Those companies are counting on fans to continue to ostracize TXT and xikers—and, by extension, BTS and ATEEZ—because the foundation for it is already in place. And while I said at the beginning of this essay that there really are no industry babies in KPOP, there is indeed a thing called privilege; and the ones who have it want you to not notice that they do.

The truth is that no one likes outsiders—not really—and regardless of how far HYBE Corporation and KQ Entertainment and their artists go with their achievements and their ability to break boundaries and set records, they will always be treated as though they don’t belong. Nevertheless, these four groups have so much to be proud of and it is expected that they will continue to live outside the limitations of the industry for years to come. Whether their fan bases can learn to get along is another thing entirely but that is a story for a different time.

Notes:

*Personally, I don’t believe in “The Big 4″ (HYBE/JYP/SM/YG). HYBE is in a category of their own.

#GeniusLabThinks #KPOP #TOMORROW X TOGETHER #TXT #xikers #BTS #ATEEZ #Big Hit Music #KQ Entertainment #Because I am tired of all the slander and ignorance from people who don't know what they're talking about

[halfseoulco]

FACE — Jimin: A review

Published Friday, March 31st, 2023 — Following the news of the group’s break from making music together, the individual members of global sensation BTS have been showcasing their own unique colors with solo works that have been coming in a steady stream since June of last year—and this time, it’s Park Jimin’s turn to show the world what he’s capable of. 

Introduction

Jimin’s first solo album has been highly anticipated for quite some time, with heavy speculation as to what he would bring to the table. There were many guesses as to what kind of music he would make, knowing full well that this is the artist who brought us “Lie”, “Serendipity”, and “Filter”—which means that based on his artistic range, it could be anything.

“Set Me Free Pt.2″

Following the promotional schedule released by Big Hit Music, Jimin prefaced the album’s release with the pre-release single “Set Me Free Pt.2”, the title of which had many ARMYs guessing at a collaboration with fellow bandmate SUGA, who included “Interlude : Set me free” on his most recent solo mixtape, D-2, in May 2020. The music video for “Set Me Free Pt.2” was preceded by an official teaser and featured a simple yet powerfully dynamic setting motivated mostly by expert lighting and camerawork. While the song’s choreography—which is reminiscent of “ON” in some aspects—doesn’t involve as much intricacy on Jimin’s part as it does for the dancers themselves, he was able to weave himself in and out of the various formations seamlessly and execute the moves in time with the chorus. “Set Me Free Pt.2” can truly only be described as an anthem—punctuated by the bold brass lines and solid percussion throughout, while sometimes explicit, the lyrics paint a portrait of a Park Jimin who is committed to only showing his most authentic self, even if it’s a version of him that other people don’t like. The lyric “Going insane to stay sane”, also a nod to “ON”, is a written expression of the nature of Jimin’s desire: the freedom to be himself in such dramatic yet necessary ways so that he doesn’t lose sight of who he really is. At the end of the video, Jimin, having worn black through most of it, is revealed wearing white—a visual contrast to show the difference between his past self and his new, true self.

FACE and “Like Crazy”

The day FACE was released, the music video for the title track, “Like Crazy” also premiered. Shown in the official teaser as being completely different from “Set Me Free Pt.2”, “Like Crazy” features a dreamy soundscape intertwined with gentle strings and a sensual beat—and an almost tangible longing for the way things used to be. Jimin admitted during his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the album itself is meant to be a representation of his emotions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Known by ARMY as being both a social butterfly and a passionate artist with a deep love of performing, it is not missed by anyone that “Like Crazy” details the singer’s frustrations with being unable to connect with fans and perform for live audiences due to BTS’s canceled Map of the Soul world tour, which was supposed to take place in 2020. “I’d rather be lost in the lights, lost in the lights. I’m outta my mind,” Jimin croons while weaving through crowds of people under flashing lights—only to end up alone at the end of a hallway. The alternating between seeing Jimin having fun with his fellow partygoers and seeing him by himself illustrates the sudden juxtaposition in his realities during the pandemic, where he went from a series of shows during the BTS World Tour Love Yourself: Speak Yourself to a postponed-then-canceled tour that was meant to kick off the chapter that ARMY is currently witnessing. Now, making his debut as a solo artist, Jimin has been busy making the rounds, including a performance of the English version of “Like Crazy” on Jimmy Fallon’s show and an appearance on SUGA’s talk show, SUCHWITA.

Jimin’s solo debut has “Like Crazy” and “Set Me Free Pt.2” sandwiched between songs with distinctly different emotional tones, creating the sensation of a musical mood swing as it alternates between fire and melancholy. The EP begins with another spitfire track titled “Face-off”, which has definitely earned its E rating on Spotify. More than just its use of explicit language, the song acutely embodies the kind of anger that many people felt during the pandemic; and allows the space for empathy on a large scale. “Interlude : Dive” helps set the mood for “Like Crazy”, an instrumental soundtrack with audio sprinkled throughout, including a clip of loud cheers and Jimin telling an audience that he missed them so much. The interlude ends with the sound of a drink being poured and set down on a hard surface, smoothly transitioning into “Like Crazy”, which we’ve seen starts at the bar of a club. Following “Like Crazy” is “Alone”, a slower, softer track that describes the blending of days with nothing to tell them apart and a pain that comes from enduring loneliness and isolation without an end in sight.

If you listen to “Like Crazy (English Version)” on the physical CD, you’ll hear that there are almost three minutes of silence followed by the hidden track, “Letter”, which begins at the 06:13 mark and features background vocals by Jungkook. The song is, quite literally, a letter from Jimin to ARMY, revealing anxiety about being separated for too long and the fear of losing his fans’ love due to not being able to see each other. The soft acoustic track pleads for him and ARMY to stay together, conveying a deeply rooted sincerity that can be felt strongly in both the lyrics and the conviction in Jimin’s voice. The lyric “If we were together, even the desert could turn to a sea” calls back to another famous hidden track, “Sea”, which is only available on the physical version of BTS’s 2017 EP Love Yourself: Her 承. “Sea” itself carries deep significance to both BTS and ARMY, describing the relationship between the two and how the strength of that bond has allowed the group to carry on despite the hardships they faced. (This was also the message printed on the slogan for BTS’s Wings Tour Finale Concert in Seoul, which elicited emotional responses from the members.) By reiterating this message, Jimin is reminding ARMY of his commitment to them while also expressing his appreciation for the love and support he has received.

