A Walk in the Park

Describes any roleplay created by Park Manjoon. Listed in chronological order.

'''2019: LINKS NO LONGER WORK, GIVEN GOOGLE+ IS GONE, BUT I'M TOO LAZY TO CHANGE IT. ENJOY THE BROKEN LINKS.'''

Canon/Could be Canon

 * Pedo RP/Manjoon's First RP - Manjoon and Deems almost get kinky, and Deems meets the Park family for the first time. (October 22 - 27, 2015)
 * Full Moon Festival - The Parks along with Att and Deems. (November 1 - 7, 2015)
 * First Babysitting Job - Deems babysits the kids. (November 9 - 19,2015)
 * Pool RP - Chu and Manjoon Fight. Chu, Manjoon, and Deems fight. Chu and Aadit fight. Basically: Chu gets into lots of fights. (November 22 - 25, 2015)
 * Amusement Park RP - Sadly, there is a distinct lack of Park puns in this one. (November 27 - December 3, 2015)
 * Park RP (Winter) - Sadly, there is a distinct lack of Park puns in this one as well. (December 4 - 12, 2015)
 * Christmas Shopping - (December 14 - 23, 2015)
 * CD Store - (January 9 - 22, 2016)
 * Bookstore - (January 27 - March 11, 2016)
 * Bathhouse RP - Didn't get very far possibly because it lacked Deems. (February 26 - March 16)
 * Courthouse Picnic - One of Elisebeth's personal favorites. (March 30 - April 7)
 * Korean Beach Invasion - Deems is bombarded by even more Koreans than usual, and worries they're plotting on taking over America. Also, him and Manjoon might be dating now? (March 27 - June 6, 2016)
 * Chocolate Making Class - Joo Hyun holds a chocolate-making class, which the Parks and Deems participate in. Drama between Manjoon and Deems ensues near the middle. (July 24 - August 4, 2016 )
 * Movie/Date RP - (August 4 - August 21, 2016) - The Parks and Deems watch Suicide Squad and go out for milkshakes, followed by Manjoon and Deems spending some time alone on top of an abandoned sweet's shop.
 * Sick Due to Stress? (September 1 - September 20, 2016) - Worried Manjoon hadn't contacted him that day, Deems pays him a visit and realizes he was sick in bed. He takes care of him for a bit, but stops being as enthusiastic once Chu is in the picture. The two bicker and Manjoon ends up being sent to the emergency room. Everyone starts blaming his condition on Deems and Chu's relationship, but the judge tries his best to wave it off until the pressure becomes to great. When they finally meet with Manjoon, he assures them his condition wasn't due to that, which makes Deems sighs in relief, accepting that lie as truth.
 * AND THEN I DON'T UPDATE THIS (but there was a large hiatus. Not sure if I missed anything or not).
 * Let's Learn Korean! (January 3rd - January 12th or so, 2018) - At Deems' request, Manjoon teaches him the basics of the alphabet. Near the end, things get more perverted.
 * Old Photo Albums (January 13th - February 9th or so, 2018) - To help Kay with a genealogy project, Manjoon brings out some old photo albums and looks back on his troubled childhood. They have dinner afterwards, and a bit of flirting eventually leads to the two being dirty and Deems trying (and somewhat failing at) BDSM for the first time.
 * Valentine's Day (February 10 - March 20, 2018) - Manjoon and Deems celebrate Valentine's Day as a couple by visiting Joo Hyun's bakery for a get together, but leave shortly after and do... other stuff. Incredibly long, 400+ comment roleplay.
 * Gardening (March 20-April 20) - Spans two days. Deems helps Manjoon weed and plant seeds, later coming inside for some bread, made to celebrate Kay starring in The Lion King in her theater group.
 * Visiting Korea! (April 21-?) - Deems and the Parks visit Korea, doing various things there. Deems attempts to use Korean to order some ice cream, and sort of succeeds, but with improper grammar. They also visit Kay and Tom's orphanage, which seems to be doing well.

Alternate Universe

 * Manjoon and the Prostitute Ring - Deems doesn't approve of Manjoon's RP, so Manjoon stabs him. Deems yelps in pain and Manjoon nurses him back to health. Short. Only 43 comments. (April 26 - 27, 2016)
 * Bio has 86 comments and has slightly more plot. (April 26 - 27, 2016)

