thinking about an episode au where it diverges from the main plot. it's set 5-6 years later — haechan is a doctor at a hospital in some city far away from everyone else, he's already lost contact with almost everyone (except markrin), and he comes across someone he hasn't seen in a long time.
nari is a project architect working at her cousin's construction firm, in a city far away from everyone else. she moved there after graduating, and since then she had lost contact with everyone. she'd built a pretty good life there now, she has a good job, she made new friends, and then ... she comes across haechan, who's new to the city, and at first she doesn't want to interact with him at all.
they never really became close back then, nor were they even friends. they were acquaintances at best. he was always just her former best friend's boyfriend back then so she never felt the need to have some sort of close relationship with him, so seeing him again was slightly awkward. but then she finds out he's her new neighbor... and all of a sudden she keeps seeing him anywhere she goes — at the grocery store, at the coffee shop near her work, at a fast food restaurant, at a convenience store, the hospital (ok to be fair, he does work there...), and suddenly it felt like he was just everywhere.
so, when they both end up being at the same bar at the same night, with the same group of people (turns out they have mutual "new friends" in the city), they can't help but actually start talking to each other. one conversation turns into getting each other's contacts and texting each other, to seeing each other at the grocery store then shopping together, to seeing each other at the coffee shop and deciding to sit together, to hanging out at each other's places and ordering take out (because it's movie night and turns out they actually have quite a few similar interests), to developing a genuine friendship they never thought they would have (nari being the only sense of familiarity for haechan in a city he's not really familiar with), to hanging out and making plans together despite being busy with work because — because somehow, they feel less tired when they're with each other, a respite from their busy lives — and to eventually, coming to the realization that... oh, they're starting to develop feelings for each other.
then, conflict arrives in the form of hera seo, who is in the city for a conference, and sees both her (former) best friend and ex-boyfriend "hanging out", years after the last time she saw them.
guys this has been plaguing my mind for MONTHS so im giving them to u so we can be haunted by the possibility of hyucknari together 🫦 also if this feels like a plot to a 2000s tv drama,,, thats because they are dair coded to me ok HAHAHAH
also i dont really like the idea of dating your best friend's ex/dating your ex's best friend, (even if you're not really on speaking terms with the "best friend" anymore)........ but this is fiction and i love angst 👍🏼 HAHAHAHAHAHHA
anw here's a playlist for them !! i tried to put the songs in chronological order to how their "story" would play out lol i dont think i would actually end up writing something for them, but i needed to make a playlsit and this post for the brainrot 🫦 HAHAHAHAHA
also if hyucknari is a thing in this alternate universe for episode, herajaem will also definitely be a thing 😭
