Ahh this is wonderful, I really enjoyed this! You definitely got the spirit of the prompt – the sadness-sweetness-wistfulness, the uncertainty, i think you nailed it. I love how the vibes of the piece itself + the setting in iksan are warm and intimate and kind of aged-around-the-edges. I get why chan finds it embarrassing, but also why soonyoung finds it cozy and charming. The brief memory partway through of them trying to be seoul boys reminded me they’re both from small cities wayyy less urbanized than seoul. So while chan might think iksan looks boring, i feel like soonyoung may actually find it a nice break from seoul/find that it reminds him of home.
I also liked the little parallels and callbacks throughout the piece. The way chan’s unresolved feelings are for both soonyoung and his idol dreams, the way he sees his life teaching teens as pointless but it turns out one of those teens is now making it as a trainee, the mirroring between the imagined flirtation at the bar and then the actual flirtation at the pojangmacha (the way it changed from “i wish he were a stranger” to “i’m glad he isn’t a stranger”...loved it!). And, the way it’s like there are two lives in two different boxes – the physical box of the dance studio with chan’s life now, and the metaphorical box with his past life and the “future that hadn’t happened”. There are layers to this piece, even though it’s not that long (under 2k! I wish i could be that efficient lol), and the end result (to me) is surprisingly hopeful. It makes for a satisfying read <3 thank you for sharing it with us.
Re: [FILL] maybe it's too soon
I also liked the little parallels and callbacks throughout the piece. The way chan’s unresolved feelings are for both soonyoung and his idol dreams, the way he sees his life teaching teens as pointless but it turns out one of those teens is now making it as a trainee, the mirroring between the imagined flirtation at the bar and then the actual flirtation at the pojangmacha (the way it changed from “i wish he were a stranger” to “i’m glad he isn’t a stranger”...loved it!). And, the way it’s like there are two lives in two different boxes – the physical box of the dance studio with chan’s life now, and the metaphorical box with his past life and the “future that hadn’t happened”. There are layers to this piece, even though it’s not that long (under 2k! I wish i could be that efficient lol), and the end result (to me) is surprisingly hopeful. It makes for a satisfying read <3 thank you for sharing it with us.