Park-Related Stories

 * "Holding Hands" - Manjoon and Deems go with each other to see Kay and Tom's winter recital, which features both acting and the playing of recorders. Manjoon spends most of the recital proudly watching his kids, but happens to look over at Deems at one point and is surprised at how dedicated he is to successfully recording them, despite his arms becoming numb. Manjoon takes the recorder from him with one hand and massages his hand with the other, noting that he thought it was "the first time [they've] held hands."
 * "Manjoon stared up at him, so enthusiastic about two children that weren't even his own, and felt a pang of longing go through his chest. To receive such unbridled affection from the judge...he almost wished he could change places with Kay and Tom, even if he was terrible with stages, just so he could be on the other end of that enthusiasm. But...that wouldn't happen. Not in this life, anyway."
 * "Cuddling Somewhere" - Chu Sung arrives in America after suddenly retiring from soccer. He doesn't want to speak about it, but Manjoon eventually learns it was due to a major blunder during the World Cup and comforts him.
 * "On a Date" - Chu Sung and Minjoon go on their first date, to the movies. But when there's nothing that interests them, they walk around the square instead, later going inside for hot chocolate. They discuss their soccer career and Minjoon tells Chu that he misses him on the team, but he replies that he's happy not having to deal with the paparazzi anymore. At the end, Chu Sung finally breaks it to Manjoon that he "wants to date" him.
 * "Wearing Each Other's Clothes" - It starts with Chu Sung trying on some new clothing with Minjoon, followed by going to a bar to meet up with their old soccer teammates. He has flashbacks about a Korea-Japan match; they won, but it didn't feel like it to the man, him realizing his teammates didn't care for him, but only for his victory. Back in the present, he chats it up with another man, who describes a loner on his team that sounds eerily like Chu Sung. When he finally mentions the failure during a Brazilian match, Chu Sung realizes it is him he's talking about and breaks a glass from gripping it so hard. Minjoon comes to the rescue and they leave after cleaning him up, but Chu Sung refuses to open up to him about it without a lot of coaxing and a heated argument about Minjoon wanting to be his boyfriend, but needing him to open up to him for it to work. In the end, he admits that he's distressed over the World Cup, and Minjoon promises to be with him every step of the way. The story ends with Minjoon laying on Chu Sung's bed wearing his red-and-black striped uniform, ready to have possibly-kinky sex.

"Yeah, he was a total loner. Never talked to anyone, not a part of any crowd, just floated around like some sort of creepy pedophile. No one liked him, to be honest."

- Yong Soo, one of Chu's former teammates

"Look, Chu...I want us to be boyfriends, okay? I want to be serious about this relationship. But if you can't cry in front of me, if you can't share what makes you sad or scared or hurt...doesn't that mean you don't trust me at all?"

- Minjoon when Chu refuses to talk

"After all, if there's one thing I'm not giving up, it's that I'm still going to be with you, every step of the way. That's a pretty good deal, don't you think?"

- Minjoon's commitment


 * "Shopping" - The story starts with Kay randomly screaming Deems' name and Manjoon questioning why. She answers with a curt "I miss him," so Manjoon decides to invite him to the mall next weekend. When Manjoon knocks on his door that Saturday to invite him, the judge refuses, but the mere mentioning of Kay missing him makes him do a complete 180. They meet up and Kay is excited to see Deems again, which makes Chu Sung feel depressed and self-conscious that his children fawn over Deems more than him. Manjoon tries to cheer him up as best as he can by saying "just because Kay likes Deems doesn't mean she doesn't like you." But despite that statement, Manjoon starts feeling annoyed with the judge as well, wondering if—and hoping that—he was finally "over" him. Determined to make this true, he starts listing all the things he disliked about him. At the secondhand bookstore, Deems and Chu begin to argue over Kay, which Manjoon intervenes in, now even more fed up with the judge. But seeing him get along so well with the kids reminds him of one of the reasons he liked him. When Manjoon and Kay have a fight over what clothing she should wear and Deems comes to the rescue, Manjoon finally realizes why he still likes the judge, and feels guilty for thinking all those mean things earlier.
 * "Maybe he was growing tired of him, Manjoon realized suddenly. It was an appealing prospect-no more pining, no more awkward boners in court, no more wishing that whenever he went to the bar to seek out a new "buddy" it would be him. Yes, this could be the answer to all of those things! Now if only he could get disgusted more often, as odd as that sounded..."
 * "Manjoon felt a giant stab of annoyance-so he wouldn't do anything for him, but he thought he was important enough that he deserved to know about Manjoon's personal life? He knew Deems was self-important, but even then there was only so much he could take politely."
 * "Manjoon began crying even harder, ashamed and humiliated at himself. Who was he, to judge a man who spoke with kids on their level and looked into their eyes, when he had done the exact opposite just now? He'd ordered Kay to dress out of her own skin because she didn't meet his standards, or the world's. "Because I said so" might not have been said out loud, but it might as well have been tattooed on his forehead."
 * "And on top of it all, he was just so, so tired. Fiddling with his phone every 2 minutes and hoping for Deems to call, sneaking peeks at him in his office, spending hours staring into the few pictures he had of him...it was like running a marathon without a finish line. And the worst part was, he was the runner of his own accord. "

"Uh, Manjoon? Why are you here? I mean, I know you like stalking me and all, but this early?"

- Deems after Manjoon knocks on his door so early in the morning

"Really? Kay said that about me? That she misses me and that I'm like the cool uncle she never had?"

- Deems excited that Kay misses him

"Boyfriend, fuckbuddy, husband, why would you care? It's hardly like you're a central figure in my life."

- Manjoon, after Deems questions if "Ji Hoon" was another "partner"

"All you're doing is forcing unfair double standards on me! Literally no one thinks I'm-I'm sloppy or whatever! They don't treat sloppy kids like me! Daddy, do you think I would've been made a Student Treasurer if they thought I was sloppy? No one cares about stupid party clothes but you. Why did I have to get stuck with you anyway?!"

