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atzfilm · 2 months

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— from eden; (m) part two (finale)

there's something wretched about this. something so precious about this, oh what a sin

— yeosang/f.reader, seonghwa/f.reader

— vampire!au, angst, smut (16k)

— you never thought you'd fall for your best friend. and yet there you were, stumbling upon him in a lover's embrace. heartbroken, you escape to a quiet bar not far from where you work. a man with a pretty mark on his face distracts you.

— content; mxm content, cussing, blood, blood drinking (it's painful, not sexy 😭) heartache, injuries, anxiety, death, violence, slightly descriptive murder (?), attempted assault (nothing happens aside from brief arm touch), insults, mention of threesome

part one

yeosang and you enter the restaurant, your hands tucked in your pockets. with yeosang’s lack of warmth, he often reaches for your palm in his, but you insisted that for tonight, you stay away from unneeded physical contact. it isn’t like you’re uncomfortable with it - you just want things to go smoothly. yeosang frowned at your suggestion but obliged, knowing you want things to be okay between the three of you. your eyes scan the seats until it lands on the back of seonghwa’s head. you look at yeosang before moving forward, he himself barely a step behind you.

seonghwa stands when he sees the two of you, embracing you with a tight hug before looking at yeosang. you never though you’d see the two of them together, the sight strange as you watch them interact. seonghwa holds out his hand and yeosang shakes it firmly. you can see the gears turn in your best friend’s head as he embraces his hand. it’s similar to the look you’re sure you gave him when you first met. you all sit down, you across from seonghwa and yeosang next to you. they exchange greetings as the waiter comes and places menus in front of you.

“you’re cold yeosang,” seonghwa says after a moment, looking at you briefly. “you’re just like y/n. no gloves?”

“naturally cold,” yeosang murmurs. you haven’t noticed before, but the set of yeosang’s shoulders are a bit tense. likely due to the topic of conversation. you decided together that it would be best to speak to seonghwa about his… condition, in person. depending on how the conversation turns, you want to tell him tonight. not in the restaurant.

“pick what you wanted?” you look at seonghwa, and he mulls over the menu. you envy him in situations like this - he’s quiet, but he never lets the lull of silence bother him.

“yep, the usual.”

oh, maybe not this time. the silence is almost painful.

“i’ve gone here a few times,” yeosang speaks up, glancing over the food. “the last time i came the hamburgers were delightful. fries a bit too soggy for my taste,” he sighs, frowning. “at least the chicken i ordered was crispy.”

“chicken it is then,” you nudge him.

the waiter comes back as you place your orders.

your hands are folded in your lap, holding yourself back from biting your lip. seonghwa wanted the two of you to come for a reason, and though you don’t expect it to be said immediately once you’ve sat down, the anticipation is wearing you down.

“i’ve known birdie since we were kids,” seonghwa begins, taking a sip of his soda. “she probably told you already, but we’ve been best friends since then. it was just recently when i realized that i love her in a romantic sense.”

“she has,” yeosang says simply.

“and you have no problem with that?” seonghwa’s brows furrow as he looks at yeosang. “nothing at all?”

“it might be surprising given the amount of time we’ve been together, but i do love her. and i have no issue with her loving someone else while being in a relationship with me,” yeosang shrugs. “all i want is open communication - if her feelings change or if yours change if we decide to move along with this, we just speak about it. it’s difficult, but that’s how something like this can work.”

seonghwa stares at him, “you’re serious about this? you're willing to share someone you love?”

“hwa,” you frown.

he sighs, “it’s just. i don’t want… i didn’t think i’d ever agree to anything like this,” he whispers. his fingers drag along the indentations of the wooden table, tongue dragging along his lips. “i thought you’d be with someone else and that’s true, it happened. but this?” he looks between you and yeosang. “it… i don’t want to be an afterthought. i don’t want to be treated like someone that could be thrown away. and it might be stupid of me to say anything like this because i know you better than i know myself, birdie. i know you wouldn’t hurt me that way. but it scares me. it fucking terrifies me that one day you will decide that this was stupid and give up on me after some time. that’s what i’m worried about most.”

yeosang does not respond, knowing it’s your chance to speak this time.

“i know how hard this is to wrap your head around,” you say, gaze glued to his face, though he does not meet your eyes. “when i finally confessed to yeosang, we both knew that i haven't moved on from you, and despite my own insistent yeosang encouraged me to settle my feelings before pursuing something with him. and at the time i could imagine my life with him, i really could. but having you not there with me, i don't think i'd ever move on from you, seonghwa. feelings are very fragile, and the very last thing i'd ever think of doing is hurting you. i love you, and i want this to work. between us.”

seonghwa does not say anything, likely digesting the words you say the food arrives moments later. all of you that the waiter for the meal.

“i know my words are less impactful since we are not well acquainted,” yeosang takes a small bite of his fries. “but i would like for you to know something, if i may.”

seonghwa nods.

“when y/n and i arrived here, no, just before, she spoke to me about you. explained your emotions, how you react to certain things and phrases. told me of your likes and dislikes, of topics to tread lightly on and to be aware of. she didn't even want me to hold her hand when we arrived out of fear it would turn you off.”

the temperature in the room grows, your own face warming. he does not mean to embarrass you but you can feel the emotion manifesting.

“she was afraid when i spoke to her about you, when i asked questions. corrected me when my assumption about you was incorrect, scolded me when i said something out of line. these conversations, these little talks between us – from that alone i could tell that y/n loves you more than she even knows. and you and i both know she is kind hearted. her heart is full of love. she loves you truly, without restraint.”

yeosang passes seonghwa his fries, “it would be a shame to not try, at least. see if it is comfortable. we all don't have to be together each time we meet. you can meet separately if it feels strange to have me around. our relationships with one another will be separate.”

“are you interested in men?” seonghwa asks him. yeosang's sweet cheeks lift at the question.

“i don't have a preference, i just enjoy people. but if you wonder if i am attracted to you,” yeosang glances at you for a brief moment. it is something he does often to see if you are uncomfortable. the expression on your face must be neutral enough for him to continue. “you aren't bad on the eyes. i don't anticipate a relationship between us, though. my heart is occupied by y/n right now.”

there is a bit of silence that simmering between the two of you.

“i don’t want to jump into anything right away,” seonghwa starts, thanking yeosang for the fries. “even though i did confess to birdie right when we both met again, i didn’t really know the circumstances of what’s happened over these months. i do, though, want to continue something with her. and seeing as you’re both okay with that, i am too. we can just take it slow, then?”

you can’t hide the smile slowly rising on your face, the softness in seonghwa’s eyes forming as he takes in your expression. “we can,” you agree.

“and you don’t have to not touch each other while i’m around,” seonghwa adds in, chuckling when he sees your movements still. “it doesn’t make me uncomfortable in the slightest, you know.”

“i didn’t want anything to be too much,” you admit beneath your breath. yeosang slides closer to you almost immediately after seonghwa’s blessing, a snort escaping your lips at his enthusiasm. “way to play it cool.”

“i like touching you,” yeosang shrugs.

the night slows down after that, small banter back and forth between the three of you. seonghwa warms up as the hours pass, and soon enough the employees begin cleaning up the cafe, a signal for you to leave. yeosang takes his hand in yours as you stand, the cool temperature of his hand making you shiver. seonghwa follows by your opposing side as you walk out, the cold night more than chilling. the lump in your throat is massive as you look at seonghwa, knowing that you have to tell him what yeosang is. that you can’t hide it from him if you want this to work. yeosang knows this as well, thumb rubbing small circles into your palm.

“seonghwa, before we move things forward there’s something else you need to know,” you start, grip tightening around yeosang’s hands. “it’s important.”

the familiar worried look settles in his eyes as he looks between the both of you. things were moving forward so well, it hurts that you need to bring this up at all. but you trust seonghwa, more than you trust yourself. he wouldn’t tell a soul what he knows if you didn’t want him to.

“better to let it out in the open,” he says slowly.

“would you…” you trail off, gaze moving just behind seonghwa. yeosang steps forward as seonghwa turns around, his hand leaving yours. the sight is hard to watch.

the man’s hands wrapped around the woman’s body, pulling her into him. from a quick glance it would just look like they’re wrapped in a lover’s embrace, but you can see the dark shine on her neck, the way his hands are still around her, the limpness of her body. if she is not dead she is soon to be. even in the night you can see how pale she is from where you stand.

“what’s going on?” seonghwa asks, looking at you. you're unable to respond, yeosang leaving the two of you by yourselves. you can remember how he told you there were no vampires around, rarely do they ever even appear in your town. so seeing one so blatantly suck the life out of a person in front of you allows dread to slide over you. seonghwa takes a step forward but you grip his forearm so tightly, you’re sure to leave a bruise. he looks down at you in confusion, eyes widening when he sees the fear on your face.

“y/n, you have to let me go help-”

the sound resonates around the two of you. your heads whip in the direction of the crime, the woman’s body slumped against the pavement as the two vampires fight. it’s too fast for your eyes to keep up, but you do see it. the wooden stake shoved into yeosang’s chest and sticking out from the back. seonghwa is as stunned as you are, your heart dropping when you see his injury. another loud crack echoes through the air. yeosang falls to his knees, hands pressed against the ground to hold himself up. he moves again, slow enough to see him collapse in the nearby park, hidden behind the thickened bushes.

you let go of seonghwa and run over, first glancing at the woman on the ground. her eyes are open and glazed over, life no longer with her. seonghwa is just behind you, stopping for a moment to gaze at the woman's body. there's nothing the two of you can do – but neither of you reach to dial the police. you move near yeosang, but seonghwa is first.

“birdie, what the hell,” his hand wrapped around your forearm is steel, brows furrowed tightly as he holds you behind his body. his gaze has not left the crouched over body of yeosang, the hole in his chest slowly closing. you watch as the parts begin to mend, muscles stretching across the gap, ribs forming in its absence. the sight itself is gory, your own eyes elsewhere as yeosang dry heaves. it is ironic to say that your own heart is breaking looking at him, but you cannot describe it any other way. you push past your fear and begin moving toward him again but seonghwa does not lose strength in his hold on you.

“hwa, let go.”

“you’re not getting near him. he’s not… he’s–”

“seonghwa. he’s not human, i know,” you interrupt his stuttered words. his head turns immediately to look at you, eyes flicking between yours. hurt and confusion mix together. his hold loosens enough that you pull away from him, crouching next to yeosang. his hand reaches for yours and you grasp it without another word, lips pressed against the back of it. you don’t think of how it’s coated with blood or how it’s not his. no. all you do is wait and watch. his shuddered breaths, trembling lips. eyes closed.

“what’s going on?” seonghwa has not moved from his spot but he has not backed away either, watching the two of you. “is he some type of experiment?”

“a vampire, just like the one that attacked that woman,” you say. “we were going to tell you hwa, until it happened. it was going to be easier to explain.”

“not sure anything like that is easy to explain, y/n,” he moves closer. you hear him crouching down next to you. he is afraid, that you can clearly see. but he does not leave your side, eyes stuck on your crumbled partner. “is he… will he be okay?”

“yes,” you murmur. “i think so. i hope so.”

“is there nothing we can do? to speed up the process?”

it’s surprising how easy he is taking in this information. you glance over for a moment, eyes flicking to his hand that touches yeosang’s free one. their fingers are entwined, seonghwa’s trembling in his hold.

“blood, probably,” you whisper low, hoping that yeosang is too focused on his healing to hear you say it. “but i don’t think–”

“no,” his tone is hoarse as it escapes his blood coated lips, head shaking slightly. “no.”

“no then,” seonghwa says. “we wait?”

yeosang slowly nods. “yes.”

and that is what you do. hidden in the moonless night, tucked beneath the tree seonghwa and you used to rest when you were children, staring at the man you love mending himself.

–

it takes a little more than a hour before yeosang is able to stand up on his own. seonghwa and you help him to his feet. he does not waste any time in letting apologies spill from his body, chest heaving. you silence them with a small smile and a shake of your head. seonghwa shuts it down well, lifting yeosang’s arm to let it wrap around his shoulder. he assists him with walking to yeosang’s car. you climb in the backseat first, helping seonghwa lower him down to the seats, his body lying horizontally, head resting against your thighs. your fingers push his blood soaked locks away from his face, unable to control your own trembling. he turns his head slightly, pressing a small kiss to your pants.

“i’ll be fine, pretty.”

seonghwa climbs into the front seat. he adjusts his mirror to focus on the two of you. your eyes meet in the reflection, your worried gaze meeting his identical one. it is something you love about him. how easy it is for him to care despite the circumstances. he asked you just before if he should call the police but both yeosang and yourself denied the request. there's no way to explain what happened tonight. nothing that would end up letting the three of you leave without question. seonghwa drives slow, apologizing each time the road hits a bump. yeosang murmurs no need as he does it, eventually making it to his complex. the two of you pause for a moment, thinking. how could you bring him through the lobby when he looks like he’s walked out of a murder scene?

“garage has a private entrance. the key is in the glove compartment,” he gestures forward. seonghwa reaches over and takes it out, quickly opening the driver’s door to help yeosang out. the movements are quick as you do so, cameras around the garage increasing your worry. you enter the elevator, seonghwa passing you to the key. you glance at the two of them before shutting the doors, turning the key and hitting the top floor.

yeosang snickers at you, head resting against seonghwa’s shoulder. “you know what they say about vampires not being seen in reflections? works here too.”

“i can see you in the mirror, yeo,” you frown.

“if i let you, yes,” he takes in a long breath, clearing his throat. “i’m able to hide myself enough that outsiders cannot see. so, the guards would just see the two of you carrying around an invisible person. i only suggested the garage because it would be too hard to explain carrying a body they cannot see. i wonder how it would look,” he chuckles, his cough overcoming it. seonghwa and you exchange a worried look as the elevator ascends.

“i’m fine,” he mumbles, clearing his throat. “just a blood bag and rest. you can leave once you drop me off. the both of you.”

“no.” “absolutely not.”

yeosang does not protest, but you can see the disgruntled expression on his face. once he's stable enough, likely after a few more hours, you know he's going to scold you for hanging around while he's like this. it wouldn't be the first time you've run away. but you cannot do such a thing now. your mind would wander if you left him in this apartment. if the attack was truly random maybe you'd be less worried. nevertheless, he's one of your loved ones. you'd never forgive yourself for leaving him alone. and with you staying, seonghwa won't leave. not until he understands everything that's happening.

the elevator doors slide open, your steps matching their slow ones as you enter the apartment. seonghwa helps guide yeosang to his room with instructions. you enter the kitchen, opening the fridge door. the bags line each shelf, cold to the touch. does he want you to warm it up?

“this is true, then?” the stool slides against the hardwood floor as seonghwa sits, eyes on the open refrigerator. “he's really a vampire?”

“as real as he'll ever be,” you play the bag in the microwave, hitting the timer. “i was as shocked as you are now when i found out.”

“and it doesn't scare you?”

you hold your tongue. does it? before, you were downright afraid of being in the same room with him. you've grown used to his true nature, your love superseding any uncomfortable feelings that appeared. but are you still afraid, deep down?

“it did,” you admit, keeping the bag closed. you stare at it, thinking. “but i love him, hwa. if he were a secret dragon or a shape-shifting hybrid creature i'd still love him.” and that is true. there is no hesitancy in your voice. you love him. you tuck the bag beneath your arm, giving seonghwa a quick squeeze on his arm before entering yeosang's room.

he stares at the ceiling, chest rising and falling slowly. he somehow looks paler, the warm amber lamp shining on his skin. he tilts his head, blinking slowly as he smiles at you. you take the bag out of your hand, placing it in his. he pauses as he stares at it, nail tracing around the outline of it.

“thank you,” his tone is low. “you didn’t… when you saw the woman, you were calm.”

you see her sullen, cold face in your mind as he mentions it. it makes your throat tighten a bit, but it's not an unfamiliar sight. “seonghwa and i, before we had our current jobs, we were in medical school. cadavers were something quite common to see. the only reason why i didn't freak out,” you admit. “i doubt i’d forget anytime soon, though.”

“i'm sorry y/n,” he places the bag to the side of him, hand reaching for yours. you lift yours with ease, letting him entwine your fingers. “i should have told you to leave. i would have been fine alone, i let you see it. i could have done something quicker –”

“you're not blaming this on yourself, are you?” you stare at him in confusion. “you didn't cause her death, yeosang. this isn't your fault in any way.”

“i thought, when we left the restaurant, the smell outside was vaguely familiar. it smelled of death. i pushed past it because i thought it was just me imagining things. if i truly, truly let it settle this wouldn't have happened. i could have saved her.”

“listen to me carefully,” you lift your free hand, resting it against the side of his face. his eyelids close. “you are not at fault, yeosang. this is not your fault. you didn't kill her. you tried your best to save her. you almost died trying, yeo,” your gaze moves to his chest, the open wound merely a smaller hole now. “you did everything you could. sometimes it just doesn't work out the way we want it to.”

“the vampire is still out there,” he whispers.

that is true. wherever it came from, it still roams the streets. and if what yeosang believes is true truly is, there's nothing stopping him from feeding on more innocents. soon enough the murders will raise suspicion, grow fear in the community. it worries you that's for certain.

“there's nothing to be done right now unless you're well.”

his lips tilt downward a bit, but he doesn't say anything to deny your words. “you can go for the night if you'd like, pretty.”

“i'm staying,” you reach for the bag around him, placing it back in his hands. “i'll be in the living room with seonghwa. bother me anytime you want.” you go to stand, but yeosang's grip on your fingers does not loosen. “yeo–?”

“not just my apartment, y/n. if this… if all of this is too much for you, i wouldn't blame you if you decided to leave me.”

“i’ve told you before-”

“and i’m asking you again.” he interrupts you, eyes unblinking. “i love you, and i know this relationship we have will put you in danger. just because i rarely am around vampires does not mean someone won’t appear in the future. i’d never want to put you in harm’s way, and i need you to know now that that will happen. i’ll try my best to protect you, but there may be a time that i won’t be able. i need you to think about this, carefully. i wouldn’t mind if you stayed the night to think it through, and if it takes longer than the night i’ll understand. just, don’t say yes because you care for me. think of your future, of what you’ll be risking if you stay.”

you lean down, lips pressing against his birthmark. “i will. get some rest, okay?”

his nod is shallow, letting go of your arm. you give him one last look before closing the door completely, locking it behind you.

seonghwa sits on the edge of the couch, mindlessly clicking through the channels. his gaze shifts to you once you enter, bored eyes brightening as they move to yours. “is he alright?”

you sit next to him, adjusting yourself on the couch. “he’s as good as he can be. hopefully better tomorrow.”

he nodes slowly, “are you okay?”

that’s a more difficult question to answer. “he was there for me when i let myself drown in my sorrow. i drank so much a few months ago. it made me forget what i lost. seeing him right now, so defeated, i just don’t know what to do to help him. i feel stuck a bit, you know?”

there is no question why you did that, how you ended up that way. it was your own heartache that thought it would be best to mend yourself with alcohol. you’d never blame it on seonghwa and he’d never suggest doing so. but you can see in his eyes, how they grace their gaze on you, how the lump of his adam’s apple tightens as he swallows. you reach over, hand covering his own, a small pinch of skin between your nails.

“it’s better now.”

he nods slowly, lids fluttering. “i hope so.”

“yeosang helped with it,” you say again, gaze subconsciously roaming to his closed bedroom door. “it was a lot to deal with on my own and he was there to pull me out of it. i haven’t touched alcohol since.”

“i’m glad he was there for you,” seonghwa holds your hand, playing with your fingers. “i hope i can be there too.”

“you’re here now even though you don’t need to be,” you say simply. “you're scared of him but you haven't said anything to discourage me. you're scared, and you're still here. i went through a lot back then seonghwa and i have so much more to work on, but i won't do anything like that again. you're here for me, and i will not leave you.”

he takes in a long breath, eyes closing. “i know. but it's nice to hear you say it, birdie.” he tilts his head to look at you. “all we can do right now is wait and see if he needs anything. i can tell from knowing him for a day now, he seems a bit stubborn.”

you frown, “takes one to know one.”

he snickers, tongue dragging across his chapped lips. “ha ha.”

“now there’s two of you i have to deal with?” wooyoung stands there, arms crossed as it flicks between seonghwa and yourself. yeosang did warn you before you slept that he may be dropping by since he told him of the incident, but you didn’t expect it so early in the morning. dawn just breaking. you barely slept, a couple of hours of sleep obvious in the way you stand. seonghwa stands slightly in front of you, unmoving as wooyoung enters the home. his eyes meet yours, questions in their gaze, but there’s nothing to really explain from your side. you know wooyoung as well as he does.

his hair seems a bit longer since the last you saw him, pulled back from his face with a hairband. he throws down the duffle bag on yeosang’s couch, rubbing his face. “you saw the fuck, right?”

with brows knotting together, “excuse me?”