Conclusion

Production credits on FACE include Big Hit Music producers Pdogg and Ghstloop, while writing credits include most notably Jimin himself, RM, and Supreme Boi, among others. The amount of love and care that was put into this album is evident in its execution; and it is clear that everyone who was involved treated it with the utmost respect and attention that it deserves. Overall, FACE provides a raw and honest depiction of the range of Jimin’s emotions during a difficult time—and again, empathy plays a large role in the listening experience. The universality of his situation allows for a greater number of people to relate to the music’s messages, which is the wish Jimin expressed while discussing the album with Jimmy Fallon.

While I enjoy the emotional dichotomy of FACE and appreciate Jimin’s versatility, I favor the softer tracks a little more, with “Like Crazy” being my pick for favorite song off the EP.

Genius Lab USA Rating: Baby, come and follow me. There’s not a bad thing here tonight.

FACE Track List:

Face-off

Interlude : Dive

Like Crazy

Alone

Set Me Free Pt.2

Like Crazy (English Version)

편지 (Letter) (physical album exclusive)

#GeniusLabListens #Park Jimin #Jimin #BTS Jimin #BTS #KPOP #Korean Music #Album Review

[halfseoulco]

Double, double, toil and trouble: A BTS x Hogwarts AU

Originally published on Thursday, February 1st, 2022 for Instagram

Updated on Sunday, March 19th, 2023 — "Oh, is the Head Girl going to join us in some rule breaking?" Yoongi snarked playfully as I approached.

"As Head Boy, I resent that comment, Yoongichi," Seokjin said primly, his clearly recently buffed and polished Head Boy badge gleaming from where it was pinned ostentatiously to the front of his robes.

I tugged on the end of Yoongi's silver and green scarf in response as I passed by him, joining my seven friends who were gathered by the entrance to Hogsmeade village. Hogwarts had come a long way since the days where people would only stick to their own houses. My own friend group was a testament to how easily friendships could be forged between them, boasting two Gryffindors, two Ravenclaws, two Slytherins, and two Hufflepuffs—and both the Head Boy and Head Girl.

Well, it actually hadn’t been that easy.

The years following The Battle of Hogwarts had been rocky at best; and most people had still been hesitant to welcome the house of Slytherin back with open arms. However, Jimin and Yoongi were some of the most loyal friends I knew, if a little mischievous with a slight disregard for the rules. They were also the most reluctant to join our little group, although that had eventually been remedied by Taehyung and Hoseok’s constant gifts of sweets they had charmed the house elves into giving them, thanks to the Hufflepuff dormitories’ close proximity to the kitchens.

And of course, if Kim Seokjin decided he was going to befriend you, you really had very little choice in the matter.

Becoming friends with Kim Namjoon had taken almost no time at all, the two of us sharing almost all of our classes due to us being in the same house. He was the perfect study partner, always willing to join me in the Ravenclaw common room or the library to go over essays or debate the ethics of Aurors using certain spells when hunting down criminals. We often shared a table with Jung Hoseok whenever Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had classes together, his friendly and cooperative nature making it easy to befriend him. He was also a good person to have in your group during Care of Magical Creatures, his natural affinity for creatures of all kinds earning us a smoother path to an Outstanding mark in the class.

My friendship with Seokjin had started out as a rivalry for top marks—one that lasted for the first four years of our time at Hogwarts before he invited me to Hogsmeade and bought me a butterbeer as a form of truce.

“You and I are going to be prefects next year, Min,” he had told me confidently, “so I daresay we’d better learn to get along.”

True to his word, we had both been chosen as prefects in fifth year; and now as Head Boy and Girl, we often did our rounds together. His presence at our group study sessions in the library also meant that Madame Pince often looked the other way when we got a little too rowdy, which had nothing to do with the fact that he was the Head Boy and everything to do with the fact that he was the first Hogwarts student to win Witch Weekly’s Most Handsome Face of the Year. I tended to avoid Gryffindors as a general rule but although Seokjin came with that sometimes overwhelming bravado, he also came with the kind of devotion and “I will fight not only for you but with you” nature that Gryffindors could be counted on for.

Also in our year, Min Yoongi was one of those distant cousins I saw from afar at family gatherings around the holidays, mostly keeping to himself—especially since he came from a long line of pureblood Slytherins who thought that they were better than everyone else in the family. We pretended not to know each other for the first couple of years until one of the older Slytherins tried to pick a fight with me for being half-blood and Yoongi in all his third-year glory came along and chased them off with the promise that the seventh-year would be hearing from the Min family lawyers. Namjoon did his best to not seem shocked when Yoongi joined us in the library for the first time but they hit it off almost right away, much to their own surprise—but not to mine.

“Another Min!” Seokjin had exclaimed when he had first joined us. “As if dealing with one wasn’t enough!”

Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook had entered Hogwarts the year after the five of us, each of them joining our collective in their own interesting way. Kim Taehyung, ever the odd yet charming boy, had latched onto Hoseok with such familiarity that we soon accepted him into our growing group with no qualms. Park Jimin, who had followed Yoongi everywhere despite the older boy’s instructions not to, ended up at a Hogsmeade outing with all of us, refusing to really speak to anyone except Yoongi even though he had come along of his own accord. He had then sat through several library study sessions where he only made snippy comments before Yoongi had told him to play nice with his friends or get lost. Now he and Taehyung were joined at the hip and he was always the first to offer to poison anyone who messed with any of us. And Jeon Jungkook... Well, let’s just say that Seokjin came down to breakfast one day dragging an adorable boy with round doe eyes behind him, shouting about how the Gryffindor team now had the first first-year Quidditch player since Harry Potter himself. Now as a sixth year, Jungkook had more muscle than the rest of us combined—but he still let Seokjin drag him around as if he weighed nothing. Jungkook had joined the group first thanks to his own friendships with Jimin and Taehyung; and when Seokjin had seen him sitting there that first day, he had squawked with the air of someone who had been utterly betrayed.

