taegun fan no. 1183: what's so awful about it?

KangJaeha: I'd like to be able to do my job and not also have complete strangers speculating about my relationships while I'm at it

taegun fan no. 1183: I mean, you guys were pretty public...

KangJaeha: My relationship with @traceless was not the only one people were speculating about
KangJaeha: And I'm just trying to do my job

taegun fan no. 1183: ...sorry

KangJaeha: No, you don't have anything to apologise for, sorry
KangJaeha: It's just a pain

"Would you rather I not be airing this in chat?"

"No, I don't mind it. And I hear whining about your problems in public is a time-honoured human bonding tradition and if I want to pretend I'm human I ought to try some of those sometimes."

"You're not pretending."

He kisses the top of Haru's head. "I'm just being flippant."

🔔traceless: the emails don't bother me, there's a decent section of my backlash where I can read stuff directed at me and can't read a book and I catch up on blog comments and mail then, but I do think a lot of them reveal questionable character on the part of the senders and they will probably feel awkward about it when they grow up

yoo-min-max: some of the thirsty ones are funny, and I got linked a really good slash fic once
yoo-min-max: that was from before @SenSoJoo and I were dating
yoo-min-max: they got the way he has me in the palm of his hand just right
yoo-min-max: always nice to see some good characterisation in these

🚫do-not-jin: I cannot comprehend the appeal

🍸飲むか: you're ace, of course you can't

🐠nemo: I'm not ace and I also can't

🍸飲むか: you're seafood, of course you also can't

🐠nemo: ╭∩╮

MODERATOR ANNOUNCEMENT: Please do not use vulgar kaomoji in chat.

🔔traceless: I also got a fic link but don't know when if ever I will get around to it, it'd interfere with reading novels by dead people which are my staple fare when I can read whatever I want

🚫do-not-jin: I find the ethics of writing real-person fiction thorny and the ethics of writing real-person erotic fiction even thornier

🔔traceless: I certainly wouldn't personally choose to write it myself.

yoo-min-max: ok but given that they're already written

🚫do-not-jin: you're still giving them views on the website, and that incentivises them

yoo-min-max: what if the subject consents?

🚫do-not-jin: yes I feel a lot fewer qualms about people writing slash fic of you
🚫do-not-jin: ...don't know about Seungjoo

SenSoJoo: :)

🚫do-not-jin: ...you know, there was a time of my life when I thought @yoo-min-max was being really weird about you
🚫do-not-jin: but the two of you deserve each other

yoo-min-max: awwww that's really sweet

taegun fan no. 1183: @SenSoJoo spent literal months making @yoo-min-max dance to his tune
taegun fan no. 1183: it was real obvious if you paid any attention

The backlash ebbs away and the chat loses its appeal; he turns off his phone.

"People who are extroverted in real life are a lot, huh?" Jaeha says, pushing an out-of-place hair off Haru's forehead.

"They really are. How do they sustain it?"

"I hear they find it sustaining in itself or something."

"Absolutely wild." Sigh.

He makes an inquisitive noise.

"- oh, just - people. Can't live without 'em and yet. I'm gonna go hit my notebooks." Kiss.

Kiss! "Have fun question mark?"

"I will have ego-syntonicity, which is better than fun."

"That it is."

And up to his office goes Haru.

The next day Jaeha doesn't have any dungeons scheduled, since they're taking it slow at the beginning, but what he does have is his first therapy session. Remote, naturally, because he doesn't want to run the risk of feeling tempted to mind control his therapist, that'd be wholly counterproductive.