- Kay after Manjoon scolds her for talking back to him

"But I thought it. I-I...I wanted to get away from you so b-bad. I hate having crushes on people when they aren't even going to come true...so I tried to find every flaw you had so I wouldn't like you anymore. And I really, really believed it, that I hated you, when...when..."

- Manjoon apologizing to Deems


 * "Hanging out with Friends" - Taking place in late Middle School, Kay and Tom are the leads in yet another play by Ms. Podshikov. Tom leaves for the bus without her, while Kay goes to visit her friend and theater director's son, Ilya, who was busy making a very...interesting piece of gorey art. She asks him to stop making incest jokes, figuring that was why Tom kept avoiding her all last week. Ilya disagrees, saying the reason for his avoidance was either because he hated her or was hiding his true feelings. As the siblings venture home, Kay continues to be fed up with Tom's attitude; they end up arguing until they're interrupted by Deems who happened to be invited to dinner by Manjoon. Finding him one of the best people to discuss her problems with, she invites him over to the couch to talk about her current problems with Tom. She recalls an earlier memory when she joined Tom and his friend on an outing as the first time he seemed to ignore her. To her surprise, Deems sides with Tom, saying that Tom wanted to spend time with his friend and Kay's need for attention got in the way. This makes Kay angry with him, yelling "What would you know? You hated your sister! You don't understand our relationship in the slightest!," followed by storming off to her room to cry. Tom comes to her aid and tries to comfort her, telling her that he still loves spending time with her, but wants to spend time with other kids too. They quickly make up and Kay apologizes to Deems, and everyone lives happily ever after.

"Like, I really, really love peppermints, right? I eat them every single day. And I love peppermint patties, and candy canes. But sometimes, I want some chocolate. Or some gummy bears. That doesn't mean the peppermint is any less delicious. It just means I want more variety in my diet."

- Tom explains his feelings through candy


 * "Animal ears/Kigurumi" - It starts with a short flashback with Chu Sung, Minjoon, and the rest of his team doing "team-building exercises" at a nearby chimjilbang. As newbies on the team, Minjoon thought it was a good idea to make a good first impression. They dress up in kigurumi (animal costumes): a gray mouse for Chu Sung and a baby chick for Minjoon. Back in the present, the Park brothers take a skeptical Deems to a chimjilbang while visiting Korea. The three sit in the bath for a bit, until Deems complains about feeling woozy. They start to dress into the chimjilbang clothes, only to have Chu Sung tell Deems he wasn't allowed to wear it, as it wasn't meant for foreigners who didn't know Korean. Pulling out a rat costume, he tells Deems he's supposed to wear that instead in case he ever needs English assistance. The three eat baked eggs together, while a group of kids form around Deems, thinking he's "Jerry" from Tom and Jerry. The brothers leave Deems to suffer with five creepy children crawling over him as they clean up, only to have a very angry Korean mother yell at him after he accidentally pulls down her boy's pants while trying to escape. Chu Sung, surprisingly, comes to Deems' rescue, and even calls him a "friend" at the end.
 * "Meanwhile, the kigurumi was definitely attracting attention from all sorts of people, who were staring curiously at the foreigner in the rat suit. At this point any normal person would've noticed the strangeness of this entire situation, especially when two Americans walked by in normal clothes, but Deems sadly did not."

"No, it's because foreigners can't speak Korean, right? So if they need English assistance, they need to wear this."

- Chu Sung handing Deems a kigurumi "Are you blind, or did you not see all five of your little shits trying to smother my friend?"

- Chu Sung calling Deems his "friend" for the first time


 * "Eating Ice Cream" - It's a rainy day at the Park&Park law office, when Chu Sung gets a worrisome call from Minjoon. Before he can learn what's wrong, the call ends, and he rushes over to Minjoon's house. Once he arrives, he sees Minjoon lying on the couch with a half-eaten tub of ice cream—a big no-no for a soccer star. He tells Chu Sung that he had been sending his mom—who had disowned him for being gay—some money for Alzheimer's treatment. After some persuading, Chu finally learns the real reason he was so upset: He had went to visit her and she told him how he looked like her son, who she was proud of. Minjoon wanted to hate her, but has conflicting feelings thanks to that visit. Chu Sung helps him out by wiping his eyes, covering him in a soft blanket, making him some tea, among other things, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. While still not entirely over it, Minjoon feels a lot happier, and they spend the night curled up with each other.

"I went to s-see her. She was so...so happy. Like a kid. Like Kay. Making bead necklaces. And she-she told me about...how...how much I looked like her son. She just sat me down and told me all these stories of her son, and how he was the best soccer player in the world...and-and-! She said she was proud of me. Why did she do that Chu? Why can't she just let me HATE HER?! THAT BITCH!"