Now, in the present, our group fit together like matching puzzle pieces.

"The biggest rule you've broken this year is when you used an alternate ingredient during Potions, hyung," Jimin sassed at Yoongi, tossing his own silver and green scarf over his shoulder. “Besides, I’d hardly call going to The Three Broomsticks for a drink ‘rule-breaking’.”

"Nice one, Jimin!" Taehyung cheered appreciatively, bumping fists with his soulmate.

“He got you there, hyung," Jungkook agreed.

Yoongi rolled his eyes, pretending to be more offended than I knew he really was. He had always had a soft spot for the younger ones, letting them take advantage of his marshmallow heart that he kept hidden behind an icy exterior.

"Okay, kids, let's get going before our table gets taken," Namjoon said, steering Jungkook by the shoulders towards The Three Broomsticks, eager to be out of the cold.

"Our table is never taken," Jimin reminded him.

"Don’t you ever learn, Yoongi? The younger ones are always running circles around you," Hoseok said brightly, tightening his black and yellow scarf around his neck as we started shuffling through the snow down the path.

"The disrespect," Yoongi grumbled.

"Come on," I laughed, looping my arm with his. "Let the Head Girl buy you a butterbeer."

"Now we're talking."

None of us wanted to think or talk about what would happen in a few months—that our group would be split up when Seokjin, Yoongi, Hoseok, Namjoon, and I graduated and went our separate ways while Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook would still have another year to take their N.E.W.T.s and prepare for their own post-Hogwarts journey.

Seokjin, to no one’s surprise, had already been offered a position as an intern in the Department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic, his natural diplomacy and good looks endearing him to the Head of the Department—whom he had casually bumped into while browsing through academic journals at Flourish & Blott’s the summer before our seventh year had started.

Yoongi’s family was putting him to work post-graduation at their firm, where he would be analyzing cases and legal reports and all sorts of unpleasant things. He complained about it often but while he didn’t want to work for his family, we all knew that he actually really wanted to be a lawyer—and the family business was a great place for him to build up the experience. He confessed to me one night that he planned to open his own practice someday with the goal of helping as many people as possible, especially Slytherin families who had not taken part during the Dark Lord’s reign of terror but had suffered all sorts of injustices at the hands of the public—and the Wizengamot in the form of ridiculous fines and imprisonment.

Hoseok would be working part-time at Eeylop’s Owl Emporium in Diagon Alley—although we all knew he would move his way up in no time. He claimed that his experience picking out his owl had left such a distinct impression on him that he was determined to do the same for incoming first years looking for companions to bring with them to Hogwarts. He had been offered an internship with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures but he refused, insisting that his talents were more useful elsewhere.

Namjoon, predictably, was heading off to Oxford to pursue dual specialties in Charms and Ancient Runes, although he was still debating adding a third specialty in Transfiguration—just for fun—all with the goal of eventually securing a position in the Department of Mysteries after a few years of study and experience. In spite of my rivalry with Seokjin, it had been Namjoon who had quietly earned top marks every year—a fact that Seokjin had later admitted had led him to invite me to The Three Broomsticks in fourth year to propose our truce. And while Namjoon had indeed been chosen as the other Ravenclaw prefect during our fifth year, his desire for a quiet life outside of the spotlight had prompted Headmistress Granger to make Seokjin Head Boy instead. Regardless of this choice, he’d had his pick of universities who wanted to be able to say that they had Kim Namjoon as a student.

As for myself, I had managed to write my way into an internship at The Daily Prophet, something that few recent Hogwarts graduates ever achieved. I considered myself lucky—Headmistress Granger had very generously written a long recommendation letter on my behalf—and Yoongi would neither confirm nor deny that the Editor-in-Chief had received a strongly worded note from The Law Offices of Min & Associates. I really didn’t care for the idea of using family connections to get by but at the same time... I wasn’t going to look a gift internship in the mouth.

“Eight butterbeers, please,” Yoongi said, sliding a handful of Galleons across the counter.

“Yoongi,” I protested.

“Let him spend his family’s money,” Seokjin said airily, grabbing a bottle. “You know how it brings him such joy.”

The younger ones snickered, snatching their own bottles off the counter as they followed Namjoon towards our usual table—one that mysteriously left itself vacant for us every time we visited.

“I may or may not have charmed it so that people come up with some excuse not to sit there every time they approach it,” Jimin had told us once.

“Jimin, that’s brilliant,” Seokjin had said, taken aback. “I won’t even take points away from Slytherin, that’s how brilliant it is.”

“I’m going to miss this,” Jungkook said, lower lip trembling.

“Oh, Jungkook, please don’t start this now,” Hoseok cried dramatically, burying his face in his hands. “Hyung will start crying just thinking about being separated from his babies.”

Jungkook fidgeted in his seat.

“I just want to be with you all forever,” he huffed, picking at the label on his butterbeer bottle. “is that too much to ask?”

“Jungkook, hyung can buy us a house in London—“

“Min Yoongi!” I interrupted, appalled.

“I’ll do it,” he said flatly.

“Everyone is going to be in London by the time the maknaes graduate from Hogwarts, except for Namjoon,” Seokjin said thoughtfully, “and Oxford isn’t too far, only about an hour away by train. We could definitely manage.”

“And no one has to pay rent,” Yoongi added.

“Yoongi, we will absolutely pay rent, don’t be ridiculous,” I nudged him with my elbow.

“Wait, I like not having to pay rent,” Taehyung said quickly.

“How about this, I’ll calculate your rent based on how well you all do on your N.E.W.T.s,” Yoongi suggested. “I’ll have to come up with a system, but I think that’s fair. The better you do, the lower your rent will be.”

“Let’s start studying as soon as we get back,” Taehyung said, turning to Jimin, who only laughed.

“There will be plenty of time to study,” Namjoon soothed. “Don’t start worrying about it now.”