“the immortal, the nightwalker. vampire, whatever. you saw him?” wooyoung turns to look at you, eyes flicking up to seonghwa. “both of you did?”

“yes-”

“did he see you?”

you cannot really remember, but he had to have seen either you or seonghwa. the encounter was brief, but you weren’t too far away to go unnoticed. the possibility of him seeing you rather than not is really high. still, you cannot be too sure of it. “maybe.”

“yes or no, it’s a simple question sweetheart.”

“how the hell are we supposed to know when it was pitch black outside?” harshness etches seonghwa’s words as he frowns at wooyoung.

“easy there, flesh sack,” wooyoung raises his hands, grinning. his canines dig into his lower lip as he does so, turning back around to dig through his back. “if the guy did see you, it means that he knows you hang around the immortal who almost killed him. puts a target on both of your backs. but if he didn’t see you, you’re safe for now. until he comes poking around here, that is,” he pulls several things from his bag - knives, small containers of unknown substances, clothing. he pauses for a moment, thinking. “i think this is enough for the two of you.”

“for what exactly?”

wooyoung grins, brow raised, “for killing a vampire, stupid girl.”

the door to yeosang’s bedroom creaks open just as you're about to retort. you see his pale hand first, fingers outstretched against the wall as he steadies himself. he looks a bit better than last night, hair frazzled, face a bit sunk in. and despite all of that he still looks aggravatingly handsome. life is never fair. he coughs, slowly making his way into the room. he notices how you look at him with worry, lips closed as he meets your gaze. the expression disappears when he looks at wooyoung. annoyance clear.

“haven't i discussed this with you already? you speak to her with dignity, not insults. she's done nothing to you.”

“all humans are stupid, it wasn't just meant for her,” he shrugs, avoiding the look his friend gives him. “but apologies, human. and other brooding human.” the glazed look he gives seonghwa does not go unnoticed by anyone in the room. you grab a pillow and throw it in his face, a whine escaping his lips. “hey–”

“focus, wooyoung,” yeosang merely sighs, but you can see the laughter on the cusp of his stern statement, squeezing your arm. “now's not the time for one of your conquests. we have to kill him.”

he murmurs something beneath his breath, shooting you a glare before sighing. “it won't be as easy as i thought. he's turned.”

defeat settles in yeosang's gaze, “are you for sure?”

“no born acts the way he has. draining a human in public, no care for the consequences? i know you've been preoccupied lately, but there's been a string of murders around here. three dead humans in two weeks. it's unsettling. unsettling enough for others to take notice, yeosang.”

yeosang's lips tighten. “perfect.”

“sorry to interrupt, but would you please explain for the two humans?” you ask. yeosang looks between the both of you, thinking.

“you two must leave town. it's not necessary to take others since they blend in. this town will be crawling with my kind, and they will target you.”

“yeosang, what are you saying–”

“y/n,” wooyoung interrupts. “listen to your immortal lover, okay? newborns causing chaos in a town bring out the born vampires. and not just one or two. they come in groups, they scour the town for the one who has been causing this to stop it. to keep our secret hidden. and we can only last a day or so without a drink. you get what i’m saying?” wooyoung looks at seonghwa. “you're already around a vampire yourself. yeosang has not placed a claim on either of you, but we can smell you. we know. our kind target humans like you first. they may attempt to mark you.”

seeing the confused looks on your faces unmoving, wooyoung turns to yeosang. “have you not explained anything to them?”

“we've been preoccupied with other things as of late.”

wooyoung shakes his head, “we're wasting time like this. look,” wooyoung holds out his arm, sinking his teeth into his skin. dark blood seeps out from the bite, dripping to the wood below your feet. “when we bite, our fangs extract a sort of poison, i suppose. it enters a human's bloodstream. your scent changes, and you become only desirable to the one you have been marked by. it's our way of having our own blood supply at all times. since yeosang has not done that to either of you, you're not safe. others will want you because you smell like a vampire, so it's presumed that you know of us already. they will make you their feeding station. rarely do humans survive more than a week. so, get your little buddy here, grab some knives before you go, and get out of here. far away, preferably. i'm not interested in saving humans who don't listen. and as you can tell, i'm only here for my best friend, not the two of you.”

“kindness will take you far,” yeosang says softly. he looks at you and seonghwa. “can we speak alone for a moment? in my room?”

you follow yeosang, said man stopping briefly when he sees seonghwa not following. “you as well, seonghwa. it's important for both of you to know.”

surprise swallows seonghwa's expression as he follows the two of you into yeosang's room, the door shutting behind him. he pinches the bridge of his nose, a long breath escaping him. neither of you interrupt, letting him settle his train of thoughts instead.

“this is a larger problem than i presumed it to be. if it were an older vampire i would have been able to track it down by myself tonight. as you can see, plans have changed. i… i know its sudden to leave the place you know, but i hope you do. even my apartment now is not safe for the two of you. in another city, farther away from here, you will be okay. you will blend in. this one is too small, and i'll worry. for the both of you.” yeosang looks at seonghwa. “it's important that you take my words seriously when i say this. please leave until i tell you to come back. call off work and use my cards to care for yourselves if you lack funds. wooyoung took the liberty of booking a hotel before he came. it's a suite of some hotel line he often uses. it has enough room for several people if needed.”

“you’ll be okay?” you ask. yeosang steps closer to you, pressing his forehead against yours. the temperature of his skin was always enough to calm you down, but your heart still beats on wildly. if the vampire nearly killed him last night, there’s a chance it could do the same when you go.

“i have backup now, pretty,” his thumbs brushes your cheek, tilting your head to meet his gaze. “do you trust me?”

“of course.”

he presses his lips against your forehead against before stepping back, “seonghwa, stay safe as well. you risked yourself for me yesterday without knowing me for more than a few hours,” his lip tilts, arms resting against his chest. “not many beings in this world would do the same.”

“you’ve done all that you can, yeosang, it’s little for me to give back to you,” seonghwa holds out his hand. yeosang takes it, but instead of a handshake, he pulls him into his body, arms wrapped around his torso as he gives him a hug. the sight is humorous in itself - yeosang isn’t one to initiate embraces wit others. seonghwa looks taken aback for a moment, before patting yeosang’s back. you hold back your laugh, glancing between the two.

“hate to break up the love fest,” wooyoung swings open the door, frowning. “but i can smell them coming. best to leave now rather than later.”

you give yeosang another quick hug before turning around, seonghwa following close behind. his step around wooyoung is obviously keeping a distance between them, wooyoung himself grinning at his actions.

“if you ever grow tired of these two, you always have me loverboy,” wooyoung laughs, an ouch escaping his lips immediately after. you snicker, sliding your hand into seonghwa’s and leaving the two vampires alone.

traveling to the hotel is quiet. you texted hongjoong soon after leaving the condo and explained enough to him - he told you he wouldn’t leave his home no matter the circumstances. it settled your heart enough, trusting his words. seonghwa and yourself were never really much for talking, moreso now since your mind is somewhere else entirely. you trust yeosang. you trust him entirely, but worry has always been at the forefront of your mind. if you could you would have stayed with him. but your presence would only be a hindrance. having him distracted worrying for you while there’s a danger creeping through the streets of your neighborhood is the last thing you want. and despite how much you dislike wooyoung, you’re thankful for him being there. if yeosang trusts him, so do you.

seonghwa is glued to your side the entire way. hand never leaving yours, arm brushing if it must for a brief moment. little space exists between the two of you. being best friends you rarely ever gone a day without speaking, but it feels entirely different now. his touch somehow feels more present in your mind. his gaze heavier as it rests on you. knowing he cares for you the same makes even the brush of his thumb feel different. the way he holds his straw between his lips as he takes a sip, adjusts his jacket, holds the door open for you - it is all alluring.

you rub the sides of your mouth, trying to push those silly thoughts away. now’s not the time to fixate on little things.

“birdie, though i love your trust in me, please keep an eye on where you walk,” seonghwa nudges you slightly, pulling you around the layer crater in the sidewalk. “i’d rather you not hurt yourself while we’re away from home.”

“sorry,”

“no need,” he tucks your arm around his, guiding you down the street. “there’s a lot happening. it’s hard not to concentrate on it.”

“you think he’ll be okay?” the question is more for yourself to answer than seonghwa, but he takes the bait, stopping at a red light.

“from what i’ve seen thus far, i do,” he nods. “and he’s not alone now. he has his friend with him. i’m sure two can take down one.” seonghwa chooses his words carefully, walking around at the change of the signal. “he loves you too much to leave you behind, birdie.”

“i love him too,” you say, and seonghwa smiles.

“i know,” he looks down at his phone, brows furrowing. “this is the hotel?”

the two of you look at the building ahead. it’s tucked between two large business structures, brands you’ve only seen in ads not target towards you. the hotel could be the fanciest place you’ve ever entered. you glance between him and yourself, clothing thrown together at the last minute. neither of you appear wealthy enough to even look at this place, let alone stay in it. you look at the confirmation wooyoung sent over briefly.

“it’s the place,” you sigh. “a warning to look decent would have been nice.”

entering the lobby is surprising. no one gives you strange looks, customer services unlike anything you’ve experienced. you barely get a word out before bell hops take your bags and guide you to an elevator hidden behind the guard’s desk. they bow as the doors close, seonghwa and you matching the gesture as the doors close. all of it is enough to make seonghwa lean against the wall of the elevator, exhaustion coating his features.

“what did that weasel tell the hotel we were? chaebols?”

the thought doesn’t surprise you at all. from what you’ve seen - seen enough - of wooyoung, you don’t doubt he’d be able to convince everyone that you two were that important. the staff almost insisted on giving you a new pair of shoes to wear before you ran away. the elevator door slides open, the room appearing before you. the two of you hesitate before entering.

the decor is obnoxiously expensive, enough so that you doubt anyone has step foot into this place in months. you place your bag on the dating lined chair carefully.

“so he's a pretentious asshole then?” seonghwa murmurs. you snicker, making your way around the room. “i know they've been around for a while, but i just can't imagine having enough money to afford a place like this.” seonghwa touches the bed that lies in the middle of the room. a box full of chocolates sits on top of the towel in the middle, expensive wine resting next to it. seonghwa's brows furrow as he picks it up. “1954, birdie. it's older than our parents.” he places it carefully on the kitchen table, shaking his head. “it's probably worth more than we'd make in thirty years.”

“he has expensive taste,” you murmur, pushing it further to the middle. your phone vibrates, yeosang's contact appears across the screen. you press it without another thought, reading the message quickly.

yeosang: the two of us will be busy tonight – wooyoung told me he left a few things in the fridge and out and about. also said not to worry about the cost :/ i love you, pretty girl. take care of seonghwa. it shouldn't be more than a few days.

you: please be safe, i love you. tell wooyoung to stay safe too.

yeosang: ♡

“he'll be mia?” seonghwa asks, and you nod, plugging your phone into a nearby outlet.

“he said to take care, and to have anything we'd like. i guess wooyoung already paid in advance,” you sit down at the counter, folding your hands. seonghwa takes the chair across from you, carefully sitting down. you can't help but laugh, his cheeks tinting at the sound.

“they won't charge for your ass print in the cloth.”

he narrows his eyes at you, a slight pout forming on his lips. it's endearing, enough to push your worries far behind. if ever so brief.

“it's best to be careful.”

the next few days are uneventful. yeosang sends you updates in the morning and at night, voice messages filling the air as you wait for anything significant. seonghwa and you slowly grow used to the change in your relationship. it's easier for your lips to press against his temple, his on your cheek. nothing is rushed, no one's boundaries pushed. you tell him stories of things you've done while you two weren't speaking, and he tells you the same. your laughter warms up the cold, emotionless hotel room. on the first and second day seonghwa insisted that you take the largest bed in the middle of the room, he himself sleeping on the couch not too far away. there's other bedrooms around but he's never mentioned it. you know it's for the two of you – just because danger is farther away doesn't mean it can't happen. but on the third he sleeps next to you, fingers reaching for the other's. it is on the sixth day, sitting on the couch near each other, when you receive the call. you're too engrossed in the film to hear your phone vibrate, only the second time when there's a bit of silence do you notice.

seonghwa pauses the movie as you place the phone on speaker, yeosang's photo with you coveting the screen.

“hi yeo–”

“hide. now.” wooyoung’s voice speaks through, quick, resolute. “he found you. you have a couple of minutes, maybe less. we're on our way, but he'll make it first.”

the call ends. you freeze, unable to move. seonghwa grips your arm and pulls you, turning off the television and grabbing your phone off the counter. he hurriedly enters a spare bedroom, glancing around quickly before entering the walk-in closet. he digs through the bag wooyoung gave the two of you, passing you a knife. you take it from him, gripping it tightly. neither of you say a word as you wait. your heartbeat throbs against your eardrum, the thought of a vampire wanting to kill you crawling through the hotel room – if you could only cry. seonghwa sprays the mist around the two of you. wooyoung told you it'd hide your scent temporarily.

seonghwa stares at the closet door, his body fully in front of yours. it shakes, but he holds himself with strength. waiting just as you are.

wood cracking against the wall echoes around the suite. you flinch, hand covering your mouth. you concentrate, desperate to not be the one who tells your position, causes the two of you to die.

glass shatters in the kitchen. before you know it, the closet door is thrown open. you can barely blink before the vampire grips seonghwa’s neck, clawing through it completely. your scream is barely heard over the surrounding chaos in the apartment. you chase after, knife in your hands. the vampire looks at you, eyes narrowing once it sees the weapon in your fingers. still holding seonghwa, it moves to you, fist slamming into your stomach and throwing you to the floor.

“shit,” wooyoung grips the vampire’s neck, dragging him off of seonghwa. there’s little skin on him that’s not torn apart, barely much left in front of you. you crawl over to him, hands hovering over his body, unable to figure out what to do. his gaze slides over to you, shaky hand reaching to grip yours. you do so without missing a beat. their fight continues behind you.

“he’s going to die unless i do something,” yeosang appears next to you. his own body is covered with blood, staining his clothing. he doesn’t look at you but instead, cups seonghwa’s chin and turns his gaze to focus on him. “do you want to die, or become one of us?”

“yeosang-”

he ignores you, eyes on seonghwa. “nod yes, move your eyes up and down if you want to. you’re going to die if not. there’s nothing left to save.”

you want to say something, anything. but yeosang would know better than you. if you called an ambulance, there’s still not enough time for them to do anything worthwhile. if seonghwa says no, he dies. he will die.

you look at seonghwa. his eyes flick to the side, to you. before closing. his nod is barely visible but you see it. you see him shake his head up and down. yeosang’s nail drags across his wrist and presses it against seonghwa’s mouth. he leans down, teeth sinking into his neck. you look away, the muffled screams of seonghwa filling your ears.

“human, we need to get away, now.” wooyoung grabs your arm, pulling you to your feet. “it happens fast. newborns kill the first human they see. you can’t be here,” he tugs on you harshly now, throwing your body into his. you feel numb as he guides you away from your two partners, seonghwa’s body thrashing in pain the last thing you see before you’re pulled out the room.

you aren’t too sure the last time you’ve seen yeosang and seonghwa. wooyoung and hongjoong kept you company several times a week - either the nosy vampire or your friendly friend would stay around your apartment or work for hours at a time. it was to make sure you were okay, you know that, but it grew tiresome. they care for you and you’re endless grateful, but their faces popping up reminded you that the people you love are mia. the last time you heard from yeosang - seonghwa and him were across the country in the middle of nowhere. to teach seonghwa how to interact with humans without ripping their necks. wooyoung explained that for newborns it could take a while - from months to years. you’d wait endlessly for them to come back, that you know. but just… a simple video call would settle your heart a bit. even if it was only for a couple of seconds.

or perhaps you were just being selfish.

“surprise!” wooyoung enters your apartment (he somehow has a key?), several bags tucked beneath his arm. he drops them unceremoniously to the floor, the sound echoing around your place. hongjoong pops up in the doorway just behind him, grinning widely. ah, right.

hongjoong’s partner that he’s been interested in? well, the world is quite small. you just didn’t think the one he’s been writing poetry for would be jung wooyoung.

“go away,” you grumble into your coffee, steam fogging up your glasses. you wipe your index finger against the plastic in a windshield wiper motion, placing your cup to the side. “i said i am fine.”

“you’ve been saying that for months now, we know,” hongjoong points out.

your frown sinks into your cheeks. “then why are you here?”

“good news!” wooyoung hops over the suitcases, throwing his arms around you. you whine at the tight hug, struggling to pull away. he pinches your cheek, pulling away. “those stinky vampires of yours are home~!”

your eyes widen, moving around wooyoung to look at hongjoong. he nods in agreement. he holds up a suitcase. “we thought you might want to go and visit right away, so wooyoung grabbed all of my suitcases from my storage and brought them here.” he glances at them scattered about. “even though i told him we only needed maybe two.”

“yeah yeah,” wooyoung rolls his eyes at his partner, looking back at you. “ready to go?”

home isn’t what you expected it to be. what wooyoung meant by home was actually a large structure in the middle of the woods, dozens of miles away from city center. the idea of it being so far was obvious, but it just brings back the reminder of what happened. of what you’ve done to bring him into this situation. the guilt has sunk into you ever since it’s happened. you brought him around you, into this. and this is the end result.

hongjoong stayed behind for also obvious reasons, the car ride filled with wooyoung’s singing voice as he drove. you pull your luggage out of the car, wooyoung helping you with the other.

“he’s not the same as he was, y/n,” wooyoung explained on the way over. “be careful around him. he may look the same as the human you once knew, but he’s not. he’s a predator now. he can be set off at the slightest trigger.”

you grip the handle tightly as you make your way up the steps. you’re sure the two vampires can hear how your heart beats. trying to focus on settling it did nothing but make it go by faster. wooyoung stands rather close to you as you walk up, almost on top of you. precautionary enough.

“don’t mind if i stay with you three for a bit, right?” he asked you this in the car. “just in case.”

the front door swings open before you could ring the below. you barely get a chance to look at yeosang before his arms are around you, face tucked into the curve of your neck. he smells of mint and lavender, the scents filling your nose as you hug him back. he pulls back only slightly to press his lips against yours softly, hands cupping your face.

“i've counted the days i would get to see you again,” is the first thing that falls from his lips, thumb stroking your cheek. “remind me to never leave your side.”

“i've missed you too,” you say, smiling. you reach up, tucking his hair behind his ear to see his pretty mark. “a lot.”

“come inside,” yeosang glances at wooyoung just behind you. “thank you for bringing her safely.”

“you bet!”

you enter the foyer, the ceilings a couple of stories high. it's quite grand. you shouldn't expect anything less from him when you've slept in his apartment, but it still shakes you how wealthy he truly is. an amount of wealth you'd never get to attain in your short life. the whistle of a breeze makes your head turn to the sound, eyes widening slightly .

seonghwa does not move from where he stands, arms resting against his chest. you hold your breath as you look at him, taking the sight of him in. the last time you saw him he was soaked in blood, barely alive. seeing him fully healed makes the anxiety in your heart lessen. he does not move from where he is, but you can see the look in his eyes. desperate. unsure of what exactly, but your guess wouldn't be far off.

he does look different though.

his skin is clear of blemishes, hair healthier, gaze more focused. oddly still, much like yeosang and wooyoung. you've come to realize all vampires have that slight eerie feeling around them. it's something you've grown used to, makes it easier to spot one. yeosang's hand slides to rests on your waist, holding you close to his side. seonghwa follows the movements, brows slightly furrowed.

“you're okay,” you whisper.

he immediately meets your eyes again. he opens his mouth to speak, closing it again. you can see how his eyes shift to yeosang, not saying a word.

“seonghwa is…” yeosang pauses. “he's been around humans to make sure everything is okay but, he still struggles. i told him that you'll be coming and he didn't think he was ready. i pushed him a bit for this, i admit.”

oh.

he didn't want to see you. no wonder he doesn't move from where he is. the disappointment must clearly be on your face, because seonghwa finally speaks for himself.

“i'm sorry,” voice strained, barely above a whisper. “i'm scared of hurting you, y/n.”

y/n. not birdie.

you nod, reaching to grab your bag in the doorway. wooyoung already has it, stepping past you and hongjoong. he nudges seonghwa on his way past him, “help me put this stuff in her room.”

