The morning sun filtered through the sheer curtains of your shared bedroom. The window was cracked open ever so slightly, just enough to cause the curtains to sway in the breeze. The early spring heat had been relentless, your entire home burning like a sauna. Despite the high temperatures you both were an entanglement of limbs. The sheets long forgotten along with your clothes, only adorned in underwear as you both fought against the heat.
namgyu slammed the door a little harder than he meant to. frustration buzzed under his skin like a swarm of hornets. the guy had pissed him off, some asshole who thought he could run his mouth without consequence.
he could still hear the condescending tone, the sneer.
namgyu dropped his keys onto the counter, exhaling through his nose. the apartment was quiet, save for the soft hum of a children's show playing from the television.
you stood by the sink, finishing washing dishes, but nam-gyu barely looked at her before rubbing a hand down his face.
“fucking guy,” he muttered under his breath, not even realizing his voice was sharper than usual.
"can't believe i wasted my goddamn time talking to him."
the man's tone, his volume...he didn't think anything of it at first. he was irritated, sure, but it wasn't like he was yelling.
yet, in the silence that followed, something felt off. it was you who noticed first.
"nam-gyu," you said, softly, carefully.
he turned, brow furrowed, and then he saw it. the tiny figure crouched under the dining table, knees hugged tightly to her chest, small hands gripping the fabric of her dress. mi.
a/n: a very self indulgent post (о´∀`о) i would love to have this interaction irl
namgyu shows up to work two mins before his shift starts
prefers working morning shifts so he can go home earlier!
namgyu says he hates his job but actually doesn’t mind it. it’s enough pay to keep him alive, and he gets to take home free food and drinks
he despises when thanos visits him at work. he always orders some random custom drink! “no thanos, if i have to make you a pumpkin spiced latte with a chocolate walls, 2 pumps of raspberry syrup, and peppermint sprinkles, it will be the last thing you ever drink”
always takes a smoke break, pairing a fresh cup of coffee with a cigarette
in the middle of the worst shift of his entire life until you walk in, sunshine and rainbows practically oozing off of you
rolls his eyes while taking your order “what can i get you today”
lucky for him your order is simple, an iced cafe latte without any customizations
bites the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing when he tells you to have a nice day and you answer back with a “you too!”
since the coffee shop namgyu works at is only a few minutes away from your own job, you find yourself going more often!
the next time you visit it just so happens that he’s working the register again. you feel a twinge of shyness when you approach him “okay, i won’t say ‘you too’ this time when i order”
jokes on you, you slip up and it happens anyway. this time, namgyu doesn’t bother hiding a chuckle. “thanks, i’ll try”
day by day, you start to notice little details about him. how he tucks his hair behind his ears, the way he pulls his sleeves over his hands when he’s not using them, the sharpness of his eyes when taking your order. in a way, he’s kind of cute. wait what-
he also starts to notice things about you! the unwavering politeness when placing your order and how you always flash him a cute smile when you walk in
when driving back home from work he definitely thinks about how your warm hands brushed against yours when handing over money to pay for your drink
eventually, you both start to look forward to this almost-daily interaction!
when you walk in to the shop, you find namgyu with your usual order in hand “how did you know” “you’re the only person who comes in at exactly 8:47 asking for this drink” he says, a smirk proudly displayed on his face
when you pay for your drink, you feel your heart skip a few beats!!
you’re just about to throw the cup away after you’ve finished it, but quickly see a short message scribbled on the side of the cup followed by a string of numbers “text me?”
quickly glancing around the shop, your face heats up as a pair of dark eyes meet your own
namgyu feels his own heart stutter as you give him a nod with a little more excitement than necessary
thanks for tuning in!! feedback is read and appreciated!
Li, OH MY GOD, when I saw Roh Jae-won say that Nam-Gyu just wants to be loved, I literally almost passed out because THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT WE’VE BEEN SAYING. We called it! He’s not some cold, evil villain—he’s just an angry, hurt man who lashes out because he doesn’t know how else to cope. 🥹 When I heard that, I was YELLING 'I CAN FIX HIM, Y’ALL.' Like, my baby just wants love, and I swear, I will personally fight the writers if they keep trying to make him out to be the ‘villain’ when all he really wants is a little validation and stability.
Honestly, after hearing that interview, I feel like I need to reread everything we’ve analyzed about him because we were kind of on point. It makes me want to dig even deeper into his character, especially knowing that his actor sees him the same way we do. We always knew he wasn’t just some ‘born evil’ antagonist—it’s all in the little details. The way he laughs in the background when Player 007 gets scolded, how he’s all smiles with Thanos when they talk to Player 333 about losing money, the fact that his first instinct after the first game was to check on Thanosbefore even knowing about the drugs—like, if he was just using him, why would that be his reaction? That moment alone proves so much. I really think he admired Thanos, maybe even saw him as someone stronger, someone to follow. The way he clings to him feels less like manipulation and more like desperately seeking validation, like he doesn’t know how to navigate life without attaching himself to someone more confident than him.