“it’s so cool that you all have something lined up for after graduation,” Jimin said wistfully, waving Taehyung away. “I have no idea what I want to do after I leave Hogwarts.”

“Well, we know that Jungkook is going to be scouted right away,” Seokjin boasted, ruffling the younger boy’s hair affectionately. “The teams will be fighting amongst themselves to sign him.”

“Hyung,” Jungkook whined, embarrassed.

“It’s true, though,” I agreed. “Don’t pretend like you haven’t been exchanging letters with Ginny, we all know that the Potters took an interest in you after that last Gryffindor versus Slytherin match.”

“Would you be very much put out if I tried to use being a Min family friend to get a photography internship with The Daily Prophet?” Taehyung asked Yoongi and I.

“Not at all,” we replied at the same time.

“Thank you.”

“Jimin, didn’t you say you wanted to work for the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes?” Hoseok remembered.

“Maybe.” Jimin pouted. “They don’t have any internships open right now, though.”

“You still have time, they might open it up next year,” Seokjin pointed out.

“I’m also thinking about becoming a Healer,” Jimin admitted, “but I really hate Potions.” He turned towards Yoongi. “Hyung, please tutor me. You’re so good at Potions!”

“You could literally ask Professor Malfoy.”

“He’s scary!”

“You’re scary!”

“I think we’re all in agreement that no one wants to work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, though,” Namjoon said wryly.

“Bloody hell, no,” Yoongi snorted. “All cops can sod off.”

“Harry Potter is an Auror,” Jungkook reminded him.

“All cops except Harry Potter can sod off.”

“Did someone say Harry Potter?”

The eight of us all straightened up at once at the sight of Ginny Potter, née Weasley, approaching our table. Jungkook jumped up from his seat at once, darting forward to shake her hand with the utmost reverence and respect.

“Mrs. Potter!” he greeted her.

“Please, Jungkook, how many times have I told you to call me Ginny?” she laughed, swatting at him playfully. “Are these all your friends?”

“Yes, this is—“

“Kim Seokjin, I recognize your face from the cover of Witch Weekly,” Ginny finished for him. “And you two—“ She pointed at Yoongi and I. “Min family, right?”

“That’s right,” Yoongi said a little curtly.

Ginny pretended not to notice.

“All the professors speak very highly of you, even Malfoy,” she went on, addressing Namjoon, “and getting him to say something nice about anyone except Hermione is like pulling teeth.”

“Oh, well, that’s very kind of him,” Namjoon said, blushing profusely.

“Charlie told me that you’re very good with creatures,” Ginny said to Hoseok, “even dragons, which are very temperamental and difficult to work with. Have you considered going to Romania?”

“Not at all,” he replied cheerfully. “I’m going to be working at Eeylop’s after graduation. But I’ll think about it!”

If Ginny thought it odd that someone as promising as Hoseok would want to work at a magical pet store instead of with dragons in another country, she didn't let it show.

“And you two have another year left as well?” she asked, looking at Jimin and Taehyung.

They both nodded rapidly.

“Knowing Jungkook and his ability to surround himself with talented friends, I just know that all of your futures are going to be so bright,” the red-haired Quidditch player told them. “I need to run off but I’ll be in touch, okay, Jungkook?”

“Of course, Mrs. P—Ginny,” Jungkook corrected himself.

Ginny waved at them before exiting The Three Broomsticks, leaving their entire table stunned.

“Well, that was... something,” Seokjin said under his breath.

“I think she’s right about one thing, though,” Taehyung said, beaming. “Our futures are going to be so bright, no matter what we decide to do.”

Seven years later...

“Namjoon, don’t forget your lunch again!” Yoongi called out.

Already halfway out the door, Namjoon ran back into the kitchen, grabbing the insulated lunch bag Yoongi had packed for him off the counter.

“Thanks, hyung!”

“Go make a difference, Joon.”

True to his word, immediately following graduation, Yoongi put down a deposit on two townhouses right next to each other in London, equal distance from both the Ministry and his family's law firm. He did indeed come up with a fair and effective system for calculating our individual monthly rent payments based on our N.E.W.T.s results, which meant that we were all basically paying Knuts to live in the kind of affluent neighborhood recent Hogwarts graduates had no business living in. Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook joined us a year later—although as everyone expected, Jungkook spent the least amount of time at home, his training and game schedule playing for Puddlemere United keeping him away more often than not. Seokjin, Yoongi, Namjoon, and I lived in one townhouse while Hoseok played den mother to Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook in the other.

And just like that—just as Ginny Potter had predicted—things ended up working out in the best way possible.

Following his year-long internship at the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Seokjin was offered an entry-level position, which he used as an opportunity to work his way up to becoming the youngest department head in the history of the Ministry of Magic. He was the long-standing favorite to become the next Minister, although like a true politician, he successfully skirted around every question that pertained to his future political aspirations. He was also the longest-running winner of Witch Weekly's Most Handsome Face of the Year, currently touting an eight-year record.

Yoongi was running his own law practice as he had intended, having left his family's firm two years ago. Min Family Law was praised by The Daily Prophet as the number one firm in the UK for pro bono work—although I was certainly not the one to write that particular article. The rest of the family didn't understand his penchant for charity but we had also stopped attending family dinners so neither of us were especially bothered by their snide comments.

Hoseok, the perfect fit for his job at Eeylop's, ended up becoming the manager of the entire emporium, the owner having wanted to retire early to his family and taken a liking to his newest employee almost instantly. Hoseok seized the opportunity to open a second location in Hogsmeade, specializing in less conventional creatures, which he loaned to the school for Care of Magical Creatures classes—leading him to meet his now fiancée, Opal Lee-Rivers, the new Care of Magical Creatures professor.

After my own internship with The Daily Prophet, I accepted their offer as a contributing writer, getting promoted to Assistant Editor after three years while secretly working on the side with Yoongi to get Min Family Law up and running. (Technically, I was a silent partner but no one really knew that.) The word on the street was that the Prophet's Editor-in-Chief was retiring at the end of the year—and I was already in talks to take over his position once he did.