- Minjoon recalling his visit to his mother


 * "Genderswapped" - Kay and her friends are hanging out, and decide to try a body-swapping ritual on a few popular guys at their school, only to have Kay's plans get messed up when her two fathers and Deems drink the substances containing the potion. Kay panics and tells them about the potion, but the others wave it off. Noticing Kay's clothing, Manjoon scolds her for looking like "a prostitute" and when she replies with a "fuck you too," he asks her why she couldn't "try and act a bit more pleasant like she used to." She continues to be difficult, closing herself in her room and locking the door. Their relationship in general had become more rocky as of recently, them already having another fight earlier that week. The next day, Kay wakes up in Manjoon's bed; the potion had worked! Similarly, Chu Sung and Deems had swapped bodies, Chu Sung having already taken naughty pictures to "celebrate" the occasion, much to Deems' disgust. Manjoon and Kay go over their routines with each other and get dressed, both wearing things their "real" selves would never wear, but with no time to discuss it, they depart. Kay spends the day meeting with an unruly client, realizing that her lack of professional clothing hurt her ability to earn people's trust. Manjoon, meanwhile, suffers from intense heat while sitting at school, understanding why Kay wore such short clothes. He also learns how popular and social she was—but also caring and responsible, going out of her way to help people out. When Kay finally returned home, defeated, she goes into the bathroom and is startled by Deems posing naked in the mirror with a camera for payback from that morning. Manjoon arrives home shortly after, and the father and daughter discuss what they learned about each other that day, realizing they both had a point.
 * Kay shrieked, and Manjoon shrieked back at her. Oh god, her dad's dick felt really weird, forgoing how bloody rapey that sounded!

"And a prostitute? Coming from the person who fucked his own brother for four years? At least I don't sleep around with everyone I lay eyes on."

- Kay calling Manjoon a hypocrite

"Appearances are important when you're an attorney like me-and I'm not talking about being handsome or pretty. It's more in line with being...well-groomed. Clean clothes. Good cologne. A good, fluent manner of speaking. People who come to me are scared, confused. Law's very scary to people who don't understand. That's why they want someone to trust. And the best way to gain that in a short span of time is to show them a good exterior."

- Manjoon explaining why appearances are important in a flashback

"Nice pictures? I'll show you nice pictures, you murderous asshole..."

- Deems (in Chu's body) trying to get back at Chu (in Deems' body)

"Don't take nude pictures of my Daddy, you pervert!"

- A strange sentence, especially coming out of Manjoon's mouth

"Honestly. You worry too much about these things. You're not alone. I'm here. See? There's Sung Hoon hyung, and Mingi. They always gave you and me the ball."
 * "During their Morning Rituals/Spooning" - Chu Sung and Minjoon wake up early and get ready for the day, Chu making a healthy breakfast for them. When he asks his partner if he's eating alright and Minjoon says it's difficult, he makes a snarky reply about "who was the one that said 'eating like a pro is part of the job description too'?" Minjoon snaps back with a "Well, so was actually doing more than two interviews a year," but quickly apologizes, remembering that was a touchy subject. Flashback to an awards ceremony for that year's MPV. Chu Sung is surprised he actually wins it, but finds it difficult to focus on the crowd of people and suffers from immense stage fright, speechless and sweating. Minjoon comes to his rescue, pointing out all his teammates and asking him if he has anything to say to them. Suddenly, he has tons to say, and the rest of the ceremony goes wonderfully. Another timeskip, again about interviews, with the coach trying to convince Chu that he had to do interviews as part of the job in order to communicate. But Chu says he still can't do it alone. Back to the present, Minjoon gets up to leave for the day, but first apologizes again, Chu being over it enough to flirt.
 * "Sweat that had previously dampened his shirt began to needle into him like sharp raindrops, as his whole body burned up with the strange tingling flames of shame, panic, terror. The tongues of flame greedily lapped at his lungs, which curled up on themselves to avoid it. He could feel a scream, slowly working its way up his esophagus with the last bit of air in his lungs. He couldn't breathe, the beautiful, colorful sea was drowning him."

- Minjoon, giving Chu Sung a confidence boost "See, that's just it. Soccer players, while I wouldn't begin to call it a duty, still need to do interviews. Because interviews aren't just about fame. They're about communication, especially when you did something wrong. And trust me. If you're a pro, you're going to fuck up one way or the other. And when that moment comes, you'll need to be prepared."

- Sung Hoon, captain of the team


 * "Doing Something Together" - Chu asks Manjoon if he takes group clients, his team wanting legal advice about some Real Person Fanfiction writers using them in their works. As they're still in Korea, Manjoon says they'll need someone with American jurisdiction to handle it and sends the team to F&D Lawfirm to meet with Hee Jin. After learning the surprising fact that she was only 15, she walks them through how they shouldn't sue the writers because despite them likely being able to win, their winnings would not even cover their lawyer fee. Three years later, Hee Jin hands Manjoon some files for the case, telling him Chu "really must have money to burn if he's suing fanfic authors." Manjoon teasingly reads some of the fanfiction while Chu Sung tried to grab the papers away and Deems bets on who would win. Manjoon and Deems discuss the fanfiction further—not being the kindest—and Chu becomes annoyed enough that he calls Deems a "friendless loser" and almost punches him in the face. He then runs to the bathroom to cry, remembering fifth grade when two girls were talking about how they thought he was a rapist behind his back. Back in the present, Manjoon tries to comfort him, telling him that if the fanfiction writers knew how he really was, they'd be writing stories about him marrying them instead of raping people. Cheered up, and with a bit of scolding from Manjoon, he apologizes to Deems with a box of black forest chocolates—which Deems makes Manjoon taste test first, of course. Actually smiling for once, Chu goes back to the fanfic site to look up his name, finding it had doubled since the last time he viewed it, despite his retirement. The new fiction dealt with him, his older brother, and Deems.