And the food scene??? That moment alone disproves that says he’s emotionally cold. He literally bounces a little, smiles, and even thanks the guard in a really playful tone. That’s not someone who’s dead inside. That’s someone who still finds joy in little things, who still feels. He acts like someone who never had stability and is clinging onto any small comfort he can get (please tell me if I’m too biased and I might interpret this wrong). The fact that the writers might not even explore that in S3 is literally criminal.
Also, I finally got to read your last fic last night, and let me tell you, I was THRIVING <333. You captured everything so well, and I was eating up every moment. And I also saw you mentioning me in that reply to the anon about my fic idea—THANK YOU. <3 I was so happy reading that! Without any pressure at all, I cannot wait to see what you’re working on. I already know it’s going to be incredible. ☁️
P.S. I tried to attach a TikTok edit here but it showed an error😭 dunno if the message was sent but if you see two just so you know why💀(thank god I wrote this in my notes ahahaha)
HIIIII!!!! ☁️ <333
and RIGHTTT that interview made me so happy. i know that it's just a small detail, and it likely won't ever be expanded on in the show (i don't expect them to), but it makes me happy knowing that rjw gave us some sort of insight into who nam-gyu is as a person outside of the show and there's something to shut down the fact that ppl think he's completely heartless and insane and dgaf about other ppl. trying to keep my nam-gyu bias in check rn when i'm talking about him and not woobify him or try too hard to make him out to be deeper than he is bc i'm NOT trying to do that, even tho i'm really happy for rjw's statement supporting the way we viewed him lol! i acknowledge he's just a side character... he's just my fav </3
he most definitely is not the deepest character when compared to a lot of other characters, nor do i think he will be explored much in canon. but at the end of the day, we know that that's just a normal ass dude in a desperate situation with a lot of issues that wants to be cared for and loved just like any other person in the world
he's mean as fuck and difficult to be around, but he's not a heartless villain with no humanity. he's not a good person, either, by any means. he did and said a lot of horrible shit, but it's the games that drove him to kill. the drugs, the desperation, the fear.
no one in the games is there without having been pushed to the absolute edge first, to the point that they're willing to gamble their life away for the chance of relieving their debts. naturally, people that desperate are gonna do some horrible, desperate things.
like bruhh gi-hun's always talking about how the games prey on vulnerable ppl and change them, driving them to do things they likely would've never ever done in their life in the name of money and the promise of relief from whatever horrible shit was going on in their lives before </3
the whole point of the show is that the players, even the ones that kill—and even the guards—aren't villians (though obviously there's some gray area here, seeing the guards that were threatening no-eul. not gonna get into it but yk what i mean when i say the guards aren't all villains, just more desperate ppl dealing with their own shit), at least from what we see from no-eul's situation. the actual villains are the filthy rich VIPs who set up the games for entertainment and find enjoyment in watching desperate, working class ppl kill each other for money. they view these people as expendable and even bet on them for fun.
the players are all ordinary people put into a desperate situation where they genuinely believe that potentially dying in the pursuit of money is a better fate than whatever tf they got going on outside!!! obviously, nam-gyu was one of those ppl! NOT excusing his actions. he's not a good person, but he's still a person that did what he did because he was pushed to the edge and in a horrible situation, just like everyone else.
also with thanos, i made this post on how i viewed them, and i agree! their relationship really showed that nam-gyu's lowkey just a loser who wants validation, recognition, to be seen as cool, and a friend, lmao. makes sense with the fact that rjw thinks he's been disrespected his whole life and constantly feels the need to prove himself and feel 'special', but he can't do it. i could see him outside the games being a lonely loser riddled with insecurity, rather than the heartless monster or even 'serial killer' that i see ppl envisioning him to be
in the subtle ways he acts in the show: trying to come off as tougher, more confident, and more sure of himself than he really is, how insecure and easily bruised he is, and just how pathetic and desperate he is for a connection with thanos (someone who couldn't even get his name right or treat him with respect), it's clear that there's a little more to him than "the thanos-obsessed guy that did drugs and went crazy"
also yeah the food scene! and i wanna add and talk about the pentathlon scene, too. though the food scene was brief, i was like aw :) he is capable of being polite and like. fucking normal, lmao.
one of my favorite nam-gyu scenes (or just scene in general) was the montage where everyone was going and cheering for each other in the pentathlon!!!! i forget the specific interview, but hdh talked about that scene and how he really liked it since it was a nice break in the tense environment of the games and acted to show everyone's humanity.
for that moment, it's not the players competing against each other for money. they're all working together and cheering each other on. they WANT each other to win. even in-ho was cheering, and hdh said his emotions there were genuine.
i really liked this scene because everyoneee, even nam-gyu and thanos, was cheering and going crazy for the other players, despite the two of them being the clear antagonists among the group. it's such a small scene, but it's a nice little moment to remind you of everyone's humanity, even those that have done / will go on to do horrible things.
that at the heart of it, these people don't want each other to die. they want the money that'll save them from their situation, which unfortunately, is attached to people dying for the VIPs' entertainment.
