Work Text:
Introducing Perfect Woman 2!
The heat of Chaos City, Texas blazed down from the windows. Bom (Bomba, though she'd rather be eaten by bowser before letting others call her that) sat cross legged on her bedroom floor, watching the music video to 1st gen kpop legend Shinhwas Only One. It had been days since the secret concert, to see 2ne1- her ulimate favorite of all kpop, and her brothers had found out about the fandom- The fashion, the albums, the drawings, and demanded she be a proper lady, but said they would try to understand, but old habits die hard.
Bom, however, was not a proper lady. She was the kind of girl who'd scream the words to Bigbangs "BANG BANG BANG" intill her voice was raw. She'd headbang to TRAXs Paradox intill her neck hurt. And then there were others she liked- Super Junior, TVXQ, FX, SNSD, SHINEE, and H.o.t. She didn't want to fit into her brothers box of proprietary. She wanted to be her.
Next to Bom, sat Soyeon, who was happily rocking side to side while listening to IDLES "LATA". she was a new friend from school, both of them bonding over the shared love of Kpop.
Mario came in, took one look at Boms phone and sighed. "Bom, weve talked about this- women don't drool over shirtless boys. And Soyeon? Stop rocking. A proper lady sits still with grace. This ADHD and autism, you speak of, is just a excuse to not be a proper lady."
Soyeon froze.
"EXCUSE ME?!" A voice rang out. Poppy. The pink haired girl stomped in behind Sonic the hedgehog. She saw red. As a person with perfectionism ocd, adhd, and autism- that insulted her to her very core. "I have both ADHD and autism- and you're saying that it isn't real? My brain litterly fights itself everyday because me and soyeon are in a world not made for us. She stims because it soothes her brain. And you're calling it an excuse?!"
Sonic glared. "For the record, Mario. You don't get to say that. Im a firm supporter of womens rights.Also shinhwas only one slaps. The shirtlessness? Just a part of their manly concept. Its cool. But if you want peak manliness- BIGBANG is where its at."
Mario scoffed, ignoring him. "A woman should hold herself to a higher standard of grace-."
Crash! Poppy threw a vase at him. It shattered on the ground. "YOU DON'T GET TO POLICE WOMEN, YOU BIG, SEXIST TRUMP!!"
From the hallway, 17 year old Jon popped his head in. He held a sketchbook with a half finished drawing of SHINee and was in a blue flannel suit inspried by their "Dream Girl" era. "Excellent throw, Poppy!" He cackled, striking a pose that would of made Kim Jonghyun himself proud. "10 out of 10!"
Mario sputtered. "That was completely unbecoming of a lady-"
"ILL UNBECOME YOUR ASS!" Poppy chucked her platform heel at Mario. It hit him in the shoulder.
Soyeon giggled. "FOR ALL THE NEUROSPICY WOMEN OUT THERE!!"
Jon sat on the ground, high fiving her. "Deserved. Also Mario? Get with the times, old man! Its the 21st century!" He casually snarked, as if commenting on the weather.
"Everyone, Enough!" Bom shouted.
Silence.
"A woman shouldn't tell a man what to do." Mario muttered.
"Did you litterly just say that in the year 2026?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.
"OKAY, THATS IT!" Poppy lunged at him, only to be held back by Jon.
"He ain't worth it, Pops." Jon muttered. His chaotic energy was gone, replaced by a cold protective fierceness.
Bom raised her hands. "Mario, you said you'd try to understand. But you're falling into the same habits again. Stop bullying my friends. This kpop- its me. You don't get to change it with your 'im a man and I tell women how to be' shit. This is who I am. Fuck off if you dont like it."
Jon cheered again, his chaotic nature returning. "YOU TELL EM, BOM!" he screamed, throwing a pillow at Mario. It landed at his feet.
All of a sudden, Knuckles barrelled in. His eyes glowed with the fury of a thousand suns. "I heard the word Trump. Who do I need to punch? Because anyone acting like that tyrannical stupid orange man is going to be murdered in the next five secounds." He cracked his knuckles.
Silence again.
Sonic cackled. "Hell yeah."
Jon threw a pillow at him.
Mario exhaled through his nose, the kind that meant he was five seconds from screaming.
Knuckles glared at him. "You better think about what you're gonna say next or things will get messy."
Marios shoulders slumped. The fight drained out of him. "Fine. Be uncouthful for all i care."
Jon smirked as Mario walked out. "Bye, Sexist Plumber!" He drawled, in a really high pitched voice.
Bom flipped him off.
Poppy was shaking, her hands trembling, OCD kicking in.
You're not perfect enough for Mario. For anyone. You need to be perfect. Be better. Be enough.
Sonic found her hand and squeezed it. "Breathe." He said, his voice soft.
Poppy squeezed back.
Jon slid to his feet. "Well, that was awkward. " he drawled. "But I just got a great idea! Chaotic venting time?"
Boms eyes lit up. "Omg yes! Get the girls. We're recording this shit."
Outside, the first drops of rain hit Boms bedroom window.
----------
"Jon, are we recording?" Meilin lee giggled in her panda form. They were in Boms room, using her old cam recorder.
"For the last time, Mei, yes!!"Jon groaned, adjusting the camera.