 * "Cooking/Baking" - Set a few month after Deems meets the Park family for the first time (Kay is 10 at the time). Kay calls Deems up and asks if he wants to help them bake a cake for Manjoon's birthday. He gladly comes right over, and they start making a red velvet cake. Chu's surprised to see Deems knew his way around the kitchen and learns that he had already been at their house "tons of times" and helped make pancakes one day. Chu recalls an earlier memory when Manjoon asked him for pancakes after a long night of "sucking and fucking" shortly after him and Joo Hyun had broken up. Back in the present, he sees Kay and Deems have carefree fun with each other while messing up the recipe. He scolds them and tries to salvage it, while Deems complains that he's no fun and Kay whispers "He just does that sometimes." Flashing back again, Manjoon is feeding his new one-night stand—and tenth boyfriend that week—the pancakes Chu made. Chu regrets his own sexual relationship with him, knowing his feelings would never be returned, yet always finding it hard to say no. Back in the present, Chu tells Kay and Deems they have too much chocolate for the cake, but puts up little resistance to when Deems argues and departs to his room, staying there until the familiar touch of Manjoon's hand wakes him up. He asks what's wrong, but is met with rage as Chu calls him a "whore" and mentions his "sleeping" habits. Manjoon realizes Chu has deeper feelings for him, but ends up shooting him down, telling him he doesn't "like [him] as anything more than a brother." Not wanting to make things worse, he leaves to eat the cake Kay and Deems made.
 * The next day, Manjoon announces he was going on a week-long vacation alone and Chu is left to take care of the kids alone. Not surprisingly, they don't treat him with the same enthusiasm they did with Manjoon, seeming to fear him. He gets his mind off things for a bit by going to a 'Shippers of Stucky' meet up, realizing his favorite artist happened to be Ji Hae under the name MrSimple. He offers to drive her home and she offhandedly notes that he seemed clinically depressed. This causes Chu to lash out at her and she apologizes, figuring she couldn't help. But shortly after Chu returns home, he realizes Ji Hae accidentally took his bag of yaoi comics and he rushes over to her house to retrieve them. Instead of Ji Hae, her father answers the door and they talk for a bit. Min Woo tells Chu about his own experience with Ji Hae being kidnapped and how they had trouble reconciling despite his many attempts. The problem was that his daughter didn't want him butting into her bad memories and she needed time to heal on her own. The moral is: not everyone wants the same thing in a relationship and if you try to force it, you'll just grow further apart. And in terms of the children, he expected too much from them without putting much effort into spending time with them. Comics retrieved, he apologizes to Ji Hae and thanks Min Woo for his help, then heads home to see his kids.
 * The story ends with Chu and the kids out shopping, their father finally opening up to them. Deems walks by and for the first time, Chu greets him with one of his crushing hugs. Manjoon happens to return from his trip at this same time, and sees the scene play out.
 * "How come Deems, for all his swagger and disgusting arrogance, still managed to get the two things he most wanted without lifting a single finger? Kay, Manjoon...was he going to take Tom too? It wasn't far, from the looks of it. He remembered how his eyes had lit up when he mentioned Deems was coming over."
 * "In brutal honesty, no matter how much he wanted to he could not deny that Kay and Tom...didn't like him. Oh sure, they made small talk about the weather, ate dinner together, but that was it. Every time he'd tried to ask about more than how their day went they'd usually switch topics or avoid him entirely, making him only despair further. Did they really hate him that much?"

"Why does my opinion even matter? I'm just another guy you fucked. Nothing special. Nothing important."

- Chu Sung expressing his feelings to Manjoon

"Chu, I-I'm so sorry. I just don't like you as anything more than...a brother. A friend. It's not about being your older brother. As a person, I just don't feel attracted to you in that way. Forget it, please."

- BOOM! Shot down by Manjoon

"It's not something anyone can help! What am I going to tell them, huh?! That I'm sexually and romantically attracted to my brother?! That he hates my guts just like everyone else and he left the house just because he feels so awkward around me?! What the hell are they going to do about it?! Look, you bitch. Why don't you stop poking your nose into other people's business for once, and then acting like you know everything?! Because you DON'T!"

- Chu Sung yelling at Ji Hae after she tells him his attitude "isn't normal"

"Look, Chu. The thing is...some people might want what you do, but the truth is most people won't. You and they will have different expectations for relationships. You can hope they'll want something different later, sure, but that's really all you can do. If you force more than that, all that's going to leave is scars and an even thinner relationship. Tell me, can you honestly say you're not wanting more things than what your brother and...your children, if I am correct, can give?"

- Min Woo's advice

"See, there's the problem. You aren't willing to spend time with them, but you still want to be an important person to them."

- Min Woo explaining why the kids aren't as fond of Chu

"Oh, but I just want to hug my bestest friend in the whole wide world! Come here, sweetie. Give me a kiss."