also including pics and indenting this shit bc i love it so much
i'm rlly interested in your take on this because your nam-gyu meta posts are amazing, i find myself nodding profusely the entire time i read them lmao i was wondering if you think nam-gyu would ever let his gf or situationship see him cry? and what would make him cry?
sorry for the late response!!!
and ahhhhh thank you <3 :]]] i have soooo many thoughts about his stupid ass 🙂↕️ i have way too much fun looking too deeply into the small, nonexistent scraps that we were given in the show LMAO
one thing that i think is clear about nam-gyu's character as he's presented in the show is that he hatesss being seen as weak or being associated with weak people, scared that it might reflect back on him. it always seems like he's overcompensating to look stronger (joining in on the fight with thanos when they had mg coin on the floor even though... he looks like he barely knows wtf he's doing and he ??? falls??? myung-gi was already on the ground 😭), lecturing min-su and trying to reaffirm to himself and others that he was strong before the pentathlon to 'not fear death' even though he was literally just as fucking scared and shaking and had to take a pill to calm himself lmao, and then referring to the other players as "cockroaches" after the pentathlon and trying to exert himself over min-su for no reason at all (and then we even got to see that nam-gyu was the only other person besides min-su that didn't get their game done on the first try lol...)
he seems so emotionally constipated, repressed, and terribly insecure about how he's perceived by others, that i just don't see him ever wanting anyone to see him cry, especially not a situationship / girlfriend / partner.
i honestly don't even see him being the type to even let himself cry. tbh, i get some vibes of toxic masculinity in the way he acts, since he's shown to be desperate to control / exert himself over others using aggression and intimidation, as well as how often he feels the need to suppress his "bad" emotions (fear, sadness, insecurity) and come off as confident and strong. this is straying to my own headcanons here but idkkk he just seems like the type of guy to believe in some bullshit like 'crying = weak', preferring to just bottle everything up and pretend it doesn't affect him. he seems like the least vulnerable guy ever.
then, if his partner were to ever see him in a vulnerable state, i think he'd be horrified and reject any attempt at comfort / connection. he seems like the type of guy to hate the idea of someone pitying him. i think he'd just want to be alone and deny it / shut it down immediately if you tried to bring it up after the fact
bro is barely even honest with himself. i don't see him being honest with anyone else, either. no guy that acts like that has good emotional regulation or is in touch with his feelings lmfao
he seems like he'd rarely ever let himself cry in front of someone. i think he'd rather mask it with anger, if anything. and if he did let it slip and let you see him cry, he'd definitely be furious with himself
when thanos died in the show, he was very obviously upset, and idk, watching the closest thing you have to a friend—in a game where you've nearly died three times—bleed out in front of you seems like... a pretty valid reason to cry, imo! and even then he denies feeling upset, pretends he doesn't care at all, and just takes the pills in an attempt to ease his mind.
though, i think if he were without the comfort of the pills, he would've actually cried, or at the very least teared up.
i think to get him to actually cry, it'd likely have to be over something big with the right conditions, like him being alone or with little to no distractions.
rewatching s2 for writing reasons and seeing all of thanos and nam-gyu's interactions again, and omggg i love how much of a loser nam-gyu is lmao.
i'm personally a tragic one-sided thangyu and/or platonic thangyu truther because it's just so much more pathetic and interesting to me to view nam-gyu's loser, kiss-ass behavior towards thanos to be out of desperation to just have a fucking friend and to be considered even the slightest bit as cool / confident as thanos just by being associated with him.
I was surprised to see that you guys really like the first part and you asked for part 2 so here you go!
This one has some angst and sadness to it but I promise there's a happy ending for this part!
Part 3 with Se-mi, Min-su, and Gyeoung-su as cats? 👀
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
It's been a month or two since you befriended the two cats in the alleyway. You consistently fed them whenever you saw them. Thanks to you, they're looking a lot healthier than when you first met them
Nam-gyu still didn't trust you as much as Thanos did but he's been settling closer and closer to you so a win is a win
He still won't let you pet him though :(
One time Thanos decided to rub all over your legs and had your scent stuck on him and then proceeded to rub all over Nam-gyu to get your scent on him. Nam-gyu hated it
You've never seen a cat get whacked so many times before
Thanos was loud. Sometimes you could hear him walking towards you because he meows as he walks. You can always hear the bounce in his meows. Other times, it's as if he's screaming his head off for your attention
Nam-gyu stays quiet most of the time but occasionally meows at Thanos to shut him up
"You're back! It was getting boring around here without you. Did you bring food-"
pairing: nam-gyu x reader
summary: you and nam-gyu go to the arcade :]
warnings: this is all fluff, meant to take place before the games, established relationship, nam-gyu is normal yayyy, only warning is for me pushing my badtz-maru agenda, not proofread!w/c: 6k
a/n: went to an arcade a few days ago and have, in fact, found a way to make it about nam-gyu.
i know it's in there somewhere,
your love for me is out there.
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