Namjoon being Namjoon finished his triple specialties in Charms, Ancient Runes, and Transfiguration in record time—three years at Oxford working day and night. When he graduated, he moved to London permanently, where he interviewed for and was immediately offered a position in the Department of Mysteries like he had always planned. To everyone’s surprise, then newly promoted department head Seokjin took an interest in him, taking advantage of their shared workplace to strike up conversations between meetings, during lunch breaks, and in the lift. Even though the pair had been friends for three years prior at Hogwarts, they hadn't spoken much during Namjoon's time at Oxford; and the vast majority of their relationship developed at the Ministry. After a year of him being oblivious to Seokjin's attempts to flirt with him, they started dating—much to every witch's disappointment.

Jimin chose to take a gap year, so to speak, working nights at the Leaky Cauldron while he studied for his exam to begin training as a Healer. Despite his grumbling, Yoongi set aside hours to work with him on Potions; and when he finally graduated, St. Mungo's let Jimin know that they had a position open for him. He soon became one of the most requested Healers at the hospital, well-praised for his bedside manner and his ability to get things done.

Taehyung, after dabbling in photography at The Daily Prophet, found himself in true Taehyung fashion being swept away to Paris as a runway model by a Muggle agency. He had no problems being a wizard among Muggles but after a year of being away from Jimin and unable to bear it much longer, he successfully negotiated being sent back to the agency's London headquarters. Now I couldn't go anywhere without seeing his Burberry ad on the side of a double decker bus.

Jungkook was picked up straightaway by the Kenmare Kestrels in Ireland, where he flew four record-breaking seasons before transferring to Puddlemere United, whose owner later admitted to having been advised to pursue him by the Potters. Despite Ginny's best attempts to introduce him to the daughters of her fellow Holyhead Harpies' teammates, Jungkook made a horribly drunken confession one New Year's Eve to our very own Min Yoongi—who politely refused on the grounds that Jungkook was not home often enough to make a relationship possible.

Jungkook signed with Puddlemere United three months later.

Being in Dorset meant that Apparition was an easy solution for being away from London as often as he was and Yoongi eventually returned his affections once he realized that the younger boy was making a concerted effort to be around more.

Now Yoongi was making lunches for seven grown adults—the benefits of owning his own business and getting to set his own hours.

"You may have wondered why I gathered you all here tonight," he said one evening as we were all seated at a large table in the back of a very upscale restaurant in Chelsea.

"I'm sure you're about to tell us, Yoongichi," Seokjin quipped, his hand laced with Namjoon's on top of the table.

Yoongi glared at him.

"Go on, hyung," Jungkook prodded gently from beside him.

"As I was saying," Yoongi went on, eyeing Seokjin pointedly, "I have brought you all here to make an announcement." He paused for a moment, looking around the table to make sure we were all listening attentively. "We're moving."

"Moving?"

"Hyung, what do you mean we're moving?"

"Moving where?"

Yoongi slid a large photograph across the table. We all put our heads together to get a closer look at what looked like a sprawling mansion with at least several stories and vast swathes of emerald green surrounding it on all sides. There was even a large opulent fountain in the middle of a circular driveway just beyond the front wrought-iron gates.

"Yoongi," I said slowly, "what are we looking at exactly?"

"Min Manor," he replied matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry, did you say Min Manor?"

"Don't you already have one of those?" Jimin asked, frowning.

"No, that's Min Estates," Yoongi corrected, "and it belongs to my family. This one is mine—and you're all moving in."

"I'm confused," Taehyung muttered. "When did you have time to make the money to afford this?"

Yoongi had the good grace to look slightly sheepish.

"I put all of your rent payments into a separate account and used the money to make the down payment," he admitted.

"Yoongi, we weren't even paying you that much to begin with!" I scolded him.

"Okay, so I maybe supplemented the rest with my own money." He shrugged. "It was worth it."

"Yoongi... this is... incredible," Namjoon said softly. "I don't know how to thank you."

"Don't." Yoongi shook his head. "You've all been the best friends I could've asked for—and like Jungkook said all those years ago, I just want to be with you all forever."

"Aw, he likes us," Hoseok crooned, leaning in to smack a loud kiss on Yoongi's cheek.

"Okay, okay, okay, that's enough!" Yoongi snapped, shoving him away, although there was no real bite to it. "You overly emotional fool."

"Oh, he definitely likes us," Taehyung agreed, shoving himself into Jungkook's lap to latch onto Yoongi's arm.

Yoongi tried unsuccessfully to wrench himself free from Taehyung's grasp, seeming to now regret his momentary show of affection.

"Park Jimin, please rid me of your soulmate's tenacious hold," he griped, addressing his fellow Slytherin.

"Oh, you know him, he just does as he likes," Jimin said, unconcerned.

"Yoongichi, this is a very generous gift," Seokjin told him seriously. "I must insist that you let us all take part in paying to maintain such a residence, now that we have all risen in our respective careers."

"Oh, trust me, future Minister of Magic, your portion will be the largest."

"Now, now, Yoongichi, it hasn't been announced that I'm running."

"But we all know you are—and you'll win," I said, rolling my eyes.

"That remains to be seen."

"Spoken like a true politician," Yoongi scoffed.

"Alright, children, settle down." I cleared my throat. "I'd like to propose a toast... to this amazing group of friends who have managed to stay together for so many years. Here's to many, many more. To us!"

"To us!" seven other voices chorused, raising their glasses.

"And to our very own moneybags, Mr. Min Yoongi," Seokjin added slyly, winking at his friend across the table.

"Hear, hear!" Taehyung agreed.

Later that night, back in the townhouses that would soon no longer be their home, tucked away in Yoongi's spacious master bedroom, Jungkook rolled over on his side to face his boyfriend.

"You did it, hyung," he said quietly. "You made my dream come true."

Yoongi smiled lovingly at him in the dark, scooting forward until his forehead touched Jungkook's.

"Oh, Jungkook," he whispered against his cheek, "it was always all for you."

#GeniusLabStorytime #BTS #Hogwarts #BTS x Hogwarts #Not at all age accurate #It really took me a whole year to touch this up and release it #more than a year #I am so sorry...