“okay,” he slowly reaches for the handle, delicately wrapping his fingers around it. the sound isn't loud, but you hear the cracks echo around the quiet home. no one says anything. you try to not make any obvious surprised movements, but you suck in your breath ever so slightly. seonghwa turns to look at you.

fear. fear is what you see now.

“i'm sorry, i didn't mean to, i–”

“no worries,” you say quickly. “it's hongjoong's, not mine. im sure he has so many more thrown around his house somewhere.”

he disappears around the corner with wooyoung. once he does, yeosang pulls you outside, shutting the front door behind him. neither of you exchange words as you walk past the car and down the small dirt trail. his hand leaves your waist and slides into your fingers, holding you tightly. far enough away, he glances to you, lips in a straight line.

“this is hard for him. all of it,” yeosang admits, kicking a small rock out of the way as you meander. “in the beginning he was not… he wanted to die, y/n. and i told him to wait a few days, because newborns often feel that way in the beginning. the hunger is neverending for them. for me, i can feel full. newborns, they cannot. with every breath they want to fill what they have lost. that's why vampires rarely turn humans. it is a painful existence for a few years, never truly getting that burning feeling away until a decade or so has passed. if… if it were any other circumstance, i would have told him everything that comes with it. but we had little time, and he was dying. we had to make a decision then.”

“it must be tortuous for him then.”

yeosang nods slowly. “terribly so. which is why he did not want to see you. but he needs to eventually. it is difficult to explain, but we, our kind, feel emotions differently than humans. more intensely. his need to see you would only exemplify as days past. it would become uncontrollable. so me arranging this was for both his safety, yours, and all of us seeing each other again. he hates the idea right now, but it is better than him suddenly entering your home and doing something he may regret.”

“it's that bad? he would have killed me?”

yeosang moves his head up and down again. “he would have. he could still y/n. he could hurt you. that's why wooyoung will be staying with us as well. to watch him with me. just in case things go sideways.”

“too bad, i thought he was starting to like me,” you say cheerily, laughing at yeosang's frown. “listen, him and hongjoong have been bothering me every day you've been gone. if i hear one more joke i might actually lose it.”

yeosang laughs. “i don't doubt it.”

“but yeo,” you stop walking. “thank you. you… didn't need to do anything like this. you've been taking care of him, and i don't know how i’d ever truly let you know how grateful i really am. you saved him. you've taken care of him. i just,” you wrap your arms around him, sinking into his embrace. “i love you.”

“i love you too, pretty girl. and you don't need to thank me for something so simple. i told you i‘d care for anyone you care about.”

“this visit, yeosang,” you murmur into his chest. “if it's a lot too soon, i can leave before the night ends if that'll be better‐”

“no. and you coming wasn't only for him, i missed you too. and i'd rather you stay for a while.”

despite your worry you hum in agreement, tucking yourself further into his body.

—

neither of the two are around when you walk back instead with yeosang. he murmurs something about them in seonghwa's room as he guides you throughout the house. there isn't much decor around, quite empty, but he explains that he will be leaving his lease behind and moving into this home permanently. the drive with wooyoung took several hours of travel – him being so far away weighs on your mind a bit. you doubt there's anything out here that would hire you. which means less time you three would be together.

“the closest town is not too far down the road, just a few kilometers. they have a lot of places looking to hire, and apartments available if someone wanted to move closer,” yeosang notes.

“good to know.”

he opens your bedroom door. your suitcases rest at the foot of the bed. it's grand – similar to the suite you stayed in with seonghwa a few nights. it's a blank slate though, frames empty, dresser clear of items. your hand brushes along the carved design embedded into the wood, listening to yeosang speak.

“we kept it free of everything so you can pit your personal touch. is it okay?”

you turn around, noticing how worried he looks. you haven't really spoke to him throughout his tour, mind elsewhere. you smile at him, truly genuine. “it's more than okay.”

he lets out a low, relieved breath. “good. i grabbed things and put them in the cupboards. if you ever need anything, everything is up for grabs.”

“lunchtime!” wooyoung’s voice swallows the silence, echoing into your room. you let yeosang take the lead, his hand in yours as you walk down the steps. the clattering of plates and laughter are the first things you hear when you enter the kitchen. wooyoung places a bowl of ramyeon on the table as you enter behind yeosang.

“one bowl for the human, blood for the rest,” wine glasses click against the marble table, filled to the brim with the thickened liquid. yeosang sighs and takes it, glancing inside.

“feeding is usually done without y/n around, woo–"

“it’s an innocent drink, yeosang. nothing more.”

“it's fine,” seonghwa appears around the corner. his eyes rest on your hand holding yeosang's, taking his glass and sitting at the table. “i can handle it.”

“still…” yeosang mumbles. you sit in an empty seat, leaving a space between seonghwa and yourself. his hand tightens around the stem of his glass as you do so, wooyoung taking the spot in between both of you.

“i would have made it on my own but yeosang bought a fuck ton and piled them in the closet. would be a pity to let it go to waste.”

“thank you for the meal–”

“anything for my second favorite human,” wooyoung nudges you, downing his glasses.

conversation flows with ease around the table with the help of wooyoung. your flow of words does not come as easy, your demur obvious the more you try to come up with responses. yeosang can see it so you're sure the others can. after a few more minutes or so of this, the shattering of glass stops conversation. seonghwa stares at the pieces that have fallen, the stem crumbled beneath his harsh grip. his gaze flicks to yours.

“am i supposed to pretend this whole time?”

you thought you'd have a chance to speak to him alone about what happened. to somehow fix what's been broken over time. “hwa–”

“this fake conversation is just useless. you barely looked at me when you entered through the door. you don't even want to sit next to me. but youre all over him, your fingers haven't left his hand since we've sat down. you even went on a little stroll with him. is there nothing to say to me? nothing at all, y/n?”

there's so much to say. so so much. “seonghwa, you've been through a lot. i didn't want to spring everything on you when this is the first time we've seen each other in months–”

“you're still not looking at me.”

you look up from your bowl to stare at him. his irises aren't the dark brown you're used to seeing, light brown staring back. brows furrowed, lips downturned. a scowl the longer your eyes rest on his face. there isn't any warmth there as he looks at you. “i'm sorry.”

wooyoung pushes his chair back, slightly angling himself toward you. seonghwa looks at him briefly. “what do you think i'd do?”

“i don't know, newborn. you guys are kind of unpredictable.”

“wooyoung,” yeosang's voice is laced with warning.

“what? am i not allowed to tell the truth now?”

seonghwa scoffs, “no, please do. you'd be the only one saying it around here.”

“how about we all just take a moment, hm?” yeosang glances between the two of you. your hand has slipped from his once seonghwa has mentioned the touch, though the newborn’s eyes still burn on the space between you. “we haven’t see each other in a while. emotions are bound to rise. wooyoung, can you go out for a moment and leave us?”

wooyoung raises his brow at the suggestion but stands, patting seonghwa on the shoulder as he leaves the room. you’re sure he’s within hearing distance of the three of you, but it does bring a semblance of privacy.

“i didn’t… i thought you would have hated me after all of this,” you admit softly. “i’m not scared of you seonghwa, if that’s what you think. i’m just scared that you’ll never forgive me for what i brought you into. you didn’t choose this, you could have still been a human, oblivious to everything that’s happening. you wouldn’t have had to die,” you close your eyes for a moment, taking a long, deep breath. “i’ve just been waiting for you to blow up on me all day.”

“is that what you’d think i’d do?” seonghwa’s brows tighten, head shaking slightly. “is that what you truly think of me?”

“i wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

“birdie,” the way he says the nickname is soft, tender. he does not make a move to get closer to you, but he does shift his body so that it faces yours. “i’ve missed you this whole time. why would i hate you for what i chose? i could have left once i saw that other vampire, but i didn’t. i chose to stay with you, because i want to stay with you. i’d never blame you for it, you didn’t tell that vampire to hurt me. you tried to get it away. we both did. things happened.”

you hear his words, you do. but the longer you look at him, the longer you stare at the faint scar on his neck, the more it hurts. “it could have been prevented.”

“it could have.”

“but it wasn’t.”

he shakes his head, “it wasn’t.”

you stand up from your chair, seonghwa following your movements. you can feel how yeosang watches closely as you move to stand in front of seonghwa, your hand slowly reaching towards his skin. he seems to be holding his breath as you lightly touch his cheek, finger tracing the scar that crosses over his brow, jaggedly curving down to the corner of his lip.

“it hurt,” you whisper. “i could see that it did.”

“it was temporary.”

“you remember the feeling?”

“y/n,” yeosang speaks up this time, but seonghwa ignores him.

he wraps his arms around your waist, tugging you closer to his body. his chest falls at the breath escaping him, hands delicately wrapped around you. your hand does not leave the side of his face as he presses himself into you. “it was the worst pain i’ve ever experienced in my short life. it’s funny how back then i thought nothing would hurt more than you leaving me, and san breaking my heart. it was something so much more different than that.”

his grip around your body slowly tightens. it is not enough to be uncomfortable, but you’re aware of the lost look in his eyes, your fingers dragging around his scalp as he continues.

“i remember seeing you go, i remember yeosang giving me his blood and ending my life. i remember every second i’ve been away from you, every moment i’ve killed an animal because the hunger does not feel like it will end.”

his arms tighten more. this time, yeosang stands up.

“seonghwa, focus.”

he still ignores yeosang’s words, continuing. “every day i thought that you would come, you would call and check on me. but you never came, you never did. i thought that you hated me, i thought you were disgusted with what i’ve become. i thought you gave up on me.”

“i wouldn’t.”

his body shakes. you know from yeosang well that vampires cannot cry, but you feel something wet against the bottom of your sweater. you look down, eyes widening at what you see. instead of tears falling from his eyes, blood seeps through the ducts, dripping down his cheeks, staining the fabric. you try to move his focus but his hold continues to tighten.

it begins to hurt.

“seonghwa–” yeosang grips his arms, ripping them off of your body. you step back only slightly.

it is enough for him to lose himself.

the movements are quick. yeosang holds seonghwa around his waist, wooyoung moving around you to assist. seonghwa continues to sob as he reaches for you around them, jaw tightening, hands gripping their bodies. wooyoung looks back at you with sympathy, before pointing to the corridor.

“my room. now.”

vaguely remembering where it’s located, you quickly make your way to the back of the house. shattered glass and wood cracking echoes around the home as you quickly run up the stairs, entering wooyoung’s room and shutting the door. there’s not much inside aside from his suitcase open, clothes neatly laid out on the sheets.

a body slams against the bedroom door and your heart races, until a painful groan escapes seonghwa’s lips. despite how much you want to look out and see what’s wrong exactly, you don’t. the doorknob clicks and opens, yeosang entering the room and closing it behind him. his body pressed against the closed door as he breathes heavily, fingers running through his blonde hair. he looks at you, sliding down to sit in front of it. you move to sit across from him, gaze flicking between his.

“it was just a small misstep, his emotions are hard to control right now,” yeosang whispers softly, hand reaching for yours. you take it, his shoulders relaxing at your touch. “that subject, that night, it still hasn’t fully settled within him yet.”

“the blood?”

“normal,” he smiles at you. “turned can cry, but their tears make their food supply dwindle. wooyoung took him out to hunt. they’ll be back soon,” he swallows, thinking. “perhaps he was right. this might have been too much for him so soon. i might have been selfishly thinking of seeing you without really settling on what it would have done to him. don’t-” he presses his finger between your brows, rubbing it quickly- “make that face. it is actually my fault this time.”

“what do we do then?”

his head tilts as he leans it against the wood, looking at you. “depends. when they come back wooyoung can bring you back home, though i doubt he’d be amused with driving hours again. or you can stay in your room for the night and we bring you back tomorrow.”

“or…” he leans forward. “we try again. i watch him closely until i know it’s safe enough for you to be with him alone. and we go from there.”

“hm…” you press your finger against your lips, eyes tilted to the ceiling as you pretend to be in thought. yeosang laughs at you, pulling your finger away and pressing his lips against yours.

“i’m not one to assume, but i believe it’s number three?”

“ding!” you grin, and he rolls his eyes.

—

it was easier said than done.

much much easier said than done. wooyoung kept his distance when need be, but he often appeared just when you’ve forgotten him. they went out to feed several times a day, most occurring when yeosang saw a flicker of change in seonghwa when you spent time together. you couldn’t stay forever with them and eventually had to go back home, your weekends spent visiting the two when you could. it worked as good as it could have, though you did miss spontaneously visiting yeosang when you can, the trip now much too far for you to go on a work night. you missed the soft tap of yeosang’s fist against your apartment door, his shy smile as you turned the knob making a tired night less exhausting.

after that first night seonghwa has not crossed a line after it. his touch is often quick and never lingers, but you enjoy it nevertheless. the anger that resided in him became mute, his laughs echoing yours whenever you are around. nothing has really changed in your relationship aside from the lessened amount of touching, but that would grow in time. you’re just enjoying his presence, his light. there isn’t a day that goes by where you don’t video call him, whether it be to complain about your day or listen to his.

“does he miss me?” seonghwa’s voice is light as he asks, though you can feel how heavy the words are.

“he does. you never call him.”

“i know,” he sighs softly. “it’s… it feels different now. i’m not sure what to do if he wants to see me. i don’t know if i’ll be able to handle that.”

“hongjoong would understand, hwa. you know that. him and wooyoung are together almost everyday.”

sometimes you forget yourself how involved they are. until you call hongjoong and hear the recognizable laugh echoing in the back. he's understanding, endlessly, knows how difficult it is for seonghwa to approach him. you look at seonghwa in the call, thinking.

“you have that look on your face.”

“what…” the tone of your voice is pitched, hiding the smile. “we can video call now. if you want.”

“the three of us?”

you wouldn't let him go through it it alone if he didnt want it. “of course.”

dialing hongjoong's number is quick. his grin is wide when he answers, eyes widening when he sees seonghwa on the call as well. there's a brief silence before hongjoong breaks it with a silly joke of his. seonghwa’s laughs, and it moves on from there. eventually you leave them alone to catch up, the weight on your chest lifting. hours pass when you receive a message from the both of them separately.

hwa: im forever grateful for you, birdie. thank you.

hongjoong: dude… now what if i was naked?? at LEast prep me!

—

“there's no reason for you to be so cold!”

“i told you we're fine. aren't you going on a trip with hongjoong in a couple days? go bother him,” yeosang waves wooyoung off, hand pressed against his face as he tries to lean in for an embrace. he sighs, attempt forgotten as he looks at you. he gives you the familiar look – lips protruding, eyes narrowed. it would have worked if you didn't see the glare yeosang sinks into his face, unbeknownst to wooyoung.

so you merely shrug, adjusting yourself into the soft cushions. “he's the boss around here, not me.”

“we both know he listens to anything you say. come on,” wooyoung's frown deepens. “do you not like me around?”

“we've had a large dose of your presence lately, perhaps a few nights away wouldn't hurt. or several. a month wouldn't be so horrible,” yeosang grips wooyoung's luggage, dragging it out and down the hallway. wooyoung’s groans could be heard from where you rest, your amused smile shifting to seonghwa as he walks into the room.

he glances down the hall at the two bickering, shaking his head as he sits neck to you. without prompt, you adjust yourself to make him more comfortable. instead of his usually avoidance of your touch, his hand wraps around your wrist lightly, tugging you. with questions in your eyes you follow his lead, until your body is pressed against his, head resting on his chest. his scent is still as it was when he was human – lavender, a hint of vanilla. his arm wraps around you, hand resting on your arm.

“i found that yeosang has grown tired of wooyoung hanging around everyday.”

“they used to be together, you know,” you point out.

“really?” you nod, sinking further into his body. “can't imagine it, they bicker like lifelong enemies. every time one of them enters the room the other points out something and they get into an argument.”

“ah, no wonder yeosang wants him gone.”

“he's out, finally,” yeosang enters the room, sighing loudly. “can you tell hongjoong to keep him hostage for a while? i don't think i can handle another dose of him anytime soon.”

“i'll send him a text,” you snicker, opening your phone and doing just that. you do not question how seonghwa embraces you, his body relaxed. it's taken so long for him to even kiss you, so this – you could just cry if you thoughts lingered on it anymore.

yeosang sits on the opposite side of you. “good riddance.”

“he's been so nice to have around,” you point out. “even i started getting along with the asshole.”

“nice is an exaggeration,” seonghwa mumbles.

“don't be mean… or else i'll make you walk down that path with him.”

"how will i be able to walk away now that i finally have you here with us?" his brow lifts, a small smile on his lips. "you’ve entrapped me too deeply in your embrace for me to leave. unfortunately for you, you're stuck with me. it will take more than a mere scolding for me to walk away. and i am very sure seonghwa feels the same, no?" yeosang's gaze moves to your lover. the warm expression does not go unnoticed by you, so surely yeosang sees it as well. his grin grows wicked, giggles falling from his lips. "i love when you look unsettled."

"you know i hate the teasing," there's no malice in seonghwa's voice as he says it. "birdie should have chosen someone more tolerable to love. all you do is annoy me."

yeosang nudges his thigh with his foot. "ah ah, you enjoy me too much for her to push me away. and i'm prettier than any of the other men."

seonghwa gasps, widening his eyes. "and you're an asshole!"

"it's the face i was born with, there's nothing i can change about it," he shrugs.

“a pompous asshole, then.”

the jabs back and forth as you watch do nothing but make you ponder. their relationship has evolved over the half year since they first met. their indifference to each other is no longer that. neither has expressed to you that their relationship is anything more than platonic, but the small changes have not gone unnoticed by you. the subtle gazes they send one another, the affection as they tease, the lingering eyes. the eyes are what has stood out to you the most. gazes often wandering to settle on each other's lips. even wooyoung has not let certain moments slip by – teasing often moving into heavy silence. you're not one to push for confesses, but as yeosang has told you two before, if things change, it should be spoken. you wouldn't be bothered if they cared for each other as you do for them, you would just like to know about it. secrets don't settle well, as you've grown to learn.

“can i ask you two a question?” you say between the beat of silence, looking at yeosang. you're unable to directly look at seonghwa due to the position you have settled in, but your hand brushes against his to bring his attention forward. “has something happen between you two? have things changed?”

“in what way?” seonghwa asks simply. and it is a valid retort, though you're sure he knows what you're inferring.

“do you two want a relationship beyond what we have arranged now?”

yeosang is not one to be caught off guard, but you can see how the inquiry has unsettled him, the usually calm demeanor of his stilling. his eyes move to the man that holds you in his embrace. you lean up despite wanting to linger there longer so you're able to gauge their reactions together. seonghwa's eyes are worried as they stare at yeosang, teeth sinking into his lower lip.

“i don't want to push anything if you aren't ready to discuss it, but i can feel that something is happening. i just don't know what exactly.”

yeosang’s fingers comb through his hair, eyes scattered. “it's complicated.” he looks at you, smile small. “it wasn't meant to end up this way.”

“you make it seem like it is the end all be all,” your joke falls flat as you glance between them, the air somehow growing colder. “have you both lost feelings for me?”

“no,” seonghwa says almost immediately, shaking his head. “if anything they’ve grown.”

“then i don’t understand why you’re looking at me like you’ve broken my heart,” you admit. yeosang glances at seonghwa again, before turning his body fully towards you.

“let me preface this all by saying that we haven't been intimate without you knowing, y/n. we would never do such a thing, ever. seonghwa, he and i… since i am the vampire that turned him, we will always be tethered. he will always hold something for me in his heart. i have told him this a few months ago, let him know that if he feels unsettled it's because of this. and we've talked it out, acknowledged it. i didn't think it was necessary to tell you right away since it didn't really affect anything. it wasn't a secret, it just wasn't my first thought. but things began to change recently.”

“how recently?” you ask.

“a couple of weeks ago, i suppose? everything was normal between us. we were still friends. and then things changed overnight for us both. as i’ve stated prior, i have always found seonghwa attractive. but since i was involved with you, and was not interested in anyone but you, that is how far it has ever went. until a few weeks ago. he and i were practicing his restraint in the livingroom,” yeosang looks at him. “it was a simple exercise. i held warm human blood in front of him, forcing him to endure the smell. he’s learned self-control quite well over the past few months, so it was moving along as usual. but as we were conversing, i’m not sure what changed. we began indulging in conversation other than simple small talk, speaking of our lives. i comforted him on the lost of his, embracing his body - and that’s when i felt my own feelings shift a bit. he must have seen the look on my face because we separated after that, and avoided one another for days. wooyoung was the one who forced us into a room together to discuss our feelings.”