- Chu torturing Deems for the first time


 * "In Battle, Side-by-Side " - Minjoon had just beaten Chu Sung in a game of Mario Kart, and after some teasing, the two start becoming intimate—until Deems screeching about not wanting to lose his virginity in a foursome ruins the mood. Chu complains about Deems' presence, while Manjoon, dressed in a gothic lolita outfit, explains that it's both of their houses and that Deems "promised [him] something if he wore" this clothing. Seeing the Mario Kart screen, Manjoon becomes interested in playing a game, so they put in Super Mario Bros Wii. Both "pairs" end up being partners in-game as well, with Chu Sung and Minjoon being Mario and Luigi and Manjoon and Deems being Yellow and Blue Toad. They play for quite some time, with Manjoon asking if anyone wanted snacks mid-game. Deems offers to make his "Super-Special-Awesome cookies and cream popcorn," which ends up being surprisingly good to everyone. They go back to playing Mario for quite some time, Manjoon eventually falling asleep at some point. With his reason for being there unconscious, Deems departs, and Minjoon asks to be driven home.
 * On the rainy car ride back, Minjoon is outwardly depressed, and Chu asks him "are the symptoms coming back?" Minjoon says they weren't fully back, but even if they were, he couldn't leave for therapy mid-season. Worrying, Chu Sung decides to stay the night with him. Once home, he tries to comfort Minjoon by mentioning that he'd retire from soccer in four or five years and not have to put up with all the stress and strict eating habits, but that just makes Minjoon feel even worse. He resents Chu for being more successful than him—despite his failure and early retirement—saying that he'd never be able to make it to a European team like he did. Chu remembers acting similarly stubborn to Manjoon when he tried to cheer him up after losing the World Cup, thus tries to take his same approach. Instead of trying to placate Minjoon with false optimism, he admits that it's unlikely people would say his soccer career was excellent, but that it wouldn't have been a long-term career in the first place. Minjoon says he doesn't have anything else to fall back on, but Chu suggests he become an agent who helps poor kids get their start in soccer. While still unsure, Minjoon takes comfort in the idea. The next morning, he's is in a much happier mood, giving his boyfriend a kiss before heading off. Chu Sung muses whether Minjoon would be up for popcorn again at the movies, though supposed it was wishful thinking.

"Do I look like I want to constantly be reminded of how little time I have left as a soccer player?! Or how fucking old I am?! Or-or-"

- Minjoon after Chu Sung tries to cheer him up by mentioning retirement

"That's exactly why I fucking hate you. Don't fucking bullshit me-you were one of, if not the best player to ever come out of Korea. Luck didn't have shit to do with it. And I wasn't."

- Minjoon expressing his feelings about Chu Sung's skill

"Hope? For what? I'm fucking twenty seven, no sane European team is going to want me."

- Minjoon being pessimistic (but also honest)

"I had no clue of what to do when I retired. I had no interests aside from soccer, zero social skills which meant I had no hope of becoming a coach, and I hated being cooped up at a desk all day. I only found my calling because my brother dragged me out to look for them. You're going to have to do the same thing, whether you like it or not."

- Chu Sung telling Minjoon about how he chose his new career


 * "Arguing/Making up Afterwards" - It's nearly Christmas and Manjoon continues to gush over Deems, to the annoyance of Tom, who's being ignored even more than usual by his family. Seeking someone who actually cares for him, he ends up hanging out with Joo Hyun and helping him prepare the shop for Christmas. He invites him over to their house for Christmas, and when the baker refuses, Tom asks if he can come over to his house instead. Christmas arrives and Tom enters Joo Hyun's house wearing a dress, mentioning how Manjoon said he'd have to wear one if he refused to wear a suit. They talk about life and again, Tom brings up how he tends to be the black sheep of the family, ignored by everyone. Tom asks Joo Hyun to hug him, as Manjoon rarely did it and Joo Hyun obliges, but when the boy kisses him, he knows something is definitely wrong with his life. He tries to calm Tom down, only to have him run back to his house. Joo Hyun follows after him, and when Manjoon answers the door, they have a private talk in the basement about what was going on. After Manjoon learns that Tom was spending alone time with Joo Hyun, the discussion turns heated, until Tom stops them. He defends Joo Hyun as the only person who seems to take notice of him and Manjoon finally learns how bad of a father he had been to Tom, all of his time being taken up by Deems, Kay, and Chu. He breaks down into hysteria and contemplates dumping Deems, but Tom tells him he wouldn't allow that; he just wanted to be noticed a bit more. Making up, they all go back upstairs and enjoy a meal together, while singing politically correct carols and having a good time.

"You see, I want to be more than just the guy who gets the girl. The villian, the gay friend, I don't care! Just...something other than the lead hero."

- Tom's tired of the same role

"Tom, honey, I love you. I care for you like you were my own. But can you honestly say this isn't...maybe, you...feeling lonely because Kay takes up all of their attention? Which, if it is, isn't a bad thing. No, not in the slightest. But...if it is that, you shouldn't do things like this. Joonie's not a bad person-he'll understand-"

- Joo Hyun trying to reason with Tom

"You always see what you want to see, even if they are as far from the truth as it gets. He...he didn't do anything. He just wanted to have a nice lunch because-because no one would come over to his house and everybody hates him for something he's trying to help and-and..."