[halfseoulco]

The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION — TOMORROW X TOGETHER: A review

Published Monday, February 13th, 2023 — The story of Peter Pan has been a beloved children’s fairy tale for many years and has been told and retold in a plethora of ways—but never quite like this.

Introduction

Big Hit Music, formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment, under HYBE Labels (or HYBE Corporation) has a well-established reputation for storytelling through music. There are entire universes contained in the very fabric of their songs, birthing entire books and Webtoon series (see: BTS’s 花樣年華 The NOTES and 7FATES: CHAKHO; TXT’s THE STAR SEEKERS; and ENHYPEN’s DARK MOON: THE BLOOD ALTAR). Elements of these stories are presented through the artists’ music videos and, when watched in a certain order, help the viewer connect the dots and understand what the music and concepts are trying to convey. Because KPOP is an industry that relies heavily on concepts, continuous storylines are not necessarily common, although some groups may try to tell a story within the frame of one music video or a series of music videos released for a particular album. However, Big Hit Music has, much like with their older labelmates, BTS, given TXT a rich and immersive universe that flows from album to album, spanning the eras in a way that especially showcases the group’s growth and maturity into young men.

A Brief History of TXT’s Discography

When TOMORROW X TOGETHER debuted as a group on March 4th, 2019, the members were still young boys—as the oldest, Yeonjun was still months short of twenty; and Hueningkai, the youngest, was sixteen. They began their journey with a fresh and youthful concept highlighted by bright colors and graphics, debuting with “어느 날 머리에서 뿔이 자랐다 (CROWN)” and “Blue Orangeade”, which presented a strong first impression and helped lay the foundation for their spots as leaders of fourth generation KPOP. Now, coming up on the fourth anniversary of their debut date, they have covered a variety of themes along the vein of growing up—the blissful ignorance of youth, isolation from peers, love and heartbreak—and this latest comeback presents the darker, more seductive side of leaving adolescence behind.

The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION ties back to a similar naming convention for their previous series of albums, the first of which includes their debut release The Dream Chapter: STAR (2019), The Dream Chapter: MAGIC (2019), and The Dream Chapter: ETERNITY (2020); and the second of which includes The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE (2021) and The Chaos Chapter: FIGHT OR ESCAPE (2021). minisode 2: Thursday’s Child (2022)—part of another series that also includes minisode1 : Blue Hour (2020)—laid the groundwork for a seamless transition from the sadness and heartbreak explored in The Chaos Chapter series to whatever the next release would have in store. The title track of Thursday’s Child, “Good Boy Gone Bad”, demonstrated how heartbreak can turn into the kind of anger that changes a person for the worst—into someone who they or those around them can no longer recognize—and 2023 brought to light the next sequence of events for our five Lost Boys.

Teasing The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION

With a title like The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION, there is little room to misunderstand what is about to happen next. Currently at age 23 (Yeonjun), 22 (Soobin), 21 (Beomgyu), 21 (Taehyun), and 20 (Hueningkai), TXT is entering the period of young adulthood, where there are plenty of complex emotions, interesting sensations, and new experiences to be had. In the concept trailer released for TEMPTATION prior to the EP’s drop, the visual imagery immediately reminded fans of Peter Pan, showing the five boys moving through a window into a new world. There is a narrator who makes references to Wendy, Peter, and learning how to fly; and the language used made the concept quite clear and easily established expectations for the direction of the quintet’s next release while also showcasing the group’s dancing. The concept trailer was then followed by a preview of the EP’s tracks, which further reinforced the storyline previously presented. I didn’t need to hear the songs in their full capacity to know that this was a darker, more sensual take on the classic Peter Pan tale—which I will delve into deeper later in this review.

“Sugar Rush Ride” MV

Heading the group’s promotions is the title track “Sugar Rush Ride”. Preceded by two teasers (one | two), the music video takes some of the more traditional elements of Peter Pan’s Neverland and twists them into a Garden of Eden-like setting, enhanced by psychedelic effects meant to mimic ecstasy or euphoria, or the sensations of leaving one’s body. The video begins with the five members waking up on a beach before moving onto different locations, including an open field, an enchanting yet slightly sinister forest, a gorgeous waterfall, a cave full of butterflies, and an opulent setting dressed up by a tree with multicolored foliage. They return to the beach at the end, ready to leave this magical world.

On its own, the visuals tell the story quite well: five boys arrive in Neverland, where they stay and play for a while, seduced by the fantasy it offers. Loss of innocence is an archetype typically associated with growing up; and the temptations of Neverland are too great for them to resist. Furthermore, as many fans took notice, it is the most scantily dressed that Big Hit has allowed them to be since their debut, especially for Hueningkai, who as the youngest has a history of being covered up as much as possible when the older members have been in more revealing attire. All visual aspects of this concept point to a clear maturity that hasn’t really been tapped into prior to TEMPTATION—and the members lean into it quite well.

An Analysis of The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION

The EP, consisting of five songs, flows like a story all on its own and for optimal enjoyment should be listened to in its designated order. The reason why I say that no one has really told the story of Peter Pan like this before reveals itself as soon as the first few notes of the record play—because no one has ever stopped to consider that maybe Peter Pan isn’t the hero—maybe he’s the villain.

TEMPTATION opens with “Devil by the Window”, an English track that refers to Peter Pan as not only the “devil by the window” but also “a wolf in sheep clothes”. In the most popular retelling of the story, Disney’s version, Wendy tells her younger brothers stories about Peter Pan’s adventures and heroic deeds; and getting to fly to Neverland with him is viewed as an amazing opportunity. However, “Devil by the Window” describes Peter Pan as a sinister figure in the night waiting to lure TXT away to Neverland, which is less of a paradise for children and more like an awful ride you can’t get off of. The brunt of the message is contained in the chorus: “I met the devil by the window, traded my life/Temptation touched my tongue, spread the wings of desire/He’s whispering, ‘Give up, don’t you put up a fight’/Said the devil by the window, ‘Dream on, dream on, good night”. In fact, the language of the song paints an image of Peter Pan that is quite similar to the serpent in the Garden of Eden.