“it was hard,” seonghwa murmurs. “i’ve dealt with so much this past year, so this sudden onslaught of feelings was overwhelming, to say the least. i mean, we-” he gestures between the two of you- “haven’t even moved forward in our relationship because of what happened to me. how could i grow feelings for someone else? it just didn’t make sense to me. especially now with this new life of mine. i thought the emotions were stemming from our blood attachment, but i realized it was much more than that. completely different.”

you’re unable to speak, letting their words settle. at another time, maybe, it would be upsetting, knowing that in your absence they began loving each other. the only feeling that you can discern is relief. before that night of terror you didn’t know how this relationship would turn out. if it would even survive past a year. and of course, there is still no guarantee that it would last, but knowing that they care for each other as you care for them is soothing. the only way it’d be hurtful if they hid it from you.

“love is a reach for me right now,” seonghwa says. “but i can very much imagine that feeling emerging in the near future.”

“you humans make things so complicated,” yeosang murmurs.

“i’m not even human anymore!”

“live a few hundred more years and then maybe i’d consider it,” yeosang reaches for you, your hand entwining with his without a word. “pretty girl, you’re silent. tell me what you’re thinking.” seonghwa leans forward as well, hand resting against your thigh.

your lips rise, a small laugh huffed from your lips. “nothing really. i’m just happy.”

yeosang’s brow raises. “happy?”

“i mean, all i wanted was for you two to get along well, maybe become friends. now i don’t really need to worry about that. i was happy that seonghwa had you while he was going through this, and now i’m even more happy that he has you for more than that.”

“us, pretty girl,” yeosang’s fingers squeeze yours. “he has us.”

“you speak as if i’m not here,” seonghwa scowls, looking back at you. “are you sure this is okay with you, birdie. no hidden feelings?”

“none,” and that you’re sure of. there isn’t even an inkling of dismay cast in your thoughts. “is that why you told wooyoung to go away?”

yeosang sighs, “he’s been around for too long, that’s why. we also did want to spend some time together, but we didn’t want to progress any further until you knew of it. and it’s a bonus - now i don’t need to see those eyebrows of his wiggling every time i give seonghwa a glass of wine.”

“wine?” you look back at seonghwa. “you drink wine? you hated wine.”

“i did,” seonghwa agrees. “but it’s disgusting taste quells my hunger for a bit. makes temporarily abstaining from drinking blood easier.”

yeosang laughs at the look on your face. “that’s exactly how i looked at him when he told me the same.”

—

the sounds of your knife sliding through the mango echo around the quiet kitchen. seonghwa’s presence made you jump when you felt his lips press behind your ear, a soft sorry whispered in your ear before he sat at the island, watching you. you haven’t spoken up and neither has he, merely observing as you slurp the fruit, licking the tips of your fingers as you do so. you’re so involved in your own world that you have yet to notice yeosang watching along with him, their eyes glued on your mundane behavior. but soon enough, your gaze glances forward, startled when you see the two vampires’ gazes on yours. you begin to snort, until your irises meet seonghwa’s. the last time you’ve seen a gaze like his is when yeosang feeds, his soft brown eyes completely darkened. you stop in your cutting, gaze moving to yeosang. he is no better than the other, pale hands gripping the back of seonghwa’s chair.

“did i do something wrong?” your voice is barely audible, placing the knife to the side. “are vampires allergic to mangos?” the whine that spills from seonghwa’s lips is so heavy, you still as he places his head in his hands.

“hwa-”

“birdie, you really don’t know your affect on me?” he murmurs, rubbing his hands up and down his face. “it makes me wonder how obtuse you can possibly be?”

“she’s vaguely aware,” yeosang grins, eyes trained on your hands. “but i don’t think she truly knows how in tune we are to her. frustrating, is it not?”

“truly,” seonghwa shakes his head. “am i ready now?”

yeosang tilts his head, thinking. “i cannot tell. it’s been a few weeks now without incident, but again, things can change in an instant.”

it’s as if you’re not there at all. “hello?”

their eyes meet yours briefly, the surly looks enough to quiet you. yeosang has told you how he can hear the pick up of your heartbeats, the smell of you. so you try your best to control your own meandering thoughts, mangos swirling in your mind instead. just as you begin to slide another slice into your mouth, seonghwa stands, grabbing the cutting board and sliding it closer to him. you whine, and he frowns.

“do you not understand how i hunger for you, birdie? you keep on making those noises, and it’s making me desperate.”

oh.

you slowly chew, unable to hold back the grin that draws itself on your lips. “imagining me sucking your dick?”

“an unsexy way of saying that, but yes,” he agrees.

yeosang hums, letting go of the chair. “then we discuss it.”

the look you both give yeosang is enough to make him shrug, sitting down in his chair. “you both have praised me for my open communication!”

“less talking this time, please?” seonghwa nearly begs on his knees as he says the words. “listen to your elders.”

“i’m several hundred years older than you.”

“and you are still frozen at an age younger than me, so who’s really the winner here?”

“i never realized how terrible you are at math, hyung.”

seonghwa’s eyes widen at that, words lost. yeosang merely rolls his eyes, gesturing for you to sit. you follow his instruction as he clears his throat. “the talk is short. actually just a few sentences, really. pretty,” yeosang smiles at you. “seonghwa and i want to make love to you, desperately. due to seonghwa’s nature now, we cannot risk him having sex with you on his own without someone at least listening in. but me standing outside would be too risky, just in case things get out of hand. so…”

“you want to have sex with me together?” you raise your brow.

they both nod.

“okay by me.”

the look on seonghwa’s face is humorous. without another word he stands, pulling you from your seat. you yelp as you’re thrown over his shoulder. his slim figure makes you forget how strong he truly is now, laughing as you’re dragging to another room. yeosang is close behind him, meeting your eyes briefly.

“now?” you say between giggle, patting seonghwa’s back.

“now. i really am sorry i’m so eager, but i’ve waiting nearly a year for this moment, birdie. a bit of enthusiasm from you goes a long way.” you cannot help but let your laugh escape your throat, yeosang matching your tone with ease. your eyes meet one another as seonghwa turns down the hallway, passing by your room in favor of his. you have never felt such warmth spilling from your chest, such hope and love like this.

before meeting yeosang, you didn’t quite believe in anything solid - assuming that with each passing moment something would break, something would hurt. and though you’ve both hurt while you are together, each in different ways, the horrible misery that you’d feel is no longer there. the hurt, the humiliation, the rancid taste in your mouth gone. he helped you, guided you to where you are now. perhaps you knew as you sat at that bar, liquor sitting in your stomach, drowning yourself in alcohol so your thoughts became nothing. maybe you knew then, seeing the soft smile of the stranger next to you hold your gaze.

perhaps you knew that sometimes love is this simple.

#fic: from eden #yeosang x reader #seonghwa x reader #kang yeosang x reader #park seonghwa x reader #ft.#wooyoung x reader #hongjoong x reader #ateez fanfiction #ateez angst #ateez fluff

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heymeowmao · 4 months

Text

2024.01.06 - https://weibo.com/l/wblive/p/show/1022:2321324986957909590120

[t/n: wow, so laggy.]

1:10 LYN: Today we have an outdoors stream, a little like the last one. We’ll be taking everyone out to play, today. A special outing. LYN: Xiao Fang- Fang Yilun- has arranged a very cool itinerary for us. As for what it is, let’s go find out together. FYL: It’ll be Activities for Young Folk, mostly because we’ve been cooped up in Hengdian for too long. We have to be positive! LYN: We’re headed for the big city. FYL: Yes! We’re going to celebrate your birthday as an eighteen year old should! I’ll show you how an eighteen year old in Hangzhou should spend their birthday.

2:03 - LYN asking fans not to send presents, otherwise he can’t see the comments. LYN: You don’t need to wish me a Happy Birthday, either. Today isn’t my birthday- it’s on the 8th. - FYL laughing bc he’s thinking LYN’s fans don’t know when his b-day is, probably. LYN: It’s not my birthday today, but I probably won’t have any time on the 8th, so I thought I would have my “birthday stream” today. Of course, I would like to thank weibo and all of the friends who have come to my stream today to support me. LYN: I know the presents are free, but you don’t need to send them so aggressively. C: The sound is so small. LYN: WHAT?!? Seriously? Is the sound small? C: Can’t hear clearly. LYN: You can’t hear clearly? We’re wearing mics, and you can’t hear us clearly?? What are you talking about?! Let me test it. / You should be able to hear it…? C: We can hear FYL’s but not yours. FYL: Why don’t I switch with you? LYN: No, no. / You can hear clearly now? FYL: I was thinking, maybe I should switch with you? Because I have a loud voice. LYN: It has nothing to do with how loud your voice is- I have a loud one, too. - adjusting the mic position to see if that helps (it doesn’t).

4:20 LYN: Another thing- I just want to say. We just want to relax and wander around today, so if you figure out where we are, please don’t come to find us. Okay? Thank you. PLEASE don’t come to find us. If that happens, and we get surrounded we’re probably not going to able to stream and we’ll leave. Because these are public spaces, okay? Promise me. If you know where we are, please don’t come to find us. You’ll take cars by the droves and then come surround us like you’re watching monkeys in a zoo. That’s uncomfortable. Okay? I really hope you can let us have a smooth stream today. We have a lot of things planned, so we’ll probably stream into the night and through to midnight. FYL: Let us have our together time with just the two of us. LYN: Right, of course. But we’re also spending our time together with you in the stream.

5:15 LYN: Let’s go, then! FYL: We’re off. - masking up & LYN tells FYL he doesn’t have to have the camera on him while he does that. FYL: Okay, then I can only let you reluctantly see me. C: How handsome! FYL: Are you talking about him or me? FYL: !! Wait, what should we call each other when we’re out there? How about you call me Shisan? LYN: No, it’s ok. Anything’s fine. FYL: Just call you by your given name?? LYN: No, just like “Hey!”

6:30 - hallway FYL: I’m not that familiar with these parts anymore, but if it were 20 years ago- FYL: 20 years ago, I was really familiar with these parts. Because my dad used to be in the clothing business-foreign trade, so after my dad got off work he would pick me up from elementary school and we’d wander around here.

7:10 - elevator LYN: If the sound continues to be low, later we’ll just stop using the mics. We’ll just use the phone’s audio input. FYL: /looking at their reflection in the mirrors/ Wow, we’re so fashionable! We look like some sort of duo.

8:00 LYN: We’re heading directly there? To our first destination? FYL: Straight there. LYN: Is it a far walk? FYL: Not too far. 300+ meters. Do you think that’s far? LYN: No, it’s okay. FYL: If you think it’s far, we can also take a car there. XD - discussing methods of transportation

8:27 FYL: There are quite a lot of people by West Lake today. I was really afraid that it would be raining when you came, today. If it were raining, we’d be under an umbrella… then we can visit the Broken Bridge. [t/n: known for the love story between Xu Xian and the White Snake]

8:47 - still trying to troubleshoot the audio FYL: I still think I should switch with you. LYN: There’s no need. I’m closer to it than you are. FYL: No, it’s okay. - /switched mics/ FYL: Ask them how it is, now. Because I have a naturally loud voice, anyway. LYN: How is it now? Is it okay? / /to FYL/ You try. FYL: Hello, hello. 1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3. LYN: Is it okay now? Ok. LYN: I’m sorry. As a singer, I can’t believe I’m not louder than an actor.

9:46 LYN: See. Earlier you said that there are a lot of people by West Lake, and now everyone knows we’re in Hangzhou. FYL: Oh no! LYN: It’s okay. It doesn’t make a difference.

10:48 LYN: It’s normal that it’s lagging. That’s the charm of a livestream. The charm is that it will lag. It’s random like that. LYN: Wow, there are really a lot of people. LYN: /seeing a comment/ You can’t hear Xiao Fang anymore? /deep sigh/ See. These things aren’t very reliable. FYL: Oh. Here- there are two... squirrels? LYN: Oh!! I see them. FYL: There, there! LYN: I see them! FYL: People will come to feed them.

- FYL listing all the things they could do, if they had more time. 12:44 LYN: Someone asked an embarrassing question: The two of you are walking along and no one has recognized you? LYN: No, it’s normal that they can’t. We’re not some big/very popular celebrities or anything. We’re just average. It’s not important. It’s better that they DON’T recognize us. - psa: please don’t come to find them - discussing where to go

C: I can tell that you’re handsome guys at a glance! LYN: No, no. He’s very handsome, but in real life I am very basic. FYL: Wow! If you say that, I’m gonna get cyber-bullied!! LYN: Pu Xin Nan. The “most trustworthy man in all the world.” (普天之下最适合信任的男人) FYL: The “most confident man in all the world.” (普天之下最有信心的男人) LYN: Yes! That’s also right.

14:20 - looking into how/where to buy tickets for the ferry 14:48 - lyn showing us all the people

14:57 FYL: You probably don’t have these in the North, right? LYN: What? FYL: They’re like… those insects that make noise? Guoguo (katydid)? LYN: Ququ (fighting cricket)? FYL: No, not ququ. LYN: Then, probably guoguo. FYL: Right- the ones that chirp. When I was little there were a lot of those around. And people selling flashlights and lanterns. I loved playing with those and had a row of them in my house.

LYN: The first time I came to Hangzhou it was the year I participated in Super Boy. FYL: In Hangzhou? LYN: Yeah. Me, from Dongbei, attended Super Boy in Hangzhou. But I didn’t even pass the auditions. FYL: No way. LYN. Yeah. Then I was pretty down and came around West Lake to wander. FYL: Is it because the pool in Dongbei was too poor and you couldn’t prove yourself? LYN: No, it was because they’re too good! There’s the Shenyang Music Academy, there; and various music schools. But then when I got here I found out that the music academies here are even more impressive.

15:52 - got distracted by more squirrels and decides to show the stream bc he feels like there’s no content going on. [t/n: they’re cute and fat. (or is it because they are well fed?) the tails look shorter than those of squirrels around me. :p]

17:27 - found the line for the ferry. it’s super long, with about a 30 minute wait for the next one. LYN: Let’s find some place with less people to hang out, then. LYN: For our first stop he was planning to take me on a boat ride on the lake. How romantic is that? FYL: I just didn’t expect there to be so many people. LYN: That’s probably normal. But anyway… we’ll not go boat riding this time. FYL: It used to be that there were a lot of boats docked at the side, and it would be like catching a cab to get on one. FYL: I guess we’ll have to find a bench or something. LYN: Let’s look for somewhere with less people. We’ll have a chat.18:50 - FYL recalling how there used to be aluminum boats around that you could rent and steer yourself. (the ferry is more expensive.) FYL: A friend and I came to ride a boat, and we were trying to get to the middle of the lake. Have you ever ridden in an aluminum boat? LYN: No. FYL: We used up all of our strength to row to the island in the middle, and then we couldn’t row back. It was July and the sun was huge. I could see as clear as day as my friend started “frothing at the mouth.” He looked like he was being cooked silly, and I asked him, “Are you okay? You don’t have heatstroke, do you?” He just smiled back at me, and his lips were so white. LYN: When you’re young you just have to go all out.

20:00 - still looking for a less populated area to sit and chat LYN: Don’t send us any special effects- I can’t see the comments that way. There’s nothing planned- I just wanted to take you around, since I’m usually always streaming from home. It just so happened that FYL had time, so he agreed to keep me company. LYN: If you know where we are, please don’t come to find us. Thank you. If you really come then it would become a bit more troublesome. We just want to wander around. There are other places we’d like to go, as well.

21:28 - found a place to sit! FYL: Alright, then let’s make some of Hangzhou’s specialty. LYN: What is it? West Lake Dragon Well tea? FYL: Lotus Root Powder. LYN: Lotus Root Poweder??!

21:59 - C: The two of you, please explain what you meant by “HE” (happy ending of YNGS). LYN: They finally caught us. The fans of the drama have been trying to catch us for half a month, and they’ve finally got us. They need an explanation.

LYN: What are you up to? FYL: I’m making the lotus root powder! LYN: Oh! / I’ll get it on camera for you. This looks like the way a fashionable young person would spend their days! FYL: Young people in Hangzhou spend their birthdays just like this! / How come it’s not coming out right? LYN: They come out and drink a bowl of porridge to start? FYL: It’s lotus root powder… LYN: I- OMG, is that drinkable?? FYL: It’ll definitely be good! No problem!! Trust me. Wait for me a second. 22:50 - FYL leaves to find some tools. LYN: /picks up the cup and jiggles it/ WHAT IS THIS??? How come it looks like the mucus that you’d spit out- Is this edible?? Eurgh. LYN: I don’t think we made it right. WE probably need some sort of tool. C: You need to mix it. LYN: He went to find a pair of chopsticks. C: Use your hand. LYN: Use my hand to mix it, then down it?? 23:45 - FYL came back, and LYN’s surprised that he found any tools. FYL: /picks the cup up to mix it/ Oh? How come it become one chunk? I’m going to dumo it and try again. FYL: Give me another chance!

C: How long will you stream for, Ning-ge? LYN: We don’t have a time limit or things that we need to do. We’ll stream for as long as we want to. FYL: I think I poured too much! It’s too thick, LYN: Right, maybe less? FYL: Does anyone know how much I’m supposed to use?? LYN: Why does this seem like the sauce we make in Dongbei? I’ve really never had lotus root powder before. FYL: It’s really good! C: Use boiling water. LYN: We are. FYL: It’s hot water. How can we use cold? FYL: Do you like it thinner or thicker? LYN: I’ve never had it before! Thinner, I guess? I don’t think I could get it down if it were thicker. LYN: There’s only one cap? FYL: No, there’s another one. C: Use cold water first. LYN: It’s okay. It’s fine like this, too. It works. / They said we need to use cold water to melt it first. FYL: Really? Then I’ll try it with the next one. LYN: Give me the small cup! I can’t take this much. FYL: Shit- Oh, sorry. I think this is so romantic! LYN: Really? FYL: Yeah, don’t you think this is really romantic? LYN: It is, it is. FYL: Isn’t this better than sitting down and spending lots of money in a restaurant? Isn’t it more romantic? LYN: I don’t think it’s to that extent. I’d rather eat something from a restaurant. I don’t want to eat this! It’s weird! FYL: Oh my goodness, I think it’s so romantic. LYN: (abt the lotus root) Maybe it’s too little? FYL: It’s too thin. LYN: It’s too thin. Add some more. FYL: /pours some more starch/ Is that too much, now? LYN: It looks okay. It has the feeling of making cornstarch slurry. It doesn’t look like yours is working. FYL: ? Exactly how much of this powder am I supposed to put?? I think I failed again! Was that cold water method they told you about correct? LYN: Looks like cold water isn’t it. FYL: I think we should have just used the hot water directly. LYN: Yeah. FYL: Let’s try again. LYN: Again? Oh, no. We wasted some more of it.

26:32 - fourth time’s the charm? LYN: This really looks like the cornstarch slurry. FYL: That should be the correct consistency. LYN: Sorry, friends. I even told you that I used to be a cook. We can’t even figure out how to make lotus root powder correctly! FYL: Look! Once we used hot water it came together! LYN: Right. That looks right. FYL: But it’s too hot, so maybe add some cold water? LYN: Cold water…? FYL: Yeah, it’s actually just warm. LYN: Won’t that… won’t that… FYL: Make chunks? LYN: It’s okay. It should be fine.

27:14 FYL: Wow, this is the first time in my life I’m making you a meal. LYN: Thank you. LYN: Are we one-shotting it? You go first. - FYL takes a sip & dies LYN: What’s wrong? Was it too hot? - FYL recovers, pours more of the cold water into his cup. (so yeah, it was hot.) FYL: You have a little. LYN: Yeah, I’ll have some. FYL: Wow. I burnt myself to death.

27:54 - cheers FYL: Drink it slowly. - LYN takes a sip & assesses the situation going on in his mouth LYN: It’s alright. A little bit better than what I was imagining.

- /keeps looking around/ LYN: Why do I feel like we’re doing something wrong?? I feel guilty. It’s as if we stole these bowls from somewhere. FYL: Like someone else made them and set them here, and we came and stole it? LYN: We should finish it and run. - /slurps and savors (?) it/ LYN: It’s alright. Like drinking porridge. FYL: This is a bowl of lotus root by West Lake. It’s not just any normal bowl of lotus root. LYN: Right, right. It’s West Lake Lotus Root. With the name attached it sounds much more expensive. FYL: We’re not drinking Lotus Root. We’re drinking in the feeling.

