Red Hope! - Part 1

—Sophocles, Oedipus Rex

My Mysterious Neighbour

Fandom: The Tale of the Nine Tailed

Characters: Lee Rang, reader, some bullies.

TW: Bullies (nothing too violent)

I couldn’t believe that my friend left for home without me just because I was in a detention. I waited for her when she was there. Now I had to walk home all alone through this seemingly vacant road.

I was in a really bad mood as I walked home thinking how terrible the day had been. As if the day could have been worse, I heard footsteps behind me. “y/n”, I stopped to turn back when I heard someone calling me, “where is your little girlfriend who’s always stuck to you with a glue?”

It was Henry, the biggest bully in our school. I noticed that his three sidekicks were also behind him chuckling like idiots in his not-really-funny joke. Then I saw something which sent a chill down my spine. Henry had a pocket knife in his hand.

“What are they gonna do to me?” I thought to myself as they approached me taking some slow steps. I knew Henry was not right in his head. Juniors from school feared him. But fortunately I never had to encounter him and his group. But I guess, my unfortunate day had arrived.

I knew there was nothing I could do since they were more in numbers. But I still needed to try. So I turned back and ran as fast as I could. I was never a good runner. In fact, I always came last in school races. They eventually caught up with me and one of them grabbed me by the hair. Tears came through my eyes as a sudden pain shot through my head.

“Stop!” I shouted at Henry and struggled to get free. They were all giggling like some crazy people. I doubt if any of them had any sanity left in them.

Then I saw a car came and parked beside us. They let go of my hair and I ran toward the car. I was relieved to see Lee Rang stepping out of it.

Lee Rang was my neighbour. We had crossed path once in a while but never really talked. I found him uniquely attractive and wanted to get acquainted.  But he always seemed like he had some urgent works and also there was always a girl with him.

He was surprisingly alone today and it seemed like he wasn’t busy either. “Need a hand?” I wondered whom he asked that question. “Of course not the bullies!” I thought to myself. Then he gave me reassuring smile and my temporary fear melt right away.

“Why don’t you come one at a time at her?”

“Who the fuck are you?” Henry shouted back at him.

Rang gave a sly smile and said, “Trust me, you don’t wanna find out.”

This made Henry mad somehow and he came at him with his knife. Rang grabbed his hand and twisted it, making the knife fall on the ground. Henry screamed in pain. The others didn’t dare to move.

“I’ll let you off today, little ones.” Rang told them, “Only don’t let me catch you again.”

Then he came back and lead me inside his car. We got in. He looked at me and asked in a rather gentler voice than before, “Are they angry tears on your face?”

“Yes!” I burst out, “I hate it came this way. If only I could punch him in his face!”

I didn’t expect Rang to laugh at this. He gave me twisted smile and asked, “then why don’t we go back and make your wish come true?”

Disguise

Fandom: BTS

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Female Reader

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I buttoned up my shirt slowly. I could see Yoongi putting on his clothes through the corner of my eyes while I picked up my pants from the floor. As I struggled to get into them, Yoongi waited patiently, not saying anything to break the awkward silence.

There was nothing left to be said. I was already someone else's. I knew it and so did he. Whatever happened tonight was all a stupid mistake. That's all.

But my heart said otherwise. It had recognized it's true owner and wanted to belong to him without terms and conditions. But being with Yoongi meant terms and conditions. A loads of it. And I wasn't ready to accept them yet.

Hence, this stupid mistake was the only way to quench the thirst of our burning souls.

I hurriedly picked up my bag from the table of the hotel room and took out my phone to call an uber to drive me back to my apartment. As one of my hands reached the doorknob, Yoongi grabbed me by the wrist of the other one.

I turned back slowly without lifting my gaze towards his face. He placed another hand on my waist and pulled me closer. I rested my head on his chest. Yoongi gently caressed my back while a tear rolled down my cheek.

Yoongi left a soft kiss on my forehead before heading back towards the bathroom. My heart felt heavy with the feeling of love and guilt.