The soundscape of “Devil by the Window” creates a richly seductive palette that weaves it way throughout the rest of the record. When paired with the gritty bassline and the breathiness with which the members infused their voices, the lyrics help set the scene for our Korean Lost Boys to make their journey to Neverland. The most interesting part is the end, which is rather abrupt after a tempo change that feels like floating right before a sudden drop, which might be interpreted as an indication that the flight from home to Neverland has ended.

TXT chose to perform “Devil by the Window” alongside “Sugar Rush Ride” during their promotional circuit; and the choreography helps further the storytelling aspect of TEMPTATION in a way that would leave the story slightly lacking if it were to have gone without.

There are certain expectations for title tracks in the KPOP industry and most groups choose to perform their most so-called “fun” or general public-friendly songs. “Sugar Rush Ride” is, in some ways, “Devil by the Window” repackaged as a title track with elements of pop music sprinkled on top to disguise the utter debauchery that it really is—and I really don’t mean that in a negative way. Sonically, the structure of the verses are more pop leaning, while the chorus falls back into a soundscape more similar to its predecessor. It incorporates the same kind of breathy singing, as well as some beautiful falsettos adorned throughout that add a beautiful layer of vocal color to the song. The sighs that punctuate the chorus really add to the seduction that they established in “Devil by the Window” and I am truly so obsessed with the hidden vocals, which create some amazing contrast between them and the members’ voices.

Lyrically, “Sugar Rush Ride” describes an experience of heightened sensation— hence the sugar rush, which feels like a euphemism for substance use, supported by Hueningkai’s lines “You’re so addictive/내 혈관은 (translated: my veins) full of sweets”—although sugar is also used as another name for desire. Now that TXT are in Neverland, Peter Pan is trying to convince them to stay, enticing them with whatever he is giving them to produce the sugar rush. They’re still aware that he can’t be trusted; Taehyun’s lines in the refrain, “꿈에 데려가는/침대맡에 liar”, translate to “the liar at [my] bedside who takes me into [the] dream”*, indicating that they know what he’s trying to do but they’re buying into it anyway. They also continue to refer to him as the devil; and during the post-chorus, which moves at a faster pace established in the second iteration of the chorus, there’s an acknowledgement: “You’re a bad liar/What are you doing to me (what did you do to me), sugar?”* Again, much like the story of the Garden of Eden, having previously not known desire, the Lost Boys are finding that they can’t get enough of it and the sensation is overwhelming.

The Kulture Study by Form of Therapy, my favorite KPOP reaction channel, pointed out in their review of the song that after the sugar rush comes a crash, something that I agree with. Exactly when that crash will come and what shape it will take is still yet to be seen at this point in the album—which brings us to the next track.

“Happy Fools” sits right smack dab in the middle of the EP, a brighter, more carefree song that describes wanting to stay in a state of blissful ignorance in spite of what it would mean for them if they did. Coi Leray’s verse adds a fresh-faced playfulness and an additional layer of “not a care in the world” vibes; and the members settle into their short-lived period of contentment before being forced to face the reality of their situation. You shouldn’t let the sound of the song deceive you; the title and the lyrics make it very clear that they know that they’re on borrowed time.

Tinnitus is a condition in which one may experience a ringing or buzzing noise in one or both ears, whether constantly or intermittently. With that in mind, “돌멩이가 되고 싶어 (Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock))” doesn’t carry the kind of unpleasant quality you might expect based on the title; rather, it is a soft, sensual track that takes influence from Latin beats. It’s definitely a tie with “Farewell, Neverland” for my favorite song on the EP, its dreamy instrumentals and vocal colors making it not so much a dance track as it is a song that gets your body moving. It’s short and sweet but describes both a longing for one to be more than they are and an admission that things didn’t happen the way they wanted them to. The lyrics do mention tinnitus both explicitly and implicitly, sometimes as a “deafening empty sound” or a “daze”—and more than the underlying layer of self-deprecation, it carries a more deeply rooted disillusionment. In other words, the enchantment of Neverland has been broken.

Following that train of thought, TEMPTATION ends with “Farewell, Neverland”. The Korean title is “네버랜드를 떠나며”, which translates more closely to “Leaving Neverland”*. Matching up with the title, the song contains plenty of imagery that ties it to the Peter Pan story, including the lines and words used such as “Boys don’t grow up”, “endless flying”, and “my Peter Pan”. If “Devil by the Window” and “Sugar Rush Ride” are more about Peter Pan himself, “Farewell, Neverland” is, obviously, more about Neverland. They call it a “paradise full of lies” and say that it is “no home”, indicating that whatever they came to Neverland searching for, they didn’t find it; and whatever temptation was presented, it ultimately wasn’t enough to make them stay. However, our Lost Boys speak of Neverland more fondly than they spoke of Peter Pan at the beginning of the EP, calling it “my love”. Paired with the acoustic guitar and Latin-influenced instrumentals similar to “Tinnitus”, it certainly does seem like a rather romantic goodbye, if not a little bittersweet.

Conclusion

The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION is, as TXT’s work always is, a solid album. It presents a new side of the five young men that ties in with them growing up. The KPOP industry is often unkind to older groups, placing more favor with groups that maintain a youthful image; and while TXT are by no means old, their decision to fully delve into the processing of maturing into adulthood so explicitly in their music while also embracing sensuality that very carefully toes the line of propriety is to be respected and commended. As I mentioned previously, the EP tells a story and I would not recommend listening to the songs out of order. Interestingly, it splits quite evenly, with “Devil by the Window” and “Sugar Rush Ride” forming a pair and “돌멩이가 되고 싶어 (Tinnitus)” and “ 네버랜드를 떠나며 (Farewell, Neverland)” forming another with “Happy Fools” bridging the gap between them. Now, having gotten a taste of what an older, more grown up TXT is capable of, I can’t wait to see what they show us next.

Genius Lab USA Rating: We go up like the moon, [...] get it poppin’ like balloons. We gon party every day living like some happy fools doing what we wanna do.

