going to use this as an opportunity to pitch cross-group ships i like for him (i'll link some previous answers for jbw ships at the bottom too lol)

park hanbin (evnne): my current crack ship of choice. the fact that it isn't completely crack is kind of wild to me. like... hanbin comforted gunwook before the finale because gunwook believed that hanbin was a sure thing and he wasn't. they were in en garde together, until they weren't. they practiced for jelly pop together, until they didn't. they skirted the same halls at wakeone, until they didn't. they still talk to this day, dancing in the same practice rooms that the other spent their painful trainee days sweating in. there's potential here.

and it's not just like where they've actually interacted like in terms of their personalities and preferences i think they could match really well. or if not well, at least in a way that's interesting lol. hanbin and his penchant for incredibly trainable dogs. gunwook and his penchant for older people with a firmer hand. they could also smush each other. like not in the euphemistic way just like actually smushing each other lol. but also in the euphemistic way. but i'll leave my multiple ever-lengthening wips to expound on that lmao

kim jiseong (tan): tbh i think this might be interesting to explore with other wild idol hyungs too they trauma bonded in those woods. but like what do you have left two years down the line? how long does that survival show bond hold you together? how strong can it stay? how does it feel to meet up again and really feel the difference between where you were together and where you are apart? gunwook left wild idol with the determination to figure out who he is as his own person and find his own color. do they still blend now?

things with jiseong in particular are interesting both because they were so close and because they theoretically occupy similar niches, but don't in practice. jiseong gets to write his own raps, gets to actually be the main rapper lol, gets to produce music for himself and for other groups. he's expressed before that like, producing is what he really wants to do and becoming an idol was almost incidental. tan has kind of been serendipitous for him because he's had a greater degree of freedom pursuing outside activities, especially with two other active senior producers in the group. gunwook has traded in a lot of that freedom. i think it's worth it to him, but they lead very different existences as idols now in ways beyond just the commercial success of their respective groups. (tangentially i also think it would be hilarious to get into how tan kind of… sucks at y/n fanservice in general. and i love them for that i really sincerely do)

they are just different now. and like part of that is just growing up. beyond just like… emotionally it would also be fun to poke at the other differences that have emerged in the past two years. like puberty went absolutely crazy on gunwook and jiseong has gotten all of his tattoos and piercings. they have extremely visible reminders of the fact they aren't the same kids that weathered the rain together anymore. they're not kids anymore period. there's a version of gunwook frozen with jiseong, maybe not in his actual perception of him, but in how he has all of his lines now in the tan versions of wild idol songs, many of which gunwook personally wrote himself. it's more jiseong at this point than it is gunwook. would love to poke at that.

personally i don't think i'll feel like i can fully fic out with them until we See them reunite (even if i know they've met backstage. we didn't get that fucking heartbeat challenge). but i do think of them both a lot individually. they're my ult idol and my favorite guy from my ult group lol they are being spun like crazy in my head

lee hwanhee (up10tion): hwanwook induced ennui will commence in ten minutes. i think a lot about how when gunwook met hwanhee he was the same age that hwanhee was when he debuted (at least i think. i am very bad at math). and just. earnest puppy crush gunwook and his desperation to be loved and distance making the heart grow fonder. i like them... if i had been writing rpf already during boys planet i probably would have written them.

zb1 ships

matthew: they're really intensely into each other and make for excellent foils. this is a gross oversimplification but it really boils down to this, for me. elaboration from december and metaphor-heavy follow-up

hao: they could be a power couple but instead they're doing aegyo at each other. their flirting and relatively non-hierarchical relationship are cute and they have potent milf x boytoy energy

taerae: i enjoy writing mental breakdowns lol. thoughts on their recent "developments" with links to more within.