- Tom finally telling Manjoon his feelings on the matter


 * "Gazing into Each Other's Eyes" - It starts with Manjoon and Deems working together on each other's cases. After some whining from Deems about wanting to take a break, Manjoon grabs some hot coffee and tarts for them, the latter being made by Kay and her friend Brianna. The other family members also eat the tarts, while Deems gets none of them, as the one he took was burnt. The next morning, everyone but Deems awakens as cats due to Brianna's weird, unpredictable Wicca recipes. The judge is startled to see four cats in the house, but he eventually learns what happened. Deems ends up cherishing Manjoon-cat the most, but that night, worries that his favorite was actually Chu Sung. But once they stare into each other's eyes, Deems realizes it had to definitely be Manjoon."If you're actually Chu I swear to god I'll put you in a stew, human or not."

- Deems hopes his favorite cat isn't his least favorite person

"So then, I was swimming in the Jello, and I couldn't get out. There was so much lemon, you know? And I hate lemon! Why couldn't it have been green apple? Or chocolate! It was so scaaary!"

- Why are you such a wimp, Deems?


 * "Chu x Deems (Cheems?)" - [This is "canon" only in terms that is was a fanfiction in their world.] Chu Sung returns home for the day to his adoring husband, Deems, who was cooking stir-fried rice in a lacy pink apron and tight jeans. They're very lovey-dovey with each other to a disgusting degree, given how much they hate each other in canon. Chu quickly eats the food and heads into the bedroom, with Deems following shortly after once he finished washing the dishes. Chu quickly pulls his lover into the bed, the judge squealing in pleasure as Chu kisses his neck and nibbles on his earlobe. Things quickly devolve into more sexual content, with many "whore" and "daddy" comments being thrown around because fangirls are kinky like that. Chu tops, of course, though isn't entirely dominant.

"Make it stop, make it stop!"

- Chu Sung's real life reaction to the fanfiction


 * Doing Something Ridiculous - Halloween-related. Manjoon becomes emotional, knowing his kids (11 and 13) are growing up so fast and soon won't need him. Kay suggests Manjoon do something fun for Halloween, but he tells her he prefers staying at home alone watching nature documentaries than going out. Shortly before trick-or-treat starts, he scolds Kay for her outfit and is an overall 'killjoy,' which makes him worry he's becoming a cranky old man he never wanted to be. When the first set of trick-or-treaters arrive and Manjoon has nothing for them, the girl with a wand mentions a 'trick' instead, and after fainting, Manjoon wakes up realizing he's a child. He gets to trick-or-treat for the first time, meeting Deems along the way, though he doesn't recognize him."I just feel like something's empty, you know? Like...what now? I did everything, got a job, had kids, so...what's next?""

- Manjoon about life


 * Doing Something Sweet - After a rough day in court, Deems gets drunk and completely forgets Manjoon's birthday. When a frustrated Manjoon visits him, he gets a much needed scolding after he plays his usual self-deprecating shtick. After wandering around depressed and having a talk with Joo Hyun, Deems recovers somewhat and returns to Manjoon to apologize. The two make up.

Other OC Stories
"Too many things are 'picture-perfect' nowadays. Pictures shouldn't be perfect. ...Without flaws, people can't tell one flower from another."
 * "In Formal Wear/Dancing" - The outgoing Hee Jin is surprised to meet another young girl—but timid—girl the same age (7) as her at the ball. They go to the garden and Ji Hae starts drawing a perfect depiction of a lily. Hee Jin is super impressed, but Ji Hae scribbles it out, "because it's perfect," and the flower she was trying to draw was not. Hee Jin tells her she liked the flower without brown leaves, but Ji Hae prefers it because if everything were perfect, everything would be the same and nothing would be special. They go back inside to eat, but when Ji Hae sees their fathers talking, she stops and shushes her new friend. When Hee Jin asks why, Ji Hae simply asks "You don't know what your dad does for a living, do you?," and mentions his "friends" likely having scars and knives. Min Woo (Ji Hae's father) ends up spotting them and mentions that Hee Jin's father was going to be a lawyer. The four of them eat dinner and Hee Jin discusses her new friend with her dad, asking if she can go play afterwards. Ji Hae comes over with an ice cream cone, making Hee Jin jealous. She eats up the rest of her food quickly and playfully demands: "Show me the ice cream!" Ji Hae takes her to his dad who gets her some ice cream. They venture off again, with Hee Jin returning to their previous discussion, asking why she couldn't talk to her dad. Ji Hae tells her "he does good work" and he has "lots of important things to discuss with [her] daddy." Hearing the music start, Hee Jin asks her new friend to dance; Ji Hae doesn't know how and before they dance much, she lets go and falls to the ground. But before her head can touch the ground, she does a martial arts move and gets back up with ease. Hee Jin is impressed, figuring her for a rather dainty "Mary Jane" beforehand. They dance a bit longer, but eventually tire out and their dads run to their rescue, Ji Young a little worried that his daughter had gotten lost. The fathers say goodbye, with Min Woo mentioning wishing Ji Young "good luck selling that candy company of yours." Barely awake, Hee Jin asks him if he's a candy-maker, and he says he used to be, as she falls asleep. Flashback to present time, He Jin finishes telling that story to Ji Hae, mentioning how she never saw the girl again.