28:55 LYN: You all can hear us clearly now, right? It’s working? The sound isn’t small, right? If it’s not, then- (pans the camera to FYL) Explain to us what “HE” meant. FYL: How could you throw this question to me?? I guess we should answer it, though. But weren’t YOU the one who said it was an “HE”? LYN: No, I- Did I say it?? FYL: It was you! I explained it, though. Just as “河, 河, 河, 河”. LYN: Oh, it’s all in the river?

29:40 - FYL telling LYN that there’s a street some ways over, and there’s a very famous restaurant on that street. The building above that restaurant is currently showing huge YNGS posters. LYN: Thank you, YNGS.

30:10 C: DId you cry while watching the ending? FYL: I didn’t cry when watching myself. I cried for other people, though. FYL: I saw you crying for me, and cried. I’d never felt so sorry for myself. - /slurps the last of his lotus root/ LYN: I finished. It was okay. Nice and warm, a little like drinking porridge. FYL: The weather today is not that bad, either. LYN: Yeah. It’s been a long time since I came out just to sit, too. LYN: They’re saying that your sound is small. FYL: Is it small? - /making adjustments/ LYN: It’s our first time using this equipment, so we’re not good at it yet. 31:19 - FYL gets up to start cleaning up their stuff. LYN: Look. We came out today and Xiao Fang even brought a small suitcase. A very cute and pink color.

31:49 LYN: What day is it? Saturday? FYL: I don’t know. Actors don’t remember what day of the week it is. We only know the date.

32:35 FYL: I feel a little sad. We didn’t get to accomplish the most romantic part of my plans for today. LYN: What were you planning? FYL: A boat ride on the lake. I brought a bluetooth speaker, and we would listen to 奉上. LYN: Seriously?? FYL: We’d listen to 奉上 on top of the West Lake. LYN: Oh.. that does sound quite romantic. It’s okay- let’s find a different spot. An empty alley somewhere no one else is. We’ll put the speaker on and sit on the ground. We can still listen to 奉上 and it will be a unique romantic experience nonetheless.

LYN: Let’s go, then. Let’s find an alley! FYL: Like thieves, in an alley? FYL: Today is the first time I’ve learned that even benign romantic can be forced. XD - finding thier way back FYL: Why don’t we just listen to it in the car? LYN: That works!

34:00 - FYL asking LYN if he knows about this certain type of grass that grows on the West Lake. LYN asks if it was the grass that was floating on top of the water? They go to look at it and LYN says- “I think that’s just plain grass.” LYN: Do you want to fish some up and try it?

34:50 LYN: We’re a pair of Exploring Streamers. FYL: I think we’d be the first to find any adventure at West Lake. LYN: I don’t think there’s anything to explore. FYL: Do you think we’d be arrested if we were to actually fish the grass from the lake? LYN: I don’t think so. They wouldn’t arrest us for pulling up a couple pieces of grass. It’s not even worth the gas money.

35:50 LYN: ! I think we should take pictures there! FYL: There are so many boats here now! Oh, but people still have to line up. LYN: Yeah, there are a ton of people over there. LYN: Let’s take pictures in turn. Stand over there and I’ll take a picture for you. They’ll (the viewers) will take a screenshot. LYN: Stand more by the edge! We came to see the West Lake, after all. LYN: !! You still want to hold that (the pink suitcase)?! - LYN’s turn for a pic. LYN: I want the suitcase, too! Oh, but I don’t want it to look like I have a collaboration with the brand. Then, forget it. - /changes his mind and grabs the suitcase anyway./ LYN: It’s okay. We don’t want it to be obvious that it’s us. It just serves as proof that we came.

37:50 - Making their way back and finds someone shooting for a program and instatntly turns into a tour guide, introducing Xihu. LYN: You can take a boat ride and make lotus root powder. FYL: You can find an alley to listen to 奉上. LYN: I welcome everyone to come to Xihu on travel.

38:51 FYL: Did you go around Xihu the last time you came to Hangzhou? LYN: The last time? FYL: When you came here before. LYN: I did, once. That was many years ago. Maybe… 6-7 years ago? FYL: Did you ride the boat? LYN: I didn’t. I just wandered around and then went to visit Lingyin Temple. FYL: The first time I went to Lingyin Temple, I went alone and then I was scammed. I THOUGHT the temple I had gone to was Lingyin, but apparently there are a lot of different “Lingyin” temples. My friend had ended up fooling me. They told me it was THE Lingyin Temple, and I was fool enough to believe it.

40:04 FYL: Do you see it? LYN: What? FYL: /points/ LYN: Oh my goodness! FYL: I told you, it was huge!! LYN: Can you see something lighting up this street? LYN: WOW! Seriously?!? FYL: /laughing/ I told you!! LYN: Can you see this??? The highlight of this video frame?41:13 LYN: This wasn’t planned at all. We just happened to bump into it. LYN: Nice. It looks like YNGS (production) spent a fair amount of money. LYN: We should take a picture, here. Please screengrab it for us. Thanks!

43:04 LYN: Wow, this angle is so cool. Oh- it ended. I was planning to show the glass but then it turned into the metal. - /Commenting on how it’s difficult to park by West Lake, because all the parking is usually always taken up. But also that’s good, because it means that people are taking the time to enjoy it./

44:03 LYN: Hangzhou is really quite nice, though. Since we’re in Hengdian filming for long periods of time, sometimes I want to come to Hangzhou to eat delicious foods. Shop around, then return to Hengdian. Since it’s close by. - /commenting how Hangzhou is known as a food city, but how nowadays you can find any type/region of food from anywhere./

45:06 LYN: Right now we’re on our way towards the car, and then we’ll move on to the next destination. LYN: There’s nothing planned, though this sort of counts as my b-day stream. Most people spend it in a room, but I think that’s not much different from how I usually stream. That’s why I thought I would try something different today. LYN: I won’t be streaming on the 8th- I have filming. This counts as my birthday stream, alright? Also- it’s not like I celebrate my birthday, anyway. I’m already this old, what’s there to celebrate? But since you miss me, I still thought I should stream. - /got scared by a person/

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- /heading for the car (in the underground parking)/ - in the elevator, they comment on the weather (it’s warmer than usual), and FYL says he feels like he hasn’t seen properly ever since they went out- because the breathe from inside the mask is foggin up his sunglasses XD.

47:22 FYL: Do you have a signal? LYN: Yes! 5G! LYN: Someone complimented us, calling us two Handsome Brothers. FYL: We’re alright~ LYN: Just average~ Puxin Men. X’D The “most confident men in all the world.” (普天之下最有信心的男人)

48:05 C: A handsome pair of men, even though I can’t see clearly… LYN: You can’t see clearly but you’re still complimenting?

- FYL starts the car and LYN comments that it’s so loud it sounds like a tractor, lmao.

48:53 - FYL’s Lost His Phone?!? (he goes to check in the suitcase) LYN: We lost his phone. Oh, no. This is the charm of a livestream. You never know what’s going to happen. C: You were just taking pictures with it. LYN: Right. Right! He gave me his phone to take photos with! It’s in my pocket! /checks his pockets/ FYL: Weren’t we just taking pictures with it? LYN: Yeah. What happened after? LYN: Are you serious?? FYL: There’s no way, right? - /still checking his pockets/ LYN: Why don’t you call it? FYL: That’s so strange… LYN: Yeah! After we took pictures… we didn’t stop, right? We didn’t stop to sit somewhere? FYL: We didn’t stop anywhere. LYN: Call it. FYL: “It’s currently in use.” LYN: ?? What does that mean?? FYL: ! There’s a sound! OMG, that scared me to death! It fell to the side of the seat. It’s okay though, even it I did lose it. LYN: We found it. It was to the side of the seat. Look at our handsome driver. LYN: ! Seatbelt, seatbelt.

51:26 LYN: Friends, we were making more scenes for ourselves. We pretended the phone was missing, so that the viewers might gain a sense of- FYL: They might go to where we were and look for it?? LYN: We designed a thrilling scenario so that everyone in the stream can be worried for the lost phone. In the end! What you didn’t expect was for us to find it right beside his seat! Too thrilling. FYL: How was our acting? Not bad, right? XD

52:20 FYL: Let me ask you- for the New Year’s stage, why did you cry? On the stage. LYN: Why did I cry? Because I’m a crybaby. FYL: Were you emotional? But honestly, I saw you wearing those clothes and got emotional myself. FYL: Is that your actual costume from the drama? - gets distracted by people taking pictures of the car FYL: Do you think they’ll get a picture of my license number? LYN: Do you think an artist’s license number is a secret? - But LYN asks viewers to please don’t take pictures of the license plate number. LYN: Oh, so you drive a Ferrari. FYL: As if- I can’t afford it. LYN: Xiao Fang could continue to work hard~ - singing along to 奉上 (sounds good!) FYL: Do you have lyrics? If I said that I can’t remember the lyrics to this song, would it (look bad)? LYN: It’s not important. - FYL harmonizes a line w/ LYN, but LYN didn’t sing that line out loud.

54:33 C: FYL is such a good person! LYN: He’s great! If he weren’t a good person, then we wouldn’t have become friends.

55:17 FYL: That time we went through the Weibo Headquarters, right? And you sang a couple lines… (LYN: My hair is messed up!) FYL: I went home and was thinking. This song- when I heard you sing it in person- sounded quite high. So when I went woke up to shower the next day I grabbed a bluetooth speaker and tried to sing along with the chorus. I sang my voice hoarse. LYN: /laughs/ That song’s a little high for me as well.

56:40 LYN: I’m guessing- those people who were taking pictures of your car earlier? They probably didn’t know it was US. They probably just thought the car look cool. Really! Because the color is nice. FYL: That makes me sad. LYN: LOL. That the car is more welcome than you are? I don’t think those people were watching our stream, in any case. They weren’t taking pictures of us, I get the feeling they were trying to take pictures of the car. 57:28 C: What color is it? LYN: Pink. /giggles/ LYN: Why is it that FYL can play YSS? This is one of the reasons- he’s flashy enough.

58:00 - complaining about other drivers who don’t follow the rules of the road. LYN: They’re getting reported!

58:35 - makes a comment about singing Zhang Jie’s songs (t’s hard) 58:59 FYL: But with singing, too. You have to constantly sing. It’s like working out/training your body. LYN: Ywah, you have to keep at it so that you can maintain the skill. FYL: So that’s why every now and then I have to shout my voice out. LYN: Sing every once in a while. FYL: In that case, when I’m on set in the next few days I’ll just have to- /starts singing, loudly/! LYN: If you do that, you’re gonna get hit. C: That scared me to death! LYN: Because you’re wearing the mic!! FYL: Oh! I’m sorry!! I forgot. LYN: No worries. This is also an effect of live streaming.

1:00:02 LYN: The first round was faking we lost the phone. This round is suddenly shouting and scaring you to death.

1:00:23 - 别梦寒 FYL: This song is also really nice. LYN: This song IS nice. But it was included less, so people heard it less. I really like this song. It’s one that can be considered in the Top 3 of all OSTs I’ve sung in the past couple of years. C: What’s Number 1? FYL: That’s a good question. LYN: There is no Number 1 or 2. There’s no ranking. FYL: But at least you know what Number 3 is. C: There are a lot of new fans. LYN: Thank you.

1:01:25 LYN: Have you arranged a dinner for tonight? FYL: No. LYN: ?? You don’t have plans? You’re not going to treat me to a meal?? You called me over to Hangzhou and you’re not even going to feed me dinner? FYL: Is instant noodles okay? LYN: Okay. // You DID give me a bowl of lotus root powder for my birthday though, yes. But anything other than that? C: What’s for dinner? LYN: I don’t know. He said he didn’t have anything- instant noodles, I guess. We’ll come back around to this later. When we’re in a pinch with filming we don’t have the time to eat at all. FYL: Especially if you have to shoot night scenes. LYN: Are you going back to Hengdian tonight? FYL: /confirms/ LYN: Then, let’s go back together.

1:02:24 C: Isn’t Hangzhou food hub? LYN: It’s because it is! There are too many good foods (so you can’t choose). FYL: When you have too many choices, the best choice is a pack of instant noodles. FYL: We’re both capricorns. So we’re more conservative. LYN: Is that so? Us two capricorns are so loud and noisy now, so what forced us to be this way? Look at what this industry did to us. FYL: What’s your rising sign? LYN: Scorpio.

1:03:05 C: Are you playing with beads? LYN: I’m not playing with them, but I’m wearing them.

1:03:30 FYL: All of a sudden my mind has settled. It feels like I’m in a daze. LYN: That’s good. I used to like driving while listening to songs- going out to some deserted place in the middle of nowhere. I’d stop the car and just sit there. - realize they don’t have anything to drink, so they’ll stop by to grab something later 1:04:00 C: I requested time off to watch you stream. LYN: That’s not necessary! Our stream isn’t very exciting. FYL: Our stream is suited for days where you have the day off and you’re still huddled in your blankets because you haven’t thought of what you should do. LYN: Right. When you’re bored, you can play this as something to listen to, on the side. FYL: Maybe if you want to watch tv, you’d have to walk to the living room. But you don’t want to get out of bed so you can watch this on your phone. LYN: But nowadays I just use my phone to watch tv, also. My tv at home hasn’t been turned on in a long time. If I watch dramas, I’ll do it on my iPad. C: Are you talking about me? LYN: Meaning you’re doing exactly what we’re saying? You just turn on your phone and lie in bed, not wanting to get up or move? Turn on our stream and let it play as bgm? FYL: They probably just turned on their phone and have noticed that we’re streaming. C: I’m doing homework. LYN: Doing your homework while listening to our voices. Look up once in a while to give us a gander. FYL: Would they write the answers wrong? You turn your homework in tomorrow and your teacher tells you that you got everything wrong. LYN: They wrote down the lyrics to these songs, instead.

1:05:40 FYL: Do you like love songs more, or ? LYN: Everything is good. The most important thing for me is that it sounds good. There’s no exact genre that I like. I listen to rap as well. FYL: Do you have a song where you rap? LYN: Yeah. FYL: I want to hear it! 🙂 LYN: Let’s not.

1:06:15 FYL: I didn’t get to watch your stage performance with Xiao Zeng (ZXS). Did it go well, the rap? LYN: The rap went well. /starts reciting/ It was memorized by force. Xiao Fang knows this because one day the three of us- ZSX, FYL, LYN- were eating at my house. We all wrapped up early, so were having a meal at my house. ZSX was feeling a lot of pressure, and asked me if I had memorized the lyrics for the opening song. I told him I didn’t, because there would be a prompter. He said, “Ohh, is that right?” But then I thought about it and considered that actually, I SHOULD memorize it. He reminded me. So the two of us were just memorizing the lyrics. FYL: You started doing it while eating! LYN: /recites more lyrics/ FYL: Wow, I bet you were even doing it in your dreams. LYN: Yeah- we were still going through it up until the moment we had to stand on stage. I was afraid I would say them wrong. FYL: I bet when you were dreaming of it, at the sound of your alarm in the morning you’d shock yourself awake and into reciting out loud.

1:08:00 FYL: I don’t know why, when I was younger I used to remember all the lyrics. But now I can’t. LYN: … Because we’ve heard too many songs by now? FYL: When you listen to a song, do you go out of your way to memorize the lyrics? LYN: Not particularly. If it’s my own song and I have to sing it at some event, I’ll take some time in advance to remember the lyrics. LYN: Nowadays when I sing I pretty much rely on the prompter. But you at least have to know around 70%+ of the song. FYL: Right. You can’t keep looking at it. LYN: Yes. 70% or more. You can look at the prompter every once in a while when you’re singing. If you can’t remember the lyrics you can scan the prompter ahead of time. 1:09:00 LYN: I didn’t see clearly, but I think someone said that they had a fight with their husband because you want to watch us stream? Did you really? It’s not worth it!! Stop watching. Don’t let watching two puxin-men influence your house and home. It’s not worth it. Go make it up to your husband. Stop watching. Turn it off.

1:10:00 FYL: I have to take the chance to wear my sunglasses before it gets dark. I haven’t worn them very much since I bought them. LYN: Is that so? I wear the ones you bought me sometimes when I go out for work. FYL: It’s so flashy. LYN: LOL, yeah. Because the logo is printed all over. FYL: Only “the most confident man in all the world” would dare to wear them. LYN: FYL gifted me a pair of sunglasses from a big brand- all of the design elements on the glases are actually the brand’s logo. Just in case you can’t tell where the glasses are from. FYL: But I get the feeling you can actually pull off wearing them. LYN: Why? Because I am “puxin” enough? XD FYL: You have that aura about you. LYN: No, I can’t live up to them. FYL: I just think you have more of a personality, but more introverted. LYN: Thank you. FYL: You need something bright! LYN: People rely on clothes- I have to rely on my wardrobe to find my aura. Normally I’m too basic, so I need something to help me. FYL: No, you’re not bad that to that extent.

1:11:19 - FYL takes his hand off the wheel in excitement LYN: Please put your hands back on the wheel. FYL: Yes, right.

1:11:30 ----- Wang Yizhe time C: Lao Qian is here. LYN: Is he? Let me see if I can connect. LYN: Apparently there are more than 2k people waiting to connect. It’s not worth it! I won’t connect with you. I sent an invite to Lao Qian. Whether he accepts or not is up to him. If it’s convenient, he’ll accept. If it’s not then he won’t.

- /lag/

WYZ: /wearing sunglasses/ LYN: To fit in. The squad needs to have the same gear. You’re even wearing black. WYZ: No, these are my pajamas. LYN: Where are you, Beijing? WYZ: Yes, in Beijing. LYN: Right… If you were here, we’d be playing together. WYZ: What are you to up to? LYN: We’re doing a simple stream today- my “birthday” stream and it so happened that he (FYL) was off so we decided to hang out together. WYZ: Are you going to shop or…? LYN: I don’t know where he’s taking me- FYL: We’re going to where young people go to have fun. WYZ: ??? “Where young people go to have fun”?? Are you close to Hengdian? LYN: We’re in Hangzhou today. FYL: I already took everyone to our first attraction. LYN: We found some seats by West Lake and made two cups of lotus root powder. After we finished we ran. FYL: I was originally planning to ride the boat, but I don’t know why there was a really long line today. LYN: Yes- we were planning to ride on the boat. FYL: Isn’t it romantic? WYZ: If the two of you went on a boat ride wouldn’t the bridge collapse (because of all the people on it)? LYN: Let me tell you- here’s the embarrassing thing. No one recognized us. WYZ: Well, yes- that IS embarrassing. LYN: Going out wasn’t embarrassing, but since you mentioned being recognized, now it IS embarrassing. No one recognized us. FYL: I was planning to get the speaker and playing 奉上 right then and there! WYZ: Then, Lao Ning. You probably didn’t stand up. If you did you would have ben exposed in an instant. LYN: No- we were wandering around the whole time. We walked back and forth and no one recognized us. WYZ: Are people in Hangzhou all as tall as you are??? LYN: That’s why I was saying, that the two of us are puxin men. Normal/Basic (putong) and Confident (zixin). That’s why no one recognized us. WYZ: You wanted to go out a little obviously, wearing sunglasses so that people knew you were celebrities, but it ended up that no one paid attention to you. LYN: No, it was fine. Also, because I had told people in the stream not to come find us. They probably didn’t want to in the first place, but I just thought I should mention it. They were respectful of us and didn’t come. WYZ: So it’s just the two of you? LYN: Yeah, just the two of us. No sponsor or anything. WYZ: Then I guess you’ve been exposed by now. Your itinerary is going to get a lot more crowded. LYN: Don’t say that! There are two outcomes: 1. People think they need to help us save face and quickly grab a car to come make noise so that we look more popular, or 2. No one shows up at all.

1:15:30 WYZ: How long are you planning to be out for? LYN: I don’t know. There’s not exactly a time limit. FYL: We’ll see as we go. LYN: We’ll stay out for the day and then return to Hengdian at night and continue filming tomorrow. WYZ: The main thing is because you both don’t have work today, is that right? LYN: Yeah- the crew gave us a day. He (FYL) just entered a new one. - “Dian Gong”?? [t/n: IDK what they’re referring to here] FYL: I entered the crew in December and they haven’t gotten around to my scenes yet. I’ve only shot for one day thus far. But it’s nice that I have this time. The timing was just right. WYZ: Have the two of you eaten? LYN: I told you, we had lotus root starch. WYZ: Is that even filling?? LYN: Oh my goodness- it was so thick, like eating a bowl of thickened cornstarch. FYL: For people like us who have grown up on dew alone, a bowl of lotus root starch is enough to carry us through the whole day. WYZ: The two of you eat little on a normal basis, anyway.