The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION Track List:

Devil by the Window

Sugar Rush Ride

Happy Fools (feat. Coi Leray)

돌멩이가 되고 싶어 (Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock))

네버랜드를 떠나며 (Farewell, Neverland)

*These are my translations.

#GeniusLabListens #TOMORROW X TOGETHER #TXT #The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION #KPOP #Korean Music #Album Review

[halfseoulco]

SPIN OFF : FROM THE WITNESS - ATEEZ: A review

Published Saturday, February 4th, 2023 — SPIN OFF: FROM THE WITNESS was one hundred percent what you would call a surprise. KQ Entertainment dropped the official announcement on December 12th, 2022 for a December 30th release, with an eerie live stream of a rainy scene accompanied by bluebird sounds, Morse code, and ten bell chimes spaced three minutes apart, which KQ Entertainment immediately made private after the stream ended. They then followed with a prologue released on the 22nd, one teaser for the title track, “HALAZIA”, on the 27th, and the second teaser on the 28th—and, of course, two sets of concept photos. Yunho even revealed what we would come to find out was a key point in the choreography for “HALAZIA” during ATEEZ’s cover of Crush’s “Rush Hour” for SBS Gayo Daejeon on the 24th. The promotional period leading up to the record’s release was a whirlwind, to say the least.

Introduction

As I mentioned in my review of THE WORLD EP.1 : MOVEMENT, I’m not an expert on ATEEZ’s lore as illustrated through their music videos. However, what I do know is that there are two universes, or timelines, if you will; as well as two versions of the members themselves (as seen in the “Answer” MV). The alternate versions are called HALATEEZ, in reference to “HALA HALA (Hearts Awakened, Live Alive”; and my understanding is that they’ve disappeared and that it is up to the original ATEEZ to carry out their mission. Moreover, the scene in the live stream KQ Entertainment deleted had “HEARTS AWAKENED, LIVE ALIVE” written on one of the walls and there was the reflection of masked figures wearing fedoras in the water, which means that the events that took place starting with “Guerrilla” and “HALAZIA” have ties to what happened in “HALA HALA”. There are some fans that say that “Paradigm”, ATEEZ’s latest Japanese release, is also connected to the overarching storyline, even though it was released as a performance video [for choreography] and not as a music video with story behind it—for which a case can definitely be made thanks to words and phrases such as “Someone, call my name/Wake me up”, “new revolution”, and “Break through the maze”.

The Story Behind “HALAZIA”

The cryptic nature of the deleted live stream makes more sense once you watch the music video for “HALAZIA”, bringing us back to that same abandoned mall for some scenes; and the bell chimes are more present in the instrumentals. You see references to HALATEEZ sprinkled throughout, as well as the continuation of San’s penchant for sacrifice—something that is unique to his role in the group, which is as a sort of decoy for Hongjoong, who is the leader. The video does an excellent job of balancing footage of the storyline and of the choreography; and the set and costume changes are just the right number to not overwhelm the song itself. It’s not a secret that the production quality of ATEEZ’s music videos has increased over the past year, most likely funded by KQ Entertainment’s multiple fan sign/fan call events and pre-order benefits—and they are rewarding our support with these gorgeous, movie-esque music videos.

Sonically, “HALAZIA” is, obviously, more like the songs on THE WORLD EP.1 : MOVEMENT than it is like ATEEZ’s earlier works. The soundscape of THE WORLD helps bring to life the dystopian rebellion that they established in “Guerrilla”; and “HALAZIA” calls back to the same kind of haunting, droning sound that colored “Sector 1″, “Cyberpunk”, and “The Ring”—but what colors “HALAZIA” is a certain desperation that ties it to the events of “Guerrilla” et al. It seems like the revolution isn’t going according to plan based on the first verse: “Oh, no, everything has become barren, ooh, yeah/We all try but we lose emotion/Getting used to the feeling of losing/Getting paralyzed/In shackled freedom”*. There’s a reference to a line Yunho sings in “Sector 1″—“I want to know/What is it to love (What does it mean/feel like to love)?”—in the pre-chorus, which is also sung by Yunho, “I want to hear/The sound of love’s breath”*. Speaking of the pre-chorus, I know that Yeosang’s lines have everyone by the throat. Sung in his deep, almost grating tone, “Mm, the little blue bird that lost its voice/I can hear the whispers/The beginnings of a deep echo”* adds just a little extra something that has me craving “HALAZIA” more and more.

We saw in “Guerrilla” that the evil government has somehow made it so that no one can feel human emotion, calling it a disease; and it is ATEEZ’s mission to wake everyone up. There seemed to be some sort of inner turmoil later on in the album as to whether they were doing the right thing or not by waking up humanity, but in “HALAZIA”, there is more conviction: “The truth hidden in fear/.../What have we been so silent for?/Who are we in the darkness for?”* The eight-piece group then makes their final stand in the refrain, during which they repeat the phrases “No more, keep control” and “No more, keep your soul” in English, which reaffirms their belief in their cause. Overall, it is a powerful anthem and one that will be earning its multiple listens.

ATEEZ performed “HALAZIA” for the first time during the MBC Gayo Daejejeon, which aired on December 31st. Might I say that the choreography is amazing, as expected.

Conclusion

The rest of the single release consists of three remixes of ATEEZ’s previous songs and the outro, which borrows sound from “HALAZIA” to wrap everything up perfectly. The remixes themselves are worthy of their own individual attention, drawing upon a particular vein of sound that is popular within clubs from earlier years. A short but sweet record, given the amount of time between the initial announcement and the actual release; and a great segue into their eventual next album—which I, like all ATINYs, am awaiting with huge excitement.

Genius Lab USA Rating: The voice that will overturn the world

SPIN OFF: FROM THE WITNESS Track List:

HALAZIA

WIN - June One Remix

I’m The One - Eden-ary Remix

Take Me Home - IDIOTAPE Remix

Outro : Blue Bird

*Translations courtesy of GENIUS English translations.

#GeniusLabListens #ATEEZ #SPIN OFF : FROM THE WITNESS #HALAZIA #KPOP #Korean Music #I'm sorry this is so late but I was waiting for my albums!!