- Hi Jin being quite philosophical for a seven year-old

"You know, speaking of gowns, I remember...I went to a ball when I was little. I'm not sure why. And I remember playing with another girl, but I never saw her again after that. I think she was one of my dad's friend's kids. Weird how I never saw her again."

- Hee Jin recalling her past to Ji Hae

"Oh, really? I never expected that. It's such a little show, I didn't even know it got any viewers. If that's all it takes to get on TV, I could probably do the same, really."
 * "New Year Courthouse Party" - Manjoon decides to hold a party for all the courthouse-goers since it's a rather small close-knit group. Aliz and Archie cater, and Att brings the wine. Archie's cake is a big hit, first with the Park brothers, and then with Hiroki. Meanwhile, Deems attempts to flirt with Aliz to no avail, until he notices the cake as well and takes two of the larger slices. Atakin scoffs at Deems' eating habits, and they fight as usual, this time about who can eat cake better. The rest of the party-goers stop them and before another argument can break out—this time between Chu and Deems—Aliz brings out some Chinese wishing paper. She turns off the lights and lights a candle, asking everyone what they want to wish for this year. Serena wishes to work out some kinks in her book, while Hiroki wants to catch more criminals. Archie hoped his family would do well and perhaps he'd gain a larger audience for his show. To Manjoon's surprise, Chu Sung is next to speak, saying he'd like to try teaching a soccer class. Att, of course, claims he has no wishes since he's already the best, while Deems rants about wanting a sexy new girlfriend. Manjoon lists out a couple basic wishes, but in the back of his head, has another one: that he could find a guy who actually loved him for who he was. Everyone but Aliz stating their wishes, she hands out the pieces of paper and they burn them. Noticing Manjoon didn't seem too interested in it, Aliz confronts him, saying that the ritual doesn't have to be "real;" simply thinking back on this day could remind them to keep working towards that dream. Manjoon smiles back, realizing he shouldn't be so pessimistic yet. Who knew what the new year would hold?
 * "New Hotshot Lawyer" - Archie walks into the "Room of Silence" to eat some pudding, noticing a few others were also there. Deems was making a mess out of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and two Korean attorneys he was less familiar with were sitting around, the smaller one braiding the bulkier one's spiky hair. And lastly, Serena was off talking with another prosecutor on the other side of the room. Archie found it interesting how the groups of people clustered together instead of interacting with each other. Aliz greets him and makes small-talk about an "up-and-coming attorney" who "never lost a case," which Archie later experiences in a slander case the same day. After the trial, Att mentions Archie's cooking show which makes the judge quite happy until the attorney starts insulting him, saying he's surprised it beings in money with it being "such a little show." Archie's hurt, but doesn't jump to conclusions, figuring Att simply worded his comments poorly and didn't mean offense. Later that day, in the cafeteria, Archie attempts to buy a hot bun, only to drop his dollar; but before he can pick it up, Att swipes it away and uses it to buy that very bun for himself. Again, Archie is annoyed, but this time, less forgiving, having violent thoughts about frying him with a frying pan. Needing someone to rant to, he heads to the Room of Silence in hopes that Aliz would be there. On the way there, he passes a sobbing Deems, leaving only Atakin in the room. He asks the attorney what he said to Deems, and Att gives him the truth: he called him so incompetent and dumb that even his own mother wouldn't like him—a touchy subject for sure. And with that, Archie was sure Att was a sociopath.
 * The next day—a rainy one—Archie hears a kitten meowing outside the courthouse. But being too busy, he leaves instead of helping it. While at the vending machine, he notices Att, and already feels his anger rising. But then he sees him ask a young girl if the bun from yesterday was good. Archie is impressed, but seeing Deems miserable in the Room of Silence makes his anger for the man return. During lunch, he meets with Aliz and she asks how the trial with Att went. He's about to rant about him, when he hears the cat again, which Atakin was feeding. He realized, while he still didn't like Att, he really wasn't a terrible person like he originally thought; he had good sides and bad sides.
 * "Yes, he still had a grudge against Att for the cooking show insult. Yes, he was definitely not on his top ten list in the slightest. Yet here he was, reaching out a helping hand to everyone Archie himself had ignored because of 'too much work' or 'I'm busy'. ...There was a tornado of emotions swirling inside him right now, and he would figure out his exact stance on the man in due time. But one thing was sure-if Att was a bad man, then Archie would be right down there with him.﻿"

- Atakin being a jerk to Archie "Just that he was an incompetent judge who couldn't think his way out of a plastic bag that his own mother would be ashamed of."

- Att explaining how he was a jerk to Deems "No problem, kiddo. You know, I actually didn't have money for the bun when I got there. But then the dollar appeared on the floor. Like magic! I wonder which angel gave it to you?"

- Att being nice? What is this trickery?