1:16:45 LYN: I thought since it was my birthday I would bother him a bit, since he’s always in Hangzhou. He’s from Zhejiang. WYZ: This is his territory. LYN: Yeah- so I thought I would ask my good friend to take me out to eat well. In the end I came here and he dragged me to West Lake- not even getting there by car! we WALKED - to find seats so that he could prepare two cups of lotus root starch. FYL: We even brought our own water. LYN: We boiled the water at home and brought it ourselves. And then we still had half a bag of lotus root powder left, that we wrapped up and are taking back home. WYZ: FYL- I think if you dressed up as YSS and took pictures by West Lake, I think it would look really nice. LYN: That’s true. WYZ: The white clothes really suit the scenery. LYN: If he went in costume, people would probably recognize him, then. WYZ: They might think it’s some rando cosplaying as YSS. LYN: Don’t keep bringing up the topic of people recognizing us. It’s embarrassing (bc no one did). It’s a complicated feeling.

1:17:50 C: It’s my first time seeing Lao Qian say so much. WYZ: I was at home cleaning up and got a notification that the two of you were streaming. I came in then realized that you can see me. I was just planning to watch in silence and be a viewer. LYN: Yes, I can see when you come in. WYZ: Mainly I saw that the two of you were bare faced and wearing sunglasses, so I thought I could also wear a pair and connect. LYN: We don’t have anything planned - we’re just going to shop around. WYZ: Yeah! It’s not your birthday yet, right? Why would you have a b-day stream… LYN: I don’t have time on the day of my birthday. WYZ: I see. LYN: I don’t have time, so I decided to do something today. It so happened that I asked FYL yesterday if he had time, and he did. Since that was the case I thought we could stream together. We could hang out around Hangzhou. WYZ: Sounds great. It’s rare to have some time off, so it’s great to get around. It gets boring staying in Hengdian all the time. LYN: It’s been too long since I’ve been out and about. WYZ: It’s been a long, long time since I last saw you. LYN: Yes, yes. It’s okay- let’s meet in Beijing in a couple of days. I might have an event there, and we can go out to eat. WYZ: Alright.

1:19:20 WYZ: Oh- you’re still wearing the mic? LYN: No- when I connected with you, I unplugged it. Because I wouldn’t be able to hear you talking with it on. We’re professionals, come on! WYZ: Oh my~ You’re SO professional! LYN: I’m not a pro at acting, but for livestream I’m the PRO. WYZ: You’re amazing. LYN: Sing and acting is not professional, but for streaming I am.

- /8 more minutes until they reach their destination/

WYZ: How long have you been streaming for? LYN: 1h, 20m! WYZ: Wow, so long?? You’ve been streaming the whole way? LYN: Yeah, we just haven’t stopped. This stream is not like those business-oriented other streams. This is just for- WYZ: Chatting. LYN: - for “company.” FYL: For “relaxation.” For “water, but no content”. LYN: It LOOKS like stream, but really it’s a surveillance camera. It’s a surveillance camera, aimed at the two of us. It’s like whatever we do, we’re being monitored. Just for fun. WYZ: You’re not streaming in your house today, so there are no special sound effects. LYN: Right. No canned laughter. I have to laugh myself. WYZ: Yeah! But this way it’s awkward and freezes the room over. LYN: We have music though, in the car. FYL: We’re playing some bgm. WYZ: This is FYL’s car, right? LYN: Yeah. FYL: No, I rented it. WYZ: Ah~ You rented a nice car especially for Lao Ning. FYL: Yes, since he came I have to show up. WYZ: Okay, then.

1:21:00 C: Call Yuan Lu over. LYN: No- it’s not like I was originally planning on a two-person stream. If I had thought I was going to do this earlier, I would have called everyone over. WYZ: Right! I just stumbled in by accident. It’s not like this was planned. LYN: Yeah- I wasn’t planning on this, but I only just now thought that I COULD have done it this way. I was just thinking- if I was in my house, I would just stream like normal but stick up some “Happy Birthday” balloons in the background. I would paste up some flowers. Then after a while my staff would come in pushing a cart with a cake on it to give me a surprise. I would be so touched! Then, I would blow out the candles on stream. After that, my staff would bring some paper prompts with like new year’s wishes or something like that. I’m sure there would be something like, giving the fans some benefit like “posting ten selfies” or something. I know that if I were in my room it would go like that. But I thought about it and… It seems like a process many are familiar with. WY: Yeah, you get the process. I think when we were in the crew, they were all this format. LYN: Right. But I didn’t think that was very interesting so I decided to do something different/unexpected and come out with Xiao Fang. It might not be very exciting, but I think this way is more relaxing and free-flowing. WYZ: I think this is nice. It’s more what you would do normally/in your daily life. If you go the same route as people usually do, it would be boring. WYZ: Then will you be streaming later, on your birthday? Or, no? LYN: I don’t think I will, because I have filming to do. WYZ: Okay. LYN: Since I had the time today, I decided to stream. WYZ: It’s good, since the two of you are in Hengdian. Why not meet, since you’re both there? LYN: Right. FYL: I calculated it, and you should be coming here soon, too. WYZ: Well, you take care of Lao Ning first. FYL: No problem. WYZ: And then later-

FYL: Do you want to catch a plane over to eat instant noodles? WYZ: ?? Instant noodles? FYL: Yeah- I reserved some instant noodles to eat tonight. WYZ: You’d better at least add and egg and let him eat Longevity Noodles. FYL: I will. LYN: He can come over, but the caveat is that you have to reimburse his airfare. XD FYL: Forget about it, then! WYZ: I have ground transportation,... LYN: Of course! You need to book a car service to send and receive him, then after hte meal make sure he has enough to-go before sending him back. WYZ: I’m going to need hair/makeup and wardrobe on the way, too! LYN: You don’t need any of that- all black is quite nice. FYL: Why don’t I call you some takeout? WYZ: Then the three of us will be walking down the street and no one will recognize any of us. X’D LYN: I’m sure.

1:24:18 WYZ: I’m sure that FYL has more of a reputation in Hangzhou than either of us. FYL: Huh? I don’t! LYN: Why? Oh- Because he’s from here? FYL: I’m not from Hangzhou- I’m from Jiaxing. I’m not in Hangzhou all the time; I spend more time in Jiaxing. WYZ: Okay, well- if you’re eating instant noodles then I won’t go. If you eat at some fancy restaurant, remember to call me. LYN: I WISH he would take me to a fancy restaurant. FYL: You aren’t eating that today. It’s not in the cards. LYN: There’s no budget, since you’ve rented this car already. FYL: I only have 200RMB in my pocket. LYN/WYZ: You brought cash? FYL: I was planning on taking him to the shops to buy clothes.// But then I thought of something better. WYZ: Oh, don’t expose where you’re going. LYN: If we mentioned it, we’re definitely not going there anymore. WYZ: Reverse operations. LYN: He was thinking of going to the Sijiqing Garment Market- because it’s more fashionable, right? Even though I’ve never been there!- He told me it was very fashionable. But we were thinking- because many clothes sellers often livestream, too- so if we also went we’d be in direct competition. I was afraid to get hit. FYL: Sijiqing CAN BE fashionable. WYZ: Can you even find Lao Ning’s size there? FYL: Yeah, of course. I was originally planning on the two of us preparing 200RMB, and we’d go around haggling. WYZ: So do you usually get your clothes at Sijiqing? LYN: Someone is asking what Sijiqing is! Let me explain- it really is a fashionable place. It’s a garment market. Somewhere people who sell clothes will go to get their goods for their shop. It’s similar to Wuai Market in Shenyang and Dongwuyuan Wholesale in Beijing. WYZ: There’s also Jintaiyang in Dongbei, right? LYN: Yes, and… Baima in Guangzhou? Or something like that. FYL: I was looking up information online and I read that we should each bring a black plastic bag. WYZ: Yes! And you need a little rolling cart, too. LYN: I’m sure if we weren’t streaming, we could go there too. We could selet some clothing and then sell it online to my fans. XD We buy it for 20RMB, and sell it for 25. Make 5RMB off one article, so if we sell 100 articles we would make 500RMB. That’s not bad. WYZ: It would make streaming worth it. LYN: Right?! WYZ: You could get a decent meal out of it. FYL: Then we’re eating big! LYN: We can eat hotpot. FYL: We wouldn’t have to eat instant noodles. :’)

1:28:04 WYZ: Have you arrived? LYN: Yup, we’re here. Thank you for keeping us company. WYZ: Alright, no problem. LYN: Let’s meet up, either in Hengdian or Beijing. WYZ: Ok! Bye~ LYN: Bye bye~ WYZ: Have fun! Bye bye. LYN: Happy New Year! WYZ: Happy New Year~

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1:28:22 - LYN’s 天问 playing as bgm in the car LYN: Did you used to love my music this much? Or did you know I was coming, so you purposely made this playlist?? FYL: No, it’s a really nice sounding song! FYL: I spent my birthday in the crew, right? Do you know what song they played for me? LYN: What song? FYL: 奉上. LYN: Oh, really? FYL: Yeah!1:28:50 - they’ve arrived at the next destination - Aquarium Date!

[t/n: I won’t translate directly much of this next segment]

1:31:00 - FYL: Should we take our sunglasses off? Otherwise we won’t be able to see anything.

FYL: Jellyfish! LYN: Are these real? FYL: Yeah! LYN: I thought it was a special effect!

1:32:00 - trying to feed the fish & the way lyn translates english is... interesting, but you can’t say he’s wrong. X'D “Feed Point” becomes “FOOD Po (po - 泼/sprinkle) - In (li - 里/in (preposition) - T (tou - 投/to cast/send)” FYL: They (the fish) must eat a lot every day. LYN: But there are a lot of fish…

1:34:30 - they found a snake and referenced the drama lol

FYL: There’s no snake in this one. Asian Vine Snake. It’s too thin, we can’t see it. LYN: Is the snake alright?! /laughs/ The snake is fine, and you’re fine too. LYN: The snake’s okay. It’s inside, sleeping. It’s very alive. Just sleeping.

- [t/n: these fish tanks are just… open-topped. What???] - commenting on the blue color of fish LYN: They won’t jump out? THAT would be impressive. FYL: If they come out, they can’t go back. If that happens then they… meet their H-E. (happy ending, referencing the supposed “H-E” of YNGS)

1:37:00 - Giant Pangasius & Gourami - marvels at the size of… whatever fish that is. FYL: Let’s see if it’ll come up (for fish feed). LYN: I don’t think it cares about that stuff. That’s like peanuts for it. FYL: This white one looks like it wants to eat it… FYL: Look from the top!

FYL: This fish's lips are pretty sexy. LYN: Sexy? Why don't you stick your head in there and kiss it, then?? FYL: It’s not eating… /fish eats/ Oh! It is!

1:38:40 - reptiles, some sort of mimic fish, plants 1:40:00 - arapaima (LYN: This is scary! How long is that!? At least 2m???)

1:41:00 - silver arowana & oscar fish FYL: You said they were ugly and they got angry! LYN: No, but they don’t look as pretty as the ones people raise. - give them some fish food C: I’m hungry now. LYN: Are you hungry because of the fish food, or because of the fish?!? If it’s the fish food, then that’s a little strange. C: Are you at a restaurant? LYN: LOL! FYL: Wasn’t it on the news, that a mother took the fish her son was raising and cooked and ate it? LYN: I haven’t seen that news. LYN: But- what are you talking about?!? This is an aquarium, not a restaurant. Do you think we’re picking out our seafood for dinner?

1:42:45 - these fish are poisonous? (Kaluga Sturgeon & Alligator Gar (eggs are poisonous)) 1:43:40 - /points at the fish/ LYN: What are you looking at?!

1:44:00 - LYN: There’s a “Mermaid Theatre” up ahead. Do we want to check it out? XD - found scorpions & spiders. LYN: I won’t show you any of these cold-blooded animals. You were already afraid enough with just the fish. - Comments egging them on to see the Mermaid Theatre :p

1:44:55 - Starfish FYL: A shark. LYN: Shark, where?

FYL: There! FYL: It looks like… LYN: It looks like a mudfish. FYL: It doesn’t have the feel of a shark. LYN: This is a Spotted Bamboo Shark (狗鲨). This nickname is too weak sounding!! - bullying the fish

1:45:39 LYN: The other day I saw an article on the origin of humans, and it was discussing from where we originated- and there was a comment that read, “Correct. Actually, humans came from the sea. We used to be good friends with goldfish.”

1:46:25 - Sea Turtles (they like to eat and like to play, please don’t stick your hands in the tank) FYL: They’re not afraid of humans, look they’re following us. LYN: They’ve probably been alive for longer than we have! - feeding the turtles and making a joke about hotpot FYL: Who thought to feed sea turtles cabbage? They’ve probably never even seen this, in the sea. LYN: Just like me, someone from Dongbei who’s learned to eat Sichuanese food.

1:50:00 - discussing whether they’re going to check out the mermaids or not 1:50:17 - found some sort of dragon throne

1:51:20 - FYL goes to "teach the restroom a lesson"; LYN shows us some sharks. LYN: Did you just wear the mic into the bathroom?? FYL: Yeah, I just that of that! It’s okay, I guess. - lost the sound when it was LYN’s turn.We hear some... sounds of him washing his hands, prob.

- little boy came to bring them some water; he proceeds to follow them around the aquarium 1:57:00 - garden eel 1:57:40 - shark! - manta ray in the water tunnel (bad reception here)

- saw the mermaid, but couldn't show it bc they were wearing... a little. but it’s okay bc the stream lagged and we couldn’t see anything anyway. 2:01:30 - kid’s show - now on their way to finding the exit; they gotta run bc people found them :| 2:05:30 - the kid followed them out, too XD

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2:06:42 - on to the next destination!

2:07:18 C: Why do you have double eyelids? LYN: ! Sis, I’ve always had them, you just couldn’t tell because my eyes are small. Like this (straight angle)- I have monolids. But if you look at me from the bottom-up it’s double.

2:08:05 LYN: Please open (turn on) the music. FYL: LOL, Ok! LYN: Play the music. - LYN: ! Did you fasten your seatbelt?! FYL: Yeah.

2:09:00 LYN: Let me show you the QR code, and you can pay the parking fee for me. XD /to FYL/ How much is it? FYL: 10RMB. LYN: 10? Ok- you (the viewers) can pay that for us. /joking/ - can’t find the exit >.<

2:11:07 FYL: If I don’t wear my sunglasses now, would it be… LYN: … too late to wear them. Wear them a while. You just bought them, right? FYL: No, I;ve had them for a while. LYN: Just never had the chance to wear them? FYL: No I’m just.. Not in the mood? Sometimes I feel like I sort of count as an artist, right? Other people in the airport come out wearing sunglasses and they look very cool. But when I wear them myself I feel like I’m pretending. I can’t stand myself. LYN: I feel that way too. When I used to go to the airport before, I wouldn’t even wear a hat. My hair would be messy, and I didn’t wear sunglasses. At most I would have a face mask. But then I discovered a problem- all of that will become your dark history. XD FYL: That makes sense! XD LYN: Sometimes you get up and you’re not in the greatest condition- your eyes are swollen and your hair is messy and they take pictures of it all. When you look back it all turns into capital materiall to bring you down. That’s why now I try to make myself look more presentable. FYL: That’s true. … I keep losing my sunglasses, though.

2:12:27 - discovers it’s looping the same song C: Where is he taking you? LYN: To eat instant noodles. It’s almost dinner time. FYL: Should I just play any song? LYN: Whatever is fine.

2:13:17 FYL: Do you feel like the year passes by too quickly? LYN: Yeah, it’s too fast. FYL: I feel like… the two of us should find a chance to really go out there and travel. It’s just that I don’t feel like we get many opportunities to create any deep memories. You know? I can’t think of anything I’ve done that has left an impression. I remember my dramas! LYN: I know- we only remember that we’ve been filming for dramas. LYN: For me, I don’t dare to go out to play. I feel like I have to make better use of my time. LYN: But my mentality has gotten better. After YNGS aired, I feel a lot better about it. Sometimes I feel like, “Yeah. I should take a break. It’s time.” Otherwise I can’t see the meaning in life anymore. People have to take a rest sometimes. FYL: Go to West Lake and have a bowl of lotus root starch. LYN: Yeah. C: You’ve matured. LYN: I don’t think that’s it. It (the reception) is just different from what I imagined. That’s why I think it’s time to take a break. I’ll finish up the next four dramas I have lined up and then take a break, XD Or was that too basic and overconfident?? LYN: Sometimes I joke in my stream. They’re all inside-jokes. Please don’t take it seriously. Thank you.

2:15:16 LYN: It’s good that we didn’t do anything too out of the ordinary, today. Otherwise we’d get another round of criticism. FYL: Most of the time I speak without thinking first. But now... I’ve become afraid. LYN: Yeah, the nature of the entertainment industry… it’s like everything we say can be blown out of proportion to the point that everyone is afraid to say anything. It’s better to stay quiet. - talking about wearing pink thermals, I didn’t really catch the prompt why.

2:16:25 FYL: Do you have good eyesight? LYN: Pretty good! One is 5.0 and the other is 5.1. Don’t just see my small eyes, my eyesight is great. FYL: That means you didn’t watch a lot of tv when you were young. LYN: I have my family to thank for that. They didn’t let me watch tv. FYL: Mine either! When I was little I REALLY wanted to watch tv. But when my dad went out he would take the remote and put it somewhere, with a hair on it, to see if it moved. When he came back home he would test the temperature of the screen. LYN: It’s like what spies in dramas do. Put a leaf in the door crack. If someone breaks in the leaf would fall to the floor and you would know someone went into your house. That’s too cool. FYL: I could watch every Saturday, for two hours. LYN: What’s funny is that your family would tell you that watching tv would hurt your eyes, but they’d make you read instead. Somehow reading books doesn’t give you bad eyesight?? FYL: But you should still read often. LYN: There are many ways to gain knowledge nowadays, though. You can gain knowledge by looking at your phone, too. FYL: My sight’s pretty good too. About the same as yours… because I didn’t read that many books when I was young. XD LYN: It’s okay, It all comes around. You didn’t read many books when you were young and that’s why you have to read so many drama scripts now. When you were little you never remembered the prompts, but now you have to remember your lines.

2:18:44 FYL: It’s a state of mind! After you stop filming for a while, you become stupid. But when you start filming, then you start thinking quickly. LYN: Right- it’s the same as singing, we said earlier. You have to maintain it. If you keep remembering lines day after day, your memory will get better, too. - stream lags LYN: Sometimes when we’re filming, if the crew thinks we could use the same setting to crank out a few scenes, they’ll shuffle the schedule. But it’s not as if you remembered the lines for the additional scene ahead of time, so you just have to memorize them on the spot. It doesn’t matter that they gave it to you last minute, you have to remember it. You just have to develop that ability. LYN: It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. - LYN was about to say something, but decides against it. FYL says that’s something he has to learn from LYN- the sense of awareness.

2:21:30 - tunnel up ahead, possible bad connection - discussing vertical vs horizontal screen position. LYN chose vertical because this way it feels more like we’re on a video call. - troubleshooting for live viewers (if the video and audio aren’t synced, close the window and re-open it)2:22:54 FYL: I loved Hangzhou when I was a kid. Every time, after the rain, it would smell fragrant with flowers. LYN: There weren’t lakes and rivers in Jiaxing? FYL: There were! LYN: But it smelled different? FYL: Yeah. LYN: Dandong is by the Yalu River, so it just smelled like seafood. - considering the geography of the Yalu River estuary - asking what Dandong is known for, and if LYN knows how to make it (he doesn’t) FYL: That’s such a stereotype. It’s just like when people ask me where I’m from, and when I tell them Jiaxing they say I must be good at wrapping zongzi. Like, who told you that?? LYN: is Jiaxing known for zongzi? FYL: Yeah. So I guess all we do at home is wrap zongzi. -__-;

2:25:05 - switched networks; there’s nothing viewers can do but endure it, bc there’s nothing he can do to help it. Says if he tries an outdoors stream again the next time he’ll bring portable wifi device with him.

2:26:15 - still trying to fix the other mic

2:27:20 FYL: If you keep wearing your sunglasses won’t you not be able to see soon? LYN: It’s not important. I’ll wear it while I still can, because I can’t once we get indoors. FYL: You can still wear it indoors, if you’d like. C: It’s lagging because there are too many people watching. LYN: Aiyoo~ You make it seem like we are very welcome and people are falling over themselves trying to watch us. It’s not worth it, and there’s not much exciting content here anyway. There hasn’t been much today- only pretending we lost FYL’s phone, and then suddenly warming up the voice to scare you to death. LYN: ! We’ve been streaming for 2.5 hours! FYL: Already? How come I don’t feel like it? LYN: When I’m streaming at home I’ll go for about 3-4 hours. But I feel like time has passed by so quickly today. FYL: Me too! FYL: It’s been so relaxing, as well.

