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Lin Ling hadn’t expected to save a hero when at the lowest points of his life, but he did. And it wasn’t… as rewarding or even gratifying as it should’ve been. It was a highlight in his life, but not because it positively affected his life to a radical degree. It didn’t have that kind of impact.
Lin Ling could remember the anger and frustration written on Nice’s face. His blame fell upon Lin Ling. The anxiety and mental turmoil that seemingly appeared out of thin air painting Nice’s eyes.
But that smile was still there. Lin Ling could see how strained it was. How something dulled further as Nice subconsciously responded, like some kind of robot on autopilot. Like a puppet on strings with a speaker shoved into his throat.
Lin Ling could see the defeat when Miss J, along with bodyguards, came to collect him like some kind of child who had been brought to the principal’s office. The packet of NDAs shoved in his face.
And now, staring at his computer, he could see it everywhere. He’s spent so much time looking at Nice’s face for his job, but never once did he notice how fake that smile was. Not until now.
Next thing he knows, he’s on social media again.
I bet Nice has an obsession with classic music, but not the slow stuff. The ones with insane tempos. Think Brahms 21 Hungarian Dances.
- - -
He started to do some commissions and applied for various jobs. In 2 weeks, he got a job as a barista in a cafe and wasn’t too bad at it. He couldn’t score anything in graphic design, not with how public his boss made his unemployment.
It was a bit of consolation when he saw the project he was working on not getting posted within the week. Lin Ling had picked up the slack and got everything back on schedule when the last head of the creative director had left from how much pressure was on her. Clearly, nobody has yet to fill in the shoes he was forced to leave behind.
On another note, he’s been continuously posting on a Nice Fan Blog about little domestic things he could see Nice doing. Plenty of people agree with him on many of those things, an equal amount of people disagreeing and posting their own headcannons.
It was fun to imagine the scenarios people came up with, even more so when they made comedic fanart of them to really envision it.
Ever think Nice would rest in the sunlight from the window like a cat would?
- - -
Perfect is a subjective term. Social norms changed often. Trends and opinions are always shifting all kinds of directions.
Lin Ling’s video was interrupted by an ad, as usual. But he couldn’t get himself to skip it. Not when he’s seeing Nice being so surprised by the flavor of a drink from a fast food restaurant that somehow afforded his presence. Lin Ling knew without a doubt that Nice had actually enjoyed it, and had been shocked to find something he could actually like.
And upon going back onto the media platforms, he could see how much his likeability skyrocketed.
Because perfect was subjective and diverse depending on the person, the group, the population. Because perfect could be just the person you really are. And it seems as though Nice has enough people who like something real rather than an ideal.
Is it weird how I could see koalas being Nice’s favorite animal?
Plenty of people agreed and disagreed. Nothing seemed to overtake all the other opinions though. The masses were too split for it.
Only a few months after that post, the news featured Nice defeating a villain at the zoo. The picture for it was of him waving at the red pandas.