From the background, Minzy cackled as she adjusted her iconic "Adults suck" t shirt inspried by the 2ne1 member she shared a name with. "Bom, how do i look?" She said, picking up a H.o.t CD.
"You look great, MZ!" Bom smiled, shooting a thumbs up.
Kamala Khan snorted and stood in front of the camera. "Hey guys! Welcome back to the Chaos city kpop archives. Today we are talking about various girl groups who paved the way- CSJH the grace and 2ne1! People often sleep on CSJH but their vocals are pure fire. And- WHAT THE HECK, DARA, WHAT IS THAT?!" The girl sqauwked, causing Eleanore the purple wolf to chuckle. Kamala pointed to their blue haired punk friend, Daras drawings of Mario, which were labeled "OLD MAN" and "THE AUTHORITY". "What?" The girl shrugged, smiling. "Just telling the truth."
Soyeon cackled, flapping her hands as she raided Boms closet. "Bom, there is so much Versace in here!" She squeaked. " like 2ne1s i love you stages!"
"I even got the hankercheifs." Bom smiled.
All of a sudden, Chaelin (in her black saint laurent dress with a matching black hat that screamed 2ne1 missing you era.) Got on the bed, started to jump up and down, playing Shinees Atmos on her speaker. She screamed along to Onews part.
Jon cackled. "Yes girl, sing it!" He turned the camera to face her, and struck a pose, snapping his fingers.
Jasmine, in a sosphicated black dress and Sistar style smoky makeup, laughed as she applied her red lipstick. "Are you sure you're a straight man, Jon?"
"JASMINE!!" the whole room shreiked.
Jon just cackled again. "You know, Jas. The one who usually accuses another person of being gay is usually the gay one, so......"
Kamala snorted. "Okay, I like this guys energy."
Mei jumped on the bed with Chaelin, turning into her red panda.
Bom couldn't help but laugh. "MEI, I SWEAR OF GOD, IF YOU TOUCH MY SHINEE LIGHTSTICK-".
"ILL THROW YOU IN THE OCEAN!" Poppy finished from where she was stacking her 2ne1 and h.o.t albums.
"Had to hit them with your ryeowook threat, huh?" Dara smirked."are you confident you will?"
"IM CONFIDENT-". Poppy screeched, then realized what she had done.
"Blackmail!" Mei cheered, snapping a photo of Poppys shocked face.
"Alright, let's get real for a secound though." Poppy sighed.
The room quieted as if sensing the shift.
Poppy stepped in front of the camera. "Mario doesn't realize why we love this kpop so much. He sees it as noise, while I respect Leeteuk from suju for what he did for Kyuhyun durning the accident. He's a good leader."
Bom smiled, setting a hand on Poppys shoulder. "And Amber Liu from f(x). She had the courage to defy kpop gender norms, and walk away from the kpop industry to become a indie artist. I respect that. She inspried the outfit im wearing." Bom gestured to her blue punk shirt and black chained pants the redhead was wearing. "I wish i could hug her. And Sulli. And Jonghyun. They didn't deserve to die so sad."
"Yeah." Poppy sighed. "I miss them. But 2ne1? They are the ulimate kpop group. They litterly showed that women didn't have to fit in a box. They could destroy the box. With their song, Ugly, to me, i don't think about makeup or plastic surgery. I think about how im not good enough. How I cant fit a mold no matter how much I try. To me, the 'what can I do to be pretty like you?' Line to me means 'what can I do to be more socially acceptable like you?' And the song teaches that its okay to feel that way, and not fit the mold. Because im just gonna be me. Even if the world disapproves. And I love the japanese verison. The english translation is broken, fragmented, and beautiful. Its messy, and its the most pretty thing I've ever seen."
Jon smiled, pulling Poppy into a hug. "You never have to worry about being perfect for us."
"This also reminds me of H.O.T. They talked about so many issues in korea that resonate with me about todays america. Like 'Outside Castle.' To me, the castle in that song is a metaphor for society. The castle outsiders are those who don't fit in—whether you're disabled, a woman, a different race, a different sexual preference, or you just don't conform. It completely resonates with my disability. And when the castle crumbles in the video, it's like the beginning of a new, better world. It may never be perfect, but we can make our own world where someday, we will indeed live as one."
Jon cheered. "Preach, girl, preach!"
Bom gave Poppy an easy smile. "thats a beautiful way to look at it. Let's do a circle. Like how super junior prays before their shows!"
"But we're not religious. " Eleanore gently inquired.
"Yeah but we can still do it. To hope for a better world." Poppy said as the girls and Jon gathered in a circle to hold hands. "My nana said all you can do is pray for your enemies. Thats why I kinda respect sujus religiousness. Theyve done some things I do and don't respect, but no one's perfect. All we can do is hope for a better world." Poppy smiled.
"AMEN, SISTER!" Jon cheered.
The whole room giggled.
"Now since that is taken care of, why don't we turn on TVXQs catch me? I want to do the choreography!" Chaelin excitedly clapped.
The song was turned on, and the group launched into the robotic mirroring choreography.
Unbeknownst to them, a shadow fell at the door. Mario. He had been ready to give them a lecture about the noise, but hearing their raw vunreability and seeing the circle they made, he realized that-
"Mabye just Mabye, I was wrong."