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My Masterlist

Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine

Joan Clarke

Robert Browning, Porphyria’s lover

Micah Nemerever, These Violent Delights

Anne Sexton, Killing The Love Poem

Richard Siken, Crush (A Primer for the Small Weird Loves)

J. Summers, The Sound of Thunder

Yves Olade, Slaughterhouse (Beloved)

Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.

— Stephen King

Finally, the whole story...

“Why did I fight with Jimin-hyung? We were trainees. I personally don’t think my puberty years had hit me yet, I was really young at the time. Jimin-hyung, as the second youngest, was putting a lot of effort into watching his behavior. Was it during practice? Or was it just because of the way I spoke? I honestly don’t even remember how I used to talk. But it got to a point where even angelic Hobi-hyung would get angry at my way of speaking. My way of speaking on a normal basis wasn’t bad. I’m the type that gets a little riled up, so the guys warned me many times because of that. That’s probably why Jimin-hyung called me out separately, to talk about it. I felt very… So, I knew what I did wrong. I instinctively knew, because of how I was acting. But, because I also have my pride, I felt like there were parts that I was right about. As I was talking to Jimin-hyung, I got angry. I got angry and Jimin-hyung got angry.”

Jack In The Box, album by J-Hope

Notes: It’s time to express some of my thoughts regarding every member’s solo albums and singles. I’ve been putting it off for months. Let’s do it without further delay, starting with the first member to have released his solo album.

1. Intro: 9/10

“It flapped its delicate wings as it danced around Pandora, lightly brushing against her shoulder.”

Basically it’s the story of Pandora in Greek Mythology and the origin of hope in the mortal world. If you haven’t heard it yet, this post is a sign for you to look it up (also check out Ted Ed’s video ‘The myth of Pandora’s box’ for more details). The narration of the story (J-Hope’s intro) is smooth and short. It sounds pleasing to the ears. And it is definitely a unique idea for his album’s intro. I believe what Hoseok’s been trying to tell is that what he is to the Armys is what hope is to all the people on earth.

2. Pandora’s Box: 10/10

“J to the Hope, Jung to the Huimang, Jack in the box”

Only Hoseok can make a fine connection between a myth, a toy and his whole personality and also make total sense. It’s probably my first time listening to a song that is a retelling of a myth. And Hoseok did an amazing job here. The lyrics made my jaw drop, like literally. I said it once and I’ll say it a hundred times, BTS is one of the few artists who knows what poetry truly is. And this song is one of the many living proofs.

3. More: 8.5/10

“My work makes me breathe. So I want more”

The first released song with the music video shook me a great deal like it did to many Armys I’m sure. The sunshine of the group in such a grim-emo kinda look was absolutely out of the blue. Nevertheless, this vibe suits him right. Comparing their passion for making art with an awful addiction is a thing BTS did in their early works too. I can see that theme portrayed from Hoseok’s perspective so well.

4. Stop: 6.5/10

“The only belief that rules over me, ‘There are no bad people in the world’”

The struggle of freeing yourself of the innate nature of being judgmental is portrayed in this masterpiece. Shoutout to Hoseok for speaking about the truth of today's world and people’s values and ethics while still keeping an open mind, making sure not to judge anyone harshly. The lyrics definitely deserve praise. But personally I think it is not a song that I can listen to more than once.

5. = (Equal Sign): 7/10

“Same, the breaths we breathe. Same, the dreams we dream of”

Yes! Sing it, J-hope. Who’s going to give us hope at times of despair if it isn’t you? The change is indeed soon to begin. We’re all in this together. Let’s make a better world without prejudice and hate. BTS, as well as us, the Armys; we believe in ‘Love’.

6. Music Box: Reflection: 10/10

This one is actually brilliant. At first I played it on repeat many times a day. I even set it as my alarm ringtone and it is still there. I know, we shouldn’t be doing that because it makes us hate the music afterwards. But I still couldn’t grow to dislike it. This music has a whole aesthetic to it that makes me imagine myself in a music video everytime I play it.

7. What If...: 8.5/10

“What if I have nothing?”

