⟢ headcanons.

headcanon 001

midam keeps a diary. it's a freebie he got from the tv station, pale blue, pleather-bound, and worn out at the spine by its heavy use. sticky notes poke out from the pages, bent and curled from being smushed into his messenger bag. he takes it wherever he goes, and it reflects...well everything about him.

one entry on his diary reads as such:

"january 5th, 2023
i crave sleep. expeditiously. (black ballpoint pen)

reminders: (all in gel pen)
– read through the new volume of the meteorology journal, block any climate change deniers
– check in with graphics team for weather effects, no clue how it works but it looks cool.
– go to gym after work
- correction: go home first and defrost chicken for mom
- take darts off broadcast producers face :(
"

many are appalled at how consistent midam is, wondering how he's able to keep all his information in one place – with no rhyme or reason as to the structure. however it seems to work for midam, as he's able to almost always open to the page he wants on the first try.

he had a few childhood dreams that he put aside once he discovered his true passion for music, and later on firefighting. some of them include being a stunt man for action movies, an astronaut, a giraffe (he was very young when picking this one) and being a nurse.

dongwoo has the recipes from his deceased wife's old snack bar memorized. on his free days from work and weekends, he cooks for the neighborhood in small batches. the menu is mostly tteokbokki, fish cakes, and kimbap. whoever passes by his house that day can get some food for free until it runs out.

with his friend, mayor jang taeyang's approval (imposition, actually), the fire department was tasked to be the models of a 2021 calendar to bring more locals and foreign tourists to gohyang.

it was by no means, a family-friendly calendar.

many of the fitter, younger firemen, dongwoo the most, had pictures of them with exposed chests or topless but in firefighter's "uniform." the female firefighters were fully covered, and they easily supported the spicier photos of their male co-workers. the calendar sold like hotcakes after being promoted in november and december that year.

by present day, dongwoo had given many of his deceased wife jihan's belongings like clothes and books to her relatives and friends. he kept a few of her sentimental items like her favourite books and clothes he bought for her all in a closet that stays locked. his kids' birth certificates, his past marriage certificate, and other documents are kept in a safe inside the closet. his children's clothes were mostly given to jihan's parents, but dongwoo kept their toys, books, and the few drawings they made. in the end, he decided to keep very little of them.

he has one photo album with the very few pictures he and jihan had as a family with their children. only a few pages are filled. aside from this, there is a photo of jihan and their children hanging inside the locked closet.

[ hc #001 ]
ban joobin cannot cook to save her life. she's even burnt water before. when she lived in busan, she didn't worry much about it since takeout / delivery was so readily available. now that she's in gohyang, joobin has been attempting to cook much to her daughter's dismay.

Many people in the town know of Jang Taeyang as Gohyang-myeon’s current mayor, especially after the recent election this year, with him famously taking up the role that was once held by his father decades ago, former mayor Jang Taejoon. Aside from his political reputation, he’s more known as part of the slightly wealthier (by small-town standards) families in Gohyang as well as the husband of fellow government officer, secretary Rang Soojin.

Everyone present in town then knew of the wedding when it happened, a small private one for close friends and family, at the newlyweds’ request. The two are legally married, only from pressure coming from both their parents to keep up a better and harmonious image among the more powerful Gohyang-native families, ones whose ancestors had been settled in during the Joseon period and earlier. Unfortunately, that marriage was the reason their possible romantic relationship was ruined.

The two briefly dated for 6 months, at Taeyang’s suggestion, in the early years of their marriage but it ended with them being friends, at Taeyang’s request. Neither of them talk about it now.

In present day, the two are roommates, co-workers, and friends somehow. They still act as if married in public, looking affectionate and sweet but never kissing and barely holding hands. Only the people in their closest inner circle know what happened, and their elders prevent the actual truth from spreading to give the illusion of a happy power couple in love.