2:29:00 C: Is your hand sore (from holding the phone all day)? LYN: Of course it is. - Thanks weibo for promoting the stream and also makes sure that FYL’s channel is also livestreaming.

2:30:05 - they’re both trending in the hot search C: Xiao Fang is on it. LYN: He is, but I’m not? XD FYL: Don’t~! LYN: ! You focus on driving. C: There are three topics. FYL: Am I trending because I lost my phone? They all went to look for it? LYN: They’re saying that you have a solo one, and then there’s one with us together. Thanks for all your support. - continues to entertain the thought that FYL is trending bc people are at Xihu trying to find his phone. LYN: So are we heading back to the hotel to eat? FYL: No~ LYN: This is where we passed by before, right? FYL: Yeah. My location is set to this parking. /indicates the gps/ In this parking lot. We’ll park there are eat instant noodles. LOL. LYN: The day went like this: we went to Xihu to have a bowl of lotus root starch, and now we’re going back to find some parking near Xihu to have instant noodles in the parking lot. I’m guessing the hot water in his thermos is still hot. It should be enough to cook the noodles, right? FYL: It should be no problem. LYN: Oh, I know. Since there’s cold brewed tea, there must also be cold cooked noodles. FYL: Maybe we just let it soak for longer. Eat it and soak it at the same time. LYN: This is called slow-cooking at a low temperature. FYL: Cold and crispy noodles. LYN: Amazing. FYL: We’ll test out the texture for everyone.

2:32:25 C: What did FYL give you as a b-day present? LYN: I’m not complimenting him just because he’s right here, but it’s not as if I compliment him behind his back either- /LOL/- but he’s a really nice person. If we haven’t met for some time, he will always bring me a small gift. Sometimes Lego, sunglasses, or clothes. Today he gifted me with clothing. I haven’t worn it yet. FYL: ! That reminds me of the candle-tray I borrowed from you. When we’re back in Hengdian, I’ll bring it to you. LYN: Don’t worry about it. I’ll get it later. - talking about different ways to say “sensible/having high EQ” FYL: But actually it’s mutual! A few days ago he even sent me Dandong strawberries. C: FYL learned he was streaming and then put on his sunglasses. LYN: /cackling/ FYL: No! I just wanted to wear them while there’s still some sun out! LYN: Right! I know we didn’t do anything fashionable today, but we have to look fashionable while doing it. All-black outfit and sunglasses- I feel like we should be going clubbing. - lag again

2:35:15 - almost at their destination - commenting on the traffic

2:35:37 LYN: We brought a selfie stick, but it’s in the suitcase. Later we’ll take it out and use it as a stand. FYL: But the color is too puxin. LYN: XD It’s also pink colored.

2:36:20 - trying to navigate around but got kinda lost (a little chaotic)

2:38:27 C: Go spend money at Jinsha Pavillion LYN: LOL FYL: If you give them YSSs name, you get a 5% discount. C: Can YOU drive? FYL: He’s an old driver. LYN: But it’s been a long time. FYL: You don’t really have a chance to drive. LYN: Right. When I go out it’s always to the hair/makeup. You want me to wake up early to drive myself there, then drive myself back at night?? I’d rather use the time to rest while I can (while someone else drives).

2:40:17 C: The back windows are open. LYN: It’s because the security guard earlier scared us! FYL tried to open the front window but pressed the back by accident. FYL: ? Then that means the video is pretty clear. They can even see the windows are open?

2:40:20 - they have arrived at their parking area, and will walk to the final destination? C: It’s dark out now. LYN: Right? We started streaming from when the sun was out and now night’s fallen. - trying to find a parking spot

2:44:56 - in the underground parking FYL: No- I can’t wear these sunglasses anymore. I can’t see a thing!! - /took them off/ FYL: I’m not handsome anymore, but at least I can see. - backing into the space, amazing. LYN: FYL’s steering wheel is about to start smoking. /imitates the aggressive turning of the wheel/

----------

2:46:40 - getting ready to get off the car, masking up, and grabbing supplies (power bank, phone stand) LYN: Where are we going? Are you taking me there? FYL: Yeah! 2:47:50 LYN: Would we get hit for wearing sunglasses when it’s night out? FYL: Huh? LYN: /repeats his question/ FYL: No, they will only think that we are very fashionable. LYN: /laughs/ Alright, then. LYN: In Dongbei, when we want to describe someone as really silly we’ll call them “cao hu”. FYL: If I went to Dongbei, someone could be cursing me out and I would probably say “Thank you.” LYN: Wow, what type of place is this?

- their destination was in the lot they were in earlier, but they weren’t allowed to park there so they have to walk :\ FYL: Oh no, my sunglasses. LYN: It’s too dark. I’m almost at my limit, too. It’s dark but in order to keep my look I can’t see the road very well. C: Take them off. LYN: No, we’ll keep at it for a while longer. No matter how dark it gets!

2:49:42 LYN: Wow, it’s cold at night. Good thing I wore this hat. FYL: I never understood what these things (poms poms) were for. LYN: For fashion. FYL: Is that so?? LYN: When it’s cold you can stuff them in your mouth. FYL: When it’s cold you can stuff them in your ears.

2:50:38 LYN: We do look quite strange like this, though. FYL: We don’t! LYN: It’s dark and we’re wearing all black, wearing masks and sunglasses. C: Why are you bringing a suitcase? LYN: The power bank and phone stand are in there. The thermos, too. We have to use it to make our noodles later. LYN: We’re here on the street pretending to be celebrities. FYL: I think it’s not that bad in Hangzhou, though. The other day I went to cut my hair, and the building- the whole building- was full of cosplayers. I think this city has a lot of people who like to wear something out of ordinary. We just have to not consider ourselves as all that. LYN: Right. You think that people are looking at you, but in reality no one cares.

2:50:50 - walking

2:53:50 FYL: When did you eat lunch? Did you eat? Don’t tell me you didn’t eat anything before you came out?? LYN: When I came over from Hengdian I had a bread. FYL: How big of a bread? LYN: That small croissant from S*bucks. LYN: That’s all I ate. I woke up, had a coffee and bread, had a bowl of lotus root starch, and now we’re heading to eat a bowl of noodles. So filling. FYL: For your noodles, no matter what I’m going to find a way to fish up some of that grass from the lake. XD LYN: Weren’t you the one who said we’d be arrested if we took anything from the lake??

2:55:00 - searching

2:55:40 LYN: It’s here? Such a nice place!?? You don’t want me to foot the bill today, do you? XD LYN: /to the stream/ If he wants me to pay I’m out of here.

2:56:15 FYL: !! I still have two boxes of fish food in my pocket! We can add them to the noodles. LYN: Get some hot water and we can eat the fish food. That’s what they’re saying, that humans originated from fish, right?

-----

[t/n: I don’t think I’ll trns much of the chaos/idle chatter of dinner]

2:57:30 C: Wow, I fell on the floor! LYN: I dropped my phone- FYL: That was a ploy. LYN: Right, we have no content, so we’re forcing it.

- took off the portable mics since they are inside now

2:58:05 - FYL is helping to get everything set up C: Assistant Xiao Fang~ LYN: No! He’s very professional about it. He learned we would be streaming yesterday and went to buy a selfie stick. C: The sound is suddenly loud. LYN: It’s because, when we were outside, if you could hear too clearly then we might catch other people’s private conversation. That’s impolite. (so they were using the external mics)

2:58:58 - shows off the bright pink selfie stick, which matches the carrier. The sleeve for the stick also matches LYN’s hat (with the pom poms). - plugging in the power bank bc after a day of streaming the phone he’s using has low battery. - suspects that either his power bank doesn’t have power, or the cord he’s using is faulty. It’s the latter, but he has other cords.

3:00:53 LYN: What is this? What are you doing?? You really brought your own tea leaves?!? FYL: I brought my own tea. LYN: Why are we even eating here, if you’re going to even bring your own tea?? FYL: I wasn’t kidding you! It’s because I was thinking whether I should give you lotus root powder or tea on the boat. I was wondering which one looked more “fashion”, and then- LYN: I’ve met people who bring their own beer to a restaurant, but never someone who brings their own tea!

3:02:00 FYL: Step-in Streamer Xiao Fang is at work~ C: You won’t take your sunglasses off? FYL: I’ll wear them for a little longer. FYL: It’s only been recently that I’ve started drinking tea. I used to really like drinking coffee- iced coffee, but in the last two years I feel like I’ve started liking to drink hot things. - cleaning up some spilled water C: You’ve worked hard. FYL: I haven’t~ What have I done? C: It’s healthier. FYL: It is.

C: West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy. (Song Sao Fish) FYL: I don’t know if people who aren’t from here could handle eating it. Because, if I’m remembering correctly, the authentic Sour Fish dish doesn’t have salt in it. It’s just sugar and vinegar. Have you had it before? C: Longjing Shrimp. FYL: I think I’m starting to get why people call Hangzhoou a food hub, because the dishes here are more on the light and mild side. But maybe other places in China are known for their strong flavors, heavy on the spices and salt. Hangzhou dishes are cooked to maintain the original flavor of the ingredients. C: Take of your sunglasses. FYL: If he hasn’t taken them off, I won’t! Has he already? Oh, he did. XD Alright, I’ll take them off. You can’t even let me wear them for a little longer? C: Is there a surprise? FYL: Yes~ The surprise already happened when you weren’t there to see it. LYN: You mean losing your phone? FYL: That counts as one of the surprises, yes.

3:05:00 LYN: I was originally thinking- if I streamed at home, I could put a row of rice and soybean oil in the background and then raffle them off to you. But since we made it into an outdoors stream, I don’t think we can raffle anything. Next year, then. FYL: The shipping fee for the rice alone would be ridiculous. It’s so heavy! One bag is what? 5kg? LYN: The shipping fee would be fine. We can just have the recipient pay. It doesn’t make a difference to me. FYL: But would it be embarrassing if it couldn’t be sent? If someone returns the item to sender? LYN: The simplest thing would be to autograph each jug. I’m sure they would reluctantly accept the parcel, in that case.

3:06:04 LYN: Did you bring your speaker? FYL: Yes, I was just planning to play some songs. But… I think this speaker is a knockoff. LYN: What do you mean? FYL: Yesterday I went to buy takeout and then I saw this brand, so I bought it. But the sound quality isn’t great, and I bought it for the price of the real thing. LYN: How do we know the quality of the sound just isn’t like that to begin with? FYL: You’ll know when you hear it. - puts his fluffy hat back on LYN: I should still wear this hat, because I bought it especially for this stream. I don’t want it to go to waste. FYL: Is in included on the expenses for the day? LYN: It’s included.

3:06:55 LYN: Are we doing 50/50 split today? FYL: Uh… Sure. - moving the camera FYL: I was thinking on moving it to that side of you? At an angle. FYL: I actually bought two bags of potato chips and bag of shrimp chips, but last night when I was watching a movie I ate them. - LYN, drinking tea and spitting out the tea leaves. ; FYL trying to get his speaker set up FYL: What do you think? Isn’t my tea better than theirs? LYN: I haven’t had theirs. Why don’t I order a cup, and we can compare? FYL: Don’t~ That will hurt someone’s feelings. (either his or the restaurant’s, lol) LYN: Yours is good, too. What is it- “jing ju mei”? It’s a red tea. FYL: You should drink red tea in the winter. FYL: Don’t you think the leaves:water ratio is great? LYN: Yeah, I keep having to pull stuff out of my mouth.

3:08:11 - promoting his and FYL’s weibo accounts. subscribe if you haven’t already. LYN: Thanks for keeping us company today. FYL: If it’s your first time seeing us, we’re two eat-streamers. - checking out the speaker LYN: It looks fine? FYL: Let me play you something, then you’ll know. What should I play? LYN: Anything’s fine. The playlist from the car. - /starts playing music and FYL looks to LYN for assessment/ LYN: How much did you buy this for? FYL: 800+ LYN: It’s fake. FYL: I know. :( LYN: The weight isn’t heavy enough. FYL: Right? I thought it was too light, too.3:09:40 - the dishes are starting to come out. It’s course by course. FYL: We suddenly went from eating instant noodles to this. LYN: I thought we were really going to eat noodles!

3:10:50 LYN: Let’s… eat, then. Sorry, friends- we’re going to eat now. If you have something you can eat with us. LYN: Thank you… thank you to Xiao Fang for treating me to such a grand meal. FYL: ?? I thought we were splitting it? LYN: Oh, then we should eat separately, too. FYL: Is that how it works? XD LYN: If it were split, then you would eat more of the dishes on the table. Whoever eats the most makes the most out of it.

- eating the dish and describing it as “it’s okay.” RIP. LYN: We were just at the aquarium and now we’re eating (chocolate) shells. - FYL listing out all the ways he discovered the speaker he bought was fake - LYN laughing at FYL for taking a drink from his tea and having to spit out a bunch of leaves - all crabs taste the same to LYN - flipped the camera because it was mirrored and people were confused why LYN was left-handed - it’s also FYL’s first time at this restaurant with their “creative” dishes (usually he just buys takeout) - talking about soup dumplings (the salty kind, not sweet) from Nanjing

FYL: What are you supposed to do in this situation? When someone has sent you a knockoff but insist that their product is real? :(

3:16:20 C: 40 million people are watching two puxin men eat dinner. LYN: One of the reasons why I rarely to eat-streams is because I think it’s impolite to be streaming while I’m eating. When I’m doing other streams, I would not eat while everyone else was. I just feel like eating isn’t right.

3:17:12 LYN: Wow, you reserved such a nice place, thank you. FYL: It’s nothing. LYN: Thank you. FYL: Stop! If you keep saying that, I’ll be the one footing the bill! Now I’m under pressure. LYN: We’re “internet famous” aren’t we? We’re not lacking that money. FYL: Oh, is that how it is?

3:17:43 C: Ning-ge is really pale. LYN: No- the beauty filter is on. C: Introduce the dish to us. LYN: It’s just… a very delicious soup. FYL: Mushroom and seafood flavor. /desscribes it more/ FYL: /to LYN/ What do you think? I have a talent for cooking, don’t you think? :D - LYN: I feel like everything we’ve done up to this point isn’t important. Right here, this is the most important. Sitting here, eating this meal. It’s like bitter first, then sweet. Eating lotus root starch next to the lake, then having a sweet date (the fruit) for dinner. FYL: Otherwise you wouldn’t have remembered that you had such an exquisite meal tonight! If I had brought you to a restaurant to begin with, wouldn’t it seem too expected? In comparison to the lotus root starch, now don’t you feel- LYN: Wow! This meal is too amazing!! FYL: “FYL took me out to Hangzhou and then treated me to such a nice meal!”

3:19:10 FYL: Do you have that tendency, to leave the things you like to eat the most until the end? LYN: Of course. FYL: Then have you experienced leaving it for the end, only to have it be taken by someone else before? LYN: I don’t think so. I would never eat out with people like that again. - LYN: I finally feel like I’ve entered an actual city, today. Because I’ve been in Hengdian for close to four years now, so I’ve eaten all there is to eat there already. There aren’t very many shops there, either. FYL: But one thing about it is that you can obviously see that it is much different than it was four years ago. There are a lot of new shops. LYN: Because all the other shops keep closing down. XD It’s a vicious cycle. FYL: I think the food stalls in Hengdian are pretty tasty. LYN: When we were shooting YNGS and we’d get off work at 3-4, I would go eat at the night market. - trying to figure out which night market, LYN doesn’t know the location exactly bc he doesn’t drive [t/n: Same, bro. I know things by landmarks, not streets.]

3:22:07 - FYL grabs Lotso from the carrier LYN: ?? What are you doing? FYL: It’s your birthday present. LYN: Really?? FYL: No, no. I’m joking. /takes it off camera/ LYN: It’s okay, (you can show it) since it’s Disney.

3:22:48 C: How long have you known each other? FYL: Maybe… 15 years? (shí-wǔ) LYN: Not that long. I think you need to fix your pronunciation- 4-5 years is more like it. (sì-wǔ) LYN: We came to know each other filming The Long Ballad. FYL: The first time I met you I still had no idea what you looked like. The first time I saw you, you were wearing a face mask. You were giving everyone hand sanitizer and personal protective equipment. I kept looking at you, trying to figure out what you looked like but you never took the mask off. LYN: I was too ugly. FYL: No~ Don’t say that. LYN: We first met when shooting The Long Ballad and even after filming had ended we didn’t become close. Because we had never gotten together to eat; there were no crew gatherings during that time. The timing was pretty rushed too, so as soon as we wrapped for the day everyone would turn in to get some rest. FYL: I think I was filming another drama at the same time… so… LYN: So we didn’t meet much in private either.

3:25:10 FYL: You eat so little, now? LYN: I’m alright. It’s just that I’ve walked a bit much today. XD I’m tired. I’ll rest a little before eating. There’s no rush. LYN: But we’ve kept in contact and then with YNGS we happened to be able to work together again. So we were able to hang out, and it turns out that we get along well. FYL: After YNGS, we started to hang out more in private. LYN: The most important thing is that we’re able to see each other. With most artist friends it’s hard to even see them half the time. Unless we’re all shooting guzhuang dramas, then of course we could meet each other in Hengdian. FYL: I used to try to make friends after a drama with the intention of keeping in contact, but it’s hard. LYN: Yes, it’s hard. Once you’re in a crew it will be at least four months until you’re out. Once THEY enter a crew it’s at least another four months for them. FYL: Where could we meet up? If in Beijing, it’s always with the possibility that you could be holding up some of their work or vice versa. For the friends you really get along with, it could be one or two years in between meetings. But I think that Hengdian is the place that we could see each other the most often. LYN: Right, because there’s a larger gathering of actors here.

3:27:08 FYL: Do you normally like eating spicy things? Or milder things? LYN: Milder, I guess. FYL: Can you handle spice, though? Like the really spicy kind? - stream lags :p

C: Since you’re both sitting there, why don’t you take the time to explain what you meant by “H-E.” FYL: They’re really not going to let this go.

LYN: I didn’t really want to talk about YNGS very much, because we’re afraid of saying the wrong thing. Sometimes we just try to answer questions in a joking manner. C: What were you afraid of? LYN: At the time it was- if we had told you right off the bat that everyone dies- FYL: No one would watch the drama! LYN: No one survives, we all die! Do you think people would even want to watch the drama, then? So we could only take one for the team. If you had asked us how the drama turns out, and we told you everyone died, wouldn’t you just give up right then and there? We’d have leaked the ending and destroyed the drama. LYN: But on the other hand, how ISN’T it a happy ending? Whether you’re in the “river” (pronounced “he”) that’s still an “H-E”, and in another world- a parallel universe- that’s also a happy ending. So we didn’t say anything wrong.

3:29:20 FYL: You should make Ning-ge eat more. He’s too thin. On camera his face is pretty thin, but in real life h’es really too thin. LYN: It’s not important. - some mention of working out together FYL: Is anyone eating right now, while watching us eat? LYN: It counts as eating together. Here, let us give you a toast. LYN/FYL: Happy New Year. FYL: Does watching us make your food go down faster? LYN: Probably not, because we’re not eating it in a way that makes them want it too. - /starts imitating how eat-streamers eat things (loudly and deliciously)/ FYL: Oh, ASMR.

3:30:55 - viewers salty bc of the New Year’s stage (the part where the dancers leaned their heads on Ning-ge’s shoulders) LYN: “It’s just for work.” It’s not like I could ever princess-carry him on tv. C: So you can do it in private? LYN: No~ We’re good friends. Don’t say that or else we’ll have to start avoiding each other to dispel rumors.

3:33:00 - saying (again) how this stream counts as his b-day stream bc he’ll be busy w/ work on the 8th

3:33:30 FYL: In the new drama, is ZLS still a princess? LYN: No. - her character is one that fishes for pearls? FYL: Then are there scenes by the ocean? LYN: Yeah. FYL: Where did you go to shoot those? LYN: In a water tent. FYL: It’d be nice if you went to Zhoushan. LYN: We might go to a different location, to get the desert (?). FYL: /naming potential locations/ FYL: I feel like in the recent years a lot of guzhuang dramas have gone to the northwest to shoot. - for the scenery, since there’s not much new to see around Hengdian.