This one shows what Hoseok has been trying to portray through the whole album pretty directly. You can see him questioning his own personality. Is he really all sunshine and rainbows inside out? I mean, is that even possible for a human? You can hear his passion pouring out in the voice. Chef’s kiss to the bravery of finally speaking out; louder for the people on the back.

8. Safety Zone: 8/10

“In my 20’s, I’m living an endless life”

It hurts when you look up a song and you find the lyrics so sad. The life of an idol is never really easy. People need to keep in mind that these idols are humans too. Give them some break for God’s sake. They talk about their struggles through their songs and yet we fail to see it. I really hope Hoseok finds peace and happiness that he deserves.

9. Future: 6.5/10

“Walking in the future, a step of hope”

The fact that Hoseok worries about his future too shows how much he is like us. After all, at the end of the day, we’re all human. Let’s keep our courage and step forward.

10. Arson: 10/10

“Do I put out the fire or burn even brighter?”

Just think about the poetic effect of the last line of the last song. Even though I liked most of the songs from this album, Arson takes the trophy. The music, the lyrics, the mv, everything is just fine as fine can be. J-Hope never disappoints us with his unique ideas. I’m in love…

Notes: The album is a masterpiece and it deserves all the attention it got and more. Apart from the fact that the music and the beats are all kinda dope, we need to focus on its lyricism too. This album feels like a cry for help. We need to acknowledge Hoseok's struggle as an idol and try to sympathize. Let's try to become the best version of ourselves as fans and let our idols live a normal life while supporting them unconditionally.

A Review of “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen

Genre: Romance

Rate: 5/5

Summary: When Elizabeth Bennet first met Mr. Darcy, she couldn’t stand him for his pride. Neither did Mr. Darcy found her interesting enough to ask her for a dance. But many occasions brought them together again and again. At last, Mr. Darcy couldn’t help but fall in love with Elizabeth.

My Opinion: I don’t know where to begin. This novel is a classic and a masterpiece. I loved the use of satire in a most charming way possible. The first thing I noticed reading this book was that people were extremely nosy. They seemed to notice other people’s even the trifling matters of day to day life. I couldn’t help noticing how the mothers were all so anxious about their daughter’s marriage at the time. I loved Austen’s writing style very much. It was really funny and I laughed out loud at so many places (I’m even smiling to myself now thinking about some funny parts). Though it was a little draggy at the beginning, but I enjoyed almost every part of it. This book was worth all my time.

Favourite Characters: I can’t decide whom I like best among Jane, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Jane is such a sweetheart. Her values and point of views almost match mine. She is also a very responsible daughter and sister. I feel like, there is a warmth present in her which gives one comfort. Elizabeth is carefree and independent. She has a way of charming everyone and being friendly. She is very confident too. She handles her situation in a very tactful way. I specifically like the sisterly relationship between Jane and Elizabeth. My sister and I share a same kind of relationship. We too, like them, have each others confidence and shares every little thing. Now, what can I tell about Mr. Darcy! I loved him at the end as much as I hated him in the beginning. The best thing about him was that though he is proud, he learns.

Quote: “Do anything rather than marry without affection.”

TV Series I’ve Watched in April-May 2022

I’ve watched the 1st three mainly for Kim Bum and I regret nothing...

Mrs. Cop - Season 2 (2016)

- A female lead crime/thriller - Both the antagonist and the protagonist have great characterizations - A heroine you’d love and a villain you’d love to hate - Talks about justice and morality

Law School (2021)

- Murder case investigation centering a law school’s students and professors - The characterization of each is a work of art - Highly anticipating and detailing; will keep you on the edge - Very educational and motivational - This show is how you do women empowerment - No romance plotline, wait a second...

Ghost Doctor (2022)

- Two doctors with polar opposite characters sharing a body - Cute enemies to lovers kind of bromance - Nothing too complicated; (tw: surgeries scenes are a bit too much) - Relatable to almost all the Asians out there

Myths and Monsters (2017)

- A docu-series about European legends - Discuss historical events that inspired many famous mythical stories - Deep psycho-analysis of each myth - Really cool illustrations and ancient paintings

Thanks. I needed it rn...

You can do the thing. You got this.