3:35:15 FYL: Oh! I asked you earlier, but didn’t get the answer. Was the clothes you wore for new year’s one you borrowed from the drama? LYN: Yeah, I borrowed it. I found Fang (Sizhe)-laoshi’s group to borrow it. FYL: And they still have it? LYN: Yeah- one set is with Fang-laoshi, and the other is in Linmon’s warehouse. FYL: There are only two sets, right? LYN: Yep. FYL: I’m sure my clothes are torn beyond recognition. LYN: I’m sure they have it, though. One that’s new and one you wore for fight scenes. C: Other people can’t wear it? LYN: No- they usually don’t reuse the same clothes we wear for the drama. They keep it and maybe in a few years Fang-laoshi- FYL: !! LYN: No, not you. The wardrobe designer- Fang-laoshi. Maybe he’ll want to have an exhibit and show all the clothes he’s designed for dramas. I don’t know if that’s true, but that’s what I’m thinking. FYL: It’s possible. FYL: Also the more basic articles, I feel like they’ll wait until the drama has aired and then take those clothes and repurpose them for other clothing. FYL: But the quality/texture of the drama costumes is really much thicker than the hanfu that people can usually buy to wear. LYN: The material used to make them is probably a lot better than that used to make the clothes we’d normally buy online. Because first of all, they’re tailored, so all the materials are high quality fabrics. You’d rarely find a shop on Taobao that does the same. But I did see one- a set of tailored high-quality clothing going for 3k. Even that’s on the finer side but I’m sure that their fabrics are not as good as what was used in the drama. FYL: I’ve bought some myself before, and from the texture of the fabric- they tend to be thinner or gauze/lace-like. - discussing price and quality of clothing- including all the embroidery, beadwork, metalwork, etc. all the work and attention to detail in these pieces is in scale with the price.

3:39:05 - concert, when? wait for him to release his album first. FYL: You probably won’t have the time this year, right? I think you’re blocked up until at least July or August, right? LYN: I don’t know. I’ll have to see. I keep thinking about taking a break, like I said in the car. Even just one week would be great. FYL: Does that count as taking a break? One week??

3:40:15 LYN: Is it your first time doing a stream like this? FYL: You mean with two people? LYN: Yeah. FYL: It’s my first time. LYN: Then do you go out by yourself? FYL: I went out for my birthday. LYN: You did that? FYL: I had just gotten to Hengdian, so I was streaming myself going around. I started on the street and walked to the restaurant I wanted to eat at, but there was a long line so I went somewhere else. I just wanted to change it up from a regular birthday stream like I’ve had in the past.

3:41:17 - “give shisan more screentime” FYL: I’m here, I’m here! I’m just eating here (out of frame) and then I come back. FYL: It’s moving so fast, I can’t see what they’re saying. LYN: They just want us to eat more. Also they’re spamming “Blooming (Yi Nian Hua Kai)”, what’s that about? FYL: Yi Nian Guan Shan!! LYN: How did Blooming go? When did you film that? FYL: Before YNGS. … Was it? It was the one before the one before YNGS. LYN: I think you were shooting a modern drama before YNGS. FYL: /confirms/

3:42:48 -LYN breaking his dish into smaller parts FYL: ? You eat such small bites? LYN: No, I’m getting full. But maybe if I look like I’m not eating that much of it I won’t have to pay the bill. LOL. LYN: I actually really like this dish, but pretend that I don’t like it so that he would not have the heart to make me pay for the meal. FYL: :O! LYN: Like, “Oh, you didn’t eat much so I’ll get the bill.” FYL: WOW! Such a dirty trick!! FYL: When we’re done eating we’re both going to sit here like this: /arms crossed, waiting for the other/ LYN: Pretend to look at our watch, take a phone call… XD FYL: It’s a little spicy. LYN: Yes, there’s some pepper in here. /picking at his food/ FYL: /looking at how little LYN is eating/ You’re eating so little I feel like this is making me look like a pig. LYN: No, no. I’m eating everything! I ate a lot. C: What were you doing before in the State of An? LYN: I had a jewelry shop. FYL: Really? LYN: /boldfaced lie/ Yeah. Or what did they say I was? FYL: Weren’t you.. a businessman? LYN: A paramour? FYL: Yeah. LYN: I wasn’t! - LYN: We acted it one way, and how you want to interpret it is whatever you want. There’s actually no fixed answer. LYN: You must not have watched the drama closely. Wasn’t there a scene where they asked me if I was a paramour, and I said, “Do you think I’m worthy, with this appearance?” FYL: That’s called “retreating in order to advance.” (make concessions to gain advantages)LYN: Use some truth to cover lies. FYL: !! Wait a minute! I almost fell for it!!

3:46:33 - it’s a set course, so the same amount no matter how many people you have in your party. they’ll bring the leftovers back for their staff to eat. LYN: We were originally planning on having our two groups meet and have a meal altogether, but then we figured we would use the time we were eating to chat with you, since we probably wouldn’t get to while we were walking around. LYN: I don’t know if you like what we’ve done today… FYL: The original plan wasn’t like this! There were some unexpected changes of plan. LYN: But sometimes he’ll hang out in his room and chat with you, and normally I’m in my room chatting with you. So today is a special occurrence. This way two good friends- truly good friends- could hang out together and we can back each other up. It’s a more natural and slice-of-life stream. - thinking about doing some more fun streams in the future (FYL: Boxing?) LYN: One of the things we were thinking of was streaming ourselves in an escape room. But most of them- FYL: It’s too dark! LYN: Yes, first of all it’s too dark. You wouldn’t be able to see anything. Secondly, most escape rooms don’t let you record video.

3:49:24 - oopsie! (FYL: Maybe it was thinking you needed a new phone.) FYL: We has a lot of ideas, like go-karting. But it would be hard to hold the camera. LYN: I went karting with HZT once, but I watched the playback and- FYL: How did you film it? LYN: There was a third person- FYL: Outside the track! LYN: Yes. But I don’t think the viewers felt very included, that way. FYL: Yeah, they want to see the gopro aimed at your face- LYN: All of the chin jiggling. XD C: Horse riding. LYN: /nah fam/ LYN: Honestly, even when we’re shooting horse scenes in the dramas there are always setbacks. FYL: Right. It could be pretty dangerous. LYN: The danger is a given, since it’s all part of the job. But the horses in Hengdian aren’t… putting it bluntly, aren’t very good horses. They’re not any prized breed or like the horses you would see at a ranch. They work very hard- not like horses on a ranch that get fed well and washed and have mild personalities. Think about it- we film for hours on end and the horses are right there with us. They’re being pushed around, not getting to drink water- FYL: Hot in the summer and cold in the winter, and no one can help it cool down or put on any layers. LYN: So these horses work very hard and have developed pretty explosive personalities because of it. It’s a little dangerous. FYL: If you know how to ride a horse, you’ll know that the horse will mostly listen to your direction. But have you met a horse where, the director is counting down- three, two, one- and before you can do anything the horse is already moving on its own? LYN: They understand the directives. LYN: So when I have to do a scene including a horse I always feel apprehensive. FYL: He prepares so many carrots! - every time LYN finishes shooting a scene on horseback (with all the different cuts and camera angles) he’s happy to be alive, lol. LYN: So I’m not really interested in your idea of going to a ranch to ride horses. :\

3:53:20 - other ideas: gym/workout stream. it was a thought but LYN says he would go 10 minutes then be unable to do anything else. XD but the competitive spirit would make them keep going. - FYL has a weight-set he has to put together FYL: If you don’t think it’s heay enough I can go buy more weights. LYN: No, you don’t have to. I think you have 25-50kg already, right? FYL: I think it’s 100kg on each side. LYN: I’m definitely not pushing 100kg, don’t worry. I don’t think I ever will in my life. FYL: You can by the time this drama wraps. LYN: I’d be happy if I could push 40.

3:54:57 C: Swimming stream. LYN: We didn’t even let you see the mermaid show, you think you’d get a chance to see us two Hai’er Brothers?? Don’t say you want to see a swimming stream, and just tell me directly that you want to see the Hai’er Brothers. The next streaming topic will be: Hai’er Brothers. The two of us will be bare-hested and wearing speedos, sitting by the beach? It’s really not worth it. - C: Beach Stream LYN: That could be doable. LYN: But I just can’t stand… having nothing to do. I’m talking about in the stream. Let’s say we set the phone by the sea, and then what? What do the viewers do? Just look at the water? If we do stream I just want to do something that could create good content. The aquarium today was good, because they could at least see something other than our faces. - - more ideas: LYN cooking stream, where he starts from buying the ingredients, prepping and cooking, then calling his friends over to eat it. FYL: Can I add something? How about YOU don’t buy any ingredients. You just use what your friends bring to you. They might bring you something out of the ordinary. LYN: The only problem is that most of my friends probably wouldn’t have time. I’m telling you, today’s stream was and act of heavens and stars aligning. How often is it that we both have some time off at the same time? FYL: I’m okay, but you on the other hand…

3:57:26 - comments spamming “abs!”, LYN calling them spoiled XD 3:58:35 - idea: LEGO stream (it’d just be a camera and the sound of blocks being put together) 3:59:00 - idea: waterclor painting stream (LYN: I’d just be wasting the paints. XD) 4:00:00 - idea: camping stream

LYN: Today was pretty fulfilling and I was happy to be able to come out and wander around. Truly a day I could do nothing- I didn’t have to think about work at all. FYL: Chill. LYN: What else do you want to chat about? We’ll talk some more and then wrap it up. C: Log off when you hit 50 million viewers. LYN: That seems a little far off.

4:01:42 - chatting about spending their new year holiday with the drama crew C: Will you two collaborate again? LYN: We would have had one… but actually we always bump into each other. FYL: I think it will depend on the project… LYN: Right. There’s no need to forcefully work together. That’s something actors fear- being forced to work together, you know? The script will always take precedence, since friends can always be made. Yuo can hang out with friends all the time, but for work it’s better to choose something you like.

4:02:50 C: Compare heights. FYL: Why would you- You want me to humiliate myself? Why should I? C: Daimi, Daimi! FYL: … ! Have you shown them how Daimi can peel the sausage herself?? LYN: They know. FYL: Wow. That’s too amazing. I’ve really never heard of a dog being able to do that.

4:03:43 C: Six Realms Hall Prequel?? LYN: I mentioned that because I was watching the drama along with all of you. At the end I felt… that we all died pretty miserably and it felt unfair. Qian Zhao, Sun Lang, Yuan Lu- it was a grievance. I didn’t want to let them go. So I wanted to ask them- why don’t we arrange our own project? We can shoot a Six Realms Hall Prequel. We could grab a DSLR and shoot it ourselves. If we don’t have enough funds, we could use our phones to record as well. We’d edit, cut, and put it all together before selling it to the platform and making some profit. X’D LYN: No, but seriously. I didn’t want to let it go, so I was thinking IF we had the chance to film a Prequel, how great would that be?? But as for how that idea is developing, I can’t say at this moment. C: You can do it. We’ll invest. LYN: Stop messing around, jiejie~ You make it seem like any project I mention in my stream, you’ll invest in. That’s terrifying. FYL: They want to be your boss. - FYL mentions wanting to see Xiao Chuan in this version LYN: A drama isn’t something that can be crowdfunded like this. It requires a lot in investment- at least 1B to START. I don’t think it’s worth it to crowdfund 1B… LYN: But we’re just saying nonsense- gossiping. Don’t take us seriously.

4:06:35 - there’s abosultuely no way they’re streaming until midnight LYN: We’re pretty much at our limits, today. Our brains are starting to lag. - LYN leaves to use the restroom

FYL: Step-In Streamer Xiao Fang is here. C: I’ve been watching for four hours. You’ve worked hard. FYL: It wasn’t as hard for me as it was for you. - C: The tea is too light. FYL: It’s not… It’s not that I don’t want to let him drink it (give him more leaves), either. I really bought this yesterday , so I felt like if we didn’t drink it, it would go to waste. Since I don’t usually make tea for myself. Since I bought it we should at least try it, right? - C: There’s no birthday cake? FYL: I’ll get him a cake on his actual birthday. - - talking about needing to start maintaining his healthy becuase he’s getting older XD - C: Sing a song. FYL: Don’t let me make a fool of myself. - C: What drama are you currently shooting? FYL: Guess! You’ll know if you look it up online. - C: Ning-ge makes pies in the sky. FYL: What artist nowadays doesn’t?

4:09:04 - switching out FYL: We drank the whole pot of tea! LYN: That’s great, so you didn’t buy it for nothing. But that means that we’re full because we drank so much tea. 4:09:25 - planning on doing a variety show this year since he didn’t have one at all last year (soon to be filming, not a music related one) LYN: I want to do a variety show so that I can rest my brain. LYN: Music varieties are doable, but I don’t think I have enough experience. Because you have to prepare a lot- like arrangements, or think of the song and how you want to change it, get involved in the whole production of it, and I just think it would take up too much brain power. I’ll probably still be shooting the drama at the same time, so I might do a more physical/experiential-type variety show. Like going somewhere to play or sharing an experience. 4:11:00 FYL: Do you think variety shows or dramas makes you more tired? LYN: Dramas… variety shows. You’re a lot more steaday/stable with dramas, because all the time is spent in the drama and you don��t have to think of anything outside of it. On the other had variety hshows are more REALITY shows. The cameras are on ALL THE TIME and you have to remember that and keep your wits. In a variety show, your value is in what you can bring to the table- whether that’s being funny, being smart, or active. You’re constantly on the edge.

4:11:47 - talking about LYN’s manager staff: NiuNiu (from Shanghai) and GeGe (from Hangzhou); and how he really only has a small team whose only worry is to keeping him alive and well (and working). LYN has no resources, despite what rumors say (that he’s the Devil King of the Entertainment Industry). LYN: I don’t want to reply to a lot of things, even about YNGS, because I don’t WANT to respond. I just think it’s laughable. As someone on the inside, the things that are said about me look strange. A lot of the time I don’t feel the need to respond because people inside the industry all already know what’s going on. I don’t need to make it a point to explain everything.

4:14:00 LYN: The most unusual rumor I’ve heard is that YNGS has yin-yang scripts. There’s no way- us for example, in the same drama- would have two different scripts. There’s no way that can happen, because we need to rehearse the scenes. If even one line or scene is different, we would know immediately. We all have the same script. There are no yin-yang versions. No way. We’re not idiots, either. If he’s holding his script and I just take a look at it- I would know if it were different from mine! It’s just strange. I don’t even know how such a rumor could get so blown out of proportion. For example, we’re sitting here eating this meal and you tell me there are two versions of the food. ??? It’s all laid out in front of us- it’s all the same food.

- [t/n: that dessert looks tasty *Q*]

4:15:30 LYN: ! I have a song called “Fall in Love” right?? FYL: I saw that!! LYN: He saw it the other day and forwarded it to me. It goes “We want Fang Yilun, Fang Yilun at this moment~” (Let us Fall in Love, Fall in Love, at this moment) FYL: I opened weibo and there were all these notifications of people @-ing me, so I followed the link to see why and sure enough. I forwarded the video to him with the comment, “I know you like me, but you don’t have to say it out loud.”

- FYL recalling how he was shooting a VLOG once and then heard Ning-ge’s song (by recognizing his voice)- Magical Surprise LYN: We were even planning on going to Disney today! FYL: It’s a little far though, right? LYN: It’s not that it’s far, but more that they don’t allow people to livestream (because of copyright issues). You COULD go, but you have to write out a whole itinerary first. Then the plans have to go through multiple levels of clearance, because safety is most important. You could go to play, you just can’t stream it.

4:17:00 - will stop streaming when it hits 50M viewers. Subscribe to their weibos if you haven’t already. LYN: We’re both just small actors, who hope to bring roles that we like to life for you. We hope you like them and can continue to support us. FYL: If you want to hear us sing, we’re actually both singers as well. If you want to see us dance, then I’m sorry there’s nothing we can do. LYN: Isn’t your dancing pretty decent, though? FYL: No~ Remember I tried to get you to dance with me? LYN: We can try! LYN: When we were shooting YNGS, he had run this by me. That we could sing a song with some basic choreography together. We could have a good time with everybody. But then we never found a suitable song.

4:18:20 LYN: I think the day’s been pretty fulfilling. We streamed for 4+ hours, had a good time and- thanks to our friends’ support- had some trending topics. It was a meaningful stream, and I also got treated to a meal at the end of it. FYL: !! You’re saying that so early. It’s still unclear who’s paying for all this or not. LYN: I have something to do later, so I’ll leave first. You can pack all this up. (joking) FYL: I don’t know if everyone enjoyed watching? Or maybe you were bored? But in any case the two of us had a relaxing time. But if you can still enjoy a stream like this, maybe next time we can arrange another one if time allows. LYN: Yeah- it doesn’t need to be because of a birthday. We could discover something fun and want to share with you. I know many of you are working or going to school and you can’t afford to travel and look around (so we’ll take you with us). It’s just like chatting with friends, only on a huge platform like weibo where we can’t be too relaxed and need to watch what we say, a little bit. If we’re too relaxed then people can easily find something to use against us, and then we’ll be cursed at again. Please, spare us.

4:20:10 FYL: You can’t see the number (of viewers) from here, can you? LYN: I can. FYL: Wow, then your eyesight is better than mine!! LYN: I can see them typing clearly, too. FYL: You must not have watched a lot of tv when you were little. LYN: Right, I didn’t watch any.

C: I like your string of beads. LYN: Don’t even think about it. If you like them, go buy your own. I won’t be giving these to you. FYL: When it hits 50M, I’ll make the decision for you and pick a random fan to win the beads. XD FYL: Kidding! I’m kidding!

4:21:00 - people telling him happy b-day in advance~ LYN: Thank you! FYL also came to help me celebrate. Today is the 6th, and the 8th is my birthday. But I won’t be streaming on the 8th; I think I’ll have a lot to shoot. So I’ll thank you in advance, as well. LYN: At times like this, shouldn’t the door open and a cake get rolled in? I can’t believe there’s no cake surprise! Normally, we would be chatting and then all of a sudden- (a cake comes)- and I should say, “Ohh! I’m so touched!” and then cry, then make a wish in front of all of you, then blow out the candles. “Thank you all for keeping me company!” That’s what I should be doing, but I guess not. FYL: We can go to the convenience store and buy a bread and stick a lighter in it.

4:22:27 LYN: Today was quite nice. I know a lot of my friends are from Hangzhou- I’m sure I have fans here- and you didn’t all come find me, so I’m very thankful. Thank you. FYL: And then you find out they’re waiting to ambush you in Hengdian. LYN: No, no. They wouldn’t do that. They’re very good. FYL: “I couldn’t find you in Hangzhou, but in Hengdian I will never let you off the hook.”4:23:20 C: How about you sing a song? LYN: Come one, let’s sing. You sing something. FYL: What should I sing? LYN: Whatever you want to. Otherwise you bought the 800RMB knockoff speaker for nothing. You have to make the most of it. Sing something worth at least 800. FYL: What should we sing…? What do YOU want to sing? LYN: Something worth 800. I don’t know, anything’s fine. C: 走天涯 FYL: How does that song go? LYN: /sings/ No, not this one. Let’s change. You can choose. Whatever you want. LYN: He likes to sing. Sincerely someone who loves music. FYL: I really can’t think of anything. You pick one. LYN: You can’t think of ANYTHING? Then how about 奉上? FYL: Okay! 奉上, it is! LYN: We’ll use this song as today’s ending. - LYN: Singing in a restaurant, I’m so happy. It’s like we drank too much. FYL: We got drunk on tea. LYN: Self-brought tea will do that to you. - the first notes of the song start playing FYL: I feel like I can’t hold on anymore, I’m about to go (die)! LYN: Why? Oh- because once you hear this music you’re putting on the blindfold. FYL: It’s sending me off! - FYL: I need to sing it properly. LYN: No, it’s okay. We can’t let too loose. Otherwise the other room is gonna think there are lunatics in here. - ♫♪ FYL: The lyrics to this song are really hard!

LYN: We want to thank everyone for their support and their company. I’m happy to be able to spend four and a half hours with you. I hope you had a relaxing, happy, and wonderful night. It was great to have you and I hope your whole month goes splendidly. I’ll see you again in the next stream! Goodnight, everyone. Bye bye! FYL: Happy New Year, everyone! And Happy Birthday to Ning-ge! LYN: Thank you. LYN/FYL: Goodnight everyone! Bye bye!

#Liu Yuning #Fang Yilun #lyn livestream #(4:28:59)#ft.#Wang Yizhe #highlights:#a walk around west lake #car rides #aquarium date!#& a fancy dinner #[this is... long]#[sorry- i cnt control myself]#[not proofread (ever) so pls overlook mistakes]

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